KYLIE Minogue shares some unseen throwback snaps to celebrate Can’t Get You Out Of My Head becoming her first billion-streaming hit.

The pop icon, 58, also told of her pride as the hit surpassed the Spotify milestone 25 years after its release on September 8, 2001.

The video, showing her in outfits including a deeply-plunging white number slashed to both thighs, was a fan favourite.

She wrote: “Thank you to everyone all around the world who has streamed and sang and danced and loved!

“Way before streaming, here I am doing wardrobe and glam tests in preparation for the video.

“Someone tell her she’s hit a billion.”

Read More on Kylie Minogue

MINOGUE MAGIC

Kylie Minogue smashes record as Can’t Get You Out Of My Head hits 1bn streams

SHE’S MAD ON HER

How Kylie Minogue is morphing into Madonna – & why star is so fond of her

The song is currently streamed around 850,000 times per day.

It was the lead single from her acclaimed album, Fever.

The single topped the charts in more than 40 countries with over five million sales globally.

The Aussie may be popping champagne corks but, in an interview with Vogue Australia this week, she said she had reigned in her drinking since her wildest days.

She joins the billion stream club alongside stars including The Weeknd, who tops the chart with 5.5billion streams for hit Blinding Lights.

Ed Sheeran comes a close second with Shape Of You, with 5.1billion.

Earlier this month she said: “I do believe that it has its place in that realm..

“Sonically and visually and at that point in my life, I think, what was I? What, 32? I was settling into myself.”’

It was part of her 21st century comeback after establishing herself with early hits from Stock, Aitken and Waterman and then dance label Deconstruction.

But Can’t Get You . . . was, says Kylie: “Like riding a spaceship.”

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Juriensly De Windt and Shardijon De Lanoi combined to drive in six runs, and Curaçao won its second Little League World Series title, beating Nevada 11-2 in the championship game on Sunday.

De Windt started on the mound and gave up two runs in three innings. Giendry Ryan and Steven Felix were nearly flawless in relief with four strikeouts over the final three innings for the tiny island nation, which previously won the tournament in 2004.

Curaçao had advanced to the finals by winning the international title in 2005, 2019, 2022 and 2023. This time, the group from Pariba Little League in Willemstad had enough firepower from the mound and at the plate to beat the U.S. champion.

Curaçao went unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament before overcoming an early two-run deficit to the team from Henderson, Nev.

Ryan fanned four in 2⅓ innings. Felix forced Nevada’s final batter to pop out to Giendry in center field. Once the ball was safely in his glove, the celebration began.

Giendry tossed his glove in the air as his teammates swarmed him in the outfield. Curaçao’s infielders showered each other with water as a pack of fans tucked behind the third base dugout waved the Curaçao flag.

They were quiet early as it looked like Nevada, the first U.S. team to advance to the championship without a home run, would finally crack Curaçao’s standout pitchers.

Following a bunt from Nevada’s Michael Kleiner, Maddox Bryan hit a line drive to center field, driving in two runs.

Curaçao tied it when De Lanoi lined a ball off the glove of a diving Kleiner at second base.

The international champions took the lead for good on a two-run double by Jaymiell Martina in the fourth. De Windt added a bases-clearing hit in the fifth.

Nevada also was the runner-up last year, falling to Taiwan in the championship game.

Harkins writes for the Associated Press.

Washington has recently stepped up efforts to economically pressure Tehran amid the deadlocked truce talks.

Washington plans to impose sanctions on another bank this week as it steps up its campaign to economically isolate Tehran amid the deadlocked truce talks, the US Treasury chief has said.

In an interview with The Associated Press news agency on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to name the bank to be targeted by sanctions.

The announcement comes just days after Washington said it would cut off the United Arab Emirates’s operations of Basque Misr from the US financial system after accusing Egypt’s second-biggest bank of doing business with the Iranian government.

“This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent told AP on Sunday. “We are showing people that we know who you are, you know who you are, and this has got to stop.”

⁠In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Bessent said the next step may be cutting off an institution entirely from the dollar-based financial system.

“You’re going ⁠to see a lot ⁠more of these every week,” he said on Sunday, ahead of a Group of 20 finance leaders ⁠meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. “We’re starting with the banks, and we’re telling ⁠the banks it’s not OK ⁠to have Iranian money and to aid the regime.”

The US has stepped up efforts to economically pressure Tehran to submit to Washington’s demands, a campaign dubbed “Operation Economic Outcast”, amid the stalled truce talks between both parties.

Last week, the Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on nearly 60 individuals and entities that Washington accused of being part of networks helping Iran generate oil revenue, procure weapons and conduct cyber-operations.

Iran, however, has rejected the latest US sanctions, with Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Ali Madanizadeh saying they will fail.

Violence in the conflict resumed on Sunday, the first time since late July, with Iran launching missiles at two US bases in Jordan following a US attack on Larak Island in southern Iran.

Cooperation against Iran

Bessent is preparing to host the meeting of the G20’s finance leaders, where he will huddle individually with his counterparts from the world’s major and developing economies to encourage cooperation against Iran.

The US Treasury chief also told AP that he would speak to his Chinese counterparts at the meeting and “all options are on the table” in terms of sanctioning Beijing for its continued trade with Tehran. 

But he rejected the idea that the US was reluctant to confront China, calling it “a completely false narrative that the media picked up on”.

He insisted that Beijing and Washington agreed on the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Niger’s military government has contained an attempted mutiny in the capital, but the uprising has exposed tensions inside an army struggling to contain persistent attacks by armed groups.

It has also highlighted the changing nature of Niger’s security partnerships, with Russian personnel helping government forces contain the unrest.

The mutiny began on Saturday at Base 101, a military installation at Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, before fighting spread to other sensitive sites, including areas near the presidential palace and the state broadcaster.

Niger’s army said it regained control of the base after hours of fighting. State media reported that dozens of soldiers were killed or arrested, although Reuters said it could not independently verify the figures.

Russia’s Africa Corps was involved in the government’s response.

Russia’s ambassador to Niger, Viktor Voropaev, said Nigerien authorities requested the force’s assistance to neutralise the mutineers. The Associated Press reported that Africa Corps provided ground and aerial support to forces loyal to the government.

The intervention is significant because Russian forces were helping Niger’s military government confront an armed challenge from within its own military.

What happened in Niamey?

The unrest began with a hostage situation at the military base, according to the Associated Press. Soldiers took fellow servicemen hostage before opening fire and attacking what Niger’s Defence Ministry described as “sensitive” sites in the capital.

Gunfire and explosions were heard around the airport, while the state broadcaster was temporarily taken off air. The presidential palace was also targeted, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

Government forces eventually regained control of Base 101, while the Presidential Guard remained loyal to General Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in a July 2023 coup.

The precise size and leadership of the mutiny remain unclear. Nigerien state media said hundreds of soldiers were involved, but Reuters said it could not independently verify that figure.

Some of those involved were reportedly from areas including Ouallam, Tera and Dosso in southwestern Niger, where the army has suffered heavy losses fighting armed groups.

The uprising appears to be the most serious internal challenge to Tiani’s rule since he came to power.

Why are Niger’s soldiers under pressure?

The precise motives of the mutineers have not been publicly established.

But analysts and security sources have linked the unrest to frustration over worsening insecurity and heavy military losses.

Niger’s army has been fighting groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), particularly in the country’s west.

Reuters reported that an attack by an ISIL affiliate earlier this month killed 18 Nigerien soldiers. The airport complex where Base 101 is located was also attacked earlier this year, including in January by an ISIL affiliate and in June by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate.

The mutiny therefore came against the backdrop of the same security crisis that helped bring the military government to power.

Tiani and other officers who seized power in 2023 accused the elected government of failing to contain armed groups and promised to restore security. But the threat has persisted.

The unrest raises questions about the pressure facing front-line units as Nigerien forces continue to suffer casualties in their fight against armed groups.

Why did Africa Corps intervene?

Africa Corps is a Russian force operating under the Ministry of Defence that took over much of the Wagner Group’s role in Africa after Moscow reorganised its operations following the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023.

The force includes former Wagner personnel and operates under Russian state control.

Africa Corps personnel are stationed at Base 101, according to AP, which reported that the force has between 200 and 300 personnel in Niger.

Voropaev said Niger had requested Russian assistance during the mutiny.

AP reported that Africa Corps provided ground and aerial support after forces loyal to the government struggled to regain control of the base.

The episode does not establish that Russia controls Niger’s armed forces.

But it demonstrates that when Niger’s military government faced an armed challenge from within its own military, it was able to call on Russian forces already operating inside the country.

That underscores how significantly Niger’s post-coup security arrangements have changed.

What does Russia gain from Niger?

Niger’s relationship with Russia has deepened since the 2023 coup.

The military government pushed French forces out of the country, while United States forces later withdrew. Niger also joined Mali and Burkina Faso in forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), as the three military-led governments moved away from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Moscow has cultivated closer military ties with all three governments.

Africa Corps is part of that wider security relationship, taking over much of Wagner’s former role while operating under Russian state control.

Its intervention in Niamey gives that partnership a new dimension.

Russia was not simply helping Niger fight armed groups. Its personnel were involved in helping the government respond to an armed challenge from within the military itself.

Whether that translates into greater Russian political influence over the military government remains unclear.

What role did Algeria play?

Russia was not the only foreign actor to support Niger during the crisis.

Niger’s presidential office said Algeria provided military assistance. Reuters reported that Algeria sent four fighter jets, a transport aircraft and a refuelling tanker.

The Alliance of Sahel States also backed Niger’s military government, while Turkiye expressed solidarity and called for restraint.

It was not immediately clear whether Mali or Burkina Faso provided direct military assistance. Their political support should therefore not be presented as evidence that their forces participated in suppressing the mutiny.

What does this mean for France and the UK?

The crisis highlights the reversal of Western military influence in Niger.

France had a major military presence in the country as part of its wider counterinsurgency campaign in the Sahel, but French forces withdrew after relations with the military government collapsed following the 2023 coup.

The US subsequently withdrew its forces from Base 101 and Niger’s other military installations.

Niger has since moved closer to Russia and strengthened its ties with Mali and Burkina Faso.

There has been no confirmed new French or British military response to this specific mutiny in the latest reporting.

France’s relevance is therefore primarily its withdrawal from Niger and the resulting shift in the country’s security partnerships. The United Kingdom had a much smaller military role in Niger than France.

Can Russia solve Niger’s security problem?

Africa Corps may have helped the military government contain the immediate threat, but its intervention does not resolve Niger’s wider security crisis.

Armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL remain active, while Nigerien soldiers continue to face heavy losses.

Tiani came to power promising greater security and sovereignty. Yet three years later, the armed-group threat persists, and soldiers have mounted an internal challenge to the government.

Russia can provide personnel and operational support. But there is no evidence from this episode that the Africa Corps can by itself resolve the insecurity driving Niger’s conflict or the pressures facing its military.

The immediate challenge to Tiani has been contained.

But the episode exposes a difficult contradiction for Niger’s military government: it seized power promising to make the country more secure, yet it continues to face a serious rebellion while confronting unrest within the armed forces.

For Russia, meanwhile, the crisis demonstrates the practical value of its growing security relationship with Niger.

When the government faced an internal military crisis, Africa Corps was already on the ground.

That does not mean Russia has replaced Niger’s own armed forces.

But it shows how far Niger’s security architecture has shifted since the 2023 coup, from one heavily reliant on Western partners to one in which Russian forces now have a visible supporting role.

MOLLY MAE Hague has shared an incident where she was scared she was being judged for her parenting when her toddler, Bambi, had a melt down at the hairdressers. 

The TV star and entrepreneur has never been shy about sharing the ins and outs of her life as a mum-of-two via her vlogs, sharing earlier this month that three-year-old Bambi has entered “her aggressive era” that saw her putting people in headlocks. 

Now, in her newest video, she shared an incident where three-year-old Bambi caused a commotion while getting her haircut. 

“Today’s vlogging has not really gone to plan,” she told viewers. “I was going to vlog Bambi’s haircut, but honestly, that was a really traumatic experience. 

“I don’t know why. I mean, to be fair, she’s been saying for a few weeks ‘I don’t want to get my hair cut’, but like you know, just being sort of like a toddler, and just sort of the way a toddler would be, just trying to be difficult, you know how it is.” 

However, it seems Bambi was more sure of her stance than her mum anticipated – and wasn’t afraid to make it known to everyone when they got to the salon. 

MAE-BE FOREVER

Real reason Molly-Mae has put her engagement ring back on revealed

A-MAE-ZING

Molly-Mae looks incredible as she flaunts bikini body weeks after giving birth

“Got to the hairdressers, full blown, didn’t want to get her haircut, full blown tantrum,” Molly shared. “I did say at one point like, okay, like we’ll just leave it then because it’s really not meant to be a traumatic thing, like this is meant to be a special treat, getting your hair done is meant to be.” 

“But I also know for children it can be a really overwhelming, strange experience because you’ve got people around you that you don’t know,” she said.

“Bambi’s not great with strangers anyway, she really isn’t. It really takes her a while to warm up to people, and I think she went into the hairdresser, and it was just very overwhelming.

“There was like a cape being put on her, a lot of people around her that she didn’t know, a new place that she’d never been to before…” 

Molly admits she’d “do things a bit different next time” by introducing her to the idea more slowly so the toddler understood, and perhaps going to a child-friendly salon rather than a normal adult one which she “thought would be fine”. 

“In the end, her little friend actually came and got her hair cut at the same time, which was really nice,” she explained. 

“When she turned up, things did calm down a lot, and we managed to get her hair cut.” 

However, she noted that she was left uncomfortable with the amount of attention the situation drew. 

“Everyone that was getting their hair done was looking at us like ‘oh’, and I didn’t know if I was handling her tantrum very well,” she admitted. “You know when you’re trying to handle a tantrum and people are watching over you, watching you handle it, there’s no pressure like it. Like, am I doing parenting right, right now?

“It’s hard enough to do it with no eyes on you, let alone when people are watching you with bleach on their hair.” 

British qualifier Toby Samuel broke more new ground with a dominant victory over Tomas Machac on his US Open main-draw debut.

The 23-year-old came from a set down in each of his three qualifying matches in New York this week to guarantee a third Grand Slam appearance of the year.

However, he had no such issues against former world number 20 Machac, wrapping up a 6-2 6-3 6-2 victory in just over 90 minutes to register his first win at a Grand Slam.

“It means everything to me. It’s what I dreamt of as a kid watching these big tournaments,” Samuel told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Being able to win my first Grand Slam match is unbelievable.”

Just two years ago, Samuel fell to almost 2,000th in the world rankings as bone bruising in his right arm ruled him out of much of the 2024 season.

He now sits inside the top 100 in the live ATP rankings, along with earning $140,000 (£103,000) in prize money in the biggest payday of his career so far.

Samuel won 36 of 39 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour to return to the top 300 last year, but has reached new heights in 2026.

The Winchester native came through qualifying to make his Grand Slam debut at the French Open, having never previously contested a single match on the ATP Tour.

He continued that momentum with a run to the semi-finals at Eastbourne, a Wimbledon wildcard, and a third Challenger crown of the year on Winnipeg’s hard courts.

Samuel’s new ranking would secure automatic qualification for next January’s Australian Open, completing the set of major appearances a year after making his top-250 debut.

He is joined in the second round in New York by compatriot Katie Boulter, who battled past American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee 6-4 3-6 6-0.

A new deal between Caracas and Washington would give US companies access to more than a fifth of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

But there’s opposition in Venezuela, as well as debate about whether the plan is legal.

What could the agreement mean?

Presenter: Tom McRae

Guests:

Jose Chalhoub – political risk and oil analyst

Cornelia Meyer – commodity specialist and CEO of Meyer Resources

Francisco Rodriguez – senior research fellow at the Center for Economic and Policy Research at the University of Denver, former head of the Economic and Financial Advisory of the Venezuelan National Assembly

Burnt out teachers urgently need better working hours and more support to stop them leaving the profession, the Liberal Democrats say, as the new term approaches.

Nearly half of the teachers surveyed by the party in England said they were planning to quit the classroom in the next five years, with many saying they felt overworked and stressed.

The Lib Dems are urging new Education Secretary Lucy Powell to fully fund teachers’ pay, rather than raiding school budgets to cover increases, and to bring in limits on overtime.

The Department for Education said last year saw the lowest rate of teachers leaving the profession since 2010 but acknowledged there was “more to do”.

The survey asked more than 900 teachers, headteachers and Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) across England how long they planned to stay in teaching.

Almost half of those in post said they were considering leaving teaching in the next five years, while one in ten were planning to spend less than a year in the job.

More than three quarters of those surveyed, which included former teachers, said they had felt “frequently or constantly burnt out” while at work.

Respondents cited high workloads on marking, lesson preparation and other tasks, which they said gave them less time in the classroom.

The Liberal Democrats’ schools spokesperson Caroline Voaden said this pointed to a government that is “not listening” to the profession.

“We rely on teachers to educate our children, the least we can do is make sure they want to come back after the summer,” she said.

Teacher retention is a challenge successive governments have had to grapple with.

The National Education Union (NEU) reported that 4 in 10 teachers were planning to quit over “huge workloads and excessive accountability” in 2019.

This latest survey was also conducted with the help of the NEU, as well as the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

“After over a decade of austerity and chronic underfunding in our schools the system is on its knees” said the NEU’s general secretary Daniel Kebede.

“The new academic year is the perfect time for Andy Burnham to signal a fresh start for our schools” he added.

“That means fully funding the pay award and properly funding all our schools and colleges to stem the recruitment and retention crisis and give children the education they deserve.”

“As Lucy Powell enters her first term as education secretary the Liberal Democrats are calling for her first act to be to introduce an emergency package of ‘back to school’ measures to face this crisis head on,” Voaden said.

The Lib Dem proposals include the government fully funding teacher’s pay, which will increase in England by 3.5% from September, with an additional 3% the year after.

Currently, half of the pay increase will come from existing school budgets.

The party is also calling for proper enforcement of teacher’s legally mandated working hours, the introduction of reasonable limits on overtime, and for all schools to be required to introduce flexible working policies.

The party did not identify where funding might come from to pay for the policies.

An education department spokesperson said: “We know teachers do an incredible job and we’re determined to make sure that dedication is matched with the right support.

“Last year saw one of the lowest rates of teachers leaving the profession since 2010, and a record number of teachers returning to the classroom, but we know there’s more to do.

“We’re taking action by announcing pay awards of almost 17% over two years, funding schools to improve maternity pay and offering targeted support to normalise flexible working and manageable workloads so that more teachers stay in our classrooms and thrive.”

Emmerdale star Olivia Bromley shed real tears when she filmed the tragic death of her character, Dawn Fletcher, tonight. Due to marry bad boy Joe Tate, their plans were scuppered when Jimmy King crashed into the wedding marquee, causing a big explosion, and pregnant Dawn was rushed to hospital.

Sent into premature labour, while Dawn gave birth safely to a baby boy with Joe at her side, she had a serious internal bleed. Suddenly, without warning, she crashed and, despite medics’ best efforts to resuscitate her, she died.

In her first interview since the explosive scenes, Olivia, 30, who was originally signed by Emmerdale for just 12 episodes in 2018, tells The Mirror: “It was the toughest storyline I’ve done during my time in the soap.

“I was surprised by how emotional I found it and it was way more emotional than I was expecting. I did cry. It is very strange to kill off your character as an actor and in front of your colleagues. But that said, what a gift to be given. Often people leave and just slip off.”

The actress was told earlier this year her character would be at the heart of a huge exit storyline during the soap’s biggest week of the year. Having reached a crossroads playing Dawn, she says it was almost a relief to have the decision over what to do with the role made for her.

She says: “This is a good time for me to go on a personal level. I had felt ready for the character to go. This character felt like she had done so much and I didn’t know what direction she could go in next. I had played her for a long time, and it felt like I needed to do other things. I am proud this was such a big finale to my time in the soap.”

But news that Dawn was being killed off came as a bolt from the blue and she confesses she would have liked to have left the door open to one day return.

Despite the initial shock, she says: “Psychologically, now I have had time to reflect, I know it’s good for me, because I can say bye to my Emmerdale chapter. It’s been brilliant. I was originally only signed up for 12 episodes and I’ve stayed eight years!”

And if viewers found her final scenes surprisingly realistic, she can now share the secret – that real life paramedics, rather than actors, were used to make the medical scenes convincing. She says: “They had real life paramedics and intensive care workers who came in to play those parts. Emmerdale is a fast-paced soap and we often don’t have time to train actors up, so they bring supporting people in with a lot of experience.”

Likening it to an “out of body” experience, she adds of her character’s death scenes: “They had rehearsed the crash response with Ned [who plays Joe Tate] and the supporting artists first and, right at the last minute, they put me in the scene. I had no idea what was going on.

“They went into the crash response, and it felt like an out of body experience lying there. They were all so professional and brilliant at what they did.”

But Olivia is sad that Dawn’s life ended so tragically. She says: “Even though she was able to cradle the baby with her children and Joe by her side, nobody had picked up on her bleeding internally. Finally, she had got what she wanted and so it was a sad end for her.”

Dawn originally arrived in the village as a drug addicted sex worker. Her big storylines included finding her long lost son and her on-off romance with her big love, ex-husband Billy. But she fell for Joe Tate in January 2025, after embarking on an affair behind Billy’s back.

They got engaged in December 2025 and by February 2026 discovered they were expecting a baby. But in recent months, Dawn, who had two other children and an adopted daughter, had been troubled by her lingering feelings for Billy.

And when he was attacked last month, she believed Joe was responsible and had planned to escape with Billy, rather than marrying the bad boy. However, in a massive plot twist, it became apparent Billy had actually been attacked by Kev – making Dawn want to marry Joe after all.

Olivia says: “Only a few weeks ago, she was talking about escaping with Billy, but in the end chose Joe. If Dawn hadn’t returned to Joe at the end, she would still be alive now. Billy is her true love but ultimately, she is an addict and she was drawn to Joe.”

She continues: “I’ve loved playing Dawn and I’ve enjoyed watching her develop and change. I’ve made many friends too and I am going to miss them a lot – especially everyone at Home Farm and Jay, who plays Billy. We are like brother and sister; we get on so well.”

Away from Emmerdale, Olivia lives happily in Leeds with her partner, who she keeps out of the public eye. She says: “My life has changed since joining the show. It has given me stability and, alongside the character, I’ve grown and changed. It’s made me ambitious in different ways and taken my life in a different way.”

After graduating from Oxford School of Drama, Olivia moved to London to work in theatre, before the call from Emmerdale came. She says: “This did change things for me and to be a working actor for eight years has been very special.”

And she would love to continue working in TV drama. She says: “I want to try some new things. It’s an exciting time and I would love to do a period drama or a gritty 9pm drama like Line of Duty.”

Now awaiting auditions, she has her leaving party to look forward to next weekend. She says: “It’s themed and I think we all deserve a drink after such a chaotic, complex end for Dawn. I’m also looking forward to just being me and not Dawn!”

As for Emmerdale without her? Olivia says: “The audience will go on a rollercoaster I am sure! I will always be so grateful to Emmerdale for giving me this role and to have been able to play Dawn fully until the end has been so much fun.”

*Emmerdale airs every weekday on ITV1 and STV1 at 8pm. Episodes can also be downloaded on ITVX.

Zack Wheeler gave up one run in six strong innings, Edmundo Sosa hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh and the visiting Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep with a 5-2 win over the Angels on Sunday.

Sosa, whose pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth gave Philadelphia a 5-3 win Friday night, led off the seventh with a solo shot off Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi (0-5) to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

The Phillies added two insurance runs in the eighth on Luis Arraez’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly and Brandon Marsh’s pinch-hit RBI single for a 4-1 lead. Bryce Harper added an RBI double in the ninth for a 5-1 lead.

Alex McFarlane threw a scoreless seventh and Orion Kerkering gave up a run on Mike Trout’s ninth-inning RBI double while recording the final four outs for his second save.

The Phillies won for the 13th time in 15 games. The Angels have lost seven straight, matching their longest losing streak of the season.

Wheeler (11-5) allowed four hits, struck out six and walked three to outduel Kikuchi, who gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one.

Wheeler went 0-3 with an 8.38 ERA in his previous four games and appeared headed for another shaky start when he walked Wade Meckler, hit Trout with a pitch and gave up a single to Vaughn Grissom to load the bases with no outs in the first.

But Wheeler got Moisés Ballesteros to ground into a run-scoring double play and struck out Christian Moore on three pitches to start a 5⅓-inning stretch during which he retired 16 of 19 batters.

J.T. Realmuto hit a solo homer in the third to tie it at 1 for the Phillies.

Before the game, the Angels placed rookie right-hander George Klassen (2-2, 3.67 ERA) on the 15-day injured list because of left lower-back inflammation.

Up next: Angels: RHP Walbert Ureña (8-9, 2.94) will oppose Yankees RHP Elmer Rodriguez (0-2, 4.70) Monday night in Anaheim.

Aug. 30 (UPI) — A pair of wildfires burning along California’s Big Sur region expanded quickly over the weekend, jumping containment lines, closing roads and triggering extensive evacuations.

The Plaskett fire and the Timber fire have been burning for weeks in the rugged terrain of Monterrey and San Luis Obispo counties about 200 miles south of San Francisco.

But strong, gusty winds on Saturday sparked a rapid escalation, prompting officials to close the scenic State Hwy. 1 and issue a series of new evacuation orders after the Plaskett Fire jumped containment lines overnight.

That fire ballooned to nearly 15,500 acres and was only `1% contained as of Sunday afternoon, while the Timber Fire had spread to 24,700 acres and was 21% contained.

Firefighters fought to save structures near Sand Dollar and Plaskett Creek, executing “tactical firing operations overnight as the fire backed toward structures and residences,” according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

The Plaskett fire crossed over the primary bulldozer containment line, officials said, even as ground teams supported by night flying helicopters fought to put out the “slop-overs.”

Monterrey County officials warned residents of Carmel Valley, Calif., to be ready for possible evacuation orders on Sunday as the fire advanced on the community. A mandatory evacuation order was issued later in day for an area southeast of Salmon Creek Trail and north of the San Luis Obispo County line.

The California Highway Patrol, meanwhile, closed Hwy. 1 just north of the county line, as well as further north at a location south of Little Sur River.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a briefing held on August 20, 2026, that “a substantial package of intergovernmental documents and commercial contracts is planned to be signed during the Russia-Africa summit, scheduled for late October.” Given the “mutual interest in stepping up our trade and investment cooperation, we plan to focus the agenda of the upcoming summit meeting on economic matters,” she said.

There, the attendees can discuss in substance a wide range of matters, including boosting Russian-African ties in agriculture, healthcare, education, and scientific-technical and cultural cooperation. “We expect to sign a substantial package of interstate documents and commercial contracts during the event. Well, and we also note, of course, with satisfaction, our partners’ considerable interest in the forthcoming event. Many African capitals have already confirmed their attendance and declared their intention to send representative delegations to Moscow, including heads of state entities and businessmen, of course,” Zakharova explained.

“We have a huge potential in this sphere, which has not yet been fully realized, as everyone admits. Key priorities have also been determined: to cooperate on peaceful uses of nuclear power; to develop independent payment systems, food security, and digitalization, including the adoption of artificial intelligence,” Zakharova underlined.

It is time to face rising realities and the balance of investment power in this 21st century. Whether Russia colonized Africa or never colonized Africa, the most convincing and essential factor is Africa simply has to work with the world’s players. Africa should collaborate with potential foreign investors with adequate funds, in practical terms, ready to invest in its development as exemplified by China. And there is still a growing sense of analytical debates over Russia’s policy approach, though. Ultimately, at least three fundamental assumptions, or appropriately primary principles, can be described as follows:

*Russia’s forthcoming October 2026 The Russia-Africa summit is framed as a chance to consolidate dozens of prior agreements and shift toward concrete economic cooperation in trade, investment, nuclear energy, food security, digitalization, and independent payment systems, yet critics note that rhetoric and signed MoUs have so far produced limited tangible results on the ground.

*Despite historical Soviet-era goodwill and frequent high-level visits, Russia remains a marginal player in African infrastructure, industry, and agriculture compared with China, the EU, and the United States; many announced projects have stalled, financing instruments are weak, and younger Africans see little contemporary economic impact beyond anti-Western messaging.

*Experts and African partners urge Moscow to move beyond nostalgia for past assistance, deliver on existing pledges with real capital and project execution, leverage platforms such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and engage Africa’s large youth and middle-class markets if it wishes to convert political alignment into sustained, mutually beneficial economic partnership.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides a unique and valuable platform for businesses to access an integrated African market of over 1.4 billion people. The growing middle class, estimated at 380 (twice the aggregate of Russia’s population), among other factors, constitutes huge market potential in Africa. The African continent, currently, has enormous potential as a huge market, which some experts often refer to as the last business market frontier. Nevertheless, Africa’s trade with the European Union stands at $400 billion, and with China, almost $300 billion. And based on military equipment and weapons and agricultural products such as ice cream, chicken meat, fertilizers, and grain exports, Russia quoted a bilateral trade figure as $27 billion in June 2026.

The world is, increasingly, becoming multipolar. Therefore, Africa’s strength has to be directed at continental development and entrepreneurship, not at building solidarity for geopolitical games. Many African countries are enacting economic reforms; demand is growing for high-quality, competitive products. Russian businesses are interested in this niche, but Russian operators are extremely slow. The ‘snail-pace approach’ reflects their inability to determine financial instruments for supporting trade with Africa and corporate investments in Africa.

There is some level of optimism for a change, though. Russia plans to hold the next Russia-Africa summit in late October 2026. And Sergey Lavrov, minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation, indicated in an explicit message mid-July that “in these difficult and crucial times, the strategic partnership with Africa has become a priority of Russia’s foreign policy. Russia highly appreciates the readiness of Africans to further step up economic cooperation.”

At a meeting of the ministry’s collegium, Lavrov strongly suggested the necessity of borrowing a chapter on policy approaches and methods adopted by China in Africa. In fact, Lavrov’s suggestion exposes the inability to play catch-up and, most significantly, Russia’s financial fragility. Lavrov also said, “It is in the interests of our peoples to work together to preserve and expand mutually beneficial trade and investment ties under these new conditions. It is important to facilitate the mutual access of Russian and African economic operators to each other’s markets and encourage their participation in large-scale infrastructure projects. The signed agreements and the results will be consolidated at the forthcoming Russia-Africa summit.”

During the past years, there have been several meetings of various bilateral intergovernmental commissions both in Moscow and in Africa. The first Sochi summit discussed broadly the priorities and further identified opportunities for collaboration. There were 92 agreements signed in Sochi, which totaled RUB 1.004 trillion (equivalent to $12.5 bn), and approximately 240 agreements during the African Leaders Summit held in St. Petersburg, according to official documents. It, however, requires understanding the specific tasks and emerging challenges. The current tasks should concretely focus on taking practical and collaborative actions leading to goal-driven results. Notwithstanding the lapses, Lavrov hopes “the signed agreements and the results will be consolidated at the forthcoming Russia-Africa summit.”

Accentuating the importance of multilateral cooperation between Russia and Africa, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov said, “The current situation in the world is such that we are witnesses to the formation of new centers of economic growth in Africa. Competition for African markets is growing, accordingly. There is no doubt that Russia’s non-commodity exporters will benefit from cooperating with Africa on manufacturing, technologies, finances, trade, and investment.”

Kobyakov pointed to modern Russia, which already has experience of successful cooperation with African countries under its belt, as ready to make an offer to the African continent that will secure a mutually beneficial partnership and the joint realization of decades of painstaking work carried out by several generations of Soviet and Russian people.

The Soviet Union was quite extensively engaged in Africa, comparatively. Historical documents show that after the Soviet collapse, there were approximately 380 mega-projects across Africa. In the early 1990s, Russia exited, closed a number of diplomatic offices, and abandoned all these, and now there are hardly any signs of Soviet-era infrastructure projects across Africa. And now post-Soviet relations are interestingly engulfed in extensive geopolitics; Russia has only engaged in trading anti-Western slogans on the continent, which also threatens the African Union’s steps to consolidate African unity. 

In addition, Russia has only been criticizing other foreign players during the past two decades without showing any of its own template model of building relationships directed at transforming Africa’s economy. Moreover, Russian officials have underestimated the fact that Russia’s overall economic engagement is largely staggering; various business agreements signed are still not fulfilled with many African countries. Its foreign policy goal is simply to sustain the passion for declarations, signing several MoUs and bilateral agreements with African countries. Grappling with reality, there are equally many investment challenges, including official bureaucracy and the governance system in Africa.

Despite this policy rhetoric and attractive summit outlines, Russia still plays very little role, particularly in Africa’s infrastructure, agriculture, and industry. Investing in agriculture to ensure food security and investing in industry to add value to raw materials in the continent. While, given its global status, it ought to be active in Africa with noticeable corporate investments, similar to policy models of Western Europe, the European Union, the United States, and China, it is all but absent, consistently engages in geopolitical symbolism and rhetoric, and plays a negligible role, according to Professor Gerrit Olivier at the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, and former South African Ambassador to the Russian Federation.

Now at the crossroads, it could be meandering and longer than expected to make the mark. If existing challenges, obstacles, and impediments are not addressed, Russia’s return journey could take another generation to reach its destination, Africa. If not at the crossroad, then possibly at the periphery of Africa. With the current rapidly changing geopolitical world, Russia has to redefine and reassess policy parameters and adopt a more strategic approach, working with absolute consistency within the principle of finding common solutions to Africa’s development expectations and consolidating its economic sovereignty.

*This is part of the forthcoming book: Putin’s African Dream: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities (Third e-handbook).

Daisy Chain Fields arrived on a sweltering summer Saturday, plopped in the middle of Irvine’s suede hills, inside Orange County lines. The festival, hosted by Olivia Rodrigo at the Great Park, was a spiritual successor to Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair of the late ‘90s, born out of frustration with promoters and radio stations that refused to play two female artists in a row.

Like McLachlan’s event, Daisy Chain Fields boasted an all-female lineup, featuring some of the most coveted names in the contemporary music scene. The festival also gave a nod to some of the industry’s women pioneers, such as Bikini Kill and Garbage.

Anticipation for the festival was high after Rodrigo unveiled it in late June, with tickets selling out just 30 minutes after release. This translated directly onto the grounds, which were swarmed by 45,000 attendees, comprising teenage girls, moms, dads and everyone in between.

The event raised $10 million to benefit 10 girl- and women-focused nonprofit organizations, all of which made an appearance on stage before each artist’s set. Each musician on the lineup performed for free.

Festivalgoers walk past the Great Park Balloon.

1

2

1. Festival goers pose for pictures in front of a daisy backdrop. 2. Nara Brown from Costa Mesa ties together a flower headpiece.

As the sun went down and Rodrigo took the stage, she announced that proceeds had been 100% matched by billionaire and philanthropist Melinda French Gates, bringing total donations to $20 million.

The Times was on site to witness the festival in all its glory, amid astounding 94 degree heat and an unwavering, tangible electricity among fans. Here is our recap of the best moments from the festival. —Julius Miller

Livies get loud on the Metrolink
The 2 p.m. Metrolink train from Union Station in L.A. to Orange County was absolutely mobbed with Livies (a.k.a. Olivia Rodrigo fans) on Saturday. For such a car-brained region, it was sweet to see public transit packed with young fans in festival regalia, making the grind to Irvine more sane and green. Let’s have this vibe for every major SoCal festival (including the car-free Ocean Way next month). Yet, for new train fans, a gentle reminder: one spirited round of singing “Get Him Back!” as you’re climbing onboard? Endearing, a delight for all. Keeping it up for an hour, next to civilian commuters who looked ready to climb onto the tracks themselves by Buena Park? Maybe save that for the pit. —August Brown

Festivalgoers sing as Olivia Rodrigo performs during Daisy Chain Fields.

Devon Again performs during Daisy Chain Fields.

Devon Again felt so lucky that she gets to know you

25-year-old alt-pop princess Devon Again was a last-minute addition to the Daisy Chain Fields bill, replacing global girl group Katseye, who pulled out of the festival on Thursday due to a member’s ankle injury. Luckily, Devon Again, a personal friend of Rodrigo who will open for her tour starting in November, was there to answer Rodrigo’s call with a resounding “Duh, b—! Obviously I want to do it!” as she relayed to the Saturday afternoon crowd. Though Katseye’s presence was felt — members Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeong took the stage to introduce nonprofit partner Baby2Baby before the set, and Devon Again’s drummer wore a Katseye shirt in tribute — Devon Again’s self-confessed impostor syndrome was misplaced. With a rollicking mix of high-energy country twang, twisty ballads and production-heavy pop hits bolstered by her crisp belt, she made the stage her own. —Eloise Rollins-Fife

Die Spitz dives into a great early set

The set began with a five-minute delay due to technical issues, during which bassist Kate Halter — impressively — performed several handstands to pass the time. By 1:45 p.m., the band was ready to go, with frontwoman Ellie Livingston kicking off the performance. Draped in a torn white skirt and black fishnet gloves to complement, she wailed “I hate when girls die.”

Die Spitz’s set felt like the epitome of what Daisy Chain was all about. The band members took turns strutting around stage and acknowledging, “I know it’s f— hot!” But that didn’t stop the crowd from forming mosh pits on the left and right side of the yellow Marigold stage. At one point, Livingston even jumped in herself, to the despair of security and the delight of fans. —JM

Eleanor “Ellie” Livingston of Die Spitz performs during Daisy Chain Fields.

Santigold’s set was worth fighting for

Santigold’s eclectic, genre-defying sound may be a hallmark of the “indie sleaze” era, but her standout midday Daisy Chain set proved she has plenty of staying power in 2026. Dressed in all white and flanked by a pair of straight-faced dancers in futuristic sunglasses, the 49-year-old artist performed back-to-back hits like “Run the Road” and “L.E.S. Artistes” to a crowd ready to dance the pain away. She even brought a handful of fans onstage — mostly, adorably, children — for a follow-along dance contest during “Unstoppable,” with a winner determined by cheers. Wrapping up the set with “Disparate Youth,” Santigold reminded the audience to keep believing in “a life worth fighting for.” –ERF

Santigold transports the crowd to the early aughts era of indie sleaze during Daisy Chain Fields.

Bikini Kill double dares Daisy Chain crowd to keep fighting the power

“This government hates us and wants us dead,” proclaimed punk icon and Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna: a critical guiding light for Olivia Rodrigo’s feminist consciousness, as well as that of thousands of Daisy Chain attendees on Saturday. Since the band’s inception in 1990, the OG riot grrrls of Bikini Kill made social justice the centripetal force of their furor — long before Daisy Chain Fields, and even its late ‘90s predecessor Lilith Fair. Powered by Tobi Vail on drums (and occasional vocals), Kathy Wilcox on bass and Sara Landeau on guitar, the electric Hanna buffered classic songs like “Double Dare Ya” and “Feels Blind” with parables from her own revolutionary life — much of which she spent fighting back against objectification from men. Dudes in Saturday’s crowd got a special directive: “You guys gotta talk to your friends [about misogyny],” said Hanna. “[Women] are not gonna stop this on our own!” Sealed with a kiss and delivered with a snarl, the band closed its rip-roaring set with the anthemic battle cry of “Rebel Girl,” and were flanked onstage by a few lucky young fans. —Suzy Exposito

Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna preaches a message of anti-misogyny to the crowd during Daisy Chain Fields.

Mitski brought melodrama and musical magic

Whether you’ve been rocking with Mitski since the “Lush” days or discovered her music via pandemic-era Tik Tok, when industrial ballads like “Washing Machine Heart” unexpectedly popped off, there’s no denying her captivating stage presence — not to mention her stunning vocals. Longtime fans may have wished for a few more of the hits (no “Your Best American Girl” after the recent “Puberty 2” 10th anniversary re-release was a surprise), but indie music’s favorite sad-woman still brought her A-game to the Dandelion Stage, incorporating her signature “Butoh” performance style — a form of avant-garde Japanese dance-theatre — underscored by a backdrop of 1940s melodramas. During her set she implored Rodrigo to make the festival an annual tradition. “When do you get to be the first anything anymore?” she said. “For the rest of our lives, we could be like, ‘I’m OG DCF.” – ERF

Mitski performs during Daisy Chain Fields.

The Breeders deliver ‘Last Splash’ classics

Hand it to Kim Deal: As one of the OGs on the bill at Daisy Chain Fields, the Breeders frontwoman used her band’s performance to shout out an even earlier pathbreaker by wearing an old Shirley Chisholm campaign T-shirt featuring the first Black congresswoman’s slogan of “Unbought and unbossed.” Deal and her bandmates (including her twin sister Kelley) drew deeply from their classic 1993 “Last Splash” LP, loping through the country-ish “Drivin’ on 9,” chugging on a fuzzed-out “Saints” and pricking up Gen Z ears with the perennially TikTok’d “Cannonball.” — Mikael Wood

The Breeders play songs from their 1993 classic album “Last Splash” during Daisy Chain Fields.

Doechii does it for the girls

Under the hot afternoon sun, Grammy award-winning rapper Doechii celebrated all things girls in her typical over-the-top fashion. She and her dancers arrived onstage painted in hot pink, the swamp princess’ hair fashioned into high pigtails. A dance breakdown to a hardcore take on Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” introduced the set, and though she fed fans by performing some of her most popular singles — a version of “Anxiety” that morphed into a cover of the original sample “Somebody I Used to Know” by Goyte, “Alter Ego” and tracks like “Nissan Altima” and “Boiled Peanuts” from her 2024 album “Alligator Bites Never Heal” — she also reminded festivalgoers of the influential Black women artists who came before her — Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, Beyoncé — by mixing their iconic songs into hers. Glowing magenta, she twirled above what looked to be a rising river, a physical representation of the swirling, engulfing thoughts that anxiety can provoke as she performed the song by the same name. And just to ensure there was zero confusion, the Florida rapper ended her set by simply stating: “We do this for the girls, we do this for the gays and we do this for trans women.” —Danielle Dorsey

Doechii performs during Daisy Chain Fields.

Doechii

Garbage gives grunge power to Gen Z

With its blend of serrated alt-rock guitars and sleek machine rhythms, Garbage always sounded a little ahead of its time when the band broke out in the post-grunge mid-’90s. But as frontwoman Shirley Manson evoked an age of digital surveillance and pharmacological dependence in “I Think I’m Paranoid” — one of the era’s great snarling pop singles — what you realized is that history had finally caught up with the band. — MW

Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage, performs during Daisy Chain Fields.

Chappell Roan reigns with a hit-heavy set

It’s funny to think that Chappell Roan has only really been in the American music scene for the past six years, with just one studio album to her name.

Roan appeared from the back of stage, revealing her leather, periwinkle stewardess outfit and red mod bob — an apparent nod to Luc Besson’s 1997 film “The Fifth Element.” Naturally, the crowd roared as she dove bob-first into “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.” She’d occasionally crouch down to take a sip from her water bottle, which matched her ensemble.

Roan looked especially happy to be there, happily performing for free and her set did not disappoint.

“Only the hits today,” she said, smiling. “Only the hits.” —JM

Festivalgoers dance in the “MicroRave.”

Not for Radio crank up the volume

Just after sundown, the Marías’ enigmatic leading lady, María Zardoya, emerged to perform songs from her nocturne solo project, Not for Radio. Circled by a verdant reproduction of an enchanted forest, and dressed in a black swan-like two-piece by Ann Demeulemeester, Zardoya held the audience captive with her purring soprano and vampy stare. But make no mistake: by dialing up their otherwise elegant chamber pop with a little extra crunch and distortion, the players of Not for Radio came ready to rock out with the Daisy Chain crowd. It was during a performance of the new track “Comet,” which has only been recorded live thus far, that Zardoya bewitched fans into head-banging along with her. —SE

Olivia Rodrigo does duets with her idols

Sarah McLachlan, left, and Olivia Rodrigo perform during Daisy Chain Fields.

Rodrigo’s enduring virtue as a pop star is being a great fan first. The job requires commanding attention and devotion for yourself, but she’s never been shy about situating herself in the long arc of women who came before (and after) her, or just being moon-eyed to live inside her favorite songs with her heroes onstage. For her Daisy Chain Fields closing set, she dueted with generations of women that shaped her sense of what’s possible in music — Stevie Nicks for a gorgeous “Landslide,” and a surprise Alanis Morissette cameo for “Ironic” that felt like girl-gang karaoke night at its finest. She joined Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan — a specific inspiration for this festival — for “Building a Mystery” and a deeply tender “Angel.” Even Rodrigo’s backing band, full of absolutely shredding women instrumentalists, played beside her on equal footing for exquisitely tasteful, post-punky revisions of songs across her three albums. The boys in the crowd got a brief chance to growl in the lead on “Expectations,” but here they were just allies — the headline act was Rodrigo’s talent framed as a gift received from other women, and given again to the young fans on the field. —AB

ATLANTA — Tiger Woods was going for his seventh straight PGA Tour victory when he tied for second at Torrey Pines. He earned $264,000 that day to move to No. 1 in career tour earnings.

That was Feb. 13, 2000, and Woods stayed there ever since — until Sunday.

Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship to capture his second FedEx Cup title and the $10 million prize — now considered official money — to raise his career total to $130,390,661.

Woods had been at $120,999,166 since he made his last cut on the PGA Tour at the 2024 Masters.

This is an entirely different era of golf, and Scheffler finally topping Woods in career earnings was inevitable. That it happened so quickly is a testament to Scheffler’s dominance. He has been No. 1 in the world since May 2023.

The popularity and momentum Woods brought to the sport 30 years ago generated enormous spikes in prize money. And then with the arrival of Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022, the PGA Tour responded with even greater increases to keep more players from defecting.

There were 15 prize funds of $20 million or more this season on the PGA Tour schedule. Woods never played for a $10 million purse during his peak years from 1997 through 2009.

Woods won the FedEx Cup twice when it was worth $10 million, all in bonus money. Scheffler earned $23 million in bonus money last week by leading the FedEx Cup in points. The FedEx Cup finale has counted as official the last two years.

Most telling about the rapid increase in money was the 2024 Masters. Woods, at age 48 and trying to recover from multiple back surgeries and a 2023 car crash that shattered his right leg and ankle, finished in last place and made $44,000.

Scheffler won the Masters that year and moved to No. 12 on the career earnings list at $57,658,464. He has earned just over $72.7 million in his last 50 tournaments over two years and four months.

It was a matter of time, and it really doesn’t matter to Scheffler.

“The reason our purses are so large today is because of the influence and impact that Tiger had on the game,” Scheffler said before the Tour Championship started. “I wouldn’t really consider that a Tiger record being broken. I think it just shows one of the many effects he had on the game of golf in a positive way.”

Scheffler indicated last week in St. Louis the Tiger number he cares about his victories. Scheffler won for the 22nd time Sunday at East Lake. Woods shares the PGA Tour record at 82 victories.

Ferguson writes for the Associated Press.

Aug. 30 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the crude oil from Venezuela will be used to “fill up” the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

“One of the things I am going to do with the Venezuelan Oil is fill up the Strategic National Reserves which, because of Sleepy Joe Biden, has been virtually emptied,” Trump wrote. The “topping out” process will begin very shortly, and is a Gift from Venezuela to the People of the United States.”

Trump’s remarks came after he announced late Friday on social media that the South American country’s oil reserves will fall under “majority U.S. control” under a deal negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez.

“The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!” Trump wrote.

In a televised address Saturday, Rodriguez said the “historic” deal with the U.S. to deliver 65 billion barrels of oil over 25 years will allow Venezuela to develop its oil industry. She added that the country’s “ownership and sovereignty” of its resources will be preserved.

The SPR held 289.7 million barrels as of Aug. 21, nearly a 44-year law, according to government data. The Biden and Trump administrations each drew down from the reserves after supply disruptions, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the US-Israel war with Iran. The SPR level stood at nearly 395 million barrels at the end of the Biden administration in January 2025.

Ten months after a coup, military leaders say the referendum is designed to stabilise future civilian governments.

Ballot counting is under way in a referendum in Guinea-Bissau that could significantly boost the presidency’s power.

Citizens of the West African nation took to the polls on Sunday to vote on a new constitution that would reform the country’s political system ahead of elections later this year.

Turnout “exceeded” 55 percent and the poll took place “without any incidents that would call into question the credibility of the vote”, Idrissa Djalo, executive secretary of the National Electoral Commission, told a news briefing on Sunday.

Results are expected on Tuesday.

The referendum comes less than 10 months after the military seized power in a coup.

The military government says it seeks to stabilise institutions before presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for December 6, designed to hand power back to a civilian government.

The new constitution, which citizens were asked to approve on Sunday, would switch Guinea-Bissau’s political system from a parliamentary to a presidential one.

It would abandon the system by which prime ministers came from the parliamentary majority, an approach that has led to uncomfortable power-sharing.

The new system would also allow the head of state to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and members of the government, and to dissolve parliament.

On Sunday, voters answered “yes” or “no” to the question: “Do you agree with the entry into force of the new constitution approved by the National Transitional Council?”

“What we want after this referendum is to allow whoever wins the elections to see out their mandate without hindrance,” military leader and transitional President General Horta Inta-A Na Man said.

Under the transitional charter he upholds, Inta-A Na Man is barred from running in elections.

The referendum follows years of political instability. In the November 2025 presidential election, both candidates declared victory and accused each other of electoral interference. The coup happened one day after.

The X Factor is reportedly set for a comeback and bosses are said to be looking to trademark some of the show’s biggest catchphrases

A number of The X Factor’s most famous phrases have reportedly been trademarked as the show reportedly gets ready for a comeback.

The singing contest is set for a shock return and several sayings from the top man Simon Cowell are said to have been put forward for trademarking, including the music guru’s one liner – “I didn’t like it, I loved it”.

The reboot of the show is claimed to have been secretly bubbling away in the background for almost a year, with those on board sworn to secrecy. And it’s said the show will be returning int a “whole new arena”.

Due to the intensity of social media and viral clips, a source has claimed bosses are acting to try to secure their most popular phrases. “Trademarking key phrases is part of that — and Simon’s known for his critiques,” a source said about the new business mode.

The source continued to tell The Sun: “Bosses lodged, ‘It’s a yes from me’, ‘It’s a no from me’ and ‘I didn’t like it, I loved it’ in December.”

It remains to be seen which judges will be called upon for the reboot. Previous have included Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh, with hosts including as Dermot O’Leary. Simon is thought to be making a comeback in some capacity too.

A source told the publication: “They can explore a younger, fresher panel, with new faces and have Cowell behind the scenes. The plan is for the show’s return to take on a new life and be updated to envelop social media generation.”

The long-running singing competition originally aired from 2004 until 2019. It thrust a number of unknown acts into the international spotlight while also helping to boost the profiles of the roster of judges. At it’s peak, The X Factor pulled in huge audiences just shy of 20 million viewers.

By 2019, interest in the series had waned. Eventually, the show was axed following a celebrity version of the series that struggled to attract more than three million viewers.

Speaking about the potential return of the show previously, Simon told the Tales from the Celebrity Trenches podcast: “Yeah, we talk about it a lot. Do you bring it back as X Factor or do you bring it back as the Z Factor?

“There’s still no question, the power of TV in terms of getting people to know an artist. It’s so important if you’re not writing your own material. The truth is there’s something about being on a big screen. You hear about these artists who break online, but so rarely.

“Truth is, I guess, thank God, people like being on TV.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

The Rams went into training camp with a roster jammed with stars and other notable players.

So for an undrafted player to make the team’s initial 53-man roster was among the most unlikely scenarios in the NFL.

And that was before future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald announced Sunday that he was ending a two-year retirement to rejoin a team favored to win the Super Bowl.

But outside linebacker Wesley Bailey, an undrafted free agent who played at Rutgers and Louisville, beat the odds. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Bailey impressed during preseason games against the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints before playing only a few snaps against the Chargers, an indication that coach Sean McVay was going to keep him.

The Rams waived or terminated the contracts of 34 players, including defensive lineman Tim Keenan III, a seventh-round draft pick. If they clear waivers, many are expected to be signed to the 16-player practice squad.

The Rams moved to get something for at least one player they feared would not clear waivers, trading tight end Mark Redman to the Green Bay Packers for a 2028 seventh-round draft pick.

They also placed offensive linemen Justin Dedich and Keagen Trost on injured reserve, along with quarterback Matthew Caldwell.

The Rams, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player, open the season on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.

McVay has not said whether Stetson Bennett or rookie Ty Simpson will be Stafford’s backup.

Star receiver Puka Nacua and starting left tackle Alaric Jackson are the subjects of continuing investigations by the NFL related to separate off-the-field incidents. If the league determines that they violated the league’s personal-conduct policy, they could be suspended.

Barring change, the Rams will travel to Australia with a roster top-heavy with tight ends, receivers and outside linebackers and — because of players’ versatility — minimal numbers at cornerback.

McVay’s incorporation of three tight-end sets into the offense last season paved the way for the Rams to carry five tight ends: Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Terrance Ferguson and rookie Max Klare. Ferguson’s skill set ostensibly makes him an option as a third receiver behind stars Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

The Rams’ trade last week for veteran Tutu Atwell, in a deal that sent running back Jarquez Hunter to the Miami Dolphins, gives them seven receivers.

Bailey is part of an outside linebacker group that includes Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart and Desjuan Johnson.

Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Josh Wallace are the cornerbacks. The Rams kept only four in part because safety Quentin Lake plays as a hybrid slot corner/inside linebacker, and Wallace can play safety.

Dedich and Trost must sit out four games. The nine offensive linemen on the roster are starting center Coleman Shelton, guards Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila and tackles Jackson and Warren McClendon Jr., along with reserves David Quessenberry, Beaux Limmer, Bill Murray and Dylan McMahon.

Aug. 30 (UPI) — U.S. forces struck a pair of rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday in the first military action taken against Iran in weeks, military officials said.

The strikes on Larak Island were carried out to prevent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces from deploying new sea mines into the strait, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said in a statement issued to media outlets.

The strike comes after two days after CENTCOM announced it had completed clearing sea mines from the main shipping lane in the strategic waterway.

Sunday’s military action represents the first publicly announced attack against Iranian forces since Aug. 1 when President Donald Trump began a pause in the hostilities after saying the “perimeters of a deal” to end the U.S. war against Tehran had been reached.

The Strait of Hormuz is a seen as a key factor in the conflict. Iran has been restricting maritime traffic at the chokepoint through the use of mines, missiles and military drones since the conflict began in February.

Despite Trump’s frequent assertions that the strait is open, only three vessels were transiting the waterway on Sunday — just 5% of the normal daily volume — while 383 vessels were waiting to pass through, according to the Hormuz Strait Monitor.

Iran and Oman reached a revenue-sharing arrangement and agreed to temporary shipping lane coordinates last week but the IRGC is maintaining its closure until the United States meets its conditions.

Trump earlier this month threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” with a deal to reopen the waterway. However, direct talks between Washington and Tehran talks expired on Aug. 17 with no deal reached and no new negotiations have been announced.

Tour Championship, final leaderboard

-16 S Scheffler (US); -13 V Hovland (Nor); -12 R Gerard (US); -11 A Fitzpatrick (Eng), C Gotterup (US), R McIlroy (NI), R Henley (US), MW Lee (Aus), J Bridgeman (US), L Aberg (Swe)

Selected others: -10 T Fleetwood (Eng), C Young (US), A Scott (Aus); -9 C Morikawa (US); -7 J Rose (Eng); -5 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), W Clark (US); E R MacIntyre (Sco)

Full leaderboard

At times it felt like there was a certain inevitability about Scottie Scheffler collecting his second Fedex Cup title on Sunday.

As those around him began to falter, the world number one, who started the day three strokes adrift of overnight leader Viktor Hovland, produced a typically metronomic performance with the winning cheque in sight.

And what a prize. Scheffler’s reward for his 22nd career victory at the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta will see his bank account credited to the tune of $10m (£7.4m).

The 2024 champion also joins Tiger Woods (2007 and 2009) and Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019 and 2022) to have won the event on multiple occasions.

“To come from behind and be able to win tournament is a really cool feeling,” Scheffler said.

“There were a lot of talented guys in front of me on the leaderboard. I was fortunate to get off to a good start and put myself in the mix. It’s a gift to be out here on tour. Each and every day I’m going to try to give it my best.”

Across the final three pairings, Scheffler’s four-under 66 was the only round to break par with his superb ability to find green after green giving him a substantial edge over his rivals.

Hovland, whose driving became more erratic, also found that his putter had gone cold when he most needed it, and the Norwegian signed for a two-over 72 as he finished three back in second place.

American debutant Ryan Gerard, who started one behind Hovland, ended the day in the same position and third overall on 12 under par after also taking 72 shots.

McIlroy was unable to rediscover the rhythm that rocketed him into contention on Saturday, with his topsy-turvy round of 69 containing four birdies and an eagle mixed with five bogeys.

Aside from the Northern Irishman there were few moments of sparkle on show elsewhere among the potential contenders, albeit Justin Rose’s hole-in-one on the ninth was an obvious exception.

While Rose was unable to gather any momentum from that to seriously challenge, ending the day at seven under overall, another Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick matched Scheffler’s 66, the lowest round of the day, to catapult himself up the leaderboard to conclude the tournament alongside six-time major winner McIlroy at 11 under.

It earned the 27-year-old a tie for fourth on his debut to cap a remarkable season in which he won his first DP World Tour event at the Indian Open before teaming up with his elder brother, the 2022 US Open champion Matt, to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans pairs event.

The glowing bar is decorated like a DJ lives there with shelves of classic records, ghetto blasters, plush couches, upscale food and craft cocktails. It feels like seeing a comedy show in the living room of a friend with taste. Comics who’ve come to the stage include Donnell Rawlings, Iliza Shlesinger, Morgan Jay, Josh Johnson and Kam Patterson. Unlike most club shows that are quick to kick you out, the promoters encourage people to hang out for what feels like an after-party worth sticking around for. Though the show is seasonal and runs until Sept. 22, the promoters plan to come back in December.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays
Tickets: Varies