Month: April 2025

The security situation in Haiti is in “free fall”, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned, as armed groups continue to unleash deadly violence in the capital and other areas across the Caribbean nation.

In a statement on Thursday, HRW said criminal gangs have escalated their attacks in Port-au-Prince since late last year, and only 10 percent of the city remains under government control.

“Haiti’s security situation is in a free fall and Haitians are suffering horrific abuses,” said Nathalye Cotrino, the rights group’s senior Americas researcher.

The country has reeled from years of violence as powerful armed groups, often with ties to the country’s political and business leaders, have vied for influence and control of territory.

But the situation worsened dramatically after the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, which created a power vacuum.

In 2024, the gangs launched attacks on prisons and other state institutions across Port-au-Prince, fuelling a renewed political crisis.

The campaign of violence led to the resignation of Haiti’s unelected prime minister, the creation of a transitional presidential council, and the deployment of a United Nations-backed, multinational police mission.

That Kenya-led police force – formally known as the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) – has failed to take control back from the gangs, however. Observers say the mission has been underfunded and ill-equipped.

Recently, so-called “self-defence” groups have formed in response to the armed gangs, leading to more deadly violence.

Protests have also broken out in Port-au-Prince against the country’s transitional presidential council, which has been unable to restore security. On April 7, the authorities declared a new, one-month state of emergency amid the violence.

“Declaring emergencies without equipping police with necessary resources, like effective armored vehicles, will not solve the insecurity crisis,” the National Human Rights Defense Network, a leading Haitian rights group, said in a recent report.

“The absence of state response has turned the police into firefighters—constantly reacting without strategic direction—while towns fall one after another,” the group said.

‘Why is no one helping us?’

According to UN figures, at least 1,518 people were killed and another 572 were injured between January 1 and March 27 in gang attacks, security force operations, and acts of violence committed by the “self-defence” groups and others.

Speaking to HRW, an aid worker in Haiti said people “no longer have a safe place” to go.

“Women … seeking help have not only lost loved ones, but have also been raped, displaced and left on the streets, starving and struggling to survive. We don’t know how much longer they can endure such suffering,” the aid worker said.

“All [victims] ask is for the violence to stop. With no support from the police or government, they feel abandoned. They ask, ‘Why is no one helping us? Why do Haitian lives not matter if we are human too?’”

The UN also says more than 1 million Haitians have been displaced by the violence, while half of the country – some 5.5 million people – face acute food insecurity.

In early April, Save the Children reported that more than 40,000 children were among those displaced in the first three months of 2025.

“Children in Haiti are trapped in a nightmare,” the group’s Haiti country director, Chantal Sylvie Imbeault, said in a statement.

“They are living in deadly areas controlled by armed groups, being robbed of a normal childhood, and at constant risk of recruitment—while humanitarian aid struggles to reach them,” she said.

“As displacement continues to soar, shelters are becoming completely overcrowded, leaving children vulnerable to disease, exploitation, and sexual violence.”

CHRIS EUBANK Jr is handing over £50,000 to the undercard fighters who lost out when his first Conor Benn bout was called off.

Ahead of the two Brits’ long-awaited family grudge clash on April 26, Eubank is keeping a promise made over the original fight date of October 2022.

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It means the IBO middleweight champion will pay more than £3,5000 to each of the boxers who were on the card three years ago.

He posted on Instagram: “After my first scheduled bout with @ConorNigel got cancelled… @EddieHearn & @MatchroomBoxing never compensated anyone for their training camps, which never sat well with me.

“So here’s a little something to help out the undercard fighters that were left out of pocket.”

Eubank added a screenshot of payments made to 10 fighters.

And at the bottom of his message he added in brackets: “Few boxers didn’t want to give me their bank details… maybe they will now.”

The 2022 bout was cancelled at short notice after Benn failed two drugs tests.

And three months ago, Eubank Jr slapped his rival with an EGG in a reference to Benn’s explanation of his anti-doping violations.

The son of former world middleweight champion Chris Eubank Senior also said he would “set it right” after undercard fighters were left out of pocket.

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Nearly all all boxers involved on the card from three years back had a rescheduled date almost immediately.

But Eubank Jr said: “The first fight, 20,000 people bought tickets. Hotel rooms, plane tickets, accommodation, planned their whole weekend about this fight and none were compensated by Eddie/Matchroom/Conor.

“Worse than that, the undercard… there were a number of fighters who went through entire camps – they aren’t cheap – thousands if not tens of thousands on trainers, gym fees, nutritionists, physiotherapy, these fighters all paid for their camps, lost all that money and were never compensated.”

The original night had a bumper list of fights down the card.

Eubank Jr’s younger cousin Harlem, Olympic gold medallist Galal Yafai and super-bantamweight titleholder Ellie Scotney were amongst those scheduled to box.

Matchroom are yet to comment on the 35-year-old’s Instagram post about payments.

It comes as Eubank Jr sticks to a tough regime for his meeting with Nigel Benn‘s son at  at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a week on Saturday.

He told sky Sports:  “Every day is a graft.

“Everything is scheduled, it’s strict, it’s regimented. That’s what you have to do to prepare to go to war.

“It’s not fun, it’s not a nice part of the sport having to boil yourself down to a certain weight.

“Adding in the fact that I can now not rehydrate fully, I can’t eat and drink as much as I want after the weigh-in, adds another element of discomfort and hardship to what I’m going through.

“But this is what we sign up for, this is what we do as professional athletes.

“As elite-level fighters, you have to go through these trials, these tribulations, and I’ve been doing it my entire career so I have no doubt that the weight will be made.”

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Verstappen moved to within one point of Norris in the standings with a brilliant win at the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position two weeks ago.

His weekend in Sakhir was a stark contrast to the highs of Suzuka as he qualified in seventh and finished the race three places lower than Briton Norris, who ended his day on the podium in third.

Verstappen continued: “I just go race by race. I think [Saudi Arabia] will be better than Bahrain. The rest is out of my hands.

“At the moment, we are not the quickest so it is tough to fight for a championship, but it is a long road. Last year here it all looked great and we know how the season ended up.”

Red Bull were untouchable in Jeddah last year with Verstappen first and then team-mate Sergio Perez second. But while the Dutchman went on to seal his fourth title in a row, Red Bull lost out to McLaren in the constructors’ championship, eventually dropping behind Ferrari and finishing third.

“I enjoyed last year and the year before when we were dominant,” said Verstappen.

“Now it is enjoyable in a way of the challenges that are out there and trying to improve the situation I would say.

“I am happy, I am not very happy with my car. But we all want to be better, there is no secret in that. We all want to improve.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (L), and Ukrainian Head of Presidential Office Andriy Yermak meet with U.S. officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in March. Photo by Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry/ UPI | License Photo

April 17 (UPI) — Officials from Ukraine will meet with American representatives in Paris Thursday to discuss the war with Russia less than a day after the latest Russian attack on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said in a social media post they “are working in Paris,” with Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha and Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov.

Delegates from Britian, France and Germany are already present, and President Donald Trump‘s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to join the conference later in the day.

“We exchanged views on the next steps toward achieving a just and lasting peace,” Yermak said of the talks that have already occurred, which include “the implementation of a full cease-fire, the involvement of a multinational military contingent, and the development of an effective security architecture for Ukraine.”

There have been some concerns about how the United States will seek peace, as Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada parliament of Ukraine Oleksandr Merezhko said Wednesday on X that Witkoff “may be inadvertently trying to push pro-Russian narratives.”

The cease-fire conversation continues as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday morning that a Russian drone struck the city of Dnipro, with claims that “They targeted ordinary residential buildings, ordinary civilian infrastructure.”

Zelensky says 28 people were injured, with four children among those who were hurt. Three people were reportedly killed in the incident, including a 17-year-old girl.

Zelensky also says Odessa was struck by drones Wednesday night. That attack left three injured, and residential buildings were damaged.

“The Sumy region came under aerial bomb attacks, while Kharkiv and Donetsk regions were hit by Russian ballistic missiles,” Zelensky said.

He continued that every defense package they receive is “is literally the protection of lives.”

Zelensky concluded with “Russia uses every day and every night to kill. Pressure must be applied to the killers, and life must be helped to stop this war and ensure a reliable peace.”

The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court has ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” refer to a “biological woman and biological sex” under UK equality laws, bringing a long-running court battle between feminist groups and the government of Scotland to an end.

Wednesday’s ruling is expected to have far-reaching consequences for policies on whether and how spaces and services reserved for women should be extended to include “trans women” – those born male who have transitioned socially or medically or who identify as women – such as changing rooms, domestic violence shelters and medical services.

Although the case originally began in Scotland, the court’s interpretation of the law will be effective across the UK, including in England and Wales.

Reactions towards the ruling have been mixed: Feminist advocacy groups involved in the legal case have voiced satisfaction, while trans groups and some members of the Scottish government expressed disappointment and fear about future discrimination.

Here’s what we know about the Supreme Court’s ruling and how the case started:

What was the case about and how did it start?

The legal dispute began in March 2018 when the Scottish Parliament passed an act stating that 50 percent of non-executive members of the boards of Scottish public bodies must be women.

The act, which is known as Holyrood’s Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018, was supposed to ensure better representation for women in public bodies.

A sticking point in the policy, however, was the definition of “woman”. The act itself said that “women” included transgender women who held gender recognition certificates (GRCs) –  that is, trans women who have legally transitioned and are certified by the government as having changed their gender.

A feminist group, For Women Scotland (FWS), challenged the new law and launched a petition against it in 2018. The group argued that the Scottish parliament had wrongfully defined “woman” and that the law had failed to use legal definitions as set out in the UK Equality Act of 2010.

That Act prohibits discrimination based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership (in cases of employment), pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

However, the UK Equality Act 2010 does allow for separate or single-sex services to be provided when this is reasonably necessary, such as for reasons of privacy, decency or preventing trauma.

A Scottish court dismissed the first case brought by FWS in 2022, concluding that the Scottish legislation did not necessarily redefine “woman” by including transgender women. The judge ruled that women were “not limited to biological or birth sex”.

FWS launched an unsuccessful appeal in 2023. The case was then heard at the Scottish Court of Session several times as the group sought to clarify how to correctly interpret the term “woman” as enshrined in the Equality Act.

In March 2024, the advocacy group, backed by other feminist organisations and lesbian groups, appealed to the Supreme Court. The group was also supported by Harry Potter author and women’s rights campaigner JK Rowling, who reportedly donated 70,000 pounds ($92,000) to a crowdfunding campaign by FWS.

What did the Supreme Court decide, and how does the UK law define ‘woman’?

On Wednesday, five judges ruled unanimously that the term “woman” in the existing UK Equality Act should be interpreted as only people born biologically female, and that trans women, even those with GRCs, should be excluded from that definition.

The ruling further clarified, therefore, that trans women can be excluded from certain single-sex spaces and groups designated for women, such as changing rooms, homeless and domestic violence shelters, swimming areas and medical or counselling services.

“Interpreting ‘sex’ as certificated sex would cut across the definitions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ … and, thus, the protected characteristic of sex, in an incoherent way,” Justice Patrick Hodge said while summarising the case. “It would create heterogeneous groupings.”

The court added that the ruling was not a “triumph” of one side over the other, and emphasised that transgender people are still protected from discrimination under UK law. However, some protections, the judges clarified, should only apply to biological females and not transgender women.

What are the broader implications?

Until now, trans women with GRCs could be counted as women for the purpose of all-women shortlists for political parties or to fill quotas for women on boards or within organisations. This will no longer be the case.

In the 20 years since the Gender Recognition Act was passed in the UK, nearly 8,500 GRCs have been issued.

The Gender Recognition Panel received 1,397 applications for GRCs in 2023-2024 – a record number. Of those, 1,088 were granted. This was triple the number of applications in 2020-2021, after which the application fee dropped from 140 to 5 pounds ($180 to $7).

The ruling provides some clarification on an issue that has proved polarising not only in the UK but also in the United States.

Debates have raged in both countries, as well as in other Western nations, on whether certain women’s rights, services or spaces should be extended to trans women. US President Donald Trump is facing legal challenges for signing orders to define sex as only male or female. Trump has also tried to ban transgender people from entering the military and block trans people from participating in sports teams that do not align with their biological sex.

It’s unclear how the ruling could affect sport in the UK, but trans women may now be restricted, if not excluded, from women’s categories. There’s no nationwide rule on how different sport organisations should include transgender people. Presently, the English Football Association allows trans women to compete in the women category if their testosterone levels are below five nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months. Women typically have 2.5 nanomoles per litre. On the other hand, British Cycling bans trans women from women’s competitions altogether.

Rules regarding how domestic violence centres run may also be reassessed. In 2021, RISE, a shelter for women in Brighton, lost 5 million pounds ($6.2m) in local government funding after an assessment found that it did not provide services to trans women. The organisation said it was forced to close its refuge services for women, but was able to continue providing services like therapy.

What are the arguments for and against the inclusion of trans women as women?

Groups like FWS argue that biological sex cannot be changed and that the rights of transgender people should not come at the expense of women. Allowing trans women to be included in the definition of women would reduce protection for people born female, they argue.

Previously, FWS director Triba Budge argued that the Scottish Act at the root of the legal case could be interpreted to mean that public boards could legally consist of “50 percent men and 50 percent men with certificates” – referring to trans women holding GRCs – therefore excluding biological women altogether.

On the other hand, trans rights groups say they require the same protections as women. The ruling on Wednesday excludes transgender people from sex discrimination protections and conflicts with human rights laws, they argue.

The Supreme Court’s decision would also undermine protections for trans people covered in the UK’s 2004 Gender Recognition Act, opponents said. The law allows trans people to obtain a GRC and update the sex recorded on their birth certificate accordingly, but trans groups say that recognition could now be undermined.

Some believe the ruling will lead to more attacks on trans people. Rights and hate monitoring groups note that the average trans person is more likely than others to face discrimination and physical, sexual, or verbal harassment.

Stop Hate UK, which monitors attacks on minority groups in the country, reports that the UK police recorded 2,630 hate crimes against transgender people in 2021. The group said that was a 16 percent increase from the previous year and that it was likely an undercount, as most trans people do not feel safe enough to report attacks.

How have different groups reacted to the Supreme Court ruling?

FWS and other feminist groups that joined the organisation in the final Supreme Court case celebrated outside the court on Wednesday after the ruling was pronounced.

Supporters chanted “Women’s rights are human rights” and popped bottles of wine in celebration.

“Everyone knows what sex is and you can’t change it,” Susan Smith, who co-directs FWS, told The Associated Press news agency. “It’s common sense, basic common sense, and the fact that we have been down a rabbit hole where people have tried to deny science and to deny reality, and hopefully this will now see us back to reality.”

“We are delighted,” Sex Matters, another group involved in the court case, said in a statement on Wednesday. “The court has given us the right answer: The protected characteristic of sex – male and female – refers to reality, not to paperwork,” the statement read.

On the other hand, trans advocacy groups voiced disappointment.

“We are really shocked by today’s Supreme Court decision, which reverses 20 years of understanding on how the law recognises trans men and women with Gender Recognition Certificates,” Scottish Trans said in a statement.

The group also accused the court of hearing only from organisations on one side of the debate, and not from trans people. “We think their judgement reflects the fact that trans people’s voices were missing,” the statement read.

Maggie Chapman, a legislator of Scotland’s Green Party which has been at the forefront of championing trans rights, said the ruling was “deeply concerning” for human rights and “a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society”.

“Trans people have been cynically targeted and demonised by politicians and large parts of the media for far too long. This has contributed to attacks on longstanding rights and attempts to erase their existence altogether,” Chapman added.

Meanwhile, the Scottish government said it would accept the ruling.

The Scottish Government accepts today’s Supreme Court judgement. The ruling gives clarity between two relevant pieces of legislation passed at Westminster. We will now engage on the implications of the ruling. Protecting the rights of all will underpin our actions.

— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) April 16, 2025

In a statement posted on X, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said the law provided clarity and would be followed.

“We will now engage on the implications of the ruling. Protecting the rights of all will underpin our actions,” Swinney said.

The UK government said the law would clarify issues of service provision in hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs, although in what ways exactly is not yet clear.

“Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government,” a spokesperson said.

What else is likely to change?

It is expected that government institutions across the UK will begin to make changes in line with the ruling.

One example of the ruling’s potential effect is the case of a Scottish health organisation which is being sued by a nurse it suspended over her objection to a trans woman using a female changing room. The organisation, NHS Fife, said it had noted the judgement.

“We will now take time to carefully consider the judgement and its implications,” a spokesperson said.

British Transport Police has already updated a controversial search policy from September 2024 that allowed transgender detainees with a GRC to be searched by officers of their acquired gender. That has now changed, spokesperson Daisy Collingwood told Al Jazeera.

“We have advised our officers that any same-sex searches in custody are to be undertaken in accordance with the biological birth sex of the detainee,” Collingwood said. “We are in the process of reviewing the implications of the ruling and will consider any necessary updates to our policies and practices in line with the law and national guidance.”

Meanwhile, legal experts say the ruling showed equality legislation might need to be urgently updated to ensure trans people are protected.

RUBEN AMORIM will be on the lookout for a new goalkeeper this summer – even though Andre Onana’s Old Trafford future remains in the balance.

But whether they will try to bring in a new number one or competition for the Cameroon international has still to be decided.

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Turkey international Altay Bayindir – who stepped in at Newcastle to give Onana a much-needed break – is likely to be moved on.

There are concerns the former Fenerbahce keeper, 27, is not good enough with his feet to play in Amorim’s system.

And that was backed up at St James’ Park as Opta stats showed he failed to complete 30 of his 57 attempted passes – as well as gifting the Toon a fourth goal.

In addition, veteran No3 Tom Heaton – who turned 39 this week – could be offered a coaching role at Carrington by the club.

But that is likely to mean he hangs up his gloves and it remains to be seen if he is ready to do that.

So a shake-up of the goalkeeping department looks certain once the season ends.

Among the keepers on United’s radar is Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kaua Santos – who they could yet face in the Europa League final this year.

Lille’s Lucas Chevalier – who is valued at around £35million by his French club – is another name in the frame.

Meanwhile, Onana does not plan on going anywhere.

He wants to prove the doubters wrong and establish himself at Old Trafford and has even bought a new house in the area.

GO GO FOR SESKO

RB LEIPZIG forward Benjamin Sesko was watched by United’s new head of recruitment Christopher Vivell at the weekend.

That sparked talk the Slovenian forward could be on his way to Old Trafford this summer – as Ruben Amorim is hunting for a new forward.

There have been reports that the 21-year-old has a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with his club which says he could leave for around £60m if a top club comes in for him.

No doubt United, who are looking to cut costs to comply with profit and sustainability rules, would be keen to snap up a bargain.

However, while it is true that Leipzig have said they will not stand in his way, the price is likely to be negotiable.

And the German club hope they can top the record £77m fee they received from United’s neighbours City for Josko Gvardiol two summers ago.

In fact they believe they could get around £86m (100m euros) for Sesko – which might force United to think again.

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FEELS LIKE HOME

ONE thing that has gone down well at Old Trafford this season is the introduction of a famous John Denver song before kick-off.

‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ has long been a favourite with the Stretford End and United even have their own version of it.

But in recent months, the original has been played over the tannoy shortly before kick-off.

And like most things that have been good about United this season, skipper Bruno Fernandes has been at the heart of it.

In a recent Q&A with club fans, he revealed he asked for it to become a regular matchday feature at the Theatre of Dreams as he felt it would help the atmosphere.

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DRINK IT IN

NEW part owner Jim Ratcliffe has been cutting costs at United to ensure they comply with the Prem’s PSR rules.

Yet the Red Devils still offer the cheapest pint in the Premier League – with a beer available for as little as £3 in some parts of the stadium on match days at Old Trafford.

By contrast, at West Ham a pint can set you back around £7.30 while at Arsenal it is about a pound less.

Enjoy it while you can, United fans.

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EUR ANNUAL BONUS

RUBEN AMORIM goes into tonight’s Europa League last-eight second leg against Lyon with a massive financial price for failure.

If United can negotiate their way past the French side and go on to win the trophy in Bilbao next month, it would guarantee Champions League football back at Old Trafford.

Uefa’s complicated financial model means that would mean United earning around £49m WITHOUT kicking a ball.

In addition, Europa League success would ensure another £20m-plus in gate income for four home matches in the expanded group stage.

Bonus payments for each win in the initial phase mean United could expect a minimum further £11.24m for reaching the first knock-out stage.

No pressure, then….

ONE THAT SCOTT AWAY

UNITED fans may be rueing the one that got away as they watch their academy product Scott McTominay burning it up in Italy.

But they could still benefit if he continues to perform well for title-chasing Napoli – like he did at the weekend when he scored twice against Empoli.

The Red Devils received just £27m for the Scotland international when he joined Antonio Conte’s men.

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However, they did insert a sell-on clause which entitles them to around ten per cent of any profit the Italian club make on him.

McTominay was hailed as Serie A’s ‘signing of the season’ by newspaper Corriere Dello Sport at the weekend – so is currently a hot property.

RAS-CUE MISSION

FORMER United football director John Murtough has taken a new role with Italian club Atalanta after leaving Old Trafford.

The 54-year-old has been appointed as the Bergamo-based club’s new director of global development.

Murtough was United’s transfer guru from March 2021 but stepped down following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover last year.

That means he would have dealt with Atalanta as the two clubs negotiated a £72m fee for Rasmus Hojlund two years ago.

It is one of the transfers that has often been held up to highlight United’s dismal transfer dealings in recent years – but no doubt Atalanta were grateful for the huge windfall.

Interestingly, several clubs in Italy are currently keeping tabs on the Dane’s struggles at Old Trafford.

Despite scoring just once in his last 26 appearances, his reputation in Serie A remains high.

Maybe Murtough could get on to his old mates in Manchester for a chat about getting him back to the Gewiss Stadium in the summer.

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Angel City is naming Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus its new manager, filling a job that has been vacant since Becki Tweed’s sacking in December.

Straus will join the club on June 1, when his season in Germany ends. Straus, who joined Bayern in 2022, has led the team to a 54-2-7 record and can win his third straight Frauen-Bundesliga title with a win over Freiburg next weekend. He has also taken Bayern to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Last year Straus, 49, signed a two-year contract extension with Bayern Munich that was set to run through 2026. Before coming to Germany he coached for five clubs and with the youth national teams in his native Norway, working with both men and women players.

Angel City (2-0-2) is unbeaten in four games — the best start in franchise history — under interim coach Sam Laity heading into Friday’s home match with Gotham FC. Under Tweed, the team’s second head coach in three seasons, Angel City rallied to reach the playoffs in 2023 but slumped to a franchise-worst 7-13-6 last season, finishing 12th in the 14-team NWSL.

The hire is the first under sporting director Mark Parsons.

“When we set out to hire our head coach, we looked for specific characteristics such as a dominant style of play, a proven winner at the highest level, a focus on player development, a collaborative mindset and a leader in high performance. Alex fits this profile at every measure,” Parsons said in a statement. “He has consistently demonstrated an ability to unite teams under a shared purpose, inspire players to grow and perform at their peak and deliver results consistently.”

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leader, would like better relations with Moscow, Qatar said.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Syria’s new leader is keen to build ties with Moscow.

At talks in the Russian capital on Thursday, Al Thani assured the Russian leader that interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa was seeking to build relations with Russia, after the removal of former President Bashar al-Assad, who was a close ally of Moscow.

“As for Syria, a few days ago President al-Sharaa was in Qatar, and we spoke with him about the historical and strategic relationship between Syria and Russia,” Al Thani told Putin.

The talks come as Putin attempts to retain Russia’s use of two military bases in Syria to maintain its influence in the region after al-Assad fled the country in December as opposition fighters led by Ahmed al-Sharaa closed in on the capital.

Putin said Syria’s situation, rocked by sectarian violence in recent weeks, was of serious importance.

“We would like to do everything to ensure that Syria, firstly, remains a sovereign, independent and territorially integral state, and we would like to discuss with you the possibility of providing assistance to the Syrian people, including humanitarian assistance,” the Kremlin leader told the emir.

The two men also discussed the situation in Gaza, where Qatar played a key role in brokering a January ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas for a three-phase ceasefire.

Israel restarted its offensive in the besieged enclave in March, and talks to try to restore the ceasefire have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough.

“We reached an agreement regarding Gaza a few months back, but Israel has not adhered to the agreement,” Al Thani said.

“Qatar, in its role as a mediator, will strive to bridge differing perspectives in an effort to reach an agreement to end the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

Putin told the emir, “We know that Qatar is making very serious efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Unfortunately, the initiatives put forward, including by you, have not been implemented. Peaceful people continue to die in Palestine, which is an absolute tragedy of today.”

Interfax quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying there was no substantive discussion of the war in Ukraine, but Putin expressed thanks for Qatar’s involvement in arranging the return of children from both countries who were separated from their parents during the war.

BBC

‘Stoking the fires of culture war’

EPA

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Passengers flying with Delta and American Airlines are in for a massive treat as the carriers are both planning to roll out a freebie that’s sure to be loved by all

A massive treat is on the horizon for passengers flying with two major carriers, as Delta has announced free Delta Sync Wi-Fi across its transatlantic network to Europe and West Africa starting this month, while American Airlines plans to roll out complimentary Wi-Fi by January 2026.

Delta also plans to roll out free Wi-Fi on airline routes serving South America later this spring, with the service being added to the carrier’s entire Boeing 717 fleet, with claims that it will be the “first-of-its-kind” onboard the aircraft. Delta expects the freebie service to be fully rolled out towards the end of 2025, with the entirety of its 717 fleet expected to be covered by early 2026.

Delta’s S.V.P. of customer experience design, Ranjan Goswami, is thrilled about the advancement as he said: “Thanks to the dedication and expertise of Delta teams, we’re making enormous strides in our efforts to bring fast, free Wi-Fi to every aircraft in our fleet.

“[This will] in turn will transform our aircraft into personalised platforms where customers can connect and engage in meaningful new ways. With the addition of our pioneering dual-network connectivity solution to 717s and forthcoming A350-1000 and A321neo new deliveries, we’re unlocking new possibilities for what it means to stay connected in the air.”

Over at American Airlines, free in-flight Wi-Fi will be rolled out to AAdvantage loyalty members from January 2026. Anyone can sign up to be a loyalty member, and Wi-Fi is expected to be available onboard all aircrafts that are equipped with Intelsat and Viasat high-speed satellite connectivity, something that accounts for 90 per cent of their fleet, according to the airline.

The carrier is currently working to outfit more than 500 of its regional aircrafts with the high-speed Wi-Fi service by the end of the year, and claims to have already trialled the service on some routes, garnering results that “surpassed performance expectations”.

Speaking about the plans, Heather Garboden, chief customer officer, said: “Our customers greatly value staying connected while in the air, whether communicating with friends, getting work done, checking in on social media or streaming their favourite subscription services.”

Garboden explained their commitment: “We’ve been working diligently to outfit our aircraft with best-in-class high-speed Wi-Fi and together with ATandT are proud to offer those services at no cost to our most loyal customers.”

Delta is currently implementing plans to roll out complimentary Wi-Fi on additional long-haul international flights, although they’re taking their time to test and refine the service to ensure customers receive the optimum experience before wider market rollout of fast, reliable, and free connectivity.

The airline adds: “Streaming-capable Hughes connectivity is on its way to Delta’s fleet of more than 400 regional jets (as well as our Boeing 717 aircraft). Regional and 717 aircraft mods will begin shortly and continue through early 2026, with free Delta Sync Wi-Fi coming online with each aircraft update.”

Additionally, the statement specified: “Today, fast, free Wi-Fi is available on more than 880 aircraft. This includes all Boeing 737 and B757 aircraft, all Airbus A321ceos, A321neo, A320, A319 and A223, as well as most A221 aircraft – and we’re continuing to work toward making it available on all flights, with more aircraft entering service with free Wi-Fi as it becomes available.”

Delta Air Lines announced free in-flight Wi-Fi back in 2023, while United Airlines announced the service last year. UK airline British Airways also has Wi-Fi onboard, however it’s only free for messaging. Passengers need to pay for streaming unless they’re travelling in first class. Virgin Atlantic flights also offer in-flight Wi-Fi services, but at a cost.

The logline for Matthew Specktor’s memoir, “The Golden Hour,” could easily imply a Hollywood tell-all. Specktor is the son of a well-connected movie agent, Fred Specktor, which meant he had run-ins with the biggest celebrities of the 1970s and ’80s.

Thanks to his father, he was shaped by the louche New Hollywood world, which meant taking Quaaludes at 10 and cocaine not long after. A former Fox 2000 exec, he grasps the ways conglomeratization has made studios risk-averse in recent years. “Do ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ and ‘Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem’ whisper to people in their dreams?” he laments toward the book’s end. “Or do the one thing required for an art to live on, which is to inspire people to emulate them?”

But Specktor is trying to do something subtler and more slippery than cataloging boldfaced names and bellyaching about how commerce has strangled art. “The Golden Hour” is a determinedly artful and novelistic memoir, recalling the ebb and flow of millions in Hollywood in the past half-century, not to account for winners and losers but to better understand his parents’ psyches, and his own. His life, he observes, made a certain sense when his parents’ values and the movies were in alignment; when the movies diverged, the family fractured. Funny what a little celluloid can do.

Specktor opens the story on the cusp of the ’60s, depicting his father, Fred, as a rising star at MCA, the talent agency then led by Lew Wasserman. The vibe Specktor evokes is “Mad Men” cool, an L.A. full of cars with “radios blaring Nelson Riddle and Patti Page from their blood-dark interiors, their engines’ warm rumble fading to a soft, tidal hiss.” As Fred ingratiates himself with higher-caliber clients — Bruce Dern chief among them — he swims with the current of the decade’s most convention-breaking films. He and his wife, Katherine, are good lefty activists, and the radicalism of films such as “Bonnie and Clyde” fit them comfortably. “The movies, that great repository of the American self-image, have begun to depict people who look and feel more like my parents,” the younger Specktor writes.

On the surface, all is well. In the ’70s, Fred bounces from MCA to William Morris to Michael Ovitz’s startup, CAA. Katherine, an avid reader who loves James Joyce and modern poetry, tries her hand at screenwriting, with Fred’s encouragement. Like most kids, Matthew sees himself as a function of his parents’ work and ambitions: “I am a specimen ready to be deposited into its petri dishes. Let’s see what happens when we dose this specimen with Robert Frost and ‘The Communist Manifesto.’” But he’s also increasingly disarmed by the cracks in the façade. Katherine descends into alcoholism. Fred seems to stifle his ambition, content to be a cog in the industry machine rather than somebody turning the wheels.

Or was Fred just smartly laying low? The ’80s and ’90s would be an era of massive upheaval for the industry, as Ovitz eagerly pursued deals with Japanese investors and the movies had less to do with taking the pulse of American life and more to do with satisfying market quadrants. “What’s happened to the movies, which were filled with ambiguity and intimate strangeness a few short years ago, but now are crammed with spaceships and sharks?” Specktor queries.

“The Golden Hour” is an attempt to preserve ambiguity and strangeness in the face of a culture that’s strangled subtlety. Fred Specktor, in his son’s eyes, isn’t a mere functionary but a man who tried to retain the elements of agenting that felt like making art — negotiation, persuasion. Writers like his mother, James Baldwin (one of his teachers while attending Hampshire College) and Specktor himself are pursuing a noble struggle. The book’s style reflects this sensitivity: Rather than rehash war stories or assign blame and responsibility, Specktor writes novelistically, attempting to get into the head of a host of characters, like Wasserman, Ovitz, Baldwin, and…

… Mohamed Atta, one of the 9/11 terrorists? Specktor overreaches a bit in the latter stages of the book, as he tries to show just how much 21st century filmmaking has drifted from its inclusive ’60s ethos. As the industry becomes a business of extremes — tentpoles and low-margin indies — he finds it all but impossible to determine what audiences want. To his regret, he passes on a colleague’s enthusiasm for “Fight Club” while working at Jersey Films. (“You think forty-year-old women in Ohio wanna see a movie about dudes beating each other up in basements?”) But his hopes to adapt brainy fare like Don DeLillo’s “Underworld” or Shirley Hazzard’s “The Transit of Venus” fail in the face of complex rights deals, disinterest or both.

Small wonder, then, that Specktor took to writing novels (he’s published two): “This, my secret life, is the one that feels real,” he writes of his sneaking away to his fiction. And small wonder that he wanted to write a memoir stripped of the form’s obvious scaffolding and joints: no declarations of trauma, little effort to make his life exemplify something bigger. Making feelings simplistic is something for the movies, now. But he remembers that it wasn’t always thus, and not just for him: The movies have spent a century as a key repository for Americans to dream through what it means to be a citizen. “They have colonized my imagination like a swarm of bees,” he writes of his teenage self. It was only a matter of time before he got stung.

Athitakis is a writer in Phoenix and author of “The New Midwest.”

ABC Supermarket in the heart of Little Saigon is like a Donald Trump tariff rant come to fragrant, tasty life.

Sorghum liquors from China. Frozen seafood from Malaysia. Thai fish sauce. Japanese candies. A galaxy of products from Vietnam, of course.

All of these imports would be slammed by the massive tariffs that Trump threatened to impose on many Asian nations until putting a pause on the plan, with Vietnam, at 46%, among the highest.

But in Little Saigon, enmity for the Vietnamese government, which proclaims itself Communist even as the country’s economy developed a niche exporting manufactured goods, thrives among the older generation, many of whom arrived in the U.S. as refugees after the fall of Saigon nearly 50 years ago.

Some are even willing to pay higher prices if it means the Communist regime will suffer.

“Everything will become more expensive, but if it hurts the Vietnamese government, I’m for it,” said Diep Truong, 65, whose cart held a jackfruit the size of a pillow. “If the president says it will help America, then I’m for it.”

But John Nguyen, 39, worries that consumers accustomed to a wide variety of imported foods from Asia won’t be able to afford the higher prices that tariffs could bring.

“All these people aren’t rich,” said Nguyen, the son of Vietnamese refugees, as he gestured to other shoppers in the parking lot of the supermarket in Westminster, his cart groaning with bags of rice and canned pho. “So much of Vietnamese food comes from Vietnam. How are we supposed to be able to pay more money for food when it’s already expensive?”

The tech worker didn’t vote in the 2024 election, despising Trump but unimpressed with Kamala Harris. His parents are Trump supporters and don’t seem to mind the president’s trade war.

“Let’s see how they feel when we’re paying way more for our dinner,” he said bitterly.

That generational divide was evident in many of the conversations I had with shoppers and business owners in Little Saigon, where the Republican Party has long held sway for its traditional anti-Communist stance and where support for Trump remains strong among older Vietnamese immigrants, even as many of their children reject the GOP.

Over the decades, doing business with Vietnam has evolved from an affront that could result in death threats to a common profession that keeps Little Saigon stores stocked with affordable goods.

Stephanie Nguyen fled Vietnam 30 years ago and now runs a business that imports supplements and skin care products from Japan, which also faced a steep tariff. She admitted that the stock market instability caused by Trump’s tariff threats has walloped her portfolio.

“But we have to sacrifice a bit for the benefit of this country,” said the 52-year-old, who “proudly” voted for Trump three times. “I can’t go back to Vietnam. This is my home country now, so we need to do what we have to do to protect and support the USA.”

Other importers fear for their bottom line, including some in the nail salon industry that has lifted many Vietnamese Americans into the middle class.

Vy Nguyen moved to the U.S. nine years ago for college and now runs import operations for Nghia, her family’s nail-trimming equipment business.

The tariffs “would be devastating if it happens,” she said at Nghia’s small showroom in Garden Grove. “I understand where he [Trump] is coming from, but all of this falls on small business and customers.”

Nguyen, 26, had just returned from a trade show where the president’s trade war “was all that people wanted to talk about.”

She already had to slash a recent order from Vietnam from $1 million to $500,000 due to a lower sales forecast if the tariffs are implemented. The shipment will take far longer to arrive than usual and cost more, because “everyone is trying to export right now” to stay within Trump’s 90-day tariff pause.

“I know that in the American community, one or two dollars more doesn’t seem much,” Nguyen said. “But for Vietnamese, even that increase is super sensitive to everyone.”

Nearby at Tu Luc Bookstore, manager Eric Duong estimated that 70% of the Vietnamese-language books on the shelves are imported from Vietnam.

Duong didn’t want to offer an opinion on “something that hasn’t happened yet.” But he said that Tu Luc, a destination for readers for 41 years, has already seen a big drop in sales this year.

If tariffs do come, “we would try to do the best and keep it affordable, but we don’t know what’s next,” Duong said. “We’re just waiting for Trump to do something, and that waiting is hard.”

Vietnam is the world’s sixth-largest exporter to the U.S., from major companies like Nike and Lululemon to the small makers in stock at ABC Supermarket. The U.S. trade deficit with Vietnam is about $123.5 billion, putting the country near the top of Trump’s list for “reciprocal” tariffs.

This would have been unimaginable a generation ago.

When then-President Bill Clinton announced the end of a U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam in 1994, hundreds of people rallied on Bolsa Avenue, Little Saigon’s main drag, to decry the decision.

For a good decade afterward, anyone in Little Saigon who openly sought to establish business relations with Vietnam could expect accusations of being a Communist. Protesters greeted Vietnamese government officials who came to Orange County to talk opportunities.

One of those protesters was Janet Nguyen. As an O.C. supervisor in 2007, she stood outside a Dana Point resort with hundreds of others to blast an appearance by Vietnam’s then-president, Nguyen Minh Triet.

Nguyen, who served as a state Assembly member and senator before returning to the O.C. Board of Supervisors last year, has sent a letter to every American president since George W. Bush, urging them not to be easy on Vietnam when it comes to free trade.

“In Vietnam, the government gets wealthier, not the people,” said the supervisor, 48, who fled Vietnam on a boat with her family as a child. “If you’re going to benefit from America, you’ve got to benefit your people, not the Communist Party.”

She admitted that Trump’s strategy — including tariffs on countries other than Vietnam — could affect her district, which encompasses Little Saigon.

“It might spike prices, and services might be reduced, and projects will have to be put on pause,” Nguyen said. “But we’re just going to have to wait and see.”

Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce Chair Tim Nguyen, 42, said his group has received a “spike” of website visits and phone calls from frantic members.

“Everyone is very on the edge trying to see what to do,” said Nguyen, who imported pickup truck parts from China until Trump’s 2019 tariffs helped sink his company. “The best thing we can do right now is be a conveyor of information so we can calm people down.”

The chamber, more than any other group in Little Saigon, has been at the forefront of promoting trade with Vietnam, often at great personal cost. Its founding president, Dr. Co Pham, wore a bulletproof vest at his medical practice because of threats stemming from his stance that better business relations could bring freedom to his homeland.

When Tam Nguyen was asked to succeed Pham in 2009, he worried that doing so “might expose my family’s business to criticism.”

Nguyen, 51, whose family fled Vietnam when he was a baby, is the chair of Advance Beauty College, a beauty school started by his parents that has trained tens of thousands of manicurists over the decades.

Growing up, Nguyen felt a gap with the older generation, who “were so adamant to not do any trade with Vietnam. I could never understand their trauma.”

Now, he said, “a Little Saigon business is a global business,” and “everyone seems to be importing something.”

Over the years, the tags on his clothing have progressed through a parade of Asian countries: China, Japan, Indonesia.

“Today, it’s ‘Made in Vietnam,’ and it brings me great pride,” Nguyen said. “My cousins back in Vietnam have better jobs now. I don’t have the angst of my parents’ generation. And it’s so normalized to the point where my children don’t even think of [Vietnamese products] as being political.”

He is concerned that the tariffs will have a ripple effect across Little Saigon, because “we’re not just the workforce — we’re the entire supply chain. But if anything, this will bring us together, and we’ll figure it all out. Our people are resilient — we adapt. That’s what we’ve done for 50 years, and look what we have created.”

At Coffee Factory in Westminster last year, Clinton campaigned for Derek Tran, who later won his congressional race.

A generation ago, community members would have shouted down Clinton for normalizing relations with Vietnam. This time around, it was all people with smartphones joyously taking photos.

I stopped by the cafe on a recent morning with my colleague Anh Do, who introduced me to customers and sometimes helped translate. Some people told us they took Trump’s side on the tariffs — and they didn’t have anything nice to say about the Vietnamese government.

Thanh Trieu, 55, whose family is in the pharmacy business, sat outside with a group of friends. Resting on the table next to a pack of cigarettes, a copy of the Vietnamese-language newspaper Vien Dong included a column about the tariffs, complete with a photo of Trump.

“It’s not gonna affect us immediately,” Trieu said. “America has so much debt. We have no choice but to do this. Someone’s gonna get hurt, someone’s gonna get profit. It might as well be us [Americans] who win.”

Giau Nguyen, 63, walked over from his hair salon a few doors down, decked out in an Elvis-style pompadour and a shirt featuring the U.S. Constitution underneath a pattern of bald eagles and the Stars and Stripes.

He acknowledged that tariffs would hurt his business, “but just a little, not much. This is going to hurt in the short run, but at the end it’s fair, and I support what’s fair. Other countries have been cheating America in the long run.”

Inside, Tony Fukukawa was about to dig into a bánh mì and slices of grilled pork when I sat down to talk with him. He was raised in Japan by Vietnamese parents, and his family imports tractors from Japan and Vietnam.

Fukukawa, 22, hadn’t heard about the proposed tariffs. A stunned look crossed his face when I told him.

“Wow,” he finally said. “It’s going to damage us. It’s not good for us.”

He asked about Trump’s rationale, and I explained the president’s sentiment that Vietnam and other countries that import a lot of goods to the U.S. have taken advantage of us for too long.

“What advantage does the United States get against Vietnam?” Fukukawa wondered. “I don’t think it sounds fair at all.”

WHS was brought in to help make golf more inclusive. Players do not have to be a club member to acquire a handicap which can then be used at any course in the world.

In line with scores submitted, golfers are given a ‘handicap index’ which will provide the appropriate number of shots for the difficulty of the course they are playing. This should enable players of all abilities to play against each other.

Under the new system, scores from ‘general play’, rather than solely from rounds in formal competitions, can be submitted. The arrangement depends on the honesty of golfers to enter scores that reflect their true ability.

“The rules of golf and handicapping rely on the integrity of players,” Moir added. “And we all need to be prepared to challenge any behaviour that lacks that integrity.

“We want golfers to take the same view on the rules of handicapping as they would on the rules of golf.

“We know that it is very, very rare for people to seek to play other than in accordance with the rules of golf and we need people to view the rules of handicapping in exactly the same way.”

Golfers and club committees are receiving reminders on how the system should be implemented.

“We’ve got a social media and e-newsletter campaign,” Moir said. “We at the R&A are collaborating with England Golf, Golf Ireland, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf to address some of these concerns.

“The principle purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness among golfers, but also with handicapping committees as to what their own responsibilities are within the rules.”

Officials insist the new system works well and point to growing participation numbers, which are expected to be further boosted by McIlroy’s dramatic and inspirational play-off win in Augusta.

Last year, 14 million handicap cards were submitted in Great Britain and Ireland – up 1.4 million on 2023 – while nine million of those came from competition play.

“We want people to return as many general play scores as possible,” Moir said. “That’s when the new handicap system comes into its own and reflects current form and ability.”

The Labor Department said Thursday seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims for the week ending April 12 were 215,000, a decline of 9,000 from the previous week. While the highest tariffs since the Great Depression of the 1930s drive worries of inflation and possible recession, the jobs market seems resilient so far. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

April 17 (UPI) — The Labor Department said Thursday seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims for the week ending April 12 were 215,000, a decline of 9,000 from the previous week.

While the highest tariffs since the Great Depression of the 1930s drive worries of inflation and possible recession, the data pointed to resilience in the job market.

“The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 219,710 in the week ending April 12, an increase of 3,176 (or 1.5%) from the previous week,” the Department of Labor said in a statement.

The labor department said 1,885,000 workers were collecting unemployment insurance from states during the week of April 5. That’s an increase of 41,000 from the previous week.

Those continuing claims are at a post-COVID pandemic high.

“Overall, the claims report does not show any current evidence of layoffs materializing,” Jeffries LLC economist Thomas Simons said.

The labor department said the 4-week moving average of unemployment claims increased by 1,000 to 1,867,250.

Unadjusted jobless data shows 219,710 unemployment claims in the week ending April 12.

“There were 209,064 initial claims in the comparable week in 2024,” the Labor Department statement said.

The Thursday Labor Department report showed initial jobless claims highest in California, Tennessee, Oregon, Virginia and Florida.

The biggest declines in initial jobless claims were in Kentucky, Iowa, New York, Kansas and Arkansas.

WWE superstar Drew McIntyre pulled no punches as he warned pro wrestling fans about their behaviour ahead of WrestleMania 41.

McIntyre, 39, will be in action at WrestleMania this weekend when he takes on Damian Priest in a Sin City Street Fight at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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The first and only British WWE world champion is set for his 10th Mania appearance, so he knows all about wrestling’s biggest show of the year.

And thus, the Scottish bruiser issued a stern list of Do’s and Don’ts on Twitter for the hundreds of thousands of fans set to descend for the Show of Shows in Nevada.

The three-time world champion started with the Do’s, where he combined some serious issues with his heel persona that allowed him to also joke a bit, in a short clip he posted online.

McIntyre said: “I’m worried about you guys. I’m concerned you’re gonna f*** it up, so I’ve taken upon myself to put together some Do’s and Don’ts – a little PSA – so you can have the best time possible at Wrestlemania.

“So then if you have a bad interaction, a bad experience – you f*** things up – then it is totally on you for not listening to Drew McIntyre.

“Starting with the Do’s: 1. Be respectful to any wrestlers you see and each other, but you know, mostly us. It’s our busiest work week of the year and if you see us in a hurry, don’t get in our way.

“We’re probably trying to get to an appearance – you could actually see us at the appearance – or maybe we have an hour and we’re trying to get to the gym.

“Or something crazy, like seeing our family and friends that we never, ever, ever see – especially from another country, like myself.”

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McIntyre then joked: “2. Wear deodorant. Please wear deodorant.”

But the ex-WWE Champion quickly got serious again: “3. Support local indie wrestling.

“I used to love doing independent shows around Wrestlemania, especially when I was Evolve Champion and I nicknamed WrestleMania week ‘Wrestling week’ because there’s so much going on. The atmosphere is incredible. Support independent wrestling.”

Then McIntyre tackled all the things fans should make sure they don’t do in Vegas.

And some issues have created problems for WWE superstars in the past, such as being approached at the airport by strangers asking them to sign a raft of merchandise that the opportunists usually go on to sell online.

McIntyre added: “1. Don’t hang around the airport with a bunch of merchandise to sign. It’s b*******. It’s taking the piss. It’s taking advantage. It’s Wrestlemania. There’s plenty of signings and photo ops you can go along too.

“We’re just trying to get our stuff. Say hi to a few people. Say thank you for coming to Mania and go to the hotel to begin the biggest week of the year.”

Another major problem that has become common is fans hanging around the wrestlers’ hotels where they usually stay with their families and often see their personal space getting violated.

Stay away from the hotel

“2. Speaking of the hotel, f*** off. Stay away from the hotel. That’s the safe space. Imagine that’s our house, because it is our house for the week. It’s our home for the week, we have our family and friends there.

“Some of the superstars have kids, respect personal space. Would you like someone coming into your house, shoving a camera in your face and your kids’ face? Think of it that way.

“3. And don’t interrupt people if they’re in the middle of a conversation with their friends or family – or linger being weird.

“Again, there’s plenty of chances to meet people during the week, and if you see a superstar in the wild – like on the street or the gym or a restaurant – maybe there’d be an opportunity to see what’s up, take a quick photo, [but] don’t ask for merch to be signed. And once again, not the f****** hotel.”

McIntyre also asked fans not to address wrestlers by their real names as some, especially female talent, find that to be “very creepy”.

The Scottish Warrior said: “4. Shoot names, real names, government names. Don’t call people by their real names. That’s a sure fire sign we need to run the f*** away. I’m called Drew, [so] I’m pretty much screwed. This is more to do with the girls. It’s very creepy. Don’t do it.

“There we go. Don’t do that stuff. And you won’t f*** up your experience. Everybody attending Mania, get together, talk about the thing we love and brought us together – professional wrestling and Wrestlemania.

“It’s gonna be the biggest one yet, and I guarantee Drew McIntyre is going to steal the weekend. So thanks for listening. I hope everybody actually listened and didn’t just hear me. Listen! Cheers.”

McIntyre’s clip did the rounds on social media and fellow WWE superstar Randy Orton shared it with the following caption: “I approve this message.”

Loose Women host Kaye Adams was forced to cut off Trisha Goddard mid-interview as the show was running out of time

Due to the show’s tight schedule, Kaye Adams had to issue an apology on Loose Women after she interrupted a guest mid-sentence.

On Thursday (17 April), Kaye resumed her role as host of the popular daytime talk show, alongside panellists Denise Welch, Brenda Edwards, and Nadia Sawalha.

After chatting with Paul Sinha from The Chase, the Loose Women welcomed Celebrity Big Brother alum Trisha Goddard, who was set to divulge details about her stint in the famous house.

While discussing her cancer treatment and the support she has received from various organisations, Kaye had to step in and halt Trisha’s story.

Trisha was explaining: “Palliative care has moved on. It’s now about controlling the pain you might get and the side effects. There’s a minority of people who will do that. So, you are living with the things that pain you, that mean you can’t work,” when Kaye interjected.

“I am so sorry to interrupt, but I am so glad you got that out,” Kaye quickly said, before wrapping up the programme.

She then signed off, telling viewers to look forward to Brian Conley’s appearance on the show the following day, Friday (18 April).

During her time on Loose Women, Trisha opened up about her experiences inside the Celebrity Big Brother house and her journey through cancer treatment, reports Belfast Live.

Trisha became the second celeb to wave goodbye to the Celebrity Big Brother house this year, hot on the heels of ex-MP Michael Fabricant’s departure. Hollywood’s own Mickey Rourke was another person who exited the famous house due to inappropriate behaviour.

During her time on the show, the iconic chat show queen Trisha shared that she believed JoJo Siwa, the US Dance Moms sensation, clearly enjoyed a newfound “freedom” in the CBB residence after years under the public eye since childhood.

Intrigue has swirled around JoJo’s growing bond with Chris Hughes, Love Island’s heartthrob, stirring gossip inside and outside CBB circles.

Trisha let slip that the dynamics between Chris and JoJo were nothing short of “intense”, before mentioning that Chris initially hit it off with TOWIE favourite Ella Rae Wise before his rapport took off with JoJo.

Loose Women airs on ITV1 at 12.30pm on weekdays.

A Los Angeles County judge is expected to begin hearing evidence in a Van Nuys courtroom Thursday that could give brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez their first chance at freedom in more than 35 years.

Defense attorney Mark Geragos will ask L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic to resentence the brothers to manslaughter in the execution-style slayings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, citing years of sexual abuse allegedly suffered at the hands of their father.

The brothers were convicted of murder with special circumstances and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a 1995 trial.

Last year, then-L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón asked a judge to make the brothers eligible for parole under California law, reducing their sentences because the killings happened when they were under the age of 26. Gascón cited the brothers’ work creating rehabilitation programs in prison, their low-risk assessments by prison officials and potential new evidence about their father’s alleged abusive behavior as reasons they should be set free.

Current Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman strongly opposes their release and has focused his arguments on what he sees as the brothers’ refusal to take ownership of the grisly crime.

Late Wednesday, the district attorney’s office filed a motion asking to delay the hearing so it could obtain and review the latest risk assessment of the brothers conducted by the state parole board. The assessment was ordered this year by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is considering a separate petition from the brothers seeking clemency for the killings.

On Aug. 20, 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez entered the family’s home armed with shotguns they bought with cash and opened fire while their parents were watching a movie. Jose Menendez was shot five times in the kneecaps and head. Kitty Menendez was crawling away, covered in blood, when one of the brothers hit her with a final, fatal shotgun blast.

Erik, then 18, confessed to the killings in a conversation with his therapist. While the brothers claimed Jose sexually abused them and was a threat to their lives, prosecutors contended they killed their parents to get early access to their multimillion-dollar inheritance.

A push to free the brothers gained stream last year after the release of a popular Netflix documentary about the case, which included the unearthing of additional documentation of Jose’s alleged sexual abuse. In a motion for a new trial, defense attorneys pointed to a letter Erik sent to one of his cousins detailing his father’s behavior, which was delivered eight months before the murders. The motion also contained a declaration from a member of the boy band Menudo who alleged Jose raped him when he was a teenager in 1984.

Nearly two dozen of the brothers’ loved ones have formed the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a family-led group advocating for their freedom. The lone Menendez family member who opposed the brothers’ release died this year. The rest of the family has been in an increasingly tense dispute with Hochman over the case, accusing the district attorney of mistreating them in private meetings.

Geragos is expected to call several of those relatives as witnesses during the hearing, as well as a former inmate who was mentored by the brothers. A correctional supervisor who thinks so highly of one of the brothers that he wouldn’t mind if they were neighbors is also supposed to take the stand, Geragos said in open court last week.

Hochman, who accused Gascón of seeking resentencing in a desperate bid to boost his reelection campaign, last month announced his opposition to the brothers’ release.

He has argued that Gascón’s analysis of the case was paper-thin, questioned the validity of their self-defense claims and repeatedly insisted the brothers had lied about the circumstances of the shooting. Hochman has also said the brothers have not shown proper “insight” into their crimes.

At a hearing last week seeking to revoke Gascón’s petition, Jesic agreed with a defense argument that “insight” was not relevant to a resentencing petition. That standard applies only in a parole hearing, the judge said.

The hearing is expected to last two days, and it is unclear whether Jesic will immediately rule on Friday. If the brothers are resentenced, they could be on track for a parole hearing this year.

If Jesic rejects the petition, the brothers still have two routes to release: a motion for a new trial citing the additional sex abuse evidence and the clemency petition before Newsom.