Camarillo — Ever since federal immigration agents raided one of the largest licensed cannabis operators in the state this month, the phones of cannabis industry insiders have been blazing with messages of fear, sadness and confusion.
“It sent shock waves through the community,” said Hirsh Jain, the founder of Ananda Strategy, which advises cannabis businesses. “Everyone is on text threads.”
Glass House Brands, whose cannabis operations have helped make Santa Barbara and Ventura counties the new cannabis capitals of California, has long been among the most prominent companies in the state’s wild frontier of legal cannabis. Some call it the “Walmart of Weed” for its streamlined, low-cost production methods, its gargantuan market share and its phalanx of wealthy investors and powerful lobbyists.
But federal immigration agents stormed onto company property in Camarillo and Carpinteria on July 10 in a cloud of tear gas, as if they were busting a criminal enterprise. Agents in masks and riot gear marched for hours through the company’s vast greenhouses as workers fled and hid in panic. One worker, Jaime Alanís Garcia, died after he fell three stories while trying to evade capture.
For Glass House, the aftermath has been devastating. Its stock, which is traded on the Canadian stock exchange, dropped from more than $7.75 a share the day before the raid to $5.27 on Thursday. Some workers disappeared into Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention or bolted, too fearful to return. Others were so traumatized that Glass House brought in grief counselors, according to a source close to the company.
Glass House Brands has long been a prominent company in California’s wild frontier of legal cannabis.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Across the wider world of legal California cannabis — where many growers and entrepreneurs have hoped the Trump administration would legalize the drug — people were also shaken. Did the action against Glass House signal an end to federal law enforcement’s ceasefire against legal cannabis in California and dozens of other states?
And what did it mean for Glass House itself, among the largest cannabis companies in the world? How could this slick corporate entity, founded by an ex-cop and special education teacher and a former tech entrepreneur, be in a position in which federal agents claimed to have apprehended more than a dozen undocumented minors on site?
“This could not come at a worse time,” said Jain, the cannabis consultant, adding that the images and rhetoric that have whipped across social media in the wake of the raid “impedes our ability to legitimize this industry in the eyes of California and the American public.”
He added that “a failure to legitimize a legal cannabis industry enables the proliferation of an illicit industry that is not accountable and engages in far more nefarious practices.”
Working conditions in the cannabis industry are notoriously grim, as documented in a 2022 Times investigation that revealed workers who had their wages stolen, were forced to live in squalid and dangerous conditions and sometimes even died on the job.
Glass House had no such reports of injuries or deaths before the raid and has long touted its working conditions. A source close to the company said it pays workers more than minimum wage, and internet job postings reflect that.
Still, as with almost all farmwork in California, some of those who labored there were undocumented. The company employs some people directly and relies on farm labor contractors to supply the rest of its workforce. A source close to the company said labor contractors certify that the workers satisfy all laws and regulations, including being 21 or older as required to work in cannabis in California.
In the days after the raid, federal officials announced they had detained 361 people, including 14 minors, who by California law cannot work in cannabis. It wasn’t clear how many of those detained were undocumented or how many were even working at the operation or were just nearby. At least two American citizens were caught up in the dragnet — a security guard headed to work at Glass House and a philosophy professor at Cal State Channel Islands who was protesting the raid.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said this month that Glass House had been targeted because “we knew, specifically from casework we had built for weeks and weeks and weeks, that there was children there that could be trafficked, being exploited, that there was individuals there involved in criminal activity.”
Glass House officials declined to comment for this article, but in an earlier statement on X, the company said that it had never employed minors and that it followed all applicable employment laws. A source close to the company said the search warrant federal officials presented to Glass House the day of the raid alleged it was suspected of harboring and unlawfully employing undocumented immigrants — but did not mention child labor.
In the last few years, the company — along with labor contractors — was named in lawsuits by workers alleging they had been sexually harassed, suffered discrimination, and been shorted overtime pay and required meal and rest breaks.
One worker at Glass House — who asked not to be identified because he is undocumented and hid from immigration agents during the raid before escaping — said he was employed to work in Glass House’s cannabis operation through one of its labor contractors and valued the job because it is year round, not seasonal like many agricultural jobs.
But he complained that the contractor had repeatedly paid him late, forcing him to borrow money to make his rent. He also said supervisors put intense pressure on employees to work faster, screaming expletives at workers, refusing to allow breaks, or yelling at them to eat quickly and return to work before their rest periods were done.
A source close to the company said the complaints involved people employed by labor contractors, regarding actions by those contractors and not Glass House directly.
Many of the suits are pending, with Glass House named as a co-defendant. Company officials declined to comment publicly.
A source close to the company said Glass House takes seriously its responsibilities under California labor law and is committed to ensuring that all labor practices within its operations meet the highest standards.
The source added that the raid has shaken a company that has always tried to operate by the book and that, despite its exponential growth in recent years, has sought to maintain a close-knit feel.
“It’s very sad,” the source said.
In the wake of the raids at Glass House, the United Farm Workers union issued a bulletin in English and Spanish warning anyone who is not a U.S. citizen to “avoid working in the cannabis industry, even at state-licensed operations.” The union noted that “because cannabis remains criminalized under federal law, any contact with federal agencies could have serious consequences even for people with legal status.”
TODEC Legal Center, a Coachella Valley-based group that supports immigrants and farmworkers, issued a similar message. TODEC warned noncitizens to avoid working in the marijuana industry and avoid discussing any marijuana use or possession — even if it is legal in California — with federal agents, because it could hurt their status.
Federal agents conduct a raid of Glass House Brands on Laguna Road in Camarillo.
(Julie Leopo / For The Times)
About half the farmworkers in California are undocumented, according to UC Merced researchers. Cannabis industry experts said it is too soon to know whether the raid on Glass House will affect the larger cannabis workforce — or whether more licensed cannabis operations will be raided.
“My best guest would be that this is going to be happening to a lot more cultivation farms,” said Meilad Rafiei, chief executive of the cannabis consulting group We Cann.
Among the undocumented workers at Glass House on the day of the raids was Alanís, 56, who had been a farmworker in California for three decades. Over the last 10 years, Alanís worked in the Ventura area, first in a flower nursery and then, once Glass House converted the massive greenhouse complex there, in cannabis.
On Monday night, his family held an emotional wake for him in Oxnard, where he lived. The Camino del Sol Funeral Home was filled, as many family members held one another tightly and cried. They remembered him as a hardworking, joyful man, who danced at parties and enjoyed every meal he shared with family.
State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Goleta), who led the Senate in adjourning in Alanís’ memory last week, told the chamber how he had climbed onto the roof of a greenhouse to escape federal officers. From 30 feet up, she said, he called his family to tell them what was happening, and to report “how scared he was.”
“Jaime’s life was dedicated to our lands, our crops, and to providing for his family,” Limón said, adding that he “had had no criminal record, he was who our country and our state depended on to provide food on all of our tables.”
She added that “his last moments on Earth were filled with terror.”
Cal Raleigh became the first player to hit 40 homers this season with a tiebreaking solo shot in the sixth inning of the Seattle Mariners’ 7-2 victory over the Angels on Saturday night.
Raleigh hammered a 97-mph fastball from José Fermin 416 feet into the right-field bleachers for his second homer in eight games since winning the Home Run Derby.
Julio Rodríguez hit his fourth solo homer in three games at Angel Stadium, and Randy Arozarena also connected for the Mariners (56-49).
George Kirby struck out nine over six difficult innings of five-hit ball to earn his fourth win in five starts despite not matching his 14-strikeout performance at Angel Stadium last month. Kirby fanned Luis Rengifo on a slider with the bases loaded to end the sixth.
Taylor Ward hit his 24th homer for the Angels (50-55), who have lost five of six.
Angels star Mike Trout walks back to the dugout after striking out in the first inning of a 7-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.
(William Liang / Associated Press)
Tyler Anderson yielded six hits and two runs while pitching inefficiently into the fifth. The veteran left-hander and Angels trade candidate has a 5.66 ERA in his last four starts.
Rodríguez connected in the third, adding his 18th homer of the season to his solo shot Thursday and two more in the Mariners’ loss Friday.
Arozarena led off the fourth with his 20th homer, reaching the milestone for the fifth consecutive season.
Yoán Moncada, another Angels trade candidate, left in pain after Kirby’s fastball hit him in the hand. X-rays were negative.
Raleigh is the seventh catcher in major league history to hit 40 homers in a season. It’s been done nine times overall — twice by Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza.
July 26 (UPI) — Israel Defense Forces are taking new steps to improve the delivery of aid to Gazans, who the IDF says are not subject to famine despite contrary reports.
Aerial aid drops will resume and include seven pallets of flour, sugar and canned food, while pauses in fighting will enable the safe movement of U.N. convoys that contain food and medical supplies, the IDF announced Saturday in a post on X.
Israel also reconnected a power line from Israel to a desalination plant in Gaza that will increase daily water output to nearly 22,000 cubic yards.
“The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in Gaza,” the IDF post says. “This is a false campaign promoted by Hamas.”
The U.N. and international aid organizations are responsible for food distribution in Gaza and for ensuring Hamas does not receive any, which the IDF says commonly steals humanitarian aid for personal use and profit.
Hamas accused of attacking aid distribution sites
Hamas has targeted GHF aid distribution sites with deadly violence, including a July 16 incident that killed 19 Gazans at a Khan Younis site and a July 5 grenade attack that injured two U.S. aid workers, according to the non-partisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Such attacks occurred as Hamas struggles to raise funds and is incapable of rebuilding its collapsed tunnels or paying its fighters, former Israel Defense Forces intelligence officer Oded Ailam told The Washington Post on Monday.
Hamas did not prepare for more than a year of war when it attacked Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, and is struggling to provide basic services for Gazans, Gazan analyst Ibrahim Madhoun said.
Hamas previously depended on revenues from taxing commercial shipments and seizing humanitarian goods for funding by deploying plainclothes Hamas personnel to take inventory at crossings into Gaza and warehouses and markets, The Washington Post reported.
U.N. and European Commission officials and others from international organizations say there is no evidence of Hamas stealing aid.
Officials with the U.S. Agency for International Development said they found no evidence of Hamas stealing aid for Gazans, ABC News reported on Saturday.
USAID investigated 150 reported incidents of stolen aid from October 2024 until May and said the perpetrators could not be identified in most cases in which aid was seized.
An unnamed Gazan contractor, though, told The Washington Post that over the past two years he witnessed Hamas charge local merchants about $6,000 each to receive aid or lose their trucks and threatened to kill or condemn those who did not cooperate.
The contractor claims he knew at least two aid truck drivers who Hamas killed for refusing to pay the designated foreign terrorist organization to deliver aid intended for Gazans.
U.N. aid trucks halted inside Gaza
While claims of Hamas intercepting aid deliveries to raise funds are disputed, the United Nations says it has thousands of tons of aid sitting idle.
The United Nations recently halted 950 trucks inside Gaza that holding a combined total of 2,500 tons of food near the Kerem Shalom crossing, Johnnie More, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation executive chairman, opined in The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
“Since we began our operations in May, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has repeatedly called for the U.N. and its affiliate agencies to combine efforts with us to feed the people of Gaza,” Moore said.
“As of Friday morning, hundreds of trucks loaded with food from the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations were sitting idle inside Gaza,” he wrote.
“The food is there, the people are starving, and yet it isn’t moving to them fast enough to meet the need.”
Moore said video footage shows many of the trucks have been looted or abandoned, and their drivers are walking away.
Officials with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency blame the GHF for what UNRWA calls a “constructed and deliberate mass starvation.”
The GHF is incapable of addressing the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza and called air drops the “most expensive and inefficient way to deliver aid” to Gazans, according to UNRWA.
The agency says it has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks of food and medical supplies “Stuck” in Egypt and Jordan.
At Penzance South Pier, I stand in line for the Scillonian ferry with a few hundred others as the disembarking passengers come past. They look tanned and exhilarated. People are yelling greetings and goodbyes across the barrier. “It’s you again!” “See you next year!” A lot of people seem to be repeat visitors, and have brought their dogs along.
I’m with my daughter Maddy and we haven’t got our dog. Sadly, Wilf the fell terrier died shortly before our excursion. I’m hoping a wildlife-watching trip to the Isles of Scilly might distract us from his absence.
One disembarking passenger with a cockapoo and a pair of binoculars greets someone in the queue. “We saw a fin whale,” I hear him say. “Keep your eyes peeled.”
This is exciting information. The Scillonian ferry is reputedly a great platform for spotting cetaceans and it’s a perfect day for it – the sea is calm and visibility is superb. From the deck, the promontory that is Land’s End actually seems dramatic and special, in a way that it doesn’t from dry land. There are several people armed with scopes and sights who are clearly experienced and observant. The only thing lacking is the animals. Not a single dolphin makes an appearance, never mind the others that make regular summertime splashes: humpbacks, minke, sunfish, basking sharks and, increasingly, bluefin tuna.
Arriving in Scilly by ship is worth the crossing: wild headlands, savage rocks, white sand beaches, sudden strips of transcendentally turquoise ocean interspersed with the bronzed pawprints of kelp. Of course, it can be thick mist and squalls, but we’re in luck, the islands are doing their best Caribbean impersonation. Hugh Town, the capital of St Mary’s, is built on the narrow isthmus between two rocky outcrops. It’s a quirky, independent town with the kind of traffic levels our grandparents would recognise.
Up the hill, from the terrace of the Star Castle Hotel, we can see all the islands spread out around us, and handily there’s a lady with a friendly labrador who gives us a pithy summary of each. St Martin’s: “Beach life.” Tresco: “The royals love it.” St Agnes: “Arty.” Bryher: “Wild and natural.”
St Agnes: Scilly has ‘the kind of traffic levels our grandparents would recognise’. Photograph: Image Broker/Alamy
Bryher is our big wildlife destination because the plan is to rent kayaks there and paddle to the uninhabited Samson island, which is a protected wildlife area. I’m banking on Samson for wildlife now that the whales didn’t show up, but first we’re going to explore St Agnes with Vickie from the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust.
After a short ferry ride from St Mary’s quay, we stroll around St Agnes and across a short sand spit, a tombolo, to its neighbour, Gugh. Vickie leads us up a heather-covered hillside next to an impressive stack of pink granite boulders. “St Agnes and Gugh used to have a rat problem,” she tells us. “There were an estimated 4,000 that had destroyed the breeding populations of both Manx shearwaters and storm petrels. We’re pretty sure we’ve eradicated them now and the bird populations are rising fast.”
She leans over a small burrow under a lichen-crusted rock, and sniffs. “Yes, that’s storm petrel – they have a distinctive aroma.” Using her phone, she plays a series of cackles and squeaks down the hole. No response.
I ask Vickie about the archipelago’s endemic species. The Scilly bee? “Hasn’t been seen for many years.” She chuckles. “What makes the islands special is often what we don’t have. There are no magpies or buzzards, no foxes or grey squirrels. Those absences are important.”
Agapanthus on Tresco. Photograph: Image Broker/Alamy
What they don’t have in terms of fauna, they certainly make up for in flora. The lanes and paths of St Agnes are a ravishing spectacle: agapanthus and honeysuckle, huge spires of echium and smooth succulent aeoniums from the Canary Islands. In this frost-free environment, all kinds of subtropical plants thrive, making the islands quite unlike anywhere else in the British Isles. Dotted among all this fecundity are artists’ studios, galleries, a pub and a community hall where there’s a wonderful display of shipwreck souvenirs: East India Company musket parts, skeins of silk, porcelain and perfume.
Back on St Mary’s, we swim and spot a seal. But if we imagine our luck is changing, it’s not. Next morning we are down on the quayside, bright and early for the boat to Bryher. “It just left,” says the ticket seller. “We did post the change last night. Very low tide. Had to leave 15 minutes early.”
“When is the next one?”
“There isn’t one.”
The islands, I should have known, are run by the tides. Be warned.
Without any time to think, we jump on the Tresco boat. A fellow passenger offers sympathy. “Last week we missed the boat from St Martin’s and had to spend the night there. It was great.”
I relax. She is right. The best travel adventures come unplanned.
The low tide means we land at Crow Point, the southern tip of Tresco. “Last return boat at five!” shouts the boatman. We wander towards a belt of trees, the windbreak for Tresco Abbey Garden. The eccentric owner of the islands during the mid-19th century, Augustus Smith, was determined to make the ruins of a Benedictine abbey into the finest garden in Britain. Having planted a protective belt of Monterey pine, his gardeners introduced a bewildering array of specimen plants from South Africa, Latin America and Asia: dandelions that are three and a half metres tall, cabbage trees and stately palms. Just to complete the surreal aspect, Smith added red squirrels and golden pheasants, which now thrive.
Now comes the moment, the adventure decision moment. I examine the map of the island and point to the north end: “It looks wilder up there, and there’s a sea cave marked.”
Grey seals on the islands. Photograph: Image Broker/Alamy
We set off. Tresco has two settlements: New Grimsby and Old Grimsby, both clutches of attractive stone cottages decked with flowers. Beyond is a craggy coast that encloses a barren moorland dotted with bronze age cairns and long-abandoned forts. At the north-eastern tip we discover a cave high on the cliffside. Now the low tide is in our favour. We clamber inside, using our phone torches. A ramp of boulders takes us down into the bowels of the Earth, and to our surprise, where the water begins, there is a boat, with a paddle. Behind it the water glitters, echoing away into absolute darkness.
We climb in and set off. Behind us and above, the white disc of the cave entrance disappears behind a rock wall. The sound of water is amplified. After about 50 metres we come to a shingle beach. “How cool is that?” says Maddy. “An underground beach.”
We jump out and set off deeper into the cave, which gets narrower and finally ends. On a rock, someone has placed a playing card: the joker.
Later that day, having made sure we do not miss the last boat back, we meet Rafe, who runs boat trips for the Star Castle Hotel. He takes pity on us for our lack of wildlife. “Come out on my boat tomorrow morning and we’ll see what we can find.”
Rafe is as good as his word. We tour St Martin’s then head out for the uninhabited Eastern Isles. Rafe points out kittiwakes and fulmars, but finally we round the rock called Innisvouls and suddenly there are seals everywhere, perched on rocks like altar stones from the bronze age. “They lie down and the tide drops,” says Rafe. “These are Atlantic greys and the males can be huge – up to 300kg.”
Impressive as the seals are, the islands are better known for birds, regularly turning up rarities. While we are there, I later discover, more acute observers have spotted American cliff swallows that have drifted across the Atlantic, various unusual shearwater species and a south polar skua.
Next day is our return to Penzance, and it’s perfect whale-watching weather. People are poised with binoculars and scopes, sharing tales of awesome previous sightings: the leaping humpbacks, the wild feeding frenzies of tuna, and the wake-riding dolphins. Nothing shows up. I complain, just a little, about our lack of wildlife luck. Maddy is playing with a pair of terriers. “The thing with Wilf was he was always content with whatever happened,” she says. I lounge back on the wooden bench on the port side, enjoying the wind, sun and sound of the sea. I’m channelling the spirit of Wilf. Be happy. Whatever. It’s a lovely voyage anyway. And that’s how I missed the sighting of the fin whale off the starboard side.
The Star Castle Hotel on St Mary’shas double rooms from £249 half-board off-season to £448 in summer; singles from £146 to £244. Woodstock Ark is a secluded cabin in Cornwall, handy for departure from Penzance South Pier (sleeps two from £133 a night). The Scillonian ferryruns March to early November from £75pp. Kayak hire on Bryher £45 for a half day, from Hut 62. For further wildlife information check out the ios-wildlifetrust.org.uk
The Swedish striker joins the London club after scoring 97 goals for Sporting Lisbon over the past two seasons.
Arsenal have signed Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres, bringing an end to the Premier League club’s years-long search for a prolific goalscorer.
Gyokeres completed a move from Sporting Lisbon on Saturday worth a reported 63 million pounds ($85m) and signed a five-year contract.
“Viktor is an exceptional talent and has consistently demonstrated he has the qualities and winning mentality required of a top-level centre-forward. His physicality, intelligence and work ethic make him a perfect fit for our vision,” said Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta.
The 27-year-old striker joins Arsenal after establishing himself after two outstanding seasons in Portugal, in which he fired Lisbon to back-to-back league titles with 97 goals, including 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions in the 2024-25 season, outscoring the likes of superstars Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
A top-class striker has long been considered the missing element for Arsenal, which came runner-up in each of the last three Premier League seasons. The failure to bring one in during the January transfer window badly undermined its attempts to challenge Liverpool for the title last term.
“The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves,” said manager Mikel Arteta. “He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels.”
Gyokeres returns to England after joining Brighton as a youth player and later emerging at second-tier Coventry, where his 22 goals helped the team reach the playoff final in 2023.
His record of 40 goals in 97 games for Coventry caught the attention of Lisbon and led to a 20.5 million pounds ($25m) move to the Portuguese club.
His explosive form over the past two seasons has seen frequent speculation about a move to one of European football’s giants, including Manchester United. But Arsenal has won the race for his signature, and the transfer represents a remarkable rise for a player who was first developed at Brommapojkarna, a Swedish club with a reputation for guiding the careers of some of the country’s best emerging talents.
“He was a late developer because he was not the best striker or the best player in Brommapojkarna at age 16, 17, 18, 19,” Dalibor Savic, his former youth coach at the Swedish club, told The Associated Press in November. “If he aims at something, he will achieve it.”
Gyokeres will have to prove he can make the step up to the Premier League after failing to break through at Brighton, a club known for unearthing players like Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister in recent years. He only made eight appearances for the club and was loaned to St Pauli in Germany and Swansea before his permanent move to Coventry.
His performances for Sweden and in the Champions League suggest he will be able to continue that form at Arsenal.
He was the leading scorer in the Nations League, with nine goals, outscoring Cristiano Ronaldo and Haaland, and hit six in eight appearances in the Champions League for Lisbon last season.
Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting runs with the ball during the Liga Portugal Betclic match between FC Porto and Sporting Clube de Portugal at Estadio do Dragao on February 7, 2025, in Porto, Portugal [Pedro Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images]
Diana Ross returned to the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night for the first of two weekend concerts — her fifth engagement at the hillside amphitheater since 2013 and her second gig in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles in less than a year (following her performance at last August’s old-school Fool in Love festival). In other words, it’s not exactly hard to catch the 81-year-old pop legend onstage these days — which isn’t to say that it’s not worth doing. Here are nine moments that made me glad I showed up Friday:
1. After coming out to — what else? — “I’m Coming Out,” Ross zipped through a frisky Motown medley linking some of the 12 No. 1 hits she and the Supremes scored in the 1960s. Would I have liked to have heard full versions of “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love”? Sure. But hearing these all-timers stacked up in rapid succession was a thrill of its own — a reminder of the blend of efficiency and ingenuity attained on a daily basis at Hitsville, U.S.A.
2. Ross was backed by more than a dozen musicians at the Bowl, including four horn players and four backing vocalists, and they were cooking from the get-go: crisply propulsive in the Motown stuff; tight and gliding in “Upside Down”; lush yet down-home in Ross’ take on Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” from her 1972 Holiday biopic “Lady Sings the Blues.”
3. Two wardrobe changes meant that we beheld three glittering gowns in all, beginning with the fluffy canary-yellow number she emerged in. About halfway through the show, Ross slipped into a pipe-and-drape dressing room at the rear of the stage then slipped back out wearing bedazzled ruby red; later, she changed into a shimmering gold look. Each dress came accompanied by a matching shawl that Ross would eventually toss to the stage to be retrieved by a waiting assistant who seemed to know precisely when it would happen.
4. Each dress also came with a bulky mic pack that — in an endearingly peculiar costuming choice — Ross opted to wear on her waist instead of hiding it around back.
5. “I have an album out, a current album — the title of the album is called ‘Thank You,’” Ross told the crowd as she began to introduce a tune from her not-bad 2021 LP. Then she turned her head stage-left toward a sound engineer in the wings: “Who’s talking in the mic? I can hear a mic.” She returned to the audience. “Anyway, the title of the album is called ‘Thank You.’ Each song was specially written so that I could say ‘thank you’ to you for all the wonderful years, all the…” Another glance left. “Somebody’s talking in the microphone.” Another turn back. “We’re gonna start with this one — ‘Tomorrow,’ OK? We’ll start that if I can out-talk whoever’s talking over here.”
6. Ross’ daughter Rhonda joined her mom to sing another new-ish tune, “Count on Me” — “She’s been practicing,” Diana said proudly (if somewhat shadily) — then stuck around to do a mini-set of her own self-help-ish soul-folk songs, one of which beseeched us all to “stop gaslighting ourselves.”
7. Half a century after “The Wiz” debuted on Broadway in 1975, Ross sang her two big numbers from the Black retelling of the “The Wizard of Oz,” which she helped cement as a cultural landmark with her role as Dorothy in a fondly remembered movie adaptation. Here, “Home” was wistful yet determined, while “Ease on Down the Road” got even the high-rollers in the Bowl’s box seats moving.
8. During “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” Ross led the crowd in a call-and-response recitation of what she called “my mantra”: ”I’m so grateful / For all the blessings in my life / For there are many / All is well / I’m resilient / Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
9. More of Ross’ children appeared onstage at the end of the show to join her for a rowdy “I Will Survive” — and to plug their latest commercial endeavors. “Can I say one thing?” Tracee Ellis Ross asked. “‘Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross’ on Roku streams today, so check out the show.” Diana Ross reclaimed the microphone and gestured toward her son Ross Naess. “This is my son — he’s doing a line of caviar called Arne Reserve.” She looked around. “Chudney, what’s happening with you?”
The RNLI reported a staggering 17,000 people were rescued on UK beaches last year which is why it’s important to know what coloured flags indicate on UK beaches
It’s important to know what the different coloured flags mean on UK beaches(Image: Getty Images)
With more and more Brits opting to holiday in the UK with staycations being one of the biggest summer travel trends, it’s important to be clued up on beach safety. New research from Visit Britain found that over 1 in 3 (35%) UK adults plan to choose a domestic holiday trip, compared to just 28% choosing an overseas trip this summer.
But worryingly, recent RNLI figures show lifeguards responded to over 17,000 people last year on UK beaches, which could have been significantly less if beachgoers understood the flag system used to mark safe and unsafe zones.
Learn what the different coloured flags at the beach mean
In a effort to change this, caravan holiday provider Parkdean Resorts has detailed the differnce in flag colours and what they may mean to avoid any confusion or risking danger on the beach.
One red flag
The presence of a red flag on the beach signifies that the conditions are not safe for swimming. Do not enter the water as it’s too dangerous to swim, surf or even paddle.
Two red flags
This means that the beach can’t be used for any water use, so stay clear of the sea as there is a threat.
Orange flag
The presence of an orange windsock signifies strong wind conditions, so beachgoers should be cautious when swimming. Avoid using any inflatables as they could be blown out to sea.
Red and yellow flag
A red and yellow flag at the beach signifies that lifeguards are patrolling the area. The area between the flags is the safest area to swim, paddle and use water inflatables.
Black and white flag
A black and white chequered flag signifies that the area is designated for water sports, surfing, kayaking and paddle boarding. Swimmers should avoid this area and look for red and yellow flags instead.
Blue flag
Blue flags aren’t a safety flag colour but instead they signify excellent beach quality, including water cleanliness, safety provisions and environmental management. Britain has 76 blue flag beaches and wales has 21 – there are plenty of safe options for holidaymakers.
Some of these include:
Trevone Bay, Cornwall – a picturesque sandy cove near Padstow.
Whitley Bay, North Tyneside – stretching along the North East coast, it offers stunning views of St Mary’s Lighthouse and features a wide promenade, clean waters, and family-friendly facilities
Sea Palling Beach, Norfolk – located near Great Yarmouth, it’s perfect for paddling, sunbathing and beachcombing
Trecco Bay, Wales – this long sandy beach in Porthcawl is ideal for families with safe, clean waters and seasonal lifeguards
Westward Ho!, Devon – famous for its expansive sands and excellent surfing conditions. The beach is backed by a natural pebble ridge and has superb accessibility
EDINBURGH, Scotland — Lashed by cold winds and overlooking choppy, steel-gray North Sea waters, the breathtaking sand dunes of Scotland’s northeastern coast rank among President Trump’s favorite spots on Earth.
“At some point, maybe in my very old age, I’ll go there and do the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen,” Trump said in 2023, during his New York civil fraud trial, talking about his plans for future developments on his property in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.
At 79 and back in the White House, Trump is making at least part of that pledge a reality, landing in Scotland on Friday as his family’s business prepares for the Aug. 13 opening of a golf course bearing his name.
Trump will be in Scotland until Tuesday, and he plans to talk trade with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The Aberdeen area is already home to another of his courses, Trump International Scotland, and the Republican president is also visiting a Trump course near Turnberry, about 200 miles away on Scotland’s southwest coast. Trump said upon arrival Friday evening that his son is “gonna cut a ribbon” for the new course during his trip. Eric Trump also went with his father to break ground on the project back in 2023.
Using a presidential overseas trip — with its sprawling entourage of advisors, White House and support staffers, Secret Service agents and reporters — to help show off Trump-brand golf destinations demonstrates how the president has become increasingly comfortable intermingling his governing pursuits with promoting his family’s business interests.
The White House has brushed off questions about potential conflicts of interest, arguing that Trump’s business success before he entered politics was a key to his appeal to voters.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers called the Scotland swing a “working trip.” She added that Trump “has built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport.”
Tee times for sale
Trump went to Scotland to play his Turnberry course during his first term in 2018 while en route to a meeting in Finland with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But this trip comes as the new golf course is already actively selling tee times.
“We’re at a point where the Trump administration is so intertwined with the Trump business that he doesn’t seem to see much of a difference,” said Jordan Libowitz, vice president for the ethics watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, known as CREW. “It’s as if the White House were almost an arm of the Trump Organization.”
During his first term, the Trump Organization signed an ethics pact barring deals with foreign companies. An ethics framework for Trump’s second term allows them.
Trump’s assets are in a trust run by his children, who are handling day-to-day operations of the Trump Organization while he’s in the White House. The company has inked many recent lucrative foreign agreements involving golf courses, including plans to build luxury developments in Qatar and Vietnam, even as the Trump administration negotiates tariff rates for those countries and others.
Past legal fights
Trump’s existing Aberdeenshire course has a history nearly as rocky as the area’s cliffs.
It has struggled to turn a profit and was found by Scottish conservation authorities to have partially destroyed nearby sand dunes. Trump’s company also was ordered to cover the Scottish government’s legal costs after the course unsuccessfully sued over the construction of a nearby wind farm, arguing in part that it hurt golfers’ views.
The development was part of the massive civil case, which accused Trump of inflating his wealth to secure loans and make business deals.
Trump’s company’s initial plans for his first Aberdeen-area course called for a luxury hotel and nearby housing. His company received permission to build 500 houses, but Trump suggested he’d be allowed to build five times as many and borrowed against their values without actually building any homes, the lawsuit alleged.
Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump liable last year and ordered his company to pay $355 million in fines — a judgment that has grown with interest to more than $510 million as Trump appeals.
Weissert writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.
Nigeria had not been shy in expressing their intentions of winning their 10th Wafcon, with players consistently asked about that target in media engagements.
The Super Falcons have certainly backed up their off-field talk in their performances in Morocco this month as coach Justin Madugu found the right blend in the knockout phase.
Yet the top-ranked side in Africa made a poor start and Nigeria were unable to match Morocco’s level in the first half.
The North Africans went ahead in the 13th minute when Halimatu Ayinde gave the ball to Chebbak, who sent a fine shot just inside the left-hand upright, and doubled their lead 11 minutes later when Mssoudy shot across goal.
Okoronkwo was composure personified after the intervention of VAR to make it 2-1 from the spot, and then kept her head when she burst through the Morocco defence to control, pause and put the ball on a plate for Ijamilusi.
Another big moment came when Morocco were awarded a penalty in the 79th minute when Imane Saoud helped a cross onto the hand of Blessing Demehin, who was barely two yards away.
Chebbak had the ball on the spot when Namibian referee Antsino Twanyanyukwa was called to the VAR screen and overturned her decision almost four minutes later.
And the comeback was completed when Okoronkwo provided a pin-point free-kick delivery and Echegini got ahead of centre-back Benzina to sweep home from six yards out.
The West Africans have now beaten a third host nation in a Wafcon final following successes over South Africa and Cameroon in 2000 and 2016 respectively.
A lone suspect is in custody after allegedly stabbing 11 people at a Walmart store in Traverse City, Mich., late Saturday afternoon. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE
July 26 (UPI) — A lone attacker has been arrested after allegedly randomly stabbing 11 victims late Saturday afternoon at a Walmart in Traverse City, Mich.
None of the 11 stabbing victims has died, but three are undergoing surgery following the attack that occurred around 5 p.m. EDT, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported.
The lone suspect used a folding knife in what appeared to be a random attack, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Mike Shea told the Record-Eagle.
A group of bystanders, including at least one armed with a pistol, confronted the suspect and forced him to drop the knife while awaiting a police response, video footage posted by WZZM shows.
Michigan State Police crime lab investigators are helping to gather and analyze evidence at the crime scene, which is located in the Grand Traverse Crossing mall in the southwestern portion of Traverse City.
The stabbing victims were taken to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, where five are in serious condition and six are in critical condition.
“We are working closely with local authorities and emergency services to ensure the best possible care for those impacted,” hospital staff said.
Traverse City is a popular vacation destination at the southern end of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay in northern lower Michigan.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a potential 2026 presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, moved to Traverse City in 2022.
The city had a year-round population of 15,707 in 2023, but the population there and in nearby communities swells greatly during the summer months.
It’s known for beautiful sandy beaches, great freshwater fishing and hosting an annual National Cherry Festival that runs from the end of June through the Independence Day holiday.
Traverse City is located 150 miles north of Grand Rapids and 255 miles northwest of Detroit.
The murder of Wadee Alfayoumi and attack on his mother stand as one of the worst hate crimes in the US since Gaza war began.
A United States landlord who was jailed for decades for the horrific October 2023 stabbing death of a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy, and for critically injuring his mother, has died in prison.
Joseph Czuba, 73, died on Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Saturday, citing the Will County Sheriff’s Office. The law enforcement agency did not return a call seeking comment on the death, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The murder of the boy, Wadee Alfayoumi, and the attack on his mother, Hanan Shaheen, was one of the earliest and worst hate crime incidents in the US since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Czuba attacked them on October 14, 2023, because they were Muslims, and as a response to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that “this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well”.
Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and a police video. Jurors deliberated for less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict.
The family had been renting rooms in Czuba’s home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64km) from Chicago, when the attack happened.
Central to the prosecutors’ case was harrowing testimony from the boy’s mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim.
“He told me: ‘You, as a Muslim, must die,’” said Shaheen during her testimony.
Czuba’s ex-wife, Mary, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians.
Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee’s relatives.
The case generated headlines around the world and deeply struck the Chicago area’s large and established Palestinian community amid rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the US. Wadee’s funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honour.
Other similarly-motivated incidents in the US include the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian-American girl in Texas, the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in Texas, the beating of a Muslim man in New York, a violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters in California and a Florida shooting of two Israeli visitors whom the suspect mistook for Palestinians.
Three young Palestinian men were also shot near a university campus in Vermont just weeks after Alfayoumi was stabbed to death.
ITV executives are said to be preparing to axe one in 10 cast members from both Coronation Street and Emmerdale as part of fresh cost-cutting measures
01:52, 27 Jul 2025Updated 01:53, 27 Jul 2025
Editorial use only
Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/REX/Shutterstock (13429047q)
Emmerdale Village, featuring the Woolpack pub
‘Emmerdale’ TV Show, Episodes 9482-9501 UK – Oct 2022
Emmerdale, is a British ITV long running soap opera, known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989, set in Emmerdale, a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. It was created by Kevin Laffan and was first broadcast on 16 October 1972. It was originally produced by ITV Yorkshire and is still filmed in their Leeds studios.
ITV chiefs are reportedly planning sweeping cast reductions across their two premier soaps, with proposals to cut one in ten performers as part of new budget-slashing initiatives.
Both Coronation Street and Emmerdale may also witness fewer scenes per episode as ITV seeks to trim an additional £15 million from its overall spending, according to The Sun.
The broadcaster’s earnings have allegedly plummeted by 44 per cent to £99 million during the first six months of the year, sparking a fresh drive to curb production expenses.
Insiders suggest bosses are now pressing soap creators to reduce their escalating costs, with cast sizes being a primary target for scrutiny.
Coronation Street presently features 84 regular cast members, whilst Emmerdale boasts 70, reports the Express.
ITV bosses are said to be preparing major cast cuts across their two flagship soaps(Image: Getty)
An insider revealed: “It’s brutal. We’ve known it was on the cards for a while, but they’re really cranking it up now and it’s across the soaps.
“They’re looking to save millions and Corrie and Emmerdale are the obvious places. They’re very expensive shows.
“Many who have been there for a long time are reliant on their income staying as it is.
“The amount of cast has spiralled out of control and focusing on dialogue, not action, could also save money.”
Industry sources have also hinted that the number of scenes per episode – currently averaging around 20 – might be reduced to lower filming expenses.
Fewer personalities could also feature in individual episodes to help maintain tighter budgets.
While some long-standing cast members are on full-time contracts with salaries, most are paid per episode, which means that reducing screen time or overall scenes could significantly cut costs.
These proposed changes come as ITV makes cuts across its daytime schedule. Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women have all reportedly been affected, with hundreds of staff being made redundant in recent months.
In response to reports of soap cast reductions, an ITV spokesperson stated: “This is complete speculation.”
Reinier de Ridder survives a brutal knockdown to win by split decision against Robert Whittaker in the main event at Etihad Arena in the UAE.
Reinier de Ridder secured the biggest win of his Octagon career at UFC Abu Dhabi, narrowly securing a hard-fought split decision over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at the Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates.
De Ridder (21-2) earned his third win of 2025 by defeating the Australian by split decision; two of the three judges scored the 84kg (185-pound) bout 48-47 for de Ridder, while a third had it 48-47 for Whittaker.
“I don’t want to fight like this [Whittaker], man, this guy was too tough,” de Ridder said in a post-fight interview on Saturday. “I expected to take him down. He was so tough, so durable. Heavy f****** hands.”
The Dutch fighter had to survive a brutal knockdown in round three when Whittaker dropped him with a right hand to the chin in the opening minute.
De Ridder managed to survive the attack, and consolidated his overall superiority in strikes – de Ridder landed 169 in total, compared with 100 for Whittaker, according to official UFC statistics – and recovered to win the final two rounds by wearing down the 34-year-old with repeated knees to the body and constant grappling.
Throughout the five-round fight, there was little to separate the pair. When the final bell sounded, the split decision reflected the closeness of the contest.
De Ridder’s victory was his fourth Ultimate Fighting Championship career victory. Whittaker (27-9) has now lost two straight and three of his five most recent fights.
Following his victory, de Ridder, ranked 13th heading into the Whittaker fight, called for a title shot against the winner of the middleweight championship bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16.
“I want to finish a guy in the first round, so maybe it would be better if I fought Khamzat [Chimaev] or Dricus [Du Plessis]. Give me my title shot.”
Whittaker, left, and de Ridder fight during the bout [Fatima Shbair/AP][Fatima Shbair/AP]
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan defeated Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns.
In the middleweight match, Shara Magomedov bounced back from his first professional loss, which came against Michael Page in February, to win over Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges.
Filled with scenic vistas of lush countryside, sugar-like beaches and crystal-clear waters, this short but impressive train journey has been crowned one of the country’s best
This 53-minute train journey will put your morning commute to shame(Image: Getty Images)
Idle along one of England’s most picturesque stretches of coastline on this stunning train journey that costs less than a tenner. The UK’s railways aren’t perhaps the first thing that springs to mind when you think of sugar-like beaches and crystal-clear waters. Plagued by constant delays, last-minute cancellations and insufferably busy carriages, many Brits only hop on board a train if they have no other choice.
However, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a slew of enchanting routes that snake through lush countryside before rolling past miles of soft golden sands and beach huts. The Riviera Line from Exeter to Paignton is no exception, and urgently needs to be added to your bucket list.
This breathtaking route has unsurprisingly been named the best in the UK(Image: Getty Images)
Featuring 12 stops altogether, the train departs from Exeter St Davids, making its way down to the River Exe before hugging the coastline until you reach Teignmouth (this is the most scenic section of the line, so make sure you reserve a good window seat). From here, you’ll head back inland to Newton Abbot, edging close to Dartmoor National Park before heading back to shore for the final three stops in Torre, Torquay and Paignton.
Touted as the ‘family hub of the English Riviera’, exploring Paignton or staying overnight is well worth the effort. You’ll have a long stretch of pristine beach right on your doorstep, along with a promenade, traditional pier, colourful beach huts and even palm trees. Here, you’ll also find rows of arcades, thrilling rides, mini-golf courses and the acclaimed Paignton Zoo.
As previously reported, Paignton is about to become even more attractive following the council’s approval of a huge £14 million regeneration scheme. Described as a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’, the proposal, which has secured the backing of the Torbay Council planning committee, aims to revamp two of the town’s seafront areas as part of a broader sea defence initiative.
Apart from giving Paignton’s promenade a facelift with new seating terraces, the existing shelters, kiosks and cafes will find new homes along the sea line. The makeover includes a fresh entrance at South Green, opening up vehicle access to the seafront – though cars won’t be allowed onto the promenade itself.
“Like the rest of the English Riviera, Paignton benefits from a mild climate and sub-tropical palm trees, giving that real continental, holiday feel, and when we are blessed with good weather, you could be anywhere in the world,” hails The English Riviera tourist board. “But, like all our coastal towns, they showcase their own beauty in the winter months too, so whatever time of year you choose to visit, you are sure to have an enjoyable stay.”
This stunning train journey features 27 miles of scenic vistas(Image: https://greatscenicrailways.co.uk/)
With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise the Riviera Line was crowned the most scenic train journey in the country by National Geographic. Outranking prestigious tracks including the Cambrian Coast Highway and the iconic Western Scenic Wonders – the 27-mile journey was hailed for showcasing the ‘best views the English Riviera has to offer’.
“South Devon’s Riviera Line connects Exeter with Paignton, threading its way past towering cliffs, numerous estuaries (look out for egrets, one of the UK’s rarest birds), quaint market towns and Powderham Castle, with its deer-filled grounds,” the publication wrote. “Disembark in Newton Abbot to visit Newton’s Place, a 19th-century church housing a small museum that explores how railways transformed this part of Devon in the 1800s.”
You can disembark at any of the coastal towns if you’re desperate to dip your toes in the sea(Image: Getty Images)
The Exeter to Paignton service, which takes around 53 minutes, departs multiple times a day. If you’re flexible with dates, you can grab single adult fare for as little as £8.40. There is a shorter version of this train which doesn’t stop at St Thomas, Starcross, or Dawlish Warren – cutting around 13 minutes from the journey, but still offering some pretty fantastic sea views.
*Prices based on Trainline listings at the time of writing.
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Following the end of the Second World War and the expulsion of Japan from Korea, Korea had split into two sovereign states in 1948. The socialist state in the north was backed by the Soviet Union, while the capitalist state in the south was supported by the United States.
Both the two new Korean states saw themselves to be the sole legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither accepted the border as permanent.
The Korean War began when North Korean military forces, supported by the Soviet Union and China, crossed the border into South Korea on June 25th 1950. The US-backed United Nations gave military support to the South Koreans, turning the conflict into the largest conflict since the second world war.
After three years of devastating bombing raids and a traumatic ground campaign, around three million Koreans – 10% of the overall population – were estimated to have been killed, injured, or missing.
“I shrink with horror that I cannot express in words… at this continuous slaughter of men in Korea,” commander-in-chief of United Nations Command Gen. Douglas MacArthur said during a congressional hearing. “I have seen, I guess, as much blood and disaster as any living man, and it just curdled my stomach, the last time I was there.”
Though it was clear that the war had reached a stalemate by the middle of 1951, it took two years of negotiations to reach an armistice.
On July 27th 1953 the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed between China, North Korea, the United States and the United Nations. South Korea never signed the Armistice Agreement due to President Syngman Rhee’s refusal to accept the division of Korea.
The armistice is yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, meaning the Korean Peninsula is technically in a state of war.
North Korea declared the July 27th Armistice signing “the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War” in 1973, later promoting it to a national holiday in 1996.
EDINBURGH, Scotland — President Trump played golf Saturday at his course on Scotland’s coast while protesters around the country took to the streets to decry his visit and accuse United Kingdom leaders of pandering to the unpopular American president.
Trump and his son Eric played with the U.S. ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, near Turnberry, a historic course that the Trump family’s company took over in 2014. Security was tight, and protesters kept at a distance were unseen by the group during Trump’s round. He was dressed in black with a white “USA” cap and was spotted driving a golf cart.
The president appeared to play an opening nine holes, stop for lunch, then head out for nine more. By the middle of the afternoon, plainclothes security officials began leaving, suggesting Trump was done for the day.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the cobblestone and tree-lined street in front of the U.S. Consulate about 100 miles away in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital. Speakers told the crowd that Trump was not welcome and criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for striking a recent trade deal to avoid stiff U.S. tariffs on goods imported from the U.K.
Protests were planned in other cities as environmental activists, opponents of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and pro-Ukraine groups loosely formed a “Stop Trump Coalition.” Anita Bhadani, an organizer, said the protests were “kind of like a carnival of resistance.”
June Osbourne, 52, a photographer and photo historian from Edinburgh, wore a red cloak and white hood, recalling “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Osbourne held up a picture of Trump with “Resist” stamped over his face.
“I think there are far too many countries that are feeling the pressure of Trump and that they feel that they have to accept him, and we should not accept him here,” Osbourne said. The dual U.S.-British citizen said the Republican president was “the worst thing that has happened to the world, the U.S., in decades.”
Trump’s late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, and the president has suggested he feels at home in the country. But the protesters did their best to change that.
“I don’t think I could just stand by and not do anything,” said Amy White, 15, of Edinburgh, who attended with her parents. She held a cardboard sign that said, “We don’t negotiate with fascists.”
”So many people here loathe him,” she said. “We’re not divided. We’re not divided by religion, or race or political allegiance, we’re just here together because we hate him.”
Other demonstrators held signs of pictures with Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, as the fervor over files in the late child abuser’s case has created a political crisis for the president.
In the view of Mark Gorman, 63, of Edinburgh, “The vast majority of Scots have this sort of feeling about Trump that, even though he has Scottish roots, he’s a disgrace.” Gorman, who works in advertising, said he came out “because I have deep disdain for Donald Trump and everything that he stands for.”
A Scottish newspaper, the National, greeted Trump’s arrival with a banner headline in its Friday edition that read, “Convicted U.S. felon to arrive in Scotland.”
Saturday’s protests were not nearly as large as the throngs that demonstrated across Scotland when Trump played at Turnberry during his first term in 2018.
But, as bagpipes played, people chanted, “Trump out!” and raised dozens of homemade signs with such messages as “No red carpet for dictators,” “We don’t want you here” and “Stop Trump. Migrants welcome.”
One dog had a sign attached that said “No treats for tyrants.”
Some on the far right took to social media to call for gatherings supporting Trump in places such as Glasgow.
Trump also plans to talk trade with Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president.
But golf is a major focus.
The family will also visit another Trump course near Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland, before returning to Washington on Tuesday. The Trumps will cut the ribbon and play a new, second course in that area, which officially opens to the public next month.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who is also set to meet with Trump during the visit, announced that public money will go to staging the 2025 Nexo Championship, previously known previously as the Scottish Championship, at Trump’s first course near Aberdeen next month.
“The Scottish government recognizes the importance and benefits of golf and golf events, including boosting tourism and our economy,” Swinney said.
At a protest Saturday in Aberdeen, Scottish Parliament member Maggie Chapman told the crowd of hundreds: “We stand in solidarity, not only against Trump but against everything he and his politics stand for.”
The president has long lobbied for Turnberry to host the British Open, which it has not done since he took over ownership.
In a social media post Saturday, Trump quoted the retired golfer Gary Player as saying Turnberry was among the “Top Five Greatest Golf Courses” he had played in as a professional. The president, in the post, misspelled the city where his golf course is.
The Rams coach said so three different times Saturday during a post-practice news conference. He added a “it does not worry me” for good measure.
But how could it not?
Stafford, 37, has not practiced since the Rams opened training camp while receiving treatment from trainers and the team medical staff for what McVay initially described as back soreness.
McVay said last Tuesday that Stafford would sit out the first block of practices, but return on Monday when the Rams will be in pads for the first time.
Not so fast.
McVay said Stafford would not practice next week and he is now “week to week.”
“I don’t have any reason to be concerned, based on the information that’s been given,” McVay said. “And with that being said I don’t think we can be smart enough with somebody like Matthew, and I think it’s best for him and best for our football team.”
McVay said the Rams were “being fluid” with the situation after consulting with Stafford, Reggie Scott — the Rams’ vice president of sports medicine and performance — and Dr. Robert Watkins, a spine specialist.
Jimmy Garoppolo will continue to take first team reps as the Ram prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans.
During the first three practices, Stafford was nowhere to be seen. McVay said the quarterback was working with trainers in other areas at Loyola Marymount. On Saturday, Stafford observed practice for the first time, though not while wearing his No. 9 jersey. When he actually takes a snap or throws a pass remains to be seen.
Until then, uncertainty about his condition will continue to cast a pall over a team that with a physically sound Stafford would be regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
This is the second time in four years a back problem has sidelined Stafford, who through 16 NFL seasons has been one of the league’s grittiest quarterbacks.
In 2022, Stafford was limited throughout training camp because of an elbow issue. He was ready for the opener — a blowout loss against the Buffalo Bills — but missed the final seven games because of a spinal contusion as the Rams stumbled through the worst Super Bowl hangover in NFL history.
Last spring, after Stafford and the Rams explored trade scenarios, the team and the veteran agreed to terms on an adjusted contract that gives Stafford a $47.5-million salary-cap number this season, according to Overthecap.com.
McVay does not play starters during preseason games, so Stafford still has plenty of time to prepare for the opener.
But until he is on the field and throwing passes, the Rams cannot be optimistic about their chances of improving upon last season, which ended with an NFC divisional-round loss to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.
With receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, running back Kyren Williams, and a defense led by lineman Kobie Turner and edge rusher Jared Verse, the Rams appeared positioned to make a run at a third Super Bowl appearance in eight seasons.
But that projection only works with a healthy Stafford in the equation.
Regardless of McVay’s messaging, that has to be a concern.
Etc.
Verse took off his helmet and threw it to the ground before tussling with offensive lineman Justin Dedich. McVay later stopped practice to remind players to avoid situations that could result in penalties. … Garoppolo connected with Adams and receiver Jordan Whittington on long touchdown plays….Stetson Bennett threaded an impressive pass to receiver Drake Stoops in tight coverage against the first-team defense.
Nigeria claim their tenth WAFCON title, ‘Mission X’, as they come from behind to beat Morocco 3-2 in Rabat.
Substitute Jennifer Echegini scored the 88th-minute winner as Nigeria came from two goals behind to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in a dramatic Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final.
The triumph in Rabat on Saturday confirmed the West Africans as the queens of women’s football in Africa as they pulled off a record-extending 10th title in 13 editions – “Mission X”, as they dubbed their efforts – to win the 2025 edition.
It was the second successive final loss for Morocco, who led by two goals after 24 minutes, only to concede three in the second half.
Esther Okoronkwo played a key role in the Super Falcons’ victory: scoring the first goal, creating the second and delivering the free-kick that Echegini finished to stun the home crowd.
Morocco, backed by a vibrant capacity crowd at the 21,000-seat Stade Olympique in the capital, took the lead on 12 minutes as Nigeria conceded for the first time in open play at the tournament.
Nigeria fluffed several chances to clear the ball, and it fell just outside the area to Chebbak, whose perfectly placed, rising shot gave goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie no chance.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie fails to save a shot during the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final [Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP]
The lead doubled 12 minutes later as the ball flew across the Nigerian goalmouth to Sanaa Mssoudy, who ended a five-match goal drought by steering a low shot into the far corner of the net.
Nigeria had more possession in the opening half than the host nation, but managed only one shot on target, and it did not trouble goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi.
But the Moroccan lead halved after 64 minutes as Okoronkwo sent Er-Rmichi the wrong way from a penalty after a VAR review showed a Folashade Ijamilusi cross striking Nouhaila Benzina’s hand.
The goal lifted the spirits of increasingly assertive Nigeria, and they equalised seven minutes later, when Okoronkwo turned creator with a pull-back that Ijamilusi pushed into the net from close range.
On Friday, Ghana finished third, winning a penalty shootout 4-3 against outgoing champions South Africa after a 1-1 playoff draw in regular time in Casablanca.
After two weakly struck spot kicks in a row by South Africa were saved to give Ghana the advantage, 19-year-old Nancy Amoh converted the decisive penalty with a low shot into the corner of the net.
A blunder by Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan gifted South Africa the lead on 45 minutes as she lost control of the ball just outside the box, and Nonhlanhla Mthandi struck it into the net.
Persistent Ghanaian pressure finally paid off on 68 minutes when an Alice Kusi header came off the crossbar and long-serving South Africa shot-stopper Andile Dlamini conceded an own goal.
Victory was particularly sweet for the Black Queens as they were outplayed when losing 2-0 to Banyana Banyana (The Girls) in the group stage.
Ghana have won the four third-place playoffs they qualified for, while South Africa have lost four of five bronze medal matches.
The next Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled for March 2026, also in Morocco, and will double as a qualifying competition for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
If you’re a fan of the England women’s football team, chances are you’ve been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
An agonisingly close quarter-final against Sweden ended with a tense penalty shootout, while an equalising semi-final goal from Michelle Agyemang only happened in the 96th minute.
“I feel like I’m going to have to go to the doctors when I get home,” says Jenny, from Kent, who watched it all from the stands.
“They are putting us through the ringer.”
“I basically bit all my nails off,” says Sophie, who is in Switzerland with her sister, Charlotte.
Meanwhile, Nicola, from Basingstoke, describes feeling shaky. “I had to take some time to decompress.”
Even if you weren’t watching the action with thousands of other jittery fans in the stadium, chances are you’ve felt some of the same effects. But whether you’re in the stands or on the sofa, why do football matches produce such intense physical reactions?
‘Stress reponse’
The answer lies in our hormones says Dr Martha Newson, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Greenwich.
Testosterone, she explains, goes up on match days, as does adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol. The most loyal fans have the biggest stress response, she says, and that’s the same for men and women.
During peaks in the game – like a nail-biting penalty shootout – the adrenaline rush, or fight or flight response, prepares the body for action, says Dr David Crepaz-Keay, Head of Research and Applied Learning at the Mental Health Foundation.
While it can feel scary, there’s nothing to be alarmed about – it’s a sign that you care.
“You are just completely there with them and it’s like you’re walking up to the spot, ready to take that penalty… your senses are just going into overdrive.”
The heart rate rises as it rushes to send more oxygen around the body. And if you feel buzzy, he says, that’s because the effects can act as stimulant.
They can last for hours, affecting our sleep as we come down from our excitement and can even influence our behaviour the following day. Don’t be surprised if you feel like eating more after the match or getting out the credit card.
“Fans consume more calories after a loss,” says Dr Newson, explaining that they’re responding to a psychological need to replenish their reserves after a time of hardship.
On the flip side, fans might feel an urge to splurge after a win. “We can see the evolutionary mind working like, okay, I’ve won so I can spend money, I can accumulate resources,” she says.
All this for a sport that’s supposed to be about fun and bonding. So what can fans do to manage these very real side-effects?
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Dr Joseph Barker, a clinical psychologist for the NHS and Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Norwich Medical School, advises getting a good rest the night before.
Having a clear match day plan of where you are going, what you are doing and what you are likely to do afterwards will also help alleviate stress.
“As we’ve got no control during the game, if we can find things to control before and after the game that can build our emotional resilience to cope.”
It’s important to eat well, he says, and as much as it might be tempting, he advises against drinking alcohol, because it gives us less ability to regulate our emotions.
If things get too tense, he says fans can always take a break and rejoin the match a bit later.
Dr Crepaz-Keay says movement is key to help manage that adrenaline surge – when your body is geared up for action, there’s nowhere for that energy to go if you stay on the sofa. But just remember to keep anything breakable out of arm and leg reach.
Be part of something bigger
Most of all, the experts advise trying to reframe the nerves and jitters as an enjoyable experience.
“In England particularly, we are not necessarily brought up to express our emotions. And sport gives us the excuse to do that. Sport gives us licence to shout, to scream, to dance, to cheer, to sing,” says Dr Crepaz-Keay.
“Even if we don’t win, you’re still part of something bigger… that’s something that we can all take pride and joy in.”
It’s a view shared by Jenny and Charlotte in Geneva.
Charlotte advises embracing the stress and having patience as “anything can happen in the last second”.
“You’re going to get overwhelmed and your heart rate will go up… but this is really exciting.”
Additional reporting by Elise Wicker and Yazmina Garcia
