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WASHINGTON — Stewart McLaurin knew it was coming.

An entire wing of the White House, a building he calls “the most special, important building on the planet,” was going to be replaced to make way for a ballroom that President Trump wants to add to the building.

But when McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Assn., saw the first images of backhoes tearing into the East Wing, it still came as a bit of a shock.

“When the reality of things happen, they strike us a little bit differently than the theory of things happening, so it was a bit of a jarring moment,” McLaurin told the Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.

McLaurin, who has led the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for more than a decade, did not take a position on the changes. It’s not his job. “Ours is not to make happen, or to keep from happening — but to document what does happen, what happens in this great home that we call the White House,” he said.

But he said he sees a silver lining from the “jarring” images: They have piqued public interest in White House history.

“What has happened since then is so amazing in that in the past two weeks, more people have been talking about White House history, focused on White House history, learning what is an East Wing, what is the West Wing … what are these spaces in this building that we simply call the White House,” McLaurin said.

Trump demolishes the East Wing

The general public became aware of the demolition work on Oct. 20 after photos of construction equipment ripping into the building began to circulate online, prompting an outcry from Democrats, preservationists and others.

In a matter of days, the entire two-story East Wing — the traditional base of operations for first ladies and their staffs — was gone. The demolition included a covered walkway between the White House, the family movie theater and a garden dedicated to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Trump had talked about building a ballroom for years and pushed ahead with his vision when he returned to office in January. His proposal calls for a 90,000-square-foot structure, almost twice the size of the 55,000-square-foot White House itself and able to accommodate 1,000 people. The plan also includes building a more modern East Wing, officials said.

The president ordered the demolition despite not yet having sign-off for the ballroom construction from the National Capital Planning Commission, one of several entities with a role in approving additions to federal buildings and property. The White House has yet to submit the ballroom plans for the commission’s review because it is closed during the government shutdown.

Trump appointed loyalists to the planning commission in July. On Tuesday he also fired the six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, a group of architectural experts that advises the federal government on historic preservation and public buildings. A new slate of members who are more aligned with Trump’s policies will be named, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on personnel decisions. The Washington Post was first to report the firings.

East Wing art and furnishings preserved

It was the job of the White House curator and their staff to carefully remove, catalog and store the art, the official portraits of former first ladies, and furnishings from the East Wing, McLaurin said.

The White House Historical Assn. does not have a decision-making role in the construction. But it has been working with the White House to prepare for the changes.

“We had known since late summer that the staff of the East Wing had moved out. I actually made my last visit on the last day of tours on August the 28th,” McLaurin said.

Working with the curator and chief usher, the association used 3D scanning technology “so that every room, space, nook and cranny of the East Wing, whether it was molding or hinges or door knobs or whatever it was, was captured to the nth degree” to be digitally recreated as an exhibit or to teach the history of that space, McLaurin said.

A photographer also documented the building as it was being taken apart. It will be a while before any images are available, but McLaurin said items were found when flooring was pulled up and when wall coverings were pulled back that “no living person remembered were there. So those will be lessons in history.”

White House has grown over the years

Trump’s aides have responded to criticism of the demolition by arguing that other presidents have made changes to the White House too. Trump said the White House needs a bigger entertaining space.

McLaurin said the building continues to evolve from what it looked like when it was built in 1792.

“There is a need to modernize and to grow,” he said, noting that White House social secretaries for generations chafed at the space limitations for entertaining. “But how it’s done and how it’s accomplished and what results is really the vision of the president who undertakes that project.”

What the White House Historical Assn. does

Jacqueline Kennedy created the historical association in 1961 to help preserve the museum quality of the interior of the White House and educate the public. It receives no government funding and raises money mostly through private donations and sales of retail merchandise.

It is not the mission of the association to take a position on construction, McLaurin said. Its primary mandate is preserving the State Floor and some of the historic bedrooms upstairs in the private living quarters, and teaching the history of the White House, which is an accredited museum. The State Floor is made up of the Green, Blue and Red Rooms, the East Room and State Dining Room, the Cross Hall and Grand Foyer.

“Ours is not to support — or to not support,” McLaurin said. “Ours is to understand, to get the details.”

Since the demolition, McLaurin said he has seen attendance spike at a free educational center the association opened in September 2024 a block from the White House. “The People’s House: A White House Experience” is open seven days a week — including during the shutdown.

The educational center had its busiest days the weekend of Oct. 17-19, with about 1,500 daily visitors, up from a previous average of 900, he said.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

Mohammed Zakaria had not slept in two days when the news came that el-Fasher, his hometown, had fallen to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The Sudanese video journalist and human rights activist had been monitoring the deteriorating situation from Kampala, Uganda, watching as the paramilitary seized the North Darfur governor’s office in the city on Friday, edging closer to taking control of all of it.

He feared the worst.

For Zakaria, the “nightmare” scenario is intensely personal. Searching through social media after the city’s fall, he discovered footage posted on Facebook by RSF soldiers celebrating, standing over dead bodies. He recognised three of his uncles among the dead.

“They are celebrating by killing them,” he said.

He said another uncle’s Facebook profile photo had been changed to an image of an RSF fighter, a chilling message about his possible fate.

“We don’t know where he is … we’re really scared for him,” he said.

The fall of el-Fasher

The city fell to the RSF on Sunday after an 18-month siege, the Sudanese army confirming its withdrawal from what was its last outpost in the Darfur region, held for months by the resolve of fighters holed up there.

The RSF’s capture of el-Fasher gives the paramilitary control over all five state capitals in Darfur, marking a significant turning point in Sudan’s civil war.

El-Fasher endured one of the longest urban sieges in modern warfare this century. The RSF began encircling it in May 2024 and intensified its assaults after being driven from the capital, Khartoum, by the army in March.

What followed its fall has been described by international observers as a massacre on an unprecedented scale, with satellite imagery and social media footage pointing to mass atrocities by RSF fighters, reportedly along ethnic lines.

“We have been talking about this for more than a year. We knew this would happen,” Zakaria told Al Jazeera, his voice breaking.

Sarra Majdoub, a former UN Security Council expert on Sudan, told Al Jazeera observers were warning for months of the city’s fall, like other major urban areas in Darfur that were captured by the RSF, but “they surprisingly held on for a really long time”.

A communications blackout has all but cut off connection from the city, leaving those with loved ones there in a state of anxious uncertainty.

An estimated 260,000 civilians remained trapped in the city when it fell, half of them children.

The Sudan Doctors Network said a “heinous massacre” had taken place in el-Fasher, while the Joint Forces, a coalition of armed groups allied with the Sudanese army, said 2,000 people had been executed. The UN said it documented 1,350 deaths.

Reports of atrocities

The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which monitors the war in Sudan, reported Tuesday that satellite imagery revealed evidence consistent with mass killings, including what seem to be visible pools of blood and clusters of corpses.

Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Humanitarian Research Lab, told a media briefing on Tuesday that the killings were “only comparable to Rwanda-style killings”, referring to the 1994 Tutsi genocide in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed in weeks.

As early as October 2, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned of the risk of “large-scale, ethnically driven attacks and atrocities”, calling for immediate action to prevent it.

Social media footage verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency after the city’s fall showed many instances of RSF fighters carrying out summary executions of civilians. In one video, an RSF commander bragged that he had killed 2,000 people.

In a statement on Monday, the RSF said it was committed to “protecting civilians”.

Majdoub told Al Jazeera that the voyeuristic nature of the videos recorded by RSF fighters was among the “most disturbing elements” of the violence.

She recalled that fighters filming abuses had been seen before in places such as el-Geneina in West Darfur and Gezira state, “but el-Fasher has been different, their violence is more exaggerated.”

“It is very painful,” Zakaria said, “finding videos in social media, and then you find that you know this person, who is a friend, or a distant relative, or uncle, surrounded by RSF fighters.

“This is a reality now for many people”.

He remains unable to locate dozens of friends and relatives.

Among them is Dr Mudathir Ibrahim Suleiman, medical director of Saudi Hospital, whom Zakaria last spoke to early Saturday morning, hours before the RSF took the city.

“He told me he would escape with his father and relatives,” Zakaria said. “Until now, I didn’t hear anything … We found that some doctors reached Tawila, but Dr Mudathir is not among them.”

Darfur’s governor, Minni Minnawi, said on Wednesday the RSF had committed a massacre in the Saudi Hospital, killing 460 people. He also posted footage on X showing a summary execution.

Residents who spoke to Al Jazeera in the weeks before the final offensive described daily bombardments and periodic drone strikes. People dug trenches to hide in at dawn as shelling began, sometimes remaining underground for hours.

The United Nations migration agency reported that more than 26,000 people fled the fighting since Sunday, either heading to the outskirts of the city or attempting the dangerous journey to Tawila, 70km (43.5 miles) to the west.

‘Genocide is happening now’

Zakaria left el-Fasher in June 2024, during the siege, making the perilous journey through South Sudan to Uganda after his house was shelled and he witnessed a deadly attack that killed seven people, including women and children, near his grandfather’s home.

“It was like the hardest decision I have made in my life, to leave my city,” he said.

From Kampala, he continued monitoring the violence and advocating for people.

El-Fasher had appealed for intervention for more than 17 months, he said, while humanitarian organisations operated in Tawila, just three hours away by car.

“The time has passed for actions. The genocide is happening now,” he said.

Zakaria says more than 100 people he knows remain unaccounted for in el-Fasher.

He continues searching social media and calling contacts, hoping for information.

Published on
22/10/2025 – 14:33 GMT+2

Italian banking group UniCredit has delivered a robust third quarter, underscoring its position as one of Europe’s stronger lenders.

“UniCredit delivered yet another set of record results, with net revenues up 1.2% and costs down 0.1% versus last year,” said CEO Andrea Orcel in a statement.

Net profit came in at €2.6 billion in the third quarter, up 4.7% year-on-year, and above a company estimate of €2.4bn.

Over the first nine months of the year, the bank’s net profits rose by 12.9% to €8.7bn.

“These results reflect disciplined execution, and I am confident that we will continue to build sustainable value for all stakeholders,” said Orcel.

UniCredit also reaffirmed full-year 2025 net profit guidance at €10.5bn and said it planned to distribute at least €9.5bn to shareholders.

Why this matters

In a European banking sector facing low growth, investor pressure, and regulatory hurdles, the results are significant for several reasons.

First, UniCredit’s combination of revenue growth, cost control, and low credit impairments suggests a resilience not always seen among its peers.

Second, the reaffirmation of strong guidance signals management confidence in execution through to year-end despite macroeconomic uncertainties in European and global markets.

Thirdly, the capital position and shareholder-return commitments indicate that the bank is in a position to manage risk and reward investors.

Europe’s banks are navigating reduced margins, regulatory costs, and lacklustre loan demand. Against that backdrop, UniCredit’s cost-income ratio of 37% in the quarter is a standout.

The lender also noted that its medium-term ambitions remain unchanged, standing by a net profit target of above €11 billion for the full-year 2027.

What to watch

Key to delivery will be how UniCredit handles a potential slowdown in areas such as net interest income, which fell 5.4% year-on-year in the quarter, and how it sustains its cost-efficiency edge.

The impact of wider economic weakness in Italy, Germany, and Central and Eastern Europe, all countries with strong UniCredit presence, remains a risk.

Additionally, conversion of its medium-term plans into reality will require continued disciplined execution. This is especially the case as the bank pursues strategic initiatives such as life insurance policy changes in Italy and its takeover of Commerzbank.

UniCredit has built a 26% stake in the German lender over the last year, although Orcel’s advances are facing fierce opposition from the government in Berlin.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court justices on Tuesday heard a free-speech challenge to state laws against “conversion therapy” and sounded likely to rule the measures violate the 1st Amendment.

California and more than 20 other states have adopted laws to forbid licensed counselors from urging or encouraging gay or transgender teens to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.

They were adopted in reaction to a history of dangerous and discredited practices, including treatments that induced nausea and vomiting or administered electric shocks.

Lawmakers and medical experts said these efforts to “cure” LGBTQ+ teens were cruel and ineffective and caused lasting harm.

But these “talk therapy” laws have been challenged by a number of Christian counselors who believe they can help young people who want to talk about their feelings and their sexual identity.

The court on Tuesday heard an appeal from Kaley Chiles, a counselor from Colorado Springs, Colo. She says she is an evangelical Christian, but does not seek to “cure” young people of a same-sex attraction or change their gender identity.

But she sued, alleging the state law seeks to “censor” her conversations and threatens her with punishment.

She lost before a federal judge and a U.S. appeals court, both of whom said the state has the authority to regulate the practice of medicine and to prevent substandard healthcare.

But the justices, both conservative and liberal, said the Colorado law appeared to violate the 1st Amendment.

“What’s being regulated here is pure speech,” said Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Moreover, he said, the state law enforces a double standard. It would punish a licensed counselor who agrees to talk to a teenage client who wants to “overcome same-sex attractions,” but not if she encourages the teen to accept or affirm those attractions.

Justice Elena Kagan said she too saw a potential 1st Amendment violation. And Justice Sonia Sotomayor said there was less evidence that talk therapy alone has caused real harm.

In defense of the law, Colorado state solicitor Shannon Stevenson said the law applies only to licensed counselors. It does not extend to others, including religious ministers.

The practice of medical care “is a heavily regulated area. A doctor doesn’t have a 1st Amendment right to give wrong advice to patients,” she said.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett and others suggested counselors could still face a medical malpractice lawsuit, even if the court rules the state law violates the 1st Amendment.

At its 25th Global Summit in Rome today, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its latest report showing how much the US is losing out on as tourists decide to stay away

Donald Trump has helped shave £10billion off the US economy by keeping holidaymakers away.

There is a whole host of reasons why a lot of people have decided to stop travelling to the US, and the President is at the heart of many of them. Whether it’s newly emboldened border guards that have locked up tourists for little reason; a desire not to spend money in a country that is helping Israel wage a war in Gaza; or the arrival of National Guard troops in US cities.

At its 25th Global Summit in Rome today, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its latest report showing how much the US is losing out on as tourists decide to stay away.

The WTTC forecasts international visitor spending in the US will fall by $12.5billion (£9.3billion) in 2025, with the tourism organisation urging America’s authorities to provide more traveller-friendly policies and reduce visa costs. The total income from the sector in the US is now $2,575.5billion, down from $2,558.4billion.

Would you consider travelling to China for a holiday? Let us know in the comments below or by emailing [email protected]

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Citizens from some countries, in particular, are avoiding travelling to the US. In February, border crossings from Canada were down by more than 20%, according to Statistics Canada. Among them is Keith Serry, a writer and comedian based in Montreal, Quebec.

He cancelled five April appearances in New York City due to the tense political situation. “This decision will, of course, rob me of the opportunity to share my art with many of you in New York I’ve grown to know and love,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “That said, the honest truth is that I just don’t feel safe travelling to the States right now. In addition, I feel a powerful disinclination to spending my money in any way that might aid the economy of a hostile state.”

On the flipside, China, the world’s second-largest travel and tourism market, is due for a huge tourism boost. The sector already added $1.64trillion (£1.22trillion) to its economy in 2024, and that number is forecast to surge by 22.7% in 2025, adding an extra $260billion (£193billion).

Japan, the world’s fifth largest travel and tourism economy with a $310.5billion (£210billion) contribution in 2024, is forecast to add a further $13.8 (£10.28billion) to its GDP this year.

Despite losing £2.2billion in international visitor spending last year, the sector added £273billion to the economy.

WTTC Interim CEO Gloria Guevara chose to focus on the overall growth, rather than the dip seen in the US and UK.

She said: “These results tell a story of strength and opportunity. The US remains the world’s largest Travel & Tourism market, China is surging back, Europe is powering ahead, and destinations across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are delivering record growth. This year, we are forecasting that our sector will contribute an historic $2.1TN in 2025, surpassing the previous high of $1.9TN in 2019, by $164BN. As Italy hosts this year’s Global Summit, its role as a G7 leader showcases the importance of tourism in driving economies, creating jobs, and shaping our shared future.”

Globally, the travel industry is growing at a rapid rate. According to the report, the sector supported 357million jobs in 2024. That figure is set to rise to 371million in 2025, along with an increase in the sector’s share of global employment.

By 2035, one in eight jobs worldwide will be in the industry, with an additional 91 million new jobs compared to today. The majority of those will be in the Asia-Pacific region.

As many as 100,000 people in Berlin rallied in support of Palestinians in what was Germany’s largest Gaza protest to date. The demonstration, dubbed ‘All Eyes on Gaza’, demanded an end to German support for Israel. Police were filmed violently arresting participants.

Published on
24/09/2025 – 9:33 GMT+2

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Shares in Alibaba rose around 9% in Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon after CEO Eddie Wu said that he would lift the firm’s AI budget.

The e-commerce giant had already pledged to invest 380 billion yuan (€45bn) in AI-related infrastructure over the next three years, seeking to stay ahead as firms race to develop new models. Wu did not give details on the additional expenditure.

The pledge came as Wu was launching Alibaba’s most powerful AI model during a company conference in Hangzhou, China. The firm’s chief technology officer, Zhou Jingren, said that the Qwen3-Max model contains more than 1 trillion parameters. These are learnt values that determine how the system processes information and makes predictions.

In certain metrics, Alibaba claimed that its Qwen3-Max model outperformed rival offerings like Anthropic’s Claude and DeepSeek-V3.1, citing third-party benchmarks.

“The industry’s development speed far exceeded what we expected, and the industry’s demand for AI infrastructure also far exceeded our anticipation,” Wu said on Wednesday. “We are actively proceeding with the 380 billion investment in AI infrastructure, and plan to add more.”

Stressing that Alibaba must push ahead, Wu estimated that total global investment in AI will exceed $4 trillion (€3.4tn) in the next five years. Chinese rivals such as Tencent and JD.com, as well as US tech firms, have invested heavily in AI over the past year.

Complicating Alibaba’s progress, however, are access restrictions on AI processors from Nvidia.

Last week, China’s internet regulator banned the country’s biggest tech firms from buying Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips, according to the Financial Times.

The reported ban comes as China seeks to boost its homegrown chip industry and wean itself off dependence on the US.

In August, Chinese firms had previously been advised not to buy Nvidia’s H20, a chip designed specifically for China, with officials in Beijing warning of perceived security risks to national data and systems.

The warning arrived after the US lifted its own ban on the export of H20 chips to China, imposed in April amid a trade spat.

LOOSE Women star Coleen Nolan no longer sees her granddaughter as a result of an ongoing family feud.

It has been reported that the 60-year-old has not had any contact with the little girl for close to seven years.

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According to the Mail, a feud between Coleen’s son Shane Jnr and his former partner, Emma Kivell, has stopped the TV personality from being in touch with her first-born granddaughter.

Coleen was a proud grandmother when Shane became a first-time father to little girl, Amelia Rose, in Januray 2016.

She was even present in the hospital room where she first met the tot.

However, in the years that have followed, a devastating family feud has left relations soured.

Sources have told the Mail that difficulties in the strained relationship between parents Shane Jnr and Emma has caused the lack of contact.

Shane Jnr and Emma are believed to not have been in an official relationship when they conceived their daughter.

A friend told the Mail: “At the time Amelia Rose was born, Coleen was on cloud nine. She was so proud her son and she fell in love with the baby, but Shane and Emma aren’t together, and these situations can become quite hard to navigate.”

They added: “Shane promised to support Emma as she set about her journey into motherhood as a single mum along with the support of her own family, but now there is no contact between the little girl and the Nolans.”

Earlier this year, it is reported that Emma and her inner circle were left “disgusted” when Shane Jnr and his new partner, Kimberley Sallis, sent her a script of their ‘pregnancy announcement’ just ten mintues before their Instagram post to confirm the news.

This left Emma unable to tell their daughter that her father was welcoming another sibling before it was posted online due to her being at school.

It has further been reported that one of Emma’s friends even lodged a complaint to ITV about Coleen but they were unable to take any action due to it being “a private matter”.

The Sun has contacted a representative for Coleen Nolan for comment.

Coleen previously discussed Shane becoming a father and the state of his relationship with Emma with the Mirror, telling the publication: “They got together one night and there you go.

“But they’re not compatible in a relationship. Obviously, you wish they were badly in love and could see a future together.

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“That’s the best scenario for anyone. But then I thought ‘Oh my God I’m going to be a nanny and was thrilled.’’’

Shane Jnr met Emma when they were both working as Bluecoats at a holiday resort.

Shane is the son of Coleen and her ex-husband, EastEnders actor, Shane Richie.

Following the birth of Amelia Rose, Shane dated Maddie Wadhan for six years before marrying her in June 2022.

His daughter was not present at the ceremony.

The couple later split in December 2023 over accusations that Shane cheated on Maddie.

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A P Louise employee has set the record straight after their “manifesting” on a recent live stream saw them “torn apart” by cruel trolls.

Declan was one of those leading the make-up company’s stream over the weekend, when he caused controversy among the thousands watching.

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Some even went as far as to allege that he looked as though he may have been under the influence of a dangerous substance.

“Glad it wasn’t just me thinking it,” one person commented.

“There was a lot of going off screen, coming back and nose wiping.”

“I was in the live last night, there was definitely something off,” another said.

“Declan couldn’t even get his words out.”

“I cannot believe what I just watched,” a third wrote.

“I was in this live, they didn’t have a clue,” someone else added.

While another claimed Declan was “off his face”.

Others defended him, with Declan then releasing his own video on his TikTok page to set the record straight on what had actually happened.

“In the last 24 hours I’ve been going through a lot of hate and kind of abuse on the internet, on TikTok especially, and it’s been a lot,” he said.

“I just kind of want to talk about things and kind of just where my head’s at.”

He explained that he’d worked at P Louise all day, then gone onto the livestream and worked from 4pm to midnight.

“And from this live, people have been making, you know, I’ve taken videos and taken like screenshots and all this stuff of me manifesting,” he said, referring to a moment where he had closed his eyes and held his hands in a meditative pose.

“And been saying that I’ve been abusing drugs, taking drugs on a livestream, doing all this stuff.

“And it’s like, I just don’t get it. Like this, this has affected me…

“The live just, it turned dark very quickly at one point.”

He also claimed it’s the same “collective of people” that have been “tearing me apart on the Internet” over the past few months that continue to spread the nasty comments and false rumours.

“This isn’t fun. This isn’t easy,” he sighed.

“This is my life… think about what you guys actually put on the Internet.

“Think about what you guys are doing to someone because you don’t actually know what people are going through.

“People don’t know my actual struggles. I don’t owe it to a lot of people what I actually have been through.

“And I’ve been through a lot, okay?”

Declan, who has ADHD, autism and depression, also thanked those who have come out in support of him – including company founder Paige Louise.

And he concluded by saying: “If you guys don’t like me, that’s okay – I know who I am as a person.

“Just think about what you guys are doing.”

“Explaining a few things that’s happened,” Declan captioned the video.

“Must say thank you to everyone that has reached out and supported me.

“And thank you @Paige Louise, love you guys.”

“You’re also absolutely beautiful,” Paige added in response.

“I’ve watched clips and still don’t understand what the hate is about??” someone else wrote in the comments section.

“Please don’t ever let people get you down. You are so much better than them.

“Hold your head high, straighten that crown and show everyone how strong and powerful you are.”

“What a sad world we live in,” a third told Declan.

“My darling you are a beautiful person , with a beautiful soul, with so much to give.

“I am so so proud to have watched you grow into the person you are . This is not okay.

“But you speaking up shows a lot of strength, and also remember how many people you inspire and have inspired.

“Sending love my darling.”

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The ban by India’s government of online betting games has ended the national cricket team’s sponsorship by Dream11.

India are looking for a new lead sponsor to replace Indian fantasy sports platform Dream11 after the government banned real-money online gaming last month, leaving the world’s richest cricket board scrambling to secure new revenue.

Dream11, which had signed a three-year contract worth about 3.6 billion rupees ($44m) running through 2026, can no longer sponsor the national team after the central government banned real-money online games as well as their promotion, including fantasy sports.

India’s upper house of parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 last month.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which commands some of the world’s most lucrative broadcast deals thanks to cricket’s popularity and India’s vast population, set a September 16 deadline for new bid submissions.

The auction is unlikely to remain unsold for long, but with the Asia Cup starting on September 9, India may take the field without a front-of-shirt sponsor in the opening week, which includes the marquee match against rivals Pakistan on September 14.

The Economic Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the board is seeking 35 million rupees ($397.6k) per match for bilaterals, and 15 million ($170.4k) per match for India’s fixtures in International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council tournaments in a three-year sponsorship cycle.

Over an estimated 140 games in the 2025-28 cycle, the BCCI expects to generate about 4.52 billion rupees ($51.3m), about 940 million ($10.7m) more than under Dream11’s deal, which was 3.58 billion ($40.7m) for the period July 2023 to March 2026 – an uplift of more than 20 percent.

New Emmerdale spoilers reveal the moment newcomer Celia goes back on her cruel plan with Joe Tate against Moira Dingle, leaving one character reeling on the ITV soap

There’s a bombshell for Moira Dingle next week on Emmerdale as she finally learns the truth that she’s being played by Celia. The new farmer confesses her twisted plan with Joe and Kim Tate, revealing Moira is the target of their schemes.

Just days ago viewers learned what was really going on after Celia offered Moira a joint deal with a local hotel restaurant, amid the latter’s serious financial woes. With the farm at risk, Moira believed things were on the up, only for Celia’s true intentions to be revealed.

Celia had called round to drop the bombshell that the contract had fallen through, fumbling an excuse about the chef not being happy with the produce. Moira fumed: “So now you’re telling me we’ve got to write off thousands of pounds that we can’t afford?”

Then shortly after in the same episode, Celia headed to Home Farm where it became apparent that she had been working with Joe and Kim to sabotage Moira’s business this entire time.

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She coldly told Joe: “I have an update. I’ve just told Moira she’s laid out thousands of pounds on an order that won’t be paid. She delivered three orders without asking for a penny upfront, and she didn’t read the contract properly. The woman’s fool.”

With that it was clear there was never a business deal, and Celia was lying to Moira to get her to do all the work only to let her down. But it seems Celia is about to have a change of heart.

Amid Joe claiming it was very much Kim’s orders for them and Celia to target Moira, Joe was shown asking Celia how much longer Moira was likely to last in the business now that all this has been set up against her. We know that Joe and Kim were after Moira’s land where her farm is, turning to dirty tactics along the way to get her gone.

Celia seems to be the latest means of targeting Moira, and Celia told Joe: “She won’t make her water fine payment, let alone feed her livestock so my guess that it will all be over a week.” It was revealed that Celia had a deal in place with Kim to guarantee her six months rent-free with the option to lease extra land – meaning Celia was also lying about Kim upping her rent.

New spoilers for next week confirm a major change though, as Celia turns on Joe and Kim and tells Moira everything. It seems Joe pushes her too far with a threat, and Celia decides to expose them to Moira who is left reeling.

In the spoiler it says Joe pushes Celia for a progress report on the situation with Moira, but Celia has had second thoughts and wants out. Joe refuses to release her from their arrangement though, and Celia acts like she isn’t intimidated by what he says.

She ends up feeling even more guilty about what she’s done, and out of anger at Joe she sees no option but to spill the beans. Heading to Butlers, she tells a stunned Moira how she was manipulated into an arrangement with Joe and Kim.

Celia admits the deal would enable them to take Butlers land. Moira’s horrified to realise she has been duped all along by someone she trusts, so how will she react to this and what will she do about evil Joe?

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Aarron Greaves, 32, was on a flight to Spain when he noticed that the window next to his seat appeared cracked – which left him and other passengers feeling ‘pretty worried’

A man said passengers on his Ryanair flight were “scared” after finding that one of the aircraft’s windows was “cracked”. Aarron Greaves, 32, was flying to Ibiza from Manchester when he noticed the damage to the window next to him.

He said that while he was scared, Ryanair staff told him that there was nothing to worry about. Video footage shows Aarron poking the plastic cover on the window with his finger. He said: “Everyone was scared and no one wanted to sit near it. I saw the crack after opening the window, so it was already there when I got on the plane.”

Aarron said that the crew came over and explained that an engineer had checked the window. However, he claimed that they did not reveal how it happened, adding: “I was pretty worried, but it all worked out OK in the end.”

Ryanair said: “We note that the window reveal (which is used only to protect the window from scratches) was found to be damaged and has since been replaced.”

It comes after a Ryanair pilot lost consciousness in the cockpit of a flight from Barcelona to Porto earlier in August. A source from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies told Portugal Resident that the pilot suffered a “rapidly recovering syncope” and “apparently recovered during the flight”.

The pilot came back to consciousness and the plane landed normally, according to reports. A spokesperson for the airline told The Mirror: “Ryanair has procedures and training in place to deal with situations where a pilot becomes unwell in flight. This flight from Barcelona to Porto (10 Aug), landed safely at Porto Airport.”

Last month, it was reported that the budget airline could increase bonuses given to employees who spot passengers trying to sneak oversized luggage on board. Currently, members of staff receive about 1.50 euros (£1.50) for each piece of excess baggage they spot.

Ryanair said that it was determined to “eliminate the scourge of oversized bags which delay boarding,” adding that these bags were “clearly unfair on the over 99% of our passengers who comply with our baggage rules”. The airline has baggage sizers at airport gates to check carry-ons before passengers board, ensuring they comply with the strict rules.

Michael O’Leary, the airline boss, told RTE’s Morning Ireland: “We are happy to incentivise our (staff) with a share of those excess baggage fees, which we think will decline over the coming year or two.”

Passengers are allowed to bring a small carry-on bag on each flight, with dimensions not exceeding 40x20x25cm and a weight limit of 10kg. If you wish to bring additional bags, you will need to pay extra when booking your flights, or face charges of up to £74 at the gate.

Greece has suspended processing of asylum applications from people arriving by sea from North Africa since July.

More than 120 refugees and migrants have been intercepted off the island of Crete, according to Greek authorities, the latest in a series of arrivals of people making perilous journeys to Europe from North Africa despite a suspension of asylum claims and a concerted push for tougher detention rules.

Two boats, carrying 58 and 68 people and believed to have departed from Libya, were stopped on Monday, and their passengers were placed under guard at temporary shelters. More than 100 other refugees and migrants arrived on Crete over the weekend after strong winds eased.

Greece’s conservative government last month suspended all asylum claims for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa, a move it argued helped deter crossings that peaked in July at more than 2,500 in a single week.

The ban passed in parliament amid a surge in asylum seekers reaching Crete and after talks with Libya’s Benghazi-based government to stem the flow were cancelled acrimoniously in July.

It also marked a further hardening of Greece’s stance towards refugees and migrants under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government, which has built a fence at its northern land borders and boosted sea patrols since it came to power in 2019.

The government remains at odds with regional authorities in Crete over a plan to build a permanent transit facility on the island. It is preparing draft legislation that would mandate imprisonment for people whose asylum claims are denied and require ankle monitors during a 30-day compliance period before deportation.

Earlier this month, at least 26 people died after two boats sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.

That disaster, also involving people travelling from Libya, was the latest to befall refugees and migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.

Rights groups and United Nations agencies have also documented systematic abuse against refugees and migrants in Libya, including torture, rape and extortion. In February, Libyan authorities uncovered nearly 50 bodies from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, in the latest horror involving people seeking to make it to Europe through the North African country.

Since the beginning of this year, 675 people have died in the central Mediterranean while trying to make the crossing, Filippo Ungaro, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy, recently said.

At least 30 people have died in Beijing and more than 80,000 were evacuated to safety, Chinese authorities said, as heavy rains and floods ravage roads and houses in northern China.

Eight other people died after a landslide on Monday in Chengde city, about three hours northeast of Beijing.

China is dealing with a summer of extreme weather. Record heatwaves hit the country’s eastern region earlier this month while floods swept the country’s southwest.

Against the backdrop of the massive floods in northern China, President Xi Jinping has called for “all-out” rescue efforts and told authorities to prepare for “worst-case and extreme scenarios”.

“No effort should be spared to search for and rescue those missing or trapped, to transfer and resettle residents in affected areas, and to reduce casualties to the greatest extent possible,” the president said on Monday.

Chinese authorities have allocated 200 million yuan ($28m; £21m) for recovery efforts, including repairing transportation and other infrastructure.

The outskirts of Beijing, including the suburban districts of Miyun and Huairou, were hit hardest by the torrential rain.

The floods have damaged dozens of roads and disrupted power to more than 130 villages. Videos show rescuers wading in chest-deep floodwaters to reach stranded residents, as well as helicopters and drones ferrying food and other aid to the disaster zone.

Ms Yang, who works in Hebei province, told BBC Chinese that she was very worried about her family, who live in Miyun district – one of the areas hit hardest by the floods.

Since Sunday she had not been able to contact her parents and grandfather, who all suffer from health problems and have limited mobility. Her family had also been taking care of her pets: eight cats and three dogs.

Their village is small and remote, with just around 10 households, she said, adding that she feared rescuers might miss it altogether. Out of desperation, she took to social media to appeal for rescue, hoping they would be found soon.

Residents from flood-hit areas recalled how quickly the disaster unfolded.

“The flood came rushing in, just like that, so fast and suddenly,” Zhuang Zhelin, a shop-owner in Taishitun town, near Beijing, told the Associated Press. “In no time at all, the place was filling up.”

Zhuang’s neighbour told the Associated Press that when the floods came he “just ran upstairs and waited for rescue”.

“I remember thinking, if no one came to get us, we’d be in real trouble,” he said.

Beijing is no stranger to flooding, particularly at this time of year. One of the deadliest in recent memory occurred in July 2012, when 190mm of rain drenched the city in a day, killing 79 people.

This summer, floods have wreaked havoc across swathes of China.

Two people were killed and 10 people went missing in Shandong province earlier this month when Typhoon Wipha struck eastern China. Two weeks earlier, a landslide killed three people in Ya’an city, southwestern China.

Extreme weather, which experts link to climate change, has increasingly threatened China’s residents and economy – especially its trillion-dollar agriculture sector.

Natural disasters in the first half of the year have cost China 54.11 billion yuan ($7.5bn; £5.7bn), its emergency management ministry said earlier this month. Flooding accounted for more than 90% of the losses, the ministry noted.

July 27 (UPI) — Extreme heat, high winds and fires have plagued parts of Greece and Turkey amid the high tourist season as temperatures in Greece have risen to 111.2 degrees and in Turkey to 122.9 degrees.

In the Karabuk province of Turkey, firefighters have battled fires for four days. In Eskisehir, Turkey, 10 people died on Wednesday, BBC reported.

Ibrahim Yumakli, Turkey’s forestry minister, said on Sunday that areas affected by fires were “going through risky times” and that it would be several days before they were fully contained.

Some local authorities have restricted water consumption, including for the resort of Cesme on Turkey’s west coast.

Greece is battling five major wildfires with extreme temperatures likely to continue. There are 11 regions of the country at “very high risk of fire.” Greece has formally asked for assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for six firefighting aircraft.

Two major fires are on the islands of Kythira and Evia. Kythira, which is popular with tourists, is just off the tip of the Peloponnese peninsula, and Evia is a large island northeast of Athens. Firefighters were still battling to control major blazes on Kythira and Messinia, on the Peloponnese peninsula, Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis, Greece’s fire service spokesperson, said.

A fire in Kryoneri, a suburb northeast of Athens, has been contained.

On Kythira, a blaze broke out Saturday morning in the village of Pitsinades. According to initial estimates, about 20% of the island has been affected by the fire. New evacuation alerts were issued Sunday, when the government ordered residents of several villages to leave.

The fire service would not have been able to cope if “there had been another two or three fires like the one near Athens,” Vathrakoyiannis told the New York Times.

“The state mechanism has been called to engage in a titanic battle, simultaneously responding to dozens of wildfires across the country,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement. “To those who saw their properties destroyed by the fury of fire, know that the state will stand by your side.”

Climate crisis and civil protection minister Giannis Kefalogiannis previously said they “have injured firefighters, human lives were put at risk, properties have been burned, and forest areas have been destroyed.”

Public broadcaster ERT reported on Kythira that “Tte first images are resonant of a biblical disaster as huge areas have been reduced to cinders and ash,” The Guardian reported.

The island’s deputy mayor, Giorgos Komninos, was cited as saying: “Everything, from houses, beehives [to] olive trees has been burnt.”

Fires in Greece are becoming more frequent in the hot summers. Earlier this month, a fire forced 1,500 people to evacuate from homes and hotels on Crete, a popular tourist island.

Scientists have designated the Mediterranean, including much of Greece, a “wildfire hotspot” as blazes become more frequent and destructive during hot, parched summers. Governments of the affected countries say the climate crisis is the cause.

Published on
16/07/2025 – 10:18 GMT+2

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Supplier of chipmaking equipment ASML retracted its growth forecast for the coming year on Wednesday, sending shares down around 7% in morning trading in Amsterdam.

“The level of uncertainty is increasing, mostly due to macroeconomic and geopolitical considerations. And that includes, of course, tariffs,” said CEO Christophe Fouquet. “Therefore, while we still prepare for growth in 2026, we cannot confirm it at this stage.”

The warning came despite the fact that the Dutch firm saw sales and bookings rise above analysts’ expectations during the second quarter.

Sales rose 23% to €7.7 billion, while net bookings came in at €5.5bn. Net income was at €2.3bn.

For the third-quarter, ASML predicted net sales between €7.4bn and €7.9bn, falling short of estimates, and a gross margin between 50% and 52%.

The firm also forecast 15% revenue growth for the year ahead.

A boom in artificial intelligence is fuelling demand for ASML’s semiconductor-making machines, which are needed to power AI technologies.

Last week, chipmaker Nvidia — a firm that relies on ASML products — became the first company in the world to reach a market value of $4 trillion.

So far, the extent to which ASML will be affected by US tariffs and retaliatory duties is unclear. Semiconductors are currently exempt from Trump’s duties although it’s not yet known whether chipmaking machines will receive the same leniency.

Easing tensions between the US and China are also helping Nvidia, which in turn bodes well for ASML. On Tuesday, Nvidia said it would start selling its H20 AI chip in China again after the Trump administration relaxed export restrictions. The move is a U-turn for the government, which in April banned sales of the chip to China, linked to concerns that the technology could be used for military purposes.

ASML also faces restrictions on sending certain advanced products to China. There has been no suggestion that these measures, imposed by the Dutch government, will be lifted.

“ASML cites the macroeconomic environment and tariffs having an impact on the orders. More specifically, it is more likely uncertainty from China, memory capex uncertainty and the struggles at Intel and Samsung that are more likely to be hampering things,” said Ben Barringer, global technology analyst at Quilter Cheviot.

Intel and Samsung, two ASML customers, are facing financial headwinds, with the latter reporting its first fall in profit in around two years last week.

Barringer continued: “Ultimately, this is a speed bump for what remains a high-quality company. It still has a big backlog so growth should still pull through”.

LAS VEGAS — The Clippers team Brook Lopez grew up watching as a young kid in Southern California is not that same franchise anymore.

These Clippers are about putting a winning product on the court and about putting together the right talent to win games — and that is what sold Lopez on signing with them.

“It’s crazy to see, but it’s very cool — seeing the climb, the ascent,” Lopez said Monday afternoon at a news conference hours before the Clippers and Lakers played each other in an NBA Summer League game at Nevada Las Vegas. “I’m a Cali boy. I grew up in the Valley, in North Hollywood. Obviously things were very different back then and to see where the Clippers have come now, it’s just astonishing, it’s beautiful. I’m glad to be a part of it and hopefully I can help take them even further up.”

Lopez decided not to return to the Bucks after seven seasons in Milwaukee and opted not to sign with the Lakers, joining the Clippers on a two-year, $18-million deal.

He liked the idea of playing with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, a former teammate when they played on the Lakers in 2017-18, and for Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. Lopez also had a connection with Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations. Frank was the coach of the New Jersey Nets when Lopez was there.

“Looking at my options, I was just thrilled the Clippers reached out and were one of them,” Lopez said. “They’ve been a great team for quite a while now. They have a ton of great players, obviously Hall of Famers, All-Stars, great young players. My guy Zubi! And there is a great chance to win a championship here.”

Clippers center Ivica Zubac, right, blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on April 26.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Over the course of his career, Lopez has been a starting center. He played in 80 games last season with the Bucks, averaging 31.8 minutes per game. And he was still productive at 37, averaging 13 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 blocks, while shooting 50.9% from the floor and 37.3% from three-point range.

But Zubac has emerged as one of the top centers in the NBA, even making the NBA’s All-Defensive second team.

Out of the 1,105 regular-season games Lopez has played, he has started in 1,064. With the Clippers, however, he’ll likely come off the bench.

“I’m just trying to come in and help the team win,” Lopez said. “Whatever that may look like, that’s what I’m here to do. Wherever my minutes may come from when I’m on the court, the beginning of the game, middle of the game, end of the game, I’m trying to be out there trying to help my team win and beat the other team on the court.”

Because he can stretch the floor with his outside shooting, the 7-foot-1 Lopez can see a world in which he and 7-0 Zubac are on the court playing together.

“I think we complement each other extremely well,” Lopez said. “Obviously, we’ll be very big. I think we’ll be great defensively, just dominating the paint, sealing the paint off. And then offensively, we complement each other there as well. I’ll spread the floor for him, give him all the room in the paint to go wild.”

When the Bucks visited the Clippers last season, Lopez got to see the Intuit Dome.

He was impressed by the arena that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer built and that also played a role in his decision.

“He texted me right away, (saying) how excited he was to have me on the team,” Lopez said. “I told him the same thing back. I’m excited to win and I think that’s what we’re all here for and it’s going to be so much fun.”