Cape Verde seal historic debut place at World Cup 2026 and deny Cameroon
Cape Verde will become the second smallest nation to ever play at a men’s World Cup after a 3-0 home win over Eswatini sealed their place
News from October 13, 2025
439 articles found
Technology
Travis Kelce & Taylor Swift Show PDA in Eras Tour Docuseries Trailer
"Actually Romantic" is not actually about a romance, per se. Rather, it's a response to an unnamed person who, according to the lyrics, has spent a lot of time talking about Taylor. "High-fived my ex and then you said you're glad he ghosted me," Taylor sings. "Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face / Some people might be offended / But it's actually sweet." While Taylor rarely reveals who a song is written about, many fans on social media believe it was inspired by Charli XCX, who opened for Taylor on her Reputation Tour and is friends with Taylor's ex Matty and his fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel. When Charli—who is married to Matty’s The 1975 bandmate George Daniel—released brat in June 2024, there was speculation that her song "Sympathy is a Knife" threw shade at Taylor. However, two months later, Taylor seemed to put rumors to rest by sharing her praise for Charli. “I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011,” Taylor told New York magazine in an article published Aug. 26. “Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off." Another easter egg it could be about Charli? The Spotify cover image shows Taylor holding an apple, the title of Charli's 2024 viral song. E! News has reached out to reps for comment on the speculation and has not heard back.
World
Firing of Titans coach continues notable concerning trend
The thought of getting to coach a No. 1 overall draft pick at quarterback sounds enticing. But recent history shows it also has its downsides. The Tennessee Titans on Monday fired Brian Callahan as their head coach. The firing continued a concerning trend among coaches of quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall. Yahoo’s Matt Harmon noted in a post on social media that the last four quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall have seen their head coach get fired during their rookie season. That list includes: – 2021 Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer (Jaguars)– 2023 Bryce Young and Frank Reich (Panthers)– 2024 Caleb Williams and Matt Eberflus (Bears)– 2025 Cam Ward and Brian Callahan (Titans) What does this tell us? It’s probably not a good thing to be the head coach of a team that takes a quarterback No. 1 overall. The reasons for that are numerous. Quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall are typically going to bad teams. Combining that with the understanding that it takes a rookie QB a while to adjust to the NFL, and the likelihood of that team having success immediately is very low. These days, NFL teams don’t have patience for learning curves, which is why the coaches get fired so quickly. Of course, Urban Meyer’s firing was also self-inflicted based on his conduct. But someone like Reich in Carolina was hardly given the chance to turn things around. If you’re a head coach, it’s better to get a former No. 1 pick at QB in their third year rather than their rookie season.
Beau Greaves stuns Luke Littler in PDC world youth championship thriller
Beau Greaves won a last-leg decider to upset Luke Littler in the world youth championship semi-finals and will face Gian van Veen in the final
Technology
Just one minute and 57 glorious seconds of the great Brian Blessed swearing like a trooper (NSFW, obviously)
There’s no doubt that Brian Blessed is a National Treasure. He’s a great actor and raconteur and he’s quite the adventurer too, having tried to climb Mount Everest on three occasions (without oxygen, obviously) and being the oldest man to have reached the North Pole on foot (where he claims to have punched a polar […]
Technology
Taylor Swift Earns 15th No. 1 Album With The Life of a Showgirl - Pitchfork
The singer’s new LP also claims the top 12 spots on the Billboard Hot 100
Technology
Taylor Swift Earns 15th No. 1 Album With The Life of a Showgirl
As expected, Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl has broken records on its way to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts. Swift’s 15th LP debuted with 4.002 million equivalent album units (including pure album sales and streaming activity), with pure album sales totaling 3,479,500, 1.3 million of which were vinyl sales, Billboard reports via Luminate. The figures best the modern-era record for an overall sales week set by Adele’s 25, with 3.482 million units, in 2015. “I have 4 million thank you’s I want to send to the fans, and 4 million reasons to feel even more proud of this album than I already was,” Swift wrote on Instagram celebrating the news. “Thank you for going out to celebrate this project in the movie theaters, investing in vinyl, streaming, watching the video, buying CDs, reading the poems I wrote inside the packaging, and immersing yourselves in The Life of a Showgirl. I’ll cherish this feeling forever.” Swift’s eye-watering numbers have broken her out of a tie with Drake and Jay-Z for the most No. 1 albums among soloists, and she is now the only act with the second-most No. 1s since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a weekly basis in 1956 (the Beatles still currently hold the record with 19 No. 1s). Additionally, the top 12 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 this week are occupied by the entirety of The Life of a Showgirl, with “The Fate of Ophelia” claiming the top spot. Swift previously filled the top 10 with Midnights in 2022 and The Tortured Poets Department in 2024. Swift announced The Life of a Showgirl in August. It features Sabrina Carpenter on the title track, and she worked on the album with Max Martin and Shellback, the Swedish production duo who were behind the boards on 2012’s Red, 2014’s 1989, and 2017’s Reputation. Swift launched the album alongside a limited-time cinema event that topped the box office and, earlier today, announced even more supplementary material: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era, a six-episode docuseries capturing Swift on the Eras Tour, and The Eras Tour | The Final Show, a concert film featuring the tour’s final show at Vancouver’s BC Place, both premiere on Disney+ in December.
Technology
LendingTree founder and CEO Doug Lebda dies in ATV accident - CBS News
Doug Lebda died on Sunday in an all-terrain vehicle accident, according to LendingTree.
Technology
Why the Titans decided to pull the plug on firing Brian Callahan now before Mike Vrabel's Patriots returned to Nashville
But for the dam to finally break in practice the week after your first win of the season? That's really when the locker room finally turned on this staff? That doesn't seem to track. Another reason to fire a coach in-season is if they are actively hurting the team's chances on gameday with game management. This was clearly an area of concern in the first couple of games, but since handing off play-calling duties, there really haven't been any massive game-management stories that have dominated the narrative. And if you want to say the play-calling was hamstringing this young quarterback, well, that wasn't Callahan's doing any longer. That got taken away from him, which materially changed absolutely nothing. So why now? What caused this? What led to owner Amy Adams Strunk further bolstering her ugly reputation for impatience, instability, and incompetence? She is keenly aware of what she's infamous for in the eyes of the public, and I know she's wanted to shake that reputation. But she isn't beating the allegations here! In the immediate aftermath of this news, I've now heard from two different people inside the Titans building that there doesn't appear to be an actual interim head coach plan in place. The Titans will name one eventually, with STC Bones Fassell, DC Dennard Wilson, and senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy as the leading internal candidates. But to not have a plan reeks of ownership, making this call. So why assemble the brain trust and pull this plug in Week 7? It's hard not to think the answer is, at least in part, Mike Vrabel. The former Titans head coach is headed to town with his Patriots this weekend to take out any pent-up anger he has on this hapless Titans team. Cynically, why would you want to give him the satisfaction of taking his replacement out behind the woodshed? Except it wouldn't have the dignity of privacy behind a proverbial woodshed, it would be in the proverbial living room of Adams Strunk's own home: Nissan Stadium, on television, in the light of day. The Titans know it's liable to be ugly. Vrabel is ruthless, and the Titans are touchdown underdogs at home. If there were ever a game to try to capture the artificial "fired coach" bump that teams seem to experience in these cases, a game against the Patriots would be a nice time to do so! This also softens the narrative of timing if the Callahan firing had come after a loss to the Patriots. Adams Strunk will never beat the allegations of allowing A.J. Brown's thrashing of the Titans' defense in Philadelphia to lead to the firing of GM Jon Robinson two days later. That's a particularly ugly, petty, foolish look for an owner. And if she'd (at least seemed) to do it again because of a loss to Vrabel, well, that's a whole lot uglier a look than ripping off the bandaid now. The bottom line is that something changed here. The Titans did not want to make this change in-season, no matter how tough it might've gotten. They wanted to hunker down and stay the course until the winter. But now, just six weeks in, that plan is out the window. The anticipated firing of Callahan was moved way up on the schedule. He leaves Tennessee with a dismal 4-19 record in 23 games, coaching a poor roster, and the hope for everybody still involved with the franchise is that his dismissal can somehow spark improvement for this team's future.
Politics
Muddle over semantics or pressure from China? Collapsed spying case remains baffling
Labour says Tory government at time failed to classify China as a threat, but plenty of evidence suggests the contrary
Technology
Jason Kelce, Dwayne Johnson Tease Travis Kelce About Baby Plans
Travis Kelce is getting tips for his future dad playbook. Jason Kelce and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson detailed about their fatherhood journeys, recounting how much the role has impacted their lives, while teasing the Kansas City Chiefs star about his future as a dad to his and Taylor Swift’s kids. “My babies, just like you Jason,” Dwayne—who shares daughters Jasmine, 9, and Tiana, 7, with wife Lauren Hashian and daughter Simone, 24, with ex Dany Garcia—said on the Oct. 13 episode of the New Heights podcast. “And one day you’ll know Trav. Babies are everything.” And Jason quickly echoed his sentiments. “The moment the first one pops out,” the retired Philadelphia Eagles star—dad to daughters Wyatt, 6, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and Finnley, 6 months, with wife Kylie Kelce— said. “It’s like my entire hierarchy of priorities has completely shifted.” “It’s crazy,” Jason added, before quipping to his brother, “You’ll see, Trav.”
Trump sets sights on peace with Iran as he hails ‘end of Gaza war’
In speech to Israeli Knesset hours after hostages released, US president spoke of ‘historic dawn of new Middle East’
Technology
Ukrainian mayor warns of ‘catastrophic’ winter
Dnepr Mayor Boris Filatov has described Ukraine’s heating situation as dire, while authorities in Kiev have officially shortened the national heating season by one month amid mounting gas shortages and infrastructure failures. In a message posted to his Telegram channel on Sunday, Filatov said the upcoming heating season “should begin as late as possible,” citing what he called the current “catastrophic situation.” He urged residents to take all possible steps to endure the coming months, stressing that the winter “will definitely not be easy.” The mayor’s remarks came as the Ukrainian government issued a decree on Monday setting this year’s heating season from November 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026 -- one month shorter than usual. Oleg Popenko, the head of the Ukrainian Union of Utility Consumers, has said the upcoming winter will be even more difficult than the previous one and confirmed that gas shutoffs would be implemented nationwide to save energy. Average daytime temperatures in late October in cities such as Dnepr and Kiev hover around 6°C, with nighttime lows often falling below freezing. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Kiev had informed its Western backers that Russian strikes had destroyed about 60% of Ukraine’s gas production capacity, forcing the government to seek over $2 billion in emergency imports to avoid a winter energy crisis. Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuglaya has also warned that Kiev’s air defenses cannot fully protect the city’s energy infrastructure, making blackouts all but certain. She advised citizens to stock up on essentials and consider moving temporarily to the countryside. “The best thing is to consider temporarily moving out of the city this fall and winter,” she said. Moscow has confirmed launching large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial and energy facilities in response to “terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime on civilian sites in Russia.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow will not tolerate attacks on its own energy infrastructure and will continue to respond in kind. Ukrainian authorities have acknowledged that more than half of the country’s generating capacity has been lost due to Russian strikes.
Technology
Live updates: Israel-Gaza war; Hostages released as Trump addresses Israeli parliament - CNN
US President Donald Trump hailed a “dawn of a new Middle East” after Hamas freed all living hostages and Israel released Palestinian prisoners under the US-brokered ceasefire deal. Follow live updates
Technology
What's next in the Gaza peace plan after Israeli hostages freed
The next phase of the Gaza peace plan brokered by President Trump moved forward significantly on Monday as Hamas released all of the 20 living Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and as more aid started to flow into the Palestinian territory after two years of war. The steps are crucial parts of President Trump's 20-point peace plan, and they came three days after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza and Israeli troops pulled back to a pre-determined line.World leaders, including Mr. Trump, met in Egypt on Monday for a summit on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East. But the situation remains fragile, with major questions over what comes next still to be answered.Negotiations over next stepsIsrael and Hamas have little trust in each other, and it took a number of failed, indirect negotiations in Doha, Qatar's capital, to get to the truce, with Egypt and Qatar acting as meditators.The initial phases of the agreement called for: the release of the final hostages held by Hamas, living and dead; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza's main cities. Egypt's foreign minister said on Monday that it was crucial that Israel and Hamas fully implement the first phase of the deal so that the parties can start negotiations on the second phase. As of Monday evening, all living hostages were back in Israel, but the remains of many of the slain captives remained in Gaza.Later phases of the plan will have to address thornier issues such as Gaza's postwar governance, Israel's demand that Hamas disarm, which the group has rejected, and Palestinian demands for a state, which the current Israeli government has rejected.Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.President Trump's plan to end the war also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force. Reconstruction will be another major challenge. The World Bank, and a postwar plan proposed by Egypt, estimates that at least $53 billion will be needed to rebuild the shattered Palestinian territory. Egypt plans to host a future reconstruction conference.Will Hamas disarm?Among the most difficult issues is Israel's insistence that a weakened Hamas completely disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas, but it remains in control of about 53% of the enclave, according to Israeli officials. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza's far north, and a wide strip along the length of Gaza's border with Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel was "tightening the noose around Hamas from all sides," and vowed that Gaza would be demilitarized after the Israeli government approved the peace plan, which it did hours later."Hamas will disarm and Gaza will be demilitarized. If this can be achieved the easy way, all the better; if not, it will be achieved the hard way," Netanyahu said, addressing reporters.Who will govern Gaza?Israel and Hamas have not agreed on Gaza's postwar governance.Under the U.S. plan, an international body is supposed to govern the Palestinian territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas and other factions would not have any role in Gaza's governance.The plan envisions an eventual role for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to first undergo a sweeping reform program, and it does not provide any timeline for the process.Hamas has said Gaza's government should be worked out among Palestinians.The deal also recognizes an independent Palestinian state as, "the aspiration of the Palestinian people," but it's unclear if or when discussions on statehood could take place, and Israel's Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not allow the creation of a Palestinian state.International security force The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It says Israeli forces will leave additional areas as those forces deploy.Under the plan, the force would work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with the newly trained Palestinian police forces.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the international force needs a U.N. Security Council resolution to endorse its deployment and mandate as a peacekeeping force.About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire and the early stages of the peace plan. They were expected to carry out that work in conjunction with partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.
Politics
Farage criticises ‘disgraceful’ rhetoric after alleged attack on Reform council leader
George Finch, 19, says he was called a ‘racist’ and ‘fascist’ during incident in Warwickshire on Friday
Technology
Brian Callahan has been fired by the Titans
Callahan becomes the first head coach to lose his job in 2025, which is hardly a surprise. Though he is in only his second season with the Titans, the team is 1-5 and coming off a 20-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. Callahan finishes with a record of 4-19 in one-plus season in Tennessee. The former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator went 3-14 in his first season, which led to the Titans landing the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. They used that selection on quarterback Cam Ward. Ward has been slow to develop under Callahan, which likely factored into the Titans’ decision. The former Miami star has a passer rating of 67.3 through his first six career starts with 3 touchdown passes and 4 interceptions. Callahan threw Ward under the bus following Sunday’s loss, so the coach may have known he was about to lose his job. The Titans are preparing to host the New England Patriots and their former head coach, Mike Vrabel, in Week 7. Callahan was hired by Tennessee after Vrabel was fired, and many questioned whether that was the right decision.
Technology
Nimâ Machouf landed in Montreal on Sunday after being detained by Israeli forces
MONTREAL — Montreal activist and doctor Nimâ Machouf is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to pressure Israel to commit to the peace plan backed by the U.S., saying humanitarian aid must enter the Gaza Strip as soon as possible. The Canadian Press spoke with the epidemiologist after she landed at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport on Sunday evening, just days after she was detained by the Israeli army for attempting to bring aid to Gaza by sea. “Canada should have acted years ago to prevent the genocide in Gaza,” she said. “It’s imperative we stop selling arms to Israel, because even though there’s a peace agreement we never know how long it will last.” Machouf was among several Canadians that had been aboard The Conscience, a vessel that was among a flotilla intercepted last week by the Israeli military. A crowd of activists carrying Palestinian flags and her husband Amir Khadir were all at the airport Sunday evening, eager to greet her. After being intercepted by Israeli military forces she said she and others on the vessel were detained in a high-security prison where they were subject to humiliation. “They were aggressive and tortured us psychologically by depriving us of sleep, destabilized us psychologically by giving us contradictory orders and moving us around a lot,” she told The Canadian Press. At one point while locked up in a cell, guards threatened to spray her and her cellmates with tear gas, she also said. “They kidnapped us and took us by force to the port of Ashdod, then accused us of entering Israel illegally, but we didn’t go to Israel, we were taken there by force,” the activist said, saying they were in international waters when the interception happened. “At every turn Israel has attempted to change the narrative so it can give its own version of what happened.” Khurram Musti Khan, of Milton, Ont., who was aboard the same flotilla, landed Sunday in Toronto. Newfoundlanders Sadie Mees, Devoney Ellis, and Nikita Stapleton, also on the vessel, have since been released and are expected to land in Toronto on Monday. Carney is currently in Egypt where he took part in the signing of a Middle East peace plan with other world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump. The gathering of world leaders, dubbed “Summit for Peace,” comes as Hamas released 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons. Machouf said she wants to see the establishment of a secure corridor in Gaza so that people there can get the humanitarian aid they desperately need. A famine has been declared by UN-backed agencies and international NGOs there since this August. She also called on Canada to immediately end any trade deals it has with Israel that put Palestinian lives in danger. “(Israel) will not respect any laws, rules or morality unless its faced with restrictions,” Machouf said. Ottawa insists it hasn’t been allowing exports of lethal weapons to Israel and has been blocking any military goods that could be used in Gaza. In March 2024, Parliament voted in favour of a non-binding motion to halt new arms permits for Israel. The government announced a review of export permits then and suspended about 30 of them to determine whether they involved lethal uses. Ottawa has allowed all other military export permits for Israel to continue, however, prompting outcry from advocates. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2025. With files from Dylan Robertson. Quentin Dufranne, The Canadian Press
Technology
EU state nationalizes Сhinese-owned tech company
The Dutch government has taken control of a Chinese-owned chipmaker based in the Netherlands, citing risk to the EU’s economic and technological security. The firm called the move “excessive,” saying it complied with all relevant laws and regulations. The Netherlands Economy Ministry revealed late on Sunday that it had invoked a never-before-used emergency law to take control of manufacturer Nexperia, owned by China’s Wingtech Technology. Once part of Dutch electronics group Philips, Nexperia specializes in the high-volume production of chips used in the automotive, consumer electronics, and other industries. Amsterdam said it wanted to prevent a situation in which Nexperia’s chips could “become unavailable in an emergency” which “could pose a risk to Dutch and European economic security.” The Dutch government called the move “highly exceptional,” citing “recent and acute signals of serious governance shortcomings and actions” within the company. Wingtech shares tumbled 10% in Shanghai on Monday, forcing a halt in trading after hitting the daily limit. The tech firm decried the Dutch government’s move as “excessive intervention driven by geopolitical bias, rather than a fact-based risk assessment,” according to a now-deleted WeChat post, which was archived by the Chinese policy blog Pekingnology. Wingtech said it would take actions to protect its rights and would seek government support. The company later said in a filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange that its control over Nexperia would be temporarily restricted due to the Dutch order and court rulings affecting decision-making and operational efficiency. The Dutch takeover of Nexperia comes at a time of escalating global trade tensions. Over the past year, China and the EU have clashed over what the bloc claims is Beijing’s dumping of certain key goods and its industrial overproduction. China has accused the EU of protectionism. Last week, China tightened its restrictions on the export of rare earth elements and magnets, a step that could further hurt the EU’s struggling auto industry.
Business
Obama, Maron discuss democracy's "test" under Trump in final WTF podcast - Axios
The former president encouraged law firms, university presidents and businesses to take a stand.