The best tennis gadgets and gizmos in 2025
For you see, you need not have to brave the outdoors to practice the 'ol back and forth. The ever-evolving world of tennis tech means that you can still hone your skills without even stepping out of your front door. With state-of-the-art gadgets like VR, you can feel like your feet are firmly placed on grass, clay or hard courts without needing to withstand the daily onslaught of the mercurial four British seasons.
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Al Jazeera
19 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
What is the national guard at the heart of Trump's Los Angeles standoff?
As United States President Donald Trump's administration cracks down on immigrants and protesters in Los Angeles, it has deployed 2,000 members of the national guard to aid its efforts. Trump authorised the deployment after the protests began on Friday following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of 44 people in the city for violating immigration laws. California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, former Vice President Kamala Harris and many other senior leaders of the Democratic Party have criticised Trump's deployment. They've described the national guard's use against protesters as a provocation aimed at further inflaming tensions already roiling the country's second largest city. But what is the national guard, and why is its deployment such a political flashpoint? The national guard is a branch of the US military that can perform state and federal functions. This means the guard is largely used to respond to state-level emergencies but can also be federalised. The president can also deploy national guard soldiers to overseas missions. The guard's origins trace back to 1636 when it started as citizen-soldier militias in Massachusetts, which is now a US state but was then a British colony. The national guard became an organised force after the passage of the Militia Act of 1903. The two world wars solidified its status as an organised branch of the US military. An air national guard was established in 1947 to complement a territorial force. The national guard had 431,291 members as of 2023, the latest data released by the US Department of Defense. That included the army national guard, which consists of 326,317 soldiers, and the air national guard, which has 104,974 members. Many members of the guard serve part time while working civilian jobs or attending college. All members recruited into the guard have to undergo basic training. After this, they attend drills at regular intervals. Typically, drills take place one weekend each month. Every year, members attend a two-week training. Typically, if a US state is experiencing an emergency that requires a national guard deployment as a response, the state's governor may deploy its forces stationed in the state. However, presidents can also federalise the national guard from a state, but typically, this requires a governor's approval to do so. The guard is deployed in cases of natural disasters or severe weather, civil unrest, war or when election assistance is needed. In 2005, for instance, about 50,000 national guard soldiers were deployed after Hurricane Katrina hit multiple southern US states. In January, Newsom deployed the national guard as wildfires ravaged several areas of Los Angeles. In recent years, plainclothes national guard soldiers have staffed polling places during elections. During the current protests, however, Trump deployed the guard in Los Angeles without Newsom's approval. Robert Cohen, professor of history and social studies at New York University, told Al Jazeera that Trump's decision to deploy the national guard without getting Newsom on board was 'wrong, but typical of the way Trump's partisanship pollutes almost all of his major decisions'. In 1957, President Dwight D Eisenhower federalised the Arkansas national guard to desegregate public schools after the US Supreme Court's Brown v Board of Education ruling, which established that racial segregation in public schools is illegal. In 1992, California Governor Pete Wilson and President George HW Bush, both Republicans, deployed the national guard to quell riots in Los Angeles. Protests, looting, assaults and arson broke out after four police officers who were filmed beating Rodney King, an African American man, for 15 minutes were acquitted of charges of excessive force. An act called the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 generally prevents the national guard and other branches of the US military from being used in civilian law enforcement. Presidents may circumvent this by invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act, which gives the US president the power to deploy the military to suppress an insurrection. In 1965, President Lyndon B Johnson invoked the act and deployed the guard to protect civil rights marchers in Alabama. He did this without taking Alabama Governor George Wallace, a known segregationist, on board. Before Saturday, this was the last time a US president had deployed the national guard without the approval of the state's governor. On Saturday, instead of using the Insurrection Act, Trump invoked a similar federal law, called the Title 10 authority, to deploy the California national guard without Newsom's approval.
South Wales Argus
23 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Nigel Farage calls for ‘re-industrialisation' of Wales
On a visit to South Wales, the leader of Reform UK said the resumption of traditional steelmaking and coal production is the party's long-term ambition if it comes to power. The speech came one year ahead of the Senedd elections in May next year, where the party is looking to end Labour's 26 years of domination. Addressing reporters, Mr Farage acknowledged that plans to open a traditional furnace could take years and cost 'in the low billions'. The GMB Union has branded the plans 'more lies from an opportunistic chancer'. Port Talbot's remaining blast furnaces were shut down in September, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place. Tata Steel, the owner of the plant, said the closure of the furnaces was necessary, with the steelworks losing £1m a day. 'Our ambition is to re-industrialise Wales,' Mr Farage said. 'We are going to be using more steel over the next few years than we have probably ever used. 'As we increase military spending and as we attempt a house building programme in Wales, and even more so in England, of massive proportions, just to catch up with the population explosion over the last 20 years, we are going to need a lot of steel.' Tata Steel's Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales (Ben Birchall/PA) The Reform leader said 'specific types of coal' are needed in the UK, particularly for a new blast furnace. 'I'm not saying let's open all of the pits,' he said. 'What I am saying is coal, specific types of coal for certain uses that we still need in this country – and we certainly will need for the blast furnaces here – we should be producing ourselves rather than importing.' While he acknowledged 'mining is dangerous', Mr Farage said the industry could provide well-paying jobs. The Reform leader acknowledged the plan to open a new furnace would cost 'in the low billions' and would be 'no easy thing'. 'It's a massive, expensive job to reopen blast furnaces, we're going to need cheaper energy, we're going to need much cheaper coal, we are going to need private business partners prepared to come into a joint venture,' he said. Responding to the GMB Union allegations that his party's plans were 'lies', Mr Farage said the union was tied to the Labour Party as one of its biggest funders. He said: 'They see us as a challenge, and therefore, they'll be rude about us. 'What you will find is that increasingly, GMB members are going to vote for us, and the more GMB members vote for us, the more upset GMB officials and leaders will become. 'Frankly, the trade unions have done nothing to protect British workers through open borders over the last 20-25 years.' During his speech, Mr Farage said he doubted that the electric arc furnace, which is due to come online in 2028, 'will ever, ever be switched on'. Challenged on what evidence he had, he argued that with British energy prices being so high, it would be producing 'very, very expensive secondary steel'. He added: 'I hope I'm wrong, an electric arc furnace is not the real deal, but it's better than nothing.' Mr Farage said the party's campaign for the Senedd election next May 'starts today', but would not say when Reform would announce a leader in Wales. Regional officer Ruth Brady, speaking at the GMB's annual conference in Brighton, said: 'The people of Port Talbot will see this for what it is – more lies from this opportunistic chancer. 'Nigel Farage was happy to let British Steel go to the wall. He'll trot out any line when the cameras are rolling. He doesn't care about steel communities or steel workers.' Ms Brady said the plans to shut the blast furnaces were made by the last Tory government and the union wanted Labour to 'make good on their promises to our members in Port Talbot'. Political opponents hit out at Reform's plans, with a Welsh Labour spokesperson saying the people of Wales would 'see through' Mr Farage's false hopes and promises. 'His answer is to bring back the mines. The only thing Nigel Farage is trying to mine is votes from communities that have already gone through tough times,' they said. 'Nigel Farage has today brought his fantasy politics and magic money tree to Port Talbot. He's gambling with real people's livelihoods.' Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, accused Mr Farage of making 'wild promises' without speaking to Tata. Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick argued mining was Wales' past, not its future. Nigel Farage acknowledged 'mining is dangerous' but said the industry could provide well-paying jobs (Ben Birchall/PA) 'My relatives in South Wales worked hard to ensure that their children and grandchildren wouldn't have to do the dangerous work of going down the pits and for future generations to have better opportunities in life,' he said. 'The fact that Nigel Farage doesn't see this shows how poorly he understands Welsh communities.' Heledd Fychan, speaking for Plaid Cymru, accused Mr Farage of 'taking advantage' after the industry said reopening the existing furnaces would be 'impossible.' 'You can imagine my surprise at his calls to reopen the coal mines in Wales, especially considering the actions taken by his political hero, Margaret Thatcher,' she said. 'Reform clearly have no interest in actually improving the lives of the people of Wales, they can only come up with unrealistic and unsubstantiated headlines that will be of no material benefit to the people of Port Talbot or Wales. Greenpeace also hit out at the plans, saying bringing back British coal 'has about as much chance of success as resurrecting dinosaurs'.
The Irish Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Passenger moans parent lets baby's feet dangle on lap while feeding tot on flight – but who is in the right?
IT'S an age-old problem every passenger is accustomed to - another flyer invading your cramped plane seat. One flyer wanted to know if he was the problem after 2 A Reddit user posted a photo of the baby invading his space Credit: Reddit Posting on the Reddit page r/CasualUK the user adopted a somewhat satirical tone when he posted a photo of a baby's feet touching his leg. He captioned the post: "On a flight and a passenger keeps putting his bare feet on me." Fellow Reddit users took it as an opportunity to make jokes about the all-too-common situation. One wrote: "Those piggies need to go to the market" while another wrote "They need Eenie-Meanying immediately." Read more News A lot of the jokes relied on baby puns to make light of the situation as one wrote: "They need to grow up." Another said: "I believe the agreed etiquette in these situations is to blow raspberries on them." Others had some slightly more outrageous suggestions, using the opportunity to comment absurd ideas for how to handle the situation. One Reddit users commented: "I would assert dominance by picking them up and using them as a phone, putting on a stupid voice." Most read in The Sun Another similar suggestion reads: "Completely unacceptable. Have you considered threatening to put him in the overhead locker?" There was a clear divide among commenters between those who like children, and those who don't. Tyson Fury among THOUSANDS of travellers at Appleby as horse fair kicks off The not-so-friendly users continued with their edgy jokes, writing: "Just yeet the baby" accompanied by an animated image of someone throwing a baby. Another suggested they post it on the popular subreddit This forum is a safe space for passengers to vent about their worst aeroplane experiences. It includes shaming behaviours like being barefoot, having your hair over the back of the chair, and blocking the aisle. 2 Commenters were divided over their reactions to the post Credit: Getty It's not the first time that travellers have been left frustrated by their fellow cabin-mates' behaviour. An During a trip to Ibiza, a group of drunk Brits caused havoc as they banged on luggage compartments and yelled "come on Ibiza." Other passengers on the plane were clearly uncomfortable about the situation, with one saying she felt "scared". Unlike the much more agreeable baby, these British passengers were met by police on arrival.
