JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1253

An Algerian woman, Dahbia Benkired, 27, was sentenced to life in prison by a Paris court for the rape, torture and murder of 12-year-old Lola Daviet, whose killing in 2022 shocked France. She becomes the first woman in France to receive life imprisonment. Daviet’s mutilated body was found in a plastic trunk outside their building; Benkired did not deny the crime but offered no explanation, and experts warned she remains dangerous. A tearful statement from Lola’s mother hailed the verdict, while right-wing figures, including Marine Le Pen, renewed attacks on deportation policy after it emerged she was undocumented.

Air travel is straining under the federal shutdown as sick calls by air traffic controllers fuel mounting delays, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in Philadelphia. Staffing shortfalls now account for an average 5% of delays and have spiked to 53%; seven facilities were short-staffed Friday, with many more reporting gaps this week. Since the shutdown began, 217 shortages have been logged—over four times last year’s tally. Controllers are working without pay, facing a $0 paycheck on October 28 after a partial one on October 14. Union leaders warn safety is eroding, and the FAA is slowing or canceling flights.

Coast Guard security shot a U-Haul driver and injured a bystander outside the Alameda, California base Thursday night after officials said the driver tried to ram into the base and then reversed at high speed toward officers. Both are expected to survive; no Coast Guard personnel were hurt, according to Homeland Security. The confrontation followed daytime protests against a planned immigration operation on Coast Guard Island, even as President Trump said he had called off a federal surge for San Francisco. An FBI spokeswoman said the shooting appears isolated. Some activists feared the incident could fuel a broader crackdown.

Border Patrol Chief of Patrol Gregory Bovino defended DHS's Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area, calling agents' force exemplary and within policy, despite videos and court filings questioning compliance with a federal order barring tear gas and pepper balls at protests. Footage from the Broadview facility shows pepper balls and drifting gas; Bovino denied violations and said elevated firing and above-waist impacts were acceptable. He reported nearly 2,700 arrests since Sept. 6 and no agent discipline, dismissed Gov. J.B. Pritzker's bias claims as fake news, backed National Guard use for facility protection, and supported considering the Insurrection Act.

President Donald Trump is weighing plans to hit cocaine facilities and trafficking routes inside Venezuela, while not ruling out diplomacy after ending talks with Nicolás Maduro, officials told CNN. He has authorized CIA covert operations as the Pentagon shifts major assets toward the Caribbean, ordering the Gerald R. Ford carrier group from Europe and deploying Marines, F-35s and drones to the region. The U.S. says it has struck 10 alleged drug boats since last month, killing 43. The UN says Venezuela isn’t a cocaine producer; a DEA report didn’t cite it. Some officials see pressure leading to Maduro’s ouster.

In a bye-maggedon Week 8 with six teams idle, a fantasy column spotlights bold starts and sharp fades. Bo Nix draws a soft Dallas defense allowing 25.1 QB points, while Joe Flacco’s pass-happy Bengals face a Jets unit missing Sauce Gardner. Jaylen Warren, Isaiah Pacheco, Michael Pittman, Stefon Diggs, Tucker Kraft and Dalton Schultz headline starts. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud, Michael Penix, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Tony Pollard, Xavier Worthy, DJ Moore, Pat Freiermuth and even Travis Kelce land on the bench, with Rashee Rice’s surge dimming Kansas City pass-catching shares.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has refused to rule out raising income tax in next month’s Budget, softening September’s insistence that Labour’s manifesto promise not to lift basic, higher or additional rates “stands.” Speaking in Leeds, she said she aims to keep taxes “as low as possible,” but faces a £22bn hole after the OBR downgraded productivity, with borrowing in September hitting £20.2bn. Reports say officials are weighing higher levies on partnerships and even a 1p rise in the basic rate, though economists warn such steps may still fall short of plugging the gap.

The United States carried out its 10th missile strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel, killing six and pushing the campaign’s known death toll to 43. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the nighttime attack on social media, saying President Donald Trump authorized the strike in international waters in the Caribbean and identifying the dead as members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, without providing evidence. As the Pentagon deploys the USS Gerald Ford to disrupt trafficking and strikes accelerate, UN experts and regional leaders condemn the killings as unlawful, while Trump rejects seeking Congress’s approval.

A rare fissure emerged among Republicans as lawmakers pressed for oversight of President Trump’s expanding, congressionally unauthorized campaign against drug cartels, which has conducted at least 10 lethal boat strikes since September and deployed over 10,000 troops and aircraft. The Senate may vote next week on a bipartisan measure to bar attacks in or against Venezuela without explicit approval, though it lacks sufficient GOP support. Senators demanded clearer legal justification after limited briefings, while Trump vowed to expand the operation and seek no authorization. Only Senators Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul backed a failed effort to curb the strikes.

Amy Schumer shared a mirror selfie on Instagram showing a slimmer figure, drawing attention to what a nutritionist described as roughly a 40-pound loss in recent months. The 44-year-old comedian, who previously cited weights of 160 pounds in 2015 and 170 in 2022, now appears around 130 pounds, with a trimmer waistline, according to the Daily Mail. Schumer has discussed trying Ozempic and liposuction, and says Mounjaro, plus estrogen and progesterone for perimenopause, have boosted her energy and eased symptoms. She called her experience “really good,” noted coverage limits for such drugs, and said she invested in Midi Health.