WOJCIECH SZCZESNY has vowed not to quit smoking after signing for Barcelona.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper, 34, reversed his decision to retire in order to sign for Hansi Flick’s side.

Reuters

Wojciech Szczesny recently came out of retirement to sign for Barcelona[/caption]

Splash

The goalkeeper will not quit smoking after joining Barca[/caption]

Despite re-entering high-level professional football, Szczesny is not about to give up smoking.

Speaking to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, he said: “There are things that I don’t change in my personal life and it’s nobody’s business if I smoke.

“I believe that it doesn’t affect what I do on the pitch, I work twice as hard.

“I don’t do it in front of kids because I don’t want to have a bad influence on them.

“Sometimes somebody will take a photo from the trees where I have a cigarette, that’s on them, not on me.

“If somebody thinks that I will change the way I am in my personal life they can think again because I am who I am. I’ve been this way my whole life.”

Szczesny hung up his gloves at the end of last season following seven years at Juventus.

But when Barca came calling following the serious injury suffered by their No1 Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Szczesny was tempted out of his brief retirement.

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The Pole is yet to debut for his new side, with Inaki Pena having started their last four games between the sticks.

Szczesny was famously caught smoking in the showers after Arsenal lost to Southampton in 2015.

Arsene Wenger subsequently fined him £20,000 and dropped him from the squad.

The homegrown keeper would never play for the Gunners again, joining Juventus in 2017 after a two-year loan at Roma.

In 2020, Szczesny opened up on what happened during an appearance on the Arsenal Nation podcast.

He said: “Back at that time I was smoking regularly and the boss knew it very well. He just didn’t want anybody smoking in the dressing rooms and I knew that also.

“Because of the emotion of the game, I had a cigarette after the game when the team was still in.

“I went in the corner of the showers, so it was at the other end of the dressing room and nobody could see me, and I lit one up.

“Somebody saw me, it wasn’t even the boss himself, and just reported it back to the boss. I saw him a couple of days later, he asked me if that was true and I said ‘yes’.

“He fined me and that was the end of it. He then said, ‘Look, you’re going to be out of the team for a little bit’, but there was no big bust-ups or big confrontations.

“I was very professional about it. I was fully expecting to be back in the team a few weeks later but we had a good run of form and David Ospina, who came in goal, played really well for those few games. He stayed in.

“That meant I was waiting and trying to win my place back in the team, or trying to convince him that I was still the best goalkeeper at the club by going out on loan. That sounds strange but sometimes it’s the best way of doing it.”

PA:Empics Sport

Szczesny left Arsenal for Juventus in 2017[/caption]

MAKE the most of the longer autumn evenings by hosting a games night.

It’s a great fun activity for friends or all the family and gets the grey matter and competitive juices going.

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Three tips cheap and fun tips for hosting an autumn games night[/caption]

Plus, you can keep the evening cheap and cheerful with these tips.

GAME ON: Trying to explain complicated rules can quickly suck the fun out of an evening so stick to simple and easy to understand options.

Cards Against Humanity is a great group game, but if you’ve played that one too many times, try something new.

Herd Mentality is great fun. All players have to try to write down the same answer as others in the group — get it for £13.16 at onbuy.com.

Or Exploding Kittens, £18 from Argos, is a strategic game of Russian Roulette that is easy to learn.

And why not give an old-fashioned family game a new spin?

Download Charades! For Kids — the basic version is free — and a word will pop up on your phone screen through the app.

Each player holds the phone to their head so the others can see the word but they can’t and tries to guess it within a minute, based on clues from everyone else. The time limit can be changed

QUIZ-TASTIC: Putting together a quiz is a fab way to get the competitive spirit going in a group and you don’t need to buy any sets to get started.

Give each person coming a theme — say sport, or TV — and ask them to create five or ten questions on it, then everyone takes a turn as quizmaster for their round.

FOOD AND DRINK: To avoid being stuck in the kitchen all evening, ask your pals to bring a dish each to share, plus a drink.

Or throw a few pizzas in the oven for an easy catering option.

You can take turns to host among the group — this also gives everyone a chance to challenge any victors to a rematch.

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NFL fans were left stunned after seeing the characters depicting ex-New England Patriots personnel in a new drama.

FX has released five episodes of a show titles “American Sports Story” that focuses on ex-NFL player Aaron Hernandez.

FX via AP

Josh Rivera portrays Aaron Hernandez in the FX drama series[/caption]

FX

FX

The drama series features a look at the former Patriots tight end, who died in jail after being arrested and charged for murder.

New episodes are dropping weekly on FX with nine to be released in total.

And fans are growing more and more shocked at some of the casting.

Josh Andres Rivera was cast to play Hernandez.

While former Patriots coach Bill Belichick was played by Norbert Leo Butz.

Hernandez’ former tight end partner Rob Gronkowski is being depicted by Laith Wallschleger.

And clips from the series have circulated on social media among disbelieving fans.

“Doesn’t look like him but definitely has the voice and laugh accurate,” one commented on Gronk’s depiction.

And on Belichick’s character, one fan said, “He literally just sits there and then stands up.”

A scene from the drama also showed Hernandez running a route and catching the ball in the end zone on the practice field.

One sarcastic comment laughed at the “crisp route” which Hernandez’s character didn’t run and called him “unguardable.”

Fans criticized the FX drama and were stunned that it was a real program.

“I refuse to believe this is real,” one said.

“Entire show looks like an SNL skit,” another posted.

While a third commented, “Starting to think they did all of this on purpose and frankly it’s genius.”

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Leo Butz admitted he didn’t even know who Belichick was when he agreed to play him.

“That’s how little I follow the NFL. I’m a big baseball fan, a hockey fan; football was never my sport,” Butz admitted.

Butz first appeared as Belichick in episode five, listening to Bon Jovi in his office.

The character had on one of Belichick’s signature grey hoodies with a pencil above his ear as he sang along.

Butz said, “He loved rock and roll, going to concerts.

“He had a really good core group of friends. He was a great father; his kids adored him.

“That front he put on of the impenetrable badass was all strategic, and brilliantly strategic.”

PATRICK MAHOMES has risked a feud with wife Brittany over his NFL bye week plans.

The Kansas City Chiefs do not have a game in Week 5, after going unbeaten so far in the 2024-25 season.

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Patrick Mahomes is risking a feud with wife Brittany over his NFL bye week plans[/caption]

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Mahomes and Brittany are expecting their third child together later this year[/caption]

They have a perfect 5-0 record, as Andy Reid looks to guide his team to a third Super Bowl in a row.

Their start includes a 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.

Following the victory, Mahomes revealed his plans for the week-long break.

He appeared at the Kansas City Royals game against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.

The Yankees went on to win the showdown 3-2, giving them a 2-1 ALDS playoff series lead.

And his appearance at the Kauffman Stadium will cause a “feud” with pregnant wife Brittany.

“It’s bye week, so Brittany’s vacationing and me getting to the Royals game,” Mahomes said.

“We’ll feud for sure.”

And Mahomes decided to defy his wife, heading to the game with his controversial brother Jackson.

The pair of them were seen in matching replica jerseys, all-smiles with their thumbs up.

The 29-year-old is a huge fan of the Royals, with the MLB team and Chiefs have adjoining stadiums.

Mahomes was spotted on the live TV broadcast going wild at the game.

He was seen shouting and screaming in a rival Yankees fan’s face, while bumping into them.

That turned out to be former Chiefs receiver Gehrig Dieter.

The incident came as his team leveled the game on Wednesday evening.

The Royals take on the Yankees in game four on Thursday night.

The clash will compete with the NFL TNF tie between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

On Monday, the Chiefs gave live updates of the Royals score to fans inside Arrowhead Stadium for the Saints clash.

“I really wanted to focus on the game and then let look after and maybe get, like, a scoreboard kind of shot of it,” Mahomes said at the time.

“They gave us a couple of those, but like, you could feel that stuff was going good.

“There was kind of a lull there, kind of, I think, towards the end of the end of the game.”

Instagram @jacksonmahomes

Patrick with his controversial brother Jackson at the Kansas City Royals game[/caption]

THE case of the Menendez Brothers shook the world when they were convicted of slaughtering their own parents.

Their gruesome story has been retold in Netflix’s Monster, and one person who was involved in the killers being caged was their therapist’s mistress Judalon Smyth.

AP

Judalon Smyth testifying at the first trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez in Los Angeles, November 12, 1993[/caption]

Getty - Contributor

On the evening of August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents José and Kitty Menéndez. 

José was the first to be hit, suffering six shots, while Kitty was shot ten times.

The brothers later confessed that they killed their mom and dad in the living room of their Beverly Hills mansion to their former therapist, Dr Jeremy Oziel.

But someone else later claimed they were listening in on their confession – Dr Oziel’s mistress, Judalon Smyth.

Meet the mistress

Smyth met Dr Oziel in June 1989, initially seeking relationship therapy.

Smyth’s relationship with Dr Oziel was complicated and dysfunctional.

She was unable to afford his $150-per-hour sessions and ultimately became sexually involved with him.

The confession

Erik Menendez confessed to the therapist on October 31, 1989. 

Crucially, Smyth learned that Dr Oziel had made tape recordings of his sessions with the Menendez brothers.

On March 5, 1990, several months after Dr Oziel ended their affair, Smyth went to the police with this information.

She told them that not only had Erik confessed to the therapist, but that he also had a tape recording of it.

In 2015, Smyth gave her first and only interview about her Menendez trial in the Reelz Channel’s true-crime docuseries Murder Made Me Famous.

She said: “It was a little confusing for me the way the media was. I really didn’t understand the attack I was going to come under for doing the right thing.”

She added: “It took a long time for me to do the right thing [going to the police about the taped confession]. But ultimately, I did.”

Significant breakthrough

This revelation led to a significant breakthrough in the case, as following Smyth’s tip, police obtained a warrant to search Dr Oziel’s home, where they seized the tape recordings.

Court TV

Dr Jerome Oziel pictured in court during the Menendez brothers trial[/caption]

The brothers were arrested shortly after, with Lyle being taken into custody on March 8, 1990 and Erik surrendering to police three days later.

Smyth’s disclosure initiated a multi-year legal battle over the admissibility of these recordings as evidence, ultimately leading to their use in the trials and playing a crucial role in the brothers’ conviction.

‘Sex IOU’

During the first Menendez murders trial in November 1993, Smyth’s testimony raised eyebrows.

She spoke about a “Sex IOU” she gave Dr Oziel promising her devotion to him, signed with her cats’ paw prints — which was depicted in the Netflix Monsters series about the case.

It was a little confusing for me the way the media was. I really didn’t understand the attack I was going to come under for doing the right thing

Judalon SmythMurder Made Me Famous, Reelz

Smyth also contended that Dr Oziel planned to leave his wife for her — claims which were backed up by voice recordings. 

In one such recording, Dr Oziel told her that he had impressed his daughters by describing Smyth as “the biggest crystal seller in the world”.

In 1989, she moved into the Oziel family home for what was supposed to be two days — but ended up staying for three months.

She described the stay as “not romantic, but there was sex” and claimed to be friends with Dr Oziel’s wife.

But contradicting this, Laurel stated at a news conference that the family felt “held hostage by this woman in our own home”.

AP

Lyle and Erik Menendez photographed in 2018[/caption]

Conflicting accounts emerged about this period, with the Oziels claiming Smyth threatened suicide or exposure of the Menendez case if asked to leave.

While Smyth countered that she felt like a “prisoner of war” and that Dr Oziel threatened to commit her to a mental hospital if she left.

Credibility

Smyth’s testimony was crucial for the defense strategy.

Initially, Smyth claimed she had overheard the brothers discussing “shooting their mother’s eye out” while eavesdropping outside Oziel’s office door, allegedly at his instruction.

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Dallas Roberts as Dr Jerome Oziel in Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story[/caption]

However during the trial she changed her testimony, stating that she had not directly heard the brothers admit to the murders.

She then claimed Dr Oziel manipulated the brothers into recording their confession, stating: “He needed to get them to say incriminating things on a tape so we would have the tape to protect us”.

Smyth’s credibility was questioned due to the gaping inconsistencies in her statements.

Defense attorney Leslie Abramson even admitted: “She’s a witness with credibility problems, and I grant you, she’s got loads of them”.

Despite this, her testimony significantly impacted the trial.

The Menendez brothers’ first trial, which heavily featured Smyth’s testimony, ended with hung juries.

The second trial, which did not involve the doctor’s mistress as a witness, resulted in guilty verdicts for both brothers.

EDDIE HEARN has all but admitted he could end up being powerless when it comes to deciding Anthony Joshua’s next fight.

AJ is at a career crossroads following the brutal fifth-round KO defeat he suffered to Daniel Dubois at Wembley last month.

GETTY

Anthony Joshua suffered a crushing fifth-round KO defeat to Daniel Dubois last month[/caption]

GETTY

AJ is seemingly hellbent on an immediate rematch with the IBF heavyweight champ[/caption]

REUTERS

Promoter Eddie Hearn admits he’ll be hard-pressed to convince AJ to take any other fight[/caption]

The Watford warrior, who was dropped FOUR TIMES in the domestic dust-up, has suggested that he wants an immediate shot at redemption.

And promoter Hearn admits he’ll be hard-pressed to convince the 34-year-old to put a revenge job on ‘Triple D’ on the backburner.

The Matchroom Boxing chief told Sky Sports: “When you start actually thinking about it, I don’t think there’s a bad decision to make.

“I know that he is leaning towards the rematch.

“Because he wants to win the world heavyweight title – versus fighting [Deontay] Wilder [or] waiting for [Tyson] Fury.

“And then you’ve got all next year bubbling around, not really fighting for the world heavyweight title.

“If it’s solely down to AJ, which it will be at the end of the day, I think it’s going to be very hard to talk him out of taking the rematch.”

IBF heavyweight king Dubois is open to a money-spinning rematch, telling SecondsOut: “We’re making plans for what we’re gonna do now.

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“I’ve heard AJ wants the rematch. We’ll see. If he wants it, I want it, too.

“We came out on top on the night, I was the better man on the night, but there’s no disrespect.

“I’m not gonna badmouth him or anything. It was a great fight and if we can do it again, it’ll be even bigger.”

Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua has faced strong calls to retire following his dismantling at the hands of Dubois.

But the London 2012 gold medallists insists he won’t be hanging up his gloves any time soon.

In his post-fight interview, he said: “Before I came here, I’m always saying to myself, ‘I’m a fighter for life.’

“We rolled the dice at success and we came up short and we roll it again. We keep rolling the dice.”

AJ added a few days later: “We came up short. But we have to look at all the positives.

“That’s the mindset and the perspective we have to have. Look what we have achieved in 11 years, it’s phenomenal.

“I want to thank every single one of you who has been riding with me.

“What a rollercoaster journey – and you know what the problem is?

“It’s far from over yet.”

PA

Anthony Joshua insists retirement ISN’T on the cards for him[/caption]

A DRIVER was left baffled after being told he wasn’t allowed to park outside his home because of an insurance policy.

Ronnie Carter has been living at his city-subsidized apartment complex in Austin, Texas, for a year and a half. 

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Ronnie Carter battled to obtain a parking permit for his home, leaving him worried sick[/caption]

The 70-year-old had no reason to complain – until he started driving for Lyft in August.

The company rents Carter a car which is the only one he drives.

But when he went to obtain a parking permit for the vehicle to use at his complex, he was instantly rejected.

“I just went into the office like I knew I was required to do. To ask the manager to give me a parking permit,” Carter told Fox7 Austin’s 7 On Your Side.

“When I explained to her that it was a Lyft rental vehicle, she said that it could not be possibly permitted to park because it was not my vehicle.”

Carter said he went to check the complex’s policy which says vehicles owned or operated by a resident are eligible to park there.

But when he returned to the building manager with the required documents, he was quickly shutdown again.

“She said since the insurance is not in your name, you still would not be able to qualify for a parking sticker,” Carter said.

Since Lyft owns the car, the insurance on the vehicle is considered a fleet policy.

Carter pushed back and the dispute was sent to the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA), which oversees Carter’s complex.

He was told he needed to wait for a supervisor, and for the next two weeks, Carter was forced to park in the visitor’s bay overnight – even though it only allows drivers to stay until 9pm.

It meant the frustrated driver was left risking his car being towed by unwillingly breaking the rules.

“I can’t sleep at night,” he said at the time.

“I keep waking up overnight wondering if my car has been towed.

“It keeps my blood pressure up. It’s like they’re punishing me for going to work.”

Since then, Carter has been told he is allowed to have a parking permit – after Fox 7 Austin’s 7 On Your Side paid a visit to his housing complex.

HACA said in a statement, “At HACA, the needs of our residents always come first. Mr. Carter sent an email on Monday, August 26th seeking a parking permit.

“He was asked to provide documents that are requested from all residents before a parking permit is issued… Mr. Carter submitted his paperwork on Tuesday, September 3rd and a permit was subsequently issued on Tuesday, September 10th.

“While our Pathways at North Loop community has limited parking, Mr. Carter still had access to visitor parking while he waited to receive his permit.”

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Pathways at North Loop – the apartment complex – and Housing Authority of the City of Austin for comment.

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The apartment complex (not pictured) was quick to reject the Lyft driver’s permit[/caption]

CITY officials are cracking down on reckless drivers with harsher penalties including a $500 fine and jail time.

Repeat speeders will now face state charges after authorities eliminated a loophole that allowed drivers to stay off the hook.

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Wisconsin drivers now face harsher penalties if they’re caught reckless driving more than once (stock image)[/caption]

Getty

Reckless drivers could get a $500 fine or up to a year in jail (stock image)[/caption]

Leaders in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, announced this week that the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office will now charge drivers when they’re caught reckless driving more than once.

Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke said at a news conference that his office will no longer drop or amend first municipal driving tickets, meaning drivers caught again will face criminal charges.

Previously, the legislation only prosecuted drivers on their second violation if it was within four years after the first offense.

“The elimination of this lookback makes the utility of repeat reckless driving more prosecutable,” Goyke said at a news conference, according to local ABC affiliate WISN-TV.

“We had this narrow window of looking back into a driver’s record.

“That really narrowed the number of individuals subject to these criminal penalties. That window is now eliminated.”

If drivers are convicted, they’ll face a $500 fine or up to a year in jail.

Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Kent Lovern said that his office will recommend jail time for the crime.

“People in Milwaukee and throughout Milwaukee County have said repeatedly that they want a stronger response to reckless driving,” Lovern said, according to WISN-TV.

“Those of us in public safety feel that we have to deliver that stronger response to them. We can do that; we must do that.”

The law says that the fine won’t be less than $100 and won’t be over $1,000.

In Wisconsin, prosecutors charge reckless drivers who are speeding, driving erratically or aggressively, failing to pay attention on the road, or improperly changing lanes.

The state’s Department of Transportation reports that a first offense could lead to a fine of up to $400.

WisDOT encouraged reckless driving prevention in July and shared that last year, there were over 5,500 reckless driving crashes in the state.

The reckless driving resulted in 3,081 people injured and 137 people dead.

“We have seen a culture of reckless driving form in Wisconsin,” State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said at the time, according to local CBS affiliate WFRV-TV at the time.

“We need to encourage one another to pay attention on the roads and follow the rules put in place to protect each other.

“We have to work together to shift the culture of distracted and reckless driving to prevent further lives lost.”

CRACKING DOWN

If someone is seriously injured in a reckless driving crash, the driver could face up to six years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines in the state.

Brazen drivers are facing harsher penalties across the country as officials begin to crack down on the harmful behavior.

A new law in Washington DC seeks to punish out-of-town drivers who are careless on the road with the help of traffic cameras.

Millions of drivers in Louisiana risk $100 fines for using the wrong lane, which is considered a form of reckless driving.

Aggressive drivers in Delaware can also face fines from $100 to $300 for having road rage.

POPSTAR Dua Lipa has raised some eyebrows with her Diet Coke cocktail recipe.

We see celebrities including Gordon Ramsay and Prue Leith react to the TikTok trend by trying her cocktail for themselves.

tiktok

tiktok

Dua Lipa has not only blown the minds of her fans, but some well-known celebrities too.

The singer posted a TikTok of her Diet Coke recipe on October 5, 2024.

The singer made headlines after she revealed that she drinks Diet Coke mixed with pickle and jalapeño pepper juice, not forgetting a few peppers on top for that extra kick.

In her TikTok video that earned over 415.7K views, we see Dua Lipa mix her recipe and drink it without breaking a sweat as she urges her friends to try it.

Her fans filled the comment section with shock and disbelief.

Even Coca-Cola themselves replied saying: “I’m calling her filthy.”

Another commented saying: “I would absolutely try this just because Dua Lipa gave it a shot.”

A third commended her concoction saying: “I just made this because of you – it needs a name, it’s so gooooood!”

But not everyone was convinced.

One admitted: “I’m scared to try this.”

While another unconvinced fan asked: “Dua, is this a prank!?”

She previously made a vanilla ice cream with olive oil suggestion that also divided fans.

Speaking on BBC Radio1, the Houdini hit singer confessed: “So I get vanilla ice cream and I put olive oil on it with sea salt.”

“So many people that I’ve shown it to, I’ve brought to the dark side.”

Celebrity reactions

tiktok

tiktok

The unusual concoction made waves online, and even prompted celebrities to try it.

Amongst them was the well-known British Chef Gordon Ramsay who posted his reaction on TikTok.

In a shocking post that received over 11.5K views Gordon mixed Dua Lipa’s recommended spicy ingredients in with his Diet Coke, and took a large sip – only to end up spitting it out in disgust.

“Dua Lipa, for God’s sake, girl!” he shouted while coughing.

“You’ll ruin your vocal cords, s***,” the restaurateur warned to the singer before ending the video.

Another food loving celebrity to try the cocktail was, The Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith.

Speaking to Lorraine Kelly on ITV, Prue’s verdict was: “The drink was “far too sweet.”

She added that she “liked the jalapenos” and thought it could be improved with “a little bit of vinegar” to balance out the flavours.

itv