Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was the son of Robert De Niro's adopted daughter Drena and artist Carlos Mare

Police in Los Angeles are investigating after two aspiring models were found dead in apartment complexes just days apart. One of the deaths has already been ruled a murder, while the second is still under investigation. Police said it was too early to say if the cases are connected, according to ABC News. Maleesa Mooney, 31, was killed on 12 September. Police found her around 3.45pm PST by officers responding to a welfare check at her apartment. That death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the broadcaster, citing an LAPD spokesperson. “The investigation revealed that Maleesa Mooney had been murdered inside of her apartment. Maleesa Mooney’s exact cause of death is unknown, pending a post-mortem examination which will be conducted by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office,” police said in a statement on 15 September. Nichole "Nikki" Coats, 32, was killed on 10 September. Her cause of death is "undetermined" at this point, but a homicide investigation may begin following the LA County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner report. Ms Mooney's family held a rally in LA on Sunday evening demanding justice for the woman's death. The woman's sister, Jourdin Pauline, told an ABC News affiliate that her family became concerned after multiple failed attempts to get in touch with her. "We're supposed to grow old together," Ms Pauline told KABC. "That's not supposed to happen to her." She described her sister as "kind," "genuine," and "loving." "To have someone do what they did to my sister, to that caliber, is sick. It's demented,” she said. The LAPD has asked that anyone with information regarding Ms Mooney's death come forward. Ms Coats' father, Guy Coats, told ABC News that he and his family are "distraught" after learning of her death. He said Ms Coats was an aspiring model who worked as a sale rep in her daytime hours. On 12 September, a cousin who had spent time with Ms Coats told Mr Coats that she couldn't get ahold of the woman. Ms Coats cousin had a key to her apartment and let herself in to see if she was home. She found Ms Coats unresponsive, and said when she touched her she "was like a rock." The cousin then called 911. Ms Coats family became suspicious that foul play led to the woman's death after learning that another aspiring model had been killed just days before, only three miles from her apartment. The family is currently awaiting the coroner's report. Read More Person detained in ‘ambush’ killing of LA sheriff’s deputy Police investigating murders of elderly couple find human remains Idaho murder victim’s father claims Bryan Kohberger is enjoying ‘unprecedented privileges’ in jail

After a record-breaking year, Formula One champion Max Verstappen isn’t ready for 2023 to end just yet

By Peter Hobson LONDON The United Arab Emirates has become a key trade hub for Russian gold since

The ‘Fox & Friends’ hosts also claimed that Joe Biden is 'not a commanding presence' as they mocked the POTUS

Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor has announced the birth of her second child with husband Daryl Sabara, and the couple have landed on a decidedly old school name.

European diplomats are not overlooking the possibility that Donald Trump might secure a second term in the Oval Office if he is re-elected in 2024, and are actively formulating back-up strategies in case this scenario materialises, according to a report. The prospect of Mr Trump returning to the White House has become an important topic of discussion in private conversations, with some calling it “terrifying”, The New York Times reported. Steven Everts, a European Union diplomat who is set to become the director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies, told the outlet that his colleagues were relieved at US president Joe Biden’s response to the Ukraine war. But they are now being “forced to confront the Trump question again”. “It’s slightly terrifying, it’s fair to say,” he said. He noted that the US plays an important role in European security, and said that diplomats will now “have to think again about what this means for our own politics, for European defence and for Ukraine itself”. The discussions around the potential fallout if Mr Trump returns to power are intensifying as the former president is emerging as a strong challenger for the Republican presidential nomination, tying up with his popularity in opinion polls despite a slew of indictments against him. Fresh polling conducted by the Associated Press-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that almost two-thirds of Republicans, specifically 63 per cent, are now expressing their desire that the former president run for office again. This marks a marginal increase from April’s figure of 55 per cent, which was recorded when Mr Trump was beginning to confront a string of criminal allegations. Additionally, Mr Trump’s favourability rating among Republicans has climbed, with seven in 10 respondents holding a positive opinion of him, up from the 60 per cent reported two months earlier. The possibility that the former president could secure a second term has not escaped the attention of Western Europeans – especially in Germany, given the notable animosity Mr Trump appears to harbour towards the country. A second term as president “would be different from the first, and much worse”, Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, a former official in the German government, told the Times. “Trump has experience now and knows what levers to pull, and he’s angry,” he said. He added that the former chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, had known how to deal with Mr Trump and had talked about “managing the man”. One of the primary concerns of US allies pertains to the potential impact of a Trump comeback on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a situation in which many European countries have significant involvement. During his presidency, Mr Trump threatened to withdraw Washington from Nato, and withheld assistance from Ukraine as it grappled with a Russian-supported rebellion – a matter that contributed to his first impeachment. He also gave the order to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, in a decision that was subsequently reversed by Mr Biden. If Mr Trump returned to power following the 2024 election, it is possible that Ukraine will still be in deep conflict with Russia, a country that has continued to make subtle and even direct threats to use nuclear weapons in the region. Mr Trump has said he would end the war in a day, which analysts have said suggests that he would force Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. Read More Trump sparks derision for saying he was ‘apple of Putin’s eye’ as EU diplomats ‘terrified’ of 2024 win – live Biden hails ‘a new era in partnership’ as US, Japan and Korea announce ‘Camp David Principles’ Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuver Indictment shows White House lawyers struggling for control as Trump fought to overturn election Ecuadorians choosing a new president amid increasing violence that may scare away voters Guatemalans head to the polls, hoping their new leader will bring real change

The Baltimore Orioles got off on the wrong foot in the ALDS against the Texas Rangers because three key figures were off the mark in Game 1.

Americans' reckoning with their own democracy extends beyond the looming presidential election to a much more local level.

Bruce Springsteen has been diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease

By Elena Fabrichnaya MOSCOW Russia's No. 2 lender VTB expects to raise 94 billion roubles ($1.15 billion) in

I haven’t turned on my oven since I was given an air fryer three Christmases ago. This may seem unbelievable, but, living in New York City, where the kitchens are closet-sized and a dishwasher is the thing of dreams, it’s a reality I’ve become resigned to. In the last three years, my air fryer hasn’t let me down once, whether it be cooking salmon or zucchini fries. If anything, I’d say I’ve become a better cook because of its existence. Because I love my air fryer more than anything, or at least more than any other kitchen appliance, I happily offered to host a Friendsgiving dinner this year for my nearest and dearest. After all, armed with my miniature oven, I’d be able to whip a traditional feast up in no time. To my dismay, after I’d informed my friends (all three of them) of my planned cooking method, they all decided to cancel. One was more upfront about it, citing a fear of salmonella, while the other two suddenly remembered conflicting plans. I wasn’t deterred. Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday, and I am one of the few people who actually loves Thanksgiving food. Is there anything better than smothering a plate of beige foods with beige gravy? This air fryer Friendsgiving would be a dinner of one. After deciding on the menu, I headed to the grocery store, where I picked up a teeny, tiny Cornish hen as a turkey replacement, a sweet potato and some mini marshmallows, a can of crescent rolls, seasoned bread crumbs and chicken stock for stuffing, Brussels sprouts, gravy, pumpkin pie filling for a premade pie crust, and some tinfoil. I felt like a TikTok chef, ready to be the star. My first mistake, of which there would end up being many, was timing, as I didn’t consider exactly how long this dinner would take if I were air-frying all of the components separately. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I did. If you do embark on a similar journey, I’d say this is the most important thing to consider. Like any other Thanksgiving meal, creating a spreadsheet of what needs to go into the oven when would have helped immensely. At 6pm, I promptly set out on my dinner preparation. By 6.15pm, I was bleeding and covered in BBQ sauce after a jar fell out of my cupboard and smashed on my kitchen floor while I was reaching for spices to season my chicken - a step I recommend avoiding. My faith in my ability to successfully make this meal had already begun to wane. Despite the setback, I seasoned my chicken and plopped it in the air fryer breast down, as recommended by a recipe I found online. According to the instructions, I was to set the air fryer at a temperature of 380F for 20 minutes, and then flip the chicken and cook it for an additional 10 minutes. When the 30 minutes were up, I opened my air fryer with glee to find a perfectly crispy chicken. I was beyond impressed with myself. If I could make this mini Thanksgiving main course, I could make anything. As it turns out, the mediocrely cooked chicken was the extent of my good luck, and even that was pushing it. When it came to the stuffing, which I decided to make next, the air fryer turned it nearly as hard as rocks when the recipe instructions promised it would come out a golden brown. The pieces that weren’t hard enough to crack my teeth were somewhat tasty though, so I’d say that was almost a win. The sweet potato, which was meant to be sweet potato casserole, proved to be one of the biggest disappointments of the meal, with me solely to blame. Although I’m not sure exactly how I would have cooked canned yams for the base of the dish in the air fryer, attempting to cook a rock-solid sweet potato didn’t work either. By the end of 30 minutes at the highest temperature, my potato was still mostly raw. I finally just covered it with marshmallows, which crisped up nicely in the air fryer, and called it a day. If you are going to follow my lead, I do think canned yams would make more sense, or at least cutting up the sweet potato into smaller chunks so it takes less time to cook. The Brussels sprouts were, thankfully, easy to make in the air fryer, and one of the only components that didn’t turn out completely terrible. It turns out it’s pretty hard to mess up Brussels sprouts, even for the worst chefs among us. I’d even go as far as to say this is a quality replacement for a true, oven-roasted Thanksgiving side, and a way to cut down cooking time on the actual holiday. I assumed the most foolproof part of the meal would be the crescent rolls, which looked nearly perfect when I took them out of the air fryer, where they’d cooked for a mere six minutes on a bed of foil. Unfortunately, my first eager bite resulted in a mouthful of raw dough. As someone who has relied so frequently on my air fryer for sustenance, I was both surprised and disheartened by the massive failure the endeavour was turning out to be. By this time, after an hour and a half of going at it, I had just two components left: gravy, which I confidently assured myself I could heat in the air fryer, and a miniature, makeshift pumpkin pie that I’d made. After creating a little gravy boat from tin foil, which I assured myself was safe to put in the air fryer, I poured the premade gravy in and wished for the best. After five minutes, during which I’d stopped to stir the goopy mixture, I removed the gravy to find that, for all intents and purposes, it had worked. The gravy was lukewarm, which seemed like a win. However, a quick taste test proved that it was one of the grossest accompaniments I’d ever tried, but I’m unsure whether this was due to error on my part or Whole Foods. At this point, at 8pm, I plated my Thanksgiving air fryer meal. And, to my surprise, it looked absolutely perfect. It was one of the most beautiful meals I’d ever made myself, and looked like it would be at home on any Thanksgiving table. My pride slowly seeped out with each bite, however, as I gave the meal an overall rating of two out of 10. The chicken that I’d so painstakingly seasoned and then flipped? Both extremely crispy and dry, while also a concerning colour of light pink. I ate a leg before I reminded myself that I didn’t have time to get sick from salmonella this holiday season. I moved onto the sweet potato, which had hardened on top from the marshmallows and, it turns out, was not even a little cooked inside. I ate the marshmallows, but begrudgingly. Fortunately, the edges of the crescent rolls were cooked enough to be edible, so I nibbled on those while I contemplated whether or not pouring the disgusting gravy on top of the rock-hard stuffing would make it more palatable. I sat in disappointed silence as I ate my Brussels sprouts, which are obviously the worst part of any Thanksgiving meal, but which were the only edible part of mine. As for the pie, I put it in the air fryer to cook while I ate my dinner, only to be too concerned by the pie tin setting on fire, or worse, ruining my air fryer, and removing it while still raw. My air fryer Thanksgiving dinner was disgusting and time-consuming and, ultimately, inedible. But, did I have fun? Also no. If you do follow in my footsteps, maybe pick just one Thanksgiving component to air fry, such as the vegetables, or a turkey breast, rather than an entire bird. With a day to go before Thanksgiving, I’ve travelled home, where I will happily enjoy a Thanksgiving feast made in an oven. Read More Mayo slander doesn’t make you a foodie – it makes you boring Best wines to pair with Thanksgiving dinner Three easy cranberry sauce recipes to try this Thanksgiving Mayo slander doesn’t make you a foodie – it makes you boring Best wines to pair with Thanksgiving dinner Three easy cranberry sauce recipes to try this Thanksgiving