Month: November 2025

Nov. 1 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1512, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, one of Italian artist Michelangelo’s most famous works, was exhibited to the public for the first time.

In 1604, William Shakespeare’s Othello made its debut. A new production of the famed play starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal is expected to open on Broadway in 2025.

In 1755, an earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal, killed 60,000 people.

In 1800, U.S. President John Adams and his family moved into the newly built White House after Washington became the U.S. capital.

In 1915, Parris Island was officially designated a Marine Corps Recruit Depot used for the training of enlisted Marines.

In 1938, Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in horse racing’s “match of the century.”

In 1945, Ebony magazine, founded by John H. Johnson, published its first issue.

In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into the Blair House in Washington in an attempt to assassinate U.S. President Harry Truman.

File Photo by Aude Guerrucci/UPI

In 1952, the United States tested the world’s first hydrogen bomb, code named Ivy Mike, on Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1990, McDonald’s, under pressure from environmental groups, said it would replace plastic food containers with paper.

In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty took effect, formally establishing the European Union and leading to the creation of the Union’s single currency, the euro.

File Photo by Eco Clement/UPI

In 2008, Maj. Sebastian Morley, the top British Special Forces commander in Afghanistan, resigned to protest what he called lack of proper equipment for combat troops. He blamed “chronic underinvestment.”

In 2013, a U.S. drone strike killed Hakimullah Mehsud, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and four other militants.

In 2023, the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 to win Game 5 and the World Series. It was the first championship win in the team’s 63-year history.

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Israeli strikes on Gaza this week have killed more than 100 people following the killing of an Israeli soldier, but the shaky ceasefire continues to hold.

The light coming through the sleeper train window wakes me. It’s nearly time. Climbing down the ladder past the other snoozing occupants, I head into the corridor. A few hours ago there were only trees, an endless unfurling ribbon of spruce and birch. Now there is snow, vast banks of it. And sometimes, when the train roars through a big drift, great spumes of white blast out on either side, blocking any view.

In the restaurant car, I watch the map on my phone as a blue dot approaches a straight dashed line. A frozen lake and distant pale mountains appear. Then at 6.09am we cross the Arctic Circle. Forty-eight hours previously, I had been in London St Pancras station, queueing for the Eurostar. Now, five trains later, never having left terra firma, I am in the Arctic. Most of my fellow travellers are Swedes with hefty bags of skis and well-stocked sledges that look expedition-ready. With their weathered faces and lean muscle, they look intimidatingly capable.

As attention spans keep getting whittled down, intellectually impish Romanian satirist Radu Jude continues to go longer and longer, his latest act of cinematic disobedience the nearly three-hour mythbuster “Dracula.”

But you will not be getting a worshipful retelling of author Bram Stoker’s horror classic. For that, call Francis Ford Coppola. Rather, Jude has Frankensteined together a grab bag of notions about the vampire saga that is his country’s most well-known cultural export — originating with real-life medieval slaughterer Vlad the Impaler but most famously immortalized by a 19th century Irish author. Jude turns it into a vaudeville that, even at its most entertaining, is best described by a common bat-related term that’s more scatological.

For the last decade, festival favorite Jude has turned contemporary Romania’s fault lines into his own jangly, caustically funny microcosm of the world’s glaring sociopolitical hypocrisies, from the warping of the past (“I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians”) to sexual attitudes (“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn”) to late-stage capitalism (“Do Not Expect Much From the End of the World”). Jude is especially trenchant about how these realities are sold to us, and what’s inherently funny and tragic about that.

Halfway between an endurance test and a mad romp, “Dracula” is still proof he’s cinema’s brainiest, raunchiest crank: Eastern European’s own X-rated Monty Python. “Dracula” was birthed initially as a jokey response to his anti-commercial tendencies — as if Jude could ever make a conventional horror movie. But it still managed to percolate (fester?) until he’d found a unifying idea across a dozen or so vignettes of prurient humor and social commentary: the twinned legacy of a bloodthirsty despot who still stirs national pride, and an invented, Hollywoodized legend. All of it is engineered around the brutality of capitalism, which bites, slurps, then discards. It’s economics and entertainment.

As for that sucking sound in Jude’s antic organizing concept, it’s artificial intelligence: His proxy narrator is a creatively blocked filmmaker (Adonis Tanţa, in one of many roles) turning to an AI chatbot to generate ideas for his vampire film. The film’s cheeky opening is a succession of AI-generated Vlads/Draculas of all genders, colors and ages. From there, the intermittent interludes of hilariously nonsensical AI slop visuals — whether inoffensively ugly, as when inserted into a doomed peasant love story, or pornographic, when the prompt is sexing up Coppola’s 1992 version — are a consistently funny middle finger directed at a grotesquely vampiric, art-leeching technology.

The various “generated” stories and sketches, meanwhile, break up a narrative about a sleazy Dracula dinner theater in Transylvania that, when its underpaid, slave-labor leads decide to bolt mid-performance, gives dissatisfied customers a (ahem) stake in the outcome. The punchy bits work best, as when a reincarnated Vlad interrupts a modern-day tour of his home to clap back at rumors (“I didn’t kill rats!”) or a very Jude-like scenario in which Dracula is a ruthless video game company head exploiting his workers. Less effective is an overlong adaptation of the first Romanian vampire novel, its phone-shot cheapness and amateur theatrics eventually grating, and a Chaucer-adjacent fable about a cursed farmer’s harvest of phalluses that is more obnoxious than clever.

With Jude, of course, vulgarity is often the point, and maybe, as two hours becomes three, the excessiveness is part of the point too. When will we all be worn down by stupid consumerism? It doesn’t make the devilish, insane and extreme “Dracula” any easier to take as a skewering of sensibilities and conventions. As often as you may be tickled by its fanged silliness, you’ll also be drained.

TORONTO — The Dodgers have forced a Game 7 in the World Series.

And Shohei Ohtani is expected to be their starting pitcher.

In what will be just four days removed from his six-plus-inning, 93-pitch start in Game 4 of this World Series, Ohtani will likely serve as the team’s opener in Saturday’s winner-take-all contest, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.

While Ohtani almost certainly won’t make a full-length start, he should be able to get through at least two or three innings (depending on how laborious his outing is). Four or five innings might not be out of the question, either, even in what will be only his second career MLB outing pitching on three days’ rest.

The only time Ohtani did so was in 2023, when he followed a rain-shortened two-inning start at Fenway Park against the Red Sox with a seven-inning outing four days later.

Saturday, of course, will come under entirely different circumstances, in what will be the first seventh game in a World Series since 2019.

By starting Ohtani, the Dodgers would ensure they wouldn’t lose his bat for the rest of the game, thanks to MLB’s two-way rules. If he were to enter in relief during the game, the only way he could stay in afterward is if he shifted to the outfield (since MLB’s rules stipulate that a team would lose the DH spot under such circumstances). Starting him also eliminates any complications that would come with trying to find him time to warm up if his spot in the batting order arose the inning prior — something that would have made it potentially more difficult for him to be able to close out the game.

Ohtani has completed six innings in each of his three previous pitching appearances this postseason, with a 3.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 18 innings.

The Dodgers should have options behind Ohtani. Tyler Glasnow will likely be available after needing just three pitches to get the save in Friday’s wild finish. Blake Snell also said he would be available after his Game 5 start on Wednesday.

In the bullpen, Roki Sasaki figures to be at manager Dave Roberts’ disposal, as well, despite throwing 33 pitches in one-plus inning of work on Friday.

Roberts said everyone short of Game 6 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be available.

Los Angeles Dodgers send the World Series to a decisive seventh game after defeating Toronto Blue Jays in Canada.

The Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive on Friday their hopes of becoming Major League Baseball’s (MLB) first repeat champion in 25 years, with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays that pushed the World Series to a decisive seventh game.

With their backs against the wall and facing elimination for the first time this postseason, a Dodgers team that had no room for error got six solid innings from starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto while Mookie Betts and Will Smith provided the offence.

Toronto thought they tied the game on an inside-the-park homerun in the ninth on a bizarre play, when the ball was lodged at the bottom of the outfield fence where Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean immediately raised his hands to rule the play dead.

A video review went the Dodgers’ way and determined it was a ground rule double, which left Toronto with runners on second and third with not outs.

Ernie Clement then hit an infield pop and Andres Gimenez lined out to left before Kike Hernandez turned the double play when he fired the ball to second base to get Addison Barger out and end the game.

The Dodgers victory put on hold, for one day at least, a coast-to-coast party in Canada, where fans of the lone MLB club are desperate to celebrate the Blue Jays’ first World Series triumph in 32 years.

Dodgers’ season on the line in Game 6

As they were at the start of the season, the Dodgers came into the World Series as an overwhelming favourite and with few expecting the Blue Jays to produce much of a challenge and even fewer calling for it to go the distance.

With their season on the line, Los Angeles opened the scoring in the third on a run-scoring double by Smith, before Betts singled in a pair of runs to put Los Angeles ahead 3-0.

Barger led off the bottom half of the third with a double before scoring on a George Springer single to get the Blue Jays within two.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation had been the team’s strength this postseason, but the Blue Jays picked it apart en route to grabbing a 3-2 lead in the World Series before Yamamoto once again took matters into his own hands.

The Japanese ace, who threw complete-game gems in his previous two starts, struck out six batters and allowed one run on five hits across six innings before the Dodgers turned to a bullpen that has been their weak link all season.

The Blue Jays threatened in the eighth when they got runners on first and second with one out before Roki Sasaki retired Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho grounded out to end the inning, before once again getting close in the ninth.

Play was temporarily disrupted in the sixth inning when a spectator scaled the outfield wall and stormed the field with a United States flag before he was promptly taken down by security guards and escorted away.

Game 7 will be played on Saturday in Toronto.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election.

The electoral commission on Saturday said the incumbent had secured nearly 98 percent of the vote that saw key candidates jailed or barred and triggered days of violent protests.

More to follow…

Good Morning Britain star Kate Garraway has revealed which of the Celebrity Traitors stars opted not to be a part of the WhatsApp group after filming had finished

Kate Garraway has revealed which of the Celebrity Traitors stars has refused to join the WhatsApp group. The Good Morning Britain host, 58, is one of several who signed up to the first ever celebrity edition of the hit BBC game show, and while she’s still in touch with the likes of Tom Daley, Charlotte Church, and Alan Carr, one famous face from the programme doesn’t appear to want to chat.

The journalist explained that the chat is currently ‘popping off,’ as the celebrities react to themselves on screen and learn of various fates after their own time on their programme. Last night, viewers watched as Jonathan Ross became the first Traitor to be banished from the castle, and the former talk show host admitted on Friday’s Halloween special of Loose Women that he had no idea what was coming next.

But Kate has now revealed that the star who declined an invitation to join the WhatsApp group chat is someone who has been integral to the format of the show.

READ MORE: Jonathan Ross secret condition on Celebrity Traitors made him ‘blind’READ MORE: Celebrity Traitors fans ‘raging’ as Alan Carr murders ‘devastated’ star in emotional exit

The former GMTV host explained that it was Claudia Winkleman, who has been the host of the whole programme since it first aired on BBC One three years ago. Kate explained: “The WhatsApp group is popping off all day and night, actually. It’s brilliant. We invited Claudia to join the group because we all adore Claudia obviously. But she said no.”

Kate explained that the Strictly Come Dancing host was insistent that the contestants needed a place that was ‘just for them’ now that filming is done and they are getting to see the things they didn’t see whilst the series was in production as all the action plays out on screen.

Speaking to The Sun, she added: “She said you need a place that’s just for you guys now that you’re out and you know what’s going on. Because obviously, you know, there’s so much that I didn’t know that I’ve learned by watching it – all the comments that are made when you’re not in the room.”

Early on in the series, Alan Carr ‘murdered’ singer Paloma Faith in shock scenes and rumours have swirled that the pair are no longer on speaking terms, but Kate insisted that she ‘doesn’t really know’ what is going on thee.

What’s more, Jonathan was said to have come to blows with actress Ruth Codd behind the scenes, but Kate explained: “We’ve had one time where we’ve all got together – not everybody could make it – but Jonathan and Ruth were there together and seemed fine to me.”

When it comes to former Chatty Man host Alan, who is a traitor alongside singer Cat Burns, he recently spoke out about the current status of his friendship with New York songstress Paloma during the latest episode of his Life’s A Beach podcast.

He was joined by DJ Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, who directly asked him: “Aren’t you mates with Paloma?” before Alan replied: “Well, I was…”

Alan then explained that the pop star, 44, disregarded him as a ‘real friend’ when he killed her off, but he had to remind her that that as the whole point of the show to began with He added: “She said, ‘If you were a real friend, you wouldn’t have killed me.’ But I said, ‘I’m the Traitor! The show’s called The Traitors – it does what it says on the tin!'”

Alan then spoke of the fan reaction to the viral moment, and reminded them as well that he was doing as he was supposed to. He added: “There’ve been a few little TikToky things where she says I’ve let her down because I killed her in plain sight. It’s like going on Naked Attraction and being told, what, I have to take my knickers off? You know what you’re signing up for!”

Despite the apparent fall out, Alan then revealed that he is going to make it up to Paloma. He said: “I’m going to take her out for dinner. I love her. I’m such a big fan of her and she’s the best – but no one wants to be murdered first on a show. I panicked!”

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The Blue Jays will feel aggrieved after a controversial umpiring call prevented them from levelling the score in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch from reliever Roki Sasaki and replaced by speedy pinch-runner Myles Straw, before Addison Barger’s line drive wedged under the wall in left centre field.

But instead of allowing Straw and Barger to score, the play was ruled to be a ground rule double,, external putting the runners on second and third.

A ground rule double is typically signalled when a ball hit fair is deemed to be impossible to field in the layout of a particular stadium, such as when it becomes trapped under a tarpaulin, and runners are allowed to advance by two bases.

The hosts challenged the call, arguing that a fielder could easily have retrieved the ball, but the on-field decision was upheld by video review.

And with the tying run in scoring position, Andres Gimenez drove into a double play to end the game.

Earlier, the Dodgers drew first blood on Halloween night as Tommy Edman doubled, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked, and Smith’s double to left field sent Edman home.

Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts’ two-run single gave the visitors what proved to be a decisive lead to force a decider.

Game seven takes place on Saturday evening, again at the Rogers Centre.

Oct. 31 (UPI) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois sued the Trump administration Friday for allegedly violating the civil rights of those detained in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill.

The suit, which includes lawyers for the MacArthur Justice Center, the ACLU of Illinois and the Chicago law office of Eimer Stahl, was filed in federal court in Chicago, a press release said.

The suit demands that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and ICE “stop flouting the law inside Broadview.” The press release said the agencies “must obey the Constitution and provide the people they detain with ready access to counsel and humane conditions of confinement.”

Since the beginning of Operation Midway Blitz on Sept. 8, in which federal agents increased actions against undocumented immigrants in and around Chicago, protests and legal battles have ensued. On Tuesday, a judge issued a temporary restraining order on Gregory Bovino, a U.S. border patrol commander, after video footage showed Bovino throwing tear gas into a crowd during public demonstrations in Chicago and outside of the Broadview detention center. Clergy members, media groups and protesters had filed a suit alleging a “pattern of extreme brutality” intended to “silence the press” and American citizens.

Judge Sara Ellis ordered all agents to wear body cameras. She also ordered Bovino to check in with her daily, but an appeals court overturned that requirement.

“Everyone, no matter their legal status, has the right to access counsel and to not be subject to horrific and inhumane conditions,” said Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office and lead counsel on the suit, in a statement. “Community members are being kidnapped off the streets, packed in hold cells, denied food, medical care, and basic necessities, and forced to sign away their legal rights. This is a vicious abuse of power and gross violation of basic human rights by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. It must end now.”

The press release said that agents at Broadview “have treated detainees abhorrently, depriving them of sleep, privacy, menstrual products, and the ability to shower.” Agents have repeatedly denied entry for attorneys, members of Congress, and religious and faith leaders, it said.

DHS has not responded to the suit or its allegations.

“This lawsuit is necessary because the Trump administration has attempted to evade accountability for turning the processing center at Broadview into a de facto detention center,” said Kevin Fee, legal director for the ACLU of Illinois, in a statement. “DHS personnel have denied access to counsel, legislators and journalists so that the harsh and deteriorating conditions at the facility can be shielded from public view. These conditions are unconstitutional and threaten to coerce people into sacrificing their rights without the benefit of legal advice and a full airing of their legal defenses.”

Lawyer Nate Eimer emphasized the importance of access to a lawyer.

“Access to counsel is not a privilege. It is a right,” Eimer, partner at Eimer Stahl and co-counsel in the lawsuit, said in a statement. “We can debate immigration policy but there is no debating the denial of legal rights and holding those detained in conditions that are not only unlawful but inhumane. Justice and compassion demand that our clients’ rights be upheld.”

I’ve visited 12 new countries this year, and even though each one has its own charm, I’d say there’s one that didn’t quite cut it

This year has been a rollercoaster of adventures for me. I’ve had the good fortune to discover new cities, sample local cuisines, and meet individuals whose tales have lingered with me long after my journey’s end. From savouring Italian dishes in Sardinia to exploring Poland, I’ve ticked off 12 new countries on my travel list in 2025.

Each nation has offered something unique, but not every destination leaves you yearning for more. Among all the places I’ve visited, there’s one country I wouldn’t be in a hurry to return to.

That’s not because it wasn’t stunning, but because sometimes travelling teaches you what you do and don’t want from a trip.

One of my stops this year was Mauritius, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean that many people describe as a true paradise, reports the Express.

It was exactly that, turquoise waters, palm tree-fringed beaches and sunsets that look like they’re straight out of a film. It’s the kind of place that many people dream of visiting, but for me, it just didn’t live up to the hype.

For starters, it’s a very, very long way from the UK. It’s around 12 hours of flying, not including the connections and airport hours that make the journey feel even longer.

By the time I finally landed, I was expecting something truly unforgettable, but I found myself wondering whether the distance was really worth it.

The island itself is undeniably beautiful, but after a few days, I felt like I had seen most of what there was to see. Aside from the beaches and a few nature spots, there isn’t a lot to do.

Now, I understand that Mauritius isn’t typically a destination for exploration, but more of a tranquil retreat. However, during my visit, I realised that I’m more of an adventurer when it comes to holidays.

Mauritius is undoubtedly appealing to newlyweds or those seeking a serene getaway. It’s calm, and the locals are friendly and hospitable.

Yet, for me, it lacked the magic that makes me fall head over heels for a location. It’s one of those places I’m pleased to have visited once, but I don’t feel compelled to return.

On the other hand, out of the other 11 countries I’ve travelled to this year, some have left me eager to go back. From the late-night street food in South Korea to the relaxed allure of Belgium, each place has made a lasting impression.

Even closer to home, Jersey took me by surprise with its blend of British familiarity and tranquil island life, while Croatia won me over with its historic towns.

Mauritius might not have been the ideal holiday spot for me, but even that experience played a part in my year of globetrotting.

MAYA Jama and Ruben Dias looked more loved-up than ever as they transformed into pirates for Halloween. 

Presenter Maya, 31, took to Instagram to share snaps from her spooky night out with boyfriend Ruben, 28. 

The stunning Love Island host put on a busy display in a corset-style top and flowing skirt, finishing the look with a hat. 

Meanwhile Manchester City defender Ruben channelled Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow in his own get up. 

Maya captioned her upload: “First Manchester Halloween.” 

Fans rushed to comment on the photos, with one writing: “You guys smashed it!” 

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Another said: “Best looking couple ever.” 

And a third added: “You look so happy together.”

Maya and Ruben confirmed their romance in April this year and it’s been reported the Love Island host is planning a full-time move to Manchester to support him. 

A source said previously: “Maya loves the down-to-earth nature of Manchester, as well as the glamour of the football and WAG scene.

“Bristol and London will always be special to her but she is loving spending more time in Manchester with Ruben. The city has become a celebrity hub.”

Maya recently cleared up speculation she’s set to quit Love Island, reassuring fans she’s going nowhere right now. 

In a statement posted on social media, she said: “I did tell you if you were going to hear any news about it, it would come from me and me only.

“I will be hosting next year, I’ll be back for All Stars in January and then summer series in June and July. We go again, mother lovers.”

The Dodgers, it turns out, chose the perfect costume in which to parade on this scariest of Halloween nights.

They were dressed as the Dodgers.

The Yoshinobu-Yamamoto-firing Dodgers. The Mookie-Betts-blasting Dodgers. The energetic-and-inspired Dodgers.

The listless team of the previous two games was gone. The inspired team of the previous month was back.

Earlier this week fans were asking, who are those guys? On Friday they emphatically answered that question by finally, forcefully, being themselves.

Faced with elimination in Game 6 of the World Series, the Dodgers rose from the presumed dead to haunt the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre with a 3-1 victory to knot the duel at three games apiece.

And they did with the most unlikely of saves, a game-ending double play on a lineout that Kiké Hernández caught in left field and threw to Miguel Rojas at second base.

How do the Blue Jays come back from that? How can the Dodgers not gain all the momentum from that?

The quest to become the first team in 25 years to win consecutive World Series championships lives.

Game 7, Saturday night in Toronto, awaits.

And Shohei Ohtani Pitching Somewhere is up.

The stage is set for all sorts of dramatics after a night when the Dodgers took an early three-run lead on the back of slump-busting Betts and then cruised to victory on the back of another brilliant pitching performance by Yamamoto and a surprising three-inning shutdown from the Dodger bullpen.

It didn’t end smoothly, but it ended splendidly, after reliever Roki Sasaki began the ninth by hitting Alejandro Kirk in the hand with a two-strike pitch, then Addison Barger hit a ball to center field that lodged under the outfield tarp for a ground-rule double.

With runners on second and third and no out, Tyler Glasnow made an emergency appearance and recorded that memorable save, retiring Ernie Clement on a first pitch popout and ending the game by inducing Andrés Giménez into a lineout that Hernandez perfectly threw to Rojas.

The Dodgers have been here before. It was just last year, in fact, when they needed consecutive wins against the San Diego Padres in the division series to save their season.

They calmly won both and rolled to a championship. A similar path could end in a similar destination this weekend after the Dodgers rebounded from two lifeless losses at Dodger Stadium to weather the loud Game 6 storm with calm and cohesion.

“Yeah, I mean, we all know that everything has to go perfect for us to be able to pull this off,” said Teoscar Hernández before the game.

So far, so good, beginning Friday with the much-maligned Betts, who smacked a two-out, two-run single in the third inning to give the Dodgers a lead they never lost. Next up, Yamamoto, who followed consecutive complete games by giving up one run on five hits in six innings.

Enter the bullpen, which had given up nine runs in the Dodgers three losses in this series. But the sense of dread lightened when Justin Wrobleski worked around a two-out double by Clement to end the seventh with a strikeout of Giménez.

On came Sasaki, who immediately found trouble in the eighth inning by yielding a single to George Springer and walking Vladimir Guerrero Jr. But the rookie remained calm, and retired Bo Bichette on a foul popout and Daulton Varsho on a grounder.

This set up the breathtaking ninth, the inspired Dodger tone actually set by manager Dave Roberts a day earlier. Roberts did his best Tommy Lasorda imitation by literally leaving it all on the field during Thursday’s day off when he challenged speedster Hyeseong Kim to a race around the bases. Roberts gave himself a generous head start, but as Kim was passing him up around second base, Roberts tripped and fell flat on his face.

The moment was caught on a video that quickly spread over social media and actually led the FOX broadcast before Friday’s game.

Roberts looked silly. But Roberts also looked brilliant, as his pratfall injected some necessary lightness into the darkening team mood.

“I clearly wasn’t thinking,” said Roberts. “I was trying to add a little levity, that’s for sure. I wasn’t trying to do a face-plant at shortstop, and yeah, the legs just gave way. That will be the last full sprint I ever do in my life.”

He lost, but he won.

“Of course it makes you smile and it makes you have a good time,” said Rojas. “When the head of the group is…loose like that, and he’s willing to do anything, that’s what it tells everybody, that he will do anything for the team.”

The spark was lit in the third inning Friday after Blue Jay starter Kevin Gausman had struck out six of the first seven batters.

Tommy Edman, one of last fall’s postseason heroes, ripped a one-out double down the right-field line. One out later, after Ohtani had been intentionally walked, Will Smith ripped an RBI double off the left-field wall.

It was the Dodgers first hit with runners in scoring position since the fifth inning of Game 3, but the surprise was just beginning.

After Freddie Freeman walked, the bases were loaded for Betts, who was the biggest villain of the Dodgers hitting drought with a .130 World Series average while stranding 25 consecutive baserunners. He had been dropped to third in the batting order in Game 5, and then dropped again to fourth for Game 6, and it finally worked, as he knocked a two-strike fastball into left field to drive in two runs and give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.

The Blue Jays came back with an heroic run in the bottom of the third when, after Addison Barger doubled down the left-field line, wincing George Springer fought off a painful side injury to drive a ball into right-center field to score Barger.

Now it’s down to one game.

The Dodgers are back. Advantage, Dodgers.

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) — North Korea on Saturday denounced the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as a “pipe dream” that can never be realized, as Seoul has said President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to discuss the issue during their summit talks.

Lee and Xi are scheduled to hold their first summit talks Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. The presidential office said denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is on the agenda.

North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho criticized South Korea for seeking to raise the denuclearization issue whenever an opportunity arises, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“We will show with patience that no matter how many times it talks about denuclearization, it will remain a pipe dream that can never be realized,” Pak said in a statement carried by the KCNA.

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Will Cinerama Dome ever reopen? Maybe.

Dome Center LLC, the company that owns the property along Sunset Boulevard upon which the iconic movie venue stands, filed an application for a conditional-use permit to sell alcohol for on-site consumption at the Cinerama Dome Theater and adjoined multiplex Tuesday.

According to the application filed by the company’s representative, Elizabeth Peterson-Gower of Place Weavers Inc., Dome Center is seeking a new permit that would “allow for the continued sale and dispensing of a full line of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption in conjunction with the existing Cinerama Dome Theater, 14 auditoriums within the Arclight Cinemas Theater Complex, and restaurant/cafe with two outdoor dining terraces from 7:00 am – 4:00 am, daily.” This would be a renewal of the current 10-year permit, which expires Nov. 5.

The findings document filed with the City Planning Department also mentions that “when the theater reopens, it will bring additional jobs to Hollywood and reactivate the adjacent streets, increasing safety and once again bringing vibrancy to the surrounding area.” No timetable for this reopening was indicated.

A representative for Dome Center LLC did not respond immediately Friday to a request for comment.

The Cinerama Dome, which first opened in 1963, has been closed since it was shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. After it was announced in April 2021 that the beloved theater would remained closed even after the pandemic, it was revealed in December of that year that there were plans for the Cinerama Dome and the attached theater complex to eventually reopen.

In 2022, news that the property owners obtained a liquor license for the renamed “Cinerama Hollywood” fueled the L.A. film-loving community’s hope that the venue was still on track to return. But the Cinerama Dome’s doors have remained closed.

At a public hearing regarding the adjacent Blue Note Jazz Club in June, Peterson reportedly indicated that while there were not yet any definitive plans, the property owners had reached out to her to discuss the Cinerama Dome next. Perhaps this new permit application is a sign plans are finally coming together.

Flights start from £15

Ryanair is offering flights to a destination boasting November highs of 21C from just £14.99. The budget airline recently announced a 37% increase in its operations at Murcia airport for the upcoming winter, introducing four routes, including a new route to London Stansted with four weekly flights, and additional flights to Birmingham and Dublin.

Starting fares for flights to and from Murcia are as low as £14.99, and the expansion in connections will create over 450 local jobs and provide passengers with more choices at the lowest fares, according to Alejandra Ruiz, Ryanair’s spokesperson in Spain.

Ryanair’s schedule in Murcia for the 2025/2026 winter season continues to strengthen connectivity outside the peak season, creating over 450 local jobs and boosting year-round tourism in Murcia.

Despite Ryanair’s growth at Murcia Airport this winter season, the airline has been forced to cut one million seats from its overall schedule in Spain for the 2025/2026 winter season due to excessive increases in AENA charges (+6.62%) and ineffective ‘incentive schemes’, which are making regional airports financially unviable.

Ryanair has long championed and invested in regional airports, supporting access to low fares to stimulate tourism and employment, but it cannot justify continued investment in airports whose growth is hindered by uncompetitive charges.

Alejandra Ruiz, Ryanair’s spokesperson in Spain, announced: “Ryanair is pleased to announce its schedule for Murcia for the 2025 winter season, with four routes, including a new flight to London Stansted, with four weekly frequencies, as well as additional flights to Birmingham and Dublin.

“This new offering increases Ryanair’s capacity at Murcia Airport by 37%, giving our customers even more choice at the lowest fares.

“Despite excessive AENA charges, which have contributed to the loss of two million seats in 2025 in other regions, Ryanair remains committed to Murcia, where it operates year-round and supports over 450 local jobs.”

It was April 2021 and the LAPD was facing sharp criticism over its handling of mass protests against police brutality. The Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles complaint accused officers of firing less-lethal weapons at demonstrators who posed no threat, among other abuses.

Smith said the assistant Los Angeles city attorney wanted his signature on a prewritten sworn declaration that described how LAPD officers had no choice but to use force against a volatile crowd hurling bottles and smoke bombs during a 2020 protest in Tujunga.

He refused to put his name on it.

Instead, eight months later, Smith filed his own lawsuit against the city, alleging he faced retaliation for trying to blow the whistle on a range of misconduct within the LAPD.

Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Johnny Smith.

(LAPD)

Smith and his attorneys declined to be interviewed by The Times, but evidence in his lawsuit offers a revealing look at the behind-the-scenes coordination — and friction — between LAPD officials and the city attorney’s office in defense of police use of force at protests.

Smith’s lawsuit says he felt pressured to give a misleading statement to cover up for reckless behavior by officers.

The captain’s claim, filed December 2021 in Los Angeles Superior Court, has taken on new significance with the city facing fresh litigation over LAPD crowd control tactics during recent protests against the Trump administration.

The 2020 protests led to a court order that limits how LAPD officers can use certain less-lethal weapons, including launchers that shoot hard-foam projectiles typically used to disable uncooperative suspects.

The city is still fighting to have those restrictions lifted, along with others put in place as a result of a separate lawsuit filed in June by press rights organizations.

Last month, City Atty. Heidi Feldstein Soto drew a rebuke from the City Council after she sought a temporary stay of the order issued by U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera.

Soto argued that the rules — which prohibit officers from targeting journalists and nonviolent protesters — are overly broad and impractical. Vera rejected Soto’s request, but the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is taking up the matter, with a hearing tentatively set for mid-November.

A counterprotestor is arrested after approaching Trump supporters holding a rally in Tujunga in 2020.

(Kyle Grillot / AFP / via Getty Images)

Smith said in his lawsuit that he wouldn’t put his name on the Tujunga declaration because he had reviewed evidence that showed officers flouting LAPD rules on beanbag shotguns, as well as launchers that fire 37mm and 40mm projectiles — roughly the size of mini soda cans — at over 200 mph.

Smith’s lawsuit said the launchers are intended to be “target specific,” or fired at individuals who pose a threat — not to disperse a crowd.

Smith said he raised alarms for months after the Tujunga protest, which occurred amid outrage over the police killings nationwide of Black and Latino people at the end of President Trump’s first term.

But it wasn’t until the city got sued, Smith’s complaint said, that incidents he flagged started to receive attention.

The city has denied the allegations in Smith’s lawsuit, saying in court filings that each LAPD use of force case was thoroughly investigated.

Smith’s lawsuit cites emails to senior LAPD officials that he says show efforts to sanitize the department’s handling of excessive force complaints from the protests.

An internal task force deemed most of the citizen complaints “unfounded.” Yet nearly two dozen of those cases were later reopened after Smith and a small team of officers found that the department’s review missed a litany of policy violations, his lawsuit says.

Smith also called out what he saw as “problematic bias” in the way what occurred at the Tujunga protest was reported up the chain of command.

His complaint describes a presentation given to then-Chief Michel Moore that downplayed the severity of the damage caused by less-lethal projectiles. According to Smith, the report omitted photos of “extensive injuries” suffered by one woman, who said in a lawsuit that she had to undergo plastic surgery after getting shot in the chest at close range with a beanbag round.

The LAPD stopped using bean-bag shotguns at protests after a state law banned the practice, but the department still allows officers to use the weapons in other situations, such as when subduing an uncooperative suspect.

Los Angeles police officers attempt to stop a confrontation between Trump supporters and counterprotestors during a pro-Trump rally in Tujunga in 2020.

(Kyle Grillot / AFP / via Getty Images)

Alan Skobin, a former police commissioner and a friend of Smith’s, told The Times he was in the room when Smith received a call in April 2021 from the city attorney’s office about the declaration he refused to sign.

The exchange appeared to turn tense, Skobin recalled, as Smith repeated that details contained in the document were a “lie.”

Skobin said he wondered whether the assistant city attorney went “back and examined the videotaped and all the other evidence.”

“That’s what I would hope would happen,” Skobin said.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles city attorney, Karen Richardson, provided The Times with a California State Bar report that said there was insufficient evidence to discipline the lawyer involved; the case was closed in June 2024.

Richardson declined further comment, citing Smith’s pending lawsuit.

According to Smith, other high-ranking LAPD officials went along with the misleading story that the officers in Tujunga acted in response to being overwhelmed by a hostile crowd.

Smith claims he faced retaliation for reporting a fellow captain who said police were justified in using force against a protester who held a placard turned sideways “so that the pole can be used as a weapon against officers.”

Body camera footage showed a different version of events, Smith said, with officers launching an unjustified assault on the man and others around him.

The colleague that Smith reported, German Hurtado, has since been promoted to deputy chief.

The city has denied the allegations in court filings. When reached for comment on Friday, Hurtado said he was limited in what he could say because the litigation is ongoing.

“From what I understand all that’s been investigated and it was unfounded,” he said, referencing Smith’s allegations.

“The lawsuit, I don’t know where it’s and I don’t know anything about it. No one’s talked to me. No one’s deposed me.”

Critics argue that the LAPD continues to violate rules that prohibit targeting journalists during demonstrations.

After a peaceful daytime “No Kings Day” protest downtown Oct. 18, about 100 to 200 people lingered outside downtown’s Metropolitan Detention Center after nightfall. Police declared an unlawful assembly and officers began firing 40mm projectiles.

Lexis-Olivier Ray, a reporter for the news site L.A. Taco who regularly covers demonstrations, was among those hit by the rounds.

Hundreds participate in the No Kings Day of Peaceful Action in downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 18.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

In a video shared widely online, an LAPD officer can be heard justifying the incident by saying they were firing at “fake” journalists.

An LAPD spokesperson said the incident with Ray is under internal investigation and could offer no further comment.

Ray said it wasn’t the first time he’d been struck by less-lethal rounds at protests despite years of legislation and court orders.

“It’s pretty discouraging that stuff like this keeps happening,” he said.

Jim McDonnell was introduced by Mayor Karen Bass to serve as LAPD chief during a news conference at City Hall on Oct. 4, 2024.

(Ringo Chiu / For The Times)

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell defended the department at the Police Commission’s weekly meeting Tuesday, saying the “No Kings” protesters who remained downtown after dark were shining lasers at officers, and throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks.

Asked about the incident involving Ray, the chief said he didn’t want to comment about it publicly, but would do so “offline” — drawing jeers from some in the audience who demanded an explanation.

McDonnell told the commission that he supported the city’s efforts to lift the court’s injunction. Easing the restrictions, he said, would “allow our officers to have access to less-lethal force options so that we don’t have to escalate beyond that.”

Times staff writer Noah Goldberg contributed to this report.

Inter Milan join race for defender Marc Guehi, Everton monitoring striker Nicolas Jackson, and Manchester United face competition for Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Inter Milan want to sign England centre-back Marc Guehi, 25, when his Crystal Palace contract expires next summer, but face competition from Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Liverpool. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Everton are monitoring Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, 24, as Bayern Munich are increasingly unlikely to trigger a £70m move for the on-loan Chelsea forward. (Football Insider), external

Manchester United are keen on Chelsea’s Brazil midfielder Andrey Santos, 21, as they bid to strengthen their midfield in January. (Football Insider), external

Manager Ruben Amorim expects some of his Manchester United squad to ask to leave in January in search of more minutes. (Times – subscription required), external

Manchester United have had internal discussions over signing Lille’s French midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, 18. (Caught Offside), external

Arsenal and Liverpool are also in the mix to sign talented teenager Bouaddi. (TBR Football), external

Bournemouth and Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo, 25, says he is not oblivious to speculation around his future, but glad he remained with the Cherries in the summer. (Sky Sports), external

PSV Eindhoven’s Ismael Saibari is emerging as a January target for a host of Premier League clubs, with Aston Villa and Leeds among those interested in the 24-year-old Morocco midfielder. (TBR Football), external

Real Madrid have joined Manchester United and Chelsea in tracking Red Bull Salzburg’s Bosnia-Herzegovina winger Kerim Alajbegovic, 18. (Defensa Central – in Spanish), external