Month: January 2026

VISALIA, Calif. — Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any more tumultuous for Judge Howard R. Broadman, things did.

The Tulare County Superior Court judge already was the center of a national furor over his order that a child abuser submit to surgical implantation of a birth control device as a condition of probation. Broadman also had been named in a lawsuit claiming that he bilked a former legal client out of her home and land. And he had been the subject of both ridicule and praise for “creative” sentencing techniques, such as ordering a thief to wear a T-shirt proclaiming his guilt.

Indeed, controversies involving Broadman seemed to be on overload here in Visalia, a conservative farming town of 75,000 in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. But last month, an ex-mental patient turned up the heat even further.

Ray Bodine was sitting in the spectator section of Broadman’s courtroom during a divorce case when he spotted a woman wearing red shoes. Bodine recognized the shoes as a signal from the Mother of God that he should go ahead with his plan to kill Broadman as part of his war on contraception. Bodine slipped a revolver from his briefcase, aimed at the middle of the judge’s forehead and fired. . . .

Howard Richard Broadman is a trim, dapper man who stands about 5 feet, 7 inches tall. His carefully groomed black beard is tipped with white at the chin and his dark eyes glance sharply about his courtroom from beneath bushy brows.

He was known as an energetic and aggressive divorce lawyer in Visalia when then-Gov. George Deukmejian appointed him to the Municipal Court in 1986. He was elevated to the Tulare County Superior Court in 1988.

His rulings have been the focus of almost constant controversy, and some critics question his fitness for the bench. The continuing furor over his birth control order and the related near-miss by an assassin’s bullet led Broadman to disqualify himself from further involvement in that case this month.

Broadman is viewed as both impetuous and likable, sometimes by the same person. He is called a “wild card” and a “loose cannon” as well as “innovative” and “courageous.”

His words from the bench are sometimes brusque and impatient.

“He doesn’t suffer fools well,” observed Joseph Altschule, who practices law in Visalia.

Altschule says he likes Broadman and considers him intelligent and sincere, but he routinely asks that the judge be disqualified from hearing his cases.

“He is tremendously stubborn and he has an ego as big as all outdoors,” Altschule said of Broadman. “And when you bring that mix to the bench you have some problems. . . . Howard’s attempt to be creative gets him in trouble, and in some ways he’s his own worst enemy.”

A prosecutor who asked not to be identified said of Broadman:

“He’s viewed as an unpredictable wild card. . . . You can go into court and you can’t know whether the defendant is going to walk out the door five minutes later or whether he’s going to get the absolute maximum (sentence).”

But Broadman has supporters in the legal profession.

Richard Cochran, president of the Tulare County Bar Assn., said that most of the directors of that organization agreed with Broadman’s controversial birth control order.

“I think the majority felt that he did something that was creative and innovative,” said Cochran. “A lot of the judges in the courthouse (give) the usual and conventional sentences. My feeling about his (sentences) is that he is courageous.”

Letters to the local newspaper, the Visalia Times-Delta, indicate that there is widespread community support for Broadman’s birth control decision.

Broadman first gained national attention as the result of a December, 1989, case in which he offered probation to a thief on the condition that the man agree to wear a T-shirt proclaiming his guilt. Russell Hackler, 30, had stolen two six packs of beer, but was on parole for robbery and faced the possibility of four years in prison as a repeat offender.

The front of the T-shirt read, “MY RECORD AND TWO SIX PACKS EQUAL FOUR YEARS.” The back said, “I AM ON FELONY PROBATION FOR THEFT.”

“I was kind of dumbfounded,” recalled Deputy Public Defender Berry Robinson, who represented Hackler. “I turned to my client and said, ‘You’d be real stupid to turn this down.’ ”

Some praised the sentence as creative, but eight months later Hackler was again before Broadman, charged with violating probation due to an arrest for burglary. A witness said Hackler bought beer with coins stolen in the burglary–he remembered him because the defendant was wearing his infamous T-shirt at the time.

Broadman sentenced Hackler to four years in prison.

In some other “creative” judicial actions, Broadman:

* Allowed a child molester to serve time at home on the condition that he post a sign outside his house reading, “Do not enter, I am under house arrest.”

* Required an alcoholic to stand in court and swallow Antabuse, a medication that causes violent nausea if alcohol is ingested.

* Ordered a husband and wife in a divorce case to take turns living in the family home so that the children would not have to shuttle back and forth.

* Ordered a young female drug addict convicted of narcotics possession not to get pregnant as a condition of probation. But when she was a half hour late to a subsequent hearing because she had taken her children to school, Broadman sent her to prison.

Such rulings have generated publicity, but last December the judge received media attention of another kind when a former divorce-case client sued him for allegedly bilking her out of her house and land.

Darleen Woods charged in a $1.5-million lawsuit filed Dec. 10 that Broadman–who represented her in a long and complicated divorce action in the early to mid 1980s–had improperly foreclosed on her property to satisfy a $58,000 legal bill. Woods maintains that she was left penniless when Broadman sold the real estate for $330,000 last summer and kept all the proceeds for himself.

Woods’ suit charges that Broadman pressured her into putting her property up for collateral against the legal bill and that he “laundered” the foreclosure proceedings by signing the lien over to his mother so his own name would not be involved.

Woods, 58, says she is broke, unskilled and living with a daughter and son-in-law. Broadman declined to be interviewed by The Times for this article, but he disputed Woods’ claims last December in the Visalia Times-Delta.

“I’m an ethical man,” he was quoted as saying in the Dec. 20 article. “I don’t swindle people.”

Oliver Wanger, a Fresno attorney representing Broadman, says the judge received the lien on Woods’ property through a normal business transaction and legally sold the lien to his mother, Margaret Drew of Gore, Okla.

“It wasn’t done to hide anything,” said Wanger. “It was a private transfer that is in no way against the law.”

Broadman’s mother reportedly paid her son $40,000 for the property in 1987. Drew foreclosed on the real estate in 1988 for the price of the debt which had by then reached about $58,000, with interest.

But Drew could not sell the property because the title was clouded and Broadman bought it back from his mother last year for $58,000, according to the Times-Delta. Broadman told the newspaper that he spent several months and $100,000 clearing the title. Records show that he sold the real estate for $330,000 last August.

If it did indeed cost Broadman $100,000 to clear the title, simple arithmetic indicates he collected his debt and made $200,000 or so on the foreclosure of Woods’ former home and land.

Even so, says Broadman’s attorney, the transaction was perfectly legal and Woods’ suit is without merit.

Less than a month after Woods’ suit was filed, the Broadman spotlight shifted away from that controversy to one which caused a national uproar.

On Jan. 2, Darlene Johnson, 27-year-old mother of four and nearly eight months pregnant, stood before Broadman to be sentenced for severely beating two of her daughters, ages 5 and 6.

Broadman asked the woman if she would be willing, as a condition of probation, to use a new long-term birth control device called Norplant, which is implanted under the arm. Other conditions of probation included a year in the county jail with credit for time served, and mandatory counseling and parenting classes. The prosecution was seeking a state prison sentence.

Johnson agreed to the terms of probation, but changed her mind about the birth control device after leaving the courtroom, maintaining that she agreed to it only because she was afraid of being sent to prison. A hearing to reconsider the Norplant order was set for Jan. 10.

By that time Broadman’s order was the subject of a national controversy over the morality and constitutionality of a judge requiring a woman to use a birth control device. Critics–pointing out that Johnson is a poor black woman and Broadman a well-to-do white man–also saw elements of class, race and sex discrimination.

In his argument on behalf of Johnson, attorney Charles Rothbaum compared Broadman’s Norplant order to an old science fiction film “in which these aliens came down to Earth and implanted these devices in the back of persons’ necks and used that to control their activity.”

But Broadman upheld his order in a prepared decision.

Johnson “has been convicted of brutally beating her children,” he said. “It is in the defendant’s best interest and certainly in any unconceived child’s interest that she not have any more children until she is mentally and emotionally prepared to do so.”

Rothbaum, joined by the American Civil Liberties Union, is appealing the decision. In the meantime, Johnson is serving the county jail portion of her probation. Her fifth child was born in February.

A short, friendly woman, Johnson is afraid she will have to choose between prison and Norplant when she gets out of jail in June.

She has never been married, but says she plans to do so and says she does not believe in using birth control.

“If God blesses me to have more (children),” she said, “I’ll have more.”

Harry Raymond Bodine agrees with that point of view. Vehemently.

Bodine is in Tulare County Jail facing 15 years to life in prison on a charge of attempting to murder a public official. A hearing to determine his mental competency to stand trial is scheduled for May 17, according to his attorney, Michael Cross. Bodine, 45, is a muscular 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. A small blue cross dangles over his red county jail T-shirt as he smiles pleasantly and talks about his life and beliefs.

Bodine is a second generation orchard grower in Tulare County. He was president of his high school class, attended Catholic seminaries, received a degree in philosophy, decided against the priesthood, married, was convicted of misdemeanor sexual molestation of his 10-year-old stepdaughter, divorced and was sent to the state mental hospital in Napa for seven months in 1987 after threatening to kill his wife’s new husband.

Bodine has been arrested at demonstrations protesting abortion clinics, but his goals were broader than other abortion opponents.

“I was helping,” he said, “with the idea that sooner or later I would convert them to a more dramatic civil war.”

Bodine believes he is on a holy mission to stamp out contraception and is guided by the Mother of God.

After hearing about Broadman’s ruling in the Johnson case, Bodine says he decided to kill the judge and began target practice with a revolver down by the river.

He was so nervous on the day that the Mother of God gave him the go-ahead sign to kill Broadman that he drank some Pepto-Bismol to quiet his stomach. The woman with red shoes was, for some reason, the signal that Our Lady chose.

When Bodine’s revolver went off in the courtroom, attorney Philip Bianco was representing a woman in a divorce case.

“My client went under the desk, holding onto her husband for the first time in three months,” said Bianco.

Bodine says he looked at the bench, saw that it was empty and thought he had killed the judge. There was no bailiff in the room, so Bodine placed his gun on a table and sat down to wait for someone to come arrest him for murder.

But Broadman was not dead. He was crouching behind the bench, wondering if he had been shot and checking himself for blood. There was none. The bullet missed Broadman’s head by inches and tore through the wall behind him.

In the meantime, bailiffs arrived, shoved the compliant Bodine to the floor and began handcuffing him.

Broadman, when he realized how close to death he had come, flew into a rage and–still wearing his black judicial robe–rushed at Bodine.

Bianco and two other men tried to hold Broadman back, but the judge lunged forward, sprawling across the bodies of the bailiffs and Bodine on the courtroom floor.

“All three of us couldn’t hold the guy,” said Bianco. “He was completely white. His heart was going as fast as it could go. He was like a bird dog that had just run a quarter of a mile.”

Prevented from getting at Bodine physically, Broadman subsequently filed a civil suit against his assailant, seeking to take away the man’s 29 acres of orchards as punishment for the shooting. That action caused still another controversy, this time over the propriety of a Superior Court judge suing a mentally ill person.

Bodine says he will not defend himself against Broadman’s suit.

“The Scriptures say if a man sues you for your jacket,” he explained, “give him your shirt, as well.”

Bodine says he might, however, be willing to punch it out with Broadman over the property if he were to meet him on the street.

Times staff writer Mark Stein contributed to this story

While she improved to beat 197th-ranked Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the Melbourne first round, she looked undercooked against Potapova.

Russian-born Potapova also made a huge amount of errors in a poor-quality first set which started with five breaks of serve before Raducanu pulled away.

Raducanu served for the first set at 5-4 but was broken back by Potapova, who promptly pulled away with the tie-break.

After Potapova took a lengthy break at the end of the set, she made a fast start to the second and broke twice for a 3-0 lead.

The pair exchanged breaks before Potapova asserted her authority and cruised to victory, with a subdued Raducanu making a hasty exit.

Eyes had inevitably drawn towards the potential meeting with Sabalenka – but this loss was a sharp reminder of where Raducanu’s level remains.

Meanwhile, British qualifier Arthur Fery was also knocked out after a 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 6-3 loss to Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the men’s second round.

This beautiful town gets 573 hours more sunshine a year than the UK average

At this time of year, it can seem as if the weather in the UK is particularly miserable. The cold, wet weather isn’t helped by the fact the sun continues to set early in the day.

But this won’t be the case forever, with clocks set to go forward in March giving us much longer days. And some parts of the country will get even more sun than others.

Certain areas typically get more sunshine due to their location and local climate. Taking the top spot in the UK for this is a “small” but charming town you may not have heard of.

Located on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England, Shanklin boasts the most sunshine hours a year. Based on Met Office data, it gets 1,976 hours of sunshine per year.

This is 573 hours more than the UK average and 44 more than the runner-up of Folkestone in Kent. This data was analysed by Sunsave Energy, which said on its website: “The Isle of Wight receives the gold medal for sunshine.

“Located just off the south coast of England, this little island is famous for its sunny weather, seafront promenades and beach huts. It’s no surprise that Queen Victoria regularly chose to retreat here.

“The Met Office has several climate stations on the Isle of Wight, but it’s the one in the small town of Shanklin (population: 9,000) that tops the UK sunshine charts. With 1,976 hours of sunshine per year, the Isle of Wight is a whopping 573 hours up on the UK average (1,403).”

READ MORE: ‘Record hot weather for 2026’ as Met Office says when UK will get warm againREAD MORE: Met Office says Northern Lights could be visible this week as maps reveal where

Shanklin is a well-established holiday spot that can be found on the south-east coast of the island. Families can enjoy its beautiful sandy beach, amusement arcades, and shops.

For nature lovers, Shanklin Chine is a must-see coastal ravine, featuring waterfalls, trees and lush vegetation. Visit Isle of Wight, the island’s official tourist information site, explains: “One of the jewels of Sandown Bay, the town of Shanklin has long been known as a traditional holiday destination and has everything you need for a great family holiday or to go to with friends or as a couple. With lots of seafront hotels, amusement arcades and crazy golf, it is the epitome of the British beach resort.

“But Shanklin these days is so much more than that. It has a thriving town centre with a host of independent shops, restaurants and pubs and its own theatre.

“Then there is the history of the town, from it being the home of the poet Keats to its vital role in the Second World War. Whatever you like to do on holiday, then Shanklin is certainly a place to ‘Say Yes’ to.”

The other sunniest places in Britain, as per Sunsave Energy, were:

• Folkestone, Kent – 1,932 hours of sunshine a year
• Bognor Regis, West Sussex – 1,919 hours
• Hastings, East Sussex – 1,915 hours
• Weymouth, Dorset – 1,904 hours
• Eastbourne, East Sussex – 1,892 hours
• Southend-on-Sea, Essex – 1,884 hours
• Ramsgate, Kent – 1,846 hours
• Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex – 1,824 hours
• Swanage, Dorset – 1,806 hours
• Bournemouth, Dorset – 1,779 hours

Jan. 20 (Asia Today) — A group of North Korean defectors on Tuesday petitioned South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission to block the Unification Ministry’s move to change how defectors are labeled, saying the shift could undermine their identity and deepen divisions within the community.

The group, which calls itself the Association of North Korean Defectors Opposing the Forced Use of the Term “North-bound residents,” said the ministry’s preferred wording goes beyond accommodating the choice of some defectors and amounts to imposing a new designation on most of them.

Lee Eun-taek, the group’s representative, said in a statement that the change risks infringing on “the identity and dignity that individual defectors have chosen for themselves” and is fueling unnecessary conflict among defectors.

“What we seek to protect is the rights and identity of those who have chosen to live as North Korean defectors,” Lee said, adding that diverse views within the community should be respected and that no term should be used to erase someone else’s identity.

Lee urged the commission to prevent defectors from being deprived of the right to choose how they are identified, saying “a name” reflects a person’s life experience and should not be decided by state power or politicians.

The Unification Ministry said in last year’s work report that it intended to change the terms “North Korean defectors” and “North Korean refugees” to “North-bound residents.” The ministry has used the new phrasing internally since this year and plans to adopt it as legal terminology once it becomes socially established, the report said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

What if I told you that the Pope, beyond his shepherding on how his followers should conduct their daily lives, also speaks extensively about international politics?

It was evident during Pope Leo XIV’s “State Of The World” address last week.

In his first such event since being elected to the Papal throne back in May last year, the Pope addressed a wide range of issues. Using a classic from Augustine, titled ‘The City of God,’ as the base of his speech, the Pope further elaborated his thoughts on three main topics: the first being the importance of diplomacy as well as the use of language within it; the second being human rights which includes freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and religious freedom; and the final headline being the world peace. The third, of course, came at the right time: just days after the US attack in Venezuela, a Catholic-majority country.

But, there is a specific aspect of the speech that I found particularly intriguing, especially since it was uttered by a religious leader like the Pope: multilateralism.

In his address, the Pope highlighted the ‘weakness of multilateralism’ as a ’cause for concern at the international level.’ He also lamented the rise of the use of force at the global scale, mentioning that ‘diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force.’ The main question then emerges: why does the Pope have to address this issue? Why multilateralism?

Holy See’s Foreign Policy: A Holy Diplomacy

You probably have seen that in many contemporary and academic literatures, the terms ‘Vatican’ and ‘Holy See’ are often used interchangeably. While acceptable, we have to acknowledge that the two do have distinctions.

The ‘Vatican’ is a physical territory which hosts the iconic Basilica of Saint Peter, the ever-crowded Saint Peter’s Square, the magnificent Sistine Chapel, and the famous Vatican Museum. Meanwhile, the ‘Holy See’ is the spiritual and administrative centre of the Roman Catholic Church and is a subject of international law. In other words, the Holy See is the body of government. Thus, it is the Holy See, not the Vatican, that represents all of the Catholic faithful on the global stage, including at the United Nations. However, for the purpose of simplicity, I will use those two terms interchangeably.

How long, then, has the Holy See been participating as an actor on the global stage?

According to Jodok Troy, the Holy See is ‘one of the oldest participants in the international society of states.’ Similarly, a paper by Janne Matlary claims that the Holy See has always been an international actor, even before the concepts of Westphalian statehood and sovereignty were formulated. In the same research, Matlary adds that the Vatican’s foreign policy is fueled by ‘the rich intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church,’ which means not only do they draw their foreign policy solely from teachings of the Scripture, but also those from Church Fathers such as Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas.

Pope Leo XIV, in his first audience with members of the Diplomatic Corps in May last year, reiterated three pillars of missionary work that simultaneously act as ‘aim[s] of the Holy See’s diplomacy.’ Those are peace, justice, and truth.

Imagine a classical building, those three aspects will act this way: truth as the foundation, justice as the supporting pillars, and peace as the entablature.

Peace is, evidently, highly regarded by the Holy See.

We should also understand the Vatican’s sense of peace since it does not merely mean an absence or pause of war and conflict.  

The Vatican’s understanding of peace can be found in the concept of ‘just peace’; it should permeate every aspect of society. Matlary explains that to achieve just peace, it requires ‘just distribution of goods’, respect of human rights, as well as ‘honest investigation’ of atrocities that may have been conducted in a conflict. That very concept was also reiterated by the Pope himself in his last year’s address, explaining that peace should engage and challenge human beings, regardless of our cultural background or religious affiliation, demanding first of all that we work on ourselves.’

Departing from the Pope’s statement, it is obvious that the Holy See put human beings as an imago Dei at the very centre of its diplomacy.

Pope Leo XIV emphasised that Papal diplomacy is ‘inspired by a pastoral outreach…at the service of humanity.’

Similarly, Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State under the late Pope Francis (as well as under the current Pope Leo XIV), stated that the diplomacy run by the Holy See is a ‘human diplomacy’ and therefore all diplomatic actions should revolve around ‘real people.’

We can conclude that, according to the Vatican’s perspective, one of the ways in which humans can work for peace is through dialogue and consensus in a multilateral setting. It, then, brings us to the main question of this article: why multilateralism?

The Global Reach of Catholicism

The first answer is that Catholics are scattered in most, if not all, of the countries all over the world. From peaceful nations to those with conflicts, such as those in the Middle East and Latin America, you can find a multitude of faithful. The latest data from the Vatican claimed that there are around 1.4 billion Catholic faithful worldwide.

Despite having less than 50 hectares of sovereign area, the Holy See, being the ecclesiastical centre of the Roman Catholic Church, regards every Catholic faithful as its subject. In other words, Catholics worldwide do obey the authority of the Pope. Daniel Binchy, in an address to the Chatham House in 1945, even went on to say that Papal sovereignty “does not depend on the small territory over which he rules.”

We can, therefore, safely say that Papal influence transcends Westphalian-style sovereignty. It transcends modern state boundaries.

For Catholics worldwide, the Pope is regarded as the ‘Vicar of Christ,’ a title that has been passed throughout millennia since the foundation of the Church by the Apostle Paul. As for non-Catholics

As far as my knowledge goes, that case is particular to the Holy See.

Doesn’t that make the Holy See somewhat cosmopolitan?

Referring back to Binchy’s address eight decades ago, he agreed to the idea that the Holy See has ‘acquired an essentially cosmopolitan outlook.’ He further elaborated that the Holy See’s ‘attitude’ is, in fact, ‘supra-national [sic] rather than international’ and it was passed down from the ‘universalist’ idea from the olden age of the Roman Empire.

I, on the other hand, have to dissent from that idea.

The opinion of the Holy See being ‘cosmopolitan’ is actually a mischaracterisation of its global presence that might seem ‘overarching’ for some.

The Holy See, in fact, subscribes to the principle of subsidiarity, which holds that matters should be handled by the most direct authority. In the case of international politics, the direct authority refers to the state government. The principle is also mentioned in Pope Pius XI’s 1931 encyclical, Quadragessimo Anno.

Therefore, it is clear that the Holy See, despite its unique capacity to transcend borders, still consider that states worldwide and their governments are sovereign over their own citizens. It then makes a clear statement about the need for multilateralism.

It is also important to note that most multilateral cooperation happened within what we know as multilateral institutions. And, for the Holy See, those institutions are useful for the continuity of its diplomacy.

For that reason, we come to the second answer: the Holy See prefers multilateralism since it can utilise multilateral institutions to amplify its diplomatic message.

A Need for an Amplifier

In the words of Sarah Teo, multilateralism ‘facilitates the institutionalisation of rules and norms that are relatively beneficial to all participants, regardless of economic size or military capability.’ She, then, argues that multilateral institutions are ‘more open and fair’ and that they could ‘help to restrain major powers from imposing their preferences on the smaller states.’

It is obvious that the Vatican does not possess material resources such as military and economic power in order to be on a par with other states. Instead, they become a norm entrepreneur, taking on the task to define an appropriate standard of behaviour in the international society.

Being a norm entrepreneur is quite common among states of lesser power, such as small and middle powers. It compensates for the lack of material power a country failed to possess.

Papal ‘human-centred’ diplomacy, along with peace, justice, and truth being the aim, is universally accepted, and, regardless of which state you belong to, you will find yourself in agreement with these points. Thus, these are the bases for the Vatican’s norm entrepreneurship.The act of serving as a norm entrepreneur is, therefore, the core of Papal diplomacy.

How does the Holy See project its norm entrepreneurship in a multilateral setting?

It is through the United Nations that the Holy See has been projecting its norm entrepeneurship in the global setting.

The UN, as the centre of multilateral diplomacy, has witnessed the play of the Vatican’s ‘holy diplomacy’ since its elevation to a permanent observer/non-member status within the institution.

The current Pope Leo XIV spoke highly of the United Nations, highlighting its achievements in mediating conflicts, promoting development, and helping states protect freedoms and human rights over the eight decades since its inception.

The UN was built on the ashes of the Second World War, which had ‘brought untold sorrow to mankind.’ Therefore, it is enshrined in its Charter that the purposes of the UN are to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems, and to be the centre for harmonising the actions of nations.

For the Holy See, the aforementioned purposes share similarities with its conception of diplomacy.

According to an article by Alan Chong and Jodok Troy, both the Holy See and the United Nations represent a ‘universal idealist mission’ such as pursuing peace and working on the ‘universalisation of human rights.’

Even back in the 1960s, Pope Paul VI stated that the Holy See’s role in the United Nations is as an ‘expert of humanity.’

Vatican’s commitment to humanity through multilateral means is also evident in the Pope’s recent address to the diplomatic corps, where he emphasised the need for a “more focused” policy aimed at the “unity of the human family instead of ideologies.” We can also interpret that particular statement as the Pope’s call for reform at the UN, just in time for the growing need for multilateralism.

The slow demise of multilateralism is, therefore, a nightmare for the Holy See.

Not only will it lose its influence in international politics, but the Holy See will eventually have to worry about the safety and security of its subjects worldwide, for when multilateral diplomacy fails, it will lead to the ‘ushering in’ of the ‘diplomacy of force’ that will put humankind in danger.

Therefore, it is right and just that the Pope use his platform and call for efforts to renew the institutions where multilateral diplomacy takes place.

DAVID BECKHAM has fought back tears over being a proud dad in a resurfaced clip amid his ongoing feud with his son Brooklyn.

The aspiring chef released a bombshell statement on Monday as he slammed his parents for “controlling” him and said he has no intention of reconciling with them.

In his Netflix documentary series BECKHAM, which released in October 2023, David opened up about how proud he is of his four children.

As he fought back tears, he expressed: “They could be little s**ts but they’re not and that’s why I say I’m so proud of my children.

“And I’m so in awe of my children, the way they’ve turned out,” the proud dad admitted while speaking directly to camera.

In scenes shown in the episode in question, David and his eldest son were seen cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

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The 26-year-old finally broke his silence after months of reports about the family feud.

He expressed: “I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.

“Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.

“For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family.

“The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.

“Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade.

“But I believe the truth always comes out.

“My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.”

He went on to accuse his mum of trying to sabotage his wedding with Nicola Peltz by allegedly taking over his first dance and cancelling making the wedding dress at the eleventh hour.

David spoke out for the first time today as he admitted his children had “made mistakes” on social media.

Speaking live on CNBC’s financial program Squawk Box, Becks said: “I have always spoken about social media and the power of social media . . . For the good and for the bad.

“What kids can access these days, it can be dangerous.

“But what I have found personally, especially with my kids as well, use it for the right reasons.

“I’ve been able to use my platform for my following, for UNICEF.

“And it has been the biggest tool to make people aware of what’s going on around the world for children.

“And I have tried to do the same with my children, to educate them.

“They make mistakes, but children are allowed to make mistakes. That is how they learn. That is what I try to teach my kids.”

The former Manchester United star added: “You sometimes have to let them make those mistakes as well.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors served six grand jury subpoenas Tuesday to Minnesota officials as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded federal law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a person familiar with the matter said.

The subpoenas, which seek records, were sent to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Atty. Gen. Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, the person said.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

An investigation is underway into whether Minnesota officials obstructed federal immigration enforcement through public statements they made, two people familiar with the matter said Friday. They said then it was focused on the potential violation of a conspiracy statute.

Mayor says subpoenas are to stoke fear

Walz and Frey, both Democrats, have called the probe a bullying tactic meant to quell political opposition. Frey’s office was ordered to produce a long list of records to a grand jury on Feb. 3, including “cooperation or lack of cooperation with federal law enforcement” and “any records tending to show a refusal to come to the aid of immigration officials.”

“We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,” Frey said.

Her, a Hmong immigrant and a Democrat, said she’s “unfazed by these tactics” and will stand up for her community.

The subpoenas came as the Trump administration urged a judge to reject efforts by Minnesota and its largest cities to stop the immigration enforcement surge that has roiled Minneapolis and St. Paul for weeks.

The Justice Department called the lawsuit, filed soon after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer, “legally frivolous.” Lawyers argued that the Department of Homeland Security is acting within its legal powers to enforce immigration laws.

Operation Metro Surge has made the state safer with the arrests of more than 3,000 people who were in the country illegally, the government said Monday in a court filing.

“Put simply, Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.

Ellison said the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights with its unprecedented sweeps. He described the armed officers as poorly trained and said the “invasion” must cease.

The lawsuit filed Jan. 12 seeks an order to halt or limit the enforcement action. More filings are expected, and it’s not known when U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez will make a decision.

Hard to track arrests

Ilan Wurman, who teaches constitutional law at University of Minnesota Law School, doubts the state’s arguments will be successful.

“There’s no question that federal law is supreme over state law, that immigration enforcement is within the power of the federal government, and the president, within statutory bounds, can allocate more federal enforcement resources to states who’ve been less cooperative in that enforcement space than other states have been,” Wurman told the Associated Press.

Julia Decker, policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, expressed frustration that advocates have no way of knowing whether the government’s arrest numbers and descriptions of the people in custody are accurate. U.S. citizens have been dragged from their homes and vehicles during the Minnesota surge.

“These are real people we’re talking about, that we potentially have no idea what is happening to them,” Decker said.

Police say ICE is targeting off-duty officers

In a separate lawsuit, Menendez said Friday that federal officers can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities.

Good, 37, was killed on Jan. 7 as she was moving her vehicle, which had been blocking a Minneapolis street where Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were operating. Trump administration officials say the officer, Jonathan Ross, shot her in self-defense, although videos of the encounter show the Honda Pilot slowly turning away from him.

Since then, the public has repeatedly confronted officers, blowing whistles and yelling insults at ICE and U.S. Border Patrol. They, in turn, have used tear gas and chemical irritants against protesters. Bystanders have recorded video of officers using a battering ram to get into a house as well as smashing vehicle windows and dragging people out of cars.

Police in the region, meanwhile, said off-duty law enforcement officers have been racially profiled by federal officers and stopped without cause. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said he has received complaints from residents who are U.S. citizens, including his own officers.

“Every one of these individuals is a person of color who has had this happening,” Bruley said during a news conference.

President Trump last week threatened to invoke an 1807 law and send troops to Minnesota, though he has backed off, at least in his public remarks.

Karnowski and Richer write for the Associated Press. Richer reported from Washington. AP reporters Ed White in Detroit and Sarah Raza in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Jude Bellingham has dismissed reports about his lifestyle off the pitch as “outside noise”, adding his celebration after scoring in Real Madrid’s Champions League win over Monaco was intended as “a bit of a joke back to the fans”.

Bellingham scored Real Madrid’s final goal – and his first of 2026 – in a comfortable 6-1 Champions League victory and marked the occasion by performing a drinking gesture.

The moment quickly drew attention online.

The celebration came after well-known Spanish YouTuber AuronPlay, who has over 29 million subscribers, made viral comments about Bellingham before Real Madrid faced Levante at the weekend.

He claimed Belliingham “loves alcohol too much” and has visited “every nightclub in Spain”, suggesting this is affecting the midfielder’s form.

Bellingham was subsequently among the players singled out for boos and whistles from the stands during the 2-0 win against Levante.

“It feels like anyone now can get a camera, say what they want and the whole world just believes them with no evidence,” Bellingham told TNT Sports after Tuesday’s Champions League fixture.

Jan. 20 (Asia Today) — Bank deposits in South Korea are falling sharply as investors shift cash toward the stock market during the KOSPI’s rally, raising concerns in the financial sector about an accelerating “money move,” industry data showed Tuesday.

Demand deposits at the five major banks – KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank – totaled 673.9145 trillion won ($455.6 billion), down 4.99% from the end of last month, a decline of 35.3973 trillion won ($23.9 billion), the financial sector said.

Time deposits also edged lower, slipping to 938.2555 trillion won ($634.3 billion) from 939.2863 trillion won ($635.0 billion) in December.

Market participants attributed the outflows to a shift into securities-related cash, including investor deposits – standby funds used directly for stock purchases – and cash management accounts.

Investor deposits rose to 91.2182 trillion won ($61.7 billion) as of Friday from 77.912 trillion won ($52.7 billion) at the end of November, the data showed. Cash management account balances climbed to 102.9779 trillion won ($69.6 billion) from 98.0722 trillion won ($66.3 billion) over the same period.

The increase in investor deposits has tracked the KOSPI’s gains, the report said. Investor deposits hovered near 60 trillion won ($40.6 billion) in June last year when the index was around 2,000, then topped 80 trillion won ($54.1 billion) on Oct. 13. As the KOSPI resumed a steady rise in January and touched 5,000, investor deposits moved above 90 trillion won ($60.8 billion), reaching 92.8537 trillion won ($62.8 billion) on Jan. 8.

Banks revived deposit products paying interest in the 3% range in the second half of last year, but they are facing competition from alternatives such as integrated investment accounts known as IMAs, introduced in December, the report said.

The IMA products are marketed as offering principal protection if funds are held to maturity while targeting returns above 4%, the report said. About 220 billion won ($149 million) flowed into one product on its first day, it added.

A banking industry official said the reappearance of 3% deposit products reflects an attempt to respond to the money move. The official said the decline in time deposits remains modest, but banks are monitoring the trend closely.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

A new draft defense spending bill making its way through Congress seeks to boost funding for the U.S. Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to $1.1 billion for the current fiscal year. This is hundreds of millions of dollars more than Congress had already authorized in a defense policy bill signed into law last month. This underscores the changing fortunes of the E-7 program, which the Pentagon had sought to cancel last year.

The Senate Appropriations Committee released a draft of the Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 Fiscal Year, which reflects negotiations with its counterparts in the House, earlier today. The proposed defense spending legislation is currently consolidated with other bills covering funding for an array of other government agencies. A separate annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the current fiscal cycle became law in December, and had already approved $846.676 million in funding for E-7. Congress also included a separate tranche of $200 million for Wedgetail in a short-term spending bill signed into law in November to reopen the federal government following a protracted shutdown.

“The agreement emphasizes the importance of the E-7 Wedgetail platform and the airborne early warning and battle management mission for the Department ofthe Air Force. Therefore, $1,100,000,000 is included in Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force for fiscal year 2026 to continue E-7 rapid prototyping activities and transition to engineering and manufacturing development aircraft,” according to a Joint Explanatory Statement report the Senate Appropriations Committee also released today. “The Secretary of the Air Force is directed to present a plan to the congressional defense committees, not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, on ongoing actions to streamline requirements and control costs on future production of the E-7 aircraft.”

The Boeing 737-based E-7s are part of a larger Air Force plan to supplant its current fleet of E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, which we will come back to later on. The Air Force’s 16 remaining E-3s provide essential airborne early warning, data-sharing, and command and control capabilities, but are aging and have become increasingly difficult to operate and maintain. The Wedgetail features a newer radar and other improved systems over the E-3 in a package that also offers better fuel economy and other benefits, as you can read more about here. Versions of the Wedgetail are already in service in Australia, South Korea, and Turkey. The United Kingdom is still on track to field the E-7, but the NATO alliance cancelled plans to buy a fleet that multiple members would operate collectively after the U.S. military separately withdrew from that effort.

Furthermore, “the agreement bolsters the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft program and includes a new general provision that prohibits the use of funds to pause, cancel, or terminate the E- 7,” the Joint Explanatory Statement adds.

The Air Force first announced plans to buy E-7s in 2022, but, as noted, the Pentagon had moved to cancel the program last year. The Air Force had requested just under $200 million for Wedgetail in Fiscal Year 2026, but explicitly to support the process of closing it out, including a full financial audit. The Pentagon and the Air Force had also laid out an alternative plan involving the purchase of additional E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft as interim gap-fillers for the retiring E-3s until the Air Force could push most, if not all, airborne target warning sensor layer tasks into space. Officials justified the decision, in part, by raising concerns about the E-7 vulnerability, especially in future high-end fights, such as one against China in the Pacific. Significant delays and cost overruns were also cited as key factors.

Members of Congress, as well as independent observers, were quick to question various aspects of this plan, including whether E-2s would be an adequate interim substitute for the E-7 and what the realistic timeline might be for new space-based capabilities to become operational. In the U.S. military, the Hawkeye is currently in service with the Navy. The lower and slower flying aircraft was designed with the unique requirements of carrier-based operations, and their constraints, in mind. Survivability concerns would apply just as much to the E-2 as the E-7, the latter of which also offers a larger platform that is more adaptable to expanded mission needs, such as battle management and acting as a networking node.

When it comes to future space-based capabilities, the U.S. officials have touted progress on being able to persistently track targets on the ground and at sea from orbit, but have acknowledged challenges in doing the same with ones in the air.

“So GMTI [ground moving-target indicator capability] and AMTI [air moving-target indicator capability] sound like they’re really close, just because one little letter that is all you changed, [but it] turns out they’re pretty different,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, U.S. Space Force’s top officer, said during a press briefing on the sidelines of a conference in December, according to Breaking Defense. “What it takes to accomplish AMTI is different than what it takes to accomplish GMTI.”

“Things on the ground move slower than things on [sic] the air, so [they] require different levels of fidelity tracks,” he added.

With all this in mind, there had already been a steady drumbeat of moves in Congress to preserve the E-7 program since last summer. The NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026 was the first piece of legislation to enshrine this into law. That bill also included a provision blocking the retirement of any E-3s in the current fiscal cycle.

When the Air Force may now begin to field E-7s operationally, even with a further boost in funding, does remain to be seen. When the Pentagon revealed plans to cancel the program last year, the Air Force was still working to acquire two initial production representative prototypes. The original plan had been to use those aircraft for test and evaluation purposes in the lead-in to the production of Wedgetails in a full U.S.-specific configuration. The Air Force had hoped to have the first examples flying missions in 2027. As of January of last year, the initial operational capability timeline had been pushed back to 2032, according to the Government Accountability Office, a Congressional watchdog.

In the meantime, Congress does look set to further underscore its support for the E-7, a program already in a completely different position from where it was a year ago.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

HILARY Duff has addressed the long-running feud with her big sister Haylie, and admitted “we don’t talk anymore”.

The two sisters, who were once incredibly close, have not been photographed together in years, leading fans to suspect they have fallen out.

For years, Hilary, 38, and her sister Haylie, 40, have had no interaction whatsoever when they used to be very close.

They do not like each others posts on social media, nor comment on anything of each others.

Hilary and Haylie have also not been seen together in public in at least five years.

Now Hilary, who is currently relaunching her music career, has appeared to have lifted the lid on the fall out with her sister, and even blamed “jealousy”.

Read More about Hilary Duff

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Hilary Duff crawls on floor in soaking-wet see-through dress for music video

It all happened when the Younger star took to the stage for the first time in 18 years.

During her concert in London on Monday night, Hilary introduced fans to the new song, We Don’t Talk.

In a clip of her performing the song on stage, she sings: “Don’t know when it happened / Not even sure what it was about,” alluding to their broken down relationship.

She continues: “’Cause we come from the same home, same blood.

“People ask me how you’re doing / I wanna say amazing, but the truth is that I don’t know / What I always end up saying is how … ”

For the chorus, Hilary sings: “We don’t talk, we don’t talk about it / We don’t talk about anything anymore.”

It is in the second verse that Hilary alludes to sibling rivalry.

“And if it’s ’cause you’re jealous / God knows I would sell it all, then break you off the bigger half,” she sings.

The song also includes the lyrics: “Let’s have it out / I’ll hear you out, you’ll hear me out on the couch / Get back to how we were as kids / Let’s break it down / So sick of being so sad about / How we don’t talk and you won’t talk about it.”

Taking to social media to speculate that the song was about her fall out with Haylie one fan said: “That song is so about her sister Haylie. You can tell she gets emotional at the end of the song.”

Another added: “WOWW… Hilary Duff just sung We don’t talk and it’s 100% about Hailey. But not mean at all. Basically telling her to reach out.”

A third agreed: “I think Hilary misses her sister!”

ADDRESSING FEUD

After years of silence, back in November Hilary seemingly addressed the feud between her and her sister while chatting about “family drama”.

Speaking to Rolling Stone about her musical comeback, the star said she feels “ready to fill in the blanks and share with people and connect with them on the level of now”.

She then told the outlet how she and her fans have gone through twists and turns and “have gone through a lot of the same things”.

“Whether that’s complicated relationships, anxiety, raising kids, divorces, trying to find yourself in adulthood, family drama…

“Finally I felt safe enough and comfortable in my own family to step outside and open that part of myself up again,” she explained.

On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of protesters walked out of school and off the job to march in downtown Los Angeles nd decry President Trump’s actions during his first year back in office.

The “Free America Walkout” at Los Angeles City Hall was among dozens of rallies taking place across Southern California and the nation. The event was coordinated by the Women’s March and intended to demonstrate opposition to violent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, the increased presence of military personnel in cities, Trump’s harmful immigration policies toward families and escalating attacks on transgender rights.

Hundreds of protesters marched along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Among the slogans on their signs: “Democracy doesn’t fear protest, dictators do” and “We choose freedom over fascism.” Meanwhile, similar marches took place in Burbank, Long Beach and Santa Monica. Scores of students at Garfield and Roosevelt high schools in East L.A. ditched class to join the downtown rally.

“I just don’t know if he’s [Trump] actually done anything that is positive,” downtown protester Mario Noguera told ABC7 News. “Everything’s been about depleting everything: resources, rights. I just don’t feel like we’re getting anywhere.”

The walkout took place on the anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, an event he commemorated with a nearly two-hour news conference in which he called his first year in office “an amazing period of time” where his administration accomplished more than any other in history.

“We have a book that I’m not going to read to you, but these are the accomplishments of what we’ve produced, page after page after page of individual things,” Trump said, holding up a thick stack of papers. “I could sit here, read it for a week, and we wouldn’t be finished.”

Among the list of accomplishments he touted were his tariffs, his immigration crackdown, the economy and his actions in Gaza and Venezuela.

The Free America Walkout began at 2 p.m. in cities across the U.S. and was designed to differ from mass weekend actions such as the No Kings protests by deliberately taking place during the workday.

Organizers said that whereas protests demonstrate collective anger, walkouts demonstrate collective power.

“A walkout interrupts business as usual,” organizers stated. “It makes visible how much our labor, participation, and cooperation are taken for granted — and what happens when we withdraw them together.”

In downtown L.A., protesters condemned the effects of ICE raids locally as well as in Minneapolis, where a federal agent recently shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a wife and mother.

This month, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Los Angeles as part of the “ICE Out for Good” weekend of action, a national protest movement in response to Good’s killing.

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, criticized the stream of local anti-Trump protests Tuesday.

“Their boring, predictable tantrums are now part of the L.A. landscape, much like the dilapidated RVs and dangerous encampments that their policies result in,” Hoge told the Los Angeles Daily News. “We are interested in good governance and public safety, and wish our Democrat friends would join us in advocating for both.”

The order to indefinitely pause the processing of immigrant visa applications from those 75 countries will take effect on Wednesday, 21 January.

Prior to this move, Trump expanded a travel ban that came into force on 1 January, which bars nationals of countries on that list from entering the US.

Haiti and Iran, who have both qualified for the 2026 World Cup, are on the list of countries with full restrictions.

Ivory Coast and Senegal, who have also qualified, are on the list of countries with partial restrictions.

The State Department said a Fifa Pass appointment does not allow people “who are otherwise not eligible” to be issued a visa, meaning fans from those four countries appear unlikely to be able to travel to the US for this summer’s tournament.

Guidance from the State Department specified there are exceptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives” to the travel ban for the World Cup.

However, it added “the exception does not apply to fans or spectators”. They can still submit visa applications but “they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States”.

The US will host 78 of the 104 total matches at the World Cup, across 11 cities, including the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

With a history dating back to 1086 and many of its original architecture so well preserved, this charming market town should be on everyone’s bucket list

On the surface, it’s a typical market town in the centre of England but this hidden gem is hiding a wealth of history and boasts over 400 listed buildings and a staggering five grade I listed buildings – including a castle and a Norman Church.

The unassuming place in question is Ludlow, a thriving medieval market town and architectural gem with a huge sense of community, stacks of independent shops and many highly recommended places to eat and drink.

Famous for its exceptionally well-preserved medieval and Tudor architecture and a largely intact original street plan, Ludlow is seen as a treasure trove of English times gone by.

Steeped in history, Ludlow was first recorded in 1086 when its impressive castle was developed which was later housed within its town walls in 1233 of which many parts of it, and all of its seven gates, can still be identified today.

As time moved forward, Ludlow became a fashionable social centre with many county families building desirable Georgian brick houses in the 18th and 19th Centuries – many of which still stand today.

Alongside Ludlow Castle and St. Laurence’s Church, the town also boasts The Buttercross market hall dating back to 1746, The Readers House, a Grade-I listed gem sporting its original timber-frame structure and the famous half-timbered with Tudor facade, Feathers Hotel built in 1619.

Away from its never-ending architectural treasures, Ludlow boasts a vibrant independent shopping scene and is packed with boutiques, antique stores, art galleries and specialist food shops.

Many reviewers praise Ludlow and its attractions as a ‘lovely place to visit’.

One wrote: “Ludlow castle and Ludlow itself are a lovely place to visit and have a wander around. The scenery is beautiful.”

Another said: “I can’t possibly put into words all I’d like to say about this place. It’s wonderful. This is the second time I’ve been and I’m as full of wonder now as I was the first time.”

Is there a town you think we should be shouting about? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

The Caledonian Sleeper picked up passengers at Birmingham International on Thursday evening for the first time in 30 years, with Manchester floated as a potential future stop.

The boss of the iconic Caledonian Sleeper has hinted at the possible next stops as the train begins journeys from Birmingham.

On Thursday evening, the Sleeper called at Birmingham International for the first time, collecting passengers from the city at 10.44pm before transporting them to Scotland.

As the first sleeper service linking Birmingham to Scotland in three decades, it marked a significant milestone for Caledonian Sleeper. Prior to the service’s launch, Managing Director Graham Kelly told the Mirror that additional stops were under consideration, though nothing had been finalised and talks remained at an early stage.

When questioned about whether the Sleeper might call at Manchester – the biggest city on the west coast currently not served by the train and situated directly on the London Euston to West Scotland line – he commented: “We need to look at that from a ‘number of coaches’ point of view. Manchester is an interesting option.”

According to Mr Kelly, the primary obstacle to adding Manchester as a destination involves scheduling complexities.

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“It comes down to timings. Can you land a timing that works? From a timing perspective, would consumers board at that time? It’s something we’d need to look at. I’d expect (the stop in Manchester) would be around 1am (going North) and maybe 4.30am coming down the other way.”

Regarding additional destinations, Mr Kelly indicated that Scottish locations were most probable. “Do we look to expand with any other destinations in Scotland? It’s very much in the early thoughts and planning stage and not something we’re far enough down the line with. It’s very much in our thoughts for the 2026/27 rail year, for 2030 onwards.”

At present, Manchester has no sleeper train services arriving or departing. Should the Caledonian Sleeper extend to Manchester, it would provide an excellent overnight alternative for travellers heading to Scotland or London.

Thursday evening’s Birmingham service featured a traditional Scottish performance by acclaimed Kintyre bagpiper Lorne MacDougall. Among the inaugural passengers was well-known railway enthusiast Francis Bourgeois, who was journeying to Inverness.

“It is the culmination of a huge amount of work and effort of the team at Sleeper, and across the industry,” Mr Kelly remarked. Birmingham has been incorporated into the current timetable without requiring additional rolling stock.

“The UK rail network is a busy place. There’s been a huge amount of work done on train paths, where trains go and when,” Mr Kelly elaborated when discussing the complexities of introducing a new stop. “It’s not as easy as saying ‘I’m going a different way tonight’. Both at night and in the morning, we’ve had to work with Network Rail to retime services, to allow us to have this path going through Birmingham International each day.”

Mr Kelly highlighted that the Sleeper emits seven times less CO2 than equivalent car and aviation routes.

In 2025, the rail service operated at 90% capacity. The addition of the new Birmingham stop is expected to push that figure closer to full capacity. Regarding ticket prices, Mr Kelly confirmed there were “no plans for an increase”.

Addressing the contentious issue of the Sleeper’s seat option, which requires passengers to sit upright in a non-reclinable seat for the entire journey, Mr Kelly explained that UK rail standards prohibit the use of reclining seats. However, he noted that cabin lights had recently been dimmed in response to customer feedback.

One of the UK’s most picturesque towns has quaint cobbled lanes, a renowned antiques market and a sprawling 700-acre park with free-roaming deer, making it the ideal day out

There are charming towns scattered across the country, with riverside walks and cosy pubs that offer that quintessential English backdrop. One picturesque destination well worth a visit is nestled in the southeast, offering a journey into the past.

The pristine historic town of Petworth in Sussex is characterised by winding cobbled streets and Georgian architecture, with a distinctive art and antiques scene. The charming lanes are brimming with antique shops and independent boutiques, along with cafes, delis, and cosy pubs.

One of its most notable eateries is The Hungry Guest on Middle Street, which serves seasonal, locally sourced food that has put the town on the map. Elsewhere, there’s a selection of inviting pubs, including The Welldiggers Arms, The Black Horse Inn and The Angel Inn.

Petworth Antiques Market has also garnered attention in Petworth, thanks to over 40 dealers offering everything from exquisite furniture to ornaments and a wide range of homeware. One visitor shared on TripAdvisor: “I absolutely love going to the Petworth Antique Market, the customer service is amazing with extremely friendly, helpful staff, and I always always find beautiful treasures there!!”

The magnificent Petworth House and Park is another highlight, with an expansive 700-acre park nestled among the grand 17th-century Petworth House. Within its walls, guests can wander through the historic stately home and find an extraordinary collection of internationally renowned art and sculpture.

The estate stands as one of the finest surviving examples of an English landscape crafted by the legendary Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. Visitors can also gaze upon hundreds of deer roaming freely throughout Petworth Park’s grounds or soak up breathtaking vistas of the South Downs, with the park providing an ideal vantage point.

It’s even been featured on the big screen in films such as Napoleon, Rebecca, and Maleficent, as well as in Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton. One TripAdvisor user raved: “Another National Trust gem! Had a wonderful day there. So much to see and wonderful walks in the grounds and deer park. The art collection is outstanding, and as usual, the volunteers in the house were great. Had an interesting talk in the square dining room about the history of the family. Found the kitchens fascinating! Great cafe too. Highly recommend.”

Another penned: “We had such a wonderful visit! The house is extremely interesting to explore, and the grounds are gorgeous. Petworth town is really lovely too. We were lucky to see the Turner exhibition at Petworth House when we were there, which was absolutely great! Andrew, Nicola and Kathy were all such wonderful guides/staff. They were really lovely and kind, and they answered all of our questions, which made our visit even more special. Thank you!”

There’s plenty to explore in Petworth, which is conveniently located just over half an hour’s drive from Chichester and roughly 50 minutes from Portsmouth. It offers an idyllic day out with its shops, eateries, and unspoilt landscapes, and was even hailed by Condé Nast Traveller last year as one of the UK’s most picturesque towns.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Jan. 20 (Asia Today) — A South Korean defense advisory panel has recommended creating a Joint Operations Command to streamline wartime and peacetime command as Seoul prepares for the transfer of wartime operational control, while calling for the disbandment of the military’s Drone Operations Command.

The Future Strategy Subcommittee under the Defense Ministry’s civilian-military advisory panel released its findings Tuesday, outlining defense reform tasks and implementation steps covering future defense concepts, command and unit restructuring, force structure and personnel reforms.

The subcommittee said a Joint Operations Command should be established to unify the command structure and strengthen operational command ahead of the wartime operational control transfer, known as OPCON. Under the proposal, the Joint Operations commander would also serve as the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces commander after the transfer, overseeing both wartime and peacetime operations.

The panel said the Joint Chiefs of Staff would shift to a narrower role focused on strategic situation assessment, military strategy development and force development.

The subcommittee also recommended abolishing the Drone Operations Command, saying it creates inefficiency because drone missions and requirements are already being developed by each service. It said a smaller functional command could handle cross-service tasks such as identifying integrated requirements.

In its future defense concept, the subcommittee said planning should account for North Korea’s nuclear and conventional capabilities and gray zone threats, as well as the possibility of disputes with neighboring countries. It recommended building a Korea-led combined defense system after OPCON transfer and a tailored deterrence posture within the alliance using South Korea’s conventional capabilities and broader military power including U.S. nuclear forces.

The panel urged early fielding of key assets tied to deterring North Korea, including high-power, ultra-precise ballistic missiles, long-range surface-to-air missiles and military reconnaissance satellites and microsatellite systems. It also called for raising research and development spending for advanced defense technology such as artificial intelligence, defense semiconductors and robotics by an average of more than 10% per year.

To address declining manpower, the subcommittee recommended expanding the use of civilian resources in non-combat roles and some combat support areas, with legal and institutional changes to enable use in both wartime and peacetime. It also proposed changes to the military service system to allow people to choose multi-year professional service alongside short-term conscripted service.

The subcommittee recommended building a total defense workforce of 500,000 by 2040, including 350,000 active-duty troops and 150,000 civilian defense personnel such as civilian employees and specialized reservists.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deployed a military radar in the Somali region of Puntland as part of a secret deal, amid Abu Dhabi’s ongoing entrenchment of its influence over the region’s security affairs.

According to the London-based news outlet Middle East Eye, sources familiar with the matter told it that the UAE had installed a military radar near Bosaso airport in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this year, with one unnamed source saying that the “radar’s purpose is to detect and provide early warning against drone or missile threats, particularly those potentially launched by the Houthis, targeting Bosaso from outside”.

The radar’s presence was reportedly confirmed by satellite imagery from early March, which found that an Israeli-made ELM-2084 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array Multi-Mission Radar had indeed been installed near Bosaso airport.

READ: UAE: The scramble for the Horn of Africa

Not only does the radar have the purpose of defending Puntland and its airport from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, but air traffic data reportedly indicates it also serves to facilitate the transport of weapons, ammunition, and supplies to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), further fuelling the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

“The UAE installed the radar shortly after the RSF lost control of most of Khartoum in early March”, one source said. Another source was cited as claiming that the radar was deployed at the airport late last year and that Abu Dhabi has used it on a daily basis to supply the RSF, particularly through large cargo planes that frequently carry weapons and ammunition, and which sometimes amount to up to five major shipments at a time.

According to two other Somali sources cited by the report, Puntland’s president Said Abdullahi Deni did not seek approval from Somalia’s federal government nor even the Puntland parliament for the installation of the radar, with one of those sources stressing that it was “a secret deal, and even the highest levels of Puntland’s government, including the cabinet, are unaware of it”.

READ: UAE under scrutiny over alleged arms shipments to Sudan

MEGHAN Trainor has announced she welcomed her third child via surrogate and shared the youngster’s adorable name and gender.

The singer shared the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

It included a slideshow of photos of Meghan, her husband, Daryl Sabara, and their two sons bonding with their new baby sister.

One captured the Grammy Award winner in tears as she had her first skin-to-skin contact with her newborn baby girl, moments after the youngster’s arrival.

Meghan revealed in her caption that her daughter, named Mikey Moon Trainor, was born on January 18th with the help of a “superwoman surrogate.”

“Our baby girl Mikey Moon Trainor has finally made it to the world thanks to our incredible, superwoman surrogate,” the Mother singer’s caption began.

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“We are forever grateful to all the doctors, nurses, teams who made this dream possible. We had endless conversations with our doctors in this journey and this was the safest way for us to be able to continue growing our family.

“We are over the moon in love with this precious girl. Riley and Barry have been so excited, they even got to choose her middle name. We are going to enjoy our family time now, love you all,” she concluded.

Mikey joins Meghan and Daryl’s boys, Riley and Barry.

Fans reacted with surprise and congratulatory messages in the comments for the growing family.

“WHATTTT!!!!! OMG MY HEART THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!! Congratulations!!!! So happy for you and your family!!!” one person wrote.

“Somehow I had no idea you were having a daughter via surrogacy,” another shocked user said.

“Oh my god I’m so happy for you all,” remarked a third.

“Not Meghan just surprising us all with another baby,” laughed a fourth.

“WHAT!!!! Congratulations omg!!! You finally have your baby girl I’m gonna cryyyy,” added a fifth.

Meghan – who recently underwent a dramatic weight loss – just revealed late last year that she’s heading on the road for her The Get In Girl Tour.

The tour kicks off on June 12th in Michigan and wraps on August 15th in Los Angeles.

Meghan appears to have much to focus on away from the recent toxic mom group drama ignited by her pal Ashley Tisdale.

Ashley claimed in a blog post that her close circle of mom friends, which includes Meghan, Hilary Duff, and Mandy Moore, repeatedly made her feel “left out” from their get-togethers.

A source exclusively revealed to The U.S. Sun that the ladies’ separation from the High School Musical star “wasn’t an overnight thing” and that she’d been “slowly slipping away” from them for years.

They also claimed that Ashley’s controversial political comments contributed to the feud as she made others feel “uncomfortable with her by association.”

WASHINGTON — A ballooning Immigration and Customs Enforcement budget. Hiring bonuses of $50,000. Swelling ranks of ICE officers, to 22,000, in an expanding national force bigger than most police departments in America.

President Trump promised the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, but achieving his goal wouldn’t have been possible without funding from the big tax and spending cuts bill passed by Republicans in Congress, and it’s fueling unprecedented immigration enforcement actions in cities such as Minneapolis and beyond.

The GOP’s big bill is “supercharging ICE,” one budget expert said, in ways that Americans may not fully realize — and that have only just begun.

“I just don’t think people have a sense of the scale,” said Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress and a former advisor to the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget.

“We’re looking at ICE in a way we’ve never seen before,” he said.

Trump’s big bill creates massive law enforcement force

As the Republican president marks the first year of his second term, the immigration enforcement and removal operation that has been a cornerstone of his domestic and foreign policy agenda is rapidly transforming into something else — a national law enforcement presence with billions upon billions of dollars in new spending from U.S. taxpayers.

The shooting death of Renee Good in Minneapolis showed the alarming reach of the new federalized force, sparking unrelenting protests against the military-styled officers seen going door to door to find and detain immigrants. Amid the outpouring of opposition, Trump revived threats to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell the demonstrations and the Army has 1,500 soldiers ready to deploy.

But Trump’s own public approval rating on immigration, one of his signature issues, has slipped since he took office, according to an AP-NORC poll.

“Public sentiment is everything,” Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) said at a news conference at the Capitol with lawmakers supporting legislation to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Americans, she said, are upset at what they are seeing. “They didn’t sign on for this,” she said.

Border crossings down, but Americans confront new ICE enforcements

To be sure, illegal crossings into the U.S. at the Mexico border have fallen to historic lows under Trump, a remarkable shift from just a few years ago when President Biden’s Democratic administration allowed millions of people to temporarily enter the U.S. as they adjudicated their claims to stay.

Yet as enforcement moves away from the border, the newly hired army of immigration officers swarming city streets with aggressive tactics — in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere — is something not normally seen in the United States.

Armed and masked law enforcement officers are being witnessed smashing car windows, yanking people from vehicles and chasing and wrestling others to the ground and hauling them away — images playing out in endless loops on TVs and other screens.

And it’s not just ICE. A long list of supporting agencies, including federal, state and local police and sheriff’s offices, are entering into contract partnerships with Homeland Security to conduct immigration enforcement operations in communities around the nation.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has warned Democrats that this is “no time to be playing games” by stirring up the opposition to immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis and other places.

“They need to get out of the way and allow federal law enforcement to do its duty,” Johnson said at the Capitol.

Noem has said the immigration enforcement officers are acting lawfully. The department insists it is targeting criminals in the actions, what officials call the worst of the worst immigrants.

However, reports show that noncriminals and U.S. citizens are also being forcibly detained by immigration officers. The Supreme Court last year lifted a ban on using race alone in the immigration stops.

Trump last month called Somali immigrants “garbage,” comments that echoed his past objections to immigrants from certain countries.

The Trump administration has set a goal of 100,000 detentions a day, about three times what’s typical, with 1 million deportations a year.

Money from the big bill flows with few restraints

With Republican control of Congress, the impeachment of Noem or any other Trump official is not a viable political option for Democrats, who would not appear to have the vote tally even among their own ranks.

In fact, even if Congress wanted to curtail Trump’s immigration operations — by threatening to shut down the government, for example — it would be difficult to stop the spending.

What Trump called the “Big, Beautiful Bill” is essentially on autopilot through 2029, the year he’s scheduled to finish his term and leave office.

The legislation essentially doubled annual Homeland Security funding, adding $170 billion to be used over four years. Of that, ICE, which typically receives about $10 billion a year, was provided $30 billion for operations and $45 billion for detention facilities.

“The first thing that comes to mind is spending on this level is typically done on the military,” said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. “Trump is militarizing immigration enforcement.”

Ahead, Congress will consider a routine annual funding package for Homeland Security unveiled Tuesday, or risk a partial shutdown Jan. 30. A growing group of Democratic senators and the Congressional Progressive Caucus have had enough. They say they won’t support additional funds without significant changes.

Lawmakers are considering various restrictions on ICE operations, including limiting arrests around hospitals, courthouses, churches and other sensitive locations and ensuring that officers display proper identification and refrain from wearing masks.

“I think ICE needs to be totally torn down,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said on CNN over the weekend.

“People want immigration enforcement that goes after criminals,” he said. And not what he called this “goon squad.”

Big spending underway, but Trump falls short of goals

Meanwhile, Homeland Security has begun tapping the new money at its disposal. The department informed Congress it has obligated roughly $58 billion — most of that, some $37 billion, for border wall construction, according to a person familiar with the private assessment but unauthorized to discuss it.

The Department of Homeland Security said its massive recruitment campaign blew past its 10,000-person target to bring in 12,000 new hires, more than doubling the force to 22,000 officers, in a matter of months.

“The good news is that thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump signed, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a December statement.

The department also announced it had arrested and deported about 600,000 people. It also said 1.9 million other people had “voluntarily self-deported” since January 2025, when Trump took office.

Mascaro writes for the Associated Press.

It was clear many fans had turned on Frank during the defeat by the Hammers, with large numbers singing “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at him.

That feeling remained evident before Tuesday’s match.

“I really do think 99% of this stadium are Frank out,” said Spurs supporter Sarah Sturgeon-Scraggs, who has been attending home games with her dad Ronnie since she was nine.

“I have enjoyed coming to the matches because of the people we sit with and I get to spend time with my dad, but we get so little joy.”

Ronnie added: “Barring some sort of miracle on player support, style and results instantly the fans have abandoned him and I feel personally that he must go.”

This win and the much-improved first-half performance was still not enough to change their view, with a return to a more conservative and unadventurous display in the second half a cause for frustration.

“The first half was really enjoyable,” said Sarah. “There was a lot more movement, a lot more forward passing and a press. However, the second-half performance shows why Frank is not the right person to be managing this team. We went to five at the back, the game ground to a halt. It sucked the joy out of it yet again.

“I am still Frank out.”

Fellow Spurs supporter Ali Speechly held a similar view before kick-off.

“If we could see signs of what he is trying to achieve we might have more patience,” she said.

“It looks like a bunch of players doing what they want.”

Any change of heart after the game?

“Much better first half, where has that been? But second half we were dead again,” she said. “They either play a good first half or second half. It feels Thomas Frank can’t string the two together.”

Some, however, did see enough to believe Frank can build on this.

Alfie said before the match that Tottenham were playing “like a Championship team”, but after he said: “The first half was brilliant. The second half wasn’t great but we didn’t concede.

“But I am really happy with the result and I think Frank might have a lot more up his sleeve than we think.”

Hidden in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales is a scene of such natural beauty that even Hollywood filmmakers have flocked to it

In the middle of the Yorkshire Dales is a natural wonder that has been created over millions of years – and has been attracting visitors, including Hollywood royalty, for centuries.

The village of Malham, North Yorks., is famed for its stunning limestone landscape and has a soaring limestone ‘amphitheatre’ – Malham Cove – that can be found just a short walk from the village centre.

With breath-taking scenery, climbing Malham Cove is a whole family activity with many reviewers commenting that the terrain is suitable for kids from two-years-old and upwards – planting itself as a firm outdoor family favourite.

Malham Cove is a 70-metre-high, gently curving cliff of white limestone that formed along the line of the Middle Craven Fault – a major geological fault line – and has been eroded backwards from that line by water and ice over millions of years. The result is a scene of such stunning natural beauty, people flock to the village of Malham to climb the cove in their droves.

Today, the sheer rock face of Malham Cove challenges climbers and also protects a pair of nesting peregrine falcons but also the full circular walk around the cove is easy for first timers and children. It has even featured as a backdrop to many movies, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

However, the natural beauty doesn’t end there with Gordale Scar, an impressive limestone gorge once regarded as one of the natural wonders of England, to the east of Malham village and Janet’s Foss, a lovely waterfall said to be home to Janet, Queen of the Fairies.

The village also offers vibrant cafés and charming pubs – perfect for walkers to enjoy after a big hike. Reviews of the area and Malham Cove itself are overwhelmingly positive.

One happy holidaymaker wrote: “What an amazing place to visit. It is very busy with lots of people but it doesn’t take away from this unique place. We stopped at a lovely little pub next to the stream.”

One other said: “Breath-taking natural scenery which is a must for you to visit. The terrain is great for all ages from 2+. Plenty of pubs/cafes and public toilets which is a bonus. Views are spectacular.”