Month: February 2026

It’s all in the family for El Camino Real soccer.

The head coach for the defending City Section Open Division champion boys soccer team is Ian Kogan, whose daughter, Jordyn, is a top defender for the El Camino Real girls team.

In two seasons, Kogan and girls coach Eric Choi will be talking even more, because arriving in the fall 2027 will be Jordyn’s sister, Peyton, and Choi’s daughter, Leighton.

“I can’t wait,” Choi said.

Both teams found out their City Section playoff seedings on Monday. The boys team is seeded No. 1. The girls team is seeded No. 3 behind Cleveland.

Here’s the link to pairings.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

This is a breaking news story.

Sustained gunshots have been heard near the central prison in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, according to media reports.

It was unclear who was shooting or what triggered the gunfire on Tuesday. There was no immediate comment by the authorities.

A witness reported seeing several military pickup trucks carrying armed security forces and a machine gun-mounted armoured carrier deployed around the central administrative district of Kaloum, Reuters news agency reported. The presidential palace is also located in Kaloum.

A security detail made up of police officers and special forces blocked access to the road leading to the prison on Tuesday morning, an AFP news agency journalist reported. An armoured vehicle belonging to the special forces was also visible in front of the prison.

“I heard the sound of vehicles speeding by, I rushed to the window and heard automatic gunfire,” Thierno Balde, an accountant who works in the neighbourhood, told AFP, confirming similar statements by other witnesses.

The shooting reportedly began shortly before 9am local time (09:00 GMT) and lasted just more than half an hour, with rapid gunfire ringing out.

Abdouramane Doukoure, a retired civil servant, said he was heading past the prison in a car when he “heard the gunshots. Since there was a traffic jam, we all rushed in different directions to escape.”

Another resident whose home is next to the prison reported hearing gunfire inside the facility but “as we speak, things have calmed down”.

But “we don’t know for how long”, the resident added.

More to come…

FINALLY the Southbank Centre is getting (some of) the attention it deserves.

This week, the brutalist building on the Thames near the London Eye
has been listed for its brutalist appearance.

But its looks are only part of its appeal.

As a travel writer and mum living in London, I’ve long considered it
to be one of the capital’s greatest attractions for families.

I schlep up to Waterloo every other month with my 7 year old to one of
their many free, or affordable activities for kids.

We’ve done their soft play using recycled materials, seen at least
three of their excellent family theatre shows (where you can get
tickets from around £12 to £20 depending on the show), have built a
Moomin House at a free workshop using saws and hammers and, most
recently, had a free drawing lesson with a well-known doodle artist
and attended a free kids rave.

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So many of the events that Southbank puts on for families on weekends
and in school holidays are completely free, but what makes them even
better in my opinion, is how wonderfully varied they are.

Take next week, for instance, when they are holding an ‘Imagine
Festival’ for half term.

The nine-day roster includes an interactive dance rave for children and
their families with deaf hosts, a live gig by CBBC’s Andy And The Odd
Socks, the theatre production of Mrs Armtiage On Wheels, a wildlife
jamboree and a pop-up Parkour session – and this just scratches the
surface, there are MANY more activities too.

I’m particularly looking forward to taking my son to the musical
version of the Dog Man comic books, which will be shown at the centre
this summer.

Another free event coming to the destination soon is the Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade from February 17.

The famous illustrator and author has made his memories of the 1951 Festival of Britain into an installation across the Southbank Centre.

I could probably go on for another 300 words about how wonderful this
institution is – so if you are planning a trip to London, do make sure
to check out the What’s On section of their website and see if anything appeals.

The 1960s Brutalist landmark has battled for a Grade II listed status for more than three decades, and finally got accepted this week.

Specific buildings at the site that have been given Grade II listed status include the centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery and terraced walkways and stairs.

The riverside centre opened back in 1967 and at the time it was voted as Britain’s ugliest building by Daily Mail readers.

The building was also the only post-war building on London’s South Bank to remain unlisted.

Twentieth Century Society and Historic England had recommended listing the Southbank Centre on six occasions since 1991, but the recommendation was rejected by the Secretary of State each time, until now.

Historic England argued that the Southbank Centre needed protection due to its “bold geometric formations, clustered to sculptural effect with a correspondingly dramatic silhouette”.

The use of exposed concrete was also praised, saying it had been “executed with exemplary technical skill”.

Twentieth Century Society director Catherine Croft said: “The battle has been won, and Brutalism has finally come of age.

“This is a victory over those who derided so-called ‘concrete monstrosities’ and shows a mature recognition of a style where Britain led the way.

“The lack of listing had become a complete anomaly.

“It is admired as one of the best Brutalist buildings in the world, so this decision is obviously very well deserved and long overdue.

“The arts complex is a highly sophisticated, sculptural masterpiece, with enormous richness of form and detail inside and out.

“The experience it gives concert goers and gallery visitors is unlike any other venue in the country, its virtuoso spaces still unrivalled.”

In other attraction news, how to get into hundreds of the UK’s top attractions for FREE next month.

Plus, new one-of-kind attraction at UK’s Warner Bros Studio is perfect for Harry Potter nerds like me .

Transparency International says the average global score in its report is at its lowest level in more than a decade.

An anticorruption watchdog has warned in its latest report of worsening corruption in democracies around the world, with the score of the United States slipping to its lowest, raising concerns about developments in the US and the impact of its funding cuts around the world.

Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) said on Tuesday that the average global score in its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) had hit 42 on a scale of zero to 100, its lowest level in more than a decade.

The group’s index assigns a score between zero (highly corrupt) and 100 (very clean), based on data reflecting the assessments of experts and business executives.

US President Donald Trump, since returning to the White House early last year, has upended domestic and foreign politics while ramping up pressure on institutions ranging from universities to the Federal Reserve – the US central bank.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after resisting pressure from Trump to reduce interest rates.

TI raised concerns over “actions targeting independent voices and undermining judicial independence” in the US.

“The temporary freeze and weakening of enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act signal tolerance for corrupt business practices,” it said.

US ranking drops

The Trump administration’s gutting of overseas aid has also “weakened global anticorruption efforts”, it said.

The US’s CPI score has dropped to 64 from 65 in 2024, with the report noting that its “political climate has been deteriorating for more than a decade”. In the past 10 years, it has seen a drop of 10 points.

The report also said “the vast majority of countries are failing to keep corruption under control”, with 122 countries out of 180 posting scores less than 50.

However, it said 31 countries have improved significantly, highlighting Estonia (76 points), the Seychelles (68) and South Korea (63).

The US case illustrates a trend in democracies experiencing a “decline in performance” in battling corruption, according to the report, a phenomenon it also said was apparent in the United Kingdom and France.

While such countries are still near the top of the index, “corruption risks have increased” due to weakening independent checks, gaps in legislation and inadequate enforcement.

“Several have also experienced strains to their democracies, including political polarisation and the growing influence of private money on decision-making,” the report noted.

The worst-performing EU nations

The worst-performing countries in the European Union were Bulgaria and Hungary, both scoring just 40.

The report said the government of Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban, in power since 2010 and facing a tough battle for re-election in April, “has systematically weakened the rule of law, civic space and electoral integrity for over 10 years”.

“This has enabled impunity for channelling billions – including from European Union funds – to groups of cronies through dirty public contracting and other methods,” the report said.

The highest-ranked nation in the index for the eighth year running was Denmark with a score of 89, followed by Finland and Singapore. At the bottom were South Sudan and Somalia with nine points apiece, followed by Venezuela.

Among the more positive stories of progress in the report was Ukraine, which scored 36.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government has faced widespread public anger over corruption allegations against those close to him, even as the country has been at war with Russia for nearly four years.

However, the watchdog noted that “the fact that these and many other scandals are being uncovered … shows that Ukraine’s new anticorruption architecture is making a difference”.

It hailed the “civil society mobilisation” last year, which prompted Zelenskyy to backtrack in an attempt to curb the independence of anticorruption bodies.

PREMIER Inn has opened a new hotel in London – although you wouldn’t know from the outside.

The hub by Premier Inn London Farringdon (Old Bailey) has turned an old Victorian police station into the famous hotel.

Dating back to the 1870s, Snow Hill Police Station is a Garde II listed building.

Whitbread – the owner of Premier Inn, bought the building back in 2020, with it now open to the public as a hotel.

Many of the original features such as the historic entrance way, as well as a grand atrium combining the new and old buildings.

A mix of “heritage bedrooms” as well as the classic hub rooms are part of the hotel too, with 212 rooms across eight stories.

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Along with free WiFi and accessible rooms, there is also a restaurant onsite for breakfast and dinner.

Jonathan Langdon, Senior Acquisition Manager for Whitbread, said it showed how “affordable hotels like hub by Premier Inn can breathe fresh life into vacant historic buildings in Central London”

Tom Sleigh, Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, added: “The transformation of the former Snow Hill Police Station into a modern, affordable hotel shows how heritage and planning innovation can work hand in hand, an excellent example of how thoughtful, high-quality design can bring new life to one of the City’s historic buildings.”

Some of the cheapest rooms on the website can be found for around £105 a night.

The hotel is also in the hear of the city, bring right by Farringdon train station.

Nearby is St Paul’s Cathedral as well as the London Museum.

Premier Inn is currently offering free unlimited breakfast to guests, as long as you book before February 13.

Guests must also book a ‘Non-Flex’ room for a stay between February 20 and May 14.

Wetherspoons is another budget brand known for restoring old buildings.

Many of the UK pubs are built into old cinemas, banks and town halls, with original features often restored.

Of course, some of them are newer, purpose bult buildings – including their newest which is in Spain.

We went down to the first foreign Wetherspoons – here’s what we thought.

To say the mood at Ryan Coogler’s production company Proximity Media has been euphoric would be an understatement.

You too would be more than euphoric if your film landed in the year’s box office top 10 and set the all-time record for most Oscar nominations.

But “Sinners” wasn’t built in a day. It’s been a slow and steady ascent — call it, well, one success after another — since Coogler founded the company in 2018 with his wife Zinzi (they married in 2016) and USC film school buddy Sev Ohanian. And the director is unstinting in his praise for his partners.

“Zinzi is meticulous and detail-oriented and the one that keeps it all together,” Coogler wrote in an email to The Envelope. “She is humble and observant but is the smartest person I know and knows me extremely well. Sev is exceptional at strategy, and the most experienced producer of the three of us, which is invaluable. … Together, they act as a bridge between the creative and the business, which allows me to stay focused on the film.”

The three have been working together since Coogler’s 2013 feature debut, “Fruitvale Station,” based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a young Black man shot to death by a transit police officer in an Oakland BART station.

Bringing audiences in close proximity to stories and subject matter often overlooked forged the name of the company, which now includes feature film, television, nonfiction, music and podcasting departments.

Past film projects include the Oscar-winning “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Space Jam” and “Creed III.”

“They are on a fast rocket with an upward trajectory for almost any project they bring to the marketplace,” said Andrew Goldman, adjunct professor of film and television at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. ”Every company in town will want a Proximity/Ryan Coogler project. They have cracked a formula of both critical acclaim and box-office successes.”

A recent installment of the podcast “In Proximity” featured Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler getting in the weeds about the production of “Sinners,” including how Jordan distinctly portrayed twins Smoke and Stack.

Moving forward, it looks like Proximity’s sights are set on stories based on another duo: “The X-Files’” Mulder and Scully, the iconic opposites-attract FBI agents who forged a deep personal partnership while investigating strange and paranormal cases over 11 seasons on Fox, beginning in 1993 and stretching until 2018.

Warmly displaying their camaraderie and creative interdependence, Zinzi Coogler and Ohanian spilled more about their company over Zoom, including their early days, people who inspired them and how they’re adapting to the shifting media landscape.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Michael B. Jordan, left, and Miles Caton in “Sinners.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

What is the origin story of how Proximity Media formed?

Ohanian: It officially became a company on April 6, 2018, over lunch in San Francisco, but the roots go back to 2008 at USC film school, where I first met Ryan Coogler. We became friends working on student films and reconnected when Ryan and Zinzi were finishing “Black Panther.” Around that time, I had just produced “Searching,” and we started talking seriously about forming a company together.

Zinzi, what made you want to partner with Sev and Ryan formally?

Coogler: After years of working with Ryan unofficially, especially on “Fruitvale Station,” we knew we wanted to make it official. Sev had always impressed me with his creativity and relentless work ethic. When Ryan and I discussed founding a company, Sev was the only person we wanted to approach. Luckily, he said yes — and that’s how Proximity really began.

Did you ever imagine Proximity would grow as it has?

Ohanian: Honestly, no. Back when we were making “Fruitvale Station,” we were just trying to get the movie finished. But looking back, it feels inevitable because we’ve put in years of steady work and built strong relationships in the industry.

Coogler: We couldn’t have foreseen this success. But the foundation of our collaboration — our shared belief in storytelling and craftsmanship — has never changed since those early days.

What projects are you most excited about now?

Ohanian: Last year was a landmark one. We released “Sinners,” had streaming hits like “Ironheart” and “Eyes of Wakanda,” and launched Season 3 of our “In Proximity” podcast. We also have several documentaries and new TV shows in development, plus a long-rumored “X-Files” project that’s close to launching.

Tell us about the atmosphere within the company.

Coogler: There’s a lot of laughter between the three of us — Ryan, Sev, and me. In our early days, someone once asked, “Can I get the real name of your company?” We cracked up at that and recorded the moment. It keeps us humble and reminds us how far we’ve come.

How did you approach producing “Sinners?”

Coogler: It was our first time being sole producers on something Ryan wrote and directed. We saw it as a big moment for Proximity — a chance to support Ryan’s creative vision from start to finish.

Do you have defined roles within Proximity?

Ohanian: Roles shift depending on the project. We each bring different strengths — Ryan as director, me from the indie film side, and Zinzi with her broad experience and steady leadership. We’ve built a team of about 20 people who’ve grown with us, including some who started as assistants and are now producers.

Did other production companies serve as an inspiration?

Coogler: We’ve leaned on amazing mentors — Jim Morris at Pixar, Kevin Feige and Lou D’Esposito at Marvel, and Charles King at Macro. Their guidance shaped how we lead and structure our company.

Looking ahead, how is Proximity adapting to the changing media landscape?

Ohanian: Change has been constant since day one — recessions, strikes, streaming shifts. We stay adaptable through yearly retreats, often at Pixar, to reassess our strategy and think creatively about the future.

How do relationships like the one with Michael B. Jordan influence your work?

Coogler: Michael’s family to us. We’ve been through so much together — from “Fruitvale Station” to “Creed III” and “Sinners.” That trust and history make the work special every single time.

Paul was being transported to Rome as a prisoner on a ship that had sailed from Adramyttium in modern-day Turkey. On the journey, the ship had been damaged by storms and was driven aground in Malta.

Paul was made welcome by the islanders. When making a fire, Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake and the locals were astonished that he suffered no ill-effects.

Paul then healed the father of an island official, after which many islanders would come to Paul to receive healing.

While under guard as a Roman prisoner, Paul stayed on Malta for three months, leaving for Rome on a ship that had sheltered in Malta over the winter.

Paul is the patron saint of Malta…. and snakebite victims.

The day is a time for family gatherings and observed by religious ceremonies and processions, particularly at the Church of St. Paul Shipwreck … 

Powell’s parents are Lucy – one of John’s four children – and Meirion, from Caerphilly, who left Wales for Australia in 2003.

The family would return to these shores to visit their many relatives, with Powell remembering how “dadcu” – Welsh for grandfather – “didn’t stress about anything”.

“I have many memories with him,” Powell said. “But the memories I have are not of the rugby legend Barry John. He was dadcu to all of us.

“He would throw sweets at us in his flat overlooking Llandaff fields. He would tell stories. He was so calm and relaxed and funny.”

When Powell was tasked with doing a school project on a family member, John was the obvious choice.

As a result she rang him for information on his legendary career in which he played for Llanelli, Cardiff, Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

“He was so animated – he would bring up the matches and I could visualise everything. He was such a great storyteller,” she said.

“You could tell he had so much pride for Wales. But he wouldn’t say ‘I did this, I was so amazing’, he praised everyone.

“He said [Sir] Gareth [Edwards] and JPR [Williams] were great players to play with. He would talk about the joy of playing as opposed to what he did.”

An association of South Korean companies that previously operated at an inter-Korean factory zone in North Korea on Tuesday called on the government to make efforts to allow business owners to visit the now-shuttered complex.

About 80 representatives from 38 member companies of the Corporate Association of Gaeseong Industrial Complex (CAGIC) made the request at a press conference held at the customers, immigration and quota (CIQ) office at Dorasan Station in Paju, just north of Seoul.

The association said its members hope to present the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which has been closed for the past decade, to inspect their business assets there.

“Ten years after the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, companies that operated there are facing a threat to their survival. We want to return to Kaesong,” CAGIC Chairman Cho Kyung-joo told reporters.

The Park Geun-hye administration shut down the industrial complex on Feb. 10, 2016, in response to North Korea’s nuclear test and long-range missile launches.

Launched in 2004 as a flagship project symbolizing inter-Korean economic cooperation and reconciliation, the complex once employed about 55,000 North Korean workers at 120 South Korean firms.

Cho also urged the U.S. government to play a responsible role in approving visits by South Korean business owners aimed at protecting their assets in Kaesong.

“Just as the United States recently granted sanctions exceptions for humanitarian assistance in several global cases discussed at United Nations meetings, it should make clear that business owners’ visits to inspect their assets in Kaesong do not fall under sanctions”, he said.

Appealing to North Korea, Cho said companies operating at the complex had conducted business in good faith based on inter-Korean agreements and called on Pyongyang to cooperate in allowing business owners to visit the industrial zone.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

The donkeys are pissed off. Put upon, out of work and victims of decades-long systemic abuse, it’s time, they have decided, to protest.

The donkeys, metaphorically, are us.

At least that’s the premise of “asses.masses,” a video game played by and for a live audience. It’s theater for the post-Twitch age, performance art for those weaned on “The Legend of Zelda” or “Pokémon.” Most important, it’s entertainment as political dissent for these divisive times. Though the project dates to 2018, it’s hard not to draft 2026 onto its narrative. Whether it’s unjust incarceration, mass layoffs or topics centered around tech’s automation of jobs, “asses.masses,” despite generally lasting more than seven hours — yes, seven-plus hours — is a work of urgency.

The audience cheers various decisions made during the playing of “asses.masses” at UCLA Nimoy Theater.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

And for the audience at the Saturday showing at the UCLA Nimoy Theater, it felt like a call to arms. Citizens executed in the street for exercising their right to free speech? That’s in here. Run-ins with authorities that recall images seen in multiple American cities over the past few months? Also in here, albeit in a retro, pixel art style that may bring to mind the “Final Fantasy” series from its Super Nintendo days.

In a city that’s been ravaged by fires, ICE raids and a series of entertainment industry layoffs, the sold-out crowd of nearly 300 was riled up. Chants of “ass power!” — the donkey’s protest slogan — were heard throughout the day as attendees politely gathered near a single video game controller on a dais to play the game, becoming not just the avatar for the donkeys but a momentary leader for the collective. Cheers would erupt when a young donkey reached the conclusion that “I kinda think the system is rigged against everyone.” And when technological advances, clearly a stand-in for artificial intelligence, were described as “evil, soulless, job-taking, child-killing machines,” there were knowing claps, as if no exaggeration was stated.

“Our theater is supposed to be a rehearsal for life,” says Patrick Blenkarn, who co-created the game with Milton Lim, interdisciplinary artists from Canada who often work with interactive media.

“We grew up in a radical political tradition of theater,” says Patrick Blenkarn, right, who co-created “asses.masses” with Milton Lim.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

“We grew up in a radical political tradition of theater, where this is where we can rehearse emotional experience — catharsis,” Blenkarn says. “That is what art is supposed to be doing. We have been very interested in the idea that if we come together, what are we going to do and how are we going to do it? What we are seeing in your country, and other countries, is the question of how are we going to change our behavior, and will the people who currently have the controller listen? And if they don’t, what do we do?”

Video games are inherently theatrical. Even if one is playing solo on the couch, a video game is a dialogue, a performance between a player and unseen designers. Blenkarn and Lim also spoke in an interview prior to the show of wanting to re-create the sensation of gathering around a television and passing a controller back and forth among family or friends while offering commentary on someone’s play style. Only at scale. And while I thought “asses.masses” could work, too, as a solitary experience at home, its themes of collective action and reaching a group consensus, often through boos or shouts of encouragement, made it particularly well-suited for a performance.

The UCLA Nimoy Theater played host to “asses.masses” this weekend.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Beginning at 1 p.m. and ending shortly after 8 p.m., coincidentally, says Blenkarn, the length or so of a working day, not everyone made it to the “asses.masses” conclusion. About a quarter of the audience — a crowd that was clearly familiar with the multiple video game style represented in “asses.masses” — couldn’t stand the endurance test. But in a time of binge-watching, I didn’t find the length prohibitive. There were multiple intermissions, but those became part of the show as well, as there was no set time limit. Blenkarn and Lim were asking the audience, via a prompt on the screen, to jointly agree upon a length, emphasizing, once again, the importance of collective cooperation.

And “asses.masses” holds interest because it, in part, embraces the animated absurdity and inherent experimentation of the medium. While often in a retro pixel art style, at times the game shifted into a more modern open-world look. And the story veers down multiple paths and side-quests — some requiring wild coordination such as a rhythm game meant to simulate donkey sex, and others more tense, such as “Metal Gear”-like sneaking, complete with the donkeys hiding in cardboard boxes.

Audiences vote, often by cheering or booing, on choices in “asses.masses.”

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The way “asses.masses” shifted tones and tenor recalled a game such as “Kentucky Route Zero,” another serialized and alternately realistic and fanciful game with political overtones. Other times, such as the surreal world of the donkey afterlife, I thought of the colorfully unpredictable universe of the music-focused game “The Artful Escape,” a quest for personal identity and self-actualization. The donkeys in “asses.masses” are an ensemble, often trying to steer the audience in different directions. As much as some push for a protest as a way for communal healing and progressive action, others take a cynical outlook, viewing that path as “intellectually compromised” by a “commitment to past ideals.”

The goal, says Lim, is to create a sort of game within a game — one that’s being played with a controller and one of debate among a crowd. “It’s not about having a billion endings,” Lim says. “We understand it’s a theater show, and we as writers have objectives for what we want it to go towards. But the decisions people make in the room really matter. The game is half in the room and half on the screen.”

The audience, for instance, can play a role in keeping certain donkeys alive. Or what jobs a group of renegade donkeys may choose. Our audience voted for the donkeys to enter the circus, at least until they were deemed obsolete and sent to detention centers, which felt uncomfortably of the moment. Such topicality is what drew Edgar Miramontes, leader of CAP UCLA, to the show, despite his admittance to being largely unfamiliar with the world of video games.

“It doesn’t shy away from the nuances of when organizing happens and what we’re seeing in our world right now,” Miramontes says. “There are instances in which a donkey may die because, in organizing to achieve their goals, these things happen. We have seen this in our Civil Rights Movement and other movements and the current movement that’s happening right now around ICE.”

The Nimoy event, part of UCLA’s current Center for the Art of Performance season, was the 50th time “asses.masses” had been performed. The show will continue to tour, with a performance in Boston set for this upcoming weekend and it will reach Chicago later this year. Our donkeys on Saturday didn’t solve all the world’s inequalities, but they did live full lives, attending raves, engaging in casual sex and even playing video games.

A player celebrates during “asses.masses,” live action theatrical video game.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The show is an argument that progress isn’t always linear, but community is constant. As one of the donkeys says at one point, “If you aren’t doing something that brings you joy, do something different.”

“In case anyone is like, ‘I don’t want to be lectured at,’ or I don’t want to do all this work, it feels like you’re just having fun with friends,” Lim says. “Maybe revolution doesn’t always look like just this. Maybe it’s also this.”

And like many a video game, maybe it’s a chance to live out some fantasies. “We do beat up riot cops in the game,” Blenkarn says, “in case anyone is hoping for that opportunity.”

Across East and Southeast Asia, and throughout diaspora communities in Los Angeles, Lunar New Year marks a season of renewal. It’s a time of deep reflection and collective gathering, as homes are refreshed, elders are honored and streets fill with lion and dragon dances.

Food is central to the celebrations, with dishes chosen as much for what they represent — abundance, unity and good fortune in the year ahead — as for how they taste.

This year ushers in the Year of the Horse — and not just any Horse, but the Fire Horse, a particularly dynamic pairing in the lunar calendar. The timing couldn’t be better. The horse is traditionally associated with energy, momentum and reinvention, and when paired with the fire element, which amplifies passion and action, this year speaks to our desire to move, create and reclaim a sense of possibility — even in the wake of devastating wildfires, immigration raids and widespread uncertainty.

While Lunar New Year officially kicks off on Feb. 17, celebrations in Los Angeles will take place all month and into the next, with banquet-style feasts, limited-time collaborations and cultural performances. Whether you’re seeking a symbolic meal or a lively street celebration, here are 25 festive ways to ring in Lunar New Year across L.A.

Paul says the flight attendant admitted it was ‘unacceptable’

A vegan plane passenger has slammed Virgin Atlantic after being served ‘the worst meal’ he’s ever had – a pitiful sandwich with three slices of ‘mouldy’ veg. Paul Booker was flying from Cancun, Mexico, to London Heathrow after a 10-day holiday with his friend.

The 55-year-old was towards the end of his 10-hour flight when he was served breakfast, included as part of the flight, and opted for the vegan sandwich. However, when he was given the meal, Paul was appalled at the standard and quality of what he was served, and claims a red-faced flight attendant said it was ‘unacceptable’.

Shocking photos show two slices of courgette and a solitary slice of ‘rotten-looking’ pepper slapped on the bread. Retired civil servant Paul, who has been vegan for 10 years, claims he was left hungry after being served the ‘pitiful’ sarnie on the £600 flight, with the only alternative being a fruit salad pot.

Virgin Atlantic have apologised and said all customers, including those with specific dietary requirements, ‘should receive food that meets our usual high standards’. Paul, from Minehead, Somerset, said: “There was no way that was going anywhere near my mouth because it looked like it was rotten.

“I have had bad food on a flight before but not from this country but this was a joke. I showed it to my friend, and to be honest it was almost like shock laughter. The first thought was how little there was in there, it wasn’t until then we looked at it closer and we saw the state of the vegetables that were in there and [I felt] just disgust, absolute disgust.

“It is certainly up there as the worst meal I have ever had, it’s certainly the worst offering I have ever had.”

Disgusted, Paul showed the sandwich to the flight attendant who he claims was embarrassed by it before handing him a pot of fruit salad instead. Paul said: “I called her [the flight attendant] over and I said ‘is this all you’ve got? Have you got an alternative I can have?’ and I showed her and she was absolutely shocked by that.

“She looked at it and said, ‘that’s terrible, that’s not acceptable at all’ and to contact Virgin when I got home. It had this amusing writing on the box, ‘we found love in a hungry place’. I thought ‘there’s an irony for you’. I certainly didn’t find love there, but I was certainly in the hungry place, it was more of a kick in the teeth.

“Then in front of me, thin strips of courgette and a bit of pepper that just looks rotten. The problem is that when you are on a flight they only take a limited amount of food with them and then they will only take a limited amount of specialist meals with them.

“If that meal isn’t quality checked before they send it out onto the plane and you are 10,000 feet in the air then you haven’t got any other choice.”

Disgusted, Paul shared a picture of his sarnie on social media branding it ‘pitiful’ and ‘mouldy’. Paul wrote: “This was the pitiful vegan offering that I got on a £600 Virgin Atlantic flight from Cancun to London today.

“The piece of red pepper actually looks mouldy. Even the stewardess was shocked, and seemed genuinely embarrassed. Needless to say, I didn’t eat it!”

After lodging a complaint Paul was offered a £100 voucher to use on Virgin holidays and flights. Paul said: “£100 isn’t going to go anywhere on a Virgin holiday or flight. I just wanted some acknowledgement from their in-flight catering team, and something properly financial would be nice.

“Something to make me feel a bit more valued. Their £100 voucher, not only is it not a lot of benefit to me but also doesn’t cost them anything. They could’ve given me £500 and it wouldn’t be a drop in the ocean to them.”

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “We never want to disappoint our customers, which is why it’s disheartening to hear that Mr Booker was unhappy with the meal served on his flight from Cancun to London Heathrow. All customers, including those with specific dietary requirements, should receive food that meets our usual high standards.

“We take complaints like this seriously and we have offered Mr Booker a £100 voucher. We have also shared all feedback with our catering teams to ensure standards are upheld.”

Humanitarian operations have been impeded by attacks, looting and restrictions on movement.

Ajok Ding Duot crouches on the dusty floor of a displacement camp in South Sudan’s Lakes state, cracking nuts open one by one.

She and her family of 10 arrived here about two weeks ago, fleeing intensifying fighting between government and opposition forces in neighbouring Jonglei state.

While they have found temporary shelter, Duot said there was hardly anything to eat at the camp. To survive, they rely on these nuts and wild fruits.

“We don’t know anything about what the government is doing. They’re fighting, but we don’t know what the problem is,” she told Al Jazeera.

“We’re in darkness. It’s only ever the humanitarian organisations who help.”

South Sudan has seen renewed fighting in recent weeks between government soldiers and fighters loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).

The United Nations says an estimated 280,000 people have been displaced by the fighting and air attacks since late December, including more than 235,000 across Jonglei alone.

The UN’s children agency UNICEF also warned last week that more than 450,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition due to mass displacement and the halting of critical medical services in Jonglei.

Nearly 10 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance across South Sudan, a country still reeling from a ruinous civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions between 2013 and 2018.

Humanitarian operations, however, have been crippled by attacks and looting, with observers saying both sides in the conflict have prevented assistance from reaching areas where they believe civilians support their opponents.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) suspended its activities last week in Baliet county, in Upper Nile state, following repeated attacks on a convoy carrying humanitarian assistance.

The WFP said the suspension would remain in place until the safety of its staff could be guaranteed and authorities take immediate action to recover the stolen supplies.

Separately, medical humanitarian NGO Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said last week a hospital in Jonglei was hit by a government air attack, marking the 10th attack in 12 months on an MSF-run medical facility in the country.

In addition, the MSF health facility in Pieri, also in Jonglei, was looted by unknown assailants, forcing staff to flee. The organisation said the violence had left some 250,000 people without healthcare, as the NGO had been the only medical provider in the area.

MSF said the targeted attacks on its facilities have forced the closure of two hospitals in the Greater Upper Nile and the suspension of general healthcare activities in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Central Equatoria states.

On Sunday, UN chief Antonio Guterres “strongly” condemned the escalating violence in the country and warned that civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.

In a statement, the secretary-general called on all parties “to immediately and decisively halt all military operations, de-escalate tensions through dialogue, uphold international law, protect civilians, and ensure safe and sustained humanitarian access and the security of aid workers and United Nations peacekeeping personnel and their assets”.

Coronation Street fans met Shona Platt and Jodie Ramsey’s father on Monday on the ITV soap, but his warning to Shona left fans convinced they knew what had happened to him

Sinister scenes on Coronation Street may have revealed Jodie Ramsey did something terrible to her own father.

Shona Platt was stunned during Monday’s episode of the ITV soap, after suspecting her sister Jodie was hiding something. She followed her to a hospital where she was left reeling to be reunited with her father after decades apart.

She had decided to track her father down, after Jodie recently claimed to Shona that her upbringing wasn’t great, with her father apparently being controlling in the wake of Shona fleeing years ago. Shona failed to find a lead on her dad’s whereabouts though, before managing to locate him by following Jodie to the hospital.

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It was clear their dad, who was laying still but awake in a bed, was dazed and confused. Initially he didn’t talk or move and he didn’t even react to Shona entering the room.

Jodie claimed she had to care for him after he spiralled in the wake of Shona and her mum leaving. She said he often had angry outbursts and in the end she could no longer look after him, admitting him to the hospital for daily care.

Suddenly the father started shouting out, seemingly calling Jodie a liar and warning Shona about her. Jodie claimed he didn’t know what he was saying most of the time, but later proved he had reason to be worried.

He seemed genuinely scared when Jodie commented that she didn’t need him anymore, and hinted that things didn’t go his way when he didn’t stay in line. So did Jodie do something to her dad?

Fans certainly think so with one writing: “I think Jodie abuses him,” as another commented: “The father looked a bit frightened of Jodie I thought.” A third added: “OMG Does Jodie abuse her dad?”

A fourth fan commented: “I think Jodie has been drugging her father. Anything that comes out of her mouth is lies and I think she wants to destroy Shona’s life because she abandoned her when she left home.”

Another said: “Jodie is definitely hiding something else I bet she’s the one abusing her dad.” Meanwhile one viewer posted: “That’s what I’m thinking as she’s probably the one who put him in that hospital to get his money.”

Other fans shared their belief that Jodie was out to steal her sister Shona’s life. A fan posted: “It’s giving me ‘single white female’ vibes. Jodie definitely wants Shona’s life.”

Another agreed: “Not sure what the story is actually. Why did Shona leave? Presume Jodie was left to look after the dad so Jodie is full of resentment. Found Shona and saw she had a good life so wants a bit of it???????”

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .