DID you know there’s a place in the UK so dark that you can see planets, shooting stars, and even the Northern Lights.
There’s an observatory in Northumberland nestled in a huge National Park that’s set to be the ‘world’s best travel adventure’ for this year.
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Kielder Forest is a great place to stargaze and even see the Northern LightsCredit: Alamy Stock PhotoThe forest in Northumberland is a dark sky park and covers 155,000 acresCredit: Alamy
National Geographic recently revealed their ’20 travel adventures to book in 2026′.
And at the very top of the list is going on a ‘mini stargazing safari in Northumberland’.
The publication suggested that adventure-hungry Brits head up to Kielder Forest which has a huge public observatory and organises over 700 events a year.
Kielder Observatory is one of the best places to see the night sky as it sits in Europe’s largest Gold-Tier International Dark Sky Park – Kielder Forest.
It’s also the third-largest protected Dark Sky reserve in the world.
The fact it’s unaffected by light pollution means you’re likely to see thousands of stars and the Milky Way on a cloudless night.
Through binoculars or observatory telescopes, visitors can sometimes see Andromeda Galaxy, planets and the Northern Lights.
Many visitors say the experience was “unbelievable” and “out of this world” with lots seeing them.
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One added: “When the clouds eventually started to clear we were given the chance to use the telescopes and stay a bit longer after the experience had finished to see Jupiter and some stars.
“Absolutely brilliant night, would fully recommend it to anyone! And the hot chocolate is amazing…”
Tickets for the observatory start from £25 and it’s open all year-round.
Kielder campsite has pitches from £20pp and will reopen in February 2026Credit: Kielder Campsite
There are other experiences in the surrounding areas for stargazing; the local Twice Brewed Inn country pub offers some too.
You can enjoy a two course meal before an evening of stargazing with astronomers from the Kielder Observatory.
There’s even a ‘stargazing, supper and slumber’ package which is tailored to guests.
SACRAMENTO — As massive federal cuts are upending the healthcare system in California, analysts and healthcare professionals are urging state lawmakers to soften the blow by creating new revenue streams and helping residents navigate through the newly-imposed red tape.
“It impacts not only uninsured but also Medicare and commercially insured patients who rely on the same system,” said Dolly Goel, a physician and chief officer for the Santa Clara Valley Healthcare Administration. “People will die.”
Goel was among more than a dozen speakers this week at a state Assembly Health Committee hearing held to collect input on how to address cuts enacted by a Republican-backed tax and spending bill signed last year by President Trump. The committee’s Republican members — Assemblymembers Phillip Chen of Yorba Linda, Natasha Johnson of Lake Elsinore, Joe Patterson of Rockin, and Kate Sanchez of Trabuco Canyon — did not attend.
The so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed by Republicans shifts federal funding away from safety-net programs and toward tax cuts and immigration enforcement. A recent report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which advises the state Legislature on budgetary issues, estimated this will reduce funding for healthcare by “tens of billions of dollars” in California and warned about 1.2 million people could lose coverage through Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the federal Medicaid program providing healthcare coverage to low-income Americans.
Congress allowed enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire, which is dramatically increasing the cost of privately-purchased health insurance. Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, estimates hundreds of thousands of Californians will either be stripped of coverage or drop out due to increased cost.
Sandra Hernández, president of the California Health Care Foundation, said the federal legislation creates administrative hurdles, requiring Medicaid beneficiaries to meet new work or income requirements and to undergo the eligibility re-determination process every six months instead of annually.
“We are looking at a scenario where otherwise eligible working parents lose their coverage simply because they aren’t able to navigate a complex verification process in a timely way,” she said.
California should move aggressively to automate verification instead of putting the burden of proof on beneficiaries, Hernández said. She advised legislators to center new healthcare strategies around technology, like artificial intelligence and telehealth services, to improve efficiency and keep costs down.
“While the federal landscape has shifted, California has enormous power to mitigate the damage,” said Hernández. “California has had a long tradition of taking care of its own.”
Hannah Orbach-Mandel, an analyst with the California Budget and Policy Center, said legislators should establish new revenue sources.
“A common sense place to start is by eliminating corporate tax loopholes and ensuring that highly profitable corporations pay their fair share in state taxes,” she said, adding that California loses out on billions annually because of the “water’s edge” tax provision, which allows multinational corporations to exclude the income of their foreign subsidiaries from state taxation.
One proposal to raise money for state healthcare benefits already is raising controversy. Under the Billionaire Tax Act, Californians worth more than $1 billion would pay a one-time 5% tax on their total wealth. The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the union behind the act, said the measure would raise much-needed money for healthcare, education and food assistance programs. It is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others.
During last week’s legislative hearing in Sacramento, other speakers stressed the importance of communicating clearly with the public, collaborating with nonprofits and county governments and bracing for an influx of hospital patients.
Those who lose health insurance will skip medications and primary care and subsequently get sicker and end up in the emergency room, explained Goel. She said this will strain hospital staff and lead to longer wait times and delayed care for all patients.
The federal cuts come at a time when California is struggling with its own budgetary woes. The Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates the state will have an $18-billion budget shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year.
At the start of the hearing, Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) criticized the federal government for leaving states in the lurch and prioritizing immigration enforcement over healthcare.
The Republican-led Congress and the president provided a staggering funding increase to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. The agency’s annual budget has ballooned to $85 billion.
“The federal dollars which once supported healthcare for working families are now being funneled into mass deportation operations,” said Bonta, who chairs the committee. “Operations that resulted in tragic murders — this is where our healthcare funding is going.”
Wolves have accepted a reduced offer worth £48m for striker Jorgen Strand Larsen from Crystal Palace.
Last week, the two clubs reached an agreement in principle over a £50m deal for the Norway international to move to Selhurst Park.
All that was left was for Palace to submit a written offer – and provided the bid was of the value discussed, Wolves would have accepted.
However, as BBC Sport revealed, the offer never arrived as Palace communicated their intention to walk away from the deal, which put the transfer in jeopardy.
Sources claim that Palace’s decision to pause final talks was down to reservations over the total cost of the deal, not concerns over the player.
The impasse in recent days has placed further doubt on the deal.
But with a little over 24 hours to go until the transfer window closes, Palace have now had a new offer accepted worth £43m plus an additional £5m in bonuses – a deal worth £2 less than their original verbal offer.
If the deal goes through, the door could open for Jean-Philippe Mateta to complete his protracted move to AC Milan.
Mateta wants to leave Selhurst Park with the Italian club leading the chase for his signature.
But Palace are unwilling to let the France international go without a replacement.
Carlos Alcaraz has rewritten tennis history by becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam with his victory over the great Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open 2026 in Melbourne.
Alcaraz, 22, overcame a first-set loss to complete a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 triumph over the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. In the process, he denied the 38-year-old a chance to become the only player with 25 Slam titles.
While the world number one later admitted his “legs were shaking” as he served for the title, he seemed to have the upper hand as the match wore on and finished after three hours and two minutes.
The top seed now has an Australian Open trophy to add to his two French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles each, also making him the youngest to garner seven Slams.
Djokovic, from Serbia and a 10-time champion in Australia, was the quicker of the two out of the blocks and broke his younger rival twice to swiftly claim the opening set.
But Alcaraz, of Spain, didn’t waste time in pulling back and claiming the second set with the same scoreline in a display of speed, power and finesse.
In breaking the career Slam record, Alcaraz surpassed his idol and compatriot Rafael Nadal – who watched from the stands and who was two years older when he did the same.
It was a first defeat for Djokovic in a Melbourne final after he won all 10 previously, leaving him still searching for a landmark 25th major to better Australia’s Margaret Court, who was also watching on.
Tennis champion Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory at the Australian Open [Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Gladiatorial contest
Both men battled through five long sets in their semifinals, Alcaraz against Alexander Zverev and Djokovic against Jannik Sinner, and recovery was always going to be key after their physical struggles.
But they showed few signs of fatigue in another gladiatorial contest.
They both opened with comfortable holds before a double fault and netted forehand presented the first break point chance for Djokovic at 2-1.
Alcaraz saved it, but the aggressive fourth seed kept pressing and converted on his third, then consolidated for a 4-1 lead.
Djokovic was reading Alcaraz’s serve well, and once he got in the rallies, he was authoritative, with a sensational forehand winner earning him two set points.
He claimed the set in a statement 33 minutes after a ninth unforced error from the top seed, having dominated the big moments.
It was vintage Djokovic, but Alcaraz came storming back, upping the tempo to break for 2-1 in the second set, pumping his fist when he saved a break point and held in the next game.
Djokovic put drops to his eyes and began rubbing them, unable to tame a now rampant Alcaraz, who broke again for 5-2.
There were some sensational rallies that had the crowd on their feet in set three, which went with serve until Djokovic slapped a forehand wide under pressure to slip 2-3 behind.
He gamely saved four set points at 3-5, but, with his energy level dropping, was unable to save a fifth as the Spaniard took control.
On the back foot, Djokovic then saved six break points in an 11-minute opening service game in set four to stay alive and kept fighting hard.
But Alcaraz ground him down and pounced as Djokovic served to stay in the match to seal a maiden Australian championship.
It ensured he remained world number one and Sinner two, with Djokovic moving up a place to three ahead of Zverev.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic played some incredible points during the final [Kelly Defina/Getty Images]
Australian Open win ‘means the world’ to Alcaraz
Despite his heartbreaking loss, Djokovic was gracious in defeat as he walked around the net to congratulate Alcaraz on his side of the court.
Plenty of pats on the back and smiles were exchanged in a passing-of-the-baton moment between the two tennis icons.
Afterwards, Alcaraz told the host broadcasters that his legs were shaking as he served for the championship.
“I was telling myself, at least put it [the serve] in and then let’s see what happens,” the champion said with a laugh.
The man from Murcia, southeastern Spain, said the elusive win in Australia was something he had been working hard for.
“It means the world to me and shows that all the hard work paid off,” he said.
Alcaraz’s seventh Slam put him alongside John McEnroe and Mats Wilander and one behind Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.
However, the young champion was quick to dismiss talk of overtaking his heroes Nadal and Djokovic, and said 22 or 24 titles were “too far away” at the moment.
“I know how difficult it is to win a Grand Slam,” he said. “I know what it takes, so I just want to enjoy each one because I don’t know if it’s going to be my last one.
“I want to keep going and working hard to feel this emotion again.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic did not make any explicit statements on his career but did admit he’s not sure whether he will return to Melbourne for next year’s Australian Open.
“I tried to give it back with good tennis over the years. This is my 22nd year coming to Australia,” he said at the presentation ceremony.
The Serb said he didn’t think he’d be “standing on a Grand Slam final podium again”.
“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six or 12 months,” the 2023 champion said.
“It has been a great ride, and I love you guys.”
Novak Djokovic embraces Carlos Alcaraz after the end of their tennis match [Edgar Su/Reuters]
They added that the government was “focused on delivering a balanced approach with strengthened law enforcement to tackle supply coupled with investment in treatment, the development of a skilled workforce, sustainable recovery services and peer networks that will support people in recovery with employment, housing and education”.
This year’s Sundance felt marked by great uncertainty. Personally, I was never quite sure how to feel, as the many unknowns of next year’s move to Boulder meant that it was unclear how much this year was supposed to feel like the end of something or the start of a new beginning. I didn’t know just how mournful to be, though, as the festival marched along, it became clear there was a space for nostalgic reflections.
The first movie I ever saw at Sundance was Andrew Fleming’s comedy “Hamlet 2” in the Library Center Theatre. Which means it was 2008 and I was then an intrepid freelancer who talked my way into sleeping on a recliner at a condo rented by The Times until staffers trickled out and I eventually had the place to myself because of the vagaries of an extended rental agreement. Which is how I found myself, entirely unexpectedly, in a room interviewing all of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, who were in town for their tour documentary “CSNY/Déjà Vu.”
That sense of surprise and discovery — and in-person interactions that likely wouldn’t happen anywhere else — are what have brought me back to the festival every year I could manage since. It’s exactly why I have been a huge fan of the festival’s NEXT section, made up of films that don’t quite fit elsewhere in the program. A standout this year was Georgia Bernstein’s debut feature, “Night Nurse,” a film of assured poise about a young woman (a compelling Cemre Paskoy) who takes a job at a retirement home only to find herself drawn into a series of phone scams, erotic role play and psychosexual transference with one the clients. Recommending the film to colleagues feels a little like an HR violation, but the kinky undercurrents and unsettling emotions are worth it.
Cemre Paksoy and Bruce McKenzie in the movie “Night Nurse.”
(Lidia Nikonova / Sundance Institute)
Many conversations around the festival seemed to firmly center on “The Invite” and “Josephine,” but another film people consistently brought up was “Wicker.” Written and directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, adapting a short story by Ursula Wills-Jones, the film takes place in an unspecified time and place: a sort of medieval-ish middle European village of the mind, in which an unmarried woman (Olivia Colman) asks a local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband. That he comes out looking like Alexander Skarsgård sets the whole town into a tizzy. Nimble and inventive, with convincing special effects work, the film is a charming parable that continually finds ways to reset itself.
It is unclear just how planned it was, but there could have been no better film than “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” to be the final fiction feature to debut in the Eccles Theatre, one of the festival’s most storied venues. Character actor Noah Segan’s directorial debut, the movie is a warmly elegiac portrait of the city and the pain of recognizing when your time has passed. Led by a quietly commanding lead performance by John Turturro, the film also features Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito in supporting roles.
As the trio took the stage with Segan and other cast members after the film, it quickly became apparent how special it was to have those three actors there in that moment. Buscemi rattled off a quietly astounding number of films he has appeared in with “New York” in the title — “New York Stories,” “Slaves of New York,” “King of New York” — while Turturro spoke movingly about his relationship with Robert Redford, whose absence hung heavy over the entire festival.
John Turturro in the move “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.”
(MRC II Distribution Co. L.P. / Sundance Institute)
As Esposito began talking about what Sundance has meant to him over the years, his words took on a fierce momentum. He recalled when he first came to the festival in the ’90s, he was “ecstatic because it gave a voice to those who didn’t have a voice. … We didn’t come to sell a film to a big studio. We came to share our small movie with human beings that could really see themselves in a mirror on the screen.”
Of Redford, he added, “His vision is priceless. It’s the gem that we all hope for. It’s the juice of why we live. It’s the connection of why this movie works. It’s the love of what we do. This, to me, will stick with me for the rest of my life. My interactions with this man who started this festival will always be a beacon of light in my creative process.”
It was a beautiful and inspiring way to leave that theater for the last time and, in turn, leave Park City behind for a future that, while full of unknowns, will for now also hold the promise of new discoveries to come.
THERE’S a forgotten utopia among the 200+ Greek islands crying out for Brits to come and enjoy its untouched beaches, mouth-watering gyros and beers aplenty.
Karpathos may be the 15th largest Greek island but the population is only about 6,500, so it flies relatively under the radar — a paradise for off-grid explorers.
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One of Karpathos’ many idyllic beachesCredit: SuppliedRestaurants are family run on the islandCredit: AlamyThe mountain village of Olympus is a must for culture loversCredit: Getty
You’ll spot mainly Italian and Dutch tourists, although the majority of hotel and restaurant staff speak perfect English.
And they are thrilled to have us here, unlike some destinations where anti-tourist protests are in full force.
“We love the Brits, we want the Brits,” one restaurant owner told us.
Perhaps the reason it remains so off-grid is the long journey there.
Although Karpathos has an airport, there are no direct flights from the UK, which leaves only two options: flying in via Athens, or jetting into Rhodes and taking a ferry.
We opted for the latter, hopping on a smooth easyJet flight from Gatwick for our first leg before whizzing over by boat.
If the journey sounds too hellish to do in one, you can break it up into stages.
It was my first time visiting Greece and I wanted to see some of Rhodes, so we stayed one night in the main hub before moving on to Karpathos.
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Rhodes is undeniably beautiful and has lots to offer but in my short time there I couldn’t help noticing how samey it felt.
Tourist-trap shops, restaurants that want to get you in and out fast and a bit too heavy on the drunken booze scene.
Karpathos is relaxed and uncrowded — and we were grateful for it
Karpathos, by comparison, is relaxed and uncrowded — and we were grateful for it.
The boat trip takes four hours with Blue Star Ferries, stopping at a couple of other islands on the way. But we didn’t mind soaking up the blue skies and seeing the sights as we went.
Karpathos’s main town centre, Pigadia, is where most of the action happens, with a number of family restaurants, bars and shops, all of which are easily walkable.
But to get the most out of the island you’ll want to hire a car. Just beware of the winding roads!
Karpathos may not boast a lively nightlife, but what it does have is a gobsmackingly gorgeous selection of beaches.
There are more than 110 to discover — some of the smaller ones don’t even have names.
We arrived at a tiny hidden one with the sort of crystal clear waters I’ve only ever seen in Hawaii
And you can quite easily stumble across a beach and have it completely to yourselves.
We arrived at a tiny hidden one with the sort of crystal clear waters I’ve only ever seen in Hawaii.
Another five-minute drive down the road and you’ll come across another, then another.
Some of the sandy beaches are flanked by restaurants and places to grab a beer, like Lefkos and Limniatis, while most of the pebble shores tend to be deserted.
Take your pick, the world is very much your oyster here.
It’s hard to choose a favourite among the dozen we visited but Achata Beach wins.
Karpathos’s main town centre, Pigadia, is where most of the action happensCredit: GettySun man Jamie Harris enjoys a local beerCredit: Supplied
I love how it’s swallowed by mountains and has hardly anything surrounding it.
You can rent a lounger for 20 euros and there’s a bar serving food and drinks straight to loungers.
Away from the sunloungers, there is a range of coastal activities for all the family, dotted along the island.
We took a windsurfing lesson one day, guided by patient surfing pros. Another day we embarked on a bumpy motorboat trip, which took us to the uninhibited Saria Island, to the north of Karpathos.
Women in charge
As well as seeing the beautifully remote landscapes, we snorkelled through a cave soaking up the sight of colourful fish in the most breathtaking setting.
For those seeking more culture, the mountain village of Olympus is a must, with narrow paths and old houses built into slopes.
You’ll see women dressed in traditional embroidered clothing — and this is one of the rare places in the world where women are traditionally in charge.
Go to Olympus in the later part of the day to avoid the surge of visitors and you’ll get one of the best unobstructed views of the sunset ever.
And what goes perfectly with sunsets? Sundowners. I’ve never been more satisfied, in terms of choice, quality and price when it comes to drinks and dining.
Restaurants are largely family-run establishments bursting with genuinely friendly people desperate for you to try some traditional grub. And meals cost far less than in a chain eatery in the UK.
You can stick to the familiar burgers and pasta, but if you’re looking for a local speciality I highly recommend the saganaki, a slab of cheese pan-fried, giving it a golden-brown crispy crust.
My favourite came from the Maxim family restaurant.
Zucchini croquettes were another top pick; Orea restaurant does them best.
Oh, and did I mention the tiropitakia — feta cheese wrapped in a flaky pastry drizzled with honey? I could go on.
Best of all, everything is made with sharing in mind so you don’t have to miss out on anything.
As for drink, don’t be surprised if the owner comes to have a shot of Akai with you at your table.
But for something a bit softer there’s beer and Greek lager such as Mythos for only a few euros.
Maybe Karpathos has more of a party atmosphere than it first let on . . .
GO: KARPATHOS
GETTING THERE: EasyJet flies from Gatwick to Rhodes from £28.49 each way.
He drew disparaging notice during a presidential rant and captured headlines after being blocked from delivering a high-profile speech, allegedly at the behest of the White House.
All the while, another governor and Democratic presidential prospect was mixing and mingling in the rarefied Swiss air — though you probably wouldn’t know it.
Flying far below the heat-seeking radar, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear leaned into the role of economic ambassador, focusing on job creation and other nutsy, boltsy stuff that doesn’t grab much notice in today’s performative political environment.
Like Newsom, Beshear is running-but-not-exactly-running for president. He didn’t set out to offer a stark contrast to California’s governor, the putative 2028 Democratic front-runner. But he’s doing so just the same.
“I think by the time we reach 2028, our Democratic voters are gonna be worn out,” Beshear said during a conversation in his state’s snowy capital. “They’re gonna be worn out by Trump, and they’re gonna be worn out by Democrats who respond to Trump like Trump. And they’re gonna want some stability in their lives.”
Every candidate enters a contest with a backstory and a record, which is condensed to a summary that serves as calling card, strategic foundation and a rationale for their run.
Here’s Andy Beshear’s: He’s the popular two-term governor of a red state that three times voted overwhelmingly for Trump.
He is fluent in the language of faith, well-liked by the kind of rural voters who have abandoned Democrats in droves and, at age 48, offers a fresh face and relative youth in a party that many voters have come to see as old and ossified.
Beshear’s not-yet-candidacy, still in the fledgling phase, offers a mix of aspiration and admonition.
Democrats, he said, need to talk more like regular people. Addiction, not substance use disorder. Hunger, not food assistance.
And, he suggested, they need to focus more on things regular people care about: jobs, healthcare, public safety, public education. Things that aren’t theoretical or abstract but materially affect their daily lives, like the costs of electricity, car insurance and groceries.
“I think the most important thing we should have learned from 2024 is [Democratic voters are] gonna be looking for somebody that can help them pay that next bill,” Beshear said.
He was seated in the Old Governor’s Mansion, now a historic site and Beshear’s temporary office while the nearby Capitol undergoes a years-long renovation.
The red-brick residence, built in the Federal style and completed in 1798, was Beshear’s home from age 6 to 10 when his father, Steve, lived there while serving as lieutenant governor. (Steve Beshear went on to serve two terms as the state’s chief executive, building a brand and a brand name that helped Andy win his first public office, attorney general, in 2015.)
It was 9 degrees outside. Icicles hung from the eaves and snowplows navigated Frankfort’s narrow, winding streets after an unusually cold winter blast.
Inside, Beshear was seated before an unlit fireplace, legs crossed, shirt collar unbuttoned, looking like the pleasantly unassuming Dad in a store-bought picture frame.
He bragged a bit, touting Kentucky’s economic success under his watch. He spoke of his religiosity — his grandfather and great-grandfather were Baptist preachers — and talked at length about the optimism, a political rarity these days, that undergirds his vision for the country.
“I think the American people feel like the pendulum swung too far in the Biden administration. Now they feel it’s swung way too far during the Trump administration,” Beshear said. “What they want is for it to stop swinging.”
He went on. “Most people when they wake up aren’t thinking about politics. They’re thinking about their job, their next doctor’s appointment, the roads and bridges they drive, the school they drop their kids off at, and whether they feel safe in their community.
“And I think they desperately want someone that can move the country, not right or left ideologically, but actually forward in those areas. And that’s how I think we heal.”
Beshear doesn’t shy from his Democratic pedigree, or stray from much of the party’s orthodoxy.
He’s walked the picket line with striking auto workers, signed an executive order making Juneteenth a state holiday and routinely vetoed anti-gay legislation, becoming the first Kentucky governor to attend an LGBTQ+ celebration in the Capitol Rotunda.
“Discrimination against our LGBTQ+ community is unacceptable,” he told an audience. “It holds us back and, in my Kentucky accent, it ain’t right.”
For all of that, Beshear doesn’t shrink from taking on Trump, which, essentially, has become a job requirement for any Democratic officeholder wishing to remain a Democratic officeholder.
“From insulting our allies to telling struggling Americans that he’s fixed inflation and the economy is amazing, the President is hurting both our families’ financial security and our national security,” Beshear posted on social media. “Oh, and Greenland is so important he’s calling it Iceland.”
But Beshear hasn’t turned Trump-bashing into a 24/7 vocation, or a weight-lifting contest where the winner is the critic wielding the heaviest bludgeon.
“I stand up to him in the way that I think a Democratic governor of Kentucky should. When he’s doing things that hurt my state, I speak out,” Beshear said. “I filed 20 lawsuits, I think, and we’ve won almost all of them, bringing dollars they were trying to stop from flowing into Kentucky.
“But,” he added, “when he does something positive for Kentucky, I also say that too, because that’s what our people expect.”
Asked about the towel-snapping Newsom and his dedicated staff of Trump trollers, Beshear defended California’s governor — or, at least, passed on the chance to get in a dig.
“Gavin’s in a very different situation than I’m in. I mean, he has the president attacking him and his state just about every day,” Beshear said. “So I don’t want to be critical of an approach from somebody that’s in a very different spot.
“But the approach also has to be unique to you. For me, I bring people together. We’ve been able to do that in this state. That’s my approach. And in the end, I’ve gotta stay true to who I am.”
And when — or make that if — both Newsom and Beshear launch a formal bid for president, they’ll present Democratic voters a clear choice.
Not just between two differing personalities. Also two considerably different approaches to politics and winning back the White House.
As the Rafah crossing reopens, there are concerns over how restricted exits and particularly re-entries will be for Palestinians. Dr Mohammed Tahir, a trauma surgeon who volunteered in Gaza, says people fear that opting for medical treatment abroad may mean they will never return.
Laura Fernandez, President Rodrigo Chaves’s protege and former chief of staff, is a frontrunner and could avoid an April 5 run-off.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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Polls have opened in the Costa Rica general election as the centre-right populist government seeks to extend its mandate and secure control of the Legislative Assembly at a time when drug-fuelled violence has gripped the country.
Voting stations opened at 6am local time (12:00 GMT) on Sunday and will remain open until 6pm (24:00 GMT), with early trends likely within hours.
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Laura Fernandez, President Rodrigo Chaves’s protege and former chief of staff, is leading in the polls with more than 40 percent, enough to win outright and avoid an April 5 run-off. She has pledged to continue Chaves’s tough security policies and anti-establishment message.
Her closest rivals in the 20-candidate field are Alvaro Ramos, a centrist economist representing Costa Rica’s oldest political party, and Claudia Dobles, an architect representing a progressive coalition and a former first lady whose husband, Carlos Alvarado, served as president from 2018 to 2022.
Both are polling in the single digits but are seen as the two most likely to compete in a possible run-off if Fernandez falls short of 40 percent.
Fernandez has also urged voters to hand her 40 seats in the country’s 57-seat Legislative Assembly, a supermajority that would allow her to pursue constitutional reforms. The current government holds just eight seats and has blamed congressional gridlock for blocking its agenda.
Polls show about a quarter of the 3.7 million voters remain undecided, with the largest group being between the ages of 18 and 34 and from the coastal provinces of Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limon.
“People are tired of promises from all the governments, including this one, even though the government has said things that are true, like needing stronger laws to restore order,” said Yheison Ugarte, a 26-year-old deliveryman from downtown Limon, a Caribbean port city that has been the hardest hit by drug violence.
Despite homicides surging to an all-time high during his term and multiple corruption investigations, Chaves remains deeply popular, with a 58 percent approval rating, according to the University of Costa Rica’s CIEP polling.
While consecutive re-election is not allowed in Costa Rica, Fernandez has pledged to include Chaves in her government and positioned herself as the continuity of his mandate.
If anyone told Mariah Carey ahead of time that Friday night’s MusiCares Person of the Year tribute would feature a live auction — an auction in which a meet-and-greet with the singer in Abu Dhabi was offered to the highest bidder — you sure couldn’t tell by observing her reaction.
Seated near the stage at the Los Angeles Convention Center, a camera feeding close-up images of her face to several screens, Carey appeared genuinely surprised by an auctioneer’s description of the backstage hangout in which she’d be expected to participate next month.
But such is the life of a queen.
Watching Carey respond in real time was actually the best thing about this annual Grammy-weekend gala meant to honor an artist’s work and philanthropy. Though the 56-year-old herself sang for only a minute or so at the end of the show, Carey was a delight to behold as a series of admirers took turns performing some of her many hits (and a handful of deep cuts).
Jennifer Hudson performs.
(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images)
The look of game recognizing game as Jennifer Hudson crushed “Vision of Love.” The tenderness with which she regarded her old friend Busta Rhymes doing their “I Know What You Want.” The slowly dawning realization that this heavily tattooed white man named Teddy Swims was really going to pull off “Without You.”
“That was terrifying,” Swims said when he finished the song — an all-timer of a power ballad with a lengthy chain of custody going back through Carey, Harry Nilsson and the doomed Welsh band Badfinger.
Best of all was the sight of Carey proudly singing along to Foo Fighters and Taylor Momsen as they blazed through a pair of tunes from the cult-fave grunge album she secretly recorded in the mid-1990s under the name Chick.
Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, left, and Taylor Momsen perform.
(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images)
Other acts on the bill included Adam Lambert, who went slow and moody for “Can’t Let Go”; the British girl group Flo, which gave an airy performance of “Dreamlover”; and Laufey, who kept a watchful eye on a giant prompter scrolling lyrics at the back of the room as she did “It’s Like That.”
Then there was Billy Porter, who took “Always Be My Baby” way over the top with wild vocal runs that made up for what they lacked in precision with — well, mostly with volume.
Carey took the stage late in the evening to give her thanks to “so many friendly and familiar faces — people I’ve worked with, people I’ve long admired, even people I thought I’d never see again.” After her speech, Jon Batiste popped out to lead a random assortment of stars through an all-hands finale of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which recently set a new record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Charlie Puth? Gayle King? Rita Wilson? Carey looked pleased(-ish) to see each one.
Oakland civil rights attorney James Cook has been on the ground in Minnesota for months figuring out answers to these question as he goes.
A fast-talking Minneapolis native who still lives in the Twin Cities part time, Cook is one of a handful of attorneys who have dropped everything to aid (for free) those caught up in the federal crackdown — protesters, immigrants and detained citizens — too many of whom have found themselves facing deportation, arrest or even been disappeared, at least for a time.
Civil rights attorney James Cook in the rear view mirror as he makes phone calls in his car in Minneapolis.
(Caroline Yang/For The Times)
“They are leaders that are on the ground really helping people through this process,” Minnesota school board member Chauntyll Allen told me.
She’s one of the protesters arrested inside a local church, charged with conspiracy to deprive others of their constitutional rights by Pam Bondi’s politicized Department of Justice, which also Friday arrested journalist Don Lemon for the same incident. Cook is one of the lawyers now representing Allen.
“It shows us that the judicial arm, or some of the judicial arm of our democracy, is willing to step up and ensure that our democracy stands strong,” Allen said of Cook and others like him.
While it’s the images of clashes in the streets that captivate media and audiences, it’s lawyers like Cook who are fighting an existential battle in the background to preserve the rule of law in a place where it is increasing opaque, to put it gently.
The legal work behind detentions has largely been an overlooked battlefield that will likely rage on years after ICE departs the streets, leaving in its wake hundreds if not thousands of long-and-winding court cases.
Beyond the personal fates they will determine, the outcome of the civil litigation Cook and others are spearheading will likely force whatever transparency and accountability can be pulled from these chaotic and troubling times.
It’s time-consuming and complicated work vital not just to people, but history.
Or, as Cook puts it, “I’ll be 10 years older when all this s— resolves.”
Federal agents stand guard against a growing wall of protesters on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis, just hours after Alex Pretti was shot by federal agents.
(Caroline Yang/For The Times)
Cook told me this while on his way to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building where some detainees are being held, maybe. It’s hard to find out. A few years ago, when immigration enforcement in Minnesota ramped up under the first Trump term, activists tried to get the name of the building changed, arguing Whipple, the first Protestant Episcopal bishop in the state, had been an advocate of the marginalized and wouldn’t want his name associated with what the feds were up to.
Cook is well aware that the guns carried by the federal agents are not for show, even without the Boss’ new ballad. Just a few days ago, one of the first times he drove his beat-up truck up to the gate, the federal guards at Whipple pointed their guns at him.
“I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m going to take my keys out of the ignition, drop them on the ground. So please don’t shoot,’” he said.
They lowered the guns, but Cook was scared, a feeling that doesn’t come easy.
Long before his law degree, when he was a punk-rock loving teen in the 1980s, fresh out of Southwest High, the public school not too far from Whipple, a former coach convinced him to give up college dreams and instead pursue a shot at making the first Muay Thai kickboxing team at the Olympics.
The martial art ended up not making it as an official Olympic sport, but the experience launched Cook into a professional boxing and kickboxing career that took him to competitions around the world, and taught him fear is not a reason to back down.
But, “Father Time is undefeated,” Cook said. “I got older and I started losing fights, and I was like, all right, time to get back to life.”
That eventually led him to obtaining a law degree in San Francisco, where after an intern stint as a public defender, he decided he wanted to be a trial attorney, fighting in court.
Civil rights attorney James Cook has been doing pro bono immigration work since the crackdown began in Minneapolis.
(Caroline Yang/For The Times)
He started cold-calling John Burris, another Bay Area lawyer who is an icon of civil rights and police misconduct cases. Burris, who has been called the “Godfather of Police Litigation,” was involved in the “Oakland Riders” case in 2000, when officers were discovered to have planted evidence. He also represented Rodney King, the family of Oscar Grant, and the family of Joseph Mann among many others.
But Burris, a boxing fan, didn’t respond to Cook’s calls until the young lawyer offered him free tickets to one of his fights, which he was still doing on the side.
“And then immediately I got a call back,” Cook said.
Burris said Cook’s history as a fighter intrigued him, but “I did say to James, you can’t be a fighter and lawyer. You can’t get punched in your head all the time.”
Cook did not take this advice.
Still, Burris said, “It was his persistence that I admired, because the type of work we’re involved in, you need people who are dedicated, who have some real commitment to the work, and he showed that kind of consistency and dedication.”
Cook’s been working with Burris more than 20 years now, but until recently, the labyrinth of the immigration system wasn’t his area of expertise. It’s been a crash course for him, he said, on the often arcane laws that govern who gets to stay in America and who doesn’t.
It’s also been a crash course on what a civil rights emergency looks like. Along with his work looking for locked-up immigrants, Cook spends a lot of time on the streets at protests, helping people understand their rights — and limitations — and seeing first hand what is happening.
“If you ever wondered what you would have done in Germany, now is the time,” he said. “Now is the time to do something. People are being interned.”
In the hours after Pretti was shot, Cook was at the location of the shooting, in the middle of the tear gas, offering legal help to anyone who needed it and bearing witness to conduct that will almost certainly face scrutiny one day, even if government leaders condone it now.
Law enforcement officers launch tear gas canisters as they work to push the crowd back and expand their perimeter in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
(Caroline Yang/For The Times)
“The way the officers chase people down, protesters who were really just protesting lawfully and were beaten and pepper sprayed and gassed — all those are civil rights violations,” Burris said. “And so the law is the guardrails. So there has to be lawyers who are prepared to protect those guardrails and to stand as centurions, as I refer to us.”
Cook has tried to calm protesters, he told me, and prevent clashes. But people are mad, and resolute. His greatest fear is summer — when warm weather could bring even larger crowds if enforcement is still ongoing. He’s worried that the actions of the federal agents will spill over into anger at local cops enforcing local laws, leading to even more chaos.
“I’ve always supported cops as long as they do their job correctly,” Cook said.
For now, he’s taking it one day at a time, one case at a time, one name at a time.
Protesters raise an inverted American flag as law enforcement officers launch tear gas canisters in Minneapolis after Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents.
(Caroline Yang/For The Times)
Tuesday, Cook passed through the armed checkpoint at Whipple carrying a list of about seven people, folks who have been picked up by federal agents for one reason or another, or reasons unknown, and now cannot be located. They are not in the public online system that is meant to track detainees, and family and friends have not heard from them.
If he’s lucky, Cook will get information on one or two, that they are indeed inside, or maybe at a detention center in Texas, where many have been sent. But there will be more whose location remains unknown. He’ll make calls, fill out forms and come back tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that.
“This is what we do,” he said. “I’m always in it for the long run. I mean, you know, shoot, yeah, that’s kind of the way it works.”
Ever since Hunter Greene stepped foot on campus at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High as a 14-year-old freshman, everyone has predicted stardom in baseball. But one day, it will be remembered how much he has done to help inspire and encourage the next generation of students to follow their dreams.
Greene, the No. 2 draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2017, has become a member of the team’s starting rotation while continuing to serve as a role model for others.
On Saturday, he returned to Notre Dame to present two scholarship awards from his foundation given annually to a boy and girl who demonstrates character and commitment to their community. It’s the seventh and eighth scholarships since he began the annual presentation four years ago.
Donors list for the Hunter Greene Scholarship Fund at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Even in high school, Greene was seen as someone who could be a leader in helping others. He embraced that role and has continued as a professional baseball player, whether it’s at his former school or helping youth around the country.
Notre Dame held an alumni baseball game, where former major leaguers Brendan Ryan and Brett Hayes were among the participants.
Greene did not play, but what he continues to do off the field is admired and much appreciated.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Modi’s government presents annual budget, focusing on sustaining growth despite volatile financial markets and trade uncertainty.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has unveiled its annual budget, aiming for steady growth in an uncertain global economy rocked by recent tariff wars.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for the 2026-2027 financial year in Parliament on Sunday, prioritising infrastructure and domestic manufacturing, with a total expenditure estimated at $583bn.
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India’s economy has so far weathered punitive tariffs of 50 percent imposed by United States President Donald Trump over New Delhi’s imports of Russian oil. The government has sought to offset the impact of those duties by striking deals, such as its trade agreement with the European Union.
Despite the past year’s challenges, the Indian economy has remained one of the world’s fastest growing.
The budget for the new financial year, which starts on April 1, projects gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the range of 6.8 to 7.2 percent, according to the government’s annual Economic Survey presented in Parliament. It is a shade softer than this year’s projected 7.4 percent but still outpaces estimates by global institutions such as the World Bank.
To keep growth strong, the government said it will spend 12.2 trillion rupees ($133bn) on infrastructure in the new fiscal year, compared with 11.2 trillion rupees ($122bn) last year. It will also aim to boost manufacturing in seven strategic sectors, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, rare-earth magnets, chemicals, capital goods, textiles and sports goods while stepping up investments in niche industries like artificial intelligence.
Despite plans to prop up growth with state spending, the government is aiming to bring down the federal government debt-to-GDP ratio from 56.1 percent to 55.6 percent in the next financial year and the fiscal deficit from its current projected level of 4.4 percent of GDP to 4.3 percent.
Sitharaman offered no populist giveaways, saying New Delhi would focus on building resilience at home while strengthening its position in global supply chains, marking a departure from last year’s budget, which wooed the salaried middle class with steep tax cuts.
Before the budget presentation, Modi on Thursday said the nation was “moving away from long-term problems to tread the path of long-term solutions”.
“Long term solutions provide predictability that fosters trust in the world,” he said.
Modi’s government has struggled to raise manufacturing from its current level of contributing under 20 percent of India’s GDP to 25 percent to generate jobs for the millions of people entering the nation’s workforce each year.
It has also seen a sharp decline in the value of the rupee, which has recently weakened to all-time lows after foreign investors sold a record amount of Indian equities. Those sales have added up to $22bn since January last year.
“Overall, this is a budget without fireworks – not a big positive, not a big negative,” Aishvarya Dadheech, founder and chief investment officer at Mumbai-based Fident Asset Management, told the Reuters news agency.
Starmer says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should testify before US Congress about his past dealings with the late convicted sex offender.
Published On 1 Feb 20261 Feb 2026
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The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a former prince, should cooperate with authorities in the United States investigating the Jeffrey Epstein files and activities.
Speaking on Saturday to reporters at the end of a visit to Japan, Starmer said, “Anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that.”
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“You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that,” he added, according to remarks carried by Sky News. “Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority.”
Asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, should issue an apology, Starmer said the matter was “for Andrew” to decide.
His comments came as the US Justice Department said it would be releasing more than three million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under a law intended to reveal most of the material it had collected during two decades of investigations involving the wealthy financier, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The disclosures have revived questions about whether the former British prince, who was stripped of his title last year over his friendship with Epstein, should cooperate with the US authorities in their investigation.
Mountbatten-Windsor – who has long denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein – has so far ignored a request from members of the US House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” about his “longstanding friendship” with the billionaire.
The files have also prompted the resignation of Slovak official Miroslav Lajcak, who once had a yearlong term as president of the United Nations General Assembly.
Lajcak was not accused of wrongdoing but left his position after emails showed that Epstein had invited him to dinner and other meetings in 2018.
The newly released files also show Epstein’s email correspondence with Steve Bannon, one-time adviser to US President Donald Trump; New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and other prominent contacts in political, business and philanthropic circles, such as billionaires Bill Gates and Elon Musk.
The files show a March 2018 email from Epstein’s office to former Obama White House general counsel Kathy Ruemmler, inviting her to a get-together with Epstein, Lajcak and Bannon. Lajcak said his contacts with Epstein were part of his diplomatic duties.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice is facing criticism over how it handled the latest disclosure.
One group of Epstein accusers said in a statement that the new documents made it too easy to identify those he abused, but not those who might have been involved in Epstein’s criminal activity.
“As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinised, and retraumatised while Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy,” it said.
Some actors who appear right on the edge of becoming household names and who happen to be hosting “Saturday Night Live” for the first time might be leery of letting a famous relative steal their spotlight.
Alexander Skarsgård let it happen twice in the same “SNL” episode when his father Stellan Skarsgård appeared in a returning sketch about immigrant fathers (in which Cardi B also appeared) and one about a Scandinavian film’s giggly production. To be fair, though, his dad is currently Oscar-nominated in the supporting actor category for “Sentimental Value.”
If the Alexander of the Skarsgård was bothered, it sure didn’t show; the first-time host of the 1,000th episode of “SNL” was loose and committed throughout, even if not all the sketches hit. And yes, before you go racing to Peacock to confirm, Alexander gave his father Stellan a big ol’ hug in the closing goodbyes. Aww.
If “SNL” shied away last week from directly addressing the quickly devolving situation in Minneapolis last week, it found its footing with a cold open about ICE that didn’t rely on James Austin Johnson’s impression of President Trump. Instead, it featured former cast member Pete Davidson as border czar Tom Homan taking over command of clueless ICE officers. This was followed, after the monologue, by a well-executed sketch about a mom (Ashley Padilla) slowly changing her mind about the Trump administration.
As the younger Skarsgård’s career has shown (“Murderbot,” “True Blood,” “The Northman”), he’s used to playing odd, extreme characters and “SNL” was a nice fit.
For the first time in a while, Trump didn’t dominate the cold open of the show; instead, Davidson came back to the show, wearing a bald cap to portray Homan. Homan points out the irony that things have gotten so bad in Minneapolis with ICE that he’s now considered the voice-of-reason adult in the room. ICE commanders (Kenan Thompson, Andrew Dismukes, Johnson, Ben Marshall, Mikey Day and Jeremy Culhane) claimed their orders were “wildin’ out” and wondered if they’re supposed to be releasing the Epstein files. As Homan pointed out, the ICE raids were to distract from those, but now the Epstein files are being released to distract from ICE. Davidson is remembered more for his “Weekend Update” segments and his Chad character on “SNL,” but he does some nice work here even if he breaks character at one point.
Skarsgård’s could have spent his monologue discussing his TV and movie roles, like his upcoming film “Wicker” or his role in the new Charli XCX mockumentary “The Moment,” but instead he focused on the band members who appear on stage but rarely get to speak on the show. He interviewed some of the band members, poorly, and then grabbed a saxophone to do some inspired fake playing. It was silly and fun, a nice start to Skarsgård’s night.
Best sketch of the night: Mom’s having a change of heart, but you can’t say anything
For most of this season you can count on at least one sketch to feature a standout performance from featured player Ashley Padilla, who has become a ringer for playing women who are either very deluded and are trying to pretend they’re not, or who are trying to manage other people’s reactions to her odd behavior. For this sketch, she gets to do both, playing a mother who, after a lengthy preamble, reveals to her adult children and husband (Skarsgård) that she’s starting to change her opinion about Trump’s policies, from immigration to guns to trans people. As her kids struggle to hold back their reactions, lest she swing back the other way, her husband just wants to go to Red Robin for his birthday scoop. Best line: “If I hear a single ‘I told you so,’ I will go see the ‘Melania’ movie tonight!”
Also good: Having the right body shape for Olympics-level luge, even if it’s a corpse
Wickline, another featured player, has become a polarizing cast member among fans, some of whom simply don’t get her humor or appreciate her performances, while others love her quirky songs and see her as bringing a unique vibe to the show. For this Olympics-themed pre-taped piece, she gets to have a lot of fun as a reluctant luge competitor who is terrified to go down the mountain and tries to fake being sick to avoid going to Milan. This might remind you of Patti Harrison’s perfect performance in the “Capital Room” sketch on “I Think You Should Leave,” but Wickline manages to make the character her own.
‘Weekend Update’ winner: They scored again ahead of the Super Bowl
Sherman was promoted to “Weekend Update” weather correspondent in a segment that included a surprise appearance from “30 Rock” star Jack McBrayer, but it was Dismukes and Padilla as a couple who just had sex winning the week with their awkward, infatuated banter, which tied in nicely to a discussion about next week’s big game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The couple predict that the Patriots will be on top the first half, but at some point the Seahawks will come from behind and dominate the Patriots for a little while. “Maybe the Patriots get tired and ask the Seahawks to play themselves for a while,” Dismukes suggests. Things go off the rails when he says no matter what happens, someone’s getting a ring, which puts tension on the budding relationship. “I didn’t say that night!” he explains to a disappointed Padilla. The two previously hooked up for the first time in the Glen Powell episode.
TRAIN travel is on the up and what could be more glamorous than a train that travels through the desert with stops to stargaze?
A new luxury train experience is being launched in Saudi Arabia called Dream of the Desert.
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A new train experience is set to be the most glamorous everCredit: Stephan JuillardDream of the Desert will travel across Saudi ArabiaCredit: Stephan Juillard
Across different journeys, the train will travel through breathtaking Saudi landscapes.
Due to launch in late 2026, the rail experience will carry 66 passengers on each journey and travel across a 807 mile network.
The train will feature 14 carriages with 33 suites, two restaurant cars and a traditional Arabic-inspired lounge.
In the two restaurant cars, there will be a rotating menu that celebrates both local and international chefs.
One of the restaurants will focus on Saudi flavours and regional ingredients and the other restaurant will use Italian techniques.
Meals are all included as part of the journey, as is the onboard programme and off-train experiences.
Inside, the Italian-built cabins will boast a design that reflects Saudi traditions, such as carved wood, woven textiles and a desert-inspired colour scheme.
According to Globetrender, the interior designer, Aline Asmar d’Amman, said: “The desert’s palette of earthy tones, and sandy browns are balanced with a zest of lavender, oasis green and burnt oranges, infusing each space with a sense of culture and serenity.
“From the reception lounge to the restaurant, the interiors become a continuous meditation on presence and place in motion.”
So far, five different journeys have been announced, which will run between October and May.
Though, there will be two seasonal routes.
The journeys include a two-day return between Riyadh and Jubbah and a longer route that travels to Al Jouf and AlUla.
Each journey is expected to have its own unique experiences – for example, on the Ramadan Nights itinerary passengers will experience a stargazing stop in Qassim.
Then on the Summer Mirage route, passengers will stay entirely on board during the hotter months.
Also included are meals, but you will have to start saving for a cabinCredit: Stephan JuillardThe dining carts are like a high end restaurant – no trolleys hereCredit: Stephan Juillard
Other experiences include desert camps, guided heritage tours and hosted outdoor meals.
On some routes, accommodation off of the train is included as well.
Prices don’t come cheap though, start at SAR 30,000 (about £6,000) per cabin per night.
The train is being developed by Italy-based Arsenale Group and follows the launch of La Dolce Vita Orient Express in Italy.
The chief executive of the group, Paolo Barletta, also commented that the Dreams of Desert train marks the company’s first overseas luxury train.
ATLANTA — It is a goal spreading among anti-tax crusaders — eliminate all property taxes on homeowners.
Rising property values have inflated tax bills in many states, but ending all homeowner taxes would cost billions or even tens of billions in most states. It is unclear whether lawmakers can pull it off without harming schools and local governments that rely on the taxes to provide services.
Officials in North Dakota say they are on their way, using state oil money. Wednesday, Republicans in the Georgia House unveiled a complex effort to phase out homeowner property taxes by 2032. In Florida, GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis says that is his goal, with lawmakers considering phasing out nonschool property taxes on homeowners over 10 years. And in Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott says he wants to eliminate property taxes for schools.
Republicans are echoing those who say taxes, especially when the tax collector can seize a house for nonpayment, mean no one truly owns property.
“No one should ever face the loss of their home because they can’t pay rent to the government,” Georgia Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington said Wednesday.
An election-year tax revolt
These audacious election-year efforts could be joined by ballot initiatives in Oklahoma and Ohio to eliminate all property taxes. Such initiatives were defeated in North Dakota in 2024 and failed to make the ballot in Nebraska that year, although organizers there are trying again. Another initiative in Michigan may also fail to make the ballot.
“We’re very much in this property tax revolt era, which is not unique, it’s not new. We’ve seen these revolts in the past,” said Manish Bhatt, vice president of state tax policy at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., group that is generally skeptical of new taxes.
Previous backlashes led to laws like California’s Proposition 13, a 1978 initiative that limited property tax rates and how much local governments could increase property valuations for tax purposes.
The efforts are aimed at voters like Tim Hodnett, a 65-year-old retiree in suburban Atlanta’s Lawrenceville. Hodnett’s annual property tax bill rose from $2,000 to $3,000 between 2018 and 2024. He sees those figures starkly because he paid off his mortgage years ago, and he pays his taxes all at once instead of making monthly payments.
Hodnett said he is disabled and living on $30,000 a year. He is about to get a big property tax break, because seniors in Gwinnett County are exempt from school property taxes, about two-thirds of his bill. But he would love not to pay that other $1,000.
“It would be nice to be exempt from property taxes,” Hodnett said.
Will there be replacement revenue?
The question is whether local governments and K-12 schools should be expected to cut spending, or whether they will be allowed to make up revenue from some other source.
“I think the complete elimination of the property tax for homeowners is really going to be very difficult in most states and localities around the country, and undesirable in most places,” said Adam Langley of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a Massachusetts nonprofit that studies land use and taxation.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, has been touring the state arguing that local governments are overspending, trying to show they don’t need the $19 billion in property taxes they collect from homeowners for whom the property is their primary residence. Local governments have been disputing those figures.
North Dakota is using earnings from the state’s $13.4-billion oil tax savings account to gradually wipe out homeowner property taxes. Last year, North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature expanded its primary residence tax credit from $500 to $1,600 a year. Officials in December said the tax credit wiped out property taxes for 50,000 households last year and reduced bills for nearly 100,000 more. That cost $400 million in state subsidies for the 2025 and 2026 tax years.
“It works, and we know we can build on it to provide even more relief and get property taxes to zero for the vast majority of North Dakota homeowners,” Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong said.
The situation is murkier in Texas, which has been using state surplus funds to finance property tax reductions, and under the Georgia proposal, which calls for shifting taxes around.
A shift from property to sales taxes
Burns wants Georgia to wipe out $5.2 billion in homeowner property taxes — more than a quarter of the $19.9 billion in property taxes collected in 2024 — telling cities, counties and school districts to fall back on current or new sales taxes.
Not only will Burns’ plan need the Republican-led Senate to agree, but it will require Democratic support to meet the two-thirds hurdle for a state constitutional amendment and then voter approval in November.
While most property taxes go to schools, the majority of sales taxes don’t in some communities. It is unclear whether localities would redivide sales taxes. Also, local governments and schools would remain limited to a combined 5% sales tax rate, atop the state’s 4% rate. Some schools and governments might not be able to raise sales taxes enough to recover lost revenue.
Georgia would go from currently shielding $5,000 in home value from taxation to $150,000 in 2031 before abolishing most homeowner property taxes in 2032. The plan would limit yearly property tax revenue growth to 3% on other kinds of property.
Local governments would able to send homeowners a yearly bill for specified services such as garbage pickup, street lighting, stormwater control and fire protection, but lawmakers aren’t calling that a tax. Voters could also approve assessments for government or school improvements. Authors said they haven’t decided whether property owners could lose homes for unpaid assessments.
Burns also wants to spend about $1 billion to cut property tax bills in 2026, but it is unclear whether Republican Gov. Brian Kemp will agree. A spokesperson declined to comment.
Georgia previously tried to limit how much home values could rise for tax purposes, one common approach nationwide. But a majority of school districts and many other local governments have opted out. Georgia’s senators are still pursuing that approach, with a Senate committee on Wednesday voting to make the limit mandatory.
Amy writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Jack Dura in Bismarck, N.D., contributed to this report.
Scotland booked their place at the Women’s T20 World Cup with a comfortable 41-run win over the United States in the final Super Six qualification game in Nepal.
With the top four going through, the Scots finished third to join Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands at the tournament which is being held in England from 12 June.
Opener Darcey Carter hit 52 as Scotland posted a 178-8 total, with Ailsa Lister adding 43 and Priyanaz Chatterji making 39.
Tara Norris took three wickets for the US, including a rare golden duck for Kathyrn Bryce.
The Scottish skipper shook off the disappointment by removing opener Disha Dhingra in the first over of the Americans’ reply.
Bryce later bowled out Isani Vaghela, with Chloe Abel also taking two wickets as Chatterji wrapped up the contest with a brace in the 19th over.
From farmers protesting in Europe against a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur to deadly attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan province that killed nearly 200 people and demonstrations in Cuba opposing threats by the United States, here is a look at the week in photos.
Iran has announced that it now considers all European Union militaries to be ‘terrorist groups’. This follows the EU’s terror designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over a deadly crackdown on protesters.
