News Desk

Voters in the Central American nation of Honduras are set to go to the polls for Sunday’s general election, as they weigh concerns ranging from corruption to national and economic security.

The current president, Xiomara Castro of the left-wing Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party, is limited by law to one term in office.

But the race to succeed Castro is slated to be a nail-biter. Three candidates have surged to the front of the race, but none has taken a definitive lead in the polls.

They include Rixi Moncada from the LIBRE party; Nasry Asfura from the right-wing National Party; and Salvador Nasralla from the centrist Liberal Party.

The race, however, has been marred by accusations of fraud and election-tampering.

Those allegations have raised tensions in Honduras, whose political system is still recovering from the legacy of a United States-backed 2009 military coup that was followed by a period of repression and contested elections.

“Honduras is heading into these elections amid mounting political pressure on electoral authorities, public accusations of fraud from across the political spectrum, and paralysis within key electoral bodies,” said Juanita Goebertus, director of the Americas division at the advocacy group Human Rights Watch.

“These dynamics have created real uncertainty about the integrity of the process.”

Who are the candidates, what will voting look like, and what are the stakes of the election? We answer these questions and more in this brief explainer.

When is the election?

The election will take place in a single round of voting, held on November 30. The candidate with the most votes will be declared the winner and should take office on January 25, 2026.

How long is the presidential term?

Each president may serve a single four-year term in office.

Who is eligible to vote?

There are about 6.5 million Hondurans eligible to cast a ballot, including about 400,000 living abroad in the United States. That group, however, is restricted to voting on the presidential candidates.

Voting is obligatory in Honduras, but there are no penalties for those who do not participate.

Who are the candidates?

Three of the five presidential candidates have emerged as main challengers in the race.

Competing as the candidate for the left-leaning LIBRE Party is Rixi Moncada, a close confidant of President Castro who has served first as her finance minister, from 2022 to 2024, and later as her secretary of defence.

Moncada resigned that position in May to pursue her presidential bid.

If elected, she has pledged to “democratise the economy”, pushing back against efforts to privatise state services. Her platform also promises greater access to credit for small businesses and a crackdown on corporate corruption.

Another contender is Salvador Nasralla, a familiar face in Honduran politics. A candidate for the centrist Liberal Party, he is running for president for a fourth time.

A 72-year-old with a background in civil engineering, Nasralla formerly served as Castro’s vice president before resigning in April 2024.

Nasralla has said that he will streamline government functions while seeking to bring informal workers, who make up a large portion of the country’s labour force, into the formal economy.

Finally, running as the candidate for the right-leaning National Party is Nasry “Tito” Asfura.

Previously a mayor and representative for the capital of Tegucigalpa, Asfura has said he will run the country as an “administrator” and “executor”, promoting pro-business policies to attract investment.

How have foreign relations played a role in the election?

On foreign relations, Moncada is expected to continue her predecessor’s pursuit of closer ties with countries such as China and support for other left-wing figures in the region.

Both Nasralla and Asfura have said they will orient Honduras towards the US and its allies, including Israel and Taiwan.

On Wednesday, in the waning days of the presidential race, US President Donald Trump expressed his support for Asfura.

Trump also cast Honduras’s presidential race as part of his broader campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, blaming the South American leader for drug trafficking and the establishment of left-wing governments across the region.

“Democracy is on trial in the coming Elections in the beautiful country of Honduras on November 30th. Will Maduro and his Narcoterrorists take over another country like they have taken over Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela?” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.

“The man who is standing up for Democracy, and fighting against Maduro, is Tito Asfura.”

What do the polls say?

Though pre-election surveys have shown Moncada, Nasralla and Asfura to be in the lead, no clear frontrunner has emerged.

In September, a poll released by the firm CID Gallup found that Nasralla had 27 percent support, Moncada 26 and Asfura 24. Those percentages separating the three candidates were within the poll’s margin of error.

An additional 18 percent of respondents in that survey indicated they were undecided.

Why has election integrity been a concern?

Questions of corruption have long dogged Honduras’s fragile democracy, and this election season has brought those fears back to the fore.

During the March primaries, for instance, there were “irregularities” in the distribution of election materials, and some polling stations reported delays, long lines and thin staffing that forced the vote to stretch late into the night.

There has also been discord between the two government agencies that handle Honduras’s elections: the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Electoral Justice Tribunal.

Congress elects the main leaders for each of the two agencies. But both the tribunal and the CNE have been targeted for investigation recently.

In October, prosecutors opened a criminal probe into CNE leader Cossette Lopez over alleged plans for an “electoral coup”.

The Joint Staff of the Armed Forces has also asked the CNE for a copy of a vote tally sheet for the presidential race on election day, prompting concerns over possible interference by the armed forces.

The Electoral Justice Tribunal, meanwhile, has faced an investigation into whether it has voted without all of its members present.

Both President Castro and members of the opposition have spoken about the potential for fraud in Sunday’s vote, heightening scrutiny on the vote.

Organisations such as Human Rights Watch and the Organization of American States (OAS) have expressed concern over the pressure facing election officials.

“What matters most now is that electoral institutions are allowed to operate independently, that the Armed Forces adhere strictly to their limited constitutional role, and that all political actors refrain from actions or statements that could inflame tensions or undermine public trust,” said Goebertus.

WOKE theatre chiefs have warned musical Jesus Christ Superstar will “include an onstage depiction of the crucifixion” when it returns next year 

Staggered fans have hit out at producers who have also seen fit to alert would-be watchers that the rock opera also has in it “some violence” and “imitation blood”. 

Tickets only went on sale yesterday for the work which will be staged at the London Palladium.

It will star Eurovision and “Space Man” crooner Sam Ryder playing the part of Jesus. 

It recounts the final week of Jesus’ life, from the perspective of his disciple and betrayer, Judas Iscariot.  

The original — condemned by religious groups for its “sympathetic” portrayal of Judas — opened in London in 1972 and closed in 1980 after 3,357 productions. 

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Gerald Dixon, an admirer of the musical, which includes hits “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Superstar”, was among those nonplussed by the warning attached to the forthcoming show.

He told The Sun: “What next? A warning that the hit musical includes catchy tunes?  

“This nonsense is enough to make anyone utter the Lord’s name in vain.” 

The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber show runs from June to September, with tickets costing up to £335. 

LW Theatres, London’s largest operator of musical theatres, was contacted for comment on the warning yesterday. 

Israeli soldiers have been filmed shooting two Palestinians who were seen on their knees with their hands in the air. The men were shot dead during Israeli raids in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army says it’s investigating the incident. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh explains.

In its deal with Alberta, Canada will scrap emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, among other moves.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed an agreement with Alberta’s premier that will roll back certain climate rules to spur investment in energy production, while encouraging construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.

Under the agreement, which was signed on Thursday, the federal government will scrap a planned emissions cap on the oil and gas sector and drop rules on clean electricity in exchange for a commitment by Canada’s top oil-producing province to strengthen industrial carbon pricing and support a carbon capture-and-storage project.

Carney is counting on the energy sector to help the Canadian economy weather uncertainty from United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and is seeking to diversify from the US market, which currently takes 90 percent of Canada’s oil exports.

He has relaxed some environmental restrictions implemented by his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, while reaffirming his commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Alberta is also exploring the feasibility of a new crude oil pipeline to British Columbia’s northwest coast in order to increase exports to Asia, but no private-sector company has committed to building a new pipeline.

Pipeline companies and the Alberta government have repeatedly said significant federal legislative changes – including removing a federal cap on oil and gas sector emissions and ending a ban on oil tankers off British Columbia’s northern coast – would be required before a private entity would consider proposing a new pipeline.

Thursday’s agreement includes a commitment by the federal government to adjust the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act in order to facilitate oil exports to Asia.

British Columbia Premier David Eby, who opposes a new pipeline through his province, said on Wednesday the legislation should stay in place.

Other pipeline opponents are also speaking out. A coalition of Indigenous groups in British Columbia said this week it will not allow oil tankers on the northwest coast and that the pipeline project will “never happen”.

The Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast, which is owned by the Canadian government and is currently the only option to ship Canadian oil directly to Asian markets, tripled its capacity last year with a 34 billion Canadian dollar ($24.2bn) expansion.

The federal government and Alberta also said they would conclude an agreement on industrial carbon pricing by April 1 next year.

In addition, the two agreed to cooperate on building the Pathways Plus project, expected to be the world’s biggest carbon capture project and designed to capture emissions from Canada’s oil sands.

The federal government will also assist Alberta in building and operating nuclear power plants, strengthening its electricity grid to power AI data centres, and building transmission lines to neighbouring provinces.

A gauge of risk on Oracle Corp.’s debt reached a three-year high in November, and things are only going to get worse in 2026 unless the database giant is able to assuage investor anxiety about a massive artificial intelligence spending spree, according to Morgan Stanley.

A funding gap, swelling balance sheet and obsolescence risk are just some of the hazards Oracle is facing, according to Lindsay Tyler and David Hamburger, credit analysts at the brokerage. The cost of insuring Oracle Corp.’s debt against default over the next five years rose to 1.25 percentage point a year on Tuesday, according to ICE Data Services.

The price on the five-year credit default swaps is at risk of toppling a record set in 2008 as concerns over the company’s borrowing binge to finance its AI ambitions continue to spur heavy hedging by banks and investors, they warned in a note Wednesday.

The CDS could break through 1.5 percentage point in the near term and could approach 2 percentage points if communication around its financing strategy remains limited as the new year progresses, the analysts wrote. Oracle CDS hit a record 1.98 percentage point in 2008, ICE Data Services shows.

A representative for Oracle declined to comment.

Oracle is among firms taking part in an artificial intelligence spending race, which has quickly made the data center giant the credit market’s barometer for AI risk. The company borrowed $18 billion in the US high-grade market in September. Then in early November, a group of about 20 banks arranged a roughly $18 billion project finance loan to construct a data center campus in New Mexico, which Oracle will take over as tenant.

Banks are also providing a separate $38 billion loan package to help finance the construction of data centers in Texas and Wisconsin developed by Vantage Data Centers, Bloomberg reported last month. Lenders involved in these construction loans linked to Oracle are likely a key driver of the surge in trading volume on the Oracle’s CDS recently, a trend that may persist, according to Morgan Stanley.

“Over the past two months, it has become more apparent that reported construction loans in the works, for sites where Oracle is the future tenant, may be an even greater driver of hedging of late and going forward,” wrote the analysts.

There is a risk that some hedges by banks could unwind if and when banks distribute these loans to other parties, they wrote. Still, other parties may also hedge at some point even if down the road plus the construction debt funding needs don’t stop after the Vantage sites and the New Mexico site.

Last month, the analysts said they expect near-term credit deterioration and uncertainty to drive further hedging by bondholders, lenders and thematic players.

“The bondholder hedging dynamic and also the thematic hedging dynamic could both grow in importance down the road,” they added.

Oracle CDS have underperformed the broader investment-grade CDX index and Oracle corporate bonds have underperformed the Bloomberg high-grade index amid the jump in hedging demand and the weakening sentiment. Concerns have also started to weigh on Oracle’s stock, which the analysts said may incentivize management to outline a financing plan on the upcoming earnings call, including details on Stargate, data centers and capital spending.

The analysts had previously been recommending investors buy Oracle bonds and CDS in what is known as a basis trade, to profit from their expectation that credit derivatives would widen more than the bonds. Now they’re saying it’s a cleaner trade to just buy the CDS outright.

“Therefore, we are closing the ‘buy bond’ part of the basis trade, and keeping the ‘buy CDS protection’ leg of it,” they wrote. “We think a trade in CDS outright is cleaner right now and will result in a greater spread move.”

Larry Ellison, Oracle’s chairman of the board, is backing his son David Ellison’s bid to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, which is also considering offers from Netflix and Comcast.

Mutua writes for Bloomberg.

Nov. 27 (UPI) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he was receptive to the latest U.S. plan to end the conflict in Ukraine, but insisted the country’s forces would have to give up territory.

Putin made the comments to reporters during a visit to the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan ahead of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow next week. Witkoff is expected to discuss a version of the Trump administration’s 28-point peace plan that’s been criticized for allowing Russia to keep territory seized by force and barring Ukraine from joining the western NATO military alliance.

The Russian leader said the U.S. government is now taking some of its positions into account and that the U.S. plan “can be used” as the basis for future agreements, the state-run TASS news agency reported. However, the plan needed to be refined into “diplomatic language,” while other points were non-starters.

Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine, about 1,500 square miles, since launching its invasion nearly four years ago. Putin said Russian forces would continue their advance in the eastern Donbass region, The Moscow Times reported.

“Ukrainian forces will have to leave the territories they currently occupy, and then the fighting will stop,” he said. “If they don’t, we will achieve this by military means.”

Russia analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote in a post on X that Putin “feels more confident than ever about the battlefield situation and is convinced that he can wait until Kyiv finally accepts that it cannot win and must negotiate on Russia’s well-known terms.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected calls for the country to cede territory and has insisted that any peace deal include security guarantees against further Russian aggression.

“The Russians are peddling the narrative around the world that Ukraine allegedly cannot defend itself,” Zelensky said in a post X Wednesday. “They are saying that Ukrainian warriors cannot defend themselves. The daily combat results of the Ukrainian army, our special forces, and deep strikes — these are all proof that Ukraine can defend its interests.”

Putin also stated that signing any agreement with Ukraine was pointless, implying that it was illegitimate because it had not held elections during the conflict, The Kyiv Independent reported.

However, the paper pointed out that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits elections from being held under martial law, which was declared at the beginning of the conflict in 2022.

Police Scotland

‘Clearly dangerous’

Chris Hughes’ comments on Celebrity MasterChef have stunned fans after he declared himself single on the latest episode of the BBC show

JoJo Siwa fans have been left speechless after Chris Hughes declared himself single. The reality TV star is appearing on BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef and admitted he “wants a girlfriend”.

In this week’s episode, Chris, 32, says: “So, I live on my own. I’ve been single for three years so it’s not like I’m cooking for anyone. If I’m just cooking for myself, no one can appreciate it, apart from me.”

He ended by saying it’s “quite sad really, isn’t it?” But his comments shocked fans of his and JoJo’s. The pair met earlier this year as they appeared in the Celebrity Big Brother house. After forming a formidable friendship, the duo shared a romantic connection outside of the TV show.

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But after his comments on air, fans questioned what was going on. One user on Twitter /X said: “Why is Chris saying he’s been single for 3 years?” Another added: “Chris had been with JoJo for ages and he says he’s single?”

Others were keen to know when the footage was actually filmed. A third viewer asked: “This was filmed after he met JoJo surely?! #masterchefuk” And another said: “Was this recorded before Chris and jojo got together?”

The show was indeed filmed prior to Chris meeting American JoJo in the CBB house in April. It was confirmed filming for the series was completed before Chris’ stint in the house.

The duo are clearly still very much loved up and continue to share their journey with their fans online. And Chris recently revealed the exact moment he felt himself falling in love with the former Dance Moms star.

His admission confirmed a theory that fans of the couple hatched months ago. The 32-year-old former Love Island contestant and the 22-year-old American singer first met each other on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year.

Chris has since opened up to Harry Corrin on the Question The Default podcast. He insisted that: “Nothing was rushed or forced, it just happened.”

Chris said he flew to meet her in Mexico shortly after CBB. “I flew out to surprise her, which was nice,” he said. “I spent a few days with her and her family in Orlando as well before flying home, and that’s where it all started.”

He went on to reveal: “I went to Mexico and met up with her, which is where the whole feelings developed and things changed. Which was lovely and no secret to anybody.

“But it was genuinely lovely and nothing was rushed or forced, it just happened.” Six months have passed since Chris and JoJo first met and the pair have suggested they have wedding plans on their mind. American star JoJo has opened up about her hope to walk down the aisle.

Speaking previously to The Sun, JoJo said: “A wedding is a two-person thing. So we would have to decide what it looks like. But I do know that I want it to have a baby-blue scheme, and I need to help Chris make the playlist.”

For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Nov. 26 (UPI) — The IAAPA will host its first expo in the Middle East at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, this spring after breaking records for attendance at the recent Orlando expo.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions will host the event in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre March 30 to April 2.

In April, the association announced that it has already had to expand the expo space to accommodate demand from exhibitioners.

The organization just finished its most recent Expo Nov. 17-21 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., with record-breaking numbers. The event saw 38,520 attendees, a press release said. The trade show floor featured 28,598 qualified buyers representing 20,316 buying companies across 102 countries. This year’s expo showcased cutting-edge innovations from more than 1,100 exhibitors representing the full spectrum of the global attractions community, including amusement and theme parks, water parks, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, museums, resorts and cruise lines.

Some of the highlights included SeaWorld Orlando unveiling a new Vekoma coaster; Dollywood debuting a new attraction in partnership with Mack Rides; Six Flags Over Texas revealing the Tormenta coaster, manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard; Rocky Mountain Construction announcing new single-rail coaster coming to Family Kingdom Amusement Park; and Zamperla partnering with Morgan’s Wonderland on The WingZ, an accessibility-friendly ride.

Next year’s Middle East expo was created in response to demand from members and local organizations within the theme park industry, a press release said. The event allows people in the attractions industry to connect, build diverse perspectives and engage across the industry.

“After years of preparation, we are thrilled to bring IAAPA Expo to the Middle East,” said Peter van der Schans, executive director and vice president of IAAPA EMEA, in a statement. “Beyond organizing this Expo, we’ve been actively shaping our presence in the region by hosting multiday summits and institutes, building strong partnerships with organizations like the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and investing in local talent with our regional office. This event is a milestone in that journey.”

Abu Dhabi is a leading destination for attractions and tourism. It’s already home to Seaworld Yas Island and will soon be the home of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Disneyland Abu Dhabi. The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi opened on Nov. 22.

“The Middle East is experiencing tremendous growth and innovation, and IAAPA is eager to support and elevate the industry here,” said IAAPA President and CEO Jakob Wahl in a statement. “IAAPA Expo Middle East will provide a powerful platform for networking, learning, and discovering new opportunities. We are proud to host the very first edition of this annual event in Abu Dhabi.”

Registration is open for visitors and exhibitioners.

HOLLYWOOD star Ioan Gruffud has welcomed a baby into the world with wife Bianca Wallace amid his court battles with his ex wife Alice Evans.

Bianca and Ioan, who is already a dad to two daughters with Alice, shared their happy news on social media today.

The couple wrote alongside a photo of them enjoying a kiss in the hospital: “November was a biggie…  Name: Mila Mae Gruffudd.

“Birth date: 2 November 2025. Due date: 2 December 2025.

“Bubba Bear and Rocky: Absolutely smitten. Daddy & Mummy: Completely and totally in love with our tiny little angel

“Extremely grateful this thanksgiving.”

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It comes more than two years after Fantastic Four star Ioan, 52, divorced British-American actress Alice, 57.

She played Chloe Simon in the film 102 Dalmatians as-well as Esther Mikaelson in the third season of the The Vampire Diaries.

The pair officially ended their marriage amid a bitter court battle and vicious custody row over their daughters.

Hollywood star Ioan also obtained a restraining order in 2022 against Alice.

Ioan and Bianca went public with their relationship in 2021.

The couple announced they were engaged in January 2024.

He revealed he was looking forward to giving marriage another go, captioning the photo on Instagram: “The most precious thing happened…”

They married in April this year and shared a video showing their romantic wedding ceremony.

Welsh actor Ioan could be seen wiping away tears as he expressed his love to Bianca.

Weeks later, they revealed they were expecting their first child together.

Australian actress and producer Bianca was diagnosed with incurable and aggressive MS (Multiple Sclerosis), an inflammatory disease which attacks the central nervous system and for which there is no cure, seven years ago.

She previously said she initially sought medical help when she struggled to pick up a pen to write, and admitted that “everything changed” thereafter.

Common symptoms of MS include fatigue, vision issues, and difficulties with walking or balance.

In September, Bianca was asked about her health and how she was coping being pregnant, and replied to a follower on Instagram: “Thank you for asking!

“The MS has been in remission and it’s been the most confronting, yet amazing thing to experience!

“I’ve heard breastfeeding also should help keep it at bay.

“My doctors have such great plan in place that I have a lot of hope that things won’t go back to how bad it was before pregnancy.”

Although there is no cure, various medicines and treatments can help alleviate some symptoms.

Speaking about her condition previously, she said in a lengthy post: “I celebrate this every single year. It pops up in my calendar and I have a happy moment …

“And so I’m at five years of MS today, not diagnosed, this is the day that the symptoms came up. I’m diagnosed October (2022), will be five years diagnosed.

“But I think it’s crucial and important to celebrate these moments and do not let them take you… these anniversaries, they really pack a punch in these kind of situations.”

South Africa secured a declaration from the rest of the G20, despite United States objections.

Washington boycotted the meeting over President Donald Trump’s accusations that South Africa persecutes its white minority, a claim widely rejected.

The document calls for more funding for renewable energy, fairer critical mineral supply chains and debt relief for poorer nations.

The first G20 summit on African soil broke with tradition by releasing the document at the start.

And there was no ceremonial handover between the outgoing South African and incoming American chairs.

Also, can Britain’s Labour government satisfy both businesses and households?

Plus, the weight-loss drug booming industry.

The military has seized power in Guinea-Bissau, a day before Sunday’s presidential election results were due to be announced.

The African Union and West African regional bloc ECOWAS have condemned the coup.

Why has it happened and what are the implications?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Kabir Adamu – Managing director of Beacon Security and Intelligence

Bram Posthumus – Political and economic analyst specialising in West Africa and the Sahel region

Ovigwe Eguegu – Peace and security policy analyst at the consultancy Development Reimagined

After recently announcing major cuts to its youth orchestra, the L.A. Phil has secured additional donor funding to ensure the East L.A. branch of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) program will continue at full capacity until the end of the school year.

In an email to the students’ parents last week, the nonprofit organization announced that it would need to “significantly modify” the programming at the Esteban E. Torres High School site “due to unanticipated financial and funding challenges for the organization.” With these proposed changes, the site’s teaching artists were laid off, the younger students’ programming was gutted and practices for the older students were reduced.

The students’ parents and the local community rallied together in response to the cuts, creating a campaign on Instagram and organizing at town hall meetings. After hearing this outcry and receiving additional funds, the L.A. Phil has been able to temporarily preserve the Torres site.

In a statement to The Times on Wednesday, LA Phil President and CEO Kim Noltemy says, “We are thrilled our donors recognized that this funding provides vital access to music education for the East LA community.”

“Joining together, we have and will continue working tirelessly over the coming months to ensure we remain in a position to support this program, because it is more important than ever,” said Noltemy.

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel rehearses with young musicians from around the country participating in the L.A. Phil’s annual YOLA National Program at Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2023.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

YOLA has offered a free musical education to students ages 5 through 18 since 2007. Run by the L.A. Phil, the program gives students access to free instruments and the firsthand experience of being in a musical ensemble. YOLA currently operates out of Inglewood, East L.A., Rampart District and Westlake/MacArthur Park. The Torres site, specifically, serves 165 students.

This program has been championed by star conductor Gustavo Dudamel since he first came to L.A. in 2009. Its teaching format is heavily inspired by El Sistema, the publicly funded program where he first learned music in Venezuela. After his 17-year tenure with the L.A. Phil, the conductor will be leaving the orchestra in June to work with the New York Philharmonic.

An L.A. Phil spokesperson told The Times that their ongoing funding challenges come from “fundraising limitations and rising operating costs,” while also maintaining their day-to-day operations, including free/low-cost community programs.

These cuts were originally set to go into effect after Dec. 12, months before Dudamel’s departure. But with these new funds, the instruction and rehearsal time will stay fully operational, and the previously laid-off staff will be reinstated for the remainder of the program.

These tentative revisions were also announced days before the teaching artists voted to unionize, under the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. There has been some speculation about whether this unionization played a role in these cuts.

In a statement to the Times, the L.A. Phil says it has a long history of “working constructively with unions” and that the cuts were based “solely [on] financial and organizational needs.”

At the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the L.A. Phil Board will evaluate the Torres site to see if it is the “best and most sustainable location for YOLA programming after this school year.” The Philharmonic says in the release that its board “is committed to sustaining a long-term YOLA program in the East LA community.”

In an effort to build a transparent, collaborative community, the Phil has also announced that it will work to create a parent advisory committee where YOLA families will be heard as future decisions are made.

Nov. 27 (UPI) — The federal government will not participate in this year’s World AIDS Day, a decades-old event to mourn people who’ve died from the disease and raise awareness.

The State Department has directed employees and grant recipients not to use federal funding to commemorate the day, The New York Times reported Wednesday. While employees can still highlight their work on AIDS and other diseases, they should “refrain from publicly promoting World AIDS Day” in public-facing messaging, the Times reported.

“An awareness day is not a strategy,” Tommy Pigott, a spokesman for the department, told the paper. “Under the leadership of President Trump, the State Department is working directly with foreign governments to save lives and increase their responsibility and burden sharing.”

However, the Trump White House has issued other proclamations for commemorative days intended to raise awareness about autism, organ donation, cancer and others.

World AIDS Day has been observed every Dec. 1 since 1988. President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. head of state in 1993 to issue a proclamation on the deadly immune-deficiency disease.

The Trump administration froze foreign aid spending earlier this year. With the approval of Congress, it later slashed about $7.9 billion in international humanitarian aid programs. However, the cuts left funding intact programs that combat HIV and AIDS, as well as other infectious diseases.

An estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV, the precursor to AIDS, worldwide in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 1.3 million people acquired HIV last year.

However, the United Nations’ program on AIDS warned on Tuesday of international funding cuts and a waning resolve to address the virus.

A report from the U.N. program noted that some funding has been restored for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an initiative started under George W. Bush that is credited with saving more than 25 million lives. However, the report stated that “service disruptions associated with these and other funding cuts are having long-lasting effects on almost all areas of the HIV response.”

“The funding crisis has exposed the fragility of the progress we fought so hard to achieve,” Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, said in a statement. “Behind every data point in this report are people-babies and children missed for HIV screening or early HIV diagnosis, young women cut off from prevention support, and communities suddenly left without services and care. We cannot abandon them.”

Pope Leo XIV hailed Turkiye as a bridge between cultures and religions, as he began his first foreign visit since becoming pontiff. He warned the future of humanity was at stake as a result of escalating conflicts. The Pope will also visit Lebanon during his tour.

The social media star slams reports of her six-figure fee and reveals the wet, sleep-deprived reality of life in the jungle a year on from when she took part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

For years, fans of ITV’s I’m A Celeb have speculated about the ‘astronomical’ fees commanded by the stars who brave the Australian bush. But according to former campmate GK Barry, also known as Grace Keeling, the reality of the pay packet is far less glamorous than the headlines suggest.

The social media sensation, who won over the nation during her stint in the jungle last year, has hit out at reports claiming she walked away with a massive fortune, branding the rumours “a load of s***.” Amidst the trials and tribulations of camp life, reports circulated that Grace had secured a fee of £150,000 for her appearance. However, the podcast host insists that figures reported in the press are vastly inflated.

“The Daily Mail like to release what we’re all being paid for it, it’s a load of s***,” she said in a TikTok video. To illustrate just how wide of the mark the rumours were, she joked that a fee of that magnitude would have fundamentally changed her behaviour in the trials.

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“They said I got £150,000,” she said. “If I got paid 150 [thousand] Great British pounds to go in that jungle, I wouldn’t have even screamed once during a trial. They always overdo it, we don’t get paid that much.”

Beyond the pay dispute, Grace was keen to dispel the long-standing conspiracy theory that the camp is a sound stage or that celebrities retreat to luxury hotels once the cameras stop rolling. She described the living conditions as genuinely miserable, particularly when the weather turns.

“The camp is covered but it’s covered by a flimsy bit of material that opens up and shuts so when it rains, you still get rained on,” she revealed. “Our camp got so flooded last year, everything was wet, our sleeping bags, the fire kept going out…”

She added: “Everyone thinks the jungle isn’t a real jungle, but the place is giving jungle. There are animals, you could not find your way through there easily, and we do stay there, we do sleep there… We don’t go off to the hotel at night, I wish we did.”

While they don’t get hotels, the celebrities do get one small mercy: they aren’t allowed to poison themselves. Grace revealed a behind-the-scenes secret about how the campmates manage to cook obscure jungle rations like eel without making themselves ill.

It involves a producer known as the “Voice of God” who speaks over a tannoy system.

“You cook it until you think it’s done,” she explained. “And if you go to take it off and it’s not done, the voice of God will be like, ‘that could probably do with 10 more minutes’. So you’re never at risk of eating something raw.”

Perhaps the most gruelling aspect of the show isn’t the creepy crawlies, but the schedule. Grace painted a picture of a routine designed to keep the stars exhausted.

The day begins when the hosts arrive live on air. “We hear Ant and Dec do I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here so we know it’s 7.30 in the morning,” she said.

However, the days are long. Dinner often doesn’t arrive until 8pm or 9pm, followed by washing up and mandatory diary room sessions.

“Before you’re allowed to go to bed, you all have to do your bush telegraph things,” she recalled. “So I genuinely think we were going to bed at midnight and up again at 6.30am.”

GK Barry placed fifth in the 2024 series, being the eight contestant eliminated from the jungle.

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Humanitarian group says at least 400 children reached Tawila without their parents after Rapid Support Forces’ advance.

Hundreds of Sudanese children have arrived in the town of Tawila in Sudan’s western Darfur region without their parents since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city of el-Fasher last month, a humanitarian group says.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Thursday that at least 400 unaccompanied children had arrived in Tawila but that the real number was likely much higher.

“Children are reaching Tawila exhausted and deeply distressed, often after days of walking through the desert,” the group said.

“Many arrive terrified of the armed groups they fled from or might have encountered on the road. Many became separated from their parents during the chaos of flight, while others’ parents are believed to have gone missing, been detained or killed.”

The RSF seized control of el-Fasher – the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state – on October 26 after an 18-month siege that cut residents off from food, medicine and other critical supplies.

The paramilitary group, which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of Sudan since April 2023, has been accused of committing mass killings, kidnappings and widespread acts of sexual violence in its takeover of the city.

The RSF has denied targeting civilians or blocking aid, saying such activities are due to rogue actors.

But United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in mid-November that the “atrocities” that have unfolded in el-Fasher “constitute the gravest of crimes”.

More than 100,000 people have fled el-Fasher since the RSF’s takeover last month, according to the latest figures from the UN, with many seeking refuge in nearby Chad.

Meanwhile, the NRC said on Thursday that it had registered at least 15,000 new arrivals in Tawila, about 60km (37 miles) from el-Fasher, since October 26. More than 200 children are being registered each day on average, it added.

Nidaa, a teacher with the humanitarian group’s education programme in Tawila, said children arrive showing “signs of acute trauma”.

“When we first started our classes, some of the children could not speak at all when they arrived. Others were waking up with nightmares,” she said. “They describe hiding for hours, travelling at night to avoid attacks, and becoming separated from family in the chaos.”

Fears of human trafficking

Humanitarian groups have said the already heavily populated displacement camps in Tawila are becoming overwhelmed with the influx of new arrivals from el-Fasher and its surrounding villages.

The Sudanese American Physicians Association estimated in early November that more than 650,000 internally displaced people from el-Fasher and other parts of Darfur had sought refuge in Tawila amid months of fighting in the region.

Nearly three-quarters of displaced residents – 74 percent – lived in informal sites without adequate infrastructure, the group said in a November 5 report, while less than 10 percent of displaced households had reliable access to water or latrines.

“These conditions mean Tawila has effectively become a stand-alone crisis epicentre, not merely an overflow from el-Fasher,” the report said.

At the same time, a group of UN experts warned on Thursday that the deteriorating situation in the region has opened Sudanese women and girls up to a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Displaced children are also increasingly vulnerable to being recruited to fight in the escalating conflict, the experts said.

“We are deeply concerned at the alarming reports of human trafficking since the takeover of el-Fasher and surrounding areas by the [RSF],” they said in a statement.

“Women and girls have been abducted in RSF-controlled areas, and women, unaccompanied and separated children are at elevated risk of sexual violence and sexual exploitation.”

Noting that families have been left without shelter, humanitarian aid, and access to basic services, including healthcare and education, the experts called for “urgent action to end the human rights violations driving this suffering”.

BBC

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A BIG Brother star has been spotted working the door of a high-end restaurant in London, almost two decades after he rose to fame on the then-Channel 4 show.

The 44-year-old was seen on the door of upmarket restaurant Aki London on Wednesday as he helped Sharon and Kelly Osbourne leave the venue.

Ziggy Lichman, who appeared on Big Brother back in 2007, appears to have swapped showbusiness for a quieter life as a doorman.

The star was famously in an on/off relationship with housemate Chanelle Hayes.

Then 26 – he placed fourth in the show and enjoyed a short-lived relationship with model Chanelle, splitting shortly after.

He was also known for being part of the boyband Northern Line, which split up in 2000.

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Despite success across TV and music, it appears Ziggy, real name Zac, has shunned fame as he was spotted working at gourmet Japanese restaurant Aki London.

And the new role doesn’t mean Ziggy is far from the spotlight, as he is still brushing shoulders with the A-list at the food hotspot.

On Wednesday evening, Ziggy was seen escorting Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of Aki.

The outing was Sharon’s first public appearance since her husband, Ozzy Osbourne’s death in July.

The Osbourne’s are unlikely to be Ziggy’s only famous guests, with the likes of Romeo Beckham and actress Holly Valance spotted there previously.

Back in 2017, it was reported that Ziggy was working on the door of upmarket members club Paper Soho.

He is since thought to have opened two of his own bars across North London, The Shop NW10, a cocktail bar and café, and bar The Wealthy Beggar.

Ziggy is also still in touch with his ex-girlfriend Chanelle, following their joint rise to fame on Big Brother.

Despite being split up for 18 years, the duo remain friends and even appeared on Loose Women together in 2018.

“She’s absolutely smashed it. She’s held her own, had a family, gone through some tough times as you know.

“I still love her to bits, absolutely,” said Ziggy of Chanelle, who continued to pursue a career in the spotlight after the show.