Sunday 2 November Day of the Dead in Mexico
The Day of the Dead dates back to the ancient Aztec custom of celebrating the dead. The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican (a region that covers central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica) culture from 1300 AD that lasted until 1521 AD. Some historians argue that the roots of Day of the Dead stem from celebrating fearsome underworld gods, in particular the goddess Mictecacihuatl.
Other historians argue that Day of the Dead is revivalist, in so far as it’s based on an Aztec belief system, created by President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (1895 to 1970) to promote Mexican Nationalism in the 20th Century.
Día de Muertos has been observed across all of Mexico since the 1960s when the Mexican government made it a national holiday based on educational policies.
In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
20th-century printer and cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada’s La Calavera Catrina, Elegant Skull, was adapted into the holiday as one of the most recognizable icons. It depicts a female skeleton adorned with makeup and dressed in fancy clothes.
Forever Young wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic over Sierra Leone
Japanese horse racing has been on the precipice of breaking through on the U.S. scene. It seemed like it was almost there in 2021 when it won three Breeders’ Cup races. But after that it leveled off.
Through 10 races at this year’s Breeders’ Cup, horses from Japan underperformed. But in the 11th, the most important race in the two-day event, the breakthrough became official when Forever Young held off Sierra Leone, last year’s winner, to win the $7-million Breeders’ Cup Classic by a half-length.
The last time we saw Forever Young in this country was a year ago when the 4-year-old colt finished third in the Classic. Before that, he was third in the Kentucky Derby by a whisker while being on the receiving end of some bumping down the stretch by Sierra Leone. Without that he might have been victorious in a race that was won by Mystik Dan.
The commonality between the 2021 and 2025 Breeders’ Cup days was that both were run at Del Mar.
Forever Young was almost the victim of some legal chicanery on Saturday as trainer Chad Brown entered a horse — called a rabbit — with little chance to win so that he could set a fast pace. Sierra Leone, also trained by Brown, needs a fast pace to weaken the other horses, which would benefit Sierra Leone’s late running style.
But this time, Forever Young overcame all the obstacles thrown at him. He ran a very tactical race being placed close to the lead and never farther back than third.
Forever Young paid $9.00 to win. He was followed in order by Sierra Leone, Fierceness, Journalism, Mindframe, Baeza, Nevada Beach, Antiquarian and Contrary Thinking, who was the rabbit in the 1 1/4- mile race.
It was the third Breeders’ Cup win for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. When asked if this was his most satisfying win, Yahagi said, through a translator: “I will never, ever get satisfied until I get retired as a trainer.”
Forever Young was the third foreign horse to win the Classic, joining Argentine-bred Invasor in 2006 and Irish-bred Black Tie Affair in 1991.
“So last time here, the horse was 75% conditioned,” Yahagi said. “And this time we create 100% condition. Forever Young is an amazing horse.”
The winning jockey was Ryusei Sakai.
“We got the No. 1 in America,” Yahagi said to NBC.
The Classic lost a lot of luster when the favorite, Sovereignty, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, was scratched earlier in the week when he spiked a fever. Sovereignty was the top-rated horse in the country and a possible horse-of-the-year winner. Many were hoping for a rematch with Journalism, who finished second in both those races and won the Preakness, which Sovereignty did not run in.
Trainer Bill Mott only brought two horses to the Breeders’ Cup, Sovereignty and Scylla. While Sovereignty didn’t make the starting gate on Saturday, Scylla ($17.20 to win) sure did, winning the biggest race of the year for female horses, the $2-million Distaff.
“It’s certainly difficult to see what happened to Sovereignty,” Mott said. “I think everybody that’s connected [with this sport] has been through it and we knew when it happened, he wouldn’t be able to compete and not at the level that he would need to. And it seems as though he’s recovering well but he’s really not the story here.
“I mean this one is about Scylla and about Junior [Alvarado, his jockey] and the Juddmonte connections.”
Alvarado took her to the front and never looked back, winning the 1 1/8-mile race by 5 1/2 lengths. Nitrogen was second and Regaled finished third. Favorite Seismic Beauty contended early but then faded to 12th in the 13-horse field.
The second richest race on the card, the $5-million Turf, was supposed be a matchup of two-time winner Rebel’s Romance and Minnie Hauk, who had five wins and two seconds in seven starts. They ran together for most of the 1 1/2-mile race but long shot Ethical Diamond started rolling in the top of the stretch and cruised to a 1 1/4-length win. Rebel’s Romance was second.
The Irish-bred Ethical Diamond, trained by William Mullins and ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle, paid $57.40 to win.
The first Breeders’ Cup race of the day, the $1-million Filly & Mare Sprint, became less interesting when two of the favorites, Sweet Azteca (2-1 morning line) and Tamara (7-2), were scratched by the veterinarian. There was a third scratch that took the field down to seven.
Bob Baffert had three of the horses in the race, including Splendora, who won in dominating fashion by 4 3/4 lengths and paid $7.80. He was midpack until the far turn of the seven-furlong race before jockey Flavien Prat let him loose in the stretch.
It was Baffert’s 20th Breeders’ Cup win, tying him for second with the late Wayne Lukas. Aidan O’Brien won his 21st Breeders’ Cup race on Friday.
“[Lukas] changed every industry for the better,” Baffert said. “He brought elegance to the game. … To be part of it and then to tie him, it’s an honor for me. … I still miss him. I loved having conversations with him. It’s an honor to tie him.”
Shisospicy ($12.60) broke on top and held the lead to the finish to win the $1-million Turf Sprint, which was ran at five furlongs. The 3-year-old filly is trained by Jose Francisco D’Angelo and was ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., who picked up his 22nd Cup victory.
She’s Quality was eased shortly out of the gate in the Turf Sprint by jockey Colin Keane and walked onto the equine ambulance. She was transported to an equine hospital and is back in her barn being monitored.
Ortiz picked up his 23rd win in the next race when he won the $2-million Sprint aboard Bentornato. It was also the second straight victory for D’Angelo. Bentornato broke on top and was never headed in the six-furlong race. It was only his second race of the year for the 4-year-old ridgling. Bentornato finished second in last year’s Sprint, losing to Straight No Chaser, who finished seventh on Saturday.
There were three additional Breeders’ Cup races after the Classic, the turf Mile, Dirt Mile and Filly & Mare Turf.
‘Intentional’ explosion at Harvard Medical School under investigation
1 of 2 | One of two suspects is recorded leaving the Harvard University Medical Building in Boston immediately after an early morning explosion. Photo Courtesy of the Harvard University Police Department
Nov. 1 (UPI) — The FBI, local and university police are investigating an “intentional” explosion that occurred early Saturday morning on the fourth floor of the Harvard Medical School building in Boston.
The explosion occurred at 2:48 a.m. EDT in the medical school’s Goldenson Building and triggered a fire alarm that alerted university police, The New York Times reported.
A Harvard University Police officer responded to the building at 220 Longwood Ave. and saw two individuals running from it.
The officer tried to stop the individuals but could not and then found evidence of an explosion on the fourth floor, according to The Boston Globe.
The Boston Fire Department and its arson unit also responded to the alarm and determined the explosion likely was intentional.
Boston police searched the building for explosive devices but found none.
No one was injured during the incident, and the FBI is assisting with the investigation.
University police released video stills of the two suspects, who appear to be young, white males wearing light-colored masks while fleeing the building.
One wore a brown sweatshirt with a hood and what looked like “NYC” printed on the front, khaki pants and gray Crocs.
The other wore a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark plaid pajama pants, according to university police.
The university police released images of each suspect that were captured by surveillance cameras.
Anyone who has information regarding the incident or suspects can contact the Harvard University Police Department’s detective bureau by calling 617-495-1796.
Ministry of Defence to spend £9bn renovating military housing
Thousands of military homes across the UK will be modernised, refurbished or rebuilt over the next decade under a £9bn government plan to improve defence housing.
The Ministry of Defence’s new housing strategy will see improvements made to almost all of its 47,700 homes for military families in what Defence Secretary John Healey said will be the “biggest renewal of Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years”.
The plan is in response to consistent complaints from serving personnel about the state of their accommodation.
In 2022, dozens of members and their families told the BBC they were having to live in damp, mould-infested housing without heating.
A Commons defence committee last year found two-thirds of homes for service families needed “extensive refurbishment or rebuilding” to meet modern standards.
Under the new strategy, service family accommodation (SFA) will be refurbished with new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems.
About 14,000 will receive either “substantial refurbishment” or be completely replaced.
The plans are part of the government’s wider defence housing strategy, to be published on Monday. A total of £4bn in funding to tackle the housing problem had already been announced.
The government says it has also identified surplus MoD land which could be used to build 100,000 new homes for civilian and military families.
Healey said: “This is a new chapter – a decisive break from decades of underinvestment, with a building programme to back Britain’s military families and drive economic growth across the country.”
Almost three years ago, the BBC was contacted by families in military accommodation in Sandhurst who had been living without heating for days.
“We’re at breaking point and something has to change. The system is broken,” they said at the time.
In response to the story, the MoD said it was working with its contractors to improve the service. But a report released in December last year found those problems “still exist”.
“It is shocking that until a policy change in 2022, it was considered acceptable to house families in properties known to have damp and mould,” the report said.
The MoD last year announced it would acquire 36,347 military houses from property company Annington Homes for nearly £6bn, reversing a privatisation deal struck in 1996 under the Conservative government.
The deal would save millions in rent and maintenance costs, the MoD said, money that would be put towards fixing military accommodation.
Two European city breaks perfect for a weekend of gorging on great food, wine and culture
From gorgeous Getxo to the City of Love, you won’t want to come home from these mint mini-breaks
SPAIN – Palacio Arriluce Hotel, Getxo
Commissioning Editor Martha Cliff and fiancée Lauren found foodie heaven near Bilbao.
THE PAD
Perched on a striking cliffside overlooking the Bay of Abra in Getxo and with a beauty of an outdoor pool, this 18th-century boutique gem sits in a palatial setting and offers the perfect blend of historical charm and contemporary elegance.
Craving vistas of the rolling Basque mountains? You’ve got it. Want to gaze at boats bobbing in the harbour? No problem. A city view more your vibe? It’s got that, too.
Be sure to eat breakfast – think other-worldly Spanish tortilla and Iberico ham – on the terrace to take full advantage.
Meanwhile, come dinner at Delaunay, try local specialities such as grilled kokotxas (hake chin) on stewed spider crab, £35, and Iberian pork shoulder with passionfruit, £31.
Eye-squintingly-rich chocolate mousse and pumpkin ice cream, £15, will seal the deal.
Return to your room – one of just 49 – and find home-made chocolates and lavender spray to aid a sublime slumber.
EXPLORE
The bustling city of Bilbao is a 20-minute metro ride away.
Join a three-hour walking tour with guide Saioa to learn about the history and architecture, £21 per person (Smartinbilbao.com).
Before you leave, head to Gran Vía, Bilbao’s shopping hub, and sample the famous butter buns, £2.75, at Pastelería Arrese.
Back in Getxo, stop by Bizkaia Bridge – the oldest transporter bridge in the world – and enjoy views of Bilbao from the 45-metre-high walkway.
Entry costs £9 per person (Puente-colgante.com).
REFUEL
Make sure you’re there on a Thursday to join locals in Getxo for “pintxo pote”, a foodie’s dream bar crawl and Basque country tradition.
Restaurante Ixta Bide offers four pintxos (small savoury snacks) – our fave was pintxo de txaka, akin to a mini crab sandwich – and two vinos for a mere £9.
Just don’t expect to bag a seat! Wind your way up the steps of Algorta to reach Arrantzale and finish on its perfectly salted pork belly (Arrantzale.com).
While day-tripping, step into one of Bilbao’s oldest bars, Café Iruña, just a hop from Arbando metro station.
Dating back to 1903, the beautiful tiling is reason enough to visit, but coffee for just £1.75, is a big pull, too.
Or opt for a glass of the local txakoli white wine, £2.70, instead (Cafeirunabilbao.com).
DON’T MISS
The works inside Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum are, of course, breathtaking, but the building itself and its surrounding sculptures – including Puppy, a massive dog made of flowers by American artist Jeff Koons – are worth the trip alone.
Entry costs £13 (Guggenheim-bilbao.eus).
BOOK IT
Double rooms at Palacio Arriluce Hotel cost from £249 B&B (Palacioarrilucehotel.com).
Fly to Bilbao from London Gatwick and Heathrow with Vueling from £56 return (Vueling.com).
FRANCE – Hôtel Dame des Arts, Paris
Creative Director Mark Hayman and wife Margaret fell for cocktails and culture in the French capital.
THE PAD
This sleek bolt-hole in the city’s Latin Quarter has shaken off its Holiday Inn past to channel full Hollywood glamour.
Think rich woods, bamboo accents and pretty palms, with rooms that feel like film sets, thanks to glass dividers, velvet finishes and luxe bathrooms made for long soaks.
Downstairs, Pimpan serves up bold Franco-Mexican fusions on a leafy terrace – highlights include beef tartare with piquillos, £12.50, lamb shoulder with harissa, £25, and hibiscus-poached pear, £11.
But the real scene-stealer is the rooftop bar, where 360-degree skyline views stretch from the Eiffel Tower to Sacré Cœur – even locals come here for the vistas.
Order a Spritz del Arte (Aperol, mango liqueur, rum and prosecco), £17, or the punchy Uno Mas margarita, £14, pop on your biggest sunglasses and watch the city turn blush at sunset.
There’s also a sauna and a gym kitted out with sculptural wooden equipment for those partial to a designer workout.
EXPLORE
First time in Paris? Glide down the Seine aboard the Batobus – this hop-on-hop-off riverboat is a relaxing (and photogenic) way to tick off major sights like the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre.
A day pass costs £17.50 (Batobus.com).
Once on dry land, seek out legendary bookshop Shakespeare And Company – get lost in the maze of tomes and grab an iconic tote, £13 (Shakespeareandcompany.com).
For more treasure-hunting, swing by the flea market off Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine – a weekend haven of vintage mirrors, mid-century ceramics and nostalgic postcards.
There’s no entry fee, just bring cash and your best haggling game.
Then head to the Panthéon, a neoclassical gem where Voltaire, Rousseau and Marie Curie lie in dramatic crypts beneath a rooftop dome offering jaw-dropping views.
Entry costs £10 per person (Paris-pantheon.fr).
REFUEL
Lively, retro-chic Brasserie Dubillot’s espresso martinis, £10.50, are a must, but equally good is the sausage and mash with truffle sauce, £16, steak-frites, £21, and the perfect crème brûlée, £8 (Lanouvellegarde.com/brasserie-dubillot).
Craving something casual? PNY serves next-level burgers with aged beef, brioche buns and toppings like smoked cheddar and pickled jalapeños, from £11.50 (Pnyburger.com).
Or just nab a pavement perch at Café Saint-André for a croque monsieur, £10.50, a glass of sancerre, £7, and some world-class people-watching.
DON’T MISS
Notre-Dame cathedral is one of Paris’ most iconic buildings for good reason.
Step inside to take in its Gothic arches, stained glass, and newly restored grandeur.
Entry is free, but book a time slot (Notredamedeparis.fr).
BOOK IT
Double rooms at Hôtel Dame des Arts cost from £226 per night (Damedesarts.com).
Psst…
Fancy something a little more party? Rixos Premium Dubai JBR sits in one of the UAE city’s buzziest neighbourhoods, with captivating views of Ain Dubai, the world’s biggest ferris wheel.
Suave rooms come with huge tubs, rain showers and espresso machines, from £304 per night (Rixos.com).
Downstairs is Azure Beach Club with its large pool, pumping soundtrack, outdoor gym and private beach (Azure-beach.com/dubai).
The breakfast buffet is, in true Dubai style, eye-poppingly big – you can even blend your own fresh peanut butter.
Plus, you’re half an hour’s cab ride from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, for that classic Dubai selfie – viewing platform visits cost from £37 per person (Burjkhalifa.ae).
When you’re craving a chilled day, head to Aussie beach club Byron Bathers for lobster linguine, £37, and burrata pizza, £17, with excellent Whitsunday spritzes – an exquisite blend of grapefruit bitters, strawberry shrub, pink grapefruit, citrus vodka, Aperol and prosecco, £14 (Byronbathers.com).
Strictly Come Dancing fans ‘heartbroken’ as latest elimination spoiler leaks online
Strictly Come Dancing fans have reacted to news of the latest elimination after a spoiler leaked online following an eventful Halloween Week on the BBC competition
Strictly Come Dancing fans have been left ‘heartbroken’ after a spoiler revealed who has been eliminated from the BBC dance competition. Fans will know that the results show traditionally airs on Sundays but is pre-recorded immediately after the live show on a Saturday evening, and news is often leaked online.
This time around, it was Halloween Week on Strictly, and it was eventful from start to finish. With judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Motsi Mabuse all dressed up in spectacular spooky gear, and the contestants all embodying creepy and kooky personas for the evening, it was Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope who topped the leader board with a perfect score of 40, a first for this series.
Vicky Pattison burst into tears after Motsi predicted she would make it all the way to the final, and fans also started demanding that La Voix be made the new host after he momentarily stood in for Tess Daly.
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing LIVE: First 40 of the series, standing ovations and ‘horny’ dancesREAD MORE: Strictly’s Vicky Pattison bursts into tears after shock comment live on air
Just before the result was confirmed, rumours had already started to swirl and one fan wrote: “Genuinely worried this will come true again. Why are my faves always in danger?” Another said: “ffs I hope this is wrong,” and one fan admitted: “I ain’t sleeping until that spoiler drops, I’m on EDGE”
Another admitted: “got strictly spoiled for me last week bc someone updated the wikipedia page by like midnight based on the leaked spoiler while me and my sister were in depth examining the judges evil scoring HOWEVER this week im looking intentionally bc im getting nervous.”
A fourth fan said: “I wish there was a poll on X where we can see a live accurate version of what the votes look like cause waiting for the strictly spoiler poll is painful.”
At the end of Saturday’s show, it was revealed that Shirley would have the deciding vote when it came to deciding who would survive the dreaded dance off.
While the Mirror have decided not to leak the spoiler, fans have already been reacting online to the leaked elimination news. One simply wrote: “Noooooo,” and left a sad emoji and a broken heart with their tweet.
Another said: “the strictly spoiler. omg,” whilst a third admitted: “I had a feeling this was going to be the result. Devastated for the parson who left but it was the correct result sadly. Heartbroken for the other person too but I hope this means they’ll come back fighting next week.”
Last week, footballer Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley were sent home following a tense dance-off with musical theatre star Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin.
Speaking after the elimination, Jimmy said he never expected to enjoy the show so much. “I can only say thank you very much for letting me have this experience and to my daughters for pushing me to come here and do this.
“I never expected that I would enjoy it this much. The people behind the scenes, from the wardrobe people to the hairdressers to the make-up people, are absolutely magnificent – thank you very much.
“This experience is going to live with me forever. Most importantly, [to Lauren] this girl, she is just absolutely incredible. She has been absolutely amazing with me. You are a diamond,” he told Lauren.
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