Who are Last One Laughing’s Ellie White and Natasia Demetriou?
Need to know
Last One Laughing UK features Ellie White and Natasia Demetriou in a guest appearance.
Romesh Ranganathan had to face off against the intimacy coordinators(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
Everything you need to know about Last One Laughing intimacy coordinators Ellie White and Natasia Demetriou
- Comedy stars Ellie White and Natasia Demetriou have left Last One Laughing season 2 viewers in stitches after appearing as the show’s hilarious “intimacy coordinators.” The acclaimed duo guest starred in episode five of Jimmy Carr’s Prime Video comedy challenge series, where comedians must make each other laugh whilst keeping straight faces.
- They appeared as mock intimacy coordinators to wind up the contestants including Bob Mortimer, Joe Lycett and Judi Love. The pair told the comics: “We’re intimacy coordinators. We’re hired by the show to come into very toxic work environments.”
- White and Demetriou, who have their own BBC sketch show Ellie and Natasia, are comedy partners known for their surreal humour. White has appeared in major productions including Wonka with Timothée Chalamet and Channel 4’s Stath Lets Flats.
- Demetriou is best known for her role in What We Do in the Shadows, which earned her a Critics’ Choice Award in 2021. She’s also received BAFTA nominations for both Stath Lets Flats and Ellie and Natasia.
- Contestant Romesh Ranganathan praised the pair, calling them “two of the most talented character performers around.” Last One Laughing airs its season 2 finale on Prime Video on April 2.
READ THE FULL STORY: Who are the intimacy coordinators on Last One Laughing? Meet famous stars
I tried the world’s first Bluey rollercoaster that launched in the UK this week
IT’S the no.1 children’s show on CBeebies and has been streamed more than 450million times on the BBC iPlayer – so where else to build a world-first Bluey rollercoaster than the UK’s biggest theme park?
Alton Towers know a sensation when they see one this week unveiled Bluey: Here Come The Grannies ride in the heart of CBeebies Land.
Now, toddlers and parents (lets face it, mums and dads love him too), can pay homage to the adventurous, inexhaustible puppy via a fun-filled rollercoaster.
The rollercoaster whisks you up and down over gentle dips, and around turns amid a fun, interactive setting of Bluey’s back garden.
It’s filled with fun references to the various episodes – including as the name suggests when the characters dress up as their Grannies.
The ride is the perfect mix of gentle and exciting and went down a storm on the day of opening.
Parents and kids were loving it while wee toddlers were genuinely immersed in Bluey’s world; they truly believed they were in his garden.
Alton Towers still remains the king of the theme parks and with CBeebies land, Gansta Granny and the big scary roller coasters – every age group is catered for.
As with all of Alton Towers rides, it is not just about the rides, but the imaginative settings and creative back stories that add to the fun.
As the terrified child will testify while we waited for the Wicker Man to finish his dramatic speech ahead of boarding the ride – they do not hold back.
But that is all part of the fun (sorry scared child).
I visited with two teens and even with fast track passes and their excited insistence on running everywhere we still struggled to do half the park – it is vast.
The glorious spotless grounds are so special too. I had sneakily hoped that I could grab a rest while my teens rushed about but the weather was rudely not accommodating.
On a beautiful day however, it is so worth taking the time to explore the perfectly managed gardens – ideal to regulate and find some peace from the thrills and spills.
The park looked fantastic, but as ever queues at the rides remain an issue and food and drinks pricey.
Meticulous planning, regularly checking the app and packing a picnic is advised to make the most of your day.
As the season opens Alton Towers are ensuring they are constantly evolving and investing in the park.
And the new Bluey: Here Come The Grannies rollercoaster will no doubt delight the next generation of thrill seekers.
One Sun writer spent their break in one of the Bluey hotel rooms…
Hannah Ferrett, Assistant Digital Editor, revealed what her stay was like in Bluey-themed hotel room that opened in 2024…
The new accommodation is one of 13 rooms and suites designed especially for kids — which also include telly favourites Postman Pat, Bing and Octonauts.
But this isn’t the place for those looking for a chilled stay with calm kids . . . as Jess, my nine-year-old said, the room is just too exciting.
We knew exactly what we were in for the moment we opened the door of the large room — which can sleep up to seven — as the Bluey theme song blasted out from speakers.
This led to roughly 15 renditions of the Bluey-themed musical statues (yes, mum and dad got involved too). The hotel has done a great job.
The kids slept in Bluey and Bingo’s room, complete with bunk beds, the recognisable watermelon rug and the cartoon dogs’ pretty Himalayan rock salt night light — a nice touch for little ones.
There’s also a sofa bed which sleeps two, and a trundle at the bottom of the bunks. The only thing which excited all four kids more than the triple bunk was realising we were the first family to stay in the room.
Murals of the Heeler family cover the walls, with fairy lights and books dotted about. The bathroom had pictures of Bluey and her sister plastered across the walls.
My partner Dan and I were in Bandit and Chilli’s room, which had a king size bed, TV and lots of pictures of Bluey and Bingo as puppies, much to the delight of our kids.
The suite and other Bluey room (which sleeps five) tie in with the launch of Bluey Live at CBeebies Land. The excitable blue pooch and her whole family are part of the fun, with kids able to meet the characters and even have their photo taken with them.
For more on theme parks, here’s one where you ‘travel through time’ and rides roar past the hotel window.
And here are seven great UK seaside towns with beachfront theme parks – and you can stay with Hols from £9.50.
The Future of Middle East-Africa Trade Alliances
Islam Zekry, Group Chief Finance & Operation Officer and Executive Board Member at CIB, explores how GCC-Africa partnerships are driving economic growth, resilience and a transformative era of South-South cooperation, and how Egypt’s strategic location and financial expertise position it as a key player in emerging trade corridors.
Global Finance: How can new trade alliances and partnerships, particularly between the GCC and African nations, drive economic growth and resilience across both regions?
Islam Zekry: The partnership between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Africa is gaining momentum. However, what is changing is the depth and strategic intent behind these partnerships. As global supply chains fragment and capital becomes more selective, structured trade alliances between GCC nations and African economies have the potential to create one of the most significant South–South growth corridors of the next decade.
Several structural complementarities underpin this opportunity. GCC economies possess deep capital pools, sovereign investment vehicles, advanced logistics capabilities and strong global trade linkages. In addition, many African economies are rich in natural resources, arable land, renewable energy potential and rapidly growing consumer markets with favorable demographics.
When strategically aligned, partnerships can yield positive growth outcomes. For example, food security partnerships, where African agricultural production meets Gulf demand, demonstrate this potential. Moreover, investments in energy and transition, particularly in renewables and green hydrogen, support the transition towards cleaner energy resources. Such partnerships can also drive the development of the infrastructure and logistics sector—strengthening ports, industrial zones and transport corridors. Ultimately, financial sector integration enhances capital flows and trade finance capacity.
“Egypt is not just a transit point for global trade—it is becoming a focal point in a more integrated Afro-Arab economic architecture.”
Islam Zekry, Group Chief Finance & Operation Officer and Executive Board Member at CIB
Beyond capital deployment, what differentiates the next phase of GCC–Africa engagement is the development of capacity for resilience. Global shocks—whether pandemic disruptions, geopolitical tensions or commodity volatility—have demonstrated the importance of diversified trade relationships. GCC–Africa alliances reduce overdependence on traditional West–East corridors, creating balanced, multipolar trade flows.
Therefore, for these partnerships to reach their full potential, financial architecture must evolve in tandem with physical infrastructure. Efficient cross-border payment systems, local currency settlement mechanisms, risk-sharing frameworks and strong banking partnerships determine how seamlessly goods, services,and capital move between the two regions. This is where banks with both regional understanding and international connectivity play a transformative role, not merely as financial intermediaries, but as enablers of structured trade ecosystems.
GF: What makes Egypt uniquely positioned to serve as a trade and investment hub between the Middle East and Africa, and how can this role evolve in the context of emerging trade corridors?
Zekry: Strategically positioned at the convergence of Africa, the Middle East and Europe, Egypt controls one of the world’s crucial maritime arteries through the Suez Canal. The country boasts one of Africa’s largest and most diversified economies and hosts one of the region’s leading banking sectors.
However, Egypt’s strategic relevance goes beyond geography. The country serves as a natural logistical bridge. It connects Mediterranean trade routes with Red Sea and Gulf shipping lanes while maintaining deep commercial ties across Sub-Saharan Africa. This dual orientation—northward to Europe and southward into Africa—positions Egypt as a balancing hub within emerging trade corridors.
The country has also built significant industrial and export capacity. Its robust manufacturing base, expanding energy sector,and growing role in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and renewable energy markets position it as a credible anchor economy within regional value chains. Egypt’s financial institutions support cross-border expansion and structured trade finance. Egyptian banks have developed strong capital bases, regional expertise and global correspondent networks, enabling them to intermediate complex trade flows across Africa and the Middle East.
As new trade corridors emerge, from Red Sea logistics networks to Gulf-backed infrastructure investments in East Africa, alongside the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) driven continental integration, Egypt’s role is set to evolve across three key areas. The country functions as a gateway for capital deployment into Africa, serving as a strategic hub for GCC and international investors seeking structured entry into African markets. It also has the potential to serve as a regional trade finance hub, facilitating corridor-based financing between North Africa, East Africa,and the Gulf. Finally, Egypt can act as a connector of payment ecosystems, enabling interoperability between African financial systems and Middle Eastern capital markets.
The next phase of Egypt’s development hinges on deepening this integration, aligning customs frameworks, digitizing trade documentation, strengthening regional payment systems and encouraging bilateral currency arrangements. If strategically executed, Egypt will not simply remain a transit point for global trade, but will become a focal point in a more integrated Afro-Arab economic architecture.
The future of Middle East–Africa trade alliances will not be defined solely by infrastructure announcements or headline investments. It will depend on how effectively capital, policy and financial systems converge to support real economic exchange. In this context, Egypt stands out as both a geographic and financial bridge. Therefore, strengthening GCC–Africa partnerships represents not just an opportunity, but a structural shift toward greater regional resilience and South–South cooperation.
Tuesday 31 March Freedom Day in Malta
The provided text explores the historical significance of Freedom Day in Malta, marking the final withdrawal of British military forces on March 31, 1979. This holiday commemorates the first time in over a millennium that the island achieved complete sovereignty without a foreign military presence. The article details Malta’s transition from a British crown colony to an independent republic following decades of political negotiations and lease agreements. To honor this milestone, the nation hosts official commemorative ceremonies at prominent monuments and a traditional competitive regatta in the Grand Harbour. While the main focus remains on Maltese history, the source also includes brief snapshots of current global news and spo …
Canary Islands health warning to six types of tourists as people urged to ‘close windows’
People in the Canary Islands have been warned to stay indoors, stay hydrated, and keep their windows shut to protect themselves from an incoming weather phenomenon.
People in the Canaries have been warned to stay indoors (stock)
(Image: Getty Images)
Six different types of tourists have been urged to exercise extra caution as the Canary Islands brace for potentially hazardous weather. People in the Canaries have been warned to stay indoors, stay hydrated and keep their windows shut to protect themselves against incoming Saharan dust.
As of Yesterday (March 30), reports warned of a massive dust plume that was expected to be carried towards the Canary Islands by strong winds, merely days after Storm Therese brought unprecedented rainfall. The haze was due to arrive at 12 noon yesterday, with yellow weather warnings in place across the region.
In response, the Canary Islands Health Department, working via the General Directorate of Public Health of the Canary Islands Health Service, has issued advice to those who may be impacted by the dust, which is due to strike several islands over the coming days. Suspended dust is expected to negatively impact the air quality, weather forecasts indicate.
An “adverse weather phenomenon” has been linked to the event, prompting the regional government to issue a “calima” alert status (a term used to refer to these types of Saharan dust events). Health authorities have urged people to refrain from staying outside for extended periods, keep windows shut, and steer clear of heavy physical exertion outside.
Spanish news site Canarias7 explained that this is due to its potential impacts on health, with high concentrations of particles able to lead to mild symptoms such as nasal and throat irritation, itchy eyes, and coughing. However, it can also result in more serious issues, including asthma attacks and problems for those with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, with the risk of respiratory infections also raised.
It was further noted that this advice applies particularly to the six most vulnerable groups:
- Minors
- Elderly people
- Those with chronic respiratory or cardiac conditions, like asthma or bronchitis
- Pregnant women
- Outdoor workers
- Smokers
Hospital visits increase during these events, “even up to five days after the episode ends”. Other recommendations include cleaning surfaces with damp cloths, taking your usual prescribed medication, avoiding humid settings, monitoring official information on the event, and calling 112 if respiratory symptoms worsen. People in the Canary Islands have also been advised to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the Canary Islands Government’s Air Quality Monitoring Network.
Meanwhile, there are other regional weather warnings specifically for coastal conditions, activated when strong winds, rough seas, and large swells are expected to impact shorelines and ferry operations. It means that people should take precautions when near beaches and harbours.
As for the Saharan dust, the warnings affect the top destinations of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, with coastal and wind advisories for Tenerife, El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote, and Gran Canaria. Much-loved by UK tourists, the Canaries welcomed 6.3 million Brits in 2024.
Island president Rosa Dávila emphasised that safeguarding the public remains a priority after emergency alerts were received by phones in northern Tenerife. Rosa said: “We are facing a changing situation, with a storm that maintains an unstable behaviour. Our priority is to anticipate and protect the public.”
It follows the impact of Storm Theresa, which hit the region hard, generating upwards of 700 litres of rain per square metre in some spots. In addition, the so-called “storm of the decade” reportedly transformed streets into rivers and affected tourist areas.
3 places in Europe where you can visit and avoid new Entry Exit travel system
These stunning destinations are exempt from the new system launching in April.
These countries will not use the Entry/Exit system(Image: Getty)
Following months of preparation, the new Entry/Exit System (EES) will finally be implemented across the Schengen area from April 10.
The new EES will require all non-EU nationals travelling to 29 European countries to register their biometric data, such as a facial scan and fingerprints, rather than receiving a traditional passport stamp. Numerous popular holiday destinations including Portugal, Italy and Spain will be impacted by the new system.
However, there are 14 countries (15 including the UK) outside the Schengen Area and therefore not implementing the new travel system.
Laura Evans-Fisk, head of digital and engagement at eurochange, anticipates a surge in travellers heading to non-Schengen countries as a consequence, reports the Express.
She said: “The introduction of this new border control system may be off-putting to some people who want to book last-minute trips this Easter, especially those who like to keep travel as fuss-free as possible.
“I think we should expect to see an increase in Brits travelling to countries that are exempt from the legislation over the next few months – including the Easter and summer holidays.”
For those looking to sidestep the hassle and make their travels a little more straightforward, Laura has identified three fantastic holiday destinations that will be unaffected by the EES, meaning British tourists can explore freely without the need to provide biometric data.
Kotor, Montenegro
She explained: “Montenegro is quickly becoming one of the most popular up-and-coming destinations in Europe. A less crowded alternative to Croatia, it offers similar quaint towns, gorgeous beaches and a stunning coastline, but it is around 20-30% cheaper.”
For instance, accommodation in Montenegro begins at £23 per person per night, while a three-course meal will cost you £31.78.
Kotor sits on the coast, boasting stunning beaches and a relaxed atmosphere, ideal for unwinding. Laura remarked: “This is a great spot if you’re after a chilled, slow-paced holiday, without having to pay huge prices.”
Tirana, Albania
This vibrant capital city is brimming with culture and a food lover’s dream destination. Laura noted: “One of the best ways to explore is by taking a stroll through the streets, following the eccentric street art, graffiti and murals.
“Remember to order Albanian favourites, Fërgesë Gjize (baked cheese with peppers) and Trilece (a tasty pie made with sponge cake and three different kinds of milk) for dessert.”
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Laura said: “It is one of the only places where you can visit a Mosque, a Catholic church, an Eastern Orthodox church and a synagogue in one place.
“Tucked inside a long, thin valley and surrounded by forested mountains, the city has a picture-perfect backdrop. Its broad mix of cultural influences means its architecture is also absolutely beautiful, and its restaurant scene is an eclectic mix of Turkish and Bosnian-inspired offerings.
“And, with prices averaging just £30 per person for a three-course meal, your money really does go far here.”
Quake Victims, Insurance Carriers Meet Head-On at Hearing : Aftermath: More than 300 turn out for often heated town hall meeting. Disgruntled victims of temblor and representatives of several companies state their cases.
VAN NUYS — It was a showdown between quake-weary homeowners and the insurance companies they are still battling six months later.
More than 300 people turned out for the confrontation Wednesday night, filling an auditorium at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys for a hearing presided over by state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), chairman of the Senate insurance committee and the Democratic nominee for insurance commissioner in the November election.
Besides disgruntled victims of the Northridge quake, the speakers included representatives of State Farm, the state’s largest carrier with 20% of the homeowners market, and No. 3 Farmers Insurance Group.
Nettie Hoge, head of consumer services for the California Department of Insurance, also participated in the often heated town hall meeting that Torres conducted as an official hearing of the insurance committee.
Hoge told the crowd that state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi had persuaded Woodland Hills-based 20th Century Insurance Co. to restore homeowners coverage to about 14 of its customers whose policies the company recently canceled.
20th Century received so many quake claims that the state insurance department granted the company special permission to get out of the homeowners coverage business. One of the conditions, however, was that the company offer its customers two more annual renewals. Some of its policyholders have complained recently that the company was seizing on technical excuses to refuse immediately to renew their policies.
Many people in the audience brandished signs such as “Boycott 20th Century” and “20th Century, What Did You Do With Our Premiums?”
Torres said 20th Century was invited to send a speaker to the meeting, but declined. However, when Torres asked if anyone from 20th Century was in the audience, two people raised their hands. Rick Dinon, a senior vice president, said the executives were there because they hoped to “correct some misinterpretations of the company’s actions, motives and finances.”
“It hurts,” Dinon said of the homemade signs criticizing the company. “We hope we have the respect of our customers and we most assuredly respect them.
“It hurts a lot to be placed in an adversarial relationship with our customers. It is disappointing we can’t continue to offer them the kind of protection we have in the past.”
When an earthquake hits, “much of the suffering is from the reprehensible conduct of the insurance industry adjusting the earthquake loss,” said George Kehrer, executive director of Community Assistance Recovery, or CARE, a Northridge-based consumer group he said represents more than 5,000 property owners.
“Adjusters swarm into the state like killer bees,” Kehrer said, drawing a standing ovation.
Torres told the group that many of the complaints he has received have come from people who fear their company will abandon them. But he noted that Garamendi is proposing a statewide insurance industry pool as well as supporting proposals for national disaster insurance.
“It’s hard to be patient,” he said. “People in northern California are still dealing with insurance companies from the Loma Prieta quake” in October, 1989.
Bill Gausewitz, of Farmer’s Insurance, said his company had resolved 27,241 quake-related claims, about 90% of those it had received. Of those, 7,877 were dismissed without payment and the others received compensation, he said.
Torres asked Gausewitz if Farmers had received complaints that it refused to pay the true cost of earthquake repairs.
“Not that I know of,” Gausewitz replied, drawing hoots and jeers from the audience.
Hoge said the insurance department has received complaints of low payments by virtually all insurance companies hit by Northridge quake claims.
Torres, whose committee is wrestling with many quake-caused problems, including a growing homeowners coverage crisis, said he arranged the meeting to give angry quake victims a chance to air their grievances.
Disillusioned policyholders have inundated his Los Angeles and Sacramento offices with complaints, he said, ranging from switching adjusters in the middle of the claims process to “low-ball” offers to settle to delays receiving payoff checks. Some accused their insurance carriers of breaking promises or lying to avoid paying claims.
How Luka Doncic stacks up against NBA’s other MVP contenders
Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where the vibes are immaculate.
The Lakers have won 15 of their last 17 games. LeBron James continues to set NBA records, most recently tying the all-time mark for wins in the regular season and playoffs with Monday’s win over Washington. Jaxson Hayes hasn’t missed a three-point shot all year. The fans who chanted “We want Bronny!” have gotten their wish.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, we turn our focus to a different cheer.
MVP! MVP!
Lakers star Luka Doncic runs onto the court before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 10 at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The familiar chant rang out in arenas from L.A. to Miami to Indianapolis. Luka Doncic’s campaign was powerful enough to sway even opposing crowds that showered him with shouts of “MVP.”
With Doncic on a historic season-ending heater, the most valuable player discussion suddenly got piping hot with two weeks left in the season. The NBA’s leading scorer surged back into the race with gaudy numbers over the month of March: 37.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game; 12 straight 30-point games; a 24-hour stretch with 100 points; and the first 60-point performance by a Laker since Kobe Bryant in his final game.
The most important number from March: 14 wins. Approaching the playoffs, the Lakers (49-26) are one of the hottest teams in the league, powered by Doncic’s brilliance.
“If we continue to finish the season the way we’re playing right now, and he continues to play that way, to me, he is the MVP,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Doncic leads the league in scoring (33.7) and is just a hair off from the career-high 33.9 points per game he averaged when he finished third in MVP voting in 2024. Compared to the other top three MVP candidates — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama — Doncic’s traditional stats paint a competitive picture. He has the second-most assists of the quartet behind Jokic and the third-most rebounds.
Among guards who have played more than 11 games, Doncic ranks third in rebounds per game at 7.8, and his 7.2 defensive rebounds per game is the most of anyone at his position. Doncic’s defense gets picked apart, but he also has a career-best 102 steals. He’s the only player averaging 30 or more points this season with 100 or more steals.
“He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning,” Redick said.
Advanced statistics have Doncic a tier below his rivals. Doncic’s net rating of plus-4 is a distant fourth among the top contenders and pales in comparison to Wembanyama’s plus-17.3.
Breaking down the MVP race
Jokic appeared to be on his way to winning his fourth MVP before the Nuggets star missed a month with a knee injury. By leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the league, Gilgeous-Alexander appeared to be in pole position to win his second consecutive MVP.
Doncic and Wembanyama are making a late charge. The Spurs see the Lakers’ 14-2 record in March and raise them a 25-2 mark since Feb. 1. They won their 10 consecutive game Monday. While Doncic was serving a suspension for technical foul accumulation, Wembanyama scored 41 points with 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks against the Chicago Bulls.
The MVP chants in Frost Bank Arena are just as loud as anywhere in the league.
All fore one
Lakers guard Austin Reaves shoots a free throw during a win over the Washington Wizards on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Of all the NBA markets, L.A. presents unique challenges to team building. When Redick played for the Clippers, teammates scattered immediately after practice with hopes of beating traffic on the way home. Redick knew he wasn’t going to drive hours from his home in Manhattan Beach to visit Chris Paul in Calabasas.
But for the Lakers, a round of golf is worth a drive on the 405.
“Finding tee times, being with each other for four hours where you can shoot the proverbial S-H-I-whatever and not have to be in a high pressure moment or on a team bus and kind of be away from the facility,” Redick said, “I think it’s great.”
Golf is the Lakers’ latest bonding activity that’s helped keep the vibes high through the most successful stretch of the season. The Lakers have been intentional with team-building activities in Redick’s second year at the helm. All players and coaches made autobiographical powerpoint presentations to the team during the preseason. Jake LaRavia and assistant coach Beau Levesque won the team-wide pickleball tournament in November. Players and coaches arrange golf outings between games on long road trips. One day after hitting the winning shot in Orlando, newest teammate Luke Kennard got in on the golf action in a scramble match with players facing coaches.
“They had AR,” Redick said sheepishly, “so we can all guess the result of that one.”
Austin Reaves is the leader in the clubhouse. He remembered when teammates gave him grief about his love of golf, which he picked up at 17 and almost immediately excelled at. Seeing his teammates embrace the game “actually means a lot to me,” Reaves said.
“I’m glad that they are addicted,” he added with a satisfied smile.
After the COVID-19 bubble, Redick noticed an uptick in golf’s popularity around the league. Even the Lakers have a handful of players who suddenly decided to start during the last year. Doncic is the most recent convert. He bragged that he beat Reaves on one hole when they played in Indianapolis. Reaves, who got a double bogey compared to Doncic’s bogey, said he let his teammate win.
“It’s a confidence thing,” Reaves said. “We needed him to be at his best at 7 o’clock tonight.”
Doncic scored 43 points against Indianapolis the day after the golf outing.
On tap
Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen shoots between Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, left, and forward Tobias Harris on March 3.
(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Tuesday vs. Cleveland (47-28), 7:30 p.m. PDT
Center Jarrett Allen returned last week from a 10-game absence, but missed Cleveland’s game on Monday in Utah as he managed right knee tendinitis. Missing the first game of a back-to-back indicates that he’ll likely be available against the Lakers.
Thursday at Oklahoma City (60-16), 6:30 p.m. PDT
The Thunder have won 15 of their last 16 games with the only loss coming against Boston. This game and next week’s rematch at Crypto.com Arena could be critical in the MVP race between Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic.
Sunday at Dallas (24-51), 4:30 p.m. PDT
Since the trade heard ‘round the league, Doncic has averaged 33 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in four games against his former team. It’s his highest scoring average against any Western Conference opponent.
Status report
Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion)
Smart remains day-to-day with an ankle injury he sustained against Orlando. He has missed four games.
Adou Thiero (left knee soreness)
The rookie forward landed back on the injury report after playing two minutes in the Lakers’ loss to Detroit. Redick said Thiero was held out for precautionary reasons after his knee didn’t react well to playing in a G League game then playing in Detroit two days later. Thiero previously missed six weeks with a right medial collateral ligament sprain and underwent surgery on his left knee in college, which kept him sidelined at the beginning of the season.
Favorite thing I ate this week
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
I have had Ramen Nagi on my list for literal years because former USC center Brett Neilon — who grew up in Tokyo — recommended it. I have changed beats three times since then but never forgot what he said was his favorite ramen place in L.A. The red king, which is a spicy version of their pork broth ramen, was worth the years of anticipation. Every bowl is customizable so I loved getting to add thick ramen noodles.
In case you missed it
No Luka Doncic, no problem for LeBron James and Lakers in blowout win
Lakers hope two-day ‘reset’ will refresh them for final stretch of the season
Luka Doncic will serve one-game suspension for techs on Monday
Swanson: Bronny James has proven he deserves to be a Laker — with or without LeBron
Lakers beat Nets, but Luka Doncic is facing suspension again after 16th technical
Luka Doncic scores 43 as road weary Lakers hold off late Pacers rally
Lakers fade in final seconds against Pistons as nine-game win streak ends
Until next time…
As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna asks King Charles III to meet with Epstein survivors
Britain’s King Charles III has been asked by Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna to meet survivors of the crimes of the Jeffrey Epstein during a state visit to the United States in late April. File Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE
March 31 (UPI) — Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the author of the law that forced the government to release the Epstein files, wrote King Charles III requesting he meet with survivors of the late convicted sex offender during his upcoming state visit in April.
In his letter Monday, Khanna told the king he wanted him to meet with the women because of Epstein’s “significant” links to Britain via his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, and his connections with high-profile political and establishment figures.
He stressed that survivors also “want this meeting.”
“I respectfully ask that you privately meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein‘s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse, so they may speak to you directly about the ways powerful individuals and institutions failed them.
“I make this request in light of recent developments in the United Kingdom, including renewed scrutiny of individuals and institutions with ties to Epstein and his network. These developments have raised serious questions about conduct, access, and whether positions of public trust were misused or whether public institutions helped shield wrongdoing,” wrote Khanna.
“Your call for a ‘full, fair and proper’ investigation, and for the law to take its course, recognizes the seriousness of these concerns,” he added, referring to the king’s response to the arrest in February of his brother, the former Prince Andrew, on suspicion of passing confidential information to Epstein when he was Britain’s trade envoy.
Former U.K. Ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, is also under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he passed confidential government information to Epstein when he was business secretary in 2009.
Following their arrests on Feb. 19 and Feb. 24, both men were released “under investigation” by British police. Neither has been charged.
Mandelson was fired from his ambassadorship in September for allegedly concealing the extent, depth and duration of his friendship with Epstein from Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he was considering him for the role.
Buckingham Palace has previously stressed that the king’s “sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse.”
Buckingham Palace did not immediately comment on Khanna’s letter.
However, Khanna’s suggestion the meeting might yield “additional information that British institutions and individuals may be able to share and open a dialogue about whether there will be a full accounting of how Epstein’s and Maxwell’s network operated” in Britain as well as ensuring the matter was addressed with “transparency, seriousness, and accountability,” could prove very tricky for the king.
The king is head of state but his role is mostly ceremonial. He acts on the advice of government ministers, not the other way around, while the constitution places him above politics, if not the law.
The monarch’s legal and political powers are constitutionally limited to approving bills before they become law, dissolving parliament prior to elections and inviting the winning party to form a government — all rubber-stamp conventions over which they have no say.
He or she is not even allowed to publicly express their political views.
As such, the king is not in a position to grant any assurances or make anything happen regarding Britain’s handling of the Epstein scandal.
The visit by Charles and Queen Camilla, in reciprocation of President Donald Trump‘s unprecedented second state visit to Britain in September, has yet to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace and the White House, but U.S. Ambassador to Britain Warren Stephens said last week that he was confident it would go ahead.
The trip in the last week in April will see the royal couple welcomed to the White House complete with a Guard of Honor and a state banquet.
Charles was also expected to address both houses of congress. The last time that happened was in 1991 when Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II was in Washington as a guest of the late President George H W Bush.
President Donald Trump stands with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins during an event celebrating farmers on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
What’s Israel’s death penalty law that only applies to Palestinians? | Occupied West Bank News
The Israeli parliament’s approval of a legislation that seeks the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks has stoked fears among the Palestinians and drawn condemnation from the international community, dismayed at the further entrenching of what rights groups have long described as Israel’s “system of apartheid”.
The law, which does not apply to Jewish citizens of Israel, was met with jubilation among its backers in the country’s far right.
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France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom have all raised concerns over what many describe as the overtly racist nature of the bill, whose nature and wording appear to exclusively target Palestinians.
“We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles,” the foreign ministries wrote in a joint statement on Sunday.
Rights groups have also criticised the bill, with Amnesty International in February saying the legislation would make the death penalty “another discriminatory tool in Israel’s system of apartheid”.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday called the law discriminatory as it would primarily, if not exclusively, be applied to Palestinians.
“Israeli officials argue that the imposing the death penalty is about security, but in reality, it entrenches discrimination and a two-tiered system of justice, both hallmarks of apartheid,” Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
“The death penalty is irreversible and cruel. Combined with its severe restrictions on appeals and its 90-day execution timeline, this bill aims to kill Palestinian detainees faster and with less scrutiny.”
Nevertheless, on its successful passage through parliament, amidst the celebrating lawmakers, the legislation’s principal champion, far- right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – who has previous convictions for far-right “terrorism” – was seen brandishing a champagne.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had attended the chamber to support the bill, could also be seen congratulating lawmakers on its passage.
So, how can Israel pass a law targeting one ethnic group and not others? Is that legal, and is this the first time Israel has passed legislation that deliberately discriminates against Palestinians?
Here’s what we know.
How does the law target Palestinians and not Israelis?
By limiting the bulk of the legislation to the military courts that only try Palestinians under occupation.
Under the new legislation, anyone found guilty of the killing of an Israeli citizen within the occupied West Bank will, by default, be sentenced to death by the military courts overseeing the occupied territory.
While the courts do not regularly publish statistics on convictions, in 2010, the court system did concede that, of the Palestinians tried for offences committed in the occupied West Bank, 99.74 percent were found guilty.
In contrast, Israeli settlers, who have killed seven Palestinians in just the weeks following the start of their country’s war on Iran in late February, are tried in civilian courts in Israel. According to an analysis by the UK’s Guardian newspaper in late March, Israel has yet to prosecute any of its citizens for killing Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the start of this decade.
Under the new legislation, Israel’s civilian courts are granted an extra degree of leniency in sentencing Israelis found guilty of killing Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with judges having the option to choose between the death penalty and life imprisonment.
Sentences for the military courts trying Palestinians, in contrast, carry an automatic death penalty, with life imprisonment only available under extreme circumstances.
According to a study by the Israeli rights group, Yesh Din, conviction rates for settlers found guilty by civilian courts of committing crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem) between 2005 and 2024 ran to about 3 percent. Some 93.8 percent of investigations into settler violence were closed at the end of an investigation with no indictment filed, the group noted.
Underpinning much of this is Israel’s 2018 Nation State law, which, in the eyes of many, codifies Israel’s apartheid system of government, defining Israel as the exclusive homeland of the Jewish people and prioritising Jewish settlement as a national value.
Critics argue that it downgrades the status of Palestinian citizens, who make up about 20 percent of the population, by omitting any guarantee of equality.
How is that even legal?
According to many, it isn’t.
Despite the best efforts of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – who has administrative power over the occupied West Bank – to annex the Palestinian territory, it remains a foreign territory under military occupation.
According to Amichai Cohen, a senior fellow at the Center for Security and Democracy of The Israel Democracy Institute, international law does not permit Israel’s parliament to legislate for the West Bank, since the area is not legally part of Israel’s sovereign territory.
In September 2024, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly called for end to Israeli occupation of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem within a year. The UNGA resolution backed an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which called Israeli occupation “unlawful”.
Similarly, the Association of Civil Rights in Israel announced it had already taken the matter to Israel’s highest court only minutes after the bill was approved. The group argued that the measure was “discriminatory by design” and that lawmakers had no legal authority to impose it on Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, who are not Israeli citizens.
Is this the first time Israel has been accused of using its legal system to target Palestinians?
Far from it.
Human rights groups – including HRW and Amnesty International – have long argued that the legal systems applying to Palestinians and to Israeli settlers in the West Bank are fundamentally unequal.
Palestinians live under military law, while settlers fall under Israeli civil law, creating two parallel systems in the same territory.
According to rights groups, this structure enables discriminatory detention practices, such as administrative detention (where people can be held indefinitely without charge), dramatically unequal protections under the law, and the selective enforcement of those laws, which have all underpinned widespread accusations of apartheid.
As of March 2026, approximately 9,500 Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, with about half held under administrative detention or labelled “unlawful combatants”, denied trial and unable to defend themselves.
Legislation relating to the treatment of children in custody has led to concern among many international observers and rights groups. Palestinian minors can be interrogated without parental present and are often denied timely access to legal counsel in defiance of Israel’s own and international law, the HRW noted.
Another key area of international concern is the ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes built without permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. Unauthorised settler outposts, in contrast, are rarely troubled and increasingly retroactively legalised.
Shepard Fairey tells Mark Mothersbaugh he’s not afraid of AI art
Legendary street artist and activist Shepard Fairey was omnipresent at the High Desert Art Fair, which unfolded in and around Pioneertown over two unseasonably hot days last weekend. Founded more than seven years ago by art dealer Nicholas Fahey and artist manager Candice Lawler, the event has morphed from a few dozen people in Lawler’s living room to a few thousand roaming the dusty, sunny environs of the kitschy Old West town, with ancillary events in Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree.
Fairey, who bought a home in the area during the COVID-19 pandemic, DJ’d a spirited opening night party at the Red Dog Saloon — spinning punk, post-punk and new wave hits by Joy Division, Fugazi and Black Flag to a packed house of art fans wearing paint-splattered DIY couture — and he spoke during the weekend’s most anticipated panel alongside Devo frontman and gallery owner Mark Mothersbaugh in a conversation moderated by singer-songwriter Harper Simon, son of folk icon Paul Simon.
Artist Shepard Fairey DJ’d the opening night party of High Desert Art Fair at the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown. The set was heavy of punk, post-punk and new wave.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
Fairey was forthcoming about his opinions on art, politics and technology, drawing applause at one point for saying that using AI in art is not something to be afraid of. His assessment came after he lamented the fact that social media algorithms punish “decency” and reward “flamboyant narcissism and controversy.” He then joked that the “algorithm’s gonna love this. S— is gonna go nuts,” before talking about his recent collaboration with the digital artist known as Beeple who’s notorious in the art world for selling an NFT of his art in 2021 for $69.3 million.
The Red Dog Saloon was packed with art and music fans during the Friday night opening party of the High Desert Art Fair, which drew thousands of people to Pioneertown during the last weekend in March.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
“He’s either the vanguard of a new way of working, and a maverick, a trailblazer, or he’s the worst thing that’s happened to art ever, or in between, or both, or neither,” Fairey said as the crowd laughed. “That’s totally my opinion.”
During a late-March event held in Fairey’s hometown of Charleston, S.C., Beeple Studios presented “Shepard Fairey: Obey and Resist,” which leveraged AI to help guests create their own Fairey-inspired paintings. During the panel, Fairey called the results “almost idiot-proof.”
He then elaborated on his feelings about AI’s encroachment on the art world, saying that if he were part of the “traditional art world thinking” he wouldn’t dare “go over to the dark side of digital art and AI, because that’s cheating.”
“All those same people a few hundred years ago when Da Vinci was using the camera obscura were like, ‘Get your proportions right, just by eye. Don’t use a cheating tool,’” Fairey said before taking the analogy to cave paintings and noting that those same types of naysayers would’ve been unhappy when it was discovered that horse hairs at the end of a stick were useful for distributing pigment and might have said, “That’s not keeping it real, bro. Use bloody elbow like everyone else.”
Fairey called that type of thinking “idiotic.”
“A tool in service of someone with a genuine vision that bends the tool to their will, rather than having themselves bent to the tool — that’s what creativity is about,” Fairey said.
The conversation about AI art started when Mothersbaugh, who was headlining a music set at Pappy & Harriet’s later that night, admitted that he was “fooling around with AI” and “just making myself laugh, like mutating old Devo photos and videos. It cracks me up. … I don’t know what is ever going to happen with it. Maybe they’ll just always live on my phone and eventually get thrown away or lost or something.”
The stage is set for an experimental music show by the General, featuring the stylings of Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
It’s a rock ‘n’ roll art fair
The idea that AI won’t cannibalize artists and their work on a massive scale is refreshingly utopian, but in many ways so was the fair itself. It takes magical thinking to grow anything in the harsh desert environment, which is why artists have been making the trek for decades. There was a youthful, rock ‘n’ roll vibe to the proceedings that was punk in quality but earnest in its quest to be seen.
Mothersbaugh’s gallery, MutMuz, occupied one of 20 rooms reconfigured as show spaces at the Pioneertown Motel, as did Gross!, a Chinatown gallery founded by former Liars drummer Julian Gross and populated with the work of musicians such as Karen O, O’s costume designer Christian Joy and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe.
A work of painted fabric by Karen O‘s costume designer Christian Joy hangs in Gross! Gallery at the Pioneertown Motel during High Desert Art Fair. The gallery is owned by former Liars drummer Julian Gross who features plenty of work by fellow artists.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
Desert pioneers are key to the spirit of the place
The fair featured tours of a number of the most interesting attractions in the area, including the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art in Joshua Tree and artist Andrea Zittel’s arts outpost and residency program, High Desert Test Sites.
Old computers are stacked at the center of an installation titled “Carousel” (1996) by Noah Purifoy at the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art in Joshua Tree.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
Purifoy’s fantastical assemblages made of found objects and unloved detritus provided the most fitting example of the creative desert mindset. Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements. A nonprofit exists to preserve them, but tour guide Teri Rommelmann said preservation efforts aren’t meant to alter the course of nature and time, but rather to save the work from sinking into the sand.
Noah Purifoy’s 2001 installation “White/Colored” is the most frequently vandalized piece in the outdoor Joshua Tree museum dedicated to his work.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
Another aspect of the preservation work is erasing vandalism, which happened most during the pandemic, and was quite telling in its main target: An installation featuring a water fountain marked “White” next to a toilet affixed with a water fountain mouthpiece and labeled “Colored.”
Noah Purifoy’s sculpture “Ode to Frank Gehry” (2000) stands in the sand as part of the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art. The piece was once featured in a show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and transporting it can be quite tricky.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
At High Desert Test Sites, Zittel’s famous A-Z West escape pods are no longer used for camping after the city said the nonprofit would have to attain a commercial camping permit to continue. Nonetheless, the organization’s 80 acres are home to a variety of artist residencies, which use the windswept isolation of the desert to activate dormant ideas. It was just announced that environmental artist Lita Albuquerque will have a residency at the site.
Andrea Zittel’s famous A-Z West escape pods at High Desert Test Sites can no longer be used for camping, but they still dot the nonprofit’s 80 acres of land as an example of the creativity that the desert environment unleashes.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
The tiled kitchen that artist Andrea Zittel designed for the main residence at High Desert Test Sites, which she lived in for nearly 20 years and can now be rented by artists in residence.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
Art is everywhere in the desert — and growing
The success of this year’s High Desert Art Fair bodes well for the future of the area as a cultural destination.
Next year will see the return of Desert X, which for the first time will keep its large-scale, site-specific installations up for six months, timed to coincide with other SoCal cultural happenings including the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and Frieze. There are also semi-permanent art installations everywhere in the area, including along driveways and the roadside. This includes a hair salon and museum in Joshua Tree, and the recently opened Reset Hotel in Twentynine Palms features dozens of rooms in retrofitted shipping containers, some with outdoor bathtubs and firepits. The hotel has also carved desert trails in its backyard, with plans to build an art park filled with installations.
The shipping container rooms at the new Reset Hotel in Twentynine Palms feature outdoor living spaces with firepits and bathtubs. Some overlook trails that will lead to a planned art park on the property.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
An influx of artists, collectors and art fans will surely have an impact on an area that is already wary of gentrification and the rising cost of living that accompanies it. But there will be no stopping progress, only a utopian, Fairey-like hope that those who come will be inspired to keep and nurture the magical qualities of the place.
Beautiful European city with over 300 days of sunshine gets new flights from the UK
IF YOU are looking for your next holiday spot, then you could head to a European city two hours from the UK that has just got new flights from a major airport.
Budget airline easyJet has launched flights from Manchester Airport to Montpellier in France.
The flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, throughout the summer season and cost as little as £26.99 per way.
The historic city of Montpellier is found in southern France, around six miles from the Mediterranean Sea.
The city is often dubbed one of the sunniest in France thanks to boasting an average of 300 days of sunshine per year.
The city’s Mediterranean climate means that it has mild winters and hot, dry summers.
Read more on travel inspo
Because the city has a lot of sunshine, there is a lot to do outdoors in Montpellier including heading to the medieval Old Town where you will find narrow, winding streets with historic townhouses and a number of independent boutiques.
Another highlight of the Old Town is heading to Place de la Comédie, which is a lively square with the Three Graces fountain.
You can also head to Saint-Pierre Cathedral which dates back to the 14th century and has a fortress-like appearance.
In the Antigone district, which is mostly pedestrianised, has lots of fascinating architecture to explore, including copies of famous Greco-Roman sculptures.
For a mix of nature and history, venture to the Botanical Garden, which is the oldest one in France, founded back in 1593.
The garden features a bamboo forest, orange trees, a lotus pond where you might spot some carp and a greenhouse with a myriad of cacti.
You can even make a wish in the wishing tree called Phallaire.
If you fancy a nice walk, head to the Saint-Clément aqueduct.
Built in the 18th century, the dual-level aqueduct is responsible for the fountains littered across the city.
Each Tuesday and Saturday, you will also be able to catch a market at the foot of the aqueduct.
If you don’t mind heading slightly out of the city, then there are a number of chateaux you can explore, including Château De Flaugergues – a 19th-century chateau with Flemish tapestries and pretty gardens.
It costs £9.98 per person to visit.
The city has a number of hotels to choose from, including Pullman La Pléiade Montpellier Centre, which costs from £166 per night.
The hotel can be found in the centre of the city and features a panoramic rooftop pool and restaurant.
Alternatively, you could head to the Radisson Blu Hotel for £107 per night, which also boasts an outdoor pool as well.
When out and about in the city, you can expect to spend about €55 (£47.75) on a mid-range three course meal for two and between €4 (£3.47) and €5 (£4.34) for a beer.
Kevin Doyle, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, said: “We are really pleased to be celebrating our inaugural flights to the fantastic city of Montpellier, just a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean coast.
“By introducing new connections from Manchester on our unrivalled leisure network, customers from across the northwest can now enjoy even more choice this summer to book and travel with ease.”
Stephen Turner, Chief Commercial Officer at Manchester Airport, said: “Montpellier is not currently served by any other airline so passengers planning a holiday to the south of France this summer will have even more choice of destinations when flying from Manchester.
“We’re sure this new route will prove extremely popular.”
In other flight news, an airline has launched its first flights in two years from UK airport to one of the world’s best food destinations.
Plus, a major airline is set to launch new flights from a London airport – it will be its first in nearly 20 years.
New three-city sleeper train launches in Europe with tickets from £22 and Brits can easily join
A BRAND-NEW sleeper train route has launched in Europe – and Brits can very easily hop onboard from Paris.
European Sleeper will connect three cities in 15 hours and you can spend the journey tucked up in a cosy cabin.
For anyone wanting city breaks without the fuss of taking flights, this is a great solution.
The sleeper train links Paris, Brussels and Berlin.
So anyone from the UK wanting to join the service can simply head to Paris Gare du Nord – which is where the Eurostar from London St Pancras gets in.
The sleeper service runs three times a week and one-way tickets from Paris to Brussels from £21.70.
If you do the whole journey, tickets can still be as little as £52.08.
The route departs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
There are various different tickets available, the cheapest are for “like-minded people travelling on a budget”.
Literally called ‘budget’, passengers who opt for this option get a seat in a six person compartment which starts from €59.99 (£52.08) – for a one-way journey from Paris to Berlin.
A classic cabin is “ideal for small groups, families and solo travellers.”
It can seat up to five people and has compact couchette beds with sheets and blankets – it has private options available too.
One-way tickets start from €79.99 (£69.46)
Comfort cabins are, as the name suggests, more comfortable than the other two options.
It’s a three-person compartment with private options available if you want to travel in style.
It comes with a mattress, sheets, duvet and a separate seating area.
Sun Travel found one-way tickets from €119.99 (£104.21).
To add on breakfast, which is a hot drink, juice, yoghurt with granola and crackers with various toppings, it’s an extra €14.00 (£12.16).
The Comfort Plus cabins are the most premium, and also have three beds and a separate seating area.
Passengers also get towels, toiletries, breakfast, mineral water and a welcome drink included.
One-way tickets start from €159.99 (£138.95).
From July 13, 2026, a stop in Hamburg will be added to the route.
Here’s another sleeper route launching this year…
European sleeper has also launched a route between Brussels in Belgium and Milan in Italy…
The train will stop at Brussels in Belgium; Cologne in Germany; Zurich in Switzerland and Milan in Italy.
However, the anticipated launch date of the train has been pushed back from June 18 to September 9, with tickets available to book from March 17.
The train will operate from Brussels on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and from Milan on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
From Brussels, the train will leave at 5:56pm each time, stopping in Cologne at 10:07pm, Zurich the following day at 6:42am and finally arriving in Milan at 11:30am.
From Milan, the train will leave at 5:30pm each time, stopping in Zurich at 10:35pm, Cologne the following day at 7:59am and finally Brussels at 11:10am.
Other stops on the route include Liège in Belgium; Aachen in Germany; Arth-Goldau, Göschenen, Bellinzona, Lugano and Chiasso in Switzerland and Lake Como in Italy.
Tickets for a shared classic compartment start from €49.99 (£43.31) one-way.
Alternatively, you can book a private space from €179.99 (£155.96) either in a classic compartment for up to five people or a comfort compartment for up to three people.
Here’s another new European train that goes through seven countries and costs just £99.
And this new overnight sleeper train to connect 100 European cities with private cabins and panoramic views.
Royal Caribbean’s huge new £1.5bn ship to launch with nine pools, three-storey ‘treehouse’ and biggest at-sea waterpark
ROYAL Caribbean’s massive new cruise ship is launching next year – and new images have revealed what you can expect onboard.
Hero of the Seas is the fourth Icon Class Ship, and set to cost a huge $2billion (£1.5billion) to build, it will break a number of records.
The ship will have nine swimming pools – the most ever at sea – including a Caribbean themed one and the biggest swim up bar at sea.
Coconut Cove will be the newest pool, while The Hideaway will be home to the two adult-only pools.
Category Six is be the biggest waterpark at sea, with two new family raft slides as well as the first funnel raft slide at sea.
The kid-friendly waterpark Splashaway Bay will have new features too.
Skywalk-zip line attraction Crown’s Edge will return, as well as the Flowrider surf simulator, golf courses and rock climbing walls.
When it comes to eating and drinking, there are 28 to choose from including the new jazz-themed Orleans Parish Supper Club.
Otherwise there will also be the food hall stalls at the AquaDome market, as well as Italian, steakhouses, seafood and Mexican options as well.
Don’t forget the Royal Promenade neighborhood’s restaurants, bars as well, along with the 30,500 plant Central Park.
Otherwise when it comes to live shows there is the Royal Theatre and the biggest ice arena at sea, Absolute Zero.
One of the most exciting new additions to the ship is the Ultimate Family Treehouse room option.
The three-deck treehouse includes a rooftop terrace over the side of the ship as well as a private hot tub.
Two of the floors will be for teens, with two main bedrooms, ensuites, and abalnies.
The suite even has direct access to Surfside, a family-friendly neighbourhood with cooking classes.
The sailings will include seven night sailings from Miami from August 2027, including stays at the private Perfect Day at CocoCay island.
Royal Caribbean boss Michael Bayley said: ““Icon Class truly set a new standard for family vacations, and Hero of the Seas takes that vision even further.
“With more water, more thrills and more choices for all ages, we’re continuing to build on what our guests love about Royal Caribbean and delivering the experiences families are looking for when vacationing together.”
Holidays are not yet on sale but you can sign up for the waitlist to be contacted as soon as they are on April 2.
As the fourth ship of the Icon Class series, it will be a similar size to their others too.
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot was one of the first on the Icon of the Seas.
She said: “Imagine taking Paris’ Eiffel Tower or The Shard skyscraper in London and tipping them on their side. Icon is even longer than they are high.
“While The Shard soars 1,016ft into the sky, Icon of the Seas eclipses that at 1,198ft long – the poor Eiffel Tower pales in comparison at just 984ft.
“The ship is cleverly divided into eight distinct neighbourhoods, with more than 40 places to eat and drink on board.
Our favourite travel essentials
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Sleep headphones
These soft sleep headphones make listening to music much more comfortable, particularly when you are trying to sleep. Built in are two mini speakers that connect to Bluetooth, saving you that horrible discomfort that comes with traditional headphones.
Underseat cabin bag
This perfect underseat cabin bag will become your best friend on flights. Plain black, collapsible and barrel-shaped, this bag is designed to slide perfectly into those pesky luggage-sizers at the airport gates. Save yourself the extra baggage fee and come prepared.
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Waterproof mobile phone pouch
Keep your phone bone-dry and your hands free with this handy waterproof pouch. If you’re splashing in the sea or jumping on a paddle board, your tech will stay safe from splashes. The touch-sensitive screen means you can still snap selfies, too.
Eye mask
Trying to sleep on a brightly-lit plane is next to impossible, but napping becomes much easier with one of these. Eye masks can be useful when travelling with kids who need to sleep, as they block out all the light and distractions.
“Of course the ship’s Adventure Ocean kids’ clubs will keep the little ones happy while you enjoy the sun, and families will also have a ball together visiting the arcades, laser tag, mini golf and the largest ice rink at sea.”
There is also the Star of the Seas – here’s what its like onboard.
‘We visited Brit holiday hotspot and found bars and strip empty – we can’t wait to return’
Mark and Judy opted to visit the hotspot off-season and could be seen enjoying a leisurely stroll through the main strip “days before the tourists arrive”, but the destination could face a struggle this summer
Mark and Judy took a stroll through the main strip ‘days before the tourists arrive’(Image: Gypsy Souls/YouTube
)
Two sun-seeking Brits who visited a holiday hotspot facing a decline in tourism have remarked that they’d “return in an instant”. Mark and Judy were recently blown away by the peaceful, crowd-free scenes greeting them in the eastern Cypriot resort town of Protaras.
Protaras is known for its crystalline waters, breathtaking beaches and booming nightlife, being just a short, 17-minute drive from the premier European party capital of Ayia Napa. Mark and Judy opted to visit the hotspot off-season and could be seen enjoying a leisurely stroll through the main strip “days before the tourists arrive”.
In a recent vlog for their YouTube channel, Gypsy Souls, they kicked off proceedings by mentioning that local businesses were starting to “open up for the season”, with Mark remarking that they were “coming out of hibernation”. Setting off in search of a drink to beat the heat, the pair departed from their location near a fountain and a prominent Protaras sign.
Judy gave viewers a lay of the land, pointing out Easter egg statues and highlighting the nearby Capo Bay Hotel and the route to the stunning Fig Tree beach. As they made their way down the street, Judy noted that the businesses in sight were “quite closed”, but they detected the welcoming aroma of food and heard “tunes thumping”.
Hotel bookings to the country have fallen 40% after the recent conflict in Iran, but the couple said the emptiness they witnessed was simply down to it being off-peak.
Judy went on to explain that their viewers had recommended some bars to them. But, seemingly highlighting a downside to off-season travel, Judy sadly pointed out that some weren’t yet open. Not to be disheartened, though, she noted that some still were, specifically the Greenery.
Once they reached the end of the road, Mark and Judy turned around and headed back, drawing the viewers’ attention to more closed businesses on the other side of the street. Judy said: “We’re hoping that by the time we go, some of these will start to open. So, as we come into the end of our time here, hopefully, they should all start to open, and you’ll be able to see the transformations.”
Mark and Judy eventually found their way to the Greenery, where Mark enjoyed a pint and they shared a kebab and chips. Summing up their off-season experience, they told the Mirror: “We had a wonderful holiday and would return in an instant.” As Cyprus prepares for the looming holiday season, however, reports indicate that many tourists will be avoiding the Mediterranean island this year.
Hotel bookings are reportedly down by 40% as US and Israeli-led military action in Iran continues. As part of the so-called Operation Epic Fury, the two countries launched a bombing campaign against the Middle Eastern nation on February 28, with the conflict still ongoing.
In response, Iran launched widespread retaliatory strikes on its Gulf neighbours and blocked passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Earlier this month, a pro-Iranian militia launched a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri, a British base in Cyprus.
AirDNA figures show that cancellation rates for short-term rentals in Cyprus surged from about 15% before the conflict to as much as 100 per cent in the days after the war began. According to the Daily Mail, about a third of Cyprus’ tourists are British travellers, with four million international visitors travelling to the island in 2025 in total.
Chris Webber, head of holidays and deals at TravelSupermarket, told the outlet: ‘When global events change holiday plans, we tend to see travellers pivot quickly. The Caribbean is a natural beneficiary. What’s striking here isn’t just the overall jump in searches, but how broadly that interest is spread. Destinations like Turks and Caicos and Tobago aren’t typically where British holidaymakers look first, so to see them surging suggests people are still keen to try somewhere new.”
Like in Ethiopia? A Failed Transition’s Lessons for Venezuela
In 2012, I participated in a United Nations mission in Ethiopia for a technical cooperation event on international trade, which at the time was my area of expertise. Since then, every major development in Venezuela brings me back to that trip, which proved far more revealing than I could have imagined. More than once, I have found myself thinking: this is just like in Ethiopia.
I witnessed firsthand, before it unfolded in Venezuela, that totalitarian systems do not just collapse. They transform in order to survive and advance, as Hannah Arendt argued. Over time, I also came to understand that while authoritarian regimes may promise reform and a democratic transition, without sustained external and domestic commitments those promises tend to dissolve sooner rather than later. This insight is particularly relevant in the current Venezuelan process.
On my way from Addis Ababa airport to the hotel, I noticed large portraits of a politician displayed throughout the city. Thinking of the strongman politics I knew from home, I asked the official accompanying me whether he was the president. “No,” he replied, “the prime minister. He died.” Surprised, I asked why his images were still everywhere. “Don’t these images bother the new one?” “No, because he chose his successor,” came the answer. When I pressed further and asked whether people had voted for him, the response was matter-of-fact: they belonged to the same party, and parliament had selected him.
In those few days, I caught a glimpse of what Venezuela would later experience between 2013 and 2019, after Chávez died and his handpicked successor Maduro came to power. I saw a country marked by hunger, where people wandered with a vacant, distant gaze. A look that would later become painfully familiar during Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis. That image contrasted sharply with the ruling elite, visibly prosperous, gathering in luxury hotels and indulging in imported comforts. I saw women collecting firewood to cook because two decades of socialist mismanagement and corruption had destroyed the electrical system. I saw the haze produced by environmental degradation, similar to what would later hang over Caracas. I also observed a strong Chinese presence, already a dominant economic partner and creditor.
During that mission, I came to understand how the ruling system had entrenched poverty, controlled resources, and normalized corruption, not merely as governance failures but as mechanisms of social control. Years later, working from a human rights perspective, I would recognize these patterns as instruments of ideology, repression, and economic, and ethnic exclusion.
His profile seemed ideal: a system-man, with military and security credentials, Western education, and a discourse centered on reform and reconciliation.
I also witnessed the regime’s hostility toward international actors, imposing strict conditions on United Nations operations and limiting the work of officials on the ground. Hearing the likes of Jorge Rodríguez and other Venezuelan representatives threaten Volker Turk this year, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, did not surprise me. I had seen that before, years earlier, in the Horn of Africa.
Now, I return to the phrase like in Ethiopia because, following the US operation to capture Maduro, the proposed plan for stabilization, recovery, and democratization echoes a trajectory that Ethiopia followed over the past decade.
The Ethiopian Delcy
Let’s go back to 2018. A figure from within the ruling coalition, Abiy Ahmed, rose to power after three years of widespread protests and political unrest that led to the resignation of Hailemariam Desaleng. Although it is not clear how much the US and the EU were involved in his rise, he was not directly imposed from outside as has been the case with Delcy Rodríguez, but he was “unequivocally embraced” by the United States and the European Union. Abiy became the media’s darling, who placed their bets on him and promoted the new leader as a reformist capable of modernizing the country.
His profile seemed ideal: a system-man, with military and security credentials, Western education, and a discourse centered on reform and reconciliation. Between 2018 and 2020, Ethiopia experienced a period of remarkable transformation on three fronts: recovering the economy, stabilizing the region and strengthening the rule of law.
The economy grew at an annual rate of around 7 percent, key sectors were opened to foreign investment, and political reforms were introduced, including the release of political prisoners, the return of those in exile, the legalization of opposition parties, and greater press freedom. Women were incorporated into government at unprecedented levels. On the international stage, Ethiopia expanded its diplomatic engagement, signed trade agreements, and most notably reached a peace agreement with Eritrea, which earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.
Political attention from foreign actors is limited, international agendas evolve rapidly, and what might begin as a priority can quickly be overtaken by other crises.
Yet this period of optimism proved fragile. Tensions in 2020 with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, once part of the ruling coalition, escalated into a full-scale internal conflict. Abiy’s government shifted course and relapsed. The reform process gave way to a reassertion of authoritarian power, along with widespread human rights violations, restrictions on the press, and accusations of war crimes.
The response from the United States and the European Union included targeted sanctions, visa restrictions, suspension of trade benefits, and partial freezes on aid. Abiy’s international image deteriorated significantly, and Ethiopia began to diversify its alliances, strengthening ties with China, engaging with Russia, and expanding cooperation with actors such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran, eventually becoming members of the anti-West BRICS alliance.
Careful with the honeymoon phase
The Ethiopian case offers at least one revealing lesson. External support can facilitate an initial opening and even generate strong economic momentum, but it does not guarantee a democratic transition.
When international commitment weakens before new institutional rules are consolidated, the outcome is often not transformation but reconfiguration. The system adapts to the new reality, but is not replaced or merely revamped. This dynamic reflects a broader pattern in contemporary international politics. Particularly since the costly experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan, external actors have tended to favour reform processes led by internal figures rather than imposing leadership from outside. However, the central challenge lies not in how these processes begin, but in what happens when external support diminishes, which often occurs during the crucial consolidation phase.
Both the United States and Europe tend to operate within relatively short time horizons when supporting political transitions, often between two and four years, three if I revert to an American security and communications expert whom I worked with yet in another career chapter. These timelines are shaped by electoral cycles, budgetary constraints, shifting strategic priorities, and, in the European case, the difficulty of sustaining consensus among multiple states with divergent interests. Political attention is limited, international agendas evolve rapidly, and what might begin as a priority can quickly be overtaken by other crises. The result is a form of strategic fatigue that has been evident in multiple contexts over the past decades.
By contrast, the transitions most often cited as successful (such as those in Chile, South Africa, and Eastern Europe) were characterized by sustained external engagement over much longer periods, often a decade or more, combined with favourable internal conditions. These cases demonstrate that democratic consolidation is not the product of a short window of opportunity, but of a prolonged commitment.
For Venezuela, the implications are clear. The current process may well generate an initial opening, attract investment, and produce early signs of stabilization. But without sustained international engagement beyond the initial phase, there is a risk that the system will stabilize without fundamentally democratizing. The lesson from Ethiopia is not that transition is impossible, but that it is incomplete if the conditions for its consolidation are not maintained.
The real challenge, therefore, is not how the transition begins, but whether it is sustained long enough to transform the underlying structures of power. Otherwise, we may once again find ourselves looking at a familiar outcome and thinking, once again, like in Ethiopia.
Dodgers struggle at the plate and suffer first loss of season
From Maddie Lee: A fastball up and off the plate to Guardians left-handed hitter Steven Kwan was an inauspicious beginning to Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki’s season debut.
The arm-side miss fell in line with a persistent spring-training pattern for Sasaki, who struggled with command from his first Cactus League start through his Freeway Series appearance last week.
Over the course of a seven-pitch strikeout, however, Sasaki adjusted — something he failed to do during game action this spring.
“I actually didn’t have confidence at all before this game started,” Sasaki said through an interpreter Monday. “But I was just focusing on doing what I can control.”
In the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss Monday, Sasaki’s first start of the season was something of a best-case scenario. He held the Guardians to one run and four hits in four-plus innings. And the biggest difference from his spring training struggles was he issued just two walks.
The Dodgers squandered the effort with a lack of offense, in their first loss of the season.
Sasaki will have more to prove against stronger offenses than Cleveland’s. But his performance at least suggested that the Dodgers’ faith in him wasn’t misplaced.
“We know he can do it here, and especially now that his velocity is back to closer to where it used to be,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said last week. “I feel like he puts us in a great position to win.”
LeBron James gets his 125th triple-double
Lakers star LeBron James, left, stands next to his son and Lakers guard Bronny James before a win over the Washington Wizards on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
From Broderick Turner: The Lakers followed the lead of their oldest member, the triple-double producing LeBron James, in dispatching the Wizards 120-101 at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.
Two days off between games left James looking spry, with lob dunks and dunks on the fast break contributing to his 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. James was eight for 16 from the field in notching his third triple-double of the season and the 125th of his 23-year NBA career, ranking him fifth all time.
At 41 years and 90 days old, James once again became the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double, passing his previous mark (41 years, 79 days).
“I mean, I’ve had moments more this year and last year that I’ve enjoyed more in the moment,” James said. “It’s pretty cool to know that I’m at this point in my career (and) I’m still able to do those things, man. It’s super dope. It’s super humbling. And I just try to put the work in and continue to put the work in and those are the results of it.”
UCLA has some homework before Final Four
UCLA guard Kiki Rice dribbles under pressure from Texas guard Rori Harmon on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas.
(Ian Maule / Getty Images)
From Marisa Ingemi: UCLA finally knows who it will face in the Final Four in Phoenix this week.
A day after taking down No. 3-seed Duke in the Elite Eight, the Bruins learned on Monday they will face fellow No. 1-seed Texas on Friday, the only team to beat them all season.
Texas (35-3) defeated UCLA 76-65 on Nov. 26, when Rori Harmon put up a game-high 26 points on nine-of-15 shooting from the floor.
Since their Final Four debut ended with a 34-point loss to UConn last season, the Bruins have been on a mission to prove themselves. They faced their first adversity of the tournament during Sunday’s win over Duke when they trailed at the half, and now they’ll get a true test against the Longhorns.
NCAA women’s basketball bracket
Sean McVay hopes Puka Nacua will learn from incidents
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua warms up before a wild-card playoff game against the Carolina Panthers in January.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
From Gary Klein: Rams coach Sean McVay could not help repeating himself when asked about star receiver Puka Nacua.
“I trust this kid’s heart,” McVay said three times Monday at the NFL owners meetings.
But do the Rams trust Nacua, who has been at the center of several off-the-field situations, enough to break the bank with a massive extension?
Last week, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Nacua, alleging that on New Year’s Eve he made an antisemitic statement during a group dinner and later bit her shoulder. Nacua’s attorney told The Times before the lawsuit was filed that Nacua “denies these allegations in the strongest possible terms,” and that Nacua would “pursue all available legal remedies in response to these false and damaging statements.”
How to buy tickets for L.A. 2028 Olympics
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg perform at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games handover celebration in Long Beach in August 2024.
(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for LA28)
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: There’s still more than two years remaining before the Olympics return to L.A., but fans can lock in their seats this week when tickets officially go on sale.
The virtual ticket box opens April 2 for locals in Southern California and Oklahoma. LA28 is planning to make 14 million tickets available for the Games, which would break the record for total tickets sold set by Paris 2024. The L.A. Games already attracted a record number of ticket registrations, topping 5 million fans from 197 countries and territories for the first drop.
Angels fall to Cubs for third straight loss
From The Associated Press: Edward Cabrera pitched six shutout innings, Ian Happ hit a solo homer and the Chicago Cubs beat the Angels 7-2 on Monday night.
Cabrera gave up one hit and walked one in his Chicago debut, delighting the crowd of 36,702 on a picturesque night at Wrigley Field. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was acquired in a January trade with Miami.
Carson Kelly and Moisés Ballesteros each drove in two runs for the Cubs (2-2) in the opener of a three-game series.
Ducks lose in overtime to Toronto
From the Associated Press: John Tavares redirected a shot from Morgan Rielly into the net with five seconds left in overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Ducks in a fight-marred game Monday night.
The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly’s snap shot from the high slot that beat Ducks goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.
But Leo Carlsson, who hobbled to the locker room after taking a hard hit and falling to the ice in the first minute of the third, gathered a loose puck near the left circle and flicked a shot past Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz to make it 4-4 with 1:39 left.
Tavares added a first-period goal, and Stolarz stopped 28 of 32 shots for Toronto, which took the ice about 1½ hours after general manager Brad Treliving was fired near the end of his third season, with the Maple Leafs on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Las Vegas to host another Super Bowl
From the Associated Press: The Super Bowl will return to Las Vegas in 2029 for the second time after NFL owners voted Monday to award the nation’s gambling and entertainment capital the big game.
Las Vegas getting the Super Bowl back seemed only like a matter of time after Kansas City defeated San Francisco 25-22 in overtime at Allegiant Stadium in February 2024.
Commissioner Roger Goodell all but gave the return his blessing after the first Super Bowl in a city the league long shunned because of concerns about legalized sports betting.
Former USC star Joey Browner dies
Former Minnesota Vikings safety Joey Browner talks during his induction ceremony to the team’s ring of honor on Oct. 27, 2013, in Minneapolis.
(Jim Mone / Associated Press)
From Chuck Schilken: Joey Browner, a star defensive back at USC and a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, has died. He was 65.
“The Vikings are mourning the loss of Ring of Honor member Joey Browner,” the team said Sunday in a statement. “Browner will be deeply missed by former coaches and teammates, as well as many others he impacted throughout his life.”
The Vikings added in a separate post: “He helped define what it is to be an NFL safety.”
No cause of death was given. In August, former Minnesota quarterback Tommy Kramer organized a fundraiser for Browner, who Kramer said was “battling through some serious health issues.”
This day in sports history
1923 — The Ottawa Senators of the NHL completes a two-game sweep of the WCHL’s Edmonton Eskimos with a 1-0 victory to win the Stanley Cup for the third time in four years. Harry “Punch” Broadbent scores the goal.
1931 — Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and seven others die in a plane crash in a wheat field near Bazaar, Kansas. During his 13 years at Notre Dame, the 43-year-old coach, led the “Fighting Irish” to 105 victories, 12 losses, five ties and three national championships.
1968 — The American League’s new franchise in Seattle chooses Pilots as its nickname.
1973 — The Philadelphia Flyers tie an NHL record for most goals in one period, scoring eight goals in the second period of a 10-2 win over the New York Islanders.
1973 — Ken Norton scores a stunning upset by winning a 12-round split decision over Muhammad Ali to win the NABF heavyweight title. Norton, a 5-1 underdog, breaks Ali’s jaw in the first round.
1975 — UCLA beats Kentucky 92-85 for its 10th NCAA basketball title under head coach John Wooden. Wooden finishes with a 620-147 career record after announcing his retirement two days earlier.
1976 — Cleveland Cavaliers beat Jazz to clinch club’s first ever NBA playoff berth.
1980 — Larry Holmes scores a TKO in the eighth round over Leroy Jones to retain his WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
1980 — Mike Weaver knocks out John Tate in the 15th round to win the WBA heavyweight title in Knoxville, Tenn.
1982 — NBA and NBAPA reach 4-year agreement on return for minimum & maximum payrolls, the first of its kind in team sports.
1984 — Mike Bossy becomes first player in NHL history to record 7 straight 50 goal seasons.
1985 — Old Dominion beats Georgia in the 4th NCAAW National Championship.
1986 — Freshman center Pervis Ellison hits two free throws with 27 seconds left to seal Louisville’s 72-69 victory over Duke in the NCAA basketball championship.
1990 — 20-year old C Joe Sakic becomes the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season
1991 — Tennessee edges Virginia 70-67 in overtime for its third NCAA women’s basketball title. It’s the first overtime in the NCAA’s 10-year history.
1991 — Amy Alcott wins the Dinah Shore golf tournament with a record eight-shot victory over Dottie Mochrie.
1994 — Chicago White Sox assigns former NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons of Class AA Southern League.
1995 — Major league baseball players end their strike.
1997 — Martina Hingis becomes the youngest No. 1 player in tennis history. The 16-year-old Swiss sensation, who claimed her fifth title of 1997 at the Lipton Championships on March 29, supplants Steffi Graf in the WTA Tour rankings.
1998 — Expansion clubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks both suffer losses in their MLB debuts.
2002 — UConn women’s basketball team beat Oklahoma, 82-70; Huskies conclude perfect season (39-0).
2002 — Andre Agassi wins his 700th career match and captures his second straight Key Biscayne Title.
2005 — Tarence Kinsey hits a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to lift South Carolina to a 60-57 victory over Saint Joseph’s for the NIT championship.
2012 — Ray Whitney passes 1,000 career points with a goal and assist in Phoenix’s 4-0 victory over Anaheim.
2013 — In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NCAA women’s tournament, sixth-seeded Louisville stuns defending national champion Baylor in the regional semifinals, 82-81. It’s the end of a remarkable college career for Baylor’s Brittney Griner, a record-setting 6-foot-8 post player who ended up as the second-highest scoring player in NCAA history.
2013 — Pete Weber ties Earl Anthony by winning his 10th major Professional Bowlers Association title with a 224-179 win over Australian Jason Belmonte in the Tournament of Champions.
2017 — UConn’s record 111-game winning streak comes to a startling end when Mississippi State pulls off perhaps the biggest upset in women’s basketball history, shocking the Huskies 66-64 on Morgan William’s overtime buzzer beater in the national semifinals.
2018 — Anthony Joshua beats Joseph Parker by unanimous decision to become a three-belt world heavyweight boxing champion. Joshua adds Parker’s WBO belt to his WBA and IBF titles, and moves within one belt of becoming the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
‘It took 7 years to get my British passport but I still do 1 thing at EU airports’
Selen Ozcan, who has dual citizenship, claims that, despite finally obtaining a British passport, she still puts it to one side while travelling as her original passport is ‘stronger’
A woman claims her first passport is ‘stronger’ than her British one (stock image)(Image: clubfoto via Getty Images)
A woman who endured a seven-year battle to secure a British passport has shared her clever airport time-saving technique. Selen Ozcan, who splits her time between London and Bahrain, used TikTok to showcase her trick in a brief video.
The travel content creator now possesses dual citizenship, and always keeps her native Romanian passport to hand as well. While navigating security at an airport, Selen posted footage with the caption: “When the immigration line is too long so I have to pull out the stronger passport.” Brandishing her blue British passport, she swiftly moved it aside to display her maroon Romanian one beneath.
During Britain’s membership of the European Union, UK nationals enjoyed the freedom to visit, reside, work, or study in member states without requiring a visa. However, this privilege ceased when the Brexit transition period concluded on December 31, 2020.
Consequently, British passport holders can no longer access the – typically faster – EU citizen border control lanes at airports.
“British citizens also usually need to have their passport stamped upon entry/exit to the EU unless they are family members of EU citizens and resident in the EU,” the Government clarifies online.
Writing in response to Selen, one TikTok user remarked: “Got my British kid a Romanian passport and now she’s my fast track pass through EU airports haha. My missus is Romanian.”
Another person recounted a similar scenario, saying: “All my UK boys had to wait 15 minutes in a queue at Amsterdam Airport. I skipped all that with my Romanian passport.”
A third commenter argued: “Romania passport is just stronger than UK when entering Schengen and EU. But UK has more access than Romania worldwide.”
While a fourth TikTok user pointed out to Selen: “Travel to USA with Romanian passport and you’ll see the difference between British and Romanian. No offence intended.”
The Henley Passport Index evaluates the world’s passports based on how many destinations holders can enter without needing to obtain a visa beforehand.
“The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team,” Henley & Partners clarify.
Covering 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, the index receives monthly updates. Based on Henley & Partners’ figures, Singapore claims the top spot with the “strongest” passport, granting visa-free entry to 192 countries.
Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates share second position with 187, while Sweden occupies third with 186.
Britain sits in joint sixth alongside Malaysia and Poland, offering access to 183 destinations – actually ranking higher than Romania, which shares 11th place with Bulgaria, at 177.
‘AI helped pick the first thousand targets in Iran’
‘AI helped pick the first thousand targets in Iran’
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Delivery driver threatened at gunpoint in attack on police station
A senior police officer says everything points towards dissident republicans being responsible.
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When will new episodes of Celebrity Ex on the Beach Season 4 be released?
Celebrity Ex on the Beach returns for Season 4 with an all-star cast including Helen Flanagan and Jedward’s John Grimes
Daisy May Cooper will be the new narrator for Celebrity Ex on the Beach(Image: Paramount+)
A brand new and explosive series of Celebrity Ex on the Beach has returned to screens with an all-star cast searching for romance.
The popular reality dating programme has made its eagerly awaited comeback to Paramount Plus today (Tuesday, March 31) for its fourth series with Daisy May Cooper as the new narrator.
As the heat intensifies in Tenerife, eight single celebrities are seeking love, but there’s a catch. Their former partners will be lurking, poised to appear at any point.
An official synopsis states: “This season, temperatures rise as eight single celebrities touch down on the stunning shores of Tenerife in search of love but as ever, their exes are waiting in the wings, ready to crash the party.”
It continues: “Celebrities including Corrie actress Helen Flanagan, TOWIE’s Dani Imbert, Love Island star Toby Aromolaran, and pop phenomenon Jedward’s John Grimes, are among the famous faces diving headfirst into the drama and putting everything on the line for a real shot at love.”
The synopsis adds: “With exes such as Curtis Pritchard, Ronnie Vint and Rogan O’Connor ready to make their dramatic entrance into the Villa, how will the singles cope when faced with their former flames seeking closure, truth or even worse, revenge?”
Celebrity Ex on the Beach episode release schedule
Series 4 has launched on Paramount Plus today (March 31) with the programme streaming exclusively on the platform, reports OK!. Episodes will subsequently be released weekly, every Tuesday. This season has seen the release of 10 episodes, with the episode release dates as follows:
- Episode 1 – Tuesday, March 31
- Episode 2 – Tuesday, April 7
- Episode 3 – Tuesday, April 14
- Episode 4 – Tuesday, April 21
- Episode 5 – Tuesday, April 28
- Episode 6 – Tuesday, May 5
- Episode 7 – Tuesday, May 12
- Episode 8 – Tuesday, May 19
- Episode 9 – Tuesday, May 26
- Episode 10 – Tuesday, June 2
Celebrity Ex on the Beach cast
- Amy Kenyon, 28, known for: Married at First Sight UK
- Chase DeMoor, 29, known for: Too Hot to Handle
- Dani Imbert, 27, known for: The Only Way is Essex
- Freddie Powell, 32, known for: Love is Blind UK
- Helen Flanagan, 35, known for: Coronation Street
- Izzy Fairthorne, 26, known for: Too Hot to Handle
- John Grimes, 34, known for: The X Factor
- Toby Aromolaran, 26, known for: Love Island
Celebrity Ex on the Beach trailer
A thrilling first look trailer was previously unveiled, showcasing the eight celebrities making their grand entrance on the beautiful beaches of Tenerife in pursuit of romance. The intense snippets provide viewers a glimpse into the drama and turmoil they can anticipate, complete with numerous reconciliations and splits.
The trailer, filled with anticipated jaw-dropping twists, features Curtis Pritchard confessing he was “telling the truth”, while another clip shows Helen Flanagan questioning: “Am I just being deluded?”
Celebrity Ex on the Beach can be watched on Paramount Plus.
Taiwan: Powering Ahead
| VITAL STATISTICS |
|---|
| Location: North Asia |
| Neighbors: China, the Philippines |
| Capital City: Taipei |
| Population (2025): 23.2 million |
| Official Language: Mandarin Chinese |
| GDP per capita (2025): $39,000 |
| GDP growth rate (2025): 7.71% |
| Inflation (2025): 1.66% |
| Currency: New Taiwan dollar |
| Investment Promotion Agencies: Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Department of Investment Promotion (DOIP), Bureau of Industrial Parks (BIP) |
| Investment incentives: Streamlined approvals; dedicated project managers for projects over NT$500 million ($15 million); R&D tax credits; investment tax credits up to 25% on investment in key supply chains or advanced processes; location-based incentives in science parks, industrial parks, and free-trade zones; relaxed visas for talent attraction, including the Employment Gold Card program for skilled talent |
| Corruption Perceptions Index rank (2024): 25/180, where 180 is most corrupt |
| Political risks: The administration of President Lai Ching-te faces an opposition-controlled legislature that often blocks budget proposals, risking policy paralysis or destabilization in the face of Chinese interference |
| Security risks: Potential for naval blockade, military attack, or full-scale invasion by China |
No other developed market has demonstrated the impact of AI and high-performance computing booms more dramatically than Taiwan. And the data suggests that these booms are not about to turn to bust anytime soon, despite fears of overheating and a decline in external demand for Taiwan’s exports.
A forced unification with China might render it a no-go area for numerous investors. But ignoring that wildcard scenario, there is no escaping the fact that Taiwan is now a lynchpin of the global supply chain and, by extension, the global economy, as well as a significant destination for investment and trade: the latter being a position on which the island’s economy and its 23.2 million population depend.
Taiwan sits at the center of the global hi-tech supply chain thanks to its pre-eminence in semiconductor manufacturing, AI, and 5G telecommunications. Thanks to investment incentives and an environment fully open to growth and cooperative opportunities, the island is a magnet for foreign direct investment (FDI), led by the Netherlands and followed by the US, which held $19.3 billion in FDI as of 2023.
FDI is critical, given Taiwan’s self-imposed debt ceiling and the cap it imposes on public spending. The Department of Investment Promotion provides streamlined services to foreign investors in a bid to boost FDI, making dedicated project managers available for investments above $15 million and R&D subsidies.
Still, some international investors worry about the dominance of Taiwan’s state-owned enterprises, claiming they distort fair-market practice and lack regulatory transparency.
That said, Taiwan stunned with full-year 2025 GDP growth of 7.71%, an upward revision from the initial 7.63% estimate in January by the Department of Statistics and a figure that wrongfooted all but a handful of economic forecasters.
That result marked Taiwan’s fastest pace of economic expansion in 15 years and smashed forecasts from the likes of the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank, which ranged from 2.9% to 5.1% for 2025 when the year kicked off.
Last year’s economic performance was superlative across the board, boosted by a tidal wave of global demand for the AI-related exports that power Taiwan’s economy, notably semiconductor manufacturing capacity that has propelled the island from developing to developed status in less than a generation.
Exports surged by 35%, quarterly growth in the last three months of the year was an eye-popping 12.68% year-on-year—the highest in 38 years—and stocks advanced strongly, pushing the TAIEX into the global top 10 by market capitalization early this year as the index hit a 100 billion New Taiwanese dollars ($32 billion) valuation for the first time.
Excessive Concentration?
| PROS |
|---|
| Preeminence in global semiconductor supply chain |
| Foreign investor-friendly policies, including numerous incentives |
| Low domestic interest rate and inflation |
| Strong correlation of growth and investment with the global AI boom |
| Political stability |
| Strong official institutions |
“We have upgraded our GDP growth forecast for this year to 6%, which is a totally crazy rate for a developed economy,” says Alicia Garcia-Herrera, chief economist for Asia Pacific at French finance giant Natixis in Hong Kong and a senior fellow at the Brussels-based economic think tank the Bruegel Group.
“Bear in mind Japan grew last year by just 1.1%,” she added. “A milestone indicator of the country’s economic success has been its overtaking both Japan and South Korea in terms of GDP per capita, which hit $39,477 last year.”
The fly in the ointment, Garcia-Herrera notes, is that growth is concentrated in the semiconductor sector “and its ancillary industries such as packaging, which are all dependent on demand from that one single sector.”
Taiwan’s focus on exports, particularly semiconductors, has provoked grumbles that the basic stance of the Central Bank of the Republic of China is to keep the Taiwan dollar artificially low, crowding out other domestic industries and exposing the economy to concentration risk via dependence on tech-related exports.
| CONS |
|---|
| Geopolitical tensions with China |
| Overexposure to the global AI boom |
| Risk from excessive capex spending related to AI |
The currency dramatically strengthened against the dollar in May, down to 28.85% as the result of inbound investment flows and generalized the dollar’s weakness versus other Asian currencies.
The new Taiwan dollar subsequently weakened as the result of reported central bank intervention, to stand in late January at 31.7 to the dollar and renewing the view that the currency is artificially undervalued. Rates are ultra-low across the yield curve for government bonds, which range from 1.21% for two-year to 1.43% for 10-year issues, anchored by a 2% policy rate.
In this context, a remarkable feature of last year’s growth was the absence of overheating in the economy, with the CPI at just 1.66%, allowing the central bank to hold the policy rate steady: a stance it is expected to maintain this year.
“The strong concentration on exports leaves the economy vulnerable to a slowdown in its key trading partners and reduced global AI demand,” cautions Sagarika Chandra, director of APAC sovereigns at Fitch Ratings in Hong Kong. “Taiwan’s electrical equipment exports as a share of total exports are relatively large, at around 43%, and weaker demand for such exports is likely to have a substantial negative impact on growth through lower exports.”
FDI Surges
Inbound and outbound FDI has played a significant role in Taiwan’s economic trajectory. The former surged 44% last year, to $11.39 billion, driven by technology and services, including semiconductor manufacturing, AI, renewable energy, and financial services. Investment incentives available for inbound FDI include special tax treatment and set-up support from Invest Taiwan, a government agency.
Mainland China has dominated inbound FDI recent years, but as Taipei seeks to strengthen economic ties beyond its neighbor into Southeast Asia and the US, inbound FDI from the mainland shrank by 65.4% last year.
As Taiwan shudders at the prospect of the Trump administration slapping tariffs on its semiconductors the island has committed to its biggest-ever outbound FDI undertaking, the construction of a $250 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant in the US by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC). In return, Taiwan is to receive a tariff exemption on microchips and a reduction in overall tariffs on other products.
Observers doubt the manufacturing shift will prove a significant liability.
“The offshoring of semiconductors, in my opinion, is not a big problem for the country,” says Garcia-Herrera, “because if Taiwan continues to serve all that global demand from Taiwan, all the resources will only go to the semiconductor industry, whether it’s green energy, water, the best talent, you name it. So offshoring is a good idea, because it frees up domestic resources.”
In 2026, Fitch expects the economy will continue to benefit from the increased production and investment by some advanced AI chip producers, even if there is some moderation in demand, according to China. We expect the US–Taiwan trade agreement, which reduced tariffs to 15% from 20% previously, could offer near-term relief for Taiwan’s semiconductor export-driven economy, creating a more level playing field for key export sectors.”
More concerning, Taiwan is extremely dependent on energy imports: almost 98%, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration. That’s an alarming figure given the needs of the island’s energy-intensive tech sector and its vulnerability to a potential naval blockade. Renewable energy is therefore expected to be a more significant variable in Taiwan’s economic trajectory.
It has a long way to go. Just 12% of the 288 terawatt hours the island generated in 2024 came from renewables, with the bulk coming from natural gas (42%) and the rest from coal (39%) and nuclear power (4%). But this could present an opportunity for further FDI.
“Renewable energy will be vital for Taiwan’s economic development regarding the decarbonization trend and compliance requirements from the international value chain, especially the semiconductor industry,” points out Ching-Wen Huang, director for renewables and sustainability advisory at sustainability consultancy NIRAS. “Taiwan has a relatively open renewable energy market for foreign companies,” he says, “and the government is truly welcoming foreign investment and corporations in the development and supply chain.
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