FORGET flights – you can now book a package holiday with Skyscanner.

The comparison website has long been used by holidaymakers looking to find the cheapest flight options.

And from today, Skyscanner has launched its own Package Holidays search option.

Scouring the internet, it compares 25million holiday packages a day which includes all the big names like TUI, Jet2, easyJet, Loveholidays and OnTheBeach,

For example, we found bargain deals such as seven nights in Benidorm with hotels and flights for just £226 with Lastminute, using the new serch tool.

There’s also a week in Marrakech for £195 next month, with flights and hotels bookable via Expedia.

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The search options let you choose everything from board, such as self-catered or all-inclusive, as well as star rating of the hotels you want to stay at.

The tour operator and airline can be chosen as well as whether you only want direct flights.

It isn’t quite as advanced as their flight search just yet – there isn’t an option for ‘Everywhere‘ or ‘Cheapest Month’ just yet.

So as long as you know where you want to go, and when, you can find a bargain.

The new search tool has been launched due to a boom in package holiday demand.

New data released by Skyscanner found that demand has increased by 113 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Not only that, but 52 per cent of Brits said they were looking at booking a package holiday.

Once seen as a more expensive option, bargain deals are now available which aren’t much more expensive compared to booking flights and hotels separately.

Not only that, but all of the holidays are ATOL protected, meaning your money is safe if the operator goes bust.

Laura Lindsay, Skyscanner’s Travel Expert, said: “Our research shows that for many, finding that perfect holiday can feel overwhelming, with value for money top of mind.

“We’re excited to bring our industry leading price comparison tech to packages.

“With more and more choice in how package holidays are constructed, travellers need an easier way to compare all of the options in one place, to find great deals without the hassle.”

Last year, Skyscanner also launched a new price drop tool.

And here are the 10 cheapest places to fly to this year, according to Skyscanner.

WASHINGTON — James Harden scored 36 points, and when he finally missed a couple big free throws in the final seconds, the ball came right back to him as the Clippers edged the Washington Wizards 110-106 on Monday for their sixth straight victory.

Harden made two free throws with 36.9 seconds left to give the Clippers a 108-106 lead, and after the teams traded scoreless possessions, Kyshawn George missed a three-pointer for Washington. Harden was fouled with 5.9 seconds left. At that point, he was 16 for 16 from the line, but he missed both free throws.

The Wizards couldn’t secure the rebound, and the ball bounced back to Harden, who was fouled again. This time he made both shots to seal the win.

Washington has lost seven straight.

Although the two teams have been headed in opposite directions, the game was close the whole way. Harden’s layup put the Clippers up by three, but Khris Middleton was fouled while shooting a three with 57.6 seconds left, and he made all three free throws to tie it at 106.

The Clippers (19-23) were without the injured Kawhi Leonard for a second straight game. Trae Young (knee, quad) still hasn’t played since being traded to Washington from Atlanta.

Alex Sarr led the Wizards (10-32) with 28 points. George had 18 points, six assists and six rebounds, but he missed a trio of key shots in the last couple of minutes for Washington.

The Clippers won despite shooting five for 28 from beyond the arc. They were 33 for 38 on free throws and outscored the Wizards 60-38 in the paint.

Up next for the Clippers: at Chicago on Tuesday night.

Jan. 19 (UPI) — Strong winds and snow created whiteout conditions in Michigan Monday, leading to a pileup of more than 100 vehicles and shutting down a portion of Interstate 196.

The crash happened on Interstate 196 in Zeeland Township, Mich., at about 10:19 a.m. EST. The road has been closed to all traffic.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and Ottawa County Emergency Management say buses are transporting people who are stranded on the road away from the site of the accident. Motorists are advised to stay in their vehicles until they are able to board a bus.

The Hudsonville Public Schools and Holland, Mich., public transit services are providing transportation to the Hudsonville High School.

The Michigan State Police estimate that 30 to 40 semi-trucks were involved in the pileup. Numerous people have been injured but no fatalities have been reported.

The whiteout conditions have caused multiple crashes on Monday with several involving 15 vehicles or more. Part of U.S. Route 131 is closed in Kalamazoo, Mich., due to multiple crashes.

Semi-trucks have been involved in the Kalamazoo area crashes as well, with multiple trucks jackknifing on the road.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories in western Michigan due to strong winds and lake effect snow.

It is a much more public show of support than Powell has previously displayed, but comes as Trump threatened Fed chair with criminal indictment.

United States Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral argument in a case involving the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support by the central bank chair.

The high court is considering whether US President Donald Trump can fire Cook, as he said he would do in late August, in an unprecedented attempt to remove one of the seven members of the Fed’s governing board. Powell plans to attend the high court’s Wednesday session, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It is a much more public show of support than the Fed chair has previously shown Cook. But it follows Powell’s announcement last week that the Trump administration has sent subpoenas to the Fed, threatening an unprecedented criminal indictment of the Fed chair. Powell — appointed to the position by Trump in 2018 — appears to be casting off last year’s more subdued response to Trump’s repeated attacks on the central bank in favour of a more public confrontation.

Powell issued a video statement on January 11 condemning the subpoenas as “pretexts” for Trump’s efforts to force him to sharply cut the Fed’s key interest rate. Powell oversaw three rate cuts late last year, lowering the rate to about 3.6 percent, but Trump has argued it should be as low as 1 percent, a position few economists support.

The Trump administration has accused Cook of mortgage fraud, an allegation that Cook has denied. No charges have been made against Cook. She sued to keep her job, and the Supreme Court on October 1 issued a brief order allowing her to stay on the board while they consider her case.

If Trump succeeds in removing Cook, he could appoint another person to fill her slot, which would give his appointees a majority on the Fed’s board and greater influence over the central bank’s decisions on interest rates and bank regulation.

Jill Halfpenny plays DS Sam Bradley in the tense police drama, which has returned for a second series

After The Flood star Jill Halfpenny shared a sweet message with fans after the police drama returned.

The second series of the tense show started this month, with detective Jo Marshall, played by Sophie Rundle, back on our screens and looking into a new set of murders.

Fans have been gripped by the ITV series so far and as the latest instalment aired on Monday (January 19), Jill – who stars as DS Sam Bradley – expressed her delight in a post on her Instagram Story.

Sharing a screengrab of some of the positive comments about the show, she told fans: “We are so happy you are enjoying After The Flood series 2.”

The drama, which also stars Matt Stokoe and Lorraine Ashbourne, is back two years after season one, which saw police investigating after a man was found dead in an underground car park following a catastrophic flood.

Fans have been thrilled to see it return, with many posting messages on social media calling it “brilliant”. One posted a message on Instagram saying they were “so happy it’s back” as another penned: “Binged it all in one day!”

“Binge watched the whole series already and it’s one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while,” commented another viewer, adding: “Hats off to everyone involved in it.”

Another hailed the “brilliant first episode!” as others shared clapping emojis to show their appreciation.

Lead star Sophie recently shared: “It’s really nice coming back to something that has been recommissioned because people watched it and because people liked it, you know, and I think that’s obviously the only way you can kind of judge whether people want a series two.

“It’s really lovely coming back, you meet people when you’re out and about and they often say, ‘Oh, we loved After the Flood, we loved that one’, so it’s really nice when you go back to something and you think, ‘Okay, to a degree, I think we got that right’ and I think people liked it and people kind of want more, so that is always a really nice starting point.”

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website.

After The Flood airs on ITV.

US President Donald Trump has unveiled a proposed “Board of Peace” initially aimed at rebuilding Gaza but now pitched as a global conflict body. Critics see a wide gap between its lofty promises and political reality. Al Jazeera’s Ruby Zaman takes a look the growing scepticism over whether it can deliver meaningful change.

WHEN the most famous women in the world wanted a show-stopping dress, their designer of choice was Valentino Garavani.

The Italian fashion legend, who last night died, aged 93 at his home in Rome, even had a colour — Valentino red — named after his signature dresses.

Among the many fans of his designs were Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Zendaya, Lady Gaga and Queen Camilla.

JFK’s widow Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Schiffer are among those to have worn one of his creations on their wedding day.

Valentino is one of the biggest fashion brands on the planet, making more than a billion pounds worth of sales last year.

Founded in 1960, the company’s V is a sign of luxury found on everything from handbags, shoes and perfume to both men’s and women’s clothes.

LEGEND LOST

Italian fashion designer Valentino who dressed Hollywood A-listers dies aged 93

FLO LEGS IT

Florence Pugh puts on a leggy display as she stuns in plunging polka dot blouse

Valentino has included a red dress in every collection since its launch, and Valentino red gowns have been worn by Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rihanna among others.

But the designer famously fell out with Princess Diana after the late royal ditched one of his creations for a different “revenge dress” for her first public appearance following revelations that King Charles had cheated on her.

Valentino was the last of the classic 20th-century designers, who also included Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld.

The fashion great, who had a relationship with his male business partner Giancarlo Giammetti, said: “I love beauty. It is not my fault.

‘WOMEN WANT TO BE BEAUTIFUL’

“And I know what women want — they want to be beautiful.”

Right from his birth, this son of an electrical wholesaler was destined to be linked with a world of glamour.

His mother named him after the silent movie star Rudolph Valentino.

He grew up in the small Italian town of Voghera, near Milan, and started designing clothes when he was 12 years old.

Valentino said: “I could do shoes, blouse, scarf, skirt, I did everything. All on top of my school book.”

His parents wanted him to become a doctor, but were supportive when he announced he wanted to go into fashion.

After studying and working in Paris, Valentino set up his own fashion house in Rome in 1960, helped financially by his father.

Aged 28 at the time, he met fashion student Giancarlo, then 18, who became the co-founder of the firm.

The couple had a romantic relationship until 1972 but continued working together professionally for half a century.

Their first famous supporter was Jackie Kennedy, the wife of the US President John F Kennedy.

She wore his couture dresses while mourning her husband after he was assassinated in 1963 and also selected a Valentino for her marriage to the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis five years later.

Joan Collins wore his frocks at the height of her Dynasty fame in the 1980s and Princess Diana was a close friend who would holiday on his yachts.

Diana was supposed to wear a Valentino in 1994 for an event at the Serpentine Gallery in London after Charles spoke about his affair with Camilla in a Jonathan Dimbleby interview.

But when Valentino leaked the news, she ditched him for a black silk cocktail gown by Christina Stambolian.

I use very slim models without bosoms to be free to create. Sometimes, if the model has a bosom or a little big hips, it gets in the way

Valentino

There were plenty of other women who wanted to wear the brand’s elegant frocks on the red carpet.

Julia Roberts wore Valentino at the Oscars in 2001, Florence Pugh followed suit at the Venice Film Festival 2022 as did Sharon Stone at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995.

Such was his status in the fashion world, he even appeared as himself in 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada alongside Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

But he also had an obsession with women’s weight and objected to “fat” women.

In 1986 he said: “Women love to be slim. I prefer too thin to too fat.

“I use very slim models without bosoms to be free to create. Sometimes, if the model has a bosom or a little big hips, it gets in the way.

“That is important when I create something new. Later it can be translated for women much larger.”

‘ADIEU TO THE WORLD OF FASHION’

In 1998, Valentino and Giancarlo sold the firm for around £200million and then later tried and failed to buy it back.

His huge wealth meant he lived a jet-set lifestyle, with homes in London, Rome and New York as well as an 84ft yacht.

Valentino kept designing up until 2008, eventually choosing to quit while he was still at the top of his game.

He said: “I have decided that this is the perfect moment to say adieu to the world of fashion.

“As the English say, I would like to leave the party when it is still full.”

In the tit-for-tat exchange between Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez and two of the club’s most famous recent players, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes have had their say.

On the same ‘The Good, The Bad, The Football’ podcast where they upset Martinez with their mickey-taking before the Manchester derby, the pair praised the Argentina defender for his performance in the 2-0 win against Manchester City at Old Trafford but questioned his rationale for responding to what they said.

“Fair play to him,” said Butt. “He has gone man-to-man with the best centre forward in the world. So, we come on here and say, ‘well done’. Brilliant. He has done really well.

“I just think when someone gets so upset about something on a podcast, or in the media, to come out and say, ‘they can say what they want’ and ‘come to my house’ – grow up.

“If you are going to get so emotional about someone saying something about you and react like that, you shouldn’t be at a big football club.”

Before the game, Butt and Scholes had joked with host Paddy McGuiness that Haaland would pick 5ft 7in Martinez up at Old Trafford and run with him.

In the aftermath of the victory, Martinez said: “Everyone can talk on the television, but when you see [them] here face to face, no-one says anything.”

The argument is a snapshot of a complicated relationship United have with their famed ‘Class of 92’.

Between them, Ryan Giggs, Scholes, David Beckham, Butt and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil, made 3,448 appearances for the club. They were the foundation for the second great team Sir Alex Ferguson built that became the first in England to win the Treble in 1999.

Giggs became interim manager for four games following the dismissal of David Moyes in 2014. He had previously been a coach and then became assistant manager to Louis Van Gaal. Butt, Scholes and Phil Neville all coached under Giggs.

Butt worked as a youth coach before that and was appointed United’s head of academy in 2016 before leaving in 2021. There are few more qualified to talk about United’s DNA of bringing young players through.

It is a part of the club he cares passionately about. On 15 December, he turned out with United officials on a rainy night in Moss Side to coach a group of underprivileged children on behalf of Sir Bobby Charlton’s Foundation even though his old club were playing Bournemouth in the Premier League a couple of hours later.

Butt previously objected strongly to an observation from a United official that youth development is about more than simply winning. More recently, he claimed the club was threatening to cancel his season tickets.

Three days before Butt’s Foundation appearance, Gary Neville had been at Old Trafford as United announced they had agreed to become a campus for the UA92 University, which was founded by the Class of 92 in 2019.

It is clear the bond still exists but their opinions on United are eagerly sought, especially the negative ones.

In October, Giggs sat inside Old Trafford as a speaker at the Training Ground Guru conference and lamented Ruben Amorim’s preference for playing wider players on the opposite side of the pitch to their strongest foot.

All are regular speakers on matchdays at Hotel Football, the hotel they part-own and is located barely 50 yards from Old Trafford.

In the past, the hotel itself was the subject of tension. United tried to stop its construction, although the club do use it themselves on occasion now.

Then there is Neville, who either as a commentator or pundit on Sky’s football coverage – or the hugely successful ‘Stick to Football’ podcast – is rarely short of an opinion.

In the news conference at Elland Road that triggered his dismissal, former United head coach Ruben Amorim cited Neville as someone senior figures within the club paid too much attention to.

That is a debatable point. Yet, unlike former skipper Roy Keane, whose criticisms of new boss Michael Carrick had been pointed and personal, Neville was trusted by United to talk to his former team-mate on camera in the Old Trafford tunnel before the derby.

Launching his UA92 Old Trafford campus venture, Neville offered this to BBC Sport on the theory the Class of 92 and United do not get on.

“That’s a theory,” he said. “There’s no doubt a few years ago there were maybe some causes for concern but that’s been smoothed over.

“I don’t think there’s any issues whatsoever now,” adding that Class of 92 are “desperate for the club to succeed” and “disappointed and frustrated” when they lose.

United’s chief operating officer Collette Roche was of a similar view.

“A lot of our ex-players are in media and obviously are going to have opinions around the football team,” she said. “That’s fine.

“But the class of 92 are part of our family and therefore the relationship we’ve got with UA92 goes far deeper than the latest headline or podcast.”

Which is fine if, as Scholes and Butt suggest, the players ignore it.

The problem is, as Martinez showed, they don’t.

“We exchanged messages on Instagram quite some time ago because he wasn’t happy with something I said,” he said.

“I can’t remember what it was, but he said he had lost all respect for me.

“I sent him my phone number, but I have never heard anything from him.”

Norway PM Jonas Gahr Store rebuked US President Trump after Trump texted that since Norway “decided not to” give him the Nobel Peace Prize, he’s no longer obliged to “think purely of Peace” and repeated his aim of US control of Greenland. Store said the prize is decided by an independent committee.

A CRUISE extends beyond the average fly-and-flop holiday.

These floating hotels come with a multitude of dining options, top shows and sometimes themed “takeover” cruises – often with celebs ready to wow their fans.

Sophie Swietochowski picks out some of the best . . . 

NILE RODGERS AND CHIC

on Virgin Voyages

IF there’s one cruise line that knows how to party, it’s Virgin Voyages.

So who could be a better fit for an onboard takeover than disco legends Nile Rodgers & Chic?

TAKE THE MEDS

Spanish GP and Mediterranean cruise on 11-night adventure from just £2,149pp

CRUISE HORROR

Royal Caribbean cruise passenger died ‘after being served 33 drinks’

They will be headlining the Red Hot Sailing Club Voyage on Brilliant Lady.

You’ll hear rhythms of the Caribbean while you sail around the sun-drenched islands of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, St John’s in Antigua and Basseterre in St Kitts and Nevis.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Caribbean party without a beach club, and passengers can say goodbye in style with a day at Bimini Island in the

Bahamas, where the Vegas-style pool parties boom year round.

GO: The 11-night Music Legend Nile Rodgers sailing costs from £1,849pp, including flights from Heathrow on March 11 with overseas transfers and based on two sharing an outside cabin. Check out iglucruise.com.

PETE TONG

on P&O Cruises

LEGENDARY DJ Pete and the party island of Ibiza are a dreamy combination for ravers — throw in an 18-deck cruise ship and you’ve got a holiday to savour for years.

Pete will be hosting a 90-minute party on Arvia in September, where partygoers can stomp their feet while the sun sets beyond the picturesque Botafor marina.

The event will come midway through a 14-night sailing with stops at La Coruna, Alicante and Ibiza, then Marseilles, Barcelona and Cadiz.

Guests keen to carry on the party can book themselves a new all-inclusive package that includes drinks, wifi and speciality dining credit from £49 per person per day.

GO: The Western Mediterranean itinerary costs from £1,129pp departing Southampton on September 13 and based on two sharing an inside cabin. See pocruises.com

KATE THORNTON and JENNY POWELL

on Ambassador

GIRLS just wanna have fun — and sun — and they’ll get both of those on this female-focused cruise on board Ambassador’s Ambition.

As part of its Women At Sea series, TV presenter Jenny and broadcaster Kate will be talking all things female when they host a giggly “unscripted” panel.

Passengers will be able to mingle with the celebs at Cocktail Hour, and enjoy spontaneous meet-and-greets as they wander the ship.

The duo will be on several sailings, including the Springtime Sunshine in Portugal and Spain, calling at Leixoes, Lisbon, Cadiz and Vigo.

And when passengers are stuck for on-board inspiration (as if they ever would be), they can head to the celebs’ social media feeds to find out their favourite spa treatments and on-board entertainment.

GO: A ten-night cruise costs from £704pp with Iglu Cruises, departing Portsmouth on April 12 and based on two sharing an inside cabin. See iglucruise.com.

JOJO SIWA

on Royal Caribbean

THIS is a proper cruise takeover that kids won’t be able to get enough of.

JoJo, who found fame on reality TV series Dance Moms, will be singing, hosting dance parties and joining Build-a-Bow workshops on Utopia Of The Seas this summer.

Along with meet-and-greets and photo sessions, there will be Siwa-themed trivia, dance classes and a special gig at sea.

The three-day sailing calls at Nassau as well as Royal Caribbean’s own private island, CocoCay in the Bahamas.

GO: It’s from £825pp, based on two sharing an inside cabin, departing Port Canaveral in Florida on June 12. Flights from £325 return from Heathrow to Orlando with Norse Atlantic. See jojosiwacruise.com.

MAGIC CASTLE

on Princess Cruises

THINGS may be going bump in the night aboard Star Princess, on a seven-day cruise with magicians performing throughout.

Expect mystical brunches and magical cocktail parties, alongside special lectures where you will learn all the tricks of the trade.

Round off your evening with a visit to Spellbound — a cocktail bar where proper wizardry can be seen in the specially crafted drinks that billow with smoke and change colour.

The Pacific Wine Country Magic Castle Conjurer’s cruise calls at Vancouver and Victoria in Canada, before heading to San Francisco.

GO: The seven-night sailing costs from £674pp, departing Vancouver on September 28. Price based on two sharing an inside cabin. Flights cost from £503 return from Heathrow in the British Airways sale. For details, check out princess.com

DOLLY Parton may have famously humble beginnings, but her jaw-dropping real estate portfolio in Tennessee now adds up to approximately $180 million.

The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that Dolly’s stunning property acquisition in her beloved home state has reached eye-watering proportions. 

The beloved country crooner is now celebrating her 80th birthday after coping with health issues over the past several months. 

While the Jolene singer takes it easy this birthday, she at least has plenty of room and lots of fresh air, especially in her sprawling main Tennessee home in the suburbs of Nashville, worth a stunning $10.3 million.

Dolly’s massive estate property has over 8,000 square feet and is situated on a 60-acre lot. 

The Nine to Five singer’s home has a pool, a pool house, a guest house and a large garage.

DOLLY GOOD SHOW

Dolly Parton on how she’s defied time as she celebrates 80th birthday

It also features several barns and even a chapel.

She purchased the property back in 1997.

Right next door is another property belonging to the singer, where her parents used to live, which she purchased in 1999.

That home is worth $1.5 million 

The property is also expansive, with over 5,000 square feet to the main home which sits on two acres. 

When Dolly wants an even quieter time, she can take a 45-minute drive to another of her stunning Tennessee properties, with her beautiful home on the waters of the Cumberland River.

There, Dolly has a pool with river views, a pool house and a private dock with a boathouse.

According to records, she purchased the property in 2018, and it appears she hasn’t done much structurally to the home since the initial purchase.

Estimates for similar homes nearby are priced around $1.5 million. 

She also owns several plots of land in Tennessee, which add up to around $300k worth of property.

However, by far, the largest asset in Dolly’s property portfolio is her amusement park, Dollywood, of which she is said to own a 50% share. 

The massive amusement park, which also features several resorts on the premises, is worth an estimated $330 million. 

Even more special, the park generates significant local economic impact, with estimates around $1.8 billion annually for her beloved home state of Tennessee.

DOLLY RUSHED TO HOSPITAL 

Dolly’s health problems have overshadowed her birthday celebrations this year.

Last fall she was rushed to the hospital.

After her sister, Freida, posted she had been up all night praying for Dolly, the star was forced to take to social media to tell the world she was not dead.

Dolly said: “I’m not ready to die yet.

“I don’t think God is through with me. And I ain’t done working.”

She had to back out of her Vegas residency in September.

The following week, she missed her induction into the IAAPA’s Hall of Fame for her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood.

Instead, she sent a video message to explain her absence.

“Well hey there, it’s Dolly,” she began.

“And I sure wish I could be with you in person today, but you probably heard that I’ve been dealing with a few health challenges this fall, and my doctors told me to take it easy for just a little while.”

Her health has also sidelined her from attending events at her beloved Grand Ole Opry.

Earlier this month, Dolly announced she would not be attending her 80th birthday celebration at the Grand Ole Opry.

In September of last year, Dolly cancelled dates in her Las Vegas residency, citing health challenges. 

She rescheduled those dates to September 2026.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic was voted as a Western Conference starter for the NBA’s All-Star team, becoming the 15th player in NBA history to earn six All-Star selections before the age of 27.

Doncic, who received his fifth starting nod, leads the league in scoring (33.3), is fourth in assists (8.6), is making 46.4% of his shots and is hitting 33.7% of his three pointers.

He received the most votes of the All-Stars with 3,402,967.

The other West starters are Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.

The Eastern Conference starters are Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who received the most votes in the East and the second-most in the league (3,218, 390); Boston’s Jaylen Brown; New York’s Jalen Brunson; Detroit’s Cade Cummingham; and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey.

The All-Stars were selected by fans, players and media votes with obligation to fill specific positions on each roster.

Lakers forward LeBron James was not voted as a starter, but he still has a chance to be a reserve when the NBA coaches pick the reserves later this month.

James has been named an All-Star team starter an NBA-record 21 times, eight times as a Laker.

Lakers forward Lebron James looks across the arena during a game against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28 at Crypto.com Arena.

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

He missed the first 14 games of the season recovering from a sciatica injury, but has been playing at a high level since his return.

James is averaging 22.6 points per game, 6.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds in his NBA-record 23rd season.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves had been playing at an All-Star level, averaging career-high in points (26.6) points, assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2) and his shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range, but he has missed the 12 games with a left calf strain.

The All-Star Game will be played at the Clippers’ home arena, Intuit Dome, on Feb. 15. It no longer will feature an East versus West matchup.

The new format will be a three-team tournament that will feature two U.S. teams and one world team from the total of 24 players selected.

The U.S. will have 16 players and the world will have eight, of which Doncic will be on because he is from Slovenia.

The teams then play a round-robin of 12-minute games, with the top two teams advancing to the final 12-minute championship game.

Jan. 19 (UPI) — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday called for a snap election three months after being elected to office in pursuit of a mandate to fuel what she said is major changes to policy there.

Takaichi said she plans to dissolve the lower house country’s parliament, the Diet, on Friday ahead of a snap election on Feb. 8 aimed at gaining a mandate from voters and a majority in the 465-seat House of Representatives, The Guardian and the Financial Times reported.

The prime minister also announced that she plans to suspend sales tax on food there for two years, reduce the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio and strengthen social security, among other moves to stimulate the country’s economy.

“I am putting my future as prime minister on the line,” Takaichi told reporters at a press conference. “I want the people to decide directly whether they can entrust the management of the country to me.”

Japan’s first female prime minister had been considering dissolving the parliament for at least a couple of weeks as her advisors urged her to take advantage of high approval ratings to gain a majority for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The conservative, nationalist LDP has held rule in the parliament for decades, but has under-performed in recent elections and relied on a coalition with the populist Japan Innovation Party to hold a thin majority.

Of the lower house’s 465 seats, the LDP-JIP coalition has 233.

Since Takaichi became prime minister last October, she has pursued aggressive spending to revitalize the Japanese economy, including by abolishing the provisional gasoline tax rate and increasing the nontaxable income there.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family,” Brooklyn Beckham has said in a statement addressing his strained relationship with his parents.

Brooklyn, the oldest child of the Sir David Beckham and his wife Victoria, accused his parents of trying to “endlessly ruin” his relationship before and after his wedding to Nicola Peltz-Beckham.

“My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one,” he said on Instagram on Monday.

Speculation has been circulating in the press for months about the state of Brooklyn’s relationship with his parents. The BBC has reached out to Sir David’s and Lady Beckham’s representatives for comment.

The battle over a new tax on California’s billionaires is set to heat up in the coming months as citizens spar over whether the state should squeeze its ultra-rich to better serve its ordinary residents.

The proposed billionaire tax that triggered the tempest is still far from being approved by voters or even making the ballot, but the idea has already sparked backlash from vocal tech moguls — some of whom have already shifted their bases outside the state.

Under the Billionaire Tax Act, Californians worth more than $1 billion would pay a one-time 5% tax on their total wealth. The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the union behind the act, said the measure would raise much-needed money for healthcare, education and food assistance programs.

Other unions have piled on billionaires, targeting the rich in Los Angeles.

A group of Los Angeles labor unions said Wednesday that it is proposing a ballot measure to raise taxes on companies whose chief executive officers earn 50 times more than their median-paid employees.

Here is how this fight could continue to play out in the Golden State:

Who would be affected?

The California billionaire tax would apply to about 200 California billionaires who reside in the state as of Jan. 1. Roughly 90% of funds would go to healthcare and the rest to public K-14 education and state food assistance.

The tax, due in 2027, would exclude real estate, pensions and retirement accounts, according to an analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, a nonpartisan government agency. Billionaires could spread out the tax payment over five years, but would have to pay more.

Which billionaires are already distancing themselves from California?

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin

Google is still headquartered in California, but December filings to the California Secretary of State show other companies tied to Page and Brin recently converted out of the state.

One filing, for example, shows that one of the companies they managed, now named T-Rex Holdings, moved from Palo Alto to Reno last month.

Business Insider and the New York Times earlier reported on these filings. Google didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel

Thiel Capital, based in Los Angeles, announced in December it opened an office in Miami. The firm didn’t respond to a request for comment. Thiel recently contributed $3 million to the political action committee of the California Business Roundtable, which is opposing the ballot measure, records provided to the Secretary of State’s Office show.

Oracle co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison

Years before the wealth tax proposal, Ellison began pulling back from California, but he’s continued to distance himself farther from the state since the proposal emerged.

Last year, Ellison sold his San Francisco mansion for $45 million. The home on 2850 Broadway was sold off-market in mid-December, according to Redfin.

Oracle declined to comment.

DoorDash co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Andy Fang

Fang, who was born and raised in California, said on X that he loves the state but is thinking about moving.

“Stupid wealth tax proposals like this make it irresponsible for me not to plan leaving the state,” he said.

DoorDash didn’t respond to a request for comment.

What would it still take to become law?

To qualify for the ballot, proponents of the proposal, led by the healthcare union, must gather nearly 875,000 registered voter signatures and submit them to county elections officials by June 24.

If it makes it on the November ballot, the proposal would be the focus of intense scrutiny and debate as both sides have already lined up big war chests to bombard voters with their positions. A majority of voters would need to approve the ballot measure.

Lawyers for billionaires have also signaled the battle won’t be over even if the ballot measure passes.

“Our clients are prepared to mount a vigorous constitutional challenge if this measure advances,” wrote Alex Spiro, an attorney who has represented billionaires such as Elon Musk in a December letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

What are the initiative’s chances?

It’s unclear if the ballot measure has a good chance of passing in November. Newsom opposes the tax, and his support has proved important for ballot measures.

In 2022, he opposed a ballot measure that would have subsidized the electric vehicle market by raising taxes on Californians who earn more than $2 million annually. The measure failed. The following year, he opposed legislation to tax assets exceeding $50 million. The bill was shelved before the Legislature could vote on it. A bill that would impose an annual tax on California residents whose net worth surpassed $30 million also failed in 2020.

However, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) have backed the wealth tax proposal, and Californians have passed temporary tax measures before. In 2012, they approved Proposition 30 to increase sales tax and personal income tax for residents with an annual income of more than $250,000.

Could it solve California’s problems?

The Legislative Analyst’s Office said in a December letter that the state would probably collect tens of billions of dollars from the wealth tax, but it could also lose other tax revenue.

“The exact amount the state would collect is very hard to predict for many reasons. For example, it is hard to know what actions billionaires would take to reduce the amount of tax they pay. Also, much of the wealth is based on stock prices, which are always changing,” the letter said.

California economist Kevin Klowden said the tax could create future budget problems for the state. “The catch is that this is a one-off fix for what is a systemic problem,” he said.

Supporters of the proposal said the measure would raise about $100 billion and pushed back against the idea that billionaires would flee.

“We see a lot of cheap talk from billionaires,” said UC Berkeley law professor Brian Galle, who helped write the proposal. “Some people do actually leave and change their behavior, but the vast bulk of wealthy people don’t, because it doesn’t make sense.”

Still, the pushback has been escalating.

Palo Alto-based venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya estimates that the lost revenues from the billionaires who have already left the state would lead to more losses in tax revenues than gained by the new tax.

“By starting this ill-conceived attempt at an asset tax, the California budget deficit will explode,” he posted on X. “And we still don’t know if the tax will even make the ballot.”

The union backing the initiative says “the billionaire exodus narrative” is “wildly overstated.”

“Right now, it appears the overwhelming majority of billionaires have chosen to stay in California past the Jan. 1 deadline,” said Suzanne Jimenez, chief of staff at SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. “Only a very small percentage left before the deadline, despite weeks of Chicken Little talking points claiming a modest tax would trigger a mass departure.”

Times staff writer Seema Mehta contributed to this report.

Rather bizarrely, the role of Northern Ireland Women’s manager is being advertised on the football recruitment agency Football Careers, external, which suggests the IFA do not currently have someone lined up to take over.

The job specification says the ideal candidate would be based in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland and “will be tasked with inspiring and preparing elite players to compete on the international stage while shaping the future of women’s football”.

They must also “lead the senior women’s team in the next phase of its development and build on recent progress”.

What is not mentioned, is the fact that given the short lead in time to their first competitive game, the chosen candidate will be tasked with hitting the ground running.

That is easier said than done, especially in international football and with a squad that had an average age of 24.8 in their previous game against Iceland in October, whose domestic based players have not played since last year.

NI have qualifiers against Switzerland, Malta and Turkiye home and away in March, April and May.

Qualifying for the World Cup, which will be held in Brazil in 2027, follows the same format as the Nations League.

Only the four group winners in League A will automatically qualify for the finals, with the remaining teams having to go through the play-offs for the remaining eight places.

For NI to earn a play-off they must avoid finishing bottom of their group.

Switzerland reached the quarter-finals of last year’s Euros, Malta held NI to a 0-0 at Windsor in Euro 2025 qualifying, while Turkiye are unbeaten in their last five games.

Playing against the Swiss away first, arguably the strongest team in the group, will be a real baptism of fire for the next manager.

The new boss will be without top goalscorer and captain Simone Magill for this campaign as she is expecting her first child.

They will therefore be tasked with choosing a captain in the interim as well as quickly getting up to speed with the pool of players available and deciding who could replace Magill.

The next manager may also have to lean on the experience of Under-17 and Under-19 manager Gail Redmond for a rundown on the players and the state of the game in NI.

They will have just a week at most on the pitch to prepare players before the Switzerland game, so clear communication will be key and implementing grander tactical ideas may have to wait until further down the line.

Over the past year, United States President Donald Trump has unleashed a slew of policies that have upended businesses, supply chains and jobs.

Yet the US economy seems to be growing at a healthy clip, and the unemployment rate is in a safe zone.

The reality, experts say, is that the stock market boom has helped to mask deeper underlying problems in the economy.

Since taking office, Trump has imposed a range of tariffs on countries, including key trading partners, leading to predictions of inflation skyrocketing, manufacturing screeching to a halt and unemployment soaring.

None of those scenarios came true.

Inflation, while above the Federal Reserve’s target, was a modest 2.7 percent in December.

The unemployment rate was relatively low, at 4.4 percent, last month. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 4.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025, the fastest in two years.

“The shock and awe we anticipated just didn’t materialise,” Bernard Yaros, lead US economist at Oxford Economics, told Al Jazeera.

Yaros said the limited fallout could be attributed to the relative lack of retaliation by other countries and the stock market rally that quickly followed Trump’s dialling back of the steepest tariffs announced on “liberation day“.

Since Trump’s April 2 announcement, the stock market, which is heavily weighted towards the “magnificent seven” tech companies, has risen nearly 30 percent, boosting Americans’ paper wealth and encouraging households to loosen their purse strings.

Gains in net wealth have driven almost one-third of the rise in consumer spending since the COVID-19 pandemic, Oxford Economics said in a research briefing in October.

At the same time, the gains have not been distributed evenly.

The top 10 percent of earners are now estimated to account for roughly half of all spending, the highest proportion since officials began compiling data in 1989, according to Moody’s Analytics.

“The gains are going a lot to people in higher income brackets – they are the ones who have the stock portfolios – and are going to people in sectors and occupations tied to AI,” Marcus Noland, executive vice president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Al Jazeera.

“But, these numbers mask the unevenness in the growth in this economy.”

Net decline of workers

A careful parsing of the data reveals that unevenness. For instance, despite the impressive GDP numbers, that growth is not being accompanied by an increase in hiring.

While hospitality and healthcare added workers last year, retail, manufacturing and construction – sectors that rely heavily on migrants – all shed jobs.

As a result of the Trump administration’s mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and tightening of legal migration pathways, the US last year experienced negative net migration for the first time in at least half a century, according to a Brookings Institution analysis.

“And through this very public and brutal way of going about deportations, they have discouraged illegal immigration, but also intimidated immigrants in the US,” Noland said, adding that the US workforce is projected to see a net decline of two million workers this year.

The “bifurcation” in the US economy is also being felt across the business world, with smaller companies lacking the deep pockets to stockpile inventories or negotiate with suppliers in the face of increased tariffs.

“The surge in policy uncertainty this year has had an outsize effect on smaller firms,” Oxford Economics said in a November report.

These firms are also seeing little benefit from the boom in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry since revenues have been driven by capital-intensive chip manufacturing and cloud services.

While AI proponents believe the world is on the cusp of huge gains in productivity that could dramatically raise living standards, there are concerns about large numbers of people being put out of work.

“This could be the new norm – jobless growth. That’s one reason people are not feeling so great,” Yaros said.

“While a lot of hype about AI and productivity benefits from AI are still to come, we think that is a risk to the labour market if it continues to hold back hiring.”

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‘I never would have expected it to get this far’

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