The way we travel could be changed forever following a futuristic rail project with rapid journeys from London to Paris within 20 minutes, and to Amsterdam in a mere 22 minutes

In a glimpse into the future of travel, a journey from London to Paris could take just 21 minutes, thanks to an innovative rail project.

As it stands, the fastest train journey from London to Paris takes two hours and 16 minutes, thanks to the efficient Eurostar which departs from St. Pancras International. However, if a futuristic rail project comes into fruition, the trip could be reduced to 1/6 of its current length, thanks to a hypothetical rail service that’d travel at more than 600mph.

This ultra-high-speed service would be made possible with hyperloop technology, which would involve passenger pods travelling through low-pressure tubes. In addition to the 21-minute journey to Paris, it could also provide transport from London to Brussels in 20 minutes, to Amsterdam in 22 minutes, and Berlin in just over an hour, reports the Telegraph.

READ MORE: Major rule change gets train users a third off rail tickets from SundayREAD MORE: Hundreds of thousands of people to get 1/3 off price of rail tickets – full list

Yet the concept isn’t new and was brought to the spotlight in 2013, when entrepreneur Elon Musk published a white paper on the hyperloop, a proposed transportation system. Musk previously labelled it a ‘fifth mode of transport’, and work has been underway in Europe on making this hypothetical engineering marvel a reality.

The European Hyperloop Center (EHC) in Veendam opened in the Netherlands two years ago, offering a 420-metre hyperloop test tube that runs adjacent to a train track. There have been successful hyperloop tests, and engineers have achieved a “zero-moving-parts lane switch” by enabling the pods to alter their course without mechanical track adjustments.

While it was conducted at 55mph, The Telegraph, which visited the European Hyperloop Center, said it was a “turning point” for hyperloop. The inventive project could revolutionise how we travel and is said to feel like flying rather than boarding a standard train.

The managing director of the Hyperloop Center Veendam, Kees Mark, told the Telegraph: “To think that we could be having coffee in Paris in under an hour from now is a huge mindset shift. It’s more like flying. That’s one of the benefits of hyperloop – there’s no wear from moving parts.”

But there’s a long way to go for the ultra-fast transport, with the project facing major setbacks and a bundle of technical difficulties. It can also present some health and safety concerns.

In 2023, Virgin Hyperloop in the US halted passenger operations amid safety concerns, a complicated regulatory process, and substantial financial difficulties. One of the project’s investors, Richard Branson, withdrew after the company failed to reach its goal of 700mph, achieving only 107mph during the first human trial.

The number of passengers the hyperloop service could carry is another hurdle compared to a standard rail service. Hyperloop pods are designed for low-capacity, high-frequency travel, typically holding 28 to 40 passengers per capsule. However, because they are designed to operate every 30 to 120 seconds, they aim to achieve high hourly throughput despite small cabin sizes. Some designs suggest up to 50 passengers, but smaller, faster-moving pods are generally prioritized for efficiency

At this point, the project is still very much in the experimental stage, and it could be years before the form of transport is introduced for use, but with tests well underway, could this be the new normal?

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Netflix has confirmed it’s making a brand-new historical series that will focus on a family ripped apart by betrayal

Netflix has announced plans to produce a period drama focused on one of the most harrowing periods in history.

The upcoming Netflix series comes from the same creative team behind another major period drama for the streaming giant, reports the Express.

IMDb users have been effusive in their praise for the programme, drawing parallels with acclaimed shows such as The Crown and Downton Abbey.

One viewer headed their 10/10 review: “A Masterpiece of Emotion and Visual Beauty.”

They elaborated: “I’m absolutely in love with this series. After waiting two whole years for the next six episodes, I couldn’t help but binge them all in one go. And wow, it was worth the wait! The actors are phenomenal-so much emotion in their performances that they pulled me into every moment. I cried, laughed, and felt everything in between.”

A second reviewer wrote in their 9/10 assessment: “Like the Crown but much more captivating.”

A third critic awarded 10/10, describing it as “an utterly gorgeous series” and noted: “The Crown wasn’t historically 100% accurate either, but did we absolutely adore every second of it and appreciate how beautifully done the series was? Well, I did at least.”

They continued: “This series had me captivated on every level from the first second it began.”

Another viewer commented: “If you like The Crown, you’ll like this” and explained: “Romantic would be something like Pride and Prejudice or Bridgerton. This was more like Downton Abbey or The Crown, where in the drama is the focus.”

Witches is a fresh series in the works at Netflix, brought to you by the producers of The Empress.

The narrative will unfold in medieval Germany, tracing the lives of three sisters amidst the German witch hunts.

As per Deadline, the drama will delve into a family torn asunder by “suspicion, accusation and betrayal”, their struggle to safeguard loved ones from the “grip of fear and fanaticism”, and the “unyielding resistance” during one of “Europe’s darkest chapters”.

In a statement to the publication, producers Robert and Katharina Eyssen expressed their immense joy at finding a “creative home” at Netflix once again, following their collaboration on The Empress.

The duo affirmed that the streaming giant “truly understood” their artistic vision, having built up “trust” over many years with the platform.

They added: “As with The Empress, we are creating a family story centered on strong, complex, and defiant female characters.

“It is a radically emotional story that explores marginalization and persecution – a series that provokes thought, sweeps you along, and gets under your skin [sic].”

This announcement follows reports that filming has concluded for season three of the International Emmy-winning The Empress in Bavaria, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Production for the third season kicked off in September 2025 and it has been confirmed as the final instalment for the sprawling period drama.

The final series will comprise six episodes, delving into the aftermath of the Sardinian War and Emperor Franz (portrayed by Philip Froissant) returning from the frontlines burdened with trauma and guilt over the loss of thousands of young lives.

Empress Elisabeth von Wittelsbach (Devrim Lingnau) will support him as she battles for her marriage and the empire.

She will also encounter difficulties at court due to her deteriorating health, leading her to depart Vienna and embark on an unforeseen journey.

The Empress season 3 is set to launch on Netflix later this year.

For the freshest showbiz, TV, film and streaming news, head over to the new Everything Gossip website.

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The Empress season 3 will be released on Netflix later this year

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Reporting from Washington — When Elizabeth Warren launched her 2012 Senate bid in Massachusetts, some Democrats there worried. Another woman had run two years earlier and failed miserably. But Warren ignored warnings that she would be “another Martha Coakley.” She beat the incumbent by more than 7 percentage points and became the first woman elected to statewide office in Massachusetts.

Now Warren is among a record number of women running for president in 2020. Again, they’re operating in the shadow of failure — Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful White House bid in 2016 — but also the widespread successes of women in the 2018 midterm election.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California joins Warren and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the upper tier of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination. Each takes a different tack in navigating the powerful crosscurrents of being a woman in national politics.

Gillibrand plays the gender card most emphatically, emphasizing her record on protecting women from sexual assault and her support for female candidates. Explaining why she is running for president, she often begins, “As a young mom…”

Harris’ campaign rollout, including Sunday’s kickoff rally in Oakland, focused more on her connections with the black community and a career in law enforcement that breaks from gender stereotypes.

Warren tells her story as the daughter of an economically struggling family, putting class, not gender, at the center of her campaign.

“There is no uniform approach to how these women will navigate gender in the campaign,” said Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

2020 candidates: Who’s in and who’s on the fence? »

“While Gillibrand sees and discusses politics and policy through a gender lens, Warren’s primary focus has been on class. In her rollout, Kamala Harris has already shown that she will embrace and discuss being a black woman in power.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii also has announced a long-shot bid for president, with considerable focus on her status as a military veteran. The field of female candidates may grow if Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a former prosecutor like Harris, decides to run.

“I love that fact that we have four women running, and that America gets to see what different forms of female leadership look like,” Gillibrand said.

In the aftermath of Clinton’s failure, however, some Democrats worry about a stubborn strain of sexism in the electorate.

“I don’t know if America has changed enough; hopefully they have, with the #MeToo movement,” said Brad Lego, 69, a retired teacher in Sioux City, Iowa, who supports Warren.

Women historically have had a harder time winning executive offices than legislative ones. Even with a record number of women running for governor in 2018, just nine of the nation’s 50 governors are now women.

“Solo leadership is still tougher for women and people of color,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who is an expert on women in politics. “There is still a little concern about the difficulty of electing women to executive office. That wasn’t just Hillary Clinton.”

But for Democrats in 2020, for the first time in the history of presidential campaigns, being a woman is probably more a political asset than a liability. Women —- as voters and candidates — became the vanguard of the party’s resistance to President Trump, from the 2017 Women’s March to the midterm election that drew out female candidates in record numbers.

The congressional midterm saw the largest gender gap in modern political history, as Democrats won 59% of the female vote, with just 40% voting Republican. Men, by contrast, favored Republicans by a 4-point margin, 51% to 47%, according to exit polls.

Clinton tried two very different approaches to gender as a political issue. When she sought the Democratic nomination in 2008, she essentially ran away from the subject.

“I am not running as a woman,” she would say. “I am running because I believe I am the best qualified and experienced person.”

Eight years later, she talked often about the history-making potential of her campaign to “shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling.”

The current crop of female candidates doesn’t follow either of those paths.

Gillibrand, at 52 the least known of the three female senators who have gotten into the race, is moving the most deliberately to build her identity as a defender of women.

“The future of the Democratic Party is with women,” an introductory campaign document said. She spotlights her Senate work on combating sexual abuse in the military and other issues related to sexual harassment and assault, and her political work raising money for female candidates through her political action committee, Off the Sidelines.

Pictures of children — her own and others’ — crowd her campaign website. She describes her rationale for running, offered first in her campaign announcement on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” in explicitly gendered terms: “As a young mom, I’m going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own.”

The approach risks delivering a message so gender specific that it alienates men. But in the short term, at least, her strategists think that any such risk is worth taking to gain purchase in a crowded field.

“My lifelong mission is for more women to have a voice and seat at the table with men, so that they can bring a new perspective to the problems facing our country,” Gillibrand says. “This vision does not exclude anyone, it brings more diverse voices into the conversation.”

Harris’ introduction to voters put more of a spotlight on race than gender: She announced her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, gave her first press briefing at Howard University, the historically black college she attended in the 1980s, and scheduled her first campaign event in South Carolina — at a gala for a black sorority she belongs to.

During her Oakland rally, Harris spoke bluntly about racism in the criminal justice system and society at large. “I’m running to fight for an America where no mother or father has to teach their young son that people may stop him, arrest him, chase him or kill him because of his race,” Harris said.

Having advanced in a male-dominated career as a prosecutor, she offered this advice to young women in an interview with “Good Morning America”: “There are going to be many times you are going to be the only one like you in a room. It could be a meeting room, it could be a boardroom. And the thing I want you to remember is this: When you are in that room, we are all in that room with you, cheering you on.”

Harris’ tough-on-crime record has drawn skepticism from some on the party’s left, but it could appeal to public-safety conscious moms in the suburbs, including white women whose votes for Trump proved pivotal in 2016.

Warren’s campaign-launch video gave a personal window onto her life story — speaking from her kitchen, she talked about her family’s struggles, her mother’s resilience and her own rise to a law professorship at Harvard. The story spoke more to class struggle than a battle against sexism.

At other times, however, she has struck a more explicit note on gender. At an Ankeny, Iowa, campaign event with Democratic women in early January, for example, Warren relished telling how she had been warned against running for Senate after Coakley’s failure.

“It was almost as if folks were saying, ‘Hey, we tried that. It didn’t work. Come back in a generation or two, women.’ ”

She also paid tribute to how much women — especially those who were newly engaged in politics as voters and candidates — had contributed to Democrats’ 2018 midterm victories.

One of the newly engaged women was Liuba Grechen Shirley, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully against GOP Rep. Peter T. King on Long Island, N.Y. She remembers vividly an unexpected phone call of support she got from Warren.

Shirley was in the middle of a grueling day juggling the demands of campaigning with the medical needs of a young son who had broken his leg. Warren listened to her woes and offered this tough-love pep talk that spoke to the continued challenges women face in politics:

“We moms, when we run out of milk, we make breakfast with orange juice.”

janet.hook@latimes.com

Twitter: @hookjan

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is supposed to rely on its pitching this season, but the Knights found themselves in a slugfest with host El Dorado on Tuesday and turned loose power hitters Jacob Madrid and Troy Trejo to pull out a 9-7 victory.

Madrid hit two home runs and had four RBIs. Trejo broke a 7-7 tie with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning.

AJ LaSota pitched 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief. Notre Dame improved to 3-0.

Xavi Cadena had a home run and three RBIs for El Dorado.

Santa Margarita 4, Harvard-Westlake 3: Cooper Holland went three for three and the Eagles (2-1) got a strong five-inning outing from Tyler George for the road victory.

Sierra Canyon 5, Huntington Beach 2: The Trailblazers waited until Oilers ace Jared Grindlinger finished his four innings before taking charge for the home win. Grindlinger allowed no hits and no runs. Armando Solorio threw three shutout innings of relief in the win. Dane Cunningham had a home run for Huntington Beach.

Gahr 6, Crespi 1: Bryce Morrison had two hits and two RBIs and Luis Alonso threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts for 2-0 Gahr.

Corona 4, Etiwanda 2: Trey Ebel contributed two hits and Anthony Murphy made his pitching debut, throwing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to get the save for Corona.

Norco 4, Garden Grove Pacifica 0: Landon Hovermale turned in a dominating mound performance with 15 strikeouts and one walk while giving up one hit in 6 2/3 innings. Dylan Seward, Jordan Ayala and Jayden Serna each had two hits.

Servite 8, Loyola 1: John Sullivan hit a grand slam and Gavin Gonzalez contributed three hits for Servite.

Foothill 5, Los Alamitos 3: Evan Kim had a two-run double for Foothill. He finished with three RBIs.

Chaparral 23, Eisenhower 0: Griffin Fien went four for five in the five-inning mercy rule game. Jaiden Lopez hit three doubles.

Cypress 8, West Ranch 2: Hibiki Suzuki had two hits and four RBIs for Cypress while Tate Belfanti struck out 10 in four innings.

Edison 4, Mission Viejo 2: Will Stanley struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings for Edison.

Long Beach Millikan 5, Banning 0: Maison Crommie threw six scoreless innings, striking out seven.

Royal 5, Santa Monica 0: Ethan Hall homered and Dustin Dunnwoody struck out nine and gave up one hit in five innings.

Softball

JSerra 4, Riverside Poly 0: Liliana Escobar struck out 15 for JSerra, which also defeated South Hills 2-0.

In a significant foreign policy shift, Bolivia has reopened its doors to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The move, confirmed on Monday, ends a nearly two-decade hiatus in bilateral efforts to stem drug trafficking.

Bolivian Minister of Government Marco Oviedo told local media this week that DEA agents were already operating in the country.

“The DEA is in Bolivia,” he said. “Just as the DEA is now present, we also have cooperation from European intelligence and police bodies.”

Oviedo explained that the initial focus of the law enforcement efforts would be to tighten border surveillance and dismantle trafficking networks.

He added that the cooperation with the DEA and European agencies was only the start of Bolivia’s expanded international efforts.

“We want neighbouring countries’ anti-narcotics agencies on board as well,” Oviedo said.

End to Morales order

The announcement marks an end to an order issued under former left-wing President Evo Morales in 2008, effectively expelling all DEA agents from the country.

Morales, the leader at the time for Bolivia’s Movement for Socialism (MAS), had accused the US of using drug enforcement efforts to pressure countries in Latin America to bend to its political and economic agenda.

Under Morales, all drug enforcement cooperation with the US came to a halt, and he refused to let DEA officers into the country, accusing them of destabilising his government. Diplomatic relations were likewise suspended.

In turn, MAS received strong support from rural parts of Bolivia, where the cultivation of coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine, is a key economic driver.

Bolivia, along with other Andean countries like Colombia and Peru, is a key producer of coca, which has traditional uses, including as a remedy for altitude sickness. Morales himself led a union of coca growers, or cocaleros, before taking office.

Advocates have accused the US’s militaristic “war on drugs” of harming impoverished rural farmers through the forced eradication of coca crops. Such campaigns, they argue, can leave farmers without a means of supporting themselves and their families.

MAS remained in power from the start of Morales’s term in 2006 until 2025, when its coalition fractured amid economic instability and internal fighting.

New political direction

In October 2025, two right-wing candidates proceeded to a run-off for the presidency: centrist Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party and a former right-wing president, Jorge Quiroga.

It was the first presidential run-off in modern times for Bolivia, and it marked a sharp turn away from two decades of socialist government.

Both candidates made improving the relationship with the US a central pillar of their campaigns, viewing it as essential to solving Bolivia’s severe economic crisis.

Paz, who was educated in Washington, DC, argued that normalising ties would attract the international investment needed to modernise the energy and lithium sectors.

Meanwhile, Quiroga, a conservative who studied at Texas A&M University, campaigned on a more aggressive platform, including fiscal austerity and security partnerships with the US.

His vice presidential candidate, Juan Pablo Velasco, is credited with popularising the tagline “Make Bolivia Sexy Again”, a twist on US President Donald Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again”.

Paz ultimately emerged as the victor in the race, with nearly 54.9 percent of the vote. After his inauguration in November, Paz moved quickly to fulfil his promises by restoring diplomatic ties with the US.

The US, meanwhile, called Paz’s presidency a “transformative opportunity” for the region.

Earlier this month, both Bolivia and the US agreed to appoint ambassadors to one another’s countries for the first time in nearly 18 years.

Uncertainty remains

But it is unclear to what extent the DEA will be operating in Bolivia. Left-wing leaders like Morales continue to have strong pockets of support, particularly in highland and rural areas.

Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo has said negotiations are still under way to finalise the specific areas of cooperation between his country and the DEA, as well as operational limits for the US agency.

A full agreement outlining the scope of the agency’s activities is expected in the coming months.

Since returning to office on January 20, 2025, Trump has intensified the US campaign against drug trafficking in Latin America, including by designating several major cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations”.

Trump has also pressured Latin American governments to take more aggressive actions against the illicit drug trade, using economic sanctions and military threats as leverage.

Already, in late December and early January, Trump has authorised two strikes on Venezuela on the premise of combating drug trafficking.

One, on December 29, targeted a port that the Trump administration said was used for drug smuggling. The second, on January 3, resulted in multiple explosions, dozens dead and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He remains in custody in the US, where he faces drug trafficking and weapons possession charges.

Critics have argued that Trump’s anti-drug campaign has blurred the line between law enforcement and military activities.

The increasing use of military force against criminal suspects has raised concerns that human rights are being violated and legal processes circumvented, including through the use of extrajudicial killings.

One example has come as part of a military campaign called Operation Southern Spear.

On September 2, the US announced the first of nearly 44 “lethal kinetic strikes” against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

As many as 150 people have been killed in the attacks. Operation Southern Spear has continued, despite international organisations like the United Nations questioning its legality and calling for its end.

The kidnapping of a sitting head of state marks a grave escalation in US-Venezuela relations. By seizing Venezuela’s constitutional president, Washington signaled both its disregard for international law and its confidence that it would face little immediate consequence.

The response within the US political establishment to the attack on Venezuela has been striking. Without the slightest cognitive dissonance over President Maduro’s violent abduction, Democrats call for “restoring democracy” – but not for returning Venezuela’s lawful president.

So why didn’t the imperialists simply assassinate him? From their perspective, it would have been cleaner and more cost-efficient. It would have been the DOGE thing to do: launch a drone in one of those celebrated “surgical” strikes.

Targeted killings are as much a part of US policy now as there were in the past. From Obama’s drone strikes on US citizens in 2011 to Trump’s killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, lethal force has been used when deemed expedient. And only last June, the second Trump administration and its Zionist partner in crime droned eleven Iranian nuclear scientists.

The US posted a $50-million bounty on Maduro, yet they took him very much alive along with his wife, First Combatant (the Venezuelan equivalent of the First Lady) Cilia Flores.

The reason Maduro’s life was spared tells us volumes about the resilience of the Bolivarian Revolution, the strength of Maduro even in captivity, and the inability of the empire to subjugate Venezuela.

Killing Nicolás Maduro Moros appears to have been a step too far, even for Washington’s hawks. Perhaps he was also seen as more valuable to the empire as a hostage than as a martyr.

But the images of a handcuffed Maduro flashing a victory sign – and declaring in a New York courtroom, “I was captured… I am the president of my country” – were not those of a defeated leader.

Rather than collapsing, the Bolivarian Revolution survived the decapitation. With a seamless continuation of leadership under acting President Delcy Rodríguez, even some figures in the opposition have rallied around the national leadership, heeding the nationalist call of a populace mobilized in the streets in support of their president.

This has pushed the US to negotiate rather than outright conquer, notwithstanding that the playing field remains decisively tilted in Washington’s favor. Regardless, Venezuelan authorities have demanded and received the US’s respect. Indeed, after declaring Venezuela an illegitimate narco-state, Trump has flipped, recognized the Chavista government, and invited its acting executive to Washington.

NBC News gave Delcy Rodríguez a respectful interview. After affirming state ownership of Venezuela’s mineral resources and Maduro as the lawful president, she pointed out that the so-called political prisoners in Venezuelan prisons were there because they had committed acts of criminal violence.

Before a national US television audience she explained that free and fair elections require being “free of sanctions and…not undermined by international bullying and harassment by the international press” (emphasis added).

Notably, the interviewer cited US Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s admission made during his high-level visit to Venezuela. The US official brushed aside demands for short-term elections, instead arguing that they could be held by the end of 2027. In contrast, Rodríguez stressed that Venezuela’s electoral calendar is set by the country’s Constitution.

As for opposition politician María Corina Machado, the darling of the US press corps, Rodríguez told the interviewer that Machado would have to answer for her various treasonous activities if she came back to Venezuela.

Contrary to the corporate press’s media myth, fostered at a reception in Manhattan, that Machado is insanely popular and poised to lead “A Trillion-Dollar Opportunity: The Global Upside of a Democratic Venezuela,” the US government apparently understood the reality on the ground. “She doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within, the country,” was the honest evaluation, not of some Chavista partisan, but of President Trump himself.

Yader Lanuza documents how the US provided millions to manufacture an effective astroturf opposition to the Chavistas. It is far from the first time that Washington has squandered money in this way – we only have to look back at its failed efforts to promote the “presidency” of Juan Guaidó. Its latest efforts have again had no decisive result, leaving Machado in limbo and pragmatic engagement with the Chavista leadership as the only practical option.

Any doubts that there is daylight between captured President Maduro and acting President Rodríguez can be dispelled by listening to the now incarcerated Maduro’s New Year’s Day interview with international leftist intellectual Ignacio Ramonet.

Maduro said it was time to “start talking seriously” with the US – especially regarding oil investment – marking a continuation of his prior conditional openness to diplomatic engagement. He reiterated that Venezuela was ready to discuss agreements on combating drug trafficking and to consider US oil investment, allowing companies like Chevron to operate.

That was just two days before the abduction. Subsequently, Delcy Rodríguez met with the US energy secretary and the head of the Southern Command to discuss oil investments and combating drug trafficking, respectively.

Venezuelan analysts have framed the current moment as one of constrained choice. “What is at stake is the survival of the state and the republic, which if lost, would render the discussion of any other topic banal,” according to Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein. The former government official, who was close to Hugo Chávez, supports Delcy Rodríguez’s discussions with Washington – acknowledging that she has “a missile to her head.”

“The search for a negotiation in the case of the January 3 kidnapping is not understood, therefore, as a surrender, but as an act of political maturity in a context of unprecedented blackmail,” according to Italian journalist and former Red Brigades militant Geraldina Colotti.

The Amnesty Law, a longstanding Chavista initiative, is being debated in the National Assembly to maintain social peace, according to the president of the assembly and brother of the acting president, Jorge Rodríguez, in an interview with the US-based NewsMax outlet.

As Jorge Rodríguez commented, foregoing oil revenues by keeping oil in the ground does not benefit the people’s well-being and development. In that context, the Hydrocarbon Law has been reformed to attract vital foreign investment.

The Venezuelan outlet Mision Verdad elaborates: “The 2026 reform ratifies and, in some aspects, deepens essential elements of the previous legislation…[I]t creates the legal basis for a complete strategic adaptation of the Venezuelan hydrocarbon industry, considering elements of the present context.”

As Karl Marx presciently observed about the present context, people “make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances.” The present US-Venezuelan détente is making history. So far – in Hugo Chávez’s words, por ahora – it does not resemble the humanitarian catastrophes imposed by the empire on Haiti, Libya, Iraq, Syria, or Afghanistan.

But make no mistake: the ultimate goal of the empire remains regime change. And there is no clearer insight into the empire’s core barbarity than Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich conference with his praising of the capture of a “narcoterrorist dictator” and his invocation of Columbus as the inspiration “to build a new Western century.”

Washington’s kidnapping of Maduro was intended to demonstrate the empire’s dominance. But it also exposed its limits: the durability of the Bolivarian Revolution and the reality that even great powers must sometimes negotiate with governments they detest. The outcome remains uncertain.

With minor edits by Venezuelanalysis.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.

Now everyone can go to the cottage.

Shane Hollander’s (Hudson Williams) cottage, featured in the season finale of the HBO Max hit “Heated Rivalry,” will be available to rent starting March 3 at 9 a.m. Pacific, according to a statement by Airbnb. The Lake Muskoka listing can be booked for $248.10 CAD (about $180 U.S.) per night, an homage to Shane and Ilya’s (Connor Storrie) jersey numbers, 24 and 81.

The Barlochan cottage will host four early access bookings from May 8-10, May 16-18, May 22-24 and May 29-31, before opening for regular bookings, with the property listed exclusively on Airbnb.

“Every great story deserves the perfect setting. Airbnb is inviting guests to Barlochan cottage — which has captivated screens big and small this winter — allowing fans to book and experience the private haven in real life on the shores of Lake Muskoka,” Airbnb wrote.

In “Heated Rivalry,” Shane and Ilya escape to the cottage during their off-season for a private, romantic getaway as the couple hides its relationship from the public. Ilya agrees to attend after being inspired by a fellow hockey player, Scott (François Arnaud), who publicly came out after winning the hockey championship in Episode 5. As Scott kisses his partner on live television, Ilya calls Shane to tell him he’ll come to the cottage.

“That’s then part of the structure of giving 5 that big rom-com movie star ending to [Arnaud], so that I can have a quiet ending with Shane and Ilya,” series creator Jacob Tierney told Entertainment Weekly in December.

At the cottage, Shane and Ilya confess their love for one another, swim in the lake and watch the Lake Muskoka sunsets. According to the listing, the three-bedroom cottage features nearly 400 feet of private waterways, outdoor activities like kayaks and canoes and an exercise room.

Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in the Season 1 finale of “Heated Rivalry.”

(Sabrina Lantos / HBO)

Airbnb also noted that “travelers have been eager to embark on their own private cottage getaway,” with a 40% increase in property searches in Muskoka since the finale aired in late December.

“Heated Rivalry” became a cultural phenomenon this winter despite the project’s small budget. The show, based on the “Game Changers” book series by Rachel Reid, was produced by Bell Media’s Crave in Canada. After the show was licensed by HBO Max, fans flocked to the series, with an average of 10.6 million viewers per episode in the U.S., according to Warner Bros. Discovery.

So while “Heated Rivalry” fans wait for the second season — set to premiere in spring 2027 — they’ll now be able to take their own trip to the cottage.

Boycotts. Prebuttals. Rebuttals. Historic guests.

California members of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives’ approach to President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night are as varied as their politics and their districts.

Before the speech, Sen. Adam Schiff described Trump as an out-of-control and corrupt president who has ignored pressing issues such as climate change in order to enrich himself and punish his political enemies, including by turning the U.S. Department of Justice and the rest of the federal government into a “personal fiefdom,” unbound by the law.

“From the birth of our nation, our founders were obsessed with preventing tyranny and the emergence of another king, another despot. They created checks and balances, separation of powers, an independent judiciary. They understood that the greatest threat to liberty wasn’t foreign invasion, it was the concentration of power in the hands of one person or faction,” Schiff said on the floor of the U.S. Senate. “This president has systematically dismantled these safeguards in his second term.”

Schiff is among the Democrats boycotting the speech. Other Californians include Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles) and Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village).

Sen. Alex Padilla, the son of immigrants who was tackled in Los Angeles last year when he attempted to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question during the immigration raids, will deliver a Spanish-language response after Trump’s address on television and online.

California has the largest congressional delegation in the nation, so its elected officials frequently have an outsized presence in the nation’s capital. An especially memorable moment was when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) ripped up a copy of Trump’s speech after the 2020 State of the Union address.

It’s unclear whether California elected officials plan anything as dramatic tonight. But their guests are notable.

Though Garcia is not attending the speech, his guest at the event is Annie Farmer, a woman who was abused at the age of 16 by sexual predators Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), who is attending, is bringing Teresa J. Helm — another Epstein abuse survivor.

Others plan to bring constituents from their districts — Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) is bringing Ben Benoit, the Riverside County auditor-controller who is a longtime friend.

Pelosi’s guest is the Rev. Devon Jerome Crawford, senior pastor of historic Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. And some have surprise guests who will be unveiled later tonight.

A pretty town deserves a spot on your itinerary with its cobbled streets, Georgian architecture, antique shops and cosy pubs, and a park home to hundreds of free-roaming deer

A quintessential English town, with narrow cobbled lanes and surrounded by diverse landscapes, offers a glimpse into bygone eras.

The historic town of Petworth in Sussex is characterised by meandering cobbled lanes, 17th-century Georgian buildings and quaint, stone cottages. It’s conveniently positioned just over half an hour’s drive from Chichester and around 50 minutes from Portsmouth, offering a delightful day out among its unspoilt landscapes.

There are narrow streets that lead to hidden gems scattered around the town, with antique emporiums and independent boutiques, complemented by cafés, delicatessens, and inviting pubs. Thanks to its scenic setting, it was even crowned by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the UK’s most picturesque towns.

READ MORE: Small village named ‘loveliest town in England’ with best-rated food and drinkREAD MORE: Rural town dubbed ‘the new Notting Hill’ is brimming with independent shops and Michelin-star restaurants

The medieval town, with more than 400 listed buildings, is also renowned for its thriving art and antiques community, with a wide range of galleries and more than 30 antique stores where you can find ancient treasures. One of the most popular spots for vintage goodies is Petworth Antiques Market, featuring more than 40 dealers offering everything from exquisite furniture to ornaments and an extensive selection of homeware.

One guest enthused on TripAdvisor: “I absolutely love going to the Petworth Antique Market, the customer service is amazing with extremely friendly, helpful staff, and I always always find beautiful treasures there!!”

You certainly won’t go hungry during a trip to Petworth with The Hungry Guest on Middle Street, among its standout establishments, serving up seasonal, locally sourced cuisine that has elevated the town’s reputation. Additionally, there’s an array of inviting pubs, including The Welldiggers Arms, The Black Horse Inn and The Angel Inn.

But away from the town centre, Petworth is a haven for avid walkers, with diverse landscapes within easy reach of the pretty town, including the rugged chalk hills of the South Downs National Park and the ancient woodland of The Mens Nature Reserve. Yet, the Petworth House and Park is the town’s most notable attraction, with its sprawling 700-acre park surrounding the impressive 17th-century Petworth House.

Visitors can explore the historic stately residence and discover an exceptional collection of world-class art and sculptures. The property represents one of the finest remaining examples of an English landscape designed by the renowned Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

There are also hundreds of deer wandering freely across Petworth Park that can be easily admired, or you can soak up the spectacular views of the South Downs during a stroll around the grounds. The National Trust park has certainly put Petworth on the map, and even more so after appearing in major film productions, Napoleon, Rebecca, and Maleficent, as well as Netflix’s popular drama Bridgerton.

Following a visit, one traveller shared: “Another National Trust gem! Had a wonderful day there. So much to see and wonderful walks in the grounds and deer park. The art collection is outstanding, and as usual, the volunteers in the house were great. Had an interesting talk in the square dining room about the family’s history. Found the kitchens fascinating! Great cafe too. Highly recommend.”

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Inter signed Ronaldo and Vieri for world-record fees in the late 1990s, when Serie A was the envy of world football, blessed with the game’s most talented stars.

AC Milan then beat Juventus to win the Champions League in 2003, losing to Liverpool on penalties in the final two years later, before defeating the Reds to become European champions again in 2007.

While there have been more recent successes in Europe’s other competitions – Atalanta won the Europa League in 2024, Roma won the Conference League in 2021 – Jose Mourinho’s Inter were the last Italian side to win the Champions League in 2010.

Inter’s European exit comes despite being 10 points clear of rivals AC Milan in Serie A and a further four ahead of defending champions Napoli, who failed to make it out of the Champions League’s league phase.

“It is a piece of history,” said journalist Vincenzo Credendino. “Speaking about Italy and Inter, this is one of the worst pieces.

“Inter are the best in Italy, but maybe it is time to think not about what can happen in one or two years, but about 10 or 15 years – and on that side we can see generally Italian football is not on the same level of top European leagues.”

The national team must also win through a play-off in March to avoid missing out on a third successive World Cup this summer, having last lifted the trophy in 2006.

“It is a difficult time for Italian football and this shows it,” added European football expert Julien Laurens on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Today, Inter Milan put pressure on but it was not enough from them. They have been the best team in Italy for the last few years. And Napoli as well, they haven’t even come close.

“It’s terrible for Italian football at the moment.”

Inter won five of their opening eight league phase games in Europe to finish 10th, with Juventus 13th and Atalanta 15th.

Yet in the play-offs, all have come unstuck against sides who finished lower in the table but play a more intense brand of football.

“What does it say about Italian football? That something needs to be changed,” added Verri.

“The level of Italian football is poor. It is a structural issue. We play very slow football. You can ask any manager in Italy and they will all say the same.

“I was talking to Claudio Ranieri the other day and he said: ‘Look, when I was in England at Leicester… people don’t train more than in Italy. They just do it with another intensity, and then they keep up that intensity during the games.’

“We play slow, and in Europe you suffer.”

Feb. 24 (Asia Today) — Average household debt per borrower in South Korea rose to a record 97.39 million won ($73,000) at the end of last year, as mortgage lending expanded amid rising home prices, according to data released Monday by the Bank of Korea.

The figure marked the first time per-borrower debt has exceeded 97 million won, up 2.24 million won ($1,680) from a year earlier. Total household loan balances reached about 1,853 trillion won ($1.39 trillion), an increase of 51 trillion won ($38.3 billion) from the previous year.

The central bank said the average rose as overall loan balances increased while the number of borrowers declined slightly, pointing to a growing concentration of debt.

Mortgage loans accounted for much of the increase, particularly among borrowers in their 20s to 40s. The average mortgage balance for borrowers in their 30s climbed to 225.41 million won ($169,000), the highest among age groups.

Loans were concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, where home prices continued to rise. According to the Korea Real Estate Board, apartment prices in Seoul increased 13.5% last year, the steepest gain since 2021.

Despite a slowdown in new lending following the government’s Oct. 15 real estate measures, authorities are moving to tighten controls further as household debt approaches 2,000 trillion won ($1.5 trillion), a level widely viewed as a risk to economic stability.

The Financial Services Commission has said it will set a lower annual loan growth target than last year’s 1.8% and is considering imposing separate caps on mortgage lending, the core component of total loan management.

Regulators are also reviewing a plan to raise risk-weighted asset ratios on mortgage loans from 20% to 25%, a move that would effectively make banks more cautious in extending housing credit.

Major commercial banks have already begun reducing household loan balances in line with regulatory guidance. As of Sunday, the combined household loan balance of the five largest banks stood at 765.6 trillion won ($574 billion), down about 200 billion won ($150 million) from the end of January.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260224010007193

Terrorists attacked the Garahamojili military camp in Garaha, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, in northeastern Nigeria, on Saturday, Feb. 21. Alison Hassan, a resident of the community, told HumAngle that the attack, which began around 11 p.m., lasted about an hour, as the terrorists engaged the soldiers in a fierce gun battle.  

Although the Nigerian Army is yet to release an official statement regarding the attack or the number of casualties, residents say three soldiers were killed in the exchange, while several others were severely injured. HumAngle contacted Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, the Adamawa State Police Command spokesperson, but he declined to comment on the situation.

Locals said that during the confrontation, a bullet landed inside a neighbouring house and struck a young woman. Chinapi Agara, a relative of the deceased, told HumAngle that she was the only civilian from the community to lose her life, as the terrorists were focused on the military base. “She was 20 years old. We buried her yesterday [Sunday, Feb. 22],” he said. 

Chinapi also noted that the camp was set ablaze, forcing some of the soldiers to flee. 

“The community wasn’t burnt, but the camp and three houses close to the camp were burnt, including two armoured tanks and their excavator,” Alison added. 

According to Musa Simeon, a local vigilante, several attacks had been launched against the military base in the past, but none had been successful until Saturday’s incident. While locals are unsure of the terrorists’ identities, Musa said several armed groups have terrorised the area over the past decade. “Boko Haram, Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP), and kidnappers, so we don’t know which one is responsible for now,” Musa said. 

ISWAP reportedly released visual evidence and has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Several locals have lost their lives in the insurgency since it began in 2014. “We are close to the Borno border. Lots of communities like Kopure, Gabba, Lar and others have been completely displaced,” Chinapi added. Similarly, communities within Garaha have experienced a surge in kidnappings within the area in the last few years, forcing many to flee. 

While calm has been restored in the area since Saturday’s incident, Alison noted that residents are deserting the area. “We are seriously in trouble because once it’s evening, people leave their houses to go and sleep somewhere. Some sleep in people’s houses inside town, and those of us who don’t have anywhere to go to sleep with our eyes open,” he said. 

Residents who spoke to HumAngle called on the government to tighten security around the area as people are currently living in fear. 

Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” is a grand mass for large orchestra, chorus and four vocal soloists that lasts around 80 minutes. It was written near the end of Beethoven’s life and is his most ambitious work musically and spiritually. “Coming from the heart, may it go to the heart,” he wrote on the first page of the score.

The Beethoven biographer Jan Swafford put it this way: “ ‘Missa Solemnis’ is Beethoven talking to God, man to man. And what they talked about is peace. Creation was for Beethoven’s the magnificence in the world which we inhabit; ‘Missa Solemnis’ is meant to keep it thus.”

Yet among Beethoven’s major works, “Missa Solemnis” is, by far, the least performed, and not merely because of the need for large forces. Conductors struggle to get a handle on its mysteries and intricacies. Upon turning 70 last year, Simon Rattle contended “Missa Solemnis” remains beyond him. Upon his reaching 70, Michael Tilson Thomas made a momentous meal of “Missa Solemnis” 11 years ago with a staged performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Gustavo Dudamel, who has been conducting Beethoven since he was a teen, waited until he passed his 45th birthday last month. His first “Missa Solemnis” performances over the weekend at Disney were the centerpiece of his month-long L.A. Phil focus on Beethoven.

That venture began a week earlier with a political statement. Beethoven’s incidental music to Goethe’s drama of liberation, “Egmont,” was updated with a new text that served as an urgent call for protest in our own era of authoritarianism and militarism. Here, Beethoven exerts a compulsion for triumphant glory.

The glory in “Missa Solemnis” is that of stupefaction. By this point in his life, Beethoven has had it with weapons, the drumbeat of soldiers, the addictive emotion of trumpet calls to action. His man-to-man with God is celestial diplomacy. There is no compromise. We either care, at all costs, for our magnificent world or nothing matters.

Dudamel clearly cares. He conducted the massive mass from memory. And costs be damned. He imported from Spain two spectacular choruses — Orfeó Català and Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana — a total of some 130 singers who sounded like they had rehearsed for months under their impressive director, Xavier Puig. The four soloists — soprano Pretty Yende, mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, tenor SeokJong Baek and bass Nicholas Brownlee — were needfully robust and powerful. They were placed mid-orchestra, behind the violas and bravely in front of the timpani.

“Missa Solemnis” follows the standard mass text but doesn’t necessarily follow the liturgical narrative. It is a work of theater, dramatizing feelings, as the earlier Disney staging attempted. Director Peter Sellars and conductor Teodor Currentzis have also been promising a major staged “Missa Solemnis” for many years.

The Kyrie opens with a strong D-major chord in the large orchestra that seems an obvious downbeat but turns out to be an upbeat. Down is up. Eighty or more minutes later at the end of the Agnus Dei, when the great plea for peace reaches its ultimate transcendence, up becomes, in one of the most profoundly unsettling moments in all music, down again. We never fully know where we stand in “Missa Solemnis.” Every expectation is thwarted. Beethovenian peace is a nearly superhuman endeavor.

Gustavo Dudamel conducts L.A. Phil, vocal soloists and Catalan choruses in Beethoven’s ‘Missa Solemnis’ at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

(David Butow / For The Times)

Dudamel‘s approach is to attempt the all-encompassing. He conducted without a baton but with his body. His arms were often open and wide as if embracing the musician masses on the stage, holding the whole world in his hands. Tidiness wasn’t necessarily the issue. Grandeur was. Molding sound was. And, of course, awe.

Throughout his career, Beethoven was the overwhelming master of awe. In “Missa Solemnis,” he out-glories the Gloria. His fugues are a draftsman’s rendering of heavenly splendor. Such awe asks for the superhuman from singers, especially in this ensemble from their ravishing high notes.

But Beethoven also questions every sentiment in the Mass. Grandeur can so suddenly turn solemn that it feels almost a ceremonial sleight of hand. In the Sanctus, a solo violin sails in from nowhere (“descending like a dove from heaven,” Hugh MacDonald nicely puts it in the program note), and suddenly we’re in a violin concerto with vocal soloists of transcendent allure.

The Agnus Dei begins in glum realization that there may be no compensation for humanity’s great sins when, again astonishingly without expectation, one of Beethoven’s uniquely wondrous melodies takes over. Saber-rattling trumpet and timpani intrude and are shushed away as worthless. Peace returns but just as it is about to climax it weakens. There is no grand Beethoven ending. “Missa Solemnis” just stops.

Dudamel’s approach was not, as his Beethoven has generally become, filled with fervent intensity in the moment. That may happen as he gains more experience with Beethoven’s most exigent score. The big moments were still huge, especially with the help of his fabulous chorus. The somber moments were well of the heart. There was eloquent solo playing in the orchestra, and extravagance from the solo singers.

Most unusual was the violin solo. The L.A. Phil is in a concertmaster search, and Alan Snow, the associate concertmaster of the Minnesota Symphony, sat in. He brought silken “descending dove” tone to his solo playing, but at low tone becoming more a voice from afar than soloist. Whether that is simply his sound or what Dudamel was after is, like so much in the “Missa Solemnis,” up to question. Still, its quiet exemplified the elusive essence of peace.

When Dudamel first walked on stage, he got, as he always does and especially in his last season as music director, a strong ovation. At the end of “Missa Solemnis,” the reaction was a respectful standing ovation, unlike the de rigueur rapturous reception he always earns with Beethoven.

Dudamel earned something far more rewarding. It wasn’t a moment for cheering but reflection. True peace in “Missa Solemnis” comes not from winning but from ending conflict, be it between nations, nature or among ourselves. We have as yet too little to celebrate.

WASHINGTON — As President Trump prepares to deliver his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, the event will unfold against the backdrop of a widening Democratic protest and mounting resistance from lawmakers who are standing by to balk at the president’s remarks.

More than 30 congressional Democrats have pledged to boycott the address altogether, while others plan to attend alternative events designed to compete with the president’s messaging.

“I think we are going to hear two different States of the Union: One from the president that is going to be full of lies and then you are going to hear the truth,” California Sen. Alex Padilla, who will deliver the Democrats’ Spanish-language response, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Democrats who plan to skip the president’s formal address to Congress have said their doing so because they do not want to give credence to Trump. Others plan to voice their opposition to Trump by inviting guests who have been affected by his agenda.

California Democrats Rep. Robert Garcia and Rep. Ro Khanna will attend alongside Annie Farmer and Haley Robson, two of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose trafficking crimes have dogged the Trump since he returned to office a year ago.

“I’ve invited Annie to the State of the Union so she can join other survivors and remind the President of his refusal to release all of the Epstein files,” Garcia wrote Monday in a post on X.

The Democratic opposition highlights the tense political moment that Trump is facing early in his second term, when the stakes are high for Republican as they seek to keep control of Congress ahead of the midterm elections.

Trump, who is set to begin speaking at 6 p.m. Pacific time, is expected to frame the moment as one defined by economic successes and fulfilled campaign promises particularly as it related to his administration carrying out an immigration crackdown.

Trump is expected to make an appeal to his religious base as well. He has invited Erika Kirk, the widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and intends to use her presence to bring attention to the “tremendous revival of faith” that has taken place since Kirk’s assassination, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X.

“The president will call on Congress to ‘firmly reject political violence against our fellow citizens’ with Charlie Kirk’s widow in the chamber,” Leavitt said.

The president’s remarks could also shed light on the president’s thinking regarding international conflicts brewing in the Middle East and in Mexico as Trump pressures its southern neighbor to curb drug trafficking.

Another potential issue that could come up in the address is the topic of tariffs, more so after the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Trup’s preferred tariffs policy was illegal and could not stand without the approval of Congress.

Trump has been adamant that he intends to impose new tariffs in different ways, and has suggested he should not need congressional approval to do so. If Trump insists on imposing new tariffs, his push will be at odds with Republican leaders.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters on Monday that it would be a “challenge to find consensus on any path forward on the tariffs, on the legislative side.”

However Trump handled the issue of tariffs would underscore the existential moment that Congress is in as it navigates the Trump administration’s second term.

In recent months, Trump’s willingness to sideline Congress in major policy decisions — whether it is trade or national security — have exposed fractures within his own party and deepened partisan divisions.

Tuesday night’s even could highlight those tensions.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has been critical of the Trump’s use of military force without congressional approval since his administration began blowing up alleged drug boats on the Caribbean Sea late last year.

As Trump says he is considering a military attack on Iran, Schiff is once again raising concerns that Trump is stoking broader conflicts abroad.

“Our allies don’t trust us. Our adversaries don’t fear us,” Schiff said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “When the next crisis comes — and it will come, and it may even be caused by this president — we will find ourselves isolated.”

Trump’s push to have the federal government assert more control over elections could also expose some fractures.

In May, at the behest of Trump, the Justice Department began demanding voter registration data from states across the country. Democrats see the move as a pretext for bogus voter fraud claims down the line, as congressional Republicans tee up new barriers to voter registration through the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.

“The Trump administration is not being shy about threatening to undermine and steal this November election,” Padilla said. “They know that their record is not just unpopular but has been so harmful to working families that their only hope to stay in power is to initiate a voter purge.”

Democrats’ concerns have been heightened by comments made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week in which she outlined plans to station federal immigration agents at polling stations “to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders”

PHOENIX — For the first time since he grounded out to end the 11th inning in Game 7 of the World Series, Freddie Freeman stepped into the batter’s box in the first inning Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians at Camelback Ranch. Freeman was met with cheers by the thousands of Dodgers fans in attendance.

After popping out to third in his first at-bat, Freeman laced a double to left-center to drive in two runs in the third inning before he was lifted from the Dodgers’ 11-3 victory.

Freeman, who last season battled the lingering effects of a right ankle injury he suffered late in the 2024 season, said having a more typical offseason was crucial to regaining his fitness.

“It’s been in a good spot since I started hitting this offseason,” Freeman said of his swing. “Nice to be able to hit a ball to left-center already, that’s a good sign. … I hadn’t swung a bat till a day before FanFest last year. A normal offseason definitely helps.”

While still an All-Star and a recipient of MVP votes, Freeman has had a slight decline in production over the last two seasons compared to his first two with the Dodgers. Freeman posted on-base percentages of .407 and .410, while raking a league-leading 47 and 59 doubles, respectively, in 2022 and 2023. His OBP dropped to .378 in 2024 and .367 in 2025.

But for Freeman, it is his contact numbers that have been a thorn in his side all offseason.

His .295 batting average was the third-best in the National League last season but still was not good enough for Freeman, a career .300 hitter.

“There wasn’t a 3 at the start of my batting average last year, and that irks me,” Freeman said last week. “That’s my goal always, to hit .300. I like hits. I’m a hitter. Three at the front of a batting average means a lot to me. I know batting average and those kinds of things don’t mean a lot to a lot of people these days, but it does to me. If you hit .300, it means you’re on base a lot, and you’re scoring runs for your team, so that’s the goal, .300 again.”

Freeman landed on the injured list at the start of last April after he aggravated his surgically repaired right ankle, causing him to miss nine games and setting the tone for a season in which he never felt quite right.

“I was taping my ankle till about August,” Freeman said. “It was never really in a good spot last year. There was a lot of treatment, and I think I played all right for that, and we won again, so I’m really looking forward this year.”

One area Freeman thinks he can improve is his defense. A former Gold Glover, Freeman rated as a below-average fielder in both the defensive runs saved (minus-7) and outs above average (minus-6) metrics.

“I didn’t like the way I played defense last year and I thought it was just because I wasn’t mobile enough,” Freeman said. “So, that’s a big, big goal of mine, to play better at first this year, get to more balls, be able to cover more things. So, that’s going to be a key for me.”

Manager Dave Roberts is optimistic about what his veteran first baseman can do, even at age 36.

“I think he takes such good care of himself,” Roberts said. “I think that age is an easy one to point to, but I really believe that he’s been dinged up for two years.

“Right now, today, it’s as good as I’ve seen his swing over the course of a week sample, [better] than I have [seen] in two years. So, he’s in a good spot physically, mechanically. So, if we can keep him healthy, I just don’t see why he can’t have the year that he expects, and with that, with everything that he went through the last couple years, he was still very productive.”

Freeman said last week he hopes to play four more years, through his 20th season as a big leaguer.

“In that fourth year, I turn 40,” Freeman said. “Four is just a number that’s floated. Is it less? Is it more? I don’t know, but that’s kind of just where I’m at. I feel good right now, so that was just floated because that would be an even 20 years, I’ll be 40. I got a family that I would like to go home to. I do love this game; I love playing it, but for me, if I can do four, that would be 20 years. I think that’s enough.”

Etc.

After major shoulder surgery in 2024 that forced him to miss all of last season, right-hander Gavin Stone made his return to the mound a smooth one, pitching a scoreless first inning and striking out two against the Guardians.

“It was awesome,” said Stone, who last pitched for the Dodgers on Aug. 31, 2024. “Definitely a lot of hard work over the previous year. Rehab was a grind, but it’s good to be back out there.”

Feb. 24 (Asia Today) — South Korea will invest 19.8 billion won ($15 million) this year to support artificial intelligence-based content production, marking the largest government-backed funding initiative in the sector to date, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday.

The program, administered by the Korea Creative Content Agency, is designed to foster AI as a key growth engine for the content industry, offering support from early-stage development through global expansion.

Funding will be divided into three tracks – entry-level, leading-edge and collaborative – based on a company’s growth stage.

Under the entry-level track, small and medium-sized enterprises will be eligible for up to 200 million won ($150,000) per project. About 24 projects will be selected, focusing on genre convergence, extended reality and interactive content, as well as AI-based production platforms.

The leading-edge track will provide up to 700 million won ($530,000) per project for roughly 10 projects aimed at developing globally competitive AI-powered content. Officials said projects with strong overseas potential will receive priority.

The collaborative track will support partnerships between large or mid-sized companies and smaller firms, with up to 400 million won ($300,000) per project. Around 16 projects will be selected, a sharp increase from four last year.

Beyond financial aid, selected companies will receive legal, copyright and commercialization consulting, along with business matching and expert networking support.

An AI Content Festival will be held in the second half of the year to showcase supported projects and facilitate exchanges with domestic and international industry experts.

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the initiative is part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s digital content ecosystem, while Korea Creative Content Agency said it aims to help companies translate production experience into sustainable business growth.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260224010007202

The Heat has released an explosive first look at episode two of the new ITV reality show

Olivia Attwood makes a cheeky admission in a first look of The Heat episode two.

The new ITV series, which started on Tuesday 24 February, sees ten ambitious chefs as they travel to Barcelona in the hopes of being the next rising star of the culinary world working under multi-Michelin Star award-winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.

However, there’s a twist, as the cameras don’t stop rolling after the cooks have left the kitchen. As these chefs turn up the heat on the stove, things get hot under the collar at home too. Tempers rise, romance brews and drama is guaranteed.

The first episode saw viewers introduced to the new chefs and it was soon a baptism of fire for the new chefs as they hit the ground running while trying to stay focused on a first service while having fun flirting.

In an exclusive first look of episode two obtained by the Mirror, it sees host Olivia, 34, on a lavish yacht in the mediterranean sea.

The presenter says: “Yesterday The Heat opened its doors, the fire was on in the kitchen and later on the team let their hair down but there were sparks there too…

“Today, a new head chef has to step up and take control. Let’s hope there’s not too many distractions!”

In a candid moment, Olivia then hilariously asks crew members: “Is my a**e out? I want it to be, I’ll get more likes” to which laughter off camera is heard.

Meanwhile, an explosive teaser clip shows viewers what they can expect as tensions soar in the kitchen while two contestants strike up a romance, causing jealousy with another ambitious chef.

It comes as Olivia shared what she’s really like in the kitchen ahead of the show’s realease. “I’m a bit Victoria Beckham-coded,” she laughed. “I could eat the same thing every day, I can’t be bothered to make a big mess. I want to eat the food, I don’t want to make it.”

She added that she can bash out a decent spaghetti bolognese and a good roast dinner, but that she can’t do anything fancy.

Still, Olivia continued to say she thought people underestimated her abilities. “I think people think that I can’t cook at all because I think I’m a bit Carrie Bradshaw-coded, probably like with sweaters in the oven.”

Given her expertise lies less in the kitchen and more in the heart, Olivia said she left the cookery advice to her co-host Jean-Christophe Novelli.

However, she was much more willing to advise the contestants on the reality side of the show, as her experience on Love Island in 2017 meant she had a “unique perspective” on what its like to be filmed all the time.

“I was nervous,” she said, looking back on when a 26-year-old Olivia jetted off for a ‘summer of love’ with ITV2. “But I know what it feels like when you go on to a reality show, and you know some things, but you know there’s going to be surprises.

“I think it gives me a unique perspective, which I’m really grateful for. I would say to anyone actually going on reality shows, or competition shows, that you have to just kind of give yourself to the process. Because you’re in it now, so you might as well just jump in with both feet!’

The Heat continues tomorrow, 25^th February at 9 pm on ITV2 and ITVX

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Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore has taken over an agency under intense scrutiny — and he’s getting paid handsomely to do it.

Moore, who was appointed by Mayor Karen Bass in October, will earn $473,600 a year, the City Council decided Tuesday — $18,000 more than his predecessor, Kristin Crowley, made when she was ousted by Bass in February 2025 for her handling of the Palisades fire.

The LAFD and the mayor continue to face intense scrutiny over their handling of the Palisades fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in January of last year, as well as the watering down of the LAFD after-action report on the fire.

When Crowley started as fire chief in 2022, her annual salary was $367,100.

Soon after that, the city amended its salary ranges for department heads to keep up with inflation, said Matt Szabo, the city’s top budget analyst.

Crowley, the city’s first female and first LGBTQ fire chief, received annual merit raises, according to Szabo.

On Monday, Crowley filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming that Bass “orchestrated a campaign of retaliation” to protect her own political future and paper over her failures during the Palisades fire.

The LAFD did not immediately comment on Moore’s salary, which was recommended by the mayor and the City Council’s Executive Employee Relations Committee before going to the full council on Tuesday.

“Investing in strong and experienced leadership fortifies public safety for residents,” said a spokesperson for council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who chairs the employee relations committee.

Moore’s salary is fairly comparable to that of other city and county public safety leaders.

The chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Anthony Marrone, made $475,000 in base pay in 2024, according to county data.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell was sworn in at a $450,000 salary in 2024 — less than the $507,500 the Board of Police Commissioners had initially recommended. McDonnell’s salary as of Tuesday was still about $450,000.

McDonnell’s salary was a significant jump over the initial pay of his predecessor, Michel Moore, who earned $350,000 when he first assumed the position in 2018.

The LAFD has about 3,200 uniformed fire personnel, while the LAPD has about 8,700 sworn officers.

Both McDonnell and the new fire chief make far less than Janisse Quiñones, general manager of the Department of Water and Power, who was sworn in at $750,000 a year. Salaries for DWP executives must remain competitive with those of utility company execs to retain top talent, according to the city’s Office of Public Accountability, which recommended Quiñones’ salary.

She makes much more than Marty Adams, the previous department head, who earned about $447,000 a year when he departed.

Moore, a 30-year LAFD veteran, has spent his first months as chief dealing with persistent questions about the department’s management of the Palisades fire.

A week after the fire, a Times investigation found that top LAFD officials did not fully staff up and pre-deploy all available engines and firefighters to the Palisades and other high-risk areas, despite a forecast of dangerously high winds.

Bass cited the failure to keep firefighters on duty for a second shift as one reason she dismissed Crowley.

The new chief has swerved between candid reflection over the department’s failures during the Palisades fire and lashing out at the media over what he has called a “smear” campaign against firefighters who bravely worked to put out the catastrophic blaze.

Moore appeared to be referencing a Times report that a battalion chief ordered crews to roll up their hoses and leave the area of the Jan. 1 Lachman fire, even though firefighters had complained that the ground was still smoldering and rocks remained hot to the touch. Days later, the Lachman fire reignited into the Palisades fire.

Moore has also tried to walk a fine line on the LAFD’s after-action report, which was meant to spell out mistakes and suggest measures to avoid repeating them.

The author of the report, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, declined to endorse the final version because of changes that altered his findings and made the report, in his words, “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”

The most significant change to the report involved downplaying LAFD officials’ pre-deployment mistakes.

Moore has admitted that the report was watered down to “soften language and reduce explicit criticism of department leadership,” while saying he would not look into who directed the watering down. But Moore has also said that he will not allow similar edits to future after-action reports.

Bass has repeatedly denied that she was involved in any effort to water down the report. But two sources with knowledge of Bass’ office have said that Bass wanted key findings about the LAFD’s actions removed or softened.

Bass has called The Times’ reporting “dangerous and irresponsible.”