Jan. 17 (UPI) — Syrian forces have pushed Kurdish fighters out of several cities and villages in the Aleppo region on Saturday after Kurdish leaders announced they were withdrawing.

The Syrian military took control of Maskana and continued its advance on other communities controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, which largely is made up of Kurds, CNN reported.

The SDF’s media center reported the Kurdish forces are “engaged in intense clashes” with the Syrian military and accused government officials in Damascus of violating a recent truce agreement.

“As a result of the Damascus government’s treachery and violation of the internationally sponsored agreement, groups of our fighters remain besieged in the towns of Deir Hafer and Maskana, despite the agreement stipulating a 48-hour deadline for our forces to withdraw,” the SDF said in an earlier post.

“The Damascus government violated the agreement and attacked our fighters using tanks,” the SDF continued.

“We hold the Damascus government and the international powers sponsoring the agreement fully responsible for the safety and lives of our besieged fighters,” it said. “We emphasize the necessity of ensuring their safe passage, along with their weapons, to areas in North and East Syria.”

The Aleppo region, where Saturday’s fighting occurred, is located in northwestern Syria and about 220 miles north of Damascus.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier said he would unify the nation that had been divided during 14 years of civil war that mostly ended in late 2024 when former President Bashar al-Assad fled the country as forces led by al-Sharaa captured Damascus.

Syrian forces also took control of Deir Hafer and several other locales in the region and declared the area west of the Euphrates River to be closed to all but the nation’s military, according to Al Jazeera.

An unknown number of fighters for both sides died in the fighting, and the Syrian Interior Ministry reported its soldiers captured an SDF weapons supply depot.

Although the SDF is being eliminated in Syria, al-Sharaa has declared Kurdish to be the national language of Syria and restored the citizenship of all Syrians who are Kurds.

The Aina handball incident happened with about 10 minutes of the match remaining.

The Forest right-back attempted to control a bouncing ball in his own penalty area while being challenged by Gabriel Jesus and bumped by his own team-mate Elliot Anderson.

The ball hit Aina’s shoulder before striking his arm as the defender tried to turn, prompting Arteta and Arsenal to vehemently appeal for a spot-kick – to no avail.

The Premier League Match Centre on X said: “The referee’s call of no penalty to Arsenal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that the ball was played off Aina’s shoulder first, while his arm was also in a natural position.”

While Arteta was adamant his side had been denied a “clear penalty”, Forest boss Sean Dyche, unsurprisingly, did not agree.

“I think if these start to get given we’ve all got to leave it. I think that’s ridiculous. We’ve got to be careful with those,” Dyche said.

“You may as well cancel football if you’re going to give that [as handball]. The rules have to be careful. You know what they should be looking at? People feigning injury. That’s the new diving.”

Retired Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport he thought the officials had come to the correct decision, saying: “The arm is close to the body and is in a justifiable position.”

The decision split the watching pundits, with ex-Chelsea winger Pat Nevin telling BBC Radio 5 Live he thought Aina’s arm “moved towards the ball”, but former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard insisting it would have been “soft” to award a spot-kick for the incident.

What makes a perfect L.A. movie? Some kind of alchemy of curdled glamour, palm trees, ocean spray, conspiracies big and small — and more than a pinch of vanity. From hard-bitten ’40s noirs and vertiginous Hollywood rises (and falls) to the real-life poetry of neighborhood dreamers and nighttime drivers, Los Angeles is always ready for its close-up. The city has long occupied a cinematic place, straddling its gauzy past and a dark, rainy future. Go west, they said, and we came here, a site of fantasy, industry, possibility and obsession.

We asked 17 film writers — staffers, freelancers, critics and reporters — to rank their top 20 movies set in L.A. (not as easy as you think) using a balloting process that blended their painstaking choices to develop this list. Angelenos live among the actual locations in these films; we’ve noted those specific details in each write-up, so you can go out exploring. Of course we didn’t have room for every title. Let us know your favorites, the ones you carry with you. — Joshua Rothkopf, film editor

A BRITISH travel firm which sold package holidays to Europe and South East Asia has ceased trading after going into liquidation this week.

Many Brits will have their travel plans ruined as the company lost its Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL).

According to Companies House, Regen Central Ltd, founded in 2011 in Hertfordshire went bust on January 13.

The package holiday company ran packages to Italy, Bali, and Thailand, as well as the Middle East, including Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

ATOL is the UK government-backed financial protection scheme that comes into place when consumers book a package trip that includes a flight.

The licensing is required for tour companies in the UK as it guarantees that customers receive refunds if the company collapses.

MAGIC RIDE

I went on UK train journey that feels like Hogwarts Express with stunning views

CONNECT IT

The two European countries set to be connected by new £11.4million bridges

It is understood by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that Regen Central Ltd had no outstanding ATOL-protected bookings.

“Regen Central Ltd- ATOL 11020 has ceased trading as an ATOL holder on 13th January 2026,” the CAA website said.

The message continued “The company based in London traded under the names One Haji and Umrah, Regen Travels and Oneworld Travels and website(s) regentravels.com, oneworld-travels.com and onehajjumrah.com.”

However, it did say that bookings sold as flight only, accommodation only and non-flight packages are not protected by the ATOL scheme.

So, make sure you read the small print before trying to claim a refund.

There may be help out there if you did book one of the above packages though.

Customers who booked invalid travel packages have been asked to wait patiently until the agency provides information on how to submit refund claims.

“We understand the company had no outstanding ATOL protected bookings. Bookings sold as accommodation only, non-flight packages, and flight only bookings for which tickets were issued are not protected by the ATOL scheme” the CAA website states.

Anyone who believes they are owed a refund for an ATOL-protected booking should contact them via email at claims@caa.co.uk.

The next step for the company is now to begin liquidation proceedings.

This comes just weeks after The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced at the end of December that the Ickenham Travel Group stopped trading in November.

The London-based company previously traded under the names Abu Dhabi Holidays, Ras Al Khaimah Holidays and Letsgo2.

Ickenham Travel Group, which started with just one shop, was founded in 1970 by chief executive Peter Reglar. 

It ceased trading as a license holder on November 20, 2025 after more than five decades.

The CAA told customers who were overseas on that date that their return flight remained valid and they should check in with their airline ‘as per the existing flight ticket’.

In June last year another British-based travel company went bust and customers had their holidays cancelled.

Great Little Escapes, based in Berkshire, says it organises “holidays to the most iconic cities in the world”.

Its website boasts: “Find your next City Break with Great Little Escapes.”

But it has now ceased trading as an ATOL holder. A total of 141 customers have been affected.

A notice from the Civil Aviation Authority said: “The company based in Sandhurst, Berkshire traded under the names Your Holidays, Great Little Escapes, Tunisia First and websites http://www.themaldives.co.uk, http://www.yourholidays.co.uk, http://www.thecaribbean.com and http://www.greatlittleescapes.co.uk.

MINNEAPOLIS — Work starts around sunrise for many federal officers carrying out the immigration crackdown in and around the Twin Cities, with hundreds of people in tactical gear emerging from a bland office building near the main airport.

Within minutes, hulking SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans begin leaving, forming the unmarked convoys that quickly have become feared and common sights in the streets of Minneapolis, St. Paul and their suburbs.

Protesters also arrive early, braving the cold to stand across the street from the fenced-in federal compound, which houses an immigration court and government offices. “Go home!” they shout as convoys roar past. “ICE out!”

Things often turn uglier after nightfall, when the convoys return and the protesters sometimes grow angrier, shaking fences and occasionally smacking passing cars. Eventually the federal officers march toward them, firing tear gas and flash grenades before hauling away at least a few people.

“We’re not going anywhere!” a woman shouted on a recent morning. “We’re here until you leave.”

This is the daily rhythm of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s latest and biggest crackdown yet, with more than 2,000 officers taking part. The surge has pitted city and state officials against the federal government, sparked daily clashes between activists and immigration officers in the deeply liberal cities, and left a mother of three dead.

The crackdown is barely noticeable in some areas, particularly in whiter, wealthier neighborhoods and suburbs, where convoys and tear gas are rare. And even in neighborhoods where masked immigration officers are common, they often move with ghost-like quickness, making arrests and disappearing before protesters can gather in force.

Still, the surge can be felt across broad swaths of the Twin Cities area, which is home to more than 3 million people.

“We don’t use the word ‘invasion’ lightly,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, told reporters this week, noting that his police force has just 600 officers. “What we are seeing is thousands — plural, thousands — of federal agents coming into our city.”

Those agents have an outsize presence in a small city.

It can take hours to drive across Los Angeles or Chicago, both targets of Trump administration crackdowns. It can take 15 minutes to cross Minneapolis.

So as worry ripples through the region, children are skipping school or learning remotely, families are avoiding religious services, and many businesses, especially in immigrant neighborhoods, have closed temporarily.

Drive down Lake Street, an immigrant hub since the days when newcomers came to Minneapolis from Norway and Sweden, and the sidewalks seem crowded only with activists standing watch, ready to blow warning whistles at the first sign of a convoy.

At La Michoacana Purepecha, where customers can order ice cream, chocolate-covered bananas and pork rinds, the door is locked and staff lets in people one at a time. Nearby, at Taqueria Los Ocampo, a sign in English and Spanish says the restaurant is temporarily closed because of “current conditions.”

A dozen blocks away at the Karmel Mall, where the city’s large Somali community goes for everything from food and coffee to tax preparation, signs on the doors warn, “No ICE enter without court order.”

The shadow of George Floyd

It’s been nearly six years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, but the scars from that killing remain raw.

Floyd was killed just blocks from where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, during a Jan. 7 confrontation after she stopped to help neighbors during an enforcement operation. Federal officials say the officer fired in self-defense after Good “weaponized” her vehicle. City and state officials dismiss those explanations and point to bystander videos of the confrontation, which show the officer shot her through her driver’s side window.

For Twin Cities residents, the crackdown can feel overwhelming.

“Enough is enough,” said Johan Baumeister, who came to the scene of Good’s death soon after the shooting to lay flowers.

He said he didn’t want to see the violent protests that shook Minneapolis after Floyd’s death, causing billions of dollars in damage. But this city has a long history of activism and protests, and he had no doubt there would be more.

“I think they’ll see Minneapolis show our rage again,” he predicted.

He was right. In the days since there have been repeated confrontations between activists and immigration officers. Most amounted to little more than shouted insults and taunting, with destruction mostly limited to broken windows, graffiti and some badly damaged federal vehicles.

But angry clashes flare regularly across the Twin Cities. Some protesters clearly want to provoke the federal officers, throwing snowballs at them or screaming obscenities through bullhorns from just a couple of feet away. The serious force, though, comes from immigration officers, who have broken car windows, pepper-sprayed protesters and warned observers not to follow them through the streets. Immigrants and citizens have been yanked from cars and homes and detained, sometimes for days. And most clashes end in tear gas.

Drivers in Minneapolis or St. Paul stumble across intersections blocked by men in body armor and gas masks, with helicopters clattering overhead and the air filled with the shriek of protesters’ whistles.

Shovel your neighbor’s walk

In a state that prides itself on decency, there’s something particularly Minnesotan about the protests.

Soon after Good was shot, Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat and regular Trump target, repeatedly said he was angry but also urged people to find ways to help their communities.

“It might be shoveling your neighbor’s walk,” he said. “It might mean being at a food bank. It might be pausing to talk to someone you haven’t talked to before.”

He and other leaders pleaded with protesters to remain peaceful, warning that the White House was looking for a chance to crack down harder. And when protests become clashes, residents often spill from their homes, handing out bottled water so people can flush tear gas from their eyes.

Residents stand watch at schools to warn immigrant parents if convoys approach while they’re picking up their children. People take care packages to those too afraid to go out,and arrange rides for them to work and doctor visits.

On Thursday in the basement of a Lutheran church in St. Paul, the group Open Market MN assembled food packs for more than a hundred families staying home. Colin Anderson, the group’s outreach director, said the group has had a surge in requests.

Sometimes people don’t even understand what has happened to them.

Like Christian Molina from suburban Coon Rapids, who was driving through a Minneapolis neighborhood on a recent day, taking his car to a mechanic, when immigration officers began following him. He wonders if it’s because he looks Latino.

They turned on their siren, but Molina kept driving, unsure who they were.

Eventually the officers sped up, hit his rear bumper and both cars stopped. Two officers emerged and asked Molina for his papers. He refused, saying he’d wait for the police. Crowds began to gather, and a clash soon broke out, ending with tear gas.

So the officers left. They left behind an angry, worried man who suddenly owned a sedan with a mangled rear fender.

Long after the officers were gone, he had one final question.

“Who’s going to pay for my car?”

Sullivan writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Rebecca Santana and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson claim a bronze medal in the European Figure Skating Championships. After starting the final round in second place, timing issues cost the pair the chance to clinch gold.

REPORT: GB’s Fear and Gibson fall short of European gold

Available to UK users only.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said imports of electricity and additional power equipment must be accelerated as Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure have left the country reeling from its worst wartime energy crisis.

In a social media post on Saturday, Zelenskyy said the capital Kyiv and the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions were particularly hard-hit by power outages linked to the intensified Russian strikes.

“We need to accelerate as much as possible the increase in electricity imports and the provision of additional equipment from partners,” he said. “All decisions for this are already in place, and the increase in imports must proceed without delay.”

The Ukrainian government has declared an energy emergency as the damaged power grid is meeting only 60 percent of the country’s electricity needs.

The situation has also been exacerbated by exceptionally cold temperatures, leaving families across Ukraine struggling to stay warm.

Since it invaded its neighbour in February 2022, Russia has routinely targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter, seeking to put pressure on Ukrainian leaders to agree to Moscow’s demands.

The United Nations and other observers have condemned this year’s Russian assault on Ukraine’s energy, stressing that children and the elderly are most vulnerable.

Russia’s attacks are “causing terrible human suffering”, NATO chief Mark Rutte said earlier this week, adding that the military alliance was “committed to ensuring that Ukraine continues to get the crucial support needed to defend today and ultimately secure a lasting peace”.

Thousands without power

Zelenskyy said 400,000 people were experiencing “difficulties with electricity” in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, after overnight Russian strikes.

The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said three people were wounded in a Russian attack on a critical infrastructure facility in the city’s industrial district on Saturday.

“We’re talking about serious strikes on the system that keeps the city warm and lit,” he wrote on Telegram, adding that the system is “constantly operating at its limits”.

Each new strike, Terekhov added, means “maintaining a stable supply will become even more difficult, and recovery will be longer and harder”.

Authorities also said 56,000 families in the Bucha area outside Kyiv were without power after the latest Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s energy ministry has said most regions of Ukraine had electricity restrictions.

“Due to constant massive attacks by the Russian Federation, a state of emergency has been declared in the Ukrainian energy sector,” the ministry said.

Ukrainian negotiators in US

Meanwhile, Ukrainian negotiators arrived in the United States on Saturday for another round of talks with senior members of President Donald Trump’s administration, which has been pushing for a deal to end the nearly four-year conflict.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelenskyy’s office, said the delegation would meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.

“Ukraine needs a just peace. We are working to achieve results,” Budanov said in a post on the Telegram app.

Zelenskyy said the team’s main task in the US was “to present the full and accurate picture of what Russian strikes are causing” in Ukraine.

“Among the consequences of this terror is the discrediting of the diplomatic process: people lose faith in diplomacy, and Russian attacks constantly undermine even the limited opportunities for dialogue that existed before,” he said on social media.

“The American side must understand this.”

Ukraine and the US have drafted a 20-point peace proposal, but Russia has yet to comment on it as Washington’s efforts to end the fighting have so far failed to achieve an agreement.

The Russian government has made several demands over the past months, including territorial concessions and assurances that Ukraine won’t seek NATO membership.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy again blamed Moscow for a lack of progress. “Ukraine has never been and will never be a roadblock to peace, and it is now up to our partners to determine whether diplomacy moves forward,” he said.

CENTCOM says the strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed a man tied to the December attack that killed US troops and an interpreter.

The United States says an air strike in northwestern Syria has killed an al-Qaeda-affiliated leader who had ties to an ISIL (ISIS) member involved in a deadly ambush of US forces last month.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that an air strike a day earlier killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who was “directly connected with the ISIS gunman who killed and injured American and Syrian personnel” in mid-December.

“There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you,” CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper said in a statement.

Two US soldiers and a military interpreter were killed in the ISIL ambush in the Syrian city of Palmyra on December 13.

Since then, the US has carried out a series of large-scale strikes in Syria in what it says is a response to the deadly attack on US forces.

On Saturday, CENTCOM said US forces and their partners had struck more than 100 ISIL “infrastructure and weapons” sites since the US military launched its retaliatory operation in December.

“Additionally, US and partner forces have captured more than 300 ISIS operatives and killed over 20 across Syria during the past year,” it said.

US President Donald Trump had promised to inflict significant damage on those responsible for the deadly attack on US troops.

“I can tell you, in Syria, there will be a lot of big damage done to the people that did it,” Trump said on December 13.

In 1911, a Broadway playwright wrote a snarky letter about a teenage actor who had recently train-tripped from New York to Los Angeles.

“The poor kid is actually thinking of taking up moving pictures seriously,” William C. deMille scribbled to his theater colleague, David Belasco. “So I suppose we’ll have to say goodbye to little Mary Pickford. She’ll never be heard of again.”

That gossip set the tone for the story of Hollywood: adventure, pathos, arrogance, comedy and a dramatic twist ending. Mary Pickford became the most famous face in the world and William and his family quickly followed her west where, in 1914, his little brother Cecil directed the town’s first full-length movie, “The Squaw Man.”

Since then, Los Angeles has produced who knows how many films. No one seems to have counted them. The most reasonable guesses I can find estimate the tally to be around 30,000 features, a number that sounds small for the psychological real estate that Hollywood occupies in the mind of its global audience. Back-of-the-envelope math calculates you could watch all of them in a little over five years — assuming you never slept.

From their ranks, we’ve chosen the 101 L.A.-set movies that best represent this city and its inhabitants: actors, scamps, cops, crooks, singers, strivers, slackers and even cyborgs.

In a fitting irony, “The Squaw Man” itself doesn’t count because Cecil imagined it took place on the plains. But the barn he used as a studio still stands on Highland Avenue — it’s now the Hollywood Heritage Museum. If you’ve been here at all, you’ve certainly driven past it on your way from Mulholland Drive to Sunset Boulevard and Chinatown, a tour that references three titles that stand tall on our list, even if the plots themselves don’t make us look pretty.

Part of what defines a Los Angeles movie is our city’s willingness to turn the camera on itself, to prioritize a riveting tale over our own reputation. We’re eager to share our saga with the world. Our glamorous and gruesome history is all there in a close-up of “Chinatown’s” Jack Nicholson: a movie star with a mutilated nose.

Intriguingly for a town that popularized the Hollywood happy ending, many of the movies we most identify with end on a downbeat note, roughly half of them. Sunshine aside, this isn’t an easy place to live and it’s getting harder. My friends and I joke that Hollywood makes movies like “Falling Down” and “Death Becomes Her,” in which traffic jams and narcissism lead directly to death, to keep more New Yorkers from flooding the place, like a Chihuahua owner posting a sign on their door that says: Beware of dog.

I arrived right after college, an Oklahoma transplant whose expectations of L.A. were, naturally, shaped by the movies. The Sunset Strip hair metal bands immortalized by Penelope Spheeris in “The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” were long since extinct and the “Swingers” bros who ascended afterward were themselves aging out of the scene. To put an exact time stamp on it, I signed the lease of my first apartment in Little Armenia because the bowling alley from “The Big Lebowski” was only two blocks away. A month later, it closed. (Luckily, I did get to go once.)

Driving west, I’d steeled myself for two classic L.A. clichés: seismic earthquakes and shallow people. Instead, I was thrilled to discover a city full of fascinating characters and so many yet-to-be-explored corners that it will never run out of material.

Fifteen directors made our list at least twice, an eclectic group whose ranks include Amy Heckerling, David Lynch, Charles Burnett, Kathryn Bigelow, Michael Mann and Billy Wilder — the latter of whom has two films in the top 10. Each filmmaker revealed fresh layers in this soil and, upon it, built their own legacies. (Three other directors you may be able to guess earned even more than two spots.)

Storytellers — the best ones, at least — are curious by nature and in this town, no matter where they point a camera, there’s something worth seeing, from the hangout vibes of “Friday” to the erotic humidity of “Spa Night.” Sean Baker’s hyperactive “Tangerine,” shot on an iPhone at a doughnut shop on Santa Monica Boulevard, not only makes that point with gusto, it encourages you to get out and roam.

These movies are a permanent reminder that Los Angeles is a place where fiction and reality are fused. Right now, you could go get a cold soda at Bob’s Market in Angelino Heights — an ordinary joint with laundry detergent and fresh lemons on the shelves — and toast it for cameoing in three movies on our list: “L.A. Confidential,” “Nightcrawler” and, most iconically, Vin Diesel’s gasoline-powered 2001 crowdpleaser “The Fast and the Furious.”

To quote a needle drop from a title on this list, I love L.A. That Randy Newman anthem blares at the end of “Volcano” after Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche successfully divert a lava flow into the Pacific Ocean and the newly formed Mt. Wilshire exhales a sigh of relief. (Mick Jackson, who directed that disasterpiece, also helmed the aptly named Steve Martin rom-com “L.A. Story.”)

One summer shortly after I planted my own stake here, a science club hosted an outdoor screening of “Volcano” on site at the La Brea Tar Pits, nestled among the palm trees it took such pleasure in destroying. One local geologist wore a black bed sheet with orange and red foam noodles sticking out of her head — yes, she was costumed as a volcano. As the credits rolled next to the park’s mastodon sculptures, I couldn’t have agreed with Randy more.

RICHMOND, Va. — Amid a cold drizzle, Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn into office Saturday at the state Capitol as Virginia’s first female governor after centuries of men holding the state’s top office.

The inauguration of Spanberger, who defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, marks a new chapter in Virginia as Democrats pull the levers of power in state government while Republican President Trump sits in the White House in neighboring Washington.

“The history and the gravity of this moment are not lost on me,” Spanberger said in her address. “I maintain an abiding sense of gratitude to those who work, generation after generation, to ensure women could be among those casting ballots, but who could only dream of a day like today.”

Spanberger ran on a vow to protect Virginia’s economy amid uncertainty wrought by the aggressive tactics of the Trump administration. On the trail she spoke of the White House gutting the civil service, the rising costs of goods and changes affecting the state’s already fragile healthcare system.

In a thinly veiled dig at the president, Spanberger said it was time for Virginians to fix what was broken.

“I know many of you are worried about the recklessness coming out of Washington,” she said. “You are worried about policies that are hurting our communities, cutting healthcare access, imperiling rural hospitals and driving up costs.”

Two other Democrats also were sworn in. Ghazala F. Hashmi, the first Muslim woman to serve in statewide office in the U.S., is Virginia’s new lieutenant governor. Hashmi placed her hand on a Quran as she was sworn in. Jay Jones is Virginia’s first Black attorney general. He was sworn into his post, notably, in the former capital of the Confederacy.

After the ceremony Hashmi and Jones stood behind Spanberger as she signed her first 10 executive orders, including one rescinding a Youngkin directive from last year instructing state law enforcement and corrections officers to assist with federal immigration enforcement.

“Local law enforcement should not be required to divert their limited resources to enforce federal civil immigration laws,” she said.

Spanberger’s inauguration as the state’s 75th governor is a historic first: Only men have held the post since Virginia first became a commonwealth in 1776. And no woman served as a colonial governor prior to that, long before women even had the right to vote.

She will be referred to with traditional formality: “Madam Governor” or, as some officials phrase it, “Her Excellency.”

According to “A Guide to Virginia Protocol and Traditions,” males in the official party wear morning coats and women wear dark suits for the inauguration, and many, including the new governor’s husband, kept to that tradition Saturday.

But as the first woman to serve as governor, Spanberger wore all white, a possible tribute to the women’s suffrage movement. She wore a gold pin on her long, white coat that said: “One country. One destiny.”

Prominent Democrats attended the ceremony, such as New Jersey Gov.-Elect Mikie Sherrill and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. U.S. Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Adam Schiff of California were seated in the crowd.

On his 95th birthday, former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder also sat behind Spanberger and watched her inauguration.

“On these steps, Virginia inaugurated our 66th governor and our nation’s first elected African American governor,” Spanberger said in her speech. “Gov. L. Douglas Wilder changed what so many of our fellow citizens believed was even possible.”

Democrats in the statehouse have vowed to work with Spanberger to push through their agenda, which includes redrawing the state’s congressional district map ahead of the midterm elections.

The state Democrats picked up 13 seats in the House of Delegates a year after the party’s stunning losses nationwide in the 2024 presidential election.

Diaz writes for the Associated Press.

In a city where he has played for the longest stretch of his life, LeBron James should be considered one of the greatest Lakers ever.

Yet, by most accounts, he’s barely in the top 10.

James set the career scoring record here, set the career longevity record here, and won a long-awaited NBA championship here.

Yet he is generally ranked behind Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, James Worthy … and maybe even Pau Gasol?

When he likely leaves the team after this season, James should get a statue. He won’t. He should get a farewell game similar to Kobe Bryant’s final good-bye. He won’t.

For eight breathtaking seasons, LeBron James has poured his soul into pleasing a passionate fan base such that he still fills Crypto.com Arena with joy and light and tomahawk dunks at age 41.

Yet most fans can’t wait for him to leave.

They’re tired of his drama, unconvinced of his loyalty, dissatisfied with the results, and ready to embrace fresh new franchise faces. One of those belongs to Austin Reaves, who was unwittingly pitted against James this week during unfortunate speculation from James’ agent and close friend Rich Paul.

Bottom line? If forced to choose between James and Reaves, here’s guessing the majority would choose Reaves. If forced to keep either James or Reaves, almost certainly the Lakers would keep Reaves.

These sorts of questions will matter at the upcoming Feb. 5 trade deadline, when, with the team going nowhere, perhaps James should realize that his days here are numbered and consider lifting that no-trade clause.

If unanswered, the questions will surface again this summer, when Reaves becomes a free agent and can command a maximum contract of $241 million over five years. The Lakers are going to pay him, which leaves James, who would also be a free agent, and his contract demands deep on the bench.

If James leaves the Lakers for whatever reason — retirement, seeking a title elsewhere — the Lakers can sign Reaves and still have $50 million in cap space.

Think about that.

Lakers forward LeBron James hugs teammate Austin Reaves after he was fouled on a three-point shot during a game against Utah.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Fifty million in cap space on a team that’s already locked up its two best scorers? Are you kidding me?

If James gets out of the way, the Lakers can finally fully commit to a retooling around Luka Doncic and Reaves.

It’s all pretty simple, isn’t it? It only became complicated this week when the suddenly struggling Lakers were hit with the most damaging opinion during the most detrimental of times.

Paul popped off on his podcast about trading, of all people, Reaves.

In “Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul,” Paul cited the advantages of trading Reaves to Memphis for Jaren Jackson Jr.

“This comes with a very unemotional attachment because Austin is beloved, which he should be, he’s an underdog,” Paul said on the podcast. “There’s a world where you can do what’s best for your team, and do what’s best for Austin. Because Austin deserves to get paid. Now, I love him as a Laker, but if that was a situation where we’re getting balance — because if you put all the money into just the backcourt and then your flexibility is restricted going forward to fill out the rest of the team…”

Paul went so far as to say Memphis would be the perfect place for Reaves.

“Memphis would definitely pay Austin,” Paul said. “He would become … probably their point guard and leading scorer, for sure. … But definitely their highest-paid player.”

A similar opinion urging the Lakers to trade Reaves appeared in this column last summer, but that was written before Reaves had a breakout start this season, averaging 27 points a game on 51% shooting before being sidelined with a calf injury.

He’s hot. He’s arrived. He’s him.

The idea of trading Reaves now feels foolish. Even worse, it feels like an idea that was co-signed by James himself.

Trading Reaves would give more touches to James. Acquiring Jackson would offer more room for James. The entire speculation could be summed up in one sentence that has nothing to do with Reaves or Jackson.

The Lakers should do what’s best for LeBron James.

No, they shouldn’t. No, they absolutely shouldn’t. Yet that’s what Paul was saying, and one would be naive to think that’s not what James is thinking, even though he denied any association in an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“I think you all know by now, Rich is his own man and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel,” James told McMenamin. “And I hope people know that. I hope people know that and if they’re not sensible to know that, then I don’t know what to tell them.”

In the same interview, James also expressed his love for Reaves. Smart man.

“AR knows how I feel about him,” James told McMenamin. “All you got to do is look at us on the bench. Me and AR talk every single day. So, AR knows how I feel about him and I hope AR — or his camp — don’t look at me and think this is words from me are coming through Rich.”

Turns out, Reaves’ camp thought these words were exactly coming from James, witness the brief courtside meeting between Reggie Berry, one of Reaves’ agents, and Paul during a Lakers game earlier this week. According to ESPN, Berry approached Paul in search of an explanation for his comments.

Later on his podcast, Paul said he told Berry, “I want Austin to know this is not about Austin Reaves because I love the player, love the person.”

Everybody, it seems, loves Austin Reaves, and he’s not going anywhere. Meanwhile, after another tumultuous week in the passive-aggressive life of a king, it feels like LeBron James is as good as gone.

European and South American leaders say pact sends ‘clear signal’ amid concerns over global tariffs, isolationism.

European and South American officials have signed a major free trade agreement, paving the way for the European Union’s largest-ever trade accord amid tariff threats and deepening uncertainty around global cooperation.

The deal finalised on Saturday between the 27-nation EU and South America’s Mercosur bloc creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of negotiations.

The agreement, designed to lower tariffs and boost trade between the two regions, must now gain the consent of the European Parliament and be ratified by the legislatures of Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

“We choose fair trade over tariffs, we choose a productive long-term partnership over isolation,” EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen said at the signing ceremony in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion.

Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena also praised the treaty as sending “a clear signal in favour of international trade” in “a global scenario marked by tensions”.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said it was a “bulwark … in the face of a world battered by unpredictability, protectionism, and coercion”.

The deal received a greenlight from most European nations last week, despite opposition from farmers and environmental groups, who have raised concerns over a surge of inexpensive South American imports and increased deforestation.

Thousands of Irish farmers protested last week against the agreement, accusing European leaders of sacrificing their interests.

But the leaders in Paraguay said the pact would bring jobs, prosperity, and opportunities to people on both sides of the Atlantic.

Together, the EU and Mercosur account for 30 percent of global GDP and more than 700 million consumers. The treaty, which eliminates tariffs on more than 90 percent of bilateral trade, is expected to come into force by the end of 2026.

The deal will favour European exports of cars, wine and cheese, while making it easier for South American beef, poultry, sugar, rice, honey and soya beans to enter Europe.

Reporting from Paraguay on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Latin America editor Lucia Newman explained that the Mercosur countries make up a “huge area that produces enormous amounts of agricultural [products] and raw minerals” that the EU wants.

“Here in South America, they are very, very keen because [the deal] will open up an enormous market for them in Europe – but with more stringent conditions than they’ve had until now. So that will need some accommodating,” Newman said.

She added that it is critical to note the “geopolitical message” that European and South American leaders were sending to the United States and other parts of the world by signing the deal.

“And that is, that this is a gesture to support multilateralism at a time, as Von der Leyen said, when isolationism and tariffs are trying to rule the world,” Newman said.

Just before the signing ceremony, US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs against several European countries over their opposition to his push to take control of Greenland.

The US leader has refused to rule out taking military action to seize the Arctic island – a semi-autonomous territory that is part of Denmark – fuelling widespread international concern and protests.

Streaming services have been getting more expensive, and Spotify is next in line.

Starting in February, the price of ad-free individual plans will rise by $1 to $12.99 per month, the company said Thursday. The last time the price was raised was in June 2024, when premium plans were bumped from $10.99 to $11.99.

“Occasional updates to pricing across our markets reflect the value that Spotify delivers, enabling us to continue offering the best possible experience and benefit artists,” wrote the company in a release.

The higher price will take effect in the U.S., Estonia and Latvia.

This new rate comes after a hallmark week for the streaming service. Leading up to the Golden Globes, Spotify announced an expansion of its podcasting efforts. The company unveiled a new “video first” podcasting studio in Hollywood and is growing its creator program by making it easier for podcasters to make money on the platform.

The night of the awards show, the Spotify-produced podcast, Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang,” brought home the inaugural podcast award. After the ceremony, the company also premiered its first-ever video podcast, available for streaming on Netflix. Last fall, the streamers first announced the partnership between the Ringer and Netflix, which makes Spotify’s video podcasts just as accessible as Netflix’s TV shows and movies.

At the top of the year, founder Daniel Ek also moved from his CEO position to executive chairman. Spotify named two co-CEOs, Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström.

Founded in 2006, Spotify has become the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with more than 713 million users. The streamer, based in Sweden, is available in more than 180 markets and has a library of over 100 million tracks, podcasts and audiobooks. Spotify shares were down roughly 21% early Thursday at about $508.

Spotify’s main competitor, Apple Music, currently offers a similar ad-free individual plan at $10.99 a month.

European leaders pledged a united response after US President Donald Trump threatened fresh tariffs until Denmark agrees to sell Greenland in an unprecedented escalation that could trigger a new trade war and break the transatlantic alliance.

From Ursula von der Leyen to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, EU leaders vowed to stay “united, coordinated and committed” to upholding Europe’s sovereignty after the Trump administration said additional tariffs of 10% would apply on eight European countries starting February 1.

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said all products from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom would be subject to an additional 10% tariff, which could be increased to 25% by June, to be paid until “a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland.”

Greenland is a semi-autononomous territory belonging to Denmark. Earlier this week, the same group of countries said they would deploy a joint mission to the island, which has prompted the ire and retaliation of the White House in the form of new tariffs.

Last summer, the EU and the US signed a deal which tripled duties on European products to 15% while lowering tariffs to zero on US industrial goods. At the time, Brussels indicated the deal, which saw major EU concessions in favour of Washington, was the price to pay for US engagement in Ukraine and global stability.

While it was not immediately clear how the tariffs announced Saturday would be stacked up, the threat of additional duties risks triggering a new trade war between the two.

EU Council president António Costa said he would coordinate leaders in their response.

Ursula von der Leyen joined echoed his remarks saying “tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated and committed to upholding its sovereignty.”

While the Commission negotiates matters related to trade on behalf of the 27 and has exclusive competences over commerce, the White House could go after individual countries by targeting specific products and industries related to those countries.

European leaders condemn ‘unacceptable’ threats

The Trump administration has upped the bellicose rhetoric around Greenland in recent weeks saying the territory will have to be transferred to the US for national security matters “the easy way or the hard way” and rejected suggestions that Denmark, assisted by its European allies, is capable of taking care of the territory and Arctic security.

Earlier this week, Danish officials held talks with American officials, pushing back against “a narrative” that Russian and Chinese warships are allowed to circle freely in Greenland. Danish intelligence says no Chinese ship has been spotted in a decade.

In a show of support for Denmark, a group of European countries joined an exploration mission to Greenland. They all now face tariffs from the Trump administration as a result.

Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he was “surprised” by the White House reaction and suggested that the purpose of the European mission is to “enhance security in the Arctic” as suggested by the White House.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel said the EU would not be intiminated.

“No intimidation or threat will influence us – whether in Ukraine, in Greenland or elsewhere in the world,” Macron wrote in a social media post on X.

“Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context. Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner if they are confirmed.”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson echoed his remarks, saying “we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed” in one of the most severe statements to date.

Parliament calls for EU to bring out the big trade bazooka

The latest spat calls into question the European strategy of appeasement when it comes to Trump and has revitalised calls to deploy its trade “bazooka” known as the anti-coercion instrument, which would allow the EU to severely retaliate against the US.

The tool adopted in 2023 to combat political blackmail through trade allows the EU to restrict third countries from participating in public procurement tenders, limit trade licenses and shut off access to the European single market.

Bernd Lange, a German parliamentarian and chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, said business cannot go on as usual as “President Trump is using trade as an instrument of political coercion” on European allies.

He called to suspend the implementation of the reduction of tariffs on US goods and said the EU must now activate the anti-coercion instrument. “A new line has been crossed.”

Meanwhile, Manfred Webber, the powerful chief of the conservative European People’s Party, urged the EU Parliament to freeze the EU-US deal.

“Given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage. The zero tariffs on US products must now be put on holds,” he said Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It might be time for UCLA to consider some possibilities about its basketball team, starting with the obvious: It’s just not shaping up to be all that good.

The Bruins can’t defend for long stretches, and when they do they often give up an offensive rebound. Xavier Booker’s transition to center is not working out. Tyler Bilodeau can’t seem to find enough consistent offensive support. Donovan Dent appears to be an average point guard at the Big Ten level.

UCLA’s limitations were on full, frustrating display once more Saturday afternoon during an 86-74 loss to Ohio State at the Schottenheim Center.

The Bruins got hammered on the boards, gave up too many big runs and couldn’t generate consistent offense in having their two-game winning streak snapped.

Some might say it’s tough to win on the road in this conference — especially with guard Skyy Clark sidelined once more by a hamstring injury — but the Bruins fell short in the energy and toughness departments while falling behind by as many as 19 points.

After giving up 12-0 and 8-0 runs early in the second half, UCLA (12-6 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) was further deflated when it gave up two offensive rebounds on the same possession and then committed a foul to send a Buckeyes player to the free-throw line.

Ohio State (12-5, 4-3) shot 52.8% from the field and won the rebounding battle, 37-27, with 12 offensive rebounds leading to 17 second-chance points. Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (28 points, six three-pointers) and forward Devin Royal (22 points, nine rebounds) were a major nuisance for a defense incapable of providing more than token resistance.

Bilodeau’s 30 points weren’t nearly enough on a day that Dent added 13 and forward Eric Dailey Jr. fouled out with nearly nine minutes left after tallying 12 points and four rebounds. Three days after he had a career-high 30 points, UCLA guard Trent Perry could manage only seven while making two of nine shots.

Almost nothing went the Bruins’ way more than halfway across the country.

A first half that was something of an exercise in frustration for UCLA ended in fitting fashion.

Mobley curled around in the backcourt to take the inbounds pass and dribbled his way into an open three-pointer that pushed the Buckeyes into a 42-36 lead. Mobley was up to 18 points by then, the Bruins unable to slow him no matter who tried to defend him.

As he walked off the court toward the locker room, UCLA coach Mick Cronin had some words for Dent, who extended his arms in frustration.

The Bruins remained within striking distance thanks largely to Bilodeau, whose 15 points came largely on the strength of making three of four three-pointers. Dent made two of three three-pointers, which was noteworthy considering he entered the game having made just two of 22 this season.

UCLA played a fourth consecutive game without guard Clark, who continues to close in on a return from the injury he suffered in the second half of his team’s loss to Iowa earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Cronin might be closing in on another decision — what to do about Booker. The big man got another start Saturday before providing very little in return. He got yanked after only two minutes, never to return after Cronin pointed to the spot of an apparent defensive breakdown as Booker walked past him on his way to taking a seat on the bench.

Steven Jamerson II started the second half in Booker’s place. It made no difference for a team with too many deficiencies.

Stanley Nwabali denies Mohamed Salah, saving two penalties as Nigeria beats Egypt for third place at 2025 AFCON.

Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved two penalties including the first from Mohamed Salah for Nigeria to beat Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout for third place at the Africa Cup Nations.

Ademola Lookman scored the winning penalty in Saturday’s match.

Salah and Omar Marmoush had their penalty kicks saved by Nwabali at the start of the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 in normal time. No extra time was played for the consolation of a bronze medal.

It was the Super Eagles’ second consecutive penalty shootout following a scoreless draw after losing the semifinal to Morocco on penalties on Wednesday.

Nwabali produced a strong hand to stop a well-taken penalty from Salah, then thwarted Marmoush’s effort straight down the middle with his foot.

Salah had been kept quiet by Nigeria’s defenders and was unable to add to his 11 Africa Cup goals altogether.

Victor Osimhen remained on Nigeria’s substitutes’ bench, suggesting he was carrying an injury from the semifinal defeat to Morocco. Osimhen was taken off in extra time of that game just before the penalty shootout.

The Super Eagles ended the Africa Cup on a positive note in contrast to the last edition, where they lost in the final to host Ivory Coast.

Morocco and Senegal will contest the final in Rabat on Sunday. Sadio Mane’s goal was enough to send Senegal through with a 1-0 win over Egypt in their semifinal.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has been re-elected to a seventh term, according to official results, winning nearly 72% of the vote to extend his 40-year rule. But opposition candidate Bobi Wine said the results were ‘fake’ and called for non-violent street protests.

Red Panda had been axed from the first episode of The Masked Singer UK a couple of weeks ago by ITV, but following their return on Saturday night their identity may be revealed

During their debut performance on The Masked Singer on Saturday night, Red Panda may have let slip their true identity.

The character had been axed from the first episode of the ITV series earlier this month, due to “potential insensitivities”. Red Panda was edited out by producers after the New Year‘s Eve bar fire tragedy in Switzerland

After 40 people sadly lost their lives in the blaze, ITV decided to cut the performance believing the theme and lyrics may be deemed insensitive. On Saturday Red Panda took to the stage, and fans immediately shared their theories of who it could be.

Many fans were all in agreement that the character could be none other than TV star Simon Farnaby. Clues included being “up to date”, a picture of James Bond’s Roger Moore and bonbon sweets, in four bowls.

READ MORE: The Traitors RECAP: Ross and Ellie reveal ‘expensive’ lengths to keep romance secretREAD MORE: Celebrity SAS star Graeme Swann opens up on ‘disgusting’ show and reveals nasty injury

There were also hints at working in TV, and going solo, and some hearts. As the performance came to an end, fans guessed Harry Hill was under the mask, before many changed their guess to Simon instead.

One fan said: “I can hear simon farnaby in red panda.” Another said: “Doesn’t Red Panda sound slike the voice Simon Farnaby does in Horrible Histories stuff, like in Stupid Deaths.”

A third fan posted: “Just me hearing Simon Farnaby for Red Panda?” A further fan added: “the singing voice sound like Simon Farnby”

It comes after Yak was revealed as Sex Pistols star John Lyndon in the latest unmasking last weekend. The show’s latest star took fans by surprise – with many failing to guess that it was the rock legend underneath that crooning cow.

“Nope didn’t get that lol #themaskedsinger,” one wrote on X. Another tweeted: “Would never have guessed him…” A third wrote: “Never in my life did I think I’d see Johnny Rotten singing an Olivia Newton-John song.”

The Sex Pistol singer didn’t hold back in his exit interview for the show, saying that it was “hardly” the highlight of his career. When asked whether being on the show would be a career highlight for him, he laughed: “I hardly think so. For me, I hope the fun comes across.

“Rather than going up there and doing sing along and guessing who I am straight away, I thought, show the other side of me. An absolute funstar. I’m the court jester by nature. It’s just the way it is.” As for whether he was sad to go, he said: “Certainly not. I think it’s been a privilege for you to have me.”

The Masked Singer UK airs Saturdays at 7PM on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Toulouse: Ramos; Delibes, Gourgues, Chocobares, Lebel; Kinghorn, Dupont (capt); Baille, Marchand, Aldegheri, Flament, Meafou, Banos, Willis, Jelonch.

Replacements: Mauvaka, Neti, Mallez, Brennan, Roumat, Cros, Graou, Thomas.

Sale: Davies; Ene, Ma’asi-White, Louw (capt), Wills; Curtis, Warr; Rodd, Jibulu, Harper, Burrow, Andrews, Gilmore, Woodman, Dugdale.

Replacements: Caine, McIntyre, Bell, Hogg, Logan, Hanson, Bedlow, Grace.

The relationship between Canada and China has been acrimonious for years, but now the two countries seem to be embarking on a new chapter.

Prime Minister Mark Carney concluded what he described as a “historic” visit to Beijing this week, hailing a new strategic partnership with China that he said could set both nations up for a “new world order”.

Many argue that United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs have pushed Canada and China to forge this new partnership. So, who stands to gain the most?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Einar Tangen – Senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a Canadian think tank

William Lee – Chief economist and managing director at Global Economic Advisors

Jean Charest – Former Canadian deputy prime minister

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deployed a military radar in the Somali region of Puntland as part of a secret deal, amid Abu Dhabi’s ongoing entrenchment of its influence over the region’s security affairs.

According to the London-based news outlet Middle East Eye, sources familiar with the matter told it that the UAE had installed a military radar near Bosaso airport in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this year, with one unnamed source saying that the “radar’s purpose is to detect and provide early warning against drone or missile threats, particularly those potentially launched by the Houthis, targeting Bosaso from outside”.

The radar’s presence was reportedly confirmed by satellite imagery from early March, which found that an Israeli-made ELM-2084 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array Multi-Mission Radar had indeed been installed near Bosaso airport.

READ: UAE: The scramble for the Horn of Africa

Not only does the radar have the purpose of defending Puntland and its airport from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, but air traffic data reportedly indicates it also serves to facilitate the transport of weapons, ammunition, and supplies to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), further fuelling the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

“The UAE installed the radar shortly after the RSF lost control of most of Khartoum in early March”, one source said. Another source was cited as claiming that the radar was deployed at the airport late last year and that Abu Dhabi has used it on a daily basis to supply the RSF, particularly through large cargo planes that frequently carry weapons and ammunition, and which sometimes amount to up to five major shipments at a time.

According to two other Somali sources cited by the report, Puntland’s president Said Abdullahi Deni did not seek approval from Somalia’s federal government nor even the Puntland parliament for the installation of the radar, with one of those sources stressing that it was “a secret deal, and even the highest levels of Puntland’s government, including the cabinet, are unaware of it”.

READ: UAE under scrutiny over alleged arms shipments to Sudan