Who: Arsenal vs Manchester United
What: English Premier League
Where: Emirates Stadium, London, United Kingdom
When: Sunday, January 23, at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

Premier League leaders Arsenal are the hot favourites to lift their first English title since 2004, but face an unlikely – and unpredictable – threat from a rejuvenated Manchester United on Sunday.

Even before the sacking of Ruben Amorim as manager, the Red Devils were showing signs of life, having lifted themselves from the 15th-place finish they suffered last season to challenging for a Champions League place this term.

The Gunners hold a four-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, following their win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, but do hold a game in hand, and they were done a sizeable favour last weekend by United, who beat their cross-city rivals.

That performance, under Michael Carrick’s interim management, has lit a fire under Sunday’s match to evoke memories of clashes when the Gunners and the Red Devils were the two teams to be stopped either side of the turn of the century.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the highly anticipated – and likely highly-charged – encounter.

Arsenal must be wary of reinvigorated Manchester United

Ahead of Sunday’s match against United, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta flagged ‍concerns over their opponents’ renewed intensity under Carrick.

United beat second-placed Manchester City 2-0 in a thrilling derby display, which allowed Arsenal to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points. Arteta, though, acknowledged that his team will now be heavily tested.

“Yes, with Michael coming in, it’s going to bring new ideas; the intensity rises up – you could see [it] in the Manchester derby with their behaviour and the game that they ‍played,” Arteta said.

“We expect a tough match, but we will adapt to that for sure. We are at home, and we know how important that is going to be for us.”

How do Arsenal shape up for Manchester United’s visit?

Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres are competing for a place in the starting lineup after both forwards impressed in Tuesday’s 3-1 Champions League win against Inter Milan. Jesus scored twice, while substitute Gyokeres also found the net.

“We were waiting for that with ​the amount of games that are coming up, and they are all ‌going to have opportunities and minutes, so great to have them back and, especially, to have them in good form,” he said.

Arteta ‌also addressed Arsenal’s decision to send teenage midfielder Ethan Nwaneri on loan to Olympique de Marseille.

“At the end, you have to be thrown to the sharks ‌in an incredible atmosphere and club. It’s going to make so ⁠much good,” Arteta said of the move.

Arsenal ‘far from perfect’ despite topping Premier and Champions leagues

Arteta said his side had room for improvement, despite being unbeaten in their last 12 matches and winning all seven of their Champions League games this season, while Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola called Arsenal the ‌best team in the world.

“I think we’re the team that wants to be constantly better. We are doing a lot of things right, but we are far from perfect, and our only aim is to sustain ‍the level we are doing and try to improve again,” Arteta said.

“You need to dominate all the phases in the game if we want to have the chance to win major trophies.”

Manchester United must not get carried away at Arsenal

United may ‌have lifted the mood around Old Trafford with their derby win over City, ‍but ‍Carrick on Friday urged his squad to balance renewed confidence with caution ahead of their trip to north London.

Carrick’s attack-minded side swept away the gloom hanging over the club with second-half goals from Bryan ​Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu last weekend, underlining their dominance against a disappointing City whose title ‍hopes suffered a significant setback.

“It has been a good week: a big result, a big performance and a big uplift with the feeling inside the stadium,” Carrick said ahead of Sunday’s clash.

“It is finding a balance ‍between getting the ⁠encouragement and confidence from the game and performance, and keeping level-headed and keeping our feet on the ground.

“We have got another big game coming up. One game does not make you a great team, but it gives us a great foundation to build on.

“[I’m] looking forward to the game; it’s a big challenge. They’re a very ​good team. They have so many strong points to their game. They ‌are where they are for a reason, we’re fully aware of that,” the 44-year-old Englishman added.

Casemiro still integral to United, despite imminent departure

Carrick also addressed the future of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who announced on Thursday that he will leave the club at the end of the season, ‌when his contract expires.

Although the 33-year-old has a one-year extension option, a team source said the club has chosen not to ‌activate it.

Casemiro arrived at Old Trafford from Real Madrid in ⁠2022 for about 60 million pounds ($81.11m) and played a key role in United’s 2023 League Cup triumph, scoring in the final, as well as being part of their 2024 FA Cup win.

“The Casemiro announcement was for clarity as much ‌as anything,” Carrick said. “It was decided before I arrived; it wasn’t a knee-jerk decision.

“But the type of personality and character he is, it shows with his performance last week, where he is mentally, ‍and what it means to be here and finish the season strong.

“I’ve had the conversation with him. He’s desperate to do well and finish well.”

Mainoo can be United’s main man for years to come

With Casemiro on the way out, Carrick was eager to turn his attention to Kobbie Mainoo, who he said has the quality and character to become a key player for the club after a frustrating spell during Ruben Amorim’s reign.

Mainoo started for the first time in the Premier League this season in the win against City.

The 20-year-old had, however, shot to prominence in the 2023/24 season under Erik ten Hag, scoring as United beat City in the FA Cup final and playing a starring role in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final.

However, he struggled for game time during Amorim’s ill-fated 14-month spell as the Portuguese coach defied calls to play Mainoo alongside club captain Bruno Fernandes.

“This club needs young players coming through and being the foundation for what it means, not just for the players or the squad, but for the club and for the supporters,” said Carrick at his pre-match news conference ahead of Sunday’s trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal.

“I think that is something that we need to grasp, and we need to keep building on.

“Kobbie is a prime example. To come through so quickly and have the rapid rise, to play in some unbelievably big games and impact those big games at such a young age, shows an awful lot of quality, and in the terms of the character, and to be able to handle it.

“Part of a career is a few ups and downs, and sometimes, it goes in different trajectories. But I think we’ve seen last week what Kobbie can bring.”

What effect did United’s win against City have on Carrick’s team?

Victory over City lifted fifth-placed United to within one point of the Premier League’s top four. With fourth-placed Liverpool’s defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, the Red Devils can move two points clear in fourth with victory against the Gunners.

The mood around Old Trafford was also transformed by the positive performance. Carrick is hoping it can be the foundation towards a positive end to the season as United aim to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in three years.

“It was a big result, big performance and a big uplift with the feeling inside the stadium,” added Carrick.

“It’s getting that balance between taking the encouragement and the confidence from the game, and keeping level-headed and our feet on the ground.

“One game doesn’t make you a great team, but it gives us a great foundation to build, so there’s a lot of confidence.”

What happened last time Arsenal played United?

Manchester United provided a stern test for Arsenal in the first Premier League meeting of the season, with Amorim’s side the better of the teams but the Gunners seeing off the challenge with a 1-0 win.

Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the game at Old Trafford in the 14th minute.

Head-to-head

This will be the 255th meeting between two of English football’s great rivals, with United winning 99 of the matches. Arsenal have emerged victorious on 90 occasions.

Arsenal team news

Arsenal have this week welcomed the return of ‌Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie to training following injuries.

Arteta was unsure whether Calafiori, out since last ‍month with a ⁠muscle injury, and Hincapie, who suffered a groin injury earlier this month, will be ready to join Arsenal’s defence this weekend after returning to training on Friday.

The manager added that forward Kai Havertz is nearing full recovery, leaving winger Max Dowman as the sole player sidelined by injury.

Arsenal’s possible predicted lineup (4-3-3)

Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

Manchester United team news

Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt remains United’s biggest absentee, remaining sidelined with a back injury.

Joshua Zirkzee has picked up a knock, so he will have to pass a medical. Noussair Mazraoui is expected to be available, having returned from the Africa Cup of Nations, where he was a defeated finalist with Morocco.

Manchester United’s predicted starting lineup (4-2-3-1)

Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Mainoo, Casemiro, Diallo, Fernandes, Dorgu, Mbeumo

Real Madrid win 2-0 at third-placed Villarreal to climb past rivals Barcelona to the summit of the La Liga table.

Kylian Mbappe netted twice to claim a 2-0 win for Real Madrid at Villarreal and take his side to the top of La Liga.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s team moved two points clear of rivals Barcelona, who host Real Oviedo on Sunday.

La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe reached 21 goals for the season in the competition to help Madrid see off a spirited Villarreal side on Saturday, now fourth in the table.

Arbeloa’s side have won three consecutive matches across all competitions, and victory at Villarreal could be a vital step in the revival of their season.

After the shock Copa del Rey defeat at second-tier Albacete, in Arbeloa’s first match at the helm, his Madrid have started to take shape.

The coach has made clear how important his star players are, and none has been more crucial this season than Mbappe.

It was a lively but imprecise start at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica, as the game glowed but neither side was able to seriously threaten.

Georges Mikautadze lashed a volley narrowly wide after veteran forward Gerard Moreno found him with a floating cross.

At the other end, Madrid midfielder Arda Guler fired straight at Villarreal stopper Luiz Junior after some tidy footwork, and then shot high over the bar at the end of a swift break.

Villarreal’s Juan Foyth limped off hurt in a blow for the hosts, who created a good chance for Pape Gueye just before the break.

The Senegal midfielder, a champion at the Africa Cup of Nations last weekend, powered narrowly wide of the post.

Vinicius, who excelled in Madrid’s Champions League 6-1 rout of Monaco in midweek, also came close, with a rasping effort across Luiz Junior’s goal and wide.

The 25-year-old Brazil forward went a 13th straight La Liga match without scoring, but he was involved as Mbappe opened the scoring two minutes into the second half.

Vinicius came into the box from the left flank, and his low cross was blocked, but Mbappe was on hand to squeeze home his 20th league goal of the campaign from close range.

Villarreal had the better of the second half as they worked hard to pull level, but Moreno spurned their best chance by firing inches over when well-placed.

In stoppage time, Mbappe was clumsily felled by Alfonso Pedraza in the box, and the French forward cheekily dinked home the resulting penalty to seal Madrid’s victory.

Nearly 500 people have stopped to sign a giant replica of the birthday card President Trump gave to the convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. The clandestine arts activism group Secret Handshake erected the pop-up monument Monday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The messages speak volumes about this singular moment in history, and the president who has consumed much of the world’s oxygen for the past decade. Secret Handshake provided The Times with a sampling of its favorite offerings, which I’m listing below. Taken together with the 10-foot-tall card made of plywood and metal piping, the words of passersby represent their own form of protest art.

“Quiet Piggy”

“The Epstein Files is to Trump what Heel is to Achilles”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.”

“You have ruined so many lives!”

“Shame to all who don’t stand up to him”

“We are all immigrants!”

“CONGRESS – DO SOMETHING!”

“Your MAGA base is becoming disillusioned”

“Do not let the victims be forgotten”

“25th Amendment”

“Where are Republicans?”

“Listen to Women!”

“America’s Worst President”

“The truth will be revealed. Justice will be served.”

“Redacted!”

“It’s WE the people!”

“This is how Trump’s kids found out their dad does send birthday cards”

“We don’t want GREENLAND, what we want is THE EPSTEIN FILES”

“Congress do better for the people – stand up!”

“Do not reject the evidence”

“I hope you get your 25th birthday present!”

“The time is always right to do what is right”

“SEND HELP!”

To date, Secret Handshake has claimed responsibility for five other subversive Trump-related artworks on the National Mall, including a 12-foot statue depicting Trump and Epstein holding hands, titled, “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” which was removed by the National Park Service less than 24 hours after it was put up — only to be reinstalled almost a week later after the group triumphed in a protracted permitting battle. There was also “Poop Desk,” a bronze art installation featuring a pile of feces on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk.

“We’re big fans of birthdays in general because they’re really a time when you can take a moment to appreciate and celebrate the ones you love. And we believe President Trump is as well — he even had a big military parade for his own last year,” Secret Handshake wrote in an email. “So taking a cue from his own seeming love of birthdays, we wanted to step in and help highlight another birthday he allegedly also took the time to celebrate — Jeffrey Epstein’s — by giving it a proper public glow up.”

And just like a birthday card you would pass around an office to sign with well wishes, we felt like this was a really organic opportunity to let the public in on the celebration and have their voice heard,” the group continued. “And finally, we just want to thank President Trump personally for allegedly providing the artwork. It’s not every day that a sitting President is also such a provocative and accomplished artist. Allegedly.”

I’m arts editor Jessica Gelt, allegedly rounding up all this week’s arts and culture news. And away we go!

On our radar

“Bouquet of White Roses” by Amoako Boafo, 2025. Oil on canvas 84.65 x 70.87 inches (215 x 180 cm).

(Amoako Boafo/Roberts Projects)

Amoako Boafo
The exhibition “I Bring Home with Me” features new work by Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo, exploring and celebrating Blackness and its perspectives, installed within an architectural re-creation of the artist’s studio in Accra. The artist combines finger painting and collaging on the surface of his canvases to evoke vivid colors, bold compositions, patterns and textures.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, through March 21. Roberts Projects, 442 South La Brea Ave. robertsprojectsla.com

Aviva Gelfer-Mundl, center, with Marco Biella, from left, Cesar Ramirez, Jacob Soltero and Bryce Broedell, from “Rubies.”

(Nathan Carlson)

20 Years of Los Angeles Ballet
In December of 2006, a fledgling company of dancers led by artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary gave its first performances “The Nutcracker” (set in 1912 California) at the Wilshire Theatre, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Now, all grown-up, the troupe kicks off 2026 with a triple-bill performance of George Balanchine’s “Rubies,” Hans van Manen’s “Frank Bridge Variations” and a new work by current LAB artistic director Melissa Barak.
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Jan. 31. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org

Justin Tanner in “My Son the Playwright.”

(Jeff Lorch)

My Son the Playwright
Longtime L.A. theatergoers are very familiar with Justin Tanner, whom The Times’ Don Shirley referred to in 1994 as “L.A.’s coolest, grooviest playwright.” His mostly L.A.-set plays of comic dysfunctional suburbia with titles like “Pot Mom” and “Zombie Attack!,” often attract stars or soon-to-be stars such as Mark Ruffalo, Laurie Metcalf and French Stewart. For his new play, Tanner is the star, taking on the roles of both his father and his younger self, in a deeply personal solo performance.
8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 5 p.m. Sundays; also Feb. 2, 16 and 23, Jan. 24 through March 1. Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. roguemachinetheatre.org

— Kevin Crust

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY
Adams, Ólafsson & Copland
John Adams conducts the L.A. Phil in a program made up entirely of American composers, including his own new piano concerto, “After the Fall,” with soloist Víkingur Ólafsson, Charles Ives’ “The Unanswered Question, Roy Harris’ “Symphony No. 3” and Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring.”
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

Birdie
The Barcelona theater company Agrupación Señor Serrano juxtaposes two realities, one plagued by war and economic turbulence and another that enjoys leisure and prosperity, in this multimedia performance that utilizes live video, scale models, 2000 mini animals and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. UCLA MacGowan Little Theater, 245 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Westwood. cap.ucla.edu

Brownstone
Playwright Catherine Butterfield’s bittersweet comedic drama features three stories, set in 1978, 1937 and 1999, that all occur on the second floor of the same classic New York building. Directed by Ron West. Friday is a preview, Saturday is opening night.
8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 28. Open Fist at Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. openfist.org

Margaret Cho: Choligarchy
The comedian takes on racism, homophobia and sexism, while delivering singular takes on addiction, abuse, activism and Asianness on this stand-up tour.
7 p.m. Friday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org

Brian Vaughn, from left, Kim Martin-Cotten, Elysia Roorbach and Gabriel Gaston in South Coast Repertory’s production of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

(Jon White)

God of Carnage/Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Two classics of dysfunctional domestic drama by Yasmina Reza and Edward Albee, respectively, are presented in repertory with overlapping casts.
Through March 21. South Coast Repertory, Emmes/Benson Theatre Center, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scr.org

Walter Murch Retrospective
The American Cinematheque salutes the three-time Oscar-winning editor and sound designer. Murch will appear for three Q&As, as well as deliver a master class prior to the screening of “Apocalypse Now.”
“The Conversation,” 7 p.m. Friday. “THX 1138,” 3 p.m. Saturday. “Return to Oz,” 7 p.m. Saturday. “Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut,” 5 p.m. Sunday. Jan. 23-25 Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com

Ryan Preciado
An exhibition of new and recent work by the artist, “Diary Of A Fly” includes an installation, plus sculptures and textiles that respond in part to the environment of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House and its artistic history.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, through April 25. Hollyhock House, 4800 Hollywood Blvd. hollyhockhouse.org

Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere
An exhibition of photographs chronicles the work of the photojournalist whose adventures took him from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to Hollywood film sets in the 1970s and 1980s. The show takes its title from Maura Smith’s 2025 documentary on Schapiro, which screens with director Q&As at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Laemmle Monica (1332 2nd St., Santa Monica).
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through March 21. Fahey/Klein Gallery 148 N. La Brea Ave. faheykleingallery.com

SATURDAY

Vocalist Arooj Aftab in 2021.

(Tonje Thilesen/For The Times)

The Pakistani-born, Brooklyn-based artist Arooj Aftab won a Grammy in 2022 for best global music performance for her song “Mohabbat.” In 2024, she released her fourth album, “Night Reign,” which was nominated for the best alternative jazz album Grammy.
7:30 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org

Romantic Realms
Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Colburn Orchestra in Bruckner’s “Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major.” Also on the program, Salonen Conducting Fellows Aleksandra Melaniuk (Liszt’s “Les Preludes”) and Mert Yalniz (the world premiere of his own composition, “Limit”) take the baton.
7 p.m. Saturday. UCLA Royce Hall, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood. colburnschool.edu

TUESDAY

Pianist Seong-Jin Cho performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last summer at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)

Seong-Jin Cho
The South Korean pianist performs selections from Liszt, Beethoven and Bartók, followed by 14 Chopin waltzes in a Colburn Celebrity Recital.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience
A theatrical homage to the writer and human rights activist created by Fountain Theatre artistic director Raymond O. Caldwell and composer Adrienne Torf, who was Jordan’s longtime collaborator and life partner.
Through March 29. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave. fountaintheatre.com

— Kevin Crust

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Patrick Page in “All The Devils Are Here.”

(Julieta Cervantes)

Inventing the modern villain
Times theater critic Charles McNulty weighed in on Patrick Page’s traveling solo Shakespeare seminar, “All the Devils Are Here,” which opened Jan. 15 at BroadStage in Santa Monica, calling it “refreshingly 19th century.” McNulty also noted that villains come naturally to the veteran actor, who received a Tony nomination for playing Hades in “Hadestown.” Page “might not smack his lips when impersonating evil, but he certainly doesn’t stint on the flamboyant color. An American Shakespearean who can hold his own with the Brits, he combines mellifluous diction with muscular imagination,” McNulty writes.

Extraordinary things
Times classical music critic Mark Swed caught the premiere of “From Ordinary Things” as part of CAP UCLA’s series at the Nimoy Theater. The evening featured the latest project of singer Julia Bullock, who Swed calls “one of the least ordinary and most compelling singers of this new generation …. A rivetingly theatrical soprano, Bullock, in collaboration with percussionist/composer Tyshawn Sorey and director Peter Sellars, has developed a full-scale operatic evening.”

Studying the big freeze
In breaking museum news, Times staffer Malia Mendez got the scoop Thursday that the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County announced its largest-ever donation — a gift from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation, which will be used to establish the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research. The center will serve as the “intellectual backbone” of the La Brea Tar Pits’ long-planned makeover, according to NHM President and Director Lori Bettison-Varga. To date, the board has raised $131 million toward its $240-million goal for the campaign.

Nature’s theater
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has announced its 2026 summer season. The otherworldly outdoor theater nestled in the cool woods of Topanga plans five mainstage plays, as well as a slate of family-friendly and music-centered satellite events. The plays are “Romeo and Juliet”; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”; Ellen Geer’s reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”; Noël Coward’s “Waiting in the Wings”; and a new comedy titled “The People of Pompeii” by playwright and Topanga resident Bernardo Cubría. Satellite events include Family Fundays, described by the company as “a half-hour of interactive storytelling, music, and friendship for kids seven and under (but open to the whole family). These are set to take place every Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. from June 21 through August 9. For tickets and additional details, click here.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

L.A.’s best cheesesteak is in Pasadena writes Times food critic Bill Addison. There’s a catch, though: It’s $24, and you have to stand in a line. Even though I will undoubtedly eat one of these, my husband, who is from Pennsylvania, says that’s not how cheesesteaks are supposed to work. He remembers them being the go-to blue collar food of his coal-mining family members.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Saturday assailed the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.

“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said in a statement after news broke of the killing of a man identified as Alex Pretti. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed, federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”

Bass referenced legal action she and other mayors are taking in federal court to “stop the Trump administration’s unconstitutional and unlawful deployment of federal agents in the Twin Cities.”

“Our amicus brief supports Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul’s lawsuit to immediately end this militarized presence in their communities,’’ Bass said.

The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.

“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”

Assemblyman Mark Gonzalez, D-Los Angeles and currently the Assembly’s
majority whip, was even more blunt than Bass in a statement in which he wrote, “SHAME ON ICE.”

“Where there should be protection, there is only the echo of gunfire,” Gonzalez said. “Where there should be justice, there is only another name taken too soon.”

A demonstration and vigil for Pretti beganon Olvera Street in Los Angeles around 4 p.m. About 200 to 300 protesters were in attendance. Another protest was scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Federal Building, also downtown. at 300 N. Los Angeles St. in downtown L.A.

Jan. 23 (UPI) — Five people have been arrested in connection to the shooting of an Indiana judge and his wife in their home on Sunday.

Lafayette, Ind., police announced the arrests of five people on Thursday in connection with the shooting of Tippecanoe County Judge Steven Meyer and his wife, Kimberly Meyer. The Meyers survived the shooting.

Three of the suspects were arrested on charges of attempted murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder and other related charges.

Those suspects are Raylen Ferguson, 38, from Lexington, Ky., and Thomas Moss, 43, and Blake Smith, 32, from Lafayette, Ind.

Also arrested were 45-year-old Amanda Milsap from Lafayette, Ind., and 61-year-old Zenada Greer from Lexington, Ky. Milsap is charged with bribery and obstruction of justice and Greer is charged with assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice.

The investigation into the shooting spanned multiple states, including agencies in Kentucky, Allentown, Pa., and the U.S. Marshals Service, the Lafayette Police Department said.

“I want the community to know that I have strong faith in our judicial system,” Steven Meyer said in a statement. “This horrific violence will not shake my belief in the importance of peacefully resolving disputes.”

Steven Meyer was shot in his arm and his wife was shot in her hip.

Allan LittleSenior correspondent

BBC

AFP via Getty Images

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Reuters

A new world order or back to the future?

Carl Court – Pool/Getty Images

Re-interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine

Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Getty Images / Corbis

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Cohesion among the allies

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The challenge facing ‘middle powers’ today

Reuters

Shutterstock

Francis Buchholz, the former bassist for the German hard rock band Scorpions who performed at the height of the band’s global stardom, has died. He was 71.

Buchholz’s family confirmed the death in a post on social media, saying, “It is with overwhelming sadness and heavy hearts we share the news that our beloved Francis passed away yesterday after a private battle with cancer. He departed this world peacefully, surrounded by love. … To his fans around the world — we want to thank you for your unwavering loyalty, your love, and the belief you placed in him throughout his incredible journey. You gave him the world, and he gave you his music in return.”

Scorpions also said in a statement, “We have just received the very sad news that our longtime friend and bass player, Francis Buchholz, has passed away. His legacy with the band will live on forever, and we will always remember the many good times we have shared together.”

Born in Hanover, West Germany, in 1954, Buchholz first played in the rock band Dawn Road, later joining Scorpions on 1974’s “Fly to the Rainbow” and cementing its most classic lineup. He played on the band’s era-defining albums, including 1979’s “Lovedrive,” 1982’s “Blackout,” 1984’s “Love at First Sting” and the live albums “Tokyo Tapes” and “World Wide Live.”

Speaking about Scorpions’ influence at the end of the Cold War, he told an interviewer, “We still had the Iron Curtain in Europe when I was a boy. Living in Germany at this time there was always this great threat of a third World War between Russia and America. I was always afraid of the Russians coming over the border in Eastern Germany. … Then, playing in Moscow at the Peace Festival back in the ‘90s, we were invited to the Kremlin by Mr. [Mikahil] Gorbachev, Russia’s President at that time, and that was one of those great moments — to think we had achieved something like this just from doing what we love to do.”

He left the group after 1990’s “Crazy World,” later touring with former Scorpions bandmate Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock.

Buchholz is survived by wife wife, Hella, and three children.

The fury over the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker makes me wonder who’s shouting the loudest?

Could it be desperate, unfortunate fans whose beloved teams are owned by inheritors, nepo families, or private equity bros who celebrate their glamorous assets?

So how about a new metric in the sports page to accompany the ranking of teams and players: ownership. Not simply by wealth, but wisdom, brains and commitment. And for fun let’s call it the McCourt-Moreno Index.

It’s time we hold the Marge Schotts of pro sports accountable for the franchises they mismanage.

Bob Collector
Santa Barbara

There are some alarming implications to Bill Plaschke’s “If it blows up baseball, so be it.” Perhaps he means that MLB should be reduced to a burning garbage heap with three teams atop — Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers — because they were the only ones who went into the TV business and peddled their services for billions in the three largest TV markets.

Maybe he yearns to transform MLB into the NHL of my childhood, with six teams. That was OK if you lived in a shallow arc extending between New York and Chicago — not so good for everyone else.

“So be it,” as Plaschke would say, but I can guarantee I won’t be the only one who isn’t watching anymore.

Thomas Bailey
Long Beach

Naturally Dodger fans are all excited about the signing of the $60-million-a-year All-Star right fielder, Kyle Tucker. But we’re not going to be happy when Dodger Stadium becomes the first MLB ballpark with a two-drink minimum.

Joe Kevany
Mount Washington

As everyone seems to be raving about the Dodgers’ acquisition of Kyle Tucker, I note the following: There is another player who was recently signed by the Yankees for less money and less signing bonus than Tucker who had higher numbers last year in average, home runs and WAR. He also plays more positions. Hadn’t the Dodgers heard of Cody Bellinger? Bellinger as a Yankee will never feel right to me.

Larry Macedo
West Hills

Ask a Major League Baseball owner like Arte Moreno, who sells out his ballpark whenever the Dodgers come to Anaheim, and sees Angel broadcast ratings surge whenever his team plays the Dodgers, if he thinks the Dodgers are ruining the game.

Marc Gerber
Encino

CRAFT, castles and one cracking spa make Falmouth well worth the road trip, while you’ll also find a chic seaside stay in Babbacombe Bay

Here Catherine Bennion-Pedley explores what’s on offer for travellers heading West.

Apparently, the seal often spotted frolicking in the ocean mere metres from the golden sands of Gyllyngvase (Gylly) beach is named Henry.

And he’s grumpy. Which is odd, because Falmouth is making me feel anything but – even with two kids in tow at the end of a hectic half-term. 

Henry is kind enough to show his face as we explore Gylly’s rockpools for scuttling crabs, and the short stroll along the South West Coast Path to Swanpool beach cafe for ice creams studded with giant caramel buttons, £4.40, also garners mega-watt smiles from Poppy, six, and Raffy, four (Swanpoolbeach.co.uk/cafe).

Later, we drop down to Pendennis Point, where we watch in awe at the windsurfers riding the waves. 

As the clouds roll in, we hit the buzzy Beach House set atop the rocks.

PARK UP

I tried Parkdean’s new all-inclusive deal – great for hungry teens but with a catch

HOL YES

40 of us take over a £9.50 Holiday park each year – it’s my kids favourite vacation

Old Fashioneds laced with maple syrup, £14, paired with scallop and bacon ciabatta sarnies, £14 – plus cheesy pasta for the kids, £9 – while quizzing each other with the Trivial Pursuit cards on tables, makes for a winning way to shelter from the brewing storm (Beachhousefalmouth.com). 

Happy potter 

The next morning, we head to Starglazers, a gorgeous pottery cafe with an array of ceramics to paint and the coolest display of wall plates.

An hour and a half later, we’re all chuffed with the mugs we’ve transformed, from £8 a piece (Starglazers.co.uk).

Handily, Starglazers sits on the high street, which is packed with indie boutiques.

Many sell local art and crafts, such as Inspire Makers with its pretty prints, ceramics and jewellery (Inspiremakers.com), while Kitty Gubbins Vintage is brimming with treasures.

Nearby is Falmouth Art Gallery, host to an incredible paper art exhibition when we visit, and entry is free (Falmouthtown council.co.uk/falmouthartgallery). 

Plus cappuccinos at Dark Pony Coffee (Darkponycoffee.com) and croissant-flavoured chocolate from Chocolarder both prove real treats (Chocolarder.com).  

Another hit is Pendennis Castle, with its Tudor Keep, weaponry and war tunnels used in WW2.

Storytelling and crafts here entertain the kids nicely, too. Entry costs £13 for adults, £8 for over-fives (English-heritage.org.uk).

Later, we drop down to Pendennis Point, where we watch in awe at the windsurfers riding the waves. 

Tropic-cool escape 

But our favourite thing about Falmouth? St Michael’s Resort, with its tropical gardens and sumptuous spa lodges, complete with outdoor copper baths.

You get unlimited spa access as a lodge guest and the hydro-thermal circuit proves addictive.

The Cornish salt steam room works miracles on my cold, and watching the sunset from the outdoor barrel sauna is bliss.

Meanwhile, the kids are equally happy splashing about at the health club.

Family stays cost from £213 B&B (Stmichaelsresort.com). 

At the resort’s eatery, Brasserie On The Bay, the mussels with crispy pancetta and local cider, £14, and crab linguine with chilli, garlic and lemon, £30, are divine, while local fish and chips, £10, score top marks from the kids.

The bar staff are skilled mixologists, too, and the gin-based Fig Leaf Mizuwari and tequila-based Gochujang Paloma, both £14, are top-notch.

Meanwhile, Nourish serves up pizzas and mouth-watering small plates, including charred sweetcorn ribs with hot honey, £8, alongside larger bites such as sticky barbecue pork belly brioche with fries and apple and fennel slaw, £17. 

I can’t summon up the courage for a sea swim, but I do brave my first spin class in over a decade, £16, at the health club.

Full of positive affirmations, spin instructor “LA Steve” has incredible energy and an amazing soundtrack, and I leave feeling more motivated than I have in years.

It may be a long drive home, but it’s so worth it.  

Devon Sent 

You’ll find a chic seaside stay in Babbacombe Bay, too. . .  

If you were to picture the perfect inn for fishermen in years gone by, Cary Arms would be it.

Perched above the shingle beaches of Babbacombe Bay, near Torquay, it’s worth tackling the steep lane just for the sublime crispy truffled chicken skin with tarragon mayo, £5. 

It’s also home to a dinky spa, with a steam room, hydrotherapy pool and sauna, plus therapist Erin’s skin-reviving All About The Glow facial, £95 for 60 minutes.  

Apparently, Queen Victoria adored this part of England – and I can see why.

Better still, Cary Arms & Spa offers holiday lets, including Foxes Walk cottage, which has stunning sea views, boutique-style bedrooms and a hot tub.

Table football and two en-suite bedrooms which have their own entrance – it sleeps nine in total – make it great for two families.

And ordering fish pie bursting with the local catch, £10 per person, proves a wise choice. 

At nearby Kents Cavern, the UK’s oldest caves, we’re enraptured by ice-age tales and marvel at a huge bear tooth.

I can’t resist nabbing the cave-aged cheddar, £7, either. Entry costs £16.95 for adults, £13.95 for over-threes (Kents-cavern.co.uk). 

On another morning, we set off to spy the 2,000-plus animals that call leafy Paignton Zoo home.

The orangutans entertain us before we picnic overlooking the sea, just metres from the giraffes.

Entry costs from £23.75 per adult, £17.90 for over-threes (Paigntonzoo.org.uk). 

Back in Torquay, eight flavours of scone make Angels Tea Rooms a must-visit (Angelsatbabbacombe.co.uk).

Later, we devour cheddar and leek soufflé and duck with ginger, orange and Cointreau sauce at The Waddling Duck at Hamilton’s, £30 for two courses (Duckandwine.co.uk). 

The following day, we wander through woodland to Oddicombe beach, with its vibrant red cliffs and red sand.

After sandcastle building and paddling, we hop on Babbacombe Cliff Railway, £8 per family, up to Babbacombe Model Village.

The attention to detail here is jaw-dropping and we take turns to set off a dragon breathing real fire.

Adult entry costs £21.75, over threes cost £17.75 (Model-village.co.uk).  

Apparently, Queen Victoria adored this part of England – and I can see why.

Stays at Foxes Walk cost from £43 per person per night (Caryarms.co.uk). 

Jan. 24 (UPI) — Gen. Zhang Youxia no longer is Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s top military general after being ousted, along with another high-ranking general, amid an investigation into alleged legal and disciplinary violations.

Youxia is the vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, a member of the Politburo and second only to Xi as the leader of China’s military, The New York Times reported.

Also facing an ouster is Gen. Liu Zhenli, who is the chief of staff of the Joint Staff of the Central Military Commission and a member of the Central Military Commission.

“This move is unprecedented in the history of the Chinese military and represents a total annihilation of the high command,” former CIA analyst Christopher Johnson told The New York Times.

Johnson is the president of China Strategies Group and suggested the purge shows Xi no longer trusts his longtime commanders and has decided to make room for younger generals to fill the vacancies.

Youxia was a childhood friend of Xi’s, but the Chinese president had undertaken a purge of the country’s top military leaders under the guise of rooting out corruption and disloyalty, Johnson said.

Youxia and Zhenli were removed while Chinese officials investigate each for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law,” according to a translated news release on the matter.

Their removals make them the fourth and fifth high-ranking military leaders to be removed since Nov. 28, 2024.

Only Gen. Zhang Shengmin and Xi remain as controlling members of the Chinese body that oversees its military.

Xi appointed all of the body’s members in 2022 but since has removed all but Shengmin, who has presided over the removal of the other purged generals.

Neither Youxia nor Zhenli has been convicted of wrongdoing, but once accused, virtually all of the purged generals have been found guilty.

Trump’s praise comes after UK prime minister called the US leader’s remarks ‘insulting’ and suggested he apologise.

United States President Donald Trump has praised UK soldiers a day after receiving a rare rebuke from United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer over comments he made about European troops staying “a little off the front lines” in the war in Afghanistan.

In an apparent bid to ease tensions with Starmer, Trump took to social media on Saturday to acknowledge that 457 UK soldiers had died in Afghanistan, with many others badly wounded, describing them as being “among the greatest of all warriors”.

“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!” he wrote. “It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken.”

Starmer said on Friday that Trump’s comments to US broadcaster Fox News on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, were “insulting and, frankly, appalling”.

Asked whether he would demand an apology from Trump, Starmer said, “If I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologise.”

While Trump’s response stopped short of an apology, his olive branch came after he spoke to the UK leader earlier on Saturday, according to a statement from Starmer’s office.

“The prime minister raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home,” the statement said. “We must never forget their sacrifice, he said.”

King Charles’s younger son, Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, also weighed in on Friday, saying the “sacrifices” of UK soldiers during the war “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect”.

The UK was not the only NATO ally to express anger at Trump’s remarks. Other European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron, reacted sharply on Saturday.

Alongside the US and UK forces were troops from dozens of countries, including from NATO, whose collective security clause, Article 5, had been triggered for the first time after the attacks on New York and Washington in September 2001.

More than 150 Canadians were killed in Afghanistan, along with 90 French service personnel and dozens from Germany, Italy, Denmark and other countries.

The US reportedly lost more than 2,400 soldiers.

At least 46,319 Afghan civilians died as a direct result of the 2001 invasion, according to a 2021 estimate by Brown University’s Costs of War project.

RUSSELL Brand will face a jury in the US after his British trial has concluded, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.

The actor and comedian will be in court in New York on December 15 over allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman while filming the 2011 movie Arthur.

The unnamed woman also alleges that Brand, 50, exposed himself to her in front of the cast and crew.

Brand denies the allegations in the civil case at the New York Supreme Court.

Brand, 50, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London this week to deny two new sex offences.

He is accused of raping one woman and sexually assaulting a second woman in 2009.

READ MORE ON RUSSELL BRAND

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The allegations are in addition to two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005.

Brand is due to go on trial for those charges in London in June.

No date is set for when he will face a jury over the additional allegations.

Brand has pleaded not guilty to all the UK charges.

US lawyers for the accuser and for Brand did not respond to requests for comment.

MELBOURNE, Australia — An even 400 in Grand Slams and 102 in Australia. Novak Djokovic just keeps setting tennis records.

The 24-time major winner became the first player to reach 400 wins in Grand Slam singles when he beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Saturday night in the third round of the Australian Open.

It improved his win-loss record to 102-10 at the Australian Open, too, equaling Roger Federer’s career haul for the most-ever match wins at the season’s first major.

Djokovic has won the Australian Open 10 times, more than anyone else. At 38, he’s in Australia aiming for a 25th career major that would make him the most decorated tennis player of all time.

Djokovic apologized for a moment of frustration in the seventh game of the second set, when he swiped the ball away angrily and it flew just past a ball girl crouching at the net post.

“I apologized for that. That was not necessary and in the heat of the moment,” he said. “I was lucky there and I’m sorry for causing any distress to the ball kid or anybody.”

Jannik Sinner receives treatment from a trainer for cramps in his legs during his match against Eliot Spizzirri.

(Dar Yasin / Associated Press)

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner was saved by extreme heat rules in the third set of his match while limping and desperately trying to stretch out cramps in his arms and legs. Play was suspended for several minutes and the roof was closed on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday afternoon, and the two-time defending Australian Open champion returned a revitalized man.

After seemingly being on the verge of an unlikely exit — one his coach, Darren Cahill, was urging the 24-year-old Italian just to stick it out for a few more games — Sinner won five of the next six games to take the set against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri.

A 10-minute “cooling break” between the third and fourth sets followed — another allowance under the extreme heat policy — and Sinner returned for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory that highlighted a dramatic contrast of intense light and shade.

“I struggled physically today. I got lucky with the heat rule,” Sinner said, agreeing that the cooler indoor conditions suited him much more than the energy-sapping heat of the first two sets. “As the time passed, I felt better and better.”

In the women’s draw, Naomi Osaka withdrew before her scheduled third-round match against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis on Saturday, ending a campaign noted for fashion and friction.

The two-time Australian Open champion announced it on social media without divulging her injury, posting on Instagram that she had to withdraw “to address something my body needs attention for after my last match.”

“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart,” Osaka posted, “but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court.”

A year ago at Melbourne Park, Osaka retired from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic because of a strained abdominal muscle. Australian Open officials have not commented on Osaka’s withdrawal Saturday.

Osaka’s grand entrance to the tournament earlier this week went viral, when she walked onto the court for her first-round match wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol — a design she said her clothing sponsor, Nike, let her create.

Inglis advances to a fourth-round match against No. 2-ranked Iga Świątek, who had a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 win over Anna Kalinskaya.

No. 4 Amanda Anisimova beat Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 in an all-American encounter and will next face Wang Xinyu, who upset No. 13 Linda Noskova.

No. 5 Elena Rybakina advanced to a fourth-round match against No. 21 Elise Mertens.

In the men’s draw, 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka lost 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-6, 4-6 to No. 9 Taylor Fritz and then grabbed two beers from a courtside ice box, cracked the cans with the tournament director and bid farewell to the crowd. “Cheers everybody! ” he said as he prepares for retirement at the end of the season.

Fritz will next face No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, who held off Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to become the third Italian man to reach the fourth round.

No. 8 Ben Shelton beat Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Margaret Court Arena and said having the roof closed “just amplified the noise.”

Jan. 24 (UPI) — Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed from Texas through the Northeast as 18 states declared emergencies amid a massive winter storm on Saturday.

Politico reported nearly 12,000 flights have been canceled through the weekend across the United States, but FlightAware showed 3,876 cancellations and 2,783 delays of flights within, into or out of the country on Saturday.

Dallas is the most affected, by far, among locales with 717 outgoing flights canceled and 91 delayed at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Those account for 81% and 10% of outgoing flights, respectively, affected at the airport.

The DFW airport also has 683 incoming flights that were affected, 77% of which were canceled while 64, or 7%, were delayed on Saturday.

Nearby Dallas Love Field has 93 outgoing flights canceled and 13 delayed, accounting for 62% and 8% of flights affected, respectively.

Tennessee’s Nashville International Airport has 59% of its outgoing flights, 148, canceled and 11%, 26 delayed, while 72% of its incoming flights, 179, are canceled and only 2% delayed, which affects seven flights.

American Airlines is the most-affected air carrier, with a total of 976 flights canceled and 360 delayed at affected airports across the country.

The winter storm is moving eastward from the Rocky Mountains and into South, Central and Northeast starting Saturday and continuing into Monday. The storm has already triggered countless numbers of school closures on Monday.

The storm system is accompanied by freezing rain in southern states and heavy snowfall amounts in the north and central states.

Little Rock, Ark., reported 8 inches of snowfall on Saturday afternoon, with more coming, and Washington, D.C., is expected to get a combination of snow and freezing rain through Sunday night, according to The Washington Post.

The storm system is expected dissipate by Monday, but frigid temperatures will remain for about a week afterward.

At least 18 states have declared a state of emergency, and more than 180 million people are expected to be affected by the storm system that formed on Friday afternoon and is moving to the east.

Some locales are predicted to see up to 2 inches of snowfall per hour during peak storm activity as the system moves across the Central United States on Saturday and eastern states on Sunday.

PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

Good morning! It’s another crisp, beautiful day in Park City: Saturday, Jan. 24. It will be mostly cloudy today with a high (if you can call it that) of 28 degrees.

Are you following along at our page collecting all our videos? Everything from celebs visiting our photo studios, quick reactions outside of screenings, carpet arrivals and more — you can find it right here.

Today’s newsletter brings you some scene reports (what exactly went down at Charli XCX’s world premiere of “The Moment”?) and recommendations for what to watch today, plus Samantha’s thoughts on crowdfunding and its potential in the indie sphere.

A listening party for the world’s most expensive album

From left, Raekwon, GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah and Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan perform in 2025 in Los Angeles.

(Brian Feinzimer / For The Times)

On Thursday night I watched Cappadonna take viewers through the Wu-Tang Clan’s humble Staten Island origins in “The Disciple,” the documentary partially about the creation of the group’s “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” the most expensive album ever sold.

Friday afternoon I was in a swanky house a couple of miles away from downtown Park City listening to a portion of the only copy in the world as Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins wrote in a notebook a few feet away. All attendees obviously had phones locked away, while others sampled an incredibly fancy charcuterie spread.

Billed as an album listening party, we got to hear the 13-minute sampler that was originally played for potential buyers and two other tracks, including the title cut of the 31-song album, totaling about 20 minutes.

It matched what was described in Joanna Natasegara’s documentary: a return to the early Wu-Tang Clan sound. The rhymes were layered with strings, sirens, gunshots and a horn part reminiscent of Jr. Walker & the All Stars’ “Shotgun,” the latter of which got some of the biggest reaction from the pretty stoic crowd, except for the people who kept talking over the rare listen. — Vanessa Franko

Waiting on line for Charli XCX

Fans in brat wear wait at the Eccles Theatre for the world premiere of Charli XCX’s “The Moment.”

(David Viramontes)

Charli xcx’s “The Moment” was easily the buzziest film going into Sundance 2026 — at least to those of us still reliving the highs of “brat” summer. That 2024 album unleashed a pure, unadulterated strain of Charli’s particular brand of celebrity into the world and became a ubiquitous pop culture sensation.

When the movie “inspired by an original idea by Charli xcx” was announced, many were curious what her first major foray into film would look like. Well, the moment has come.

An hour before the premiere, moviegoers crowded in front of the Eccles, many of them in “brat green” beanies, some homemade and some that looked like official swag, waited for a chance to see Charli. A group of fans were seen walking down the line of attendees trying to buy tickets, with someone offering me $150 for mine. (I was never going to miss the opportunity to see the film at the premiere.)

Inside, some of Charli’s tracks played before the film. During their intro, director Aidan Zamiri said, “This movie is about the end of an era,” setting the tone for the film. What followed was part fever trip through the machine of the music industry and part satirical mockumentary that felt both real and exaggerated.

“She’s mocking herself,” The Times’ Suzy Exposito said immediately following the screening, “but she’s also at her commercial peak.”

Charli has three films playing at this year’s fest. That feels like both an exclamation point on her pop-music conquest and a signal of the next evolution of her career, which includes the soundtrack for the upcoming “Wuthering Heights” adaptation.

One audience member wanted to know, how does she find the time? Charli couldn’t have responded more perfectly, quoting her own lyrics: “365. Don’t eat, don’t sleep, just put it on repeat.” — David Viramontes

The movies worth standing in line for

“Extra Geography” (Megaplex Redstone, 1:10 p.m.)

Galaxie Clear and Marnie Duggan in the movie “Extra Geography.”

(Clementine Schneiderman / Sundance Institute)

I haven’t seen a good new teen movie in ages. My era had oodles, most of which still hold up. But Generation Alpha deserves their own potential classics.

Maybe one will be Molly Manners’ “Extra Geography” which combines the friendship psychodrama of “Heavenly Creatures” and the aspirational-chic of “Clueless” into a comedy about two competitive and codependent girls, Minna and Flic (fantastic first-time actors Galaxie Clear and Marnie Duggan), who act in lockstep from joining the school play or forcing themselves to both fall in love with their awkward geography teacher, Miss Delavigne (Alice Englert).

Minna is rich and pretty; Flic, her follower, is a scholarship student who mimics everything her idol does a millisecond later. Life is destined to divide them and maybe that’s fine. (It’s at least brutally hilarous.)

But what elevates the movie is Manners’ recognization that Minna also wishes they could stay best friends forever. Don’t hate her because she’s beautiful. — Amy Nicholson

“The Invite” (Eccles Theatre, 6 p.m.)

Olivia Wilde, left, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton in the movie “The Invite.”

(Sundance Institute)

Part of the excitement of festival premieres is when a movie arrives with a certain what-is-this? air of mystery about it. So it is with the first feature directed by Olivia Wilde since her ill-fated “Don’t Worry Darling” from 2022.

The new film feels like a purposeful reset, reportedly based on Spanish filmmaker Cesc Gay’s “The People Upstairs” with a screenplay adapted by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The movie features Wilde and Seth Rogen as a couple who invite their neighbors (played by Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) over for dinner, setting in motion an emotional evening of revelations as long-simmering tensions come to a boil.

Said to be shot chronologically on 35mm film with a cast of four unpredictable performers, this could go off in any number of directions, which makes it feel like a must-see. — Mark Olsen

Will crowdfunding keep growing in the film business?

Indie filmmakers have had a tough last few years.

They’ve faced a softer market at festivals like Sundance, where all-night bidding wars or at least the hope of a distribution deal after a premiere have become few and far between.

That, in turn, has made it tough to get financing to make more films, as private equity has shied away.

As the industry shifts, that has left a gap for alternative sources of funding, including crowdfunding.

I spoke with Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu, film lead at Kickstarter, to learn more about why some filmmakers are turning to crowdfunding and the company’s expansion into distribution.

Though crowdfunding campaigns are typically ways for filmmakers to raise money for their projects, it can also allow them to build an audience and prove there’s a market for their work — a key aspect, particularly for indie films.

“It’s an opportunity to say, ‘I know who my audience is, and I have a direct relationship with them,’” Shaw-Omachonu said. “And that is the future.”

Kickstarter itself has also branched out beyond funding. The company now has a partnership with streaming service Tubi, where users can watch dozens of films that got funding through Kickstarter. There’s no guarantee that all Kickstarter-backed films will get a distribution deal with Tubi, but it’s a potential option, Shaw-Omachonu said.

Crowdfunding isn’t the silver bullet to the financing woes of the film business. But it can make sense for some films, like 2024’s “The Apprentice,” which struggled to find a distributor after legal threats from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Producers turned to Kickstarter to raise money for the film’s marketing and release. (The film was distributed by Briarcliff Entertainment.)

“What I always say to filmmakers is work the traditional system, if you can get millions of dollars that way, amazing,” Shaw-Omachonu said. “Also leveraging, connecting with your audience, running a Kickstarter campaign — it is a tool that you can put in your toolbox of how you get your slate made.” — Samantha Masunaga

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota activist who was charged for her role in an anti-immigration enforcement protest at a church released her own video of her arrest after the White House posted a manipulated image online.

The White House on Thursday posted a picture on its X page of civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong appearing to be crying with her hands behind her back as she is escorted by a person wearing a badge whose image is blurred. The photo was captioned in all caps: “Arrested far-left agitator Nekima Levy Armstrong for orchestrating church riots in Minnesota.”

A photo posted by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s account showed the same image with Levy Armstrong wearing a neutral expression.

Levy Armstrong, who was arrested with at least two others Thursday for an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a church where an ICE official serves as a pastor, released her own video. Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Allen, a St. Paul school board member who was also arrested in connection with the protest, were both released Friday, according to a post by Levy Armstrong’s organization, the Racial Justice Network. Their attorneys declined to comment.

The video shot by Levy Armstrong’s husband, Marques Armstrong, shows several federal agents approaching to arrest her.

“I’m asking you to please treat me with dignity and respect,” she said to the agents.

“We have to put you in handcuffs,” one agent said, while another held up a phone and appeared to record a video.

“Why are you recording?” Levy Armstrong asked. “I would ask that you not record.”

“It’s not going to be on Twitter,” the agent filming said. “It’s not going to be on anything like that.”

“We don’t want to create a false narrative,” the agent said.

At no point in the more than seven-minute video — which shows Levy Armstrong being handcuffed and led into a government vehicle — did Levy Armstrong appear to cry. Instead, she talked with agents about her arrest.

“You know that this is a significant abuse of power,” she said. “Because I refuse to be silent in the face of brutality from ICE.”

“I’m not in here to get in a political debate,” the agent filming said.

In an audio message that Levy Armstrong’s spokesperson shared with the Associated Press, Levy Armstrong said the video of her arrest exposes that the Trump administration had used AI to manipulate images of her arrest.

“We are being politically persecuted for speaking out against authoritarianism, fascism and the tyranny of the Trump administration,” said Levy Armstrong, who recorded the message Friday morning during a call with her husband from jail.

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brook and Raza write for the Associated Press. AP reporters Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis and Tiffany Stanley in Washington contributed to this report.

Cardiff: Beetham; Adams, Millard, B Thomas, Stephens; Sheedy, Davies; Barratt, Belcher (capt), Assiratti, McNally, Nott, Mann, Botham, Lawrence.

Replacements: E Lloyd, Domachowski, Sebastian, Thornton, D Thomas, Mulder, I Lloyd, Grady.

Sin-bin: Mann 26

Benetton: Smith; Mendy, Menoncello, Marin, Odogwu; Farias, Uren (capt); Aminu, Maile, Pasquali, Marini, Ruzza, Favretto, Zuliani, Cannone.

Replacements: Bernasconi, Spagnolo, Gallorini, Scrafton, Fa’aso’o, Kingi, Garbisi,

Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)

Assistants: Ben Connor (Wales), Craig Evans (Wales

TMO: Colin Brett (Scotland)

US federal agents have shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen in Minneapolis amid an immigration crackdown in the city. Authorities say the man had a handgun and ‘resisted attempts to be disarmed’. He died in hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

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