Khan Younis, Gaza Strip – Historic landmarks often withstand centuries of volatile change, but when rockets and missiles fall, even the most enduring stones become fragile.

For generations of families in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, the Grain Market was the first stop when they went shopping.

Reaching it meant walking past the historic Barquq Castle, a centuries-old structure dating back to 1387 and the very foundation of Khan Younis.

But for residents, the castle was more than an old monument; it was a familiar landmark marking the entrance to one of the city’s liveliest commercial spaces.

The aromatic scent of spices and dried herbs would accompany any walk towards the Grain Market.

But that was before Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began. Israeli attacks inflicted heavy damage on the Grain Market and the Barquq Castle. The market has now been reduced to shattered alleys, with dust and heavy silence filling the air.

Sitting in his store along a row of damaged old shops, 60-year-old Nahed Barbakh, one of the city’s oldest and most well-known traders of staple food supplies, spent decades watching customers stream through the market. Now, only a handful pass by his shop.

“I’ve been in this spot for decades, day in and day out, watching people bring life to this place,” Nahed said. “Look at it now – it’s empty. These days, there shouldn’t even be space to walk because of the crowds preparing for Eid.”

He paused before gesturing towards the nearby castle.

“We always felt the weight of history here because we are so close to Barquq Castle. Now that history and life itself have been struck by the occupation.”

But Israeli fire did not take into account the market’s historic status. The Grain Market, long considered the economic heart of Khan Younis, was also among the first sites of destruction during the second month of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. More than two years of Israeli bombardment and repeated waves of displacement have left the market unrecognisable.

“The occupation killed many of our friends who worked here,” Nahed said quietly. “Those who survived have been financially broken. That’s why you see most of these shops are still closed.”

He pointed to some shelves behind him.

“My shop used to be fully stocked with goods at its high capacity. We even had extra warehouses to supply what people needed, especially during the busiest seasons.”

Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening blast interrupted him — the sound of an Israeli tank fire.

“And this is the biggest reason people are afraid to return,” Nahed said abruptly. “The yellow line is only a few hundred metres away from this street. At any moment, bullets can reach here.”

The yellow line is the name given to the demarcation line behind which Israeli forces withdrew as part of the first phase of October’s ceasefire agreement. It effectively divides Gaza into two, and Palestinians have repeatedly been shot for approaching it.

The yellow line has divided Khan Younis, dramatically reshaping the city’s geography. Israel has repeatedly shifted the line, moving it deeper into Gaza.

The Grain Market, once firmly at the centre of urban life, now sits close to the yellow line.

What used to be the city’s commercial heart has effectively turned into its edge, where people hesitate to walk, leaving the revival of daily commerce life a distant prospect.

Centuries of endurance

The Grain Market traces its origins to the late 14th century, when the Mamluk ruler Younis al-Nawruzi established Khan Younis in 1387 as a strategic stop along the trade route linking Egypt and the Levant.

Built as an extension of the Barquq Castle, which functioned as a caravanserai for travelling merchants, the market became a central commercial hub where traders and travellers exchanged goods, moving between Africa, the Levant and beyond.

The Grain Market occupies roughly 2,400sq metres (25,830sq feet). Its single-floor shops line a central street running east to west, intersected by narrow alleys branching towards smaller courtyards. The buildings preserve elements of their original construction, including sandstone walls and traditional binding materials that have survived centuries of repairs and modifications.

Over time, the market evolved into the primary commercial centre of Khan Younis, adapting to modern commerce while retaining its historic character.

But today, many of its shops stand damaged or shuttered.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the market is now among more than 200 heritage sites damaged in attacks by Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

At the southern end of the Grain Market, where rows of vegetable stalls once overflowed with fresh produce, only one makeshift stand has opened.

Om Saed al-Farra, a local, stepped cautiously towards the stall, inspecting the small piles of vegetables laid out on a wooden crate. The expression on her face reflected more than surprise; it was disbelief at what the market had become.

“The market is deplorable now,” she said. “There used to be many stalls here and many choices for people.”

She gestured towards the empty stretch of the market’s vegetable section, once one of its busiest corners.

“These days were once filled with extensive joyful preparations for Eid, when families crowded the market to shop for food and essentials,” al-Farra said. “Now the market feels unusually gloomy, its stalls largely empty and its familiar vibrance gone. Everything is limited. Even if you have money, there are hardly any places left here for us to buy from.”

Economic collapse under fire

Although parts of the market’s infrastructure remain physically standing, many traders have not returned.

According to Khan Younis Mayor Alaa el-Din al-Batta, the Grain Market was once one of the city’s most vital economic lifelines.

“Just as it once connected continents, even under blockade, it continued to connect people across Gaza,” al-Batta said. “It holds a deep place in the memory of our residents. But once again, the occupation has brought destruction, targeting both our history and a critical lifeline for the people.”

For nearly two decades, Israel has controlled Gaza’s land crossings, airspace and coastline under a strict blockade. Since the genocide began in October 2023, restrictions have tightened further, pushing businesses and trade to collapse.

In a narrow western alley where scattered stones cover the ground, two cloaks hung outside a small shop. Inside, 57-year-old tailor Mohammad Abdul Ghafour leaned over his sewing machine, carefully stitching a torn shirt.

His shop was the only one open in the grey alley.

“I’ve been here since childhood,” Abdul Ghafour said. “My father opened this shop in 1956, and I grew up learning the profession right here in the market.”

Israel’s bombardment not only destroyed the place where he worked; it also killed dozens of his family members.

“On December 7, 2023, Israel committed a horrific massacre against my family,” he said. “I lost my father, my brothers, and more than 30 relatives.”

Burying his family members was only the beginning of the long, painful separation from the market and his shop.

“We were forced into displacement more than 12 times. I had many chances to leave as two of my children live in Europe,” Abdul Ghafour said. “But all I could think about was returning to my shop.”

When Israeli forces withdrew to the yellow line, he came back alone.

“I cleaned the street by myself. And if I had to do it again, I would. Whoever loves his land never abandons it,” he said. “I charge my batteries for my machine and come every day. My return encouraged some residents to come back too. But people still need shelter, water, and basic services before more families return.”

Resident Mohammad Shahwan stood in Nahed’s shop checking a list of items he hoped to buy.

“We left the crowded al-Mawasi as soon as we could to return to our damaged home,” he said, referring to the stretch of coastal Khan Younis that thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced to. “But the number of residents here is still very small because of the destruction and lack of services.”

Still, Mohammad Shahwan said he was relieved to find the shop open at all.

“For the first time in two years, we’ll make traditional Eid biscuits,” he said, holding the list of ingredients. “The last two Eids were dark for my family after we lost my 17-year-old son, Salama. He and his aunt were killed by an Israeli strike.”

He could have bought the now-expensive supplies elsewhere, he said, but returning to the Grain Market carried its own meaning. “I wanted to buy them from here, just like we always did.”

Waiting for restoration

According to Mayor al-Batta, restoring the historic market will require a major reconstruction effort.

“The Grain Market needs a comprehensive restoration process to function again,” he said. “So far, our work has only been limited to clearing rubble and delivering limited water supplies for returning residents.”

The rebuilding process will require specialised materials and expert restoration work to preserve what is left of the historic structure. Municipal workers have already collected leftover stones from the ruins in the hope that they can one day be used in rebuilding parts of the market.

But reconstruction remains impossible under current conditions.

“More than five months have passed since the ceasefire began, yet not a single bag of cement has entered Gaza,” al-Batta said.

“We want to restore our historic identity and revive life for our people. But neither can happen while Israeli restrictions and violations continue.”

MS NOW is making sweeping changes to its daytime programming, moving hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Alicia Menendez to new time slots.

The changes include the departure of Ana Cabrera, who told viewers about her plans Wednesday. Carbera joined MS NOW — formerly MSNBC — from CNN in 2023. Chris Jansing, the current 11 a.m. Eastern host, will become chief political correspondent.

Stephanie Ruhle is the new anchor for MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour.”

(MSNBC)

The moves announced by MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler are aimed at improving daytime ratings on the network, which changed its name from MSNBC after being spun off from Comcast into a new company called Versant.

MS NOW has seen improved ratings in prime time with opinion programming since the network was re-branded in November. The politically progressive-leaning network will have hosts with a point-of-view in the daytime hours as well once the programming changes take effect in June.

In a memo to staff obtained by The Times, Kutler said the daytime programming will “still be rooted in hard news.”

Ana Cabrera speaks at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2018 at The Common Good Forum on May 21, 2018 in New York City.

(Sylvain Gaboury / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Ruhle will move from her 11 p.m. Eastern program “The 11th Hour” to a daytime shift from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eastern. Her program will focus on money and politics.

Menendez will host two hours in the afternoon starting at noon Eastern.

The schedule changes will take effect in June.

Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele and Symone Sanders Townsend of MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”

(MSNBC/Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC)

Once Ruhle’s new program debuts, “Morning Joe” will return to a three-hour format. The program co-hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski expanded to four hours in 2022. Although the expansion improved ratings, the hosts have asked to scale back so they can pursue other projects at the network.

Menendez has been part of the trio on “The Weeknight,” with Michael Steele and Simone Sanders-Townsend. Luke Russert will take her seat on the program as he returns to an on-air role. Russert had been part of the daytime MSNBC show “The Cycle,” and recently served as creative director for MS NOW’s live event series.

Ruhle will be replaced on “The 11th Hour” by Ali Velshi, who recently served as a weekend anchor. Jacob Soboroff, the network’s national correspondent, will take over Velshi’s anchor duties from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern.

Kutler said there will be no job reductions related to the schedule changes, saying she expects to have “more people working at MS NOW by the end of 2026 than we do today.”

MS NOW is the second most-watched cable news network behind Fox News while leading CNN.

He has just returned from the UAE with crucial advice

A travel expert has issued a warning to individuals with flights booked to or from the Middle East. The alert comes as tensions continue in the area, with Israel and the US maintaining their strikes on Iran which commenced over a fortnight ago.

Iran continues to hit back with drone and missile attacks on several neighbouring and nearby nations. This resulted in Dubai, a major hub for international travel and home to the world’s busiest airport, temporarily closing its airspace for the second time in 48 hours due to strikes in the vicinity.

Simon Calder, a journalist with the Independent, has just returned from the United Arab Emirates. He provided an update on the current situation for those flying to or from the Middle East, including passengers transiting through the region en route to other destinations.

He stated: “I’ve just arrived at London Heathrow Terminal 4 after a fairly normal flight from Abu Dhabi on Etihad. What wasn’t normal was just how quiet it was when I arrived. Terminal 4, the main hub for the Middle East from London, is frankly a bit of a ghost town. Many of the flights that you would normally expect to see multiple departures on Qatar Airways to Doha and on Etihad to Abu Dhabi are not flying, and there’s also, for instance, Gulf Air based in Bahrain who are not going there.

“Having said that, there’s perhaps more flights than you might expect, given that, for example, Qatar and the UAE are on the Foreign Office no-go list. There’s a departure this evening to Abu Dhabi on Etihad and one a little later on Qatar Airways overnight to Doha. As well as that, El Al is going out to Tel Aviv. Now, you might have heard that the airspace in Israel is closed; well, it kind of is, but if you’ve got permission, and El Al certainly has, then you can go in.

“And finally, Gulf Air is flying from here later on today, but not to the normal destination of Bahrain. Instead, it’s going to Dammam, which is very close by in Saudi Arabia, from where passengers can travel to that island quite happily over the causeway. But bear in mind that the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain are all on the Foreign Office no-go list. If you choose to ignore that advice, then it’s likely your travel insurance will not be valid.

READ MORE: Travel expert issues holiday ‘rise’ warning as jet fuel price surges 70 per centREAD MORE: Simon Calder issues update for anyone flying with Emirates, Etihad or Qatar Airways

Unsurprisingly, the conflict has impacted international travel in numerous ways. Not only have passenger numbers and flights passing through the Middle East declined dramatically, but neighbouring countries favoured by Brits seeking spring sunshine, including Cyprus and Turkey, have also experienced a fall in visitor numbers.

Conversely, nations to the west boasting milder weather, including Spain and Portugal, have witnessed a surge in reservations – as has the Caribbean. The situation has not only left thousands of British holidaymakers stuck in the Middle East, but many are also anxious about their upcoming travel arrangements.

The Association of British Insurers attempted to address these worries with the following statement when questioned about whether insurance will cover the cancellation of a trip to the Middle East due to concerns over the conflict.

It stated: “As the situation evolves, we can understand why people may be reconsidering their future plans to travel to the region. If you wish to cancel your trip, contact your airline, accommodation provider or tour operator in the first instance. They may be able to rebook parts of your trip or offer a refund.

“Travel insurance may not cover cancellations linked to the conflict, depending on your policy’s terms, any war exclusions, and when you bought it. Policies differ, and insurers may take different approaches, so it’s important to check with your insurer to understand what’s covered.”

This text explores the historical journey of Aruba from a colonial territory to an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It highlights the significance of March 18th, a date marking both the first formal proposal for self-governance in 1948 and the later adoption of national symbols in 1976. The source describes how the national flag and anthem serve as emblems of the island’s unique identity, with specific colors representing its diverse population and geographic beauty. Additionally, the article provides a broader look at global news, touching on international holidays, economic exchange rates, and current political events. By connecting past struggles for independence with modern celebrations, the text illustrates the cultura … 

WITH the Iran crisis continuing, it’s no surprise that Brits are changing their holiday plans.

Destinations like Dubai and Doha remain off the travel list, and Brits are avoiding certain long-haul destinations that involve stopovers in the Middle East – but TUI says that other holiday spots are on the rise instead.

TUI has revealed that there’s been a change in demand when it comes to Brits booking holidays.

Instead, certain locations are being favoured as a result – in particular, two Caribbean islands.

TUI’s UK&I Managing Director Neil Swanson said: “We’re seeing particularly strong demand for our direct long-haul flights to the Caribbean – especially the Dominican Republic and Jamaica – where point‑to‑point routes give customers added confidence and help them keep their holiday plans on track.”

The islands are popular year-round with Brits thanks to their sunshine, high temperatures and beautiful coastlines.

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Flights to the islands are direct and take between eight and ten hours.

They also don’t pass through the Middle East as they head over the North Atlantic Ocean instead.

TUI offers holidays to Jamaica from £899 per person.

In Jamaica, a popular spot is Negril, which is the capital of the island that sits along the western tip.

Over the years it has been visited by famous faces likes Bob Marley and even The Rolling Stones.

It has the Seven Mile Beach, which offers visitors to ride across the sand on horses, and go snorkelling.

TUI offers holidays to Montego Bay too, a destination which is known for being popular with tourists with all-inclusive resorts, white-sand beaches, and nightlife.

It also has breaks to Ocho Rios which has lots of green spaces like the Dunn’s River Falls, the Blue Hole – a natural limestone sinkhole that’s considered a hidden gem.

When it comes to Jamaica, the best months to visit are December through to April when it is at its warmest and most dry.

The best time to visit the Dominican Republic is the same, and TUI offers breaks from from £899 per person.

The Dominican Republic is also one of the cheapest islands to visit.

Laura Evans Fisk, Head of Digital & Engagement at eurochange said: “As we’ve seen transactions for the Dominican peso surge this year ahead of any other currency, we can definitely expect to see the Dominican Republic at the top of travel bucket lists for UK tourists in 2026. 

Beaches are beautiful all around the island, but the Dominican Republic also has two of the best in the world – Canto de la Playa and Bahia de las Aguilas.

Santo Domingo is the island’s capital, where there are find plenty of bars – and average price of a local beer is 150DOP (£1.86).

Other destinations that are on the rise for travellers include Thailand’s Phuket and Goa in India.

He said the reason is that the long-haul flights from TUI “offer customers reassuring alternatives that avoid transiting through the region.”

Neil Swanson added: “Closer to home, destinations across Europe and the Mediterranean continue to perform well, with Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cape Verde seeing increased demand in recent days.”

For more on Cape Verde – here’s what you can do on the islands that have white sand beaches, no jet lag and cheap package holidays.

And a TUI expert reveals how to save hundreds on the same holiday and the little-known money saving tool.

Despite a long, entrenched Democratic reign over California politics, a new poll shows two Republicans leading by slim margins in the state’s 2026 race for governor as the June primary election fast approaches.

The confounding results appear to be mostly due to the state’s left-leaning electorate feeling uninspired by any single candidate in the crowded field of eight top Democrats. Because of California’s top-two primary rule, that lethargy could lead to Democrats being shut out of a November election that will determine the next leader of the largest state in the union, though that is still considered unlikely.

Conservative commentator Steve Hilton had the support of 17% of likely voters and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco had the backing of 16%, according to a poll released Wednesday by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by The Times.

Following closely behind were Democrats Rep. Eric Swalwell of Northern California and former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, both of whom had support from 13% of the likely voters surveyed. Aside from billionaire hedge fund founder and environmental activist Tom Steyer, who registered at 10% support after plowing tens of millions of dollars into his campaign, no other Democrat had won support from more than 5% of likely voters, the poll showed.

Mark DiCamillo, director of the poll, said he was stunned by how fractured voters are and how little knowledge they have about the candidates less than 60 days before ballots start arriving in Californians’ mailboxes.

“This is historic for me, and especially given that none of the candidates have really a positive image rating with voters, also startling. I mean, perhaps one of the reasons why voters are disengaged, they’re just not enthusiastic about any of the candidates,” he said. “They’re kind of sleepwalking to this election.”

Swalwell and Porter both hew toward the progressive wing of the party and rose to national prominence as frequent guests on cable news shows and as combative, at times theatrical, committee members during congressional oversight hearings. That notoriety prompted attacks from Republicans and the far right and increased their popularity among the Democratic base — both pivotal for voters seeking a strong candidate to challenge President Trump.

Porter slightly rebounded after a dip in polling in the fall after videos emerged of her berating an aide and a reporter. She also has the highest favorable rating of any candidate in the field at 34%.

According to the survey, Steyer’s support from likely voters increased to 10% from just 1% in Berkeley’s October poll. The momentum comes after Steyer spent about $50 million airing television ads since December, according to an analysis by data expert Paul Mitchell for Capitol Weekly.

Among the other top Democrats in the race: former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was backed by 5% of likely voters; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San José Mayor Matt Mahan by 4%, and former state Controller Betty Yee and state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond by 1%.

The poll found that 16% of likely voters were either undecided or backed other, lesser-known candidates.

The splintered support for the Democrats hoping to become the state’s next governor has surfaced in other ways as well. On Monday, the powerful California Federation of Labor voted to endorse four gubernatorial candidates — half the Democratic field.

DiCamillo said he believes the poll’s inclusion of the candidates’ titles that voters will see on their ballots is crucial in a low-information contest.

“That really matters in a race where voters don’t have much information, or they say they don’t know much about the candidates,” he said, adding that it could particularly help Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff. “His job title is kind of impressive, and that voters think, well, that’s credible, so let me consider him.”

The fear of two Republicans winning the top two spots in the June 2 primary prompted California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks to urge low-polling candidates to consider their viability and drop out if they didn’t see a path forward earlier this month.

Some candidates bristled, arguing that party leaders were in effect telling every candidate of color to leave the race. Aside from one candidate, all of the top Democrats in the race responded by quickly filing their campaign documents with the secretary of state’s office, meaning that their names will appear on the ballot.

The two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary are the only ones who advance to the November general election — regardless of their political party.

The odds that a Republican will become California’s next governor appear slim. No Republican has won a statewide election in California since 2006, the year Hollywood movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected to a second term as governor. Democratic registered voters in the state outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1.

Compared with prior gubernatorial races that had well-known Democratic front-runners, none of the candidates of either party are particularly well known by voters. Large numbers of voters have no opinion about any of the candidates — including roughly two-thirds of those asked about Mahan, Yee and Thurmond.

Voters were far more tuned in to the issues that they believe are most important for the state’s next governor to tackle.

Affordability was dominant among all voters, regardless of political ideology, the poll found. Four out of 10 voters said reducing the cost of living in California is among the top issues the next governor should prioritize, and smaller numbers also highlighted building affordable housing and lowering gas prices and utility rates.

Affordability “is the top issue for voters, both here in California and across the country. There’s no question,” DiCamillo said. “Perhaps it’s even of greater urgency here in California, just given our cost of living is higher than in most other places.”

Building new housing, paring back regulations to allow such construction quickly and to reduce the cost of buy a home, disincentivizing private firms from buying homes and reducing gas prices are among topics candidates frequently speak about on the campaign trail and in debates.

A notable split was evident among voters when asked about cutting waste, fraud and political corruption in state government, the poll found. Nearly 50% of Republicans said this was a top priority, compared with 10% of Democrats and a little over a quarter of voters who do not state a party preference.

DiCamillo said this sentiment aligns with President Trump’s messaging and what his administration has been pursuing in the federal government. Trump has repeatedly painted California as teeming with waste, fraud and abuse. On Monday, when he launched a task force to fight fraud that will be led by Vice President JD Vance, California was among the states he singled out as having insufficient oversight of federal funds.

GOP voters in California share similar sentiments, DiCamillo said.

In Washington, D.C., “they’re cutting back, trying to make government smaller, and … just cut the waste as well,” he said. California “Republicans, given the fact that Democrats have been controlling things for so long, they think … more of that is needed now here in California as well.”

The Berkeley IGS/Times poll surveyed 5,019 California registered voters online in English and Spanish from March 9 to 14. The results are estimated to have a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points in either direction in the overall sample, and larger numbers for subgroups.

MIAMI — The victors erupted onto the field and into multiple dogpiles. Some wore national flags around their shoulders. Within minutes, the Venezuelans wore T-shirts that read: “The Best Baseball in the World.”

The players from the United States watched from their dugout. Within minutes, they trudged back onto the field so a silver medal could be draped around their necks. Not every player wore the medal all the way back to the dugout.

You can say all you want about how the World Baseball Classic has matured into a must-see event for fans and a must-play event for the game’s elite players. You can salute Venezuela for a spirited and thrilling victory, and the Venezuelan fans for nine innings of joyful delirium.

But you also can say this: A U.S. team billed as featuring a killer lineup could not hit, and the U.S. could not use its best pitcher because the San Diego Padres said so. The result: For the second consecutive World Baseball Classic, the U.S. lost the championship by a 3-2 score.

U.S. captain Aaron Judge looks across the field after striking out against Velezuela at the World Baseball Classic Tuesday.

(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)

“I’m not OK with winning silver,” Bryce Harper said. “I don’t want to win silver.

“I want to win gold, just like anybody else. But, at the end of the night, they did it, they won, all the congratulations to them. They fought hard. I’ve got nothing but respect for them.”

By the time the eighth inning rolled around, the mighty U.S. offense had not gotten a runner into scoring position on Tuesday, and had gone scoreless for 18 of its previous 19 innings. With two out in the eighth, and Venezuela up 2-0, Bobby Witt Jr. walked, and Harper followed with a 432-foot home run, so monstrous that Venezuelan pitcher Andres Machado could only watch the flight of the ball and smile.

Harper stood and watched too, then he flipped his bat toward the dugout. At third base, he stopped to give a salute, then spotted the cameraman trailing him around the bases and pointed to the American flag on his left sleeve.

“Just enjoying the moment,” Harper said. “Super grateful for it.”

With the game tied 2-2 entering the ninth, the pitcher trotting in from the U.S. bullpen should have been Mason Miller, who had not given up a hit in the WBC and struck out 10 of the 14 batters he had faced.

Before the game, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa had said Miller would be available. After the game, DeRosa said he and Miller’s employers, the Padres, had agreed Miller would only be used to protect a lead.

Once the game entered the ninth, Miller would not be able to protect a lead, since the U.S. was the home team and there could be no save situation for him. DeRosa nonetheless declined to use Miller.

“Honoring the Padres,” DeRosa said.

This is not on DeRosa, but that is nonsense. If a closer cannot be used three times in five days — with another week to ease into the regular season by throwing bullpens or in structured B games, or taking a few days off, or whatever — then he should stay home.

Venezuela scored the winning run in the ninth off Garrett Whitlock, on a walk, stolen base and RBI double by Eugenio Suárez.

In its final five WBC games — after routs of Brazil and Britain — the U.S. scored more than five runs once, with a two-run win, a two-run loss, a two-run win, a one-run win, and a one-run loss. In the semifinal and final, the U.S. combined to bat .159 and strike out 25 times, and every run came on a home run.

That — not any attempt at small ball — is American baseball. And the U.S. was outslugged by six other teams, including Australia and Italy. For glory, as the U.S. team hoodies said.

“A lot of pop ups, a lot of just-missed pitches,” U.S. captain Aaron Judge said. “I wouldn’t say we tensed up. We just didn’t execute when we needed to.”

Said DeRosa: “I mean, surprised because of the names at the back of the jersey, but not surprised because of where they’re at in spring training.

“Yeah, that’s my answer. I really don’t have a rhyme or reason to why. I just think you’re either hot or not in a seven-game blast like this.”

American Bryce Harper celebrates at home plate with teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the World Baseball Classic Tuesday in Miami.

(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)

The WBC absolutely was a blast. The Venezuelan fans delivered concert-level noise all night long, without needing a silly stadium host or scoreboard command to do so. The WBC allowed fans to bring in 16 “permissible instruments,” including bongos, cowbells, maracas and trumpets.

“There’s bands playing,” Judge said. “There’s chants going on. You don’t usually hear that too much in the World Series games. That’s amazing. So much fun.”

More Americans watched the U.S.-Dominican Republic semifinal than watched last year’s NBA All-Star Game, according to Fox. The championship game almost certainly will have drawn more viewers than at least one game of last year’s NBA Finals.

In the 10 minutes I spent along the concourse before Tuesday’s game, I counted fans wearing the jerseys of many national teams and 17 MLB teams, plus the late and greatly beloved Montreal Expos. Japan did not qualify for the final four, but I nonetheless counted 11 fans in Japan jerseys with Shohei Ohtani’s name on the back. The advertisers believed too: DeRosa spoke in front of a banner displaying the logo of nine corporate sponsors, eight of them Japanese.

After such a lively event, can these players get fired up to go back to spring training, and then for the grind of a 162-game season?

“I’m always fired up for the Yankees, but I’m still pissed about this,” Judge said.

“I’m looking forward to the next time we get a chance to throw on the red, white and blue and take care of business.”

That would be the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Dave Roberts has expressed interest in managing Team USA at Dodger Stadium. The major leaguers are almost certainly coming, even if the details are still being worked out.

See you there, Bryce Harper?

“I hope so,” he said. “I really do.”

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said an overnight strike killed Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib. There has been no confirmation from Iran but Katz says Israel’s military is authorised to target senior Iranian officials without additional approval from the government.

YOU can still get a dose of Spanish sunshine this spring with some pretty four-star hotels for less than £250 per person.

loveholidays has found some super cheap deals for seven night stays in the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and Spain.

The most affordable, but still with everything you need for a sunshine filled break, is at the DWO Sirius -Adults Only hotel on the Costa Brava in Spain.

The hotel has 161 rooms all decked out with modern amenities and air conditioning – which you might need in May as average temperatures can be as high as 24C.

Take a dip in the outdoor freshwater swimming pool or relax on one of the sunloungers.

There’s a sun terrace too, restaurant, cafe, poolside snack bar, as well as an on-site gym – it’ll be quiet too as only guests age 16 and over are allowed.

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When it comes to the beaches, Playa de Levante is just a two-minute walk away and it’s lined with shops, bars and restaurants to explore.

To stay at the DWO Sirius for seven nights from May 9, 2026 starts from just £249 per person.

Breakfast is included, as are return flights from London Luton with Ryanair.

Another is the Hotel Best Punta Dorada in Salou, Costa Dorada.

The Spanish resort is a popular destination near PortAventura World, a theme park with over 40 attractions and huge rollercoasters.

It’s also close to sandy beaches like Platja de Llevant, and the scenic Camí de Ronda coastal walk.

The hotel itself has rooms with air con, a TV, minibar and private bathroom.

It also has an outdoor swimming pool, restaurant, two bars along with evening entertainment and shows.

One visitor wrote: “Such lovely staff, food and hotel and we would go back again and didn’t want to leave.”

With loveholidays you can take a seven night break from May 2, 2026 from £269 per person.

This includes breakfast and return flights from London Stansted with Ryanair.

Or if you fancy jetting off to Tenerife, head to the Gara Suites Golf & Spa in Playa de las Americas.

In May, Tenerife temperatures can reach highs of 30C with around 10 hours of sunshine each day.

The Gara Suites Golf & Spa is a big resort with over 400 rooms as well as three outdoor pools and plenty of dining options.

It’s a top spot for families as it has a smaller pool especially for children, as well as a kids’ club and playground.

For golfing fans, there’s also a golf course short walk away – and the famous Siam Park waterpark is just a three-minutes drive away.

A seven night stay from May 14, 2026 starts from £339 per person – this includes breakfast and flights departing from London Stansted with Ryanair.

Another seven-night stay from £339 per person is available to book at the Samos Hotel in Magaluf.

The four-star Samos Hotel is right next to the beach and has a palm-tree-shaped lagoon pool.

It has 444 rooms spread across nine floors – some of which have sea views.

Inside there’s a spa with a small indoor pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and a range of spa treatments.

During the evening, there’s a full-on entertainment programme from shows to live music, bingo and karaoke.

The beach is an eight-minute walk away where there are lots of bars and restaurants.

You can eat at the hotel too as it has multiple bars, and restaurants that serve up classic Spanish food as well as international options too.

Majorca’s capital, Palma, is reachable within half an hour by car.

For more on holidays, here are the bucket list trips you should go on for every month of the year.

And the European holiday destinations Brits are flocking to instead of Turkey and Egypt due to Iran crisis.

A group of at least five carrier-capable U.S. Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning and control planes arrived overnight in the Azores after crossing much of the Atlantic. The Azores is a common stopover point for U.S. military aircraft heading to the Middle East. The move is somewhat rare for the E-2 community, but it’s extremely logical, and likely highly urgent, considering what is going on in the Middle East.

In many respects, the E-2D is the most sensitive airborne ‘look-down’ radar platform in U.S. military service today. As far as we know, the only E-2Ds in the Middle East right now are supporting air wing operations of the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln. Rushing more of them to the Persian Gulf for land-based operations to help spot low-flying Iranian kamikaze drones wreaking havoc on Arab Gulf States would make total sense.

We have seen a similar request accepted by the Royal Australian Air Force, which is sending one of its highly capable E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to the region for essentially the same purpose. Australia’s commitment is separate from current U.S.-Israeli operations. Both the E-2D and the E-7 aircraft can also spot low-flying cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and even maritime threats, making them ideal for the littoral operations against everything Iran is throwing at U.S. allies in the region. The Hawkeye and Wedgetail also offer additional battle management and networking capabilities, which U.S. forces engaged in operations against Iran are currently relying heavily on a strained fleet of aging E-3 Sentry jets to provide.

Pictures above and below show E-2Ds at Lajes on the island of Terceira in the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago, last night. Online flight tracking data had also shown the Hawkeyes heading there. We can also see that the Hawkeyes are upgraded versions capable of being refueled in flight, via a probe prominently mounted above the cockpit. In line with this, a pair of U.S. Air Force KC-46 Pegasus tankers had been tracked accompanying the Navy aircraft to Lajes, as well.

Previous tracking data shows the E-2Ds flew first from Norfolk, Virginia, to Bangor, Maine, last Friday. The Hawkeyes then departed Bangor yesterday, heading east across the Atlantic.

Markings visible in the pictures from Lajes show that at least some of the E-2Ds that touched down there are assigned to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 (VAW-121) based at Naval Air Station Norfolk (NAS Norfolk). There had been indications earlier that the contingent included Hawkeyes from VAW-126, also based at NAS Norfolk, but this appears to be unconfirmed at this time. VAW-121 and VAW-126 are assigned to Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17) and CVW-1, respectively. CVW-17 was notably most recently attached to the supercarrier USS Nimitz, which had been scheduled to be put into mothballs in May, but is now slated to remain in service at least until March 2027.

It remains to be seen where exactly the E-2Ds head to now, but, as noted, U.S. military aircraft regularly pass through the Azores while transiting to the Middle East. Lajes was heavily utilized during the massive build-up of American airpower ahead of the start of U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28. The American component of this campaign has been dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

The conflict has taken on a regional character, with Iranian missiles and drones having now fallen on a dozen countries across the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. There is also a distinct maritime dimension to the fighting, with Iran choking off the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz with attacks on commercial vessels, and discussions now about how to reopen that critical waterway.

A deployment of E-2Ds could help provide much-needed additional eyes in the sky, as well as other capabilities, to help protect against Iranian retaliatory attacks, as well as support strikes on targets in and around Iran and/or any efforts to establish sea control in the region. In particular, the Hawkeyes are America’s best available tool for spotting low-flying, low-signature targets, such as kamikaze drones and cruise missiles, as well as small targets at sea like explosive-laden drone boats. The E-2D is also well-suited to performing these missions in littoral areas like the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz in between. Hawkeyes performed similar missions in and around the Red Sea between late 2023 and early 2025.

As noted in the opening of this post, there is already an especially pronounced demand for additional assets, and more capable ones, to spot and track low-flying Iranian kamikaze drones and cruise missiles. This was already evidenced by the Australian government’s announcement last week that it was sending one of its E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to the region to help with defensive operations, something we will come back to later on.

In addition, from what is known now, U.S. forces taking part in operations over and around Iran are receiving airborne early and warning control support from U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft forward-deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. As noted, Navy Hawkeyes have also already been flying missions as part of Operation Epic Fury from the decks of carriers in the region.

Before the current conflict erupted, TWZ explored in detail the challenges and limitations that the aging E-3s face, including struggles just to keep the aircraft operational at all. On top of that, the total size of the Sentry fleet has dramatically shrunk in recent years, creating additional strain on the remaining jets, nearly 40 percent of which are now on the Arabian Peninsula. Based on available readiness data, this represents an even higher percentage of E-3s available for real-world mission tasking anywhere globally.

Just in terms of their radars, the E-2Ds with their active electronically scanned array (AESA) AN/APY-9s offer a major boost in capability over the older E-3s and their older passive electronically scanned array (PESA) types. In general, AESAs can scan faster, see farther, and produce more precise and otherwise higher fidelity tracks, even when it comes to smaller objects and/or stealthy ones with reduced radar signatures, than older types of arrays. The APY-9, specifically, also benefits from “space-time adaptive processing” functionality that “suppresses clutter, jamming, and other sources of electromagnetic interference, focusing on the target,” according to the manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

As such, with the added benefit of being able to look down from a high perch, the E-2D offers a particularly powerful tool for spotting and tracking smaller, lower, and slower-flying threats, such as Iranian kamikaze drones and cruise missiles. This capability was optimized for overwater and littoral operations to protect the carrier strike group. In addition, the APY-9 has a surface search mode that can be used for maritime surveillance, which, as already mentioned, is also very relevant in the context of the current conflict. Overall, these talents would fit in perfectly with what’s happening in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Unlike older E-2s, Hawkeyes with aerial refueling capability can also fly out to operating areas further away from wherever they are based and stay on station much longer.

In Navy service, the E-2D is far more than just its radar, too. The aircraft have an extensive communications and networking suite that is tied in directly to the service’s Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) and Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter-Air (NIFC-CA) architectures.

CEC – Cooperative Engagement Capability

As part of these Navy-specific networks, the Hawkeyes are deeply integrated in ‘kill webs’ that include an array of air and sea assets in the service’s inventory. For many years now, the Navy has used the example of E-2s enabling ships to fire long-range SM-6 surface-to-air interceptors at targets beyond the reach of their organic radars and other sensors to explain the benefits of these networked capabilities. CEC and NIFC-CA also just allow commanders to have a more detailed and complete picture of the battlespace around them, including friendly assets and threats, and offer a valuable boost in general situational awareness.

It should also be noted that while Navy E-2s more often operate as part of carrier air wings, the service’s Hawkeyes flying from bases on land is not new. Between 1995 and 2017, the service even had an explicitly land-based E-2 unit, VAW-77, which supported counter-drug operations in the Caribbean from bases in the United States and in Latin America. The majority of non-U.S. E-2 operators, past and present, have also operated their Hawkeyes as land-based aircraft. At the same time, since it was primarily designed around carrier operations, the Hawkeye also has the ability to fly from shorter runways and with a smaller logistics footprint compared to many other airborne early warning and control platforms.

TWZ actually already covered much of this in detail back in 2024 after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released the video below, showing a Navy E-2D refueling from a U.S. Air Force HC-130J combat search and rescue aircraft somewhere in the region. At that time, we also explored how Hawkeyes could bring similar benefits to expeditionary and distributed operations elsewhere in the world, especially an island-hopping campaign in the Pacific, as you can read more about here.

It is also interesting to consider all of this now in the context of the Pentagon’s attempt last year to cancel the U.S. Air Force’s acquisition of new E-7s to replace a portion of its E-3s, and to fill interim capability gaps with additional E-2Ds instead. Questions about the Wedgetail’s survivability in a future high-end fight, such as one against China, as well as delays and cost overruns, were cited as key factors. Congress has since compelled the Air Force to proceed with the E-7A program as planned. Last Thursday, Boeing received two contract modifications, together valued at just over $2.4 billion, for an unspecified number of developmental Wedgetails, as well as materials related to the MESA sensor system.

There do continue to be some lingering questions about the future of the Air Force’s E-7 program. The service had resisted seeking any kind of direct replacement for the E-3 for years. The Air Force’s stated long-term goal remains to push most, if not all, of its airborne target warning sensor layer tasks into space, but this is still years away, at least, from becoming a reality.

As TWZ has explained in the past, while the E-2D is in many respects the most capable airborne early warning and control aircraft currently in U.S. inventory, the Wedgetail is arguably the most capable such aircraft anywhere globally at present. The jet-powered, Boeing 737-based, aerial refueling-capable Wedgetail with its large AESA Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) sensor, can fly higher, faster, and further than the turboprop Hawkeye.

Northrop Grumman MESA Radar – Boeing E-7 AEWC

The E-7 is also just bigger and can accommodate a larger crew, making it even more adaptable to expanded mission needs, such as battle management and acting as a networking node using its own expansive communications and data-sharing suite. Any survivability concerns that apply to the E-7 would apply just as much to the E-2, as well. As noted earlier, the benefits of the E-7, including in the current context of operations against Iran, are underscored by Australia’s decision to send one of its Wedgetails to the Middle East. That aircraft is explicitly being deployed to help defend the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region that have been subjected to Iranian drone and missile attacks.

The group of Navy E-2Ds now heading east across the Atlantic only further calls into question the Pentagon’s puzzling move to axe the E-7 program, as well as the Air Force’s previous dragging of its feet in settling on any plan to replace the aging E-3s. That additional Hawkeyes only appear to be headed to the Middle East now is also another sign that the scale and scope of Iranian retaliation on Gulf Arab States was somehow not expected, despite repeated threats from the regime in Tehran in the lead-up and supporting intelligence assessments to the current conflict. For many years, U.S. intelligence thought it was likely Iran would lash out at U.S. allies in the region, especially those housing U.S. military capabilities. It was a glaring likelihood we have discussed for years in our own reporting.

Regardless, additional Hawkeyes would provide a massive and very much-needed boost in aerial surveillance capability and capacity, as well as other benefits, to help defend against Iranian retaliatory attacks and otherwise support still-expanding U.S. operations against that country.

Special thanks to user @Azorean_Lion on X for sharing the pictures of the E-2D Hawkeyes at Lajes with us.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

JUNIOR Andre has joked that his mum Katie Price “crushed his dreams” of becoming a professional footballer, after he was scouted as a child.

The 20-year-old, whose dad is Mysterious Girl singer Peter Andre, is now carving out a career for himself as a musician and actor.

But once upon a time, Junior had high hopes of becoming a footballer.

And he was even scouted by professional club Millwall, before trialing for premiere league side Chelsea, Junior has revealed.

Appearing on the Not My Bagg podcast, Junior said that glamour model mum Katie informed him he didn’t have the skills to make it big time in the sport.

“My mum crushed my dreams,” said Junior.

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“She watched me play once and she says, ‘Junior, let’s be real, you’re not gonna be a footballer. You’re not good enough. Don’t worry, you’re gonna be an entertainer’.”

“But, also, equally, I wanted to be a musician and actor,” assured Junior.

Continuing that he would play Saturday league, he said: “I used to play every week and I loved it.

“When I was young I got scouted at Millwall, and I had a trial and Brighton and Chelsea and I was loving it.

“But I was never actually really that good, I was just above average.”

Just this month, Junior made his acting debut as he is starring in a new coming-of-age drama called Finding My Voice.

He stars alongside his dad Peter and EastEnders star Michelle Ryan in the flick.

Alongside acting, Junior has been in the studio working on new music, with the budding star seen recording in a recent episode of his sister’s reality show, The Princess Diaries.

Despite his famous parents, it’s not all been glamorous for Junior, who revealed in the TV show that he had also been working full time for TFL while his music was on hold.

Junior revealed he worked through the nights, full time, while he sorted out “differences” with his record label.

Speaking on his secret TFL job, Junior said: “It’s been a long time coming, it’s been hard, you know I’ve obviously had to do nine-to-five, Monday to Friday.

“I found a night job basically just working on the London underground, grafting, lifting heavy metals, cutting, filing, painting. I got them jobs so I could do my music career, so I could fund it.”

Princess, 18, gushed over her brother for following his dreams self- sufficiently.

The reality TV star said: “So proud of Junior, his last two singles went in at number one , but while he was sorting differences out with his label he went to work through the nights and work a full time job so he was fully self sufficient. Which I’m super proud of.”

SPANISH sun and a sense of calm was what I was expecting to greet me at Lanzarote Airport – instead I spend the first three hours of my holiday queuing to get out of the arrivals hall.

Because thousands of travellers like myself were stuck in huge queues, thanks to the new EES system – and with Easter and summer season on the way, I can see it getting worse.

My Jet2 flight landed at half past one on a Thursday afternoon in early March and I didn’t get out until just after half past four.

The queues stretched along the corridor and zigzagged all the way through the arrivals hall that took passengers to EES registration.

I’d already signed up to EES, having visited Lithuania a few months ago – but that was no use at all.

There was no separate queue for – or any staff for that matter – advising those who have registered to head straight to the passport e-gates.

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While this was frustrating, what was even more so was that only half of the EES machines were actually working.

When I finally made it to my bus transfer, even the Jet2Holidays rep said she’d ‘never seen delays this bad’.

While Lanzarote has had a bad rep for lengthy queues in recent weeks, they are by no means the only ones.

The Sun travel team has been to various airports across Europe since the start of 2026 and many of them have had much longer queues than usual.

Like in Lanzarote, in some places only half the EES machines are working.

In other destinations, all of the machines are switched off until around midday. So it’ s pure luck as to whether you’ll even get to sign up.

Thanks to its winter sun offering, Lanzarote is one of the first airports to really show what an issue the new system could be for Brits this summer – when millions of visitors arrive for their annual holidays across Europe.

Lanzarote Airport has been subject to ‘bottlenecking’ which is a term used when there are too many flights at once and it causes congestion in the airport.

It’s no surprise really, Lanzarote is a small island with a small airport.

Around 100 planes land at the airport each day and over one million British tourists visit Lanzarote each year, with more heading there over the Easter and summer holidays.

Looking at planned flights on flightradar24 for Thursday 19 March 2026, there are almost 40 from the UK alone, with just under 100 flights in total scheduled for the day.

Between 2pm and 3pm there are 10 flights due from the UK.

Two from Glasgow arrive at the same time, and others are within five and ten-minute intervals.

With the queues in Lanzarote reportedly reaching four hours, I’ve seen parents fearing travel chaos for their upcoming holiday.

One mum even started a forum on Mumsnet with the subject ‘Lanzarote airport actual chaos or exaggerated drama’.

In the comments, one recent visitor described the airport as a ‘madhouse’.

Another, who went on holiday around the same time as me, described it as an “absolute nightmare” and has even cancelled their booking in April as a result.

The lengthy wait times are likely to crop up at other European destinations too because of the new EES requirement.

Delays have been reported at airports like Brussels, Lisbon and Prague, and officials have even called for the EES to be delayed until after the summer holidays.

Other airports are looking for solutions.

At some operated by Aena, like Ibiza, Menorca, Malaga and Palma, Majorca – there could be a Brit only lane at border control to ease congestion.

As for Lanzarote, if you want to make the most of your arrival on the island, then I’d suggest booking an earlier flight so you’ll still have the afternoon to explore.

Otherwise all there is to do is line up and wait patiently.

For more about the new travel requirements this summer – here’s everything you need to know about EES.

And for more travel inspiration, here are the bucket list 2026 holidays you should go on for every month of the year.

It’s the perfect place for an Easter or summer holiday, as there’s so much to see and do, and it’s very easy to get around.

A stunning European capital has been crowned one of the most walkable, making it ideal for a summer or Easter break with countless attractions to explore. Better still, it’s affordable to reach, with UK flights available from just £19 in April.

Budapest in Hungary has repeatedly featured in conversations about great holiday destinations. There’s good reason for its popularity – getting around on foot is effortless, it’s steeped in fascinating history and brilliant attractions, plus the cuisine is great . In fact, travel experts at Freetour named it the top city to visit in 2026.

The specialists explained: “If there is one city that tops every travel ranking time and time again, it’s Budapest. The Hungarian capital claimed first place across all FREETOUR.com destinations in 2025, and 2026 is shaping up to be no different.”

They continued: “It has everything a curious traveler could want: the medieval Castle Hill and the ruin bars of the Jewish Quarter, fin-de-siècle thermal baths and street food at the Great Market Hall, the misty Chain Bridge at dawn and a symphony of lights over the Danube at night. Budapest is a city where every free walking tour feels like a genuine discovery.”

Budapest often appears in lists about the most pedestrian-friendly cities globally. In Guru Walk’s rankings last year, it secured second place, with Rome claiming the number one position, reports the Express.

The professionals noted: ‘Known as the “Pearl of the Danube”, Budapest blends imperial architecture with a vibrant cultural scene.’

Two of Budapest’s main attractions – St Stephen’s Basilica and the Houses of Parliament – are conveniently located just a 15-minute stroll apart. However, if you’re not keen on exploring entirely by foot, the city boasts an efficient public transport system, complete with trams, buses and metros.

Undoubtedly, one of Budapest’s standout attractions is the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. It’s one of the largest complexes in Europe, supplied by two thermal springs, with the indoor and outdoor pools tracing their history back to 1913.

The waters are rich in health-enhancing minerals and temperatures vary from a comfortable 27°C to a warm 38°C.

After your relaxing soak, you can indulge in Budapest’s lively street food scene.

Karaván, nestled in the heart of the Party district, is a must-visit for those eager to sample local delicacies, such as Lángos, a deep-fried flatbread garnished with garlic, cheese and sour cream.

Flights to Budapest start from just £19 from Gatwick in April.

Edison International boosted the pay of its top executives last year despite their responsibility for the safety of the company’s power lines before the devastating Eaton fire, which destroyed a wide swath of Altadena and killed 19 people.

Although the company cut cash bonuses for its senior executives, citing the wildfires, their overall compensation went up substantially as the utility’s profit soared in 2025.

Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of the parent company of Southern California Edison, received $16.6 million in cash, stock and other compensation last year, up 20% from 2024, according to a new company filing.

Steven Powell, president of Southern California Edison, received compensation totaling $6.5 million last year, up from $3.9 million in 2024 — a jump of more than 65%.

The utility’s transmission equipment is suspected of igniting two wildfires on Jan. 7, 2025, including the Eaton fire, which left thousands of families homeless.

The Times earlier detailed how Edison fell behind in performing maintenance on its aging transmission lines — work that it had told state utility regulators was needed. County prosecutors are investigating whether Edison should be criminally charged for its actions before the fire.

The government investigation into the cause of the fire has not been released and Edison has denied that it acted negligently. Pizarro has said a leading theory is that a century-old transmission line, which the company had not used for 50 years, may have briefly reenergized, igniting the fire.

A state law championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 protects utilities from paying for the damage due to fires sparked by their equipment. When it passed, Newsom touted the law’s requirement that utilities must tie executive compensation to their safety record, saying it would keep them accountable.

The law said that a utility “may” consider tying 100% of executive bonuses to safety performance and “denying all incentive compensation in the event the electrical corporation causes a catastrophic wildfire that results in one or more fatalities.”

Edison said in the new filing that the company’s board members who determine executive compensation decided to decrease the cash bonuses of Pizarro, Powell and Jill Anderson, the utility’s chief operating officer, because of the 2025 wildfires.

Pizarro’s cash bonus was cut by more than $1 million while Powell’s was trimmed by $442,000, according to the filing. Anderson lost out on $244,000.

The company, based in Rosemead, said its decision to cut the three executives’ cash bonuses “was not a reflection of the performance of the company or these executives.”

Despite those cuts, the executives’ total pay of salary, bonuses, stock and other compensation rose, according to the filing. That’s because Edison ties most executive compensation not to safety, but to the company’s financial performance.

And last year, Edison’s profit jumped more than 200% — from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $4.5 billion — despite the Eaton disaster.

The profit increase resulted from the protections from wildfire damage provided to Edison by the 2019 law, as well as a 13% hike in customer electricity rates in October.

The utility attributed the higher electric bills to several increases that it successfully lobbied the California Public Utilities Commission to approve. All five members of the commission were appointed by Newsom.

Scott Johnson, an Edison spokesman, said Tuesday that Pizarro and other company executives holding stock took a financial hit after the fires when the price plummeted.

Before the January fires, Edison International’s stock price was about $80. It fell to $50 the next month. It has recovered much of its value, closing on Tuesday at $72.92.

Edison is facing hundreds of lawsuits by victims of the fire. The suits claim it acted negligently, including by failing to remove the old, dormant transmission line in Eaton Canyon.

The lawsuits also blame Edison for not preventatively shutting down its transmission lines Jan. 7, 2025, despite the dangerous Santa Ana winds.

Pizarro has said the winds didn’t meet the company’s threshold in place at the time for turning off those high-voltage wires.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with all those affected, and this loss reinforces our commitment to public safety and wildfire risk mitigation,” Pizarro and Peter Taylor, chairman of the parent company’s board, wrote in a letter to shareholders that was released with the details on executive compensation.

The two executives added that the company’s “long-term objective remains unchanged: to significantly reduce wildfire risk while improving safety, reliability and affordability of electric service.”

Edison is now offering to compensate Eaton fire victims, including those who lost their homes, family members, businesses and apartments. The offer requires the victims to give up their right to sue the utility. Many survivors say the utility’s offer falls short of what they lost.

Pizarro and Taylor wrote that as of March 4, more than 2,500 claims had been submitted through the program. So far, Edison has extended offers to roughly 600 victims submitting claims and made payments totaling $31 million to 212 of those people, they wrote.

The utility also has begun settling claims of property insurers that covered Altadena homes that were destroyed or damaged, paying out hundreds of millions of dollars. The settlements will help cover the insurance companies’ losses.

Edison has told its shareholders that it expects most or all of those payments to victims and insurers to be covered by a $21-billion state wildfire fund that Newsom and lawmakers created as part of Assembly Bill 1054, which became law in 2019.

Critics say the law went too far, allowing a utility to allegedly spark a deadly wildfire without financial consequences to the company or its executives.

“The predictable outcome of continuing to protect shareholders and executives from the consequences of their own negligence is not theoretical. It is observable. More catastrophic fires,” Joy Chen, executive director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, wrote in an email to state wildfire fund administrators this year.

Johnson responded, saying,”Our motivation to prevent fires and any incidents is to be good neighbors and provide affordable and resilient energy. There is nothing more important than safety.”

Taylor was on the board committee that approved the compensation package for Pizarro and other top executives. For his work chairing the board, Taylor received cash and stock compensation of more than $500,000.

Johnson said Taylor’s compensation was based on “typical board chair pay” at other utilities.

The new filing said Pizarro’s total compensation of $16.6 million was 75 times the median Edison employee’s total compensation of $220,000.

The present value of Pizarro’s pension is more than $19 million, the report said.

The company is facing a challenge from one of its shareholders — John Chevedden of Redondo Beach, according to the filing.

Chevedden is asking the company’s shareholders to vote to approve his proposal that would require Pizarro and other Edison executives to hold at least 25% of the stock they had received as compensation until they reach retirement age.

He said that requiring utility executives to hold a significant portion of their stock until retirement would focus their efforts on the company’s long-term success.

Chevedden pointed to “unfavorable news reports,” including the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuits against Edison for the Eaton fire and 2022 Fairview blaze, which killed two people in Riverside County.

Edison’s board urged shareholders to vote against Chevedden’s proposal before the company’s annual meeting April 23.

The board said the company already had guidelines that “closely align the interests of officers with the long-term interests of our shareholders.”

Yamamoto is honored

From Maddie Lee: The first pitch of the Dodgers’ 2026 season won’t capture the exuberance of the last pitch of 2025. But it will be meaningful in its own right, as the official first step of the team’s quest for a third straight championship.

How poetic that the same arm should deliver both pitches.

“It’s an honor for me,” Dodgers opening day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto said Tuesday through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “And then it’s opening day at a Dodger Stadium home game, and that’s very [much an] honor to me. I also feel the responsibility.”

Yamamoto is scheduled to make one more Cactus League start, against the Padres on Friday, before taking the Dodger Stadium mound next Thursday when the Diamondbacks come to town. It will be the second opening-day start of Yamamoto’s MLB career, and his first at home.

It will also mark the end of a whirlwind offseason and spring training for Yamamoto, who not only shouldered a demanding postseason workload, but also navigated an especially quick turnaround to pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

“It’s hard to put into words,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He is just very driven, he’s very disciplined in his work. That’s some of the things that allows him to compete at a high level. Where most people would feel that you win the World Series MVP, you don’t have enough to pitch in the WBC. He wanted to pitch for his country, and now he’s really excited about the start of 2026.

“He is a very determined person. He really is. We’re just lucky he’s on our team.”

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March Madness analysis

The NCAA men’s tournament bracket is set and the games are set to begin Tuesday with the First Four.

Here’s a rundown of the players to watch, potential underdog teams and what to know about the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Click here to continue

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The NCAA women’s basketball tournament bracket is set and the games will begin Wednesday with the start of the First Four.

Here’s a rundown of the players to watch, potential dark horse teams and game previews for every region in the 2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Click here to continue

Alabama guard Aden Holloway arrested on felony drug charge days before NCAA tournament

NFL mock draft

From Sam Farmer: NFL teams are living on the edge.

Sure, it’s a quarterback’s league, but a major focus of the upcoming NFL draft will be about getting to the quarterback. This class is loaded with talented pass rushers, and teams figure to take advantage of that early and often. This mock draft has edge rushers off the board with the second, third and fourth selections.

How appropriate that the April 23-25 draft will be held for the first time in Pittsburgh, birthplace of the Steel Curtain.

The Steelers, incidentally, take a receiver in this mock — and there are lots of talented prospects at that spot, too. This contemplates the Rams selecting USC receiver Makai Lemon, although it’s entirely possible that the sure-handed Trojans star will already be gone by the time the 13th pick rolls around.

The Chargers, meanwhile, take an offensive lineman to address the need that haunted them all last season after they were ravaged by injuries up front.

One look at how the draft could unfold:

Continue reading here

Venezuela defeats the U.S. to win the World Baseball Classic

Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2 Tuesday night on Eugenio Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the ninth.

Maikel Garcia’s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu’s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring pro-Latin America crowd. Meanwhile, left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez and lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits through the seventh.

Bobby Witt Jr. walked with two out in the eighth and Bryce Harper drove the second straight changeup from Andrés Machado over the center-field fence for a two-run homer that tied it. Harper slowly trotted around the bases and took time at third to salute coach Dino Ebel.

Luis Arraez walked against Garrett Whitlock starting the ninth. Pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second just ahead of catcher Will Smith’s throw and came home when Suárez doubled to the left-center gap. Suárez spread his arms wide and pointed to the sky at second base while teammates streamed from the dugout to greet Sanoja at the plate.

Daniel Palencia struck out two in a perfect bottom half to finish a three-hitter and get his third save of the WBC, striking out Roman Anthony to end the game. Venezuelans ran onto the infield to celebrate as the Americans stared while leaning on their dugout railing.

Continue reading here

Shaikin: U.S. showing class at WBC no matter how the White House might react to a title

This day in sports history

1945 — Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season during a 4-2 triumph over the Boston Bruins in the final game of the season.

1950 — CCNY beats Bradley 69-61 for the NIT championship.

1953 — Don Schlundt scores 30 points to lead Indiana to a 69-68 victory over Kansas for the NCAA basketball championship.

1990 — Jeff Fryer’s 41 points leads Loyola Marymount to a 149-115 victory over defending national champion Michigan in the highest-scoring game in NCAA tournament history.

1993 — Santa Clara beats Arizona 64-61 to become the second 15th-seeded team to win a first-round game in the NCAA tournament.

1995 — Michael Jordan announces he is ending his 17-month NBA retirement.

2001 — Indiana’s Reggie Miller becomes the first player in NBA history to accumulate 2,000 three-pointers after hitting four in a 101-95 win over Sacramento.

2008 — The Houston Rockets’ 22-game winning streak comes to an end. Kevin Garnett scores 22 points and Paul Pierce adds 20 as the Celtics beat the Rockets 94-74, stopping Houston’s remarkable run.

2009 — New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur breaks Patrick Roy’s NHL record for career wins by a goaltender. Brodeur records his 552nd win in a 3-2 decision over the Chicago Blackhawks.

2013 — LeBron James and the Miami Heat escape Boston with their 23rd win in a row, the second longest win streak in NBA history. James scores 37 points and makes the go-ahead basket with 10.5 seconds left in Miami’s 105-103 victory.

2015 — Lindsey Vonn wins the World Cup downhill title for the seventh time, winning the last race in the discipline at the World Cup finals in Meribel, France.

2016 — Middle Tennessee State sends a big shock through the men’s NCAA Tournament, topping second-seeded Michigan State 90-81 in the first round. Middle Tennessee never trails the Spartans (29-6) in one of the biggest upsets since the tournament began seeding teams in 1985.

2016 — Thomas Walkup scores 33 points and 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin takes down West Virginia’s full-court pressure with some of its own in-your-face defense, pulling off a 70-56 first-round upset of the third-seeded Mountaineers in the NCAA Tournament.

2017 — Kalani Brown scores 21 points and top-seeded Baylor overwhelms much smaller Texas Southern 119-30, the most lopsided women’s NCAA Tournament game. The 89-point margin breaks the previous record 74-point win by Tennessee over North Carolina A&T (111-37) in 1994. Baylor’s 119 points are the most scored in regulation of a women’s NCAA Tournament game, surpassing the previous record 116.

2017 — Texas A&M pulls off the biggest comeback in women’s NCAA Tournament history, rallying from a 21-point deficit for a 63-61 victory over Penn to close out the first round of the NCAAs. The fifth-seeded Aggies finish the game on a 25-1 run to beat the 12th-seeded Quakers.

2018 — Tennessee loses for the first time at home in women’s NCAA Tournament history. Marie Gulich has 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead sixth-seed Oregon State to a 66-59 win. The third-seeded Lady Vols had been 57-0 at home, with most of those victories coming under late Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt.

2019 — 40-year old Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki overtakes Wilt Chamberlain to move into sixth place with 31,424 points on the NBA scorers’ list; Mavs suffer 129-125 OT loss to New Orleans Pelicans.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

South Korean stocks surged more than 5 percent Wednesday, on a semiconductor rally boosted by the ongoing U.S. chip giant Nvidia’s global artificial intelligence (AI) conference. The Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed up 284.55 points, or 5.04 percent, to 5,925.03.

The index came under strong buying pressure from foreigners and institutional investors, triggering the Korea Exchange (KRX), the country’s main bourse operator, to issue a buy-side sidecar near the closing bell.

Program trading for the KOSPI was suspended for five minutes at 2:34 p.m., according to the KRX.

Offshore and institutional investors snapped up a combined net 4 trillion won (US$2.7 billion) worth of equities. Retail investors, on the other hand, offloaded 3.9 trillion won.

Trade volume was heavy at 1.1 billion shares worth 26.1 trillion won, with winners far outnumbering losers 614 to 278.

Investors’ appetite for semiconductors increased, following remarks from Nvidia’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang on Samsung Electronics, Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, said.

During the ongoing four-day event in California, Huang said on Monday he wants to “thank Samsung, who manufactures the Groq LP30 chip” for the company, adding that the chips are in production and would be shipped in the second half of this year.

“The stock market’s sensitivity to geopolitical issues in the Middle East is markedly declining,” Lee added.

Most large cap shares ended bullish.

Top-cap Samsung Electronics jumped 7.53 percent to 208,500 won, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix climbed 8.87 percent to 1,056,000 won.

Nuclear power plant builder Doosan Enerbility rose 2.78 percent to 107,300 won, on anticipations alternative energy sources would benefit from the recent spike in oil prices.

Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, has remained at the US$100 per barrel level for the past five sessions.

In contrast, defense shares lost ground as investors went to lock in profits. Hanwha Aerospace inched down 0.43 percent to 1,390,000 won, and LIG Nex1 retreated 2.27 percent to 689,000 won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,483.1 won against the U.S. dollar as of 3:30 p.m., up 10.5 won from the previous session.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys fell 6.3 basis points to 3.261 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds retreated 6.7 basis points to 3.511 percent.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

As United States President Donald Trump tries to build a coalition of navies willing to open the Strait of Hormuz, some countries are negotiating safe passage directly with Iran, underscoring a new de facto reality, analysts say: Regardless of military results, Tehran is calling the shots on who gets to use the world’s most important energy waterway.

After US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28 and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Iranian military leadership responded by focusing on its most potent form of leverage – Iran’s geography. The country controls the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of global crude oil and natural gas supplies pass. It is 33km (20 miles) wide at its narrowest point, so any naval force that wants to cross it becomes easy prey for Iranian attacks coming from the mainland.

Considering insurance companies’ low appetite for risk, it took relatively few attacks on vessels in the strait – or just the threat of them – to undermine market confidence and send insurance premiums shooting up, causing a near paralysis in maritime traffic. About 20 vessels have been attacked since the start of the war.

“Iran has effectively proven that it dictates the terms of passage through the strait. They have now shown they are the gatekeeper of this important chokepoint. This will elevate the status of Iran in the geography of the Gulf,” said Andreas Krieg, an associate professor in Security Studies at King’s College London and a fellow at King’s Institute of Middle Eastern Studies. This will be the new reality for the foreseeable future, he added.

Meanwhile, crude prices have risen above $100 a barrel, more than 20 percent higher than pre-war prices, forcing countries to make the biggest releases of emergency reserves in history. Gas prices have risen by more than 40 percent since the war began.

Trump initially floated the idea of ordering the US Navy to escort vessels through the waterway. He then appealed to some countries to send warships and warned NATO members they would face “a very bad” future if these allies failed to help in opening the strait. But the appeal was either turned down or received noncommittal responses. Japan said it had no plans to deploy naval vessels. Australia ruled out sending ships. The United Kingdom said it would not be drawn into the wider war. Germany sent a clear message: “This is not our war”.

Others decided to take action – but not of the kind that Trump asked for. On Saturday, two India-flagged gas tankers passed through the strait after days of negotiations between New Delhi and Tehran, including a phone call between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Ships from Pakistan, Turkiye and China also have transited through the Strait of Hormuz. The Financial Times has reported that Italy and France have also reached out to Iran for deals although Italian authorities have rejected making such an overture.

Meanwhile, Windward, a maritime intelligence tracking group, said that while traffic in the strait on Tuesday remained 97 percent below average, a growing number of ships have been passing through Iran’s territorial waters, suggesting that Tehran is allowing “permission-based transit”.

‘It is up to us to decide’

There is a precedent for US naval forces to escort convoys through the strait dating back to the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. But today’s scenario is different, experts said. Back then, the US, while it was backing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, was not a direct party to the conflict. Iran was still in a post-revolutionary process of consolidating power, and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was nowhere near as organised as it is today.

Today, Iran has drones that its factories are capable of producing on a large scale and has been using them. Iranian forces could also use small boats to assault tankers, deploy mines and engage in other guerrilla-style tactics. While there are conflicting reports on whether Iran has placed mines in the strait, experts said it would be a counterproductive move for Tehran because it would disrupt the passage for any ships – Iranian vessels included – and it would take away from Tehran the power to choose who may pass.

Iranian officials are aware of their geographic advantage. “This is up to our military to decide,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, referring to who will be allowed to use the strait.

Pro-government figures increasingly frame the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic bargaining tool beyond the war itself, suggesting the waterway could be used to extract compensation, sanctions relief or broader economic concessions after the war, Hamidreza Azizi, an expert on Iran and visiting fellow with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, commented on X.

Recent attacks seem to suggest that Iran wants to increase its pressure on the energy market.

On Tuesday, a drone attack caused a fire at the port of Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates’s only crude export terminal. It is located outside the eastern entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing its exports to circumvent it. The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen could also further squeeze oil prices by disrupting the Bab al-Mandeb strait. That would force the US to operate across multiple maritime theatres. So far, the Houthis have not carried out such attacks, but this month, they said they were ready to strike at any ‌moment.

Still, the US is focused on applying maximum pressure on Tehran and forcing it to open the Strait of Hormuz. The US Central Command, the US military’s combat command responsible for operations in the Middle East, said early on Wednesday that its forces had used 2,270kg (5,000lb) bunker-busting munitions against antiship missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has also ordered amphibious ships carrying thousands of US Marines to move to the Middle East, and some experts believe the US might try to seize Kharg Island, a tiny piece of land in the northern Gulf where 90 percent of Iranian crude oil is exported from. The US has already bombed what it said were military sites on the island.

Such an operation, however, might do little to force Iran into opening the Strait of Hormuz, Krieg said. The island is 500km 310 miles) from the strait, and should the US take control of it, it would expose US Marines to Iranian fire. Should Iran see its key terminal being seized, it could also opt to mine the strait outright, having fewer reasons to allow some vessels to pass through.

“The issue with the Strait of Hormuz is really not a military one. … It’s a market issue, and confidence cannot be restored by the military. Confidence can be restored through diplomacy only,” Krieg said.

The actor portrays John Worboys – dubbed the “black cab rapist” – in the upcoming series

Daniel Mays has admitted he was “absolutely terrified” when he read the script of his new ITV drama Believe Me.

The actor plays convicted offender John Worboys – who was dubbed the ‘black cab rapist’ after preying on women under the cover of being a licensed taxi-cab driver.

He was convicted in 2009 for crimes including sexual assault and drugging with intent against 12 women.

“I actually underestimated how much it was going to affect me,” Daniel said as a first look image of him as Worboys was released.

“I’ve been a professional actor for 26 years, so I’ve done a lot of true crime and played a lot of wrong ‘uns. When I got these scripts, it absolutely terrified me, because I’m a father myself.

“My head immediately went to my 13-year-old daughter Dixie. She’s venturing out, going on trains, and before long, no doubt she’ll be in the back of a taxi. So as a father, I found it an incredibly disturbing and terrifying read.”

He continued: “It was a difficult thing to have rolling around in my head before filming.

“It was a very isolating character to play, by its very nature. When I was announced to play him, I got this tirade from family and friends and work colleagues who can’t quite believe it, going, ‘Why would you want to play something like that?’ So, the challenge was to humanise him, really, and that was a very difficult and unsettling thing to take on.”

The four-part series, filmed in Cardiff, focuses on the ordeal of Sarah (played by Peaky Blinders’ Aimée-Ffion Edwards) and Laila (played by Raised By Wolves’ Aasiya Shah), who reported sexual assaults by Worboys, and how their allegations were not thoroughly investigated.

ITV said it “tells the story of how the victims of one of the most prolific sex attackers in British history were failed by the system”.

Danny, known for Des and A Thousand Blows, said there’s “always a huge responsibility” playing a real person on screen, but that this was “a whole other level”.

He explained: “This is told from the perspective of the victims, and for them to tell their truth, have their stories told – the ordeals that they went through and the fight they took on against the Metropolitan Police and the court systems.

“So, when you’re dealing with that, the onus was on me to get it absolutely 110% right. That was paramount to me.”

Believe Me is coming soon to ITV1

If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, http://www.victimsupport.org.uk.

WHEN it comes to travelling to Greece there are loads of islands to choose from – but now the cheapest spots have been revealed, and you might be surprised.

Greece is a much-loved holiday destination for Brits, and now the islands where you could save over £1,000 have been revealed.

According to new data by TravelSupermarket, Kefalonia – the largest Ionian island – is the cheapest Greek destination.

Looking at average prices for a seven-night holiday between September 16, 2025 and March 15 2026, TravelSupermarket found that Kefalonia cost an average of £596 per person.

Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital), who has visited the island, said: “Looking out at Myrtos Beach, which is regularly named one of Greece’s top five, it felt like we were being let in on a great secret.

“The bright white shoreline and astonishingly clear aquamarine waters shone back at us, almost completely empty.

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“It was so peaceful, in fact, that a digital nomad had set up his van office in the parking lot overlooking the sea.”

In second place is Lefkada, costing around £606 per person.

Instead of heading to Corfu, Lefkada (which is just along the coast) offers fewer crowds.

Also, in comparison to a seven-night break in Corfu, you could save £216 per person, or £864 if travelling as a family of four.

The island of Lefkada is often dubbed the ‘Caribbean of Greece’ thanks to its exotic, Caribbean-like natural landscape.

Across the island, you will find sprawling beaches including Porto Katsiki.

And in the island’s main town, there are lots of alleys to explore, and a long promenade with restaurants and bars littered along it.

In the town, look at the buildings too, as many are in a Venetian architectural style.

Surprisingly, Santorini ranked third most affordable, costing around £637 per person.

The stunning island is one of the most popular destinations in Europe attracting honeymooners and A-listers such as Angelina Jolie and Beyonce.

And as a result, many think visiting the island comes with a premium price tag.

But a trip to the white-and-blue island doesn’t need to break the bank.

Hotels can cost from just £35 a night and the island has a good bus network, which costs less than £2 a ticket.

For less busy spots, check out Megalochori, Pygros or Emborio – they all feature cobbled roads, cosy tavernas and authentic Greek food.

Mykonos followed in fourth, costing around £670 per person.

Mykonos is often thought to be one of Greece‘s most glamorous and expensive places to visit.

But it is actually cheaper than heading to Crete.

If you swapped Crete for Mykonos, you could save around £98 per person.

Often associated with parties, Mykonos is a great destination to head to if you enjoy nightlife.

Beaches including Paradise and Super Paradise have bars with live music and a number of clubs attract world-renowned DJs.

But Mykonos doesn’t just have great nightlife; make sure to check out the row of 16th-century windmills on the hill above the town.

Rhodes then rounded out the top five, costing around £689 per person.

Instead of heading to Kos, head to Rhodes.

Both destinations are Dodecanese staples, with lots of sunny weather and stunning beaches.

Yet, if you head to Rhodes over Kos you could save a massive £254 per person – or £1,016 for a family of four.

The island is well-known for its 3,000-year-old history with the UNESCO-listed medieval Old Town as well as amazing beaches including Lindos Beach and Faliraki Beach.

Chris Webber, Head of Holidays and Deals at TravelSupermarket, said: “Greek islands are not all created equal when it comes to price — but the expensive ones might not be the islands you’d expect.

“Mykonos costs less to book than Crete. Rhodes is hundreds of pounds cheaper than Kos.

“If you’re prepared to swap one island for another, the savings can be huge.”

For more ideas on where to travel in Greece, there is one smaller island that has 70 beaches.

Plus, one Greece expert shares four better value islands where locals go on holiday.

A MAJOR airline in Europe has cancelled 1,000 flights next month due to soaring fuel costs caused by the Iran crisis.

Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) is the second airline to do so, following Air New Zealand.

While the majority will be shorter domestic routes, some other longer routes could also be affected.

The main flights affected are across Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

In a statement, the airline said: “Given the ongoing situation in the Middle East, including the sharp and sudden increase in global fuel prices, we are taking measures to strengthen our resilience.”

“One such measure is a limited number of short-term flight cancellations.”

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GROUNDED

British Airways cancels all flights to Dubai until June amid ongoing Iran conflict

SAS CEO ​Anko van ⁠der Werff told local media: “The price of jet fuel has doubled in ten days. ‌

“Even ⁠if we try to absorb cost hikes as far as we can this is a shock that strikes directly at the aviation industry.”

He confirmed hundreds of flights have already been cancelled this month, although urged that it was a fraction of their usual 800 flights a day.

He added: “We are cancelling a few hundred flights in March, but trying to protect our traffic as much as possible.”

More are expected to be affected after the Easter holidays.

The airline has also confirmed that they have increased flight prices, one of the first to do so in response to the conflict and alongside Qantas and Cathay Pacific.

SAS is the first major airline in Europe to axe flights because of of the cost of fuel going up.

This has been caused by the Iran conflict, with fears of it continuing due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route.

Earlier this month, Air New Zealand also confirmed they would be cancelling flights due to fuel costs.

The airline’s chief executive of Nikhil Ravishankar said the five per cent reduction in flights would last until May.

This works out to around 44,000 passengers, with the majority of services affected being short haul and domestic.

Most UK airlines are not currently affected due to a process called ‘hedging’ where they pay a set price for oil.

IAG – who owns British Airways – confirmed that 80 per cent of fuel was hedged for month.

Ryanair echoed this, saying that 84 per cent was hedged for the current quarter.

However, they could still be affected if the Iran conflict continues.

Before the conflict, prices were around $90 (£67) per barrel. This has now increased to as much as $200 (£149) per barrel.

We’ve explained what the Iran crisis means for your holiday.

And here are the European destinations booming in demand due to the ongoing conflict.

Four of the five members of the Board of Fire Commissioners, which oversees the Los Angeles Fire Department, are stepping down at a time when the department is under intense scrutiny because of its missteps in handling the devastating Palisades fire.

The departures, which include board President Genethia Hudley Hayes, come after the agency’s top watchdog, Independent Assessor Tyler Izen, retired this month.

The fire commissioners are appointed by the mayor and are supposed to provide civilian oversight for the Fire Department. But during critical discussions about the Palisades fire, the commissioners have largely been quiet.

Addressing the LAFD’s failure to fully extinguish the Lachman fire, which later reignited into the Palisades fire, Chief Jaime Moore conceded at a January board meeting that mop-up procedures needed to be strengthened. Moore also admitted that the LAFD’s after-action report on the Palisades fire was softened to shield top brass from scrutiny.

The commissioners did not ask any questions about Moore’s remarks and only praised him.

In an interview at the time, Hudley Hayes said she did not know who ordered the changes to the after-action report — and despite her oversight role, was “not particularly” interested in finding out.

“Our job is to take the report that we have in front of us. Our job is to make sure those recommendations that came to us from a public report are taken care of,” said Hudley Hayes, a former school board member who said she was first appointed to the commission by then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, served eight years and then was appointed again by Mayor Karen Bass.

On Monday, Corinne Tapia Babcock, one of the four commissioners stepping down, said that by the time items come to the board, they often have already been negotiated by the fire chief, the mayor and the City Council.

“It’s more of an approval, ceremonial role,” she said.

After Babcock said she wasn’t planning to stay on past the end of her term in June, Bass’ office asked her to serve instead on the Board of Fire and Police Pension Commissioners, and she accepted.

On her way out, Babcock said she suggested that the fire commission be expanded to seven seats, instead of five, to include an active and a retired LAFD member.

“I think there could be more opportunity for the commission to have more of a say if there was some lived experience,” said Babcock, whose father is a retired fire chief.

Jimmie Woods-Gray, whose term was set to expire in 2028, is also stepping down. She said family commitments have left her with less time to devote to the board.

She said she is leaving with some frustrations about the management of the LAFD, including its reluctance to refer allegations of wrongdoing by its members to an independent investigation rather than an internal inquiry.

“One of the problems I’ve always had with the Fire Department is that they always investigate themselves,” she added.

Hudley Hayes, whose four-year term would have expired in June 2027, said the tumult within the LAFD had no bearing on her exit, which she had been planning since before the Palisades fire. After the fire, Bass and an aide asked her to stay on, Hudley Hayes said.

“For me, it’s time,” she told The Times on Tuesday, adding that her last day would be March 30. “At 81, it’s time for me to take care of Genethia.”

The one remaining commissioner is Elizabeth Garfield, a retired lawyer who represented the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, the labor union for LAFD firefighters, in negotiating three collective bargaining agreements. She was appointed in September.

Bass has named four new commissioners to replace the departing ones: John Pérez, a former speaker of the California Assembly who will step down from the Board of Harbor Commissioners to join the fire commission; Jerry P. Abraham, a physician who is the director of public health, integration and street medicine at Kedren Health; Jose Campos Cornejo, a manager at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; and Yolanda Regalado, a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy whose three brothers were firefighters and who now owns a cafe in San Pedro.

Yusef Robb, a Bass spokesperson, said in a statement that the mayor “is confident that her reform agenda for the Fire Department will not only continue, but will accelerate under the fresh perspective and leadership of her new appointees.”

LAFD spokesperson Stephanie Bishop said the agency “welcomes the new members of the Fire Commission and looks forward to working alongside them.”

Sharon Delugach, who was vice president of the fire commission and whose term was set to expire in 2029, bid farewell at a meeting this month.

“I still intend to help and fight and advocate,” she said. “I’m only leaving because I don’t feel like I’ve got the time at this point to be the kind of commissioner I want to be. I don’t want to just come to meetings.”

Delugach did not return a call Tuesday for comment.

Izen retired this month as the LAFD’s independent assessor, who reports to the commission and conducts audits of operations and the department’s handling of complaints. He could not be reached for comment.

Pringle is a former Times staff writer.