allowed

West Midlands Police said the upcoming game has been classified as “high risk” following a “thorough assessment”.

A spokesperson said: “This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

“Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety.

“While the safety certificate is issued by Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending.”

Football’s European governing body Uefa said it wanted fans to be able to travel and support their team in a “safe, secure and welcoming environment”.

Uefa told Reuters: “In all cases, the competent local authorities remain responsible for decisions related to the safety and security of matches taking place on their territory.”

Arrests were made after violence broke out before the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in November last year.

Amsterdam officials described the violence as a “toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism, and anger” over the war in Gaza, Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.

A ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on 10 October.

The competition will be held at the Global Theater, Riyadh, which staged the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in December.

That event offers a $1m (£745,000) bonus if a player pots a golden ball after a maximum 147 break, for a 167 clearance.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, has said he wanted to get involved in darts and introduce a “crazy concept” to the sport.

The World Series of Darts will begin with the Bahrain Darts Masters from 15-19 January.

Saudi Arabia will follow before events in Denmark, the US, New Zealand, Australia and the Finals in the Netherlands.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of ‘sportswashing’ in recent years – using its unprecedented spending on sport to improve the oil-producing kingdom’s reputation over its human rights record and environmental impact.

It has staged many major sports events, including Formula 1 and golf, and will host the men’s football World Cup in 2034.

In February Saudi’s UK ambassador Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud said alcohol would not be sold anywhere during the World Cup, including hotels.

The darts tournament will be part of Riyadh Season events in partnership with Matchroom Sport – run by Hearn’s son Eddie – which features boxing and snooker.

Other events not part of the Matchroom partnership include the ‘Six Kings’ tennis exhibition and WWE’s Royal Rumble.

A new EU rule change could mean that passengers are able to bring two bags on board at no extra cost

Ryanair and easyJet travellers could soon be permitted to bring two cabin bags aboard flights without paying extra fees. At the moment these airlines allow those flying on basic tickets to bring one small personal item onboard, with any additional baggage incurring supplementary charges.

Ryanair has been forced to expand the dimensions of the personal bag it permits, following amendments to EU regulations. Under fresh rules, passengers flying with the budget carrier will be permitted to carry hand luggage measuring up to 40 x 30 x 20cm, representing a 20% expansion from its previous 40 x 20 x 25 cm size limits.

easyJet’s personal bag dimensions already met these requirements, reports Plymouth Live. And another EU rule change could mean travellers are able to bring a cabin bag measuring up to 100cm, alongside a personal bag, without additional charges.

The proposed legislation requires backing from at least 55% of EU member nations. Should it receive approval, the regulation would apply to all flights within the EU, plus routes travelling to and from the EU.

Members of European Parliament (MEPs) also seek to ensure children under 12 years old are seated alongside an accompanying passenger without extra cost. Currently, airlines face no legal requirement to seat children with their parents, though the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) advises they should do so.

The CAA states: “Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults.

“This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.”

A senior Israeli official was arrested in the United States earlier this month and charged with seeking sexual conduct with a minor, only to be released on bail with no conditions or monitoring, allowing him to flee to Israel.

The case involving Tom Artiom Alexandrovich in Nevada is now stirring controversy, with politicians and social media commentators accusing the government of interfering in the judicial process to allow the cybersecurity official to return home without facing justice.

On Monday, the US Department of State was prompted to weigh in, posting on X that any “claims that the US government intervened are false”.

Court records from Nevada’s Clark County show that Alexandrovich was charged with luring or attempting to lure a child online to engage in sexual conduct – a felony that carries up to 10 years in jail in the case of a conviction. He was released on a $10,000 bond, but no monitoring appeared to take place.

Richard Davies, a criminal defence lawyer in Nevada, told Al Jazeera that the apparent lack of conditions on Alexandrovich’s release despite the seriousness of the charges was “fishy”.

“Average Joe gets arrested, he would appear in front of the justice of the peace within 24 hours. The justice of the peace in that county would issue bail conditions, which very typically would include a GPS device, restrictions on movement, not being allowed to leave the state,” Davies said.

“So the fact that this individual was not only allowed to leave without an ankle bracelet or a GPS device, not only to leave the state, but also leave the country, is highly unusual and suspect.”

The timeline

Alexandrovich was arrested on August 6, but the incident was not made public until more than a week later, when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced an undercover operation “targeting child sex predators”.

A task force of local and federal agents had arrested eight suspects, including Alexandrovich, over two weeks.

“This operation was conducted as part of the ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime and protect children in our community,” the police said.

According to a police report, first obtained by the Breaking Points podcast, the authorities allege that Alexandrovich made sexual contact on two online and texting platforms with an undercover agent posing as a 15-year-old girl.

“The sexual contact included bringing a condom and taking the decoy to ‘Cirque du Soleil’,” the report said.

He was arrested as soon as he arrived to meet the decoy.

During his interview with law enforcement officers, Alexandrovich said he thought the person he was chatting with was 18.

Then he repeatedly invoked his flight to Israel, the report says.

“Alexandrovich stated it was very important he get numbers for his flight. Alexandrovich stated his flight is on Friday [August 8] to New York and then will fly to Israel.”

Davies, the lawyer, said the mention of the flight should have given the court additional pause about granting Alexandrovich bail without stringent conditions.

“The fact that he wants to leave the country should be an aggravating fact to restrict his movement even more,” the lawyer said.

Trump administration denies involvement

Alexandrovich’s next court appearance is set for August 27.

It is not clear how or why he was released despite being a flight risk. The lower court judge whose name appears next to the bail determination did not return Al Jazeera’s request for comment. Neither did the Clark County District Attorney’s office.

The State Department denial has done little to sweep away the controversy. On social media, the case has drawn increased scrutiny and stoked speculations, with some likening Alexandrovich’s release and what they see as President Donald Trump’s administration burying the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene raised the case on Tuesday, drawing a contrast between freeing Alexandrovich and blocking Palestinian children from Gaza from entering the US for medical care.

“Two recent decisions made by the State Department both involve children,” she wrote.

“We need to be the America that allows war torn children to come here for life saving surgeries and the America that never releases a foreign child sex predator that our great LEO’s [law enforcement officers] caught.”

Last week, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that Alexandrovich was arrested and downplayed the incident .

“A state employee who traveled to the US for professional matters was questioned by American authorities during his stay,” Netanyahu’s office was quoted as saying by Israeli news outlets.

“The employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled.”

Justice Department blames local Democrat

With the spotlight on the Trump administration, the Justice Department has tried to shift the blame for the release of Alexandrovich to the local Democratic prosecutor in Clark County.

Acting US Attorney for the District of Nevada Sigal Chattah on Monday released a statement saying that the Clark County District Attorney’s office – not federal authorities – “is handling the prosecution” of the Israeli officials.

Shortly after that proclamation, Chattah wrote on social media: “A liberal district attorney and state court judge in Nevada FAILED TO REQUIRE AN ALLEGED CHILD MOLESTER TO SURRENDER HIS PASSPORT, which allowed him to flee our country.”

She added that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel are “outraged” about the incident.

“The individual who fled our country should have had his passport seized by the state authorities. He must be returned immediately to face justice,” Chattah said.

pic.twitter.com/aa9bDJsri1

— US Attorney Nevada (@USAO_NV) August 18, 2025

Meanwhile, the controversy has brought scrutiny to Chattah’s record, who has a history of posting bigoted and dehumanising posts against Palestinians.

On her now-deleted personal X account, Chattah has referred to Palestinians in Gaza as “animals”, called for wiping the territory “off the map”, and suggested that “even the children” in the enclave are “terrorists”.

The Justice Department and Chattah’s office did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Davies noted that Alexandrovich could still be extradited to face trial in the US, but the issue would require political will.

“The court should be concerned about protecting children in this community and nationwide. So it’s highly unusual – again – to allow this person to leave. Can they extradite them? Yes, they can. Will they? I guess that remains to be seen.”

In Clovelly in North Devon, life moves at a slower pace, with goods hauled on wooden sledges and donkeys still making occasional appearances on the cobbled streets

Cars are banned in a UK village where locals have decided to do things the old-fashioned way.

Perched on the cliffs of North Devon lies Clovelly, a village where it can feel as if time simply stopped. Here, cars aren’t just discouraged — they’re completely banned. Instead, life moves at a slower pace, with goods hauled on wooden sledges and donkeys still making occasional appearances on the cobbled streets.

Visitors to Clovelly quickly discover that modern transport is left firmly at the top of the hill. The only way into the village is on foot, down steep cobbled lanes that wind between whitewashed cottages and burst open into a postcard-worthy harbour. It comes after a British man claimed ‘I moved from UK to Benidorm – price of a pint and Full English left me floored’.

READ MORE: ‘I’m a travel agent who’s planned 6,000 holidays – there’s one essential I always pack’READ MORE: ‘I went on UK rail route named world’s most beautiful and it lived up to the hype’

The absence of cars isn’t the result of modern environmental policies but centuries of practicality — the roads are too steep and narrow for vehicles. Deliveries are made on sledges dragged by hand, inching goods down the cobbles to shops and homes. Rubbish is hauled back up in the same way, keeping the village running as it has for generations.

For hundreds of years, donkeys were the workhorses of Clovelly. They carried fish from the harbour, hauled building supplies, and transported luggage for visitors. Today, they’ve retired from hard labour, but you can still meet them in the stables at the top of the village.

Meanwhile, the wooden sledge has taken over most of the donkey’s workload. Each one is handmade by locals, often adapted to carry everything from crates of food to furniture.

Clovell was once owned by the Queen of England, the estate having originally been owned by William the Conqueror, King of England, and then gifted to his wife.It had many royal associations until 1242 when first acquired by the Giffard family. Until the middle of the 19th century Clovelly was all-but-unknown to the outside world, such was the private way in which the village was run.

Motoring experts at Show Plates World say Clovelly is a fascinating contrast to the UK’s car-obsessed culture.

“Britain has always been a nation on the move, but Clovelly shows us what happens when the car is taken out of the picture. The village thrives on tradition and community, proving that life without traffic isn’t just possible — it can be beautiful. While cars dominate almost every aspect of modern life, Clovelly’s charm comes from rejecting them altogether,” a representative of the company said in a statement.

“It’s also a reminder of how much cars shape our environment. Walking through Clovelly, you notice the peace, the clean air, and the sounds of people and nature instead of engines. That’s an experience you don’t forget.”

READ MORE: Moment unlucky tourists sink their rental boat in front of huge crowdREAD MORE: Majorca ‘dupe’ has beautiful beaches, no crowds and £1.99 beers

Clovelly’s history stretches back to the Domesday Book. For centuries, it’s been privately owned and carefully maintained, ensuring its streets, cottages, and harbour retain their unique character. Visitors pay a small entrance fee of around £9.50 for adults and £5.50 for children, which helps maintain the village, its museums and gardens — keeping the cobbles and cottages in pristine condition.

Throughout the year, Clovelly also hosts festivals celebrating its maritime roots, including herring, lobster and crab fairs. These events fill the car-free streets with music, food and laughter, reinforcing its strong ties to the sea and its heritage.

With its cobbled lanes, flower-draped cottages and sweeping sea views, Clovelly is often described as one of the most beautiful villages in Britain. What sets it apart is not just its looks, but its atmosphere — a sense of stepping out of the modern world into something slower, calmer and more magical.

A JUDGE who controversially allowed a knife-wielding drug dealer to stay in the UK was on the board of a pro-asylum charity.

Fiona Beach declared Christian Quadjovie, 26, was not a threat to the public.

The French-born crook had been locked up for a total of 963 days since arriving here aged ten in 2009.

But he was granted a reprieve by Judge Beach, an ex-director at Asylum Aid who represented migrants for free on behalf of the Bail for Immigration Detainees charity.

The decision has since been overturned after Government lawyers claimed her judgment was “made against the weight of evidence”.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said Judge Beach’s apparent conflict of interest “undermines confidence” in the courts.

He added: “This is the latest example of an immigration judge with open borders views.

“The similarity between her decisions and the political views she has broadcast totally undermines confidence in the system. Judges must be independent.”

Last night, in a letter seen by The Sun on Sunday, Mr Jenrick made a formal request to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office to probe whether Judge Beach, 54, had declared her previous roles.

In 2005 and 2007, she was listed in a “thank you” section of the Bail in Immigration annual report, and named as a barrister volunteering to represent its clients in court.

Records show she was a director of Asylum Aid between September 2004 and February 2007.

Judicial sources insisted she stepped back from the group in December 2006 when appointed as a part-time judge.

In 2018 she was made a salaried tribunal judge. She first heard Quadjovie’s case in April 2024.

He was first convicted as a boy of 12 after sexually assaulting a girl under 13.

In 2016, he was given a nine-month referral order for carrying a knife in public.

Later that year, he was convicted of drug offences. He was detained for 30 months and caught with more drugs after his release.

The Home Office tried to deport him but he argued he would not be able to reintegrate in France.

A judiciary spokesman said all judges took an oath to remain impartial.

He added: “In each case, judges make decisions based on the evidence and arguments presented, and apply the law as it stands.”

1

WASHINGTON — The man who oversees the nation’s military reposted a video about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to vote and should “submit” to their husbands.

The extraordinary repost on X from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made Thursday night, illustrates his deep and personal connection to a Christian nationalist pastor with extreme views on the role of religion and women.

In the post, Hegseth commented on an almost seven-minute-long report by CNN examining Doug Wilson, co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, or CREC. The report featured various pastors of the denomination advocating the repeal of women’s right to vote from the Constitution and parishioners saying that women should “submit” to their husbands.

“All of Christ for All of Life,” Hegseth wrote in his post that accompanied the video.

Hegseth’s post received more than 12,000 likes and 2,000 shares on X. Some users agreed with the pastors in the video, while others expressed alarm at the Defense secretary promoting Christian nationalist ideas.

Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said Friday that Hegseth is “a proud member of a church” that is affiliated with CREC and he “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.”

In May, Hegseth invited his personal pastor, Brooks Potteiger, to the Pentagon to lead the first of several Christian prayer services that Hegseth has held inside the government building during working hours. Defense Department employees and service members said they received invitations to the event in their government emails.

“I’d like to see the nation be a Christian nation, and I’d like to see the world be a Christian world,” Wilson said in the CNN report.

Toropin writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press journalists Mike Pesoli in Washington and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

When it comes to packing your hand luggage, there are plenty of items you need to be careful with in order to make it through airport security

If you’re jetting off this summer and planning to cram your life into a hand luggage bag, there are some items that could land you in hot water. Hand luggage liquids generally need to be under 100ml to pass through airport security, including water bottles, face oils, moisturiser and hand gel, reports the Express.

However, some items that aren’t technically liquids can cause issues at security. Fulton Umbrellas have put together a list of surprising items you can and can’t take with you on your travels.

Firstly, soft cheese is part of the 100ml limit if you’re travelling back to the UK from the EU. The same applies for jams, chutneys, sauces and anything sold in liquid like antipasti or olives.

Some countries even have stricter rules when it comes to travelling with food, so always check before you pack. Another item that should not be packed in your carry on is protein powder.

This is because powders can obstruct x-ray machines and therefore will need to be manually checked by staff. This can be a lengthy process so it’s fastest and safest to just leave it at home – or if you’re really desperate, put it in your checked bag.

Surprisingly, in the UK there is one item you are allowed to take on that you might not be aware of.

If you’re only taking carry-on luggage with you, but you fancy dabbling in a little arts and crafts on the plane, you are allowed to take a small pair of scissors on board.

In the UK, the standard rule is that any pair of scissors with a blade length less than 6cm is permissible.

For larger pairs, it’s recommended to stow them in your checked luggage. Different airlines may have varying regulations regarding items with blades, so it’s advisable to verify if you need to carry scissors with you.

If you want ideas and inspiration to plan your next UK adventure plus selected offers and competitions, sign up for our 2Chill weekly newsletter here

Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, ex-India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta and TMS statistician Andy Zaltzman answer your questions from Old Trafford.

Do you have a question for the team? Or about another sport? Send them to us by visiting the ‘Ask Me Anything’ page on the BBC Sport website.

READ MORE: Show of Mancunian grit could be making of India captain Gill

Post-Brexit, UK holidaymakers have typically had to endure queues at manned desks for passport checks at EU airports, as opposed to swiftly passing through automated gates equipped with facial recognition tech.

Germany is set to open its passport e-gates to some UK airline passengers by the end of August, cutting holidaymakers’ queue times.

This move will initially apply to frequent travellers and then pave the way for all UK nationals to use the service once Germany updates its entry systems to incorporate the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which has been subject to delays. The agreement is a key feature of a bilateral treaty inked by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during Merz’s inaugural official trip to Britain.

Post-Brexit, UK holidaymakers have typically had to endure queues at manned desks for passport checks at EU airports, as opposed to swiftly passing through automated gates equipped with facial recognition tech.

The result has often been lengthy waits, especially during busy travel times, highlighting one of Brexit’s most tangible consequences. A UK-EU summit in May concluded that there are no legal obstacles preventing UK citizens from using EU e-gates.

READ MORE: Cheap but amazing places to stay across the UK for last-minute family breaks

Since then, according to the Cabinet Office, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Portugal have expanded e-gate access for UK visitors. EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “E-gates can make the slog of travelling through an airport that bit easier, which is why I have been working with the EU and member states to get more airports opened up to Brits abroad.

“With £30 billion of services trade between the UK and the EU, this agreement isn’t just good for holidaymakers, it’s good for British businesses too, making travelling easier between Europe’s biggest economies, to get deals done and boost growth.”

The pact also sees the UK and Germany commit to establishing a working group designed to clear the path for direct rail links between the nations. Services could potentially launch within the next decade.

The working group will unite transport specialists from both governments to explore how to tackle obstacles to a fresh route, including establishing required border and security procedures. It will also evaluate safety requirements and work alongside train companies.

READ MORE: Savvy holidaymaker makes £560 by booking another ticket at the airportREAD MORE: Foreign Office tells Brits to keep copies of essential travel documents at home

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “We’re pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent.

“The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie – in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sites direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin.”

She noted that the deal could “fundamentally change how millions of people travel” between the UK and Germany by providing a “faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying”. In May, the UK and Switzerland penned a memorandum of understanding to tackle obstacles hindering a direct rail connection between the two nations.

Following this, Eurostar revealed ambitions in June to kick-start direct services that would link the UK with Germany and Switzerland. The company set out its vision for trains to travel from London St Pancras straight to Frankfurt and Geneva starting from the “early 2030s”.

Travellers could expect journey times of around five hours to Frankfurt and approximately five hours and 20 minutes to Geneva from London. Despite Eurostar’s current dominance over passenger train travel through the Channel Tunnel, various groups are actively working on introducing competing services.

Citing successes other police departments across the country have seen using drones, the Los Angeles Police Commission said it would allow the LAPD to deploy unmanned aircraft on routine emergency calls.

The civilian oversight body approved an updated policy Tuesday allowing drones to be used in more situations, including “calls for service.” The new guidelines listed other scenarios for future drone use — “high-risk incident, investigative purpose, large-scale event, natural disaster” — and transferred their command from the Air Support Division to the Office of Special Operations.

Previously, the department’s nine drones were restricted to a narrow set of dangerous situations, most involving barricaded suspects or explosives.

LAPD Cmdr. Bryan Lium told commissioners the technology offers responding officers and their supervisors crucial, real-time information about what type of threats they might encounter while responding to an emergency.

Officials said there is strong community support for the expanding use of drones to combat crime — and offered reassurances that the new policy will not be used unconstitutionally.

Tuesday’s vote clears the way for a pilot program set to launch next month at four police divisions — Topanga, West L.A., Harbor and Central — spread across the department’s four geographical bureaus. The Commission asked the department to report back within six months on the program’s progress.

Commissioner Rasha Gerges Shields said the old policy was understandably “very restrictive” as the department was testing out what was then an unproven technology. But that left the LAPD “behind the times” as other agencies embraced she said.

The commissioner pointed to the city of Beverly Hills, where police have been quick to adapt cutting-edge surveillance technology. Sending out a drone ahead of officers could help prevent dangerous standoffs, informing responding officers whether a suspect is armed or not, according to Gerges Shields, who served on an internal work group that crafted the new policy.

Commissioner Teresa Sanchez Gordon turned a more skeptical eye to the issue, saying the new policy needed to protect the public. She asked whether there were clear guidelines for how and when the devices are deployed during mass demonstrations, such as the ones that have roiled Los Angeles in recent weeks.

“I guess I just want to make sure that the recording of these activities will not be used against individuals who are lawfully exercising their rights,” she said.

The updated drone policy allows for the monitoring of mass protests for safety reasons, but department officials stressed that it will not be used to track or monitor demonstrators who aren’t engaged in criminal activities.

Equipping the drones with weapons or pairing them with facial recognition software is still off-limits, officials said.

The footage captured by the drones will be also subject to periodic audits. The department said it plans to develop a web portal where members of the public will be able to track a drone’s flight path, as well as the date, time and location of its deployment — but won’t be able to watch the videos it records.

Critics remain skeptical about the promises of transparency, pointing to the department’s track record with surveillance technology while saying they fear police will deploy drones disproportionately against communities of color. Several opponents of the program spoke out at Tuesday’s meeting.

The devices vary in size (2.5-5 lbs) and can cover a distance of two miles in roughly two minutes, officials said.

Expanding the role of drones has been under consideration for years, but a public outcry over a series of high-profile burglaries on the city’s West Side sparked an increased push inside the department.

The drone expansion comes amid a broader debate over the effectiveness of the department’s helicopter program, which has been criticized for being too costly.

In adopting the new guidelines, the department is following in the lead of smaller neighboring agencies. In addition to Beverly Hills, Culver City and Chula Vista that have been using drones on patrol for years and have more permissive regulations.

LAPD Cmdr. Shannon Paulson said that new policy will give the department greater flexibility in deploying drones. For instance, she said, under the old policy, a drone could normally only be dispatched to a bomb threat by a deputy chief or above who was at the scene, which led to delays.

This season Piastri is in another league compared to his team-mate. The incident in Canada was a direct result of Lando making yet another mistake. McLaren need to prioritise Oscar for the rest of the season, surely? – Anon

To describe Piastri as “in another league” from Norris this year is a bit of a stretch, to say the least.

There’s no doubt Piastri has had a better season than Norris so far, and been the more convincing of the two McLaren drivers. Hence his advantage in the championship and in their head-to-head stats in both races and qualifying.

But in terms of outright performance, there is little between the two, and they are more or less swapping the position of the faster McLaren driver each weekend.

The key this year so far is that Piastri is delivering his best on a more consistent basis than Norris. The Australian is beating Norris, not only on the weekends when he is quicker, but also on some of the weekends when the Briton looks like he probably is, because of the errors he is making.

Canada was a case in point. Had Norris strung his qualifying together, he would probably have been ahead of Piastri on the grid, in which case he would likely have finished ahead of him as well.

The same could have been said of Saudi Arabia and Miami. In Jeddah, Norris crashed in qualifying, trying too hard. In Miami, he qualified ahead but tangled with Verstappen on the first lap, allowing Piastri past.

There is no doubting Norris’ speed, but it’s also undeniable that he is making too many mistakes this season. He knows it; the team know it. And they’re trying to help him with it.

Of course, the question is, why is this happening? Is he feeling the pressure from Piastri? Of being in the best car and this being his best chance of a world title so far in his career? A combination of both, and perhaps other factors as well?

Whatever it is, he certainly needs to get out of the headspace he is in and find a way to get into a place where things flow more naturally for him. Where, essentially, he is not over-striving.

As for the question of prioritising Piastri, that goes back to the first answer. Other than in specific circumstances, that’s not how McLaren go racing, and it’s hard to see a strong argument for it at the moment.

The McLaren is not the fastest car every weekend. But it is consistently the fastest car so far this year.

Their drivers are one and two in the championship, and relatively comfortably so. What would be the argument for them to prioritise Piastri in those circumstances?

United States President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard to Los Angeles County to quell protests against coordinated immigration raids, bypassing the authority of the governor of California.

The extraordinary development came on Saturday, the second day of protests, amid clashes between law enforcement officers and demonstrators in the city.

The Los Angeles Police Department said Saturday’s demonstrations were peaceful and that “the day concluded without incident”. But in the two cities south of Los Angeles, Compton and Paramount, street battles broke out between protesters and police who used tear gas and flashbangs to disperse the crowds.

Local authorities did not request federal assistance. On the contrary, California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump’s decision to call in National Guard troops “purposefully inflammatory”.

He accused the Trump administration of ordering the deployment “not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle”.

How did it start?

It all started on Friday, when law enforcement officials in full riot gear descended on Los Angeles, rounding up day labourers at a building supply shop.

The raids, part of a military-style operation, signalled a step up in the Trump administration’s use of force in its crackdown against undocumented immigrants. The arrests were carried out without judicial warrants, according to multiple legal observers and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Department of Homeland Security said more than 100 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in two days of raids across southern California.

After word spread through southern Los Angeles of immigration agents arresting people, residents came out to show their outrage, and a police crackdown followed.

What is the National Guard?

It is made up of part-time soldiers who can be used at the state and federal levels. Under the authority of state governors, National Guard troops can be deployed to respond to emergencies, such as the COVID pandemic, hurricanes and other natural disasters. It can also be used to tackle social unrest when local police are overwhelmed.

During times of war or national emergencies, the federal government can order a deployment for military service – that is, when the National Guard is federalised and serves under the control of the president.

Can the president deploy the National Guard in a state?

The president can federalise, or take control of, the National Guard in very specific cases.

The main legal mechanism that a president can use to send military forces is the Insurrection Act to suppress insurrections, rebellions, and civil disorder within the country. If certain conditions are met, the president can send in the National Guard, bypassing the authority of the governor, though that is rare and politically sensitive.

Following the breakout of protests in Los Angeles, Trump did not invoke the Insurrection Act, but rather a specific provision of the US Code on Armed Services. It says National Guard troops can be placed under federal command when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority” of the US.

But the law also says “orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors” of the states, making it not clear whether Trump had the legal authority to bypass Newsom.

Trump’s directive ordering the deployment of troops said “protests or acts of violence” directly inhibiting the execution of the laws would “constitute a form of rebellion” against the government.

According to Robert Patillo, a civil and human rights lawyer, Trump’s order will likely face legal challenges.

“Normally, federal troops are going to be used inside states at the invitation of the governor of that state,” he told Al Jazeera, citing the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, which were put down by federal troops invited by Pete Wilson, then-governor of California.

“But if the governor, such as Gavin Newsom, has not asked for federal troops to come in, and these troops are coming in against his will, then there will be challenges … and this will have to go to the Supreme Court in order to determine who has a legal right to deploy those troops,” Patillo said.

Is it the first time Trump has activated the National Guard?

In 2020, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to respond to the protests that followed the killing by a Minneapolis police officer of George Floyd. Then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper pushed back, saying active-duty troops in a law enforcement role should be used “only in the most urgent and dire of situations”.

Finally, Trump did not invoke the Insurrection Act and asked governors of several states to deploy their National Guard troops to Washington, DC. Those who refused to send them were allowed to do so.

But this time around, Trump has already signalled his unwillingness to hold back on calling in troops. When on the campaign trail in 2023, Trump told supporters in Iowa that he would not be waiting for a governor to be asked to send in troops as during his first term.

“The next time, I’m not waiting,” he said.

WASHINGTON — The family of a 4-year-old Bakersfield girl with a rare medical condition has been granted humanitarian protection from deportation, allowing her to continue receiving lifesaving treatment in the United States.

The plight of the girl, who The Times has identified by her initials, S.G.V., drew public outrage and galvanized dozens of lawmakers to advocate on her behalf. The girl and her parents, who are from Mexico, originally received temporary permission to enter the U.S. legally through Tijuana in 2023.

The Trump administration had rescinded the legal protections of S.G.V. and her parents, leaving them vulnerable to deportation. Her doctor at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles said she could die within days of losing her medical care for short bowel syndrome, a condition that prevents her body from completely absorbing nutrients from food.

Last week, 38 congressional Democrats, including California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, condemned the termination of the family’s status and urged the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate it.

“Without action, S.G.V. will die,” the lawmakers wrote May 29 to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “We urge a prompt response from your Department and a swift decision to extend this family’s legal status in the U.S.” The lawmakers wrote that the family’s situation “clearly meets the need for humanitarian aid.”

In a letter Monday to the family and their attorney, acting field office director Carmen Paniagua of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services wrote: “This is to advise you that effective June 2, 2025, you have been granted Humanitarian Parole for a period of one year.”

In April, the girl’s mother, Deysi Vargas, received notice from the federal government that their humanitarian protections and permission to work legally had been terminated. The notice told them to leave voluntarily or else “the federal government will find you.”

An online fundraiser for S.G.V.’s care amassed more than $40,000 as of Tuesday.

CBS has notched another small victory in its legal battle with Sony Pictures Television, winning an appellate court ruling that allows the network to continue to distribute “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” as its court case continues.

Sony owns the shows and produces them on its Culver City lot.

Last month, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Sony was no longer obligated to provide episodes to CBS, which has served for decades as the conduit, delivering batches of episodes to television stations around the country.

After that ruling, the Paramount Global-owned network appealed. A three-judge appellate panel paused the order and asked both sides to submit their arguments.

On Wednesday, the judges wrote that they had reviewed filings from both sides. In a one-page order, the panel granted CBS’ request to keep the stay in place, allowing the network to continue its distribution duties during the appeal .

CBS maintains Sony lacks the legal right to unilaterally severe ties.

Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS in August and later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed CBS entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that rounds of budget cuts within CBS had hobbled the network’s efforts to support the two shows.

In February, Sony attempted to cut CBS out of the picture, escalating the dispute.

CBS has said Sony’s claims “are rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.”

CBS takes in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The company took over the distribution of the program when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999.

King World struck deals with the original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel.” Sony later acquired Griffin’s company, but those early agreements remain in effect.

As viewing of traditional TV has declined due to competition for streaming in recent years, the two daily game shows have continued to thrive and are among the most-watched programs in television.

A Sony representative was not immediately available for comment.