SACRAMENTO — On a recent day at Sacramento native Lecho Lopez’s comic shop in the city, his 5-year-old nephew read his first word aloud: “bad.” It was from a graphic novel.
There was irony in that being his first word, because Lopez credits comic books with many positive things in his life. That is why he supports repealing a city ordinance dating to 1949 that bars the distribution of many comic books to kids and teens. It is not enforced today.
“It’s a silly law,” said Lopez, who has a red-and-black tattoo of the Superman logo on his forearm, in an interview at his store, JLA Comics. “A lot of good things come out of comic books.”
A City Council committee unanimously voted last week to advance the repeal and designate the third week of September as “Sacramento Comic Book Week.” It now heads to the full council for a vote. The ban prohibits distributing comic books prominently featuring an account of crime that show images of illegal acts such as arson, murder or rape to anyone under 18.
In the mid-20th century, as comic books were on the rise, fears spread over their effect on children, with some arguing they could lead to illiteracy or inspire violent crime. The industry decided to regulate itself, and local governments — from Los Angeles County to Lafayette, La. — adopted bans to shield certain comics from young people. While some cities like Sacramento still have those laws on the books, they are rarely if ever enforced.
Now, proponents of repealing the Sacramento law say it is necessary to reflect the value of comics and help protect against a modern wave of book bans.
Local artist pushes for repeal
Comic book author Eben Burgoon, who started a petition to overturn Sacramento’s ban, said that comics “have this really valuable ability to speak truth to power.”
“These antiquated laws kind of set up this jeopardy where bad actors could work hard to make this medium imperiled,” he said at a hearing Tuesday held by the City Council’s Law and Legislation Committee.
Sacramento is a great place to devote a week to celebrating comics, Burgoon said. The city has a “wonderful” comic book community, he said, and hosts CrockerCon, a comics showcase at a local art museum, every year.
Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Assn., said “there is no good reason” to have a ban such as Sacramento’s on the books, saying it “flies in the face of modern 1st Amendment norms.”
The history behind comic book bans
The movement to censor comics decades ago was not an aberration in U.S. history, said Jeff Trexler, interim director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which fights to protect the free speech rights of people who read or make comics.
New York, for example, created a commission in the 1920s dedicated to reviewing films to determine whether they should be licensed for public viewing, based on whether they were “obscene” or “sacrilegious” and could “corrupt morals” or “incite crime,” according to the state archives.
“Every time there’s a new medium or a new way of distributing a medium, there is an outrage and an attempt to suppress it,” Trexler said.
The California Supreme Court ruled in 1959 that a Los Angeles County policy banning the sale of “crime” comic books to minors was unconstitutional because it was too broad. Sacramento’s ban probably doesn’t pass muster for the same reason, Trexler said.
There is not a lot of recent research on whether there is a link between comic books and violent behavior, said Christopher Ferguson, a professor of psychology at Stetson University in Florida. But, he said, similar research into television and video games has not shown a link to “clinically relevant changes in youth aggression or violent behavior.”
Comic-book lovers tout their benefits
Leafing through comics like EC Comics’ “Epitaphs from the Abyss” and DC’s and Marvel’s collaboration “Batman/Deadpool,” Lopez showed an Associated Press reporter images of characters smashing the windshield of a car, smacking someone across the face and attacking Batman using bows and arrows — the kinds of scenes that might be regulated if Sacramento’s ban were enforced.
But comics with plot lines that include violence can contain positive messages, said Benjamin Morse, a media studies lecturer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“Spider-Man is a very mature concept,” said Morse, who became an “X-Men” fan as a kid and worked at Marvel for 10 years. “It’s a kid who’s lost his parents, his uncle dies to violence, and he vows to basically be responsible.”
Lopez’s mother bought him his first comic book, “Ultimate Spider-Man #1,” when he was about 9 years old, he said. But it was “Kingdom Come,” a comic featuring DC’s Justice League, that changed his life at a young age, with its “hyperrealistic” art that looked like nothing he had ever seen before, he said.
He said his interest in comic books helped him avoid getting involved with gangs growing up. They also improved his reading skills as someone with dyslexia.
“The only thing that I was really able to read that helped me absorb the information was comic books, because you had a visual aid to help you explain what was going on in the book,” Lopez said.
And a comic book can offer so much more, Burgoon said at last week’s hearing.
“It makes imaginative thinkers,” he said. “It does not make widespread delinquency. It does not make societal harm.”
Divisions mark the last days of the UN climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belem.
Division marked the COP30 climate summit in Brazil as countries struggled to reach a consensus on several sticking points, including a push to phase out fossil fuels.
As the world seeks to address the climate crisis, experts say scientists, politicians, media and business all have a role to play in keeping the public engaged.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
But are they succeeding?
Presenter: Neave Barker
Guests:
Professor John Sweeney – Contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Nobel Peace Prize-winning assessment report
Professor Allam Ahmed – Leading scholar in sustainable development and the knowledge economy
Michael Shank – Climate communication expert and former director of media strategy at Climate Nexus
I’m A Celebrity fans are feeling sorry for TV presenter Alex Scott and ex EastEnders actor Shona McGarty after the stars were involved in the ITV show’s latest twist
I’m A Celebrity fans are demanding justice for Alex Scott and Shona McGarty
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here stars have been left worrying about stars Alex Scott and Shona McGarty following the ITV’s show’s latest camp twist. Last night’s episode saw Ant and Dec return to camp to deliver the news that those who had received a badge from their new camp leaders – Vogue Williams and Tom Read Wilson – would be enjoying a cooked breakfast away from the camp.
“We promised you would be rewarded for your badges – you will be heading out of camp for a delicious, slap-up breakfast,” the duo revealed, to cheers from the campmates. However, Alex and Shona were the only two not to receive a badge, which meant that they had to take part in the next Bushtucker trial with Vogue and Tom.
“However, Alex and Shona unfortunately for you you weren’t awarded with a badge which means there’s no breakfast for you and you have to take on today’s trial,” they added. Shona and Alex looked disheartened upon hearing the news, with Alex saying: “No way.”
Now, fans have taken to social media to demand that they’re made the camp leaders after the “mean” twist. “Poor Alex and Shona having to miss out on the breakfast at least they both get more airtime doing another trial #ImACeleb,” one fan wrote.
Another said: “Aww alex and Shona won’t get a breakfast #ImACeleb.” A third tweeted: “nooo alex and shona don’t get a breakfast alex looked so sad man #ImACeleb.”
A fourth wrote: “Feel so bad for Shona & Alex. No badges, made to do the trial. Like getting kicked in the b**ls & then told to enjoy it #ImACeleb.”
A fifth said: “Sorry if I was Shona and Alex I would burn the camp to the ground No breakfast and another trial?? #ImaCeleb #ImaCelebrity.”
“What if…Alex and Shona are made camp leaders #ImACeleb,” another said. While someone agreed: “Justice for Shona and Alex #ImACeleb.”
Others criticised Ant and Dec for giving the other campmates a cooked breakfast while Shona and Alex had to do the trial. “Telling everyone about breakfast in front of Alex and Shona Is just mean #ImACeleb,” a fan wrote.
Another said: “If i was shona and alex that would’ve been my final straw actually #imaceleb.”
Another fan said that Shona looked “genuinely gutted”, with a fourth saying: “Not only Shona and Alex got no badge, they also got no full english breakfast and instead both have to do the next trial.
“That is so damn brutal. Both their faces says it all.”
BILLINGS, Mont. — President Trump’s administration moved Wednesday to roll back protections for imperiled species and the places they live, reviving a suite of changes to Endangered Species Act regulations during the Republican’s first term that were blocked under former Democratic President Joe Biden.
The changes include the elimination of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s “blanket rule” that automatically protects animals and plants newly classified as threatened. Government agencies instead would have to craft species-specific rules for protections, a potentially lengthy process.
Environmentalists warned the changes could cause years-long delays in efforts to save species such as the monarch butterfly, Florida manatee, California spotted owl and North American wolverine.
“We would have to wait until these poor animals are almost extinct before we can start protecting them. That’s absurd and heartbreaking,” said Stephanie Kurose with the Center for Biological Diversity.
The proposals come as extinctions have accelerated globally because of habitat loss and other pressures. Prior proposals during Trump’s second term would revise the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act and potentially bypass species protections for logging projects in national forests and on public lands.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement that the administration was restoring the Endangered Species Act to its original intent while respecting “the livelihoods of Americans who depend on our land and resources.”
The changes answer long-standing calls for revisions to the 1973 Endangered Species Act from Republicans in Congress and industries including oil and gas, mining and agriculture. Those critics argue the law has been wielded too broadly, to the detriment of economic growth.
Another change proposed Wednesday tasks officials with weighing potential economic impacts when deciding what habitat is crucial to the survival of a species.
“These revisions end years of legal confusion and regulatory overreach, delivering certainty to states, tribes, landowners and businesses while ensuring conservation efforts remain grounded in sound science and common sense,” Burgum said in a statement.
The Interior Department was sued over the blanket protection rule in March, by the Property and Environment Research Center and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The two groups argued the rule was illegal and discouraged states and landowners from assisting in species recovery efforts.
PERC Vice President Jonathan Wood said Wednesday’s proposal was a “necessary course correction” from the Biden administration’s actions.
“This reform acknowledges the blanket rule’s unlawfulness and puts recovery back at the heart of the Endangered Species Act,” Wood said.
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter. Hopefully, by the time you read this, you will have finally dried off. Or maybe it’s still pouring rain where you are. But whatever the weather, things are looking pretty sunny for Lincoln Riley and USC right now.
The Trojans are now just two wins away from a trip to the College Football Playoff. But the bigger statement Saturday, while rallying in the rain to beat a team like Iowa, wasn’t so much about this season, but rather the program’s trajectory after next week’s marquee matchup at No. 8 Oregon.
Riley said later that he sensed this shift at halftime, just as the team’s Playoff hopes were hanging by a thread. His Trojans were trailing Iowa, 21-10, once again having succumbed to the same slow start that plagued them the last two games. They’d been outplayed, outworked, outsmarted. The run defense was awful. The offense was stuck in the mud.
Fight on! Are you a true Trojans fan?
Still, as Riley looked out over the locker room, he saw something he hadn’t last season or the season before that.
“You could tell from the look in their eye,” Riley said. “I felt very strongly we were going to come back out and make a run.”
We saw it for ourselves in the second half. USC’s defense shut out Iowa from that point on. It was the third game in a row in which the Trojans allowed three points or fewer after half. The offense came roaring back, scoring 16 unanswered points. The comeback felt almost run-of-the-mill in the moment. As if falling behind was just a part of the plan all along.
That it came in the pouring rain, against a team whose style is so quintessentially Big Ten, made it particularly meaningful.
“If there ever was one, that was a culture win,” Riley said. “Our team’s resilience, their response at halftime … we just keep coming, we have all year.”
Think of how different that feels from this time last season, when it was a foregone conclusion that USC would fold in the fourth quarter. Now, instead, there’s a sense of swagger and confidence that hasn’t been there since before Caleb Williams hurt his hamstring in the 2022 Pac-12 championship game.
Even that 2022 season, as magical as it may have been, was propped up by a Heisman winner at quarterback, one capable of willing his team to wins unlike anyone before him at USC. Riley has said on several occasions that that team, coming off a 4-8 campaign, overachieved relative to where the program actually stood.
Two frustrating seasons followed. There were times, during that stretch, where it seemed USC found something. But nothing felt quite as earned as Saturday’s breakthrough in the second half.
Eric Gentry was there for that first season under Riley. The senior linebacker has been an emotional leader ever since and a good barometer of where things stand in the locker room.
“It’s win or go home right now, and there’s no go home,” Gentry said after the game. “We’ve got to win. I think the whole team is understanding of what the culture is. Just fight to the last second, not feel like something bad is going to happen.
“Coach [Riley] said: ‘Don’t hope for [anything]. Make it happen.’”
Hope won’t be enough to win at Oregon, where it hasn’t won in 14 years. It will have to iron out its issues against the run to have any shot against the Ducks, who boast the best rushing attack in the Big Ten. It will need to start faster on both sides of the ball. And it will have to play up to its potential on the road against a very good team, which it hasn’t done … umm … ever during Riley’s tenure.
That’s not to say this can’t happen. (Which I may have suggested in this space three months ago.) If not for a game-winning field goal in the rain, Oregon would have lost to Iowa last week. But very few people will give USC a shot at Autzen, for reasons that are totally rational and understandable.
College football, though, is rarely ever rational or understandable. If USC is somehow able to upend Oregon, on the road, it would be the biggest win at the school not just since Riley started as coach, but well before that.
No matter what happens, we’ve seen enough this season to say that the team and the program are in a better place than they were a year ago. The question now is whether they’re ready to take that final step.
Makai Lemon
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
—Waymond Jordan was listed as “questionable” against Iowa. Could that hint at a return vs. Oregon? When Jordan underwent surgery last month, the hope was that his injury would only keep him out for four to six weeks. We’re basically at five-week mark right now, and by next weekend, will be near the end of that original timeline. Getting Jordan back was for this game was always a priority, and while King Miller has done great in his stead, Jordan was one of the best backs in America when he went down. His potential return would be huge news for USC’s offense. Some of this disparity is a factor of playing better defenses, but since Jordan departed the win over Michigan, USC’s offense has averaged just over six yards per play in its last four games, down from 8.3 yards in the previous six games with him.
—Give Makai Lemon the Biletnikoff already. How much more does anyone need to see to be convinced that Lemon is the best receiver in college football? Saturday was the third time in six weeks that Lemon has had 10 or more catches. And the afternoon started with Iowa double-teaming him. His leaping grab over the middle, as an Iowa defender knocked his legs out from under him, was truly something to behold. “He’s a fearless player,” Riley said. “Always has been.” But his game has gone to another level as a junior. I expect he’ll be a primary focus of Oregon’s secondary next week, which should open up opportunities for the rest of USC’s receiving corps.
Jazzy Davidson controls the ball against DeAvion Wilson of New Mexico State earlier this month.
(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
—The USC women need time. Their schedule doesn’t exactly allow for it. Without JuJu Watkins, the Trojans are still trying to figure out their identity. They had no shot keeping up with No. 2 South Carolina on Saturday shooting 7% from deep. Jazzy Davidson is still getting the hang of things, just three games into her true freshman season, while USC’s frontcourt was pretty much non-existent against the Gamecocks. I agree with Lindsay Gottlieb that tests like this one, even when failed, help a team get better. But three of the Trojans’ next eight games come against top-25 teams, including a matchup with No. 1 Connecticut.
—Rodney Rice is better than advertised. When Eric Musselman put his roster together for Year 2 at USC, it wasn’t the plan for Rice to fully take on primary point guard duties. Freshman Alijah Arenas was presumed to be USC’s primary ballhandler. But his injury left Musselman with no choice but to trust Rice. And boy, has he delivered on that trust. Rice turned in a triple-double Friday in a win over Illinois State. But it’s his command of USC’s offense that was especially encouraging. He makes others better, which is going to be critical if the Trojans hope to be a tournament team this season.
—AD Jen Cohen laid out her perspective on non-conference scheduling in her State of Troy address. She never said the words “Notre Dame,” but the message might as well have been addressed to Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua. Cohen wants to play the game in the first month of the season, as we’ve reported in this newsletter. In her letter to fans, she pointed out that no other Big Ten teams in the last two years have played a non-conference road game after Week 4. “Intentionally making our road to the CFP significantly more difficult than our Big Ten peers does not align with our goal to win championships,” Cohen wrote. That might make some fans bristle, but it’s the same sentiment that Riley has expressed for the last two years.
—Here’s what Cohen said on the Big Ten’s proposed private equity plans. In the same address, Cohen gave her first public comments on the private equity plan that USC and Michigan currently remain against. She didn’t reject the idea of a private equity deal outright, but noted that the school, in any deal, would need to consider USC’s “long-term value and flexibility” versus the benefit of a short-term payout. But the payout itself is part of the problem: USC is slated to get less than not just Michigan and Ohio State, but also Penn State. I still don’t see USC budging on its issue with that disparity, which could amount to something like a $10 million difference, per On3’s reporting. That’s led to some alarm bells about USC going independent. But there’s no reason to think we’re anywhere close to that. Let’s pump the brakes.
—You may have noticed that the Sams made another number change. Punter Sam Johnson and third-string quarterback Sam Huard were both listed as No. 0 this week, after both deceptively wore No. 80 a week ago. Watching USC line up for a punt this week, it dawned on me another brilliant layer to USC’s controversial fake punt ploy. From now on, every team the Trojans play will have to think to themselves, “Is that actually the punter?” Whether you thought USC’s ploy was bush league or not, Riley has only reaped benefits since. Though, maybe it’s no coincidence that Johnson’s first punt this week was a 24-yard shank. Karma? Perhaps.
Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in “Wicked: For Good.”
(Giles Keyte / Universal Pictures)
After waiting patiently for a year since the first installment, “Wicked: For Good” hits theaters this weekend, and I am counting down the days.
The first movie was tremendous, and the second has maybe the best song from the original musical (the name of which just happens to be in the title of the film). Early reviews suggest that Ariana Grande is given a lot more to do dramatically in this film, and I, for one, am here for it after her stellar performance the first time around.
With the early kickoff in Eugene, I may have no choice but to go see it that night — and thus, incur the wrath of my wife, who’s also waiting to see it, later.
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 [email protected], and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
WHEN her best friend and co-star Ariana Grande was ambushed on the red carpet, quick-thinking Cynthia Erivo rushed to the rescue.
A prankster grabbed Ariana at the Singapore premiere of their new film Wicked: For Good on Thursday, but Cynthia, 38, stepped in and strong-armed the invader away.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Cynthia Erivo stuns in green at the LA premiere of first Wicked movie last yearCredit: SplashCynthia and Ariana at the first European screening of Wicked: For Good in LondonCredit: Getty
The British actress admits she feels protective over Ariana, saying: “I love her, she’s a bright spark but you just want to take care of her. And we really took care of each other.”
Luckily loyal pal Cynthia was already fighting fit thanks to the gruelling stunts she had to perform for the eagerly anticipated sequel.
“The flying in harnesses, chafing, we had it. Chafing was like a funny word to me until I realised what chafing actually looked like when you had it, repetitively.
“It took months for my hips to heal, scratched palms bleeding, bloody nose, like it was bad.
“We were willing to do whatever it took to do this, but this one was a big one for us.”
Meanwhile, Cynthia says she and Ariana prefer to go to bed early — like a pair of “grandmothers”.
The star revealed that because of the time difference and their schedules, they often struggle to catch up when she is in London and Ariana is at home in LA.
SHUNNED BY DAD
But while gearing up for the long-awaited sequel of the big-screen musical, 32-year-old Ariana, who plays Glinda, broke routine to make sure they could chat.
Cynthia, who plays Elphaba in the films, said of one recent late-night text exchange with Ariana: “She’s a sweetheart. I was like, ‘Why are you up so late?’ Because we’re like grandmothers, the two of us.
“We like to sleep early. For some reason I was up at 11 here, which meant she was up at two wherever she was. I said, ‘Why are you up so late?’ She was like, ‘I know, it’s new, isn’t it? I’m never up this late’.
“I said, ‘No you’re not, what’s going on?’. And she said, ‘I’m taking every second I can get right now because you’re usually asleep by now’.”
The first Wicked movie became the highest-grossing UK release of 2024, taking £59.6million at the box office.
It led to Cynthia being nominated for an Oscar, Bafta, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actress.
The sequel, Wicked: For Good, is expected to be just as big and hits UK cinemas on Friday, continuing the tale of the witches of Oz.
Adapted from the hit musical, Wicked follows Elphaba, a student sorceress shunned by her own father for her green skin, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, while her spoiled roommate Glinda ends up as the Good Witch of the North.
Cynthia tells how she endured similar heartache when her own dad walked out of her life for good when she was a teenager.
She and her sister Stephanie were very young when their Nigerian father left their mother Edith, a nurse, to bring up the girls alone.
Edith remarried when Cynthia was five and she continued to see her dad “two or three times a week”.
I think he just was not set up to be a dad. I don’t think it was his bag
Cynhtia
She told The Armchair Expert podcast: “My mum was really, I think, kind and gave him the space to come and visit if he wanted to.
“We would go over to him from time to time as well. She really made the space for us if he wanted to build a relationship.
“And he just didn’t. I think he was just not set up to be a dad. I don’t think it was his bag.”
Recalling how she became estranged from her father, Cynthia added: “I was 16 when my dad decided not to be a part of my life.”
The actress pictured at a 2021 awards bash alongside her mum EdithCredit: Getty
By then, she had already joined a local youth theatre group and was singing hymns at a Catholic church near her home in Stockwell, South West London.
She went on to start a degree in musical psychology at the University of East London, but quit after securing a place at top acting school Rada.
Her early bid to break into UK telly flopped with an appearance on Channel 4 reality show Trust Me, I’m A Teenager and a small part in ITV period drama Mr Selfridge. Hopes of a breakthrough in Simon Cowell and
Harry Hill’s £6million X Factor musical, I Can’t Sing, were dashed as the run closed after seven weeks.
But her singing voice impressed casting directors.
She made her West End debut in the stage musical The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg and, in 2013, won a place in a British stage adaptation of The Color Purple, the 1985 movie that starred Whoopi Goldberg.
Since then, her roles have included Harriet Tubman in the film Harriet and a part in Netflix thriller Luther: The Fallen Sun.
But the one person she always wanted to impress was her father.
She secretly hoped with her becoming famous, he would change his mind about being in her life. Cynthia said: “I think I was using, for a small amount of time, my career as a conduit to find a way to get him back.
‘Look what you gave up, you’re going to regret leaving this’. Yeah, that kind of thing.”
Cynthia has turned to therapy to help her deal with the trauma.
‘MAKE MISTAKES’
She said: “Until you get your head around it and get some control on what it is that you’re actually looking for, what you’re trying to fix in that, it will keep going.
“Thank goodness for a good therapist — that s**t really helped.”
Now, she has finally let go and learned to forgive. She told The Cruz Show podcast: “It took me ages to let go of parents. It’s like my father, I had to let that go and it’s taken me a long time to get there . . . to realise that it’s a human being who is also fallible and who will make mistakes.”
The co-stars attending the Critics’ Choice awards in California earlier this yearCredit: Getty
Cynthia admits that clinging on to that pain for such a long time held her back.
She said: “When you let go, you have to start living. What I keep doing is trying to find the things that challenge me the most, that force me to learn more, that keep me honest in my craft, that don’t let me get complacent and lazy.”
Wicked was a challenge. The movies were filmed in the UK in chronological order, back-to-back, between Dec- ember 2022 and January 2024, with a break in 2023 due to an actors’ strike.
Cynthia, who is dating Lena Waithe, an American actress, producer, and screenwriter, admits that even today she still gets crippled by anxiety.
She explained: “I think if I lose the nervousness, then I know something’s wrong. Because my nervousness tells me I care. The second that disappears, we’ve got a problem.
“So I relish the moments when my heart’s beating fast and I’m nervous. I always forget the first line. Whenever I’m about to go on, the first line will go out my head. That’s nerves.
“But when I stand in front of people, it always comes back. It means I care about being here, I care about the people watching.”
Thank goodness for a good therapist, that s**t really helped
Cynthia
When those jitters hit, she relies on strict pre-performance rituals. She said: “Breathing for me is always key.
“And I always say a prayer before I go on stage. Also, nervousness can sometimes be the mirror looking at yourself.
If you’ve watched the Screen Actors Guild Awards over the years, you’ve heard the name of the prize countless times, even if it hasn’t quite registered.
Now, in an effort to lean into the name of the statuette and streamline the show’s title, the Screen Actors Guild Awards announced Friday that it is renaming the ceremony to the Actor Awards. Or, if you want to get precise (and a bit verbose): the Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA.
“Now that our global audience is really growing, people don’t always understand what the union name is,” says awards committee chair JoBeth Williams. “But ‘the Actor Awards’ they recognize and they know they’re going to see their favorite actors when they tune in.”
The SAG Awards have long been a reliable precursor to the Oscars on the awards season calendar, with last year being an exception. (Chalamet, Moore and “Conclave,” winner of the guild’s best picture equivalent, the ensemble honor, did not repeat their SAG successes.)
Since the event moved to Netflix in 2024 from TNT and TBS, viewership numbers have increased, besting pre-pandemic levels. Last year, per Netflix, the ceremony received 4.3 million views on the platform.
That’s a far cry from just four years ago, when the pandemic forced ceremonies to postpone and shuffle dates, and the Grammys thought nothing of landing on the SAG Awards’ original date. (SAG-AFTRA voiced its “extreme disappointment,” then slunk off to Easter Sunday for a scheduled one-hour telecast.)
“[Netflix] saw the potential of the show to really grow an audience,” says Jon Brockett, longtime showrunner and executive producer. “We’re on 190-plus countries now on Netflix. So the simplification of the name, from a global perspective, should bring about even greater awareness to understand who we are and what we’re all about.”
Which is, in a word: actors. Like the Golden Globes, the Actor Awards (we’ll just start calling it that now, trying it out for size) reward lead and supporting performances in movies and television, and, in lieu of “best picture” or “best series,” prizes for acting ensembles. Unlike the Golden Globes, the ceremony has not been beset by scandal or raised questions about unethical self-dealing.
Nominations for the Actor Awards are chosen by two nominating committees, one for film and one for television, comprising 2,500 SAG-AFTRA members that are randomly selected each year. Winners are then selected by active SAG-AFTRA members, a massive voting body numbering more than 130,000.
“We are all doing what these folks up there on the screen do, so we have a strong sense of what it takes to do that and what it takes to make it really special,” Williams says of the awards’ voters. “The eyes of the voters are very tuned in to what actors do.”
The Actors Awards will stream live on Netflix on March 1. Nominations will be announced on Jan. 7.
Scotland: Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors, capt), Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors); Finn Russell (Bath), Ben White (Toulon); Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby), D’arcy Rae (Edinburgh); Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Gregor Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: George Turner (Harlequins), Nathan McBeth (Glasgow Warriors), Elliot Millar Mills (Northampton Saints), Josh Bayliss (Bath), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors), Tom Jordan (Bristol Bears), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh).
Starting Saturday, NBCUniversal’s cable news channel MSNBC will be called MS NOW, a makeover that may come as a shock to its loyal audience.
It’s why every MSNBC host has been sending the same message in promotional spots, on their programs and in press interviews about the new moniker. They say: We’re not going anywhere and we’re not changing.
“ ‘Morning Joe’ will still be ‘Morning Joe,’ ” said the program’s co-host Joe Scarborough in a recent Zoom conversation. “Chris Hayes will still be Chris Hayes. Rachel Maddow will still be Rachel. Lawrence O’Donnell will still be Lawrence.”
“We’re just going to keep doing what we do,” added Scarborough’s wife and co-host, Mika Brzezinski.
While no programming changes are planned, the rebranding will be a test in an age when brand awareness is difficult to achieve as the media marketplace is highly fractured. MSNBC kept its name for 29 years even after its founding partner Microsoft gave up its stake in the network.
Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough on “Morning Joe.”
(MSNBC)
MS NOW — an acronym for “My Source for News, Opinion and the World” — is the result of the politically progressive network being spun off into a company called Versant. Parent company Comcast announced the move last year as it no longer wants the slow, steady decline of the cable business holding back its stock price. Versant, which also includes CNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E! and Golf Channel, will be its own publicly traded company starting in January.
The new ownership for MSNBC led to a separation from NBC News, which operated MSNBC since its launch in 1996. Although Versant leadership initially said the name would remain, NBCUniversal wanted to avoid having the network’s brand attached to a channel it no longer controlled.
Versant executives will likely be nervous when they look at the Nielsen ratings the first few weeks after the name change. But Julie Doughty, regional executive director of naming and verbal identity for the global brand consulting firm Landor, believes the shift is minor enough for consumers to get used to quickly.
“I’m sure they were concerned about disrupting the brand awareness they’ve built and losing the legitimacy and gravitas of the NBC name,” Doughty said. “This new name closely tracks the original. It has the same number of letters. MS is still in the front, which is a nice bit of continuity for those customers who already just shorten the name to MS.”
Doughty added, “The real test will come in the content. Will it continue to have high standards and deserve their trust as a mainstream new source?”
The network appeared to pass its first big test as a freestanding news organization with coverage of the Nov. 4 off-year election that saw a strong showing for the Democrats and the passage of the congressional redistricting proposition in California.
Nielsen data showed MSNBC finished well ahead of CNN on the night and just slightly behind perennial cable news ratings leader Fox News.
MSNBC becomes MS NOW on Nov. 15.
(MSNBC)
MS NOW executives say they remain committed to covering breaking news, staffing the channel’s own Washington bureau and entering news-gathering agreements with Sky for international coverage and AccuWeather. A number of NBC News journalists, including White House correspondent Vaughn Hillyard, justice and intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian and national correspondent Jacob Soboroff, moved to MS NOW with the belief there will be more opportunities for expansive reporting.
“I won’t say their names, but some of the best reporters at NBC are far more disappointed with this than we are,” Scarborough said. “Their window just went from having 30 minutes on ‘Morning Joe,’ where influencers are, to 35 seconds on a morning show or maybe a sound bite on ‘NBC Nightly News.’”
The network is leaning heavily into promoting its lineup of personalities who in the current era of divided politics serve as tribal leaders for the audience.
“One of the things that so impressed me three years ago when I joined MS was the depth of the relationship with the fans,” MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler said at a recent press breakfast at the network’s new headquarters in Midtown Manhattan once occupied by the New York Times. “Eight hours a week — that is a ton of time and that is how much people watch us.”
The only signature MSNBC talent who chose to go with NBC News is political analyst Steve Kornacki. Willie Geist will remain host of NBC’s “Sunday Today” in addition to his duties on “Morning Joe.”
MSNBC on-air personalities believe the lack of a large corporate owner will be freeing at a time when journalism organizations and their parent companies are fearing the wrath of President Trump and his threats of business-related retribution over coverage he doesn’t like.
Last month at an MSNBC fan event in Manhattan, Maddow stirred up the crowd by touting the network’s editorial independence. She called the network a “nontoxic workplace” that is “at no risk of right-wing bloggers who are some billionaire’s friend.”
The comment was a reference to Bari Weiss, founder of anti-”woke” website the Free Press, who was hired to be editor in chief of CBS News and is a clear favorite of parent company Paramount’s chief executive, David Ellison.
Scarborough and Brzezinski said they have noticed how fans greet them with a bit more intensity since Trump has returned to the White House.
“When people see us on the street or the airport, they hug us a little longer and they thank us a little more,” Scarborough said. “They ask if everything is going to be OK.”
Scarborough said the new corporate setup will allow more entrepreneurial opportunities for the on-air talent in other platforms such as newsletters, podcasts and live events.
Emmerdale will not air this evening as part of a schedule change on ITV, despite a very dramatic episode on Wednesday night where we learned more about Robert Sugden and Kev’s past
17:42, 13 Nov 2025Updated 17:43, 13 Nov 2025
Robert took front and centre of the dramatic episode(Image: ITV)
Emmerdale will not air this evening as part of a schedule change on ITV. On a Thursday, the ITV soap usually airs for an hour between 7.30pm and 8.30pm but it will not air this evening.
This is due to a scheduling change owing to sports coverage. Tonight, from 7pm, ITV will air the European Qualifiers between England and Serbia, with the actual game kicking off at 7.45pm.
Speaking about her return, she said: “They’ve thrown me in prison with Robert. It’s a flashback episode and it’s delightful to be back doing it. First of all, I thought – how are they gonna get me back because I’m dead!
“I’ve been dead about two years. It’s been really enjoyable, it’s been lovely coming back. It’s a bit like coming back to a school you went to – or an old house you used to live. It feels very homely.”
She left in sad scenes when her character was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Faith died with her son Cain Dingle by her side, in what was devastating and heartbreaking scenes for soap fans.
Speaking about coming back to the show, albeit briefly, Sally said: “They’re a lovely bunch of people here. I’ve always said my mum was the person I based her on and unfortunately she died last year, so coming back again – it was a joyous thing to do. I’m very grateful. To play Faith again is very very special to me.”
During a dramatic episode, Robert explained to Aaron why he and Kev ended up together. He explained to Aaron that when he married Kev – who protected him – he decided to just accept prison life and not think about his former partner in the nearby village.
When Faith arrived and said Aaron was struggling, Robert made it his mission to get out – and he ended up taking day release on Aaron and John’s wedding day. Eventually, John’s crimes came to light and Aaron and John split.
At the end of last night’s episode, there was a huge twist – which revealed that Kev’s secret son was in the village. It was hinted that Lewis (played by Bradley Riches) was actually the son of Kev and Emma Barton.
However, fans are predicting this could lead to a bigger twist – or even might be a red herring. One fan suggested that Kev might stay longer now this has been revealed, whilst others said it may be show writers misdirecting fans.
As the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier sails to the Caribbean, the U.S. military continues striking drug-carrying boats off the Venezuelan coast and the Trump administration debates what to do about Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, one thing seems certain: Venezuela and the western hemisphere would all be better off if Maduro packed his bags and spent his remaining years in exile.
This is certainly what Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is working toward. This year’s Nobel Prize laureate has spent much of her time recently in the U.S. lobbying policymakers to squeeze Maduro into vacating power. Constantly at risk of detention in her own country, Machado is granting interviews and dialing into conferences to advocate for regime change. Her talking points are clearly tailored for the Trump administration: Maduro is the head of a drug cartel that is poisoning Americans; his dictatorship rests on weak pillars; and the forces of democracy inside Venezuela are fully prepared to seize the mantle once Maduro is gone. “We are ready to take over government,” Machado told Bloomberg News in an October interview.
But as the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. While there’s no disputing that Maduro is a despot and a fraud who steals elections, U.S. policymakers can’t simply take what Machado is saying for granted. Washington learned this the hard way in the lead-up to the war in Iraq, when an opposition leader named Ahmed Chalabi sold U.S. policymakers a bill of goods about how painless rebuilding a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq would be. We all know how the story turned out — the United States stumbled into an occupation that sucked up U.S. resources, unleashed unpredicted regional consequences and proved more difficult than its proponents originally claimed.
To be fair, Machado is no Chalabi. The latter was a fraudster; the former is the head of an opposition movement whose candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won two-thirds of the vote during the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election (Maduro claimed victory anyway and forced González into exile). But just because her motives are good doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question her assertions.
Would regime change in Caracas produce the Western-style democracy Machado and her supporters anticipate? None of us can rule it out. But the Trump administration can’t bank on this as the outcome of a post-Maduro future. Other scenarios are just as likely, if not more so — and some of them could lead to greater violence for Venezuelans and more problems for U.S. policy in Latin America.
The big problem with regime change is you can never be entirely sure what will happen after the incumbent leader is removed. Such operations are by their very nature dangerous and destabilizing; political orders are deliberately shattered, the haves become have-nots, and constituencies used to holding the reins of power suddenly find themselves as outsiders. When Hussein was deposed in Iraq, the military officers, Ba’ath Party loyalists and regime-tied sycophants who ruled the roost for nearly a quarter-century were forced to make do with an entirely new situation. The Sunni-dominated structure was overturned, and members of the Shia majority, previously oppressed, were now eagerly taking their place at the top of the system. This, combined with the U.S. decision to bar anyone associated with the old regime from serving in state positions, fed the ingredients for a large-scale insurgency that challenged the new government, precipitated a civil war and killed tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Regime change can also create total absences of authority, as it did in Libya after the 2011 U.S.-NATO intervention there. Much like Maduro today, Moammar Kadafi was a reviled figure whose demise was supposed to pave the way for a democratic utopia in North Africa. The reality was anything but. Instead, Kadafi’s removal sparked conflict between Libya’s major tribal alliances, competing governments and the proliferation of terrorist groups in a country just south of the European Union. Fifteen years later, Libya remains a basket case of militias, warlords and weak institutions.
Unlike Iraq and Libya, Venezuela has experience in democratic governance. It held relatively free and fair elections in the past and doesn’t suffer from the types of sectarian rifts associated with states in the Middle East.
Still, this is cold comfort for those expecting a democratic transition. Indeed, for such a transition to be successful, the Venezuelan army would have to be on board with it, either by sitting on the sidelines as Maduro’s regime collapses, actively arresting Maduro and his top associates, or agreeing to switch its support to the new authorities. But again, this is a tall order, particularly for an army whose leadership is a core facet of the Maduro regime’s survival, has grown used to making obscene amounts of money from illegal activity under the table and whose members are implicated in human rights abuses. The very same elites who profited handsomely from the old system would have to cooperate with the new one. This doesn’t appear likely, especially if their piece of the pie will shrink the moment Maduro leaves.
Finally, while regime change might sound like a good remedy to the problem that is Venezuela, it might just compound the difficulties over time. Although Maduro’s regime’s remit is already limited, its complete dissolution could usher in a free-for-all between elements of the former government, drug trafficking organizations and established armed groups like the Colombian National Liberation Army, which have long treated Venezuela as a base of operations. Any post-Maduro government would have difficulty managing all of this at the same time it attempts to restructure the Venezuelan economy and rebuild its institutions. The Trump administration would then be facing the prospect of Venezuela serving as an even bigger source of drugs and migration, the very outcome the White House is working to prevent.
In the end, María Corina Machado could prove to be right. But she is selling a best-case assumption. The U.S. shouldn’t buy it. Democracy after Maduro is possible but is hardly the only possible result — and it’s certainly not the most likely.
Daniel R. DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities.
Ryanair will only offer digital boarding passes from November 12, leading to fears that tech-phobes will be unable to fly – and the company’s boss Michael O’Leary could be to blame
The new rule comes into force today(Image: Getty)
Ryanair’s new boarding rules take effect today, with Brits warned not to get caught out and risk incurring a large fee.
Today, the budget carrier has switched entirely to digital boarding passes. This means travellers who have purchased tickets will no longer be able to download and print them before arriving at the airport – an option currently used by 20 per cent of Ryanair passengers, according to the airline.
Desks at the airports will no longer offer the option to print them, which incurred a fee of £55. It is likely that a similar fee will be charged to those who arrive at the airport without having downloaded their digital boarding pass.
All Ryanair has said is that “If you have already checked-in online and your smartphone or tablet is lost, you will receive a free of charge boarding pass at the airport.” That implies that a £55 late-check-in fee will be levied on those who don’t or aren’t able to check-in online before they get to the airport.
There are significant concerns that passengers without use of a mobile phone, or those who are less tech-savvy, may be caught out. A sizeable 2.06 million Brits aged over 55 do not have one of the handy devices, according to MoneySuperMarket. This equates to around 10 per cent of the age group.
With the new rule, customers will have to use the digital boarding pass created by the myRyanair app after they check in. Ryanair stated that 206 million of its passengers already use digital boarding passes, suggesting approximately 40 million journeys could potentially be affected.
The company’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said that his 86-year-old mother uses the Ryanair app to travel. Nevertheless, the decision has sparked criticism, with several campaign groups accusing the airline of ageism.
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, told The Telegraph: “It’s a disgraceful move. They are effectively saying they don’t want older people as passengers. There’s a strong argument to say that it’s discriminatory.”
Several worried readers contacted The Mirror to voice their concerns about the change. One said: “I have elderly in-laws who live in Spain. They won’t be able to download anything onto their phone. They’re not tech-savvy, so what will happen when they travel to the UK? I appreciate the need to utilise technology, but that will not work for a lot of passengers.”
Another said: “This seems discriminatory to people, such as the elderly, who, for various reasons, are not able to use smartphones. By Ryanair’s own admission, some 20% of passengers do not use smartphones currently for boarding passes. It may backfire. Ryanair will lose these customers who will turn to alternative providers without such a policy.”
Mr O’Leary, aged 64, was swift to dismiss such concerns. He said: “I’m old, and I travel with Ryanair on a very, very regular basis, and I use the Ryanair app, it is pretty simple, pretty easy to use.” For those especially worried about the change, Mr O’Leary indicated the airline would show flexibility, assuring that “nobody would be cut off at the knees.”
He stated it would be “reasonably forgiving” of passengers arriving with paper boarding passes throughout Christmas and into January.
“The critical thing: If you’ve checked online before you get there and you lose your phone, we’ll have your name in the system,” he said. “We will manually board you at the boarding gate so if your phone goes off, you lose your phone, your phone gets stolen, it is not going to make any issue as long as you checked in online before you got to the boarding gate, which, by the way, would eliminate all the check-in fees at the airport.”
Mr O’Leary dismissed suggestions that elderly passengers would struggle with the changes as patronising.
“Actually, what you find is the old people firstly just get their kids or grandkids to make bookings for them, and then pretty quickly they’re adopting it themselves. And it is slightly patronising, this notion that old people can’t and won’t move to mobile technology or to the apps,” he said, MailOnline reported.
The switch was pushed back by a week to November 12 to avoid the UK and Irish half-term period.
Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady said: “To ensure a seamless transition to 100 per cent digital boarding passes for our customers, we will make the switch from November 12, which is traditionally a slightly quieter time for travel following the busy mid-term break period.
“Ryanair’s move to 100 per cent digital boarding passes will mean a faster, smarter, and greener travel experience for our customers, streamlined through our best-in-class ‘myRyanair’ app, where passengers will also benefit from helpful in-app features, like Order to Seat and live flight information.”
I’m A Celebrity bosses will make a major change to proceedings this year on the ITV jungle show to stop one person hogging the limelight in a huge rule shake-up
20:00, 11 Nov 2025Updated 20:03, 11 Nov 2025
I’m A Celebrity bosses are making a major change(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
I’m A Celebrity bosses are clamping down on celebrities doing repeated trials and hogging the limelight in a major rule shake-up. We can reveal how contestants will now no longer be able to do more than two Bushtucker trials in a row.
Insiders claim it gives more celebs the chance to shine on the show and endear themselves to the public. But it also comes after a row last year over Dean McCullough, who was voted to do a total of seven Bushtucker Trials, two of which he ended early.
Even Ant McPartlin expressed his frustration with Dean repeatedly being put up for trial, saying: “Who’s still voting for Dean, I don’t get it.”
At the time, some fans were convinced he was faking his tears to ensure he was repeatedly voted for by the public. Dean later insisted his tears were “100 per cent real.”
Nigel Farage, who took part in 2023, has previously lamented how those doing challenges got “25 percent of the airtime”.
The rule change will also effectively prevent the public targeting certain celebrities as much as before. Stars such as Helen Flanagan and Gillian McKeith were repeatedly picked on by viewers who were keen to see them suffer in trials.
Viewers will be unable to vote for that person for a third consecutive day, but then the system will be “reset” allowing that person to be voted for again.
A source said: “Celebrities all want the opportunity to take on a Bushtucker Trial and bring home stars for camp. Viewers would much prefer to see different celebrities take on the iconic Bushtucker Trials as opposed to the same person every day.”
Bosses are keen for more contestants to shine in the camp, and have taken on feedback from previous celebs on the show who want the trials to be spread more evenly.
A source added: “This is a great move for fans of the show so we don’t see the same faces doing the trials, as well as uncovering new favourites. Plus it’s a win-win for the celebs too, who are keen for more chances to get their personalities across.”
Several contestants have done multiple trials over the years.
Waterloo road actor Adam Thomas performed 12 trials when he took part back in 2016, while Scarlett Moffat and Janice Dickinson undertook 10 in 2016 and 2007 respectively. Jacqueline Jossa did 10 Trials in 2019, while Helen Flanagan did seven trials in 2012, of which a number were aborted.
Celebs flying Down Under include Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley, YouTuber Morgan Burtwistle, known as Angry Ginge, EastEnders actress Shona McGarty comedian Ruby Wax, TV presenter Alex Scott and Jack Osbourne. They are to be joined by rapper Aitch, and presenter Vogue Williams.
Ant and Dec are returning to host the hit series, which is in its 25th year. A source close to the show said: “Producers are expected to pull out the stops to ensure the 25th series is the most memorable yet.”
“The border has really changed over the last few years and that work is picking up pace. Public expectations have changed and technology has changed,” Douglas added.
“We now have AI facial recognition, the use of biometric identifiers in parallel with the more traditional forms of identification, like visas and passports.”
Douglas explained that Border Force wanted to make use of the existing 270 e-gates at airports and ports around the country by fitting them with the new technology.
“It’s our intention that almost everybody will go through an e-gate of one description or another,” Douglas said.
“The Manchester pilot has shown that we can actually reduce transaction times considerably as well.”
He did warn that while this was a huge leap in technological advancement and would reduce waiting times, there was “something important about the ‘theatre’ of the border.”
Douglas said passengers should still expect to feel a sense of a border and scrutiny when entering the UK and when “they’re stopped it’s a moment they know they’re being checked.”
The UK is not the only country to introduce facial recognition technology at airports with the United Arab Emirates allowing passengers from 50 countries to enter using it.
Australia and the US were also considering trialling the software.
The Sun contacted Border Force for comment.
Facial recognition technology was also being considered at ports which would remove the need to even step out of your car to go through passport control.
The technologywill be used at ports to match their faces with passport and car details already logged in government databases.
The cameras, which are being trialled at four ports since November 2024 – are designed to cut queues that build up during busyholiday periods.
Only “passengers of interest” highlighted as a risk because of intelligence, safeguarding concerns or questions over their identity will have to undergo manual checks by aBorder Forceofficer on arrival.
Phil Douglas is the Director General of Border Force at the Home OfficeCredit: Gov.uk
EastEnders fans have been left furious after a online release of a new episode was delayed ahead of a major twist on the long-running BBC soap opera following a dramatic storyline
Okie’s storyline has reached a dramatic conclusion(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders fans have been left furious after a online release of a new episode was delayed. Fans of the BBC soap are normally able to catch all the latest Walford action from 6am when it is released on iPlayer, but several complained that their morning routine had been severely disrupted when the latest instalment did not appear.
Warning, this article contains spoilers from Tuesday night’s episode now available on BBC iPlayer.
One fan wrote: “Someone’s messing up my morning routine by forgetting to flip the switch on the 6am iPlayer release of today’s Eastenders,” and a second said: “It’s 9 minutes PAST six where is #eastenders!”
A third raged: “where the f*** is my eastenders?? this is throwing off my morning routine ffs,” whilst a fourth pointed out that more than two hours later, the episode still hadn’t dropped.
They wrote: “Hello @BBCiPlayer, it’s 8.10am you haven’t released today’s episode of Eastenders. What do I pay tv licence for?” Another said: “They didn’t fire everyone at the @BBC did they? Where’s #EastEnders,” and another angry viewer wrote: “No iPlayer release of #EastEnders this morning. Damn it BBC I could have had an extra half an hour in bed this morning.”
Some speculated that the content of the episode could be the reason behind the delay. One said: “I need commissioners to upload Eastenders to iPlayer on time. If not because of sensitive content, please let us know. Some of us start our day at 6am and look forwards to this!”
Another wrote: “I guess something big is happening as no early release, but if it’s the death spoiler that’s already been confirmed then what the point.”
The episode did eventually become available though, and fans were impressed with it despite the delay. One fan wrote: “Best episode in quite a while that one today,” and another said: “Okay I thought tonight’s episode was the first good one in ages!” As the episode progressed, Harry, having left the house to buy drugs, received a message and went to check on friend Koji, who was being held at knife point by Okie.
Harry Mitchell got involved in a violent tussle, and was knocked unconscious but when he came around, he realised that he had accidentally stabbed Okie. He panicked and tried to help Okie but it was too late as he was already dead, and when Harry’s dad Teddy rushed onto the scene, he decided to take the blame for his son.
Just before the credits rolled, Teddy was arrested and was seen being driven off in a police car. The dramatic scenes were part of a conclusion of a cuckooing storyline, which has seen Okie take part in the criminal practice of taking over the home of a vulnerable person with the intent to deal drugs.
Speaking about the storyline, executive producer Ben Wadey said: “At EastEnders, we’re proud to tell stories that reflect the real challenges people face, and Kojo’s cuckooing storyline is one that feels especially important. Cuckooing is a form of exploitation that too often goes unseen and hasn’t featured on EastEnders before.
“Through Kojo’s experience we hope to have shined a light on how easily vulnerable people can be manipulated and isolated – something that can happen in any community, but feels particularly resonant in a city like London, where people live side by side and yet can still slip through the cracks.
“Working closely with experts and charities, our aim has been to tell this story with care and authenticity, and to raise awareness as to how to identify the signs of exploitation and the importance of reaching out for help.”
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged the world to fight the spread of misinformation and come together to defeat those who deny the devastating impact of climate change.
It’s one of the last things a newly appointed football manager wants. They’ve only been at their new club for five minutes and already a key player is out injured. Hardly the start they’d hoped for – but could it have been avoided?
Along with the obvious objective of winning games, one of the main priorities for any manager is to have a healthy squad to pick from.
But many experts will tell you the arrival of a new manager and backroom team can often lead to a short-term increase in injuries.
Physiotherapist Ben Warburton – brother of Wales rugby union legend Sam – is one.
Warburton began his career working with academy players at both Cardiff City and Welsh rugby union team the Dragons. He has since worked primarily in rugby, and was Wales’ physio for their summer tour to Japan this year.
“It’s very well known within the medical world that you get an increase of injury incidence when a new coach comes in,” he told BBC Sport.
“Players want to impress the new coach and get in the starting XI – it’s a clean slate. They’re likely to report a little bit less to the medical staff and may train through some bumps and niggles, which can potentially lead to an injury.”
Changes to the type of training can also make a big difference.
“If, for example, a new manager comes in and wants to shift the focus to gym work, that could cause injury issues if players aren’t used to that,” Warburton said.
Ben Dinnery, founder of Premier Injuries – a website used to track and record injury data for the Premier League, agrees.
“There are lots of factors at play,” he said. “There’s the injury history of certain players that a new manager probably won’t know as much about as previous coaching staff.
“Then there’s the issue of player fatigue. A new manager will understandably want to get the absolute maximum out of the players – but there’s a risk of overdoing this.
“And, finally, there’s the psychological impact of players working as hard as possible to make their mark – all of which can potentially lead to an increase in injuries.”
Climate-related disasters and conflict have displaced millions of people across the globe, the United Nations has warned before the opening of its annual climate change conference.
The UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a report, published on Monday to coincide with the launch of the 30th annual UN Climate Change conference (COP) in Brazil, that weather-related disasters caused about 250 million people to flee their homes over the past decade.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
The migration agency issued its second major report on the effect of climate change on refugees – No Escape II: The Way Forward – in the run-up to COP 30, as it appears that the enthusiasm of countries to agree action to curb climate change continues to ebb.
“Over the past decade, weather-related disasters have caused some 250 million internal displacements – equivalent to over 67,000 displacements per day,” the report said.
The UNHCR added that climate change is also increasing the difficulties faced by those displaced by conflict and other driving forces.
“Climate change is compounding and multiplying the challenges faced by those who have already been displaced, as well as their hosts, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings,” it continued.
Floods in South Sudan and Brazil, record heat in Kenya and Pakistan, and water shortages in Chad and Ethiopia are among the disasters noted in the report.
The number of countries facing extreme exposure to climate-related hazards is projected to rise from three to 65 by 2040.
Those 65 countries host more than 45 percent of all people currently displaced by conflict, it added.
“Extreme weather is … destroying homes and livelihoods, and forcing families – many who have already fled violence – to flee once more,” UN refugees chief Filippo Grandi said in a statement.
“These are people who have already endured immense loss, and now they face the same hardships and devastation again. They are among the hardest hit by severe droughts, deadly floods and record-breaking heatwaves, yet they have the fewest resources to recover,” he said.
By 2050, the report reads, the hottest 15 refugee camps in the world – in The Gambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Senegal and Mali – are projected to experience nearly 200 days of hazardous heat stress per year.
Weakening commitment
The refugee agency’s report emphasised that while the effect of climate change is growing, the commitment towards dealing with it has been weakening.
The UNHCR hopes to reawaken efforts to fight the effects at the conference in Brazil.
Under President Donald Trump, the United States, traditionally the world’s top donor, has slashed foreign aid.
Washington previously accounted for more than 40 percent of the UNHCR’s budget. Other major donor countries have also been tightening their belts.
“Funding cuts are severely limiting our ability to protect refugees and displaced families from the effects of extreme weather,” Grandi said.
“To prevent further displacement, climate financing needs to reach the communities already living on the edge,” he said. “This COP must deliver real action, not empty promises.”
About 50,000 participants from more than 190 countries will meet in Belem, in the Amazon rainforest, to discuss curbing the climate crisis.
One topic on the agenda exposing the difficulties of agreeing on global action is the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
The policy is designed to prevent “carbon leakage” by requiring importers of carbon-intensive goods like steel and cement to pay the same price for embedded emissions that EU producers face domestically.
While the EU promotes CBAM as a necessary environmental tool to encourage greener practices, critics of the policy, including major trading partners like the US and China, view it as a veiled act of protectionism.
Developing nations, meanwhile, are concerned that it unfairly shifts the financial burden of climate action onto them.
Budget airline Ryanair to scrap the option for passengers to print out and use a paper boarding pass
12:58, 06 Nov 2025Updated 12:59, 06 Nov 2025
Ryanair is pressing ahead with a big change to aircraft boarding by going 100% digital (Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ryanair passengers will be forced to use digital boarding passes only from next week.
The budget airline issued update to remind customers, ahead of the big change from Wednesday November 12. From that date, passengers will no longer be able to download and print a physical paper boarding pass.
Instead, they will have to use the digital boarding pass generated in the “myRyanair” app on their mobile device – smartphone or tablet – during check-in process to board any of its flights.
Ryanair insisted the “vast majority” of people already use digital boarding in this way, adding that nearly 80% of its more than 207 million passengers annually did so. But that still means that around 40 million passengers who prefer other methods, including printing their pass, will be impacted.
Dara Brady, Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, said: “While over 80% of passengers already use digital boarding passes, and therefore won’t be affected by this progressive change, we remind the small number of passengers who still print boarding passes to download the myRyanair app ahead of the move to 100% digital boarding passes from Wednesday, 12 November.
“Moving fully digital means a faster, smarter, and greener experience for passengers, whilst also providing easier access to a range of innovative in-app features, including ‘Order to Seat’, live flight information and direct updates during disruption. We look forward to delivering an enhanced travel experience for 100% of our customers, streamlined through our best-in-class myRyanair app.”
Ryanair insisted the move would mean lower airport costs and so fares for all Ryanair passengers, as well as saving 300 tonnes of paper annually.
But it has already had to reassurance customers who fear they will be caught out. For instance, it says that if passengers lose their smartphone or tablet they can get a free boarding pass at the airport, but assuming they have already checked-in to their flight online. The same is true if their battery runs out before they get through airport security, it says, while if it packs up before boarding then they “will be assisted at the gate.”
Then there is the question of what happens if a customer does not have a smartphone with the Ryanair app. The airline says: “If passengers don’t have a smartphone or tablet, as long as they have already checked-in online before arriving at the airport, they will receive a free of charge boarding pass at the airport.”
Ryanair added that, as long as passengers have checked-in online, the digital boarding pass will be available regardless of whether they have a mobile signal or not.
