continues

At least 128 people died and 200 remain missing after the towers housing 4,600 people were engulfed by flames.

People in Hong Kong are mourning the deaths of at least 128 people who died in the region’s largest blaze in decades in an eight-apartment residential complex.

The flags outside the central government offices were lowered to half-mast on Saturday as Hong Kong leader John Lee, other officials and civil servants, all dressed in black, gathered to pay their respects to those lost at the Wang Fuk Court estate since the fire on Wednesday.

Condolence books have been set up at 18 points around the former British colony for the public to pay their respects, officials said.

At the site of the residential complex, families and mourners gathered to lay flowers.

By Friday, only 39 of the victims had been identified, leaving families with the morbid task of looking at the photographs of the deceased taken by rescue workers.

The number of victims could still dramatically rise as some 200 people remain missing, with authorities declaring the end of the search for survivors on Friday.

But identification work and search for remains continues, as Lee said the government is setting up a fund with 300 million Hong Kong dollars ($39m) in capital to help the residents.

The local community is also pitching in, with hundreds of volunteers mobilising to help the victims, including by distributing food and other essential items. Some of China’s biggest companies have pledged donations as well.

The Wang Fuk Court fire marks Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.

At least 11 people have been arrested in connection with the tragedy, according to local authorities.

They include two directors and an engineering consultant of the firm identified by the government as doing maintenance on the towers for more than a year, who are accused of manslaughter for using unsafe materials.

The towers, located in the northern district of Tai Po, were undergoing renovations, with the highly flammable bamboo scaffolding and green mesh used to cover the building believed to be a major facilitator of the quick spread of the blaze.

Most of the victims were found in two towers in the complex, with seven of the eight towers suffering extensive damage, including from flammable foam boards used by the maintenance company to seal and protect windows.

The deadly incident has prompted comparisons with the blaze at the Grenfell Tower in London that killed 72 people in 2017, with the fire blamed on flammable cladding on the tower’s exterior, as well as on failings by the government and the construction industry.

“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong,” the Grenfell United survivors’ group said in a short statement on social media.

“To the families, friends and communities, we stand with you. You are not alone.”

Nov. 24 (UPI) — Canadian conservation officials continue their search for three grizzly bears that attacked a group of elementary students injuring four people, including a teacher, last week in rural British Columbia.

Since the Thursday attack in Bella Coola Valley, located about 620 miles north of Vancouver, B.C. conservation officers have been searching the region for the mother grizzly bear and two cubs.

On Sunday, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service has been rotating teams to search for the bears, including during the night.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police air assets with thermal imaging cameras have been deployed to assist, the BCCOS said in a statement, while urging members of the public to not aid in their search efforts.

Additional officers arrived a day prior, and trapping efforts were ongoing.

Residents are being urged to avoid the 4 Miles subdivision of Bella Coola Valley where the attack occurred and to remain indoors.

Any bears captured amid the search will be assessed by wildlife biologists as well as federal veterinarians “to determine next steps,” the BCCOS said.

On Thursday, local authorities were notified of a bear attack involving a school group. Three students and an adult were injured, BCCOS Insp. Kevin Van Damme said in a recorded statement posted on Facebook.

The group had stopped along a trail when the bear, emerging from the woods, attacked. A teacher, armed with pepper spray and a bear banger, successfully repelled the animal, he said.

The four injured were transported to a hospital in Vancouver for further treatment.

The bear may have been previously injured, Van Damme said.

B.C. Premier David Eby thanked the teachers for their “heroism.”

“The conservation officers, I’m assured, are working hard to identify and find the bear, and I know for all of us in the province [this is] just a terrible story and terrible outcome and we wish a quick recovery and the best for everyone who was injured,” he said during a press conference following the attack.

According to the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, grizzly bear attacks in the province are uncommon but occasionally turn fatal.

San Francisco Bay Area Democrat Eric Swalwell, a nettlesome foil and frequent target of President Trump and Republicans, on Thursday announced his bid for California governor.

The congressman declared his bid during an appearance on the ABC late-night show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, adding a little Hollywood flourish to a crowded, somewhat sleepy race filled with candidates looking for ways to catch fire in the 2026 election.

Voter interest in the race remains relatively moribund, especially after two of California’s most prominent Democrats — former Vice President Kamala Harris and current U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla — opted to skip the race after months of speculation. About 44% of registered voters said in late October that they had not picked a preferred candidate to lead California, which is the most populous state in the union and has the fourth-largest economy in the world.

The lack of a blockbuster candidate in the race, however, continues to entice others to jump in. Earlier this week, billionaire hedge fund founder Tom Steyer announced his bid, and other well-known Democrats are exploring a possible run.

Swalwell, a 45-year-old former Republican and former prosecutor who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, said his decision was driven by the serious problems facing California and the threats posed to the state and nation with Trump in the White House.

“People are scared and prices are high, and I see the next governor of California having two jobs — one to keep the worst president ever out of our homes, streets and lives,” Swalwell said in an interview with The Times. “The second job is to bring what I call a new California, and that’s especially and most poignantly on housing and affordability in a state where we have the highest unemployment rate in the country, and the average age for a first-time homebuyer is 40 years old, and so we need to bring that down.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot run for reelection because of term limits, and he is currently weighing a 2028 presidential bid.

None of the candidates in the race, including Swalwell, possess the statewide notoriety, success or fundraising prowess of California’s most recent governors: Newsom, California political icon Jerry Brown and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“If you look at the past three governors, they’ve all had personalities,” said Jim DeBoo, Newsom’s former chief of staff, at a political conference at USC on Tuesday. “When you’re looking at the field right now, most people don’t know” much about the candidates in the crowded race despite their political bona fides.

Nearly a dozen prominent Democrats and Republicans are running for governor next year, including: former Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; former Controller Betty Yee and conservative commentator Steve Hilton. And speculation continues to swirl about billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta possibly entering the race.

On Thursday, Thurmond proposed a tax on the wealthy to fund education, healthcare, firefighting and construction. The proposal was seen in part as a subtle dig at Steyer and Caruso, both of whom have used their wealth to fund previous runs for office.

“The naysayers say California’s ultra wealthy already pay enough, and that taxing billionaires will stifle innovation and force companies to leave our state,” he said in an online video. “I don’t buy it.”

Steyer painted his decision to leave the hedge fund he created in California as an example of his desire to give back to the state’s residents in an ad that will begin airing on Friday.

“It’s really goddamn simple. Tackle the cost-of-living crises or get the hell out of the way. Californians are the hardest-working people in the country. But the question is who’s getting the benefit of this,” he says in the ad, arguing that he took on corporations that refused to pay state taxes as well as oil and tobacco companies. “Let’s get down to brass tacks: It’s too expensive to live here.”

Porter also went after Steyer, another sign that the intensity of the race is heating up as the June primary fast approaches.

“A new billionaire in our race claims he’ll fight the very industries he got rich helping grow — fossil fuel companies, tobacco and private immigration detention facilities — at great cost to Californians,” she wrote on X on Wednesday.

The former congresswoman was the subject of recent attacks from Democratic rivals in the governor’s race after videos emerged of her scolding a reporter and swearing at an aide. Yee said she should drop out of the race and Villaraigosa blistered her in ads.

Villaraigosa also attacked Becerra for his connection to the scandal that rocked Sacramento last week, involving money from one of his campaign accounts being funneled to his former chief of staff while Becerra served in the Biden administration.

“We don’t have a strong or robust opposition party in California, so you end up like seeing a lot of this action on the dance floor in the primary, obviously, between Democrats, which is going to be interesting,” said Elizabeth Ashford, who worked for Schwarzenegger, Brown and Harris and currently advises Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. “There’s obviously a lot of longtime relationships and longtime loyalties and interactions between these folks. And so what’s going to happen? Big question mark.”

The ability to protect California from Trump’s policies and political vindictiveness and deal with the state’s affordability, housing and homelessness crisis will be pivotal to Swalwell’s potential path to the governor’s mansion. His choice to announce his decision on Kimmel’s show was telling — the host’s show was briefly suspended by Walt Disney-owned ABC under pressure from Trump after Kimmel made comments about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel thanked Swalwell for his support during that period, which included the congressman handing out pro-Kimmel merchandise to his colleagues in Washington, D.C., before the two discussed the future of the state.

“I love California, it’s the greatest country in the world. Country,” Swalwell said. “But that’s why it pisses me off to see Californians running through the fields where they work from ICE agents or troops in our streets. It’s horrifying. Cancer research being canceled. It’s awful to look at. And our state, this great state, needs a fighter and a protector, someone who will bring prices down, lift wages up.”

There is a history of Californians announcing campaigns on late-night television. Schwarzenegger launched his 2003 gubernatorial bid on “The Tonight Show,” hosted by Jay Leno; Swalwell announced his unsuccessful presidential bid on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Swalwell said, he traveled to nearly 40 countries, and he would try to leverage the relationships he formed by creating an ambassador program to find global research money for California given the cuts the Trump administration has made to cancer research and other programs.

The congressman is perhaps best known for criticizing Trump on cable news programs. But he’s faced ample attacks as well.

In 2020, Swalwell came under scrutiny because of his association with Chinese spy Fang Fang, who raised money for his congressional campaign. He cut off ties with her in 2015 after intelligence officials briefed him and other members of Congress about Chinese efforts to infiltrate the legislative body. He was not accused of impropriety.

He is also being investigated by the Department of Justice over mortgage fraud allegations, which he dismissed as retribution for him being a full-throated critic of Trump.

Swalwell served on the City Council of the East Bay city of Dublin before being elected to Congress in 2012 by defeating Rep. Pete Stark, a fellow Democrat.

An Iowa native, Swalwell grew up in Dublin, which he said was “a town of low-income expectations” that was smeared as “Scrublin” at the time. He said that after graduating from law school, he served on the local planning commission that helped transform Dublin. The town increased housing, attracted Fortune 500 employers, exponentially improved the number of students going to college and leveraged developers to improve schools, resources for senior citizens, and police and fire services.

“We have a Whole Foods, which no one can afford to shop at,” he said.

The British Basketball Federation says it will enter liquidation as the crisis engulfing the sport in the UK continues.

A statement from the BBF said it had ceased to trade “due to a significant and unanticipated reduction in income” and “unforeseen expenditure resulting in the company’s inability to meet its liabilities”.

It has been reported, external the BBF’s financial position had been affected by legal costs incurred during its battle with Super League Basketball (SLB).

In April, the BBF awarded a 15-year licence to run a new professional men’s competition – the Great Britain Basketball League – to GBB League Ltd (GBBL).

The BBF said GBBL, a consortium led by American businessman Marshall Glickman, would provide £15m funding in the first two years.

However, the existing nine SLB clubs claimed the tender process run by the governing body was “illegal and unjust” and refused to join the new league.

A week ago SLB reached an agreement with basketball’s world governing body Fiba to oversee the top-tier men’s competition in Great Britain.

Last month basketball’s world governing body Fiba suspended the BBF over governance issues.

The BBF statement added that the immediate priority was for domestic basketball stakeholders to work with Fiba “to ensure the ongoing stability and security of the Great Britain national teams”, including forthcoming Fiba competitions.

Fiba, which set up a taskforce in August to investigate regulatory non-compliance within British basketball, said it will continue to support the BBF to “restore its operations and secure its position as the basketball governing body in Great Britain”.

UK Sport said: “We have taken robust steps throughout this period of uncertainty to safeguard public funds and to help enable GB teams to continue to compete.

“We will now work closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the basketball community to establish a way forward for the sport.”

A spokesperson for GBBL told BBC Sport it was “working with its legal counsel to evaluate its options” relating to the status of the licence it was awarded by the BBF.

“In accordance with the terms of the licence, significant sums of money have been paid to the BBF and this is of grave concern to GBBL,” they added.

Nov. 11 (UPI) — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday warned that the crisis facing air travel in the United States, exasperated by the ongoing government shutdown, is going to get worse unless Congress acts.

Speaking to reporters at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Duffy said air travel will “radically slow down” as the country approaches the weekend if lawmakers don’t vote to approve legislation that is before the House to fund the government through January.

“You’re going to see this Friday, Saturday and Sunday — big disruption thus far — massively more disruption as we come into the weekend, if the government doesn’t open,” he said during the press conference.

The United States was grappling with a air traffic controller shortage before the government shutdown, but the situation deteriorated after federal funding lapsed, with most air traffic controllers required to work without pay.

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a 4% reduction in flights at 40 airports, resulting in thousands of delayed and canceled flights.

The Transportation Department has seen what Duffy called “significant staffing shortages,” causing “very rough travel days” last weekend.

During the press conference, Duffy called on air traffic controllers to come into work, explaining that within 24 to 48 hours after the shutdown ends, they will receive 70% of their backpay and the remainder within a week.

“So I encourage all of them to come to work, to be patriots, and help navigate the airspace effectively for the American people,” he said.

On Monday night, the Senate passed legislation to end the record 42-day government shutdown, sending the bill to the House for consideration.

If passed by the House, it will go to the desk of President Donald Trump for his signature.

From Gary Klein: This is no hot streak or a flash in the pan.

So don’t look away. Pay attention.

Otherwise, risk missing the master class that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is conducting this season.

One that has the 17th-year pro squarely in the conversation for his first NFL most valuable player award.

“I see those people say stuff like that,” Stafford said Sunday after passing for four touchdowns in the Rams’ 42-26 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, “and all I can think about is like I’m just lucky to have unbelievable teammates.”

Stafford, 37, is playing as if he were in the middle, not near the end, of a possible Hall of Fame career.

On Sunday he tossed touchdown passes to receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and tight ends Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson as the Rams avenged an overtime loss to the 49ers in Week 5 and improved to 7-2.

How efficient has Stafford played this season?

He has passed for a league-leading 25 touchdowns.

With only two interceptions.

Continue reading here

Rams summary

NFL standings

Paul Tagliabue, NFL commissioner who led an era of expansion, dies at 84

CHARGERS

From Sam Farmer: An end to the shutdown?

Not for the Chargers, whose defense put the clamps on the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 25-10 victory before a sea of black-and-gold-clad fans and a national TV audience.

Neither team had many offensive highlights — or first downs, for that matter — but the Chargers did enough to win their third game in a row, something they hadn’t done since the first three games of the season.

You might call the Chargers inhospitable, seeing as the Steelers came into the game averaging 25.3 points. You might call the Steelers inhospitable for filling SoFi Stadium with Pittsburgh fans.

The Terrible Towels were everywhere, but there were precious few opportunities to swirl them. By the fourth quarter, thousands of those fans were streaming for the exits. The Steelers were held to 11 first downs, converted two of 11 third downs and generated 221 total yards.

Aaron Rodgers looked every bit of his 41 years. He was sacked three times, intercepted twice, brought down in the end zone for a safety and he finished with an anemic passer rating of 50.6.

Continue reading here

Chargers summary

NFL standings

Trevor Penning eager to bolster Chargers’ big need to protect Justin Herbert

USC BASKETBALL

Jazzy Davidson scored 21 points and made the go-ahead layup with 8.2 seconds left as No. 18 USC took down No. 9 North Carolina State 69-68 on Sunday in the third-annual Ally-Tip Off.

Davidson’s late game heroics — where she cut hard to the basket and caught Kennedy Smith’s inbounds pass in stride — capped off an impressive second half for the USC freshman, as she scored 18 points on seven-of-13 shooting after halftime.

The Trojans (2-0) were also bolstered by Londynn Jones’ 19 points. Smith added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Continue reading here

USC box score

————

Chad Baker-Mazara scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the first half to lead seven USC players in double figures and start the Trojans off and running to a 114-83 victory over Manhattan on Sunday.

Baker-Mazara made seven of 13 shots, including three of four from three-point range, and all nine of his free throws to help the Trojans (2-0) score more points than they’ve had since 1998. He added seven rebounds.

Ezra Ausar scored 17 points on seven-for-10 shooting for USC and Rodney Rice pitched in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jacob Cofie totaled 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Terrence Williams II added 10 points and seven boards. Reserves Jaden Brownell and Jordan Marsh scored 13 and 11, respectively.

Continue reading here

USC box score

KINGS

Kevin Fiala broke a tie with 8:08 left with his 500th NHL point to help the Kings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Sunday to open a six-game trip.

Fiala got around defenseman Erik Karlsson and shot over goalie Sergei Murashov. Fiala also had an assist. The 29-year-old Swiss winger has 218 goals and 282 assists in 667 regular-season games with Nashville, Minnesota and the Kings.

Corey Perry tied it 2-2 for the Kings at 4:49 of the third. He also had an assist.

Continue reading here

Kings summary

NHL standings

DUCKS

Rookie Beckett Sennecke had his first two-goal game, Leo Carlsson extended his scoring streak to 10 games with two power-play goals, and the Ducks beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Sunday night for their seventh straight victory.

Cutter Gauthier and Chris Kreider had two assists apiece and Lukas Dostal made 23 saves for the first-place Ducks, who have scored 33 goals during their longest winning streak in two years. Anaheim wasn’t even slowed by playing at Vegas on Saturday, instead beating both of the Western Conference’s 2024-25 division champions during its first back-to-back set of the season.

The 19-year-old Sennecke had already solidified his spot on the Ducks’ roster before he scored in the first and second period against Winnipeg. He has six goals and five assists in his first 15 NHL games, answering any questions about whether the former No. 3 overall pick was ready to make the leap from juniors to the NHL.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1940 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 7-3 in a penalty-free game at Forbes Field. Philadelphia’s George Somers hits a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter. Coley McDonough of the Steelers scores on a one-yard rush in the third quarter.

1945 — Top-ranked Army shuts out No. 2 Notre Dame 48-0 at Yankee Stadium. Glenn Davis scores three touchdowns and Doc Blanchard scores two, while the Cadets roll up 441 yards to the Irish’s 184.

1963 — Don Meredith of the Dallas Cowboys passes for 460 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

1963 — Detroit’s Gordie Howe becomes the leading career goal scorer in the NHL with his 545th in a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

1974 — Hernri Richard and Gut Lafleur score two goals apiece to lead the Montreal Canadiens to an 11-1 over the Washington Capitals. Jack Egers gets the Capitals only goal.

1978 — Larry Holmes knocks out Alfredo Evangelista in the seventh round to retain the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

1984 — Wyoming’s Kevin Lowe rushes for 302 yards, and Rick Wegher of South Dakota State rushes for 231 to set an NCAA record for most yards gained by two opposing players. Wyoming wins 45-29.

1984 — Wild Again holds off Slew O’ Gold and Gate Dancer to capture the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in the inaugural Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood Park.

1984 — Maryland completes the biggest comeback in NCAA history, overcoming a 31-0 halftime deficit to beating Miami 42-40 in the Orange Bowl. Led by back-up quarterback Frank Reich, the Terrapins score on six consecutive drives in the second half and stop Hurricane running back Melvin Bratton’s two-point conversion attempt on the goal line late in the fourth quarter.

1990 — The Phoenix Suns shatter the NBA record with 107 points in the first half of a 173-143 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

1991 — Martina Navratilova beats Monica Seles for the California Virginia Slims tournament, her 157th title, equaling Chris Evert’s record for career victories.

1996 — Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino surpasses 50,000 career yards passing in a 37-13 win over Indianapolis. Marino also reaches 4,000 completions, another NFL first, with his 10th completion of the game.

2001 — San Jose State beats Nevada 64-45, setting an NCAA single-game record for total offense with 1,640 yards. San Jose State has 849 yards to Nevada’s 791, eclipsing the previous record of 1,563 yards set by Houston and TCU on Nov. 3, 1990.

2007 — San Jose center Jeremy Roenick scores his 500th NHL goal at the expense of his former team in a 4-1 win over Phoenix.

2007 — Navy and North Texas set a major-college record by combining for 136 points in the Midshipmen’s 74-62 win. The previous record for college football’s top tier of competition was 133 points in San Jose State’s 70-63 win over Rice on Oct. 2, 2004.

2007 — Notre Dame loses for the ninth time this season, a school-record, falling 41-24 to Air Force. The last time the Irish lost to two military academies in the same season was 1944.

2012 — Ka’Deem Carey of Arizona rushes for a Pac-12 record 366 yards and ties the conference record with five TDs in the Wildcats’ 56-31 rout of Colorado.

2013 — Marc Marquez becomes the first rookie in 35 years to win the MotoGP championship after protecting his points lead in the Valencia Grand Prix. Needing a top-four finish to secure the title, the 20-year-old Marquez finishes third on his Honda behind race winner and defending champion Jorge Lorenzo. The last rookie to win the title was American Kenny Roberts in 1978.

2017 — John Carlson and T.J. Oshie score rare home power-play goals, and Braden Holtby becomes the second-fastest goalie in NHL history to 200 victories in Washington’s 4-1 win over Pittsburgh. Holtby stops 27 of the 28 shots he faces to pick up victory No. 200 in his 319th game, second only to Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Dryden, who did it in 311.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

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

Gaza residents say they fear a return to Israel’s full-scale bombing as they struggle to find food, water and medicine.