finding

“In a war zone where infrastructure is severely damaged, the identification process becomes slower.”

Soren Blau from the International Committee of Missing Persons discusses the challenges they face trying to locate and identify many of the deceased in Gaza.

Sandi Toksvig embarks on a journey across the nation as she digs out the history buried beneath our feet. But one discovery pushed her over the edge, leaving her in tears.

Sandi Toksvig is no stranger to curiosity, but in her latest series – Hidden Treasures with Sandi Toksvig – she’s delving deeper than ever before and one moment left her in floods of tears.

The beloved broadcaster is turning her lifelong love of archaeology into a full-scale adventure, uncovering the history buried beneath Britain’s soil.

“I studied archaeology many years ago at Cambridge University. It was a theoretical course, so I never went on a dig,” Sandi Toksvig says. “So when I got offered this, it was a bit that was missing in my education. I really needed to do this.”

Teaming up with her friend, archaeologist Raksha Dave, Sandi, 67, embarks on a thrilling nationwide journey across four episodes. From Dorset to Northumberland, the duo dig up remarkable discoveries that stretch from the Iron Age to the Second World War.

The series begins in Dorset, where a team from Bournemouth University excavates a 2,000-year-old Iron Age cemetery belonging to the Durotriges, one of Europe’s earliest women-centric communities.

From there, Sandi and Raksha head off to join the University of Reading at Cookham Abbey, before venturing north to explore Hadrian’s Wall and finally taking on their most ambitious dig in Essex – uncovering the wreckage of a US fighter plane from the Second World War.

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“It’s such an astonishing range,” Sandi says. “We cover everything from the Romans to the Iron Age, which is the period from about 800 BCE to 43 CE, to look at the Durotriges. They were a local Iron Age tribe in modern Dorset and one of Europe’s first women-centric communities.”

But not every discovery is easy to process. In the opener, deep in a two-and-a-half-metre pit, Sandi comes face-to-face with a haunting find.

“We discovered a 15-to-17-year-old skeleton face down with a break across one of the arms,” Sandi recalls. “The arms had been tied together prior to death. The nature of the death seemed to be violent and suggested this was perhaps a sacrificial grave. Everybody was being careful.”

Experienced and steady, Raksha handled the skeleton with care. “She very carefully picked it up and handed it to me,” Sandi says. “I turned the face at last to the light and it felt like the person was looking at me.

“At that moment, I unexpectedly burst into tears. I could not stop crying. To hold that person’s head in my hands was one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

For Raksha, the discovery was groundbreaking. “It was pretty gobsmacking,” she says. “It’s very rare to find a human sacrifice. That’s not the first one they’ve discovered, there’s an obvious pattern that follows from years of digging. This suggests that it was the norm for the Durotriges.”

The chemistry between Sandi and Raksha is a highlight of the show. “Very occasionally, you meet somebody and you think, ‘We’re going to be friends,’” Sandi says.

“I am so drawn to anybody with expertise; Raksha has archaeology running throughout her bones. She is a magnet for archaeological finds. Give that woman a trowel and stick her in a couple of inches of dirt – she’ll find you something fantastic!”

Raksha laughs, saying, “Sandi calls me a magpie because every time I turn up on the site, I find stuff.” But it’s not all glamour and golden relics. “Camera crews don’t realise how crazy it can be,” says Raksha, 48.

“There’s a lot of dirt flying around. Quite often, you can be in challenging places, not all sites are accessible. You don’t know what the weather’s going to be like, it could be really horrid and muddy.

Also, camera crews are not used to an archaeological digging timetable. When you’re down a hole shovelling into a wheelbarrow all morning, you need to have a break.”

Despite the challenges, the pair’s friendship made every trench, trowel and muddy pit worth it. “Raksha is really good fun,” Sandi says. “We had beer, sitting back in a wheelbarrow – she taught me that leaning back in a wheelbarrow is a rather comfortable chair.

We’re friends and I admire her beyond words. The fact she’s been President of the Council for British Archaeology doesn’t surprise me.” Their shared laughter balances the show’s emotional weight, but both women hope the series sparks a bigger debate about archaeology’s future.

“I hope more will volunteer. Things are beginning to rot because of climate change,” Sandi says. “The safest way to protect something was to leave it buried. Now, we need to get cracking. I would encourage everybody to volunteer. It’s a fantastic experience.”

Hidden Treasures with Sandi Toksvig airs on November 4th, on Channel 4.

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“They’re digging.” US President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge Hamas’s struggle to recover Israeli captives’ bodies from beneath Gaza’s ruins. Israel says it will not move to the next phase of the Gaza peace plan until Hamas returns the remains of all 28 captives.

Whether your dream escape involves tanning on a tropical beach or exploring Europe with a backpack, a smart booking strategy can make it a reality. Here are some tips to help you save money when booking your 2026 holiday…

As the bitter cold arrives and we wrap ourselves in our cosiest knitted jumpers, it’s perfectly normal to start fantasising about warmer climes and thrilling getaways.

Whether you’re picturing yourself soaking up rays on a paradise beach or trekking across Europe with just a rucksack, clever booking tactics can turn those dreams into reality.

Making magical memories doesn’t have to break the bank, so here are two travel experts’ step-by-step guides to slashing costs when planning your 2026 getaway, and making sure that your break is budget-friendly as it can be.

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Book far in advance

“If you can book three to nine months in advance you can often get good deals, especially for packaged holidays or if you’re booking for a family,” says Laura Carden-Lovell, travel expert and head of operations at Transfer Travel.

“We’ve seen that slow travel, so taking longer to get to a destination, has been increasing in popularity,” Carden-Lovell points out. “So, taking the scenic train for example. Trains can be quite expensive so I would recommend booking these far in advance.”

Utilise comparison websites

Fight the temptation to snap up the first bargain that appears in your social media feed, as a little extra patience and detective work could uncover an even better offer.

“Have a look around and use comparison sites to compare prices before you hop onto the first holiday you see,” advises Carden-Lovell. “Comparison sites like Skyscanner and Hopper are brilliant.”

Purchase individual flights

“Booking one-way flights is often a great hack and can be a good way to reduce the prices of flights, as booking a return flight can often be more expensive,” says Carden-Lovell.

Is an all-inclusive break really good value?

Do your homework and weigh up self-catering options. Carden-Lovell suggests, “I think that all-inclusive holidays can be more convenient and potentially cheaper for families and bigger parties, but for solo travellers I think there are ways you could do it cheaper by just buying local food, for example,”.

Consider booking a holiday outside of the peak season to avoid inflated flight costs and crowds

“Shoulder season, typically between September and March (excluding Christmas and New Year), is probably the best time of year to go on holiday to get cheaper tickets,” Carden-Lovell advises. “Most destinations also tend to be less crowded this time of year.”

Jakes Maritz, co-founder of Expat Explore, added: “Timing is everything. If you can, book flights for a Tuesday or Wednesday as midweek departures are often significantly cheaper than weekend travel. It’s also worth checking prices from regional airports, where lower demand can translate into smaller surcharges and more affordable fares.”

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Resale platforms might be worth considering if your dates aren’t flexible

“If you can’t be flexible with dates, using resale marketplaces are often a good way to get a cheap holiday package,” says Carden-Lovell. “If someone can’t go on their holiday, they can list it on a resale marketplace like Transfer Travel and you can often get a really good bargain.”

Despite some negative perceptions, Carden-Lovell assures, “I know resale platforms have had a bad rep for not being safe and secure, but they are usually a simple, safe and legit way to do it, rather than Facebook marketplace. Just make sure you check that customer services are verifying each listing and that the platform you are using has a secure payment method.”

Consider trips to the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe or Scandinavia

Carden-Lovell suggests, “I think it is a good idea to stay away from the really popular destinations and to consider going on holiday somewhere like Eastern Europe instead, for example, which is likely to be cheaper in 2026,” He also mentions that “Coolcations are also trending and Scandinavian countries are really good and are generally cheaper to visit now. Mediterranean countries like Greece and Portugal are also looking super cheap in the forecast for 2026.”

Look at alternative accommodation

Why not swap those pricey hotels for something a bit different?

“For budget travellers, places like hostels are often really cheap and Airbnbs can often be a cheap alternative to typical hotels as well,” Carden-Lovell advises. “Staying outside the major tourist hubs is also a good tip to save money on accommodation during the summer holidays.”

Check on Sundays

“When it comes to accommodation, keep an eye on Sundays,” advises Maritz. “Industry data consistently shows that this is the cheapest day of the week to book hotels. Travellers should also consider package deals, as bundling flights, hotels and sometimes activities together often comes out cheaper and protects you from hidden costs.”

AMY HUNT is prioritising “medals over men” as she adapts to life as a superstar athlete.

The 23-year-old shot to fame last month after claiming a silver medal at the World Championships in Tokyo.

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Following her achievement, Hunt claimed that she would celebrate with some karaoke.

Quizzed what she’d be singing, the confident star said: “Probably Maneater.

“That’s really boring but I feel like that was the vibe tonight, just sexy and aggressive.”

Hunt, who has a degree in English Literature from Cambridge, continues to have her eyes firmly set on further prizes.

Speaking to The Times, the 200m specialist said: “Obviously, as a female athlete, you also have to plan when you think motherhood is a feasible thing for you.

“But the world is very open to me and I will get a sense of what I want to do when the moment is right.

“I actually always joke to my coach, ‘medals before men’, that’s the quote of the day!”

Hunt has not ruled out balancing her blossoming athletics career with further studies.

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She added: “I change my mind on it every year. Immediately after coming out of university I thought about the V&A and doing a Masters — with the hope of maybe going on to do a PhD, because I always thought being ‘Dr Amy’ would be pretty cool.

“But then my mind changed and I think I’d want to actually work at a museum or gallery and curate.

“But then I’m like, no, maybe I’d do a law conversion because a lot of my friends did a law conversion out of English.

“And then maybe I’d do that, or maybe an Amal Clooney kind of thing.

“So my mind is always changing on that and I think I’ll only decide when I get to the end.”

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Sheridan Smith and Daniel York Loh play Ann and Charles Ming in I Fought The Law. But filming for the ITV drama was taxing – Daniel was notably reminded of a personal tragedy.

Daniel York Loh appears in I Fought The Law – but filming for the series brought some sad memories back to the surface.

Her name was once linked to one of Britain’s most haunting murder cases. Now, Julie Hogg’s tragic story comes to the small screen in I Fought The Law, a four-part drama series written by Grantchester’s Jamie Crichton and based on For The Love Of Julie – a memoir written by Julie’s mother, Ann Ming.

Sheridan Smith portrays Ann, and the series charts her extraordinary fight for justice. “It’s what Ann came up against,” Sheridan, 44, says.

“It was one thing after another. It was relentless. I did nine weeks shooting it and I was a mess. I don’t know the strength it took for Ann to keep fighting. I’m absolutely in awe of her.”

Starring opposite Sheridan as Julie’s father Charles is Daniel York Loh. Charles Ming – “Charlie” in the show – was the steadfast mast to Ann’s boat throughout her battle for justice.

Daniel admits he hadn’t known Julie’s story before signing up. “I didn’t read the book until I got involved in the show,” he says. “As soon as I was asked to do it, I did it. Not many people are aware of it. I wasn’t very aware of it.”

Bringing Charles back to life, 12 years after his death at 88, carried its own weight. “I don’t have kids but I did have a younger brother. I lost him to a heroin overdose and I found his body,” Daniel shares.

The role also struck a deeper chord. “It reminded me of my own father in some ways,” Daniel explains. “You know, naturalised immigrant backgrounds, very British in a lot of ways but regarded as foreign. There’s a sense of displacement in that.”

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Julie was 22 years old when she vanished from her Billingham home in November 1989, leaving behind her young son Kevin. Her mother, Ann, immediately knew something was wrong. “I was convinced something had happened to my daughter from day one,” says Ann.

But police believed otherwise. “They thought she could have gone to London to start a new life,” Ann says. “It really was frustrating.” Three months later, Ann’s maternal instincts were tragically vindicated.

She discovered Julie’s body herself, hidden under the bath at Julie’s home. “It gave me strength because I’d been proven right,” Ann now says.

The investigation soon identified a suspect: William “Billy” Dunlop. He stood trial for Julie’s murder twice, but juries failed to convict on both occasions.

Then, while serving a prison sentence for unrelated violent offences, Dunlop confessed to Julie’s killing. But there was a twist: under the centuries-old double jeopardy rule, he couldn’t be tried again for the same crime.

For Ann, giving up wasn’t an option. She petitioned politicians for more than a decade, lobbied the media and refused to let Julie’s case fade from memory.

The cast is rounded out by Luther’s Enzo Cilenti as DS Mark Braithwaite, Doctor Who star Marlowe Chan-Reeves, who plays Ann’s son Gary, Grace actor Jake Davies as Julie’s ex Matthew, Vera actor Jack James Ryan as William Dunlop and Unforgotten’s Andrew Lancel as Guy Whitburn QC.

Ann’s determination inspired the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which introduced new exceptions to the double jeopardy rule in both England, Wales and later Scotland. Ann still calls for other countries to follow suit.

“It’s being debated in Australia,” Ann says. But she doesn’t want the change to stop. “I’d like to meet all world leaders to change this law around the world.”

In 2006, Dunlop finally pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 17 years. Though her battle has ended after more than a decade, Ann’s resentment lingers.

“I feel angry that we were never allowed to meet up with the forensic team,” she says. “Nobody was sacked. One went onto be commander. That wasn’t right. I never got an apology from the police. Nothing at all.”

This relentless fight is the backbone of I Fought The Law. For Sheridan, stepping into Ann’s shoes was a privilege and an emotional burden. “I can only imagine and think if it was my child, but it was emotionally taxing,” she says.

Sheridan fully immersed herself in Ann’s world, devouring documentaries about the case and Ann’s book. “I get mad at myself if I don’t feel the actual pain and trauma. I wanted to make Ann proud and get her story justice,” she says.

Ann was also present as a consultant on the set while filming took place in North East England. “She was a huge support and very crucial to the production the whole way through,” series director Erik Richter Strand says. “Sheridan is in every scene. She doesn’t get many breaks. We had to make that set safe, practical and comfortable for Sheridan.”

The transformation was physical as well as emotional. Sheridan swapped her brunette style for Ann’s blonde locks. But she dreaded one scene above all: the bathroom scene, where Ann finds Julie’s body. “I knew I had that coming, I wanted to get that scene out, it was a bit scary,” she says. “I knew it’d be torturous.”

Sheridan’s own experience as a mother – she shares her five-year-old son Billy with former partner Jamie Horn – gave the role an added resonance.

“It was my first role as a mum,” she says. “It’s your worst fear, isn’t it? No one should have to go through that. I was emotionally attached to the whole thing.”

“When I did Mrs Biggs, I tried to think of my mum who lost her son, my brother,” she says, referring to her older brother Julian, who died of cancer at the age of 18.

“This time, there was a different layer. Just thinking how I would have felt in that moment, if it was my little one. This was much more powerful, that’s probably why it was a bit difficult.”

Her efforts paid off – Ann couldn’t be happier with her portrayal and the pair have even gone on to form a bond. “We’re friends for life now,” Sheridan says, holding tightly on to Ann’s hand.

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With 17 caps under her belt, Feaunati says she is learning every day from the England number eights who have worn the shirt before her.

Alex Matthews, 32, will be playing in her fourth World Cup, while former England captain Sarah Hunter is now the defence coach for the Red Roses.

“I just chew her [Hunter’s] ear off daily, which I’m not sure if she loves, but I just ask her heaps of questions,” said Feaunati.

“She’s got loads and loads of experience. Alex as well, they’re so open to helping me, which I just love, it’s really cool.”

Unlike Hunter and Matthews, Feaunati has not felt the pain of England’s recent record in World Cups. England have lost five of the past six finals, and last tasted success in 2014.

She admits the fact she is about to play in her first World Cup is a ‘surreal’ moment but one she is taking in her stride.

“It was never ‘I’m gonna get there’,” she said.

“It was more just a goal that I just slowly started ticking off. But as soon as Mitch [head coach Mitchell] said those words, I was really like, ‘OK, I’m in it now’.

“I just want to keep being the player I am, just keep being fearless is really what I’m going after.

“We talked to the girls that won the 2014 one and they just want us to have that feeling. It would be super cool to do it with this bunch of girls because it’s a special group.”

As for her parents, who will be flying to England from New Zealand for the World Cup, will there be any split allegiances when it comes to who they will be supporting?

“They’re 100% backing the Red Roses,” she says laughing. “My whole family is behind us all over the world.”

A vacuum cleaner is a household essential, and Amazon has a huge 52% saving on a popular model.

The Uninell Cordless Vacuum Cleaner has been reduced from £229.99 to £109.

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Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, £109 (was £229.99)

If you’re not keen on spending hundreds on the latest premium vacuum cleaner, you’re not alone.

Shoppers are flocking to Amazon to find the latest and greatest discounts, and there’s one stand-out cleaning deal right now.

The Uninell Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is now £109, and it has lots of handy features that make it versatile for cleaning all different surfaces.

Firstly, it’s cordless, which makes it easier to clean awkward areas, like the stairs or corners that aren’t within reach of a plug socket.

The cordless battery lasts up to an hour, and charges using a wall-mounted charger.

The handy design also allows you to transform it into a handheld vacuum cleaner, which is ideal for cleaning the car and tackling dirt and debris under sofa cushions and on other soft furniture.

Parents will know that the school holidays equal constant crumbs and mess, and this versatile vacuum is great for quick clean-ups.

There’s a ‘barefloor’ mode for hard flooring, a carpet mode, and a turbo mode for extra-powerful cleans and tackling ground-in dirt and hair.

The Amazon vacuum cleaner has a high 4.8 star rating, with hundreds of shoppers leaving their feedback.

One shopper said: ‘’Honestly would never go back to buying the likes of Miele, Dyson and Shark, of which I have owned over the years.’’

Another shopper commented: ‘’It’s lightweight, powerful, and glides around corners easily, picking up all my dog’s hair effortlessly.’’

‘’Great value for money. Can’t believe how cheap it was for what I got!’’

While a third shopper praised the ‘’Excellent vacuum cleaner’’, calling it ‘’easy to use, lightweight, good attachments, battery lasts long enough to clean medium sized house.’’

They also went on to say: ‘’Can’t differentiate much between this and the much pricier Dyson equivalent.’’

In comparison, Dyson’s cheapest vacuum online right now is £249.99, and that’s the reduced price – some cost as much as £799.

Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, £109 (was £229.99)

A vacuum cleaner is a big purchase, and if you’re still unsure which is best for your household, give the Sun Shopping’s best cordless vacuum cleaners rundown a read.

If you’re considering a Shark vacuum, and want to know The Sun’s thoughts on a popular, highly-rated model, check out our Shark IZ202UKT review.

For Chargers rookie Tre’ Harris, the opportunity to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, proved to be an eye-opening experience — a moment of validation for his budding NFL career.

“Being able to go to the Hall of Fame, seeing all of the busts, all the players and the history of the game, just tells you, ‘You made it to the NFL,’” Harris said.

Getting the chance to play in the Chargers’ 34-7 win over the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game fulfilled a childhood dream for the Lafayette, La., native. But the Hall of Fame week experience left him with a clearer understanding of what it takes to be a legend in the sport.

“Being able to see all those players, those legends who’ve done it at the very pinnacle of the game — it really shows how much work you have to put in to be as good as them, or even really sniff their sneakers,” Harris said.

His path to greatness began quietly: zero catches on just one target against the Lions. Still, offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Harris looked comfortable in the passing game despite limited opportunities.

Harris has turned heads in camp with his sharp route running and big-play potential. Motivated to prove what he can offer an offense desperate for receiving weapons to support Justin Herbert, the second-round pick is focused on two things: learning plays and speed.

“[I’m] making sure that I’m comfortable in this playbook and I’m playing fast,” Harris said. “We want to play fast and be decisive. … Whenever I go out there, that’s really the main goal. … I’m not really worried about what the defense is doing — just worried about, how can I get myself open?”

Despite starting camp a few days later than other rookies because of a contract holdout, Harris is competing for a starting role in the wake of Mike Williams’ sudden retirement.

Harris, who agreed to a $7.8-million deal with the Chargers, said the only thing that bothered him about his holdout was missing time with his teammates.

Over the first few months, Harris has leaned heavily on the support of rookie receiver and roommate KeAndre Lambert-Smith. The two have built a bond since first meeting at the NFL scouting combine in February.

Chargers wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, right, celebrates with wide receiver Tre’ Harris after making a touchdown catch against the Lions in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday.

(Nick Cammett / Getty Images)

That bond has sparked an iron-sharpening-iron dynamic, with both standing out in camp so far. Harris has impressed, but Lambert-Smith has emerged as a hidden gem, consistently making downfield grabs and winning one-on-one battles with crisp route running.

“It’s almost like college in a way, just having that guy you’re always with,” Harris said. “It’s been good to bounce ideas off, and we always talk to each other about the practice, game, everyday life.”

Harris also has embraced a subtle, but meaningful change in his life. He recently added an apostrophe to his first name, now stylized as “Tre’.” The update reflects family and cultural history, he said.

Harris’ father, who spent a decade working offshore in Brazil, learned to speak some Portuguese during that time. Harris was born Cleveland Harris III, but his father shortened the name to tres — Portuguese for “three.” Somewhere along the way, the “s” was dropped, and “Tre’” came to be.

With the Chargers set to open the regular season in São Paulo, Brazil, Harris said his dad is already making plans, telling him he has “some friends back there who are super excited to see me play.”

University of California leaders face a difficult choice after the U.S. Department of Justice said this week that UCLA had violated the civil rights of Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests and federal agencies on Wednesday suspended more than $300 million in research grants to the school.

Do they agree to a costly settlement, potentially incurring the anger of taxpayers, politicians and campus communities in a deep-blue state that’s largely opposed to President Trump and his battle to remake higher education?

Or do they go to court, entering a protracted legal fight and possibly inviting further debilitating federal actions against the nation’s premier public university system, which has until now carefully avoided head-on conflicts with the White House?

Leaders of the University of California, including its systemwide president, James B. Milliken; UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk and UC’s 24-member Board of Regents — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is an ex-officio member — have just days to decide.

What led to the conflict

In findings issued Tuesday, U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and the Justice Department said UCLA would pay a “heavy price” for acting with “deliberate indifference” to the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students who complained of antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, 2023. That’s when Hamas attacked Israel, which led to Israel’s war in Gaza and the pro-Palestinian student encampment on Royce Quad.

The Justice Department gave UC — which oversees federal legal matters for UCLA and nine other campuses — a week to respond to the allegations of antisemitism. It wrote that “unless there is reasonable certainty that we can reach an agreement” to “ensure that the hostile environment is eliminated and reasonable steps are taken to prevent its recurrence,” the department would sue by Sept. 2.

A day after the Justice Department disclosed its findings, the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and other federal agencies said they were suspending hundreds of grants to UCLA researchers. A letter from the NSF cited the university’s alleged “discrimination” in admissions and failure to “promote a research environment free of antisemitism.” A Department of Energy letter cutting off grants on clean energy and nuclear power plants made similar accusations, adding that “UCLA discriminates against and endangers women by allowing men in women’s sports and private women-only spaces.”

Initial data shared with The Times on Thursday night showed the cuts to be at least $200 million. On Friday, additional information shared by UC and federal officials pointed to the number being greater than $300 million — more than a quarter of UCLA’s $1.1 billion in annual federal funding and contracts. UCLA has not released a total number.

In a campuswide message Thursday, Frenk, the UCLA chancellor, called the government’s moves “deeply disappointing.”

“This far-reaching penalty of defunding life-saving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination,” Frenk said.

In a statement to The Times Friday, an official from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH, said it would “not fund institutions that promote antisemitism. We will use every tool we have to ensure institutions follow the law.”

An NSF spokesperson also confirmed the UCLA cuts, saying Friday that the university is no longer in “alignment with current NSF priorities.” A Department of Energy spokesperson also verified the cuts but did not elaborate outside of pointing to the department’s letter to UCLA.

What comes next

The Times spoke to more than a dozen current and former senior UC leaders in addition to higher education experts about the rapid deliberations taking place this week, which for the first time have drawn a major public university system into the orbit of a White House that has largely focused its ire on Ivy League schools.

Trump has accused universities of being too liberal, illegally recruiting for diversity in ways that hurt white and Asian American students and faculty, and being overly tolerant of pro-Palestinian students who he labels as antisemites aligned with Hamas.

Universities, including UCLA, have largely denied the accusations, although school officials have admitted that they under-delivered in responding to Jewish student concerns. In the last two years, encampments took over small portions of campuses, and, as a result, were blamed for denying campus access to pro-Israel Jews.

In a major payout announced Tuesday — before the Justice Department’s findings — UCLA said it would dole out $6.45 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by three Jewish students and a medical school professor who alleged the university violated their civil rights and enabled antisemitism during the pro-Palestinian encampment in 2024. About $2.3 million will be donated to eight groups that work with Jewish communities, including the Anti-Defamation League, Chabad and Hillel. Another $320,000 will be directed to a UCLA initiative to combat antisemitism, and the rest of the funds will go toward legal fees.

Through spokespersons, Frenk and Milliken declined interviews on what next steps UCLA might take. Friday was Milliken’s first day on the job after the long-planned departure of former UC President Michael V. Drake, who will return to teaching and research.

But in public remarks this week, Newsom said he was “reviewing” the Justice Department’s findings and that UC would be “responsive.”

The governor, who spoke during an event at the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento County on Thursday, said he had a meeting with Drake scheduled that day to discuss the Trump administration’s charges.

Newsom did not respond specifically to a question from The Times about whether UC would settle with Trump.

“We’re reviewing the details of the DOJ’s latest and then that deadline on Tuesday,” the governor said. “So we’ll be responsive.”

In a statement Friday, Newsom said, “Freezing critical research funding for UCLA — dollars that were going to study invasive diseases, cure cancer, and build new defense technologies — makes our country less safe. It is a cruel manipulation to use Jewish students’ real concerns about antisemitism on campus as an excuse to cut millions of dollars in grants that were being used to make all Americans safer and healthier.”

What insiders say

Senior UCLA and UC leaders, who spoke on background because they were not authorized to discuss legal decisions, said the university has been bracing for this moment for months. The university and individual campuses are under multiple federal investigations into alleged use of race in admissions, employment discrimination against Jews, and civil rights complaints from Jewish students. At the same time, leaders said, they were hoping the multimillion-dollar settlement with Jewish students would buy them time.

“It backfired,” said one senior administrator at UCLA, reflecting the sense of whiplash felt among many who were interviewed. “Within hours of announcing our settlement, the DOJ was on our back.”

Other senior UC officials said the system was considering suing Trump. It has already sued various federal agencies or filed briefs in support of lawsuits over widespread grant cuts affecting all major U.S. universities. UC itself, however, has not directly challenged the president’s platform of aggressively punishing elite schools for alleged discrimination.

It’s unclear if a suit or settlement could wipe out all remaining investigations.

Mark Yudof, a former UC president who led the system from 2008 to 2013, said he felt the Trump administration was targeting a public university as a way to “make a statement” about the president’s higher education aims going beyond Ivy League institutions.

“But this is not Columbia,” Yudof said, referring to the $221-million settlement the New York campus recently reached with the White House to resolve investigations over alleged antisemitism amid its response to pro-Palestinian protests.

On Wednesday, Brown University also came to a $50-million agreement with the White House. The Brown payment will go toward Rhode Island workforce development programs. Harvard is also negotiating a deal with the government over similar accusations regarding antisemitism.

“The University of California is much more complex,” said Yudof, who lives in Florida and also led the University of Texas and University of Minnesota. “For one, an issue that may affect UCLA is not going to affect UC Merced or UC Riverside. But do you come to an agreement on all campuses? If there is a settlement payment, does it affect all campuses, depending on the cost?”

George Blumenthal, a former chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, said he “just can’t see UC making the kind of deal that Columbia did or that Harvard contemplates. Committing public funds to Washington to the tune of tens or hundreds of million dollars strikes me as politically untenable in California.”

Pro-Palestinian UCLA groups said they don’t agree with the premise of negotiations. They point out that many protesters in last year’s encampment were Jewish and argue that the protest — the focus of federal complaints — was not antisemitic.

“We reject this cynical weaponization of antisemitism, and the misinformation campaign spinning calls for Palestinian freedom as antisemitic. We must name this for what it is: a thinly-veiled attempt to punish supporters of Palestinian freedom, and to advance the long-standing conservative goal of dismantling higher education,” said a statement from Graeme Blair, a UCLA associate professor of political science, on behalf of UCLA Faculty for Justice in Palestine.

The bigger picture

Higher education experts say UC’s decision would set a national precedent. The university’s finances include more than $50 billion in operating revenues, $180 billion in investments — including endowment, retirement, and working capital portfolios — and smaller campus-level endowments. The funds support facilities across the state, including multiple academic health centers, investment properties and campuses, as well as tens of thousands of former employees enrolled in retirement plans.

Dozens of public campuses across the U.S. are under investigation or pressure from the White House to atone for alleged wrongdoing to Jewish students or to change admissions, scholarship programs and protest rules and more. But UC has long been a standard-bearer, including in academic and protest freedoms.

“If you are Trump, your target of Harvard or Brown is much easier — a snooty elite — than a public, even a UCLA or Berkeley,” said Rick Hess, an education expert with the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

Kenneth Marcus, who served as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Education Department during Trump’s first term, said there would be benefits for UCLA and the UC system to enter into a “systemwide agreement that would enable everybody to put this behind themselves.”

The Justice Department’s Tuesday letter said it was investigating all campuses but only issuing findings of violations so far at UCLA.

Marcus, chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said a systemwide agreement would “provide the federal government with assurances that the regents are making changes across the board.”

Staff writer Taryn Luna in Sacramento contributed to this report.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it plans to revoke a scientific finding on climate change that has served as the basis for key environmental and pollution regulations.

In an interview on Tuesday, Lee Zeldin, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the EPA, said that the agency would nix the 2009 “endangerment finding” that links emissions from motor vehicles to climate change and negative health impacts.

Zeldin added that those who seek to reduce carbon emissions only highlight the negative effects.

“With regard to the endangerment finding, they’ll say carbon dioxide is a pollutant and that’s the end of it. They’ll never acknowledge any type of benefit or need for carbon dioxide,” Zeldin told a right-wing podcast, Ruthless.

“It’s important to note, and they don’t, how important it is for the planet.”

The “endangerment finding” has been central to the justifications for regulating greenhouse gas emissions, including through vehicle emissions standards.

The finding, issued under Democratic President Barack Obama, has become a frequent target of conservative lawmakers and fossil fuel companies, which have sought its repeal.

Nevertheless, the “endangerment finding” has withstood several legal challenges in court.

Its revocation would be a continuation of the Trump administration’s push to roll back environmental protections and slash regulations in the name of boosting the economy.

The news agency Reuters reported last week that the EPA is also planning to scrap all greenhouse gas emissions standards on light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles.

In Tuesday’s interview, Zeldin likewise positioned the repeal of the “endangerment finding” as a boon to business.

“There are people who, in the name of climate change, are willing to bankrupt the country,” Zeldin said.

“They created this endangerment finding and then they are able to put all these regulations on vehicles, on airplanes, on stationary sources, to basically regulate out of existence, in many cases, a lot of segments of our economy.”

Zeldin also touted the finding’s revocation as the “largest deregulatory action” in US history — and a potentially fatal blow to efforts to curb climate change.

“This has been referred to as basically driving a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion,” Zeldin said.

A 2021 study from Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health found that a decrease in vehicle emissions helped bring the number of yearly deaths attributed to air pollution down from 27,700 in 2008 to 19,800 in 2017.

The researchers credited that decline to a combination of federal regulations and technological improvements.

They also noted that, if emissions had remained at the 2008 levels, the number of deaths would have instead risen to 48,200 by 2017.

Supporters consider air pollution regulations to be a vital part of the effort to slow climate change and minimise adverse health effects.

Trump, however, has defied scientific consensus on climate change and referred to it as a “hoax”.

Instead, he has pushed for the US to ramp up fossil fuel production, considered the primary contributor to climate change.

Earlier this month, his energy secretary, Chris Wright, wrote a column for The Economist magazine arguing that climate change is “not an existential crisis” but a “byproduct of progress”.

“I am willing to take the modest negative trade-off for this legacy of human advancement,” Wright wrote.

The United Nations has estimated that, between 2030 and 2050, climate change would contribute to 250,000 additional deaths per year, from issues related to tropical diseases like malaria, heat stress and food security.

Francisco Rodriguez Jr faces an anti-doping investigation after his shock win over British flyweight Galal Yafai, says Matchroom Boxing.

Yafai’s promoters have been told the Mexican returned an adverse analytical finding following his points victory in Birmingham last month.

Rodriguez, 31, dropped the Olympic gold medallist in the final round and was a clear winner with scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109.

It was Yafai’s first professional defeat as he surrendered his WBC interim title, but the result is now in question.

A family looking forward to a two-week holiday at a five-star hotel in Jamaica were left shocked after an adults-only festival hosted by the resort led to ‘all hell breaking loose’

Liverpool mum Katie had been eagerly looking forward to her TUI holiday in Jamaica, but says her stay there was ruined by raunchy guests who exhibited “sexual behaviour […] for all to see”.

During an appearance on BBC’s Rip Off Britain, Katie and her sister Rachel spoke of Jamaica as their “second home”, and somewhere where they regularly take their children to visit relatives.

According to Katie, whose husband lives in the Caribbean island nation, it’s important for her children to stay connected to their dual culture. She shared: “Jamaica is our second home. We’re really, really proud of the island and love the culture.”

Sadly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the children hadn’t been able to visit their grandparents in Jamaica for two years. And so, the family booked a two-week stay at the Luxury Grand Palladium Resort and Spa in Montego Bay.

The group of 24 family and friends spent approximately £15,000 on their booking, which should have been a dream holiday. Unfortunately, things allegedly took a turn.

READ MORE: Brits call out ‘horrendous’ hotel behaviour but admit ‘we find it funny’

At first, the five-star hotel appeared perfect, with the group impressed by the delicious food, gorgeous grounds, and the great service provided by members of staff. The resort advertised plenty of family-friendly facilities, including watersports and a kids’ pool, and felt like the ideal place to bring little ones.

Then, four days into their stay, the tone changed when the group learned the hotel was hosting a four-day music festival, Fantasy Island. Marketed as an adults-only festival, Fantasy Island was attended by some 700 revellers, who apparently “didn’t care” whether or not their antics were suitable for children.

The sisters shared: “All hell broke loose. The main pool was overtaken. People were drinking like fish. It’s fine if it’s in a nightclub, not morning time around a pool with children. There was sexual behaviour going on at the pool bar for all to see. They didn’t care if there were children there.”

After Katie complained to the hotel manager and TUI rep, she was offered four free nights by the hotel, while TUI offered them £150 per person in vouchers or £100 in cash. They believe this compensation just wasn’t enough.

Katie and Rachel weren’t the only guests to take issue with the Fantasy Island event. NHS worker Emma Owen and her family were drawn to the hotel due to its family-friendly appeal, and paid £7,000 for an 11-night all-inclusive break. She recalled seeing attendees “vomit in the pool” as the festival got underway.

Travel expert Lisa Minot stated: “It really is down to the tour operator to inform their guests that there is going to be a significant change or impact on their holiday.”

A TUI spokesperson previously told the Daily Express: “We’re very sorry that some of our customers’ holidays were impacted by this unexpected event at the Grand Palladium Resort and Spa in August 2021.

“While the hotel did not make us aware in advance, we understand how upsetting this was, and have offered a refund for the full four days, along with our sincere apologies. We’d like to reassure customers that this hotel will no longer be hosting this event.”

The Mirror has reached out to TUI for additional comment.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]

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As we drove north along Highway 395 — passing the salty remains of Owens Lake, the Museum of Western Film History, the geothermal plant outside Mammoth Lakes that supplies 24/7 clean energy to San Bernardino County — I felt certain we’d found the northernmost reaches of Southern California.

It was Memorial Day weekend, and my wife and I were headed to a U.S. Forest Service campground in the White Mountains, 225 miles as the crow flies from downtown L.A.’s Union Station. If you drew a line on a map due west from our campsite, you’d cut through the Sierra Nevada and eventually hit San José.

But to my mind, we were still in Southern California.

For one thing, Southern California Edison supplied electricity here. For another, Los Angeles had sucked this place dry.

In the early 1900s, agents secretly working for the city posed as farmers and ranchers, buying up land and water rights in the Owens Valley. Then Los Angeles built an aqueduct, diverting water from the Owens River to feed the city’s growth. Owens Lake largely dried up. The city later extended the aqueduct north to Mono Lake.

As a lifelong Angeleno, I felt compelled to see some of the results for myself.

I had spent time in the Owens Valley, but never the Mono Basin. So we took a dirt road branching off the gorgeous June Lake Loop to stand atop an earthen dam built by L.A. in the 1930s. It impounds Rush Creek, the largest tributary bringing Sierra snowmelt to Mono Lake. As I looked out at Grant Lake Reservoir — beautiful in its own way, if totally unnatural — I realized I had been drinking this water my whole life.

Grant Lake Reservoir stores water for the city of Los Angeles. I took this photo standing atop the earthen dam.

(Sammy Roth / Los Angeles Times)

My feelings were similarly muddled when we arrived at Mono Lake.

On the one hand, this was one of the coolest and weirdest places I’d ever seen. As we padded along a boardwalk toward the sandy southern shore, I was blown by the gleaming blue water, the snow-capped Sierra peaks and the tufa — my gosh, the tufa. Bizarre-looking rock towers made of calcium carbonate, like something from a dream.

At the same time, much of the boardwalk ideally would have been underwater.

Under a 1994 ruling by state officials, L.A. is supposed to try to limit its withdrawals from Mono Lake’s tributaries, with a goal of restoring the lake to an elevation of 6,392 feet — healthier for the millions of migratory and nesting birds that depend on it for sustenance, and better for keeping down dust that degrades local air quality.

Three decades later, the lake has never gotten close to its target level. L.A. continues to withdraw too much water, and the Mono Basin continues to suffer. Mayor Karen Bass said last year that the city would take less, but officials ultimately reneged, citing a dry winter.

As we walked past a sign on the way to the southern shore marking 6,392 feet, I felt a little pang of guilt.

Tufa formations line the sandy southern shore of Mono Lake.

(Sammy Roth / Los Angeles Times)

Responsibility is a funny thing. When we got back from our camping trip, I read about a woman suing oil and gas companies over the tragic death of her mom, who died of overheating at age 65 during a historic heat wave that roasted the Pacific Northwest in 2021. The first-of-its-kind lawsuit claims wrongful death, alleging — accurately — that the companies spent years working to hide the climate crisis from the public.

I’m neither a psychic nor a psychologist. But I’m guessing, based on more than a decade reporting on energy and climate change, that executives at the fossil fuel companies in question — including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Phillips 66 and Shell — aren’t suddenly feeling guilty for their role in boiling the planet.

Same goes for the Trump administration — impossible to guilt. The World Meteorological Organization reported last week that Earth is highly likely to keep shattering temperature records in the next few years, driving deadlier heat waves, more destructive fires and fiercer droughts. That hasn’t stopped President Trump and congressional Republicans from pressing forward with a budget bill that would obliterate support for renewable energy.

So why was I, a climate journalist, feeling guilty over something I really had nothing to do with? Was it silly for me to bother taking responsibility when the people wrecking the planet were never going to do the same?

I think the answers have something to do with the importance of honesty.

Sunset from the White Mountains.

(Sammy Roth / Los Angeles Times)

As we sat at our campsite by a roaring fire — stoked by my wife, who’s way better than me with open flames — I cracked open a book of speeches by President Theodore Roosevelt, delivered in 1903 on his first trip to California. He was on my mind because he’d originally established Inyo National Forest, where our spectacular campground was, to protect the lands and watershed where Los Angeles would build its Owens Valley aqueduct.

“You can pardon most anything in a man who will tell the truth,” Roosevelt said. “If anyone lies, if he has the habit of untruthfulness, you cannot deal with him, because there is nothing to depend on.”

“The businessman or politician who does not tell the truth cheats; and for the cheat we should have no use in any walk of life,” he said.

Naturally, I thought of Trump, whose political success is built on outrageous lies, from climate and election denial to insisting that Haitian immigrants eat their neighbors’ cats. I also recalled a recent order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum discouraging “negative” depictions of U.S. history on signs at national parks and other public lands — a directive with the Orwellian title, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

Did that mean educational materials at Manzanar National Historic Site — which sits just off Highway 395 and is managed by the National Park Service — would soon be revamped, to avoid explaining how the U.S. government cruelly and needlessly imprisoned more than 10,000 Japanese Americans there during World War II?

If a similar order were issued covering the Forest Service, which is overseen by a different federal agency, would the Mono Lake visitor center take down its thoughtful signs explaining the history of the Los Angeles water grab? Would the Forest Service alter a sign at the nearby Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest detailing the possible impacts of global warming, considering that the U.S. is the largest historical emitter of heat-trapping pollution?

Trees at Schulman Grove in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

(Sammy Roth / Los Angeles Times)

Only time will tell. But Teddy Roosevelt was right. So long as Trump and his allies keep lying — pretending that oil and gas aren’t cooking the planet, that we don’t need sound science, that Americans have only ever done good — they’ll feel no guilt, no responsibility. Because they’ll have nothing to take responsibility for.

Accepting the facts means owning up to the hard ones.

It’s not just politicians who have trouble. Highway 395’s Museum of Western Film History is mostly hagiography, a collection of props and artifacts that fails to unpack the settler colonialism behind the western films it glorifies.

But I did learn that the original “Star Wars” was one of many films to shoot footage in the Owens Valley. And the “Star Wars” universe, as it happens, is all about fighting an empire that seeks to control people’s homelands and histories — a message central to Season 2 of “Andor,” now streaming on Disney+.

“I believe we are in crisis,” says Galactic Senator Mon Mothma, a leader of the brewing Rebellion. “The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil.”

Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) makes a pivotal Imperial Senate speech in “Andor,” Season 2, Episode 9.

(Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Here’s the truth: There’s not enough water in Mono or Owens lake. It’s hotter than it used to be. The sky is dark with wildfire smoke more often. The Sierra Nevada peaks frequently aren’t as snowy.

Again, the senator: “When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.”

In America, monsters are screaming. Find harbor in honesty, and perhaps the mountains.

This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our “Boiling Point” podcast here.

For more climate and environment news, follow @Sammy_Roth on X and @sammyroth.bsky.social on Bluesky.

Dan Snow explores the ruins of Machu Picchu in a compelling new show for 5. But the father-of-three was struck when he discovered the mummified remains of a young girl.

Scaling Machu Picchu, Dan Snow ’s latest adventure is anything but ordinary. But he was rattled by his encounter with a 600-year-old Inca mummy.

The historian and presenter, 46, fronts Machu Picchu: The Discovery with Dan Snow on Channel 5, diving deep into the secrets of the ancient Peruvian city lost to the jungle for centuries.

“It is the most splendid and overwhelming location for a historical site. Nothing can prepare you for arriving there,” he says, “I’d never visited before and it was one of my bucket list places. I was so desperate to do it.”

Alongside the stunning scenery came cultural revelations. “The Incas were very different,” he says, “To understand their belief systems, you have to turn everything you understand from the West on its head.

They used to keep their Emperors mummified, bringing them out on special occasions. Death wasn’t the end for them. That was difficult because it’s so different.”

He adds: “Seeing the way the landscape is kind of organised – like a great big Coliseum. Such beautiful mountains, river valleys and then stunning buildings.

All built with these extraordinary, exquisite stonemasonry techniques of the Inca. It is truly like a lost city in the jungle. It’s the thing you dream about when you’re a little kid.”

But one of the most striking of the show moments came when Dan encountered the frozen remains of a 12-year-old-girl, sacrificed to the mountain gods.

“She was perfectly preserved in ice,” he says, “I had to hold her for a minute. She was my daughter’s age. It was one of the most overwhelming things.”

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Dan has been married to criminologist and philanthropist Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor since November 2010. Edwina is the second daughter of the 6th Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor. She and Dan lead a happy family life in the New Forest with their three children.

Hidden from Spanish invaders and swallowed by rainforest, Machu Picchu remained untouched for centuries. “It was just so inaccessible,” says Dan.

The Spanish never managed to get to it. Everything grows so fast that it was abandoned: The Spanish never found it, and before you know it the jungle had just taken over.”

But reaching it wasn’t easy. “It was a really challenging place to film. Carrying all our equipment over these mountain paths,” he says, “At one stage, we were swinging the camera, and I almost fell off into the valley below. It was exhausting.”

The altitude only made things worse. “People were having nosebleeds as we were trying to operate equipment,” Dan adds. “Even in Cusco, one of the highest cities on Earth. It was one of the more challenging places I have had to operate for sure.”

Now back from his visit, Dan’s wanderlust is far from cured. “I’d love to visit Easter Island,” he says, “There are Roman ruins in North Africa, even in China! The great happiness is that there’s always opportunities.”

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NEW YORK — The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by “acting with deliberate indifference” toward what it describes as rampant antisemitism on campus.

The finding was announced late Thursday by the Health and Human Services Department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained government pressure to crack down on student speech.

It comes hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s monthslong attack on higher education.

The civil rights division of HHS said it had found Columbia in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which blocks federal funding recipients from discrimination based on race, color or national origin. That final category, the press release notes, includes “discrimination against individuals that is based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry.”

The announcement did not include new sanctions against Columbia, which is already facing $400 million in federal cuts by the Trump administration over its response to pro-Palestinian campus protests.

A spokesperson for Columbia said the university is currently in negotiations with the government about resolving its claims of antisemitism.

“We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government,” the spokesperson said in an email. “Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus.”

The civil rights investigation into Columbia was based on witness interviews, media reports and other sources, according to HHS. The findings were not made public. A spokesperson did not response to a request for further information.

“The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,” Anthony Archeval, acting director of the HHS civil rights office, said in a statement.

Last spring, Columbia became the epicenter of protests against the war in Gaza, spurring a national movement of campus demonstrations that demanded universities cut ties with Israel.

At the time, some Jewish students and faculty complained about being harassed during the demonstrations or ostracized because of their faith or their support of Israel.

Those who participated in Columbia’s protests, including some Jewish students, have said they are protesting Israel’s actions against Palestinians and have forcefully denied allegations of antisemitism.

Many have also accused the university of capitulating to the Trump administration’s demands — including placing its Middle East studies department under new leadership — at the expense of academic freedom and protecting foreign students.

At a commencement ceremony earlier this week, a speech by Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, was met with loud boos by graduates and chants of “free Palestine.”

Offenhartz writes for the Associated Press.