Disney has a new captain, and his eyes are on the stars.
Taking over the reins from Bob Iger on Wednesday, new chief executive Josh D’Amaro signaled a bold shift for the entertainment giant: a future where emotional storytelling remains the “North Star,” but cutting-edge technology provides the fuel.
From ESPN to the Magic Kingdom, D’Amaro said in his first letter to employees as the top boss that his mission is to turn a century of nostalgia into a more personal, high-tech reality for fans worldwide.
“Used thoughtfully, it can empower our storytellers, strengthen our capabilities, and help us create more immersive, interactive and personal ways for people to experience Disney,” he wrote in the Wednesday morning note.
D’Amaro also said he wants the sprawling company, which includes film and TV studios, a tourism division, streaming services and live sports programming, to operate as “one Disney,” saying the global businesses all play a role in deepening consumers’ relationship with the Mouse House.
That connection people have with Disney’s brand is key to the company’s future. Consumers have more film, TV and experiences to choose from than ever, meaning Disney needs to distinguish itself among competitors.
To do that, D’Amaro plans to focus on the emotions consumers feel when they encounter Disney. As an example, he reminisced about his own first visit to Disneyland more than 40 years ago.
He recalled the joy on his father’s face as the two rode Peter Pan’s Flight together. And when they soared over the miniature version of London on the ride, he remembered his father leaning in and saying, “See, I told you. It feels like we’re flying!”
“That feeling of flying I had on Peter Pan all those years ago is still real to me,” he wrote in the Wednesday morning note. “And today, I am honored to move forward with all of you — with ambition, optimism, and absolute confidence in what we can build together.”
That new era also included a goodbye to Bob Iger, who handed over the reins Wednesday and now moves into a senior advisory role for the rest of the year before his planned retirement.
The company paid tribute to Iger in a video during Disney’s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday morning.
With clips from his earliest public appearances as Disney’s CEO, a highlight reel of the acquisitions the company made under his tenure and even a nod to his previous career behind the anchor desk, the video highlighted Iger’s legacy at the company and the role he played in bulking up Disney’s franchises, global theme parks, sports and streaming platforms.
When asked in the video about where he’ll go from here, Iger laughed and replied, “To Disneyland.”
In a pre-recorded speech, Iger said his time at Disney has spanned much of his life and that he never expected to become CEO of the company — much less twice.
“Over the years, we experienced extraordinary change and faced real challenges that were particularly profound in the last three years,” Iger said. “It was daunting at times, but through it all, what sustained me was the passion I saw every day from great storytellers, innovators, leaders and people around the world.”
In his parting remarks during that speech, he expressed confidence in the new leadership team of D’Amaro and Dana Walden, who is now president and chief creative officer of the company.
“I will be cheering on Josh, Dana and all of you as I sail off into the sunset,” he said. “So thank you for the trust you placed in me, for the memories we created together, and for allowing me the honor of serving. It has meant more to me than I can say.”
Despite that uncertainty, Davies is already laying the foundations for the club’s long-term direction, with a major emphasis on building a high-performance environment both on and off the field.
“A big part of what I’m doing is making sure we’re high-performance across the board,” he added.
“There’s a huge amount of work in aligning our style of play – our Scarlets DNA – with the processes that support that, the coaching roles, the player profiles, the conditioning programmes and the skill sets.
“It’s about putting the right processes and metrics in place so we can drive things forward, understand where we are and measure progress.”
Davies also confirmed he has yet to hold any discussions about extending his stay, although he is leading a significant structural reset behind the scenes.
“A lot of this is about evolving the environment,” he said.
“There will be robust processes and a clear structure in place for the future, whoever is involved.”
The review has already led to changes in the backroom team, and more could follow, with defence coach Jared Payne leaving at the end of the season.
Davies says further backroom adjustments are likely as the club looks to rebuild.
“In any organisation, if you want to move forward, you have to continually assess, re-evaluate and evolve,” he said.
This particular run of seven games will define City’s season on all four fronts – losing twice against Real means their trophy prospects have been reduced to three.
That could be down to two on Sunday with a huge clash against the Gunners, who are hungry to rid their tags of ‘nearly men’ by ending a trophy drought which stretches back to 2020.
“On Monday [after Carabao Cup final] hopefully we will wake up and it is a sunny day,” said Guardiola. “It is not crucial, it is a football game, we are going to try to win with a good performance.
“We will challenge against the best team in England so far, the best team in Europe because look at their results in the group phase, they were first and have lost three or four games all season. We will challenge them and we have to see how we are competing against them.”
City were held to a surprise 1-1 draw at relegation strugglers West Ham, which has left them nine points off the pace in the Premier League with eight games to go – and a monumental effort is required to overturn that particular deficit.
And the FA Cup is no formality either, with City hosting rivals Liverpool in the quarter-final on Saturday 4 April after the international break, with league games immediately after against Chelsea and Arsenal.
Guardiola said: “After one or two weeks, we play against them in the Premier League and it is a good mirror to see what we have to do to achieve [like] them. I am old enough to see that one football game is not the big happiness or a loss is the end of the world, it’s just a game.
“In the end, the results have not been good except Newcastle but I have the feeling we are an extraordinary team with many, many, many good things that I love.
“We are still not complete, we are not aware in certain moments and departments, we have to be more clinical but my feeling is it is a question of time.”
The events that transpired in Caracas on January 3rd drew global attention to the future of Venezuela’s well-known hydrocarbon industry, while another strategic facet of the country´s economy has remained largely unnoticed: mining.
Historically overshadowed by the sheer scale of Venezuela’s oil-based economy, the country’s mines became an increasingly important source of revenue as sanctions closed the spigot on petrodollars during the Maduro years.
Alongside the vast reserves of hydrocarbons, the country’s privileged geological endowment covers extensive metal and mineral deposits. Concentrated largely in the Guyanese Shield in the southeast of the country, these reserves include some of the region’s largest gold reserves, extensive iron ore deposits, and a range of minerals that have been labelled as critical for the global energy transition by actors like the European Union.
Despite its vast mineral wealth, Venezuela’s mining sector remains poorly governed. Reforming it will be essential to rebuilding a stable republic.
The harsh reality is that the mining sector in Venezuela is currently a cesspool of some of the most atrocious activities conducted by the regime in the last decade, from human trafficking to international guerrillas like the Colombian Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) controlling illegal mining operations that cause considerable environmental damage and serve to finance terrorist acts abroad. The fact remains that if these actors continue to be a force in the sector, the hopes of establishing a strong and robust Venezuelan economy will be slashed before they even get off the ground.
All conversations start with the regime’s establishment of the infamous Orinoco Mining Arc in 2016. This Zona de Desarrollo Estratégico Minero Nacional contains an estimated 7,000 tonnes of gold, alongside millions (literally millions) of tonnes of iron ore and bauxite, as well as dozens of other high value resources. In theory, it is managed by the State and the armed forces. In practice, investigations by Human Rights Watch, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the International Crisis Group, and research projects such as SOS Orinoco consistently describe it as a criminal economy dominated by irregular armed groups, through which the Venezuelan regime captures significant revenue from gold extraction and international sales.
It’s important to mention that three important developments have happened in recent days. The first is that on March 9th 2026, the National Assembly in Venezuela approved the first draft of a new mining reform law. Supported by the Rodríguez-led executive, the bill presents the first significant set of changes to the Venezuelan mining law that has been in full effect since 1999, since the gold reform in 2015. Among the most important aspects of the bill are the extension of concessions from 20 to 30 years, the welcoming of both national and international companies to directly develop projects in Venezuela, and the introduction of an “international arbitration program”.
When the strong control of a mafia-like regime is combined with a lack of true judicial safeguards for foreign investment in the country, most of the reliable foreign investors will be scared away.
This law comes following two key visits from high-ranking Trump administration officials. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum had discussed Venezuela’s potential as a reliable source of strategic minerals. And previously, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said the same about oil. Today came the announcement from Swiss commodity trading giant Trafigura, where they are committing with Minerven to help build a program for the responsible sourcing of Venezuelan gold.
Rebuilding Venezuela’s mining ecosystem will be an uphill battle that will require more than a few high-level visits, a tenuous attempt at legal reform, or a single agreement from a renowned international trader. The shadow mining economy is a key issue in the consolidation of a future Venezuelan republic that aims towards a stable political and economic development. This will in turn place some pressure on Delcy Rodríguez and the regime’s inner circle to address a system that has been successful under their watch. Without a doubt, there’s a big question mark over their willingness to dismantle one of its main cash cows, but this should remain a key issue in discussions over Venezuela’s future.
But just cleansing the system is not nearly enough to revitalize the sector. Because for Venezuela to become a key exporter of gold, iron and critical materials, international standards must be adopted. That is why Venezuela must create a true pathway for foreign investment to become an engine for the sector. One of the main concerns is just how much control the state exerts over the mining system, which can be argued to be even larger than the one seen in the energy industry. Three key State-owned companies “officially” control most of the mining operations in Venezuela: Corporación Venezolana de Minería (CVM), Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG)and Minerven.
The problem is not the fact that State-owned companies operate in the country, but rather that the State that operates them is basically a criminal organization. When the strong control of a mafia-like regime is combined with a lack of true judicial safeguards for foreign investment in the country, most of the reliable foreign investors will be scared away. The ones who can start to create pathways to reintroduce Venezuela into the broader global economy, and transform the country into a crucial source of minerals.
The main reason why foreign direct investment must drive the growth patterns is due to the fact that international operators can bring much needed expertise and technical know-how to develop stable mining projects across the region. It is important to note that for Venezuela to eventually meet high operational, environmental and safety standards, some time must pass. Many of these international companies have vast experience operating in less than ideal scenarios in countries like Angola or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and they have managed to meet the minimum benchmarks to sell on Western markets. Thinking that in only a couple of years Venezuela will meet the same standards as minerals sourced from Europe, Canada or Australia is plain wishful thinking. For the industry to take off, production should start, as soon as viable, and as soon as a realistic negotiation and hopefully a government change can happen.
In this vein, the main Western drivers of foreign investment into mining globally, Canada and Australia, have adopted strict technical instruments like the NI 43-101 and JORC following mining scandals like BRE-X in the late 1990s. These frameworks are meant to prove the reliability standards to even invest in mining companies both locally and abroad. These regulations, which are widely accepted interchangeably worldwide, have created considerable scrutiny for the international mining sector, and the ones who can reliably bring these instruments into Venezuela are Western actors who have included them into their internal practices. If international actors bring these in, they can become a major first step in establishing the global standards required for projects in Venezuela. An important facet of this scenario is how retribution for past seizures of assets from companies like Crystallex International and Rusoro Mining will factor into the negotiations into the future of the Venezuelan mining industry.
The Venezuelan armed forces must commit to cooperating with international companies, switch their allegiances, and start a pushback against the criminal structures across the territory.
Thinking that high international standards will be adopted quickly might be too idealistic, but future negotiations in the country should include three key elements. First, territorial control must eventually be regained. Waiting to purge the Arco Minero before starting full production would be unrealistic, as it will require a comprehensive, and time-consuming security strategy. In this case, and considering that international investors will most likely bring in their own private security, there should be a commitment from the high command of the Venezuelan armed forces to cooperate with these companies, switch their allegiances, and start a pushback against the criminal structures across the territory.
Furthermore, international observers should be welcomed into the country with open arms to provide both expertise and external oversight with a true “punitive” capacity to ensure the transparency of the process. While this is happening, the third standard will come naturally, which is the systematic integration of international compliance levels.
These two steps can eventually lead future governments in the country to invest in the creation of internal independent agencies that oversee the entire process, which will hopefully be embedded into the broader State apparatus that will be revamped in the coming years.
The reality is that the current situation in Venezuela presents an interesting path towards the reactivation of the mining industry. The sector will be crucial, and the road to restart will be long. As more than a compromise between an unreliable government partner in Delcy Rodríguez and her cadre of officials, and the global hegemon, the industry is in desperate need of foreign investment and a firm commitment from international operators to start implementing the world-class standards. Because eventually, these players will be the ones to push for the creation of viable frameworks during the rebuilding of the Venezuelan Republic.
The pet did a neat trick: Before a room filled with heads of state from across Latin America, Little Marco spoke Spanish.
His owner — well, his soul’s owner at least— grinned and joked, “I think he’s better in Spanish” than in English. Following President Trump, it was Pentagon Pete’s turn to tease Little Marco.
“I only speak American,” Secretary of Defense Hegseth cracked. The auditorium stayed quiet save for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who meekly protested, “I only speak Cuban.”
Trump gave him a pat on the back. Good boy, Marco.
The exchange, which happened over a weekend dominated by the war with Iran, was brief yet said so much about the times Latinos live in. Rubio, the most powerful Latino politician in U.S. history, might as well have been to Trump and Hegseth the Chihuahua that says “Yo quiero Taco Bell.” The man who has played an oversized role in pushing a president who campaigned against costly foreign wars and chaotic regime changes to do both was brought back down to an undignified size.
Little Marco indeed.
Here’s a reminder that no matter how high and mighty you get in Trump’s White House, a Latino is still an exotic “other.”
Tokenizing someone is always an ugly thing — yet Rubio deserves no tears. He has made a career out of wearing his latinidad like a shiny guayabera when convenient, long casting himself as the boy-faced exception to the corrupt, ineffectual Latino politician archetype. That stance has fueled a 27-year career — Florida speaker of the House, U.S. senator, former presidential candidate, secretary of State and national security advisor. That has made many conservatives and more than a few Latinos feel he’s not just capable of a strong White House run but that he could even win were he to do so.
All it cost Rubio was his morals and backbone. All he had to do was roll over.
We Latinos deserve better — and yet we kind of don’t.
The story liberals and conservatives have always told about America’s largest minority is that we would irrevocably change the United States — the former group maintained it would be for the better, the latter insisted we would cause this country’s downfall. Rubio proves that at our worst, Latinos show that in our rush to assimilate and be embraced, we often become the worst kind of Americans.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks as President Trump during a NATO summit in June in the Hague.
(Brendan Smialowski / Pool Photo)
We’re the ones whom the American psyche sees as perpetual invaders, yet we sign up by the thousands for the Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies in Trump’s deportation Leviathan. Even as Trump slimed Latinos during his first term and his years out of office, an increasing number of us warmed up to him — surely, he was referring to other Latinos — until Trump captured more of our votes in 2024 than any Republican presidential candidate ever.
It takes a certain type of person to go from child of Cuban immigrants — the favorite son of an exile community that transformed Miami from a retiree haven into one of the capitals of Latin America — to tell European leaders last month that they and the United States “opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people.”
It takes the worst kind of Latino.
I called Rubio a vendido in a previous columna after he cheered on the extrajudicial capture of Venezuelan despot Nicolás Maduro. He’s definitely still a sellout — what else to call someone who once fiercely opposed Trump but now sidles up to him like a cockapoo? But the most pathetic part about Rubio’s rise is that his followers see him as the culmination of the long-held dreams of Latinos that things would become better for our ancestral Latin American countries and ourselves once one of us was charge.
Alas, no. He’s living up to a realpolitik maxim attributed to various Latin American caudillos: For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law.
Strongmen like El Salvador and Argentina presidents Nayib Bukele and Javier Milei get coddled and receive foreign aid; college students on study visas who criticize the Trump administration get nabbed by la migra. Rubio is overseeing a foreign policy that currently has the U.S. dictating how Venezuela will be governed, is bombing Iran like the country was a game of Pachinko and is slowly choking Cuba into collapse. He’s the unholy child of Bush-era neoconservativism and MAGA — and Rubio is just getting started.
That’s how he set himself up to be used as Latino punch line by Trump and Hegseth. The setting: the inaugural meeting at a Trump golf course near Miami of the Shield of the Americas, a coalition of Western Hemisphere countries ostensibly assembled to fight drug cartels. It resembled one of those lesser super-groups in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — you got Costa Rica instead of Mexico, Bolivia instead of Brazil. The group even has a crappy logo. You know how unserious the confab was when Trump’s point person for this is Kristi Noem, whom he literally had just fired as Homeland Security secretary.
After Trump rambled through a short speech, it was Rubio’s time to offer remarks. Here was a chance for the secretary of State, the man the Atlantic recently called “bright and well spoken,” to channel his inner Simón Bolivar or José Martí. The secretary of State thanked everyone present in English, but not before praising Trump for his “bold leadership” and bragging that the president is “one of the most historic figures in American history.”
Then Rubio looked back at his beaming master.
President Trump signs a proclamation committing to countering cartel criminal activity at the Shield of the Americas Summit on Saturday at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
“You all right if I — “ he began before Trump cut him off with a magnanimous, “Sure. Please.”
That’s when Little Marco spoke in flawless Spanish. Rubio’s comments weren’t much different from what he said in English, save his remark that what they all planned to do by following Trump “will make future generations grateful for the work we are doing today.”
That last statement sums up Rubio. For centuries, Latin America has yearned for prosperity and peace free from American interference. This hope has fueled revolutions, music, film, culture and all the best things the region has produced only to have U.S.-backed tyrants crush those movements.
That’s the torch Rubio now proudly carries.
“All my life I’ve been in a hurry to get to my future,” he wrote in his 2013 memoir, “American Son.” Rubio’s future is now. And our present — not just Latinos, but all Americans — is worse because of it.
Safia Middleton-Patel, Mia Ross, Mared Griffiths and Carrie Jones – who is still only 22 – were the four players drafted into the side in Llanelli this weekend, with Olivia Clark, Gemma Evans, Angharad James and Ffion Morgan making way.
While goalkeeper Middleton-Patel and Ross – who was deployed as one of three centre-backs – were part of a defensive unit who did not have that much work to do, Jones impressed in a central midfield role.
But it was Griffiths, the Manchester United youngster who is currently on loan at Sunderland, who took most of the plaudits.
“She’s got it all,” Wilkinson said after Montenegro were hammered 6-1 in Llanelli.
“And she’s far from the finished product, which is very exciting for all Welsh people I’d imagine.”
Griffiths, sporting the number 10 shirt which was worn so often by Fishlock, scored Wales’ third goal, which was handed to her on a plate following an error by Montenegro keeper Ajsa Kala.
But there was nothing gift-wrapped about Griffiths’ second of the afternoon, which was Wales’ only goal during a second half in which Montenegro sat deep and defended with much more conviction than they had in the first period.
Fed by Jones, Griffiths had the composure to round the onrushing Kala before stroking the ball home with her left foot.
The blanket ban imposed on Russian and Belarusian athletes in 2022 was reduced to a partial ban in 2023, allowing athletes from the two nations to compete as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
In September 2025, the IPC lifted that ban entirely but the four individual governing bodies in charge of the six sports contested at the Winter Paralympics decided to keep their bans in place.
In December, Russia and Belarus won an appeal against FIS – the governing body for skiing and snowboarding – at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), permitting their athletes in those sports to compete and accumulate ranking points.
As a result, 10 athletes were then awarded bipartite commission invitations to compete at the Winter Paralympics.
Bipartite commission invites are granted to individual athletes, rather than their international federation, and allow the participation of top athletes “who may not have had the opportunity to qualify through other methods due to extraordinary circumstances”, among other factors.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky called the decision “awful” while the country’s sports minister Matvii Bidnyi said it was “both disappointing and outrageous”.
“The general assembly lifted the suspension in September so we need to respect the democracy of our movement. The majority voted that way, so we need to implement their decision,” said Parsons.
“But I fully understand the disappointment, I understand the different opinions, and especially [those] coming from Ukraine.”
Asked what he would say to Ukrainian athletes, he said: “My message to them is that the best way to show the strength of Ukraine is on the field of play, by winning medals and by making sure their national anthem is played as many times as possible on Italian soil.”
In addition to Ukraine, teams from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are boycotting Friday’s opening ceremony in Verona in protest against the decision.
The Great Britain team will also not go to the Verona ceremony, but for logistical reasons – a decision that was made some time ago.
Many of the 25-strong British squad – including flagbearers Menna Fitzpatrick and Scott Meenagh – are in competitive action on Saturday morning, several hours’ drive from Verona.
Athletes from Belarus are expected to be in attendance at the opening ceremony, but at the time of BBC Sport’s interview with Parsons, no Russians were due to attend.
“Different countries, National Paralympic Committees, governments, athletes, they have been able to express their views freely, and that’s what we stand for as a democratic organisation,” said Parsons.
“We would like the focus to be more on sport rather than politics and this is what we are trying to do.”
Nguyen The Anh, Director of Private & Priority Banking at Techcombank, spoke with Global Finance about the rapid maturation of Vietnam’s wealth management market and the growing importance of preparing next-generation clients and families for long-term succession planning.
Techcombank was named Best Private Bank in Vietnam 2026 by Global Finance, with the award presented at a ceremony held at Claridge’s in London, bringing together leaders from across the global private banking industry.
The recognition reflects Techcombank’s expanding wealth platform and its commitment to supporting Vietnamese entrepreneurs and families as they navigate intergenerational wealth creation, preservation, and transition.
1 of 2 | Religious leaders, civic activists, overseas Koreans, South Korean youth and North Korean defectors gather in Seoul on March 1, 2026. and hold signs reading “Two Korea No! One Korea Yes!” during the Citizens’ Solidarity for ONE KOREA rally in Seoul. Photo courtesy of Citizens’ Solidarity for ONE KOREA
March 1 (UPI) — Thousands of South Koreans gathered in central Seoul on Sunday to call for peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula and oppose what they described as a two-state framework between the two Koreas.
The rally, organized by Citizens’ Solidarity for ONE KOREA, was held at Gwanghwamun Square near the Dongwha Duty Free shop to mark the 107th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement.
Organizers estimated attendance at more than 4,000. Police did not immediately provide an independent estimate.
Organizers said pre-event cultural performances began at 1 p.m., including traditional percussion and a performance by a North Korean defector-turned-singer. The main program opened at 2 p.m., with speakers emphasizing the legacy of the 1919 independence movement and calling for renewed efforts toward unification.
Participants included civic activists, religious leaders, North Korean defectors, separated family members, overseas Koreans and young people. Many held signs reading “Two Koreas: No, One Korea: Yes.”
North Korea in recent months has characterized inter-Korean relations as those between “two hostile states,” effectively redefining its official stance on unification. In South Korea, the unification minister has said the ministry is proceeding with steps to formalize what he described as a “peaceful two-state” approach as a ministry position.
Kim Hyung-seok, a 105-year-old emeritus professor at Yonsei University, delivered a special message urging citizens to take the lead in pursuing national unity. He said unification should be achieved by the Korean people rather than driven solely by political leaders.
Religious figures from different faiths also addressed the crowd. Buddhist monks Hyein and Eung cheon spoke at the rally, alongside Protestant pastors Kim Jin-hong and Jang Hak-il, who criticized what they described as efforts to institutionalize division on the peninsula. Participants later sang “Our Wish Is Unification,” a song long associated with reunification hopes.
North Korean defector Kang Chol-hwan, head of the North Korea Strategy Center, spoke about human rights conditions in the North and stressed the importance of expanding outside information access to North Korean residents.
Jang Man-soon, head of a civic group representing families separated by the Korean War, announced plans to raise funds for broadcasting initiatives aimed at North Korea and to promote the establishment of a platform tentatively named “Korea Link.”
During a joint declaration, youth representatives from the South and from the defector community pledged to uphold the spirit of the March 1 movement and work toward unification based on freedom, human rights and shared prosperity.
After the rally, participants marched around the Gwanghwamun area, concluding the event at about 5 p.m.
Organizers said they plan to continue nationwide activities promoting what they described as a citizen-led movement for peaceful unification.
The 2026 Annual Sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), known as the “Lianghui,” are a pivotal event. They will witness the official launch and final adoption of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). This plan serves as a roadmap not only for China but also for countries of the Global South, focusing on the shift from quantitative growth to “new qualitative productive forces” based on innovation and technology. It is worth noting that formulating medium- and long-term plans to guide China’s economic and social development is a crucial method of governance employed by the Communist Party of China.
The “Two Sessions” meetings (National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) in China in 2026 represent a strategic focal point for the Global South, outlining the 15th Five-Year Plan, supporting high-quality development through new productive forces, and strengthening trade partnerships, particularly in the areas of energy, transportation, and the digital economy. Its importance to the Global South lies in China’s leadership of economic integration. China aims to promote openness and cooperation, providing an opportunity for the Global South to benefit from the growth of the world’s second-largest economy. Here, (The Global South’s benefit from China’s innovative development models): During the Two Sessions in March 2026, China will present a model of governance and technological innovation that developing countries and countries of the Global South can utilize to achieve sustainable development and digital transformation. Additionally, China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the Two Sessions in March 2026 will strengthen the foundations for trade between China and the Global South in particular: These meetings will pave the way for China to enhance trade with countries of the Global South in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, supporting infrastructure and economic growth in the Global South under China’s leadership. Most importantly, the Two Sessions in March 2026 and China’s 15th Five-Year Plan will support the Asia-Pacific region and the Belt and Road Initiative. China’s Vision 2026 focuses on “building a community with a shared future,” promoting investment projects and economic exchanges with developing countries. Therefore, the upcoming two-day meeting in China in March 2026 is crucial in guiding the Chinese economy towards domestic consumption and innovation, opening new markets and opportunities for developing countries in the Global South.
This tenth five-year plan represents China’s economic and social roadmap for the second half of the current decade, emphasizing “high-quality development” and technological innovation that will benefit developing countries in the Global South. Thus, during the 2026 meetings, China will work to “promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality.” This “Chinese-style modernization” will contribute to creating more development opportunities for countries around the world, especially those in the Global South, in accordance with President Xi Jinping’s principles of a shared future for mankind, win-win cooperation, and mutual benefit for all, particularly developing countries. The developing world. It aims to achieve the goal of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping of doubling the size of China’s national economy by 2030. To this end, the State Council of China held a plenary meeting on February 6, 2026, to review the draft government work report and the draft 15th Five-Year Plan before submitting them to parliament during the joint sessions of the two councils in March 2026. The annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) to discuss the draft 15th Five-Year Plan is scheduled to begin on March 5, 2026, while the session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will commence on March 4, 2026.
The meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in March 2026 are of exceptional importance, as they mark the official launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). These meetings, known as the “Two Sessions,” will chart China’s economic and political course for the second half of the current decade, with a focus on transitioning to “new productive forces.” The strategic significance of the Two Sessions in China in 2026 stems from adopting the Decade Roadmap: The 15th Five-Year Plan serves as a crucial link in achieving China’s goal of socialist modernization by 2035. Furthermore, the meetings will address how China will respond to global challenges: These meetings come at a time when China is facing a slowdown in global growth, geopolitical tensions, and internal structural pressures. With a discussion of the (mechanisms and plans for transforming China’s economic model): The upcoming meetings of the Two Sessions in March 2026 aim to shift the Chinese economy from reliance on traditional manufacturing to an innovation- and technology-driven economy. Emphasis will also be placed on further modernizing the state’s governance system and capacity, raising the level of social civilization, enhancing cultural confidence, continuously improving the quality of life for the Chinese people, achieving new progress in providing sufficient and high-quality employment, making significant new strides in building a “beautiful China,” establishing a green lifestyle and production model, strengthening national security, and effectively promoting the construction of a “safe China” at a higher level.
The Chinese political leadership is currently laying the groundwork for the Two Sessions in March 2026, which will determine the contours of the country’s social and economic development over the next five years. Chinese President Xi Jinping held meetings with senior officials to discuss the key priorities of the new Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), while Chinese state media launched a nationwide campaign to gather public feedback. During a symposium held in April 2025 to discuss the 15th Five-Year Plan, President Xi Jinping, in his capacity as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, emphasized that “in planning economic and social development for this period, it is essential to proactively assess the impact of changes in the international landscape on China and adapt to them by adjusting and improving the country’s economic structure.” President Xi highlighted several key areas, including ensuring economic stability by stabilizing employment, supporting businesses, and continuing China’s broad-based economic opening-up. During his speech at the April 2025 symposium to discuss China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, Xi Jinping strongly emphasized scientific and technological development. He specifically called for new, high-quality productive forces to play a more prominent role in the country’s economic revitalization. He also called for strengthening the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, developing emerging industries, and accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system.
In a speech published in the Communist Party’s magazine “Qiushi” in July 2025, President Xi Jinping stated that “the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, making the technological revolution and competition among major powers increasingly intertwined.” He urged the Chinese nation to consolidate its strategic advantage in the global technology race.
Herein lies the most important strategic dimension of the 15th Five-Year Plan and its impact on the Global South, through leading the technological transformation. The plan aims to achieve “self-reliance” in advanced technology fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors. For countries in the Global South, this represents an opportunity to break the Western monopoly on technology and gain access to advanced Chinese technological alternatives. Furthermore, China offers a “high-quality development model” during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, transitioning from labor-intensive industries to smart and green manufacturing. This approach provides the Global South with an inspiring model for integrating environmental sustainability with economic growth, particularly in the areas of solar energy and electric vehicles. Finally, the plan promotes “dual-cycle development” by focusing on reducing dependence on foreign markets and boosting domestic consumption. This transformation could lead to a reshaping of global supply chains, opening new horizons for countries in the Global South to export their products to the massive Chinese market, which is expected to reach $20 trillion by 2026. Furthermore, the timing of the launch and discussion of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan presents an opportunity to enhance regional and multilateral cooperation, coinciding with China’s hosting of the APEC summit.
In 2026, the 15th Five-Year Plan will focus on (strengthening economic integration with Asia-Pacific and Global South countries), emphasizing the digital economy, transportation, and energy. Beyond its strategic security and resource implications for the Global South, the 15th Five-Year Plan includes new strategies for marine resource exploitation and deep-sea innovation, a vital area for many coastal developing countries seeking to develop their “blue economy,” drawing on China’s experience in this field.
The 15th Five-Year Plan, covering the period from 2026 to 2030, is expected to focus on enhancing economic resilience and strengthening China’s technological and innovative capabilities. It will be adopted during a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Chinese Five-Year Plans are the country’s most important policy blueprints, outlining strategic goals for economic and social development over a five-year period. These plans began with the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. They define national priorities, particularly in the areas of economic growth, industrial development, education, and social development, and serve as binding guidelines for all local, regional, and national governments. China, a leading force and supporter of the Global South, draws upon its experience.
As for the main topics of discussion during the 15th Five-Year Plan, which will take place during the 2026 Two Sessions in China, legislative and political deliberations will focus on several key pillars, most importantly: how China can achieve technological independence and self-reliance. This will be accomplished by discussing mechanisms and plans for achieving “Chinese self-reliance” in critical technologies, such as advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. This will be achieved by studying and discussing ways to strengthen scientific and technological capabilities to achieve self-sufficiency in vital industries through advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence, transforming the manufacturing sector towards smart technologies to enhance innovation. Emphasis will be placed on China’s firm commitment to the “Made in China policy,” aiming to propel China to the forefront of a range of high-tech industries, including aerospace, electric vehicles, robotics, and communications. The discussions will also explore ways to achieve common prosperity and well-being for the Chinese people by improving living standards and ensuring a more equitable distribution of the fruits of modernization.
The 2026 meetings of the Joint Conference will also focus on structural reforms, implementing over 300 reform measures to enhance the efficiency of the Chinese national economy within a complex international environment. This year’s meetings in China will also address the “green transition,” continuing to support clean technologies such as solar power and electric vehicles, and promoting renewable energy (solar and wind) to achieve peak carbon emissions by 2030. Furthermore, they will discuss boosting domestic demand by exploring ways to encourage household consumption as a primary driver of growth, rather than relying excessively on foreign investment. The meetings will also address strengthening national security, exploring ways to bolster industrial supply chains, and ensuring water and food security for Chinese society, including the modernization of 700,000 kilometers of pipeline infrastructure. Finally, they will discuss achieving maritime development by utilizing marine resources and innovating in deep-sea technology as part of balanced regional growth.
From the preceding analysis, we understand that the two sessions of the Global Summit in China in March 2026 represent a strategic pivotal point for reshaping globalization and the developments of the Global South under China’s leadership. This will lead to a more inclusive and multipolar world, moving away from traditional economic dependence, thus strengthening China’s position as a leader and key driver of development in the Global South in the coming decade.
One year ago, Rebecca Kutler was promoted to president of the cable news network then known as MSNBC.
Taking the helm at a major news organization is the pinnacle of a journalist’s career. But a lot changed after Kutler landed the job.
In August, MSNBC announced it was dropping its name of nearly 30 years to become MS NOW — as its now-former owner NBCUniversal wanted a clean break from the channel, which was spun off to be part of a new media company called Versant.
The spin-off, which NBCU parent Comcast initiated because its cable networks are considered slow-dying properties that weighed down its stock price, was hardly a vote of confidence in the business. Losing the moniker that had decades of brand equity among its politically progressive viewers was not going to help.
At a recent lunch near her Washington office, Kutler, acknowledged the circumstances were less than ideal. But with more than 20 years in the TV news business where she began as a production assistant at CNN, she understood the audience’s connection to her channel begins with the people on-screen, and not the logo.
“I was pretty confident the audience wouldn’t really blink because when they turn on the their television, they see Rachel Maddow, they see Jen Psaki, they see Joe Scarborough,” Kutler, 46, said. “The fact that two letters change does not change any of those audience habits.”
Still there was work to be done. Kutler no longer had the resources of NBC News at her disposal. Instead of paying $60 million annually for its newsgathering services, she chose to have MS NOW build its own newsrooms in Washington and New York. The operation was tested Tuesday as President Trump’s State of the Union address was the first major event MS NOW covered as a freestanding entity.
Kutler has some big professional challenges, but none as daunting as the one that emerged in October when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kutler found herself watching the newly rechristened MS NOW on a TV in a hospital room as she received chemotherapy treatments every few weeks.
“If anything it just made me appreciate and love what I do even more,” Kutler said.
As she works through her recovery, Kutler’s spirits have been buoyed by data that prove her point about MS NOW’s audience loyalty. From Nov. 15 — the date of the rebrand — through Feb. 14, MS NOW’s average daily audience has grown to 613,000, up 25% compared to the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen. Weeknight prime time is up 27% to 1.2 million viewers, still a distant second to conservative-leaning Fox News but well ahead of CNN.
There was an audience exodus from MSNBC in the months following President Trump’s election in 2024 as viewers unhappy with the results typically tune out after a presidential campaign. But anxiety over the activities of the second-term Trump White House sent them back into the familiar tent to hear Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Ari Melber and others weigh in.
Lawrence O’Donnell and Rachel Maddow at an MSNBC fan festival in New York City in October 2025.
(MSNBC)
When the name change to MS NOW was announced in October, the network’s internal research showed 31% of viewers found the idea somewhat unappealing or very unappealing, a warning light for what might be ahead. Two months later, that figure dropped to 17%, while the percentage of viewers who found it very appealing or somewhat appealing jumped from 30% to 44%.
A $20-million promotional campaign that focused on the network’s personalities helped. “We made sure the audience knew that it was just a name change, not a strategy change,” Versant Chief Executive Mark Lazarus said.
Programming moves Kutler implemented ahead of the switch helped. Longtime evening host Joy Reid was replaced with an ensemble program “The Weeknight,” with Symone Sanders-Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez, and the audience level rose by 30% in February compared to a year ago.
Kutler moved Psaki, the former press secretary to President Biden, to the 9 p.m. Eastern slot Tuesday through Friday, where viewership is up 41%.
At CNN, Kutler had a strong reputation as a producer and in talent development. She was being groomed for a top job at the network before jumping to MSNBC as an executive vice president in 2022. Agents have been impressed with her swift decision-making.
“They have exceeded expectations in an especially challenged environment,” said Bradley Singer, a partner at William Morris Endeavor whose clients include Sanders-Townsend and “The Weekend” co-host Eugene Daniels. “And I would argue that Rebecca is the right leader for this moment because she’s willing to move quickly to try new things. And the business doesn’t really have time to spare.”
Jen Psaki is the host of MS NOW’s “The Briefing.”
(MS NOW)
Psaki credits Kutler for guiding her transition into TV news. “I wasn’t hired because I spent 20 years as a local news anchor, right?” Psaki said in a recent telephone interview. “I could learn those skills, but Rebecca helped me really start the task of figuring out how to ask the questions that needed to be asked, while also sharing my unique perspective as somebody who’s worked in government and politics.”
MS NOW did have to fill a major hole when political data guru Steve Kornacki chose to stick with NBC after the spin-off. Kutler tapped Ali Velshi, the network’s versatile chief correspondent, to take over the number-crunching during election nights and other big events.
While Kutler can point to ratings increases, she is aware of the long-term doomsday scenario that faces the cable TV industry as more viewers turn to streaming. The people who still have cable like MS NOW a lot — the network has three times as many viewers today as it did 20 years ago when there were far more pay-TV subscribers. But Versant needs to become less dependent on traditional TV as subscriber numbers are sliding every year.
Wall Street will get its first look at Versant’s financial performance when the new company delivers an earnings report next week, expecting to show $6.6 billion in revenue last year. While there have been declines in revenues because of cord-cutting, the company, which includes USA Network, SYFY, CNBC, Golf Channel, E! and Oxygen, says it still delivers double-digit profit margins.
MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler at Vesant’s investor day in New York on Dec. 4.
(MS NOW)
By early fall, MS NOW will launch a direct-to-consumer subscription product aimed at people who don’t have a pay-TV package. CNN launched such a service last year, while Fox News, the perennial ratings leader in cable, is available as part of Fox One, which also offers Fox Corporation’s broadcast network and sports channels.
Kutler said MS NOW‘s direct-to-consumer service will be part of a broader digital offering that can serve as a community for progressives. She describes subscriptions as “memberships.”
“We’re trying to build a product that meets the needs of people who love news, care about democracy and want to come together in a shared space,” she said.
MS NOW already has a strong presence on YouTube. In January, the network had 339 million views of its content, second only to Fox News (466 million) among cable and broadcast TV news outlets.
Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough on the set of MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.”
(MS NOW)
MS NOW also stepped up its podcast business, scoring 140 million downloads last year. The long-form interview program “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” has been a top download onApple Podcasts, and a new entry, “Clock It” with Sanders-Townsend and Daniels, launched this month.
Kutler also is looking at outside podcast companies to supply programming. Last week, MS NOW announced a deal with Crooked Media to produce a weekly compilation of its podcasts, including “Pod Save America,” which will air Saturdays at 9 p.m. Eastern.
“If there’s content our audience is interested in, we should find a way to bring it to them,” she said.
Overall, the moves at MS NOW show a willingness to invest in growing the business, a situation that did not exist under NBCU, which has been focused on building its Peacock streaming platform. “Liberating us from that was part of the strategy of the entire spin because we now need to do all of those things in order to create a growth company,” Lazarus said.
Kutler even had the green light to enter talks with Anderson Cooper — one of the highest-paid on-air talents in TV news — about joining MS NOW before he decided to re-sign with CNN.
Kutler had her final chemo session last Friday, and doctors say her health prognosis is good. She draws inspiration from her mother, a Philadelphia-area lawyer who raised Kutler as a single parent and successfully battled the disease in her 60s.
“My hardest day would have been my mom’s easiest day,” said Kutler, who is married with three teenaged children. “I was born watching somebody power through stuff. The idea of doing a job that’s busy and demanding and loving your kids and making them a priority is the only thing I ever knew.”
It wasn’t easy to go into Lazarus’ office to break the news about her condition after just six months on the job and a massive task ahead. But Kutler said he didn’t flinch, and the new company has been “1,000%” supportive.
“She’s a tremendous leader and an example of resilience and strength,” Lazarus said.
Brook has always been one of Bazball’s most devoted believers.
McCullum is the only Test coach Brook has had, the only permanent coach he has worked under as white-ball captain. He often speaks straight from the McCullum philosophical handbook.
It was no surprise, therefore, that he credited his coach with the plan to promote Brook from number five to bat at three for the first time in his international career.
It was McCullum who put the idea to his captain early on Tuesday morning, less than 12 hours before the start of the game.
Some England players, like Jacob Bethell, who was nudged down to number four by Brook’s promotion, were told earlier in the day, but the rest were not fully made aware of the plan until McCullum spoke in the pre-match huddle.
“Baz was the mastermind there,” Brook said.
“He had the discussion with me this morning about going up the order and trying to maximise the powerplay.”
McCullum’s move means England now have a free hit in their final Super 8 match against New Zealand on Friday. After that they will travel to India for a semi-final.
Somehow, after stuttering and struggling to this point, they are the closest side to winning the title. Australia have gone already and defending champions India could follow before the week is out.
If the co-hosts remain, one of South Africa or West Indies will surely be knocked out.
Brook is two wins from becoming the fourth England men’s captain – after Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler – to lift a World Cup.
He is leading his way, which will bring moments that will leave you scratching your head. Now is the time for Brook to be backed, however.
He is not only a captain, one sharp tactically on the field and supremely talented with the bat, but a leader.
The much-loved forensic scientist, who joined the BBC drama back in the sixteenth series when he replaced Harry Cunningham, has struggled throughout season 29.
The new series has seens Jack, Emila Fox’s Dr. Nikki Alexander and the team relocate to Birmingham from London, where a new enviroment and fresh set of cases has seen Jack “more affected by the trials and tribulations of his work,” as he struggles to find balance.
In the latest episode, called Grace of God, Jack gets himself into a drunken bar brawl as pressure mounts, but things turn from bad to worse when the man he was fighting, Scott Ashton played by Chris Coghill, later winds up dead on Nikki’s examination table.
Consumed with guilt, Jack turns himself in and ends up in prison, with Nikki on the outside trying to keep her husband safe. With his career as a forensic scientist hanging in the balance, many have wondered whether the latest instalment is setting David Caves up for a Silent Witness exit. Warning: The below contains spoilers for Grace of God Part Two.
However, viewers will be pleased to know it looks like Jack is remaining where he is for now, after the second part of Grace of God clears him of the Scott’s murder.
The episode, which is already available on BBC iPlayer, reveals that Jack’s brawl was part of a wider investigation and he was simply a pawn, with Nikki confirming Scott died of injuries sustained after his fight with Jack.
In the instalment, which will air on BBC One on Tuesday, February 23, Jack and Nikki have a teary heart to heart as Jack tells his wife: “The reason I didn’t tell you about the fight is because you trust me and I let you down.”
Responding, Nikki tells him: “And you might do it again. And I might do it to you,” pointing to her wedding band she adds: “That’s what this is. We make mistakes but we come back to each other. We always come back.”
“I’m sorry,” he tells her before they share an emotional embrace and head back home. The episode ends with Jack opposite his therapist as he explains: “We deal with violence almost every day. I experienced the results of violent acts first-hand. And I fool myself that I can separate them from my own life. I grew up being told that strong was the thing. Strength would get you through, no matter how bad.”
“And now?” the therapist asks. “It’s okay to ask for help from time to time, right?” Jack says smiling.
His final reflection seems like a good omen that Jack is returning to work and remaining on the show, as he shares: “Someone once said life is understood backwards but lived forwards. I want to be there… for all of it. I’m ready.”
It’s also worth noting that Jack is scheduled to appear in the final two episodes of Silent Witness season 29 which aire next week on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Silent Witness is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
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MAYA Jama has signed up for another series of Love Island — putting an end to speculation.
The host, 31, last night wrapped on the All Stars’ spin-off and will officially be back this summer.
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Maya Jama has signed up for another series of Love Island — putting an end to speculationCredit: ITVMaya has been hosting Love Island UK since January 2023, beginning with the show’s ninth seriesCredit: Instagram
A source said: “Love Island wouldn’t be the same without Maya so bosses are thrilled to confirm she’ll be in Majorca this summer.
“She remains one of the most-loved things about the show.”
Maya has been hosting Love Island UK since January 2023, beginning with the show’s ninth series.
Penned over a screenshotted DM of a fan saying, “Have I missed a chapter?? You’ve moved from London?” in response to one of her past Instagram stories, Maya explained how she’s bought multiple houses.
“To answer my dms right now lol I also bought a house in the Cotswolds last year so I’ll be there sometimes, maybe I need to do a lil catch up life update vid or something soon.”
Maya followed up the post with a quick video where she’s utterly beaming about the news.
Switching out her usual glam for a maroon hoodie with a yellow graphic, she addressed the camera candidly saying: “Writing it like that just makes you sound like a braggy f**k but I’m very proud of myself.
“Council house Queen to multiple property owner.
“Honey, thank you!!!”
Maya was born and raised in Brisol and has Somali descent as well as Swedish.
She moved to London at the age of 16 to pursue a career as an actress, even auditioning for Skins.
Milan-Cortina Olympics hero Jack Hughes is likely looking at a dental implant to replace teeth knocked from his mouth in the third period of the men’s hockey final between the United States and Canada on Sunday.
Once the euphoria of scoring the winning goal in overtime subsides and celebrations cease, Hughes will undergo a surgical procedure that most dentists agree is far superior to alternatives such as dental bridges or partial dentures.
Titanium posts will be inserted into his jawbone, serving as new roots for the teeth. Once the posts are secure and his mouth has healed, custom crowns matched to his natural teeth in shape, color, and size will be placed on top of each post.
Hughes, who is in year four of an eight-year, $64 million contract with the New Jersey Devils of the NHL, has no worries about affording the best care possible. Sure, health care is free in Italy and he could have remained there for the procedure, but he told reporters he wants it done on home turf.
The United States’ Jack Hughes reacts after receiving his gold medal after Team USA defeated Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game.
(Luca Bruno / AP)
“I’m lucky I’m from the best country in the world, and we’ve got great dentists there, too,” Hughes said while caressing the gold medal hanging from his neck. “I’m lucky I’m American, and they’re gonna fix me right up.”
When Canadian forward Sam Bennett’s high stick slammed into his mouth in the third period, Hughes looked down and rolled his eyes.
“I looked on the ice and saw my teeth,” said Hughes, who had a tooth knocked out in an NHL game a few years ago. “I was like, ‘Here we go again.’ The last time that happened, it wasn’t very fun.”
Losing teeth is an occupational hazard for hockey players. They know implants can be as good as the real thing. Hughes played on even while resembling a Jack-o-lantern.
“Who cares at this point, to be honest?” U.S. teammate Matt Boldy said. “I think more people are looking at his medal than his teeth. I’m sure he’ll be OK.”
Attention certainly focused on Hughes’ heroics in overtime. He re-entered the game a minute into the 3-on-3 overtime and quickly found himself the only U.S. player between Canadian superstar Connor McDavid and the goal.
Oh, and McDavid had the puck on his stick.
Hughes retreated slightly, bracing for another painful collision by using his body as a barrier. McDavid couldn’t get off a clean shot and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck — whose game-long heroics will forever be remembered — slapped the puck away.
Less than a minute later, Hughes fielded a cross-ice pass from Zach Werenski and fired it past Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington. Game over.
“I got it to the right guy,” Werenski said. “He’s been hot all tournament.”
That hasn’t been true for long. Hughes underperformed in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off — which Canada won — before shoulder surgery ended his NHL season. This season, he missed five weeks with the Devils after slicing his right thumb open on broken glass at a team dinner.
His older brother and teammate Quinn Hughes, who led the U.S. team with eight points during the Olympics, knows the emotional roller-coaster that Jack has endured. The thrill ride couldn’t have ended any better.
“[Jack] is an animal,” Quinn said. “He’s gone through a lot with his shoulders. He takes a lot of [crap]. No one loves the game more than him. He’s got so much passion. He’s a gamer. He made it happen.”
Their parents, Jim and Ellen, were in attendance. Ellen Weinberg-Hughes is a Player Development Consultant for the U.S. women’s hockey team, which also won gold. No doubt mom will be scheduling that dentist appointment for Jack sooner than later.
The Winter Olympics ended as the twin flames in host cities Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished during a closing ceremony at the ancient Verona Arena, roughly mid-distance between the far-flung mountain, valley and city venues that made these the most spread-out Winter Games ever.
In declaring the 2026 Games over on Sunday, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry told local organisers that they “delivered a new kind of Winter Games and you set a new, very high standard for the future”.
The next Winter Games will be held in neighbouring France, which received the Olympic flag in the official handover earlier in the ceremony. Following the same spread-out model, the 2030 Winter Games will stage events in the Alps and Nice, on the Mediterranean Sea, while speed skating will be held either in Italy or the Netherlands.
A total of 116 medal events were held in eight Olympic sports across 16 disciplines, including the debut of ski mountaineering this year, over the course of 17 days of competition. With the final events wrapping up just hours before the ceremony, the 50km mass start men’s and women’s cross-country medals were awarded by Coventry inside the arena.
Hosts Italy won their highest Winter Olympic tally of 30 medals, including 10 gold and six silver, surpassing the previous record of 20 medals, set at the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994.
The closing ceremony paid tribute to Italian dance and music, from lyric opera to Italian pop of the 20th century to the DJ beat of Gabry Ponte, who got the 1,500 athletes on their feet and dancing while colourful confetti exploded on stage. Italian artist Achille Lauro delivered the last word with the song “Incoscienti Giovani”, or “reckless young people”, just before athletes who had so aptly harnessed their youthful energy for these games filed out.
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics spanned an area of 22,000sq km (8,500sq miles), from ice sports in Milan to biathlon in Anterselva on the Austrian border, snowboarding and men’s downhill in Valtellina on the Swiss border, cross-country skiing in the Val di Fiemme north of Verona, and women’s downhill, curling and sliding sports in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The closing ceremony concluded with the Olympic flames extinguished at the unprecedented two cauldrons in Milan and Cortina, viewed in Verona via videolink. A light show substituted for fireworks, which are not allowed in Verona to protect animals from being disturbed.
The Milan Cortina Paralympics’ opening ceremony will also take place in the Verona Arena, on March 6, and the games will run until March 15.
SAN FRANCISCO — While united against a common political enemy in the White House, the California Democratic Party remains deeply divided over how to address the state’s affordability crisis and who is best suited to lead the state in this turbulent era of President Trump.
Those fractures revealed themselves during the party’s annual convention in California’s liberal epicenter, San Francisco, where a slate of Democrats running to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom pitched very different visions for the state.
Former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter and wealthy financier Tom Steyer were among the top candidates who swung left, with Porter vowing to enact free childcare and tuition-free college and Steyer backing a proposed new tax on billionaires. Both candidates also support universal healthcare.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, the newest major candidate to enter the race, hewed toward partisan middle ground, chastising leaders in Sacramento for allowing the state budget to balloon without tangible improvements to housing affordability, homelessness and public schools.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), a vociferous critic and constant target of the Trump administration, emerged from the convention with the greatest momentum after receiving the most votes for the California Democratic Party’s endorsement, with 24% of delegates backing him.
“The next governor has two jobs: one, to keep Donald Trump and ICE out of our streets and out of our lives, and two, to lower your costs on healthcare, on housing, on utilities,” Swalwell said. “Californians need a fighter and protector, and for the last 10 years, I’ve gone on offense against the worst president ever.”
Still, none of the top Democrats running for governor received the 60% vote needed to capture the endorsement, indicating just how uncertain the race remains just months away from the June primary.
Betty Yee, a former state controller and party vice chair, placed second in the endorsement vote with 17%; former U.S. Health and Human Services Sec. Xavier Becerra had 14%; and Steyer had 13%. The remaining candidates had single-digit levels of support from among the more than 2,300 delegates who cast endorsement votes.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) takes a selfie with supporters during the California Democratic Party’s annual convention at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Saturday.
“We’re going to win the House. There’s absolutely no question we will win the House,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) at a Young Dems event on Friday evening. “We’re going to protect the election, we’re going to win the election, and we’re going to tell people the difference that we will make.”
Thousands of delegates, party allies and guests attended the weekend California Democratic Party convention at Moscone Center in the South of Market neighborhood. The gathering included a tribute to Pelosi as she serves her final term.
Party leaders did coalesce behind one of the Democrats running to replace Pelosi, Scott Wiener, a liberal state senator who is vying be the first openly gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress.
The convention comes as party members and leaders continue to soul search after Trump’s second election. California remains a stronghold of opposition to the president, but its next governor will also have to face a growing cost-of-living crisis in a state where utility costs keep climbing and the median single-family home price is more than double what it is nationally.
Under growing pressure, the candidates for governor went on the offensive at the party gathering. Candidates sniped at each other — though rarely by name — for being too rich, too beholden to special interests or for voting in the past in support of ICE and border wall funding.
While largely panned by delegates who tend to lean further left than the typical California Democratic voter, Mahan has jolted the race by quickly raising millions from tech industry leaders and targeting moderate voters with a message of getting the state “back to basics.”
“We are at risk of losing the trust of the people of California if we don’t hold ourselves accountable for delivering better results on public education, home building, public safety,” Mahan said. “We’re not getting the outcomes we need for the dollars we’re spending.”
Mahan has raised more than $7.3 million since entering the contest in late January, according to campaign finance disclosures of large contributions. Many of the donors are tied to the tech industry, such as Y Combinator, Doordash, Amazon and Thumbtack. Billionaire Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso has also contributed the maximum allowed to Mahan’s campaign.
Technology businessman Dennis Bress, from Newport Beach, wears a pin supporting Planned Parenthood and a Yes on Proposition 50 shirt at the California Democratic Party convention at the Moscone Center on Friday in San Francisco.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Other candidates have raised concerns about the cash infusion, particularly Steyer, who has already dropped more than $37 million into his self-funded campaign and is pitching himself as a “billionaire who will take on the billionaires.”
“Here’s the thing about big donors: If you take their money, you have to take their calls,” Steyer said during his floor speech.
Delegates and party leaders said California’s next governor will have to continue leading the state’s aggressive opposition to Trump while dealing with the issues at home.
“I think people want a fighter,” said Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine), who represents Porter’s former congressional district and has endorsed her in the governor’s race. “They want someone who’s going to stand up to Donald Trump but also fight to help average people who feel like they’re getting a raw deal in today’s America.”
Several of the candidates made the case that they could do both.
During her speech, Porter held up a whiteboard — her signature prop when grilling CEOs and Trump administration officials while she served in Congress — with “F— Trump” written on it.
“I’ll stand up to Trump and his cronies just like I did in Congress,” she said. “But this election for governor is about far more than defeating Trump.”
Porter, a law professor at UC Irvine, called on Democrats to “send a message about democracy by rejecting billionaires and corporate-backed candidates.” She also rolled out a long list of “true affordability measures” including free child care, free tuition at public universities, and single-payer healthcare, though she did not specify how she would pay for them.
Fighting back against Trump is “the floor,” said 29-year-old Gregory Hutchins, an academic labor researcher from Riverside. “We need to go higher than the floor — what can you do for the people of California? We all recognize that this is a beautiful and wonderful state, but it is very difficult to afford living here.”
Even some delegates — often the most politically active members of a party — have yet to make up their minds in the governor’s race. Nearly 9% opted not to endorse a particular candidate at the convention.
“You want that perfect candidate. You want that like, yes, this is the person,” said Sean Frame, a school labor organizer from Sacramento who is running for state Senate. “And I don’t feel like there is one candidate for me that fits all that.”
For all the focus on affordability, there were undertones of growing frustration from even reliable Democratic allies over a lack of tangible results in a state where the median home price is more than $823,000. SEIU California president David Huerta said workers have “been deferring our power to elected leadership” for too long.
“I think we need to be the ones who set the agenda and hold them accountable to that agenda,” Huerta said. “And they need to be leading from the direction of working people.”
It’s a constant battle with Democrats at state and local levels to get fair pay, said Mary Grace Barrios, who left a career in insurance to take care of her disabled adult daughter.
Barrios makes $19 an hour as an in-home caregiver to other clients in Los Angeles County. When Newsom signed a law to raise wages for most healthcare workers to $25 an hour by 2030, in-home support staff like Barrios were not included.
“It’s so important that we be given the respect and pay we need to live because we can’t live on that amount,” she said, adding that it feels like a “constant attack by people in our own party that we supported, that forgot us.”
“As citizens, you get what you vote for, right? So we have to do it. We have to make the change.”
