natural

“Harper & Hal,” premiering Sunday on the cinema-centric streamer Mubi, is a gorgeous, generous limited series that has nothing to show you other than people, how they are and how they do or do not get along. Its elements are not unfamiliar, because they’re drawn from life, rather than from the movies — or just from the movies, as they’re subjects to which the movies have often turned.

But, like this year’s “Adolescence,” which it (differently) resembles in its mix of naturalism and artifice, the series, written and directed by and starring 28-year-old Cooper Raiff — writer-director-star of the indie features “Shithouse” and “Cha Cha Real Smooth” — demonstrates that something fresh can still be done in an oversaturated medium.

While the story spreads out over eight episodes, the cast is compact. Harper (Lili Reinhart) is the daughter of Mark Ruffalo’s character, credited only as “Dad”; Hal (Raiff) is her younger brother. Alyah Chanelle Scott plays Jesse, Harper’s longtime girlfriend; Havana Rose Liu is Abby, Hal’s shorter-time girlfriend; Kate (Betty Gilpin) is Dad’s girlfriend. The company is completed by Audrey (Addison Timlin), divorced with two small children, who shares an office with Harper, and Hal’s roommate, Kalen (Christopher Meyer).

In scenes set in the past, Reinhart and Raiff play their younger selves, a la Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s “Pen15,” with less overt comedy, though Raiff’s performance as very young Hal, whom no one in the series describes as hyperactive (though I will — not a doctor) is often funny. It’s not a gimmick but a device — much as the one-shot production of “Adolescence” was not performative cleverness, but the right fit for the material — both in the sense of the child being the parent of the adult, and because it allows for a different, deeper sort of performance than one is liable to get from a first or a third grader. (As spookily good as small child actors can be.) Significantly, it unifies the characters across time.

A confluence of events triggers the drama. The house Hal and Harper grew up in — and which Dad, who spends much of the series seriously depressed especially, can’t let go — is being sold. (Harper and Hal are in L.A.; the house, and Dad and Kate, are elsewhere.) Kate is pregnant; there’s a chance the baby might have Down syndrome, which leads Dad to reflect that with “a disabled kid … you gotta meet them where they are every day” and that he might have been a more present parent to his older children. Jesse has a job offer in Texas and wants Harper to come with her. Hal, a college senior who isn’t pointed anywhere in particular, though he likes to draw, breaks up with Abby after learning — when she tells him she’d like them to become “exclusive” — that up until then they hadn’t been. And Harper has become attracted to Audrey.

The loss of their mother and their father’s unresolved grief has made Hal and Harper unusually close; she’s a caretaker to her brother, who, even though he’s grown, sometimes wants to crawl in bed next to her; at the same time, Harper’s internalized the feeling that she’s holding everything together, which makes it hard to move on. They’re on an island together.

“Are we friends?” young Hal asks Harper.

“We’re brother and sister,” she replies.

“Not friends.”

“I guess we can be friends, too.”

There is an almost complete absence of expository dialogue. The characters are not afflicted with speechifying; silences allow the viewer to enter into the spaces between them, and to let their experience echo with one’s own. (If you’ve lived long enough to be reading television reviews, you’ve felt some or all of these things.) There’s no wall of declaration erected between the viewer and the viewed, but the actors, Reinhart and Gilpin especially, can destroy you with a look. (Although some writers and actors love them, there’s nothing that feels less true to life than a long monologue.)

Though the story feels organic, it’s also highly structured, stretching the length of Kate’s pregnancy, shot through with resonances and reflections — “I Will Survive,” sung by adult Harper at karaoke and in a flashback as part of a children’s chorus, or a precocious young Harper reading “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” “It’s about this family where everyone’s super lonely,” she tells Hal, shining a light back on her own, “but then it gets even worse because they withdraw and they became selfish and so miserable. But maybe it gets better.” (We see her often with a book.) There’s a slow-fast rhythm to the cutting; short scenes alternate with long; memories explode in montage. Just as Raiff doesn’t bother overmuch with explanations, he eliminates transitions. We’re here, then we’re there. You won’t get lost.

Once or twice, I fretted Raiff might be steering his ship to some cliched dark outcome, but I needn’t have worried.

AN outdoor pool is the centrepiece of any self-respecting holiday resort.

Sunshine, sunloungers and kids trying to sink each other’s inflatables.

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But this was no ordinary swimming pool. This was a NATURAL pool — nestled in the Shropshire countryside.

No nasty chemicals in this water. It’s split into two zones — one side for swimming and the other filled with reeds and water lilies.

The swimming area has clean edges just like a regular pool, but the water is naturally filtered by sunlight and the plants next to it.

The normal electric-blue hue and chlorine pong we’ve swam in all our lives is gone.

This is just clear water, like swimming in a mountain stream.

Which was appropriate as we were staying at Love2Stay glamping resort, within sight of the River Severn.

It offers 36 glamping units, including safari lodges, and 120 camping pitches, all set on a gently sloping hillside just outside Shrewsbury.

Its Biotop natural pool is one of only a handful open to the public in the UK.

And there’s also a lake with paddleboarding and kayaking, archery lessons, arts and crafts, gym, assault course and a nature trail.

We stayed in one of the site’s glamping barns. Outside, each has a private hot tub, firepit with starter bag of logs, giant hammock and beanbags.

Inside there’s a well-equipped open-plan kitchen, double bedroom and upstairs mezzanine for the kids to sleep on.

We were treated to a luxury food hamper on arrival, which comes with breakfast and dinner included.

Victorian fair

And we’re talking proper full English with fresh local ingredients and giant field mushrooms for the veggies.

There’s no shop on site — Sainsbury’s is a five-minute drive away — but the cafe serves hearty breakfasts and wood-fired pizzas in the evening.

You could spend the whole weekend without leaving the park but that would mean missing out on Shrewsbury’s medieval lanes.

We boarded the Sabrina boat, a charming 45-minute cruise that loops the River Severn. With tea, coffee and a wonderful commentary, it’s the best way to see the town’s historic riverside.

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Bridges swoop overhead as you admire Charles Darwin’s alma mater Shrewsbury School.

While the naturalist is widely seen as Shrewsbury’s most famous son, don’t forget T-Pau’s Carol Decker, who lived above the nearby boathouse.

And the beautiful green spaces surrounding it were transformed by TV gardening legend Percy Thrower.

Just down the road lies the Ironbridge Gorge, which has been transformed into the Valley of Invention and a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Here the Industrial Revolution was forged at the Coalbrookdale furnaces, and the gorge is now home to six museums.

The Iron Bridge, opened in 1781, still stands as a marvel of its time when it became the world’s first bridge made entirely of cast iron.

We took a circular walk up the side of the gorge, which gave us spectacular views of the valley.

Then we headed to Blists Hill Victorian Town. It’s a living film set, a cross between a Western and Great Expectations.

Enormous ironwork and industrial relics from its blast- furnace past sit alongside a lovingly recreated Victorian High Street.

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Staff in period clothing are working as they would have 150 years ago, making candles, baking bread and hammering iron at the blacksmith’s.

If you want your kids to know what life was really like before wifi, you can enrol them in the Victorian school. A stern Miss gives period lessons with a stick and hoop.

There’s a fish-and-chips shop wrapping cod in the village newspaper, and even a traditional Victorian boozer — complete with a sing-song knees-up in the afternoon.

And there’s a full Victorian fairground, with steam-powered rides, coconut shy and swingboats.

If you like your Victoriana with even more Clarkson’s Farm, Acton Scott Heritage Farm has reopened after a five-year break.

In its barns and yards, you can meet the wool-spinners and press Shropshire apples. The schoolroom is now a cafe serving local produce.

Back at Love2Stay, we cranked the firepit to industrial temperatures for marshmallows and mapped out our expeditions into the Shropshire Hills to see the ponies on Long Mynd.

It’s perfect for families who like a touch of luxury when they’re in the great outdoors.

SHE has always loved experimenting with her image and has debuted some dramatic looks over the years.

But I have heard that Little Mix star Perrie Edwards is set to show off her natural beauty after landing a lucrative deal with beauty giant L’Oreal.

The Black Magic hitmaker has secured an agreement, understood to be worth £300,000, with its skincare brand CeraVe, which prides itself on working with dermatologists and developing products for sensitive skin.

A source said: “Perrie wants to show that taking care of your skin can be affordable and people don’t need to break the bank with fancy creams.

“She has always loved testing different make- up looks, but knows that taking care of her skin is a priority. Perrie will also be able to show off her edgy side with the advert.”

The singer, who has a three-year-old son, Axel, with former Premier League footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, told Fabulous magazine in 2018: “I have very sensitive skin, and I used to use loads of products on my face because I thought that was best.”

She added: “The worst thing I used to do was go out partying and drinking and just sleep with my make-up on.

“You think, ‘Oh it’s only one night, I’m too tired, I really can’t be bothered to take all my make-up off’.

“But it only takes one night for a week’s worth of acne, so you have to be strict with it.”

It comes as Perrie teased new solo music this week to her 18.8million Instagram followers with a montage of footage.

She reacted with a raindrop emoji to a fan who commented: “The drought is over!! So happy and excited for you.”

Pop star Perrie last released music in February, with her single Rollercoaster, about the ups and downs that come with love.

With this skincare deal and new music on the horizon, little wonder Perrie has such an unblemished career . . . 

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EMILIA FEELS ‘LUCKY’ BEING LEADING LADY

EMILIA FOX has revealed that she is “lucky” to have never experienced misogyny – thanks to her leading role on hit series Silent Witness.

The actress, who has played pathologist Sam Ryan for over 20 years, said: “I haven’t experienced it, and certainly, at my age now at 50, I’ve been very lucky.

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“I’ve been part of a show, which was led brilliantly by actress Amanda Burton. It was her legacy that really left the mark on the show.

“Sam Ryan was written for a leading female actress, playing a woman in a man’s world when Silent Witness first began.

“I think I got very, very lucky being able to play a lead, which I’ve been playing for two decades now.”

Emilia who is working with My Pension Expert, to encourage people turning 50 to take control of their future, said she is encouraging her teenage daughter Rose to save money.

She said: “She puts away a few pounds every week so that she will see, hopefully, a benefit in the future to saving every week.

“I hope that will be the example she then grows up with. I think having a good work ethic and savings ethic is insurance for life.”

SABRINA CARPENTER, who caused a stir with her new album cover, has unveiled an alternative one for Man’s Best Friend.

The singer wears a sparkling turquoise dress at a formal dinner. In the original, she was on all fours while a man pulled on her hair.

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Sabrina posted: “The final alternate cover for Man’s Best Friend features a special bonus track ‘Such A Funny Way’ available on vinyl. Three weeks left!!! Can’t wait for it to be yours x.” I can’t wait.

DOJA LIKE MY ZEBRA CATSUIT?

DOJA CAT gave her best zebra impression as she performed at Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco.

The Say So hitmaker looked hot in the monochrome catsuit at the festival held at Golden Gate Park on Friday night.

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Doja, who is set to release her fifth studio album Vie later this year, has also been working hard in the fashion world.

The American star recently shared snaps from a shoot with Marc Jacobs and posed for fashion mag V Magazine.

ONLY WAY IS ESSEX FOR EKIN-SU

SINCE her triumph on Love Island three years ago, Ekin-Su Culculoglu has remained one of the most successful contestants.

Now I can reveal that the beauty, currently starring on ITV’s Cooking With The Stars, has snapped up a £900k four-bedroom mansion in Essex, near her parents.

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Ekin was close to investing in Surrey, and even looked around some properties with ex Curtis Pritchard, but did a last minute U-turn to stay more local to her family.

A source said: “Ekin’s worked really hard since winning Love Island with ad campaigns and a steady stream of telly appearances.

“She has snapped up this home and chose somewhere more modest so she could be closer to her parents, who she spends a lot of time with.

“She’s looking forward to getting stuck in and fixing it up to her perfect style. She’s really proud of everything she’s achieved and ready to lay down roots.”

Since appearing on Love Island: All Stars in January, Ekin split with Curtis, with the star calling it “unfortunate” – but she has been concentrating on her career instead, with a focus on acting.

She better not get too comfortable in the UK as Hollywood beckons…

NOEL’S GOT S-MASH HIT ON HAND

HE famously sings that “Sally can wait” in hit song Don’t Look Back In Anger.

And it seems that Noel Gallagher’s girlfriend Sally Mash is firmly by his side during their Oasis Live 25 Tour.

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I can reveal that she has been his “secret weapon” during their sold-out tour – with the Gallagher brothers on stage for their second gig at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, last night.

A source said: “Sally has been his secret weapon throughout the tour so far.

“She has been at every one of the gigs alongside brother Liam’s girlfriend Debbie Gwyther.

“Their relationship has gone from strength to strength and Sally has loved watching Noel in his element on stage.”

Noel’s daughter Anais has also been at every gig.

Last year The Sun revealed Noel was dating events organiser Sally – after confirming his split from wife Sara MacDonald, with whom he shares sons Donovan and Sonny.

Speaking about Sally, Noel previously said: “She says she sees a steely look in my eyes.”

When asked what she makes of him singing the hit 1996 song Don’t Look Back In Anger, referencing “Sally”, he said: “She’s cool about it.”

It sounds like the name Sally has been a hit all round over the years.

KYLIE JENNER certainly did not have the birthday blues as she posed in a plunging black bikini.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, who turned 28 today, took to Instagram ahead of the celebrations.

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Sharing the sizzling selfie to her 393million followers, the mum of two wrote: “Last Friday as a 27-year-old.”

Her pal Hailey Bieber commented: “Twenty eight is better I promise.”

Trust me Kylie, the best is yet to come.

KYLIE’S TICKLED PINK

KYLIE MINOGUE sizzled in hot pink as she performed in Argentina as part of her worldwide Tension Tour.

The Aussie pop star wowed in the PVC outfit as she took to the stage at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on Thursday – her first show in the Argentine capital for 17 years.

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Posting on Instagram to her 3.2million followers, she wrote: “Buenos Aires, how do you describe a show feeling?

“I’ve only ever dreamt of this. WHAT A SHOW!! Thank you so much.”

Kylie performed in Chile last night and will head to Sao Paulo in Brazil next Friday, with the 66-date tour wrapping up at the end of the month in Mexico.

ED AND RUPERT’S FAM WEEKENDER

ED SHEERAN has got fans seeing double in the music video for his new track A Little More.

His doppelganger Rupert Grint stars in the video – 14 years after he appeared in Ed’s hit Lego House.

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Ed, who shares daughters Lyra and Jupiter with wife Cherry Seaborn, invited the Harry Potter actor, his partner Georgia Groome and their daughters Wednesday and Goldie to stay at his home in Suffolk while filming the video.

And it was a family affair, with Ed saying: “Our daughters [Lyra and Wednesday] are exactly the same age – they get on”.

Sounds perfect.

PETE AND JOWITA GO SUPERSONIC

It seems Pete Wicks cannot let go of his Strictly Come Dancing pro partner Jowita Przystał.

The happy pair were spotted arm-in-arm at last Wednesday’s Oasis gig at Wembley Stadium.

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An onlooker said: “Pete is very fond of Jowita and they shared a sweet moment during the set.

“They have both expressed how much they mean to each other following their close bond on Strictly.”

It comes after Pete recently revealed that Jowita was “one of the most important people” in his life.

Pete, who split from Love Island’s Maura Higgins in February, revealed on his podcast with I’m A Celebrity winner Sam Thompson that he invited Jowita to the gig.

On the Staying Relevant podcast, he said: “Well the reason that Jowita and I are going [to Oasis] is because we danced to Oasis on Strictly.”

Ahead of the new Strictly series, Pete said: “I will be vetting her new partner!”

Jowita recently posted a snap of her with Pete on Instagram.

Looks like her new Strictly partner will have big shoes to fill . . . 

The Clippers had a need for a playmaker and ballhandler, and they were able to find that “natural fit” with Chris Paul.

Paul spent six seasons with the Clippers, a time when he had plenty of success leading them to relevancy and now he’s back to play his 21st season, which might be his last.

Paul, 40, a 12-time All-Star, agreed to a contract that will pay him $3.6 million next season.

“Chris was a natural fit,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said over Zoom on Tuesday. “His roots with the organization are deep and meaningful. He obviously played a tremendous role in the upward trajectory of the franchise. He wanted to return to the Clippers and we wanted it the same, as long as it made sense with our current roster — and it does.”

Paul has spent his entire 20-year career as a starter in the NBA, playing in all 82 games last season with the San Antonio Spurs. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 28 minutes per game while shooting 42.7% from the field.

Over the course of playing in 1,354 regular-season games, Paul has started in 1,314.

Frank said Paul will “slot into our roster as a reserve point guard,” a role the two of them discussed.

“So, we don’t take that lightly when you’re taking on a different role,” Frank said. “And so there were a lot of conversations. You put everything on the table and get everyone comfortable with it. But the fact that Chris wanted to come back, wanted to be at home, wanted to be with the Clippers, we obviously know what his skill set is, but we also wanted to make sure the role made perfect sense from both people’s perspective.

“And so I thought it was a very, very thorough process in terms of how we went about it, just to make sure that everyone knows exactly what we’re signing up for and we feel really, really good about it.”

Playing time also could be tricky at the guard spot with Paul now on board.

James Harden, who averaged 35.3 minutes per game last season, and Bradley Beal are the likely starters in the backcourt for Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. Then there is Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Paul who could be in the rotation.

“We know that ballhandling was a little bit of an issue for us last year and we wanted to get … Chris was the best guy for the job as long as everyone understood exactly what the role was and we can all embrace it,” Frank said. “And so, we’ve been very, very honest and direct and we feel great that Chris is back.”

Frank said Harden played a big role in the team acquiring Beal. Frank was asked if Harden talked to Paul about returning to the Clippers. Harden and Paul played two seasons together in Houston, from 2017 to 2019, and there were reports that their relationship was strained.

Frank said, “They did.” when asked if Harden and Paul had talked.

“And when talking to James, talking to Kawhi [Leonard] — and we talked about what the role would be — both guys said CP would be the best guy for this role,” Frank said.

Paul and Beal have both worn No. 3 their entire careers. But Frank said Beal will let Paul wear No. 3 and decide later what his new number will be.

“So, it’s awesome that Brad made such a great gesture like that,” Frank said. “And so Chris will be No. 3.”

During his six seasons with the Clippers, from 2011 until 2017, Paul helped the franchise reach new heights. He joined Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to form “Lob City.”

But it sounds as if this will be Paul’s last season in the NBA and it’ll be with the Clippers and it’ll allow him to play in front of his family that lives in the Los Angeles area.

“Well, I think there’s the nostalgic aspect,” Frank said. “But I think the No. 1 question that we always say, is how can he help impact winning? … And yeah, look, there’s the heartstrings part of it, of someone who was such a significant part of the Clippers’ rise to be able to bring it back. Whether this is his last year or not, that’s obviously Chris’ story in terms of what he feels and what he wants. But I think No. 1 is his ability to help impact winning.”

Ecuador in South America is a country steeped in culture, rich in history and bursting with natural beauty – yet it doesn’t see many tourists. Here’s why it should be on your list

Fancy a getaway to an under-the-radar destination? Though bursting with cultural heritage and stunning landscapes, the South American gem of Ecuador tends to slip under the tourist radar but truly deserves a spot on your bucket list.

In 2023, Ecuador welcomed just shy of 1.5 million wanderers to its shores. In comparison, with a whopping 125 million holidaymakers flocking to Spain in the same timeframe, Ecuador certainly isn’t topping the charts as a travellers’ favourite. Yet, adventure gurus from Adventure Life have dished out all the insider info on why you should be writing Ecuador into your next adventure itinerary, reports the Express.

READ MORE: ‘I’m a beauty writer – the new ghd curling wand gave me perfect waves in 15 mins’

Things to do

“The archipelago consists of 19 islands and numerous smaller islets, each offering a unique glimpse into nature’s unparalleled creativity, as this unique ecosystem hosts a variety of species not found anywhere else in the world.”

The Galápagos Islands promise remarkable encounters with the animal kingdom – snorkel alongside playful sea lions or watch in awe as giant Galápagos tortoises roam their native turf. Curious explorers can join expert-guided excursions, delving into the mysteries of the islands and their extraordinary residents.

A volcanic past has sculpted the islands into an extraordinary geological tapestry, from Sullivan Bay’s black lava flows to Bartolomé Island’s spatter cones – the terrain is as diverse as its furred and feathered inhabitants.

Rainforest

The Ecuadorian Amazon, a treasure trove of biodiversity, offers guided tours through its lush greenery where visitors can marvel at exotic orchids, ancient towering trees, and an array of wildlife including vibrant macaws and the elusive jaguar.

Tourists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of the Amazon’s inhabitants, learning about their use of rainforest resources, traditional cuisine, and age-old ceremonies.

For the more adventurous souls, there are options to kayak along serene rivers, trek jungle paths, or zip-line across the rainforest canopy.

Nature

Nature enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike can ascend the formidable Cotopaxi volcano, one of the planet’s highest active volcanoes, or traverse the Quilotoa Loop with its breathtaking volcanic crater lake.

Adventure Life highlights the cultural vibrancy of the Andes, especially during the many festivals that dot the calendar. “The Andes are also alive with cultural richness, evident in the numerous festivals that fill the calendar. One of the most vibrant is the Inti Raymi, or Festival of the Sun, which celebrates the Inca sun god and marks the winter solstice with music, dancing, and ritual ceremonies,” they say.

A trip to the Andes wouldn’t be complete without delving into its market towns. Otavalo boasts one of South America’s largest and most renowned indigenous markets, brimming with handcrafted textiles, jewellery, traditional musical instruments, and artwork.

History

“You can explore significant architectural landmarks such as the ornate La Compañía de Jesús, which is adorned with gold leaf interiors, and the imposing San Francisco Church, which houses masterpieces of the Quito School of Art.”

Quito’s vibrant culinary scene is another highlight, offering everything from upscale restaurants that showcase local staples like Andean potatoes and exotic Amazonian fruits to street vendors serving up traditional empanadas and hornado.

The capital’s proximity to nature is best experienced at the nearby TelefériQo. The cable car provides stunning views over the city and ascends towards hiking paths on the Pichincha Volcano’s slopes.

“Ecuador seamlessly blends a rich history, unparalleled natural beauty, and vibrant cultural expressions into a journey that feels both timeless and essential,” according to Adventure Life.

“For those looking to explore beyond the familiar, Ecuador presents an unmatched choice of activities and scenery in which to immerse yourself.”

A TEAM of scientists claims to have debunked one of Jesus Christ’s most famous miracles — saying the Son of God may not have fed 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish after all.

Instead, researchers believe it could have been a freak natural event in Israel’s Lake Kinneret — known in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee — that brought a massive haul of fish to the surface for easy collection.

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The story of the “Feeding of the 5,000” is told in all four Gospels, where Jesus is said to have blessed a small amount of food and miraculously distributed it to feed a vast crowd.

But in a 2024 study published in Water Resources Research, scientists monitored oxygen levels, water temperature, and wind speed across Lake Kinneret — and say they discovered evidence of sudden mass fish die-offs caused by unusual weather patterns.

Strong winds sweeping across the lake, they say, can churn the water and cause an “upwelling” of cold, low-oxygen water from the bottom, which kills fish and sends them floating to the surface.

According to the researchers, to anyone watching from the shore, it would look like fish were suddenly appearing by the thousands — creating the illusion of a miracle and allowing them to “be easily collected by a hungry populace”.

The team believes this could explain the Gospel passage where Jesus tells his disciples — after a fruitless night of fishing — to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, suddenly hauling in a bounty.

However, Biblical scholars aren’t buying it.

Critics slammed the theory for missing the point entirely, pointing out that no fish were caught during the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

The article on AnsweringGenesis.org hit back, saying: “Jesus simply took the five loaves and two fish, thanked God, broke the loaves, handed everything to his disciples, and the disciples handed the food out. No fish were caught!”

According to Matthew 14:13–21, Jesus “saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

When his disciples told him to send the people away to find food, he replied: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

After blessing the five loaves and two fish, the Bible says: “they all ate and were satisfied.

“And they took up 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”

Despite the backlash, the researchers argue that understanding how fish may have mysteriously appeared in huge quantities doesn’t take away from the spiritual message of the event — which many see as symbolic of generosity and faith.

Still, religious sceptics say the study adds weight to theories that Jesus’ wonders may have had natural explanations — while believers insist some things just can’t be explained away by science.

It comes after a stunning AI-generated video claims to reveal the true face of Jesus Christ — using images based on the mysterious Turin Shroud.

Believers say the Shroud of Turin was the burial cloth wrapped around Jesus after his crucifixion.

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Now, photos of the ancient linen have been processed through Midjourney, an AI image generator, to create a realistic image and video of Christ.

The video shows Jesus blinking, smiling, and praying — potentially as he did before his crucifixion around 33AD.

He appears with shoulder-length brown hair, a beard, brown eyes, a straight nose, and high cheekbones.

His skin tone is pale, which has sparked debate among academics and online.

Last year, The Sun also used AI to recreate the Son of God’s appearance.

The Gencraft tool was fed the prompt “face of Jesus based on the Shroud of Turin” and returned images of a man with hazel eyes, a gentle expression, a neat beard, clean eyebrows, and long brown hair.

Under his weary eyes, signs of exhaustion were visible.

Many researchers agree that the man wrapped in the Shroud appeared to be between 5ft 7in and 6ft tall, with sunken eyes and a full beard.

The markings on the cloth also show what some believe to be crucifixion wounds — including injuries to the head, shoulders, arms, and back, consistent with a thorn crown and Roman whips.

The Bible recounts that Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers, crowned with thorns, and forced to carry his cross before dying in agony.

California Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán urged the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to follow through on plans to modernize the federal emergency alert system and provide multilingual alerts in natural disasters for residents who speak a language other than English at home.

The call comes nearly five months after deadly fires in Los Angeles threatened communities with a high proportion of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — some with limited English proficiency — highlighting the need for multilingual alerts.

In a letter sent to Brendan Carr, the Republican chair of the FCC, Barragán (D-San Pedro) expressed “deep concern” that the FCC under the Trump administration has delayed enabling multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts for severe natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis.

“This is about saving lives,” Barragán said in an interview with The Times. “You’ve got about 68 million Americans that use a language other than English and everybody should have the ability to to understand these emergency alerts. We shouldn’t be looking at any politicization of alerts — certainly not because someone’s an immigrant or they don’t know English.”

Multilingual emergency alerts should be in place across the nation, Barragán said. But the January Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires served as a reminder that the need is particularly acute in Los Angeles.

Not only does L.A. have a significant risk of wildfires, flooding, mudslides, and earthquakes, but the sprawling region is home to a diverse immigrant population, some of whom have limited English proficiency.

“When you think about it, in California we have wildfires, we’re always on earthquake alert,” Barragán said. “In other parts of the country, it could be hurricanes or tornadoes — we just want people to have the information on what to do.”

Four months ago, the FCC was supposed to publish an order that would allow Americans to get multilingual alerts

In October 2023, the FCC approved rules to update the federal emergency alert system by enabling Wireless Emergency Alerts to be delivered in more than a dozen languages — not just English, Spanish and sign language — without the need of a translator.

Then, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau developed templates for critical disaster alerts in the 13 most commonly spoken languages in the US. In January, the commission declared a “major step forward” in expanding alert languages when it issued a report and order that would require commercial mobile service providers to install templates on cellphones within 30 months of publication of the federal register.

“The language you speak shouldn’t keep you from receiving the information you or your family need to stay safe,” then-FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a January statement.

But shortly after, Trump took control of the White House. Under the chairmanship of Brendan Carr, the commission has yet to publish the January 8 Report and Order in the Federal Register — a critical step that triggers the 30-month compliance clock.

“This delay is not only indefensible but dangerous,” Barragán wrote in a letter to Carr that was signed by nearly two dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus. “It directly jeopardizes the ability of our communities to receive life-saving emergency information in the language they understand best.”

Barragán noted that Carr previously supported the push for multilingual alerts when he was a member of the commission, before taking over leadership.

“Your failure to complete this ministerial step — despite having supported the rule itself — has left this life-saving policy in limbo and significantly delayed access to multilingual alerts for millions of Americans,” she wrote.

Asked by The Times what explained the delay, Barragán said her office had been told that Trump’s regulatory freeze prohibited all federal agencies, including the FCC, from publishing any rule in the Federal Register until a designated Trump official is able to review and approve it.

“It’s all politics,” she said. “We don’t know why it’s stuck there and why the administration hasn’t moved forward, but it seems, like, with everything these days, they’re waiting on the president’s green light.”

Barragán also noted that multilingual alerts helped first responders.

“If you have a community that’s supposed to be evacuated, and they’re not evacuating because they don’t know they’re supposed to evacuate, that’s only going to hurt first responders and emergency crews,” she said. “So I think this is a safety issue all around, not just for the people receiving it.”

A study published earlier this year by UCLA researchers and the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Equity Alliance found that Asian communities in harm’s way during the January L.A. fires encountered difficulties accessing information about emergency evacuations because of language barriers.

Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance, a coalition of 50 community-based groups that serves the 1.6 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who live in Los Angeles, told The Times the FCC’s failure to push alerts in more languages represented a “real dereliction of duty.”

Over half a million Asian Americans across L.A. County are classified as Limited English Proficiency, with many speaking primarily in Chinese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese, she noted.

“President Trump and many members of his administration have made clear they plan to go on the attack against immigrants,” Kulkarni said. “If this makes the lives of immigrants easier, then they will stand in its way.”

During the January L.A. fires, Kulkarni said, residents complained that fire alerts were sent only in English and Spanish. More than 12,000 of the 50,000 Asian immigrants and their descendants who lived within four evacuation zones — Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Hughes — need language assistance.

“There were community members who didn’t realize until they were evacuated that the fire was so close to them, so they had little to no notice of it,” Kulkarni said. “Really, it can mean life or death in a lot of cases where you don’t get the information, where it’s not translated in a city and county like Los Angeles.”

Community members ended up suffering not just because of the fires themselves, Kulkarni said, but because of federal and local officials’ failure to provide alerts in languages every resident can understand.

“It is incumbent that the alerts be made available,” she said. “We need those at local, state and federal levels to do their part so that individuals can survive catastrophic incidents.”

May 19 (UPI) — U.S. officials announced Monday that Louisiana’s McNeese State University will be site of the federal government’s new national center for liquefied natural gas safety.

The university in Lake Charles was selected by officials to be the site of the “National Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas Safety” as a subsidiary part of the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

“The sheer volume of product supplied by the state of Louisiana is unparalleled and growing, and there is no better place to locate our Center of Excellence,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

McNeese State, the first U.S. undergraduate institution to offer a certificate program in the business of liquefied natural gas, is already the site of its own LNG Center of Excellence.

It was described as a “game-changer” for the region in terms of workforce development and “groundbreaking research.”

“We are excited to be on the forefront of helping ensure safety and sustainability in the energy sector and look forward to working with PHMSA to develop a world-class facility to house their staff,” Dr. Wade Rousse, president of McNeese State University, said Monday.

2020’s Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act, otherwise known as the PIPE Act, established the center with the aim to “enhance” the United States as the “leader and foremost expert” in LNG operations to facilitate research and development, training, regulatory coordination and to encourage development of LNG safety solutions.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., explained that in 2020 Congress passed the PIPES Act which, he claimed, “improved pipeline safety and infrastructure” in the United States as he also thanked the Trump administration.

The Louisiana Republican, 73, was critical of the Biden administration’s perceived “hostility” toward fossil fuel industry industry.

Last year, the current president solicited $1 billion and got hundreds of millions of dollars from the oil and gas industry in the 2024 campaign while promising to roll back fossil fuel regulations in his effort to stamp out climate change policy.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced last week it had expedited oil and gas production on public land in vehement opposition to environmental experts and activists.

Meanwhile, the Trump Energy Department in February signed-off on a Biden policy to permit the use of liquified natural gas as marine fuel in order to reduce LNG regulations targeting motor boats.

Kennedy, who reportedly received more than $300,000 in campaign contributions via the fossil fuel industry from 2021-2022, added that as part of the legislation was language that was included to create the “first-ever” National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety in Louisiana under PHMSA, which by 2013 had marked a record number of 116 enforcement orders against American pipeline operators for various safety violations by the federal regulator.

“The Center will advance LNG safety by promoting collaboration among government agencies, industry, academia, and other safety partners,” stated PHMSA’s Acting Administrator Ben Kochman.

“Consolidating such remarkable levels of expertise,” according to Kochman, will “benefit the LNG sector for many generations to come.”