record

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (UPI) — South Korea’s Mirae Asset Securities said it posted a record bottom line last year, based on solid performances across its business sectors, including brokerage, wealth management and trading.

The Seoul-based company said Monday it netted $1.1 billion in the 2025 profit, up 72% from a year earlier, as assets under management rose 25% to $410 billion. Among them, 14% was operated in the global markets.

The pretax profit from its brokerage business jumped 43% year-on-year thanks to a bullish stock market, which saw the country’s benchmark KOSPI surge more than 75% last year.

Those from its wealth management and trading divisions rose 21% and 14%, respectively.

Another key contributor to the results was its global business, of which pretax profit doubled to $342 million. Mirae Asset Securities noted that its investments in such innovative companies as SpaceX and xAI boosted profitability.

“Since our founding, we have strategically reinvested capital secured through globally diversified investments, building a virtuous circle that has led to meaningful achievements,” Mirae Asset Securities said in a statement.

The share price of Mirae Asset Securities climbed 11.25% on the Seoul bourse Monday before dipping 2.43% Tuesday.

The largest brokerage house of South Korea is a representative subsidiary of Mirae Asset Group, one of the country’s leading financial conglomerates.

Lindsey Horvath will not run for Los Angeles mayor, becoming the latest political heavyweight to decide against a challenge to incumbent Karen Bass.

Horvath, who as an L.A. County supervisor represents 2 million people in a sprawling Westside and San Fernando Valley district, ended weeks of speculation about her political intentions, saying her work in the county “is not finished.”

“Over these past few months, you have shown me all the reasons you love Los Angeles —and why it’s worth fighting for,” Horvath said Friday in a statement. “I am grateful to the many leaders, organizations, and every single Angeleno who urged me to run for Mayor of Los Angeles.”

Horvath’s announcement, issued the night before the deadline for candidates to file, comes days after former L.A. schools superintendent Austin Beutner ended his mayoral campaign, citing the death of his 22-year-old daughter. Real estate developer Rick Caruso also removed himself from contention, saying for a second time Thursday that he would not run.

The filing period for mayoral candidates in the June 2 primary closes at noon on Saturday.

Horvath, 43, has been one of the mayor’s most outspoken critics over the past year, assailing her record on homelessness and last year’s Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead. On social media, Horvath stoked speculation about her political future while calling the city’s record on homelessness “indefensible.”

Bass, in turn, has criticized county officials for pulling hundreds of millions of dollars out of a city-county agency on homelessness — a move spearheaded by Horvath — and into a new county agency. More recently, the mayor spoke out against the county’s plan to cut $200 million in homeless services.

Bass, 72, still faces several other challengers from across the political spectrum.

Reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a Republican, has received praise from an array of Trump supporters, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, of Florida. Pratt has focused heavily on the city’s handling of the fire, which destroyed his home.

Democratic socialist Rae Huang is running against the mayor from her political left. Huang has called for more public housing and for a reduction in the number of police officers, with the cost savings poured into other city services.

Brentwood tech entrepreneur Adam Miller, who describes himself as a lifelong Democrat, said the city is on a downward trajectory and needs stronger management. The 56-year-old nonprofit executive plans to tap his personal wealth to jump-start his campaign.

Also in the race is Asaad Alnajjar, an employee of the Bureau of Street Lighting who sits on the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. Alnajjar, who has already loaned his campaign $80,000, said he would do a better job than Bass at running the city.

“I’m a leader. She’s a manager. That’s the difference,” said Alnajjar, 61.

With so many candidates in the mix, Bass and her political team do not expect she will clear the 50% bar to avoid a November runoff.

Bass has been running on her record, touting a major drop in homicides and reductions in street homelessness since she took office in 2022. She has talked up her efforts to speed up the approval of affordable housing and permits for rebuilding projects in Pacific Palisades.

The mayor has positioned herself as a check on Trump’s agenda. During last summer’s immigration raids in Los Angeles, she regularly called on the president to end the crackdown and remove the California National Guard from the city.

From the beginning, a mayoral run would have been a risky move for Horvath, who is not expected to face any major challengers to her own bid for reelection.

Horvath would have had to forfeit her seat to run against Bass, while facing a tight timeline for fundraising. Her campaign had already scheduled a reelection fundraiser for next week — after the filing deadline for mayoral candidates.

In political circles, Horvath is viewed as a strong candidate in 2028 for county chief executive, an elected office created through a ballot measure that Horvath championed.

The will-she-or-won’t-she events of the past week elevated Horvath’s political profile, as she aired her criticisms of the mayor on CNN and other news shows.

Relations between Bass and Horvath have been chilly at least since the Palisades fire broke out. The two were at odds over the press conferences that were held to update the public on the disaster and on efforts to reopen the burn area to traffic.

The relationship deteriorated further after Horvath and her colleagues voted to shift hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county partnership, and into a new county agency on homelessness.

Horvath, on social media, accused Bass of putting out “misinformation” about the new county agency. Bass, in turn, warned the county’s actions could cause the city to backslide in its fight against homelessness.

Horvath has been in elected office on and off since 2009, when she joined the West Hollywood City Council. She left the council in 2011, then rejoined in 2015, staying for about seven years.

In 2022, Horvath won her supervisorial seat, defeating former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, a political veteran.

Had she entered the race, Horvath would have faced questions about an array of issues bedeviling the county, including a $4-billion legal payout over sexual abuse that was later marred by allegations of fraud.

She was also a major force behind Measure G, a 2024 ballot measure that will expand the number of county supervisors and create the county CEO position but also is on track to inadvertently repeal a criminal justice reform measure passed by voters in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The president of the United States posted a racist video Thursday night depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. On Friday, the White House dismissed criticism — but the president deleted the post. Was this episode disappointing? Yes. Surprising? Not anymore.

Last spring, after Pope Francis had died, Donald Trump posted an AI image of himself as the pope just days before cardinals convened to elect a successor.

So, no — it is not surprising that the president would choose to post virulent anti-Black imagery during Black History Month.

But it is disappointing here in 2026 that an occupant of the Oval Office is still thinking like that.

Back in 1971, the president of the United States laughed when the governor of California referred to the African delegates at the United Nations as monkeys. Less than 10 years later, that governor became the president of the United States. And here we are, half a century later, and yet another president has amplified that racist trope.

Meaning white supremacy is still on the ballot.

That Nixon-Reagan-Trump throughline isn’t tightly wound around policy or principle, but simply that shared worldview. After all, Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency and Reagan offered amnesty to immigrants — highly un-Trump-like moves. No, their commonality is best revealed in the delight each man took in an old racist attack against Black people.

For Americans who are 50 and older — roughly a third of the nation — this worldview has been the architect responsible for White House policy for most of our lives. And yet, when Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election, the forensic investigation focused on grocery prices and her absence from Joe Rogan’s podcast. Some — in trying to explain why Harris lost — mischaracterized her role at the border or inflated her influence on the war in Gaza.

For some reason, race did not seem to receive the same level of scrutiny.

This factor was slighted despite decades of data, such as the wave of white nationalists endorsing Harris’ opponent and the birther movement questioning President Obama’s citizenship. The trio of presidents who are on the record as enjoying depictions of Black people as monkeys — Nixon, Reagan and Trump — all used racist dog whistles in their combined 10 presidential campaigns. Their administrations have tended to be more anti-civil-rights movement than post-civil-rights movement.

Our nation’s attempts at understanding ourselves are continuously undercut by the denial that for some single-issue voters, race is their single issue. Not the price of bacon or their religious convictions. Not Gaza. Just the promise of having a safe space for prejudice. And when the president of the United States entertains racist jokes as Nixon did in the 1970s or shares racist videos as Trump continues to do, undoubtedly there is a sense among the electorate that such prejudice has a home in the White House.

Before Trump used social media to push yesteryear’s ugliness, earlier in the week Harris relaunched her 2024 social media campaign account, calling it a place where Gen Z can “meet and revisit with some of our great courageous leaders, be they elected leaders, community leaders, civic leaders, faith leaders, young leaders.” She exhorted: “Stay engaged. I’ll see you out there.”

Whether she plans to run again in 2028 is unclear. What we do know is she would not have posted an AI picture of herself as the new pope while Catholics were mourning Francis (or any other time). We know she would not have advocated for immigration officers to racially profile Black and brown Americans or disregard the 14th Amendment to detain children. We do not know how many of her policy proposals she would have been able to get across the finish line in Congress, but we do know her record of public service to the American people, in contrast with the current president who is suing the American people for $10 billion.

There is nothing wrong with revisiting Harris’ missteps on the campaign trail or debating her electability as she reemerges in the public spotlight. But now that Trump has resorted to posting monkey jokes about Black people, perhaps updated forensics will consider our well established history of racism among the factors in the 2024 election.

It is not a shock that a president of the United States thinks poorly of Black people. Not when you know that more than 25% of those who have held the office were themselves enslavers. But it is disappointing that 250 years into our nation’s story, some of us still deny the role that racism plays in shaping our politics and thus all of our lives.

YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow

The adage that records are made to be broken definitely applies to the TV ratings for the Super Bowl.

For three straight years, the game deciding the champion for the NFL season has set new viewing records, including last year’s Philadelphia Eagles crushing victory over the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 that scored an average audience of 127.7 million viewers on Fox.

Both the 2024 and 2025 games had the benefit of the pop culture sizzle generated by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s romance with pop superstar Taylor Swift, bringing in more casual fans.

This season, the Chiefs won’t be in the game for the first time in three years as NBC will have the Seattle Seahawks facing off Sunday against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, not the match-up experts predicted for this year.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t set another ratings record.

Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrate the Chiefs’ victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

“I believe it can,” said Lee Berke, president of LHB Sports, Entertainment & Media, noting the lift the NFL ratings have seen this season as viewing information from set-top devices and internet connected televisions in 45 million households are now included in Nielsen’s audience measurement.

“It’s definitely showing up and bumping up ratings throughout the year for the NFL,” Berke said.

A recent report from the Video Advertising Bureau found that the new measurement from Nielsen has boosted ratings for prime time NFL games in the mid-to-high single digit percentages.

Other changes to Nielsen’s measurement in recent years have given the Super Bowl a boost. While surpassing 100 million was once a reasonable goal, the numbers started climbing above that threshold since out-of-home viewing was added in 2021.

History is on the side of a robust audience number this year. The last time the Patriots faced the Seahawks in 2015, the NBC telecast set a viewership record at the time of 114.4 million. Fans watching Sunday can expect to see clips of Malcolm Butler’s interception at the goal line that helped give Tom Brady’s Patriots the win that year.

But NBC doesn’t need a record audience number for the Super Bowl to be a financial success. A robust TV advertising marketplace helped the network sell out the game at a record average of $8 million per 30-second spot, with some going for $10 million.

NBC has also sold spots that will air only on its Peacock streaming platform. The network pulled in the range of $3 million a spot, significantly above the $2 million Fox took in for ads last year when the game was streamed on its Tubi service.

This year NBC was able to use Super Bowl LX to drive ad sales for its coverage of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan that begin Friday and run through Feb. 22, (which is also sold out). The network also has the NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Feb. 14, which is why Mike Cavanaugh, co-chief executive of NBCU parent Comcast, recently described February as “the most consequential month in live sports history.”

In 2022, NBC’s combination of both the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl, accounted for $1.5 billion in revenue according to Comcast’s earnings report, a number the company will likely surpass this year. The company isn’t commenting on revenue but has said it expects to set a record for Super Bowl ad revenue.

Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising sales and partnerships for NBCUniversal, said 70% of the companies in the Super Bowl are also running commercials in the Olympics.

In previous decades, a Super Bowl commercial was an event in itself with the reveal happening on the telecast. But Marshall noted that, as part of a larger marketing effort, advertising campaigns are now introduced with teasers ahead of the telecast and many get a full preview online.

This year, NBCU was able to offer the Olympics to help marketers connect with more consumers.

“We told advertisers ‘you’re going to spend eight figures (on producing a commercial) — extend the reach of that,” Marshall said.

Technology companies make up the largest share of advertisers. Several AI companies, including Anthropic and Genspark, will be first-time Super Bowl ad buyers. Viewers will also see returning entries from Google, Meta, Wix and Amazon, which will air a spot for its Alexa device.

While there are the usual array of snack food and soft drink companies that will appearin the commercial breaks, viewers will also see a spurt in pharmaceutical ads. Marshall said the category has increased its presence on NFL games. The Super Bowl spots will focus on a message of “wellness,” rather than straight ahead product spots with disclaimers listing unpleasant drug side effects.

Marshall said NBCU does not expect the announced alternative halftime show presented by Turning Point USA to have an impact on the ratings. A concert featuring Kid Rock and lesser known country artists Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett, will stream on YouTube, X, Rumble and several right-wing TV channels.

The concert promoted by the right-wing group founded by the late Charlie Kirk and now run by his widow Erika is in response to conservatives outraged over the NFL’s selection of Grammy-winning music superstar Bad Bunny, who sings primarily in Spanish, as the halftime act. (President Trump called the decision “terrible” and is skipping the game.)

But the league has not wavered for a moment amid the blowback, as it seeks to expand its global reach by having the most streamed artist in the world on the stage of its marquee event.

The only effective counter-programming gimmick against the Super Bowl halftime show came in 1992. Fox, still an upstart network, ran a live edition of its sketch comedy show “In Living Color” against the halftime of the CBS telecast of Super Bowl XXVI, which featured ice skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano.

The pronounced dip in viewership prompted the NFL to sign Michael Jackson as the halftime act in 1993. The game saw a significant ratings boost and the league has booked contemporary music acts for the game ever since.

“People joke that I only did it because he didn’t do his homework,” says former Premier League referee Jon Moss about the time he sent off James Milner.

Twenty-four years after making his debut, Milner, 40, will equal the record for most Premier League appearances if he features for Brighton against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

A stellar career spanning more than two decades, six top-flight clubs, 652 Premier League appearances, 61 England caps, three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League triumph has also delivered some unexpected moments.

Like the time Milner – known as ‘Millie’, external by those close to him – was sent off by Moss, his former teacher at Westbrook Lane Primary School in Horsforth, Leeds, while playing for Liverpool against Crystal Palace in 2019.

“He said I couldn’t wait to get my card out,” laughs Moss about dismissing his former pupil after switching careers.

“People say I’m the only teacher to send off one of his pupils in a Premier League game. We can both laugh about it now.”

Milner is set to go level with Gareth Barry, who played 653 times, at the top of the all-time Premier League appearance list some 8,491 days after making his debut for hometown club Leeds United soon after leaving school in 2002.

“I think that will be a special thing for him but he is focused on top of that on the ambitions from the club as well. He wants to be always successful like he was his whole life,” said Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler.

“He is a driver of this winning mentality and I think it’s very important to have these kind of players in the squad.

“They know how to win, they know what it needs to win, how you need to prepare a game, how you react in bad phases like on bad runs we have at the moment.”

Alan Shearer, who played with Milner at Newcastle, describes him as a model professional and a “manager’s dream”.

“You would do well if you had him in your squad because you knew exactly what you were going to get,” adds former England captain Shearer.

This is the story about a young lad from Leeds who evolved to set standards for hard work, professionalism and longevity – and earn respect from fans all over the world.

SAN FRANCISCO — Matthew Stafford’s name is already all over the NFL record book.

Add another milestone to the Rams quarterback’s achievements.

On Thursday night, Stafford was announced as the NFL most valuable player during NFL Honors at the Palace of Fine Arts.

The 17-year veteran finished ahead of New England quarterback Drake Maye in balloting by a panel of 50 journalists who regularly cover the NFL. The panel is assembled by the Associated Press. Los Angeles Times reporters do not participate in voting for awards.

During his acceptance speech, Stafford thanks his wife, Kelly, and daughters along with teammates, who he pointed at some in the audience and said he looked forward to playing with them again next season.

Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, passed for a league-best 46 touchdowns and 4,707 yards.

Stafford led the Rams to a 12-5 record and directed an offense that led the league in scoring and yards per game. He was voted first-team All-Pro.

“He’s the epitome of an igniter,” Rams coach Sean McVay said this week. “He’s just this incredibly humble superstar that has the ability to make everybody feel better when you’re around him. … I know I’m biased, but I can remove my bias and say I think he was the best player in the NFL this year.”

Stafford also engineered late winning drives in playoff victories over the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears before the Rams suffered a 31-27 defeat by the Seahawks in the NFC championship.

Stafford, the top pick in the 2009 draft, played 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions before he was traded to the Rams in 2021 for Jared Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round pick.

In his first season with the Rams, Stafford led them to victory in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.

Stafford ranks sixth all-time in completions (5,562), yards passing (64,516) and is seventh in touchdown passes (423).

Maye, 23, is a second-year pro who will play against the Seahawks on Sunday in Super Bowl LX. Maye led the Patriots to a 14-3 record — including an 8-0 road mark — and completed a league-leading and franchise record 72% of his passes. He passed for 31 touchdowns, with eight interceptions, and also rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns.

Feb. 4 (Asia Today) — Kakao Bank posted record earnings last year as growth in non-interest income offset pressure on lending revenue caused by tighter household loan regulations, the company said Tuesday.

The internet-only bank said net profit for 2025 reached 480.3 billion won ($348.6 million), up 9.1% from a year earlier. Fourth-quarter net profit rose 24.5% year over year to 105.2 billion won ($76.3 million), marking the first time quarterly earnings topped 100 billion won.

The results exceeded market expectations despite stricter government oversight of household lending in the second half of the year, which forced Kakao Bank to cut its loan growth target by half.

Interest income, still the bank’s largest revenue source, fell under regulatory pressure. Loan interest income declined 2.9% to 1.99 trillion won ($1.45 billion) from 2.05 trillion won ($1.49 billion) in 2024.

By contrast, non-interest income – including fees, platform revenue and fund management gains – jumped 22.5% to 1.08 trillion won ($790.6 million), surpassing 1 trillion won for the first time. Non-interest income accounted for 35.3% of total operating income, up about 5 percentage points from a year earlier.

Fund management performance was a major contributor. Kakao Bank said profits from the segment climbed about 28% to 670.8 billion won ($487.2 million), aided by expanded bond purchases in a high-interest-rate environment and a more diversified investment strategy.

Fee and platform revenue also continued to rise. Despite lower merchant fees for check cards, advertising revenue and loan comparison service income increased 54% and 37%, respectively. Total fee and platform revenue reached 310.5 billion won ($225.5 million), up 2.9% from a year earlier.

Looking ahead, Kakao Bank said it plans to further strengthen non-interest income this year by expanding products and services and by seeking growth opportunities in global and artificial intelligence-related businesses. The bank also signaled interest in mergers and acquisitions involving payment and capital companies to broaden its business scope into areas such as infrastructure and equipment finance.

An industry source said sustaining growth in non-interest income will be critical as lending expansion remains constrained, adding that the success of new business lines will play a key role in shaping future performance.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260205010001717

History was made in more than one way at Sunday night’s 68th Grammy Awards.

Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” won album of the year — the first Spanish-language LP to take the Recording Academy’s highest honor. Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” was named record of the year, making Lamar the winningest rapper in Grammy history (and just the fourth artist to go back-to-back for the record prize). Then there were Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, who took song of the year with “Wildflower”; they’re now the only songwriters with three wins in that prestigious category.

To go by demographics, the ceremony clearly embodied the diversity gains the academy has been saying proudly are happening among its 15,000 voting members. But if new kinds of faces are becoming Grammy darlings, the music they’re being recognized for still upholds many of the academy’s old values. A night for making history was also a night for reveling in it.

Take “Luther,” a soulful hip-hop slow jam built on a prominent sample of Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 rendition of a love song Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell recorded in the late 1960s — an intricate piece of lineage-making meant to bridge multiple generations.

Olivia Dean performs.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

“First and foremost, let’s give a shout-out to the late, great Luther Vandross,” the producer Sounwave said as he, Lamar, SZA and the song’s other creators accepted their award at Crypto.com Arena. (Before they made it onstage, Cher misread the card identifying “Luther” as record of the year and said that Vandross himself had won.) Lamar added, “This is what music is about,” and expressed his gratitude for being allowed “the privilege” to use Vandross’ music as long as he and SZA promised the singer’s estate not to curse on their record.

You can hear a similar reverence for those who came before in Olivia Dean, the 26-year-old British singer named best new artist on the strength of her hit “The Art of Loving” LP, which looks back to the gleaming pop-soul of Diana Ross and Whitney Houston.

Even Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer who became a superstar at the bleeding edge of reggaeton and Latin trap, achieved his Grammy breakthrough with something of a throwback move: “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” is an exactingly arranged tribute to his native island, with elements of Puerto Rican folk styles such as bomba and plena and more hand-played instrumentation than he utilized for 2022’s sleek “Un Verano Sin Ti,” which scored a Grammy nomination for album of the year but lost to “Harry’s House” by Harry Styles (who, as it happens, presented the album prize Sunday).

Part of Bad Bunny’s success this year can be attributed to the fact that he’s a far bigger celebrity than he was three years ago; indeed, his Grammy triumph impressively sets up the halftime performance he’ll give this coming weekend at Super Bowl LX. But not unlike Beyoncé’s rootsy “Cowboy Carter,” which finally brought her a win for album of the year in 2025 after a number of outrage-inducing defeats, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” is also primo Grammy bait: a work steeped in tradition from a natural innovator.

SZA backstage.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

For years, the Grammys’ rearview gaze used to bum me out — and, to be honest, as lovely as Eilish’s “Wildflower” is, her song of the year win with the tender acoustic ballad felt like a failure of imagination among voters I wish had recognized the hurtling exuberance of “Golden,” from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters.” (“Golden” did take the prize for song written for visual media, which made it the first K-pop tune to win a Grammy.)

Yet something about Sunday’s ceremony made it hard to get too worked up about all the historicizing. Perhaps it was how plainly yet passionately many artists used their time onstage to speak about the issues pressing on us right now. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out,” Bad Bunny told the crowd as he accepted an award for música urbana album. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”

Lady Gaga on the red carpet.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

Eilish said, “No one is illegal on stolen land.” Dean pointed out that she’s the granddaughter of an immigrant and that “those people deserve to be celebrated.”

I was also moved by how personal so much of the music felt — a cry of imperfection like Lola Young’s “Messy,” for instance, which she performed by herself on piano and which won pop solo performance in an upset over the likes of Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter. “I don’t know what I’m gonna say because I don’t have any speech prepared,” she yelled into the microphone as she received her trophy. “Obviously, I don’t — it’s messy, do you know what I mean?”

Weirdly for a show with yesterday so heavily on its mind, a tribute to the late R&B trailblazers Roberta Flack and D’Angelo was a disappointment, with Lauryn Hill as bandleader moving way too quickly (in way too short an allotted time) through songs that require real space to unfurl.

That’s what Justin Bieber had for the evening’s most striking performance: a slow and radically stripped-down rendition of his song “Yukon” that he sang wearing only boxer shorts and socks, accompanying himself with a scratchy electric guitar riff he fed through a looping station.

“Yukon” is from Bieber’s impressive “Swag” album, which he released last year after a lengthy stretch in the pop-star wilderness; it’s an LP, kind of like “Messy,” about learning to forgive yourself for your flaws, and here he sang “Yukon” like a guy who’d figured out — maybe a guy figuring out — how to build a life outside the punishing expectations of celebrity. The music had the past in it, of course, but didn’t feel constrained by it.

Justin Bieber performs.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

NEW YORK — Lakers star LeBron James made the NBA All-Star team for a record 22nd time Sunday after being selected as a Western Conference reserve by NBA coaches.

James had been selected as an All-Star starter 21 consecutive times, an NBA record, but fans didn’t choose him this season. The 41-year-old James is just the second player to earn multiple All-Star selections after the age of 40, joining Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, Houston’s Kevin Durant, Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Portland’s Deni Avdija also were named Western Conference reserves.

The Eastern Conference reserves are Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, Miami’s Norman Powell, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and Detroit’s Jalen Duren.

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, seventh in scoring at 28.7 points per game and first in steals (2.1), could be chosen by commissioner Adam Silver to replace Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s a starter but is injured.

James was averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 assists and 5.8 rebounds over 33.1 minutes per game. He was shooting 50.2% from the field and 34.9% from three-point range through 30 games.

James missed the first 14 games because of sciatica and started slowly when he returned, but has been playing at a higher level recently.

In January, James scored 109 fourth-quarter points, tied with Durant for the most in the NBA. James helped the Lakers post a league-best 14-2 record in clutch games entering Sunday’s game at New York.

James will join Lakers teammate Luka Doncic, who had the most All-Star votes, in the Feb. 15 game at the Clippers’ home arena, Intuit Dome.

The new All-Star format will be a three-team tournament that features two U.S. teams and one world team. The U.S. teams will have 16 players and the world will have eight. Doncic, who is from Slovenia, will play for the world team.

The teams play a round-robin of 12-minute games, with the top teams advancing to the final 12-minute championship.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” was named record of the year at Sunday night’s 68th Grammy Awards, giving Lamar his second straight win in the category after he took it in 2025 with his smash-hit Drake diss, “Not Like Us.”

The Compton-born rapper is one of only four acts in Grammy history who’ve gone back to back in record of the year, along with Billie Eilish, U2 and Roberta Flack.

Built on a prominent sample of Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 duet “If This World Were Mine” (itself a cover of the song Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell introduced in 1967), “Luther” is from Lamar’s sixth studio album, “GNX,” which came out in November 2024.

“Luther forever,” Lamar said while accepting the speech. Cher announced the winner after accepting the Lifetime achievement award, at first just reading off Vandross’ name.

The song — which was produced by Jack Antonoff, Bridgeway, M-Tech, Roselilah, Sounwave and Kamasi Washington — spent 13 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100, longer than any other single in 2025. On Spotify, “Luther” has been streamed more than 1.3 billion times.

The other songs nominated for record of the year were Bad Bunny’s “DTMF,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Doechii’s “Anxiety,” Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” and “Apt.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars.

VICTORIA Beckham was in the biggest girl group of all time but her son Cruz is taking inspiration from another brilliant British band for his debut album — The Beatles.

The budding musician’s close friend Luke Pritchard has unofficially helped guide the project thanks to years of experience in the industry, along with his ten UK Top Ten singles with his band The Kooks.

In an exclusive chat, Luke revealed Cruz was heavily influenced by the Fab Four’s ninth record, The White Album, which gave us iconic songs including Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and Blackbird.

“He’s brilliant. He’s got all the right things,” Luke told me at the Iconic Images Gallery in London, where we were invited to celebrate a new exhibition of The Cure ahead of their headline slot at Isle of Wight Festival.

“I think he’s a rockstar, I really do.

“It’s got a kind of White Album psychedelia sound, with warm tones.

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“I think he’s a great guitar player – it’s kind of what I want to hear in my head.”

In March, Cruz took to social media to tease a self-penned track inspired by his love for The Beatles.

In the short clip, he sang: “I wanna be John Lennon.”

Last week, as the showbiz world imploded thanks to his brother Brooklyn’s bombshell statement hammering his family, Cruz was locked away in a north London studio putting the finishing touches to the record.

As speculation about the family rift circulated the globe, Cruz took to Instagram to reshare a shot from the studio with the words “Loneliest Boy” along the top of a song sheet, leading some fans to wonder if it will be about his estranged brother.

Luke, who has released a new live version of The Kooks’s 2014 song See Me Now today, explained: “We were actually in the studio with him.

“His album sounds so good, so authentic. It’s really refreshing.

“You know, he’s recording everything completely authentically and trying to pick up that magic to some parts. I think that’s amazing.”

And he is determined to prove himself as an artist in his own right, breaking free from the nepo baby label.

Luke continued: “He’s the real deal. He wants to do things properly and he wants to gather his fan base the right way and he wants to go out and just play. It’s been a mad few days for him.”

Cruz has sold out his first headline show in London in March and has announced a UK tour with his band The Breakers which went on sale on Friday.

As well as their own tour this year, The Kooks are performing at Isle of Wight Festival alongside The Cure, Calvin Harris and Lewis Capaldi.

To say that DeAndre Cole inherited a difficult challenge when he became the boys’ basketball coach at Compton Centennial this season would be an understatement. The team went 1-23 last season and had a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons since finishing 13-13 in 2017-2018.

“The expectation was to bring the winning culture, to bring some excitement,” the 44-year-old Cole said.

Incredibly, Centennial has already finished its regular season with a 12-12 record and represents one of the biggest turnaround stories in Southern California. The .500 record means Centennial is eligible for a Southern Section at-large playoff berth.

This is a program where UCLA assistant coach Rod Palmer once had teams competing against the best when alumnus Arron Affalo was bombing in threes and delivering dunks before going on to UCLA and the NBA. Centennial won the 2004 state Division III championship. This year’s team went 1-6 in the Ocean League, where Inglewood and high-scoring Jason Crowe Jr. won the league title.

Cole once served as an assistant coach at Washington Prep and Manual Arts. He was set to be head coach at Morningside until the school closed last year.

He’s a Crenshaw grad who says he was kicked off the basketball team by legendary coach Willie West. Asked what he learned, Cole said, “It takes hard work and being dedicated buying into the program and no player is bigger than the program.”

He said his problem was not listening to West and thinking he was the next Stephen Curry.

Even though Centennial had only six players available much of the season for varsity action, Cole created a junior varsity team, so help is on the way if the team gets a playoff spot. The team’s best two players have been guards Jaden McDonald, a transfer from Detroit, and Edward Johnson, who used to be home-schooled.

Five of the six players have played football, including Joshua Crathers, who was the school’s quarterback for two years.

Asked what he learned after winning one game last season, Crathers said, “Don’t give up. When you lose, you get better.”

Cole had to be creative when he lost a player against St. Bonaventure, leaving the Apaches with four players. A student who was a friend of a Centennial player with minimal practices was asked to join the team for a single game.

“We need you to show up,” Cole told the student.

Cole remembers him being so out of shape that he needed a water break after the first play of the game. Centennial won 63-58.

McDonald said the team has no choice but to be in their best shape knowing players have to play the entire game.

“I feel everything that comes to us is deserving, but we have to work hard,” McDonald said.

There’s no reason the program can’t continue to grow considering the Compton area is filled with talent. Remember the city is where DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Christopher, Tyson Chandler and Corey Benjamin once played. It’s about keeping the neighborhood kids home and showing players can develop and explore their basketball dreams.

Considering how far Centennial plunged, a 12-12 record at this point is a stunning reward for the school, players, parents and fans. Let’s see where Cole can take them.

The school is about to go through a rebuilding phase, with the gym being torn down and replaced on a whole new campus.

The straight outta of Compton story is in its beginning stage, but it sure looks like things are changing fast.

NEW YORK — Newly disclosed U.S. government files on Jeffrey Epstein have prompted the resignation of a top official in Slovakia and revived calls in Britain for former Prince Andrew to share what he knows with authorities about Epstein’s links to powerful individuals around the world.

The fallout comes a day after the Justice Department began releasing a massive trove of files that offers more details about Epstein’s interactions with the rich and famous after he served time for sex crimes in Florida.

The prime minister of Slovakia accepted the resignation Saturday of his national security advisor, Miroslav Lajcak, the country’s former foreign minister who once had a yearlong term as president of the U.N. General Assembly. Lajcak wasn’t accused of wrongdoing but left his position after photos and emails revealed he had met with Epstein in the years after the disgraced financier was released from jail.

The disclosures also have revived questions about whether longtime Epstein friend Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, should cooperate with U.S. authorities investigating Epstein.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday suggested Mountbatten-Windsor should tell American investigators whatever he knows about Epstein’s activities. The former prince has so far ignored a request from members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” about his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein.

President Trump’s Justice Department said Friday it had released more than 3 million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under a law intended to reveal the material it collected during two decades of investigations of Epstein, once a close friend of Trump.

The files, posted to the department’s website, included documents involving Epstein’s friendship with Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein’s email correspondence with longtime Trump advisor and former White House aide Stephen K. Bannon, New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and other prominent contacts with people in political, business and philanthropic circles, including billionaires Elon Musk — another former Trump advisor — and Bill Gates.

Other documents offered a window into various investigations, including ones that led to sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019 and his accomplice and longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021, and an earlier inquiry that found evidence of Epstein abusing underage girls but never led to federal charges.

Slovakian official resigns

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, said Saturday that he had accepted Lajcak’s resignation.

Lajcak hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, but emails showed that Epstein had invited him to dinner and other meetings in 2018.

The records also include a March 2018 email from Epstein’s office to former Obama White House general counsel Kathy Ruemmler, inviting her to a get-together with Epstein, Lajcak and Bannon, the conservative activist who was Trump’s White House strategist in 2017.

Lajcak said his contacts with Epstein were part of his diplomatic duties. Pressure mounted for his ouster from opposition parties and a nationalist partner in Fico’s governing coalition.

Draft indictment detailed Epstein’s abuse

The FBI started investigating Epstein in July 2006 and agents expected him to be indicted in May 2007, according to the newly released records. A prosecutor wrote up a proposed indictment after multiple underage girls told police and the FBI that they had been paid to give Epstein sexualized massages.

The draft indicated prosecutors were preparing to charge not just Epstein but also three people who worked for him as personal assistants.

According to interview notes released Friday, an employee at Epstein’s Florida estate told the FBI in 2007 that Epstein once had him buy flowers and deliver them to a student at Royal Palm Beach High School to commemorate her performance in a school play.

The employee, whose name was blacked out, said some of his duties were fanning $100 bills on a table near Epstein’s bed, placing a gun between the mattresses in his bedroom and cleaning up after Epstein’s frequent massages with young girls, including disposing of used condoms.

Ultimately, the U.S. attorney in Miami at the time, Alexander Acosta, signed off on a deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution. Epstein pleaded guilty instead to a state charge of soliciting prostitution from someone under age 18 and got an 18-month jail sentence. Acosta was Trump’s first Labor secretary in his first White House term.

Epstein offers to set Andrew up on a date

The records have thousands of references to Trump, including emails in which Epstein and others shared news articles, commented on his policies or gossiped about him and his family.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s name appears at least several hundred times, including in Epstein’s private emails. In a 2010 exchange, Epstein appeared to set him up for a date.

“I have a friend who I think you might enjoy having dinner with,” Epstein wrote.

Mountbatten-Windsor replied that he “would be delighted to see her.”

Epstein, whose emails often contain typographical errors, wrote later in the exchange: “She 26, russian, clevere beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email.”

Concerns over how Justice Department handled records

The Justice Department is facing criticism over how it handled the latest disclosure.

One group of Epstein accusers said in a statement that the new documents made it too easy to identify those he abused but not those who might have been involved in Epstein’s criminal activity.

“As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinized, and retraumatized while Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy,” it said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, pressed the department to let lawmakers review unredacted versions of the files as soon as Sunday. He said in a statement that Congress must assess whether the redactions were lawful or improperly shielded people from scrutiny.

Department officials have acknowledged that many records in its files are duplicates, and it was clear from the documents that reviewers took different degrees of care or exercised different standards while blacking out names and other identifying information.

There were multiple documents where a name was left exposed in one copy but redacted in another.

Epstein’s ties to powerful on display

The released records reinforced that Epstein was, at least before he ran into legal trouble, friendly with Trump and former President Clinton. None of Epstein’s victims who have gone public has accused Trump or Clinton of wrongdoing. Both men said they had no knowledge Epstein was abusing underage girls.

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019, a month after being indicted.

In 2021, a federal jury in New York convicted Maxwell, a British socialite, of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of Epstein’s underage victims. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence. She was recently relocated to a less-restrictive lockup in Texas, which has drawn additional criticism of the Trump administration.

U.S. prosecutors never charged anyone else in connection with Epstein’s abuse. One victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, sued Mountbatten-Windsor, saying she had sexual encounters with him starting at age 17. The now-former prince denied having sex with Giuffre but settled her lawsuit for an undisclosed sum.

Giuffre died by suicide last year at age 41.

The Associated Press is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department in collaboration with journalists from Versant, CBS and NBC. Journalists from each newsroom are working together to examine the files and share information about what is in them. Each outlet is responsible for its own independent news coverage of the documents.

Sisak, Kirka and Finley write for the Associated Press and reported from New York, London and Washington. AP journalists from around the country contributed to this report.

This time 36 years ago, Fabrice Morvan was preparing for his first Grammy Awards. It had been a wild few years for the 23-year-old Parisian and his best friend Robert Pilatus from Germany. The duo known as Milli Vanilli had rocketed to fame, going from obscure dancers in Munich to dominate the pop music scene. Not only were they nominated for best new artist, but they were expected to perform live. Underneath it all, the pair were quickly reaching their breaking point.

Don Henley’s “The End of the Innocence” was nominated for both song and record of the year. Indeed, for the tens of millions of Milli Vanilli fans who bought their records, the 1990 Grammy ceremony marked an end of innocence of sorts. To this day, Milli Vanilli are the only artists in the history of the Grammys to have their award revoked.

L-R: The pop duo Milli Vanilli comprised of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, the subject of the Paramount+ documentary Milli Vanilli, streaming on Paramount+ beginning October 24, 2023.

(Ingrid Segeith/Ingrid Segeith/Paramount+)

“Rob and Fab,” as they were known, never sang — live or in studio — on any of the smash hit singles from their 6x platinum debut North American album, “Girl You Know It’s True.” Their Grammy performance was them lip-synching to a playback.

The real singing was done by paid session vocalists John Davis, Brad Howell and Charles Shaw while Rob and Fab captivated with their charisma, athletic dance moves and eye for style. In the wake of the fallout, Milli Vanilli remained steadfast that what they did was wrong. There was, in fact, plenty of blame to go around even if Rob and Fab suffered the brunt of it.

“They removed the platinum records from the wall at Arista,” says Morvan, now 59. He is perched on the edge of a poolside lounge chair from a boutique hotel in the heart of Hollywood. It’s a sunny December day, but he’s dressed all in black with glasses to match, slim fingers adorned with a custom silver skull ring. He loves the sunshine, but offers for my sake to move somewhere in the shade. Able to pass for decades younger, he now basks in life on the other side of infamy.

“They say the truth will set you free. The truth takes the stairs while the lies take the elevators. And that is true,” Morvan said. “So finally, after 35 years, my truth comes to the surface.”

(Stephen Shadrach)

Now, in a redemption as astounding as his rise, Morvan is back in the running for the 2026 Grammys as the only person in Recording Academy history nominated after a prior revocation.

This time, the voice is unmistakably his. Nominated in the audio book, narration, and storytelling recording category for his memoir “You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli,” Morvan’s lilting French dialect and soft tone are hypnotizing and he has a natural knack for storytelling. The recording was performed alone in his home studio.

“They say the truth will set you free. The truth takes the stairs while the lies take the elevators. And that is true. So finally, after 35 years, my truth comes to the surface,” he contends. “And people, they get it, they understand that.”

Sadly, Rob Pilatus isn’t here to see it. Unable to handle the fallout and struggling in addiction, he died in 1998. In one of the more moving parts of his memoir, Morvan speaks to his former partner, laying bare for the first time some of the more unhealthy aspects of their relationship but in a way that makes clear his love for Pilatus runs deep.

After Pilatus’ death, Morvan tried his best to move on. He taught French at a Berlitz school for a while when not performing at small venues. “I’m not even looking at becoming big,” he told Times journalist Carla Rivera in a 1997 profile. He even had a stint on radio hosting “Fabrice’s Fabulous Flashbacks” for KIIS-FM. But he always returned to making music.

“Music was always there with me,” he says, his excitement building. So when it came to moving forward in life, and, I said, ‘OK, what am I going to do?’ Music kind of popped up and said, ‘Hey, show me how much you love me.’ And then I worked on that, and I learned how to play guitar, and I learned how to produce, and I learned how to write … it allowed me to take the pain away, to remove it.”

But after 20 years in Los Angeles, Morvan felt it was time to leave “Hotel California,” as he calls it, for opportunities in Europe. In a follow-up Zoom call from his home in Amsterdam, he confides that he almost felt like giving up, but figured maybe a change of scenery was what he needed.

“I was very disillusioned,” he says, headphones crowning his dreadlocked updo. “I found a producer that I could work with and build something with, but due to certain circumstances, it didn’t come together. So I met some Dutch people that wanted to launch a fashion line. And I heard that Holland was a place where dance music was evolving.”

Becoming a DJ, he played festivals and kept Milli Vanilli’s legacy alive, performing with a live band.

Morvan with his wife Tessa van der steen and their four children

While preparing for a project about 15 years ago, Morvan met his current partner, Tessa van der Steen, who is Dutch and works as a health and fitness coach and alternative medicine practitioner. Together, they have four children: a 12-year-old boy, 9-year-old girl, and a set of 4-year-old twin boys.

During Milli Vanilli’s heyday, powerful male (mostly white) figures held the cards, but in this phase of his life it’s women who play big roles. Not mentioned in his book is Kim Marlowe, who Morvan says, in the 1997 Times article was his manager and best friend. They at one point married; Marlowe quietly filed for divorce in L.A. in 2024.

Van der Steen, however, is the love of his life. She had no idea who he was when they first met, he was simply “Fabrice.” And according to Morvan, she is fiercely protective. “Fab is the most loving partner and father I could ever imagine,” Van der Steen writes over email. “We are soulmates. We have been together for more than 15 years. We understand each other, and it happens often that we are thinking of the same things, without saying a word.” She champions his efforts to release original music and continue performing.

In recent years, changes in culture, technology and the music industry have opened up conversations casting Rob and Fab in a more sympathetic light. Morvan himself took part in the well-received 2023 Paramount+ documentary “Milli Vanilli.” That same year, “Girl You Know It’s True,” a well-made biopic directed by Simon Verhoeven, came out.

And Morvan was caught off guard when Ryan Murphy featured Milli Vanilli prominently in his 2024 series on the Menendez brothers, a move introducing the group to new generations unfamiliar with the story. Motivated by the renewed interest, he recorded a stripped down, acoustic version of the Diane Warren-penned hit “Blame It on the Rain.”

As recently as November, Milli Vanilli came up in the zeitgeist, sparked by a comment on X by veteran producer Jermaine Dupri commenting on AI “artists” charting on Billboard.

Of course there are still detractors, but in an era in which public cancellations abound and apologies are scrutinized for any whiff of inauthenticity, Milli Vanilli’s wrongdoings can now seem quaint.

Benjamin Matheson, assistant professor at the University of Bern’s Institute on Philosophy, studies collective shame and writes on celebrity apology. He offers the startling thought that certain fans might be more willing to forgive a moral wrong, even an egregious one like unlawful intercourse with a minor in the example of director Roman Polanski, as opposed to artistic deception because it can be seen as more authentic.

“I think that perhaps,” Matheson writes over email, “Milli Vanilli suffered because they were an early ‘created’ pop band, and the public hadn’t been acclimatized to this kind of music. Whereas now I think people are much more comfortable with autotuning, AI music, and so on — though I’d love it if there was a bit more push back on this kind of thing.”

Morvan has plenty of thoughts on the state of the music industry past and present. He welcomes the change in perspective, and while he doesn’t live in regret, looking back, he would give his younger self a little advice.

“Keep working on your craft now. No matter what, and don’t ever start drugs. And don’t let your buddy Rob start with that. With those two, things would have been different.”

The pop duo Milli Vanilli comprised of Rob Pilatus(left) and Fab Morvan are the subject of the Paramount+ documentary Milli Vanilli, streaming on Paramount+ beginning October 24, 2023.

(Paul Cox/Paramount+/Paul Cox/Paramount+)

When the Los Angeles Tribune editorial staff selected “Girl You Know It’s True” as its movie of the year, Morvan met Parisa Rose, his co-writer and executive producer for the recording of the memoir. Rose, a first-time author and mother of two, first met Morvan when she interviewed him for the quirky paper — now in its fourth revival. She is now chief operating officer of the Tribune, which has expanded to include a publishing house.

Rose, who grew up in Pasadena, helped Morvan reckon with parts of his background he had long buried. One of the most compelling parts of the memoir is when he breaks the fourth wall, narrating letters to individuals from his past.

“You need to say everything you have never said before to them that you’ve always wanted to say,” she says of the exercise they conducted for the interludes. “You need to know that this is the last conversation you will ever have with them. And you need to imagine they are sitting across from you now.” Reached over the phone, Rose said she also helped with research, uncovering details on the seaside sanatorium in France where Morvan spent much of his early childhood.

A great part of Morvan’s motivation for the memoir was to leave a legacy for his kids. His oldest son is getting into music and recently found an old Milli Vanilli vinyl and plays it along with Daft Punk and Michael Jackson. Remaining “zen” about the idea of winning, he’s enjoying the moment. And the big dreams never die. He plans to tour in the next year and come back to perform in America. And who knows? Maybe one day he can play Coachella.

He’s particularly thrilled over his Grammy outfit, a collaboration with Spanish designer Helen López, whom he previously worked with on a Milli Vanilli-inspired line. “When you’ll see what I’m wearing … you’ll see that I don’t play,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. “No matter what the outcome in life, you have to just be, be in the moment. Enjoy the moment. Whatever happens will lead you to something else. I have no expectations.”

NEW YORK — The Justice Department on Friday released many more records from its investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein, resuming disclosures under a law intended to reveal what the government knew about the millionaire financier’s sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with the rich and powerful.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department was releasing more than 3 million pages of documents in the latest Epstein disclosure, as well as more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The files, posted to the department’s website, include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December.

They were disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted after months of public and political pressure that requires the government to open its files on the late financier and his accomplice, confidant and longtime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance with the act,” Blanche said at a news conference announcing the disclosure.

After missing a Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress to release all of the files, the Justice Department said it tasked hundreds of lawyers with reviewing the records to determine what needs to be redacted, or blacked out, to protect the identities of victims of sexual abuse.

Among the materials being withheld is information that could jeopardize any ongoing investigation or expose the identities of personal details about potential victims. All women other than Maxwell have been redacted from videos and images being released Friday, Blanche said.

The number of documents subject to review has ballooned to roughly six million, including duplicates, the department said.

The Justice Department released tens of thousands of pages of documents just before Christmas, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs and court records. Many of them were either already public or heavily blacked out.

Those records included previously released flight logs showing that President Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, before they had a falling out, and several photographs of former President Clinton. Neither Trump, a Republican, nor Clinton, a Democrat, has been publicly accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and both have said they had no knowledge he was abusing underage girls.

Also released last month were transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who said they were paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

In 2008 and 2009, Epstein served jail time in Florida after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. At the time, investigators had gathered evidence that Epstein had sexually abused underage girls at his home in Palm Beach, but the U.S. attorney’s office agreed not to prosecute him in exchange for his guilty plea to lesser state charges.

In 2021, a federal jury in New York convicted Maxwell, a British socialite, of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of his underage victims. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence at a prison camp in Texas, after being moved there from a higher-security federal prison in Florida. She denies any wrongdoing.

U.S. prosecutors never charged anyone else in connection with Epstein’s abuse of girls, but one of his victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, accused him in lawsuits of having arranged for her to have sexual encounters at age 17 and 18 with numerous politicians, business titans, noted academics and others, all of whom denied her allegations.

Among the people she accused was Britain’s Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after the scandal led to him being stripped of his royal titles. Andrew denied having sex with Giuffre but settled her lawsuit for an undisclosed sum.

Giuffre died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia last year at age 41.

Tucker, Sisak and Richer write for the Associated Press. Tucker and Richer reported from Washington.

South Korean stocks closed a tad higher Friday to extend their winning streak to a fourth session to a new record high as investors scooped of artificial intelligence (AI) shares despite concerns over a bubble. The local currency fell against the greenback.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) inched up 3.11 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at 5,224.3, after rising as high as to 5,321.68.

Trade volume was heavy at 852 million shares worth 34.7 trillion won (US$24.1 billion). Losers outnumbered winners 602 to 278.

Individuals bought a net 2.2 trillion won, while foreigners sold a net 1.9 trillion won. Institutions sold a net 425 billion won.

Investors continued to purchase tech shares despite concerns over a bubble, as their performance has already been proven for robust earnings amid the AI cycle.

“For the time being, AI hardware and software companies need to overcome concerns over their profitability,” Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said.

“During the period, the market’s preference for chipmakers that sell memory products to such companies will remain strong,” Han added.

The market advance was limited after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to raise “reciprocal” tariffs and auto duties on South Korea back to 25 percent this week.

Top-cap Samsung Electronics edged down 0.12 percent to 160,500 won, while SK hynix set a fresh high at 909,000 won, up 5.57 percent.

Brokerage houses closed bullish amid the market rally, with Mirae Asset Securities rising 4.65 percent to 42,750 won and Kiwoom Securities increasing 4.11 percent to 443,500 won.

Top mobile carrier SK Telecom rose 4.32 percent to 72,500 won on the back of improved business outlook, and its rival KT added 1.43 percent to 56,900 won.

Samsung SDI rose 0.52 percent as the company said it has won a battery supply contract without disclosing details, with the deal widely believed to be related to Tesla Inc.’s energy storage system business.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,439.5 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., down 13.2 won from the previous session’s close.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 3.2 basis points to 3.138 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds added 4.1 basis points to 3.436 percent.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

For Ty Dolla Sign, the perfect Sunday begins in the sky, traveling back to Los Angeles from wherever his career has last taken him. The singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist lives in constant motion — our interview had a few interruptions because he was getting ready to fly to Las Vegas, where he would be performing at a club later that night.

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

“I’m about to be at the airport in like 17 minutes,” he said, his signal cutting in and out. “Do you want me to hit you back?”

Born Tyrone Griffin Jr., Ty Dolla Sign is known for his gruff sandpaper vocals and memorable hooks. Last fall, he released his fourth studio album, “Tycoon,” with features from YG, ASAP Rocky, Chlöe, Lil Wayne and Leon Thomas and more. Then he kicked off 2026 by dropping a mash-up version of the record on the streaming platform Hotcue.fm.

Awards season has been just as active. Ty Dolla Sign is up for his seventh Grammy nomination, this time for melodic rap performance for his collaboration with JID. EZMNY (Easy Money), the record label that Ty Dolla Sign co-founded with A&R executive Shawn Barron in 2021, also earned 10 additional nominations through its roster, including six for Leon Thomas and four for Bizzy Crook.

“We’re the greatest squad,” the L.A. native said of his team. “We just want to keep being the greatest and doing the best we can to change music for the better and keep the standard high.”

The 2026 Grammy Awards will take place Sunday — the same day as his daughter’s 21st birthday, so naturally she’ll be joining him for the special occasion. He’ll also be doing a pre-show performance before the ceremony.

Just before his plane took off, Ty Dolla Sign shared what a perfect Sunday in L.A. would look like: hitting up his favorite smoothie bar, cooking up new music at his compound and enjoying a low-key Italian dinner.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.

5 a.m.: Wake up on a plane

A perfect Sunday for me would start with landing on a plane early in L.A. Since I’ll already be up, I can handle my calls super early, which is convenient.

11 a.m.: Hit the weights with my PT

Then I’d go straight home and my trainer would get to my place around 11 a.m. or noon. We’d work out after that in my home gym. I’ve been working with my trainer since before Ty Dolla Sign. We’ve been training together on and off for about 15 to 20 years. I’m the type of guy to where it’s like, yeah, having a six pack is cool and all that, but eating great food is also one of my loves. If a girl wants to deal with me, she’s going to have to know certain times, I’m going to be the super workout fitness guy and sometimes, I want to eat for three years and I might get a little chunky. If you love me, you love me. If you don’t, get away. [laughs]

2 p.m.: Grab a healthy smoothie from Body Energy Club

Afterward, I’d shower up and if I have to do any more calls or answer emails, I’d handle that. Then I’d go to this spot called Body Energy Club, which has these fire a— smoothie and acai bowls. They have the most natural ingredients. The Green Goodness is great. It has avocado, spinach, banana and some other sweet stuff. It doesn’t taste nasty at all, but it’s super healthy. Then there’s the Blueberry Crumble that I love, which kind of tastes like French Toast Crunch with blueberries in it. It’s fire but also healthy. Then last but not least, I like the Turmeric Mango. That’s the one I get when I need to heal up and I’ve been wildin’. [laughs]

3 p.m.: Hit up the studio

After that, I would head over to my compound and probably just do some music. I might throw on a football game while I’m working.

10 p.m.: A low-key Italian dinner

Depending on when I leave the studio, I’d either order in or go out for dinner. There’s a few restaurants that I love. If we’re talking Italian, I’d go to Giorgio Baldi in the Palisades. If it was getting late, I’d go to Nice Guy. They also have Italian food. I’m only going to places that give me the private room and don’t try to “rap guy” me, meaning they don’t try to charge me extra high because they know I’m an artist.

At Giorgio Baldi, I like the ravioli that has corn in it, which is what they’re famous for. They have so many good things, so I order a whole bunch of things and then I just taste a little bit of each thing and that’s how I like it cause that’s how I eat. Everywhere I go, I like to order steak, fish and chicken and veggies just like how I cook at home. I don’t have to eat everything, but it’s better if I bring a lot of people so we can all share. That’s like when I’m on my diet s— and trying to stay slim. If it wasn’t then my favorite food is a burger. As for Nice Guy, they have this chicken Parmesan but I’m a weirdo, I eat the chicken Parmesan without the Parmesan. I found one other person who’s like me and it’s YG because we’re both on some “No cheese.” It was funny to find out that he was the same way. After that, I would call it a night.

Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest man to reach all four slam finals and can now become youngest to win all four.

Carlos Alcaraz overcame cramps and injury to fend off Alexander Zverev in an epic, momentum-swinging five-setter to become the youngest man in the Open era to reach the finals of all four Grand Slam events.

At 22, he’s aiming to be the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

He reached his first Australian Open final the hard way, winning 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in 5 hours, 27 minutes on Friday.

That’s despite being two points away in the third set from a semifinal victory in a tournament where he hadn’t dropped a set through five rounds.

He was behind in the fifth set after dropping the first game and didn’t break back until Zverev was serving for the match in the 10th.

Alcaraz will next face either two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner or 10-time Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic, who is bidding for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title. The long afternoon match delayed the start of the night’s semifinal.

The top-ranked Alcaraz was leading by two sets and appeared to be in the kind of form that won him the US Open last year and has helped him evenly split the last eight majors with Sinner.

But in the ninth game of the third, he started limping and appeared to be struggling with an upper right leg problem. After holding for 5-4, he took a medical timeout in the changeover. It may have been cramp, but he rubbed the inside of his right thigh and called for the trainer, who also massaged the same area.

Zverev was demonstrably upset, talking with a tournament official, when his rival was given the three-minute break for treatment.

Even with his limited footwork, Alcaraz was able to hit winners and get to 6-5 before the trainer returned in the changeover to massage the area again.

When he went back out, the crowd gave him rousing support. Zverev served a double-fault to open the next game, and Alcaraz lobbed and then slapped a forehand winner down the line to get to 0-30. But Zverev won four straight points to force the tiebreaker and then win it.

No 3 Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, retained his composure despite Alcaraz’s obvious discomfort on the other side of the net, and the crowd on Rod Laver Arena firmly behind the Spaniard.

He was in front for the entire fourth set, but Alcaraz stayed with him, until Zverev again took charge in the tiebreaker. More than four hours had elapsed when the match went to a fifth set, the first five-setter on the centre court in the 2026 tournament.

Alcaraz dropped serve in the opening game of the fifth set but hung with Zverev, getting five breakpoint chances without being able to convert.

The drama lifted in the sixth game, when Alcaraz sprinted across court to track down a drop shot and slid at full pace for an angled forehand winner. The crowd went crazy.

Alcaraz finally converted the break when Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fifth set.

He held for 6-5 and converted his first match point when Zverev was serving to stay in the match.

Los Angeles police solved more than two thirds of all homicides citywide in 2025, a year that ended with the fewest number of slayings in six decades, according to statistics presented by local authorities on Thursday.

Of the 230 homicides logged in areas patrolled by the LAPD, officials said that 156, or 68%, were considered solved. By the department’s definition, a homicide can be “cleared” through an arrest or other factors, including if the killing was deemed legally justified or the suspect dies. Whether the case results in criminal charges or a conviction is not part of the department’s methodology.

Factoring in the 78 homicides from past years that were solved in 2025, the clearance rate rose to 101%, officials said.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the department’s success in solving homicides was the result of more data-driven actions against the relatively small number of individuals responsible for an outsize proportion of violent crimes, as well as collaboration with federal law enforcement and other agencies.

McDonnell pointed to an 8% reduction in the number of gunshot victims citywide, a decline he attributed to a significant increase in the number of guns seized by police. In 2025, LAPD officials recovered 8,650 firearms, 1,000 more than the previous year, he said. Gang killings still account for most of the city’s homicides, but are far below where they were in years past, officials said.

The chief said police need to remain diligent since “every life lost was one too many.” The trends for other categories of violent crime were a “mixed bag,” he said, and concerns about property crimes such as burglary and vehicle thefts remain ongoing.

He said that the declining numbers were proof that a depleted department, stretched thin by low recruitment numbers and recent protests and wildfires, was still performing admirably. At the same time, he acknowledged that the decline was likely also the result of other factors that govern the ebb and flow of crime.

Historically, experts have cast a skeptical eye on police-driven explanations for clearance rates, arguing that community attitudes and behaviors, prosecutors’ thresholds for filing homicide charges, and other variables may have more to do with solving homicides more than any particular law enforcement model.

The homicide tally marked the city’s lowest total since 1966, when the city’s population was nearly a third smaller. The downturn mirrors precipitous drops in many other large cities nationwide last year — and has sparked a range of theories about what’s going on.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, right, points to statistics showing an increase in the homicide clearance rate, a measure of how often detectives are marking investigations as closed.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

For those who view violent crime as a public health issue, the steep decrease is rooted in powerful social forces that are far beyond the control of law enforcement. Those factors include the return of social services that declined during the pandemic, and fatigue from decades of bloodshed.

Still others say it’s simply a matter of numbers: with lighter caseloads, homicide detectives have more time to thoroughly investigate each new killing.

Sal Labarbera, a former supervisor of detectives in South Bureau homicide, called the citywide solve rates a “beautiful” achievement.

“This is how it’s supposed to be. When murders are down, reinforce the teams and solve the older cases. In the past, when homicides were down, they sometimes took detectives away from homicide investigations,” he said. “It’s especially extraordinary considering the number of sworn officers are decreasing.”

According to statistics maintained by the state Department of Justice, homicide clearance rates statewide have hovered around 60% over the past decade, with a high of 64.6% in 2019 and a low of 54.5% in 2021. In Los Angeles, the percentage of slayings that have been solved rose slightly from 2024, but was down from the 79.9% clearance rate that the department achieved in 2023.

The data presented at a news conference Thursday didn’t offer a breakdown of how last year’s solve rates differed geographically in the department’s 21 patrol areas.

HAVEN’T you heard? Going abroad for a holiday is out in the year 2026, but cosy cottage staycations and UK city breaks are well and truly back.

If you’re thinking of ditching an overseas break for somewhere closer to home, these are our top picks from postcard-perfect villages, to busy cities and even our favourite hotels.

Sykes Holiday Cottages has predicted a record high for staycations in 2026, reporting that bookings made in January are up 9 per cent year-on-year.

So where should you book? The Sun Travel team has plenty of suggestions…

Skegness, Lincolnshire

For fun at the beach, Head of Sun Travel Lisa Minot suggests a trip to this popular seaside town: “The original Lincolnshire seaside town of Skegness is celebrating a landmark birthday in 2026 – the 90th birthday of the very first Butlin’s holiday camp.

“Founded by Billy Butlin, it offered affordable, organised seaside holidays  and helped popularise the all-in, onsite entertainment model that has stood the test of time.

GO SEA IT

£9.50 holiday spot with shipwrecks, seals offshore & horseshoe-shaped waterfalls

SIGHT SEA

£9.50 holidaymakers’ favourite Skegness activities… away from the beach

“This year will see a host of special events at Butlin’s to celebrate, including a special weekend over the Easter weekend including a dazzling firework and laser show on April 11.

“Of course, there’s lots more to see and do – from classic arcade amusements and fish and chips on the pier to bucket and spade beach fun.

“For a must-do day out, Natureland Seal Sanctuary’s rescue and rehabilitation work makes for a fascinating visit and the Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve promises dunes, saltmarshes and birdlife for nature lovers.”

Snettisham, Norfolk

Travel Reporter Jenna Stevens recommends a visit to her hometown, she said: “Born and raised in North West Norfolk, I’ve seen hordes of tourists flock to my county every year for a summer staycation.

“But I’m always surprised when holidaymakers head for the same few touristy spots, and miss out on exploring our quiet, pretty villages such as Snettisham.

“Snettisham Beach is a quiet yet arguably more beautiful alternative to Hunstanton or Holkham. It’s known for dramatic orange sunsets and spectacular displays of pink-footed geese sweeping across the horizon.

“Head out for breakfast to the trendy Old Store for a full-on fry up with duck fat hash browns, and spend the day hand-feeding farm animals and heading out on deer safari at the family-friendly Snettisham Park.

“When the evening creeps in, head to The Rose and Crown for a pint of local ale and an unbeatably cosy pub atmosphere. As the working day winds down, the 14th-century pub is packed with local cricket players and dog-walkers settling down by the fire – who will happily talk your ear off about the best hidden spots in Norfolk.

“Plus, Snettisham is only a 10-minute drive to the royal residence and beautiful woodlands of Sandringham, which has a large wooden playground and plenty of walking trails marked by wooden animal sculptures.”

Burford, The Cotswolds

Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey said: “While you might be tempted over to the Cotswolds for the world-famous Bourton-on-Water, or for a pint at Clarkson’s Farm, you’d be remiss to skip out on a trip to Burford.

“The main high street is one of the prettiest in the area with barely any chain restaurants and shops.

“The sandy yellow Cotswold stone is instead used for vintage sweet shops, pubs dating back hundreds of years and cosy gift shops selling twee home goods.

“Make sure to grab a cake and a coffee at Hunter’s Cake Company, or some afternoon tea at Huffkins. Any leftover crusts can be taken to the river at the bottom of the hill, to make friends with the eager ducks.”

Grantchester, Cambridgeshire

Travel Reporter Alice Penwill visited one destination that’s used as a TV backdrop of the same name, she said: “Just 15-minutes outside of Cambridge is the beautiful village of Grantchester.

“Most people would have heard of Grantchester because of the television series starring Robson Green and Rishi Nair that’s set in the 1950s and has been filmed in the actual village for years.

“Lots of visitors take pictures outside the vicarage and the church – but where I headed was for a relaxing walk along the River Cam before stopping in The Orchard Tea Garden set in an actual apple orchard.

“It’s famous for having a number of literary legends visit, like Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster. While you’re there I’d suggest picking up a homemade scone, which you get with a pot of jam and clotted cream for £5.40.”

Unplugged, Wales

For those seeking a peaceful break, Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski, has a hotel suggestion that will top all others when it comes to switching off. “The Unplugged brand first popped up on my radar a few years back, during another frenzied lockdown when life was lived primarily through screens and burnout felt inevitable.

“The off-grid cabin company specialises in digital detoxes – a trend that will certainly be growing in 2026. The idea is that visitors lock away their devices in the safe until the end of their stay (a basic Nokia phone is provided for emergencies).

“Stays can be booked for three nights minimum – to ensure guests fully reap the physical and mental health benefits of going phone-free. Dotted across the country, each of the two-person cabins, of which there are now over 50, stand solo, immersed in nature, (bar a few paired ones, for the purpose of group bookings).

“I’ve got my eye on Taffy, a cosy, dog-friendly cabin in Powys, Wales, where walking trails are aplenty. It comes with a private hot tub, meaning evenings can be spent soaking in the bubbles under a starry sky.

“All the essentials are provided, including a kitchenette, bathroom and roaring log burner, plus there’s board games and books for entertainment as well as an outdoor seating area. Prices for Unplugged start at £420 in total for three nights.”

Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

One of the most beautiful towns is in the North of England, and Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey insists you visit, she said: “If you ever wanted to feel like you stepped into a pretty postcard picture, then the closest you will get to that is going to Knaresborough.

“The tiny market town almost looks fake, from the historic viaduct going over the river to the trains trundling along over the top.

“Add in a few kayakers on the water, and it’s the perfect place to lose a few hours. Kill some time before your train home with a glass of wine at The Mitre.

“And don’t forget to pop to the nearby York to Betty’s for a famous Fat Rascal scone.”

Newcastle

Travel Reporter Jenna Stevens said there’s one city with lots of bars, and plenty of culture too. “I first went to Newcastle to visit a friend at university and check out its legendary nightlife scene.

“And whilst the nightlife is a huge part of what makes Newcastle such a great city break – I was shocked by just how much this city has to offer.
Stepping out of the central train station, you’ll be wandering through cobbled streets overlooked by grand neoclassical stone buildings through Grainger Town.

“Head towards the Quayside, and you’ll start to see more of the city’s industrial side. There’s a series of seven pretty bridges that stretch over the river, which glows with neon city reflections at nighttime.

“For a dose of history, Newcastle Castle is a sight to behold with over 2,000 years of heritage, plus you can even climb to its rooftop for the best panoramic views across the city skyline.

“But if you do want to dip into the famous nightlife, I recommend heading to The Bigg Market or the Ouseburn for cheap pints and an electric atmosphere.”

University Arms Hotel, Cambridge

When heading to the city of Cambridge, Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey says there’s only one hotel you should check into. She said: “I might be cheating on my home city of Oxford, but the University Arms Hotel in Cambridge makes it worth it.

“The historic hotel is a must for any tourist who wants to immerse themselves in British history. Rooms are named after famous Cambridge alumni – the best being the Hawking Suite which overlooks the common.

“Bathrooms play readings of The Wind in the Willows and you can grab a book and a treat in the Library room to wind down in.

“Complimentary blue bikes for pedalling around town, free Saturday walking tours and even punting packages in the summer – it’s the quintessential English escape.”

Cornwall

For Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski, there’s one spot you can’t miss. She said: “You don’t need me to tell you that Cornwall is a staycation hotspot year in year out.

“There’s a reason I still haven’t tired of the coast-rich region with its sweeping, blustery beaches – despite visiting at least four times annually.

“It’s the constant newness: more quality restaurants, another music festival, and undiscovered cultural experiences. Even some of the historic and nature-focused sites, a big part of what makes the south west so special, are regularly being given a new lease of life.

“The Cornish coastal meadows project, due to be completed this year, will see the addition of new grasslands, encouraging more plant growth and thriving wildlife from bees and butterflies to grasshoppers.

“Stay at the recently renovated Pedn Olva, a pub with rooms that’s been carved into the craggy cliff-face facing the choppy sea in St Ives. Gobble up a bowl of crabby fries, before retiring to the bedroom to stargaze (rooms come with mini telescopes).”

Celtic Manor, Wales

When it comes to staycations, there’s one hotel that stands out for Head of Sun Travel, Lisa Minot. She revealed: “This high-end destination resort is a must-visit for stays that combine championship golf courses with luxury accommodation and an excellent spa.

“Set in 2,000 acres of scenic parkland in the Usk Valley near Newport in South Wales, it features three championship golf courses and has hosted the Ryder Cup.

“Celtic Manor has also welcomed the rich and famous. Former US president Barack Obama stayed in their fabulous four-bedroom huge Hunter Lodges when the NATO Summit was held at the resort in 2014.

“I’ve stayed in one of the lodges – and possibly even in the same bed – and can testify they offer the very best of lodge living for large groups complete with an open-plan living/dining room with vaulted ceilings and outdoor terrace with stunning golf course views from its own hot tub.

“It’s a great option for a hen or stag weekend with a difference.”

New Forest, Hampshire

Down in Hampshire, the New Forest is ripe for exploring with heathland, forest trails, wildlife and pretty villages which Travel Reporter Alice Penwill found when she visited.

She said: “I loved wandering through Brockenhurst where you see all the beautiful wild ponies, donkeys and cows roaming around – some even take a gander down the high street.

“The lovely houses even have grates on their driveway so the animals don’t wander up to the front door.

“After a long walk there are a number of pubs with big gardens where you can have a refreshing drink like The Snakecatcher, Foresters Arms and The Huntsman.”

York

Another must-visit city is the vibrant York according to Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski, she told us: “Was it the higgled piggledy buildings flanking the narrow alleyways or maybe the grand cathedral with its looming Gothic tower that first made me fall in love with York?

“Or perhaps it was merely the friendly folk who filled its cafes and shops. The Yorkshire lot seem a little more cheery than those down south. Either way, charming York is one of my favourite cities in the UK and I believe it should be on everyone’s bucket list.

“The main hub, within the City Walls (a landmark in themselves, dating back to Roman times) is my favourite area. Here you’ll find Betty’s Tea Room – an absolute must visit. The first of these fancy northern cafes opened in Harrogate way back in 1919.

“Today there are five scattered across Yorkshire, including one in York itself. Sip on tea (Yorkshire, of course) served from polished silver pots and tuck into traditional bakes like the fat rascal, a type of chunky scone crammed with fruit and spices that was invented in this county.”

Chester

Another favourite from Head of Sun Travel, Lisa Minot is this spot in the North West of England, she said: “It’s been dubbed the prettiest city in England and I can definitely say I agree – Chester’s historic centre is a delight to explore.

“Shopaholics will have even more reason to visit in 2026 with the launch of the H Beauty store from Harrods on February 6.

“Set in the former Browns of Chester building, an Edwardian beauty on Eastgate Rows, it will feature a champagne bar, blow-dry bar, interactive play tables and of course, lots of high end beauty products.

“There’s more shopping delights on The Rows, a two-tier medieval galleries, covered walkways lined with timber-framed facades, boutiques and cafes stacked above street level.

“And of course, you can’t miss a walk around the City Walls, the most complete circuit of Roman and medieval walls in Britain that gives you  scenic stroll with great views over the town, gardens and river.”

Anglesey, Wales

Travel Reporter Alice Penwill found a beautiful Welsh village on a trip to Anglesey, she said: “I’ve always loved peace and quiet on holiday rather than a rowdy night out, so when I stumbled upon the village of Moelfre on a trip to Anglesey, I was delighted.

“The quaint former fishing village has beautiful pebbled coves and long stretching strips of land out to sea with lighthouses perched on top.

“One must-do is stop into Ann’s Pantry for a Welsh beer or a generously sized scone, and the Coastal Cafe for fish and chips – it’s so popular that locals and holidaymakers queue out the door during the weekend.

“Just a short walk away is Traeth Lligwy beach which you can reach while hiking the coastal path.

“It has stretches of golden sands, and when the tide goes out, a natural paddling pool forms in the middle as water gets trapped behind a sandbank. Some sunbathers even spot dolphins amongst the sea waves.”

For more suggestions from our travel experts, these are our favourite day trips in the South East – from pubs with a view to quiet beaches.

And for more inspiration, here are our travel team’s best trips of 2025 – from new theme parks to private UK islands.

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (UPI) — South Korea’s two semiconductor giants, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, posted record performances last year, driven by the rising demand for memory chips amid the AI boom.

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that its fourth-quarter operating profit more than doubled year-on-year to $14 billion on sales of $65.6 billion, up 23.8%. Both were all-time highs.

For the full year 2025, revenue rose 10.9% from a year earlier to $233.4 billion, while operating income climbed 33.2% to $30.5 billion.

The strong showing came a day after SK hynix released its strong earnings.

In the final quarter of 2025, SK hynix posted $23 billion in sales, up 66% from a year before, for an operating profit of $13.4 billion, a 137% surge.

For the full year, its turnover and operating income increased 47% and 101% to $68 billion and $33 billion, respectively.

The 2026 outlook for both companies remains bright amid continued expansion in the AI industry.

“Looking ahead to Q1 2026, the DS Division expects AI and server demand to continue increasing, leading to more opportunities for structural growth. In response, the division will continue to focus on profitability via a strong emphasis on high-performance products,” Samsung said in a statement.

“In 2026 as a whole, the DS Division aims to lead the AI era with product competitiveness amid a rapidly growing demand environment, particularly by expanding the sales of AI-related offerings in both DRAM and NAND,” it added.

Short for device solutions, Samsung’s DS Division deals with semiconductors and components. By contrast, its device experience part handles mobile phones, home appliances and network equipment.

“As the AI market shifts from training to inference while demand for distributed architectures expands, the role of memory will become increasingly critical,” SK hynix said in a statement.

“Accordingly, not only demand for high-performance memory such as HBM is expected to grow continuously, but also for overall memory products including server DRAM and NAND as well,” it said.

Semiconductor super-cycle and DRAM beggars

In line with the upbeat prospect, brokerage houses project that Samsung’s bottom line will near $90 billion this year, while that of SK hynix will surpass $70 billion.

SK Securities even forecasts that Samsung and SK hynix each will rack up more than $100 billion in profits this year.

Soaring semiconductor prices and outstanding earnings of chipmakers have fueled talk of a “semiconductor super-cycle.”

Business tracker TrendForce predicts that DRAM prices will rocket more than 55% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the previous quarter. Those of NAND flash are also expected to climb over 30% over the same period.

SK Securities analyst Han Dong-hee also said that supply shortages are spreading across all product segments, including advanced high-bandwidth memory, which is essential for AI applications, as well as commodity DRAM used in mobile devices or computers.

“For customers, the top priority has become securing stable volumes through long-term agreements, while suppliers are expected to pursue profit maximization and stable growth by optimizing the share of long-term contracts,” Han said in a report.

Sungkyunkwan University semiconductor professor Choi Byoung-deog said that there are “DRAM beggars,” or executives from major global tech companiesm who have been traveling to Korea to beg for chips from Samsung and SK hynix.

“The super-cycle in memory will eventually come to an end. As global tech giants keep pouring massive investments into AI, however, the current upcycle is likely to last two or three years,” Choi told UPI. “That’s why desperate buyers are flying to Korea to plead for memory chip supplies.”

Sungkyunkwan University semiconductor professor Han Tae-hee struck a more cautious tone, though.

“I also expect that the present super-cycle will continue through this summer. But beyond that, any unexpected events could take place to weigh on the semiconductor industry,” Han said in a phone interview.

“Six months ago, we could not predict today’s booming memory chip sales. Likewise, we cannot know for sure what will happen six months later.”

The share price of Samsung Electronics fell 1.05% on the Seoul bourse Thursday, while SK hynix rose 2.38%.

Jan. 28 (UPI) — Electric vehicle maker Tesla’s revenue and profits fell during the fourth quarter of 2025 despite record levels of production.

Tesla officials on Wednesday reported the Elon Musk-owned company’s adjusted income dropped by 16% during the final quarter of 2025, while net income fell 61% for the quarter and 46% for the entire year.

The quarterly and final revenue report for 2025 reflects Tesla’s largest year-to-year revenue drop as its quarterly global sales of electric vehicles declined despite an increased global demand for EVs.

Partly to blame is the end of a $7,500 federal tax credit for those who bought qualifying EVs, combined with opposition by those who opposed Musk leading the Department of Government Efficiency and his general support of the Trump administration earlier in 2025.

Tesla also is facing increased competition from other EV makers, including Chinese EV firm BYD.

Despite the decline in revenues, Tesla shares rose in value by about 3% during after-hours trading on Wednesday and peaked at $449.76 per share before declining to $437.02.

Tesla officials reported that it produced a quarterly record 434,358 EVs during the final three months of 2025 and delivered 418,227. It also produced a record 14.2 GWh of energy-storage products.

For the year, Tesla produced 1.66 million EVs, delivered 1.64 million and produced 46.7 GWh of energy-storage products.