returns

IT’S time to get into the Christmas spirit, and where better to do that than at one of the best festive markets?

Found in Bath, it’s considered the biggest Christmas shopping event in the South West with over 200 wooden chalet stalls across the city.

The Bath Christmas Market will reopen on November 26 and any fan of the festive season will want to visit.

It was even recently declared the best in the UK by European Best Destinations.

There are around 250 stalls in Bath dotted about through the cobbled areas of the Abbey Quarter, Bath Street, Union Street, and Milsom Street.

This year it will be even bigger than ever as it will expand onto New Bond Street for the first time.

LIGHT IT UP

The biggest FREE firework displays across England to go to this Bonfire Night

HAPPY HOLLY-DAYS

The 8 UK holiday parks opening for Christmas this year with £6.62pp stays

There’s everything on offer from food like hot dogs and burgers to sweet treats like donuts and even crumble topped with melted chocolate.

Don’t forget the classic Christmas drinks too like mulled wine, cider and hot chocolate.

Other stalls will be selling gifts like baubles, festive socks and tree decorations.

The 250 stallholders and caterers are independently made up of local businesses with most hailing from the South West of England.

For anyone who lives in Bath and North East Somerset – there are discounts available with the Residents’ Discovery Card.

One of the offers is £1 off toasted marshmallows at one of the stalls, 10 per cent off all goods at Soul Fries and Flame and Dough.

Or enjoy the free lucky dip with every purchase at Let’s Get Scented which sells bath bombs and candles.

There are other offers at chocolate stalls and handmade jewellery counters.

For those who want to visit, this year Bath Christmas Market is being held between November 26 and December 13.

From Monday to Wednesday it’s open between 10am and 7pm.

Between Thursday and Saturday it’s open from 10am to 8pm.

On Sundays, it will be open between 10am and 6pm.

The market stalls are set in amongst Bath Abbey which has stood in the heart of the city for over a thousand years.

For those who want to learn more, there are free highlight tours of the abbey available at no extra cost.

Entry to Bath Abbey is £9 for adults, £7.50 for students and £5 for children (5-15).

Any fan of Jane Austen should head to the Jane Austen Centre which gives visitors a snapshot into her life – it even has a dress-up station so visitors can immerse themselves into the Regency era.

There’s also the famous curved street called Royal Crescent.

It’s also a a must-visit for Bridgerton fans because the city is used as a filming location.

The Abbey Deli is used as the Modiste dress shop in the show.

The Best Christmas Markets in the UK 2026…

1. Bath Christmas Market, Bath, England
2. Edinburgh Christmas Market, Edinburgh, Scotland
3. Manchester Christmas Markets, Manchester, England
4. Chester Christmas Market, Chester, England
5. Birmingham Christmas Market, Birmingham, England
6. York Christmas Festival, York, England
7. Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas Market, Winchester England
8. Nottingham Winter Wonderland, Nottingham, England
9. Glasgow Christmas Markets, Glasgow, Scotland
10. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, London, England

Caracas, November 11, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The acting Delcy Rodríguez government and ExxonMobil signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday as the oil giant prepares to return to Venezuela nearly two decades after having its assets nationalized.

“We welcome [ExxonMobil] back, hoping that synergy will develop and produce benefits for Venezuela and the United States,” she said in a televised broadcast.

Rodríguez stated that the “very important” agreement followed “months of negotiations.”

“This return takes place under very favorable conditions, in a context of legal guarantees for foreign investments,” she added. The acting president also saluted US Chargé d’Affaires John Barrett, who attended the ceremony

For his part, Dan Ammann, president of ExxonMobil Upstream Company, expressed confidence that the firm’s “unique capabilities” and Venezuela’s “extraordinary results” would yield “significant benefits for all parties involved.”

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods had previously called Venezuela “uninvestable” and demanded industry reforms before the talks leading to the company’s imminent return.

ExxonMobil left Venezuela in the late 2000s after refusing to comply with reforms introduced by the Hugo Chávez government to assert state sovereignty over the oil industry. The Texas-based multinational refused compensation offers and pursued international arbitration after its assets were nationalized. The company received a US $908 million arbitration award from the International Chamber of Commerce, significantly below its demands. It is likewise attempting to enforce a separate $985 million award.

Caracas had likewise denounced ExxonMobil after it spearheaded offshore drilling projects in the territorial waters of the disputed Essequibo Strip.

The Venezuelan government and ExxonMobil have not disclosed the projects under consideration. But reports suggest the company will take over its former projects, light and medium-crude La Ceiba in the Maracaibo Lake Basin and extra-heavy-crude Cerro Negro in the Orinoco Oil Belt, later relaunched as Petromonagas. The oil giant is also linked to Carabobo block oilfields adjacent to the latter. 

According to Petroguía, ExxonMobil is eyeing concession-type “Productive Participation Contracts” and has engaged in negotiations with Russian state-owned company Roszarubezhneft to acquire its 40 percent stake in the Petromonagas joint venture.

Since the January 3 US attacks and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan authorities have enacted a pro-business overhaul of the energy industry in consultation with Washington, while signing dozens of agreements with Western corporations. Chevron, Repsol, and Shell are among the companies to have struck new deals or renegotiated old ones to expand their foothold in the country.

Rodríguez has also radically shifted Caracas’ foreign policy, including reestablishing ties with Israel.

Recent reports have revealed that NewMed Energy, a subsidiary of the multi-billion Delek Group conglomerate and one of Israel’s largest energy firms, is negotiating a 60 per stake in an unnamed Venezuelan “oil-producing company.”

NewMed has an exclusivity window to negotiate with the Venezuelan counterpart until January 1, 2027. The undisclosed firm is said to hold “onshore oil rights” as well as additional “onshore and offshore oil and gas assets.”

Venezuelan legislation imposes a state-owned majority in any joint ventures. However, the recent reforms allow foreign corporations to take over operations and sales in concession-type agreements despite being minority shareholders.

Notwithstanding the opening of the industry to foreign capital under exceedingly favorable conditions, Venezuela’s oil output has stagnated in recent months. The latest monthly OPEC report placed October’s production at 1.158 million barrels per day (bpd) according to secondary sources. The figure is on a par with the previous month’s 1.147 million bpd output.

Venezuelan authorities had pledged to reach 1.3 million bpd before the end of the year.

In addition to overseeing legislative changes and mediating oil agreements, the US has taken control of Venezuela’s export revenues, with Trump officials deciding when and how much of the funds to return to Caracas.

A New York Times article published on Tuesday claimed that, according to a report from auditing firm KPMG, the Trump administration has managed $12 billion of Venezuelan export revenues through the end of September, with nearly all the funds returned to Caracas to be supplied to the private sector via commercial banks.

Traders Vitol and Trafigura, which secure Venezuelan crude below market price before reselling it, have been the biggest depositors into the US Treasury account at Citibank.

However, the total figure contradicts a previous Financial Times investigation that estimated $13 billion of US-controlled Venezuelan funds in the first half of the year alone. Additionally, Venezuelan government advisor Luigi Pisella stated that the Trump administration deducted around $4.7 billion from the revenues to cover the costs of its January 3 military operation.

Edited by Lucas Koerner in Philadelphia, USA.

PAULTONS Park, aka the country’s best theme park, is bringing back its Christmas extravaganza.

Families will be able to experience the delights of the theme park with lots of festive extras as its award-winning event returns next month.

A Celebration of Christmas will be back at Paultons Park from December 5 – it comes after it won Best Christmas Event at the Theme Park Awards earlier this year.

Paultons Park also won the award for Theme Park of the Year.

During A Celebration of Christmas Tornado Springs and Peppa Pig World are fully decorated with magical lights, Christmas trees, and wreaths.

Peppa and George will join in the fun dressed up in their festive outfits.

TOP TOWIE

Forget Cornwall and Devon – why our beachfront county is just as good

LIGHT IT UP

Copy the John Lewis Xmas ad with a Christmas lights tour & tickets are on sale

There will also be daily meet-and-greets – including with Frosty the Snowman and friends under a flurry of snowflakes.

Santa’s Grotto is back too, families can enjoy an enchanting walk-through experience, filled with twinkling lights and their favourite characters.

A photograph is included so the experience won’t be forgotten, and children get a soft plush toy too.

The Grotto is open from December 5 until December 24 (early booking is advised).

Santa isn’t just in his cosy grotto – he will also be on stage for Santa’s Storytime and Santa’s Christmas Wish Show.

It’s filled with singing, dancing and he’ll be joined by Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Reindeer.

The event will start on December 5 and will end on January 6 – Paultons is open every weekend in December (apart from on Boxing Day) as well as additional dates.

These are Monday 14, Friday 18, Monday 21, Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23, Thursday 24, Monday 2, Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31.

As well as all the Christmas happenings, there’s plenty of time for rollercoasters too.

Head to Valgard: Realm of the Vikings, which opened in May 2026, to experience Drakon, the park’s first rollercoaster to take riders upside down.

In Valgard, there’s also Vild Swing, Raven and the Feasting Hall where visitors will find a ‘banquet fit for Vikings’.

It serves up flame-grilled chicken, burgers, crispy fried favourites, saladbowlss and ‘Little Viking’ meals for kids.

Tornado Springs is the American themed adventure park with the Storm Chaser rollercoaster as well as tractor rides.

There’s also the Lost Kingdom which is full of dinosaurs, Critter Creek which has a caterpillar rollercoaster and an express train.

Meanwhile, Wild Lands is home to animals like meerkats and reptiles.

Day passes for anyone over one-metre tall visiting Paultons Park start from £41.

Short breaks over Christmas start from £45 per person per night on selected two-night stays.

The package includes park tickets, a stay in a nearby family-friendly hotel, breakfast and parking.

James Mancey, managing director at Paultons Park, said: “Each year we strive to make A Celebration of Christmas even more magical than the year before and we are delighted that our win at the UK Theme Park Awards this year reflects the efforts of our entire team. We all strive for Christmas at Paultons to be the place where families make their favourite festive memories.  

“For the second year ever, the magic of Christmas at Paultons carries on beyond Christmas Eve with thrilling rides, meet and greets, and our delicious festive menu available throughout the Christmas break and into the new year.

“There’s no better way to make the most of Twixmas and keep the festive spirit alive than a day out with the family before it’s time to go back to school.”

Paultons Park is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.  

For even more Christmas events, these are the the most popular ones that STILL have tickets – but you must be quick as they sell out early.

COLDPLAY’S Guy Berryman has returned to his native Scotland to tie the knot at a five-star hotel.

The bass player, 48, married partner Johanna Winona Ekmark at the Fife Arms in Braemar.

The Aberdeenshire venue is a favourite with the rich and famous.

Guy, now living in the Netherlands, was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and for-med Coldplay with Chris Martin after meeting at university in London.

His wife, 32, is a Swedish singer who uses the stage name Winona Oak.

A statement issued on his behalf said: “Scotland has always remained a huge part of who he is.

BUSHTUCKER FAIL?

I’m A Celeb stars’ secret health battles that could ruin show trials

TURNING HEADS

Christine McGuinness looks incredible as she strips off to tiny black bikini

“For Guy it was about sharing one of the most important moments of his life in the country he loves and beginning their married life somewhere that holds such deep ­personal meaning.”

He has three children with previous partners.

Chris Martin is known for singing about time through his band’s hit 2002 song, Clocks.

But the Coldplay frontman’s family has a long historical connection to timepieces.

The singer is actually the great-great-grandson of William Willett.

Willett was the British builder who first campaigned for changing the clocks, and what would become known as British Summer Time.

WASHINGTON — In his first public appearance after an election that soundly repudiated his policies, President Trump turned to a topic both familiar and, given the context, surprising: not his policies or politics but his efforts to remake pieces of the city that is the backdrop to his presidency.

Despite Trump’s affinity for project management, though, with Democrats taking control of Congress, the work his administration is doing to change the physical face of the District of Columbia is sure to encounter far more roadblocks than it did for the first two years of his second term.

From the renaming of and renovation plans for the Kennedy Center to remaking a public golf course and erecting an arch 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty without its pedestal, Trump has been deeply involved in how D.C. looks. Democrats have voiced opposition but, in terms of power, have been in the wilderness.

The potential collision point between opposition oversight from Democrats and the Republican president’s preoccupation with the projects was evident in his last message to the American public before the election — and in his first afterward, too.

Both focused to some degree on his projects. On Monday, it was the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial; on Wednesday, it was a tour of the under-construction White House ballroom, where he talked columns and steel beams and Corinthian designs.

The clouds of scrutiny are already gathering

Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee with jurisdiction over the Interior Department that is involved with operations at parks and federal lands, spent much of the past year probing and questioning Trump’s projects, laying the groundwork for this moment.

“We’ve pushed back against vanity projects that seek to transform treasured public spaces into gaudy tributes to Trump. We exposed corruption, uncovered the efforts to hijack America’s 250th birthday, demanded accountability, and offered a compelling alternative governing vision grounded in science, fairness, environmental responsibility, and the rule of law,” Huffman said in a letter to colleagues seeking their support to be chairman.

As chairman with a strong Democratic majority, “I will ensure that the Committee’s full investigative and oversight authority is leveraged to uncover wrongdoing, demand accountability, and protect the public interest,” he said.

Trump has been rushing the various projects, a point Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer made Thursday at a public hearing when he opposed construction of the memorial arch the president has planned in Memorial Circle directly across the Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial.

“The appropriations process beginning Jan. 3 will be controlled by Democrats. That will be one of the ways Congressman Beyer will step in,” said Beyer’s spokesman Aaron Fritschner.

A less appreciated impact will be the change in who names the general counsel of the House. The House Speaker has that role, presumably Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

While Democrats have joined in lawsuits opposing the various projects, their filings don’t carry the weight of Congress as the minority. “You’ll see the new majority pulling back the balance of power that (House Speaker) Mike Johnson was willing to cede,” Fritschner said.

A planning commission hearing for the arch featured dozens of witnesses

Beyer has already been a critic, Fritschner said, and cited other members who have signed on in amicus briefs. More than 120 witnesses were on hand for the National Capital Planning Commission meeting, which ran for 9 ½ hours late into Thursday night.

The commission gave the 250-foot (76-meter) arch its final approval on an 8-4 vote, before a federal judge stepped in before midnight to block the Trump administration from breaking ground for 14 days.

The remote, call-in commission hearing — which crashed repeatedly and was accompanied by a nearly universally negative comment section — drew witnesses who gave impassioned, three-minute comments opposing an arch they said will destroy the solemnity of nearby Arlington National Cemetery.

The Trump-appointed chairman of the commission, however, launched into a gushing appraisal of the towering monument and lauded Trump for wanting to build it.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is considering a motion from three veterans and an architectural historian to stop any work until the lawsuit is resolved. A separate lawsuit filed Saturday by the District of Columbia and Virginia has been consolidated with the existing one. D.C. and Virginia have asked for a temporary restraining order, which Chutkan granted late Thursday with her 14-day delay.

At Wednesday’s ballroom construction site tour, Trump spoke about the ballroom, the East Potomac Golf Links and the National Garden of American Heroes proposed for West Potomac Park and the arch. All four have been, or are currently in, litigation.

One of them, the golf course, has turned into an undertaking beyond the potential construction. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes has said she plans to open a “formal inquiry” to investigate if attorneys for the Trump administration violated ethical boundaries during a legal dispute about that project.

Beyond the courts, Congress is now an added bulwark

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs in several of the lawsuits, said the switch of control means the organizations that have filed lawsuits and challenged the administration will now be joined by Congress.

Organizations like hers will continue challenging the administration in court, she said, but “the important thing now is that the American people now have a tool that’s not just in the courts.”

Added Perryman: “We hope and we anticipate Congress will fulfill its constitutional duty of checking executive branch excesses.” That includes hearings and investigations into funding plans and sources, she said.

Information about estimates for work on the projects has been slim, even in court, with assessments trickling out during testimony in some cases. One number, for example, revolves around the seawall at the golf course, which would exceed $300 million. Congress appropriated $257 million for the renovation of the Kennedy Center.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Another area that could impact the District of Columbia is the change in governorships. Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Nevada all have Democrats coming into power as a result of Tuesday’s elections. They account for more than 600 National Guard members who are part of the mobilization that Trump ordered in August 2025.

Democrats who provided troops during the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary were roundly criticized for their participation and removed their troops and airmen months ago. Nearly 3,100 are stationed in the city now, up slightly from last month.

Fields and Mascaro write for the Associated Press.

A Culver City ballot measure that would give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in municipal and school board elections was trailing Thursday.

Ballots still were being counted, but Measure YV was losing, with 55% of voters in Culver City voting against it and 45% voting for it, according to early results posted by the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office.

There were 7,875 votes against the measure and 6,487 for it as of Thursday — a margin of 1,388 votes.

Passage of Measure YV, which was championed by a group of high school students called Vote16 Culver City, would make the Westside city one of just a few municipalities nationwide, and among a handful in California, to expand voting rights to people younger than 18.

The measure proposes an amendment to the city charter that would allow youth voters to participate only in school board and city elections. They would not be able to vote in county, state or federal contests.

The teenage proponents spent weeks canvassing for the measure in Culver City, despite having no power to cast ballots for it.

This is the second time the youth-vote initiative has been on the ballot in Culver City, where a similar measure failed in 2022 by just 16 votes.

In 2024, a citizens’ initiative to lower the voting age failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. In February, the City Council, at the request of Vote16 Culver City, voted to put the measure on the November ballot.

Supporters say that 16- and 17-year-olds who are old enough to work, drive and pay taxes are mature enough to have a say in local decisions that affect their schools, parks, public safety, transportation and other matters. In California, they already are allowed to preregister to vote so that on their 18th birthday, they become automatically eligible to cast a ballot.

“I feel really strongly that 16- and 17-year-olds are very capable to vote and make a calm, educated decision for a school board and city elections,” 16-year-old Arlo Meighan-Thiel, a leader for Vote16 Culver City, said last month. “It would be amazing for us, the people who go to school five days a week, to have a say who represents us on the school board.”

Opponents counter that 16- and 17-year-olds are too young to make reasoned electoral choices and easily could be manipulated by adults.

Ron Bassilian, who signed the opposition statement in the city’s voter guide, told The Times in a text message Thursday that the 2022 measure trailed significantly a few days after that year’s election, only to lose by a few votes in the end.

“We remain cautiously optimistic for now” that the measure will not pass, said Bassilian, president of Protect Culver City, a political action committee that has opposed local efforts to defund law enforcement and other causes.

Bassilian, a Republican, told The Times last month that progressive candidates and activists had “really been pushing their way into the high school” seeking to influence young people, and that he was concerned about high schools becoming places where political interests were fighting for access to teenagers.

Vote16 Culver City is a part of Vote16USA, a national organization that supports youth-led state and local campaigns to lower the voting age. Vote16USA is funded by the New York-based nonprofit Goodnation Foundation, according to its website.

In 2013, Takoma Park, Md., became the first city in the U.S. to lower its voting age to 16 for municipal elections. A few additional cities in Maryland, as well as cities in New Jersey and Vermont, allow people younger than 18 to cast ballots in some or all local elections.

Multiple efforts to pass a similar youth voting initiative in San Francisco have failed by a narrow margin in recent years.

In 2016, Berkeley became the first municipality in California to drop the voting age to 16 for school board elections, followed by its Alameda County neighbor Oakland in 2020. Voters in Albany, also in Alameda County, took it a step further in 2024 when they passed a measure to let 16- and 17-year-olds cast ballots in all municipal elections — though the county still is trying to figure out how to fully accommodate youth voters in citywide contests.

In those cities, 16- and 17-year-olds were able to vote for the first time in this year’s school board elections, according to the Alameda County elections office. Every eligible preregistered youth voter was set to receive a vote-by-mail ballot before the election.

DID you know that the UK’s oldest carnival dates back nearly 180 years – and has one of Europe’s biggest float processions?

Bridgwater Carnival first started in 1847, taking place on the first Saturday of November.

The carnival – which is free to attend – is a full-day celebration starting at 10.30am with circus performances, live bands, dances and fairground rides.

These will be held at spots across the town like the High Street, Cornhill Stage and at St Mary’s Church.

This part ends at 6pm, before the two-hour long procession then start.

Down the main streets are huge parades where locals can show off their illuminated floats and there will be marching bands too.

DECK THE STALLS

Europe’s best Xmas market revealed & it’s is in one of the cheapest cities

LIGHT IT UP

The biggest FREE firework displays across England to go to this Bonfire Night

Afterwards, there’s a tradition called ‘squibbling’ where around 150 people line up along the roads carrying a long pole which holds a large firework.

All at once, these are set off with the fireworks lighting up the sky.

It’s expected that 150,000 people will descend on the town this year to see the celebrations.

One visitor who previously attended said: “All of the Somerset carnivals are magical, however Bridgwater is the largest and most spectacular. “

Another added: “I wish my own home town could put on such a display.”

While the event is free, it is encouraged to ask for donations as it’s run by volunteers.

The origin of the Bonfire Night celebrations in Bridgwater can be traced back to the year of the foiled Gunpowder plot in 1605.

Bridgwater celebrated heavily as most of its residents at the time were protestant.

However, it wasn’t until later on in 1847 when the celebrations turned into a carnival by the Victorians who even made their own squibs fireworks.

If you want something even grander to visit this weekend, the world’s largest bonfire night with 40,000 visitors is set to be even more popular this year and it starts tomorrow.

A ballot measure that would funnel more money to the Los Angeles city Fire Department by raising sales taxes by a half-cent was leading in early returns Tuesday night, along with seven other ballot measures before city voters.

“I’m humbled by the support of the voters,” said Doug Coates, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112, which spearheaded the measure. “We showed up and we did what we needed to do … Thank you to the voters.”

Partial returns also showed L.A. voters turning thumbs up on a City Charter amendment that would allow the City Council to meet just once a week, instead of the thrice-weekly meetings now required.

Measure FD would increase the city’s retail sales tax from 10.25 cents to 10.75 cents per dollar spent, with all of the extra revenue going to the Fire Department. The city still would be required to fund firefighters at its normal rate, meaning the measure would add an estimated $345 million annually to the department’s budget.

Proponents of the measure include the union representing rank-and-file firefighters, who say the department is underfunded. The tax fund is needed to lower response times across the city and increase the number of firefighters, according to the union.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., a nonprofit that advocates for lower taxes, opposed the measure. The organization raised concerns that this would be the third sales tax hike since 2024, costing an average of $86 per person and $345 for a family of four in additional sales taxes each year.

It also was opposed by the union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers, which objected to limiting the revenue to one city department.

The measure that would allow the City Council to meet just once a week was included in Charter Amendment EE. Most City Council members supported it, with Councilmember Tim McOsker noting his time is better spent working in his district.

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez opposed the measure, arguing that having fewer public forums is a disservice to constituents, who would have less time to meaningfully engage with their representatives. She also worried fewer meetings would mean council members would rush through deliberations.

The amendment also would make smaller changes to how the city governs, including giving more power to independent inspectors to conduct audits of the L.A. Police and Fire Departments, and increase the penalties for campaign finance violations.

The number of signatures needed for a ballot referendum also would rise, and ethics commissioners would be barred from City Council or the L.A. Unified Board of Education for five years.

The six other measures were leading by wider margins.

Proposition TE was ahead in early results. Measure ULA, also known as the “mansion tax,” imposes additional taxes on L.A. property sales above $5.4 million. Proposition TE would allow Palisades fire victims who own homes in the area to avoid the tax as long as they sell the property within five years of the disaster.

Charter Amendment LA, which aims to streamline how the city delivers basic services for infrastructure in need of repair, was leading in early results. The measure would reduce the power of the city Board of Public Works and possibly lead to eliminating it.

Charter Amendment PL took a big lead in partial early returns. The measure folds in five proposals, including to consolidate the city’s planning department, to facilitate building and opening businesses in the city.

Charter Amendment PRK, which would double the minimum amount of money earmarked for the Department of Recreation and Parks, had a big early lead in early results. If it passes, the department could receive a minimum of $986 million annually by 2036, up from the current rate that would generate $493 million by that year.

A measure that would make changes to the city’s airports, harbor and Department of Water and Power had a big lead in early results. Charter Amendment PRT would require the Los Angeles World Airport’s board of commissioners to include two members who live in Van Nuys and three who live around LAX.

Charter Amendment SC, which makes small clarifying changes to language surrounding campaign finance rules for the LAUSD Board of Education, also led in early results. Those changes would affect campaign contribution limits, filing deadlines, public disclosures and fundraising windows.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna was leading challenger and former Sheriff Alex Villanueva by a wide margin in his bid for reelection Tuesday, according to early returns, in a rematch of the 2022 race between the two lawmen.

Early returns also showed L.A. County voters favoring Measure A, which would establish binding arbitration for sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and other public safety employees who by law cannot go on strike.

A second county ballot measure, Measure E, was far ahead in early returns. Measure E asks voters to create an independent ethics commission that previously was approved by another measure, and address administrative missteps that invalidated funding approved by voters in 2020 to support jail alternatives.

In the sheriff’s race, Villanueva was seeking to regain the job he lost in 2022 when Luna successfully challenged him for reelection.

This contest was lower profile than the 2022 race, but the stakes are just as high, as the new Los Angeles County sheriff will face a host of challenges, from navigating relationships with federal and local agencies to boosting recruitment and retention.

Luna pitched himself to county voters as a calmly effective operator who has brought down crime while building relationships with local, state and federal leaders that suffered under his predecessor’s tenure. The incumbent highlighted his department’s successful navigation of World Cup security and the Trump administration’s deployment of federal immigration agents and troops to L.A. as examples of the efficacy of his approach.

Villanueva, on the other hand, has sought to depict L.A. County as more dangerous under what he describes as the overly permissive approach of Luna. The former sheriff claimed Luna has presided over a deep decline in department morale and staffing while being too soft on drug users, the homeless and petty criminals.

Representatives of the Luna and Villanueva campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening.

Both men guided the department through tumultuous periods for the county. Villanueva was sheriff for nearly two years at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Luna was in office during the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The next four years promise further challenges. The Olympic Games are less than two years away, and the sheriff’s department will be expected to play a major role keeping millions of visitors and athletes safe.

The new sheriff also will be expected to rein in the department’s budget, which has experienced ballooning overtime costs as sworn vacancies have risen markedly under both sheriffs.

Villanueva claims Luna is out of touch with deputies and that they are leaving the force en masse in response to his poor leadership skills. Villanueva said he would improve staffing by redirecting overtime spending and serving as a beacon to would-be deputies who’ve been turned off by Luna.

But Luna denies that deputies are fleeing the department and says he’s taken major steps to improve the hiring process. He has hired an outside contractor to speed up applicant background checks and provided an avenue for many new deputies to go from the academy to patrol instead of first requiring a stint in one of the county’s jails.

Among the two countywide ballot measures, Measure A was the highest profile, with unions representing county deputy sheriffs, firefighters and others spending millions of dollars in support.

Measure A would mandate binding arbitration between the county government and negotiators who represent deputies, firefighters, lifeguards and other public safety employees in the event contract talks reach an impasse.

Currently, the county supervisors can impose a final offer that employees must accept because by law, public safety personnel are not allowed to strike.

Supporters say the measure adds balance to the negotiations process and removes the unilateral authority of the county Board of Supervisors. The change is backed by unions representing county firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and other public safety employees.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath authored the motion, which has the support of four out of the five supervisors. No formal opposition has been filed. Supervisor Holly Mitchell raised financial concerns about the measure but has not officially opposed it.

Measure E on the county ballot would fix issues with Measure J, which was approved by voters in 2020, and Measure G, which passed in 2024.

Measure J earmarked at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue to incarceration alternatives. However, some of the ballot language in Measure G unintentionally repealed Measure J — an administrative error that was discovered in June 2025. Amendment E would partly ensure the funding to incarceration alternatives remains in effect.

The amendment also would enshrine in the county charter the seven-member ethics commission and ethics compliance office that was created when Measure G passed.

The amendment has the support of Horvath and other supervisors, as well as the League of Women Voters of L.A. County, who said Measure J shouldn’t be undone by an administrative error.

The 57-year-old crossed jungles and frozen seas before an emotional homecoming in Hull, northern England.

A British adventurer has completed a 28-year walking journey around the world, arriving at his childhood home after travelling some 50,000km (31,070 miles) across jungles, frozen seas and international borders.

Karl Bushby, 57, was embraced by his mother, Angela, outside her terraced house in Hull, northern England, on Monday, beneath a banner reading “Welcome Home Son”.

Hundreds of cheering supporters had welcomed him in the city centre before he made the final stretch home.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he joked to the crowd. “Is that it, is it done?”

Bushby began what became known as his Goliath Expedition in Punta Arenas, southern Chile, in November 1998, carrying a tent, a few hundred dollars and a cheap plastic camera.

His goal was to reach his home city by an unbroken route, without using motorised transport to advance his journey.

The route took him north through the Americas, across the ice of the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia, and onwards through Mongolia and China. He later swam across the Caspian Sea before continuing towards Europe.

Along the way, he negotiated the dense jungle of the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, was detained after entering Russia, and faced repeated visa and funding problems.

The global financial crisis in 2008 cost him major sponsors, adding to delays that stretched what he had expected to be a 12-year journey into 28 years.

Last month, he finally swam across the English Channel, clearing the last major obstacle before beginning the final walk home.

“They say it takes a village, but literally it took a world to get me here,” he said as he arrived in Hull. “The kindness of strangers, so many, from individuals to nation-states, to get me back here today. I didn’t do this alone. There was a big team. The biggest team. Earth.”

A feature-length documentary about his journey is in production, while Bushby plans to begin a speaking tour around England in the coming weeks.

Christian Watson didn’t literally come back from the dead on “Thursday Night Football.”

But what the Green Bay Packers receiver pulled off during his team’s 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers was nearly as dramatic.

“He resurrected himself,” quarterback Jordan Love said during a postgame interview on Prime Video.

Injured while making a 53-yard catch at the 9:11 mark of the second quarter — he later said he might have landed with the ball or his elbow in his chest — Watson was having trouble breathing on the field and coughed up some blood on the sideline. Prime cameras showed him climbing into an ambulance under his own power and still wearing his pads.

Less than an hour later, the same cameras showed Watson climbing out of the ambulance and jogging out of the tunnel at Lambeau Field, much to the surprise and delight of his teammates and the crowd.

“It was super dramatic,” Watson told reporters in the locker room after the game. “I used to watch WWE as a kid — I felt like I was watching ‘WWE SmackDown vs. Raw’ or something out there, you know, seeing the cameras on me when I got out of the ambulance, that was a little crazy. It was a surreal experience, no doubt, just to go through that and have you know the fans cheering for me getting back out there. It was definitely exciting.”

It was a scene Watson would have liked to have avoided in the first place.

“I never wanted to go” to the hospital, Watson said during an on-field interview with Prime after the game. “I was hoping that they would let me off. I said it was feeling better once I kind of caught my breath, but they said there was a couple signs that made them have to take me over there. I was just praying that it was good enough where I could come back out here.”

Watson, who was able to keep up with the game on a doctor’s phone, said he was told he had broken a rib. He was cleared to return after a CT scan showed no signs of internal bleeding.

“I was spitting a little blood [on the sideline] at first, so they just wanted to make sure there was nothing crazy,” Watson said. “I cleared everything and was able to get back out.”

Donning extra padding to protect his ribs, Watson re-entered the game with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter and was targeted on the first play. The deep pass from Love was knocked away by Carolina’s Nick Scott, with Panthers cornerback Marco Wilson landing on Watson’s chest at the end of the play.

But the NFL’s second-leading receiver said he was happy just to be back on the field.

“I had so much adrenaline that it didn’t really hit me right away, but definitely, definitely felt that one,” said Watson, who caught two passes for 13 yards after his return and finished the night with eight catches for 113 yards.

“That’s pretty remarkable,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Watson’s performance. “He had a heck of a night. Just can’t imagine what he would have had had he not missed so much time.”

“I think it shows resiliency, I think it shows toughness, and I think it just shows the love that he has for this team,” safety Xavier McKinney told reporters after the game. “Sometimes, you might see that happen and he had his 100 yards, and he could’ve just sat it. But the fact that he wasn’t satisfied and the fact that he felt like and he knew that we still needed him out there and he still said, ‘OK, I love this team and I want to be able to go out here for this team and do that,’ that gains our respect.”

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will cohost the next AFCON in 2027, with subsequent tournaments in 2028, 2031 and 2033.

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held every two years, not four as was planned, governing body the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced after reversing an earlier decision.

AFCON has traditionally been staged every two years, but CAF’s surprise decision last December to move to a four-year cycle was not widely welcomed.

“The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee today unanimously decided that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations will return to taking place every Two Years,” CAF said in a statement.

Under the previous plan, AFCON would have moved to a four-year cycle, with the proposed CAF Nations League becoming the continent’s biennial competition.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe said at a strategy conference in Cape Verde earlier this month that the organisation was considering returning AFCON to a two-year cycle.

CAF said the Nations League would take years to generate enough revenue to sustain African football.

“The decision by the CAF Executive Committee to reinstate the organization of the AFCON every two years aims to advance, protect and promote the interests of African football and the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as those of African players playing for clubs outside the continent,” Motsepe said in a statement.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will cohost the next edition in 2027, with subsequent tournaments to be held in 2028, 2031 and 2033.

There will be no AFCON in 2030, with CAF maintaining its tradition of not staging the tournament in a World Cup year.

U2 have announced their The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour for 2027 – including the band’s first UK stadium gigs in a decade.

The tour is named after the third advance single on U2’s much anticipated 16th studio album Carnaval De Luz, scheduled to drop on November 13.

So far 12 dates have been announced as part of the European leg of the global tour including a 2 night run of UK stadium gigs in June 2027.

The Irish rockers will be supported on The Greatest Show On Earth tour by 2018 Mercury Prize winners Wolf Alice.

U2 have promised a historic setlist for their 2027 UK gigs, with celebrated career-spanning anthems so fans won’t be disappointed.

The band hasn’t played a UK stadium since their 30th anniversary Joshua Tree tour in 2017. So expect competition for UK tickets to be fierce.

CRUNCH TIME

‘Clear favourite’ in race for James Bond as actor ‘pulls into lead’

BRAND LOYALTY

Who is Russell Brand’s wife Laura Gallacher?

Here’s everything to know about the UK dates and how you can get tickets.

When are U2’s 2027 UK concerts?

So far the group has announced two UK stadium gigs:

18 June – London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

19 June – London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

U2’s full European dates

April 26      STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Strawberry Arena
April 28      STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Strawberry Arena
May 05       PARIS, France – Stade de France
May 08       PARIS, France – Stade de France
May 27        LISBON, Portugal – Estadio da Luz
June 05      AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Johan Cruijff ArenA
June 06      AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Johan Cruijff ArenA
June 18       LONDON, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
June 19       LONDON, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium                   
June 30      BERLIN, Germany – Olympiastadion         
July 05       MILAN, Italy – Stadio San Siro
July 06       MILAN, Italy – Stadio San Siro

How to get tickets for the U2’s UK dates?

The Ticketmaster presale is taking place on Thursday, November 5 from 10am till 10pm. During the presale, you’ll be able to purchase up to 4 tickets per show.

In order to be part of the presale you must sign up via the Ticketmaster U2 presale page before 22.59 on Sunday, November 1.

American Jake Paul to headline Christmas Eve boxing event in Dubai, with his opponent yet to be announced.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul will return to the ring on December 24 in Dubai just over a year after suffering a broken jaw in his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, he said.

American Paul, 29, will headline the Christmas Eve card, with his opponent yet to be announced.

The bout will be Paul’s first since his sixth-round knockout loss to former heavyweight champion Joshua in Miami on December 19 last year, when his jaw was fractured in two places, injuries that required multiple surgeries in December and February.

“I have spent years proving people wrong, taking risks and pushing myself against opponents nobody thought I would face,” Paul said in a statement.

“Nothing that’s happened has changed my belief in myself or what I’m working toward. I am hungrier than ever and on December 24 I’m returning to the ring in Dubai to start the next chapter of my journey.

“We’ve got plenty of names on the list; let’s see who signs the contract,” he added.

Paul has a 12-2 professional record, with his only defeats coming against Britain’s Tommy Fury and Joshua.

He also fought Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight in which he beat the former heavyweight champion in a unanimous points decision, although the bout drew criticism as a sham event.

The Nobel laureate’s homecoming follows national protests demanding free elections.

Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has successfully returned to the country after more than 10 months in exile.

Machado announced her arrival on social media on Sunday, writing, “I am here. With you.”

The current opposition leader, Edmundo Gonzalez, confirmed the news, writing on X that “our leader, my dear Maria Corina, is on Venezuelan soil”.

The Comando Con Venezuela political organisation shared footage of Machado arriving at a church in Lara, where she was greeted by supporters.

Machado first disappeared from public life after being briefly arrested in January 2025. She re-emerged last December in Norway, where she won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to challenge Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro was abducted from Caracas by the United States military in January 2026.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has stood in as acting president since then, with the endorsement of US President Donald Trump, and has cooperated with his administration regarding reforms in the country, as well as a deal to grant the US control of over 65 billion barrels’ worth of Venezuela’s oil reserves.

Calls for elections to be held

Rodriguez’s presidency has extended far beyond the 90-day period she was authorised to serve following Maduro’s removal. But she has yet to call an election despite public demand and despite her promise to do so at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The US maintains that the country is not ready yet.

Earlier this week, thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets to call for elections in the first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years.

Although the opposition is widely believed to have won Venezuela’s disputed 2024 elections, Trump has cast doubt on Machado’s abilities to lead, claiming in January that she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country”.

Machado presented Trump with her Nobel medal when visiting him in the White House weeks later, in what she said was “a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom”. The US leader has repeatedly voiced his desire to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize himself.

Machado has made previous unsuccessful attempts to enter Venezuela. In September, her team said she had made seven attempts in the space of a few weeks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X that “the conditions allowing for the safe return of Ms. Machado to Venezuela is the direct result of the U.S. supported reconciliation talks which has already seen hundreds of political prisoners freed and hundreds of political opposition figures return from exile.”

Asked to comment about Machado’s return, Trump told reporters on Sunday, “I don’t know anything about it, but I think she’s a very nice woman.”

“She gave me her Nobel Prize, so how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe.”

A HISTORIC town will host a festive wonderland with real reindeers for just one day.

The UK’s largest single-day Christmas market is returning with more than 120 stalls this December.

The Beverley Festival of Christmas will return on Sunday, December 13, bringing thousands of visitors to the East Yorkshire town for one of the country’s biggest festive events.

Shoppers will be able to browse more than 120 stalls selling everything from handmade gifts and Christmas decorations to jewellery, homeware and locally produced food.

The market will spread across Beverley’s historic Saturday Market, Wednesday Market and North Bar, with independent traders offering plenty of inspiration for anyone still searching for Christmas presents.

The day will kick off with a spectacular parade at 10am, setting off from Wednesday Market and travelling along Toll Gavel towards Saturday Market.

TRACK TROUBLE

Major airport warning as THREE train lines face disruption this weekend

GET SPOOKED

UK’s most haunted hotel has 21 ghosts, mysterious flying objects & £65pp stays

Santa Claus will lead the procession alongside his reindeer, with live music, comedy acts, Steampunks, majorettes and Bernese mountain dogs also expected to take part.

After the parade, Father Christmas and his reindeer will remain in Saturday Market until mid-afternoon, giving families the chance to see them up close and take photographs.

Visitors can also expect traditional Victorian fairground rides, face painting, birds of prey displays and ice sculptures throughout the day.

Brass bands, carol singers and dancers will provide a festive soundtrack as shoppers explore the town centre.

The festival will be running from 10am until 4pm and the entry is free.

The event was first established in 1995 by local shop owner John Bird, who brought Beverley’s traders together to create a special day of Christmas shopping.

It has since grown into one of East Yorkshire’s best-known festive traditions, with 2026 marking its 30th year.

Doctors say they are seeing ‘continued improvement’ after the US-born pope had a lump removed from his lung on Tuesday.

Pope Leo has returned to the Vatican, four days after receiving surgery for lung cancer in Rome.

The pope said he was feeling “much better” when asked about his health as he was driven away from the Gemelli University Hospital against cries of “holiness” from onlookers on Saturday.

Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, which is the most common type of lung cancer.

He is set to resume some duties on Sunday, when he greets the faithful with the Catholic Church’s traditional Angelus blessing.

Doctors have said tests confirmed his “continued improvement”.

Since having surgery, the pope has had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, held meetings with senior aides and celebrated mass in a makeshift hospital chapel.

Leo thanked staff in the Rome hospital for the work they do every day “taking care of the sick in their fragility”, as well as for “what they had done for him”, a Vatican spokesperson said.

Pope Leo’s next major engagement is a trip to Latin America in mid-November, giving him about three weeks to recover for an ambitious journey that includes a dozen flights and two helicopter trips.

Leo is the first pope from the United States, hailing from Chicago. However, he has spent decades living and working across South America and is a naturalised Peruvian citizen.

Sarah Storey’s performance didn’t just have the judges talking!

Judge Anton told Britain’s most successful Paralympian that she was better than she thought she was.

Craig told her she looked “fantastic”, but her solo dancing saw her “drop the ball”. Motsi didn’t agree entirely with Craig, saying she was “playing the role”.

As the scores came in, Sarah was given a message from icon Shania Twain herself, leaving them screaming.

Shania shared her hopes to see Sarah and Julian’s Tango at one of her UK shows. As for the scores, they were 5, 5, 5, 6, equalling a total of 21.