Victor Osimhen scores one and sets up another to send Nigeria into the last four of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Published On 10 Jan 202610 Jan 2026
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Nigeria powered to a deserved 2-0 victory over Algeria in their Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal with second-half strikes from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams to set up a semifinal with hosts Morocco.
Osimhen steered home a long cross from the left by Bruno Onyemaechi two minutes into the second half on Saturday as Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane made a bizarre jump to try and stop the effort, but ended up getting his angles wrong and conceding an easy goal.
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Adams increased Nigeria’s lead 10 minutes later as Osimhen unselfishly fed him the ball, and he took it around Zidane before placing it into an empty net.
It was an impressive performance by Nigeria, who two months ago missed out on World Cup qualification, as they overwhelmed their opponents from the start at the Grand Stade de Marrakesh, looking more determined, quicker around the field and stronger in the challenges, and denying their opponents a single scoring chance.
Algeria were already hanging on grimly in the first half, with Nigeria having good chances to be ahead at the break.
Algeria centre back Ramy Bensebaini cleared off the line in the 29th minute from Calvin Bassey after the depth of Ademola Lookman’s free kick was misjudged by Zidane and the Nigeria fullback was able to steer an effort goalward from a tight angle.
Bensebaini hooked it clear, although television replays looked to show the whole circumference of the ball had crossed the line. A VAR check in the absence of goal line technology, however, did not award a goal.
In the 37th minute, a poor clearance from Zidane to full-back Aissa Mandi was intercepted by Alex Iwobi, who quickly fed the ball to Adams, but the Sevilla striker‘s left-footed effort missed the target with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Adams also headed against the upright in the 82nd minute as Osimhen’s enterprise and persistence again set him up with a clear chance.
Algeria had been forced to play extra-time before winning their last-16 clash against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday and the exertion could have been the reason many of their key players turned in listless performances. In contrast, Nigeria had a comfortable 4-0 win over Mozambique on Monday.
Nigeria, who have reached the last four 17 times in the last 20 tournaments they have qualified for, will take on Morocco in Rabat in the semifinals on Wednesday.
The Super Eagles, who had a far from ideal preparation with reports of bonuses not being paid, will face host Morocco in the second semifinal in Rabat on Wednesday.
Defending champions Ivory Coast play seven-time champions Egypt in Agadir later on Saturday for a place against Senegal in the first semifinal.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of their talks in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, southeastern South Korea, 30 October 2025. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Jan. 9 (Asia Today) — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will visit Japan for a two-day, one-night trip starting Jan. 13, the presidential office said Thursday, with historical issues including the Chosei coal mine incident expected to be addressed alongside future-oriented cooperation.
The visit will mark the first round of Korea-Japan shuttle diplomacy this year and Lee’s second visit to Japan since taking office. It will also be his third meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, following encounters at last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju and the Group of 20 summit.
According to the presidential office, Lee will arrive in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi’s hometown, on the afternoon of Jan. 13. The summit will include a closed-door meeting, an expanded session and a joint news conference, followed by a dinner between the two leaders.
The leaders are expected to discuss expanding cooperation in areas directly affecting people’s daily lives, including intellectual property protection, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, efforts to counter transnational crimes including fraud, social issues and people-to-people exchanges.
They also plan to explore humanitarian approaches to historical issues, including the Chosei coal mine incident, which involves the remains of Korean forced laborers from Japan’s colonial period.
Woo Sung-lak, head of the National Security Office, told reporters during a briefing at the presidential office that Seoul is seeking “new progress” on the issue, including the possibility of DNA testing on remains. He said discussions on historical matters could extend to other areas as well.
“Historical issues have always existed between South Korea and Japan,” Woo said. “Although they are rooted in the past, they remain current issues that must be managed carefully so they do not hinder future cooperation.”
Woo said the government aims to build goodwill and tangible outcomes in bilateral relations when conditions are favorable, and to use that momentum later when more difficult issues arise.
On regional security matters, Woo said summit meetings typically include discussions on surrounding regional developments and noted that similar exchanges of views took place during Lee’s recent summit with China.
On the morning of Jan. 14, Lee and Takaichi are scheduled to attend goodwill events, including a visit to Rurinsan Temple, before Lee meets with South Korean residents in Japan and returns home.
The summit has drawn attention because it will be held outside Tokyo, reflecting Lee’s stated interest in regional development. Last year, Lee met with former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Busan, focusing on revitalizing local economies and regional governments. Lee has since expressed interest in holding future summits in regional areas of Japan.
Woo said the idea of a regional summit grew out of discussions between Lee and Ishiba, adding that Nara Prefecture holds symbolic significance as both Takaichi’s hometown and a site of historical and cultural exchange between South Korea and Japan.
For the first time, Fletcher addressed Amorim’s criticisms of United’s academy.
Aside from the fact he did not start any academy-produced player in a Premier League game this season, Amorim did not show any sign he had faith in the players it had produced.
In addition, he angered United officials by singling out Harry Amass – whose loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday has now come to an end – and striker Chido Obi for criticism.
Amorim also said he detected a sense of entitlement among United’s young players.
As someone who was himself developed by the club, has previously held the position of technical director and up to this week has been responsible for their under-18s players, Fletcher brought Kobbie Mainoo and Shea Lacey on at Turf Moor.
On only his second senior appearance, 18-year-old Lacey nearly won the game with a curling effort from 20 yards that came back off the crossbar.
“Historically, this club is built around the academy,” said Fletcher. “Our record speaks for itself.
“We’ve got some amazing talent and what I see is a lot of hardworking, humble young players, honest and coachable, who aren’t perfect because they’re young and they’re learning.
“We ask too much of young people in society at times. We have to let them learn – educate them, help them and understand they will make mistakes.
“With good guidance, all of us play a part in developing them to be Manchester United players. Hopefully they can showcase themselves like Shea did.”
The Directors Guild of America announced its nominations Thursday for outstanding directorial achievement in theatrical feature film, offering one of the clearest snapshots yet of the Oscar race for director as guild voters begin to weigh in.
Nominated for the DGA’s top film award are Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another,” Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Guillermo del Toro for “Frankenstein,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme” and Chloé Zhao for “Hamnet.”
Winners will be announced at the 78th annual DGA Awards on Feb. 7 at the Beverly Hilton.
The DGA award remains one of the strongest predictors of Oscar success. Twenty of the last 23 recipients of the guild’s top directing prize have gone on to win the Academy Award for best director. Last year’s DGA winner, “Anora” director Sean Baker, went on to repeat at the Oscars.
Several of this year’s nominees are familiar figures to the guild. Anderson’s nod for “One Battle After Another” marks his third time being recognized by the DGA in the top film category, following his earlier nominations for “There Will Be Blood” and “Licorice Pizza.” Zhao, who won both the DGA Award and the Oscar for “Nomadland,” receives her second nomination for the wrenching period drama “Hamnet,” making her one of a small group of women — including Jane Campion, Kathryn Bigelow and Greta Gerwig — to be recognized more than once by the guild.
Del Toro, who won the DGA Award for “The Shape of Water,” earns his second career nomination in the category for his long-gestating “Frankenstein” adaptation, while Safdie receives his first DGA nomination for theatrical feature film for his gonzo sports drama “Marty Supreme.”
The DGA nominations often track closely with the Oscars in part because of overlapping membership: most directors in the Academy are also members of the guild. While the groups vote independently, that shared base has made the DGA one of the most reliable bellwethers in the Oscar directing race.
This year’s DGA nominations overlap significantly with the Golden Globe nominations for directing, which also included Anderson, Coogler, del Toro and Zhao. The Globes additionally recognized Jafar Panahi for “It Was Just an Accident” and Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value,” two filmmakers who didn’t appear in the DGA lineup. The differences highlight the contrasting makeup of the Globes’ voting body of international critics and the DGA’s more industry-focused membership.
The guild also announced nominees for the Michael Apted Award for outstanding directorial achievement in a first-time theatrical feature film, a category that has increasingly served as a spotlight for emerging talent. This year’s nominees are Hasan Hadi for “The President’s Cake,” Harry Lighton for “Pillion,” Charlie Polinger for “The Plague,” Alex Russell for “Lurker” and Eva Victor for “Sorry, Baby.” Last year’s Apted Award winner, RaMell Ross, went on to earn a best picture Oscar nomination for “Nickel Boys.”
Television, documentary and other DGA nominations were announced earlier this week, recognizing directing work across drama, comedy, limited series and nonfiction programming. In dramatic series, nominees included “Severance,” “Andor,” “The Diplomat” and HBO Max’s “The Pitt,” while comedy series nominees included “The Bear,” “Hacks,” “The White Lotus” and Apple TV+’s “The Studio.”
He said the decision not to compete in the Australian Open, which begins on 18 January, had been “really, really tough”.
Draper struggled with discomfort in the top part of his serving arm – his left – for several months, eventually shutting down his season after withdrawing from the US Open in August.
It came after a successful first part of the year, with Draper reaching a career-high of fourth in the world in June and also securing a maiden Masters 1000 title with victory at Indian Wells in March.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Denmark could become the latest customer of the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, after the U.S. government approved the sale to the Scandinavian country and NATO member. The potential acquisition is of particular relevance when it comes to Denmark’s increasing focus on the defense of Greenland. However, it also underscores how an ‘alliance’ of P-8 operators is fast developing in the northern hemisphere, with growing possibilities for collaboration to maximize these aircraft’s effectiveness in a region of huge strategic importance.
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced U.S. Department of State approval for the potential deal on December 29. The estimated $1.8-billion Foreign Military Sales (FMS) acquisition covers three aircraft, as well as related equipment, training, support, and other items. Notably, it does not include weapons or sonobuoys.
A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon, center, and two U.K. Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons participate in Exercise Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS 25) in the Baltic Sea, June 12, 2025. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. John Allen
In September 2025, Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen said that the government could invest “tens of billions of [Danish] kroner” in buying the P-8, highlighting official backing for the deal at the highest levels.
“I would prefer that we cooperate with other NATO countries to get the most for the money and to have a greater degree of flexibility. But if that is not possible, I am also willing for us to acquire the P-8 aircraft capacity ourselves, which can basically hunt submarines,” Poulsen added.
“The proposed sale will enhance Denmark’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force that is capable of deterring adversaries and participating in NATO operations,” the DSCA said in its announcement. “The proposed sale will support its goal of improving national and territorial defense as well as interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces.” While the deal still needs to be cleared by Congress before a contract can be signed, this would appear to be just a formality.
The proposed package also includes four examples each of the Multifunctional Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) and the AN/AAQ-24(V)N Guardian anti-missile laser countermeasures system, plus eight LN-251 Embedded Global Positioning Systems/Inertial Navigation Systems. Denmark is additionally cleared to receive an undisclosed number of MX-20HD electro-optical and infrared systems, AN/AAQ-2(V) acoustic systems, AN/APY-10 maritime surveillance radars, and AN/ALQ-213 early warning management systems.
The ALQ-213 is notable in that it is a product of the Danish Terma company; it brings together the various items of aircraft survivability equipment on a given platform, coordinating between the various threat-warning and dispensing systems to automatically dispense the appropriate sequencing pattern and expendables to protect the aircraft, as outlined in the video below.
Electronic Warfare Management System for C-130J
In 2025, Boeing — the manufacturer of the P-8 — and Terma signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2025 to explore closer cooperation on the Poseidon program, including maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) support in Denmark. Potentially, Denmark could become home to an MRO hub that could service its own P-8s, as well as those of other customers.
The timelines for the construction and delivery of the aircraft were not announced.
For the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF), the P-8 would provide an enormous leap in capability. Currently, it has no dedicated fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft. Instead, it relies on three multirole Bombardier CL-604 Challenger bizjets that can be equipped with various sensors for maritime work. However, their lack of weapons and anti-submarine warfare kit means they are best suited to tasks such as fisheries protection, pollution control, and search and rescue.
A CL-604 Challenger aircraft on patrol over Danish waters. RDAF
The RDAF also has MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, which primarily operate from naval vessels.
For the RDAF, the main areas of maritime operation are in the North Atlantic Ocean around Greenland and the Faroe Islands, as well as in the Baltic Sea.
Denmark’s lack of true long-range maritime patrol capabilities is especially surprising considering the vast maritime areas involved. Not only are these part of the Danish Armed Forces’ key responsibilities in terms of homeland defense, but they are also regions of growing strategic importance, with heightened Russian naval activity in the North Atlantic and Arctic.
Greenland’s importance lies in its strategic location between North America and Russia. Though the island has a significant degree of autonomy, it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark. In recent years, there has been increased interest in the natural resources of this island, which is normally classified as the world’s biggest. The potential for mining for rare earth minerals, including uranium and iron, makes it a particular prize.
The view from the flight deck of a Royal Danish Air Force C-130J transport during a mission over Greenland. RDAF
In terms of trade, Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, further underlining its strategic importance to the United States.
Greenland has long been militarized, with the United States at the forefront of this throughout the Cold War, under an agreement with Denmark. Today, it still supports a U.S. radar base, which was transferred to the command of the U.S. Space Force in 2020.
A satellite view of Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland. Google Earth
U.S. President Donald Trump has highlighted the importance of the island to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are “all over the place.” Trump has also repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, describing the island as “critical” for national and economic security. In response, Greenland’s prime minister has said the territory is not for sale, adding that “Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland.”
Not surprisingly, Greenland has been central in Denmark’s Arctic Capability Package, first unveiled in 2021.
In October 2025, Denmark announced $4.2 billion of additional defense spending to cover the Arctic and North Atlantic regions, including Greenland. At the same time, it also said it would increase its F-35A fleet to 43, buying another 16 of the stealth jets at a cost of $4.5 billion.
Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen (right) greets the F-35 pilot nicknamed PLA, who flew the first F-35A to Skrydstrup Air Base in Denmark, on September 14, 2023. Photo by Bo Amstrup / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP
The plan also includes buying two new Arctic ships, early warning radar, and maritime patrol planes. Denmark will also establish a new Arctic command headquarters in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, alongside a new military unit under Joint Arctic Command in Greenland.
It would seem likely that the RDAF will station at least one P-8 in Greenland, if only on a rotational basis. This would parallel what it has done with one of its CL-604s since 2021, when it was announced that one of the jets would be based at Kangerlussuaq year-round to perform maritime surveillance.
Providing the deal is signed off, with the P-8, Denmark will be getting the heaviest and most powerful in-production maritime patrol aircraft on the market, rather than a smaller or cheaper solution.
A U.S. Navy P-8A launching a trio of AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles during a test. U.S. Navy A P-8A launching a trio of AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles during a test. U.S. Navy
As well as its performance advantage, the P-8 is also a true multi-mission platform. As well as weapons, it carries a range of sensors for use during anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and search and rescue missions. Furthermore, even with its standard electronic support measures (ESM) suite, the P-8 can act in an electronic intelligence collection role, specifically on enemy air defenses and electronic order of battles. This is of relevance overland, as well as during maritime missions.
Its price tag is the main reason for the relatively small number of aircraft in the initial Danish package, although more could be added later.
The RDAF will also be able to expand the capabilities of its small P-8 fleet by using them in conjunction with its four MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aerial systems, which were ordered in July 2025 and are due to be delivered between 2028 and 2029.
At the same time, Denmark will be joining a growing P-8 operators’ group that will be active in the region.
The United Kingdom has nine examples of the Poseidon MRA1 (equivalent to the P-8A) operational, while Norway has five P-8As.
A U.K. Royal Air Force Poseidon MRA1, seen here flying over the coast of Scotland. Crown Copyright
Germany ordered eight P-8As, with the first of these being delivered in November 2025. Berlin has said these P-8s will be deployed periodically to RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, where they will support the resident U.K. Royal Air Force Poseidon fleet of nine aircraft.
A P-8A destined for the German Navy. Boeing
The United Kingdom and Norway have also discussed plans to cooperate on P-8 operations, and adding Denmark (and Germany) to this initiative would provide a major boost for NATO’s ability to effectively patrol the North Atlantic. This includes the strategically vital Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom Gap, better known as the GIUK Gap, a critical bottleneck that is closely monitored. If Russian submarines can sneak through undetected, they have a much better chance of disappearing into the Atlantic without being traced. During a full-blown conflict, this would likely include wreaking havoc on NATO shipping and naval flotillas and executing pinpoint attacks on key land targets. While it is very much a multi-mission platform, this kind of mission remains central to the P-8’s existence.
Dating from the Cold War but still relevant today, a map of the GIUK Gap. CIA.gov
Finally, Canada has 14 P-8As on order with an option for two more, with deliveries scheduled between 2026 and 2027. Canada is another country that has responded to the demands of a steadily more contested Arctic region by investing in maritime patrol and surveillance.
An artist’s concept of a P-8A Poseidon in Canadian service. Boeing
With this in mind, should Denmark’s P-8 deal be signed off, the Royal Danish Air Force will enjoy commonality with several regional partners, making it more straightforward to conduct joint operations, collaborate on training, and maximize interoperability and data exchange during operational missions. Aside from that, Denmark getting its hands on the Poseidon would be a huge deal for them, providing it with an aircraft capable of launching sizeable weapons, including anti-ship cruise missiles.
Whether Denmark gets the P-8 or opts for an alternative platform, the approval of the sale is another indicator of NATO’s growing focus on Arctic surveillance, via robust maritime patrol capabilities. For Denmark, buying the P-8 would also be a firm statement of its intent to protect the strategic waters surrounding Greenland.
Love Island: All Stars is set to be back on screen this January as a host of former contestants head back to the show that made them famous in pursuit of romance once again
A pedestrian walks on a darkened street in the Zehlendorf district in southwest Berlin on Sunday after a large-scale power outage the day before, which a far-left activist group has taken credit for as an “action in the public interest.” Photo by Filip Singer/EPA
Jan. 4 (UPI) — A far-left activist group sent police a letter taking credit for setting fire to part of a power plant near Berlin, leaving nearly 50,000 customers in the dark, as a protest against the fossil fuel industry.
The German activist group Vulkangruppe, or Volcano Group, acknowledged in a 2,500-word letter that it set a fire on Saturday near the Lichterfelde heat and power station, damaging high-voltage cables to “cut the juice to the ruling class,” The Guardian reported.
On Sunday morning, Stromnetz Berlin, the power company that owns the station, reported that roughly 45,000 homes and 2,200 businesses had lost power in the outage, Deutche Welle reported.
The power company said that while some connections have been turned back on in small waves, some customers may not have their electricity until as late as Thursday afternoon.
Some schools may also be closed for the part of the week because they do not have power, The BBC reported.
“We are expecting damage costing millions to plants and machines and owing to high losses in revenue,” Alexander Schirp, director of the regional business associations in Berlin and Brandenburg, said of the arson.
“This is a serious problem and stokes a feeling of insecurity in the business world,” he added.
Early Saturday, cables near the power plant were spotted burning and incendiary devices were later found to have caused the inferno.
In the aftermath, several hospitals and health care facilities received emergency generators, but many people had to be moved from either facilities or their own homes because there was no power.
Vulkangruppe said in the letter, which police have said is credible, that they set the fire in an “act of self-defense and international solidarity with all those who protect the Earth and life.”
The group condemned “greed for energy” by burning fossil fuels for the ever-growing electricity needs of humanity, and specifically called out the massive, and exponentially growing, use of electric for artificial intelligence computing.
“We are contributing to our own surveillance and it is comprehensive. The tech corporations are in the hands of me with power, which we give them,” the group wrote, calling the fire an “action in the public interest.”
Vulkangruppe previously took credit for a fire that was set at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin in March 2024.
That arson included deliberately setting fire to a high-voltage electric pole, which damaged the electric line and cut power to the surrounding area, including the plant, officials said at the time.
Trader Joe’s “You Float Our Boat!” design makes its way down Colorado Boulevard during the Rose Parade held in Pasadena, Calif., on January 1, 2026. The float won the Wrigley Legacy Award for most outstanding display of floral presentation, float design and entertainment. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Tight end Tyler Higbee is on track to return on Sunday for the season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
Safety Quentin Lake will be back for the playoffs. Star receiver Davante Adams also could be held out till then.
The Rams, coming off consecutive losses to the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons, might appear to be limping toward their seventh postseason appearance in nine seasons under coach Sean McVay.
But a team that was regarded by many as the class of the league midway through the season should be at or near full strength when they play an NFC wild-card game next weekend.
“We’re getting healthy at the right time,” McVay said Friday.
Lake agreed.
“The league and the world kind of knew where we were at when we were at full strength,” Lake said. “We’re getting guys back at the right time and I feel like we’re going to hit our stride at the right time.”
The Rams, who at one time were seeded No. 1 in the NFC, are currently seeded No. 6.
If the San Francisco 49ers lose to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, and the Rams defeat the Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, the Rams will climb to No. 5.
Regardless, McVay reiterated Friday that starters would play against the Cardinals, though how much remains to be seen.
Several starters are questionable because of injuries, including running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum because of ankle injuries and left tackle Alaric Jackson because of a knee injury that kept him out of last Monday’s loss to the Falcons.
Right guard Kevin Dotson, who also sat out against the Falcons because of an ankle injury, will not play Sunday, and his status for the wild-card round remains uncertain.
The Rams also at some point will make a decision regarding veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein. The 11th-year pro has been on injured reserve since mid-November. Warren McClendon Jr. has played well in his place, but Havenstein would give McVay flexibility if Jackson were injured and McClendon moved to the left side.
The Rams’ 27-24 loss to the Falcons did not result exclusively because of injuries, but the holes left by missing starters were apparent and in some cases glaring.
Veteran tackle D.J. Humphries struggled in Jackson’s place, and guard Justin Dedich is not as big and strong as Dotson. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson ran roughshod through a defense that was missing Lake.
Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson, right, blocks Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson during a Rams win on Dec. 14.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
“There is a reason why those guys that have been missed are starters,” McVay said, speaking generally, “because they give us the best chance to play at the optimum levels.”
Rams tight ends have played well during Higbee’s absence, but McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford are eager for the 10th-year pro’s return.
Higbee caught 20 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in nine games before he was injured during a Nov. 16 victory over the Seahawks.
He is looking forward to getting back into the flow on game day.
“Just try to be myself, bring the energy, bring the physicality and try to make some plays when it’s my turn,” Higbee said.
Stafford has deftly utilized tight ends Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson. Now he said he will welcome back Higbee, “the ultimate team player,” who helps bind teammates.
“Everybody calls him a glue guy,” Stafford said, “probably an understatement.”
Lake, a team captain, also brings more than talent to the field, which the Rams formally recognized this week when they awarded him a three-year extension that includes more than $25 million in guarantees.
Lake has been sidelined since suffering a left elbow injury that required surgery. He began practicing this week, and said he would be ready for the playoffs.
“The doctor was saying, ‘You came back pretty fast, but if you feel good and you have all the strength and range of motion, go ahead and cut it loose.’
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Adams sat out the last two games because of a hamstring injury, but he still leads the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.
Adams was limited in practices this week.
“We want to make sure that we’re getting everything ready to roll and being smart with him because of the position that he plays and the stress that that hamstring takes with some of the different things that we activate with him,” McVay said.
Star receiver Puka Nacua is among those happy to see Higbee, Lake and Adams on the practice field again.
“It’s fun to have all those guys out there,” he said. “I’d say their presence is definitely missed.”
WORK on the third runway of what is set to become the world’s biggest airport has started.
The major airport is set to open in 2030, and it will eventually welcome as many as 185million passengers.
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Construction has started on the third runway at King Salman International AirportBy 2030 the airport is set to see 100million passengersCredit: Foster + Partners
It will allow the airport to increase its capacity from around 65 aircraft movements per hour to 85.
Marco Mejia, Acting Chief Executive Officer of King Salman International Airport said: “Launching construction of the third runway marks a pivotal step in delivering the KSIA Master Plan.
“And reflects our commitment to developing world-class infrastructure capable of supporting future growth, enhancing operational efficiency, and expanding long-haul connectivity without constraints.”
Each will be parallel to one another, and built around the existing King Khalid International Airport.
When finished, the airport will be the same size as Manhattan in New York.
The ‘mega airport’ is set to become the largest in the world, including the current one which is also in Saudi Arabia; the King Fahd International Airport.
At 57 square kilometres, the airport will be initially be able to handle up to 100 million passengers each year.
It will also be able to handle more than two million tonnes of cargo by 2030.
Around the airport will be landscaped gardens
The airport was announced back in 2022 and is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman‘s Saudi Vision 2030.
This is set to make Riyadh into a major hub for transport, trade and tourism.
It will eventually accommodate up to 120million passengers each year, which is then expected to rise to 185million by 2050.
The airport has been designed by Foster + Partners and will have plenty of light and airy spaces, seating for travellers and 4.6sqm of shops.
A lot of features in the airport are set to be high tech, such as climate-controlled lighted.
The airport will also feature a large mosque,landscaped gardensand a Royal Terminal for use of the Saudiroyal family, government officials, and VIPs.
This major UK airport has revealed its new £1.3billion upgrade plans…
London Heathrow will undergo a series of developments next year, starting with Terminal 2 and 4.
Wainwright has made 129 appearances for Dragons since making his debut in October 2017 and has only won 29 matches with 93 defeats and seven draws.
He turned down other offers in favour of signing a new Dragons deal in January 2024.
Now Wainwright is expected to decide to try another challenge and link up with fellow Wales back-rowers Tommy Reffell and Olly Cracknell at Leicester.
Wainwright will still be available for Wales because he has 62 international caps.
Welsh rugby’s 25-cap rule says anybody below this tally cannot play international rugby if they sign for a club outside of Wales but Wainwright easily exceeds that bar.
A significant proportion of Steve Tandy’s Wales side already ply their club trade in England with 13 non-home-based players involved in the autumn squad.
Wainwright, Lake and Morgan are joining the likes of Dafydd Jenkins, Louis Rees-Zammit, Tomos Williams, Rhys Carre, Nicky Smith, Nick Tompkins, Jarrod Evans, Max Llewellyn and Freddie Thomas, who all play for English clubs, while lock Adam Beard is at French side Montpellier.
The Trinity Street house used as a filming location for Dorris’s home in the hit BBC series Gavin & Stacey is available to book via Sykes Cottages
What was Gwen and Stacey’s house can now be booked out (Image: BBC/Toffee International Ltd./Tom Jackson)
This house is a national treasure in Wales, having featured in every series of the much-loved TV show Gavin and Stacey. Now, fans of the sitcom can experience it for themselves.
Affectionately known as the ‘Lush House’, guests can spend the night in the South Wales home that belonged to Gwen and later Dorris in the series. Located on Trinity Street in the heart of Barry, this iconic red-bricked terraced house served as a filming location for the show for many years.
It even became the central family home in the final episodes, making it particularly special for fans. Now, those eager to immerse themselves in the world of the show can book a minimum two-night stay.
Since its television debut, the house has undergone a bit of a makeover, with a fresh coat of paint and some modern updates for the comfort of its guests.
This slice of British TV history comes equipped with all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay, all while knowing you’re in rooms once graced by TV royalty.
The property can accommodate up to five guests, making it perfect for a group getaway to the seaside, where you can explore other locations featured in Gavin and Stacey.
As for sleeping arrangements, there are two cosy bedrooms: one with a double bed, reminiscent of the one our favourite couple stayed in, and another featuring two twin beds in a bunk – ideal for children.
Downstairs in the communal living areas, guests can enjoy unlimited rewatches of their favourite episodes with a TV and Wi-Fi. Plus, an electric fire ensures the place stays cosy and warm, making it a perfect getaway for all seasons.
It’s worth noting that the property also features a dishwasher, saving you time on washing up, and a washing machine for those planning a longer stay. Additionally, there’s a quaint garden patio area for those moments when you fancy some fresh air.
Beyond the confines of the home, Barry has plenty to offer, and it’s all conveniently located right at your doorstep. With roadside parking available, it’s easy to jump in the car and explore the town, just like your favourite telly family.
You can take in the iconic Barry Island promenade, complete with arcades and fish and chip shops for a quintessential British seaside experience. Why not drop by the much-loved Marco’s Café or even try your luck at the slot machines where Nessa used to work, and where some of the show’s most hilarious scenes took place?
Aside from the Gavin and Stacey highlights, the area boasts a wealth of attractions for families, including the lively Barry Island Pleasure Park. For those who prefer the great outdoors, Porthkerry Country Park offers stunning woodland walks with breathtaking views of the Bristol Channel.
You can secure a minimum of two nights’ stay in the Lush House, with prices starting from approximately £472, though rates fluctuate during the summer months. Reservations can be made online through Sykes Cottages.
Charlie Frederick has reportedly signed up for Love Island: All Stars, eight years on from when he briefly appeared on the regular edition of the ITV2 dating show
Charlie Frederick is said to be heading back to the villa(Image: Surrey Advertiser)
Charlie Frederick has reportedly signed up for Love Island: All Stars. The reality star, 29, initially appeared briefly on the 2018 edition of the ITV2 dating competition, where he was coupled up with Hayley Hughes for a matter of days before being dumped from the famous villa.
Now, it’s thought that Charlie, who also appeared on Made in Chelsea as the best friend of Sam Holmes, is set to make a return to the villa after being persuaded by bosses to take part in the spin-off, which brings back memorable characters from the regular version of the series.
This year, the ITV dating show has had a huge format shake-up, with singletons heading out to South Africa for six weeks, rather than five as has been the case in previous years.
A source told The Sun: “Charlie’s been in the gym nonstop since he spoke to bosses about returning to the show. He went too early when he was on the 2018 series, the first time – this time he wants to find love!”
Following his initial stint on Love Island, Charlie claimed he would have progressed further in the competition had he not been coupled up with Hayley, and she described him as “bitter” after hearing his comments. Then, during an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine, the pair refused to sit with each other in the studio. At the time, Charlie explained: “We’re fine, we’re just frosty cause I’m a bit gutted to be honest. You just want to get your own piece across.
“I’m bitter and angry, not to her; I can’t hold a grudge. It is what it is. I feel like I’ve been hard done by, and my chance has been taken away from me. It was so much fun, I’m missing it.” Lorraine, who was visibly sensing the awkwardness, then jokingly told Charlie to “go away” so Hayley could come in. Charlie said it was “so awkward” as he gestured with his arms while walking out of the studio.
Hayley then appeared from the other side to avoid walking past Charlie. On her relationship with Charlie, she said: “Maybe near the end, I was a bit cold. I think that is something I need to work on. If I’m not interested in someone or can’t see it going any furthe,r I pull away.” After splitting from Hayley, Charlie had a relationship with Instagram model Natalie Clowes.
Insiders recently claimed that villa bombshell Yasmin Pettet is set to let the cameras follow her all over again, and she is currently being considered for a return to the villa when All Stars comes back to screens early next year, following her split from Jamie Rhodes. A source said: “ITV bosses are already starting to approach ex Islanders and they knew from the moment Yas stepped into the villa, she’d make the perfect ‘All Star’ – she’s one of the most controversial bombshells in the show’s history and will have absolutely no issue shaking up the villa for the second time, or treading on people’s toes.
“Now things are over with Jamie; she’s in very early, tentative talks. She’s not sure if going back to the show would be the right move, but she’s had loads of offers
Ciaran Davies finished runner-up with then-girlfriend Nicole Samuel, but they called it quits in December 2024. Bosses are now keen to get the Welsh hunk on board, although he is in the very early stages of negotiations right now.
Prior to that, it was reported that Jess Harding, who won series 10 of the regular series alongside Sammy Root, is also in talks lined up for the next competition, when it kicks off in South Africa next year.
Alima Gagigo is also said to be in meetings with bosses about a comeback, just weeks after she competed in series 12 of the programme and was dumped on Day 24. Andrada Pop, who was a bombshell in Casa Amor earlier this year, has also been approached by producers.
Single Islanders from across the 10 years of the show will return to the famous Villa in South Africa, but this time they’ll be in the villa for six weeks instead of five.
Speaking on the renewal, Mike Spencer-Hayter, Creative Director at Lifted Entertainment, said: “Love Island: All Stars has quickly established itself as a stand-alone hit, keeping fans of the show gripped by iconic Islanders from the past 10 years returning for another chance to find love. We are very excited about series 3, and you can expect the twists and turns to continue in All Stars, after an incredible smash hit summer series.”
The second series of Love Island: All Stars aired earlier this year and was won by Gabby Allen and Casey O’Gorman. The series also saw the reunion of Ronnie Vint and Harriet Blackmore – but it didn’t come without complaints.
An arrested sign was on display during a press conference at the Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4. Brian Cole Jr. is scheduled for a detention hearing Tuesday afternoon. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 30 (UPI) — Attorneys for Brian Cole Jr., the man accused of building and laying pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., at two political party headquarters, are arguing for his pre-trial release.
Cole, 30, has autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, his attorneys said in a Monday night filing. He is scheduled for a detention hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
The attorneys argued that “government-induced excitement” around Cole’s arrest is premature and potentially violates court rules.
“The question is whether there is a present danger — a contention the government never actually makes, and something belied by the past four years in which Mr. Cole has lived without incident,” Cole’s attorneys argued in their filing. “No device detonated, no person was injured, and no property was damaged.”
“Whatever risk the government posits is theoretical and backward-looking, belied by the past four years where Mr. Cole lived at home with his family without incident. All of this weighs heavily against an inference of current danger to the community at large,” his attorneys wrote.
Cole was arrested Dec. 4 and hasn’t entered a plea. He is accused of placing two pipe bombs — that never detonated — outside of the Democratic National Committee headquarters and the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington.
He faces charges of transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials. The charges have a maximum sentence of 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones filed a request Sunday to keep Cole in jail while he awaits trial.
Cole is from Woodbridge, Va., where he lives with his mother and other family members.
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order reclassifying marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III controlled substance in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
Senegal beat Benin 3-0 to top AFCON 2025 group, while DR Congo beat Botswana, setting up a mouth-watering Algeria tie.
Published On 30 Dec 202530 Dec 2025
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Senegal saw off Benin on Tuesday to go through to the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations as winners of Group D, leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to settle for second place, which means they will play Algeria in a heavyweight tie in the next round.
Sadio Mane’s Senegal, the 2022 African champions, came into the final round of group games needing to beat Benin in Tangier, and hope their Congolese rivals have not managed to move above them on goal difference.
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Senegal ran out 3-0 winners against Benin, with Abdoulaye Seck and Habib Diallo scoring before skipper Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off in the second half. Cherif Ndiaye then added a late penalty.
The DRC beat the already-eliminated Botswana 3-0 at the same time in Rabat, meaning the leading duo both finished with seven points from three games, but Pape Thiaw’s Senegal topped the section by a difference of two goals.
As a result, Senegal have a far kinder path in the knockout phase and will remain in Tangier for a last-16 tie on Saturday against the third-place finisher in Group E.
That will be either Burkina Faso or Sudan, who play each other in Casablanca on Wednesday.
The Leopards, in contrast, must play the 2019 champions Algeria in the last 16 next Tuesday, with the winner of that potentially having to face Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
Benin’s three points, courtesy of a solitary 1-0 win over Botswana, are enough for them to go through as one of the best third-placed teams.
It will be just their second appearance in the AFCON knockout stages, and their reward is a meeting with Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in Agadir on Monday.
Israel-based centre-back Seck headed Senegal into the lead from Krepin Diatta’s free kick on 38 minutes, and their second goal arrived just after the hour, when a superb cutback by Mane was turned in by Diallo.
Skipper Koulibaly was then sent off after a yellow card was upgraded to red following a VAR review, leaving the Lions of Teranga to play out the final 19 minutes plus stoppage time a man down.
Ndiaye’s 97th-minute penalty made it 3-0 and ended any doubt about Senegal’s final position in the group.
Playmaker Gael Kakuta, once of Chelsea and now playing in Turkiye, was in outstanding form for the DRC against Botswana at Al Medina Stadium, as his back heel set up Nathanael Mbuku for the opener.
Kakuta then converted a penalty shortly before half-time and got his second and his team’s third on the hour mark from Theo Bongonda’s assist.
Another goal at that point could have left the DRC and Senegal with identical records and facing a possible drawing of lots to determine their final group positions.
The DRC thought they had it when Fiston Mayele put the ball in the net on 64 minutes.
It was abundantly clear to actor-director Bradley Cooper that if “Is This Thing On?,” his comedy-drama set in New York’s stand-up scene, lacked authenticity, the film would fail. With the iconic Comedy Cellar at its heart, he found the key to unlocking that — by casting several of the real-life comedians who regularly take the stage there. Among them were two women at the top of their game right now with sold-out shows and substantial social media followings: Chloe Radcliffe and Jordan Jensen.
“Bradley fell in love with the Comedy Cellar and the relationships that go on there,” Jensen recalls.
“Is This Thing On?” is based on an anecdote from the life of British comedian John Bishop, whose career started when he stumbled into an open-mic night in Manchester, England, while temporarily separated from his wife. In the film, Will Arnett plays a fictionalized version of Bishop, Alex Novak, a finance guy, and the narrative shifts to New York.
“The idea was, ‘If we use people who aren’t comics to play comics, there’s not going to be a juxtaposition between Arnett and this super-tight group of people,’” Jensen says. “His character is this stuffy, bored guy, and he enters into this world of people who have day jobs just like him, but they step into this room, and it’s all dirty humor and busting each other’s balls.”
Radcliffe realized early on that Cooper, who also produced and co-wrote the film, understood the level of commitment required to portray the stand-up world realistically. She saw the first signs of him getting it when he screened 10 minutes of test footage for the comedians at his home, just a few blocks from the Greenwich Village club.
Comedian Chloe Radcliffe on stage as her character, Nina, in “Is This Thing On?”
(Jason McDonald / Searchlight Pictures)
“The second the test footage started, I immediately felt so confident that we are in the right hands,” she recalls. “Any lingering doubt or trepidation was totally washed away immediately, because Bradley just has such clarity of vision and taste. It was clear that he and Will had both embedded themselves deeply in the world of stand-up. Bradley wanted to capture what is real, and he was like, ‘If that means going off script, do it. If that means going to a weird place, do it.’”
Jensen adds, “I don’t think I said one actual line from the script. I would improvise something, and along the way, as I got the point across, it was OK. He might occasionally tell us to say a line, but it was in between 100% moments of improvisation, and he would be rolling camera.
“When I saw the movie, it was really moving. The way he showed it reintroduced me to it and made me be like, ‘Oh yeah, this place is f— magical.’”
Cooper wanted to capture what goes on offstage as well as on, and a significant part of that happened around a particular table at the Olive Tree Cafe, which sits above the underground comedy club. It’s where the acts gather before, after and in between their sets.
“We shot a scene around the comics’ table on the very first day,” Radcliffe says. “About a week or 10 days later, Bradley wanted to reshoot it because he looked at the footage and realized that it looked like a movie. He wanted to make something that looked like the real environment. I admire that so much. Not only is he willing to ask us for our input, but he’s also willing to go back and make new decisions based on new information.”
According to Jensen, in another scene in the cafe, the filmmaker asked whether the comedian’s coats, which PAs had removed from the shot, would be there, and when he was told they would, ordered them to be put back. The level of detail even extended to whether the comics would share fries from a single plate or have their own. It all mattered.
Comedian Jordan Jensen was used to riffing through her scenes on camera while playing her character, Jill, in “Is This Thing On?”
(Jason McDonald / Searchlight Pictures)
Radcliffe describes Cooper’s reverence for the Comedy Cellar and the comics as an appreciated display of “humility and willing” that extended to both the filmmaker and Arnett, asking for their input on techniques that would improve Novak’s set.
“We wound up chatting about things like where the funny idea is in a punch line, so you might rearrange the sentence so that the most surprising part of it comes at the end. That’s an unnatural way of delivering that sentence,” she reveals. “I would see Will running the set at the Cellar before the shoot, and he is so naturally funny that even if he went off script and started riffing, he instinctively hits punch lines. He has this natural sense of rhythm.”
However, neither the actor nor the director, who also plays Novak’s best friend, Balls, rested on their laurels. To gauge real audiences’ reactions to the material, they ran it multiple times in rooms for months before filming started. It’s something Jensen calls “the ballsiest thing I’ve ever seen a person do.”
“I would be on a show months before the movie was happening,” she says. “They’d be like, ‘Here’s Alex Novak,’ and I was like, ‘Who is that?’ I would see that it was Will Arnett and then I’d be like, ‘F—, he’s bombing. Oh, this is the movie.’”
However, the bombing was intentional, and things would change as the set progressed. She continues, “What I realized is they had written it so that the first chunk in the movie, he doesn’t do so great, the second chunk he does a little better, and the last chunk he does the best, which is how comedy works. I can’t imagine in a million years doing that and not breaking at some point, and being like, ‘Hey, by the way, I’m actually doing this for a movie.’”
While Arnett was on stage, Cooper would stand in the back of the room, taking notes, making changes and doing research. However, Jensen says watching Arnett tank, even on purpose, was “brutal.”
Will Arnett with director Bradley Cooper on the set of “Is This Thing On?”
(Jason McDonald / Searchlight Pictures)
“These were not open mic nights; they were real shows. It was Will Arnett’s reputation, and he was bombing on purpose, but it totally worked out in the long run. He was operating like a real comic up there.”
There were also little things that Arnett did, sometimes by accident, that made his delivery next-level. One example is when he breathes into the microphone.
“It was totally an improvised thing,” Jensen enthuses. “It was this moment of awkwardness that is so authentic that it makes you immediately empathize with him. You’re like, ‘Oh, man, I know that feeling of the air leaving your mouth, hitting the mic, and now everybody has heard that you’ve let out a sigh of grief.’”
Radcliffe, who plays Nina, and Jensen, who plays Jill, are close friends in real life and read for each other’s roles. Aside from being able to take Cooper and Arnett behind the curtain of the comedy scene, their relationship added an extra level of authenticity to the film and to each other’s performances.
“We’ve been really close since pre-pandemic, and she and I have a lot of similar energies,” Radcliffe muses. “We can both be trashy little gremlins. She has a level of aggression that I don’t quite step into, and I think I have a level of exasperation that she doesn’t quite step into. We play off each other really well. She’s so subversive and transgressive, and she’s got such a magnetism in where she is willing to go on stage that I think is unmatched in a lot of other comics working right now.”
Jensen, who is a big fan of Cooper’s work, recalls being starstruck when he first opened the door to his home when the cast came over to read the script for the film. “He opened the door and said, ‘Hi, I’m Bradley.’ I just looked at Chloe over his shoulder, beelined right to her, and snuggled up next to her on the couch, because I was so intimidated,” she said. “It would have still been great if she weren’t there, but having her there was the best. It’s one of those things where when I’m really old, I’ll tell people, and they won’t believe me.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump talk with reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., in February. Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Trump Monday in Florida. File Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 29 (UPI) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit with President Donald Trump Monday in Florida to discuss the peace plan with Gaza.
Netanyahu is also likely to lobby the president for help with Iran as it continues its work on nuclear weapons.
The meeting will happen at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. On Sunday, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyat the resort to continue working on a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia.
Local officials have said that more than 400 people have been killed in Gaza since the cease-fire, NBC News reported.
The Trump administration wants to see progress on the plan’s second phase in January. That means a Palestinian technocratic government would be created. Hamas would disarm, and the Israeli Defense Forces would pull out of Gaza.
But some believe that Netanyahu will stall the process and demand Hamas fully disarm before the IDF withdraws. Hamas has said it will disarm as progress moves toward an independent Palestinian state.
Netanyahu and his staff have repeatedly rejected Palestinian statehood since October.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that Israel will build settlements in Gaza and “never fully withdraw” even as Hamas disarms, the BBC reported. This would violate the cease-fire agreement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Netanyahu before Trump’s meeting.
Two other tenets of the cease-fire haven’t yet emerged: A “Board of Peace” led by Trump is planned for governance of Gaza, and the International Stabilization Force, led by the United Nations, which will help with peacekeeping in Gaza.
Rubio has said those measures will be in place “very soon.”
Israeli officials are concerned that Iran is moving forward with its plans for ballistic missiles, and Netanyahu is expected to discuss options with Trump at Monday’s meeting.
AMERICAN stars Beyoncé and Jay-Z are set to use a “rich person” planning loophole to build a huge rural estate in the UK.
The couple are said to have bought a 58-acre plot in the Cotswolds for their mansion.
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A-listers Beyoncé and Jay-Z are set to use a rich person planning loophole to build a huge rural estate in the UKCredit: GettyThe architect’s plan for the stunning property that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are planning to build in the CotswoldsCredit: SWNSThe site where permission has been granted for a spectacular seven-bed property currently has a derelict shack near an algae-filled lake, aboveCredit: SWNS
On the land is a derelict shack near an algae-filled lake.
Development is allowed under a special exemption clause in the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework. It gives permission for new homes in rural locations where planning would typically be refused.
To qualify the design must be of “exceptional quality . . . truly outstanding, reflecting the highest standards in architecture”.
It has been dubbed the “rich person clause” because of the millions of pounds required to override regular restrictions.
Planning permission for the development in Oxfordshire was granted in 2021 but work never started.
The plot was later marketed for £7.5million with the permission attached and has been sold — with Texas Hold ’Em singer Beyoncé, 44, and 99 Problems rapper Jay-Z, 56, believed to be the purchasers.
The listing stated the property is “totally unique”, adding “The site for the new house is at the head of a long drive that meanders through beautiful countryside to a magical woodland lake.
“The start of the drive is on the edge of a sought-after village and is within striking distance of Soho Farmhouse.
“Permission has been granted to create a large contemporary dwelling that part-cantilevers over its own lake, has incredible room volumes throughout, will be exceptionally light and have stunning views over the countryside.
“The position and the permission are unrivalled.”
Beyoncé, Jay-Z and their children live in California but have made several trips to the area.
But locals have concerns about an influx of A-listers. One 71-year-old, who has lived there for more than 60 years, said: “My grandson will think this is wonderful that they are coming here. I think it will change the village.”
Stars Jeremy Clarkson, Claudia Winkleman, above, and David and Victoria Beckham live nearbyCredit: AlamyLocals are concerened about the influx of A-listers to the local areaCredit: Alamy
The world’s longest suspension bridge is currently in Turkey but a new record could be held if the government in Italy gets its way with its hugely ambitious Messina Bridge project
Liam McInerney Content Editor
04:00, 27 Dec 2025
Rome was recently given approval to bulid the world’s longest suspension bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland (Image: webuildgroup.com)
The world’s longest suspension bridge has been given the green light – and it could prove hugely popular with Brits. Just four months ago, the Italian government’s plans to build the longest suspension bridge in the world was approve. It would connect the mainland region of Calabria to Sicily.
However, a lot can happen in that time. The controversial Messina Bridge project, which would cost a staggering £11.7bn, faced a huge stumbling back last month, meaning it is once again on hold. But more on that shortly.
If the bridge ever gets built along the Strait of Messina, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni still intends, it would be a hugely ambitious infrastructure challenge that has been talked about in Italy for decades.
The colossal bridge, consisting of two towers stretching 400-metres (1,300 feet), would span an incredible 3.3km (2.05 miles). Three lanes of traffic would sit either side of two railway lines in the middle.
It would be particularly welcomed by Brits travelling in Italy, because it would cut their journey to Sicily to just ten minutes, compared to taking the ferry, which can take a lot longer than the 30 minutes crossing when you factor in the immense queuing at peak times.
Speaking earlier this year, Meloni said: “It is not an easy task but we consider it an investment in Italy’s present and future, and we like difficult challenges when they make sense.”
Transport minister Matteo Salvini spoke in August that the goal was to have it built between 2032 and 2033. He also boasted that 120,000 jobs a year would be created, something he said would bring economic growth to the poor regions of Sicilia and Calabria, which is on the tip of Italy’s boot.
Rome was given the approval for the project in August after years of the plans being scrapped. One of the biggest reasons plans have been halted historically was concerns of mafia fraud, including worries about taxpayers’ money being siphoned off by the Sicilian and Calabrian gangsters.
Other concerns have repeatedly been raised about environmental damage, cost and safety, and given the region is one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean, designers promised the Strait of Messina Bridge would be able to withstand earthquakes.
However, last month, yet another setback was reported, after an Italian court ruled the bridge would go against EU environmental and tender rules.
The Court of Auditors ruling concluded: “The assumptions regarding the various ‘reasons of public interest’ are not validated by technical bodies and are not supported by adequate documentation.”
But the Italian government is refusing to give up and has vowed to review the ruling carefully and continue with its ambitions of making the bridge a reality.
As well as still having to convince the Italian Court of Auditors and both national and EU environmental agencies, there would also be pushback from the 4,000 residents who live either side of the Strait.
Their homes would be at risk of demolition and this could mean legal challenges regarding having to abandon their properties.
As it stands, the current world’s longest suspension bridge is the 915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey – which connects Asia to Europe and takes six minutes to cross.
Construction across the passage of water (Dardanelles Strait) started in 2017 and it only became open to the public three years ago. Journey times have been cut by up to 93%.
This means 90-minute ferry trips can be avoided by using the bridge that starts in Gelibolu, Turkey, which is based on the European side of the country, to the Asian town of Lapseki.
If the Shakers have a lasting cultural legacy, it is their music — most famously “Simple Gifts,” the uplifting spiritual Aaron Copland immortalized in his ballet “Appalachian Spring.” It stands to reason, then, that a film about Ann Lee, the founding “mother” of this 18th century celibate Christian sect, would be a musical. But this was no conventional woman and “The Testament of Ann Lee,” directed by Mona Fastvold and opening in L.A. on Dec. 25, is no ordinary musical.
“Ann Lee was very radical and extreme,” says composer Daniel Blumberg, “and Mona is as well.”
As conceived by Fastvold and Blumberg, the entire tapestry of this film is musicalized — from the emphatic breathing, chest thumping and floor stomping that make up the worshipers’ rituals, to the songs, inspired by Shaker traditionals and performed by star Amanda Seyfried and the cast. Even the sounds of wind, the creaking of ships and a passing cow play a part.
“This cow walks past during the song ‘I Love Mother,’” says Blumberg, 35, visiting L.A. from his native England and speaking from a hotel room over Zoom. Bald with severe features but a soft and guileless disposition, he’s fidgety about the whole Hollywood press dance — this is only his fourth feature film score. But Blumberg is eager to dissect his music-making process and brag about his collaborators. “We were tuning the cows to the song,” he says.
Amanda Seyfried and Lewis Pullman in the movie “The Testament of Ann Lee.”
(Searchlight Pictures)
In a prologue about Lee’s harsh childhood in Manchester, England, her mother hums a tune to her based on the traditional Shaker hymn “Beautiful Treasures.” The melody is then completed on celeste in Blumberg’s score, surrounded by a liturgical choir. The entire film is this kind of holistic musical current: score, songs and environment all in conversation with each other, every component a part of the dance.
“The whole project was very dangerous,” says Blumberg, an indie singer-songwriter with a cult following in the U.K. and now an Oscar for last year’s “The Brutalist.” “It’s always on the edge. And for me that’s a good place to be when you’re making art.”
In one stunning montage, we see a newly married Lee subjugated to religiously-tinged sex (a catalyst for her dogmatic rejection of carnal relations), give birth to several babies, mourn their deaths and express her sorrow in a fervent dance for God. Erotic noises and the cries of childbirth weave together with prayerful moaning and a mother’s keening cries, all integrated into Blumberg’s instrumental score — a guided meditation for bells and strings — with Seyfried singing “Beautiful Treasures.”
“It was very important to me to try and create this hypnotic feel to the film,” says Fastvold, speaking on Zoom from her car during the awards-season whirlwind. “You had to understand it on a sensorial level. Because I think a lot of the appeal, especially early on, were these kinds of endless dance/voice/confession sessions that would last for days.”
“If it’s just someone preaching to you,” she adds, “I certainly can’t connect to that.”
The director, 44, grew up in a secular home in Norway, but her film about this radical American sect is strikingly earnest. Fastvold doesn’t judge Lee’s convictions; there isn’t an ounce of cynicism or condescension. After having a prophetic vision in which Lee is told she is the female incarnation of Jesus Christ, Seyfried sings, “I hunger and thirst / After true righteousness / I hunger and thirst” with utter heart-bleeding sincerity. The camera and the music share her faith completely.
“I never felt like I wanted to laugh at them,” says Fastvold. “I wanted to laugh with them and sometimes their naivete is funny and endearing. But I never wanted to ridicule them. Of course, it’s a very scary thing to try and do.”
When Seyfried read the screenplay two years ago, she experienced some of that intimidation.
“It was definitely the most confused I’ve been in a while reading a script,” she says, nursing a hot tea on Zoom, “because I’m seeing these placeholders for where the hymns will be, when the music comes in, when the diegetic sound goes out or if it doesn’t at all. It was all very foreign to me — which is not necessarily a bad thing. It just leaves me with so many questions.”
Fastvold co-wrote “The Testament of Ann Lee” with her partner, Brady Corbet, who directed “The Brutalist.” They were developing it while working on his breakthrough epic. Blumberg, who has made a number of solo albums and been part of several bands including Cajun Dance Party and Yuck, became friends with Corbet a decade ago. The trio became inseparable.
Fastvold was listening to Blumberg’s records when she decided to direct “The World to Come” in 2020, a warm historical romance about two women in a chilly frontier America. She remembers being captivated by the “beautiful dissonance” in his music. “There’s this mournful, slightly atonal quality to his compositions,” she says.
Fastvold hired Blumberg to score her film — his first — and invited him to the set in Romania to experience the time-traveling feeling of the woods and the sound of passing sheep. She even gave him a small on-screen part, selling a blue dress to Katherine Waterston’s character. It was emblematic of her and Corbet’s then-burgeoning philosophy: of making lavish films on a shoestring, using stunning foreign environments to portray a bygone America and roping crew members and family into the collaboration.
For her ambitious follow-up musical about the Shakers, Fastvold knew she needed Blumberg at the ground level, along with choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall, a collaboration that required proximity. “We kind of move in together for a while and just start figuring it out,” Fastvold says.
“The whole project was very dangerous,” says Blumberg. “It’s always on the edge. And for me that’s a good place to be when you’re making art.”
(Ian Spanier / For The Times)
They discussed how to cast a spell on the audience and how, with cinema, “you’ve got these tools to use,” says Blumberg, “with image, sound, the writing of it all and just to push those as far as possible. Obviously with the edit you can move in time very quickly, and then with sound you can bring people into the room that the characters are in, but also bring them into the heavens. It was trying to use the materials that we had to make an experience — with the story, but inside the story as well. An immersive experience.”
Fastvold and Blumberg immersed themselves in the thousands of songs the Shakers left behind, including hymns and what the group called “gift songs” and “dance songs.”
“What is our dialogue with this tradition and what is it that we’re bringing to this conversation?” Fastvold remembers them asking each other. “Because really that, to me, is what folk music is. It’s passed on, it’s transformed — it turns into something else and then passed on again.”
They found several Shaker songs that fit the needs of given scenes and moments; whenever they couldn’t, Blumberg wrote an original. The Jewish composer recalled the niguns — wordless, improvised prayers — that he grew up hearing in synagogue, and he drew on that sense memory. Many Shaker songs are mantra-like prayers addressed to God, simple rising and falling melodies based on a short repeated phrase. Blumberg got creative with the harmonies, creating demos that he sang himself.
“It was very nerve-racking,” he says, “because score is a moment where you can fix things — you do it after the edit — but this was going to define the pace of the film. There’s quite high stakes of it working.”
Seyfried was nervous too. Even though she’s a trained singer, with film credits including “Mamma Mia!” and “Les Misérables,” this peculiar religious epic required an enormous leap of faith.
“I knew Mona was going to shoot it beautifully,” Seyfried says, “and I knew that Daniel was going to be there every step of the way. And I knew that I was in good hands — but I didn’t know at that point that I could trust myself as a singer, as a musician. It was completely new territory for me. Terrifying.”
The songs were prerecorded for playback on set. The first thing Seyfried recorded in studio was an a cappella song for a scene late in the film — the lyric is “How can I but love my dear faithful children?” She says she felt miserable.
“I was just like: I sound terrible,” Seyfried says sincerely. “This song is not fun to sing. It’s beautiful, but I don’t sound beautiful. I don’t like the way I sound. And we kept doing it and my voice was dry.”
Blumberg patiently worked at finding the most comfortable key for her voice. “I had no idea how lucky I was,” she says.
Amanda Seyfried in the movie “The Testament of Ann Lee.”
(TIFF)
In the process of working with Blumberg, Seyfried says she came to a deeper appreciation of the character as well as her own singing voice. “I was so critical of it,” she remembers, but the role gave her a different kind of freedom. “I was playing somebody who didn’t necessarily have to be a beautifully trained singer,” she says. “She sang because she wanted to feel alive, and she wanted to feel free, and she wanted to feel connected to her faith — and that already just liberates the performer.”
After extensive rehearsals that continued throughout production, Fastvold shot the film in Budapest. Blumberg was always on set, accompanying the actors with a small keyboard. (Thomasin McKenzie and Lewis Pullman are among the cast members who also sing in the film.) Sometimes the actors had a simple click track in an earpiece, other times a “stomp track” from the foot choreography. They would sing live in addition to lip-syncing to playback and Fastvold amassed a huge variety of live tracks — vocals, breaths and other bodily sounds — for her final mix.
“I wanted all of that life and that natural feel to it,” she says, “to not have it feel polished at all, to just be really raw. Because they weren’t singing to entertain. It’s never performative. It’s always from this place of prayer or pain.”
With her principal cast surrounded by Hungarian extras, Fastvold roped everyone, from the dialect coach to the first assistant director’s son to Blumberg’s sister, into the dance.
“If you came to visit, you were in the movie,” she says. “The cast is the crew and the crew is the cast. It’s how I like to do it.” Once again, Daniel Blumberg appears on-screen, in scenes of Shaker worship; he also sings an original duet, “Clothed by the Sun,” with Seyfried under the end credits.
But at this point his work was only half done. Armed with a cut of the film, pillared by the songs he wrote and arranged, Blumberg crafted a score that subtly teed up song melodies and established a sense of spiritual trance. He gravitated toward the sound of bells; he and Fastvold found a handbell from Ann’s era that they used in early demos and he ended up renting some 50 church bells, in different keys, all laid out on the floor of his London flat.
He extended the bell idea with the jangly celeste, also known as a bell piano, and he augmented those bells with a small string ensemble, a choir and, at one point, even an electric guitar.
It was Blumberg’s idea to have two veteran improvising singers, Phil Menton and Maggie Nichols (who also appears in the film), to each record a track where they improvised along to the entire film. Working with mixer Steve Single, Fastvold and Blumberg would occasionally bring up one of these stems and layer it into the rest of the soundtrack for an added color.
“We’d say, ‘Let’s hear what Maggie was doing at this point,’” Blumberg says, “and then we’d bring up her stem and be like, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if she follows that character there?’ Or, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if she’s humming outside the window?’ Or if it’s almost like the heavens speaking down on Ann?”
The final result is utterly unique to Blumberg and Fastvold, a period character study by way of trance and an experiential approximation of religious fervor. By exploring a distant and somewhat alien community through the device of music, they somehow tapped into something universal.
One of Blumberg’s favorite moments in the film is a scene where a group of sailors, transporting Lee and her disciples to the new world, shout at the Shakers to stop singing. “They really sound like this out-of-tune rabble, and you hear what maybe other people might have heard,” he says. “And then a few minutes later they’re praying on the ship and I’ve used all these reverbs and there’s all these choirs singing in the background — it’s almost like what they felt from within.”
Like the Shakers and their songs and prized furniture, “Ann Lee” was made with craft and care by a small and familial utopian community of its own.
“There were no notes from film people,” says Blumberg. “It was our bubble. So the only fear was just them trying to release it and everyone going, ‘No, that’s just mad.’ But what I was trying to do from the start was: If I got to something that seemed good, how can I push that further? Like, really trying to push everything to the extreme.”
Dec. 24 (UPI) — The United States is witnessing an unprecedented decline in murders with 2025 projected to mark the largest one-year drop on record, an analysis of crime data indicates.
Crime analyst Jeff Asher, using data from the Real Time Crime Index, said murders have fallen nearly 20% nationwide between 2024 and 2025 following a 13% decline the previous year.
Several major cities hardest hit by gun violence were reporting sharp decreases.
Baltimore has been down 31%, Atlanta 26%, Albuquerque 32% and Birmingham at nearly 49%.
Nationally, robberies, property crime and aggravated assaults have also fallen by 18%, 12% and 7%, respectively.
The Hill attributed the decline to post-pandemic stabilization and heightened anti-violence initiatives at the local and federal level.
In Memphis alone, murders dropped by almost 20% while Chicago recorded a 28% decrease.
Asher estimates roughly 12,000 fewer homicides occurred in 2024-2025 than during the pandemic peak though final FBI data is still pending.
Clouds turn shades of red and orange when the sun sets behind One World Trade Center and the Manhattan skyline in New York City on November 5, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
I worry more about Joe Burrow’s window closing because since reaching that LA Super Bowl in 2022, Cincinnati have not looked the same.
I don’t know if I trust their organisation to draft and bring in the depth they need. In Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals have the NFL’s most expensive offence, from a salary cap perspective.
It’s always been able to hum a little, but the offensive line still needs strengthening and the defensive line, in particular, has been anaemic.
They had this weird pre-season, not wanting to give Trey Hendrickson the contract he wanted, and they’ve drafted some good young players, but why did they not do this years ago?
When the Bengals had a back-up QB in there, it showed how much Burrow does for the team and how he really extends plays. He is a freak of nature.
He’s the kind of guy that you want in the play-offs, in the Super Bowl, because he gets more dangerous as the season goes on. But it’s sad to think all three of these quarterbacks won’t be there this time.
Other teams are stepping up, because you’re drafting to kind of beat the guys in your division. In the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers have always been consistent, but 100% it should have been the Ravens or Bengals winning that division this season.
The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers have been building out their rosters to beat the Chiefs in the AFC West. What happens now the tables have been flipped? What will next season look like now the Chiefs will have higher draft capital?
You hope that they’re able to bring in or develop some star receivers. I know they wanted Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy to be that. But really, since Tyreek Hill left in 2022, they’ve not had that number one, true threat receiver.
I like that in their last two games they’ll be able to get some of their young guys true NFL game experience. That’s going to be crucial and will probably give them an upper hand long term.
They’ve been working in some of the younger tight ends, but if Travis Kelce retires, what does that look like? Who becomes that reliable player that Mahomes feels comfortable throwing to because, especially coming back from injury, he’s going to need somebody he can trust.
This is a really big recovery for him. I would be amazed if he’s able to recover to the point where he can start next season and be mobile. But he’s always going to have an opportunity because of who he is as a quarterback and a competitor.
The Chiefs have a lot of pending free agents so how they manage that – who they’re bringing back, who they’re bringing in – will be a really big piece of the puzzle for them.
My concern for them getting back to the play-offs next season is that the AFC West is really competitive. Are the Chiefs going to beat the Broncos twice a year? Are they going to beat the Chargers twice a year?
I feel more confident in the Bengals and Ravens, and either of them winning the AFC North. The Ravens are probably the most whole team. They need a couple more pieces on defence.
The Bengals need an entire defence, but at least they’ve got an offence that can be high-powered. I feel like the Chiefs are going to have to start from ground zero.
But for now, the three-headed monster is gone from the AFC, so maybe the path is clear for my Buffalo Bills to finally get back to the Super Bowl.
