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CHRISTMAS just wouldn’t be Christmas without Mariah Carey’s high pitched falsetto and the opening strains of her tireless festive hit.

But the singer appeared to have other things on her mind while signing autographs for loyal fans during a recent public appearance in Brazil.

Video footage captured Mariah, 57, as she erratically climbed from her chauffeur driven car and approached a gathering of placard wielding fans this week.

The singer appeared to be in good spirits as she signed autographs and posed for selfies, but her shaky hands and vulnerable demeanour prompted inevitable concern from those who subsequently viewed the clip on social media.

Commenting on TikTok, one fan wrote: “Should we be worried?”

Elsewhere, a second added: “She looks like she’s in pain.”

WHAT A CAREY ON

Mariah Carey fans left fuming over ‘diabolical’ prices for Christmas shows

NO DIVA

Mariah Carey’s brother spotted working ‘normal job’ at tourist resort

While a third shared: “Praying and sending health wishes for our Christmas queen.”  

Referencing the closeness of Mariah’s female assistant, whose arm is seen clutching the singer’s waist as she unsteadily works her way along a line of eager fans, another reasoned: “1: it’s raining 2: they are on a slant 3: she is wearing heels 4: she doesn’t want to fall.”

Meanwhile, British fans have been left fuming over “diabolical” ticket prices for her Christmas shows.

The Sun previously confirmed that Mariah’s Christmastime tour will touch down in Birmingham, London and Manchester across November and December this year.

These are Mariah’s first dedicated UK Christmas shows on this side of the Atlantic in eight years.

However, fans were stunned when they realised just how steep the ticket prices were, with some seats costing a jaw‑dropping £577.

Taking to social media, one wrote: “I think the prices are awful.”

A second added: “£325 for the first few rows in Birmingham. I paid less for Celine Dion on the front section.”

LAS VEGAS — Standing outside of a packed conference room, half a day into General Managers meetings, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said none of his conversations leading up to or since arriving in Las Vegas had painted a clear picture of how the free agent or trade markets would play out over this month.

The Dodgers are going to take a “business as usual” approach to the offseason, prepared to react whenever those markets reveal themselves. But even if Gomes and president of baseball operations Andrew Freidman aren’t ready to predict how threat of a lockout — expected to go into effect when the current CBA expires on Dec. 1 — will affect their offseason, it will surely color this transaction window.

The Dodgers don’t have any gaping holes to fill this winter, but they still need to fortify their roster if they hope to reclaim their spot at the top of the league.

The Dodgers have already hired former Marlins hitting coach Pedro Guerrero to fill the only opening on their coaching staff, and made their first offseason acquisition, claiming infielder Christian Cairo off waivers from the Mets on Monday.

Their most pressing needs are their bullpen and bench, areas that often draw less fanfare. But the Dodgers also have a track record of splashy offseason moves.

Here are takeaways from Gomes’ media availability Tuesday:

Dodgers engaged with Tarik Skubal’s camp

Tarik Skubal during Game 1 of the NLCS.

(Ashley Landis / AP)

As Freidman said they would, the Dodgers have remained in contact with southpaw Tarik Skubal’s camp, Gomes confirmed Tuesday. And they expect to have a meeting “at some point,” Gomes said.

Skubal is the top free agent available this offseason and is sure to garner interest from all the heavy hitters. The Mets have a meeting scheduled with him next week, according to multiple reports.

The Dodgers’ pitch started when they acquired him at the trade deadline this year. But it’s unclear just how aggressive they will be in pursuit of a reunion.

“I think a lot of it is continuing to see what this all looks like,” Gomes said. “He was awesome getting to know. He fit in great into the clubhouse. Obviously, we know what kind of pitcher he is. So for us, it’s understanding what this all looks like, as far as what does our team need? What does the contract look like? Where does he end up? I don’t know.

“We know we love the player, we love the human, and you kind of have to let things play out to understand what that looks like, and if it’s something that we’re gonna ultimately execute.”

Japanese phenom Shoki Oda on the Dodgers’ radar

Oda, 18, plans to go straight from high school baseball to the United States, foregoing a stint in Nippon Professional Baseball. He’s begun meeting with major-league teams.

“He’s super talented, really projectable, fun to watch him throw,” Gomes said. “I know our international guys have watched him closely, and you know, I’m not sure how that all shakes out exactly. But we think really highly of him.”

Asked if he’d had a visit with the Dodgers, Gomes said with a smile: “Potentially.”

Dodgers looking for Miguel Rojas replacement

Who can fill Miguel Rojas’ shoes?

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Rojas has already begun the transition into his player development role with the Dodgers, working with Dodgers prospects in the Arizona Fall League. But now the Dodgers have to fill the hole his retirement left on the roster.

New-addition Cairo adds depth to the infield group and like Rojas is a right-handed hitter.

“He has really good bat-to-ball (skills), good defensively in a bunch of different spots,” Gomes said. “Our scouts have flagged him as somebody that they really liked, and makeup was really strong.”

Veteran utility player Kiké Hernández also entered free agency. But in a similar situation last year, the Dodgers brought him back on a one-year deal.

“Kiké’s been such a huge part of what we’ve done in the past, and we’ll continue to have those conversations,” Gomes said. “But what that looks like right now, I have no idea.”

At the beginning of the season, with switch-hitting utility player Tommy Edman on the IL, the Dodgers had two young second basemen competing for the left-handed-hitting side of the platoon. Alex Freeland won the job, and Hyeseong Kim, in his second year of a three-year contract worth $12.5 million, made nearly three quarters of his plate appearances in Triple-A.

“Comet did not have the year that he was expecting offensively, but he has so many skills that fit us well,” Gomes said. “Diving in this offseason, to continue to chip away at the potential swing changes, and he worked on some stuff at the end of the year that he felt pretty good about after presenting a plan. He’ll continue to work through those things and hopefully he’ll take a step forward on the swing mechanics and get him into a really good place offensively.”

Important offseason for Josue De Paula

Josue De Paula warms up before Game 2 of the NLDS.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

De Paula not only proved that his offensive skills were major-league ready last season, but also earned a spot on the postseason roster with a mature approach in high-pressure situations.

For him to claim a regular role next year, however, he’ll have to continue to progress on defense.

“He is dead set on proving that he’s going to be a really good defender,” Gomes said. “And he has a good setup in the off season with people around him that he’s going to go out and you know really get after it. And we have full confidence that he’s going to put the work in to really continue to take those steps forward and be the complete player that we all know he can be.”

The lockout will add another wrinkle. Because he’s on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers won’t be able to communicate with him during the lockout, as he works through his offseason program.

“We’re going to make sure that we’re set up in a way over this next month to continue to communicate with guys like we we normally do,” Gomes said. “And if things shake out in a way that we can’t, we’ll make sure that those conversations on the front end are had to kind of everybody put everybody on the same page moving forward.”

Nov. 9, 2026 11:13 AM PT

NEW YORK — UCLA climbed into the top 10 in the first regular-season Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll of the season on Monday while Florida remained No. 1 and the top four were unchanged.

The Gators, who began the season with wins over then-No. 14 Miami and Jacksonville, earned six more first place-votes and had 53 of the 60 from a national media panel. Duke earned the other seven first-place votes, Illinois held down No. 3 in the poll, and UConn was fourth after winning an NCAA championship game rematch with then-No. 16 Michigan on Friday night.

Michigan State rounded out the top five Monday, taking the place of Arizona, which lost its opener to the Bruins a week ago.

The former Pac-12 rivals met in Las Vegas, where the Bruins’ Trent Perry scored 21 points to help them overcome a career-best 38 from the Wildcats’ Ivan Kharchenkov. Arizona got within a point with 3:11 left before the Bruins held on for the 84-75 win.

It sent UCLA from No. 22 in the preseason poll to No. 9, its highest ranking since the final poll of the 2022-23 season.

“Huge,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin said of beating Arizona. “They’re going to win a lot of games, man. I don’t know exactly how many [wins] they’ve averaged over the last three years, but I’d guess it’s close to 30. So when you get a win over a team like that, it’s massive.”

Virginia moved up three spots to sixth after a trio of wins last week, including a victory over then-No. 12 Arkansas. Texas and Houston were next, then UCLA and Louisville, which moved up one spot to round out the top 10.

Tennessee fell three spots to No. 11 after beating Wofford in its only game last week. Arizona dropped seven spots to No. 12.

“It’s not about how we start the season. It’s about how we end the season,” Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Obviously, it hurts when we’re losing. Just remember that feeling. We’ll have a tough stretch in another game, and we’ll need to dig deeper.”

The rest of the Top 25

St. John’s, Gonzaga and Kansas rounded out the first 15 in the poll. Texas Tech, Miami and Alabama were next, while Arkansas dropped seven spots to No. 18 after its loss to Virginia, and Michigan fell four spots to No. 20 after its loss to UConn.

USC, Vanderbilt, Brigham Young, Kentucky and Nebraska finished out the top 25. The Wildcats, who play the Jayhawks on Tuesday night, are one week shy of becoming the first school in the nearly 78-year history of the AP poll to be ranked for 1,000 weeks.

In and out and on the bubble

The Huskers, who opened their season with wins over Le Moyne and Providence, jumped into the poll thanks in part to Iowa State’s loss to Memphis. The Cyclones fell from No. 18 out of the poll, and were third among the others receiving votes.

Memphis was the first team outside of the top 25, followed by Saint Louis, which had an impressive win over Missouri last week.

Conference watch

The Southeastern Conference not only had the No. 1 team in Florida but seven of the top 25. The Big Ten was next with three of the top 10 and six in the poll. The Big 12 had five ranked teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference had four, the Big East had two and Gonzaga gave the new-look Pac-12 one team in the top 25.

SAFFRON Barker has a new ‘bad boy’ on her radar after sparking romance rumours with US reality star Kyle Cooke.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 25, has been spotted looking cosy and all smiles with the Summer House star, 43, in a picture taken just weeks after the pair were introduced through mutual friends.

And while things are still in the very early stages, insiders tell us the pair hit it off immediately and have been keeping in touch ever since.

A source said: “Saffron and Kyle were introduced through mutual friends at an industry event a few weeks ago and hit it off pretty much straight away. They move in similar circles, so they had heard of each other before they met, and there was an instant connection when they were introduced.

“Kyle is incredibly charming and outgoing. He’s got that confident, cheeky personality that Saffron has been naturally drawn to in the past.

“They’ve been in touch since meeting, even though they’re not in the same city right now.

“Saffron has always had a bit of a soft spot for a bad boy, and Kyle certainly has that reputation.”

The potential new pairing comes just three months after the influencer confirmed her split from model Josh Miln, following a romance that ended in July.

And while Kyle is almost two decades older than Saffron, his confident, larger-than-life persona appears to have caught her attention.

It would also be quite a departure from the heartbreak she has been dealing with in recent months, after she was left emotional when opening up about the end of her relationship with Josh.

But Saffron has never been one to shy away from a man with a bit of an edge.

Her love life has previously included YouTuber Jake Mitchell, whose relationship with Saffron ended amid reports of infidelity involving another influencer, Claudia Naya.

She was also briefly linked to rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit in 2024, with their four-month romance coming to an end shortly after he relocated to America to pursue his NFL career – amid speculation about cheating.

Even Josh had something of that brooding bad-boy look, having worked as a model before the pair called time on their relationship.

Now, it seems the latest man to catch her eye could be one of the most colourful characters yet.

The American is one of the biggest personalities on Bravo’s hit reality show Summer House, which follows a group of New York friends as they escape the city for weekends in a shared Hamptons beach house.

The show has become famous for its explosive fallouts, complicated romances and friendships that unravel spectacularly once the cameras start rolling.

Kyle, who is also the founder of drinks brand Loverboy, has long been one of its central characters and has earned himself a reputation as one of Bravo’s biggest bad boys.

In January 2026, he and his wife Amanda Batula announced their separation after four years of marriage.

But the fallout took an even more dramatic turn just two months later, when Kyle’s former friend and Summer House co-star West Wilson revealed he was casually dating Amanda.

The news caused a huge stir because West had previously dated Amanda’s close friend and fellow cast member Ciara Miller in 2023.

In a joint statement announcing their relationship in March, Amanda and West said: “Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.

“As our feelings evolved, we wanted to take time to understand exactly what we were feeling. We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt or be perceived as careless.”

It was a bombshell that left Kyle facing a very public fallout with someone he had once considered a friend.

The drama continued into the summer, when it was confirmed that both West and Amanda would not be returning for the show’s 11th series.

Speaking about West’s departure, Kyle said: “It’s unfortunate. It was [only] months ago that I considered him a friend.”

And the pair’s feud showed no signs of cooling down in October, when Kyle appeared to take another swipe at his former pal on social media.

After West shared an Instagram post, Kyle commented: “More like you a coke head that blew my ex’s life and career up.” He later deleted the remark.

It is certainly a lot of baggage for Saffron to take.

Saffron has, however, spent much of the summer getting to know New York after heading across the pond to pursue her acting ambitions.

The social media star has been taking acting classes in the city and is said to be serious about making it in America.

A source previously told us: “She’s actually in New York doing acting classes. She’s genuinely hoping she can make it in the US.

“She’s really good mates with Chris Appleton and wants him to help her make it over there.”

And with Kyle based in New York, the pair have at least one thing in common when it comes to their transatlantic lifestyles.

The potential romance also comes after a difficult year for Saffron, who confirmed her split from Josh in July.

The pair had appeared to be going strong, but she later became emotional when discussing the end of their relationship.

Now, with her acting ambitions taking her to America and a new reality TV bad boy potentially in the picture, she certainly has got people talking.

Saffron and Kyle were approached for comment.

Polo Lam and his girlfriend Laura Matos say they only spent minutes on the phone to check Google Maps and the internet but were stunned at the final cost

A British traveller has warned holidaymakers about the risk of unexpected charges after spending just two hours in Monaco left him and his girlfriend with a £109 (€128.88) phone bill. Polo Lam, 30, from Whitby, North Yorkshire, was travelling across Europe with his girlfriend Laura Matos, 29, in September when the couple made a brief stop in Monaco.

Despite using just 18.66MB of mobile data between them, the pair were left picking up almost £85 (€99.79) in roaming charges, sending their monthly bill soaring to £109 (€128.88), compared with just £25 (€29.18) the previous month. Experts say 18.66MB is roughly the amount of data someone might use scrolling through Instagram for just three to 10 minutes, depending on the content being viewed.

The couple were enjoying a budget-friendly interrail holiday from Barcelona to Vienna, travelling through France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary. While staying in Nice, they decided to visit nearby Menton and make a short stop in Monaco, which hadn’t originally been part of their plans.

Laura, a psychologist and founder of La CoolMente, said: “It was actually my idea to visit Monaco. I’d heard so much about the luxury and the famous casino, and I wanted to see what it was like for myself.”

But it was only when they continued their journey into Italy that Polo checked their mobile account and discovered the their trip had cost more than they bargained for. Speaking to Nomad eSIM, Polo said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the bill. We’d only been in Monaco for a few hours, and somehow our phone bill had jumped to £109 (€128.88).

“We’d barely used our phones. We only checked Google Maps and opened Instagram, but that was about it.

“What really scares me is thinking about what could have happened if we’d stayed overnight. If we’d spent a whole day or two there, we could potentially have been looking at a bill running into the hundreds, or even thousands of pounds.

“I’m pretty stingy when it comes to money, so you can imagine how I felt. We’d gone interrailing to have a relatively inexpensive holiday, and suddenly we had this huge phone bill.”

Laura added: “We were both confused about where the charges had come from. We’d only used our phones briefly to find our location, so we felt the bill was completely unreasonable. We kept talking about it for days afterwards because we’d been trying so hard to save money throughout the trip.”

Polo said the unexpected expense put a dampener on their holiday. “The worst part was thinking about what else we could have spent that money on. We were trying to keep costs down, and it would have paid for three or four meals out in some of the places we visited.”

Laura agreed that the money could have been put to much better use. She said: “We’d been avoiding expensive experiences to save money, so it was frustrating to see that money disappear on a phone bill without getting anything enjoyable in return.

“I’d much rather have spent it on a nice meal at a restaurant with a view, visiting a museum or even a more comfortable hotel. When you’re travelling around Europe by interrail, a bit of extra comfort can make a big difference.”

The experience left the couple more cautious about using their phones abroad, particularly when travelling between countries. Polo said: “I’d tell anyone travelling around Europe to check exactly which countries are covered by their mobile plan. Just because somewhere is in Europe doesn’t mean your normal roaming allowance applies. We found that out the expensive way.”

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Tim Page, Marketing Lead at Nomad eSIM, said: “One of the biggest misconceptions about mobile roaming is that travelling within Europe automatically means you’re covered by your usual mobile plan.

“Monaco is a perfect example. Despite being surrounded by France on three sides, it’s not part of the European Union and isn’t automatically covered by the EU’s Roam Like at Home rules. Introduced in June 2017, these rules generally allow customers of EU mobile operators to use their calls, texts and data across EU countries without paying additional roaming charges.

“This means travellers could be using their phones in Nice without additional roaming charges, then cross into Monaco and face significantly higher rates for exactly the same usage. Before travelling, always check which countries are included in your mobile plan, particularly destinations such as Monaco, Andorra and Switzerland.

“Even small amounts of data can result in surprisingly expensive bills, so consider switching off data roaming or using a travel eSIM that specifically covers your destination. If you do receive an unexpected roaming charge, contact your mobile provider as soon as possible. While there’s no guarantee, some providers may be willing to reduce or waive the charges as a goodwill gesture.”

Leo Walta scored the tying goal in the 62nd minute, and LAFC clinched a playoff spot by rallying from two goals down in the second half for a 2-2 draw with the Galaxy on Sunday night.

Joseph Paintsil scored his first two goals since August as the Galaxy hung on impressively for a point, but endangered their own playoff hopes by blowing the lead in another thrilling El Tráfico derby.

The final seconds of injury time were breathtaking: Galaxy goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski and defender Justin Haak both made spectacular stops on LAFC chances before Denis Bouanga scored on a redirection of Tyler Boyd‘s bicycle kick — only for the play to be ruled offside.

Bouanga scored the first goal for LAFC, which is headed to the MLS playoffs for the eighth time in its nine seasons of existence. LAFC is currently sixth in the Western Conference standings, while the Galaxy sit ninth.

The El Tráfico series remains even at 10 wins and 10 losses apiece with eight draws.

LAFC has produced one win and three draws from four matches since interim head coach Xavi Tamarit took over for the fired Marc Dos Santos on Oct. 1.

Son Heung-min thought he had scored on a rebound of Bouanga’s shot midway through the first half, but the play was ruled offside and confirmed by a lengthy video review. Moments later, the Galaxy’s Robert Taylor intercepted a pass and set up Paintsil to hammer home his first goal in a competitive match since Aug. 19.

Paintsil doubled the Galaxy’s lead in the 51st minute when Hugo Lloris spilled a rebound directly to him. LAFC fans threw drinks at the celebrating Galaxy players after both of their goals.

But just two minutes later, LAFC’s Armindo Sieb ripped a shot off a counterattack and Bouanga chipped home the rebound for his 18th goal in 30 MLS matches this season.

LAFC remained on the attack and tied it when Emiro Garces’ defensive misplay allowed Walta to score his second goal in the Finnish international’s four matches with the club.

The Galaxy played without star German midfielder Marco Reus, a late scratch due to illness. Striker Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is also out with a hamstring injury that occurred during international duty with Mexico.

Beacham writes for the Associated Press.

LOVE Island fans have spotted ANOTHER clue Lorenzo Alessi and Yasmin Hadlow’s romance is back on.

The pair have kept fans of the ITV2 show guessing on if they are an item after returning to the UK after the villa.

Lorenzo, 28, and Yasmin, 23, enjoyed a brief romance during their Love Island stint earlier this year, but ended up coupling up Julia Majchrzak, 26, and Tommy Stagg, 23, after Casa Amor.

But in recent weeks the pair have set tongues wagging with a number of hints that they are back together.

And now they’ve spotted another clue after Lorenzo shared a recent video on TikTok.

In the clip, the hunk is holding a phone in his hand, which has a pink cover on it.

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“Only ChatGPT and my bank account know what’s really going on,” he captioned the post.

The caption could hint at the fact fans are really not sure what is going on between him and his former flame.

And some rushed to the comments section to point out that the mobile looked like Yasmin’s.

One said: “All I know is that that phone case is sum1s phone case and hes showing it purposely to make the owner special.”

Not only that, he played Not Over Yet by Grace and Paul Oakenfold over the post – hinting that his romance with Yasmin is also not over.

One wrote in the comments section: “the song choice. one thing about Lorenzo the music is intentional.”

Another chimed in: “Song choice. Oh Lorenzo.”

Just last week Lorenzo was spotted in the background of Yasmin’s video after the hunk fuelled romance rumours with Yasmin, as fans spotted them exchanging flirty messages online.

Days before he continues to fuel romance rumours as he dropped a major hint the exes were back on.

In a recent TikTok video, Lorenzo shared a video of him posing next to a Bentley car.

He captioned the post: “I want a Bentley. She wants a Chanely. Life nowadays. Getting kinda spenny.”

And fans are convinced that he’s made reference to Yasmin – who was recently gifted a £7k Chanel bag from Central Cee.

Lorenzo won this year’s Love Island alongside his ex Julia – but the pair went their separate ways in September.

Yasmin and ex Tommy, who missed out on a place in the final, also split the same month.

Northern Ireland Football League CEO Gerard Lawlor has said member clubs “cannot continue doing the same things” after falling to 51st in Uefa’s association coefficient rankings.

Iberia 1999’s 1-1 draw at home to Mjallby in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday night moved Georgia’s domestic league up the standings, dropping Northern Ireland out of the crucial top 50.

While NIFL have said that their “final position remains subject to UEFA’s rankings and access arrangements”, as it stands that would mean the Irish Premiership will have only three European spots in the 2028-29 season.

Currently the Irish Premiership’s top two and Irish Cup winners automatically qualify for the next season’s Uefa competitions, while the league’s final spot is decided by an end-of-season play-off.

Lawlor called the expected loss of a European spot “a major concern and a potentially significant setback” for the game in Northern Ireland.

“The reality is that we are now facing the very real prospect of having just three clubs competing in Europe rather than four,” he said.

“European football provides vital opportunities for our clubs, players and supporters, alongside important financial investment that benefits the wider game.

“While we have witnessed some excellent individual European performances, collectively we must acknowledge that our results have not been good enough.”

Places in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League are allocated on the basis of a five-year performance ranking.

This season, Glentoran, Linfield and Coleraine all fell at the first hurdle, while Larne squandered a two-goal aggregate advantage to lose to Lincoln Red Imps when 90 minutes away from the league phase of Conference League.

Poor showings in Europe are one factor in the ongoing debate over so-called summer football in the Irish Premiership, with 75% of NIFL’s 38 member clubs required to vote in favour of a calendar change.

“We cannot continue doing the same things, in the same way, and expect different outcomes,” said Lawlor.

“This reinforces why NIFL has been challenging clubs to think differently about their future, including seasonality, investment, player development and how we create a more competitive domestic environment.

“We must ask whether our current structures give clubs the best possible opportunity to succeed in Europe. We need to stop measuring ourselves solely against each other domestically and start measuring ourselves against European standards.”