Super

Treble winners Hull KR will start the defence of their Super League title with a visit to newly promoted York Knights in the opening game of the 2026 season.

Rovers will travel to York’s LNER Community Stadium on Thursday, 12 February (20:00 GMT).

Hull KR won the Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final last season, sealing the title by beating previous champions Wigan Warriors 24-6 at Old Trafford in October.

York are one of three new clubs in Super League for next season as part of an expanded 14-team competition.

The Knights and Toulouse Olympique were selected to join the top flight by an independent panel, while Bradford Bulls were promoted in place of financially troubled Salford Red Devils after climbing to 10th in this year’s grading system.

York will play in Super League for the first time while Toulouse return to the top tier after their one-season stint in 2022.

Both the Bulls, who return to Super League after an 11-year absence, and Toulouse start the campaign with away games on Saturday, 14 February.

Bradford will make the journey east to face Hull FC, while Toulouse travel to Wakefield Trinity.

The Chicago Bears didn’t want to seem cocky.

They didn’t want to jinx themselves.

They certainly didn’t want to provide opponents with bulletin board fodder during their attempt to bring a Super Bowl championship to their home city after the 1985 season.

As a large group of players from that team — billed as the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew — said in the lyrics to one of the most unlikely hit songs and music videos of the 1980s: “We’re not here to start no trouble. We’re just here to do ‘The Super Bowl Shuffle.’”

All of those thoughts weighed on the minds of the 30 or so players who recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle” four decades ago this month, several weeks before the NFL regular season even ended.

“If we don’t go to the Super Bowl, we’re gonna be the biggest idiots ever,” former Bears linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary says in “The Shuffle,” an NFL Films production presented by HBO Documentary Films. “We gotta win this thing, man.’”

Singletary is one of several of people who share their thoughts and memories about their participation in what has become a beloved relic during the 40-minute documentary that premieres Tuesday at 9 p.m. PST on HBO and streaming on HBO Max. Director Jeff Cameron told The Times that it’s no coincidence that “The Shuffle” is dropping during the 40th anniversary season of the Bears’ only Super Bowl title.

“Outside of some print media or some articles, no one had really chronicled the entire genesis, development and production of ‘The Super Bowl Shuffle,’ which is so intertwined with that team,“ Cameron said.

The song was the brainchild of Chicago businessman Dick Meyer, who had formed Red Label Records the previous year. With the Bears off to a strong start to the 1985 season, Meyer thought a hip-hop record featuring many of the already beloved personalities from that team might have some success in Chicago.

Many players agreed to participate after learning that part of the proceeds were going toward the Chicago Community Trust. “We’re not doin’ this because we’re greedy,” running back Walter Payton rapped during his verse, “the Bears are doin’ it to feed the needy.”

Other featured Bears players included Singletary, Gary Fencik, Willie Gault, Otis Wilson, Steve Fuller, Mike Richardson, Richard Dent, William “Refrigerator” Perry and Jim McMahon.

The vocal tracks were recorded on Nov. 21, 1985. The Bears were 11-0 at the time, coming off a 44-0 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. They continued to roll the following weekend with a 36-0 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.

But their run of perfection came to an end Dec. 2, 1985, with an ugly 38-24 loss to the Dolphins in Miami on “Monday Night Football.” It just so happened that the music video shoot for “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was scheduled for the next morning in Chicago.

Suddenly, Gault said in the documentary, “Guys don’t want to do the video.”

Two of the team’s biggest stars, Payton and McMahon, didn’t show up. They were added into the video after shooting their parts one day after practice.

“It was pretty audacious of us to talk about going to the Super Bowl, winning it, you know?” McMahon said in the documentary. “We still got games to play, and we just lost.”

Chicago Bears players Mike Singletary (left) and Gary Fencik take part in the filming of ‘The Super Bowl Shuffle’ music video Dec. 3, 1985, at the Park West in Chicago.

(Paul Natkin / HBO / Getty Images)

But the video shoot may have had unexpected benefits for the players who participated.

“If not for ‘The Shuffle,’ they probably don’t even get together” that day, Cameron told The Times. “They probably don’t see each other until Wednesday because they have Tuesdays off after Monday night, and they’re right back in the film room or the practice field. They don’t properly get to just forget about the loss for a second, get together as a group of guys who like playing with each other and just who love each other.”

In behind-the-scenes footage provided to Cameron’s team by Meyer’s widow, Julia Meyer, the players are seen laughing and joking around as they attempt to learn a few dance moves and lip-sync their parts, all with varying degrees of success.

“We bonded in a way that we could never have bonded in any other way,” Singletary said in the documentary. “That was the fun part of working together in a totally different realm. There were guys that were backups teaching guys that were starters. We mixed in a way that we had never had a chance to do before. And it became a rallying point that brought us together, got us refocused. ‘This is what we said we were gonna do, let’s go get it done.’”

The Bears didn’t lose another game on their way to defeating the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. And “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was a success in its own right, with popularity that extended well beyond Chicago.

The single spent nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 41, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Assn. of America (500,000 units moved). The music video, released commercially on VHS and Betamax, was certified platinum (one million units moved).

The song was even nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or a Group with Vocals,” eventually losing to Prince and the Revolution for the song “Kiss.”

“I think it was the perfect marriage of that cast of characters from the top down … and the fact that, outside of the Miami game, of course, they just kept winning,” Cameron said. “And it wasn’t close. I think that certainly helps propel this video, along with the rise of MTV. It was a perfect storm of a pop cultural phenomenon.”

“With memories still fresh of an unforgettable occasion for the Ashes Test, we’re delighted to be able to confirm a return to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the 2026 Super League Magic Weekend,” Rhodri Jones, Rugby League Commercial managing director, said.

“This will be the seventh venue to stage Magic since it was introduced as a new concept for sport in 2007 and our clubs, players and supporters are in for a treat.

“It’s a stunning stadium with outstanding facilities at all levels and also superbly located for summer on the waterfront, and with the many and varied attractions of Liverpool within easy reach.

“We continue to work with the Dragons and Toulouse on the feasibility of delivering a very special event in France too and we hope to be able to announce something in the near future on this.”

A BUSY UK train station’s ultra-modern looking walkways and vast network of tunnels and escalators have left many people comparing it to something far creepier.

Canary Wharf tube station in London is known for its sprawling size underneath the capital’s major financial district.

And the station’ s striking futuristic design boats shiny silver metal, that looks as if it could have been stripped off a cyborg.

The Observer even wrote: “Stepping into Canary Wharf is an almost religious experience.

“At 300 metres long, the tower it shares its name with could be laid flat inside with room to spare.

“It’s like a cross between Canterbury cathedral and the set of Aliens.”

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In fact, it isn’t just The Observer that has noticed the destination’s other-worldly look.

Back in 2016, the station was used as a set in the Star Wars spin-off film Rogue One, stepping in for a “totalitarian state somewhere in the future“.

The film used the Jubilee line platforms and concourse to represent a research facility on the planet Scarif.

The station is so striking that it has appeared in a number of films including 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).

In the two sci-fi zombie thrillers, the station appeared as a safe haven and part of an abandoned London.

Then in A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), the streets surrounding the station were used to represent an alien-ravaged New York.

One person said on Reddit: “Canary Wharf being windy here and I remembered my visit to the place, and how weird it was.

“Honestly the structure of that place is so.. alienlike.”

Another added: “I’m convinced they re-arrange all the corridors in the underground mall overnight to confuse us all.”

A third person said: “Stay away at all costs or risk being turned into a office zombie.”

The station was designed by famous architect Norman Foster, the same person who designed the Gherkin in Central London.

The station then opened in 1999 as part of the Jubilee Line Extension.

Unlike older tube stations with lots of cream coloured walls and pale yellow floor tiles, Canary Wharf features a variety of greys and chrome.

It also features vast ceilings, that reach up to 30 metres high.

Concrete is a key material throughout and glass panels feel like a nod to the buildings that surround the station.

There are also seven columns which run the length of the structure and half-egg-shaped glass dome lights littered across the station.

For those heading out of the station into Canary Wharf, the futuristic look continues.

Unlike the pretty mews and Victorian terraced houses found elsewhere in London, the financial district is full of towering skyscrapers, including the famous One Canada Square building which used to be the tallest in London before the Shard was built in London Bridge.

Most of these buildings are filled with offices of top firms like JP Morgan and Chase Bank.

But there are still a number of things for tourists to see and do in the area.

For example, you could head to the Crossrail Place Roof Garden, which is full of tropical plants and is free to visit.

In the warmer months and up until October, you can enjoy a dip in the water with Love Open Water.

Prefer to stay on the water, rather than in it? Then choose to go on a Skuna Boat ride, which “transforms Canary Wharf into a floating playground”.

Different options include a BBQ boat, hot tub boat and igloo boat.

There is also a waterside sauna where you collect the boats from.

If you prefer to stay on dry land then Canary Wharf also has a number of activity bars, such as Fairgame – which is like an adult’s playground with retro fairground games – and Electric Shuffle – a modern spin on Shuffleboard.

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If you are looking for other things to do in the city, these are London’s best free indoor attractions for families – perfect for rainy days.

Plus, soon a world-famous English street will become car-free for the first time in five years – with an epic Christmas party.

Nearly a month after an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz crashed somewhere in the South China Sea, recovery efforts are underway, the Navy told TWZ. The two aircraft suffered mishaps within a half-hour of each other on Oct. 26 that President Donald Trump suggested could have been caused by “bad gas.” The exact cause of the crashes remains unclear.

“USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52), a Safeguard class salvage ship operated by Military Sealift Command, is on-scene conducting operations in support of the recovery efforts,” CMDR Matthew Comer, a 7th Fleet spokesman, said on Thursday. He provided no further details about the Salvor’s location, whether either or both aircraft have been located, or a timeline for recovery. In an email on Nov. 14, Comer told us that the “U.S. Navy has begun mobilizing units that will be used to verify the site and recover” the aircraft.

According to the MarineTraffic.com ship tracking site, the most recent position of the Salvor, dating back to Nov. 9, was just east of the Philippines island of Palawan in the South China Sea. MarineTraffic reports that the vessel left the Philippines on Nov. 8 bound for Guam, but it isn’t clear what its location is at the moment.

Given the tense and contested nature of the South China Sea and its proximity to China, there is likely a level of urgency to this operation to ensure these aircraft, or components from them, don’t fall into the hands of the Chinese. Beijing has a massive amount of assets in the region, and plenty that can handle some kind of recovery effort. The depths in the South China Sea are not that deep, either, making recovery operations easier. Like the U.S., China has foreign materiel exploitation, or FME, programs aimed at recovering weaponry for intelligence analysis and developmental purposes.

As we have written in the past about a Super Hornet recovery effort after one was blown off the deck of the supercarrier USS Harry S. Truman in 2022: “The F/A-18E is also filled with sensitive components, such as its AN/APG-79 active electronically-scanned radar, electronic warfare suite, identification friend-or-foe gear, and communications and data-sharing systems, as well as the software that runs them all. The Navy’s existing F/A-18E/F fleet has been in the process of receiving significant upgrades in recent years, too, as the service plans to continue operating these jets as core components of its carrier air wings for years to come.”

MH-60Rs are the Navy’s rotary-wing submarine hunter and are loaded with sensitive sensors, countermeasures, communications, computers and more that would be of high interest to a foreign adversary, and especially America’s chief naval competitor, China.

For all these reasons, the Navy dispatched the Salvor. It was purpose-built to conduct salvage, diving, towing, off-shore firefighting, heavy lift operations and theater security cooperation missions. According to a U.S. Navy document, it is equipped with: “a 7.5-ton capacity boom forward and a 40-ton capacity boom aft. A dynamic 150 ton lift is possible over the main bow or stern rollers using deck machinery and purchase tackle or hydraulic pullers. She can make a dynamic lift of 300 tons using the main blow rollers and stern rollers in unison.”

For diving operations, “the MK 12 and MK 1 diving systems provide Salvor divers the capability of air diving to depths of 190 feet. The divers descend to depth on a diving stage lowered by a powered davit. There is a hyperbaric chamber aboard for diver recompression following a dive or for the treatment of divers suffering from decompression sickness. For shallow underwater inspections, searches, and other tasks which require mobility, there is a full complement of SCUBA equipment on board.”

During a 2018 mission to recover aircraft shot down in 1944 near Ngerekebesang Island, Republic of Palau, the ship’s master offered some insights into its capabilities.

“The biggest advantage the Navy has with us on the Salvor is that we are standing by for them with a decompression chamber on board for divers, and we have heavy-lift capability,” Capt. Mike Flanagan, a civilian mariner and master of USNS Salvor, said at the time. “It’s just a robust ship. With our 40-ton-lift crane we can bring large and heavy objects off the bottom of the ocean.”

For perspective, Super Hornets have a maximum takeoff weight of 33 tons, according to the Navy. The Seahawks can weigh up to 11.5 tons.

Given its design, the Salvor has taken part in numerous recovery efforts, including the one after the December 2023 crash of a CV-22 Osprey off the coast of Japan last November, which killed eight crew.

As we reported at the time, the aircraft from the Nimitz crashed within a half-hour of each other on Oct. 26 as the carrier was operating somewhere in the South China Sea. The helicopter went down first at about 2:41 p.m. local time. All three crew were recovered.

Both Super Hornet crew ejected and were safely recovered when that aircraft crashed.

As we noted earlier in this story, the day after the crashes, Trump said that “bad gas” could have been to blame. Navy officials confirmed to us that they believed there was no “nefarious” cause to the crash. Last week, the Navy told us the cause is still being investigated. You can read more about the fuel issues in our initial coverage here.

The Nimitz was last spotted Nov. 18 in the San Bernardino Strait separating the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon to the north from the island of Samar to the south, according to open source investigator MT Anderson’s post on X. That’s about 420 miles east of where the Salvor was last seen. 

Last week, the Nimitz took part in a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity with Japanese and Philippine vessels to demonstrate “growing regional unity and cooperation,” the Philippine military said, according to Newsweek.

That exercise sparked a warning from China.

“We solemnly urge the Philippine side to immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions,” said the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, which oversees Chinese military operations in the South China Sea, on Sunday.

It is unknown how long it will take to recover (or demolish) these aircraft or whether the operation will even succeed. The Navy has promised to keep us apprised of its efforts. We will update this story with any significant developments.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Bellamy has recognised it. Wilson started all six games of the Nations League campaign that will guarantee Wales a play-off place, regardless of tonight’s result. His three goals in three matches not done since Bale in 2016.

This campaign, though, has been stop-start. A broken foot seeing him miss the opening two matches, two subsequent yellow cards ruling him out of Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win in Vaduz.

“It’s been frustrating; those first games came a little too soon for me,” said Wilson, who returned with two goals in Wales’ June games against Liechtenstein and Belgium. “The suspension stopped the momentum a little bit.”

It will be interesting whether the armband takes out any of Wilson’s bite that is not too dissimilar to the fire once displayed by his manager on the pitch.

While there have been acts of petulance – his red card as Wales crashed out of Euro 2020 against Denmark springs to mind – there is an edge to his game that is part of the attraction, part of the reason for success.

Streetwise is how Bellamy has put it.

“Harry uses his body in that way and if you get too tight to him, you foul him,” Bellamy has said previously, likening him to Carlos Tevez and Luis Suarez. “His smartness and how he is able to press, his intensity and what he is able to do, really tells me how good a player he is.”

Wales will hope Wilson shows it again against North Macedonia. From the start, of course.

Reporting from Washington — It was classic Donald Trump: The president, angry and embarrassed that most Philadelphia Eagles players planned to boycott the traditional White House victory celebration for Super Bowl champs, dramatically lashed back with his own punishing spin.

Not only did Trump disinvite the entire team late Monday, but he transformed the celebration on Tuesday to dramatically inflame the culture war he ignited two years ago — casting the mostly African American players as unpatriotic and ignoring their protests both of police brutality and of Trump’s perceived divisiveness.

The president, in an early morning Twitter statement, said the White House would hold an alternative celebration of patriotism for the fans, “where we will proudly be playing the National Anthem and other wonderful music.”

“NFL, no escaping to the Locker Rooms!” Trump added, referring to the league owners’ new policy of requiring players to stand for the pregame playing of the national anthem or stay off the field. Though that policy is largely viewed as a response to the president’s pressure, Trump made plain that he was not satisfied; he’s called in the past for owners to force players to stand or be fired.

Later, at the fete on the South Lawn with military bands at the ready, Trump briefly opened the program before an audience that seemed to have fewer than the promised 1,000 Eagles fans, bolstered by a number of administration aides.

“I want to use this opportunity to explain why young Americans stand for the national anthem,” Trump said. “Maybe it’s about time that we understand. We stand to honor our military, and to honor our country and to remember the fallen heroes who never made it back home.”

The president’s reaction this week was more dramatic than his response to a similar snub last year by the 2017 National Basketball Assn. champion Golden State Warriors. That reflects not only his long-running fight with professional football players about the flag and the anthem, but also renewed tensions between Trump and the National Football League that date to the 1980s. Trump failed then both in acquiring an NFL team and in challenging the NFL commercially as a prominent owner in a new, rival sports league, the USFL, which subsequently folded.

Since the campaign, Trump has often used the NFL player protests to rally his supporters and distract from other controversies. Polls show a plurality of Americans, and large majorities of whites and Republicans, do not support the player protests.

As Trump was attacking the Eagles, a variety of other controversies swirled and vied for attention.

Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was accused by federal prosecutors of witness tampering in his tax and money-laundering case. Trump’s press secretary and lawyer were under fire for falsely saying Trump did not dictate the misleading statement last year about a meeting that Trump’s son, son-in-law and Manafort had with a Russian lawyer promising “dirt” on rival Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

Trump himself faced new questions after his tweet Monday that he had the “absolute right to PARDON myself.” And he was being assailed for ignoring a new study estimating that about 4,600 Americans died from the hurricanes last year in Puerto Rico, not 16 or 17 as he’d said in the past.

The Eagles’ snub presented yet another controversy, but one Trump sought to turn to advantage.

“These cultural issues that stir controversy, they’re winners for the president,” said one Trump ally who speaks with the president and his top aides regularly and requested anonymity.

No Eagles players knelt in protest during the 2017 season. Torrey Smith, a former Eagles player, tweeted, “The President continues to spread the false narrative that players are anti-military.”

Many pro athletes on championship teams, especially African Americans, have been conflicted about White House visits during the Trump presidency, or simply stayed away. The Warriors had their invitation for a visit with Trump rescinded after publicly equivocating about attending.

LeBron James of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, arguably the league’s most influential player, told reporters on Tuesday that “no matter who wins” the NBA Finals now underway between the Cavs and the Warriors, “no one wants to go anyway” to the White House. Warriors star guard Stephen Curry agreed.

Trump, on Twitter, noted that he’d hosted celebrations at the White House for other professional and college teams and sports, including NASCAR, the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Penguins, New England Patriots, the University of Alabama and Clemson University.

Trump decided late Monday, less than 24 hours before the planned Super Bowl tribute, to instead make it “a celebration of the American flag,” as White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called it in a statement Tuesday. Fewer than 10 players out of more than 70 who were eligible had been expected to attend, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sanders blamed the Eagles for botching the visit. She said 81 people from the team — including employees, coaches, managers and players — had accepted invitations to come, along with 1,000 fans. With only a small number of players expected, the team tried Friday to reschedule the event, Sanders said, to a time when Trump planned to be overseas.

The White House said that “despite sensing a lack of good faith” on the Eagles’ part, it tried to work with the team “to change the event format that could accommodate a smaller group of players.”

“Unfortunately, the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful of representatives, while making clear that the great majority of players would not attend the event, despite planning to be in D.C. today,” she said. “In other words, the vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans.”

In a statement, the NFL Players Assn. said it was “disappointed” with Trump’s decision to disinvite the team, adding that it led to the cancellation of several “player-led community service events for young people in the Washington, D.C., area.”

“The NFL players love their country, support our troops, give back to their communities and strive to make America a better place,” the union said.

The Eagles ownership released a statement Monday night that did not mention Trump or the canceled visit, calling it “an inspiration” to watch “the entire Eagles community come together.”

Individual players showed more frustration. The team’s star tight end, Zach Ertz, tweeted angrily after Fox News, Trump’s media ally, used file footage of Eagles players kneeling in prayer to falsely suggest they were kneeling in protest during the anthem.

“This can’t be serious,” Ertz wrote. “Praying before games with my teammates, well before the anthem, is being used for your propaganda?! Just sad, I feel like you guys should have to be better than this.”

Fox News issued a rare correction on Twitter.

Some of Pennsylvania’s Democratic lawmakers also weighed in. Sen. Bob Casey wrote on Twitter, “I’m skipping this political stunt at the White House and just invited the Eagles to Congress.”

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington »

[email protected] | Twitter: @noahbierman

Special correspondents Eli Stokols and Eliza Fawcett contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

2:35 p.m.: This article was updated with details of White House celebration.

This article was originally published at 12:15 p.m.

A POPULAR holiday choice for Brits has revealed plans to become a ‘super destination’.

With more cheap flights coming from the UK, it’s about to be even easier to get to.

Turkey as a holiday destination isn’t anything new to Brits, who have been fleeing to the affordable resorts there for decades.

However, the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) has now teamed up with Trip.com to relaunch the country as a “Super Destination” for travellers.

The new plans will push locations such as the cities of Istanbul and Izmir.

Other highlights spots include Cappadocia – known for its hot air balloons – and the much-loved beaches of Antalya.

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TGA’s general manager Sinan Seha Türkseven said they were wanting to offer “distinctive, exceptional experiences”.

This was backed by Trip.com’s Amanda Wang, who added: “Türkiye is one of those destinations that truly has everything: beauty, culture, history, and an incredible story to tell.

“This partnership with TGA is about turning that story into meaningful travel experiences.

“To pursue this vision, we are curating high-end journeys that blend cultural authenticity with digital innovation.”

More flights are already being added to Turkey from the UK.

Turkish airline Corredon is launching more flights to Antalya from London Stansted, Manchester, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle.

SunExpress, a budget airline, is launching flights from the East Midlands to Antalya.

Last year, Ryanair launched its first ever flights to Turkey, with routes from London Stansted to Bodrum and Dalaman.

And TUI is opening two new hotels in Turkey next year.

TUI Blue Maviss in Belek and Akra Didim Resort & Spa in Mugla will both open in April 2026.

A number of places around Turkey have even been named top places to visit in 2026 too.

The Black Sea Coast was highlighted in National Geographic’s Best of the World 2026.

Citing it as a “less traveled alternative to the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts,” cities such as Samsun and Bartin were named as having “sandy strands on blue coves”.

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Nearly a million people have evacuated their homes in the Philippines as the country braced for another powerful storm, days after a typhoon killed at least 224 people.

The storm, named Fung-wong, started battering northeastern Philippines on Sunday before its expected landfall, knocking down power and prompting warnings from the weather bureau of a “high risk of life-threatening conditions” in parts of the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, is forecast to make landfall in Aurora province as early as Sunday night with maximum sustained winds of up to 185 kilometres per hour (115 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 230km/h (143mph).

It raised the highest alert level, Signal No 5, for southeastern and central areas, including Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Aurora province, while Metro Manila and nearby provinces were under Signal No 3.

Fung-wong, which could cover two-thirds of the Southeast Asian archipelago with its 1,600km (994-mile-) wide rain and wind band, was approaching from the Pacific while the Philippines was still dealing with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which left at least 224 people dead in central island provinces on Tuesday before pummeling Vietnam, where at least five were killed.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a state of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected calamity from Fung-wong, which is called Uwan in the Philippines.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185km/h (115mph) or higher are categorised in the Philippines as a super typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to more extreme weather disturbances.

More than 916,860 people were evacuated from high-risk villages in northeastern provinces, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr, who oversees the country’s disaster response agencies and the military, warned about the potentially catastrophic effect of Fung-wong in televised remarks on Saturday.

“We ask that people preemptively evacuate so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute, which could put the lives of police, soldiers, firefighters and coastguard personnel at risk,” he said in a public address.

“We need to do this because when it’s already raining or the typhoon has hit and flooding has started, it’s hard to rescue people,” he added.

Teodoro said the storm could affect a vast expanse of the country, including Cebu, the central province hit hardest by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and metropolitan Manila, the densely populated capital region, which is the seat of power and the country’s financial centre.

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, the Office of Civil Defense said.

In Isabela in northern Luzon, dozens of families were sheltering in a basketball court repurposed as an evacuation centre.

“We heard on the news that the typhoon is very strong, so we evacuated early,” said Christopher Sanchez, 50, who fled with his family.

“We left our things on the roofs of our house since every time there’s a storm, we come here because we live right next to the river,” he told the Reuters news agency. “In previous storms, the floodwaters rose above human height.

“We’re scared,” he said. “We’re here with our grandchildren and our kids. The whole family is in the evacuation area.”

Authorities in northern provinces to be hit or sideswiped by Fung-wong have meanwhile preemptively declared the shutdown of schools and most government offices on Monday and Tuesday. At least 325 domestic and 61 international flights have been cancelled over the weekend and into Monday, and more than 6,600 commuters and cargo workers were stranded in at least 109 seaports, where the coastguard prohibited ships from venturing into rough seas.

Authorities warned of a “high risk of life-threatening and damaging storm surge” of more than 3 metres (10 feet) along the coasts of more than 20 provinces and regions, including metropolitan Manila.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. The country is also often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

Nov. 8 (UPI) — The Philippines is under high alert as Typhoon Fung-Wong is forecast to strengthen and make landfall on Luzon as soon as Sunday evening.

The Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council issued its highest alert in anticipation of the storm making landfall and lashing the Philippines with high winds and heavy rainfall from Sunday through Tuesday.

“This is our highest state of readiness,” Civil Defense Director George Keyser said during an emergency meeting.

“The volume of rain could be unprecedented, even if the eye makes landfall far north,” Keyser said.

He said forecasters are unsure of how much rain to expect, which requires coordination among 17 local governments and national governmental agencies to handle the storm’s impacts.

“Sunday afternoon through Monday night is critical,” Keyser said. “We must clear streets for search-and-rescue and relief efforts.”

The alert helps to ensure the readiness of 486 traffic enforcers, 130 flood control teams, and 40 road emergency crews, in addition to K-9 units, according to the Philippine Information Agency.

It also activates full response protocols for flood control at 71 pumping stations, video monitoring of 85 critical sites, and the immediate deployment of boats, cranes, payloaders and buses for evacuations as needed.

The Philippines are recovering from Tuesday’s strike by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed nearly 200 in the Central Philippines, plus another five in Vietnam, CNN reported.

That storm was the 20th cyclone of 2025 and was the deadliest so far as it passed over the Philippines and made landfall eight times across the archipelago before moving on to Vietnam.

Fung-Wong might prove to be stronger, with wind speeds forecast to reach 115 mph before striking the eastern Philippines as soon as Sunday evening local time.

The typhoon’s mass covers 932 miles and already is impacting the eastern portion of the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Fung-Wong is forecast to pass over the northwestern Philippines while moving northwesterly before turning north on Tuesday and the northeasterly toward Taiwan.

With his million-dollar donation to the pro-Obama “super PAC,” Bill Maher has established himself among the top Democratic mega-donors, a field dotted with boldface Hollywood names.

Donors from the entertainment industry gave $2.2 million through January to Priorities USA Action, according to the Center for Responsive Politics — half of the group’s overall fundraising since it formed last spring.

Much of that came from a single donation by Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, who wrote a $2-million check to the group last May. His former producing partner, director Steven Spielberg, contributed $100,000 in July.

Director/producer J.J. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, kicked in a combined $100,000 to the group in June.

Each new round of Federal Election Commission filings have revealed a new set of million-dollar donors, although the vast majority have given to super PACs supporting Republican candidates or the GOP as a whole.

And none of those prolific givers have made their pledges quite as public as Maher, who brandished a gigantic check onstage at his comedy special CrazyStupidPolitics.

Maher’s past political giving has been relatively modest – a total of $4,850 given since 2004, mainly to the Democratic presidential campaigns of Sen. John F. Kerry, former Sen. John Edwards and then-Sen. Barack Obama, as well as to the successful 2008 Senate run for fellow comedian Al Franken.

Don’t start planning any parades just yet. Hold off on those February plans to travel to Santa Clara.

The Rams still have a long way to go make the playoffs and try to advance to the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium.

Their 34-10 victory Sunday over the struggling New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium was no revelation or landmark win. But the Rams did something important. Something championship-caliber teams are supposed to do: They convincingly dispatched of a weaker opponent before 72,055.

Matthew Stafford passed for four touchdowns, receiver Puka Nacua returned from an ankle injury in spectacular fashion, and the defense dominated again as the Rams won their third game in a row, improved to 6-2 and showed that the Dodgers might not be the only L.A. team hoisting a championship trophy.

“We’ll see if we can continue to do some good stuff like they did,” coach Sean McVay said of the World Series champions.

The Rams’ victory put them atop the NFC West heading into next Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

“I like the fact that we’re getting better,” McVay said, adding, “There’s just a good vibe.”

On most fronts, anyway.

The Rams’ first victory over an NFC opponent did not come against the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles or the rival 49ers, teams the Rams lost to in part because of kicking-game disasters.

Rams coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the first half Sunday against the Saints.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

And those issues remain: Joshua Karty missed a field goal and an extra point.

So McVay’s patience with the kicking game is wearing thin. And no team will win a title without a competent one.

McVay once again said he had confidence in Karty, but that was after he said “it can’t continue like this … it’s gone on for too long,” and “it’s not getting better,” among other things.

Can the Rams be a championship team without an adequate placekicking unit?

“No,” McVay said. “It’s going to cost us — it’s cost us already. It’s been a momentum killer. … The harsh truth of it is this is not sustainable.”

But if the Rams solve the kicking issue and stay healthy — Nacua said he would play against the 49ers after leaving the game in the second half because of a chest injury — and McVay can keep his team focused against division opponents and other playoff contenders, the Rams might earn their own parade.

Stafford is positioning himself to lead one.

Already a fixture on NFL career passing lists, the 17th-year pro is enjoying another sensational season.

As he did in 2021, when he passed for 41 touchdowns and led the Rams to a Super Bowl title, Stafford is playing at a level that should have him in the most-valuable-player discussion.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes in front of Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan during the first quarter Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

On Sunday his two touchdown passes to Davante Adams and one each to Nacua and tight end Tyler Higbee increased Stafford’s season total to 21, with only two interceptions.

Stafford, who passed for five touchdowns in an Oct. 19 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars, completed 24 of 32 passes for 281 yards and extended to five his streak of games without an interception.

Stafford’s wife and their daughters attended the game wearing No. 22 Dodgers jerseys, a salute to retiring pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Stafford’s high school teammate.

Now Stafford is chasing a second Super Bowl title.

“It’s not like we’ve got it all figured out,” he said, adding, “Got to keep continuing to find ways to put more points on the board.”

Nacua sat out against the Jaguars because of an ankle injury. But he said in the days leading up to the game that he was “feeling fantastic.”

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, left, celebrates with wide receiver Davante Adams after catching a touchdown pass in the second quarter Sunday against the Saints.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

He looked like it at the outset, making two catches for first downs to start a drive that ended with Stafford’s touchdown pass to Higbee. The veteran tight end, in an apparent salute to the Dodgers, celebrated by taking an imaginary swing and then doing their post-hit celebration.

Adams then followed his breakout three-touchdown performance against the Jaguars with the first of two more red-zone touchdowns. The 12th-year pro is tied for eighth all time with 111 touchdown catches.

Early in the second quarter, Stafford and Nacua went for the home run, connecting on a 39-yard pass that Nacua hauled in for a touchdown and a 20-3 lead.

Stafford’s short strike to Adams in the third quarter put the game out of reach, and Kyren Williams’ short touchdown run early in the fourth quarter provided the finishing touch.

Williams rushed for 114 yards and Blake Corum ran for 58 on a day when the Rams once again utilized all four tight ends in the pass and run attacks.

Meanwhile, the Rams defense made it rough on Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough in his first start.

Several Rams defensive players tackle Saints quarterback Tyler Shough in the second quarter of the Rams’ 34-10 win Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Lineman Braden Fiske got his first sack of the season, linebacker Nate Landman forced another fumble, and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. intercepted his first pass as a Ram.

“We’re growing at a great rate,” Landman said, “and we’re going to peak at the right time.”

The game against the Saints was the start of a stretch that includes two home games after the 49ers. Only two remaining nine games — a late November trip to play the Carolina Panthers and a late December trip to play the Atlanta Falcons — will require the Rams to travel farther east than Arizona.

A lot can happen between now and the start of the playoffs. But the Rams look like the Super Bowl contender they were built to be.