years

Naval mutinies have long captured the public imagination, but, for the most part, open rebellions on the high seas are consigned to the Age of Exploration, in centuries past. One notable exception occurred in the Soviet Navy 50 years ago this month and, based on available evidence, almost led to the use of nuclear weapons. The mutiny aboard the frigate Storozhevoy is all the more remarkable for the fact that the Kremlin attempted to cover up its existence, with details only emerging in public a decade after its bloody end.

The story was dramatic enough, and its potential implications were worrisome enough for it to be an inspiration for Tom Clancy’s iconic Cold War novel (which in turn led to the film), The Hunt for Red October. This is the story of the fictional Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius, who apparently goes rogue while commanding a highly advanced ballistic missile submarine.

In the real-life incident, the protagonist was 36-year-old Valery Mikhailovich Sablin, a political officer onboard the Storozhevoy, a Project 1135 anti-submarine warfare frigate, known to NATO as the Krivak I class, and with a displacement of around 3,000 tons. A representative image of a Krivak I is seen at the top of this story, at anchor.

At the time, this was one of the most advanced surface combatants in Soviet service. It had been commissioned in 1974, and it was assigned to the Baltic Fleet. The primary anti-submarine armament of the Krivak I was the quadruple launcher for URPK-4 Metel’ missiles (known to NATO as SS-N-14 Silex), located on the bow, each of which transported a torpedo payload. This feature led to the NATO mnemonic ‘Hot dog pack, smokestack, guns in back — KRIVAK,’ to aid identification.

Unlike Ramius, Sablin was seeking not to defect, but to urge a rethinking of the communist revolution, since he was convinced the Soviet regime had strayed dangerously far from the Marxist principles that he believed in.

Sablin’s plan was to take advantage of the excitement surrounding the anniversary of the 1917 revolution, celebrated every November 7. At the time, the Storozhevoy was moored in Riga, in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. Most reports agree that, apart from its primary anti-submarine missiles, the frigate was fully armed, including with surface-to-air missiles for point defense, anti-submarine torpedoes, and 76mm guns.

Sablin wanted to take control of the Storozhevoy and sail east, to Leningrad, where he would arrive alongside the museum ship Aurora (the cruiser that was and remains a potent symbol of the 1917 revolution), and incite something like an uprising against the current regime, under Premier Leonid Brezhnev.

The mutiny began on November 8, 1975, by which time Sablin had already convinced a 20-year-old naval rating, Aleksandr Nikolayevich Shein, and other sympathetic crewmen to assist him.

With a third of the 194-man crew on shore leave, Sablin and Shein surprised and locked up the ship’s commanding officer. The remaining officers were summoned to a meeting, where Sablin explained the situation. Shein stood outside the door armed with a pistol. Those officers who refused to join the mutiny were also locked up.

In the meantime, two crew members had managed to escape the frigate, climbing onto a mooring buoy, then attracting attention. However, their story was not initially taken seriously.

When Sablin became aware that his plan had likely been revealed, he gave up on the idea of reaching Leningrad and instead decided to sail out into international waters, from where he could transmit the speech he had prepared and, he hoped, trigger a new revolution.

Traveling radio silent, with no radar turned on, the Storozhevoy could not move as quickly as usual, since navigation was degraded. Nevertheless, at around 2:50 a.m., the frigate moved out into the Gulf of Riga.

Once it was noticed that the frigate had set sail, a response was launched but seems to have been somewhat slowed down as a result of the effects of copious alcohol consumed in the course of the weekend’s revolutionary celebrations.

Still, 45 minutes after the Storozhevoy sailed, other ships began their pursuit.

Unfortunately for Sablin, the Soviet authorities were now convinced that he must be poised to defect to the West.

Early on the morning of November 9, a large flotilla was ordered to find the Storozhevoy, including warships sailing from Liepaja, also in the Latvian SSR. Among them were small missile corvettes, faster than the Krivak I.

It seems the first vessels to sight the Storozhevoy were torpedo-armed patrol boats from the Soviet Border Troops, who ordered the frigate to stop, but their signals were ignored. They were then ordered to fire upon the rogue warship, but this order was rescinded before they could open fire.

The reason for the change of plan was that the incident had now been passed higher up through the chain of command, and news of it had reached Moscow.

In the meantime, Sablin had sent an encrypted telegram to the commander-in-chief of the Soviet Navy, laying out his demands. These included declaring the shop a free territory, permission to make a radio and TV broadcast, safe anchorage in Soviet waters, and more. The navy rejected the demands and instead called for Sablin to return the Storozhevoy to port.

A furious Sablin then tried to broadcast a message, outlining the reasons for the mutiny, on an open channel. Unbeknownst to Sablin, the radio operator tasked with the job again used the encrypted channel.

At around 6:00 a.m., the Soviet premier was woken and informed of the situation. Terrified by the prospect of the modern Krivak I class falling into an adversary’s hands, Brezhnev now called for the destruction of the Storozhevoy at all costs. This fear seems to have entirely overridden any concern to hear out the demands of the mutineers, if they were even taken seriously.

Several efforts were made to attack the frigate.

First, it had to be located.

On the morning of the 9th, two Il-38 May maritime patrol aircraft, flying out of Riga, began to look for it. One of them found it at around 8:05 a.m. in the Irben Sound, the main exit out of the Gulf of Riga and into the Baltic Sea.

Ultimately, the commander of Naval Aviation of the Baltic Fleet called for Tu-16K-10-26 Badger-C bombers to strike the Storozhevoy with K-10S (AS-2 Kipper) anti-ship cruise missiles, including authorizing the use of nuclear-armed weapons. Nine of these bombers were launched from Bykhov Air Base in the Belarusian SSR at 8:30 a.m. At least one of the aircraft appears to have been carrying a nuclear-tipped version of the K-10S missile. As well as a single K-10S, the Tu-16K-10-26 sub-variant of the Badger was able to carry two KSR-2 (AS-5 Kelt) or the more modern, supersonic KSR-5 (AS-6 Kingfish) anti-ship cruise missiles, but available accounts don’t mention that the aircraft were loaded with these.

The bombers were in the vicinity of the Storozhevoy shortly after 09:00 a.m. For around an hour, the Tu-16s repeatedly dropped below the cloud base and made passes of the frigate, with the aim of forcing Sablin to surrender. Warning shots were fired using the bombers’ 23mm defensive cannons. The Badger-C had a fairly heavy cannon armament, with two 23mm AM-23 cannons each in remotely operated dorsal and ventral turrets and a crewed tail turret, but they were not designed for engaging surface targets.

When the cannons didn’t have the desired effect, the Badger crews instead took to flying very low over the warship, selecting full power on their twin turbojets, and successfully forcing the ship to deviate from its course.

By 10:05 a.m., the Storozhevoy was headed west, toward the Swedish island of Gotland, though Sablin always insisted his original plan was not to enter Swedish waters.

Such evasive action only increased the concerns of the Soviet authorities, who now called into action the Yak-28 Brewer tactical bombers based at Tukums, in the Latvian SSR. Armed with free-fall bombs, these were a more flexible option than the Tu-16s. The Yak-28 unit was informed that they were to attack a foreign warship that had penetrated the Gulf of Riga. However, the unit was also unfamiliar with attacking naval targets and initially failed to locate the Storozhevoy. There was also no coordination between the (Air Force) Yak-28 unit and the (Navy) Il-38 and Tu-16 units.

By 10:00 a.m., there were around 20 Yak-28s in the air and, by 10:20 a.m., these had begun to attack, from a height of around 1,500 feet. Unfortunately for the Air Force, it was the wrong target: The Brewer crews had misidentified a Soviet cargo ship, onto which fragmentation bombs now rained. The ship’s crew radioed for help, and the attack was called off, with no injuries.

At 10:28 a.m., the Yak-28s located the rogue warship and were ordered to hit it, with no warning shots this time. Again, however, bombs were dropped on the wrong target, namely the Komsomolets Litvy, a Project 50 or Riga class frigate, and the lead ship in the flotilla that was chasing the Storozhevoy. The ship launched signal rockets, which were misidentified as anti-aircraft fire, before the pilots realized they had again hit the wrong ship.

The Soviet commanders then called upon the Tu-16 units once more. The pursuit flotilla was ordered to move, and the bombers tasked with holding station behind the Storozhevoy, from where K-10S missiles would be launched.

The order then came at 10:16 a.m. to launch a missile, including the protocol for the use of nuclear weapons. The Tu-16 flown by the commander of the unit, Colonel Arkhip Savinkov, took position.

By this stage, other members of the frigate’s crew understood that their time was nearly up. A group of them freed the captain and other detained officers, who then armed themselves and stormed the bridge. In the confrontation that followed, Sablin was shot in the leg and was then locked up. The freed captain then sent a message that the mutiny was over.

With the Tu-16 preparing to launch, the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet received an urgent message that the Storozhevoy had surrendered. Orders went out to stop the attack, but Savinkov, the Tu-16 unit’s commander, either didn’t receive them or ignored them, perhaps determining that they were meant for the Yak-28 unit.

For another two tense minutes, after the crew had messaged their surrender, the Tu-16 unit was still hunting the Storozhevoy with the intention to destroy it. Savinkov then reported a radar malfunction. Whether this was true, or a result of him not wishing to unclear a nuclear strike (especially against his countrymen), or that he was now too close to the target to launch a missile, he called off his attack. Puzzlingly, another two Tu-16s from the same unit briefly continued their attack plan. It’s unclear if these Badgers carried Kipper anti-ship missiles armed with conventional warheads, if there was some kind of breakdown in communication between the formation, or if all the bombers involved actually had no real desire to attack the warship.

Regardless, at 11:00 a.m., the fire-damaged Komsomolets Litvy reached the Storozhevoy. With an Il-38 and more Tu-16s patrolling overhead, and several other patrol boats in the vicinity, the boarding party of 15 men took over the vessel. The frigate changed course and was then anchored off the island of Saaremaa. The crew was then returned by boat to Riga. Here they were interviewed, with the 12 sailors identified as mutineers — among them, Sablin and Shein — were arrested and taken to Moscow.

The incident had highlighted the poor combat readiness and inefficient chain of command within the Baltic Fleet, and efforts were immediately made to cover it up, including the destruction of documents.

Nevertheless, details leaked out, and some presumed details of the mutiny began to be published in the Western media. A key source of information was Swedish military intelligence, which had monitored the events via signals intelligence (SIGINT). Early Western reports included erroneous accounts that as many as 15 sailors had been killed aboard the Storozhevoy and that 35 more were killed on the ship that was accidentally attacked — the Komsomolets Litvy.

As for the two ringleaders, Shein was imprisoned, while Sablin was sentenced to death for treason and executed in August 1976.

In retrospect, the idealistic Sablin’s plan was likely always doomed to failure. It remains fortunate, however, that his was the only life lost in an incident that could have had much more serious repercussions. Indeed, the available evidence that has emerged since the mutiny suggests that, back in November 1975, only a few minutes stood between the Soviet Navy launching a nuclear strike against one of its own vessels.

Ultimately, perhaps, Colonel Arkhip Savinkov, as commander of what appears to have been a nuclear-armed Tu-16, might have been the one responsible for preventing what could have been a catastrophe. Ironically, the fact that he didn’t launch his missile, for whatever reason, meant that he would be viewed with suspicion by the Soviet military leadership for the rest of his career.

The author is indebted to the work of Michael Friedholm von Essen, whose authoritative account of the mutiny aboard the Storozhevoy is published by Helion & Company.

Contact the author: [email protected]

THERE’S a huge landmark that’s been under renovation for the last decade – and it’s under three hours away from the UK.

The huge structure overlooks the capital of Hungary and is about to reopen in March 2026.

If you’ve been to Budapest in the past decade, you might have noticed that the Citadella that sits on Gellért Hill has been undergoing a huge renovation.

It’s been shut for 11 years so far and has been undergoing a major renovation since 2020 – but it’s finally about to reopen.

The work has cost an estimated HUF 20 billion which is just under £46million.

While efforts have gone into maintaining the original structure,new features have been added too.

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One of those is a new pedestrian bridge built entirely of glass.

There will also be a walk-through exhibition on Hungary’s history, called ‘The Bastion of Freedom’ which will be inside the large rondella.

The inner courtyard will have a new water feature and an eternal flame.

There’ll also be a new café and gift shop, and it will have incredible panoramic city views overlooking Danube, Buda Castle and Margaret Island.

Outside, locals and tourists will have plenty of room to enjoy the views as there will be twice as much green space as before.

There will be 10,000 shrubs, 100,000 perennials, and over half a million bulbs that will be planted in the area, along with 128 large trees.

The site is free to explore as it is an open outdoor public site – but you might need to pay to go inside.

The Citadella in Budapest was built by the Austrian Habsburg Empire between 1850 and 1854.

Its purpose was to serve as a military stronghold after the Hungarian Revolution between 1848 and 1849, which is why it sits on a hill overlooking the city.

Now, it’s considered a symbol of freedom with The Liberty Statue representing Hungary’s independence – it was added in 1947.

The Citadella is due to reopen to the public on Hungary’s Independence Day, March 15, 2026.

Budapest is a popular city break destination for Brits as it’s just a two and a half hour flight away from the UK.

Other popular historical sites include the Buda Castle district, the Matthias Church and and St. Stephen’s Basilica.

Budapest is also known for its famous thermal baths – for example the Szechenyi Baths in Budapest is one of the best and largest spa baths in Europe.

It has 15 indoor baths and 3 grand outdoor pools, saunas, steam rooms with a ticket costing around £22.

For more trips to Europe – here are 39 of the best city break destinations – and the no.1 is VERY cheap.

Plus, discover the five European cities with lesser-known tours that let you explore like a local.

The decision follows Castillo’s failed 2022 bid to dissolve Congress and avoid a third impeachment attempt.

A court in Peru has sentenced former President Pedro Castillo to 11 years, five months and 15 days in prison for seeking to dissolve Congress.

The decision on Thursday came nearly three years after Castillo sought to disband the legislature on December 7, 2022, as he faced a third set of impeachment hearings.

The first two attempts to impeach Castillo had been unsuccessful. But after he appeared on television to impose a state of emergency and suspend the legislature for eroding the rule of law, Congress swiftly voted for his removal. He was arrested the same day.

Castillo, a former teacher and union leader, was charged with rebellion and conspiracy against the state for his alleged power grab, which some have described as a “self-coup”.

A left-leaning, socially conservative politician from Peru’s rural north, Castillo had faced up to 34 years in prison at his sentencing.

Prosecutors in the case argued that Castillo aimed to undermine Peru’s Constitution with his actions. But at trial last week, Castillo denied the charges against him. Addressing his televised 2022 speech, he said he merely read out “a document without consequence”.

Castillo is part of a series of presidents in recent decades to face investigations and criminal charges in Peru. The country has had eight presidents within the last 10 years alone.

After his surprise victory in the 2021 presidential election, Castillo, now 56, was dubbed the country’s first “president of the poor“, given his working-class roots in the northern city of Puna. He had never previously held elected office.

His brief tenure, which lasted only around 16 months, was defined by frequent shake-ups among his top ministers and clashes with the opposition-led Congress.

Castillo’s arrest in 2022 sparked pushback from Indigenous residents and his rural base, members of which blocked roads, particularly in Peru’s south.

The unrest fuelled widespread, years-long protests across the country. His successor, former Vice President Dina Boluarte, oversaw a brutal crackdown of those demonstrations that left at least 50 people dead.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has accused the government of using “disproportionate, indiscriminate and lethal use of force” in its response to the protests.

Boluarte, the country’s first female president, was subsequently impeached in October, amid concerns about rising crime and investigations into her behaviour. She has been replaced by the right-wing politician Jose Jeri, who previously was the head of Peru’s Congress.

Thursday’s sentencing caps a nine-month trial punctuated by a diplomatic rift.

During the court proceedings, the Mexican embassy granted asylum to Castillo’s former prime minister, Betssy Chavel, who was also facing charges related to the former president’s effort to consolidate power.

Peru’s government subsequently labelled Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, a vocal supporter of Castillo, “persona non grata”.

Castillo has been denied the possibility of serving his sentence under house arrest. Instead, he is slated to join several other former presidents at Barbadillo Prison in the capital Lima. The prison, situated at a police academy, was set up to hold convicted leaders who might face safety hazards in other detention facilities.

Detainees at Barbadillo include Ollanta Humala, who served as president from 2011 to 2016 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison this year for money laundering.

Alejandro Toledo, who served from 2001 to 2006, was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison for taking bribes. He too is at the prison.

And Martin Vizcarra, who was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 years in prison for bribery, was transferred there this week.

A BIG Brother star has been spotted working the door of a high-end restaurant in London, almost two decades after he rose to fame on the then-Channel 4 show.

The 44-year-old was seen on the door of upmarket restaurant Aki London on Wednesday as he helped Sharon and Kelly Osbourne leave the venue.

Ziggy Lichman, who appeared on Big Brother back in 2007, appears to have swapped showbusiness for a quieter life as a doorman.

The star was famously in an on/off relationship with housemate Chanelle Hayes.

Then 26 – he placed fourth in the show and enjoyed a short-lived relationship with model Chanelle, splitting shortly after.

He was also known for being part of the boyband Northern Line, which split up in 2000.

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Despite success across TV and music, it appears Ziggy, real name Zac, has shunned fame as he was spotted working at gourmet Japanese restaurant Aki London.

And the new role doesn’t mean Ziggy is far from the spotlight, as he is still brushing shoulders with the A-list at the food hotspot.

On Wednesday evening, Ziggy was seen escorting Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of Aki.

The outing was Sharon’s first public appearance since her husband, Ozzy Osbourne’s death in July.

The Osbourne’s are unlikely to be Ziggy’s only famous guests, with the likes of Romeo Beckham and actress Holly Valance spotted there previously.

Back in 2017, it was reported that Ziggy was working on the door of upmarket members club Paper Soho.

He is since thought to have opened two of his own bars across North London, The Shop NW10, a cocktail bar and café, and bar The Wealthy Beggar.

Ziggy is also still in touch with his ex-girlfriend Chanelle, following their joint rise to fame on Big Brother.

Despite being split up for 18 years, the duo remain friends and even appeared on Loose Women together in 2018.

“She’s absolutely smashed it. She’s held her own, had a family, gone through some tough times as you know.

“I still love her to bits, absolutely,” said Ziggy of Chanelle, who continued to pursue a career in the spotlight after the show.

Public prosecutor vows to appeal the verdict saying the government wants the maximum penalty.

Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to 21 years in prison in separate corruption cases related to allocations of land in a government project, dealing another legal blow to the country’s former exiled leader.

In a decision issued on Thursday, a court found Hasina guilty of illegally securing plots of land in a suburb of capital Dhaka for herself and her family despite their ineligibility.

Last week, Hasina was sentenced to death by hanging, after she was found guilty for crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly crackdown against a student-led uprising last year that eventually ousted her.

Hasina fled Bangladesh by helicopter on August 5, 2024, after weeks of student-led protests against her autocratic rule.

The 78-year-old former leader is currently residing in India and has defied court orders that she return to Bangladesh. New Delhi is said to be studying Dhaka’s extradition request.

Shaina Begum, the mother of a 20-year old student Sajjat Hosen Sojal, who was shot and his body burned by the police hours before the student-led uprising forced Hasina to resign and flee the country, told Al Jazeera after the verdict, “I cannot be calm until she [Hasina] is brought back and hanged in this country,”

Hundreds of families who lost loved ones in the protests wonder if the deposed prime minister will actually face justice.

The three corruption cases were brought against her by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over land grabs of lucrative plots in the Purbachal New Town project .

Hasina’s conduct “demonstrates a persistent corruption mindset rooted in entitlement, unchecked power, and a greedy eye for public property”, ruled judge Abdullah Al Mamun.

“Treating public land as a private asset, she directed her greedy eye toward state resources and manipulated official procedures to benefit herself and her close relatives.”

Each sentence was seven years in prison, and Mamun ruled that Hasina would need to serve them consecutively.

Her son Sajeeb Wazed and daughter Saima Wazed were each sentenced to five years in prison in one of the three cases.

Other details of the verdict were not available immediately.

Public prosecutor Khan Moinul Hasan said he would appeal, telling AFP news agency that he was “not satisfied” with the verdict and wanted the maximum sentence.

Hasina and her former ruling Awami League party have denounced the trials against her.

She did not appoint a defence lawyer, and some global human rights groups have questioned the credibility and fairness of the trial process against Hasina.

Other cases also involving alleged land grabbing are still pending, and a separate verdict is expected December 1.

Bangladesh has been going through a difficult political transition under an interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, and new elections are planned in February 2026.

The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina tried to cling to power.

Nov. 27 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has withdrawn South Africa’s invitation to next year’s G20 summit in Miami, Fla., escalating a row with Johannesburg.

Trump made the announcement Wednesday on his Truth Social platform as this year’s summit of the wealthy nations, held in South Africa, came to an end without the United States participating.

“South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately,” the American leader said in the statement.

Trump has escalated his criticisms against South Africa since returning to the White House.

In February, he threatened to cut U.S. funding to the African nation over a new law allowing authorities to expropriate land in the public interest as part of efforts to redress racial inequalities rooted in apartheid.

Though the law states that property cannot be expropriated arbitrarily and allows expropriation without compensation only in limited cases, Trump accused South Africa of “confiscating land” in violation of the human rights of White South Africans.

Trump has since escalated his rhetoric, alleging that White South Africans face genocide — a claim rejected by South African officials and regional leaders and not supported by available evidence.

After Trump announced that the United States wouldn’t be attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg due to “Afrikaners … being killed and slaughtered and their land and farms … being illegally confiscated,” the African National Congress described Trump’s allegations as “part of a long and disgraceful pattern of imperial arrogance and disinformation.”

“These statements are not borne of ignorance, they are deliberate attempts to distort the reality of South Africa’s democracy and to mobilize racial fear for political gain in the United States,” the African National Congress, the ruling political party of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said Nov. 8 in a statement.

“Donald Trump’s continued siding with racist and right-wing movements across the world is well-documented and consistent with his dangerous rhetoric. From defending White supremacists at Charlottesville to vilifying African nations as ‘expletive countries,’ his record speaks of a man driven by prejudice, not principle.”

Trump on Tuesday reiterated his allegations that Afrikaners were being killed and their land being stolen from them, while stating that at the conclusion of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, the South African delegation “refused” to hand over the G20 presidency to a senior U.S. Embassy official who attended the closing ceremony.

In response, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that since the United States did not participate in the summit, it handed over the instruments of the G20 presidency to a U.S. Embassy official at South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

The office added that it will continue to participate as a full, active and founding member of the G20.

“It is regrettable that despite the efforts and numerous attempts by President Ramaphosa and his administration to reset the diplomatic relationship with the U.S., President Trump continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions about our country,” his office said in a statement.

At least 44 people have died after Hong Kong’s worst fire in 63 years tore through several high-rise buildings on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Firefighters are still fighting the blaze in the Tai Po neighbourhood, and trying to reach people who are trapped inside.

By early Thursday morning, officials said they had brought the fire in four buildings under control, but firefighters were still working on three others more than 16 hours after the blaze started.

Here is what to know:

What happened in Hong Kong?

An apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood caught fire at about 2:51pm (06:51 GMT) local time on Wednesday.

The fire began on the bamboo scaffolding outside one of the buildings. This type of scaffolding, made from bamboo poles used by workers during repairs, burns very easily. Once the scaffolding caught fire, the flames quickly spread up the structure and into the building, and then to nearby towers.

The blocks were also wrapped in green construction netting all the way to the rooftops due to ongoing renovation work, which also caught fire, helping it spread faster.

According to local media, the fire intensified rapidly: By 3:34pm (07:34 GMT), it had reached a level four alarm, and by 6:22pm (10:22 GMT), it had reached a level five alarm – the highest alert level in Hong Kong.

The blaze is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since at least August 1962, when a fire in the city’s Sham Shui Po district killed 44 people. A fire at the Garley Building on Nathan Road in Kowloon killed 41 people and injured 81 others in November 1996.

Since Monday, Hong Kong has been under a heightened fire alert as dry weather conditions made the risk of fire extremely high.

Where did the fire start?

The fire started at Wang Fuk Court, a housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.

The complex, built in 1983, consists of eight high-rise buildings with a total of 1,984 flats. According to local media reports, seven of the buildings were affected by the fire. Of those, four have since been brought under control.

Tai Po is a suburb of Hong Kong near the border with mainland China, and is home to approximately 300,000 residents. It is part of the government’s subsidised home-ownership scheme.

Property records show that Wang Fuk Court has been undergoing major renovation work, costing about $42.43m.

How did the fire spread so quickly, and what caused it?

The fire spread very quickly because it started on the bamboo scaffolding around the building and spread to the green netting covering the structures.

Both the bamboo and the green netting burn easily, so once they caught fire, the flames shot up the outside of the tower and reached many floors.

Burning pieces then fell and set nearby buildings on fire within minutes. Wind and open areas from the renovation work likely made the flames grow even faster.

While the exact cause is still being investigated, officials say the flammable scaffolding, building materials, and the tall, closely packed towers all helped the fire get out of control.

Police also said they found mesh and other protective materials on the outside of the buildings that did not appear to be fireproof, as well as styrofoam materials on the windows.

“We have reason to believe that those in charge at the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” Eileen Chung, senior superintendent at the Hong Kong Police Force, said.

Officers have arrested two directors and an engineering consultant, aged between 52 and 68, of a construction company.

Chung said police arrested them in the Tai Po, Ngau Tau Kok, and San Po Kong districts at about 2am on Thursday (18:00 GMT, Wednesday).

How many people died or are missing?

Authorities have confirmed the deaths of 44 people, including a firefighter. About 279 residents are still unaccounted for. As of 8am (00:00 GMT), at least 66 people had been admitted to hospital, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority told CNN. Of those, 17 were in critical condition, and 24 were listed as serious.

Four people died in hospital. About 900 people have sought shelter in community centres.

What is the latest on the ground?

It is now 9:42am (01:42 GMT) in Hong Kong, and according to local reports, firefighters are still fighting the blaze.

Earlier, the South China Morning Post reported that Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of fire services, said extreme heat had prevented firefighters from accessing some upper-floor apartments. He added that crews would “keep trying” to reach them.

He also said that the “debris and scaffolding of the affected building are falling down, posing additional danger to our frontline personnel”.

Overnight, he said, it was dark, and that made the rescue and firefighting operation “more difficult”.

“In the hours of darkness, it will pose additional danger and difficulties to our operation, and up to this moment, the temperature inside the fire scene is still very high. So, we have difficulties proceeding to upper floors of two of the buildings.”

The Hong Kong Fire Services Department mobilised more than 1,200 fire and ambulance personnel to the site, officials said. Some in the area have returned to work and school.

Mexican American singer Gerardo Ortiz will serve three years of probation after testifying against Ángel del Villar, chief executive of Del Records, who federal prosecutors linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

In March, Del Villar was found guilty of violating the Kingpin Act, a federal law that prohibits U.S. residents and companies from doing business with known drug traffickers and their associates. He was sentenced to four years in federal prison and fined $2 million. However, Del Villar remains free while he appeals his conviction.

Ortiz also pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy tied to the case and was sentenced to a probationary period of three years on Nov. 19. He will also pay a fine, but the amount has not been confirmed, his publicist said in an email to The Times.

“First of all, I want to apologize to my fans for everything that’s happened,” said Ortiz. “We hope to keep moving forward.”

Within that statement, the “Mañana Voy a Conquistarla” singer also promoted his new album, “El Ejemplar,” Spanish for “the exemplar,” which came out a day after his sentencing on Nov. 20.

Federal court filings against Del Villar date back to 2022, after federal authorities accused the label mogul and his company of doing business with Jesús Pérez Alvear, a Guadalajara-based music promoter who also went by the nickname “Chucho.”

The Treasury Department had previously sanctioned Pérez Alvear, who they said laundered drug money for CJNG and a related trafficking group, Los Cuinis.

In the same 2022 complaint, it was also alleged that a “well-known musician,” now identified as música Mexicana star Ortiz, was approached by an FBI agent on April 19, 2018, at the Phoenix airport. The official informed the hitmaker of Pérez Alvear’s alleged connection to criminal organizations in Mexico and prohibited Ortiz from conducting future business with him.

Despite the warning, Ortiz admitted to performing on April 28, 2018, at Feria de San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico, which was organized by Pérez Alvear. Del Villar’s credit card was used to purchase the flight.

“We were there singing at that event; everyone saw it on YouTube, they saw photos. For the fans who were there that day, it was impossible to say no. That show happened; we were there in Aguascalientes, and that’s all. I have nothing more to say,” said Ortiz following his sentencing. “Were there lies? A lot of things have been said, but that’s the truth. We were there singing at that concert, we were there, sharing a bit of our music with the audience.”

Prosecutors claimed that it was Del Villar who had persuaded Ortiz to ignore the FBI’s warning as he stood to profit off the promoter’s showcases. On several occasions in 2018 and 2019, authorities said, Pérez Alvear and Del Villar continued to do business by arranging for Ortiz to perform at concerts across Mexico.

Pérez Alvear promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019. In December 2024, he was gunned down in a Mexico City restaurant.

Prior to this case, Del Records was at one point in a feud with Ortiz, a Pasadena native who was once arrested in Mexico on a charge of “criminal exaltation” for appearing in a music video that portrayed the mistress of a drug lord being bound, gagged and stuffed in the trunk of a car, which Ortiz then set on fire.

Ortiz and Del Villar sued each other in 2019, trading accusations of fraud and other misconduct. When the FBI raided the label’s Bell Gardens offices in 2020, a spokesman claimed the agents were only seeking records concerning Ortiz.

Times reporter Matthew Ormseth, Carlos de Loera and Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.

Bogota, Colombia – Santiago Uribe, the brother of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, has been sentenced to 28 years and three months in prison for aggravated homicide and conspiracy to commit a crime while leading a paramilitary group.

In Tuesday’s verdict, a three-judge panel in the northwestern province of Antioquia ruled that, in the early 1990s, Uribe “formed and led an illegal armed group”.

Under Uribe’s leadership, the group allegedly “carried out a plan to systematically murder and exterminate people considered undesirable”.

Uribe has denied having any associations with paramilitary groups. His defence team plans to appeal.

The ruling reverses a lower court’s acquittal last year. The case will now pass to Colombia’s Supreme Court for a final verdict.

The conviction is the latest twist in a longstanding criminal investigation into the Uribe family and its alleged paramilitary ties.

Critics have accused Uribe and his brother, the former president, of maintaining ties to groups involved in grave human rights abuses during Colombia’s six-decade-long internal conflict.

Tuesday’s conviction relates to activities that took place on and around the Uribe family’s La Carolina cattle ranch, located in Antioquia.

In its 307-page ruling, the court detailed how the ranch was used as a base for The 12 Apostles, a far-right paramilitary group formed by ranchers in the early 1990s to combat leftist rebels, notably the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The court described The 12 Apostles as a “death squad”, saying it performed “social cleansing” by killing “undesirables” including sex workers, drug users, people with mental illnesses and suspected leftist sympathisers.

Not only did the paramilitary group hold meetings at La Carolina, but training and weapons distribution were also carried out on site, according to the ruling.

Those were “acts with which crimes against humanity were committed”, the judges wrote.

Describing Uribe as the leader of The 12 Apostles, the court found him responsible for ordering the murder of Camilo Barrientos, a bus driver who was shot near La Carolina in 1994 for being a suspected rebel collaborator.

Tuesday’s ruling also highlighted collusion between paramilitaries and state security forces, saying the militia “enjoyed the cooperation, through action and inaction, of agents of the State”.

Uribe was first investigated for his involvement with The 12 Apostles in the late 1990s, but the investigation was dropped in 1999 due to a lack of evidence.

Colombian authorities resumed their investigation in 2010, detaining Uribe in 2016 on charges of homicide.

While the trial ended in 2020, the lower court announced its verdict years later, in November 2024. The judge overseeing the case at the time, Jaime Herrera Nino, ruled there was insufficient evidence and acquitted Uribe.

Tuesday’s decision overturns that verdict. Human rights advocates applauded the ruling as a step towards accountability, even at the highest levels of power.

“The sentence is extremely important,” said Laura Bonilla, a deputy director at Colombia’s Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (Pares). “It shows the level of penetration that paramilitarism had in Colombian society.”

Gerson Arias, a conflict and security investigator at the Ideas for Peace Foundation, a Colombian think tank, said the complexity of the case reflects the power structures involved.

“Paramilitarism was deeply rooted in the upper echelons of society, and therefore clarifying what happened takes years,” he said.

“It is therefore likely that many of the collective things we know about paramilitarism are still pending resolution and discovery.”

The defendant’s brother, former President Alvaro Uribe, led Colombia from 2002 to 2010.

The ex-president himself was found guilty earlier this year of bribing former paramilitary members not to testify to his involvement with them.

The ruling was overturned in October, after a court ruled the evidence was gathered through an unlawful wiretap. It also cited “structural deficiencies” in the prosecution’s arguments.

The former president remains a powerful figure in right-wing politics in Colombia, and he has pledged to form a coalition to oppose a left-wing government in the 2026 elections.

“I feel deep pain over the sentence against my brother. May God help him,” the ex-president wrote on the social media platform X following Tuesday’s ruling.

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.”

The Swedish Navy, the largest surface combatant of which is currently the Visby class corvette, is gearing up to place an order for four frigates. These would be the Swedish Navy’s largest warships since it gave up its last destroyers back in the early 1980s. The planned frigates reflect Sweden’s expanding naval ambitions since joining NATO and are also expected to stress anti-air warfare capabilities, something that’s of growing interest to the Swedish Navy.

Swedish Minister of Defense Pål Jonson said today that a final decision on the four-frigate buy is likely early next year. “We’re looking at what frigates there are that are available, that would also suit our quite ambitious timeline,” Jonson said. He added that the plan was to have two frigates in service “ideally by 2030” and another two by 2035.

The Defense Materiel Administration (FMV), Sweden’s defense procurement organization, has completed a market survey on available frigates, but has yet to make a final decision. Bearing in mind the ambitious timeline, an off-the-shelf design will be selected. The decision to acquire a warship significantly larger than the stealthy Visby class was made last year, at which point a foreign design became the only realistic option. The new vessels will be named the Luleå class.

Jonson was speaking today after a meeting in Stockholm with his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, who offered to supply Sweden with a first fully equipped frigate in 2030. This would be a version of the Naval Group’s new Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI), or defense and intervention frigate, an unorthodox design with an inverted bow, which you can read more about here.

Other items discussed by Jonson and Vautrin included French interest in the Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, as well as aid to Ukraine.

The FDI was first formally offered to Sweden last month, and, if selected, it would be built in partnership with the Swedish defense industry, in particular, Saab.

In terms of the role of the new Swedish frigate, Jonson confirmed today that they will have a significant anti-air warfare function, reflecting the nation’s plan to join NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) program. The alliance’s investment in this network has been stepped up in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with NATO deploying additional IAMD capabilities to NATO’s eastern flank.

The Swedish Navy is already making efforts to expand its anti-air warfare capabilities with an update to its five Visby class corvettes, which adds the Sea Ceptor, also known as the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) — a surface-to-air missile that can engage a wide variety of threats.

The anti-air warfare focus would appear to put the FDI in a strong position for the Swedish requirement. As we have described in the past, the primary anti-air weapon of the French warship is the Aster surface-to-air missile, 16 of which are carried in a pair of eight-cell launchers — later vessels will be able to carry 32 by doubling the number of launchers.

The combat-proven Aster is available in two main versions. The smaller Aster 15 has a range of around 18 miles, while the larger Aster 30 is able to engage targets at more than 75 miles. Recent improvements to the Aster 30 include enhancing its capabilities against anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), a relatively new type of threat.

The FDI uses a Thales Sea Fire radar to support its air defense mission out to a significant range.

Comparing the Visby class and the FDI, the Swedish design has a displacement of 705 tons and a length of 238 feet 6 inches, while the French warship has a displacement of 4,390 tons and is 400 feet 3 inches long.

In the past, another option for the future Luleå class was expected to be a development of the British Type 31 frigate design, proposed by a partnership of Saab and Babcock. According to an agreement between the two companies, Saab would develop the basic design for the frigate, while Babcock would provide support with engineering, structural design, and auxiliary systems. However, the current status of this collaboration is unclear.

Another likely contender for the Swedish requirement is Spain’s Navantia. This manufacturer offers a variety of frigates that cover a range from just over 2,200 tons displacement to ships above 6,000 tons. Designs include the Spanish Navy’s recently launched F110 class frigate, also known as the Bonifaz class. As you can read about here, this warship is notable for its combination of high-end anti-submarine warfare functions paired with anti-air warfare abilities and its distinctive tall mast, mounting elements of a sophisticated radar system.

The last time that the Swedish Navy operated a surface combatant approaching this kind of size was back in the early 1980s. The Östergötland was the Swedish Navy’s last class of destroyers, originally built in the late 1950s. These had a fully loaded displacement of 2,600 tons and were 367 feet 5 inches long, somewhat smaller than the preceding Halland class, which had a fully loaded displacement of 3,291 tons and a length of 398 feet 11 inches. The last examples of these two classes of destroyers were decommissioned in 1982.

As part of the French drive to export the FDI frigate to Sweden, the first-of-class Amiral Ronarc’h will visit the Swedish port of Gothenburg early next year. France has already secured sales of the warship to Greece, which is buying four, on top of the five planned for the French Navy.

For the Swedish Navy, the primary area of operation has been the Baltic theater, an area of resurgent strategic relevance, as the host to regular and sometimes hostile Russian military activity, maritime, airborne, and also increasingly in the ‘gray zone’ or hybrid warfare.

A new frigate with enhanced anti-air warfare capabilities will be better able to protect itself, other vessels, and even shore areas or islands, against threats from the air. The overwhelming numbers of crewed aircraft, drones, and missiles that Russia could potentially put up in a conflict involving Sweden have been a significant concern even before the country joined NATO.

Already, much of the Swedish Air Force’s mode of operation is based on being best prepared to leverage smaller numbers to deal with a potential large-scale Russian aerial attack. As a result, the Swedish Air Force has long sought to develop innovative technologies and tactics that would allow it, as a much smaller air arm, to be able to put up significant resistance.

The four new frigates should further that ambition, but would also allow operations far outside the Baltic, including into the wider North Atlantic region, reflecting Sweden’s developing military ambitions as it becomes a more established NATO member.

Once it gets its new frigates, the Swedish Armed Forces will be better prepared to face any kind of contingency in the Baltic region or elsewhere, and it will be interesting to see whether they opt for the FDI frigate or a rival design.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Karl Bushby, who reportedly aims to be the first person to complete a continuous round-the-world walk, opened up about some of his scariest experiences, including being in the “middle of a war zone”

An explorer who has spent a staggering 27 years walking across the planet has named two of the scariest places he visited on his travels. Karl Bushby, an ex-paratrooper who reportedly aims to be the first person to complete a continuous round-the-world walk, started his mammoth journey in Chile in 1998 and will soon return to the UK after nearly three decades on the road.

The 56-year-old, from Kingston upon Hull, has seen his fair share of danger over the years. As part of his aptly named 36,000-mile Goliath Expedition, Karl has swum across the Caspian Sea and walked the American and Asian continents.

Two particular adventures stood out when it came to describing some of his scariest experiences. His first occurred when traversing the infamous Darién Gap, bridging Central and South America, and he found himself in the “middle of a war zone”, reports Unilad.

Karl told CBS News: “And then there’s a whole layer above that of cartels and drug plantations, and then really, really tough jungle.”

Spanning Panama and Colombia, and known as one of the most treacherous migration routes on the planet, the Darién Gap is a notorious 60-mile passage characterised by difficult terrain, including mountains and rainforests.

Its dangers include hot temperatures, heavy rainfall, rivers that people have to cross, mosquitoes, crocodiles, venomous snakes, and criminals, with human trafficking, extortion, robbery, rape and sexual assault reportedly commonplace.

Karl also highlighted a journey he took across the Bering Strait, which lies between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, where he had an encounter with a polar bear. He added: “You’re in a very serious world that will kill you in 20 minutes if you mess up.”

Located between Alaska and Russia, the strait is a wildlife haven home to such species as beluga, bowhead and gray whales and, of course, polar bears. Despite the peril, Karl succeeded in crossing alongside US companion Dimitri Kieffer.

The intrepid duo reportedly crossed from Alaska to Siberia, traversing ice flows and swimming areas of open water, only to be arrested by Russian authorities upon arrival for illegal entry and deported.

As of November 6, Karl was near Budapest as he bore down on his home city of Hull, which he previously admitted would be a “very strange place to be” after such a long time travelling, reports the BBC.

He also confessed that finally ending his journey was a “positively scary” prospect and was “going to be hard”. Karl said: “I’ve spoken with a number of long-distance walkers, some walking five years or more, and they have told me it’s very difficult returning to normal society.

“The key will be throwing myself into another mission, to have another goal.”

Karl also shared his assessment of humanity, revealing that “99.99% of the world is good” and the world isn’t as scary “as you might think”, even in parts that we “might not expect”.

No casualties reported, but local resident of Afar region says impact of eruption ‘felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown’.

A long-dormant volcano in northern Ethiopia has erupted, sending plumes of ash across the Red Sea towards Yemen and Oman.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia, located about 800 kilometres (500 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa, erupted for several hours on Sunday morning, leaving the nearby village of Afdera covered in ash.

There were no casualties from the eruption, which sent thick plumes of smoke up to 14km (nine miles) into the sky, sending ash clouds to Yemen, Oman, India, and northern Pakistan, according to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in France.

Ahmed Abdela, a resident of the Afar region, said it “felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown”. Many people who had been heading to the Danakil desert, a local tourist attraction, were left stranded in ash-covered Afdera on Monday, he said.

Mohammed Seid, a local administrator, said there were no casualties, but the eruption could have economic implications for the local community of livestock herders.

“While no human lives and livestock have been lost so far, many villages have been covered in ash, and as a result, their animals have little to eat,” he said.

The volcano, which rises about 500 metres in altitude, sits within the Rift Valley, a zone of intense geological activity where two tectonic plates meet.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program said Hayli Gubbi has had no known eruptions during the current geological epoch, which experts know as the Holocene.

The Holocene began approximately 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age.

Afar authorities have not yet reported casualties.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It’s championship week in high school football. It’s also the 10-year anniversary of one of best and most entertaining high school basketball teams in history — the unbeaten 2015-16 Chino Hills Huskies, led by the Ball brothers

Looking back at greatness

LiAngelo Ball, center, is flanked by his brothers Lonzo, second from left, and LaMelo in 2016.

(Los Angeles Times)

High school basketball fans, sportswriters and coaches had the time of their lives watching the creation of Chino Hills’ 35-0 team from 2015, with brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball in starring roles. They helped entertain and draw so many Oohs and Aahs that they became nationally recognized, along with their always talkative father, LaVar.

The tales of showing up with a lawn chair two hours before a game to make sure you got a seat before the gym sold out are legendary. The talent and chemistry of the Balls, along with Onyeka Okongwu and Eli Scott, was something to behold all the way to Chino Hills winning the state championship in March of 2016 in Sacramento.

Here’s a look back from a sportswriter’s perspective and that of the head coach, Steve Baik.

Keawe Browne (2) celebrates after a blocked Mater Dei field-goal attempt gives Corona Centennial 28-27 win.

(Craig Weston)

Who had Santa Margarita facing Corona Centennial in Friday’s Southern Section Division 1 final at the Rose Bowl? Both teams earned the spot, the first time St. John Bosco or Mater Dei have failed to participate in the championship game since 2012.

Here’s how Centennial beat Mater Dei 28-27 in the semifinals with a blocked field goal at the end of the game.

Santa Margarita took care of business in the other semifinal to defeat Orange Lutheran. The Eagles are surging because of their terrific defense and the threat Trent Mosley offers any time he touches the ball. Here’s the report.

Here’s a look at how Santa Margarita and Centennial cracked the code to create a new championship game.

In Division 2, two league rivals, Los Alamitos and San Clemente, will play for a second time this season on Saturday night at San Clemente.

Here’s this weekend’s championship schedule.

Here’s a look at the top individual performances from last week.

Crenshaw pulled off the win that few expected when the City Section season began last August. The Cougars handed Birmingham its first defeat after 55 consecutive wins over City opponents 12-7 in the City Open Division semifinals. What a coaching job by interim coach Terrence Whitehead. His team will face Carson for the City title on Saturday at L.A. Southwest College. Here’s a look at Crenshaw’s journey this season.

Carson first-year coach William Lowe has his team trying for a 12th City title.

(Nick Koza)

Carson is playing like a No. 1 seed after dominating Garfield in the semifinals. With quarterback Chris Fields’ ability to run or pass, the Colts will have an advantage against a Crenshaw team that hasn’t faced many teams with balanced offenses.

South Gate quarterback Michael Gonzalez tries to console William Smith of Dorsey in an act of sportsmanship after South Gate win.

(Nick Koza)

In Division I, South Gate will take on Marquez on Saturday. South Gate defeated Dorsey in its semifinal and Marquez toppled top-seeded Venice. Here’s a look at South Gate players showing sportsmanship after their game. Dorsey had to play on Monday after playoff game against Eagle Rock had a power blackout. Here’s a look at the Dons’ win.

In Division II, Cleveland rallied for a win over Fairfax and will face San Fernando. Here’s a report. In Division III, Hawkins will play Santee.

Basketball

Brandon McCoy of Sierra Canyon had nine dunks and 25 points in win over JSerra.

(Craig Weston)

The Trinity-Mission League Challenge at Pauley Pavilion produced lots of dunks and competitive games. The best game ended up being the last, with St. John Bosco beating Harvard-Westlake 57-55. Santa Margarita rallied for a 77-73 win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame behind 28 points from Brayden Kyman. Brandon McCoy had nine dunks in his Sierra Canyon debut, a win over JSerra.

Here’s a look at the games and top performances.

Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

In girls basketball, defending Southern Section Open Division champion Ontarior Christian started with two wins and Kaleena Smith scoring 45 and 35 points.

Redondo Union is hosting a tournament beginning Monday that includes Etiwanda.

Harvard-Westlake unveiled freshman Lucia Khamenia, the sister of Nikolas. Here’s a report.

Legacy of the Kymans

Brayden Kyman of Santa Margarita.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The Kymans have been a sports family for years. Bernie Kyman was a coach and athletic direct. Son Coley starred in football and volleyball at Reseda and Cal State Northridge. His son Jake won a CIF title at Santa Margarita before playing for UCLA basketball.

Now Brayden is a senior basketball player at Santa Margarita. The family is moving to Montana after this season. A look at the impact and legacy of the Kymans.

Girls tennis

The Calabasas High girls tennis team won the Southern Section Division 2 championship.

(Courtesy Calabasas High)

Corona del Mar completed an unbeaten Southern Section girls tennis season with a victory over Portola in the Division 1 championship match. Here’s a report.

Calabasas defeated Harvard-Westlake for the Division 2 title. Here’s a report.

Alexa Guerrero holds the championship plaque as she and her Marshall teammates celebrate their City Section Open Division flag football championship win over Eagle Rock.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Marshall has climbed to the top in City Section flag football with a 20-0 win over Eagle Rock in the Open Division final.

Here’s a look at the newest City champions.

Cross country

Irvine senior Summer Wilson won the Southern Section Division 2 cross-country title.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

On the rain course at Mount San Antonio College, Summer Wilson ran away with the Division 2 championship at the Southern Section cross-country championships. Here’s the report.

The City championships were held at Elysian Park, and Palisades won boys and girls titles. Here’s the report.

The state championships will be held Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Girls volleyball

Mater Dei, Harvard-Westlake and Cypress won state championships in girls volleyball.

Here’s the report.

Notes . . .

Justin Utupo is out after one season as football coach at Long Beach Poly. The Jackrabbits (5-5) lost six players to ineligibility by the Southern Section and the school administration refused to allow the team to participate in the playoffs. The program has won 20 Southern Section football championships but last won a Division 1 title in 2012 under Raul Lara. Here’s the report. . . .

Aaron Huerta has resigned after one season as football coach at Bishop Alemany. . ..

The CIF state championship football games will be played Dec. 11-12 at Buena Park High, Fullerton High and Saddleback College. . . .

Bo Beatty, the co-head football coach at Bonita, has resigned to return to Azusa Pacific where he was a long-time assistant coach. Steve Bogan is the co-head coach. . . .

Defensive lineman James Moffat of Crespi has committed to UCLA. . . .

Santa Margarita won its third state title in girls golf at Poppy Hills Golf Course. . . .

It was the year of Newport Harbor in boys water polo. The team lost one match all season and avenged its only defeat with a win over Cathedral Catholic in the regional final. . . .

Kacey Norwood has been named interim girls’ lacrosse coach at St. Margaret’s. . . .

JD Hill, a defensive lineman at Mission Viejo, has committed to Washington. . . .

Cooper Javorsky, a lineman from San Juan Hills who decommitted as a UCLA recruit after the firing of DeShaun Foster, has recommitted to the Bruins. . . .

Here’s a report and update on former San Juan Hills linebacker Weston Port and his Mormon mission in Spain. . . .

From the archives: Carson Schwesinger

Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger is having a successful rookie season for the Cleveland Browns. After being selected No. 33 overall in the NFL draft, he’s been starting and earning rave reviews.

He went to UCLA as a walk-on and became a star.

Here’s a story from 2021 on Schwesinger walking on at UCLA.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on a high school football lineman who didn’t know how to put on pads three years ago and became an Oregon recruit.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, a look at the top high school basketball teams in San Diego.

From NFHS.org, a story of sportsmanship across the country in high school sports.

From the Las Vegas Review Journal, a story on changes in Nevada’s football playoff system that will allow Bishop Gorman only one nonleague game starting in 2026.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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On a sunny Saturday afternoon last month in Los Angeles, excited fans opted for a dark studio at CBS Television City where a reunion with the beloved Barone family of “Everybody Loves Raymond” would take place. Devotees of the Emmy-winning sitcom gathered for a live taping of a 90-minute 30th anniversary special, airing Monday on CBS.

“This is a bucket list-type thing,” said longtime fan Kim Brazier, who flew in from Gulfport, Miss. “I only watch ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’ I have it on repeat. I watch it when I’m getting ready in the morning, and it’s kind of my lullaby when I go to bed.”

The popular sitcom, which ran for nine seasons from 1996 to 2005, was known for its hilarious depiction of family dynamics. Ray Romano starred as sportswriter Ray Barone, married to Debra (Patricia Heaton). The couple raised three young children while navigating marital squabbles, awkward parenting moments and constant meddling from Ray’s parents, Marie and Frank (Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle), who lived across the street with Ray’s jealous, downtrodden police officer brother Robert (Brad Garrett).

Inside the reunion, the atmosphere brimmed with nostalgia as Romano and the show’s creator, Phil Rosenthal, hosted the live taping from the living room they once brought into millions of households each week. The set was meticulously recreated for the occasion, including the Barone couch, which Romano now owns and had transported from his home for the occasion.

Cast members were brought out one by one throughout the afternoon, each remaining on stage as the panel grew, including Rosenthal’s wife, Monica Horan, who played Robert’s longtime love interest, Amy.

Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal walking to the stage for the 30th anniversary reunion, which was taped before a live studio audience, just like the series.

(Matthew Taplinger / CBS)

The group reminisced about working with one another and shared their favorite episodes, accompanied by clips on surrounding screens that included a reel of outtakes of funny lines improvised by Romano and Garrett cracking up their fellow castmates. As each segment played, Rosenthal and the cast watched, fully absorbed with smiles across their faces, while the audience sat rapt, revisiting these cherished moments.

A week and a half later, in a Zoom interview with Rosenthal and Romano, the latter reflected on returning to the set. “It was emotional and surreal. At first it felt so strange to be back, like we went back in time,” Romano says. “And then after we were joking and comfortable for a while, it felt like we never left.”

Just like the reunion, the original series was filmed in front of a live studio audience, a conscious choice to capture the energy in the room. “We had me, a comedian, and comedy writers, and we wanted to hear the laughs,” Romano says.

And the laughs were plentiful. Rosenthal told the crowd at the taping that the cast often had to pause after punchlines to let laughter die down. Occasionally, he said, the laughter went on so long it had to be edited out of episodes. The only time the audience wasn’t in stitches was when Romano literally needed them. He once sliced open his hand during a scene where he was cutting cheese; Romano went to the hospital to be sewn up and then returned to finish the episode.

From the stage, Romano recounted the show’s origin story, which dates back to his 1995 stand-up comedy debut on the “Late Show With David Letterman.” His five-minute routine focused on parenting his toddlers and losing his perspective on adult-oriented humor. He noted that the last joke he’d written dated back to when his twin sons were babies — a bit about jingling his car keys to make them laugh — which he physically demonstrated during the appearance. After the “Late Show” crowd laughed, he pushed the bit one step further. “I’m glad you laughed at that,” he said. “If you didn’t, I would’ve had to come down there and rub my nose in your bellies.”

The cast of “Everybody Loves Raymond” during the taping of the finale episode of the series, which aired in May 2005.

(Richard Cartright / CBS / AP)

Meanwhile, Rosenthal, then a writer on ABC’s sitcom “Coach,” was at home with Horan watching Romano’s set. It immediately resonated with the couple. “It made me laugh so hard,” he says. “We had just had a kid, and the material was eminently relatable.”

Two weeks later, when Letterman’s production company offered Romano a development deal, he met with Rosenthal, and the two began shaping the sitcom, blending their sensibilities. Rosenthal says the resulting show became a hybrid of his sitcom experience with Romano’s sensibility that everything must be rooted in truth. “It had to feel real and honest,” Rosenthal says. “And you don’t do anything just to get a laugh. We had a rule in the writers room: ‘Could this happen?’ Are we stretching credibility so far that we break the bond of relatability with the audience?”

They developed the show around their own lives, modeling the Barone children after Romano’s, and incorporating material from his Letterman routine. The character of Robert was based on Romano’s real-life brother, a New York City police officer whose bitter quip when Romano won an award — “Everybody loves Raymond” — became both the show’s title and a line of dialogue his fictional counterpart delivered in the pilot.

Rosenthal contributed his own family inspiration too, basing Ray’s TV mom largely on his mother, with aspects of Romano’s. At the anniversary special, he told the audience with a wink that his mother had always insisted the character was “an exaggeration.”

Phil Rosenthal, left, and Ray Romano on the recreated set of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” (Sonja Flemming / CBS)

Brad Garrett, left, played Ray’s brother and Patricia Heaton, played Debra, Ray’s wife in the series. (Sonja Flemming / CBS)

When it came time for casting, approximately 20 women auditioned to play Ray’s wife, but Heaton nailed it, with a bold choice setting her apart. She was the only actor who actually kissed Romano during the audition, while the rest just mimed it. It wasn’t until the reunion, however, that Heaton learned onstage that she was the only one who’d done so.

The reunion also revealed that Garrett’s casting as Robert was a surprise to Romano. His real brother is shorter than he is, while Garrett is 6 feet 8, prompting Romano to joke that two brothers had been cast at once.

Rosenthal noted that to avoid the appearance of nepotism, he never suggested his wife for the role of Amy. Rather, it was a writer on the show who had put her name forward.

The reunion also honored Boyle and Roberts, who died in 2006 and 2016, respectively. The taping coincided with what would have been Boyle’s 90th birthday, and his wife, Lorraine, was in the audience. Romano shared that Boyle was nothing like his grumpy character Frank. During the first rehearsal, Boyle gave the nervous Romano advice: “It’s just like water. Just let it flow.”

Roberts, meanwhile, was the show’s matriarch on- and off-screen, known for making pots of soup in her dressing room and looking out for the cast. Horan recalled Roberts as professional and protective, pointing out whenever anyone was unwittingly blocking Horan’s light in a shot.

Frank and Marie, played by Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts, were remembered during the reunion special. The taping coincided with what would have been Boyle’s 90th birthday.

(Robert Voets / CBS)

Later in the afternoon came another poignant moment when Madylin Sweeten and younger brother Sullivan Sweeten, who played Ray and Debra’s children, Ally and Michael Barone, joined the panel. Madylin was 5 when the show began, while Sullivan was 16 months old. His twin brother, Sawyer, who also appeared on the show as Michael’s twin, Geoffrey, died by suicide in 2015, just before his 20th birthday.

Speaking about his late brother, Sullivan said that he tries to stay positive by reflecting on his best moments with Sawyer, sharing that most of them happened on the set of the show. Madylin said that she and Sullivan work with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, noting that most who seek help do survive.

Now 34 and a mom herself, Madylin reflected on growing up on a hit series. At the time, she was too young to fully grasp its importance, revealing that she remembers being upset one year when she couldn’t participate in a school play because she had to be on set. As scenes of the Barone children played above the stage, she wiped away tears at the sight of Sawyer as a child.

It was easy to see what made the cast feel like a real family. Their chemistry filled the studio once again, and their connection endures.

“Imagine spending nine years with people and then staying in touch,” Rosenthal says. “Phil and I see each other all the time,” Romano adds, before Rosenthal chimes in: “Our families vacation together.” They shared that they’d had lunch with the show’s writers earlier that day.

The affection among the cast is matched only by the devotion of the fans who filled the studio. Throughout the taping, the audience erupted in laughter, cheers and applause, a testament to how deeply the show remains embedded in people’s lives. Even 20 years after its finale, everybody still loves Raymond.

“It was the ultimate honor,” Rosenthal says of the enthusiastic fans who showed up for the reunion. “We can die happy that we made something of lasting value.”

Asked why they’ve never considered a reboot, Romano is clear. “This was our legacy, this was our baby, and we wanted to treat it right,” he says. “We wanted to leave on a high note and go out on top, and that’s what we did.”

FREDDY Brazier has bravely opened up about his mental health struggles in a new TikTok video. 

The 21-year-old model and TV star, who is currently getting ready to welcome his first child, took to the social media platform today with a video sharing moments of his life over the past three years. 

Using an AI voiceover, Freddy made a number of startling claims, including alleging that he spent his 18th birthday “in a psychiatric ward” after “wanting to end it all” 

Videos connected to the clip include showing Freddy blowing smoke at the camera, walking the streets in a dressing gown, and mirror selfies of him looking thin. 

Text across the photo says he was “starving himself and replaced food with green” – a slang term used marijuana – and had deliberately crashed his car. 

Another photo shows his grandmother, Jackiey Budden, poking her tongue out at a store iselling wheels of “weed cheese”. 

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He wrote on the picture: “Prioritised my relationship with my mum’s mum not knowing she has been lying to me for years!” – though didn’t clarify what he meant by the allegation.

However, the video then takes a positive turn, with photographs sharing he had started focusing on bettering himself once he realised “something needed to change”. 

As the video continues, new pics show him sharing pictures of salad, videos of boxing at the gym, surfing and attending events with his loved ones. 

“Something clicked in my head,” the text on the images read. “I needed to change.” 

Among the list of things he credits is a small circle of friends, getting out of London more, training at the gym, skincare and self-love. 

In the caption, Freddy wrote: “It’s been a bumpy journey and it’s still ongoing! HEALING IS THE NEW HIGH.” 

He added hashtags for “sobriety”, “addiction recovery” and “healing journey”. 

Freddy is the second son of Jade Goody, who died from cancer when he was just four years old, and Jeff Brazier. 

His older brother, Bobby, is now best known for his role on EastEnders. 

He has openly spoken in the past about his mental health, admitting in August he had spent time in a psychiatric facility and been to rehab. 

He’s also admitted to smoking marijuana as a teenager.

Earlier this year, he had a public fallout with his father, but they have since reconciled amid the news he is set to become a dad for the first time. 

He has since stepped out with girlfriend Holly, who showed off her baby bump at the Pride of Britain Awards. 

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Last year, I was fortunate enough to travel to Naples, Italy for the first time.

One of the many reasons to visit this historical and culinary diamond is to experience the famed Margherita pizza, invented there in the late 19th century.

My wife, a group of travelers and I caught a break when a table opened at 50 Kalò, a pizzeria lauded in Italy’s Michelin guide and known for its amazing doughs.

We ordered a variety of Neapolitan pizzas, including a pair of the tomato, mozzarella and basil-based Margheritas. How fortunate we were.

One person at our table, however, refused to try them. Her name is Jan and she’s from New Jersey.

“It’s not better than New York style,” she told a stunned table. “I’m sure it’s fine, but my guy is better.”

We all know a Jan in our lives — or sometimes, it’s us. We all have our favorites, whether it’s pizza, tacos, draft beers or wines. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying something different.

And you don’t have to travel to Italy for a great slice. My colleague, Food columnist Jenn Harris, compiled a list of seven new favorite pizzas to try in Los Angeles.

Harris takes readers from Hermosa Beach to Eagle Rock, and from Santa Monica to Los Feliz in search of a lovely pie.

Let’s jump into a few selections from Harris’ list — and remember, don’t be a Jan.

A pepperoni pizza from Sonny’s in Hollywood.

(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)

Sonny’s (Hollywood)

I have seen all the social media influencers proclaiming Sonny’s to be the best new pizza in Los Angeles. It’s a giant pizza, with a diameter that seems like the size of a semi-truck tire. The crust is so crisp, the crackles are audible in every video of people munching on it.

A layer of bronze oil sits atop the pizza and settles in the many cups of pepperoni. It creates a sheen over the cheese. My fingers were shiny. The oil dripped down my chin. The cheese, sauce and crust coalesce into a slender slice that’s sturdy enough, but flops at the tip.

Some of the crust was cracker-like and golden. Some of it was burnt. It’s not a perfect pizza, but I appreciated the thin crust and the flavor of the grease-streaked mottled cheese. And if someone else is offering to go through the trouble of ordering the pizza, I’ll happily eat it.

The D-Fresh pizza from Redwood Pie in Hermosa Beach. The pizza is topped with pickled serrano chiles and spicy sausage.

(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)

Redwood Pie (Hermosa Beach)

I first encountered Erik Vose’s pizza when he was operating Vivace Pizzeria, a food truck that housed a 5,500-pound Acunto Mario oven. He made some of the best bubble-flecked Neapolitan pies in the city. Now he’s creating his own category of pizza at Redwood Pie in Hermosa Beach.

He’s making a sourdough crust with a blend of five flours from Central Milling. It’s bready and wonderfully chewy, a sheath of amber orbs and tight, tiny bubbles that create the ideal crunch.

The slice of pepperoni is textbook perfect from Redwood Pie, with a well-balanced sauce, a blanket of cheese and pepperoni cups that transform into blistered meat candy in the oven. For the white pie fans, there’s the “D-Fresh.” A rugged landscape of hot Italian sausage crumbles, frizzled basil and pickled Serrano chiles tops the mozzarella base — and leaves your lips humming with heat.

Pork-and-beef bolognese pizza at Bub and Grandma’s Pizza in Highland Park.

(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Bub and Grandma’s Pizza (Highland Park)

If you’ve been following Andy Kadin’s career, you know that his breads can be found at restaurants around the city. So it should come as no surprise that his sourdough pizzas possess a wonderful tang and a durable crust that cracks with each fold and bite.

Kadin developed his pizza dough alongside chef Jeff Whittaker, who previously cooked at Hippo and Bar Monette. For the Bolognese pizza at Bub and Grandma’s Pizza, they slather the crust in a robust, meaty pork and beef ragu, with big boulders of meat protruding from the melted mozzarella.

The porchetta pie is painted with a decadent garlic cream and cloaked in ribbons of porchetta, charred broccolini and plenty of pepperoncini. It’s finished with a drizzle of garlic oil and a sprinkle of fennel salt. Imagine all the makings of a stellar porchetta sandwich in pizza form.

For more pizza wonderment, check out this link for the entire list.

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AFTER their split in 2010 and cancelled reunion tour in 2020, I can reveal that The Pussycat Dolls are talking about getting back together.

I’ve heard that Kimberly Wyatt has been telling pals the girls have ironed out their issues and are reforming.

The band also featured Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Carmit Bachar and Melody Thornton.

Members began leaving in in 2008, but the girls continued to make music before splitting in 2010.

A source said: “Kimberly has been open about the fact the girls have sorted out their issues.

“She also told pals they’ve been discussing a tour.

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“The Pussycat Dolls certainly had their differences over the years, but a comeback would send fans wild.”

Ashley, Kimberly, Jessica, Carmit and Nicole were set to go on tour in 2020 – but after the pandemic scuppered their plan, the idea was later cancelled.

Let’s hope nothing comes in the way of this reunion.

The Dolls started off as a burlesque troupe but in 2003 Nicole Scherzinger, Melody Thornton and Kaya Jones joined Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt to form the group.

Kaya went solo in 2004 and Carmit left in 2008.

They split for good in 2010 but got back together in 2020.

I was a bit skeptical when an emailer suggested touring Torrance as a way to appreciate this South Bay hidden gem. As a San Gabriel Valley product, I’ve enjoyed excursions to the iconic Rose Bowl or the historic San Gabriel Mission.

But Torrance? Really?

I’m a fan of the divine paradise cakes baked at two King’s Hawaiian locations in Torrance and am aware that Compton-based hip hop group N.W.A recorded “F— tha Police” in a city music studio.

Yes, that’s all fine and notable, but is this city of 140,000 actually tour worthy?

Debbie Hays, a resident and Torrance Historical Society docent, was up to the challenge of proving it certainly was when we met for a tour this week.

History meets Hollywood

We started at the Torrance Historical Society. Inside, visitors receive a quick lesson about the city’s creation, from a Spanish land grant to its founding by financial broker Jared Sidney Torrance in 1912.

A good portion of the talk centers on one of the city’s heroes, Louis Zamperini, known as the “Torrance Tornado.”

The Olympic and USC star, who competed in the famed 1936 Games, was a larger-than-life pillar captured in book and film, the latter the 2014 movie “Unbroken.”

“Louis was a bit of a misfit in his early days and his story is one of redemption and finding his purpose,” Hays said. “It started with track and of course he’s most known about his role in the war.”

“No other place in the world has more information and pieces of history tied to Louis than we do,” Hays says.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Zamperini was a U.S. Army Air Force bombardier in 1943 when his B-24 Liberator went down in the Pacific on May 27 with 10 additional crew members.

Zamperini floated on a life raft for 47 days, battling sharks and hunger before being picked up by a Japanese patrol boat.

He was tortured for two years before he was finally freed.

Hays showed off heirlooms, trophies and files donated by the Zamperini family, including more than 60 pounds of notes and awards, used in production of the movie.

“No other place in the world has more information and pieces of history tied to Louis than we do,” Hays said.

The ‘Ramen Capital of Southern California’

One of the more surprising details about Hays’ tour was the number of excursions the city offers.

You can take one of several self-guided tours of the city’s dozen or so microbreweries and craft beer tasting sites that highlight a burgeoning craft industry.

The most delectable tour, however, may be shown on the city’s Ramen Trail map, which declares Torrance the “Ramen Capital of Southern California.”

The town boasts a population of roughly 15,000 people of Japanese descent, so I’m sure they know something about good ramen.

As for locales, the film and television map tour denotes more than 200 locations where movies like “Scarface,” “Boogie Nights” and “Horrible Bosses” and television sitcoms like “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Barry” were filmed.

“We aren’t Hollywood, but we have many spots worth visiting,” Hays said. “All they’re all relatively close together.”

The Buffy home

One of her most popular excursions is the Fall Tour of Old Torrance, held annually in October.

Hays offers architectural and historic showings of Tudor, Mission and Spanish Colonial revival homes often butting up against each other. Most homes are over 100 years old.

“It’s a very eclectic tour that you don’t see every day in every town,” Hays said. “We’re not a cookie-cutter neighborhood.”

Yet, it’s the No. 4 spot on that tour, a 1914 Craftsman-style home at 1313 Cota Ave., that draws a pilgrimage year round.

The 2,296-square-foot home is forever known as “the Buffy home,” where the popular television show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was filmed.

The four bedroom, two bathroom home served as the home of main character Buffy Summers, played by actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.

“I’ve led private tours to the home, with sometimes as many as 80 people,” Hays said. “Fans come to the house, they cry, they take pictures, they hug the tree. They love it.”

Paradise cakes, ramen noodles, craft beer and Zamperini memorabilia. You don’t have to love Buffy to appreciate Torrance.

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A pedestrian braves the rain in Venice Beach.

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SHE was the blonde beauty that was catapulted into the spotlight after a starring role in this iconic 1989 movie.

The beloved Disney film was a box office success that would go on to span another two spin-offs, with fans lapping up the characters’ pint-sized adventures.

Now all grown up, aged 54, the star recently took to Instagram and wowed with with some fun swimsuit photos while celebrating the film decades later.

Amy O’Neill was just 19 when she played the role of Amy Szalinski in the hit film Honey, I Shrunk The Kids – but her new pics show she seemingly hasn’t aged at all.

Amy stepped out for the Disney+ ‘Dive in Theatre’ screening of the original movie in a blue and pink racer swimsuit, ready to soak up the attractions on offer.

The former child star looked incredibly youthful and svelte in her swimwear, which she complemented with a wide wicker hat and a patterned blue beach skirt.

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In her Instagram caption, shared alongside the pictures, Amy enthused that the experience “transported us back to a different time and size”.

In one photo Amy is seen posing with a giant spoon and some giant ‘cheerios’ in a swimming pool, in what was a cheeky nod to her shrunken sized character.

The star later lounged poolside with her fellow movie-goers to rewatch the beloved movie and was snapped standing next to an old-school film screening sign bearing “Honey I Shrunk the Kids 1989 Now Showing”.

Talking to ABC’s On the Red carpet, Amy said: “This whole thing, when I saw the concept and got the invite I thought it was super cool.

“It’s been 36 years since Honey, I Shrunk the Kids came out.

“It’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve done fan events and I’ve gotten the chance to reconnect with fans and see how vibrant the movie still is in their lives and how meaningful it is to so many people.

Amy was also joined by co-star Thomas Wilson Brown, 51, who played Little Russ in the film, the neighbour’s offspring.

On her Instagram post, fans flocked to the comments, with one asking, “How was it reuniting with Thomas?”

Replying to her follower, Amy explained, “Wonderful as always. He brought his grandson to the screening- so adorable!”

While another said, “Just amazing! A shame the other child actors are absent!”

Amy replied, “I wish they’d been there also- but I wish all of you had been there too!”

A third fan penned, “Wow, that Thomas guy grew up to be a hottie!!”

Another added, “Another of my favourite classic comedy of 80s, everything looks great.”

“Nice pictures Amy O’Neill and Thomas Wilson Brown and you’re looking well by being grown up,” said a fifth in the comments.

Someone concluded, “Very cool. Still one of the best movies of the 80s.”

The award-winning classic movie, starring Rick Moranis and Marcia Strassman, celebrated its 36th anniversary this year.

Amy played Moranis’ daughter in the movie, which produced two sequels, Honey, I Blew Up The Kid in 1992 and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in 1997.

The original followed the chaos that ensued when scientist Wayne Szalinksi (Moranis) accidentally minimised his children and the neighbour’s kids.

Ghostbusters star Moranis went on to star in Parenthood, The Flintstones and the two sequels to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

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As for O’Neill, she had TV roles in Murder, She Wrote and The Young and Restless before Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

She also appeared in the 1989 Christian Slater film Desperate for Love.