For more than a quarter-century, a lawsuit settlement from a case brought in Los Angeles federal court has dictated conditions for children held in immigration detention.

But now, the long-standing settlement — which set minimum standards for housing, education and medical care for migrant kids in federal custody, while strictly limiting how long they can remain there — hangs in the balance in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals after a challenge by the Trump administration.

At the same time, the federal judge in L.A. who presides over the agreement appears poised to appoint a powerful new enforcer to uphold it.

President Trump has long sought to scrap the Flores settlement, which dates back to the Clinton era. In recent months, the Trump administration has waged a legal battle to cancel the agreement, while also pleading with the district court not to order an independent monitor to boost its compliance.

“[Flores] is the only thing standing between them and indefinite detention of families,” said Leecia Welch, chief legal director at Children’s Rights, a plaintiff in the case.

Last month, Assistant Atty. Gen. Brett A. Shumate pressed the 9th Circuit court to give the administration “the thumbs-up or thumbs-down” on its bid to tear up the settlement and end what he called “judicial micromanagement” of federal immigration policy.

“The Flores consent decree is an agreement which goes well above the constitutional floor,” Shumate told the court during oral arguments in June. “We’re asking that [the Department of Homeland Security’s] compliance with the law be assessed based on the law, not a 30-year-old settlement agreement.”

The three-judge panel sharply questioned the Justice Department’s legal claims, saying little had changed since the government last petitioned the court to have the agreement dissolved in 2020 — a request that was rejected.

The judges also pressed Trump administration lawyers to respond to evidence from scores of declarations filed in district court since last summer, in which detainees describe struggling to sleep in freezing, brightly lit rooms, vomiting from eating spoiled food, and begging for diapers, baby formula and asthma inhalers.

“You’ve said a lot of the reason you’re doing this is to discourage families from coming in the first place, so you’re basically punishing children because their parents brought them here,” Judge Marsha S. Berzon said.

Berzon, a Clinton appointee who issued a fiery dissent last year in a case that challenged the administration’s use of armed troops in immigration enforcement operations, asked: “You’re saying there’s no constitutional problem there?”

“I understand the detention of children at the border is a controversial policy issue, but that’s a policy decision,” Shumate said.

Just a day earlier, Chief U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee scolded a pair of government attorneys from her bench in Los Angeles, signaling she would probably appoint a new special master to force compliance with the settlement agreement.

“We’re talking about 11 years of this,” Gee said during the June 1 status conference. “None of these issues are new to me. These are all issues on which I have issued orders. I am very displeased about the fact that my orders are being disregarded and are not being complied with, not in good faith.”

“Both sides seem to be operating in different planes of reality,” Gee said.

The disputed settlement emerged from a 1985 lawsuit over the fate of 15-year-old Jenny Flores, a Salvadoran refugee who was picked up by federal immigration enforcement and left to languish in detention in Pasadena. At the time, there was little awareness that children were among the tens of thousands of migrants fleeing civil war and state collapse in Central America — with virtually no U.S. government infrastructure to protect them.

“It was a surprise,” said Benjamin Roth, a professor at the University of South Carolina College of Social Work and an expert on the agreement. “There was no thought then that there were kids in this mix.”

The current court fight centers on an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, run by the private prison company CoreCivic, where the vast majority of children and families in immigration custody are held.

In court filings earlier this month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it has “maintained core Flores-related services” at Dilley and argued its length-of-stay numbers were skewed by a small number of families it was forced to keep because they are considered “national security risks.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection likewise boasted its July 1 report “shows our highest level of compliance to date.”

Immigrant rights advocates called those claims “a fiction.”

“We see the same sorts of problems and concerns and misery that we’ve been seeing for the last 15 months,” said Welch, the Children’s Rights attorney.

In dozens of declarations collected as part of the court record, detainees recounted broccoli full of worms, diapers doled out one at a time, and staff tearing up children’s drawings.

One mother said medical staff laughed off her 8-year-old’s broken arm. Another said she was denied treatment for hepatitis B, even after doctors told her she could develop liver cancer and pass the infection on to her unborn daughter.

Still others described unexplained rashes, outbreaks of diarrhea and infestations of lice, among a host of other maladies for which many said they were offered only Tylenol or allergy medication. Even Christmas brought misery in the form of an ICE agent dressed up as Santa, who shoved away children trying to hug him, according to the detainee declarations submitted to the court.

“What happened on Christmas Day can only be described as an atrocity,” one mother recalled. Children “dropped everything, ran up to him, begged for candy and wanted to take pictures. Some children even cried and begged him for their freedom. Santa himself acted very indifferent.”

The Department of Justice argued that immigrant kids could still sue over poor conditions if the Flores settlement is unwound. But experts say existing protections would collapse without the legal architecture of the consent decree to support them.

“[Under the settlement], the federal government has built out a very efficient system to provide temporary care for kids,” Roth said. “If Flores is dissolved, it’s not going to be easy to stand up this same set of programs.”

If the Trump administration loses before the 9th Circuit, the fight over Flores could soon escalate to the Supreme Court.

“I’d be shocked if the 9th Circuit rules for the government, and I’d be shocked if the Trump administration doesn’t appeal,” said Eric J. Segall, a law professor at Georgia State University and an expert on the high court.

But consent decrees are legally and politically complicated, and the treatment of migrant children further tangles the situation. Given the legal and political complexity, the Supreme Court could rule to keep the settlement in place, or decline to take the case at all, experts said.

“It’s more likely than not the court would stay away from this,” Segall said.

For now, both the district judge and the 9th Circuit panel appear fed up.

“I think my patience has come to an end,” Gee said during the recent hearing in her Los Angeles courtroom.

Aaron Donald did not attend a Rams fan event Thursday night, but the crowd at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood featured many people wearing No. 99 jerseys. One waved a large printed cutout of the three-time NFL defensive player of the year’s face.

The Rams are waiting for Donald to decide whether he will come out of a two-year retirement and join a star-studded Rams team that is favored to win the Super Bowl, which will be played in February at SoFi Stadium.

“I think it’s real clear where we can start the GoFundMe to bring Aaron back,” team president Kevin Demoff joked to a raucous crowd that was cheering ‘AD, AD, AD.”

The Rams open training camp Saturday at Loyola Marymount. Donald, 35, helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium to cap the 2021 season. He has indicated that he is considering a return to a defense that features end Myles Garrett, the reigning defensive player of the year, and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.

“We don’t have a ring, or a Lombardi Trophy or a banner if it’s not for Aaron Donald,” Demoff told the crowd, adding that if Donald wants to return, “We will wait with open arms.”

Tony Pastoors, the Rams chief operating officer, said the Rams want Donald to go “through his process” before making a decision.

“Whenever he’s ready, we’ll be ready,” Pastoors told the crowd. “And, ultimately, I would rather have Aaron Donald when we’re playing actual football games than in July.

“So, we’ll all be patient, and if it happens, we’ll be ready.”

Demoff echoed Pastoors.

“The last 10 years don’t happen without Aaron Donald, and if he wants to come help kick off the next 10 years, by all means we’re ready.”

July 24 (UPI) — Authorities in France’s southwestern Gironde region ordered tens of thousands of people to evacuate from the popular Cap Ferret peninsula vacation spot Friday in the face of an “XXL” wildfire threatening to cut off the promontory. As many as 2,000 escaped by boat.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 40,000 residents and tourists had been evacuated or were currently being moved from the cape, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Arcachon Bay to the east.

The fire has burned through at least 25,000 hectares after breaking out Wednesday in Saumos, a small town about 25 miles away to the northeast.

Authorities began evacuating of the town of Ares, south of Lege-Cap-Ferret on the Bay of Arcachon side of the peninsula after the fire picked up pace and intensity overnight, said fire and rescue chief Marc Vermeulen.

A local council member said 2,000 people had already made the 7.5-mile boat crossing to Arcachon on the southern side of the bay.

More than 800 firefighters from across France were battling the flames in an operation run out of a command center set up in a stadium in Le Porge, six miles northeast of Lege-Cap-Ferret.

Gironda Prefect Sophie Brocas said 53 homes and a campsite had been razed but that firefighters had managed to save 2,000 houses.

More than 23,000 people were also evacuated from homes, campsites, a nursing home and a summer camp due to another wildfire around Biscarrosse, about 15 miles south of Arcachon in the Landes department.

Landes prefect Gilles Clavreul said the fire was being fueled by a combination of winds of more than 30 mph and searing temperatures in the high 30s degrees Celsius.

Calling the situation very serious, President Emmanuel Macron said France had requested the European Union’s civil protection mechanism be activated, which would allow the deployment of firefighting aircraft from other members of the bloc.

“We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” he wrote in a post on X late Thursday night.

In Spain, authorities declared a national emergency Friday as they continued to battle three major wildfires west of Madrid in the areas of Villa del Prado and San Martín de Valdeiglesias, as well as Burgohondo in Avila province

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Friday that many communities across Spain and beyond were being impacted by fires “ravaging thousands of hectares.”

“The government has deployed all available resources to halt the terrible fires that are currently affecting numerous areas: Avila, Leon, Toledo, Madrid, and other parts of Spain. We are living through a dramatic situation, not only in various Spanish provinces but also in regions of neighboring countries. Forest fires are ravaging thousands of hectares and affecting numerous communities,” he wrote on X.

“The government will stand by your side during the emergency and in the recovery,” added Sanchez.

Japan has identified a high concentration of valuable heavy rare earth elements in deep sea mud recovered from waters near the remote Pacific island of Minamitori, marking another step in its efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese critical mineral supplies.

The Japanese government said on Friday that analysis of rare earth rich mud collected earlier this year showed medium and heavy rare earth elements accounted for about 54% of the total rare earth content. However, officials did not disclose the overall size of the deposits, saying the limited scope and duration of sampling meant the available data was insufficient to estimate total reserves.

The samples were collected during a month long expedition in February by Japan’s scientific drilling vessel Chikyu near Minamitori Island, approximately 1,900 kilometres southeast of Tokyo. The mission marked the world’s first successful continuous recovery of rare earth bearing seabed mud from depths of around six kilometres beneath the ocean surface.

Strategic Push for Mineral Security

The project forms part of Japan’s broader strategy to strengthen supply chain security for critical minerals following tighter Chinese export restrictions on heavy rare earth elements and magnets, which are widely used in defence systems, electric vehicles, semiconductors and other advanced technologies.

Researchers recovered approximately 50 metric tons of seabed mud during the expedition.

Analysis identified several strategically important rare earth elements, including yttrium, used in aerospace, semiconductor and energy technologies; gadolinium, widely used in medical imaging and other high technology applications; and dysprosium, a key component in high performance permanent magnets used in electric vehicle motors.

Commercial Mining Trial Planned

Japan plans to conduct a month long large scale mining trial in the same waters beginning in February 2027.

The trial aims to recover approximately 350 tons of seabed mud each day. The material will first be dewatered on Minamitori Island before being transported to mainland Japan for separation, refining and smelting tests.

The project will evaluate whether domestic deep sea rare earth production can become commercially viable. A comprehensive assessment of industrial scale production is expected by March 2028, according to Kazushige Kikuchi, project manager at the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology, which operates the Chikyu research vessel.

China Remains Dominant Supplier

Japan’s exploration efforts come amid growing concern over China’s control of global rare earth supplies.

Beijing introduced export controls on several heavy rare earth elements and related magnets in April 2025 and later tightened restrictions on exports to Japan in January, followed by two additional rounds of measures the following month targeting major Japanese companies.

Rare earth elements are essential components in advanced manufacturing, including electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, military equipment, consumer electronics and semiconductor production.

Analysis

Japan’s latest findings highlight the growing strategic importance of securing independent supplies of critical minerals as geopolitical competition increasingly shapes global supply chains. Although the newly analysed deposits have yet to be proven commercially viable, the discovery strengthens Japan’s long term effort to reduce reliance on Chinese exports. If future mining trials demonstrate economic feasibility, deep sea resources could become an important pillar of Japan’s critical minerals strategy while encouraging other resource poor countries to accelerate investment in seabed mining technologies despite ongoing environmental concerns.

With information from Reuters.

BUSTED’S James Bourne has revealed he’s still ‘not out of the woods’ in a rare health update amid a mystery illness.

The star was forced to withdraw from the McFly Vs Busted tour in September last year due to his health.

In April, he revealed he was having surgery to “extend his life” in a worrying health update, and now he’s issued another one.

In a new post on X, James wrote: “As I’m taking a break from the gram, I’ll be posting an update soon about what’s going on with my health in my Spotify bio.

“It’s a long story. Still not out of the woods yet. Thanks for your support and patience.”

The update comes a month after James, 42, gave his only interview to The Sun to talk about a new project he was determined to finish despite his on-going health battle.

Read More on James Bourne

BOURNE AGAIN

James Bourne opens up after mystery illness forced him to quit Busted tour

STAR REBOURNE

James Bourne reveals new album & musical after quitting band tour

On July 1 he released new album Murder At The Gates, which he created for a brand new musical with legendary American playwright Steven Sater.

He said: “I didn’t want my health to stop me from promoting this project because I’ve put 13 years of my life into it.

“There was a fear of not finishing it. But I knew I had to finish it and give this to the people.

“There’s like a few people that have been waiting for it. There are hardcore fans who show to up for everything – and I have been speaking about this for a long time.

“It feels so good to now have this as a finished product. And it’s the first album I’ve ever produced. So I’m proud of it.”

Published on
24/07/2026 – 15:03 GMT+2

The European Commission said on Friday it would engage with the US to de-escalate tensions after the EU executive fined Google on Thursday over its dominance in the EU’s digital market, sparking an angry reaction from Washington.

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US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the EU’s fine jeopardised dialogue between the two sides of the Atlantic on digital regulation, as well as the trade deal that the US and EU struck last year after tough negotiations.

The Trump administration has persistently railed against the EU’s digital rules, accusing Brussels of imposing non-tariff barriers on US companies and disproportionately targeting American Big Tech.

However, the Commission’s chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho, said on Friday that the US had left the door open for talks.

“There’s a call for dialogue which we fully embrace,” she said, adding that Brussels would engage while making sure to preserve the EU’s regulatory “autonomy”.

‘The EU undermines dialogue’

Earlier this week, 25 US lawmakers wrote to US President Donald Trump calling for a US investigation into EU trade practices in advance of the anticipated fine against Google.

The fine was duly announced on Thursday, penalising the tech giant to the tune of €890 million under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which Washington has relentlessly criticised over the past year, along with the Digital Services Act – an EU regulation targeting illegal content on large online platforms.

“We are trying to resolve our concerns with the EU’s Digital Markets Act and other actions through responsible, constructive dialogue,” Greer said in a statement after the fine was announced. “The EU’s recent actions undermine these efforts and pose a real risk to the continuation of transatlantic stability with respect to trade,” he added.

German Socialist MEP Bernd Lange, the European Parliament’s trade chief, told Euronews that he feared further escalation in transatlantic relations and expected additional action from the US.

The EU lawmaker was at the forefront of the negotiations to implement the EU-US agreement struck in July 2025 by Trump and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after weeks of trade disputes. Yet despite the deal, EU officials still consider transatlantic relations volatile.

On Thursday, the White House announced a new tariff regime targeting its trading partners, including the EU, over forced labour allegations. While insisting it has stringent rules to combat products made with forced labour, Brussels chose not to retaliate, arguing that the new tariffs respected the 15 percent cap on EU goods set out in the trade deal.

This is one pic Telesur picked to try to make Delcy look competent. Draw your own conclusions.

On July 7th, Delcy Rodríguez presented her “Venezuela Reborn” (Venezuela Renace) plan to recover all buildings and areas hit by the earthquakes. The promise is not only rebuilding infrastructure but also offering economic assistance to those affected thanks to funds from the IMF and other multilateral organizations.

This happened just a week after her press conference on July 2nd, in which she faced multiple questions from foreign reporters about the government’s late and disorganized response to the disaster in La Guaira. Rodríguez denied those claims, blaming disinformation from “media labs” while defending the military.

The “media labs” argument was immediately taken up by State outlets and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on his weekly TV show Con El Mazo Dando, in which he insulted international correspondents who covered the disaster.

The saying “old habits die hard” can be applied here: the Rodrigato has been unable to avoid and hide the public backlash over its management of the earthquakes’ aftermath, which has been front and center of the reporting made by mainstream international media, like when a crew of Norway’s TV2 recorded La Guaira resident Damely Díaz, who lost both her daughter and her home, openly berating Nicolas Maduro Guerra.

Now, the regime is once again blaming the messenger, taking advantage of the actual problem of disinformation on social media to point at “political interests that want to take advantage of the humanitarian tragedy.” 

This comes as the official attempt to establish the narrative that Delcy Rodríguez is in full control has been undermined by self-imposed limitations. TalCual editor Víctor Amaya offered a glimpse: “Outside of fleeting visits to collapsed areas, (Delcy) Rodríguez has appeared almost always indoors, meeting rescue workers who she interrupts in their labor to thank them in from of the camera, decorating government officers, greeting Hernán Gil (a security guard rescued after eight days trapped in Catia La Mar) and more recently, in visits to stokepile centers and shelters. His brother Jorge became the de facto spokesperson for official figures of dead and wounded.”

The Great Mission Venezuela Renace actually merged three existing infrastructure-related government programs: Barrio Nuevo Barrio Tricolor, Juntos Todo es Posible and Venezuela Bella. It also shares its name with an online initiative launched back in May to register young Venezuelans with diverse skills to return and help out. The difference is that the word order changes.

Venezuela Renace doubles down on the “stateswoman” role Delcy tried to carve for herself in her public showings while adapting it to the current circumstances. 

It can be said to some extent that Venezuela Renace works as a reboot of the government’s communicational strategy, even if that’s not its main purpose. And taking in consideration what’s been seen so far, it couldn’t be more different from the previous one: Venezuela Vuela Libre.

While Venezuela Vuela Libre was like a trial balloon of what Delcy’s election campaign could look like in a hypothetical snap presidential election, Venezuela Renace doubles down on the “stateswoman” role that she has tried to carve for herself in her public showings while adapting it to the current circumstances. 

Unlike in Venezuela Vuela Libre, where Delcy’s image was absent, she’s front and center in Venezuela Renace, supervising works or in official meetings. Even their visuals differ drastically: Venezuela Vuela Libre’s iconography was mostly related to peace and faith, while its main logo showed color (with blue, not red, dominating the palette). 

Venezuela Renace is clearer on its communication goals than whatever Venezuela Vuela Libre was trying to achieve (before it was minimized and later unceremoniously dropped after June 24 for quite obvious reasons). But which audience is it going to appeal to? The Venezuelan people? International media? Maybe it targets the biggest supporter of the Rodrigato since January 3 and one of the most (if not the biggest) sources of assistance after the quakes: the Trump administration. No wonder, in their “media labs” response, State propaganda avoided mentioning Trump or the US, instead blaming María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia.

Most probably, Delcy Rodríguez only interested in convincing the Americans that her government is doing things right.

Dodgers visit the White House

From Maddie Lee: The sun beat down on the assembled Dodgers players, coaches and staff members as they waited in silence for the real emcee of the event, President Trump, to emerge from the building behind them.

In front stood rows of chairs — with four-inch yellow cushions on them, as Trump made sure to point out in his closing remarks — and onlookers who had donned blue Dodgers snapbacks.

In fact, the new-look Rose Garden, slabs of white stone replacing grass, became a character of its own, the focal point for the first two minutes of Trump’s speech recognizing the 2025 World Series champions.

“It was always wet,” Trump said after making his grand entrance more than 10 minutes after the Dodgers had taken their place in front of the crowd. “You know, the White House is built on a wetland. … And I decided to do something about it. And this has become an incredible place for dining and for news conferences and for events like this.”

This event was the Dodgers’ second White House visit in as many years, in a new venue. It provided new material, and some active participants, for the Trump show Thursday afternoon.

As he retold the winding story of the Dodgers’ World Series for almost 20 minutes, Trump played to not only the audience, but the players behind him, shaking their hands when they came up in his speech, and the two men flanking him, Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and manager Dave Roberts.

“This was truly a great World Series, right?” Trump said, turning to his right.

“Maybe the best in history,” Roberts said.

Continue reading here

USC sued by sports donor

From Ryan Kartje: The L.A. billboard magnate whose name hung over the entrance to USC’s practice football field for a quarter century is suing the school for building a new, $200-million facility on top of it.

Brian Kennedy, a former donor whose company Regency Outdoor Advertising owns billboards all over Los Angeles, claims in the lawsuit that USC breached its contract by demolishing the practice field to build the Bloom Football Performance Center, which is set to open early next month. The arrival of the state-of-the-art facility and erasure of a field that featured the name of Kennedy, according to a complaint obtained by The Times, has caused him “reputational harm,” “embarrassment” and “humiliation.”

“For more than two decades,” the complaint states, “the Field stood as a visible acknowledgment of [Kennedy’s] extraordinary contributions to [USC] and the lasting relationship between [Kennedy] and the University.”

Kennedy was one of USC’s most visible and vocal boosters during its glory years under football coach Pete Carroll. In recent years, Kennedy had also used his billboards to demand the return of former USC running back Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy.

Continue reading here

Super Bowl or bust for Rams?

From Gary Klein: The Rams, as is seemingly their custom with a Super Bowl scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium, made blockbuster trades to improve an already star-studded roster.

Players will report to training camp Saturday at Loyola Marymount as favorites to win Super Bowl LXI in their home stadium in February.

And that does not factor in eight-time All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald’s possible return from retirement.

Much, however, can go awry on the way to the NFL’s biggest showcase.

Injuries, subpar performances by Rams players and coaches, and outstanding clutch play by opponents — see the 2025 Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks — could derail the Rams’ presumptive date with destiny.

On Sunday, they will hold the first of 11 training-camp practices before preseason games against the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and the Chargers.

Here are six things to watch in training camp:

Continue reading here

Rams honor their history with new ‘Classic Sol’ and ‘Fearsome White’ uniforms

Puka Nacua’s attorney questions authenticity of bite marks in photo produced by accuser

Can the Chargers finally have a postseason breakthrough?

From Sam Farmer: A year after racking up more miles than any team in the NFL, the Chargers are homebodies.

For the first time in their 10 seasons in Los Angeles, they will open with back-to-back games on their home field — against Arizona and Las Vegas.

What’s more, one of their away games will be at SoFi Stadium, against the host Rams on Nov. 1.

Who knows if less time in an airplane will make a difference, but a franchise that hasn’t won a postseason game since the 2018 season will look for anything to change that trajectory.

It’s worth noting that Jim Harbaugh got his team to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, and he has a history of turning around franchises in college football and the pros.

And, as they’ll show in training camp, the 2026 Chargers have made some significant changes.

Here are five things to watch in training camp:

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1908 — John Hayes wins the Olympic marathon in a record of 2 hours, 55 minutes, 18.4 seconds. Italian Dorando Pietri is the first athlete to enter the stadium, but collapses several times before being disqualified when officials help him across the line.

1931 — Paavo Nurmi sets the world record at 2 miles in a meet at Helsinki, Finland, with a time of 8:59.6.

1960 — Jay Hebert beats Jim Ferrier by one stroke to win the PGA golf tournament.

1967 — Don January wins a playoff by two strokes over Don Massengale to win the PGA championship.

1970 — The International Lawn Tennis Assn. institutes the nine-point tiebreaker rule.

1976 — John Naber of the United States becomes the first swimmer to break the 2-minute barrier in the 200-meter backstroke at the Olympics in Montreal.

1976 — Mac Wilkins of the United States sets an Olympic record in the discus with a toss of 224 feet in Montreal.

1977 — Hollis Stacy wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship by two strokes over Nancy Lopez.

1998 — Tour de France riders, angered by the drug scandal that has dominated the event, protest by delaying the start of racing for two hours. Armin Meier, a member of the Festina team who was kicked off the tour the previous week, admits to a French radio station that he used a banned drug.

2005 — Lance Armstrong wins his seventh consecutive Tour de France. All of the titles are stripped in 2012 for doping.

2008 — Nancy Lieberman makes a one-game appearance for the Detroit Shock after the 50-year-old Hall-of-Famer signed a seven-day contract earlier in the day. Lieberman, finishes with two assists and two turnovers, surpassing her own record as the oldest player in WNBA history. Lieberman held the record playing at age 39 in 1997 while playing for the Phoenix Mercury.

2009 — Ron Hornaday Jr. holds off a late challenge from Mike Skinner to win the AAA Insurance 200, making him the first driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to win four consecutive races.

2010 — Fourteen-year-old Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., beats Justin Thomas of Goshen, Ky., 4 and 2 to become the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion. Liu, who turns 15 next month, is more than six months younger than Tiger Woods when he won the first of his three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles in 1991.

2011 — Cadel Evans wins the Tour de France, becoming the first Australian champion in cycling’s greatest race.

2014 — Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice receives a two-game suspension from the NFL after his offseason arrest for domestic violence. The six-year veteran was arrested after a Feb. 15 altercation in Atlantic City, N.J., with then-fiancee Janay Palmer.

2016 — Chris Froome celebrates his third Tour de France title in four years. The British rider finishes safely at the back of the main pack during the final stage, arm-in-arm with his teammates during the mostly ceremonial final stage ending on the Champs-Elysees. Froome, who also won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, becomes the first rider to defend the title since Miguel Indurain won the last of his five straight in 1995. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven consecutive titles for doping.

2019 — 19-year-old Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak breaks Michael Phelps’ 10-year-old 200m butterfly record in a time of 1:50.73, 0.78s faster than Phelps.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1909 — Nap Rucker of the Brooklyn Dodgers struck out 16 batters in a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1931 — In an 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh, Babe Herman of Brooklyn hit for the cycle for the second time in the season.

1947 — Jackie Robinson stole home for the first time in his major league career in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 4-2 win over Pittsburgh.

1948 — Chicago White Sox outfielder Pat Seerey become the first major leaguer to strike out seven times in a doubleheader.

1949 — Cleveland pitcher Bob Lemon hit two home runs to lead the Indians to a 7-5 victory over the Washington Senators in the opener of a doubleheader.

1968 — Hoyt Wilhelm of the Chicago White Sox passed Cy Young’s major league record when he made his 907th appearance. He retired with 1,070 appearances.

1973 — Bobby Bonds homered and doubled to lead the NL to a 7-1 rout of the AL in the All-Star game at Kansas City.

1983 — The “Pine Tar” home run was hit by the Kansas City Royals’ George Brett off New York pitcher Rich Gossage at Yankee Stadium. Brett’s shot came with two outs in the top of the ninth to give the Royals a 5-4 lead. Brett’s homer was ruled an out because the amount of pine tar exceeded what was allowed. After a protest by the Royals, the final out and the Yankees’ half of the ninth was completed on Aug. 18.

1993 — Anthony Young of the New York Mets extended his record losing streak to 27 games when he walked in the winning run in the 10th inning for a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

1999 — In their biggest victory in 46 years, the New York Yankees routed the Cleveland Indians 21-1 as Chili Davis went 5-for-6 with six RBIs.

2010 — Tampa Bay won in Cleveland for the first time in nearly five years. The Rays ended an 18-game losing streak with a 6-3 win against the Indians. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon snapped an 0-21 personal losing streak as the visiting manager that began when he was the Angels interim manager in 1996.

2016 — Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza are inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. Griffey obtained the highest percentage of the vote ever — 99.3% — in being elected in his first year of eligibility by the BBWAA, while Piazza made it on his fourth try. A crowd estimated at 50,000, the second-largest ever at Cooperstown, is on hand to witness the event.

2022 — The induction ceremony is held for the Class of 2022 at the Hall of Fame. Three of the seven men inducted — David Ortiz, Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva — are present to receive the honor. The others, all deceased, are represented by relatives — Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso and Buck O’Neil — while Dave Winfield introduces 19th century black baseball pioneer Bud Fowler. Over 35,000 are present in Cooperstown, NY to witness the ceremony, and Dominican flags and Boston Red Sox gear, in honor of Ortiz, are well in evidence in the crowd.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

July 24 (UPI) — Russian online retail giant Wildberries came under attack overnight by Ukrainian forces for the fifth time in six days after drone strikes on logistics facilities of the firm in and around St. Petersburg.

Wildberries warehouses at Utkina Zavod logistics park in Vsevolozhsk District, just beyond the St. Petersburg city limits, and Shushary, 9 miles south of downtown, were set ablaze after being hit, together with other “civilian infrastructure” along the main highway linking the city with Moscow.

Major fires were reported at both Wildberries facilities.

Leningrad provincial head, Gov. Alexander Drozdenko, said three people were hospitalized after being injured but provided no further details.

Wildberries said employees at both sites were evacuated safely and that preliminary information indicated no one had been hurt. The firm said it had suspended operations at the distribution centers.

A Wildberries logistics hub in Tver, 100 miles northwest of Moscow, was also hit and a sorting center in Simferopol in occupied Crimea was evacuated.

Footage circulating online of the Wildberries facility in Simferopol showed the moment of impact and a large fire erupting.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the strikes were part of a major airborne assault by Ukraine involving many hundreds of drones that targeted 14 other regions, as well as Crimea and the Black and Asov seas.

The ministry said air defenses downed or otherwise intercepted 571 of the drones. It said the attack was one of the largest this year.

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly struck Wildberries logistics hubs across western and southern Russia over recent days, beginning with deadly strikes on warehouse complexes in the Tambov and Moscow regions on Saturday that killed eight employees and injured more than 60.

Kyiv alleges the company forms part of the Russian military’s supply chain, providing it with dual-use products such as two-way radios, body armor and components for drones.

Zambians will vote on August 13 in presidential and parliamentary elections, with polls and investors widely expecting President Hakainde Hichilema to defeat a fragmented opposition led by Brian Mundubile.

For investors, however, the central question extends beyond the election outcome. The focus is on whether a second Hichilema administration can transform Zambia’s post-default economic stabilisation into stronger, broad-based growth while maintaining fiscal discipline.

IMF Programme Seen as Key Test

One of the first issues investors will monitor is whether Zambia secures a new programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after its previous $1.7 billion arrangement ended in January.

The earlier programme helped underpin Zambia’s sovereign debt restructuring after the country became Africa’s first pandemic-era sovereign default. Markets now view a successor agreement as an important indicator of policy continuity.

Investors will closely watch how quickly negotiations conclude and whether any new programme shifts its focus from crisis management toward promoting long-term economic growth while preserving fiscal discipline.

Copper Industry Remains the Economic Backbone

Copper continues to dominate Zambia’s economy, accounting for about 70% of export earnings while serving as a major source of government revenue, foreign investment and employment.

Investors are watching whether planned investments can translate into higher production. Major projects include Vedanta’s return, continued expansion by Barrick Gold, and First Quantum Minerals’ ongoing investments.

The government has maintained that mining tax rates will remain unchanged, providing policy stability. However, investors are paying close attention to a proposed local-content law that would require mining companies to increase domestic procurement to around 40% over the next three to four years from roughly 20% today.

Mining companies have warned that many local suppliers currently lack sufficient financing and technical capacity, potentially creating supply chain challenges during a period of major expansion.

Growth Reforms Still Needed

Despite recent macroeconomic improvements, investors argue that broader structural reforms remain necessary.

Among the priorities are increasing exploration spending to discover new mines, improving tax collection efficiency, and reforming Zambia’s grain market to reduce the government’s role in purchasing maize harvests.

A record maize crop is expected this year, but analysts warn that government purchases of surplus grain could increase fiscal pressure, particularly alongside election-related spending.

Some forecasts suggest Zambia’s fiscal deficit could exceed official government targets if these pressures continue.

Reliable Power Critical for Mining Expansion

Electricity supply has become another major concern following drought-induced power shortages that exposed Zambia’s heavy dependence on hydropower.

Although investment in solar energy is increasing, investors say expanding copper production will depend on creating a more reliable and diversified electricity system capable of supporting future mining operations.

Election and Climate Risks

While most observers expect a relatively orderly election, monitoring groups have highlighted concerns including alleged voter card confiscation, vote buying and the possibility of localized unrest if results are disputed.

Weather also remains a significant economic risk. Zambia remains highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture and hydropower, leaving the economy vulnerable to future droughts similar to the severe 2023–24 El Niño event that caused widespread crop failures and electricity shortages.

Analysis

The election itself is unlikely to unsettle investors if Hichilema secures the expected victory. Instead, markets will judge whether his government can move beyond economic stabilization toward sustained, private sector-led growth. A new IMF programme, continued mining investment, reforms to agriculture and tax collection, and a more resilient energy sector will be the key indicators of success. While Zambia has made notable progress since its debt default, structural challenges and climate risks continue to test the country’s long-term economic outlook.

With information from Reuters.

DENISE Welch shares unseen pics of son Matty Healy’s wedding as she parties with Coronation Street star and Charli XCX

1975 singer Matty, 37, and musician Gabbriette Bechtel, 28, tied the knot at Castillo del Lago in Los Angeles on Saturday July 18 2026.

The loved-up couple said ‘I do’ in front of a string of celebrity pals including Charli XCX, Nick Grimshaw and Matty’s The 1975 bandmates – as well as his iconic Loose Women panellist mother Denise.

Denise has since taken to Instagram to give fans a sneak peek of her son’s incredible day on Instagram – and the celebrations that took place looked out of this world.

The soap star was all smiles as she smiled at poolside with Corrie star Sally Dynevor, 63, who she met while on set of the ITV soap in the 90s.

She also posed for a selfie with celebrity stylist Ryan Kay and radio presenter Nick, 41.

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Her husband Lincoln Townley, 53, who she married in 2013, looked dapper standing next to Denise, who was in a stunning black dress.

The proud mum had a huge smile on her face as she took a snap with her son Matty and her new daughter-in-law.

Denise captioned the post: “To see my eldest son marry the most beautiful, funny, crazy girl under the Hollywood sign was a night I’ll never forget.

“They are made for each other.

“I kept looking around and couldn’t believe so many of our friends and family were all together in Los Angeles celebrating this most magical, beautiful few days watching the love between Matthew and @gabbriette.

“We love our daughter in law and our new family @chayobechtel @gary.bechtel and @marsalsa_.

“I’ll need to do a million reels to capture the fun we all had.”

Many rushed to the comments section to share kind words of Matty and Gabbriette’s big day.

Ruth Langsford wrote: “Now that looked like a LOT of fun!! Your boy is MARRIED!!”

Andrea McClean added: “What wonderful photos Denz, what a time! What memories!”

Alan Carr simply added some clapping emojis.

Mayor Karen Bass’ press relations office communicates through WhatsApp messages that auto-delete every 24 hours, potentially shielding the messages from public records requests, according to three sources familiar with the office.

The press office is under scrutiny over its use of an unpaid consultant as a spokesperson for the first half of the year. Just weeks after the consultant, Yusef Robb, ceased working as a spokesperson for the city, he took a job doing crisis communications for Lineage, whose cold food storage facility in Boyle Heights caught fire last month, spreading smoke and foul odors. Robb continued to work for Bass as an informal advisor until The Times and other outlets reported his dual roles.

Even though he was no longer a spokesperson, Robb remained in several WhatsApp group channels with mayoral press staffers, all set to auto-delete, until at least a week after he started working for Lineage, said two sources, who requested anonymity for fear of professional repercussions. L.A. Material first reported Robb’s presence in the channels.

The Times has filed a public records request for all messages that Robb received or sent to the mayor or her press office between June 1 and July 10, including WhatsApp messages. The city administrative code requires records to be retained for at least two years.

The Bass administration declined to comment on the press office’s use of disappearing messages on WhatsApp.

Bass herself has also communicated through disappearing messages.

In response to a public records request from The Times for Bass’ texts in the aftermath of the January 2025 Palisades fire, her office initially declined to turn over any messages. City lawyer David Michaelson told The Times that “texts are ephemeral types of electronic communication” that aren’t subject to the city record retention requirement.

He also said Bass’ phone was “set not to save text messages.”

The city ultimately recovered more than 100 messages to and from Bass during that period and released them to The Times.

The Times still sued the city, alleging that it unlawfully withheld and deleted the mayor’s text messages and other public records from the catastrophic wildfire.

“Their contention is they don’t have to retain them, and our contention is they do,” said Kelly Aviles, outside counsel for The Times in the lawsuit, in an interview Thursday.

In a court filing, attorneys representing the city argued that keeping work-related messages for up to two years was “absurdly impractical.”

“The Times’ proposed rule requires a degree of intrusion into City employees’ personal sphere that is, at the very least, offensive if not violative of California and federal constitutional rights,” wrote Reuben Camper Cahn, an attorney for the city.

In the past, some city employees communicated with each other each other through Google Chat messages that auto-deleted after a day.

In January 2025, the city stopped that practice and required that Google Chats be saved “indefinitely.”

Retention of messages has also been an issue in the federal government, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio setting some of his Signal chats to auto-delete.

Paralympic medallist Daphne Schrager insists she has “never cheated” after being given a two-year ban following an “unintentional” positive test for a banned substance.

Schrager, who won a silver medal at Paris 2024, tested positive for the banned substance Ligandrol, which selectively builds muscle and bone mass.

However, the ban has been backdated to start when she was initially suspended on 2 June 2025.

It will end on 1 June 2027, meaning Schrager could still compete at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. However, she has been left out of the England squad for the Commonwealth Games, currently taking place in Glasgow.

The substance was found after the 25-year-old completed an out-of-competition test last year.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said Schrager argued that she had been exposed to environmental contamination with two possible scenarios.

She said she may have been contaminated at a gym that she had attended to receive a massage, or at a shared home address.

However, a UKAD tribunal found that while Schrager had not intentionally used a banned substance, she had not proved that it was an inadvertent environmental contamination.

In a lengthy statement on Instagram, external, Schrager said she had paid for hair and nail analysis as part of her attempts to prove her innocence – but because the exact source of contamination could not be proven, she had been banned.

“In June last year, I received news that turned my world upside down,” she said. “I had tested positive in an anti-doping test for a trace amount of Ligandrol, detected at 0.0006ng, resulting in my suspension from cycling since that time.

“I want to be very clear: I have never cheated, nor have I ever knowingly taken any banned substance. Facing the possibility of a four-year ban unless I could prove that the result was unintentional has been incredibly distressing.”

Schrager said the panel had confirmed she did not intentionally use or ingest Ligandrol, and she had proved that inadvertent environmental contamination from a minute trace of Ligandrol was to blame for the positive test.

She said the trace of Ligandrol would have provided her with no performance advantage. As a result, none of her results have been disqualified.

“In cases like mine, by the time an athlete is informed of their positive test, too much time has passed to identify the exact source of contamination with the certainty that the rules demand,” Schrager added. “That is not a failure of honesty or effort, it is simply too much of a burden to be met in every case.”

“This is one of the most difficult periods of my life. Losing my contract, my team and the structure that had long shaped my purpose and identity left me facing a level of uncertainty I had never known.”

Schrager, who has cerebral palsy, said the impact on her mental health has been “significant and at times overwhelming” – but vowed she would return to action in 2027.

She won Team GB’s first medal of the 2024 Paralympics with silver in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit.

She went on to win two gold medals at the Para-cycling Road World Cup in May 2025 in the C2 class – before being suspended a month later.

The ‘Farmgate’ scandal nearly cost President Cyril Ramaphosa the leadership of his African National Congress in 2022.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has won a court challenge temporarily halting a parliamentary impeachment process over misconduct allegations linked to the “Farmgate” scandal.

The Western Cape High Court granted Ramaphosa an “interim interdict” that temporarily prevents the impeachment committee from proceeding with public hearings while the president challenges the legality of a 2022 report that found he “may have committed” serious violations and misconduct.

“Pending the determination by this court of the applicant’s review … respondents are interdicted from proceeding with a public impeachment hearing,” Judge Andre le Grange announced on Friday.

“Farmgate”, a scandal involving half a million dollars stashed in a sofa at Ramaphosa’s ranch, nearly cost the president the leadership of his African National Congress (ANC) in late 2022. Meanwhile, allegations of corruption within the party contributed to the ANC losing its majority in an election in May 2024, the most closely contested vote in South Africa‘s democracy.

Ramaphosa has always denied any wrongdoing and ruled out resigning over the incident since the allegedly undeclared stash of foreign currency came to light after it was reported stolen in 2020.

The president said the $580,000 that was hidden at his luxury Phala Phala farmhouse in the northern Limpopo province was proceeds from the sale of buffaloes. But the episode has been a major embarrassment, raising questions about why he had so much money stuffed in furniture.

Friday’s ruling is a boost for Ramaphosa as he also awaits the outcome of a separate court case challenging an independent panel’s findings that he may have a case to answer over the scandal.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president respects the ruling.

“[He] reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution,” Magwenya said in a statement. “The president will continue to cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability.”

Political analysts expect Ramaphosa to remain in power, even if the impeachment process does get off the ground and ultimately leads to a vote on whether he should be removed from office.

Ramaphosa still enjoys the backing of his ANC party, the country’s biggest, which leads a coalition government. The ANC holds about 40 percent of seats in the National Assembly. It is not clear how all the ANC’s coalition partners would vote in the impeachment process.

Chadwick Boseman’s brothers are taking the late US actor’s widow to court over her handling of his multimillion-dollar estate.

Derrick Boseman and Kevin Boseman have filed a petition with a Los Angeles court to force the Black Panther star’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, to distribute money to family members, and to have her removed as controller of his estate.

They claim she has mishandled distribution of the funds and “cannot be trusted with the continued administration of the estate”.

Boseman died at the age of 43 in 2020, four years after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He is best remembered for playing the lead role of T’Challa, king of Wakanda, in Oscar-winning 2018 Marvel blockbuster Black Panther.

According to court documents seen by BBC News, Boseman had assets worth $3.8m (£2.9m) but died without a will.

A court decided that 50% should go to Boseman’s widow, who was also appointed the estate’s administrator, with 25% to each of his parents.

The actor’s brothers filed the court petition last week on behalf of their parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman.

The petition said Ledward “has still not distributed the estate” and “continues to exert unilateral control” over it.

Ledward is also accused of creating a “lack of transparency” around his assets, and of keeping the actor’s parents “in the dark” about the deals and operations of a company that was set up to manage his image and rights.

The brothers claim Ledward’s “misconduct is causing ongoing harm” to Boseman’s elderly parents and depriving them “of financial assets at a vulnerable age when such support is most critical”.

“Moreover, the needless continuation of these proceedings denies Decedent’s [Boseman’s] family closure and causes emotional distress,” the court filing said.

“Imagine flipping through the channels and stumbling on a film starring your deceased son or brother, knowing that someone you do not know or trust is profiting from his image without your input or consent.”

Ledward – an R&B artist who uses the name Sahn – started dating Boseman in 2015 and they got married just six days before the actor’s death in August 2020.

The BBC has asked her lawyer for a comment.

In a statement to US media, the late actor’s brothers said: “On behalf of our parents, we are committed to ensuring that transparency, accountability, and respect guide the resolution of these matters.

“Our hope is that this process brings clarity, honors the court’s orders, and ensures the responsible stewardship of Chadwick’s legacy.

“We love our brother, and we remain committed to preserving his legacy with dignity, integrity, and respect.”

If I see one more person saying that the only way to truly experience Christopher Nolan’s vision of “The Odyssey” is to see it in Imax 70mm, I am going to start turning cinephiles into swine.

I understand that this is a technically true statement. As we all know by now, Nolan went on his own hero’s journey with this film, using an unwieldy and extremely loud Imax camera to shoot it (a feat only he and perhaps a few other directors would be given the finances to do). Like many, I applaud his efforts and those that were made to increase the number of theaters capable of projecting Imax 70mm (and 70mm in general).

There is an undisputed cultural magnificence to reimagining a nearly 3,000-year-old tale in the most artistically immersive format currently available to filmmakers. Unfortunately, the vast majority of filmgoers will never be able to see this master vision; only 25 theaters in the country are capable of showing the film in Imax 70mm — eight in California (including four in the L.A. area); two in Colorado, New York, Texas and Tennessee; and one in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

So a little more than twice the number of U.S. World Cup venues this year. But then, you could watch the World Cup on TV.

Not that you’ll be able to watch “The Odyssey” on TV anytime soon. As a rigorous defender of the theatrical experience, Nolan requires that his films stay in cinemas and off streamers for much longer than the average movie — “The Odyssey” will likely not be available on NBCUniversal’s Peacock until early 2027.

It is a noble mission; movie theaters need all the help they can get and heading into its second weekend, “The Odyssey” has already more than recouped its $250 million production budget. It will need to make between $625 million to $750 million to break even, which seems more than doable. “The Odyssey” could well become the third-ever R-rated movie to gross $1 billion.

Film snobbery notwithstanding, however, much of that will be accomplished via non-Imax 70mm screenings, which come in a near-Homeric list of types. On top of reacquainting the populace with a story that most of us have not thought much about since that middle-school project or college classics class, “The Odyssey” is offering a lesson in “premium formats.”

On the film’s website, one can view the trailer in Imax 70mm, regular Imax, regular 70mm, Dolby Vision and large format. Given the limitation of personal screens, this only reveals the varying frame dimensions, but it’s pretty fun to flick through them.

What is less fun is trying to figure out on which, and where and when, you can actually see the damn thing. While not on par with battling carnivorous Cyclops or world-weary witches, getting a ticket to “The Odyssey,” even after opening weekend, is a voyage filled with many obstacles.

Including but not limited to the recent crash of the AMC app.

I may or may not have contributed to this crisis, having recently spent well over an hour trying to get a measly two tickets.

Though it went against all my anti-elitist beliefs, I did try to leverage my L.A. privilege and see “The Odyssey” as Christopher Nolan intended — in Imax 70mm. Alas, the only seats available for days, even in standard Imax and 70mm, were in the first row. I was forced to “downgrade” to Dolby Vision at the Burbank 16, where, by the grace of Athena, I found two non-front-row seats, albeit in the middle of a weekday. (Mercifully, this actually counts as work for me.)

I am not equipped to argue saturation levels or whatever else differentiates one format from the other, but the Dolby experience was quite immersive, both in cinematic detail (The storms! The slaughter! The suitors’ slopping wine!) and cardiac-disruptive bass notes.

Certainly, I felt a bit like Odysseus as I crept — drained, disoriented and trailing popcorn crumbs like Ithican sand — out into the sun. It was an experience like no other (seriously, to survive Imax 70mm, I might have to go into training).

So I am a bit bewildered as pundits declare that the success of “The Odyssey” reflects some larger theme about what film audiences want. Beyond, you know, a very powerful movie.

This is one of the most singular films made in recent years. So singular that it all but defies any kind of tea-leaf-reading or, heaven forbid, attempts at replication. I don’t see a future in Homeric spinoffs (unless someone wants to do a limited series on Circe, starring Samantha Morton), and while it is vital to celebrate the craft of Imax 70mm filmmaking and projection, the theatrical experience cannot afford to put all, or even many, of its eggs into that basket.

An increased reliance on “premium formats” may seem like an obvious weapon in the increasingly one-sided war between at-home and theatrical viewing, but it is not the answer. Or at least not the only answer. (For one thing, there aren’t enough Imax 70mm cameras or projectors to go around.)

Like sports fans, many cinephiles are happy to spend hours, and dollars, to have the ultimate experience — tales of folks driving across state lines and/or paying thousands to see “The Odyssey” in Imax 70mm echoed the recent stories of international visitors saving up for a year to see their team play in the World Cup.

Though marvelously affirming for film fans, this is not a sustainable business plan. Movies are supposed to be for everyone. Not just those with a neighborhood Imax 70mm theater or the ability to pay $30 for a regular Imax seat. Going to the movies should not require hours of research to choose a theater, negotiating with a scalper or finding AI-aided plots to game the system. And there shouldn’t be such an obvious and geographically rigged hierarchy.

Before you know it, Live Nation will be involved and then where will we be?

Christopher Nolan’s non-CGI visions of the Trojan Horse, the Cyclops, the sacking of Troy, the transformation of men into pigs do not require an “ultimate” aspect ratio to be remarkable.

(Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures)

“The Odyssey” is a legitimate phenomenon and that’s terrific; more power to Nolan and the theaters that benefit. As a solution to flagging box office, well, if Hollywood does not want to go the way of — as Timothée Chalamet famously said — ballet and opera, it cannot afford to become dependent on premium experiences that are accessible only to a small percentage of the audience.

Of course it’s great that “The Odyssey” was shot, and is being shown, in Imax 70mm and regular 70mm, especially in a year when stories that originated on YouTube are also burning up the big screen. Art should never be an equation of replacement. Supporting all manner of work is always the best way of preserving and celebrating the splendid diversity of filmmaking.

No matter how unparalleled the form, it still must follow function. “The Odyssey,” in whatever format it is seen, is an epic adventure with emotional undertones beyond the original story and an existential message that resonates far more than its smattering of modern language. Nolan’s non-CGI visions of the Trojan Horse, the Cyclops, the sacking of Troy, the transformation of men into pigs do not require an “ultimate” aspect ratio to be remarkable.

All the various formats have their proponents and the conversations about them have been entertaining and informative, but no matter the film or screen size, it’s a very good movie.

And that’s the only template Hollywood needs to follow.

An animal welfare charity has shared advice for holidaymakers who find stray animals

The RSPCA has shared advice for any travellers worried about stray cats they spot on holiday. The animal welfare charity has urged people to do one thing in such a situation.

The experts explained that it’s important to check if cats look underfed or unwell. In a Facebook post, the charity explained: “It’s common to see street cats while on holiday abroad, but not all cats may need our intervention, and it’s important to know how to help them responsibly, wherever you may be this summer.”

The post was accompanied by a video. In the clip, an RSPCA staff member explained exactly what holidaymakers can do to help stray animals. She told viewers: “Here’s how you can help stray cats abroad this summer. It can be tempting to wish to help cats whilst overseas, but not all cats need our help. Do they look skinny or unwell? Or do they look quite well fed?

“You can also check if the cat has had its ears clipped, and what that means is that the cat has been caught, neutered, and then rereleased back into the area.”

The expert continued: “What you can also do is speak to the local people in the area, who may be able to let you know the organisations, or individuals out there, currently caring for the cats. You may also find that at your local gift shop, at your resort, there is actually cat food in there, and that’s to encourage tourists to buy the cat food and feed the cats.

“What you may also be able to do is make a donation. This donation will probably go towards maybe treatment or even the trap, neuter, and release programme.”

Holidaymakers could also write to tourism boards or public officials. For instance, people could send a letter encouraging the local authority to offer their help, the RSPCA said.

“You could even write to those in power, or even tourist boards. You could explain that you love visiting their country, but were sad to see so many cats in need of help, and would love to see an investment into that line of work in the future.”

In the video’s caption, the RSPCA encouraged animal lovers to ‘share this advice with fellow holiday-goers and check out International Cat Care for more information.’ International Cat Care is a global charity. The charity’s website reiterates that cat lovers can help by finding out who is already helping in the area they are visiting.

It said: “Ask about the local people or organisations who are working in the area. There may be individuals, charities, local municipality activity or non-government organisations (NGOs) working in the area to help the cats.”

IF you’re jetting off to any beautiful Red Sea resorts this summer check your passport before travelling.

Unlike countries in the EU, Egypt requires more time left on your passport and it’s catching Brits out with some missing out on their holidays altogether.

There are two very important requirements to get into Egypt for Brits.

The first is that your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least six months after the date you arrive.

The second is that it must have at least one blank page to be stamped.

Most countries only require three months left on a passport after the date of arrival, so it’s not surprising that some Brits are being caught out.

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One woman recently missed out on a £6,500 holiday to Egypt.

Victoria Vigors was headed on a two-week ‘holiday of a lifetime’ with her family but was stopped before boarding.

Her nine-year-old daughter Roxie’s passport was being scanned and is was then they discovered Roxie’s passport did not have the required period of validity remaining for travel to Egypt.

Roxie’s passport technically expired on January 4, 2027, but with Egypt requiring at least six months left on them, it meant it wasn’t valid.

Talking to creatorzine.com, Victoria said: “I wasn’t aware of the rules. For people like me who don’t always travel and it’s the first time with my children, I didn’t know.

“I would have thought when I put her passport details in to check in that would tell me it wasn’t valid.”

Victoria added: “That would be a simple system to install so save this agony and heartbreak.”

The family are now trying to get an emergency passport to try and enjoy the last few days of the trip they’ve paid for, as they were unable to get a refund.

Also check visa requirements into the country as they vary depending on the location.

For example if you are staying for less than 15 days at a resort in Sharm El Sheikh, you don’t need a visa.

However, if you’re heading to Hurghada you’ll need a visa which you can apply for online or on arrival.

If you apply online, e-visa applications must be submitted a minimum of seven days.

Another country to be aware of the entry rules is Turkey which needs at least 150 days left on passports from the date of arrival.

If you find your passport is technically out of date shortly before your holidays, then you can look at getting a fast-track renewal.

Before travelling this summer, here are all the new rules you need to be aware of, from eGates and passports to visas and power banks.

Over the past decade, the LAPD has received thousands of complaints accusing officers of targeting people solely because of their race, ethnicity or other form of outward appearance.

Only one has been fired for it.

The now-former officer, Edgar Garcia Cancino, was part of a San Fernando Valley anti-gang unit whose members were alleged to have improperly pulled over and searched hundreds of motorists. Cancino has appealed his termination, arguing that other officers in his unit carried out more of the problematic stops. He claimed the department sought to make an example of him because he refused to implicate his superiors in wrongdoing.

Accusations of racial profiling have long plagued the department, alienating generations of Black and brown Angelenos. Known within the LAPD as “biased policing,” such complaints have persisted despite repeated attempts to enact reform. But the question of how commonly profiling occurs in the LAPD remains a topic of pointed debate.

Years of studies by researchers and reporting by The Times and other news outlets have found Blacks and Latinos in L.A. are subjected to stops, frisks, searches and arrests at significantly higher rates than whites, regardless of whether they live in high-crime neighborhoods. Past LAPD chiefs have acknowledged isolated cases of profiling may occur. At the same time, they have denied that there is a widespread, systemic problem.

An internal LAPD investigation of Cancino’s Mission Division gang squad uncovered an “overwhelming pattern of intentional policy violations,” according to a summary of the case file reviewed by The Times.

Police investigators said in the case file that they identified hundreds of stops that were not properly documented, along with failures by the officers to active their body and dashboard cameras.

The allegations against Cancino largely hinged on two stops, according to his attorney. In May 2023, Cancino and his partner pulled over a man for allegedly speeding and having tinted windows, said his attorney, Nicole Castronovo. The vehicle’s registration turned out to be expired, Castronovo said, but the driver was allowed to leave without a citation after the officers searched his vehicle and found nothing incriminating.

When interviewed about the incident later, according to Castronovo, the motorist told police investigators that Cancino had stopped him because ”I looked like a G,” or gangster.

A few months later, the attorney said, Cancino was involved in another questionable stop, this time of a pedestrian who also later lodged a complaint alleging he was profiled.

Castronovo denied that Cancino had unfairly targeted anyone while on the job, saying he is a proud Latino who joined the force out of a desire to give back to the city where he grew up. She argued that the department’s investigators cherry-picked cases involving Cancino while ignoring similar behavior by other Mission cops.

“They have set up a system where it’s virtually impossible to sustain a biased policing complaint against an officer,” she said. “And then they turn around and weaponized” it against Cancino.

The probe’s findings were presented to LAPD leadership, who recommended that Cancino be fired and sent to a disciplinary hearing.

Castronovo argued in an appeal that her client and another fired Mission officer, Kim Lobos, had been denied a fair disciplinary hearing because both were initially represented by a lawyer appointed by the police union who had a conflict of interest. According to Castronovo, the union attorney also represented other Mission officers who agreed to testify against Cancino and Lobos. A Los Angeles County judge ultimately rejected their appeal.

Only one other LAPD officer prior to Cancino was fired for alleged racial profiling, a case that occurred in 2011.

According to the California Department of Justice, 4,878 allegations of bias were brought against LAPD officers from 2016 to 2025. Of those, only three were sustained.

The department’s rates mirror those of most other law enforcement agencies across the state. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, which received roughly 10% fewer complaints over than span, has sustained six racial bias allegations against deputies.

Defenders of the Police Department note that any member of the public is allowed to submit a complaint regardless of whether there is supporting evidence, which leads to a high number of allegations that cannot be proven. Others note that the presence of body-worn cameras has helped disprove frivolous claims filed by criminal suspects or others who have an ax to grind with the department.

A report released last year by the advocacy group Catalyst California found that in 2025, Black motorists accounted for nearly a third of all stops for minor traffic violations, even though they make up roughly 8% of the city’s population. The same report found that Latinos, who are about 47% of L.A.’s population, were pulled over in 58% of all traffic stops.

Latino people are up to four times more likely to be subjected to “consent” searches, and Black people up to three times as likely, according to the Catalyst study. Fewer than 1 in 10 of those stops resulted in seizures of guns or drugs, the report said.

LAPD officials have pushed back on the findings, saying there is no established methodology for analyzing racial profiling data. Many factors affect the racial and ethnic patterns of traffic stops — from the predominant race of the neighborhood in which the stop was made or whether the stop resulted in an arrest and conviction — all of which must be considered when interpreting raw data, officials say.

In May, the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of limiting the use of “pretextual” stops, in which police use a broken taillight or another minor equipment violation as justification to pull someone over in order to investigate whether a more serious crime has occurred. Activists and some council members said they wanted to ban a controversial tactic that enabled racial discrimination. The measure urges the Police Commission, which is responsible for LAPD policy changes, to take up the issue this year.

The LAPD’s unwillingness to acknowledge officer biases and hand down punishment when warranted serves only to drive a wedge between the community and the department, said Peter Bibring, a civil rights and police practices attorney.

“The department, year after year after year, is saying, ‘Nope this never happens, this never happens,’” Bibring said. “Then the community doesn’t feel like the department is recognizing these legitimate problems and responding to their concerns.”

During a deposition for a racial profiling lawsuit filed over a 2019 traffic stop, an LAPD official was asked what evidence it would take to get someone fired.

The attorney for the plaintiff, a Black man who sued claiming he was pulled over by three gang officers who handcuffed him and allegedly searched his vehicle without probable cause, asked: “If you found out that a given officer had pulled over 2,000 people in the last year, and all 2,000 of them were Black, would you have enough information, sitting here today, to determine whether or not that data alone indicated that the officer was engaged in biased policing?”

The LAPD official’s response, according to the deposition transcript: “No.”

Jim Willis, a former LAPD detective who later worked for the L.A. Police Commission’s inspector general’s office, pointed to past audits that found serious shortcomings in the department’s investigations of racial bias complaints. Furthermore, he said, many people who are affected never file claims because they don’t understand laws around consent searches — or they are just relieved when officers let them go.

Even when someone bothers to file a complaint, Willis said, it’s difficult to gather enough evidence from a brief interaction to prove an officer made a traffic stop solely because of race. If there was a minor traffic infraction or other probable cause to make a stop, proving their motive requires them to confess to acting with intent to discriminate, Willis said.

That’s why most claims are dismissed by LAPD investigators, he said, “unless, you caught somebody on their body-worn video saying, ‘Hey tonight we’re going out and we’re (pulling over) brothers.’”

Pep Guardiola has turned down the chance to coach the Italian national side.

Earlier this week, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago said talks had been held with Guardiola, who left Manchester City this summer after 10 years, and that “exceptions” could be made for his salary.

On Thursday, FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini said Italy first approached their former player Carlo Ancelotti, who is currently in charge of Brazil.

Ancelotti has agreed to stay in post and now Guardiola has informed the FIGC he intends to continue with his plan to take a break from the game, which will allow him to rest, spend more time with his family and travel.

In addition to a huge salary, the FIGC is understood to have effectively told Guardiola he could shape the job as he saw fit, as they tried to tempt one of the most successful coaches in the game to take charge of a side that has failed to qualify for three World Cups in a row.

However, after taking some time to consider the situation, he has said no.

It means former Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo, currently head coach of Dubai-based United FC, is the frontrunner to be tasked with navigating Italy through a Nations League group that includes France, Belgium and Turkey in the autumn and then try to qualify for Euro 2028.