The UN Security Council rejected the competing proposals, leaving the peacekeeping mission without an approved extension.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the disputed Western Sahara faces an uncertain future after competing United States and Russian resolutions failed at the UN Security Council.

Russia vetoed the US-backed proposal on Friday, despite support from 11 members of the 15-member council.

A rival Russian draft then failed to secure the nine votes needed for adoption.

The mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is due to expire on Saturday unless the council reaches a last-minute agreement.

Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony in northwest Africa. Morocco considers the territory its own while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic.

The UN established MINURSO in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire and prepare a referendum on the territory’s future, but disagreements over who could vote have prevented it from taking place.

The US draft would have extended the mission for a year while removing “referendum” from its name and making Morocco’s autonomy proposal the only basis for further talks.

Under that plan, the territory would manage its internal affairs but remain under Moroccan sovereignty.

The council had already made the proposal a basis for negotiations last year.

US Ambassador Mike Waltz told the council in New York on Friday that the referendum had been stalled for decades.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said at the same meeting that Moscow opposed the draft because it favoured one side.

Russia instead proposed renewing the existing mission without those changes.

Morocco’s royal palace welcomed the failure to renew MINURSO, saying on Friday that UN personnel and equipment should leave the territory.

Sidi Omar, the Polisario Front’s representative at the UN, told reporters on Friday that he welcomed Russia’s veto because the US proposal would undermine Sahrawi self-determination.

Low-level fighting has continued since Polisario said it was resuming armed struggle in 2020.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is “open” to the possibility of the UK issuing a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, but has ruled out considering financial reparations.

Burham said he wanted a “dialogue with those affected by the slave trade” and was open to “calls for an apology”.

He dismissed the idea of paying financial reparations, saying they were “not the right answer”.

The comments come ahead of a Commonwealth leaders summit in the Caribbean next week, which Burnham will attend. Caribbean nations have renewed calls for the UK to apologise for its role in the slave trade, and for reparations, as King Charles III tours the region.

Burham described the transatlantic slave trade, when Africans were trafficked to the Americas, as a “brutal and barbaric violation” and said Britain must “face up to the past”.

The British government has never formally apologised for slavery or offered to pay reparations. Burnham has stuck with the policy of his predecessors, and has stopped short of offering any consideration of reparation payments.

“I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part,” Burnham wrote in his piece for the Guardian, external.

He said Commonwealth countries had for years been asking for an “honest conversation”. Burnham said he wanted to offer a “structured dialogue” adding: “Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process. I am open to them.”

A government source told the BBC this was “morally the right thing to do”.

Downing Street believes it is in the UK’s interest to strengthen the Commonwealth, in a world where China and Russia are seeking to exert influence.

Only this week, President Vladimir Putin hosted a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.

BACK in 1988, this actor found fame as a child in one of the most terrifying horror films of the decade.

Fast forward 38 years, the movie star, who is now 45, looks completely unrecognisable – but can you guess who it is?

The star in question is Alex Vincent, who played Andy from Child’s Play, which was the first ever Chucky film.

Now all grown up, he looks a far cry from his horror movie days as a kid, as he promoted a recent fan event on Instagram.

The actor was just six years old when he starred in the terrifying movie about a doll that comes to life and goes on a killing spree.

Alex went on to star in all three of the Child’s Play films which ran until 1991.

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The film star then appeared in the 2013 film, Curse of Chucky, and six years later he starred in the TV show reboot.

These days Alex can often be found doing horror movie conventions, where he gets to meet fans of the famous franchise.

The original Child’s Play movie was released in 1988 and it went on to become a series with six sequels.

The plot centres around Chucky, a serial killer called the Lakeshore Strangler, who performs a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a toy doll.

Alex’s character Andy is relentlessly terrorised by Chucky throughout the Child’s Play franchise, with the doll framing him for his murders.

Speaking about being the main star in such a terrifying film at a very young age, the actor told Indiemacuser.com: “The content didn’t matter much to me, in terms of scaring me.

“I was a bright kid… And nothing about being on that set was scary.”

The former child star added: “It was an incredibly fun and exciting experience for me at six-years-old.

“I got to leave school for a couple months and go work with a super cool electrical puppet in Chicago and LA.”

However, despite being known for one of the most famous scary films ever made, Alex made a surprising revelation.

“I’m not the biggest horror fan!” the star admitted.

However, Alex added: “But I know a lot of horror icons personally, so I am familiar with their films.”

Guess the footballer in as few attempts as possible.

After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. The fewer clues you need to get the right answer, the more points you score.

Once you’re done keep scrolling to beat all three of BBC Sport’s daily quizzes.

EXCLUSIVE

Siddiq Ander has accused RSF leader Hemedti of running the paramilitary group like a family business and suppressing dissent.

Senior commander Siddiq Ander says he has defected from Sudan‘s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to exclusive video footage obtained by Al Jazeera.

The footage, published on Friday, shows Ander accusing relatives of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, of tightly controlling the group’s finances, weapons, troop movements and military promotions.

Ander’s exit follows a string of high-profile defections this year, with some commanders leaving alongside hundreds of fighters.

“It has become clear to us beyond any doubt that we were serving a purely family-based project controlled by Hemedti’s relatives in every aspect, money, weapons, fighters’ movements and the granting of ranks,” Ander said.

“Anyone who speaks out and tells the whole truth faces expulsion, imprisonment or a hidden death.”

Hemedti’s brother, Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, serves as the RSF deputy commander.

Senior commanders break ranks

A wave of defections has seen several senior RSF commanders leave the group this year, including Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Azraq al-Fanjari, who announced on October 8 that he was leaving, along with 300 officers and soldiers and 30 military vehicles.

Al-Fanjari also urged other fighters to abandon the RSF, expressing regret over the suffering caused by the war.

His announcement came after the September 25 defection of Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu, who joined the enemy Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with 50 fighters in Omdurman, across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum, according to The Sudan Tribune.

Al-Wahidu cited abuses within the RSF as his reason for leaving.

Earlier, in May, Brigadier Ali Rizqallah, known as Savannah, announced his departure.

Yet another senior commander, Major General al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as al-Qubba, joined the SAF in April and was publicly welcomed by Sudanese leader and military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Al-Qubba’s departure followed disagreements over military appointments within the RSF leadership, the Tribune reported.

Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 after a power struggle between the army and the RSF, including disagreements over plans to integrate the paramilitary group into the regular military.

The conflict has since displaced about 13 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine.

The latest defections come as both sides increasingly use drones in attacks that have caused mounting civilian casualties.

On October 26, strikes hit a market and residential area in Nyala, an RSF-controlled city in South Darfur.

Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights group, reported more than 100 deaths, although other medical organisations recorded lower figures.

The United Nations says drone strikes have become the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan’s war.

GLASTONBURY fans reckon they’ve uncovered a major clue about a surprise headliner for next year’s festival.

The chatter began after rock legends U2 announced the UK and European dates of their massive new world tour yesterday, and eagle-eyed fans have already spotted a suspicious gap in their schedule.

The Irish superstars, fronted by Bono, will perform at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 18 and 19, 2027.

But their next scheduled concert isn’t until June 30, when they head to Berlin’s Olympiastadion in Germany.

And the 11-day gap between shows just happens to include Glastonbury Festival, which returns to Worthy Farm from June 23 to 27 following a year off.

The coincidence has sent fans into a frenzy, with some convinced U2 could be preparing a secret appearance on the famous Pyramid Stage.

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Taking to Reddit, one fan wrote: “I’ve just seen they are performing in London 18th and 19th June, then off to Germany on 30th. Maybe just a gap to add more shows or a glasto gap?”

Another replied: “Was literally about to post this.” A third insisted: “There’s no way they wouldn’t headline. They could do the secret pyramid set on the Saturday (the Foo Fighters / Pulp set).”

U2 previously headlined Glastonbury in 2011, having been forced to pull out of their original 2010 appearance after Bono underwent emergency back surgery.

Their newly announced Greatest Show On Earth World Tour will take the band across Europe, with stops including Stockholm, Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam and Milan.

Meanwhile, speculation is already mounting over who will top the bill at Glastonbury 2027, with Harry Styles, Sam Fender, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Rihanna among the names linked to the festival.

Organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed all three Pyramid Stage headliners have already been booked, although their identities remain under wraps.

She has also ruled out Madonna and Oasis, despite previous rumours suggesting both acts could make an appearance.

The proposition creates a down payment loan program, totaling up to $25 billion, for middle-income families looking to buy a new home in California. The program would be run by the California Housing Finance Agency, which already oversees several homeownership assistance programs.

The state would sell bonds to fund the program. It would pay back investors using interest and loan payments from the program — not taxpayer money. The California Housing Finance Agency would administer the program, including setting interest rates for the loans.

To qualify, prospective borrowers would need to buy a newly constructed home or a home that never has sold before, such as a commercial building that was converted into condos. Borrowers wouldn’t need to be first-time homebuyers, but they would need to earn no more than 200% of the median local income; for a family of four in Los Angeles County, that amounts to no more than $216,200 a year.

There also would be limits on the sales prices of homes bought with help from this program. While the exact price would depend on the county, generally the homes would need to sell for between $1 million and $1.5 million. Homebuyers would need to put at least 3% down, and the state finance agency could provide a loan up to 17% of the sales price.

The loans would function like fixed-rate second mortgages.

According to the California Budget and Policy Center, the earnings that would qualify a family for down payment assistance could vary greatly depending on where they planned to buy a home. Per the center’s calculations, a family of four buying a home in Madera County would have to earn no more than $166,800 a year, while a family in Santa Clara County could earn up to $375,800 a year and still qualify.

Other specifics would be worked out if voters pass the measure. That includes the interest rates charged on this second mortgage, which, according to the Budget and Policy Center, likely would be higher than the current rates for conventional mortgages, which have hovered around 7% for a 30-year mortgage.

Because revenue bonds, which would be used to fund this program, are riskier than other bonds, investors might demand a higher return, translating to a higher interest rate.

Captain Meg Jones says England are aiming to expand their attack to stay at the head of rugby’s world order.

The Red Roses’ four-year, 41-match unbeaten run was ended by a pair of defeats by Canada earlier this month, while New Zealand threatened victory at Allianz Stadium last month, only to be undone by Zoe Harrison’s final-play try.

For so long the runaway leaders at the top of the world rankings, England could even have dropped to third with a combination of a 15-point defeat against the United States on Friday and a New Zealand win over France on Saturday.

That never looked likely as the Red Roses ran in nine tries in victory over the USA in New Jersey, but Jones says competition is becoming more fierce at the top of the game.

“Teams are getting better, that’s the nature of it,” Jones said.

“It happened in the men’s game, it’s happened in the women’s game, and we’ve just got to start being probably more unpredictable.

“We’ve learned loads on this tour, and gained so much feedback from where we want to keep growing, getting better and keep pushing.”

The joint statement comes as US President Donald Trump seeks a new meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The United States, South Korea and Japan have reiterated their longstanding call for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, a move  Pyongyang has repeatedly ruled out.

The three countries addressed the issue on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in the US city of Atlanta on Thursday, with their top diplomats reaffirming their “resolute commitment to the complete denuclearisation” of North Korea, according to a readout by the US Department of State.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also pledged the “full implementation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including a ban on supporting revenue for North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The statement comes despite repeated overtures to North Korea by US President Donald Trump, who held a series of historic summits with its leader, Kim Jong Un, during his first term in office and has continued to call Kim a “friend”.

Last year, Trump bucked a long-held US policy by conceding that North Korea was already “sort of a nuclear power”.

More recently, he has played down concerns about North Korea’s nuclear programme and expressed a desire to meet Kim again. Speculation is mounting that the two leaders could reconnect at next month’s APEC summit in China, which Trump is due to attend.

Analysts and South Korea’s spy agency say Kim may have conveyed Pyongyang’s position on potential talks with Trump to Beijing during a recent visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong.

South Korea’s dovish President Lee Jae Myung – who has repeatedly offered Pyongyang talks without preconditions – suggested in September that Washington seek a freeze, rather than the immediate elimination, of the North’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

Critics have said such an approach risks tacitly accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state while allowing Pyongyang to win sanctions relief without giving up its arsenal.

Despite long-running UN sanctions, North Korea, which is backed by Russia and China, has enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state in law. Pyongyang’s government has declared its atomic arsenal to be permanent and irreversible.

Pyongyang denounced a joint statement on Saturday by a group of nations monitoring sanctions implementation against it, pledging that “the stereotyped sanctions racket of the US and the West can neither influence the position of the DPRK (North Korea) as a nuclear weapons state.”

European champions PSG registered their sixth league victory, and sit two points clear at top of the Ligue 1 standings.

Flying ‌fullback Achraf Hakimi grabbed a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain went on a rampage to thrash ⁠bottom-placed Le Havre 5-1 and extend their Ligue 1 lead on Friday.

The European champions, who have several regulars out injured, could afford to leave ⁠more of their key players on the bench and still come away with an impressive victory as they moved to 20 points from their opening nine league fixtures.

They ⁠are two points ahead of Lille and four above third-placed Rennes, who have 16 points.

Lille moved above Rennes into second, thanks to a late goal from veteran Olivier Giroud, who came off the bench to score an 86th-minute winner for a 1-0 derby ‌victory at home over RC Lens.

Rennes were handed a 5-2 drubbing at Nice, who continued their improving form with a fourth win in five outings.

Elye Wahi netted a hat-trick for Nice, who moved up to seventh after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

An all-round display from Hakimi

On top of his three goals at Stade Oceane, Hakimi had two assists for the goals scored by Mika Godts and Senny Mayulu after Josh Maja had given the ⁠hosts the lead.

It was PSG’s ninth consecutive victory in all ⁠competitions.

Le Havre suffered a fifth consecutive defeat and sit bottom with two points, but they briefly dared to believe as Maja handed them an early lead.

Hakimi set up Godts for the equaliser before putting his side ⁠ahead in the 28th minute with a shot in at the near post.

The Morocco international then netted from a free kick ⁠into the bottom corner in the 55th minute before ⁠being at the centre of a counterattack that saw Mayulu make it 4-1 in the 62nd minute.

Hakimi completed his hat-trick with a deflected effort in the 69th minute.

“I am happy because some players had very ‌little playing time. If we want to win trophies, we need everyone,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique.

It’s Halloween weekend and that means it’s time to curl up on the couch to watch a blood-curdling scream erupt — from your television.

In the L.A. area, the forecast is looking pretty grim with showers expected this weekend (I am going to remain cautiously optimistic, however, because I do not want these bags of candy to remain in my house). If it does end up being a rainout, at least there are several very good new series and films to watch. Here are a few suggestions:

• One is Peacock’s “Crystal Lake,” the new “Friday the 13th” prequel series starring Linda Cardellini, who spoke to senior writer Greg Braxton earlier this month about taking on the role of Pamela Voorhees (you’ll see Voorhees in a new light). On the occasion of the show’s release, Greg also wrote this handy guide to all the “Friday the 13th” movies, grading each one on a hockey-mask scale to help you choose which to watch.
• If you prefer your horror to involve teen angst, I highly recommend Prime Video’s “Carrie,” a new adaption of Stephen King’s iconic novel by Mike Flanagan. We spoke to the horror auteur and stars of the series, Samantha Sloyan and Summer H. Howell, about how it modernizes the story’s terror.
• As far as films go, you can’t go wrong with this year’s top two horror hits: Kane Parsons’ ultra-creepy, internet inspired “Backrooms,” which is streaming on HBO Max, and “Obsession,” streaming on Peacock. Fittingly, Inde Navarrette, the star of “Obsession,” will host “Saturday Night Live” on Halloween. And if you want to keep the theme going, Curry Barker, the film’s director, made a surprise release on Thursday of a short called “Mama Bear” on YouTube (be advised, it’s NSFW; watch it in a dark room at night like I did).

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, Susan House, the showrunner of Hulu’s new reality competition series “The Mob,” stopped by Guest Spot to discuss the show, and our writers recommend a documentary about one of the finest comedy sketch series to emerge from Canada and a workplace comedy series that graduated from the web to streaming.

Before I go, I want to take a moment to remember the legendary actor Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday. From his stage work with the Royal Shakespeare Company to his iconic roles as Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek” and Charles Xavier in “X-Men,” few actors had Stewart’s range and depth, as television critic Robert Lloyd so adeptly writes in his appreciation of him. To use the words of another “Trek” great, may he live long and prosper in the afterlife. — Maira Garcia

Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

“SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of” takes a closer look at the Canadian sketch series. Andrea Martin, left, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy and Harold Ramis.

(Netflix)

“SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Hard Of” (Netflix)

Speak for yourself, title. Some of us were there from the beginning. But the show is definitely having a moment, with Netflix streaming the entire series, and the documentary “You Had To Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (In a Canadian Kind of Way),” currently in select theaters, featuring future “SCTV” cast members Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas and Martin Short (along with Gilda Radner). Jason Hehir’s “Greatest Show” film does a fine job of outlining the birth and death of what many consider the hipper cousin to “Saturday Night Live,” with lots of great photos and films of sketch comedians in their long-haired youth. The good times, the less than good times, the confusing times are all here, burnished with a warm glow of friendship. Gathered to reminisce are all surviving cast members (including the now-late Catherine O’Hara). Even the rarely seen Rick Moranis participates. (RIP John Candy and Joe Flaherty.) Creating comedy under less than glamorous circumstances, with no live audience or sense of whether anyone in the world was watching, they made the show for themselves and one another. Their instincts proved correct. — Robert Lloyd

Ryan Micho, left, Tommy Armstrong, Grace Reiter, Hyde Healy and Julia Dicesare play co-workers in “Minimum Wage.”

(Netflix)

“Minimum Wage” (Netflix)

The slip-slide from web series to streaming continues with American High’s workplace comedy that began on YouTube and is now appearing, in a slightly longer and moderately gussied-up adaptation, on Netflix. Shot in the now-standard mockumentary style, “Minimum Wage” chronicles life in a dumpy pizza place known as “The Slice Club,” where Grace (Grace Reiter, who recently joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live”) serves as the nominal manager of a wacky team of teenagers who occasionally make and serve pizza. More often, however, they engage in low-stakes antics: dealing with the local high school drama club, planning an ill-conceived birthday party, taking bets on a restaurant breakup or finding themselves stuck on the roof. Most of the cast, including Reiter, appeared in the original web series; this version adds Randall Park as CEO of the “The Slice Club” franchise, who is in mid-divorce and forced to sleep in the restaurant’s basement, and there is a more obvious attempt to underline various “chosen family” themes. They are an engaging, and occasionally hilarious group, and with episodes ranging from 15 to 22 minutes, “Minimum Wage” is an easy binge, or the perfect show to watch while waiting for that friend who’s always late, even when he’s the one who promised to bring the pizza. — Mary McNamara

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

The cast of “The Mob” in Episode 2, from left: Harry Jowsey, Aida Turturro, Shane Parton, Bruno Tonioli, Romeo Miller, Debi Mazar, Demi Engemann, Maria Georgas, Willam Belli and Chelsea Lazkani.

(Andrea Miconi / Disney)

Being in the mob is serious business, and for us normies, the idea of racketeering and plotting whackings is a no-go. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining to watch it unfold onscreen in iconic films like “The Godfather” or shows like “The Sopranos.” It’s that fandom that led to “The Mob,” the latest reality competition series from Hulu, co-produced by Primal Media and Studio Lambert, the production company behind “The Traitors.” It premiered earlier this week and drops new episodes on Mondays.

The series features 12 players who come from the reality TV world, including Demi Engemann from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” Joe Gorga from “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” Bruno Tonioli from “Dancing With the Stars;” and the acting world like Debi Mazar (“Younger,” “Goodfellas”) and Aida Turturro (“The Sopranos”). Each week, they have to compete in games inspired by mob movies and avoid getting “whacked” or eliminated from the competition by the don, the head of the family who doles out cash in exchange for allegiance. It’s hosted by Parker Posey, who is living a very comfortable life in an Italian villa.

Showrunner Susan House, who has led reailty shows like Netflix’s “The Circle,” says “The Mob” is special because it isn’t just about money — though the participants are competing for thousands in cash. “It’s about the power, it’s about family, and it’s about all these human relationships and human dynamics,” she says over video call this week. “Plus, you’re in this beautiful Italian backdrop. You’ve got Parker Posey, there’s some comedy and there’s fun. This sounds cliche, but I do feel like there’s something for everyone.”

She shares what it was like to work with Posey and the rest of the cast and the drama she’s been watching lately. — M.G.

Tell me how the concept for this series came about, and why the mob theme.

The concept was developed by a U.K. company called Primal, and they developed [it] along with Hulu. And I think the mob theme came about because it’s such a lush kind of environment to do a show from, like it’s so cinematic. It has such an amazing place in pop culture. Everyone knows it. It’s about power. It’s about family. It’s about dynamics. All the fun subject matter that makes for a great TV show.

How was it working with Parker Posey as host of the show?

I grew up in the Midwest in Kansas City, and I was a huge fan of independent film. My best friend and I would go to the one art house [theater] that we had growing up, and we loved Parker Posey. I’ve been a huge fan of her since “Dazed and Confused.” And so when she signed on for the show, I called my best friend when I was allowed to talk, and I said to her, “Oh, my God, you’re not going to believe who is hosting the show,” and we both did a little scream. It was just an … incredible moment in my career that I’m doing a show where Parker Posey, she’s iconic to me, was the host. I think that she’s perfect choice, right? She’s unique. She’s artsy. She’s comedy. She’s done drama. She can embrace a character, a setting. It was for me … just like a dream come true.

I’m so excited you said “Dazed and Confused,” because that’s what I associate her with.

When she signed on, I went back and rewatched that movie. I hadn’t seen it in a while. I was just like, oh, my God, she is so good in that.

And “The Mob” is so different. But it seems like she’s trying so many different things in this later stage of her career.

I know, it’s so cool. “The White Lotus,” she was amazing in, and I feel like people sort of rediscovered her in some ways. Maybe younger generations did, and it’s great, it’s amazing. She’s trying all these new things. I just watched “Wild Horse Nine.” She was incredible in that.

The cast of “The Mob” features a mix of actors and reality TV personalities, which I thought was really interesting. How did you land on that combination?

I think the subject matter of the mob is universal, right? It’s about loyalty. It’s about power, it’s about respect, it’s about family, and I think combining all of these personalities, … from acting and reality, is a unique opportunity to get [them] … on one TV show and see how they react. It’s a super-fun dynamic, and it just adds another layer to the show that’s I think unexpected and really fun.

Debi Mazar, who was in “Goodfellas,” and Aida Turturro, who was in “The Sopranos,” add some authenticity to the mob theme. I imagine their casting was purposeful — how did they incorporate that into the show?

I love Debi Mazar so much. I’m also a huge fan of her, not just from “Goodfellas,” but I love the show “Younger.” She’s also just iconic … We joke it’s the summer of Debi Mazar, with all the Madonna and Coachella things [the pair made an appearance during Sabrina Carpenter’s set]. I agree, she does bring some authenticity to the show, and she’s definitely of that world. I can’t speak to whether she was playing a character or not. You’re supposed to be yourself. So she wasn’t necessarily [anything] other than Debi, unless she was doing something that I don’t know about. I think Aida is also incredible. She says in the show, I think … in one of the first episodes, “I’m not in the mob.” It’s kind of fun to see her play against type. Like, she is Janice Soprano. But then now we’re seeing the real Aida Turturro and how she plays the game as herself.

Joe Gorga is the family’s first don on “The Mob.”

(Andrea Miconi / Disney)

And you have Joe Gorga, who was picked as the first don of the house, and it felt really perfect because he is from Jersey and he has that voice that you associate with those characters.

That did work out perfectly. It was good because he has a lot of these kind of qualities and stereotypes, but he also is fun and funny. And the show is a comedy in some ways … it’s an homage to the genre. Having Joe as that first don and playing that up a little bit is was fun. We were we were thrilled.

Something people will identify are the allusions to mobster TV shows and movies, like the horse head from “The Godfather.” They’re also incorporated when someone gets whacked.

We’re all huge fans of of that genre, and so many people just wanted to drop these little breadcrumbs for the audience who also love it. Our set decorator, John Sparano, is a huge movie buff. He did things that were like, I don’t think anyone would ever understand this. There was a picture of some pool table balls that were about “The Godfather.” I have to ask him, or it’s like, “No one is going to know these three numbers, John. But OK, I’m glad you’re doing it.” In terms of the whackings, we just thought … this genre gave us the opportunity to have fun with those, make those cinematic and honor those films and and how they did things.

Is there anything you are watching lately that you are recommending to other people right now?

I like the show “War” on HBO Max, and I guess that’s apropos for being a reality TV producer. There’s so much drama, and it’s about a relationship. I’m really enjoying watching that, and I feel very nervous sometimes before the end of the show. I’m like, “Oh, my God, what’s going to happen?”

ICYMI

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Ryanair passengers checking in luggage will have less time to reach the airport desk under a new deadline

Anyone travelling with Ryanair who leave their airport journey until the last minute could risk missing their flight when a new rule takes effect. From Tuesday, November 10, airport check-in and bag-drop desks will close 60 minutes before departure, instead of the current 40 minutes.

The change means travellers checking in a suitcase will need to get their bags accepted earlier than they may be used to, even if they have already checked in online. For a flight scheduled to leave at 10am, the deadline will move from 9.20am to 9am. Ryanair carried 206.5 million passengers in the 2025 calendar year.

Travel expert Arber Abdullahu, from TripSIM, has urged holidaymakers to check their airport arrangements before setting off, particularly if they have booked a transfer. He warned that having a boarding pass on a phone does not mean a checked bag has been accepted or that passengers can arrive at the desk whenever they like.

“Checking in online can make you feel that everything is sorted. But if you’re taking a suitcase that needs to go in the hold, you still have a separate deadline to meet at the airport,” he said.

Getting to the airport and reaching the correct desk are not necessarily the same thing, as travellers may need to park, take a shuttle, find their terminal and queue. Anyone relying on a transfer that arrives shortly before the cut-off should review the timings rather than treating the deadline as their target arrival time.

The change could also catch people out on their return journey if they are away when the new rule begins. Someone flying out before November 10 but returning on or after that date should check the deadline for both legs and make sure their hotel pick-up leaves enough time to reach the airport.

“Don’t assume the routine that worked on your outbound flight will work for your return. Check your hotel pick-up time and tell the transfer provider which flight you are taking,” Mr Abdullahu said.

Ryanair says the earlier cut-off is intended to give passengers more time to get through airport security and passport-control queues before reaching their departure gate. The airline says around 20 per cent of its passengers check in a bag, while those who check in online and travel without checked luggage will be unaffected by the bag-drop change.

Passengers should remember that online check-in has a separate deadline and remains open until two hours before departure. Anyone using airport check-in or bag drop should check the latest instructions for their flight and allow enough time to complete each stage of the journey.

TODAY is your last chance to claim two free tickets to Winter Wonderland, as well as a visit to the Magical Ice Kingdom attraction.

We’re giving away FREE tickets to London’s most famous Christmas event this year, and it’s not too late to claim yours.

Join Sun Club now — don’t miss out.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is returning for the festive season, from Thursday, November 19 to Sunday, January 3, 2026.

If you want to claim your tickets, plus bag yourself free entry to the Magical Ice Kingdom, click here to sign up to Sun Club (£1.99 per month).

Once you’re signed up to Sun Club, simply click here to visit the Offers Hub and redeem your tickets – but the offer ends tonight so you need to be quick.

(There’s plenty more offers on that make signing up to Sun Club well worth it, such as discounted West End tickets, darts tickets, free racing tickets and even freebies like skincare bundles and books.)

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But with more than 150 rides, attractions and magical experiences to take in, Winter Wonderland is the ultimate festive day out.

Thrillseekers can enjoy a spin on the 70m Giant Wheel for views across London or brave the Real Ice Slide.

If you fancy a party, head to the Bavarian Village for live music, DJs, seasonal singalongs and authentic German food and drink. 

Or grab some stocking fillers at the Christmas Market where you can find handcrafted gifts and tempting seasonal treats.

You can also catch the new Gandeys K-pop Dragon Circus, bringing together K-pop music, dance and circus acts.

And if that’s not enough, we’ve even created a list of all the new attractions at Winter Wonderland for 2026 – including free activities and our favourite picks for food.

Join Sun Club now — don’t miss out.

Your free tickets will allow you to visit the fantastic Magical Ice Kingdom presents Neverland – an enchanted world crafted from over 500 tonnes of ice and snow.

The adventure begins in the Darling family nursery, where you will meet Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. 

Together you will journey through the Lost Boys’ camp, cross the enchanted mermaid’s pool and ‘board’ the Jolly Roger. 

Fly down frozen slides and take on the fearsome Captain Hook to free Peter Pan – but be careful not to walk the plank!

The Magical Ice Kingdom has been created in partnership with GOSH Charity.

From visits from Santa to carol singing with the Chaplaincy team, GOSH Charity brings comfort and joy to the wards at Great Ormond Street Hospital, while giving more children the hope of many more Christmases to come.

Our tickets are available for visits between Thursday, November 19 to Sunday, December 6.

Make sure to sign up and claim them TODAY before they’re gone.

18+ UK only (exc. NI, IoM & CI). Sun Savers multiple code collect 10/10/26-14/10/26 or digital subscription required. Online access required. 5,000 pairs of tickets available (7,000 off-peak, 2,000 standard & 1,000 peak) on a first come, first served basis. Subject to availability, daily allocation limits apply. Tickets available between 19/11/26 – 06/12/26. 2 tickets per person only. Non-transferable and non-refundable. Saving based on 2 off-peak Magical Ice Kingdom tickets and entry to Winter Wonderland. T&Cs apply, see sunsavers.co.uk  or club.thesun.co.uk/sun-club. New customer offer: £1.99 per month or £12 for the first year, then £19.99 thereafter unless you cancel at least seven days before your next billing date. Full T&Cs apply, visit thesun.co.uk/terms-and-conditions.

West Sussex’s haunted folly

A derelict, 24-metre tall redbrick and flint folly outside Chichester, Racton Monument (known locally as Racton Ruin) is said to be one of the most haunted places in Sussex and has been the site of many paranormal investigations. George Montagu Dunk, the second Earl of Halifax, commissioned the folly, but there is no conclusive account as to why he had it built. Some say it was as a summerhouse, others a viewing point to watch ships come in from the Solent. A ghostly woman walking in the grounds and eerie sounds such as sudden manic laughter are among reported spooky happenings. Now completely gutted and roofless, it’s on private land and unsafe to enter, but still easily seen from nearby footpaths.

‘The event horizon of a black hole’ in Bannau Brycheiniog

Completed in 1927, the Pontsticill reservoir in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) national park supplies water for much of south Wales, holding up to 15.5 billion litres (3,400 million gallons). Like other reservoirs of its time, such as Ladybower in Derbyshire, Pontsticill was built with a bell-mouth spillway, which looks like an eerie giant plughole – or the event horizon of a black hole. Created by flooding a valley, ghostly remains of the submerged village, including a 15th-century church, can resurface during droughts when water levels drop. Richard Ayoade used its terrifying presence with great effect in his 2010 film, Submarine.

Shipwrecks in the Kent marshes

With place names such as Deadman’s Island, Slaughterhouse Point and Bedlam’s Bottom, Chetney Marshes needs no introduction. This forgotten, marshy outpost on the fringes of north Kent, with a limited palette of greens and greys, is home to a collection of slowly decaying, old barges and boats. Such is their level of deterioration, it can be hard to distinguish between the rotten hulks and the marsh itself. Information on the wrecked vessels is hard to come by and contradictory, with Historic England claiming they are former Thames barges. Yet on older maps, they are marked as the more tantalising Victorian prisoner transport ships. An atmospheric place for an otherworldly wander.

A nuclear bunker in Essex

Growing up on terrifying visions of nuclear war, such as 1980s films Threads and Where the Wind Blows, bunkers have always held a certain macabre mystique. Kelvedon Hatch was one such bunker, built in the early 1950s to house up to 600 military personnel and civilians, as well as the prime minister. In this worst-case scenario, it would have become the seat of power in a post-apocalyptic Britain. Above the surface, it looks like an unremarkable bungalow, but, like a Bond villain’s lair, this leads to a three-storey underground shelter equivalent in size to 25 average British homes. Today, the bunker is home to one of the world’s largest cold war museums.

A wailing, windswept tree on the Lancashire moors

On a Pennine hill overlooking Burnley, the Singing Ringing Tree is an eerie sound sculpture created by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu. It is three metres tall and designed to look like a brutalist windswept tree. The sculpture comprises a series of galvanised steel pipes tuned to various pitches over a range of different octaves. On a gusty day, as the wind blows through the pipes, it creates a weird, somewhat discordant harmonic. The artwork is one of four Panopticons, but rather than embodying the original concept – a circular prison with a single guard at its centre – they are far more benign, designed to be seen by many rather than as a symbol of oppressive surveillance.

The Lake District’s ‘skull cave’

Tucked away in the Tilberthwaite valley, between Coniston and Langdale, Hodge Close is an abandoned slate quarry on National Trust land. In the right conditions, its cave tunnel openings and dark pool resemble a skull, which fans of the hit Netflix series The Witcher will recognise – though it’s much harder to see in real life than in the scenes starring Henry Cavill (Geralt of Rivia) and Kim Bodnia (Vesemir). Abandoned in the 1960s, industrial remains litter the site, giving it an edgy, post-civilisation feel.

London’s paupers’ graveyard

Crossbones graveyard, just south of the River Thames near Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and the Shard, was once outside the city’s boundaries (and laws) in an area known as “The Liberty of the Clink”. A pauper’s graveyard, it was the final resting place of medieval sex workers and souls not deemed suitable for Christian burial. More than 15,000 people are estimated to have been unceremoniously buried here. Today, it’s been reclaimed as a garden of remembrance, both mystical and macabre with its own special beauty, and is open to the public at certain times for guided walks and talks.

A smugglers’ cave in Northumberland

Hundreds of years ago, Cateran Hole was used by bandits to hide smuggled contraband. Found in the middle of Bewick Moor, about four miles north of Eglingham, it feels as far away from civilisation as you can get, and the steps leading down to its 35 metre-long, dark underground chamber are notoriously difficult to find – making it all the more thrilling when you finally do. You can walk into increasing darkness if you’re brave enough, before the tunnel tapers to a narrow point, but be cautious: there are no safety barriers, lighting or warning signs.

Stony stares from a drystone wall in Dumfries and Galloway

We all know that strange feeling of being watched – then turning round to find nobody there. If you wander just off the Old Edinburgh Road in a beautiful, isolated corner of the Galloway Hills, not far from Newton Stewart, you’ll find a whole bunch of faces staring out at you from the confines of a drystone wall. Artist Matt Baker carved Quorum – the Stone Faces in 1997 as part of a residency in the Galloway Forest. The heads have since become part of the landscape and have even formed new eyebrows out of lichen. The artwork is a stone’s throw away from another impressive piece called The Eye, a 10-metre tall cone sculpture on the banks of Black Loch.

The church ‘floating’ on Rutland Water

Arrive on a cold morning as the mist shrouds St Matthew’s church in Normanton, and it appears as if it is rising up from the depths of a lake. Normanton Church, as it is also known, stands on a small, boulder-strewn promontory on the vast expanse of Rutland Water. Built in the 1820s on the site of a medieval chapel, the church was scheduled for demolition when the man-made lake/reservoir was built in the 1970s. Thankfully, a last-minute public campaign saved it from this watery fate. Easy to view from the shoreline, it is open on scheduled days and for private events.

Dave Hamilton is the author of Weird Guide and Wild Ruins, published by Wild Things Publishing

SACRAMENTO — Xavier Becerra is poised to make history as California’s first elected Latino governor, according to a new poll.

But the survey shows voters, and Latinos in particular, have mixed views on the significance and impact of Becerra’s probable win.

According to the poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, the veteran Democratic politician was backed by 61% of likely California voters, compared with 34% who supported his Republican rival, former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton. That is slightly up from a September IGS survey that showed Becerra leading by 25 percentage points.

“He’s solidified almost unanimous support now among Democrats. Republicans are almost unanimous in the other direction,” IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said.

Becerra, a former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, congressman and state attorney general, “hasn’t offended any significant parts of the Democratic Party” and has united the party’s voters by “hammering away” against President Trump, DiCamillo said.

When asked to name one or two top priorities for the election, 40% of likely voters chose pushing back against the Trump administration, followed by 34% who cited reducing the cost of living. It’s a reversal from the mid-September survey, when 44% of likely voters said the cost of living was a top issue and 37% listed fighting Trump.

Both of those issues far outweighed the concerns of California voters about other issues that dominated the political discourse in past elections, including fighting crime, creating jobs and improving public education and healthcare.

Becerra’s supporters “are over the top on fighting Trump administration policies,” DiCamillo said. “I mean, 62% of his supporters state that as their greatest concern in this election. It’s really uniting the Democrats.”

The veteran pollster attributed the surge in anti-Trump sentiment in recent weeks to actions that “irritate” Democrats, such as the federal government’s quest to find illegal voting in California elections, continuing immigration raids and the president’s downplaying voter concerns about inflation and gas prices.

The survey reveals a generational split between voters: Those younger than 50 were more likely to name the cost of living as a top issue, while voters 50 and older were more likely to name Trump’s policies.

Latino voters were more evenly split between the two issues, and more focused on other needs than voters of other ethnic and racial groups. They were more likely to list priorities including reducing taxes, fighting crime and protecting immigrant communities than white, Black, or Asian American likely voters.

Days before voting ends in the Nov. 3 election, 53% of likely voters have a favorable view of Becerra and 41% see him unfavorably. Hilton’s image continues its upside-down trend: 56% view him unfavorably and 34% have a positive opinion.

“There’s been a lot of negative campaigning by Hilton, but it doesn’t seem to have had any impact,” DiCamillo said. “Becerra is just riding high on his image rating with the voters. This is the highest image rating we’ve measured for him.”

The survey asked voters whom they expected to win the race, regardless of which candidate they are supporting. Ninety percent of Democrats and 80% of voters not affiliated with a major party expected Becerra to win. Half of Republicans and 58% of those who identify as MAGA said they believed Hilton will win — a striking number in a state where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1 and the GOP has not won a statewide race in 20 years.

“They are hoping against hope,” DiCamillo said.

If he wins Tuesday’s election to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, Becerra would become the first-ever Latino elected governor and the first Latino in that office in 150 years.

Becerra’s support among Latino and white voters closely mirrors that of the overall electorate, with 60% favoring him. Becerra received a warmer reception from Black and Asian American voters in the state, according to the poll.

Asked how they felt about the possibility of electing a Latino governor, just over a third of all likely voters and 45% of Latino voters said they felt “proud.” But majorities of both groups — 52% of Latino voters and 58% of likely voters — believe electing the state’s first Latino governor is either “not too important” or “not at all important.”

For better or worse, voters also have low expectations about the impact of a potentially historic election.

Sixty-one percent of likely Latino voters, and 57% of total voters surveyed, do not believe that having a Latino governor would reduce racial inequalities in the state. And similar numbers doubt it would worsen racial tensions.

Among Latino voters, 40% believed electing a Latino governor would ease fear in their communities, but 43% disagreed. The remainder had no opinion.

“While greater than 4 in 10 Latinos feel proud and think it is important to elect a Latino governor, they also recognize that it will take much more than a single elected official to ease the fears and difficulties experienced by the Latino immigrant community,” IGS Co-Director G. Cristina Mora said. “With Trump still in office and prices still high, Latino voters seem cautious yet hopeful about the new governor.”

The poll was conducted online in English and Spanish from Oct. 19 to Sunday. Responses for the governor’s race poll came from a weighted sample of 1,477 respondents who already voted or were considered likely to vote in the November election, from a larger group of 2,787 registered voters throughout California. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.

The picture has its own legacy, but it also captured the end of AC Milan and Inter Milan’s 2005 Champions League quarter-final that was abandoned after flares and other objects rained down on the San Siro turf from a section of Inter fans, one striking and injuring Milan goalkeeper Dida.

With 73 minutes played of the second leg, the referee abandoned the match and the tie was later awarded to Milan, who were leading 3-0 on aggregate.

“The atmosphere that night was like every time you have an AC Milan and Inter derby at the San Siro,” says Rellandini, who was working for Reuters at the time.

“It is always strong. They don’t fight a lot, but the choreography of the supporters is huge and great, so you can really feel it, even if you’re not a player.

“When you put your feet on to the pitch, you can feel that it’s not just a soccer match. It is something more.

“You are really close to the players. It was a nice atmosphere; there was adrenaline.

“It just blew up when they disallowed the goal from Esteban Cambiasso. That completely changed the situation.

“The Inter Milan supporters were freaking out. They started throwing down objects, flares, and did not stop for about 15 or 20 minutes. It was something like a war.”

The tension had been brewing. Milan had knocked Inter out of the competition two years earlier on away goals, despite both semi-final legs ending in a draw at the San Siro. Milan went on to beat Juventus on penalties in the final at Old Trafford.

Milan also headed into the 2004-05 campaign as Italian champions – a sixth Scudetto since Inter last got their hands on the Serie A title in 1988-89.

Owner Silvio Berlusconi was building his second truly great Milan side and the entrepreneur-turned-politician had trusted Carlo Ancelotti, a member of the team that won successive European Cups in 1989 and 1990, to deliver another period of success as manager.

For the quarter-final second leg a formidable back four of Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini sat behind Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Massimo Ambrosini and Kaka, with Hernan Crespo – formerly of Inter – and Andriy Shevchenko up front. Rui Costa was on the bench.

Inter, meanwhile, had spent lavishly to try and compete with Milan and Juventus. Chairman Massimo Moratti broke the transfer world record twice in three years, first to sign Ronaldo from Barcelona in 1997 and then to get Christian Vieri from Lazio in 1999.

Crespo and Seedorf had arrived at Inter on big deals, but failed to land any significant silverware, before uniting across the divide at Milan.

Fabio Cannavaro had also come and gone – a misfiring two-year spell ending with a move to Juventus.

By 2005 the Inter midfield was built around the Argentina pair of Cambiasso and Juan Sebastian Veron, while ahead of them precocious Brazil forward Adriano was enjoying his most prolific season in a black and blue shirt.

The team was improving. The results weren’t.

Inter carried the unwanted tag of ‘August champions’ among rival fans, who mocked the expectations that had been built up in the summer transfer market and invariably fizzled out by the time silverware was at stake in May.

Among Inter supporters, there was an underlying feeling that they were running an unfair race – between them, Milan and Juventus had won 11 of the previous 13 titles.

However, in 2006 both would be implicated in the Calciopoli scandal. Juventus were relegated to Serie B for their part and stripped of two titles. Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were docked points.

In 2005 rumours were already swirling in the stands. Criminal investigations had begun in Naples and Turin over alleged bribery and corruption in football.

As the match turned against Inter, their fans’ frustrations – at the scoreline and their inability to close the gap on Milan and Juventus teams who always seemed one step ahead – spilled over from the stands and on to the pitch.

Stam and Shevchenko had given Milan a two-goal advantage in the first leg.

LeBron James scored 20 points, including a late tip-in, to help seal the Philadelphia 76ers’ 98-93 victory over the NBA champions New York Knicks on Friday.

The 76ers notched their second win of the young season over the Knicks after spoiling their championship banner-raising with a victory at Madison Square Garden on opening night.

The win had a double edge as Friday’s games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA in-season tournament won by the Knicks before they went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since 1973.

Group-stage Cup games will be played throughout November, all counting in the regular-season standings. Quarterfinals will be played December 4-5 and semifinals December 8-9 before the final on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points to lead the Sixers, who took control early against the sloppy Knicks.

They led by 14 in the third quarter and weathered a late Knicks surge.

Jalen Brunson’s step-back three-pointer put New York up 90-89 with 1:32 remaining.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, answered with a basket that put Philadelphia back in front and pushed the lead to 96-91 with a tip-in off a Maxey miss with 11.9 seconds left.

LeBron’s ‘best game’

James, 41, added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and a vintage chase-down block in what 76ers coach Nick Nurse called his best game since joining as a free agent in July.

“I thought he was really good all the way through,” Nurse said. “When we got some downhill stuff, he used his size and knocked them around a little bit for some layups … kind of pushed and organised it.

“He’s been good, but that was his best game, for sure.”

Brunson led New York with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 2-4.

The Dallas Mavericks, fuelled by 35 points from Kyrie Irving and 33 from Cooper Flagg, rallied to hand the Houston Rockets their first defeat of the season, 116-111.

The Rockets had emerged from a back-and-forth first half with a 51-44 lead, pushing the advantage to as many as 11 before taking an eight-point lead into the final frame.

Irving’s three-pointer with 7:01 remaining put Dallas back in front, and they wouldn’t trail again, the Mavs finding an answer when Houston twice pulled level in the final stretch.

“It felt good,” Irving said. “We came in at halftime, we weren’t proud of our effort. We looked each other in the eye, and we were just like, we’ve got to do better.

“We didn’t bring it in the first half, but the second half we definitely brought it.”

Curry climbs scoring list

Golden State star Stephen Curry scored 31 points to lead the Warriors to a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a rollercoaster contest in San Francisco.

The Lakers outscored the Warriors 38-15 in the first quarter, the Warriors erasing the 23-point deficit by outscoring Los Angeles 38-15 in the second to knot it 53-53 at halftime.

Luka Doncic scored 37 points for the Lakers. The night’s abiding image was of him crashing to the floor as he was wrong-footed by Curry – who fired over him for a three-pointer.

Curry took his career points tally to 26,674, surpassing Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 18th on the all-time scoring list.

In Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double of 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists to propel the Heat to a 145-125 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

In Boston, the Celtics romped to a 125-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Payton Pritchard scored 30 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored 26 for the Celtics, who led by as many as 32 points.

Orlando’s Desmond Bane scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 26 and Wendell Carter chipped in 20 as the Magic fended off a late challenge to beat the Raptors 121-114 in Toronto.

The Magic drained 18 three-pointers and withstood a career-high 41-point performance from Toronto’s Scottie Barnes.

Detroit shook off a slow start to hand the winless Nets a fifth straight defeat in Brooklyn, where Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, and Ron Holland added 18 off the bench in a 110-94 Pistons victory.

Despite calling time on his playing career two decades ago, it is still rare for Shearer to find himself with a weekend off.

Now a regular pundit on Match of the Day, as well as co-commentating on England games and sitting alongside Gary Lineker and Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football podcast, he has become one of the most respected pundits in the game.

But that was not always going to be the case.

Unsure of whether he would enter the world of management or media post-retirement, Shearer served as interim Newcastle manager in 2009 for the remaining eight games of the season.

It ended badly, with the Magpies relegated and Shearer never returning to the dugout.

“Newcastle were were in desperate trouble and I could never say no – we were bottom of the league, fighting for our lives,” he said.

“I should have known that when I signed the contract on April Fool’s Day that it wasn’t going to work out!

“I always felt that I was going to go into it again and I wanted to. I had a couple of interviews and got offered the job at Cardiff. And then things changed … and I thought, ‘what am I doing here?'”

That ended Shearer’s brief brush with management and he returned to punditry, spending his weekends travelling between Newcastle and Salford for Match of the Day.

“It is such a long day. For me travelling from Newcastle, it’s a probably 19-20 hour day,” he said.

“What people don’t realise is that you’re meant to be at your brightest and your liveliest when you go on live at 10:30, whereas if you’re watching football all day on the settee, you’re ready to nod off at that time.”

Watching so much Premier League football, at least Shearer is able to monitor that goal-scoring record of his.