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Nvidia loses more than $600bn in market value as CEO Jensen Huang steps down amid espionage and affair allegations.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has stepped down from the company following his reported affairs with a suspected Chinese spy and an Nvidia executive.

The $4.2 trillion tech giant has lost more than $600bn in market value this week as Huang’s scandals rocked the company, which supplies most of the chips powering advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The stock slid more than 10 percent in premarket trading on Thursday.

The company appointed Colette Kress, Nvidia’s chief financial officer and executive vice president, as interim CEO on Thursday.

Nvidia’s board met on Wednesday night to discuss ousting Huang, whose relationship with the alleged Chinese spy triggered investigations by the FBI, the United States Congress and the California-based tech giant. Nvidia is also facing a shareholder class-action lawsuit.

The alleged Chinese intelligence asset, Alice Huang, is a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, Nvidia’s primary business partner in Southeast Asia. Founded in 2023, Megaspeed has been investigated over whether it helped Chinese companies access its $4.8bn stock of powerful Nvidia chips.

The affair has raised national security concerns in the US, which restricts chip sales to China over concerns that the Chinese military, intelligence agencies or companies could use the advanced technology.

Huang, 63, is Nvidia’s co-founder, president and CEO. A close ally of United States President Donald Trump, he has pushed to ease US restrictions on chip exports to China. Trump said earlier this week that Huang told him he had “absolutely no idea” that he was in a relationship with an intelligence operative.

Huang owns about 3.6 percent of Nvidia’s stock, making him one of the richest people in the world. He is a powerful figure in the AI industry, which has driven record stock market and wider economic gains.

Nvidia’s board, which hired a law firm to investigate the affair with Alice Huang, met to decide Huang’s fate on Wednesday shortly after the New York Times reported that Huang also had an extramarital relationship with a Nvidia vice president who reports to him.

Nvidia’s stock has tumbled since the scandal erupted, falling to a 14-year low, the Reuters news agency reported.

Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley lost her mother, Cath, to cancer back in 2012 after she was first diagnosed in 2001.

Lisa Riley broke down in tears when speaking about her late mother during an episode of Loose Women.

On Thursday’s show, the ITV panel touched on where they find comfort in challenging times after The Princess of Wales touched on nature bringing her comfort during her cancer recovery. Touching on where they find comfort, the Emmerdale actress spoke about her faith getting her through the time her mother died.

She said: “It helped with my mum so much; sometimes it was hard- sorry.” Lisa then began to cry as she reflected on the time her mother was dying, as Charlene got up and offered her a tissue.

The actress went on: “At the end of the day, when I had to be the leader of the family and tell my dad. My dad was in denial all the way through and through. He was like, ‘She’ll get better’. I had to be so stoic for the family and go. ‘She’s not going to get better. She isn’t, Dad. She’s going to die’.

“Up until her last breath, he believed that. So I was like, ‘Dad, come on, remember our faith, remember those days when we used our faith and just had that silence together?’ Yeah, you are so rich having the faith you have. It’s wonderful.”

Lisa explained on the programme that she had grown up a devout Catholic, going to church every weekend and attending midnight mass each Christmas. She told the Loose Women panel that her faith also helped when her mother’s father was dying.

She shared: “When he was in his last five days of his life, when we had faith, it wasn’t necessarily on our knees praying. What we did, around the bed, we just held hands, and we gave that energy.

“That good, heartfelt energy, and it was faith that he would get better. We knew the outcome; we knew he wasn’t going to make it, but he could feel that next to him.”

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Lisa lost her mother, Cath, to cancer in 2012 and has been open about how she felt as though she had lost purpose following her death. Earlier on in the year, she told the ITV show that appearing on Strictly Come Dancing helped her with her grief.

At the time, she said: “Behind the camera, there was so much going on for me and also for Robin [Windsor]. Robin was there for me; he was my dance partner, my grief counsellor, my therapist, all the way through. My family were so grateful for how he got me through the worst time of my life.”

Loose Women is available to watch weekdays on ITV from 12:30pm.

Ahead of the November elections, candidates in Arizona seized on one issue like never before: water.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs ran ads touting her record, saying: “Those before me didn’t protect our water, so I tackled the problem.” She handily won reelection.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs share the stage during a Democratic rally in Phoenix.

(Rebecca Noble / Getty Images)

Atty. Gen. Kris Mayes also made water a central issue, saying in a campaign ad: “If it’s Arizona’s water, I’ll always fight to protect it.” She similarly trounced her Republican challenger.

The surge in water-focused campaigning reflects growing concerns among voters about the shrinking Colorado River and chronic overpumping of groundwater.

“Water is now among the very top issues,” said Christopher Kuzdas, the Environmental Defense Fund’s water program director in Arizona. “People increasingly relate water to their ability to make choices about their future — the opportunity to stay in a place and build a life.”

The subject has become top-of-mind for many as the desert state braces for more cuts to its allotment of Colorado River water. Arizona recently joined a lawsuit by Nevada against the Trump administration to challenge its plan for mandatory cutbacks, arguing it would harm the state’s economy.

In California, in contrast, water was less prominent in most political campaigns.

One exception was Republican gubernatorial contender Steve Hilton, who sought to woo voters with his calls for delivering more water to farms and cities. In the Central Valley, some of his campaign signs declared: “For Water & Jobs.”

But ultimately Hilton’s calls seemed to gain little traction. Democrat Xavier Becerra won by a large margin.

Some Arizona voters have become alarmed about how out-of-state companies and investors have set up large farms in the desert where they can pump unlimited groundwater from wells, with some exporting alfalfa overseas.

Both Hobbs and Mayes have targeted a giant Saudi-owned hay farm in western Arizona, and campaigned on their efforts to rein in its heavy water use.

The governor terminated the company’s leases of state land, a deal that had included below-market rates. And Mayes is suing the company, arguing it’s causing harm by pulling up excessive amounts of water on its remaining farmland.

An irrigation system sprays an alfalfa field in December 2025 near Vicksburg, Ariz. The Saudi-owned company Fondomonte Arizona LLC has been growing alfalfa on desert farmland.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

“It takes about 12 gallons of water to grow just one alfalfa plant. But there’s a Saudi-owned mega-farm in Arizona growing millions of them,” the attorney general said in one commercial. “That’s why I sued, just like I’ve sued other companies abusing Arizona’s water supply.”

The company, Fondomonte, also owns land in California. It recently said it is “committed to progressive, efficient agricultural practices,” and has invested in “the latest technology to conserve water” on its farms.

A survey earlier this year by the Center for the Future of Arizona confirmed that water has risen to the top of voters’ concerns, and that 69% do not believe the state will have enough over the long term to support people, agriculture and economic growth. The survey also found 78% want stronger protections for groundwater in rural areas — which Hobbs’ administration has begun to adopt.

Over the last four years, state officials have established three new regulated areas to limit pumping by farms where groundwater levels are dropping. Hobbs has tailored her message to indicate she isn’t anti-farming but will prioritize solutions where large farms are taking too much groundwater. In one ad, farmer Ed Curry endorsed Hobbs as a leader who is helping to address his area’s water problem.

In a post on the Environmental Defense Fund’s website, Kuzdas wrote that concerns about water have gone “from obscurity to the mainstream,” thanks in part to extensive journalism examining the subject. (He credited a 2019 Arizona Republic investigation that I wrote with then-colleague Rob O’Dell for helping to put the groundwater crisis on the agenda.)

He also credited residents who have organized and spoken out to demand change in areas where wells have run dry.

At the same time, the constant news coverage of the Colorado River’s low reservoirs over the last year has more people concerned about the state’s water future as climate change intensifies drought. By this summer, Kuzdas said he was seeing political ads on water almost every day.

He said unlike issues such as the economy or education, water tends to be a nonpartisan issue, and that makes him hopeful the state’s leaders can take bigger, more creative steps toward solutions.

“I do think that water has some traction and legs for a while as a top electoral issue,” he said, “because the challenges we face are so significant.”

A 2014 aerial view of the valley where the proposed Sites Reservoir is slated to be built near Maxwell, Calif.

(Risa Johnson / California Department of Water Resources)

More water news

California water regulators have cleared the way for construction of Sites Reservoir, the state’s first large reservoir in decades. I reported for The Times on the decision by the State Water Resources Control Board after a heated debate. Gov. Gavin Newsom and leaders of water agencies say the reservoir is vital to a modern California water system. Tribes say it will destroy sacred sites, and others argue the $7-billion project is too costly and will harm fish and the environment.

The decision followed another vote by the same board approving controversial changes to how the state controls water pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the heart of the state water system.

My L.A. Times colleague Susanne Rust wrote about alarming new research on plastic pollution. A scientist skied into remote wilderness areas of the Sierra Nevada to take samples of freshly fallen snow. Everywhere she looked, she found microplastics.

A deckhand holds a dorado aboard the sportfishing boat Dana Pride in September.

(Gary Coronado / For The Times)

More climate and environment news

The extremely warm ocean waters along the California coast, fueled by climate change and the strong El Niño, continue to set records and drive extraordinary shifts in fish and other marine life. Joshua Partlow writes in the Atlantic that El Niño, which has pushed the ocean temperature to 11 degrees higher than average, has brought entire tropical ecosystems north, including whale sharks, giant manta rays and reef fish.

The superheated ocean waters have been bringing dramatic transformations for months. Fedor Zarkhin reported for The Times that anglers on sportfishing boats have been catching tuna, mahi-mahi and wahoo, which aren’t usually found off Southern California. Last week, my colleague Corinne Purtill covered the news when a third olive ridley sea turtle laid its eggs in Southern California. The shifts in the ocean are also leaving victims, as thousands of emaciated seabirds have washed up dead on beaches.

Sen. Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma pushed for a provision in a permitting reform bill that would limit states’ power to block gas pipelines. As Nicholas Kusnetz and Lauren Dalban report for Inside Climate News, Armstrong could stand to gain financially.

As U.N. climate talks began in Turkey this week, Secretary-General António Guterres said in an interview with AP reporter Seth Borenstein that as global warming brings worsening heat waves, storms, floods and droughts, it’s time fossil fuel companies start paying taxes on their windfall profits to support countries grappling with the most severe effects.

“This is a moment of truths,” Guterres said. “We can no longer wait. … Everybody must do more, everybody must do more now.”

This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

And catch the latest episode of the Boiling Point Podcast: This week hear film director Richard Ladkani talk about the documentary he has produced with Indigenous leader Juma Xipaia about her years of struggle to protect the forests and rivers of the Amazon.

For more news on water issues and climate change, follow Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social on Bluesky and @ByIanJames on X.

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for Week 10 of the NFL season.

All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Last week, Farmer posted an 15-0 record. Through the first nine weeks of the season, he is 89-47 (.654).

Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, his record against the spread in Week 9 would have been 12-3 (.800). For the season, his record against the spread is 65-71 (.478).

All times are Pacific and TV reflects broadcasts in the Los Angeles area. The Bears, Broncos, Buccaneers and Eagles are off this week.

Russian, Belarusian athletes and officials will be prevented from entering Canada regardless of their visa status.

Canada says it will prevent Russian athletes and officials from entering the country for ice hockey’s World Junior Championship in Alberta, effectively barring their participation weeks before the tournament begins.

Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden said on Wednesday that Ottawa opposes Russian and Belarusian participation in international sport “as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine with Belarus’s complicity”.

The minister for immigration, refugees and citizenship “will take measures to individually assess and prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete, regardless of whether they already hold valid visas”, Van Koeverden said.

Hockey Canada has previously said it supports the government’s position.

Late last month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to admit Russian teams to five upcoming championships, beginning with the World Junior Championship.

The IIHF, which has barred Russia from most international competitions since Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said it disagreed with the CAS decision.

The hockey federation’s statement followed announcements from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Czech Republic that ⁠⁠their national teams will refuse to play against Russia at next year’s men’s World Championships in Germany.

Latvia and Finland have also said their teams will not play Russia, while the Finnish city of Turku threatened to ⁠⁠drop its hosting duties for the 2028 World Junior Championship.

Belarus’s team will not participate in the championship following a separate decision by the IIHF.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has previously said Ottawa would not permit Russian athletes to compete for their country on Canadian soil, a statement some perceived as keeping the door open for their participation as neutrals.

Van Koeverden said Canada allowed neutral participation only by individual athletes, ruling out the option for the Russian team.

“Canada’s position is unequivocal: as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, there can be no return to business as usual,” he said. “Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine.”

The World Junior Championship runs from December 26 to January 5.

FIFA says its ‘security assessments’ for the 48-team tournament remain unchanged after US Soccer pulled out.

FIFA says the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar will kick off as scheduled on November 19, despite the United States’ decision to withdraw its team from the tournament.

US Soccer withdrew its national team citing safety concerns, but the sport’s global governing body, which is hosting the tournament in Qatar, confirmed on Thursday that its plans remain unchanged.

“The safety and security of all participants and fans remain paramount. As with all FIFA tournaments and events, we are in close contact with the relevant authorities and ‌‌‌‌are looking forward to the tournament kickoff in Qatar,” FIFA told Al Jazeera in a statement hours after the USA’s announcement.

“In recent months, Qatar has successfully hosted several international events,” it added.

Qatar hosted two major international tournaments in the past two weeks.

MotoGP’s Qatar Grand Prix was successfully held on 8 and the FIP Padel World Cup 2026 concluded on the same day.

With a week until the Under-17 World Cup kicks off, FIFA confirmed that its security assessments “remain unchanged” and that no new ⁠⁠⁠⁠developments affecting the security situation around the tournament have occurred.

“FIFA understands that US Soccer’s decision was made in light of the existing US ⁠⁠⁠⁠Level 3 travel advisory,” it said.

In a letter sent to players, the US Soccer Federation ⁠⁠⁠⁠said it was cancelling the team’s pre-tournament camp and its participation in the event “in light of current circumstances”, according to the Reuters news agency.

The US State Department updated its advisory for Qatar last month, urging Americans to reconsider travel because of the risk of armed conflict.

The update referred to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian ‌‌‌‌airports and critical infrastructure.

“The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority,” the US federation’s letter said.

The 48-team Under-17 tournament runs from November 19 to December 13. USA had been due ⁠⁠⁠⁠to open against Montenegro on November 21 before ⁠⁠⁠⁠facing Chile and Algeria in Group J.

BA CityFlyer will cut all of its flights from London Stansted by April 2027.

British Airways told The Sun that customers can book BA CityFlyer Stansted services until next spring when its aircraft will be deployed elsewhere.

The airline has been at the airport for the last decade but it is pulling out of its hub entirely.

BA CityFlyer is an owned subsidiary of British Airways that flies short-haul routes to and from the UK.

Talking to Sun Travel, British Airways said: “We continually review our network and will no longer operate BA CityFlyer weekend services from London Stansted following the end of the 2026/27 ski season.

“Customers can continue to book and travel on BA CityFlyer Stansted services until 11 April 2027. We regularly review where we deploy our aircraft to best meet customer demand and will invest this capacity elsewhere across our network.”

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Five routes were initially set to fly from London Stansted during weekends over the summer, but have been axed for 2027.

No longer available will be routes to Bergerac, Nice, Florence, Olbia and Majorca.

Without BA CityFlyer serving the routes, there will be no direct link from London Stansted to Florence next summer.

But BA CityFlyer is scheduled to continue operating this route during the winter season.

Luckily, the other four routes will be served by other airlines during the summer 2027 season.

For those wanting to fly to Bergerac, Ryanair will go there five times a week next year.

Olbia in Italy will be served by both Ryanair and Jet2 twice a week.

Palma de Mallorca in Spain will have links from London Stansted with Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI.

There will also be daily flights to Nice in France with Ryanair from the airport.

Currently, the BA CityFlyer is running weekend flights to Florence, Chambéry, and Geneva as part of its winter schedule.

BA CityFlyer will continue to fly out of London City Airport, which is its larger hub to over 20 destinations.

THIS is the moment Russell Brand joked he was “looking at a 10-year stretch” in prison – 13 years before the fiend was caged for rape.

The disgraced comedian made the remark on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2013 as the pair discussed Brand’s past behaviour.

In the resurfaced footage, which is now doing the rounds on social media, Brand appears to make an eerie prediction about his eventual downfall.

The exchange begins with Ross telling his guest: “We should point out, by the way, that you do not endorse criminal behaviour.”

Brand replies: “It depends really, I mean…”

But Ross quickly jumps in, saying: “I am trying to keep you out of trouble.”

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Brand then fires back: “Oh yeah, you have done a great job in the past, ain’t ya? Thank you, Uncle Jonathan.”

The audience erupts into laughter, with the remark thought to be a reference to the pair’s involvement in the 2008 Sachsgate scandal.

Brand then adds: “I will be looking at a ten stretch. You’re like bloody Fagin.”

Ross responds: “I was trying to keep you on the straight and narrow.”

But Brand continues: “I was regarded as a twinkie little sex addict when I met you, and then I nearly ended up in jail.”

Social media users have been quick to point out the irony of the comment, more than a decade before he received a sentence of ten years and six months.

The fictional character Fagin, from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, is a criminal who leads a gang of young pickpockets.

Brand’s comparison appeared to suggest Ross had been encouraging him towards trouble rather than keeping him on the straight and narrow.

Ross has since broken his silence after Brand’s conviction and the allegations surrounding his former pal David Walliams came to light.

A three-year joint investigation by ITV News and the Guardian revealed shocking allegations against Walliams dating back as far as 2003.

Walliams has been accused of preying on young girls for sexual purposes – including two as young as 15 – and he denies the claims.

Ross said he was “genuinely unaware of their conduct” when he was on friendly terms with the pair.

He also said his “thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward”.

The resurfaced exchange is just one of a string of uncomfortable clips involving Brand that have been circulating online since his sentencing.

Another disturbing video shows the moment Noel Fielding joked: “We’re not rapists” during an appearance alongside Brand on Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007.

The exchange came after Jonathan Ross made a crude remark about singer Lily Allen, who was the only woman on the panel.

Fielding responded: “How dare you, we’re not rapists.”

Host Jimmy Carr then quipped: “Why are you wearing a cape if you’re not a rapist?”

Brand, grinning, then said: “What if, horror of horrors, he ain’t even done a rape. You could ruin his career.”

He went on to ask Fielding: “Have you done a rape?”

Footage has also resurfaced of Brand touching Lorraine Kelly’s thigh during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in 2007.

The comedian placed his hand on the TV presenter before asking whether she was wearing suspenders.

He then called her a “s**t”, leaving her visibly uncomfortable.

Another chilling clip shows Brand asking broadcaster Vanessa Feltz whether he could have sex with her daughters during an appearance on his chat show in 2006.

Her youngest daughter was just 15 at the time.

When Vanessa firmly told him no, Brand continued to push the subject.

It comes as comedian Sean Lock has had praise heaped on him for calling out Brand in a scathing rant on Channel 4‘s 8 Out Of 10 Cats.

The late comic, who died from cancer in 2021, has been praised for his comments about the disgraced star in another resurfaced television clip.

Lock launched into a furious takedown of Brand, branding him “pathetic” and admitting: “I hate him so much.”

He went on to explain that being a father was one of the reasons he felt so strongly about Brand.

Lock said: “Probably the reason I hate him so much is that I am a dad, and I have this fear that one day my daughters will bring something like that home.”

In 2006, Brand interviewed Walliams alongside his Little Britain comedy partner Matt Lucas.

During the exchange, Lucas accused the pair of being the “gayest straight blokes there are”.

Walliams turned to Brand and replied: “Isn’t it a wonderful smokescreen?”

Brand agreed, saying: “Isn’t it though? Isn’t it glorious? It works wonderfully well.”

Walliams has denied the accusations and insists he has broken no law.

Brand, 51, was jailed for ten years and six months at Southwark Crown Court on November 9.

He was convicted last week of raping a woman he met at one of his gigs in 2009.

The former comic was also found guilty of sexually assaulting three other women at the height of his fame between 2004 and 2009.

He was cleared of two further counts of rape and one of attempted indecent assault.

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Bennathan described Brand as a “sexual predator” who had used his fame to prey on women.

Brand, who denied all the charges, has been held at HMP Wandsworth in South London since his conviction.

Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree?

I get it. We’re barely into November. You haven’t put away the Halloween décor yet, even though you finished eating all the leftover candy (even those off-brand Whoppers) days ago.

But for many of us, the most wonderful time of the year arrived early, on Nov. 3, with the midterm election rebuke of corruption, unnecessary wars, cruelty, racism, misogyny, taxpayer-funded vanity projects, and the soaring cost of just about everything.

Democrats flipped the House, the Senate, governorships and state houses in areas that were once as red as the stiff holiday dress mom forced you to wear to the school pageant.

And I did wear that dress, even though I’m an Ali. Muslims can be just as secular as any other faith. My dad, an Iraqi Shiite, bought a live tree every year. My mom, an Anglo Cali girl who was raised Protestant, taught him — and her kids — how to string the lights, space out the ornaments and delicately hang the tinsel rather than throw it on in clumps (chucking it was way more fun, of course).

Supporters of Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico cheer as they watch midterm election returns come in.

(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

Christmas equaled happiness. It still does.

I’m the weirdo who listens to Christmas music year-round, particularly when times get tough. Suffice to say that over the last decade, there’s been a lot of yuletide listening in July, or May, or whenever it felt like the implosion of democracy and the rise of something much darker was too much to handle without the buoyant cheer of Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or the soothing calm of Burl Ives “Silent Night.”

They got me through a lot: The Muslim ban. Brett Kavanaugh’s SCOTUS hearing. The abortion ban. Gutting the Voting Rights Act. January 6th. Gaza. DOGE. Bombing a school in Iran. ICE sweeps, deportations and killings. The stupid ballroom. The stupid Melania documentary.

Vince Guaraldi’s “Skating” didn’t do much to stop the Big Lie or expose the contents of the Epstein Files, but it did offer a small dose of joy when there was little to be found.

There are others out there like me, who’ve let it slip that they were listening to the London Philharmonic’s “Carol of the Bells” deep into summer because they needed to. It was paramount to their mental health.

The irony is that over the years, angry readers and trolls have accused me of wanting to “cancel Christmas” because my writing, or mere existence, challenged their idea of what American faith is, or should be. As if there was only one, and everyone practiced it.

If only I’d sent them back a musical Christmas card. The tune would be Booker T. & the M.G.’s jaunty version of “Jingle Bells.” The message: “Peace on earth, good will toward men, women, and non-binary.”

Why do the best comebacks always arrive after the fact?

Before anyone takes offense, I’m wholly aware there is a much deeper meaning behind the holiday, and I respect that. My warm and fuzzy feelings for the C9 incandescent bulb and my Mr. Christmas magnetized skating rink are just that, feelings. They come in handy when a safe harbor is needed.

For example: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces that the government plans to livestream an execution. Seek refuge in Johnny Mathis’ “Calypso Noel.”

Let’s get back to the tree.

Our 7.5-foot Vickerman White Spruce with 750 multicolored LED bulbs with an easy to assemble, snap-in trunk has been up the day after Thanksgiving every year since 2016, when President Trump won his first term, and my first assignment as a critic was to cover his inauguration. Like “Mame,” I just needed a little Christmas! Right that very minute!

To be fair, he had yet to prove himself. But there were clues to how bad things might get should he win: He initially declined to disavow an endorsement from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. He boasted on a hot mic about sexually assaulting women. He refused to publicly release his tax returns, as if there was something to hide.

With each passing year of MAGA toxicity, I kept the tree up a little longer and made Valentine’s Day a reasonable cut-off date.

My reasons are different for wanting to put the tree up now, well before Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas. It’s not about bringing me joy, but about reflecting how good it feels now that the country stands a chance of repairing the damage from a decade of Trumpism. MAGA is falling. Hegseth is headed toward impeachment. Tesla has ended production of the Cybertruck.

Cue the music. Plug in the tree. It’s never too early to celebrate.

Austin Reaves injured in Lakers’ victory

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The Lakers won their seventh straight game. They could lose something bigger.

Star guard Austin Reaves left Wednesday’s 123-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks with a left heel injury and did not return.

Reaves, who scored 18 points with five assists and three steals, landed awkwardly on a blocked dunk attempt during the third quarter but stayed in the game despite appearing to be in discomfort on the bench during an ensuing timeout. He remained in the game for three minutes before appearing to aggravate the injury on a drive toward the basket. He asked to sub himself out on the next possession.

Reaves’ initial X-rays were negative, Lakers coach JJ Redick said, and the guard, averaging a career-best 23.5 points on 50.8% shooting, will undergo further imaging. Initial tests have ruled out any potential Achilles injury, Redick said.

The Lakers finished their first extended trip of the season unscathed in the standings, improving to 11-2 and still the best record in the league, but had to limp across the finish line Wednesday after injuries struck.

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Lakers box score

NBA standings

Historic victory for UCLA men

Serbian star Nikola Kusturica scored 17 points and Jaylen Pettit added 16 as No. 9 UCLA routed Arkansas Pine Bluff 106-37 Wednesday night and set a program record for margin of victory.

The Bruins (3-0) won by a record 69 points. UCLA’s previous largest margin of victory was 65 points, accomplished three times and most recently in a 122-57 win over Portland in 1967, a mark that stood for 59 years.

Trent Perry finished with 11 points and 11 assists for his first double-double.

Macaleab Rich led Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-3) with 11 points.

UCLA used a 20-0 run early to build a 33-4 lead in the first half.

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UCLA box score

USC men defeat Cal

Alijah Arenas had 19 points and seven rebounds, Rodney Rice added 18 points and five rebounds, and No. 21 USC beat California 77-65 on Wednesday night in a nonconference matchup between the former Pac-12 foes.

Jacob Cofie contributed 13 points, matched his career high with rebounds and dished out six assists and KJ Lewis scored 16 for USC (3-0), which dominated on the boards 53-36.

Sammie Yeanay scored 14 points and Nojus Indrusaitis 13 to lead the Golden Bears (2-2) on a night 5,087 fans turned out for the 8 p.m. tipoff.

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USC box score

Chargers trade is called off

From Austin Knoblauch: The Denver Broncos announced Wednesday night that a proposed trade for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley has been called off.

The trade was pending the results of a physical, but the Broncos did not explain why the deal will not be finalized. Henley was listed on the injury report last week with a shoulder injury, but he practiced in full Thursday and Friday before the Chargers’ 44-22 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Shortly before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, the Chargers reached an agreement with the Broncos for Henley in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.

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Ducks lose to Nashville

Shane Wright, Nils Hoglander and Jayden Struble had a goal and an assist apiece, and the Nashville Predators extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night.

Hoglander put Nashville ahead with a remarkable between-the-legs goal in the second period, and Justus Annunen made 27 saves to win his fourth consecutive start. Steven Stamkos also scored late in the third period.

One night after a comfortable shutout of the Kings, the Predators completed the Southern California sweep by cooling down the surging Ducks, whose five-game winning streak ended.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

Will the Dodgers sign Tarik Skubal?

From Maddie Lee: The Dodgers’ early offseason to-do list includes a meeting with top free agent Tarik Skubal, the two-time Cy Young winner who they acquired at the trade deadline this year.

Other than the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series exit, the three-month fling was as happy of a partnership as either side could have hoped.

Skubal jelled with the group immediately, becoming especially close friends with fellow lefty Blake Snell, who promised that he’d worked to recruit Skubal back this offseason. And after posting a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts, Skubal, the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter in both playoff series, limited postseason opponents to a total of three runs.

“I know that he enjoyed his time here, we loved having him, so I think that’s certainly helpful as far as these conversations go,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday at General Managers meetings. “And outside of that, he’s earned the right to be in this position and figure out what’s best for him and his family.”

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This day in sports history

1892 — William “Pudge” Heffelfinger becomes the first pro football player by getting $500 to play for the Allegheny Athletic Assn. against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Heffelfinger doesn’t disappoint his bosses, returning a fumble for a touchdown to give Allegheny a 4-0 victory.

1920 — Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is hired as baseball’s first commissioner.

1931 — Maple Leaf Gardens opens in Toronto, with the Chicago Blackhawks winning 2-1 before 13,233 fans.

1967 — Travis Williams of Green Bay returns two kickoffs for touchdowns against Cleveland, and the Packers beat the Browns 55-7. The Packers score 45 points in the first half, 35 in the opening quarter.

1972 — Richard Petty wins a record fourth NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship after finishing third in the Texas 500.

1972 — Don Shula becomes the first NFL coach to win 100 regular-season games in 10 seasons when the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots 52-0.

1994 — Prairie View loses 52-7 to Jackson State, breaking an NCAA Division I-AA record with 45 straight losses. Columbia lost 44 straight from 1983-88.

1995 — Miami’s Dan Marino breaks Fran Tarkenton’s NFL career record of 47,003 yards passing with a 9-yard pass to Irving Fryar during the Dolphins’ 34-17 loss to the New England Patriots.

2006 — Indianapolis edges Buffalo 17-16 to become the first team to have consecutive 9-0 records.

2007 — Top-ranked Roger Federer loses consecutive matches for the first time in 4 1/2 years, falling to No. 7 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 4-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 at the Masters Cup.

2010 — Minnesota’s Kevin Love grabs a franchise-record 31 rebounds and scores 31 points, the NBA’s first 30-30 game in 28 years. Love grabs 15 rebounds in the third quarter alone, and the Timberwolves rally from a 21-point, third-quarter deficit to stun the New York Knicks 112-103. Moses Malone was the last player to have a 30-30 game — 32 points, 38 rebounds for Houston against Seattle in 1982.

2013 — Keith Dawson tips in a miss with less than six seconds left to give No. 2 Michigan State a 78-74 victory over top-ranked Kentucky. It’s the earliest meeting of 1 vs. 2 in AP poll history and the first since 2008.

2016 — Anthony Moeglin throws a 24-yard touchdown pass to William Woods with 39 seconds left to lift John Carroll to a 31-28 win over Mount Union. The loss ends the Purple Raiders’ NCAA-record 112-game regular-season winning streak. The Division III powerhouse hadn’t lost since Oct. 22, 2005.

2017 — Brittany Force becomes the NHRA’s first female Top Fuel season champion since Shirley Muldowney in 1982 in the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals. Force is the daughter of 16-time Funny Car champion John Force.

2019 — Former Houston Astros MLB pitcher Mike Fiers reveals the team secretly “stole signs” via camera from visiting teams.

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.

Uzma and Noreen released from a Lahore jail but Aleema Khan still detained nearly two months after their arrest.

⁠Uzma Khan and ⁠Noreen Niazi Khan, sisters ⁠of Pakistan’s jailed ‌former Prime Minister Imran Khan, have been ⁠released from ⁠prison, their lawyer and Khan’s political party said.

“Dr Uzma Khan and Ms Noreen Niazi have been released. They have arrived home safely,” lawyer Mudassar Umer said in a post on X on Thursday.

The sisters were released from Kot Lakhpat maximum-security prison in Lahore, nearly two months after they were arrested. A third sister, Aleema Khan, who was detained the same day as Uzma and Noreen, remains in jail, Imran Khan party’s the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said.

“Aleema Khan remains behind bars. The release of two sisters does not end the injustice or erase the suffering inflicted on Imran Khan’s family,” PTI leader and close Khan confidant Zulfiqar Bukhari told Al Jazeera.

“The demand is clear: No selective relief, no intimidation, and no further persecution.”

Uzma Khan’s son, Wali Khan, called for an explanation as to why his mother had been detained for ⁠53 days and then released, saying the decisions were ⁠not based in law. “Their jailing was arbitrary, and so is their release,” he said in a post on X.

The sisters were arrested and placed under 30-day detention orders a week before a planned PTI protest march on September 27 to demand their brother’s release.

Imran Khan, 74, has been jailed since August 2023 following a series of convictions his party calls politically motivated. All but one have since been suspended or overturned on appeal.

Concerns over his health, in particular the condition of his right eye, which has required months of specialist treatment, have driven the PTI campaign to demand his release.

His sisters’ release comes a day after Khan was taken to hospital in Islamabad, where ⁠he was given medical treatment.

Pakistan’s government said it detained the sisters because they could have been a threat to ‌law and order ahead of the planned march on Islamabad, which ultimately did not go ahead.

The federal government suspended the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, led by Khan’s party, that had been organising the demonstration.

Who: England vs Croatia
What: UEFA Nations League, Group A3
Where: Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom
When: Thursday, November 12 , at 8:45pm (19:45 GMT).
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up from 16:45 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream

Harry Kane will lead with a spring in his step and a newly acquired Ballon d’Or trophy on his arm as England host Croatia in a Nations League clash, with a spot in the quarterfinals up for grabs.

The England captain will be man of the hour on Thursday after a prolific few weeks that saw him win the coveted individual honour and he will present the trophy in front of home fans ahead of the match at Wembley Stadium.

Kane, 33, will also become England’s most-capped men’s player, making his 126th appearance. This surpasses the record set in 1990 by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who will be in attendance to mark the occasion.

The Bayern Munich forward is also England’s record scorer with 91 goals.

“Definitely up there with the biggest [achievements of my career],” England captain Kane told reporters at former club Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground on Wednesday after being given a standing ovation when he entered the room.

“It showcases consistency at the highest level and to reach the number of caps I have is a testament to the things I spoke about in my [Ballon d’Or] speech behind the scenes, the dedication, and for sure it is one of the biggest milestones of my career.”

Tuchel said Kane was the “perfect captain and a leader by example” and described his playing style as unique, adding that he is getting smarter with age.

Manager Tuchel also said he has no intention of leaving the England job before the 2028 European Championship regardless of any offers from major clubs.

England eye Nations League quarters

England only need a draw to make it to the quarterfinals having won three and lost one of their four games so far. They sit second with nine points behind leaders Spain with 12 points, and both teams should make it to the last eight.

Croatia are seeking redemption after a 7-0 thrashing from England in their previous encounter last month, followed by a narrower 2-1 defeat to Spain.

The 2018 World Cup runners-up are third in the group, and manager Slaven Bilic emphasised the importance of finishing third to maintain their Nations League A status.

Czechia, meanwhile, have only won once and cannot reach the quarterfinals.

England will travel to Madrid to face world champions Spain on Sunday while Croatia take on Czechia in a home fixture.

Bellingham brothers could feature together

A major talking point for England’s squad selection was the exclusion of midfielder Cole Palmer. But a more captivating storyline is that of Jobe Bellingham finally playing alongside older brother and England star Jude.

The younger Bellingham received his maiden senior call-up after impressing at Borussia Dortmund and England’s under-21 side, which he captains.

Jude had previously said it would be the highlight of his career, while Jobe said it would be an emotional milestone.

“I can’t ignore it, but obviously with Jude being here too, it’s a great, great feeling for the family,” Jobe said.

If he features against Croatia, they will be the 22nd set of brothers to play for England and the first since Gary and Phil Neville in 2007.

What happened in the last England vs Croatia game? 

England ran riot in Rijeka last month to obliterate Croatia 7-0 thanks to a brace each from Kane and Bukayo Saka, while Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers were also on target.

Tuchel’s men took just eight minutes to go ahead with an incisive raid that exposed the talent gap between the sides.

“It was the highest level from everyone and from first to last minute as well,” Tuchel said, summing up his side’s dominance.

What have the coaches said?

Tuchel: “For us, it’s important not to chase the same result … we want to win the match to have a chance to win in Spain, and that’s where our focus is. We expect a reaction from Croatia and we expect to overcome this mental challenge for us to start from scratch.”

Bilic: “I told the players that the way we played against Spain last month is our standard. That is how we want to play, with togetherness, aggression and everything else. Tomorrow we have a chance to show that what happened in Rijeka was just a collective bad day.”

Predictions

The Opta supercomputer heavily favours England, with a win probability of 67.2 percent.

Croatia were assigned a mere 14.8 percent chance, while a draw was estimated at an 18 percent likelihood.

Head-to-head

• Previous matches: 13
• England wins: 8
• Draws: 2
• Croatia wins: 3

Last five encounters

• October 3, 2026: Croatia 0-7 England (Nations League)
• June 17, 2026: England 4-2 Croatia (FIFA World Cup)
• June 13, 2021: England 1-0 Croatia (European Championship)
• November 18, 2018: England 2-1 Croatia (Nations League)
• October 12, 2018: Croatia 0-0 England (Nations League)

England team news

England will be without defenders Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence — both expected to recover for Sunday’s clash against Spain — and Tuchel is looking at James Hill for cover.

Marc Guehi is out with a hip injury and has been replaced by Dan Burn. Jarrad Branthwaite, Jarell Quansah and Ben White could all be in contention at centre-back.

Saka, who scored twice in Rijeka, was not named in the squad because of a quadriceps injury that is set to keep him out for weeks.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended after being booked in both games against Czechia, while Declan Rice, back after missing the last camp, should partner Elliot Anderson in midfield.

Predicted starting XI: Jordan Pickford (goalkeeper), Lewis Hall,  James Hill, Dan Burn, Ben White, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Harry Kane

Croatia team news

Veteran winger Ivan Perisic will miss the match after receiving a red card against Spain.

Josip Sutalo, Marin Pongracic, Andrej Kramaric and Franjo Ivanovic are also unavailable, with Luka Vuskovic and Duje Caleta-Car expected to start against England’s attack.

Luka Sucic has a fever and is almost certain to miss the game, while Kristijan Jakic is reported to be out of both Nations League games with a knee ligament injury.

Predicted starting XI: Dominik Livakovic (goalkeeper), Josko Gvardiol, Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic, Josip Stanicic, Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Martin Baturina, Igor Matanovic, Ante Budimir

Hit BBC show Line of Duty is back for a seventh series with lead guest star Robert Carlyle as a ‘gruff loner’ who finds that his boss is in the firing line

It’s been five long years since we last saw AC-12 in action, but here’s the first glimpse at Line of Duty as they take on a case involving a popular and award-winning officer, who stands accused of being a sexual predator.

Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar reprise their roles in the six-part series, made by World Productions, which was filmed in Belfast earlier this year.

But when the seventh series launches on BBC1 in January, the anti-corruption unit in which Steve Arnott, Kate Fleming and Ted Hastings have successfully nailed many a bent copper, has been disbanded.

This time they will be working for the newly-created Inspectorate of Professional Standards, as they discover that anti-corruption work has never been more difficult. Naturally, against this backdrop, they are assigned their most sensitive case so far.

The cast will be joined by BAFTA-winning actor Robert Carlyle as the guest lead for this series, playing Police Constable Shaun Massie – a veteran marksman and a Specialist Rifle Officer who operates with Tactical Operations Unit 7 with the aim of taking down Organised Crime Groups.

As a gruff loner, Massie usually keeps himself to himself, but when TO-7’s commanding officer DI Dominic Gough is accused of being a sexual predator, his normally detached attitude changes dramatically.

Gough is played by Tom Weston-Jones, a charismatic officer who has won awards over his career for string of organised crime takedowns but now stands accused of abusing his position of trust to act as a sexual predator.

But there could be more to it, with the team left wondering if his case is a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat still operating in the shadows.

Gough’s TO-7 team also includes Gavin & Stacey actress Laura Aikman as DC Paula Beckman, This Town’s Levi Brown as DC Luke Tobin, and Ackley Bridge’s Amy Leigh Hickman as DC Nira Rashid.

Returning characters include Mark Bonnar as Deputy Chief Constable Mike Dryden, Owen Teale as Chief Constable Philip Osborne, Perry Fitzpatrick as DS Chris Lomax and Christina Chong as DI Nicky Rogerson.

The series comes five years after 17 million viewers watched the 2021 finale to discover the identity of H.

Creator Jed Mercurio said: “Everyone involved in Line of Duty feels enormous gratitude to the show’s fans. We’re privileged to have had so many of you follow the ups and downs of AC-12 over six previous seasons and we couldn’t be more delighted to be returning for a seventh.”

And he quipped: “Corruption in this country is supposed to have come to an end while Line of Duty was off air so I’ve been forced to use my imagination.”

The lead actors said they were thrilled to be returning to the roles that now defined them. Martin said: “Line of Duty has been a job of a lifetime. Not only in terms of the show’s success but the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with I now call some of my closest friends. I can’t wait to pull the waistcoat on again and get the team back together.”

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Even before Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman won her campaign for mayor, residents in her Hollywood Hills district had begun talking about who might run to replace her after she’s sworn in to her new job next month.

But now, with the dust settled on Raman’s mayoral victory, community leaders have begun prepping for a different type of political fight: making sure the City Council moves forward with a special election for Raman’s seat.

Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said this week that the council won’t make a decision on the vacancy until next year. Raman, for her part, has not said whether she would want a special election for her 4th District seat, which stretches from Silver Lake to the west San Fernando Valley.

Anastasia Mann, president of the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, said she has received numerous calls from people across Raman’s district worried the council will skip a special election and instead select someone to fill the seat until the end of 2028.

The council made a similar move several years ago, appointing legislative aide Heather Hutt to serve as a voting member after the indictment of then-Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas on corruption charges.

“We just want to have a voice. That’s the way the system is supposed to work,” Mann said. “It’s not like we have six months left in her term. We have half of the term left.”

On Wednesday, the Encino Property Owners Assn. voted unanimously to ask Raman, Harris-Dawson and the rest of the council to hold a special election so that voters can choose their next representative.

“Any other way is essentially backroom anointment,” said Rob Glushon, the group’s president. “We won’t accept an anointment.”

A coalition of neighborhood and business leaders from across the district is scheduled to meet on the issue this week.

The council has the power to call a special election for a vacant seat, installing a nonvoting caretaker in the interim, said Josué Marcus, a spokesperson for the city clerk’s office. The council also could appoint an interim replacement, one with voting power, to fill a seat until a special election is held and those results are finalized, he said.

The council also could appoint a voting member to fill the seat until the end of Raman’s term, which concludes in December 2028.

Harris-Dawson declined to say whether he has a preference for any of those options.

“We haven’t ruled anything out,” he said in an interview.

Raman takes office as mayor Dec. 14. The council is scheduled to go on winter recess the following day. Harris-Dawson said Tuesday that he does not plan on having the council decide how to fill Raman’s vacant seat until after the council returns from the holiday break.

Stella Stahl, a Raman spokesperson, said her office has already received a policy briefing on “potential pathways forward.” Raman, she said, believes that district residents deserve effective representation and “continuity of services.”

“She looks forward to a thoughtful process that puts their interests first,” Stahl said in an email.

In 2022, the council selected Hutt, a former state legislative staffer, to temporarily replace Ridley-Thomas as a voting council member as he fought federal corruption charges. The following year, after Ridley-Thomas had been convicted and forced from office, the council reappointed Hutt to serve out the remainder of his term.

Hutt won her own election to represent the South L.A. district in 2024.

After the abrupt resignation of Council President Nury Martinez in 2022, then-Council President Mitch O’Farrell designated the office of the chief legislative analyst, which advises the council on policy matters, to serve as the nonvoting caretaker of her vacant seat until a special election could be held. Her replacement, Imelda Padilla, was elected the following year.

Councilmember Traci Park , who represents part of the Westside, said the council shouldn’t make any decision without first hearing from Raman’s constituents.

“I strongly urge the Council President to engage directly with CD4 leaders and residents to discuss their needs and vision for the next two years,” she said in a statement. “Whether it’s an appointment, election or both, residents deserve a say in their future.”

Leo Daube, a spokesperson for Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, said his boss believes that district voters “should have the opportunity to decide who they want to represent them on the city council, and that there should be a special election as soon as possible.”

“She does not believe a candidate for that seat should be appointed by the City Council before a special election is held,” Daube said in a statement.

On the eastern end of Raman’s district, Debra Matlock, president of the Los Feliz Improvement Assn., said she too believes that a special election should be held. She recommended that the council appoint one of Raman’s staffers to serve as the district’s caretaker in the intervening six to nine months.

Meanwhile, at least two people are looking to run for Raman’s seat.

Jimmy Biblarz, who served as a senior advisor and campaign counsel to Raman’s mayoral campaign, said he is prepared to launch a campaign if a special election is called. A resident of Hollywood, he said he is focused for now on putting together next month’s mayoral inauguration ceremony.

Deputy City Atty. Ethan Weaver, who lost to Raman in 2024, said he too would run for the seat if a special election were held.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has denied claims Lamine Yamal received “special privileges” after being allowed to join the national team later than the rest of the squad.

The 19-year-old did not travel with Spain for Thursday’s Nations League match against the Czech Republic because of discomfort and inflammation in his right knee following Barcelona’s La Liga victory over Atletico Madrid, remaining in Barcelona to work with the club’s medical staff.

“I decided that, to avoid the trip, it would be better for him to stay at home and continue treatment with his club,” De la Fuente said on Wednesday.

“Lamine [Yamal] doesn’t have any special privileges. We would have done this for any other player.

“What hurts me most is the lying, the lack of rigour, the absence of truthfulness and the fabrication. I can’t stand people who try to deceive you and lie.”

Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal is also expected to join up with the squad late while recovering from flu and having just welcome his second child.

Reports in Spanish media suggested Lamine Yamal had been given special treatment because he was not required to report to the national team immediately.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) is set to demonstrate a potential autonomous casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) capability in Morocco. The test will involve a Cessna Model 208B Grand Caravan with an artificial intelligence (AI) driven ‘copilot’ from Merlin Labs.

The ability to send out pilot-optional or even entirely uncrewed aircraft to rescue injured personnel could be extremely valuable for supporting U.S. operations in Africa. American forces on that continent are routinely deployed in remote areas where immediate access to medical care can be very limited. Autonomous CASEVAC capabilities could also be very relevant in other locales, like the Pacific, where future operations could be widely spread out across constellations of small islands.

Merlin Labs announced the planned capability demonstration today, which is being conducted under the initial phase of AFRICOM’s Autonomous Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) Industry Technology Challenge. The test is currently scheduled for some time in “early U.S. government fiscal year 2027.” That fiscal cycle began on October 1.

“The demonstration will encompass the full mission, from initial tasking and flight planning continuing through autonomous departure and enroute flight to an austere casualty collection site,” according to Merlin’s release. “Following simulated patient loading, the aircraft will conduct its return mission, autonomously completing the flight and landing back at the designated location.”

AFRICOM has awarded Merlin a very small $500,000 contract to support this demonstration. The company has already received millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. military for separate autonomy projects. This includes the development of autonomous capabilities for C-130-type aircraft for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and similar efforts in support of the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 tanker fleet. Just yesterday, Merlin announced a new deal with SOCOM, valued at $8.9 million, for continued C-130 autonomy work.

Merlin has said previously that its flagship autonomy package, called Merlin Pilot, has flown on at least four different types of aircraft already. Merlin Pilot is designed to be scalable in form and function, and can be configured to enable pilot-optional flight capability. The system can also increase safety margins during crewed flight operations by reducing task burdens (and resulting fatigue) for the humans onboard and helping alert them to potential technical faults.

Merlin Lands an Autonomous Cessna Caravan at Oshkosh AirVenture

“Merlin’s demonstration [for AFRICOM] is planned to show how Merlin Pilot can bring onboard autonomy to aircraft supporting CASEVAC missions, managing flight planning, navigation, contingency response and mission completion without relying on a remote ground station or flight crew,” the release adds. “The system is designed to plan the optimal route from an operator’s tasking, replan dynamically around hazards, communicate with air traffic control using natural language processing, and continue safely along its authorized plan if a communications link is lost.”

The Grand Caravan’s “large cargo door and flat-floor cabin will allow ground level litter loading without rotor wash, winching or special equipment, and its cabin will be configured with an air ambulance medical module providing oxygen, power, and mounting for patient monitoring equipment,” the release also notes. “Merlin believes there is a clear follow-on path to operational scale using a [Beechcraft] King Air variant, which would provide twin-engine redundancy, greater payload capacity, and additional cabin space for multiple litter patients, medical equipment, and an in-flight attendant. The same architecture could also support autonomous logistics and personnel movement across dispersed operating locations.”

As already mentioned, the use case for autonomous CASEVAC capabilities to support U.S. operations in Africa is clear-cut. The scale and scope of AFRICOM operations means that American forces are often dispersed in small groups at far-flung operating locations far from higher-level medical care. Options for getting individuals to a hospital, even after accidents in relatively low-risk areas, can be extremely limited. Medical professionals often talk about the so-called “golden hour,” which refers to the first 60 minutes after a serious injury occurs. The chances of saving that person’s life or otherwise preventing serious permanent damage are highest within that window.

“AFRICOM’s area of responsibility spans vast distances, and security threats can prevent access to nearby medical facilities, often forcing longer and more dangerous patient transport. In these conditions, transporting a wounded noncombatant or service member to medical care is both time-critical and logistically complex,” Merlin says in its release. “Conventional casualty evacuation relies on crewed aircraft, while remotely piloted systems require persistent command-and-control links that may be unavailable in austere or contested environments. The challenge set forth by AFRICOM seeks autonomous solutions that can accelerate access to a higher level of care while reducing the number of personnel exposed to risk.”

This was all rammed home in a very public fashion nearly a decade ago by the infamous ambush of American forces near Tongo Tongo in Niger, in which four U.S. Army soldiers died. The only immediate aerial CASEVAC support available in that instance was provided by contractors operating from the Nigerien capital Niamey more than 100 miles away.

Issues relating to ready access to higher-level medical care, as well as contested logistics chains, together with what is commonly referred to as the ‘‘tyranny of distance,’ are not limited to U.S. operations in Africa. Any high-end fight against China in the Pacific could easily see American forces spread across very broad areas, with established facilities of any kind being few and far between.

Furthermore, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, in particular, are envisioning future operations in that region being conducted in a highly distributed manner utilizing austere forward operating locations to create targeting complications for the enemy. The war with Iran has only underscored the kinds of threats and logistics challenges U.S. forces should expect to be faced with in an even larger-scale conflict in the Pacific.

With all this in mind, the U.S. Air Force has already been experimenting with Cessna Grand Caravans with semi-autonomous capabilities as a path to new distributed logistics capabilities, including in the Pacific.

demonstration of autonomous flight capabilities in AGILE FLAG 24-1

As noted earlier on, Merlin, specifically, has been working for years now to demonstrate new degrees of autonomy in other existing U.S. aircraft. In September, Merlin and Textron (which owns the Cessna brand) also announced a new partnership to develop a cargo-carrying drone derived from the Cessna 408 SkyCourier.

Introducing SkyCourier UX

All that being said, the planned AFRICOM autonomous CASEVAC demonstration, and the paltry amount of funding put toward it, highlights how the U.S. military has been lagging behind in this arena.

China, especially, has been surging forward in the development of fully uncrewed logistics aircraft, which could be adapted for aeromedical and other missions in the future. Several Chinese cargo drone designs are flying now, including types that are significantly larger and more capable than a Cessna Grand Caravan. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would be faced with its own logistical and other challenges in any future conflict in the Pacific region.

China’s New 7-Ton Cargo Drone Completes Maiden Flight

China’s unmanned transport aircraft completes maiden test flight

In recent months, Ukraine has also demonstrated uncrewed CASEVAC capabilities in support of real combat operations using large multi-rotor drones. The U.S. military has explored broadly similar platforms in the past. However, these uncrewed aerial systems are designed for much more localized operations compared to what AFRICOM is now looking to demonstrate in Morocco.

МИ ЕВАКУЮВАЛИ ДВОХ ПОРАНЕНИХ ДРОНОМ STARGATE

The outcome of the upcoming demonstration of the Merlin Pilot-equipped Cessna Caravan could help spur further interest within the U.S. military in new autonomous aerial CASEVAC and logistics platform. At the same time, it shows U.S. military efforts to pursue these capabilities remain limited despite the clear use cases already being made by America’s chief global competitor China.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Vernon Kay was left in tears on BBC Radio 2 after hearing about a family’s tragic loss during his co-star Owain Wyn Evans’ 4 Nations Cycle Challenge for Children in Need

Vernon Kay was left heartbroken after hearing Nicola Harteveld’s story while updating BBC Radio 2 listeners about Owain Wyn Evans‘ 4 Nations Cycle Challenge to generate funds for Children in Need.

While encouraging people to donate as Owain continues on his tough 400-mile bike ride across Scotland, Northern Ireland, England, and Wales, Vernon recalled his own emotional experiences during his 2023 Children in Need Ultra Ultramarathon Challenge.

He said: “Unfortunately, Children in Need, they’re only able to help fund one in six organisations who ask for help.”

Vernon continued: “And that’s why the donations are really, really important, and it’s only with your support that we can continue to help lighten the load for hundreds of thousands of children when they need it the most, and your donation…”

Vernon’s voice faltered, with the star confessing: “I’m going now,” as tears welled in his eyes, before explaining to listeners how Children in Need are supporting the Megan’s Starr Foundation, which was founded by Nicola.

After regaining his composure, Vernon revealed: “The reason why I’m tearing up is because I’ve seen it first-hand. So I’ve experienced the challenge, I’ve experienced what people go through, and I’ve experienced the way that it helps.

“Megan’s Starr Foundation in Milford Haven in Wales helps young people with their mental health and wellbeing through counselling, workshops and their community coffee house. Megan’s Starr was started by Nicola in memory of her daughter.”

A recording then featured Nicola, who established the charity in 2017 following the death of her 14-year-old daughter, Megan, who took her own life after enduring relentless verbal and online cyberbullying.

The devastating account left Vernon, who has two daughters with his ex Tess Daly, struggling to speak, as he said tearfully: “Oh God… as a parent you can’t imagine, you can’t imagine.”

Vernon was also moved to tears at another point in Wednesday’s broadcast after hearing a message from a listener who had endured “a lot of trauma” during her childhood and wished to express her support for Owain’s charitable mission.

The voice note was submitted by Tracy from Doncaster, who shared: “I’m cracking on for 60 now, but as a child I went through a lot of trauma from being a very young age up until my late teens, and listening to your radio station, and just listening to Owain doing this challenge, he’s such an inspiration.

“I wish that something like this had been around when I [was] younger and I’m so proud of him. He’s such a lovely guy and all the kids that are out there that will get help from him doing something like this, he should be so proud of himself.

“Keep going boy, honestly, you’re such an inspiration and I’m sending you lots of love and lots of best wishes, and, do you know what Vernon? What you’re doing, what all of you are doing on Radio 2, is absolutely wonderful. Keep going darling, bye.”

After the message concluded, Vernon quipped that his assistant producer Janine Maya-Smith had been “cutting onions” in the studio, as everyone was visibly moved. The star replied: “Thank you Tracy, really appreciate that. Janine, I think it’s really rude of you to cut onions whilst Tracy was on there.

“I mean look at us, all four of us, that plucked at the heartstrings. So, obviously, Tracy has been through it and, back in the day, there was no one there to support her.”

“But, thankfully, Children in Need is around now, and as we’ve just heard first-hand from Tracy, she would have absolutely benefited from Children in Need helping her as a young person, and helping her progress through life and, obviously, that voice note was very emotional for Tracy. So, Tracy, we really appreciate you getting in touch.”

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans. org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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BRITISH Airways has announced its line-up for summer 2027 including flights to a breathtaking destination with towering mountains.

The airline has announced that it will be launching flights to the ‘City of Seven Mountains’ – Bergen in Norway – as part of its summer 2027 schedule.

The flight – which takes just under two hours – will head off from London Heathrow five times a week to the destination, between April 15 and October 30, 2027.

Bergen earns its nickname from the seven mountains that frame the city and it is the ideal base for exploring coastal fjords such as the Hardangerfjord and Sognefjord.

While it is known as one of Europe’s rainiest cities, it means that lush greenery surrounds the city.

For example, there is Mount Fløyen and Mount Ulriken, which are reached via the Fløibanen Funicular or hiking trails with panoramic views of the city below.

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Also check out Bryggen Wharf – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – where there are brightly painted wooden Hanseatic buildings, lining the edges of the harbour.

British Airways offers a fly-drive holiday package to Bergen from £349 per person between May 1 and 31, 2027, including return flights.

The airline is also moving around a couple of its flights.

Flights to Perugia, Italy will be moved from London Heathrow Airport to London City Airport and will operate five times a week between May 1 and September 28, 2027.

Skiathos, Greece, flights will move from London City Airport to London Heathrow Terminal 5 and will operate three times a week between May 20 and September 11, 2027.

BA Cityflyer will also launch new weekly services from Glasgow to Nice, France and Edinburgh to Split, Croatia.

Flights between Glasgow and Nice will take off once a week between May 15 and October 3, 2027.

And flights from Edinburgh to Split in Croatia, will operate once a week between May 15 and June 19, 2027 and then again from September 4 to October 2, 2027.

Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, said: “We’re delighted to be expanding our European network with new routes and convenient airport moves, offering customers even more ways to explore some of Europe’s most exciting destinations.

“From Norway’s spectacular fjords and the beaches of Skiathos to the rolling countryside of Umbria, the glamour of the French Riviera and Croatia’s stunning Adriatic coast, these additions provide greater choice and connectivity for customers planning their next summer trip.”

The provided text highlights Ningol Chakouba, a vibrant cultural event celebrated primarily by the Meitei community in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Translated literally as an invitation for married daughters to share a midday meal at their maternal home, the occasion serves as a popular social gathering rather than a religious ceremony. During the festivities, parents warmly welcome their wedded daughters and their offspring with a lavish feast, traditional garments, presents, and heartfelt blessings. A brother typically extends the formal invitation to his sister a week prior to the event. Ultimately, this secular tradition plays an essential role in deepening the ties of love and affection between married women and their birth families.