Month: July 2025

NEW YORK — For years, Marianne Hirsch, a prominent genocide scholar at Columbia University, has used Hannah Arendt’s book about the trial of a Nazi war criminal, “Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,” to spark discussion among her students about the Holocaust and its lingering traumas.

But after Columbia’s recent adoption of a new definition of antisemitism, which casts certain criticism of Israel as hate speech, Hirsch fears she may face official sanction for even mentioning the landmark text by Arendt, a philosopher who criticized Israel’s founding.

For the first time since she started teaching five decades ago, Hirsch, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, is now thinking of leaving the classroom altogether.

“A university that treats criticism of Israel as antisemitic and threatens sanctions for those who disobey is no longer a place of open inquiry,” she told the Associated Press. “I just don’t see how I can teach about genocide in that environment.”

Hirsch is not alone. At universities across the country, academics have raised alarm about growing efforts to define antisemitism on terms pushed by the Trump administration, often under the threat of federal funding cuts.

Promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the definition lists 11 examples of antisemitic conduct, including applying “double standards” to Israel, comparing the country’s policies to Nazism or describing its existence as “a racist endeavor.”

Ahead of a $220-million settlement with the Trump administration announced Wednesday, Columbia agreed to incorporate the IHRA definition and its examples into its disciplinary process. It has been endorsed in some form by Harvard, Yale and dozens of other universities.

While supporters say the semantic shift is necessary to combat evolving forms of Jewish hate, civil liberties groups warn it will further suppress pro-Palestinian speech already under attack by President Trump and his administration.

For Hirsch, the restrictions on drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and questioning Israel’s founding amount to “clear censorship,” which she fears will chill discussions in the classroom and open her and other faculty up to spurious lawsuits.

“We learn by making analogies,” Hirsch said. “Now the university is saying that’s off limits. How can you have a university course where ideas are not up for discussion or interpretation?”

A spokesperson for Columbia didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.

‘Weaponization’ of an educational framework

When he first drafted the IHRA definition of antisemitism two decades ago, Kenneth Stern said he “never imagined it would one day serve as a hate speech code.”

At the time, Stern was working as the lead antisemitism expert at the American Jewish Committee. The definition and its examples were meant to serve as a broad framework to help European countries track bias against Jews, he said.

In recent years, Stern has spoken forcefully against what he sees as its “weaponization” against pro-Palestinian activists, including anti-Zionist Jews.

“People who believe they’re combating hate are seduced by simple solutions to complicated issues,” he said. “But when used in this context, it’s really actually harming our ability to think about antisemitism.”

Stern said he delivered that warning to Columbia’s leaders last fall after being invited to address them by Claire Shipman, then a co-chair of the board of trustees and the university’s current interim president.

The conversation seemed productive, Stern said. But in March, shortly after the Trump administration said it would withhold $400 million in federal funding to Columbia over concerns about antisemitism, the university announced it would adopt the IHRA definition for “training and educational” purposes.

Then this month, days before announcing a deal with the Trump administration to restore that funding, Shipman said the university would extend the IHRA definition for disciplinary purposes, deploying its examples when assessing “discriminatory intent.”

“The formal incorporation of this definition will strengthen our response to and our community’s understanding of modern antisemitism,” Shipman wrote.

Stern, who now serves as director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, called the move “appalling,” predicting it would spur a new wave of litigation against the university while further curtailing pro-Palestinian speech.

Already, the university’s disciplinary body has faced backlash for investigating students who criticized Israel in op-eds and other venues, often at the behest of pro-Israel groups.

“With this new edict on IHRA, you’re going to have more outside groups looking at what professors are teaching, what’s in the syllabus, filing complaints and applying public pressure to get people fired,” he said. “That will undoubtedly harm the university.”

Calls to ‘self-terminate’

Beyond adopting the IHRA definition, Columbia has also agreed to place its Middle East studies department under new supervision, overhaul its rules for protests and coordinate antisemitism training with groups such as the Anti-Defamation League.

Last week, the university suspended or expelled nearly 80 students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Kenneth Marcus, chair of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said Columbia’s actions were an overdue step to protect Jewish students from harassment.

He dismissed faculty concerns about the IHRA definition, which he said would “provide clarity, transparency and standardization” to the university’s effort to root out antisemitism.

“There are undoubtedly some Columbia professors who will feel they cannot continue teaching under the new regime,” Marcus said. “To the extent that they self-terminate, it may be sad for them personally, but it may not be so bad for the students at Columbia University.”

But Hirsch, the Columbia professor, said she was committed to continuing her long-standing study of genocides and their aftermath.

Part of that work, she said, will involve talking to students about Israel’s “ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide” in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 60,000 Palestinians have died in 21 months of war — most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry — and where experts are warning of rising famine.

“With this capitulation to Trump, it may now be impossible to do that inside Columbia,” Hirsch said. “If that’s the case, I’ll continue my work outside the university’s gates.”

Offenhartz writes for the Associated Press.

It’s a chaotic time in college sports, the rules seeming to change daily and some athletes making nearly as much money as their coaches.

At UCLA, the revenue-sharing era officially starts Friday. Athletes will undoubtedly keep refreshing their PayPal accounts to check for that first payment from the pot of $20.5 million that will be distributed in the first year.

Meanwhile, Bruins athletic director Martin Jarmond will be keeping tabs on another bottom line — following up a successful Big Ten debut with something far bigger.

Having tallied 10 conference championships between the Big Ten and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation — more than any other Big Ten school — UCLA could be poised for a breakthrough in its two marquee sports as part of a potentially historic year across the board for its athletic department.

The football team landed transfer Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee and the men’s basketball team brought in Donovan Dent from New Mexico, giving UCLA perhaps its best quarterback-point guard combination since Josh Rosen and Lonzo Ball nearly a decade ago.

“If you look at our athletic program,” Jarmond, who recently completed his fifth year on the job, told The Times, “there’s an energy and buzz that I feel we haven’t had since I’ve been here, and that’s why I’m most positive now.”

At a recent player-run practice on campus, Jarmond watched Iamaleava step up in the pocket and fire a 50-yard pass down the sideline to wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer.

“Nico made a play that I don’t know how many other guys in the country could make,” Jarmond said, “and I was like, ‘whoa.’ Like, that’s pretty cool, you know?”

There’s lots of intrigue to behold in Westwood these days.

Fresh off a Final Four run, the women’s basketball team bolstered itself with the additions of sharpshooter Gianna Kneepkens, a highly coveted transfer from Utah, and freshman Sienna Betts, the younger sister of All-America center Lauren Betts. Oh, and don’t forget that softball slugger Megan Grant will make Pauley Pavilion a second home as part of her bid to become a two-sport standout.

Grant will also once again combine with Jordan Woolery as perhaps the nation’s top-hitting duo in their bid to help the softball team not only make it back to the Women’s College World Series but win the whole thing this time.

The baseball team that just made the College World Series is bringing back shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the probable No. 1 pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball draft, and recently learned that high school pitcher Angel Cervantes will play for the Bruins next season instead of the Pittsburgh Pirates after contract negotiations ended with the recent draftee. Jarmond said he was confident the team could continue to play at Jackie Robinson Stadium in 2026 after a judge issued a stay of legal proceedings that threatened to force the Bruins to go elsewhere.

The men’s water polo team will try to defend its national championship with Ryder Dodd trying to top a season in which the freshman scored a MPSF-record 102 goals.

After finishing as runner-up to national champion Oklahoma, the women’s gymnastics team will welcome a top recruiting class plus the return of two-time Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles.

Jarmond said he appreciates working for a university administration that understands the importance of supporting a strong Olympic sports program, particularly with the 2028 Summer Olympics headed to Los Angeles.

UCLA’s Jordan Chiles competes on the floor exercise during the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships in Fort Worth on April 17.

(Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)

“This is the time to continue to invest in our Olympic sports and make sure that we have the excellence that UCLA is known for,” Jarmond said, “and we’re going to uphold that tradition.”

Unlike other schools that have imposed student fees to help offset rising athletic department costs upon the onset of revenue sharing, UCLA officials have not discussed such a move, Jarmond said. The Bruins will instead focus on revenue generation through fundraising, ticket sales, sponsorships and new creative endeavors.

The school plans to partner with an outside firm to help its athletes with content creation to boost their social media following, making them more attractive to brands that could hire them for name, image and likeness deals.

Jarmond said he’s not aware of any NIL deals involving UCLA athletes being rejected by the new College Sports Commission, though there remains a backlog of deals under review. Deals of $600 or more are evaluated by a clearinghouse called NIL Go to ensure they represent fair market value and a legitimate business purpose.

UCLA football coach Deshaun Foster speaks to reporters during Big Ten media days in Las Vegas.

(Louis Grasse / Getty Images)

The role of collectives in offering additional compensation to athletes beyond revenue sharing continues to evolve as part of a shift away from what was previously considered a hard cap on earnings.

“I’m optimistic that it’s going to work out,” Jarmond said of maximizing earnings opportunities for athletes. “I’m optimistic that we will adapt to whatever situation that presents itself based on hard cap, soft cap, whatever cap.”

UCLA is also strengthening the infrastructure of its men’s and women’s basketball teams with the hiring of an assistant general manager for each sport to help with recruiting and navigating the transfer portal.

When it comes to revenue sharing payments, Jarmond said he’s leaving it up to coaches to dictate how much each player makes. Football coach DeShaun Foster said he divvied up his team’s money based on talent, with general manager Khary Darlington and assistant general manager Steven Price assigning values for each player based on previous NFL front office experience dealing with salary structures.

“They loved that we had people explaining to them how you’re getting this money or why you’re not getting this money,” Foster said of his players, “and I think that resonated with them.”

Across all sports, the Bruins are seeking a strong encore after an initial Big Ten season that saw the school place fifth in the Learfield Director’s Cup standings, its best finish since 2018. UCLA athletes posted what Jarmond called a “phenomenal” 3.22 grade-point average through winter quarter (the latest for which figures are available) despite the travel challenges presented by playing in a coast-to-coast conference.

For UCLA athletics to reach the heights that Jarmond wants, its football and men’s basketball teams must win big, and he believes the coaches and influx of talent on each of those teams will give them a chance to do so next season.

Iamaleava’s arrival has generated heightened excitement about a football team that went 5-7 in Foster’s debut season. Jarmond said two recruits he met with on their campus visits mentioned the quarterback as one of the reasons they wanted to come to UCLA.

“You know, we just have more interest and buzz, and it’s cool,” Jarmond said. “I think DeShaun has created that, and Nico and the guys.”

What excites Jarmond most is the potential to be on a victory lap that’s picking up speed.

“This is a great time for UCLA athletics,” Jarmond said, “and I feel like it’s just the beginning.”

Many travellers may not be aware of the risks they are taking while connecting to free airport Wi-Fi networks, experts have warned.

With the summer getaway season at its peak, countless holidaymakers are descending on airports and relying on the complimentary Wi-Fi offered in public areas. Yet many are unwittingly exposing themselves to severe danger before they’ve even stepped foot on their aircraft.

Whilst complimentary airport Wi-Fi may appear to be a handy method of killing time, specialists are cautioning it could leave users vulnerable to some of the most perilous cyber risks.

Many users link up to public networks without hesitation to browse emails, access banking apps, or secure eleventh-hour accommodation.

But according to the experts, that swift connection could pave the way for highly sensitive data to be pilfered, reports the Express.

Geoff Pestell, CEO at broadband comparison site Fibre Compare, revealed: “One of the greatest risks of joining public Wi-Fi networks is the potential for identity theft.”

He emphasised that linking to unsecured airport networks can enable cybercriminals to harvest a vast array of personal details, from your whereabouts and journey records to financial data, including banking and credit card particulars, and even fundamental yet sensitive information like your name, contact details, and marital status.

And this isn’t the sole worry, as public Wi-Fi hotspots, frequently unencrypted, leave your internet activity entirely vulnerable.

“Many users are unaware that public Wi-Fi networks often do not encrypt the data you transmit,” Geoff observed.

This means that strangers on the same network can spy on your internet use, potentially capturing everything from your login details to private emails.

There’s also the risk of malware and phishing. Cybercriminals can push harmful software onto devices through fake download links or trick travellers into filling out fraudulent forms disguised as legitimate portals.

“If you use public Wi-Fi networks, hackers may also be able to infect your computer, mobile phone, or other connected devices with malicious software,” warned Geoff.

July 28 (UPI) — NATO aircraft were scrambled Sunday night to respond to a Russian attack on Ukraine, the Polish military said Monday.

“Polish and allied quick reaction aircraft were scrambled, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness,” Poland’s Operational Command of the Armed Forces said in a statement.

“These actions are preventive in nature and are aimed at securing airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened region.”

A few hours later, it issued a statement that the aircraft had concluded their deployment, adding that “no violations of Polish airspace were observed.”

Swedish fighter jets stationed in Poland were among the aircraft scrambled, it said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement on Telegram on Monday that Russia launched 324 drones and seven missiles overnight, resulting in 311 of the attacks being either shot down or suppressed by electronic warfare.

“There were confirmed impacts of two missiles of various types and 15 strike UAVs at three locations,” it said.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Office of the President, said in a statement on X that some of the Russian aerial strikes hit civilian infrastructure, including in the capital Kyiv.

“He wants nothing but war and Ukraine’s defeat,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “But defeat is not an option.”

“Russia and its satellites are also testing NATO’s response,” he added. “Drones entering the airspace of the Baltic states are signals that must not be ignored.”

The United States and the European Union have reached a wide-ranging trade agreement, ending a months-long standoff and averting a full-blown trade war just days before President Donald Trump’s deadline to impose steep tariffs.

The EU will pay 15 percent tariffs on most goods, including cars. The tariff rate is half the 30 percent Trump had threatened to implement starting on Friday. Brussels also agreed on Sunday to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on US weaponry and energy products on top of existing expenditures.

Speaking to reporters at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, Trump hailed the agreement as the “biggest deal ever made”. “I think it’s going to be great for both parties. It’s going to bring us closer together,” he added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement would “bring stability” and “bring predictability that’s very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic”.

Von der Leyen defended the deal, saying the aim was to rebalance a trade surplus with the US. Trump has made no secret of using tariffs to try to trim US trade deficits.

Sunday’s agreement capped off months of often tense shuttle diplomacy between Brussels and Washington although neither side disclosed the full details of the pact or released any written materials.

It follows preliminary trade pacts the US signed with Japan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines and a 90-day trade truce with China.

So how will the deal impact the two sides, which account for almost a third of global trade, and will it end the threats of a tariff war?

What was agreed?

At a news event at Trump’s golf resort, von der Leyen said a 15 percent tariff would apply to European cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors – all important products for Europe’s economy.

For his part, Trump said US levies on steel and aluminium, which he has set at 50 percent on many countries, would not be cut for EU products, dashing the hopes of industry in the bloc. Elsewhere, aerospace tariffs will remain at zero for now.

In exchange for the 15 percent tariff rate on EU goods, Trump said the bloc would be “opening up their countries at zero tariff” for American exports.

In addition, he said the EU would spend an extra $750bn on US energy products, invest $600bn in the US and buy military equipment worth “hundreds of billions of dollars”.

Von der Leyen confirmed that the EU would seek to buy an extra $250bn of US energy products each year from now until 2027.

“With this deal, we are securing access to our largest export market,” she said.

At the same time, she acknowledged that the 15 percent tariffs would be “a challenge for some” European industries.

The EU is the US’s largest trading partner with two-way trade in goods and services last year reaching nearly $2 trillion.

How have European leaders responded?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the agreement, saying it avoids “an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations”.

He said a trade war “would have hit Germany’s export-oriented economy hard”, pointing out that the German car industry would see US tariffs lowered from 27.5 percent to 15 percent.

But French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the deal a “dark day” for Europe, saying the bloc had caved in to the US president with an unbalanced deal that spares US imports from any immediate European retaliation.

“It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission,” Bayrou wrote on X of what he called the “von der Leyen-Trump deal”.

Wolfgang Niedermark, a board member of the Federation of German Industries trade body, called the deal “an inadequate compromise” with the EU “accepting painful tariffs”.

A 15 percent tariff rate “will have a huge negative impact on Germany’s export-oriented industry”, he said.

Earlier, Benjamin Haddad, France’s European affairs minister, said: “The trade agreement … will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced.”

Echoing that sentiment, Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Hanneke Boerma said the deal was “not ideal” and called on the commission to continue negotiations with Washington.

The European Commission is responsible for negotiating trade deals for the entire bloc.

EU ambassadors will be discussing the agreement with the commission this week.

How was trade conducted before the deal?

On July 12, Trump threatened to impose 30 percent tariffs on EU goods if the two sides couldn’t reach a deal before this Friday, the day a suspension expires on the implementation of what Trump calls his “reciprocal tariffs”, which he placed on nearly all countries in the world.

Those “reciprocal tariffs” are due to come into effect in addition to the 25 percent tariffs on cars and car parts and the 50 percent levy on steel and aluminium products Trump already put in place.

On the European side, it is understood that Brussels would have pushed ahead with a retaliatory tariffs package on 90 billion euros ($109bn) of US goods, including car parts and bourbon, if talks had broken down.

The EU had been a frequent target of escalating trade rhetoric by Trump, who accused the bloc of “ripping off” the US.

In 2024, the US ran a $235.6bn goods deficit with the EU. Pharmaceuticals, car parts and industrial chemicals were among Europe’s largest exports to the US, according to EU data.

How will the deal impact the US and EU?

Bloomberg Economics estimated that a no-deal outcome would have raised the effective US tariff rate on European goods to nearly 18 percent on Friday.

The new deal brings that number down to 16 percent, offering a small reprieve to European exporting firms. Still, current trade barriers are much higher than before Trump took office in 2025.

According to Bruegel, a research group, the average US tariff rate on EU exports was just 1.5 percent at the end of 2024.

William Lee, chief economist at the Milken Institute, told Al Jazeera: “I think the [Trump] strategy has been clear from the very beginning. … It’s brinkmanship. … Either partner with the US or face high tariffs.”

Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said: “President Trump just unlocked one of the biggest economies in the world. The European Union is going to open its $20 trillion market and completely accept our auto and industrial standards for the first time ever.”

“The Carpool Detectives,” a true crime mystery that reads like a novel, begins in the liminal moment before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the country and concludes on an upbeat note two and a half years later: Four L.A. moms with no law enforcement training have solved an icy cold case and moved on to their next, buoyed by newfound purpose.

But as Chuck Hogan’s book and conversations with the unlikely crime solvers today make clear, there were plenty of bumps along the way — from dead ends to a potential intruder at one of their homes mid-investigation.

“We went through phases where we felt like we hit a wall,” says Marissa Pianko, a former forensic accountant. Pianko first learned about the stalled investigation into an older couple’s death during a journalism class and became determined to get to the bottom of it, inviting three acquaintances to help solve the case. “I think each one of us had a time by which we were like, ‘OK, are we really continuing with this?’”

“There were lots of ups and downs,” concurs Nicole Landset Blank, a political opposition research pro turned book researcher who is seated at the very same table in Pianko’s backyard where the team figured out the perpetrator of a double homicide.

Samira Poulos, a puzzle-loving digital advertising project manager who stepped back from her career when she became a mom, and Jeannie Wilkinson, a former entertainment industry research exec, both nod their heads in agreement as their fellow sleuths describe the sometimes-fraught nature of their first investigation.

The quartet is still a bit apprehensive about solving a case that involved organized crime and is worried that the book might expose their families to harm. To get around their concerns, some of the details about the case have been changed in “The Carpool Detectives” and each of the four detectives is referred to by first name, like a character in a novel. Reading along, it can be easy to forget that the underlying case is based on real, not fictional, murder.

The basic details of the cold case at the heart of “The Carpool Detectives” are this: An older couple living a seemingly comfortable life in the L.A. suburbs mysteriously disappeared a couple decades ago. Victims of an apparent road accident, their bodies were found a few months later near their wrecked SUV in a mountainous area. After more than a year, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. moved the vehicle due to evidence that the couple’s death was suspicious. Although the investigation was covered in the media, it soon faded away.

Until, that is, four moms — who became such close friends that they now can finish each other’s sentences — started looking into the case a decade later. As “The Carpool Detectives” recounts, the women sought out the help of sometimes-reluctant police officers and the victims’ family members, bumbling at times as newbie investigators. Many dead ends and a visit to the crime scene later, the women finally figured out whodunnit.

“It was two and a half years before we really broke it, and it was completely different than we thought it was going to be in the beginning,” Pianko says.

“And how law enforcement thought it would be,” Landset Blank says.

For Wilkinson, the biggest surprise was law enforcement‘s reaction upon hearing that the mom squad had cracked the case. “I feel like we really did truly earn respect,” she says, exuding pleasure at the thought.

The book chronicling their investigation grew out of another pandemic dynamic: socially distanced get-togethers with pals. “We had a friend who, during the COVID time, we would meet in the driveway for drinks or whatever, and she said, ‘This would make an amazing story,’” Poulos recalls.

This being L.A., that friend mentioned the quartet’s investigation to her boss at the production company 3 Arts Entertainment, and a podcast was discussed before a book deal was put together. The challenge: finding an author who could nail the crime-solving narrative while changing some of the details for privacy and security reasons. The women met with some writers, but nobody clicked until Hogan.

Hogan was at a cocktail party before the 2023 Edgar Awards, where he was nominated for his last novel, “Gangland,” when his literary agent told him about the project and stipulations associated with it.

“I said, ‘You need someone like me, who knows crimes and can get creative,’” recalls Hogan, who co-created FX’s “The Strain” with Guillermo del Toro and wrote the book that inspired the Ben Affleck film “The Town.” Though he had never written nonfiction before, he was looking for a challenge, and the project intrigued him. After meeting with the women in L.A., he realized the underlying story about the women that solved the case was more resonant than the crime itself.

“It’s a story of four women who really found themselves at a crossroads in life — as many people do — and this search for identity that manifested itself in this cold case investigation that they then went on to incredibly solve, a case that the police hadn’t been able to crack,” Hogan says in a Zoom conversation from his home in the Boston area. “This is a one-of-a-kind story.”

To do it justice, he met with the women and their families, retracing some of their investigative steps during a one-week visit. “We took him to the scene of the crime,” Pianko says. “Took him to a couple of different locations where we went looking for blood splatter—”

“Our favorite seafood restaurant,” interjects Landset Blank with a less bloody location.

Next, the women “gifted” Hogan all their information about the case. That included extensive research and saved texts, but no recordings or social media documentation. Their copious documentation proved invaluable to Hogan, who could get incredibly specific in some places and lean on creativity as needed elsewhere. “I had literally reams of information and rough timelines via text messages that they had saved, and all sorts of things,” says the author.

Then it was a matter of shaping all that information — about the case and the individual women — into a compelling narrative. “There were a lot more dead ends and red herrings that would bog down readers,” Hogan observes.

The newbie crime solvers — and their families — undeniably experienced some rough patches over the course of their sleuthing, but none of them were daunting enough to deter them from diving into another investigation when a detective they had been working with brought over a trunk full of possibilities. Now, with “The Carpool Detectives” arriving Tuesday in bookstores, the crime solvers are closing in on a suspect for an even bigger case — this one involving a potential serial killer of around 20 women during the 1970s and ‘80s. The choice of time frame and the victims’ gender were both deliberate.

“Let’s take this case that’s about women and try to get some closure and justice for them,” Poulos says they decided.

Victims being unidentified was another reason why the women wanted to take on the case, Wilkinson continues. Beyond that, “it felt safe,” due to the potential age of the killer this many decades later.

Whatever happens with their second case, Pianko is glad she saw that news clip about the missing couple in her journalism class pre-COVID. Solving the case “really revolutionized my life,” she says, admitting to being simultaneously excited and nervous about the Random House book’s impending release, given some personal details included in it. “It changed the entire trajectory of my life — it gave me meaning in a way that I hadn’t had meaning in a long time.”

“These three women have become like family,” notes Landset Blank, who earlier this year leaned on the trio when her family’s house burned down in the Palisades fire. “We went through a lot more than just solving the case.”

Rula Shadid, an expert on refugee law and co-director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (@rabetbypipd), joins Centre Stage to discuss the global perception of Palestine and the complicity of Western nations in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. She highlights how international silence enables Israel’s atrocities and sustains its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

SACRAMENTO — In fighting President Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom reminds me of actor Gene Hackman’s hard-nosed character in the movie “Mississippi Burning.”

Hackman plays a take-no-prisoners FBI agent, Rupert Anderson, who is investigating the disappearance of three young civil rights workers in racially segregated 1964 Mississippi. His partner and boss is stick-by-the-rules agent Alan Ward, played by Willem Dafoe.

The 1988 film is loosely based on a true story.

The two agents eventually find the victims’ murdered bodies and apprehend the Ku Klux Klan killers after Anderson persuades Ward to discard his high-road rule book in dealing with uncooperative local white folks.

“Don’t drag me into your gutter, Mr. Anderson,” Ward sternly tells his underling initially.

Anderson shouts back: “These people are crawling out of the SEWER, MR. WARD! Maybe the gutter’s where we oughta be.”

And it’s where they go. Only then do they solve the case.

Newsom contends Trump is playing gutter politics by pressuring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the GOP-controlled Legislature to redraw the state’s U.S. House seats in an effort to elect five additional Republicans in next year’s midterm elections. House seats normally are redrawn only at the beginning of a decade after the decennial census.

Democrats need to gain just three net seats to retake control of the House and end the GOP’s one-party rule of the federal government.

Trump is trying to prevent that by browbeating Texas and other red states into gerrymandering their Democrat-held House districts into GOP winners.

Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’ 38 House seats. Democrats have 12.

In California, it’s just the opposite — even more so. Out of 52 seats, Democrats outnumber Republicans 43 to 9, with room to make it even more lopsided.

“We could make it so that only four Republicans are left,” says Sacramento-based redistricting guru Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc.

Mitchell already is crafting potential new maps in case Newsom follows through with his threat to retaliate against Texas by redrawing California’s districts to help Democrats gain five seats, neutralizing Republican gains in the Lone Star State.

Newsom and the Legislature would be seizing redistricting responsibility from an independent citizens’ commission that voters created in 2010. They took the task away from lawmakers because the politicians were acting only in their own self-interest, effectively choosing their own voters. As they do in Texas and most states, particularly red ones.

But the governor and Democrats would be ignoring California voters’ will — at least as stated 15 years ago.

And Newsom would be down in the political gutter with Trump on redistricting. But that doesn’t seem to bother him.

“They’re playing by a different set of rules,” Newsom recently told reporters, referring to Trump and Republicans. “They can’t win by the traditional game. So they want to change the game. We can act holier than thou. We could sit on the sidelines, talk about the way the world should be. Or we can recognize the existential nature that is the moment.”

Newsom added that “everything has changed” since California voters banned gerrymandering 15 years ago.

That’s indisputable given Trump’s bullying tactics and his inhumane domestic policies.

“I’m not going to be the guy that said, ‘I could have, would have, should have,’” Newsom continued. “I’m not going to be passive at this moment. I’m not going to look at my kids in the eyes and say, ‘I was a little timid.’”

Newsom’s own eyes, of course, are on the White House and a potential 2028 presidential bid. He sees a national opportunity now to attract frustrated Democratic voters who believe that party leaders aren’t fighting hard enough against Trump.

Newsom continued to echo Hackman’s script Friday at a news conference in Sacramento with Texas Democratic legislators.

Referring to Trump and Texas Republicans, Newsom asserted: “They’re not screwing around. We cannot afford to screw around. We have to fight fire with fire.”

But yakking about redrawing California’s congressional maps is easy. Actually doing it would be exceedingly difficult.

“Texas can pass a plan tomorrow. California cannot,” says Tony Quinn, a former Republican consultant on legislative redistricting.

Unlike in California, there’s no Texas law that forbids blatant gerrymandering.

California’s Constitution requires redistricting by the independent commission.

Moreover, a 1980s state Supreme Court ruling allows only one redistricting each decade, Quinn says.

Trying to gerrymander California congressional districts through legislation without first asking the voters’ permission would be criminally stupid.

Newsom would need to call a special election for November and persuade voters to temporarily suspend the Constitution, allowing the Legislature to redraw the districts.

Or the Legislature could place a gerrymandered plan on the ballot and seek voter approval. But that would be risky. A specific plan could offer several targets for the opposition — the GOP and do-gooder groups.

In either case, new maps would need to be drawn by the end of the year to fit the June 2026 primary elections.

Mitchell says polling shows that the independent commission is very popular with voters. Still, he asserts, “there’s something in the water right now. There’s potential that voters will not want to let Trump run ramshackle while we’re being Pollyannish.”

“The reality is that a lot of Democrats would hit their own thumb with a hammer if they thought it would hurt Trump more.”

Mitchell also says that California could out-gerrymander Texas by not only weakening current GOP seats but by strengthening competitive Democratic districts. Texas doesn’t have that opportunity, he says, because its districts already have been heavily gerrymandered.

Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio says Newsom is “trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube” and doubts it will work. “Unilaterally disarming was a mistake.

“But Newsom’s not wrong. They play hardball. We don’t.”

Newsom and California Democrats should fight Trump and Texas Republicans in the MAGA gutter, using all weapons available.

As Hackman’s character also says: “Don’t mean s— to have a gun unless you (sic) ready to use it.”

What else you should be reading

The must-read: Texas Republicans aim to redraw House districts at Trump’s urging, but there’s a risk
The TK: The Age-Checked Internet Has Arrived
The L.A. Times Special: Trump’s top federal prosecutor in L.A. struggles to secure indictments in protest cases

Until next week,
George Skelton

—
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Free agent Dominic Calvert-Lewin wanted by Aston Villa, Manchester United enter race for Randal Kolo Muani, and winger Jeremy Sarmiento wants to leave Brighton.

Aston Villa are set to rival AC Milan and Newcastle for England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 28, who is a free agent after leaving Everton. (Sun), external

Newcastle are expecting to receive a formal offer from Liverpool for 25-year-old Sweden striker Alexander Isak next week. (Mail), external

Manchester United have entered the race for Paris St-Germain and France forward Randal Kolo Muani, 26, who is a top target for Juventus. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Ecuador winger Jeremy Sarmiento, 23, is ready to leave Brighton this summer and attracting interest from South America, but wants to remain in Europe. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Leeds have made a second bid of 32m euros (£28m) for Feyenoord’s 25-year-old Brazilian winger Igor Paixao. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Burnley want English goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, 32, from Wolves as they look to replace outgoing 22-year-old compatriot James Trafford, who has joined Manchester City. (Sun), external

Newcastle and Tottenham are interested in Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, 28, but the Brazil forward is also wanted by Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter Milan. (Caught Offside), external

Police say they are working to identify deceased suspect.

Five people have been killed and one person wounded in a shooting in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, police say.

The shooting occurred at Or Tor Kor Market in the Bang Sue district of northern Bangkok at 12:31pm (05:31 GMT) on Monday, the Royal Thai Police said.

All five of the deceased victims were security guards at the market, and the suspected perpetrator took his own life, according to police.

“Police are investigating the motive. So far, it’s a mass shooting,” Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief in the Bang Sue district, was quoted as telling the AFP news agency.

The police are working to identify the suspect and investigating “any possible link” to the current border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, the official said.

The shooter was seen in surveillance footage wearing a black T-shirt, a cap, camouflage shorts and a backpack hung over his chest, the Thai Public Broadcasting Service reported.

Gun violence is relatively common in Thailand compared to much of the rest of Southeast Asia.

In 2020, a junior army officer killed 29 people and wounded 58 in a shooting rampage in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

Ask a random Angeleno to find Piru, Fillmore or Santa Paula on a California map and odds are they’ll shrug and give up. Blame it on location, location, location. Collectively known as the Heritage Valley, these small towns hidden on the stretch of Highway 126 are often ignored and bypassed by L.A. travelers bound for Ojai or Ventura.

But if you take the time to stop in this rural oasis, you’ll find miles of citrus groves, heaps of history and truly tasty Mexican food. Yes, there are more tractors than Tesla Superchargers in this region — that’s part of the draw. This, you realize, is what Southern California looked like before suburbia moved in.

Heritage Valley was previously known as Santa Clara River Valley, which is what the locals still call it. In 1998, a committee was assembled to help bring in tourists, and the new, jazzier label was coined. It was an improvement over an earlier, clunkier nickname, Santa Clara River Valley Heritage Trail, which sounded more like a hiking path.

It wasn’t the only title created for the sake of marketing. The town of Santa Paula has always proclaimed itself “the citrus capital of the world” for its abundance of lemons and oranges. Fillmore, not to be outdone, picked a gem: “The last, best small town,” which inspired a play of the same name that’s set there. Piru was already born with a compelling handle when its devoutly religious founder proclaimed it as “The Second Garden of Eden” in 1887. Today, it’s better known for its popular outdoor recreational area, Lake Piru. (After “Glee” actress Naya Rivera drowned in the lake in 2020, swimming was temporarily banned. It’s now allowed, but only in designated areas between Memorial Day and Labor Day.)

If you go back hundreds of years before Lake Piru was created by the construction of the Santa Felicia Dam, you’d see Chumash villages dotting the valley. Then came the Spanish expeditions in the late 18th century, followed by ranchos that used the land for sheep and cattle. Soon the railroads arrived, and then an oil boom. The valley’s eventual transformation into an agricultural mecca was hastened by a Mediterranean climate that proved ideal for crops — first citrus, then avocados.

But along with the bounty there were disasters, both natural and man-made, including the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and the catastrophic flood from the 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse. Numerous fires also have made the valley live up to a Times article that called it “among the most dangerous wind and fire corridors in Southern California.”

Yet through it all, the population has steadily grown and more travelers are discovering the area for its lively gatherings (the Santa Paula Citrus Music Festival took place last week), new attractions (check out the 17-mile Sunburst Railbike experience) and stunning hikes. Here’s where to go on a road trip along Highway 126.

A zoo has announced the birth of red panda twins after introducing the parents in 2024.

The cubs were delivered at Amazon World, Isle of Wight, on 17 June.

Their mother Xiao, 10, was paired with 10-month-old male Flint after he was imported from Belfast Zoo with a view to breeding “in the next couple of years”, the zoo previously said.

The species, which lives in the eastern Himalayas and China, is endangered and on the decline, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In a Facebook post, the zoo, near Arreton, said it was “over the moon” at its success.

It added: “The cubs are still young and there is always a risk but Xiao has done such a fantastic job so far.

“The cubs will remain hidden in the nest boxes until at least three months old.

“Senior staff have been and will continue to monitor the enclosure, nest boxes and cubs via CCTV installed to make sure all is well.”

Red pandas are poached for fur, get caught in hunters’ wild pig and deer traps and are also under threat from forest clearance, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The Thursday Murder Club is a British comedy-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club, a thrilling new film based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel, is set to hit cinemas and Netflix soon, with the creator himself, who is married to Ingrid Oliver, providing fans with an exciting update.

The film, which features a star-studded cast, follows a group of elderly amateur detectives as they try to crack a murder case.

Filming kicked off in 2024, with none other than Steven Spielberg serving as producer, and Osman has been keeping his followers informed about the latest happenings. Taking to Instagram, he reassured fans that the film would be available both in cinemas and on Netflix, addressing concerns that some might not be able to watch it.

READ MORE: Helen Mirren and Julie Walters star in ultimate cosy comfort-watch movie for free on BBCREAD MORE: Richard Osman offers rare update on ‘changes’ to Thursday Murder Club ahead of Netflix release

He announced: “Some very good news for everyone who wanted to see #TheThursdayMurderClub in UK cinemas. Netflix have listened to the clamour, and the film will now have a run in UK cinemas.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the release date, cast and more.

When is The Thursday Murder Club out?

The Thursday Murder Club is set to premiere in UK cinemas on August 22.

It will then be available for streaming on Netflix from August 28, with a runtime of nearly two hours.

Who are the stars of The Thursday Murder Club?

The main four characters, Elizabeth Best, Ron Ritchie, Ibrahim Arif and Joyce Meadowcroft, will be played by Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie.

Osman recently addressed the contentious casting of Ron, telling Empire: “You have to do something unusual and different and interesting.

“Here’s the key thing about Pierce Brosnan playing Ron: Pierce Brosnan is who Ron would choose to play Ron.”

Doctor Who legend David Tennant has also been signed up as Ian Ventham, alongside Jonathan Pryce who plays Elizabeth’s other half Stephen.

Naomi Ackie is set to portray PC Donna De Freitas, whilst Daniel Mays takes on DCI Chris Hudson and Henry Lloyd-Hughes stars as Bogdan.

Additional big names joining the production include Richard E. Grant, Tom Ellis, Geoff Bell, Paul Freeman, Sarah Niles and Ingrid Oliver.

Is there a trailer for The Thursday Murder Club?

Viewers get a sneak peek at Cooper’s Chase, the retirement community where the central characters live.

When a killing occurs nearby, Joyce is eager for the group to get involved and crack a fresh case.

Supporters flocked to the comments section to share their enthusiasm, with one posting: “The perfect cast, I am sooooo looking forward to seeing this film, love all the books, get ready to snuggle in and be totally enthralled.”

Someone else commented: “Totally didn’t expect this book series to be adapted by Netflix, really looking forward to this. I hope it’s good. And man this cast is stacked!”.

The Thursday Murder Club will hit UK cinemas on August 22. It will subsequently become available to stream on Netflix from August 28.

A passenger train derailed in southern Germany, causing a crash that killed three people and injured at least 50 others. Investigators say a landslide caused the accident. The train’s driver died and 25 passengers were taken to hospital in a serious condition.

INDIANAPOLIS — Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win a major race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval, surviving a late rain delay, two overtimes, concerns over running out of fuel and a hard-charging Kyle Larson on Sunday in the Brickyard 400.

The third NASCAR Cup victory of Wallace’s career was also his most significant — his first win at one of the series’ four crown jewel races.

It snapped a 100-race winless streak that dated to 2022 at Kansas. He also won at Talladega in 2021, but this milestone victory also gave him a playoff spot. No Black driver has won the Indianapolis 500, and Formula 1 raced on the track’s road course.

“Unbelievable,” Wallace shouted on his radio after crossing the yard of bricks.

And while the final gap was 0.222 seconds, he didn’t reach victory lane without some consternation.

Larson trailed by 5.057 seconds with 14 laps to go but the gap was down to about three seconds with six remaining when the yellow flag came out because of rain. The cars rolled to a stop on pit lane with four to go, giving Wallace about 20 additional minutes to think and rethink his restart strategy.

But after beating Larson through the second turn, a crash behind the leaders forced a second overtime, extending the race even more laps as Wallace’s team thought he might run out of gas.

Bubba Wallace celebrates after winning the Brickyard 400 on Sunday.

(Darron Cummings / Associated Press)

Wallace risked everything by staying on the track then beat the defending race winner off the restart again to prevent Larson from becoming the fourth back-to-back winner of the Brickyard.

It also alleviated the frustration Wallace felt Saturday when he spent most of the qualifying session on the provisional pole only to see Chase Briscoe surpass with one of the last runs in the session.

He made sure there was no repeat Sunday, giving an added boost to the 23XI Racing co-owned by basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and last week’s race winner, Denny Hamlin, as it continues to battle NASCAR in court over its charter status.

The race inside the race — the In-Season Challenge — went to Ty Gibbs, who had a better car than Ty Dillon in qualifying and on race day. Gibbs finished 21st to win the inaugural March Madness-like single-elimination tournament and collect the $1 million prize.

Dillon, a surprise championship round entrant after making the field as the 32nd and final driver, finished 28th.

Three-time series champ Joey Logano appeared to have the edge with 26 laps to go until his right rear tire went flat. Though he was able to drive it into pit lane for a tire change, he lost power and struggled to get back on the track, knocking him out of contention.

Ryan Blaney held off Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin to win the second stage, giving Blaney his fifth stage win of the year. Pole winner Chase Briscoe won the first stage, finishing ahead of Bubba Wallace and William Byron. It was Briscoe’s second stage win of the season, his first since Pocono.

Bubba Wallace kisses the Brickyard 400 trophy after winning Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

(Darron Cummings / Associated Press)

July 28 (UPI) — A man was hospitalized in Canada’s western province of British Columbia following a bear attack over the weekend, officials said.

The man had sustained “significant injuries” and underwent surgery at a hospital in Cranbrook, a city located about 523 miles east of Vancouver, the province’s Conservation Officer Service said in a statement Sunday.

According to officials, the man and his wife were riding e-bikes along the Kootenay River near West Creston when, at about 4:30 p.m. PDT Saturday, the wife heard her husband scream and saw a grizzly bear running toward her.

“She used bear spray and then noticed a second grizzly bear attacking her husband. She again used bear spray and both bears ran off,” it said.

Emergency crews were then called to the scene, and the man was transported to the hospital.

Though both COS personnel and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers swept the area, no bears were located, it said.

“Three major trails in the area were closed off and signage installed. Traps were se last night. No bears were captured overnight,” it added.

Huge fires around Bursa, Turkiye’s fourth-largest city, broke out over the weekend, leading to more than 3,500 people fleeing their homes. On Monday morning, fog-like smoke from fires and smouldering foliage hung over the city.

Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires, with Turkiye and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean experiencing record-breaking heatwaves.

The death toll from wildfires outside the city of Bursa in northwest Turkiye rose to four late on Sunday after two volunteer firefighters died.

The pair died in hospital after they were pulled from a water tanker that rolled while heading to a forest fire, news agency IHA reported. Another worker died earlier at the scene of the accident, and a firefighter died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.

Their deaths raised Turkiye’s wildfire death toll to 17 since late June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in the northwestern city of Eskisehir.

The fires around Bursa were among hundreds to have hit the country over the past month. While firefighting teams have contained the damage to a limited number of homes, vast tracts of forest have been turned to ash.

Turkiye battled at least 44 separate fires on Sunday, said Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli. He identified two fires in Bursa province, as well as blazes in Karabuk in the northwest, and Kahramanmaras in the south, as the most serious.

The government declared disaster areas in two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik. Prosecutions have been launched against 97 people in 33 of Turkiye’s 81 provinces in relation to the fires, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.

SAN DIEGO — Over the years, Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con has built a reputation — and an expectation — as the room where Hollywood juggernauts in attendance at the annual pop culture extravaganza unveil exclusive footage, break news and share behind-the-scenes stories with devoted fans, who often spend hours in line just for a chance to make it through the doors.

It’s not surprising, then, that headlines going into this year’s Comic-Con, which concludes Sunday, carried an air of disappointment about the absence of Marvel and other major film studios from Hall H’s programming schedule — even if 2025 is not the first time Marvel and others have sat out Comic-Con for one reason or another.

But for many fans in attendance, the news merited little more than a shrug.

Hector Guzman, who along with his friend Joaquin Horas made the trip from Los Angeles, acknowledged that the Hall H slate “felt a little bit different this year” with no Marvel Studios panel.

But “there’s still a wide presence of Marvel,” he added. “The ‘Fantastic Four’ movie that just came out — we’ve been seeing a heavy push on that this year.”

Guzman and Horas had spent a little over an hour in the Hall H line Friday afternoon trying to make it to the “Tron: Ares” panel before bailing, but they said that in their three years of attending the event, Hall H usually isn’t on their itinerary.

“If it’s interesting to us, we’ll give it a shot, and if it’s not, then there’s always plenty of other events and stuff going around [the convention],” said Horas. He and Guzman explained that they are generally more interested in exclusive merchandise, custom works by artists and getting together with their friends in cosplay.

Other attendees like Jennifer Moore and Sam Moore of British Columbia, Canada, took advantage of the absence of popular Hall H mainstays to get into Friday presentations they were excited about, including for “Alien: Earth” and “The Long Walk.”

“Last year was my first time [in Hall H],” said Jennifer Moore, who said they’d been attending the event for 10 years.

“Now [that] there’s no Marvel thing or DC thing, it’s pretty easy to get in,” said Sam Moore. “We’ve just been doing walk-ins [for Hall H] this year.”

That’s not to say Hall H was entirely without spectacle: Highlights included an ensemble of bagpipers performing “Scotland the Brave,” a dazzling laser light show, the world premiere of the “Alien” franchise’s first ever television series and an appearance by “Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas to promote the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

A look inside the “Tron: Ares” Hall H panel at Comic-Con.

(Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP)

And although the Comic-Con experience has grown beyond the walls of the San Diego Convention Center, with immersive experiences and pop-ups spilling into the city’s Gaslamp Quarter and the Embarcadero, Hall H remains a venerated programming space for panelists and attendees alike.

“I want to give people the experience that they bought their tickets for to come here,” said Noah Hawley, the creator of “Alien: Earth” before the upcoming FX series’ Hall H presentation on Friday. “I was surprised the first time I came to Comic-Con, how emotional it is for the people who attend. There’s a lot of people for whom [361] days a year, they have to pretend to be somebody else. These [four] days of the year, they get to be who they really feel like they are on the inside.”

The Moores were among those who were able to make it into Hall H without much of a wait on Friday morning. But by Friday afternoon, the line had grown much longer in anticipation for later panels, which included capacity crowds. Other big draws included anime franchise entry “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” and DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, who received an ovation for the success of his recent “Superman” reboot while presenting the second season of the John Cena series “Peacemaker.”

Even those who were attending Comic-Con to promote their own projects couldn’t hold in their excitement for anime juggernaut “Demon Slayer.” Besides the Hall H, panel ads promoting the upcoming movie — which has already broken attendance records in Japan — adorned a nearby hotel and the trains of the Trolley.

“There is a part of me that just wants to be out with the fans in my Tanjiro outfit with the earrings with my daughter,” said actor Babou Ceesay of “Alien: Earth,” referencing the young warrior with a gentle heart at the center of “Demon Slayer.”

The growth of anime and animation programming at Comic-Con and inside Hall H is a reminder that the convention is best understood as a reflection of ongoing shifts in nerd culture and fandom. Having evolved from a gathering primarily for comic book collectors to a broader celebration of pop culture where blockbuster movies once had a stranglehold, Comic-Con may now be witnessing the loosening of comic book superhero films’ grip on the zeitgeist as a whole. Indeed, television has steadily increased its Comic-Con footprint for years. Studios and streamers have also been organizing their own promotional events, such as Disney’s D23 and Netflix’s Tudum, to build up buzz on their terms, too.

Plus, as fan Robbie Weber of Los Angeles reiterated, Comic-Con is more than just what happens in Hall H. When he first attended the event 11 years ago he was among those that camped out overnight in order to get into the hall, but this time around he skipped it, opting to explore activations and other panels instead.

“We saw [comic book writer] Jonathan Hickman [on Thursday],” said Weber. “We saw a friend on the “Primitive War” panel [on Friday], which was really cool. It was the first time I’ve been able to see a friend do something like that.”

For many, Comic-Con’s main draw remains how fans can freely celebrate their passions.

“Alien: Earth” actor Alex Lawther said it was nice to hear the excitement of the people around him on his San Diego-bound train as they reminisced about their past experiences and shared photos of their cosplay.

“I really get that intense enjoyment of something to the point where you want to walk down the street wearing the costumes,” he said.

Authorities warn of intensifying conditions and heightened disaster risks in the coming days.

A landslide triggered by unusually heavy rain has killed four people and left eight others missing in northern China’s Hebei province, state media report, as authorities issue flood warnings in capital Beijing and at least 11 provinces.

The landslide in a village near Chengde city was “due to heavy rainfall”, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.

Authorities relocated more than 4,400 people as relentless rain continued to pound the suburban area of Miyun in Beijing, causing flash floods and landslides, affecting many villages, CCTV said.

Images circulated on China’s WeChat app showed areas of Miyun where cars and trucks were floating on a flooded road, and residential buildings were submerged. Electricity cuts also affected more than 10,000 people in the area, CCTV said.

Northern China has seen record precipitation in recent years, exposing densely populated cities, including Beijing, to flood risks. Some scientists link the increased rainfall in China’s usually arid north to global warming.

The Central Meteorological Observatory said heavy rainfall would continue to drench northern China over the next three days. The Water Resources Ministry has issued targeted flood warnings in 11 provinces and regions.

Beijing issued its highest-level flood alert on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency said. The national emergency management department said it dispatched a team to inspect the “severe” flooding in Hebei, which encircles Beijing.

In Shanxi province, videos from state media showed roads filled with water and submerged vegetation, including crops and trees. The province, home to China’s historic city of Xian, also issued flash flood disaster risk warnings on Monday.

The storms are part of the broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the East Asian monsoon, which has caused disruptions in the world’s second-largest economy.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission said on Monday it was urgently arranging 50 million yuan ($7m) to support Hebei, Xinhua reported. The funds would be used to repair damaged roads and bridges, water conservancy embankments, schools and hospitals in the disaster area.

Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heatwaves.

Flash floods in eastern China’s Shandong province killed two people and left 10 missing this month. A landslide on a highway in Sichuan province this month also killed five people after it swept several cars down a mountainside.

It has been a scarcely believable dozen years since Hull burst on to the professional scene in 2013 with five sucessive runners-up finishes on the Ladies European Tour (LET).

She has gone on to record a combined six victories on the LPGA Tour and LET and become a key member of the past six European Solheim Cup teams, but three runner-up finishes remain the best Hull has achieved in the sport’s biggest championships.

“Second to me is first loser,” said England’s top ranked player.

“But I’m in a great position because if you’re not asking [about my chances], I’m not doing something right.”

Hull has been a little boom or bust in the majors over recent years. In her past 24 starts, she has missed the cut on eight occassions but finished top-25 in 15, including runner-up in this championship when it was held at Surrey course Walton Heath in 2023.

Unlike the men’s Open Championship, which is always held at a coastal links course, the women’s equivalent is also played at inland courses.

And while Hull said she “prefers parkland” tracks, she has positive experiences from Porthcawl to draw upon.

“I won here when I was 14, so I have fond memories,” she said, referring to playing in the inaugural Junior Vagliano trophy in 2011 – a Solheim Cup-style amateur contest which pits Great Britain and Ireland agaist Continental Europe.

“Links is going to be a challenge and I hope the wind is up because I like finding links hard.”

Three times she has finished in the spot behind the winner in her previous 59 major appearances. There have been six other top-10s.

“I don’t really look at stuff like that,” she said.

“I have no interest. As I am in life, once I’m done I’m off to the next thing.”

And when pushed on what she needs to do to take her game to the next level, Hull simply said: “I need to not put too much pressure on my golf, not be too golf obsessed.

“Like when I was younger, I was never that obsessed.”

Perhaps a windy Porthcawl will help invoke memories of those more innocent days at blustery Turnberry.