LONDON — London police said they caught a vandal red-handed — or at least with red paint — after he defaced a statue Friday of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in central London with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
The 38-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage for allegedly painting “Zionist war criminal” on the plinth beneath the 12-foot statute of Churchill leaning on a cane that faces Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police said.
“Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine” were also painted in red on the bronze sculpture.
The Dutch group called “Free the Filton 24,” a reference to Palestine Action activists charged with breaking into Israel-based defense firm Elbit’s sites in the U.K., claimed responsibility for the vandalism.
Police did not name the suspect, as is customary when someone hasn’t been charged, but said he was in custody.
Olax Outis, who said he is Dutch and part of the action group, claimed to be the man behind the act, explaining his actions in a seven-part Instagram post that was prerecorded.
“If you see this message that peaceful protest has begun and it’s a reasonable assumption that I’m currently in a jail, somewhere in London,” he wrote.
Outis denounced Churchill and the current government, saying he was drawing “attention to the horrible human rights violations happening in a country that’s run by colonizers who refuse to listen to their people.”
The statue created by Ivor Roberts-Jones and unveiled in 1973 has frequently been vandalized. Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020 and climate group Extinction Rebellion in October both spray painted the word “racist” on the statue.
As mild temperatures lead to increased bug activity, local experts provide advice on keeping ants and other small bugs out of homes. They recommend using over-the-counter ant baits and ensuring spills and crumbs are cleaned up promptly. To prevent bugs from entering, it’s important to check that screens fit tightly without holes or gaps and to be mindful of how gardens are watered.”You want to control the moisture around your yard and your house,” Chesley Elkins said. “If you’re going to, if you have a lawn you’re going to water, make sure that water’s not hitting the house or pooling up next to the house or anything like that and that you’re not over watering as well.”Experts also suggest keeping your tolerance level in mind and focusing on sealing the house tightly to keep bugs outside. If the problem becomes significant, they advise calling a professional.
As mild temperatures lead to increased bug activity, local experts provide advice on keeping ants and other small bugs out of homes.
They recommend using over-the-counter ant baits and ensuring spills and crumbs are cleaned up promptly. To prevent bugs from entering, it’s important to check that screens fit tightly without holes or gaps and to be mindful of how gardens are watered.
“You want to control the moisture around your yard and your house,” Chesley Elkins said. “If you’re going to, if you have a lawn you’re going to water, make sure that water’s not hitting the house or pooling up next to the house or anything like that and that you’re not over watering as well.”
Experts also suggest keeping your tolerance level in mind and focusing on sealing the house tightly to keep bugs outside. If the problem becomes significant, they advise calling a professional.
Every so often, the internet produces pure magic! This time it comes in the form of an Ella Langley and Fleetwood Mac mashup.
Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” Mashed Up with Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”
Not every viral mashup is a home run, but this one genuinely caught our ear. The pairing works surprisingly well — and it feels especially fitting considering Langley has been open about her love for the legendary band.
The blend comes from Altego, an electronic dance duo known to smash unlikely songs together into something new.
Their version keeps the classic country feel of Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” in the verses, then pivots by layering the chorus over the steady, unmistakable groove of Dreams.
Stick around until the end — they even weave in those instantly recognizable vocals from Stevie Nicks.
Ella Langley Wants to Collaborate with Stevie Nicks
The video racked up nearly 40,000 likes and more than 500,000 views in less than 24 hours.
It doesn’t appear that either Ella Langley or Stevie Nicks has publicly reacted to it just yet — but who knows? Maybe this is the spark that eventually gets the two women in a studio together.
“I grew up on so many different types of music, but probably the most out of anyone ever would be Stevie Nicks,” she said at the time when asked about a collaboration wish list.
She’s also been known to cover the band’s music in her sets.
15 Photos That Show Ella Langley Through the Years
Ella Langley has changed so much over the years — and it’s not just the bangs! Keep scrolling to see all the singer’s different eras.
Every Friday, I will pick the weekend’s best or most exciting games that are not to be missed in the world of soccer. From derbies to top-of-the-table clashes, relegation six-pointers to world-class players facing each other, or interesting tactical battles, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
This week, we take you to England, France, Scotland, Germany, South America and the U.S. for some big decisive derbies and even a G.O.A.T. sighting.
Another London derby, another must-win game in the title race Arsenal vs. Chelsea
Premier League, Matchday 28 Kickoff: Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. GMT
A week after giving an outstanding response to their critics by demolishing Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby (4-1), Arsenal are back at the Emirates for another London derby and another huge game in their quest for a long-overdue title.
This is the fourth time they will meet Chelsea this season after a pair of Carabao Cup semifinal games — Arsenal have won twice and drawn once. The Gunners have great momentum coming into this game, but Chelsea, who dropped two points at home to second-from-bottom Burnley (1-1) last weekend in a game they could have easily lost and squandered a two-goal lead at home against Leeds United, do not.
Mikel Arteta and his players know that to win the title, they will have to play every game as they did against Spurs, showing the same intensity, structure and movement. They could have easily won 6-0 last Sunday. However, Chelsea will be a much tougher opponent and it will be on Arsenal, in front of a home crowd, to deliver a similar performance, especially from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres, who were excellent last weekend.
For Chelsea, Liam Rosenior needs to quickly find a way of making this team better than what we saw against Leeds and Burnley. Wesley Fofana is suspended, so we will see yet another new center back next to Trevoh Chalobah (Tosin Adarabioyo? Josh Acheampong? Mamadou Sarr? Reece James?) And he also have to solve the Cole Palmer conundrum. Playing him on the right side of midfield to keep Enzo Fernández as a No. 10 doesn’t make sense, and takes away a lot of what makes the England star special.
Chelsea also need to overturn some recent history, as they have failed to beat Arsenal in their last 11 meetings in the Premier League. They have kept only one clean sheet in their last 11 league matches, and that was against Brentford, who created a lot of chances on that day but failed to convert. There are a lot of questions to answer for Rosenior, and this trip to Arsenal could not come at a worse moment.
MY PREDICTION: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea. Arsenal will keep their momentum after the win against Tottenham with victory against another one of their London rivals; Chelsea will still score, but overall, Arsenal will be too strong.
I can’t remember an Olympico (Olympique de Marseille vs. Olympique Lyonnais) being so significant in recent seasons. After weeks of turmoil, L’OM have changed managers (Habib Beye in, Roberto De Zerbi out), have a new big boss running the club in Medhi Benatia (who was the sporting director before), and a president on his way out (Pablo Longoria) after being downgraded by the owner (Frank McCourt).
There is always drama in Marseille, but now the team are in urgent need of points. They’ve gone four league games in a row without a win and are five points behind Lyon, who are in third place, which would qualify them for the UEFA Champions League next season. Financially, Marseille can’t afford to miss out on the top European competition. They need a massive wake-up call and a big performance on Sunday night at the Stade Vélodrome. However, even the most disenchanted fans will know that the players need their full support as a victory is clearly essential.
Lyon have a different dynamic coming into this game. Before losing 3-1 at Strasbourg on Sunday, they had won 13 games in a row in all competitions. They were not at their best in Alsace last weekend, but Paulo Fonseca and his players have a lot more confidence in their identity as a team than their Marseille counterparts.
Lyon also have an X-factor in Endrick. The teenage striker was not at his best vs. Strasbourg, but he is a phenomenal talent to have in Ligue 1 and these are the kind of games in which he needs to have maximum impact. L’OL know that they would make a massive step towards securing third place with a win as there are just 10 games to go after this weekend.
MY PREDICTION: Marseille 3-2 Lyon. There are always plenty of goals in the Olympico, and Sunday will be no exception. It’s Mason Greenwood against Endrick, and Marseille know how to bounce back as we saw when they beat Lens, then-league leaders, a few weeks ago. They will win again on Sunday.
Surely, this is where the German Bundesliga title is going to be decided. Bayern travel to Dortmund with an eight-point lead at the top of the table; it is already a significant gap, but a loss in the Ruhr, and we could potentially have an exciting run-in with 10 games to go.
On paper, it shouldn’t even be a contest. Bayern have been mostly outstanding this season, both domestically and in Europe. However, they have suffered a rare blip in form in recent weeks. Vincent Kompany’s side lost at home to Augsburg (2-1) in the Bavarian derby, dropped points at Hamburg (2-2), and endured a tense last few minutes last weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt (3-2).
Harry Kane is still on fire (28 goals in 23 league matches so far) — he is still very much on track to beat Robert Lewandowski‘s record of 41 league goals in a season — as are Michael Olise and Luis Díaz, but we have seen unusual mistakes being made by some of the Bayern players that could cost them if they happen on Saturday evening.
For Dortmund and Niko Kovac, who was sacked by Bayern back in November 2019 despite winning the title the season before, this is their chance. They are in the best domestic run of form across all the big five leagues — 16 league games without defeat. The last time they tasted defeat domestically was in October at … Bayern (2-1). Serhou Guirassy is back to his best (five goals in his last four games) and Dortmund will have to believe in their capacity to beat the leaders and keep their faint dreams of winning the title alive.
MY PREDICTION: Dortmund 1-2 Bayern. I think Dortmund will put in a great performance on Saturday. They have been playing well lately, and that will be the case again. However, Bayern will be too strong, too clinical, and will get the three points.
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Leboeuf & Marcotti clash over late penalty decision for Atalanta
Frank Leboeuf and Gab Marcotti discuss the penalty decision that sent Atalanta to the Champions League knockouts.
Danny Rohl has done an amazing job since he took over as Rangers manager in October. No one has won more points than Rangers since he arrived, and despite some disappointing results in recent weeks, they have been the better Old Firm team in the last few weeks.
They beat Celtic away back in January and also were too strong for league leaders Hearts two weeks ago at home (4-2); they are now only two points clear of Celtic (who have a game in hand) and four behind Hearts. So this is a must-win game for Rangers. Before the Scottish Premiership table splits into two for the end-of-season playoffs, it would be a massive psychological boost for them to beat Celtic again.
For the Hoops and their manager, Martin O’Neill, the last few weeks have been frustrating. They had (very) late wins at Kilmarnock (97th minute) and Livingston (91st) — though should have never been in that position — while also losing to Stuttgart in Europe and, more importantly for their league title ambitions, taking a 2-1 loss home from last weekend’s trip to Hibernian. They have to bounce back in this huge Old Firm derby. They drew there 0-0 last August before winning the League Cup final against their archrivals, and losing at home. They need a win to stay in the title race and close to Hearts, who host Aberdeen on Saturday.
MY PREDICTION: Rangers 2-1 Celtic. Despite a few hiccups recently, like the draw at Livingston last weekend (2-2), Rangers are still able to raise their level in big games and I back them to do it again.
The new MLS season didn’t start as expected for Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates. The reigning champions were outplayed 3-0 in Los Angeles by LAFC, with Messi so angered by the referee that he reportedly wanted to confront him after the game. Not great.
It was a poor performance, but one that they can quickly put behind them in this Florida derby. This is the perfect game to launch their season. It was always going to be a difficult start for Miami, with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba having retired and Luis Suárez being more of a substitute.
That means even more responsibility falls on Messi and, to a lesser extent, on Rodrigo De Paul deeper in midfield. They are the team’s best and most experienced players at 38 and 31. The club’s new signings, striker Germán Berterame and goalkeeper Dayne St.Clair, had poor games last weekend, but much is expected of them moving forward, and Sunday offers an immediate shot at redemption.
Orlando also lost their opening game of this new season, 2-1 at home against the New York Red Bulls and their 17-year-old wonderkid, Julian Hall, who scored a brace. They signed three highly promising, young Brazilians in the transfer window: Midfielder Luis Otávio (18), center back Iago (20) and winger Tiago (20), who scored off the bench on his debut last weekend.
Last season, Orlando finished ninth, but had a poor end of the campaign with just one win in their last 11 games in all competitions. Another loss against Miami and the pressure will really be on for manager Oscar Pareja.
MY PREDICTION:Orlando City 1-3 Miami. This is a great game for Messi and Miami to bounce back after their inaugural defeat. They will do that with a convincing victory, one in which the G.O.A.T will shine again despite not being fully fit yet.
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1:00
What went wrong for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami vs. LAFC?
The “Futbol Americas” crew react to Inter Miami’s 3-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC in the MLS.
Must win for Villa’s Champions League aspirations Wolves vs. Aston Villa
Premier League, Matchday 28 Kickoff: Friday, 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m GMT
The race for third, fourth and fifth place in the Premier League is heating up at the perfect time for fans. We thought Villa were locked in for a top-five finish, but their recent results (two wins in their last seven Premier League games) have seen Manchester United come back to sit three points behind in fourth, with Chelsea and Liverpool in fifth and sixth, only six points adrift.
It will be a very exciting end of the season all round, but a tense one for the Villa fans. They travel to Wolverhampton on Friday night in a massive Midlands derby, and they badly need all three points.
Villa have massively overperformed their expected goals data. They are struggling to create big chances and rely weekly on individual brilliance from Morgan Rogers, especially on set pieces, where they are very efficient when it comes to winning matches. Defensively, as we saw against Leeds last weekend in their 1-1 home draw, they are still fragile. They have big players missing (Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn) and they need to grind out wins now to make it into the top five, which is vital for them financially.
For Wolves, this is the perfect opportunity to spoil Villa’s party and their quest for the Champions League. Rob Edwards’ players will play for pride in front of their fans and can put more pressure on their rivals’ end of the season sprint. We know what to expect from Wolves: a solid block with a back five and very aggressive players. It worked against Arsenal when they got a point (2-2), and almost worked again at Crystal Palace last weekend, where they lost 1-0 to a late goal after missing a penalty of their own.
MY PREDICTION: Wolves 0-2 Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s team have to bounce back from their recent average form, and will do so in this Midlands derby. It won’t be pretty, and they will keep struggling to create chances, but they will find a way to win.
While some areas of the country have left winter behind and crossed into record-high temperatures, fast-moving weather systems are bringing more cold weather from the Midwest to the Northeast.
Snow is set to break out this weekend in the Midwest, then move across the country to Washington, D.C., and New York City by Monday. Snowfall, however, won’t resemble last weekend’s blizzard, which hit the Northeast with over two feet of snow in many places and left more than 600,000 customers without power.
Massachusetts experienced the most power outages in the country, with the state’s South Coast and Cape Cod particularly hard hit. As of Friday, nearly half-a-million outages have been restored in Massachusetts since the start of the Nor’easter.
Now, some areas of the Midwest and Pacific Northwest are under winter weather-related advisory alerts. Southwest Phillips County in Montana is the only area under a winter storm warning from this morning to tomorrow. Heavy snow is expected, about 4 to 7 inches, and travel could be affected according to the National Weather Service.
Parts of Washington, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Alaska are under winter weather advisories.
Snow is set to break out late Sunday across Iowa, northern Missouri, and into Illinois. Icy weather is possible across central Missouri.
The weather system might cause some travel delays on Monday as it moves through the Midwest into the Mid-Atlantic, beginning with potential delays during the morning commute in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, midday in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and time for the commute home.
There may be icy weather in the early morning on Tuesday from D.C. to New York City before the forecast switches to rain for the rest of the day. Any accumulating snow brought by the weather system will be in northern New England.
Yet, in some areas of the country, spring has sprung with above-average temperatures in around 90% of the contiguous United States. Record highs are likely from southern California to Texas. Even the Northeast will warm up on Saturday before the cold weather hits Sunday and Monday.
Next week will bring strong storms and heavy rain to parts of the Plains and Mississippi Valley, a weather pattern that could lead to flooding.
A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who disappeared after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a Buffalo doughnut shop was found dead on the street five days later.
Crown Lands is doing what they do on an epic scale. Ahead of their highly anticipated new album Apocalypse, dropping May 15, 2026, the duo have released a live performance video of the sprawling, 19-minute title track – a dramatic glimpse into their expansive new vision. Directed by long-time collaborator Luke Paron, the session sees Crown Lands expanding their lineup with additional musicians to bring the studio complexities fully to life.
Guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Kevin Comeau reflects on why the duo needed extra hands for the stage: “When we wrote and recorded Apocalypse, we knew our studio ambitions finally pushed us away from being able to pull everything off live as a duo. I produced a record last year for an incredible band from Hamilton Ontario called The Dreamland Band.
“Daniel Walton is an incredible guitarist, bassist and vocalist. Adam Inrig is a ridiculously talented drummer and keyboardist. They are both jazz-school grads and can play our material better than we can. When the conversation came up for additional members for the stage, I knew Dan and Adam were more than up to the task.”
Drummer/vocalist Cody Bowles elaborates on the live concept and visual storytelling behind the performance: “As the vision for the live rendition of Apocalypse came together, we knew we wanted to deliver something over-the-top. I thought it would be so cool to embody Blackstar and bring the character to life – developing this concept of the performance as a battle between Blackstar and the Ebonflight.”
Bowles also praises director Luke Paron, noting the longstanding creative partnership: “Luke and I go way back. We went to high school together, but years later we became very close. He’s now one of my best friends and my dungeon master in our evergreen D&D group.
“We first collaborated with him on the Live Ritual videos, and we absolutely loved how those turned out. So when it came time to capture and conceptualize the mammoth that is Apocalypse, it was a no-brainer. There’s something really special about getting to create cool things with your friends.”
Musically, Apocalypse represents a turning point for Crown Lands. After completing Rituals entirely in their home studio, the duo gained the confidence to take near-total control over production. Comeau explains: “That record gave us the confidence to realize we could make a Crown Lands album in our own space, without a major-label budget or a big, fancy studio.”
For Apocalypse, much of the album was written and recorded in the same studio the duo has used since 2020, with selective production collaboration from Nick Raskulinecz and David Bottrill to enhance the record’s most crucial moments.
2/28 Windsor, ON The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor 3/4 Miami, FL Cruise to the Edge 2026 3/20 Kingston, ON Kingston Grand Theatre 3/21 Milton, ON FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton 3/24 Ottawa, ON Shenkman Arts Centre 3/25 North Bay, ON Capitol Centre 3/27 Guelph, ON River Run Centre 3/28 London, ON Wolf Performance Hall 3/31 Richmond Hill, ON Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts 4/1 Oakville, ON The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts 7/4 Miramachi, NB New Maritime Music Festival
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President Trump’s media company said it is in discussions to spin off businesses, including social-media platform Truth Social, into a new publicly traded company.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes his return for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the perfect time to claim the current DraftKings promo code, which gives new users $200 in bonus bets if your first $5+ bet wins. Gilgeous-Alexander has missed the last nine games with an abdominal strain, but the Thunder still went 5-4 without him and are 45-15 on the season. The SportsLine Projection Model is picking the Thunder to cover as 7.5-point favorites as one of its Friday best bets at DraftKings.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered Week 19 on a sizzling 38-18 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Friday best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook
Knicks vs. Bucks: Over 220.5 total points (-108)
Illinois (+120) to defeat Michigan
Thunder (-7.5) vs. Nuggets (-118)
Combining the three picks into a Friday parlay at DraftKings would result in a payout of +682 (risk $100 to win $682, odds subject to change). Bet it at DraftKings here:
Knicks vs. Bucks: Over 220.5 total points (-108)
The Knicks are coming off one of their worst scoring performances of the season, posting 94 points against the Cavaliers, but the four other times they’ve been held to less than 100 points, New York scored at least 110 points the following contest. Expect the Knicks to want to erase that performance, and with the Knicks having a top-10 scoring offense (117.2 points per game, ninth), that’s likely to happen. Meanwhile, the Bucks’ offense has been rolling lately even without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf). Milwaukee has scored at least 118 points in three of its last four games. The Over has cashed in three of the last four Bucks games, and the model projects the Over to hit in 67.5% of simulations. Back the Over at DraftKings here:
Illinois (+120) to defeat Michigan
“Illinois has had all week to stew over blowing a 23-point lead in an overtime loss at UCLA last Saturday. So while Michigan had a bit of a palate-cleanser from the Duke game with its win against Minnesota at home, I think the Illini are going to be breathing fire,” SportsLine expert Chip Patterson said. “Then there’s the matchup, which has Illinois with a notable advantage in the backcourt (Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell over Elliot Cadaeu and Nimari Burnett) and comparable size to handle Michigan’s 6-9, 6-9, 7-3 jumbo-sized front-court. Plus, there’s a sneaky series edge here because while Michigan might eye Ohio State or Michigan State as its primary rivals, Illinois has won nine straight against the Wolverines, a streak that dates back to Jan. 2019.” Back Illinois to win at DraftKings here:
Thunder (-7.5) vs. Nuggets (-118)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is back for the Thunder after missing nine games with an abdominal strain, and although they played well without him, going 5-4, his return takes them to a new level. SGA is the reigning NBA MVP on the reigning NBA champions, and Oklahoma City has the No. 1 score differential (+11.4 ppg) largely due to his court presence. Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the NBA in scoring at 31.8 ppg this year. The Thunder are home on Friday, where OKC is 24-6 overall this season. The Nuggets have lost six of their last 10 games, including a 121-111 loss to the Thunder in Denver where SGA scored 34 points. The model projects the Thunder to cover in 59% of simulations. Back the Thunder to cover at DraftKings here:
Want more NBA and college basketball picks on Friday?
Another London derby, another must-win game in the title race
Clash of the French Olympiques
Old Firm with a lot on the line
Messi and friends looking for first league win
Must win for Villa’s Champions League aspirations
