Adding to the comedic brilliance of the film is the inclusion of popular comedian Song Xiaobao, whose sharp wit and quirky humor inject an extra dose of hilarity into the narrative. With a solid ensemble cast that also includes a mix of seasoned actors and rising stars, "Full Moon Outside the Window, Bang!" promises to deliver a memorable and laughter-filled experience for moviegoers of all ages.Global Tensions and Movements in Politics and Defense
Taiwan's response to the PLA's provocations has been swift and resolute, with the deployment of its own military assets to monitor and intercept any intrusions into its territorial waters and airspace. The island nation has also sought to strengthen its defense capabilities through increased defense spending and closer security cooperation with like-minded partners, including the United States and Japan.Julia Wick | (TNS) Los Angeles Times As California politicos look ahead to 2025, the biggest question looming is whether Vice President Kamala Harris — a native daughter, battered just weeks ago by presidential election defeat — will enter the 2026 California governor’s race. Related Articles National Politics | Biden says healthy women help US prosperity as he highlights White House initiative on their health National Politics | Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people National Politics | Trump taps immigration hard-liner Kari Lake as head of Voice of America National Politics | Trump invites China’s Xi to his inauguration even as he threatens massive tariffs on Beijing National Politics | Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump Harris has yet to give any public indication on her thoughts and those close to her suggest the governorship is not immediately top of mind. But if Harris does ultimately run — and that’s a massive if — her entrée would seismically reshape the already crowded race for California’s highest office. Recent polling suggests Harris would have a major advantage, with 46% of likely voters saying they were somewhat or very likely to support her for governor in 2026, according to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey co-sponsored by The Times. “If Vice President Harris were to choose to run, I am certain that that would have a near field-clearing effect on the Democratic side,” Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, said during a recent UC Irvine panel interview . Porter, a high-profile Democrat who has been eyeing the wide-open governor’s race, has yet to say whether she plans to run. Porter’s point was broadly echoed in conversations with nearly a dozen California political operatives and strategists, several of whom requested anonymity to speak candidly. Most speculated that a Harris entry would cause some other candidates in the race to scatter, creating further upheaval in down-ballot races as a roster of ambitious politicians scramble for other opportunities. “In politics, you always let the big dogs eat first,” quipped Democratic political consultant Peter Ragone. The current gubernatorial field is a who’s who of California politicians, but lacks a clear favorite or star with widespread name recognition. The vast majority of California’s 22 million voters have yet to pay attention to the race and have little familiarity with the candidates. The list of Democratic candidates includes Los Angeles’ first Latino mayor in more than a century ( Antonio Villaraigosa ); the first female and first out LGBTQ leader of the state Senate ( Toni Atkins ); the sitting lieutenant governor and first woman to hold that post ( Eleni Kounalakis ); the state superintendent of public instruction ( Tony Thurmond ) and the former state controller ( Betty Yee ). Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is serving his second term as California governor, meaning he is ineligible to run again. Several other Democrats, including Porter, outgoing Health and Human Services Director Xavier Becerra and state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta have also publicly toyed with the idea of a run. They could be less likely to enter the fray should Harris decide to run. What the billionaire mall mogul Rick Caruso — who has also been exploring a run — would choose to do is an open question, as Caruso might contrast himself with Harris as a more centrist candidate. The real estate developer was a registered Republican until November 2019. It’s unlikely that Harris will proffer a public decision in the immediate term, leaving plenty of time for political insiders to game out hypotheticals in the weeks and months to come. Harris’ office did not respond to a request for comment. “I think every candidate for governor is trying to get some kind of intel,” Mike Trujillo, a Los Angeles-based Democratic political consultant and former Villaraigosa staffer, said of a potential Harris run. Trujillo speculated that Harris’ current state was probably similar to Hillary Clinton’s hiking sojourns in the Chappaqua woods after losing to Donald Trump in 2016, or Al Gore growing a beard in the bruising aftermath of his 2000 defeat. “The first thing she’s probably thinking about is, ‘Well, can I run again for president in four years?’ Not, ‘Do I run for governor in two years?’” said one political operative who’s worked with Harris in the past. Harris maintains a home in Brentwood and previously served as California’s senator and attorney general. A successful run for governor in 2026 would almost certainly impede a grab for the presidency in 2028. (Though if history is any guide, an unsuccessful run for California governor does not definitively preclude a bid for the Oval Office: Two years after losing the White House to John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon lost the 1962 contest for governor to Pat Brown . The Yorba Linda native became the nation’s 37th president in 1969.) As the chief executive of a state that doubles as the world’s fifth-largest economy, Harris would have more power to steer policy and make changes as a California governor than she did as vice president, where her job required deference to President Biden. But leading a state, even the nation’s most populous, could feel like small potatoes after being a heartbeat (and a few dozen electoral votes) from the presidency. The protracted slog to November 2026 would also be a stark contrast to her ill-fated 107-day sprint toward the White House, particularly for a candidate whose 2020 presidential primary campaign was dogged by allegations of infighting and mismanagement. “I don’t think Kamala Harris has a deep psychological need to be governor of California, or to be in elective office in order to feel like she can contribute to society,” said the operative who’s worked with Harris in the past. “I think some of these people do, but she’s somebody who has enough prominence that she could do a lot of big, wonderful things without having to worry about balancing California’s budget or negotiating with Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel,” the Encino Democrat who chairs the Assembly’s budget committee. Technically, Harris has until March 2026 to decide whether she enters a race. But political strategists who spoke to The Times theorized that she probably would make a move by late spring, if she chooses to do so. “People will be more annoyed if she drops in in June,” a Democratic strategist involved with one of the gubernatorial campaigns said. Sending a clear signal by February would be more “courteous,” the strategist continued, explaining that such a move would give candidates more time to potentially enter other races. Kounalakis is a longtime friend and ally of Harris’ , and the vice president also has long-term relationships with some of the other candidates and potential candidates. California has eight statewide elected offices and campaign finance laws allow candidates to fundraise interchangeably for them, meaning money already raised for a candidate’s gubernatorial campaign could easily be redirected should they decide to run for, say, lieutenant governor instead. There are already a number of candidates running for lieutenant governor, including former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, former state Sen. Steven Bradford and former state Treasurer Fiona Ma. But that office probably would see even more interest should Harris enter the gubernatorial race. It’s a largely ceremonial position, but one that has served as a launching pad for the governorship. Still, even if Harris does enter the race, Republican political strategist Mike Murphy threw cold water on the idea that she would have an automatic glide path to the governor’s office. “It’s like Hollywood. Nobody knows anything. She’s famous enough to look credible in early polling. That’s all we know for sure,” Murphy said. “Does that predict the future? No. Are there a lot of downsides (to a potential Harris candidacy)? Totally, yes.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Murdered Sara Sharif was less than a week old when concerns were raised about her care, newly-reportable details show, as the Prime Minister said questions must be answered about the “shocking” case. The 10-year-old girl’s battered body was discovered at her family home in Woking, Surrey in August last year, with members of her family having already fled to Pakistan with her siblings and half-siblings. Following the conviction of Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, for her murder, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, of causing or allowing her death, previously unreportable details about the family’s contact with social services and the courts have been published. They include: – Concerns were raised about Sara’s care within a week of her birth in 2013, with her parents Urfan and Olga Sharif known to social services as early as 2010. – Surrey County Council repeatedly raised “significant concerns” that Sara was likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents. – There were three sets of family court proceedings but allegations that Urfan Sharif was physically abusing Sara and her siblings were never tested in court. – Sara was repeatedly returned to her parents’ care before finally being placed with her father and stepmother at their home in Woking in 2019, four years before she was murdered there. – Sara’s siblings and half-siblings were taken to Pakistan following her murder and they remain in the city of Jhelum, Pakistan, with their paternal grandfather, with efforts to return them to the UK still ongoing. Their identities are protected by a court order. Sir Keir Starmer described the case as “awful” and stressed the importance of safeguards for children being home-schooled in particular – as Sara was in the last months of her life. The trial of Sara’s killers heard that in January 2023 she had begun wearing a hijab to cover up her bruises at school and while teachers noticed marks on her face and referred her to social services in March, the case was dropped within days. She was taken out of school by her family in April, with the violence against her intensifying in the weeks before she died. Sir Keir said the case was one of violence and abuse and described it as “just shocking” to read about, adding: “Obviously, there’s going to be questions that need to be answered in relation to this case”. He said these related to “making sure that (there are) protecting safeguards for children, particularly those being home-schooled”. Cabinet minister Lucy Powell indicated on Thursday that details on how these will be made stronger will be announced “imminently”. As part of previously announced reforms to children’s social care, the Government said it would be introducing a new duty on parents where, if their child is subject to a child protection inquiry or is on a child protection plan – meaning the child is suspected of being at risk of significant harm – they will need local authority consent to home educate them. The plans, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, also include requiring local authorities to have registers of children not in school, in a bid to avoid children slipping under the radar. The Bill has not yet begun making its way through Parliament, but it is understood it could be introduced in the Commons as early as next week. England’s Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has described it as “madness” that an at-risk child could be taken out of school, and called for a change in the law so children who are suspected victims of abuse cannot be home educated. She called on the Government to bring in its reforms “without delay”. The Department for Education has said its plans will bring in greater safeguards for children in home education “so this can never be used to conceal abuse”. Figures published on Thursday showed that local authorities in England reported 111,700 children were in elective home education this autumn term, a rise from an estimated 92,000 in the previous autumn term. The trial, which concluded on Wednesday, had heard how Sara’s father had created a “culture of violent discipline”, where assaults on her had “become completely routine, completely normalised”. The new details reported on Thursday came after a High Court ruling that information about ongoing and previous court proceedings relating to Sara and her siblings could be published, following applications from the PA news agency and several other media organisations. Separately, a report published by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel the day after the verdicts in Sara’s case showed that 485 children in England died or were seriously harmed by abuse or neglect, between April 1 2023 and March 31 2024. Panel chairwoman Annie Hudson described Sara’s case as “harrowing” as she called for a more joined-up approach to child protection, with a need for teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers, police and other professionals to share information to understand what is happening in a child’s life. Surrey County Council said an independently-led safeguarding review – known as a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR) – of all professionals who had contact with Sara’s family is under way. Such reviews are aimed at identifying learning from cases and while no timeframe has been given, it is usually expected reports are published within six months.First and foremost, playing against a team like Liverpool is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. They are a powerhouse in European football, with a rich history of success both domestically and internationally. To have the opportunity to face off against such a formidable opponent is a challenge that every player dreams of, and as the coach of Herona, I am thrilled to be able to lead my team into this exciting matchup.
Moreover, the customer experience and service quality play a vital role in the profitability of a hotel. Providing excellent customer service, personalized experiences, and top-notch amenities can help create a loyal customer base and attract positive reviews, leading to increased bookings and revenue. Investing in staff training, maintaining cleanliness and hygiene standards, and continuously improving guest satisfaction are essential for hotels in county towns to stay competitive and profitable in the long run.Jimmy Carter, 100, gained Nebraska admirers during and after his presidency