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Mikel Arteta hailed the best away European performance of his Arsenal reign after watching his side dismantle Sporting Lisbon 5-1. The Gunners delivered the statement Champions League victory their manager had demanded to bounce back from a narrow defeat at Inter Milan last time out. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track, lifting them to seventh place with 10 points in the new-look 36-team table. It was Arsenal’s biggest away win in the Champions League since beating Inter by the same scoreline in 2003. “For sure, especially against opposition we played at their home who have not lost a game in 18 months – they have been in top form here – so to play with the level, the determination, the purpose and the fluidity we showed today, I am very pleased,” said Arteta. “The team played with so much courage, because they are so good. When I’m watching them live they are so good! They were all exceptional today. It was a big performance, a big win and we are really happy. “The performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. That’s the level that we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, and that creates belief.” A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners took the lead after only seven minutes when Martinelli tucked in Jurrien Timber’s cross, and Saka teed up Havertz for a tap-in to double the advantage. Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Declan Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Viktor Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after David Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved. A miserable night for prolific Sporting striker Gyokeres was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday that would end nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Hours before the ceasefire with Hezbollah was to take effect, Israel carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to pummel Hezbollah before the ceasefire takes hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Another huge airstrike shook Beirut shortly after the ceasefire was announced. There appeared to be some lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted was part of the deal but which Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement after it was presented by Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt . Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Israel says it will ‘attack with might’ if Hezbollah breaks truce Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire and described it as a crucial step toward stability and the return of displaced people. Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state," he said, referring to Israel's demand for freedom of action. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Warplanes bombard Beirut and its southern suburbs Even as ceasefire efforts gained momentum in recent days, Israel continued to strike what it says are Hezbollah targets across Lebanon as the militants fired rockets, missiles and drones across the border. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in central Beirut — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. Israeli forces reach Litani River in southern Lebanon The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, and Aamer Madhani in Washington, contributed. Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A number of officials and experts in the media field have underlined that Qatar TV has reached an advanced stage of leadership, development and creativity, making it one of the most important media outlets that shape the culture and awareness of the public. In special statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of World Television Day, which falls on Nov 21 of each year, they said that Qatar TV has been able, throughout its journey spanning from 1970 until today, to witness tremendous development, whether at the technical level or the level of programs and the diverse content it provides, including news, cultural, economic, social, artistic and other materials. In this regard, Ali bin Saleh al-Sada, Director of Qatar TV, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the celebration at Qatar TV of World Television Day is based on its consideration of this national media institution as a great gain for spreading our culture, values and authentic heritage, and that this day represents a message to all followers inside and outside Qatar that it conveys their concerns, explores their dreams and ambitions and strives to be an honest mirror of their reality. He stressed that Qatar TV has become a window through which the world can see the creativity of the younger generation. The Director of Qatar TV noted that television has become stronger and more widespread with its innovative programs that are close to the people, but also with its active platforms on social media and its digital platforms that broadcast diverse and sophisticated cultural, entertainment, media and social content. Therefore, the desired integration has occurred between the screen and the digital platforms, and the exchange of content between them has become evidence that they succeed together. For his part, Saad bin Mohammed al-Rumaihi, Chairman of the Qatar Press Center, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that this is an opportunity to look back on the long journey of Qatar TV, which began on Aug 15, 1970, passing through several stages until it reached its current state of remarkable development in various fields. He highlighted the distinguished programming and qualified technical cadres the institution has. He reviewed Qatar TV journey since 1974 when it converted to colour television, followed by the addition of channels called 37 and 49 as a parallel channel to present programs in English, in 1982. Al-Rumaihi, who previously held the position of Director of Qatar TV, pointed out that the television's journey was full, as it witnessed the presentation of many programs and coverage, whether live, documentary, drama programs, or others related to competitions, as well as sports programs, and many others Which distinguished Qatar TV, which made it gain a large share of followers in Qatar and the Gulf and those who receive Qatar TV transmissions. The chairman of the Qatar Press Center confirmed that the great effort made by the Ministers of Information who succeeded one another at the Ministry of Information contributed to enhancing the public's communication with television, making it a very important and valuable media process. He pointed out that Qatar TV, since the beginning of its career, has been distinguished by presenting a distinctive news bulletin, which is the 8:30 news bulletin, which enjoyed a large share of followers. Despite the presence of satellite channels at that time, this bulletin maintained its privacy because it covered many local news, and other news that the region was going through at that time. Al-Rumaihi said that Qatar TV kept up with events, especially before it switched to satellite broadcasting, including the political events that it was very distinguished by, and its keenness to be present and provide everything that is useful to the viewer. In turn, Mubarak bin Jaham al-Kuwari, former CEO of Qatar Media Corporation, confirmed in a similar statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), that television is considered one of the important media devices for every person, and therefore a world day was allocated for it, in recognition of what it offers, and because it is linked to peoples lives and touches their conditions, which made it an indispensable device within the family. He noted that throughout the history of television, it has witnessed many aspects of development, and was not limited to one field, as it was in the past, with the presence of terrestrial television, and its broadcast for a limited number of hours per day, but the situation went beyond it to satellite broadcasting, for specialized television channels to later appear, such as documentary, sports, news, drama channels, and others, which created diverse segments of viewers, in addition to other areas in media coverage. He added that among the developments witnessed by television is its presence on social media, which has made it more popular among viewers, and has gained new viewers as a result, which reflects the keenness of television to adapt to the technical development witnessed by the media field in general, noting that television in Qatar has had a share of this development since its inception, as it has been keen to be present in its Gulf and Arab surroundings, not just Qatar, until it has a long history in what it provides of purposeful content that meets the various segments of society. Mubarak bin Jaham al-Kuwari pointed to the State of Qatar's interest in media expansions in the field of television, as channels such as Al Jazeera, Al Rayyan, beIN and Al Arabiya TV have emerged as a result of this interest, which reflects the keenness of the media in Qatar to have a television presence, starting from the early inception and launch, and reaching the stages of development. The celebration of World Television Day on November 21 of each year came under a UN resolution issued in 1996, and aims to recognize the increasing influence of television in decision-making by drawing public attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security, and its role in increasing focus on other key issues, including economic and social issues. This event came as a recognition of the increasing influence of television in the decision-making process, which means recognizing it as a basic means of conveying information to, communicating and influencing public opinion, and its impact on global politics, its presence in it and its influence on its course cannot be denied. Related Story QF signs pact to enhance cultural, religious education FBQ Museum hosts Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture exhibitionTrial for Adrian Gonzalez’s juvenile custody release concludes second week

Middle East latest: Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon starting at 4 amNone

Zoom Communications Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025Not long after former President Donald Trump waxed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency, California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved to position himself as the leader of Resistance 2.0 during the Trump 2.0 Administration. Shortly after the election, Newsom called for a special session of the state legislature to “safeguard California values,” whatever the hell that means. In his proclamation, Newsom said he wants the Legislature to approve funding for the Department of Justice and other state agencies to “immediately file affirmative litigation.” Great, Newsom wants to file one nuisance lawsuit against the federal government after another. Translation: Cheeseball trial lawyers, start your engines! Move over greasy billboard ambulance chasers. There’s a new lame duck governor in town. Trump doesn’t seem to be impressed. He took to Truth Social and posted that, “Governor Gavin Newscum is trying to KILL our Nation’s beautiful California” and “stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again.’” Legislative Republicans are equally unimpressed, with Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher writing in a statement, “The only ‘problem’ it will solve is Gavin Newsom’s insecurity that not enough people are paying attention to him...There will not be a single policy implemented in this special session that couldn’t be addressed when the Legislature reconvenes in January.” Why is Newsom participating in such an obvious and pathetic publicity stunt? Because he has to. If Newsom wants to run for president as the de-facto leader of the Democratic Party, he has two years to earn that honor. In 2026 Newsom will be past his freshness date due to term limits. Of course, the exact date will remain a mystery, since he recently outlawed posting ‘best by’ date stamps on food. He’ll go from being a “somebody” to being a “former somebody” overnight – like a B-list actor whose sitcom just got canceled. Next stop: signing autographs at the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood for $25 bucks a pop. Out of office, Newsom will lose relevance, the ability to make news, and the power to do favors for political benefactors. He will become like so many former politicians — out in the wilderness and looking for a way to get back in the game. In addition, he will lose the ballot designation as ‘Governor of California,’ which looks a lot better on paper than, oh, I don’t know, Herbalife salesman. It’s not the old days when nominees were chosen at the conventions by political fat cats in smoke-filled rooms, where long time relationships mattered. There are still backrooms with kingmakers, but these days they’re all vaping. Now, nominees are chosen by primary voters with short term memories and fleeting attention spans. For Newsom, the dates on the calendar just don’t work out. 2024 was his chance to run for President as a sitting governor against a much older Republican. However, one Sunday evening summer tweet from President Joe Biden endorsing Kamala Harris for president took that opportunity away from him, and now he’s trying to make the best of a bad situation. If Newsom chooses to remain in public office, there aren’t many good options. Both of California’s U.S. Senate seats are currently occupied by Democrats, including one that Newsom appointed, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. Any statewide constitutional office would be a major step down compared to being governor. And no one is buying Gavin Newsom as Hollywood Mayor Johnny Grant’s successor. Also, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Kamala Harris won’t be around to make him a cabinet secretary. The one option he has would be to replace former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi as the member of Congress representing San Francisco. Typically going from governor to congressman would be seen as a step backwards, but not replacing her and not in that seat – particularly for an audience of Democratic primary voters. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Will Trump turn his ‘fix it’ gaze toward FTC, DOJ abuses? Opinion Columnists | Where do Democrats go from here? Opinion Columnists | California’s political clout will fade as long as population growth remains slow Opinion Columnists | Susan Shelley: Slow counts show election system needs reform Opinion Columnists | Here’s to hoping Trump delivers on some of his Libertarian promises If Newsom was the congressman from San Francisco, he could take his dramatic stunts to the floor of the House, and become a reliable flamethrower on the CNN and MSNBC talking-head shows. And presto, before you know it he’d have had his teeth bonded and he’s dating Kimberly Guilfoyle again. For this to work, it would require the 84 year-old Pelosi to retire from congress. Earlier this month Pelosi was re-elected to yet another two-year-term, and then on November 14th, she opened up a campaign account to run for re-election in 2026. Once again, Newsom gets Trumped by the calendar. His only remaining shot at the White House will be for him to concoct the mother of all publicity stunts in order to regain the spotlight. My advice: see if Mike Tyson has one more fight left in him. John Phillips can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on “The John Phillips Show” on KABC/AM 790.BEIRUT — Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government denied rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels’ moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad’s erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Watch: Here's what we learned on the election campaign trail on Tuesday

Yellow ribbons of hope printed with #FindAlice and tied to trees and railings became the symbol of one the UK’s biggest missing person’s hunt, when a schoolgirl disappeared from a canal towpath over 10 years ago. Worried friends of the 14-year-old’s family, along with hundreds of concerned residents, pinned up thousands of missing posters of Alice Gross, with her light brown hair in a high ponytail ,all over the West London borough of Ealing - hoping for her swift return. The case was so famous and the campaign so impactful, that, to this day, Alice’s smiling face is, sadly, very recognisable. A month later, the ribbons still fluttering in the wind, became a memorial to Alice, whose body had been found in the River Brent. For 34 days that summer, Alice’s tormented family lived in hope that their little girl would come home. “It was Thursday August 28, 2014, when Alice didn’t come back from her walk,” recalls her mum Ros, 61. Chatting in her Chichester house, decorated with homemade arts and crafts., she points to two embroidered cushions, saying: “You can tell the ones I’ve done compared to my artist daughter Nina’s.” Creativity has kept her and Nina sane over the years, but the grief of losing her youngest nestles just below the surface. Recalling agonising memories of that very first day when Alice had been gone for five hours, and she called the police to report her missing, Ros says: “People were saying, ‘Oh she'll be staying with friends that you don't know about. She'll be back’. But there were things that made me think that that was not the case – her phone went dead and she hadn't taken any money with her.” Helicopter blades whirred overhead as police searched the local area. “Alice hadn’t been well. She was anorexic so there were mental health concerns and she was seen as high risk,” explains Ros. As day turned to night, an extremely worried Ros, husband Jose and their elder daughter Nina, who was 19 then, waited for a knock on the door. “We went to bed in our living room,” Ros reveals. “But I was back out by 4.30am, looking around the streets, going around the local parks, just hoping.” News spread quickly and soon the local community was galvanised. Friends and neighbours rushed to support the devastated family – keeping them company and organising meal rotas. “Nina set up a social media group and we had about 25,000 followers,” says Ros. “We called in the charity Missing People very early in the campaign, and they organised the posters, and a stall at Ealing Broadway. They had a 24-hour helpline which was critical – because police’s Victim Support only kicks in when a crime has been committed, so we really needed Missing People.” The campaign used social media to spread the message far and wide, but that brought its own problems. “We had incredible people who were really good at monitoring online, but we still had lots of false sightings and social media trolls and unhelpful speculation. I think there was also a lot of magical thinking going on. People would say on social media, things like, ‘The yellow ribbons can guide her home’. Alice knew where she lived. She didn't need to follow ribbons.” The family worried that if they said the wrong thing to the media, the public could turn on them. “I’d seen it happen before in cases, but the families involved are suddenly exposed to something that's totally traumatising and you’re thrown into the public eye. The only thing fuelling you is adrenaline. You're not trained, you’re in shock, you're not sleeping and you’re running on empty,” she says. Under immense scrutiny in police and press interviews, the family had kept Alice’s anorexia private on the advice of the eating disorders charity Beat. “She hadn’t been well and we wanted to maintain some sort of privacy for her,” says Ros. “But one day a one-word note was pushed through the letterbox which said ‘Anorexia?’ We felt like we were being forced to reveal personal details, which then came under intense media speculation.” At home, the family were in their own separate worlds of pain. Ros kept busy but the turmoil of those days meant she spent a month barely sleeping. “When I was going to bed, I just had a washing machine head, it was going round and round, and I’d be doom-scrolling on my phone.” Six days after Alice went missing, the police got a break in the case. Ros recalls, “Alice went missing on August 28 and her rucksack was discovered on the following Tuesday – Sept 2. At that point, the murder squad got involved.” Seven days on from her disappearance, detectives released CCTV footage of the last known sighting of Alice as she walked alone along the Grand Union Canal towpath at Brentford Lock. “You get the idea from TV dramas that they can identify people from CCTV very quickly,” Ros says. “Actually it’s very slow, they have to painstakingly go through a lot of footage to find this tiny grainy figure.” How to donate to Missing People Donate online: Visit this link or head to www.missingpeople.org.uk/mirror - read why we're supporting this campaign here. Text: To donate £5 Text HOPE5 to 70660 - To donate £10 Text HOPE10 to 70660 - To donate £15 Text HOPE15 to 70660 Terms & Conditions: *Text costs £5/£10 or £15 plus network charge. Missing People receives 100% of your donation. Obtain bill payer’s permission. Charity No England and Wales: 1020419 , Scotland: SC047419. Missing People will send regular updates via text and may contact you at any time to ask for your contact preference. Post: Please include your name and address and make cheques payable to ‘Missing People’ via free post: Freepost Plus RRKY–XSEC–XAEC. - Missing People - Roebuck House - 284 Upper Richmond Road West - London - SW14 7JE How your donation will help: £5 could help a missing child reach support - 11 could answer an urgent Helpline call from someone who is missing - £33 could give three families advice and help from a Support Worker - £110 could pay for two vital Counselling sessions to help a family to cope with the toughest of all losses How to contact Missing People - free and confidential: Call: 116 000. Text: 116 000. Email: 116000@missingpeople.org.uk How to contact Samaritans for mental health support: Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org Alice’s broken family waited with dread for the worst news from police, but when the call came, it was from an unexpected source. “I was at home that Friday, dusting for some reason, when the phone rang. It was our dentist – the police wanted permission to use Alice’s dental records. My heart sank. Even though everybody else seemed hopeful, at that moment, I felt we were not going to have a great outcome. Her voice breaking, Ros continues: “I’m sorry, this is the bit where I might cry. “The day she was actually found was on my birthday and I remember I had a dreadful cold. The following Tuesday, on September 30, the police came around 7pm and we were all, you know, sitting on the edge of our seats. They knocked on the door and it was the inspector and the family liaison officer, and they brought us news Alice had been found. I just felt completely numb. I didn't cry, I just thought ‘who do I have to tell?’” The inquest into Alice’s death opened in June 2016, but the sadness and loss didn’t end there for Ros – within two years, her parents had also died. “They never recovered from Alice’s death,” she adds. “My mum had a stroke in February, and died within a week. Then my dad came to London to hear the end of the inquest and ended up that day in hospital and was diagnosed with stage four cancer. He lived with me for the last couple of months and died in October 2016.” The man police would have charged with Alice’s murder was a foreign national who had hanged himself from a tree a mile from the towpath where he is believed to have abducted her. Alice’s family has asked that we neither print the name nor mugshot of the man who stole their daughter’s life. The family was torn apart by the ordeal, and Ros and her daughter Nina moved to Chichester. There, Nina went to study art at West Dean college. And Ros did a course in creative writing to help channel some of her pain. “Creative writing is a really important way of reclaiming your story and shaping your right narrative. It’s helped me with processing my experience of grief and also honouring my daughter,” she says. A highly polished upright piano sits with its lid closed in Ros’s dining room. She nods at it and says, “It’s been a long time since Alice played her piano. She would sit at it, plinking around. She read music and composed her own songs, and played the violin. She wanted to have a career in music. “I can't get rid of it – even though I play incredibly badly.” Ros has been helped to heal from the trauma by giving back to Missing People, this paper’s Christmas charity, which helped her through the darkest times - sharing with them her writing gift, and also singing with the famous Missing People choir. “We meet once a month and we write about our experiences. It will perhaps be used in the Evening of Hope and Remembrance,” explains Ros, describing the evening where all the supporters and families come together at Christmas to remember those missing and those who have died . As a lasting link to her musical daughter, Ros also gets very involved in the choir. “I can’t sing,” she laughs. “But I can hide among all the other singers.” The year after Alice’s death, a very special service in remembrance was held in her honour at London’s St Martin’s-in-the-Fields, where the choir sang Alice’s song Don’t Let It Go Away in a fitting tribute to her memory. “Alice would be 24 now,” says Ros softly. “I often wonder what she would have been doing now, but I do think she have stuck with the music because she loved it so much.”First, let's address the elephant in the room: Is it stuffing or is it dressing? Technically, if it's not cooked inside the turkey, it's dressing. For some unknown reason, though, over the past decade or two, stuffing has become the term of choice, no matter how it's cooked. So that's what I'm calling these three delightful versions of the holiday staple. Over the years, I've taken many informal polls around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Hands down, stuffing always wins the "favorite dish" category, which makes me wonder why I don't make it more often. Typically, stuffing is made with ingredients you're likely to have on hand, like bread, onions, broth and lots of butter. And it's usually fairly easy to pull together. While most recipes call for "stale" or "day-old" bread, I find it to be too tough and leathery. I prefer bread that has been dried in the oven, as it has a crispier texture. How much broth is added can be a controversial topic. Some people like their stuffing very moist. If you're one of those people, feel free to add extra broth. No matter how you like your stuffing (or dressing), I think we can all agree, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. Serves 8 to 10. When most people think of stuffing, this is the version that comes to mind. Using fresh herbs gives this iconic dish an added flavor boost that will also make your entire home smell like Thanksgiving. From Meredith Deeds. • 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish • 1 1/2 lb. baguette loaf or hearty Italian bread, torn into 1-in. pieces (about 10 c.) • 1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped • 1 c. thinly sliced celery • 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage • 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme • 1 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper • 3 to 4 c. low-sodium chicken broth, divided • 2 large eggs Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Set aside. Place bread pieces on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Stir and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread is crispy, but not browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up clumps with the back of a spoon, until no longer pink. Add the onions and celery and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. Add the sage, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Place the bread in a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture to the bowl. Drizzle 2 cups of broth over the mixture and toss gently, to combine. Whisk eggs with 1 cup broth in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Add more broth if mixture is too dry. Transfer to prepared baking dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160 degrees, about 30 minutes. Continue to bake, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve. Serves 8 to 10. Roasted butternut squash brings a hint of sweetness to this Southwest-inspired stuffing. Making your own cornbread ensures a hearty texture and not-too-sweet flavor. From Meredith Deeds. For the cornbread: • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour • 1 1/2 c. cornmeal • 2 tbsp. sugar • 1 tbsp. baking powder • 1 tsp. salt • 1 3/4 c. whole milk • 3 large eggs • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted For the stuffing: • 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-in. cubes • 2 tbsp. olive oil • 1 1/4 tsp. salt, divided • 6 tbsp. butter • 1 lb. fresh chorizo sausage, casings removed • 2 medium onions, chopped • 2 large poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped • 3 chipotle chiles, finely chopped (from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce) • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper • 2 1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth • 1 c. whole milk • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten Directions To prepare the cornbread: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk, 3 eggs, and melted butter. Whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes. Leave oven at 425 degrees. Turn out hot cornbread onto rimmed baking sheet and immediately break into 1 1/2-inch pieces with two forks. Set aside. (Cooled, crumbled cornbread can be transferred to zip-top bag and stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.) To prepare the stuffing: Place butternut squash in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Arrange on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake in 425-degree oven for 20 minutes. Stir and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo sausage and cook, breaking up clumps with the back of a spoon, until no longer pink. Add the onions and poblano peppers and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. Add chipotles, garlic, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer crumbled cornbread to a large bowl with sausage mixture and butternut squash. Add the broth, milk, and eggs and stir to combine. Transfer stuffing into the greased 9-by-13 baking dish (you can use the same one you baked the cornbread in). Bake (with the oven still at 425 degrees) until browned and crisped on top and heated through, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve. Serves 6 to 8. Savory, earthy and a little tangy, this plant-based stuffing is sure to please the vegans and meat eaters alike at your Thanksgiving table. Chestnuts can be found in the shell in the produce section of many grocery stores. For a shortcut, look for roasted and peeled chestnuts in some gourmet stores or online. From Meredith Deeds. • 1 (14- to 16-oz.) sourdough loaf, torn into 1-in. pieces (about 9 c.) • 1/2 c. vegan butter, plus 1/4 c. melted vegan butter • 8 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into 1/4-in. slices • 10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage • 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme • 3/4 tsp. salt • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper • 1 c. dry white wine • 5 oz. roasted, peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped • 1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans • 2 1/2 to 3 c. vegetable stock Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Set aside. Place bread pieces on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Stir and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread is crispy, but not browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, melt 1/2 cup vegan butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Add shiitake and cremini mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add wine, thyme, sage, salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine bread and 1/4 cup melted vegan butter and toss to coat. Add mushroom mixture, chestnuts and pecans to the bread. Drizzle 2 cups of vegetable broth over the top and gently toss to combine. Add a little more broth if the mixture is too dry. Transfer to prepared dish and bake until top is browned and crisp, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve. ______ ©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.