The preservation group Pasadena Heritage offers you and your out-of-town guests an excuse to get out of the house when it hosts walking tours Dec. 30 of two architecturally significant neighborhoods in the city.

The docent-led, exterior-only tours will highlight the Hillcrest neighborhood, home to many grand estates in a variety of architectural styles, and quaint Bungalow Heaven, Pasadena’s oldest and largest Landmark District composed of more than 800 bungalows.

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Stops along the way will include large Craftsman homes such as the 1913 Freeman House designed by architects Arthur and Alfred Heineman and the Culbertson and Blacker houses, both designed by Charles and Henry Greene of Gamble House fame.

In addition to the two tours, held twice daily, the event will include a presentation on “Pasadena in the Movies” at Pasadena Heritage headquarters.

The lecture will highlight Pasadena’s representation in films and TV, including “Father of the Bride,” “Batman,” “Chinatown” and even “Gone With the Wind.” Theater-style snacks will be provided as well as a drive-yourself list of the locations featured in the presentation.

What: Pasadena Heritage walking tours and “Pasadena in the Movies” presentation

When: 10 a.m. and noon Dec. 30

Where: The meeting location for the tours will be made available upon ticket purchase. The movie presentation will take place at the Pasadena Heritage headquarters, 651 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena

Tickets: Members, $22; general public, $25; pasadenaheritage.org

KATHMANDU, Nepal — 

Police in Nepal said Tuesday that they have detained 122 Chinese nationals who are suspected of being involved in financial crimes.

Police official Shailesh Thapa said the suspects were detained Monday in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.

Details of the cases were not released because the investigation was still open, but the suspects are likely to be presented before a judge to determine how long they can be held for investigation.

Among them were 116 men and eight women. They were held at different detention centers in Kathmandu.

Police were also investigating if they had violated immigration laws by overstaying their visas.

“As far as I know, these citizens are suspected of engaging in cross-border online fraud activities, and the cases are currently under investigation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. “It is an important operation carried out by the police of China and Nepal. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Nepal in various fields, including law enforcement, to jointly combat cross-border crimes and promote friendly exchanges between the two countries.”

Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Why Boeing’s CEO Had to Go

Boeing Co.’s approach to making the 737 Max jetliner was supposed to save money and help it compete with rival airplane maker Airbus. Instead, the design created a crisis that killed hundreds of people, ate up billions of dollars, angered airlines and regulators, and cost Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg his job.

Muilenburg became CEO a few years after the company had decided to create the Max by modifying its 1960s-era 737 airplane design. But he was at the helm when an engineering quirk and a tragic accident turned into a catastrophe that has consumed the company.

All Is Not Calm

Congress may be on holiday break, but the fighting over President Trump’s impeachment trial hasn’t stopped. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is demanding trial witnesses who refused to appear during House committee hearings. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has all but promised a swift acquittal of the president, said Monday that he isn’t ruling out calling witnesses, but he also indicated he was in no hurry to seek new testimony either.

More Politics

— A close reading of the Justice Department’s inspector general report, as well interviews with current and former agents, suggests the FBI may have been too cautious, not too aggressive, in its secret surveillance of a former Trump campaign advisor in 2016 and 2017.

— A new satellite image of a factory where North Korea makes military equipment used to launch long-range missiles shows the construction of a new structure. North Korea has warned of giving the U.S. a “Christmas gift,” leading to concern it could launch a rocket or missile.

Changes to the Legal Pot Market?

California began licensing pot shops nearly two years ago after Proposition 64 legalized recreational marijuana. Officials originally estimated the state would take in $1 billion annually in tax revenue from cannabis, but the fiscal year that ended in June saw just $288 million. One big reason: Licensed shops can’t compete with the black market. Now, a state advisory panel is recommending significant changes, including possibly a new ballot measure, to get the legal industry going.

A Hazy Shade of Winter

At malls, zoos and theme parks in Southern California, there’s a flurry of activity in the air: faux snow. In the last few years, more and more places have begun offering fake snow as technology has improved. So, how is it made? That’s where snow-making entrepreneurs turn a bit icy; no one wants to reveal their secret formula. Here’s how this wintry magic is more or less made.

A note to our readers: This newsletter will be off the rest of the week. We’ll return to your inbox on Dec. 30.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

“It happened one Christmas Eve a long time ago in a place called Oakland on a newspaper called the Tribune with a city editor named Alfred P. Reck. I was working swing shift on general assignment, writing the story of a boy who was dying of leukemia and whose greatest wish was for fresh peaches.” So begins a 1986 story by the late, great L.A. Times columnist Al Martinez. Read on for “a lesson in journalism more important than any I’ve learned since.”

CALIFORNIA

— Federal officials signed contracts last week totaling nearly $6.5 billion with the companies that run California’s four private immigrant detention centers, less than two weeks before a ban on such contracts is set to begin.

— Tith Ton, a Cambodian refugee, was released from a California prison after being granted parole in a murder case. His attorney says Ton was immediately turned over to federal agents for possible deportation.

— The first of two holiday-week storms packed an unexpected wallop across Southern California, flooding roads and snarling traffic.

— Mati Waiya has served as one of the most prominent voices for the Chumash people. But leaders of the local Chumash band and academic experts on the tribe’s history and genealogy challenge Waiya’s claims to Chumash roots.

— Crescent City has been hit by 41 tsunamis since 1933. By marketing disaster, the struggling town is hoping to recover economically.

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HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Our TV critic recommends 28 Christmas movies and specials to watch on TV this week (and two to skip).

— Hollywood doesn’t often make films about World War I anymore. That’s one reason why “1917″ from director Sam Mendes is exceptional. It was made to look as if it were filmed in a single, unbroken take.

— The film “Just Mercy” dramatizes the life of a lawyer who’s provided legal services to death row inmates and saved more than 125 unjustly sentenced people from execution.

— With “Ip Man 4: The Finale,” the Chinese martial arts movie series goes out in style.

NATION-WORLD

— Minnesota’s law against revenge porn is unconstitutional and infringes on 1st Amendment rights, the state Court of Appeals has ruled.

— A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death for the killing of Washington Post columnist and royal family critic Jamal Khashoggi, whose grisly slaying in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, drew international condemnation.

— After a report by the State Department’s inspector general on the deaths and treatment of working dogs for the federal government, the U.S. has suspended new deployments of non-military working dogs overseas and will send veterinarians to sites where the animals are posted.

— Shelling along the Line of Control — the de facto border dividing nuclear powers India and Pakistan in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir — has grown markedly since August, when New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy.

— Bethlehem is ready for Christmas, but Christians from the Gaza Strip may be kept from the holy site.

BUSINESS

— An administrative law judge has ruled that Hotel Bel-Air administrators came up with bogus reasons not to rehire many of its former union workers after a two-year shutdown to remodel.

— How did God make it into millions of consumer contracts?

SPORTS

— The Lakers and Clippers will play against each other on Christmas Day. But what figured to be a turf battle for supremacy in L.A. and maybe in the Western Conference will instead be a contest to see which team will stop stumbling first, columnist Helene Elliott writes.

— Former Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill and his wife, Caitlin, were arrested outside Gillette Stadium before the New England Patriots-Buffalo Bills game. The trouble apparently started when Caitlin repeatedly tried to enter with an oversized bag, police say.

OPINION

— What took Christianity Today so long to confront Trump?

— The message from a recent Times focus group? Sen. Bernie Sanders is still in the game.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— “A conversation with Rudy Giuliani over Bloody Marys at the Mark Hotel.” (New York Magazine)

— Amazon’s logistics operation has repeatedly emphasized speed and cost over safety, a new investigation by ProPublica and BuzzFeed News has found.

ONLY IN L.A.

It took a decade for the groundbreaking lesbian series “The L Word” to return to Showtime with a sequel, “The L Word: Generation Q.” It took only about five miles of driving for the series to change locales: from West Hollywood to Silver Lake. Take a tour of some of the show’s new haunts and see why they were chosen by showrunner Marja Lewis-Ryan.

If you like the Today’s Headlines newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at [email protected].

KABUL, Afghanistan — 

The Taliban targeted an army checkpoint in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing at least seven Afghan soldiers, the defense ministry and the insurgents said.

The ministry said in a statement that the “enemy” attack in northern Balkh province, in the district of Dawlat Abad, also wounded six other members of the security forces — three soldiers and three intelligence agents. An investigation was underway, the statement added.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying also that the insurgents captured four Afghan troops and seized weapons and ammunition from the checkpoint.

The Taliban now control or hold sway over practically half of Afghanistan but continue to stage near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces, as well as government officials — even as they hold peace talks with a U.S. envoy tasked with negotiating an end to the 18-year conflict, America’s longest war. Scores of Afghan civilians are also killed in the crossfire or by roadside bombs planted by militants.

On Monday, an American soldier was killed in combat in northern Kunduz province. The Taliban claimed they were behind a fatal roadside bombing that targeted American and Afghan forces in Kunduz.

NEW DELHI — 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has lost a key state legislature election, a setback for the party as it faces massive antigovernment protests against a contentious new citizenship law.

According to results announced by India’s Election Commission late Monday, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, yielded power to an alliance forged among the opposition Congress party and powerful regional groups in eastern Jharkhand state, where the voting took place this month.

The election was held amid protests calling for the revocation of the citizenship law, which critics say is the latest effort by Modi’s government to marginalize India’s 200 million Muslims.

BJP leaders said Tuesday that the new citizenship law was not an issue in the Jharkhand election, but Congress party leader R.P.N. Singh said the results were a snub to Modi’s party, which won only 25 of 81 state legislature seats. The Congress party and its allies won 47 seats, ending the BJP’s five-year rule in the state.

Since December 2018, the BJP has lost power in five states: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. But Modi won a major victory for his party in May national elections. The BJP came to power in 2014, defeating the Congress party.

Modi has defended the new citizenship law and accused the opposition of pushing the country into a “fear psychosis.”

The law allows Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities who are in India illegally to become citizens if they can show they were persecuted because of their religion in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It does not apply to Muslims.

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to India’s streets to call for the revocation of the law.

Twenty-three people have been killed nationwide since the citizenship law was passed in Parliament earlier this month in protests that represent the first major roadblock for Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda since his party’s landslide reelection earlier this year.

Most of the deaths have occurred in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where 20% of the state’s 200 million people are Muslim. The state government is controlled by Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party.

Hundreds of students marched Tuesday through the streets of New Delhi to Jantar Mantar, an area designated for protests near Parliament. They walked behind a huge banner that read, “We the People of India.”

Vipul Kumar Chaudhary, a student, said the purpose of the march was to ensure that there was no discrimination on the basis of religion. “India is a bouquet of people representing different religions. We want to preserve it,” he said.

Also Tuesday, police stopped Congress party leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi from visiting Meerut, a town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh that had seen massive clashes between police officers and protesters on Friday.

They were turned back from the outskirts of Meerut, 45 miles northeast of New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi told reporters.

Modi’s government, meanwhile, announced details on India’s 2021 census, an exercise carried out every 10 years.

Prakash Javadekar, the information and broadcasting minister, told reporters that the census will begin this April, ending with a head count in February 2021 to prepare a national population register.

He said it will be a self-declaration exercise, requiring no residential proof, documents or biometric identification. The country’s current population is around 1.3 billion.

Authorities across India have taken a hard-line approach to quell the protests. They’ve evoked a British colonial-era law banning public gatherings, and internet access has been blocked at times in some states. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has asked broadcasters across the country to refrain from using content that could inflame further violence.

The communication shutdown has mostly affected New Delhi, the eastern state of West Bengal, the northern city of Aligarh and the entire northeastern state of Assam.

Esteban Ocon says he’s not at all surprised by the rapid rise of Charles Leclerc to the top of F1 in just two seasons.

After winning the GP3 title in 2016 and the Formula 2 championship the following year, Leclerc made his F1 debut with Sauber in 2018 and this year was promoted into a plum seat at Ferrari alongside Sebastian Vettel.

In a breakout season for the Monaco-born driver, Leclerc clinched seven pole positions and two race victories to secure P4 in the championship ahead of Vettel – none of which came as a surprise to Ocon.

“Charles deserves what happens to him and it’s not a surprise to me,” Ocon is reported as telling France’s NextGen Auto this week.

• ‘Excited’ Ocon relishing return to F1 with Renault

“I said if he had the car to win races and poles, he would. I also said he would finish ahead of Sebastian Vettel.”

Ocon had based his predictions on first hand knowledge, having raced in many of the same championships as Leclerc, alongside other rising F1 stars.

“We fought our whole careers together – with him, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly – to get there,” said Ocon. “It is also what allowed us to raise our level, and which motivated us to always do better.

Ocon was himself GP3 champion the season before Leclerc won the title, and skipped F2 to take up a test role with Manor which turned into a full-time race seat in Belgium.

He subsequently spent two years with Force India and racked up a total of 50 Grand Prix race starts, but then lost his spot when the team was bought out and rebranded as Racing Point.

After a year working with Mercedes as test and simulation driver, he’ll be back on the grid in 2020 with Renault, having made his debut with the team earlier this month in pre-season testing.

“There is a little bit of adaptation work to be done, but there was a good vibe between us,” Ocon said of his first stint behind the wheel of the R.S.19 in Yas Marina.

“The first two days of testing were really crucial. I could see the differences between Mercedes and Renault, and began to work on it.”

Ocon certainly didn’t appear to regret missing ou on the chance of a race seat with Mercedes, where Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas remain firmly embedded at Brackley.

“Not at all!” he said firmly. “I am with a French team that has great ambitions for the future, ambitions to return to the top level in a few years.

“Here I am part of this project, this improvement, this renewal. Clearly this is not a disappointment at all. It is rather a relief.”

With 50 Grand prix races under his belt, but with the hunger of a rookie after a year on the sidelines, Ocon hopes that 2020 will put him back on track in more ways than one.

He still hopes to follow in the footsteps and tyre marks of his all-time idol, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, whom he cited as an inspiration for his racing career.

“Schumacher has been my role model. He has changed the sport in terms of application and the way teams see drivers,” Ocon explained.

“He has set the bar to the highest level. I still have his helmet design on mine, and we will return to red next year.”

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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A former Old Trafford favourite has been hugely impressed with the teenage striker, who he believes is a “natural goalscorer” with a bright future

Lee Sharpe has compared Mason Greenwood to current Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, highlighting his composure in front of goal and ability to strike the ball cleanly.

Greenwood signed his first professional contract at Old Trafford in October 2018, after spending 11 years on the club’s books at youth level.

The 18-year-old has since managed to establish himself as a key member of Solskjaer’s squad, linking up with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to great effect in either a central role or from out on the right-wing.

Greenwood has hit seven goals in 20 appearances across all competitions this season, with most of those coming as a substitute, but he is now pushing hard for a starting spot as United chase down a top-four Premier League finish.

The England U21 international will be back in contention to feature when the Red Devils host Newcastle on Boxing Day, where they will be looking to bounce back from a shock 2-0 defeat at Watford on Sunday.

Sharpe, who starred for United between 1988 and 1996, has described Greenwood as a “phenomenal” talent and sees plenty of similarities between him and Solskjaer, who terrorised defences during his playing days at Old Trafford.

“He’s been phenomenal. Every top team in the world are craving a goal scorer. He just looks a natural at it,” Sharpe told Love Sport Radio.

“He’s very Solskjær-esque if you like. He’s very cool, he’s very calm. He doesn’t snatch at the ball when he’s in and around the box. When he gets half a yard he strikes through it and strikes it clean. He hits the target the majority of the time.”

When asked if he would like to see Greenwood granted a more prominent role at this early stage of his career, Sharpe responded: “He’s got unbelievable potential. At the moment I think it’s difficult to put him in with Rashford, who’s playing so well, and Martial playing so well.

“I suppose you could play him on the right and chop and change him and [Daniel] James at times. But I also understand that Ole doesn’t want to throw him into the deep end too often and wants to bleed him in rather than throw him in.

“It’s a tough one for Ole to leave him out but I can see why he’s doing that and trying to take his time with him. He’s got unbelievable ability.”

The Red Devils must get back to winning ways against Newcastle in order to stay within sight of fourth-place Chelsea, who are seven points ahead of them after 18 fixtures.

Solskjaer will then start preparing his players for a trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley on December 28, three days before United are due to open their 2020 schedule against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

Milan, le fils de Laura Tenoudji, fête ses 9 ans. Pour l’occasion, sa maman lui a réservé une jolie surprise : un gâteau nappé de chocolat et décoré de fruits. A partager avec sa petite soeur Bianca, qui célèbre son premier anniversaire le 5 août.

En 2009, la vie de Laura Tenoudji était comblée par la venue au monde de son fils, Milan. Le garçonnet, né de la relation de l’animatrice de Télématin sur France 2 avec son premier mari Michael Tapiro, célèbre donc ses 9 ans, et pour l’occasion, sa maman lui a réservé un joli gâteau nappé de chocolat, décoré de fruits. La présentatrice télé a posté la gourmandise sur instagram ce jeudi 2 août, avec le message “Happy birthday mon Milan d’amour”.

Cerise sur le gâteau, c’est également le premier anniversaire, le 5 août prochain, de sa fille, Bianca, née l’année dernière de son mariage avec le maire de Nice Christian Estrosi. Le bébé n’est certainement pas oublié : sur la pâtisserie, on peut ainsi lire “joyeux anniversaire Milan, Bianca“, avec deux bougies, l’une de 9 pour le premier et l’autre de 1 pour la seconde.

Les internautes ont rivalisé de souhaits pour les deux enfants de Laura Tenoudji : “Bon anniversaire à Milan et Bianca, de gros bisous”, “Déjà, ça grandit vite nos enfants”, “Superbe gâteau !!“, peut-on notamment lire parmi les commentaires. L’animatrice est fière de ses bambins mais elle souhaite avant tout préserver leur anonymat : si elle s’étend en tendres messages sur les réseaux sociaux, elle met un point d’honneur à ne jamais dévoiler leur visage.

Crédits photos : Bruno Bebert / Bestimage

Ce mercredi 1er août, Izïa Higelin est devenue maman pour la première fois. La chanteuse et comédienne est en couple avec un certain Bastien Burger.

Le 1er août dernier restera une date gravée à jamais dans le cœur d’Izïa Higelin. La chanteuse et comédienne de 27 ans est devenue maman pour la première fois. Après avoir vécu sa grossesse loin des médias, elle a dévoilé un magnifique cliché de son nouveau-né. Un événement d’autant plus émouvant qu’elle a perdu il y a quelques mois seulement son père, Jacques Higelin. C’est donc à 4h38 précisément, à la clinique de la Muette dans le XVIème arrondissement de Paris – où a également accouché Caroline Receveur – qu’Izïa et son compagnon ont scellé à jamais leur destin.

La petite sœur d’Arthur H et de Ken file le parfait amour avec un artiste prénommé Bastien Burger. Mais contrairement à sa chérie, ce dernier semble vouloir rester dans l’ombre. Ainsi, comme la plupart des photographes, il préfère largement prendre des photos plutôt que d’être photographié. En atteste son compte Instagram. Il y a publié de nombreux et sublimes clichés mais très peu le représentant. Sur son site, il a également dévoilé une très jolie série de photos de sa chère et tendre.

La photographie n’est pas la seule corde à son arc. Bastien Burger est un artiste aux multiples talents. Et pour cause, il est également musicien, compositeur et producteur. Ainsi, il fait partie des musiciens live du groupe The Do pour lequel il joue de la guitare, de la basse ou encore aux claviers. Et il a accompagné le pianiste Yaron Herman au Total Jazz Festival en mars et avril 2017.

Crédits photos : KCS

En 2007, Jamel Debbouze et Mélissa Theuriau se disaient “oui” au cours d’une belle cérémonie lors de laquelle ils ont fait un drôle de clin d’oeil au couple Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie.

Depuis onze ans, Jamel Debbouze et Mélissa Theuriau forment un couple solide. L’humoriste et la discrète journaliste ont célébré leur dix ans de mariage et peuvent se targuer d’avoir deux magnifiques enfants, Léon, 10 ans et Lila, 7 ans. Pourtant, ils ont bien failli ne jamais se rencontrer. Ils auraient pu se croiser dans les couloirs de Canal + dès 1999 où Mélissa Theuriau était stagiaire, tandis que Jamel Debbouze était la star de la série H. C’est huit ans plus tard, en 2007, que leurs chemins se sont croisés. La journaliste – désormais productrice – officiait sur M6. Celle qui a affublé François Hollande d’un drôle de surnom avait pour mission d’aller sur le tournage d’Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques pour son émission Zone interdite.

Jamel Debbouze y reprend son rôle de Numérobis, avec lequel il avait fait sensation dans Astérix et Obélix : mission Cléopâtre. La magnifique femme de 40 ans avait pourtant une consigne bien précise : ne s’approcher ni de Gérard Depardieu, ni de Jamel Debbouze, comme le rapporte L’Obs. “Il lisait Le Monde à l’envers. Pas très concentré…“, s’amuse-t-elle dans les colonnes du magazine. Celle qui s’est engagée contre le harcèlement scolaire a donc enfreint la seule règle qui lui avait été imposée. Le coup de foudre est immédiat.

“A M6, on voit soudain défiler les bouquets de fleurs“, écrivent nos confrères. L’idylle est digne d’un conte de fées. Si bien que l’année suivante, les deux tourtereaux se marient. “Le 7 mai 2008, la sublime abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, dans les Yvelines, est mieux protégée que Fort Knox. Survol interdit“, racontent les journalistes de L’Obs. Mais surtout, ils dévoilent une drôle d’anecdote. A cette occasion, Jamel et Mélissa ont fait un joli clin d’œil au couple formé par Brad Pitt et Angelina Jolie, surnommé Brangelina, en estampillant leurs faire-part “Jamelissa”. En espérant que leur couple ne termine pas comme celui de Brad Pitt et Angélina Jolie.

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Crédits photos : Bestimage