South Korean police have raided the national headquarters of Starbucks over defamation claims surrounding a controversial marketing campaign.
Starbucks Korea had in May launched a coffee tumbler promotion called "Tank Day" on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, where hundreds were believed to have been killed by military forces.
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Many felt the "tank" was a reference to vehicles deployed to crush pro-democracy protesters and the promotion sparked a mass boycott movement.
Starbucks quickly rolled it back, saying it was unintentional but civic groups filed a criminal complaint against the company, demanding the police investigate it for defaming victims of the military dictatorship.
Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks in Korea, said it had launched an internal investigation into the campaign and concluded that the mistake was unintentional.
It added the team that had planned the promotion did not draw the connection to the historical event, and the upper management had failed to spot it as well.
In June, Starbucks stores across the country closed for half a day to allow staff to attend history lessons.
Shinsegae apologised for the "inappropriate marketing" and said that the Tank Day controversy had led to serious decline in Starbucks sales in South Korea - one of the coffee chain's largest markets.
The company also sacked its chief executive.
Reports estimate that hundreds were killed by the forces of military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, on what is now remembered as a day of national trauma for South Koreans - and a day held sacred by many in the country.
In addition, promotional material for the tumbler used the phrase "tak on the table!", mimicking the sound of an object being slapped on a surface.
But "tak" was also the word used in a controversial statement given by police in 1987, describing the death of a student activist in custody.
South Korea's president Lee Jae Myung was among those who criticised the campaign, saying it "insults the victims and the bloody struggle" of Gwangju residents.
The scandal, which broke during the local elections season, also became a prominent talking point between the two major parties.
While the internal ministry under Lee announced a government-level boycott of Starbucks, the opposition leader responded by holding up a Starbucks cup during a speech and accusing the government of overreach.
Since then, Starbucks cups have been embraced by right-wing pundits as a symbol of opposition to the Lee Jae-myung government. It has also made appearances in right-wing rallies and livestreams. %!s()
Reconstruction of Spea labreae, sp. nov. (dark spadefoots, center and right) in La Brea Tar Pits compared with Spea hammondii (light spade-foot, left), the species currently present in the area, and the presence of the Mexican burrowing toad (Rhinophrynidae, bottom). Credit: La Brea Tar Pits. Artwork by Arturo Dávalos
For the first time, researchers have discovered a new species of extinct amphibian from Ice Age Los Angeles at La Brea Tar Pits: a spadefoot toad they have named Spea labreae. Only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian from North America has ever been found (a tree frog from Florida).
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While the toad may be much smaller than the mammoths and saber-toothed cats that made the Tar Pits famous, this discovery has a big impact on our understanding of the climate at the end of the last ice age.
Described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, S. labreae spotlights the ongoing daily discoveries at the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research at La Brea Tar Pits as the iconic museum begins a historic transformation.
The study's lead author, Dr. Alberto Cruz, wasn't looking for new species when he began his review of the Tar Pits' understudied collections of amphibians and reptiles as a postdoctoral fellow working at La Brea Tar Pits, where he remains a research associate while working full time as a researcher for Mexico's SECIHTI-Centro de Investigación Paleontológica Quinametzin (CIPAQ), Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH).
"I'm really more of a paleoecologist and paleogeographer, not a taxonomist," Cruz says. He first noticed the distinctive features that separate S. labreae from known spadefoot toads while reviewing the Tar Pits' collection of reptiles and amphibians.
His first thought on seeing the new species was that the specimen had been sick or injured during its life, an example of paleopathology, rather than a new species. However, further comparisons to modern spadefoot toads left no doubt.
"I reviewed and reviewed a lot of specimens until I was convinced. I thought, 'Oh my gosh, this is a new species.' This material is originally from the 1950s, but when you study it again, you can find gold in these specimens. It's very cool."
"It's a great example of how we're still finding new things at La Brea Tar Pits, even after a century of ongoing excavation and research," says Dr. Emily Lindsey, curator and excavation site director at the Samuel Oschin Center for Global Ice Age Research at La Brea Tar Pits. "There's definitely more to come."
Ancient climate through the lens of amphibians
While the iconic large mammals often grab headlines and capture our imagination, the small reptiles and amphibians Cruz studies can tell scientists much more about ancient climate and environmental change.
This incomplete sacro-urostyle bone (base of the spine that connects to the hips) is the holotype specimen used to describe the new species, Spea labreae. Credit: Dr. Alberto Cruz
Amphibians don't travel very far within their lifetimes and are extremely sensitive to environmental conditions. This limited movement and high sensitivity make amphibians excellent climate proxies, whose presence or absence can help scientists discern changes in climate on a smaller scale.
"If you change the environment, you change the vegetation, the climate is warmer or colder, it affects these animals directly," Cruz says.
Due to their fragile skeletons, amphibians like frogs, toads and salamanders rarely make it into the fossil record outside of asphaltic sites like the Tar Pits. The discovery of a new species—particularly a small amphibian like S. labreae—is an extraordinary find at the Tar Pits.
Their fragility and sensitivity to environmental changes also lead researchers like Cruz to suspect that there are many more extinct amphibians and reptiles whose remains were too delicate to make it into the fossil record.
To identify the new species, Cruz examined the bones of Tar Pits amphibians, a collection that had not been carefully assessed in nearly 30 years. Making detailed observations of their shape and size, Cruz compared Tar Pits amphibians to 80 specimens at the Herpetology Collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Co-authors Dr. Alberto Cruz (right) and Dr. Emily Lindsey at the Talara asphaltic site in Piura, Peru, looking for more amphibians, reptiles, and other climate-sensitive microvertebrates. Credit: Tyler Hayden
An iNaturalist observation of the Mexican burrowing toad, Rhinophrynidae dorsalis, recorded in Costa Rica. Though now known to have inhabited Los Angeles during the last Ice Age, the closest modern populations are found in southern Mexico. Credit: Curtis Eckerman
A nearly complete sacro-urostyle of a possibly juvenile individual of Spea labrae. Credit: Dr. Alberto Cruz
Lead author Dr. Alberto Cruz in the field at the Talara asphaltic site in Piura, Peru. As a researcher with the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia y Historia in Mexico City, Dr. Cruznow leads research on the microvertebrate communities associated with the Santa Lucia Quinametzin mammoth site. Credit: Tyler Hayden
Along with the newly described species, the study identifies the first record of the Mexican burrowing toad, Rhinophrynus, from the southwestern United States. These living toads are no longer found in modern Los Angeles, and their nearest populations are nearly 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) away in southern Mexico.
This significant range shift, along with the extinction of S. labreae, further illuminates the multifaceted story of environmental change at the end of the last ice age and helps us understand how they might cope with today's human-caused climate change.
Publication details
A new extinct Pleistocene species of spadefoot toad and comments on the paleoecology and paleobiogeography of anurans from rancho La Brea, Q1 California, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2026). DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2026.2689465
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A new species of Ice Age toad discovered at La Brea Tar Pits: The spadefoot toad Spea labreae (2026, August 5)
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Anyone with even the vaguest understanding of the profit motive can understand why Apple TV sports comedy “Ted Lasso” has returned three years after its poorly received — yet still widely watched — third season seemed to close the book on its story. A streaming service continuing to milk one of its few major hits doesn’t prohibit the result from being enjoyable; if the first three seasons of “Ted Lasso” are effectively one (overlong, especially toward the end) sports movie, then Season 4 is its perfectly routine sequel. And in a genre filled with redemptive second chances, “Ted Lasso” could use one of its own. If a show has the chance to correct for mistakes like overindulgence and bloat, why not take it?
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Season 4 introduces a premise that gives Jason Sudeikis’ titular American-football-turned-British-football coach a chance at both a fresh start and a return to old stomping grounds. Two years after Ted walked away from AFC Richmond and took his signature mustache back to Kansas City, team owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), marketing chief Keeley (Juno Temple) and operations head Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift) arrive stateside with an offer he can’t refuse: coaching the club’s brand-new women’s team, who begin their existence as the underdogs — specifically, Greyhounds — their male counterparts once were. Given the cultural bias against women’s sports leagues, they’ll likely remain so even if they succeed.
The concepts of class reunion (Ted goes back to London and gets the gang back together!) and clean slate (Ted takes on a new challenge!) are somewhat at odds. Sure enough, Season 4 is far more enjoyable as the latter than the former — even as “Ted Lasso” keeps privileging nostalgia and tired subplots over its best chance at a renaissance. Tanya Reynolds of “Sex Education” is a welcome addition as Alice Chilton, a coach whose constant scowl and clipped severity make her a well-suited foil for Ted’s sunny optimism until she inevitably warms to it. But, at least in the five episodes provided to critics out of an eventual 10, she’s pretty much the only new character who feels fully established, because “Ted Lasso” refuses to make room in the ensemble by sidelining (or is it touchlining?) old ones.
Like Sudeikis, actor Brett Goldstein remains a creative force behind the camera, which may explain why his churlish then player, now coach Roy Kent remains such a presence despite the pivot away from his men’s squad. But while foregrounding Rebecca and Keeley makes sense given the renewed focus on women in sports, Roy and Keeley’s on-again, off-again romance lost its allure several seasons ago. Figures like Roy and Ted’s longtime deputy Beard (series co-creator Brendan Hunt) would be better deployed as occasional cameos, yet they remain load-bearing — and space-occupying — protagonists. The consequences can border on the absurd: a major decision by Ted’s ex-wife Michelle (Andrea Anders) is sped through rather than shown from her perspective; an episode hinges on a team problem with cliques that’s only depicted onscreen far too late. Until then, we’re mostly told about it by other characters with longer tenures.
Contributing to the sense of overcrowding is an otherwise welcome development: no single episode of the first five clocks in at over an hour, the way so much of Season 3 did. “Ted Lasso” is not for everyone; the blindingly earnest social consciousness and relentless positivity some find so grating remain firmly in place. (Feminist commentary was never the series’ strong suit, and centering the women’s team prompts more of it than ever.) But Season 4 reigns in some excesses and offers glimpses of fresh new faces: a walk-on player who’s also a single mom; a goalie who refuses to wear gloves; a new mentor for Rebecca, played by comic legend Tracey Ullmann. If only the show would clear the field for them. %!s()
Three years after a Season 3 finale that sure did feel like a series finale at the time, Ted Lasso is back for a fourth season after all. In the modern streaming world, it’s become far too typical for a three-year gap between seasons to become something of a norm. At least Ted Lasso is accounting for this prolonged break in a bigger way, with a semi-reboot approach that feels more akin to a show being revived 10-15 years later rather than one we last saw the same year Oppenheimer was in movie theaters.
The third season ended with Ted (Jason Sudeikis) returning home to America and realizing it was time to stop being the semi-deadbeat dad he’d become, given his young son was back in Kansas City while Ted had been overseas coaching AFC Richmond. Season 4’s premiere is notable, because it’s actually entirely set in Kansas City. Ted is surprised when Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Leslie (Jeremy Swift), and Keeley (Juno Temple) show up on his doorstep, hoping to recruit him to return to London to coach the new AFC Richmond women’s division team.
The premiere was shot on location in Kansas City, giving it a markedly different visual landscape than your typical Ted Lasso episode, and it makes the most of it. And there’s plenty of comic mileage drawn from making Rebecca, Leslie, and Keeley the fish out of water for once, as they take in these new sights and sounds. The cast all slip very comfortably back into their characters, whether it be the sweet and funny sisterly connection Waddingham and Temple exude, or the lovably dorky demeanor of Swift’s Leslie.
Hannah Waddingham in Ted Lasso Season 4. Apple TV.
As for the title character, series co-creator and EP Sudeikis still wears the smile and stache of Ted like he was born for it. Ted’s gotten through the mental health issues that plagued him early on, but we find him at a restless point of his life, working as an assistant manager at a supermarket. He’s still maintaining his usual sunny disposition, but clearly without a true sense of fulfillment. Of course, there’s not a lot of dramatic tension as to whether he’ll accept the offer to coach again — there’s a whole season’s worth of episodes to fill, and we’ve seen the trailers — but the premiere does a solid job of showing how Ted gets to the point where he can admit that’s what he wants to do.
Pushing things on the credibility side though is how the premiere deals with the fact that Ted not only wouldn’t want to leave his son Henry (now played by Grant Feely) again, but wouldn’t want to ask to separate Henry from his mother, Ted’s ex-wife Michelle (Andrea Anders). The solution feels far too easy and convenient, awkwardly handwaving what would likely be a very difficult conversation in real life.
Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis, and Tanya Reynolds in Ted Lasso Season 4. Apple TV.
Given the nature of the premiere and how focused it is — no other series regulars appear beyond the four mentioned above, and we never actually see London — it’s hard to be sure how much it will reflect the remainder of the season. But the approach it takes is promising as far as its willingness to lock in on just a few characters and interconnected situations.
While Ted Lasso never lost its kindhearted center, Season 3 was notably overindulgent and often felt lacking in form after EP/co-creator Bill Lawrence stepped back as showrunner. This was demonstrated by its incredibly overlong episode runtimes, which frequently hit a full hour or more in the midst of a show that began with half-hour installments. The amount of subplots and side stories got out of control to the point that we somehow were following the inner workings of two different restaurants at one point on a series that was meant to be about a soccer team.
The premiere does give hope that Sudeikis and new co-showrunner Jack Burditt have learned that less can be more. “
As we prep to meet AFC Richmond's women's team, it’s definitely going to be odd adjusting to saying goodbye to the entire team we’ve spent the last three seasons invested in, and I do worry that it will feel even more difficult to move on thanks to the show still being set in the same location as before with most of the same support staff in place. It likely would have been an easier transition to send Ted and a few key players to an all new part of the world for a cleaner break from what came before, but even as we prep for these big changes, the premiere does give hope that Sudeikis and new co-showrunner Jack Burditt have learned that less can be more. Ted Lasso needed to feel more reined in again… albeit with a 47-minute runtime. Hey, that’s still short by Season 3’s standards! And while we have yet to meet the new team, the prospect of returning to the Season 1 feel of Ted and his team getting to know each other and once more starting from a true underdog perspective is a welcome one.
Verdict
Ted Lasso sets the stage for its return with an extended prologue of sorts, explaining what Ted’s been up to back in Kansas City before some old friends come calling in order to lure him back to coaching in London. Even though Season 3 often felt incredibly overstuffed, the core characters remained charming and likable, and that’s underlined here by a premiere that focuses only on Ted, Rebecca, Leslie, and Keeley, reminding fans why we were drawn to them in the first place. It remains to be seen if Ted Lasso fully has its mojo back this season, and how the new team that Ted’s coaching will compare to the former group, but for now it’s a promising start.
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Ted Lasso Season 4 Premiere Review
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Ted Lasso returns with an engaging Kansas City-set season premiere that catches us up with Ted and a few key characters, setting the stage for the show’s new soft reboot approach following a three-year absence.
As Europe prepares for its first mainland total solar eclipse since 1999, myths persist. (MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)
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AFP via Getty Images
Few celestial events inspire as much excitement – or as much misinformation – as a total solar eclipse. Despite centuries of scientific understanding, myths continue to circulate online and by word of mouth. Some people believe it’s never safe to look at an eclipse; others assume a 99% eclipse is virtually the same as totality, while social media regularly revives claims about earthquakes, strange radiation and mysterious animal behavior. So what does modern astronomy say? Here are seven of the biggest eclipse myths – and why the science tells a very different story.
Myth #1: A 99% Eclipse Is Almost As Good As A Total Eclipse
No. In fact, it’s the single biggest misconception about total solar eclipses. It’s easy to assume that if 99% of the sun is covered, you’ve experienced almost everything a total eclipse has to offer. But totality isn’t something you can be “almost” inside. Either you’re standing within the moon’s narrow path of totality, or you’re not. You can’t be 99% pregnant — it’s the same with a total solar eclipse.
That’s because even if the tiniest sliver of the sun remains visible, the landscape stays surprisingly bright, the sky never falls into twilight, and the sun’s spectacular corona remains hidden. If you’re outside the path of totality, you don’t experience a total solar eclipse.
Myth #2: Total Solar Eclipses Incredibly Rare
For any one location, a total solar eclipse is genuinely unusual. On average, the same place experiences totality only once every 300 to 400 years, which explains why they’re often described as once-in-a-lifetime events. Globally, they’re common. Somewhere on Earth, one occurs roughly every 16 months, and some regions can experience multiple total eclipses within a few years. For example, the 2017 and 2024 total solar eclipses crossed paths in a "lucky quadrant" over southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois, with cities like Cape Girardeau, Perryville and Carbondale uniquely positioned within two paths of totality in less than seven years. The eclipses themselves aren’t especially rare. What’s rare is being in exactly the right place when one happens.
Myth #3: It’s Never Safe To Look At A Solar Eclipse
Looking directly at the partially eclipsed sun without certified eclipse glasses can cause permanent eye damage. That remains true throughout every partial phase, whether you’re inside or outside the path of totality. However, once the moon completely covers the sun — something that occurs only if you’re within the narrow path of totality — everything changes. During totality, it’s perfectly safe to remove your eclipse glasses and look directly at the eclipsed sun. In fact, that’s the entire point of traveling into the path of totality. Only then does the delicate white corona become visible – one of the most extraordinary sights in nature. The moment even the smallest bead of sunlight reappears, eclipse glasses must go straight back on.
Myth #4: The Eclipse Produces Dangerous ‘Eclipse Rays’
This belief is weirdly sticky despite not standing up to scrutiny. A solar eclipse doesn’t change the sun’s radiation, create harmful ultraviolet light or somehow make sunlight more dangerous. How could it? The real danger comes from human behavior rather than the eclipse itself. Because the sun appears dimmer during the partial phases, people may be tempted to stare at it for longer than they otherwise would. Without proper eye protection, that can permanently damage the retina. During totality, however, the sun’s brilliant surface is completely hidden and only the much fainter corona remains visible. It shines with roughly the brightness of the full moon and is perfectly safe to observe with the naked eye.
Myth #5: You Have To Stand Exactly On The Centerline
The centreline of the path of totality offers the longest possible totality, which is why eclipse chasers often head there, but it’s far from the only place to enjoy totality. Everyone inside the path experiences the same extraordinary event. The only difference is its duration. Someone well away from the centerline may lose only a few seconds compared with someone standing in the middle of the path, but since the moon’s shadow is round, you need to be very close to the edge before totality tumbles in duration. In practice, finding a location with the best chance of clear skies is far more important than chasing every last second of totality.
Myth #6: Animals Know Something Supernatural Is Happening
Animals often react during totality, but not because they possess mysterious eclipse instincts. As daylight suddenly disappears and temperatures fall, many species simply respond as though evening has arrived. Birds may stop singing and head for their roosts, insects begin their night-time chorus, and livestock sometimes move towards shelter. For humans, these changing sounds can be one of the most memorable parts of a total solar eclipse. For animals, they’re simply a response to an unusually rapid sunset.
Myth #7: Total Solar Eclipses Can Trigger Earthquakes
This claim resurfaces before almost every major eclipse, usually accompanied by warnings that the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth will somehow trigger earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. There’s no scientific evidence that this happens. Yes, the moon’s gravity does produce tides in both the oceans and Earth’s crust, and those forces are slightly stronger when the sun and moon are aligned during a new moon. But there is a new moon every month. This myth is really about whether a shadow can cause seismic activity. How could it? Moreover, recent research following the 2024 North American total solar eclipse uncovered an unexpected phenomenon: seismic noise caused by human activity dropped significantly during totality as people stopped driving and working to watch the eclipse. Total solar eclipses cause a seismic hush — the opposite of the myth.
