Prince Harry (left) and Meghan Markle (right) leaving Funke on Feb. 13. BACKGRID

NEED TO KNOW

  • Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent a pre-Valentine's Day dinner at one of their go-to spots

  • The Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of Sussex ate a meal at Funke in Beverly Hills on Feb. 13

  • Meghan previously celebrated her 44th birthday at the restaurant back in August

Meghan MarkleandPrince Harryspent a pre-Valentine's Day dinner at one of their go-to spots.

On Friday, Feb. 13, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, and the Duke of Sussex, 41, ate a meal at Funke in Beverly Hills, photos obtained exclusively by PEOPLE show.

The couple opted for casual looks, with Meghan wearing a brown jacket and black pants, while Harry paired a black jacket with jeans.

Funke, an upscale restaurant belonging to chef Evan Funke, is where Meghandined to celebrate her 44th birthdayback in August.

At the time, she posted a photo from her celebrations onInstagram. In her caption, Meghan praised the restaurant, writing, "This dinner last night at @funke_la with the culinary mastery of @evanfunke and his team is in the top five meals of my life. Extraordinary 🍝 Thank you for a standout dining experience."

Prince Harry (left) and Meghan Markle (right) leaving Funke on Feb. 13. BACKGRID

Last year, Meghan honored Harry with a loving post onInstagramas they spent Valentine's Day apart.

At the time,Prince Harry was in Canadafor the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler, where he kicked off the event with Meghan before she headed home to care for their children,Prince Archie, 6, andPrincess Lilibet, 4, several days later.

Meghanshared videos on social mediaof her children marking the holiday with a Valentine's Day-themed breakfast.

"Back home taking care of our babies, and missing my Valentine, as he continues on at the Invictus Games, changing lives and reminding all of us of the power of healing and resilience through these incredible veterans and their families. Beyond proud of my husband and what he's created," Meghan wrote below an undated black and white snap of her and Harry kissing.

"My love, I will eat burgers & fries and fish & chips with you forever. Thank you for you," she continued.

Prince Harry leaving Funke on Feb. 13. BACKGRID

Meghan added the hashtag "#LoveWins," a throwback to a quote in the speech she made at theirroyal wedding receptionin 2018.

She signed the post, "As ever, M" — an Easter egg before she announced herAs everlifestyle brand.

Prince Harry and Meghanconnected through a mutual friendin the summer of 2016 and immediately began dating after they met.

Their relationship was long-distance at first, as Harry lived in the U.K. while Meghan was based in Toronto, starring on the legal dramaSuits.She later relocated to be with him.

The coupleannounced their engagementin November 2017. Prince Harry popped the question with an engagement featuring two diamonds from the personal collection of his late mother,Princess Diana.

Prince Harry and Meghan later married in a classicroyal weddingat St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in May 2018.Queen Elizabethgave them the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan Markle leaving Funke on Feb. 13. BACKGRID

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The couple's first child, son Prince Archie, was born in London in May 2019. Less than a year later, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they werestepping back from their royal roles in the U.K.and they later settled in Meghan's home state of California. The family expanded when their daughter Princess Lilibet was born in June 2021.

Exclusively speaking to PEOPLE in 2025, Meghanreflected on being back in a "honeymoon period" with Harry.

"My husband met me when I hadThe Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me," the Duchess of Sussex said, referring to her work launching As ever and appearing in her Netflix series,With Love, Meghan.

"It's almost like a honeymoon period again, because it's exactly how it was in the beginning when he'd watch me scribbling away, writing newsletters, fine-tuning edits and just really being in the details of it. I think he loves watching as much as I love doing that creative process. It's just been fun. This is who I've always been," she added.

Read the original article onPeople

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A Nigerian fishing festival returns to the joy of the community, despite setbacks

Thousands of fishermen descended Saturday on the milky waters of the Matan Fadan river, a UNESCO heritage site that snakes through lush vegetation at the town of Argungu in Nigeria's northwest.

Associated Press Fishermen search for fish during the Argungu cultural fishing festival in Argungu, Kebbi , Northern Nigeria, Saturday, Feb.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Fishermen arrive for the Argungu cultural fishing festival in Argungu, Kebbi , Northern Nigeria, Saturday, Feb.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Fishermen arrive for the Argungu cultural fishing festival in Argungu, Kebbi , Northern Nigeria, Saturday, Feb.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) A fishermen searches for fish during the Argungu cultural fishing festival in Argungu, Kebbi , Northern Nigeria, Saturday, Feb.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Fishermen wait for the start of the Argungu cultural fishing festival in Argungu, Kebbi , Northern Nigeria, Saturday, Feb.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Nigeria Argungu Fishing Festival

Several thousand onlookers, including President Bola Tinubu, cheered them on as they competed to hook the biggest fish, even as security issues kept some people away. Competitors used only traditional angling techniques, such as hand-woven nets and large calabash gourds. Some used their bare hands to demonstrate their skills.

The waterway in Kebbi state was filled with woven nets and canoes as the fishermen forded the river. This year's winner caught a croaker fish weighing 59 kilograms (130 pounds). The winner is paid a cash prize, and the other participants get to sell their catch, boosting the local economy.

The small river is closed for the rest of the year and maintained by a titled chief called Sarkin Ruwa, the chief of the water.

The fishing competition was the culmination of the annual international fishing festival that featured cultural events, including traditional wrestling and music.

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"I thank God that I got something to take home to my family to eat. I am very happy that I came," Aliyu Muhammadu, a 63-year-old fisherman who participated in the competition, told The Associated Press.

The festival dates back to 1934, when nearly 100 years of hostility between the ancient Sokoto Caliphate — a sprawling 19th-century Islamic empire reaching from Nigeria to parts of modern-day Burkina Faso — and a holdout Argungu emirate ended.

The fishing festival is regarded as a symbol of unity, and it has run for decades until it was paused in 2010 following infrastructural problems and because of festering insecurity in Nigeria's northern region. The festival returned in 2020 but was paused again until this year.

Nigeria is facinga complex security crisis, especially in the north, which for years has witnessed attacks that have left several thousand people dead. The attacks have been blamed on fighters with Islamist insurgent groups and criminal armed groups. The attacks arenow spreading to the southern region.

Tinubu said the festival is a return to stability but for many the festival's return restores a sense of communal pride.

"Our challenge now is that people are scared of coming. A lot of people don't attend the event like before because of insecurity," Hussein Mukwashe, the Sarkin Ruwa of Argungu, told The Associated Press.

A Nigerian fishing festival returns to the joy of the community, despite setbacks

Thousands of fishermen descended Saturday on the milky waters of the Matan Fadan river, a UNESCO heritage site that snak...
Forget glitter, this Carnival party in southern Brazil is all about mud

PARATY, Brazil (AP) — Revelers heading to Carnival parties inBraziltypically don colorful, skimpy outfits and splatter glitter everywhere, but near an old colonial town in the south of the country people cover themselves in something very different – mud.

Partakers in this unusualCarnival partyin Paraty drape gray sludge on themselves and roll around in the silty shallows of a beach, forming a unified mass.

"Everyone is kind of the same (…), those who have money and those who don't: everyone comes here to jump into the mud," said Charles Garcia Pessoa, a 37-year-old entrepreneur.

Under a blazing sun, the mud-covered partygoers danced and grunted cavemen chants — "Uga! Uga!" — while marching along the sand, accompanied by musicians.

The tradition started in 1986, according to Paraty's tourism site. Friends were playing in the mangroves at Jabaquara Beach, and realized they weren't recognizable. They went strolling into the city's historic center and caused a stir.

The next year, a group lathered themselves up with mud to present themselves as a prehistoric tribe for Carnival. They carried skulls, vines and bones as they uttered their chants, the site said.

And so the mud party was born. And in the years since, it has become a beloved tradition.

Matt Bloomfield, a New Zealander who runs a film festival, decided to come to Paraty for the mud party after seeingcoverageof last year's event.

"Everyone's being so creative, you see people around decorating themselves with leaves," he said. "It's a great alternate version of Carnival."

Forget glitter, this Carnival party in southern Brazil is all about mud

PARATY, Brazil (AP) — Revelers heading to Carnival parties inBraziltypically don colorful, skimpy outfits and splatter g...
Health care group wants RFK Jr. to 'resign' after cocaine confession

Health and Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.'sshocking admission that hesnorted "cocaine off toilet seats"amid hispast struggle with drug addictionhas led to detractors calling for his resignation, including a prominent health care advocacy group.

USA TODAY

Protect Our Care, a nonprofit advocating for better and more affordable health care,issued a statementfollowing Kennedy Jr.'s confession on comedian Theo Von's podcast "This Past Weekend," which aired on Feb. 12.

"With his statement today that 'I'm not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats,' Trump HHS SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.continues to lay bare why he is the most dangerous, in over his head, ill-suited person ever to lead such an important federal agency that has life-and-death power," the statement reads.

President of Protect Our Care Brad Woodhouse addressed Kennedy Jr.'s remark with a one-word statement: "Resign."

The health secretary has been lambasted by critics over myriad issues ranging from vaccines to fluoride to dietary guidelines. USA TODAY has reached out to HHS for comment.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies about the health care agenda for the Trump administration in front of the Senate Committee on Finance in Washington, D.C., on September 4, 2025. U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) ahead of a roundtable event as part of the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner (FDA) Martin Makary, left, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., eat ice cream at the end of a news conference at the USDA headquarters building in Washington, DC, on July 14, 2025. According to US media reports, ice cream makers in the US are planning to eliminate several artificial colors from their products by 2028. The announcement comes less than a week before National Ice Cream Day on July 20. Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt holds up an executive order that includes a state review of water fluoridation and use of artificial food dyes, as U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. applauds, at a Make Oklahoma Healthy Again kickoff event at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 26, 2025. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee in the Rayburn House Office Building on June 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. The committee met to hear testimony on the FY2026 Department of Health and Human Services budget. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, drinks a beverage while he testifies in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2025. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, arrives to testify in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2025. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks alongside President Donald Trump during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. During the event, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals by 30% to 80%. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. During the event, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals by 30% to 80%. Trump was joined by, (L-R) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Martin Makary, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Mehmet Oz. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accompanied by National Institutes of Health Director Jayanta Bhattacharya (L), and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary (R) speaks during a news conference at the Health and Human Services Department on April 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kennedy and Makary spoke about the intent of the FDA Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference at the Department of Health and Human Services on April 16, 2025, in Washington, DC. MIAPresident Donald Trump, along with (L-R behind him) FBI Director Kash Patel and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Elon Musk and his son (seated to Trump's right), watch Australian fighter Alexander Volkanovski and Brazilian fighter Diego Lopes during an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight at the Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, Fla. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is acknowledged as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined by his wife Cheryl Hines and his family is sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services by Associate Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Oval Office at the White House on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kennedy, who faced criticism for his past comments on vaccine, was confirmed by the Senate 52 to 48. Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against him. Robert F. 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Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead HHS, arrives to meet with Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., and later, several Republican members of key Senate committees on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard stand behind President-elect Donald Trump as they watch a fight during a heavyweight fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 16, 2024. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes a selfie with guests at the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 14, 2024 in Palm Beach, Fla. Bobby Kennedy Jr. protests against Keystone XL Pipeline at Lafayette Park on Feb. 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (C) and his children sit in a globe at the exhibition of Cool Globes in Amsterdam on June 7, 2011. The exhibition features huge globes which propose ideas on how to control climate issues. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attend the 2010 Riverkeeper Benefit at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on April 14, 2010 in New York City. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left) and T. Boone Pickens host an energy policy briefing at the United States Capitol on Jan. 13, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Pickens and Kennedy advocate moving the American economy away from foreign sources of oil and reducing carbon emissions. <p style=Robert Kennedy Jr. (R) speaks to the students at Pace University in New York Sept. 18, 2003, after endorsing Democratic Presidential hopeful John Kerry at a press conference. Kennedy endorsed Kerry citing his lifelong commitment and leadership to improve the environment.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Maria Shriver (R), Senator Robert F. Kennedy Jr (C) and wife Mary attend the Robert Kennedy Jr., of the WaterKeeper Alliance, attends a news conference Jan. 24, 2002 in New York City. The drug company Bayer allegedly refuses to comply with a proposal by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban a version of Cipro for use in poultry. The press conference was held shortly after Bayers debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) directly across the street from the stock exchange. Robert Kennedy Jr., and Rev. Jesse Jackson, arrive At The San Juan District Court July 6, 2001 In Vieques, Puerto Rico. Kennedy Is Being Tried For Trespassing On Navy Restricted Grounds At Camp Garcia Base During A Protest Against The Navy's Bombing Exercises. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, speaks with reporters at the Democratic National Convention in the Staples Center, Aug. 15, 2000, in Los Angeles. Robert Kennedy, Jr. tours Puerto Rico, April 18, 2000, to Examine the environmental Impact of US Navy training operations on the island of Vieques. Kennedy is planning to file a lawsuit against the Navy on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Democratic presidential hopeful Vice President Al Gore (L) speaks as environmental activist and lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr.(R) listens during a speech to the Iowa Earth Year 2000 conference in Des Moines, Iowa Jan. 21, 2000. Robert Kennedy Jr. speaks at a press conference upon his arrival at Miami International Airport on Feb. 19, 1996, after visiting Cuba with his brother Michael (L) and a delegation of US environmental and energy experts.

See Senators grill HHS Secretary RFK Jr. over vaccine rulings, CDC turmoil

RFK Jr. discusses sobriety on Theo Von's podcast

Although Kennedy's brief comment about the extent of his past drug use has circulated online, his interview with Von began with the two discussing their sobriety.

Kennedy, who admitted to being sober for more than 40 years, said he and the comedian met during morning recovery meetings before the COVID-19 outbreak and later formed a "pirate" group that continued meeting during the pandemic.

"I said, 'I don't care what happens, I'm going to a meeting every day,'" Kennedy said, explaining his mindset during the pandemic.

Kennedy also recalled thinking, "I know this disease will kill me. If I don't treat it, which for me means going to meetings every day, it's just bad for my life."

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U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is interviewed after announcing new nutrition guidelines, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 7, 2026.

Von and Kennedy also had a wider discussion about helping people addicted to drugs and alcohol, including HHS looking more at the medical "cost of the addict."

Kennedy said that HHS can look at the "collateral damage" in the health care system caused by addiction, including medical costs, lost jobs and inefficiencies. He said HHS is trying to look at the addict and follow them over the lifespan of their addiction.

The department iscurrently doing pilot programsconsisting of early interventions, confronting addicts on the street, getting them out of crisis and into treatment, helping them find a job once sober and stabilizing them, according to the HHS secretary.

"HHS is delivering on our promise to the American people for a healthier, brighter future," Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement about the $100 million pilot initiative. "Through this pilot program, we are launching a comprehensive, integrated care model that not only cures HCV but also tackles critical risk factors like substance use, mental health challenges, and homelessness head-on."

When did RFK Jr. first use drugs?

By Kennedy's own account, his first experience with drugs happened in the summer following the1968 assassination of his father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. He said he took the hallucinogen LSD at a party, and was introduced to opioids by his neighbors while walking home later that day.

"They said, 'Try this,' and it was a line of crystal meth," he said during his speech at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville in April 2025. "I took it, and all my problems went away. My addiction came on full force. By the end of the summer, I was shooting heroin, which was my drug of choice the next 14 years."

Also during the speech, Kennedy spoke about how hispolicy perspectives were influencedby the 14-year heroin addiction he overcame.

"I know that the only way I stay sober is through taking responsibility for my daily actions," Kennedy said at the time. "I accept the things I can't control and try to practice gratitude for them. I can have control over my behavior, my daily conduct, but not the world around me."

Watch RFK Jr. on Theo Von's 'This Past Weekend' podcast

Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr./ USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:RFK Jr. should 'resign' after cocaine remark, health care group says

Health care group wants RFK Jr. to 'resign' after cocaine confession

Health and Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.'sshocking admission that hesnorted "cocaine off toilet...
Jason Alexander wasn't the only choice for iconic 'Seinfeld' role; actor reveals surprising alternatives

Jerry Seinfeld'sbest friend on the hit sitcom "Seinfeld" almost looked different.

During a recent episode of his podcast, "Really? no, Really?," Jason Alexander and his co-host, Peter Tilden, sat down with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, the author of the 2016 book "Seinfeldia," which delved into the history of the hit sitcom and included behind-the-scenes secrets.

During their conversation, Alexander and Armstrong discussed how he got the role of George Costanza and later shared which other famous actors were considered to play the character.

"I know some of the people," Alexander said. "So, I know about Chris Rock. I know about Danny DeVito. I know about Paul Schaefer. And I know about, um, Rosie O'Donnell."

A three-way split of Chris Rock, Jason Alexander and Rosie O'Donnell

'Seinfeld' Trio Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-dreyfus And Larry David Reunite In Rare New Photo

Armstrong added that, during her research, she heard that Steve Buscemi was also in contention for the role.

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Seinfeld created the hit sitcom alongside Larry David, who went on to create and star in "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The show resonated with audiences and quickly became known as "the show about nothing" because it often focused on the humor in mundane everyday occurrences.

"He … also loves to perform. He loves it. I think one of the reasons that he was, so I don't know that he was frustrated. That's the wrong word. But Larry wanted to be in the [show]," Alexander said about David. "You know the 'Curb' arc where he plays George. He wanted to play George. I mean, he was a good George."

The show ran on NBC for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998 andwon 10 Emmy Awards,including outstanding comedy series, supporting actor and supporting actress.

The cast of Seinfeld posing with their Emmys

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In an interview with People in May 2023, Julia Louis-Dreyfus recalled the different emotions she felt when the show came to an end.

"There wasa real grief periodwhen the show ended that was real and felt," she said. "Because we all loved each other so much."

Dreyfus has gone on to have a successful career after her time on "Seinfeld," including starring roles in "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Veep," a project that earned her numerous Emmy Awards, Golden Globe and SAG Awards.

Although she has found success outside the hit sitcom, her portrayal of Elaine remains what she is best known for.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld in a screenshot from a 1996 episode of

"I think it's incredibly cool that it continues to have life,"she said of the show. "I'm not surprised because it's funny, and it stands the test of time."

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Original article source:Jason Alexander wasn't the only choice for iconic 'Seinfeld' role; actor reveals surprising alternatives

Jason Alexander wasn't the only choice for iconic 'Seinfeld' role; actor reveals surprising alternatives

Jerry Seinfeld'sbest friend on the hit sitcom "Seinfeld" almost looked different. During a recen...

 

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