Month: May 2026

Katie Strick swapped London for Australia, only to find herself returning to the United Kingdom after just 18 months after discovering what life was really like Down Under

A woman who quit the United Kingdom for a sunny life in Australia has decided to move back after realising what life Down Under is truly like. Katie Strick and her partner spent 18 months in Australia before making the decision to move back home.

Katie says she made the decision to swap south London for Sydney after striking up a long-distance relationship with a former university friend. Writing in The Times, she admits the chance to join him in his beachside flat “wasn’t a hard sell”.

With the extension to the age bracket for the working holiday visa being moved from 30 to 35, Katie admits she felt the time was right. She found herself surrounded by “young, free twenty and thirtysomethings” in the Manly area.

But after a year-and-a-half, Katie found herself heading back to London. Her first struggle, she says, was the rental market in Sydney.

She found the cost of a flat is around the same in Australia as London. She also admits “friends and family naturally rank highly when I list the reasons for coming back”.

Katie however says the reasons for the move were much more than that. She wrote: “The reasons are rarely sexy: green space, quality of the press, a low risk of shark attacks and being a short train ride from my parents’ home town don’t quite have the same ring as living next to the beach when you shout them across a pub — but they mattered more than I expected.”

She acknowledges that Australia has “more sunshine” as well as “happier, healthier, more outdoorsy people,” but found herself missing the cobbled streets, country pubs, and British humour. She concedes it’s “hard not to miss those things” when you are “a 24-hour flight away”.

She says the Middle East conflict has also led to a “sense of uncertainty” for Brits flying from Australia. Dubai, once a popular layover, became embroiled in the conflict in March when it was struck by Iran.

Katie expected some “pushback” from her friends in Australia, but admits she was taken aback by the level of confusion from people back home too. She says many joked she would regret it when her boyfriend is “conscripted” or would be making another U-turn soon enough.

While she says it can seem difficult to say “exactly what you feel far away from,” she says “you do”. She accepts she has a “sense of day-to-day belonging” from visiting grandparents or meeting a friend’s baby, things that can’t be replicated through FaceTime.

Having moved back to London, Katie has however found herself wondering if she made a mistake. She recalls one moment she was catcalled by a drunk man at Clapham Junction, and dodging crowds in Soho.

On the other hand, she says there have been “moments of pure nostalgia” as she strolled through her favourite London park on a spring evening, or the appreciation she has for the NHS and architecture of the UK. She says her partner will soon land back in the UK, meaning that she gets to experience the “rollercoaster of emotions” from her return all over again.

Katie isn’t the only Brit who has quit the UK for Australia and found themselves moving back. Manchester-born Jessica McMaster recently made the same move after finding “four problems” with life Down Under.

Jessica cited the cost of living, distance from loved ones, visa and work restrictions, and weather as reasons for her move. Jessica, who lived in Melbourne, said: “Sometimes it would rain for days and be really cold and dark.

“Summer lasted about six months, which was amazing, long, bright days, great cafés, runs by the beach, but people think it’s always 30-degree heat. Melbourne can have four seasons in one day. In winter it was cold and rainy, so at times it felt like being back in Manchester, but without your family and friends.”

A plane passenger claimed their flight was delayed by an hour because of one other passenger’s selfish act – and it had devastating consequences for people’s travel plans

Finding out your plane is delayed can be a nightmare. No one wants to hang around in an airport for any longer than they need to, especially if you’re trying to go and enjoy a holiday, or aching to get back home. Delays can also be frustrating if you have a connecting flight, as you could end up missing your next plane.

The most common cause for flight delays is weather conditions, which neither the airport nor the airline can control. But one woman on social media was left furious when her plane was delayed by an entire hour – just because of another passenger causing an issue with the flight attendants.

Cassandra Saunders was already sitting in her seat on the flight from Los Angeles, California, to Tampa, Florida, when the incident began, and filmed herself so that she could capture the audio of the fellow passenger complaining to a flight attendant. The passenger was complaining that he couldn’t sit next to his fiancée as they hadn’t booked seats next to each other, and the flight attendant was trying to tell him that he couldn’t just sit in someone else’s seat.

In the video, which was uploaded to Instagram, the man’s voice can be heard asking the flight attendant how he can switch seats, to which she replies he will have to ask the person sitting in the seat he wants to move to. She adds the cabin crew can’t do anything to move people out of their designated seats.

The man continues to argue, saying there was no one currently in the seat he wanted to sit in, but the flight attendant says boarding hadn’t finished yet. The conversation continues, with Cassandra writing on her clip that the argument delayed their flight by an hour.

She wrote: “My intuition already knew this guy was going to be a problem. This dude delayed our flight by an hour. He kept going to the back and wasn’t respecting the flight attendant’s instructions.”

In the caption, Cassandra said the row over seating meant some passengers were at risk of missing their connecting flights and having their travel plans ruined – and she only made her connecting flight with a mere five seconds to spare after racing through the airport when they eventually landed.

She posted: “Travelling is already chaotic, and this couple was being inconsiderate to everyone on the plane, delaying us by an hour. Several passengers asked them to get off because people had connecting flights. But all he seemed to care about was sitting next to his fiancée. The flight attendant did a great job in handling it. I made it to my connecting [flight with] five minutes to spare – I ran!”

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Cassandra later posted the second part of the passenger’s argument with the cabin crew, in which another male voice is heard ordering the passenger to get off the plane. The man’s fiancée is then apparently heard trying to convince the plane staff to let her partner stay on the flight, but is told she is welcome to leave with him.

Adding more context to what happened, Cassandra wrote: “They had a full conversation while everyone was waiting on them. The [fiancée] stayed and then five minutes later decided to get off the plane.”

Commenters on the video were gobsmacked by the “entitlement” of the couple, with many saying that sitting next to someone for a couple of hours on a domestic flight isn’t worth being delayed by an hour. Others said they should have been kicked off the flight sooner, arguing that an hour is far too long to have allowed the dispute to go on.

One person said: “If you want to make sure you’re next to your partner, pay the extra fees and make sure you book the seats together.” Another added: “Any conversation longer than 10 minutes should have been had outside the gate.”

A third fumed: “An HOUR?!!! Nah, they didn’t do their job. Get him off immediately.”

May 4 (UPI) — The Iranian military threatened Monday to attack U.S. forces if they attempt to implement U.S. President Donald Trump‘s “Project Freedom” to bring ships trapped in the Persian Gulf out through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried by state-run broadcaster IRIB, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the Iranian military’s central command, warned the Americans not to approach the strait and that no vessels would be permitted to transit safely without Iran’s permission.

The statement also appeared to threaten Iran’s neighbors in the Gulf and other allies of the United States.

“Do not approach the Strait of Hormuz. Any foreign armed force, especially the aggressive American army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz. Supporters of the evil America should be careful and not do anything that will lead to irreparable regret, because America’s aggressive action to disrupt the current situation will have no result other than complicating the situation and jeopardizing the security of vessels in this area,” said central command chief, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdullahi.

“In any circumstances, any safe passage through this strait will be carried out in coordination with the Armed Forces,” added Abdullahi.

The warning came hours after Trump announced plans to use U.S. military assets deployed in the region, including guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 marines, to “guide” ships and crews “safely out of the Strait.”

U.S. Central Command confirmed in a news release posted on X that the operation to restore freedom of navigation for all commercial shipping, with the exception of vessels servicing Iran, would get underway on Monday.

“The mission, directed by the president, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor. A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through the strait. Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” said U.S. CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper.

The developments came as two ships, an oil tanker and a bulk carrier, were attacked near the strait on Sunday.

However, it was unclear how effective the operation might be with Copenhagen-headquartered BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association, with more than 2,000 members across 130 countries, telling the BBC that while much depended on the “risk appetite” of individual ship owners, it couldn’t see how an evacuation could work without agreement from Iran.

As many as 20,000 merchant sailors are languishing aboard 2,000 commercial ships marooned in the Persian Gulf by Iran’s effective closure of the Hormuz Strait, according to the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization, which Friday adopted a resolution condemning attacks on shipping that “threaten the welfare of seafarers, represented a grave danger to life and posed a serious risk to the marine environment.”

BRITS might not know about this short-lived McDonald’s venture that launched in 2023 as it lasted just two years.

Called CosMc’s, the spin-off was a retro space brand by McDonald’s that focussed on ‘otherworldly beverage creations’.

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In 2023, the very first CosMc’s venue opened selling a few food items and lots of speciality drinks that weren’t available in its original McDonald’s restaurants.

It was space-themed and based on an early alien character who visited McDonaldland in a series of adverts in the late 1980s and early 90s.

The first venue to open was a drive-thru in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

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In its first month, the store reportedly had twice the traffic of a regular McDonald’s.

The opening day saw a large queue of customers – with some even being turned away, and police were monitoring the car park.

CosMc’s then opened in four other locations in Texas – Fort Worth, San Antonio and Allen.

The reason it was so popular during its opening was its unique menu.

Apart from a few items from the ‘McDonald’s Universe’ like an Egg McMuffin and McFlurry, all were only available at these restaurants.

Other available food items were the likes of a ‘Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich’ or a ‘Spicy Queso Sandwich’.

There were also ‘Pretzel Bites’ and ‘McPops’ which are essentially filled donuts – and you could get three for $3.79 (£2.78).

According to McDonald’s, hundreds of thousands of McPops were sold throughout the few years CosMc’s was open.

The spin-off was initially founded to crack the coffee market and mirror the success of other brands like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

CosMc’s sold speciality coffees like the ‘Churro Frappe’ and ‘S’mores Cold Brew’ as well as slushies and soft drinks.

The Signature Galactic Boost range were drinks like the ‘Sour Cherry Energy Burst’ and the ‘Blueberry Ginger Boost’.

Across the two years that it was operational, CosMc’s opened at nine locations, all within the US.

Each was aimed at those wanting a quick snack, which is why each was a drive-thru and had no seating areas inside.

Last year it was reported that McDonald’s would be shutting down its CosMc’s chain, with none remaining open as of June 2025.

For the first time, the U.S. Air Force has publicly released imagery showing a B-1B Lancer bomber carrying an AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon hypersonic missile, or ARRW. The development comes with the B-1B now officially slated to serve for another decade, while it has been earmarked as a hypersonic weapons test platform. For its part, the ARRW, at one point expected to be the U.S. military’s first operational hypersonic weapon, is also back from purgatory, after continued questions about its future. The Air Force now wants to develop an improved version, as well as a separate air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM).

A brief clip showing a B-1B flying with an ARRW carried on an external hardpoint was released on Edwards Air Force Base’s Instagram page recently. The emergence of the video was first brought to our attention by The Aviationist.

It is unclear when the test-flight footage was taken, and it is not directly referenced in the video, which is otherwise dedicated to the work of maintainers on different aircraft platforms at Edwards.

The B-1B was originally designed to carry external stores on up to eight external hardpoints. The Air Force had also developed special pylons that would have allowed the bombers to carry two nuclear-tipped AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM) on each one. Following the end of the Cold War, the B-1Bs lost their nuclear mission and, as a result, the external pylons fell into disuse, at least as far as weapons are concerned.

However, as long ago as 2020, the Air Force detailed plans to add the ARRW to the B-1B, after the service highlighted work to expand the bomber’s ability to carry hypersonic weapons and other new stores, both internally and externally.

“My goal would be to bring on at least a squadron’s worth of airplanes modified with external pylons on the B-1, to carry the ARRW [Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon],” Gen. Timothy Ray, then head of Air Force Global Strike Command, told Air Force Magazine. He added that the service had contemplated several options for integrating the missile onto the bombers, “but we believe the easiest, fastest, and probably most effective in the short term will be to go with the external pylons.”

In the meantime, we have seen examples of the ARRW carried under the wing of the B-52H bomber during multiple test sorties, and a live version also notably appeared on a Stratofortress during a training event at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam.

The Fiscal Year 2026 budget request confirmed that the Air Force plans to use the B-1B as a testbed for the Load Adaptable Modular (LAM) pylon, intended for hypersonic weapons and other outsize loads. The B-1B can accommodate six of these pylons, each capable of carrying two 2,000-pound-class weapons or a single 5,000-pound-plus-class weapon. The ARRW would fall into the latter category.

The budget documents noted: “The Hypersonic Integration Program successfully demonstrated the B-1’s ability to execute a captive carry of a 5,000-pound-class store and the release of a proven weapon shape from a Load Adaptable Modular (LAM) pylon.” This suggests that the video we are now seeing could have been taken during this demonstration, but it might also refer to external load tests involving the Air Force’s new bunker-buster bomb, the 5,000-pound class GBU-72/B.

In the same position as seen in the ARRW video, the LAM has also been used for external carriage tests of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). More routinely, this same position mounts an external pylon that accommodates a Sniper targeting pod. The same location has previously been used in external carriage tests of the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) cruise missile, too.

As for ARRW, it carries an unpowered hypersonic boost-glide vehicle as its warhead. A rocket booster accelerates and lifts the vehicle to the required speed and altitude, after which it separates and glides through the atmosphere on a relatively shallow path toward its target. The weapon’s high speed and unpredictable flight path make it difficult for opponents to intercept and engage it, and give very little response time.

B52 ARRW Hypersonic evaluation test at Edwards Air Force Base 12 JUN 2019

The Air Force’s plans to move ahead with purchases of ARRWs notably re-emerged in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal. The service had moved to cancel the AGM-183A in 2023, and refocus resources on the development of the air-breathing Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), but there were steady signs afterward that there was still life left in the ARRW program.

Meanwhile, in its Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, the Air Force seeks funds for the development of what it calls ARRW Increment 2, as well as to kick-start a new air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) program. The service wants almost $350 million to fund these two efforts. ARRW Increment 2 involves adding undisclosed enhanced capabilities onto the baseline weapon, while the ALBM effort would seek to field a new air-launched, long-range strike capability to complement the ARRW and HACM.

The US Air Force plans to kick off Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) Increment 2 development and stand up a new Air Launched Ballistic Missile (ALBM) program in Fiscal Year 2027. The service has set aside nearly $350 Million combined for these two efforts. ARRW Inc 2… pic.twitter.com/pe0SKPlrDO

— Air-Power | MIL-STD (@AirPowerNEW1) April 27, 2026

In its Fiscal Year 2027 budget documents, the Air Force further notes:

“We are doubling production rates for our two developmental hypersonic weapons, the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) and the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), with a planned investment of $1.8 billion across the FYDP to accelerate delivery of these critical strike capabilities into the hands of the warfighter.”

The documents don’t give any details on how many ARRWs they want to order.

Regardless, these developments are especially notable as China continues to push ahead in the development and fielding of these capabilities, and especially ALBMs.

Despite previous plans to retire the B-1B by 2030, the bomber’s ability to carry outsize loads, in particular, has helped ensure that it’s now expected to remain in service until at least 2037.

Fiscal Year 2027 budget documents indicate that the Air Force plans to spend $342 million on modernizing its 44 remaining B-1Bs from 2027 to 2031. “This request provides the necessary funding to modernize the platform, ensuring its lethality and relevance through 2037,” the budget said.

The B-2 stealth bomber will also be modernized, as the Air Force seeks to address growing demand for bomber capacity, pending the arrival of the new B-21. The intensity of recent operations against Iran, combined with day-to-day bomber task force operations around the globe, and the growing specter of a conflict with China, underscores just how important the bomber fleet is to the Pentagon at large.

B-1s first mission to Iran out of RAF Fairford UK

With a capacity to carry more conventional weapons than any other aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory, we will surely see the B-1B carrying additional external weapons and larger numbers of them, as it continues its service career.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

SHAKIRA suffered major tech issues during her huge Copacabana Beach concert over the weekend.

The global superstar faced backlash as eagle-eyed viewers spotted the mishaps during the performance.

An estimated 2 million people attended the show in Rio De Janeiro, where the popstar delivered a nearly 30-song set that included guest appearances by Anitta, Maria Bethania, and Caetano Veloso.

Although she performed in style, the sound and visuals didn’t match up at times.

Clips from the gig quickly went viral on X, but while some viewers were left disappointed, others weren’t surprised, saying it’s common at large-scale shows.

Taking to X, one person said: “If ur gonna lip at least make it believable”.

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Shakira slammed for VERY cold reaction as cameraman falls over in front of her

STAGE HORROR

Worker crushed to death while building stage for Shakira’s Rio de Janeiro show

Another added: “This is genuinely a f******* mess”.

The Colombian singer’s performance follows similar shows by Lady Gaga last year and Madonna in 2024, which were also attended by huge crowds.

“I arrived here when I was 18 years old, dreaming about singing for you,” Shakira told the crowd. “And now look at this. Life is magical.”

She sang several fan favourites during her set, including Hips Don’t Lie, La Tortura, Waka Waka, Whenever Wherever, She Wolf and La Bicicleta.

The show also featured a massive drone show, which amazed the crowd.

Despite being a free concert, Shakira’s show was expected to generate an estimated $150 million in tourism revenue to the city, according to local government.

This isn’t the first mishap the pop star has had live on stage.

In February, Shakira suffered a nasty fall during a live stage performance, with the singer twisting her ankle in the middle of her concert.

She was performing in San Salvador when she left fans worried during a mid-song tumble.

Singing her hit song Si Te Vas during the night, Shakira was walking across the stage when her right ankle suddenly twisted.

She then completely toppled to her side, falling onto her elbow as she brought her microphone stand down with her.

During the moment, Shakira stopped singing as gasps could be heard amongst the audience.

But ever the professional, she quickly got herself back up and managed to continue the song – with the star’s band continuing as her guitarist cheered her on.

Published on
04/05/2026 – 13:15 GMT+2

The major AI company Anthropic is exploring a potential partnership with the British semiconductor firm Fractile to secure a steady supply of chips for custom inference and reduce the significant overheads associated with current semiconductor solutions.

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According to reports, these talks represent a strategic effort by the San Francisco-based firm to decrease its dependency on Nvidia whilst enhancing the speed and efficiency of its current and next-generation models.

As the global demand for generative AI capacity continues to climb, the financial burden of the hardware required to run these systems has become a primary hurdle for developers.

Anthropic, which has received multi-billion-dollar investments from both Amazon and Google, currently relies heavily on Nvidia’s H100 units alongside custom processors provided by its cloud partners.

However, the high market price and limited availability of these industry-standard chips have squeezed profit margins, prompting firms to look elsewhere.

According to industry analysts, a deal with a specialised firm like Fractile could allow Anthropic to exert greater control over its technical infrastructure.

This strategy reflects a broader trend among tech giants, including Microsoft and Meta, who are increasingly moving away from general-purpose chips in favour of internal or boutique designs.

A shift in memory architecture and a boost for British technology

Founded in 2022 by Oxford PhD Walter Goodwin, Fractile has gained significant attention for its unconventional approach to processor design.

Unlike standard chips that must constantly shuttle data between the processor and separate memory modules, Fractile’s “memory-compute fusion” architecture keeps data directly on the chip using static random-access memory, or SRAM, which does not need to be refreshed.

According to the British start-up, this method can run large language models up to a hundred times faster than existing hardware while lowering operational costs by 90%.

While these performance claims are impressive, the technology is still in the development phase.

Fractile has not yet launched a commercial product, and its specialised chips are not expected to be ready for full-scale data centre deployment until 2027.

Despite the long timeline, the start-up is reportedly in negotiations to raise $200 million (€170.5m) in funding at a valuation exceeding $1 billion (€853m).

The potential partnership highlights the growing significance of the UK’s semiconductor sector on the world stage. If a formal agreement is reached, Fractile could become Anthropic’s fourth major chip supplier, joining the ranks of Nvidia, Google and Amazon.

According to market reports, the discussions remain at an early stage and no binding contract has been signed.

However, the interest from a major player such as Anthropic suggests that in the AI race, the ability to deliver faster and cheaper compute power is the defining factor.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave students their biggest free speech victory in decades, ruling that a disappointed high school cheerleader could not be punished for a social media post on Snapchat that included profane words.

In an 8-1 decision, the justices said a Pennsylvania school district violated the 1st Amendment when it suspended Brandi Levy from the cheerleading team in response to her post.

The court in an opinion by Justice Stephen G. Breyer said her words may have offended school officials, but they did not otherwise disrupt the school. And he said courts should be skeptical of efforts to discipline students for what they say or post on their own free time.

“It might be tempting to dismiss B. L.’s words as unworthy of the robust 1st Amendment protections discussed herein. But sometimes it is necessary to protect the superfluous in order to preserve the necessary,” he wrote in Mahanoy School District vs. B.L.

Only Justice Clarence Thomas dissented and said he does not believe students and children have such protected rights.

American Civil Liberties Union lawyers who represented Levy welcomed the outcome.

“Protecting young people’s free speech rights when they are outside of school is vital, and this is a huge victory for the free speech rights of millions of students who attend our nation’s public schools,” said David Cole, legal director of the ACLU.

The incident in this case occurred in May 2017, when Levy was in ninth grade. She graduated in 2020 and is now a freshman in college.

“The school went too far, and I’m glad that the Supreme Court agrees,” Levy said in a statement. “I was frustrated. I was 14 years old, and I expressed my frustration the way teenagers do today. Young people need to have the ability to express themselves without worrying about being punished when they get to school. I never could have imagined that one simple snap would turn into a Supreme Court case, but I’m proud that my family and I advocated for the rights of millions of public school students.”

Her case posed a question that has divided courts in recent decades. Are students entirely free to say what they wish on social media — even if it includes vulgar, harassing or racist comments — or can they be disciplined by school officials?

During the Vietnam War, the Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students retained their free speech rights when they went to school, so long as their protests did not cause “substantial disruptions” there. But that landmark ruling in Tinker v. Des Moines has provided little guidance for how to view a student’s posts on social media.

Breyer’s opinion did not set a clear rule or say students are always protected for what they post. But he said those from “off-campus will normally fall within the zone of parental, rather than school-related, responsibility. …When it comes to political or religious speech that occurs outside school or a school program or activity, the school will have a heavy burden to justify intervention.”

The case began when Levy learned she had been passed over for the varsity cheerleading team.

On a Saturday afternoon, she took a photo of herself and a friend with their middle fingers raised and posted it on Snapchat. She included a caption repeating the F-word for “school … softball … cheer … everything.”

The post could be seen by 250 of her friends, including other cheerleaders, and they in turn showed it to the two cheerleading coaches for Mahanoy High School in central Pennsylvania.

They decided she had violated team rules that required showing “respect” to others and avoiding “foul language,” and they suspended her for the year from the junior varsity squad.

She and her parents appealed the decision to school officials and the school board. And when that failed, they sued in federal court, alleging a violation of her 1st Amendment right to the freedom of speech.

A federal judge ruled for Levy, who said her Saturday afternoon posting did not disrupt her school. The U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia agreed and ruled the school’s authority did not extend to off-campus speech.

This time last year, Swansea had built significant momentum under former boss Alan Sheehan, who had inspired an upturn in form to ward off relegation concerns after the Luke Williams era ended on the back of a worrying slump.

In the previous campaign, Williams was the man who masterminded the turnaround in fortunes after Michael Duff’s forgettable stint in charge.

Matos’ challenge is to change the record at Swansea, who will begin 2026-27 with an eye on the play-offs, as was the case at the start of the season which ended with Saturday’s win over Charlton Athletic.

There is likely to be a little more expectation next time around given that the teams finishing seventh and eighth will secure play-off places in a year’s time.

Yet it is worth remembering that aside from their two play-off campaigns under Steve Cooper – when parachute payments still offered a helping hand – the best finish Swansea have managed since dropping out of the top flight is 10th, first Graham Potter in 2019 and then Russell Martin three years ago.

Matos’ team finished 11th, just as Sheehan’s side did last year, although Swansea had three more points this time around.

Ultimately, they were nine points short of Hull City, who claimed the last of this season’s play-off places, and five adrift of Derby County, who ended in eighth.

Travel writer Emma Cooke has recommended a perfect day trip, a charming East Sussex seaside town with a cliff Railway, pretty cherry blossoms, and seafront brunch with no queues

With summer just around the corner, you might be thinking about a day out by the sea, or even a longer seaside holiday. One travel influencer has the ideal recommendation for a destination with a lot to offer, from relaxing on the beach, to travelling on a cliff railway.

London travel writer Emma Cooke shared footage of an East Sussex coastal town, highlighting the cliff railway, charming beach huts, spectacular hilltop panoramas, and beautiful cherry blossoms.

She explained: “POV: You got on a £15 train out of London and less than two hours later found a crowd-free seaside town full of cherry blossom. There’s an old town packed with bookshops and bakeries, £1.70 clifftop tea, seafront brunch with no queues, perfect beach sunsets, and almost every sight is free or under £5.”

The destination in question is the south coast resort town of Hastings, in East Sussex. Tourism website 1066 Country says: “To soak up Hastings’ history, wander the preserved Old Town’s winding streets and tiny twittens, crammed with Tudor houses and flower-bedecked cottages, and inhale the hard-working fishing quarter with its towering net huts and ramshackle huts on the beach.”

A ‘twitten’ is a Sussex term for a narrow passageway or alley nestled between two buildings, typically leading to courtyards, streets, or open spaces beyond, reports MyLondon.

The site goes on: “Heading west, the alternative vibe continues as you arrive in St Leonards. Purpose-built in the 1800s by James and Decimus Burton as a genteel seaside resort for the aristocracy, its architecture provides a striking backdrop for art galleries, antique shops, chic boutiques and a thriving café culture.”

It further states: “Hastings Old Town lies in a valley between the East and West Hills, each with their own funicular railway.

“Take the East Hill Lift from the fishing beach up to Hastings Country Park, where on clear days you can see from Beachy Head to Dungeness and as far as Folkestone and the coast of France.

“Take the West Hill Lift from George Street, up through a tunnel of rock to emerge into the tranquil light of another world.

“Explore Smugglers Adventures at a labyrinth of caverns hidden deep within the West Hill, packed with the thrilling history of smugglers, bootleggers and warring bloodthirsty gangs.”

Commenters were brimming with praise for the town. One declared: “I live here and it’s amazing.”

Another posted: “Hastings is wonderful.” And someone else said: Gorgeous place and lovely people. I recommend Hastings.””

A different person responded: “Never expected to see my hometown in one of your travel reels. Where is the £1.70 tea from?!”

Emma replied: “The little tea van up on top of west hill lift! Think it’s just called ‘kiosk’.”

Iranian state media says two missiles have struck a US navy destroyer to prevent it entering the Strait of Hormuz after the warship ignored warnings to halt. The attack comes after US President Donald Trump announced a naval mission to ‘guide’ stranded ships through the strait.

An overlooked European city, just two hours from the UK, warrants a visit, thanks to its balmy rays of sunshine 300 days out of the year and affordable flights that start from £29

Just two hours from the UK is a beautiful Mediterranean city that basks in a remarkable 300 days of glorious sunshine every year, and flights start from just £28.99 with easyJet.

Montpellier, in southern France, is often bypassed in favour of tourist hotspots such as Paris, but it definitely deserves a place on your travel list. The charming city offers a scenic escape from busy crowds, with a laid-back atmosphere amid its medieval architecture, bustling squares and delightful cafés.

You won’t be short of sun-soaked rays here, as Montpellier is widely considered one of France’s sunniest locations, with an average of 300 days of sunshine every year and summer daylight extending to around 10 hours. Thanks to its Mediterranean climate, it enjoys mild winters and hot, dry summers, so rainfall is rarely an issue, with temperatures reaching around 17C in May and 22C in June.

READ MORE: Europe’s ‘sunniest city’ with 3,300 hours of annual sunshine has £16 flights and £2.50 pintsREAD MORE: Europe’s ‘most beautiful beach’ with pristine sands is just 3 hours from UK with £28 flights

A spring escape couldn’t come at a better time as easyJet launched a new route from Manchester Airport to the sun-kissed city of Montpellier earlier this year. The first flight departed at the start of April this year, with services scheduled to operate twice-weekly on Mondays and Fridays throughout the summer season.

One-way direct tickets can be booked from £28.99, with the journey taking just over two hours from Manchester – meaning you’ll be basking in those southern rays in no time. If you needed another excuse to experience the Mediterranean lifestyle in Montpellier, you’ll be pleased to hear that it has an impressive selection of sights and attractions.

There’s the historic city centre to wander through, with the stunning Place de la Comédie, the historic Promenade du Peyrou, and the Gothic Saint-Pierre Cathedral. And a visit to the city isn’t complete without exploring its pedestrian-friendly Old Town, with winding medieval streets, chic boutiques, and lively squares filled with cafés, restaurants, and hidden courtyards.

Meanwhile, the botanical gardens, Jardin des Plantes – the oldest in France – provide a tranquil escape, boasting an impressive collection of plants and peaceful walkways. The Peyrou Promenade, on the other hand, offers stunning panoramic views across the city and the surrounding countryside, ideal for taking in the atmosphere of this overlooked European gem.

Following the launch of the new flights to Montpellier, Kevin Doyle, easyJet’s UK country manager, said: “We are really pleased to be celebrating our inaugural flights to the fantastic city of Montpellier, just a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean coast. By introducing new connections from Manchester on our unrivaled leisure network, customers from across the northwest can now enjoy even more choice this summer to book and travel with ease.

“We’re continuing to provide our customers with even more choice and connectivity at fantastic fares, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard.”

Stephen Turner, chief commercial officer at Manchester Airport, added: “We are proud to connect the people of the North with more destinations than any other airport in the country outside London, so it’s fantastic to be celebrating this inaugural flight today.

“Montpellier is not currently served by any other airline so passengers planning a holiday to the south of France this summer will have even more choice of destinations when flying from Manchester. We’re sure this new route will prove extremely popular.”

For more information, or to book easyJet flights, visit their website.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

The US president has accused some NATO countries of not doing enough to support the US-Israel war on Iran.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says European leaders have “gotten the message” after United States President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw 5,000 soldiers from Germany.

Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with NATO allies, accusing them of not doing enough to support the US-Israel war on Iran. Speaking on Monday, Rutte acknowledged “disappointment from the US side”.

“European leaders have gotten the message. They heard the message loud and clear,” Rutte said before a European Political Community meeting in Armenia.

“Europeans are stepping up, a bigger role for Europe and a stronger NATO,” he added.

The Pentagon announced the troop withdrawal from Germany on Friday, days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran was humiliating the US during the negotiations aimed at ending the war.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called the announcement’s timing a “surprise”.

“I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in NATO, and we have to really do more,” Kallas said while stressing that “American troops are not in Europe only for protecting European interests but also American interests.”

Over the weekend, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said officials in the 32-nation military alliance “are working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany”.

‘Dangerous military intervention’

European criticism of the war on Iran has mounted in recent weeks as the conflict sends shockwaves through the global economy due to the continued disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Last week, Merz compared the war to previous military quagmires, such as the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It is, at the moment, a pretty tangled situation,” he said. “And it is costing us a great deal of money. This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economic output.”

Spain has refused to let the US launch attacks on Iran from its airspace or military bases. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has condemned the war as “unjustified” and a “dangerous military intervention” outside the realm of international law.

In response, Trump called Spain “terrible” and threatened to end all trade ties.

Despite this, Rutte said “more and more” European nations were now pre-positioning assets such as minehunters and minesweepers close to the Gulf to be ready for the “next phase” in the war.

He provided no details, and European nations have previously insisted they would not help to police the Strait of Hormuz until the war is over.

Increased defence spending

Many European countries have committed to ramping up defence spending in the face of fears over Trump’s commitment to NATO and Russia’s assault on Ukraine – a push underscored by several leaders in the Armenian capital.

“Europeans are taking their destiny into their own hands, increasing their defence and security spending, and building their own common solutions,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

“We have to step up our military capabilities to be able to defend and protect ourselves,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.

KATIE Price was left screaming in terror as she took a trip to a haunted house in Belgium for a ghosthunting experience this week.

The mum-of-five documented her spooky trip by filming the whole thing, with fans watching as she spoke to ‘ghosts’.

Katie drove from her home in the UK to Brussels with pal and cameraman Ben Algar as she headed to the European city to undergo more surgical procedures on her boobs and filler in her lips.

However, the she and Ben, who was behind the wheel due to Katie’s recent driving ban, decided to reside at a “haunted” Airbnb cabin during the trip.

Filming herself as they arrived for a new YouTube vlog, a terrified Katie is seen checking the cabin for ghosts.

Staring over at a lightbulb, she says: “If there’s any ghosts in here and you want us to go, that light I’m pointing at now, turn it off if you don’t want us to stay.”

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As nothing happened, she said: “Well, at least it didn’t turn off.”

But just seconds later, the light seemingly flickered off, with Katie then screaming.

“What is going on?” said the worried star.

With her hands on her face, she said: “Noo. What are we doing?”

Whilst Katie was convinced the light was proof that ghosts were present, fans in the comment section of the video had other theories.

“I think its a motion sensor bulb lol,” laughed one.

Another agreed: “Katie is a sensor light, when you step forward it came on then went off when ye stepped back”.

Katie’s trip abroad with Ben comes after we revealed him as the “second man” in her life, alongside husband Lee Andrews.

Sources credit Ben as a ‘stable influence’ in the ex-glamour model’s life, in what has been another whirlwind few months for the star, following her driving suspension and surprise Dubai wedding to Lee Andrews in late January.

“The second man in Katie’s life is Ben, who has been by her side for years,” a source tells The Sun. “But he’s really stepped up recently amid her latest drama.

“He is probably the only stable man she’s ever had in her life outside of her family.

“They’re incredibly close friends and Ben has always quietly guided Katie, not only in her career but in her private life

“The whole family love him- he’s a really great friend to Katie and the entire Price gang. They all think he’s a legend.”

Whether it’s a short hop across the Channel on Eurostar or a long-distance adventure crossing several countries, more of us are rediscovering the excitement and romance of rail travel. We’d love to hear about your favourite train-based trips in Europe.

The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website.

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SACRAMENTO — The debate over immigration issues has reached a fever pitch nationwide, and Angelica Salas said it’s putting her employees at risk.

Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said her staff experiences harassment and death threats.

“They ask themselves, what if someone who disagrees with our work can find where I live, will my family be safe?” Salas said, addressing state lawmakers at a recent legislative hearing.”People begin to self-censor; they step away from their work and some leave the field entirely.”

Salas was speaking in support of Assembly Bill 2624, which would provide privacy protections for those facing harassment for working or volunteering with organizations that offer legal and humanitarian aid to immigrants. The bill would create an address confidentiality program, like the one already offered to reproductive healthcare workers, and prohibit people and businesses from selling or posting images or personal information about the protected individuals on the internet.

The measure has drawn ire from Republicans, who argue it could have a chilling effect on free speech and the media. Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) dubbed it the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” and said it would prevent right-wing social media influencers like Shirley from conducting immigrant-related investigations in California.

Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), who authored the legislation, said the proposed law would help keep people safe — but several 1st Amendment experts this week told The Times the bill could have unintended consequences.

“There could be grounds for concern,” said Jason Shepard, a media law and communications professor at California State Fullerton. “It reflects a legitimate and important state interest in protecting people from harassment and threats. But at the same time, this bill punishes the publication of information.”

The legislation defines “personal information” as anything that identifies, describes or relates to the protected individuals, including their names, addresses, telephone numbers, physical descriptions, driver’s licenses, financial information, license plate numbers and places of employment.

Shepard said the potential new law could be applied unevenly, and the language could have a chilling effect on investigative journalism.

Given the polarized political environment, Shepard said the legislation also could prompt other groups to request similar protections, as those working in a range of professions are facing increasingly heated rhetoric or attacks.

“This is not unique to people who are working in immigration support services; this really could apply to anybody engaged in public debate today,” he said.

Carolyn Iodice, the policy director for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, known as FIRE, said the organization has noted an uptick in laws nationwide implementing privacy protections for those in certain professions.

She pointed to a statute enacted a few years ago in New Jersey that protects the addresses of judges, prosecutors and police officers. The law was used in 2023 to block an editor with New Brunswick Today from publishing an article about the police chief living two hours outside of the city.

“It was obviously newsworthy, but this officer was able to wield the law against this journalist, and that is the kind of thing we are worried about,” Iodice said. “When you think about handing what could be a huge number of people the ability to just block anything from being posted about them online — it could easily be abused.”

David Loy, the legal director for the nonpartisan First Amendment Coalition, said the measure would censor the free speech of all citizens, not just those who defamed or threatened immigrant aid workers.

“Someone might have a legitimate dispute with them and wants to refer to it online,” he said. “But they could then basically silence [that person] from referring to them on a Yelp review or Facebook posts that has nothing to do with threatening them — and that is going way beyond the narrow exceptions of the 1st Amendment.”

Loy said the coalition reached out to Bonta’s office and hopes to help tweak the bill.

Meanwhile, the legislation continues to face scrutiny from Republicans.

“We exposed CA Democrats for the ‘Stop Nick Shirley’ Act that silences citizen journalists who expose their fraud and corruption,” DiMaio wrote this week on social media.

Shirley released a viral video last year alleging fraud in Somali-run immigrant daycare centers in Minneapolis. He recently shared videos of himself in Sacramento confronting Democrats who support Bonta’s bill.

“The enemy is truly within,” Shirley wrote on Instagram. “When our politicians would rather protect fraudsters and illegal migrants, it’s time for us to stand up or face mass oppression from the traitors.”

Bonta dismissed the assertion that the bill is intended to deter journalists, stating in a news release that “right-wing agitators” and “ineffective legislators” were intentionally spreading misinformation.

Bonta spokesperson Daniel McGreevy said the bill has a straightforward goal of protecting immigrant service providers. He said the office is working to refine the legislation to address concerns and welcomes good-faith dialogue.

The bill is progressing through the state Legislature and most recently was referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Italian Andrea Pavan said he is “optimistic” about a return to playing after he fell down an open lift shaft in February.

The incident occurred before the South African Open at Pavan’s private accommodation near Stellenbosch Golf Club when the lift doors opened but there was no lift car in the shaft, causing him to drop three storeys down.

The 36-year-old was taken to a local hospital with severe shoulder damage and fractures to several vertebrae in his back, and had major surgery.

“It’s hard to say a precise goal, there’s more like steps,” said Pavan.

“Around three months we’ll see how well the bone has healed. Around six months it’s about where complete bone healing happens and we’ll see how the joint is moving by then.

“It depends on if there are other tissues that were damaged if I need a second surgery. And there’s the possibility of necrosis when the blood flow is not sufficient for the bones. There is that risk, but so far it seems like things are positive enough.

“The shoulder is a very demanding joint. Hopefully it’s a little less than a year that I can play with a full swing but it’s just so new and such a big injury there are just a lot of unknowns. But I’m hopeful and the only thing I can do is to try and improve and take it day by day.”

On the day of the incident, Pavan had been preparing to drive to the Stellenbosch course for breakfast and an afternoon pro-am tee, when he returned to his apartment to retrieve a locker key that had been left there.

Speaking to the Naga Munchetty programme on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “I walked back towards the elevator, I opened the door – one of those doors that get into the apartment straight away – and by the time I realised the lift wasn’t there I’d already taken a step.

“The next thing I know I’m just at the bottom of the elevator, luckily not unconscious but in a lot of pain and screaming for help.

“Somebody heard and I was somehow able to get my phone out and call my caddie, who was in the car. From then on it was just trying to survive the pain and waiting for the ambulance and all the firefighters who got me out.”

The two-time DP World Tour winner spent seven days in hospital in South Africa, having surgery on a complete fracture of his shoulder, and has now returned to his home in Texas.

Pavan paid tribute to the “amazing” support from the golfing world during his time in hospital.

“The amount of people who came to the hospital to visit me when the tournament was happening was truly overwhelming,” he said.

“There were a lot of players – friends of mine – who actually stayed up to 2am and waited for me to get out of surgery and they were playing in the tournament the next day, Matteo Manassero, Manuel Oliveira and others.

“I was just truly surprised and it was comforting and overwhelming to feel you were not alone going through this.”

A HUGE new airport could soon make it easier to travel to one of the iconic Wonders of the World.

Chinchero International Airport was first announced nearly 30 year ago, in a bid to increase tourism to Peru.

The new airport would be on the outskirt of Chinchero, which would mean getting to the historic Machu Picchu much easier as well.

Currently, tourists take days travelling from Lima and Cusco, usually via plane and bus, followed by a hike.

But the new airport – first announced back in 1978 – could make it much easier.

It has run into a number of problems over the years, including internal conflicts across Peru, the Covid pandemic and complaints from locals.

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However, it now hopes to be able to be finished by 2027, with plans to open to the public by 2028.

Predicted to cost $682milliom (£500million), as many as eight million tourists per year could travel through.

This would increase tourism by 200 per cent to the region.

One local told the BBC: “I’ve been hearing about the airport for about 30 years.

“And if I had been here for 50 years, I would have been hearing about it for 50 years.”

It is unlikely to have flights from Europe, as experts have said that “transoceanic flights” wouldn’t be possible due to the altitude.

Currently, most Brits fly to the airport in Lima, Jorge Chávez International Airport, which opened a new passenger terminal last year.

It is likely that instead there would be direct flights from Lima to the new airport.

However, there are fears that the new airport could make the already over-touristy region even worse.

Others have said the new airport would harm the local wildlife, as well as bring too many tourists to the already-busy attraction.

In the mean time, some of the other Wonders of the World are much easier to visit.

The Colosseum in Rome is one of them, which is a short flight from the UK. There is also Petra in Jordan, with direct flights to Amman followed by a car ride or guided tour.

The others are slightly more difficult – the Taj Mahal in India is a long flight from the UK, as is the Great Wall of China , Mexico‘s Chichen Itza and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil.

Here are all of the Modern Wonders of the World too.

South Korean stocks shot up by more than 5 percent to close at a fresh high Monday, approaching the 7,000-point mark, as investors scooped up semiconductor shares while awaiting developments in U.S.-Iran peace talks. The Korean won rose sharply against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 338.12 points, or 5.12 percent, to a fresh record high of 6,936.99.

Trade volume was heavy at 864.3 million shares worth 41.3 trillion won (US$28.2 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 473 to 392.

Foreigners bought 3 trillion won worth of local shares, and institutions purchased a net 1.9 trillion won, while retail investors dumped a net 4.8 trillion won.

The index opened 2.79 percent higher after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to guide ships not involved in the Iran conflict through the Strait of Hormuz as a “humanitarian gesture” starting this week.

Later, a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran would consider any U.S. interference in the strait a ceasefire breach.

However, the KOSPI extended its gains in the afternoon, supported by foreign and institutional buying.

“Tech shares were driven by gains on Wall Street over the weekend,” Lee Kyung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, said. “Also, foreign investors expanded their net purchase ahead of the market closure for Children’s Day on Tuesday.”

The main index surpassed the 5,000-point mark in late January and topped another milestone of the 6,000-point level in February.

After recouping its losses in March following the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war in late February, the KOSPI is now approaching the uncharted 7,000-point level on continued optimism over the AI boom and hopes for the reopening of the key waterway.

Semiconductor stocks led the rally.

Chip giant Samsung Electronics jumped 5.44 percent to 232,500 won, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix surged 12.52 percent to a fresh record high of 1.4 million won, surpassing 10 trillion won in market capitalization for the first time.

Hanmi Semiconductor, a chip equipment manufacturer, rose 2.72 percent to 378,000 won, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronic components affiliate of Samsung Electronics Co., soared 10.34 percent to 918,000 won.

Defense shares were also strong as industry leader Hanwha Aerospace advanced 3.39 percent to 1.4 million won and LIG D&A gained 4.46 percent to 983,000 won.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor climbed 1.51 percent to 539,000 won, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution increased 2.5 percent to 472,000 won.

However, bio shares went south as Celltrion fell 1.35 percent to 197,800 won, and Samsung Biologics dropped 2.58 percent to 1.4 million won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,462.8 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., up 20.5 won from the previous session.

The quotation marks the highest since February 27, when the currency closed at 1,439.7 to the greenback.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys added 2 basis points to 3.615 percent, while the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds gained 1.7 basis points to 3.797 percent.

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When my husband and I bought our home, my dad recommended that I avoid sharing the name of our new city.

“Don’t tell people you’re in Goleta,” he said with a smirk.

I grew up in Santa Barbara, and despite my proximity to the little ag town of Goleta just 10 miles north, I knew little about it. But after enjoying its relaxed vibe, wide-open spaces and tight-knit community, I realized what I’d been missing.

Goleta might not have the glitz of its more famous neighbor, the one Angelenos frequently visit for its picturesque palm tree skyline, Spanish architecture and coastal resort vibes, but it deserves its own spotlight. And it’s been getting one lately: Goleta’s Monique Limon is making waves in the California Senate, the Austrian national soccer team will call the city home for the FIFA World Cup 2026, a renovation of the Ritz-Carlton Bacara welcomed chef Danny Grant’s new restaurant Marisella, and the debut of a full-scale train station is expected by summer.

Still, it can feel like there are more acres of walnut and lemon groves in Goleta than people — that’s part of the charm. Called the Good Land, a nickname pulled from obscurity by the late historian Walker A. Tompkins, Goleta largely remained dedicated to farming well into the 1900s. The city itself didn’t incorporate until 2002, though UC Santa Barbara had made Goleta its home 50 years earlier and the Santa Barbara Airport technically sat on Goleta land.

“We are a very young town and the longtime locals still have a very rural mindset,” says small business owner and lifetime Goleta resident Tom Modugno.

I’ve come to appreciate the blend of agricultural history and buzzy new developments in Goleta, but more than that, I love the small-town feel and running into friends wherever I go. That might be on the trails alongside the beach at Ellwood Mesa Open Space, at the new beachfront restaurant the Ellwood, at Lake Los Carneros while freshwater fishing or at the outdoor dining hall featuring local restaurants like On the Alley and Los Agaves. This list of great things to do is nowhere as comprehensive as it gets, but I hope it shows you a bit of why I’m proud to call Goleta home.

They call themselves the Booked Babes. Tonight, the women are gathered in Anna Sokol’s kitchen, surrounding an oven-roasted duck stuffed with apples. The dish is a Ukrainian delicacy from Sokol’s home country, where she was once a fashion designer and influencer. Now, she’s in Venice Beach. Sunlight bleeds in from the window where the sun is setting over the Venice Canals. At the women’s feet, a mini Bernedoodle, Zipper, paces nervously, barking at arriving guests. Screams echo from the upstairs bedrooms, where two husbands are in exile, watching a Green Bay Packers game with a newborn baby.

Tonight’s book club is Eastern European-themed, prompting the women to wear red cardigans and dresses. The book under discussion is “The New Rules” by Russian-born TikTok influencer Margarita Nazarenko, who prescribes gender roles that Sokol recognizes as distinctly Eastern European. Nazarenko is a best-selling author with more than 600,000 followers on Instagram, known for offering practical, blunt dating advice to women. “Her methodology feels very Eastern European in male and female relationships and dynamics,” Sokol explains as her guests pick at deviled eggs and brie cheese with manicured nails.

The guest list for the Booked Babes is small — only six women, with one of them commuting remotely from Miami; this time, she joins over FaceTime. The Booked Babes was founded more than two years ago at a holiday party as a New Year’s resolution to read more and forge new friendships. Since then, the women have become best friends, and the book club meetings they host have taken on a life of their own —becoming more spectacular and competitive with each meeting.

The Booked Babes journeyed to a gothic mansion in La Jolla and dressed as Marie Antoinette in extravagant rococo dresses.

(Anna Sokol)

“It started off very normal in the beginning, very casual,” book club member Cassandra Leisz explains. “I don’t really know when the switch happened.”

With each passing month, the book club became more elaborate and more involved — including vacations in coastal towns, costuming, pickleball tournaments and monogrammed custom merch.

Take the historical literary fiction novel “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” by Patrick Süskind, for example, set in the 18th century. The group journeyed to a gothic mansion in La Jolla and dressed as Marie Antoinette in extravagant rococo dresses. Eighteenth century activities included croquet and designing a custom perfume, all accompanied by fashion photography. Sokol chose the novel for its cult status in Ukraine: “Everyone read it, even though it’s a really weird book.”

For the book club members, the spectacle is part of the fun. “It gives us all a chance to be creative and come together. You get to make it whatever you want it to be. There’s the element of: how do I want to express myself in this time period?” says Leisz.

For the book club pick “Flawless” by Elsie Silver, Ashley Goldsmith planned a cowboy picnic in Franklin Canyon, complete with her mother’s vintage Chevy pickup truck.

(Anna Sokol)

For her turn hosting, Leisz rented a boat — not quite a yacht, she clarifies — in Marina del Rey, paired with lobster rolls and champagne. The novel was “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach, set in a hotel in Newport, R.I. Leisz leaned into the snobby, blue-blood aesthetic described in the book for her outing.

“It is a financial commitment. We put a lot of money into it between the decor, the gifts and the activity,” says Leisz.

Opinions and literary taste often vary among the women. The book club enjoys sparring over polarizing books, but the point is always friendship. “There are a lot of times I don’t like the book, but I love having an opportunity to spend time with girlfriends,” says Ashley Goldsmith.

Custom merch like personalized sweatshirts, elaborate gifting and travel have become a tradition for this book club.

(Anna Sokol)

For her book club on “Flawless” by Elsie Silver, Goldsmith planned a cowboy picnic in Franklin Canyon, complete with her mother’s vintage Chevy pickup truck for photo ops. The meal was followed by a mechanical bull-riding competition at Saddle Ranch. Goldsmith even hired a security guard to secure the public picnic bench beginning at 7 a.m.

The Booked Babes have attracted attention on the members’ social media with eager requests to join. The book club always politely declines, given its specific chemistry. “The second we started posting about this and talking about it, people were like, ‘Oh my God, how do I join?’” says Leisz. Since schedules are already tricky to maneuver, the club does not accept new members.

The Booked Babes raise their glasses.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

In curating a book club, the members insist that diversity of opinion is key. “We’re all quite different from each other. We have very different backgrounds. Some of us come from different countries,” says Leisz. Illana O’Reiley, who joined over Facetime, immigrated from Dublin and is currently living in Miami.

At dinner, the book club sits down for the Ukrainian meal to discuss “The New Rules.” On the table are elaborate rose arrangements and settings draped in red ribbon. Amanda Ghaffari slyly streams the Green Bay Packers game on her iPhone. O’Reiley jokes via Facetime she is eating popcorn and watching the hit gay drama “Heated Rivalry.”

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1. A flower arrangement is set for a themed book club. 2. A cheese plate. 3. Book club members wear red and pink dresses for their meeting. (Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

The conversation includes some light teasing about each other’s attachment styles — the intimate banter of close friends. Victoria Frenner, who is a therapist, expresses skepticism about the book’s punchy tone. “When someone is speaking on something with a lot of conviction, like, there always has to be some kind of caveat,” Frenner says.

“This is why I wanted you to read it. It’s very Eastern European-focused.” Sokol says. “American girls are a little more on the independent side. She doesn’t say ‘don’t be independent,’ but she talks a lot about femininity.” Sokol recounts the dizzying story of meeting her husband at a wedding in Moscow, which begins with her husband attending a nightclub in Dubai.

Ashley Goldsmith reads her individualized star chart.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

For the activity planned, Sokol, who is eight months pregnant and wearing a dazzling candy-pink dress that matches the chosen book’s cover, presents the members with their own custom Slavic astrology reading, one she procured from a Ukrainian astrologer she visited when she was 19. Fortune telling and mysticism are common in Eastern Europe, she explains. The custom readings are bound in booklets, each featuring a spirit animal, such as a panda, and suggested habits.

“Avoid fast cars and motorcycles. Avoid countries with active war,” one of the booklets read.

Ghaffari explains that ever since she was 3 years old in Milwaukee, her mother has been in a decades-long book club. “She flies back for it, and she’ll recommend books that they just read,” Ghaffari says. Three weeks ago, Ghaffari had her first baby, who is in attendance, whom she jokes is the “book club heir.”

The Booked Babes fall quiet as they thumb through their astrology booklets, reading about destiny, transfixed by the mesmerizing promise of inevitable fate.

Connors is a writer living in Los Angeles. She hosts the literary reading event Unreliable Narrators at Nico’s Wines in Atwater Village every month.