Month: July 2026

ANOTHER UK travel firm has entered administration after 15 years.

Travel Bespoke Ltd, which also operated under Chalet Bespoke, Ski Bespoke and Spa Bespoke, had closed after more than a decade of selling ski and chalet holidays.

According to The Herald, the company use to offer “bespoke luxury ski experiences”.

Many of the packages were to ski resorts across Austria, France, Switzerland, Canada and the USA.

And the packages could be booked with or without flights.

As for the chalet trips, many featured luxury accommodation with some including spa stays.

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It comes as the Midhurst, Sussex holiday company stopped being an ATOL (Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) holder, which is the UK financial protection scheme that is run by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Due to this, anyone that had a holiday booked with the company will be refunded.

ATOL reported at the end of May that they had “contacted the affected ATOL protected consumers directly”.

It added: “If you have not been contacted and believe you are entitled to a claim against an ATOL protected booking, please supply your booking details with supporting documentation by email to claims@caa.co.uk”.

Travel Bespoke Ltd is one of numerous travel companies that have gone out of business this year.

Earlier this week Groupia Ltd – which focused on group trips such as hen and stag dos as well as weekend getaways – entered administration after 24 years, cancelling some holidays.

Other UK travel firms that have entered administration this year include luxury holiday firm Salamander Voyages with yacht holidays across Greece, Italy, Croatia, and Turkey as well as Regen Central Ltd, which used to sell package holidays.

A MAJOR airport in the UK is launching new overnight weekend trains for the first time.

Late-night airport passengers no longer need to break the bank to hail a cab.

Thousands of travellers heading to and from London Stansted Airport will soon be able to catch trains through the night.

Stansted Express is launching a trial overnight service that will run every Friday night into Saturday morning from July 3.

The new service is aimed at passengers travelling on late-night and early-morning flights during the busy summer holiday season.

During the summer trial, trains will run every 30 minutes between 11.30pm and 5am, linking Stansted Airport with Tottenham Hale and London Liverpool Street.

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Most of the overnight trains will operate between Stansted Airport and Tottenham Hale, where passengers can connect with the Victoria line Night Tube to continue their journeys across London.

A handful of early morning services will also start from, or continue to, London Liverpool Street.

The journey from Stansted Airport to Tottenham Hale takes around 36 minutes, providing a quick link into the capital.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy, said: “These overnight Stansted Express services will make a real difference to people arriving late or travelling for early flights – connecting them straight into London via the Night Tube.

“Alongside contactless ticketing at every London airport, we’re building a railway that works for passengers and drives growth across the country.”

The trial will be running until September 25, giving flyers more transport options during the busy holiday season.

Stansted Express will evaluate how many passengers use the late-night trains during the trial before deciding whether to make them permanent.

Published on
02/07/2026 – 15:24 GMT+2

European car suppliers and manufacturers are divided over Brussels’ “Made in Europe” strategy, an effort to shield the EU market from Chinese competition.

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The EU car industry is facing fierce competition from China, threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs across the bloc. To address the issue, the EU is preparing the so-called Industrial Accelerator Act, which is designed to favour electric vehicles constructed mostly with European components in public procurement and public support schemes.

However, EU car suppliers and manufacturers disagree over the proposed law, currently under discussion by EU countries and the European Parliament, which sets a 70 percent local content threshold for electric vehicles.

According to the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), the Commission’s proposal is a step in the right direction. Based on a study commissioned from management consultancy Roland Berger that Euronews has seen, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery-electric vehicles manufactured in Europe already contain between 80 percent and 90 percent made-in-Europe components.

Consequently, it considers the Commission’s 70 percent threshold to be achievable.

But the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is pushing for a different methodology, under which regulators would assess finished vehicles instead of the local content in vehicle components.

“A vehicle is far more than the sum of its parts. Its value also lies in the R&D, advanced engineering and highly skilled workforce behind it,” ACEA said in a position paper published on 1 July.

CLEPA responded that under this methodology, a finished vehicle would require only 50 percent EU-made parts and components, with the remaining 20 percent coming from R&D, design and other activities.

This 20 percentage-point dilution of the requirement for EU-made parts “could result in the loss of 350,000 jobs”, CLEPA warned, saying the Commission’s component-level approach would “safeguard the existing manufacturing base”.

“What we are looking at right now is significant competition from best-cost countries, and the dragon in the room is China,” CLEPA Secretary General Benjamin Krieger told Euronews.

“A ‘Made in Europe’ threshold that ignores where the actual parts are built is a label that ignores the European worker,” he said.

U.S. advances to round of 16

From Kevin Baxter: Folarin Balogun was still learning to walk the last time the U.S. won a knockout round game in a World Cup. On Wednesday, he helped lead the Americans to another with his goal in the waning seconds of the first half, sparking a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina that sends the team on to the round of 16 of this summer’s tournament.

The other goal came from Malik Tillman in the 82nd minute. The Americans have scored multiple goals in every game of the tournament for the first time ever, also setting a national record with 10 goals overall in the tournament.

The U.S. will face Belgium in the next round Monday in Seattle. Belgium advanced with a 3-2 win over Senegal in extra time.

Balogun wasn’t around to see the finish though, drawing a straight red card for stomping on the right ankle of Bosnian center back Tarik Muharemovic in the 61st minute, a foul Brazilian referee Raphael Claus confirmed via a video review. That forced the Americans to see Wednesday’s game out with just 10 players.

“For me, never is this red card,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “Watching after on TV, never was [it] intention[al] to step up on the player. That was a normal action in football that happened by accident.

“That is why for me it’s never a red card.”

Continue reading here

U.S. Soccer cannot appeal Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red card suspension

Wednesday’s World Cup results

Round of 32
England 2, DR Congo 1
Belgium 3, Senegal 2
U.S. 2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
Spain vs. Austria, noon, Fox, Telemundo
Portugal vs. Croatia, 4 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Switzerland vs. Algeria, 8 p.m., FS1, Telemundo

World Cup round of 32 schedule, results

Round of 32 results
Canada 1, South Africa 0
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Paraguay 1, Germany 1 (Paraguay wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Morocco 1, Netherlands 1 (Morocco wins on PK’s, 3-2)
Norway 2, Ivory Coast 1
France 3, Sweden 0
Mexico 2, Ecuador 0
England 2, DR Congo 1
Belgium 3, Senegal 2
U.S. 2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 0

All times Pacific
Thursday
Spain vs. Austria, noon, Fox, Telemundo
Portugal vs. Croatia, 4 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Switzerland vs. Algeria, 8 p.m., FS1, Telemundo

Friday
Australia vs. Egypt, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, 3 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Colombia vs. Ghana, 6:30 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Round of 16 schedule

All times Pacific
All games on Fox and Telemundo

Saturday
Canada vs. Morocco, 10 a.m.
Paraguay vs. France, 2 p.m.

Sunday
Brazil vs. Norway, 1 p.m.,
Mexico vs. England, 5 p.m.

Monday
Portugal or Croatia vs. Spain or Austria, noon
U.S. vs. Belgium, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, July 7
Argentina or Cape Verde vs. Australia or Egypt, 9 a.m.
Switzerland or Algeria vs. Colombia or Ghana, 1 p.m.

Dodgers lose to Athletics

From Bill Shaikin: The Dodgers welcome their bitter rivals to Dodger Stadium on Thursday for what should be a big four-game series, but the San Diego Padres are a mess. They trail the Dodgers by 12 games in the National League West. Their best batter by WAR, according to Baseball Reference, is journeyman infielder Ty France.

The Dodgers lost a game Wednesday by six runs, 7-1 to the Athletics. The Padres lost a game by 20 runs.

However, standings and statistics be damned, the Dodgers are coming for the Padres, their closest pursers in the division even if “close” is relative. The Dodgers didn’t have to say anything out loud, but you could see it on the field Wednesday.

Shohei Ohtani was the scheduled starting pitcher, but the Dodgers pushed him back so he could face the Padres this weekend. The Padres will face Roki Sasaki on Thursday, Ohtani on Friday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday.

“They’re all big for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We try to take every series with the same importance, but obviously winning that series is the goal.”

Continue reading here

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Lakers acquire Walker Kessler, three free agents

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen and Broderick Turner: A day after LeBron James told the Lakers he would take his talents elsewhere for an unprecedented 24th NBA season, the team started rebuilding its roster around Luka Doncic by delivering Doncic’s biggest wish: a new center.

The Lakers will pair Doncic with 24-year-old Walker Kessler after the team agreed to send two first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two pick swaps (2028 and 2030) to the Utah Jazz, people with knowledge of the situation who are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Times on Wednesday.

Kessler, who was limited to five games last season because of a shoulder injury, is expected to sign a four-year, $130-million contract with the Lakers, people with knowledge of the situation said.

After addressing their No. 1 position of concern with Kessler, the Lakers worked to fill in the margins with three free agents — center Sandro Mamukelashvili, guard Quentin Grimes and guard Collin Sexton.

Continue reading here

Lakers announce summer league schedule, roster

Celtics trade Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George, four draft picks

Fan loudly expresses unbridled enthusiasm for Mexico’s World Cup goal … at Dodgers-A’s game

This day in sports history

1921 — The Jack Dempsey-Georges Carpentier heavyweight match at Rickard’s Orchard in Jersey City, N.J., becomes the first million-dollar gate in boxing history. The receipts total $1,789,238 with $50 ringside seats. In front of 80,183, Dempsey knocks out Carpentier at 1:16 of the fourth round.

1927 — Helen Wills becomes the first American to win at Wimbledon since May Sutton in 1907, beating Lili de Alvar 6-2, 6-4 for the title.

1937 — Don Budge beats Gottfried von Cramm, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. Budge sweeps the championships winning the singles, the men’s doubles title with Gene Mako and the mixed doubles crown with Alice Marble.

1938 — Helen Wills Moody wins her eighth and final singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Helen Jacobs 6-4, 6-0.

1966 — Billie Jean King wins the first of her six singles titles at Wimbledon, beating Maria Bueno of Brazil 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

1967 — Catherine Lacoste of France becomes the first foreigner and first amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship. At age 22, she is also the youngest champion.

1976 — Chris Evert beats Evonne Goolagong, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6, to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon.

1988 — Steffi Graf ends Martina Navratilova’s six-year reign as Wimbledon champion with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory. It is the first time in nine finals that Navratilova loses a Wimbledon singles match.

1989 — Jockey Steve Cauthen becomes the first rider in history to sweep the world’s four major derbies after winning the Irish Derby with Old Vic. He had previously won the Kentucky Derby with Affirmed (1978), the Epsom Derby with Slip Anchor (1985) and Reference Point (1987) and the French Derby with Old Vic (1989).

1994 — Colombian defender Andres Escobar, 27, is killed outside a bar in Colombia in retaliation for deflecting a ball into his own goal in a 2-1 loss to the United States in the World Cup.

1995 — Tom Weiskopf withstands a charge by Jack Nicklaus to win the U.S. Senior Open by four strokes.

1999 — Alexandra Stevenson becomes first qualifier in Wimbledon history to reach the women’s semis. She beats another qualifier, 16-year-old Jelena Dokic, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

2000 — UEFA European Championship Final, Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands: David Trezeguet scores in extra time to give France a 2-1 win over Italy.

2005 — Venus Williams overcomes an early deficit and a championship point to beat top-ranked Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6 (4), 9-7 for her fifth major title and her first in nearly four years.

2010 — The United States beats Japan 7-2 to win its seventh consecutive world softball championship.

2010 — FIFA World Cup: Ghana, only African team remaining in last 8, are beaten 4-2 on penalties by Uruguay; Netherlands upset Brazil 2-1.

2011 — Wladimir Klitschko wins a lopsided unanimous decision over David Haye, adding the WBA title to his heavyweight haul. Klitschko and his older brother, Vitali, hold all three major heavyweight titles. Wladimir already had the IBF title (and minor WBO, IBO belts), while Vitali is the WBC champion.

2016 — Sam Querrey ends Novak Djokovic’s quest for a true Grand Slam in the third round at Wimbledon. In a match interrupted by three rain delays after being suspended in progress because of showers a night earlier, Querrey ousts Djokovic 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) at the All England Club.

2017 — Home town underdog Jeff Horn upsets Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines on points in a highly controversial WBO welterweight title fight in Brisbane, Australia.

2018 — A wild brawl breaks out between Australia and the Philippines during the Basketball World Cup qualifying game in Manila. Thirteen players, including four Australians, are ejected for their part in the brawl. The game is won 79-48 by Australia.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1903 — Washington outfielder Ed Delahanty went over a railroad bridge at Niagara Falls and drowned. The exact circumstances of his death never were determined.

1909 — The Chicago White Sox stole 12 bases, including home plate three times, in a 15-3 rout of the St. Louis Browns.

1930 — Chicago outfielder Carl Reynolds homered in the first, second and third innings, leading the White Sox to a 15-4 win over the New York Yankees. Reynolds, the second player in history to hit home runs in three consecutive innings, had two inside-the-park homers.

1933 — Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 in an 18-inning game. He gave up six hits and no walks. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Cardinals were blanked 1-0, with Roy Parmelee outdueling Dizzy Dean.

1933 — Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics set and American League record with 21 total bases in a doubleheader. Foxx hit two solo homers in the opener, a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Browns. In the nightcap, an 11-6 loss, Foxx had two homers, a double and a triple.

1941 — Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hit a home run to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 45 games, surpassing Willie Keeler’s record of 44 straight games for the Orioles in 1897.

1963 — Juan Marichal of San Francisco beat Warren Spahn and the Milwaukee Braves 1-0 in 16 innings on Willie Mays’ homer.

1986 — Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox fell short of a record-tying 15th consecutive winning decision when the Toronto Blue Jays scored three runs in the eighth inning for a 4-2 victory.

1995 — Hideo Nomo of the Dodgers became the first Japanese player picked for baseball’s All-Star game. Nomo was the NL’s leader in strikeouts and second in ERA.

2007 — Roger Clemens reached a rare milestone, pitching eight innings of two-hit ball to earn his 350th win and lead the New York Yankees past Minnesota 5-1. Clemens became the first major leaguer to win 350 games since Hall of Famer Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves accomplished the feat in 1963.

2009 — Houston Astros beat the Padres 7-2, but only after waiting out a 52-minute delay in the top of the ninth inning caused when a swarm of bees took over part of left field at San Diego’s Petco Park.

2013 — Homer Bailey pitched his second no-hitter in 10 months and the first in the majors this season, pitching the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory over the slumping San Francisco Giants. Bailey beat the Pirates 1-0 in Pittsburgh last Sept. 28.

2014 — Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz became the 36th player in major league history to collect 1,000 extra-base hits with a ground-rule double during a 16-9 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

2016 — Cleveland’s franchise-record 14-game winning streak was snapped by a 9-6 loss to Toronto, with the Blue Jays scoring three runs in the eighth to overcome a cycle by Rajai Davis.

2016 — C.J. Cron went 6 for 6 with two homers and five RBIs, Carlos Perez had five hits and drove in six and the Angels ended a four-game losing streak with 21-2 rout of the Boston Red Sox.

2019 — The New York Yankees record streak of consecutive games with at least one home run comes to an end at 31.

2022 — The Cardinals become the first team to hit four consecutive homers in the 1st inning when Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Dylan Carlson all go deep against Kyle Gibson of the Phillies. Gibson retires the first two batters before giving up a single to Paul Goldschmidt, followed by the homer barrage. Lars Nootbaar then hits a ball that is caught at the warning track to end the inning. It is the 11th time time this has been done in any inning, but the Cards need another homer by Arenado, this one in the 9th, to end up as 7-6 winners.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Gaza’s first women’s amputee football team is reclaiming a space that war tried to take from them, challenging stigma around women and people with disabilities in sport.

Rescue teams from seven countries are inching towards a man who survived the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days ago.

Emergency workers located security guard Hernán Gil on Saturday beneath the ruins of a multi-storey car park in Catia La Mar, but have only been able to make visual contact with him in the last hours.

Despite being buried under nine-metre-deep, highly unstable rubble, rescuers say that Gil, who is in his 40s, is “in good spirits” and cheering them on.

His wife has described his survival as “a miracle”. Almost 2,300 people are confirmed to have died in the quakes which hit Venezuela on 24 June, and tens of thousands are still missing.

Hundreds of rescuers have been working against the clock to free Gil since he was located more than 100 hours ago.

Teams from Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Portugal and the United States are on the ground trying to free him.

Chilean firefighter Exequiel Gallardo said that he was “hopeful that we can do the rescue within the next few more hours”.

He told the BBC at the scene that there were still technical challenges they needed to overcome, including breaking a concrete slab to allow them to extract Gil.

“I have been a rescue worker for 22 years, and this is without doubt the most complex and technically difficult which I’ve had to tackle,” he said.

Parts of the access ducts rescuers built to reach him have collapsed several times, highlighting the dangers the work poses to the rescuers as well as Gil.

Overnight, the search teams were finally able to establish visual contact with Gil.

In footage recorded by a small camera inserted into the rubble where Gil is trapped, a Chilean firefighter can be heard asking Gil to turn his head towards the camera.

One of his eyes is bloodshot and he is wearing a face mask, which rescuers had earlier passed to him through a small hole to protect him from the dust and debris created by their efforts to free him.

The firefighter also asks him to don goggles to protect his eyes as rescuers continue to carefully dig away at the rubble surrounding him.

OLIVIA Attwood has revealed the ‘real reason’ why she was cuddling Pete Wicks in those cosy yacht pictures from last year.

The former Love Island star, 35, was seen pictured looking very close to Pete, 37, while lounging on a boat in Ibiza in August 2025.

Olivia and Pete went public with their relationship in March this year.

And it comes after she split from her ex husband Bradley Dack, who she tied the knot with in 2023, in January 2026.

In the most recent episode of the Olivia’s House podacst, the ITV star and pal Mark Johnson discussed the trip, and the pictures of her and Pete.

“Okay, let’s talk to my listeners about the yacht pictures with Pete,” Olivia said.

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“Because there is a funny story here. Just as a subtext, okay I was obviously leaning back on him like on the yacht, but nothing happened.”

Mark then told her: “Tell the whole story!”

Olivia continued: “But the pictures, the actual came back was funny, right? So I am lent back on him and whatever…”

Mark chimed in: “Yeah, but let’s go first, when that woman dunked you! Do you remember? Rebecca is her name. She dunked. Do you remember?

“She slipped drunk and dunked you.”

Olivia confessed that she didn’t remember and Mark explained: “What the hell? You were getting out off the board, you know that board, where you jump? Do you not remember? Where were you?!”

“Did she give me concussion?! Because I don’t remember,” Olivia told him.

Mark continued: “So when you were getting out of the water, you know when you get in that board bit.

“You were getting out and she was rotten, fell down the stairs, slid and dunked you.”

Olivia asked: “So is that why he was cuddling me?”

Mark told her: “Yeah so when you were getting out, you were crying, and I was laughing.”

“I remember hitting my head, but I thought I hit it inside,” Olivia confessed.

Mark said: “No. It was when you got dunked under the water. And you were crying. I don’t see you cry at all.

“So I thought it was funny!”

Olivia then went on to explain the other part of the story.

She said: “Our friend Megan Elliot, who we love, we adore her. She is my second sister. She is my blood, my family.

“But love her, sometimes, she is a couple of sandwiches short of the whole picnic. Sometimes she comes out with things, we go “Oh, shut up, Megan!”

“So anyway, she goes, we’re in the middle of the ocean, right? And not posted anything for days.

“There’s a catamaran, so if you don’t know what a catamaran is, it’s one of those boats that has two bits, and then the middle bit is like, it’s a weird boat.

“She goes, “Someone is taking pictures of us off that boat! I saw a flash, it was massive.”

“And we go “Shut up, Megan!” We were all taking the p**s. Someone is taking pictures of us. Who do you think you are? Jennifer Aniston?!

“We were actually mocking her for it. And then she was like “No I swear!” We carried on about our business, next day we’re at the pool and I’m so hungover, I think I’m going to die.

“I’m on the back. I’m on the bed, and she comes in and she goes “Told you.” And then she was going all like “I told you, I told you”.

“She’s scrolling through and she goes “I knew it, I knew it. I saw…”

“She had her t*ts out.”

TV star Olivia had kept tight-tipped about her romance with Pete after being pictured snogging the hunk and leaving a hotel together after the Brits.

But in March, in a statement accusing her ex Bradley of cheating on her multiple times over their 10-year relationship, Olivia admitted she’s trying to move on.

“Yes, I’m dating,” wrote Olivia.

“Yes, I’m getting up every single day even when I have cried all night to film the shows I love filming, record my podcast, record my radio show, shoot campaigns and somewhere in there TRY to move on.”

Since then, the pair haven’t been able to keep their hands off each other.

They were spotted smooching on a sun lounger while on Nikki Beach in St. Tropez.

Olivia and Bradley first met in 2015, dated for three months, and then went their separate ways.

After Olivia went on Love Island in 2017, and split from ex Chris Hughes, the pair got back together in 2018.

Bradley proposed to the star in 2019, and they tied the knot in 2023.

Meanwhile Pete has dated the likes of Maura Higgins, Megan McKenna and Chloe Sims.

I was lucky enough to visit this gorgeous island and I can’t wait to go back.

Summer is here, and with that comes summer holidays. Living in the UK, we’re blessed to have Europe on our doorstep – but with so many options, how can you decide where you want to go? There’s the popular spots of course, places like Barcelona in Spain or Mykonos in Greece.

However, these destinations can quickly become overrun with other tourists who have had the same idea as you and what should have been a relaxing break can soon become an overcrowded nightmare.

Luckily, there are plenty of places that are just as beautiful but without the sky-high price tag and teeming crowds. One such place is a charming Greek island, just a few hours ferry ride from the bustling capital of Athens.

I was lucky enough to visit this island a few years ago, and it absolutely blew my mind.

It’s got the bright blue and shining white buildings that are iconic of Greece, as well as the crystal clear beaches – some of which look like they’ve been plucked straight from another planet.

There’s charm in every corner of the cobbled streets, as well as delicious food and laid-back beachfront bars.

This paradise is Paros, a pear-shaped island in the middle of the Aegean Sea. It’s the perfect spot to base yourself if you fancy a bit of island hopping, with its even quieter sister island, Antiparos, just minutes away by boat.

When you step off the boat at the main Paros port in Parikia, you are greeted by gorgeous beaches and a market square lined with tavernas and bars.

Bougainvillaea grows across the narrow streets, and there are plenty of boutique shops to explore, too.

Sleepy cats wander to and fro across the alleys, and if you fancy taking a day trip, you can hire a car, scooter or even a buggy to travel across the island to the other village of Naoussa.

Here, the town buzzes with life, and you can eat some of the tastiest seafood, freshly caught. It’s also home to one of the island’s most stunning beaches.

Kolymbithres looks alien due to its large, clay rock formations that line the bright blue, calm ocean.

If you fancy it, you can hire a sunbed – but the rock formations make a perfectly good bed in of themselves.

Some sections are small enough for one or two, while other, larger recesses can fit dozens. It’s a fabulous place to spend the day, dipping in and out of the water and sunning yourself on the white-washed cliffs that surround it.

Behind the bay, there are a few bars and taverns where you can buy drinks and snacks, then carry them back over to the beach. Make sure to take all your rubbish with you to avoid spoiling this beautiful bay.

YOU could soon have a staycation at a racetrack that has hosted Formula 1 stars.

Clay Pigeon Raceway near Dorchester is soon being demolished to make way for 226 chalets for a holiday park.

The karting track was once used by F1 drivers Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at the start of their careers.

The racetrack is also home to a disused clay pigeon shooting ground, hence the name and a caravan park.

Little details have been revealed about what the holiday park would be like and if the racetrack would be kept, though in addition to the 226 chalets, the George Albert hotel will also be expanded.

The racetrack has been open since the 1950s and was built on the grounds of a disused World War II military hospital.

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It stretches 815 metres in total and, according to its website, has hosted nearly every major championship to tour the UK.

There is also an onsite cafe.

Visitors could head to the track and try out karting, with different options for adults and juniors.

The track is also home to Motorsport Hub, with a pit area, professional timing systems for races and even a spares shop.

Events planned for this year will go ahead as planned including the Daniel Ricciardo Series which is a UK-based karting championship that the former F1 driver launched back in 2019.

Dan Parker, head of Karting Motorsport UK, told councillors: “The venue has played an important part in British karting for decades and has supported the development of competitors, officials and volunteers, clubs and all their families throughout the south west and far beyond.”

Last week, the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior expanded the situations in which their firefighters are allowed to wear N95 masks.

Starting in September, the federal government began allowing firefighters to wear the masks, but not when they were working on the fire line, only at times such as in camp and sitting in vehicles. Now they’ll be allowed to wear them during some work battling wildfires, including patrolling for areas where the blaze has jumped past fire lines and putting out smoldering remains after a fire is contained.

Masks are still prohibited during firefighters’ most grueling tasks — digging lines to stop fires and directly attacking flames. And the masks they’re using, N95s, do not protect against all of the toxic substances in wildfire smoke.

Nonetheless, health experts applauded the move as a step in the right direction.

Here’s why it took so long to get here:

Research has linked wildfire smoke to a range of long-term health issues, including respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

“The fire service knows that,” said Rachael Jones, professor and chair of environmental health sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. “They all have stories” of lung damage or cancer, either their own or their coworkers’.

But this wasn’t always common knowledge.

“The verbiage was that wildland smoke was benign,” one firefighter told Jones’ colleagues for a recent study on firefighters’ thoughts on mask use. “It was like sitting around a campfire.”

Even as scientists and fire officials came to terms with the very real long-term health risks, some firefighters still had concerns that masks could muffle communication, make it hard to breathe and interfere with other equipment. That slowed adoption.

Missing crucial orders because a voice is muffled, or struggling to pull out an emergency fire shelter because a mask is in the way, could be the difference between life and death.

“These are not trivial things when the fact is that they reflect life safety outcome,” Jones said.

Deciding on the right type of mask or respirator has slowed adoption too. There are no commercially available respirators that protect against all of the dangerous pollutants in wildfire smoke.

Scientists have not even fully determined which pollutants pose the greatest risks to firefighters, further complicating a choice.

N95s filter for solid particles in the air but not dangerous gases. Heavy smoke or sweat can cause them to clog.

Half-face respirators — often gray rubber with pink canisters — offer different filters for different gases, but none can filter all of the concerning gases in wildfire smoke. The masks and backup canisters are also much bulkier to carry around than N95s.

Respirators that can filter out all of the “literally hundreds” of concerning compounds in smoke “just simply don’t exist,” said Matt Rahn, research director for the Wildfire Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting firefighters.

The result: “In our pursuit for perfection in finding the best respiratory devices for firefighters, we’ve basically fallen into a decision paralysis of doing nothing,” Rahn said. “It’s been that way for years.”

The federal government acknowledges the limitations of N95s in its educational material for firefighters. In a statement to The Times, the Forest Service said it will begin studying different respirators in a small pilot program to “determine if their use will be suitable for the wildland fire environment.”

The Forest Service said that N95s are already “readily available” to its firefighters and that it has more than 30,000 of them.

More recent wildfire news

Many in the western United States will have to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday with fewer fireworks due to heightened wildfire risk. Utah’s governor restricted fireworks statewide through July 5 as multiple wildfires raged in the state and the National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning, Kathy McCormack reports for the Associated Press. California officials, meanwhile, warned of zero tolerance for illegal fireworks, with some local governments recently increasing fines, Kassia Bonesteel reports for CBS News.

Three federal wildland firefighters were killed and two were injured by the fast-moving Knowles fire in Colorado on Saturday. As a ground crew began some of the first attacks on the fire, an order came over the radio to “get out of there now,” CNN reported. Within minutes, the crew was forced to deploy their emergency shelters, a desperate last line of defense when escape is impossible. Firefighters lined the streets of Grand Junction, Colo., on Sunday in a procession for their fallen colleagues.

Much of the western U.S. is facing above normal fire potential after one of the hottest and driest winters in recent years. Coastal Southern California, conversely, is facing average wildfire potential, fire weather analysts say, thanks to monsoon breezes bringing damp air from the tropics.

A few last things in climate news

A pair of hazardous chemical crises in Greater Los Angeles — at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove and a warehouse in Boyle Heights — have left Californians questioning why environmental and public health agencies such as the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health failed to address known risks, a team from CalMatters and the LA Local reports.

The Boyle Heights warehouse fire coincided with a spike in emergency room visits for smoke inhalation and throat pain, my colleague Hayley Smith found. Meanwhile, the water used to fight the toxic blaze ended up in the Los Angeles River, The Times’ Mack Baysinger reports. Local organizers collected water samples for testing as L.A. County public works deployed floating barriers to contain the runoff.

The headwaters of the Colorado River, a vital source of water for 35 million people and 5 million acres of farmland, is drier than anyone can remember, my colleague Ian James reports. As seven U.S. states and Mexico remain gridlocked in complex debates over use of the river, it’s a stark reminder that the climate of the 21st century will leave less for everyone.

Europe is facing its second major heat wave of the year, with France recording its hottest day ever, Lauren Dalban reports for Inside Climate News. As residents struggled to handle the extreme heat, worsened by climate change, so did climate infrastructure championed to combat it. Trains were halted as the heat risked buckling tracks and nuclear reactors were slowed or powered off as the cooling water they discharged became too hot, the New York Times’ Chico Harlan reported.

This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our Boiling Point podcast here.

For more wildfire news, follow @nohaggerty on X and @nohaggerty.bsky.social on Bluesky.

Finn Russell will not feature in Scotland’s opening Nations Championship match of the summer series but could feature against South Africa, says head coach Gregor Townsend, who welcomes back Jonny Gray.

Fly-half Russell, 33, has not fully recovered from the calf injury that kept him out of the latter part of Bath’s domestic campaign and was not considered for the match at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Cordoba on Saturday (20:10 BST). The Scots face the Springboks in Pretoria on 11 July then Fiji at Murrayfield on 18 July.

Tom Jordan starts at 10 in Russell’s absence, with Fergus Burke among the replacements.

Gray returns against the Pumas, having missed this year’s Six Nations, while fellow lock Scott Cummings, 29, and prop Pierre Schoeman, 32, will win their 50th caps.

“Great for [Jonny Gray] to be back in the squad,” said Townsend. “Since his move to Perpignan, he’s played very well so his form’s been rewarded with this opportunity. It’s nice obviously nice that him and Scott Cummings are playing together.

“Jonny was at Glasgow when Scott came through as an 18-year-old. It will be great to see them both back int he second row again.”

Overall, the XV in Cordoba shows eight personnel changes to the team that finished the Six Nations with defeat to Ireland in Dublin in mid-March.

Full-back Kyle Rowe, centre Rory Hutchinson, wing Jamie Dobie, fly-half Tom Jordan, hooker George Turner, prop Elliot Millar-Mills and Cummings are the players joining Gray in coming in to the side.

Kyle Steyn moves from left to right wing to accommodate Dobie. Prop Zander Fagerson and wing Darcy Graham, who started in Dublin, drop to the bench.

Gregor Hiddleston could make his Scotland debut off the bench.

“We’ll have to gel quickly,” Townsend said.

“It’s our first game since we played in Dublin. We’ve got a lot of evidence in the Six Nations and November that when we get our game in place in attack and defence, we can cause problems to any team in world rugby and do more than that, convert opportunities.

“I believe that our squad now is much deeper and we use that bench to continue what the starters are doing or actually raise the energy.”

Scotland: Rowe, Steyn, Hutchinson, Tuipulotu (capt), Dobie, Jordan, White; Schoeman, Ashman, Millar-Mills, Gray, Cummings, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Hiddleston, Sutherland, Z Fagerson, Samuel, Brown, Horne, Burke, Graham.

The penalty awarded against the Senegalese national team in the final moments of their match against Belgium on Wednesday caused widespread controversy after it led to their elimination from the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, in a harsh turn of events that saw the “Lions of Teranga” go from leading 2-0 to losing 3-2.

Honduran referee Said Martinez awarded a penalty kick at the end of the second period of extra time, after a VAR review, following a challenge by Senegal’s Lamine Camara on Belgian captain Youri Tielemans, with the score tied 2-2 and the match heading towards a penalty shootout.

The “Archivo VAR” platform, which specialises in analysing refereeing decisions, said that VAR intervened excessively during the match, confirming that it was Tielemans who extended his foot in front of Camara, causing the contact.

The platform added, via its account on “X,” that the incident did not warrant VAR intervention, explaining that it was the Belgian player who forced the contact entirely, and that the situation did not amount to the clear and obvious error needed to justify the referee reviewing the decision.

The decision triggered a wave of controversy on social media, with one fan writing: “This is 100% robbery. Senegal have been robbed. How is this a penalty? Belgium do not deserve to go through corruption.”

Sports content creator Sneako blamed the result on match ‘”rigging”.

“Rigged! Senegal should storm the pitch right now. Leave the pitch and go home. This is rigged!”

Another sports fan wrote: “I’m sorry, but this was never a penalty. Camara went to clear the ball, but it was Tielemans who got in his way. Senegal was robbed, and it should have been Belgium going out.”

Spanish sports journalist Manolo Lama commented: “They stole the Africa Cup of Nations from them, and now they’re stealing all the solidarity with Senegal at the World Cup too.”

Egyptian journalist Mohamed Saeed linked the incident to what happened in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, writing: “You can feel that the penalty awarded against Senegal in the final seconds was a harsh lesson and a difficult test. After the scenes from the Africa Cup of Nations final, I think that if it weren’t for the change in the rules around the withdrawal incident, this scene could have repeated itself.”

Another sports fan, Fares Ahmed, wrote that football ”teaches lessons” and the outcome brought back the memory of Senegal at the tournament in Morocco.

“They took advantage of the tournament’s vulnerable position and the host’s need to make it a success, and used that to impose their pressure,” Ahmed wrote. “Today, the scene was almost repeated against Belgium — a penalty in the final minutes, objections, and disbelief over the decision — but this time there was no threat of withdrawal, because you can’t risk penalties like that in a tournament the size of the World Cup.”

Drawing a connection between the two events, one follower wrote on “X”: “When there was a clear penalty in the Morocco final, they rebelled against the decision and tarnished the reputation of African football, just because the tournament was in Morocco. But when an unclear penalty came along that eliminated them from the World Cup, they stayed silent, because this time it was in the West.”

After the dramatic penalty was awarded, Tielemans stepped up to take it and scored successfully, netting Belgium’s third goal and capping off an unexpected comeback that eliminated the Lions of Teranga.

But back on the pitch, Senegal had the run of play for 85 minutes. The African team held a two-goal lead, and had all but secured a spot in the round of 16 at the World Cup.

Within five minutes, it crumbled and the players were feeling it.

“We were at the heart of writing the beautiful pages of the history of our football in this world,” defender Krepin Diatta said. “And we have to accept that we failed at our mission.”

Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra said. “We had a good first half, but it wasn’t enough. A match lasts 90 minutes, and we’re devastated. It’s very tough. I don’t know what to say. When you’re on the pitch, you have to give your all, and that’s not what we did. We’ve only got ourselves to blame.”

A NEW “world-class” arena is being plotted for an iconic UK seaside resort.

The Government has pledged £20million to explore the possibility of bringing the development to life.

A new indoor arena has been proposed for Blackpool, as part of the area’s continued bid to become the UK’s City of Culture for 2029.

Currently dubbed the Phoenix Pavilion Arena, the venue would become the focal point of the city’s wider regeneration strategy.

With a proposed capacity of 15,000 to 20,000, Carters Building Consultancy said the site would host major concerts, sporting events, festivals, trade shows and live performances.

It would also create a new waterfront hospitality area, with cafes, bars and restaurants facing the promenade.

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Blackpool South MP, Chris Webb, began a petition in November last year supporting the proposal, which has since been signed by thousands of local residents.

As a result, the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, has now pledged £20million to explore the next stage of the development.

Webb said: “This funding gives Blackpool the opportunity to properly test whether the project is commercially viable and put us in the strongest possible position to attract an experienced private-sector partner with the expertise to develop, operate and programme a world-class venue.

“It has the potential to attract visitors throughout the year, support our hotels, restaurants and local businesses, create high-quality jobs and strengthen Blackpool’s position as the UK’s entertainment capital.”

The investment will assess whether the construction of the arena is financially feasible and whether it would be the right investment for the area.

It also places the proposal in a better position to attract private investors.

This comes as part of Blackpool’s £2billion regeneration program set to transform the seaside city.

Completed projects include the Talbot Road tramway extension – which connected the Promenade to Blackpool North railway station – and construction is currently underway on a new £65million, high-tech university campus.

Here’s TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information. Check out last week’s report here.

Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 embarked on USS George Washington, including F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35C Lightning IIs, and an E-2D Hawkeye, participated in a live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) during exercise Valiant Shield in the Western Pacific over the weekend. The ex-USS Juneau, a decommissioned Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship that was involved in both the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, was sent to the bottom by U.S. and partner forces approximately 40 nautical miles northeast of Guam.

“The evolution brought together air, surface, and subsurface assets in coordinated strikes, allowing crews to sharpen critical skills in weapons employment and target engagement under realistic conditions that no simulator can fully replicate,” according to a press release from Task Force 70 Public Affairs. A torpedo fired by a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force diesel-electric submarine, JS Jingei, delivered the final blow.

A few thousand miles to the east, USS Theodore Roosevelt, with a packed flight deck, arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on June 23 ahead of the biennial exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026. The 30th iteration of RIMPAC is the largest ever and will feature 30 partner nations, 31 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 200 aircraft, and 30,000 personnel in and around the Hawaiian Islands. Roosevelt hosted service members from partner nations and the local community during an open ship tour event over the weekend.

Back in the continental United States, USS Nimitz joined 25 other ships for a fleet formation photo exercise (PHOTOEX) in the Atlantic Ocean on June 25 as part of the inaugural Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250. FLEETEX, a large-scale multinational maritime exercise, includes a series of “structured multilateral training events at-sea, aimed at building cohesiveness, validating tactical procedures, and strengthening the interoperability of participating units.” Warships, aircraft, and personnel from the U.S. and 13 allied countries were involved in the two-week exercise that wrapped up today.

Nimitz pulled into Mayport, Florida, the following day to disembark family and friends who were aboard for a Tiger Cruise. Nimitz and several other participating ships will sail to New York City this week to take part in the seventh International Naval Review 250 from July 3-8.

Notably, Boeing’s MQ-25A Stingray demonstrator drone was spotted on Nimitz’s flight deck, which you can read about in detail here, and the C-2A Greyhound made its last trap aboard the flattop, marking the end of an era in naval aviation as the CMV-22B Osprey takes the reins for the “no fail” carrier onboard delivery mission.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower continues working up off the east coast and was most recently underway in the Jacksonville Operating Area with her AIS transponder turned on. Eisenhower is conducting carrier qualifications and supporting East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons, according to DVIDS. On the west coast, USS Carl Vinson got underway for training on June 25.

Two aircraft carriers remain on station in the Middle East: USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush. Both carriers were spotted conducting flight operations over the past week in the U.S. Central Command-5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR). With the blockade lifted while negotiations are ongoing – and both sides still exchanging weekend tit-for-tat blows – neither appears to be leaving the AOR, for now.

Note: Positions are general approximations. Non-deployed LHA/LHD amphibious warships are not shown.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io

Worst Neighbor Ever is now available to stream on Netflix

The chilling calls to emergency services after a huge insurance scam explosion have been revealed in a brutal true crime documentary series.

This week, Netflix dropped anthology series Worst Neighbor Ever, which follows on from Worst Ex Ever and Worst Roommate Ever.

This time, it explores real life neighbour disputes that take a fatal turn. Plunging viewers into a series of events including intimidation and violence, it uses real life bodycam footage and CCTV to highlight what occurred.

As well as hearing heartbreaking accounts from victims, the true crime series also stands out with its use of animated re-enactments to tell the stories.

An official synopsis reads: “You think you know your neighbors? Think again. This new series features firsthand accounts of violence, intimidation, and harassment that are more shocking than ever.

“Through compelling testimonials, startling body cam footage, and animated reenactments, Worst Neighbor Ever proves the people next door aren’t just a nuisance – they’re lethal.”

The second episode plunges viewers back to 2012 when a huge explosion wreaked devastation on one tight knit community in Indiana. On November 10, 2012, Monserrate ‘Moncy’ Shirley’s home exploded, leaving two people in the vicinity dead and many others injured, destroying dozens of homes.

But when investigators find the real cause, lives were changed forever. The episode hears from the neighbours who were at home that evening as well as revealing what Moncy was really like, as well as her new boyfriend at the time Mark Leonard.

Following the huge explosion, one neighbour can be heard saying: “At first, we thought we were being bombed. Our whole house lifted up off the foundation.”

Another said: “It was like one of those mortar fireworks going off right next to your house.”

Showing chilling video footage of the explosion and the flames, the documentary also showcased some of the heartbreaking calls made to the emergency services.

In one phone call, a neighbour said: “Something literally just exploded”, as another asked: “What just happened?” A third said: “We had a large boom, I don’t know if it was a bomb, a gun went off or what.”

Detailing the aftermath, one resident said: “The flames were just massive. The street looked like it had snowed, but this bright light of fire is in the distance.”

A call between emergency services continued: “We’ve had an explosion at a house, we’re going to need medics, IFD, it’s going to be a major incident control.”

The episode explores how Moncy, her boyfriend Mark and his brother had plotted to start a fire that would result in an insurance payout, however, their plan resulted in a huge explosion that wreaked devastation for years afterwards.

Worst Neighbor Ever can be streamed on Netflix

THE best islands in the world have been revealed and there is one in the UK that snuck into the top 50.

The 50 Best Islands in the World was revealed by Big 7, having run for seven years.

The study looks at everything from popularity on social media and travel trends to insights from the editorial team.

And coming in no.1 was Sri Lanka which was praised for “having it all”.

It said: “Whiling away blissful days beach-hopping along the 833-mile coastline is part of the charm, but Sri Lanka offers much more beyond the shore.

“Itineraries fill up quickly here, between the timeworn temples, colonial towns, misty mountains, and wildlife safaris in Yala National Park, home to tigers and elephants.”

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The Sun’s Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski recently visited and said: “It was the off-grid excursions that gave me a real sense of what this region was truly about – a half-day cooking experience was just my cup of tea.

“And one night, an elephant stepped out from some undergrowth and plods slowly into the oncoming traffic, where drivers pulled to a casual halt until the lumbering giant disappeared.”

However, the only UK island to make the list was the Isle of Mull in Scotland, coming in 23rd place.

Making the list for its “rugged coastline and unexpectedly white sand,” it added: ” It’s an island of contrasts – where highland cows bathe in the calm, crystal-clear sea, and foamy waters crash into basalt columns.”

The island has everything from the coloured houses of Tobermory, as well as dolphin and seal watching – and even fluffy highlands cows on the beach.

While Mull was the only UK island to make the list, the nearby Achill Island in Ireland came in 8th.

It made the top 10 for its “soft pink sunrises and turquoise seas to moss-green hills and fiery sunsets.”

Europe fared well too, with many in the top 20 including Madeira (4th), Milos (10th), Ischia (15th), Ibiza (17th) and Corsica (18th).

Popular islands Brits will know such as Jamaica was in 19th, while Bali was in 20th and Mauritius was 24th.

Sardinia, Hvar and Key West all just made it into the top 50.

World’s 50 Best Islands

1. Sri Lanka
2. Mo’orea, French Polynesia
3. Socotra, Yemen
4. Madeira
5. The Galapagos, Ecuador
6. Great Exuma, Bahamas
7. Seychelles
8. Achill Island, Ireland
9. Koh Lipe, Thailand
10. Milos, Greece
11. Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
12. Madagascar
13. Ilha Grande, Brazil
14. Kangaroo Island, Australia
15. Ischia, Italy
16. Dominica
17. Ibiza
18. Corsica
19. Jamaica
20. Bali, Indonesia
21. Koh Rong, Cambodia
22. Yasawas, Fiji
23. Mull, Scotland
24. Mauritius
25. Salt Spring Island, Canada
26. Yoron Island, Japan
27. Munroe Island, India
28. Unguja (Zanzibar Island), Tanzania
29. Haida Gwaii, Canada
30. Sal, Cape Verde
31. Cocos Island, Costa Rica
32. Cuba
33. San Juan Islands, USA
34. Sardinia, Italy
35. Jeju Island, South Korea
36. Siargao, Philippines
37. Greenland
38. Caye Caulker, Belize
39. La Gomera, Spain
40. Hvar, Croatia
41. Isla Mujeres, Mexico
42. Waiheke Island, New Zealand
43. Benguerra Island, Mozambique
44. Hydra, Greece
45. Bozcaada, Turkey
46. Key West, Florida, USA
47. Mentawai Islands, Indonesia
48. Barbados
49. Eysturoy Island, Faroe Islands
50. Bissagos Islands, Guinea

WASHINGTON — As America’s 250th birthday arrives this weekend, President Trump’s mark is clearly visible on Washington.

Visitors to the nation’s capital are being met with cranes hanging over the White House and construction at the site of the demolished East Wing. Fences crisscrossing the National Mall to hem in the Great American State Fair have blocked the famed sightline from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial.

Some fountains newly sparkle as a result of Trump’s renovations. National Guardsmen patrol the sidewalks. The partisan flavor of the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 organization’s events is on display, and the fireworks show Saturday will feature a rally-style speech from Trump, with fireworks reportedly pushed back to 11 p.m.

President Trump examines the maintenance work Wednesday on the exterior of the White House.

(Alex Wong / Getty Images)

The memorial’s Reflecting Pool, where fireworks will be set off Saturday, was barricaded from the public earlier than usual after onlookers flocked last week to see the algae and peeling paint that followed Trump’s renovation, and Trump accused vandals of tampering with it.

“You don’t have a sense of ‘land of the free’ here,” said Melissa McFarlane, 61, standing along the fencing on the Mall. She said she was born in Silver Spring, Md., and she grew up watching July 4 fireworks on the Mall with her parents.

She recalled the nation’s 200th anniversary celebrations as “open and inviting” but said this year’s “heavy-duty fencing” and the presence of National Guardsmen made it feel different.

“It’s majorly disorganized, which is weird for our country,” McFarlane added.

A sign outside Lafayette Park near the White House.

(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)

Trump has fixated on making changes to the nation’s capital in his second term, declaring in an early executive order that his administration would make the district “safe and beautiful.” Some of the renovations have been successful; fountains are running anew, including the long-dormant cascading water feature at the city’s popular Meridian Hill Park.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Sunday on “Fox & Friends” that more than 50 parks and circles have been restored and 22 fountains, along with repairs to lights on the National Mall.

“President Trump should be thanked for all he is doing to leave things better than he found them for the good of our great nation,” an Interior Department spokesperson said in a statement. “D.C. residents and visitors are experiencing working fountains, clean parks and safe streets across the district for the first time in decades, all thanks to President Donald J. Trump.”

But Trump’s growing slate of projects has drawn legal challenges from preservationist groups and raised questions about the cost to taxpayers. The $14.7-million repainting of the Reflecting Pool became particularly controversial last month after algae overtook the renovated pool and the new paint appeared to peel off.

On Sunday, the president took a tour of some of his construction sites, walking through Lafayette Park with Burgum before traveling to the East Potomac golf club he plans to renovate, which sits on federal land. Trump walked part of the property and inspected blueprints in view of reporters; he was then driven by the site where he wants to erect a marble arch.

Over the weekend, he posted on Truth Social about his improvements to the city in a post about D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George, casting it as a “Safe and Prestigious Community” that is now at risk of being “destroyed” by Lewis George.

“I have worked too hard to make Washington, D.C., the Envy of the World, with almost No Crime, and a Beautification process that has been second to none,” Trump wrote.

Construction crews build scaffolding outside the Kennedy Center on June 13 before removing President Trump’s name from the venue’s exterior.

(Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images)

Involvement by presidents in the city’s plan goes back to George Washington, said Matthew J. Bell, an architecture professor at the University of Maryland. That is not unusual, nor is it strange for cities, including Washington, to change over time, he said.

“It’s probably more a matter of timing in terms of inconvenience for people coming for the Fourth,” Bell said of the ongoing construction. “If there had been a more coordinated plan for some of these things … it probably could’ve been managed better.”

At the National Mall, the fencing design for the state fair drew head shakes and confusion from some tourists. Visitors are corralled into a walkway by the Freedom 250-branded fencing on one side and low metal barriers on the other.

It’s normal for fencing to be used to control foot traffic for events on the mall, said Charles A. Birnbaum, chief executive of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, but he perceived the problem as slapdash placement, including of the Ferris wheel, which was put on the mall’s axis.

“Things are being plopped down,” said Birnbaum, whose organization sued the administration over the repainting of the Reflecting Pool. “It speaks to what Trump is doing at the ballroom, what he’s proposed [with] the arch — he’s just plopping these things down in major view sheds that have major historical and cultural significance.”

People walk past the Ferris wheel at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall.

(Jen Golbeck / Associated Press)

The fountains in Lafayette Park are running again near the White House on June 23.

(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

The state fair itself has drawn relatively few crowds, though some attendees have been enthusiastic.

On Monday, McFarlane and two friends were outside the fencing, leaning against the metal barriers in front of the Department of Agriculture, which faces the National Mall.

“It’s a little too secure,” said one of them, John, 60, who was visiting from Burbank and declined to give his last name.

He gestured over the barrier to a manicured plot with shady benches. “Here’s the People’s Garden,” he said, reading its sign, “and we can’t go in.”

A construction crane works on the White House ballroom on Monday.

(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)

Visitors take photos Tuesday of a model of President Trump’s proposed marble arch at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall.

(Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press)

Early-morning joggers observer the refilling of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 5.

(John McDonnell / Associated Press)

The anniversary celebrations also come on the heels of the reflecting pool controversy. Last week, after chunks of paint were spotted in the water, Trump blamed vandals for tampering with the pool and said people had been arrested at the site. Two dead ducks were found in a pond about 250 feet away from the pool.

The area last week was surrounded by surveillance cameras and patrolled by National Guardsmen as lifelong resident John Cates strolled the area.

“It’s kind of creepy,” Cates said about the security cameras mounted around the pool. “It is unnecessary that we have to have this pond deemed a high security risk. That is weird.”

The area was fenced off at the end of last week. Fencing normally occurs in preparation for the July 4 fireworks show, but it went up “a couple days early to protect the pool,” Burgum said in the Fox News interview. He said seven people had been arrested in connection with the pool.

Tom Ayers, 34, was disappointed to find the fences already up on Monday. He traveled with his father from Wisconsin for the 250th, but they were finding it difficult to get around the Mall and they were upset to see the East Wing gone.

When they reached Lafayette Park, where the fencing had yet to be removed, they were again disappointed by the obscured view of the White House. Ayers’ father recalled a different scene in 1976, when he visited as a child for the nation’s bicentennial.

“I was kind of hoping for a summer similar to that,” Ayers said, “but overall, it seems nowhere close.”

Times staff writer Ana Ceballos in Washington contributed to this report.

The travel company was founded back in 2011 and operated three separate websites offering chalets, skiing breaks, and spa holidays. ATOL has now offered advice for any consumers who had breaks booked

A UK travel firm that offered a range of ski and spa holidays has ceased trading, with customers who have booked a package holiday being urged to take action.

Travel Bespoke Ltd was launched in 2011, and traded under three names: Chalet Bespoke, Ski Bespoke, and Spa Bespoke. The firm’s websites are now unavailable. The company was based in an office in Midhurst, West Sussex.

Ski Bespoke’s X page, which is currently still active, described the firm’s operations as offering bespoke ski trips to resorts in Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada and USA.

Financial protection scheme ATOL (Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing), confirmed in a statement that the company had ceased trading as an ATOL holder as of May 29. It said: “We have contacted the affected ATOL protected consumers directly. If you have not been contacted and believe you are entitled to a claim against an ATOL protected booking, please supply your booking details with supporting documentation by email to claims@caa.co.uk.”

The time limit for making a claim to ATOL is May 28, 2027. Its statement went on to explain: “Bookings sold as accommodation only, non-flight Packages & Cruise Only bookings which do not include a flight element are not covered by the ATOL scheme. Please contact your travel insurance or card issuer for further assistance.”

ATOL also has a claims information page where customers can check whether the holiday they’ve booked would come under ATOL protection, or whether they’ll need to look for alternative ways to claim their money back.

Travel Bespoke is not the only travel firm to go bust in recent weeks. Long-running firm Groupia Ltd recently went into administration after 24 years in operation. The company who operated brands including Groupia Golf, GoHen, StagWeb, Groupia School Trips, and Company Away Day, served over 750,000 holidaymakers before going bust.

By law, any UK travel company that sells holidays or flights is required to have an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) number, so always check your holiday is booked with a reputable firm.

This means that if the holiday firm you’ve booked with goes bust before you travel, you can apply to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a full refund. If you’re already on holiday, the CAA has a responsibility to get you home.

However, you should also make sure you have travel insurance that covers a travel firm going into administration, as this can also cover additional expenses from having your holiday cancelled or being stuck abroad. Credit card protection can also be helpful in this situation. If you’ve paid for your holiday or flights on a credit card directly with the holiday company or airline, and spent over £100, you may be able to claim the money back through your credit card company.

Mastercard and Visa debit cards also have a chargeback scheme which is available for most UK high street banks. You can request your card provider reverses the transaction, giving you your money back.

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Jockey Frankie Dettori suffered several broken ribs and a broken thumb after being involved in a car crash, his management has said.

A spokesperson for H Talent Management confirmed the collision happened on Wednesday evening near Newmarket in Suffolk.

Another vehicle struck the rear passenger side of the car the 55-year-old was driving, causing it to spin and flip, they said.

Dettori’s injuries were still being assessed as he remained in hospital for further scans and observation.

More stories from Suffolk

“Frankie would like to thank the emergency services who attended the scene, together with the doctors, nurses and wider medical team caring for him,” said H Talent Management.

“His focus is now on resting and recovering. H Talent Management respectfully asks that Frankie’s privacy is respected at this time.

“No further comment will be made until there is a meaningful update.”

Dettori has not ridden in Britain since October 2023 when he won the Champion Stakes on King of Steel at Ascot.

But he was due to return to the saddle in the Leger Legends race at Doncaster during the St Leger Festival in September.

H Talent Management referred to Wednesday’s crash as an “accident”.

The collision is believed to have happened just over the border in Cambridgeshire and the county’s police force confirmed it was called to a collision on the A1304 London Road near Six Mile Bottom at about 19:00 BST.

A spokesperson for the force added that there were no arrests.

The East of England Ambulance Service said two patients were taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for “further assessment and treatment”.

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July 2 (UPI) — A Ukrainian national has been charged in Germany in connection with the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines bringing natural gas 760 miles via the Baltic Sea from northwestern Russia to Lubmin in northeastern Germany.

Authorities allege the suspect, named only as Serhii K, led and coordinated an operation with seven others to sabotage the $17 billion gas projects on Sept. 26, 2022, according to reports in German media Wednesday. He is also charged with attacking and destroying civilian energy infrastructure and causing an explosion.

Prosecutors said he is the same individual who was detained by Italian authorities in August and extradited to Germany in November.

He denies all wrongdoing.

German prosecutors further allege he was a serving Ukrainian officer and that he and the others, who were also members of the Ukraine military, were “acting on behalf of state bodies in Ukraine” to deprive Moscow of energy revenues from the pipelines to fund its war against Ukraine.

The finger has variously been pointed at Ukraine, along with Britain and the United States, and even Russian itself, but the Federal Public Prosecutor General’s claim the attack was ordered by Kyiv was highly significant because Germany is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, providing military aid and political support.

Kyiv , which has always denied involvement, did not immediately respond to the accusation.

Three of the four pipelines were ruptured east of the Danish island of Bornholm in the attack. Nord Stream 1 was shut down at the time due to technical problems.

Nord Stream 2, a subsidiary of the Russian state-run energy giant Gazprom, was completed in September 2021 after being plagued problems including legal wrangles and U.S. sanctions targeting companies party to the project.

However, it never opened because Germany cancelled its certification process shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as it moved to wean itself from its reliance on Russian gas.

The project, which would have doubled Nord Stream’s gas capacity to 110 billion cubic meters annually — said by the company to be sufficient to supply to 26 million homes in Europe and critical to efforts to guarantee the European Union’s “security of supply of natural gas.”

Looking to hire a car for your summer holiday? Which? has put together a ranking of some of the best and worst car hire firms, including those that have the most hidden fees and the ones likely to keep you waiting at the airport

Hiring a car can be an excellent way to explore somewhere new, but a recent survey by Which? Has revealed that one in eight car hire customers end up paying more than they expected to get on the road.

The consumer magazine surveyed over 3,600 people who’d hired a car in the past two years, asking a range of questions about their experience with customer service, value for money, ease of car pick-up and drop-off, and clarity around the overall cost.

Shockingly, 13% of participants in the survey ended up paying more than the price that they were quoted, showing that extras aren’t always made clear when customers are booking. These included surcharges for drivers over 70 and extra insurance costs that weren’t in the headline price.

Third from the bottom of the rankings was car hire giant Avis, a fixture at airports and other transport hubs. It has over 50 branches across the UK and thousands more across the world. While Avis scored highly for accurate descriptions, quality vehicles, and quick returns, it only scored two stars out of five for collection speed, and the clarity of its costs and conditions. With an average rental price of £55, it’s also far from being the cheapest option. Avis declined to comment.

Second from the bottom was Dollar, owned by the same parent company as Hertz, which also scored well for having accurate vehicle descriptions, easy-to-find locations, and easy returns. However, it received two-star scores when it came to collection speed and three stars for overall value for money.

When approached for comment, a Hertz spokesperson said: “We welcome feedback and are committed to providing a clear and transparent booking experience for our customers. Key information – including rates, inclusions, rental requirements and additional driver policies – is displayed throughout the reservation process and is available for review before payment.

“All Hertz customers also have access to a no-fee additional driver option through our free Gold+ Rewards loyalty program, which allows members to add a spouse or domestic partner at no additional charge.”

Coming in last in Which?’s survey was Goldcar. 28% of renters told Which? they had received additional charges, some of which weren’t deducted until after they returned home. Nearly a fifth of respondents said they had to queue for 30 minutes or longer to collect their car, also giving them two stars for customer service. One survey respondent said: “The risk of post-contract extras outweighs the cheaper price. Avoid at all costs.”

A spokesperson for Goldcar said: “Goldcar Spain is, of course, disappointed that the alleged experiences have been identified by Which? Travel. With regard to insurance cover, the company offers premium cover to provide a seamless process should damage occur during a customer’s rental. A customer, of course, has the right to choose to buy their cover separately; however, if this is the case, they will be charged for any damages that occur during the rental and will then need to claim the costs back from the chosen provider.

“Whilst the company has not been given the opportunity to see the footage referred to by Which? Travel is committed to investigating any incidents where a customer believes they have received service that does not match expectations for a low-cost brand.

“The company introduced a Code of Ethics for counter sales and a Guide of Good Sales Practices in 2021, both of which are reviewed annually based on customer feedback about their sales experience. If an employee breaches the Code of Ethics, they are immediately warned and penalised economically and if breaches are repeated they can be subject to termination of their contract.”

At the top of the rankings was Autoreisen, a Canary Islands-based car hire company that received five stars across all categories, despite also being the cheapest on average at £16 a day. It was named as a Which? Recommended Provider alongside the UK’s Arnold Clark, and the worldwide brand Alamo.

Arnold Clark was also the only UK rental firm that was awarded five stars for clarity of costs. One satisfied customer said: “There was no time shilly-shallying and no problem hiring in my age group (82). I was in and out in no time and dropped off back at my home.”

Guy Hobbs, head of travel research for Which?, said: “Too often we hear from holidaymakers who have faced poor customer service and unexpected charges that turn a seemingly cheap rental into an expensive one.

“The good news is that some firms show it doesn’t have to be this way. To get the best experience this summer, travellers should choose a reputable provider. Our Which? Recommended Providers are all excellent options, and using a trusted broker such as Zest Car Rental can provide extra reassurance and support if any issues arise.”

Which?’s rankings for best and worst car hire firms for 2026

1. Autoreisen
2. Cicar
3. Arnold Clark
4. Alamon
5. TopCar
6. Centauro
7. Enterprise
8. Sixt
9. Drivalia
10. Europcar
11. Thrifty
12. Budget
13. Hertz
14. Avis
15. Dollar
16. Goldcar

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