The potential shortage could affect easyJet and British Airways flights from the airport during the peak of the season, as well as other major carriers like Wizz Air, TUI, and Jet2.
The memo sent out by Gatwick warned airlines: “For the attention of all crews: Gatwick has a shortage of fuel for the next two days.
“Please uplift max possible fuel at outstations.”
Another document warned of a “potential disruption to the Gatwick fuel supply”.
An airline source told The Sun: “Pilots will try and take on as much fuel as they can from their foreign destinations to bring back to the UK, but they will be limited by factors such as the maximum take-off weight and the maximum landing weight back at Gatwick.”
The issue is likely to cause “disruption” from Monday, according to the source.
In the event of an airport fuel infrastructure crisis, major short-haul operators like easyJet can partially insulate themselves by carrying extra fuel from inbound European flights to bypass Gatwick’s pumps entirely.
But the airline’s sheer flight volume will still put the operation under strain.
Meanwhile, British Airways and other long-haul flight carriers, which cannot tanker fuel and remain entirely dependent on Gatwick’s local supply to get off the ground, are more culnerable
It is believed that the shortage is not connected to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, but rather to a technical issue at one of Gatwick’s fuel farms.
A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said: “Following a technical issue impacting fuel supply to the airport, airlines have been advised to monitor fuel availability.
“We are working closely with external suppliers to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and minimise any potential disruption. All airlines are operating as normal.”
The Mirror has contacted easyJet and British Airways for further comment.
Ben Duckett struck a half-century and took a sharp diving catch to remove England team-mate Harry Brook as The Hundred leaders Trent Rockets beat Sunrisers Leeds by five runs.
The 31-year-old smacked Liam Patterson-White for five consecutive fours to bring up his fifty off 35 balls, but it was an otherwise measured innings from the opener, who made 64 (47), including nine boundaries, to help Rockets post 146-4.
A 71-run third-wicket stand between Mitchell Marsh and Brook put Sunrisers in control of their chase, with just 35 runs required from 20 deliveries.
However, Mohammad Amir only conceded five runs off the next four balls before Brook found a leaping Duckett in the covers to depart for 46 (33).
Amir had Marsh (41 off 35) caught behind by Sam Billings five balls later, finishing with figures of 2-20, and an equation of 25 runs from 10 deliveries proved too much for Dan Lawrence and Tom Alsop.
Duckett had earlier anchored his side’s innings, with his knock in stark contrast to Trent Rockets debutant Aneurin Donald.
Introduced early in the powerplay after Brydon Carse (2-20) bowled Finn Allen, Donald thrashed three sixes and dominated his 63-run second-wicket stand with Duckett, hitting 40 runs off 19 deliveries.
Carse also accounted for Donald, whose free-scoring was unmatched on either side, while Duckett was bowled by Nathan Ellis with five balls remaining.
Tim David was laboured for his 24 (22) but struck a crucial six off the penultimate ball of the innings.
A fourth consecutive victory moves Trent Rockets four points clear at the top of The Hundred table. Sunrisers Leeds remain fifth, with two wins and two defeats.
A total of 1,000sq km (386sq miles) has burned across Washington state, and some of the fires have not been contained.
Published On 3 Aug 20263 Aug 2026
Wildfires in eastern Washington state have forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area and destroyed at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures, authorities said on Sunday.
The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, burned about 21 square kilometres (8sq miles) over the weekend and were among dozens of wildfires across the Western United States that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them.
Roughly 1,000sq km (386sq miles) have burned across the state, and some of the fires, including those in the Spokane area, have not been contained.
Fire and law enforcement officials said there had been no reports of injuries or people unaccounted for, but they stressed it was early in the response effort.
Videos from the Spokane area showed buildings on fire, black smoke billowing up near neighbourhoods, and the smoking ruins of homes, with only chimneys still standing. Several officials expressed concern that the area appears set to continue having dry weather in the coming days.
“We are not out of danger,” Senator Maria Cantwell said during a news conference with federal, state and local officials in Spokane. “The next couple of days will be challenging.”
Investigators have not determined how the blazes began.
Spokane was not the only region struggling to contain fires.
Crews using bulldozers and helicopters continued for a tenth day to fight a fire that has burned nearly 1,360sq km (525sq miles) of grassland in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. The area is home to cattle ranches, with authorities saying the fire is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures.
In central Utah, a massive blaze more than doubled in size over the weekend, jumping from about 41sq km (16sq miles) to 145sq km (56sq miles) by Sunday morning. More than 100 cattle have been killed, according to local law enforcement.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has officially launched his reelection campaign, warning against foreign interference and vowing to defend Brazil’s sovereignty as political tensions rise ahead of October’s election.
Van Der Valk returns to our screens tonight with three more headscratching investigations on the way.
Hayley Anderson Screen Time TV Reporter
19:05, 02 Aug 2026Updated 19:08, 02 Aug 2026
Inside Van Der Valk season 4 filming locations(Image: ITV)
Van Der Valk fans are eager to know all there is about season four ahead of its ITV debut tonight.
Season four of the hit ITV detective dramaVan Der Valk begins this evening, Sunday, August 2, at 8pm, the first of three feature-length episodes set to air every week.
As always, Piet Van Der Valk will be portrayed by Band of Brothers star Marc Warren, who will be joined by Maimie McCoy as Lucienne Hassell, Emma Fielding as Julia Dahlman and Darrell D’Silva as Hendrik Davie.
UK fans have been waiting for three years for the show’s return with season four first released in America in 2024.
But now the wait is finally over so here’s everything there is to know about Van Der Valk’s filming locations for season four.
Where is ITV Van Der Valk season 4 filmed?
As Van Der Valk is a Dutch detective drama, like previous series, season four has been filmed entirely in the Netherlands, primarily in the capital city of Amsterdam.
Some of its standout locations include The Canal Belts, also known as the Grachtengordel, the historic 14km waterways built during the 17th Century Dutch Golden Age.
Other key spots include Cafe Scheltema which is frequently featured when the detectives gather for debriefs and their breakthroughs, as well as the Amstel River.
Along with Amsterdam, some additional shots are filmed in nearby cities like Utrecht and The Hague.
Warren previously opened up about shooting a season one scene at the iconic Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam which he hailed as “amazing”.
“Being on my own, looking up at Rembrandt’s The Night Watch at midnight, I was just thinking, ‘How do these things happen?’, he told Radio Times.
“Just before we shot that, they brought a guy in on a stretcher to give him a private view of the painting. It was his dying wish.
“An hour or two later, I was standing there alone with this masterpiece.”
Van Der Valk season four premieres tonight, Sunday, August 2, at 8pm, on ITV.
Sir Alastair Cook believes Joe Root is not the long-term solution to be England’s Test cricket captain, but is confident of his ability to lead the side for the next year and help take England forward with the home Ashes coming up in 2027.
Aug. 2 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Sunday night that negotiations with Iran toward ending the war will resume Monday, about a month after formal talks between the two unraveled and preceded a return to open conflict.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington after spending a weekend at his Bedminster, N.J., golf club, Trump said talks with Iran will begin Monday afternoon, claiming, as he has repeatedly throughout the war, that Iran wants “to make a deal.”
“We’ll see if it’s true,” he said. “I’d love to do that. Save a lot of lives. Save a lot of unnecessary power, to be honest with you.”
Trump had called off what he advertised as a massive attack on Iran over the weekend, stating it was at the request of allies and Tehran, which he said had agreed to “the parameters of a deal.”
Aboard his plane, he identified Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as the nations that had asked him to hold off.
“It would have been a massive attack. We were all set to go. But when the allies ask to call it off, you go to sort of say, ‘well, let’s see,'” he said. “And the reason they asked they think there’s a deal.”
Trump has long sought a deal with Iran to constrain its nuclear program, going back to his first administration when in 2018 he unilaterally pulled the United States from an Obama-era multinational accord in order to fashion a new one, and imposed sanctions on Tehran to force it to the negotiating table.
In late February, the United States and Israel attacked Iran with the aims of destroying its remaining nuclear capabilities and inciting regime change, instead igniting the five-month-long war, during which Tehran has laid military claims to the vital Strait of Hormuz.
An April cease-fire created conditions for a memorandum of understanding to be signed in mid-June that was to lay the foundation for ending the war. Amid negotiations on implementing the MOU, disagreements arose over its stance on the vital energy route, which led to a resumption in fighting last month.
Monday’s negotiations would be the first publicly acknowledged since early last month. Trump said the discussions will concern the Strait of Hormuz and led into nuclear talks.
He said that the three allies believe “a deal is imminent.”
Trump called off the attack after speaking with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman over the phone. Trump said Sunday that bin Salman warned him that the consequences of the attack would be unpredictable.
“I mean, will they be flooded with people pouring into their country,” he said. “A lot of bad things can happen.”
Trump said it would have been “the biggest attack since World War II” and “disastrous” for Iran.
The United States is seeking to restore freedom of navigation through the strait, while Iran is trying to maintain some form of control over commercial vessels that pass through it.
According to the nonpartisan, Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, Iranian negotiators may be willing to make what it called “limited compromises” with the United States over Tehran’s control of the strait, though what those concessions may be were not entirely clear.
Maasai Mara, Kenya – The Maasai Mara, Kenya’s most famous wildlife reserve, is one of Africa’s best-known safari destinations. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to the reserve, generating millions of dollars for Kenya’s economy and supporting jobs, businesses and local communities.
But as luxury camps and lodges spread across the reserve, concerns are growing over the environmental cost of tourism. Conservationists warn that unchecked development is damaging wildlife habitats and threatening one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles, the annual migration of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles between Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The debate has now reached Kenya’s courts.
A legal battle over the Mara
The future of the Maasai Mara is increasingly being contested in court. Conservation groups have filed several cases challenging the construction and expansion of tourist camps inside and around the reserve, arguing that some developments were approved without adequate environmental safeguards.
The latest petition, filed by the East Africa Law Society, Natural Justice, JustAct and the Africa Centre for Peace and Human Rights, seeks conservatory orders to halt the construction and expansion of accommodation facilities in the Maasai Mara National Reserve pending the hearing of the case.
The petition names the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Marriott International, Lazizi Mara Limited, the Narok County government, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the attorney general, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), The Safari Collection Ltd and Minor Hotels Ltd.
Court documents filed by advocate Gichohi Waweru challenge the construction and operation of the Ritz-Carlton Maasai Mara Safari Camp, alleging that it was built in a protected ecological zone despite a 2023 moratorium on new tourism accommodation in sensitive areas of the reserve under the Maasai Mara Management Plan 2023-32.
The petition also claims that the camp lacks a valid environmental impact assessment licence and sits along a key wildebeest migration corridor.
The petitioners are seeking an audit of all lodges in protected zones, warning that continued development could cause irreversible damage to the Mara ecosystem.
The legal battle has become a test of whether Kenya can balance conservation with tourism, one of the country’s most important economic sectors.
Kelvin Kubai, an advocate at the High Court of Kenya, told Al Jazeera that tourism should never come at the expense of wildlife and the environment.
“When the interests of wildlife and nature conflict with tourism, the rights of nature are supreme. Any interaction between tourists, wild animals and the environment should not come at the expense of the animals. The rights of human beings in the Mara are not above those of animals and nature,” he said.
The disappearing migration
Every year, more than a million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move between the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara in search of fresh grazing land. The migration sustains predators, attracts visitors from around the world and plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.
Kenya has, however, seen a significant decline in the number of wildebeest making the journey into the Maasai Mara. Conservationists say that construction, vehicle traffic and human activity near migration routes are disrupting animal movements and placing additional pressure on wildlife already affected by climate change.
According to a Kenyan government wildlife survey whose findings were released after fieldwork conducted between June 2024 and August 2025, populations of several species, including lions, buffalo, hirola antelope and wildebeest, have fallen sharply. Wildebeest numbers declined from 58,000 to 34,200 between 2023 and 2025.
Scientific data released in early 2026 showed that the number of wildebeest using one of the key migration routes in the Greater Mara ecosystem had fallen by almost 90 percent in just five years.
The pressure from tourism development has become a central concern. Despite the 2023 moratorium on new tourism accommodation in sensitive parts of the reserve, conservationists say new camps have continued to emerge while existing facilities have sought to expand.
The moratorium was introduced to curb overdevelopment, reduce pressure on wildlife habitats and protect migration corridors, but conservationists argue that enforcement has been weak.
Bordering the Maasai Mara reserve, the Naibosho conservancy works closely with communities to protect the wildlife outside the park [File: Al Jazeera]
Samwel Odhiambo, a climate activist and founder of the Climate Awareness Defenders community-based organisation, told Al Jazeera that conservation must take precedence over commercial interests.
“The government must rein in investors who do not really care about conservation because everyone has a responsibility to the environment and the animals. What we are seeing today is a result of developments that are profit-driven, to the point where lodges are built on riverbanks, too close to animals, and on migration routes, affecting especially female animals as they lose their habitats for nurturing and delivering their babies.”
Odhiambo argued that the same level of environmental protection applied along Kenya’s coast should be extended to the Mara.
“Kenya’s coast at times generates more tourism revenue than the Maasai Mara, but you will not find developers building on the beach or in the waters,” he said.
Maps published in December 2025 by ecologists at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in the Atlas of Ungulate Migration showed that migration routes supporting more than 100,000 wildebeest as recently as 2020 now support fewer than 30,000.
The report estimated that the wildebeest population, which numbered between 120,000 and 150,000 in the 1970s, had fallen to about 26,700 by 2024. Settlement and fencing across the Loita Plains and northern Mara Plains have severely restricted migration, confining surviving herds to a patchwork of conservancies surrounding the reserve.
Although these figures come from different wildlife surveys and migration studies, they all point to a sharp decline in wildebeest numbers and movements across the Greater Mara ecosystem.
When tourism threatens itself
For decades, the Maasai Mara has been Kenya’s premier tourism destination, earning billions of shillings annually and supporting thousands of jobs, from safari guides and hotel workers to transport operators, craft sellers and Maasai communities.
But conservationists and tourism analysts warn that overdevelopment could begin undermining the very industry that depends on the reserve’s wildlife and wilderness.
The Maasai Mara’s vast grasslands have made it one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife destinations, but conservationists say its future depends on balancing tourism with protection of nature [File: Evelyn Kahungu/Al Jazeera]
Tourism operators say overcrowding, rising park fees and increasing competition from other regional destinations have made the safari market more competitive. Conservation groups argue that continued habitat loss and pressure on wildlife corridors could further erode the Mara’s appeal to visitors seeking intact wilderness and abundant wildlife.
Al Jazeera contacted Marriott International, Lazizi Mara Limited, the Narok County Government, NEMA and KWS for comment. Marriott and Lazizi have previously said the Ritz-Carlton Maasai Mara Safari Camp received the necessary approvals and complied with Kenyan environmental and planning requirements, while Kenyan authorities have defended the project as being located in a designated tourism investment zone under the Maasai Mara Management Plan 2023-32.
Wangari Kebuchi, an economist and managing director of Expertise Global, told Al Jazeera that the conservancy model offered the most viable path forward, provided it was accompanied by stronger oversight.
“The Maasai Mara is one of Kenya’s biggest economic assets and a major source of foreign exchange, but Narok County depends too heavily on it for revenue. If wildlife numbers decline because of overdevelopment, tourism demand will eventually fall. The conservancy model will help by protecting wildlife corridors and limiting visitor numbers, but it needs stronger oversight. Future tourism growth should be guided by ecological limits, not commercial demand, so the Mara remains both environmentally healthy and economically sustainable,” Kebuchi said.
For conservationists, the court cases are about far more than a single luxury camp. They could determine whether Kenya is willing to enforce ecological limits in one of Africa’s most celebrated landscapes.
As the legal battle unfolds, the question is whether the Maasai Mara can remain both a thriving wildlife ecosystem and a sustainable source of livelihoods and tourism revenue.
“Future tourism growth should be guided by ecological limits, not commercial demand, so the Mara remains both environmentally healthy and economically sustainable,” Kebuchi said.
The UK travel company has stopped all coach and minibus services as a liquidator has been named after a decade in business
A UK travel company has been plunged into administration (file)(Image: Getty)
A UK travel company has plunged into liquidation as its website disappears completely, with passengers unable to make new bookings.
TS Travels Group Ltd offered ‘reliable and safe coach services for tours in West Yorkshire‘.
They claimed to have experienced drivers and well-maintained vehicles ahead of the collapse.
The business covered Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Bradford and provided private hire, corporate transfers and school trips.
On July 29, 2026 a liquidator, Laura Anne Walshe of Keywood Group Limited, was appointed.
According to Companies House the travel firm had been in operation for over a decade, incorporated on July 3, 2015.
The company’s full accounts dated up to July 31, 2025 shows that they had over £250,000 worth of debts. It is unclear whether the closure has created job losses.
It is not the first West Yorkshire based travel company to go bust in recent months. Gold Crest Holidays, based in Ilkley, confirmed it had ceased operations after more than 30 years in January.
The family-owned coach tour operator said it was “deeply saddened” to have entered liquidation at the beginning of the year.
North Macedonia celebrates Republic Day on August 2nd, a date that intertwines religious tradition with pivotal moments of national sovereignty. The holiday originally honors St. Elijah, but it also commemorates the 1903 Ilinden Uprising against Ottoman rule and the subsequent 1944 declaration of a Macedonian state during World War II. Modern festivities center on the town of Krushevo, specifically at the site of a historic battle against the Turks. While commercial businesses typically close for the day, the hospitality sector remains active to accommodate the public celebrations. This source highlights how the date serves as a powerful symbol of Macedonian identity and the long struggle for …
Emmerdale is reportedly losing some familiar faces and gaining both old and new characters on the ITV soap, but are Dawn Taylor, Vinny Dingle and Jimmy King leaving?
Emmerdale fans are wondering who is really leaving the ITV soap (Image: ITV)
Emmerdale fans are wondering who is really leaving the ITV soap and who’s staying put.
In recent months, a handful of names have been reported as cast members leaving the show. As it stands, both cast and the show have yet to comment on the claims.
There are some confirmed returns to the village however, and some teased ones too. We’ve had loads of new faces, temporary and permanent, in recent months too, so could there be more on the way? This is all we know so far about upcoming cast changes and news, including FOUR exits and two returns…
Who’s leaving Emmerdale?
Dawn Taylor
It’s been claimed Dawn Taylor is leaving the show after eight years. Actress Olivia Bromley was said to be written out of the show, while the soap has not confirmed this.
She’s centre stage on the show at the moment, with possible feelings for her ex Billy Fletcher ahead of her wedding to Joe Tate. Dawn is pregnant with Joe’s baby, and now fans think she might flee Joe and the village like she had planned to months earlier.
Jimmy King
A shocking exit rumour is that Jimmy King will leave the show after more than 20 years. It was reported recently that actor Nick Miles has been axed from the show after two decades.
Fans have been left furious by the reports, that have not been backed up by the show. It’s claimed Jimmy will be killed off in devastating scenes later this year, while onscreen at the moment it’s teased he might split from his wife Nicola King.
Vinny Dingle
Another unexpected exit announcement claimed Vinny Dingle is leaving the show after seven years. Actor Bradley Johnson is another cast member said to be axed from the show, while this has not been confirmed.
Vinny only recently embarked on a romance with Lewis Barton, amid a huge storyline months earlier that saw Vinny struggling with his sexuality. So the news that Vinny could be leaving left fans baffled.
Noah Dingle
Fans were also stunned when it was reported that Noah Dingle will leave the show after 22 years. Actor Jack Downham has played him since 2009.
It’s claimed writers have axed Charity Dingle’s son from the show, and onscreen Noah has told some family members he plans to work abroad. Again this is not an exit confirmed by the show or its cast, but it’s thought Noah will leave soon.
Who’s returning to Emmerdale?
A Tate?
Just weeks ago, soap boss Laura Shaw teased a Tate was heading to the show. She didn’t specify whether it was a brand new character entirely, or a past Tate character.
There’s still no news on this, while Mirror will be dropping some new hints very, very soon so stay tuned. For now, fans have been speculating whether it’s a new character like Serena Sugden, or if we might see Jamie Tate return to the show, amid Serena targeting Kim Tate.
Sadie King
The big return coming up is Sadie King, who will return to the village very soon first the first time in 20 years. Actress Patsy Kensit is reprising the role, and the Mirror caught up with her recently – so keep an eye out for that interview!
Sadie left in dramatic fashion in 2006, so what has brought her back after all these years? There’s trouble, secrets and plenty of drama on the way!
Victoria Sugden
Victoria Sugden is heading back to the show at some point, after she fled earlier this year. Actress Isabel Hodgins is currently on maternity leave after welcoming her first child this year.
Isabel was recently spotted on the set, sparking return claims. That said, Isabel previously stated she would like to return around September time, but she’s not completely sure when she will be ready – but she definitely is going back at some point.
Are there any new characters joining?
There’s been no news about some new characters joining soon. That said, there’s not always an announcement, while there was for the likes of Kev Townsend and Serena Sugden.
Recently, Kev’s pal Steve, played by actor Jason Done, joined temporarily. Then there was Kev’s old flame Kylie too, and some other guest roles along the way.
So, there’s new faces all the time and we can expect more. Whether there’s an actual new character joining remains to be seen. If the Tate arrival is a new Tate, then that will be a new character!
Tottenhammake an approach for Victor Osimhen, Atletico Madrid consider a move for Manchester Citywinger Jack Grealish, and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has positive talks with Spurs.
Tottenham have made an initial approach worth up to £55m for Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, 27, but the Turkish champions are looking for closer to £65m for the Nigerian. (Caught Offside), external
Tottenham have held positive talks with Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, but the Reds have no intention of selling the 26-year-old Dutchman. (Teamtalk), external
Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, 24, has completed a medical and is set to join Newcastle after the Czech Republic international’s release clause of £25.7m was met. (Mail – subscription required), external
Hull City are close to an agreement to sign Nice striker Mohamed-Ali Cho, 22, with a transfer fee of about £17m set to secure the French forward. (L’, externalEquipe), external
Chelsea have submitted an improved offer for left-back Pep Chavarria, 28, after Rayo Vallecano responded to the Blues’ opening bid of £12.8m by asking for £21.4m for the Spaniard. (Teamtalk), external
Hull City are close to signing Australia defender Lucas Herrington, 18, from MLS side Colorado Rapids for £17m. (Sun), external
Real Madrid duo Gonzalo Garcia, 22, and Cesar Palacios, 21, have been having medicals with Fulham after an agreement over permanent moves for the Spanish striker and midfielder were agreed. (Sky Sports), external
Aug. 2 (UPI) — Greek police announced Sunday they have arrested a man in connection with the grisly discovery of a British woman whose body had been stuffed into a suitcase and abandoned in an Athens neighborhood.
The Hellenic Police said a 26-year-old foreign man was identified as a suspect in the case and that he has been charged with manslaughter, robbery and violation of weapons laws.
The victim was identified by police as a 38-year-old British woman whose body was discovered stuffed into a suitcase left in an abandoned building in the neighborhood of Kypseli at on July 18.
Multiple media reports named the victim as Elisabeth-Jane Ross, a resident of Scotland.
Authorities determined she had been dead for eight days before her body was discovered.
They said the suspect confessed to his actions after being interrogated on Thursday, confirming to authorities he placed Ross’ body in a suitcase and transported it to the abandoned site.
The man later used victim’s bank cards to withdraw money from he accounts, police said.
During searches carried out at his home, a replica pistol and a knife were found and seized, accounting for the weapons charge.
Hellenic Police said they worked closely with British and Scottish counterparts in investigating the case.
Maybe there is something in the fog. Matthew Rhys landed two Emmy nominations in different categories for darkly comedic and darkly chilling turns this TV season.
Rhys is nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for his deft performance as Tom Loftis, a single dad and the mayor of a cursed New England island who is trying to balance the town’s supernatural threats with his efforts to boost tourism, in Apple’s TV’s breakout horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay.” The word-of-mouth buzz around the series, which premiered in April, intensified each week leading up to its finale last month and prompted chatter around its prospects as a major Emmys contender. The series arrived late in the season, so only its first seven episodes qualify for the 2026 awards cycle, but that was enough for Rhys to nab a nod.
It wasn’t the only performance from Rhys that voters boosted. He is also nominated for lead actor in a limited or anthology series for his role as the sociopath Nile Jarvis, a famed and formidable real estate developer who once was the prime suspect in the killing of his wife, in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.” Nile finds himself in a cat-and-mouse dynamic with his new neighbor (Claire Danes), an author in search of her next book subject who is suspicious of his innocence.
Prior to this year’s nominations, Rhys received five Emmy nominations over his career, including for his lead roles in “The Americans” and “Perry Mason,” as well as a guest actor nod in “Girls.” He won in 2018 for his role as KGB spy Philip Jennings in “The Americans.”
The Times spoke with Rhys about his nomination; these are edited excerpts.
Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis in Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay.”
(Apple)
Congratulations on your exciting morning — it’s a big day in the Rhys-Russell household [Keri Russell, Rhys’ partner, is nominated for lead actress in a drama for her role in “The Diplomat”]. Let’s start with the most important question: What’s in the fog, Matthew?
[laughs] I love how it took me a moment. I was like, “Wait, what?” Oh, yes, the fog! What’s in the fog is an incredible Season 2.
Place me in the moment when you got the news.
I was in Brooklyn Bridge Marina at the time. I just got off a boat, and I thought, “Oh, God, it’s 11:40.” So I thought quite possibly [they] got to our categories. I checked my phone and there were the many texts. That was the exciting moment because if you haven’t been nominated, there’s no text.
Did one text stand out from the others?
The real pinch-me moment — this is going to sound like a real name drop — but it really got me emotional because I thought, if I’d have told my 18-year-old self that Gary Oldman would text me to congratulate me, I wouldn’t have believed it. That’s when it got me in an emotional way because he’s such a true hero.
Let’s start with “Widow’s Bay,” which recently wrapped its first season. There’s something so thrilling about how it broke through the way that it did. What has struck you about how viewers responded to this horror comedy?
There was a great degree of nervousness about how this would land, whether indeed it would land at all, and the fact that it has, and kind of the depth and the complex nature that’s landed or resonated with people in different ways, is what I’ve loved. Some people go, “Oh my God, it’s so funny”; some people say, “Oh my God, it’s terrifying” — some people say both. And some people pick up on the weirdest things, and then some people pick up on the most obvious, great things. But it’s the length and breadth and the variety of its resonances that has really made me very happy, and really made me doff my cap to [creator] Katie Dippold, for what she did.
What should networks and studios take away from the success of “Widow’s Bay” if they are really paying attention?
Take the risk. And challenge audiences. Everyone’s more than ready for it and thirsty for it in a real way. I really hope this does something in the Hollywood psyche, where they go, “Let’s put away the remakes and let’s just get after new challenging, original material.”
What guidance did you get from Katie about who Tom was and how to play him?
She’s dizzyingly collaborative, so she said, “Tom is yours.” It was more me going, “But what about this for Tom?” She would help, but she really said, “Tom is yours to create now. Everything I’ve done is on the page.” And it was. That’s the beauty of her writing. If you’re true to it, and you don’t get in the way of it, it sings.
The way Tom reacts to situations and people is such a master class in facial expressions. Did you recognize that would be your tool for your performance early on?
We had a kind of sliding scale — Hiro [Murai, executive producer and director], myself and Katie — because it was a departure for me. I’d go, “I don’t know where this lives or where reality lives.” And as much as anyone can say, “Play for real” — playing it for real can mean many things. It can mean a very minimal reaction, and it can mean a great reaction, and so there were times when I was like, “I’m gonna hit the sliding scale, and you let me know where it should be landing, or where, in your opinion, it’s landing in a real way.” Sometimes they were like, “Maybe a little less,” and then they were like “Maybe a little more.” That element of collaboration was wonderful too.
The moment on the boat is a GIF I send often. The jolt.
It’s funny, we have a great and incredible stunt coordinator Paul [Marini]. He said, “You have to lead where the momentum of the energy would be; it’d be your hips. So let your hips lead, and then let your body follow.” And I was like, “Oh, that’s smart.” Then if you do that, then it has a degree of comic effect to it. But my pelvis hasn’t quite recovered.
Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis opposite Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.”
(Netflix)
Sort of like your dance moment in “The Beast in Me” — lead with the hips. This is your thing, Matthew.
Anytime, in the stage direction, it says “dances,” I’m like [mimics vomit sound]. That strikes ice in my veins because I’m always like, “Oh my God.”
That’s your horror comedy.
That is my true horror comedy because my dancing can be horrific and comical when it is to be neither.
Let’s talk about “The Beast in Me.” Nile Jarvis was also quite the departure from you. What was your entry point to understanding him and figuring out how chilling to make him?
It was a lot of YouTube watching, where you just type in “psychopaths” and stuff comes up. I read Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test” and “The Journalist and the Murderer” [by Janet Malcolm]. The writing was so strong in “The Beast in Me,” so much of Nile was preemptively done for me. As [director] Antonio Campos said, “The trick might be not to do too much because enough has been said.” Everyone has this predisposed idea of who he is and, therefore, the idea we came up with was to do not as little as possible, but to be minimal with it because he’s aware of what everyone thinks of him and there’s a degree of enjoyment and relishing in that.
Have you been able to sensibly eat a roast chicken since?
No, not sensibly. It’s become Pavlovian for me now. When I eat roast chicken, I devour it in a slightly psychotic way. I love that scene. It’s an astute piece of writing to say so much about someone without words.
What would you be best suited to achieve: rebranding the town of Widow’s Bay as a tourist destination or charming your neighbors into signing paperwork for the construction of a running path through the backwoods of their properties?
I’m not saying I could charm the neighbors, but I would attempt to charm the neighbors. Playing Tom was exhausting in a way that playing Nile wasn’t. I always spent the end of the day on “Widow’s Bay” going, “My God, I’m exhausted” — because you’re just vibrating on a higher level with Tom. It’s always like, “Listen, please!” The pitch is always higher; you’re always like, “You’ve got to listen to me!” Or if you’re terrified, you’re just hyperventilating.
I know the news of these nominations is still fresh and I don’t want to tell you how to approach the big night, but I just have to say, this could be the moment you take a page from Philip Jennings of “The Americans” and come with a wig and getup so when they pan to you during both categories, you can make them feel distinct.
That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to Jennings it. I’m going to PJ it. When it pans to me in the second category, I’m gonna look completely different. I’m going to be dressed as Elizabeth [Jennings].
Well, congratulations. How do you think you and Keri are going to celebrate?
Keri, in true “Americans” style, is having me meet her in a clandestine spot that I don’t know anything about, so who knows what. I don’t know what the afternoon is going to unfold, but it’s a big surprise. She might end up killing me, who knows.
Former New York Sen. Jacob K. Javits, an apostle of progressive Republicanism for more than three decades and widely regarded in his time as one of the most brilliant people in Congress, died Friday night in West Palm Beach, Fla., after a lengthy illness. He was 81.
Javits, who lost his Senate seat in the conservative tidal wave of 1980, had suffered since 1979 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive muscle and nerve disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease that reduced him from a human dynamo to a wheelchair-bound invalid.
He died at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach after being brought in earlier in the day, a nursing supervisor said.
Javits was remembered Friday night by political colleagues as a tough and courageous fighter who, in President Reagan’s words, “was known for his intellect, for his integrity, for his dedication.”
“Especially in foreign relations–his chief abiding interest–Sen. Javits served our country with tremendous insight and skill, proving a staunch advocate of freedom around the world, and a particular friend of the brave state of Israel,” Reagan said in a statement released by the White House.
“He was a truly great American leader, courageous, committed, compassionate,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said of his close friend. “To the very end, he taught us with his own inspiring example to care about those less fortunate than ourselves.”
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) called Javits “one of the greatest intellects ever to serve in the U.S. Senate.”
“Perhaps his greatest contribution to us was his demonstration of courage in refusing to surrender to his illness,” said New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.
Before his illness, Javits usually worked 16 to 18 hours a day after several sets of tennis or a strenuous workout in one of the congressional gyms. When he finally went home at night, he nearly always took a stack of paper work with him.
“Idle time is something he never learned to live with,” John Trubin, Javits’ former law partner, best friend and campaign manager, said of him. “He had an agenda for everything–even relaxation. He wasn’t a guy who could sit around and schmooze (a Yiddish word for idle chatter).”
With his penchant for constant involvement, Javits made himself an expert on practically every major issue before Congress, from civil rights to foreign policy, from high finance to labor relations.
“Just name any important, significant area and Sen. Javits was a leading expert in it,” Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.) said.
It was not uncommon for Javits to pop in and out of half a dozen Senate hearings in a single morning, pausing long enough to pepper a witness with a few tough questions after getting a quick briefing from an aide monitoring the proceeding. If television cameras or a lot of reporters were present, Javits lingered a bit longer than otherwise.
Marriage Suffered
Although Javits’ compulsive work style undoubtedly benefited his career, it did not help his married life. He was always sensitive about his marriage because his wife, Marion, refused to live in Washington. Marion Javits, who was 20 years younger than her husband, was interested in the theater and the arts and found Washington “dull.” She and the couple’s three children once briefly tried life in the capital, but it did not work out.
“Javits was at the office from 8 in the morning until 11 at night so she just gave up,” said Patricia Shakow, a Washington lawyer-journalist who worked for Javits for years.
Jacob Koppel Javits was born in a tenement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on May 18, 1904, one of two sons of impoverished Jewish immigrant parents. He later called his birthplace the “urban counterpart to a log cabin–a janitor’s flat in a tenement.”
His father, who died when Javits was 14, got a basement flat free because he was the janitor. His mother, who was illiterate until she was 55, helped out by peddling household goods from a pushcart. Javits later credited his fondness for public speaking to his days as a youngster helping his mother hawk chinaware.
No Embarrassment
“I never felt the least embarrassment or shyness about getting up in front of a crowd, even a hostile political one,” Javits wrote in his memoirs, published in 1981. “Public speaking is enjoyable for me, often exhilarating–something like the thrill a poet or a painter or a composer gets when his work is well done.”
It was a characteristic remark. Humility was not among Javits’ virtues. Although articulate and a skilled debater, he was no spellbinder as a public speaker. He had a patronizing style of speaking that frequently annoyed his Senate colleagues.
Yet even his critics, of whom there were many, agreed that Javits was a remarkably skilled and innovative legislator who had a talent for compromising diverse viewpoints.
“There isn’t another colleague of ours who has left his imprimatur on more pieces of legislation than Jack Javits,” said Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), who served on two committees with Javits.
For his escape from poverty, Javits gave almost total credit to his late brother, Benjamin, 10 years his senior, who financed his own way through law school at night by working as a debt collector. Prodded by his brother, the younger Javits followed the same path.
Bankruptcy Law
After receiving his law degree, Javits joined his brother in the firm of Javits & Javits, which developed a highly lucrative practice specializing in bankruptcy cases. Both brothers eventually became millionaires.
After serving in World War II as a lieutenant colonel in the Army’s chemical warfare service, Javits decided on a political career. That year, 1946, was a good one for Republicans and Javits was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from a normally Democratic district on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
After four House terms, Javits ran for state attorney general in 1954 and defeated one of New York’s most famous political names, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., son of the late President. Two years later, Javits ran for the Senate and defeated another big Democratic name, Robert F. Wagner Jr., then mayor of New York City.
In the Senate as in the House, Javits was far out of the mainstream of his conservative party.
But Javits found the Senate the ideal forum to expound on subjects about which he felt passionately–defense of Israel, civil rights and the need of more progressives in the Republican Party.
Javits’ alienation from his party’s conservatives became almost total in 1964 when he refused to support Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) for President. But time mellowed both men and they later became good friends. “One of the nicest things that has happened to me lately is the ripening of my friendship with Barry Goldwater,” Javits said in 1980.
Proudest Moment
Javits’ proudest moment came in 1973 when Congress overrode a veto by President Richard M. Nixon and enacted the War Powers Resolution that for the first time restricted a President’s authority to send U.S. troops into combat without the consent of Congress. Javits initiated the resolution. In 1980, Javits was defeated for renomination to the Senate by Alfonse M. D’Amato, a conservative. Javits subsequently ran in the general election as the Liberal Party candidate, and D’Amato again won.
Javits insisted the defeat wasn’t his biggest disappointment.
“My biggest disappointment was in not having been a candidate for President,” he said in an interview with The Times. “The one thing I didn’t go for was the gold ring, and I think I could have gone for it. It would have been a historic opportunity.” In his memoirs, he seemed more wistful of what might have been had he been reelected.
“After 24 years in the Senate minority, having become the ranking minority member on the Foreign Relations Committee, I was dismissed in the year that my party became the majority in the Senate, when I would have become chairman of the committee–a lifelong dream. I was shown the promised land but was not permitted to enter it.”
On the flight home from Chicago, as he reflects on the 4-2 loss to Leeds that ended Liverpool‘s United States tour, manager Andoni Iraola will have plenty to think about.
The first-half display was arguably the best since the Spaniard took charge, but the second was categorically their worst as they conceded four times without reply inside 25 minutes.
Iraola did make a raft of changes at the break and in the second half but that is no excuse for the way they capitulated against Daniel Farke’s side.
Their lack of squad depth and physicality was alarmingly exposed and Iraola will be concerned with the ease with which Leeds scored, albeit against an inexperienced backline that finished with Calvin Ramsay, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye.
With Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz making their return, Liverpool were excellent in the first half and it is important not to be too critical but perhaps Iraola will be glad in the long-run that he saw this second-half display, where Liverpool‘s set-piece deficiencies were evident too.
“We conceded two goals from set-pieces. We have to fix that and make sure we deal with them better,” said midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.
The intensity Iraola demands on the training pitch was evident in the first half but seemed non-existent after the break. Senior figures like Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa did not cover themselves in glory.
“I particularly hate this month of August because you start the competitions and you still don’t know if some of the players are going to leave and who’s going to come – there is a lot of uncertainty,” said Iraola, earlier in the week.
Iraola will meet Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker and new signing Victor Munoz over the coming days at the AXA Training Centre.
By then, the only first-team player he will have yet to meet will be Alexis Mac Allister, who has been granted extra time off following Argentina’s run to the World Cup final. Munoz, who did not play a minute in Spain’s successful World Cup campaign, will return earlier to aid his integration into the squad.
However, over the course of a fortnight in America, Liverpool have had no incomings. That was in part because Iraola wanted to see the squad at his disposal before making decisions.
What he saw in this defeat will play into those decisions.
The colonial history of the islands is dominated by one crop – sugar cane. In the 17th century, the British started to establish sugar cane plantations. These plantations needed a plentiful supply of cheap labour which meant the arrival of African slaves, a practice which continued until the transport of slaves from Africa was banned in 1807.
The ending of slavery in Antigua and Barbuda differs in two ways to the rest of the British Caribbean colonies.
Firstly, in 1680 Charles II granted Barbuda to the Codrington family. As Barbuda was not under British control, it did not have to abolish slavery on August 1st 1834 like Antigua but decided to free its slaves anyway.
Secondly, and uniquely among the British Caribbean colonies, Antigua gave immediate full emancipation rather than having a four-year ‘apprenticeship,’ or waiting period.
To commemorate the earliest abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean, Emancipation Day is celebrated with Antigua’s annual carnival.
Footage shows blast victims hurried into a hospital in northwestern Pakistan, after a suicide bombing at a police station in Kabal near the Afghan border killed at least 14 people. Crowds of people had been protesting nearby when the bomb exploded.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
A pair of previously unseen missiles slung beneath the wings of a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Mitsubishi F-2 fighter underscores the progress Tokyo is making on expanding its long-range strike arsenal, to which the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile was recently added. While the weapon has not been officially identified, its size, configuration, and timing strongly suggest it could be the air-launched version of Japan’s new Type 25 Surface-to-Ship Guided Missile (25SSM).
Photographer @bibabibabibary on X was one of many to capture the new missiles during what was apparently the first test flight from Gifu Air Base today. The aircraft carrying them was the two-seat F-2B serial 68-8101, one of the F-2 prototypes now operated by the JASDF’s Air Development and Test Wing (ADTW). The first F-2A prototype, 68-8101, served as a ‘chase plane’ for the sortie.
— シン・ばらさん（垢乗っ取りされました） (@bibabibabibary) July 30, 2026
Carried on the inboard wing pylons, the missiles are notably large — bigger than the familiar ASM-2 or even the newer, ramjet-powered ASM-3 anti-ship missiles already associated with the F-2 fleet. The new, gray-painted weapons have a long, fairly slender fuselage, folding wings in the upper part of the body, and four cruciform tailfins. The boxier cross-section has ‘chines’ reminiscent of those on other low-observable missiles. Its stealth features should enhance its survivability and lethality against increasingly capable naval integrated air defense systems. An underslung engine intake, with a protective cap, is located below the rear part of the body. There is no obvious optical window, suggesting that the missile relies on GPS/INS navigation and a radar seeker for the terminal phase.
A Mitsubishi F-2 carrying ASM-2 anti-ship missiles under the wings. Japan Ministry of DefenseA Mitsubishi F-2 launches an ASM-3 anti-ship missile. Japan Ministry of Defense
Overall, the weapon has the look of a subsonic, radar-evading cruise missile optimized for long-endurance flight rather than high-speed dash performance.
Significantly, the new missile has a lot of similarities with what we have seen of the Upgraded Type 12/Type 25 family of weapons, suggesting that this is an air-launched derivative.
The Upgraded Type 12/Type 25 is a heavily upgraded evolution of Japan’s legacy Type 12 anti-ship missile, with its range reportedly increased to around 1,000 kilometers (around 620 miles).
The legacy Type 12 anti-ship missile, as used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Japan Ministry of Defense
Once in service, it will substantially increase Japan’s maritime-strike reach. The original Type 12 used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles), while the JASDF’s ASM-2 can strike targets at 180 kilometers (112 miles).
While the original Type 12 was conceived as a coastal defense weapon to attack enemy shipping, the new missile family is a multirole strike system capable of engaging maritime as well as land targets, including enemy missile launch sites and other fixed infrastructure, hundreds of miles from the home islands, as part of Japan’s evolving ‘counterstrike’ posture.
Japan’s pursuit of increasingly capable standoff weapons is being driven largely by the deteriorating security environment in the Indo-Pacific, particularly China’s rapid military expansion and growing arsenal of long-range precision missiles. The People’s Liberation Army fields extensive anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) networks designed to keep U.S. and allied forces at arm’s length, while China’s navy continues its rapid expansion. At the same time, North Korea’s advancing ballistic missile and nuclear programs have reinforced Tokyo’s view that it needs the ability not only to defend its territory, but also to hold hostile missile launchers, command nodes, and naval forces at risk before they can strike.
At the end of March of this year, the JGSDF announced the deployment of the Upgraded Type 12, and, at the same time, officially redesignated it as the Type 25 Surface-to-Ship Guided Missile (25SSM) — the “25” reflects fiscal year 2025, when the coastal defense weapon was formally inducted to service.
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Type 25 Surface-to-Ship Guided Missile during a live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area in June 2026, in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Tomohiro Ohsumi
The Japan Ministry of Defense also says it plans to deploy ship- and air-launched variants of the 25SSM on Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyers and JASDF fighters in fiscal year 2027.
With that in mind, it would make sense that the weapons seen on the F-2 today are the air-launched variants of the 25SSM. We cannot be certain of that, however, and the official designation of such a missile is also unknown (ASM-4 has been suggested).
At this point, we don’t know the status of the new air-launched missile. However, Japan is currently testing a variety of new missiles.
The F-2 is also being used to test an improved version of the ASM-3 high-speed anti-ship missile, the ASM-3 Kai.
Japan is meanwhile working on the New Surface-to-Ship Missile. Earlier this year, an official video was released showing a flight test of the missile in which it executed a series of manoeuvres, including barrel rolls, intended to defeat defenses in the terminal phase of the attack. The New Surface-to-Ship Missile is powered by an efficient turbofan engine and is expected to have a greater range than the Upgraded Type 12. It is similarly intended for launch from ground, maritime, and air platforms. You can read more about it here.
The demonstration of the New SSM’s barrel roll capability can be seen in the video starting at around 0:49 in the runtime.
P-31-1_島嶼防衛用新対艦誘導弾の要素技術の研究
As we reported earlier today, the JMSDF recently fired a U.S.-made Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile from one of its warships for the first time, the Aegis destroyer Chōkai, marking another significant expansion of the country’s standoff attack options.
An air-launched Type 25 would fit well into Japan’s broader shift toward long-range ‘counterstrike’ capabilities, and add another string to the bow of the F-2. Alongside ground-launched Type 25 missiles, new hypersonic weapons, and Tomahawks, Tokyo is assembling a layered standoff strike arsenal designed to hold hostile ships and land targets at risk from far greater distances than ever before.
EXCLUSIVE: Sadie King’s return to Emmerdale is almost here, and now actress Patsy Kensit has told the Mirror her ‘terror’ over her ITV soap comeback after 20 years
00:00, 03 Aug 2026Updated 00:01, 03 Aug 2026
There’s not long to wait until Sadie King returns to Emmerdale(Image: ITV)
There’s not long to wait until Sadie King returns to Emmerdale, after 20 years away.
But while fans are excited, actress Patsy Kensit, 58, confessed she was utterly terrified reprising her iconic role. “I was shaking like a leaf,” she told the Mirror. “It’s been a long time. I’ve done so much work in between, but this… I phoned up Mark Charnock actually, who plays Marlon Dingle.
“I told him, ‘I’m really scared,’ and he said it would be weird if I wasn’t, and that it’s only because I care. But I’m in the swing of things now, and I’m definitely settling in.”
Emmerdale are keeping quiet, for now, on what triggers Sadie’s shocking return, and when the scenes will air. What we can reveal is that she brings trouble to the village in classic Sadie fashion, and there’s some big secrets waiting to be discovered too.
She shared: “We will find out what’s happened to her and it’s interesting. It’s not just a one-note portrayal. Things have happened to her over the last 20 years, and we get older, but I can’t say too much.”
Patsy revealed her role isn’t a full-time return to the Dales. She’s only there for six months, with her set to wrap up filming in December. There’s plenty of drama on the way though before she leaves again, with village residents left reeling over her out-of-the-blue return.
It’s hardly surprising, after her devious antics during her two-year stint on the show between 2004 and 2006. From teaming up with Cain Dingle to con her own family, to her involvement in the deadly show home collapse that left three characters dead, she’s earned her status as one of the soap’s most ruthless characters ever.
But the big question is, has Sadie King changed? “Well, obviously it’s been 20 years,” Patsy told us. “We would hope she’s evolved slightly.
“It was quite easy to slip back into Sadie’s shoes, and it’s really interesting the way that it’s been written. She sort of comes in and causes trouble. People will be unsure if she’s a different person now.”
Patsy was thrilled to be asked back by bosses, first confiding the news in her two sons, James, 32, whose father is Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr, and Lennon, 26, who she shares with ex-husband, Oasis star, Liam Gallagher.
Patsy beamed: “They were really happy. They thought it would be a really great thing for me to do, and they have been really supportive.”
While Sadie isn’t expected to get a warm welcome when she steps back into the village, the same cannot be said for Patsy who was welcomed back with open arms.
“It’s been exceptionally nice,” she told us. “It’s a wonderful place to work. The pastoral care here is incredible, the cast, crew, everyone, every department. They really, really put their arms around me and looked after me.”
Patsy loves playing Sadie, so she jumped at the chance to be her again. But she admitted Sadie isn’t someone she’d be keen to know in the real world.
“Oh gosh, no, she’s awful,” laughed Patsy. “But, no, I do love her. You can’t play a character, really, that you hate.
“I think you’ve got to find something in there. Her sheer capability… I’m pathologically polite, and she will say and do things that I would never do in a million years, and get away with, so I can kind of live vicariously through her at times.”
WASHINGTON — Immigration remains a stronger issue for President Trump than the economy or Iran among Republican voters, according to a new poll, even after three people were killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents within a week in July.
But Trump’s immigration approach is unpopular among Americans overall, the new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found. Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of his performance on immigration, a decline from 49% at the beginning of his second term.
About 8 in 10 Republicans continue to approve of how Trump is handling immigration. That’s a slight decline from the beginning of his second term, when about 9 in 10 Republicans approved, but his support on the issue within his base has been mostly stable since last summer despite a chaotic year of immigration enforcement actions including several shooting deaths.
Republicans are also more likely to approve of how Trump is handling immigration than the economy or Iran. In just the last month, GOP voter approval of Trump’s handling of Iran dropped slightly in AP-NORC polling.
The poll found that about half of U.S. adults say Trump has “gone too far” on deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. That number also has remained steady for more than a year, despite multiple immigration crackdowns that deployed federal law enforcement to large cities and at least 10 deaths involving encounters with immigration officers since the mass deportation campaign began. Republicans are much less likely to say Trump has overstepped in his immigration enforcement actions.
Overall, Trump’s popularity has fallen since he took office last year, but the findings highlight the relatively muted impact of the last year’s aggressive immigration enforcement on his public standing. That’s a contrast with views of his handling of Iran, where he’s seen more recent signs of slippage, even among supporters.
Partisan divide
Americans remain divided on whether Trump has overstepped on immigration.
About half of U.S. adults say Trump has “gone too far” when it comes to restricting legal immigration, in line with the last time the question was asked in February. Roughly half — 47% — say Trump has exceeded his authority when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. In each case, about 3 in 10 say Trump’s actions have been “about right,” and closer to 2 in 10 say he hasn’t gone far enough.
Few Republicans — about 2 in 10 or fewer — say he’s “gone too far” on deporting immigrants in the country illegally or restricting legal immigration.
Most Americans, however, say he’s gone too far when it comes to using traffic stops to find and arrest immigrants living in the U.S. illegally — a practice that was at the center of two recent ICE shootings in Texas and Maine — and when it comes to sending federal immigration agents into U.S. cities. Republicans were also less likely to see these as oversteps.
James Leatherman, a 68-year-old Republican from San Antonio, is generally supportive of Trump’s handling of the presidency and backs him on immigration in particular.
“You cannot come in here illegally — you’re breaking the law,” he said.
More Americans disapprove than approve of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws. About half of Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” disapprove of the agency’s approach, while roughly 3 in 10 “strongly” or “somewhat” approve. There’s a wide partisan split, though: About 6 in 10 Republicans approve of ICE’s approach, compared with about 2 in 10 independents and just 4% of Democrats.
Eric Coursen, 76, an independent from Chincoteague, Va., agrees with the president that there were problems with the immigration system that needed to be addressed. He said doesn’t believe in “open borders,” but he’s deeply opposed to how the administration has been enforcing immigration law.
“It’s like taking some bread when you’re hungry, and you take it, you’re going to shoot that person rather than just, you know, get them for theft?” he said. “It’s just overkill.”
Poor marks on economy
About 3 in 10 U.S. adults, 32%, approve of how Trump is handling the economy. That’s down from 40% at the start of his second term, and marks a shift from his first presidential term when the economy was a relatively strong issue for Trump.
During Trump’s first term, his lowest approval on the economy was 40% in December 2017. Now, his rating is well below that.
Roughly 7 in 10 Republicans — 69% — approve of how Trump is handling the economy. That’s roughly in line with the share who approve of how he’s handing the presidency, but it’s slightly below the 78% who approved early in Trump’s second term.
Leatherman, despite his support for Trump, said he’s feeling the pinch of higher prices in his budget. “I almost have to go to the bank to get a loan before I go grocery shopping,” he said.
About 7 in 10 U.S. adults describe the nation’s economy as “very” or “somewhat” poor, in line with April. Republicans are more optimistic, with about 6 in 10 saying that the economy is doing well, compared with about 2 in 10 independents and roughly 1 in 10 Democrats.
Healthcare remains a weak issue
Healthcare never has been a strong issue for Trump. Unlike with immigration and the economy, a clear majority of U.S. adults has disapproved of Trump’s performance on healthcare across both terms. That hasn’t changed in the new poll, which found that only about 3 in 10 Americans approve of how Trump is handling healthcare, in line with when the question was last asked in December.
He’s experienced a rebound on the issue among his own supporters since late last year, though. Roughly 71% of Republicans now approve, compared with 59% in the December poll.
That shift comes as Democrats kicked off 100 days until the midterm elections last week, with leaders saying they’ll focus on healthcare cuts, in addition to the cost of living and the war in Iran. Democrats and independents continue to overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s handling of healthcare.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,165 adults was conducted July 23-27 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 6 points for Republicans overall and plus or minus 5.4 points for Democrats overall.
Thomson-Deveaux, Sanders and Catalini write for the Associated Press.
![The Maasai Mara’s vast grasslands have made it one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife destinations, but conservationists say its future depends on balancing tourism with protection of nature [File: Evelyn Kahungu/Al Jazeera]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/fa407935083f412685011c79e90cbbb7_6.jpeg?w=640&ssl=1)
