BRUSSELS: Asylum applications to the EU dropped to a five-year-low in the first half of 2026, continuing a downward trend partly brought about by a hardening of migration policy, the bloc’s asylum agency said Thursday.
The European Union plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+) received 332,000 applications for international protection from January to June, 17 percent fewer than in the same period last year.
“This is the lowest number recorded in the first half of a year since 2021,” the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said.
The agency attributed the decrease to the political transition in Syria, which has resulted in a massive drop in applications filed by the country’s nationals, as well as to the EU’s “efforts in cooperating with countries of origin and transit”.
Brussels has recently struck deals with Northern African countries including Tunisia and Mauritania, providing aid and investments in return for help with migration.
War in the Middle East had also not translated into a feared increase in applications from the countries affected, the EUAA said.
Afghans were the largest group of applicants, with 39,000 requests for protection, followed by Venezuelans and Bangladeshis.
Less than a third of applications processed in the first six months of the year were successful, the agency said, noting that this was due to have an impact on future requests.
Under rules that came into force in June, applicants from countries that have a recognition rate of less than 20 percent undergo an expedited procedure linked to swift deportation in case of rejection.
The same is true for applicants from countries the EU deems “safe”.
“In the first half of 2026, nearly 56 percent of applications were from citizenships meeting one or more of these criteria,” the EUAA said.
Among EU nations, France received the highest number of applications (69,000), followed by Italy (66,000), Spain (55,000) and Germany (55,000).
With 23,000 requests Greece was the country that received the most applications per capita.
BERLIN: The leader of the United Arab Emirates began a state visit to Germany on Thursday, during which deals worth billions of euros will be signed in sectors including energy and technology, Emirati diplomats said.
Berlin rolled out the red carpet for Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who was received with military honors by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and was later to meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Security was tight for the visit, with Berlin cordoning off flag-lined streets and deploying large numbers of police.
“Over the course of this visit, the UAE and Germany will make a number of key announcements and multibillion-euro agreements across investment, business, technology, AI and energy,” senior UAE diplomat Lana Nusseibeh said at a briefing ahead of the visit.
The visit comes as the US war against Iran has roiled the Gulf region, with US President Donald Trump’s erratic diplomacy unsettling many midsize powers and leading them to diversify their strategic and economic partnerships.
Merz visited the Gulf region in February, shortly before the US-Israeli war started against Iran. He said then that “we need such partnerships more than ever at a time when major powers are increasingly dominating politics”.
The UAE is Germany’s largest trading partner in the Gulf, with bilateral trade topping $15 billion last year, and many big German companies have a presence there including BMW, Siemens, ThyssenKrupp and rail operator Deutsche Bahn.
The UAE meanwhile has made major investments in Germany, including in the chemical industry and offshore wind power.
During Merz’s visit in February, German energy giant RWE and Abu Dhabi’s national oil company ADNOC signed a memorandum of understanding on LNG imports over the next decade.
Gulf countries have also long bought defense equipment from Germany and have shown interest in start-ups that make drones to bolster NATO’s deterrence efforts against Russia.
Germany, the largest EU economy, supports talks towards a European Union free trade deal with the Emirates.
The group Human Rights Watch called on German leaders during the visit to “publicly call out the United Arab Emirates’ human rights record and its role in regional conflicts”.
No joint press conference was scheduled with Merz and Sheikh Mohamed.
A MAJOR UK airport has quietly increased its drop off fees.
London Luton Airport passengers must now pay £9 to drop off, rather than £7.
The time has been slightly extended, with the fee covering up to 12 minutes, rather than 10 minutes.
After 12 minutes, drivers are also charged an extra £1 per minute, meaning you could pay up to £27 if waiting the max 30 minutes.
The fee must be paid online or by phone by midnight the day after the drop off.
Many travellers have taken to social media outraged by the increase.
Read more on travel inspo
One person said on Facebook: “Free in most European countries!”
Another added: “£7 was bad enough!”
A third person said: “Paid it this morning, spent three minutes in the drop off zone, crazy cost.”
Luton Airport last raised its drop off fee in late September 2025, meaning this is the second time in a year the airport has raised the fee.
The fee was raised by 40 per cent in 2025 from £5 for five minutes to £7 for 10 minutes.
The price hike was the first at the airport in five years.
Over the past year several airports have raised drop off fees, causing outrage among travellers.
Earlier this year, Stansted Airport raised its drop off fee from £7 to £10, for up to 15 minutes.
In 2025, Edinburgh Airport raised its fee to £6 for a 10-minute stay, with additional charges for longer stays.
Sun Travel has contacted Luton Airport for comment.
MANCHESTER, England: Pep Guardiola’s departure was expected to shift the balance of power in Manchester.
The early signs suggest otherwise.
For the first time in 10 years on Sunday, Manchester United goes into the derby against a Manchester City no longer guided by the genius of Guardiola.
Yet, if City wins at Old Trafford, the team of new manager Enzo Maresca would open a 12-point lead on United only four rounds into the Premier League.
Even this early in the campaign that would be a huge gap for United to make up.
While City is still getting used to change at the top after a decade of Guardiola, United has endured a carousel of managers at the same time in a desperate bid to return it to former glories.
Michael Carrick is the seventh permanent manager since the retirement of Alex Ferguson in 2013.
United fans will hope Guardiola’s exit will prove as profound as Ferguson’s. United has not won the Premier League since Ferguson’s final season in charge.
In theory, Guardiola’s exit has removed the biggest barrier standing in the way of United’s route back to the top following his dominance of English soccer. Though he left without the title in his last two seasons, his run of six league crowns in seven years underlined City’s supremacy for the majority of his time at the club.
It would be asking a lot for Maresca — or anyone else for that matter — to emulate that level of success. Maresca, however, could not have made a better start to the season after a 100% winning record in the league and victory in City’s opening Champions League game this week.
Erling Haaland also looks at the top of his game with five goals in his last three appearances.
It’s been a different story for United after its resurgence under Carrick in the second half of last season led to a third place finish.
The opening day defeat to newly promoted Hull was an early blow. There was a win against another newcomer in Ipswich but a 2-2 draw at Everton after leading twice.
It is the type of inconsistency that has hindered United throughout the post-Ferguson years and something Carrick will need to quickly stamp out.
He has recent good memories of the derby. His first match in charge when appointed as Ruben Amorim’s replacement was a 2-0 win against City in Guardiola’s final Manchester derby.
Key matchups
The Manchester derby is the big one of the weekend, with pressure on United to get the season going, while it would be a first statement win for Maresca at City. Defending champion Arsenal is at Sunderland on Saturday.
Players to watch
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard is in outstanding form with four goals in five games in all competitions. Haaland also has five goals and looks unstoppable.
Out of action
Cody Gakpo missed Liverpool’s game against Atletico Madrid because of an adductor issue. Bradley Barcola limped out of that match after appearing to hurt his calf, but coach Andoni Iraola said it was cramp.
Off the field
Manchester United fans plan to stage a protest ahead of the derby in opposition to a clampdown by the club on ticket touting.
The 1958 supporters group claims “loyal, generational” fans are being sanctioned or banned “without, clear and compelling evidence.”
United says its investigation has “uncovered significant and organized touting”.
COMEDIAN Jim Davidson has called off his sixth wedding to his fiancée Natasha after secretly separating – and exclusively revealed to The Sun the reasons behind the split.
The Celebrity Big Brother star, 72, was set to wed at Hampton Court Palace last year – and ending it all has come at quite a cost.
The palatial venue, where all six of King Henry VIII’s wives lived during their marriages, was an amusing nod to Jim’s string of failed marriages – but Davidson and Natasha, 49, have now lost their £10k deposit.
Despite plans to marry six times like the former King of England, funnyman Jim confirmed the engagement is off.
He told The Sun: “There’s no bad blood. Natasha is the most caring and dutiful person.
“It’s not like we’re splitting up because we don’t love each other anymore.
“It’s a sort of a grown-up separation. The timing’s not right because she has so much time for everybody and how can you knock that?”
Dad-of-five Jim met Natasha, who is 23 years his junior, at the Southampton Boat Show in 2023 soon after the breakdown of his fifth marriage.
The smitten comic later introduced her to pals at Reform leader Nigel Farage’s birthday party saying he was going to make her his sixth wife – despite previously admitting his divorces had cost him around £60million.
He even renamed his £350,000 yacht – previously called Princess Mitchie after his ex-wife Michelle Cotton – Lady Natasha in honour of his new love.
However, the former Big Break and Generation Game host says the couple are no longer in a relationship ahead of their third anniversary.
He told us: “We still speak every other day, but whether we’ll ever find room to see one another again, I don’t know.
“She is very dutiful. She puts family first. And of course she has three children and now a grandson as well.
“She is just so busy and so I’m very busy as well. I’ve just finished a tour and my a*** is shaped like my car seat after travelling around the country. I get out of the car and I walk like I’m still in it.
“Our busy lives mean we’ve not been seeing one another. I previously fitted into her life because I’m hardly ever around myself.
“But there’s no bad feelings. I do love her. She’s fantastic.
“She’s the best friend you could ever have. She’s the best mother you could ever have.
“She’s the best daughter you could ever have. And I’m so proud that she was my girlfriend up until now.”
Jim – who was awarded an OBE in the 2001 New Year Honours – launched the Ustreme streaming channel after a successful stint recording short videos during Covid when he was unable to perform live and had no idea how audiences would respond.
The content includes exclusive stand-up shows and in-depth interviews with the aim of “making people laugh like they used to”.
Natasha’s new series is set to air on Jim’s website, where she jokingly refers to herself as the ‘future ex Mrs Davidson’.
Jim continued: “We planned to get married last year and even booked Hampton Court Palace, which we thought was great because Natasha would be the sixth wife and she thought that was hysterical.
“But these days we just don’t have the time to see each other and split up every month.
“So going forward, we might end up seeing each other again, or we might draw a line under it because it’s not practical for the pair of us.
“I said to her, ‘Are you going to give me my jewellery back? and she told me, ‘If you want it back, I’ll just get it from someone else’,” Jim laughed.
“She’s a beautiful girl. How she found time for me, I’ve no idea. She does everything for everybody and asks nothing for herself.”
Ruling out there being another potential wife-to-be on the cards, Jim joked: “The only thing that’s in my life now is a Hyundai Santa Fe and a dressing room.”
Natasha’s new eight-part series launches in October, interviewing an array of celebrity guests.
Meanwhile Jim Davidson – The Christmas Cracker Tour – launches on December 2.
JIM married his childhood sweetheart Sue Walpole in 1971 at the age of 17 after she became pregnant with their daughter Sarah.
The marriage only lasted a year, and they divorced in 1972.
Jim wed second wife Julie Gullick in 1981 and had his second child, Cameron, but split five years later.
Jim wed TV presenter Alison Holloway in 1987, but the marriage was hit with rumours of infidelity and was over by 1989.
One of Jim’s most successful relationships was a 10-year marriage to former Page Three girl Tracy Hilton – the mum of his three youngest children – Charlie, Fred, and Elsie.
Jim married his fifth wife Michelle Cotton in 2009 with hopes that she was ‘the one’.
During an interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, the host asked him about his wife, and Jim replied: “She is a very nice person. She’s impatient, she’s fiery like me.
“I hope I’m with Michelle for the rest of my life, there’s no one better I’d want to spend the rest of my life with. Liz Hurley, perhaps?”
However in 2023, the comedian revealed they had split up, with their divorce finalised in 2024.
He said in an interview posted on ustreme.com: “There you go, the divorce came through today, so it’s done. I’m divorced again, my fifth divorce.
“The house has been sold and that will be going through in March, fingers crossed.
“It’s a new chapter for all of us.”
Derick Hudson
JPMorgan upgraded Meta Platforms (META) to overweight from neutral, citing upside potential following the social media giant’s launch of its AI assistant. Meta Platforms shares rose 1% in premarket trading on Thursday.
“Meta is in the early stages of releasing
FURTHER disruption to air travel could be on the horizon with easyJet pilots confirming strike action in Europe.
The walkout is set to take place across two days meaning flights could be delayed or cancelled – including some to and from the UK.
Affecting flights in France, members of the SNPL pilots’ union have said that its members who work for easyJet will walk out over a pay dispute.
It will start at 4.59am on September 13 and end at 11.59pm on September 14.
According to a statement by Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL) which is the main French national union for airline pilots, the dispute is around the pilots’ rosters with the airline.
Currently, there is no official estimate of how many flights could be cancelled or delayed as a result of the strike.
The amount of disruption will depend on how many pilots participate in the strike and how easyJet changes its schedule.
For Brits, it could affect the airline’s flights to the likes of Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Lyon, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Rennes, La Rochelle and Strasbourg.
It’s likely that not every easyJet flight from these airports will be affected and passengers should check their flight status before travelling on these days for updates on their journey.
Last month another strike by easyJet staff in France resulted in almost 100 flights being cancelled.
The news comes after there were huge delays across all UK airports this week due to a NATS tech outage that left thousands of passengers stranded.
Sun Travel has contacted easyJet for comment.
A look at your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled, when your entitled to compensation and if your travel insurance can cover the costs.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.
If you’re flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight.
You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven’t used yet.
So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.
But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.
When am I not entitled to compensation?
The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.
Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.
Some airlines may stretch the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?
If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you.
Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.
Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.
If your flight is cancelled entirely, you’re unlikely to be covered by your insurance.
Jude Terry and Armindo Sieb each scored a goal, Hugo Lloris had his MLS-leading 12th shutout this season, and LAFC beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 on Wednesday night to end a six-game winless streak.
The Red Bulls (7-11-6) are winless in six straight dating to a 3-2 home victory over Orlando on Aug. 1.
Lloris finished with one save for LAFC (11-7-7).
Son Heung-min cut back to evade a defender, darted toward the end line past another and then fired a shot from the left side of the area that was parried by goalkeeper Ethan Horvath at the near post. Terry, a 17-year-old homegrown, tapped in a first-touch putback from the top of the penalty box in the 21st minute.
Sieb subbed on for Jacob Shaffelburg in the 60th minute and his first MLS goal capped the scoring in the sixth minute of stoppage time. The 23-year-old forward, acquired Aug. 13 from Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga, made his debut for LAFC in a 2-2 tie at Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
LAFC is 11-0-2 this season it scores first.
Dennis Nelich and Sekou Kone, who were added earlier Wednesday from Red Bull New York II, made their MLS debuts. Kone came on for the Red Bulls in the 33rd minute when 17-year-old midfielder Adri Mehmeti went off due to an apparent leg injury.
New York had 57% possession but was outshot 15-8, 8-1 on target.
Horvath had six saves, including three in the closing minutes of the first half.
Bettiah, India – Neyaz Miya was adjusting a kitchen handle. Mehadi Hassan was fixing a bracket for a bed.
They were at different construction sites – Miya in a half‑constructed home, a little higher up the hill, while Hassan was on the ground floor of Ganesh Hotel, closer to the Trishuli River that flowed through Syafrubesi, a bustling market town near the Nepal‑Tibet border, now wiped off the map by the August 26 flash floods.
More than 1,200 bodies have been recovered since then, at least 4,000 people remain missing, and more than 13,000 have been rescued.
“First came the terrifying loud sound. Then the ground trembled, and dark clouds descended upon us,” recalls 34‑year‑old Miya, who ran further up the hill with his phone and slippers that morning, five or six others running alongside him.
Hassan, lower on the slope, did not wait to reach for his slippers or his phone. He just ran, climbing a narrow, stair‑like path, up the hill, stopping only when he reached roughly 60 metres (200ft) above the road.
At some point, Miya and Hassan found each other. Around them were 60 to 70 other survivors who had also gathered high up on the hill.
A decade earlier, Miya had arrived in Syafrubesi as a carpenter. Three years later, he brought Hassan with him – both men from Bihar’s Bettiah district. Over the years, they built the town’s interiors – sofas, beds, almirahs, and kitchens for hotels and homes.
On that Wednesday morning, they watched all of that washed away. The multi‑storey hotels where they had worked – Red Panda, Garden Hotel, Buddha Hotel, Sunrise Hotel – were all swallowed by the flood.
“The town was gone in a blink,” Miya recounts, now sitting in his home in Turhapatti village of Bihar, India, just across the Nepal border. “There were only three kinds of people who survived that day: Those who were out of town, those who were at work and managed to run, and those who lived a little higher up the hill.”
Based on what he witnessed, Miya says only a few hundred people in Syafrubesi, a town that had a population of 2,271 in the 2011 census, likely survived.
Miya and Hasan are among them. Three of their close friends and colleagues, also migrant workers from Bihar, are not.
When the floods reached Syafrubesi, the men were already at work: Their shifts began at seven in the morning.
“To start at seven, we would wake up at four or five,” Miya recalls. They would leave with empty stomachs and were fed tea with doughnuts or biscuits at the construction site by building owners. Their first break came at 11am, when they returned to the rented one‑room space (3,500 Nepali rupees or $23 a month) that housed five to seven migrants at a time.
On the morning of August 26, they left for work alongside 34‑year‑old Arman Ansari, 20‑year‑old Samir Ansari, and 52‑year‑old Mukhtar Ansari, all migrants from Miya’s Turhapatti village.
In the rented room, two teenage boys, Arman’s 14‑year‑old son, Salman Alam, and his friend Shibu Alam, 17, remained asleep. They had come a month earlier to visit the hills.
“My father had cooked meat bhaat (rice with meat),” Salman recounts. He was waiting for his father to return at 11am so they could eat together.
Arman, his father, was working beside Hassan on the ground floor, pasting sunmica onto the same bed. Samir and Mukhtar were on the top floor of the Full Moon Hotel.
When Hassan ran out of the under-construction building and up the hill, he believed Arman was behind him. But by the time Hassan and Miya met higher up, there was no sign of the other three: Arman, Samir and Mukhtar.
Miya and Hassan found the boys, Salman and Shibu, terrified, on the hill. “Salman was crying, howling and searching for his father,” Hassan said.
The flood, which came with a high speed, took half an hour to recede. Soon, helicopters started hovering above them, airlifting the critically injured.
The four of them – Miya, Hassan and the boys – walked down the hill on foot to search for the three missing in the debris. They found nothing but sludge. Miya’s furniture-cutting tools and machines, worth 80,000 Nepali rupees ($530), were buried in the debris.
When they got back to their room, perched high on a slope, they found that it had survived.
But the army had taken charge, and soldiers herded survivors away from tenements near the river. “They said it [the flood] might come again,” Miya recalls.
They slept that night in a government school building in a village, he says. “At night, we were given daal bhat (rice and daal), and we wrapped ourselves in tarpaulin and slept.”
The next morning, a helicopter took them to another village. From there, another helicopter carried them to an army compound in a town. In the evening, they teamed up with five other migrants and hired an SUV to reach Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, each paying 3,500 rupees ($23).
The next morning, on August 28, they hired another SUV, which charged them 950 rupees ($6) each for a distance of 290km (180 miles) to Birgunj, a town on the India-Nepal border. They then crossed the border on foot before boarding buses for their villages.
It wasn’t the homecoming Indian migrants who work in Nepal usually plan.
Turhapatti is among thousands of villages tucked along the 1,715km (1,066-mile) stretch of the India-Nepal border, where generations have crossed back and forth in search of work.
The two countries share an open border, and on both sides, especially in Bihar, the bond is known as a roti-beti ka rishta (a relationship of food and daughters), alluding to ties of livelihoods and matrimonial kinship. People live, work, and marry across the border.
Kathmandu is as close to Turhapatti as is Patna, the capital of Bihar. Per its 2021 Population and Housing Census, Nepal had 700,000 foreign-born residents, 97 percent of them from India.
Miya and Hassan say the wages for a carpenter or a mason on the Indian side are between 600-700 rupees, while for the same work in Nepal, wages are about 900 rupees. That drives migrant workers from India over the border into Nepal.
Nepal, for its part, is facing a major out-migration crisis — its per capita income is the lowest in South Asia, barring Afghanistan, and hundreds of thousands of young men and women leave each year to find work elsewhere. This creates a demand for migrant workers from Bihar, India’s poorest state that lies just across the border.
In Turhapatti, Miya owns only 0.03 hectares (0.06 acres), not enough to feed his family of six children, wife and parents. In recent years, he transitioned from being a carpenter to a contractor, which allowed him to bring in more workers from Bihar.
He had been sending 30,000 Indian rupees ($315) back to his family every month.
Hassan has even less back home: He inherited a 6×8-metre (20×25ft) room from his father and no agricultural land. “There is no regular daily work here,” he says. He would send 15,000 Indian rupees ($157) home from Nepal each month for his wife and four children.
Their story echoes in most homes in Turhapatti. The village had a population of 16,000 people in the 2011 census, India’s latest one. In nearly every household, men have left to work in other parts of India and abroad as carpenters, masons, or labourers mixing cement and sand into mortar.
The destinations are Kashmir, where close to 700 men from the village work; Nepal, with nearly 600; and thousands scattered across Indian cities: Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai. About 100 men have migrated to Dubai, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The houses they built in Turhapatti stand in stark contrast to those of those who remain in India. The marble-fronted and iron-gated homes belong to men working in the Gulf, while semi-permanent dwellings belong to those who stayed behind.
Migrants in Nepal fall in between: Miya has been able to raise a brick house.
This economic reality is what drove Arman Ansari to Syafrubesi. On July 26, Arman left for Nepal with Samir and Mukhtar. Arman’s son and his friend Shubu went with the three adults; the teenagers were on a trip to the hills.
Now, Arman’s brother-in-law. Jameel Miya, a carpenter in Kathmandu, scours the city’s hospitals for Arman’s body, telling authorities that his brother-in-law’s right hand and chest had deep scars, cut by shards of glass when he was young.
Arman’s wife, Sahrun Khatun, has only her last phone call with Arman to hold on to. They spoke two hours before the floods swept him away. “He was about to get his wages on September 1 and return home,” she says.
Salman, who had tagged along with his father to see the hills, hasn’t been able to sleep since the flood.
“The moment I close my eyes, I feel the flood is coming for me,” he says.
Mukhtar’s family lives a few lanes away.
Since the floods, Kasmun Khatun, Mukhtar’s wife, has been glued to the internet for any news of her missing husband. Joining her in that remote search are her daughter Asmana (18) and son Sadre Alam (14).
Her eldest son, Osama, 25, a tailor in Kathmandu, has been busy searching for his father in city hospitals.
“After waiting for a week and watching the videos, I submitted my DNA samples,” he says over a phone call. Osama manages to send home 6,000 rupees ($63), but that is no longer enough – his mother needs eye surgery that has already been delayed and cannot be put off much longer.
“The guardian has gone, all of a sudden,” he says, referring to his father.
At the far edge of Turhapatti stands the home of Samir Ansari, the youngest among the missing migrants and youngest of his five migrant brothers.
The Ganesh Hotel project he was working on was only three days from completion.
“He said he found another site to work on,” recalls his father, Hasmuddin Miya, remembering their last phone call on the evening of August 25.
Samir was a mason who specialised in marble tiles, a skill he had learned in Kashmir while working under his elder brothers at construction sites.
The three families are preparing to host a bhoj, the funeral feast – a custom of feeding hundreds of people – having given up on hope.
Meanwhile, the two survivors, Miya and Hassan, are already making calls to find work again. This time, their search turns towards Nepal’s plains. They pledge never to return to the hills.
“My whole body shivers at the thought of going there,” says Hassan.
The provided text details the history and modern observance of Jeûne genevois, a traditional public holiday in Geneva, Switzerland. Originally rooted in religious fasts to support persecuted Protestants during the 16th century, the occasion has evolved from a spiritual requirement into a recognized regional day of rest. Although the strict fasting practices of the past have largely faded, the local community continues to celebrate by consuming traditional plum pies. Beyond this cultural focus, the source functions as a broader news digest, featuring information on international exchange rates and diverse global headlines. These headlines cover topics ranging from political events in the United States and Ukraine to health technol …
Ukraine launches one of its deepest strikes to date, targeting gas plants in Russia’s Arctic region.
Published On 10 Sep 202610 Sep 2026
Russian forces have launched attacks across Ukraine, killing at least seven people, according to Ukrainian officials, as Kyiv claimed responsibility for a drone attack that set off a fire at a natural gas plant deep in Russia’s Arctic region.
Four people were killed in a Russian attack in Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine overnight on Thursday, while three were killed in a drone attack on a shopping centre in the northeastern city of Sumy, according to Ukrainian authorities.
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Heorhii Reshetilov, the acting governor of the Mykolaiv region, said the Russian strikes there hit both civilian and industrial infrastructure, killing two men and two women. At least 19 others were wounded, he said on Telegram.
The attack in Sumy left at least 14 people wounded, according to Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration. Three of the victims were children, he said on Telegram.
The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the attack in Mykolaiv, but said it targeted a drone warehouse. The ministry said it also hit the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk and two vessels near Odesa on the Black Sea.
The targets of the strikes were being used for military purposes, the ministry claimed.
The attacks came after Russian authorities said Ukrainian forces had launched a drone attack on the country’s Yamal-Nenets region, which is located some 2,800 kilometres (1,700 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Dmitry Artyukhov, the region’s governor, said the attack targeted an industrial facility in Novy Urengoy. The attack was repelled, but falling debris from the drone caused a fire, he said on Telegram.
“The main thing is that there were no deaths or injuries. The extent and nature of the damage are being determined,” he added.
Artem Zhoga, the Kremlin’s envoy to the Urals, said Wednesday’s strike was the first ever to hit the Arctic part of the region.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) confirmed the attack in a series of posts on X.
“For the first time! Deepest strike of the war: Ukrainian SOF hit critical russian plants more than 3,000 km away,” it said. “Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces carried out the deepest strike inside russia since the beginning of the full-scale war.”
In the posts, the Ukrainian force claimed it “successfully struck” two gas plants, Novy Urengoy and Purovsky.
“Until today, the area was considered a safe rear zone for the aggressor,” it added.
The Ukrainian force said the facilities play a key role in Russia’s gas industry, processing large volumes of condensate from gas fields across the Yamal region, processing millions of tonnes of condensate per year.
Gazprom used to export gas from Yamal as far as Western Europe until relations broke down following the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine in 2022.
It estimated the region’s gas resources at 26.5 trillion cubic metres as of 2020, enough to cover global demand for more than six years.
Ukraine has escalated its long-range strikes on Russia in recent months, in retaliation for daily Russian bombardment of Ukrainian towns and cities.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s drones would make Russian airspace “completely unsafe” for the duration of the war.
The Jury star shared the extraordinary difficulty of reaching a verdict(Image: Channel 4)
A man who appeared on The Jury has opened up on ‘most difficult’ deliberation yet.
The contestant took part in the Channel 4 hit show and explained the extraordinary difficulty of reaching a verdict as the gripping series heads towards its final episode.
James, one of the members of the specially assembled jury, admitted the group faced an incredibly challenging time when they retired to deliberate over the case.
Speaking to The Daily Mirror about the experience, he said it was “probably one of the most challenging deliberations and claimed it was the most difficult the jurors had faced across the series so far.
James added, “I know for a fact out of 2 seasons previously, it was probably the most difficult of deliberations so far, and I suppose we really, really struggled to come to a decision.”
His comments come as The Jury reached the crucial stage of its four-part run, with the final episode airing on Channel 4 tonight (September 9).
The series has placed ordinary members of the public in the extraordinary position of having to decide the fate of two brothers accused of killing their stepfather.
Unlike a conventional documentary, the programme recreates a real-life murder trial using actors, with the jurors watching the evidence and arguments before being asked to reach their own verdict.
In the real case, the brothers were accused of killing their stepfather after years of alleged abuse and violence within the family home.
The Channel 4 series changed the defendants’ names, with the teenage brothers referred to as Daniel and his older brother as Luke.
The case presented the jurors with a particularly difficult question: could the brothers’ age, background, and claims of abuse alter how responsibility for the killing should be judged?
Reaching a conclusion was far from straightforward, and for James, it was even more difficult as he was voted as the jury’s foreperson.
He recalled the moment he was left feeling “really disrespected” when he was called out by a fellow juror. He said, “There was a moment where I went around all the jury members.
“I went around individually, and I asked people for their final decision, and when it came to be, quite literally, the last person to go, I was really thinking about what I was saying. And then another member of the jury, Phil, called me out, basically said, ‘Come on mate, we’ve not got all day, get a move on’”.
James added: “I just felt really disrespected because I had been voted in as the foreperson, so I had a responsibility to moderate a conversation, a really serious one of that, but also have my say at the same time.”
You can stream the new season of The Jury on Channel 4
Iraq’s ruling coalition has been forced to abandon plans to create deputy prime minister posts amid disputes over bringing weapons under state control, while sources say political factions are moving to recalculate their shares of the remaining vacant ministries.
Since parliament has approved Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government on May 15, 2026, giving the green light to 14 out of 23 ministers, political disputes have prevented appointments to nine portfolios, most notably the interior and defense ministries.
A more complicated dispute involved attempts by forces within the Coordination Framework to create four deputy prime minister posts. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq was among the leading proponents, with its leader, Qais al-Khazali, putting forward his brother Laith al-Khazali for one of the positions.
Reliable sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq had sought the post after formally agreeing to the plan to bring weapons under state control, but US objections blocked the appointment.
The sources described a “test of strength” between al-Zaidi and Coordination Framework forces because of the overlap between completing the Cabinet and the weapons issue. Scrapping the deputy prime minister posts, they said, opens the door to bargaining and forces all sides to recalculate the points assigned to ministries.
Observers believe efforts to complete the Cabinet began to falter as some political forces backed away from the weapons plan.
Al-Zaidi had made bringing arms under state control a key pillar of his government program. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and other factions later joined the proposed settlement in hopes of easing international pressure.
Sources said the Coordination Framework’s latest meeting exposed sharp divisions between leaders opposed to creating deputy PM posts and others insisting on them, preventing the coalition from issuing a statement afterward.
Al-Zaidi has held a series of meetings with Coordination Framework leaders in recent days in an effort to reach agreement on completing his Cabinet, particularly after his government marked its first 100 days.
Figures close to the prime minister’s office said he urged ruling coalition leaders to continue supporting the government in resolving outstanding issues, including bringing weapons under state control, combating corruption and filling Cabinet vacancies, regardless of disputes over deputy prime minister posts.
Under Iraq’s informal power-sharing system, ministries are distributed among election-winning political forces according to points based on each party’s number of parliamentary seats.
Legal and legislative affairs researcher Saif al-Saadi told Asharq Al-Awsat that scrapping the deputy PM posts would increase the value of the remaining portfolios, with sovereign ministries potentially worth 15 to 20 points and service ministries 10 to 12.
Al-Saadi expected two or three ministries to be filled, while the rest could remain under acting ministers because of domestic and external factors. He said the United States opposes militia-linked figures taking senior government posts, while competition among Shiite political forces is delaying agreement on candidates for the vacant portfolios.
The chain once had 30 parks including this now-closed location in Prestatyn, Wales(Image: Christopher Furlong, Getty Images)
A holiday park that was once part of a chain of 30 sites and now stands as the brand’s last remaining location has been crowned the worst in the UK.
A Which? survey ranking the best and worst holiday parks across the country has placed Pontins firmly at the bottom, with its final remaining site in Weston-Super-Mare in Somerset being given the dubious honour.
Scoring a woeful 61% rating, Which? readers awarded the brand just two stars across customer service, accommodation quality, cleanliness, and food and drink. And despite being one of the most affordable options in the rankings, averaging £38 per person per night, it still only scraped two stars for value for money.
The dismal scores are a world away from Pontins’ glory days, when it was renowned for lively family getaways featuring its famous Bluecoats entertainers — a launching pad for the careers of Shane Ritchie and Bobby Davro. The brand was rescued from the brink of collapse 15 years ago when it was snapped up by Britannia Hotels, a chain Which? has repeatedly labelled the UK’s worst hotel chain.
Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
Its sole surviving site, Sandy Bay Holiday Village, is adults-only and appears to be actively distancing itself from the Pontins name, with no mention of the brand anywhere on its website. The park boasts a heated indoor pool, games room, live shows, and daily activities.
The park has received mixed reviews on Google, currently sitting at 3.6 stars out of five. One recent reviewer said: “The location is great, beach right in front of the resort, Weston only a 10 min open bus journey away”, also praising the accommodation for its cleanliness and upgraded room options.
Yet less favourable reviews tell a different story, with guests claiming “the rooms were filthy. We didn’t even have matching curtains!” and “dirty, smelly, run down! They may have changed their name, but they haven’t changed their shame.”
Prior to the closures, Pontins regularly made headlines as disgruntled customers reported grimy accommodation and poor facilities. In the now-closed Pontins Southport, guests complained of people smoking drugs and drunk parents roaming the park. A mum who visited the Brean Sands report alleged her children were left in tears after finding rubbish and dirt all over their room.
Another family, who visited Pontins Prestatyn in Wales dubbed it a “holiday from hell”. They claimed the room was yellowing from stains, the pool and restaurants were shut, and they “couldn’t even see out of the windows” due to grime.
At the opposite end of the rankings, Potters Resorts topped the table with its all-inclusive resorts in Norfolk and Essex, while Hoburne Holidays secured second place. Hoburne operates parks throughout the south and south west of the UK, including sites in the Cotswolds, Dorset, and Somerset.
Which? said: “This fifth-generation family business’s seven locations (in the south of England ) are all ideally situated, from a clifftop in coastal Dorset to a woodland retreat in the New Forest.”
It added: “There’s no tray jostling in sterile canteens either. Restaurants, like the lantern-adorned Pier House, with its sea-view terrace, source local, seasonal ingredients such as Brixham trout – earning the brand five stars for its food and drink. Activities make the most of each park’s unique surroundings, whether it’s guided bat walks or instructor-led kayaking on the wetlands of its Cotswolds site.”
(Name of resort, overall customer score)
Based on a survey of 2,221 Which? Connect panel members and general public conducted in February and March 2026.
08:36, 10 Sep 2026
Potters Resorts was named as the best-rated UK holiday park by Which?(Image: Potters Resorts)
Britain’s best holiday park is an all-inclusive gem that costs a little more but offers a lot.
There are plent of excellent holiday parks across the UK, from the cheap and cheerful Butlin’s and Park Dean, to the more upmarket Center Parcs and Bluestone. However, they have all missed out on being named the best in the UK.
Potters Resort has topped the Which? holiday park rankings, with its Norfolk and Essex sites winning a customer score of 83%.
Stays start from £88 per person per night, which is higher than most comparable holiday parks, yet guests have still awarded the resort 4/5 for value. It is worth noting that Potters is the only holiday park in Britain to offer a truly all-inclusive experience, with four meals a day included alongside a wide selection of drinks – from wines and beers to G&Ts.
The resort keeps guests busy throughout the day with a packed programme of activities. Whether you fancy a go on the rally karts, a session in virtual reality, a spin at the silent disco or a splash in the water at Five Lakes, there is something to suit every taste and age group. Wellness enthusiasts are also well catered for, with Pilates, yoga, Nordic walking and birdwatching all part of the package at no extra cost.
Come the evening, the entertainment steps up a gear. Resident show Musical Icons takes to the stage nightly, performing tributes to iconic acts spanning the Motown era, Carole King, ABBA, the Bee Gees and beyond, with a showstopping Bohemian Rhapsody finale rounding off proceedings.
“After opening its doors in the 1920s, family-run Potters claims to be the first-ever holiday park, and its all-inclusive model still sets it apart. The nightly rate at its two parks – in Essex and Norfolk – may be higher than rivals, but you stay in suites or bungalow-style accommodation (there isn’t a caravan in sight) and all food and drink (which is excellent) is thrown in. It was the only park to clinch the full five stars for its entertainment and activities (also included), which range from birdwatching to go-karting.
“Guests loved that they could soak in the spa and play all the rounds of pitch ‘n’ putt without worrying about their final bill spiralling out of control. ‘Great entertainment, all staff helpful and polite, good food and plenty of it,’ one happy customer remarked. Forget everything you think you know about holiday parks, as Potters’ attentive service and first-class facilities will wow you – with no sneaky extra charges later on.”
The Mirror’s Mikey Smith paid a visit to Potters with his family and had a brilliant time.
“Imagine the good old British ‘holiday camp’ atmosphere – family fun by the sea, with nightly entertainment and everything you need on-site – but brought bang up to date, with comfortable rooms and high quality amenities. And then imagine it borrowed a few ideas from luxury cruise ships. Then you’re getting somewhere near what Potters is,” Mikey wrote.
“For many, the phrase ‘all-inclusive resort’ conjures images of lukewarm buffets, piled high with chips and pizza slices, perhaps the occasional chicken nugget and long benches of weird-looking salad. Not so at Potters. Each lunchtime and evening menu offers three or four restaurant-quality starter and main options. During my stay I had a buttery, flaky Sea Bass fillet, some deliciously crispy deep fried Halloumi and a perfectly cooked chicken breast with mushroom and thyme sauce.
“None of them would trouble a Michelin star – but they’d give any of the foodie pubs near me a solid run for their money. And that’s before we come to the carvery, which is served every evening with a different roast meat.”
You can read his full review here.
Mike Scott, managing director of Potters, said: “To be named the UK’s Best Holiday Parks and Resorts by Which? readers is a fantastic achievement. To have topped the list in three consecutive surveys since 2022 is something we’re immensely proud of, especially among so many well-known UK break providers. Recognition from Which? means so much because it reflects the honest opinions and experiences of guests. It tells people what it’s really like to stay with us and makes this achievement all the more special.
“As a family-owned business, we can’t compete with the household names on marketing budgets, and we don’t try to. Instead, we focus on giving every guest an exceptional experience. Our breaks are fully inclusive, so we’re not constantly trying to upsell or charge guests for every little extra. It means our guests can simply relax and have fun, while our team can focus entirely on looking after them and making their stay memorable.
“This recognition reinforces what we’ve always believed: Potters Resorts offers the best breaks in the UK. And, of course, a huge thank you must go to our amazing team and our lovely guests, who together have made Potters such a special place.”
(Name of resort, overall customer score)
The rankings are drawn from a survey of 2,221 Which? Connect panel members and members of the general public, conducted in February and March 2026.
Defending champions the Seattle Seahawks came from behind to beat the New England Patriots 13-10 in the opening game of the NFL season.
For the first time in 10 years the season began with a rematch of the Super Bowl, in which the Patriots were dominated by a Seahawks defence known as ‘the Dark Side’.
Again they stepped up after Seattle lost quarterback Sam Darnold to a hip injury in the game’s opening drive, claiming three interceptions in the final quarter at Lumen Field.
The Patriots went into a 10-0 lead, with rookie tight end Eli Raridon scoring the first touchdown of the season in the second quarter.
Back-up quarterback Drew Lock got the Seattle offence going late in the third quarter, with Jason Myers cutting the gap with a field goal.
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett claimed his first career interception at the start of the fourth quarter, after a Drake Maye pass was deflected by rookie Rodney Thomas.
On the next possession Lock found wide reciever Jaxon Smith-Njigba in space and last season’s offensive player of the year charged through the Patriots defence for a 45-yard touchdown.
Julian Love then picked off Patriots quarterback Maye, giving Myers the chance to edge the Seahawks in front with a 26-yard field goal.
New England were well within field-goal range with 21 seconds remaining, but chose to go for the win rather than settle for overtime, and the move backfired as Maye’s hopeful pass towards Mack Hollins was intercepted by Josh Jobe in the end zone.
The only game in which Maye threw multiple interceptions last season was the Super Bowl, and he was picked off on the Patriots’ final three possessions in the season opener.
Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said initial tests showed Darnold had not fractured a hip.
Week one continues with the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia. The Los Angeles Rams meet the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne on Thursday (01:35 BST, Friday).
Harimoto, whose record 3,085 career hits still stands, was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Published On 10 Sep 202610 Sep 2026
Japanese baseball legend Isao Harimoto, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and became the first player from his country to reach 3,000 hits, has died aged 86, reports said.
Born to Korean parents in Japan, Harimoto learned to play left-handed when an accident at the age of four left him with severe burns and limited mobility in his right hand.
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He survived the atomic bombing as a five-year-old, his mother jumping in front of him and his sister to shield them from the blast.
He went on to rack up 3,085 career hits, which still stand as a record in Nippon Professional Baseball.
He played for several teams in Japan, including the all-powerful Yomiuri Giants, and earned himself the nickname “Hit Machine” for his batting prowess.
He retired in 1981 after 23 professional seasons and worked as a TV commentator.
Harimoto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
07:16, 10 Sep 2026
Bernina Express train on Landwasser Viaduct, Filisur, Graubunden, Switzerland
Flight chaos and cost driving people to trains and cruises, report says Holiday experts say the rising cost and uncertainity of air travel is sparking a rising interest in rail and cruise breaks in the UK. Bookings for rail and cruise itineraries have jumped 31% year-on-year, according to a report from The Luxury Holiday Company – with 87% saying they are interested in a rail or cruise holiday in 2026.
Nearly half say these types of holidays now offer better value for money and 27% say they want to avoid ‘airport hassle’
The report also found a growing shift towards multi-generational holidays whike people want to prioritise ease, comfort and ‘together time’. The data shows that European-specific rail holidays are alsogetting longer, with average stays increasing by 14%, while European and Scandinavian cruises have surged by 433% year-on-year.
Scenic journeys also play a major role, with more than a third saying scenery and views are a core part of the holiday experience.
Alison Nicolle, rail and cruise travel specialist at The Luxury Holiday Company, said: “Our research shows Brits’ travel priorities this year include a strong desire for experience-driven or bucket-list-style holidays. We’re seeing a rise in rail and cruise holidays year on year, and there’s no sign of this slowing down.
“In 2026 travellers want to see more, and enjoy the journey itself, all while reducing the stress of constant planning. We’ve seen demand rise for groups booking a cruise or rail holiday, as group bookings have skyrocketed 55% in the past year.
“This isn’t just a niche trend. Groups want holidays where everyone, from grandparents to grandchildren, can experience beautiful destinations, relax and enjoy the journey itself. Slowing down, seeing nature and prioritising relaxation over adventure are the most important factor to more than a third of travellers this year.
“Clients are booking longer rail journeys as well as choosing itineraries that combine scenery, culture and indulgence. It’s no longer about getting there quickly, it’s about travelling well.”
Trump also said further negotiations with Iran could possibly happen, “but it’s not something we’re looking at”.
The US president initially predicted the war, which is now in its seventh month, would last only a matter of weeks. The conflict, and its knock-on effects on everything from fuel to groceries, has led to a steep decline in his approval ratings – and pressure from those within his party, including devout supporters, to quickly end the war.
Midterm elections will be held on 3 November, and Republicans are in danger of losing their control on Congress.
At the convention, Trump sought to energise the party ahead of November. Historically, a sitting president’s party tends to lose seats in Congress in the midterm elections.
Fighting in the Middle East has intensified in recent days, as oil facilities throughout the region come under attack, driving up the global price of fuel and any item that requires shipping.
The price of oil hit $100 a barrel on Wednesday for the first time since July. Similarly, earlier this week the price of US diesel hit an all-time-high, which is likely to cause a ripple effect on prices across the US.
On Wednesday, the US military said it had attacked five oil tanker ships with ties to Iran. Tehran, in response, launched attacks on two US Navy destroyers and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, causing “heavy damage” to the vessels, according to Iranian state media.
A day earlier, the Iran-linked Houthis in Yemen launched a wave of attacks in Saudi Arabia, sparking fires at oil facilities.
The fighting, which began again recently after a 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran formally expired last month, has also raised predictions that the rising fuel costs could lead to higher interest rates in the US.
JOJO Siwa has addressed whether she’d date women again – as she lifted the lid on her relationship with Chris Hughes.
The US singer and dancer, 23, struck up a romance with Love Island alum Chris, 33, on last year’s edition of Celebrity Big Brother.
Prior to entering the House, JoJo had been in a relationship with Kath Ebbs and identified as a lesbian.
Although during her time on the show, the star later said she wanted to identify as queer.
Speaking more recently on the Wildmen podcast, JoJo refused to rule out dating women again.
She told hosts Dylan Sprouse and Brendan Columbus about her relationship with Chris: “I thought it was just another friend adding to the thing, right?
“Once realised I wasn’t grossed out by the thought of him being a boy, I was like “whoa.”
JoJo continued: “It was definitely… it was weird, because I’d never thought that before.”
The star explained while she had attractive male friends, she never thought of them romantically – joking her bridal party would be “all dudes.”
JoJo went on: “With Chris… it actually was fascinating because I physically thought I would never be with a dude, ever. I just never thought it was possible.
“And people always go, “What if something happened with Chris, who would you date? – boys or would you go for girls?
“At this point, I have no right to say. You can find interviews on me where I’ve sworn how gross dudes are and I’ll never be with one.
“And now I’m head over heels in love with one.
“People always ask that and it’s always just like, “I have no right to say”, but I really do think that Chris is very much so a special dude.”
GAZA: An Israeli strike in Gaza on Thursday killed a family including two children, Palestinian hospital and security sources said.
“The bodies of four members of the Ahmad family were recovered in pieces after an Israeli strike hit a house in the Beit Lahia Project area in the northern Gaza Strip,” an official at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said, identifying the children as aged 12 and eight.
The Israeli military, contacted by AFP, said it was checking.
Start/finish Coombs Road in Bakewell to Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale, but there are lots of access points along the way
Distance 8.5 miles
Cycle, hike or ride a horse along the Monsal Trail to explore a swathe of Derbyshire’s industrial history. This former stretch of the Midland Railway line winds past the imposing structures of two 18th-century cotton mills, through illuminated railway tunnels and over the Headstone Viaduct, which gives glorious views of the River Wye and Monsal Dale below. Interpretation and listening panels along the route explain the area’s history, geology and wildlife, while a short detour on to Monsal Head offers a panoramic view of the viaduct itself. Pause here for lunch or a pint at the Monsal, or stop in at Hassop Station Cafe, which offers bike rental alongside hefty sandwiches, homemade cakes and wood-fired pizza at weekends.
monsaltrail.org.uk
Start/finish Yatton railway station to the old (unused) Cheddar railway station
Distance 10.7 miles
Named for the fruity cargo that trains once carried from the strawberry fields up to London, this flat, accessible route – shared by walkers, cyclists and wheelchair users – knits together former railway stations, cider orchards and small, historic towns. Direct trains run from Bristol to Yatton, where the not-for-profit, community-run Strawberry Line Cafe serves hearty breakfasts and homemade cakes, while next door the Strawberry Line Cycle Project offers bike hire and accessories such as child seats. The route runs through wildlife-rich wetlands, open grazing land and lush valleys, while the medieval square at Axbridge gives an insight into the region’s rich history, dating back to the 10th century, when it was a busy commercial centre. Settle in at the Almshouse Teashop, in a building almost 600 years old, for freshly made soup and sweet treats, before setting off again.
thestrawberryline.org.uk
Start/finish Marian Mawr car park in Dolgellau to Barmouth viaduct
Distance 9.5 miles
Mostly running alongside the Mawddach estuary, this tranquil trail is a great choice for birders, with peregrine falcons and buzzards whirling above, and curlews and oystercatchers in the salt marshes. The wide, even surface also makes it ideal for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and there are several joining points along the trail, meaning you can walk or bike as little or as far as you like. Just next to the 150-year-old Penmaenpool wooden toll bridge, the George III hotel and pub offers sweeping estuary views and classic pub food (including particularly fine pies), or pick up picnic supplies from Fork, Cork and Feathers in Dolgellau, which has a cold counter crammed with cured meats, cheeses and other local produce. There are seats and picnic tables dotted all the way along the trail.
mawddachtrail.co.uk
Start/finish Station Road in Heathfield to Hampden Park in Eastbourne
Distance 14 miles
A great choice for a family adventure, this mostly flat trail has five augmented reality “story stops” along the way – where, with just a quick scan of the QR code, children can interact with animated wildlife characters, solve puzzles and take a selfie with a grumpy badger. There are sculptures too, including carved wooden seats made from oak trees that fell during the great storm of 1987 and steel sculptures that act as mileposts. Cuckoo Shack Cafe, part of Priory Court Farm in Polegate, is set right on the trail and offers homemade-cakes, sandwiches and excellent coffee, but it is only open at weekends and during school holidays. Otherwise, a quick diversion into Hailsham offers a clutch of places to eat, including Neapolitan street food and wood-fired pizza at Rustico.
wealden.gov.uk
Start/finish Braintree station to Start Hill, near Bishop’s Stortford
Distance 15 miles
Discover a tranquil side of Essex by following this rural trail along the edge of the former royal hunting ground of Hatfield Forest – where fallow deer roam between the ancient oak trees – and Great Notley Country Park, where families can take advantage of the 1.2km play trail, with slides, forts and swings. The main refreshment stop is 2 miles along the trail from Braintree at the Rayne Station centre, which combines the Booking Hall Cafe with the free-to-enter Railway Carriage Museum, a visitor centre and toilets. For something more sustaining (and a pint or two), the Lion and Lamb pub is just a short detour off the trail, in the pretty village of Little Canfield. Keep an eye out for kestrels and buzzards, plus brown hares dashing out of the hedgerows.
explore-essex.com
Start/finish West Kirby railway station to Hooton railway station
Distance 12.2 miles
One of the first converted railway lines in England, the Wirral Way is now a dramatically beautiful coastal path running along the Wirral Peninsula. It takes in the Wirral Country Park, where Wirral Way Bikes offers cycle hire for adults and kids (including ebikes), and clifftop picnic spots have gorgeous views over the Dee estuary. Take a detour down the cliffs to Thurstaston beach for a spot of fossil hunting or a quick paddle, and pause at Hadlow Road station, which has been preserved in all its 1950s glory (when the passenger service stopped) as an open museum; it also operates as an information point for the trail. Time your walk or ride for sunset, when the mudflats glow rose-pink and gold as the sun drops below the Clwydian Hills, and take the short connecting path down to the Harp Inn, Little Neston, set directly on the estuary, for a sundowner to go with the view.
visitcheshire.com
Start/finish Canterbury West station to Whitstable Harbour
Distance 7.5 miles
Following the route of one of the earliest railway lines, built in 1830, this hiking and cycling trail passes through the Blean, a large swathe of ancient woodland, home to the 13th-century church of St Cosmus and St Damian, and an RSPB reserve. It’s also home to Europe’s first free-roaming bison, introduced as part of a rewilding initiative in 2022 by the Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust. There’s not really anywhere en route to stop and eat, so either pick up treats for a picnic at the Goods Shed in Canterbury (an indoor farmers market, closed mondays) or save yourself for oysters and a glass of fizz at the Whitstable Oyster Company, right on the beach.
explorekent.org
Start/finish Mannachie Avenue in Forres to Dulicht Bridge in Grantown-on-Spey
Distance 24 miles
Unusually for a rail trail, the Dava Way includes a stiff climb from the Moray Firth up over Dava Moor to the Dava Summit, at 320 metres (1,050ft), before heading back down to Grantown-on-Spey, following the Highland Railway line that operated for over a century, from 1863 to 1965. The ascent is well worth it for the spectacular views across the Moray Firth to Sutherland in the north, and south to the Cromdale Hills and the Cairngorms, while the ride back down is a breeze. The Divie Viaduct, built in 1863, is the most famous landmark along the way, while the Halfway Hut is a restored shelter that makes a perfect spot for a picnic, with old photographs and route info on the walls (not for overnight stays).
davaway.org.uk
