A WATERFRONT development has been approved and is set to transform one of Southampton’s piers.

Town Quay in Southampton, which operates as a marina, could soon look completely different with a huge hotel complex with a helipad.

Town Quay is a historic waterside area and part of the busy Port of Southampton, known for its ferry links to the Isle of Wight.

Last March, Southampton Council approved a planning application by the Nicolas James Group, who want to completely transform the area.

The plans are for a huge waterfront development that could see a hotel with a bar, conference facilities, a spa and even a with a helipad.

There could also be three 25-storey apartment blocks as well as multiple restaurants and food halls.

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The plans also include a new Red Jet passenger terminal and larger marina.

The development is estimated to cost £200million.

Just opposite Town Quay is Southampton Royal Pier, which opened in the 1830s of Victorian England and cost £25,000 to build.

The 900-foot pier opened in July 1833, by the Duchess of Kent and Princess (later Queen) Victoria.

It was in operation until its closure in late 1979.

The Royal Palace building is now a popular Indian restaurant.

Other main attractions in Southampton include the Solent Sky Museum, the Unity Brewing Co., and the Tudor House – all of which one travel writer visited during a city break.

Piers are a huge part of seaside holidays for most and earlier this year, Clacton-on-Sea was voted one of the country’s ‘worst seaside towns‘.

But it’s pleasure pier up came up trumps, winning big in the ‘Best of the Best Amusement & Water Parks’ category.

Clacton Pier came 11th place in the Tripadvisor Travellers‘ Choice Awards having been given top reviews by visitors – even beating theme parks in the process.

It’s the biggest pier of its kind in Europe at 360 metres long – and has its own amusement park.

On it are 16 rides including Looping Star rollercoaster, White Water Log Flume, a big wheel and Helter Skelter

There’s even a go-karting track, as well as a bowling alley, darts and shuffleboard, adventure golf, video arcade, and a soft play centre

Throughout the summer, the pier is also having free firework displays.

For more on piers this northern UK town called a ‘coastal gem’ with Victorian pier, no arcades and 141-year-old funicular railway.

And the English beach town that inspired the Beatles has world’s oldest seaside pier – which has reopened after £10m revamp.

I ALWAYS take my boys away for some winter sun at the start of January – and this year we tried out the trending holiday hotspot that combines the best of city and seaside.

We headed to Malta, one of the jewels of the Mediterranean, to find out for ourselves why the capital Valletta was recently named best city in the world in Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice awards.

The island is experiencing a tourism boom, with its airport recording more than 10 million passengers for the first time by 2025.

So going in the quieter winter months is definitely a winner if you want to beat the crowds.

The smallest and southernmost European capital, Valletta is the perfect base if you love wandering round historic city streets in the sunshine while admiring the architecture and soaking up the atmosphere.

Over the festive season, the city centre is lit up until Twelfth Night, there are fireworks above the harbour on New Year’s Eve and Christmas market ‘Fairyland’ takes over a couple of squares, offering ice skating, stalls, a big wheel and more.

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It was magical wandering the city streets, with a different view around every corner.

And as dusk fell, it felt like every alleyway was filled with festive fairy lights, while it was still warm enough to meander slowly through the streets or enjoy an alfresco drink.

Once you’ve had enough of the hustle and bustle of streets full of festive shoppers and sightseers, the beauty of Malta is that everything is just a short bus ride away.

You can even get to neighbouring Gozo on the ferry in less than an hour.

Buses cost just €2 (£1.73) per journey in winter and you can pick up a week-long bus pass for €25 (£21.67).

The one downside to choosing Malta for a winter sun break is that its weather is far more unpredictable than firm favourites like the Canaries or Cape Verde, which we’ve visited in the past.

While those can be fairly windy, they are usually good for a guaranteed dose of sun.

It’s a bit more hit and miss what weather you’ll get during a Maltese winter.

Having said that, the thermometer hit the early 20s in the week of our New Year break and we even went swimming in the sea at Għadira Bay. 

If you’re travelling as a family, you might be wise to take a look at budget-friendly accommodation options outside the capital.

We chose Mellieħa, an hour north on the bus.

The beach was just a five-minute bus ride from our flat.

Nearby Popeye Village, an old filmset of quirky wooden houses built in the 1970s for the Robin Williams movie about the spinach-guzzling sailor, was lots of fun, with character parades and shows proving a highlight of our afternoon there. 

From neighbouring Ċirkewwa, it was easy to hop on a 25-minute ferry to Gozo, with return tickets for my family of five costing just €16 (£13.87), compared to €65 (£56.35) for the 45-minute boat between Valletta and Gozo.

There’s a different pace of life on the smaller island and we found some little gems in its capital Victoria.

I loved the iconic nativity scenes in the basement of Il-Ħaġar Heart of Gozo Museum and there’s a fascinating stone column running up through the centre of the museum that sums up the islands’ history, with the different civilisations and groups based there throughout the ages.

From Victoria, you can take a 10-minute bus trip to the Neolithic Ġgantija, temples made of huge stones still standing after more than 5,500 years.

We all know that going away in the school holidays can cost a pretty penny at any time of year, but I managed to bag return flights to Malta for five of us for just £200.

Accommodation costs are also lower out of the summer season, so our winter sun week away came in at about £500 for flights and apartment, which is a bit of a bargain by anyone’s standards. 

One final festive touch if you visit in early January is that the three wise men visit various churches on horseback the weekend before Epiphany.

The famous Maltese hospitality was in full flow for us when the Mellieħa scout group offered our teen a pride of place in their parade to mark the occasion.

For festive fun and a bit of sun, make Malta your midwinter must-visit for 2026.

For more winter sun inspiration, here are islands five hours from the UK that will soon be much easier to get to.

Plus, the top nine cheapest last-minute winter sun destinations less than five hours from the UK.

When the Trump administration invaded Venezuela and kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, the New York Times and Washington Post framed it as a surprise.

In a 2,000-word play-by-play, the Post (1/3/26) called it a “surprise strike” in a headline, and a “secretive operation” in the article. The Times, for its part, dubbed it a “surprise nighttime operation” (1/3/26), noting that “the military took pains to maintain so-called tactical surprise” (1/3/26).

But word quickly got out that it was not a surprise to either paper. Semafor (1/3/26), an outlet co-founded by former Times media columnist Ben Smith, reported that both the Times and Post “learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin,” but chose not to report on it, to “avoid endangering US troops.” Semafor sourced its report to “two people familiar with the communications between the administration and the news organizations.”

Semafor’s reporting didn’t clarify which individuals at each organization were aware of the forthcoming operation, but it wrote that the outlets decided “to hold off their reporting for several hours after the administration warned that reporting could have exposed American troops performing the operation.”

‘Did not have verified details’

The New York Times and Washington Post suppressed the story as Trump continues to crack down on press freedom. Trump has implemented new, restrictive media policies that led major news outlets to give up their news desks at the Pentagon (AP, 10/15/25). The president has filed costly lawsuits against the media, including a $15 billion defamation suit against the Times for multiple books and articles published shortly before the 2024 election (AP, 9/16/25). The Times, meanwhile, is suing what Trump calls the Department of War over its new press policy (New York Times, 12/4/25).

Whether the Times or Post should have exposed the operation is—at the very least—a legitimate question that should be debated in the public forum. And yet the Post has failed to even address Semafor‘s report. Times executive editor Joe Kahn, meanwhile, challenged Semafor’s reporting in a Times morning newsletter (1/12/26) more than a week later.

In response to a reader question, Kahn said that, “contrary to some claims,” the Times “did not have verified details about the pending operation to capture Maduro or a story prepared, nor did we withhold publication at the request of the Trump administration.”

But Semafor‘s report—the only claims that have been publicly made about the Times‘ withholding of information—made no mention of details being “verified,” or a story being “prepared.” It’s highly doubtful that the Pentagon would ever verify such information to a news organization prior to an operation—or that a US corporate news organization like the Times would be so bold as to prepare such a story without permission.

Kahn acknowledged that the Times was “aware of the possibility that that planning could result in new operations,” given its previous reporting and “close contact with sources.” And he admitted that the Times “does consult with the military when there are concerns that exposure of specific operational information could risk the lives of American troops,” but he claimed that was “not relevant in this case.”

Kahn added that “we take those concerns seriously, and have at times delayed publication or withheld details if they might lead to direct threats to members of the military.” He said, though, “in all such cases, we make our editorial decisions independently.”

It might be true that reporting a story about the Venezuela invasion before it happened could have endangered US troops. This is a familiar justification, used by US corporate media to suppress the story of the Bay of Pigs invasion and delay reporting on the NSA wiretapping during the Bush administration, as Semafor noted.

But there is a very real possibility that exposing the operation—for which Trump did not seek congressional approval, and which is widely viewed by international law experts as illegal—could have saved the hundred people who were killed by the airstrikes (New York Times, 1/8/26), including an 80-year-old woman (New York Times, 1/3/26; Washington Post, 1/4/26).

ACTION ALERT:

Please ask the New York Times and Washington Post why they failed to report on the Venezuelan invasion and kidnapping when it could have saved lives. Please ask their specific criteria for delaying significant information they receive, and whether the legality of US actions play any role whatsoever in their consideration.

CONTACT:

New York Times: [email protected] and [email protected] (or via Bluesky @NYTimes.com)

Washington Post: [email protected] (or via Bluesky @WashingtonPost.com)

The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.

Source: FAIR

Zoe Stratford took two weeks to bask in England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup glory.

Then it was back to the grind.

Shortly after lifting the world title in front of nearly 82,000 people at Twickenham, the England captain and her club and country team-mate Natasha Hunt were picking up something else – the keys to a new business venture.

While each of the Red Roses earned a World Cup-winning bonus of £20,000 and the most lucrative of their central contracts are worth just short of £50,000, all of England’s squad have to make plans for life after rugby.

Wing Abby Dow, 28, retired after the tournament to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. Hooker May Campbell combines her rugby with working at a crypto payment company. Amy Cokayne is a police officer in the Royal Air Force.

Lock Stratford and scrum-half Hunt have chosen a different route, opening a coffee shop together.

The pair have premises close to Kingsholm, where they run out for PWR side Gloucester-Hartpury.

“It’s been incredibly fun renovating it, putting our ideas into it,” said Stratford.

“With rugby we had so much intensity coming into the World Cup. Afterwards we were a bit exhausted with it, so this gave us a new lease of life.

“We didn’t just have rugby, we could put our energy into this coffee shop and making it ours.”

Their shop is called ‘MoZo’ – an amalgamation of Stratford’s first name and Hunt’s nickname ‘Mo’.

Stratford says that the venture has given her a valuable distraction from sport, allowing her to switch off when she is away from the pitch.

“It is super important to have these other interests,” she added.

“I think the reason so many of the girls are successful is because they have interests besides rugby. The coffee shop give us that release.”

Both Stratford and Hunt have been getting stuck in on the shop floor working shifts, including on the day of Gloucester men’s match against Castres in early December.

“I am terrible at coffee art,” Stratford said when asked about the skill of making patterns and pictures in the frothy top of drinks.

“I stick to the till. Mo is very good though. Sometimes I mess the stock up and she is pulling her hair out with me, but it is cool.

“It is something we have wanted to do and hopefully we will grow it.”

Three-time defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury have won all seven of their PWR games this season, while both Stratford and Hunt were named in a 47-strong England training camp this month.

England begin the defence of their Women’s Six Nations title against Ireland at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 11 April.

Sanaa, Yemen – Naef has been a government soldier in southern Yemen for nine years. When he joined the government army in 2016 – aged only 19 – he thought that the Yemeni government’s war against the Houthi rebel group would be brief.  A decade has elapsed, and the conflict remains unsettled, with the Houthis remaining in Sanaa.

Naef was clear as to the reason for the government’s failure – a lack of unity and clear command structure. For years, government soldiers and other anti-Houthi fighters have adhered to conflicting agendas across the country, with many of the fighters in the south supporting the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). A solution to that division, Naef thought, was far-fetched.

However, more recently, things have changed. The STC’s decision to attempt to seize all of southern and eastern Yemen backfired, and Saudi Arabia backed pro-government troops in pushing the group back. The STC is now divided, with one leader on the run, and others declaring that the group had been dissolved.

The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Yemen’s UN-recognised authority led by President Rashad al-Alimi, has seized the initiative and, on January 10, established the Supreme Military Committee (SMC), with the goal of overseeing all anti-Houthi military units, and integrating them into the official Yemeni military, under one command.

Al-Alimi said that the SMC would ultimately be a vehicle to defeat the Houthis, and reclaim all of Yemen.

The SMC announcement marks a dramatic twist in the decade-long war, and Naef is now – finally – hopeful.

“I am optimistic today as the government has revived some of its power in southern Yemen,” he told Al Jazeera. “The formation of an inclusive military committee is a boost to our morale and a prelude to a powerful government comeback.”

The soldier believes that, after years of inertia, the tide has finally turned for the government. After nine years of experience on multiple frontlines, Naef now thinks that the government – with the backing of Saudi Arabia – is capable of pushing into Houthi-controlled northwestern Yemen, should negotiations fail.

“The PLC has achieved remarkable success in the south over the past few weeks with support from the Saudi leadership. It has once again proven to be an indispensable party to the conflict. Whether this success will be short-lived or lasting remains to be seen,” said Naef.

Concerns and defiance

The formation of the SMC has unleashed a sense of concern among Houthi supporters in northern Yemen.

Hamza Abdu, a 24-year-old Houthi supporter in Sanaa, describes the new military committee as an “attempt to organise the proxies in the south”.

“This committee may end the friction between the militant groups in the south, but it will deepen the south’s subjugation to Saudi Arabia,” Hamza said. The Houthis have often framed their opponents as being proxies controlled by foreign powers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They themselves are backed by Iran.

In light of the developments, Hamza shared a concern: the resumption of the war between the Houthis and their opponents, which has largely been frozen since 2022.

“If this military committee succeeded in uniting the forces in the south, that might entice them to attack the north,” he said. “A new destructive war will begin, and the humanitarian ordeal will magnify.”

Like many ordinary citizens, Hamza is now fearful that the war will restart. But Houthi leaders – while warning that their forces should stay alert – are still confident, saying that the formation of the SMC will not affect their power or weaken their control.

Aziz Rashid, a pro-Houthi military expert, believes that the SMC will not alter the status quo, arguing that any future confrontation with the Houthis “will only serve the agendas and plans of the United States-supported Zionist entity [Israel]”.

Rashid indicated that Houthi forces in Sanaa “confronted international and powerful military forces, including the United States, Britain and Israel, and stood firm against the [Saudi-led Arab] coalition during the past 10 years”.

The only solution for Yemen, Rashid said, was a political settlement.

The Iran-backed Houthis took over Sanaa in September 2014 and toppled the UN-recognised government in February 2015. They insist they are the only legitimate authority governing Yemen.

The Houthis have faced attacks from the US, the United Kingdom, and Israel since 2023, when the Yemeni group began attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Israel itself, in what the Houthis declared was solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

A terrifying message

Defeating the Houthis will be easier said than done, considering the Saudi-backed coalition’s failure to do so with overwhelming air power in the early years of the war, and the group’s now extensive combat experience and possession of advanced weapons, including drones and missiles.

But if the Yemeni military does truly reorganise itself and integrate the different anti-Houthi forces on the ground, the opportunity may be there.

Adel Dashela, a Yemeni researcher and non-resident fellow at MESA Global Academy, said that if the SMC is able to provide security and stability in territory under its control, it may also be able to improve the lives of Yemenis living there – and put itself in a stronger position in any negotiations with the Houthis.

“The next stage is the start of a political process to reach an agreement with the Houthi group. If the peaceful option fails, the military action becomes necessary,” Dashela told Al Jazeera.

Abdulsalam Mohammed, the head of the Yemeni Abaad Studies and Research Center, believes that recent events – both inside and outside Yemen – provide the government with a perfect opportunity to confront the Houthis.

“A limited military operation routed the UAE-backed STC within a few days,” Mohammed said. “What happened to the STC in the south carried a terrifying message to the Houthis in the north. The Houthis are not invincible.”

According to Mohammed, some factors have magnified the vulnerability of the Houthis at present.

He explained, “Iran is undergoing a massive crisis, and this can weaken Tehran’s Houthi proxy. The popular silent rage against the group keeps growing, given the economic and governance issues in areas under their control. Moreover, the exit of the UAE from the south will enable the Yemeni government to shift the battle to the Houthis in the north.”

Desperate for order

Armed groups in Yemen have proliferated over the last decade. The outcome has been a weakened government and a prolonged war. Amid the chaos, the population has borne the brunt.

Fawaz Ahmed, a 33-year-old resident of the southern city of Aden, is hopeful that the establishment of a military committee will end the presence of armed groups in Aden and other southern cities.

Fawaz expects Aden to get two immediate benefits from the formation of the SMC: an end to unlawful money collection by fighters and the disappearance of infighting between competing armed units.

He recalled an incident last August in Aden’s Khormaksar district, when two military units clashed at the headquarters of the Immigration and Passports Authority, leading to the closure of the facility for days.

“The commanders of the armed groups issued conflicting directions, and soldiers opened fire on each other. This clearly points to the absence of a united leadership. So, the declared military committee will prevent such face-offs,” said Fawaz.

“We are desperate for law and order,” Fawaz said. “Desperate for a city free from an unneeded military presence. This is a collective dream in Aden. Only united military leadership can achieve this.”

Shelley Quijada, 35, bought a two-bedroom sea view apartment with a rooftop pool and a gym for just £54,000 in Egypt, where the family has been loving the ‘slower pace of life’

A family has waved goodbye to “miserable” Britain and relocated to Egypt in pursuit of “365 days of sunshine” securing a two-bedroom apartment with sea views and a pool for a mere £54,000. Shelley Quijada, 35, made the leap alongside her husband, Luis, 39, and their 14-year-old daughter to Sharm El Sheikh last October, drawn by bargain prices and a laid-back lifestyle.

The Derby-based business coach and social media agency boss is now pocketing an incredible £887 monthly on household bills and slashing £260 off her grocery expenses. The pair have purchased a two-bedroom flat boasting ocean vistas, plus access to a rooftop pool and on-site gym, all for just £54,000.

After stumping up a £27,000 deposit, they’ll fork out £1,125 monthly over the next two years before becoming completely mortgage-free. On top of that, the couple snapped up a studio flat for £24,000 cash, which they intend to let out.

Shelley explained: “We always knew we wanted to move abroad, my husband’s from South America, and I’ve always preferred the sun. After going on holiday to Egypt a few times, we fell in love with the peaceful feel of it.”

She added: “As soon as I got off the plane I would immediately feel relaxed. I prefer the slower pace of life.

“There are 365 days of sunshine, you can’t go wrong. It’s so much cheaper as well. We can live a very nice life here for a quarter of what people normally spend in the UK.

“We bought a studio apartment for £24,000. People immediately think it’s going to be horrible because of the price, but it’s beautiful.

“The most expensive meal out we’ve had was £17 for the three of us and our food shop is now £65 cheaper per week. All we did in England was go to Primark or the cinema and now we can go quad biking, boat trips and snorkelling.

“I can’t see myself moving anywhere else now. Egypt has got everything you could possibly want, the heat, the cheaper prices, the more relaxed way of life.”

Shelley and Luis, who’s in property, had harboured ambitions of relocating overseas for some time, given Luis hails from sun-drenched Venezuela and isn’t keen on Britain’s dreary climate. Spain was their initial consideration, but after several Egyptian getaways, they were captivated by the perpetual warmth and unhurried lifestyle.

Back in Britain, the pair brought in a combined £2,600 monthly and regularly spent every penny, forking out £550 on rent and £917 covering household expenses. Come October 2025, the family departed their Derby residence for Sharm El Sheikh, where Shelley reckons they settled in “straight away”.

Their daughter currently learns at home, though there’s a possibility she’ll attend a British institution in the area from next year. While bidding farewell to loved ones proved difficult, Shelley noted her relatives were thrilled to have a compelling reason to venture abroad more frequently.

Since Shelley operates remotely, she has the flexibility to work from any location, and the pair also leverage their social media presence to arrange local excursions for clients. The couple snapped up a “beautiful” studio flat for a mere £24,000, which they intend to let out, and have secured a two-bedroom apartment with sea views, complete with a rooftop pool and gym facilities, for only £54,000.

Whilst the family are thoroughly enjoying their Egyptian lifestyle, they’ve encountered several cultural adjustments, including poor road safety standards and locals inflating prices at markets, mistaking them for holidaymakers.

“It does take a bit of being used to, but it’s all a fun experience,” she remarked. Back in Britain, Shelley revealed that she and her loved ones were “never out past 6pm” and would typically spend evenings watching Netflix.

These days, blessed with Egypt’s magnificent climate, the family now pass their afternoons by the seaside and their evenings browsing shops and visiting juice bars until 10pm. “Our lives have completely changed for the better,” she declared.

In Britain, the household would fork out £100 weekly on food shopping, but their current grocery bill amounts to merely £35. Their Egyptian utility costs total just £30 monthly and they’ll own their property outright within two years.

“It’s all fresh produce from the market,” Shelley said. “The potatoes have literally just been harvested.”

The family also enjoys dining out at “healthy” restaurants once weekly, with their priciest meal costing just £17 for all three of them. This represents a massive saving compared to the £100-plus bills they regularly faced back home.

In Egypt, their monthly expenditure sits at around £800, which covers weekly restaurant visits and twice-monthly activities such as snorkelling in the Red Sea. The family intends to remain in Egypt permanently, with no plans to return to the UK.

She documents her journey on @movingourlifetoeg.

Shelley’s bills in the UK and Egypt

Weekly food shop in UK: £100

Weekly food shop in Egypt: £35

Utility bills in UK: £917

Utility bills in Egypt: £30

Rent in UK: £550

Rent in Egypt: £0

Mortgage: £1,125 for two years and then mortgage-free

Washington seeks improved access to strategic chip industry of island nation, over which China claims sovereignty.

Taiwan and the United States have struck a trade deal that will see the island nation boost tech and energy investments in the US in exchange for lower tariffs.

In a statement announcing the deal late on Thursday, the US Commerce Department said Taiwan’s semiconductor and technology businesses will invest at least $250bn in the US. In exchange, it said Washington will reduce its general tariff on imports of Taiwanese goods from 20 percent to 15 percent.

The deal illustrates an ongoing push by the US to improve access to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. The island nation holds a dominant position in the supply of the chips used in advanced digital technology across the world and, therefore, a critical component in the global economy, but it faces Chinese claims over its sovereignty.

President Donald Trump announced a 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods as part of his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs last spring, a rate he later lowered to 20 percent.

The Commerce Department said the “historic” deal “will strengthen US economic resilience, create high-paying jobs, and bolster national security”.

In addition to investing $250bn in building and expanding advanced semiconductor, energy, and artificial intelligence production and innovation capacity in the US, Taiwan will provide at least the same amount in credit guarantees for additional investment by its businesses in the US semiconductor supply chain.

Silicon shield

Taiwan stressed that it would remain the world’s main semiconductor supplier.

The island’s chip industry has long been seen as a “silicon shield” protecting it from an invasion or blockade by China – which claims the island is part of its sovereign territory – and an incentive for the US to defend it.

“Based on current planning, Taiwan will still remain the world’s most important producer of AI semiconductors, not only for Taiwanese companies, but globally,” Economic Affairs Minister Kung Ming-hsin told reporters on Friday, the AFP news agency reported.

Production capacity for the advanced chips that power artificial intelligence systems will be split about 85-15 between Taiwan and the United States by 2030 and 80-20 by 2036, he projected.

Reacting to the accord, Beijing expressed its stern opposition.

“China consistently and resolutely opposes any agreement … signed between countries with which it has diplomatic relations and the Taiwan region of China,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said, urging Washington to abide by Beijing’s one-China principle.

The actor was left with a very short time in which to respond to the invitation to be honoured, from King Charles

Idris Elba has told how he nearly missed his chance of a knighthood – because the letter asking him if he wasn’t to be a Sir got lost in a pile of letters.

Revealing how the honour almost passed him by, the Luther star said: “It’s a bit embarrassing. I was sent a consideration letter asking whether I would or wouldn’t accept it, but I didn’t see it as it got lost in a pile of post.”

Luckily, word went to his management that he’d had the invitation and needed to respond. “My agent told me that if I didn’t accept it would pass me by,” he tells Graham Norton on tonight’s BBC1 chat show. “By the time I found the letter I had only two days to decide.”

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Idris, who found fame in huge US series The Wire, said he had yet to receive his knighthood, which was announced in the King’s 2026 New Year Honours list.

Despite his long career on the screen, he was honoured for his anti knife crime work through the Elba Hope Foundation, which focuses on empowering youth and providing alternatives to violence. “I got it for services to young people and I was thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, that’s great, but I’ve been acting for 30 years!’ It is actually a great honour, and my mum is so pleased.”

And another family member is also delighted. Idris has told how wife Sabrina is already using her new title of ‘Lady’. “I haven’t had the sword on the shoulder yet, but my wife is loving it.”

At the time he said the honour reflected the efforts of the young people he has worked with rather than his own achievements. “I receive this honour on behalf of the many young people whose talent, ambition and resilience has driven the work of the Elba Hope Foundation,” he said.

“I hope we can do more to draw attention to the importance of sustained, practical support for young people and to the responsibility we all share to help them find an alternative to violence.”

He has also called for greater accountability from the technology companies behind social media, warning about young people’s exposure to violent content online.

“When it comes to big tech, there needs to be accountability within their own policies,” he said last year. “It’s great that they are big companies that make a lot of money with lots of social media followers, that’s fantastic, but by the way we don’t like knives.”

The second series of his hostage thriller Hijack was released on Apple TV this week, with the action this time taking place on a train rather than a plane. Asked about his role as corporate negotiator Sam Nelson he said: “The first season was a big hit and people bought into so we’re going to do it again. The story is about what happens next after the plane hijack. It’s a good old-fashioned thriller.”

Also on Graham’s sofa tonight – fresh from her latest win alongside Stephen Graham for Adolescence at the Golden Globes – was Erin Doherty. Chatting about the second run of Victorian drama A Thousand Blows on Disney + – in which she also stars alongside Graham, she told Norton it was the first time she’d been able to use her own voice for a role.

Erin explained: “Surprisingly I’ve never been able to use it before, so it was a real joy. When Stephen Graham heard I was being considered for the role he said, ‘I don’t think she is what we are looking for’ because he had only seen and heard me as Princess Anne in The Crown. He was delighted to find out I’m from Crawley.”

Other guests in tonight’s show are actors Wunmi Mosaku and Martin Freeman and there is a musical performance from Olivia Dean.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

A league of potentially 16 teams is also being looked at, combining the regular 10 to 12 franchises with open spots that teams will be able to qualify for.

With the rise in popularity of basketball and the NBA in Europe, the American league is holding six games in four different European cities across the next three seasons, with London, Manchester, Berlin and Paris hosting games between 2026 and 2028.

Silver said talks with Real Madrid, who play in the EuroLeague and are regarded as one of the greatest basketball clubs in Europe, were “more in the category of fact-finding”, but he confirmed discussions had taken place with another EuroLeague side, Alba Berlin, whose Uber Arena hosted the NBA game.

“We’re trying to find the best combination of the old and the new; the tradition and the innovation,” said Silver.

Alba Berlin, he said, was “the model of the type of club that we would like to see in a potential European league”.

Reports say the existing EuroLeague has concerns about the new venture, threatening legal action against the NBA should clubs break existing agreements to take part in the new competition.

But Silver said he does not think the two leagues would clash, adding: “There’s plenty of room for competition”.

WITH my Minnie Mouse ears on, I’m stood in an Italian piazza with a glass of Prosecco in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other.

My friend has a pint of German beer and we click glasses to raise a toast in the Florida sun. It’s all very confusing.

When it comes to entertainment and attractions, Disney theme parks often raise the bar, but a new drinking game started by Disney World fans has created a new – rather boozy – way to enjoy one of the Florida theme parks.

The most magical bar crawl on Earth takes place at Disney’s EPCOT theme park, part of Walt Disney World.

It’s been dubbed ‘drinking around the world’ and has almost become an attraction in itself for Disney adults.

EPCOT is themed around future innovations and world community and there’s a huge lake surrounded by 11 pavilions representing different countries from around the globe.

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Here, you can experience different cultures, with attractions, crafts, food and drinks from countries including Japan, Norway, Morocco and Mexico.

With each pavilion serving traditional food and drink favourites from their own country, it wasn’t long before fans began taking on the challenge to sample food and cocktails from each one as they explore the EPCOT park.

However, with cocktails including the cult Avocado Margarita from Mexico, a whisky-based Ottawa Apple from Canada and a vodka-laden Canto Loopy from China, it doesn’t take long to get a bit tipsy.

Plus, at between £12 and £21 per cocktail, then tax and tip on top, it’s not the cheapest way to spend the day.

However, the challenge is a lot of fun and on a sunny day, it’s a very chilled-out way to relax and enjoy the beautiful EPCOT park without the hustle to get on all the rides.

However, this boozy bar crawl is not for the faint hearted. Big cups and generous pours mean it’s easy to get drunk quickly. 

Theme park staff and security won’t tolerate anyone intoxicated and behaving badly, so don’t go overboard. It’s worth nothing there are non-alcoholic options available too.

Since each pavilion also serves local foods, it’s a good idea to sample a snack at each place too.

If you’re on a family holiday, though, it’s fair to say your kids would probably rather meet Elsa and Anna than stop for a frozen daiquiri. 

So, it’s usually couples or friendship groups visiting without children who indulge in all 11 country-themed tipples.

As a Disney expert who has visited the Disney parks over 55 times, I have never managed to drink at every spot around the world in one day – with the most I could manage being just eight of the 11 pavilions.

However, recently my friend Marcus and I attempted to do all 11 by sharing a drink at each place to make it more affordable and, most importantly, less intoxicating!

We were in Orlando for work and decided to go to EPCOT for the day and take on the challenge.

We tried ‘drinking around the world’ at Disney

We headed to the World Showcase at lunchtime, starting in the Mexico Pavilion where we grabbed some tacos and our first cocktail of the day – a margarita from Mexico.

The Choza de Margarita bar has a huge list of different margarita flavours, with the cult favourite being the avocado margarita.

However, my personal recommendation is the Blood Orange (£14). Fresh, fruity and dangerously drinkable!

The Mexico pavilion is a great place to start around midday, as Mexican snacks like tacos and nachos make for a great lunch and there is an outdoor terrace with views over the lake.

I could very easily have stayed all afternoon, sampling some of the other marg flavours as well as Picantes and Palomas but, to stay on track – and on my feet – after a while we set off to pavilion number two: Canada

The Canadian location didn’t have as much atmosphere as Mexico, so we didn’t end up staying for long, stopping off just to pick up our next drink – which is actually one of my favourites.

If you like your cocktails sweet, the Ottawa Apple (£12.50,) is a hit.

This iced cocktail is made with Canadian Whisky, Maple, Apple Infusion, and Cranberry Juice and despite being full of ice, is like a warm hug. 

You actually pick this up from a popcorn kiosk, so we also grabbed a box of the moorish Maple Popcorn (£5) to snack on as we strolled over to the next stop.

If you want to hang around, there is a lot of open space here. You can grab a bench along the water’s edge and soak up the view.

Our next stop is the United Kingdom pavilion, which is very funny for Brits visiting Walt Disney World.

There are storybook ‘British’ streets, red phone boxes and cute little English rose gardens.

For those who love Disney characters, we bumped into Winnie the Pooh and Tigger here too.

The top spot is the British pub, Rose and Crown. Inside really does feel like the boozer down the road, – just a lot cleaner and with no fruit machines.

This is one of the most popular spots for Disney guests – especially those ‘drinking around the world’.

It’s one of the only places in Orlando to get a proper British pint and there is always a line. Probably because more than 800,000 Brits visit Orlando every year.

One of the best things about the World Showcase at EPCOT is that each pavilion has a team of staff from that country.

Marcus and I got chatting to the bartender, who was originally from Wolverhampton.

If you’re really missing home and you feel hungry, you can order traditional Fish and Chips here too and tables were packed with people tucking in.

For me, it could never be the same as back home though.

Marcus sampled the Snake Bite Imperial Pint for £9.50, which is half cider and lager and brought back memories of drinking in the Student Union.

Sticking with Europe, after this we moved on to one of my favourite pavilions, France.

The France pavilion is huge, with a popular attraction, Ratatouille, and lots of cute shops selling very French things, like perfume, macarons and pastries.

But, of course, we headed straight to the Les Vins de Chefs de France stand, for a fan-favourite Grand Marnier Orange Slush (£11.50).

This is a proper boozy slushie made with Grand Marnier, Rum, orange vodka and orange Juice. 

The queue is always so long for this drink, but that’s probably a good thing since it’s the most delicious, cold refreshment, which doesn’t feel at all boozy.

The 20-minute wait means you probably won’t keep going back for more and end up very sloshed in France, with seven pavilions still to go.

Picking ours up, we nabbed a spot in the sun next to the Beauty and the Beast garden and also picked up a box of macarons from the Boulangerie Patisserie as a sweet treat to go with it.

Morocco, Japan and the American Adventure pavilion were up next.

Japan also has a great alcoholic slushie, the Blood Orange Saki Mist (£10), but Marcus went for a non-alcoholic option here for a bit of a break.

I did the same in Morocco, opting for an iced mint tea but there are some fab drink options, including a Pomegranate Mimosa (£14)

The USA serves a less boozy slushie, the 0% American Dream (£5) made with Frozen Fanta Wild Cherry, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Frozen Fanta Blue Raspberry. 

By the time we reached Italy it was late afternoon, and we had worked out up quite an appetite. At 5ft 5 and 140lbs, I was also definitely getting a bit tipsy too.

Make time to hydrate

Lunch was timed perfectly at the Italy-themed pavilion, where you can grab a large slice of pizza to line your stomach. Washed down with a Prosecco (£10) of course – how could we resist?

Just along from here is Italy’s European sister, Germany but at this point I couldn’t handle any more liquids! I have it on good authority that the Bärenjäger Honey & Bourbon cocktail at Biergaten is great though £12 for the glass.

And of course, you are spoilt for choice with German beer.

At China, Marcus tried the Canto Loopy (a vodka and cantaloupe mix, £10.50) but I was more interested in sampling the pot stickers and potato and pea samosas (£5).

The final bar around the EPCOT world can found in Norway, which is a good place to wind things down.

It’s here you can ride the Frozen: Ever After boat ride, meet characters from Frozen and try one of the fan-favourite snacks – the School Bread (£4.50) from the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe. This is a custard roll topped with coconut and easily the best sweet treat in the whole park.

Perfectly complimenting this is the very alcoholic Viking Coffee – a boozy little liquid desert to end the day (£13.50).  It’s made with Baileys and Kamora Coffee Liqueur with Coffee-Chocolate Sauce, and garnished with Coffee-Chocolate Crunch.

The day was fun but I wasn’t sure if I’d still be awake for the fireworks show, Luminous: The Symphony of Us, which starts at 9pm.

It’s fair to say that by now I was definitely more drunk than tipsy. My hotel bed was calling for me.

A massive burger and chips was in order to sober up and as we scoffed our tea, I could hear the delighted screams of people riding Test Track, a high-speed car ride.

We’d had a fun day just strolling around in the sun but at roughly £75 to get in and almost £400 spent on food and drink between us, I couldn’t help thinking my time would have been better spent riding all the amazing attractions that I can’t do at home.

After a proper dinner and a ride on the calm and easy ‘Living with the Land’ boat ride, we wandered back over to the lake as the sun was setting, finding ourselves right back where we started, at the Mexico pavilion.

It was still going strong with tequila-drinking revellers and a Mariachi band playing in the background.

Was it a good idea to get another sumptuous margarita to sip along with the fireworks?

We’d drunk all around the world today, what’s one more cheeky cheers for the road?

Jan. 16 (UPI) — More than 4.7 million social media accounts belonging to Australians under the age of 16 have been removed since the nation’s new social media youth ban went into effect last month, Canberra announced Friday.

“Our government has acted to help keep kids safe online,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.

“Change doesn’t happen overnight. But these early signs show it’s important we’ve acted to make this change. We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we have their backs.”

Albanese introduced the law in 2024, calling it “world-leading,” with the intent to protect Australia’s youth from harms presented online, including Internet addiction.

The ban went into effect Dec. 11, ordering the most popular social media platforms to remove accounts held by those under the age of 16 and to block the creation of new accounts.

Some social media companies, including Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads — began preemptively removing accounts held by those under the age of 16 and blocking the creation of new accounts for these youth starting Dec. 4.

Violations are to be enforced against the companies, not users. Platforms affected are: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, X, Reddit, YouTube, Twitch, Kick and Snapchat. Others, such as Bluesky, Steam and WhatsApp, could be added if they gain significantly more users or are otherwise deemed social media instead of gaming or peer-to-peer communication services.

The preliminary figures announced Friday were what the Albanese government called a first tranche of information provided to the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.

There are approximately 2.5 million Australians between the ages of 8 and 15, according to statistics from the government, which said that in 2025, 84% of children between 8 and 12 had social media accounts.

“Now Australian parents can be confident that their kids can have their childhood back,” Minister for Communications Anika Wells said Friday in a Press conference in Murarrie, Queensland.

“They can discover and learn who they are before these platforms assume who they are. They can spend a summer making real-world connections with each other, with their siblings, with their parents, skateboarding, writing, reading, art, music. I don’t care what it is, but it’s off the screen and discovering for themselves who they are and forging connections in the real world.”

Grant told reporters that all 10 social media platforms were in compliance, and no other services were being considered to be added for now.

Given the number of youth and the number of accounts removed, journalists asked if the numbers were at all inflated. Grant said no, explaining that more than 95% of 8 to 15 year-olds were on YouTube.

“I’m very confident these numbers are right, but we will continue to check,” she said.

The law has attracted criticism from social media companies. Earlier this week, Meta voiced concerns that prohibiting youth from their services could isolate vulnerable teens from their online communities, while driving some to less reputable services.

Grant said that the government doesn’t expect the law to eliminate every account and it is not trying to prevent children from accessing technology.

“What we’re actually doing is we’re preventing predatory social media companies from accessing our children,” she said. “And we will be working on digital action plans so that we make sure that they’re building digital and algorithmic literacy into the years to come.”

Researchers at the University of Queensland have said that teenagers on social media have increased exposure to harm, social isolation, depression, anxiety and cyberbullying.

A 2024 study from Orygen, the world’s leading research and knowledge organization for youth mental health, found nearly all Australian youth reported daily social media use. It also found that nearly 40% spent three or more hours online a day.

The announcement comes days after Meta announced that it had so far removed more than 500,000 accounts from Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

The first European troops have arrived in Greenland ahead of exercises that are intended to show the willingness of Denmark and its allies to defend the strategically important island. Greenland is currently the object of intense interest, as President Donald Trump continues to stress its critical role in the defense of the United States. Increasingly, the White House is arguing that U.S. ownership of Greenland is the only alternative to eventual domination by China or Russia. For now, the number of European troops involved is very small and largely symbolic, but that could change in the future.

Late last night, local time, a Royal Danish Air Force C-130J transport landed at Nuuk Airport, where it disembarked an undisclosed number of Danish military personnel, as seen at the top of this story. This advance party will soon be followed by small numbers of troops from France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. They will not be deployed under NATO auspices.

France has said it will deploy around 15 “mountain specialists” to Greenland.

??????
Every year, French Army mountain commandos deploy to #Greenland for Operation Uppick.
Extreme cold training, long-range raids, autonomy in polar warfare, and scientific research prepare them to operate and fight in one of the world’s harshest environments. pic.twitter.com/INXrCHhTOS

— Tom Antonov (@Tom_Antonov) January 14, 2026

The German Armed Forces is deploying a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel, initially to Copenhagen, before moving on to Greenland alongside Danish personnel.

At ??’s invitation, ?? will participate in an assessment mission in Greenland, together with other European nations. The aim is to explore the framework conditions for possible military contributions to support ?? in ensuring security in the region. 1/2
©️ dpa/imagebroker/elov pic.twitter.com/H6zYnVsVIn

— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) January 14, 2026

Norway and Sweden will send two and three officers, respectively.

Finally, a single British officer will be embedded in the group.

More European military personnel could follow, with the Dutch foreign minister having said that the country is willing to send staff. A decision is due before the end of the week.

Together, the European troops will establish the groundwork for larger-scale exercises that are primarily meant to send a signal to Washington that it is ready and able to defend Greenland.

“The Danish Armed Forces, together with a number of Arctic and European allies, will explore in the coming weeks how an increased presence and exercise activity in the Arctic can be implemented in practice,” the Danish Ministry of Defense said of the upcoming maneuvers.

While the deployment is meant to show strength and resolve, its tiny size, at least initially, could lead Washington to come to the opposite conclusion.

The military security of the island is at the center of Trump’s rhetoric surrounding it.

Greenland and Denmark — of which the island is an autonomous territory — have both repeatedly said the island is not for sale and have expressed alarm about threats of the potential use of U.S. force to acquire Greenland.

Trump’s interest in Greenland is far from new. Back in 2019, TWZ reported on Trump’s claim that his administration was considering attempting to purchase Greenland from Denmark, the U.S. leader noting at the time that the idea was “strategically interesting.”

The topic came back to the forefront at the beginning of the second Trump administration. In early 2025, Trump said he wouldn’t categorically rule out using the U.S. military to take control of Greenland, saying that America needs it — as well as the Panama Canal — for “economic security.”

“The American ambition to take over Greenland is intact,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said today, in comments to Reuters. Frederiksen talked of a “fundamental disagreement,” as he reflected on the meeting of officials from Denmark, Greenland, and the United States at the White House yesterday.

Those talks apparently ended with no solution in sight.

“That is, of course, serious, and therefore we continue our efforts to prevent this scenario from becoming a reality,” Frederiksen added.

Increasingly, Trump is now stating that the future of the island is threatened by China’s and Russia’s ambitions on it. The U.S. president has not ruled out any options to secure it, while stating that, as it stands, Denmark is not strong enough to dissuade Chinese or Russian aggression in the High North.

While China and especially Russia are increasingly projecting their power in the Arctic region, there is little evidence of particular activity around Greenland.

“Two senior Nordic diplomats with access to NATO intelligence briefings told the FT there is no evidence of Russian or Chinese ships or submarines operating around Greenland in recent years, directly contradicting Trump’s justification for U.S. control of the Arctic territory.” pic.twitter.com/ayJZ6xEI31

— Adam Federman (@adamfederman) January 12, 2026

There’s no other way to describe it – Trump is insane.

Greenland’s defense literally consists of two dog sleds. Do you understand? Do you know what their defense is like? Two dog sleds—Trump.

„Meanwhile, you have Russian and Chinese destroyers and submarines scattered across… pic.twitter.com/8O0QRIIJ7W

— Jürgen Nauditt ???? (@jurgen_nauditt) January 12, 2026

Having said that, as well as its strategic location, the island is also rich in natural resources, with extensive mineral reserves.

For its part, Russia has said that attempts to identify it as a threat to Greenland are part of anti-Kremlin hysteria and has warned of escalating confrontation in the wider region.

Regardless, there are growing fears in Europe that the standoff over Greenland could threaten the fabric of the NATO alliance.

Several European NATO members have already stated that NATO could be at risk if the United States were to make any kind of effort to seize Greenland.

The U.S. troop presence on the island is currently also fairly small.

Around 200 U.S. troops are stationed in Greenland as of now, according to Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

Aside from this, the United States also operates one of its most strategic military outposts in Greenland. This is spearheaded by Pituffik Space Base, the U.S. military’s northernmost installation, a critical node in the U.S. ballistic missile early warning system, and also the world’s northernmost deep-water seaport. You can read in more detail about the U.S. military presence on the island here.

Under a 1951 agreement, the United States can establish military bases in Greenland, something that has also made sense for Denmark, since it benefits from the U.S. capability to defend the island.

The USA already has a defence agreement with Denmark that gives them exclusive and full military access to Greenland. But they are not using it. They have downgraded their presence by 99%.

Now, apparently, they are telling their base that they need to invade and annex Greenland… pic.twitter.com/3b6d5HkuTZ

— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) January 7, 2026

The new European military presence on the island is even smaller, at least for now, but with larger maneuvers planned there later this year, it could be set to grow. Denmark has said that it plans to increase the number of its own troops permanently based on the island, with these potentially being boosted by rotational deployments by other allies, as in similar initiatives in the Baltic region.

The symbolic value of the initial European troop deployments should not be discounted entirely, however.

It seems clear that the upcoming maneuvers are intended to deliver two messages.

First, that Europe, even outside of the NATO framework, intends to defend Greenland against any kind of military aggression.

Second, Denmark, in particular, is showing the United States that it is responding to its criticism about its limited capacity to protect the island.

Exactly what kinds of maneuvers are going to take place, and on what scale, and what will come after, will depend heavily on the fallout of yesterday’s meeting at the White House.

One outcome of that meeting, which involved U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Rasmussen, and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, was a plan to establish a working group to discuss issues relating to the island.

For now, Greenland remains insistent that it has no wish to be governed by, or owned by, the United States. Its future, the government says, remains with Denmark and NATO.

Statement from Greenland’s leader today:

“There is one thing everybody must understand:

• Greenland does not want to be owned by the USA.
• Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA.
• Greenland does not want to be part of the USA.”
—-
Is that clear enough now? pic.twitter.com/iyPHVZtcD2

— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) January 13, 2026

But as long as the United States continues to eye the territory, the more likely it becomes that Denmark and its regional allies will move to beef up their military presence there. Exactly how much military might will be needed to show the capability to effectively defend the island, at least in the eyes of the White House, is unknown.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Now in their early 70s, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have spent their filmmaking careers worrying about the fate of those much younger and less fortunate. Starting with the Belgian brothers’ 1996 breakthrough “La Promesse,” about a teenager learning to stand up to his cruel father, their body of work is unmatched in its depiction of young people struggling in the face of poverty or family neglect. Although perhaps not as vaunted now as they were during their stellar run in the late 1990s and early 2000s — when the spare dramas “Rosetta” and “L’Enfant” both won the Palme d’Or at Cannes — the Dardennes’ clear-eyed but compassionate portraits remain unique items to be treasured.

Their latest, “Young Mothers,” isn’t one of their greatest, but at this point, the brothers largely are competing against their own high standards. And they continue to experiment with their well-established narrative approach, here focusing on an ensemble rather than their usual emphasis on a troubled central figure. But as always, these writers-directors present an unvarnished look at life on the margins, following a group of adolescent mothers, some of them single. The Dardennes may be getting older, but their concern for society’s most fragile hasn’t receded with age.

The film centers around a shelter in Liège, the Dardennes’ hometown, as their handheld camera observes five teen moms. The characters may live together, but their situations are far from similar. One of the women, Perla (Lucie Laruelle), had planned on getting an abortion, but because she became convinced that her boyfriend Robin (Gunter Duret) loved her, she decided the keep the child. Now that she’s caring for the infant, however, he’s itching to bolt. Julie (Elsa Houben) wants to beat her drug addiction before she can feel secure in her relationship with her baby and her partner Dylan (Jef Jacobs), who had his own battles with substance abuse. And then there’s the pregnant Jessica (Babette Verbeek), determined to track down the woman who gave her up for adoption, seeking some understanding as to why, to her mind, she was abandoned.

Starting out as documentarians, the Dardenne brothers have long fashioned their social-realist narratives as stripped-down affairs, eschewing music scores and shooting the scenes in long takes with a minimum of fuss. But with “Young Mothers,” the filmmakers pare back the desperate stakes that often pervade their movies. (Sometimes in the past, a nerve-racking chase sequence would sneak its way into the script.) In their place is a more reflective, though no less engaged tone as these characters, and others, seek financial and emotional stability.

The Dardennes are masters of making ordinary lives momentous, not by investing them with inflated significance but, rather, by detailing how wrenching everyday existence feels when you’re fighting to survive, especially when operating outside the law. The women of “Young Mothers” pursue objectives that don’t necessarily lend themselves to high tension. And yet their goals — getting clean, finding a couple to adopt a newborn — are just as fraught.

Perhaps inevitably, this ensemble piece works best in its cumulative impact. With only limited time for each storyline, “Young Mothers” surveys a cross-section of ills haunting these mothers. Some problems are societal — lack of money or positive role models, the easy access to drugs — while others are endemic to the women’s age, at which insecurity and immaturity can be crippling. The protagonists tend to blur a bit, their collective hopes and dreams proving more compelling than any specific thread.

Which is not to say the performances are undistinguished. In her first significant film role, Laruelle sharply conveys Perla’s fragile mental state as she gradually accepts that her boyfriend has ghosted her. Meanwhile, Verbeek essays a familiar Dardennes type — the defiantly unsympathetic character in peril — as Jessica stubbornly forces her way into her mystery mom’s orbit, demanding answers she thinks might give her closure. It’s a grippingly blunt portrayal that Verbeek slyly undercuts by hinting at the vulnerability guiding her dogged quest. (When Jessica finally hears her mother’s explanation, it’s delivered with an offhandedness that’s all the more cutting.)

Despite their clear affection for these women, the Dardenne brothers never sugarcoat their characters’ unenviable circumstance or latch onto phony bromides to alleviate our anxiety. And yet “Young Mothers” contains its share of sweetness and light. Beyond celebrating resilience, the film also pays tribute to the social services Belgium provides for at-risk mothers, offering a safety net and sense of community for people with nowhere else to turn. You come to care about the flawed but painfully real protagonists in a Dardennes film, nervous about what will happen to them after the credits roll. In “Young Mothers,” that concern intensifies because it’s twofold, both for the mothers and for the next generation they’re bringing into this uncertain world.

In a back-and-forth high-scoring affair Thursday night, the Lakers led by 13 points in the second quarter before the Charlotte Hornets rallied to build a 15-point lead in the third quarter.

In the end, the Hornets kept the momentum they stole from the Lakers, rolling to a 135-117 win at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers’ defense couldn’t slow down LaMelo Ball in the second half and it was unable to stop the Hornets’ blistering three-point shooting.

As a result, the Lakers (24-15) lost for the fourth time in five games.

“I mean, it doesn’t matter who it is. Doesn’t matter the team, doesn’t matter the player,” Marcus Smart said. “If they were shooting 20% [before], they’re shooting 50%. And it’s unfortunate, but that’s part of the game. It’s tough. We got to figure it out. We got to play with a little bit more urgency on that end, especially, and kind of impose our will.

“It’s not easy. Especially when you play for the Lakers, you always are the hunted— no matter what.”

The Hornets shot 53% from the field in the second half, 54% percent from three-point range. Ball had 27 of his 30 points in the second half. After the Lakers closed to within 10 points with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth, Ball’s back-to-back three-pointers essentially closed out the game.

“He had some crazy shots, but that’s what he do,” said Luka Doncic, who scored 39 points. “He was shooting a lot of threes off the dribble … so he got really hot. So it’s kind of hard to stop.”

Charlotte forward Brandon Miller looks to pass in front of Lakers star LeBron James in the first quarter Thursday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Even with all of the Lakers’ starters scoring in double figures, it wasn’t enough. LeBron James, who didn’t speak to reporters after the game, had 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Jake LaRavia had 18 points, Deandre Ayton scored 12 points and Smart had 10.

The start of the game was so different for the Lakers.

Doncic blew a kiss to the crowd and threw his hands in the air after drilling a first-quarter three. Doncic smiled at the Lakers’ bench after shooting another three-pointer a short time later.

During those moments, Doncic epitomized the kind of joy Lakers coach JJ Redick wants to see his team exhibit.

The rest of the Lakers followed Doncic’s lead as the team built a 48-55 lead in the second quarter.

Doncic led the Lakers in the first quarter, scoring 19 points on seven-for-12 shooting, which included a trio of threes. The Lakers had 14 three-pointers in the game, but it wasn’t enough to stop a more consistent Charlotte attack.

The Lakers were outscored 34-16 in the second quarter, 40-38 in the third and 31-24 in the fourth.

“We all knew that they got our full respect and attention pregame and I thought we fought,” Redick said. “Just another team that has a hot shooting night.”

Etc.

Redick said backup center Jaxson Hayes had an MRI scan that revealed hamstring tendinopathy in his left leg. Hayes, who is averaging 6.3 points per game, missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. “It’s hopefully a short-term thing and hopefully he’ll be back at some point this weekend,” Redick said. The Lakers play at Portland on Saturday before facing the Toronto Raptors at home on Sunday.

A South ‍Korean court ‍has sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in jail after finding him ⁠guilty on charges stemming from his declaration of martial law ‍in ⁠December 2024. Al Jazeera’s Jack Barton is outside the court in Seoul.

The Islands off County Mayo are a hidden paradise, with natural wonders and pristine beaches accessible by boat from Ireland’s west coast

Rural Ireland is more than just sprawling green fields and coastal retreats – there’s a hidden island that could easily be mistaken for a tropical paradise.

The Inishkea Islands, nestled just 3km off the coast of County Mayo, are a true Irish treasure, boasting an abundance of natural beauty. The islands also play host to one of the most stunning beaches in the country. The name ‘Inishkea’ is believed to have been derived from Saint Kea, an ancient saint who once lived on the tiny island, adding an intriguing layer of mystery to its allure. But it’s the island’s natural splendour that truly captivates visitors, from its diverse wildlife to idyllic swimming spots and lush greenery.

Wildlife enthusiasts will be thrilled by the opportunity to observe a flourishing seal colony, a variety of seabirds, and other marine life frolicking in the waves. Above all, the beach is a favourite spot for visitors, with its soft white sands inviting relaxation and leisure. The Inishkea Islands actually comprise two separate islands, Inishkea North and Inishkea South, divided by a narrow channel. The larger of the two, Inishkea North, boasts a higher elevation and is larger with expansive heather and willow landscapes.

To access these breathtaking spots, you’ll need to set sail on a boat journey. Fortunately, daily boat trips and guided tours to the island are readily available. The majority of these excursions are organised by locals and run throughout the summer season, with Belmullet Boat Charters operating departures from Belmullet.

The location boasts several important historical landmarks, including a Christian monastery featuring beehive huts next to St Colmcille’s Church. It previously formed part of a thriving monastic community and was later converted into stone dwellings that housed a fishing village.

Whilst no one has inhabited these structures or the island since the 1930s, the remains stand as a testament to the area’s rich heritage for visitors. Though there are believed to be some people on the islands, they aren’t regarded as permanent year-round residents and typically only visit during the summer period.

One recent tourist posted a review on TripAdvisor, writing: “We had a fabulous trip to Inishkea with Belmullet Boat Charters. It’s a stunning island with lots of space to wander around through the abandoned village, up to the highest point where you can see the sea all around, and a swim at one of the beaches with beautiful white sand.”

Another visitor said: “We had a great day. The ferry trip was lovely, about 50 minutes to the island. Kea also filled us in on what we were seeing while sailing. The island was just gorgeous; we swam and walked for 2 hours. Then we returned to the ferry and went on to see the cliffs, seals and cormorants.”

Venezuela’s oil industry has long been a site of struggle—between national sovereignty and foreign control, between social development and extraction for profit.

In a wide-ranging conversation with theAnalysis.News, Venezuelanalysis founder and contributing editor Gregory Wilpert situates today’s crisis in that longer history, from the Chávez government’s effort to reclaim PDVSA for Venezuelans to the current US strategy of tying sanctions relief to oil exports.

As Washington pushes Caracas to increase production and redirect crude away from China, Wilpert examines whether interim leadership in Venezuela is navigating an impossible economic bind—or whether the country’s oil and sovereignty are once again being bargained under coercion.

CITY SECTION

Animo Venice 62, Animo Pat Brown 57

CNDLC 54, Rise Kohyang 51

Collins Family 62, Alliance Bloomfield 35

New Designs Watts 43, Burton 31

Smidt Tech 61, Stern 48

Triumph Charter 79, Valley Oaks CES 20

WISH Academy 66, Animo Watts 42

SOUTHERN SECTION

Ambassador 60, Compton Early College 45

Animo Leadership 79, Summit View West 48

Arcadia 72, Crescenta Valley 54

Beaumont 55, Citrus Valley 37

Bishop Diego 56, Foothill Tech 45

Burbank 69, Burroughs Burbank 50

Calvary Baptist 90, Bethel Christian 12

Chino 66, Don Lugo 54

Colton 55, Arroyo Valley 36

Crespi 63, Chaminade 52

Crossroads Christian 67, NSLA 29

Damien 64, Chino Hills 41

Desert Christian Academy 56, San Jacinto Valley Academy 50

Diamond Ranch 51, Chaffey 50

Eisenhower 64, Kaiser 57

Elsinore 79, San Jacinto 52

Etiwanda 61, Rancho Cucamonga 56

Fairmont Prep 50, Capistrano Valley Christian 31

Fillmore 58, Carpinteria 41

Fullerton 59, Placentia Valencia 56

Garden Grove 68, Costa Mesa 31

Great Oak 74, Temecula Valley 66

Harvard-Westlake 47, Loyola 36

Hillcrest Christian 71, Beacon Hill 57

Katella 50, Ocean View 44

Laguna Hills 77, Godinez 67

La Habra 61, Sonora 54

Los Osos 63, Upland 60

Magnolia Science Academy 51, Downey Calvary Chapel 33

Montclair 66, Ontario 62

Palm Desert 72, La Quinta 37

Palm Springs 38, Shadow Hills 33

Palm Valley 31, Noli Indian 24

Rancho Mirage 65, Xavier Prep 38

Redlands East Valley 85, Yucaipa 55

Riverside Notre Dame 88, Carter 72

Samueli Academy 50, Avalon 39

San Jacinto Leadership 53, Nuview Bridge 20

San Fernando Valley Academy 70, Glendale Adventist 24

Segerstrom 80, Westminster 34

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 71, St. Francis 48

Sierra Canyon 83, Alemany 48

Silverado 72, Victor Valley 54

St. Monica Academy 68, Desert Christian 60

Summit 74, Grand Terrace 40

Summit Leadership 52, AAE 45

Temecula Prep 98, Santa Rosa Academy 69

Temescal Canyon 48, Tahquitz 33

Trinity Classical Academy 64, Lancaster Baptist 53

United Christian Academy 46, La Sierra Academy 40

Valley Torah 73, Santa Clarita Christian 67

Vistamar 81, Wildwood 43

Webb 60, Tarbut V’ Torah 56

Western Christian 69, Newport Christian 57

INTERSECTIONAL

Canyon Country Canyon 75, Canoga Park 50

CSDR 60, CSDF 22

Ft. Lauderdale (FL) Calvary Christian 71, St. John Bosco 60

GIRLS

CITY SECTION

Animo Venice 40, Animo Pat Brown 29

Animo Watts 69, WISH Academy 36

New Designs Watts 21, Burton 20

Northridge Academy 70, Fulton 10

SOCES 34, Vaughn 23

Stern 30, Smidt Tech 29

Triumph Charter 48, Valley Oaks CES 14

VAAS 37, East Valley 29

SOUTHERN SECTION

Alemany 67, Immaculate Heart 32

Alpaugh 31, SLOCA 26

Animo Leadership 38, Summit View West 36

Arroyo Valley 43, Riverside Notre Dame 28

Barstow 56, Granite Hills 21

Bishop Amat 66, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 63

Bishop Diego 61, Santa Clara 10

Bishop Montgomery 78, St. Monica 47

Burbank Burroughs 76, Burbank 42

Calvary Baptist 63, Bethel Christian 19

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 59, St. Mary’s Academy 27

Chino 79, Don Lugo 21

Chino Hills 59, St. Lucy’s 11

Crescenta Valley 67, Arcadia 57

Crossroads 64, Windward 56

Desert Christian Academy 39, San Jacinto Valley Academy 32

Dos Pueblos 46, Oxnard 38

El Toro 46, Trabuco Hills 40

Etiwanda 67, Rancho Cucamonga 33

Flintridge Sacred Heart 42, Mayfield 25

Fontana 44, Carter 39

Knight 41, Antelope Valley 11

Lakewood St. Joseph 54, La Salle 45

Lancaster 58, Palmdale 33

Loma Linda Academy 56, Mesa Grande Academy 20

Los Alamitos 51, Newport Harbor 15

Mary Star of the Sea 49, Paraclete 44

Notre Dame Academy 57, Marymount 48

NOVA Academy 46, Anaheim Discovery 22

Ontario 42, Montclair 17

Palm Desert 60, La Quinta 45

Pasadena 59, Muir 49

Redlands 44, Cajon 38

Quartz Hill 65, Highland 57

Sacred Heart of Jesus 70, Pomona Catholic 13

San Bernardino 70, West Valley 28

San Jacinto 57, Elsinore 24

San Jacinto Leadership 68, Nuview Bridge 20

San Juan Hills 58, Dana Hills 22

Santa Margarita 47, JSerra 43

Shadow Hills 60, Palm Springs 36

Shalhevet 53, Compton Early College 2

Silverado 58, Victor Valley 30

St. Bernard 75, San Gabriel Mission 20

St. Bonaventure 85, Thacher 13

St. Monica Academy 43, Desert Christian 35

Temecula Prep 51, Santa Rosa Academy 26

Trinity Classical Academy 86, Lancaster Baptist 21

Vistamar 47, Wildwood 8

Xavier Prep 50, Rancho Mirage 10

Yucaipa 90, Redlands East Valley 25

INTERSECTIONAL

Castaic 60, Lake Balboa College 11

CSDR 59, New Mexico School for the Deaf 11

Gaza City – Peace, in both the physical and mental sense, feels far away in Gaza.

A ceasefire may have officially been in place since October 10, but Israel continues to conduct occasional attacks, with more than 442 Palestinians killed in the three months since.

It is not just the attacks – daily life in Gaza is also shaped by siege and displacement, and a sense that living conditions will not improve any time soon.

Amid this exhaustion came the announcement on Wednesday by the United States of the beginning of the ceasefire’s “second phase”. This phase is about “moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction”, said US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in a social media post.

The new phase includes a new Palestinian technocratic administration, overseen by an international “Board of Peace”, chaired by US President Donald Trump.

But while everything may sound workable on paper, the reaction from Palestinians in Gaza – one that mixes cautious hope and deep scepticism – is shaped by their lived experience since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.

“A lot of political decisions are distant from the reality faced in Gaza… our daily life that is filled with blockades, fear, loss, tents, and a terrible humanitarian situation,” said Arwa Ashour, a freelance journalist and writer based in Gaza City. “Even when decisions are made to ease the suffering, they are obstructed by the Israeli occupation authorities.”

“People want everything back like it was before the war: schools, hospitals, travel,” Ashour said. “If the Board of Peace is going to resolve all these crises, then we welcome it. But if it’s unable to do so, then what is its benefit?”

Palestinians excluded?

Ashour explained that after two years of war and more than 18 years of governance in the Palestinian enclave by Hamas, there is a desire for change in Gaza.

“People want to be part of the process of creating the future, not only to accept the implementation of decisions that have already been made,” she said.

The governance model envisaged in the second phase of the ceasefire plan does have a Palestinian component.

Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority (PA) deputy minister, will head the Palestinian technocratic committee that will manage daily life. But that committee will be overseen by the Board of Peace, to be led by Bulgaria’s former foreign and defence minister, Nickolay Mladenov.

Mladenov – who has worked as a United Nations diplomat in the Middle East – is seen as an administrator, but one who may not be capable of pushing back against Israel and representing Palestinians in Gaza.

“Decisions made without the meaningful participation of those most affected reproduce the same power structures that enabled this occupation and genocide,” Maha Hussaini, head of media and public engagement at Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, told Al Jazeera. “Excluding Palestinians in Gaza from shaping their future strips them of agency and turns reconstruction and governance into tools of control rather than recovery.”

For Hussaini, justice after a war in which Israel has killed at least 71,400 Palestinians and destroyed vast swathes of the territory cannot be ignored.

“Peace does not mean silence after bombardment, nor a pause between wars,” she said. “For Gaza, peace means safety, dignity, and freedom from collective punishment. It also means justice: recognising the harm suffered, restoring the rights of victims, and holding perpetrators accountable. Without justice, what is called ‘peace’ becomes only a temporary arrangement that leaves the genocide intact.”

Palestinian political analyst Ahmed Fayyad said that ultimately, Palestinians have little choice but to go along with Mladenov and the Board of Peace model, even if there is a sense that they are handing over the administration of Gaza to foreigners.

“Palestinians don’t have the luxury of choice to accept or refuse Mladenov,” Fayyad said. “No one – the Palestinian Authority and the Arab [countries] – wants to disrupt the agreement.”

But Fayyad described several potential stumbling blocks, including internal Palestinian divisions between the Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, and its longtime rival Hamas.

The analyst also believes that the demilitarisation of Hamas – which the US and Israel insist upon, but which Hamas says is an internal Palestinian matter – will also likely cause problems.

“Israel might attach the demilitarisation to the reconstruction or the opening of [border] crossings, and investments in the education and health sectors,” Fayyad said.

“It is complicated, and it is all subject to Israeli security conditions,” he continued, adding that the formation of a new Palestinian security force that met Israel’s onerous requirements would take a long time because the process was not spelled out in Trump’s ceasefire plan.

“This will reflect negatively on the civilians who yearn for an improvement to their daily harsh reality and suffering in tents, amid outbreaks of disease and the collapse of all economic and social life,” Fayyad said.

Israeli spoiler

The announcement of the second phase of the ceasefire – a move that should have been seen as a sign of positive improvement – seems disconnected to the reality on the ground for Palestinians in Gaza.

“There is more fear than hope,” said Hussaini, from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. “Not because people in Gaza lack resilience or imagination, but because experience has taught them that moments labelled as ‘turning points’ rarely translate into real protection or accountability. Hope exists, but it is fragile and constantly undermined by the absence of justice and by decisions imposed from outside.”

And the most influential outside force is Israel – the power that has bombarded Gaza not just in the last two years but in several previous wars, and controls access to Gaza, and the air and sea that surrounds it.

“I think Israel tries its best to distance Gaza from any political solutions, which would end with Palestine’s right to self-determination,” said the analyst Fayyad. “Israel wants Gaza to be a disarmed zone; its people’s biggest concerns are the daily struggles of life, without caring about any political solutions.”

“Israel doesn’t want any future political solutions for Gaza. These are the concerns of the Authority and the Palestinians. Israel doesn’t want independence in decision-making in Palestine,” he concluded.

Reality of life in Gaza

The daily struggle of life is all Sami Balousha, a 30-year-old computer programmer from Gaza City, can think about.

Balousha described peace not as a political agreement, conducted in far-off meeting rooms, but as physical safety and a routine.

“It is simply to sleep at night assured that I wake up the next morning, not dead, or I won’t get up in the middle of the night because of the sound of bombing,” Balousha said. “It is getting up the next morning and going to work, and being sure that I will be able to get home safely, not suspiciously turning around all the time, afraid of a strike.”

Balousha said that he had been displaced with his family 17 times – moving from place to place to escape Israeli attacks. The mental turmoil of the past two years means he no longer looks to the future, and instead focuses on the here and now.

“Tomorrow is far away, and I have no control over it,” Balousha said. “We can’t imagine the near future and plan it. We’ve been stuck in this loop for two years. The reality has always been strangely hard and unexpected.”

Like many others, Balousha feels disconnected from international decision-making.

“They don’t have a deep understanding of the Palestinians’ needs in Gaza. I don’t think that we are being listened to seriously,” he said.

It is why he ultimately does not have much faith in any solutions being cooked up for Gaza, and is instead fearful that his current horror will become a permanent reality.

“I am afraid that the coming generations accept the new reality of living in an open grave, to accept the tent as a home, to grow up not knowing the great days of Gaza,” Balousha said. “People only want an end to this all, no matter what the solution is, no matter who makes it, all that matters is the end of this misery at any cost. People are tired, so tired of this all, but want to live.”

A half-moon of golden sand in Sicily

Forty miles east of Palermo, the magnificent Sicilian resort town of Cefalù juts out beneath dramatic cliffs. The town has a perfect half-moon beach of golden sands melding into the gorgeous clear turquoise sea. Medieval lanes of stones in a diamond pattern lead up to a lively square offering great Italian food. It’s fronted by a beautiful Norman cathedral with twin towers and Byzantine mosaics inside.
David Innes-Wilkin

A calm lagoon in Portugal

From Faro, head east away from the more touristy haunts and, between Olhão and Tavira, you’ll find the charming fishing village of Fuseta. This whole stretch of coast is a natural park protected by sand spits and islands, which make for miles of calm lagoon waters. Take a water taxi to a range of completely deserted spots and get picked up at a prearranged time, or you can call when you’re ready to return to civilisation. Highly accessible but blissfully remote.
Julia

Atlantic rollers on Algarve shores

The mile-long Porto de Mós beach near Lagos in the western Algarve is true heaven. Watching the Atlantic rollers hitting the beach is awesome and mesmerising. After a dip or surf, a pint or two at Campimar beach shack is well earned. It’s also a great restaurant in the evening for local seafood, wine, and enjoying views of scudding clouds and hypnotic waves.
Philip Webster

Greece’s Fourni islands are unsung bliss

The Fourni islands in the north Aegean are a long-favoured holiday destination of Athenians. They have many coves and beaches and appear to be popular with wild campers. Petrokopio beach was one of our favourites – it’s the site of ancient marble quarries and has wonderful white stones. Kampi is one of the most popular beaches and is backed by tamarisk trees. Here, visitors can laze in a Fellini-like tableau. For solitude, take a trip in a fishing boat to Thimena island and visit Paralía Kerameidioú bay with its quiet, relaxed restaurant. Fourni is still relatively cheap to visit and there are plenty of places to stay. It can be reached from Piraeus on the ferry to Samos.
Jake Blay

Riga’s perfect ribbon of sand

A few miles west of the Latvian capital of Riga, the beach from Jūrmala to Bigauņciems is a perfect ribbon of sand running along the shores of the Baltic. The pine forests of the Ķemeri national park run right up to the sand, and offer an extensive network of trails. We walked for hours, savouring the soundtrack of calling cuckoos and singing wood warblers. Visit in early and late summer for long daylight hours and comfortable temperatures.
Dylan Miller

Winning tip: cider by the sea in northern Spain

As an alternative to the scorching Spanish south, head to Gijón in Asturias. San Lorenzo beach has a lovely promenade for strolls and a vibrant surf scene, whereas Playa de Poniente offers tranquil waters and rock pools where you can search for crabs. While at Poniente beach, have lunch at Tierra Astur, which serves typical Asturian dishes and has lovely good-value local cider. Don’t miss the aquarium nearby. Visit in late July for an amazing airshow over San Lorenzo – just remember the earplugs!
Oksana Memedova