If traditional British cuisine is your thing, you might want to head to this pretty village in the north east

Tucked away in the northeast of England lies one of Britain’s most picturesque villages.

Sitting high above the North Yorkshire Moors, the seaside treasure of Staithes was formerly a thriving fishing harbour in the North East.

Rich in heritage, Staithes is also home to one of the area’s best Sunday roasts, dished up at The Captain Cook Inn.

The Captain Cook Inn boasts an enviable location, set amongst the clifftops with sweeping views across the charming cobbled lanes and peaceful shoreline beneath.

Customers have flocked to Tripadvisor to sing the praises of the pub’s roast dinners, reports the Express.

One delighted customer declared: “Had a fabulous Sunday Roast, plenty of it and the beef was so tender and very moreish!”.

Sharing this view, another guest commented: “The meal was absolutely delicious. The meat was so tender and the vegetables were al dente. Just how we like them. Big fluffy Yorkshire and rich gravy. Could have eaten a whole plate of their roast potatoes.”

Alongside the celebrated roast, the establishment serves traditional favourites including steak pie, scampi and chips, and golden whitebait for starters.

Ale lovers can enjoy a range of brews, including the signature tipple, Northern Navigator, produced specially for the inn by the North Yorkshire Brewery, just 15 miles down the road.

Little wonder that The Captain Cook Inn received Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award. Visitors to the village can delve into its rich history, which is dominated by its most famous historical figure – Captain James Cook.

The Staithes Heritage Centre and Captain Cook Museum offer a trip back in time, recreating the shop where the famed explorer once worked as a grocer’s apprentice.

This delightful centre is filled with a collection that includes books, letters, and medals, transporting visitors back to the era of Captain Cook.

Staithes, also known for its vibrant artistic heritage, was once home to a significant group of artists known as the “Staithes group” or the “Northern Impressionists”.

Today, the pride of the village, the Staithes Gallery, showcases an impressive range of contemporary artwork, including paintings, photographs, and sculptures, all inspired by the charming village and its scenic surroundings.

For those interested in prehistoric discoveries, Staithes sits on the renowned Dinosaur Coast, offering plenty of opportunities for uncovering the past.

Tucked away within the village’s harbour is the sheltered Staithes Beach; when the tide goes out, it reveals a captivating world of rockpools filled with fossils and tiny sea creatures, providing endless fascination for any keen fossil hunter.

Further escapades await along the Cleveland Way National Trail, a 109-mile stretch that offers breathtaking views, from dramatic moorlands to historic coastal castles and quaint fishing villages, running from Filey to Helmsley.

After your adventures, relax at the quayside at the Cod and Lobster pub, renowned for its extensive seafood menu including its signature dish: a delicious pan-fried Cod Fillet served with a rich Lobster Bisque, homemade Potato Rosti and spinach, topped with a juicy Lobster tail or Claw.

Not to be overlooked, the Cod and Lobster also serve up mouth-watering hot and cold sandwiches alongside traditional pub favourites.

Finally, end your day with a visit to Dotty’s Vintage Tearoom, where you can enjoy a taste of yesteryear with their delightful homemade cheese or fruit scones, hearty toasties, and a comforting brew.

Staithes, while being acknowledged as one of the most picturesque villages, also boasts a rich history, exciting adventures, and first-rate cuisine.

JUST an hour away from Porto in Portugal lies a historic riverside city with a curious culinary tradition.

Amarante, perched on a bend of the Tamega river, has become widely known for its pastries — not because of their flavour or filling, but their shape.

The treats, named bolos de Sao Goncalo after the local patron saint, are baked to look like a particular part of the male anatomy.

Many believe they are a nod to Saint Goncalo’s success as a matchmaker, after he supposedly helped scores of single women and widows find husbands.

But the pastries’ story actually dates to medieval times.

As I tour the Sao Goncalo Church and Monastery, I learn that the shape is reminiscent of the ancient rituals and traditions related to prosperity and the fertility gods.

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Over time, the cakes gradually became associated with Saint Goncalo, and even though they were banned during Portugal’s dictatorship, which ended in 1974, they have since been embraced by the people of Amarante as a proud symbol of local identity.

People who are looking for love or hoping to start a family still visit the monastery today, reciting a hopeful prayer while clutching the rope belt on his statue.

Decorated inside with ornate gold leaf carvings and traditional Portuguese tiles, the beautiful 400-year-old building is worth a visit, regardless of your hopes for love.

But I was more interested in sampling the phallic pastries.

Confeitaria da Ponte, the city’s oldest bakery — so named because of its proximity to the bridge — is a great place to try the much- loved bakes.

Owner Joana Machado tells me that Amarante delicacies are generally made with lots of egg yolks.

This includes their house speciality — a moist, round, bite-sized confection coated with sugar that is also called a bolo de Sao Goncalo, although this one looks far less phallic.

“The recipes began in the monastery,” she explains. “Nuns used the egg whites to iron the clothes, so they used the yolks for baking.” The famous pastel de nata, or Portuguese custard tart, is another example of a “conventual” sweet (meaning originating in a convent).

At riverside cafe Casa dos bolos de Sao Goncalo, on Rua 31 de Janeiro, the classic penis cake has been given a modern update.

The choux pastry case is filled with pistachio cream and topped with a drizzle of green chocolate in an apparent nod to the Dubai chocolate trend that has recently taken the world by storm.

I can’t help but giggle as I slice a piece off the top of the golden brown treat.

Tasty souvenirs

The pastry is crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle, while the pistachio filling adds a sweet, nutty flavour.

I can certainly see why these cheeky cakes have been popular for centuries!

You’ll want to dine on more than just sugary treats, though — and there are plenty of places to do that.

Northern Portuguese cuisine is more meaty than in the south, where seafood reigns supreme, and the regional speciality, slow-roasted veal, does not disappoint.

Lusitana is an excellent spot that was recommended to me by the staff at my hotel, Casa do Ribeirinho. Here, thick slices of tender, juicy meat are served with roasted potatoes and rice. The hearty meal is affordable, too.

Mains for two, a shared goat’s cheese starter and chocolate mousse for dessert with two glasses of wine costs €24 each (around £21).

For a slightly more upmarket dinner, try Ze da Calcada, which also serves regional dishes such as chicken with chestnuts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and green beans, as well as local wines from the Douro valley.

Mains are typically €16 each (around £14).

Before you depart Amarante, be sure to visit the stall outside the Municipal Museum Amadeo de Souza Cardoso.

Dedicated to the modernist painter after whom it is named, it is currently closed for renovations.

But the stall is a great place to stock up on tasty souvenirs.

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It is laden with phallic cakes of all different sizes, some of which are crunchy like biscuits and individually wrapped with colourful ribbons.

More robust than the choux pastry variety, they make the perfect take-away treat for yourself — or a great tongue-in-cheek gift for someone who needs a bit of luck in the love department.

“I’m born alone and I’m going to die alone, so go on your own journey.”

That statement from British light-middleweight Ishmael Davis might appear blunt at face value, but his harsh view on life was developed through some difficult formative years.

By the age of 14, Davis had been kicked out of school, kicked out of his childhood home and was adapting to the responsibility of caring for newborn twin sons.

“I had a bit of a rough upbringing,” Davis tells BBC Sport.

“I was living with my first baby’s mum at 14, went into a hostel until I was 15 and then I got my own flat.

“Because I wasn’t making money it was hard. I was only getting around £100 every two weeks. It was a hard time in my life but these are the things I’ve had to come through.”

Davis, now 30, first stepped into a boxing gym aged 12 and took part in an unlicensed amateur fight the following year, but any dreams of pursuing the sport further were shelved as he tried to provide for his children.

Despite still being a child himself, Davis turned to the streets of Chapeltown in Leeds to make ends meet.

“I was year nine when I had my first kids. After that I wanted to be out on the streets all the time and I got into gangs,” Davis says.

“Because I had kids young, I started selling drugs.”

Davis would land himself in prison not long after and was on the path some of his closest friends and family were walking.

On 15 November he faces Sam Gilley for the British and Commonwealth light-middleweight titles on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he looks to get his career back in track after three losses in his past four fights.

Davis discusses how differently his life could have been if not for boxing and his personal drive.

Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the game as Spurs host United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The U.S. Army has set a goal of buying one million new drones of all types over the next two to three years. This comes as senior officials within the service have acknowledged that it continues to lag behind global trends when it comes to fielding uncrewed aerial systems, especially weaponized types within smaller units. The Army’s planned drone shopping spree could also include large numbers of longer-range one-way attack types, something TWZ laid out a detailed case for doing just a few months ago.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll talked about his service’s new drone acquisition plans in a recent phone interview with Reuters from Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. The service also hopes the purchases will foster an industrial base that can churn out uncrewed aerial systems at similarly high rates for years to come.

“We expect to purchase at least a million drones within the next two to three years,” Driscoll told Reuters. “And we expect that at the end of one or two years from today, we will know that in a moment of conflict, we will be able to activate a supply chain that is robust enough and deep enough that we could activate to manufacture however many drones we would need.”

The report from Reuters does not provide a detailed breakdown of what might be included in that million-drone bundle. It does indicate that Driscoll was talking primarily about smaller weaponized types, such as first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones and ones configured to drop small munitions. These kinds of uncrewed aerial systems have existed in various forms for years, but have now been fully thrust into the public consciousness by their daily use on both sides of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“Driscoll and Picatinny’s top commander, Major General John Reim, spoke to Reuters about how the United States was taking lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has been characterized by drone deployments on an unprecedented scale,” according to that outlet. “Ukraine and Russia each produce roughly 4 million drones a year, but China is probably able to produce more than double that number, Driscoll said.”

“Driscoll said he fundamentally wanted to change how the Army saw drones – more like expendable ammunition rather than an ‘exquisite’ piece of equipment,” Reuters‘ story added.

This latter point is also directly in the stated aims behind a sweeping array of drone policy and other changes the Pentagon announced back in July. The main focus of that initiative, described as “unleashing U.S. military drone dominance,” is to accelerate the fielding of huge numbers of uncrewed aerial systems, especially weaponized types, across the entire U.S. military, as you can read more about here.

All this being said, the Army’s plans to buy at least a million new drones could easily include a wide array of types intended to perform an equally diverse set of missions. As mentioned, long-range kamikaze drones in the vein of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 could be part of this equation, as well. Russia also regularly uses variants and derivatives of that design, including ones it now produces domestically, in attacks on targets in Ukraine. Forces in Ukraine have been moving to field their own comparable designs, among many other one-way attack types.

Directly influenced by Israeli kamikaze drones, the Shahed-136 has become something of a global standard for uncrewed aircraft of this type, with similarly-sized delta-winged designs steadily emerging globally, including in the United States and China. Developments out of China include the Feilong-300D from state-run conglomerate North Industries Group Corporation, which is reportedly particularly geared toward low-cost, high-volume production. So far, the examples being built in the United States have been sold largely as training aids reflecting growing threats to friendly forces. TWZ‘s feature in September delved deeply into the benefits they could offer to the U.S. military as operational weapons in line with broader long-range fires initiatives across the services.

Another Group 3 threat system (target) broadly similar to the FLM 136 G3 ‘reverse-engineered Shahed’ threat system.

“The MQM-172 Arrowhead is designed as a high-speed, maneuverable one-way-attack and target drone platform—perfect for realistic threat emulation, training, and… https://t.co/qaEanNEC8T pic.twitter.com/DwxlGypV4E

— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) August 12, 2025

This is 🇨🇳China’s version of the Geran-2 Drone, The Feilong-300D Suicide Drone, a low cost-High performance drone, and the future of combat.

It carries a High-explosive warhead, and has a range of over 1000km in just a cost of $10,000 USD. pic.twitter.com/XZBEGW1AoK

— PLA Military Updates (@PLA_MilitaryUpd) November 2, 2025

“Absolutely,” Maj. Gen. James “Jay” Bartholomee, head of the Army’s Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division, said in response to a question from our Howard Altman about interest in Shahed-like drones at the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) annual symposium in October. “We are behind on long-range sensing and long-range launched-effect strike.”

“I think we do,” Army Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commander of V Corps, which has its main headquarters at Fort Knox in Kentucky and a forward command post in Poland, said separately at the AUSA gathering in response to a similar question from Howard Altman about the need for Shahed-type drones.

Costanza also offered a blunt assessment of the service’s work to field various tiers of drones, as well as capabilities to counter the growing threats they pose.

“We’re behind. I’ll just be candid. I think we know we’re behind,” the V Corps commander said. “We aren’t moving fast enough.”

“And it really took Russia’s invasion of Ukraine [in 2022], and the way they’re innovating, and Ukrainians are innovating, to realize, hey, we need to move fast,” he added.

For Ukraine, moving fast has become a matter of life or death, and rapidly iterating capabilities has become critical because of the speed at which countermeasures are also developed.

Army units in Europe have been very much at the forefront of current efforts to accelerate and expand the fielding of new weaponized drones, as well as counter-drone systems. However, some of those activities have drawn criticism for how much they still appear to be behind the curve, especially compared to what is regularly seen on battlefields in Ukraine.

Army Secretary Driscoll’s million-drone plan is clearly a new push toward a real paradigm shift, in line with the direction from the Pentagon in July. At the same time, there are significant questions about whether the service will be able to even come close to reaching its new procurement goals, especially when it comes to funding, contracting processes, and the capacity of the U.S. industrial base. The policy changes rolled out earlier this year did include several aimed at simplifying contracting processes.

Just today, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced further plans for even more sweeping changes to acquisition processes across the U.S. military. The goal here is also to fundamentally change how the Pentagon works with the U.S. defense industrial base, all with an eye toward moving things along faster.

“This relates to the whole industrial base, and most importantly, to the large primes [prime contractors] that we do business with today,” Hegseth said in a speech earlier today. “These large defense primes need to change, to focus on speed and volume and divest their own capital to get there.”

We’re moving from a slow, contractor-dominated system (marked by limited competition, vendor lock, and cost overruns) to an industrial base that drives speed, innovation, and investment—powered by America’s unmatched ability to scale quickly. pic.twitter.com/n9lYE02WTr

— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) November 7, 2025

As TWZ often notes, there has been steadily growing interest across the U.S. military in recent years when it comes to engaging with smaller or otherwise non-traditional companies, including to help meet complex requirements on aggressive timelines.

“Instead of partnering with larger defense companies, he [Driscoll] said the Army wanted to work with companies that were producing drones that could have commercial applications as well,” according to Reuters.

“We want to partner with other drone manufacturers who are using them for Amazon deliveries and all the different use cases,” Driscoll said.

Whether or not the Army ultimately acquires a million new drones in the next few years, and what is included in that mix, remains to be seen. However, Secretary Driscoll has started the clock now on what could be a transformational shift for the service when it comes to fielding unrewed aerial systems.

Contact the author: [email protected]

HAILEY Bieber revealed her bare bum in a tiny thong bikini before making out with husband Justin in steamy pictures.

The couple are holidaying on a private island but Hailey, 28, gave fans a glimpse of what they had been up to in a new Instagram post.

Hailey posted a montage of pictures and simply captioned them: “Hell yeah!”

The first picture saw the model posing in a green thong bikini with a lilac headscarf around her hair.

Turned to the side, Hailey showed off her peachy derriere as she stood close to the beach.

Another picture in the montage offered an even closer up view of her bum as she posed in a black thong bikini.

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With her back to the camera, she glanced over her shoulder with her wet hair hanging around her shoulders.

Husband Justin, 31, clearly couldn’t get enough of his hot wife, and in one black and white snap, the couple were seen kissing.

Justin had his back to the camera and had hold of his wife’s waist, while Hailey cupped his face with one hand, and placed the other around the back of his head.

The singer showed his appreciation for his wife’s pictures by commenting: “Oh my f***in god”.

Hailey was also seen posing with her friend Kendall Jenner – who was celebrating her 30th birthday on the island – and looked stunning in a backless animal print mini dress.

Hailey and Justin have been married since 2018 and share son Jack, one, together.

Their trip for Kendall’s birthday comes just a few days after The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed how the couple were taunted by fans at a baseball game.

The stars were in the stands watching the LA Dodgers play the Toronto Blue Jays in Los Angeles.

Canadian Justin proudly rocked a Blue Jays jersey for his favorite team as he and Hailey, watched the game – which was not well received by the die-hard Dodgers fans in their home city.

Justin first irked Dodgers fans by loudly booing player Shohei Ohtani after he hit a home run, giving the home team a 2-0 lead.

Soon, Justin started being “heckled by fans,” an onlooker exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

“He was really heavily taunted for wearing a Blue Jays jersey,” the eyewitness said, adding that his vocal disapproval of the home run didn’t help matters.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

CITY SECTION

First Round

DIVISION I

#1 Venice 38, #16 Bell 0

#8 Franklin 35, #9 Westchester 15

#5 Marquez 17, #12 Granada Hills 12

#13 Van Nuys 36, #4 Wilmington Banning 15

#3 Eagle Rock 62, #14 Taft 37

#11 Dorsey 26, #6 El Camino Real 8

#7 Gardena 30, #10 L.A. Hamilton 26

#2 South Gate 47, #15 Lincoln 21

DIVISION II

#1 Cleveland 24, #16 Legacy 3

#9 North Hollywood 42, #8 Sylmar 35

#5 L.A. University 16, #12 Washington 12

#4 Fairfax 55, #13 Panorama 22

#14 Chatsworth 40, #3 L.A. Roosevelt 12

#10 Arleta 35, #7 Huntington Park 32

#2 San Fernando 33, #15 South East 14

DIVISION III

#1 Santee 40, #16 Locke 8

#8 Maywood CES 34, #9 Fremont 16

#5 Contreras 35, #12 Sun Valley Poly 28

#4 Jefferson 57, #13 Canoga Park 7

#3 L.A. Wilson 42, #14 Rancho Dominguez 14

#11 Chavez 36, #6 Manual Arts 14

#7 Roybal 34, #10 Verdugo Hills 14

#2 Hawkins 34, #15 Los Angeles 0

SOUTHERN SECTION

First Round

DIVISION 2

Murrieta Valley 35, Corona del Mar 14

Rancho Cucamonga 45, Tustin 8

Los Alamitos 35, Yorba Linda 28

San Juan Hills 28, Downey 27

San Clemente 38, Beaumont 21

Vista Murrieta 36, Damien 31

Leuzinger 34, Crean Lutheran 17

Chaparral 63, Chaminade 42

DIVISION 3

Bishop Amat 28, Murrieta Mesa 9

Oxnard Pacifica 42, Oak Hills 21

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 44, Laguna Beach 28

Chino Hills 42, Mira Costa 35

Dana Hills 27, Aquinas 26

Palos Verdes 42, Valencia 34

Edison 31, Huntington Beach 19

Inglewood 40, Capistrano Valley 16

DIVISION 4

Charter Oak 17, Muir 14

San Jacinto 30, Bishop Diego 29

Great Oak 38, Cajon 15

Villa Park 28, Westlake 24

Oaks Christian 16, St. Bonaventure 13

Paraclete 54, Long Beach Wilson 48

Cathedral 40, Western 21

La Habra 41, El Modena 7

DIVISION 5

Redondo Union 21, Torrance 14

St. Paul 38, Etiwanda 19

Bonita 31, Northview 19

Loyola 17, Newbury Park 14

Aliso Niguel 7, Millikan 6

La Serna 7, Lakewood 0

Rio Hondo Prep 50, Thousand Oaks 34

Troy 49, Orange 27

DIVISION 6

Eastvale Roosevelt 33, Crespi 24

Burbank 52, Lancaster 43

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 35, Alta Loma 6

Upland 42, Los Altos 21
Orange Vista 50, El Toro 31

Agoura 35, Summit 7

Ventura 42, Salesian 31
Moorpark 31, Riverside King 28

DIVISION 7

Palm Springs 33, Claremont 7

Hart 52, Mayfair 24

Barstow 34, Serrano 12

La Canada 30, West Covina 14

Apple Valley 21, North Torrance 20

Victor Valley 34, Segerstrom 14

Saugus 22, Schurr 19

Calabasas 31, El Segundo 24

DIVISION 8

Palm Desert 31, Marina 7

Patriot 48, Elsinore 28

Beckman 41, La Mirada 21

Fullerton 38, La Quinta 21

Irvine 24, Temecula Valley 7

Quartz Hill 41, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 0

Brea Olinda 21, Mary Star of the Sea 12

St. Monica 28, St. Genevieve 18

DIVISION 9

Ramona 21, Silverado 14

Cerritos 16, Fillmore 7

Hesperia 27, Moreno Valley 21

Norte Vista 28, Vista del Lago 24

Warren 17, Norwalk 7

Cerritos Valley Christian 29, Chino 6

San Dimas 24, Rowland 22

Riverside Poly 34, Corona Santiago 24

DIVISION 10

Oak Park 17, Village Christian 15

Tahquitz 39, Heritage Christian 12

Brentwood 13, Portola 3

Santa Monica 42, Pasadena 16

Garden Grove Pacifica 35, El Rancho 14

Liberty 42, West Torrance 35

St. Margaret’s 16, Redlands East Valley 15

Hillcrest 41, Monrovia 14

DIVISION 11

El Monte 18, St. Anthony 13

Western Christian 27, Bell Gardens 20

Baldwin Park 42, Maranatha 28

Shadow Hills 37, Jurupa Hills 0

Gahr 21, Chaffey 16

Valley View 24, Dominguez 3

Palmdale 39, Diamond Bar 20

South Pasadena 42, San Marcos 17

DIVISION 12

Yucca Valley 43, Costa Mesa 17

Grace 28, Rialto 27

Perris 51, Citrus Hill 22

Coachella Valley 38, Banning 35

Bellflower 14, Nogales 7

Colton 73, Ganesha 53

Santa Paula 27, Ocean View 7

Arroyo Valley 26, Desert Christian Academy 24

DIVISION 13

Saddleback 21, Pacific 17

Santa Rosa Academy 35, Heritage 21

Woodbridge 28, Desert Hot Springs 13

Buena 42, Nordhoff 40

La Puente 26, Kaiser 19

Linfield Christian 47, Hacienda Heights Wilson 20

Montebello 19, Rancho Alamitos 17

DIVISION 14

South El Monte 46, Channel Islands 7

Indian Springs 27, Vasquez 20

Ontario 21, Bolsa Grande 0

Miller 39, San Jacinto Valley 13

Alhambra 25, Bassett 0

Trinity Classical Academy 47, Gabrielino 35

Pioneer 42, Godinez 21

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

Quarterfinals

#1 Sherman Oaks CES 66, #8 USC Hybrid 0

#4 East Valley 28, #5 Valley Oaks CES 22

#2 Animo Robinson 66, #7 New Designs University Park 21

SOUTHERN SECTION

First Round

DIVISION 1

Avalon 45, Thacher 14

DIVISION 2

Cal Lutheran 52, Maricopa 22

Desert Christian 34, Malibu 7

Hesperia Christian 26, Academy of Career and Exploration 13

Lancaster Baptist 57, Downey Calvary Chapel 14

Nov. 7 (UPI) — Explosions at a mosque on a high school campus in Jakarta, Indonesia, have injured at least 54 people, most of them students.

The injured have been taken to hospitals and have injuries that range from minor to serious, said Jakarta City Police Chief Asep Edi Suhaeri, the Independent reported.

Police have identified the alleged attacker as a 17-year-old student, who was also injured.

The explosions happened at 12:15 p.m. WID during Friday prayers.

Indonesia Police General Listyo Sigit Prabowo said an investigation is underway, “including how the suspect assembled and carried out the attack.”

One student told the Indonesian government-owned news agency Antara that a student brought in a homemade bomb. The boy had often been bullied by students, the BBC reported.

Other students told Indonesian news outlets that the boy had been a “loner” who often drew violent pictures. They said they saw him lying on the ground after the explosion happened.

Antara’s images appear to show objects that looked like guns, but Indonesian politician Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus said the photos depicted “a toy gun, not a real gun.”

On one of the alleged “toy guns,” it said, “14 words. For Agartha,” and, “Brenton Tarrant. Welcome to Hell,” the BBC reported.

Tarrant is the attacker in the 2019 shooting at a New Zealand mosque that killed 51 people.

Paulus also told the public not to assume that the blast was a terrorist act because detectives were still investigating.

The Ukrainian parliament has disclosed that its public debt of over $190 billion will require close to four decades to repay—but this assumes the country remains viable as a “state,” the EU agrees to keep funding its budgets, and the IMF doesn’t balk at extending further loans.

There are valid reasons for concern over new Finance Ministry figures revealing that Ukraine’s public debt has expanded to unprecedented levels, requiring decades to extinguish.

The Finance Ministry’s latest report indicates Ukraine’s public and government-guaranteed debt surged to 8.02 trillion hryvnia ($194.2 billion) as of September 30. The pace and scale of borrowing have shocked MPs, who now face the grim reality that interest payments alone will drain more than 3.8 trillion hryvnia ($90.5 billion) from the state treasury over the coming decades.  

IMF Concerns

The IMF last month updated its forecasts for Ukraine’s public debt level, now expecting it to reach 108.6% of GDP by the end of 2025 and rise further to 110.4% in 2026. The IMF has revised its projections for Ukrainian debt higher despite the successful restructuring in 2024 of $20.5 billion in Eurobond securities. However, the same year, the country’s budget deficit reached $43.9 billion.

A recent report by Ukraine’s KSE Institute estimates the country’s budget gap for 2025-2028 at $53 billion per year, a sum that foreign sponsors would have to cover. These figures do not include additional military financing. 

The Economist recently estimated that Ukraine will require around $400 billion in cash and arms over the next four years to continue fighting and cover essential domestic costs.

The European Union’s plan to leverage frozen Russian sovereign funds to support Ukraine has hit a roadblock, with Belgium refusing to back the proposal due to legal risks. The EU had hoped to use the frozen assets, worth around $300 billion, as collateral to secure further loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Ukraine. However, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has opposed the plan, describing it as “sort-of-confiscation” that exposes Belgium to significant financial and legal risks.

The EU’s failure to approve a $160 billion “reparations loan” has significant implications for Ukraine, which remains heavily reliant on Western aid to support its war effort. Ukraine’s $15.5 billion IMF program is set to expire in 2027, and the country has requested an additional $8 billion in funding. However, talks have stalled due to concerns about Ukraine’s economic viability.

EU officials are reportedly concerned that the IMF may not grant further funding to Ukraine unless the EU approves the new loan. This could trigger a cascading loss of confidence in the country’s economic viability. The IMF program’s approval is seen as crucial in signaling to investors that Ukraine remains solvent, and its rejection could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s economy.

Keeping Ukraine afloat financially is largely expected to fall to the EU given decreased American involvement. However, such a prospect has faced internal opposition. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that “there’s no one else left willing to pick up the tab.” Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico voiced equal opposition to Brussels’ plan to continue financing Kiev’s war. And just this week, the new Czech Republic President Andrej Babiš made good on his campaign promise to advocate against more funds and arms being transferred to Ukraine.

Orbán, a longtime critic of aid to Ukraine, criticized Brussels for seeking new funding through frozen Russian assets and fresh loans, rejecting the plan as not Hungary’s responsibility.  

A Failed State?

It is worth noting that a case can be made that Ukraine was not a thriving state prior to February 2022.

After his 2019 election, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assumed the leadership of a state suffering from economic malaise, low natality, and high rates of graft and corruption. Ukraine’s population, after peaking at 52 million in 1993, had already fallen to 45.5 million by 2013—it is 32 million today, with UN estimates concluding that it would fall by a further 20% by 2050. More than 28 million now reside outside the country.

Widespread emigration has plagued Ukraine, which was suffering from extensive brain drain well before the war. Emigration and population decline are parts of a vicious cycle—citizens leave countries due to political instability or low economic prospects, which tends to exacerbate the problems.

In addition to a declining birthrate and negative net migration, Ukraine’s economy has floundered since the nation achieved independence in 1991. Ukraine is one of the poorest countries in Europe—before the war, its GDP per capita was comparable to that of Iraq, and unemployment was about 10 percent. Ukraine’s economy is the second-most corrupt in Europe. This corruption and lack of opportunity fueled Ukraine’s pre-war emigration and poverty.

The invasion and subsequent Russian military strikes have severely degraded Ukraine’s already weak economy. Infrastructure has been devastated, with an estimated $176 billion in damage. Power systems, roads, and other critical assets have been left in ruins. Ukrainian agricultural production, which made up 41 percent of Ukraine’s exports, has fallen by a third. Finally, Russian minefields and artillery attacks have also left much of eastern Ukraine inundated with unexploded ordnance, the effects of which will continue to be felt for decades.

Moreover, many of the 6.9 million refugees and 3.7 million internally displaced persons are either unable to contribute to the country’s war effort or dependent on state resources for survival. Many who fled will likely not return; a significant number of refugees have effectively assimilated within host communities in Germany and Poland—many have built lives in other countries. Those least likely to return are individuals with high education and key skills, fostering the flight of valuable human resources.

Even if the EU continues to fund Ukraine, its difficulties will only increase. With Russia already controlling 20% of Ukraine’s territory and continuing to gain ground, the most it can hope to achieve is a stalemate until peace terms are mutually agreed upon. Continuing to resist the Russian onslaught could take years, which would further damage and depopulate eastern Ukraine. Moreover, its economy would continue to be strangled by the displacement of workers, infrastructure damage, and investor fatigue and uncertainty. Protracted warfare may achieve political and moral objectives, but the loss of wartime unity and foreign aid, combined with the high cost of rebuilding and resettling ($524 billion), is likely to create further political instability. Even in peace, Ukraine’s future is bleak.

Western leaders should be well aware of the consequences that protracted warfare can have on a state—their experiences in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan all resulted in massive human costs and the destruction of economic and governmental institutions. Regardless of what happens at the peace table, Europe, the UK (and under Trump, to a lesser extent, the U.S.) will be forced to reckon with the specter of both a failed state dependent on foreign aid as well as a protracted migrant crisis, which Europe already faces with the Middle East and North Africa. The crisis is building, and it soon could be at the West’s doorstep.

It’s the one-two punch of an earthquake and a piece of scrumptious white chocolate from Belgium, a country famous for its sweet confections, that awakens 2½-year-old Amélie (voiced by Loïse Charpentier) to the wondrous and perilous world around her.

Rambunctious and astute, the toddler heroine of the sublimely beautiful animated film “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” first communicates in voiceover from the void of nothingness before birth. She declares herself a powerful deity and explains that God is essentially a “tube” that constantly ingests and secretes experiences and things. That description could also apply to human existence in a general sense if you take away the philosophical complications that give us meaning. (We are, thankfully, more than all-consuming vessels.)

But until she’s stirred by the earthquake and chocolate, Amélie refuses to engage with reality, observing without making any effort to move or talk, as if displeased with having been born. Her absolutist views of what it means to be alive slowly peel away in the life-affirming first feature from co-directors Liane-Cho Han and Maïlys Vallade, a screen adaptation of Amélie Nothomb’s autobiographical 2000 novel “The Character of Rain,” popular in French-speaking countries.

Akin to impressionistic paintings, the animation here decidedly lacks intricate designs and opts for flat hues coloring figures without visible outlines. The stylistic choices result in a striking, distinctly pictorial aesthetic in line with earlier projects that Han and Vallade worked on, such as “Long Way North” and “Calamity,” both directed by Rémi Chayé.

The third child of a Belgian family living in 1960s Japan, young Amélie develops an endearing relationship with housekeeper Nishio-san (Victoria Grobois). While her parents have their hands full with her older siblings, Amélie explores nature and becomes enamored with Japanese culture. That the affectionate Nishio-san doesn’t impose her perspective on the girl, but quite literally tries to perceive each moment from her height, signals a bond that’s closer to one between mutuals.

It’s through Amélie’s gaze — or, more precisely, how these filmmakers interpret it visually — that we begin to understand her invigorating whimsy. Early on, it seems like her rapidly changing moods affect the weather; later, Amélie steps into the ocean and it parts as it did for Moses (if only in her restless imagination). A person her age is inherently self-centered, unaware that she is part of a bigger whole.

To illustrate Nishio-san’s account of how she lost her family during World War II, animators Han and Vallade zero in on the dish she is cooking: Chopped vegetables fall into a pot like missiles, a gust of pot steam represents a fiery aftermath, rice under water shows how Nishio-san had to dig her way out of being buried alive. The gruesome subject matter is translated into immediate household imagery that someone Amélie’s age could grasp.

When Nishio-san shares with Amélie that the Japanese word “ame” means rain (so close to her own name), the girl takes this as confirmation that her kinetic, unbridled and visceral impulses are natural. Her feelings of kinship with precipitation are transmuted into a delightfully conceived scene in which little versions of Amélie appear inside every falling raindrop. These fanciful instances benefit from Mari Fukuhara’s score, a drizzle of aural luminosity.

Amélie’s rowdy approach becomes more nuanced when she is confronted with a loved one’s death, as well as her own mortality in the aftermath of two accidents. Han and Vallade also make room for her realizations about life’s unfairness and the inevitability of sorrow — all communicated via flights of fancy that only animation can materialize.

In turn, it comes as a shock for Amélie to learn that she is not Japanese, even if that’s the country she considers home. Her future may be determined by Kashima-san (Yumi Fujimori), the landlady who owns the house Amélie’s family is renting and who brought Nishio-san on to help them. Kashima-san distrusts westerners — her wounds of wartime haven’t healed — and to see Nishio-san smitten with Amélie feels like a betrayal.

The larger implications of her presence escape the little one, but the fact that Amélie, even at her age, is able to empathize with Kashima-san’s despair speaks to the thematic richness and emotional maturity that Han and Vallade channel in their brisk, arresting feature. The gently transcendent, tear-inducing conclusion that “Little Amélie” reaches suggests that memory serves as our only remedy for loss. As long as we don’t forget, what we cherish won’t become ephemeral.

Christmas day trips could be taking families to some of the most iconic locations, as experts share the top festive itineraries less than two hours from the UK

As the festive season approaches, families could be jetting off to Europe for a Christmas adventure without even needing to book time off work or splurge on hotel stays, thanks to extreme day tripping. This travel trend sees holidaymakers spending 24 hours or less in a destination before heading back home.

Travel gurus at Iglu Cruise have pinpointed three of the top European destinations for yuletide celebrations, all within two hours by plane or train from London, and they’ve even crafted the perfect itinerary to make the most of your Christmas escape.

Cologne, Germany

This captivating city is home to some of the world’s most famous Christmas markets, and it’s just an hour and 20 minutes by plane from London. The experts suggest kicking off the day exploring Cologne’s museums, such as Museum Ludwig and the Fina Frangrace Museum.

Next, pop over to Ehrenfeld for a quick cafe stop and an afternoon Kölsch before embarking on a boat tour along the Rhine River to soak up the Christmas magic of Cologne.

Come evening, Heinzels Christmas Market comes alive with ice skating, shopping and the KölnTriangle observation deck offering stunning views of Cologne’s illuminated cathedral and twinkling Christmas lights.

Basel, Switzerland

Just an hour and 40 minutes away from London by plane, this snow-dusted fairytale town awaits, boasting a charming medieval old town that serves as the ideal starting point for your extreme day trip.

From the old town, visitors can admire the beautifully decorated courtyards, called “Magische Höfe” or “Magical Courtyards”. The city hall courtyard features a Wish Book where guests can record their Christmas wishes.

The experts then recommend visiting the Barfüsserplatz Christmas Market to sample Swiss cheese or the famous local gingerbread biscuit, followed by Christmas shopping and mulled wine from the 13-metre high Christmas Pyramid.

There’s also a free Advent production at Basel Theatre worth catching. These daily performances, running from 1st to 23rd December at 5:00 PM, feature a varied programme of small opera, drama and ballet productions.

During these dates visitors can also climb St Martin’s Tower for a small fee to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the market and the illuminated old town.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Just an hour and 10 minutes’ flight from London brings you to Amsterdam, where you can begin your day trip admiring the city’s iconic canals and bridges in the Jordaan district whilst enjoying breakfast.

The Museum Quarter provides plenty to occupy your morning before heading to the Winter Paradise RAI festival, where you’ll discover indoor and outdoor ice rinks, a Ferris wheel, live music, Dutch waffles and cosy winter bars.

Amsterdam’s Light Festival also transforms the city at this time of year, and the experts suggest taking an evening cruise for the best views as the spectacular decorations shimmer across the water.

Arriving at Sale Sharks as part of a high-profile revamp, Holly Aitchison has made one big move this summer.

She is adamant she won’t be making a second.

“[England head coach] John Mitchell has made it pretty clear to me that I can cover different positions, but I am a 10,” she told BBC Sport.

“And I won’t be seen as anything else.”

A year ago, the question wouldn’t have been asked.

At WXV in Canada, Aitchison was the Red Roses’ starting fly-half, steering them to title-clinching victories over New Zealand and Canada.

Her playmaking and running abilities were a key part of diversifying England’s threat, ensuring that, come the Rugby World Cup in England, they would have more cutting edges than a bandsaw.

It didn’t turn out like that.

Zoe Harrison edged in front as first-choice 10, with Aitchison shifted into the centres or on to the bench.

An ankle injury in the run-up to the Rugby World Cup meant Aitchison struggled to challenge for her spot, only appearing in the knock-out stages and then being deployed as a midfield replacement in the semi-final and final victories over France and Canada respectively.

But the 28-year-old is resolute in sticking to her position and her philosophy.

“I want to dictate,” she said.

“Obviously I got that ankle injury before the World Cup, but we were definitely moving in the more expansive direction.

“That’s something that I champion, that’s what I bring as a 10.

“I want to inspire the backline, I want to play this brand of rugby that attracts viewers.

“In the men’s game, I think of players like Finn Russell – you buy a ticket to watch him.

“I want that kind of hype around players in the women’s game where we’re creating that style of brand that people want to watch.”

At Sale, she hopes she has found the stage to do that.

The team finished last in PWR last season, but they have invested and improved.

Aitchison’s England team-mate Amy Cokayne and Scotland wing Rhona Lloyd were also signed over the summer while England’s Morweena Talling and the United States’ all-action lock Erica Jarrell-Searcy are part of an exciting back five in the pack.

Sale co-owner Michelle Orange had earmarked this season, after the Rugby World Cup, as a chance to lure some of England’s players back to the north and strengthen a struggling team.

Aitchison, born and raised on Merseyside, was a top target.

“Holly was on my hit-list, not just as a poster girl for the Red Roses, but for the North West and women’s rugby in general,” Orange tells BBC Sport.

“She is a perfect fit coming in. We are so lucky to have Katy Daley-Mclean – one of England’s best ever fly-halves – heading up our women’s programme and Holly follows in her mould.

“I love Holly’s style, her sass, the way she puts herself out on social media and identifies with her fanbase, this is exactly who we want in our team to bring some extra X-factor and complement the girls we have already got.”

Forty-two million face food aid delays after the nation’s top Court lets US president pause full SNAP payments.

The United States Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily withhold about $4bn in federal food aid for November, leaving 42 million low-income Americans in need uncertain about their benefits amid the nation’s longest-ever government shutdown.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the administrative stay on Friday, giving a lower court more time to assess the administration’s request to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps.

The SNAP programme supports Americans whose income falls below 130 percent of the federal poverty line. For the 2026 fiscal year, the maximum monthly benefit is $298 for an individual and $546 for a two-person household.

The Supreme Court order pauses a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island that had required the government to immediately release the full amount of funding.

The stay will remain in place until two days after the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rules on whether to block the lower court’s decision. SNAP typically costs between $8.5bn and $9bn each month.

Earlier this week, District Judge John McConnell, appointed by former President Barack Obama, accused the Trump administration of withholding SNAP funds for “political reasons”. His ruling ordered the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use money from a separate child nutrition fund, worth more than $23bn and financed through tariffs, to cover the shortfall in food assistance.

‘Judicial activism at its worst’

The administration had planned to provide $4.65bn in emergency funding, half the amount needed for full benefits. It argued that McConnell’s ruling would “sow further shutdown chaos” and prompt “a run on the bank by way of judicial fiat”, according to filings by the Department of Justice.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the Supreme Court’s intervention, calling McConnell’s order “judicial activism at its worst”.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday refused to immediately halt McConnell’s ruling before the Supreme Court’s stay was announced. The USDA had already informed state governments that it was preparing to distribute full SNAP payments, triggering confusion among officials and recipients as the administration appealed.

SNAP benefits lapsed at the start of November, for the first time in the programme’s six-decade history. Many recipients have since turned to food pantries or cut back on essentials like medication to stretch their limited budgets.

The next hearing in the 1st Circuit is expected soon, while millions of families wait to see whether full benefits will resume.

Maverick’s story

It was a cold November morning, and I had travelled with my family to our ancestral temple in a village in Tamil Nadu. My sister’s 11-month-old baby was to be tonsured for the first time – a religious head-shaving that in Hinduism is a way of discarding the evil eye and removing any negativity from past lives; a new start.

My wife drove, but asked me to park the car while she went inside with our son and her parents. I walked around the front of the vehicle and slid into the passenger seat. But when I tried to park, I felt resistance. As I pressed down on the accelerator, I noticed a middle-aged man running towards me, waving his arms frantically as he yelled for me to move the car backwards.

My mind raced as I reversed. I prayed silently that I hadn’t hurt anyone.

It was only when I got out of the car that I saw her. The thin, frail woman who now lay on the ground, shaking and murmuring. Panicked, my mind tried to make sense of how she’d come to be there – she must have sat down, assuming I’d already parked – and how badly injured she was. She curled into a foetal position as I sat down beside her and gently placed her head on my lap.

“Does it hurt anywhere, paati (granny)?” I asked.

She nodded, pointing to her leg.

I slowly pulled back the torn sari near her knee. The flesh was missing.

“You’ve been hurt, but we’ll take care of it,” I promised.

“No one will take care of me … just let me sit,” she pleaded.

Villagers started to gather, but kept their distance. One man said the woman slept on the streets near the temple and was often seen begging. A woman chided her for always sitting too close to cars. “If you don’t do something now, no one will take care of her, and she’ll die,” a man muttered before leaving.

Between groans, the woman told me her name: Chinnammal.

“Can you find my bag, thangam?” she asked, using a Tamil term for a loved one that translates to “gold”. She was in pain, but speaking to me, the person who had caused it, with such kindness.

I looked around and found her old cotton bag. It was stuffed to the brim with an open packet of chips, a half-eaten bun, a few 10-rupee notes, and some clothes.

The ambulance arrived, but there was only the driver, and it would take at least three people to lift her safely; we needed another pair of hands. There were close to 25 people around us, but no one moved.

“No one will come to lift her. She’s from a different caste. I have come to do temple rituals – otherwise, I would help,” a priest explained before hurrying away.

My wife, who had by now seen the commotion and approached, stepped forward to help, and together, we lifted Chinnammal into the ambulance. I climbed in with her.

I could see from her face that the pain came in waves. I sat next to her, one arm under her shoulders, in a kind of half-hug.

“My bag?” she asked, looking relieved when I placed it beside her hand.

“You are the first person to take me in a car,” she told me, her voice trembling.

She called me saami, a Tamil term that translates to God. I couldn’t understand how she could show me such love and respect. I asked for her forgiveness, but she simply asked me to help her sit up.

When we pulled into the hospital, two nurses in neatly pressed white uniforms appeared with a stretcher. I helped the ambulance driver lift Chinnammal onto it and wheeled her into the hospital. I told the nurses what I knew of her injuries, while they exchanged uneasy glances. When Chinnammal lurched forward and vomited, the nurses scolded her and backed away in disgust.

Inside the emergency room, the nursing manager explained that Chinnammal’s blood pressure and heart rate were high, but she was stable. She had two major injuries – a broken hip and severe grazing that would require skin grafts. Her leg, he said, was not so serious and would heal quickly.

Chinnammal reached for my hands. Hers were small and bony, but her grip was firm. Her eyes flickered, drifting in and out of focus. A soft-spoken doctor told me it was a miracle she was stable after sustaining such serious injuries.

She quietly listened to the doctor speak, but when he mentioned it would take three months for her hip to heal, Chinnammal started to wail.

“I will visit you every weekend, paati,” I reassured her.

The hospital staff took Chinnammal for an electrocardiogram, and when she returned, now hooked up to a heartbeat monitor, she grasped my hands again. She tugged on one. I leaned in. “Ask them to give me medicine to die,” she said.

I assured her that the doctors would take good care of her and that I would be there to make sure of it.

“They won’t,” she replied.

Then she looked into my eyes and lost consciousness.

I grabbed hold of her hand, but it was limp. I fell to the floor, sobbing.

Chinnammal was pronounced dead at 8.30 am on November 20, 2022. She was about 75 years old.

Chinnammal’s story

Chinnammal didn’t always live on the streets. As a younger woman, she was impeccably dressed, with flowers woven into her neatly plaited hair.

She hadn’t always begged for handouts either. She worked hard to farm a piece of land for her family, but her married life was difficult. Her husband was an alcoholic, and Chinnammal had to raise her daughter, run the house, and farm their land with little help.

She doted on her daughter and was happy when she married a man from a nearby village. A few years after her daughter married, Chinnammal’s husband died. Chinnammal adapted easily to life as a widow. She enjoyed visiting her daughter and son-in-law and would take them homemade sweets. When they struggled to conceive, Chinnammal worried, but she was overjoyed when they decided to adopt. She loved watching her grandson grow. He became her “everything”.

That joy was short-lived. Chinnammal’s daughter fell ill with a severe form of diabetes. When Chinnammal wasn’t at her daughter’s bedside, she was at the temple, praying for her, or concocting various treatments from herbs that she hoped would help.

But nothing worked, and Chinnammal watched her daughter slowly die.

That was the moment Chinnammal’s life changed. She stopped interacting with people. Some villagers started to harass and steal from her. She once filed a police complaint against a drunk neighbour who harassed her, but the police refused to help. Late one night, when she caught the man near her home, she threatened him with a sickle.

In her grief, Chinnammal no longer cared where she slept, what she ate, or how she dressed. She started to sleep by the temple, clutching her cloth bag close to her.

After Chinnammal’s death

A few hours after Chinnammal’s death, I went to the local police station and handed myself in.

A police officer contacted Chinnammal’s son-in-law to release her body and begin the family’s settlement case against me.

Her son-in-law initially refused to claim her body. The investigating officer told me he’d said, “She should have died a long time ago. She was just a burden … You can ask them to bury her and move on.”

But the officer insisted, and the man reluctantly came to the station.

When he arrived, I gave Chinnammal’s bag to the police officer, who inventoried its contents and shared the details with her son-in-law. His demeanour changed. He wanted to claim the body and register himself as her closest living relative, he explained.

“There was close to two lakhs ($2,250) in the bag you surrendered, and now this guy is trying to claim it and the compensation that the government might pay,” the police officer told me.

Chinnammal’s death felt like losing a loved one. I knew I had caused it. But she had shown no anger or animosity towards me. In her final hours, she had treated me with kindness and compassion. She had shared her love for her daughter and grandson with me, held my hand, and spoken tenderly to me despite her pain.

At the hospital, a doctor had tried to console me. “What if you had hit a child?” he’d asked. “Could you live with yourself?”

“She had lived her life,” he reasoned. But his reasoning made no sense to me.

The following day, I went to the temple to help the police with their investigation. As I stared at the spot where my life had changed, a priest interrupted my thoughts.

“You did a good job,” he said. Thinking he was chastising me, I apologised.

“No, I mean it,” he responded. “Nobody used to go near her. Local drunks used to steal the money she collected. So she used to cuss and throw stones at anyone who came near her. She had absolutely no one in this world.”

Even the temple staff used to chase her away, he explained.

“I think she chose to go through you. Through you, she died with dignity, the dignity that was denied to her in life,” he said, urging me to be at peace.

But nothing could give me peace.

I stopped driving. For a year, I withdrew from friends and family. I couldn’t sleep and, when I did, I’d see Chinnammal in my dreams. Whenever I was alone, I would think about her, replaying that day in my mind and wondering what might have happened had I done something differently.

Nearly a month after her death, I was able to track down the contact information for Chinnammal’s 19-year-old grandson. I called to ask for his forgiveness, and he asked me about the last moments I spent with her.

Three months later, at the court hearing, I was found negligent and ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 rupees ($115) to the court. At the hearing, I met Chinnammal’s grandson. I hugged him, and though he barely spoke, I could feel the warmth of his forgiveness – just like that of his paati’s.

In her dying moments, Chinnammal taught me the value of life – every life.

Chinnammal means “small mother”.

A neighbour who had known her said, “She spent her whole life caring for her daughter, and, even in death, she ensured that her family was taken care of [with her savings]. Her mind and body may have given in, but she never stopped being a mother.”

This story was told to Catherine Gilon by Maverick Prem. Information about Chinnammal’s life was gathered from interviews with her former neighbours, who asked not to be named. Her family declined to be interviewed for this story.

Maverick continues to pay his respects to Chinnammal at the temple grounds where she spent her final years. In addition to the court fine, he made a voluntary donation to Chinnammal’s grandson.

James Martin has presented on Saturday morning television for over two decades but says his mum has one blunt criticism whenever he appears on screens

James Martin is often on the end of blunt criticism from his mum. The 53-year-old has been a regular face on television screens since the 1990s.

His Saturday Morning show is even set for a new slot on ITV One next year as viewing figures continue to grow. The show, which began in 2017, will be extended until midday from January, reports the Mirror.

And while James has seen his audience share increase by around 8%, it seems his mum is often critical about one part of the programme. The Yorkshireman says his mum Sue often slams his outfit choices.

Speaking to IrelandLive, he said: “Usually my mum phones me up and says, ‘That shirt looks s*** – you can’t wear that again’. That’s usually the comment I get on Saturday Morning – ‘What the bloody hell are you wearing that shirt for?’ That’ll be the one, after all these years.”

James says his mum often sends him critiques of his look on screen. He explained she often says his hair “looks a mess” and asks if he had a night on the town before recording.

The chef however jokes that it “keeps him grounded”. James has now been on Saturday morning television for over two decades, first on Saturday Kitchen on the BBC before making the jump to ITV in 2017.

James has previously revealed that the desire to pursue his own projects was part of the reason for the switch.

Speaking at the Love Food show, James explained that ITV bosses ask what type of shows he wants to front.

Discussing his TV career, James said: “Television, I got dragged into it with the Hotel du Vin and I got dragged into it even more with the BBC and I think, having a reset, and by leaving that and resetting and going to ITV.

“ITV were the first people in 30 years who said, ‘What do you want to do?’ And that’s when I sat in a meeting and said, ‘Look, I’d love to go back to where I used to work in France’.”

James launched his illustrious career at Hotel Du Vin, where he became head chef at just 22 years old, a role that paved the way for his television debut on Ready Steady Cook and The Big Breakfast.

Before joining the Winchester establishment, he refined his culinary skills at Hostellerie De Plaisance in Saint-Émilion, France.

James Martin’s Saturday Morning will be back on screens from 9.30am today (November 8). This week Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page, master mixologist Merlin Griffiths, and chefs Francesco Mazzei and Jude Kereama will join James at his Hampshire property.

Marburg, Germany. It’s a fairytale city, not only because of the hilltop castle that overlooks its cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, but also because this is where the Grimm brothers once lived and studied, starting the collection of folklore stories that would eventually become their famous anthology of fairytales. Throughout the city, sculptures – some perched in improbable places – pay homage to this past, forming a mile-long route known as the Grimm Path. It’s very much like a treasure hunt.

But on my visit to Marburg, I had a different type of treasure hunt in mind and, once done with enchanted mirrors and kissy-lipped frogs, headed straight for the SecondHand by DRK (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz – the German Red Cross) to scout for pre-owned items.

Whereas once there was a stigma to buying secondhand, nowadays it’s on trend. “Thrifted” has been tagged more than 7m times on Instagram, and accounts such as @charity_shop_life and @my.thrifted.abode have tens of thousands of followers. According to Booking.com’s 2025 travel predictions, “Thrift shopping and vintage stores are becoming a core part of the travel experience, with 73% of travellers having already purchased secondhand items while abroad”. Google data also shows that searches for destination-specific secondhand shopping – “thrifting in Berlin” or “vintage markets in Stockholm”, for example – have skyrocketed.

Guides and tour operators haven’t been slow to jump on board either – for £200, Fashion Tours London will guide you around the capital’s secondhand stores for a whole day, while Red Shed Vintage Tours and Gold Crest will set you loose on a variety of French brocantes (flea markets).

But while curated tours suit some, for me it would dampen the thrill of exploring on my own. There is bounty almost everywhere, of course, but I’ve found France great for rustic kitchen and homewares, Madrid a good hunting ground for vintage designer accessories, while in Venice it’s glassware (there’s a tiny charity shop attached to a church where I almost always find genuine pre-loved Murano glass).

The appeal of a tour also depends on how you feel about rummaging with others in tow. For me, it’s a bit like skiing: you don’t want to stop others from having a good time, but nor do you want them to affect your good time. Personally, when I’m in treasure-hunting mode, I prefer being alone, without someone sighing at my shoulder. I’ll just meet you at the bar later and reveal my finds, OK? “You’re a bit like Oscar the Grouch in the Muppets,” observed one friend. “Happiest alone in the bin.” Well, quite.

Whatever your MO, it always helps to do some research before you go – get acquainted with the names of the charity shops at your destination; look for Instagram accounts specialising in vintage. Use Google to search for pop-ups such as kilo sales, and in France use brocabrac.fr to look for brocantes calendars in the area you’re visiting – they generally move from location to location each weekend. This worked nicely for me in the summer, when the brass swans I’d been eyeing up one Sunday were still available the following week on the same stall – but in the next town.

Google Lens can be helpful, too, in determining whether the item you’ve found is genuine or worth the price being asked. Towns with an ageing population, such as Kraków and Léon, tend to have the best bargains, while capital cities and those with a university will probably have higher prices, due to the number of avid shoppers. And generally speaking, the farther out of town you travel, the better the bargains will be. I also wander the streets surrounding weekend markets as residents often capitalise on the passing footfall to set up their own little garage sales.

I’ve been buying secondhand since my early teens and it still gives me a dopamine hit: in Germany I stumbled across an ostrich leather handbag for €2, right next to a synthetic Primark one tagged €3.50; in Romania I unearthed a silk Hermès scarf in a bin full of polyester ones; and in Greece I sifted through shelves of books to find a volume of beautiful botanical drawings. An angry rooster jug I picked up for 100 krone (£12) at a market in Copenhagen remains one of my most beloved purchases. Only recently did I discover he was made in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and that others like him have sold for close to £200 on Etsy (although there’s no way I’m ever selling mine).

One of the great delights of buying secondhand abroad is that you’ll uncover items not readily found at home and they make the best souvenirs. The vintage stoneware escargot dishes I nabbed in a market near Biarritz, for example, that now sit on my dresser holding my rings, remind me of that trip daily. I love, also, the interactions that such purchases spark. People on market stalls or in small shops tend to be far more engaging than staff in big chains and this often leads to interesting chats and fun exchanges.

“Non, non, ce n’est pas pour toi!” shrieked a woman, laughingly, at a flea market in Nantes, as I peered closely (too closely, in retrospect) at a small statue, trying to make sense of it, before realising it graphically depicted a sex act. “German,” scoffed the man on the stall in Copenhagen, as I examined a mustard pot in the form of a boy squatting with his pants down (the mustard was dispensed via his bottom).

Of course, it’s very easy to get carried away, and you need to be mindful of what you can pack and carry. On a girls’ weekend in Lisbon a few years ago, the Humana secondhand stores were so full of gems that some serious sitting on suitcases was required for the return journey – but, honestly, who in their right mind would leave an utterly perfect, €10 camel cashmere coat behind? Or a pair of Italian leather boots that actually fit?

The really impossible items – furniture, huge mirrors and ornate frames – make me sad because even I have to admit there’s no way that chaise longue or antique dressing table can be squeezed into my bag (and where shipping is available, it tends to be from slicker operations with consequently higher prices). It may well be time for a driving holiday – in a lorry. And I doubt I’m the only one with such ideas: on a recent stay at a campsite in France, the noticeboard listed a week’s worth of local brocantes and vides-greniers (“empty attics” or car boot sales).

As for the DRK in Marburg? Well, I didn’t strike gold on my own behalf – but I did for someone else. A few years ago, while travelling, I met an Australian woman as keen on secondhand shopping as I am. We’ve stayed in touch and she mentioned recently how much she likes Boden prints. Guess what was hiding on the rails? A blouse in a vibrant green pattern, tick; silk, tick; size, tick; one parcel winging its way to Oz, tick. Proof that thrifting isn’t just good for the planet and addictively fun – it’s a great way to make friends, too.

The intensity is always high when Palisades and Venice meet on the volleyball court. This time, however, there was more than just neighborhood bragging rights at stake.

In the fifth meeting this season between the Western League rivals, the second-seeded Dolphins brought their ‘A’ game and won the City Section Open Division girls’ championship with a 25-23, 25-18, 25-18 victory Friday night at Southwest College.

It was the record 31st section crown for Palisades (35-7), which had won its last title (all but two of which have been in the top division) four years ago when the 2020 fall season was delayed until the following spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tulah Block’s seventh and final kill on match point sent her teammates pouring off the bench to hug each other.

“Going up for that kill I just knew I had to do it for the team,” Block said. “I’m so proud of the whole team especially with everything we went through and are still going through after the fire and not having a gym. We even had to go the beach to practice one day.”

The West Valley League has dominated girls’ volleyball over the last decade, but Palisades and Venice each vanquished two West Valley League opponents to reach the final. The Dolphins ousted Granada Hills and defending Open champion Taft while the top-seeded Gondoliers eliminated Chatsworth and El Camino Real.

Venice (32-11) won Division II in 2012, Division I in 2016 and the Open Division in 2021. The last time a West Valley League school failed to reach the Open Division final was 2019 when Eagle Rock beat Palisades in four sets.

Venice was swept in the team’s first league meeting on Aug. 28 but rebounded to take the rematch in five sets on Sept. 25 and ultimately took first place because of the Dolphins’ surprising five-set loss to University. The teams also met twice in tournaments, Venice winning both times in a best-of-three sets format.

“Our slogan all year was ’no gym, no problem,” Palisades senior libero Lucy Neilson said. “Today we came with a ‘leave it all out there’ mentality.”

Palisades rallied from a 19-16 deficit to win the first set on a kill by Block that Venice’s Samantha Lortie dove for in desperation but could not quite dig. Venice’s last stand came in the third set when it built a 13-7 lead but Palisades answered with a 14-point run on the serving of Phoebe Messiha.

Lortie, who teamed with Savannah Rozell to win the City pairs tournament on April 29 in Santa Monica and three days later led the Gondoliers to their first beach volleyball title, traded kills with Palisades’ Anabelle Redaelli, who finished with a match-high 13. Lortie had 11 and Gaia Adeseun-Williams added eight for the Gondoliers.

“Winning it this season is special given the obvious circumstances and it had to be against Venice,” Neilson added. “It’s important for our program because we hadn’t won it in a few years and that’s our goal every year.”

In the preceding Division V final, fifth-seeded Legacy swept No. 11 Sotomayor, 25-20, 25-18, 25-12. Both teams were seeking their first City title. Legacy improved to 10-15 while Sotomayor dropped to 12-12.

“We’re here because we pushed for it,” Tigers libero Yahaira Ramirez said. “Not all teams are going to have a 100 percent win streak. I love my position. I love to stand out. I save my team a lot of points.”