AS winter sets in, many Brits are already looking ahead to their next holiday.

But travel experts have revealed the destinations that shouldn’t be on your 2026 bucket list, including a sunny favourite for UK residents.

From overtourism to negative environmental impacts, there are a variety of reasons to avoid this stunning locations.

Fodor’s Travel has revealed its No 2026 List, explaining: “Its purpose is to highlight destinations where tourism is placing unsustainable pressures on the land and local communities.”

While the round-up of locations is “not a call for boycott”, it aims to highlight the issues facing each area, urging tourists to “ease up on a spot for now–not forever”.

“Give a rest to any location that clearly needs a breather,” the travel pros encouraged readers.

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The list includes a popular tourist destination for Brits as well as a city set to host next year’s World Cup.

Antarctica

Unlike most destinations, Antarctica doesn’t need marketing campaigns to lure visitors to fuel its existent economy.

In fact, it doesn’t have an economy at all, and therefore doesn’t need tourists.

Despite this, the remote region welcomed 120,000 visitors from 2023 to 2024, a number which is projected to double by 2033.

Mike Gunter, professor of political science and chair at Rollins College in Florida, who studies ecotourism and environmental policy, spoke about the recent shift in tourism for Antarctica.

“Unfortunately, in the last quarter century, Antarctica has been moving more toward mass tourism instead of the traditional ecotourism world,” he explained.

Expedition ships offer visitors a chance to set foot on the driest land on the planet and witness calving glaciers.

Elizabeth Leane, professor of Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, pointed out that a major draw of Antarctica is that it “still has that mystique of being the last place, the last wilderness”.

However, Jessica O’Reilly, associate professor of anthropology at Indiana University and an advisor to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings, explained: “The environment is fragile, and it’s a rare environment”.

“That’s why people want to go there, but it’s also why it can’t really sustain high numbers of tourism,” she said.

With no caps on visitation in Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) has only been able to set out voluntarily regulations for visitors.

Canary Islands

With warm temperatures for most of the year, the Canary Islands have established themselves as a long-time favourite destination for Brits.

From cheap prices and direct flights to world-class waterparks and stunning scenery, there are many draws to the destination.

However, a whopping 7.8 million visitors in 2025 alone has left locals concerned over how much their islands can take.

Thousands even marched through the streets of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote in May under the banner, “Canarias tiene un límite” (“The Canaries have a limit”).

The booming tourism is causing soaring housing costs and mounting environmental strain, threatening the foundations of island life.

While tourism contributes more than a third of the Canary Islands’ GDP and employs roughly 40% of its population, it has come at a price.

“Residents have started protesting because they’re genuinely fed up,” says John Dale Beckley, founder of the sustainability platform CanaryGreen.org.

“The government previously changed regulations that allowed residents to rent out their properties on Airbnb and Booking.com.

“This has driven up both rental prices and property values. Many young people now find it almost impossible to rent or buy a home.”

Meanwhile, there have also been “alarming losses in biodiversity” due to overcrowding.

And water scarcity and infrastructure strain are predicted to be the next looming crises.

Glacier National Park, Montana

First opened in 1910 with the displacement of the Blackfeet tribe, Glacier National Park (GNP) in Montana struggles to live up to its name.

GNP is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, leaving just 27 of the estimated 150 glaciers from early 20th century.

And these too, are expected to disappear by 2030. 

While Michael Jamison, Northern Rockies campaign director for the National Parks Conservation Association, cited climate change as a main factor, with more frequent and expansive wildfires and milder winters.

“For a lot of these species, climate change is what they call a ‘threat multiplier,’” Jamison explains. “

It magnifies existing threats and intensifies them … We’re seeing changes to migration routes, to seasonal habitats and winter range, and to entire populations.”

For some travelers, the last-chance draw of the rapidly melting glaciers has motivated visits to the park.

Already one of the most visited national parks in the US, Glacier saw around 300,000 more visitors in 2024 than 2023.

These large and growing numbers have various impacts on the park, from traffic congestion on Glacier’s iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road to the faster accumulation of garbage, and a greater risk of wildlife disturbance.

Glacier National Park has implemented policies to mitigate some of the effects, with visitors required to have timed reservations to enter during peak summer months and hours since 2020.

However, the damage may already have been done.

“The challenges absolutely are unprecedented,” says Jamison. “At no point in the history of Glacier Park have so many existential threats intersected all at once.”

Isola Sacra, Italy

This small community near Rome has been given the green light for a new port, where some of the world’s largest cruise ships will dock.

These plans have caused backlash from residents and environmental campaigners.

Despite the devastating impact of the cruise industry on other Italian areas such as Venice and Santorini, the quiet coastal district of Isola Sacra in Fiumicino is set to become the next cruise destination.

Located just 20 miles from Rome, the stunning area will become home to a pier for mega cruise ships, each over 230 feet high, over 1,150 feet long, and capable of carrying up to 6,000 passengers. 

Authorities say the project will bring an employment boom, however various local and national associations have been fighting against these development plans since 2010.

Long-time residents of Isola Sacra have formed Tavoli del Porto, a committee working to safeguard the area. 

“Only together can we stop these projects that threaten to destroy a delicate ecosystem of dunes, wetlands, agricultural land, unique vegetation, and terrestrial and marine animal species,” the activists told local press ahead of a protest planned in November. 

The project includes measures for the protection of marine biodiversity, with Fiumicino’s seabed so shallow it will require 105 million cubic feet of sand would to be extracted to create a deep channel allowing access for ships.

The Jungfrau Region, Switzerland

Located in the Bernese Oberland of central Switzerland, the Jungfrau Region stretches from the valleys of Interlaken to the imposing summits of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.

The area is most famous for its Alpine villages of Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, and Mürren. 

However despite its stunning scenery, the Jungfrau Region faces the challenge of balancing a booming tourism with the preservation of its environment and local quality of life.

The popularity of the area strains natural resources and the daily lives of residents, making now a critical moment to address sustainability.

According to Jungfrau Railways’ corporate announcements, both visitor numbers and profits have never been higher.

More thana million people visited the Jungfraujoch, the ridge that joins two of the Bernese Alps’ towering 13,000-foot peaks dubbed “the Top of Europe”, in 2024, up 5.1% from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the Eiger Express gondola transported more than 2.1 million passengers, while the Harderbahn, Firstbahn, and Lauterbrunnen-Mürren cableways also broke attendance records.

In the first half of 2025, transport income has generated record profits, offering tourists the chance to reach the high Alps.

But this booming industry has had a visible impact on the surrounding countryside.

“Where there was ice, there are now trees,” explained climate and science reporter Mark Poynting of the Great Aletsch.

Mexico City

Set to host the opener of the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup, this city

On July 4, large protests erupted in Mexico City against gentrification, short-term rentals, and rising rents.

Signs reading “Mexico for Mexicans” and “gringos out” were spotted across the city.

Similar to the Canary Islands, the proliferation of Airbnb and other short-stay listings are contributing to housing displacement and rental inflation in the city.

“Simply put, Airbnb should be banned from Mexico City,” says Natalia de la Rosa, the Mexico City-born and bred operations leader of Club Tengo Hambre.

“It’s a platform that incentivizes evictions and tears at the social fabric of communities in neighbourhoods.”

“Deep-pocketed elites and large corporate and international portfolios purchasing entire apartment buildings to convert them into short-term rentals are negatively impacting our city,” she added.

Inside Airbnb, an advocacy group that analyzes the company’s footprint on residential areas through data-driven research, estimates that there are over 25,000 short-term rentals in the city.

Airbnb listings in the city have shot up by 35% since 2020.

Mombasa, Kenya

With a record 2.4 million international arrivals last year, Kenya’s tourism industry has been booming, making travel the third-largest industry in the country for amassing foreign currency.

Cruise travel is one of the sector’s new tourism products, bringing a 164% rise in port traffic in coastal cities Mombasa and Lamu in 2024.

However, despite the country’s vigorous campaign to attract more travelers, Kenyan officials do not have a clear understanding of how many tourists it can accommodate without harming ecological health.

Mombasa, the country’s oldest coastal city, renowned as “the white and blue city,” now hosts 70% of tourists visiting the coast.

And now overtourism has left the city grappling with depleting resources, overcrowding, poor and congested roads, poor waste management–littered beaches and polluted oceans.

Officials have continuously prioritized tourism over local needs, going so far as to establish a Tourists’ Inspectorate Unit, a special security team safeguarding tourist centres, despite worries about crime outside these areas.

Montmartre, Paris

Paris’ hilltop village of Montmartre has long drawn tourists to its picturesque cobbled streets, from Van Gogh lovers to John Wick fans alike.

Montmartre, once a village on the outskirts of the city, has remained untouched, maintaining the narrow cobbled streets of yore.

Today, these picturesque ruelles are considered an undeniable tourist draw in the city.

However in recent years, it’s become more than the 30,000 residents can bear. 

Some 11 million visitors now throng the area each year, topping the numbers seen by the Eiffel Tower.

Rémy Knafou, professor at Paris 1–Panthéon Sorbonne and author of several books on overtourism has noticed that even previously quieter spots, notably the northern flank of the hill, now teem with tourist shops.

“At night, the Place du Tertre is completely invaded by café and restaurant terraces,” Knafou told Fodor’s.

“Some of the population living in the area is protesting–discretely, politely, but firmly–its discontent. It is therefore possible to speak of overtourism.”

Local government officials claim that they are working to reduce the impact of tourism on residents.

However, if trends continue in this way, experts warn Montmartre may be “progressively emptied of its population.”

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This could contribute to “a loss of ‘authenticity,’ or, at any rate, a modification of the local identity”.

“We’ll need to ask ourselves: whether tourists will be satisfied to come and only encounter other tourists.”

Bitter rivals India and Pakistan will face off in Group A at next year’s 20-team competition.

Archrivals India and Pakistan will clash in a politically-charged Twenty20 World Cup match in Colombo on February 15, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said as it announced the draw on Tuesday.

The 20-team tournament will be played across eight venues – five in India and three in Sri Lanka – between February 7 and March 8, the ICC said in a statement.

Pakistan will play all their games in Sri Lanka because of their soured political relations with India.

The March 8 final is scheduled for the western Indian city of Ahmedabad but would be moved to Colombo if Pakistan reach it.

A military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May overshadowed the subsequent Asia Cup 2025 in which India refused to accept the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is Pakistan’s interior minister.

The teams in the tournament have been divided into five groups of four, with the top two advancing to the Super Eight phase. The top four in that will qualify for the semifinals.

Defending champions India will begin their Group A campaign against the United States in Mumbai on February 7.

Sri Lanka and Australia are in Group B, which also includes Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman.

England and West Indies, both twice winners, will face first-timers Italy and Asian sides Bangladesh and Nepal in Group C.

New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates make up Group D.

Disney’s latest animated film, “Zootopia 2,” a sequel to its 2016 box-office juggernaut, isn’t exactly an adult political drama, though the stakes certainly feel grimmer. Members of Zootopia’s elite plan to expand their territory by displacing certain indigenous animals from an area they want to claim for themselves. And they will do so without pushback by convincing the rest of the population that their uprooted neighbors are dangerous. Any attempt by the victims of this injustice to reclaim their homeland and their dignity will be deemed a violent attack. In turn, anyone who sides with their cause will be labeled a criminal enabler, a disloyal pariah.

Meanwhile, tensions flare in law enforcement as pawtners Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps (voiced by Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin) — who in the previous film saved Zootopia from a power-hungry wolf in sheep’s clothing — have to prove their compatibility after their recklessness lands them in hot water with Chief Bogo (Idris Elba). Could their personalities be too disparate for them to make a dream team? Judy values justice above all things, while Nick prioritizes survival and comfort. In truth, the tie-wearing fox only became a cop because of his fondness for Judy, not out of a sense of dutiful conviction.

That push-and-pull tests the strength of their bond as they visit previously unseen areas of Zootopia, including a visit to the Marsh Market, where exiles live. These adventures occur as they search for Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), a fanny-pack-strapped viper, and Pawbert Lynxley (Andy Samberg), the socially conscious son of a wealthy family. They’re on a quest to find evidence that would clear the reputations of reptiles in Zootopia, all of whom have been forced to exist on the outskirts for decades.

Writer Jared Bush, who also co-directs with Byron Howard (both return from the first “Zootopia”), leans into Quan’s personal history as an immigrant whose family had to escape Vietnam to render Gary a resilient survivor with a noble soul. Leave it to Disney to make a giant snake look disarmingly adorable and to Quan to match that energy with his warm vocal performance. On top of the new characters, Judy and Nick’s emotional arc is adorned with cameos from fan-favorite minor players from the original (Flash, the sloth; Mr. Big, the shrew). The loaded narrative robs the picture of more time with Gary and Pawbert, even if Bush finds plot-effective ways to feature the supporting mammals.

Like its predecessor, “Zootopia 2” impresses visually, especially given the breadth of characters and environments it immerses the audience in. In the faces of new characters like the anxious Pawbert and friendly Gary, one can best appreciate the level of nuanced expressiveness that Disney’s animators, working at the highest level of 3-D CG technique, can achieve.

After several haphazard attempts with the “Frozen” and “Moana” franchises, “Zootopia 2” can take the title as Disney’s most effective animated sequel yet. In most regards, the formula that propelled the first one to hit status remains unchanged: an encyclopedia of animal puns, an upbeat tune by Shakira and a twist villain (in this case, an Elon Musk type desperate for approval that all the money in the world can’t buy). And yet, “Zootopia 2” arrives as an expansion with a punchier, more focused approach to its mature ideas. This is a movie where the antagonists are willing to kill for their nefarious goals, and where the heroes are willing to die in order to uphold what’s right.

The more one reads into the movie’s timeliness, though, the more obvious it becomes that there’s a dissonance between the artists making an animated feature such as this one and the company’s leadership, which continues to push artificial intelligence and capitulate to those who bemoan “wokeness.” Those people might certainly find “Zootopia 2” rather woke indeed. (Who knows, maybe in the next installment Judy and Nick will question their role in perpetuating the police state.) In our bizarro world, the “Zootopia” franchise serves as a vehicle for thought-provoking subjects disseminated by way of colorful anthropomorphic animals.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

MONDAY’S RESULTS

BOYS

CITY SECTION

Maywood CES 52, Annenberg 23

Orthopaedic 53, Hawkins 34

Valor Academy 47, Stella 43

Wilmington Banning 58, Angelou 38

SOUTHERN SECTION

Aliso Niguel 70, Lakewood 50

Alta Loma 63, Adelanto 55

Apple Valley 84, Bloomington 50

Arlington 75 Norco 62

Arrowhead Christian 70, Murrieta Mesa 66

Ayala 72, Los Amigos 58

Baldwin Park 59, EF Academy 29

Bassett 59, United Christian Academy 21

Bell Gardens 65, Southlands Christian 19

Beverly Hills 66, Mary Star of the Sea 40

Bonita 56, Paloma Valley 43

Brea Olinda 80, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 47

Buckley 74, Rowland 51

Buena Park 42, Anaheim 31

Camarillo 41, West Ranch 29

Canyon Country Canyon 74, Victor Valley 49

Charter Oak 71, Bolsa Grande 44

Chaparral 86, Riverside Prep 53

Chino Hills 65, Lawndale 49

Citrus Valley 62, Kaiser 40

Corona 81, Riverside North 49

Corona Santiago 84, Rialto 70

Crescenta Valley 78, Vasquez 70

Desert Chapel 65, Joshua Springs Christian 19

Downey 64, Pasadena Poly 40

Elsinore 73, Arroyo Valley 53

Estancia 65, El Monte 19

Flintridge Prep 57, El Rancho 39

Fontana 56, Indian Springs 31

Foothill Tech 55, Channel Islands 53

Glendale 69, Garey 25

Godinez 74, St. Margaret’s 63

Heritage 73, Woodcrest Christian 56

Holy Martyrs Armenian 76, Hoover 63

Huntington Beach 67, Costa Mesa 22

Irvine 55, Rancho Alamitos 32

La Canada 54, Northview 35

Laguna Beach 71, Workman 34

Long Beach Jordan 101, Eisenhower 58

Long Beach Wilson 58, Santa Ana Foothill 53

Montebello 56. Duarte 50

Moorpark 85, Lancaster 52

Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 68, Verbum Dei Jesuit 47

Nordhoff 63, SLOCA 31

Oakwood 97, de Toledo 30

Palmdale 74, Sherman Oaks CES 58

Palm Desert 80, Cajon 49

Patriot 66, Barstow 37

Placentia Valencia 66, Westminster La Quinta 44

Rancho Verde 76, Grand Terrace 18

Rolling Hills Prep 60, West Torrance 48

Rosamond 45, Antelope Valley 41

Royal 78, Del Sol 28

San Marino 58, Salesian 57

Santa Fe 78, Mountain View 33

Silverado 93, Jurupa Hills 54

South Hills 65, Bosco Tech 57

St. Bonaventure 67, Del Oro 38

Temecula Valley 74, Vista Murrieta 61

Valencia 62, Pilibos 60

Villa Park 72, Artesia 47

Winchester Liberty 70, Banning 24

INTERSECTIONAL

Birmingham 60, St. Genevieve 56

Chatsworth 63, Burbank Burroughs 32

Cleveland 82, Cathedral 46

Compton Centennial 59, Lincoln 50

Corona Centennial 60, Torrey Pines 58

Edison 80, LACES 47

El Camino Real 66, La Salle 60

Fountain Valley 60, Poway 52

Francis Parker 83, Rancho Christian 71

Granada Hills 61, Garden Serra 52

Loyola 69, Palisades 58

Newbury Park 58, Granada Hills Kennedy 37

Palmdale 74, Sherman Oaks CES 58

San Pedro 69, Palos Verdes 61

Santa Margarita 76, Mission Bay 53

Shalhevet 69, San Fernando Valley Academy 43

Triumph Charter 59, AGBU 56

West Covina 88, Franklin 54

Wiseburn-Da Vinci 71, Carson 65

GIRLS

SOUTHERN SECTION

Ayala 38, San Bernardino 32

Barstow 54, Alhambra 23

Beckman 66, Rancho Cucamonga 54

Bishop Amat 52, Golden Valley 44

Bolsa Grande 41, Glenn 5

Bonita 57, Northview 38

Brea Olinda 42, Montclair 24

Chaparral 62, Corona Santiago 47

Chino 59, Silverado 8

Chino Hills 49, Canyon Springs 41

Crean Lutheran 47, Aliso Niguel 41

Desert Chapel 43, Joshua Springs Christian 9

El Dorado 49, Downey 45

Fullerton 52, La Habra 26

Hacienda Heights Wilson 58, St. Paul 41

Hesperia 61, Silver Valley 49

Indian Springs 42, Eisenhower 22

Irvine 44, Mission Viejo 30

La Canada 65, Crescenta Valley 53

Lakewood St. Joseph 64, Cerritos 21

Lancaster 41, Long Beach Cabrillo 8

Lawndale 40, West Ranch 39

Leuzinger 55, Village Christian 48

Los Alamitos 62, West Covina 22

Los Altos 50, Chaffey 46

Mary Star of the Sea 42, Ramona Convent 25

Murrieta Valley 67, Linfield Christin 25

Norwalk 47, Montebello 27

Notre Dame Academy 39, Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 31

Pioneer 55, Arroyo 32

Redondo Union 65, Lynwood 57

Riverside King 57, South Pasadena 28

Riverside Poly 69, El Rancho 63

Rosamond 69, Palmdale 15

Rosemead 31, Saddleback 19

Sacred Heart of Jesus 48, Burbank 40

San Juan Hills 49, Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 33

Saugus 60, Knight 29

Segerstrom 67, Elsinore 33

Sonora 53, University Prep 10

St. Anthony 52, Oak Hills 46

St. Genevieve 46, AGBU 37

St. Margaret’s 69, Cypress 55

Sunny Hills 58, South El Monte 12

Temecula Prep 37, Banning 17

Temecula Valley 61, Banning 5

Tesoro 52, Great Oak 16

Traduce Hills 65, Anaheim Canyon 60

Whitney 54, Santa Ana Foothill 33

YULA 70, Burbank Providence 15

INTERSECTIONAL

Bakersfield Liberty 52, Palisades 48

Birmingham 82, Alta Loma 41

Canyon Country Canyon 50, Verdugo Hills 40

Carondelet 43, Mira Costa 33

Cleveland 44, Calabasas 38

Etiwanda 98, Santa Maria St. Joseph 31

Gardena Serra 61, LA Hamilton 50

Holy Martyrs Armenian 37, Grant 30

King/Drew 50, Wiseburn Da-Vinci 28

La Jolla Country Day 54, Corona Santiago 19

North County San Marcos 70, El Toro 69

Sage Hill 64, Harvard-Westlake 29

Shadow Hills 50, Montgomery 32

Westchester 67, Rolling Hills Prep 63

Nov. 25 (UPI) — Private companies’ payrolls decreased by an average of 13,500 jobs for each of the four weeks ending Nov. 8, data from payroll processing company ADP indicates Tuesday.

The data was released as part of ADP’s weekly National Employment Report Pulse based on a four-week moving average of employment across the country. ADP releases this report three times a month, on the weeks when it doesn’t publish its monthly report, the last of which was Nov. 5.

The Nov. 5 report showed that private companies added 42,000 jobs in October.

Last week’s NER Pulse report showed a 2,500 average weekly job loss. The jump to 13,500 jobs lost per week is reflective of the growing pace of layoffs.

U.S. companies cut more than 150,000 jobs in October, the highest number of layoffs for that month since 2003.

Economists have had to rely more on ADP’s weekly and monthly reports as the release of federal data continues to be affected by the record 43-day shutdown, which ended Nov. 12, CNBC reported.

On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said its October jobs report won’t be released as planned. Instead, some of the data will come out in the full report for November. BLS officials said the report won’t include the unemployment rate for October because those figures allegedly couldn’t be collected during the shutdown.

Hoseasons has launched its Black Friday sale, which includes discounts on thousands of breaks, and there’s one near The Tolkien Trail.

Hoseasons, who operate 750 holiday parks across the UK, has launched a huge Black Friday sale, with discounts on a number of its family-friendly staycations.

The holiday park operator will be offering up to 30% off over 10,000 of its breaks, and 40,000 with discounts of up to £250. The sale will include self-catering accommodation at holiday parks, lodges, and even their boat holidays.

Best of all, parents on a budget will be able to find some bargains even during school holiday weeks, with a range of inexpensive breaks available, including some that work out at just over £50 a night during the summer holidays.

A family of four could book a seven-night break at Beacon Fell View in the Ribble Valley of Lancashire for just £295, with accommodation in a silver three-bedroom caravan.

This is based on a break starting August 21, 2026 and works out at just £52.14 per night. The park is close to the Lake District and Blackpool, meaning there’s plenty for families to do nearby.

It also has an indoor swimming pool, so kids can enjoy the water even if the British summer doesn’t bring warm weather, plus lots of entertainment facilities.

The Ribble Valley

The Ribble Valley is a beautiful place to explore with lots of open countryside and lush green hills. Bring the kids bikes along and try the family friendly cycling trail at Gisburn Forest.

At just over 5.5 miles long, the route has plenty to see along the way from a horse farm to the calm waters of Stocks Reservoir.

Just down the road is the The Tolkien Trail where you can follow in the footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien, and see the sights that inspired the author to write books such as Lord of the Rings.

Take a day trip to Blackpool for traditional seaside vibes and lots of family fun. Visit the SEA LIFE Centre where the new Gruffalo and Friends Clubhouse is bound to thrill the younger members of your group.

Kids will love climbing and crawling through the deep, dark woods and finding their favourite characters in this immersive experience.

Another option for families is a seven-night break available at North Shore Holiday Park, just a short walk from Skegness, starting July 22, 2026.

This is priced at just £285 for four people. This is a one-bedroom apartment, but it has additional sleeping space in the lounge for two.

The site has its own pub and restaurant, playground, and amusements, plus Skegness’s North Beach is just a 15-minute walk away with golden sands and a seal sanctuary.

Skegness Beach was recently voted the best in East England by The Times, who rated the water quality as excellent, and said of the beach: “It’s big, soft and golden, with views across the Wash to the Norfolk coast.”

Skegness also has the Pleasure Beach, a seafront theme park with rollercoasters and lots of family fun. There’s also Skegness Aquarium which has lots of colourful and exotic sea life to spot.

It also has Jurassic Falls, a dinosaur-themed area where you can meet life-sized animatronic dinosaurs that bring the past to life.

If you can’t wait until summer to get away, how about an Easter break? You can book four nights for four sharing at Hemsby Beach Holiday Park for March 30, 2026, which is in most schools’ Easter break dates, for just £135.

This bargain price includes accommodation in a two-bedroom chalet, and includes access to an indoor pool and the show bar with daytime and evening entertainment for all ages.

The park is located in a lively part of Norfolk, with lots of amusements, classic seaside fun, plus long sandy beaches for spring walks.

Great Yarmouth is just a 20-minute drive away with its sandy beach, historic pier, and Joyland, an old-school amusement park that has classic rides the kids will love.

Yarmouth is also home of the Hippodrome Circus, a unique venue from the early 20th century which has huge events and water shows, with the summer months bringing a popular circus to the town.

For May half term week, you can book a four-night break arriving May 25, 2026 near the Yorkshire Dales for just £249 for four people.

Stay in the highly-rated Badgers Retreat Holiday Park, with accommodation in a cosy two-bedroom traditional lodge that has everything you need for a family holiday.

The lodge is set in 26 acres of grounds with plenty of space for the kids to play, and the market town of Richmond is nearby with historic sites to explore.

Visitors can explore the local Swaledale Museum, a quaint local spot that focuses on preserving the history of the lead mining community who used to live in the area.

You’re also close to the 14th century Bolton Castle, a well-preserved medieval building that has vast gardens including a maze. Eagle-eyed TV viewers may recognise it as a filming location for shows including Heartbeat and All Creatures Great and Small.

All these deals are subject to availability, with popular dates and parks likely to sell out quickly. The Hoseasons Black Friday sale ends on December 4. Find out more and book breaks here.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com.

Four more people have been arrested as part of the investigation into last month’s theft of precious jewellery at the Louvre Museum, the Paris prosecutor’s office says.

Two men, aged 38 and 39, and two women, aged 31 and 40, were arrested on Tuesday. They are all from the Paris region.

Among them is thought to be the last member of a four-man gang that allegedly carried out the daylight heist, according to French media. The other three suspected thieves have already been arrested and charged, officials say.

Police now have up to 96 hours to question them. No trace has so far been found of the stolen jewels – worth €88m (£76m; $102m) – which were taken on 19 October.

Four people have already charged over the heist – three men and a woman, who also live in the Paris region.

A 38-year-old woman was charged earlier this month with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime.

Separately, a man, aged 37, was charged with theft and criminal conspiracy.

These two suspects, who have not been named publicly, have denied any involvement.

Ms Beccuau previously told French news agency Franceinfo said the two were in a relationship and had children together, without giving any further details.

Meanwhile, two men were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy in October after officials said they had “partially recognised” their involvement in the heist.

The heist happened when the group of four men used a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to the Galerie d’Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) via a balcony close to the River Seine, Beccuau has previously said.

The men used a disc cutter to crack open display cases housing the jewellery.

The thieves were inside for four minutes and made their escape on two scooters waiting outside at 09:38, before switching to cars.

One of the stolen items – a crown – was dropped during the escape but eight other items of jewellery – including an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise – were taken.

Beccuau has said the heist was carried out by petty criminals rather than organised crime professionals.

Shortly after the theft, it was revealed by the Louvre’s director that the only camera monitoring the Galerie d’Apollon was pointing away from a balcony the thieves climbed over to break in.

The president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, has since admitted the museum had failed in its responsibilities, but denied that security had been overlooked – saying that from the time she took office in 2021 she had been warning constantly of the need for more investment.

Since the incident, security measures have been tightened around France’s cultural institutions.

The Louvre has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France following the heist.

EXCLUSIVE: David Michôd is the director of the new film, Christy, which is coming to cinemas on November 28

David Michôd is the creative force behind the upcoming film, Christy, featuring Sydney Sweeney, which arrives in cinemas on November 28 following its domestic box office debut.

The acclaimed Animal Kingdom director has brought to life the extraordinary true story of Christy Martin, a West Virginia native played by Sweeney who emerged as one of boxing’s most pioneering and divisive personalities.

“More than anything I loved the idea of making a movie about a woman with a really ferocious personality,” he told Reach titles.

“I just immediately got a sense that there was something about her that is very charismatic that I really liked, then met her and liked her even more – how beautifully vulnerable and kind and funny she is.”

The director revealed some of his all-time favourite films, including an “unbelievably overlooked masterpiece”.

Apocalypse Now

The epic psychological war drama from 1979 draws loose inspiration from Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness.

The picture charts the journey of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), tasked with a covert assignment to eliminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a rogue Special Forces commander suspected of murder.

David said: “My favourite movie is Apocalypse Now. That movie made me want to make movies.

“I already loved movies but it was Apocalypse Now that made me want to make them. There was something about the giant, crazy adventure of that film.

“I just think it’s amazing. I was talking to someone about it who was reminding me of the fact it wasn’t universally well-reviewed when it was released, which seems insane to me.”

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

David simply stated: “I just think, unbelievably overlooked masterpiece.”

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a grand Western film from 2007.

Based on Ron Hansen’s 1983 novel of the same name, it features Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.

The film explores the relationship between Jesse James and Robert Ford, focusing on the events that led up to the notorious killing.

Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver is a 1976 psychological thriller set in New York City post the Vietnam War.

The film stars Robert De Niro as veteran Marine and taxi driver Travis Bickle, whose mental state deteriorates as he works nights in the city.

David commented: “Taxi Driver is right up there for me, just so raw and visceral.

“But again, a movie about a character who does monstrous things, but whose vulnerability and brokenness are so right there on the surface.

“I remember when I was writing Animal Kingdom, I showed the script to people, and some of those people would say ‘Your central character isn’t likeable enough’.

“And I’d go ‘Have you seen Taxi Driver? That guy is kind of grotesque but you can feel him and that’s all you need to be able to do.”

Christy will be hitting cinemas in the UK and Ireland on November 28.

A brand new direct train line will be connecting three capital cities of Europe for the first time next spring, and there is no cooler trio than these top cities

For the first time next spring, a brand new direct train line will connect three of Europe’s most vibrant capital cities – Prague, Berlin and Copenhagen. These fantastic destinations, known for their rich culture, history, delectable cuisine, local beers and lively nightlife, have always been a hit with British tourists.

This exciting venture is a joint project between Czech Railways (D), Deutsche Bahn (DB), and Danish State Railways (DSB), supported by the European Commission, which is eager to promote cross-border rail travel among both tourists and locals.

The trains used on this route will be D’s ComfortJet trains, capable of speeds up to 230km per hour (140mph) and seating 555 passengers. A seasonal night train will also be introduced to maximise the use of this new route.

Set to open on 1 May 2026, just in time for the summer season, the new route promises to offer British visitors an easy and convenient way to explore these three amazing capitals.

READ MORE: Travel expert details ‘best city break in years’ and it’s not where you’d expectREAD MORE: Spanish city named most walkable in Europe — but it’s not Barcelona or Madrid

This development follows the completion of renovations on the Berlin to Hamburg line, and according to Railway News, stops in both these cities will be included in the route, reports the Express.

So, what’s the scoop on this service? Time Out reports that it will likely operate twice daily, taking seven hours between Berlin and Copenhagen, and 11 hours from the Danish capital to Prague. A seasonal night train between Hamburg and Copenhagen will be extended to utilise the new route.

The trains themselves will accommodate 555 passengers, with 99 of those in first-class. Onboard, travellers will have access to a dining car, cinema area, and even adjustable seating.

Prices for 2026 haven’t been announced yet, but the journey from Copenhagen to Berlin currently costs around £43, and the shorter trip between Berlin and Prague starts from as little as £13.87, totalling £57.44.

The three cities are almost directly aligned, with Prague being the southernmost, then up to Berlin and onto Copenhagen in Scandinavia. All three are renowned for their cool vibes.

Prague is often hailed as a “cool” city to visit due to its breathtaking architecture, rich history, and vibrant culture. It offers an incredible atmosphere with mystical vistas, medieval castles and bridges, and a combination of classical and modern scenes, from grand palaces to unique street art.

Many Brits love the affordable prices, particularly the cheap beer, efficient public transport, and exciting nightlife alongside its historical and architectural designs.

Berlin is famed for its vibrant energy, diverse populace, and striking differences between historic landmarks and modern architecture. The city’s nightlife is globally recognised, boasting renowned clubs and a variety of late-night venues, making it a prime spot for clubbers.

The city also boasts a thriving art scene, with a significant portion of the Berlin Wall adorned with graffiti art, serving as a poignant reminder of the city’s war-ravaged past.

Lastly, there’s Copenhagen. With its mix of old-world allure and contemporary Scandinavian design, a lively food culture, commitment to sustainability, and high living standards, it’s a must-visit destination for 2026.

Known for its clean, canals, cycling culture, imaginative architecture, and focus on creativity and community, it’s the perfect conclusion to a three-city break that takes in some of Europe’s amazing capitals in one go.

Launching on 1 May, the new service will enable passengers to travel between the three capitals without needing to change trains, with further stops planned in key cities including Dresden and Hamburg.

The connection will provide two daily return services. Journey times are anticipated to be roughly seven hours between Berlin and Copenhagen, and approximately eleven hours between Prague and Copenhagen, according to Railway News.

Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin said: “Deutsche Bahn’s new direct connection connects three European capitals – Prague, Berlin, and Copenhagen. This strengthens Berlin as a hub in Europe. At the same time, the new direct rail connection is an important contribution to a sustainable transport transition; even more people can now travel to and from Berlin in an environmentally and climate-friendly way.”

Postolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism added: “The expansion of high-speed rail, especially cross-border rail, is our top priority. This new connection between the Czech Republic, Germany, and Denmark is a strong example of progress on this path. And I am particularly proud that it is the first of ten European Commission pilot projects to support the realisation of new cross-border rail connections.”

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\o7 WASHINGTON\f7 —  Here is a chronology of major events that led up to Wednesday’s resignation of House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.). May 18, 1988–Common Cause, a citizens lobbying group, calls for a formal House ethics investigation of Wright, citing possible improprieties in the publication and sale of his 1986 book, “Reflections of a Public Man.”

May 26, 1988–Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) files a formal complaint with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, or Ethics Committee as it is known, requesting a probe of the Speaker’s financial dealings.

June 9, 1988–The Ethics Committee, after an eight-hour session lasting late into the evening, votes unanimously to conduct a broad investigation of Wright.

Sept. 14, 1988–Wright testifies before the committee in closed session.

Feb. 22, 1989–After more than six months of investigation and statements from 73 witnesses, committee special counsel Richard J. Phelan submits a 279-page report to the panel on his findings.

April 13, 1989–Wright, in an impassioned House speech, denies that he wrongfully accepted gifts from a business associate or sought to evade House limits on outside income through sales of his book.

April 17, 1989–The Ethics Committee announces it has found “probable cause” to charge Wright with 69 violations of House rules, including acceptance of $145,000 in improper gifts from Ft. Worth developer George A. Mallick Jr. and attempts to evade House limits on honorariums by selling copies of his book to trade associations and other groups in lieu of accepting speaking fees.

May 2, 1989–Wright, denying he knowingly violated any rules, publicly appeals for an early hearing on misconduct charges to “present my side,” but committee members say they first must complete their investigation into other allegations.

May 9, 1989–Wright and a team of attorneys launch his defense against misconduct charges by criticizing the fairness of Phelan’s investigation, charging that it distorted the evidence to place Wright in the harshest light.

May 10, 1989–Ethics Committee votes to expand its inquiry to look into a Texas oil well deal that gave Wright a quick profit of $340,000 last year.

May 23, 1989–At a formal committee hearing, Wright’s attorney, Stephen D. Susman of Houston, asks panel members to drop the major charges against Wright on grounds his actions did not constitute violations of House rules of conduct.

May 24, 1989–Congressional supporters of Wright, working behind the scenes, fail to win agreement from committee members to reduce charges against the Speaker in return for his promise to resign office. Wright later disavows any interest in a “deal” on the charges.

May 31, 1989–In an impassioned one-hour address on the House floor, Wright offers to resign his House seat and his speakership and calls on his colleagues to halt the ethics attacks on opposing party members.

“With memories still fresh of an unforgettable occasion for the Ashes Test, we’re delighted to be able to confirm a return to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the 2026 Super League Magic Weekend,” Rhodri Jones, Rugby League Commercial managing director, said.

“This will be the seventh venue to stage Magic since it was introduced as a new concept for sport in 2007 and our clubs, players and supporters are in for a treat.

“It’s a stunning stadium with outstanding facilities at all levels and also superbly located for summer on the waterfront, and with the many and varied attractions of Liverpool within easy reach.

“We continue to work with the Dragons and Toulouse on the feasibility of delivering a very special event in France too and we hope to be able to announce something in the near future on this.”

Nov. 25 (UPI) — The European Court of Justice ruled Thursday that European Union member nations must recognize the same-sex marriages of couples relocating from another EU state, even if same-sex unions are not permitted under their domestic law.

Judges in the court in Luxembourg, ruling in the case of two men lawfully married in Germany who were denied recognition of their union by authorities in Poland on their return to their home country, said it violated their fundamental right to a “normal family life,” the ECJ said in a news release.

The case was referred to the ECJ by Poland’s Supreme Court where the men were appealing against authorities’ refusal to transcribe their German marriage certificate into the civil register so that their marriage would be recognized, on grounds same-sex marriage is not legal in Poland.

Poland is a largely Catholic, socially conservative nation where LGBT rights are highly controversial import from permissive societies and LGBT-free zones are common.

The landmark decision said that while rules governing marriage fell under individual member states’ domestic law, they must comply with EU law in exercising that power.

Given EU citizens’ right to move and reside in any of the 27 member nations, couples who have built a family life in a host country “must have the certainty to be able to pursue that family life upon returning to their member state of origin,” the ruling said.

The judge said that where couples had opted to move, bans may cause serious inconvenience at administrative, professional and private levels, forcing spouses to “live as unmarried persons” in their own country.

“Such a refusal is contrary to EU law. It infringes not only the freedom to move and reside, but also the fundamental right to respect for private and family life,” the ruling states.

However, while the decision sets a precedent for recognition of same-sex marriage across the bloc it only mandates equal treatment of marriages conducted abroad, regardless of the sex of the couples.

It does not override national laws prohibiting same-sex marriage or require member states to provide for marriage between persons of the same sex.

The matter now returns to the Polish court, which must instruct authorities to officially recognize the couple’s marriage, but it can decide how that is done.

The case is an extension of a historic 2018 ECJ ruling that said married same-sex couples who were EU citizens had the legal right to live in any EU country, including nations that did not recognize same-sex unions.

Of the bloc’s 27 member states. at least two — Slovakia and Hungary — have legal or constitutional bans on same-sex marriage.

However, both allow same-sex couples a mechanism for their relationship to be legally recognized.

Perfect for a winter staycation this English rural village has featured in a number of high-profile films including War Horse, Doctor Dolittle, Stardust and The Wolf Man.

A village tucked away in the stunning Cotswolds has been dubbed as “idylic” and hailed as the “most beautiful village in England”.

Tucked away in a leafy valley in the Cotswolds, Castle Combe is frequently dubbed the “prettiest village in England” and it’s not hard to see why.

For winter it offers the perfect getaway for an enchanting and festive vacation, stepped in medieval history and architecture.

With history dating all the way back until the 12th century, Castle Combe dates back to the Middle Ages and is steeped in history and folklore.

According to a visitors guide from The Crown Inn pub in the village, and reported by The Express, the charming village has become a firm favourite for people from far and wide.

Not only does Castle Combe have a rich and full history, it’s a popular filming spot for films and TV dramas including War Horse, Doctor Dolittle, Stardust and The Wolf Man.

Often providing the backdrop for period dramas and historical films, Castle Combe has honey-coloured cottages built from local stone – and these ancient buildings are still one of the village’s most distinctive features today.

Remarkably, Castle Combe was particularly known for producing a red and white cloth called “Castlecombe”, which was highly sought after in the markets of Bristol, Cirencester, London and even overseas.

In the 15th century, King Henry VI granted Castle Combe the right to hold a weekly market, and the unmistakable Market Cross monument still stands tall today.

Now as a historical village, it’s not surprising that Castle Combe is fiercely protective of its aesthetic. This includes putting a strict ban on modern attachments such as TV dishes and external wires on the exteriors of its houses, with these restrictions playing a key role in preserving the historic village’s authentic appearance.

The church also houses a faceless clock which is said to be one of the oldest working clocks in the country.

For those less interested in history, the village also has plenty to offer. Visiting Castle Combe in winter offers an enchanting experience with its picturesque, frozen scenery, crisp air, and inviting atmosphere.

You can enjoy winter walks, explore quaint shops, and warm up in pubs and tea rooms with hearty meals. It’s the perfect place for a cosy getaway over the winter months and for celebrating the New Year in style.

Ahead of winter holidays and festive trips away, a flight attendant has now shared a clever travel hack to get an extra bag on board without paying a penny more

Whether it’s a summer holiday or a winter trip away, one thing is always certain and that’s packing with luggage allowance is tricky to get right. Pack too much and you run the risk of having a bag that’s too heavy or won’t fit the cabin luggage standards, but if you pack too light then you run the risk of being forced to wash your clothes whilst away.

Yet it doesn’t have to be so hard, as a flight attendant has now shared a clever travel hack to get an extra bag on board without paying a penny more.

Flight attendant Miguel Muñoz shared a sneaky trick to help passengers dodge extra luggage fees by utilising a duty-free shopping bag, and it’s the perfect trip for your Christmas getaway.

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Miguel’s genius idea reurposes a duty-free bag to carry clothes and other items that won’t fit in your hand luggage, you can essentially sneak an extra bag on board.

According to Miguel, “duty-free bags don’t count as carry-on baggage,” so gate agents tend to turn a blind eye.

To take advantage of this hack, holidaymakers can either bring a duty-free bag from home or purchase one at the airport’s duty-free shop.

Miguel said: “If you have something that doesn’t fit in your suitcase or you want to bring an extra bag on board, here’s the trick.

“All you have to do is carry a duty-free bag. Or ask for one at the duty-free shop and you place whatever you want in the shopping bag. There is obviously limited space, but at least you are bringing an extra bag on the plane with you.”

He added: “Now you know. If you ever find yourself in that situation, just put whatever you want in a duty-free bag. You are welcome!”

Miguel’s trick comes after another hack has gone viral, using a “fake pillow” where passengers use a pillowcase filled with extra items, as the pillow doesn’t typically count as a piece of luggage.

This hack has been shared by hundreds of travellers on social media, who claim that security officers and gate agents rarely bat an eye.

TikTok has also been filled with tips and tricks from savvy travellers all keen to carry more, without the hefty fees for extra baggage. A savvy traveller from Handluggageonly explained on the platform, “Pack all the clothes you need in your backpack but if that person checking you in for your flight turns around and says anything about your bag being overweight and tries to charge you the excess baggage fare, simply pop over to the bathroom and wear as many clothes as possible.

“Technically, no one can say anything about the fact that you just wore your extra clothes on you instead of having them in your luggage and more importantly – they can’t charge you the extra fare as your bag weight should be much more in line.”

The Swedish Navy, the largest surface combatant of which is currently the Visby class corvette, is gearing up to place an order for four frigates. These would be the Swedish Navy’s largest warships since it gave up its last destroyers back in the early 1980s. The planned frigates reflect Sweden’s expanding naval ambitions since joining NATO and are also expected to stress anti-air warfare capabilities, something that’s of growing interest to the Swedish Navy.

Swedish Minister of Defense Pål Jonson said today that a final decision on the four-frigate buy is likely early next year. “We’re looking at what frigates there are that are available, that would also suit our quite ambitious timeline,” Jonson said. He added that the plan was to have two frigates in service “ideally by 2030” and another two by 2035.

The Defense Materiel Administration (FMV), Sweden’s defense procurement organization, has completed a market survey on available frigates, but has yet to make a final decision. Bearing in mind the ambitious timeline, an off-the-shelf design will be selected. The decision to acquire a warship significantly larger than the stealthy Visby class was made last year, at which point a foreign design became the only realistic option. The new vessels will be named the Luleå class.

Jonson was speaking today after a meeting in Stockholm with his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, who offered to supply Sweden with a first fully equipped frigate in 2030. This would be a version of the Naval Group’s new Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI), or defense and intervention frigate, an unorthodox design with an inverted bow, which you can read more about here.

Other items discussed by Jonson and Vautrin included French interest in the Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, as well as aid to Ukraine.

The FDI was first formally offered to Sweden last month, and, if selected, it would be built in partnership with the Swedish defense industry, in particular, Saab.

In terms of the role of the new Swedish frigate, Jonson confirmed today that they will have a significant anti-air warfare function, reflecting the nation’s plan to join NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) program. The alliance’s investment in this network has been stepped up in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with NATO deploying additional IAMD capabilities to NATO’s eastern flank.

The Swedish Navy is already making efforts to expand its anti-air warfare capabilities with an update to its five Visby class corvettes, which adds the Sea Ceptor, also known as the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) — a surface-to-air missile that can engage a wide variety of threats.

The anti-air warfare focus would appear to put the FDI in a strong position for the Swedish requirement. As we have described in the past, the primary anti-air weapon of the French warship is the Aster surface-to-air missile, 16 of which are carried in a pair of eight-cell launchers — later vessels will be able to carry 32 by doubling the number of launchers.

The combat-proven Aster is available in two main versions. The smaller Aster 15 has a range of around 18 miles, while the larger Aster 30 is able to engage targets at more than 75 miles. Recent improvements to the Aster 30 include enhancing its capabilities against anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), a relatively new type of threat.

The FDI uses a Thales Sea Fire radar to support its air defense mission out to a significant range.

Comparing the Visby class and the FDI, the Swedish design has a displacement of 705 tons and a length of 238 feet 6 inches, while the French warship has a displacement of 4,390 tons and is 400 feet 3 inches long.

In the past, another option for the future Luleå class was expected to be a development of the British Type 31 frigate design, proposed by a partnership of Saab and Babcock. According to an agreement between the two companies, Saab would develop the basic design for the frigate, while Babcock would provide support with engineering, structural design, and auxiliary systems. However, the current status of this collaboration is unclear.

Another likely contender for the Swedish requirement is Spain’s Navantia. This manufacturer offers a variety of frigates that cover a range from just over 2,200 tons displacement to ships above 6,000 tons. Designs include the Spanish Navy’s recently launched F110 class frigate, also known as the Bonifaz class. As you can read about here, this warship is notable for its combination of high-end anti-submarine warfare functions paired with anti-air warfare abilities and its distinctive tall mast, mounting elements of a sophisticated radar system.

The last time that the Swedish Navy operated a surface combatant approaching this kind of size was back in the early 1980s. The Östergötland was the Swedish Navy’s last class of destroyers, originally built in the late 1950s. These had a fully loaded displacement of 2,600 tons and were 367 feet 5 inches long, somewhat smaller than the preceding Halland class, which had a fully loaded displacement of 3,291 tons and a length of 398 feet 11 inches. The last examples of these two classes of destroyers were decommissioned in 1982.

As part of the French drive to export the FDI frigate to Sweden, the first-of-class Amiral Ronarc’h will visit the Swedish port of Gothenburg early next year. France has already secured sales of the warship to Greece, which is buying four, on top of the five planned for the French Navy.

For the Swedish Navy, the primary area of operation has been the Baltic theater, an area of resurgent strategic relevance, as the host to regular and sometimes hostile Russian military activity, maritime, airborne, and also increasingly in the ‘gray zone’ or hybrid warfare.

A new frigate with enhanced anti-air warfare capabilities will be better able to protect itself, other vessels, and even shore areas or islands, against threats from the air. The overwhelming numbers of crewed aircraft, drones, and missiles that Russia could potentially put up in a conflict involving Sweden have been a significant concern even before the country joined NATO.

Already, much of the Swedish Air Force’s mode of operation is based on being best prepared to leverage smaller numbers to deal with a potential large-scale Russian aerial attack. As a result, the Swedish Air Force has long sought to develop innovative technologies and tactics that would allow it, as a much smaller air arm, to be able to put up significant resistance.

The four new frigates should further that ambition, but would also allow operations far outside the Baltic, including into the wider North Atlantic region, reflecting Sweden’s developing military ambitions as it becomes a more established NATO member.

Once it gets its new frigates, the Swedish Armed Forces will be better prepared to face any kind of contingency in the Baltic region or elsewhere, and it will be interesting to see whether they opt for the FDI frigate or a rival design.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

OVER the last 12 months, Kate Brazier has found her life completely turned upside down as a family feud, abusive behaviour, and rows over being a stay-at-home-wife rocked her marriage.

The PR guru, 35, – who took on the role as stepmum to Jeff’s grieving two sons – clung onto her marriage to Jeff Brazier for as long as she could, before finally calling it quits for good a few weeks ago. Here, insiders tell us what finally broke Kate, and reveal the heartbreaking battle she was fighting behind the scenes.

Our insider revealed: “The last year has been incredibly hard on all the family and unfortunately Kate is the one who has really suffered in it all.”

Last night The Sun told how Kate and Jeff, 46, who were together for twelve years, are now living apart after “a year of hell” involving issues with Freddy Brazier, 21 — Jeff’s youngest son from his relationship with tragic Big Brother star Jade Goody.

Amongst those issues was an escalating rift with stepmum Kate. In a cruel post, Freddy listed things he “hates” which included: “Step parents”, which was said to be “like a dagger in the heart” for Kate. 

The insider explained: “It’s no secret that Freddy has been struggling and has a number of issues, which has meant everything else has taken a back seat. 

Kate knows she’ll always come second to the boys.

Insider

“Freddy has been quite vocal about not liking Kate and is said to have been verbally abusive towards her at times. 

“Kate really thinks Jeff could have stuck up for her more in it all but instead she felt pushed out.

“People seem to forget that Kate has been a mother figure to both the boys since they were very young and has really given her all to support them and Jeff.”

Kate was just 24 when she first met the boys, it was five years after their mum had died and she admits she became a part of their life “without a clue what I was doing or how to help”.

From the outside Jeff appeared to have it all under control – Bobby his oldest lad, 22, was on EastEnders and Strictly, he was living the dream hosting on This Morning and Freddy was finding his feet in the world.

But behind the occasional picture perfect instagram posts, the truth was far darker and Freddy was battling his inner demons.

What followed was a devastating and very public family fall out, which saw Jeff launch legal action to block Freddy from seeing his gran, Jade’s mum Jackiey Budden, 68,

He accused Jackiey of being a bad influence on Freddy amid fears for his welfare.

In another bombshell, Freddy announced he was to become a dad for the first time with influencer girlfriend Holly Swinburn.

Jeff immediately stepped up and made it clear that he would do what he could to make sure the baby was safe and happy – which appears to have come at the detriment to other things in his life. 

The insider continued: “Things reached breaking point when Freddy revealed he was having a baby.

“Jeff is incredibly involved and Kate just knows it’s going to be a chaotic nightmare. Jeff is desperate to make the situation OK for his son.

“But it’s meant the issues he had with Kate have been massively amplified by the pregnancy and its caused a lot of stress.

“Kate knows she’ll always come second to the boys – and that’s fine. She gets it. But it’s all become way too much.”

In a new twist, Freddy has since split from Holly after a row over their dog, throwing decisions about the baby into chaos.

‘A RETREAT FOR EXTENDED FAMILY’

Over the weekend Jeff hinted his marriage was over in online posts and made it very clear where his priorities lay – with his soon to be extended family.

Revealing he had bought a new home, he wrote in a thinly-veiled dig: “After three years in the commuter belt to make things easy for everyone else, it was when I ultimately became a storage facility that I realised it was time to suit myself and open fields make me happy.”

He went on: “I wanted to be in a home that felt like a calm retreat for my soon-extended family.

“I realised some time ago that success equals peace and I’ve found the perfect environment for what feels like a transitional time in all our lives.”

But it seems Kate feels like the right decision has been made, she is back living in her apartment in Hackney and jetted to Vegas for the weekend for the US Grand Prix.

In her selfie from the trip, Kate wrote: “Possibly one of the best days of my life.”

Her words will no doubt be a crushing blow to Jeff, who is said to have been desperate to make things work after everything they have been through.

But yesterday he was not wearing his wedding ring as he reported for ITV’s Good Morning Britain from Reykjavik in Iceland.

A MOTHER FIGURE IN THEIR DARKEST TIMES

The couple first got together in 2013 before tying the knot in 2018, where the boys played a big part. 

The wedding was a huge milestone for Bobby and Kate because it was the first time he told he loved her.

She recalled:  “Fred says it to me every day, but Bobby is more reserved, so for me that was truly amazing and shows how far we have come.”

Bobby joked in his speech about how he struggled with their relationship initially, saying: “This is a bit awkward, but to cut a long story short, I didn’t really rate you to begin with,”

“But now I’m so glad I can genuinely tell you I love you. You being around has made things a lot easier for us boys, and we appreciate you a lot.”

Fast forward to this year though and there has been a huge shift in relationships.

Freddy, who lost mum Jade, then 27, to cervical cancer in 2009, when he was just four, heartbreakingly told his followers: “I don’t know how to love because I’ve never been loved.”

But Jeff and Kate briefly split at the end of 2022, partly due to clashes over their lifestyles — Jeff is a homebird while Kate enjoys socialising.

Back then Kate told pals she did not want to be a “stay-at-home wife”. But the couple agreed to give their marriage another go after Jeff revealed he was the loneliest he had ever been.

And things certainly looked rosy for some time – but as Freddy’s personal crisis escalated, Bobby also made a surprising decision to quit EastEnders and the spiritual lad moved to India to join a Hare Krishna commune

He said Freddy “needs to grow up” after images emerged of his younger brother and his nan Jackiey smoking a suspicious-looking cigarette next to the Thames in London.

Jeff reluctantly backed down from his legal action in August, and while he started communicating with Freddy again sources said his relationship with him remains strained.

And it seems despite his best efforts, drama continues to follow Freddy and whether he will be back with the mother of his child by the time they are born remains to be seen. Kate for one isn’t prepared to wait around to find out. 

Jeff and Kate have been contacted for comment.

RYANAIR has axed hundreds of thousands of seats across many routes in Europe resulting in Brits losing direct routes to some of their favourite holiday destinations.

If you’re trying to think of some alternative spots for your next holiday, the experts at MoneySuperMarket along with Sun Travel have found options some for you.

Carcassonne, France

In 2025, Ryanair cut many services to France including its route to Bergerac which is known for its half-timbered houses and medieval streets.

If you still want that for your next break, Carcassonne is a great alternative.

MoneySuperMarket said: “Carcassonne makes a brilliant alternative to Bergerac for travellers still wishing to fly with Ryanair.

“The city shares Bergerac’s medieval charm, featuring a historic fortress, winding old streets and an impressive local wine scene.

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“For an aesthetic even closer to Bergerac, the village of Alet-les-Bains is only an hour’s drive away, with half-timbered houses that feel like a step back in time.”

Brits can fly directly from London Stansted to Carcassonne with Ryanair with a flight time of two hours.

Or fly from Manchester and arrive in the French city in just two hours and 10 minutes.

Marrakesh, Morocco

It’s not just France that’s affected, Ryanair announced it would be cutting its routes routes to Tenerife North starting from winter 2025 season.

However, if it’s winter sun that Brits are looking for, then there are a few other spots to fly to instead.

Ryanair will instead be putting more capacity into its routes to Morocco – so a trip to Marrakesh, Agadir, Rabat or Essaouira could be an option.

Whether you’re looking for a city break or a beach destination – each city offers something different.

But all have souks to explore, pretty resorts and hotels as well as high winter temperatures.

Flying to Marrakesh takes under four hours from the UK and flights from London are as little as £15 in December.

Krakow, Poland

Ryanair also cut flights to Brive in France as a result of the rising tax rate.

But if you still fancy the charm of the French city that’s known for its fantastic food, then you might find what you’re looking for in the Polish city of Krakow.

MoneySuperMarket added: “Brive is loved for its food markets, history, museums, and that artisanal distillery feel, but Krakow could be an alternative with a stunning medieval old town, lively markets, and rich museums.

“Krakow also offers its own vodka distillery experiences, bringing the same taste of local culture while also being an easy city to reach from many UK airports.”

Brits can fly to Krakow from major airports in the UK with flights taking just over two and half hours.

In January one-way tickets are as little as £15.

Madeira, Portugal

Ryanair recently announced plans to axe flights to the Azores in March 2026.

The autonomous Portuguese islands are known for their dramatic volcanic landscapes and have long been a favourite with UK holidaymakers.

One alternative recommended by the team at Sun Travel is beautiful Madeira.

Still in Portugal, the archipelago has the lush greenery of the Azores as well as black sand beaches.

It’s not just about nature, though, as there are still bustling cities like Funchal where holidaymakers can explore the Old Town and visit the Mercado dos Lavradores market.

Or wander through the pretty Madeira Botanical Garden and Monte Palace Tropical Garden.

Flights to Madeira depart from the likes of Bristol, Manchester, Bournemouth, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool and London for as little as £16.

Porto, Portugal

In August 2025, Ryanair said confirmed that two million seats across Spain would be being scrapped including those to Vigo.

The city is known for its vibrant seafood scene, beautiful Atlantic coastline, and as a gateway to the Cíes Islands which are just a 45-minute ferry trip away.

For a different budget-friendly, and direct route from the UK – check out Porto.

The coastal city in northwest Portugal is known for its huge bridges, port wine production, and colourful, winding streets.

Its position by the sea means that, like Vigo, it has plenty of fresh seafood.

While you’re there, don’t forget to try the ‘Porto sandwich’ called Francesinha, which is made with layered meats like steak, ham, and sausage between toasted bread slices.

You can fly directly from the UK to Porto from London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The flight time is under two and a half hours – and they’re as little as £15.

LAVALEY VIEW

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Here’s another alternative destination to visit this year as Ryanair scraps hundreds of flights – and it’s known for winter sun.

Plus, discover the six alternative Med holidays for 2025 with quieter beaches, cheaper food and affordable deals.

WASHINGTON — During a political career that spanned three decades, former Sen. John Tower, who died Friday in a plane crash at the age of 65, was a recognized leader on defense policy. Yet he surely will be remembered as a tragic figure–the man whose alleged preference for wine and women prevented him from becoming defense secretary.

It was just two years ago this week that the Senate, where Tower had served as the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, decided in a close but humiliating vote to deny him his life’s ambition to head up the Pentagon.

He recently got his revenge by writing an intensely bitter book, aptly titled “Consequences: A Personal Memoir,” which savaged his many political enemies. A spokesman for his office in Dallas said he was on his way to Sea Island, Ga., for a party to promote the book when he died.

Tower was no ordinary politician. He was a man of unquestioned intellect with an extraordinary grasp of national security issues–the man to whom President Ronald Reagan turned in 1985 to negotiate a nuclear arms agreement with the Soviet Union and in 1987 to conduct the initial investigation of the Iran-Contra affair.

But he was also a highly complex personality who often rubbed people the wrong way. Many people believed that his sensitivity about his 5-foot-5-inch stature led to his many affectations–fancy clothes, beautiful women and expensive liquor.

Tower, a Dallas Republican, had been a political science professor before being elected to the Senate in 1961 at age 35. He replaced then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, and his election represented a breakthrough for Republicans in the South at the time.

His mastery of defense issues and his ability to outsmart his political opponents made him a formidable force in the Senate. He initially was a staunch conservative but gradually moderated his views of government and later referred to himself as a “pragmatic.”

As a leading Republican and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, he was the primary proponent of Reagan’s military buildup. On Friday, Reagan issued a statement saying: “Though he will be remembered for many accomplishments, none will stand as tall as his commitment to a strong national defense.”

In California, President Bush called the death “a tragic loss.”

“I started with John Tower in politics in Texas 30 years ago,” Bush said, “and we became friends then, and we remain friends until this very moment. It’s very sad.”

From the day in 1984 that Tower resigned from the Senate after three terms, he let it be known that he aspired to serve as defense secretary. Instead, Reagan called on him first to serve as chief U.S. arms control negotiator in Geneva and later to head a commission that investigated the Iran-Contra affair.

Despite Tower’s loyalty to Reagan, the final report of the Tower Commission was by no means a whitewash of the Iran-Contra scandal. The panel’s findings were eventually corroborated by a lengthy congressional investigation. Moreover, the commission harshly criticized Reagan for paying too little attention to the policies of his Administration.

It was not until George Bush was elected President that Tower finally got his wish to be nominated as defense secretary. At first, he appeared to be a shoo-in. Never in the history of the Senate had it rejected a nominee who once had served in that body.

But, gradually, opposition grew as the Senate deliberated on the nomination for three months. Sordid stories of heavy drinking and womanizing were leaked to the press by senators who were given access to the findings of an FBI investigation into his background.

Tower denied most of the allegations and insisted that he did not have an alcohol problem. But he volunteered to quit drinking if confirmed.

Much of the derogatory information about Tower’s personal habits was derived from acrimonious divorce proceedings with his second wife, Lilla Burt Cummins.

“I went through a 90-day character assassination campaign,” Tower recently told the Washington Post, recalling his ordeal. “No public figure has been held up so much to scrutiny and has been so publicly pilloried as I have, without ever having been accused of anything very, very serious.”

The Senate was bitterly divided on the day it defeated the Tower nomination by a vote of 53 to 47, making him only the eighth Cabinet nominee in the history of the nation to be rejected by the Senate.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, who was named to the job after Tower was rejected, said Friday, “Our victory in Operation Desert Shield was due in part to men like John Tower and their vision . . . .”

In retrospect, some analysts saw Tower as a victim of a changing morality standard in American politics–the arrival of a new era in which public men are held accountable for their private lives. Others said Tower was simply being repaid for the arrogance and contempt he had shown for some senators during his 23 years in the Senate.

But Tower himself blamed one person: Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), who as chairman of the Armed Services Committee lobbied hard against the nomination of his former colleague. In his book, Tower accused Nunn of blind ambition, arrogance and duplicity.

Since his defeat, Tower had been living in Dallas. At the time of his death, he was working as a consultant and as chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. In December, Dorothy Heyser, the woman whom he described as a “girlfriend” and who stayed by his side throughout the Senate confirmation hearings, married another man.

From his first marriage to Lou Bullington, Tower had three daughters, Penny, Marian and Jeanne. He remained close to them, and they frequently appeared with him during his confirmation hearings. Marian died with him in the plane crash.

A charming town that’s perfect for a weekend break, with independent shops, great places to eat and drink, and stunning hikes on its doorstep

As the festive season approaches, you might be meticulously planning your shopping trips. However, your local high street may not fit the bill.

If you fancy a change of scenery this December, a staycation in one Welsh town could offer the perfect blend of exploration and independent boutiques. One destination that might not have sprung to mind is tucked away deep within Rhondda, South Wales.

Treorchy and its bustling high street are ideal for a relaxed Saturday morning stroll, perusing the many independent shops, with the rest of the day free for dining, drinking or, weather permitting, a post-lunch ramble around the nearby hills and waterfalls.

Shops

The true allure of Treorchy lies in its quaint independent shops, where you’ll discover gifts and stocking fillers galore. At the top of Bute Street, there’s the florist, Lili Wen, where – alongside beautiful bouquets and wreaths – you’ll find homely yet chic housewares and trinkets, reports the Express.

For those who relish rummaging through trinkets and gifts, Wonder Stuff is a must-visit. This delightful gift shop has been trading for over two decades, selling adorable stationery, mugs, cards, and food and drink gifts.

Just a few doors down, Green Valley may seem like a simple fruit and veg shop – and it is – but it also stocks sustainable gifts, a variety of hot sauces, Christmas items, treats and, intriguingly, cosy Nordic socks.

Beyond The Lion pub, two unique shopping experiences await. Sparkilicious is a haven of chic gifts and homeware, puzzles, games and toys.

Just across the road, Celtic Dragon Retro presents a different kind of treasure chest, brimming with retro game consoles and games, collectable toys and comics. You’ll discover everything from Pokémon and WWE, Star Wars, Marvel and DC to Disney.

They even offer gaming tables for a breather during your shopping spree! Treorchy’s high street also features an array of clothing shops, baby stores, drapers and jewellery shops worth a visit.

Places to eat and drink

Treorchy is teeming with coffee shops and snack spots, such as Hot Gossip, which is currently offering a large festive drinks menu.

The Cwm Farm Shop serves up a hearty breakfast, Sunday roast, homemade pies and pasties, and daily specials. Their cawl is particularly commendable, and many of the dishes use locally-sourced meat from the nearby farm owned by the same family.

For dinner, the Pencelli Hotel offers a full menu of pub classics, tapas items, curries and flatbreads. Alternatively, you can enjoy a pub meal or pizza at the Cardiff Arms Bistro, with dishes like beef short rib, grilled monkfish and prawn curry.

Christmas attractions

Treorchy is one of many towns in Rhondda Cynon Taf that hosts a Christmas celebration. This year, the parade will commence on Saturday, November 29.

Treorchy Library is set to spread some festive cheer with Santa Saturdays every weekend in December, where kids can meet Father Christmas in his grotto. Plus, late-night shopping will kick off on 3rd December and continue every Wednesday throughout the month.

For those who fancy a bit of an adventure, the upper Rhondda offers stunning views and invigorating hikes. Just take a drive up to the Bwlch hilltop for a breathtaking view over Treorchy and Cwmparc, or head to the top of the valley to the Rhigos viewpoint for a glimpse of Bannau Brycheiniog on a clear day.

One hike that’s a must for walkers is the Blwch mountain circular, a 13km stretch from Treorchy up to the viewpoint. And if you’re visiting from out of town, The Pencelli and Cardiff Arms Bistro both offer cosy accommodation options.

Welcome back to the Lakers newsletter, where we got plenty of rest while the team played pickleball.

A rare four-day stretch without a game may have done wonders for the Lakers’ small nagging injuries, but it interrupted the team’s rhythm going into Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz. It showed in the clunky win in which the Lakers missed 28 three-point tries and let an 11-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to one.

Despite being quite literally one of the worst shooting teams in the league, the Lakers are still 12-4. Players credited the team’s resiliency and chemistry as reasons the Lakers are still winning, but how long can this team survive on pure vibes?

Don’t stop believing

Luka Doncic’s shot trickled over the front of the rim, bounced high above the basket and swished through the net. When the three-pointer finally fell, Doncic raised both arms in equal parts disbelief and relief.

He’s the NBA’s leading scorer, but Doncic is shooting a career-worst 31.1% from three on a career-high 11 three-point attempts per game. Austin Reaves, also enjoying a career season offensively, is shooting the same poor percentage from three-point range.

Almost every Lakers rotation player is shooting below his career average from three-point range through 16 games this season. Shooting 33.3% from three, the Lakers are 26th out of 30 teams. Their 10.9 makes a game are the fewest in the league.

“We’ve got to shoot the ball better,” coach JJ Redick said after the Lakers survived a comeback attempt against the Jazz on Sunday. “But it’s got to be a belief in each other and a belief in ourselves to knock down shots.”

Nearing the 20-game mark of the season, the Lakers are not fretting about their frigid outside shooting. Redick recalled how the Lakers shot 34.8% from three in the first two months of last season. Then after shooting 46.7% in a two-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 23, the Lakers made 37.7% of their threes for the rest of the regular season.

Part of the shift came after the trade that brought Doncic. He shot 37.9% from three while with the Lakers last season, and the team’s overall three-point attempts increased from 33.8 per game to 40.4 in the final two months of the season.

The Lakers are taking 32.4 three-pointers per game this season. Redick anticipated that the number would rise, but with the current shooting struggles, he wanted to focus more on simply maximizing what his players do well.

“We’re going to do the things that put our guys in a position to create advantages and generate good offense,” Redick said before Sunday’s game. “However that looks as it morphs and evolves throughout the year, that’s just going to be what it is, the philosophy behind it. And if it ends up being we shoot 40 threes a game, great.”

Redick celebrated the team’s otherwise effective offense that is second in true shooting percentage (61.5%) and first in points per shot (1.42). The other glaring issue is turnover percentage, where the Lakers rank 28th.

“If we were out there not creating great looks or we were not playing [the right way] and we were playing selfish basketball [it would be different],” said LeBron James, who has made two of seven shots from three in his two games since returning from sciatica. “That’s not our M.O. So you look at over half of the threes that we missed tonight, a lot of them were wide open, but a lot of them were just finding the right player. The ball has so much energy in it that we’re not worried about that.”

Of their 38 three-point attempts against the Jazz, 25 came with the closest defender six or more feet away. The Lakers made just six of those open shots, with Doncic, Reaves and Marcus Smart going four for 17.

“We’re definitely gonna shoot better,” Smart said. “We work too hard not to.”

What’s up with the NBA Cup?

Even Deandre Ayton didn’t know what was going on with the NBA Cup. The Lakers center absorbed a turnover late in a blowout against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 14 instead of taking an easy shot. When he heard his teammates screaming at him to shoot, he admitted later he didn’t realize the potential importance of those two points.

Ayton instead intertwined his middle and ring fingers and held his right hand up toward the bench. The ‘W’ is all that mattered.

Entering the final week of NBA Cup group play, the Lakers need just one more W to clinch their spot in the quarterfinals. The winner of Tuesday’s game between the Lakers and Clippers at Crypto.com Arena officially claims West Group B.

The Lakers and Clippers are 2-0 in group play with two games remaining. The group also includes the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dallas Mavericks and the already eliminated New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers finish group play with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in a game that, even if the Lakers clinch the top spot Tuesday, could still matter.

The three group winners advance to the quarterfinals, and the top second-place team from each conference earns a wild card. The two teams with the best group play record in each conference will host the quarterfinal games. The No. 1 seed goes to the team with the best overall record, and if the records are even, then point differential will be the first tiebreaker for seeding.

Oklahoma City is also 2-0 halfway through group play and has a league-best plus-63 point differential, putting the Thunder in position to earn the No. 1 seed in the West quarterfinals.

The Lakers have a plus-19 point differential in group games and are in position to be the second-seeded team in the West, possibly playing against the West Group C winner.

The third group in the West is one of the most competitive in the league as Portland and Denver entered this week tied with 2-1 records. Portland has the first-priority head-to-head tiebreaker against the Nuggets, but Denver has a plus-26 point differential that positions it well as a potential wild-card team.

Top-seeded teams will host the quarterfinal games on Dec. 9 and 10. The losing teams in each conference’s quarterfinals will play each other in a regular season game on one of four dates: Dec. 11, 12, 14 or 15. The semifinals are in Las Vegas on Dec. 13, and the final will be on Dec. 16.

On tap

Records and stats updated entering Monday’s games

Nov. 25 vs. Clippers (5-12), 8 p.m., NBA Cup group play

Kawhi Leonard returned to the lineup on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 20 points, but he couldn’t rescue the Clippers, who have just two wins in November,

Nov. 28 vs. Mavericks (5-13), 7 p.m., NBA Cup group play

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Anthony Davis is injured. After missing his return to L.A. last year because of an abdominal strain, the former Lakers’ star has been sidelined for almost a month with a calf injury, potentially delaying his much-anticipated first game in L.A. since the infamous trade.

Nov. 30 vs. Pelicans (2-15), 6:30 p.m.

The Pelicans took a big swing to draft Derik Queen in the first round last April and the former Maryland star is starting to show some signs of promise. Queen averaged 23.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in three games against Atlanta, Dallas and Denver. He added 11 assists in a 118-115 loss to the Mavericks that eliminated New Orleans from NBA Cup contention.

Dec. 1 vs. Suns (11-6), 7 p.m.

Losing Kevin Durant to free agency made it seem like Devin Booker and Phoenix would be in rebuild mode, but they’re in the thick of the West. Booker leads the team with 26.9 points and 7.1 assists per game.

Best thing I ate this week

Thit nuong

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

While the Lakers played pickleball, I was soaking up my extended home time with loved ones. One of my easy crowd pleasers is thit nuong, which is Vietnamese grilled pork. Slices of pork shoulder are marinated with garlic, shallots, lemongrass, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and oyster sauce, threaded onto skewers and grilled. (I, however, don’t have a grill so I bake mine on a rack in the oven.) They’re a great finger food eaten off the skewer or as a meal with rice or, in this case, rice noodles. And it’s not Vietnamese if there aren’t pickled carrots and daikon.

My dad once told me my thit nuong was better than my mom’s. It is my greatest culinary accomplishment.

In case you missed it

‘Legend’: Claire Rothman, Forum president during Lakers’ ‘Showtime’ dynasty, dies at 97

Luka Doncic helps Lakers hold off Jazz for fourth win in a row

LeBron James’ return has Marcus Smart becoming Lakers’ ‘Swiss Army knife’

Dodgers boss Andrew Friedman part of team to advise Lakers in ownership transition

Lakers fire executives Joey and Jesse Buss and members of scouting staff

Hernández: LeBron James’ ‘very unselfish’ play shows he can fit in. Will it continue?

‘The dude’s a machine’: Three takeaways from LeBron James’ return to the Lakers

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

A new transparency feature on X has unwittingly revealed that many of the site’s top MAGA influencers are foreign actors sowing division in the US. It’s caused a storm on social media, as Soraya Lennie explains.

There is a catalogue of Christmas markets dotted across Europe for a festive getaway, with one transforming the city into a magical winter wonderland just a few hours away.

With Christmas just a month away, many of us are turning our attention to celebrating the festivities, and what better way than a stroll around a European market with a warming cup of spiced mulled wine.

One particular Christmas market, set against a backdrop of fairytale charm and medieval architecture, is merely hours away from the UK.

Bruges Christmas market is one of the most notable in Belgium, if not Europe, as the city transforms into a spectacular scene with Christmas trees, colourful fairy lights and charming wooden chalets.

The celebrations, also known as the “Winter Glow”, also welcome its glittering ice skating rink and a mesmerising light experience trail through the city.

Nestled in the heart of the city centre, the Christmas market will span over two locations, each area offering its own festive ambience.

In Grote Markt, you’ll find traditional wooden chalets adorned with gift inspiration, from handcrafted ornaments to Belgian chocolates, as well as an ice rink for gliding among the enchanting backdrop.

Another part of the Christmas market, albeit a little smaller, is in Simon Stevinplein, with a focus on “short-chain and craft products”.

Nearby, you’ll find cobbled streets with cosy cafés, where you can experience the scent of local chocolatiers while taking in the Gothic architecture of this well-preserved city.

You certainly won’t go hungry at the Christmas market with Belgian treats like fresh waffles and cheeses on offer, or a spiced mulled wine or traditional beer at the “IJsgloed” Winter Bar that overlooks the ice skating rink.

The bar is adorned with lights, decorations, wooden barstools, and barrels, creating a snug haven to soak up the festive scenes.

During a trip, you can also wander along the 3.5km light trail through the historic city to admire 10 fascinating light installations set within unsuspecting venues.

While Bruges is small, the intimate atmosphere and magical setting of “Winter Glow” that envelops the city, from November 21 to January 4, make it one of the most charming in Europe.

Furthermore, you can climb the 366 steps of the iconic 83-meter-high Belfry of Bruges (Belfort van Brugge) and be rewarded with panoramic views of the city.

You can also take a brisk walk along its winding canals through the city, often dubbed the “Venice of the North”, or wander through Minnewaterpark with its tranquil lake and serene surroundings.

What’s more, you can catch the Eurostar from London St Pancras International to Brussels Midi/Zuid in under two hours, before a quick hour train to Bruges, making it super easy for a winter getaway.

Or why not extend your trip and experience both Belgian cities for a festive trip like no other?