A British YouTuber has vowed never to return to Benidorm after spending a week in the Spanish seaside resort and he claimed it was not suitable for lone travellers

A well-known British YouTuber has declared he’ll never return to Benidorm with his camera after branding the resort too dangerous to film in.

The content creator, who goes by Just Deano, endured what he described as a truly awful week in the Spanish holiday destination and says he won’t be going back because of the crime levels. During his stay, he suffered an unprovoked attack and was repeatedly approached by drug dealers.

He’s now shared a video detailing his ordeal, titled: “CRIME RIDDEN HELL HOLE – Scams, Drugs, Fights, Pickpockets & more – I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO BENIDORM.”

Speaking to his 35,300 followers, he explained: “Now, before I get into this video, I do want to clarify, there’s a lot of people that like Benidorm, there’s a lot of people that enjoy Benidorm and come here for the right reasons.

“However, there is a lot of people that come here for the wrong reasons. I have seen fights, I have been asked if I wanted drugs hundreds of times this week, hundreds of times. I have seen pickpockets, I have seen scammers, it is just an absolutely awful place to come in my opinion and I for one won’t be back with the camera.”

Deano spent a week at Hotel Magic Villa Benidorm, paying £579 which included breakfast that he praised. But venturing out from his accommodation to find food on multiple occasions, Deano says he witnessed as many as three street brawls.

He also warned British holidaymakers against travelling to the Spanish coastal town alone after it earned a reputation as the “Narcos capital of the Costa Blanca”.

Deano added: “I am on my own, I would never ever recommend anyone to come to Benidorm on their own. You’re too vulnerable. I am a 6ft, 18 stone bald man, and there’s still people…”

Recounting what happened to him on a previous evening, he said: “I got whacked on the back of the head, I don’t know if it was a punch, bottle, a bat, a stick, I don’t know what it was, as soon as I turned around there was just a group of lads laughing.”

Deano concluded that Benidorm simply wasn’t for him, after witnessing pickpocketing incidents on a street dubbed ‘Muggers alley’.

Earlier this year, a British resident told The Spanish Eye: “This has been going on for a long time, it’s outside the Magic Villa de Benidorm and right next to the local tourist police station, which is closed in the evening.”

One clip circulating online captured a woman blocking a man’s path while other women descended on him to steal his belongings.

Deano revealed he witnessed such incidents directly from his hotel window, describing it as “absolutely disgusting” to see it happening in real life.

Earlier this year, the Policia Nacional confirmed perpetrators had been arrested “several times” and stated: “As a preventative measure, continuous patrols are carried out in this area, as well as throughout the rest of the town, to prevent the commission of this crime.”

Offering guidance to tourists, it added: “Always keep an eye on your personal belongings, especially in crowded areas. Do NOT keep cell phones or wallets in back pockets or easily accessible areas. Be wary of strangers who approach you with vague excuses or exaggerated gestures.

“In the event of a robbery, do not confront the offender directly and notify the police immediately. Write down the IMEI (serial) number of your device to facilitate its recovery in case of theft.”

Meanwhile, Frank the Stagman, the well-known British proprietor of Millers Beach Bar, recently highlighted a “massive increase in crime” in Benidorm.

However, after sharing an audio recording of Frank’s views, Deano urged his followers to form their own judgements about Benidorm based on their personal visits.

Yet beyond the criminal activity he observed, Deano suggested the budget attractions Benidorm provided weren’t worth his while.

He said: “Cheap beer, €1 pints, €2 pints, €1.50 pints, happy hour in every pub. Is it all that great? No. The answer is no.

“I haven’t had a decent pint anywhere I’ve been. Anywhere I’ve been. Yes, they are cheap, but I’ve ended up drinking like cider and Kopparberg (generally more expensive).”

Following his video post, which you can view in full here, one viewer responded: “That headline could fit any city in the UK over the last 5 years without the sun.”

Another commented: “It’s a shame you have had such bad experiences there. I went in February with my two year old and it was lovely, very clean and family friendly and nice beaches. I think it’s if you are about town late at night or drunk where you would get targeted as we were never out late. I never felt unsafe when I was there I think you have had bad luck. Benidorm gets bad crack when it’s actually pretty nice.”

A third chipped in: “We’re in Benidorm now. He’s going to the wrong places if he’s finding trouble. Love Benidorm. Been loads of times.”

Deano subsequently shared another clip claiming he’d been subjected to abuse over his views on Benidorm.

The Lakers’ seven-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with a 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.

While Luka Doncic continued his scoring surge with 38 points and 11 rebounds, the loss laid bare the Lakers’ biggest problems. The Lakers (15-5) turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 32 points for the Suns. The team’s middle-of-the-road defense had no answer for Phoenix’s dizzying offense that shot 57% from the field. LeBron James, who sat out Sunday to manage a left foot injury at the start of the Lakers’ home back-to-back, faded into the background most of the night.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer didn’t exert any force on the game until the fourth quarter as the possibility of his streak of 1,296 consecutive games with 10 or more points looked to be in danger. Entering the fourth quarter with just six points, James hit a step-back fadeaway jumper with 6:51 to go that pushed him to 10.

It was the only moment of consequence in a second half that the Lakers had long let get out of control.

Collin Gillespie buried the Lakers with 28 points and eight three-pointers, including four that came in the fourth quarter. Dillon Brooks had 33 to lead the Suns, who had little trouble scoring despite losing star guard Devin Booker.

Booker left the game with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter and didn’t return because of a right groin injury. The Suns still dictated the pace and built a 14-point halftime lead by finishing the second quarter on a 19-4 run. Brooks had 23 points in the first half.

Doncic scored 20 points in the first quarter for the second consecutive game, but unlike when he dominated the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, Doncic’s scoring was not enough Monday.

Lakers star LeBron James passes to forward Dalton Knecht against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Suns, the league leaders in steals, forced 12 Lakers turnovers in the first half, which led to 17 points for Phoenix. The Suns outscored the Lakers 16-0 in fast-break points.

Lakers guard Marcus Smart missed a third consecutive game, leaving the Lakers without a stalwart defender and vocal leader. He was previously sidelined because of back spasms, but the Lakers designated Monday’s absence as back injury management. Redick doesn’t believe the absence will be long-term as Smart underwent imaging that was “unremarkable,” Redick said, outside of looking “like a normal 11-year NBA veteran,” the coach added with a smile.

The Lakers could use Smart’s toughness as they proceed toward a difficult three-game East Coast trip that begins Thursday in Toronto. They play three games in four days, including in Boston on Friday and in Philadelphia on Sunday. All three teams are above .500, while the Lakers are 4-4 against such teams.

City skating in London

Leicester Square in the West End of London has its first ice rink, encircling the statue of Shakespeare that has stood on the spot since 1874. Unusually for a London pop-up rink, there are tickets available every day for walk-up visitors, with skating sessions starting every 15 minutes from 10am to 10pm. A bar serves hot chocolate, mulled wine and mulled cider, and Christmas market stalls surround the rink. The attraction is run by Underbelly, best known for its shows at the Edinburgh festival fringe, and is raising money for the Angel Child Fund at The Brain Tumour Charity (optional £2 donation).
Adults and teens from £14.50, under 13s from £9.50, families from £40, until 4 January, skateleicestersquare.co.uk

Skating and dining in Rochdale

An ice rink has opened on the square in front of Rochdale’s town hall. At the bargain price of £4 for a child, it is ideal for school trips, with no charge for teachers and staff. The town hall itself has a choral concert on 7 December, an artisan market on the 14 Dec and boozy bingo on the 19 Dec. Its restaurant, the Martlet Kitchen, has a Christmas menu throughout December, serving dishes such as parsnip and pea soup, turkey escalope and mince pies with eggnog sauce (£26 for two courses, £30 for three). It also serves seasonal cocktails such as the cherry bakewell float (cognac-preserved cherries, amaretto and whipped cream) and the rum-based fire and ice (two for £18).
Adults and teens £13.50, students £11, under-13s £9.50, until 4 January, santasvillage.co.uk

Shop and skate in Cheshire

Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet has an ice rink this year, so visitors can combine skating with Christmas shopping. There is a covered rink and an outdoor ice path around the eponymous oak tree. The skating is an addition to the winter village, which features one of the UK’s tallest artificial Christmas trees at 27 metres (90ft). Children can meet Santa and his elves on the ferris wheel, ride the carousel or watch a festive film in the alpine lodge. Adults can eat bratwurst, drink mulled wine or book one of the six cosy Christmas huts – two with karaoke.
Adults from £12.50, under-16s from £11, families from £36, until 4 January, mcarthurglen.com

A ski chalet in Preston

Preston’s new ice rink is under its elegant Victorian market canopy, which dates back to 1875. There is live music to skate along to every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (1-3pm and 5-7pm to 14 December), and a ski chalet-style bar serving bratwurst and steins of beer. As well as skating, visitors can go to the Harris Museum, which reopened in September after a £19m refurbishment and has a cafe, a shop and a free Wallace & Gromit exhibition (to 4 January). Or they can check out Animate, an adjacent entertainment complex that opened in February, which has bowling, a cinema, a street-food market and six restaurants.
Adults and teens from £12, under-13s from £10, families from £40, until 4 January, prestononice.co.uk

Waterfront skating in Pembrokeshire

For one weekend only, visitors can go ice skating at Milford Waterfront in Pembrokeshire. The pop-up rink is in the atrium of Sybil House, right by the water. The marina has lots of other festive activities, including a Santa trail (until 31 December), a big lights switch-on (12-3pm, 6 December), a Christmas countdown at the Waterfront Gallery (Saturdays to 20 December), a grotto (7, 13, 14, 19-21 December) and a pantomime, Rapunzel, at the Torch theatre (6-28 December). Plus, there are lots of independent shops in which to buy presents, and cafes and restaurants with Christmas menus.
Adults £7.50, under-16s £7, under-9s £6, 12-8pm 12-14 December, milfordwaterfront.co.uk

A riverside rink in Glasgow

There is a Christmas village on the banks of the Clyde in the West End of Glasgow this winter. As well as a covered ice rink, Clydeside Christmas Village has a funfair and one of Scotland’s biggest Christmas trees. The heated Alpine-style bar is family-friendly by day, and a more grownup hangout by night, and there are stalls selling street food and sweet treats, from yorkshire pudding wraps to churros. Children can meet Santa from 1pm to 4pm on the weekends of 6, 7, 13, 14 and 20-23 December. Entry and parking are free, and it is close to Partick station.
Adults and teens £11.25, under-12s £9.05, until 4 January, clydesidechristmasvillage.com

On the farm in Norfolk

White House Farm, a diversified family farm on the edge of Norwich, has an ice rink this year. The Great Barn houses the covered rink and festive food and market stalls, and is decorated with twinkling Christmas trees. The owners, Ollie and Charlotte, have spent a decade turning the farm into a community hub. The smaller barns and former pig sheds now contain a farm shop, cafe and butchery; local businesses sell everything from cider to homewares; there are pottery-painting, dance and photography studios; and beauty treatment rooms.
Adults and teens £15, under 13s £12, families 10% discount, until 4 January, icenorwich.com

Seafront skating in Devon

The seaside town of Torquay has an ice rink under a beautifully lit canopy in Abbey Park on the seafront. It is the latest addition to the Bay of Lights, which stretches across Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. Torquay has a 1.5-mile illumination trail with 18 large light installations, including an LED light fountain, 1,000 colour-changing flowers and a giant walk-through Christmas present. There is a light projection show at Torre Abbey (until 2 January); an illuminated steam train running from Paignton to Kingswear; and illuminations at Kents Cavern, near Torquay, and Babbacombe Model Village. Other twinkly events around the bay include lantern parades and carols by candlelight.
Adults £12.58, under-16s £9.43, families £37.73, 6 December to 2 January, englishriviera.co.uk

A seaside rink in Cornwall

Watergate Bay hotel, about three miles north of Newquay, has opened Cornwall’s first beachside ice rink. The covered rink is in a marquee with glass sides, so skaters have views over the 2-mile Atlantic surfing beach. Hot chocolate, mulled wine and wood-fired pizzas are served rinkside, or there is a choice of three hotel restaurants for apres-skate dining. Visitors can make a day of it with a Swim Club pass (£120), which includes access to the indoor swimming pool, outdoor hot tub and Finnish sauna, a 60-minute treatment and a two-course lunch. There are also skate and stay options, and Christmas and new year breaks that include skating and (optional) sea swims.
Adults from £17, under-18s from £12, until 11 January, watergatebay.co.uk

Sky-high skating in London

Bussey Rooftop Bar in Peckham, south London, usually screens festive films in December, but this season it has opened “London’s highest ice rink” instead. Skaters can enjoy 360-degree views of the city skyline, and skate along to DJs spinning Christmas songs and disco classics on Friday and Saturday nights. The heated, covered bar has been turned into a winter lodge, serving boozy hot chocolate, mulled wine and winter spritzes, “mistle-toast” pizzas (prosciutto, caramelised onions, rosemary and mozzarella) and pigs in blankets. There is a bauble-painting workshop on 9 December and a Before Midnight party on New Year’s Eve (5-10pm).
Adults and teens from £14, under-13s from £9, families from £40, until 1 January, busseyrooftopbar.com

Dec. 2 (UPI) — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday called for a new travel ban “on every damn country that’s flooding our nation with killers, leeches and entitlement junkies.”

It was not clear which exact countries she was recommending the travel ban be enforced for. She made the announcement in a statement on social media, stating she had met with President Donald Trump and had issued the recommendation.

“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat and the unyielding love of freedom — not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” she said.

“WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”

Noem issued the statement amid the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on immigration and following a Wednesday shooting in Washington, D.C., that killed a National Guard member and critically wounded another.

After the shooting, Trump issued a similarly vague call to pause migration from all “third-world countries,” a Cold War-era term that is largely considered outdated to refer to low- and middle-income countries.

The alleged shooter has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who U.S. officials say worked with the CIA to track down high-value Taliban targets.

Lakanwal came to the United States during the final stages of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Trump administration has blamed the previous Biden administration for permitting him entrance to the country. However, Lakanwal reportedly applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum by the Trump administration in April.

On Thursday, a day after the shooting, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said that at Trump’s direction, a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card holder from “every country of concern” would be launched.

The 19 countries affected are listed in a June presidential proclamation that restricts entry to foreign nationals, citing national security and public safety threats. Of those countries, 12 are fully barred from entry under the proclamation while seven are partially restricted.

USCIS has also paused all asylum decisions until “we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” Edlow said.

She wasted no time naming Ginge as the butter smuggler to I’m A Celeb hosts Ant and Dec.

I’m A Celeb star Vogue Williams clashed with Angry Ginge over the washing up – and then wasted no time naming him as the person who smuggled contraband butter into camp. The podcaster, 40, named the internet star, 24, in her post-exit interview with hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly.

Producers have been waging a war against contraband-smugglers this series, with salt, an air freshener and now a tub of butter discovered in the camp. However, they did not appear to know who had brought it in. Vogue said tonight that Ginge had found it on the jungle floor, with stars then using it to add some flavour to their rice and beans dinners.

Some viewers suggested there was little love lost between the pair with one writing: “Oh er Vogue really doesn’t like Ginge does she…” Another asked: “I am going crazy or is Vogue a bit of a Ginge hater?” A third said: “Nah vogue telling on Ginge in the same breath as saying ‘we’re such a united group’.”

Fans were left shocked by the revelation, with one writing: “So Ginge FOUND some butter randomly on the jungle floor?? With ‘sticks and stuff in it’? What is going on.” It is thought to have been left over from the ‘breakfast treat’ where a small group of winners feasted on buttered toast and cooked food.

Many fans were upset to see Vogue, who left camp after 13 days having arrived late with Tom Read Wilson, leave the jungle at such as early stage.

Many others were fuming to see her gone ahead of other stars they think should have got the chop instead. One viewer posted: “How on gods green earth has vogue gone before Martin and Kelly?” Another wrote: “Can’t believe Vogue is gone.”

Earlier in the episode Ginge and Vogue had a minor clash over the washing up, which is one of his two chores. He insisted that the campers could use the same dish to eat their breakfast and lunch to save him from scrubbing the containers twice a day.

Vogue, 40, was first to respond to his idea, saying quickly: “People have the right to have a clean bowl in the morning and a clean whatever they want in the afternoon and a clean one in the evening.”

However, Angry Ginge remains the bookies’ favourite to win I’m A Celeb this year. He is followed in the running by rapper Aitch, Celebs Go Dating star Tom Read Wilson and Jack Osbourne.

Now that Vogue is out of the picture, Kelly Brook and Martin Kemp are considered the least likely stars to take the crown of King or Queen of the Jungle.

Since Brys’ arrival, Fecafoot and Cameroon’s ministry of sport have been at loggerheads over the legality and legitimacy of the 63-year-old’s contract.

But he is not the first manager dismissed by Eto’o’s regime.

Having first been elected to Fecafoot’s top job in December 2021, the former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward soon oversaw the dismissal of Portuguese boss Toni Concecaio, who had guided Cameroon to a third-place finish on home soil at the 2021 Afcon, despite opposition from the ministry.

Another Cameroon legend, Rigobert Song, was immediately appointed as Conceicao’s replacement – under the instructions of the country’s President Paul Biya.

Strongly rumoured to also be Eto’o’s choice, Song led his nation at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – which Onana departed early after being suspended by Fecafoot – but a poor showing at the last Afcon in Ivory Coast ended the former West Ham and Liverpool defender’s time in charge.

The sports ministry’s choice of Brys as Song’s replacement was met with “great astonishment” at Fecafoot.

Less than two months later, the Belgian was removed following a heated row with Eto’o – only to be reinstated two days later as the federation president apologised.

With Brys’ recent failure to qualify his team for next year’s World Cup, having lost to Dr Congo in the African play-offs, it now looks as if Eto’o has finally got his way.

However, it remains to be seen whether the ministry, which pays the head coach’s salary, will acquiesce to Fecafoot and Eto’o on this occasion. The BBC has been told that, for now, it has nothing to say.

“It’s difficult to see how a new manager will be able to put together a playing system, create an avenue where the players can express themselves fluently on the pitch and play as a unit,” Cameroonian analyst Njie Enow told BBC Sport Africa.

Whatever the outcome on the pitch, Fecafoot’s allegations of misconduct and the dismissal of Brys just weeks before a major tournament is merely the latest in a series of dramatic events under Eto’o’s stewardship, which has been marked by a range of scandals and opposition from local football stakeholders.

Luton Airport says you might be turned away even if your passport is in date and perfect condition

An airport has issued a warning to travellers hoping to jet away over the next few weeks. With Christmas on the horizon along with school holidays, December can be a busy time.

But Luton Airport is urging people to make a key check or risk not being allowed to fly. For even if their passport is in date and in pristine condition, if they miss one thing, it could put a halt to their trip.

It posted on x, formerly twitter: “Is your passport over 10 years old? If you’re travelling to an EU country, you will need to renew your passport before you travel. Check your passport here.

It goes further on its website telling people: “If you’re travelling in the EU, please check your passport is valid for the dates you are travelling. You will need to renew your passport if:

• There’s less than three months left on your passport while you’re travelling
• Your passport is 10 years old or more on the day you enter an EU country”

According to the Post Office different countries have varying passport requirements. It says: “Different countries have specific entry requirements. If your passport isn’t valid, it could wreak havoc with your travel plans.”

It says: “Different countries have their own rules about passport validity. Some countries might ask that your passport’s valid for your whole time away and even a bit longer, sometimes up to six months. If you don’t check these rules, you could run into problems, like not being able to board your flight or being denied entry when you land.”

Europe

“Since the UK left the European Union in 2020, UK passport holders are now seen as ‘third-country nationals’ by EU and Schengen countries. This means the entry rules have changed. And many UK holidaymakers are still being caught out by them.

“Passports issued after 2018 are valid for exactly 10 years. But if your passport was issued before September 2018, it might be valid for up to 10 years and nine months. This is because, before 2018, the passport office would add up to nine extra months from your old passport to your new one.

“This means some people have passports that haven’t officially expired and are still valid for travel worldwide. The exception is travel in Europe, where passports must be less than 10 years old. To travel to Europe and Schengen countries, your passport must be:

• Issued less than 10 years before your departure date
• Valid for at least three months after your planned return date

“And remember, you can now only stay in Schengen countries for up to 90 days within a six-month period. Before Brexit, you could stay as long as you wanted.”

Israeli forces carry out demolition and destruction on residential buildings behind the yellow line in the eastern areas of Gaza City.

Salman Shahid travels frequently between Srinagar, the biggest city in Indian-administered Kashmir, and New Delhi. He runs Rise, a private coaching centre for students aspiring to join the Indian Institutes of Technology – the country’s premier engineering schools – in Srinagar, but his family is based in New Delhi.

Flying helps him save time. But increasingly, he just cannot afford it.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Shahid says, a one-way flight from Srinagar to New Delhi would cost him about 3,300 rupees ($37.20) on average. “Now, the same ticket is over 5,000 rupees ($56), and that, too, with very limited time options,” he points out.

This 50 percent surge in airfare has significantly affected his travel routine. “I don’t travel that frequently now,” he says. “Earlier, I would make at least four round-trips a month. Now, it’s come down to just two.”

He recalls once booking a ticket for just 1,700 rupees ($19) on Vistara, a domestic airliner, during a sale in 2019. “That kind of pricing now feels like a dream,” he says, adding that he struggles to understand how airfare has escalated so sharply in such a short period.

He is not alone.

According to a study published last November by Airports Council International (ACI), a global trade association representing more than 2,000 airports in more than 180 countries, India saw a 43 percent rise in domestic airfares in the first half of 2024, compared with 2019, the second-highest in the Asia Pacific and West Asia regions after Vietnam.

International fares also rose by 16 percent. India was third in this category. A study representing 617 airports in the Asia Pacific and West Asia regions, conducted by ACI in partnership with Flare Aviation Consulting, a management consulting boutique specialised in the aviation and airports sector, attributes this surge to high demand, limited competition on some routes, and a 38 percent spike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs since 2019.

Prices rose from 68,050 rupees ($759) per kilolitre in cities like Delhi in January 2019 to 93,766 rupees ($1,046) per kilolitre in October 2025. Airlines are also recovering pandemic-era losses, further pushing fares up.

And even though there is no comprehensive study capturing fare trends in 2025, yet, experts say prices have continued to rise throughout the year.

“Despite the huge surge already, airfares aren’t coming down and are only going up,” said Vandana Singh, the chairperson of the Aviation Cargo Federation of Aviation Industry in India (FAII), a government-recognised body that promotes India’s aviation sector.

“The relentless increase in airfare does not reflect well on the accessibility of aviation in India,” Singh added, cautioning that the middle and economically weaker sections of society may soon find themselves excluded from the air travel landscape altogether.

‘Hollow catchphrase’

In October 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched what his government has called the UDAN scheme – “Udan” means “flight” in Hindi, but the acronym stands for Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (Let the Common Citizen Fly). The stated aim of the scheme was to dramatically expand India’s aviation infrastructure, and open up dozens of new routes to make air travel accessible to lower-income Indians and people in smaller towns and cities.

While flagging off the first flight under the scheme in April 2017, Modi said, “I want to see people who wear hawai chappals [flip-flops] flying in a hawai jahaaz [aeroplane].”

His comments effectively became a slogan for the campaign, touted as the government’s bid to make flying affordable and accessible for millions of people from small-town India, many of whom cannot even afford shoes.

But that slogan now carries a tinge of irony, Singh said.

“With fares escalating consistently over the past few years, this inspiring slogan now risks becoming a hollow catchphrase rather than a lived reality.”

Under the Modi government, India has indeed witnessed a rapid expansion in the number of cities and towns connected by air, with airports more than doubling from 74 in 2014, when Modi came to power, to 157 in 2024.

But the numbers mask a deeper crisis that afflicts Indian aviation, experts say. Because the number of flights and routes has gone up, the total volume of travellers in India has remained high, even if soaring prices mean that many individual passengers are reducing air travel.

The country is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market, and witnessed a 15 percent increase in air passengers, year-on-year, in the 2024 financial year, according to government figures.

Still, signs of turbulence are visible, even in the data. Domestic air traffic dipped to 12.6 million passengers in July 2025, compared with 13.1 million in June 2025. The numbers recovered in August to 13.2 million, but then dipped again in September (12.6 million), before rising in October to 14.3 million passengers.

Rohit Kumar, an aviation economist and a faculty member at Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University, said that while passenger numbers have not fallen, “the rise in fares has quietly pushed the lower and lower-middle classes out of the skies”. New airports, more routes, and upper-middle-class travellers, who value time over cost, are continuing to keep total passenger numbers up.

Kumar added that the remote working culture that many technology and service-driven industries in India have continued to embrace since the pandemic has allowed employees to travel more frequently than before. This has boosted occasional air travel among higher-income professionals, he said.

However, despite year-on-year growth, the sector remains deeply unequal. India’s aviation sector, Kumar cautioned, is being carried by a small, affluent section, while the vast majority – emerging flyers that the UDAN scheme was meant to serve – are increasingly being left behind.

Singh of the FAII was even more blunt.

“The very people the [Modi] slogan referred to, those who wear chappals, are now being priced out of the skies,” she said.

‘Monopolistic trends’

More routes are not the only factor allowing airlines to keep raising fares, even if they are pricing out many passengers. They are also helped by shrinking competition.

In recent years, several major airlines have shut down, while others have merged after acquisitions.

Go First, which once held more than 10 percent of India’s domestic and international market, with 52 aircraft, ceased operations in May 2023 after filing for bankruptcy. Jet Airways, with a 21 percent market share and 124 aircraft at its 2016 peak, halted operations in 2019.

SpiceJet teetered on the edge of insolvency, especially between 2022 and 2024, due to mounting debt, legal issues, and grounded aircraft. In July 2022, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator, cut SpiceJet operations by 50 percent. The DGCA cited “poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions”. SpiceJet also faced significant delays, with a reported on-time performance (OTP) of 54.8 percent in January 2025, making it the least punctual airline among major carriers at the time.

Defaults on lease payments also led to aircraft repossessions, shrinking SpiceJet’s fleet from 118 in 2019 to just 28 operational planes by January 2025.

“The back-to-back shutdown of airlines in India severely impacted air travel, paving the way for monopolistic trends,” said Singh. With fewer players in the skies, dominant airlines can dictate prices and raise them at their discretion, she added.

In another major shake-up, Air India, India’s only public sector airline, was officially privatised in January 2022, when the Tata Group took over full ownership.

Following this, Vistara, an airline already jointly owned by Tata and Singapore Airlines, was merged with Air India in November 2024. The merger raised concerns and faced strong opposition from critics, including trade unions and opposition parties, who feared that the consolidation of Air India, Vistara, and AirAsia India – another Tata Group subsidiary also merged with the other two – would lead to an aviation oligopoly, reducing competition and consumer choice in the Indian market.

Zuhaib Rashid, an economics and research associate at the Isaac Centre for Public Policy, New Delhi, said the merger handed over control of India’s skies to just two private players, posing a serious threat to competition.

The only other major aviation player in India today is Indigo, which has 61 percent market share. Together, IndiGo and Air India now control 91 percent of India’s airline market.

Rashid argued that, had the government retained a stake in Air India, it could have ensured fare regulation. “Fully privatising airlines has reduced government control over pricing, and has allowed private players to dominate in a country where air travel remains a luxury,” he added.

Their dominance of the market also allows Air India and Indigo to jack up prices dramatically  during peak travel seasons or emergencies, tour operators and experts say, citing two recent examples.

Sajad Ismail Sofi, a Srinagar-based air travel agent, pointed to the aftermath of the deadly April attack on tourists in Pahalgam, a popular resort town in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed. As tourists in other parts of Kashmir scrambled to leave the region, one-way ticket prices from Srinagar to other parts of India skyrocketed from 5,000 rupees ($56) to nearly 12,000 rupees ($135).

After airlines faced major criticism and accusations of profiteering from a national crisis, prices came down.

Earlier in the year, Singh from the FAII recalled, one-way airfares from India’s financial capital, Mumbai, to the temple town of Prayagraj soared to 50,000 rupees ($564) – more expensive than flights to Paris – during the Mahakumbh Mela, one of Hinduism’s most sacred events in which devotees take dips in the Ganga river. The government eventually stepped in to pressure airlines to curb prices. However, Singh said that most pilgrims had already bought their tickets by then.

Al Jazeera has sought responses from Indigo and Air India to the criticism and allegations of using their market dominance to charge exorbitant rates. Neither airline has responded.

Higher taxes adding to the burden

Experts point out that airlines alone are not responsible for the rising fares. India’s high aviation taxes are a key factor too.

The country imposes the highest taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in Asia, which account for 45 percent of air ticket prices. By mid-2024, jet fuel prices in cities like Delhi and Mumbai were nearly 60 percent higher than in global hubs like Dubai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, largely due to value-added taxes (VAT), central excise duties and additional cesses.

Passengers are also charged, as part of their tickets, a user development fee, ranging from 150 rupees ($1.7) to 400 rupees ($4.5) depending on the airport; a passenger service fee of about 150 rupees ($1.7); an aviation security fee of 200 rupees ($2.3) per passenger; a terminal fee of 100 rupees ($1.2); and a regional connectivity charge between 50 rupees ($0.6) and 100 rupees ($1.2) per passenger. Each of these amounts is small, but together, they add up. And they do not go to the airline, but to the airport or the government.

In June, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents more than 350 airlines globally, called for greater clarity in India’s taxation system, arguing that it was too complex.

Amjad Ali, a travel operator from New Delhi, said he had been in the air ticketing business since 2005, and had never witnessed a sharp rise in airfares until 2020. “Fares used to increase gradually, but since 2020, they have shot up rapidly,” he said.

Ali usually books tickets on routes like Delhi–Mumbai, Delhi–Patna, and Delhi–Purnea. Patna and Purnea are cities in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.

He said that new airports, such as Purnea, have brought in more passengers due to the introduction of new routes. Before the pandemic, a Mumbai–Delhi ticket, booked well in advance, used to cost about 3,800 rupees ($43), but now, it is hard to find one below 6,000 rupees ($68) for the same journey.

Meanwhile, airlines have also started cutting discounts they used to offer to some sections of flyers. Previously, Air India offered a 50 percent concession on the base fare for domestic student travel, but after privatisation, this was reduced to only 10 percent.

The result, Ali said, is a noticeable decline in student travellers. “We rarely see students flying these days,” he said.

Ultimately, Singh from the FAII said, the industry was shooting itself in the foot by making flying unaffordable for millions of Indians.

“If we want air travel to become truly accessible to a larger section of the population, particularly those with limited financial means, the government and aviation stakeholders must work towards reducing these taxes and surcharges,” she said.

Until then, a plane ride will remain a flight of fancy for most of India’s 1.4 billion people.

SIMON Cowell has shaded his former American Idol co-star Ryan Seacrest in a new interview with The New York Times.

The America’s Got Talent judge and media mogul, 66, had an unexpected reaction when asked about his onetime colleague, 50, during a candid talk on The Daily podcast with journalist Lulu Garcia Navarro.

When the reporter admitted she’s “mystified” by Ryan‘s success and asked Simon to explain it, he laughed.

“I can’t really answer that one if I’m being honest with you. He does work hard,” he responded.

“A lot of people work hard,” Lulu said.

“I don’t know, actually. He was very, very ambitious. And look, I don’t follow his career if I’m being honest with you,” Simon said, despite Ryan’s success on American Idol, Wheel of Fortune, Live with Kelly and Ryan and radio shows.

“So I don’t know what he’s done or doing. We rarely talk now.

“I always knew with Ryan, he was very steely about his career, wanting to be famous.

“I mean this massive, massive desire about being very famous.”

CLASHING ON CAMERA

Simon worked alongside Ryan from American Idol’s first season in 2002 until his departure in 2010.

They butt heads on camera, and one scene particularly shocked viewers when it aired on Season 6 in 2007.

When a contestant complained about having to wear high heels and dresses on the show, Ryan asked Simon for any advice he could offer.

“You should know, Ryan,” Simon responded.

“Stay out of my closet,” Ryan warned Simon.

“Well, come out,” Simon quipped, seemingly joking about Ryan’s sexuality. (Ryan has always dated women, and denied gay rumors in his early days of fame.)

According to a report at the time, the jab was scripted and planned ahead of time.

Ryan denied a long-standing feud with Simon in 2017, insisting he “misses” working with him.

BAC Credomatic has announced plans to purchase Panama’s Multibank, potentially making it the largest bank in Central America by market share.

Through BAC Holding International Corp. (BIC), the purchase is subject to approval by the respective banks’ directors, shareholders and regulatory authorities. BIC would look to buy 99.7% of Multi Financial Group, the owners of Multibank.

Rodolfo Tabash Espinach, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BIC and CEO of BAC, said in a prepared statement: “BAC is in the best position to carry out this transaction. In recent years, we have experienced consistent and sustainable growth, which allows us to aspire to finalize this acquisition and further accelerate the generation of triple value.”

Should the sale go through, it would give BAC $43 billion in assets, $30 billion in loan portfolio, and $32 billion in deposits, placing it among the top three banks in Panama by assets.

Acquisition Accelerates BAC’s Regional Expansion

“The subsequent merger would allow us to consolidate two organizations with over 120 years of combined experience and strengthen the value proposition for banking customers,” added Tabash Espinach.

BAC currently has over 6 million customers in the region and a presence in all Central American countries. Each bank has stated that until the merger goes through, operations will continue as normal.

“This decision reflects the strong confidence that Panama inspires as an engine of economic growth in the region, and the optimism for the future, supported by the stability, strategic vision, and talent of our people, whose dedication and capabilities are fundamental to building an environment conducive to investment and sustainable development,” added Ramón Chiari Brin, CEO of BAC Panama.

The move marks a busy end to the year for the Superintendencia de Bancos de Panamá, which authorizes the transfer of assets between Scotiabank and Banco Vivienda in Panama. The move sees 75% of Banco Nova Scotia Panama’s assets convert into roughly 20% of the new group. The transfer has already been approved in Costa Rica and is now awaiting the Colombian authorities’ go-ahead to complete the deal.

ST. LOUIS — Mason McTavish and Pavel Mintyukov each scored first period goals to help the Ducks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Monday night.

Leo Carlsson also scored, Chris Kreider added an empty-net goal and Ville Husso made 22 saves for the Ducks, who killed six St. Louis power plays.

Husso started after Petr Mrazek left Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury. With No. 1 goalie Lukas Dostal placed on injured reserve Monday, the Ducks recalled Vyacheslav Buteyets to serve as Husso’s backup.

Jordan Kyrou scored for St. Louis, and Joel Hofer made 19 saves in relief of Jordan Binnington.

Carlsson scored his 14th goal of the season 5:58 into the third period to put the Ducks ahead 3-1. It was his third goal in his last four games.

Binnington allowed two goals on five shots before being pulled after Mintyukov scored his second goal of the season with 9:36 remaining in the first period to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

Kyrou scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season just 20 seconds after McTavish scored his sixth goal of the season to put the Ducks on the board 6:33 into the first period.

Beckett Sennecke assisted on McTavish’s goal to give him points in eight straight games to match Paul Kariya for the longest points streak by a Ducks rookie.

St. Louis was playing without forwards Jimmy Snuggerud, who will miss at least six weeks after being placed on injured reserve with a left wrist injury that will require surgery, and Alexey Toropchenko who is week to week after sustaining scalding burns on his legs in an accident at home.

The Blues recalled rookie forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki from the club’s AHL affiliate in Springfield, but he did not arrive in time for the game due to travel delays, forcing Blues coach Jim Montgomery to dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards.

Up next for the Ducks: vs. Utah on Wednesday night to open a three-game homestand.

Dec. 1 (UPI) — Multiple bomb threats were made Monday morning against the offices of New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader said, as threats of violence targeting U.S. lawmakers increase.

“This morning, I was informed by New York law enforcement of multiple bomb threats made against my offices in Rochester, Binghamton and Long Island,” Schumer said in a Senate floor speech.

The threats against his offices were made by email. The subject line read “MAGA,” the acronym for the Make America Great Again movement, founded by President Donald Trump. According to Schumer, the threats included the unfounded claim that the 2020 election, which Trump lost to former President Joe Biden, was rigged.

Local and federal law enforcement responded “immediately,” Schumer said, and his offices were being swept as he spoke.

The investigation is ongoing, he said.

“Everyone, thank God, is safe,” he said, while expressing gratitude to federal and local law enforcement.

“As I have said many times, these kinds of violent threats have absolutely no place in our political system. No one — no public servant, no staffer, no constituent, no citizen — should ever be targeted for simply doing their job.”

The threats were made amid heightened political tensions in the United States, where there have been several attacks on high-profile leaders in recent years.

In 2022, David DePape broke into the home of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, and bludgeoned her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer.

Trump, a Republican, survived two assassination attempts, including one that resulted in a bullet wound to his ear, in 2024.

This year, the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was damaged in an arson attack in April; two Democratic state representatives for Minnesota were shot in June, one fatally; and in September, well-known conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated.

“The bomb threats directed at Sen. Schumer’s offices are reprehensible,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said in a statement.

“Disagreement is part of democracy. Violence and intimidation are not. This is not a Republican or Democratic problem. It is everyone’s problem and both parties must stop it.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeated calls for peace and pledged “absolute loyalty” to his people at a rally attended by thousands in Caracas, as tensions escalate over potential military action by the United States.

The rally on Monday came as US President Donald Trump met with his national security team at the White House to discuss the “next steps” on Venezuela, according to media reports.

Maduro, addressing a crowd waving Venezuelan flags outside the presidential palace in Caracas, said his country wanted peace, but only a peace “with sovereignty, equality and freedom”.

“We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies! Colony, never! Slaves, never!” he said.

The Trump administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela with a military buildup in the Caribbean, in what it calls an anti-drug trafficking campaign. Caracas says the actions are aimed at toppling Maduro’s government.

The US has amassed 15,000 troops in the region and deployed the world’s largest aircraft carrier there, while also designating the Cartel de los Soles, which it describes as a drug trafficking cartel led by Maduro, as a “terrorist” organisation.

It has also carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.

Experts say the assembled US firepower far outweighs what is necessary for a drug-trafficking operation, while Caracas says the US is seeking regime change to take control of Venezuela’s vast natural resources, including oil.

Maduro on Monday accused the US of waging a campaign of “psychological terrorism”.

“We have endured 22 weeks of aggression that can be described as psychological terrorism,” he said. “These 22 weeks have put us to the test, and the people of Venezuela have demonstrated their love for the homeland,” he added.

Trump-Maduro call

Trump, meanwhile, confirmed on Sunday that he spoke to Maduro on the phone, but declined to give details, saying it did not go “well or badly”.

The Reuters news agency, citing four sources familiar with the matter, reported on Monday that Trump offered Maduro safe passage out of Venezuela during the short call on November 21.

Maduro told Trump he was willing to leave Venezuela, provided he and his family members had full legal amnesty, including the removal of all US sanctions and the end of a flagship case he faces before the International Criminal Court (ICC), Reuters reported, citing three of the sources.

He also requested removal of sanctions for more than 100 Venezuelan government officials, many accused by the US of human rights abuses, drug trafficking or corruption, Reuters said.

Trump rejected most of his requests on the call, but told Maduro he had a week to leave Venezuela for the destination of his choice alongside his family members.

That safe passage expired on Friday, prompting Trump to declare on Saturday that Venezuela’s airspace was closed, two of the sources told Reuters.

There was no immediate comment from the US or Venezuela about the report.

The Trump administration has said it does not recognise Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, as Venezuela’s legitimate president. Maduro claimed a re-election victory last year in a national ballot that the US and other Western governments dismissed as a sham, and which independent observers said the opposition won overwhelmingly.

Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Cucuta on the Colombia-Venezuela border, said Maduro’s appearance at the Caracas rally came amid rumours that he had left the country following Trump’s declaration about the closure of Venezuela’s airspace.

Bo said people crossing the Simon Bolivar bridge between the two countries were “extremely concerned about the possibility of a military strike” by the US on Venezuela.

“In the meantime, Venezuela continues to deploy military units across the country. They are protecting the capital, Caracas, specifically the main highway that connects to the airport and the coastal areas of Venezuela. We have seen the minister of defence, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, show off some military equipment, among them aerial defences [and] fighter jets,” she said.

Sources in Venezuela told Al Jazeera that they know the country’s military is no match for the US, she said.

“That’s why they are focusing on another strategy. And this would include irregular attacks, sabotage, using criminal groups, government supporters, and possibly guerrillas, among others,” Bo said.

“The main idea would be to generate chaos [and] anarchy, and that’s something that concerns many people in the country. And there are some that say that even though they would like to see Maduro go, they are concerned that violence could take over their country.”

Warner Bros. Discovery’s winnowing of bidders is expected to accelerate this week.

Monday marks the deadline for a second round of proposals, which Warner’s board members anticipate will bring sweetened bids from the three rivals vying for the prize. Comcast, Paramount and Netflix each submitted initial nonbinding offers last month, forming the auction’s floor.

Warner bankers privately have signaled to the interested parties that this round may not be the final flex, but they do anticipate that Monday’s bids will help them zero in on a preferred merger partner, according to people close to the process who were not authorized to comment.

Warner Bros. Discovery hopes to make its pick before the winter holidays begin.

“The global media industry stands at the precipice of historic transformation,” Bank of America media analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich and three colleagues wrote in a Monday research report.

The sale of Warner Bros. would represent Hollywood’s biggest consolidation since a buying spree that began 30 years ago with Walt Disney Co.’s purchase of Capital Cities, which owned ABC and ESPN. That era was capped by Time Warner’s ill-fated sale in the early 2000s to dial-up internet service provider AOL — a disastrous union that plundered the value of Warner’s prestigious properties. It took more than a decade for the company to recover.

Since then, Netflix, Amazon and Apple have swarmed the field, ushering in a streaming revolution that has dramatically altered consumer behavior, leaving the entertainment industry’s financial foundation — bulky cable TV bundles and blockbuster theatrical releases — on shaky legs.

Warner’s current bidding war “reflects the economic reality … that mid-sized legacy media studios/companies can no longer compete with the unit economics of Netflix or the ecosystem of large tech players such as Amazon,” the Bank of America analysts wrote.

They said the Larry Ellison family’s Paramount and Comcast’s NBCUniversal may feel the need to bulk up, prompting both to claw for Warner’s assets, which include the Warner Bros. film and television studios in Burbank, premium channel HBO and streaming service HBO Max.

Representatives of Warner, Paramount, Comcast and Netflix declined to comment.

Paramount is seen as most likely to prevail, given the Ellison family’s vast wealth and political connections.

President Trump considers Larry Ellison among his friends, which could ensure a smooth regulatory review process with the Justice Department. The president has indicated he wants to see Ellison control CBS — currently under the Paramount-Skydance umbrella — and CNN, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

Paramount offers the most efficient takeover as it has expressed interest in buying all of Warner, including its cable channels, which include TBS, TNT, HGTV, Food Network and Animal Planet. Tech scion and Paramount Chairman David Ellison informally kicked off the bidding in September, making three offers by mid-October.

But Warner’s board rejected all three proposals, considering them to be too low. The company then opened the process to other bidders, allowing Comcast and Netflix to join the field.

Ellison recently visited oil-rich Middle Eastern countries, holding preliminary talks with sovereign-wealth funds about potentially investing should Paramount win the Warner auction, according to two knowledgeable sources.

Warner Bros. Discovery shares inched up less than 1% to $23.87 on Monday.

Some analysts expect a surge from Comcast, which is controlled by Philadelphia cable mogul Brian Roberts.

Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav prefers Comcast over Paramount, knowledgeable people say.

Through its ownership of the European broadcaster Sky, Comcast has widened its international footprint.

But Comcast carries significant debt and its stock has been stalled for years.

Comcast and Netflix have each expressed interest in buying only the studios, HBO and the streaming service.

Neither Comcast nor Netflix is interested in Warner’s linear cable channels. Comcast is planning to jettison its own portfolio of cable networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and Golf Channel, in a spin-off that should finalize in January. The cable channels will form an entity called Versant.

“The market is witnessing the endgame of the cable TV era,” the Bank of America analysts wrote. “The Warner Bros. studio is the crown jewel, with [intellectual property] ranging from Harry Potter to DC Comics to Game of Thrones (and much more).”

Buying Warner Bros. and HBO would boost NBCUniversal’s television production capabilities and its lagging Peacock streaming service, which has struggled to mint scripted streaming hits.

Comcast executives also have an eye on Warner’s beloved franchises that include Superman and other DC Comics, “Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix,” which could provide more characters for its growing Universal Studios theme parks.

Netflix also sees great value in the Warner Bros. franchises. In addition, Warner Bros. Television has long been among the industry’s most successful show producers, giving birth to “The Big Bang Theory,” “Ted Lasso” and “The Pitt.”

Scooping up Warner Bros. would also give Netflix Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos a legendary movie studio lot — something Netflix currently lacks. The streamer’s L.A. offices sit on a relatively small tract overlooking the 101 Freeway.

Any of the combinations would prompt layoffs in the media industry, which is already reeling from a TV and film production slowdown and the elimination of thousands of workers over the last two years.

Paramount has shed more than 2,600 workers in recent months. The Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners consolidated their purchase of Paramount in August.

Warner Bros. Discovery also has purged staff as it has struggled under a colossal debt burden brought on by its last merger — Discovery’s $43-billion takeover of WarnerMedia from AT&T in 2022.

Warner still carries about $34 billion of debt.

England’s batters must learn when to park their attacking ‘Bazball’ style and take a more cautious “old school” approach during the second Ashes Test, says former captain Michael Vaughan.

Australia are 1-0 up in the series after England crumbled to an astonishing two-day defeat in the first Test in Perth where the tourists’ shot selection was heavily criticised.

Ben Stokes’ side now face the Aussies in a day-night Test in Brisbane which will be played with a pink ball.

Australia have a formidable record in day-night Tests having won 13 out of 14, including all three against England.

Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Ashes second Test preview show there was an “arrogance” about England’s approach in Perth and they need to have better game awareness at the Gabba.

“This England side dance down. They run towards the danger,” Vaughan said.

“I’m not too sure that’s a sensible way to go with the ball zipping around. Play the old school way.

“I’m not saying go into a shell and play like Geoff Boycott or Alastair Cook all the time. But please use your sense when the ball is zipping around slightly.

“They are the great entertainers but they haven’t won a five-match series in the last three or four years. I will give England a tip. It’s not working.”

Vaughan said England, in particular, should look to frustrate left-arm quick Mitchell Starc in Brisbane with a more measured approach.

Starc has 81 wickets at an average of 17.09 in day-night matches and is widely considered the world’s best bowler with a pink ball in hand.

“When Mitchell Starc comes into the attack, he’s the aggressor and has to take wickets,” added Vaughan, who captained England to an Ashes series victory in 2005.

“So if you leave a few outside off stump, there’s no way Starc isn’t going to bowl one straight because he is there to get wickets. It’s having that sense and game awareness.

“Whatever England do, they have to play a lot better. They need a stronger game for longer periods.”

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has pleaded guilty in a Chicago court to two counts of drug trafficking and organised crime for his role in Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel, reversing his original not guilty stance following his arrest last year.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit and matching shoes, Guzman Lopez spoke sparingly in court on Monday. Early in the hearing, Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Sharon Coleman asked what he did for work.

“Drug trafficking,” Guzman Lopez replied.

“Oh, that’s your job,” Coleman said with a chuckle.

With the guilty plea, Guzman Lopez is expected to avoid life in prison as part of a deal in which he cooperates with US prosecutors and pays an $80m charge representing the proceeds of his crimes, according to reports.

Even so, he faces a minimum of 10 years in prison, according to Andrew Erskine, a lawyer representing the federal government.

Guzman Lopez will be sentenced by a judge at a later date, and will have no opportunity to appeal the sentence as part of the plea deal, according to reports.

“The government has been very fair with Joaquin thus far,” Guzman Lopez’s defence lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said after the hearing.

“I do appreciate the fact that the Mexican government didn’t interfere,” Lichtman said.

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, in the 35-page plea deal, Guzman Lopez acknowledged that he and his brothers advanced the cartel’s operations by bribing officials and deploying firearms and other weapons to carry out violence targeting law enforcement, rival traffickers, and even members of their own organisation.

The ‘Chapitos’

Guzman Lopez and his brother Ovidio, two of El Chapo’s four sons who are known in Mexico as the “Chapitos” or “little Chapos”, are on trial in the US and accused of overseeing a powerful faction of the Sinaloa cartel that they inherited from their father.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty in the US in July to two counts of drug distribution and two counts of participation in a continuing criminal enterprise. He faces a possible life sentence.

Two other brothers remain at large. Their father, El Chapo, was extradited to the US in 2017, and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

In 2023, US federal authorities described the Sinaloa cartel’s operation as a sprawling network responsible for moving “staggering” amounts of fentanyl into the US.

Security at Chicago’s federal court was heightened as prosecutors on Monday outlined the events leading to Guzman Lopez ‘s dramatic arrest on US soil in July 2024, alongside another longtime Sinaloa leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

The pair were arrested in Texas after they landed in a small private plane. Their surprising capture prompted a surge in violence in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa as two factions of the Sinaloa cartel clashed amid reports of betrayal that led to the arrests in the US.

Guzman Lopez appears to admit kidnapping ‘El Mayo’

In his plea deal, Guzman Lopez also admits to kidnapping an unnamed individual purported to be Zambada.

Erskine, the lawyer representing the federal government, described the alleged kidnapping in court, saying Guzman Lopez had the glass from a floor-to-ceiling window removed.

During a meeting in the room with the unnamed person, Guzman Lopez allegedly had others enter through the open window, seize the individual, put a bag over his head, and take him to a plane. On board, he was zip-tied and given sedatives before the plane landed at a New Mexico airport near the border with Texas.

Erskine said the alleged kidnapping was part of an attempt by Guzman Lopez to show cooperation with the US government, which did not sanction his actions. He said Guzman Lopez would not receive cooperation credit because of the kidnapping.

Guzman Lopez’s information underscores some of the details that Zambada had already described in a letter he signed, and which was released by his lawyer shortly after his arrest last year.

Zambada’s lawyer had said that his client was “forcibly kidnapped” onto the flight to the US. In the two-page letter, Zambada said Guzman Lopez asked him to attend a meeting on July 25 with local politicians. Zambada asserted that El Chapo’s son had organised the meeting to “help resolve differences between the political leaders”.

“The notion that I surrendered or cooperated voluntarily is completely false,” the document states.

Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov said Russian forces have also captured the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv.

Russian forces say they have captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub that has been under siege for almost two years.

The Kremlin announced the news in a Telegram post on Monday, citing Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. The post said the eastern Ukrainian city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region had also been captured by Russian forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Gerasimov reported news of the “liberation” to Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Sunday as the leader visited a front-line command centre, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

Pokrovsk is a major transportation hub in the Donetsk region, one of the four regions of eastern Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.

The city, once home to 60,000 people, has been heavily bombarded in recent weeks by Russian drones, artillery and bombs, with many buildings reduced to rubble.

Ukraine has yet to confirm Russia’s takeover of the city, but Reuters reported that Moscow is circulating a video of soldiers marching through the streets of Pokrovsk and flying a Russian flag.

Putin later congratulated Russian forces on their victory, according to the TASS news agency.

“I want to thank you for the results of your work regarding Krasnoarmeysk, both you and the entire command and personnel of the battlegroup,” Putin said, using the Russian name for Pokrovsk. “Of course, the fighters, our guys, who are carrying out these combat missions,” he said, according to TASS.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with US and European leaders this week to discuss how to negotiate an end to the war.

He said on Monday that one of his top priorities is to avoid granting Moscow territorial concessions that would legitimise Russia’s occupation of swaths of Ukrainian territory.

Angry Ginge and Kelly Brook are two of this year’s contestants on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here on ITV, which saw Vogue Williams evicted on Monday evening

Angry Ginge and Kelly Brook clashed over a “really unhygienic” issue on last night’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

Morgan Burtwistle, otherwise known as Angry Ginge, asked his fellow contestants: “Can we please stop eating rice out of cups?” after being assigned to the washing up yesterday. Rations of breakfast rice had been served in mugs previously used for beverages, which Angry Ginge, 24, said added to his washing up load.

The YouTuber continued: “If we could just have the rice in the container, and the beans in the container, that’s ten things.” However, several of his campmates — including Kelly — hit back at Angry Ginge’s gripe. Kelly, a model, said she wanted to keep eating out of the cups in the morning because it made it feel “more like breakfast” and added variety to their meals.

But the young man, from Manchester, retorted: “So we’re double the washing up because it feels a bit more like breakfast?” Viewers went online to express their opinion, with a divide between those backing Angry Ginge and other supporting 46-year-old Kelly.

READ MORE: I’m A Celeb Vogue Williams drops Angry Ginge in it the moment she leaves campREAD MORE: I’m A Celeb star has been secretly swiping other campmates’ things says axed Eddie Kadi

Speaking in the Bush Telegraph, Kelly, also an actress, said: “If you’re leaving food in camp, by the time you get back to your tin at lunch time, it’s going be covered in ants. It’s really unhygienic and it’s not very nice, so no one wants to do it.”

Opinion about the row is hugely split on social media. Writing online, one I’m a Celeb fan said: “Brook has been a pain in there.” Another posted: “Angry Ginge is a waste of space.” A third said: “Kelly is so loud, irritating and false.” However, another posted: “Kelly was spot on. Aitch (another contestant) and Ginge not coming out of that too well.”

The social media buzz developed and others last night referred to the moment the campmates discovered they had rats living among them, after a wooden spoon and two cups had been left out overnight without being washed.

Things continue to heat up in the jungle as the show entered its third and final week. Comedian Eddie Kadi was booted out on Sunday, and Vogue Williams followed him last night.

Asked how it feels to be out of the jungle, the TV personality said: “It feels good. It was getting pretty hard, I’m so hungry, but it’s such a weird thing, because you kind of want to stay as well, because it’s so fun in there. You’re just doing so many random things, and like everyone is such good fun. And yeah, I’ll be sad to leave.”

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert underwent a surgical procedure Monday to stabilize a fracture in his non-throwing hand and his status for next Monday night’s game against Philadelphia will be determined later in the week, the team announced.

Herbert sustained the injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s victory over Las Vegas when the back of his left hand apparently collided with the helmet of Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn. The quarterback threw a touchdown pass the play after the collision in question.

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Sam Farmer breaks down what Justin Herbert’s hand injury means moving forward following their win over the Raiders on Sunday.

After that, he left the game briefly and had a cast applied in the locker room. He soon returned to the game and wound up leading three more touchdown drives, operating exclusively out of the shotgun formation because taking snaps under center is extremely difficult with a cast.

Coach Jim Harbaugh cited Herbert’s toughness and ability to keep throwing accurate passes after the injury.

“He’s almost otherworldly when it comes to that,” the coach said. “There’s huge respect for that.”

The Chargers said Herbert’s return to play is considered “day to day,” although the quarterback said after the game that the only way he wouldn’t play is if the team doctor told him it would be “very unwise” to do so.

One issue that could be a concern is handing off the football, especially on runs to the right side when a quarterback typically would be using his left hand.

“I think ball security is paramount,” Herbert said after the game. “I think I did a good enough job of that today in the pocket. Just get involved with the running backs. So it’s just stuff to work on.”