epic

A man has slammed an ‘entitled’ couple for stealing his sun loungers at a holiday resort in the Caribbean, but while some people agree with his stance, others say he is part of the problem

A man has sparked a debate after sharing how he took revenge on an ‘entitled’ couple for stealing his sun loungers at a holiday resort. He explained how he and his wife were enjoying a well-earned vacation in the Caribbean after saving up for a week of relaxation.

He explained: “It wasn’t very crowded. We picked out a couple of nice loungers and spent most of the week there with no issues. Another couple showed up a few days before we were scheduled to leave. My wife caught them looking at us a few times over a couple of days.”

On their last morning at the resort, they noticed the couple’s belongings spread across their loungers.

While they wouldn’t have had an issue with this if the couple were sitting on them taking in the sun, the man explained how the couple “didn’t show up until noon”.

He said: “Later, after they arrived and we saw who it was, my wife said they stole our spot on purpose.

“Confirmed when my wife was in the water and saw then walk by me in our new, less awesome spot. They looked at me and started laughing.”

Before leaving the resort to fly home the next day, the man came up with a plan to teach them a lesson they’d never forget.

“We were leaving the next day,” he added. “We went down very early, spread fresh towels on the loungers, put fresh folded towels down, and left our leftover suntan lotion and our inflatable floats on the loungers.

“Hope they spent all day waiting to see who stole their spot.”

While some users praised him for his revenge, others say he’s “just as bad” because he tried to claim the same beds all week long.

Commenting on his post, one user said: “I don’t get it… you thought the loungers belonged to you for the whole week?”

Another user added: “Every resort and cruise ship needs to adopt the policy of not saving seats. If you get up to go jump in the pool for a bit and leave your belongings there, fine.

“But leaving a towel on a chair all day is silly, and I have seen some places that have signage saying that towels left on chairs like that will be taken by staff.”

A third user said: “People who think they own a spot at a hotel are the worst.”

One more user added: “They were the hotels loungers – for the hotels guests. First come, first served.

“If you want your personal loungers then pack them into your cases and take them with you.

“Then you intentionally left a bunch of junk and littered the place up. And now you’re bragging about it.”

Teoscar Hernandez, who had struck out in all four of his at-bats in game two, opened the scoring for the Dodgers with a home run in the second inning.

Ohtani doubled the lead with a solo shot of his own in the third, before the Blue Jays’ bats woke up in the top of the fourth inning.

A fielding error by second baseman Tommy Edman allowed the Canadians to put two men on base, Alejandro Kirk lifted his second homer of the series over the centre-field fence for a 3-2 lead, before Andres Gimenez’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2.

Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer became the first man to pitch for four different teams in the World Series, but he departed in the fifth inning and that was the cue for the Dodgers to level the scores.

Ohtani’s third hit of the night scored Enrique Hernandez, before Freeman drove in Ohtani from second base for 4-4.

The pendulum swung back towards Toronto in the seventh when Bo Bichette’s line drive to the right field corner allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr to score from first base, but Ohtani’s second homer of the night tied the scores again at 5-5, and the game remained deadlocked after that.

Both sides stranded multiple baserunners on several occasions, and neither was able to conjure a run with the bases loaded.

Ohtani was intentionally walked, external four times and was caught stealing second base, while Toronto pinch-runner Davis Schneider was thrown out at home plate in the 10th, and veteran Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw made a cameo appearance from the bullpen in his final series before retirement.

Eventually, with both sides running out of bench players, Freeman lifted reliever Brendon Little over centre field to win it.

The series continues with game four on Tuesday, again at Dodger Stadium, when Ohtani will be the starting pitcher.

Netflix has released the trailer for the upcoming live-action Japanese original and fans are already obsessed with the epic action-packed series

Netflix enthusiasts are already going wild over a forthcoming live-action series set in the late 19th century.

The Japanese Netflix original, which is also adapted from the novel of the same name penned by Shogo Imamura, unfolds during the Meiji period.

The synopsis states: “During the Meiji era, 292 fighters came together at Tenry-ji Temple in Kyoto after sunset, drawn by the chance to win a grand prize of ¥100 billion.

“The challenge was clear: take each other’s wooden tags and make it all the way to Tokyo. The winner would get the prize. One of the warriors, Shujiro Saga, joined the dangerous contest with a personal mission: to help his sick wife and child.”

The programme in question is Last Samurai Standing, and Netflix has just dropped a trailer, reports the Express.

READ MORE: ‘Absolute masterpiece’ confirmed for comeback with Euphoria and American Gods starsREAD MORE: Netflix fans floored as Jacob Elordi totally unrecognisable in chilling new role

Junichi Okada plays the aforementioned Shujiro Saga, alongside Yumia Fujisaki as Futaba Katsuki.

Netflix posted the trailer on X, formerly Twitter, declaring: “An epic battle royale. 292 samurais. One point per life. Last Samurai Standing premieres November 13.”

The trailer depicts Shujiro caring for his ailing family, reluctantly admitting he would be prepared to raise his sword once more to earn some cash.

He vows he will return, as he learns of the brutal rules of the competition.

Packed with spectacular fight sequences, the trailer has already captured the interest of genre enthusiasts.

Responding in the comments, Temilade simply declared: “I am definitely watching this.”

Tryp expressed their excitement, saying: “Kinda stoked for this,” while MidLifeCrixix chimed in with: “Can’t wait for this. Looks like the next big hit.”

Akin was equally enthusiastic, stating: “Oh my days, my kind of series,” and @mikaelvelli added: “I like what I see. Definitely can’t wait to see this.”

The show also features Junichi Okada, who not only stars but also serves as the producer and action choreographer.

The six-part series boasts a cast of nearly 300 actors, each donning their own unique costume. The original story was described on Amazon Reviews as “incredible” and “set us up for the series beautifully”.

Last Samurai Standing is set to premiere on Netflix on November 13.

ACTOR Rudy Youngblood has been arrested in Texas after allegedly “choking” a family member.

Belton police took the 43-year-old into custody early Tuesday morning after responding to an incident involving a family or household member.

According to authorities, Youngblood allegedly assaulted the victim by impeding their breathing or circulation.

He was booked into Bell County Jail, where he remains held on a $20,000 bond.

Cops say more trouble could be on the way for Apocalypto star Rudy Youngblood – after a shocking discovery during his arrest.

According to police, the actor and former Belton student had an active warrant out of Travis County when he was taken into custody – and officers allegedly found a white crystalline substance on him at the scene.

The 43-year-old is currently locked up in Bell County Jail, and authorities warn that lab results could lead to even more charges piling up against him.

TMZ has contacted the Belton Police Department for further details, but no additional information has been released so far.

Youngblood shot to fame in 2006 playing Jaguar Paw in Apocalypto, and has since appeared in The Haunting of Hell Hole Mine (2023) and Dandelion Season (2021).

He is set to star in the upcoming period drama La Matadora, currently in pre-production, and has several other projects in the pipeline.

The actor was only recently released from jail in Athens, Greece, after spending a week behind bars following a confrontation with police officers late last year.

The 42-year-old Apocalypto star spent New Year’s Eve in custody after allegedly being intoxicated and threatening officers with a knife during a routine police check in the early hours of December 27.

Youngblood claimed the officers were not wearing identifying insignia and failed to explain his rights during the altercation outside an Athens-area precinct.

The Texas-born actor – who has a previous arrest for being drunk and disorderly in 2017 – was charged with resisting arrest, making threats, and carrying a weapon after police found a pocketknife on him.

He received a 10-month suspended prison sentence but was initially held due to an expired visa, which triggered a deportation order.

He later successfully appealed the deportation and was granted permission to leave Greece voluntarily. Upon his release, Youngblood appeared to be in good spirits and was photographed smiling.

A woman has shared a ‘hidden gem’ in the Lake District, as she takes her viewers on a tour of the picturesque and stunning trail she found while visiting the area

There are so many hidden gems in the UK, and with the rise of staycations, people are sharing their travels across the country.

Now one woman has taken to TikTok to walk through a ‘heavenly’ cave in the Lake District. Posting under the username @ adventureamore1 the TikToker shared her trip, as she took viewers along the scenic route to the cave nestled in Little Langdale in the Lake District.

The cave consists of a network of abandoned tunnels and chambers which all find themselves tucked away amongst the rural beauty of the Little Langdale, which offers a tranquil setting to observe the history and geology.

READ MORE: Mysterious car-free island with so many puffins they outnumber humans by 15 to oneREAD MORE: Hidden gem in Spain where flights are just £17 and no tourists around

In the video caption, the TikToker said: “This trail takes you on an epic adventure into one of the lake districts most beautiful spots .. cathedral cave. This otherworldly cave is famous for it’s heavenly light that spills down into the cave from a huge opening above.

“This spot can be viewed from from the opening or from the bottom. I recommend seeing it from the bottom first to get the real sense of wonder. Suitable for dogs and kids, this amazing spot is definitely one to add to your list.”

However she noted that for those wanting to visit, “Parking isn’t the easiest and we ended up having to Google a small car park around a 20 mins walk from this entrance but it was worth it.” She noted how the trail “takes you to somewhere you won’t forget” and called the middle of the cave a true “hidden gem”.

People were loving the video, and one person who had also visited commented: “been there, amazing place … peaceful beautiful,” while a second chimed: “This was on my list when I visited last year but didn’t have time for it. More reason to return to the Lakes!” A thid said: “That’s a nice hidden gem indeed.”

Also known as Cathedral Quarry, the site was once used to extract green slate. This slate is still used today to build walls and roofs throughout the local area. According to LakeLovers, throughout the nineteenth century, the site provided slate to aid in the boom in house building, drilling the rock and using explosives to source the material.

“In 1929, the quarry was purchased by world-renowned author Beatrix Potter. Beatrix gifted the site to the National Trust, who ensured quarrying continued until the 1950s.

“Nowadays, the site is preserved and maintained by the National Trust as an important place of geological interest and history in the Lake District,” the site added.

The airline has disclosed plans for new routes for airline passengers looking for a holiday

Ryanair has announced four new routes in Portugal. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has unveiled four new routes in Portugal for the winter – including one to an ‘epic hidden gem’.

The airline’s new routes will see flights go from Porto to Gothenburg and Porto to Polish capital Warsaw. It will also see flights run from Faro to Krakow in Poland, and from Funchal to Shannon in Ireland.

Krakow is seen by many as an unheralded but beautiful destination for tourists with stunning castles in the city and surrounding area. It has a medieval Old Town and a rich history.

The Sunshine Seeker travel website describes the city as an ‘epic hidden gem’. In a glowing reference, it says “there’s a treasure trove of hidden gems waiting to be discovered off the beaten path.”

Charlotte, who runs the site, listed the breathtaking Zakrzówek Park and Lake, St. Joseph’s Church and Tyniec Abbey as all spots well worth a visit. She also named museums, galleries and markets – and drew attention to the city’s many moving landmarks to the Holocaust. At least three million Jewish Poles were killed during the Nazi occupation of Poland.

Ryanair and the move to new routes

The airline is omitting Lisbon from the list for new routes. This is because, according to Ryanair’s CEO, ANA, which operates most of the nation’s airports, admits to having reached maximum capacity in the country’s capital.

However, O’Leary insists that Lisbon airport can accommodate more traffic if it were given the slots for takeoff and landing permits that Portuguese airline TAP does not use. He said Montijo Airport, a new airport infrastructure in Lisbon, would be more viable than Alcochete, because it would be operational more quickly.

Meanwhile, Ryanair has bolstered its Madeira operations this winter by putting a third aircraft in Funchal (FNC) and adding a new route, part of 171 routes across Portugal. The news comes as man air carriers have increased their routes this winter to Spain.

That has happened after Ryanair said it would cut around 600,000 seats to and from the country, as well as about 400,000 seats to and from the Canary Islands. That change is part of a disagreement with another airport operator.

Vueling, Iberia Express, and Binter have added 434,000 extra seats compared to last autumn and winter already. Other airlines, including Volotea and Wizz Air, have also expressed a desire to fill part of this gap.

Ryanair has blamed the Spanish airport operator Aena for the move – and criticised its decision to raise the fees it imposes on airlines. Ryanair has, in addition, shut its two-aircraft base in Santiago, located in northwest Spain, and put a halt to all flights to Vigo and Tenerife North.

Ryanair’s chief executive, Eddie Wilson, said AENA’s decision to ramp up airport charges by 6.62% as “excessive”. The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, said if Ryanair leaves certain airports, other airlines will take on that capacity. “The king is dead, long live the king!” Puente said – attacking the Irish airline’s alleged ‘blackmail’.

AENA’s president, Maurici Lucena, accused Ryanair of distorting the figures. He said the airline was attempting to ‘make more money’ at the expense of taxpayers.

POP superstar Lady Gaga gets a bit emulsional in a photoshoot to promote her new makeup range.

The 39-year-old US singer completely doused herself in beige-tinted paint in the advertising campaign for her beauty brand Haus Labs.

3

3

She launched the firm in 2019, and the range has 51 different shades of foundation — all vegan.

Her sold-out Mayhem Ball tour will reach the UK later this month. Let’s hope she’s brought an extra coat.

Earlier this month Gaga was forced to cancel a show and issue an emotional apology to gutted fans.

Barely an hour before she was due on stage in Miami, she shared a message on her Instagram Stories saying that she had no choice but to cancel the concert.

Gaga wrote: “Hi everyone, I am really so, so sorry but I need to postpone tonight’s show in Miami.

“During rehearsal last night and my vocal warmup tonight, my voice was extremely strained and both my doctor and vocal coach have advised me not to go on because of the risk it poses.

“I want to be hardcore and just push through this for you but I don’t want to risk long-term or permanent damage to my vocal cords.”

She continued: “There is a significant risk based on all our combined experience with a show like ours and as you know I sing live every night.

“And even though this was a hard and agonizing decision I would be more afraid of the long term implications on my voice.”

She then begged her fans to understand the position she was in, writing: “I hope you can forgive me and accept my sincerest apologies for any disappointment, let down, inconvenience.

“I am so, so sorry, I tried so hard to avoid this, I take serious care of myself to be able to put on this highly demanding show.”

Gaga concluded: “I love my fans so much, respect you and hope you can accept my sincere, regretful apology.”

The announcement was made at 8pm ET, 45 minutes before she is usually on stage.

3

The Cincinnati Bengals have started 0-2 or worse in the past three seasons and Joe Burrow was 1-9 in the first two weeks in his career, so their one-point win against the Cleveland Browns will be a huge relief.

Even more encouraging was the fact the much-maligned defence stepped up to clinch their 17-16 victory.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka became only the second rookie since the 1970 merger to score a game-winning touchdown in the final minute as they edged Atlanta thanks to the Falcons missing a last-gasp field goal.

Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty scored as they beat the Patriots in New England, and Washington’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt had an even better debut with 82 yards and a score as the Washington Commanders dominated the New York Giants.

Matthew Stafford became the 10th player in NFL history to reach 60,000 passing yards as the Los Angeles Rams beat the Houston Texans, while the San Francisco 49ers lost George Kittle to a hamstring injury in victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Headline rookie Travis Hunter made his eagerly anticipated debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars, taking six catches for 33 yards as a receiver and playing six snaps on defence in a comfortable win over Carolina.

Top overall draft pick Cam Ward lost on his debut as the Tennessee Titans were beaten by the Denver Broncos.

DESPITE years as one of the most famous party boys in London and New York, don’t expect to see Mark Ronson hitting it hard for his 50th.

The Uptown Funk hitmaker is celebrating the landmark birthday today but is opting for a low-key family occasion instead of a blow-out bash.

Mark, who is gearing up to release his book Night People on September 16, explained: “I feel like because my whole life has been a party, not necessarily a party for me, but DJing a party for others and being in the party and all that s***, I have no desire to.

“Everybody’s like, ‘You’ve gotta do something big!’

“And my 40th, I kind of went all out.

“I had this big party with 60 friends or maybe more in the countryside.

“We all got on a tour bus and I DJ’d at Festival No6 in Wales.

“And then it was just three days of partying.”

But things are different for Mark these days, after he settled down and became a dad to two daughters.

He added: “Now I have absolutely no desire to do that.

“I just want to be with my family.”

5

SHAKIRA’S MEX ON THE BEACH

5

SHAKIRA shore looks good as she poses on a beach to launch her new haircare brand Isima.

She shared the bikini pic from Mexico, where she is on her mammoth Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour.

Shakira will play out the remainder of her gigs in South America before finally finishing in Argentina on December 9.

HAILEY LEGS IT TO NEW YORK

5

HAILEY BIEBER looked like she was fresh from shooting hoops as she headed out in New York.

The supermodel wore mesh basketball shorts with heels and an oversized leather jacket.

Hailey has just signed a fresh deal with fashion house DKNY to be the face of its new autumn campaign alongside Candice Swanepoel.

She said: “DKNY channels everything I love about New York: It’s energized, unique and full of inspiration.

“There is a balance of structure and ease that makes everything so wearable.

“I gravitate towards elevated classics that I can throw on but still feel intentional.”

I gravitate towards anything in the washing pile that looks clean and not too creased.

ILL CELINE SCRAPPED EURO GIG

5

CELINE DION was forced to cancel her appearance during the final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland after struggling with her health.

The My Heart Will Go On singer had kept the surprise appearance under wraps.

But it ended up being one of music’s worst-kept secrets, with Eurovision presenter Graham Norton referencing a possible appearance live on air.

Celine, who has stiff person syndrome, had been due to perform Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, the song she won the competition with for Switzerland in 1988.

French newspaper Le Parisien has now claimed Celine was in Basel for the event but suffered a medical episode and was forced to cancel her performance.

The revelation comes after her Prime Video documentary last year, in which she talked about living with stiff person syndrome, which is a neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and cramps.

She was diagnosed with the rare disease in 2022 and has shared her experience to raise awareness.

Celine said: “I barely could walk at one point and I was missing very much living.

“My kids started to notice.

“I was like, ‘OK, they already lost a parent. I don’t want them to be scared’.

“I let them know, ‘You lost your dad, but Mum has a condition and it’s different. I’m not going to die. It’s something that I’m going to learn to live with.’”

Celine, you are a warrior.

GAGA’S ALL DOLLED UP IN VID

5

LADY GAGA transforms into a broken doll for her new video The Dead Dance.

She wears a tattered dress while strutting through a rain forest littered with creepy broken dolls.

Gaga debuted the video last night, with more than 74,000 fans tuning into the YouTube reveal.

The song is in the new series of Netflix’s Addams Family spin-off, Wednesday.

She also updated streaming platforms last night to add two tracks to her album Mayhem – Kill For Love and Can’t Stop The High.

There are stone bunkers shrouded in the mist on the hillside to my right, just shy of the ridgeline marking the Albanian-Kosovo border. To my left, the view is not just clear but startlingly beautiful.

I’m able to see back down to the tiny mountain hamlet of Gacaferi, where I’d slept the previous night, to look across the deep greenery of Deçan Gorge beyond, over dense pine forests and grasslands that pop with pink and yellow wildflowers, and gaze all the way to the 2,461m summit of Çfërla and the rugged peaks of western Kosovo’s Accursed mountains.

We are on stage nine of the Via Dinarica Kosovo, a 75-mile, 13-stage hiking trail through this storied country. The route links up to the Via Dinarica, a Balkan trail that runs from Slovenia through to Albania. The Kosovo section opened in 2015, but was recently remapped and relaunched as part of a three-year, £1.2m project funded by the Italian agency AICS.

There was a Yugoslav barracks in Gacaferi during the Kosovo war – the brutal conflict between the Kosovo Liberation Army (known locally as the UÇK) and Slobodan Milošević’s Yugoslavia, which ended with an aerial Nato bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999. UÇK fighters used to launch surprise attacks over the border ridge here, and arms were smuggled into Kosovo for use by liberation fighters.

The barracks is long gone. Today, the handful of locals in Gacaferi fly red Albanian flags outside their houses alongside Kosovo blue. They tend to their sheep and warmly welcome hikers, who trade travel stories while feasting on burek and Rugova cheese in the scenic guesthouse.

“I wish the stones here could talk,” says Uta Ibrahimi, my mountain guide. Uta is the founder of Butterfly Outdoor Adventure, and was an integral part of the Via Dinarica Kosovo project. She also happens to be the first person from Kosovo to have climbed Mount Everest, having done so in 2017. And on 10 May 2025, when she stood on the 8,586-metre summit of Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas, Ibrahimi became the first woman from the Balkans to have climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre mountains. Uta returned to a hero’s welcome at Pristina airport. “I did it for myself, but also for my country,” Uta says. “Not just for the Himalayan views.”

I had arrived in the capital of Pristina some days earlier. I walked past statues of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole; past new cathedrals and centuries-old mosques. Brilliant, bizarre brutalist architecture draws the gaze here – most notably the National Library of Kosovo, formed of a cluster of exposed concrete blocks, caged in metal and topped by domes.

The Via Dinarica connects the municipalities of Peja, Deçan and Junik in western Kosovo. To start our adventure – hiking a 40-mile stint of the Via Dinarica – we drove to the city of Peja, behind which the Accursed mountains rise like fortress walls.

We began on stage three, with sunny alpine views and green slopes rising to prominent peaks. Red and white waymarkers guided us up narrow trails to the 2,403-metre Hajla peak, on the border of Kosovo and Montenegro. On one side, the ridgeline slopes sharply down to the Balkan pines of Kosovo and across green valleys to the mountains of Albania. On the other side, there is a near vertical drop down to Montenegro, via rugged, exposed limestone cliff.

I ate spinach burek for lunch on the summit of Hajla, sitting next to fuzzy, star-shaped edelweiss flowers, while alpine choughs circled above. We slept at ERA Lodge, a homely wooden mountain cabin run by Fatos Lajçi, a passionate conservationist. “Everything that’s in Europe, we have here,” he said; brown bears, wild boars, wolves and even the endangered Balkan lynx. This lynx is at serious risk of extinction, but has on occasion wandered by Lajçi’s camera traps.

As we left the next morning, a shepherd sang songs of love and lost heroes to his flock, and we rejoined the Via Dinarica on a freshly built section of trail. Descending into a meadow, we were engulfed in blueberry bushes; our boots brushing against wild strawberries and carrots.

It was not until a few days later, when we reached Kulla Guesthouse in Milishevc, a building styled like an old stone tower, that we met another hiker. Here, we gorged on köfte, washed down with rakı, “for digestion”.

The border with Montenegro soon became the border with Albania. We walked by memorials to fallen UÇK soldiers. Hard rain and mist clouded the view, but limestone monoliths poked through and wildflowers defied the clouds with sprinkles of colour. By the time we arrived in Gacaferi, the sun was shining on the tractors and goats of this remote hamlet.

In the evenings there was time for me to bug Uta for stories. She is full of tales; of crampons received as Valentine’s gifts; of poles perilously dropped at 8,000 metres; of loved ones lost on mountain faces, or to war; of emotional summit days and ecstatic nights dancing at festivals.

Ibrahimi was 15 years old when war hit, but she speaks with a contagious positivity. “We had to stay inside for three months of bombing, and you never knew if it was the last day of your life,” she says. “We had to jump walls to run away from the police. That whole idea, of waiting for that moment they will come – and who knows what they will do to you – it just made us stronger and more willing to live. Then when you are free, you do not see any limits.”

From Gacaferi, we set our sights on the 2,656-metre Gjeravica. It is a hulking peak surrounded by heart-shaped mountain lakes and patches of snow. This side of the Accursed mountains is more dramatic than the border with Montenegro, the gentle green replaced by fierce grey. Above the 2,400-metre mark, we hike on limestone slabs bright with lichen. On the summit, a Kosovo flag flies above a trig point bearing the double-headed eagle of Albania. There is a metal marker with a UÇK head, and a view over Kosovo’s flatland. Our descent is remarkably pretty, running along the secluded Gjeravica Lake, through fields of blueberry bushes, on to grassland peppered with yellow flowers.

There is a soft beauty to this country; in the mint you smell in the meadows, in the sound of the whinchats on the hills, in the fluff of the edelweiss flowers on high ridges, and in the warmth of the guesthouses, where the burek is plentiful and the coffee strong.

“People want somewhere quiet, super-wild, without any roads,” says Uta. “It’s here to explore.”

The trip was provided by NaturKosovo. A five-day trip on the Via Dinarica Kosovo with Butterfly Outdoor Adventure costs €590, or a nine-day adventure from €990, including transfers, accommodation and meals. The Via Dinarica Kosovo project is being implemented by Volontari nel Mondo RTM and CELIM in collaboration with Utalaya Foundation, Club Alpino Italiano, AITR, CNSAS and AICS

The long-running ITV series was on screens from 1993 to 2008

Viewers who adore period dramas and wartime epics must check out this ITV series after others have ‘thoroughly’ relished another historical drama and some have viewed a Shakespeare adaptation, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The enduring programme aired from 1993 to 2008 and drew inspiration from a collection of bestselling novels.

Numerous fans have previously lauded the show on IMDb, with one viewer penning a 10/10 review declaring the series as “outstanding”.

Another person awarded a 10/10 review and commented: “Amazing Work (almost 30 years later).”

A third viewer remarked: “An excellent war-drama series. Based on the novels by Bernard Cornwell and starring Sean Bean as Sharpe, this is as a series of rollicking adventures, often set against the background of actual historic battles in the Peninsular War.”

READ MORE: ‘Best period drama’ hailed ‘alternative Austen’ leaves fan vowing to ‘watch series always’READ MORE: ‘Authentic’ Bronte period drama based on true story leaves audiences stunned

Sharpe drew from historical writer Cornwell’s book collection, chronicling the titular fictional soldier Richard Sharpe (portrayed by Bean) throughout his exploits during the Napoleonic Wars.

Sharpe also featured Daragh O’Malley as Sharpe’s loyal comrade Patrick Harper.

The programme began with Sharpe serving as a sergeant in the 95th Rifles in Portugal during the Peninsular War in 1809.

Following his heroic rescue of a general’s life, he earned promotion to lieutenant.

The programme has produced 16 films altogether spanning a decade and was shot across numerous global locations, including Turkey, England, Portugal, India and Spain. Sean Bean’s portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the historical drama series has been widely praised, with one fan gushing: “Something awesome to follow the leader of a small battalion of men during Napoleonic war, Sharpie charismatic and physical lead representation by Sean Bean with a perfectly cast support that grow as each episode progress.”

Another viewer chimed in: “The Sharpe series is a very enjoyable piece of historical fiction. Sean Bean is excellent as Sharpe. He is one of the finest actors of modern times.

“Everything he is in is great. His great strength is portraying flawed (and very human) characters either heroic or evil. The other actors in the show are also very good- with some going on to greater fame.”

A third admirer declared: “Sean Bean at His Best” and elaborated: “Long before Alec Trevelyan, Boromir or Ned Stark it was the role of Richard Sharpe that made Sean Bean famous.

“In recent years Bean’s portrayal of Sharpe has unfortunately been largely forgotten and overshadowed by his later roles which is unfortunate because it is arguably one of the greatest roles of his career.”

Yet another fan added: “Sean Bean IS Richard Sharpe, the British rifleman whose career mirrors that of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington through the British campaigns in Europe against the French forces under Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

“Even though Bernard Cornell originally had his most famous character sporting black hair, I personally can’t read Sharpe and not think of Sean Bean. That’s how well he owned the role.”

Sharpe is streaming on ITVX now

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has been fined $42,500 by the U.S. Open for his actions during and immediately after his first-round loss to France’s Benjamin Bonzi on Sunday night in New York.

The total fines, issued by tournament referee Jake Garner, included $30,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and another $12,500 for racket abuse.

With Medvedev facing match point in the third set, Bonzi missed on his first serve and was preparing for the second when a photographer appeared to mistakenly step onto the court.

Chair umpire Greg Allensworth announced that Bonzi would be given another chance at his first serve “because of the delay caused by an outside interference.”

Medvedev was not happy. The 2021 U.S. Open champion berated Allensworth at the chair and insulted him while leaning into a microphone to address the crowd. Even as he was walking back onto the court, Medvedev used arm gestures to encourage the crowd to continue expressing its displeasure with the decision, although he eventually motioned for the fans to calm down.

“I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision,” Medvedev said later. “And then the crowd did what they did without me, without me asking them too much. And it was fun to witness.”

The disruption lasted for roughly six minutes. Medvedev ended up winning that point and set, then won the next set as well. Bonzi recovered in the fifth set for a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 win, after which Medvedev was seen repeated destroying a racket by smashing it on the court and against a sideline chair.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Daniil Medvedev reacts next to chair umpire Greg Allensworth after a photographer ran onto the court Sunday in New York.

(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)

The rematch initially appeared as if it was going to be a quicker upset than the first time around. Bonzi won the first two sets and was up 5-4 and serving for match point in the third … when all hell broke loose.

Bonzi missed on his first serve and was preparing for his second when he was interrupted. A photographer who apparently thought the match was over had stepped onto the court and was immediately reprimanded over the loudspeaker by chair umpire Greg Allensworth.

Allensworth then announced that Bonzi would be given another chance at his first serve “because of the delay caused by an outside interference.”

The decision appears to be based on a USTA tournament regulation which states that if there is a delay between the first and second serves, “the server gets two serves if the delay was caused by the receiver or if there was outside interference.”

The announcement drew a negative response from the crowd, which Medvedev encouraged by using arm gestures. He then started berating Allensworth, seeming to ask him, “Are you a man?” more than once before leaning into the microphone behind the chair to address the crowd.

“He wants to go home, guys,” Medvedev said. “He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”

He also yelled, “What did Reilly Opelka say?” at least three times, in reference to the U.S. player who was fined by the ATP Tour earlier this year after referring to Allensworth as the “worst ump on tour. ”

Medvedev later told reporters that he was upset with Allensworth’s ruling because he didn’t think the photographer had caused enough of a delay to warrant a repeat first serve.

As he returned to the court, Medvedev continued to motion for the crowd to voice its displeasure. Many of the fans complied, with TV footage showing a lot of them appearing to be more amused than enraged by the situation.

After about two minutes, Allensworth asked for order so Bonzi could serve. When that didn’t work, Medvedev started motioning for the spectators to quiet down. They didn’t, and Medvedev appeared to enjoy the lengthy disruption, at one point blowing kisses toward the stands.

“I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision,” Medvedev said later. “And then the crowd did what they did without me, without me asking them too much. And it was fun to witness.”

Bonzi appeared to be on the verge of serving several times before stopping because of the noise.

“Every time I went on the line to serve and every time I did that, everyone was booing. I felt I didn’t do anything bad in the match to, like, receive this treatment, and I didn’t want to serve in those conditions,” Bonzi said. “So I was waiting.”

After a delay of roughly six minutes, Bonzi finally served — and missed again, much to the audible delight of the crowd. He got the second serve over the net but lost the point after a lengthy volley.

Let’s just get this out of the way: Hiking through Yosemite Valley, whether it be to Vernal and Nevada falls or through Cook’s Meadow, is a mesmerizing and special experience.

The hulking granite walls will remind you how small you are — and how remarkable our world is. Listening as waterfalls thunder down the mountain can place you in a meditative trance if you let it. The beauty of the valley is the best kind of sensory overload. It’s the reason that, at times, Yosemite can feel a bit crowded and why so many Angelenos are willing to drive 5½ hours north to reach it.

Patrick, a friend of The Wild, stands at the railing in the Taft Point area of Yosemite National Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

If you’re wanting to experience Yosemite’s beauty without the crowds, then dear Wilder, I have a little treat for you. Last week, I visited the park with my friend Patrick in search of a hike around Yosemite Valley where we could still find solitude. I’m so excited to share it with you!

Before we dive in, though, a few reminders:

• Never trod off path into any of Yosemite’s meadows, as they are sensitive habitats.
• Check the weather before heading out; Yosemite’s elevation varies widely, and it heats up in the summer, especially in the valley.
• Pack accordingly — especially on day hikes — as rescue can take hours; your pack should include anything you’d need should you have to spend the night outside.
• Do not feed the wildlife, including squirrels. 🐿️🥜🙅
• In short, please practice Leave No Trace as you explore this national treasure.

Last week, Patrick and I took a 10.4-mile journey to Taft Point, an epic lookout point that many hikers reach through a shorter 2.2-mile trek from the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point Trailhead. Let me tell you why, if your schedule and body allow, the long way is better.

For much of the hike from McGurk Meadow to Taft Point, you’ll be under the shade of massive pine trees and evergreens.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

We started our hike from our campsite in nearby Bridalveil Creek, one of about half a dozen campgrounds in Yosemite where you can book two weeks ahead, and walked .7 miles to the McGurk Meadow Trailhead, where around 11 a.m., there remained ample parking.

The green and golden grasses of McGurk Meadow dappled with white flowers glowing in the August sun.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I was concerned about how hot it would get since we had gotten a later start, but we were immediately shaded on the trail by tall evergreens amid a forest floor of ferns and other greenery. After a short jaunt through the woods, we spotted the green and golden grasses of McGurk Meadow, still dappled with wildflowers.

As we traversed the narrow dirt path, we stopped to observe the red paintbrushes, purply pink fireweed and yellow goldenrod growing along the trail. No one rushed past us as we debated whether a particular white flower was yarrow or something else. (It was something else.)

About 1.8 miles from the trailhead, we reached the end of the McGurk Meadows Trail and continued northeast on the Pohono Trail. We’d seen around eight people at this point, including SoCal-based photographer Jason Anderson who told us about a bear he’d spotted ahead on the trail. (More on bears later!)

Bridalveil Creek is a good spot to cool off or filter water for your canteens along the Pohono Trail in Yosemite National Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

We arrived at Bridalveil Creek shortly thereafter, just over two miles in. We crossed a wooden bridge that takes hikers over the waterway, pausing to observe rainbow trout and chat with a hiker who’d spent the night in a nearby backcountry camp. This creek appeared to be the only water source this late in the summer, so if you have a filter and need to refill your bottles, this is where you should stop.

As we hiked through more pine forest, past yellow California coneflower and purple Sierra Larkspur, I asked Patrick: “Does this hike feel like a ‘Yosemite hike’? Or was this like any other walk in the woods?”

Red paintbrush, clockwise, inflorescence of fireweed, a type of goldenrod, common yarrow, sierra larkspur and California coneflower grow in Yosemite National Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Patrick paused to consider. We’d already passed a large pristine meadow. We’d seen several wildflowers still blooming and the crystal clear river still flowing despite the August heat. And we were almost always hiking under the shade of giant trees.

Still, when you are hiking in Yosemite, you’re expecting to experience the cream of America’s national park crop. Patrick confided in me that although he’d enjoyed everything so far, much of his expectations for our hike would depend on what we observed at Taft Point.

Unlike me, he hadn’t Googled it before coming on the trip and didn’t know what to expect. And although I’d seen the images, I feared this: What if it’s all just clever Instagram angles, and this turns out to be a waste of precious time? (I am perpetually concerned about letting you down, dear Wilder!)

Then, just under four miles from the trailhead, the landscape shifted from pine forest to boulders and short trees and shrubs. We spotted a short metal railing and marched over boulders to the outlook. I gazed down at Yosemite Valley, my fears about the trail’s splendor (or lack thereof) dissipating. El Capitan, which rises over 3,000 feet above the valley floor, was in full view. Yosemite Falls, mostly dry this time of year, was easy to spot.

Wild writer Jaclyn Cosgrove celebrates their successful jaunt to Taft Point, an epic lookout point in Yosemite National Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I went to check out the famous rock outcropping I’d spotted online. Patrick, who was rapidly discovering his fear of heights, stayed at the railing to take my photo. I marveled all around me at all that rivers and glaciers had carved over millions of years.

The view from the railing near the Taft Point lookout.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Taft Point was the busiest point of our hike, but it was still easy enough to find a spot in the shade to enjoy our lunch. We saw fewer than 20 people on the trail and just a few dozen total at Taft Point. It never felt crowded.

As we headed back, I remarked to Patrick how surprised I was not to see a single bear given how few people were on the trail. I learned why when we met a group of about eight kids from South L.A. swimming in Bridalveil Creek.

“We saw four bears!” one of them shouted to us.

One of their chaperones showed us a picture of a bruin just off trail. I chuckled to myself. The children’s joy over the sightings was infectious. And we still got to see squirrels, chipmunks, woodpeckers, blue jays and one deer just a few feet off trail (who wasn’t particularly concerned about our presence).

A deer rests just off the McGurk Meadow Trail in Yosemite National Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I understand that writing about a less crowded hike in Yosemite will undoubtedly mean more people take this path. I heard similar complaints when I wrote about Kings Canyon last year. This is why I try to always include Leave No Trace principles and encourage hikers to respect the space.

Additionally, I hope my words not only inspire you to visit Yosemite but also to do further research, as this is only one of several less-crowded hikes in the park. Given the park’s fever-pitch overcrowding, I was surprised to learn just how easy it remains to be alone in Yosemite!

I hope you find a similar solitude, should that be what your heart needs.

3 things to do

Dogs are allowed to swim during Pooches in the Pool, an L.A. County Parks and Recreation event that marks the end of the county’s pool season. All pools are drained and cleaned for the year after the event.

(L.A. County Parks)

1. Enjoy the dog days of summer in L.A.
L.A. County Parks and Recreation will host its Pooches in the Pool event on Saturday morning at two county pools. Dogs can swim at Ted Watkins Memorial Park (1335 E. 103rd St.) or Don Knabe Community Regional Park (19700 S. Bloomfield Ave. in Cerritos). Swim times are split between small and large dogs, with small dogs swimming from 9 to 10 a.m. and large dogs from 10 to 11 a.m. Learn more at parks.lacounty.gov.

2. Hike and swim with new pals in Malibu
The Just Trek Crew will celebrate its sixth anniversary with a hike and beach day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in Malibu. The group will hike 2.5 miles and then dance and lounge on a secluded beach in Malibu. Register at partiful.com.

3. Soak up the stars in Beverly Hills
TreePeople will host a moonlight hike Friday in Coldwater Canyon Park in Beverly Hills. The event starts at 7 p.m. with a performance by local musicians. Guided hikes will start at 8 p.m., and the group will be split among those taking easy, moderate or strenuous routes. Tickets are $20 per adult and $10 per child under 15. Register at treepeople.org.

The must-read

Yellow 2291, an adult female black bear, gave birth to three cubs (two males, one female) in mid-January in the Santa Monica Mountains, making them the first family of black bears living in the range in years.

(Steve Gonzalez / California Department of Fish and Wildlife)

The bohemian enclave of Topanga Canyon has a new celebrity resident: a roughly 175-pound female black bear known as Yellow 2291, reports Times staff writer Andrew Campa. The 5- to 7-year-old bruin recently gave birth to three cubs, and wildlife officials say the quartet is the first black bear family to reside in the Santa Monica Mountains in years. Thanks to a tracking tag applied to the mama bear by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, officials know she has an extensive travel history, traversing at least 100 miles across L.A. County before landing in Topanga Canyon. If you happen to spot her and her babies, please give them a wide berth. It’s always best to respect the locals!

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

REI’s annual Labor Day sale starts tomorrow and runs through Sept. 1. You will find 25% off REI Co-op brand tents, sleeping bags and sleeping pads and other deep discounts on the brand’s clothing. I plan to take advantage of the 25% off all Darn Tough socks, my favorite brand of (blister-free!) hiking socks, which I reviewed in last year’s holiday Gift Guide from The Times. This is also a great time to grab a discounted Garmin inReach Mini 2, which will enable you to keep in touch with loved ones while out in the wild. Have fun out there!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

Some of the relationship journeys are never shown

A Love Is Blind UK couple have shared their “epic” love story that was not shown on TV, and how it very nearly all fell apart.

Love Is Blind UK has returned for a second season, with five newly engaged couples navigating their lives together after an extensive dating period on their pods. The latest batch of episodes (August 20) have seen the couples move on to the next phase of their journey.

But of course, not every love story has been shown on screens. Stars Amy and James found their way to one another, despite not being seen on screens.

Primary school teacher Amy, from Wales had been single for two years after her last relationship broke down when she suggested they started a family. Despite living in Dubai for the last few years, now back on home soil, she was ready to find her life partner.

Similarly, real estate manager James had been married before and has two daughters. The 33-year-old used to divide his time between the UK and Thailand where his mum is from.

According to Netflix’s Tudum, Amy initially said yes to another proposal but a twist of fate soon found her back to James. She said: “I’m a big believer in the universe, everything unfolds exactly how it’s meant to unfold.”

It has been revealed that during their dating period, Amy and James had actually found a lot in common, including the fact she recently returned from a trip to Thailand, where James had been living.

However, despite getting on in the pods, they were also forming other relationships. Amy admitted: “That day we missed was key because by day three, I had a strong bond with somebody else.”

Amy had started to build a connection with Ross M, whilst James was dating both Holly and Laurie. However, James admitted they were both “playing it safe” as he told Tudum: “In hindsight, I should’ve laid it on a bit thicker with Amy, but I didn’t want to propose and then have her say no.”

When it came to making a decision, Amy was left “crying”, unable to decide, until she said yes when Ross M had proposed. However, it was James who could not bring himself to propose to another woman.

After their first night out together, Amy and Ross soon called their relationship off, but a few days later she found herself chatting to James on Instagram. At the time, she was in Spain, and so James drove six hours to the airport to pick her up upon her UK return.

He added: “It was pretty epic.” They made their relationship official around two weeks later before James declared his love, and they have gone from strength to strength since, even meeting James’ children.

The two have now spent the last three months living together in Malta. Amy added: “Love Is Blind sets a foundation where you have to be vulnerable and emotional because there’s nothing else you can offer.

“Communication has been a strong point in our relationship, and I think that has genuinely come from starting in the pods.”

Love Is Blind UK season 2 is streaming on Netflix

Movies from India’s prolific film industry have found success on the world stage before.

“RRR,” an over-the-top Telugu-language action film, energized audiences in the U.S. and elsewhere a few years ago, even scoring a history-making Oscar for its original song “Naatu Naatu.” Hindi screenings have long drawn crowds to American multiplexes.

But the filmmakers behind “Ramayana” — an upcoming two-part epic based on one of the most important ancient texts in Hinduism — have something more ambitious in mind.

The massive productions — each estimated to cost $200 million to $250 million — are aimed not merely at an Indian audience, nor are they meant to appeal primarily to Hindus, who number an estimated 1.2 billion globally, according to Pew Research Center.

Rather, the goal is to turn “Ramayana,” with its grand-scale adventure story and high-tech computer-generated effects, into a full-blown international blockbuster, filmed specifically for Imax’s giant screens in what is intended to be the largest-ever rollout for an Indian film, according to its backers.

Executive Namit Malhotra — who is financing and producing the project through his firm Prime Focus — set the bar high in a recent interview with The Times, comparing his film to the likes of James Cameron’s “Avatar,” Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” and the movies of Christopher Nolan.

While Hollywood studio bosses talk about reaching all four demographic “quadrants” (men and women, young and old) with their tentpole movies, Malhotra wants to draw two additional categories: believer and nonbeliever. For such a so-called six-quadrant movie to work, to use Malhotra’s terminology, it would have to succeed in the U.S.

“In my mind, if people in the West don’t like it, I consider that as a failure,” Malhotra told The Times recently. “It is meant for the world. So if you don’t like it, shame on me. We should have done a better job.”

Poster art for the upcoming film ‘Ramayana.’

(DNEG)

It’s a major gamble for Malhotra, who founded Prime Focus in Mumbai in 1997. The firm expanded significantly when it acquired British effects house Double Negative, and rebranded as DNEG. Malhotra owns nearly 68% of the parent company, Prime Focus Ltd.

He’s going to great lengths to make sure his big bet pays off. DNEG, headquartered in London with offices in India, Los Angeles and elsewhere, is handling the visuals. The firm has produced special effects for global studio features for years, creating Oscar-winning work for such movies as Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” and Nolan’s “Tenet.”

“Ramayana” is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the man behind 2016’s “Dangal,” the highest-grossing Bollywood film ever, including huge sales in China. Hans Zimmer and prolific Indian musician-composer A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) are collaborating on the score, while the visual effects and production design team includes veterans from “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Avengers: Endgame” and the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.

The success of “RRR,” which told the story of two Indian legends with larger-than-life abilities fighting British imperialism, is one reason Malhotra is confident that “Ramayana” might connect with Westerners more familiar with the Bible and “The Odyssey” (the subject of a much-hyped 2026 Nolan film) than with Hindu mythology. U.S. cinephiles have in the past embraced mythical Asia-set films such as Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Life of Pi.”

So why not “Ramayana?”

After all, family, good vs. evil and personal striving are all key themes that transcend national borders.

“Emotions are universal,” said Tiwari in a video call. “If the audience connects with you emotionally, I think they will connect with the whole story. Emotions have powers to travel across boundaries.”

Filmed entirely on soundstages, the first part of “Ramayana” is scheduled to hit theaters next year, with a significant push from Imax. “Part 2,” currently in production, is planned for 2027. Each part is timed for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The films do not yet have a U.S. distributor.

This comes as Imax has beefed up its clout as what is increasingly seen as a linchpin component for the release of big-screen movies, not just for Hollywood spectacles but also, lately, for local language films. Imax showcased just a handful of Indian movies on its screens in 2019, according to Chief Executive Richard Gelfond. Last year, the company played 15.

So far this year, international films made in their local language have accounted for more than 30% of Imax’s total global box office revenue, Gelfond said. Much of that tally came from “Ne Zha 2,” a Chinese-produced animated film that grossed roughly $2 billion worldwide, mostly from its home country.

As such, Gelfond has high hopes for “Ramayana.” “Judging from what we’ve seen, this has all the elements to be a global success,” Gelfond said.

At its core, “Ramayana,” based on the epic poem from thousands of years ago, tells the story of Hindu deity Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his quest to rescue his love Sita from the demon king Ravana.

A three-minute teaser trailer introduced the concept, emphasizing the big names attached (including actors Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana), displaying some “Game of Thrones” opening credits-style visuals and conveying the tale’s historical importance. “Our truth. Our history,” reads the onscreen text. The video has 9.4 million views on YouTube.

“Ramayana” is a quintessentially Indian story. It has been adapted for stage and screen before, perhaps most notably as a series for Indian TV in the late 1980s.

For the new version, Malhotra wants to eliminate any language barriers. DNEG is using syncing technology from its Brahma AI unit to seamlessly present the film in local languages for international audiences. In the U.S., for example, the movie will screen in English.

“It’s a global film from the day we start,” he said. “I’m not trying to make it to appease Indian people in India. … If you go and watch ‘Ramayana’ and your family watches it, and people in India watch it, what’s the difference? It should speak to you like any other film.”

Stuff we wrote

Number of the week

Airing election misinformation continues to be expensive for cable news networks.

Newsmax will pay $67 million to settle a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election that aired on the right-wing news channel.

The network announced the settlement with the voting equipment maker Monday but did not apologize for its reporting.

Fox News settled a similar case with Dominion in 2023 for $787.5 million after it aired incorrect election claims. Newsmax is much smaller than Fox, which continues to battle a lawsuit from another voting machine company, Smartmatic.

Streaming is getting closer to another major milestone. According to Nielsen’s the Gauge report, streaming services accounted for 47.3% of U.S. TV usage in July, compared with 22% for cable and 18.4% for broadcast. That’s what happens when there’s new “Squid Game” on Netflix and there’s not much on regular TV.

Finally …

Listen: No Joy, “Bugland.” Excellent ’90s-style rock.

AN ANGLER reeled in a massive 9ft catfish after a gruelling 50-minute battle.

Jakub Vagner, 43, hauled in the epic catch just south of Prague, in the Czech Republic – setting a new national record.

4

4

4

The celebrity angler was drifting past a rocky overhang in the Vranov Reservoir, on August 4, when he spotted the giant fish gliding below in the early morning light.

He cast his custom-made rod towards it and waited.

“Ten minutes passed and nothing happened. Suddenly, it turned and went straight into my trap,” Jakub said.

What followed was “the hardest battle I have ever had with a catfish in the Czech Republic”, he continued.

The fish put up such a fight that Jakub had to call in a friend to help him hold onto the rod.

“After almost 50 minutes, it was lying half-tired next to my boat. I was shaking, completely done,” the angler said.

He released the record-breaking fish back into the water after posing with it for photographs.

Jakub explained: “At 2.68 metres (8.8ft) in length, it’s four centimetres (1.6in) longer than the one I caught last year.

“This is one of the biggest catfish I’ve ever seen in Europe.”

Pictures show the Fish Warrior TV host, aired on the National Geographic Channel, standing in the shallows with the enormous catfish.

The 8.8ft whopper was “not only long, but also brutally tall and broad… a beautiful, almost flawless fish with the potential to grow even bigger”, Jakub said.

He added that catching big fish is all about “morale, dedication and determination” – and stressed he never kills his catches, releasing them so they can keep growing.

It comes after another angler landed a monster 20-stone catfish in Italy following a 45-minute fight to reel it in.

Dramatic images show Benjamin Grunder, 37, wrestling with the catch of a lifetime on the banks of the River Po.

At first, he thought his hook had snagged a submerged tree, but the sheer weight revealed it was a huge fish.

The German angler finally hauled in the 8ft 8in Wels catfish – the largest freshwater species in Europe – estimating its weight at 20 stone.

That fish was also released back into the water safe and sound.

4