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The seaside town was once ‘incredibly grim’ but now attracts visitors from across the world

Folkestone in Kent has traditionally been overshadowed by its bustling neighbour, Dover. Like many renowned seaside resorts across the UK, Folkestone thrived from the Edwardian era through to the 1950s and early 60s, as Brits flocked there before jetting off abroad became the norm.

However, more recently, the town has experienced a downturn, with its ferry port closing in the early 2000s and the Channel Tunnel becoming the main route for travel between the UK and France. But one resident has made it his business to turn the town’s fortunes around.

Business tycoon Sir Roger De Haan, 75, who grew up in Folkestone and lived there until his teenage years, later sold his parents’ holiday business, Saga, and began pouring £100million into rejuvenating his hometown. “When I grew up in Folkestone as a teenager, there was nothing to do,” Sir Roger told the Express at the end of 2025.

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“It was incredibly grim. Now, there’s an awful lot for kids to do, for families to do. Like many seaside towns in Britain, Folkestone went into decline, and I watched that happen. There used to be hundreds of hotels, and now there are a tiny number.

“I love the place. I grew up here. I worked in Folkestone. Saga’s headquarters were always in Folkestone. I had my kids in Folkestone. I’ve always lived in Folkestone, or the surrounding area. I do have an emotional attachment to it.”

The philanthropist paints a picture of how, when he began investing money into the area, much of it was a neglected “slum”, as a new town centre had pushed aside the old parts, which “declined more rapidly than everywhere else”.

Sir Roger’s father Sidney “predicted that tourists, once they discovered overseas holidays, would turn their back on Folkestone,” the entrepreneur recalls. “I think he would be really happy that, Folkestone, in a way, has been reinvented, and people have rediscovered it, and are returning in large numbers.”

Today, the resort’s Creative Quarter stands as a testament to its transformation into a fashionable tourist hotspot, home to 80 independent traders. It has drawn visitors from as far as east Asia, as well as numerous Londoners who have relocated permanently to the coast for a slower, more tranquil lifestyle.

Sir Roger recounts: “When I started this project, almost all of them [the shops] were empty. Some were boarded up, and most of them they didn’t even bother to board up.” He purchased around 90 “slum buildings”, and granted a 125-year lease for the properties to his arts charity for “a peppercorn rent”.

“Because of this formula,” he explains, “it should still be successful in 100 years’ time, because it hasn’t got a commercial landlord. It’s got a charity landlord who doesn’t have to pay anything for the rent.”

Additionally, Folkestone has benefited from significant investment in its educational provision and sporting amenities. The transformation is far from over, as the next contentious phase to redevelop the harbour – featuring tower blocks containing 1,000 homes and 10,000 square metres of commercial space – received approval in June.

Artist’s renderings of the sleek apartments planned around the harbour resemble something more commonly found in Dubai, Monte Carlo or perhaps trendy Brighton, further along the south coast.

And this has left some residents feeling uncomfortable. When Mike O’Donoughue, 67, who runs Plectrums and Paints in the Creative Quarter, first set foot in Folkestone two decades ago, the neighbourhood was “derelict”, though he now worries about the potential drawbacks of the town’s transformation.

“Brighton is scary, and I don’t think we really want to be heading that way here,” he says. “I think they could be a bit more lenient on the parking [in Folkestone] especially at weekends.”

Sir Roger reassures those concerned that he has no intention of transforming Folkestone into Brighton. He adds: “Folkestone has its own personality that’s unique. We’ve got the white cliffs. You can see France, you can see France quite often. It’s surrounded with lovely countryside. It’s a great place to live. It’s a great place to work. And, no, we’re not trying to turn it into some other place.”

Mr O’Donoughue also notes that some locals “feel like they’re being ousted, slightly”. He recalls how, 15 years ago, properties and flats were cheap. “And now it seems they’re in line with most other places along the coast,” the local added.

Data from Rightmove shows Folkestone house prices averaged £320,757 over the past year, significantly above the UK average property price of £265,000 recorded in June.

“One of the challenges with regeneration is that rents go up and house prices go up,” Sir Roger says. “But they needed to go up a bit because the housing stock in Folkestone was getting very, very rundown. And one of the reasons people weren’t investing in their rundown house… is when you’ve done up your house, you need to know it’s worth what you paid for it and how much you spent in doing it up.”

Steve Smith, 69, a church organist from the nearby village of Smeeth, observes: “There’s money, and there’s the millionaire’s flats along the front. But then you can see just looking around the place that there’s still huge poverty as well.”

His wife, Gianna Marchesi, 69, who works as a school caretaker, laments the disappearance of the resort’s traditional attractions. “It was actually quite fun, occasionally, to come down and enjoy it with the children, or without the children,” she reflects. “And the market on a Sunday was quite fun.”

Brian Frost, 64, a Folkestone native, shared his perspective. “It’s not what it was like when I was a kid,” he told the Express beside his beloved red 1990s Peugeot. He notes the town is now dominated by cafés, nail bars, hairdressers and betting shops.

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In a remote town in the heartland of the American Midwest, a 90-year-old resident named Elsie Eiler serves as the location’s mayor, clerk, treasurer, bartender, and librarian

A town that once buzzed with life now holds the title of the world’s smallest by population – with just one person calling it home. Nestled in America’s heartland, in the ‘Cornhusker State’, sits Monowi, which boasts the remarkable status of being the least populated incorporated village in the US.

Tucked away in northern Nebraska, merely five miles from the South Dakota border, Monowi’s sole inhabitant is 90-year-old Elsie Eiler, who juggles roles as mayor, clerk, treasurer, bartender, and librarian.

Back in its heyday, Monowi was what the BBC called a “bustling stop on the Elkhorn Railroad” and was home to 150 residents, complete with eateries and even a prison.

Following World War II, though, farming conditions worsened and rural economies took a battering, with American communities disappearing – a fate Monowi seemingly couldn’t avoid.

Over time, local amenities closed down, including grocery stores, the post office, and the school. By 1980, the population had dwindled to just 18 people and, 20 years on, only two remained – Elsie and her husband Rudy, who ran the local tavern.

Tragically, Rudy passed away in 2004, leaving Elsie as the town’s sole resident. The settlement now features in the Guinness World Records as the word’s least populated town.

In a clip shared on Instagram, user Seph Lawless dropped in on Elsie and captured a brief chat for his channel. In the caption, he penned: “In a town with a population of one, I stood face to face with Elsie Eiler – the last resident of Monowi, Nebraska.

“She lives alone in a town that once thrived – now a ghost echoing her memories. Meeting Elsie reminded me that sometimes, the strongest souls dwell in the quietest places.

“This is the story of the last heartbeat of America’s smallest town. One woman. One town. A thousand stories.”

A magnet for curious visitors, the sole establishments still operating are the Monowi Tavern and the poignantly named Rudy Eiler Memorial Library.

Back in 2020, when Elsie was 84, the BBC disclosed that she would put up a notice in the tavern calling for mayoral elections, then simply cast her ballot for herself.

At the time, it was noted that despite the town’s emptiness, folk would still come to her tavern, including her loyal patrons who travelled from 20 to 30 miles away. She told the broadcaster: “It’s like one big family.

“There are fourth and fifth-generation customers coming in. It’s pretty neat when the people you remember as babies are now bringing their babies in to show me.”

When Seph enquired whether she was actually the town mayor, a bemused Elsie highlighted that there was “no one else” and she had to “account for budget”, though she admitted it “doesn’t amount to much”.

In more poignant remarks, she explained that she’d likely remain in the town until they “carry me out”, and once the population dwindles to zero, Monowi would become just “another little place” on the road.

Dec. 26 (Asia Today) — Hanwha Group is positioning itself as a central player in the United States’ drive to revive its shipbuilding industry, with its Philadelphia shipyard emerging as a key operational base for Washington’s plan to restore naval power under President Donald Trump’s so-called “Golden Fleet” initiative.

Hanwha hosted a media day on Dec. 22 at its Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania, showcasing not just facilities but what executives described as a ready-to-execute platform aligned with U.S. national strategy to rebuild shipbuilding capacity and strengthen naval forces.

The significance of the site was underscored the same day when Trump publicly announced his Golden Fleet vision – aimed at countering China’s expanding naval power – and explicitly cited cooperation with South Korean conglomerate Hanwha. Trump recalled that during World War II, the United States built more than four ships a day on average, vowing to restore that capability.

Industry officials say the Philadelphia shipyard represents the point where political ambition meets practical execution.

Tom Anderson, head of shipbuilding at Hanwha Defense USA, said the shipyard should be seen not as a future possibility but as a fully prepared asset. The Golden Fleet concept centers on large, potentially nuclear-capable platforms and advanced surface vessels, while also elevating domestic production capacity as a political priority.

Rather than limiting cooperation to a single frigate program, Anderson said Hanwha is targeting the U.S. Navy’s core platform – the Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine. “Hanwha Philly Shipyard has the capability to build nuclear-powered submarines,” he said, stressing that readiness extends beyond any single model to the entire class of nuclear-propulsion platforms.

The U.S. Navy currently requires two submarines per year but produces only about 1.2 due to capacity bottlenecks. To address this gap, Anderson proposed leveraging proven designs instead of starting from scratch, applying South Korea’s shipbuilding expertise in shortening construction timelines to the Virginia-class framework.

Acknowledging the complexity of nuclear submarine construction, Anderson outlined key prerequisites: workforce expansion, deployment of skilled Korean technicians, recruitment of personnel with Virginia-class experience, and close coordination with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Reactors program.

On the sensitive issue of nuclear material control, Anderson drew clear boundaries. “The reactor compartment is provided by the U.S. government,” he said, adding that strict safeguards and procedures for nuclear material management are already in place. Hanwha, he said, would comply with the same standards applied to all U.S. nuclear-submarine shipyards.

Questions at the briefing focused on timing. While declining to commit to a specific schedule, Anderson emphasized Hanwha’s readiness to move quickly once government decisions are made. “We fully recognize the urgency of submarine production,” he said.

Supply-chain resilience also emerged as a key theme. Anderson said Hanwha plans to integrate South Korea’s robust shipbuilding supply network to stabilize schedules and accelerate delivery, while maintaining the principle of “Made in the USA” production. In effect, Korean suppliers would serve as the arteries supporting U.S.-built vessels.

Cho Jong-woo, head of Hanwha Philly Shipyard, said expanded shipbuilding in the United States would allow Korean component makers and partner firms to enter global supply chains and grow alongside the U.S. naval buildup.

As Washington seeks to turn shipbuilding revival from slogan into strategy, Hanwha’s U.S. foothold is increasingly viewed as a critical pillar in rebuilding America’s maritime power.

–Copyright by Asiatoday

It’s opening night at Scotland’s newest community pub, Oakbank Inn, which sits on the Holy Loch in the village of Sandbank, Argyll. It’s a clear, cold night, and the inn couldn’t look more welcoming: a cosy glow from within the historic building, the Cowal hills beyond. The Christmas lights are twinkling, the glasses are charged and there’s a palpable sense of goodwill, cheer, and plenty of pride in the air. By 6pm, it’s buzzing. Locals are already propping up the bar as a stylish woman sweeps in and bags the last table. She is Debbie Rycroft, a local haberdasher. “A pint in my own local,” she smiles happily, relishing a toast with her husband and equally dapper 19-year-old son.

First-night hiccups are limited to a wonky nozzle and a brief worry about a small radiator leak. “How many people to fix a heater?” quips someone as a line of concerned faces survey the scene. Almost immediately, a punter walks in with a radiator key. All sorted. Someone orders a Guinness; the bartender pulls it off. A two-part pour, pitchblack perfection with a balanced, creamy top. Good things come to those who wait? Well, this one’s been three years in the making.

The Oakbank, a landmark building at the heart of Sandbank for the last 160 years, closed at the end of 2022, like so many businesses that struggled in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Next came the closure of the nearby Holy Loch inn. The village was left without a pub – a huge loss for a rural community.

A group of locals got together in early 2023, formed a committee, chaired by Sue McKillop, and began the long slog to buy the Oakbank. “It’s been an uphill struggle,” says Ian MacNaughton, another founding committee member. “I just didn’t think the hill would be so steep!” Now retired, MacNaughton remembers sneaking into the Oakbank for a pint, aged 16. These days he’s learning about compliance laws. “We must do everything right.”

After an initial rejection, their persistence finally paid off last December with the award of a Scottish Land grant just shy of £150,000, covering most of the purchase price. In January, McKillop advertised shares, raising more than £23,000 and an “inspiring amount of enthusiasm” from locals. By April this year, they had the keys. It’s been nonstop ever since up until opening night last Saturday, she says.

While the shares didn’t reach the £90,000 target, people have contributed “thousands of volunteer hours” to get the place ready, Dawn Petherick tells me. They shifted and updated the bar, now an airy sky blue, while the old wood burner’s still there but “needing work”. Another one for the list. And Petherick’s list is long. She is Oakbank’s development officer, a fixed-term post funded by the initial grant, and, like everyone else involved, she’s been busy all year.

The Oakbank has been running pop-ups, workshops and charity mornings during the refurbishment. More events are being added all the time. “Whatever the community wants – knitting groups, book clubs, exhibitions, ‘sober nights’ – it should be a hub more than a pub,” says Petherick. “Somewhere to alleviate social isolation.”

And that is needed more than ever. Yet another local pub, the Strone Inn across the bay, is set to close at the end of the year. Like many local business owners, Stephen Mitchell is supportive of the Oakbank project. “Fair play to them,” he says. “It’s taken them three years, so it’s a real result.” But, he warns, “the hard work starts now as things are really tough”.

McKillop agrees. “It’s exciting but a wee bit scary,” she says. “We are under no illusions as to the challenges that lie ahead. Like any pub venue, we will need to keep innovating in order to survive.” But she can take comfort from recent figures; community pubs are doing well. According to the charity Plunkett UK, community-owned businesses are “highly resilient”, with a five-year survival rate of 98%.

“We’re delighted that the Oakbank Community Inn is opening under community ownership,” says James Alcock, Plunkett UK’s chief executive. “We see time and again how saving local assets like village pubs protects vital services and social spaces, helping to reduce isolation and strengthen communities.”

Future plans include refurbishing accommodation upstairs, a studio/gallery space in the adjoining cottage and renovating the commercial kitchen. In a nice piece of alchemy, the pub sits opposite Sandbank’s community-owned garden, so its polytunnels and raised beds will be nurturing hyper-local vegetables destined for that kitchen.

But the best thing about the Oakbank is the bit you see last. At the back of the bar, big glass doors offer views across the Holy Loch. It’s inaccessible now, but outside the doors, a grassy verge leads to the Holy Loch marina below. It has its own regulars hauling out on the slipway – giant Atlantic grey seals. With neighbours like that, you can see why McKillop has ambitious plans. “We’re going to rebuild the rotten deck and make a bridge to connect to the marina,” she says.

That should please boat-owners Tony, Rob and Alan, enjoying a pint beside the bar. “Sailors don’t like going places where you can’t go to a pub,” says Rob. “And Sandbank’s had absolutely nothing to offer.”

“Hang on,” offers Tony. “It’s got a lot of history.”

But Rob’s having none of it. “You can’t drink a pint of history.”

Despite Trump claim of ceasefire, no end on horizon to latest round of conflict recently reignited by border skirmish.

Cambodia’s defence ministry has accused Thailand’s military of bombing the casino hub of Poipet, a major land crossing between the two nations, which are engaged in renewed clashes along their border.

The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Thai forces had “dropped 2 bombs” in the municipality of Poipet, located in the northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey, at about 11am (04:00 GMT) that morning.

At the time of reporting, Thailand had not yet confirmed the strike on the bustling casino hub, which is popular with Thai gamblers.

The interior ministry said this week that at least four casinos in Cambodia have been damaged by Thai strikes.

Renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this month has killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 17 in Cambodia, while displacing about 800,000, officials said.

Thailand said on Tuesday that between 5,000 and 6,000 Thai nationals remained stranded in Poipet after Cambodia closed its land border crossings with its neighbour.

Cambodia’s interior ministry said the border closures were a “necessary measure” to reduce risks to civilians amid the ongoing combat, adding that air travel remained an option for those seeking to leave.

Truce denial

Five days of fighting between Cambodia and Thailand in July killed dozens of people before a truce was brokered by the United States, China and Malaysia, and then broken within months.

United States President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly intervened in the longstanding conflict this year, claimed last week that the two countries had agreed to a new ceasefire.

But Bangkok denied any truce had been agreed upon, and fighting with artillery, tanks, drones and jets has continued daily since a border skirmish earlier this month caused the latest round of conflict.

The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.

Each side has blamed the other for instigating the renewed fighting, claiming self-defence, while trading accusations of attacks on civilians.

China said it was sending its special envoy for Asian affairs to Cambodia and Thailand on Thursday for a “shuttle-diplomacy trip” to help bridge the gaps and “rebuild peace”.