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A HUGE festival that is completely free to visit will land in the UK next month.

Bristol Light Festival will return to Bristol for 10 nights next month, between February 19 and 28.

One of the headline events recently announced will be an installation called The Lite Series.

Visitors will be able to see a number of illuminated hot air balloons gathered by Cameron Balloons, which when fired will create a burst of colour in the balloon.

The more people who fire the hot air balloons, the brighter they get and more sound plays from them.

Jess Siggers, marketing manager at Cameron Balloons, said: “Bristol’s skyline has been shaped by our balloons for generations, so we’re thrilled to bring that heritage back down to earth in an entirely new way for Bristol Light Festival.

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“The Lite Series invites everyone to feel the magic of ballooning up close.

“It’s playful, it’s interactive and above all, it celebrates the engineering and imagination that Bristol is famous for.”

Another exhibit at the festival will be an installation by artist Liz West, who will transform Cabot Circus’ multi-storey car park into a light show.

The entire festival will sprawl across the city and will host a number of events for the public to get involved in.

Other details about the festival will be announced in the coming weeks but in previous years activities and events have included a Neon Kids Rave.

The rave was free of charge and kids even ate for free.

Other family-friendly activities have included art clubs as well.

It isn’t just about families though, as there are plenty of adult activities on as well such as paint in the dark, dine in the dark and run club events.

And there are usually photography and walking tours.

A number of venues around the city usually have offers too, such as cheap drinks.

Last year’s festival brought in £11million to the city, with visitors spending £9.4million across the event.

Many people have taken to social media to express their excitement for the festival.

One person commented: “We’re coming up from Cornwall again for the festival ! Can’t wait was brilliant last year !”

Another added: “I can’t wait to return to epic Bristol.”

A third person said: “One of the highlights of Winter – can’t wait to see what spectacular light you’ll be bringing to the darker months!”

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in the city, there is a spa hotel with an award-winning restaurant and salt sauna.

Or you could head to another hotel with a sauna, that is opposite the historic railway station.

And for inspiration on what to do when you are there, the city has street art tours, 19th century hotels and ‘top-notch’ cuisine.

In other festival news, pop megastar in talks to play massive UK festival comeback show nine years after last British concert.

Plus, new farm-themed festival to launch in the UK and Jeremy Clarkson is headlining – with live music and tractor shows.

Hadramout governor says ports and airports will soon be operational after Saudi-backed government forces ousted secessionists from the south.

About 400 tourists are stuck on the Yemeni island of Socotra after flights were grounded because of clashes on the mainland between government troops backed by Saudi Arabia and secessionists with links to the United Arab Emirates.

Over the past few days, flights in and out of Yemen have been largely restricted during heavy fighting between rival armed factions loosely grouped under the Yemen’s fractious government, which is based in the southern port city of Aden.

The Socotra islands, 380km (236 miles) south of the mainland, are under the control of the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council, which has clashed with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government in the provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra.

Yahya bin Afrar, the deputy governor for culture and tourism on Socotra, the largest island in the Socotra archipelago, said that “more than 400 foreign tourists” are stranded after their flights were “suspended”.

A local official, who spoke to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, said that 416 people of different nationalities were stranded on Socotra, including “more than 60 Russians”.

An unnamed Western diplomat said that “British, French and American” nationals were also among the stranded tourists.

Highly unstable region

In a post on X on Sunday, Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maciej Wewior, said Polish tourists were stuck too, adding that flights to Socotra by an Emirati airline had been suspended until Tuesday.

“Socotra is located in a highly unstable region, where an armed conflict has been ongoing for years. Currently, the security situation has further deteriorated. Due to the intensification of military operations, airspace has been closed,” the post said.

A travel agent in Socotra said at least two Chinese nationals were also there.

Tourists stuck on the island, many of whom went there to for New Year’s celebrations, are now reaching out to their embassies for help to be evacuated, according to another Western diplomat.

“Their relevant embassies have reached out to the Saudi and Yemeni governments to seek their evacuation,” said the diplomat.

The airport in Aden has been functional since Sunday, after disruptions that lasted for several days.

Pledge to restore order

Yemen’s civil war entered a new phase last month when secessionists with the UAE-backed STC extended its presence in southeastern Yemen with the aim of establishing an independent state.

But this week, the Saudi-backed “Homeland Shield” forces took back the oil-rich southern governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra, which make up nearly half of Yemen’s territory, from the STC rebels.

In the past, the opposing forces were allied under the umbrella of the Aden-based  Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) – the governing organ of the internationally recognised government – against the Houthis, who control most of northwestern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.

On Friday, Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout, was chosen by the government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, al-Khanbashi said that ports and airports in the governorate would soon be operational, stressing the need to restore service at the Seiyun airport in northern Hadramout.

He pledged to re-establish security and stability, saying meetings will be held with all political and tribal groups to form a united front to protect the governorate against future attacks.

Compensation will be extended for damage to public and private property caused during the STC’s advance. The authorities are focused on getting electricity, water and health services up and running again, al-Khanbashi said.

A historic theater in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol has opened its doors more than three years after it was pummeled in a Russian airstrike that killed hundreds of civilians sheltering inside.

Moscow-installed authorities marked the rebuilding of the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater with a gala concert on the building’s new main stage Sunday night. Images shared by Russian state media outlets showed the building’s marbled pillars and staircases, and dancers wearing traditional Russian headdresses known as kokoshniks performing.

The original theater was destroyed when it was targeted by a Russian airstrike on March 16, 2022, as Moscow’s forces besieged the city in the weeks after their invasion.

An Associated Press investigation later found evidence that the attack killed about 600 people inside and outside the building — almost double an early estimate from the government.

At the time of the strike, hundreds of civilians had sought refuge in the building after weeks of relentless shelling. The word “children” had been written with paint on the street outside the building, large enough to be seen by both pilots and satellites.

Moscow said that Ukrainian forces demolished the theater, a claim that the AP’s investigation refuted.

Russian forces took control of Mariupol’s city center shortly after the strike. The ruins were bulldozed and any remains were taken to the ever-growing mass graves in and around Mariupol.

Mariupol’s Ukrainian city council, which left the city when it was occupied for Ukrainian-controlled territory, called the rebuilding and the opening of the theater “singing and dancing on bones.”

“The ‘restoration’ of the theater is a cynical attempt to conceal the traces of a war crime and part of an aggressive policy of Russification of the city. The repertoire consists largely of works by Russian writers and playwrights,” the council said in a statement on Telegram.

Guests of honor at Sunday’s opening included Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of the partially occupied Donetsk region, and St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov. Workers from St. Petersburg, which was twinned with Mariupol after Russia took full control of the city in May 2022, aided in the building’s reconstruction.

The Donetsk region, where Mariupol is located, has remained a key battleground throughout the war. Russia illegally annexed it in 2022, though Moscow still doesn’t control all of it. The region’s fate is one of the major sticking points in negotiations to end the war.

Demonstrators in Turkiye demand global pressure on Israel, calling the so-called ceasefire ‘a slow-motion genocide’ against Palestinians.

Hundreds of thousands of people are marching through Istanbul in a sweeping show of solidarity with Palestinians, condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and rejecting claims that a ceasefire has brought meaningful relief.

Protesters, many waving Palestinian and Turkish flags, converged on the city’s historic Galata Bridge on Thursday despite freezing temperatures.

The march, organised by civil society groups under the National Will Platform alongside Turkish football clubs, rallied under the slogan: “We won’t remain silent, we won’t forget Palestine.”

More than 400 civil society organisations joined the mobilisation, underscoring the scale of public anger at Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. Several major football clubs urged their supporters to attend, helping turn the rally into one of the largest pro-Palestine demonstrations Turkiye has seen since Israel’s war began.

Galatasaray football club chair Dursun Ozbek described Israel’s actions as a moral reckoning for the world.

“We will not get used to this silence,” Ozbek said in a video message shared on X. “Standing shoulder to shoulder against oppression, we come together on the same side for humanity.”

‘A slow-motion genocide’

Sinem Koseoglu, Al Jazeera’s Turkiye correspondent, reported from the Galata Bridge that Palestine remains a point of national consensus. She said the issue cuts across political lines, uniting supporters of the governing AK Party with voters from major opposition parties.

“Today people are trying to show their support on the very first day of the new year,” Koseoglu said, as crowds packed the bridge and surrounding streets.

Police sources and the Anadolu state news agency said about 500,000 people took part in the march.

The rally included speeches and a performance by Lebanese-born singer Maher Zain, who sang “Free Palestine” to a sea of raised flags.

For many demonstrators, the protest was also a rejection of Israel’s ceasefire narrative.

“These people here do not believe in the ceasefire,” Koseoglu said. “They believe the current ceasefire is not a real ceasefire, but a slow motion of the genocide.”

Turkiye has cut trade with Israel and closed its airspace and ports, but Koseoglu said protesters want sustained international pressure rather than symbolic measures.

“The main idea here is to show their solidarity with the Palestinian people and let the world not forget about what’s going on in Gaza,” she said, warning that many see the ceasefire as “very fragile”.

Turkiye has positioned itself as one of Israel’s sharpest critics and played a role in brokering a ceasefire announced in October by United States President Donald Trump.

Yet the pause in fighting has failed to halt bloodshed, with more than 400 Palestinians killed by Israel since the ceasefire took effect, and aid still being withheld from entering the besieged Strip.

AN expert has revealed how you can plan a Cotswolds staycation without breaking the bank.

More than 23million tourists visit the Cotswolds every year, so its no surprise that includes a few celebrities along the way.

Beyonce, Kourtney Kardashian and even Kamala Harris have all been spotted in recent months, while the Beckhams are known for having a house there.

But despite this, there is still a way to do it on a budget as well as away from the crowds.

Local Amanda Stecker, who founded Unique Cotswold Cottages, explained: “There’s a perception that the Cotswolds is reserved for the wealthy.

“But you can stay in charming self-catering cottages or friendly B&Bs for a fraction of the cost of high-end hotels, and still enjoy the villages, countryside, and experiences that make the area so special.

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“Even smaller towns and lesser-known attractions have a charm all of their own, and often a story you’ll remember far longer than the postcard-perfect spots.”

Here are some of her top tips.

Stay in less well-known villages

She explained that while Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water are the popular spots, there are nearby villages that are just as beautiful but far more affordable.

Amanda said: “Look at towns such as Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, or Chipping Campden.

“These locations still offer charm and convenience but at much lower rates.”

Not only did she say this could save as much as £300 for a three-night stay, but cottages mean you can head to the nearby deli for some groceries and cook yourself, saving you even more.

Visit during shoulder season

If you try and visit the Cotswolds during the summer holidays, expect huge crowds.

The same is during school half terms as well, especially in the spring and autumn.

But the villages are just as beautiful off season, usually November, January and February.

Not only is accommodation cheaper but you won’t be stuck in queues at the car park or the cafe.

Make the most of the free attractions

Just walking through many of the villages and towns feel like they are from a postcard, which is a great free activity.

Not only that, but heritage trails and even attractions like Broadway Tower are free to visit.

The Oxford Museum, Witney Museum and Swinford Museum are just some that are free too.

Amanda advises checking some of the local stately homes which can be affordable especially with a National Trust or English Heritage membership.

Otherwise there are often farmers markets or fairs which you can explore without spending a penny.

According to Amanda, this could save as much as £50 per person during a long weekend.

Check the local transport

Many of the small villages have train stations so you can hop between many of them.

For example, try the Cotswolds Line, which runs from Oxford to Kingham, with stops in Hanborough, Finstock, Charlbury and Shipton along the way.

Otherwise bus routes connect many of them as well, saving you on expensive car parking.

Amanda suggests this could save as much a £30 a day.

Here are some of the Cotswolds pubs where you might bump into a celebrity.

And here are some other places to go away from the crowds.

Hundreds of people take to the streets in Tartous and Latakia to demand the release of former soldiers who served ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.

NEW YORK — Mayor David N. Dinkins, battered by the budget crisis and seeking to project a message of personal accountability, invited ordinary citizens to his office Monday with suggestions on how to better life in the city.

Hundreds of people started lining up before dawn with complaints and ideas–including sending a squad of cowboys and cowgirls through poverty-stricken areas to preach AIDS-awareness and anti-drug messages, offering centralized computer access to municipal information, encouraging volunteerism and sacrificing a day’s pay a year to help the city.

After being pre-screened in front of City Hall, people in line were funneled through a metal detector to chat with the heads of appropriate agencies. A far smaller group met the mayor himself.

Was it a sincere search for innovation or a folksy public relations exercise? “I’d say it was 50-50,” said Michael Attisano, who emerged from the mayor’s office after suggesting a consolidation of the city’s separate housing and transit police forces. “I think he is going to get a lot of good ideas today.”

“Even now, there are those who see this as some sort of a gimmick,” Dinkins said. “It really is a desire to convey to the people of our city that this government really cares about them.”

The mayor’s invitation for ordinary citizens to meet with him came during a major televised address on July 30 that was designed to reassure both the city and the New York State Emergency Financial Control Board, created during the great fiscal crisis of the 1970s. The review board has the power under certain circumstances to seize financial control of the city.

In his speech, the mayor laid out a mixture of money-saving ideas, including ordering the heads of all city agencies, except for the police and fire departments, to give up their chauffeurs.

The mayor announced that he would not accept a pay raise for at least a year and set aside Monday as the day when New Yorkers with concerns and innovative ideas could come to see him.

And come they did. Coreen Brown of Brooklyn, arrived before dawn with a complaint about a sewer problem. When she emerged from the mayor’s office after waiting in line for hours, she admitted that she had broken into tears and Dinkins had given her a tissue.

“I forgot everything I wanted to say. I was going to invite him to my house,” Brown said.

Others remembered to deliver their messages.

Irving Scharf, a store owner from Brooklyn, suggested among other things that the mayor set up a lending-library system of math videotapes so children who miss classes because of illness or those who need extra credit can increase their learning skills.

“I am not here to berate the mayor. I am here to encourage him,” said Thelma Williams of the Bronx, who pushed for increased volunteerism and the sacrifice of a day’s pay by New Yorkers to help the city.

Carlos Foster, a rodeo producer who also lives in the Bronx, arrived wearing cowboy garb and proposed riding into poorer areas of the city with 10 cowboys and four cowgirls to preach against substance abuse and for safe sex.

Hulan Jack Jr., the son of a former Manhattan borough president in the 1960s, suggested putting all city data in central computer depositories for quick access.

Jack said that Dinkins listened and then had a municipal computer expert deliver a 30-second capsule of what already was being done. “Then we talked another minute and a half, and that was it,” he explained after leaving the mayor’s inner office.

The Dinkins invitation to New Yorkers brought out a summer Santa Claus, complete with red suit, and a woman dressed as the Easter Bunny. Police looked on bemusedly, except when Tasia Figueroa arrived with her 11-foot python, Shorty, draped around her neck.

The mayor’s staff, after quick consultation with police, asked that the snake be parked with Figueroa’s fiance while she went into City Hall to voice her municipal license complaint.