hundreds

Hotels are one of the priciest parts of a holiday, with UK travellers now spending around £92 per night on domestic overnight trips on average. But there’s a way to save money

If you’re planning a holiday, it’s always a bonus to save some money. The costs can quickly mount up between flights, accommodation and of course, activities.

However, there’s a brilliant way to book your hotel that could save you hundreds. Hotels are often the most expensive part of a holiday, with UK travellers now spending around £92 per night on average for domestic overnight trips.

If you’re staying in a big city, that cost can soar even higher.

Take London, for instance, where recent industry data shows average room rates nearing the £200-a-night mark.

But experts at Webpop design have shared a simple trick that could save your hard-earned cash.

Once you’ve decided where you want to book, clear your browser cookies and cache or use a private window, then search again, reports the Express.

The price you find could be significantly lower.

This is because booking sites use dynamic pricing and tailor your results based on what they know you’re looking for.

By clearing your cache and cookies, you give yourself a fresh start to search from, free from dynamic pricing.

There are also certain times of day which are better for booking holidays – for example, Tuesdays are likely to offer lower prices. This is because the weekend rush is over, and there is often more availability.

Sites will also be keen to fill any remaining slots quickly. And booking sites are eager to fill up their remaining hotel stays – fast.

If you’re flexible with your travel dates, consider booking your stay from Sunday to Thursday. You’ll avoid the weekend price hikes and likely snag a bargain.

So if you don’t mind missing out on a weekend in your dream destination, aim to book your accommodation during these days.

Israel is holding a record 360 Palestinian children from the occupied West Bank in its prisons, many without charge or trial, in what rights groups call a system of control and abuse. Families say the detentions, marked by torture and neglect, are meant to crush Palestinians.

Tuesday’s protest comes nearly two years after violent anti-immigration riots broke out in central Dublin.

At least 1,000 protesters have clashed with police in southwest Dublin, throwing bottles and launching fireworks at authorities during anti-immigration demonstrations sparked by allegations of an attack on a young girl.

Protesters came out in droves after a report that a 26-year-old man had sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel, which houses asylum applicants in Saggart, southwest of the Irish capital.

The unnamed man, who appeared in court on Tuesday, was charged in connection with the sexual assault.

Local media reported that the man, who asked for a Romanian interpreter in court, was an asylum seeker. Police have not confirmed his ethnicity.

The young girl was reportedly under the care of the state at the time of the incident. Tusla, Ireland’s child and family agency, said the girl “absconded” during a trip to the city centre and was reported missing.

The protests, held near the grounds of the hotel on Tuesday, turned violent, with anti-immigrant protesters launching fireworks at police, carrying signs that read “Irish lives matter”, and chanting, “Get them out!”

A police van was set on fire as officers charged at protesters, using pepper spray to push them away from the hotel complex, the news agency AFP reported.

“The weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected,” Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said in response to the protests. “This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response.”

Earlier in the day, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the events were “extremely serious and very, very grave”.

Tuesday’s protests come nearly two years after riots broke out in central Dublin in November 2023, after three children were injured in a knife attack outside a school. At the time, police identified the suspect as a man in his 50s from Algeria.

A far-right mob, comprised of at least 100 people, took to the streets of Dublin in the aftermath of the stabbing, torching vehicles and attacking riot police. Some were armed with metal bars and had their faces covered.

Police said that more than 400 officers, including many in riot gear, were deployed to contain the unrest, which they said was “caused by a small group of thugs”. At least thirty-four people were arrested following the rampage.

While Ireland is unique in that it has no far-right members of Parliament, Ireland and the United Kingdom have seen rising anti-immigration sentiment in recent years. Anti-immigration protests across Northern Ireland in June escalated into clashes with police.

Those protests began in Ballymena, a town of about 31,000 people, located 40km (25 miles) northwest of the city of Belfast, when two Romanian 14-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

During that unrest, hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set buildings and cars on fire.

NESTLED in the Northumberland countryside is a pretty village that dates back to the second century.

It has Roman roots, and looks like it goes back years thanks to its stone buildings and nearby historical ruins.

The village of Corbridge is 16 miles out of Newcastle and it caught the attention of The Times last year, all thanks to its high street.

The publication ranked it as number four in its list of seven loveliest high streets in the UK, praising its unique independent shops and cafés.

It said: “If you’re visiting this postcard-pretty Northumberland town to indulge one of these niche interests, the good news is there’s a fantastic high street too.

“Try Baby at the Bank for cute kidswear, sold in a former bank (babyatthebank.co.uk); or there’s RE for furniture (“an eclectic mix of the raRE, REmarkable, REcycled, REscued and REstored”; re-foundobjects.com) and Corbridge Larder, where you can stock up on fine local foods — chutneys, pies, cakes — after taste-testing them in the adjoining café (corbridgelarder.co.uk).

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“The Angel of Corbridge, built in 1569, is a lovely pub with rooms, moments from St Andrew’s Church and Market Place — the venue for many of the above events.”

Lots of the shops are independent, and there are lots of beauticians, hairdressers, cafés, restaurants, pubs and delis.

Part of the village’s charm is thanks to its buildings with stone exteriors that give it an old English look.

But Corbridge does itself have a rich history dating back to the Roman period.

On the outskirts of the village is the famous Hadrian’s Wall where visitors can walk on the original surface of its Roman main street.

The museum has artefacts like the Corbridge Hoard, which is a Roman time capsule that was buried in the 2nd century AD.

The site of Hadrian’s Wall is managed by English Heritage and is open daily, 10am – 5pm. Tickets for adults start from £12.70 and children from £7.70.

There’s the Steam Rally which annually takes place in the summertime, where there’s over 700 exhibits of steam engines, vintage cars, and tractors.

There’s also a bar, fairground, live music and food stalls.

It holds A Midsummer’s Evening in Corbridge which has market stalls, street food, live music, dance and late night shopping.

Each year on the first Monday in December, the village hosts Christmas in Corbridge with carol singing, food stalls and late night shopping.

To get to Corbridge, the best link is up to Newcastle then jump on the Tyne Valley Line to the village which takes just under 40 minutes.

Plus, there’s read more on the tiny pretty village in ‘trending’ English county that has its own castle and beach.

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And a historic English town in Northumberland that used to be a city and is now one of the happiest places to live.

Here’s The Times’ list of the seven loveliest UK high streets…

1. Lymington, Hampshire
2. Narberth, Pembrokeshire
3. North Berwick, East Lothian
4. Corbridge, Northumberland
5. Greenwich, London
6. Royal Hillsborough, Co Down
7. Stamford, Lincolnshire

THE NOTORIOUS “Tinder Swindler” has claimed from his jail cell that he doesn’t remember “conning women out of hundreds of thousands.”

Simon Leviev, 35, has spoken out for the first time since his arrest in Georgia for alleged fraud.

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Talking from his prison cell, the Israeli scammer admitted to a local celebrity lawyer Mariam Kublashvili that he is no angel but has no recollections of the alleged crimes he has been accused of, reports MailOnline.

The infamous scammer has appointed Ms Kublashivili as his new lawyer, who has since likened him to The Wolf of Wall Street.

Like the disgraced stockbroker played by Leonardo di Caprio, she believes Leviev has turned over a new leaf.

His latest claim follows an arrest made last month under mysterious circumstances following an Interpol Red Notice for alleged fraud in Germany.

Mr Leviev was cuffed at Batumi International Airport, Georgia, on September 14th.

He is currently being held in Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment No 2 and awaiting extradition proceedings.

If convicted, he could face up to ten years behind bars.

Yesterday, Mr Leviev spoke out via Ms Kublashivili for the first time since the dramatic arrest, where he has claimed to have no recollection of this.

He said: “Under the circumstances, I believe I’m either being set up or there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.”

Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, became the subject of a 2022 Netflix documentary after he spent years luring women on dating app Tinder, while posing as an heir to the Leviev diamond fortune.

He told his victims he was the son of Israeli diamond tycoon Lev Leviev – but he has no relation to the family whatsoever.

He was arrested in 2019 in Greece then extradited to Israel where he served a 15-month sentence for fraud, forgery and theft.

His legal team are now questioning why an Interpol notice was triggered when he entered Georgia without the Germans first going to authorities in his homeland.

Mr Leviev’s Israeli lawyer Sharon Nahari said: “To arrest him in a third country, rather than addressing the matter openly through Israel, is unfair and unacceptable.”

Mr Nahari also characterised the case as “disproportionate” and “based on weak evidence.”

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The newly appointed Ms Kublashvili added that she fears he will not receive a fair trail due to a pre-existing biased narrative.

Referencing The Wolf of Wall Street, she claimed that Mr Leviev is now a very different person.

She highlighted that since 2022 he has embarked on a new and completely legal career and published his own memoir.

In addition to fighting his extradition, Ms Kublashvili also hopes to move Leviev from his current prison to one in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

She claims that the current conditions he is being held in fail to meet basic hygiene standards.

Ten years on from being conned out of thousands, Mr Leviev’s victims remain traumatised.

While the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler brought their story to the world, the women he affected say the aftermath and the long road to recovery were far more difficult than anyone could have imagined.

“I’m still traumatised,” Cecilie, 36, told The Times.

Cecilie was conned into taking out nine loans totaling $250,000 (£190,000), and was hounded by creditors to the point where she contemplated suicide. 

She eventually sought help at a psychiatric unit and has spent the last seven years in therapy. 

She “never wanted to be on” antidepressants but explains that she “needed them.” 

Pernilla, 38, also contemplated suicide after learning the truth about the man she once considered a friend.

She lost the $45,000 (£33,840) she had saved for a home deposit and then doubled that amount in legal fees when she tried to take her bank to court. 

The pair have since released a book, Swindled Never After: How We Survived (and You Can Spot) a Relationship Scammer, deep dives into their traumatic journey in a bid to prevent others from falling for the same cruel tricks.

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Oct. 6 (UPI) — Hundreds of hikers have been rescued after being trapped on Mount Everest following an unusually strong snowstorm over the weekend.

The snowstorm struck the eastern slope of Everest on the Tibetan side of the mountain Friday evening. The blizzard came as China was celebrating its weeklong holiday to celebrate the country’s founding.

More than 350 people had been rescued as of Monday and were in Qudang, a community near the Karma Valley, reported The Telegraph, citing state media. The hikers’ route through the valley is at 16,000 feet, making their rescue particularly challenging, according to the news outlet.

“It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” Chen Geshuang said, according to the Telegraph. “The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly.”

Dong Shuchang told the BBC that she and other hikers huddled in a chilly hotel in Qudang where there was neither electricity nor running water.

“A lot of people descended with us,” he said. “But everyone was moving slowly. The route was very slippery. I kept falling because of the ice.”

Another 200 hikers were still being rescued and staff at local tourism agencies told The New York Times they were unsure of their status.

China’s Everest Scenic Area saw a record 540,000 visitors last year, according to state media.

Rescued trekkers reach China’s Qudang township while 200 others still face treacherous Everest conditions awaiting help.

Rescuers have guided more than 350 people to safety after they were stranded by blizzard-like conditions on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.

In total, more than 500 people were caught by surprise when unusually heavy snow and rainfall lashed them on the way in the Tingri region of Tibet, one of the main routes to ascend the world’s tallest mountain.

Those rescued on Sunday were taken to the small township of Qudang, on the Tibetan side of the peak, CCTV reported.

Some 200 trekkers who remained stranded in treacherous conditions as of Sunday were due to arrive in Qudang in stages under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government, CCTV reported.

The CCTV report did not indicate whether local guides and support staff accompanying the trekking parties had been accounted for. It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.

Heavy snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres (13,800 feet), began on Friday evening and persisted throughout Saturday.

Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company.

“It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” said Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong trekking team that made it to Qudang.

“The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly,” Chen told the Reuters news agency.

In neighbouring Nepal, Sherpa communities have been adapting to increasingly unpredictable conditions as climate change contributes to more frequent and dramatic climate shifts in the Himalayas, posing risks to climbers and the Sherpa communities who work there.

In a situation update shared on Sunday, Nepal’s Tourism Board said that search and rescue operations were ongoing after the weather “improved significantly” across Nepal, with “clear skies in Kathmandu and many other parts of Nepal”.

The update came after heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods across Nepal, killing at least 47 people since Friday.

Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters, and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country.

The floods and landslides in the mountainous regions come as South Asian countries continue to battle ongoing floods, including in Pakistan, where some four million people have been affected.

Huge numbers of people have turned out at pro-Palestinian rallies across Europe, calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the release of activists on board a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the territory.

Police in Rome said about 250,000 people attended a fourth consecutive day of protests on Saturday after Israel intercepted the 45-boat flotilla trying to reach Gaza last week.

Protesters in the Italian capital, including families with children, shouted: “We are all Palestinians,” “Free Palestine” and “Stop the genocide” as many carried Palestinian flags and wore black-and-white-chequered keffiyehs.

In Spain, about 70,000 people took to the streets in Barcelona, according to the police, while the government in Madrid reported nearly 92,000 marched in the capital.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on Wednesday, departed Barcelona in early September and had been seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, where a United Nations-backed hunger monitor says famine has taken hold. About 50 Spaniards on the flotilla have been detained by Israel, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told public television in an interview broadcast on Saturday.

Marta Carranza, a 65-year-old pensioner demonstrating in Barcelona with a Palestinian flag on her back, said Israel’s policy “has been wrong for many years and we have to take to the streets”.

Elsewhere, several thousand people marched through the centre of Dublin to mark what organisers described as “two years of genocide” in Gaza. Along with Ireland, Spain is among the fiercest European critics of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

In Ireland, speakers called for sanctions on Israel, an immediate end to the conflict and Palestinian involvement in any ceasefire plan.

In London, police said they made at least 442 arrests at a gathering in support of the proscribed Palestine Action group.

In Paris, where about 10,000 people gathered, a spokesperson for the French contingent of the Sumud Flotilla, Helene Coron, told the crowd: “We’ll never stop.”

“This flotilla didn’t get to Gaza. But we will send another, then another until Palestine and Gaza are free,” she said.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government has been criticised for its inaction regarding the siege of Gaza. On Saturday, Meloni accused demonstrators of defacing a statue of Pope John Paul II with graffiti in front of Rome’s main railway station, calling it a “shameful act”.

On September 14, about 100,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators forced the final stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race in the Spanish capital to be halted because an Israeli team was competing. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel should be barred from international sport over the war in Gaza, just as Russia has been penalised over its invasion of Ukraine.

In September, Spain announced it would ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

Moroccan authorities have arrested more than 400 people during violent protests demanding reforms in the public health and education sectors, the Ministry of Interior says.

A fifth night of youth protests was under way on Wednesday in cities across the North African country, but authorities said the fourth night had turned more violent than before. They reported 263 members of the security forces and 23 civilians were injured as demonstrators torched cars and ransacked shops.

The demonstrations have been organised online by a loosely formed, anonymous youth group calling itself GenZ 212, using platforms including TikTok, Instagram and the gaming application Discord.

On Tuesday night, young men brandished knives and threw Molotov cocktails and stones, an Interior Ministry spokesperson said in a statement. He said 409 people were taken into police custody.

Administrative buildings, banks and shops were looted or vandalised in the Souss region cities of Ait Amira, Inezgane, Agadir and Tiznit as well as the eastern city of Oujda, he said.

Videos circulating on social media and verified by Al Jazeera showed damaged ATM machines and a bank building that appeared to have been looted with broken glass scattered across the ground.

In posts discussing the protests, the GenZ 212 group said it rejected violence and was committed to continuing peaceful protests. It said it had no argument with security forces, only with the government.

The Interior Ministry statement said 142 vehicles belonging to the security forces and 20 private cars had been set on fire.

Peaceful protests over economic and social conditions have been recurrent in Morocco, but this week’s demonstrations are the most violent since at least 2016 and 2017 when protesters clashed with security forces in the Rif region in the north.

The Interior Ministry will uphold the right to protest in accordance with legal procedures and will respond with “restraint and self-control, avoiding provocation”, the spokesperson said.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official says the Trump administration plans to deport about 400 Iranians.

An Iranian official says the United States plans to deport hundreds of Iranian citizens in the coming weeks, with the first 120 deportees expected to arrive in Iran within days, as US President Donald Trump continues his immigration crackdown.

Hossein Noushabadi, director general for parliamentary and consular affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Tasnim news agency on Tuesday that US immigration authorities plan to deport about 400 Iranians.

Noushabadi said the first planeload of Iranian nationals would arrive “within the next one or two days” after a stop in Qatar. Qatari authorities did not immediately comment on his remarks.

Noushabadi said most of the Iranian nationals targeted had entered the US without documentation, primarily through Mexico, while some faced other immigration issues.

The deportations, which have not yet been publicly acknowledged by the Trump administration, come as tensions remain high between the two countries after the US joined its ally Israel in bombing Iran during a 12-day June conflict.

They also come as part of a wide-reaching crackdown on migrants and asylum seekers in the US, with Trump pledging to carry out the largest deportation operation in the country’s history.

Noushabadi said on Tuesday that US authorities had unilaterally made the decision to deport the Iranian nationals without consultations with Iran.

But the New York Times, citing anonymous Iranian officials, reported that the deportations were “the culmination of months of discussions between the two countries”.

The US news outlet said some of the Iranians had volunteered to leave after being in detention centres for months, while others had not.

A US-chartered flight took off from Louisiana on Monday and was scheduled to arrive in Qatar late on Tuesday so the deportees could be transferred to a Tehran-bound flight, a US official said.

The White House and the US Department of State did not immediately respond to requests from the Reuters news agency for comment.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has set out to deport a record number of people living in the US.

However, his administration has struggled to increase deportation levels, even as it has created new avenues to send migrants to countries other than their own.

In February, the US deported 119 people from different countries, including Iran, to Panama as part of an agreement between the two nations.

TEHRAN, Iran — The United States will deport hundreds of Iranians back to Iran in the coming weeks, with the first 120 deportees being prepared for a flight in the next day or two, Iran said Tuesday.

The deportation of Iranians, not yet publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government, comes as tensions remain high between the two countries following the American bombings of Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Meanwhile, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran this past week over its nuclear program, putting new pressure on the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy.

The deportations also represent a collision of a top priority of President Trump — targeting illegal immigration — against a decadeslong practice by the U.S. of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles and others since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

As many as 400 Iranians would be returning to Iran as part of the deal with the U.S., Iranian state television said, citing Hossein Noushabadi, director-general for parliamentary affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry. He said the majority of those people had crossed into the U.S. from Mexico illegally, while some faced other immigration issues.

Noushabadi said the first planeload of Iranians would arrive in a day or two, after stopping over in Qatar on the way. Authorities in Qatar have not confirmed that.

The U.S. State Department referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond. The New York Times first reported the deportations.

In the lead up to and after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, a large number of Iranians fled to the U.S. In the decades since, the U.S. had been sensitive in allowing those fleeing from Iran over religious, sexual or political persecution to seek residency.

In the 2024 fiscal year, for instance, the U.S. deported only 20 Iranians, according to statistics from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Iran has criticized Washington for hosting dissidents and others in the past. U.S. federal prosecutors have accused Iran of hiring hitmen to target dissidents as well in America.

It’s unclear exactly what has changed now in American policy. However, since returning to the White House, Trump has cracked down on those living in the U.S. illegally.

Noushabadi said that American authorities unilaterally made the decision without consultations with Iran.

But The New York Times said Tuesday, citing anonymous Iranian officials, that the deportations were “the culmination of months of discussions between the two countries.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as President Masoud Pezeshkian, both attended the U.N. General Assembly in New York last week as a last-ditch effort to stop the reimposed sanctions. However, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei boxed in their efforts by describing diplomacy with the U.S. as a “sheer dead end.”

Speaking to state TV in footage aired Tuesday, Araghchi acknowledged that direct communication from Iran went to the U.S. government during the U.N. visit — something he had been careful not to highlight during five rounds of nuclear negotiations with the Americans earlier this year.

“With Americans, both directly and indirectly, messages were exchanged, and eventually, we are relieved that we did whatever it was necessary,” Araghchi said. “It was clear and evident to us after the interpretation the Supreme Leader made that negotiations with Americans is an obvious dead-end.”

Vahdat writes for the Associated Press.

Sept. 28 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will attend a meeting organized by Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth that aims to gather hundreds of senior military officers near Washington this week.

Trump confirmed his Tuesday attendance with NBC News.

“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how we’re all doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump told NBC Sunday. “We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps?’ That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing and how we’re doing.”

Last week, Hegseth called on hundreds of military leaders, stationed all over the world, to travel for the meeting with top Pentagon officials.

The event is scheduled to be held at Quantico Marine Corps Base outside Washington. The base will host thousands of military members, top leaders, aides and security, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Senior military leaders were not informed about the purpose of the meeting, NBC reported.

The meeting is scheduled to happen just ahead of a looming budget deadline and potential government shutdown next week. The Trump administration has warned of mass layoffs and furloughs if the government stops operating if lawmakers cannot agree to a temporary spending plan to keep it operating.

The Congressional Research Service said that all 800 senior officers carrying the rank of brigadier general and above are required to attend the meeting.

The scheduled meeting has prompted heightened security concerns, The Washington Post reported.

Trump has said he plans to meet with Congressional leaders Monday in an attempt to overcome the budget impasse.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has summoned hundreds of generals and admirals to an urgent meeting in Virginia next week, but the reason is unknown to many who have been ordered to attend, The War Zone has learned.

Many of these high-ranking officers have been in contact with each other to find out why Hegseth has ordered such an unprecedented gathering that will upend the schedules of hundreds of them, a U.S. official told The War Zone.

“They know about this through scheduling, but they have no idea what this is all about,” the official added. “It is something everyone is wondering. There is no indication of what the topic is.”

The Pentagon confirmed the meeting but provided no details.

“The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, comes as Hegseth is looking to trim the ranks of the military’s top commanders and reduce the number of headquarters.

“The directive was issued earlier this week…months after Hegseth’s team at the Pentagon announced plans to undertake a sweeping consolidation of top military commands,” according to The Post.

There are more than 800 admirals and generals, and the order about the meeting affects all the commanding officers, the publication noted.

In May, Hegseth directed that about 100 of those positions be slashed to make the Pentagon more efficient. He has also indicated he wants to reduce the number of military headquarters, including discussions of combining U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command into one.

Though Hegseth has indicated he wants to cut more than 12% of top officer billets, that is just one possible reason for this meeting.

Calling in all these leaders to one meeting is a potential logistical challenge, considering how many are deployed across the globe. The order does not affect staff officers, The Post noted. While there are many commanding generals already in Washington at the Pentagon and a few more who have traveled to the D.C. area to attend an annual Air Force conference, most are elsewhere in the country or located in the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific regions.

Admirals and generals travel with a retinue of support staff and secure communications systems that require a lot of airlift capacity. Considering that most large-scale meetings are conducted by secure teleconference as a result, making so many top officers travel with the resulting schedule disruptions and security issues has raised alarm bells.

“None of the people who spoke with The Post could recall a defense secretary ever ordering so many of the military’s generals and admirals to assemble like this,” the newspaper explained. “Several said it raised security concerns.”

This is a developing story.

Contact the author: [email protected]

More than 80,000 police have been deployed as demonstrators rally against Macron’s government and austerity policies.

French police have arrested hundreds of people as protests led by left-wing forces under the label “Block Everything” were launched across the country.

More than 200 people were reported to have been arrested in the morning hours as demonstrators set fire to rubbish bins and blocked highways, spurred by frustration with President Emmanuel Macron’s government amid a national political crisis.

The 80,000 police deployed across the nation responded with bouts of tear gas and detainments.

The demonstrations – part of a grassroots movement called “Bloquons Tout” or “Block Everything” – sought to use work strikes, blockades and other acts of defiance to express long-simmering anger over the government and its austerity measures.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported that a bus was set on fire in the western city of Rennes and that damage to a power line had blocked trains in the southwest. However, the protests initially appeared more tame than previous bouts of unrest against Macron’s leadership.

The plan to “block everything” emerged after former Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote on Monday and Macron named close ally, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, to replace him.

He is France’s fifth premier in less than two years, and the fourth in 12 months.

Florent, a protester in Lyon, told the AFP news agency that Macron’s decision to appoint his close ally to the top job “is a slap in the face”.

“We are tired of his successive governments; we need change,” he said.

The Block Everything movement, which has gone viral on social media, has been fuelled by increased dismay over budget-tightening policies that Bayrou championed, as well as broader concerns with poverty and inequality, which have risen sharply in recent years, according to France’s statistics bureau.

Its spontaneity is reminiscent of the “Yellow Vest” movement that rocked Macron’s first term as president, when yellow-clad protesters across the nation challenged rising fuel prices and pro-business policies for weeks on end in protests that became increasingly violent.

The Pacific island will resettle up to 354 former detainees Canberra says have ‘no legal right to remain in Australia’.

The Australian government has agreed to pay the small Pacific island nation of Nauru some $1.6bn to resettle former detainees who have “no legal right to remain in Australia”, in the latest iteration of Australia’s controversial offshore detention policies.

Both governments signed a secretive deal last week under which Nauru will resettle up to 354 people who have no legal right to stay in Australia in exchange for an initial 408 million Australian dollar payment ($267m) and about 70 million Australian dollars ($46m) each year thereafter.

Independent Senator David Shoebridge said a “snap Senate hearing” on Wednesday night revealed that the “agreement with Nauru to send asylum seekers there” could cost the Australian government up to 2.5 billion Australian dollars ($1.6bn) over 30 years.

Labor’s new anti-fairness bill will take away the natural justice rights of refugees and migrants. pic.twitter.com/WDi7bVH30h

— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) September 4, 2025

The Senate hearing came after Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced last week that he had signed a memorandum with Nauru’s president “for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received in Nauru”.

“It’s in both nations’ interest to move through this as efficiently as we can,” said Clare Sharp, head of immigration from the Department of Home Affairs.

“It’s in Nauru’s interest, because money doesn’t flow until people arrive,” she said.

With an estimated population of some 12,500 and a mainland measuring just 21 square kilometres (8.1 square miles), Nauru is among the world’s smallest countries.

Nauru’s President David Adeang said in a statement on Sunday that the agreement with Australia will “support Nauru’s long-term economic resilience”.

Jana Favero, deputy CEO of the Melbourne-based Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said the deal with Nauru was “discriminatory, disgraceful and dangerous”.

Favero said the broad wording in the deal could enable many thousands of people to be deported from Australia.

“That’s tens of thousands of lives at risk – not the tiny number the government would have Australians believe,” Favero said in a statement.

Australian immigration officials said there are no guarantees all 354 people – including some convicted of serious crimes – will be deported to Nauru, with the Pacific island making the final decision.

Australia’s government has struggled to find a way to deal with immigrants who have no other country to go to when their visas are cancelled. The country’s High Court ruled in 2023 that indefinite detention was unlawful if deportation was not an option, leading to the release of 220 people.

The number of people in that situation in Australia now numbers 354, government officials said.

In February, Australia paid an undisclosed sum for Nauru to accept three immigrants convicted of violent offences, though legal challenges have reportedly stalled their transfer.

Nauru was one of two countries Australia initially sent asylum seekers to when it first began its controversial offshore detention programme in 2001.

In June 2023, the last refugees remaining on Nauru returned to Australia after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fulfilled an election promise to end offshore detention.

In January this year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee found Australia’s offshore policy had violated two provisions of the legally-binding 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – one on arbitrary detention and one protecting the right to challenge detention in court.

Nauru has in recent years turned to other migration-related schemes in attempts to revive its economy, which historically has relied on thriving exports of phosphate, a key ingredient used in fertiliser. But those supplies have long dried up, and researchers today estimate 80 percent of Nauru has been rendered uninhabitable by mining.

Last month, Nauru’s government announced it had welcomed its first new citizens under an Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Programme, which provides citizenship and a passport for a minimum investment in the country of $105,000.

The government hopes to raise tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue from the programme, which would help the island nation adapt to rising sea levels, as some of its close neighbours, including Tuvalu, face existential threats from rising sea levels.

DRIVERS are forking out £100s more on their car insurance by merely using a certain key word as their occupation.

Experts have revealed elderly drivers are facing substantial increases in premiums with costs rising by up to 50% in some cases – simply by marking themselves as “retired” on car insurance forms. 

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According to research by Quotezone, car insurance premiums are rising for elderly motorists in the UK with retired drivers listing “retired” as their occupation.

On average, this is seeing premiums jumping from £492 to £733 annually.

To combat this, Quotezone suggests variations in job titles could potentially reduce insurance costs – as long as the descriptions remain accurate and honest. 

For unemployed individuals, adding a more experienced driver to the policy might help lower costs, although they caution against “fronting,” which is illegal.

DialDirect points out that premiums tend to rise for elderly drivers because insurance providers often view them as higher-risk.

They added: “Car insurance premiums can begin to rise as you become older as insurance providers typically view elderly drivers as higher-risk individuals.

“Like the way in which drivers between the age of 17 to 25 are often charged more for insurance, so are elderly drivers.

“However, the level of risk attached to different ages will vary for different insurance providers so make sure you shop around for the best deal.”

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Car insurance in the UK is a legal necessity, with three main levels of cover available. 

These are fully comprehensive insurance, which offers the highest level of protection, covering damage to your vehicle, yourself and third party, fire and theft.

There’s then third party, fire and theft insurance, which covers damage you cause to others, as well as fire damage or theft of your own vehicle.

And there’s third party only insurance (TPO), which is the minimum legal requirement that covers damage caused to others but not your own vehicle. 

TPO, however, won’t compensate for any damage to your own car or for your medical expenses following an accident that you’re responsible for.

This comes as an urgent DVLA warning was recently issued to drivers as a major change is set to come into force this week that could see them slapped with a £1,000 fine.

The huge change will affect laws surrounding number plates and could lead to thousands of plates becoming invalid. 

Motorists using company cars should also expect to face fresh charges as part of major law changes hitting this month.

The new changes kicked in from September 1 – and includes toll hikes and fuel changes which are bound top affect thousands of Brit drivers.

Head of the American Immigration Lawyers Association says plan similar to having ‘a cardiologist do a hip replacement’.

Hundreds of military and civilian lawyers working for the United States Department of Defense (DOD) will serve as immigration judges temporarily, officials have said, in the latest move by President Donald Trump’s administration to involve the military in US domestic affairs.

“These DOD attorneys will augment existing resources to help further combat a backlog of cases by presiding over immigration hearings,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Tuesday.

Military lawyers are not trained to serve as immigration judges, and one US official told the Reuters news agency that even with additional training, it would be difficult for military lawyers to act as judges.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department as part of the plan, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press news agency.

The military will begin sending groups of 150 lawyers “as soon as practicable”, according to the memo, with the lawyers expected to serve as immigration judges for 179 days initially, Reuters reported.

The head of the American Immigration Lawyers Association described the plan as similar to having “a cardiologist do a hip replacement”.

“Expecting fair decisions from judges unfamiliar with the law is absurd. This reckless move guts due process and further undermines the integrity of our immigration court system,” said Ben Johnson, the organisation ‘s executive director.

In his 2024 book The War on Warriors, Defense Secretary Hegseth was highly critical of military lawyers, saying that most “spend more time prosecuting our troops than putting away bad guys”.

The move to deploy the military lawyers comes as the Trump administration turns to military support for its crackdown on undocumented immigration, including the growing role of troops patrolling the US-Mexico border, National Guard members being sent into US cities to support immigration enforcement efforts, detaining people at military bases in advance of deportation, and using military aircraft to carry out deportations.

On Tuesday, a court ruled that the Trump administration had “wilfully” violated federal law by sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles in early June.

HUNDREDS of thousands of Brits could be hit by a surprise £500 tax bill as a new rule comes into effect. 

The new scheme could affect nearly 900,000 business owners across the UK. 

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The Government’s new Making Tax Digital scheme will require people over a certain income threshold to keep electronic records and file updates every financial quarter.

The move is part of the Government’s efforts to crack down on tax fraud, which cost Britain £12.4 billion from 2021 to 2022.

However, financial advisors have warned that the cost of reporting your tax figures could cost up to £500 a year once staff training, software and admin time are factored in – according to George Holmes, managing director of Aurora Capital. 

Only people who earn £50,000 from self-employment or from rental properties will be subject to the new rules.

Ahead of the change, Craig Ogilvie, director of Making Tax Digital at HMRC, said: “With April 2026 on the horizon, we are issuing letters to customers we believe will be mandated, outlining specific requirements and timelines.”

He added: “We urge those who meet the mandate criteria to join our testing programme on GOV.UK now to help shape the final service and make your transition smoother.”

An estimated 864,000 sole traders and landlords will need to comply with the new rules.

James Murray MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: “MTD for Income Tax is an essential part of our plan to transform the UK’s tax system into one that supports economic growth.”

Murray added: “By modernising how people manage their tax, we’re helping businesses work more efficiently and productively while ensuring everyone pays their fair share.”

The news comes after experts warned Rachel Reeves that she would have to find £50 billion to plug a black hole in Britain’s finances. 

The Chancellor has remained committed to her fiscal rules, which requires the UK to have financial cushion of £9.9billion by the end of the decade.

In order to put the UK’s finances on a firm footing, experts from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research have said that Ms Reeves will have to raise taxes.

Prof Stephen Millard, from the institute, said: “We would advocate building a bigger buffer. 

“To do that requires moderate but sustained increases in taxes.”

The think tank also upped its growth forecast for this year to 1.3 per cent but knocked their prediction for 2026 down to 1.2 per cent from 1.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, tax refund letters have started landing on doorsteps across the UK but Brits have been warned to watch out for scams.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Sun found that HMRC refunded a staggering £8.3billion in overpaid tax from 2022 until 2023 — with the average worker pocketing £943.

However, any letter or email which requires you to give your credit card details, transfer money or click a link should be avoided at all costs. 

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EMMERDALE has been hit by hundreds of Ofcom complaints regarding a ‘violent and tasteless’ soap death.

Viewers were left heartbroken when killer John Sugden claimed his latest victim.

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The August 21 episode saw Mackenzie Boyd shot in the back with an arrow.

The mechanic had worked out that John had killed Nate Robinson months ago.

Mackenzie fled into the woods, but John prevented his escape by firing an arrow at his back.

A final flashback saw John throw a heavy rock down at a helpless Mackenzie.

Viewers later saw blood stains in John’s van and a body covered by a sheet – seemingly confirming Mackenzie’s death.

The latest data shows Ofcom received 158 complaints following the grisly scenes.

After John’s brutal actions played out, fans soon took to X to complain.

One wrote: “Love emmerdale but this all seemed a bit much with the violence and the crossbow seemed in bad taste what with the recent real life tragedies.”

Another added: “@ofcom complaints incoming and this time you take action.”

A third said: “The writers have really crossed line bow and arrow after crossbow killings not right.”

A fourth chimed in: “Isn’t this a tad violent for early evening.”

While a fifth remarked: “A bit distasteful isn’t it having a serial killer kill someone with a bow and arrow havent you got any compassion for a presenter who lost his entire family by a bow and Arrow in real life.”

It came after the real life murder of three people by crossbow killer Kyle Clifford in July of last year.

 The Sun previously revealed that Lawrence Robb, who played Mackenzie, had filmed devastating murder scenes for his character.

A source said at the time: “The scenes are going to be really harrowing for fans to watch.

“Mackenzie has been in so many scrapes and dangerous positions but this time it looks like he’s bitten off more than he can chew. 

“Viewers will be on the edges of their seats watching what happens.”

Some fans believe Mackenzie may still be alive – as his corpse was not directly shown.

Emmerdale airs on ITV1 and ITVX.

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