July 20 (UPI) — Typhoon Wipha slammed ashore along the southern Chinese coast Sunday evening, after drenching Hong Kong and Macau with heavy rain and whipping wind, the Guangdong meteorological service said.
The storm made landfall around 5:50 pm local time with the strength of a Category 1 hurricane and weakened to a tropical storm by Sunday night as it continued to move to the West and South, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
Wipha is the sixth named storm of the year, and packed 106 mph sustained winds, heavy rain and sea swells as it brushed the southern edge of Hong Kong, the meteorological service said.
The storm is expected to dump heavy rain on the Pearl River Estuary throughout the day on Monday.
Hong Kong issued the highest level warning alert as the storm approached, the first time since 2023 that a No. 10 hurricane signal has been used. The warning level was downgraded as the storm moved away from the city.
Wipha also promoted some southern Chinese cities, ports and workplaces to close their doors. Heavy downpours also created local flooding and prompted widespread road closures in some areas.
At least 26 people have been treated for storm-related injuries, and heavy winds downed more than 470 trees. More than 250 people sought safety in government shelters.
Travelers began to re-enter the airport as the storm warning was downgraded and the Hong Kong airport said it would operate overnight on heightened storm alert status.
Wipha is expected to drift toward Vietnam where it is projected to make landfall later in the week, the meteorological service said.
Crystal Palace supporters have staged a protest against Uefa’s decision to demote the club to the Conference League.
On Tuesday, hundreds of fans marched to Palace’s Selhurst Park ground carrying banners and chanting against European football’s governing body.
The Eagles, who qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup in May – their first major trophy – were demoted to the lower tier of Uefa competition after breaching multi-club ownership rules.
American businessman John Textor owns a stake in Crystal Palace and is the majority owner of French club Lyon, who have also qualified for the Europa League.
The rules of European football’s governing body state clubs owned, to a certain threshold of influence, by the same person or entity cannot compete in the same European competition.
Uefa’s rules set a deadline of 1 March 2025 to show proof of multi-club ownership restructuring – a deadline which Palace missed.
Textor is currently in the process of selling his stake in Crystal Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.
Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, are set to replace Palace in the Europa League.
Palace are expected to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
“At the end of the day it’s an injustice, just by a couple of admin errors. We qualified for it,” Nick Philpot from the Red and Blue Review podcast said at the march.
“We won the cup – it should be we go into it without any question about it.
“You’re penalising the entire club and the fanbase. Why would you do that?”
Last week, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish called the decision “a bad day for football” and “a terrible injustice”.
“We’ve been locked out of a European competition on the most ridiculous technicality,” he said. “Supporters of all clubs should be devastated for us.”
Laura Strang, 25, from Oban saves money by booking at the last minute.
She even booked her honeymoon just two days before they flew.
“We got married on the 21st of June and waited until the 23rd of June to book a holiday for June 25th.
“We had two weeks in Mexico because it was cheaper than two weeks in Europe.”
Laura and her husband Sam Gledhill, 27, paid £1,200 each for 14 nights all-inclusive in Cancun.
“I would say we saved thousands of pounds, based on reviews,” she says.
“Ten nights in Spain was coming up the same or more expensive. It’s a 10-hour flight over to Mexico so it’s a little bit crazy, that.”
She says she and her husband have previously booked holidays within a few days of flying to Tenerife, Salou and Marrakesh and have saved money each time.
“Choosing not to go all-inclusive can save money but that depends on the country,” says Laura.
“We found Mexico quite expensive when going out and about [so all-inclusive made sense], but you could probably save money in Spain by going half board.”
‘We travel off-peak and look for kids go free places’
Nathan Hart and his fiancee Cassie Farrelly estimate they saved £3,300 by searching for a holiday that offered a free child’s place and going outside school holidays.
They have booked a 10-day all-inclusive holiday in Spain’s Balearic Islands at the end of September with their three-year-old twin daughters Alba and Luna.
The couple from Merthyr Tydfil recommend using the filter option on some of the biggest travel agency websites.
“When searching you can see which places offer one free child place, choose a range of locations and sort by lowest price,” says Nathan.
“We found an exceptional hotel for £800 per person plus one free child place, so that’s already an £800 saving.
“As well as that, on the booking page you can see a calendar showing the difference in price for the holiday on different dates.”
Nathan says when he compared the same holiday in August it was double the price.
“That would have been completely unaffordable for us.
“I now completely understand why parents with older kids travel inside school term time and it’s absolutely something we will have to consider when our girls are older.”
Parents who take their children out of school for holidays during term time risk being fined, and repeat offenders could face prosecution.
‘I swapped my London flat for a Spanish villa’
May Burrough works in central London. But her flat is too small to have lots of people to stay, so last October she invited some close friends to a five-bedroomed villa with a pool on the Costa Brava, Spain.
She estimates it would normally have cost around £3,500 to rent a house like that. But she used a home-swapping site and only paid €100 (£85) – for the cleaning fee – plus around £250 on transport.
Although she saved money on the villa, May and her friends did splash out on food and drink, such as oysters and wine from the region.
“We really had a lush time at the house because we were like, ‘well, we’re not paying for the accommodation!'”
Because finding someone to do a straight swap with can often be tricky, the Home Exchange site she uses allows her to earn credits by letting people stay in her one-bedroom flat, and then spend them elsewhere.
“It does take a bit of effort. I put valuables away, you have to change the bedsheets, cleaning every time. But it is fully worth it,” says May.
She says the site is a bit clunky to use, but she loves what it allows her to do, for an annual fee of around £170.
Recently she booked a one-night stay in Vienne, France so she could go to a concert.
“A hotel was going to be mega-expensive. So I booked a room in someone’s home and left in the morning.”
‘I use my credit card to get loyalty points for flights’
Ebrahim Paruk, 35, from Nuneaton near Coventry in Warwickshire saves money on flights by saving up Virgin Atlantic credit card points.
He does his best to collect as many points as possible.
“I pay for everything I can with the card,” he says, including his bills, weekly petrol, and weekly groceries.
“These are day-to-day necessities that you have to buy, so you might as well get a reward,” he says.
Describing himself as “the biggest football fan you will probably ever find”, he started doing it as a way of going to the major international tournaments.
The best saving he made with the points was a return flight to Düsseldorf to watch Germany v Denmark in the 2024 Euros – he saved £400 on his £800 flight.
To add to the saving, he won the match ticket and hotel accommodation in a competition, meaning the whole trip cost him a total of £500.
Now he uses the same method to save money when booking holidays for him and his wife.
‘I house sit and get to see the US’
Annmaree Bancroft is a single mum of a three-year-old and has been house sitting with him 11 times.
Their first time was looking after two dogs for a week in a house in Scarsdale outside New York City.
This year they will be going back there for a few days, this time as friends of the homeowner. Then they will stay on for three more weeks in the US, without paying for any overnight accommodation, thanks to further housesitting stints in Connecticut and Brooklyn.
The cost of the holiday will be the £1,435 she is spending on flights, plus travel between cities and spending money.
“A lot of parents think that once you have a child, you can’t travel,” says Annmaree.
“That is just not true. There are these alternative ways now to travel and make it affordable.”
If you do choose to house sit, it is recommended that you use a reputable site. Annmaree uses the online platform Trusted Housesitters, which charges a membership fee for sitters of £99 to £199 a year.
‘We’re staycationing in the UK’
House sitting may also be an option for those choosing not to go abroad.
Kayleigh Pennel-Price lives with her partner, two children, aged two and four months, and their golden retriever Kofi in Wiltshire.
She had looked into a family holiday through the traditional means but calculated that it would cost around £3,000 to go on a foreign holiday for a week.
Instead, the whole family is going house sitting in a small village in Buckinghamshire for two weeks.
They will be staying in a home with a sauna, swimming pool and a private woodland, to look after two Yorkshire terriers, booked through the website HouseSit Match.
“We mostly plan to just stay there,” says Kayleigh, who thinks the whole trip could cost £250.
“We love both abroad and UK holidays, but we don’t like to leave our dog,” she says. “And with the two babies, abroad is a little harder.”
Some holidaymakers could lose out on the money they spent for their trip(Image: Getty Images)
Hundreds of people have said they’ve been forced to miss holidays over neglecting to check their passports. It comes as new Freedom of Information (FOI) data obtained by Co-op Insurance from the Passport Office found more than a million UK passports will expire between now and the end of 2025.
With many Brits currently gearing up for summer breaks, or planning to head abroad later in the year, findings suggest many are cutting it fine. And if your passport is invalid, you simply won’t be able to travel.
A number of countries, including the US, mandate a passport to be valid for at least six months beyond the intended departure date for eligibility to travel there. For trips to the EU Schengen Area, passports must be valid for at least three months following the day of departure, and have been issued less than 10 years before the date you plan to enter.
Co-op Insurance said some 10% (200) of the 2000 UK adults asked said they have missed a holiday due to failing to renew their passport. FOI data further revealed that nearly a quarter of a million passports were reported as either lost or stolen last year.
The Passport Office disclosed that Hong Kong and Spain were the top locations where passports were most frequently reported missing. Losing a passport can be extremely stressful, particularly considering the £94.50 replacement cost, or £222 if you want it within a day.
On top of potential passport issues, Co-Op Insurance said nearly one in six Brits (15%) confessed to always holidaying without travel insurance. Given that the average medical expenses claim has been just over £2,500 so far in 2025, those without coverage are exposing themselves to substantial financial risk, the firm added, urging that people make sure their travel documents are up-to-date and that they have appropriate cover before heading to the airport.
Brits jetting off during the busy summer holidays have been issued a stark warning as 450 staff members across three separate companies are threatening to strike at a major UK airport
The strike would ‘ground planes and passengers’(Image: Derek Blair/AFP/Getty Images)
UK holidaymakers could face significant disruption if 450 workers at one UK airport plan to go ahead with strike action.
Unionised staff members at Glasgow Airport – Scotland’s second largest hub – have been embroiled in disputes around pay and working conditions for months, with an overwhelming 98.7 per cent of members backing industrial action. The strikes, which could take place in weeks during the busy summer holidays, involve three separate companies based at Glasgow Airport: Swissport, ICTS Central Search, and Glasgow Airport Ltd.
The looming threat comes after 100 workers from Glasgow Airport Ltd (including airport ambassadors, airside support officers, engineers, and managers) rejected a four per cent increase. Unite points out that the company made a staggering £40.65 million in its ‘latest recorded accounts’.
Hundreds of staff could strike this month, following disputes over pay and working conditions(Image: Getty Images)
Around 250 ICTS Central Search workers are also stuck in an on-going dispute due to understaffing, working conditions, and pay. These staff members worth with passengers directly in the security search area – meaning any strikes could spark long delays.
Lastly, 100 workers at Swissport – the country’s largest ground handler – are in dispute over ‘working rotas and work-life balance, plus health and safety concerns’. A consultative ballot on a new offer has been made by Swissport to address the issues raised – which will conclude on Monday, July 14. “If this offer is rejected, Unite will move to open a full industrial action ballot,” United the Union said. “Swissport made £17.6m in its latest recorded profits.
On the flip side, a dispute involving 300 Menzies Aviation workers – which the Mirror reported about here – has now been resolved. It comes after the union negotiated a deal which establishes a four per cent minimum increase in pay for new starters, and up to 10 per cent for workers depending on their grades. 50 Falck firefighters who perform fire safety functions at the airport have also come to an agreement after being offered a basic wage increase of 4.5 per cent.
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“Employers at Glasgow Airport will not get away with underpaying or mistreating Unite’s members,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement. “Hundreds of workers are involved in disputes at the airport. Summer strike action which would ground planes and passengers remains on the cards. These highly profitable companies can easily afford to put the minds of the travelling public at rest by making fair offers to workers.”
Last year, it was reported that Glasgow Airport handled a whopping 8,067,685 passengers in 2024 – a 9.63 per cent spike compared to the year before. The hub flies to 82 destinations in 28 different countries, and offers 20 domestic flights. If workers at all three companies go ahead with their vow to strike – it’s clear the school holiday season will quickly turn into chaos.
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport told the Mirror: “We are reviewing the ballot results and remain open to finding a sensible resolution.” Similarly, a spokesperson for Swissport said: “Our priority is the safety and wellbeing and fair treatment of our workforce, alongside maintaining high standards of service for our customers and we remain committed to working constructively with Unite to find a fair and sustainable resolution.”
The Mirror has approached ICTS Central Search for comment.
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Lawrence Herrera started carrying a folded-up copy of his birth certificate in his wallet last week. He also saved a picture of his passport on his phone’s camera roll.
For the 67-year-old Atwater Village resident who was born and raised here, the precaution felt silly. But he’s not taking any chances.
“I started hearing, ‘He’s taking anyone and everyone,’” Herrara said, referrring to President Trump’s immigration crackdown. “I thought, ‘You know what? That could be me.’”
Herrera was one of hundreds of protesters who spent Fourth of July in downtown Los Angeles to rally against the immigration raids that have roiled the region and the surge in federal funding approved this week to keep them going. Many on the street said they were skipping the barbecues and fireworks this year. Instead, they showed up at City Hall, some in costumes or wrapped in flags. A 15-foot balloon of Trump in a Russian military uniform sat in Grand Park.
Erica Ortiz, 49, was dressed as Lady Liberty in shackles. Herrera wore a Revolutionary War outfit covered in anti-Trump pins that he said was appropriate for the occasion.
“Guess what? We have no independence right now,” he said. “That’s why we’re out here.”
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1.Elizabeth Natividad wears a dress representing Lady Justice on the steps of City Hall .2.Nancy Gonzalez poses in an outfit showing her Mexican heritageon the steps of City Hall.3.A protester wearing a dress representing Lady Liberty holds her fist in the air on the steps of City Hall at a rally against the ongoing ICE raids taking place in the city on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
They marched through Olvera Street and outside the Federal Building, which houses the immigration court, waving signs. Several police officers were monitoring the protest but kept their distance during the gathering, which lasted a few hours.
“No more occupation! No more deportation!” the protesters chanted.
At the Federal Building, military personnel members lined up shoulder-to-shoulder guarding the property with shields and guns.
Jacob Moreno, a high school English teacher from Rialto, held a sign that called the day a “funeral for the freedom we pretend” still exists. He said the mood felt more solemn than the “No Kings” demonstration last month, which he attributed to the passage of Trump’s budget bill. The so-called Big Beautiful Bill adds roughly $150 billion to carry out mass deportations and fund border enforcement.
“This situation, this occupation is only going to get worse,” Moreno said. The 50-year-old said some of his students and their family members are undocumented. He and his daughter, a 16-year-old student, are helping set up a program to provide school supplies and hygiene items to students whose parents may be too afraid to go to work.
“I’m here to support my students, my community, and ultimately to stand on the right side of history,” he said.
Cristina Muñoz Brown, of North Hollywood, shared a similar sentiment.
“I’m desperate for my people, I’m desperate to show up,” she said. Since the raids began, she said, the Fashion District where she works in the costume industry is a “ghost town.”
An American flag passes by marines standing guard during a rally against the ongoing ICE raids taking place in the city at the Federal Building on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stand guard during a rally against the ongoing ICE raids taking place in the city at the Federal Building on Friday, July 4, 2025.
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) addressed the crowd outside City Hall, calling the budget bill the “Big Beautiful Scam.”
“Immigration spending in this country is now more than the military spending of 165 countries around the world. ICE has more money than the city of Los Angeles 10 times over,” he said as the crowd booed. “That’s not what we want our tax dollars going toward.”
The city is still reeling from weeks of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the Southland and the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to respond to the protests that followed.
There have been sweeps targeting day laborers at local car washes and Home Depot parking lots.
“There’s too many things to protest right now,” said Hunter Dunn of the 50501 Movement, which organized the July 4 rally. Many immigrants, he said, are “afraid to go to work, afraid to go to school.”
Federal agents, often shielding their identities with face masks and sometimes driving unmarked cars, have been carrying out aggressive raids since early June, triggering widespread protests.
Trump sent more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the L.A. area to protect federal buildings and workers during the unrest, which garnered pushback from state and local officials who complained that the military presence exacerbated the situation. Earlier this week, about 150 Guard members were released from the protest assignment.
The immigration enforcement actions in L.A. have heightened tensions between city and state leaders and the Trump administration. The public sparring has played out on social media and in court.
Angelenos march near Los Angeles City Hall on the Fourth of July in a demonstration against the ongoing ICE raids taking place in the city.
Mayor Karen Bass renewed her calls this week for Trump to end the ICE raids, saying in a post on X that his administration is “causing the fear and terror so many in L.A. are feeling.”
“They came for our neighbors in unmarked vans. Raided workplaces. Ripped apart families. Even U.S. citizens. This is not law enforcement — it’s political theater with human costs,” she wrote in another post.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is battling the Trump administration in court over the deployment of Guard troops without his consent. And this week, the Trump administration sued the city of L.A., Bass and City Council members, saying the city’s sanctuary law is illegal. The law generally prohibits city employees or city property to be used to investigate or detain anyone for the purpose of immigration enforcement.
On Wednesday, immigrants rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and Public Counsel sued the Trump administration in federal court seeking to block what the suit describes as the administration’s “ongoing pattern and practice of flouting the Constitution and federal law” during immigration raids in the L.A. area.
The National Police is getting serious about unruly behaviour on the islands best known for debauchery, heavy drinking and drug taking
12:32, 02 Jul 2025Updated 13:00, 02 Jul 2025
Spanish hotspots are cracking down on unruly tourists
Hundreds of extra police officers have been sent in to deal with unruly partygoers on five Spanish island resorts.
The National Police is getting serious about unruly behaviour on islands best known for debauchery, heavy drinking and drug taking. The force bolstered its ranks in the Balearics by 4.33%, on top of reinforcement of around 300 officers as part of the special Operation Summer measures.
A further 163 officers will be transferred to other locations in response to the Balearic Police Headquarters’ commitment to improve public safety during the peak tourist season. Palma, Ibiza, Maó, Ciutadella, and Manacor will all see their ranks bolstered by extra officers, Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
This year’s reinforcement represents a significant increase compared to 2024, especially in terms of new recruits. A total of 130 trainee police officers are being sent in across the island, tasked with patrolling the sunshine islands and guarding the borders.
The Spanish islands are a firm favourite with Brits (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The special Operation Summer officers, some of whom are sent out with dog units, are brought in to control the swollen population of the Balearic Islands during the holiday seasons.
Islands such as Palma and Ibiza are huge draws for party people from across the world. As much as this serves as a massive boost to the local economies and has cemented their reputations as the centre of worldwide nightclub culture, locals are growing increasingly tired of criminality linked to an industry so closely connected to the drug trade.
The boosted police ranks will also help enforce a series of anti-social behaviour-related laws that have been legislated in recent years in a bid to control the impact of holidaymakers.
In May 2024, the government of the Balearic Islands banned on-street drinking and the sale of alcohol in supermarkets between 9:30pm and 8am in party hotspots including including San Antonio in Ibiza, and Playa de Palma and Magaluf in Majorca. Potential fines for those caught breaking these rules have risen from between €500 and €1,500 (£430 – £1290) to as much as €3,100 (£2,580).
The bolstering of the police force comes after a string of high profile incidents involving Brits heading out to the party islands.
TikTok influencer Erika Barrachina travelled from London Luton to the Balearic Island with Easyjet. During her journey, she found herself amidst passengers who were “screaming” and “hitting each other”.
She vented: “My trip yesterday London – Ibiza with easyJet was a real horror! I was scared, a plane full of real English animals! We don’t want this type of tourism in Ibiza, they should stay at home!”
Days before the incident, Spanish police had to raid a Ryanair flight after five passengers reportedly wreaked havoc mid-flight on a trip from Newcastle to Alicante. The mayhem unfolded aboard the Boeing 737 service departing from Newcastle International Airport bound for Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport.
The disturbance was severe enough to warrant authorities boarding the plane once it touched down. The captain was granted urgent clearance to land due to the passengers’ disorderly conduct.
An EasyJet spokesperson said at the time: “Flight EZY2307 from Luton to Ibiza on 16th May was met by police on arrival due to a group of passengers behaving in a disruptive manner. EasyJet’s cabin crew are trained to assess all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.
“While such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”
About 1,200 children are being urged to undergo testing for infectious diseases after a Melbourne childcare worker was charged with a string of offences including child rape.
Joshua Dale Brown was arrested in May and faces 70 charges, with police alleging he abused eight children – including a five-month-old – between April 2022 and January 2023.
The 26-year-old has worked at 20 childcare centres since 2017, prompting local health authorities to notify parents of any children who may have been in his care, recommending many be tested as a “precaution”.
Brown, who is yet to enter a plea to the charges, has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court in September.
The eight children – all under the age of five – who police allege were harmed attended the Creative Gardens Early Learning Centre in Point Cook, in Melbourne’s south-west.
Brown is accused of child rape and sexual assault offenses, as well as producing and transmitting child abuse material.
Detectives are also investigating alleged offences by Brown at a childcare centre in Essendon “as a priority”.
At a press conference, authorities said he had a valid working with children check and was employed as a fill-in childcare worker when he was arrested.
Brown was not known to them before the investigation, they said, adding that they believed he acted alone and that the alleged offending only happened in Victoria.
Revealing Mr Brown’s identity was an “unusual decision”, Victoria Police’s Janet Stevenson said, but this is a “unique” case.
“It’s very important to ensure that every parent out there that has a child in childcare knows who he is and where he worked,” she said.
Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath would not say if Mr Brown had tested positive to sexually transmitted infections, but said the manner of the alleged offending meant some children may be asked to undergo screening for infectious diseases.
About 2,600 families had been contacted, with 1,200 children recommended for testing, she said, adding that the infections that the children may have been exposed to can be treated with antibiotics.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she was “sickened” by the allegations.
“My heart breaks for the families who are living every parent’s worst nightmare,” she said.
Families across Victoria will be “angry and frightened” by the case, Allan said, adding that a dedicated website has been set up for those impacted.
Vik shared a video online in which he revealed his friend Ethan decided to buy every single scratch card he could on board a Ryanair flight, but it didn’t quite go to plan
He wanted to see how much he’d win (stock image)(Image: IDRISS BIGOU-GILLES/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
In a shocking twist of fate, a man who splurged on hundreds of scratch cards during a Ryanair flight was left absolutely stunned by the outcome. The social media-savvy traveller, Vik, took to TikTok to share his friend Ethan’s experience with his followers after he decided to purchase every scratch card available on their flight, but couldn’t believe how it turned out.
In a viral clip that has stunned people, Vik spoke out about their high-altitude gamble, saying: “We are here on Ryanair and this man Ethan has bought every single scratch card on the flight. I’ve opened about 100 scratch cards, I’ve been opening these one at a time.
“We have not won a single thing. We have won nothing – no one has won anything. I’ll keep you guys posted.”
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The video then captures their unique airborne endeavour as it unfolds, with Ethan snapping up a staggering 68 packets of cards. Despite an enthusiastic scratching effort from fellow passengers roped into the spree, not even a minuscule win was scratched up.
At one point, the frustration is palpable as a voice can be heard exclaiming: “No one won anything.” Vik lamented further: “You’re supposed to match three – I can’t even match two. We’ve lost again.”
The surprising result left them and viewers alike in disbelief that not even a modest prize made its way to their row.
Since the video was shared, it has garnered thousands of views and sparked a flurry of comments. One viewer joked: “100% they won’t allow mass buying on the flight again, lol.”
Another claimed to be a Ryanair cabin crew member, stating: “I am cabin crew for Ryanair and there is so much more that you don’t know. They can’t sell you that many. There is a limit spend per passenger. Cabin crew in trouble!”
Others chimed in, with one wondering: “I wonder how many people have ever won money on those.”
A fourth commenter shared their own experience, saying: “I remember winning like £26 of on board vouchers. When asking to buy something, I heard the cabin crew say ‘someone’s actually won’. That’s how slim your odds are.”
The controversy surrounding Ryanair’s scratch cards is not new. A 2016 report revealed that winners of the jackpot are entered into a separate draw for the chance to win the €1million prize.
The winner must then select from 125 envelopes, with only one containing the top prize. At the time, Ryanair noted that other envelopes contain €50,000, and that one car a month is won in the draw, along with other cash prizes up to €5,000.
The odds of winning the jackpot were reported to be around 1.2billion to one. To give you a sense of the odds, winning the Lotto is said to be a 10.7million to one shot, while the EuroMillions odds are a staggering 139.8million to one.
With the National Lottery, you’re only allowed to buy 10 scratch cards in a single transaction, but it’s not clear how many you can purchase with Ryanair. The company has been asked to comment.
If gambling is causing you or someone else distress, visit GambleAware for assistance and support.
NATO meeting will be held on Tuesday to discuss increased military spending in the shadow of Middle East conflict.
Hundreds of people have protested in The Hague, in the Netherlands, against NATO and increased military spending in advance of a summit, as Iran’s conflict with Israel and the United States intensifies by the day.
People demonstrated on Sunday against the military alliance, Israel’s punishing war in Gaza and the Israel-Iran conflict, hours after the US targeted three nuclear sites in Iran in a sudden escalatory move in support of its biggest ally in the Middle East.
Hossein Hamadani, 74, an Iranian who lives in the Netherlands, told The Associated Press news agency that they are “opposed to war”. “People want to live a peaceful life … Things are not good. So why do we spend money on war?” he added.
Following the US’s attack on Iran, an unnamed NATO official told the Reuters news agency that the alliance was watching the situation “closely”.
The summit is expected to kick off on Tuesday, with leaders of the 32 NATO-allied countries to meet a day later on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the heads of state will discuss an increase in defence spending, which has been repeatedly demanded by US President Donald Trump, along with thinly veiled threats to leave the military alliance.
On Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke out against the agreement to increase defence spending to 5 percent of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as not only “unreasonable but also counterproductive”.
In a letter to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Sanchez asked for a “more flexible formula” that either makes the spending target optional or excludes Spain from its application.
But Trump said a day later that Madrid was “notorious” for underspending on defence and said it needed to pay what other NATO members were paying.
The allied countries have ramped up defence spending since Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago; however, almost a third of the members still do not meet the bloc’s current target of at least 2 percent defence spending.
With the Friday notices, 85 percent of Voice of America’s workforce had been slashed.
Layoff notices have been sent to 639 employees of Voice of America (VOA) and the United States agency that oversees it, effectively shutting down the outlet that has provided news to countries around the world since World War II.
The notices sent on Friday included employees at VOA’s Persian-language service who were suddenly called off administrative leave last week to broadcast reports to Iran following Israel’s attack.
Three journalists working for the Persian service on Friday, who left their office for a cigarette break, had their badges confiscated and weren’t allowed back in, according to one fired employee.
In total, some 1,400 people at VOA and the US Agency for Global Media, or 85 percent of its workforce, have lost their jobs since March, said Kari Lake, Trump’s senior adviser to the agency. She said it was part of a “long overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy”.
“For decades, American taxpayers have been forced to bankroll an agency that’s been riddled with dysfunction, bias and waste,” Lake said in a news release. “That ends now.”
VOA began by broadcasting stories about US democracy to residents of Nazi Germany, and grew to deliver news around the world in dozens of languages, often in countries without a tradition of free press.
But President Donald Trump has fought against the news media on several fronts, with the complaint that much of what they produce is biased against conservatives. That includes a proposal to shut off federal funding to PBS and NPR, which is currently before Congress.
‘Death’ of independent journalism
Most VOA employees have been on administrative leave since March 15, their broadcasts and social media posts mostly silenced. Three VOA employees who are fighting the administration’s dismantling of VOA in court were among those receiving layoff notices on Friday.
“It spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds US ideals of democracy and freedom around the world,” plaintiffs Jessica Jerreat, Kate Neeper and Patsy Widakuswara said in a statement.
The Persian-language employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing legal case, was in the office Friday when colleagues were barred from re-entry. The person was afraid to leave for the same reason – even though authorities said their work had been halted – until receiving a layoff notice.
Steve Herman, VOA’s chief national correspondent who was in the process of retiring to take a job at the University of Mississippi, called the layoffs an “historic act of self-sabotage with the US government completing the silencing of its most effective soft-power weapon”.
It’s not clear what, if anything, will replace VOA’s programming worldwide. The Trump-supporting One American News Network has offered to allow its signal to be used.
Although plaintiffs in the lawsuit called on Congress to continue supporting VOA, Herman said that he is not optimistic that it will survive, even if a Democratic president and Congress take over. For one thing, every day it is off the air is another day for viewers and readers to get into another habit for obtaining news.
“I believe that the destruction is permanent,” Herman said, “because we see no indication in the next fiscal year that Congress will rally to fund VOA.”
By the time another administration takes power that is more sympathetic to the outlet, “I fear that VOA will have become forgotten,” he said.
Shubman Gill marked his debut as India captain with a century and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal added a sparkling ton of his own as England toiled after winning the toss on the opening day of the first Test.
Following the retirement of superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India proved the future of their batting is in safe hands, while at the same time showing England what they are up against in this five-Test series.
The tourists moved to 359-3 on a sticky, oppressive day at Headingley. Jaiswal, the 23-year-old opener who destroyed England in India 18 months ago, crunched 101 and Gill elegantly stroked his way to 127 not out.
Gill’s ongoing partnership with Rishabh Pant is worth 138, Pant ominously poised on 65 not out.
Ben Stokes’ decision at the toss will be pored over. Despite the heat and a pitch offering no obvious encouragement for the bowlers, Gill said he also would have fielded first.
And, after making their choice, England were collectively below par with the ball, failing to exploit the swing on offer throughout the day. Stokes himself was the pick, bowling briskly for his 2-43.
This ground has a long history of teams coming from behind to win Tests and England are far from out of this one, though have left themselves vulnerable to a changing weekend weather forecast that could be perfect for India pace magician Jasprit Bumrah.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hundreds of people, some clutching candles or carrying flowers to lay in front of a memorial, gathered outside Minnesota’s Capitol on Wednesday evening for a vigil to remember a prominent state lawmaker and her husband who were gunned down at their home.
As a brass quintet from the Minnesota Orchestra played, Gov. Tim Walz wiped away tears and comforted attendees at the gathering for former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.
Colin Hortman, the Hortmans’ son, embraced Walz and lay a photo of his parents on the memorial.
The memorial, which sprang up outside the Capitol after the killings, features flowers, American flags, photos and sticky notes with such messages as, “Thank you for always believing in me and in Minnesota” and “We got this from here. Thank you for everything.”
Wednesday’s vigil also included a Native American drum circle, a string quartet and the crowd singing “Amazing Grace.”
Around the gathering, there was a heavy police presence, with law enforcement blocking off streets leading up to the Capitol and state troopers standing guard.
The event didn’t include a speaking program and attendees were instructed not to bring signs of any kind.
The man charged in federal and state court with killing the Hortmans, Vance Boelter, is also accused of shooting another Democratic lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home a few miles away in Champlin. They survived and are recovering. Federal prosecutors have declined to speculate about a motive.
Boelter’s attorneys have declined to comment on the charges.
Hortman had served as the top House Democratic leader since 2017, and six years as speaker, starting in 2019. Under a power-sharing deal after the 2024 election left the House tied, her title became speaker emerita and Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth became speaker.
Walz has described Hortman as his closest political ally and “the most consequential Speaker in state history.”
The Hortmans were alumni of the University of Minnesota, which held a midday memorial gathering on the Minneapolis campus.
Rebecca Cunningham, the university’s president, spoke during the event about the grief and outrage people are grappling with along with questions about how things got to this point.
“I don’t have the answers to these questions but I know that finding answers starts with the coming together in community as we are today,” she said.
Funeral information for the Hortmans has not been announced.
Vancleave and Golden write for the Associated Press. Golden reported from Seattle. AP writer Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
British number two Katie Boulter says she’s had “hundreds of messages” containing “love” and “appreciation” since BBC Sport published an article where she shared the abusive messages she receives on social media.
Boulter agreed to sit down with BBC Sport to provide unprecedented insight into the volume and nature of abuse received by players, including sharing screenshots of her private inbox.
