islands

Possible ways to mitigate the risk include armouring the coastline and building breakwaters to relocating the monuments.

The Journal of Cultural Heritage has published a new study indicating that rising sea levels could push powerful seasonal waves into Easter Island’s 15 iconic moai statues, in the latest potential peril to cultural heritage from climate change.

“Sea level rise is real,” said Noah Paoa, lead author of the study published on Wednesday and a doctoral student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “It’s not a distant threat.”

About 50 other cultural sites in the area are also at risk from flooding.

Paoa, who is from Easter Island – a Chilean territory and volcanic island in Polynesia known to its Indigenous people as Rapa Nui – and his colleagues built a high-resolution “digital twin” of the island’s eastern coastline and ran computer models to simulate future wave impacts under various sea level rise scenarios. They then overlaid the results with maps of cultural sites to pinpoint which places could be inundated in the coming decades.

The findings show waves could reach Ahu Tongariki, the largest ceremonial platform on the island, as early as 2080. The site, home to the 15 towering moai, draws tens of thousands of visitors each year and is a cornerstone of the island’s tourism economy.

Beyond its economic value, the ahu is deeply woven into Rapa Nui’s cultural identity. It lies within Rapa Nui National Park, which encompasses much of the island and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The roughly 900 moai statues across the island were built by the Rapa Nui people between the 10th and 16th centuries to honour important ancestors and chiefs.

The threat isn’t unprecedented. In 1960, the largest earthquake ever recorded – a magnitude 9.5 off the coast of Chile – sent a tsunami surging across the Pacific. It struck Rapa Nui and swept the already-toppled moai further inland, which damaged some of their features. The monument was restored in the 1990s.

While the study focuses on Rapa Nui, its conclusions echo a wider reality: Cultural heritage sites worldwide are increasingly endangered by rising seas. A UNESCO report published last month found that about 50 World Heritage sites are highly exposed to coastal flooding.

A UNESCO spokesperson told The Associated Press news agency that climate change is the biggest threat to UNESCO’s World Heritage marine sites. “In the Mediterranean and Africa, nearly three-quarters of coastal low-lying sites are now exposed to erosion and flooding due to accelerated sea level rise.”

Possible defences for Ahu Tongariki range from armouring the coastline and building breakwaters to relocating the monuments.

Paoa hopes that the findings will bring these conversations about now, rather than after irreversible damage. “It’s best to look ahead and be proactive instead of reactive to the potential threats.”

BRITAIN’S Chagos Islands handover will cost taxpayers ten times more than Sir Keir Starmer let on, newly unearthed figures claim.

Official estimates reveal the bill for giving the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius is not £3.4billion as promised, but actually close to £35billion.

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The figure, which was released to the Conservative Party under Freedom of Information laws, is far higher than the £3.4 billion figure the Prime Minister had previously stated in public, according to The Telegraph.

Ministers are now facing allegations that they misled Parliament with a controversial “accountancy trick” to hide the size of the bill from taxpayers.

Britain is to hand over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory while paying billions of pounds to continue using the Diego Garcia base, a key military facility used by Britain and the United States.

Negotiations for a deal to hand over sovereignty of the island began under the Conservatives and was concluded by the new Labour government.

Back in February, Sir Keir Starmer dismissed Tory warnings of a £30billion cost and branded a £9bn to £18bn estimate “absolutely wide of the mark”.

But an official document produced by the Government Actuary’s Department shows the cost of the deal was first estimated at ten times the stated figure, at £34.7 billion, in nominal terms.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Add that to their £50bn black hole, and it’s clear – when Labour negotiates, Britain loses.”

A government spokesman said: “The deal is supported by our closest allies, including the US, Canada, Australia and Nato.

“The costs compare favourably with other international base agreements, and the UK-US base on Diego Garcia is larger, in a more strategic location.”

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LOVE Island’s Dejon has clapped back at “false” slurs on his character after his step sister branded him a “narcissist.”

The ITV2 show alum, who was voted out with partner Meg ahead of Monday’s show final, took to TikTok to address the allegations in his first ever video.

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It came just hours after the Love Island 2025 OG, 26, put on a brave face with his co-stars following the family slam.

Niah, who is not biologically related to Dejon but shares a brother with him, took to TikTok to give fans an unfiltered glimpse into the ‘real Dejon’ and insisted he is “manipulative” and “narcissistic”.

She has even gone as far as to write her own account in a tell-all book named ‘Surviving Dejon’, which is already available to buy. 

After the rumours swirled – and coming under fire for his controversial behaviour on the show and being branded a “gaslighter” by fans – he has spoken out.

Dejon appeared topless in his new clip, donning a bling diamond necklace.

He strolled around a room with crisp white walls and exposed black beams and initially thanked fans for their support.

He said of the good wishes: “It really means the world to me, honestly especially in times like now.

“I feel like there’s a lot of false stories out there about me which are very untrue, unfair and I feel like from that, really big up to my supporters.

“I’m excited and looking forward to showing you guys who I really am.

“For now, lets go play some table tennis.”

The end of the clip showed him reunited with Meg as they played table tennis.

SHOCK CLAIM

In her scathing six minute video, his step sister Niah claimed that what viewers have seen on TV is an accurate reflection of how Dejon behaves in real life.

She began: ” So I’ve decided to speak out because I’ve been silent for way too long and I know that I will be receiving probably a lot of backlash from my family for this.

LOVE ISLAND VOTING PERCENTAGES

TONI and Cach won the Love Island 2025 final – yet what were the exact voting percentages?

Las Vegas waitress Toni Laites and professional dancer Cach Mercer went head-to-head with OG islanders Shakira Khan and Harry Cooksley in a nail-biting finale.

However, Toni and Cach were triumphant and won the summer series after surviving a love triangle just two weeks before the final.

A results table shared on Love Island’s Instagram account this afternoon showed Toni and Cach were the runaway winners on the night, taking over a third of the votes, with 33.5% of viewers backing them for the crown.

However, Shakira and Harry drew a sizeable 26.2% of the votes, and Yas and Jamie were not far behind taking 22% on the nose.

Aesthetics practitioner Angel, 26, only made her debut on July 17, but managed to secure an impressive 18.3% of the overall voting audience with Casa Amor boy Ty.

“You guys are all clearly very traumatised from seeing Dejon on TV and seeing everything that he’s doing and watching everything play out it seems as though no one is holding him accountable.

She went on to say: “Dejon is a narcissist, he’s manipulative. I’ve been telling everyone this for the past 10 years now but no one believed me. And it’s just crazy now that the whole of the UK can see what I’ve been trying to explain to people for so long.

She continued: “I didn’t want to speak out on this. That’s why I haven’t made any videos directly explaining anything about him because I know that it can affect my family in a bad way.

“And I do completely understand if they are upset with me for this post.

She added: “One thing I will say is, I knew from the beginning, from the first episode I knew exactly what was going to go down. 

“It’s just a shame because I don’t want him to be seen like this, but I genuinely don’t think that he sees that he’s a narcissist, you know? and I actually do feel bad for Meg in a sense.”

Speaking about the book alongside a trailer for it, she penned: “This book answers everything. reasons why I spoke out. Why fear kept me silent for so long. How I lost everyone and everything I ever cared about.

“It reveals the truth behind the rumours I never wanted to address. I need to tell my truth in the way that I feel in control. This is not for attention, creating this book was like therapy for me.

“I would never put my reputation on the line or lose the people I loved if I didn’t have a powerful reason to finally speak.”

Niah even posted a trigger warning for the book as it contains: “emotionally intense and potentially distressing content”.

DEJON’S TAKE

Speaking to the Daily Mail previously, Dejon has hit back at claims of him being a ‘narcissist’, he said: “I do take full accountability for how I communicated at times in the villa.

“The girls who were on the show with me say I’m not a narcissist, I’m not a gaslighter, all of these things they have seen online, it means a lot to me because they spent 24 hours a day with me.

“I could have handled situations better but when it comes to being a ‘narcissist’ and these words, empathy is definitely something that I have, it’s something I had for Meg, for Harry, and when Meg was upset, I was there for her, and when Harry was upset it would break my heart.

“Me and Harry had a thing, we called it fitness and feelings where we would go to the gym and I would say “don’t worry H, we can be free here, our tears, people will think they’re sweat.”‘

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Hello, this is De Los reporter Carlos De Loera. I will be taking over the Latinx Files for the next couple of months while Fidel is on parental leave. I hope I do him justice!

“No me quiero ir de aquí.”

It’s more than just the name of Bad Bunny’s months-long Puerto Rico concert residency; it’s a radical declaration against colonialism and gentrification, as well as a defiant call for cultural preservation and celebration.

This week the U.S. federal government exercised another overreach of power over Puerto Rico, when the Trump administration dismissed five out of seven members of Puerto Rico’s federal control board that oversees the U.S. territory’s finances. All of the fired board members belonged to the Democratic Party; the remaining two members are Republicans.

As other parts of the Spanish-speaking world grapple with being priced out of their own communities, and a watering down of their long-standing cultures, artists in Puerto Rico are using their work to give visitors a not-so-gentle reminder: No one can kick them out of their own home.

Last week, the Latinx advocacy group Mijente — alongside the art collective AgitArte — collaborated with local Puerto Rican artists and organizations to present a free art exhibition that highlights the everyday societal struggles of Boricuas. Located in the Santurce barrio of San Juan, the “De Aquí Nadie Nos Saca” exhibit is marketing itself as a spiritual companion piece to Bad Bunny’s album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” by delving into the musical joy and ongoing resistance movements of the island.

The name of the exhibition itself is a play on the lyrics from Bad Bunny’s track “La Mudanza,” in which he sings, “De aquí nadie me saca” — “nobody can get me out of here.” But the space has more than just a thematic connection to the Grammy-winning artist.

Members of AgitArte and one of its affiliated community theater collectives, Papel Machete, contributed to the “La Mudanza” music video by providing a giant papier-mâché puppet named La Maestra Combativa. It can be seen in the last minute of the video, holding up a colorful sign that reads “De aquí nadie me saca.”

The momentum of Bad Bunny’s latest album and subsequent tour met Mijente’s mission at a serendipitous time that led to the creation of the new showcase.

“The socio-cultural moment and the political moment needed different kinds of things, not just the normal playbook of social work,” said Mijente communications director Enrique Cárdenas Sifre. “We needed to experiment a little bit more.”

According to Cárdenas Sifre, part of the hope for the exhibition is to combat a pervasive narrative that Latinx people are more conservative-leaning than they realize.

Bad Bunny’s sentiment of “todo el mundo quiere ser latino” — and the universal praise and online utilization of “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” — allowed for Mijente to reopen the conversation about the true values of Latinx people in Puerto Rico.

“We can use the opportunity of a mainstream event to experiment with reoccupying and reutilizing all the cultural work for our causes,” he said. “For immigration causes, for liberation, decolonization, social, racial, gender equity and struggles … especially in Puerto Rico. So all of that came together at the same time.”

With hundreds of thousands of tourists descending upon the island to watch the “Baile Inolvidable” singer perform, it seemed like the right time to challenge tourists to engage with some of the more difficult and harrowing experiences of Puerto Ricans.

“No seas un turista más,” or “don’t be just another tourist,” is one of the main phrases used to advertise the exhibition, which asks people to confront colonialism, gender dynamics, environmental ruin, state violence and displacement.

“If you only have a few moments to be in San Juan [for the tour], please come to the exposition and help us amplify, connect and support all the local organizations that are doing the work,” Cárdenas Sifre said. “No seas un turista más, conoce un poco de la historia real de Puerto Rico.”

Telling the “real history” of the island are over 39 artists and organizations — with special help from AgitArte curator Dey Hernández — that make up “a piece” of the whole movement that Mijente is pushing for.

“We always try to recognize that we need joy, we need perreo, we need our culture, we need our sazón, but at the same time, we keep fighting for the things that we want in our lives and in our future,” Cárdenas Sifre said. “We want to go a little bit deeper for tourists to understand that it’s generations of struggle. So you can come to the exposition and support by donating directly to an organization or artist that is presenting.”

Open from Wednesday through Sunday, the exhibition will continue showcasing its works through early October. After its opening weekend, organizers of the event are enthused by the intergenerational crowds and the litany of responses the art has elicited.

“They see their fights, they see themselves in the exhibition,” Cárdenas Sifre said. “Some people have to go outside to cry for a minute, because there hadn’t been a place that hit on all these social battles and they recognize the years of work that went behind collecting it all. There’s also joy and celebration, it’s really run the gamut of every emotion…. Everyone tells us that this space was needed.”

One thing that Cárdenas Sifre wanted to make clear is that the exhibit is not affiliated with any electoral political alliance, but rather a “real new alliance of the folks doing the work on the ground every day.”

“These organizations and artists don’t always have a space to come together to talk about the work that [they] are doing, talk about the struggles they are facing. [It’s about] generating a little space [to] conspire the next [steps for] the movement in Puerto Rico.”

Comic this Week: Drag, DACA, and Departure

Julio Salgado is a visual artist based in Long Beach. His work has been displayed at the Oakland Museum, SFMOMA, and Smithsonian American Art Museum. (@juliosalgado83)

Stories we read this week that we think you should read

Unless otherwise noted, all stories in this section are from the L.A. Times.

Immigration and the border

Politics

Arts and Entertainment

Climate

Gripping Narrative

(Jackie Rivera / For The Times; Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times)

Love Island star Harry Cooksley is set to reveal a major ‘regret’ he has over his romance with fellow contestant Shakira Khan as the ITV2 competition finally draws to a close.

Harry Cooksley is set to reveal a major ‘regret’ he has about his romance with Shakira Khan during the Love Island final. The footballer, 30, has made it to the end of the ITV2 dating programme with Shakira, 22, and is set to have an open and honest chat with her before they could be potentially be crowned winners of the latest series.

Shakira starts things off by saying: “Doing this experience without you and watching things unfold was so hard because I felt so strongly towards you. You’re everything I could possibly want in a partner. It’s been an amazing last week and I’m excited for the future.”

Prior to coupling up with Shakira, Harry had a long-standing romance with Helena Ford and then his ex-girlfriend Emma Munro made a shock entrance to the villa before leaving in the weeks leading up to the final. It comes after reports of all the celebrities rumoured to be joining BBC Strictly Come Dancing 2025 .

READ MORE: Love Island winners’ secret yearly gift exposed – and fans aren’t impressedREAD MORE: How to apply for Love Island 2026 and what you need to stand a chance of success

Shakira was initially coupled up with Harry in the early weeks of the competition, but they got together again just days ahead of the final and he told her: “I came in here and thought it would be a lot of fun. Finding you in a Villa in Mallorca was not on my bingo card this summer. I do regret taking too long to tell you how I felt. We both know this is more than surface level – I think it always has been for me.”

During the build-up to the winning reveal, Shakira receives a text that reads: ” Islanders. Tonight you will have a very special finalists’ dinner. #FinalFeels #OneLastEvening,” and she, along with Harry, and the remaining couples Yasmin Pettet and Jamie Rhodes, Ty Isherwood and Angel Swift, as well as Cach Mercer and Toni Laites will all be seen in the garden wearing their finest for their last night in the villa.

Toni says to Cach: “I don’t think I tell you enough but the way you treat me has made this whole wacky-ass experience worth it. I think everyone has seen how happy you make me. I’m really thankful to be here with you. ” In response, Cach says to Toni: I feel like our journey has been a rollercoaster, I’m grateful for every moment. You make me feel very comfortable in here. And I don’t think I could’ve done it with anyone else to be honest with you. ”

Angel then decides to tell Ty that she is ‘everything’ she looks for in a man, and adds: “You’re thoughtful, you make me laugh, and I also fancy the pants off you. I couldn’t be happier.”

A HUGE earthquake has struck the coast of Russia – strong enough to cause tsunamis, with warnings issued for the Pacific Islands.

The magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

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It occurred about 84 miles off Kamchatska at around 7.24pm EST (12:30am BST).

The quake was shallow and strong enough to cause waves or a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles).

A tsunami with a wave height of 3-4 metres was recorded in Kamchatka, Russia’s regional minister for emergency situations warned.

Vladimir Solodov, Governor of the Kamchatka Territory, told people to stay away from the coast due to the earthquake being the “strongest in decades”.

No injuries have been reported so far, but a nursery has been damaged.

Locals in the small town of Severo-Kurilsk are being evacuated.

“Today’s earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.

Shortly after the quake hit, another struck the Kamchatka Peninsula with a magnitude of 5.51.

Tsunami warnings have been issued for Alaska, Hawaii, Russia and Japan as a result.

The Japan Weather Agency said it expected a tsunami of one meter (3.28 feet) to reach large coastal areas starting at around 10am local time.

Authorities warned people not to go into the sea and stay away from the coast.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also issued a warning of “hazardous tsunami waves” within the next three hours along some coasts of Russia and Japan.

It comes after The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warned of a tsunami threat to Russia following three earthquakes last week – with the strongest having a magnitude of 7.4.

The largest quake up until now hit around 89 miles east of east of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – 12 miles below the seabed.

A slightly smaller earthquake of 6.7 struck just minutes earlier, along with a third 5.0 magnitude quake.

There were fears Hawaii would also be impacted – but an island-wide tsunami warning was later withdrawn.

Alerts were also issued for Guam and American Samoa.

The USGS had warned of possible “hazardous tsunami waves” within 300 kilometres of the epicentre in the Pacific.

And residents in Russia had been urged to get to higher ground.

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Five hotspots in the Canary Islands – including Tenerife – have been issued a ‘high alert’ warning that prohibits tourists and residents from taking part in a slew of common activities

A ‘high alert’ warning has been issued across five popular hotspots in the Canary Islands, including Tenerife. Authorities across the tourist-riddled archipelago, located off the coast of northwestern Africa, have urged tourists and locals to take ‘extreme caution’ as high temperatures and dry, windy weather conditions have increased the risk of wildfires.

Temperatures are expected to reach a scorching 34C in parts of the region in the following days, while highs of 37C have been forecast for Gran Canaria. Meanwhile, strong winds above 30km per hour are also slated to shift across the islands.

READ MORE: Brits warned as ‘disgraceful’ silent tourist tax exposed in city break hotspot

On Monday, July 28, at 8am, level one prevention measures were reportedly activated in Tenerife, while wildfire alerts were also extended to El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera and Gran Canaria. At the time of writing, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura seem to have dodged the alert.

According to local news site Canarian Weekly, the Canary Islands Government has implemented the INFOCA wildfire emergency plan, which prohibits those on the island from having BBQs or open flames in recreational areas or outdoor spaces. Tourists and residents are also prohibited from smoking in forest areas, trails, campsites, or public use areas in the mountains.

Even spark-producing tools such as chainsaws and strimmers are said to be banned during the level one restrictions, as well as letting off fireworks in or near forested zones. “Residents and visitors are also strongly advised to avoid entering forested areas during the alert period,” the publication added.

The alert follows a wildfire outbreak in La Palma, which is believed to have been caused by human activity. Authorities have therefore urged the public to ‘remain vigilant’ and report any signs of smoke or fire immediately by calling 112.

Back in 2023, forest fires in Tenerife ripped through more than 15,000 hectares of land and resulted in around 12,000 people being forced to evacuate. Again, this blaze was blamed on arsonists, but shows just how quickly fires on the archipelago can spread – especially during the dry season.

The warning follows a slew of deadly wildfires that have spread across Europe during the sweltering summer months and resulted in tragedy. As previously reported, more than 1,500 people were recently evacuated in Turkey as blazes continues to ravage regions across the country.

One firefighter has tragically died while attempting to quash an inferno in the country’s fourth most populated city, Bursa. The city’s mayor Mustafa Bozbey added that more than 7,000 acres of land had been scorched by the fatal fire too.

Thousands of people were also forced to flee as wildfires hit two major Greek islands and villages near Athens this month – with two homes being burn down to the ground in the blaze. You can read more about the Turkey and Greece wildfires here.

Do you have a story to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be featured.

JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez have gone from “Love Island” to Splitsville.

The pair of reality TV stars who kindled a romance last year on “Love Island” Season 6 have called it quits, The Times confirmed Monday. Craig broke up with Rodriguez on Sunday, a day after they were among the guests at YouTube star David Dobrik‘s birthday party.

“They will not be getting back together,” a source confirmed to People.

A representative for Craig declined to comment. The Times did not immediately hear back from Rodriguez.

Though Craig and Rodriguez fell short of winning their season last year (fellow contestants Kordell Beckham and Serena Page took the prize), the pair continued their relationship off-screen. Craig opened up about her relationship with Rodriguez to People in October 2024, telling the magazine that time away from the cameras meant “we can take our time.”

“We always forgot that there was cameras anyways so nothing’s really changed,” she said at the time.

Craig and Rodriguez’s relationship came back into the “Love Island” spotlight earlier this month for Peacock’s “Love Island: Beyond the Villa.” The series, which premiered July 13, follows the Season 6 contestants “as they navigate new careers, evolving friendships, newfound fame, and complex relationships,” according to a press release for the show.

Right before the premiere of “Love Island: Beyond the Villa,” fans bid farewell to “Love Island” Season 7 — which was notably marred by controversy. Two contestants — Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Ortega — left the series weeks apart after they came under fire for their off-air use of racial slurs.

The season ended with contestants Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales taking home the $100,000 grand prize.

Capri without the crowds, Italy

Procida, in the Bay of Naples, is not as famous as nearby Capri and Ischia, but is all the more appealing for it. Not a tourist trap but an island where people actually live, it’s a delightful slice of unhurried Italian life. The island is small enough to be explored on foot or by bicycle, though there is a bus service too. There are many pretty little beaches for swimming, sunbathing and picnicking – our favourite was Il Postino, where scenes from the movie of the same name were filmed. As people still fish for a living, there’s no shortage of wonderfully fresh seafood in the restaurants. A local delicacy is lemon salad, made from the enormous, thick-skinned lemons unique to Procida. Villa Caterina B&B’s orchard of lemon and orange trees provides fresh juice and marmalade for breakfast, and the rooms have wonderful views of the island and the bay, with Vesuvius looming in the distance and Naples only 45 minutes away by ferry.
Bernie G

Seafood and sunshine in Sweden

When life gets too much, I dream of Styrsö in the Gothenburg archipelago. Big open skies, nature trails and heaps of swimming spots make this car-free island the perfect summer escape. It’s topped off by a brilliant seafront restaurant, Tångbaren, where you can have a plateful of fresh seafood and a cold glass of wine, and watch the sea bob away.
Hannah

Tranquillity among the dunes, Germany

I was 21, living in Germany for a year to improve my language skills, and decided on a whim to visit the tiny East Frisian island of Spiekeroog (yes, it was the fantastic name that first attracted me to the place). I spent a happy couple of nights at the Hotel Inselfriede, a small family-run hotel just a 10-minute walk from where the ferry arrives from the mainland. The island is car-free and a beautifully peaceful place to explore the dunes or simply sit with a coffee and watch the sea.
Lizzy

A Balearic beauty

Sa Dragonera is a tiny but utterly beautiful uninhabited island that lies just south-west of Mallorca in the Balearics. It is brimming with history (there are 18th-century watchtowers built to observe pirate activity). Supposedly named after the lizards that inhabit it, the island is a hugely popular walking and birding spot, and is only accessible by small ferries from the nearby Sant Elm. It is best to go first thing to beat the heat and pedestrian traffic – you won’t regret it when you see the views from the top.
Tom

A tiny Greek island with great beaches

Everyone knows that Greece has some of the most beautiful Mediterranean islands. But few foreign tourists have heard of Kythira and that’s just the way the locals like it. For most of the year only about 3,500 people live on the island. In summer, however, thousands of Greeks come for holidays, many back to homes that have been in their family for generations. There are no major tourist resorts – it’s a Greek island rich in history and tradition, with dozens of beautiful beaches.
Andy Moffat

Explore old world Ireland in Galway Bay

Inisheer (or Inis Oírr), one of the three spectacular Aran Islands in Galway Bay, is my favourite small island by far. The ferry from Rossaveel on the mainland takes just under an hour, but you feel as if you’ve been transported back in time – this is a tiny island of stone walls, fishing boats, old cottages, and more ponies and traps than cars. You can walk or cycle across the island in an afternoon to explore shipwrecks and ancient ruins. At the end of the day, enjoy some traditional music in the charming pub. You can camp almost on the beach for a good price.
Eleanor

Peace (and sheep) in the middle of Helsinki

Kuusiluoto is a gem in the heart of Helsinki, only reachable on foot across rickety wooden duckboards that make it feel like you’re walking on water. Setting foot on the island, you’ll meet a welcoming committee of friendly sheep. The only indication you’re in a bustling European capital is the skyscrapers across the water. To get to Kuusiluoto, start from the city’s technology museum (itself well worth visiting, and just a short bus journey from the city centre) and walk a couple of miles along well-marked paths through reed beds. The island has a sauna, woodland trails, free postcards and those most valuable attributes – peace and quiet.
Arran

Snorkel in the coves of Silba, Croatia

I didn’t know much about Silba before I arrived – it’s a small, car-free island with no hotels, just family-run guesthouses. The catamaran from Zadar takes roughly 90 minutes, with several sailings a day during summer. Once there, you can walk on shaded paths through olive groves, find quiet pebble coves with clear water for swimming, and climb the Toreta tower at sunset for great views of the Adriatic. My tip: bring a snorkel, stay at least two nights, and make sure you book your return ferry in advance as the schedules are limited.
Elaine

Stunning vistas in Scotland’s Hebrides

On the community-owned Isle of Eigg, the constantly changing light is so enthralling that you don’t need to do anything else during your stay but say “Look!” and point out beautiful variations of rainbows, sunbursts or cloud formations. Stay at the Laig Beach Bothy and gaze out of the beautiful big windows at the sky, sea and mountains. As Virginia Woolf wrote: “One should not let this gigantic cinema play perpetually to an empty house.”
Anna

Winning tip: France’s wild west

The island of Ouessant (Ushant) is the most westerly point of metropolitan France. It’s a short ferry ride from the mainland, and as wild as it gets. Visit for a day as part of a longer holiday, or stay on the island for your entire trip. You can hire bikes as soon as you step off the ferry. There are beautiful beaches, such as Plage du Prat; impressive lighthouses; and bars and restaurants in the main village of Lampaul.
Airelle

Harrison Solomon was met with backlash over his love triangle with Toni Laites and Lauren Wood on the new series of Love Island, and he’s now addressed it following his departure

Former Love Island star Harrison Solomon has addressed the backlash that he received from viewers. The islander had been criticised by fans amid a love triangle with his co-stars Toni Laites and Lauren Wood whilst in the villa.

Harrison, 22, attracted attention on the ITV2 show for what he described as a “back-and-forth” between his connections with Toni, 24, and Lauren, 26. This included him sleeping with Lauren while estranged from Toni and then encouraging Toni to choose him at the next recoupling.

After recoupling with Toni, footballer Harrison ended up continuing to pursue things with Lauren more recently. Lauren was dumped from the villa last week by the actions of a bombshell and Harrison later left to reunite with her.

During his time on the show, Harrison faced criticism from viewers. And last week, amid his stint on Love Island, a spokesperson for Women’s Aid issued a statement to the Tab, which included mention of women being “lied to, slut-shamed and manipulated, as well as laughed at behind their backs.”

Harrison has now addressed the “backlash” in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying he has found it “hard to digest”. He told the outlet: “I would disagree with a lot of it in terms of my respect for women, I do respect women.”

He said that the “worst” reaction had been from Women’s Aid. He said: “I know myself and the girls on the show too, Toni said she knows I’m not a bad person, just went about situations in the wrong way, but the Women’s Aid statement wasn’t nice … it’s not nice coming out of the villa to my mum upset by that so I would say that’s been the hardest.”

Harrison said that he is “sorry” to the women that he has “hurt,” before saying that he “got it wrong”. He added that the “back and forth” between his connections with Lauren and Toni ended up causing “more harm” than he intended. He however said that it wasn’t “an ego thing”.

The former islander said he isn’t proud of the way he handled things in the villa and won’t “make excuses”. Harrison said that he just wants to “own it” and assured: “If people can give me the space to grow from it, I will do everything I can to be better, and that’s the only thing I can do.”

Harrison added that there’s “no handbook” for dealing with being on a reality TV show like Love Island, which is based on “instincts” and “intentions”. He told the outlet that whilst he got “some of it right,” he also “got a lot of it wrong”.

It’s been suggested that the statement by Women’s Aid particularly upset Harrison due to his relationship with his mother and younger sister. He told the outlet that he prides himself on “standing up for women,” as well as being a “protector,” but is “disappointed” over how he handled himself in the villa.

His comments come just days after viewers saw Harrison quit the show, a day after Lauren was dumped from the villa. Shortly before his departure from the villa, a tearful Harrison had apologised to Toni.

He told her before leaving: “I want you to know that I genuinely am sorry for the way that I’ve treated you in here. […] I think with me being indecisive in here and trying to spare people’s feelings, I feel like I’ve hurt yours more.”

Harrison said: “Deep down, you know I’ve got a good heart but I’ve just not gone about things the right way in here.” Toni went on tell Harrison: “I know you’re not a bad person but you’ve got a big head and you treated me like s**t repeatedly.” He replied: “I know, I’m sorry for that.”

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