lines

Scotland: from coast to coast

Route Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh
Which side should I sit? The right initially, then switch to left
Distance 83 miles (133km)
Time 2hrs 40mins
Frequency 4 trains a day (2 on Sundays)
Ticket £32 single
Operator ScotRail

There is only one rail route in Britain offering views of both the west and east coasts from a regular local train, and that’s the line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh. For the east coast, look out for Cromarty Firth away to the right as the train approaches Dingwall, about half an hour after leaving Inverness. Later, you have good views of west coast sea lochs as the train runs down to the Atlantic coast at Kyle. And in between you’ll find alliterative desolation aplenty as it pauses at Achnashellach, Achnasheen, Achanalt and Attadale.

The last 20 minutes down to Kyle bring a magic panorama of coast, headlands and islands. The sun sparkles on Loch Carron with glorious views north to the wild Applecross peninsula. Seals shuffle for safety as we approach Duncraig and all too soon we are pulling into Kyle of Lochalsh.

Ireland: from Dublin to Wicklow

Route Dublin Connolly to Arklow
Which side? Sit on the left
Distance 50 miles
Time 1hr 45mins
Frequency 6 trains a day (3 on Sat and Sun)
Ticket €8.85 single
Operator Irish Rail

Londoners may be surprised to read that Dublin had commuter trains earlier than the UK capital. Ireland’s first railway ran from Westland Row to Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire), a stretch of track that is now the prelude to a fine route that extends right down to Wexford and Rosslare in the south-east corner of Ireland. The spectacular coastal section just south of Dún Laoghaire is a remarkable piece of engineering as the railway cuts under Bray Head. It was designed by none other than Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and in many ways resembles his celebrated coastal railway at Dawlish in Devon.

South of Bray Head, the railway hugs the coast, with fine views of the Wicklow Hills well off to the west and the Murrough Wetlands closer to hand. Coastal purists may opt to stop at Wicklow, but I recommend staying on board to enjoy a short foray through the hills and down the Vale of Avoca, with its lush woodland. Alight in Arklow where the railway regains the coast again.

Germany: over the sea to the island of Sylt

Route Husum to Keitum
Which side? Sit on the left
Distance 44 miles
Time 1hr
Frequency Hourly trains
Ticket €21.60 single
Operator DB

One cannot fail to be impressed by the determination of the Weimar Republic’s engineers and planners who needed to build a railway to Sylt. This sandy outpost of German territory is the largest of the North Frisian Islands. The traditional route to Sylt relied on a ferry from a mainland port on territory which was ceded to Denmark after the first world war. So a causeway was constructed across the Wadden Sea to reach Sylt. It opened in 1927, and a century later the Hindenburg causeway is still car-free – and since mid-April this year it is for the very first time possible to ride a posh ICE train over the sea to Sylt.

Leaving Husum, a coastal town shaped by the herring trade, we sweep over the town’s harbour on a high bridge. There’s a cluster of fishing boats at the quayside below. Then we glide north over marshlands and meadows, all protected by high dykes to prevent the area from bring inundated.

From the train, you get a real feel for these landscapes with their distant horizons. But the sea seems far away, held at bay by dykes. That changes after Klanxbüll, where the railway turns west and crosses salty mudflats to reach the open sea. Check tide tables and make this journey at high tide – ideally on a stormy day. In such conditions, this is an unforgettable experience. Alight at Keitum, to my mind the nicest village on Sylt. From the station, it is an easy stroll into the village with several cosy cafes and a feast of fine Frisian thatch and gables.

Spain: Galicia’s spectacular fjords

Route Ribadeo to Ferrol
Which side? Sit on the right
Distance 91 miles
Time 3hrs 10mins
Frequency 4 trains a day
Ticket €11.15 single
Operator Renfe

This is a superb short journey that follows the western extremity of Europe’s most extensive narrow-gauge rail network, which runs from the French border at Hendaye through the Basque Country and along Spain’s north coast through Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. I have mixed feelings about the route as a whole, which veers well inland and is often quite humdrum. Hendaye to Ferrol demands 20 hours on trains, but the short ride on the final section is a slow travel adventure running west from Ribadeo, with twists and turns as the train navigates the rugged coastline around Ortigueira.

The tacky beach-front development west of Ribadeo is best ignored. Soon we cut away from the motorway and regain the coast, waves breaking to the right and rich eucalyptus forest to the left. There are superb views across the great rias (estuaries), which are a hallmark of the Galician coast. Look out for Cape Ortegal away to the north. When I rode this route on a mid-winter morning, there were barely a dozen passengers aboard for most of the journey, although numbers picked up on the final half hour as we were joined by shoppers heading into Ferrol.

This is the humblest of local trains – those in search of luxury on rails may prefer the El Transcantabrico charter train, which includes Ribadeo to Ferrol as part of a wider seven-night itinerary – at eye-watering prices.

Italy: Along the Calabrian coast

Route Reggio di Calabria to Soverato
Which side? Sit on the right
Distance 100 miles
Time 2hrs 20mins
Frequency every 1 to 2 hrs
Ticket €11.90 single
Operator Trenitalia

Most tourists on the smart Frecciarossa train down the Calabrian coast decant at Villa San Giovanni to join the ferry to Sicily. From here it is just 15 minutes on to Reggio di Calabria where the fast trains from northern Italy and Rome all terminate. This seems to be the end of the line and the end of Italy. But not quite! For a local railway contours the coast of Calabria, leaving the Strait of Messina to reach Ionian shores.

No other railway in Europe hugs the coast as consistently as this stretch of the Ionian Railway, part of a longer route which extends all the way to faded Taranto in Puglia, more than 290 miles from Reggio di Calabria.

This recommended taster of the line follows the coast around the southernmost tip of mainland Italy. It is a route of capes and bays, olives and oleander, the bright drama of a changing coastline and a sharp contrast to the dark forests of Aspromonte that dominate the hills on the left. Away to the right, there is nothing but the sea between here and the Libyan coast.

Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide (19th edition) by Nicky Gardner & Susanne Kries (Hidden Europe Publications, £21.99). To order a copy for £19.79 go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

WASHINGTON  — The Supreme Court on Thursday broadly upheld lawsuits by U.S. companies whose property was seized in Cuba prior to 1960, including claims against cruise ship lines that docked there in the past decade.

These suits do not seek compensation from Cubans but from those who “traffic in property which was confiscated by the Cuban government.”

In a 8-1 decision, the justices revived a $400-million judgment against four cruise lines whose ships stopped in Havana between 2016 and 2019.

All of them used docks that were built early in the 20th century by the Havana Docks Corporation, an American company.

Justice Clarence Thomas pointed to a rarely enforced 1996 law that authorized suits against those who “use property tainted by a past confiscation.”

Past presidents had suspended enforcement of the law, but President Trump allowed such claims to go forward.

That change in policy exposed “traffickers in confiscated property of United States nationals” to brings claims in federal courts, Thomas said.

The four cruise line companies — Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Carnival Corporation, and MSC Cruises — transported nearly a million paid passengers to Cuba, he wrote.

They paid the Cuban government tens of millions of dollars to do business in Cuba. They collectively earned hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from voyages that included a stop in Havana, he said.

A federal judge in Florida ordered each of the cruise lines to pay $100 million in damages, but the U.S. appeals court in Atlanta blocked the decision by a 2-1 vote. It said Havana Docks Corporation had a contract to run the docks had expired in 2004.

Justice Elena Kagan made the same argument in dissent.

She said “the docks belonged to the Cuban Government — not Havana Docks — all along. What Havana Docks owned was only a property interest allowing it to use those docks for a specified time. And that time-limited interest expired in 2004 — more than a decade before the cruise lines ever used the docks.”

Still pending before the court is a similar claim from Exxon Mobil Corp., which was argued on the day in late February.

Latest votes set up key Senate race, underscore Trump’s continued influence over Republican Party.

Primary elections in Indiana and Ohio have drawn the latest battle lines for the United States midterm elections in November, while underscoring Trump’s continued sway over Republican voters.

In Ohio, voters on Tuesday picked the candidates who will face off in the consequential election, with Democrats picking former Senator Sherrod Brown to take on Republican Jon Husted. Husted replaced Vice President JD Vance when he left his Senate seat for the White House.

The race is considered one of the most consequential, as Democrats face an uphill battle to retake control of the Senate, which currently has a 53-47 Republican majority. Brown has long styled himself as an economic populist, able to cut across party lines, while Republican groups have pledged to spend heavily to defend Husted.

Also in the “Buckeye State”, Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy won the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Ramaswamy, who had a short tenure co-running Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) panel, will face off with Democrat Amy Acton, who led the state’s Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Indiana, meanwhile, Trump’s continued influence over the Republican Party was apparent, even as polls have seen his overall approval rating tank in recent weeks amid economic uncertainty and the US-Israeli war in Iran.

The US president had promised to target Republicans who pushed back on his calls for Indiana to redraw its congressional districts in advance of the midterms. Indiana was one of the few Republican-controlled state legislatures to reject the president’s pressure amid a wider flurry of state redistricting.

Five of the state-level candidates Trump targeted subsequently lost their primary elections on Tuesday. One candidate won, and one race remained too close to call.

State Senator Linda Rogers, one of the ousted Republicans, said Trump’s successful attempt to scuttle her race sent a clear message to others in the party considering opposing the president.

“If someone is going to ask you to take a tough vote, you may think twice about your conscience and what’s best for your community and instead what’s best for you and your career,” she said.

The primary comes shortly before US Representative Thomas Massie in Kentucky and US Senator Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, both Republicans, face punishing primary challenges. Trump is opposing both incumbents.

Massie has been one of the most outspoken critics of the administration, particularly when it comes to the US-Israeli war in Iran and the Department of Justice’s handling of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Cassidy had voted to impeach Trump in 2021 for his role in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol and remained a critic throughout Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign.

While Trump’s influence remained strong in the Indiana primary, it does not necessarily spell Republican success in the general elections.

Recent polls have shown tanking support for Trump among independents, who are unaffiliated with either party and often serve as key deciding factors in close races.

For example, a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll found that 63 percent of US residents nationally place a “great deal or good amount of blame” on Trump for high petrol prices. That rate was the same – 63 percent – for independents.

OLIVIA DEAN is preparing to pull out the big guns for the follow-up to her year of triumph — by enlisting the help of hitmaker extraordinaire Nile Rodgers.

She’s become one of the UK’s favourite musicians thanks to the runaway success of her album The Art Of Loving.

Now I’m told Chic great Nile is keen to work with Olivia and personally reached out to her.

Their teams are looking for space in the schedules to go into the studio together.

A source said: “Nile has his finger on the pulse when it comes to music and thinks Olivia is just amazing.

“He was actually aware of her before her album dropped and is really keen to get in the studio with her.

OLIVIA’S GIG SHOCK

Olivia Dean baffles fans on UK arena tour by NOT performing one huge hit

THE GIG IS UP

Olivia Dean takes swipe at ticket touts as she wants fans to ‘afford shows’

“She really does have the world at her feet and is pretty honoured that such a star wants to work with her.”

Nile has written, produced and performed on albums totalling more than 750million sales.

He has worked on tracks including David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, Duran Duran’s The Reflex and Like A Virgin by Madonna.

More recently, he has contributed to Beyonce’s albums Renaissance and Cowboy Carter, and Coldplay’s tenth album Moon Music.

But Olivia doesn’t have loads of time in her diary right now, having kicked off a debut arena tour in Glasgow last Wednesday.

She has shows in London this week and will stay on the road across Europe and North America until the end of August, before jetting Down Under in October.

Released last September, The Art Of Loving has turned her into a global star, spawning the singles Man I Need, So Easy (To Fall In Love), A Couple Minutes and Let Alone The One You Love.

She proved to have the Midas touch, because after teaming up with Sam Fender on a version of his song Rein Me In, it spent eight weeks at No1 — and is on course to return there this Friday.

Olivia has also achieved career milestones including performing on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 2024.

On how to build her career, Olivia previously said: “Make an album, play Jools Holland and play the Pyramid Stage.

“I’ve done them now, I need to figure out some new goals.”

With Nile by her side, I’m sure Olivia will continue to dominate.

MIS-TEEQ confirmed my story that they’re reuniting to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Lickin’ On Both Sides.

I revealed in January that Alesha Dixon, Sabrina Washington and Su-Elise Nash were discussing getting back together for a one-off performance.

And now Mis-Teeq’s Instagram page has kicked back into action, with a video showing their performances from 2001 – when the record came out.

The biography on their account reads: “25 Years. One Legacy.”

Watch this space.

COOPER: MY SLIM PICKIN’

COUNTRY singer Cooper Alan wants to do the unthinkable and drag Eminem into the world of cowboy music.

In an exclusive chat with Bizarre, the TikTok sensation – who has racked up 11.5million followers – revealed that the Slim Shady rapper tops his dream collaboration list.

Cooper said: “Eminem has always been my favourite. It would probably never happen, but that’d be really cool.

“Eminem on a country song, I think that would be crazy.”

He’s also got another surprise duet in mind, this time with with Scottish brothers The Proclaimers.

He added: “We’ve been covering their 500 Miles as our encore, so we’ll throw their hat in the ring too. Dream collab, The Proclaimers.”

I caught Cooper live in London last week on his To The Pub Tour, and the show was absolute carnage – in the best way possible.

The singer is wrapping up his first UK shows in Glasgow tomorrow, following the release of latest album Winston-Salem.

The New Normal singer had fans battling it out in a beer-chugging contest before pouring pints straight into the front row from the stage.

Laughing about the stunt, he said: “You’d think I’d be better at pouring the beer.

“But it comes out too fast, it goes all over their face.”

After testing their drinking skills, he was full of praise for our crowds.

Cooper said: “I was impressed with the British drinking ability, especially on a Tuesday night.”

That’s those Americans told.

If you want proper drinkers, come to Britain.

MEGAN DITCHES ‘CHEATER’

MEGAN THEE STALLION has broken up with boyfriend Klay Thompson after accusing him of cheating on her.

In a statement confirming her split from the NBA basketball player, she said: “I’ve made the decision to end my relationship with Klay.

“Trust, fidelity and respect are non-negotiable for me in a relationship.

“When those values are compromised, there’s no real path forward.

“I’m taking time to prioritise myself.”

The WAP rapper was with Klay – who’s yet to address the claims – for just under a year.

On Instagram she wrote: “Cheating, had me around your family playing house.

“Got ‘cold feet’. Holding you down through all your HORRIBLE mood swings and treatment of me during basketball season  . . .  now you don’t know if you can be ‘monogamous’???”

FOO FIGHTERS celebrated the release of their album Your Favorite Toy with a launch party in London, then performed two new tracks on Saturday Night Live.

But it looks like the band, above, will be prevented from scoring their seventh No1 album, as Noah Kahan’s new record The Great Divide has sold three times more in the UK since they were both released on Friday.

MADGE BASQUES IN GLORY

SHE might be 67, but it’s clear Madonna can still party hard as she leaves a nightclub in bridal lingerie at 2am yesterday.

Madge, in shades and knee-high boots, hosted a bash at The Abbey in West Hollywood, where she played new track I Feel So Free and also premiered an upcoming song, believed to be called Freedom.

That could well be her third track with that title.

She recorded one for her 1994 Bedtime Stories album, though it didn’t make the cut at the time, and made another during sessions in 2014 and 2015, which wasn’t officially released but did leak online.

There was some chaos at the Los Angeles nightspot as fans grappled to get close to the superstar, who was standing behind the DJ decks.

Punters were pushing and shoving, with one woman pouring her drink over a man’s head.

Celeb fans Addison Rae and Julia Fox were also there.

Let’s hope they didn’t have soggy bonces.

BOY GEORGE FACES UP TO EUROVISION

BOY GEORGE is all set to make his Eurovision debut next month – but it sounds like he’s put less thought into his vocals than how he will react when the scores are revealed.

The singer is featuring on San Marino’s entry Superstar, by Senhit.

He said in an exclusive chat at the London Eurovision Party: “I’ve been to so many awards shows where I’ve been nominated, so I will be able to deal with nerves when it comes to the points.

“You have to learn that face where you’re like, ‘I’m so happy for everyone else’.

“But I’ll be so in it. I think Senhit will be more nervous than me.

“I won’t be nervous on the night, not really. There will be nervous energy and excitement.”

The Culture Club frontman joked he better not get stage fright, adding: “Probably on the night, I’ll be like, ‘Argh, this is huge.

“What if I forget to say the right words?’. I won’t have a lot to do, but sometimes not having much to do can be worse. But I think I’ll be fine.”

He has high hopes that San Marino can beat the UK entry Eins, Zwei, Drei by Look Mum No Computer.

George added: “I’d love us to win. San Marino is a small country. Ireland is not doing Eurovision this year so, they can vote for me as I’m Irish.”

THE ROLLING STONES are having fun with the promo for their new album Foreign Tongues.

They have turned their website into a CCTV geek’s heaven with ten cameras showing them at work.

Producer Andrew Watt, who worked on their last No1 album Hackney Diamonds, features in the videos, and helped shape the ten album tracks.

Insiders said there is a top-secret – and random – collab on the new record, out later this year. I’m told no one would ever guess.

SYDNEY CENTRE STAGE

HONKY tonkin’ Sydney Sweeny squeezed into this tiny corset dress to enjoy the world’s largest country music festival.

She was spotted in the crowd during the Stagecoach event in California.

The actress, who seemed to take inspiration from Madonna’s latest corset look, was seen on top of boyfriend Scooter Braun’s shoulders as they watched Ella Langley perform on Friday evening.

She was then back on Saturday for day two and got on the mic herself, inset.

Her lingerie brand Syrn hosted a pop-up where she belted out Sweet Caroline on karaoke and was joined by showbiz pals Diplo and Lance Bass.

Perhaps a music career beckons next . 

Meta will lay off 8,000 workers while Microsoft is offering buyouts to 8,750 people, a first for the Windows maker.

Meta is laying off about 8,000 workers, or about 10 percent of its workforce, the company has said as it continues to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and highly paid AI-expert hires.

On Thursday, the company said it was making the cuts for the sake of efficiency and to allow new investments in parts of its business, as first reported by Bloomberg, which also said the company will leave about 6,000 jobs unfilled.

Also on Thursday, Microsoft said it was offering voluntary buyouts to thousands of its US employees.

The software giant plans to make the offers in early May to about 8,750 people, or 7 percent of its US workforce, according to two people familiar with the plan who were not authorised to speak about it publicly.

While an alternative to the sudden layoffs removing tech workers from peers like Meta and Oracle, the savings are likely tied to a similar industry upheaval that is requiring huge spending on the costs of artificial intelligence.

Meta has already warned investors that its 2026 expenses will grow significantly — to the range of $162bn to $169bn — driven by infrastructure costs and employee compensation, particularly for the AI experts it has been hiring at eye-popping pay levels.

This week, Meta also said it was breaking ground on an AI-optimised data centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a $1bn investment and its 28th data centre in the US.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives welcomed Meta’s cuts in a note to investors on Thursday.

He said he sees it as part of a strategy of using AI tools to “automate tasks that once required large teams, allowing the company to streamline operations and reduce costs while maintaining productivity, driving an increased need for a leaner operating structure”.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington state, has spent billions of dollars on operating an ever-expanding global network of data centres that power cloud computing services, AI systems and its own suite of productivity tools, including the AI assistant Copilot.

CNBC reported earlier on Thursday on a memo from Microsoft’s chief people officer, Amy Coleman, announcing the voluntary retirement plan.

“Our hope is that this program gives those eligible the choice to take that next step on their own terms, with generous company support,” Coleman wrote, according to CNBC.

Meta stock fell 2.3 percent on Thursday, while Microsoft stock ended the day down 3.97 percent.

The election victory of Hungary’s Tisza party on April 12 marks the end of the 16 year rule of Viktor Orbán, a figure who has long defined Hungary’s contentious relationship with the European Union. His tenure reshaped Hungary’s domestic institutions and repeatedly placed the country at odds with EU norms, laws, and political consensus.

The incoming leadership under Péter Magyar now inherits not only a domestic mandate for change but also the complex task of rebuilding trust with the EU after years of institutional confrontation.

A fractured relationship with Brussels

Under Orbán, Hungary frequently clashed with EU institutions over rule of law, judicial independence, media freedom, and migration policy. One of the most controversial measures was the lowering of the retirement age for judges and prosecutors, which critics argued enabled political reshaping of the judiciary.

Tensions escalated further after 2022, when Hungary’s stance on sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine created repeated deadlocks within EU decision making processes.

Financial pressure also became a key tool of EU leverage. The European Commission suspended billions of euros in funding to Hungary, citing concerns over corruption and democratic backsliding, deepening the political divide.

Allegations and escalating mistrust

Relations deteriorated further following leaked reports alleging that senior Hungarian officials coordinated with Russian counterparts during sensitive EU discussions. These claims intensified accusations within parts of the EU that Hungary had undermined collective decision making during a period of heightened geopolitical tension.

While Budapest has rejected many of these allegations, they contributed to a climate of mistrust that severely weakened Hungary’s position within the bloc.

A new government with a reform mandate

The Tisza party’s victory signals a clear domestic demand for change, particularly around governance and corruption. The new administration has strong incentives to restore relations with the EU, not least because of the approximately 17 billion euros in suspended funding that could be unlocked if conditions are met.

EU leaders, however, have made it clear that financial normalization will depend on compliance with a wide set of governance and legal reforms. These include anti corruption measures, judicial independence safeguards, and adjustments to policies affecting migration and minority rights.

Structural constraints on reform

Despite political momentum for rapprochement, significant obstacles remain. Hungarian society remains more socially conservative and more sceptical of the EU than many of its Western counterparts. This limits the political space for rapid liberal reforms, particularly in sensitive areas such as LGBTQ+ rights and asylum policy.

Economic pressures further complicate the situation. The new government will inherit fiscal strain linked to years of disputed EU funding and broader geopolitical uncertainty, including the economic effects of the ongoing war involving Iran, which has disrupted global energy markets and increased financial volatility.

Ukraine and the Russia question

One of the most sensitive areas in Hungary’s future EU relationship will be its position on Ukraine. While Péter Magyar has signaled a willingness to improve relations with Ukraine and align more closely with NATO and EU policy, key ambiguities remain.

His stated openness to continuing Russian energy imports for the foreseeable future, combined with proposals for a referendum on Ukrainian EU membership, suggests that strategic continuity with aspects of the previous government may persist.

Given public scepticism toward Ukraine within Hungary, any referendum could significantly complicate EU enlargement plans.

Analysis

The end of Orbán’s long tenure represents a clear political inflection point in EU Hungary relations. It removes a persistent source of institutional confrontation and opens the possibility of renewed cooperation with Brussels.

However, the assumption that relations will automatically normalize is overly optimistic. The structural sources of tension between Hungary and the EU extend beyond one leader. They include divergent political cultures, competing interpretations of sovereignty, and deep disagreements over migration, rule of law, and foreign policy alignment.

The new government’s dependence on EU funds gives Brussels significant leverage, but also creates domestic political risk if reforms are perceived as externally imposed. This creates a delicate balancing act between compliance and legitimacy.

On foreign policy, Hungary’s position on Russia and Ukraine will remain the most consequential test. Even partial continuity with previous policies could reintroduce friction at a time when EU unity is under pressure from multiple geopolitical crises.

Ultimately, Orbán’s departure may mark the end of one chapter, but it does not resolve the underlying tensions that have defined Hungary’s relationship with the European project. The reset, while possible, will be gradual, conditional, and politically contested.

With information from Reuters.