local

Travel expert Neil Atkinson has revealed the best Christmas markets in the UK – perfect for those who want a festive break without the huge crowds

With the festive season rapidly drawing near, Christmas markets will soon be springing up throughout Britain. From the hugely popular Winter Wonderland in London to more intimate Christmas fairs, there’s undoubtedly something to suit all tastes – and occasionally it’s the less celebrated venues that turn out to be the most unforgettable.

Neil Atkinson, proprietor of Luxury Group Stay, has shared his favourite picks of under-the-radar Christmas markets delivering genuine festive atmosphere without the packed crowds found in Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh.

He commented: “Some of the best Christmas events are tucked away in smaller spa towns and cathedral cities. They’re often more personal, better value, and filled with genuine local craftsmanship rather than mass-produced souvenirs.”

Underrated UK Christmas markets, according to a travel expert

Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market – Hampshire

Championing Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas market, Neil remarks: “Set in the shadow of the magnificent Winchester Cathedral, this market has become a southern secret for those who want European-style charm without leaving the UK.”

Running from November 21 through to December 22, Winchester’s market provides visitors with opportunities to buy handcrafted presents, artisan food, and premium crafts, all beneath sparkling lights that turn the Cathedral Close into a festive scene.

With the cathedral choir delivering multiple performances throughout this time, it genuinely is pure Christmas enchantment.

Worcester Victorian Christmas Fayre – Worcestershire

From December 4 to 7, Worcester takes a nostalgic trip back in time, with the streets brimming with Victorian-garbed traders, a classic carousel and the enticing aroma of roasting chestnuts for the Victorian Christmas Fayre.

Expect to encounter local artisans peddling crafts, street food and festive beverages, while carol singers and buskers maintain a lively atmosphere.

Durham Christmas Festival – County Durham

Recommending the Durham Christmas Festival, which runs for a mere three days, from December 5 to 7, Neil added: “Few settings are as striking as Durham Cathedral at Christmas.”

This brief festival features a Craft & Producers’ Marquee on Palace Green, a vibrant outdoor market and a Children’s Lantern Parade culminating at the cathedral.

Canterbury Christmas Market – Kent

From November 12 to December 24, Canterbury adds a cathedral-city sparkle with one of the South East’s most scenic markets.

Visitors can anticipate over 170 stalls offering handmade gifts, candles, crafts and festive foods lining the streets under the glow of the city’s ancient cathedral.

The Canterbury Christmas Market strikes an ideal balance between atmosphere and size, showcasing robust local craftsmanship and an abundance of family-friendly activities.

Harrogate Christmas Fayre – North Yorkshire

The Harrogate Christmas Fayre, running from December 5 to 14, is perfect for those who prefer a more leisurely pace when soaking up the festive spirit.

The Harrogate Christmas Fayre, with its approximately 40 adorned chalets scattered throughout the spa town, is a chic, compact and naturally festive option.

Neil commented: “It is beautifully curated, easy to explore, and perfect for a festive weekend with a touch of class. Expect artisanal gifts, gourmet treats, and mulled wine breaks between boutique shops and cosy tearooms.”

Politics in the year after a presidential election are typically focused on local and statewide contests.

But the races decided on Tuesday — which include a pivotal mayoral contest in New York and California’s referendum on congressional redistricting — will have national implications. The gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey will be a report card on President Trump’s second term.

As a result, cable news will be paying special attention. The races will also serve as an important test run for a couple of cable news networks in transition.

“This is the first election of the 2026 midterms, and we know what happens 30 seconds after the mid-terms are over — 2028 starts in earnest,” said Chris Stirewalt, political editor for Nexstar Media Group’s NewsNation. “In New Jersey and Virginia, you have two states that look a lot like the country as a whole. President Trump’s approval ratings in those places is about the same as it is nationally.”

MSNBC will be covering its first election night without the resources of NBC News. The progressive-leaning network — which changes its name to MS NOW on Nov. 15 — is being spun off by parent company Comcast into a new entity called Versant.

NBC News no longer shares correspondents or analysts with MSNBC. The channel’s line-up of opinion hosts including Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber and Lawrence O’Donnell remains intact.

Loyal MSNBC viewers will notice that election data maven Steve Kornacki will not be crunching numbers on his big board. Kornacki signed a new deal last year with NBC, where he works for the news and sports divisions.

Kornacki will be a part of the network’s coverage on NBC News Now, its free streaming channel. “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas is leading the coverage with Hallie Jackson, the network’s senior Washington correspondent; and “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.

MSNBC host Ali Velshi will take on the voter analysis duties previously held down by Kornacki. The network said it will have 15 correspondents reporting throughout the country, including West Coast-based Jacob Soboroff delivering analysis on TikTok.

MSNBC national correspondent Jacob Soboroff.

(MSNBC/Paul Morigi/MSNBC)

CNN will use the night to test the appeal of its new direct-to-consumer streaming service launched last week.

While CNN will have its usual array of anchors and experts led by anchor Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett, the network will also offer an alternative streaming feed featuring its analyst Harry Enten alongside conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and “The Breakfast Club” radio host Charlamagne tha God.

“CNN Election Livecast” will be only be available from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Pacific to subscribers of CNN All Access. The program will be a discussion of the results presented as “a more casual option” for viewers, according to a representative for the network.

The feed will mark the first time CNN, owned by Warner Bros. Discover, has produced full-scale live coverage exclusively for a streaming audience.

Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier of Fox News

(Fox News)

Fox News will rely on anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum for a special telecast at 10 p.m. Eastern and 7 p.m. Pacific, pre-empting its comedic talk show “Gutfeld!”

The 2025 election night will also mark a change in calling the results. All of the major broadcast networks and cable channels will be using data analysis from the Associated Press, which teamed with Fox News and NORC at the University of Chicago several years ago to create an alternative to the research company used by CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN.

Starting Tuesday, all five networks will get voting results at the same time.

Leland Vittert, Elizabeth Vargas and Chris Cuomo will anchor election night coverage for NewsNation.

(NewsNation)

The exception is Nexstar Media Group’s NewsNation, which will use Decision Desk HQ to call its races during its coverage co-anchored by Stirewalt, Chris Cuomo, Leland Vittert and Elizabeth Vargas. The service was the first to call the results of the 2024 presidential election, beating the competition by 15 minutes.

The ability to call the races sooner means more time for analysis, which is expected to lean heavily into what the results say about the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential campaign.

Stirewalt said the night has the potential to set up the political plot lines of the next two years. He believes the passage of Proposition 50 in California and a victory for New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani would elevate Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as 2028 presidential contenders.

“That’s would be a big feather in the cap for AOC, who can say that she’s leading a movement,” Stirewalt said. “Gavin Newsom gets to ring the bell. He gets to say ‘I won. I did something that was controversial. I took it to Donald Trump. I’m delivering a win.’”

With its dramatic, rugged mountain skyline, winding roads and ever-changing weather, the Isle of Skye has long appealed to lovers of the wild. Over the last decade, however, the largest island in the Inner Hebrides has been drawing visitors for other reasons – its dynamic food and drink scene. Leading the way are young Sgitheanach (people from Skye) with a global outlook but a commitment to local, sustainable ingredients. It’s also the result of an engaged community keen to create good, year-round jobs that keep young people on the island.

Calum Montgomery is Skye born and bred, and he’s passionate about showcasing the island’s larder on his menus at Edinbane Lodge. “If someone is coming to Skye I want them to appreciate the landscape, but also the quality of our produce,” he says. “Our mussels, lobster, scallops and crab are second to none.” Montgomery is mindful of the past: “It means everything to me to use the same produce as my ancestors. My grandpa was a lobster fisherman and we’re enjoying shellfish from the same stretch of water, with the same respect for ingredients.”

Montgomery’s A Taste of Skye menu lists the distances his produce has travelled. I eat fat scallops hand-dived in Loch Greshornish (zero miles), and creel-caught lobster from Portree (12 miles) with vegetables, foraged herbs and edible flowers from the kitchen garden and seashore (zero miles). That connection to produce and producers is key. “Last week I took a young chef out with a scallop diver so he could learn what they do. We shucked scallops straight from the water and ate them raw with a squeeze of lemon. ‘That’s the best scallop I’ve ever eaten,’ he said. That’s what we want to bring to the restaurant.”

Driving south, in the shadow of the mighty Cuillin mountains, I meet another culinary ambassador for Skye, Clare Coghill, at Café Cùil. This year Coghill represented Scotland at Tartan Week in New York, serving lobster rolls with whisky butter, and haggis quesadillas from a Manhattan food truck. She initially launched Café Cùil in Hackney, London. Returning home to Skye during the pandemic, a series of pop-ups proved there was a market here too.

Over a machair matcha (topped with dried machair flowers) and delicious blood orange-cured trout, Coghill tells me: “I’m really proud I opened in London, but I couldn’t do what I can do here. Getting fresh ingredients was a huge mission, but here the scallops come straight from the sea to my door. My creel fisherman only speaks to me in Gaelic.” Her love of Skye’s produce, people and landscape is clear across her colourful, creative dishes, all imbued with local flavours, with a twist of Gaelic. “My connection to Gaelic culture and language is so important,” she says. Visitors can use little lesson cards on the tables to learn a few words while they eat.

Skye’s more longstanding food destinations are not resting on their laurels. Kinloch Lodge, a boutique hotel run by Isabella Macdonald in her family’s ancestral home, has long been a foodie destination. Isabella’s mother, Claire, Lady Macdonald OBE, writes well-loved books on Scottish cookery.

The kitchen continues to innovate, with a dynamic young team led by head chef David Cameron. When they’re not in the kitchen the chefs grow herbs and spices in the hotel greenhouse, and forage for wild greens in the gardens and sea herbs like sea aster and scurvygrass from the shoreline of Loch na Dal. In autumn they follow deer trails to find mushrooms in the woods.

I feast on Skye scallops, pak choi and peanuts in a delicious dashi; Shetland cod with Scottish asparagus, and house-smoked lobster. Kinloch’s ghillie, Mitchell Partridge, takes guests out for activities including foraging and fishing “There’s a huge appetite for experiences from our guests,” says Macdonald. “People want to come and really get to know the island and the landscape.”

The whisky industry is also helping to keep young people on Skye, in jobs that last beyond the peak tourism months. Dougie Stewart, operations manager at Torabhaig distillery, tells me: “The fish farm was a big employer in the past, but now most of the jobs are automated. House prices have gone up so much it’s harder for young people to stay. The whisky industry has become a really important employer.”

“Distillers wanted, no experience necessary” was the notice that a then 21-year-old Iona Fraser spotted in her local paper, landing her a job at Torabhaig. “I just took a punt,” she says, “I never thought I’d get a production job, but it was a dream of mine.” Fraser had an interest in whisky, but no relevant qualifications. “To be able to train onsite and learn online was amazing.” Today she is a senior distiller, helping to train new distillers, and has recently created her own whisky using a chocolate malt, which is maturing in barrels when I visit. In other distilleries, that’s an honour usually reserved for retiring distillers. The visitor centre and cafe employ many people from around the Sleat peninsula. “We meld into the community because we brought the community here,” says tour guide manager Anne O’lone.

To pick up supplies for my journey home I stop by Birch, a speciality coffee roaster and bakery serving gleaming pastries and colourful brunch dishes. It’s owned by Niall Munro, who also founded the hugely successful Skye Live music festival. His brother Calum Munro is chef-owner at fine-dining restaurant Scorrybreac in Portree, somewhere I’m desperate to try, but I’ve sadly run out of mealtimes. More local success stories, and incredible food.

“We’re all deeply rooted in Skye,” says Calum Montgomery. “A lot of us left and worked elsewhere. We’d be seeing the produce we knew arrive miles from where it was landed, and it’s just not as good as what we grew up eating. I’m so proud of the whole place now.”

Journeying across Skye, I’m constantly asked where I’ve been and where I’m eating next. It’s a real testament to this food community that everyone is keen to champion other island businesses. It’s collaborative, not competitive, and the quality? Skye-high.

Accommodation was provided by Perle Hotels. Luxury pods at Bracken Hide in Portree from £145 B&B, double rooms at the Marmalade Hotel from £125 B&B

For Scott Smith, the cuts to the Corporation For Public Broadcasting are existential.

He is the general manager of Allegheny Mountain Radio, which he runs alongside programme manager Heather Nidly. The funds were slashed as part of United States President Donald Trump’s vast tax cut and spending bill that was signed into law in July. As a result, the station, which has been on air for more than four decades, lost 65 percent of its funding.

“We are here to serve our communities and to fulfill our mission of giving them news, giving them entertainment, giving them emergency alerts and giving them school closings. We do lost and found pet notices. We do funeral announcements. We have a listing of community events that is read multiple times a day. We do weather forecasts. We’re a critical part of the community,” Smith told Al Jazeera.

The rescissions bill that Trump signed allows the US Congress to claw back funding that had been approved and pulls back $9bn in funding, including $1bn from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CFB). At the end of September, those funds officially dried up.

The money had already been allocated by the previous Congress to fund public media for 2026 and 2027. Now stations are scrambling to find ways to fill the holes.

The Trump administration has gone after news organisations that have presented any critical coverage of him, including the Wall Street Journal, after its coverage of a suggestive letter purportedly written by Trump to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his birthday. In September, he tried to sue The New York Times for allegedly being a “virtual mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party.

His leverage over public media is significant because that is partially funded by federal tax dollars. The White House first signed an executive order to defund public media in May. That was quickly blocked because funding decisions are made by Congress, not the White House.

Next, Trump pressured Congressional Republicans to put forth the rescissions bill that fulfilled the mission of his previous executive order. To justify his call for cuts, in May, the White House released a list of segments from NPR and PBS programmes that it says had liberal bias, as it included many segments about the experience of the trans community.

The White House also cited a report alleging PBS favoured Democrats. That report was from the openly partisan Media Research Center, which has a stated goal to promote conservative values.

A key, but overlooked, problem with the cuts is that they overwhelmingly harm stations that do not even cover the White House or much national politics at all.

Allegheny Mountain Radio (AMR) is one of those stations. Comprising three affiliates for three counties straddling the West Virginia and Virginia border, on their airwaves, listeners will find gospel, folk and country music, as well as coverage of local football games and town hall meetings.

AMR carries NPR’s national newscast and, more importantly, serves as the on-the-ground voice when severe weather hits.

Unlike in other regions of the county, there is no other alternative to get real-time local news. The nearest local news station is several hours away, separated by winding country roads. When there’s severe weather, AMR is the only way locals get vital information like road closure announcements because of floodwaters.

“Just a few years ago, we had a deluge of rain coming down and flooding parts of the county. At that point, when something like that happens, the radio station really is the only way to get that information out quickly to our listeners and let them know where it’s happening,” AMR programme manager Nidly told Al Jazeera.

AMR is in a part of the country where cellphone signal and wireless access are sparse because of its proximity to what is called the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) near the Green Bank Observatory, which limits the use of radio frequency and other signal methods so that they do not interfere with their equipment. This requires special equipment to point radio signals away from the observatory.

With the region’s low population density, there’s a limited business case for a station. But there is a case for public service. The community depends on AMR for emergency alerts – even on a personal level. During major storms, Smith said, people have shown up at their stations when their phones stopped working, asking if AMR could broadcast a message to let their family and friends know they were safe.

Despite their strong community focus, these stations may not benefit from the same level of donor support seen by larger public stations across the country, due to limited local enterprise and resources.

It is trying. In order to stay afloat, the station is actively soliciting donations on its website.

While small community stations – like those serving Bath and Pocahontas Counties in West Virginia, and Highland County, Virginia, through AMR – don’t produce national newscasts or air segments that ruffle feathers in Washington, they are still the ones that are most at risk of being hit hardest.

“Small stations like ours are the ones who will suffer because of these cuts. We feel like we are the baby that got thrown out with the bathwater because there’s so much emphasis on the talking points around NPR and PBS. It’s like the rest of us, the small community stations, have absolutely been forgotten in this equation,” Smith told Al Jazeera.

The cuts, however, hit stations across the US in big markets too. WNYC in New York City lost 4 percent of its funding. WBUR in Boston, San Francisco’s KLAW, and KERA in Dallas, Texas, all saw 5 percent cuts.

Stations like these have large donor bases or “listeners like you”, as their hosts say during pledge drives. Big market stations might be able to make up the difference, says Alex Curley, a former product manager at NPR who recently launched a platform called Adopt A Station, which shows which public media stations are at most risk of losing funding.

“When you think about stations that rely on federal funding for 50 percent or more of their revenue, it’s not because they’re asking for a handout. It’s a literal public service for those stations,” Curley told Al Jazeera.

But in counties where the population is sparse and industry is limited, that donor base is not as plentiful. That’s the case with AMR.

“We are in a very rural area. We are an area where there are not a whole lot of businesses. So that amount of income simply cannot be made up through extra donations or extra underwriting,” Smith added.

In a July Substack post, Curley, who was involved in NPR station finances until he left the network in 2024 amid layoffs, said that 15 percent of stations are at risk of closure. His website has provided some reprieve.

“I only expected maybe a few dozen people to visit the site. My biggest hope was to get a couple of donations that went towards a station at risk. It’s [the website] been shared thousands of times. I’ve even heard from stations that were identified as being at risk of closing. They told me they’re getting an influx of donations from out of state through the site. It’s been an incredible response,” Curley said.

However, he argues, this is a temporary fix.

“The real danger will be in six months, a year, two years, when people have forgotten about public media. These stations basically are losing federal funding forever. Donations in the short term are really great, but in the long term, they’re going to have to figure out ways to keep donors engaged and to keep donations flowing to them, or they might close,” Curley added.

“Public radio is also a lifeline, connecting rural communities to the rest of the nation, and providing life-saving emergency broadcasting and weather alerts. Nearly 3-in-4 Americans say they rely on their public radio stations for alerts and news for their public safety,” NPR’s Katherine Maher said in a statement on July 18 following the Senate vote.

“In fact, while the Senate considered amendments, a 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska, prompting three coastal stations to start broadcasting live tsunami warnings, urging their communities to head to high ground,” Maher said.

Maher declined Al Jazeera’s request for an interview

PBS faces similar pressures, and many of its stations are also at risk of closure, according to Adopt A Station’s data.

“These cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be especially devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas. Many of our stations, which provide access to free, unique local programming and emergency alerts, will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,” PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement after the Senate vote.

Kerger did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for additional comment.

The push to defund public media isn’t a new one for the GOP. Republicans have long argued that the media is not a core function of government. In 2012, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said he would eliminate subsidies to PBS – during a debate moderated, ironically, by then PBS NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer.

In the 1990s, then House Speaker Newt Gingrich promised to “zero out” funding for CPB, arguing it should be privatised. And in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan attempted to slash $80m from public media – roughly $283m today – though Congress blocked the move.

Following global cuts

Cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are the latest wave of the White House cutting back on government-funded media arms, including reductions to the US Agency for Global Media, led in part by senior adviser Kari Lake.

Lake is a former Phoenix, Arizona, news anchor known for denying the 2020 election results in which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden for the presidency. She is also known for promoting baseless conspiracy theories and for refusing to accept her own defeat for governor and senator bids in Arizona in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

She has been behind the agency effectively shuttering Voice of America (VOA), which has not published any new stories or uploaded new videos to its YouTube page since mid-March.

Last month, a federal judge in Washington blocked the firing of workers at VOA, which affected more than 500 staffers. The Trump administration called the decision “outrageous” and vowed to appeal.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which broadcasts in 27 languages across 23 countries, faced challenges similar to VOA. However, the European Union has helped keep the network up and running with $6.2m in emergency funding.

Representatives for the US Agency for Global Media did not respond to our request for comment.

Looming threats to free expression

These cuts come alongside other threats to freedom of expression in the private sector. Soon after the funding cuts were signed into law, Paramount announced the cancellation of The Late Show. The host, comedian Stephen Colbert – a longtime critic of the president – had only days earlier called out Paramount, the show’s parent company, for settling a lawsuit with Trump.

The suit stemmed from Trump’s claim that an interview with his 2024 presidential rival Kamala Harris was doctored. Although the network had initially called the lawsuit meritless, it ultimately settled for $16m. Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe”, noting that Paramount had a then-pending merger with Skydance Media – owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a key Trump ally. The merger has since been approved. Paramount has said that the decision is purely financial in nature.

Months later, following stand-up comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s comments on Charlie Kirk’s death, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on a right-wing podcast to criticise the remarks and urged Disney – the parent company of ABC, where Jimmy Kimmel Live airs – to cancel the show.

Nexstar Media Group – one of the largest TV station operators in the US, and which is waiting on an FCC approval of its merger with Tegna – announced it would no longer carry the programme. Disney subsequently suspended the show, though the decision was short-lived, as it returned to the airwaves within a week.

The White House did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

SAN FRANCISCO — About 24 hours after President Trump declared San Francisco such a crime-ridden “mess” that he was recommending federal forces be sent to restore order, Manit Limlamai, 43, and Kai Saetern, 32, rolled their eyes at the suggestion.

The pair — both in the software industry — were with friends Thursday in Dolores Park, a vibrant green space with sweeping views of downtown, playing volleyball under a blue sky and shining autumn sun. All around them, people sat on benches with books, flew kites, played with dogs or otherwise lounged away the afternoon on blankets in the grass.

Both Limlamai and Saetern said San Francisco of course has issues, and some rougher neighborhoods — but that’s any city.

“I’ve lived here for 10 years and I haven’t felt unsafe, and I’ve lived all over the city,” Saetern said. “Every city has its problems, and I don’t think San Francisco is any different,” but “it’s not a hellscape,” said Limlamai, who has been in the city since 2021.

Both said Trump’s suggestion that he might send in troops was more alarming than reassuring — especially, Limlamai said, on top of his recent remark that American cities should serve as “training grounds” for U.S. military forces.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate at all,” he said. “The military is not trained to do what needs to be done in these cities.”

Across San Francisco, residents, visitors and prominent local leaders expressed similar ideas — if not much sharper condemnation of any troop deployment. None shied away from the fact that San Francisco has problems, especially with homelessness. Several also mentioned a creeping urban decay, and that the city needs a bit of a polish.

But federal troops? That was a hard no.

A range of people on Market Street in downtown San Francisco on Thursday.

“It’s just more of [Trump’s] insanity,” said Peter Hill, 81, as he played chess in a slightly edgier park near City Hall. Hill said using troops domestically was a fascist power play, and “a bad thing for the entire country.”

“It’s fascism,” agreed local activist Wendy Aragon, who was hailing a cab nearby. Her Latino family has been in the country for generations, she said, but she now fears speaking Spanish on the street given that immigration agents have admitted targeting people who look or sound Latino, and troops in the city would only exacerbate those fears. “My community is under attack right now.”

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said troop deployments to the city were “completely unnecessary” and “typical Trump: petty, vindictive retaliation.”

“He wants to attack anyone who he perceives as an enemy, and that includes cities, and so he started with L.A. and Southern California because of its large immigrant community, and then he proceeded to cities with large Black populations like Chicago, and now he’s moving on to cities that are just perceived as very lefty like Portland and now San Francisco,” Wiener said.

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, defended such deployments and noted crime reductions in cities, including Washington, D.C., and Memphis, where local officials — including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat — have embraced them.

“America’s once great cities have descended into chaos and crime as a result of Democrat policies that put criminals first and law-abiding citizens last. Making America Safe Again — especially crime-ridden cities — was a key campaign promise from the President that the American people elected him to fulfill,” Jackson said. “San Francisco Democrats should look at the tremendous results in DC and Memphis and listen to fellow Democrat Mayor Bowser and welcome the President in to clean up their city.”

A police officer shuts the door to his car after a person was allegedly caught carrying a knife near a sign promoting an AI-powered museum exhibit in downtown San Francisco.

A presidential ‘passion’

San Francisco — a bastion of liberal politics that overwhelmingly voted against Trump in the last election — has been derided by the conservative right for generations as a great American jewel lost to destructive progressive policies.

With its tech-heavy economy and downtown core hit hard by the pandemic and the nation’s shift toward remote work, the city has had a particularly rough go in recent years, which only exacerbated its image as a city in decline. That it produced some of Trump’s most prominent political opponents — including Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris — has only made it more of a punching bag.

In August, Trump suggested San Francisco needed federal intervention. “You look at what the Democrats have done to San Francisco — they’ve destroyed it,” he said in the Oval Office. “We’ll clean that one up, too.”

Then, earlier this month, to the chagrin of liberal leaders across the city, Marc Benioff, the billionaire Salesforce founder and Time magazine owner who has long been a booster of San Francisco, said in an interview with the New York Times that he supported Trump and welcomed Guard troops in the city.

“We don’t have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I’m all for it,” Benioff said, just as his company was preparing to open its annual Dreamforce convention in the city, complete with hundreds of private security officers.

The U.S. Constitution generally precludes military forces from serving in police roles in the U.S.

On Friday, Benioff reversed himself and apologized for his earlier stance. “Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco,” he wrote on X.

He also apologized for “the concern” his earlier support for troops in the city had caused, and praised San Francisco’s new mayor, Daniel Lurie, for bringing crime down.

Billionaire Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, also called for federal intervention in the city, writing on his X platform that downtown San Francisco is “a drug zombie apocalypse” and that federal intervention was “the only solution at this point.”

Trump made his latest remarks bashing San Francisco on Wednesday, again from the Oval Office.

Trump said it was “one of our great cities 10 years ago, 15 years ago,” but “now it’s a mess” — and that he was recommending federal forces move into the city to make it safer. “I’m gonna be strongly recommending — at the request of government officials, which is always nice — that you start looking at San Francisco,” he said to leading members of his law enforcement team.

Trump did not specify exactly what sort of deployment he meant, or which kinds of federal forces might be involved. He also didn’t say which local officials had allegedly requested help — a claim Wiener called a lie.

“Every American deserves to live in a community where they’re not afraid of being mugged, murdered, robbed, raped, assaulted or shot, and that’s exactly what our administration is working to deliver,” Trump said, before adding that sending federal forces into American cities had become “a passion” of his.

Kai Saetern, 32, was playing volleyball in Dolores Park on Thursday. Saetern said he has never felt unsafe living in neighborhoods all over the city for the last 10 years.

Crime is down citywide

The responses from San Francisco, both to Benioff and Trump, came swiftly, ranging from calm discouragement to full-blown outrage.

Lurie did not respond directly, but his office pointed reporters to his recent statements that crime is down 30% citywide, homicides are at a 70-year low, car break-ins are at a 22-year low and tent encampments are at their lowest number on record.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Lurie said. “But I trust our local law enforcement.”

San Francisco Dist. Atty. Brooke Jenkins was much more fiery, writing online that Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had turned “so-called public safety and immigration enforcement into a form of government sponsored violence against U.S. citizens, families, and ethnic groups,” and that she stood ready to prosecute federal officers if they harm city residents.

Attendees exit the Dreamforce convention downtown on Thursday in San Francisco.

“If you come to San Francisco and illegally harass our residents … I will not hesitate to do my job and hold you accountable just like I do other violators of the law every single day,” she said.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) — whose seat Wiener is reportedly going to seek — said the city “does not want or need Donald Trump’s chaos” and will continue to increase public safety locally and “without the interference of a President seeking headlines.”

Newsom said the use of federal troops in American cities is a “clear violation” of federal law, and that the state was prepared to challenge any such deployment to San Francisco in court, just as it challenged such deployments in Los Angeles earlier this year.

The federal appellate court that oversees California and much of the American West has so far allowed troops to remain in L.A., but is set to continue hearing arguments in the L.A. case soon.

Trump had used anti-immigration enforcement protests in L.A. as a justification to send troops there. In San Francisco, Newsom said, he lacks any justification or “pretext” whatsoever.

“There’s no existing protest at a federal building. There’s no operation that’s being impeded. I guess it’s just a ‘training ground’ for the President of United States,” Newsom said. “It is grossly illegal, it’s immoral, it’s rather delusional.”

Nancy DeStefanis, 76, a longtime labor and environmental activist who was at San Francisco City Hall on Thursday to complain about Golden Gate Park being shut to regular visitors for paid events, was similarly derisive of troops entering the city.

“As far as I’m concerned, and I think most San Franciscans are concerned, we don’t want troops here. We don’t need them,” she said.

Passengers walk past a cracked window from the Civic Center BART station in downtown San Francisco.

‘An image I don’t want to see’

Not far away, throngs of people wearing Dreamforce lanyards streamed in and out of the Moscone Center, heading back and forth to nearby Market Street and pouring into restaurants, coffee shops and take-out joints. The city’s problems — including homelessness and associated grittiness — were apparent at the corners of the crowds, even as chipper convention ambassadors and security officers moved would-be stragglers along.

Not everyone was keen to be identified discussing Trump or safety in the city, with some citing business reasons and others a fear of Trump retaliating against them. But lots of people had opinions.

Sanjiv, a self-described “techie” in his mid-50s, said he preferred to use only his first name because, although he is a U.S. citizen now, he emigrated from India and didn’t want to stick his neck out by publicly criticizing Trump.

He called homelessness a “rampant problem” in San Francisco, but less so than in the past — and hardly something that would justify sending in military troops.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said. “It’s not like the city’s under siege.”

Claire Roeland, 30, from Austin, Texas, said she has visited San Francisco a handful of times in recent years and had “mixed” experiences. She has family who live in surrounding neighborhoods and find it completely safe, she said, but when she’s in town it’s “predominantly in the business district” — where it’s hard not to be disheartened by the obvious suffering of people with addiction and mental illness and the grime that has accumulated in the emptied-out core.

“There’s a lot of unfortunate urban decay happening, and that makes you feel more unsafe than you actually are,” she said, but there isn’t “any realistic need to send in federal troops.”

She said she doesn’t know what troops would do other than confront homeless people, and “that’s an image I don’t want to see.”

Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.

I can’t think of another time that I was quite as terrified as when I walked alone into an interactive horror maze called “Feast” at a chilling carnival-like event called “The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor: Summoned by the Seas,” which takes place in the parking lot in front of the famously haunted ship, and also in the creepy bowels of its engine rooms, through Nov. 2.

“Dark Harbor,” is the scarier sister event to Griffith Park’s famous “Haunted Hayride.” Both Halloween season fright fests are produced by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which specializes in seasonal terror. The highlight of the nightly carnivals — which include food and drink booths, bars and rides — are a series of interactive mazes populated by bloody monsters, drooling ghouls, murderous clowns, spectral ghosts and maniacal serial killers.

The spooks are largely played by local actors — many of whom come back year after year for a guaranteed paycheck while pursuing a profession that is anything but financially sound. It is to these hardworking artists that the events owe their success. I was struck by just how dedicated the actors were to scaring us mere mortals out of our pants.

The masks, elaborate makeup and props, including butcher knives and bats, surely help the players stay in character— but this is not easy work. The actors must contend with aggressive guests who try to get in their faces (this is against the rules), as well as shrill, shrieking patrons who jump and run as they approach (guilty!).

But the actors are specially trained to handle these reactions and more.

“Each fall, Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor and Los Angeles Haunted Hayride hire a few hundred performers, most of our cast are locals who come back year after year. We hold open calls in the summer and focus on energy, movement, and presence more than traditional acting experience,” wrote “Dark Harbor‘s” general manager, Star Romano, in an email.

After the performers are hired, Romano explained, they attend orientation, safety training and rehearsals leading into opening weekend.

“It’s a huge community effort, part performance, part team reunion, and one of my favorite things about the season,” Romano wrote.

The result of those efforts led to me sleeping with the lights on for two nights straight.

“Get away from me! I’m too scared!” I shouted at one Leatherface-type character as he approached me with a chain saw.

“That’s the whole point,” he growled under his breath before obeying my wishes and lurching off toward another fear-stricken guest.

(NOTE: For a kid-friendly immersive Halloween experience, you can head to the company’s “Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns,” which features 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins on-site at South Coast Botanic Garden.)

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, inviting you to sink into spooky season with me. Here’s your weekly arts and culture news.

On our radar

Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project performs “On the Other Side.”

(Laurent Philippe)

L.A. Dance Project
Renowned choreographer Benjamin Millepied continues his exploration of the intersection of dance and visual art with the ballet triptych “Gems,” featuring artwork by collaborators Barbara Kruger, Liam Gillick, Mark Bradford and others. The performance is composed of three contemporary ballets inspired by precious stones: “Reflections” (2013), “Hearts & Arrows” (2014) and “On the Other Side” (2016). The show — with music by David Lang and Philip Glass — marks the first time these pieces have been staged together.
— Jessica Gelt
7:30 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 25. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. https://thewallis.org/show-details/la-dance-project-gems

New York artist Jon Henry stages photographs that reflect on reports of Black men killed by police.

(The Brick)

Monuments
The most eagerly anticipated theme exhibition this fall is reflected in the emphatic title, pointedly written all in caps. “MONUMENTS” was inspired by the wave of revulsion following the violent 2017 white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. — a deadly riot opposing the proposed removal of a local statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. That statue is now gone, torn down along with some 200 other tributes across the country to American turncoats who supported chattel slavery. (The last known Confederate monument in Southern California was removed in 2020.)
A selection of decommissioned Confederate statues will be shown at MOCA and alternative space the Brick, joint organizers of the exhibition; they’ll be paired with contemporary work by Bethany Collins, Stan Douglas, Leonardo Drew, Jon Henry, Martin Puryear, Hank Willis Thomas, Kara Walker and a dozen other artists, borrowed and commissioned for the occasion.
— Christopher Knight
Thursday through May 3, 2026. Geffen Contemporary at Museum of Contemporary Art, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo; The Brick, 518 N. Western Ave. moca.org

Vikingur Olafsson will perform with conductor Santtu-Matias and Philharmonia.

(Timothy Norris / Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Vikingur Ólafsson join the Philharmonia Orchestra
It’s been almost a decade since Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, a former Dudamel Fellow at the L.A. Phil, last returned to Southern California as a guest conductor of the L.A. Phil. In the meantime, though, he’s been busily attracting attention in London as principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra (having succeeded Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2021). For his first local appearance with the Philharmonia, he is joined by the stellar Icelandic pianist Vikingur Ólafsson in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. The program also includes the local premiere of a new score meant to awaken environmental awareness, popular Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz’s “Si el Oxígeno Fuera Verde” (If Oxygen Were Green), along with Shostakovich‘s Fifth Symphony. Shortly after fall, Ólafsson heads back to Disney in January as soloist with the L.A. Phil for John Adams’ latest piano concerto, “After the Fall.”
— Mark Swed
8 p.m. Tuesday. Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. philharmonicsociety.org

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY

Ethan Remez-Cott, left, and Matthew Goodrich in the play “Amerika or, The Man Who Disappeared.”

(Amanda Weier)

Amerika or, The Man Who Disappeared
There’s Kafkaesque and then there’s the genuine article. Open Fist Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Dietrich Smith’s adaptation of the Franz Kafka novel that details the strange experiences of a 17-year-old European immigrant after he arrives in New York City aboard a steamer.
7:30 p.m. Friday; 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20; through Nov. 22. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. openfist.org

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson–Apt. 2B
Two free-spirited roommates embrace mystery and adventure in the L.A. premiere of Kate Hamill’s dark modern comedy, a gender-bent spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle directed by Amie Farrell.
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 2. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. ictlongbeach.org

नेहा & Neel
Asian American theater collective Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company collaborate for the world premiere of Ankita Raturi’s new comedy about an Indian immigrant and single mom on a cross-country college tour with her 17-year-old American-born son. Directed by East West Players artistic director Lily Tung Crystal.
Through Nov. 16. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, downtown L.A. latinotheaterco.org

17th OC Japan Fair
Japanese culture festival featuring food, shopping, a cosplay show, a tuna cutting show, popular Japanese entertainers, traditional instrument performances, games, kimono models meet and greet, and more.
4 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. oc-japanfair.com

David Roussève will perform “Becoming Daddy AF” Friday and Saturday at the Nimoy.

(Rachel Keane)

Becoming Daddy AF
Renowned dance-theater artist David Roussève presents the West Coast premiere of his experimental movement journey “Becoming Daddy AF.” The piece marks Roussève’s first full-length solo performance in more than two decades and explores themes that have touched and shaped his life, including HIV, genealogy and the loss of his husband of 26 years. (Jessica Gelt)
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu

Unravelled
The story of Canadian biologist Dr. Anne Adams, who turned to painting at age 53, and her remarkable connection to French composer Maurice Ravel, with whom she shared the same rare brain disease. A play infused with music and visual art, written by Jake Broder and directed by James Bonas.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org

SATURDAY

British artist Edmund de Waal will install new work in three sites at the Huntington, including the Chinese garden.

(Linnea Stephan)

The Eight Directions of the Wind
British artist, potter and writer Edmund de Waal is obsessed with archives, which he describes as “places, streets, hillsides as much as card indexes.” For a body of new work, he once traveled to the place in China where the clay used to make porcelain was discovered — and then on to Dresden, Germany; Cornwall, U.K.; and the Appalachian Mountains, where subsequent cultures reinvented it. De Waal’s three site-specific, yearlong installations will be in the Huntington’s cultural and natural “archives” that are its art gallery and Chinese and Japanese gardens. (Christopher Knight)
Through Oct. 26, 2026. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. huntington.org

Lorde performs Saturday at the Kia Forum.

(Scott A Garfitt / Invision/AP)

Lorde
Just as her generation has, by all accounts, sobered up and gone sexless, Lorde returned this year with a defiant album about the giddy rush of partying and the frightening ramifications of a body in search of pleasure. “Virgin” pulls her back to the experimental electro-pop many fans were hoping for after the relatively complacent “Solar Power,” and the album is brimming with startling meditations on pregnancy scares, familial inheritance and the malleability of gender. (August Brown)
7 p.m. Kia Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. thekiaforum.com

Orchidées
Cellist Kate Ellis performs composer Nick Roth’s cello étude — which traces the 100‑million‑year evolution of orchids by translating their DNA sequences into music — accompanied by time‑lapse footage of blooming specimens from the Huntington’s orchid collection. Also available to livestream.
7 p.m. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. huntington.org

Tortoise
The lauded post-punk band performs “Touch,” their first new album in nine years with opening sets from local duo Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer and KCRW DJ Ale Cohen.
8 p.m. Saturday. The Broad, outdoor East West Bank Plaza, 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. thebroad.org

TUESDAY
A Concert for Lowell
A memorial tribute to Lowell Hill, one of the great patrons of new music in L.A., featuring many of the city’s top local artists, including Wild Up, MicroFest, Piano Spheres, the Industry, Partch Ensemble, Monday Evening Concerts, Long Beach Opera and People Inside Electronics.
8 p.m. Monk Space, 4414 W. 2nd Street. brightworknewmusic.com

Morgan Siobhan Green as Eurydice and Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus in the 2022 “Hadestown” North American Tour.

(T Charles Erickson)

Hadestown
The Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical that reimagines the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a New Orleans-style folk opera returns on its latest national tour. “Born out of a concept album by Anaïs Mitchell, who wrote the book, lyrics and music, the show travels to the underworld and back again with liquified grace,” wrote Times theater critic Charles McNulty in a 2022 review. “Developed by Rachel Chavkin, the resourceful director who won a Tony for her staging, ‘Hadestown’ achieves a fluidity of musical theater storytelling that makes an old tale seem startlingly new.”
Through Nov. 2. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com

Learning to Draw
The exhibition traces a 300-year evolution of artistic training and the mastery of drawing in Europe from about 1550 to 1850. Bringing together the physical control of the hand and the concentration of the mind, the foundational artistic act became essential to exploring, inventing and communicating visual ideas in the modern world.
Through Jan. 25, 2026. Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive. getty.edu

Dispatch: Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson

Actor, singer and songwriter Ben Platt stands for a portrait at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

(Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)

Breaking news sure to make L.A. musical theater fans swoon: Center Theatre Group announced Friday that Broadway superstar Ben Platt will be in residency for two weeks and 10 shows at the Ahmanson Theatre , Dec. 12–21. Two-time Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden is set to direct the the residency, appropriately titled, “Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson.” Platt’s appearance comes a year after he staged a wildly successful three-week residency at Broadway’s Palace Theatre, which included a cornucopia of famous special guests including Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Hudson, Kacey Musgraves, Sam Smith, Micaela Diamond and Shoshana Bean. The production is staying mum on who might appear onstage alongside Platt during his L.A. run, but it’s safe to expect more big names.

“When you think of the very best in musical theatre, it simply doesn’t get any better than Ben Platt, whose stage presence and charisma make him one of the seminal performers of his generation,” said CTG’s artistic director, Snehal Desai, in a news release that promised “the holiday event of the season.”

Tickets and information can be found at centertheatregroup.org.

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Bassist Tonya Sweets, from left, Marlon Alexander Vargas and drummer Dee Simone in “littleboy/littleman,” directed by Nancy Medina, at Geffen Playhouse.

(Jeff Lorch)

A tale from a land of immigrants
Rudi Goblen’s “littleboy/littleman” is in the midst of its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. The two-person show about two Nicaragua-born brothers is much like a performance piece, writes Times theater critic Charles McNulty in his review. It’s also a deeply American story. “Lest we forget our past, America is the great democratic experiment precisely because it’s a land of immigrants. Out of many, one — as our national motto, E pluribus unum, has it. How have we lost sight of this basic tenet of high school social studies?” McNulty writes.

Les Miz at 40
I went backstage at the Pantages for the opening night of “Les Misérables,” which happened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the legendary musical. The mood was euphoric and everyone in the cast and crew seemed to have a story about a formative connection to the show. Stage manager Ken Davis walked me through the maze-like wings and filled me in on what it takes to tour a show of this scale. Of particular note: The touring production travels with 11 tractor trailers containing over 1,000 costumes, 120 wigs and hundreds of props.

Patrick Martinez, “Fallen Empire,” 2018, mixed media

(Michael Underwood)

When the sum is less than the whole
Times art critic Christopher Knight was not impressed by “Grounded,” a newly opened exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The show’s theme, rooted in recent acquisitions of contemporary art, is promising, but ultimately falls apart. Viewed as a whole, “the 39 assembled contemporary paintings, sculptures, photographs, textiles and videos by 35 artists based in the Americas and areas of the Pacific underperform,” writes Knight. “Sometimes that’s because the individual work is bland, while elsewhere its pertinence to the shambling theme is stretched to the breaking point,” Knight writes.

Remembering Bernstein
Tuesday marked the 35th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s death, and reminders of the great composer’s tributes to John F. Kennedy abound, writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed. In a piece of commentary about what Bernstein’s work can teach us about memorials, Swed examines multiple L.A. productions rooted in that work, including L.A. Opera’s “West Side Story” and Martha Graham Dance Company’s “En Masse” at the Soraya. Swed also wonders whether those important pieces will reach the Trump administration’s newly configured Kennedy Center in the spring.

Guests attend the K.A.M.P. family fundraiser at the Hammer Museum on Oct. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles.

(Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for Hammer Museum)

Everyone went home happy
UCLA’s Hammer Museum raised nearly $200,000 last weekend with its 16th annual K.A.M.P. (Kids Art Museum Project) fundraiser. More than 700 excited parents and children showed up at the gloriously messy event co-chaired by Aurele Danoff Pelaia and Talia Friedman. Kids roamed the courtyard over the course of four hours, creating art at stations set up and manned by participating artists including Daniel Gibson; Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of the Johnston Marklee architecture firm; Annie Lapin; Ryan Preciado; Rob Reynolds; Jennifer Rochlin; Mindy Shapero; Brooklin A. Soumahoro; and Christopher Suarez. Fairy Gardens were constructed of thick clay and foraged leaves; cardboard boxes were painted with rollers; plates were spray-painted and affixed with knickknacks and jewelry; and geometric shapes were glued to canvases and painted an array of bright colors. Children went home with their art, and parents left knowing they supported a host of free Hammer Kids programs that serve thousands of children and families annually.

Fair wages on Broadway
Musicians working on Broadway, represented by AFM Local 802, voted to authorize a strike earlier this week — with 98% in favor. The nearly 1,200 musicians have been working without a contract since Aug. 31. According to an open letter the musicians sent to the Broadway League on Oct. 1, their demands include: “Fair wages that reflect Broadway’s success. Stable health coverage to allow musicians and their families to enjoy the health benefits that all workers deserve. Employment and income security so that hardworking freelance musicians have some assurance of job security. This includes not eliminating current jobs on Broadway.” Bargaining talks are ongoing.

Gene Hackman co-stars in “Bonnie and Clyde,” alongside Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.

(Associated Press)

Gene Hackman, art collector
The late actor Gene Hackman’s art collection will go up for auction through Bonhams in November. Highlights of the 13-piece collection — which is being offered as a single-owner sale — include works by Milton Avery, Auguste Rodin and Richard Diebenkorn. Hackman was passionate about art throughout his life, and took an extra-special interest in it after he stopped acting. During that time he dedicated himself to taking classes and art-making. He even kept a journal of everything he learned, according to Bonhams.

Historic homes tour
Paging architecture fans: It’s not too late to reserve a spot in Dwell’s open-house event, back in L.A. for its second year. Tours of three historically significant Eastside homes are on offer during the day-long event, which launches from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park. The three additional houses in the tour are: Richard Stampton’s Descanso House in Silver Lake; Taalman Architecture, Terremoto, and interior designer Kathryn McCullough’s Lark House in Mount Washington; and Fung + Blatt’s San Marino House in — you guessed it — San Marino.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Still feeling sad about losing Diane Keaton? Me too. Here’s a list I put together of her 10 most important films. Watch one you haven’t seen — if that’s possible.

Bibury in the Cotswolds has been named the most beautiful village in the world by Forbes Magazine – but for those of us who live here, it’s not quite the fairytale it seems

Being declared the world’s most stunning village might appear like a fantasy come true, but for residents of this picturesque settlement, the reality isn’t quite the fairy tale it appears to be.

Nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds, Bibury has captivated visitors for years with its golden limestone cottages, the renowned Arlington Row featuring its 14th century dwellings, meandering pathways, and the tranquil waters of the River Coln. Now, this acclaim has achieved international recognition.

In Forbes Magazine‘s freshly published 2025 compilation of the world’s 50 most stunning villages, Bibury claimed the top spot – an accolade that, whilst complimentary, has delivered a series of difficulties for those who reside in this community.

READ MORE: Top town centres for shopping revealed – see how your high street rankedREAD MORE: Major UK city named ‘safest’ to live in Scotland beating rival

What was once a tranquil neighbourhood of approximately 600 to 700 inhabitants now regularly welcomes up to 20,000 visitors during a single weekend, reports the Express.

Craig Chapman, chairman of Bibury Parish Council, has voiced concerns about the obstacles accompanying the village’s growing fame, describing it as a “double-edged sword” and noting this recognition has “come at a cost” for residents.

Whilst tourism bolsters the local economy, it simultaneously creates three significant issues, according to Mr Chapman: tourist conduct, parking pandemonium and the narrow roadway.

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, he said: “I’m fairly flabbergasted, having travelled the world, to believe we’re the most attractive village in the world. It’s a great honour, but it’s a little bit of a surprise; there’s a lot of competition out there.”

READ MORE: ‘I’m a Canadian living in the UK and there’s one coastal city I would move to’

Hallstatt in Austria took the runner-up spot in Forbes’ ranking, with Reine in Norway, Giethoorn in the Netherlands, and Gásadalur in the Faroe Islands trailing close behind.

Mr Chapman remarked: “It’s completely a double-edged sword. The issue is very much about the mechanisms whereby people come to the village and when they come here, how they behave, where they park.”

“The reality is we sit on a B-road. The road is narrow, there’s one bridge across the River Coln, which is only wide enough for one vehicle. We’ve suffered greatly from congestion, particularly from the larger coaches.”

He emphasised the need for “harmony” between tourists and locals but acknowledged that recent restrictions were making a difference. Gloucestershire County Council has implemented new measures, including a coach access limit introduced in May and a recommendation last month for tourists to visit in smaller vehicles.

Sept. 20 (UPI) — Sacramento Police officers arrested Anibal Hernandezsantana on Saturday morning for allegedly shooting at the occupied office of a local ABC affiliate.

Hernandezsantana, 64, was arrested on charges that accuse him of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building and negligent discharge of a firearm, KXTV reported.

“Thanks to the diligent work of our responding officers and investigators, the suspect vehicle was identified, leading to a resident in the 5400 block of Carlson Dr.,” the police department posted on X.

Police officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 400 block of Broadway in Sacramento just after 1:30 p.m. PDT on Friday and found evidence of at least three gunshots into a window of the KXTV building.

The FBI assisted the police department in determining a suspect and locating him, according to the Sacramento Police.

They made the arrest at about 6:15 p.m. on Friday, according to KCRA.

Hernandezsantana was booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail near midnight with bail set at $200,000 and was released on Saturday, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The motive for the shooting is under investigation, but it occurred within days of ABC announcing it was suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! over comments that Kimmel made during an opening monologue on Monday regarding the alleged shooter of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

THE best pubs across the country have been revealed – so does your local make the list?

The Great British Pub Awards has announced its shortlist of finalists across categories including Best Beer Pub, Best Pub Garden and Best Country Pub.

6

6

6

The awards are aimed at celebrating the best boozers in the UK.

Six pubs have been nominated in each category, with the eventual winners revealed later this month.

The nominations for Best Beer Pub include the Cask Pub & Kitchen in Pimlico, London.

It claims to have the UK’s first and only vintage beer cellar, which includes beers from the 1950s.

There’s also The Riverhead Brewery Tap in Marsden, Huddersfield, which has its own microbrewery inside.

Blind Jack’s in Knaresborough is a family owned independent traditional pub founded in 1991 that sells highly rated craft beers.

The other nominations for Best Beer Pub include Bowland Beer Hall at Holmes Mill in Clitheroe, Granville’s Beer & Gin House in Horsforth, Leeds, and The Tamworth Tap in Staffordshire.

If you’re a fan of a pub lunch after a walk in the countryside, there’s also a list of the Best Country Pubs.

The Sun Inn in Great Easton, Leicestershire, is in the heart of the Welland Valley.

It says “wet wellies and muddy paws are welcome” and it has a roaring fire to warm you up after your walk.

Meanwhile The Tally Ho Inn in Bouldon, Shropshire, is within the stunning Corvedale Valley.

It’s located centrally between the historic towns of Ludlow and Bridgnorth.

Reviewers say it’s a hidden “beautiful find” with an “outstanding” Sunday lunch.

If you’re heading to the Peak District, it could be worth stopping at The Ashford Arms in Ashford in the Water.

The pub is a stone’s throw from the famous medieval Sheepwash Bridge and there are also hiking opportunities along the River Wye.

The other nominees include The Tollemache Arms in Harrington, Northampton, The Turkey Inn in Laycock, Keighley, and The Fleece Inn in Eversham, Worcestershire.

If you’re looking to make the most of outdoor dining before the weather gets chillier, six pubs have also been nominated for Best Pub Garden.

The Gaggle of Geese in Buckland Newton is set in rural Dorset with five acres of gardens.

It’s got everything you could want, with a skittle alley, crazy golf, pygmy goats and a playbus, as well as camping and glamping.

Meanwhile The Mutton at Hazeley Heath overlooks Hazeley Farm and its garden has boasts blooming flowers and greenery.

A previous Sun review said it has “amazing views, private dining experiences and a huge selection of drinks”.

6

6

6

The historical Black Friar pub in Salford was built in 1886 but laid derelict for over 15 years before it was restored in 2021.

It now has an award-winning garden and outdoor tavern, as well as its famed Glass Room.

The other nominees are Myrtle Tavern in Meanwood, Leeds, the Hare & Hounds in Tingley, Wakefield, and The Old Crown in Digbeth, Birmingham.

Other categories in the awards include Best Pub for Food, Best Pub for Families and Best Pub for Dogs.

You can see more of the nominations below…

BOOZERS are giving away one million free tasters of beer during Cask Ale Week, which begins today.

In a bid to kick-start a cask ale comeback, more than 10,000 pubs will each be offering punters hundreds of samples of freshly poured beer.

4

4

It is hoped that the “Try Before You Buy” campaign will breathe life back into Britain’s signature beer amid a steady, long-term decline in sales as well as in the numbers of pubs selling it.

Hampered by its clichéd reputation as an “old man’s drink”, traditional hand-pulled beers have been slowly bumped off the bar by highly carbonated lagers and craft ales.

However, a growing popularity among younger pub-goers suggests “real ale” may be ripe for a ­renaissance.

Research has revealed that an increasing number of Gen-Z drinkers are choosing cask beers which, in general, are more affordable, lower in alcohol and brewed more naturally.

Heritage status

Figures show that 25 per cent of 18 to 24-year-old beer drinkers ­regularly order cask ales at the pub — an increase of more than 50 per cent on the previous year.

Cask ale’s unique, traditional form of dispense means it is the only type of beer that can’t be sold in shops or supermarkets.

“If more people chose cask ale on just one more of their visits to the pub, it would make a big difference to the future prospects for our ­national drink — and to pubs, which are the only place to sell it,” said Fergus Fitzgerald, head brewer at Suffolk brewer Adnams.

“Ironically, cask beer seems to be more appreciated globally than it is in Britain.

“Incoming tourists put a visit to a traditional pub to enjoy a pint of foaming cask ale close to the top of their ‘must do’ list.

“Equally, many of the world’s top craft beer brewers cite British cask ale as their biggest influence.”

Earlier this year, passionate pub- goers set up a petition calling for the Government to grant cask ale and its surrounding culture Unesco heritage status.

The Unesco accolade, which acknowledges its cultural significance and artisanal practices, has already been granted to Belgian beer, French baguettes and even the “Mediterranean diet’.”

“Local pubs really need local ­customers in order to thrive,” added Fergus.

“Cask Ale Week is an opportunity for drinkers to find the style they most enjoy and show their support for British pubs and British beer.”

WHY WE LOVE IT SO MUCH

IN a bid to highlight the problems facing pubs, The Thinking Drinkers Ben and Tom recently completed “The Great British Pub Ride” – a tandem bike journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats relying ENTIRELY on the hospitality of beautiful British boozers.

At the end of each gruelling day in the saddle, they rewarded themselves with a pint of cask ale.

4

4

Here, Ben explains why he loves cask ale so much:

“The envy of the brewing world yet criminally under-appreciated in this country, cask ale is naturally carbonated beer that undergoes secondary fermentation in the barrel.

It’s unfiltered, unpasteurised, brewery-fresh beer that is poured – alive and kicking – straight from the barrel into your glass.

Comparing cask ale in the pub to a can of mainstream lager is like comparing a freshly baked, warm crusty loaf to a bag of sliced white.

But it’s not a warm beer (served properly, it should be gently sparkling and served at between 11C-13C) and spans a broad spectrum of styles from light, hoppy pale ales and softly sweet amber beers to smooth, rich velvety stouts and super-session friendly low-alcohol brews.

In these austere times, it’s an absolute bargain compared to other beers at the bar.

Even though publicans need to work harder to keep it fresh in the cellar, cask ale costs considerably less than many mainstream lagers.

Lest we forget, it’s a more patriotic pint, too.

When you pay for a pint of cask ale, chances are you’re putting valuable pennies in the pockets of both British brewers and British farmers who provide the succulent barley and aromatic hops.

You simply cannot replicate the joys of real ale while sat on your sofa, so get down to your local, order a fresh pint of cask ale and breathe life back into the beleaguered British boozer.

If we don’t use them, we’ll lose them.”

In 2022, the iconic L.A. comedian Cheech Marin opened an art museum with the hope of inspiring a Chicano art renaissance.

“I looked around and said, ‘This could be the next big art town’ — because the foundations were already there,” Marin told De Los. “There was this kind of nebulous underground here, but [they’ll] reach officialdom when they have their museum.”

Now, as the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture enters its fourth year, Marin said he believes his goal is slowly coming true.

Known colloquially as the Cheech, the museum is widely considered the only space in the nation that exclusively showcases Chicano art. It’s located in Riverside, a majority-Latino city which is also within one of the largest Latino-populated counties in the country.

Since its grand opening on June 17, 2022, the center has housed hundreds of artworks from Marin’s vast private collection, including from prominent artists such as Wayne Alaniz Healy, Judithe Hernández and Frank Romero.

In its first two years, the space attracted over 200,000 visitors, according to an independent study commissioned by the city, with around 90% of attendees coming from outside the Inland Empire. The study also found that the Cheech brought around $29 million into the city’s local economy in that time frame.

“We were recognized as one of the top 50 shows in the world,” Marin said. “The fame of the museum is spreading far and wide, and people are coming from all over the United States.”

While the Cheech grew in nationwide prominence, its artistic director, María Esther Fernández, explained that the museum’s team also worked to fulfill Marin’s goal by taking advantage of its rapid success.

In the last three years, the center has become a hub and vital resource for many of the region’s Chicano artists. It has done this by creating opportunities to network with high-profile individuals, hosting recurring professional development workshops and regularly contracting emerging creatives for different design projects.

Drew Oberjuerge, the center’s former executive director, added that the museum has invested in the region’s economy by hiring locals to help prepare artwork for installation while also paying musicians and other contractors to work throughout their events.

Cheech Marin photographed in the Riverside Art Museum for the unveiling of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture (a.k.a. “The Cheech”) in 2022.

(Gustavo Soriano / For The Times)

Most important for these artists, however, is the space that the Cheech has designated to put their art front and center.

“What we’ve been really lucky to leverage is the visibility of the Cheech,” Fernández said. “We’ve been really dedicated, since we opened, to featuring artists that are emerging or some that are even mid-career in the community gallery.”

Some of the creatives, who have collaborated with the Cheech within the community gallery since it first opened, say the center’s efforts have legitimized their career paths and created new opportunities to help pursue their dreams.

The gallery is located next to the museum’s entrance and is only a fraction of the space given to the other exhibits within the 61,420-square-foot museum — and it feels like being in a waiting room in comparison to the rest of the center too. Yet, on only four small walls, the artists featured in the area have put on powerful exhibitions that tell the region’s story while also making art on par with Marin’s collection.

This includes shows like “Desde los Cielos,” which was co-curated by Perry Picasshoe and Emmanuel Camacho Larios, and looked into the concept of alienness — as well as Cosme Córdova’s “Reflections of Our Stories,” which emphasized a cultural connection between Inland Empire artists, despite the use of vastly different mediums.

Perry Picasshoe stands outside the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture as part of a performance piece in Riverside on July 3, 2025.

(Daniel Hernandez)

In total, the Cheech has held at least seven different exhibitions that showcased artists from across the Inland Empire — at times, catching Marin’s connoisseur eyes.

“I bought a couple of pieces from different artists because they are of that quality,” Marin said. “It’s great to be encouraging local talent as well as recognizing a larger picture that they are a part of, or going to become a part of [the Cheech].”

According to the Cheech’s spokesperson, Marin has purchased three works from Inland Empire-based artist Denise Silva after they curated an exhibition named “Indigenous Futurism” within the gallery. Another piece, created by artist Rosy Cortez, who has been featured in several exhibitions, was purchased by an anonymous donor and added to the center’s permanent collection.

“We’ve also begun to implement an artist fee for artists who are participating in the exhibitions,” Fernández said, adding that her team has assisted in the transportation of larger works of art as well. “Participating in exhibitions can be cost-prohibitive for artists, and so it’s something we’re trying to mitigate in our practices.”

Their most recent exhibition within the community gallery, called “Hecho en Park Avenue,” has been one of their most successful showings, with over 1,300 community members attending its opening earlier this year.

The exhibition’s co-curator, Juan Navarro, explained that the show culminated years of work within Riverside’s Eastside neighborhood. He, along with other Chicano artists, has been creating art within the Latino-dominant community since 2021.

Then, when the Cheech asked them to curate a show, Navarro felt it was the perfect chance to tell the stories of the Eastside’s locals. The response to the final product was more than Navarro could have ever imagined.

“The community showed out: from intellectuals from UC Riverside, from local government, to state government showed up, to the gang members,” Navarro said. He also noted the emotional weight of being recognized for his art, while surrounded by the work of Chicano artists who waited decades for their own to be recognized.

“Seeing this big, broad community and seeing that our show met the need for a diverse audience… It was meaningful to a lot of people, that’s what I cared about.”

The show’s other co-curator, Michelle Espino, also expressed gratitude for the chance to tell the Eastside’s story at the Cheech. Besides being one of its featured artists, Espino worked on many of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the “Hecho en Park Avenue” exhibition.

It was also a full-circle moment for her; years prior, Espino had written about Fernández’s work for a Chicano art history class. This year, she met with Fernández to ask for advice and to finalize plans for the exhibit.

“It [validated] that I do want to continue with this,” Espino said. “She is literally the person I look up to.”

On top of Espino’s one-on-one meetings with the artistic director, she has also enrolled in a few professional development workshops hosted by the center, most recently taking a class that taught both the art of portraiture and poetry. The Cheech regularly partners with a nonprofit organization named the Riverside Arts Council to host professional development classes.

“If we had these resources when I was younger, my trajectory could have probably been a little bit different,” Espino said.

Marin, in his lifelong quest to collect works for his private collection, has seen how Chicano artists have grown their communities in their respective cities. It starts with painters sharing their works with each other through smaller shows, he said, which builds excitement and increases participation. He likened it to a biological process, where each generation builds upon the growth of the previous iteration.

That process is starting in the Inland Empire now, he added.

“We are a part of this big American picture,” Marin said. “And there’s nothing more official that you can do besides having your own museum.”

Hernandez is a freelance writer based in Riverside. This article is part of a De Los initiative to expand coverage of the Inland Empire with funding from the Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity (CIELO) Fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

After Paris sold a record 12 million tickets for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, the group organizing the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is getting a head start on ticket sales.

General registration for 2028 Olympic tickets will open in January 2026, more than a full year ahead of the ticket timeline used during the Paris Games, LA28 announced on Wednesday. Tickets to the Paralympics — coming to L.A. for the first time — will go on sale in 2027.

Beginning next year, fans can register to enter the lottery for Olympic tickets at the organizing committee’s website la28.org. If selected in the random draw, fans will receive a purchase time and date for when ticket drops begin in spring 2026. Fans who are not selected for the first round of ticket drops will be automatically be entered into subsequent ones. LA28 officials plan to announce more information about the process later this year.

Single-event tickets will start at $28, with early access for locals around Olympic venue cities. In addition to major sports zones in Downtown L.A., Exposition Park, the Sepulveda Basin, Long Beach, Inglewood and Carson will host multiple Olympic events. L.A., Long Beach and Carson will host the majority of the Paralympic events.

“The LA28 Games will be an opportunity to purchase a ticket to history,” LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a statement. “Whether you’re a local family attending your first Olympic or Paralympic event or a global traveler joining us for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, there really will be something for everyone across our suite of ticket options and hospitality packages.”

AXS and Eventim, which expanded their partnership with LA28, is the official ticket provider for the 2028 L.A. Olympics and Paralympics. Hospitality packages offered by On Location will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning in early 2026. The ticket-inclusive options include guaranteed accommodations, official LA28 transportation options and premium seating.

The Olympics begin on July 14, 2028, with a dual-venue opening ceremony at the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. They close on July 30 at the Coliseum, while the Paralympics come to L.A. for the first time from Aug. 15-27.

The Paris organizing committee, which sold 9.5 million tickets for the Olympics and 2.5 million for Paralympics, didn’t begin its ticket registration process until November 2022, with the first, bundled ticket sales beginning in February 2023. The total number of tickets sold broke the previous record held by the London Olympics, which still holds the Paralympic record with 2.7 million tickets sold.

BANK branches across the UK continue to close at pace as Lloyds and NatWest confirm more branches are to shut for good in the coming weeks.

Hundreds have already shut so far this year with a staggering 163 more closures in the pipeline for the coming months.

2

2

Banks are set to close a slew of their stores over the coming weeks and months.

In September alone, a total of 26 NatWest branches and 13 Halifax branches will pull down the shutters for good.

The closures are set to extend into October and November as banks grapple with the customer turn toward online and mobile banking.

And banks including NatWest and Lloyds have confirmed even more closures too with some now earmarked for 2026.

Banks and building societies have closed a whopping 6,443 branches since January 2015 equating to 53 closures every month, according to to consumer champion Which?

Sam Richardson, Which?’s deputy editor, said that the closures represent a “seismic shift” in how Brits bank.

NatWest

NatWest is just one of the major banks to be closing a swathe of its sites throughout the UK.

According to the Metro, a NatWest spokesperson said that more than 80% of its current account holders use digital services, and over 97% of retail accounts are opened online.

A total of 54 branches will be pulling the shutters down this year and since 2015, the NatWest Group — which also includes Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank — has shut 1,409 branches.

Full list of NatWest closures

NatWest are closing a huge number of bank branches in the coming weeks and months.

• Abingdon, September 24
• Birmingham (Acocks Green), September 16
• Birmingham (Edgbaston), September 11
• Birmingham (Shirley), October 1
• Birmingham (Smethwick), September 25
• Bicester, September 30
• Bridgwater, October 27
• Bridport, October 29
• Bristol (Fishponds), September 4
• Cardiff (Canton), September 16
• Cardiff (Llanishen), September 11
• Chippenham, October 15
• Cirencester, September 17
• Cwmbran, September 1
• Dorchester, October 22
• Ely, September 10
• Halesowen, September 3
• Hinckley, September 17
• Honiton, October 21
• Luton (Leagrave), September 15
• Leicester (Melton Road), September 2
• Leicester (Oadby), September 10
• Leighton Buzzard, October 28
• Llangefni, September 4
• Lowestoft, October 15
• Melton Mowbray, September 29
• Midsomer Norton, October 8
• Mold, October 21
• Neath, October 13
• Newmarket (Suffolk), September 24
• Northampton (Weston Favell Shopping Centre), September 15
• Paignton, October 2
• Rayleigh, September 2
• Redditch, October 14
• Ringwood, October 1
• Romsey, October 13
• Leamington Spa, October 1
• Stevenage, October 7
• Stratford-upon-Avon, October 8
• Sudbury, September 30
• Trowbridge, October 16
• Wellingborough, October 7
• Wickford, September 18
• Willerby, September 22
• Wisbech, September 1
• Yate, September 25

Expected to be confirmed later:

• Ashby-de-la-Zouch
• Cromer
• Evesham
• Launceston
• Portishead
• Torquay

Lloyds

Lloyds will close a number of its branches for good in the coming weeks with more closures announced for March 2026.

While four branches will shut in September, a further 23 will close for the final time in October and November while 13 more are due to wind down in March next year.

The bank says they assess “impact on customers” when it comes to shutting its branches.

Full list of Lloyds closures

Lloyds are set to close a number of branches before the year is out with 13 also confirmed for 2026.

• Biggleswade, November 5
• Blandford Forum, November 10
• Bristol Bishopsworth (Church Road), November 6
• Bury, October 21
• Chard, November 11
• Coventry (Foleshill), November 4
• Debden, November 12
• Dunstable, November 4
• East Grinstead, November 12
• Feltham, November 4
• Ferndown, November 17
• Hexham, November 5
• Hornchurch, September 11
• Kidderminster, October 16
• Leeds (Armley), September 22
• Loughton, November 12
• London (Tooting), October 8
• London (Walthamstow), October 22
• Manchester (Newton Heath), November 5
• Monmouth, September 12
• Plymstock, November 4
• Pontardawe, November 20
• Sheffield (Woodhouse), November 11
• Shipston-on-Stour, November 11
• Southall, October 15
• Stoke-on-Trent (Trent), October 10
• Thetford, September 12

Those due to close in March 2026 are:

• Briggs, March 3, 2026
• Catheram, March 5, 2026
• Falmouth, March 5, 2026
• Glossop, March 9, 2026
• Houghton-le-Spring, March 10, 2026
• Hucknall, March 4, 2026
• Leominster, March 3, 2026
• Peterlee Yoden Way, March 3, 2026
• Seaton, March 11, 2026
• Sleaford, March 12, 2026
• Thornbury Avon, February 26, 2026
• Tunstall, March 9, 2026
• Wymondham, March 12, 2026

Halifax

Halifax is another bank that have now announced closures for next year.

Lytham Road is due to close in February 2026 while four more will shut the following month.

The bank has previously reported a 48 per cent drop in face-to-face transaction at their branches in the last five years.

Because customers are using branches less, the brand has closed an enormous number in an effort to cut costs.

Full list of Halifax closures

Halifax will close a number of its branches from now through to November and have also earmarked several for closure next year.

• Barrow-in-Furness, September 10
• Bexleyheath, October 23
• Blackpool (Lytham Road), October 29
• Bolton, November 25
• Brentwood, September 10
• Bristol (Kingswood), October 8
• Carmarthen, October 6
• Castleford, September 8
• Cirencester, September 25
• Crewe, October 14
• Derby, October 23
• Eltham, October 29
• Epsom, September 15
• Erdington, September 24
• Folkestone, October 9
• Hayes (Hillingdon), October 6
• Hexham, November 11
• Hove, October 20
• London (Clapham Junction), September 23
• London (Woolwich), October 1
• Long Eaton, September 18
• Mold, October 16
• Monmouth, September 30
• Morecambe, September 29
• Northwich, September 3
• Rhyl, September 23
• Richmond (Surrey), September 16
• Sittingbourne, October 15
• Skegness, September 3
• Southport, October 7
• Stevenage, October 23
• Stretford, October 15
• Telford, October 22
• Thetford, October 1
• Walkden, September 25
• Wallasey, September 4
• Wickford, November 10

Those due to close in 2026 are:

• Birmingham (Beardwood), March 2, 2026
• Lytham Road, February 24, 2026
• Nelson, March 4, 2026
• Peterlee, March 3, 2026
• Sleaford, March 12, 2026

Santander

Santander will be closing a fifth of its branches in a major cost-cutting mission. 

The brand have confirmed 19 branch closures after 14 shut up shop for good in August.

Surrey Quays branch will shut on November 10 while the remaining branches are yet to have a confirmed closure date.

Santander has confirmed previously that 93% of the UK population will still be within 10 miles of a branch

Full list of Santander closures

Santander will close 19 branches but only one has a confirmed date for closure.

• Surrey Quays, November 10
• Bexhill, TBC
• Billericay, TBC
• Dover, TBC
• Droitwich, TBC
• Dunstable, TBC
• East Grinstead, TBC
• Holyhead, TBC
• Ilkley, TBC
• Larne, TBC
• Lytham St Annes, TBC
• Maldon, TBC
• Morley, TBC
• North Walsham, TBC
• Redcar, TBC
• Saffron Walden, TBC
• Turriff, TBC
• Uckfield, TBC
• Urmston, TBC

Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland is closing five of its branches in the remaining months of 2025.

As with Lloyds and Halifax, closures have now been confirmed for next year too.

Wider trends

As of last December, 64% of the branches that were open at the start of 2015 are now closed.

Branch closures peaked in 2017, when 867 sites closed across the UK, more than 70 each month, followed closely by 792 closures in 2018.

But community groups and campaigners point out that the closures are a concern for older people who are less comfortable with digital technology.

Research shows 39 per cent of people aged over 65 do not use online banking, putting them at high risk of financial exclusion.

The Hollywood sign has been blown up in movies, altered by pranksters to read “Hollyweed,” “Jollygood” and “Hollyboob” and saw Tom Cruise staple some Olympic rings on it to promote the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Politicians have used it as a prop for commercials and mailers the way they do kissing a baby or eating a taco. Out-of-town goobers and locals alike hike up to various vantage points around it for a selfie or group shot.

But the crown for the worst stunt involving the monument to everything dreamy and wonderful about L.A. now lies with the Border Patrol.

Earlier this week, Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol sector chief in charge of Trump’s long, hot deportation summer in L.A., posted on social media a photo of him and dozens of his officers posing on a patch of dirt in what looks like Lake Hollywood Park. Behind them is the Hollywood sign.

Arms are crossed. Hands are on belts. A few National Guard troops, one with a K9 unit, join in. None of the faces are masked for once. That’s because they didn’t have to be: Almost every one of them is blurred out.

“This is the team. They’re the ones on the ground, making it happen,” wrote Bovino, one of only two in the photo without a blurry face. “The mean green team is not going anywhere. We are here to stay.” And just in case readers didn’t get that la migra is hard, Bovino concluded his post with a fire emoji.

The faces of these supposedly brave men are more fuzzed out than Bigfoot in that famous footage from 1967.

Jeff Zarrinnam, chairman of the nonprofit in charge of maintaining the Hollywood sign, said “we have to stay neutral on these types of things,” so he didn’t offer his opinion on why a man who spent his summer terrorizing large swaths of the Southland would want to pose there. He did say the Border Patrol didn’t request special access to get closer to it as other politicians have in the past.

“It was probably a team-building effort for them, or a lot of them probably hadn’t seen it before,” he said. “It’s a symbol of America. Maybe that’s why they were standing up there. Who knows?”

L.A. Councilmember Nithya Raman, whose district is where the Hollywood sign stands, was not as charitable.

“To see an icon of this city used for an image designed to instill fear in Angelenos is chilling — particularly on the heels of Monday’s Supreme Court ruling which dealt a devastating blow to a city that has already faced so much hardship this year,” she said in a statement.

Bovino is expected to show up soon in Chicago to oversee the Border Patrol’s invasion of the Windy Cindy. His press team didn’t return my request for an interview or my questions about whether the photo was digitally altered — other than the face blurring and the ultra-sharp focusing on Bovino — and what he hoped to accomplish with it. The sign itself looks shrouded in fog, but who knows? The whole photo has a weirdness about it.

Nevertheless, Bovino’s smirk in the group portrait says it all.

This is a guy who came into town like so many newcomers before him wanting to make it big and willing to do whatever it took. Short, with a high fade haircut and nasal drawl, Bovino quickly became a constant on local news, selling himself as a mix of Andy Griffith (a fellow North Carolina native) and Lt. Col. Kilgore in “Apocalypse Now.”

He starred in slickly produced government-created videos portraying the Border Patrol as warriors on a divine mission to make the City of Angeles safe from immigrant infidels. He claimed local politicians were endangering residents with their sanctuary policies and gleefully thumbed his nose at a temporary restraining order barring indiscriminate raids like those, which the Supreme Court just ruled can start happening again. He was there, a cameraman filming his every strut, when National Guard troops in armed Humvees parked along Whittier Boulevard in July all so Border Patrol agents on horseback could trot through an empty MacArthur Park.

Bovino cheered on via social media when his “mean green team” rented a Penske truck to lure in day laborers at a Westlake Home Depot in August only to detain them. Even worse was Bovino showing up in front of the Japanese American National Museum with a phalanx of migra while California’s political class was inside decrying the gerrymandering push by President Trump. He pleaded ignorance on that last action when Gov. Gavin Newsom and others accused the sector chief of trying to intimidate them even as friendly media just happened to be there, just like they so happened to be embedded with immigration agents all summer as they chased after tamale ladies and day laborers.

Supporters played up his moves as if they were a master class in psyops, with grandiose codenames such as Operation Trojan Horse for the Penske truck raid and Operation Excalibur for the invasion of MacArthur Park. So Bovino and his janissaries posing in front of the Hollywood sign comes off like a hunter posing in front of his killed prey or a taunting postcard to L.A.: Thinking about you. See you soon.

But all of Bovino’s actions grabbed far more non-criminals than actual bad hombres and did nothing to make Southern California safer. Locals have countered his attempt at a shock-and-awe campaign with lawsuits, protests, mutual aid and neighborhood watches that won’t end. That resistance forced la migra to cry to their daddy Trump for National Guard and Marine backup, with an occasional call to the LAPD and L.A. Sheriff’s Department to keep away the boo birds who now track their every move.

Greg: hope you enjoyed your stay in L.A. Congrats — you made it! You’re the star of your own D-level Tinseltown production that no one except pendejos wants to see. You left L.A. as one of the most loathed outsiders since former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Stay gone. Wish you weren’t here.

The sun had just begun its descent when the Mane Street Band took the stage for their weekly Honky Tonk Sunday set at Pioneertown’s Red Dog Saloon. Young adults in hiking gear sipped beers beneath chandeliers shaped like wagon wheels as old timers with gray ponytails and cowboy hats chatted with a tattooed bartender. Outside, a group of parents sat around long picnic tables, ignoring their kids who were messing around in the dirt.

It wasn’t easy to tell who was local and who was just visiting the high desert town founded nearly 80 years ago as a permanent movie set for western films. The warm, neighborly scene felt like further proof of what locals had been telling me all weekend: The fake western town that Hollywood built has finally morphed into an actual western town with an identity of its own.

The Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is a gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

(Simone Lueck / For Time Times)

“This is not Knott’s Berry Farm,” said JoAnne Gosen, a local shopkeeper and goat farmer who moved to the area 21 years ago. “This is a real town and it’s our town.”

After years of upheaval that included skyrocketing home prices, a pandemic-fueled Airbnb boom, a failed proposal for a multi-use event space and a false claim by a reality TV star that she singlehandedly owned the town, residents of this small unincorporated community say Pioneertown is settling into a new equilibrium. The tumultuous era at the town’s landmark roadhouse and concert venue Pappy and Harriet’s appears to have ended as new management repairs relations with the surrounding community. Established businesses like the Red Dog Saloon and the Pioneertown Motel are offering stable employment to locals and transplants alike and more buildings on Pioneertown’s western-themed “Mane St.” are being converted to small, locally run shops.

Locals dance at the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown.

(Simone Lueck / For The Times)

Pioneer Bowl in Pioneertown, California. (Simone Lueck / For The Times)

Visitors will also find there’s much more to do than wait two hours for a table at Pappy and Harriet’s. Weekend tourists can grab a taco at the Red Dog Saloon, browse locally made natural bath products at Xeba Botanica, bowl in a historic bowling alley or explore the Berber-meets-cowboy store Soukie Modern. If you’re there on a Sunday morning, you can even pick up a dozen hand-boiled New York-style bagels if you order ahead.

“It can be difficult for us old-timers to see all the changes,” said Gosen, who spins goat fiber into yarn outside her soap shop on Mane Street most weekends. “I don’t love all the Airbnbs and the residents who can’t afford housing. But at the same time, we’re here on the farm by ourselves most of the week and on the weekend we’re fortunate enough to go into town and meet the most amazing people from all over the world.”

Hey bales are scattered on the main street in Pioneertown, cheekily known as “Mane Street.”

(Simone Lueck / For The Times)

Developers, beware of the ‘Curtis Curse’

Pioneertown has always been a strange, hybrid place: half fake, half real.

The community was founded in the mid-1940s by a consortium of entertainers that included Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and the Sons of the Pioneers, a popular singing group at the time that lent the town their name. It was conceived and led in its early years by Dick Curtis, a 6-foot-3 actor who appeared in more than 230 movies and television shows in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Curtis dreamed of creating a permanent western movie set against the rugged backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains that would also function as a working town with businesses that catered to film crews and residents. The Pioneertown Corp. broke ground in 1946. Among its first buildings were a land office, a beauty parlor, a motel, two restaurants and a feed store — all with Old West facades.

Filming in town mostly stopped in the 1950s, but the area continues to offer visitors and residents a unique mix of fantasy and function decades later. Some buildings like the General Store, the Saddlery and the Post Office house businesses. Others, like the jail, the livery and a barber shop are just facades — great for selfies but little else.

Over the years, people with big dreams and limited understanding of the challenges of building in this particular stretch of desert have tried and failed to bring major developments to the town, which today has about 600 residents. In the ‘60s, a car salesman from Ohio bought the Pioneertown Corp. and proposed plans to create a massive desert resort with townhomes, apartments, lakes and golf courses. He predicted it would eventually draw a population of 35,000. (The business went bankrupt instead.) During the pandemic, a mountain guide and supervising producer for Red Bull Media scared locals with a plan to convert 350 acres into an event space with residences, a recording studio, and an amphitheater that would hold up to 3,000 people. The project was eventually downgraded to a pricey Airbnb and by the time it was completed, he was no longer part of it.

The Film Museum in Pioneertown offers a curated look at the movies and films shot on the Hollywood set turned Western town.

(Simone Lueck / For The Times)

Curt Sautter, who helps curate Pioneertown’s small film history museum, believes the town has been protected from major development by what he calls the Curtis Curse. “You can be successful in Pioneertown, but if you get greedy or you try to do something that messes with the environment or the community itself you will fail,” he said.

Locals know that growth in Pioneertown is inevitable, but they also point to its limitations: the meager local water supply, the lack of a fire department and that there is only one road into and out of town.

“The community wants slow growth that preserves the western character of the town and is compatible with the desert environment,” said Ben Loescher, an architect and president of Friends of Pioneertown, a nonprofit that supports the community.

Richard Lee of 29 Loaves sells freshly baked bagels outside the Pioneertown Motel on Sunday mornings.

(Simone Lueck / For The Times)

What to do in Pioneertown: Bowling, bagels, bingo and more

Today you’ll find signs of measured growth everywhere you look in Pioneertown, making now a great time to visit. Pioneer Bowl, a perfectly preserved 1946 vintage bowling alley with the original murals by a Hollywood set designer on its walls, has just resurfaced its lanes and extended its hours. It’s now open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. A game will cost you $25 and is first come, first served. It used to be impossible to find breakfast in town, but now you’ll find breakfast burritos, tacos and quesadillas at the Red Dog Saloon, which opens everyday at 10 a.m. On Sundays from 8:30 am to 9:30 a.m., Richard Lee of 29 Loaves delivers his fresh baked bagels to those who ordered them in advance outside the Pioneertown Motel. (The cinnamon-date bagels are especially recommended).

Locals at the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown, California. (Simone Lueck / For The Times)

Kids and selfie seekers will enjoy the Pioneertown Petting Zoo where $10 will buy you 20 minutes with chickens, turkeys and a small horse. There is also a little history museum to explore and two old western reenactment groups — Mane Street Stampede and Gunfighters for Hire — who seem to be entertaining themselves as much as they are the audience. (Check their websites for up to date show times.) If you plan ahead, you can also book a hike with goats with Yogi Goats Farm for $95 a person.

Visitors might also consider subscribing to the Pioneertown Gazette, a free weekly newsletter that Pioneertown Motel co-owner Matt French began publishing online in 2023. In it he compiles listings for dozens of concerts, performances, yoga classes and other events happening across the high desert. A personal favorite is Desert Bingo at the Red Dog Saloon 6:30 p.m. on Monday nights, where locals, visitors and transplants gather for a good-natured, foul-mouthed bingo game with a live DJ. One bingo board will cost you $10 and the proceeds benefit a local charity.

Pioneer Bowl in Pioneertown was built in 1946 to entertain film crews. It has recently expanded its hours.

(Simone Lueck / For The Times)

Whether you’re planning to visit for an afternoon or considering moving to the area, you’ll find that this Hollywood movie set, turned ghost town, turned tourist curiosity, turned actual western town offers more to entertain locals and visitors than it has in decades, without sacrificing the western vibe that drew its founders to the area nearly 80 years ago.

“It’s the landscape, and that weird western mythology,” said Loescher. “It’s always been full of individuals who are a little iconoclastic and don’t do things the normal way.”

And no matter how many people come along who dream of changing Pioneertown, the challenging desert environment — and the Curtis Curse — will likely keep it that way.

A sign on Mane St. in Pioneertown.

(Simone Lueck / For The Times)

A Mandria di Murtoli, Corsica

A hamlet of restored rural buildings in the Ortolo valley in Corsica reopened in June as A Mandria di Murtoli. Guests can stay in a former sheepfold, stable or barn, or one of five rooms in the main house. Three of the smaller properties have private pools, all rooms have terraces and there is a big shared pool. The buildings have been refurbished by Corsican craftspeople in a minimalist Mediterranean style, using local materials.

The neighbouring farm has also been revived around a model of subsistence farming: raising livestock, market gardening and growing traditional crops. The restaurant serves Sardinian-influenced food made with the ingredients grown on the estate and sourced from other local farms. There are just 30 seats, some on a terrace with a fire pit under olive and orange trees.

The hamlet is part of the wider Domaine de Murtoli, which has three other places to eat – a traditional Corsican restaurant, a beachfront spot and the Michelin-starred La Table de la Ferme – and offers wine-tasting. It is about 9 miles north to Sartène, an ancient hill town, a few miles south to Erbaju beach, and a little further to the fortress town of Bonifacio.
Doubles from £229 B&B, amandriadimurtoli.com

Rastrello, Umbria, Italy

This boutique hotel is set in the renovated remains of a 500-year-old palazzo, surrounded by its own olive groves (which are hand-raked at harvest time; rastrello means rake in Italian). The palazzo is in the medieval village of Panicale, above Lake Trasimeno. This summer, the hotel opened a new garden annex, increasing the rooms from nine to 16, plus a dipping pool and wellness area. Rooms have wooden floors, stone walls and beams; some have lake views and balconies.

The restaurant, Cucina & Giardino, serves the farm’s award-winning extra-virgin olive oil, ingredients from its organic vegetable gardens and surrounding producers, and Umbrian wines. It has a terrace overlooking the lake and its own cookbook, also featuring villagers’ recipes. Guests can take olive oil-tasting workshops and cooking classes, and go on truffle-hunting walks and wine-tasting tours. The homegrown produce is also used in the spa treatments, with scrubs made from olive oil and crushed olive stones mixed with herbs and citrus, and in herbal teas such as lavender, lemon balm and wildflowers.

Panicale has a grape festival in September. There is a 40-mile walking and cycling path around the lake, which is the fourth biggest in Italy, with cafe stops at waterfront towns such as Passignano. Perugia, the capital of Umbria, is about 35km away – it has an enormous chocolate festival in November.
Doubles from £240 B&B, rastrello.com

Sibbjäns, Gotland, Sweden

This small, family-run farm on the southern tip of Gotland opened a farm‑to-fork restaurant and hotel this summer. Guests stay in the 19th-century farmhouse, which has nine bedrooms, a library, a natural pool and a garden; there are simpler rooms in the adjacent farmstead. By next summer, there will be a sauna, outdoor gym and yoga barn. Visitors can help harvest tomatoes, learn about organic growing and composting, and meet the resident rabbits, chickens, pigs and sheep.

The restaurant serves a four-course set menu year-round and an additional a la carte menu in summer, featuring the farm’s own vegetables, meat and berries, plus local cheese and seafood. Dishes might include kohlrabi with lumpfish roe and a dill and butter sauce; grilled lamb with leeks, legumes and fresh garlic; and raspberries with emmer sponge cake and marigold ice-cream.

Gotland is a foodie hotspot whose specialities include saffron pancakes with dewberry jam, black truffles and purple asparagus, and juniper-flavoured ale. There is a food festival in late September and a truffle festival each November; microbreweries and a vineyard to visit; and more excellent restaurants such as Lilla Bjers, about 4 miles (7km) south of medieval Visby, the capital. The island has sandy beaches, sea stacks, ivy forests and more than 100 nature reserves.
Doubles from £210 B&B, dinner £62pp, sibbjans.se

Stone Barn, County Cork, Ireland

A restored farm building near Skibbereen in West Cork is now a small B&B with two double bedrooms and a converted wagon. The co-owner, Stuart Kearney, is from Northern Ireland but trained as a chef in Stockholm and serves Nordic‑influenced Irish food. Breakfast could be freshly baked bread and pastries, porridge with whiskey-soaked prunes, and home-smoked bacon with eggs laid by his own hens. Kearney cooks a seven-course tasting menu (every night except Wednesdays and Sundays) showcasing his own vegetables and produce from neighbours and local farmers. The menu changes daily but could include Skeaghanore duck breast or miso-cured cod.

The rooms also have a Scandi style; there is a cosy sitting room with a wood burner; and a hot tub. Guests can take walks along the Sheep’s Head Way, and Kearney can recommend cycling routes. Skibbereen, a 12-minute drive away, has pubs and restaurants, a Saturday market and Fields, which opened in 1935 and is said to be the best supermarket in Ireland. Just beyond is Lough Hyne, a salt-water lake – its bioluminescent algae can be seen on a night kayaking trip. Other day trip options include nearby fishing villages such as Baltimore, which has ferries to Sherkin Island and Cape Clear Island.
Doubles from £142 B&B, dinner £65pp, sawdays.co.uk

Quinta Camarena, Alentejo, Portugal

Vera and Cam Camarena have turned a farmhouse in Cercal, a coastal town in Costa Vicentina, south-west Portugal, into an eco retreat. They have backgrounds in fashion (Vera, from Porto) and photography (Cam, from Los Angeles), and the restoration looks great: original features, calming colour schemes and locally made textiles and artworks. Food and wine is part of the package – the couple serve healthy brunches and dinners made with Alentejo produce, run cheese- and jam-making workshops and cooking classes, and organise visits to artisanal bakeries, wineries, organic farms and local markets. They also run a three-night sustainable food and wine retreat, and a “not so serious” surf, yoga and wine retreat.

The newest rooms are in the forest, a few minutes’ walk away from the communal areas, and are multilevel with terraces for sunset views. There are also rooms and apartments in the old country houses; the whole property sleeps 23 (no children under 12) and is pet-friendly.

There are gardens with vegetable plots; a pool, gym, yoga studio and sauna; and hiking trails. Cercal is a short walk away, and it is a 15-minute drive to surf beaches. Lisbon is two hours by car.
Doubles from £95 B&B, quintacamarena.com

Penrhiw Farm, Pembrokeshire

Chef Alan Latter was born and raised on Penrhiw Farm, near Goodwick in north Pembrokeshire, and, after years working in hotels and restaurants, he has returned to run the farm with his partner, Philip. The 17th-century farmhouse is now a four-bedroom B&B, and there is a glamping option in a converted horsebox.

Latter cooks a Welsh breakfast every morning, and offers a fixed two-course kitchen supper every other evening (May to September; on request, October to April). Ingredients are homegrown or locally sourced, including vegetables from the garden; eggs, milk and cheese from the 80-hectare (200-acre) organic farm; and Pembrokeshire meat and seafood.

The menu changes daily – perhaps hake fillet with a herb crust, crushed peas, runner beans, pommes anna and hollandaise sauce, followed by a vanilla Basque cheesecake with blood orange and rhubarb compote. There is a small selection of wines and Welsh beers, or guests are welcome to bring their own.

The rooms are furnished with furniture repurposed from the Dorchester hotel in London, and decorated with Welsh artworks, blankets and ceramics. The big sitting room has an open fire and lots of books, there are beautiful gardens and the farm is on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Sustainable energy comes from an air-source heat pump, solar panels and a wind turbine.
Doubles from £115 B&B, dinner £28pp, penrhiwfarm.co.uk

Tourists visiting France needn’t speak perfect French, but these seven essential phrases can make all the difference in the kind of holiday you experience abroad.

A French cultural advisor has unveiled seven essential phrases that could completely change how locals treat British tourists visiting France.

MaryAnne Sparkes, cultural advisor at cruise company European Waterways, says British visitors needn’t speak perfect French but must master a handful of crucial phrases to avoid being dismissed in the globe’s most-visited destination.

Sparkes counsels British holidaymakers planning journeys across the Channel as she says: “Locals don’t expect fluent French but you do need to say Bonjour and a couple of other key words to avoid offending. In some places one word is your ticket to being treated like a local.”

The cultural advisor explains French etiquette remains hidden until violated, particularly in scenic regions where life follows a customary pace.

“In France etiquette is invisible until you get it wrong. Skipping a simple greeting can instantly brand you as an outsider especially in the prettiest parts of the country” she says.

According to Sparkes, the most vital phrase is “Bonjour” which should never be omitted when entering shops, restaurants or any social environment. “Bonjour isn’t just a greeting. It’s a sign of mutual respect” she points out. “It’s how you announce that you see and acknowledge someone.”

The expert emphasises six additional indispensable phrases British visitors should master before arrival, which include “s’il vous plaît” (please) when requesting anything from café orders to directions. Sparkes observes courtesy operates as social currency in France, with minor pleasantries creating a substantial impact on how residents react.

“Excusez-moi” (excuse me) comes third on the essential list for navigating crowds or making enquiries, followed by “Comment ça va?” (how are you?) which demonstrates genuine concern even during fleeting interactions.

The cultural expert also suggests perfecting “Merci beaucoup” (thank you very much) for any kindness from opening doors to serving meals.

For unavoidable tourist blunders, “Je suis désolé(e)” (I’m sorry) preserves social peace.

The concluding expression “Puis-je…?” (May I…?) should be employed when seeking approval in official circumstances.

The specialist emphasises these expressions prove most effective when spoken with genuine intent rather than flawless accent. “French etiquette isn’t complicated but it is expected. These phrases make the difference between being tolerated and being truly welcomed”, she says.

The advice emerges as statistics demonstrate approximately 17 million British nationals travel to France annually despite its standing as one of the most discourteous nations globally. As increasing numbers of British holidaymakers explore beyond conventional tourist destinations into countryside villages, these social signals become progressively vital.

Whilst fluency remains unnecessary, grasping fundamental cultural standards opens the door to friendlier, more genuine encounters across the nation. Sparkes emphasises that modest linguistic attempts demonstrate respect for French culture, which residents recognise and value.

“You don’t need perfect French. Just showing you’ve made an effort with these few phrases opens doors to genuine connections with locals” she says.

For British holidaymakers planning French getaways, European Waterways recommends practicing these expressions beforehand, observing that even flawed efforts generate favour from residents.

The cultural advisor concludes that learning these seven expressions enables tourists to discover authentic France beneath the tourist veneer.

When tourism genuinely involves local communities it’s a win for all parties – guests enjoy more authentic experiences while the livelihoods of those they are visiting are boosted. We’d love to hear about initiatives you’ve sampled that support grassroots projects and communities – perhaps it was through a homestay programme, a community-run pub or cafe, or an indigenous tour guide keen to provide an insight into local culture. Tell us about where you went and those involved.

The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website.

Keep your tip to about 100 words

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words we will be judging for the competition.

We’re sorry, but for legal reasons you must be a UK resident to enter this competition.

The competition closes on Monday 8 September at 10am GMT/BST

Have a look at our past winners and other tips

Read the terms and conditions here

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Rains sweep away villages in worst-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as rescuers search for 150 missing people.

At least 20 people have been killed when new monsoon rains caused flooding in northwestern Pakistan, local officials say, as the region is ravaged by an unusually intense and deadly monsoon season.

“A cloudburst in the Gadoon area of Swabi completely destroyed several houses, killing more than 20 people,” a local official in the district told the AFP news agency on Monday. Local Pakistani media also reported on the latest deaths due to the flooding.

Three to five villages were wiped out by the huge amount of rain falling in a short period of time, a second official said, confirming the death toll in the worst-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The new deluge comes as rescuers continue to search for 150 people still missing in several districts across the province.

More soon.