making

Travel giant Expedia has shared its top 10 destinations of the year, which are powered by real-time data from daily visitors to its site and app

If you fancy exploring hidden gems, these top 10 spots revealed by the travel giant might be perfect for your upcoming getaway. Expedia’s 2026 destinations of the year list draws on real-time data from daily visitors to its site and app.

The announcement coincides with the travel giant launching its Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel report. It showcases where worldwide interest is surging rapidly.

This year’s selection features France, Italy, alongside more distant locations in Canada and Mexico.

Six of these emerging hotspots also satisfy the requirements for Expedia’s fresh Smart Travel Health Check, which acknowledges destinations that actively manage tourism sustainably, reports the Express.

Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group, said: “Some of my most unforgettable travel moments come from immersing myself in local cultures, supporting local economies, and exploring less-travelled destinations.

“With one billion average monthly travel searches, Expedia Group isn’t just a travel marketplace, we’re a catalyst for positive change.

“We have a responsibility to shape the future of travel: one that’s smarter, more sustainable, and deeply respectful of the places we go.”

Big Sky, Montana, U.S.

Nestled within the Rocky Mountains’ core, Big Sky in Montana provides year-round activities.

During winter months, the area becomes a snow enthusiast’s haven, whilst summer brings spectacular walking routes.

Okinawa, Japan Okinawa

Japan’s southernmost island chain, offers a blend of turquoise waters, coral reefs and a unique Ryukyuan heritage. Once a kingdom in its own right, the region now provides a mix of hospitality, history, and a relaxed island lifestyle.

Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia is a hidden jewel in the Mediterranean, offering crystal-clear waters, ancient history and untouched landscapes. From glamorous beaches to a bustling city, Sardinia provides an Italian getaway without the crowds.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Located off the southwest coast of Vietnam, Phu Quoc Island boasts white sandy beaches and emerald waters. Once a tranquil fishing hub, it’s now a fusion of beach resorts and night markets.

Savoie, France

Tucked away in the French Alps, Savoie is home to world-class ski resorts, making it perfect for a winter holiday. In summer, anticipate hiking, cycling and sailing, as well as indulging in cheese fondue and alpine wines.

Fort Walton Beach, Florida, U.S.

North Florida’s Gulf Coast is a region of exceptional natural beauty, with picturesque beaches and nature walks where you can explore the state’s native parks. It’s the ideal spot for those who love the outdoors, with activities such as snorkelling, hiking and dolphin watching.

Ucluelet, Canada

Visitors to Ucluelet can enjoy surfing, kayaking, and spotting whales and sea lions just offshore. There are also plenty of land-based activities like rock climbing, ziplining, biking and wildlife watching.

Or, if you prefer to relax, there are numerous top hotels and holiday rentals available.

Cotswolds, UK

The Cotswolds, one of England’s most scenic regions, is home to quaint towns like Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold. Here, you can wander through historic gardens, savour a pint in traditional English pubs and tearooms, and admire the iconic Cotswold stone.

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Tucked away in Mexico’s central highlands, San Miguel de Allende is a compact city boasting stunning architecture, ancient religious structures and cobbled streets. It’s renowned for its community of artisans and artists, with some of their finest works on display at the Fabrica La Aurora galleries and studios.

Hobart, Australia

Once notorious as a penal colony, this harbour city has transformed into Tasmania’s cultural heart, drawing food enthusiasts and nature buffs from around the globe. Hobart serves up some of the country’s most inventive cuisine, and its beer, wine and produce are celebrated across Australia.

New York City – For Zohran Mamdani, it starts and ends in Astoria, the Queens neighbourhood he has represented as a state assemblyman for five years, and where he made his first public address following a shock victory in the June Democratic primary for mayor.

On Monday, the 34-year-old made his final appearance before Tuesday’s election day, standing at a playground at dusk, with children laughing in the background.

His message to his army of volunteers, which the campaign has said is made up of more than 100,000: “Leave everything out there on the field”.

“These are the hands that have brought us to this point of making history in this city”, he said, “making history to show that when you focus and fight for working people, you can, in fact, remake the politics of the place that you call home”.

While US President Donald Trump may have gained from deep disquiet over an affordability crisis in the country to win the 2024 presidential vote, Mamdani has argued that it is he and his mayoral campaign that can actually address those challenges in the biggest city of the United States.

Indeed, Trump loomed large on Monday as Mamdani stood before a cadre of cheering canvassers, some clad in the campaign’s ubiquitous yellow beanies, and an equally large horde of local, national and international media.

Just hours earlier, the US president had explicitly endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo, saying New Yorkers must choose the “bad democrat” over the “communist”, a false label he has repeatedly applied to democratic socialist Mamdani.

Soon after, billionaire Elon Musk also threw his support behind Cuomo, a Democrat who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic Party’s primary.

The most recent polls showed Mamdani maintaining a commanding, if shrinking, lead over Cuomo. The late endorsements for the former governor, who has explicitly called on conservatives to jump ship from Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and support him instead, could also further destabilise an already volatile race.

Still, Mamdani’s supporters on Monday said they hoped their candidate’s speech will be a coda on a campaign that has been widely considered as a rebuke to the entrenched, donor-dominated Democratic establishment that Cuomo is seen to represent.

“I feel amazing right now,” said Tasnuva Khan, who was among the canvassers on Monday, adding that the race had revealed both the power of Muslim voters and the city’s fast-growing Bangladeshi community.

Mamdani would be the first Muslim, first person of South Asian descent, and the first person born in Africa to lead the city, if he wins.

“But I’m trying to stay balanced. What wins elections are votes. As long as we kind of stay focused and reach out to our community members, keep canvassing, knocking on doors, then I think we can definitely deliver,” she told Al Jazeera.

But Shabnam Salehezadehi, a dentist from Long Island City, Queens, and a Mamdani supporter, said she feared the mayoral candidate’s real challenges would begin after the election.

Winning is just the bare minimum, she noted, but for Mamdani to enact many of his sweeping pledges – free buses, universal childcare, rent freezes for a large portion of city apartments, paid for by increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy – he must win buy-in from a coalition of both state and city lawmakers.

“I’m really anxious – not so much whether he’ll win or not,” said Salehezadehi, who added she was first drawn to Mamdani for his staunch support of Palestinian rights, a break from the traditional Democratic mainstream.

“I just really hope we have the mandate to show that Zohran Mamdani is the candidate the city vehemently voted for,” she said.

Election day looms

Cuomo also spent the final day of the race cutting across the city, visiting the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn.

In the Fordham neighbourhood of the Bronx, a community representative of some of the minority-dominated working-class areas Cuomo carried in the primary, the former governor stood on a park bench overlooking nearby street vendors.

He decried the “socialist city” New York would become if Mamdani were to win.

“Socialism did not work in Venezuela. Socialism did not work in Cuba. Socialism will not work in New York City,” he said, in what has become a mantra in the final days of the race.

At a subsequent stop in Washington Heights, Manhattan, he replied to a question about the nod from Trump, which comes as Cuomo has already faced scrutiny for sharing many of the same billionaire donors as the Republican president.

“He called me a bad Democrat. First of all, I happen to be a good Democrat and a proud Democrat, and I’m going to stay a proud Democrat. Mamdani is not a communist,” Cuomo said. “He’s a socialist. But we don’t need a socialist mayor either.”

But for Gwendolyn Paige, a 69-year-old special educator from the Bronx, the “socialist label” is not what’s deterring her from voting for Mamdani.

Instead, she pointed to the Cuomo legacy. Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, had also served as governor of the state. The younger Cuomo left his post in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations.

“Cuomo is the only person who will stand up to the Trump administration,” Paige told Al Jazeera from the Fordham neighbourhood, even as she dismissed Trump’s endorsement.

“Listen, tomorrow, Trump will say something else,” she said. “So, I don’t put much stock in it”.

At least 735,000 voters have already cast their ballots in early voting, just a portion of the 4.7 million registered voters in the city.

Polls will be open from 6am to 9pm on Tuesday (11:00 GMT, Tuesday to 02:00 GMT, Wednesday), with a winner expected to emerge in the hours after. The victor will take office in January.

With just hours until election day, some votes are still up for grabs.

Lisa Gonzalez, a retired Army veteran, pointed to dire times for low-income residents of the US, including restrictions on food assistance benefits (SNAP) included in a bill passed by Trump and Republicans earlier this year.

Trump has further threatened to cut federal funding for New York City and deploy the National Guard if Mamdani is elected.

“I’m still deciding. The stakes feel really high,” she said. “So I’m just gonna be very careful tomorrow when I vote”.

STRANGER Things star David Harbour admitted he has “made mistakes” over the last 10 years just WEEKS before ex-wife Lily Allen released her bombshell album.

The couple, who split after a five year marriage in February this year, have had their relationship thrust into the spotlight after Lily’s blistering attack on her marriage on new album, West End Girl.

The 14-track album was dropped last week, but shortly before the release, Harbour briefly spoke about ‘regrets’ while promoting the upcoming final season of Stranger Things.

Talking to Esquire Spain, Harbour was asked to reflect on the past decade of his life in line with how long he has played burly cop Jim Hopper on the show.

He responded by calling it a “hard question” and, while not addressing Lily specifically, he said: “I would change either everything or nothing. 

“You either accept your path completely and realise that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there’s truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that.”

SHOCK CLAIMS

David Harbour faces claims he ‘harassed & bullied’ co-star Millie Bobby Brown

who’s she

Lily Allen has dig at ex David Harbour & dresses as his ‘mistress’ for Halloween

“It’s kind of like a house of cards,” he added. “The minute you try to change one thing you kind of have to change it all.”

Ultimately he said he’d change “everything” and “just make his life happy and silly”, though it would “suck” not to be an actor.

West End Girl

On West End Girl, Lily chronicles her relationship with Harbour, starting with their whirlwind relationship after meeting on Raya in 2019 and setting up their life together in New York.

However, she notes things began to unravel after she landed a part in a West End production of 2:22 A Ghost Story, which required her to come back to London.

She then accuses him of getting close to a woman she names “Madeline”, despite them having an “arrangement” for him to sleep with other people.

Mentioning her on the track ‘Tennis’, fans were abuzz with the question: “Who the f**k is Madeline?”

While Lily has said the album, which features alleged dates and supposed voice notes, is a mixture of fact and fiction, the the real life “Madeline” has spoken out, with New Orleans based costume designer Natalie Tippett, 34, claiming to have been involved in the fling.

David and Natalie reportedly began an affair while working on 2021 film We Have A Ghost, despite marrying Lily the previous year in Las Vegas.

He later allegedly flew Natalie to his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since the album has been released, Harbour has not commented on the claims on the songs – which took Lily 10 days to make and record.

It’s also unclear where the line between fact and fiction stands on the album.

Despite this, Lily made another dig at her ex – dressing up as cartoon character Madeline for Halloween as she partied with friends in Los Angeles.

NEW YORK — Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball was fined $35,000 by the NBA on Thursday for making an obscene gesture on Tuesday night.

Ball was assessed a technical foul for making the gesture with 4:02 to play in the fourth quarter of a 144-117 loss to Miami. He finished the game with 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Ball leads the Hornets in all three categories through their first four games with averages of 26.3 points, 9.5 assists and 8.3 rebounds.

Charlotte hosts the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.

Although Liverpool’s starting 11 included 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha and 18-year-old midfielders Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison, the line-up also included seven full internationals.

Slot opted for three central defenders, with Scotland’s Andy Robertson on the left, England’s Joe Gomez in the middle and Japan’s Wataru Endo on the right.

Both full-backs have also represented their country too, with left-back Milos Kerkez a regular for Hungary, while Calvin Ramsay has played for Scotland.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner felt it was “disrespectful” to suggest Liverpool had fielded a weakened team and believed his side deserved all the credit.

“It was Arne Slot’s decision and we never care what other teams are doing,” said the Eagles boss. “I’ve seen Joe Gomez play for England, win the Champions League, seen Wataru Endo I don’t know how many games for Japan, I’ve seen Alexis Mac Allister, he won the World Cup as a starter, Kerkez moved for £40m, [Federico] Chiesa plays for the [Italy] national team, Ngumoha has shown he can score goals in the Premier League.

“It was still a good team and everyone is a member of the Liverpool squad. I was never good enough to be in the Liverpool squad. Maybe it was not the strongest team, but still a very good Liverpool side.”

For Slot, this match will be forgotten about if they can get positive results against Villa, Real and Manchester City.

“If they beat Villa and Real Madrid, and they start to turn a corner, then yes it will have paid off,” added Warnock. “If it isn’t and things continue, then Liverpool fans will get disgruntled.

“Managers don’t make changes for no reason. But when you need a victory, this was the ideal time to get it.”

As Slot pointed out, Liverpool’s recent poor run was unacceptable and he will be demanding, and hoping, for an immediate improvement in performances and results to relieve the pressure.

If you want to see a player whose impact is growing, go watch South Gate junior quarterback Michael Gonzalez. He’s listed as 5 feet 9 on the Rams’ roster, but what an arm he has and he can run, too.

He passed for 273 yards last week in a loss to Garfield. He has passed for 1,999 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight games. He’s also scored six touchdowns.

Receiver Nicholas Fonseca, another junior, has 52 receptions for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was the City Section Division II player of the year last season.

South Gate is 5-3, with the duo leading the way. The Rams’ passing attack could set them apart for the Division I playoffs.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

WASHINGTON — President Trump is making this government shutdown unlike any the country has ever seen, enabling his budget office a rare authority to pick winners and losers — who gets paid or fired — in an unprecedented restructuring across the federal workforce.

As the shutdown enters its third week, the Office and Management and Budget said Tuesday it’s preparing to “batten down the hatches” with more reductions in force to come. The president calls budget chief Russ Vought the “grim reaper” who’s seized on the opportunity to fund Trump’s priorities, paying the military while slashing employees in health, education, the sciences and other areas with actions that have been criticized as illegal and are facing court challenges.

“Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait,” OMB said in a social media post.

With Congress at a standstill — the Republican-led House refusing to return to session and the Senate stuck in a loop of failed votes to reopen government as Democrats demand health care funds — the White House’s budget office quickly filled the void.

From Project 2025 to the White House

Vought, a chief architect of the conservative Project 2025 policy book, is reshaping the size and scope of federal government in ways similar to those envisioned in the blueprint. It is exactly what certain lawmakers, particularly Democrats, feared if Congress failed to fund the government.

Trump’s priorities — supporting the military and pursuing his mass deportation agenda — have been kept largely uninterrupted, despite the closures. But employees in health, education, the sciences and other federal departments are among those being laid off. As many as 750,000 workers are being furloughed.

“Donald Trump and Russ Vought and all of their cronies are using this moment to terrorize these patriots,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., standing with federal workers Tuesday outside the White House budget office.

Van Hollen said it’s “a big fat lie” when Trump and his budget director say that the shutdown is making them fire federal workers. “It is also illegal and we will see them in court,” Van Hollen said.

Shutdown grinds into a third week

Now on its 14th day, the federal closure is quickly becoming among the longest government shutdowns. Congress failed to meet the Oct. 1 deadline to pass the annual appropriations bills needed to fund the government as the Democrats demanded a deal to preserve expiring health care funds that provide subsidies for people to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday said he has nothing to negotiate with the Democrats until they vote to reopen the government.

The Republican speaker welcomed OMB’s latest actions to pay some workers and fire others.

“They have every right to move the funds around,” Johnson said at a press conference at the Capitol. If the Democrats want to challenge the Trump administration in court, Johnson said, “bring it.”

Typically, federal workers are furloughed during a lapse in funding, traditionally with back pay once government funding is restored. But Vought’s budget office announced late last week the reductions in forces had begun. More than 4,000 workers received layoff notices over the weekend.

Military pay, deportations on track

At the same time, Trump instructed the military to find money to ensure service personnel wouldn’t miss paychecks this week. The Pentagon said over the weekend it was able to tap $8 billion in unused research and development funds to make payroll.

On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency was relying on Trump’s big tax cuts law for funding to make sure members of the Coast Guard, which falls under the department, are also paid.

“We at DHS worked out an innovative solution to make sure that didn’t happen,” Noem said in a statement. Thanks to “the One Big Beautiful Bill,” she said, “the brave men and women of the US Coast Guard will not miss a paycheck this week.”

In past shutdowns, the Office of Management and Budget has overseen agency plans during the lapse in federal fundings, ensuring which workers are essential and remain on the job. Vought, however, has taken his role further by speaking openly about his plans to go after the federal workforce.

As agencies started making their shutdown plans, Vought’s OMB encouraged department heads to consider reductions in force, an unheard of action. The budget office’s general counsel, Mark Paoletta suggested in a draft memo that the workforce may not be automatically eligible for back pay once government reopens.

‘Grim reaper’ replaces Elon Musk’s chainsaw

Trump posted an AI-generated video last week that portrayed Vought dressed with cloak and dagger, against the backdrop of the classic rock staple “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”

“Every authoritarian leader has had his grim reaper. Russell Vought is Donald Trump’s,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, the senior Democrat from Maryland.

Hoyer compared the budget chief to billionaire Elon Musk wielding a chainsaw earlier this year as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s slashing of the workforce “Vought swings his scythe through the federal government as thoughtlessly,” he said.

In many ways, the “Big, Beautiful Bill, Act” as the law is commonly called, gives the White House a vast new allotment of federal funding for its priority projects, separate from the regular appropriations process in Congress.

The package unleashed some $175 billion for the Pentagon, including for the Golden Dome missile shield and other priority projects, and another $175 million to Homeland Security largely for Trump’s mass deportation agenda. It also included extra funds for Vought’s work at OMB.

Trump’s big bill provides billions

Certain funds from the “big bill” are available to be used during the shutdown, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

“The Administration also could decide to use mandatory funding provided in the 2025 reconciliation act or other sources of mandatory funding to continue activities financed by those direct appropriations at various agencies,” according to CBO.

The CBO cited the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of Management and Budget as among those that received eligible funds under the law..

Mascaro writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

If you fancy escaping the wind, rain and gloomy mornings this half term there’s a beautiful, Mediterranean island lined with stunning beaches where the sun is still shining

The long hot days of summer are well and truly behind us and after being spoiled with numerous heatwaves this year, the cold nip of autumn may be biting a little more fiercely than usual.

As half term approaches, the dark and early school starts could be starting to take their toll on the kids too. Tired from the stresses of their new routines with different teachers and classes, a trip away may be just what the whole family needs.

If the thought of some late October sun appeals before the madness of Christmas descends and the UK weather gets even colder, there are places where the temperatures still remain pleasantly warm.

READ MORE: Spain’s lesser-known ‘Garden of Europe’ that’s 21C in November gets new UK flightsREAD MORE: The fabulous village with stunning river views crowned one of UK’s best places to live

Located south of Turkey and southeast of Greece, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. While many other tourist hotspots have already closed or are winding down for the winter, the main resorts here are still open in at this time of year.

This makes it the ideal place to head off for half term for some much needed rest and relaxation. The weather should also be on your side too because it’s one of the warmest places in this part of the European Union thanks to its subtropical climate.

The summer generally lasts eight months from April through to November, and temperatures during October can reach 28C or higher on occasion. Even in the cooler four months, it’s possible to enjoy 20C. Coastal areas in December are blessed with as many hours of sunshine as London gets in May on average, so sun seekers are certainly well catered for.

Luckily there is more than 400 miles of coastline to enjoy as well where you can partake in some water sports, watch the world go by in the many beachside bars and indulge in the delicious local cuisine at the numerous restaurants.

Resorts make the most of their sun-soaked climate and welcome holidaymakers late into the season. In high summer, the beaches in Protaras and Ayia Napa are heaving in but by this time of year they are much calmer, so great for families to make the most of with the sea temperature averaging around 24C.

Those with younger children or elderly travellers may prefer the sandy, tranquil beach of Fig Tree Bay in Protaras where it’s possible to explore the beautiful turquoise waters with a spot of snorkelling or on a boat trip. Limassol offers a long stretch of gorgeous coastline with some Blue Flag beaches and a stunning marina.

On the East Coast restaurants and kids’ clubs in Paphos and Limassol are still running and lively. For children who are too old for hotel clubs and making sandcastles, there’s plenty to entertain them too. The island has lots of water and amusement parks. Party town Ayia Napa is home to a number, with the Greek mythology-themed WaterWorld being the most famous, while the naturally landscaped Aphrodite Waterpark is situated in Paphos.

If culture is more your thing, or you want to enlighten the kids a little on their break, you can soak up the rich history of Cyprus, birthplace of Aphrodite, by visiting some of the many churches in Larnaca or relics from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras The Tombs of the Kings is definitely worth a look. The UNESCO World Heritage Site offers visitors a glimpse into the mysterious burial practices in underground tombs dating back to the 4th century.

Recent visitors to Cyprus have shared their experiences on TripAdvisor, with one advising on the weather during autumn. “We have been four times to Paphos in October,” they wrote. “The temperature in mid October in the early afternoon has been around 28 degrees with beautiful blue skies. We have been able to eat outside in the early evening and used a pashmina later.

“Could still swim in the pool but it was a bit chilly. The sea, however, was fine to swim in.” Another added: “We’re always there mid-October and it’s lovely – still short sleeves in the evenings.”

HE IS the English striker formerly of Stoke, Yeovil and Weymouth in a  shootout for the MLS Golden Boot with Lionel Messi.

Sam Surridge, now of Nashville SC, is on 23 league strikes, just one behind the Greatest Of All Time — as well as LAFC’s Denis Bouanga — in the Stateside goalscoring stakes.

5

5

The ex-England Under-21 international has the odds stacked against him as he has only one game left to take the crown, as opposed to Messi’s two and Bouanga’s three.

And, in an exciting twist of fixture fate, that solitary match is at home to the iconic Argentinian’s Inter Miami a week today.

Yet Surridge, who played in the Premier League with Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, told SunSport: “I’ve probably got to get a hat-trick so it’s not going to be easy.

“But at the same time I’ll always back myself to score and it would be an amazing achievement.

“We’re fighting at a really good point in our league. We just won the cup and we need to get into the top four to get a good play-off spot.

“I’ll do as much as I can to do it.

“It’s great. Just to mention my name along with his is a huge achievement.”

Berkshire-born Surridge came through the ranks at Bournemouth under Eddie Howe and had formative lower-league loans at Weymouth, Poole Town, Yeovil, Oldham and Swansea.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

He had a half a season at Stoke before moving to  Forest, where he played 20 Premier League games in 2022-23 but netted only once.

His world has changed completely, however, since moving to the other side of the Pond in 2023.

He is now the main man with Tennessee side Nashville.

Though he has Messi to thank for convincing him to make the revitalising switch in the first place.

Surridge will hope his upcoming meeting with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner goes better than the last one, when Miami won 2-1 thanks to Messi’s double — including a sublime free-kick.

The 27-year-old added: “At first I didn’t want to come here because I just wanted to stay in England.

“But then I saw Messi join Inter Miami and I knew they were going to host the World Cup and the size of the league was going to grow.

“Since I’ve been here, the standard has been getting better and better every year.

“Going into that game against Miami in July, we were on a ten-game unbeaten streak, I was on 16, he was on 14.

‘IT WAS CRAZY’

“I remember we gave a foul away on the edge of the box and you just knew he was going to score from it.

“It was crazy — you knew exactly where he was going to put the ball. And he did.

“You’re trying to focus on the game but at the same time you know he’s playing. It’s not easy.

“He is coming to the end of his career but he only won the Ballon d’Or two years ago.”

Surridge has been relishing his role as Nashville’s go-to guy up top and recently scored the match-winning goal to clinch the US Open Cup — America’s equivalent of the FA Cup.

It was the first piece of silverware in Tennessee in a long time, although Surridge was sent off right at the end of the game for two late yellows.

Surridge puts his inspired form in part down to the recent birth of son Noah.

5

5

He added: “In the past, I’ve probably let it eat me up when I’ve had a bad game or not scored a goal.

“But now as one game is gone, I’m straight on to the next, back home with my family and being a dad.

“That’s a massive factor (in my form) this season, giving me that renewed focus.” Surridge is experiencing week in, week out the soaring temperatures that Harry Kane and the rest of the England team will have to deal with at the World Cup next summer.

And forward Surridge, who played with the likes of Marc Guehi for the Young Lions, said: “I know England are going to find it hard to cope with the weather over here because it’s not easy adjusting to it.

“There’s going to be a lot of South American teams that are used to it.

“Especially when you go to places like Miami, and places more south of Nashville, it’s not easy to play in the heat. There’s going to be a lot of toing and froing, sitting off and trying to break teams down.

“They should be pushing the games back because we play at 7pm most games and it’s still ridiculously hot.

“At the Club World Cup, I’ve seen them play at games at 2pm and 3pm in the 30-degree heat and it’s almost impossible.”

‘PICKING THE MOMENTS’

So what would his advice be for Thomas Tuchel’s side braving the heat?

The striker replied: “It’s not saving yourself in games, it’s more about picking the moments.

“Because as soon as you get into a full-on sprint in that heat, it’s hard to get your breath back.

“I think managers will set up their teams differently for that reason.

“You see pressing teams where they’re full-on pressing and, as soon as they break down, they’re going to struggle.

“It’s about conserving your energy where you can.”

5

WASHINGTON — A president looking to seize power beyond the executive branch. A Congress controlled by Republican lawmakers unwilling to directly defy him. And a minority party looking for any way to fight back.

The dynamic left Washington in a stalemate Thursday — the ninth day of the government shutdown — and lawmakers openly venting their frustration as they tried to gain traction without the trust that is typically the foundation of any bipartisan deal.

“To have good-faith conversations, you have to have trust. There’s a real challenge of trust,” said Rep. Brad Schneider, chair of the New Democratic Coalition, a pragmatic group of House Democrats.

Groups of lawmakers — huddled over dinners, on phone calls, and in private meetings — have tried to brainstorm ways out of the standoff that has shuttered government offices, kept hundreds of thousands of federal employees at home and threatened to leave them without a scheduled payday. But lawmakers have found themselves running up against the reality that the relationship between the two parties is badly broken.

The frustration was evident this week as House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, on separate occasions, engaged in tense exchanges in the Capitol hallways with members of the opposing party.

“We’re in an environment where we need more than a handshake,” said Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who has engaged in talks with Republicans.

President Trump and Republicans have so far held to the stance that they will only negotiate on Democratic demands around health care benefits after they vote to reopen the government. They also say Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer is beholden to the left wing of his party and only staging the shutdown fight to stave off a primary challenge.

Schumer, a New York Democrat, told Punchbowl News in an interview that Democrats were winning the shutdown fight, saying, “Every day gets better for us.”

Republicans quickly seized on those comments, arguing it showed that Schumer is approaching the shutdown with purely political motives.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune stood on the Senate floor flanked by a poster printed with Schumer’s words.

“This isn’t a political game. Democrats might feel that way, but I don’t know anybody else that does,” said Thune, a South Dakota Republican. “The longer this goes on, the more the American people realize that Democrats own this shutdown.”

Schumer, in his own floor speech, responded that it was Trump and Republicans who are “playing with people’s lives.”

“Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans and the clearer it becomes who is fighting for them,” said the New York senator.

When a handshake deal is not enough

Democrats have insisted they can’t take Trump at his word and therefore need more than a verbal commitment for any deal.

Conflicts over spending power had already been raging before the shutdown as the White House pushed to assert maximum power over congressionally approved budgets. The White House budget office had canceled scores of government contracts, including cutting out the legislative branch entirely with a $4.9 billion cut to foreign aid in August through a legally dubious process known as a “pocket rescission.”

That enraged Democrats — and disturbed some Republicans who criticized it as executive overreach.

“I hate rescissions, to be honest with you, unless they’re congressionally approved,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican.

Matt Glassman, a fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, said the president’s use of rescissions was “blowing up the underlying dynamic of the bargaining” because it inserts intense partisanship into the budget appropriations process that otherwise requires compromise, particularly in the Senate.

Then, as the government entered a shutdown, Trump’s budget director Russ Vought laid out arguments that the president would have even more power to lay off workers and even cancel pay due to furloughed federal workers once the funding lapse is solved. Vought has also announced that the administration was withholding billions of dollars for infrastructure projects in states with Democratic senators who have voted for the shutdown.

Trump has cast Vought’s actions as the consequences of Democratic obstruction, even sharing a video that depicted him as the grim reaper. But on Capitol Hill, there has been an acknowledgment that the hardball tactics are making it harder to negotiate.

“I think with senators, carrots work better than sticks,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican.

One Democratic idea may win GOP support

Before they vote to reopen the government, Democrats’ main demand is that Congress take up an extension of tax credits for health plans offered on Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Trump has sounded open to a deal, saying that he wants “great health care” for Americans.

What’s received less attention is that Democrats also want new safeguards in the law limiting the White House’s ability to claw back, or rescind, funding already approved by Congress. While final appropriations bills are still being worked out, Republicans have been open to the idea.

“When you end the shutdown and get back to regular order within the appropriations bills, there’s very clear language about how we feel about rescissions,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I think you’ll find hard, solid support from Republicans to see that what we agree to will be executed on.”

In the meantime, the main sticking point for lawmakers this week has been finding any agreement on extending the health care subsidies.

The consequences of an extended shutdown

As the shutdown drags on without sign of significant progress to ending the impasse, lawmakers are looking ahead to the dates when federal employees will miss a payday.

Active-duty military troops would miss a paycheck on Oct. 15. Some lawmakers are getting nervous about both the financial implications for the troops and the political blowback of allowing soldiers to go without pay.

As House Speaker Mike Johnson fielded questions on C-SPAN Thursday morning, one caller pleaded with him to pass legislation that would allow the military to get paid during the government shutdown.

The woman, identified as Samantha, said her husband serves in the military and that they “live paycheck to paycheck.”

She pleaded with Johnson to call the House back to Washington, saying, “You could stop this.”

Johnson said he was sorry to hear about her situation, blamed Democrats for refusing to pass a stop-gap spending bill and added, “I am angry because of situations just like yours.”

Groves, Jalonick and Brown write for the Associated Press. AP writers Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

Donald Trump says a Middle East peace deal is “very close,” pledging US security guarantees for Gaza two years after the war began. American envoys are heading to Egypt for what officials describe as the most promising talks yet to end the devastating conflict.

Warren Buffett has long held Occidental Petroleum (OXY -7.16%) and its CEO, Vicki Hollub, in high regard. His trust in Hollub led Buffett’s company to invest heavily in Occidental. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.14%) (BRK.B -0.40%) now owns over $12.6 billion of Occidental’s stock — almost 27% of its outstanding shares — making it Berkshire’s sixth-largest holding at 4.1% of the investment portfolio.

In addition to Occidental’s leadership, Buffett’s company sees unique value in Occidental’s assets. While Buffett has previously stated that acquiring the entire company was not his goal, he clearly sees strategic value in owning a part of the company: OxyChem. Berkshire is paying $9.7 billion for the chemicals company — a move that will significantly reshape Occidental’s business.

Image source: Getty Images.

Drilling down into the OxyChem deal

Berkshire Hathaway is buying OxyChem for $9.7 billion in cash. OxyChem is a global manufacturer of commodity chemicals essential to water treatment, pharmaceuticals, and other key industries. It operates 23 facilities around the world, producing items such as caustic soda (the second-largest merchant seller in the world) and PVC (the third-largest domestic supplier).

OxyChem is consistently profitable despite the ups and downs of the chemicals sector. The company is about to deliver a step-change in profitability, driven by a major investment phase. Occidental was on track to invest over $1.5 billion into several projects through 2026, including the modernization and expansion of the Battleground plant in Texas. These and other projects will add an incremental $325 million in annualized earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to OxyChem’s total in 2026 and beyond.

The steady cash flows and growing profitability of OxyChem make it an ideal fit for Berkshire Hathaway, which already has experience operating in the chemicals sector. Berkshire also owns specialty chemical company Lubrizol, which it bought for $9.7 billion in 2011.

How this deal will change things for Occidental

The sale of OxyChem will reshape Occidental Petroleum. The oil company plans to use $6.5 billion of the proceeds to immediately repay debt. That would enable the company to achieve its long-standing target of reducing its principal debt below $15 billion. Occidental plans to put the remaining $1.5 billion in after-tax proceeds on its balance sheet, enhancing its financial flexibility.

Debt has been an issue for Occidental Petroleum over the years. The oil giant bought rival Anadarko Petroleum in a cash-heavy $55 billion deal in 2019. Berkshire Hathaway assisted the company with funding for the acquisition by making a $10 billion preferred stock investment in Occidental. That deal turned out to be poorly timed as oil prices crashed early in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Lower crude prices and issues with selling assets significantly impacted the company’s ability to achieve its initial debt reduction targets.

However, Occidental slowly dug out of that hole as oil prices improved. That enabled it to make another debt-heavy deal in late 2023 when it agreed to buy CrownRock for $12 billion. The company set goals at that time to repay at least $4.5 billion of debt within a year of closing the deal and eventually reduce its principal debt to below $15 billion.

Occidental quickly achieved its initial goal by using free cash flow and asset sales. Now it will reach the $15 billion target by selling OxyChem.

Achieving that lower debt level will improve Occidental Petroleum’s credit metrics and financial flexibility. It will also save the oil company over $350 million annually in interest expenses, boosting its free cash flow. The increased financial flexibility will enable Occidental Petroleum to opportunistically repurchase shares and repay additional debt as it matures. The oil company can also continue growing its dividend. Additionally, Occidental plans to resume the redemption of Berkshire’s preferred equity investment, which it anticipates beginning in August 2029 after it builds a bigger cash balance.

In addition to significantly reshaping the company’s financial profile, the deal will sharpen Occidental’s focus on oil and gas production. The company will have greater financial flexibility to invest in unlocking the treasure trove of low-cost oil and gas resources it has around the world. As Hollub put it in the press release unveiling the sale, the transaction will “create this strategic opportunity that will unlock 20+ years of low-cost resource runway and deliver meaningful near and long-term value.”

A financially stronger, more focused oil and gas company

The sale of OxyChem is a transformational event for Occidental Petroleum. The oil company will achieve its long-term debt reduction target, significantly enhancing its financial flexibility while reducing interest expenses. It will also narrow the company’s focus on growing its oil and gas business. As a result, Occidental will become a significantly lower-risk oil company with substantial long-term growth potential as it focuses on developing its vast, low-cost oil and gas resources.

Sharp words were exchanged after a mother forced a seat swap aboard a flight so she could be situated closer to her kids. But the impacted passenger was not having it

A woman was shamed and insulted after refusing to give up her seat on a flight.

“Last month I took a flight back home after visiting my parents. Boarding time, I walked to my seat, 23A. There was already someone sitting there,” the woman explained on the subreddit Entitled People.

“I had to double-check to make sure it’s the 23rd row. Yep, I was right.”

Rather than accepting that she’d been dealt a bad hand and would be occupying another perch for the flight, the wrong passenger decided to speak up – for principle’s sake, and so she could sit in the seat she had reserved.

“So I told the lady sitting there, it’s my seat. Suddenly, a man on 23D offered me a 23E seat. It turns out they are a family, and the mother didn’t want to be separated from her children (who were in 23B and 23C), so she took my 23A,” the spurned aviator went on.

READ MORE: Major blow for train fans as night train connecting European cities is axedREAD MORE: Travel expert explains why Brits should take two forms of photo ID on holiday

“I was confused. It’s not like she will be long separated from her children. The children were in 23B-23C, and she and her husband were in 23D-23E—only separated by an aisle! Obviously, I refused. I specifically booked a window seat. It could help me feel at ease looking at the clouds and fall asleep.

“The seat they offered me to trade was a middle seat, 23E. Trapped between the dad (23D) and a random man (23F) in a narrow airplane seat? Nope. I feel suffocated already.”

When the woman explained that she would not accept the wrong seat, tense words erupted.

“I flatly replied, ‘No, I booked the window seat’. The mother immediately felt offended. She replied harshly ‘So you don’t mind we, a family, sitting separately?’ Well, why didn’t YOU book the right seats in the first place? Didn’t say this out loud though, I was only replaying my words ‘That’s my seat’. I was adamant with my answer.

“Finally she’s up, walking away from my seat with angry words she whispered silently towards me. I chose to not pay any attention to them. However, things changed afterwards. Her children were still sitting on the 23B and 23C seat, obviously I could not walk into my seat.

“I asked them politely to get out of their seat so I could get in. What did the mother do? She body shamed me. ‘Kids, get up. Her body is HUGE, she could not get in’.

“My height is above the women’s height average in my country, plus I gained like 10 kgs in the pandemic.”

The woman said the comments hurt her “feelings badly”. According to the passenger, the daughter apologies to her for her mother’s comments.

“The angry tirade stopped around five minutes later, when the mother told her kids to move seats a few rows away. Once more, the daughter pleaded for an apology to me. It’s crazy to think that a 12-year-old was way more emotionally mature than her entitled 40s mother. The whole time her mother spouted insults at me, the daughter looked pale and rigid. Her gaze was fixated on one spot. I assume she was very embarassed. Poor kid,” the woman concluded.

While most European holiday destinations are winding down in October there’s one island in the Mediterranean where the resorts are still lively and the weather stays warm

If the thought of chilly autumn mornings, rain and wind fill you with pure dread, you may be looking to book a break in October for a final taste of warming late summer sun.

Many resorts start to shut up shop at this time of year and wind down their tourist attractions as visitor numbers decline, the nights draw in and the temperatures start to drop.

However, there’s one island in the Mediterranean where the main destinations remain very much open with plenty to offer holiday makers who aren’t quite ready to accept summer is over or who want to treat the kids to a half term trip to help ease those back to school blues.

The third largest island in the Med, Cyprus, is located in sparkling azure waters southeast of Greece and south of Turkey. Less than a five hour flight from the UK, it is one of the warmest places in this part of the European Union thanks to its subtropical climate and the summer generally lasts eight months from April through to November.

Temperatures during October can reach 28C or higher on occasion and even in the cooler four months, it’s possible to enjoy 20C. Coastal areas in December enjoy as many hours of sunshine as London does in May on average so sun seekers are certainly well catered for.

The main resorts make the most of their balmy climes and welcome holidaymakers late into the season. On the East Coast restaurants and kids’ clubs in Paphos and Limassol are still running and lively.

The beaches in Protaras and Ayia Napa are heaving in high summer but by this time of year are much calmer so great for families to make the most of with the sea temperature averaging around 24C.

Those with younger children or elderly travellers may prefer the sandy, serene beach of Fig Tree Bay in Protaras where it’s possible to explore the beautiful turquoise waters with a spot of snorkeling or on a boat trip. Limassol offers a long stretch of gorgeous coastline with some Blue Flag beaches and a stunning marina.

For those wanting something more energetic than making sandcastles and dozing in the sun, the island has plenty of water and amusement parks.

The always buzzing Ayia Napa is home to a number, with the Greek mythology-themed WaterWorld being the most famous, while the naturally landscaped Aphrodite Waterpark is situated in Paphos.

It’s here that fans of ancient history can also visit the Tombs of the Kings. The UNESCO World Heritage Site offers visitors a glimpse into the mysterious burial practices in underground tombs dating back to the 4th century. Larnaca, the oldest city in Cyprus also has a wealth of historical sites, museums, churches and cathedrals.

Traditional Cypriot cuisine is influenced by Greece and the Middle East. Meze is very popular, with a selection of small dishes such as dips, grilled meats, seafood and cheese, particularly halloumi, which is the national cheese.

Souvlaki (charcoal skewered meat) and Stifado – a hearty stew as well makaronia tou fournou, which is a baked pasta dish, is also very popular and tasty. There are plenty of options for the fussier palate or younger visitors, with restaurants offering British inspired menus.

Recent visitors to Cyprus have shared their experiences on Tripadvisor, with one advising on the weather during autumn. “We have been four times to Paphos in October,” they wrote.

“The temperature in mid October in the early afternoon has been around 28 degrees with beautiful blue skies. We have been able to eat outside in the early evening and used a pashmina later.

“Could still swim in the pool but it was a bit chilly. The sea, however, was fine to swim in.” Another added: “We’re always there mid-October and it’s lovely – still short sleeves in the evenings.”

So Jimmy Kimmel is coming back, fast enough that there are still folks out there who didn’t know he was gone.

Hallelujah? Praise be to ABC? Free speech triumphs?

It all depends on Tuesday night, when we see if Kimmel returns undaunted, or if he has been subdued. Of all the consequential, crazy, frightening events that have taken place in recent days, Kimmel’s return should be a moment we all watch — a real-time, late-night look at how successful our president is at forcing us to censor ourselves through fear.

Please, Jimmy, don’t back down.

If Kimmel tempers his comedy now, pulls his punches on making fun of power, he sends the message that we should all be afraid, that we should all bend. Maybe he didn’t sign up for this, but here he is — a person in a position of influence being forced to make a risky choice between safety and country.

That sounds terribly dramatic, I know, but self-censorship is the heart of authoritarianism. When people of power are too scared to even crack a joke, what does that mean for the average person?

If Kimmel, with his celebrity, clout and wealth, cannot stand up to this president, what chance do the rest of us have?

Patriotism used to be a simple thing. A bit of apple pie, a flag on the Fourth of July, maybe even a twinge of pride when the national anthem plays and all the words pop into your mind even though you can’t find your car keys or remember what day it is.

It’s just something there, running in the background — an unspoken acknowledgment that being American is a pretty terrific thing to be.

Now, of course, patriotism is the most loaded of words. It’s been masticated and barfed out by the MAGA movement into a specific gruel — a white, Western-centric dogma that demands a narrow and angry Christianity dominate civic life.

There have been a deluge of examples of this subversion in recent days. The Pentagon is threatening to punish journalists who report information it doesn’t explicitly provide. The president used social media to demand U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi go after his perceived enemies.

The one that put a knot in my stomach was the speech by Stephen Miller, Trump’s immigration czar, speaking, without humor, at the memorial for Charlie Kirk.

“We are the storm,” Miller said, hinting back at a QAnon conspiracy theory about a violent reordering of society.

That’s disturbing, but actually mild compared with what he said next, a now-familiar Christian nationalist rant.

“Our lineage and our legacy hails back to Athens, to Rome, to Philadelphia, to Monticello,” Miller said. “Our ancestors built the cities they produced, the art and architecture they built. The industry.”

Who’s going to tell him about Sally Hemings? But he continued with an attack on the “yous” who don’t agree with this worldview, the “yous,” like Kimmel, one presumes (though Kimmel’s name did not come up) who oppose this cruel version of America.

“You are wickedness, you are jealousy, you are envy, you are hatred, you are nothing,” Miller said. “You can build nothing. You can produce nothing. You can create nothing.”

Humor, of course, ain’t nothing, which is why this administration can’t stand it.

Humor builds camaraderie. It produces dopamine and serotonin, the glue of human bonding. It drains away fear, and creates hope.

Which is why autocrats always go after comedians pretty early on. It’s not thin skin, though Trump seems to have that. It’s effective management of dissent.

Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels knew it. In 1939, after his party had set up a Chamber of Culture that required all performers to adhere to certain rules, he banned five German comedians — Werner Finck, Peter Sachse, Helmuth Buth, Wilhelm Meissner and Manfred Dlugi — for making political jokes that didn’t support the regime. He basically ended their careers for daring satire against Nazi leaders, claiming people didn’t find it funny.

“(I)n their public appearances they displayed a lack of any positive attitude toward National Socialism and therewith caused grave annoyance in public and especially to party comrades,” the New York Times reported the German government claiming at the time.

Sounds familiar.

Kimmel, of course, is not the only comedian speaking out. Jon Stewart has hit back on “The Daily Show,” pretending to be scared into submission, perhaps a hat tip to Finck, who famously joked, “I am not saying anything. And even that I am not saying.”

Stephen Colbert roasted Disney with a very funny parody video. Political cartoonists are having a field day.

And there are plenty of others pushing back. Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken to all-caps rebuttals. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, whom Trump called “nothing,” is also vocal in his opposition, especially of National Guard troops in Chicago.

The collective power of the powerful is no joke. It means something.

But all the sober talk in the world can’t rival one spot-on dig when it comes to kicking the clay feet of would-be dictators. Mark Twain said it best: Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. Which is what makes Kimmel so relevant in this moment.

Can he come back with a laugh — proving we have nothing to fear but fear itself — or are we seriously in trouble?

MORE than a few eyebrows were raised at the Emirates when Arsenal’s starting line-up was announced.

In particular the midfield three of Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi.

7

7

7

It was a defensive-minded decision by Arteta to put pressure on City’s Rodri and limit his influence from deep while keeping things tight until he found the courage to fling on his attacking game-changers at the right moment.

It backfired massively.

Those who criticised Arteta for playing not to lose instead of going for the win at Liverpool last month – eventually losing 1-0 – have even more fuel to chuck on the now-blazing fire.

He had a fully-fit Eze on the bench, and yet kept the handbrake on with a safety-first approach. The question remains: does Arteta have the bravery to win a league title?

The sort of midfield that would have been Jose Mourinho-approved, but one that Arteta must NEVER start again in a title-defining game again if Arsenal are to compete for the Prem.

Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola or even Arne Slot doing the same? No chance.

That trio had no pace, no drive, no attacking intent – and Arsenal have no hope of glory come May should they combine from the off again.

7

7

MARTINELLI MORE THAN JUST A ‘FINISHER’

MIKEL Arteta made it clear after Arsenal’s Champions League opener just how much it pains him to leave Gabriel Martinelli on the bench.

The Brazilian came on away at Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday night and after 36 seconds he netted before creating another for Leandro Trossard.

It was not enough for Arteta to reward Martinelli with a first start for nearly a month against Manchester City, revealing that he prefers to call his subs “finishers” to give them more meaning and motivation.

But after yet another late goal to snatch points, there is now a dilemma for Arteta: continue using him as a super-sub – or super-finisher – or recall him to that left-winger spot.

Martinelli would admit himself that he has not been in good form over the last 18 months with just 18 goals in all competitions over the past two seasons.

But he is certainly knocking on the door. Is this the start of his North London renaissance?

7

EZE SHINING IN GOOD COMPANY

WITH England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on, Eberechi Eze proved why he is so special and belongs on the biggest of stages.

Eze would have been more than frustrated to be left on the bench for this one, desperate to build some momentum in an Arsenal shirt with next summer’s World Cup looming.

But boy did he deliver when he was thrown on at half-time with Mikel Arteta desperate for some magic after playing it safe for the first 45 minutes.

His beautifully-crafted long ball over the top to put in Gabriel Martinelli for a late, late equaliser is exactly why Arteta snatched him from Crystal Palace, lured from the grasps of rivals Tottenham at the last minute.

Once again for large parts, the Gunners struggled to break down a low block, just like they did last season, but Eze is the player with the key to unlock the most stubborn of defences – if he is given the chance.

It cannot be clearer now – Arteta must start Eze as much as possible between now and the end of the campaign if Arsenal are going to claw the Prem title away from Liverpool.

7

THE saying goes, ‘less is more’, but celebrities are taking that a little too literally as flashing thongs return.

The trend was big in the noughties with the ‘it’ girls of the day, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, showing the tops of their G-Strings.

11

11

11

And TV royalty, Gillian Anderson flashed hers on the red-carpet at the Oscars in 2001 but later was killed off by fashion notoriety – along with tramp stamps.

Flashing your thongs had a resurgence in 2020 with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian flashing their underwear, but now the trend is more than just peeking above your jeans.

It’s about basically doing a moony, but getting away with it because you’re in couture.

Last week Margot Robbie paid tribute to the late, and great, Mr Giorigio Armani who sadly passed away earlier this month by wearing one of his spring designs, a completely sheer and bejewelled dress.

At the premier of her new film, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, the 35-year-old undoubtedly looked incredible in the see-through gown with plunging back that showed she was only wearing a thong.

Just a couple of days later fellow actress Dakota Johnson, 35, wore a similar look.

A high neck, long sleeved, floor length dress made from lace that also flashed her bum in a black thong.

Her Gucci gown for a charity dinner in New York, again, looked incredible on her.

But we need to think about their consequences.

Thongs, a piece of fabric that connects from the front to the back and no more than a few centimetres thick. And that connection of fabric goes via your, erm, bum.

When it’s in black and white it sounds vulgar, and not to mention uncomfortable.

And I don’t want to see that when I’m in a bar sipping my glass of Sauvignon, because let’s face it where celebs lead – we all follow.

When you’re a Hollywood A-lister with the pristine figure good enough to better the world’s best supermodels, sure flash away – you look sensational.

But let’s not make this trend grip the nation or we’ll be faced with fleshy, droopy, white bottoms on the loose up and down the country.

Pants for a charity fundraiser? No thank you.

Clemmie Fieldsend

And if you shudder at the sight of a ‘builders bum’ then don’t, please don’t, let this trend catch on – because your Friday night in your local ‘Spoons will be overrun with bums.

And it’s not just Margot and Dakota that could lead us into the cringe fashion flop.

Actress Helen Flannagan celebrated her 35th birthday by wearing a gold dress with a thong-bodysuit underneath.

Whilst on holiday the Corrie star went for a more toned down version of the trend wearing something similar to a thong cossie under a beach dress.

11

11

11

Singer Dua Lipa, 30, hit the streets of New York for the Charlie Chaplin Gala this April in a beautiful black knitted dress with a fine weave that revealed her underwear.

Another modest style of the trend but nevertheless, pants for a charity fundraiser? No thank you.

Model Cara Delevingne has been at it too.

In May at the premier for the Ocean With David Attenborough documentary in London she flashed her thong, and the rest of her body all within spitting distance of our national treasure, Sir David.

There’s no escaping the fact that if we copy you we’ll become the butt of every joke

Clemmie Fieldsend

Complete with plunging neckline, the 33-year-olds chainmail grown might have been a bit too risque for such an occasion and a bit too chilly.

In the same month, Britney Spears did her one of her usual dancing around on Instagram videos, but this time just in thread-bare underwear.

The 43-year-old chose to wear just her bra and knickers for the video and black leather knee high boots.

Now, I’m all for doing what you like in your own home, but maybe the rest of us don’t need to see it.

11

11

11

Love Island host Maya Jama was reviving the noughties trend way back in January.

For the All Stars series she headed back to the villa wearing a Norma Kamali see-though, ruched gown with off-the-shoulder straps with nothing but black underwear underneath.

With the warm temperatures of South Africa, she may have felt hot and wanted something cool to wear, and if anyone is going to look amazing in this trend it’s Maya, but let’s save it for private holidays.

For high days and holidays maybe, but come on ladies.

There’s no escaping the fact that if we copy you we’ll become the butt of every joke.

So let’s leave this trend, and cracks, in the past.

11

11

Billionaire Bill Ackman is one of the most widely followed investment managers on Wall Street. His Pershing Square Capital Management hedge fund has outperformed the S&P 500 in 2025. It’s up 22.9% as of the end of August, compared to a 10.8% gain in the benchmark index during that period.

Ackman’s outperformance stems from taking advantage of opportunities when the market temporarily undervalues certain stocks. He holds only a handful of positions in the fund, and he typically buys and holds them for a long time. Even better, he and his team are happy to share the details on social media and investor calls, making it relatively easy for average investors to follow along.

In May, Pershing Square disclosed that it had bought another member of the “Magnificent Seven” stocks. Its first Magnificent Seven stock, Alphabet (GOOG -0.72%) (GOOGL -0.73%), has been a longtime holding for the hedge fund, and represents one of its biggest holdings. While the new addition isn’t quite as large as its stake in Alphabet, it presents another great opportunity for those following Ackman’s investing style.

Image source: Getty Images.

A magnificent new position

The stock market saw some very big swings at the start of the year, which were exacerbated in early April by President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements. While the stock market was moving wildly, it presented several great opportunities for investors that could follow Warren Buffett’s timeless advice: “Be greedy when others are fearful.”

To that point, Ackman saw the chance to pick up one stock he’s been studying and has long admired. Amazon (AMZN -1.20%) shares fell on fears that tariffs would negatively affect its retail business, and that a slowing economy would produce less demand for its cloud computing services. Ackman and his team freed up capital by selling Pershing Square’s entire position in Canadian Pacific Kansas City to buy the stock.

Ackman got a steal of a deal. He said he bought shares at 25 times forward earnings estimates. While there was a lot of uncertainty at the time about whether those earnings estimates would need to be revised downward, Ackman had confidence that Amazon was well worth the price. In fact, he thinks the stock is still undervalued. “Although the company’s share price has appreciated meaningfully from our initial purchase, we believe substantial upside remains given its ability to drive a high level of earnings growth for a very long time,” he wrote in his letter to shareholders last month.

Here’s why Ackman may continue to hold Amazon shares for a very long time.

Two great category-defining businesses

Amazon essentially has two businesses: Its retail operations and its cloud computing platform. Ackman believes both still have room to benefit from long-term growth trends and opportunities for margin expansion.

On the cloud computing side, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the largest public cloud provider in the world. It now sports a $120 billion run rate, and it’s about 50% bigger than its next-closest rival. It’s also tremendously profitable already. The segment sports a 37% operating margin over the past 12 months. To put that in perspective, Alphabet’s Google Cloud has an operating margin of less than half that (although it’s gaining leverage as it scales).

Despite Amazon’s large run rate, there’s still ample room for growth in both the near term and long term, according to Ackman. Amazon’s management has struggled to build out capacity fast enough to meet the surging demand from artificial intelligence customers. It’s spending over $100 billion on capital expenditures this year (some of that related to its logistics network), and management says that demand continues to outstrip supply growth. That situation is echoed by Alphabet’s management and other hyperscale cloud providers.

In the long run, Ackman expects more enterprises to move from on-premise computing to the cloud. He points out that just 20% of IT workloads are currently using cloud computing, but he expects that to invert over time, to 80% of workloads being in the cloud.

On the retail side of the business, Ackman points out that Amazon isn’t the only retailer affected by tariffs. In fact, it may be better suited to navigate the environment, as it sports a wide selection of goods. Amazon’s ability to offer reliable and convenient delivery on a growing number of items gives it an advantage over competitors.

That advantage is only improving as it continues to build out its logistics network and warehouse technology, and reduce costs. That allows it to get more items to more customers faster, all while decreasing its fulfillment expenses. Ackman points out that Amazon’s logistics improvements led to a 5% reduction in per-unit shipping costs last quarter. He thinks further improvements could lead it to double its retail profit margin from 5%. That’s a huge profit on a $550 billion business.

While Amazon shares have climbed significantly since Ackman established Pershing Square’s position, investors shouldn’t shy away from the stock at this higher price. The long-term trends favor Amazon’s businesses, and it’s a leading player in both.

Sept. 17 (UPI) — Massachusetts says that all citizens should be vaccinated to protect against the COVID-19 virus as the Bay State will now force insurance providers to cover vaccines approved by the state.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released its COVID-19 vaccine guidelines through 2026 that suggested all state residents get a COVID-19 shot, including children ages 6, and particularly those at higher risk of exposure, with a weakened immune system or pregnant.

“We are not going to let Donald Trump or Robert Kennedy take away your ability to make your own health care decisions,” said Gov. Maura Healey.

The decision by Massachusetts came as the Food and Drug Administration under U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. approved in August its most recent round of COVID shots but federally limited their use.

Healey said earlier this month that Massachusetts will begin to require health insurance companies to cover state-recommended vaccines and became the first U.S. state to do so, followed by Illinois in an executive order Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat.

Executive actions in Illinois and Massachusetts could be the first in a series of other similar acts by governors to create a coalition to set vaccine policy separate of federal authorities.

“Massachusetts will continue to lead with science and protect access to life-saving vaccines,” Healey, 54, said Wednesday in a statement.

Notably, the Healey administration’s plan was backed by the nonprofit entities Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.

The newly issued state guidelines stand in stark contrast to federal recommendations by the Trump administration and Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

Massachusetts health officials said the state acted on an “extensive review of current scientific data” consistent with widely respected groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The commonwealth’s Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein reiterated Wednesday that vaccines remain the “most effective public health intervention of the past century,” adding that vaccine use has “saved millions of lives.”

Goldstein stated its guidelines were “grounded in evidence and science, driven by equity and shaped by the lived experiences” of Massachusetts’ 351 communities.

On Monday, Healey called Kennedy a “walking conspiracy theorist who is denying people vaccines and the healthcare they want and need” during a speech to Massachusetts Democrats as she hailed her administration’s new vaccine coverage mandate for insurance conglomerates.

A recent study indicated that in 2022 and 2023 more than 1.5 million “missing Americans” died due to COVID-19 in excessive deaths that could have been averted.

But on Wednesday Healey said the state was taking this action “so the people of Massachusetts know that you will continue to be able to get the vaccines you want and need — no matter what happens at the federal level.”

Also on Wednesday, ex-CDC Director Susan Minaret appeared on Capitol Hill to testify in front of lawmakers over her termination by Kennedy due to allegations that she refused to allow all decisions to be approved by political staff.

Investors in the Polkadot (DOT -3.88%) cryptocurrency have been craving game-changing news for a while now. The crypto market is having a great summer overall with fantastic returns on leading names like Bitcoin (BTC -0.57%), Ethereum (ETH -1.18%), and Solana (SOL -0.89%). But nobody told Bitcoin where the party was happening. As of Sept. 12, it gained less than 5% over the last 6 months:

Polkadot Price data by YCharts

Forget the chart for a moment, though. App builders, not price charts, ultimately drive durable value in most cryptocurrencies, and especially the developer-friendly Polkadot. And I have good news: Polkadot is readying two builder-centric platform upgrades that could change the trajectory of this lagging cryptocurrency. Say hello to the JAM scaling upgrade and a ready-to-code DevContainer.

Here’s what changed — and why it could matter for DOT investors.

Header JAM: Faster blocks, flexible projects, and elastic scaling

The chain-spanning connector package known as Polkadot is about to get a massive makeover. The incoming technical changes are so powerful, Polkadot’s backers in the Web3 Foundation call it “Polkadot 3.0.”

I could get all up in the nerdy weeds with the changes, built around the Join Accumulate Machine (JAM) upgrade. Trust me, I’m tempted to go there. But you’re not here for that geekery, so let’s keep it simple: Polkadot is about to get much faster, more flexible, and easier to use.

The global network of computing nodes that validate Polkadot transactions and execute code in its smart contracts is already one of the fastest blockchains on the market. JAM will multiply the computing power of this platform by 10, by some estimates. Polkadot co-founder Gavin Wood calls it “a supercomputer on the blockchain,” with easy and instant access to exactly the number-crunching resources your app needs.

Gone are the unpredictable auctions for computing time, in comes a new project funding system. Parachains are still a thing, and existing Polkadot projects will be fully compatible with the new JAM core. It’s just going to be much easier to get your hands on the right resources at the right time. There’s a price list now; just pay for your computing power and you’re good to go. Easy as Polkadot pie.

Image source: Polkadot.

DevContainer: One-command setup makes it easy to get involved

The new DevContainer feature may not feel as important, but anything that attracts more developers to the Polkadot platform should also be good for the tightly integrated cryptocurrency in the long run.

The Polkadot Smart Contracts DevContainer does exactly that, at least in theory. Getting started as a Polkadot developer has never been easier. Traditional setups of a new development system can be a slow and frustrating process. Now, the manual setup and configuration is replaced by one command and lots of automation.

I can’t promise that this system will be popular with new or existing Polkadot app builders, but it sounds pretty good to my (non-developer) ears. Instant setup and then you’re dealing with the power-packed JAM system — where do I sign up?

Why this matters for DOT holders (and what to watch)

The DevContainer package is already available and JAM should take over as the main Polkadot engine before the end of 2025. These helpful upgrades coincide with rising interest in Web3 apps, giving more control to app users and less of it to massive social network corporations.

Polkadot’s chart has actually been lagging behind other cryptocurrencies for years:

Polkadot Price data by YCharts

And it’s kind of funny. Using Polkadot in an app project, you can connect to many other cryptocurrencies and move data, monetary assets, or code from one blockchain to another. If Web3 is the blockchain-based foundation of the next internet epoch, then Polkadot is the digital glue that holds it together.

Will people actually use it?

JAM replaces clunky auctions with pay-as-you-go capacity, and the DevContainer gets builders going in minutes. If people show up, it could turn into a real block party for DOT holders as usage drives demand.

I think it’s time to connect the DOTs between better tech and investor value. Polkadot has been struggling in the shadows for too long, letting the likes of Ethereum and Solana have all the headline-inspiring fun. That could change when JAM rolls out.

I don’t expect a sudden spike in DOT prices, but a lucrative rise over time as developers and app users (i.e., pretty much everybody) adopt this technology in real-world smartphone apps and cloud platforms.