passes

IF you have always wanted to go on a ski holiday but thought they were too expensive, you are in luck.

This Black Friday, a limited new ski holiday deal is letting you spend a week on the slopes for under £100 each.

Launched by Sunweb, the seven-night stay includes accommodation and ski passes.

You have to be ready to book quickly, as the cheap holidays are only on sale until December 2.

One of the biggest bargains is staying in Val Cenis at the Résidence Les Toits Du Dévoluy, costing just £86 each.

The two room apartment sleeps up to four people, with the deal for seven nights, departing on April 11.

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Inside Stacey Solomon’s family ski holiday as she poses with Joe Swash and kids

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One of the closest airports is Turin, and both Ryanair and easyJet fly there.

For another £86pp stay, you can stay in the resort of Superdévoluy in Le Massif du Dévoluy.

This is one of the biggest slopes in southern France so both beginners and pro skiers will be able to find something that suits.

This deal is much sooner, with the two-room apartment deal being for seven nights on December 13.

But it also means you can get in a great holiday just before Christmas.

The best airport to fly to is Grenoble, with both Ryanair and Wizz Air having cheap flights.

You will have to pay for your flights and ski gear yourself, although you can rent lots of the gear when you get there.

Another cheap deal is seven nights at Résidence Vacancéole La Turra also at Superdévoluy for around £136pp.

One skiing pro revealed how booking an April holiday can help you find the biggest bargain.

Ski Beat’s Laura Hazell told Sun Online Travel: “Around 1.5 million Brits go skiing every year.

“Often overlooked, but April is the go-to time for many ski experts and enthusiasts, with a more relaxed feel in the resorts, crisp virgin snow for an early morning start, and long lazy afternoons in uncrowded mountain restaurants.”

We spoke to the experts about the mistakes Brits always make on ski trips, and how to avoid them.

And a ski mum revealed the big mistakes people often make when booking a skip trip with kids.

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She told Sun Online Travel: “Decide if the holiday is predominantly for parents, with the kids looked after in Kindergarten or Ski School or if the idea is to spend family days skiing and playing together.

“Make sure that childcare, nursery slopes and non-ski activities are close to where you stay.”

The vote represents a major step in the years-long effort to make government documents on the late sex offender public.

The United States Congress has approved a bill to release government documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, clearing the way for making the files public.

The House of Representatives adopted the measure in a 427-1 vote on Tuesday, sending it to the Senate, which swiftly agreed to pass it by unanimous consent even before it was formally transmitted to the chamber.

Once the bill is formally approved, it will go to the desk of President Donald Trump, who said he would sign it into law.

The case of Epstein – a financier who sexually abused girls and young women for years – has sparked intrigue in the US for years, given his connections to powerful people in the media, politics and academia, including ties to Trump.

Trump initially opposed releasing the files, calling the controversy around the late sex offender a “hoax” before reversing course this month.

The president and his Department of Justice do not need to wait for Congress to pass the legislation to release the files. They have the authority to make them public.

Before the vote on Tuesday, members of Congress who have been leading the bill – Democrat Ro Khanna and Republicans Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene – spoke alongside survivors of Epstein’s abuse outside the US Capitol.

“We fought the president, the attorney general, the FBI director, the speaker of the House and the vice president to get this win. They’re on our side today, so let’s give them some credit as well,” Massie told reporters.

Jena-Lisa Jones, one of the survivors, held up a photo of herself when she was 14 – the age when she met Epstein.

“I was a child. I was in ninth grade. I was hopeful for life and what the future had held for me. He stole a lot from me,” she said.

Epstein first pleaded guilty to charges of solicitation of prostitution with a minor in 2008. He served 13 months in a minimum-security prison and was allowed to leave for 12 hours a day to work. Critics said the punishment did not match the severity of the offence.

After the Miami Herald investigated the prosecution against Epstein, federal authorities reopened the case against him, arrested him and charged him with sex trafficking of minors in 2019.

Two months later, he was found dead in his jail cell in New York City. His death was ruled a suicide.

Epstein’s associates over the years included former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew and former US President Bill Clinton.

Even after his first conviction, Epstein continued to have close personal relationships with influential figures, including former Harvard University President Larry Summers, who recently apologised for maintaining ties to the sex offender.

On Tuesday, Trump lashed out at an ABC News reporter who quizzed him about why he would not release the files on his own, stressing that Epstein was a major donor for Democratic politicians.

“You just keep going on the Epstein files. And what the Epstein is is a Democrat hoax,” the US president said.

Earlier in the day when asked why Trump would not make the documents public, Massie said Epstein’s connections were above partisan politics.

“I believe he’s trying to protect friends and donors. And by the way, these aren’t necessarily Republicans,” Massie said. “Once you get to a billion dollars, you see, you transcend parties.”

The US House of Representatives voted 427 to 1 to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which if enacted will require the Department of Justice to release documents related to sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein. It still needs to pass the Senate and be signed by President Trump into law.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

The measure mandates transitional administration for Gaza and floats ‘credible pathway’ for Palestinian statehood.

The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution mandating a transitional administration and an international stabilisation force in Gaza, which envisions a “credible pathway” to Palestinian statehood.

The resolution, drafted by the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, passed in a 13-0 vote on Monday, paving the way for the crucial next steps for the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Russia and China abstained from the vote.

Arab and other Muslim countries that expressed interest in providing troops for an international force had previously indicated that a UN mandate was essential for their participation. At their behest, the US had included more defined language about Palestinian self-determination in the draft to get it over the finish line.

The draft now says that “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” after the Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-governance in the occupied West Bank, carries out reforms and advances are made in the the redevelopment of Gaza.

That language angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state and pledged to demilitarise Gaza “the easy way or the hard way”.

US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said after the vote that “today’s resolution represents another significant step that will enable Gaza to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security”.

Amar Bendjama, Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, said his country was grateful to Trump “whose personal engagement has been instrumental in establishing and maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza”.

“But we underline that genuine peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without justice. Justice for the Palestinians who have waited for decades for the establishment of their independent state,” he said.

Hamas rejects resolution

The US resolution says the stabilisation troops will help secure border areas, along with a trained and vetted Palestinian police force, and they will coordinate with other countries to secure the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It says the force should closely consult and cooperate with neighbouring Egypt and Israel.

It also calls for the stabilisation force to ensure “the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip” and “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups”, authorising it to “use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate”.

Hamas, which has not accepted disarmament, rejected the resolution, saying that it failed to meet Palestinians’ rights and demands and sought to impose an international trusteeship on the enclave that Palestinians and resistance factions oppose.

“Assigning the international force with tasks and roles inside the Gaza Strip, including disarming the resistance, strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favour of the occupation,” the group said.

As the international force establishes control and brings stability, the resolution says Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarisation”. These would be agreed by the stabilisation force, Israeli forces, the US and the guarantors of the ceasefire, it says.

Russia’s rival resolution

Trump said on Truth Social that the Board of Peace overseeing Gaza would “include the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World”, thanking countries that “strongly backed the effort, including Qatar, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkiye, and Jordan”.

Russia had circulated a rival resolution stressing that the occupied West Bank and Gaza must be joined as a contiguous state under the Palestinian Authority and underlining the importance of a Security Council role to provide security in Gaza and for implementing the ceasefire plan.

Reporting from New York, Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo said: “There is some certain criticism of [the US] draft resolution. A lot of people are saying that it simply changes the dynamics, but it still leaves Gaza essentially occupied, just by a different entity.”

Washington and other governments had hoped Moscow would not use its veto power on the UN’ most powerful body to block the adoption of the US resolution.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

The successful vote means the long-delayed bill will now be passed on to President Trump to sign into law.

The House of Representatives has passed a federal government spending package, clearing the final hurdle and bringing an end to the longest government shutdown in United States history – at least for now.

In a vote held late on Wednesday evening in the Republican-held House, the bill was backed by 222 lawmakers – including six Democrats – while 209 voted against it, including two Republicans.

The long-delayed bill will now be passed on to President Donald Trump to sign into law.

On Monday night, the upper chamber of Congress had approved the spending package by a vote of 60 to 40 to fund the US government through January 30, reinstating pay to hundreds of thousands of federal workers after six gruelling weeks.

All but essential government services had ground to a halt amid the shutdown.

The breakthrough came following negotiations last weekend that saw seven Democrats and one independent agree to back the updated spending package and end the shutdown, which entered its 42nd day on Tuesday.

Crucially, however, the deal has not resolved one of the shutdown’s most central issues – healthcare subsidies for 24 million Americans under the Affordable Care Act, which the Trump administration planned to cut.

For weeks, Democrats repeatedly blocked the bill’s passage in Congress, saying the measure was necessary to force the government to address escalating healthcare costs for low-income Americans.

Shortly before Wednesday’s vote, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson accused his Democratic colleagues of using American citizens as “leverage” in their “political game”, as he denounced them for preventing the resolution’s passage in September.

“Since that time, Senate Democrats have voted 14 times to close the government. Republicans have voted a collective 15 times to open the government for the people, and the Democrats voted that many times to close it,” he said.

As part of the deal breaking the impasse, Senate Republicans agreed to hold a vote on the issue by December, raising fears there could be another shutdown in January.

The agreement had also provoked anger among Democrats, who preferred to keep holding out, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker – considered a contender for the 2028 presidential election – who called it an “empty promise” earlier this week.

David Smith, an associate professor at the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre, also described the agreement as “just a stopgap arrangement”.

“The deal that they’ve reached means most of the government will shut down again in January if they can’t come to another agreement,” he told Al Jazeera earlier this week.

Democrats who supported the deal were Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin from Illinois, John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jackie Rosen from Nevada, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, and Tim Kaine from Virginia.

Angus King, an independent from Maine, also backed the deal.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow shortly.

CLETO Escobedo III, the saxophonist and leader of the house band on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has died at age 59.

Host Jimmy Kimmel announced the death Tuesday in a heartfelt Instagram post, calling Escobedo “a great friend, father, son, musician and man.”

Kimmel, 57, wrote: “Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III.

“To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old.

“The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true,” he continued.

Kimmel ended his message with a plea to “cherish your friends” and to keep Escobedo’s family “in your prayers.”

Escobedo had led Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s house band since the show’s debut in 2003, performing alongside Kimmel nightly for more than two decades.

Escobedo’s cause of death has not been released.

He had been quietly absent from the show for months before his death.

Variety reported that Jimmy Kimmel Live! canceled its taping last Thursday due to Escobedo’s condition.

The musician fronted Cleto and the Cletones on the ABC late-night show since its 2003 premiere.

His father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., also plays in the band, which performs during the show’s tapings in Los Angeles.

Before joining Kimmel on television, Escobedo toured with Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Kimmel and Escobedo’s friendship stretched back decades to their childhood in Las Vegas, where they grew up across the street from each other and stayed close through college and adulthood.

In a 2015 interview with ABC, Kimmel recalled pushing for Escobedo to lead his band.

“Of course I wanted great musicians, but I wanted somebody I had chemistry with,” Kimmel said.

“And there’s nobody in my life I have better chemistry with than him.”

Escobedo once reflected on that loyalty in a 2014 interview with the San Fernando Sun.

He said: “Jimmy is very loyal to his friends.

“He didn’t have to ask me; I would have understood if he had hired some famous guy to be his musical director.

“But he trusted me, and I don’t take it for granted.”

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He added: “For me, as the father of young children, this is the perfect job. I can do other things if I want.

“But I want to stay here as long as they will have me. I will always stay by Jimmy’s side.”

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

The measure still needs to be approved by the House and signed by US President Donald Trump.

The United States is moving closer to ending its record-breaking government shutdown after the Senate took a critical step forward to end its five-week impasse.

The Senate on Monday night approved a spending package by a vote of 60 to 40 to fund the US government through January 30, and reinstate pay for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

The spending bill next moves to the House of Representatives for approval and then on to President Donald Trump for a sign-off before the shutdown can finally end.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he would like to pass it as soon as Wednesday and send it on to Trump to sign into law.

The vote in the Senate follows negotiations this weekend that saw seven Democrats and one Independent agree to vote in favour of the updated spending package to end the shutdown, which enters its 42nd day on Tuesday.

Also included in the deal are three-year funding appropriations for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, military construction projects, veterans affairs and congressional operations.

The bill does not, however, resolve one of the most central issues in the shutdown – extending healthcare subsidies. Senate Republicans have agreed to vote on the issue as a separate measure in December.

US legislators have been under growing pressure to end the government shutdown, which enters its forty-second day on Tuesday, as their constituents feel the impact of funding lapses for programmes like food stamps.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or required to work without pay since the shutdown began on October 1, while Trump has separately threatened to use the shutdown as a pretext to slash the federal workforce.

Voters have also felt the impact of the shutdown at airports across the US after the Federal Aviation Administration last week announced a 10 percent cut in air traffic due to absences from air traffic controllers.

The cuts have created chaos for US air travel just as the country is heading into its busiest travel season of the year.

ONE of Canary Wharf’s trendiest hotels – and one of the few actually within the London district itself – is Tribe.

Here is everything you need to know from what the rooms are like to what you can do nearby.

Where is Tribe Canary Wharf?

Overlooking Canary Wharf’s dock, Tribe is a five-minute walk from the tube station.

The hotel was created by two Perth design fans, who have since opened 18 Tribe hotels around the world.

Aiming to be for the “modern travellers as an affordable luxury,” Tribe Canary Wharf is surrounded by some of the city’s most popular chain restaurants like Patty & Bun and Dishoom.

What is the hotel like?

The hotel is modern and stylish, with edgy graphic design and chrome gold lighting in the bedrooms.

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It’s in a prime spot in London and the cool interiors separate it from older, more traditional hotels.

What is there to do there?

Guests can pay for a day pass to the Third Space gym, one of the swankiest ones in London.

Costing £20, it includes access to all of the facilities including the gym, pool, sauna and spa.

The hotel also has a beautiful lobby area which is popular with co-workers, thanks to the number of desks and plugs.

Otherwise just outside is GoBoat if you fancy a ride around Canary Wharf’s canals, while many of London’s main tourist attractions are a short tube ride away.

Being the festive season, you can even find Canary Wharf’s ice rink popping up this month.

What are the rooms like at Tribe Canary Wharf?

The rooms have trimmed some of the frills to keep the hotel affordable for travellers – so don’t expect dressing gowns or slippers.

But the 320 rooms have everything you need, including complimentary toiletries, USB ports by the bed plus tea and coffee making facilities.

They range from Tribe Essential – the most compact – to Tribe Extra.

The huge windows in each room with views over Canary Wharf make them feel larger than they actually are.

Everything you need to know about the hotel from what is on offer to check out times are access by the TV.

What is there to eat and drink at the hotel?

The district might have all the food joints you could want, but the hotel’s Feels Like June restaurant offers a unique take on California dining.

The All Day Menu has everything from delicious Chicken Katsu Sandos to delicious rib eye steaks. Vegetarians don’t worry as there are lots of meat-free options too.

I also loved my Miami Vice – a concoction of gin, elderflower and melon sorbet.

(Make sure to grab a cocktail between 5pm and 7pm for their Happy Hour deal of two for £15).

Check out the live events at the hotel as there are sometimes live DJ sets.

It’s also a great spot for breakfast, so you can indulge in avocado on toast or a superfood smoothie bowl before checkout.

Remember to visit the 24-hour Grab & Go station near reception, which has pre-packaged meals, snacks and a coffee station.

How much is Tribe Canary Wharf?

Rooms start from £100 a night. Click here to book.

Is Tribe Canary Wharf family friendly?

The hotel is not really suited to kids but families can request a cot for children under 5.

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Is there access for guests with disabilities?

Yes, there are 16 accessible rooms and there is lift access.

Looking for a place to stay? For more hotel inspiration click here.

Monaghan GAA icon Eugene ‘Nudie’ Hughes has passed away at the age of 67.

In a distinguished career, Hughes won three Ulster SFC titles and a National Football League title, while he was selected as an All-Star three times.

Widely considered Monaghan’s greatest footballer, Hughes was diagnosed with cancer in 2018.

He became the first Monaghan player to win an All Star in 1979 and repeated the feat in 1985 and 1989 when he received further personal accolades.

Hughes was one of only a small number of players to have been recognised in defence and attack, his first All Star coming as a corner-back with the others coming as a corner-forward.

Monaghan won the Ulster title in each of the years he received an All-Star.

Hughes was also part of the team that won the National Football League crown in 1985.

He picked up a Railway Cup medal in 1984 as part of Ulster’s winning side and also won two Ulster football titles with Castleblayney.

In 2024, Hughes was honoured by the Gaelic Players Association with a Lifetime Achievement award.

In an interview with BBC Sport NI’s ‘The GAA Social’ in February of this year, Hughes chose the Farney county’s Ulster Championship final triumph over Donegal in 1979 as his greatest day as a player.

Monaghan beat Donegal 1-15 to 0-11 at Clones on that occasion to end a 41-year wait for provincial glory.

The age at which you can get a free bus pass can differ greatly depending on where you are based

People across the nation could be in line for additional assistance with their travel expenses, including a bus pass offering free or discounted journeys on local bus services. No matter where you reside in the UK, there is a plethora of schemes designed to make public transport more wallet-friendly, though not everyone will qualify.

Eligibility can vary greatly depending on your location within the UK. For instance, the age at which you can receive a free bus pass can differ significantly if you are located in England, Scotland, or Wales.

Most of the complimentary bus passes nationwide are primarily reserved for the elderly, especially after the government confirmed it will abandon a proposed trial of free bus passes for anyone under 22 in England. As per a BBC report, the government stated that there were no funds available to support the scheme during the current spending review period, which runs until 2028/29.

Continue reading for a comprehensive overview of all the available assistance.

England

In England, pensioners become eligible for a free bus pass when they hit the state pension age of 66, which applies to both men and women. So, if you were born in 1959, you will be able to get your hands on the free bus pass this year.

You can apply for this scheme through your local council under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, although the actual name of the bus pass may change depending on where you live.

When applying, you might be asked to provide a passport-style photo as well as a document proving your age and address. However, there is one city in England that has slightly different rules.

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London

Free travel on buses, tubes and other transport is available from the age of 60, but this is only within London. This can be accessed via the 60+ London Oyster photocard which also allows you to get free transport on Transport for London services anytime Monday to Friday, except between 4.30am and 9am.

Further details of free bus travel in England can be found here.

Scotland

In Scotland, once you hit 60, you can get your hands on a National Entitlement Card which gives you free bus travel all over Scotland. However, bear in mind that this Scottish concessionary travel only applies to registered local and long-distance bus services.

So, certain premium-fare services, tours, excursions and group hire services aren’t part of the deal. If you are also between the age of five and 21, you may also be eligible for a National Entitlement Card (NEC) which allows you to access the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme.

Further details on free bus travel for older people in Scotland can be found here.. Meanwhile, further details on free bus travel for younger people in Scotland can be found here.

Wales

Within Wales, you may be able to get free travel on buses if you are disabled, aged 60 or over, or an injured service personnel which you can apply for through Transport for Wales. While not free, people aged between 16 and 21 caaan apply for a MyTravelPass which allows them to get up to a third off the cost of bus travel in many circumstances.

Further details of this in Wales can be found here.