plans

A MUCH-LOVED family attraction is set to reopen with a major revamp thanks to new owners.

Pleasurewood Hills in Lowestoft, Suffolk, has new owners that are promising to return the theme park to its “former glory”, as well as add new rides.

The attraction’s new owners, Premier Attractions, plan to invest in at least three rides when the park reopens next spring, according to Great Yarmouth Mercury.

Run by three brothers, Freddy, Spencer and Davis Stokes, Premier Attractions is hoping to restore some of the rides, such as Cannonball Express – a figure of eight-style rollercoaster that was built back in 1983.

Freddy Stokes Jnr, 42, the eldest of the three brothers said: “We promise there will be more rides next year – three big rides, possibly four.

“Some people love the Cannonball, others hate it.

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“It’s an iconic ride at the park, but I need to get it to where I’m happy to operate it.”

He added that the ride needs more trains and to move from its current location to “stand proud” in the centre of the park.

He added: “It definitely has life left in it, but it’s how and what we do with it.”

Other changes at the park will also be seen in the car park, which currently charges visitors a fee of £3 a day.

Premier Attractions has inherited the contract from Pleasurewood Hills’ previous owners and it is owned by the park but operated by a third party.

Freddy added: “We’re not going to fix everything overnight, but we promise we will improve the park.

“But without people coming back, it’s all for nothing, so we need their support.”

Pleasurewood Hills expects to reopen on March 28, 2026.

And it will be the first theme park owned by Premier Attractions after purchasing the attraction from French operator Looping Group last month.

The company usually operates rides at events and fairs across the UK and has been based in Manchester since 2011.

Currently, nine of the company’s rides are at Kuwait’s Winter Wonderland and another seven are on the way to Hong Kong’s AIA Carnival, where they will be based for 66 days before heading back to the UK.

Premier Attractions has also operated rides at some of the UK’s biggest events and fairs, such as Winter Wonderland, Edinburgh‘s Hogmanay Festival, Leeds and Download music festivals, Hull Fair and the Hoppings in Newcastle.

At Pleasurewood Hills, there are currently over 35 rides, shows and attractions for all ages including the region’s largest rollercoaster, a large drop tower and a log flume.

Day entry would cost from £27 per person, but it is not clear whether this price will be the same when the attraction reopens.

The theme park then closed for the season on November 2.

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A Married At First Sight UK couple have hinted at their baby plans as they shared their emotional final vows during the E4 dating show

A couple from Married At First Sight UK have shared their thoughts on starting a family during an emotional vow exchange.

As the experiment draws to a close, the remaining pairs are faced with the pivotal decision of whether to continue their relationships outside of the programme.

Abigail and John’s relationship has been blossoming beautifully since they felt an immediate connection on their wedding day.

Each Commitment Ceremony has brought them even closer together, with both confessing that they’re ‘falling’ for each other and even declaring their love.

In tonight’s episode of the E4 dating show, viewers were treated to the first part of the finale, as the couples are whisked away to stunning locations for their vow renewals, reports OK!.

Abigail and John were among the first to recite their final vows, deciding whether they will commit to a lifetime together or if their marriage concludes here.

John was left spellbound as Abigail approached him in a long white dress and a sparkling headband.

While delivering her final vows, she revealed that her husband has helped her regain her confidence. After hearing John say ‘I love you’, she confessed that it was a life-changing moment for her.

The bride hinted at plans to start a family, saying: “I came into this experiment wanting to find love. I found John, a husband and a happily ever after. I just know you’re going to be the most amazing father.”

John said his wife had transformed everything for him, with a family, home and future now feeling within reach.

He said: “I feel amazing. This is the perfect way to end the first chapter of our journey.” The delighted groom added: “let’s go spend the rest of our lives together.”

But it was a different story for fellow couple Leigh and Leah, whose relationship crashed to a dramatic end during their final vows after a furious row.

Standing in a wisteria-filled garden to exchange their vows, the atmosphere was far from romantic as Leigh declared that “a true loving relationship shouldn’t take this much effort and force”.

Her choice to end the marriage came as no surprise. Leah echoed similar feelings, noting that her wife’s “past hurt was often projected” onto her. She too decided to walk away from the relationship.

You can catch up on Married At First Sight on Channel 4

Nov. 10 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate plans a series of votes Monday night to try to end the record-long shutdown as House Speaker Mike Johnson called representatives to return to Washington to be there when a bill reaches them.

Earlier, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said they were in a “holding pattern.”

Late Monday afternoon, the GOP’s whip office told CNN a vote would begin after 5 p.m. p.m. John Barrasso of Wyoming mobilizec members for key votes. A GOP aide confirmed the plans to CBS News.

On Sept. 19, the House approved short-gap spending legislation along party lines 217-213 that doesn’t include healthcare subsidies next year through the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. Only a majority is needed in the House, but the Senate needs 60 votes in the 100-member chamber.

The Senate is scheduled to go into recess Tuesday for Veterans Day and was seeking to conclude business before then.

Thune said the American people “have suffered for long enough,” and other senators were reasonably optimistic.

“It’s very close,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, who also serves South Dakota. “We’ll work our way through a couple of issues.”

“I’m optimistic, yeah,” Florida Sen. Rick Scott said. “People want to, you know, they want to get — they want to go home.”

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is the only Republican to vote against past funding bills. He wants hemp farming in the agriculture appropriations bill in exchange for allowing the legislation to move quickly. The Senate plans to vote on the amendment.

“If Rand wants to plant his flag and hold the government shut down for over hemp in Kentucky, take that fight on. I think he’ll lose that one pretty hard,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, noting that another senator wants an amendment to withhold pay from members during government shutdowns.

Monday marked the 41st day of the United States’ longest-running government shutdown, which started Oct. 1. It beat the previous longest shutdown of 35 days, which took place in 2018 and 2019 during President Donald Trump‘s first term.

Despite the pending vote, Johnson further pushed against the Democrats’ battle to extend health insurance subsidies. The Senate would vote separately on the subsidies next month.

“There’ll be long days and long nights here for the foreseeable future to make up for all this lost time that was imposed upon us,” Johnson told reporters.

Senators held a procedural vote Sunday in which seven Democrats and one Independent joined Republicans to narrowly advance a funding measure 60-40.

In exchange for the Democrats’ votes, Republicans agreed to hold a vote in the future on extending Obamacare subsidies.

There are more steps to take before senators hold an official vote on legislation to fund the government through January, including a measure on how long the chamber will debate.

All but a few Democrats have voted 14 times against the House stopgap measure out of concerns over a lack of an extension to the ACA tax credits, set to expire end of December. More than 20 million U.S. citizens currently rely the ACA on for health insurance.

“The American people have now awoken to Trump’s healthcare crisis,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said.

“Healthcare is once again at the forefront of people’s minds,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “People now see that premiums are about to skyrocket. They’re terrified about how they’re going to pay for their insurance.”

The new measure would reverse all shutdown-related job layoffs, guarantee federal worker pay during the shutdown, establish a specific budget process and fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through September.

Johnson said he will give a 36-hour notice before any House votes, but did not offer a specific timeline.

The speaker, who has kept the lower chamber out of session since late September, indicated that a vote could occur as early as this week.

Any bill passed by both chambers will require a signature by Trump to become law. Trump said he intends to sign the legislation.

“Well, it depends what deal we’re talking about, but if it’s the deal I heard about … they want to change the deal a little bit, but I would say so,” Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in the Oval Office.

“I think, based on everything I’m hearing, they haven’t changed anything, and we have support from enough Democrats, and we’re going to be opening up our country. It’s too bad it was closed, but we’ll be opening up our country very quickly.”

That includes adhering to a provision that would reverse layoffs of federal workers his administration pushed during the shutdown.

In the House, Johnson plans to swear in Adelita Grijalva of Arizona when the members return, according to a CNN source.

Grijalva was elected Sept 23, but Johnson refused to swear her in until Senate Democrats agreed to reopen the government.

Once Grijalva is sworn in, she is expected to become the 218th signature necessary to bypass leadership and force a vote on compelling the release of files in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-abuse case.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday that House Democrats would continue to oppose the spending bill that advanced in the Senate this weekend.

“As House Democrats, we know we’re on the right side of this fight, the right side of the American people, and we’re not going to support partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people, and we’re going to continue the fight to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” he said at a news conference.

DESIGNS for a train station from the 1850s have been unearthed revealing what could have been the UK’s own Grand Central Station.

A map of the station from 172 years ago shows that it would have been a huge hub just like New York’s station of the same name.

To mark 200 years of modern railway, Perceval Parsons’ plans have been released and put on sale.

And they reveal a very different looking rail hub than what we know today.

The Grand Central Station would have connected up lots of mainline stations in the capital.

It would have been built next to Great Scotland Yard, close to where Embankment tube station is now and backed onto the River Thames.

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Outside would have been lots of decoration with a front that would be 800 feet in length.

For passengers there would be multiple entrances into the main concourse which would be around 300 feet long.

There would have been eight arrival platforms and eight for departure.

In comparison, Grand Central Terminal in New York is 275 feet long, 120 feet wide, and 125 feet high.

Parsons wrote on the plans: “The great desideratum of a connecting link to unite the termini of the various metropolitan railways, and at the same time afford them access to the heart of London, has long been admitted.

“And a line that would effect this, and at the same time give a like accommodation to the principal suburbs, would be of still greater importance”.

The proposal was supported by Robert Stephenson, chief engineer of the London and Birmingham Railway, but the reason why it didn’t go ahead was due to the Crimean War.

The war meant many expensive projects were scrapped across the UK.

Charing Cross Station opened in 1864, eight years after the end of the Crimean War.

One train line that was running in the 1800s was what was dubbed one of the spookiest train lines in history.

The London Necropolis Railway would transport up to 2,000 bodies a year from the city, to be buried in the countryside due to overcrowding.

Starting at Waterloo Station, the Necropolis Railway would transport coffins from London to Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.

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From rare road and rail vehicles to vintage posters, visitors can see over 320,000 items relating to the English capital’s transport history at the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton.

There’s lots to explore at the Museum Depot like decommissioned tube carriages – including some from the 1930s.

There are also signs, ceramic tiles, original posters and ticket machines from over the years.

There are limited open days each year where there are expert talks and demonstrations.

Some topics ask the questions; why are buses red? to why design of the Piccadilly Line train is the way it is.

The depot also has a working miniature railway based on real underground trains from the carriages to signals – this only runs on weekends during the open days.

For more information and details on opening days, head to the London Transport Museum Depot website.

A SEASIDE town in the UK is set to undergo a massive regeneration project to its waterfront area, after closing a popular theme park after 107 years.

Proposals for the waterfront area in Porthcawl include a new outdoor lido and a number of funfair rides.

The lido would be located at Salt Lake which is opposite the marina, and it would also have a gym, a restaurant, a cafe and other facilities.

As for the funfair rides, they would be located on a new site at the opposite end of Salt Lake.

The area, which spans 38 hectares, is set to also have new shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and kiosks.

In addition there will be a new coastal park, as well as buildings and pavilions to use for community groups.

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There will be a site for motorhomes and touring caravans as well and plenty of open space for seasonal fairs, markets, festivals and events.

There is even space for a new hotel.

Plans suggest there could be a splash pad, mini golf, a pump track, a skate park, a multi-use games area, a basketball court, pocket parks, fitness trails, climbing walls, community gardens and various play areas too.

All of these elements would all be linked by a network of paths for pedestrians and cyclists.

Bridgend County Borough Council, which is behind the project, also revealed that there has been a lot of interest in setting up activities ranging from surf schools and saunas, to beach-based fitness training, outdoor yoga classes and so on.

The nearby sand dune habitats at Rhych Point are set to be carefully managed and restored as well, so that they can be used for educational and leisure purposes.

Griffin Park will treble in size under the plan and will feature a new ‘green corridor’.

The ‘green corridor’ will loop back to the seafront, which will feature stepped coastal defences as part of a new promenade creating better access to Coney Beach and Sandy Bay.

For local residents, there will be 980 new homes and these structures will be no more than four stories high.

The project aims to make 50 per cent of the housing affordable.

There will be additional car parking as well.

John Spanswick, council leader said: “The final Porthcawl Waterfront Regeneration masterplan represents a hugely significant piece of work which has been many years in the making.

“While complementing other local developments such as the ongoing multi-million refurbishment of the Grand Pavilion, it reflects our determination to strike the right balance between housing and community facilities, tourism and leisure, opportunities for enabling new businesses to thrive and more.”

Cabinet secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, said: “This masterplan marks a bold and exciting step forward for Porthcawl, reimagining the seafront to deliver over 900 homes and new attractions that celebrate the town’s heritage.

“By placing local people at the heart of regeneration, we are not only protecting the town’s unique character but also unlocking its full potential as a vibrant and welcoming place to live, work and visit.”

The regeneration project plans follows the closure of the popular attraction, Coney Beach Pleasure Park.

The amusement park officially closed in October, following 107 years in operation.

However, the Welsh government purchased the site back in 2023 to make sure the land could be used for the council’s waterfront regeneration plans.

The waterfront regeneration also includes other projects in Porthcawl such as the £20million Grand Pavilion redevelopment, £9 million on sea defenses, the £3million Cosy Corner transformation – a play area with a large blue whale, climbing nets, slides and ladders.

The Grand Pavilion – an art deco theatre – will be extended, with a new glazed rooftop pavilion with views of the Bristol channel.

Inside, there will be a new studio theatre and bar.

Another £11million is being spent on other projects in the area.

Next, the regeneration project will undergo a pre-planning application consultation on the final proposals due to conclude in January 2026.

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THE UK will be getting a brand new theme park in 2026 – but it won’t have your typical thrill rides.

Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, is the UK’s largest live action outdoor theatre production and next year it will launch Kynren – The Storied Lands, a new daytime historical theme park.

Set to open in summer 2026 in County Durham, the theme park will immerse visitors in multiple live shows and experiences that “span millennia”.

Phase One of Kynren – The Storied Lands will reveal The Lost Feather and four other live-action shows and immersive experiences, including Fina, a Medieval horse show, a viking show and a Victorian Adventure with characters from the past.

There will also be The Legend of the Wear which will transform a lake into a stage, where the Lambton Worm myth will be brought to life with water stunts and special effects.

In the future, the theme park will have even more shows, as well as educational content and themed experiences inspired by Robin Hood, Excalibur and the Tudors.

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As a whole, the attractions will form the UK’s first live-action historical theme park.

Anna Warnecke, CEO of Kynren – The Storied Lands, said: “2026 is going to be an unforgettable year.

“Not only will our award-winning night show return, but we’ll also open Kynren – The Storied Lands a unique new experience that brings history, heritage and myth to life on a scale not seen anywhere else in the UK.”

The news follows the announcement that Kynren – An Epic Tale of England is set to return next summer, with tickets now on sale.

Located in Bishop Auckland, the show involves more than 1,000 cast and crew members and mass choreography, combat, horsemanship, stunts and fireworks – all on a seven-and-a-half acre stage.

The show takes spectators on a journey of 2,000 years of history from Boudicca’s rebellion to Viking invasions, Norman conquests, Tudor drama and even Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

The show lasts 90 minutes, beginning at sunset and ending when the stars are out.

It will run every Saturday evening between July 18 and September 12, 2026.

Tickets cost from £30 per adult and £20 per child.

Children under the age of three, are free.

If visitors book their tickets now, they will also unlock an ‘Insider Pass’, which gives them priority access for tickets to the new Kynren – The Storied Lands when it opens next summer.

Travel writer Catherine Lofthouse, who visited this year’s show, said: “If you’ve never heard of Kynren in Bishop Auckland, Durham, you’re not alone.

“Over an hour and a half, scenes that tell the tale of our homeland, history and heritage come to life across the 7.5-acre outdoor stage.

“The 1,000 professionally trained volunteers might be amateurs, but this incredible cast put on one of the best shows I’ve seen, one that really has to be seen to be believed.

“My boys aged 12 and 10 were absolutely enthralled by the evening’s entertainment from start to finish.

“The whole event is epic – from Viking ships rising from the water to the recreation of a magnificent stained glass window in the spray of a fountain.

“Battle scenes, stunts, celebrations, historic moments, lines from Shakespeare – it’s sometimes difficult to know where to look at there’s so much to take in from one moment to the next.

“It was such a high-quality performance, I’d say it rivaled a live Disney show too.”

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A MAJOR airline has revealed plans to restart UK flights – and you might just get the best sleep onboard.

Air New Zealand last had flights between the UK and New Zealand back in 2020.

However the route – which went via Los Angeles – was axed during Covid.

The London-Auckland route first launched in 1982, and was the first commercial airline to welcome a royal when the Queen broke with tradition in 1995 to travel onboard.

And now the airline’s new CEO has revealed future plans to start up again, alongside a number of routes in India.

Nikhil Ravishankar told local outlet Stuff: “Places we would go tomorrow if we could, and we want to get there as quickly as we can, would be London [and India] – those are places that we know New Zealanders are interested in being connected to.

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“I think all three of those are equally important for us, but India and London are top of the list.

“There are a lot of reasons why New Zealand should be connected to the United Kingdom – it’s a very, very important, almost a cultural highway for us, and so we need to get that route up and running.”

It isn’t clear when this could restart, or where the airline will connect via.

Due to the long nature of the flight – often taking around 24 hours – connections are often in destinations such as Singapore or Hong Kong.

If it does restart, its good news for passengers as Air New Zealand is the only airline in the world set to have bunk beds onboard.

Launching in early 2026, the Skynest will include six bunk bed sleep pods that both economy and premium economy passengers will be able to book.

Each bed can be booked for a four hour slot, and will have new pillows, sheets and blankets per passengers, as well as earplugs, charging points and a personal light.

A curtain will be able to be closed to offer some extra privacy.

They were initially set to launch in 2024 on flights from New York to New Zealand but have since been delayed.

While prices are yet to be confirmed, it was previously suggested that the four hour sessions could be between NZ$400-$600 (£173-£260).

However, you can only book one slot per flight – so make the most of the four hours.

Otherwise there is also the Skycouch, where you can turn a row of three sets into a lie flat bed.

Rather than pay for three seats, passengers can buy two seats and then upgrade to the Skycouch, with then includes the third seat.

Passengers don’t need to buy three seats – instead, you pay for two seats and then upgrade to the Skycouch which automatically includes the third seat.

Prices start from £104 each way.

In the mean time, Brits can fly to New Zealand with other airlines such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific.

Flights include stopovers in Dubai, Singapore, Doha and Hong Kong, respectively.

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Eva Price has burst back onto Coronation Street and much-loved actress Catherine Tyldesley says the future couldn’t be more exciting for the soap as she opened up on her anxiety

Soap favourite Catherine Tyldesley feared her chances of ever returning to Coronation Street were in danger after she kept saying no to bosses – but now she thinks the show going in an ‘old school’ direction will keep the critics at bay.

Catherine is back on the Cobbles as feisty Eva Price following a seven-year absence, and admits she was incredibly nervous about reprising her role. The actress finally told producers yes after hearing their plans for the future and telling them she didn’t want her character involved in any cheating scandals.

Eva left Weatherfield behind in 2018, but now she’s back with some new faces. Joined by husband Ben Driscoll, played by Aaron McCusker, mother-in-law “from hell” Maggie [Pauline McLynn] and their blended family she is also the queen of the Rovers Return – and said the pressure of following in the footsteps of legendary landladies also added to her anxiety.

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She said it was the perfect time to come back to the ITV soap and was sold as soon as producer Katie Brooks explained where the programme was heading. Catherine spoke to the Mirror as she juggles being a working mum and missing important family moments.

The 42-year-old said: “It’s been incredible to be back. You are like a family when you work at Corrie. We’ve all really make the effort to stay in touch, cast and crew, so it’s I just feel incredibly lucky and I’ve been made to feel super welcome. I needed that because I was really nervous. I was genuinely, really nervous because it’s been a long time.

“I’ve had to say no a few times. I was worried they’d just stop asking! That’s why I emailed them after having to reject the chance those times. I just said ‘I love the show and said I loved playing Eva, so please, please always ask me… and at some point, further down the line, hopefully the time will be right’.

“Kate [Brooks] is passionate about bringing a new golden era and kind of looking to the old school Corrie days for inspiration, which is what people seem to love – and what Kate is brilliant at, alongside our writing team. The route she envisioned Corrie going in is everything that I’m about, as soon as we spoke I was inspired and motivated.

“They really know how to do that, and that’s how she worded things to me. I want to bring Corrie into this brilliant new era. It’s a very exciting time, and I felt excited by everything that she was saying to me and how passionate the character and really exploring strong women.”

The show has faced criticism, with Charlie Lawson, who played Jim McDonald for decades, hitting out over ‘woke’ plots before claiming viewers are switching off. It was revealed that Corrie didn’t make it into the ten most-watched TV shows on Christmas Day last year but Catherine says things are looking up.

“They’re putting everything into it,” she said. “I think, if there has been criticism over the show, everything is peaks and troughs in life, you can’t be perfection day in, day out. It is important for shows like this to experiment with things and look at relevant topics that are things that are happening around us, and sometimes the audience like that, sometimes they maybe don’t.

“The only way you can learn is if you take risks, mixing things up and different producers have different ideas. It just so happened for me that I felt very, very aligned with Kate, and everything that she was saying, and her new vision for the show in terms of finding that old school era.”

But while her return has been a pleasure, it’s also been painful. The star added: “Obviously Eva is older and wiser, I wanted Eva and Ben to be tight, to be loyal, to be this power couple at the forefront at the pub. We were very passionate about the fact we wanted her to retain that childlike quality that she has, that really fun side. “I’ve been super happy to have Pauline and Aaron to bounce off. They are such wonderful human beings in real life. So we’re having the best time. The other day, I came up to my dressing room and I remember thinking, gosh, my face is hurting from smiling! Pauline is hysterical. I could just put her in a room and watch her and she just got comedy bones. Yeah, they’re both brilliant.”Mum-of-two Catherine has linked up with O2 to help launch an incredible 5G book that connects families for bedtime, even when they have to be apart. The unique book transforms a traditional children’s story into a shared, interactive experience and she says it’s a must for parents.

“I wanted to get involved in this campaign because, for me, a bedtime story is a ritual – it was always my favourite part and still is. That opportunity to kind of talk about their day with them and then to you, delve into a story is just so special.“O2 told me that through their research, I think it was more than half as parents also agreed with that statement that that was their favourite time of the day. So, for me to have the opportunity to do this connected storybook with Iris, who is three, was just amazing.“Whilst nothing can replicate being snuggled up in bed reading with your little one, seeing technology used in this way to make that special moment of connection still possible is just amazing. The book is beautiful and to see the look on Iris’ face when I popped up in the story was a very special moment. She loved being able to see me and read through the story together even though we were apart.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

ONE of Spain‘s most popular airports with Brits is getting a multi-million pound upgrade in time for the next summer holidays.

Palma de Mallorca Airport is undergoing a massive modernisation project.

Costing €500million (£440million), one of the biggest upgrades is the new security area which has 44 check in lines.

It also has new state-of-the-art equipment so it means you can leave your electronics and liquids in your hand luggage.

Just make sure they are still under 100ml each as those rules are still in place.

Both Module A and Module D have been upgraded, with the former having a new retail area and walkways linking the terminals, as well as more departure gates.

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This also includes 40 new digital passport gates for departing passengers.

Other upcoming changes include upgraded check in counters to allow space for more passengers, as well as more baggage reclaim belts and security checkpoints.

And a new retail area with shops, bars and restaurants is in the works as well, which connects Modules A, B, C and D.

The works are expected to continue until the end of next year, although most of the tourist-facing upgrades will be finished before the summer season.

Aena’s vice-chairman Javier Marín said around 70 per cent of the project is currently complete.

Palma de Mallorca Airport welcomes more than 30million passengers a year, with a record 33.3million last year.

And new flights have launched to the airport this year, including from Glasgow Airport with British Airways and from Leeds with easyJet.

Earlier this year, Ryanair also revealed a huge £1.2billion investment in the airport, with 80 new routes this summer.

The EES system will also be rolled out at Palma Airport this month on November 19.

It’s not the only Spanish airport undergoing a major upgrade as part of a €13bn (£11.3bn) investment plan across the country.

This includes a £2.8billion upgrade for Barcelona Airport, one of Spain’s biggest.

And Malaga Airport’s £1.3billion renovation will see larger terminals and faster security.

Here’s the £1billion Spanish abandoned airport.

WASHINGTON — The hurried push to revise California’s congressional districts has drawn national attention, large sums of money, and renewed hope among Democrats that the effort may help counter a wave of Republican redistricting initiatives instigated by President Trump.

But if Democrats succeed in California, the question remains: Will it be enough to shift the balance of power in Congress?

To regain control of the House, Democrats need to flip three Republican seats in the midterm elections next year. That slim margin prompted the White House to push Republicans this summer to redraw maps in GOP states in an effort to keep Democrats in the minority.

Texas was the first to signal it would follow Trump’s edict and set off a rare mid-decade redistricting arms race that quickly roped in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom devised Proposition 50 to tap into his state’s massive inventory of congressional seats.

Californians appear poised to approve the measure Tuesday. If they do, Democrats potentially could gain five seats in the House — an outcome that mainly would offset the Republican effort in Texas that already passed.

While Democrats and Republicans in other states also have moved to redraw their maps, it is too soon to say which party will see a net gain, or predict voter sentiment a year from now, when a lopsided election in either direction could render the remapping irrelevant.

GOP leaders in North Carolina and Missouri approved new maps that likely will yield one new GOP seat in each, Ohio Republicans could pick up two more seats in a newly redrawn map approved Friday, and GOP leaders in Indiana, Louisiana, Kansas and Florida are considering or taking steps to redraw their maps. In all, those moves could lead to at least 10 new Republican seats, according to experts tracking the redistricting efforts.

To counter that, Democrats in Virginia passed a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would give lawmakers the power and option to redraw a new map ahead of next year’s election. Illinois leaders are weighing their redistricting options and New York has filed a lawsuit that seeks to redraw a GOP-held district. But concerns over legal challenges already tanked the party’s efforts in Maryland and the potential dilution of the Black vote has slowed moves in Illinois.

So far, the partisan maneuvers appear to favor Republicans.

“Democrats cannot gerrymander their way out of their gerrymandering problem. The math simply doesn’t add up,” said David Daly, a senior fellow at the nonprofit FairVote. “They don’t have enough opportunities or enough targets.”

Complex factors for Democrats

Democrats have more than just political calculus to weigh. In many states they are hampered by a mix of constitutional restrictions, legal deadlines and the reality that many of their state maps no longer can be easily redrawn for partisan gain. In California, Prop. 50 marks a departure from the state’s commitment to independent redistricting.

The hesitancy from Democrats in states such as Maryland and Illinois also underscores the tensions brewing within the party as it tries to maximize its partisan advantage and establish a House majority that could thwart Trump in his last two years in office.

“Despite deeply shared frustrations about the state of our country, mid-cycle redistricting for Maryland presents a reality where the legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic, and the certainty of our existing map would be undermined,” Bill Ferguson, the Maryland Senate president, wrote in a letter to state lawmakers last week.

In Illinois, Black Democrats are raising concerns over the plans and pledging to oppose maps that would reduce the share of Black voters in congressional districts where they have historically prevailed.

“I can’t just think about this as a short-term fight. I have to think about the long-term consequences of doing such a thing,” said state Sen. Willie Preston, chair of the Illinois Senate Black Caucus.

Adding to those concerns is the possibility that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority could weaken a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act and limit lawmakers’ ability to consider race when redrawing maps. The outcome — and its effect on the 2026 midterms — will depend heavily on the timing and scope of the court’s decision.

The court has been asked to rule on the case by January, but a decision may come later. Timing is key as many states have filing deadlines for 2026 congressional races or hold their primary election during the spring and summer.

If the court strikes down the provision, known as Section 2, advocacy groups estimate Republicans could pick up at least a dozen House seats across southern states.

“I think all of these things are going to contribute to what legislatures decide to do,” said Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center for Justice. The looming court ruling, he added, is “an extra layer of uncertainty in an already uncertain moment.”

Republican-led states press ahead

Support for Prop. 50 has brought in more than $114 million, the backing of some of the party’s biggest luminaries, including former President Obama, and momentum for national Democrats who want to regain control of Congress after the midterms.

In an email to supporters Monday, Newsom said fundraising goals had been met and asked proponents of the effort to get involved in other states.

“I will be asking for you to help others — states like Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and more are all trying to stop Republican mid-decade redistricting efforts. More on that soon,” Newsom wrote.

Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun called a special session set to begin Monday, to “protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair.”

In Kansas, the GOP president of the state Senate said last week that there were enough signatures from Republicans in the chamber to call a special session to redraw the state’s maps. Republicans in the state House would need to match the effort to move forward.

In Louisiana, Republicans in control of the Legislature voted last week to delay the state’s 2026 primary elections. The move is meant to give lawmakers more time to redraw maps in the case that the Supreme Court rules in the federal voting case.

If the justices strike down the practice of drawing districts based on race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has indicated the state likely would jump into the mid-decade redistricting race.

Shaniqua McClendon, head of Vote Save America, said the GOP’s broad redistricting push underscores why Democrats should follow California’s lead — even if they dislike the tactic.

“Democrats have to be serious about what’s at stake. I know they don’t like the means, but we have to think about the end,” McClendon said. “We have to be able to take back the House — it’s the only way we’ll be able to hold Trump accountable.”

In New York, a lawsuit filed last week charging that a congressional district disenfranchises Black and Latino voters would be a “Hail Mary” for Democrats hoping to improve their chances in the 2026 midterms there, said Daly, of FairVote.

Utah also could give Democrats an outside opportunity to pick up a seat, said Dave Wasserman, a congressional forecaster for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. A court ruling this summer required Utah Republican leaders to redraw the state’s congressional map, resulting in two districts that Democrats potentially could flip.

Wasserman described the various redistricting efforts as an “arms race … Democrats are using what Republicans have done in Texas as a justification for California, and Republicans are using California as justification for their actions in other states.”

‘Political tribalism’

Some political observers said the outcome of California’s election could inspire still more political maneuvering in other states.

“I think passage of Proposition 50 in California could show other states that voters might support mid-decade redistricting when necessary, when they are under attack,” said Jeffrey Wice, a professor at New York Law School where he directs the New York Elections, Census & Redistricting Institute. “I think it would certainly provide impetus in places like New York to move forward.”

Similar to California, New York would need to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment, but that could not take place in time for the midterms.

“It might also embolden Republican states that have been hesitant to redistrict to say, ‘Well if the voters in California support mid-decade redistricting, maybe they’ll support it here too,’” Wice said.

To Erik Nisbet, the director of the Center for Communications & Public Policy at Northwestern University, the idea that the mid-decade redistricting trend is gaining traction is part of a broader problem.

“It is a symptom of this 20-year trend in increasing polarization and political tribalism,” he said. “And, unfortunately, our tribalism is now breaking out, not only between each other, but it’s breaking out between states.”

He argued that both parties are sacrificing democratic norms and the ideas of procedural fairness as well as a representative democracy for political gain.

“I am worried about what the end result of this will be,” he said.

Ceballos reported from Washington, Mehta from Los Angeles.