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Maybe there is something in the fog. Matthew Rhys landed two Emmy nominations in different categories for darkly comedic and darkly chilling turns this TV season.

Rhys is nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for his deft performance as Tom Loftis, a single dad and the mayor of a cursed New England island who is trying to balance the town’s supernatural threats with his efforts to boost tourism, in Apple’s TV’s breakout horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay.” The word-of-mouth buzz around the series, which premiered in April, intensified each week leading up to its finale last month and prompted chatter around its prospects as a major Emmys contender. The series arrived late in the season, so only its first seven episodes qualify for the 2026 awards cycle, but that was enough for Rhys to nab a nod.

It wasn’t the only performance from Rhys that voters boosted. He is also nominated for lead actor in a limited or anthology series for his role as the sociopath Nile Jarvis, a famed and formidable real estate developer who once was the prime suspect in the killing of his wife, in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.” Nile finds himself in a cat-and-mouse dynamic with his new neighbor (Claire Danes), an author in search of her next book subject who is suspicious of his innocence.

Prior to this year’s nominations, Rhys received five Emmy nominations over his career, including for his lead roles in “The Americans” and “Perry Mason,” as well as a guest actor nod in “Girls.” He won in 2018 for his role as KGB spy Philip Jennings in “The Americans.”

The Times spoke with Rhys about his nomination; these are edited excerpts.

Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis in Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay.”

(Apple)

Congratulations on your exciting morning — it’s a big day in the Rhys-Russell household [Keri Russell, Rhys’ partner, is nominated for lead actress in a drama for her role in “The Diplomat”]. Let’s start with the most important question: What’s in the fog, Matthew?

[laughs] I love how it took me a moment. I was like, “Wait, what?” Oh, yes, the fog! What’s in the fog is an incredible Season 2.

Place me in the moment when you got the news.

I was in Brooklyn Bridge Marina at the time. I just got off a boat, and I thought, “Oh, God, it’s 11:40.” So I thought quite possibly [they] got to our categories. I checked my phone and there were the many texts. That was the exciting moment because if you haven’t been nominated, there’s no text.

Did one text stand out from the others?

The real pinch-me moment — this is going to sound like a real name drop — but it really got me emotional because I thought, if I’d have told my 18-year-old self that Gary Oldman would text me to congratulate me, I wouldn’t have believed it. That’s when it got me in an emotional way because he’s such a true hero.

Let’s start with “Widow’s Bay,” which recently wrapped its first season. There’s something so thrilling about how it broke through the way that it did. What has struck you about how viewers responded to this horror comedy?

There was a great degree of nervousness about how this would land, whether indeed it would land at all, and the fact that it has, and kind of the depth and the complex nature that’s landed or resonated with people in different ways, is what I’ve loved. Some people go, “Oh my God, it’s so funny”; some people say, “Oh my God, it’s terrifying” — some people say both. And some people pick up on the weirdest things, and then some people pick up on the most obvious, great things. But it’s the length and breadth and the variety of its resonances that has really made me very happy, and really made me doff my cap to [creator] Katie Dippold, for what she did.

What should networks and studios take away from the success of “Widow’s Bay” if they are really paying attention?

Take the risk. And challenge audiences. Everyone’s more than ready for it and thirsty for it in a real way. I really hope this does something in the Hollywood psyche, where they go, “Let’s put away the remakes and let’s just get after new challenging, original material.”

What guidance did you get from Katie about who Tom was and how to play him?

She’s dizzyingly collaborative, so she said, “Tom is yours.” It was more me going, “But what about this for Tom?” She would help, but she really said, “Tom is yours to create now. Everything I’ve done is on the page.” And it was. That’s the beauty of her writing. If you’re true to it, and you don’t get in the way of it, it sings.

The way Tom reacts to situations and people is such a master class in facial expressions. Did you recognize that would be your tool for your performance early on?

We had a kind of sliding scale — Hiro [Murai, executive producer and director], myself and Katie — because it was a departure for me. I’d go, “I don’t know where this lives or where reality lives.” And as much as anyone can say, “Play for real” — playing it for real can mean many things. It can mean a very minimal reaction, and it can mean a great reaction, and so there were times when I was like, “I’m gonna hit the sliding scale, and you let me know where it should be landing, or where, in your opinion, it’s landing in a real way.” Sometimes they were like, “Maybe a little less,” and then they were like “Maybe a little more.” That element of collaboration was wonderful too.

The moment on the boat is a GIF I send often. The jolt.

It’s funny, we have a great and incredible stunt coordinator Paul [Marini]. He said, “You have to lead where the momentum of the energy would be; it’d be your hips. So let your hips lead, and then let your body follow.” And I was like, “Oh, that’s smart.” Then if you do that, then it has a degree of comic effect to it. But my pelvis hasn’t quite recovered.

Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis opposite Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.”

(Netflix)

Sort of like your dance moment in “The Beast in Me” — lead with the hips. This is your thing, Matthew.

Anytime, in the stage direction, it says “dances,” I’m like [mimics vomit sound]. That strikes ice in my veins because I’m always like, “Oh my God.”

That’s your horror comedy.

That is my true horror comedy because my dancing can be horrific and comical when it is to be neither.

Let’s talk about “The Beast in Me.” Nile Jarvis was also quite the departure from you. What was your entry point to understanding him and figuring out how chilling to make him?

It was a lot of YouTube watching, where you just type in “psychopaths” and stuff comes up. I read Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test” and “The Journalist and the Murderer” [by Janet Malcolm]. The writing was so strong in “The Beast in Me,” so much of Nile was preemptively done for me. As [director] Antonio Campos said, “The trick might be not to do too much because enough has been said.” Everyone has this predisposed idea of who he is and, therefore, the idea we came up with was to do not as little as possible, but to be minimal with it because he’s aware of what everyone thinks of him and there’s a degree of enjoyment and relishing in that.

Have you been able to sensibly eat a roast chicken since?

No, not sensibly. It’s become Pavlovian for me now. When I eat roast chicken, I devour it in a slightly psychotic way. I love that scene. It’s an astute piece of writing to say so much about someone without words.

What would you be best suited to achieve: rebranding the town of Widow’s Bay as a tourist destination or charming your neighbors into signing paperwork for the construction of a running path through the backwoods of their properties?

I’m not saying I could charm the neighbors, but I would attempt to charm the neighbors. Playing Tom was exhausting in a way that playing Nile wasn’t. I always spent the end of the day on “Widow’s Bay” going, “My God, I’m exhausted” — because you’re just vibrating on a higher level with Tom. It’s always like, “Listen, please!” The pitch is always higher; you’re always like, “You’ve got to listen to me!” Or if you’re terrified, you’re just hyperventilating.

I know the news of these nominations is still fresh and I don’t want to tell you how to approach the big night, but I just have to say, this could be the moment you take a page from Philip Jennings of “The Americans” and come with a wig and getup so when they pan to you during both categories, you can make them feel distinct.

That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to Jennings it. I’m going to PJ it. When it pans to me in the second category, I’m gonna look completely different. I’m going to be dressed as Elizabeth [Jennings].

Well, congratulations. How do you think you and Keri are going to celebrate?

Keri, in true “Americans” style, is having me meet her in a clandestine spot that I don’t know anything about, so who knows what. I don’t know what the afternoon is going to unfold, but it’s a big surprise. She might end up killing me, who knows.

The new series of ITV’s Long Lost Family begins with an emotional story of a search for a family.

A remarkable new series of Long Lost Family on ITV uses DNA technology and painstaking detective work to reunite two foundlings with family members they lost contact with or never met.

In December 1960, David Stevenson was discovered inside a locked apartment block in North-West London. He was found in the corridor up on the second floor, outside one of the flats. He was several days old and cold, but well fed. For Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace, 65-year-old David returns to the flats more than six decades on still with burning questions about why he was left in such a specific place and whether this provides any clues as to who his birth parents are.

David says: “This place is part of me and part of my identity, no question. This is where my story starts here, so coming back here is emotional. Babies are often left at a police station or a hospital. Whoever put me here…this is a locked private block. Were some of the other residents somehow involved? The WPC arrived and discovered me on the floor with people milling round.”

Although some residents were investigated by the police, enquiries failed to help identify David’s birth parents or link them to him. David was adopted by the Stevenson family and had a happy childhood in nearby Edgware. He grew up knowing about his start in life, but for a long time he wasn’t curious to know more.

“I did know that I was a foundling but as far as I was concerned I had a mum and dad and it wasn’t a problem for me.”

He now has three sons of his own. They reflect on the risks involved with searching – the answers could be upsetting. David is also conscious of the experience of his birth mother.

“If I find my birth mother and she didn’t tell anyone and she wasn’t keen on that secret turning up that would be hard because it would be rejection all over again. The consensus from the police doctor was that I was a result of an unattended birth. and that must be a traumatic experience for any woman,” he says.

With his sons now grown up, David remarried and now lives with his second wife Julie. In 2009 they launched a national appeal for information. Ultimately it did not provide answers, but it did mark the start of a decade of their own extensive investigative work.

Using the apartment building as their primary clue, they developed several hypotheses about the residents. More recently David has turned to searching through DNA, which revealed that he has both Dutch and French heritage. While this is a significant development, the search has stalled, leaving him still not knowing who his birth parents are. Thankfully the LLF team get a breakthrough on David’s search.

There is a strong connection to a particular Dutch family. Two family members, including a woman called Marianne agree to take DNA tests. The pair of them testing enables LLF expert Ariel Bruce to – with certainty – identify David’s birth mother. Her name is Petra and she sadly died in 2010. Upon seeing a photo of David, the family immediately see a likeness to Petra.

Show host Nicky Campbell travels to the Netherlands to meet with Marianne – David’s aunt and his first cousins Saskia and Bart. He wants to see how they are dealing with the news and to learn more about Petra. It transpires that nobody in the family ever knew that she was pregnant and gave up a baby in London. They are left with mixed feelings. They are desperately sad that Petra had to endure this alone but delighted to be able to meet their new cousin and welcome him into the family.

After finishing school, Petra moved to Paris to work as an Au Pair and was living there when David was conceived. This tallies with David’s French DNA and the thinking that his birth father is French. She then moved to London and subsequently parted with David.

She grew up in a strict Catholic household where news of her pregnancy would not have been tolerated. Marianne says: “It was parents after Second World War. They would be angry.”

Bart adds: “They were Catholic and they would also have been very concerned with what society would think of having a child born out of wedlock.”

The sad news that Petra has died is shared with David away from the cameras. French privacy laws mean that DNA testing is very uncommon in France and so Ariel and the team are not able to identify his birth father. Referring to the death of Petra, David tells host Davina McCall: “It’s a shame because it closed an avenue that might have been open to me.”

Davina explains that the nature of Petra’s relationship with David’s birth father is unknown, along with any possible connections to the building where David was found. She describes Petra’s strict upbringing in The Netherlands and explains that she never confided in her family about giving birth at 20. David is quite affected by learning that after returning to the Netherlands, she did not have any more children.

David says: “Oh wow. I find that surprising. And quite sad actually, you know, not having a family, having given up the one child that she did have.”

Davina then reveals that Petra has family members in Rotterdam who were all too willing to take DNA tests. She passes on a letter that they have written him, where they explain that they would love to meet and share as much information about Petra as they can. David is moved by this gesture.

He says: “To meet people close to Petra would be very nice. To put a name to my mother and a picture, it’s a profound feeling. That is amazing.

“I’ve often said I’m not looking for another family, you know. All I want to know is where did I come from? But seeing these[photos] and reading the letter, you know, I want to meet these people. Yeah, that’s as big as it can be.”

After travelling to Rotterdam and has an emotional first meeting with Marianne, Bart, Saskia and another first cousin Jan. They share details about Petra, her personality and interests. David concludes: “One of the most rewarding things…is to hear them talk about her, and, and it’s helped me form an idea of her character. I’m very excited abut the future. There was nothing but love from them.”

Petra’s sister Marianne tells him: “She would love you and you would love her.”

The other search on next week’s programme sees Sarah Gray search for her birth mother.

She was found inside a Leicester telephone box in June 1983. Just a newborn baby, she was discovered by a woman going to make a phone call. Now a mother herself of 3-year-old twins, she often reflects on her own beginnings. She had a very happy and fulfilling adoption but her start in life was never openly discussed.

“I think you know in your family the conversations that can come up freely, and I think there’s a time and a place for certain things and I didn’t push it.”

Returning to the telephone box she sees that it’s on a busy road where there would have been lots of passers-by.

Sarah, 43, said: “Whoever it was has left me in a public phone box right next to a bus stop, next to a community centre… they definitely wanted me to be found.”

The search team make incredible strides with Sarah’s case and identify her birth mother. Davina is able to finally bring Sarah some answers about who she is and where she comes from, Sarah’s mother – who is alive – wants contact and a meeting to be done off camera.

* Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace Series 8 begins on Monday night at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.

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It was a glimpse of an old couple sharing a tender moment in the bustling horchatería that drew me into one of Valencia’s most storied culinary traditions. As he sipped his milky horchata de chufa and a white crescent moon appeared on his coiffed moustache, they shared a soft laugh and she dabbed it away from his upper lip.

“There’s no fixed time to drink horchata,” the lady said. “As long we have at least one every day.”

In Valencia, this refreshing, creamy, non-alcoholic drink is so beloved it is nicknamed “white gold”, and grand parlours dedicated to making it are still going strong in the city’s most sought-after locations. These often historic, traditional places are called horchaterías (or orxaterias in Valencian) and there are dozens dotted around the region.

Production is authorised in 16 towns in the Valencia region, with the quaint town of Alboraya (Alboraia in Valencian), about 45 minutes’ walk from Valencia old town, acknowledged as its birthplace and global capital. Here, buried in the low-lying, fertile fields around the town, you’ll find the drink’s principal ingredient: the chufa.

Chufas, known as tiger nuts in English, have been cultivated in Valencia for more than 1,000 years. They look like wooden raisins but taste nutty and slightly sweet when eaten raw. Tiger nuts are not actually nuts, but tubers of a grass-like plant from the sedge family. Valencia’s agricultural zone north of the city produces 5.3m to 8m kilograms of dried tiger nuts a year. Most of the harvesting takes place in spring to ensure ample supply for the balmy summer months.

To turn the wrinkly tubers into horchata, chufas are cleaned, soaked and crushed, then mixed with water. Nowadays, cinnamon, lemon or orange zest and sugar are added to boost the flavour.

Alboraya is also the birthplace of horchata’s companion: the farton, a long, cigar-shaped pastry glazed with sugar, created in the 1960s by the Polo family to dip in and mop up every last drop of horchata from the bottom of the glass. Some stay loyal to its humble predecessor, rosquilletas (breadsticks), which are less absorbent but an intriguingly salty, anise-flavoured counterpart to horchata’s sweetness nonetheless.

Leaving Alboraya with a bellyful of the indulgent combination, I weighed the task of finding the perfect horchatería. It felt wrong to split up horchata from its farton, so I would consider both. Horchaterías tend to offer three versions of horchata: líquida (liquid), granizada (semi-frozen slush) or mixta (a blend of liquid and slush). It would be the traditional classic líquida for me.

In Valencia, there are hundreds of places serving horchata and fartons, but I wanted tradition and old-world charm – places that exist only to make horchata, not as an afterthought to spiced lattes or ice-cream. After sifting out the cafes, coffeehouses and ice-cream parlours, a handwritten list on a single sheet of A4 remained.

Horchatería Fabián

Rescuers in eastern Afghanistan are searching through mud and rubble after flash floods and a landslide tore through Nuristan province. At least 23 people have been killed and dozens are still missing as officials warn of more heavy rain and a rising death toll.

Cape Verde has been named the ‘best ultimate football-inspired island’ by Expedia, with searches for Cape Verde holiday packages up 265% following the African country’s World Cup heroics this summer

Searches for Cape Verde holidays have soared by 265% following the African nation’s footballing exploits this summer, according to figures from Expedia.

The island, made up of 10 volcanic islands with a total population of 491,233, captured the public’s hearts thanks to their performances at the World Cup. Their impressive showing proved so popular that searches have risen sharply compared to this time last year – with overall interest in island breaks up 55%.

Cape Verde features on Expedia’s 2026 Island Hot List, which spotlights the world’s most sought-after island destinations. Each location on the list falls into a distinct category, covering the finest romantic, wellness, nature, family and budget-friendly getaways – among others – with Cape Verde crowned the ‘best ultimate football-inspired island’.

Travel expert and spokesperson Melanie Fish said: “The list was finalised until one destination generated so much buzz from football fans that we had to give them an award of their own.”

Elsewhere on the list, St. Lucia takes the top spot as the ultimate romantic escape, while Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal, is the preferred choice for wellness and relaxation.

Praslin, Seychelles leads the way for nature enthusiasts, and Syros, Greece, takes the crown for cuisine. Palawan, Philippines, is ideal for natural wonders, while Culebra, Puerto Rico, reigns supreme for water-based adventures.

Norway’s Lofoten Islands also secured a place on the list for arctic adventures, while Sanibel Island, Florida, USA, is the destination for family getaways. Phu Quoc, Vietnam tops the list for affordable luxury while Fiji leads the way for ‘multi-generational value’.

Expedia’s Melanie Fish added: “Islands don’t just satisfy the urge to get away; they can also be one of the smartest holiday values.”

Holidaymakers can book flights, hotels, car hire and activities on Expedia – making the planning process far simpler, and helping save money in the process.

Popular islands fill up quickly, particularly during busy holiday seasons – booking ahead helps guarantee the best prices and availability.

EXPEDIA’S 2026 ISLAND HOT LIST (INCLUDING YEAR-ON-YEAR SEARCH INCREASES).

1. St. Lucia (+125%) – Best for Romantic Escapes (Hotel Recommendation: Sugar Beach, 5 stars)
2. Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal (+85%) – Best for Wellness & Relaxation (Hotel Recommendation: Pestana Porto Santo Beach Resort & Spa, 5 stars)
3. Praslin, Seychelles (+80%) – Best for Nature Lovers (Hotel Recommendation: Coco de Mer Hotel and Black Parrot Suites, 4 stars)
4. Syros, Greece (+60%) – Best for Cuisine & Charm (Hotel Recommendation: Syrou Melathron, 4 stars)
5. Lofoten Islands, Norway (+50%) – Best for Arctic Adventure (Hotel Recommendation: Henningsvær Bryggehotell, 4 stars)
6. Palawan, Philippines (+40%) – Best for Natural Wonders (Hotel Recommendation: Carpe Diem Villas & Resort, 4 stars)
7. Culebra, Puerto Rico (+35%) – Best for Water Adventures (Hotel Recommendation: Club Seabourne Boutique Hotel, 3 stars)
8. Sanibel Island, Florida, USA (+25%) – Best for Family Escapes (Hotel Recommendation: Sanibel Inn, 3 stars)
9. Phu Quoc, Vietnam (+25%) – Best for Affordable Luxury (Hotel Recommendation: Green Bay Phu Quoc Resort & Spa, 5 stars)
10. Fiji (+15%) – Best for Multi-generational Value (Hotel Recommendation: OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort, 5 stars

• New for 2026: Cape Verde (+265%) – Best Ultimate Football-inspired Island (Hotel Recommendation: Morabeza Hotel, 4 stars).

July 19 (UPI) — Extensive search and rescue missions were underway in Peru’s mountainous central Andean highlands Sunday following a deadly 5.1 magnitude earthquake.

The Peruvian National Police said they were actively conducting search, rescue, emergency response and security operations in the Junin region after Saturday’s temblor, which had its epicenter in the Chongos Bajo district of Chupaca province, about 200 miles east of Lima.

More than 250 personnel from the Peru’s emergency services, K-9 and medical units, as well as other specialized teams, were also in the rugged highlands as the government issued a preliminary report of five dead, 21 injured and more than 300 affected by the quake.

It struck at 9:21 p.m. Saturday local time.

“I deeply regret the consequences of the earthquake that occurred in Junín,” Peruvian President-elect Keiko Fujimori said in a statement. “I express my most heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have passed away and my solidarity with those who have been affected.”

The national volunteer firefighting corps were similarly dispatched to the region to aid the National Police in search and rescue operations, debris removal, evacuations and pre-hospital care for those in the hardest-hit areas, the interior ministry said.

The health ministry, meanwhile, sent a brigade of specialists brigade to begin providing medical care to those affected, joining local teams already present in Junin.

“The Ministry of Health maintains continuous monitoring of the emergency and will continue to mobilize the human, logistical, and medical resources necessary to safeguard the lives and health of the affected population,” officials said.

July 15 (UPI) — A search for three people missing in San Francisco Bay after their cabin cruiser sank a day earlier will end when the sun sets on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Eleven boats and four aircraft have been searching hundreds of miles of water for those reported missing after a cabin cruiser capsized off the coast of Alcatraz on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials initially said 19 people were aboard the 49-foot, three-level Volare cabin cruiser and that 17 people had been rescued from the water, leaving two people unaccounted for. One person rescued was later pronounced dead. A dog on board also died. But officials have since said 20 people were on the craft and that three were missing.

Capt. Jarod Toczko, sector commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, announced the deadline for the search during a 2 p.m. press conference, explaining that none of the missing had been found, despite a search of more than 950 square nautical miles and more than 1,700 miles of track line.

“We have completely saturated the search area,” he said.

“As I look at the extensive search effort we have put forth to this point, I look at the probability of success of locating a survivor within the search area given everything we’ve put forth and all the environmental conditions, my intention is to suspend active search operations at sunset this evening.”

He said the families have been notified and crews will continue to search until the sun sets.

Dean Crispen, chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, said that three survivors who were transported to the hospital have been released and were “doing okay.”

The person who died was identified Wednesday by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa of Sutter County.

Authorities were notified at 3:37 p.m. PDT about a boat in distress in the San Francisco Bay. Witnesses had incorrectly identified steam emanating from the boat as smoke, leading initial reports to indicate a fire was on board. Civilians boaters were first to arrive on the scene and are being hailed for saving lives.

The cause of the capsizing is under investigation, but Toczko told reporters that survivors and those who responded to the scene said that the boat was hit by a wave that caused it to list heavily, lose its stability and roll over.

Some occupants were thrown into the water, Toczko said, adding that there is a “high possibility” that others had been trapped inside the vessel.

Crispen had said during a Tuesday press conference that all aboard the vessel were adults, mostly family members and close friends who were participating in “some kind of memorial service.”

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said that while he laments the tragedy, he is “incredibly proud of the all hands-on-deck effort.”

“From Marin to Oakland to San Francisco to the good Samaritans, it was truly all hands-on-deck effort to save 16 people,” he said. “And my heart goes out to the families of the victims.”

‘Many ruin bars seem to be just tourist traps now,” says artist István, standing outside Instant-Fogas complex, which calls itself Europe’s biggest ruin pub, but looks more like a mammoth nightclub with several dancefloors.

“These bars were a hot topic 20 years ago, but many have become really commercial now,’ says István. “Ruin bars being expensive actually ruins their purpose. I’m a student, I like beers that are under 1,000 forints [about £2.50], and the big commercial ruin bars are typically much more expensive.”

Ruin bars (or romkocsmák) emerged mainly in Budapest’s historic Jewish Quarter (District VII) in the early 2000s when abandoned, prewar buildings and empty courtyards were transformed by young entrepreneurs into cheap bohemian art spaces that flaunted their dilapidation. They were typically peppered with fairy lights and mismatching secondhand furniture and artefacts.

Many have since lost their ruin bar essence and aesthetic, and simply host punters on the lash and a stream of guided pub crawls, stag and hen parties. But some proper ruin bars do still exist.

Szimpla Kert (or Simple Garden) is considered the pioneer of Budapest’s ruin bars and can feel overwhelming of an evening on your first visit; it’s much calmer in the day. Gigantic, buzzing, with multiple rooms on two levels, lots of colourful lights and pulsating music, it is undeniably a bit touristy, yet not unpleasantly so.

It has become a community centre, too, with film showings, an art gallery, a farmers’ market, flea market and other regular activities.

Suitably decrepit, with graffitied walls, rough wooden benches, concrete floors, a huge disco ball and plants lining the ceilings, it certainly has character. Nights may have live music and there are DJs, with small bars serving craft beers, cocktails and more. Prices are high for a Budapest bar – about 2,000 forints (£5) for a half litre of lager. Yet with a tatty bar space on such a huge scale completely assaulting your senses, there really is nowhere else like it.
9/10

July 5 (UPI) — The U.S. military suspended its search Sunday for a missing Naval aircrewman who went missing Wednesday following an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced the suspension of the search in a statement on social media after more than 102 hours.

“The efforts concluded following an extensive search by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. “The Sailor’s name is benign withheld until at least 24 hours after next-of-kin notification is complete in accordance with Navy policy.”

The search spanned more than 14,000 square miles. The military utilized multiple helicopters and other U.S. Air Force aircraft, aircraft carriers and guided-missile to canvas the region.

The missing crewman was aboard a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter when it crash landed at about 3:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. There were four people in the helicopter. The other three crewmembers were recovered and listed in stable condition.

The helicopter was on a routine patrol when it went down.

U.S. officials said the helicopter’s crash landing was not the result of hostile fire.

July 2 (UPI) — A search is ongoing for an aircrewman who went missing after the Navy helicopter they were aboard performed an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. military said.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a brief statement that the MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter with four people on board made the emergency landing at 3:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday.

Three of the helicopter’s crew were recovered and were listed in stable condition, while the fourth member remained missing.

U.S. Navy assets in the region are searching for the missing aircrewman, it said.

Little information about the incident has been made public. U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said there was no indication that hostile activity prompted the emergency landing.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation,” it said.

The helicopter was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which departed Norfolk, Va., on March 31, according to U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The aircraft carrier has been in the Arabian Sea since at least May 3, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command, which said it was deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East.

The United States has been at war with Iran since Feb. 28. The two sides are negotiating an end to the war amid a cease-fire.

This is a developing story.

Rescue teams in Greece are combing through the rubble for survivors after a four-story apartment building in Athens collapsed on Tuesday. Four people have since been rescued from beneath the debris. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collapse.

Specially-trained search dogs are used to sniff out where potential victims may be located, says Ivory – who has been deployed to relief efforts following earthquakes in Haiti, Japan and Nepal and is currently helping to coordinate efforts in Venezuela from the UK.

They can identify a person’s smell even when they are buried as far as 10m (32.8ft) under rubble – and will let out a “really strong and sustained bark” when they do, alerting rescuers to a potential survivor.

The dogs are trained using toys imprinted with a human’s smell, Ivory explains. Then, when they actually locate a human on the ground, they are handed the toy as a reward by their handler.

Search dogs can also be very useful during the technical part of rescue operations, says Sakthy Selvakumaran of the UK-based charity Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID), which deploys personnel to large-scale disasters worldwide.

They can find hard-to-navigate paths through rubble to follow a scent or identify different access points to the victim, Selvakumaran tells the BBC.

I first went to a bouchon as a 20-year-old Erasmus student. I’d accidentally ended up spending a semester of my year abroad in the Auvergne countryside, which meant every weekend I’d thumb a ride to the nearest big city – Lyon. I didn’t know much about Lyon, except that it was famous for its food – in particular the hearty fare served up at these traditional restaurants with their red gingham tablecloths and chalkboard menus. So when I found myself eating stringy, overpriced beef muscle that cost more than my night at a hostel, I wondered what the hype was about.

But after nearly five years living in the city, I’ve now learned how to avoid the tourist traps (which largely line Vieux Lyon between souvenir shops selling fridge magnets and sweet shops). Historically, most bouchons weren’t in Lyon’s old town anyway, writes Yves Rouèche in Histoire(s) De La Gastronomie Lyonnaise, but in the neighbourhoods of Vaise, Croix-Rousse and La Guillotière, the gateways to the city in the Renaissance period where merchants and travellers stopped for the night.

Elsewhere in France, bouchon translates as “traffic jam”, “wine cork”, or (if you ever need to converse with a medieval peasant) a “wisp of straw”. I’d assumed the name came from the wine cork, as Beaujolais and Rhône Valley wines are served liberally in these establishments, but, as one bouchon owner tells me, it’s more likely to come from the straw: bunches of straw were often used to mark the doors of auberges (inns) that were open and serving food. Shared tables, checked tablecloths and pots de vin are all hallmarks of a bouchon, but the real defining feature is the quantity of meat served, particularly offal – enough to surprise even devout carnivores.

The restaurants really took off in the 19th century, when they were largely run by women, known as Mères Lyonnaises (Lyonnaise mothers). They dished up andouillette (tripe sausage), rognon de veau (calf’s kidneys) and cervelle de canut (silk worker’s brain, actually a soft cheese infused with shallots, garlic and herbs) to silk merchants and weavers. The Michelin guide discovered one of these “mothers” in 1933, and awarded Eugénie Brazier six Michelin stars, three for each of her restaurants. For the 65 years that followed, she was the most decorated chef in history, and her success put Lyon and its bouchons firmly on the map.

I drank wine at breakfast and consumed a veritable slaughterhouse worth of offcuts to find the best.

I was excited about this spot, because it has won awards for its quenelles. These sausage-shaped egg, flour and butter dumplings remind me of toad-in-the-hole batter, and in a bouchon, they’re usually stuffed with pike and covered in sauce aux écrevisses (crayfish sauce).

The restaurant is busy with local diners, and busy in decor. The red and white curtains are patterned with chickens, and the chandeliers and lamps on the bar are frilly and ornate. There’s already rosette (salami) and cervelle de canut on the table.

My quenelle is almost as large as a loaf of bread , but I finish up the lot, enjoying the contrast between the crisp, oven-browned top of the quenelle and the doughier part that’s been saturated in sauce. It’s buttery and tastes like marmite, and reminds me of British comfort food staples such as yorkshire puddings and dumplings. It’s very good, but, just like getting excited for several months about going to watch Avatar, I’d set my expectations too high.
Quenelles with crayfish sauce €24. Bouchon rating: 7/10

I arrive at 9am – and feel as though I’ve got there late. All of the other tables are full, the carafes of wine sitting on them half empty. La Meunière upholds the tradition of mâchon, Lyon’s answer to the bottomless brunch, only with hearty quantities of meat washed down with red wine. Originally, this would have served as lunch for hungry canuts (silk weavers), but now it’s popular with office workers and anyone else looking for an excuse for a midweek breakfast booze.

There’s no choice of menu (“salad” is a loose term for the starter). There’s not a vegetable in sight, rather tongue, ivory-coloured slices of cold pig’s trotters, lentils and pâté. So much cold meat early in the morning turns my stomach a little, but other than the pig’s trotters – possibly a mental block rather than a gustatory one – it’s all pretty good. The main course goes down easier: new potatoes roasted in their skins, pork that falls apart when I dig my fork into it, slices of sausage and bacon that’s more fat than meat, all in a rich gravy and garnished with parsley. I don’t manage lunch that day.
Mâchon: €34. Bouchon rating: 8/10

A local I speak to outside says it’s “excellent”, which abates my fears over having selected a bouchon called Jura, surely a slanderous move when the Jura region is around 90 miles from Lyon. “It’s historic,” says the owner, as he shows me its magnificent wine cellar, filled with enormous, dusty bottles of Chartreuse (a herbal liqueur) as long as my torso. “A wine merchant from Jura was the first person to set up a restaurant here.”

In a moment of bravery – and in spite of the smell – I try my friend’s andouillette. It takes liberal quantities of the accompanying mustard sauce to choke down the mouthful. My own pistachio-infused sausage with new potatoes is way more palatable, although the presentation reminds me of my grandparents’ “meat and potatoes” approach to cooking. The standout is the pâté en croûte, like a giant pork pie with a jelly made from port, cognac and cherry liqueur.

For dessert I order an iced souffle infused with Chartreuse. It’s wonderfully rich, but I can’t really tell the difference between an iced souffle and a very decadent ice-cream.
Pâté en croûte: €17.50. Bouchon rating: 7.5/10

This is the only old town bouchon I try, and there are far more tourists in here than any of the others. Unusually, there’s a vegetarian option; the ravioles, miniature ravioli in a vermouth cream sauce, are baked and topped with copious amounts of melted cheese.

Looking forward to a pig trotter-free meal, I order it, but am promptly told off by the owner. It’s only there so groups don’t have to leave the veggie at home, he says. So I double up, and order an oxtail macaroni gratin with foie gras, which is the house speciality – and infinitely more flavourful. I follow it up with a sticky pink praline tart with praline ice-cream that is so sweet it almost makes my teeth hurt.
Oxtail macaroni gratin: €30. Bouchon rating: 7/10

Chez Hugon

This pint-sized bouchon is owned and run by Fatima Zerrouki (in the kitchen) and Paola de Almeida Rocha (front of house), the fourth generation of women to run it. There is a short set menu, which helps with my indecisiveness, and I start with chicken liver pâté, sprinkled with hazelnuts and gherkins to add a little crunch.

Next up is poulet au vinaigre, the largest chicken leg I’ve ever seen, served in a sauté pan. The sauce is pure indulgence, made with vinegar, tomato pulp, heaps of onions and garlic, white wine and cream – and after eating it I finally understand why Michelin inspectors put Lyon’s bouchons on a pedestal a century ago. If I had the choice between this poulet au vinaigre and my mum’s Sunday roast, I’d choose the former. Sorry mum.
Two-course set menu: €30. Bouchon rating: 9/10

Families are sharing details about their loved ones online as more than 50,000 people remain missing after two devastating earthquakes hit Venezuela on Wednesday night. Rescue teams and local residents are still digging through the rubble on Friday, hoping to find survivors.

Mexican journalist Roxana Guzman’s disappearance for more than two weeks has renewed concerns over escalating violence against journalists in Mexico, where attacks on the press continue with near-total impunity.

Forty-eight days, 16 hours, 57 minutes and 12 seconds after a virus transforms humanity into a blissful symbiotic horde, one of its survivors, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), treats a rooftop as a personal driving range — the golf balls shattering a neighboring building’s windows. “If you’re alone for 40 days, you’re going to go a bit crazy and be lonely,” says “Pluribus” cinematographer Paul Donachie of the series’ aesthetic, which finds surreal beauty in bland desert urbanism emptied of people. “We searched Albuquerque to find the right kind of rooftop and building to frame her in light, but with darkness around her,” he says. “We’re putting her in this box before revealing what she’s aiming at.” Along with a looser framing, shadow and contrast highlight loneliness and emotional ambiguity. As another survivor (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) makes the long journey in search of Carol, “what was interesting about this particular episode was there was no dialogue and we’re telling two little stories of what’s going on emotionally with each person,” Donachie notes. “She is trying to enjoy it and take her mind off it. But I think there’s frustration not knowing what the hell is going on in the world.”

While it might be true that the cases are progressing, families of the missing argue they are moving at a snail’s pace.

Since early December, Fault Lines has spent time with families who are pushing for accountability and pleading with the government to learn what happened to their loved ones.

In some cases, they have spent years without receiving any direct response.

“It gets harder every time my nephew asks when his father will come home and I don’t have any answers,” said Rosario Villon, whose brother, Jonathan Villon, has been missing for almost a year and a half.

The 31-year-old father of three was last seen on December 9, 2024, when he left to pick up groceries in his hometown of Guayaquil.

Addressing a vigil for Jonathan last December, Rosario explained the toll his disappearance has taken on her family.

“Seeing my mother cry for her son, not knowing what to do next to bring him home — it isn’t easy,” she said.

Fault Lines has reviewed footage of the day Jonathan was detained. Security cameras show soldiers patrolling Jonathan’s neighbourhood, Nueva Prosperina.

A neighbour’s mobile phone video also captures the moments after Jonathan was forced into the truck’s bed, under a wooden bench. The truck then drives off, and he has not been seen since.

The family recorded the licence plate numbers of the municipal vehicle the soldiers were using, but the military has refused to respond to requests about Jonathan’s case.

“We have the evidence, we have videos, we have the licence plates of the truck, and they won’t give us a concrete and exact answer. What happened to my husband?” asked Jonathan’s partner, Yadira Bohorquez.

Lawyers representing the family say the military simply declared that it had no operations in that area on that date, despite the video evidence.

“The case of Jonathan Villon is completely paralysed by the refusal of the Ministry of Defence to cooperate in handing over information that the Prosecutor’s Office has already requested,” said Fernando Bastias, a lawyer with CDH Guayaquil, a human rights nonprofit representing the family.

Turin is one of Italy’s most serious food cities, shaped by the culinary legacy of the House of Savoy and, more recently, the slow food movement – a reputation reflected in its historic cafes and restaurants, where meals can feel refined. But that’s only part of the picture. As a local, I’m drawn to something far less formal: the piòla.

Piòle were never quite restaurants. They were places for a glass of barbera (poured at the counter from a cylindrical, quarter-litre carafe, the tubo) in rooms worn smooth by decades of use. Regulars played cards, argued about football or politics, and lingered without ceremony. Food, if it appeared, was simple and to the point: anchovies in green sauce, hard-boiled eggs, cold cuts, perhaps a plate of agnolotti (stuffed pasta).

Many piòle disappeared from the 1960s onwards, as Turin grew more refined. Some closed; others evolved into osterie or restaurant-like spaces. More recently, though, the piòla has edged back into view – sometimes preserved, often reinterpreted in more stylised forms. But where can you still find Turin piòle that capture something of the originals’ spirit? I went to find out.

In the Quadrilatero Romano district

One of Turin’s longest-standing piòle, Caffè Vini Emilio Ranzini is on Via Porta Palatina, a short walk from Piazza Palazzo di Città and the cathedral. I stop by with a friend for a merenda sinoira, the late-afternoon spread that often replaces dinner.

The small, timeworn room fills quickly: students in clusters, couples leaning in, shopkeepers calling out to one another across tables of different styles. The walls are lined with old photographs and framed press cuttings; behind the counter, bottles of Punt e Mes, Cynar and other amari stand alongside vermouth and local wines (€2-€6 a glass).

In the display case are squares of semolino and polenta, fried meatballs, piles of friciulin (spinach-dark or potato-gold fritters) and slices of bread topped with insalata russa or vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce). We order at the bar (snacks are €2 or €3), then carry our plates to a courtyard with a handful of tables. Nothing feels polished, only lived-in, and the staff are easygoing – and if you’re lucky, you may catch an impromptu live performance by a local musician.
7.5/10

Cenisia district

This piòla has moved twice since opening in 1985, but has never left its block in Cenisia, near the Corso Racconigi market. After the death of its founder, Celso Chiantello, it is now run by his daughters, Elisabetta and Marina, and their children.

They welcome us as if we’ve known each other for years. At 12.30pm, only one other table is occupied: three men who have been coming here almost daily for decades, talking in Piedmontese dialect. But within minutes, the small, warmly lit room turns loud with easy, overlapping conversation as friends and families arrive.

There’s no menu; dishes follow a familiar rhythm: a handful of starters, a few pastas, two or three mains, and a couple of desserts. We start with a mix of antipasti – vitello tonnato, tomino cheese, salame cotto and insalata russa – along with some house white, then add peppers with bagna càuda, a warm anchovy and garlic sauce.

As Marina clears the table, she spots a slice of salami on my friend’s plate, and jokingly insists it be eaten: “You can’t leave something this good!” She returns soon after with agnolotti del plin and gnocchi in a creamy cheese sauce. The portions are generous; we struggle to finish, but still share a slice of freshly baked fruit tart. We pay €37 between us and leave with the sense that this is how regulars are made.
10/10

Barca district

On the north-eastern outskirts of Turin, just past the so-called curva delle 100 lire (a bend once known for its low toll), La Piola d’le Due Sörele draws locals and drivers passing through daily. We turn up for lunch on a Wednesday without booking, and are seated within minutes as a table turns. Barbera comes in a carafe as the menu is recited: a choice of primi, then a secondo with a contorno (side dish), followed by dessert and coffee – all for €12 each.

Around us, workers on lunchbreak greet the family running the place by name. It’s spacious but crowded, noisy and full of movement – plates arrive, tables clear, the courtyard at the back settles into its own pace. Not a historic piòla, but among locals it’s already something of a legend. My favourite bite is the simplest: polenta fritta, crisp outside, soft within. At the counter, as we go to pay, Gianni pours us a small glass of amaro – a simple, fitting end to a meal that knows its role.
8.5/10

Vanchiglia district

A few steps from the University of Turin, on Via Sant’Ottavio, La Piola di Alfredo has long been a meeting place for students, families and regulars. Open in its current form since 1978, it still moves to an easy, shared rhythm. I arrive on a weekday at lunchtime: one room is taken over by a graduation celebration, another hums more quietly, while outside tables sit in the shade along the street.

As I scan the handwritten menu – carne cruda, brasato (beef stew), hazelnut cake – a glass of Dolcetto d’Alba arrives with bread and grissini. A man at the next table offers advice; I follow it. Tomino with honey and walnuts, then tortelloni filled with spinach and ricotta – a few good ingredients, handled simply. The bill is €17 in total.

Portions are smaller than you might expect, and the whole experience felt quite contained. As a first encounter with a piòla, it works well enough, but it lacks the pull of places you’d want to return to.
6/10

Cenisia district

This osteria sits on narrow, residential Via Cenischia, where there’s little to announce it beyond a hand-painted sign. I book three days in advance and am offered a late slot (9.45pm), arriving to find the place in full swing. We’re handed glasses of white wine and asked to wait briefly in the courtyard, under a vine-covered pergola, before being shown inside.

Antonella Rota, who has run the place with her family since 1990, moves easily between the compact dining rooms, taking orders and pausing to chat. Osteria Antiche Sere grew out of a half-serious idea, in a space once more spartan and closer to a piòla. Dark wood panelling, copper pans and antique clocks on the walls give the rooms a settled, old-world feel. The menu changes with the season, but holds steady day to day.

We share an antipasto misto (€18) with a quarter litre of red (€5) , then I order a plate of local cheeses with honey, while my partner goes for coniglio al vino bianco (rabbit braised in white wine, €17) with potatoes, the meat glazed with its juices. I’m already full when Daniele Rota, Antonella’s brother, stops by the table and convinces us to try dessert (€6): panna cotta or torcetti (yeasted biscuits) served with zabaglione, chocolate and cream. We’re glad we did, even if we leave barely able to move.

The place relies on a low-key Facebook page and word of mouth, yet is full most evenings. There’s a natural familiarity between the people behind it and its regulars, the kind you come back for.
9.5/10

Lucento district

At Circolo Paracchi, near the post-industrial landscape of Parco Dora, the piòla hasn’t been revived or reinterpreted – it has simply carried on. Founded in 1927 as a workers’ leisure club linked to the Paracchi carpet factory, it later developed into a sports club, with a simple, home-style kitchen.

It remains a members’ club, a self-contained world where regulars come to eat, drink and play cards. We arrive unannounced and ask for a quick plate. After a brief pause, Rosa, one of the cooks, waves us in. A printed menu hangs on the wall, but we choose from what’s on the go. We sit outside beside a bocce court that no longer seems to be in use, while a group gathers at a long table nearby. Olives and cheese come first, along with house wine; then a large plate of pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans) to share: €10 in total for wine and food.

As we finish, Rosa steps out and gives us an impromptu tour of the club’s memorabilia. Occasionally, she says, they make room for outsiders, but that’s not what the place is for. The piòla at Circolo Paracchi isn’t somewhere you seek out, it’s somewhere you come to belong. For an evening, we’re let in.
8/10

Matt Brown, who starred with his family in the Discovery reality television show “Alaskan Bush People,” was found dead in the Okanogan River in Washington state, law enforcement officials said Sunday.

Brown’s body was discovered Saturday by a group of private citizens who were conducting a search, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Brown’s brother, Bear Brown, said in a video posted Saturday on social media that fellow brother Noah had been with the search team, helped pull the body out of the river and identified him.

The official cause and manner of death is still to be determined by the coroner, the sheriff’s office said. But the Brown family believes Matt Brown died by suicide, Bear Brown said in the video.

Witnesses said they saw Matt Brown in or near the river and that he “took his own life,” Bear Brown said on social media.

“I would have never suspected he would hurt himself, honestly,” Bear Brown said in the emotional video. “He struggled for a long time.”

Bear Brown said his brother had battled with alcohol and drugs and that Matt Brown told him in their last conversation that he had “fallen off the wagon.”

The Brown family and their life in the Alaskan wilderness were the subject of the reality TV show “Alaskan Bush People,” which ran on the Discovery Channel from 2014 to 2022.

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is about to kick off the search for what it is calling a Flyweight Assault Machine Gun (FAMG). This will be a new 5.56x45mm caliber belt-fed machine gun to succeed the Mk 46, a lightweight special operations-specific cousin of the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW).

Lt. Col. Alan Wood, SOCOM’s Program Manager for Special Operations Forces (SOF) Lethality, touched on the FAMG briefly in an exclusive interview with TWZ‘s Howard Altman during the annual SOF Week conference last week. Readers can find the bulk of the interview here.

There are “three separate machine gun programs within SOCOM: Lightweight Machine Gun-Medium, Light Machine Gun-Assault, and soon to be FAMG, which is the Flyweight Assault Machine Gun,” Wood explained. “The Medium is your .338 [Norma Magnum], the Assault is your 7.62 NATO [7.62x51mm], and then the FAMG is a 5.56[mm]. All belt-fed machine guns.”

We subsequently reached out to SOCOM for more information about the FAMG, an effort that does not appear to have been previously disclosed.

“The Flyweight Assault Machine Gun (FAMG) will be a 5.56mm belt fed weapon that will replace the MK46 Light Machine Gun,” a spokesperson for the command told us. “Details on the requirement will be published on SAM.gov in the near future.”

While we do not know yet what SOCOM is looking for specifically in the FAMG, beyond its caliber, we do know what the command wants to replace. The Mk 46 traces back to the early years of the Global War on Terror. It is based on the M249 SAW, which is itself a version of the Minimi light machine gun from Belgian gunmaker FN (and later its American subsidiaries).

FN had initially developed what it called the Special Purpose Weapon (SPW), a significantly lightened version of the Minimi with a shortened barrel that also had a thinner profile. The gun, which was marketed heavily toward special operations forces, featured the collapsing stock that had already been used on short-barreled ‘paratrooper’ versions of the Minimi and the M249, as well.

The standard Minimi design also has a secondary magazine well that allows it to fire ammunition from NATO-standard box magazines like the ones used with AR-15/M16-series rifles, as well as belts. This feature was carried over to the M249. It was omitted on the SPW to further cut weight.

The baseline Mk 46 Mod 0 was a direct evolution of the SPW concept. It most notably used the polymer buttstock found on standard Minimi and M249 light machine guns, which is fixed in length, but also lighter than the collapsing paratrooper type. It also came with a new handguard with rails on four sides for optics, laser aiming devices, lights, and other accessories. The handguard design is very tall on the top side to bring it in line with an additional rail on the gun’s top cover.

An improved Mk 46 Mod 1 variant was subsequently developed, which “incorporates improved receiver pins, a feed tray with retention pawls and a vented hand guard with improved heat shield and three MIL-STD-1913 rails,” according to the entry on FN America’s website at the time of writing. “The MK 46 MOD 1’s cold hammer-forged MIL-SPEC barrel has a hard-chromed bore for longer life and improved accuracy, and serves as the mounting point for the carry handle.”

To make a more direct comparison, the Mk 46 Mod 1, with its 16.3-inch barrel, weighs just under 15-and-a-half pounds empty with no accessories, per FN America. The version it shows on its website currently does also has a more traditional handguard configuration. A current-generation M249 with a full-length 20-and-a-half-inch barrel tips the scales at 17 pounds without any ammunition, optics, or other attachments.

After years of the U.S. military, including SOCOM, increasingly moving away from 5.56x45mm in favor of calibers that offer longer reach, for rifles and machine guns, there is something of a question as to why the command is now pursuing the FAMG. It had already been relatively rare to see variants of the Mk 46 in actual operational use. For decades now, U.S. special operators have also been using a succession of lightweight 7.62x51mm machine guns, as well, including compact versions of the M60 and a derivative of the Minimi/M249 designated the Mk 48. The aforementioned Light Machine Gun-Assault is a replacement for the Mk 48.

The U.S. Army is also moving to replace at least a substantial portion of its standard M249s with new 6.8x51mm caliber M250 machine guns, which might also make their way into service elsewhere across the U.S. military. The 5.56x45mm M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) has also largely supplanted the M249 in the U.S. Marine Corps.

All this being said, U.S. special operators routinely conduct missions in close-quarters environments where the added firepower of a belt-fed machine gun can be beneficial, but the added range offered by a heavier design is not necessary. A design that cuts as much weight as possible is very attractive to fast-moving special operations teams that typically use belt-fed machine guns for brief periods of suppressing fire, as well.

SOCOM is now separately pursuing new hypervelocity 5.56x45mm ammunition that could significantly extend the reach of weapons chambered in that caliber as part of an effort called the Hypervelocity Improved Carbine (HICAR).

In addition, there is value in having commonality in ammunition with other existing rifles and machine guns, as well as those in use with allies and partners. The latter point is especially relevant for special operations forces, which are often forward-deployed alongside their foreign counterparts in locales where access to traditional supply chains is not guaranteed. There are training benefits to being able to use more readily available, less specialized, and often less expensive ammunition, as well.

SOCOM’s Lt. Col. Wood highlighted all of this while speaking more generally during his interview with us last week:

“So, HICAR’s got me excited. Back in the late teens, the Army went down this higher velocity [route], and I’m intentionally using the word velocity and not pressure in what they’ve done with the M7 and M8 rifles. They’ve been able to increase the velocity and therefore create a flatter shooting rifle as well as a rifle that has greater energy on target, and that does incredible things for barrier defeat in a lot of situations. Now we’ve had 10 years, almost, for that technology to mature, people have learned things, and the question then becomes, what could we do for special operators in calibers that are not new?”

“The advantage for SOF [special operations forces] operators is I’ve got, say, the Green Berets who do a lot of partnering with foreign SOF operators, but there’s no [6.8mm] ammo running around central Africa, or you know, pick your favorite spot where we like to do partnering operations around the world. But there’s a lot of 5.56mm and other common cartridges of that nature, and so what we want to…achieve is maybe not the same effect as what the Army’s done with the M7 and the M8 and that high-velocity ammunition that they have, but where could we get close to that in 5.56 and potentially other calibers in the future.”

5.56x45mm could turn out to be just the baseline caliber for FAMG, too. SOCOM has long had a fondness for guns with interchangeable calibers, allowing for different cartridges to be used as appropriate for specific missions. As a tangential example, the command just recently confirmed to TWZ‘s sister site Task & Purpose that its new Mid-Range Gas Gun-Assault (MRGG-A) rifles, now also designated the Mk 24, will be able to be configured to fire either 6.5mm Creedmoor or 7.62x51mm.

It is also worth noting that the U.S. Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment has already begun using the 5.56x45mm Light Assault Machine Gun (LAMG) from Knights Armament Company (KAC), at least on a limited level in recent years, alongside current-generation versions of the M249. KAC’s website presents a typical LAMG configuration featuring a 15-inch barrel and weighing 11.4 pounds empty, which is more compact and lightweight than the Mk 46.

The LAMG also has what is known as a “constant recoil system,” which is designed to significantly reduce felt recoil and, by extension, improve accuracy during sustained autonomous fire. KAC says this makes the gun “more controllable than other similar machine guns that weigh nearly twice as much.”

There are other 5.56x45mm machine guns on the market today, which could be adaptable to meet the FAMG requirements, as well. This includes FN’s own newer EVOLYS design, which is available in 5.56x45mm, as well as a variety of other calibers.

As SOCOM has said, more details about its requirements and plans for the FAMG are set to come soon.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com