For Kalpesh Patel, Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated across India, might well mark lights out for his eight-year-old diamond cutting and polishing unit.
The 35-year-old employs about 40 workers who transform rough diamonds into perfectly polished gems for exports at the small factory in Surat, a city located in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
His business has survived multiple speed bumps in recent years. But United States President Donald Trump’s mammoth 50 percent tariffs on imports from India might be the final nail in the coffin for his unit, part of an already struggling natural diamond industry, he said.
“We still have some orders for Diwali and will try to complete them,” he told Al Jazeera.
Diwali, arguably India’s single biggest festival, scheduled for late October this year, usually sees domestic sales of most goods soar. “But we might have to shut the business even before the festival, as exporters might cancel the orders due to high tariffs in the US,” Patesh said.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to pay the salaries and maintain other expenses with falling orders.”
He is among the 20,000-odd small and medium traders in Surat, known as the “Diamond City of India”, which together cut and polish 14 out of every 15 natural diamonds produced globally.
The US is their single largest export market. According to the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), India’s apex body for the industry, the country exported cut and polished gems worth $4.8bn to the US in the 2024-25 financial year, which ended in March. That is more than one-third of India’s total exports of cut and polished diamonds, at $13.2bn over the same period.
Dimpal Shah, a Kolkata-based diamond exporter, told Al Jazeera that orders have already started getting cancelled. “Buyers in the US are refusing to offload the shipped products, citing high tariffs. This is the worst phase of my two-decade-old career in diamonds.”
Kalpesh Patel, who runs a diamond cutting and polishing business in Surat, Gujarat, fears that he may not be able to continue his business for long, because of US tariffs on Indian imports [Photo courtesy of Kalpesh Patel]
US imposes penalty
A 25 percent reciprocal tariff on all Indian goods, which Trump announced on April 2, came into effect on August 7, after talks between the two countries failed to yield a trade deal by then. Negotiations are continuing.
Meanwhile, on August 6, Trump announced an additional 25 percent tariff, taking the total tariff rate to 50 percent. He termed the additional tariff that would come into effect from August 27 as a penalty for India’s continued buying of Russian oil, as the US president tries to push Moscow into accepting a ceasefire in Ukraine.
For the gems industry, which already faced a pre-existing 2.1 percent tariff, the effective tariff now amounts to 52.1 percent.
Ajay Srivastava, the founder of Global Research Trade Initiative (GTRI), a trade research group, termed the Trump government’s additional hike as an act of “hypocrisy”, citing how the US itself continues to trade with Russia, and how China – Russia’s biggest oil buyer – faces no similar penalty.
“Trump is targeting India out of frustration as it refused to toe the US line on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and for its refusal to open its agriculture and dairy sector,” he added, referring to broader ongoing trade talks and differences over US demands for greater access to critical Indian economic sectors.
Yet, whatever the reasons for Trump’s tariffs, they are hurting a diamond industry already bleeding from multiple hits.
India supplies almost all of the world’s cut and polished diamonds, produced in small units across the state of Gujarat [Photo courtesy Ramesh Zilriya, president of the state’s Diamond Workers Association]
Diamond sector badly hit
More than 2 million people are employed in diamond polishing and cutting units in Surat, Ahmedabad and Rajkot cities in Gujarat — and many have already suffered salary cuts in recent years, first because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“The pandemic led to economic slowdown affecting the international markets in Hong Kong and China,” Ramesh Zilriya, the president of Gujarat’s Diamond Workers Union, told Al Jazeera. The “Western ban on rough diamond imports from Russia due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the G7 ban on Russia also affected our business”, he added.
Russia has historically been a major source of raw diamonds.
Zilriya claimed that 80 diamond workers have died by suicide over the past two years because of this economic crisis.
“The situation in the international market led to the wages of the workers getting halved to approximately 15,000-17,000 rupees ($194) per month, which made survival difficult in the face of rising inflation,” he said.
Once the Trump tariffs fully kick in, Zilriya fears that up to 200,000 people in Gujarat may lose their livelihoods.
Already, more than 120,000 former diamond sector workers have applied for benefits. A 13,500-rupee ($154) allowance per child, to support their families, was promised in May by the state government to those who have lost jobs due to the tumult in the sector in recent years.
But the tariffs, pandemic and war are not alone to blame for the crisis: Lab-grown diamonds are also slowly eating into the market of their natural counterparts.
“Unlike natural [diamonds], the lab-grown diamonds are not mined but manufactured in specialised laboratories and priced at just 10 percent of the natural ones. It is difficult even for a seasoned jeweller to identify the natural and lab-grown with a naked eye. The taste of consumers is now shifting to lab-grown [diamonds], as they are cheap,” said Salim Daginawala, the president of the Surat Jewellers Association.
A worker checks the polishing of a lab-grown diamond in Surat, India, Monday, February 5, 2024 [Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]
Decline in exports
In the 2024-25 financial year, India imported rough diamonds worth $10.8bn, marking a 24.27 percent decline from the $14bn imported in 2023-24, as per the statistics by the GJEPC.
The exports of cut and polished natural diamonds similarly witnessed a 16.75 percent decline, with exports declining to $13.2bn in 2024-25 as compared with $16bn in the preceding year.
“This move [the tariffs] would have far-reaching repercussions on the Indian economy that might disrupt critical supply chains, stalling exports and threatening thousands of livelihoods. We hope to get a favourable reduction in tariffs; otherwise, it would be difficult to survive,” said Kirit Bhansali, the chairman of the GJEPC.
The tariffs could also hurt US jewellers, warned Rajesh Rokde, the chairman of the All India Gems and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC), a national trade federation for the industry.
“The US has around 70,000 jewellers who would also face a crisis if the jewellery becomes expensive,” Rokde added.
A salesperson shows a diamond ring to a prospective buyer at a jewellery shop in Ahmedabad, India, on April 14, 2025 [Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]
A domestic solution?
Traders say that the need of the hour is to increase domestic demand for diamonds and diversify to new markets.
A stronger domestic market “would not only contribute to the local economy, but would also create jobs for several thousands of people”, said Radha Krishna Agrawal, the director of Narayan das Saraf Jewellers in Varanasi city, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The tariffs, he said, could prove a “blessing in disguise” if they end up reducing the dependence of India’s gems industry “on other countries”.
Bhansali said that the domestic gems and jewellery market was growing, and expected to reach $130bn in the next two years, up from $85bn at the moment. The industry is also looking for new markets, including Latin America and the Middle East.
Gold already offers an example of a strong domestic market, cushioning the impact of hits on exports, said Amit Korat, the president of the Surat Jewellery Manufacturers Association.
But for now, the diamond sector in India has no such shield. It needs to be saved, urgently, said Patel, the Surat business owner on the cusp of shutting down his polishing and cutting unit.
Without help, he said, “the business will lose its shine forever”.
Evergrande, once China’s second-largest property developer and now the world’s most indebted company, said on Tuesday it will be delisted from the Hong Kong stock exchange on 25 August.
The company, founded in 1996, grew on a wave of debt-fuelled expansion by aggressively borrowing to buy land and build projects. It later diversified into wealth management, electric vehicles, theme parks, bottled water and even a soccer club.
Delisting in Hong Kong
Evergrande was the world’s most heavily indebted real estate developer, with over $300 billion (€257.1bn) owed to banks and bondholders, when the court handed down a liquidation order in January 2024.
The court had ruled that the company had failed to provide a viable restructuring plan for its debts, which fuelled fears about China’s rising debt burden, and trading of its shares has been halted since the ruling.
The Hong Kong stock exchange stipulates that the listing of companies may be cancelled if trading in their securities has remained suspended for 18 months consecutively.
China Evergrande Group received a letter on 8 August from the city’s stock exchange notifying the firm of its decision to cancel the listing as trading had not resumed by 28 July. The last day of the listing will be 22 August and Evergrande will not apply for a review of the decision, the company said in a statement.
“All shareholders, investors and potential investors of the company should note that after the last listing date, whilst the share certificates of the shares will remain valid, the shares will not be listed on, and will not be tradeable on the Stock Exchange,” the statement said.
A trouble-ridden sector
Evergrande is among scores of developers that defaulted on debts after Chinese regulators cracked down on excessive borrowing in the property industry in 2020. Unable to obtain financing, their vast obligations to creditors and customers became unsustainable.
The crackdown also tipped the property industry into crisis, dragging down the world’s second-largest economy and rattling financial systems in and outside China.
Once among the nation’s strongest growth engines, the industry is struggling to exit a prolonged downturn. House prices in China have continued to fall even after the introduction of supportive measures by policymakers.
The Hong Kong court system has been dealing with liquidation petitions against several Chinese property developers, including one of the largest Chinese real estate companies, Country Garden, which is expected to have another hearing in January.
China South City Holdings, a smaller property developer, was also ordered to liquidate on Monday.
Evergrande, founded in the mid-1990s by Hui Ka Yan, also known as Xu Jiayin, had over 90% of its assets on the Chinese mainland, according to the 2024 ruling. The firm was listed in Hong Kong in 2009 as “Evergrande Real Estate Group” and suspended its share trading on 29 January 2024, at 0.16 Hong Kong dollars (€0.017).
The liquidators said they have assumed control of over 100 companies within the group and entities under their direct management control with collective assets valued at $3.5 billion (€2.99bn) as of 29 January 2024. They said an estimate of the amounts that may ultimately be realised from these entities wasn’t available yet.
About $255 million (€218.5m) worth of assets have been sold, the liquidators said, calling the realisation “modest.”
“The liquidators believe that a holistic restructuring will prove out of reach, but they will, of course, explore any credible possibilities in this regard that may present themselves,” they said.
Hui, Evergrande’s founder, was detained in China in September 2023 on suspicion of committing crimes, adding to the company’s woes.
Residents are opposed to the bridge over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and mafia interference.
Thousands of people have marched in Sicily to protest against a government plan to build a bridge that would connect the Italian mainland to the Mediterranean island, and would be the world’s longest single-span bridge.
Some 10,000 demonstrators marched in the Sicilian city of Messina on Saturday to stage their opposition to the 13.5-billion-euro ($15.7bn) infrastructure project.
Residents are against the proposed Strait of Messina Bridge project over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and potential mafia interference.
The idea to build the bridge has been debated for decades. This week, however, it saw a major step forward when a government committee overseeing strategic public investments approved the plan.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called it “the biggest infrastructure project in the West”.
Salvini cited studies estimating the project would create up to 120,000 jobs annually and help stimulate economic growth in lagging southern Italy, as billions more are invested in surrounding road and infrastructure improvements.
Critics, however, are not convinced, and angered that about 500 families would have to be expropriated for the bridge to be built. Salvini says such families will be compensated.
“The Strait of Messina can’t be touched,” protesters shouted as they marched in Messina. Many carried banners that said “No Ponte” (No Bridge).
Mariolina De Francesco, 75, sits on a sofa in her house [File: Yara Nardi/Reuters]
“They could offer me three times the value of my house, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is the landscape. They must not touch the Strait of Messina,” Mariolina De Francesco, a 75-year-old resident of Messina whose house lies near the site of one of the bridge’s planned 399-metre- (440-yard-)tall land towers, told The Associated Press news agency.
“Our lawyers will take action, and we will stop them. That’s guaranteed.”
The proposed bridge would span nearly 3.7km (2.3 miles) with a suspended section of 3.3km (more than 2 miles). It would surpass Turkiye’s Canakkale Bridge by 1,277 metres (1,400 yards) to become the longest suspension bridge in the world.
Preliminary work could begin in late September or early October, pending approval from Italy’s Court of Audit. Full construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion planned between 2032 and 2033.
The bridge would reduce the time to cross the strait by ferry, usually up to 100 minutes, to 10 minutes by car. Trains would save 2.5 hours in transit time, Salvini said.
The project could also support Italy’s commitment to raise defence spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defence-related. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment, qualifying it as “security-enhancing infrastructure”.
Environmental groups, however, have lodged complaints with the European Union, citing concerns that the project would affect migratory birds.
Italy’s president has also insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects.
A drone view shows Lake Ganzirri, part of the planned site for the construction of a suspension bridge along the Strait of Messina, connecting Sicily to mainland Italy, with construction expected to be completed by 2032, in Messina, Italy [File: Yara Nardi/Reuters]
The world’s most beautiful castles have been ranked and there’s good news for Brits as top of the list is one gorgeous UK spot that’s in a very ‘Instagrammable’ city
It’s been named the world’s most beautiful castle(Image: Getty Images)
The world’s most beautiful castles have been revealed with one gorgeous UK staycation spot topping the list.
Edinburgh Castle is already a firm favourite with locals and tourists alike thanks to its breathtaking location overlooking the Scottish capital and therefore offering up some of the best views of the city. Highlights include the Royal Palace as well as the impressive Great Hall, including artefacts such as the Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny.
Want to see it for yourself? Adult tickets start from £21.50 online and child tickets from £13. You can find out more and plan your visit on edinburghcastle.scot.
Oh, and listen out at 1pm every day when the castle’s iconic One O’Clock Gun is fired as an impressive way of letting everyone know the time! (It’s worth noting that the field gun doesn’t go off on Sundays if you are planning a weekend visit).
Edinburgh Castle sits right on the Royal Mile, the cobbled street that runs through the city’s postcard-worthy Old Town, complete with quirky boutiques, and a plethora of restaurants and bars. It’s also just a short walk down to Victoria Street, a curved street with colourful buildings that’s believed to have provided inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books.
To determine the world’s most beautiful castles, the team at Iglu Cruise analysed 40 of the most popular castles in Europe and used Instagram data to discover which ones had the highest number of tags on the social media platform.
The castle boasts incredible views across the city(Image: Getty Images)
They added: “In first place, with 774,000 tagged photos on Instagram, is Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland’s most famous landmarks, with its ancient stone providing a striking contrast to the Georgian architecture of the New Town below. Perched atop Castle Rock, a formation left by a volcanic eruption, it can be observed and photographed from miles around.
“Dating back to the 11th century, it has served as a royal residence for generations, hosting notable monarchs such as Mary Queen of Scots. Today, visitors can experience a daily timeless tradition of the firing of the iconic One O’Clock Gun, a cherished part of the city’s heritage for over 160 years.”
It wasn’t the only UK hotspot to make the top 10 rankings. While Edinburgh Castle took the gold spot on the podium in the top 10 rankings, Windsor Castle closely followed in fourth spot, while Warwick Castle landed ninth place in the rankings. You can check out the top 10 rankings below.
A 14-YEAR-OLD snooker player secured the first win of his professional career on day one of the Saudi Arabia Masters.
And at the other end of the age scale, Ken Doherty won the Battle of the Baize Oldies as he eliminated Jimmy White from the Jeddah tournament.
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Michal Szubarczyk has secured the first win of his professional snooker careerCredit: Instagram @szubisnooker
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Ken Doherty won the battle of the veterans as he knocked out Jimmy WhiteCredit: Getty
Polish teenager Michal Szubarczyk hit back-to-back breaks of 68 and 56 as he celebrated a 4-2 victory over English amateur Ryan Davies.
It is a career milestone, one he will remember forever, given he only received his two-year Tour Card at the start of this season.
In round two in the desert nation, Szubarczyk will play Hungarian world No.79 Bulcsu Revesz on Saturday.
And the winner of that clash will then take on Essex cueist Stuart Bingham, who was champion of the world 10 years ago.
The Eastern European – whose highest official break is 126 – took the 2025 European Championships in Turkey by storm, winning the under-16s and under-18s events before reaching the final of the open-age event.
Mark Williams, the three-time world champion, watched that tournament live and said Szubarczyk was “one of the best 14-year-olds I’ve ever seen in my life”.
The Welsh sporting legend added: “He’s up there with Ronnie O’Sullivan at that age.
“Maybe not as good, but not far away. Every time I watched him he was knocking in 80s, 90s, 100s. It was frightening.”
In April, dad Kamil told SunSport that his son modelled his game on seven-time world champion O’Sullivan.
Kamil said: “One of Michal’s special skills is his ability to play with the audience and the cameras.
Snooker fans baffled as star who’s not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break
“Normal teenagers are tense and stressed. He is more motivated.
“He loves playing when he has an audience, and so I know that anything can happen during this tournament.
“From the first time Michał saw snooker on TV, his hero was Ronnie. It was also my idol. This hasn’t been changed.
“And for both of us whenever Ronnie got knocked out of a tournament, we stopped watching it.
“That man played a key role in creating Michal’s playing style. Mike was fascinated by how offensive Ronnie played all of his games. But he wants to be more than just offensive.
“Ronnie is still motivating Michal to be better and better.”
On Friday evening in the Kingdom, two veterans of the sport took to the baize, though disappointingly only a few people bothered to watch from the stands at the Green Halls.
Former world champion Doherty, 55, took on White, 63, and he prevailed 4-1, hitting a 96 break in frame two.
They had rekindled a rivalry that began in 1991 and saw them battle it out at the World Championships and Masters.
The duo, who have a combined age of 118, are nowhere near their best these days but it is commendable and shows their genuine love for the sport that they are continuing to play professionally.
Doherty, who now plays Latvian Zizins Artemijs in round two on Saturday evening, has now won 17 of their 30 meetings.
Elite players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson will enter the competition – which has a £500,000 top prize – in round five on Tuesday.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
The feature film will tell an extraordinary true crime story
The creative team behind popular docuseries Don’t F*** With Cats have dropped their brand new title on Netflix about the ‘world’s greatest diamond heist’.
Stolen: Heist of the Century releases on the streaming platform from Friday (August 8). It is produced by the company RAW, not only known for the hit true crime series but also American Nightmare and The Tindler Swindler.
Their latest entry is said to tell the story of the ultimate true-life crime caper, the world’s greatest diamond heist. According to the synopsis provided by Netflix, the Antwerp detectives who cracked the case along with the alleged criminal mastermind are gathered for the first time to give a blow-by-blow account of what really happened.
The feature length documentary is said to reveal the secrets of ‘The Heist of the Century’. Unlike the previous limited series released, this will be a film coming in at around one hour and 35 minutes in length.
The detectives and those involved in the heist will reveal what really happened(Image: Netflix)
On the morning of February 17, 2003, detectives from Antwerp’s infamous Diamond Squad were called to investigate the brazen night-time robbery of an allegedly impregnable vault in the middle of the City of Diamonds.
It is estimated that between $100 million and half a billion dollars worth of diamonds were stolen. An ingenious gang of master thieves from Italy, known as The School of Turin were said to be behind the audacious heist.
Now, after more than 20 years, the world will finally learn how they pulled it off.
Sharing the same director as Don’t F*** With Cats, the new film is based on the book Flawless, which was written by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell.
Fans were full of praise for Don’t F*** With Cats, with one person claiming it was ‘the best documentary ever made’. Another fan posted online saying: “A really excellent crime and investigation series based on true events, the only downside is that at first it feels a little dry and uninteresting, but if you can tolerate the beginning, this is a masterpiece series.”
Between $100 million and $500 million worth of diamonds were stolen(Image: Netflix)
Someone else stated: “Don’t F**k with Cats” is a gripping rollercoaster of a documentary that will leave you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.”
It means that Stolen: Heist of the Century has been set a high bar of expectations if it is to be as well received. Anticipation has been building for its release ever since Netflix shared the trailer online.
Replying to the teaser on its YouTube page, one user claimed it looked like a real life version of action movie Den of Thieves. Another said: “These guys pulled off something so wild, I thought it was straight out of Grand Theft Auto.”
Stolen: Heist of the Century is streaming on Netflix.
Italy has approved a $15.5bn suspension bridge which will connect the mainland to the island of Sicily.
Italy has given final approval to a long-delayed plan to construct the world’s longest suspension bridge, connecting the mainland to Sicily in a project worth €13.5bn ($15.5bn).
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini hailed the Strait of Messina Bridge as “the biggest infrastructure project in the West” after a key government committee cleared the path on Wednesday. He said the project would generate 120,000 jobs annually and revitalise southern Italy through wider investment in infrastructure.
Preliminary work could begin as early as October, pending a green light from Italy’s court of audit, with construction expected to start in 2026. Salvini estimated the bridge could be completed by 2033.
With a span of 3.3km, the bridge would surpass Turkey’s Canakkale Bridge and carry six lanes of traffic and two railway lines, cutting the current 100-minute ferry crossing to just 10 minutes by car.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the bridge would become “an engineering symbol of global significance”.
The project, first proposed in 1969, has stalled repeatedly due to environmental objections, mafia fears and seismic risks. The design is inspired by Turkiye’s Canakkale structure, featuring a wing-shaped deck meant to improve stability in high winds.
Defence or development?
Rome says the bridge could help it meet NATO’s defence spending goals by classifying it as “dual-use” infrastructure, a designation that has caused controversy.
More than 600 academics warned that such a move would require further military safety assessments and could make the bridge a potential target.
Salvini said it was up to the defence and economy ministries to decide, but insisted “keeping organised crime out of the project is the top priority”.
Environmental groups, meanwhile, have raised complaints with the European Union, warning of potential disruption to migratory birds and a lack of proof that the project meets public interest thresholds.
The bridge contract was awarded to Webuild, the same firm that won the initial bid in 2006 before the plan was cancelled. The company says its design will withstand earthquakes, pointing to similar bridges in Japan and California.
“The bridge will be transformative for the whole country,” said Webuild CEO Pietro Salini.
Turkmenistan, a former Soviet state, welcomes very few foreign visitors a year and is centered around a strange capital, Ashgabat, that is largely empty. That may soon change.
Turkmenistan may soon be opening up to more tourists (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
One of the most isolated and “strangest” countries in the world is preparing to open itself up to more visitors.
Former Soviet state Turkmenistan is a funny old place. Jordan Egbert, who runs the Counting Countries YouTube channel, offered his audience a peek into his travels through Turkmenistan, and concluded: “This is the strangest country in the world – there are no people around anywhere.”
Jordan was shocked to find out that the capital city, Ashgabat, was full of lavish monuments, sparkling shopping centres and hotels, but all of them were empty. “The question is, where is everyone?” he asked.
Its main tourist attraction is a large gas pit(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The content creator also ventured into an airport that appeared to house more staff than travellers, before examining government buildings, a graveyard, and traditional nomadic tent settlements. He additionally revealed that Turkmenistan blocks access to most online platforms and applications, with Wi‑Fi being “pretty much non‑existent.”
Jordan discovered that even the tourist trail was deserted. A popular swimming spot and the famous Door to Hell gas crater were empty, as was a plush yurt camp. The YouTuber claimed that the capital’s airport had more staff than passengers.
There would be a good reason for that. Turkmenistan welcomes very few tourists each year. While exact figures are difficult to obtain due to the government’s secretive nature, most inbound estimates are well below 100,000 each year. Some put them as low as 7,000, in a country of seven million.
That could soon change, however. In April, the country’s legislature approved procedures enabling would‑be foreign visitors to obtain e‑visas, Eurasianet reported.
Jordan Egbert visited the country(Image: TikTok)
That should make obtaining a visa much easier than the current, complex, and baffling system, which can take months and result in a denial without any reason. Hopeful visitors have to score a Letter of Introduction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after booking their visit with a government‑approved tour operator, before the visa is granted, meaning you need to be willing to stump up money before your trip is guaranteed.
Although e‑visas have yet to come into force, when they do, it’ll be possible to get a visa online without needing a Letter of Introduction, according to CNN. Prospective holidaymakers will still need a “sponsor” in Turkmenistan, which means booking onto a tour.
The town offers a bit of everything to those who still want to live within easy reach of the capital
Josh Bolton and Liam Ryder Digital Production Editor
14:03, 03 Aug 2025
Views overlooking Old Amersham, just part of what makes the Buckinghamshire town so wonderful to live in or visit(Image: simonbradfield via Getty Images)
Buckinghamshire is a popular choice for commuters, with many of its towns serving as homes to those who travel into London for work. The rise of remote working led to a significant migration away from the capital.
Despite its name, the London Underground extends well beyond the city limits, serving numerous towns outside London. One such Tube stop brings both tourists and commuters to the charming town of Amersham.
It’s no surprise that the town, popular with both groups, is frequently recognised as one of the best places to live in the country.
A brief tour around the town makes it easy to understand why. But a deeper exploration reveals even more reasons.
Nestled in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, Amersham is divided into the Old Town and Amersham-on-the-Hill. The Old Town boasts buildings that are 700 years old and, unsurprisingly, a rich history.
Expect to see quaint cottages and cobbled streets. It resembles a typical English village, complete with a 13th-century church and an abundance of pubs.
The Memorial Gardens in Old Amersham were opened in 1949 to commemorate the fallen heroes of the first and second world wars(Image: Kayco via Getty Images)
Old Amersham also offers boutiques, spas, historical sites and beautiful areas for walks and exploration. Meanwhile, Amersham-on-the-Hill is known for its modernity, featuring a lively high street and the Tube station.
While it may not be as picturesque, residents still enjoy tree-lined streets. Property guru Phil Spencer of Move IQ dubbed Amersham one of the top commuter towns for London.
Old Amersham town centre(Image: MyLondon / Darren Pepe)
However, this charming town doesn’t come cheap. The average property in Amersham will set you back £750,000 – making some parts of London seem like a bargain.
But the ease of travel from London to Amersham makes it an ideal commuter spot for those Londoners seeking respite from the capital’s hustle and bustle. Amersham Underground station falls under Zone 9 on the network.
There are 18 stops between Amersham and King’s Cross, with the Metropolitan Line terminating at Aldgate. A 55-minute journey on the Metropolitan line will whisk you from Amersham to King’s Cross.
The tube stop is at the end of the Metropolitan line(Image: Buckinghamshire Advertiser)
The service operates twice an hour, with the first train from Amersham to London departing at 5.30am and the last return leaving around midnight. And if you’ve had your fill of the Tube, you can opt to catch a train to Marylebone which takes a mere 32 minutes.
For those driving to Amersham, the M40 will get you there in just an hour.
AN XXL Labubu doll worth more than £100,000 was uncovered by Hong Kong police during a major raid on Tuesday morning.
The gang, suspected of laundering £4 billion, had been under surveillance for two and a half years – but police never expected to find a giant plush toy among their illicit haul.
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The assets seized by police include a giant Labubu dollCredit: Hong Kong Police / X
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Hong Kong police have been monitoring the gang for the past two and a half yearsCredit: Hong Kong Police / X
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Hong Kong police have arrested 82 people in a citywide anti-triad raidCredit: Hong Kong Police / X
According to the South Morning China Post, the seized goods belonged to the Triad syndicate – one of the oldest and most notorious criminal organisations in China.
Hong Kong police launched a large-scale raid on Tuesday, writing in a post on X: “When the time was ripe – the HKPF mounted the territory-wide anti-triad ‘Operation HIDDENARROW’ on July 29, 2025.”
The force seized €780,000 in cash, 11,000 bottles of wine, luxury watches, gold and a 5ft2 Labubu doll.
The figure is said to be rare – one of fifteen of its kind in the world.
A similar piece went under the hammer in Beijing in June for around £113,000.
As many as 82 suspects were reportedly arrested during the operation – 55 men and 27 women, ranging in age from 19 to 78.
Among them was the alleged 44-year-old ringleader.
He is suspected of running the operation and involving friends and family in the money laundering scheme.
Police added on X: “The ringleader manipulated his family & friends as well as the members of his gang into laundering the crime proceeds via calculated means.”
They listed this means as “continuously laundering the illicit funds via a trust company” and “committing #LoanFraud – using some seemingly lawful import trades as fronts.”
Dramatic moment crowds join massive queue to grab viral Labubu dolls as latest doll craze sweeps across the world
The gang’s funds came from prostitution, drug trafficking and illegal gambling, according to police.
Police said they froze assets worth around £115 million.
It’s still unclear whether Triad was banking on a rise in the Labubu doll’s value, were fans of the character or whether the toy might be a fake.
Labubus have taken the internet by storm – with Chinese toymaker Pop Mart’s valuation skyrocketing to £31.6bn.
The cult collectable dollshave been spotted dangling from the designer bags of Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and David Beckham.
What is the Labubu doll craze?
LABUBU is a brand of plushies designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung.
The brand made its debut in 2015, but skyrocketed in global popularity after hitting Pop Mart shelves in 2019.
Pop Mart is a Chinese toy retailer, known for its collectable designer models that are often sold in a blind box format.
The company has a stock market value of over £31.6bn.
After mammoth success overseas, the Labubu craze has made its way to the UK.
The first three months of 2025 were wildly successful for the brand, with Brits searching high and low to nab one of the quirky figurines.
In June, Labubu sales in the US went up by 5,000% compared to the year before, according to estimates from equity research firm M Science.
But Labubu’s popularity has led to a rise in counterfeits – sometimes referred to as Lafufu dolls.
4
Hong Kong police have arrested 82 people in a citywide anti-triad operationCredit: Hong Kong Police / X
This beach isn’t everyone’s cup of tea — but there are plenty who love it
This one spot is one of the most overrated(Image: Oliver Strewe via Getty Images)
It just goes to show you can’t please everyone. One of the globe’s most celebrated beaches has been branded by some as actually being among the world’s biggest letdowns. Through examining over 100 internationally recognised coastal destinations via traveller feedback, Ibiza Summer Villas discovered that Bondi Beach leaves many visitors feeling underwhelmed.
Each location received ratings based on visitor comments, online search popularity across Google and TikTok, plus yearly precipitation levels at the destination.
The study uncovered that Australia’s Bondi Beach tops the charts for disappointment, with holidaymakers branding it “overrated” and “disappointing”.
Bondi can get very crowded(Image: imamember via Getty Images)
This shoreline claimed the crown for most underwhelming when comparing critical feedback against search popularity, though the figure remained modest at just 2.7% of reviews describing it as “disappointing” or “overrated” alongside 447,000 TikTok searches, reports the Express.
Excessive crowds, heavy commercialisation, and visitor exhaustion feature prominently in complaints, securing its position at fifth place on the overhyped rankings.
Bondi Beach is famous for its waves, coastline and naturally, the countless holidaymakers who descend upon this golden stretch in Sydney annually.
The area boasts tidal pools, a thriving food and drink scene featuring numerous cafés and pubs, plus an array of boutique and chain retailers.
The tidal pools at Bondi(Image: EyeEm Mobile GmbH via Getty Images)
Yet despite its stunning appearance, this destination doesn’t suit all tastes.
Tourists expressed frustration with the masses, with one individual posting on Tripadvisor: “I got the feeling that everyone who comes here comes for ‘been there, done that’ experience only. Crowded and overrated.”
One disgruntled visitor remarked: “Probably the most over rated beach on the planet. Crowded full of arrogant people and feels like everyone is in a bad mood.”
Another added: “I can’t see anything attractive about Bondi, except possibly closeness to the city. The place is so heavily overpopulated, with apartments everywhere you look. Concrete is everywhere. Where is the nature?”.
However, not everyone shared this sentiment, with some tourists being completely taken aback by the beach’s beauty.
One such tourist enthused: “It’s a vibrant, busy beach which is perfect for surfing and swimming. There are plenty of places to eat and drink along the beach and different walks that you can take along the coastline.”
Another penned: “Bondi Beach is an absolute icon! The golden sand, rolling waves, and buzzing atmosphere make it a must-visit in Sydney.
“The surf is amazing, but it can be dangerous if you don’t follow the flags and listen to the lifeguards-they’re there for a reason!”.
One of Sex Education’s biggest breakout stars took on a very different role in a sun-soaked new drama coming to streaming soon
Sex Education star worlds away from Netflix role in new drama streaming soon(Image: NETFLIX)
Sex Education star Emma Mackey’s latest cinematic role will be available to watch at home very soon.
Best known for portraying Maeve Wiley in all four seasons of Netflix’s beloved comedy-drama, she has since appeared in major films like Barbie and Death on the Nile.
Still currently in cinemas, her latest project sees her taking on her first leading role in a provocative and mysterious drama based on a Booker Prize nominated novel.
Inspired by Deborah Levy’s 2016 novel of the same name, Hot Milk follows Mackey as Sofia, a young woman whose mother, Rose (played by Fiona Shaw), has contracted an unknown illness that’s left her wheelchair-bound.
When the mother-daughter pair travel to a small Spanish seaside town to track down a physician with unusual methods who could hold the cure, Sofia finds herself drawn to an alluring traveller named Ingrid (Vicky Krieps).
Emma Mackey takes on her first leading role in this sultry drama(Image: MUBI)
The film will be streaming on Mubi from Friday, 22nd August for anyone who missed out on Mackey’s sultry and thought-provoking drama on the big screen.
The Independent gave Hot Milk four stars, calling it “a slippery, subversive coming-of-age tale”.
Mackey and Krieps were praised as “formidable” in The Guardian, while Deadline says Shaw’s performance is “truly extraordinary”.
One fan of the film gave it a five-star Google review, penning: “Powerful performances set against dreamlike scenery where reality merges with imagination.
“Starts as a slow burn but builds into a heightened frenzy of complex sensations that is impossible not to sense as you witness each separate character’s life unravel and deteriorate.”
Someone else praised: “Fever dream magic, great indie film if you like trippy movies, reminds me of I’m Thinking of Ending Things on Netflix.”
Hot Milk is based on the Booker Prize nominated novel by Deborah Levy(Image: Mubi)
Enthusiasm for the film continued on Letterboxd, where one user wrote: “The pace was perfect. The score was stunning.
“The acting was incredible, Fiona Shaw is such a talented actor. Emma Mackey is just an unreal actress too.
“I felt as if she was speaking to me and I shall carry these words with me the rest of my life. This was a film I watched at the right time in my life. A film I didn’t know I needed till I had seen it. I wish I had words to properly express how much I adore this film.”
And a final fan said: “Beautiful adaptation of the book, felt it in my soul – the story, the characters, the setting…. so moving and so real.”
Film fanatics should make sure they sign up to Mubi to check out this indie cinema gem, and many more movie masterpieces, in just under a month’s time.
Hot Milk will be released Friday, 22nd August on Mubi.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are pleading for help as more people have starved to death under Israel’s unrelenting blockade of the coastal enclave.
The Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday that local hospitals recorded nine new malnutrition deaths in the previous 24 hours.
That brings the total number of such deaths to 122 since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, including at least 83 children.
“We urgently demand an immediate end to the famine, the opening of all crossings, and the entry of infant formula now, along with 500 aid trucks and 50 fuel trucks daily,” the Health Ministry said.
“We hold the Israeli occupation, the US administration, and other states complicit in this genocide—such as the UK, Germany, and France—as well as the international community at large, fully responsible for this historic crime.”
Sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, told Al Jazeera early on Saturday that a six-month-old infant also succumbed to starvation-related medical complications.
Starvation deaths have steadily increased in Gaza this week as Israel continues to maintain a strict blockade on the territory, preventing a steady flow of food, water, medicine and other supplies from reaching Palestinians.
Noor al-Shana, an independent journalist in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, told Al Jazeera that extreme hunger is affecting all aspects of life in the Strip.
She said she now struggles to find enough for one meal per day, while four of her relatives were killed while seeking food at aid distribution points run by the notorious Israel- and United States-backed GHF.
“The world is just saying ‘Free Palestine’ … We don’t want words, we want solutions,” she said.
“Enough, we are tired,” al-Shana added, fighting back tears. “We are suffocating. We are dying here.”
‘Deliberate mass starvation’
Separately, sources at hospitals in Gaza told Al Jazeera that at least 38 people were killed by Israeli attacks across the enclave since the early hours of Friday morning.
Of that, at least six Palestinians were killed while trying to collect food at aid distribution sites.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), on Friday reiterated criticism of the GHF, calling it a “cruel” politically driven effort that “takes more lives than it saves”.
Lazzarini called for the UN agency’s aid stockpiles to be let into Gaza, warning that the enclave is suffering from “deliberate mass starvation”.
“Today, more children died, their bodies emaciated by hunger,” he said in a post on X. “The unfolding famine can only be reversed by a political will.”
The Israeli military has blamed international organisations for the crisis, claiming that aid trucks are inside Gaza but that the UN has refused to distribute the assistance.
UN officials have rejected that, saying repeatedly that they have not received the necessary approvals from the Israeli authorities to distribute the aid.
The UN and other humanitarian groups have also refused to work with the GHF aid distribution scheme, which they say does not adhere to humanitarian principles such as impartiality and independence.
As the crisis continues to spiral, United States President Donald Trump on Friday solely blamed Hamas for the apparent collapse of Gaza ceasefire talks, saying the group is going to be “hunted down”.
“Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it’s very, very bad,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The US president’s comments came a day after his Middle East envoy said US negotiators had withdrawn from ceasefire talks in Qatar.
Hamas responded to the US’s announcement with surprise, saying on Thursday that it had submitted a positive and constructive response to the latest proposal it was offered.
Despite Hamas’s insistence that it is ready to work towards a deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel and the US are weighing ways to secure the release of captives in Gaza that do not depend on a negotiated agreement with the Palestinian group.
“Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 59,676 Palestinians and wounded 143,965 others. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks and more than 200 were taken captive.
Queenstown is the most tranquil destination in the world, thanks to its low levels of noise and light pollution, cleanliness rating and quality of green spaces
This gorgeous spot needs to be on your radar(Image: James O’Neil via Getty Images)
If you’re seeking a holiday where tranquillity, breath aking scenery and utter relaxation are the order of the day, then one destination should be at the top of your list.
Tucked away on the other side of the globe, nestled between the crystal-clear waters of Lake Wakatipu and the majestic Southern Alps, is the New Zealand city of Queenstown. Recently crowned the most serene spot on earth by TravelBag, this enchanting city is a pristine paradise waiting to be discovered.
It offers an unspoilt environment that encourages you to truly unwind, disconnect, and immerse yourself in nature.
The travel experts analysed 26 locations to identify the most peaceful, using key indicators such as noise and light pollution, cleanliness, and the quality of green spaces, with Queenstown emerging victorious.
Queenstown scored an impressive cleanliness rating of 91.7, outshining all other destinations, and a high green space quality score of 94.4.
Queenstown has stunning scenery (Image: @ Didier Marti via Getty Images)
With relatively low traffic congestion and minimal light pollution, Queenstown is an ideal location for stargazing, reports the Express.
It’s also a fantastic destination to visit throughout the year.
During the winter months, visitors can enjoy superb ski fields and cosy eateries, while the summer sees the city transform into a sun-drenched haven boasting numerous hiking and biking trails, as well as stunning swimming spots.
For thrill-seekers, there’s bungee jumping, ziplines and paragliding.
Kayaks on Lake Wakatipu(Image: MarconiCouto via Getty Images)
And for those who prefer a more tranquil experience, there are hot pools with breathtaking views over the alps, as well as spas and wellness centres.
If you fancy visiting this stunning location and experiencing all it has to offer, bear in mind that it is somewhat off the beaten track.
A flight from the UK to Queenstown takes approximately 25 hours, but departures are available daily.
If you’re after a winter getaway, the optimal time to travel is between June and August, whereas for a summer holiday, December through to February is the best period to visit.
OCEARCH, a non-profit research organisation that tracks marine animals, tagged the 30-year-old male great white shark named “Contender” in the waters east of Massachusetts
09:34, 22 Jul 2025Updated 09:35, 22 Jul 2025
Contender, the 14ft, great white shark, is on the move
The world’s biggest shark is heading straight towards Martha’s Vineyard in the US, after being pinged near an affluent tourist destination.
The 14ft predator, which weighs a whopping 1,653 pounds, was recently detected on Friday afternoon, around 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
OCEARCH, a non-profit research organisation that tracks marine animals, tagged the 30-year-old male named “Contender” in the waters east of Massachusetts, between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank.
It was seen heading towards the wealthy holiday destination of Martha’s Bay, home to celebrities and multi-millionaires. Former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama own a £10million mansion on the island.
OCEARCH first tagged the shark in the North Atlantic, 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia coast, off Jacksonville.
It took six people, including three fishermen and scientists, to tag and release “Contender”, which is then electronically tracked through the Argos satellite system, according to Dr Harley Newton, OCEARCH Chief Scientist & Veterinarian.
The beast appears to have made a dart for the north over the last few weeks(Image: OCEARCH / SWNS)
The predator can be tracked through OCEARCH’s Global Shark Tracker app, where anyone can follow the animal as it moves. The animal has been pinged several times, including on January 26 and February 6, which means the tag attached to the fin was spotted above the surface for a brief period of time as it swam. It was last pinged on June 7.
The huge shark can be tracked (Image: OCEARCH / SWNS)
Dr Harley Newton, OCEARCH Chief Scientist & Veterinarian, previously told The Mirror there were some tourist hotspots the shark might visit.
She said: “This is the exciting question about Contender, as this is the first season we will be able to watch him migrate to a summer/fall foraging area.
The shark recently pinged
“Although there are many places in the Northeastern US and Canada where he could go, there are two primary locations where many white sharks spend the summer: Cape Cod, Massachusetts or Nova Scotia, Canada.
“Though Contender is an adult male white shark, and the largest we at OCEARCH have ever tagged and sampled in the Northwest Atlantic, but he is certainly not the largest male white shark ever caught.
Contender, the 14ft beast, was first tagged in the North Atlantic by OCEARCH in January(Image: OCEARCH / SWNS)
“Contender was 13 feet 9 inches total length and estimated to weigh 1653 lbs. But male white sharks can grow up to 18 feet.
“The adult age class animals have been more elusive than smaller, younger, age classes so we were excited to have the opportunity to tag, sample and release him. Based on our Global Shark tracker, he has travelled 1870 miles to date from the place he was first tagged and released. We won’t know until he shows us, which is all the more reason to follow him on the tracker.”
The project on a river that runs through Tibet and India downstream could dwarf the Three Gorges Dam when completed.
China has started building a mega-dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, which could become the world’s largest source of hydroelectric power when completed, according to Chinese officials.
The mega-project in the foothills of the Himalayas will include five hydropower stations on the river, which is also known as the Brahmaputra, further downstream in India, and the Jamuna River in Bangladesh.
China’s Xinhua state news agency reported that Premier Li Qiang attended a commencement ceremony for the dam on Saturday.
Beijing had planned the project for several years, and approval was given in December last year, linking the development to the country’s carbon neutrality targets and economic goals in the Tibet region.
“The electricity generated will be primarily transmitted to other regions for consumption, while also meeting local power needs in Tibet,” Xinhua reported after the groundbreaking ceremony in southeastern Tibet’s city of Nyingchi.
The project is expected to cost an estimated 1.2 trillion yuan ($167.1bn), Xinhua said.
India said in January that it had raised concerns with China about the project, saying it would “monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests”.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said at the time that China “has been urged to ensure that the interests of the downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas”.
In December, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the project would not have any “negative impact” downstream, adding that China “will also maintain communication with countries at the lower reaches” of the river.
China annexed Tibet in 1950, and has built several dams on the region’s rivers, prompting concerns from Tibetans about the potential impacts on the unique ecosystems of the Tibetan Plateau.
Tibet’s vast glaciers and major rivers provide fresh water to 1.3 billion people in 10 countries, according to Yale’s E360 environmental magazine.
The Yarlung Tsangpo is the world’s highest river, reaching some 5,000 metres (16,404 feet) above sea level, and is considered sacred to Tibetans.
The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in Yichang, Hubei province, China [File Stringer/Reuters]
The new dam is also being built just 30km (18 miles) from China’s vast border with India, much of which is disputed, with tens of thousands of soldiers posted on either side.
Once built, the dam could provide as much as three times as much energy as the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in central China.
Tibet is much more sparsely populated, with some 2,000 people displaced for the construction of the Yagen Hydropower Station in 2015, according to local media reports.
A freak storm saw huge hailstones fall from the sky in a holiday hotspot
12:11, 21 Jul 2025Updated 12:13, 21 Jul 2025
Split is a hugely popular destination(Image: Feng Wei Photography via Getty Images)
Split is a stunning seaside city rich in Roman heritage which residents call “the most beautiful in the world”. With flights from many UK airports, it’s hardly surprising it’s so well-loved.
A getaway to Split provides both the opportunity to laze on beaches and immerse yourself in history. Bačvice Bay serves as the city’s most favoured beach, boasting crystal-clear waters and mountain panoramas. And amongst the most sought-after activities whilst in Split is embarking on a boat expedition to the city’s islands Šolta, Drvenik, and Čiovo.
But lumps of ice plummeting from above, blazing trees and roads awash with rushing water aren’t exactly what springs to mind for a European European getaway destination loved and visited by around a million people every year.
What was meant to be an enjoyable boat excursion around the Croatian city’s neighbouring islands rapidly transformed into something resembling a catastrophe film when MyLondon reporter Katherine Gray visited.
MyLondon reporter Katherine Gray in Split, Croatia with a friend
Katherine said she headed down to the port bright and early for a nine-hour boat journey bearing towels and sunhats as they boarded the boat with excitement.
She said: “While there were admittedly some heavy looking clouds looming, we weren’t deterred. We’re Brits, rain can’t stop us.
“But just before we disembarked, the heavens opened and a downpour fell from the sky. People were laughing and filming with surprise at the heavy rain.
“But smiles quickly turned to screams as gale-force winds began to hit the city, sending chairs and tables flying all over the nearby promenade. Chunks of ice began to fall from the sky as everyone was forced to duck for cover to try and avoid being hit by the ginormous hailstones.”
The tour guides frantically tried to secure their boat using buoys and ropes, while passengers were directed to go inside it to seek shelter and wait for the storm to pass.
She added: “After around 20 minutes we exited the boat and came out to the top deck where we were helped to exit onto the dock. Street furniture was upturned on the pavement and water rushed around the streets.
“The boat tour was well and truly postponed until better weather conditions. But the chaos on the streets left us even more shocked as we were forced to wade through streams of water to get home.”
A holiday to Split offers both the chance to be a beach bum and get lost in history
Online footage also showed trees set on fire due to lightning strikes, while the famous Diocletian’s Palace was partially submerged by the heavy downpour.
Katherine said on their journey back to their accomodation in the Old Town, locals told them: “Nothing like this has ever happened before in Split.”
The devastating storm left around 20 people injured, but not seriously, according to Croatia Week. Whilst the hurricane-strength winds and extensive destruction might seem baffling, experts have attributed it to two cyclones that swept across the city.
Dr Ivan Güttler, Director of Croatia’s State Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ), explained to Croatian broadcaster HRT: “In recent days, two cyclones passed over our area. What made this event unique was that they encountered a warm surface, both land and sea, which had been heated by previous heatwaves.”
When cooler air meets a heated surface, it can generate convection clouds notorious for producing hail, fierce winds and rainfall. The severe weather turned Split’s streets into mayhem, with damage to vegetation and buildings disrupting residents’ daily lives.
Katherine wasn’t too put off by the experience and managed to enjoy the rest of her holiday in the stunning destination.
She said: “And although we were left slightly shaken, the experience didn’t have much affect on the rest of our lovely week away in Split which I would still happily recommend for anyone looking for a beach holiday this Summer. We were able to return to the dock a little later in the morning and spend a lovely afternoon exploring the Croatian city’s beautiful islands.”
Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris looks like it’s been plucked right out of the Caribbean and dropped onto the coast of Scotland. Now its beauty has been officially recognised
Luskentyre Beach has been named one of the world’s best (Image: Daily Record)
If you’re dreaming of pristine white sands, crystal-clear waters and serene tranquility, you might be saving up for a trip to the Caribbean, Greece or perhaps Australia.
But according to Enjoy Travel, one of the world’s most stunning beaches is actually much closer to home – in Scotland, to be precise. Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris could easily be mistaken for a Caribbean paradise, such is its breathtaking beauty. It’s ranked 12th in the list of the world’s 50 most beautiful beaches, and once you set foot on its shores, it’s easy to see why.
The beach has been recognised with a Scottish Beach Award for its natural splendour and commitment to environmental preservation.
While the beach itself is captivating enough to keep you there all day, the surrounding countryside also offers plenty to explore. Whether you fancy a peaceful stroll or are more inclined towards hiking or cycling, there’s something for everyone, reports the Daily Record.
The beach has pristine dunes (Image: Daily Record)
For those seeking a bit of adventure, nearby Clisham mountain, the highest peak in the Outer Hebrides, promises a thrilling climb. Reach the summit and you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of the island’s spectacular landscape.
Despite its acclaim, Luskentyre Beach remains wonderfully uncrowded. You can wander for miles without encountering another soul, making it a true hidden gem. Visitors to this stunning beach have been left utterly captivated by its natural splendour. A traveller gushed on Tripadvisor, confessing they had “never seen anything quite like it”.
They continued: “The views on the drive up to the car park are other-worldly. Beautiful turquoise water, soft golden sand that stretches for miles, grass covered dunes. There’s a public toilet at the car park with a donation box, so that’s helpful! The wind blew warm when we were there in early May, and it was so much warmer than the other end of the island we visited later the same day.”
Another visitor was equally enthralled: “What an amazingly gorgeous beach. The sand is in its purest form and the water as blue as can be. The fact there were not many people there when we went made for such a dramatic sight. We walked and walked just admiring how clean and beautiful the beach is. We did a hardy soul take a dip in the water, he was a local of course.”
For those eager to experience this coastal paradise, you can hop on a ferry from the Scottish mainland or catch a flight to the Outer Hebrides from Glasgow, Edinburgh, or Inverness.
Even after he had climbed to the top of the world rankings, there were some doubts about Scheffler’s game.
The statistics proved he was the best from tee to green. They also proved he was among the worst with the putter.
In late 2023, a call was made to English putting guru Phil Kenyon – whose client list is a who’s who of major champions – in a bid to improve with the flatstick.
Attention was particularly paid to Scheffler’s reading of the greens and increasing the stability of his grip.
Switching to a claw grip – where the right hand acts as a pincer lower down the shaft – has transformed Scheffler into one of the most reliable putters in the game.
The tweak helped him become the first player to defend the PGA Tour’s Players Championship, win a second Masters, Olympic gold and five other titles in a stellar 2024 that also had echoed Woods.
Leading the putting statistics after three rounds at Portrush, having holed 97% of his putts inside five feet and 90% of those within 10 feet, put him in command. He holed putts of 14, 15 and 16 feet on Sunday.
“[The grip] was something we tested out last year and felt comfortable from the start,” Scheffler said.
“I use it as we get closer to the hole, lag putting. Outside of 15 to 20 feet, I’m still putting conventional.
“It was something we felt could help us improve, and so far it has.”
While improved putting has taken Scheffler to Woods-esque heights, will it help him move closer to replicating his iconic predecessor’s achievements over the longer term? That remains to be seen over the coming years.
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