breaks

KELLY Osbourne was seen breaking down in tears live on stage as she paid tribute to her late dad Ozzy.

Legendary rocker Ozzy was 76 when he sadly passed away on July 22, with the cause of death later revealed to be a cardiac arrest.

Heartbroken Kelly, 40, took to the stage to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her late father in his native Birmingham.

Ozzy was honoured at The Birmingham Awards, held at The Eastside Rooms.

Accepting the award, Kelly told the audience: “While most singers go their whole career without winning one but impressive as those awards are, this recognition tonight tops them all.

“He was proud to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame but what he was most proud of was his star on the Walk of Stars on Broad Street.

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“He was forced to spend much of his life in America because of his work but Birmingham was always his heart and soul.’

“He loved this city, he loved the people as they loved him back. That’s why it was so important to come home one last time in July to say goodbye.”

At this point Kelly’s voice started to crack with emotion and she said: “The tens of people who lined the streets and brought the city to a standstill, the affection you all had for him, my family and I were so so moved by the outpouring of love.

“He performed thousands of shows for more than five decades but the most important gig he ever played was in Aston. Despite his health challenges in later years, he was determined his final concert had to be right here.

“He was a proud Brummy in the beginning of his career and he was a proud Brummy at the end.”

Kelly could hardly hold back the tears, as she ended her speech by saying: “Again, on behalf of my dad and my family, thank you for this wonderful lifetime achievement award. I know he’s looking down on us tonight smiling with pride.”

JACK’S TEARS

Kelly’s brother Jack Osbourne recently gave a heartbreaking update on how his mum Sharon is coping after his father’s death.

In an interview on Good Morning America earlier this month, Jack was asked how Sharon has been doing since her husband’s tragic passing.

Sharon was married to Ozzy for 40 years.

“She’s okay, but she’s not okay,” Jack said.

The interviewer, Chris Connelly, then asked if Sharon can “feel the affection and appreciation” from supporters.

Jack responded: “Oh my god, yeah. I know she feels the love.

“None of us expected it to be like this, with that outpour of love.”

He continued: “Every child sits there and kind of has this thought about one day that their parents won’t be there, and what will that be like.

“It’s just a part of being human. We just didn’t think of it. It was a different weight to it, you know?”

At one point during the interview, emotional Jack broke down in tears while talking about his father’s final concert.

He said: “Before he went on stage, I ran back into the dressing room…”

Choking back the tears, Jack explained how he gave him a “big hug”.

He said: “I just kissed him. I just said, I was like, ‘Crush it. You’re going to do so good.’

“And I was crying.”

SAD DEATH

Legendary rocker Ozzy passed away in July “surrounded by love” just weeks after he took to the stage one final time with his band mates at Villa Park in Birmingham.

In recent years, the star had been battling numerous health conditions, including Parkinson’s.

His official death certificate lists ‘acute myocardial infarction’ and ‘out of hospital cardiac arrest’ under the cause of death section.

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It also listed coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction as “joint causes” of Ozzy’s death.

The document described his occupation as a “rock legend, songwriter and performer” in a heart-warming nod towards Ozzy.

FANCY a cheeky city break but worried about blowing the Christmas budget?

Fear not, because we’ve rounded up nine of the best bucket-list weekenders, where you can find bargain flights, as well as cheap eats and drinks during the winter months.

Bilbao, Spain

For easily accessible winter warmth on a shoestring budget, Bilbao is a good bet. 

This is the Spanish city that is the fastest to reach from the UK, with flights from Bristol taking approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes (and under two hours from London).

It’s also super affordable to reach – one-way Gatwick fares with Vueling Airlines start at just £23 this autumn. 

Step off the plane and into double-digit temperatures – the city has highs of 17C in November, ideal for exploring the lush green landscape and Casco Viejo, the picturesque old town with its cobblestone streets and medieval architecture.

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You can’t visit without indulging in pintxos – the Basque version of tapas – paired with the local tipple Kalimotxo (red wine and cola). 

Cheap but highly-rated pintxos bars include local hangout Bar Bacaicoa, known for its griddled mushrooms, £1.13 (€1.30), cod croquettes, £1.50 (€1.70), and spicy chorizo. £1.65 (€1.90).

Beer at a restaurant or pub is also cheaper than in the UK, with a “zurrito” (small glass) of local beer like San Miguel costing around £3.50 (€4).  

The world-famous Guggenheim art museum is the city’s main attraction, home to popular works by artists such as Richard Serra, Robert Rauschenberg and Yayoi Kusama.

Although you need a ticket to enter, it’s completely free to admire the outdoor art installations, such as Jeff Koons’s Instagrammable Puppy sculpture guarding the entrance.

Dublin, Ireland

Close to home, Dublin offers a quick city getaway with affordable prices if you know where to look. 

Flights from most UK airports are very short, taking just an hour from Manchester and 1 hour 20 minutes from London.

November is the cheapest month to travel to Ireland – return fares to Dublin cost around £36 with Ryanair from the East Midlands and £72 from Heathrow with British Airways.

This leaves extra spending money for its lively pub culture.

The typical price range for a pint of Guinness in city boozers – like O’Donoghue’s, Doheny & Nesbitt’s, Toners and The Baggot Inn – is similar to the UK’s national average of £5.15 (€5.80-€7.00), depending on location. 

Tourist hotspots like Temple Bar push prices to £9 (€10.45) for a pint of the black stuff. 

Avoid this by heading to a local boozer like The Auld Triangle, where a pint will set you back less than a fiver (€4.95).  

You’ll still get traditional live music at a slice of the price.

But there’s much more to Dublin than a giddy Guinness binge. 

Take in the city sights, including Phoenix Park and the grounds of Trinity College, both free to explore. 

If you’ve got a spare £16 (€18), the Little Museum of Dublin is also well worth a visit.

Set in a cute Georgian townhouse, it’s a quirky one-stop shop for history fans.

Peckish? Wood-fired pizza costs less than £6 (€6.50) from Sano Pizza, while other cheap eats include Brother Hubbard (mezze plates from €7.50) and street food at EatYard, which is open Thursday-Sunday. 

Brussels, Belgium

The capital of Belgium is within striking distance of the UK – super affordable flights take just over an hour.

One-way fares this November cost from as little as £33 from Luton with easyJet, with a flight time of 1 hour 20 minutes. 

You can find even cheaper flights to the city’s second airport, Charleroi, which is around an hour from the city centre by bus. 

The city’s main highlights – including the magnificent Grand Place, Sablon’s Gothic church and the famed Manneken Pis statue – are walkable and free to see. 

You can keep costs down by visiting museums on reduced admission days.

For instance, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (normally €10) are free on the first Wednesday of each month from 1pm.

Sample gaufres de Liège (waffles), frites (fries) and Belgian chocolate – but find them at street food stalls, trucks and small cafés for the best price.

Maison Antoine sells a small cone of fries for around £3 (€3.50), while many good chocolate shops give out free samples.

When it comes to beer, avoid tourist trap bars around Grand Place and head to local boozers instead. 

Beer Capital has beers from £2.87 (€3.30), and happy hour from noon until midnight, while Cafe Belga is a firm favourite with students. 

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

With its quaint canals, treasure-packed museums and vibrant dining scene, Amsterdam is perfect for a European city break. 

You can reach this Dutch metropolis in 1 hour and 20 minutes, with easyJet flights from Manchester costing as little as £67 return this winter.

Walking is the best way to see the city’s gorgeous neighbourhoods of Prinsengracht, Herengracht and Keizersgracht, and the trendy Nine Streets area with its independent boutiques.

Planning to see as much as possible? You could save money with the I Amsterdam card, which allows free entry to some museums, including the Van Gogh Museum (but not the Anne Frank House, which you need to book in advance), travel discounts and bicycle rent. A 48-hour card costs £78 (€90).

Grab a £2.61 (€3) beef croquette straight from the wall at FEBO, automated snack machines dotted around the city.

Or head to a street stall to sample Dutch herring with onions and pickles for around €3, or stop by a Stroopwafels stand for freshly made caramel-filled wafers.

Fancy a drink? De Pilsener Club is a cosy, wood-panelled pub and one of the best spots for a cheap beer in the city centre.

Meanwhile, Kriterion is a trendy arthouse cinema with a student bar offering cheap beer (around £4.54 a pint), while Waterhole has happy hour every day (noon-9pm) with beers from £3.48 (€4).  

Paris, France

Just 1 hour and 15 minutes from the UK by plane, Paris should make your budget-break bucket list. 

While the City of Love has its fair share of overpriced tourist traps, there are ways you can shave euros off the prices you pay.

Avoid eating and drinking around the city’s main attractions, like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Arc de Triomphe, where restaurants charge a premium.

Instead, head to neighbourhoods just outside the most central zones (like the 11th, 19th and 20th arrondissements) for cheaper bars and restaurants.

With the average Parisian pint, or ‘pinte’, costing £5.22-£6.96 (€6-8), your best bet for finding budget beer in Paris is to avoid tourist zones and look for happy hour. 

The cheapest pint in Paris is reportedly at Chez Marie in the 10th arrondissement – where you can enjoy a pint for £2.18 (€2.50) at happy hour (6-9pm).  

When it comes to top-notch food, the French do it well – and crêpes (pancakes) are both filling and good value. 

You can find street-side stands selling crêpes or eat them “à emporter” (to go) from around £3.48 (€4). 

For lunch on the run, locals grab sandwiches and quiches from boulangeries (bakeries).

Other cheap eats include croque monsieur (ham and cheese toastie), which costs around £6-£8 (€7-9). 

Other money-saving tips for Paris include taking the Metro instead of expensive taxis and visiting big museums like the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay on the first Sunday of the month, when they offer free admission.

You can also bag a bargain with flights – easyJet and Vueling offer one-way prices from as little as £24, with Fridays in November and March often offering the best results. 

San Sebastian, Spain

In the heart of Spain’s Basque Country, San Sebastian is a foodie’s delight that won’t break the bank.  

This city in the north of the country is home to amazing pintxos – tapas-style snacks that are small in price but huge in flavour.

Think olive and pepper skewers, chistorra (AKA smoky sausage), and traditional tortillas – with each dish typically costing less than £4 (around €2-€5).

A pint of beer typically costs around £5 (€5-7) in San Sebastian bars – but you can save money by ordering a smaller ‘caña’ (200ml draft beer), which is usually priced around £2.60 (€3). 

British Airways flies direct to San Sebastian from London City, with one-way fares from £120 this autumn.

And with a flight time of 1 hour 55 minutes, you’ll be exploring its golden beaches, lush hillsides and cobbled lanes before you know it. 

Even in winter, the weather can be pretty mild, with daytime temperatures rising to around 15 °C in November. 

Some of the cheapest pintxos are in the Gros District, a surfing neighbourhood that’s a 10-minute walk from the old town.

The best way to burn the pintxos-hopping calories is to explore on foot.  

Walk the scenic promenade along La Concha Bay or hike up Monte Urgull for epic city views that won’t cost you a penny.  

Prague, Czech Republic

A couple of hours from the UK by plane, Prague is a firm favourite as a European city break, with cheap food and pints costing a couple of quid.

Even in the centre of the Czech capital, a pint will only set you back around £1.70-2.50 (50-70CZK).

Head further out, and you can expect to pay just £1-1.78 (30-50CZK) for similar drinks. 

Hany Bany, a boozer in the city’s old town, sells a small draft beer for just 78p (22CZK) and a pint for £1.25 (35CZK).

Working up an appetite? Grab a plate of hearty goulash and dumplings for £4.20 (119CZK) at Havelská Koruna, which opened as the country’s first fast-food restaurant in 1931. 

Located in the old town, it’s a thriving and affordable diner, so arrive by 11.30am to beat the lunchtime crowds.

Save even more on your trip by sampling cheap street food at Havel Market and exploring the grounds of Prague Castle for free. 

For a culture fix, some museums have free or cheap entry days, like the National Gallery Prague, which is free to enter on the first Wednesday of the month after 3pm. 

In the Old Town Square, you can also watch the Astronomical Clock’s hourly dancing figurine show without spending a single koruna.

Return flights from London to Prague this winter cost from £34 with Ryanair, from £44 with Wizz Air and from £57 with easyJet. 

Bordeaux, France

Also under two hours from the UK, the French city of Bordeaux offers cheap wine, local markets and a UNESCO area to discover. 

It’s also affordable to reach, with easyJet offering return Bristol flights from £44 this winter.

While a pint of beer will set you back around £6 (€7) in most central bars in Bordeaux, wine is inexpensive. 

In Le Bar à Vin Bordeaux, located opposite the tourism office, you can get glasses of decent wine for less than £3 – like a 15cl glass of Bordeaux rose for €2.50.

Meanwhile, you can keep costs low by chowing down street food near Place de la Victoire, or indulging in “canelés”.

These sweet, cylindrical pastries are typically priced less than a euro – La Toque Cuivrée sells them for a mere 60p (€0.70).

When you’ve eaten and drunk your fill, take in the historic centre and 18th-century architecture – a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It won’t cost you a penny to see sights like Place de la Bourse with its beautiful reflecting pool of water. 

Later, find souvenirs at the Grands Hommes market or on the rue Sainte Catherine, one of the longest streets in Bordeaux.

If you’re on a tight budget, pick up a steal in Mad Vintage, a second-hand shop, or head to the southern end of the street, which has cheaper, more student-oriented boutiques compared to the higher-end shops of the north. 

Munich, Germany

The Bavarian capital is under two hours away, with return Gatwick flights costing from just £59 with easyJet this winter. 

Which leaves plenty of spending money once you touch down in this edgy metropolis, which has lakes and mountains on its doorstep and oodles of cultural sights. 

Contemporary gallery Museum Brandhorst is a must if you enjoy pop art, and is one of many museums that offer cheap entry for 87p (€1) on Sundays.

Other free must-do activities include watching the famed Glockenspiel show in Marienplatz and strolling around the lush grass and shimmering lake of the English Garden.

Of course, Munich is the beer capital, so it’d be rude not to sample the city’s tipple of choice, Dunkel, which ranks among the best German beers. 

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A pint of this dark, malty lager is best enjoyed in a noisy beer hall like Augustiner Bräustuben, where it’s £3.35 (€3.85) a pint. 

For a cheap bite, make for Viktualienmarkt where you’ll find stalls selling sausage sandwiches for less than £6.09 (€7) or try a bakery for a €1 fresh pretzel. 

We’ve scoured the UK for the best festive holiday park deals on offer, with everything from Christmas entertainment and crafts to Santa’s grottos, for less than the price of a McDonald’s.

The three-night breaks work out as little as £9 per person and most cost under £15pp a night – at award-winning parks with waterparks, fairgrounds, as well as access to the UK’s best parks and beaches.

As a travel blogger and influencer, I’m regularly being asked for things to do in the UK over Christmas.

And these cheap UK holiday parks offer some fantastic festive extras at Christmas, such as lights and decorations across the park, children’s craft workshops, visits from Santa and special shows and pantomimes.

Haven Craig Tara, Scotland

Nine of Haven’s holiday parks across the UK will be hosting special festive breaks this year.

These Christmas getaways start from mid-November and include access to entertainment throughout the day and evening, a Christmas tree in your accommodation, and yuletide food and drinks, including a turkey dinner on Christmas Day. 

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Christmas meals are priced separately, and it’s recommended that you book them in advance.

Caravans have a fully-equipped kitchen, so you also have the option to cook dinner in your caravan to save money.

The best value break we could find over the Christmas week, including Christmas Day, is at the beautiful Craig Tara Holiday Park on the Scottish coast in Ayrshire, with stunning views of Ailsa Craig and the Isle of Arran.

With chances of a white Christmas here pretty high, this is a magical place to spend the big day.

For a winter break, the resort has a choice of indoor activities, including a water park with slides and an indoor sports complex called Airspace, which has everything from roller discos to crazy golf, a multi-level soft play area and a climbing wall.

Festive offerings include make-a-bear workshops, sand bottle creations, pic ‘n’ paint, bauble-making, stocking workshops, reindeer food, and family activities with a Christmas twist.

Plus, children can meet Santa in his grotto, though there is likely an extra fee for this, and it should be booked in advance. 

There is also an on-site pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk, special festive shows from the Seaside Squad, lots of interactive fun with the elves and plenty of opportunities for a boogie.

If you’re staying for Christmas Day itself, you are able to book your dinner now, subject to availability.

Haven parks that have a J D Wetherspoon pub as their main venue (Primrose Valley, Kent Coast, Devon Cliffs) will also be open for Christmas Day table bookings, and you’ll choose from the menu on the day.

The other Haven parks hosting festive stays are: Seton Sands, Scotland, Blackpool, Devon Cliffs, North Wales, Kent Coast, Primrose Valley, Yorkshire, Dorset and Norfolk.

The price per night for Haven Craig Tara is £54.75 (based on four nights in a three-bed holiday caravan, which sleeps six), which works out at £9.12pp a night.

The holiday parks vary in price, and the next cheapest Haven parks to stay in over Christmas are Primrose Valley, Yorkshire, at £85 per night, and Rockley Park, Dorset, at £83 per night (based on four nights in a three-bed holiday caravan sleeping six).

Book at Haven.com.

Butlin’s Holiday Park, Skegness

Butlin’s is known for offering exceptional value family breaks, and Christmas is no exception.

Across its three holiday parks in Bognor Regis, Skegness and Minehead, Butlin’s offers festive breaks from November and specially-priced Christmas breaks, which run over Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The huge parks get a magical makeover with fairy lights, decorations and indoor snow.

When you arrive, you’ll be rocking around the Christmas tree at the family welcome party.

Other special additions include a festive show, Christmas movies, a present drop, a firework display, children’s craft workshops and winter character meet-and-greets, all included in the price.

Better still, every family gets a visit to Santa’s Grotto for the Father Christmas’ Express Delivery, and each child gets a gift, fully included in the price.

Dining packages are available at Butlin’s and usually work out as excellent value. During the festive breaks, expect to see roasts with all the trimmings and mince pies, which aren’t available all year round.

Even if you decide to book without a dining package, the family can still sit down for a four-course Christmas dinner with all the trimmings for £58 per adult and £39 for kids. Choose from a set menu and finish up with coffee and mince pies.

The best value deal for Christmas week at Butlin’s is Skegness, which is £224 for four days (based on two adults and two children sharing). At only £14 per day per person, this is a superb seasonal staycation. 

Skegness has a huge weather-proof waterpark called Splash, which will also play host to a Christmas pool party during the festive breaks. 

There is also the award-winning Skypark, laser tag, bowling, a climbing wall, and go karts all on-site, as well as arcades and performances from the Redcoats.

Christmas Day breaks at Minehead and Bognor Regis come in a little bit more expensive, with Minehead starting at £15 per person and Bognor Regis at £22.50 per person.

Book at butlins.com

Parkdean Resorts at Trecco Park, Wales

Eight Parkdean Resorts are hosting Christmas Getaway breaks, with Trecco Park in Wales being the best value for money over Christmas Day.

Fun, festive activities include feeding Santa’s reindeer, a ‘pawsome’ Christmas party with the characters from Paw Patrol, breakfast with Santa, ice skating, a search for Santa game, a kids’ Christmas party and bauble-making workshops for the whole family. 

Plus, children can meet Santa when he comes to visit the on-site grotto.

One of the largest holiday parks in Europe, Trecco Bay – on the stunning Wales Coastal Path, spanning approximately 10 miles from Ogmore to Sker Point – is a beautiful site that overlooks the water. 

It’s probably too cold for a dip – unless you’re feeling particularly brave – but perfect for a Boxing Day walk.

Inside the large clubhouse, there is an amusement arcade and bowling, as well as the Aloha cocktail bar for adults and festive movie nights.

On Christmas Day, restaurants are closed for pre-booked Christmas lunch. Priced separately, the four-course dinner and nibbles are £49.99 for adults and £29.99 for kids 12 and under.

Over 21s get a welcome glass of prosecco too. Spaces are limited so booking in advance is essential. 

The price for a four-night stay at Trecco Bay is £473, staying in a four-bed Bronze caravan that sleeps six people, which works out at £19.70 per person. 

If you don’t want to go over Christmas Day, breaks for a family of four start from £169 (£42.25 per night) and include all the seasonal extras.

Book at parkdeanresorts.co.uk.

Hoseasons Dartmoor View, Devon

Hoseasons holiday parks tend to be quieter and more chilled-out than some of the other major brands. 

Over Christmas, there are no extras at the park itself, but they do make for brilliant budget places to stay for families who just want to get away for Christmas week. 

You’re very much left to your own devices, meaning a turkey dinner in your cabin.

The best deal is at Hoseasons Dartmoor View in Devon. This pretty park is set close to Dartmoor National Park, with easy access to a wealth of picture-postcard villages bursting with quaint shops and cosy, traditional pubs.

Nearby boozer The Globe Inn in Chagford is a local institution. It’s closed on Christmas Day, but they still have availability on Boxing Day if you fancy some good pub grub and festive atmosphere.

The price for a four-night stay in a standard caravan (sleeping six) is £259 for four nights, which works out at £10.79pp per person, per night.

Book at: hoseasons.co.uk

Away Resorts, St Ives Bay, Cornwall

This friendly resort could not be in a more perfect location, surrounded by rolling hills and with its own private beach.

You may not be up for a seaside dip or cold water surf at St Ives Bay, but a Christmas Day walk on the beach is certainly one way to do Christmas a bit differently. 

There’s also an indoor pool, a clubhouse with arcades and live entertainment.

For Christmas, kids can become an elf recruit and join the Sleigh Team, do Christmas crafts, experience the Elf Slime Factory, make snow globes and post a letter to Santa at the Christmas Post Office. 

Families can also join Mrs Claus in her kitchen to bake Christmas cookies. 

A three-night stay in a Comfort Caravan (sleeping six) over Christmas is £213 for three nights, working out only £11.84 per night, per person.  

If you opt for Away Resorts’ Tattershall Lakes location in Lincolnshire, it’s slightly more expensive, but there is more on offer.

The price for three nights is £294 for a Comfort Caravan, sleeping eight, which is £98 per night (£12.25pp if there are eight of you!), but you also get access to the evening Christmas show and can book a Christmas Day dinner at the Tattershall Park Pub. 

Three-course Christmas dinner is £79.95 for adults and £39.95 for kids (under-5s £4.95).

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They also have their seasonal Winterfest event, which is free to enter and includes Christmas workshops, a North Pole-themed food courtyard, Santa’s silent disco and Father Christmas’ grotto. Some activities are priced extra.

Book at: awayresorts.co.uk

Sikorsky has unveiled a new, fully uncrewed version of the Black Hawk helicopter with a completely transformed front end that swaps out the cockpit for clamshell doors. Depending on how it is configured, what has been dubbed the U-Hawk can move thousands of pounds of outsized cargo internally and slung underneath, deploy uncrewed ground vehicles, and fire dozens of “launched effects” like surveillance and reconnaissance drones and loitering munitions.

A U-Hawk demonstrator, converted from an ex-U.S. Army UH-60L, is on display at the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) main annual conference in Washington, D.C., which opened today and at which TWZ is in attendance. Sikorsky, now a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, also refers to the design as the S-70 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), with S-70 being the company’s internal model number for H-60 variants.

The U-Hawk leverages the company’s past work on a Pilot Optional Vehicle (OPV) version of the Black Hawk, which has been flying for years, as well as its MATRIX autonomy flight control software. Development of MATRIX first began more than a decade ago and was buoyed early on by support from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) through the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program.

“A lot of our customers said, hey, I need to be able to move things into theater, and I need to be able to move them in mass. And a lot of the drones out there may be able to carry 100 pounds, may be able to carry 500 pounds,” Rich Benton, Sikorsky Vice President and General Manager, told TWZ and other outlets during a press call earlier this month. “We look introspectively, what do we have? Well, we actually have an autonomous Black Hawk today, our OPV, optionally piloted. But why couldn’t we just take the cockpit out of that and make that a UAS?”

“We conceived this idea [the U-Hawk], believe it not, at the last AUSA, talking to some of the folks from the Army and other services,” Igor Cherepinsky, Sikorsky Innovations Director, also told TWZ and other outlets during a separate call ahead of the opening of today’s conference. “We procured the [underlying UH-60L] aircraft towards the beginning of this year.”

It took Sikorsky roughly 10 months to go from “concept to reality,” according to a company press release. The goal is for it to take flight for the first time next year. The U-Hawk has, so far, been an internally funded effort.

The U-Hawk adaptation of the Black Hawk does do much more than simply remove the pilots and offers significantly greater capability than crewed versions for certain missions. The design also features a different hardware backend for the MATRIX autonomy package and a revised fly-by-wire control system compared to the previous OPV Black Hawk, which we will come back to later on.

Still, the most eye-catching features of the new uncrewed version are its new front section and revised internal arrangement.

“We have completely removed the cockpit, the pilot, and also the crew chief stations of the aircraft,” Ramsey Bentley, Sikorsky Advanced Programs Business Development Director, explained while speaking alongside Cherepinsky. “This gives us the entire cabin and cockpit area for either a logistics operation or mission support operations.”

Sikorsky says the U-Hawk will also be able to “self-deploy” out to a range of 1,600 nautical miles and have a total unrefueled endurance of 14 hours. The press release today also says the uncrewed Black Hawk can “carry internal fuel tanks for increased range or extended time on station,” but it is unclear if this is required to meet the stated range and endurance figures, although that seems likely. Increased range while carrying a useful payload still opens up significant new opportunities, especially for operations across the broad expanses of the Pacific, but also elsewhere.

Payload-wise, Sikorsky expects the uncrewed Black Hawk to be able to carry up to 7,000 pounds internally or 9,000 pounds slung underneath, or a mix of both up to a maximum rating of 10,000 pounds. The company says this is roughly in line with the payload capacity, by weight, of a standard crewed UH-60L. For helicopters, in general, the maximum allowable payload on any particular sortie is also heavily dependent on environmental factors like altitude and temperature.

The U-Hawk’s revised configuration gives it approximately 25 percent more physical space inside for cargo and/or other payloads compared to existing UH-60 variants. This is important as payloads often have dimensional restrictions, as well as weight-based ones. Some cargoes that would have been previously slung underneath could be carried internally, which would drastically increase the range at which they could be delivered.

“The payload, I think, is what really distinguishes this from competitors. … So one can start to imagine the missions that that U-Hawk can begin to solve,” Beth Parcella, Sikorsky Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, noted while speaking together with Vice President and General Manager Benton. “Everything from delivering swarms of drones, from launched effects ‘quivers,’ carrying cargo in a contested logistics environment, driving on and off uncrewed ground vehicles, operating in a counter-UAS function, [and] roll-on and roll-off of supplies.”

“So there’s a tremendous amount of flexibility with this aircraft,” she added.

When it comes to “launched effects,” or LEs, this is a catch-all term that the U.S. military currently uses to refer to uncrewed aerial systems that can be fired from other aerial platforms, as well as ones on the ground or at sea. Sikorsky and its parent company, Lockheed Martin, are currently using the Army’s requirements for three tiers of short, medium, and long-range launched effects as a baseline for the development of the launch ‘quivers’ and what gets loaded in them. LEs in all three categories could be configured to perform surveillance and reconnaissance and electronic warfare missions, as well as be employed as loitering munitions or act as decoys.

“What this quiver does is, depending upon the size of the launched effect, it’s able to hold 24 to 50 different launched effects in the back of the aircraft,” Bentley said. “The quiver is actually designed for what would be the Army short-range and medium-range-sized LEs. The long-range [ones] probably ends up going out on the [stub] wing, like you’ve probably seen [in] some other demonstrations.”

Bentley also noted that the quivers will be able to carry mixed loads of different types of LEs at once, including types developed by other companies.

Parcella did not elaborate on the potential “counter-UAS function” for the U-Hawk, but indicated that it could be tied to its launched effects capabilities. The U-Hawk might be able to carry other types of weaponry, as well as electronic warfare systems, that could be employed against hostile drones, as well as other targets.

As noted, general cargo-carrying is also envisioned as a key role for the uncrewed Black Hawk. Sikorsky says the U-Hawk will be able to carry up to four U.S. military-standard Joint Modular Intermodal Containers (JMIC), spread between the main cabin and slung underneath, compared to the two that existing Black Hawk variants can lug around today. It will also be able to carry a single one of the standard ammunition ‘pods’ used in the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as well as a pair of Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) in their launch canisters, according to today’s press release. The Army operates both the M270 and M142. The Marine Corps has HIMARSs, as well, and is also fielding NSM in a ground-launched configuration.

The U-Hawk’s clamshell doors allow for the loading and unloading of cargo even while the rotors are still turning. There is also a folding ramp to help ease the process, as well as allow for the deployment of UGVs.

All of “this is designed to do direct support of the maneuver commander. So, as the Army is conducting an air assault, you would envision the U-Hawk flying ahead of the soldiers,” Bentley explained. “As the U-Hawk comes into the landing zone area, first it dispenses launched effects out of the sides of the aircraft, out of our launched effects quiver. And then it lands, it disembarks the UGV, and then the aircraft departs. And this is done ahead of any soldiers putting boots on the ground.”

“You’ve probably heard about Gen. [James] Rainey, the AFC [Army Futures Command] commander, talking about metal-on-metal first contact,” Bentley said. “This is Sikorsky focused on that commander’s need, the soldiers’ need, to put these launched effects, UGVs, and UAS in the battle space, ahead of us, putting soldiers in harm’s way.”

The U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps are also both especially interested in using vertical takeoff and landing-capable uncrewed aircraft for logistics missions, including the resupply of forces in higher-threat areas. The Marines are already pursuing a multi-tier family of Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) platforms, and have started to field drones to meet the lowest-end Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System (TRUAS) requirement. 

Bentley also said the company envisions U-Hawks performing non-military missions, including supporting wildfire fighting and disaster relief operations. A number of civilian operators already fly crewed H-60 variants in these roles.

Regardless of the missions it is configured for, Sikorsky is designing the U-Hawk to provide all of its capabilities with minimal training and sustainment requirements. Sikorsky says individuals without aviation-specific skill sets can be readily trained to operate the uncrewed Black Hawk via touchscreen tablet-like devices. The MATRIX system has a demonstrated ability to get platforms like the OPV Black Hawk between set waypoints in a highly autonomous manner.

“Upshot of this is that you can operate this aircraft with a minimally trained operator, and a tablet, if that’s what you want. We [are] obviously also providing a way to be integrated into [a] bigger airspace picture, be it civil or military airspace, where one can exercise more control over the aircraft,” Cherepinsky explained. “If you tell it to go from airport A to airport B, for example, and it knows it’s in civil airspace, it will take the right routes, follow the right civil procedures. If it knows it’s a military airspace, it will do what it thinks is right for the military airspace.”

“In some cases, [it] may not be what exactly — what you want. So, we’re providing this level of adjustable autonomy where you can have a local operator on the ground, for example, operating the aircraft as a crane, right, moving around the field, moving things around the field, loading the aircraft,” he added. “You can hand it off to a more central UAS command, where they have a lot more fine detail over … speeds, altitudes, and whatnot. It’s really, really up to our customer how they want to operate these vehicles.”

Sikorsky is also presenting U-Hawk as a very cost-effective option, even compared to what it previously demonstrated with the OPV Black Hawk.

“Our S-70 OPV aircraft has been flying for a number of years,” Cherepinsky said. “It’s optionally piloted. It’s [a] human-rated fly-by-wire system. It’s our autonomy system. It comes at a certain price point.”

He pointed out that many of the systems of the OPV demonstrator utilized available components sourced from existing suppliers rather than ones designed with that aircraft specifically in mind. This included the hardware used to run the MATRIX system, which he described as being more than what Sikorsky necessarily wanted or needed for that application. As he mentioned, the systems also had to meet standards for an aircraft designed to carry humans, which is not something U-Hawk has to take into account at present.

“On the U-Hawk, we actually did a lot more vertical integration,” according to Cherepinsky. “We designed our own vehicle management computers, our actuation, and the price point of the entire system, not just the aircraft, is much, much lower. As an example, our vehicle management computers are 10s of 1000s of dollars, not hundreds, as they are on a human-rated aircraft.”

The current cost proposition for the U-Hawks also includes savings from reusing existing UH-60L airframes. The U.S. Army has been steadily retiring these versions and selling them off as it acquires newer, more capable M variants. The Army had been working to bring some 760 L models up to an improved standard called the UH-60V, but axed plans for further conversions last year as part of a larger shakeup in the service’s aviation priorities. As such, hundreds more UH-60Ls are expected to become available in the coming years. Other older H-60s that could be turned into uncrewed versions might become available as other operators around the world begin upgrading their fleets, as well.

“We certainly can [build all-new U-Hawks]. It all depends on the economics and price point,” Cherepinsky said.

It is worth noting that the U.S. Army is currently envisioning future air assaults, especially in the context of a potential future high-end fight with China in the Pacific, stretching over distances beyond what the U-Hawk could cover. The ongoing war in Ukraine also continues to offer particularly good examples of how growing threat ecosystems are increasingly imposing significant operational limitations on the use of crewed helicopters. The pursuit of launched effects within the Army and elsewhere across the U.S. military directly reflects increasingly more capable and long-range adversary anti-air capabilities. The Army also notably canceled plans to acquire a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), which was set to be a crewed helicopter of some kind, last year, citing threat concerns and plans to focus more on uncrewed platforms.

“So, I’ll tell you up front, I can’t be specific on the things we’re doing to address survivability. And survivability has been an issue for aviation, for vertical aviation, for a long time,” Benton said during the previous press call in response to a direct question from this author about what might be in the works to help uncrewed and crewed Black Hawks address growing threats going forward. “We are leveraging the entire power of Lockheed Martin … what is [sic] the technologies that Lockheed Martin has and can bring to bear to provide survivability on those aircraft. Those are the things we’re continuing to look at.”

At the same time, crewed helicopters are not going away, and tradeoffs will have to be made. For many missions, the U-Hawk removes the biggest risk factor in terms of combat losses, a human crew, while also offering a significant boost in some capabilities. The uncrewed Black Hawk also proposes a way to do all of that at a lower cost that also leverages extremely well-established logistics and sustainment chains. This is particularly significant for the U.S. Army, which expects to continue flying H-60s on some level through at least 2070.

U-Hawks could also take over certain missions in lower-threat environments from crewed platforms, presenting the potential for additional operational flexibility and cost benefits. Being able to autonomously move even a few hundred pounds of critical cargo, such as spare parts, between far flung and remote locations separated by many hundreds of miles, without the need for a fully qualified aircrew, could be a boon even in lower threat areas. The fact that it can move much larger loads internally, without the range penalties of sling loading, is an even bigger sell. All this could be done without adding a new type to the Army’s shrinking helicopter fleet and leveraging the H-60/S-70’s global supply chain is also a very attractive factor, as well. Those same attributes underscore the sales potential of the uncrewed Black Hawk to non-military operators, too.

“We’re really excited. And honestly, some of us are thinking, gosh, why didn’t we think about this five years ago?” Parcella said on the press call earlier this month.

Update:

We got a walk-around tour of the U-Hawk on the floor of the Army Association’s symposium, check it out here.

Contact the author: [email protected]

AN EMOTIONAL JoJo Siwa was seen breaking down in tears live on stage after paying tribute to her boyfriend Chris Hughes.

The Celebrity Big Brother star, 22, has been on the road hitting venues across Britain, with her last show last night.

At her last gig of the tour, JoJo appeared to become overwhelmed.

The Dance Moms star broke down in tears as she took to the stage for the final show of her Infinity Heart Tour.

In a video shared by a fan on TikTok, JoJo was seen welling up during her performance of Back To That Girl.

She then told the audience at the Klub Proxima in Warsaw, that she doesn’t usually get “so emotional”.

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Continuing, JoJo said: “It’s been a while since I’ve done what I love which is being on stage being in front of you.

“And, most of you won’t really care, but today’s the last day of this tour.

“You don’t have to pretend you care, you came here because I’m in your city, you didn’t come here because it’s the last one.

“We’re all sobbing right now. But, it just, just to anybody who A, is in this building, B, came to any of these shows, or C, whether it be a good comment or a bad comment, left a comment, hit a like, watched a video, anyone who supported anything just a big massive thank you.”

An emotional JoJo then added: “I finally had myself pulled together and then I saw all these hearts in here.

“That caught me off guard that was good!’

The star’s emotional moment on stage followed a heartfelt Instagram post where JoJo paid a tribute to everyone on her tour who had supported her, which included Chris who has been cheering her on at the side of the stage.

She wrote: “I’ll definitely have a lot more to say once I’ve gathered some thoughts, but tonight is the final show on the Infinity Heart Tour and I am incredibly emotional.

“The amount of work that has gone into creating the show from choreographing it myself to all the creative direction to actually executing it on stage, the show represents who I want to be as a person and the artist that I wanna be in this lifetime, and it’s translated so well to the crowd and hearing your reviews that have been so positive, it just makes me flood with happiness and gratitude.

“Thank you so much for all the love on this tour, to everyone who showed up to the concerts, and to everyone who supported from the distance online.

“Means so very much.”

Chris then thrilled fans when he wrote in the comments: “Smashed it my love.”

The pair met on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year and have been smitten ever since.

JoJo recently insisted she is not straight amid her romance with Chris and questions surrounding her sexuality.

The YouTuber has refused to put a label on her identity after falling for the former Love Island star inside the CBB house.

Prior to entering the house, JoJo was loved up with non-binary influencer Kath Ebbs but ended their romance to pursue things with Chris.

Now, she has given a candid insight into the negative reactions and “extreme amount of hate” for being currently “in a hetero relationship”.

The dancer and singer opened up in a radio interview on Sirius XM’s Smith Sisters Live.

JoJo said: “From the very, very, very beginning of our relationship. He said, ‘So you can be anything you want. I just love you. I don’t want you to change. I just love you.’

“And I don’t know, I think we got to see on episode two of Big Brother, he was the only person in fact that stood up for me right away.

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“That shows who he is as a straight white male that shows the kind of person he is to stand up for the young 22-year-old queer person in the house.”

JoJo appeared to be referring to when Chris defended her amid a homophobic remark from actor Mickey Rourke inside the house.

A MARRIED At First Sight star warned fans “a smile hides a lot” as she broke down in tears in an emotional Instagram upload.

The E4 show contestant admitted “I have my struggles” and told how she “feels like a failure” amid a tricky patch in her personal life.

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Ella Morgan‘s raw confession came after the Celebs Go Dating alum posted a series of cryptic messages to her Stories, including one which read: “Remember who checks on you when you get a little quiet.

“Those are your people.”

Now Ella, who saw sparks fly with JJ Slater on MAFS as the show’s first transgender contestant back in 2023, has pleaded for fans to “be kind”

The 31-year-old bravely posted an image which showed her in tears in her car.

In a far cry from her ordinarily glam look, Ella was seen donning a pink sports top and going make-up free, brushing her hair into an up-do.

In a lengthy text post uploaded underneath the sad snap she wrote: “Sometimes a smile hides a lot.

“I can be the loudest most outgoing person in the room but inside it’s a very different story.

“Maybe I’ll regret posting this story because I care what others think.

“But I never talk or post about my feelings or when I’m not in a good place.

“But I felt like I needed to post this.

“Maybe it’ll help me or make me feel better or maybe it’ll help somebody else who is struggling right now.

“The reality is, everyone is going through something.”

She continued: “I have my struggles and a lot of you have noticed me going quieter on socials and I have reasons why.

“And social media a lot of the time gives off the impression that life is amazing but the truth is, it isn’t always.”

Ella then told how “constant trolling” and negativity around the trans community, as well as feeling run down and unwell, had also taken its toll.

She also confessed the “pressure of being a role model” felt like a “huge weight.”

In a heartbreaking conclusion Ella put: “Sometimes I feel like a failure and being sent horrible DMs doesn’t help when I’m having a bad day already.

“I took this picture this morning so I can look back when I’m in a better place and remind me how far I’ve come. Not for attention.

“Sometimes the feelings of failure and loneliness and negativity get the better of you and override the positive feelings.

“But I know tomorrow is a new day and hopefully it’ll be an easier one.

“Thank you for you continued support. Please be kind to one another.”

Ella then posted a snapshot of her dog, who she hailed her “best friend.”

Her poignant post came just weeks after the Bristol lass slammed a well-known celeb who called her a transphobic slur behind her back.

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BIG Brother star George has broken his silence after being kicked out of the house for a ‘horrifying’ comment. 

The housemate was axed by ITV bosses today after ‘unacceptable language and behaviour’. 

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Now, since leaving the house, George has said: “As a flag bearer of freedom of speech I never hesitate to discuss and question any topic regardless of how contentious it may be.

“Sadly, the boundaries of what is deemed offensive are subjective and I evidently went too far this time by crossing their line one too many times.”

He added: “It is a shame that specific debate could not be had and that it has had to end like this. Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.”

Sources tell The Sun that George left his co-stars horrified after making offensive comments which could be interpreted as antisemitic and was immediately called to the Diary Room and ejected from the house. 

“Everyone was absolutely disgusted,” an insider says. “Nobody could believe what he said – he was clearly out to shock people.”

It’s understood that ITV will air scenes featuring George on tonight’s show but won’t air the comments that led to him being kicked off the show. 

Channel 4 viewers were left emotional on Sunday night as Educating Yorkshire headteacher Mr Burton broke down in tears

Educating Yorkshire viewers were left in tears on Sunday evening after witnessing headmaster Mr Burton break down following a harrowing incident.

The devastating scenes played out after a pupil made threats against Mr Burton’s family and vowed to “burn down the school”.

Mr. Burton was subsequently told to return to his office, while the youngster was removed from the premises.

“You never know what kind of day you’re gonna have when you arrive,” the headmaster reflected. “You have your good days and you have your bad.

“Certainly, early in teaching, you go through those weeks or half terms when you think, ‘Oh, my goodness me, is there something easier you can do?”” reports Leeds Live.

He continued, “The minute that you think the job is easy, or you’ve got a really easy day in front of you, something will happen to change that.”

The programme then showed another teacher speaking to the youngster as he led him away from the school grounds, saying, “I can see you’re angry, mate, all right. I just want you to sit, that’s all I’m asking.”

A fellow staff member then informed Mr Burton he must head back to his office because of the menacing words directed at him. They said, “Threats to you, threats to your house, threats to burn the school down.”

Speaking to cameras, Mr Burton said, “The hardest things to deal with are when you feel as if you can’t be the advocate for the child that you want to be, and that’s heartbreaking.”

The headteacher was visibly emotional as he confided in a colleague, “C*** that, isn’t it? You just think of the kids.

“I know he’s going through a lot. his grief… but I have got three little’uns at home. You deal with it, don’t you? But threats to burn my house down.”

Fans took to social media to share their reactions, with one saying, “Nobody should be reduced to tears at work (coming from someone who cries at work most days.”

Another commented, “Comes to something when the headmaster starts crying.”

Viewers were also moved when Year 7 student Ismaeel won Year Rep..

“I’ve never been happier or more invested in someone I’ve never met before,” one viewer gushed.

“The next stop for Ismaael is No. 10,” another tweeted, while a third added with a crying face emoji, “Yes, Ismaeel.”

Another fan shared, “Him getting his fellow candidates an applause. So many people could learn a thing or two about kindness from this kid.

“In flipping tears here. That little boy is an inspiration. Bless him,” one fan enthused.

Educating Yorkshire is available to watch on All4.

Athens

Craggy coves and sandy bays make up the resplendent mix that is the Athens Riviera. So it was that at the end of an autumn day I found myself with a not unpleasant question: where to head to soothe bones still aching for a last splash of summer sun. For Athens offers something that other European cities cannot: a coastline of more than 40 miles dotted with beaches many a Greek island would covet.

Out of season, the shores of Attica still have a magnetic allure, as I discovered when swimming into a fading sun across the bay of Vouliagmeni. For those seeking rejuvenation in marine blue waters primed to turn orange pink as the sun sets, bathing off one of the Riviera’s public or private beaches does not disappoint.

With sea salt still clinging to my skin, I sat at Sardelaki, a tavern whose Mediterranean fare is as good as the spectacular view of the bay it sits on. In a nod to times past, the meze is served on large wooden trays.

Athens is as celebrated for its hills as its coastline: natural elevations within view of the Acropolis that make it a treasure trove for amblers when temperatures are cooler. For those who want to escape a metropolis that sprawls across almost 200 square miles, these rocky outcrops – bearers of fabulous names such as the Hill of the Nymphs and the Hill of the Muses – are a must.

In my view, this ancient capital is also Europe’s most soulful and sublime. If you reach the top of Mount Lycabettus, the city’s highest point, either by foot or on the funicular rail car, the reward is a spectacular vista of the entire Argo-Saronic Gulf and the islands beyond.

If you want to stay centrally, the ancient Plaka district remains the best base. The old-school Adrian hotel has doubles looking on to the northern face of the Acropolis from about £120 B&B. In the same area, Zorbas is a favourite restaurant with locals and serves the most succulent lamb chops. With views of the Acropolis, Athens’ rooftop restaurants are wonderfully atmospheric and perfect for warm autumn evenings – for a real treat head to Kuzina or the Michelin‑starred Macris.
Helena Smith

Palermo

Think Neapolitan margherita is the last word in pizza? Think again. In Palermo they prefer sfincione, a soft, well-risen rectangle of dough topped with intense, onion-heavy tomato sauce and sprinkled with caciocavallo cheese and oregano. Savoury, filling and comforting, it’s sold in bakeries, kiosks and carts all over the city (Via Maqueda in the historic centre usually has several vendors).

We try it at a kiosk on Piazza della Kalsa, near where we’re staying. Panineria Chiluzzo often has long queues, but they move quickly as young staff dish out slices of sfincione, as well as arancini and panelle (chickpea fritters). There are a few tables under the trees outside, but we eat as we walk into town along narrow Via Alloro. This is a pleasant stroll in October but wouldn’t always be. As heatwaves rolled over Europe this year, temperatures in Palermo topped 40C in the shade. At the end of July one sunbaked corner hit a record 70C at ground level.

Now, as temperatures creep to 24C by mid-afternoon, we can wander the city and savour how its long history is written in its streets. Passing baroque and art nouveau palaces, and Casa Stagnitta, the city’s oldest coffee roastery, we take in the Arab-Norman domes of the 12th-century church of San Cataldo; Piazza Pretoria, with its 16th-century fountain, installed under Spanish rule; and the impressive cathedral, built on the location of a ninth-century mosque.

On the way back we detour to Vucciria market, the origins of which also stretch back over 1,000 years. Some decry its touristification, but it is still noisy and brilliantly theatrical. Feeling brave, we stop for a traditional pani câ meusa (spleen roll), which is surprisingly OK, with its slightly sweet “meat” set off by grated cheese. The stallholder is particularly proud of his grilled goat’s intestines but, I’m sorry, no amount of salt and lemon can make those a treat for me.

We’re glad to head back to quieter La Kalsa, the former Arab quarter to the east, which was bombed in the second world war and languished for decades before being revitalised this century. Maison Butera (sea-view doubles from €161 B&B) is a four-room B&B with lots to see nearby. Up the street is Palazzo Butera, a 17th-century baroque pile restored and reopened in 2021 to house the Valsecchi art collection, which includes works by Gilbert & George and Andy Warhol.

Next day we walk 10 minutes to Palermo’s Botanical Garden, with its record-breaking multi-trunk fig tree. Birds are singing their hearts out as the sun pours down. Soon we’ll be in London, the clocks will go back and winter will start. We relish a last week in the light.
Liz Boulter

Vienna

While lamenting the end of summer and hanging out at beach bars and bathing spots on the tributaries of the Danube, I’m now chasing a new hue. Vienna is a city of parks and manicured gardens, meadow sweeps and woodland belts, which swap their emerald halo for a rusty amber and ochre glow the Austrians call Goldener Herbst (golden autumn).

I leave behind the grandiose architecture and cobblestones of the historic centre. South-west of it, Schloss Schönbrunn Park splays from the grand Habsburg summer residence, where the gilt isn’t reserved for the interior, and makes its way into corridors of towering bronzed hedgerows and arched tree terraces that lead to the butter-yellow palace.

To the east, in the city’s Prater Park, I stroll beneath the chestnut trees of the Hauptallee, an avenue that’s almost three miles long and centuries-old. On the edge of the park, the retro-styled Superbude Prater hotel (doubles from €78 B&B) is a perfectly placed retreat.

In a city with hundreds of urban farms (thanks to a long-standing commitment to promoting green spaces and fostering community spirit), autumn brings a feast of fresh produce on menus. Pumpkin cream soup is the seasonal staple – best devoured in a wood-panelled Beisl (Viennese gastropub) such as the art-splashed Am Nordpol 3 – and followed with a Wiener Schnitzel.

Unbeknown to many, Vienna is the only European capital to grow wine within its city limits, with 700 hectares (1,723 acres) of vineyards. There are 14 designated city hiking trails, known as Stadtwanderwege. Track 1 leads you through the vintner lands of Nussdorf. Settle in a hillside Heuriger (wine tavern) such as Wieninger am Nussberg, sipping a citrussy grüner veltliner with a Brettljause (a platter of cold cuts and cheese), while soaking up the sublime city vista.

The days are getting shorter, but now is the perfect time to wander among Vienna’s stately palaces, museums and historic abodes – a cultural crop in gilded gallery wings, mirroring nature’s showcase outside.
Becki Enright

Budapest

After the heat and crowds of high summer, autumn brings a less intense atmosphere to Budapest, and it’s the season I most love to visit the city. The sun mellows, green leaves drain to golden, and a cuisine that’s all about comfort food really comes into its own. Even the Hungarian word for autumn – őszi – has a cosy, laid-back sound to it.

That’s not to say it’s a place to hunker down. Few capitals are better suited to walking, and early autumn promises a Goldilocks sweet spot of temperatures, neither too hot nor too cold. It’s a joy to wander the cobbled streets of the Castle District without sidestepping tourists, to follow the Danube promenade without melting, and to meander among whisky-coloured trees on Margaret Island.

Many of the five-star hotels – such as the wonderfully styled Kimpton BEM and the Dorothea Hotel, with its oasis of a courtyard restaurant – offer affordable shoulder-season deals. But if you don’t need heaps of facilities, try Giselle Vintage Doubles (doubles from €87 room-only), an 18th-century royal mansion near Elizabeth Bridge brimming with yesteryear elegance that is surprisingly light on the wallet.

From here, Budapest is your oyster. I always head to the Central Market Hall, a soaring masterpiece of 19th-century industrial architecture with stalls selling Hungarian products such as rich, sweet tokaji wine and lace tablecloths. The must-visit House of Music Hungary in City Park (itself lovely for an autumn stroll) leads visitors on an absorbing journey through the country’s musical heritage. And nearby Széchenyi baths is a favourite for a soak afterwards: the outdoor pools are particularly atmospheric as the air cools and steam curls from the thermal water.

There are autumn festivals and events aplenty too. Liszt Fest (9–22 Oct) at the Müpa concert hall celebrates not only works by the Hungarian composer but contemporary music and dance.

Budapest Design Week (8–19 Oct) showcases movers and shakers in jewellery, clothing and art. For something more active, time your visit for the Budapest Marathon weekend (11–12 Oct) or go skating in the shadow of the fairytale Vajdahunyad Castle at the outdoor City Park Ice Rink (opens from mid-November).

But a key draw for me is the delicious comfort food that’s abundant at this time of year: goulash stews, savoury pancakes and paprika sauces aplenty. Café Kör, in an old building with vaulted ceilings, and the retro Menza are longstanding restaurants that serve Hungarian classics. Just leave space for some dobos torte at Gerbeaud, because nothing says autumn like a caramel-topped wedge of sponge cake filled with chocolate buttercream.
Monika Phillips

Zurich

People get the wrong idea about Zurich, and I blame Harold Wilson. In the 1960s, the UK prime minister tried to blame the “gnomes of Zurich” for the pathetic performance of the British pound, and more than 60 years on, some misguided Britons still think of Switzerland’s biggest city as a boring financial destination. They couldn’t be more wrong. Banking is still a major industry, but the city’s tidy, tree-lined streets are full of people having fun.

I’ve been to Zurich more times than I can count, and like it more with each visit. For first timers, the big surprise is the vast and lovely Zürichsee (Lake Zurich), two miles wide, 25 miles long and crisscrossed all day by antique ferries. Wherever you are around town, you’re never far from water.

Another nice surprise is the abundance of fine art. Zurich’s palatial Kunsthaus is one of Europe’s great art galleries (check out the sleek new extension by British starchitect David Chipperfield), but there are also loads of smaller commercial galleries, especially in Zurich West, a former industrial quarter that’s become the city’s new creative hub.

Stay at 25 Hours Zurich West (from 230 Swiss francs/£214 room-only), a funky bolthole in the beating heart of this rejuvenated district or the new cool Mama Shelter (from £175 room-only), which opened in the lively Oerlikon area this summer with a garden terrace overlooking the city and a stylish bar and restaurant.

Zurich has always been a magnet for creatives and eccentrics. James Joyce wrote much of Ulysses here (his grave is in Zurich’s Fluntern cemetery) and his favourite haunt, the chic Café Odeon, is still going strong. The place that sums up Zurich’s rebellious streak is Cabaret Voltaire, the anarchic nightclub where dadaism, the multifaceted modern art movement, was born. The building is still a gallery and performance space, as well as a museum.

When the trees turn golden brown, this compact metropolis looks especially pretty. The best views are from the summit of Uetliberg, on the leafy edge of town. The Uetlibergbahn, Zurich’s mountain railway (which reopens on 5 October after a major refurbishment) takes you within a short walk of the summit.

The Zurich film festival is the one of the autumn highlights, but the most atmospheric spectacle is on the water. From 30 Oct-13 Nov, Zurich’s fleet of pleasure boats hosts the 70th Expovina Weinschiffe, the city’s annual wine fair. Anyone can buy a ticket (from £28) to go onboard and sample a huge range of wines from dozens of different countries (Switzerland’s crisp light whites are seriously underrated). If you’d rather drink beer, head to Bierwerk Züri, a fashionable modern brewery with a youthful clientele.

New restaurants are opening all the time, but my go-tos have both been around for ages and never seem to change. For traditional Swiss cuisine, you can’t beat Alpenrose, a homely historic hideaway a short tram ride from the city centre. For veggie cuisine, Haus Hiltl is a must. The decor is fairly modern and the menu is contemporary, but it was actually founded back in 1898, making it (by some accounts) the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world.
William Cook

Lyon

Traboules, Lyon’s secret passages, pass through houses and courtyards, joining one street to another, transporting curious walkers from the Renaissance to the modern via a stone staircase and gothic arcade. They crisscross Vieux Lyon and the Croix-Rousse hillside where, in autumn, you might enter a traboule in the rain and come out beside the street market on the main boulevard in bright sunshine.

At the morning market in La Croix-Rousse, where the city’s silk factories used to be, a noisy line of food stalls offer roast chickens, clanking bags of walnuts and piles of oversized pumpkins, a contrast to the artistic displays of conserves and truffles at Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse food hall in the east of the city. It’s almost truffle season but Lyon, the “gastronomic capital of the world”, has year-round delights including Saint-Marcellin cheese, rosette sausage and praline tart.

With their rich flavours and hearty portions, traditional dishes suit the colder months. If I need warming up, I go to Le Garet near the opera house, one of Lyon’s typical bouchon restaurants serving pig’s trotters, tripe and quenelle de brochet (pike dumpling). If I wake up hungry, Le Café du Peintre serves a mâchon (a selection of cooked pork with a jug of beaujolais) from 8.30am. For something more refined, Burgundy by Matthieu has one of the best wine cellars in France. It is on the banks of the Saône, near the new Navigône ferry stop.

On Wednesdays, weekends and public holidays, the riverbus continues to the spectacular Musée des Confluences, where the Saône meets the Rhône. Its programme this autumn includes exhibitions on the people of the Amazon, amazing animals and zombies.

This year marks the 130th anniversary of Auguste and Louis Lumière’s first film, Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory, which they created while living at the family’s art nouveau villa in Lyon’s Monplaisir district. It’s now part of the Institut Lumière, which houses cinemas as well as the museum, and is the hub of the annual Festival Lumière. Films and cinematic events take place from 11-19 Oct, with almost 450 showings across the city, including two remastered 1920s silent movies by Victor Sjöström – Le Vent (The Wind) and La Charrette Fantôme (The Phantom Carriage) – accompanied by the National Orchestra of Lyon.

Just before the start of winter, Lyon’s Fête des Lumières (lights not the brothers) runs from 5-8 Dec. The city’s heritage buildings are illuminated, and light installations are set up in the squares and on the riverbank. I watch from Place Bellecour and then wander down to the water where locals place lanterns in their windows to celebrate solidarity and brace themselves for the cold.

I stay at the Fourvière Hôtel (doubles from €139 room-only), a former convent near the city’s Roman ruins, which has a heated indoor pool, restaurant and great views over the city.
Jon Bryant

Accommodation prices correct at time of going to press. These are the lowest available rates for October

Chris Robshaw was a novice to dancing when he joined the Strictly Come Dancing line-up, but his partner Nadiya thinks he has what it takes to overcome the disadvantage

Former Rugby Union player, Chris Robshaw, 39, stepped out of his comfort zone when he signed up to BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, having never danced in his life – except at his wedding.

This year, many have criticised the unfair advantage in dancing experience, with stars such as Amber Davies, 28, and Lewis Cope, 30, having performed in the West End.

However, Chris’ professional partner, Nadiya Bychkova, 36, thinks he has everything it takes to overcome the disadvantage. “Chris is taking all the information on board. He just needs a few more weeks to kind of get to the point, and then I think he’ll be really ready to perform the way I think he can to his full abilities,” she says.

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“It’s the experience of knowing how to do that, which is completely new and which you can’t get overnight, but I think this is what the show is about, for people who never danced before.

“We often don’t get to see it because like people who don’t have this experience would sometimes leave the show earlier, which is really sad because there is often so much talent in there, and it’s always so nice for the audience to see it.”

After the first live show last Saturday, Chris’ wife Camilla took to social media to address the ‘wild’ difference in the contestants’ dancing abilities.

“Proud forever. Up against people with years of experience when you’ve never even done a 2 step, opening the whole season and starting with one of the hardest dances going,” she penned.

Later, she responded to a comment from Love Island star Amber Gill, 28, who penned: “Unpopular opinion: I think having people with so much dance experience is unfair.”

Speaking on his wife’s comment, Chris said: “I love my wife and she’s my biggest supporter. She wants us to do well in the competition, and that’s kind of it really.”

On what he thinks of the range of dancing abilities, Chris added: “It is what it is, isn’t it? In SAS you could say I was fitter than some of the other people, and then that’s kind of it.”

Chris was forced to pull out of Celebrity SAS with a shoulder injury – but luckily has avoided any injuries during his time on Strictly.

This series was thrown into chaos when two contestants were forced to pull out before the first live show even started.

Just days after the line-up was announced, Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn revealed he would be stepping back from the series due to unexpected medical reasons, which he said were a “high level of stress and a little bit of grief” that manifested physically.

Soon after, it was revealed that he’d be replaced by Emmerdale star Lewis Cope, who played the character Michael in the West End production of Billy Elliot: The Musical.

Then, just days before the live shows were about to start, Love Island’s Dani Dyer revealed she’d been forced to pull out due to a fractured ankle.

She was replaced with former Love Islander and West End star Amber Davies, who, with just days to practiced received an impressive 27/40 in her debut dance.

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Sibiu, Romania’s medieval treasure

Sibiu, the former capital of Transylvania, proved a wonderful place to visit. The city’s old town is on a hill, with every other building in the three main squares and the sidestreets seemingly a historic monument, dominated by the medieval Lutheran cathedral of Saint Mary. The characteristic design of attic windows makes it clear why Sibiu is called “the town of a thousand eyes”, and the Teutsch Haus provides a brilliant history of the region and the Transylvanian Saxons. The old town is crammed full of restaurants and cafes, and down by the river there is a local market with giant aubergines, tomatoes and peppers. For an evening glass, Wine Not has a vast selection of Romanian (and Moldovan) wines, and a black cat to talk to.
Barbara Forbes

Wrocław, Poland’s buzzy student city

Wrocław has the perfect mix of quirkiness and beauty to make for a cracking affordable city break. The hefty student population gives the city a real buzz, from the boat and beach bars along the River Oder (try Forma Płynna beach bar), to the delicious Georgian bakeries (stop at Piekarnia Gruzińska PURI – on Facebook – for pastries on the way to checking out the painted backyards of the Nadodrze neighbourhood). While tourists concentrate around the huge central square, exploring the edge of the old town reaps rewards, like Pub Drukarnia (delicious Litovel Czech beer) or Stacja Breslau bistro under the rail arches on Wojciecha Bogusławskiego street.
Matt Lunt

Helsinki’s world-class architecture

Our knowledge of Helsinki stemmed mainly from the films of director Aki Kaurismäki (Drifting Clouds, The Man Without a Past etc), so discovering it’s not all dockyards and cold war-era bars came as a welcome surprise. Instead, Helsinki features green spaces, coastal views, accessible islands and world-class architecture. It’s the latter we came for: from a church built into rock to state-of-the-art community space Oodi library; from the mid-century Didrichsen museum to architect Alvar Aalto’s organic modernism. But don’t forget to eat – whether it’s brunch at Levain, Michelin-starred invention at Grön or simply an exceptional korvapuusti (cinnamon roll to you and me).
David M

Marseille is fun for all the family

Marseille fitted the diverse requirements for our family city break. Warm weather, beaches, extraordinary street art, sea kayaking and amazing walking in the Calanques satisfied teenagers and parents alike. My favourites were the Mucem (Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée), the winding streets of Le Panier and the sense of the place being a melting pot of cultures. We found the locals to be friendly as they encouraged our attempts to speak French, and there\s a good transport system of trams, metro and buses. We got there easily on Eurostar and TGV train and stayed at the Aparthotel Adagio.
Evie

Berlin’s hidden design gems

Although I’ve been travelling to Berlin for nearly 20 years, I’m still making new discoveries. The headlines, like the Brandenburg Gate and the glass dome on the Reichstag, are definitely worth seeing, but there are also hidden treasures, such as the futuristic Ludwig Erhard Haus, designed by Nicolas Grimshaw, whose steel-clad exterior is just the aperitif for some jaw-dropping architecture inside. Or the ruins of St Michael’s church, which was separated from its parishioners by the Berlin Wall. And try to bag a place on the tour of the ESMT business school that once housed East Germany’s elite. The socialist stained glass and GDR coat of arms mosaic are real showstoppers.
James Carson

A dumpling and a beer in Vilnius, Lithuania

We’ve just spent three nights in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius whose old town is easily walkable with plenty of churches, museums and other sights. We indulged in local specialities like kvass, a drink made from fermented rye bread, and cepelinai, which are potato dumplings shaped like airships and filled with minced pork. A half litre of beer (about €5) was ideal with moreish kepta duona, fingers of deep-fried black bread served with a garlic dip. A walk up hundreds of steps to the Three Crosses for views over the city burned excess calories. We stayed at Domus Maria, a former monastery, near the Gate of Dawn.
Helen Jackson

Why Maastricht is a must

A three-hour drive from Calais, or two-hour train journey from Brussels changing at Liège-Guillemins, is the Dutch city of Maastricht. Compact, largely flat (handy for an arthritic retiree) and utterly delightful. As a university town, we enjoyed the friendly, lively vibe but this did not distract from its charm and its history. The cloth market on Wednesdays and the bric-a-brac market at the weekend in the main square are amazing (we bought a milk churn!), the frites at the surrounding cafes were great and the beer was varied and delicious. Boekhandel Dominicanen (a bookshop in a converted middle-ages abbey) was certainly a highlight.
Bruce Horton

Beer spa in Olomouc, Czech Republic

Olomouc in the Czech Republic is an utter delight. Gleaming spires and domes, two old town squares, enchanting cobbled lanes, trams and its own astronomical clock. It also has a Unesco-recognised holy trinity column, which was built to mark the end of a plague in the early 18th century. A two-hour train ride from Prague, Olomouc is markedly less touristy than the Czech capital. Two great places to enjoy a beer were Saint Venceslav’s brewery, where there is a beer spa with a sauna scented with hops; and Twinburg, next to the Moravian cycle path, which serves delicious craft ales. This is a city I felt had been put on Earth specially for me.
Jack Anderton

Polar nights in Tromsø, Norway’s ‘Arctic capital’

As a Scot who once sought drawn-out summer nights, I now lean into the opposite with fervour. Winter in Tromsø, Norway – the “Arctic capital” – is for travellers who embrace the long, dark nights and are keen to meddle with their circadian rhythms. The polar night, when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon, starts at the end of November and finishes in mid-January. Experience this unworldly extended twilight – the blue hour – from about 9am to 2pm. The Fjellheisen cable car and silent whale-watching with Brim Explorer are two recommended activities.
Aimee Lawrence

Winning tip: blessed are the cheese markets in Alkmaar, the Netherlands

I recently visited Alkmaar, 35 minutes north of Amsterdam by train, which has waterways, picturesque pedestrian-friendly cobbled streets, chiming churches, excellent food (De Heeren Van Sonoy, Stadskaffee Laurens and Patisserie Elhorst include gluten-free options), and markets (don’t miss the cheese market for a true Dutch spectacle). We hired bicycles from Pesie for an easy trip on well-marked paths through beautiful pine forest and the Schoorlse Duinen (Dunes) nature reserve before heading back to town via a well-deserved ice-cream on the beach at Bergen aan Zee.
Nicola

Reality TV queen Kim Kardashian has emotionally revealed that someone close to her allegedly put a ‘hit’ on her life in a shocking trailer for the new Kardashian series

Kim Kardashian has claimed someone close to her put a “hit” on her life in a dramatic admission. The reality TV star, 44, was seen crying as she shared the situation for the first time.

She revealed she learned of the alleged plot through her investigators as the scenes are expected to play out on her family’s reality show. The Kardashian clan have let cameras into their lives once again, but this time things have appeared to take a harrowing turn.

In a trailer for the upcoming series, Kim was left in tears as she opened up on someone wanting her dead. “I got a call from investigators,” she said.

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“Someone extremely close to me put a hit out on my life.” Short clips of Kim pacing a room and then being left in tears were show as she made the shocking revelation.

Her younger sister Kendall Jenner appeared as she said: “Everybody’s kind of on edge.” The trailer cut to Kylie Jenner, who was sat speaking to her mum Kris, as she recounted: “I heard footsteps walking into my room.”

It ended with a shot of Kim speaking directly to the camera as she admitted: “I am happy it’s over.” The series is set to feature Kim’s Paris jewel robbery trial as well as brother Rob, who has taken a step away from the spotlight in recent years.

Caitlyn Jenner is also poised to make an appearance as the 75-year-old is seen in the explosive trailer. There are also big changes for the family as they bid farewell to their Hidden Hills mansion, where they filmed Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

They revisited the home for one last time as they prepared for an emotional goodbye. It also left many of the sisters spilling their confessions from life at the property.

The youngest sisters, Kendall and Kylie, admitted to sneaking boys into the home, while Khloe left her family stunned by confessing to having sex in many of the home’s rooms.

The Kardashians teases in their official synopsis: “The Kardashian-Jenners are back, and it feels like old times! Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie are diving head-first into the drama, the hustle, and the heart.

“They must revisit their past as they chase passions that push them further than ever before. Through unforgettable moments and deeply personal challenges, the family continues to evolve and redefine their legacy.”

The upcoming series has been branded a “whole different beast” as viewers are warned: “You better watch out.”

It marks the seventh season of The Kardashians and begins on streaming site Hulu on October 23, with new episodes are shown on Thursdays.

READ MORE: ‘I tested this £28 foundation – it’s a dream and made my face glow all day’

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I KNEW The Life Of A Showgirl was going to be a massive album.

But Taylor Swift has exceeded all expectations by scoring the fastest-selling album of the year — before it’s even been released.

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Music insiders tell me she has so many pre-orders for physical copies of her 12th album, which will finally come out tomorrow, that it is a dead cert for No1 next Friday.

And along with pre-save data from streaming services Spotify and Apple Music, it will instantly surpass Sam Fender’s record of the biggest single-week sales in 2025, which he set with 107,000 copies for February’s People Watching.

An industry source told me: “The reception from fans has been very impressive because the pre-orders for this album have been absolutely massive. She hasn’t even released a song from the album yet so it’s remarkable.

“No one can compete with her in terms of sales.”

Spotify has said The Life Of A Showgirl is the most pre-saved album in the streaming service’s history, with more than 5.5million saving it to instantly appear on their accounts tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, Apple Music has said it is her most pre-added album ever, and she is the most “favourited” artist on the service.

In 2022, Taylor shifted 204,500 UK copies of her album Midnights in its first week.

But last year, she blew those sales out of the water when The Tortured Poets Department achieved 270,000 chart units in its first week.

That made it the biggest seven days of sales for an album in the UK for seven years, since her pal Ed Sheeran sold an eye-watering 670,000 copies of Divide in 2017.

There are other records she is breaking, too.

She has become the first solo female artist in American history to have certified album sales in the US of more than 100million, as determined by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Their figures also show her album 1989 is now her biggest-selling album, as it has gone 14-times platinum.

I don’t envy the other artists who have albums out tomorrow. I doubt they’ll get a look in.

Hailey marks another rear

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HAILEY BIEBER put on a flirty display in this yellow negligee – as she missed her wedding anniversary for Paris Fashion Week.

The model posted a string of snaps on Instagram, alongside the caption “bisou”, which means “kiss” in French.

While her husband Justin remained at home in the US, she stayed in Paris on Tuesday, six years since their South Carolina wedding.

The event on in 2019 was attended by friends and family, but they had secretly tied the knot , on September 13 2018.

Perhaps they had already celebrated this year, or maybe the pics were his anniversary gift.

Zara’s stripped off for the main pose

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ZARA LARSSON is on track to score her fourth Top 20 album tomorrow with the release of brilliant new record Midnight Sun.

But the Swedish singer has also been hard at work on clothing and lifestyle brand Main Rose, which she unveiled with this revealing snap of her in a long-sleeved pink leotard.

The Swedish singer, who started the project a year ago, wrote on Instagram: “Building Main Rose is genuinely a lust for me to creatively expand myself.

“To elevate one’s first layer, literally and figuratively, feels like a fun and natural first chapter for me to explore. Afterall, my dream outfit is really just a pair of panties.”

Amal’s looking lawsome

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AMAL CLOONEY stole her husband George’s thunder at his latest movie premiere.

She looked sensational in this designer minidress at the New York launch of comedy drama Jay Kelly.

It remains to be seen whether their twins Alexander and Ella will follow his career path, become a human rights lawyer like Amal, or do something else.

Asked if they had inherited the acting bug, he told E! News: “I don’t know, it’s so hard to tell at eight.

“They’re very funny kids, and they love to get up and sing. But you know, I hope they do exactly what they want to do in life, and that’s all you can hope for.”

On whether they know he’s a big star, George added: “They have some idea. My kid came up to me the other day and said, ‘Papa what’s “famous?” Somebody in my class said you’re famous’. I said, ‘Tell that kid I’m very famous’.”

“They saw Fantastic Mr. Fox. I won’t let them see Batman & Robin, I want them to have respect for me.”

The Becks Factor reaches £73m

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GOLDENBALLS has done it again – enjoying another year of record-breaking profits.

David Beckham’s company racked up revenue of £73.4million, as he goes from “face to founder” with more behind-the-scenes deals than ever.

The latest figures for DRJB Holdings, the umbrella company for his business ventures, show consolidated profits up 24 per cent to £35.1million.

A source said: “David is still an incredibly sought-after face for campaigns, but he has matured into an incredibly impressive and canny businessman, too.

“He really enjoys the boardroom machinations and while he looks as incredible as ever, probably won’t want to be on billboards in his pants for ever.

“Six years after setting up his own brand management operation, he is more hands-on than ever. Right now he’s at a really exciting next stage of evolution, and loves getting involved with new projects.”

This is partly thanks to successful deals with Boss menswear, and a license agreement with Safilo eyewear.

David also branched out into the wellness industry for the first time, with his IM8 supplements.

Other strategic partnerships include deals with speaker makers Bowers & Wilkins, Stella Artois beer and tech firm Shark Ninja.

Meanwhile, the former England captain’s profile has never been higher internationally following his four-part documentary from 2023.

News of his latest commercial success comes ahead of wife Victoria’s own Netflix docu-series, which comes out next week.

I can’t wait to see plenty more Becks on my box.

Stel-Hel Fashion week secret

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STELLA McCARTNEY went to extreme lengths to keep Helen Mirren’s role at Paris Fashion Week show a secret.

The designer secretly enlisted the actress to open her show with a recital of The Beatles classic Come Together.

Helen was driven around the block to give the illusion she had simply arrived to watch the event.

A source said: “It was a full-on military operation. No one knew Helen was taking part.”

Robbie reveals ‘I have Tourette’s’

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ROBBIE WILLIAMS says he has Tourette’s syndrome, but claims his tics are “intrusive” and not verbal.

The neurological condition causes sudden, repetitive and involuntary sounds or movements.

But Robbie, who was previously diagnosed with ADHD, suggested his is different.

He told the I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast: “I’ve just realised I have Tourette’s, but they don’t come out. They are intrusive thoughts. I was just walking down the road the other day, and I realised these intrusive thoughts are inside Tourette’s. It just doesn’t come out.

“Not only that, you would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work as (a distraction), but whatever it is, inside me cannot hear it. I cannot take it in.”

Robbie also said he recently took a test to see if he is autistic.

He added: “It turns out I’m not, but I’ve got autistic traits. And it’s around social stuff, it’s about interaction.”

Dua’s in Bruise control

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DUA LIPA has had a lucky escape after accidentally injuring her shoulder while on tour in America.

The New Rules singer was spotted with a deep bruise, leading fans to fear she could have seriously hurt herself.

But I’m told while the mark does look bad, Dua hasn’t been hugely harmed.

More importantly, while she is due to undergo physio to make sure of a full recovery, it also means her US tour can carry on without a hitch.

A source said: “The injury happened while Dua was enjoying some down time from her show.

“It’s been painful but after being checked over by a radiologist, she’s been given the all clear.

“The tour will still be going ahead as planned. It’s just one of those things.”

While it’s no secret Dua loves a holiday and has previously joked about her life being one big vacation, she is also one of the hardest working women in music.

I just hope she is looking after herself too.

It’s a Slim volume

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FATBOY SLIM is releasing his first book, with the brilliant title It Ain’t Over . . .  ’Til the Fatboy Sings.

It documents his 40 years in showbiz through photos, flyers and stories and is out on October 16.

But fans can also see him at the Theatre Royal in Brighton on October 14 for a Q&A about it.

The DJ, whose real name is Norman Cook, said: “This year I’ll have been in showbiz for 40 years, and to celebrate that we thought we’d create a big book full of stuff which I’ve kept over the years. I’m really excited to appear in one of my favourite venues for something a little different this time.

“It’ll be nice to get up close and personal with the audience in a beautiful setting and to share some of my stories.”

A Gaza-bound aid flotilla is currently sailing toward the enclave, entering a high-risk zone where previous missions have faced attacks and interceptions.

On Wednesday, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that the Israeli military is preparing to “take control” of the flotilla with naval commandos and warships. Israel wont tow all 50 vessels however and will sink some at sea, Kan said.

Israel intends to detain hundreds of activists on naval ships, question them then deport them via the port of Ashdod.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Spain on August 31, is the largest maritime mission to Gaza to date. It brings together more than 50 ships and delegations from at least 44 countries, as part of an international effort to challenge Israel’s naval blockade and deliver aid to Gaza.

The map below shows the latest location:

So, is Israel entitled to board ships that are in international waters? The answer is no, here’s how territorial and international waters work.

Which waters does a country control?

Coastal countries control the waters closest to their shores, called territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles (22km) from the coast. In this zone, the state has full sovereignty, just like over its land.

Beyond that, they have rights over up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) of ocean, including the water and seafloor. This area is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In the EEZ, countries can regulate activities such as fishing, mining, drilling, and other energy projects, while still allowing other countries freedom of navigation.

France has the largest EEZ, covering approximately 10.7 million square kilometres (4.2 million sq miles), thanks to its overseas territories. It is followed by the US, Australia, Russia, and the UK.

Where are international waters?

Covering about 64 percent of the ocean, the high seas lie beyond any country’s territorial waters and economic zones and are not controlled by a single state, with their use governed by international agreements.

What are the laws of the high seas?

The laws of the high seas are governed by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It stipulates that all states can enjoy freedom of movement of ships in the high seas and aircraft can fly freely.

It also allows the laying of subsea cables and pipelines, as well as fishing, scientific research and the construction of islands. All three of which are subject to international agreements and laws.

Ships that are on the high seas are subject to the jurisdiction of the flag they fly, except those conducting piracy and other unauthorised activities.

Israel has attacked previous flotillas in international waters

Several Freedom Flotilla vessels have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza since 2010. All were intercepted or attacked by Israel, mostly in international waters where it has no territorial rights.

The most deadly occurred on May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara in international waters. The commandos killed 10 activists, most of them Turkish, and injured dozens more, sparking global outrage and severely straining Israel-Turkiye relations.

The map below shows the approximate locations where prominent flotillas were stopped, some encountering deadly Israeli forces.

In 2024, amid ongoing flotilla missions delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, UN experts stated that: “The Freedom Flotilla has the right of free passage in international waters, and Israel must not interfere with its freedom of navigation, long recognised under international law.”

The Sumud Flotilla had been sailing through international waters and into Palestinian territorial waters, where it has the legal right to navigate and deliver humanitarian aid.

According to Stephen Cotton, the General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), representing more than 16.5 million transport workers globally, “The law of the sea is clear: attacking or seizing non-violent, humanitarian vessels in international waters is illegal and unacceptable.”

“Such actions endanger lives and undermine the basic principles that keep the seas safe for all. This is not only about seafarers, it’s about the safety of everyone at sea, whether on a commercial ship, a humanitarian vessel, or a fishing boat. States cannot pick and choose when to respect international law. The seas must not be turned into a theatre of war.”  Cotton told Al Jazeera.

According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the mission is not only lawful but also protected under a comprehensive set of international legal instruments. Including:

• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – Guarantees freedom of navigation on the high seas
• San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea – Prohibits blockades that cause starvation or disproportionate suffering and forbids the targeting of neutral humanitarian missions
• UN Security Council Resolutions 2720 and 2728 – These binding instruments demand unimpeded humanitarian access and the removal of all barriers to aid delivery
• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – Includes the prevention of acts deliberately endangering civilians
• Fourth Geneva Convention – Imposes an obligation to permit the free passage of humanitarian aid and prohibit interference with relief operations and the targeting of civilian infrastructure
• Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court – Criminalises the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and willful obstruction of humanitarian aid.

MARRIED At First Sight expert Paul C Brunson tonight slammed a bride over her awful behaviour towards her groom, as she broke down in tears.

Over the past week viewers have been left fuming after Sarah has openly slammed her husband Dean for not being her usual type – and last night’s dinner party was no different.

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Tonight the experts called Sarah out at the first Commitment Ceremony.

They were left disgusted at her behaviour during last night’s dinner party, as they thought she had acted disrespectfully towards Dean, after she complained to the other couples about her husband’s appearance.

It came after Sarah told everyone she spoke to that there was “no spark” or “attraction there” and doesn’t think there ever will be.

The girls confirmed that she had the “ick” while the boys persuaded her to give him a chance as he is a “lovely guy”.

But Sarah was having none of it.

This evening, viewers watched as Married At First Sight expert Paul pulled her up on her behaviour.

“What are you willing to change?,” he asked Sarah.

“Do you think that you were rude while talking about your partner at the dinner party?”

Not holding back Paul continued: “| get the challenge around physical attraction, but where you absolutely lost me is when you went around gossiping about your husband to other people and you were laughing at it.”

But Sarah didn’t take well to the criticism and she started to cry after she and Dean made the decision to “stay” in the experiment.

Sobbing she said: “It was really hard to hear what Paul had to say and I apologize, and yeah, I’m sorry, it’s not me, it’s not who I am.

“And maybe if I did have that spark, I wouldn’t have said anything like that because I wouldn’t have.

But there’s not the spark there, so that’s, that was the only reason why I said it.”

Fully crying now, Sarah continued: “I haven’t meant it maliciously at all. I don’t want to hurt anyone.

“I’m being true to myself, but then it’s coming across really badly.”

This is not the first time that Sarah has landed herself in hot water on the show due to the alleged ‘fat shaming’.

On her wedding day, she admitted that Dean wasn’t her dream man – as she branded him “over the top” and saying she “didn’t fancy him” or want to “rip his clothes off”.

Sarah confessed on their honeymoon that she has never dated anyone as “big” as Dean, which came as a huge blow.

In order to feel a “spark” with Dean, Sarah said he would have to “get some tattoos, lose some weight,” as droves of viewers slammed her cruel delivery.

Married at First Sight airs Sunday to Thursday at 9pm on E4.

BBC Breakfast presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay were left emotional on Tuesday’s show as they spoke to a grieving mum who is still fighting for answers after her son died

BBC Breakfast presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay shared some heartbreaking news on Tuesday’s programme following the tragic death of a young lad.

The hosts paused to honour Jools Roome, who died three years ago, whilst his mum, Ellen, continues her battle for answers surrounding her son’s death.

Kicking off the devastating segment, Jon explained: “Now, from today, social media sites and tech companies will have to preserve data relating to the online activity of a child who has died if requested to do so by a coroner.”

Sally added: “Yes, it’s the latest part of the Online Safety Act to be rolled out, but some parents who’ve lost their children say the measures simply don’t go far enough.”

Following some footage of Jools before his passing, Jon and Sally welcomed Jools’ mother, Ellen, who made a gut-wrenching appeal, according to the Express.

Jon observed, “So it’s an important day. It’s a change. But for you, it’s not a change enough, just explain.”

Ellen responded: “So as of today, there’s something called data preservation notices, which gives the coroner the right to preserve the data. So they’d have to go to Ofcom to preserve online social media data.

“I spoke to two new bereaved parents last night who are in this position. The police are… what happens when an inquest happens is that the inquest is opened and usually suspended and handed back to the police for investigation.

“The problem is the police are then saying, ‘well, we don’t have the power to do that’, then the coroner is not in control, so they can’t use that law. So it seems ridiculous, unless it’s automatic, then the coroners can’t use that law, and then we’re waiting months or potentially years.”

She continued, “The thing that bothers me is that there’s not enough training for police and coroners as well, so the coroner needs to understand what information to ask for. Do all coroners know how TikTok works, or other apps that kids are using, or what information to ask from Snapchat, and so Ofcom needs to help the coroner understand what information to request.”

Ellen went on to reveal that she remains “planning to go to the High Court” in an attempt to “piece together what information was missing” surrounding Jools’ death.

The devastated mum became visibly emotional as she declared, “I think I’m three and a half years down the line. I could get emotional now, but I don’t know why my child’s not here, and I want to try for answers.

“And I think as a parent, I should have the right to try to look at social media, and I get we may be too late now, and this law will help other parents, which is great, but I want to try to understand what happened to my son.”

BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6am on BBC One.

Explore Van Gogh’s Provence

There’s nothing sweeter than leaving London on the Eurostar in the morning and to be sipping something cold and pink in Provence by aperitif time (tip: switch to the TGV in Lille to avoid having to change stations in Paris).

Just 10 minutes in a taxi from Avignon TGV station, Le Moulin d’Aure is a charmingly restored mas (farmhouse) on the edge of the village of Graveson. The best of the 19 bedrooms have balconies or terraces overlooking the olive trees, while in the large garden there’s a pool and plenty of quiet corners.

Local bike hire companies can deliver bikes for the 30-minute ride to pretty Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, with its Wednesday morning market. This is where Vincent Van Gogh was a patient in the Saint-Paul de Mausole psychiatric hospital after cutting off part of his left ear. It is where he painted The Starry Night, among other works, and there’s a signposted tour around town, taking in landscapes that inspired the artist.

Back at Le Moulin, its Italian restaurant Tutti Quanti dishes up fresh pasta beneath the pergola, while for more variety Graveson, 15 minutes’ walk away, has a handful of restaurants on its long central square.
Doubles from €75 room-only, breakfast about €18, hotel-moulindaure.com

Sleepy, leafy Normandy

In the Orne region of Normandy, Le Perche nature park is the kind of rural idyll Parisians decamp to in order to explore sleepy villages and quiet forests. Just half an hour by train from the French capital to L’Aigle, then a 30-minute taxi to Mortagne, Trama en Perche is the new four-bedroom guesthouse of two former Parisian restaurateurs, Marion Trama and Paul Hayat.

Breakfast is a highlight, served in the garden when the sun is out. Local produce (sheep’s milk cheeses, freshly baked bread, fruit jams) feature alongside brioche French toast and blinis with crab remoulade.

Marion and Paul are also a fount of local knowledge, and can arrange bike hire (an autumnal favourite includes a detour to family-run cider producer La Maison Ferré) or recommend walkable restaurants, such as La Biscuiterie for salads and cakes or La Vie en Rouge for natural wine and small plates.

Much of the decor at Trama en Perche has been sourced from the area’s antique and brocante shops, and there are numerous stores around Mortagne to rummage in.
Doubles from about €170 B&B, tramaenperche.fr

Beach life in Zeeland, the Netherlands

There’s a quiet, wild beauty to coastal towns in autumn, and with its wide beach looking out to the North Sea, Zeeland’s Cadzand is a perfect example. Strandhotel, on a dune just back from the golden sands, is a lovely vantage point to watch whatever weather rolls in. It’s a great time right now for kite- and windsurfing offshore, or stick to dry land and beachcomb at low tide for the fossilised shark teeth that part of the coast is famous for.

Just a couple of miles north of the Belgian border, the easiest route here is via Brussels, changing for a direct train to Knokke-Heist (about 1½ hours), where you can pick up a taxi across to Cadzand (30 minutes). This being the Netherlands, there are excellent cycle paths, and bike hire across the street from the hotel. The nearby Zwin nature reserve offers good birdspotting – you can also explore the salt flats and polder behind the dunes.

Back at the hotel, there’s an indoor pool and saunas to unwind in, while the three restaurants range from Michelin-starred Demain to laid-back Beach Boy, which overlooks the marina and serves Zeeland oysters.
Doubles from €212 B&B, strandhotel.eu

Family-friendly forest fun near Paris

A former royal hunting estate on the south-west fringes of Paris, the 14,000-hectare Fôret de Rambouillet sprawls across the capital’s commuter belt. Cycle tracks and walking trails cut through thickets of oak and pine trees and, in autumn, mushrooms and chestnuts. In among it all, Le Barn is a modern country house for city-weary citizens (train to Dourdan or Rambouillet from Paris; from there it’s a 15-20 minute taxi).

The hotel shares an estate with the renowned Haras de la Cense horsemanship schools and equine activities are a big part of the appeal. They include children’s first rides, proper hacks through the woodland (riding from about £13) and horse whispering sessions (complimentary on daily activity schedule). Other options are yoga, archery, rowing boats on the lake – with some spooky extra fun over Halloween weekend.

There’s also a spa for grownups, and a restaurant serving classic French fare – and with no checkout deadline on Sundays, there’s plenty of time to get stuck in.
Doubles from about £175 room-only, including a daily programme of activities, lebarnhotel.com

Yoga, eco-living and a garden restaurant in Wallonia, Belgium

Many British travellers don’t venture far beyond Belgium’s circuit of cities (canal-crossed Bruges, funky Ghent, fashionable Antwerp), but those who do find dense forests, ancient castles and historic villages to explore.

The battle of Waterloo took place at the village of the same name in the rolling Wallonia countryside south of Brussels, and 10km further south again is Indrani Lodge, a wonderfully peaceful bolthole on the fringes of Genappe (take a train from Brussels to Nivelles, then a 15-minute taxi). A former medieval farm, it’s now a 12-bedroom eco-minded yoga hotel.

A large part of the gardens is turned over to permaculture, growing produce that makes its way on to plates in the Petits Éléments restaurant. In autumn that might include Jerusalem artichoke, pumpkin and butternut squash, alongside eggs from Indrani’s chickens, honey from its bees and apple juice from its orchards.

There are numerous yoga classes each day (iyengar, vinyasa, hatha), as well as retreats and twice-monthly Sunday Slow Days, which include two classes, brunch and a workshop (ceramics, flower arranging). Or slow down under your own steam with a massage, or a dip in the geothermally heated pool in the old barn.
Doubles from €163 B&B, indranilodge.com

Cycling – and tastings – in the vineyards in Burgundy

Tom Kevill-Davies knows a thing or two about cycling and eating. In 2005 he set off from New York and rode 12,000 miles to Rio de Janeiro in search of the perfect meal. After writing a book about his experience, he settled in Burgundy and added wine to the equation, turning a derelict 17th-century water mill in the village of Auxey-Duresses into The Hungry Cyclist Lodge. Guests can set off each day to pedal around the surrounding vineyards, winding between tastings and lunches, and relax back at the lodge (which has a swimming pool).

Bring a bike on the train (TGV from Paris to Dijon), then a short connection to Beaune and a 10km bike – or taxi – ride from the station. Or rent one when you get there (€22 a day for a hybrid). Next door to the lodge is a small vineyard of Gamay, where Tom’s family produce around 500 bottles a year of their Vin Du Moulin. Try it over a dinner that Tom whips up from fruit and veg grown in the garden and meat from the local butcher – in autumn this might include guinea fowl roasted over raisins and tarte tatin with fig leaf ice-cream.
Doubles from €170 B&B, dinner €40pp excluding wine, thehungrycyclist.com

Sometimes, you just want to be able to arrive in a place with the least amount of hassle and instantly switch off and relax. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to think about potential traffic snarl-ups en route or missing connections? Just jump on a direct train and arrive fresh.

That’s what these brilliantly accessible boltholes in the UK deliver – they’re all within easy reach of a train station and with everything you might need for a stress-free break on the doorstep.

A wild swimming cabin in Essex

Ffion Francis and Ollie Speck quit their jobs in London to renovate a 15th-century former hunting lodge near the village of Thorpe-Le-Soken in north-east Essex. Alongside bringing the house back to life, the couple have built two cabins. The latest addition, The Lakeside Lodge, sits on the edge of a natural swimming pond surrounded by reeds and trees. From London, it’s a direct train (under 90 minutes) from Liverpool Street or Stratford, then a 20-minute walk down a quiet country lane.

The aim is to rest and reset, and there’s a host of pros to help: yoga and breathwork teachers, sound healing, reiki and reflexology (from £55). Simpler still is a cold plunge in the pond, followed by a session in the sauna pod, or a warm soak in the hut’s outdoor cast-iron bath. An English breakfast hamper with bacon and sausages from the local butcher and eggs from their rescue hens can be dropped off (£25 for two), and on chilly evenings snuggle down in bed to watch classic films on the projector.
Sleeps 2 (and a dog for an extra £20) from £210 a night, coolstays.com

An arty seaside hideout in Cornwall

With sweeping views out to St Michael’s Mount, it’s hard to believe that the (now) beautifully decorated, glass-fronted Little Pembroke was once a rundown garage. The cabin’s mezzanine bedroom is the spot to hole up and take in the seascape these days – there’s even an easel and art supplies, should inspiration strike (the big house, Pembroke Lodge, was home in the 1800s to Walter Langley, pioneer of the Newlyn art school).

Alighting in Penzance from the Night Riviera Sleeper from London to a morning blast of sea air is the loveliest way to arrive, even better followed by a dip in the Jubilee Pool (seasonal opening, check website), but the station is also served by direct trains from Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and even Edinburgh. It’s a 10-minute taxi to Little Pembroke, or there’s a bus that stops just down the road.

The cabin is tucked peacefully between Newlyn and Mousehole, and there’s gallery hopping and coastal walks to be had. Pick up a Beryl (the Cornish equivalent of a Lime bike) around Newlyn or Penzance to whizz off further afield. A welcome hamper includes Trink milk, local butter, sourdough bread (breakfast sorted) and it’s only a short stroll to Sunday lunch by the fire at historic maritime pub The Tolcarne Inn, or Mackerel Sky for lemon sole katsu and crab nachos.
Sleeps 2 (plus a baby and/or dog) from £230 a night, littlepembroke.com

Sand and castles in Northumberland

Anyone who has travelled on the East Coast Main Line will have glimpsed Northumberland’s spectacular coastline when the train curves towards the North Sea, giving those on the east side of the carriages a front-row seat. But rather than speeding on through, hop off at the village of Alnmouth (3½ to four hours from London, one from Edinburgh, two from Leeds) with its pastel houses and seabirds wading in the Aln estuary.

Overlooking the golf course to the sandy beach, two-bedroom Marine House Cottage is only a five-minute taxi from the station (or a mile’s walk; swing by Scott’s deli for supplies). Outside there’s a raised terrace that looks out to sea, while the window seat in the main bedroom is the spot for wave-watching and book-reading.

Bikes (standard or e-bikes) can be delivered to the house, and from there the traffic-free Aln Valley cycleway runs over to Alnwick (kids will love the Harry Potter-inspired broomstick training sessions at the castle) or pedal south to Warkworth Castle on the Coast and Castles route. North of England and southern Scotland cottage specialists Crabtree and Crabtree also have a little black book of extra services, from private chefs to spa treatments at home.
Sleeps 4 from £765 for seven nights, crabtreeandcrabtree.com

Funky country house spa in Berkshire

Hotel spa breaks can be unrelaxingly expensive or busy hen party conveyor belts, but not so The Retreat at Elcot Park, part of funky, affordable hotel group the Signet Collection. In the countryside between Hungerford and Newbury, it’s a direct train from London Paddington to Kintbury, two miles away (pre-book a taxi).

There’s little need to leave, with hefty breakfasts and two restaurants, and the hotel has recently pumped up its wellness focus, adding outdoor cold plunge tubs, wood-fired hot tubs and a tented yoga studio to its Himalayan salt sauna, hydrotherapy pool and aroma steam room inside the spa (full use of the spa facilities is included in room rates; massages and treatments from £105).

Outside there’s a heated pool, tennis court and 6.4 hectares (16 acres) of grounds. Borrow some boots from the welly wall for autumn rambles through nearby woodlands, along the Kennet and Avon Canal or nearby vineyard Winding Wood. Dogs and kids are welcome; there are family bunk rooms, with home-baked cookies and snack pantries to raid for a midnight feast.
Doubles from £120 B&B, retreatelcotpark.com

Sustainable bothy near Stirling

With 400 hectares of semi-ancient woodland, heather-covered heath and wet meadows, the Brucefield Estate feels like deeply remote Scotland, although it’s actually less than an hour from Glasgow (direct train to Alloa, then a 12-minute taxi) and half an hour longer from Edinburgh (including a change at Stirling).

Squirrelled away in the woods are three sustainably built bothies, named after Scots terms for animals found there: Tod (fox), Brock (badger) and Mertrick (pine marten). Inside, the mezzanine bed has a duvet made from plastic bottles, and the sleek, all-Scottish design includes Amy Britton tweeds, SkyeSkyns sheepskins and organic Siabann body products.

The biologist-run estate has a 10-year plan to protect and enhance biodiversity, which visitors can learn about on a history and wildlife tour (£40pp). There’s oodles to do: cycling on gravel tracks, outdoor yoga sessions (from £65pp), walks through neighbouring Devilla Forest (look out for red squirrels) or through birch trees to a picnic set up in the woods (from £65 for two). After a day’s exploring, nearby Polly’s Pantry delivers hampers, or chef Douglas MacNair can pre-prepare a feast of local produce to cook over the bothy’s firepit (£75 for two).
Mertrick sleeps 2 from £145 a night, kiphideaways.com

New budget hotel in the Lake District

Compared with most rural regions, the Lake District is brilliantly accessible by public transport. Oxenholme, on the West Coast Main Line, is less than three hours from London, under two from Glasgow and just over an hour from Manchester, with plentiful local rail and bus routes from there. It’s 20 minutes by train from Oxenholme to Windermere, and just a two-minute walk to The Penn, a new room-only (no reception, no restaurant) hotel concept in a 19th-century stone house in the heart of the town.

Check-in by keypad keeps prices down; the smallest doubles are snug, but roomier ones with rolltop baths are only around £30 a night more. From cosy crashpads to a suite with an extra bed for a child, each is done out in earthy colours with jazzily tiled bathrooms. There’s a Nespresso machine, kettle and mini-Smeg fridge filled with soft drinks in bedrooms, but it’s only an amble to Homeground Cafe or Toast for breakfast, followed by the lake shore for a swim, or up Orrest Head (Wainwright’s first Lakeland hike). To venture deeper into the Lakes, Total Adventure Bike Hire is a couple of doors down from The Penn, or take the scenic 555 bus, which connects through Ambleside and Grasmere to Keswick.
Doubles from £102 room-only, the-penn.com