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In St Albans, Hertfordshire you can wander medieval streets, browse boutique shops, sip something warm in cosy pubs, and soak up the festive vibes at the 1,000-year-old market

A city that is a surprisingly short train ride away from London has a millennium-old market and some of the oldest pubs in the UK.

Such is the speed of the connection from St Albans to St Pancras in London, locals affectionately refer to it as the Shinkansen or Bullet Train of Hertfordshire.

But it’s not just ease of transport that makes the cathedral city worth visiting. In fact, one could argue that as the golden leaves begin to fall and rooftops frost over, St Albans is the picture-perfect spot for a short break.

There you can wander medieval streets, browse boutique shops, sip something warm in cosy pubs, and soak up the festive vibes at the 1,000-year-old market.

Here are six reasons to visit St Albans:

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The magical St Albans Cathedral

The jewel of the city, St Albans Cathedral, is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain. Step inside and you’ll find the Shrine of St Alban, Britain’s first saint and after whom the city was named, which has been a focal point for visitors and pilgrims alike for over 1,700 years.

It has the longest nave of any cathedral in England, at 85 metres long, and visitors can climb 211 winding steps to the top of the spectacular Norman Tower, where they may spot the tall buildings of the City of London.

Simply magical during the colder months, the Cathedral’s programme is packed with seasonal events and activities to enjoy, including stunning candlelight concerts, creative workshops and awe-inspiring exhibitions.

Its popular Live Nativity Trail, which on Saturday, December 13, features actors reenacting characters from the Christmas story and bringing the nativity scene to life for families and people of all ages. The fun and festive trail guides visitors around the Cathedral grounds, encountering shepherds, wise men, angels, innkeepers, and even a somewhat grumpy King Herod. Also on 13 December is the popular Carols on the Hour.

The great outdoors

Wrap up warm and embrace the beauty of the season with an invigorating walk, leisurely stroll, cycle or dog walk — St Albans is packed with picturesque, cobbled streets and has an abundance of gorgeous places to enjoy the fresh air.

Venture to Nomansland Common and Heartwood Forest for woodland or take The Alban Way trail, a flat and traffic-free disused section of the Great Northern Railway, ideal for cyclists and walkers.

Named after the Roman City on which it stands, Verulamium Park boasts over 100 acres of parkland just steps from the city centre. It features an ornamental lake, a rare Roman mosaic and hypocaust, café, and more.

And just a five-minute walk from the city centre is Clarence Park, home to an old-fashioned bandstand, but if you’re more of a sports enthusiast, then Clarence Park is also the home of St Albans City Football Club, which always has a great buzz on match days.

Delicious food and drink

After a long walk, there’s nothing quite like a hearty pub lunch with roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings, a customary pint or a glass of red and a blazing open fire. Whether it’s The Cock Inn, The Peahen, The Boot, The Six Bells, The Lower Red Lion or Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (reputed to be one of England’s oldest pubs), there are plenty of traditional hostelries across St Albans where you can while away a winter afternoon in the company of good friends, excellent food and a welcoming atmosphere in front of the flames.

Fine dining restaurants including Thompson St Albans and Lussmanns Sustainable Kitchen offer award-winning, refined, flavour-filled dishes from the finest seasonal ingredients, matched with meticulous service.

For sweet treats and stop-offs, get your taste buds tingling at wonderful bakeries dotted throughout the city centre. You can try Proto Artisan Bakery brimming with the most delicious twists of Real Sourdough Bread such as cranberry and walnut.

To help discover the best eating and drinking in the city, a new food and drink Map has been created by St Albans City Centre BID, listing 120 locations including the finest dining on offer.

Historical pubs

You can become fully immersed in the fascinating history of hostelries — the term for a traditional coaching inn. From November, St Albans Museum and Gallery will present Inns and Alehouses in Victorian St Albans, an exhibition inspired by the 1884 song The City Pubs, composed by ‘Baron’ Martin and first performed at the annual dinner of the St Albans Licensed Victuallers’ Association.

The lively composition lists the many pubs, inns and taprooms of the city (some still open today) and provides a fascinating glimpse into a time when St Albans boasted nearly one hundred commercial drinking establishments.

The exhibition explores the diverse venues that shaped social life in the late nineteenth century — from bustling beerhouses to traditional taverns — shedding light on the reasons behind their success or decline as the city moved into the twentieth century.

Something for film and theatre fans

Film enthusiasts can head to the Art Deco Odyssey Cinema which dates to 1908 and shows an incredible range of titles that can be enjoyed from plush seats with your choice of drinks, snacks and delicious food plates.

OVO’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol returns this year at two brand-new venues, including the enchanting walled Vintry Garden, overlooking the Cathedral in St Albans. This open-air venue offers a unique festive experience that immerses audiences in the spirit of Christmas past, present and yet to come.

Spectacular shopping and ancient markets

St Albans is a great shopping destination where old meets new with charming independent boutiques offering cutting-edge and unusual items set in beautiful, Medieval buildings and three large shopping areas playing host to well-known brands.

Support small businesses at the award-winning St Albans Charter Market, established over 1,000 years ago. Every Wednesday and Saturday, shop for everything you could possibly want and enjoy the buzz and energy of the legendary market through the quirky cobblestone streets that are at the heart of the St Albans story.

The Second Sunday Market specialises in local food and drink and sustainable arts and crafts while at St Albans Vintage Market you can find all manner of antiques, vintage, brocante and architectural salvage. St Albans Vegan Market brings a big variety of vegan street food, artisan bakers, craft brewers, ethical jewellers, sustainable chandlers, local artists, zero-waste champions, environmental charities and loads more.

TRIBE at Manchester Airport is the hotspot of both convenience and comfort for those travelling early or late. 

Here’s everything you need to know – from room rates to dining options at the hotel’s restaurant.

Where is the hotel?

Less than a 15 minute walk from all 3 of Manchester’s airport terminals, it is an attractive spot for holidaymakers flying very early or very late, making the start to your journey as relaxing as possible.

What is the hotel like?

This 412-room hotel boasts the title of Manchester’s largest, and is packed with a mixture of both football fans off to Old Trafford and vacationers when I visited last week.

The relaxing, contemporary and carefully curated vibe attests to the design-led comfort.

What are the rooms like?

The rooms are both comfortable and functional, following the same bright and trendy theme of the interiors throughout the hotel, it feels very metropolitan and classy.

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Each one has a TV, coffee machine, kettle, plentiful supplies of Kevin Murphy toiletries,  a hairdryer and a steamer instead of an iron.

With room sizes ranging from the TRIBE Essential to the TRIBE Extra, there is something for everyone.

Rooms available starting from £115 a night.

What is there to eat or drink there?

The restaurant is a bright, open space which offers an Italian-inspired menu.

The kitchen has a real pizza oven, while pasta dishes also feature heavily on the menu.

Other mains include sea bass, bavette steak, roast chicken and cheeseburgers.

If the menu doesn’t do it for you, The Ship is a lovely pub in Styal village ten minutes away, while tapas restaurant El Bosc next door also gets great reviews.

What else is there to do at the hotel?

Tribe is only a few minutes’ walk to the Metrolink network, which takes visitors to Old Trafford, the Etihad stadium and Manchester city centre.

Nearby Styal is home to the beautiful Quarry Bank Mill National Trust park. While Hale – home to dozens of Premier League footballers – is 15 minutes away.

Is the hotel family friendly?

Yes, the TRIBE is ideal for keeping the bigger families in order before a big holiday to avoid all the last minute panic.

Is the hotel accessible?

Yes, the hotel offers two different types of accessible rooms, the TRIBE Essential Accessible, and the TRIBE Atrium Accessible.

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

WHEN Brits think of Costa Blanca, the places that come to mind are probably rowdy Benidorm and busy Alicante.

But one woman revealed to Sun Travel that the “jewel” of that coastline is actually the small town of Moraira.

It has all the best bits of Spain like white-washed houses with terracotta tiles, sandy beaches with bright blue waters, and a little harbour filled with boats and yachts.

While lots of holidaymakers like to mix up the places they visit each year, the Sun’s Jade Dadalica and her family have been returning to the town of Moraira, several times a year since 2021.

Jade explained: “My family and I go one or twice a year for around two weeks. We went on holiday to Jávea which is a nearby town and went for a day trip to Moraira, which we actually preferred.

“We booked a villa there the following year and have been going back ever since. A lot of the Spanish go on their holidays there, and you only get a few Brits, it’s not rowdy at all.

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“We love it, if I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is buy a place there.”

While Moraira might not have everything that a busy city does, the laidback town still has plenty to offer.

Jade added: “It’s got loads of restaurants, bars, shops, ice cream parlours, and Ale-Hop of course. There’s a market once a week too, that sells everything from clothes and souvenirs to fruit and veg, a lot of locals go and it’s always really busy.

“One of my favourite places to eat is what my family call the ‘windy bar’, but it’s actually called El Cafeti de la Mar. From there you can see the sea and the castle and we love it. We go so much that the owners know who we are.

“It’s always popular with locals, especially in the mornings because they go for breakfast there. But lunch and dinner are amazing too.”

On its menu, El Cafeti de la Mar serves up simple breakfast croissants, bagels, crepes, and Huevos Benedict.

There’s plenty of tapas to choose from, as well as mains in the evenings from salads, to fish dishes, burgers, ribs and steak.

Another of Jade’s favourites is a spot literally called The Secret Bar where you can sip on classic cocktails like margaritas and blueberry daiquiris.

Other places that Jade recommended are La Malquerida, a Mexican restaurant and The Ribs Bar, which has speciality dishes of ribs, steaks and kebabs.

Once you’ve filled your stomach, why not stretch out on the beach for an afternoon siesta – and Moraira has a few playas to choose from.

The main beach in Moraira is Playa de l’Ampolla but when Jade is on holiday, she goes around the corner to Playa del Portet.

Jade said: “The main beach is sandy and is always quite busy because it’s the one the locals use. We go to one on the other side, Playa del Portet, it’s a little less known, so we go out there and hire paddleboards.”

If you want to venture out of the town, then it’s an easy vantage point to take daytrips too.

Jade told us: “From Moraira, you can get to a town called Calp, which isn’t far at all. There are also some waterfalls, called Fonts de l’Algar, which are under an hour’s drive away.

“You have to buy tickets, but these are €8 (£6.95) during the summer, and €6 (£5.21) during off peak, for the whole day. You can go swimming, or climb up the waterfalls, it’s a great place for pictures.

“Of course, Moraira is close to Benidorm, which is funny because it really doesn’t feel like it. We drive down that way to go to the waterpark called Aqualandia for a family day out.”

If you think that it’s too late in the year to take a break to the Moraira to get good weather, you’d be wrong.

In October, it still has highs of 19C and next week during half-term, you can get flights to Alicante, which is the closest airport, for as little as £14.

Ryanair offers one-way direct flights from London Stansted, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham for under £15.

Although if you do book for half-term hoping to visit Aqualandia, it has closed for the season and will reopen in May 2026.

Jade told us: “I went to Moraira in late September and the weather was still really warm. You can still go on the beach, I even got sunburnt. We always go in September and June which are quieter because it’s out of school holiday time.

“It’s not like other places across Spain which close when the tourists leave either. My dad was speaking to owners of the local bars and they’re open all year round.”

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PARIS — In a minutes-long strike Sunday inside the world’s most-visited museum, thieves rode a basket lift to the Louvre, forced a window into the Galerie d’Apollon — while tourists pressed shoulder-to-shoulder in the corridors — smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said.

It was among the highest-profile museum thefts in recent memory and comes as Louvre employees have complained of worker and security understaffing.

One object was later found outside the museum, according to Culture Minister Rachida Dati. French daily Le Parisien reported it was the emerald-studded crown of Napoleon III’s wife Empress Eugénie — gold, diamonds and sculpted eagles — recovered just beyond the walls, broken.

The theft unfolded just 270 yards from the “Mona Lisa,” in what Dati described as “a four-minute operation.” No one was hurt.

Images from the scene showed confused tourists being steered out of the glass pyramid and adjoining courtyards as officers closed nearby streets along the Seine.

Also visible was a lift braced to the Seine-facing facade near a construction zone — an extraordinary vulnerability at a palace-museum.

A museum already under strain

Around 9:30 a.m., several intruders forced a window, cut panes with a disc cutter and went straight for the vitrines, officials said. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the crew entered from outside using a basket lift.

The choice of target compounded the shock. The vaulted Galerie d’Apollon in the Denon wing, capped by a ceiling painted for Louis XIV, displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels. The thieves are believed to have approached via the riverfront facade, where construction is underway, used a freight elevator to reach the hall, took nine pieces from a 23-item collection linked to Napoleon and the Empress, and made off on motorbikes, according to Le Parisien.

Daylight robberies during public hours are rare. Pulling one off inside the Louvre — with visitors present — ranks among Europe’s most audacious since Dresden’s Green Vault museum in 2019, and the most serious in France in more than a decade.

It also collides with a deeper tension the Louvre has struggled to resolve: swelling crowds and stretched staff. The museum delayed opening during a June staff walkout over overcrowding and chronic understaffing. Unions say mass tourism leaves too few eyes on too many rooms and creates pressure points where construction zones, freight routes and visitor flows meet.

Security around marquee works remains tight — the Mona Lisa is behind bulletproof glass in a bespoke, climate-controlled case.

It’s unclear whether staffing levels played any role in Sunday’s breach.

The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous came in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia and recovered two years later in Florence.

Today the former royal palace holds a roll call of civilization: Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa”; the armless serenity of the “Venus de Milo”; the “Winged Victory” of Samothrace, wind-lashed on the Daru staircase; the Code of Hammurabi’s carved laws; Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People”; Géricault’s “The Raft of the Medusa.” More than 33,000 works — from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to Europe’s masters — draw a daily tide of up to 30,000 visitors even as investigators now begin to sweep those gilded corridors for clues.

Politics at the door

The heist spilled instantly into politics. Far-right leader Jordan Bardella used it to attack President Emmanuel Macron, weakened at home and facing a fractured Parliament.

“The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture,” Bardella wrote on X. “This robbery, which allowed thieves to steal jewels from the French Crown, is an unbearable humiliation for our country. How far will the decay of the state go?”

The criticism lands as Macron touts a decade-long “Louvre New Renaissance” plan — about $800 million to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the “Mona Lisa” a dedicated gallery by 2031. For workers on the floor, the relief has felt slower than the pressure.

What we know — and don’t

Forensic teams are examining the site of the crime and adjoining access points while a full inventory is taken, authorities said. Officials have described the haul as being of “inestimable” historical value.

Recovery may prove difficult. “It’s unlikely these jewels will ever be seen again,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds. “Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognizable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance.”

The Louvre closed for the rest of Sunday as police sealed gates, cleared courtyards and shut nearby streets along the Seine.

Key questions still unanswered are how many people took part in the theft and whether they had inside assistance, authorities said. According to French media, there were four perpetrators: two dressed as construction workers in yellow safety vests on the lift, and two each on a scooter.

Investigators are reviewing closed-circuit TV from the Denon wing and the riverfront, inspecting the basket lift used to reach the gallery and interviewing staffers who were on site when the museum opened, authorities said.

Adamson writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

PHOENIX — Marcus Smart estimated he’ll be limited to about 20 to 25 minutes in his Lakers preseason debut Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns as he returns from Achilles tendinopathy.

Speaking after the team’s shootaround Tuesday, the 31-year-old guard said the rash of Achilles injuries suffered by NBA stars recently — including three during the playoffs last season — made his initial diagnosis frightening, but he took a cautious approach with the Lakers staff to ensure he was ready for the season.

“It wasn’t scary in the fact of understanding that tendinopathy, we all kind of have it playing over the time,” said Smart, who is entering his 12th NBA season. “Just making sure you do everything you need to do, to make sure that you can get back out here, or to be able to say, ‘No, I can’t.’ So you got to test it, unfortunately, and you got to see where you’re at. So we’ve done all the tests on the court, off the court and we’re feeling fast, feeling good so we want to give it a shot.”

Guard Luka Doncic is also expected to make his preseason debut after he was on a modified training schedule following a busy summer spent with the Slovenian national team. Coach JJ Redick said Monday after practice that Doncic and the team’s training staff had yet to determine a minutes restriction on Doncic, but expects that the five-time All-Star will see an increased workload by the time he suits up again for his second preseason game.

The Lakers will follow Tuesday’s game in Phoenix with a game against Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Because of the back-to-back schedule, it’s likely Doncic will play again Friday at Crypto.com Arena against the Sacramento Kings.

Since they are playing four games in six days, the Lakers ruled out guard Gabe Vincent, forwards Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt and center Jaxson Hayes for Tuesday’s preseason game.

Rookie guard Adou Thiero [knee] has progressed to on-court activities, the team announced Tuesday, after the second-round draft pick was battling swelling in a knee. He will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks.

Venice is one of the most visited cities in the world, but there’s a nearby Italian city that’s just as beautiful and historic – and without the crowds of tourists

Venice – the jewel of Italy‘s lagoon – draws in millions of tourists each year.

However, its immense global appeal is causing a strain on both the locals and the city’s infrastructure, leading to the local government implementing a series of measures in recent months to mitigate the effects of overtourism.

Despite the temporary entry fee imposed on day-trippers this summer and restrictions on group tours, tourists continue to flock to Venice. But for those seeking to dodge the crowds, there are plenty of alternative destinations nearby.

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Padua, or Padova as it’s known to Italians, is a historic city just 25 miles west of Venice. Situated in the same region as the lagoon, Veneto, Padua boasts two UNESCO World Heritage List entries.

The first, the botanical garden – Orto Botanico di Padova – is the world’s oldest still in its original location, dating back to 1545. Covering approximately 240,000 square feet, the Orto Botanico is renowned for its collections, including one of insectivorous plants and another of medicinal and poisonous species.

The second UNESCO-listed site in Padua is the Scrovegni Chapel, an awe-inspiring church adorned by Italian artist Giotto at the start of the 14th century. Padua also houses one of the world’s oldest universities, where history-making figures such as Galileo Galilei and Nicolaus Copernicus either studied or taught.

Padua is an ideal spot for those who enjoy city centre strolls, with Piazza delle Erbe, one of its main squares, being a hub of local activity since medieval times.

Much like its famous neighbour Venice, it boasts its own canals, including a petite one that meanders through the breathtaking Prato della Valle square.

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Padua also serves as an excellent base for exploring the wider region, reports the Express. With train tickets to Venice costing as little as £4.21, tourists can experience the lagoon city, just half an hour away, while saving on accommodation costs.

Likewise, holidaymakers in the area can take a trip to Verona, internationally renowned due to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The journey ranges from 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the chosen train service.

Geneva is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, but it’s also one of the most walkable – and the city centre is just a six minute journey from the airport

Geneva is a stunning destination, not just for its breathtaking landscapes and cultural treasures but also for its pedestrian-friendly layout.

Despite being one of the priciest places to visit in Europe, footloose tourists are spoilt for choice in this Swiss city. The city centre is a mere six-minute journey from the airport, making it an ideal spot for those on brief trips who don’t fancy a lengthy transfer.

According to geneva.info, Geneva airport is situated four kilometres from the city. A train ride between the Geneva Airport and the central railway station in the city (Gare Cornavin) takes six minutes, while a bus journey lasts about 20 minutes.

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Visitors can utilise public transport around the city without shelling out a single penny and can freely hop on and off its comprehensive transport network. Anyone lodging in approved accommodation, be that a hotel, youth hostel, or campsite, is entitled to the city’s Transport Card for free travel throughout their stay, reports the Express.

Walkable city

The city centre of Geneva is relatively compact, meaning most of its top attractions are located within a short distance of each other. Whether you’re staying near the lake or in the Old Town, many of the city’s highlights are reachable on foot.

You can stroll from the famous Jet d’Eau, the large fountain, to the charming Parc des Bastions, a renowned park, without needing to catch a bus or tram. Geneva’s streets, particularly around the Old Town, are pedestrian-friendly with wide pavements, abundant green spaces and clearly marked crossings.

One of Europe’s largest lakes, Lake Geneva, is a major attraction in the city. The lakefront paths are perfect for leisurely strolls or brisk walks, offering stunning views of the water, distant Alps and the iconic Jet d’Eau fountain.

The city boasts numerous parks that offer tranquil walking routes. Parc La Grange and Parc des Eaux-Vives, both situated along the lake, are perfect for an afternoon amble. Another favourite is Jardin Anglais, conveniently located near the city centre and offering picturesque lakeside vistas.

For those seeking more adventurous treks, Geneva’s position at the foot of the Alps provides easy access to hiking trails just outside the city.

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Public transport

While Geneva is easily navigable on foot, its public transport system offers a welcome respite for weary feet. The city has trams, buses, and even water taxis (known as Mouettes) that can swiftly transport you to any part of the city.

Moreover, if you’re staying at a hotel in Geneva, you’ll typically receive a Geneva Transport Card for complimentary public transport during your stay. In line with its commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly practices, Geneva encourages walking and aims to reduce car traffic. Several areas in the city have limited or no car access.

Paramount has acquired The Free Press, a four-year-old digital news platform, and will make its co-founder Bari Weiss editor-in-chief of CBS News, the company announced Monday.

The official announcement came after months of speculation on the deal and Weiss’ high profile role within the news division. Weiss, 41, will report to Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison, who personally courted the former New York Times journalist.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bari and The Free Press to Paramount and CBS News. Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison said in a statement. “This move is part of Paramount’s bigger vision to modernize content and the way it connects — directly and passionately — to audiences around the world.”

Paramount said Weiss will “shape editorial policies, champion core values across platforms and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news.”

The union of The Free Press and CBS News will be one of the most closely watched lab experiments in the modern media era. Weiss has no experience in television or running an editorial operation on the scale of CBS News, which has more than 1,000 employees.

Paramount is paying around $150 million in cash and stock for The Free Press, a feisty, upstart operation that generated attention through opinion pieces and podcasts with a strong point of view. Its favorite targets are the excesses of progressive left and purveyors of so-called “woke” policies.

CBS News is a traditional mass appeal network TV operation with a proud legacy of journalistic excellence and the home of popular franchises “60 Minutes” and “CBS Sunday Morning.” But the division has struggled to deal with the shifts in audience habits brought about by streaming video and social media.

Weiss is a provocateur who famously resigned from her high profile role in the opinion section of the New York Times in 2020, citing bullying by her colleagues and a hostile work environment as the reasons.

Weiss acknowledged the division’s legacy in a note sent to CBS News staffers after her appointment was announced.

“Growing up, CBS was a deep family tradition,” Weiss said. “Whenever i hear the tick, tick, tick or that trumpet fanfare, it sends me right back to our den in Pittsburgh. The opportunity to build on that legacy — and to renew it in an era that so desperately needs it — is an extraordinary privilege.”

Weiss also ascends at a time when Trump has threatened news operations with lawsuits and regulatory action, such as pulling station TV licenses over what he believes is unfair criticism of him and his administration. Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a Trump lawsuit making the dubious claim that a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris was deceptively edited to aid her 2024 presidential election campaign against him.

CBS News has never had an executive with the title editor-in-chief before naming Weiss to the role. It still has a president — Tom Cibrowski — a former ABC News executive hired earlier this year who will remain in his role and continue to report to to Paramount TV Media President George Cheeks.

In her note, Weiss told her staffers her goal in the coming weeks is to learn “what’s working and what isn’t, and your thoughts on how we can make CBS News the most trusted news organization in America and the world. I’ll approach it the way any reporter would — with an open mind, a fresh notebook, and an urgent deadline.”

The Free Press, which has around 170,000 paid subscribers, will continue as its own independent brand, with its own podcasts and live events business.

New footage appears to show the man responsible for an attack at a Manchester synagogue, minutes before he drove his car into worshippers on Yom Kippur.

Two people were killed, when Jihad Al-Shamie carried out, what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have described as a terror attack in Crumpsall on Thursday.

Footage of a street nearby marked 09:22 BST appears to show a man matching the description by witnesses of the attacker, walking back after an earlier confrontation at the synagogue where he was told to leave.

The doorbell camera then shows a black Kia Picanto, matching the car driven by Al-Shamie, heading back towards the synagogue at 09:26 BST. GMP were called to the scene at 09:31.

The black Kia Picanto also matches the car driven through the gates at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue and at worshippers.

As with the car used in the attack, the back right hub cab can be seen missing from the vehicle in the footage.

Two Jewish men Melvin Cravitz, 53, and Adrian Daulby, 66, died in the attack, the latter believed to have been hit by police gunfire as firearms officers shot Al-Shamie.

Three people remain in hospital, while police have detained four people on suspicion of terror offences.

On Sunday, counter terror police were granted more time to hold them in custody, while inquiries are under way to establish “the full picture” into what was happened, a spokesman for Counter Terrorism Policing North West said.

Two other people, a man and a woman, were released without charge after they were arrested on the day of the attack.

Ruhi Çenet, a Turkish YouTuber who’s gained a reputation for visiting some of the planet’s most hard-to-reach destinations, travelled to a place where temperatures can drop to below -60°C

An intrepid travel vlogger, who has visited the coldest inhabited place on Earth, almost lost his nose to the elements in just 15 minutes. Ruhi Çenet, a Turkish YouTuber and travel vlogger who’s gained a reputation for visiting some of the planet’s most hard-to-reach destinations, travelled to Oymyakon, in Sakha Republic, Russia, where temperatures can drop to -67.7°C, the lowest ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere.

Oymyakon, also home of the lowest temperature recorded outside Antarctica, has (as of reports from 2024) roughly 2,000 inhabitants and lies in the Oymyakon plateau, situated in what the Guardian describes as a “bowl-shaped depression” with a dry, frosty climate.

In the video, titled The Coldest Village on Earth: Oymyakon, Ruhi flew east from Moscow over seven hours and then travelled 900km to the Siberian settlement, where a thermometer displayed an icy -60.5°C upon arrival at 2am.

Ruhi was later filmed donning more than 20 layers of clothing “just to stay alive”, including reindeer fur boots, trousers, and a coat, as he prepared to step out from a 30°C home and take on the icy elements.

In words spoken by a narrator, the vlogger, who had ice crystals forming on his eyelashes and stinging skin within seconds of being outside, explained how the settlement is so cold that mobile phones stop working, and any cars left exposed to the cold freeze in just a few hours.

Ruhi held his thumb up to the camera, showing a large, yellow blister forming on his skin, and, in two striking shots, he was also filmed holding up the frozen corpses of a wolf and what appeared to be a rabbit.

Later on in the video, in a segment covering the working day of a local cattle farmer named Yevdokiya, Ruhi’s face suddenly went numb.

In words spoken by the narrator: “I couldn’t move the muscle on the left side, like I was having facial paralysis. When my nose started freezing. Yevdokiya noticed right away.”

Next, the camera filmed a close-up of Ruhi’s nose, which, after staying outside for “just over 15 minutes”, had started to turn white along the tip in patches, an unmistakable sign of a serious condition. He asked: “Is it frostbite?”, to which the answer was a resounding, “Yeah”.

The narrator continued: “The cold shrinks the blood vessels and eventually reduces blood circulation. Without enough warmth, water inside each cell freezes into ice crystals, causing the cells to rupture and triggering a stabbing pain and tissue to die.”

Ruhi was quickly advised to cover his face and be careful or it “might turn black”. As the team rushed back to a group of buildings, it was detailed how, from that point onwards, Ruhi wasn’t able to spend more than 10 minutes at a time outside, or he would risk the frostbite getting worse.

Fortunately, Yevdokiya presented what she described as a “cure” for the condition. She held what appeared to be a medicine bottle containing aloe and alcohol, and proceeded to dip a swab in the mixture and hand it to Ruhi.

According to the narrator (who translated), she said: “You soak it like this and apply it to the area that’s frozen and don’t rub it, okay? Otherwise, you’ll damage the vessels and the capillaries and it’ll lead to sores.”

Ruhi, who proceeded to hold the swab to his nose (and filming then continued), appeared to be unscathed by his brush with frostbite by the end of the video.

CBS News will learn a lot about its future next week when Bari Weiss, founder of the upstart news site the Free Press, is expected to enter the hallowed halls where Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace once roamed.

Weiss, 41, is joining CBS News in a new role of editor in chief, according to people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly. The appointment could be announced as soon as Monday.

David Ellison, 42, chairman and chief executive of CBS-owner Paramount, approached Weiss months ago, part of his campaign to shake things up. She will report to Ellison and work alongside CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, who joined the network in February.

Under the deal, Paramount has agreed to buy Weiss’ four-year-old digital media business, which offers newsletters, reported pieces, podcasts, and what it calls “sense-making columns,” for around $150 million in cash and stock. For months, her anticipated arrival at CBS News, an aging pillar of the press establishment, has been a hot topic in the news business.

The rapid rise of Weiss — a former newspaper opinion page staff editor — to a major role in shaping the coverage of a TV news organization with no previous experience in the medium is an extraordinary move that is likely to be highly scrutinized.

Will she remold the news division — which has been beset by management turnover and sustained pressure from President Trump — in her image? There will also be questions as to whether the founder of a relatively lean digital operation such as the Free Press will have a leadership role at a legacy TV news organization with more than 1,000 employees.

A shake-up is clearly on the agenda of new Paramount owner Skydance Media. When the company went through regulatory approval to complete its $8-billion merger, Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr said he welcomes Skydance’’s “commitment to make significant changes to the once storied CBS broadcast network.”

In order to clear a path for the deal, Paramount paid $16 million to settle Trump’s $20-billion lawsuit — deemed by legal experts to be spurious — over an interview he claimed was edited to help then-Vice President Kamala Harris, his opponent in the 2024 election. He has left the network alone ever since.

Skydance and the Free Press did not comment on the expected appointment of Weiss. When asked in August about her joining the network, Ellison — son of Oracle co-founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison — focused on how he wants the news division to speak to what he views as the 70% of Americans who consider themselves center left or center right politically.

In a crowded sea of political and cultural pundits, Weiss found her own lane as a gay Jewish woman who attacked what she called the excesses of the political left, often saying it was intolerant of opposing viewpoints. She called herself “a diversity hire” at the New York Times’ reliably liberal opinion section and gained a following through her appearances on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.”

When she quit the New York Times in 2020, she accused her former employer of failing to protect her from internal criticism by her colleagues. Her public resignation letter was shared on social media by Donald Trump Jr. and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who used it to advance their case of institutional liberal bias in the media.

Described as a confident and skilled communicator, Weiss used her notoriety to attract investors for the Free Press, a digital media business offering newsletters, reported stories, opinion pieces and podcasts. Launched in 2021, it now ranks as the No. 1 best-selling politics platform on Substack.

The Free Press has made itself heard in the national conversation. A treatise on the left-wing leanings of NPR, written by a longtime editor at the radio service, generated massive attention and likely helped set the stage for eliminating federal funding to public media.

Last year, the Free Press also broke the story over the internal CBS News controversy surrounding “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil‘s aggressive questioning of author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank to the Jim Crow era of segregation in the U.S.

Dokoupil said Coates’ book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist.” After some staffers complained, Dokoupil was admonished by CBS News leadership on an editorial call that the Free Press posted online.

Weiss is extremely popular among corporate executives disdainful of high taxes and big government. Finance and private equity executives rave about Free Press missives against purportedly “woke” attitudes and DEI initiatives that they believe have made it more difficult to do business.

Weiss has become a celebrity as well, attending the wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Italy. She was the star attraction at the annual gathering of media moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Newsrooms are typically suspicious of outsiders and change has never come easy at CBS News, which has a culture steeped in its storied past.

“A place like CBS News is so rooted in its traditions and in what it believes in,” said Tom Bettag, a veteran network news producer who is a lecturer for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. “It’s got its own theology and an outsider has to win the confidence of the people inside.”

Even like-minded conservative commentators such as Megyn Kelly suggested that Weiss might face challenges in navigating such an entrenched institution.

“I’m worried they’re going to eat her alive, because CBS is among the worst when it comes to being insular,” Kelly said on her Sirius XM podcast last month. “Like you have to be raised by CBS to be respected by CBS people.”

A number of veterans inside CBS News who were not authorized to speak publicly said they have a wait-and-see attitude over the pending Weiss appointment, as they are uncertain on what her role will entail. They don’t believe Weiss will want to deal with day-to-day news coverage decisions such as how many correspondents and technical crews to send to cover a natural disaster.

David Ellison, Paramount Skydance chief executive officer

(Paramount/Skydance)

Having an opinion journalist in a leadership role may not sit well among a number of staffers. But with layoffs sweeping through the TV news business, an employee exodus predicted in some reports appears unlikely, according to one former CBS News executive.

One possible source of tension may be in international coverage, primarily the war in Gaza, which has been the subject of internal debate in many newsrooms.

Weiss, who once belonged to the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that was the site of a shooting massacre in 2018, is a staunch Israel supporter. She’s joining a company that, led by its new management, was the only studio to push back against a campaign gathering steam among Hollywood progressives to boycott Israeli film festivals and organizations.

But ideological newsroom flare-ups that spill into public view are rare. Managing a network TV news division largely consists of keeping an eye on costs, ratings and maintaining a pipeline of stories for dozens of hours of scheduled programming each week.

Despite its well-documented troubles, CBS still has two of the most successful news programs on television in “60 Minutes” and “CBS Sunday Morning.”

Even after the gauntlet “60 Minutes” went through earlier this year, viewers showed up when it returned for its 58th season Sunday with a season premiere that drew 10 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-sports show of the week, according to Nielsen data.

Bettag noted that even though former Paramount majority shareholder Shari Redstone was updated on “60 Minutes” stories amid the legal battle earlier this year, he believes the program retained its editorial rigor and independence.

“If anything, it stiffened spines,” Bettag said.

“CBS Sunday Morning” remains the most watched weekend morning program and increased its share of the TV audience last season, averaging close to 5 million viewers weekly.

While those two programs still attract large, loyal audiences, CBS News is faced with declining ratings and revenue, as viewers continue to move away from traditional TV to digital video offerings. CBS News has long operated a 24-hour streaming channel, but it doesn’t attract the same audience levels or ad rates as the network.

The CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on April 20, 2023.

(Ted Shaffrey / Associated Press)

CBS News also has to regain the trust of the audience that has listened to right-wing pundits pound away at the credibility of mainstream press.

It’s hardly a new development as conservative North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms tried to lead a takeover CBS in the mid-1980s so he could “become Dan Rather’s boss.” But social media have amplified those bias allegations, driving MAGA-supporting viewers to Fox News and other conservative-leaning outlets.

Bettag believes CBS News has to do a better job of getting the public to understand the editorial process and how it strives for accuracy and fairness to counter the right-wing narrative of media bias.

“If Bari Weiss can come in and explain what they’re doing and why they’re doing it then I think she can be successful,” he said.

Veteran TV news executives warn that any overt attempt to woo disaffected conservatives risks alienating the millions of viewers who are still watching CBS News programs. CNN’s attempt to try to cater to right-leaning consumers — at the behest of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery — led to a decline in audience that has not bounced back.

One idea circulating at Paramount is having the Free Press remain as an independent entity within the company, providing contributors and commentators to its special coverage, the Sunday round table program “Face the Nation” and streaming channel.

While the Free Press has been embraced by conservatives, Weiss has been fluid in her political leanings, at least in the voting booth. Her recent votes for president were Mitt Romney in 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.

In a video posted last fall, Weiss said the Free Press staff was split three ways between Trump, Harris and undecided in their 2024 vote. She called it a reflection of the nation.

Weiss is pro abortion rights and favors pro-gun control and LGBTQ rights (Weiss is married to Nellie Bowles, a former New York Times journalist who also works at the Free Press).

She has said she was among the many who cried at their desks when Trump was first elected in 2016. But she told Fox News in early 2024 that her view of the president had moderated since, as she approved of his handling of Israel and the economy during his first term.

“I’m the first to admit that I was a sufferer of what conservatives at the time would have called TDS, Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Weiss said.

But the Free Press does not give Trump a free pass as other right-wing outlets have. One of the current lead stories on the site is a highly critical take on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech on warrior ethos given to military leadership on Tuesday.

Staff writer Meg James contributed to this report.

THE devastating terror attack at a Manchester synagogue yesterday unfolded in just seven minutes, with the rampage leaving two dead and four injured.

Early yesterday morning, on Yom Kippur, prayers began at Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

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But the peace was shattered at 9.30am, when the sound of screeching tyres came down the road.

The holy day quickly became one of horror that saw two people – Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitzwas, 66, – tragically killed.

Attacker scouted area before crashing into the gates

Ten minutes before the attack, former Tory minister Grant Shapps‘ father-in-law came “face-to-face” with the terrorist.

The man had scouted the location and argued with security when they would not allow him into the grounds.

“He was claiming that it’s a free country and he should be able to walk in the grounds,” Shapps told the Times.

“Then he came back ten minutes later in the car.”

The carnage began at 9.30am when the black Kia hatchback crashed into the gates of the synagogue after “driving erratically” down the road.

He was stabbing ‘anyone near him’

Witnesses said that the “second” the driver leaped out of the vehicle, he began “stabbing anyone near him”.

“He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue,” an eyewitness said.

The attacker – believed to be 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie – reportedly tried to “stab the window to get in” after those inside barricaded the doors.

An eyewitness said prayers had started when the horror unfolded but Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading the service, remained calm and led the congregation to safety with the help of others.

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Police called as public barricaded doors

At 9.31am, police scrambled to Crumpsall, north of Manchester.

A member of the public called the police saying he had seen a car being driven towards a crowd and one man had been stabbed.

The man had tried to kick down the doors, and then tried to use his knife to get in.

When that failed, he resorted to the plant pots that were outside to try smash in the windows.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed the man believed to be the offender was wearing a vest which had the “appearance of an explosive device” as the horror unfolded.

Shocking aftermath pictures revealed what is believed to be a bomb belt and a knife near the attacker.

However, cops have since revealed that the device the suspect was wearing was “not viable”.

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Armed cops swarmed the scene

At 9.34am, three minutes after police arrived, armed cops were deployed at the scene as more details of the horrifying rampage emerged.

GMP declared PLATO and a major incident at 9.37am – which means terrorism is suspected but not confirmed.

The area around the synagogue in Crumpsall was swamped by dozens of police vehicles, along with fire and ambulance crews, while a force helicopter hovered overhead.

Police officers dressed in black combat fatigues and carrying machine guns could also be seen inside the cordon outside the synagogue.

Bomb scare as shots fired

In video shared on social media, an onlooker could be heard saying that the suspect “has got a bomb on him” and appeared to be trying to press a button to detonate it.

“He’s going to blow himself up, he’s trying to press the button,” the person is heard to say – before there a gunshot rings out and the suspect falls to the ground.

After warning the man several times to stand down to no avail, the armed officers opened fire.

The attacker was shot dead at 9.38am – but GMP said they could not confirm his death for sure.

This was because of safety concerns about the “bomb vest” he appeared to be wearing – but was later revealed to be unviable.

Dad-of-three Yoni Finlay – who helped barricade the doors – was injured either by a stray police bullet or from glass when the bullet hit the door.

He was taken to hospital, reportedly undergoing surgery.

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Emergency services on scene

A white lorry marked ‘Bomb Disposal’ arrived at the scene and went behind the cordon outside the synagogue.

A “loud bang” was heard, which police have confirmed was from specialist officers gaining entry to the suspect’s vehicle “as a precaution”.

Paramedics arrived at the scene at soon after at 9.41am and began tending to members of the public.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer – who flew back from Denmark early to chair Cobra – announced that security is being stepped up at every synagogue across the country.

Starmer said: “The attack in Manchester this morning is absolutely shocking, and all of our thoughts are with those affected.

“I am on my way back to London. When I arrive, I will chair an emergency Cobra meeting.”

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Cops raid nearby street

The Mayor of London also announced the Met Police is deploying patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across the capital.

Later in the day, at 11.38am, a nearby residential street was cordoned off as cops searched houses.

A neighbour of a house raided in Langley Crescent, Prestwich, which appears to be a council house, said she recognised its occupant from photographs of the synagogue attacker.

She told The Telegraph: “He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here.

“I recognised him from the pictures of the attacker. I recognised his little car, the Kia, because he’d always park it badly outside ours.

“I’d see him walking around in his pyjamas and slip-on sandals, carrying a shopping bag.

“He was quite bulked up and used to keep his exercise weights in his garage. I’d see them there.”

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Three arrested on suspicion of terrorism

Two men were spotted being led away in handcuffs, and it was later confirmed that three people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – were arrested.

The trio are being held on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. 

Police confirmed that the attack was declared a terrorist incident and an investigation into the horror is being led by Counter Terrorist Officers.

Operation Plato – cops’ response to marauding terrorist attacks – was stood down, but it remains a major incident.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

Large numbers of Jewish people attend synagogues and fast on this day.

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Attacker identified

Yesterday evening, it emerged that the man shot dead is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie.

In an update the force said: “We are now able to confirm that, although formal identification is yet to take place, we believe the person responsible for the attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie.

“He is a British citizen of Syrian descent.”

His name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service counter-terrorism records, and he is not thought to have been under current investigation.

However, further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations.

The Home Office confirmed to The Sun that he came to the UK as a young child and was granted citizenship in 2006 as a minor.

He was not known to the police, the Home Secretary has confirmed.

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Attack declared a terrorist incident

Speaking on GB News, Shabana Mahmood said: “In terms of the attacker, this individual was not known to the security services.

“He has obviously been shot dead at the scene, but the police investigations will now continue at pace.”

She thanked members of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall and the police, saying their actions helped save lives.

Speaking at a press conference earlier Chief Constable Stephen Watson branded the attack as a “horrific incident.”

He said: “My thoughts, and those of my officers and staff, are with the families of the loved ones who have been affected by today’s horrific incident, on what is the Jewish community’s holiest day: Yom Kippur.

“This has been officially declared as a terrorist incident, and the investigation is now being led by Counter Terrorist Police.

“We can confirm that two members of our Jewish community have sadly died as a result of this attack.

“Following a rapid response, armed officers from Greater Manchester Police intercepted the offender and he was fatally shot by officers, within seven minutes of the initial call”, he added.

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Two victims named

This morning, two men who tragically died in the rampage were named as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.

Three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries. One sustained a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack.

Cops said: “The third man later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes said: “My deepest sympathies are with Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz’s loved ones at this extremely hard time.

“Specially trained Family Liaison Officers are in contact with them.

“They will continue to update them on the investigation and support them throughout the coronial process.

“Whilst there are processes which must be followed, we commit to being mindful of cultural preferences and sensitivities and to ensuring that these men and their loved ones’ wishes are respected.”

Home Office post-mortems will take place later today, a statement from Greater Manchester Police confirmed this morning.

ARSENAL under-19s midfielder Louie Copley was handed a straight red card in his team’s Uefa Youth League match against Olympiacos today.

The team skipper was sent off for a crunching tackle on Argyrios Liatsikouras just 15 minutes into the game at Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park.

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Copley, 18, who signed a professional deal with the club in July, could have few complaints with Italian referee Matteo Marcenaro and it certainly changed the game.

Fellow midfielder Harrison Dudziak took the captain’s armband but Arsenal struggled and conceded twice in the first half to trail 2-0.

Ethan Cortes and Christos Filis were on target for the Greeks.

Olympiacos seemed a lot more pumped-up for the game but Arsenal did improve in the second half despite only having 10 men.

And with seven minutes left, Arsenal sub Josh Ogunnaike pulled one back.

The 17-year-old almost got an equaliser with just seconds left to play, but his effort was saved.

The attempted fightback proved to be unsuccessful for the hosts as they went on to lose 2-1 at Meadow Park.

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who has previously worked in the youth set-up, was watching from the terraces.

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Arsenal lost their first Uefa Youth League game 3-1, away to Athletic Bilbao.

The Gunners currently sit 28th in the UEFA Youth League table with no points from two games.

THE world’s tallest bridge has opened to the public — cutting journeys from a staggering two hours to just two minutes.

China‘s Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou province is a whopping nine times higher than the Golden Gate Bridge and twice the height of the Eiffel Tower.

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It is almost as tall as the 632-metre, 128-story Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest building.

As well as breaking world-records, the bridge has increases connectivity in the region.

Locals were previously forced to spend almost two hours navigating the vast canyon.

But now, travel time is reduced to just two minutes.

The mighty structure took three years to build, requiring advanced technologies, such as satellite navigation and drones.

Soaring 2,050 feet over the Beipan River, travelling over the world’s tallest bridge will not be for the fainthearted.

The gargantuan structure features massive steel reinforcements weighing 215 metric tons.

These will help support the heavy loads going across the 0.9 mile-long structure.

Officials also believe the crossing will stimulate economic development in Guizhou, one of China’s lesser developed provinces. 

Chen Jianlei, deputy director of Guizhou Transport Department told China Daily: “The completion of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge will strengthen economic ties between [neighbouring cities] Guiyang, Anshun and Qianxinan, fostering regional economic integration.”

The chief engineer of the record-breaking bridge has said that seeing his project come to life gives him “a profound sense of achievement and pride.”

The central element of the bridge, its primary load-bearing part, is made up of 93 segments weighing a collective 22,000 tons – or three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

Work on the £227 million project began in 2022.

Until it opens, the title of tallest bridge in the world will remain with the Beipanjiang Bridge in Guizhou province around 200 miles north of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge.

The bridge with four lanes of traffic was finished in 2016 and stands 1788 feet over the Beipan River.

Meanwhile, construction has started once again on the world’s tallest skyscraper that was left half-built seven years ago.

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower, once completed, will be three times taller than the Shard and will dwarf all other developments.

The enormous tower would stand 3,280ft high when completed.

The Jeddah Tower has long been touted as the next Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building in Dubai, at 2,723ft.

Following the unveiling of incredible plans for one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, which will include the highest nightclub and observation deck on the planet.

The Burj Azizi also set for Dubai will be a staggering 2,379ft tall.

Azizi Developments say construction of the £1.15 billion tower – twice the size of The Shard – has already begun and is expected to be completed in 2028.

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The UN on Friday warned of devastating consequences for civilians in the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces intensified their attacks via airstrikes on the besieged enclave at an alarming frequency, Anadolu reports

Citing the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that “Israeli forces have stepped up their operations over the past 24 hours, with devastating consequences for civilians. On average, this meant an airstrike every eight or nine minutes.”

He said the UN teams monitoring population movement “counted about 16,500 displaced people from Northern Gaza to the south” on Thursday alone.

Dujarric noted that aid workers remain positioned along displacement routes to provide support but warned of mounting challenges.

“Aid workers remain stationed along displacement routes, offering psychosocial first aid, referring people to specialized services when needed, and educating new arrivals on the danger of explosive ordinances,” he said.

Despite these efforts, hundreds of thousands of people remain in Gaza City amid widespread insecurity. They rely heavily on humanitarian assistance because more critical services have been forced to close or relocate, he said.

On Israel’s continued access restrictions, he reported that on Thursday, “out of 15 movements that we tried to coordinate with Israeli authorities to support people in different parts of Gaza, only seven were fully facilitated.”

Dujarric stressed that OCHA has urged Israel to “fully facilitate humanitarian operations, including unimpeded movements of aid into and across the Gaza Strip.”

Turning to the situation in the occupied West Bank, he said more than 3,000 Palestinians, half of them children, have been displaced by illegal Israeli settler attacks and Israeli access restrictions since October 2023.

Every episode of “South Park” opens with a disclaimer: “All characters and events in this show — even those based on real people — are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated … poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone.”

While some of that language must be required by an exhausted legal team behind the scenes, the long-running satirical cartoon is known for pressing hot-button topics and rapidly churning out searing parodies. Season 27, which premiered in July, is no exception, focusing on President Trump, his associates, policies and other current events. Some members of Trump’s cabinet have been outspoken about their likeness appearing in “South Park,” but others have shrugged it off. Over the years, the animated series has depicted conservatives and liberals alike, leaving almost no public figure, politician or activist shielded from critique or crude depiction.

This season has had an unusual cadence of episodes, with the first two arriving on a weekly schedule, then biweekly before the arrival of Episode 5, which aired three weeks later on Wednesday. The delayed episode arrived after the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose debate style was depicted in the Episode 2. However, “South Park” creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone told the Denver Post the delay was unrelated to recent events, like Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, or the content: “No one pulled the episode, no one censored us, and you know we’d say so if true.” The pair had issued a statement on Sept. 17 saying the episode wasn’t finished in time. Future episodes will air every two weeks through Dec. 10.

Here is a guide to every parody and reference so far on this season of “South Park.”

This story will be updated with each new episode.

‘Sermon on the ‘Mount,’ Episode 1

Cartman in “Sermon on the ‘Mount.”

(Comedy Central)

Cutting funding to the Corp. for Public Broadcasting

Cartman is dismayed to find out National Public Radio has lost its federal funding after he tunes in to hear static — an NPR program is his “favorite show,” he says, where “all the liberals b— and whine about stuff.” He rants to his friends about how the government “can’t cancel a show” and wonders what might be next on the chopping block.

In July, the Senate voted to approve the Trump White House’s proposal to claw back roughly $1 billion in federal funding previously allocated for public broadcasting. NPR and PBS are still operating despite the funding cuts, but layoffs and reduced programming are expected.

Christianity in public schools

Head of South Park Elementary PC Principal, whose name was a play on the initialism for politically correct, announces to the school that his name now stands for “Power Christian Principal.” He holds an assembly where he says that “our Lord and savior Jesus Christ” is the only thing that can bring back some normalcy to these “corrupt times.” He proceeds to welcome Jesus to the assembly as a guest speaker. When the students go back home, their parents and the people of South Park are alarmed to hear about the emphasis on Christianity — and the presence of Jesus — in the town’s public school.

Trump has previously endorsed displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms amid a push to incorporate more Christianity into public schools.

‘Woke is dead’

The phrase frequently used by Trump was inscribed on a T-shirt Cartman wears after he realizes the concept of “wokeness” is no longer prominent. “Everyone hates the Jews, everyone’s fine with using gay slurs,” he says, lamenting that he no longer feels purpose if there’s no wokeness to contest.

Karoline Leavitt

The White House press secretary is depicted corralling the president, sporting a large cross necklace, as she often does during press briefings. Leavitt tells Trump a lot of his supporters are starting to turn against him and begs him to talk to them, adding that they’re “really riled up.” Trump’s base has expressed frustration over the administration’s approach to sharing information about the Jeffery Epstein case after he promised more transparency about the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in 2019, and the sex trafficking investigation involving the late financier.

President Trump

Trump appears this season with an image of his face over an animated body, frequently repeating the phrase “Relax, guy” and threatening lawsuits against anyone who’s in his way. He is shown berating a White House portrait painter for an unflattering depiction of him and there are references to the size of the president’s genitalia. He’s also depicted as being in an abusive relationship with Satan — in which Trump is the abuser. “South Park” has previously depicted Satan as being the victim in an abusive relationship with Saddam Hussein.

The Epstein list

Satan laments the speculation that Trump’s name is on the “Epstein list,” a purported list of his alleged clients. In reality, the Justice Department has said no such list exists, walking back comments Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi made in a Fox News interview earlier this year that the list was “sitting on my desk” in preparation for release. When the list is brought up in the series, fictional Trump says, “Are we still talking about that?,” mirroring comments he made in real life.

CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ and Paramount drama

The stopwatch featured in the introduction to “60 Minutes” is strapped to a bomb when it appears on “South Park.” The hosts of the show are visibly nervous and continue praising the president while covering his lawsuit against the town of South Park, adding that they don’t agree with Trump’s detractors.

The scene references the legal tussle between Trump and Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, which airs “60 Minutes.” The president sued over edits to a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which led to Paramount agreeing to pay $16 million to settle the lawsuit in July; shortly after, the Federal Communications Commission, led by a Trump appointee, approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance.

Between the settlement and merger approval, CBS announced it is canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” Colbert frequently skewers the president on his show, and Trump praised the cancellation. Paramount also recently bought the global streaming rights to “South Park” in a lucrative $1.5-billion deal for Parker and Stone.

During the episode’s fictitious “60 Minutes” segment over Trump’s lawsuit against the town, Jesus comes to visit the townspeople. Through whispers, he tells them, “I didn’t want to come back and be in the school, but I had to because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount.”

“The president’s suing you?” a protester asks.

Jesus, through clenched teeth, explains: “The guy can do what he wants now that someone backed down. … You guys saw what happened to CBS? Well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? You guys gotta stop being stupid. … If someone has the power of the presidency and also has the power to sue and take bribes, then he can do anything to anyone.”

“All of you, shut the f— up or South Park is over!” Jesus says.

The people of South Park end up settling their lawsuit with the president for $3.5 million, saying it will be fine as long as they cut some funding for their schools, hospitals and roads. And as part of the settlement, they have to agree to “pro-Trump messaging.” Cut to a live-action deepfake video of Trump trekking through the desert in a show of loyalty to his supporters before he strips naked.

‘Got a Nut,’ Episode 2

Cartman becomes a podcaster in Episode 2.

(Comedy Central)

Note: This episode aired on Aug. 6, more than a month before political commentator Charlie Kirk, who is parodied throughout the episode, was shot and killed.

ICE recruitment and immigration raids

This episode is focused on the ongoing raids carried out across the country by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security officials since earlier this year.

When South Park Elementary counselor Mr. Mackey is fired — the government is doing away with needless spending in schools, he’s told — he signs up for a job with ICE, enticed by a generous signing bonus and a higher salary. Mackey watches a promotional video, complete with animations of officers wearing gaiters and a theme song: “We don’t ask for experience, just show up / We don’t care if you’ve read a book or grown up / If you’re crazy or fat and lazy, we don’t care at all … If you need a job, it’s a job to have.”

Mackey is hired with alarming speed and proceeds to go on his first raid, targeting a “Dora the Explorer” live show, which has a not-so-intimidating audience of young children and abuelitas. After ICE agents hear from protesters that there are “many Latinos in heaven,” they make the pearly gates their next stop.

Kristi Noem

The Department of Homeland Security secretary leads ICE agents through a series of raids this episode, but she first appears in an orientation video. She tells the new recruits, “A few years ago, I had to put my puppy down by shooting it in the face because sometimes doing what’s important means doing what’s hard,” and she proceeds to going on a shooting spree targeting yelping puppies (including Krypto the Superdog) throughout the episode. In her 2024 book, Noem wrote about how she killed her 14-month-old dog for exhibiting aggressive behavior.

She’s also seen rounding up as many immigrants as possible in raids, shouting orders like, “If it’s brown, it goes down.”

And in a running gag, her face periodically melts off, requiring a glam squad equivalent to a pit crew, and at one point, it seems to take on a life of its own. Trump also says her face “freaks me out” during the episode.

Noem responded to the depiction on Glenn Beck’s podcast, calling it “lazy” to target her looks. “If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can’t, they just pick something petty like that,” she said.

Right-wing debate podcasts

While conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk does not appear as a character in this episode, his style of debate content — and his name — are featured.

Loudmouthed Cartman is frustrated that so many others, namely his classmate Clyde Donovan, are profiting off of “his shtick” of arguing against liberal views.

Clyde has a debate podcast, inviting viewers to watch as he “totally destroys these woke liberal students.” He’s set up in a tent on a college campus where he waits as a line of students come to speak with him, and he challenges them to “prove me wrong.” Cartman eventually takes over, saying that he is the “master debater” and sporting a haircut similar to Kirk’s. He shuts down his opponents’ arguments with phrases like, “You just hate America and you love abortions.”

Clyde and Cartman’s content replicates Kirk’s well-known style. The founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA frequently toured college campuses and hosted events just like the one depicted in the episode. The phrase “prove me wrong” was used frequently by Kirk to promote his events, inviting students to challenge his political and cultural views.

On Sept. 10, Kirk was shot and killed while hosting such an event at Utah Valley University, the first stop of his “American Comeback” tour. Weeks before he was killed, Kirk responded to the episode with a 30-minute YouTube video, finding it humorous.

“I think a lot of it was hilarious towards me,” he said. “Some of it was very funny and I don’t think we should have too thick of skin.”

He also touched on the reach of his organization and events, noting that his name is enshrined in “The Charlie Kirk Award for Young Masterdebaters” that Cartman and Clyde compete for in the episode. “So a campus thing I’ve been doing for 13 years to debate random college kids has now been so important that it gets prominent prime-time placement on Comedy Central?” he asked through laughs. “I think the whole thing is just awesome and hilarious.”

Mar-a-Lago

When Mr. Mackey is rewarded for good work as an ICE agent, he’s flown to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where he frequently stays and hosts events.

He’s greeted by giggling women who hand him a drink and put flower leis around his neck before the president meets him and gives him a brief tour of Mar-a-Lago. While there, Mackey accidentally walks in on two older men receiving massages from younger women, one of whom is a tearful Dora, detained in the raid that took place earlier in the episode. The scene is likely a reference to Epstein and accounts from survivors who say they were forced to give massages to him and his associates. Trump said this summer that Epstein “stole” young women who worked at the Mar-a-Lago spa, which caused them to have a falling-out.

JD Vance

The vice president is depicted as a version of Tattoo, the character from late-’70s drama “Fantasy Island,” and is animated similarly as Trump, except the photo used for his face is lifted directly from viral memes. He often does the president’s bidding, calling him “boss.” In turn, Trump frequently calls Vance “stupid.” Acknowledging the caricature, Vance wrote on X, “Well, I’ve finally made it.”

‘Sickofancy,’ Episode 3

Randy begins microdosing ketamine and Towelie goes to Washington, D.C., in this episode.

(Comedy Central)

Immigration raid at cannabis farm

Randy’s hemp farm business, Tegridy Farms, is the site of an immigration raid at the the beginning of this episode. While Randy is shooting a commercial, complete with calming guitar music and a trite script, ICE officers interrupt by detaining almost all the workers. “You sons of b—,” Randy screams after the vans as they drive away. “Those are my Mexicans!”

In July, chaotic raids targeting a cannabis company’s growing site and greenhouse in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties drew national attention after a man who was fleeing immigration officials died.

Microdosing ketamine

With his business in shambles, Randy rethinks his strategy with the help of an over-complimentary AI chatbot. Perhaps in a nod to Trump’s former ally and onetime “special government employee” Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman behind Tesla, SpaceX and X, Randy turns to ketamine. Randy insists a slew of “tech guys” are taking small doses of ketamine and the drug “gives their minds the edge to work with AI.” Ketamine “bolsters our focus and creativity,” he tells his partner Towelie. Under the influence of the drug, Randy transforms Tegridy Farms from a “quaint farm” into an “AI-powered marijuana platform for global solutions.”

Musk’s use of ketamine and other drugs has been previously reported, with the tech leader saying in a 2024 interview that ketamine has been prescribed to him and is “helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind.” He has denied abusing it. “If you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done. I have a lot of work, I’m typically putting in 16-hour days,” he said. “So I don’t really have a situation where I can be not mentally acute for an extended period of time.”

Musk supported Trump’s campaign and served as an advisor to the president, helming the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year with the goal of slashing spending.

Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook

Meta and Apple chief executives Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook, who were both present at Trump’s inauguration and have maintained friendly relationships with him, are both portrayed in this episode as members of a long line outside of the Oval Office waiting to bestow a gift on the president.

“Mr. President, your ideas for the tech industry are so innovative,” Cook says to Trump. Cook gives the president a gift on behalf of Apple, which actually happened this summer. Zuckerberg is later seen giving the president a gift that appears to be a gold and bejeweled Meta virtual reality headset.

Luxury jet from Qatar

Qatar’s leader is also seen in line holding a model gold plane with a tag that says “Air Force One.” Like everyone else, the leader compliments the president and insists his genitalia is not small before giving him the gift. Trump and the Defense Department accepted a luxury Boeing 747 aircraft from Qatar for President Trump to use as Air Force One this summer, despite ongoing questions about the ethics and legality of taking the expensive gift from a foreign nation.

Washington, D.C.

When Towelie takes a trip to the capital in this episode, he sees armed troops guarding monuments like the Washington and Lincoln memorials and the Capitol surrounded by tanks and jets. In the episode, the Lincoln Memorial has been replaced by a statue of a stern-faced Trump with exposed genitalia.

In August, Trump called up National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to “reestablish law and order” by targeting criminals — though crime has been down in the city — and the homeless. Although troops were not initially armed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later ordered them to carry service-issued weapons.

Reclassifying marijuana

Randy sends Towelie to meet with Trump and give him a gift in hopes of persuading him to reclassify marijuana on the national level. (The gift is Towelie himself.) Randy, in the form of a hologram, tells Trump he thinks they can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Trump said in an August press conference that his administration was considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, which would be a significant change in policy but would not make the drug legal across the country.

‘Wok is Dead,’ Episode 4

Butters buys a Labubu for his girlfriend.

(Comedy Central)

Tariffs and Labubus

The clerk at the City Pop-Up — rebranded from City Wok — the lone purveyor of Labubus in the area, says the popular dolls are hard to keep in stock, and they’re very expensive because of tariffs. The “mystery box” that Butters has to purchase for the chance of getting the exact Labubu his girlfriend wants sets him back $85, and later, the price shoots up to $120 to offset a rise in tariffs. (The real-life dolls often fetch much more than that on resale sites, especially if they are rare.) When Butters balks at the price, the store owner explains that the cost of tariffs is passed onto the customer.

Fox News

This episode shows a clip from a Fox News segment where an anchor is overly complimentary of the president. The anchor says the president will take questions from a “diverse crowd of reporters” after returning to the U.S. from a historic tariff summit, only to reveal all of the reporters are from Fox.

The Fox News reporters also fixate on President Trump’s relationship with his wife, Melania, and his increasingly frequent appearances with Satan. There’s a heavy use of wordplay that suggests the anchors could be asking about the affair between the president and Satan or about whether Trump is actually the devil himself.

Kid Rock

Fox News reporters check in with Trump ally Kid Rock after breaking the news that — buckle up — Trump has impregnated Satan. A sobbing Kid Rock tells the reporters, “I’m just so happy.” The musician is a friend and ardent supporter of Trump, having performed at his inaugural rally in January and spoken many times publicly about his support of the president.

‘Conflict of Interest,’ Episode 5

South Park Season 27, Episode 5 “Conflict of Interest”

(Comedy Central)

Israel and Gaza

Kyle becomes irate when his classmates place bets on a popular market prediction app that his mother would “strike Gaza and destroy a Palestinian hospital.”

This episode marks the first time this season that the show has touched on the current conflict in Gaza, and it referenced real-life Israeli strikes on hospitals in the area.

Donald Trump Jr.

Trump’s eldest son appears in this episode as someone with many roles — he’s a strategic advisor for predictive markets, he answers the phone for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and also acts as a special advisor to Israel. Although he wears all those hats, the series doesn’t portray him as particularly bright — he has a complete conversation over the phone with himself.

He’s also animated to look as if he’s had extensive plastic surgery and he speaks with a strained voice, as if he can’t move his face.

Trump Jr. holds several key roles in his family’s business and his father’s political sphere in real life, and he serves as an advisor to both Polymart and Kalshi, two prediction market apps that are named and spoofed in this episode.

Trump’s stance on abortion

Less keen on the baby he’s expecting with Satan, Trump looks for different ways to harm the pregnancy in hopes of terminating it. He asks Satan if he wants to smoke and hang out in a hot tub, holds up a wire hanger, tries to get him to trip down the stairs or fall under a pile of cat feces, and even makes Satan a soup full of emergency contraceptive pills.

In reality, Trump has repeatedly shifted his messaging on abortion but has most recently said he believes specific abortion policies and access should be decided not by federal law but by individual states.

Brendan Carr

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission comes into the fold this episode when Kyle goes through several hoops to try to file a complaint over the bet involving his mom, which he finds offensive. The FCC is “dealing with all the offensive stuff now,” Kyle is told.

Carr says he needs to speak with the president after learning about the offensive content, but he ends up falling victim to all of Trump’s antics in his attempt to terminate Satan’s pregnancy, which send him to the hospital. The doctors say they’re “afraid he may lose his freedom of speech.”

Vance later threatens Carr, who keeps interfering with Trump’s attempts to end Satan’s pregnancy (Vance doesn’t want anything to mess with his proximity to the presidency). “We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way,” Vance says to Carr.

Those words match the phrase Carr said in real life a week before this episode aired in reference to his call on ABC to act on comments late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made about Kirk’s suspected killer and his death. Carr has remained in the headlines since then as backlash grew against the FCC’s role in Kimmel’s suspension.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Frustrated by the bet about her and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Kyle’s mom storms into the office of the Israeli prime minister. “Just who do you think you are, killing thousands and flattening neighborhoods, then wrapping yourself in Judaism like it’s some shield from criticism?” she says. “You’re making life for Jews miserable and life for American Jews impossible.” She continues to berate him and a group of officials while the credits roll. Netanyahu does not say anything in response.

The recent suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is an attack on democracy. Though not necessarily the democracy one might think.

Free speech is protected by the 1st Amendment. This grants the late-night host the freedom to say whatever he thinks without fear of arrest or state-sanctioned violence. It does not necessarily guarantee that he will not be censured, or fired, if his remarks violate his employer’s rules or standards.

President Trump discovered this in 2015 when, citing inflammatory remarks the then-presidential candidate made about undocumented Mexican immigrants, NBC — the network that aired “The Apprentice” and Trump’s Miss Universe pageant — cut ties with him.

This is the most obvious explanation for Trump declaring war on television, despite it being the industry that, via “The Apprentice” and a deluge of coverage during his first presidential campaign, helped propel him to the presidency. Paybacks are a b— and this particular president thrives on them.

And it is definitely war. Trump has a long history of attacking various TV networks and personalities, including Kimmel. The regularity, name-checking and vitriol of these attacks far outstrip the anger many presidents have expressed toward the media, but they are in keeping with Trump’s general brand of “whataboutism” and victimization.

A brand that last year a majority of voters decided, in a free and fair election, represented their best interests.

What they did not vote for, because it was not part of Trump’s platform or promises, was the weaponization of his office in general, and the FCC in particular, to destroy the democracy of broadcast television.

First by a spurious suit against “60 Minutes,” which many believe was settled to allow the sale of Paramount Global to Skydance Media to go forward, then with CBS (owned by Paramount) canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and now with the suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Television is an industry that relies on a continual public voting system — people watch or they don’t watch, and the networks renew, cancel and tweak their programming accordingly. This is an oversimplification of a byzantine and often mysterious system that often involves the personal preferences of network executives and, increasingly, algorithms, but essentially the viewers are in charge — with their eyeballs and, occasionally, their outrage.

If, as the president claims, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had been canceled due to its low ratings or suspended after Kimmel’s recent remarks caused longtime viewers to inundate ABC or the show’s sponsors with messages of outrage, fans would have been upset, but it would have been a mere blip in the news cycle.

But that is not what happened. Instead, a handful of conservative pundits who have made it their business to punish anyone who mentions slain influencer Charlie Kirk with anything but near-sanctification used a few ill-chosen but innocuous lines regarding the crime in Kimmel’s opening monologue Monday to call for swift and terrible retribution.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr answered the call. On the podcast “The Benny Show,” hosted by right-wing political commentator Benny Johnson, he threatened television affiliates with regulatory action if they did not take action against Kimmel.

He did so knowing that Nexstar, which owns many of those affiliates, was attempting to buy Tegna, in order to gain control of over 80% of U.S. television stations. That merger would require not just FCC approval but Carr’s willingness to eliminate the rule that prevents any media company from owning more than 39% of television stations.

Nexstar appeared to do precisely what Carr demanded of them. As did ABC/Disney, which decided that the loss of revenue from these affiliates, and the animosity of Trump and his supporters, posed a bigger threat than the potential fallout from pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air. (And good luck getting the four-time Oscars host to emcee this ceremony again in the future.)

Perhaps it did. But given that “seize the media” and “silence comedians” are historical hallmarks of totalitarianism, the resulting three-day-and-counting news cycle, in which Carr, Trump and Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger have been regularly accused of dismantling democracy, has given anti-MAGA forces a new and legitimate rallying cry.

All while pushing broadcast television just a bit closer to the edge of extinction.

Nexstar denied that it benched Kimmel due to pressure from Carr.

“The decision to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ was made unilaterally by the senior executive team at Nexstar, and they had no communication with the FCC or any government agency prior to making that decision,” Gary Weitman, Nexstar’s chief communications officer, said in a statement.

Trump’s obsession with broadcast networks and late-night hosts is perilous, and not just because it underlines his desire to attack culture with every means at his disposal (including those that may not be legal).

Certainly, it exposes his authoritarian bent, but it also reveals his anachronistic view of the world.

First, in these divisive times, having critics allows your supporters to coalesce around hating them. And second, broadcast television, including and especially late night, has been in its death throes for more than a decade.

As alarming, unacceptable and authoritarian as the attacks on “60 Minutes,” Colbert and Kimmel are, media freedom is not going to die on this particular hill for the simple reason that it is no longer the free media’s main residence.

Carr ordered his hit on Kimmel not from the comforts of “Fox & Friends” but on a podcast. Trump still delivers televised speeches, but most of his communications and policy decisions are delivered via social media.

The tsunami of corporate mergers involving television networks and streaming services have occurred not because these things are profitable tools of power but because, at least separately, they are not. YouTube is the most popular media platform in the country.

As Trump points out, Kimmel’s television ratings are very low — less than 2 million on average. Kimmel himself has said that he and other late-night shows get far more viewers from clips on social media than on television. If he and Colbert decide to take their voices straight to social media, well, good luck controlling that.

There is certainly much to fear in Trump’s brazen attacks on venerable institutions like “60 Minutes” and late-night television (though with conservatives like Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson siding, at least in principle, with Kimmel, things may not be going quite the way Carr or Trump planned), but as Kirk knew, one doesn’t need a television show to be an effective, influential voice.

Seen from one angle, Trump is most certainly attempting to quash what we have come to know as democracy. But from another, it’s a grudge-holding president kicking the industry that helped him achieve power when it’s already struggling for breath.

Channel 4 viewers were left furious at the end of the latest episode of Gogglebox

Furious Gogglebox viewers have vowed to boycott the series after watching tonight’s episode (Friday 19 September).

The telly critics treated fans to their reactions to a disturbing Netflix documentary on catfishing and an emotional moment from Davina McCall’s Long Lost Family.

However, as the conversation turned to current affairs at the end of the episode, viewers were left less than impressed.

The likes of sisters Ellie and Izzi, best friends Jenny and Lee, and pals Abbie and Georgia tuned in to watch news coverage of Tommy Robinson‘s rally last weekend.

Several of them were disgruntled to see Elon Musk make an appearance, while others shared their views on the march.

“When will people work out that immigrants aren’t the problem?” Gogglebox star Helena asked, adding: “My brain can’t understand that level of tribalism.”

“I don’t think you were brought up like that, anyway,” her mum replied, as Helena agreed and laughed: “No, you’ve never said ‘Britain are for the British’ over dinner to me, I’ve noticed that.”

Meanwhile, new couple Andrew and Alfie said: “For f**ks sake,” saying the influence Tommy Robinson has is “frightening”.

“I don’t think this has United the Nation, this is thuggery,” Lee said.

Ellie and Izzi added that they were “genuinely scared” of the people attending the marches, with Ellie saying: “I feel like they’re more likely to be violent towards me as an individual and a woman as a migrant is.”

Meanwhile, other Gogglebox stars took a different view, with Annie telling husband Ronnie: “The people I know who went to it are definitely not far-right fascists.”

As the show ended, Tremaine told his brother Twaine and Tristan: “When I was young, that flag said, ‘Don’t come in this pub’, that flag said, ‘Don’t come down this road’, that flag says, ‘I don’t like you’. I grew up in a time when it was used for that and now it’s being used for that again.”

One person wrote on X: “#Gogglebox turned from entertainment to political in tonight’s show. Switched off, not sure I’ll bother in future.”

Another fumed: “Spent years watching Gogglebox but tonight was the last night after the ‘coverage’ of the @TRobinsonNewEra event on Saturday. Woke propaganda at its best. Did they get extra money for supporting the far far far left?”

Someone else said: “What have the t**ts at @Channel4 done to #gogglebox ! Use to be top television but now unfortunately bullshit left propaganda! Such a shame!”

“Love #Gogglebox hate when the narrative has to be sold,” another wrote.

Someone else seethed: “Should be goggle lefts! extreme bias in force, pathetic to watch, let people have their own opinions not what’s popular among brainwashed sheep. PS I don’t like either side.”

One viewer claimed: “#Gogglebox is a left wing propaganda tool but tonight they really went to a new level with their finishing piece. A smear on the patriots and people who care about their nation marching at the #UniteTheKingdom rally. Completely biased production. The left are losing.”

“Won’t be watching anymore,” one wrote, though someone took a different view, writing: “Another great episode, it gets better every week.”

Another added: “The end of #gogglebox hit hard tonight. Using a flag to gesture that people from other cultures are not welcome. Just wrong. It’s regression.”

Gogglebox airs Fridays at 9pm on Channel 4

On Friday night, Channel 4 viewers tuned in for a brand new instalment of the beloved show, Gogglebox

It looks as though Channel 4 viewers were less than impressed with the latest episode of Gogglebox as more new faces were introduced to the show.

Last week saw the introduction of several newcomers, including Mother and daughter-in-law Sara and Lara, friends Jake and Calum and family Andre, Sarah and daughter Chee, following one recently axed star breaking their silence on being dropped.

However, during the latest episode, another new duo made their debut on the popular show, sisters Rosie and Susie.

Although it looks as though fans of the long-running programme haven’t been blown away with the new additions, with some believing they’re not being genuine.

Taking to X, one person said: “Why so much air time for those Scottish sisters, left one is totally over acting and playing to the camera. So fake, while point is to be normal and react to what your watching. Too much.”

Someone else added: “There is a lot of desperate over acting from the new peeps, making it less authentic. If it wasn’t broken, why ‘fix’ it?”

While a third demanded: “Stop all this performative nonsense and be authentic #Gogglebox”

In agreement, someone else said: “No offence but these new Goggleboxers are not natural they know what #gogglebox fans like and their trying too hard. Not naturally funny [sic] forced.”

Although there were some people who were thrilled with the newcomers, with one person commenting: “Liking the new Scottish sisters already #gogglebox”

The new families on Gogglebox come after Scottish duo Roisin and Joe were axed from the show. The couple first appeared on the Channel 4 show back in 2022 and quickly became fan-favourites of the series.

However, announcing their exit, the duo commented: “”After three and a half years of sitting on the sofa Channel 4 have decided it’s time for Joe and I to stretch out legs and have not asked us back for season 26.

“Therefore we are leaving the Gogglebox family. We couldn’t be more grateful to Studio Lambert for the opportunity, the experience has actually been so mad and we will miss watching TV with you all on Friday nights!

“It’s been an honour to represent Scotland as some of the first Scottish people on the show and prove we don’t actually need subtitles.”

Gogglebox is available to watch on My4.

A TWO-year-old boy was killed as his parents walked him back from the beach, an inquest heard.

Sonny Macdonald was in his pushchair, just minutes away from home, when a car crashed into the family at around 8.15pm on August 16.

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Tragedy struck as the vehicle lost control and smashed through a metal barrier in Gorrell Tank car park, Whitstable, Kent.

Sonny was pronounced dead at the scene, while his parents were rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

An inquest into the two-year-old’s death was opened at Oakwood House in Maidstone on Friday.

Coroner Katrina Hepburn said: “His mother and father witnessed his death, which occurred at approximately 8.24pm.

“[They] were walking back from Whitstable beach from the harbour with Sonny, who was in a pushchair.”

She said the car turned into Cromwell Road, “lost control” and “drove into the family”, as reported by Kent Online.

“The vehicle continued through a metal barrier down onto a car park below, around a six-foot drop, taking Sonny with it,” the coroner added.

Due to an ongoing police investigation, the inquest was adjourned.

Kent Police arrested a man in his 20s at the scene of the horror, on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He has been bailed while investigations are ongoing.

Floral tributes and cuddly toys were left at the scene in wake of the tragedy.

Canterbury and Whitstable MP Rosie Duffield said at the time: “I was shocked and very saddened to hear about the horrific incident in Whitstable, and I cannot begin to imagine what the family of the little boy who lost his life must be going through.

“My thoughts are with them and all caught up in this awful tragedy.

”Thank you to our excellent emergency services and all who were there to help, I hope the Police are able to carry out their investigations swiftly and provide some answers about what happened.

“I would urge anyone who may have been nearby to contact Kent Police in case you may have picked up important evidence on your dashcam, or witnessed something that may turn out to be significant.”

Witnesses who have not yet spoken to police, should call 01622 798538 or email [email protected], quoting reference BN/AL/058/25.

Relevant CCTV and dashcam footage can be uploaded via the online portal.

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