TheSan Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale has left Mayport, Florida, and is returning to the Caribbean to rejoin the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG)/22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a U.S. official confirmed to The War Zone Monday morning. The vessel left on Sunday and is now south of Miami in the Straits of Florida, according to an online ship tracker. It will provide additional air and troop support once it arrives on station. San Antonio class ships can launch and land two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters or two MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft or up to four AH-1Z, UH-1Y or MH-60 helicopters at once. In addition, they can carry Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft or other landing craft and boats in their well deck, and can transport up to 800 Marines.
The San Antonio class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) is on its way back to the Caribbean to rejoin the ongoing enhanced counter-narcotics mission. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Savannah L. Hardesty) Petty Officer 2nd Class Savannah Hardesty
The Fort Lauderdale is set to rejoin a flotilla of at least eight other surface warships plus a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine arrayed for an enhanced counter-narcotics mission also aimed, at least partially, at Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro. The Henry J. Kaiser class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Kanawha is in the region as well, the Navy official told us. In addition, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and one of its escort ships, the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge, are currently in the western Mediterranean Sea, heading toward the Caribbean, a U.S. Navy official told The War Zone. It could take as long as another week for those ships to arrive in the Caribbean, the official added.
🔎🇺🇸Final Alignment: CSG 12 Appears almost Ready for Southcom Pivot
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) remains visually unescorted in the Central Mediterranean (Nov 1). This could be a calculated tactical decision to facilitate the nearby replenishment of a key escort.
The MV Ocean Trader – a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship modified to carry special operators and their gear – has also appeared in several places around the Caribbean in recent weeks. Navy officials and U.S. Special Operations Command have declined to comment on this vessel. The ship, which TWZ first reported on back in 2016, has been something of a ghost since entering service, popping up in hot spots around the globe.
There is also an increasing buildup on the land. Reuters noted that the U.S. is continuing to make improvements at the former Roosevelt Roads Navy base for use by combat and cargo aircraft. Since August, the facility has been used as a central logistics hub, with frequent landings by airlifters and by aircraft from the 22nd MEU as well. The new additions include Mobile Aircraft Arresting Systems for stopping incoming fast jets. As we have reported in the past, Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighters are already operating from there and the MAAS can help support I fighters during emergencies. The incoming USS Gerald R. Ford’s air wing, for instance, could use the base as a divert location.
The military has also set up 20 tents at the installation.
📍José Aponte de la Torre Airport, #UnitedStates (🇺🇸)
Recent @Reuters photos from José Aponte de la Torre Airport viewing the ongoing C-17A Globemaster III logistics operations unloading cargo at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. pic.twitter.com/mgpPjJxwOu
Satellite images show construction of an ammunition storage facility at the airport at Rafael Hernandez Airport, the second-busiest civilian airport in Puerto Rico.
Reuters also found significant changes at Rafael Hernandez Airport. The US military has moved in communications gear and a mobile air traffic control tower. Satellite images show construction of an ammunition storage facility at the airport -Reuters pic.twitter.com/L3lRCwr3kU
Beyond Puerto Rico, the U.S. has set up a new radar system at an airport in St. Croix.
A AN/TPS-75, which acts as the primary land-based tactical air defense radar for the U.S. Air Force, seen deployed late last month at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on the Island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, just to the southeast of Puerto Rico and roughly 450 miles to the… pic.twitter.com/eaC3vEybgU
Despite the buildup, the Trump administration’s goal remains unclear. In an interview on Sunday with CBS News’ 60 Minutes, President Donald Trump offered a mixed message about his plans for Venezuela.
Asked if the U.S. was going to war with the South American nation, Trump answered, “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly, not only on drugs – they’ve dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country that we didn’t want, people from prisons – they emptied their prisons into our country.”
Later in the interview, the president was asked if “Maduro’s days as president are numbered.”
“I would say ‘yeah. I think so, yeah,” Trump responded. The American leader, however, declined to offer any details about what that meant.
“I’m not gonna tell you what I’m gonna do with Venezuela, if I was gonna do it or if I wasn’t going to do it,” he explained when queried about whether he will order land attacks in Venezuela.
As for why the Ford carrier strike group is heading toward the Caribbean, Trump explained, “it’s gotta be somewhere. It’s a big one.”
Moscow “resolutely condemns the use of excessive military force” by the U.S. in the Caribbean,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that Russia fully supports the Venezuelan government in its efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and maintain the region as a “zone of peace.”
Amid the growing tensions, Russian aircraft have landed in Venezuela. potentially with military supplies, Defense News reported last week.
A russian Il-76 landed in Venezuela following Maduro’s appeal to the russian Federation for military assistance, – Defense News.
These aircraft were previously used to transport weapons, military equipment, and even russian mercenaries. pic.twitter.com/M6cC7Srwz8
Meanwhile, as Trump maintains a level of strategic ambiguity about his objectives toward Maduro, the U.S “has begun detailed planning for a new mission to send American troops and intelligence officers into Mexico to target drug cartels,” NBC News reported Monday morning. That possibility and how it could happen were subjects we examined in great detail back in February, which you can read about here.
While no deployments are imminent, training for such a mission is already underway, the network added.
“The U.S. troops, many of whom would be from Joint Special Operations Command, would operate under the authority of the U.S. intelligence community, known as Title 50 status,” NBC posited, citing two anonymous U.S. officials. ”They said officers from the CIA also would participate.”
These operations would have U.S. troops in Mexico “mainly use drone strikes to hit drug labs and cartel members and leaders,” the report continued. “Some of the drones that special forces would use require operators to be on the ground to use them effectively and safely, the officials said.”
As we have previously wrote, such an operation would be precedent-setting. While U.S. troops like Green Berets from the 7th Special Forces Group routinely work with Mexican forces, training them to hit cartels and serving as observers on raids, there has yet to be a known U.S. military kinetic action inside Mexico.
The most famous example of a covert strike using U.S. troops under Title 50 authority was the 2011 Navy SEAL attack on al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, but what NBC is describing is a much more sustained operation with increased risks, a former White House official under the first Trump administration told us.
“This seems like more of a campaign,” Javed Ali, who worked in the National Security Council’s (NSC) counterterrorism unit during the first Trump administration, explained. “What the administration is trying to achieve under Title 50 is ostensibly to use military force, but covertly. But in this day of social media, it is harder to not have that revealed. They lose the element of surprise.”
Ali raised an additional concern. Would the cartels, who already have operatives in the United States, strike back if they were attacked in Mexico?
“The enemy gets a vote,” Ali suggested. “Would the cartels be so bold to actually conduct attacks inside the United States is an open question. If a cartel lab gets blown up or cartel leaders are killed in drone strikes, how would they respond? Inside the government, I would have to think they are looking at all those contingencies.”
Still, even with these risks, it seems clear the Trump is willing to go further than his predecessors in hopes of significantly reducing the flow of narcotics into the United States. Public support for such actions will likely be dictated by losses of American troops — if any — in the process, should such operations move forward. It’s also not clear where the Mexican government stands on this issue at this time.
It is unknown exactly what the Trump administration will do when it comes to countering cartels and taking on Maduro. However, while U.S. strikes against the Venezuelan cartels have been limited to attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats, the possibility exists that America could soon find itself conducting kinetic strikes on two fronts in its own backyard.
Update: 5:03 PM Eastern –
The Navy provided us with some context about why the Fort Lauderdale was in Mayport.
“The USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) returned to Naval Station Mayport from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2, 2025, for a mid-deployment voyage repair (MDVR) and maintenance period. NS Mayport’s facilities offered the most expedient option with the best infrastructure, maintenance, repair, and logistical support for the maintenance period.
A Mid-Deployment voyage repair (MDVR) is a period, roughly halfway through a ship’s deployment, where necessary and preventative maintenance and repairs are made. This MDVR allowed Fort Lauderdale to conduct vital maintenance to the ship with the support of in-port services.
In-port maintenance and logistical support enable the ship to correct and maintain materiel readiness, warfighter readiness, and sustainability.”
On an overcast morning in September, Hector Alessandro Negrete left his beloved Los Angeles — the city he was brought to at 3 months old — and headed down Interstate 5 to Mexico, the only country where he held a passport.
It was a place that, to him, had “always felt like both a wound and a possibility.”
Negrete, 43, sat in the passenger seat as a friend steered the car south and two more friends in another car followed. He had condensed his life to three full suitcases and his dachshund mix, Lorca.
They pulled over at the beach in San Clemente. Angel Martinez, his soon-to-be former roommate, is deeply spiritual, and his favorite prayer spot is the ocean, so he prayed that Negrete would be blessed and protected — and Lorca too — as they began a new stage in their lives.
On the near-empty beach, the friends embraced and wiped away tears. Martinez handed Negrete a small watermelon.
As instructed, Negrete walked to the edge of the water, said his own prayer and, as a gift of thanks to the cosmos, plopped it into a crashing wave.
Negrete, holding a drink, embraces his friend Angel Martinez as they visit a drag club in Tijuana after leaving Los Angeles a day earlier.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete doesn’t call it self-deportation.
“Self-repatriation,” he said. “I refuse to use this administration’s language.”
President Trump had been in office just over a month when Negrete decided he would return to Mexico. Methodical by nature, he approached the decision like any other — by researching, organizing and planning.
He registered Lorca as an emotional support animal, paid for a vaccine card and a certificate of good health, and crate-trained her in a TSA-approved carrier.
He announced his decision to leave in June on his Substack newsletter: “If you’re thinking, ‘Alessandro’s giving up,’ look deeper. I am choosing freedom. For the first time, I feel unshackled from the expectations of waiting.”
Negrete walks the streets of Boyle Heights while shopping for moving supplies after deciding he would leave the U.S. on his own terms.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete had grown tired of wishing for immigration reform. He had built his career advocating for immigrants such as himself, including stints as statewide coordinator for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, and as executive director for the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance.
He said his work had helped legalize street vending in Los Angeles and he assisted the office of then-California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris in securing the release of a young woman from immigration detention. He was the first openly undocumented and LGBTQ+ person on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council.
Under previous administrations, Negrete’s political work had felt like a shield against deportation. Even during Trump’s first term, Negrete had marched at rallies denouncing his immigration policies.
But that was before the new Immigration and Customs Enforcement patrols that tore into Southern California during Trump’s second term. On June 6, as anti-ICE protesters took to the streets, Negrete rushed to downtown Los Angeles when fellow activists told him street medics were needed.
“One of my homies said, ‘Hey fool, what are you doing here?’” he recalled. Seeing Los Angeles police officers advancing on the crowd, he realized that no amount of public support could protect him.
He fled. “Thank God I left.”
Negrete, in red, with his friends and colleagues at a farewell party and yard sale in August.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In mid-August, Negrete hosted a yard sale and going away party. The flier was tongue-in-cheek: “Everything must go! Including me!”
His red T-shirt stated plainly, “I AM UNDOCUMENTED,” and his aviator sunglasses hid the occasional tears. Tattoos dotted his extremities, including an anchor on his right leg with the words “I refuse to sink.”
“I think it hit me when I started packing my stuff today,” he told a former colleague, Shruti Garg, who had arrived early.
“But the way you’ve invited everyone to join you is so beautiful,” she replied.
One table held American pop-culture knickknacks — sippy cups with Ghostface from the movie “Scream,” collectible Mickey Mouse ears, a Detective Batman purse shaped like a comic book, another purse shaped like the locker from the ‘90s cartoon “Daria.”
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Negrete said the items reminded him of his youth and represented the gothic, quirky aspects of his personality.
“I was born in Mexico, but I don’t know Mexico,” he said. “So I’m leaving the American parts of me that are no longer going to serve me.”
The back yard slowly filled with loved ones from Negrete’s various social circles. There was his mostly queer softball team — the Peacocks — his running group, his chosen family and his blood family.
Negrete’s close friend Joel Menjivar looked solemn.
“I’m scared it’s going to start a movement,” he said. “Undocumented or DACA friends who are talented and integral to the fabric of L.A. might get ideas to leave.”
Another friend, Mario Mariscal, said he took Negrete’s decision the hardest, though at first he didn’t believe Negrete was serious. More than once he asked, “You really want to give up everything you’ve built here for a new start in Mexico?”
Eventually, Negrete had to tell Mariscal that his questions weren’t helpful. During a deeper conversation about his decision, Negrete shared that he was tired of living with the constant fear of getting picked up, herded into an unmarked van and taken away.
“I just kept telling him, ‘That’s not going to happen to you,’” Mariscal said. “But the more this administration keeps doing it, the more it’s in our face, the more we’re seeing every horror story about that, it became clear that, you know what, you do have a point. You do have to do what’s right for you.”
Negrete continues packing for his move to Mexico as roommate Martinez works at their Boyle Heights home.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete is cognizant of the privilege that makes his departure different from that of many other immigrants. He is white-passing, fluent in Spanish and English, and moved with $10,000 in savings.
In June, he was hired as executive director of a U.S.-based nonprofit, Old School Hub, that works to combat ageism around the world. The role allowed him to live wherever he wanted.
He decided to settle in Guadalajara, a growing technology hub, with historic buildings featuring Gothic architecture that he found beautiful. It also helped that Guadalajara has one of the country’s most vibrant LGBTQ+ scenes and is a four-hour drive from Puerto Vallarta, a renowned queer resort destination.
As Negrete began his new job while still in L.A., he picked a moving date — Sept. 4 — and booked a two-week Airbnb near the baseball stadium.
That Guadalajara’s team, the Charros de Jalisco, wore Dodger blue felt like a good omen.
On the day he left the United States, Negrete and Martinez hold a prayer at the beach in San Clemente in which Negrete offers thanks to the universe with an offering of a watermelon.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
On the drive toward the border, messages poured into Negrete’s phone.
“I’m sending you all my love Alessandro,” one read. “Cuídate. [Take care.] Know that even though you’re far away from home, you carry us with you.”
“Todo te va a salir bien,” read another. Everything will go well for you, it said. “Spread your wings and flyyyyy.”
Afraid of being stopped and detained at the airport, as has happened to other immigrants attempting to leave the country, Negrete preferred to drive to Tijuana and then fly to Guadalajara.
Negrete’s driver, his friend Jorge Leonardo, turned into a parking lot at the sign reading “LAST USA EXIT.”
Negrete put on his black felt tejana hat and called Iris Rodriguez, who was in the companion car. He asked her to cross on foot with him.
Negrete walks his last few steps on American soil as he enters Mexico en route to Guadalajara, his new home.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t want to go alone,” he said.
“We’re still on American soil,” Leonardo said. “You can still change your mind.”
Negrete ignored him.
“See y’all on the other side,” he said as he hopped out of the car.
He and Rodriguez stopped for photos in front of a sign with an arrow pointing “To Mexico.” Around a corner, the border came into full view — a metal turnstile with layers of concertina wire above it.
The line for Mexicanos was unceremoniously quick. The immigration agent barely glanced at Negrete’s passport before waving him through.
On the other side, a busker sang “Piano Man” by Billy Joel in perfect English.
“Welcome to the motherland,” Rodriguez told him. Negrete let out a deep breath.
Negrete tours downtown Guadalajara, where he now lives.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete’s immediate family members, and almost all of his extended family, live in the U.S.
He was born in Manzanillo, Colima, in 1982. Three months later, the family relocated to Los Angeles, where his parents had two more children.
At 17, Negrete was one of two students in his graduating class at Roosevelt High School to get into UC Berkeley. That’s when he found out he didn’t have papers.
His parents had divorced and his father married a U.S. citizen, obtaining a green card when Negrete was at Roosevelt. They began the legalization process for Negrete in 1999, he said, but two years later he came out to his family as gay.
His father was unsupportive and refused to continue seeking to adjust his immigration status. By the time they mended their relationship, it was too late. Negrete had aged out of the pathway at 21.
In 2008, Negrete said, he was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Four years later, President Obama established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program to protect immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. Negrete failed to qualify because of the DUI.
He said he got his record expunged in 2016, but — again — it was too late.
Negrete waited until his last night in the U.S. to tell his mother, who now lives in Colorado, that he was leaving. He had grown tired of friends and other family members begging him to change his mind.
He had partially hinged his decision on the fact that his mom was in remission from her third bout with cancer and had just obtained legal residency. With life more stable for her, he could finally seek stability for himself.
“You taught me to dream,” Negrete recalled telling her. “This is me dreaming. I want to see the world.”
She cried and scolded him, promising to visit and repeating what she had said when he came out to her all those years before: “I wish you told me sooner.”
At a hotel in Tijuana, Negrete’s emotions finally caught up with him.
The day after Negrete and his three friends left L.A., three more friends surprised him by arriving in Tijuana for a final Friday night out together. One of them presented a gift he had put together with help from Negrete’s entire social circle — a video with loved ones sharing messages of encouragement.
Negrete shares a tearful moment with his friend Joel Menjivar, who gifted him a self-produced video of friends and colleagues offering good wishes.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In Negrete’s hotel room, as he and his friends watched, the mood grew sentimental.
“You’re basically the one that formed the family friend tree,” one friend said in her clip. “Friendships do not die out in distance.”
Negrete sobbed. “Yes! Friendships don’t have borders,” he said.
“Every single one of you has said this hasn’t hit y’all, like it’s a mini vacation,” he said. “I want to think of it as an extended vacation.”
“This isn’t goodbye, this is we’ll see each other soon,” he continued.
Off his soapbox, Negrete then chided his friends for making him cry before heading to a drag show.
Negrete had a habit of leaving social gatherings abruptly. His friends joked that they would refer to him as “catch me on the 101” because every time he disappeared during a night out, they would open Apple’s Find My app and see him on the freeway heading home.
“We’re not gonna catch him on the 101 no more,” Martinez said.
The last few flights of stairs lead Iris Rodriguez and Negrete to his Airbnb apartment in Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
On the flight to Guadalajara, Negrete’s heart raced and he began to hyperventilate. The anxiety attack caught him off guard.
Negrete had worked hard to show his friends and family that he was happy, because he didn’t want them to think he had doubts — and he had none. But he began to worry about the unknown and to mourn his former dreams of gaining legal status and running for public office.
“It hit me all at once,” he recounted. “I am three hours away from a whole new life that I don’t know. I left everything and I don’t know what’s next.”
Many deep breaths by Negrete later, the plane descended through the clouds, revealing vibrant green fields and a cantaloupe-hued sunset.
Negrete tests the bed at his temporary home in Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Inside the Airbnb, he was surprised to find a clothesline instead of a dryer. Noticing the blue 5-gallon jug of water in the kitchen, he remarked that he would have to remember tap water wasn’t safe to cook with. But alongside the new was something familiar: The view from his 11–story apartment showed off a sprawling metropolis dotted with trees, some of them palms.
The next day started off like any Sunday, with a trip to Walmart and drag brunch.
Negrete marveled at the cost of a large carton of egg whites ($1) and was shocked to see eggs stored at room temperature, liquid laundry detergent in bags and only single-ply toilet paper. He treated himself to a Darth Vader coffee mug and a teapot featuring characters from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
After brunch, it was time to play tourist. Negrete was accompanied by Rodriguez, who stayed with him for the first two weeks, and a new friend, Alejandro Preciado, whom he had met at Coachella in April and happened to be a Guadajalara local.
Negrete tours downtown Guadalajara. He was drawn to the city, in part, by its Gothic architecture.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Their first stop was the city’s Spanish Renaissance cathedral, where Negrete said a quick prayer to the Virgin Mary at his mother’s request. Negrete treated his friends to an electric carriage ride around the historic buildings, where he excitedly pointed out the Gothic architecture, then they bought aguas frescas and walked through an open-air market, chatting in an English-heavy Spanglish.
“I’m trying to look at how people dress,” Negrete said, suddenly self-conscious about his short shorts. “I’m pretty sure I stand out.”
After dinner, Negrete was booking an Uber back to his Airbnb when a message popped up: “We’ve detected unusual activity.”
The app didn’t know he had moved.
Before he arrived in Guadalajara, Negrete had already joined an intramural baseball team and a running club. Practices began days after his arrival.
Negrete enjoys a view of the sprawling hills of Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Within a month, he moved into an apartment, visited Mexico City and reconnected with aunts in Mexico City and Guadalajara he hadn’t seen in decades.
He reflected on the small joys of greeting neighborhood señoras on morning dog walks, discovering the depths of Mexican cuisine and the peace of mind that came with no longer feeling like a target — though he’ll still freeze at the sight of police lights.
Still, Negrete remained glued to U.S. politics. In late September, the federal government detailed plans to begin processing initial DACA applications for the first time in four years. Had Negrete stayed in the U.S., he would have finally qualified for a reprieve.
He isn’t regretful.
Lorca greets Negrete as he arrives home after touring Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
His new dreams are wide-ranging. He wants to buy a house in Rosarito, where friends and family from L.A. could visit him. He wants to travel the world, starting with a trip to Spain. And he wants to help U.S. organizations build resources for other immigrants who are considering repatriating.
The goal isn’t to encourage people to leave, he said, but to show them they have agency.
“I actually did it,” he said. “I did it, and I’m OK.”
Now, he said, Mexico feels like an estranged relative that he’s getting to know again.
One overlooked Italian city with a “unique spirit” stood out as a favourite to a seasoned travel writer who’s been to Florence, Venice, Rome and several more cities in Italy.
Gorgeous Italian city has “the best food” and an exceptional atmosphere(Image: Michele Lapini/Getty Images)
A traveller who’s visited nine Italian cities has proclaimed one in particular is his favourite – and it’s not such a well-known destination. Being less touristy is all part of the appeal of this continental city and the “unique spirit” of the place was what made it really special, along with the exceptional Italian food.
Journalist Adam Miller detailed his visit to this stunning city, describing the experience as being “worlds away” from a stay in Rome or Venice.
The writer had already been to “Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, Verona, Siena, Lucca, Pisa, and Bergamo” which he loved, but then he discovered a new city that’s become a firm favourite.
Travelling to the city of Bologna in Italy for the first time (in August 2025), Adam was enchanted by the liveliness, the terracotta buildings and “the best food” he’d “ever eaten”.
Writing for the Metro Travel Hot Takes, Adam described Bologna: “The real magic of Bologna is in its simplicity. Everything feels so calm and easy. Eating, drinking, exploring – it all feels effortless compared to Florence, Venice, or Rome.
“I can’t imagine staying anywhere else in Italy for a city break now, especially when the Italian train service is so cheap and efficient. Florence is close, Venice is only 70 minutes away, and tickets can be as cheap as £13, so it also makes a great detour destination.”
Adam describes the bustling city, but explained it was miles apart from the atmosphere of a weekend night out in the UK; he said the energy of Bologna was “unique” and that it had become his “favourite” Italian city.
TripAdvisor reviewers who have also visited the city of Bologna rate the church, Santuario di Madonna di San Luca as a must-visit, describing it as a “unique experience” and having fantastic views from the site.
One visitor reviewing the church on TripAdvisor wrote: “Very suggestive place on the hills of Bologna, which can be reached through a not too strenuous walk under long porches, possibly starting from the monumental cemetery of the Certosa (equally suggestive place, which I absolutely recommend to visit).
“The arcades are well maintained and the same applies to the area in front of the sanctuary; the view, once arrived, is magnificent.”
Another visitor to the Santuario di Madonna di San Luca wrote: “It is a beautiful Baroque basilica perfectly maintained both inside and outside. It is located in the hills which allows you to enjoy a beautiful view of the city and the surrounding hills.
“You can reach it by taxi, with the train that leaves from Piazza Maggiore but the most exciting experience is to do it on foot by climbing for about 4km, about 500 steps, under the longest porch in the world that starts from the city centre – not to be missed.”
Other top-rated Bologna visitor experiences according to TripAdvisor include the square in the heart of the city, Piazza Maggiore and observation deck, Le Due Torri Torre degli Asinelli for its far-reaching views.
The Porticoes of Bologna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also described as unforgettable for its stunning Bolognese architecture of red-stone columns and magnificent arches.
POP icon Nelly Furtado has announced at she’s no longer going to be performing her music after a huge comeback last year.
It comes after she hit back at a flood of cruel comments about her figure after returning to the spotlight.
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Nelly Furtado is stepping back from performing after a huge comeback last yearCredit: SplashNelly is a pop music iconCredit: Getty
Nelly proudly embraced her natural curves while headlining Manchester Pride earlier this year.
Taking to Instagram, the Grammy winner made an emotional post expressing gratitude for all her career gave her and that she feels it’s now time for her to “step down”.
She celebrated 25 years in the industry, before adding: “I have decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future and pursue some other creative and personal endeavours that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life.
“I have enjoyed my career immensely, and I still love writing music as I have always seen it as a hobby I was lucky enough to make into a career. I’ll identify as a songwriter forever.”
The star, 46, took over radio stations throughout the 2000s, well-known for her song Promiscuous as well as her feature on James Morrison’s ‘Broken Strings’.
Oct. 20 (UPI) —Amazon Web Services’ cloud services global outage disrupted Internet service for companies, governments, universities and individual users on Monday. It wasn’t until a half day later, the coverage was heavily restored.
By Monday afternoon on the U.S. East Coast, Amazon said the connectivity issues had been “fully mitigated,” though there were still reports of problems.
More than 1,000 companies were affected, including large tech companies, CNET reported, but there is no evidence it was caused by a cyber attack. Instead, “the root cause is an underlying internal subsystem responsible for monitoring the health of our network load balancers.”
AWS accounted for 37% of the global cloud market in 2024, according to market research firm. That represents revenue more than $107 billion for the tech company. Amazon’s total revenue was $639 revenue that year.
The services run on 3.7 million plus miles of fiber optic cables.
Downdetector, a website that aggregates user-submitted reports of disruptions, logged 6.5 million global reports related to the outage, a spokesperson for the site’s parent company Ookla told CNN.
Toms Guide showed how traffic was affected at major companies, including Verizon, Lyft, McDonald’s, Snapchat, and airl as Delta, Southwest and United airlines.
Also were the New York Times’ website, T-Mobile and AT&T were affected. Even massive tech companies, Google and Apple, were impacted. And Zoom, which gained prominance during the pandemic for people to communite, had outage issues.
Disrupted, too, were banks and cryptocurrency exchange Coinbbase and Venmo.
Amazon’s own services were disrupted. Alexa-enabled smart plugs, which allow people to control appliances and other devices remotely, didn’t have service. Amazon’s Ring doorbell cameras weren’t working. Some reported they were unable to access the company’s website or download books to their Kindles. And Netflix wasn’t available.
“The incident highlights the complexity and fragility of the internet, as well as how much every aspect of our work depends on the internet to work,” Mehdi Daoudi, CEO of internet performance monitoring firm Catchpoint said in a statement to CNN. “The financial impact of this outage will easily reach into the hundreds of billions due to loss in productivity for millions of workers that cannot do their job, plus business operations that are stopped or delayed — from airlines to factories.”
Tenscope showed that Amazon alone was losing $72.3 milion per hour, and customers lost several hundred thousand dollars each 60 minutes.
In cloud services, AW provides a space where businesses can rent the services instead of building their own servers.
“It’s like: ‘Why build the house if you’re just going to live in it?'” Lance Ulanoff, editor at the technology publication TechRadar, told CNN.
And there are problems with devices when service is disrupted.
“They just don’t work without the Internet,” Ulanoff said. ” They’re not designed that way,. We’ve designed everything to work with that constant connectivity and when you pull that big plug, everything, basically becomes dumb.”
Apparently, the problem originated from a system designed to monitor how much load is on the network. As a workaround, Amazon said it was allowing companies to create new instances of its Elastic Compute Cloud, a virtual machine that allows customers to build cloud-based applications.
At the peak of the incident, early Monday, AWS reported more than 70 of its own services were impacted.
“Some requests may be throttled while we work toward full resolution,” it said, urging customers to utilize the “clear cacheclear cache” option in the settings of their browser if problems with errors persisted.
Amazon reported at 1:26 a.m. EDT that there was a “significant error rates for requests.”
“Error 404” messaged popped up on computers.
At 3:11 a.m. EDT, Amazon “reported increased error rates for multiple services and determined that the issue was related” to the Northern Virginia region, according to a news release.
Amazon reported at 5:24 a.m. EDT, service was “fully mitigated.”
Then at 10:29 a.m., Amazon said there were application programming interface errors and connectivity issues “across multiple services in the US-EAST-1 Region.”
Around 3:30 p.m., AWS said its systems mostly were back online. “We continue to observe recovery across all AWS services,” the company said.
In Britain, Gov.uk and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the two main portals of the British government, said they had been affected.
“We are aware of an incident affecting Amazon Web Services, and several online services which rely on their infrastructure. Through our established incident response arrangements, we are in contact with the company, who are working to restore services as quickly as possible,” said a government spokesman.
Lloyds Bank and subsidiary, Halifax, two of the country’s largest banks, and National Rail also experienced problems.
The outage comes 15 months after a global IT outage in July 2024 that crashed millions of computers used by 911 centers, airlines, financial institutions, airlines and media around the world, due to an issue with a third-party security update for Microsoft Windows systems.
The auto download from Texas-based CrowdStrike cybersecurity for its Falcon software caused computers to hang after they were able to fully restart after the update.
Big Brother’s AJ and Will announced the biggest game changing twist yet, as they revealed two new arrivals will be entering the house in a game changing twist
22:23, 10 Oct 2025Updated 22:55, 10 Oct 2025
Tonight, the Big Brother house saw it’s second live eviction as Cameron B was evicted. However, it wasn’t the only huge event tonight, as AJ Odudu and Will Best announced at the start of the live show that Big Brother would see yet another huge twist.
The 25th anniversary show started off with a bang, as the evil eyes continue to cause chaos around the house. The first shock twist came during launch night when Emily was the first housemate to be evicted in a short but sweet stay.
Now, AJ and Will have made the shock announcement that the show will gain two new arrivals next Friday – but they’re not any old arrivals.
In fact, Will and AJ announced that the two new arrivals were people that had left the Big Brother house too soon – but who will they be?
They won’t be alone, as one current housemate will be with them. On Big Brother’s Late and Live tonight, Will and AJ announced housemates would be nominating on Monday. Housemates will believe viewers are voting to evict – but the evicted housemate won’t leave.
Instead they’ll be whisked away to a secret room with the two former housemates. But who will they be?
Tonight, Will gave away a huge clue, revealing that the housemates are one’s that “left too soon.”
While many think Emily from this series are returning, others are convinced Farida Khalifa from ITV’s first series in 2023, will be returning. Farida was the first housemate to be evicted, with many fuming with her early departure.
But could it be her time to return? Fans think so. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one penned: “I’m glad to see i’m not the only one who INSTANTLY thought of farida when they said gone too soon housemates were returning”.
Another agreed: “Omg the fact that godly Farida may be reentering the Big Brother house!!” while a third said: “Farida’s last TikTok was September 24th… get her back in!”
Despite being the third to be evicted, Cameron was the first to leave through the front door. Last week, Gani was forced to have a back door eviction due to Storm Amy, and Emily left through the back door on the first night.
One traveller came back from a Spanish holiday hotspot bearing crucial advice for anyone mulling over an Autumn break there. Tasha Penney took took to TikTok to share her advice with people
Katie-Ann Gupwell and Chloe Dobinson
11:49, 25 Sep 2025
Lanzarote is a popular hotspot for many Brits (Image: David C Tomlinson via Getty Images)
As Britain battles yet another spell of cold and miserable weather, countless people are fantasising about fleeing to warmer shores. The urge to dash off somewhere tropical feels overwhelming, particularly when confronted with Britain’s never-ending downpours.
One traveller who came back from Lanzarote bearing crucial advice for anyone mulling over an Autumn break to the Canary Islands. Tasha Penney, known as @tashapenney_ on TikTok, warned holidaymakers in October last year against trusting weather forecasts too heavily regarding Lanzarote’s conditions. In her eye-opening clip, she explained at the time: “If you’re coming to Lanzarote, and you’ve been worried about the weather, because when you look up online about Lanzarote weather, it always says windy, cloudy, overcast.
“It pretty much says the weather’s like not great most of the time. Don’t be worried, because it’s all a big lie.
“We’ve been here for three days and, every day, it’s said it’s going to be like 24C, cloudy. It actually predicted rain yesterday. None of the times we’ve had any of that. It’s been clear blue skies, the clouds are like that.”
Banishing any remaining concerns, Tasha revealed that the genuine temperatures felt considerably warmer than predicted, offering comfort to prospective tourists that weather worries are unnecessary.
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Regarding the climate, she had absolutely zero complaints.
Her footage subsequently become a sensation, amassing hundreds of views and triggering countless responses from watchers, loads of whom are weighing up a Lanzarote getaway this year. Holidaymakers have been raving about Lanzarote, dubbing it the ideal year-round escape destination.
One fan gushed at the time: “Lanzarote is great all year around. My second home.”
Another traveller commented: “I was here for a week. It was roasting, overcast three days, sunny four. Probs it was highest 30.”
Heaping further praise on the destination, a third visitor revealed: “I’m going with my best friend in December to break up the cold. Can’t wait.”
A fourth sun-seeker posted from the island itself at the time, declaring: “Here now and it’s lush. It’s rained a little bit, usually late at night or for less than a minute, but it’s been so hot.”
The appeal of Lanzarote, situated amongst the stunning Canary Islands, comes as no shock given its standing as an excellent winter sunshine retreat.
The destination regularly enjoys a delightful average temperature of 20C during January, seldom falling beneath a mild 16C.
Better still, getaways there won’t break the bank.
For budget-conscious travellers, you can either secure a package holiday or hunt down bargain flights and sort out your own accommodation.
Jonathan Howard, who plays Carl Webster on ITV’s Coronation Street, has been left horrified after his car was smashed in Manchester
Corrie star horrified as his car is ‘smashed up’ upon Manchester homecoming(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street actor Jonathan Howard has spoken out after his car was vandalised in Manchester, calling it a “welcome back gift” from local troublemakers.
Howard, 38, who plays Carl Webster on the ITV soap, returned to the UK earlier this year after a stint in Hollywood.
His homecoming, however, took a frustrating turn when he parked his car in Manchester and later discovered that the back windows had been smashed.
Thieves in the area are known for opportunistic attacks, targeting vehicles for quick thefts. Posting a picture of the damaged car, Jonathan joked: “Nice little welcome back gift from the Manchester scallies.”
Since joining the cobbles, Howard has made a big impact as Kevin and Debbie Webster’s previously unseen younger brother.
The actor’s car was vandalised upon his return to the UK(Image: Instagram)
Coronation Street actor Jonathan Howard plays Carl Webster(Image: ITV)
Carl’s arrival quickly stirred drama as he seduced his brother’s wife, Abi, and turned his business ventures into a dodgy garage offering fake MOTs.
His willingness to bend the rules caused even more drama when he became involved with stolen cars, trying to raise money to pay off blackmail from Tracy Barlow, who discovered his affair with Abi.
However, Carl’s love life endevours didn’t stop there. Fans were stunned last month when it was revealed that he had embarked on a new relationship with former footballer James Bailey.
Howard explained the motivation behind his character’s bold moves as he explained: “Carl likes living life on the edge, he is a hedonist and a free spirit, he is attracted to a person regardless of their gender and if he sees something he wants he goes for it with no real thought to the consequences of his actions.
Fans were stunned when Carl embarked on a new relationship with former footballer James Bailey
“He is frustrated that Abi has gone away with Kevin and he needs something to distract himself. There is a spark between him and James so he goes for it. Tracy was also offering herself to him but he isn’t stupid and he knows that would be a dangerous move, James on the other hand is less complicated and more fun.”
Carl’s escapades have made him one of the most unpredictable characters on Coronation Street between his romantic entanglements and his shady business dealings.
Whether he’s facing police scrutiny for stolen cars, trying to manage tension and drama with his family, or navigating affairs, his wild storylines have been keeping viewers hooked and on the edge of their seats.
Poland has intercepted Russian drones that were flying over its airspace after completing a mission in western Ukraine. It’s the first time a NATO member nation has fired shots in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
A MUM has tragically died a week after coming back from a holiday abroad.
Amanda Cugini, from Cardiff died on July 22 after coming back from Tunisia.
The 47-year-old worked at a local child care nursery and was just about to be fully qualified as a day care nurse.
Her husband David Cugini was with her when she “got into difficulty” and tried to resuscitate her but was unable to.
The family does not currently know what caused Amanda’s death.
“It’s kind of a cliché but she was one in a million,” David said. “She reached out and touched more people that I’m ever going to know.”
“I was with Amanda for 18 years and I knew Amanda for 10 years before that as friends, so I’ve known her a long time and I’m still now getting to hear and meet new people for the first time, who she’d have touched in her life.
“She was an amazing mum, she was an amazing nan to my two grandsons. She was the life and soul of the party. She lit up the room when she walked in.
“It’s the same stuff as what other people say, but not in Mandy’s way. Mandy was different, she was special.”
David said their family had seen hardships, with Amanda losing her parents, as well as the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis, but that she always strove to help others.
“Life has been hard, but someone like Mandy, I always say she would have found a pound and made sure that you either had it all or you’d certainly have half, because she was just a giver,” he explained.
He said Amanda’s loss has left a significant impact on her family, particularly her children. “To be honest, it’s very, very hard,” David said.
“So confusing, upsetting and everything, all rolled into one.
“There are late nights where we sit in with the children and just comfort them because they’re missing mum so much.”
Their family has tried to return to normalcy, playing music and singing like they used to do, but he said their grief comes and goes.
“One minute we’re all laughing, thinking over ‘imagine what mum would have said’ and then next minute we’re all hysterical, emotionally devastated, and crying.”
David said he feels thankful to the community, his family and his friends for their support.
“I’ve been overwhelmed, to be honest, with the outpouring of love and support. The children are the closest to me, so we’ve got each other first, and then it’s a reflection on the friends, family and everybody.
“Even strangers are showing love and support because it’s such a devastating thing for such a beautiful lady at such a young age. It’s been very quick, sudden, very shocking.”
Amanda leaves behind David, her daughters aged 17 and 10, and a stepdaughter aged 34.
She was also a nan to two grandsons.
A GoFundMe was set up to help pay for her funeral.
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Amanda Cugini, from Cardiff died on July 22 after coming back from TunisiaCredit: GoFundMe
Corrie’s Sally Ann Matthews announced recently that she’s leaving the ITV soap and there’s now speculation that a returning star could take over as the owner of the Rovers Return
Catherine Tyldesley is said to be returning to Coronation Street(Image: ITV)
It’s been claimed that former cast member Catherine Tyldesley, 41, will be reprising her role as Eva Price, who will take over the pub. It would mark her return after a seven year absence, with her last seen in Weatherfield in 2018.
Catherine Tyldesley is reportedly returning to Coronation Street and it’s claimed that her character will be the new owner of the Rovers Return(Image: ITV)
Catherine has reportedly been persuaded to return with the promise of major storylines for her character. Eva was last seen on the show in 2018 when she left Weatherfield in a taxi for a new life in France with her daughter Susie.
According to the Sun, Catherine agreed to return to Corrie earlier this year. The outlet adds that she is due to start filming Eva’s comeback next week and her first scenes are then expected to be broadcaster sometime in the autumn.
A source said: “It’s one of the biggest jobs in soap, the landlady of the Rovers Return pub.” They further told the outlet: “Bosses were desperate to get Cath back. They came up with the perfect storyline with her being unveiled as the new landlady of the Rovers.”
It comes following speculation that Eva would return earlier this year. It was reported in February that Catherine would be back on the show, with it suggested that the proposal had been “too good of an opportunity to pass up”.
The actor had previously teased over potentially returning. Whilst on Good Morning Britain just last year, after sparking rumours after reuniting with former co-stars for a birthday celebration, she shared: “I mean, never say never!”
It comes following the news that Sally Ann Matthews, who plays current landlady Jenny Connor, is leaving the ITV soap once again(Image: ITV)
The news of her apparent return this year comes after the latest departure from the cast was announced this week. It was revealed that Sally, 54, who returned in 2015 after a more than 20 year absence, is leaving once again.
She shared the news on Instagram just days ago. Sally, who made her debut as Jenny in 1986, told fans that she hadn’t expected to stay for a decade when she returned. She however said that she wants to take on other roles.
Sally said in her post earlier this week: “I was supposed to stay for five months but ended up doing an extra ten years because I loved it so much. It’s time though to play those parts I always hoped I would when I’d ‘grown up’. Thanks Trafford Wharf Rd for the memories and endless laughter.”
Coronation Street continues tomorrow night from 8pm on ITV and ITVX.
LOBATERA, Venezuela — Carlos Uzcátegui tightly hugged his sobbing wife and stepdaughter on Wednesday as the morning fog in western Venezuela lifted. The family’s first embrace in more than a year finally convinced him that his nightmare inside a prison in El Salvador was over.
Uzcátegui was among the migrants being reunited with loved ones after four months in prison in El Salvador, where the U.S. government transferred them in one of its boldest moves to crack down on immigration.
“Every day, we asked God for the blessing of freeing us from there so that we could be here with family, with my loved ones,” Uzcátegui, 33, said. “Every day, I woke up looking at the bars, wishing I wasn’t there.”
“They beat us, they kicked us. I even have quite a few bruises on my stomach,” he added later showing a mildly bruised left abdomen.
The migrants, some of whom characterized the prison as “hell,” were freed Friday in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments, but the latter sequestered them upon arrival to their country.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and other officials have said many of the immigrants were physically and psychologically tortured during their detention in El Salvador, airing on state television videos of some of the men describing the alleged abuse, including rape, severe beatings and pellet-gun wounds. The narratives are reminiscent of the abuses that Maduro’s government has long been accused of committing against its real or perceived, jailed opponents.
As the men reached their homes, they and their relatives shared deeply emotional moments in which sad tears and happy tears rolled down their cheeks at the same time.
Uzcátegui’s wife, Gabriela Mora, 30, held onto their home’s fence and sobbed as she saw the military vehicle carrying him approach after a 30-plus-hour bus ride to their mining community nestled in Venezuela’s Andean mountains. She had set up gifts and decorations in their living room, including a star-shaped metallic blue balloon with a “Happy Father’s Day” greeting that his stepdaughter had saved since the June holiday.
‘We met a lot of innocent people’
The 252 men ended in El Salvador on March 16 after the administration of President Trump agreed to pay $6 million to the Central American nation to house them in a mega-prison, where human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths and cases of torture. Trump accused the men of belonging to the violent Tren de Aragua street gang, which originated in Venezuela.
The administration did not provide evidence to back up the accusation. However, several recently deported migrants have said U.S. authorities wrongly judged their tattoos and used them as an excuse to deport them.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on Friday said only seven of the men had pending cases in Venezuela, adding that all the deportees would undergo medical tests and background checks before they could go home.
Arturo Suárez, whose reggaeton songs surfaced on social media after he was sent to El Salvador, arrived at his family’s working-class home in the capital, Caracas, on Tuesday. His sister hugged him after he exited a vehicle of Venezuela’s intelligence service.
“It is hell. We met a lot of innocent people,” Suárez told reporters, referring to the prison he was held in. “To all those who mistreated us, to all those who negotiated with our lives and our freedom, I have one thing to say, and scripture says it well: Vengeance and justice is mine, and you are going to give an account to God the Father.”
The Associated Press could not verify the abuse allegations that Suárez and other migrants narrated in the videos aired by state media.
Atty. Gen. Tarek William Saab on Monday said he had opened an investigation against El Salvador President Nayib Bukele based on the deportees’ allegations. Bukele’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Appointment to seek asylum
The men left El Salvador as part of a prisoner exchange with the U.S., which received 10 citizens and permanent residents whom Maduro’s government had jailed over accusations of plotting to destabilize Venezuela.
Mora said her husband migrated after the coal mine he had long worked at halved his pay and their street food shop went out of business in 2023. Uzcátegui left Lobatera in March 2024 with an acquaintance’s promise to help him find a construction job in Orlando.
On his way north, Uzcátegui crossed the punishing Darien Gap that separates Colombia and Panama, and by mid-April he had reached Mexico City. There, he worked at a public market’s seafood stall until early December, when he was finally granted an appointment through a U.S. government smartphone app to seek asylum at a border crossing.
But Uzcátegui never walked free in the U.S., where authorities regarded his tattoos with suspicion, said Mora. He was sent to a detention center in Texas until he and other Venezuelans were put on the airplanes that landed in El Salvador. Still, she said she does not regret supporting her husband’s decision to migrate.
“It’s the country’s situation that forces one to make these decisions,” she said. “If [economic] conditions here were favorable … it wouldn’t have been necessary for him to leave to be able to fix the house or to provide my daughter with a better education.”
Could the fourth time be the charm for minor league baseball in Long Beach?
On Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council is scheduled to consider whether to order city staff to work toward an agreement with the ownership group for a “new professional baseball team” that would play at Blair Field, the city’s storied ballpark.
The ownership group includes Paul Freedman, one of the co-founders of the Oakland Ballers, a successful independent league team launched last year amid the departure of the Oakland Athletics.
The new team would open play next season and participate as an expansion team in the Pioneer League, the same league in which the Ballers play. The league includes teams in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
“I got into this industry because of love for baseball and the community, and love for Oakland,” Freedman said. “I see a tremendous amount of parallels between the city of Oakland and the city of Long Beach, and I think the kind of community-oriented baseball that is working in Oakland can work in Long Beach as well.”
In minor leagues affiliated with major league organizations, those organizations sign and pay players, then assign them to a minor league team. In an independent league, the teams sign and pay players, most of whom hope to play well enough to earn a contract from a major league organization.
Independent leagues also serve as labs for the major leagues: The “swing-off” that decided this week’s All-Star Game has been a rule in the Pioneer League since 2021.
Three independent minor league teams have come and gone in Long Beach over the last 30 years: the Barracuda (renamed the Riptide) in 1995-96, the Breakers (2001-02) and the Armada (2005-09).
Freedman said he believed the struggles reflected instability in the various leagues in which the teams played more than an inability of Long Beach to support a team.
“It’s a city with a huge baseball tradition,” Freedman said. “It’s a diverse city on the rise. It’s hosting the Olympics. I think now it’s time to have a team to represent the town.
“I think baseball has worked in Long Beach, and I think Long Beach is in an even better condition now to embrace a new kind of baseball.”
The Long Beach State baseball team, proudly known as the Dirtbags, attracted more fans last season than any of the other nine Big West Conference teams based in California. The Dirtbags are the primary tenant of Blair Field, and the motion before the city council would require city staff to work with Long Beach State on a “collaborative partnership agreement.”
A city spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.
Leon Wright, 40, put his rubbish out at 3.25pm – some four-and-a-half hours before the advised time – as he had no other option before he and his wife went on a cruise
Milo Boyd Digital Travel Reporter and Isobel Williams
11:58, 08 Jul 2025Updated 11:59, 08 Jul 2025
Leon Wright was hit with a £150 fine by Richmond Council
A man returned from his holiday to be slapped with a nasty penalty notice.
Marketing worker Leon Wright, 40, returned from a honeymoon with new wife Amy, 34, only to be greeted by a penalty notice from Richmond Council stuck through their letterbox.
Nestled above shops in East Twickenham, South West London, the Wrights are accustomed to ditching their waste in brightly coloured sacks on the pavement below their flat.
Richmond Council rules dictate that locals should keep their refuse indoors until after 8pm the night before the bin men arrive. However, Mr Wright, who popped out his trash at 3:25pm—mere hours before jetting off for a post-nuptial getaway—deems the fine unfair, insisting necessity drove his timing.
“I only put it out a few hours before. It was the last thing I did before we left for holiday and the latest time that I could leave it out,” Leon said.
“I came back from my honeymoon with a fixed penalty notice from Richmond council. It said that we had to pay it within ten days, but we couldn’t because we weren’t even there. It was very surprising. We had never had any problems with the council before.
“I do my best to follow the rules, but it was literally just a few hours before the collection window so I never thought they would send fines straight away.”
Leon’s pre-holiday rush saw him leave the bins out on May 27 before catching a 7.10pm flight from Heathrow, bound for an Athens-departing honeymoon cruise. Ten days on, Mr Wright and Amy came back from their jaunt to discover a parking fine slapped right on their doorstep.
Mr Wright insists the charge goes against government guidelines and says even after he highlighted this, the council has “refused” to scrap it. “It says in black and white on the GOV.uk website that you can’t issue penalties for leaving bins out a few hours early, which is exactly what they have done,” Leon added.
“They weren’t in the middle of the walkway or obstructing anyone. This is just a blatant cash grab to me. I am not paying it. This kind of thing just can’t happen. It is absolutely wrong. I will take them to court if it comes to that.”
The notice sent to him specifically mentions the offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 87. In a move seen as little consolation, the council offered to prolong the deadline for settling the fine to August 19, tempting Leon with a reduced fee of £100.
Leon is holding firm on not paying a single penny. “It is definitely not what you want to see when you come back from holiday. Especially when you are trying to do your best. My neighbours couldn’t believe it. They were all shocked,” he said.
A spokesperson for Richmond Council saidL “Richmond Council is committed to keeping the borough’s streets clean, safe, and accessible for everyone. To help achieve this, we encourage residents to follow the guidance on when to put waste out for collection.
“Waste should only be placed out between 8pm the night before and 6am on the day of collection. When these rules are not followed, enforcement action may be taken where appropriate. We understand that residents can sometimes make genuine mistakes, which is why there is a clear appeals process in place. While we don’t comment on individual cases, any new information submitted through this process will be carefully considered.”
Oscar Branning is set to make a return to Albert Square since his last appearance in 2017 and Max Branning’s son is set to turn the life of his sister Lauren upside down
20:00, 21 Jun 2025Updated 20:42, 21 Jun 2025
Oscar Branning makes a return to Albert Square after eight years
EastEnders is known for bringing back characters to Albert Square. And this time is no different as Oscar Branning is set to make a return to Walford after eight years away.
Oscar is the son of Tanya and Max Branning but the mum of three fled Walford to get away from her toxic husband, with her young son in tow.
Oscar has not been seen on screen since 2017 when he made a brief appearance on the BBC soap to celebrate Father’s Day with his elated dad, in full view of other residents at the Queen Victoria pub.
And while Oscar, who is now 17, has always been a little on the quieter side leaving the family drama in the hands of his parents and elder sisters, Lauren and Abi, it seems sparks are set to fly this time round.
Pierre Moullier is taking on the role of Oscar Branning
Speaking about Oscar’s upcoming appearance played by Pierre Moullier, Executive Producer Ben Wadey said: “I’m very excited to bring Oscar Branning back to Walford and introduce viewers to him now that he’s all grown up.”
He added: “Oscar is very much a Branning which means there’s going to be plenty of drama in store this summer. We’re delighted to welcome Pierre as he takes on the role and can’t wait for viewers to see him bring Oscar to life.”
And when asked how he felt to be joining an iconic soap, actor Pierre explained: “It’s pretty surreal to join EastEnders – it keeps hitting me that I’m actually on Albert Square!”
He went on to explain: “When I found out I was joining the Brannings, it was so exciting as they are such an iconic family, and I love that there are so many skeletons in the closet.”
He added: “Oscar is so much fun to play, and the audience should be prepared for the unexpected as he’s a complex guy!”
But Oscar’s character is not the only one to have made a comeback, so too has Zoe Slater played by Michelle Ryan.
Twenty years has passed since Michelle was last seen in Walford. And her most memorable scene was in 2001 when she screamed at Kat Slater in the middle of the square “you ain’t my muvva.” To which Kat emotionally responded: “Yes I am.”
But according to the BBC website, Michelle claimed that returning to the show was “like coming home.”
Ben Wadey said that before taking on the role of Executive Producer, Michelle’s character Zoe was on his wish-list.
He admitted to the website: “I was absolutely delighted when Michelle agreed to return, and I’m thrilled to welcome her back to Walford.”
EASTENDERS has dropped the biggest clue yet a show icon is returning next week.
The BBC has remained silent on The Sun revealing there are two icons making a shock comeback in the coming months.
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Max Branning is set to make an explosive return to EastEndersCredit: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes
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Michelle Ryan is also making a shock return but which will be back on Monday?Credit: BBC
But now they have announced that Monday’s episode – the first under the tenure of new boss Ben Wadey – will not be made available on iPlayer at 6am as has become standard.
And it’s set to be an exciting one.
Ben said: “Next week marks the start of something big in Walford that we hope will get everyone talking, and it’s only just the beginning.
“We’ve got twists, shocks, and plenty of drama lined up for a summer you don’t want to miss.”
pisode spoilers have revealed it will feature a mysterious phone call from Stacey Slater to Alfie Moon.
Stacey has undeniably connections to the two characters returning to the Square.
Max Branning is her former lover, boyfriend and father-in-law.
And her cousin Zoe Slater is also making a bombshell return after 20 years away.
The shock return will see Michelle Ryan, 41, back in Walford this year — delighting fans who had hoped to see her in the soap’s 40th anniversary special in February.
A source said: “Bosses have repeatedly reached out to Michelle over the years, but the timing has never been quite right.
EastEnders changes famous theme in honour of Max Branning’s exit after 15yrs
“People are still talking about her character, so it’s a real coup to bring her back.
“She feels like now is the perfect moment — and there was an exciting script on the table.”
Michelle starred on the soap from 2000 to 2005, before moving to Hollywood after landing the lead role in a series called Bionic Woman.
Billie Piper will be the next Doctor after it was revealed in the finale episode of the latest series last weekend – but she accidentally ‘shared’ the news weeks before
Billie Piper will play the 16th Time Lord in the upcoming series of Doctor Who (Image: BBC)
Actress Billie Piper appeared to let slip she was returning to Doctor Who weeks before it was revealed. The 42-year-old will become the second female Doctor in the next series. So far, Jodie Whittaker is the only female to take on the iconic role.
It comes after Ncuti Gatwa’s shock exit during the finale of the latest series when his character regenerated into Billie in his final episode, which aired on the BBC on Saturday, May 31.
Speaking in BBC Three’s Doctor Who: Unleashed to mark the 20 years since the show was revived, Billie dropped a huge hint she was returning to the show for the third time, following her original appearance as Rose Tyler from 2005 to 2006 and a cameo in 2010.
Asked if she would ever make a comeback in the interview filmed weeks before the news was officially announced, she said: “Yeah I would… I would come back. What’s funny is that I never feel like I’ve left Doctor Who, because there is this huge Doctor Who afterlife.”
Fans were shocked when Ncuti regenerated into Billie in the finale episode of Doctor Who(Image: PA)
She continued: “Obviously people still really want to talk about it, it’s a massive fandom, so we do conventions and we meet lots of the fans, and there’s always features. It’s always on the TV on some channel, and a new generation pick it up, so it never feels like it’s over, like it does with all the other jobs I’ve done.”
Billie then accidentally blurted out: “So coming back is really good fun.” Quickly correcting herself, she added: “So I would do it, but I still feel like I’m in it. Just a lot older.”
Now cat is out the bag, Billie has since said it was too good of an opportunity to turn down. In a statement, she shared: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse, as I have some of my best memories there. So to be given the opportunity to step back on that Tardis one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse.”
Now it is rumoured that the 10th Doctor, played by David Tennant, could also return to the show alongside Billie 20 years after they first appeared on screen together. Though if Billie is the new Doctor, it’s unclear what role David would take on.
A source told The Sun: “The BBC brought Doctor Who back in 2005 and there is talk about a possible one-off project to celebrate the 20th anniversary. David and Billie were a hugely popular partnership and he brought in a golden age of Doctor Who.
“With the anniversary of the reboot this year there have been some ideas floated about, with the thought of maybe bringing David and Billie back together for one last hurrah. When David’s Doctor bi-generated in the 60th anniversary special, his ‘half’ went on to live a normal life in an alternative universe while Ncuti Gatwa’s carried on as the Time Lord.
“It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of imagination for him to return with Billie as Rose for a one-off special to celebrate not only their partnership, but the anniversary of BBC bringing back Doctor Who.”
David, 54, played the 10th Doctor from 2005 to 2010 and appeared in three specials returning as the 14th Doctor before handing the role over to 32-year-old Sex Education star Ncuti.
Speaking about his exit from the show after just one season, Ncuti told fans: “You know when you get cast, at some point, you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it. This journey has been one that I will never forget and a role that will be part of me forever.
“I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have. I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor.”
Explaining his reasons for leaving, he added: “It’s a role that demands a lot of you physically and emotionally and mentally. The actors playing the Doctor are only actors playing the Doctor. Unfortunately, we are mere mortals. I would love to have the energy and the youth to be able to do this full time for the rest of my life, but my knees are telling me it’s time.”
However, die-hard fans think there may be another reason behind his exit. Taking to X, a fan named Mr Tardis wrote: “In October 2024, Ncuti Gatwa was on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ saying he was going to be filming another series of DW next year. In June 2025, he officially leaves the show and regenerates. This was never the plan. What a shame. He deserved so much better.”
But the BBC were quick to shut down those claims. A spokesperson said: “Whilst we never comment on the future of the Doctor, any suggestion that Ncuti Gatwa has been ‘axed’ is pure fiction.”
Samantha Giles is making a return to Emmerdale after two years awayCredit: ITV
But fans will have to soak up every minute of her scenes, as she won’t be back for long.
Bernice is back in the Dales for Gabby and Vinny’s wedding and filming is due to start in a couple of weeks.
A source said: “Everything is being kept very hush hush but of course Bernice’s return is a big deal as one of the soap’s most loved characters.
“And Samantha being back among the cast is a real win too, as everyone loves working with her.”
Samantha first began on Emmerdale in November 1998 until she left in April 2002.
But she was back again for two further stints, once in 2004 and then again in 2023.
She left two years ago to pursue other opportunities, including a theatre production of The Syndicate.
During an interview at the time Samatha, was asked if she’d return to Emmerdale.
She replied: “I don’t feel I’d want to go back to Emmerdale at the moment.
“I’m enjoying doing other things, and the show changes.
Horrifying moment Emmerdale’s April comes face to face with man who committed disgusting act on her while homeless
“I haven’t had a chance to see what’s going on with the show, so I don’t know whether Bernice would fit into it at the moment.
“Who knows? They might not want the character to come back.
“I don’t think they’ve killed her or anything – they could still do that.
“It’s something that’s there for the future possibly, or not.
“Never say never is what I’m saying.
“For now, I’m enjoying doing lots of different things.”
DOUGRAY PLAYS IT SCHOOL
DOUGRAY SCOTT has been confirmed as the leading man in new BBC drama Crookhaven.
In the series – based on the book of the same name by JJ Arcanjo – the Vigil actor plays Caspian Lockett, the headmaster of a school for young criminals.
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Dougray Scott has been confirmed as the leading man in new BBC drama CrookhavenCredit: Getty
Adolescence star Amari Bacchus will lead the cast of weird and wonderful schoolkids, known as Crooklings, who are trained to use their skills to be a force for good when they are eventually released into the world.
Industry actress Claire Forlani will play Lockett’s wife Carmen, and will be joined on screen by Slow Horses’ Naomi Wirthner and The Pembrokeshire Murders’ Keith Allen.
The show is expected to make its debut on BBC iPlayer early next year.
Bizbit
NOEL EDMONDS quit the UK in 2018 – but now he is back, for an ITV special all about his relocation to New Zealand.
Cameras followed the radio and TV presenter on his move to a rural town to start up a hospitality business.
Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure airs from June 20.
HOLLY TO RETURN? YOU BET!
STEPHEN MULHERN will be joined by a very familiar face as You Bet! travels up and down the country.
Holly Willoughby, who quit as co-host due to scheduling conflicts, will return as a celebrity guest.
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Holly Willoughby will return to You Bet! with Stephen Mulhern as a celebrity guestCredit: ITV
She will be joined by Alison Hammond, Rob Beckett, Judi Love, Aj Odudu, Josh Widdicombe and Josie Gibson for the ITV show’s upcoming second series.
Babatunde Aleshe, Alesha Dixon, Danny Jones, Alex Brooker, Nick Mohammed and soap brothers Adam and Ryan Thomas will also compete.
Stephen said: “I’m thrilled that You Bet! is back – and this time we’re hitting the road.
“Each week I’ll be joined by a top celeb panel as our challengers take on some brilliantly bonkers and amazing challenges.”
FANTASY WOLVES GoT REAL
MOST Game Of Thrones fans will have assumed dire wolves were just mythical creatures when they appeared as pets on the HBO fantasy series.
But the animals are real and were extinct – until now.
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Sophie Turner in Game of ThronesCredit: Rex
Boffins at US biosciences company Colossal Bioscience used 73,000-year-old DNA to bring the beasts back to life last year.
And nobody was more surprised than GoT star Sophie Turner.
Speaking with Colossal’s CEO Ben Lamm, the actress, who played Sansa , joked: “I thought they weren’t real, so when are the dragons coming?”
The male wolves, named Romulus and Remus, are growing bigger by the day and are about to get company.
Ben added: “We’re about to introduce the girl, Khaleesi, into the pack.
Bizbit
BRADLEY WALSH will be back with his quiz expert chums with Beat The Chasers returning for two more series.
Season seven of The Chase spin-off is currently under way, while the eighth is due to be recorded this autumn.
ITV is expected to air the two new runs from next year.
MORE IN STORE FOR NICK
NICK FROST might be having some awkward conversations on the set of the new Harry Potter TV show if he bumps into JK Rowling.
The comedian will play Hagrid in the HBO adaptation, but later this month he will also take centre stage in a new comedy that is unlikely to appeal to JK, who is outspoken about her views on trans issues.
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Nick Frost is starring in six-parter TransactionCredit: ITV
Nick will star in six-parter Transaction, airing weekly from June 24 on ITV2 then available on ITVX.
As store manager Simon, Nick appears alongside Liv played by Jordan Grey, who is described as “a transgender egomaniac” working the night shift in a supermarket.
I exclusively revealed last year that Shaun Of The Dead star Nick would be making the show for ITV alongside Jordan who found fame as a contestant on The Voice in 2016.
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme –Sun Club.
Thai Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, seen here as crown prince in 2016. An American academic has been permitted to lave the country after prosecutors decided against prosecuting him on charges of insulting the monarchy. File Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/European Pressphoto Agency
May 30 (UPI) — An American academic facing up to 15 years in a Thai prison on allegations of insulting the monarchy has been permitted to leave the country, according to a nonprofit that advocates for Americans imprisoned abroad.
Global Reach told UPI in an emailed statement that Paul Chambers was permitted to leave Thailand on Thursday after resolving what it called “false” lese-majeste charges.
“I am relieved that this situation has been resolved,” Chambers said in a statement.
“I have always had great respect for the Thai royal family, and anyone who knows me understands that these charges were always based on false allegations by unnamed parties in the military.”
Chambers, a Thai studies scholar and lecturer at Thailand’s Naresuan University, was arrested and charged by Thai authorities in April following a complaint filed against him by the military over an October online post promoting a webinar that he was to participate in.
The English-language post was published on the website of Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. The academic webinar was on Thai studies, and Chambers, a leading expert on the Thai military and Southeast Asian politics, gave a talk about the Thai military.
Chambers was not involved in the post’s creation.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Chambers was allowed to leave the country after the Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday that prosecutors decided not to continue the case against the American.
Prosecutors made the decision in early May, but the attorney general needed to affirm the decision.
Chambers was originally detained April 9, but was later permitted to leave police custody and was required to wear an ankle monitor and surrender his U.S. passport and work visa, Global Reach said.
Following his arrest, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying it was monitoring Chambers’ situation while condemning the controversial lese-majeste law.
Kieran Ramsey, who worked with Chambers on behalf of Global Reach, praised the United States for its response to the case, saying, “This was one of the best responses I have ever seen from the U.S. government.”
According to Global Reach, Chambers will return to Oklahoma to see his family and will work from the United States.
More than 270 people have been detained, prosecuted and punished under the lese-majeste laws since 2020, according to an expert panel from United Nations that said such laws “have no place in a democratic country.”
