The Shalimar Police Department celebrated the opening of its new headquarters with a public Social Hour and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Mayor Mark Franks revealed that the project was largely financed through Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), established by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. The town secured […]
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THE BBC is at risk of losing a major sports tournament in a huge broadcast shakeup.
The national broadcaster shows a number of top competitions on live TV, including Wimbledon and the FA Cup.
As a result, these events are free to watch for the public.
But there are now doubts over one major tournament.
And it has even raised fears over the future of free-to-air TV sport.
According to the Mail, the future of the Six Nations looks uncertain.
The competition sees reigning champs Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy compete for the coveted trophy each year.
And the latest edition will be split between the BBC and fellow free broadcaster ITV.
However, their deal to show the Six Nations expires in March.
It means the tournament is available to new bidders, all of whom require a subscription.
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TNT Sports is said to be a frontrunner and are already experimenting with rugby after gaining the rights to the autumn series.
A deal for them could yet involve the BBC too, as they recently agreed to split coverage of the FA Cup.
Elsewhere, Sky Sports may go back in after broadcasting England rugby matches during the 90s.
While they still show the Rugby Championship and have the rights to next summer’s Lions tour of Australia.
Amazon Prime Video chiefs have dipped their toes into live sport with big success and now have part-rights to Premier League and Champions League football.
Elsewhere, Apple TV could potentially join the party too.
And it remains to be seen where the future of the Six Nations lies following the next edition.
BOSNIA and Herzegovina has been named as a top trending travel destination for 2025.
Described as a “less crowded alternative to Dubrovnik” by a team of travel experts at Wild Frontiers, Bosnia and Herzegovina harks back to when Brits enjoyed cheap travel to countries like Croatia.
The tour operator revealed their top trending travel destinations for next year after they crunched the numbers on Google searches and holiday booking data.
While Kyrgyzstan in Asia nabbed the top spot, Europe’s Bosnia and Herzegovina took second place.
In 2023, the country saw a 17.3 per cent rise in visitors in the last year, and bookings to the Balkans, through Wild Frontiers, rose by 70 per cent over the last 12 months.
Even though Bosnia and Herzegovina has plenty to offer – from fascinating history, amazing nature and beaches with clear blue seas – the country often slips under the tourist radar.
A sentiment echoed by travel Blogger, Dan Flying Solo, who said: “Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a relatively off-the-beaten-path – and affordable – destination in Europe.
“After two deep dive visits, I’m convinced the country’s greatest asset is the mesmerising near-photoshopped lakes, the lush countryside, and the lofty hiking trails.
Before getting to grips with the country’s natural landscapes, most Brits are likely to touch down in its capital city of Sarajevo.
Sarajevo has some of the cheapest beers in Europe, with a pint costing £1.75.
There are plenty of places to grab a craft beer too, including Zlatna Ribica and Gastropub Vucko, both of which are popular among locals and tourists alike.
Just like the booze, grub is cheap too, with three-course meals for as little as £11.
The Bascarsija – the city’s oldest bazaar and the cultural centre of the city – is a great place to find traditional dishes like cevapi, flat breads filled with grilled meat, and burek, flaky pastries filled with cheese, spinach or even sour cherry for dessert.
The city’s Turkish influence can be seen in the bazaar, with traditional coffee, clothes and rugs among the many stalls.
Other attractions include the War Tunnel, or Tunnel of Hope, left over from the Bosnian war that was originally built in 1993 to get aid and humanitarian supplies into the city.
It’s one of many sites that help people learn about the fairly recent conflicts that took place in the area.
Perhaps the most famous place in Bosnia is the town of Mostar, with its reconstructed Ottoman Empire bridge, Stari Most, one of the country’s most famous sites, spanning the Neretva River.
Every summer, brave people throw themselves off the bridge as part of an annual diving competition, with the men of the town also jumping from the bridge as a tradition.
Other places to visit include the town of Blagaj, not too far from Mostar, which has been compared to a fairy tale by Responsible Travel.
SOAK up the sun along the Dalmatian Coast for half the price of Croatia – by crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina’s little-known share of the shoreline.
With its turquoise waters, pine forests and terracotta rooftops, the Dalmatian Coast is famously pretty.
But while the tourist hordes flock to Croatia for this scenery, you could enjoy it for less by going to the Bosnian beach town of Neum instead.
This budget haven butts into Croatia in between Dubrovnik and Split, a quirk that can be traced back to 1699 when the city state of Dubrovnik, terrified of an attack by Venetians, gave a tiny tract of land to the Ottoman empire to give itself a buffer against Venice.
This means Bosnia and Herzegovina now has the world’s smallest coastline, after Monaco, at just 12 miles.
Graced with daytime highs of 25C in September and within easy distance of both Dubrovnik and Split, the only major difference is the cost.
Even in Neum’s largest and most swanky hotel, the Grand Hotel Neum, a last-minute long weekend this month starts at £49pp per night. That includes breakfast, spa access, a choice of four swimming pools and a private beach.
Food and drink is much cheaper too.
You’d get change from a fiver for a couple of local beers and you can find Bosnian, Mediterranean and international dishes very reasonably priced.
The real crowd-pleaser is Ćcevapi, a popular Bosnian lunch to go.
Locals joke it’s the reason KFC never took off here.
This simple yet filling meal consists of mini grilled meat kebabs and raw onion slices stuffed inside a warm pitta bread. Again, you would struggle to spend £5 on this beloved staple.
Its highlights include a monastery, which was originally built for a Dervish cult.
However, for the more traditional holidaymakers who like to spend their getaways by the beach, there’s more than enough to enjoy.
Neum town is arguably the best place to visit the Bosnian seaside, with Beach Searcher praising its scenery and its waters.
They wrote; “Neum town is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and famous for its magnificent mountain scenery and turquoise waters of an incredible deep colour.
“It seems that nature created it for one purpose – to make your vacation unforgettable.”
Bosnia’s lakes are also another draw for holidaymakers, and among the standouts are Bilećko Lake, Boračko Lake and Perućac Lake.
The last of those has waters that are around 22C during the summer months, making it a lovely place to cool down on a hot day.
Both Ryanair and Wizz Air operate direct flights from the UK to Sarajevo, with flights starting from £15 for a one-way ticket.
Flights from the UK to Sarajevo take roughly two hours and 40 minutes.
Accommodation is also cheap, with overnight stays costing, on average £56 per night, according to the research from eurochange.
Sun Online Travel have found an overnight stay at the Pigeon Square Rooms, which is just 150 yards from the city centre, for £38 per night.
There are other options too, including a five-star hotel called Enjoy Apartments, which also costs £38 per night per room.
There are three local languages in Bosnia & Herzegovina, including Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian – although English is likely to be spoken at most hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.
The Convertible Mark (KM or BAM) is the country’s official currency, with £10 getting 23.43 KM/BAM.
HERE are the full list of Wild Frontier's expert predictions for trending travel destinations in 2025.
Here’s another little-known holiday destination not far from Moldova, but with cheap flights and beer.
And we’ve recently revealed our favourite spots for an autumn break.
THE BBC interviewed an Iranian lunatic this week.
Nothing wrong with that. It is always interesting to hear what Iranian lunatics have to say. Although it is often very familiar — an anti-Semitic diatribe against Israel.
This one was no different. On the Today programme, Mohammad Marandi from the University of Tehran — probably in their prestigious Department of Bearded Islamist Nutters — told the audience how awful the Jews were.
Mo really got into his swing. He described Jews as “the chosen people” and that they practised “ethno- supremacism”. And that they thought they had “exceptional rights”.
Just to spice it up a little he described Gaza as a holocaust.
The remarkable thing is that the BBC interviewer, Mishal Husain, failed totally to challenge these offensive absurdities.
She just let the grizzled old thug chunter on with his attack.
This interview enraged our Jewish community.
The historian Simon Schama described it as “appallingly offensive” and “anti-Semitic abuse”.
The historian Simon Sebag Montefiore said it was “lies, libels and conspiracy theories”.
The only surprise is that people were surprised, really. Since the Hamas savages launched their murderous assault on young Israelis a year ago, the BBC has been guilty of unrelenting, systematic bias.
Don’t take my word for it. Check out an independent report compiled by two people who used to work at the BBC — Danny Cohen and the ex- governess Ruth Deech.
They detailed scores of occasions in which the corporation had misrepresented Israel. This included refusing to refer to Hamas as terrorists — and on some occasions calling them simply “Resistance”.
On one occasion, the report stated: “The BBC incorrectly reported that Israeli soldiers had been ‘targeting’ medical teams and Arab speakers as they hunted Hamas terrorists in a hospital, when instead they actually had brought medical teams and Arab speakers with them to help the patients during the military operation.”
It doesn’t help, of course, that the BBC’s coverage has been full of tendentious reporting by employees of the BBC’s Arabic service.
Some of these were seemingly Palestinian activists, living in the West Bank and Gaza.
But, of course, there is also the fact that the domestic journos have a certain view about this conflict in the Middle East.
And it is a view that does not look kindly on Israel. In other words the corporation is deeply biased, from top to toe.
The BBC is biased on a whole bunch of stuff, of course.
It was hideously biased on the issue of Brexit, for example. And independent investigations proved that bias.
People who wish to be treated to a barrage of loaded, left-wing opinions, can subscribe
Rod Liddle
It is also biased on issues such as transgenderism, immigration and race.
But this last year has seen Auntie really excel.
It has been 12 months of deeply prejudiced reporting, which has outraged the Board of Jewish Deputies and estranged the Jewish community in the UK.
And we have the reports to prove it.
But, do you know what? The BBC doesn’t give a monkey’s.
It will do with Danny Cohen and Ruth Deech’s report exactly what is has done with all previous reports that suggest they are biased. Chuck it in the bin.
It seems pretty clear to me that the only solution is to privatise the BBC. Then people who wish to be treated to a barrage of loaded, left-wing opinions, can subscribe.
And the rest of us can get on with our lives knowing we’re not sponsoring anti-Semitism.
THE Iranians are waiting to see how Israel reacts to their bombardment of the country. A bombardment which, incidentally, reportedly killed only one person — a Palestinian bloke.
And we are all watching to see if this is the start of the next world war.
Don’t be too sure. My guess is that Israel will strike at some of Iran’s nuke sites. Good! But won’t go much further than that.
I don’t think either side wishes to broaden the current conflict.
SO, how did you enjoy watching Phil Schofield marooned on an island?
Listen, I watched it so you didn’t have to. And I can tell you, it was execrable.
Has there ever been a more self-pitying, self-righteous and bitter individual?
The only thing that seemed to motivate him to carry on living was the possibility of sticking the boot into his former colleagues. Because they didn’t “stand by” him.
They didn’t stand by you because they were repelled, matey.
He also said he’s never going to sit on a sofa again. I assume this meant on a TV show rather than in his front room, but whatever.
We’ll struggle by, Phil. Who next for the Cast Away treatment? Huw Edwards?
JUST when you thought the US election couldn’t get any worse, along comes Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
He is Kamala Harris’s running mate and will probably soon be Vice-President.
He seemed to me, in this week’s debate, to be a dissembling, jabbering half-wit.
He has long claimed that he was in China when the Tiananmen Square massacre took place. But he has now admitted he was actually in Nebraska. “I misspoke,” he explained.
He has also made claims about his US military service record where he also “misspoke”.
Just to be clear, Tim – it’s called “lying”.
Harris and Walz leading the Free World. What could possibly go wrong?
LABOUR is considering ways in which our useless universities might be saved from going bankrupt.
One possibility is to hike the cost of tuition fees for students.
It would be a disgrace if Labour does do this.
A huge fraud has been perpetrated on our young people. Get yourselves massively into debt by studying for a degree in gender studies that will make you almost completely unemployable.
If Labour is serious about reforming our colleges, it should shut half of them down. And pour the money into apprenticeships and on- the-job training.
AS we teeter on the edge of World War Three, I’ve been trying to find some sympathy for the Brits stuck in Lebanon.
There’s more than 10,000 of them.
What are they doing there?
One bloke was on the TV demanding our government send in flights to evacuate them all. He said: “I’ve got a young family. It’s dangerous!”
Yes, mate. It’s Lebanon.
Why would you bring up a young family in one of the most dangerous countries in the world?
Demanding a flight because you’ve suddenly realised Lebanon is dangerous is a bit like demanding to be evacuated from Nepal because you’ve suddenly realised it’s a bit hilly.
THE Tories are getting very excited about who it is going to elect as a new leader.
Hmmm. Here’s the problem.
Whenever a party gets kicked out of office in humiliating fashion, it takes at least three leaders before they become electable again.
This was the case with Labour after 1979 and the Tories after 1997.
I can pretty much guarantee that whoever they choose this time will never be Prime Minister.
AN anti-immigration right-wing party has just swept the board in the Austrian elections.
But the Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, below, is going to have trouble forming a government, because none of the other parties will work with it.
And that is the way in which EU countries have continually kept the populist right out of power – by effectively excluding them from the democratic process.
TORY leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch has suggested that ten per cent of our civil servants are neither use nor ornament. And she’s taken some flak for those comments.
Just ten per cent, though, Kemi?
I’d put the figure nearer 50 per cent.