Two years after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is making claims regarding the late monarch’s health in her final years.
Johnson writes in his new...
Warning: This story contains spoilers for Love Is Blind season seven episodes one through six.
Step aside, Megan Fox: There’s a new awkward celebrity comparison in the Love Is Blind pods.
After...
Such guttting news, there's no way around it.
The post Simon Wood announces gutting closure of Manchester restaurant after seven years appeared first on The Manc.
THIS is the chilling moment diehard Iranians celebrate Tuesday’s deadly blitz on Israel as MPs chant “death to America” in parliament.
The harrowing scenes in Tehran came as Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed his troops and terror proxies are ready for war – despite him reportedly cowering away in hiding.
An unprecedented 181-missile barrage was launched into Tel Aviv from Iran yesterday following the IDF’s push across the Lebanese border.
Father-of-three Sameh al-Asali, 37, was the sole victim of the horror attack as he was killed instantly by falling shrapnel from the ballistic missiles.
Iranians across the country rejoiced after hearing their terror regime had fired back at Israel.
Disturbing footage shows hundreds of MPs and officials celebrating the destruction of their archenemies land.
They can be seen and heard singing in unison “death to America” as many punch the air with their fists clenched.
The rapturous chanting was followed by readings from the Quran.
Iranians have seemingly taken the attack on Israel as a victory for their military as news outlets in country joined the MPs in celebrating.
The Tehran Times proudly printed a full-page image of a ballistic missile being launched followed by the headline “We’re Ready”.
A comment from the Iranian Revolutionary guards (IRGC) was included next to the missile vowing “a crushing response should Israel dare commit further acts of violence”.
Hundreds of civilians were also seen on the streets of Iran singing, dancing and burning flags of Israel.
Many held up signs supporting the IRGC’s blitz and agreeing with those calling for the downfall of Israel and Western nations like the US.
It came just after Joe Biden‘s US – a close ally of Israel – reacted to the Iranian attack by firing a dozen of its own interceptors at the ballistic missiles.
The US and Iran have been national rivals for decades with both countries seeing the other as a dangerous thorn in their side.
They have had no diplomatic relations since the Iranian takeover of the US embassy in 1979.
Washington has already said it would work with Israel to ensure Iran faced “severe consequences” for the missile attack.
It comes as…
In his first speech since the blitz, the Ayatollah blamed the West for causing chaos in the Middle East leading to the escalation.
At a meeting in Tehran, Khamenei said countries, believed to be heavily pointing at the US, were the reasons for the “clashes and anxieties” in the region.
He said: “If they leave from this region, these wars and clashes will disappear from this region completely.
“They are the source of war and instability and with the help of god, they will be gone.”
Despite remaining strong in his public declarations against Israel and its allies Khamenei is being kept in a “secure location”, according to Iranian officials.
A senior government source told Reuters he was initially moved to a secret hideout and placed under armed guard following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
It comes as Israeli troops continue on with their ground offensive into Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The first footage showing the invasion, dubbed Northern Arrows, has been released today showing Israeli troops inside Lebanon.
Despite Israel’s military strength, Hezbollah have claimed to have pushed back forces attempting to enter the town of Adaisseh early this morning.
Several Israeli troops are understood to have been killed after one of its commando units was ambushed close to a Hezbollah tunnel today, reports The Times.
The IDF said that regular infantry and armoured units were joining ground operations, but noted they would remain limited and localised in scope.
Israel could target oil production facilities inside Iran within days, Israeli officials told Axios.
Other possible targets would be the country’s air defence system as well as assassinations of senior figures.
But Tehran threatened Israel would suffer the “vast destruction” of its infrastructure if it attacks Iran.
Iran’s military also warned of “strong attacks” on military bases in the region if Israel’s allies intervene.
BY Nick Parker, Foreign Editor, in northern Israel
I’D just ordered a coffee in a roadside cafe on my way back from Israel’s northern war zone when the alert flashed up on my phone.
It read: “Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel. Please take cover as soon as possible.”
I was sitting in a pizza restaurant in a much-rocketed area north of the coastal port of Haifa when the warning pinged in my pocket.
Moments later I saw other diners picking up their phones as warnings reached them but was impressed by their stoicism as they carried on munching on their margaritas.
These were people who have endured daily rocket attacks from Hezbollah for nearly a year but even they began to shuffle in their seats as more warnings appeared on their mobile security apps.
This was clearly something much bigger than the daily Hezbollah barrage from the north.
And moments later we were jammed in the door as it was confirmed that more than a hundred Iranian ballistic missiles flying at 14 times the speed of sound were on their way.
This was confirmed to be only the first of several waves of attacks heading out way.
We ran across the road into a concrete shelter where English speakers told me to expect to be stuck there for some time as I tapped out my story using the glow of my laptop screen.
Then moments later the first booms split the air high above as Iron Dome interceptors engaged the incoming rockets.
I – probably very foolishly – took a sneak peek into the sky outside and watched trails of red rockets racing up to meet the missiles in a spectacular but potentially deadly firework display.
But scary spectaculars like this have become a way of life for the people of northern Israel – who clearly trust the boffins whose rocket wizardry had saved their lives yet again.
It remained unclear whether Iran’s terror masters had inflicted death or destruction as they attempted to decimate their hated enemy.
And this may be just the first of many terrifying tests for the people of Israel, their enemies and the millions caught in the crossfire as the threat of a catastrophic war looms.
The Middle East now appears on the brink of all-out war after the Iranian ballistic attack as raging Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned the terrorist state had made a “big mistake”.
He said: “There is also a deliberate and murderous hand behind this attack – it comes from Tehran.
“We will stand by the rule we established: whoever attacks us – we will attack him.”
Israel Defence Forces’ Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari branded the multiple strikes “a severe and dangerous escalation” and warned: “There will be consequences.”
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned Iran’s strike, reiterated his support for Israel, and once again called for a ceasefire.
The Sun understands that British Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as Iran unleashed its attack.
Last night, Defence Secretary John Healey said: “British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East.
“I want to thank all British personnel involved in the operation for their courage and professionalism.”
A HOTEL in Scotland is one of the best budget breaks in the world, with “wallet-friendly prices that don’t come at the cost of style or substance”.
House of Gods in Edinburgh is one of the best low-cost getaways globally, according to National Geographic Traveller UK.
The hotel is known for its extravagant decor that blends a clash of styles and broken rules.
Rooms are individually designed and feature dark colours, velvet, fake fur, and mood lighting.
Zebra-print four-poster beds, copper bathtubs and walk in showers are the norm, with past guests likening the rooms to Orient Express-style cabins.
The hotel’s bar, Lilith’s Lounge, is a plush cocktail bar with a rock’n’roll-inspired menu.
Expect to see classic cocktails like Espresso Martini next to hotel-themed ones, such as House of Gods No.5, which pays homage to the iconic perfume Chanel No.5, and each drink comes with its own little story on the menu.
Other features at House of Gods include a cosy outdoor space and no room phones – the hotel uses WhatsApp for communication with guests.
And its location, in Edinburgh’s Cowgate, is close to major landmarks and minutes away from the city’s bars, restaurants, and shopping centres.
What really makes this 4-star hotel stand out though, is the price.
Rooms are available from £108 and to give you an idea of value, a quick search online shows that Travelodge rooms in Edinburgh are available from £109 currently.
Yes, you absolutely can get a much cheaper room at Travelodge if you plan ahead, but it’s very impressive nonetheless.
If neat, simple and practical hotels are your thing, then House of Gods Hotel isn’t for you – this place is anything but boring.
Its opulent, velvet decor is what makes this spot so much more than just a room for the night, so it’s no surprise to me that it’s made it on to Condé Nast’s Best Hotels list for 2024.
The dark and extravagant bedrooms may not be to everyones taste, but there’s no arguing that it’s location is ideal, less than a five-minute walk from Edinburghs famous Royal Mile.
The whole experience of staying here is fun from start to finish, with bedrooms hidden in a maze of winding corridors and rouge curtains and in-room buttons for late night butler service.
Daylight is almost utterly shut out from the moment you enter the hotel’s unassuming front door, and we were ushered through a winding rabbit warren of rouge curtains and mirrors, eventually reaching Room 212.
Had we left the room again that night, I’m not convinced we would have been able to find it by ourselves, but rooms have been designed not to be left for hours, maybe even days.
We booked the indulgent Treat Me Like I’m Famous package, and our bed was decorated with gold balloons and rose petals, accompanied by with a bottle of bubbles and two flutes.
The package also includes cocktails delivered to your door, a £40 bar tab, a midnight feast of milk and cookies and a breakfast hamper of bagels and juice.
Fuelled by the booze, we had a great night’s sleep and an unplanned lie-in, as we were blissfully unaware that morning had broken in our windowless boudoir, totally shut off from the outside world.
One hotel guest who stayed in August this year for their anniversary described their stay as “10/10”.
Why wrote on Tripadvisor: “This hotel goes above and beyond and you will have one of the best experiences staying here.
“This was the perfect choice for our wedding anniversary and I wish we had stayed longer as one night wasn’t enough!
“The staff cannot do enough, the rooms are unreal and the cocktails are some of the best I’ve seen. We will be back! Thank you for making our anniversary one to remember.”
Prices for bed and breakfast at House of Gods start from £102.
As part of National Geographic Traveller UK’s annual hotel awards, House of Gods was announced as a runner-up in the Best Budget Breaks category.
The winner was INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit, with its rooftop infinity pool and open living lobby inspired by Bangkok’s temples, and room rates starting from £88.
Another runner-up in the Budget Breaks category was Interno Marche in Italy.
The design hotel pays tribute to the history of Italian design and the legacy of Italian fashion designer Franco Moschini, with prices for rooms starting from £140,
Revamped Hotel
Romantic Bolthole
City Star
Food Hero
Beach Sanctuary
Wellness Haven
Remote Sleep
Clever Conversion
One-Of-A-Kind
Budget Break
Eco-stay
Mountain Refuge
The World’s 50 Best Hotels were recently announced with three English hotels making the list.
One of these was Raffles London at The OWO, which has only been open since September last year.
PLAYSTATION has had a number of ups and downs over the last few months, with fans not able to decide whether they love or hate it.
The announcement of the PS5 Pro fell flat with players after it was revealed that the upgraded console would cost £700/$700.
That is without accessories that came as standard with the original PS5, such as the disc drive and vertical stand.
However, public opinion quickly turned when people saw the new designs for PlayStation’s 30th anniversary.
PlayStation announced a new range of PS5 consoles and accessories with the classic grey colour scheme from the PS1 era.
The range includes controllers, a PS Portal, PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro bundles, and pre-orders went live on September 26.
People queued online for hours to secure their limited edition hardware, but many were left disappointed as they quickly sold out.
Thousands of pre-ordered bundles immediately appeared online on auction sites like eBay, with prices immediately rising above £10k for the Pro bundle.
The bundle costs almost £1k/$1k directly through PlayStation, meaning that resellers are making huge profits.
However, this isn’t the only time that the anniversary bundle will be available, and more will be put up for sale via other retailers at a later date.
Japan has now come up with a method to protect consumers from falling victim to scalpers in the region.
In order to be qualified to purchase any of the anniversary hardware, PlayStation wants buyers to prove they’re gamers.
Eligible customers must have played at least 30 hours of games on PS4 and PS5 between February 22, 2014, and September 19, 2024.
This means that those who have no intentions of playing the console and only wish to resell it will not be able to purchase it.
Despite PlayStation’s efforts, there have been criticisms of this method.
People believe it unfairly punishes those who are hoping to pick up a PlayStation console for the first time, or those who want to purchase a console as a gift.
This second scenario could be particularly common given that the holidays are soon after the hardware’s release.
Others are worried that 30 hours is a very low limit and many people may qualify even if they intend to resell the products.
The use of bots to purchase and resell limited-edition products before legitimate buyers has risen drastically as companies fail to find a reliable way to prevent it.
If you want to read more about PlayStation, check out how to play Metaphor: ReFantazio early.
Get the lowdown on more of the latest PS5 releases from our expert reviewers.
For Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, check out our full game reviews section.
MANCHESTER UNITED flop Joshua Zirkzee has been dubbed a “champion of losing the ball” after his performance against Tottenham.
Dutchman Frank de Boer, who Jose Mourinho once labelled “the Prem’s worst ever manager” fired a scathing attack on new boy Zirkzee.
Zirkzee’s poor United displays have swiftly come under-fire, despite netting a late winner from the bench on his debut against Fulham.
He frequently gave up possession in United’s 3-0 hammering by Spurs, even kicking the ball out of play on two occasions without any pressure.
Zirkzee was removed at half-time after Bruno Fernandes’ red card – which has now been overturned– saw Casemiro enter the fray.
And De Boer was less than impressed with the 23-year-old’s display against Ange Postecoglou’s men.
De Boer told Viaplay: “Look at Joshua Zirkzee. He was having a nightmare. He was absolutely shocking.
“How many times does he make the wrong choices on the pitch?
“Okay, he did have one shot at goal and the keeper saved it. But all in all he was champion in losing the ball.
“During the warm-up before the game, I was watching him and he was shooting on goal but he was blasting it anywhere but on target.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
“Honestly, he did not hit the target once in the warm-up. That was terrible.
“When you are a good striker, you don’t have to blast every ball, you have to make sure your shots are in the corner.
“During the game Marcus Rashford tried to shoot like that. Zirkzee never did.”
The former Bologna striker joined United for 36.5m this summer, but looks way off the pace for Prem football.
Erik ten Hag’s compatriot De Boer was also heavily critical of the United boss after the game.
He added: “United look like a team that are wobbling everywhere.
“They have been totally outclassed, and I am talking about being outclassed tactically, in quality, in effort and energy. Where weren’t they outclassed?”
Mourinho once lambasted De Boer’s own managerial credentials in 2018, after his criticism of Rashford during the Special One’s time at United.
Hitting back at De Boer, Mourinho said: “I read something, some quote from the worst manager in the history of the Premier League, Frank De Boer.
“If Rashford was coached by Frank he would lose because he lost every game.”
De Boer was sacked by Crystal Palace after just five games and 77 days in charge.
A stint that encompassed four league games, all of which ended in defeat.
He went on to manage Atalanta from 2018-20 and spent a year with the Netherlands before being sacked after Euro 2021.
De Boer was also let go by Abu Dhabi side Al Jazira in December 2023 – after six months in charge.
MANCHESTER UNITED suffered a 3-0 thrashing against Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first half for fouling James Maddison, forcing Erik Ten Hag’s side to play with 10 men against Ange Postecoglou’s team.
After back-to-back draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente fans hoped United would redeem themselves against Spurs.
However, the match at Old Trafford quickly turned sour. Brennan Johnson scored early and things worsened when Fernandes was sent off allowing Spurs to extend their lead to 3-0.
And here is how SunSports Charlie Wyett rated the Manchester United stars.
Andre Onana – 5
Stood his ground to deliver a good save from Timo Werner who was clean through – no chance for either goal.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
First in the refs’ book for chopping down Destiny Udogie. Could also have blocked Micky van de Ven for the goal. Just watched Solanke make it 3-0.
Matthijs de Ligt – 4
Shocking first half. Failed to cut out the cross from Micky van de Ven which led to the first goal.
Lisandro Martinez – 5
Switched off for the Spurs goal and was drawn to the ball and Johnson was left unmarked.
Diogo Dalot – 5
Gave the ball away in dangerous areas and struggled against Johnson.
Manuel Ugarte – 5
Suffered a stinker and was lucky to last until the 73rd minute.
Kobbie Mainoo – 5
Not one of his better performances and was taken off just before half-time following Fernandes’ sending-off.
Marcus Rashford – 5
Over-ran the ball for Tottenham’s first. Way off the pace.
Bruno Fernandes – 4
Arguably the worst captain in United’s history. Deserved red card for his challenge on James Maddison.
Alejandro Garnacho – 6
Had United’s only chance in the first half but hit the outside of the post. Improved in the second half.
Joshua Zirkzee – 5
Looked completely lost up front – threatening to be another poor Erik ten Hag signing. Replaced at half-time.
Subs:
Mount (for Mainoo 45) 5, Casemiro (for Zirkzee 46) 7, Hojlund (for Rashford 73) 5, Eriksen (for Ugarte 73) 5.