Getting ready for the rodeo — and other news in pictures
Times picture editors select the best images from around the world, including ways to cool off in a heatwave and grabbing a snack. Which is your favourite?
The Times
Tourists and locals dance around a bonfire in Yue Opera Town in Shaoxing City in the Zhejiang province of China
PAN WEIFENG/VCG/GETTY IMAGES
Fred the dachshund showed that short legs are no obstacle by running an agility course at the K9 World Dog Show at Chalkwell Park, Southend
BEN JONES FOR THE TIMES
Meabh, two, and Tadhg, four, get tips on their swashbuckling technique from Bob the pirate at the Golden Age of Piracy weekend held at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich
BEN JONES FOR THE TIMES
Cyclists raced from Chinon to Chateauroux during stage nine of the Tour de France, passing fields of sunflowers
BENOIT TESSIER/REUTERS
A pod of 12 dolphins entertained onlookers enjoying the sunny weather with acrobatics off the coast of Amble, Northumberland
LINDA JOHNSON/SWNS
BAV MEDIA
ARTUR WIDAK/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES
Visitors to the Dapu Tsunami World water park enjoy the waves under the domed roof of the indoor pool in Wuhu, China
XIAO BENXIANG/VCG/GETTY IMAGES
Jovan Filipovski receives a close shave from his best man before his Galicnik wedding ceremony, a tradition that symbolises the transition into married life in North Macedonia
IOANNIS ALEXOPOULOS/LNP
Boxers spar during a morning training session at the Virunga Club in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
JOSPIN MWISHA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Scorching temperatures failed to deter thousands of bargain hunters from the car boot sale at Lea Marston in Warwickshire
BRITISH NEWS AND MEDIA/ALAMY
Reenactors dressed in Roman Empire era costumes recreated an ancient attack on a fortress in the village of Poiana in northern Romania
VADIM GHIRDA/AP
A pair of swans with their cygnets found themselves the centre of attention from a herd of curious cows in Romney Marsh, Kent
TOM IWASYSZYN/PICTURE EXCLUSIVE
The Red Arrows put on a colourful display on their return to Bournemouth airport, in their last show of a packed weekend schedule
STEVE HOGAN/SOLENT NEWS
The Pope arrived in style in his popemobile to preside over a Sunday mass in the Papal Parish of St Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo
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BreakingNews.ie
13 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Emma Chung: How anyone can make Chinese food easily at home
It was Shanghainese spring onion oil noodles that catapulted Emma Chung to TikTok success four years ago. 'It's a fragrant oil that you make by frying spring onions and mixed with noodles, it's really easy! It's five ingredients in the whole dish,' says the now Hong Kong-based chef and content creator. 'I just casually posted, not even telling anyone.' Advertisement Chung, 28, who posts under @ had spent her life in food already though, working as a recipe developer for a food box company and teaching at London's School Of Wok. With Hong Kong parentage, she moved to Shanghai at the age of five. 'So I actually lived more in Shanghai than I did in Hong Kong, however I've always felt really tied to my Cantonese roots, to my Hong Kong family.' (Emma Chung/PA) Her food is heavily influenced by both areas. 'They're really different,' says Chung. 'I would say Shanghainese food is a little bit sweeter overall, we use more dark soy sauce, so dishes tend to have that dark brown colour. Because it gets quite cold in the winter, it's heartier than Cantonese food, it's quite filling, you've got braised meats, delicious noodles and rice dishes. 'In Hong Kong, dishes are lighter in flavour, a lot of seafood, dishes are often steamed.' Advertisement Chung remembers her grandmother ('the best cook I've known') rustling up all her meals on a small electric stove in a tiny kitchen, with tools hung everywhere and meat drying at the windows. 'The dish I miss the most when I'm away from home is her stir-fried greens. I also really remember her doing a whole steamed fish in a massive wok. They'd be 20 of us [eating] in this tiny flat and this boiling hot dish of steamed fish coming out.' Chung's debut cookbook, Easy Chinese Food Anyone Can Make, aims to prove that forgoing your local takeaway in favour of home cooking is a lot more simple and accessible than you might think. Think easy weeknight dinners like ketchup prawns, to takeaway classics like sweet and sour pork and beef chow fun, and sticky mango rice for pudding. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emma Chung (@ So what's her advice for beginners to the cuisine at home? Get four basics in your pantry According to Chung, all you need is a light soy sauce, a dark soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce. 'A light soy sauce is going to be very salty, it adds a bit of seasoning. Dark soy sauce gives it that lovely golden brown colour – when we think of a really delicious stir-fry noodle that has a dark brown colour, that's what's giving it its colour. Sesame oil has a really delicious nutty taste. Advertisement 'Oyster or mushroom sauce [for a plant-based alternative], they taste really similar, adds a nice salty taste to your food that's different to a light soy sauce. From those few basic sauces, you can make so many different types of dishes, says Chung. 'When I go to my grandmother's kitchen, when I look at her pantry, she's literally got four large bottles.' Stop buying packet supermarket stir-fry sauces 'It's just a mixture of sesame oil, light or dark soy, maybe sugar, maybe a few other things to make it taste a little bit better. I would say if you just had those basic ingredients yourself, it's going to taste a lot better, a lot fresher, and probably be a lot healthier than when you buy those packaged ingredients with things that you don't even know what's in it – same as if you were buying like a jar of pasta sauce from the aisles. 'Start with a little bit [of each thing] and you can always add a little bit more.' Advertisement It's likely to work out cheaper in the long-run too. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emma Chung (@ Start with fried rice – but don't over-stir A Chinese fried rice dish is usually made of 'the most basic of ingredients', says Chung, 'some maybe you already have at home – it's an amazing way to transform a very simple ingredient, or leftovers. 'I always have lots of different things lying around the fridge, like a half-chopped courgette, or like the end of a spring onion. It's a great way to use what you already have and transform it into something that tastes really different. 'If you get that technique right (you don't necessarily need a wok), it can go from a kind of average fried rice to really, really good fried rice.' Advertisement Chung, who taught at London's School of Wok for many years, says the pan needs to be very hot – and not to mix it around too much. 'I've taught many fried rice dishes. Almost every class had some kind of fried rice. What I saw all the time were just people constantly mixing it, and when you mix it so much, it's almost like you're breaking the grains of the rice. And so that's why it gets wet and a little bit mushy.' 'With risotto, they encourage you to continually stir it because you want to break up the grains of rice, you want to kind of release some of that starch. But in the fried rice, that's not what you want. So I would say actually the best tip is to actually not do so much and just let it cook in the pan.' Make your own dumplings – with minimal pleats Chinese dumplings or wontons are easier to make than we might think, says Chung. 'Making any type of dough, whether you're baking or making pasta, can seem daunting. But I think once you try it a few times, and then you get familiar with how the dough feels – it becomes really easy.' In Chinese restaurants you'll see wontons with many pleats, she notes, but that's just 'a plus'. 'The most basic dumpling, when you go to dumpling stalls in Shanghai, they're doing the most basic fold because they have to make a hundred a day. They're not going to bother sitting there making 10, 12, 14 pleats on each dumpling, they're just squeezing it, sealing it shut and then moving on to the next one.' Her best tip for filling dumplings is to cook a little bit to taste it, before putting the rest of the mixture inside. 'Like you would if you were making meatballs at home to make sure the seasoning is right. Just cook off a small bit.' Chop everything before you start cooking 'With Chinese food, everything happens quite quickly. Often, things are being stir-fried within 10-15 minutes. So I would say, make sure you have everything that you need ready and measured out right by you for the very beginning. And if you need garlic, ginger, spring onions or peppers, have that all already chopped.' (Ebury/PA) Easy Chinese Food Anyone Can Make by Emma Chung is published in hardback by Ebury Press. Photography by Ola Available July 24th.
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Seaside fish and chip shops in North Wales among UK's best
The experts at The Times have come up with a list of the UK's best spots for seaside fish and chips. Introducing the list, The Times said: "If there's one business that stands the test of time in this country, it's the chippy. From 1940s-style restaurants to fishermen-founded takeaways on the harbour arm, our writer picks the top places to refuel on the coast — from Norfolk to Dorsethttps:// "Some of the spots on this list have been in the same family for three or four generations and none of them shows signs of slowing, casting the net beyond the family tree, or shifting their focus to poke bowls. "Sure, there's a mackerel bap here, a tempura prawn there, but the traditional fish supper has our hearts. "And how you order is a personal matter that we would never attempt to steer you on — perhaps you can't do without a chip butty, a black pudding fritter or a pot of homemade tartare. "However you like yours, one thing's for sure, fish and chips taste best with a little sea spray on your cheeks, the mewing threat of seagulls overhead, a blob of ketchup in the box." The best spots in the UK for fish and chips by the sea, according to The Times, are: Finney's in Benllech is an award-winning fish and chip shop having won the Environment and Sustainable Business award at the National Fish & Chip Awards 2025. The Anglesey-based chippy was also shortlisted for the Takeaway of the Year Award. This isn't the first time the Benllech-based chippy has been amongst the UK's best as part of the National Fish and Chip Awards. In 2024, Finney's (Benllech) made the: Finney's is an extremely popular chippy, according to The Times, attracting customers "in droves". The news outlet said: "The giant arrow billboards and adjoining road and car park might make this chippy look like an in-and-out car wash, but that simply shows how Finney's must manoeuvre its customers who come — in their droves — for click-and-collect fish suppers. "Once you're armed with your haddock — which is battered in a coating perfected over the years to be naturally gluten-free — take it down to the beach, within view. "The onion rings, coleslaw and tartare sauce are all homemade (as is the chicken curry) so don't scrimp on sides." Finney's Fish & Chips Benllech also comes highly recommended by customers on Tripadvisor, boasting a 4.2 (out of 5) rating from 69 reviews. The Anglesey-based fish and chip shop has been described by visitors as "the best", "10/10" and "a must visit when in North Wales". Les and Rita's Fish Bar first opened in Rhyl around 55 years ago, and the "modern art" on the walls "does little to change the impression that you've gone back to the Swinging Sixties". The Times added: "To take away is to miss a trick here. "Instead, pick a booth — made from real vinyl and genuine Formica — and order a sit-down supper of fish, chips, mushy peas and bread that is neither artisan nor sourdough." The chippy, which is now run by Les and Rita's daughter, Kay, is located on Wellington Street, just a 10-minute walk from the promenade. Les and Rita's Fish Bar is also a popular option among customers, with it scoring a 4.5 rating (from 480 reviews) on Tripadvisor. One visitor, describing the Rhyl-based fish and chip shop as "the best ever", said: "I've been coming to les and Rita's chips shop for many years the staff are always nice and friendly and the fish and chips with peas is just amazing and very reasonably priced .. keep up the excellent work and see you again very soon." The Mermaid, located in Barmouth, was commended by The Times for its combo of fish, chips and tea. A post shared by The Mermaid Fish Bar Barmouth (@themermaidfishbar) The news outlet explained: "What beverage pairs best with fish and chips? Champagne? An unoaked chardonnay? A pint of bitter? "All are good, but none beats a mug of tea. "In most chippies that's a teabag on a string in a polystyrene cup, but at the Mermaid (established 1964) it comes out of a metal pot, strong and slightly overstewed — the perfect accompaniment to a crunchy fillet of battered cod and crisp yet fluffy chips." The Mermaid has also been described as having the "best Fish & Chips in the UK" by customers on Tripadvisor, where it has a 4.4 rating from 1,159 reviews. RECOMMENDED READING: The 2 North Wales spots named among the cheapest in the UK for fish and chips The 3 North Wales seaside spots among the best in the UK to get fish and chips North Wales village with 'scenic' pub and secret beach among UK's most beautiful One person posted: "We visit Barmouth every year and by far the best fish and chips anywhere. "So it's £25 for 2 fish chips and peas it's a lot more in a restaurant or pub and nowhere near the quality 10 out of 10." Where is your favourite seaside fish and chip shop in North Wales? Let us know in the comments below.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
The eye-watering profit Labubu maker expects to make from trend
Chinese toymaker Pop Mart anticipates a significant profit increase of at least 350 per cent and a revenue jump of around 200 per cent for the first half of the year, driven by the immense popularity of its Labubu dolls. The fang-toothed plush toys gained widespread global demand after celebrities like Blackpink 's Lisa and Rihanna were seen with them, contributing to Pop Mart's valuation reaching $40bn (£31.6bn). Originally created by artist Kasing Lung in 2015, Labubu figurines were first sold by Pop Mart in 2019, with their popularity soaring after plush keyring versions were introduced in 2023 and gained visibility on TikTok. Labubu dolls, typically priced around $40 (£30), are sold in limited quantities via 'blind boxes', a marketing strategy that has faced criticism for potentially encouraging compulsive buying. The high demand has led to rare Labubus reselling for over $1,000 (£745) and a life−sized figure fetching $1.08m yuan ($150,000 or £111,800) at auction, prompting Pop Mart to issue guides on verifying authenticity and to scale up production.
