Caerphilly Castle reopens after two-year renovation
The castle – the second biggest in the UK, behind Windsor - reopened on Saturday to include new interactive exhibitions that tell stories of the castle, including "power struggles, betrayals and liaisons with people who built and fought over the castle", according to Welsh heritage body Cadw.There is also an exhibit on John Crichton-Stuart, the fourth Marquis of Bute, who funded its reconstruction in the 1920s.A medieval passageway connected to the Great Hall has been opened for public access, while there have also been repairs to a major gatehouse.
New paths and ramps, as well as a wildflower garden, have been installed.Minister for Culture Jack Sargeant, said the renovation has "made our shared history more accessible and engaging for everyone"."The Great Hall, interactive exhibits and improved accessibility demonstrate our commitment to preserving Wales' rich cultural heritage while ensuring it can be enjoyed by future generations," he said.Ms Bryant said, the upgrades were "about reconnecting communities with their heritage and boosting local economies".
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Telegraph
14 minutes ago
- Telegraph
European leaders are disrupting Trump's golfing holiday at their peril
When president Donald Trump stepped off Air Force One on to Scottish soil, he had one thing on his mind. 'There's no place like Turnberry,' he told his travelling press pool beneath the wing of his presidential jet. His Ayrshire golf course, he continued, was 'the best … probably the best course in the world'. Minutes later, he climbed into the Beast – his armoured limousine - to travel 35 minutes along country lanes and through Scottish villages, lined with supporters, protesters, and the merely curious, to Turnberry. Mr Trump may be determined to have a break, but European leaders have other ideas. Willingly or otherwise, Mr Trump faces a string of meetings in the coming days as the Continent's power brokers sit down with the unpredictable president. For now, though, he is secure inside a ring of steel. The historic course, home to some of the most exciting Opens in history, has been locked down. It now sits inside an eight-foot fence, its fairways dotted with burly men in dark suits and earpieces. Snipers watch over the course from a watch tower. Police officers – some on quad bikes – patrol the famous course and the dunes that flank it. Mr Trump arrived with his golf clubs for four days at his two Scottish courses but without some of the trappings of a travelling American president. He travelled with a stripped-down retinue of aides. There was no chief of staff, director of communications, secretary of state or other cabinet ministers, who might be expected on an important foreign trip. His public weekend schedule showed no planned events. Instead, it was a chance to spend time at his golf course with his sons Eric, who manages the family businesses, and Don Jr. Officials insisted that this was a 'working trip' including a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer on Monday, although they were vague on agenda items. Yet all that changed shortly before Mr Trump flew out of Washington, when Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, announced on X that she would be meeting Mr Trump on Sunday as she closes in on a trade deal: Following a good call with @POTUS, we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong. — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 25, 2025 EU members have drawn up a retaliatory hit list. The plan is to impose 30pc tariffs on bourbon whisky, yachts, soybeans and other American products if a deal cannot be reached by August 1 to lift US levies. Mrs von der Leyen had better tread carefully. A diplomat who has prepared ministers for meetings with Mr Trump said she was playing a high-risk game. 'Very dangerous,' they said. Mr Trump's chat with reporters at Glasgow Prestwick Airport showed a president relaxed and looking forward to four days of golf, but one who was quick to bristle when it came to policy and politics. Mr Trump left Washington bugged by the drip, drip, drip of headlines about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire paedophile who took his own life in a jail cell six years ago. He flashed irritation and lobbed sharp words at reporters who asked him how much he knew about the case on Friday, but relaxed as soon as he could talk about the love of his life: golf and the course at Turnberry. 'Sean Connery helped get me the permits,' he claimed after landing. 'If it weren't for Sean Connery, we wouldn't have those great courses.' There is a lesson for European leaders looking to muscle in on his tee times with their trade demands or for John Swinney, the Scottish First Minister, who is likely to tell Mr Trump that his tariffs are hurting the Scotch whisky industry. When the chat with reporters turned from golf to more substantial matters, he said he had a simple message for Europe. 'On immigration, you better get your act together,' he said in another flash of passion. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore... This immigration is killing Europe.' Anyone meeting with Mr Trump will remember the lessons of Volodymyr Zelensky's Oval Office row. The Ukrainian president was roundly chastised by Mr Trump and his vice president for daring to push back on the US position. And by hosting leaders at his Turnberry and Aberdeenshire courses, Mr Trump retains home advantage even while on foreign soil. Sir Keir may have got the memo. Mr Trump billed their meeting as little more than a chance to celebrate their recent trade deal. Although the Prime Minister does run the risk of upsetting Mr Trump over plans to raise the plight of civilians in Gaza, British officials played down the chances of any major diplomatic announcements. 'It's not like other meetings where we would go in with deliverables we planned to announce,' he said. On Saturday, all that was far from Mr Trump's mind. He spent the day golfing with son Eric, and his ambassador to London. The sound of Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' and 'Memories' from the musical Cats drifted out from the dunes on Saturday morning as Mr Trump's motorcade of golf buggies arrived at the fourth hole. Photographers huddled on a mound in the dunes, hoping to get a shot of the president on the course. Mr Trump, wearing a white USA cap and dressed in black, waved at the mound before teeing off in the direction of Turnberry lighthouse. Cheers from his baseball-cap-wearing entourage could be heard above the din of the speakers as the group wasted little time in rattling off their drives. A photographer camped in the dunes with a long lens later claimed to have witnessed the president cheat on the third fairway. He said Mr Trump had been handed a ball by a caddy, which he then dropped to the floor and pushed forward a little with an iron before taking a swing. The golf course has been surrounded by an eight-foot-high metal fence, while dozens of officers patrolled the entrances to the beach from Turnberry all the way down to Maidens, the next town along the coast. A temporary watchtower had been erected to monitor the Turnberry perimeter with a sniper rifle trained on the course below. A drone scanned from above, and police boats patrolled the coastal waters. Asked whether there would be a repeat of protesters taking to the beach in front of the golf club, an officer said the incident in 2018 had likely convinced the authorities to close off the entire beach to the public. Fears that the visit would be a magnet for protesters appeared unfounded. Matt Halliday, from Stranraer, said he had been driving around for two hours trying and failing to find protests to join. He said Mr Trump had 'stamped all over Scotland' with his grand golf resort plans, strong-arming local farmers and 'bullying' the council over wind farm plans. One of his signs bore a picture of the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'I think it is going to bring him down,' he said. However, supporters were easier to find than protesters. Two wearing red 'Make England Great Again' hats arrived shortly after the president had disappeared over the crest of a dune. 'We love Trump,' said Kay English, 37, wearing a face mask sporting the president's face. Tom English, a 38-year-old driver, said the pair had driven up from Liverpool last night to catch a glimpse of the president. 'We support Maga, Trump and what he is doing,' he told reporters, adding: 'I like the way he is, the way he speaks. It is comedy gold. 'He is putting the people first. He is trying to help the whole world to make peace - he is the president of peace.' Mr English said he would return on Sunday and hopefully get within 'shouting distance' to offer words of encouragement to the president and cheer on his cost-cutting Doge unit. He added: 'We love Doge, we are trying to get that here through Reform. There is so much being wasted.' Mr Trump has long blurred the line between family, business and public life. But any world leader intruding on his golfing getaway had better be ready for a possible sharp response.
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Don Jr. and Bettina join Trump in Scotland as he golfs with Eric and MAGA lauds the president's Turnberry putt
President Donald Trump 's 'working trip' to his Scottish golf course has turned into a family affair, with Donald Trump, Jr. and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson joining the fun. The president included his younger son Eric in his golf foursome as he hit the links Saturday morning at his Turnberry golf course. That party also included the U.S. ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens and his son, according to the White House, ahead of Trump's scheduled meeting with British PM Keir Starmer. Video posted from Friday night on a pro-Trump X account gave a glimpse of the president celebrating two of his sons after Trump landed in the homeland of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. The video, captained as coming from inside Trump's private golf course on Scotland's western coast on a 'work weekend', features Trump asking is 'everybody good?' A crowd answers with a resounding cheer. The video shows Trump's two sons flanking him from behind, both tieless. Bettina, who started dating Trump Jr. in 2024, is standing to Don, Jr.'s left. At one point, she can be seen commenting to someone outside of the frame. The couple were also with Trump and first lady Melania Trump attending the FIFA Club World Cup event in New Jersey. The president has nominated Trump, Jr.'s ex fiancee, Kimberly Guilfoyle, to be the U.S. ambassador to Greece. She has gone through her Senate confirmation hearing. The Daily Mail has asked the White House for further information about which family members are accompanying Trump on the trip. None were seen traveling with him to Scotland aboard Air Force One. First lady Melania Trump is not expected on the golf-centered trip. Trump says Eric will be with him on Tuesday when he holds a ribbon-cutting event to open his new golf course in Aberdeenshire. Eric's wife Lara Trump had been considering a run for an open Senate seat in North Carolina after Trump clashed with Sen. Thom Tillis over his 'big, beautiful' bill. Days ago the president endorsed former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley in the race. Whatley and Lara Trump helmed the organization together during the last election cycle. Trump's golf round with Eric was a success, based on the reception some of his supporters are giving to a short video clip online of the president nailing a putt. 'President Trump sinks the putt while playing golf in Scotland. America's swagger on the world stage is so back,' posted Republican operative Steve Guest, a former advisor to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Added conservative podcaster Benny Johnson: 'Insane aura.' A member of Trump's golf party then raises a fist, and another gives him a fist bump. It wasn't immediately clear what score the president got on the hole by sinking the putt, which appeared to be about six to eight feet. Also getting in the golf outing was White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who flew to Scotland with Trump and a group of advisors aboard Air Force One. Her presence if the latest indication that she holds a place within Trump's inner circle. She has been one of Trump's primary defenders as the White House fields a series of difficult questions about the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer's EU reset to drive up cruise prices
Holidaymakers face paying more for cruises and ferry trips to the Continent under Sir Keir Starmer 's reset deal with the European Union. Passenger services are set to increase ticket prices in response to the UK adopting Brussels' rules on emissions costs. Industry insiders warned price rises were likely to mirror those in Europe, where costs on some routes have gone up by more than 10 per cent. This could add as much as £200 to the cost of a seven-day cruise, where a cabin can cost as much as £2,000 at the higher end. Some of the changes will come into force just before the height of next summer, when millions of Britons head to the Continent. Ministers announced last week that they would press ahead with expanding onerous net zero commitments to the maritime industry. From next July all shipping firms, including ferry operators and cruise liners, will be subject to the UK's emissions trading scheme (ETS). The move comes after Sir Keir agreed to link the UK and EU schemes as part of his Brexit reset deal, which was signed in May. It means ministers will set an overall cap on emissions for the maritime industry, with individual companies handed permits setting out how much greenhouse gas they can emit per year. If a business wants to go over its allowance, because demand for services is high, it will have to buy unused permits from another company. Over time the Government will lower the overall carbon cap in an effort to force shipping companies to reduce their emissions. Initially the UK ETS will only cover emissions from sea journeys made between British ports. But ministers have said they then intend to expand it to include international journeys, matching the approach taken by the EU. Companies are poised to pass on the cost to passengers of complying with the policy, including the need to adopt more expensive green technology. The EU Commission has admitted that its ETS scheme, which was expanded to cover shipping a year ago, has resulted in passenger lines putting up ticket prices. In a report assessing impacts of the first year of the scheme, EU officials wrote: 'There is evidence of specific ETS surcharges being applied on short sea shipping routes. 'An analysis of various ferry routes suggests that the impact of ETS costs on ticket prices largely varies across routes selected, with a price increasing ranging from 3 per cent to 11 per cent.' The same report also said that the scheme had introduced freight costs by between one per cent and five per cent and overall shipping costs across the industry by an average of 3.7 per cent. If replicated in Britain those figures would come as a concern at a time when the Government is struggling to keep a lid on inflation. Shipping industry figures said that UK holidaymakers were likely to experience a 'similar impact' on passenger ticket prices to that seen in the EU. One said that they had 'no doubt' that ferry operators would have to increase surcharges on Britons to recoup the extra costs. Another added: 'Inevitably there will be a cost increase to the cruise lines, therefore that money will have to come from somewhere.' Some businesses are concerned that the UK has rushed out its proposals to please the EU rather than waiting for a new international agreement on maritime emissions later this year. They fear that if the standards set by the International Maritime Organisation are less stringent, British firms will be left shouldering higher costs than international competitors. Andy Harmer, the managing director of the Cruise Lines International Association in the UK and Ireland, said: 'The cruise industry contributes £5.8bn to the UK economy, with over a third of the global cruise fleet visiting UK ports each year. 'To maintain and sustainably grow the more than 60,000 UK jobs that depend on the cruise industry, the UK's ETS system must be aligned with international counterparts and not risk the UK's competitiveness in the international cruise market.' There are also concerns that the Government's plans could wreak havoc on 'lifeline' island ferry services which are used by 2.4 million Britons every year. Such routes are vital to island dwellers, such as on the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles, who rely on them for access to the mainland for healthcare, education and essential goods. The UK Chamber of Shipping is urging ministers to exempt such services from the scheme amid warnings it could push up their fuel costs by almost a third, making many unviable. The Net Zero Department said that linking with the EU's emissions scheme would help British businesses avoid being hit with a new carbon border tax Brussels is introducing next year. A spokesman said of the EU Commission analysis: 'These figures do not apply to the UK and do not reflect that any costs come down as emissions are cut. 'By linking with the EU scheme, we will also cut red tape at the border, protect consumers from higher costs and make it easier for businesses to trade, boosting economic growth at home.'
