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Perth Now
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Katie Boulter loves style on court at Wimbledon
Katie Boulter loves the "style and tradition" of Wimbledon. The 28-year-old British tennis ace loves the fact the tournament allows players to "express" themselves on the court and while she doesn't think she could pull off a particularly daring look, she's keen to walk out in an oversized blazer. She told the Sunday Times' Style magazine: "I live for the Serena Williams long white train moment! That was epic in every way. She's probably the only person who could pull it off. I love that side of Wimbledon — it's not just about the tennis but also about the style, the tradition and expressing yourself. "I've always wanted to walk out on centre court in a blazer, ever since I saw Roger [Federer] do it when I was a kid. Now oversized jackets are really in, I would love to rock up on court wearing an understated white blazer — that would be a moment." Katie is "very into fashion" and enjoys moving away from sportswear when she isn't on court. She said: "I have two sides to me: tennis Katie who loves to wear match clothes to get into game mode. "Then there's this whole other side to me who is very into fashion, whether it's classic jeans and a nice top or a dress for date nights. I want to feel like a person who is something else besides a tennis player." Katie has regular lash lifts because she doesn't think her mascara would stand up to the intensity of her time on court. Asked her beauty essentials, she said: "Getting my LVL lash lift done. I don't want to wear mascara when I'm playing sports because I'm worried it'll streak everywhere. I've tried loads of tinted SPFs and they break me out, but since I discovered Shiseido Anessa suncare in Japan last year, it's the first thing I put on every day. It makes you look glowy but not too shiny."
Belfast Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Belfast Telegraph
‘It's been a long time coming': Residents delighted as Portstewart beach named best in UK
For many in Portstewart, both residents and those visiting, the news that the local beach was named the best in the UK come as 'no surprise at all'. Though the weather was not ideal, with bracing gusts and overcast grey skies, many still came to walk along the broad idyllic sands of Portstewart beach. The threat of rain this afternoon, didn't stop the occasional daring sea swimmer from running down the beach and taking the icy plunge. Large sodden and sandy dogs sniffed at other walkers while their owners followed after them, bundled up in their bright rain coats. Others simply walked along the picturesque coastline, as the foamy white waves raged and crashed beside them. In the distance, in the lead up to the Open in the neighbouring Portrush, golfers played on sand-coated grassy plains. Strolling along the flat, hard sand near the mouth of the Atlantic, avoiding the occasional washed-up jellyfish, it is little wonder why it was recently named the UK's best beach. The title was awarded to the Co Londonderry beach as part of the Sunday Times' best beaches list. It is, in fact, one of five Northern Irish coastlines to be named in the list. Listing 50 beaches from across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Times' chief travel writer, Chris Haslam added Cushendall, Ballycastle, Ballintoy and Runkerry in the annual Sunday Times guide. Each beach, including the two-mile-long strand, was judged on 11 points. The checklist included cleanliness, water quality, accessibility and dog-friendliness. Frequently hailed as the jewel of the north coast, Portstewart's crowning comes as no surprise to both visitors and locals. Coming from Scotland to visit family in Northern Ireland was Stephen and Ruaraidh Berry. 'This is our first time on Portstewart beach, I definitely believe it when I see it, it's a beautiful walk along the beach,' Stephen said. 'It's well-kept and clean, and the fact you can park your car on it too is handy, you can't do that in Scotland.' 'I am definitely not surprised to hear that it is the best beach, it's a bracing walk too.' Taking their two dogs for a walk along the coast were Edith McKeever and Elaine Mullan, who also weren't surprised to hear the news. 'I am not surprised at all, I have been to many lovely beaches, and this one is really lovely, it is well kept as well,' said Edith. 'It is definitely gorgeous, I thought all beaches were like this, with all the sand, but that isn't the case,' added Elaine. 'I am on the beach every morning to walk the dogs. They keep it very clean and people always pick up after their dogs. 'The people around here definitely make it a dog-friendly beach, it's nice and big for the dogs too.' Coming to Portstewart beach for over 60 years is Gail Butler. 'I think it has been a long time coming for Portstewart beach,' said Gail. 'We have enjoyed this beach for a while now, over 60 years. 'The improvements made to Harry's Shack have definitely helped it too. I am not so keen that there are so many dogs, given that I have young grandchildren.' In the nearby Anchor Bar, a popular watering hole for students and locals alike, Marketing Manager Luke McIlreavy, believes it will mean good business for the bar. 'I think that [Portstewart being named as the best beach] is certainly right,' said Luke. 'It is well due as one of the best beaches, it is well looked after by the National Trust as well. 'Basically, it is a great beach, I think that a lot of our guests and the residents of Portstewart, they do tend to go to the strand in the morning, it is a lovely beach. 'They would typically walk down to the beach, especially during the summer. It is a beautiful spot. 'I hope that the new title will impact business positively. Fingers crossed. We do have a lot of American tourists during the summer. 'It has been a popular beach, certainly one of our most popular.' With the expansive strand in view from Portstewart town, Lindsay Bell believes the accolade is 'well deserved'. 'I am from the countryside myself, but Portstewart is always a place where we would go,' said Lindsay. 'It's well overdue for being named as one of the best beaches, here, we do have some of the best beaches in the world.' Carolyn Green Lindsay's opinion. Watch: Minke whale washed up on Portstewart Strand 'It's great for kids, picnics as well as surfing and swimming,' said Carolyn. 'It must have been overlooked in the past. There are just so many great beaches in Ireland as a whole. 'It's part of the reason why I moved here.'
The National
07-07-2025
- The National
Scotland's best beach crowned in Times and Sunday Times guide
Other Scottish beaches featured on the list include Rhu Point, Vestey's Beach, Achininver and Melvich in the Highlands, Spey Bay and Cullen Bay in Moray, and St Cyrus in Aberdeenshire. READ MORE: Tony Blair's staff took part in 'Gaza Riviera' project, reports say Chris Haslam, chief travel writer for the Times and Sunday Times, picked the UK's top 50 beaches from a total of 756 during a month-long campervan tour of the British and Northern Irish coasts. In his description of Seacliff, Haslam wrote: 'Hidden at the west end is the smallest harbour in the British Isles. 'About the size of a hotel pool, it's a steampunk fantasy cut out of the sandstone using a steam engine and a compressor in 1890 by laird of the manor Andrew Laidlay. 'Seacliff is the beach you wish you'd found when you were ten: a Scottish stageset where you can be a medieval knight, a Victorian explorer, a ghostbuster or even James Bond.' The guide ranked UK mainland beaches based on an 11-point checklist which included water quality, cleanliness, accessibility, parking, lifeguard presence, restroom hygiene, and dog-friendliness. The overall UK winner was Portstewart Strand in County Derry, Northern Ireland. The Times and Sunday Times' Best Beaches in Scotland Seacliff, East Lothian Rhu Point, Highland Vesteys Beach, Highland Achininver, Highland Melvich, Highland Spey Bay, Moray Cullen Bay, Moray
IOL News
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Johnny Depp speaks out against those who betrayed him amid Amber Heard trial
Johnny Depp has blasted the people who "did [him] dirty" after he was accused of domestic abuse. The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor split from then-wife Amber Heard in 2016 and his career went into freefall when she later wrote an op-ed about being a victim of domestic abuse, and Depp believes that he became a "crash test dummy" for the #MeToo movement, with people moving to distance themselves from him as a result of the allegations. He told the 'Sunday Times' newspaper: "As weird as I am, certain things can be trusted. And my loyalty is the last thing anybody could question. I was with one agent for 30 years, but she spoke in court about how difficult I was. "That's death by confetti, these fake motherf***ers who lie to you, celebrate you, say all sorts of horror behind your back, yet keep the money - that confetti machine going - because what do they want? Dough. 'I'll tell you what hurts. There are people, and I'm thinking of three, who did me dirty. Those people were at my kids' parties. Throwing them in the air. "And, look, I understand people who could not stand up [for me], because the most frightening thing to them was making the right choice. I was pre-MeToo. I was like a crash test dummy for MeToo. It was before Harvey Weinstein. 'And I sponged it, took it all in. And so I wanted from the hundreds of people I've met in that industry to see who was playing it safe. Better go woke!' Depp sued 'The Sun' newspaper for libel after they branded him a wife-beater but he lost the case and then went on to take action against Heard for defamation over her op-ed piece and while the jury ultimately ruled against the 'Aquaman' actress, lurid details of the former couple's personal lives were revealed in court. However, the 'Black Mass' star - who has Lily-Rose, 25, and Jack, 22, with former partner Vanessa Paradis - has no regrets about taking action because he was determined to salvage his reputation. He said: 'Look, it had gone far enough. 'I knew I'd have to semi-eviscerate myself. Everyone was saying, 'It'll go away!' But I can't trust that. What will go away? The fiction pawned around the f***ing globe? No it won't. " If I don't try to represent the truth it will be like I've actually committed the acts I am accused of. And my kids will have to live with it. Their kids. Kids that I've met in hospitals. "So the night before the trial in Virginia I didn't feel nervous. If you don't have to memorise lines, if you're just speaking the truth? Roll the dice. 'Look, none of this was going to be easy, but I didn't care. I thought, 'I'll fight until the bitter f***ing end.' And if I end up pumping gas? That's all right. I've done that before... 'I have no regrets about anything - because, truly, what can we do about last week's dinner? Not a f***ing thing.' Depp insisted he isn't bitter about what happened between himself and Heard. He said: "It would be dumb for me to carry any bitterness. Eternal hatred? You want to put curses on someone? No. I know who I am, what that was and, look, it was a learning experience.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Heathrow chief asleep as airport closed
Attempts to tell Heathrow airport's sleeping chief executive that the airport had been closed because of a power outage failed because his bedside phone was on silent, an inquiry has found. Thomas Woldbye was in bed as senior Heathrow staff decided to suspend operations because of a fire at a nearby electrical substation. No flights operated at the west London airport until about 18:00 GMT on 21 March because of the blaze which started late the previous night. The closure, which affected 270,000 journeys, was caused by "an unprecedented set of circumstances", Heathrow chairman Lord Deighton said, adding the airport's infrastructure will be made "more fit for the future". Heathrow commissioned the inquiry into what happened, led by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, who is an independent member of the airport's board. The Kelly Review found that Mr Woldbye "was not involved" in the decision taken by the airport's chief operating officer Javier Echave at 01:15 on 21 March to suspend operations until 23:59. Alerts known as F24 alarms were sent to Mr Woldbye's mobile at 00:21 and 01:52 to activate emergency procedures, and Mr Echave tried to call him several times. The report stated: "Mr Woldbye first became aware of the incident at approximately 06:45 on 21 March, and received a debrief from Mr Echave." Mr Woldbye expressed "his deep regret at not being contactable during the night of the incident", the review said. The review recommended that Heathrow considers having a "second means of contact" to notify key individuals about critical incidents. The Sunday Times first reported that Mr Woldbye slept as the major disruption unfolded on 21 March. However, when asked by the Daily Mail, a Heathrow spokesperson described the Sunday Times' account of events as "ill-informed misinformation". "Thomas, and his whole senior leadership team, were exactly where they were supposed to be during an incident of this scale," the spokesperson had said. Heathrow shutdown cause still unknown, report says 'We warned of power issues before Heathrow outage' How did a single fire bring down Europe's busiest airport? The review concluded that the airport had responded "efficiently and smoothly". The report found that the decision "to stop operations immediately was correctly made and essential to protect the safety and security of people" and decision-makers acted appropriately. "The evidence confirms that Heathrow made the right decisions in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Whilst the disruption was significant, alternative choices on the day would not have materially changed the outcome," Ms Kelly said. Looking at Heathrow's preparedness, the report's authors found the contingency plans in place "overall worked well". Heathrow Reimagined, a pressure group campaigning for reforms in how the airport is regulated, said it was critical of the Kelly Review. The group said: "The internal Kelly Review allows Heathrow to set and judge by its own standards. "It fails to properly tackle the poor contingency planning and years of inefficient spending that left Heathrow vulnerable." The review also examined whether the airport should have anticipated what impact a loss of power from the substation would have. It found that Heathrow had "assessed its high voltage electricity supply as resilient due to it having three separate intakes from the National Grid, all with multiple connections to the airport and multiple transformers at the National Grid/SSEN substations providing redundancy in the event of failure". The review states the airport had deemed what occurred in March as a "low likelihood event". Lord Deighton said the Kelly Review was "thorough with clear recommendations which the management team will be taking forward". March's shutdown cost airlines millions of pounds and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers. An interim report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso), published earlier this month, said the cause of the North Hyde substation fire remained unknown. Heathrow's management has been criticised for the decision to close the airport and the long shutdown that followed as Neso said power had been restored seven hours before any flights resumed. Neso's full report is expected to be published by the end of June. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
