The UK government has not specifically warned against travel to anywhere in France or Spain, but it does advise caution.

In France, it says access to affected areas may be restricted and roads may close at short notice. It adds that further evacuations may take place.

It has also issued a general warning about the high risk of wildfires in France during the summer season from April to October.

For those in an affected area in France or Spain or planning to travel there, the UK government recommends following instructions and updates from local authorities and emergency services at all times.

Those needing emergency help in France or Spain can call 112.

Travellers should also bear in mind the UK government’s advice can and does change in response to moving events.

Anna-Marie Duthie, travel insurance expert at financial rating firm Defaqto, says that if this happens after you have booked your trip, “you may be covered for cancellation or curtailment”.

“You may also be covered for additional travel and accommodation costs should your trip be disrupted due to a catastrophic event, if your insurer offers this cover or you’ve paid to include it,” she adds.

To know if this applies to you, check your policy.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma has publicly criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, dismissing his recent call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest as political posturing rather than substantive governance.

A viral video draws a pointed response

The dispute began after Mamdani posted a video ahead of the United Nations General Assembly calling for Netanyahu’s arrest under an outstanding International Criminal Court warrant. In the video, Mamdani described Netanyahu as a “war criminal,” said the Israeli leader was not welcome in New York City, and argued that while the city itself lacks authority to enforce the warrant, the federal government does. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” Mamdani said, adding that he was calling on federal officials to join the ICC and carry out the arrest if Netanyahu travels to the city for the U.N. gathering in September. According to reporting on the video, it surpassed 80 million views on X.

Kuzma, a nine-year NBA veteran, reshared Mamdani’s video with sharp criticism of his own. “This is 2026. People cosplaying as things they don’t have the authority, the talent, or the track record to actually be. Just for content,” Kuzma wrote, before broadening the critique into a wider commentary on public figures he views as prioritizing image over substance. He continued the post with additional examples, writing, “A mayor playing president. A founder playing operator. A content creator playing one-on-one thinking he’s a pro. A 25yr old with a ring light playing economist. Everyone auditioning. Nobody building.”

A dismissive reply to critics

Kuzma’s post quickly drew pushback from users who questioned both the substance of his criticism and his choice of target. One user responded by turning the “cosplaying” framing back on Kuzma himself, writing, “and you’re cosplaying as a basketball player.” Kuzma offered little in the way of a detailed rebuttal, responding simply, “yea, sure lol.” Other users argued that Kuzma had chosen to direct his criticism at a public official calling for accountability over alleged war crimes rather than at what they viewed as more fitting targets for his broader point about performative public figures.

Legal and political context surrounding the ICC warrant

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024, alleging he intentionally targeted civilians and used starvation as a method of warfare during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Israel does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, and Netanyahu has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. The United States has also never ratified the treaty establishing the ICC, meaning the court’s authority is not directly binding on American federal or local law enforcement.

Mamdani had previously indicated that his administration explored whether New York City police could act on the warrant if Netanyahu visited for the U.N. General Assembly, a position he first outlined before winning office. He has since acknowledged publicly that the city lacks independent legal authority to execute the warrant on its own, a point he reiterated in the video that prompted Kuzma’s criticism, while continuing to call on the federal government to take action instead.

A divided reaction within the NBA

Kuzma’s comments stood in contrast to reactions from other prominent NBA figures. According to reporting on the episode, players including Kyrie Irving and Victor Wembanyama expressed support for Mamdani’s message, illustrating how the mayor’s stance on the issue has split opinion even among high-profile figures within the league. That division reflects broader public disagreement over Mamdani’s approach, with supporters framing his position as a principled stand on international law and accountability, while critics argue he is overstepping the practical bounds of his office by focusing on matters of foreign policy well beyond his authority as a city mayor.

Criticism from Jewish organizations and political opponents

Mamdani’s rhetoric regarding Israel has drawn repeated condemnation from Jewish advocacy organizations and political opponents throughout his time in office, who have argued his statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have at times crossed into inflammatory territory. Critics have separately argued that Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist elected to lead the country’s largest city, should prioritize addressing local challenges such as public safety, sanitation and housing affordability rather than engaging with international disputes that fall outside a mayor’s formal jurisdiction.

Mamdani has faced this line of criticism before

This isn’t the first time Mamdani has addressed the Netanyahu arrest warrant question publicly. In earlier interviews, including one with Fox News before he won office, Mamdani said he intended to uphold international law and would look to exhaust every available legal option to act on the warrant rather than attempt to create new legal authority for himself. He drew a contrast at the time between his own approach and that of President Donald Trump, saying, “Unlike Donald Trump, I’m someone who looks to exist within the confines of the laws that we have.”

No formal response from Kuzma’s team or the league

As of this report, neither the Milwaukee Bucks organization nor the NBA had issued any comment regarding Kuzma’s remarks about Mamdani. Kuzma has not elaborated further on his position beyond his initial social media posts, and it remains unclear whether he intends to address the criticism directly in future public comments.

With Netanyahu’s potential attendance at the U.N. General Assembly in September still pending, the question of how New York City and federal authorities might respond to his visit is likely to remain a point of political and public debate. Mamdani has continued to press the federal government to act on the ICC warrant, even while acknowledging the city’s own limited authority in the matter, ensuring the issue is likely to resurface as the September gathering approaches, alongside continued public reaction from figures both inside and outside professional sports.

Picture a city with 75,000 people, its own grocery stores, movie theatres, and swimming pools. Now imagine that city was invisible. No road signs pointed to it. No state map showed it. If you asked a local where it was, they legally couldn’t tell you, because most of them didn’t fully know either. This isn’t fiction. It’s Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and it was one of the strangest, most audacious secrets the U.S. government has ever pulled off.

A City That “Didn’t Exist”

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Oak Ridge didn’t exist at all. There was no city, no name, nothing but quiet farmland tucked into the valleys of East Tennessee.

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Then, in 1942, the US government quietly began buying up roughly 60,000 acres of that farmland ‘on land framed by the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains’. Families who had lived there for generations were told to pack up and leave, often with only a few weeks’ notice, no explanation given, and no say in the matter.

By July 1943, the takeover became official. An army captain handed Tennessee’s governor a proclamation, straight from President Franklin Roosevelt, declaring the land a total exclusion area no longer under state control. The governor reportedly tore it up on the spot. It didn’t matter. The federal government now controlled the land, no questions asked.

Why This Sleepy Valley?

The location wasn’t chosen by accident. Oak Ridge sat far from either coast, making it an unlikely bombing target, and its valleys offered natural cover, plus room to separate massive industrial plants in case something went catastrophically wrong.
It was also cheap and remote, sparsely populated, which meant fewer people to notice, and fewer people to ask questions. Within months, this “nowhere” spot became one of three secret sites, alongside Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington, chosen to build the world’s first atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project.

Life Behind the Fence

What rose out of that Tennessee mud was almost unbelievable. By its peak, Oak Ridge was home to ‘75,000 people, making it the fifth-largest city in Tennessee’, bigger than many cities that actually appeared on maps.

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And yet, officially, it was blank space. Guards stood at every entrance. Every resident wore a badge at all times. Access required special approval, and visitors were essentially banned. Locals in nearby Knoxville reportedly knew something odd was happening, Oak Ridge workers were recognizable by their mud-caked shoes, a giveaway of the town no one was supposed to talk about.

Inside the fence, life looked almost normal, grocery stores, dances, churches, swimming pools. But almost nobody living there understood the true purpose of their own jobs. Workers were given fragments of tasks with zero context, deliberately kept in the dark so that even if information leaked, it wouldn’t add up to anything useful. One young chemist who arrived in 1943 later recalled being warned never to say the word “uranium” again after his very first day.

Some estimates suggest Oak Ridge briefly used more electricity than New York City, largely to power the massive uranium enrichment plants humming day and night behind the checkpoints.

When the Secret Finally Came Out

The truth broke in August 1945, when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Only then did the outside world, and most of Oak Ridge’s own residents, learn what they’d actually built: the enriched uranium used in the first atomic weapon ever deployed in war.

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Even after that, Oak Ridge stayed a closed, gated city for years. It wasn’t until March 1949 that its roads finally opened to the public, ending seven years of total secrecy.

What’s Left Today

Oak Ridge is no longer hidden, it’s a real, mapped city near Knoxville, and part of it is now preserved as the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Visitors can tour surviving facilities, ride a scenic train along old supply routes, and see remnants of the plants that once ran around the clock behind armed checkpoints.

It remains one of the most remarkable facts of American history: for seven years, tens of thousands of people lived, worked, and raised families in a city the federal government built from nothing, and then simply erased from every map in the country.

The Aberdeen-based businessman and philanthropist Sir Ian Wood has died aged 84, his family has announced.

Sir Ian was one of the UK oil and gas industry’s most respected leaders, who turned his family’s fishing boat repair yard into a global engineering player in the North Sea and internationally.

He retired as chief executive in 2006 and a year later began concentrating on his charitable work, creating The Wood Foundation, which works on social and economic inequality, especially in Scotland and sub-Saharan Africa

His family said he died peacefully at home and they would remember his “kindness, generosity, determination and unwavering commitment to his family.”

Sir Ian was one of Scotland’s wealthiest people, with a personal worth estimated at £1.8bn.

Wood Group started as a family fishing business before Sir Ian took over in 1967.

Over the next decades, he formed a separate engineering company servicing the rapidly-growing North Sea oil business.

At its height, the Wood Group was valued at more than £5bn, carrying out work in the energy industry around the world. It went public in 2002 and was sold to a Dubai company last year.

Sir Ian, who retired as chairman of the group in 2012, was knighted in 1994 for services to the oil and gas industry and was later made a member of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest order of chivalry.

Southeast Asian news roundup covering Malaysia’s political controversies, Singapore incidents, Indonesia-China relations, Thailand’s heritage sites, Philippines security issues, Vietnam rescue operations, Myanmar disputes, Cambodia’s wildlife conservation, Laos tourism growth, Brunei-China diplomacy, plus regional/global stories on typhoons, sports, entertainment, and international affairs.

Key Points

• Malaysia: Political leaders rebuke Sanusi’s “Tanah Melayu” remarks; Deputy IGP Ayob Khan retires after 35 years; probes into land scam, extortion case, and kidnapping; ringgit and Bursa Malaysia brace for Fed decision amid El Nino warnings.
• Region: Typhoon Noul disrupts flights across Singapore, Hong Kong, and China; Vietnam and Cambodia address maritime rescues and cybercrime; Philippines, Japan, US conduct joint South China Sea exercises amid rising tensions.
• Asean: Indonesia strengthens China ties and defense deals; Thailand’s heritage site listed by UNESCO; Cambodia’s durian exports surge; entertainment and sports highlights include F1’s Sepang return buzz and Commonwealth Games golds.

Political Tensions and Security Concerns in Malaysia

Malaysia’s political scene faced significant turmoil this week. Top leaders rebuked Sanusi’s controversial “Tanah Melayu” remarks, with Zambry emphasizing that racial rhetoric has no place in nation-building. Deputy Prime Minister Khaled Nordin clarified that the BN-PH federal unity government arrangement is not binding, while Perikatan’s information chief defended Sanusi’s comments as taken out of context.

Security concerns also dominated headlines, including a RM7 million kidnapping case in Petaling Jaya with six suspects facing charges, an alleged RM2 million extortion case involving 12 police officers, and a land scam investigation in Keningau. Deputy IGP Ayob Khan retired after 35 years of service, emphasizing integrity in policing.

Natural Disasters and Regional Cooperation Across ASEAN

Typhoon Noul caused widespread disruption, cancelling over 20 flights between Singapore and southern China, forcing Malaysia Airlines to suspend KL-Shenzhen-Hong Kong routes, and prompting the evacuation of 20,000 people in China. Meanwhile, Malaysia was urged to prepare for a potential Super El Niño, and severe flooding spread across Punjab as rivers swelled.

Regional diplomacy remained active, with China and Brunei highlighting model bilateral relations, and Brunei pledging stronger ASEAN judicial cooperation. Vietnam thanked China for rescuing 39 crew members from a sunken vessel, though 17 remain missing in the South China Sea. Indonesia reaffirmed its long-term partnership with China, while Cambodia’s durian exports to China surged dramatically.

Sports Achievements and Broader Regional Developments

Sporting highlights included Malaysia’s Alif Rakib winning a historic One Championship world title, congratulated by PM Anwar, alongside Aniq’s Commonwealth Games record-breaking gold medal in Glasgow. Malaysia is also set to host the Bahrain Grand Prix in October, sparking excitement about F1’s potential return to Sepang. In football, Thailand and Malaysia secured wins in the ASEAN Hyundai Cup.

Elsewhere, geopolitical tensions escalated with joint Philippines-Japan-US exercises in the South China Sea met by Chinese patrols, while Iran claimed to have halted Middle East attacks after weeks of conflict. Entertainment news featured Spider-Man star Tom Holland’s viral “Hot Ones” appearance and Taiwan’s Tien-chen claiming a historic China Open badminton title.

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New research shows the impact of the Cardiff City FC Community Foundation over the last two seasons

The community foundation of Cardiff City FC has generated more than £66m in social value over the last two seasons, new independent analysis has found.

The official charity of the football club delivered £32.9m in social value in 2024/25 alone, with every £1 invested in its work returning £19 in benefits for people and communities across Cardiff and South Wales more widely.

The findings show the value of the community foundation’s work in improving people’s health and wellbeing, building stronger communities, helping young people gain confidence and skills, and creating routes into education, training and employment.

Cardiff City FC Community Foundation’s social value was independently assessed using the UEFA social return on investment model by social impact specialists Substance.

The calculations are benchmarked against HM Treasury Green Book guidance and academic research for outcomes associated with sport, physical activity, education, health, wellbeing and community engagement.

The 2024/25 impact included £17.4m generated through improvements in health and wellbeing, including physical health, mental health and life satisfaction. A further £10.2m came from social and community outcomes, including stronger relationships, greater community cohesion and an increased sense of belonging.

Education and employment outcomes contributed £4.9m, reflecting the value of participants gaining qualifications, confidence, transferable skills and pathways towards work. Additional social value, including support such as volunteering, donations, in-kind help and facilities, added over £329,000.

The charity’s own participant data for 2024/25 show that 93% of people engaged reported an improved sense of belonging in their community. Nine in ten said their mental, emotional or physical well-being had improved.

Nine in ten also reported stronger peer relationships, a better attitude towards learning and improved transferable skills such as confidence, problem-solving and teamwork. Moreover, 88% said they had a better understanding of the benefits of an active lifestyle.

The foundation delivers targeted programmes for young people at risk of disengagement, exploitation and long-term disadvantage, including work delivered with the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violence Prevention Unit.

Zac Lyndon-Jones, chief executive of Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, said: “Generating more than £66m of social value over the last two seasons is a remarkable achievement, and every £1 spent delivering £19 in return is a powerful reflection of the commitment of our staff, volunteers and partners.

“These figures represent real people whose lives have been positively changed through improved wellbeing, greater confidence, stronger connections and new opportunities.

“We are proud of the impact being delivered across Cardiff and South Wales, but we also know there is more to do. We remain committed to working alongside our partners and communities to ensure this support reaches the people who need it most.”

Ken Choo, Cardiff City FC executive director and chief executive said: “Football has a unique power to bring people together and change lives, and these figures show the true scale of that impact across Cardiff and South Wales. We are incredibly proud of the work of Cardiff City FC Community Foundation and the way it uses the reach of the football club to support children, young people and families. The £66m figure is hugely impressive, but what matters most is what sits behind it: people feeling healthier, more confident, more connected and better able to fulfil their potential.”