Aldi has confirmed that store workers will be given the chance to enjoy more time with their family and friends around Christmas, as all shops will close for 24 hours on Boxing Day.

Customers will be able to return to shopping at Aldi when shops reopen the following day on Sunday, December 27.

Aldi stores will also close on New Year’s Day and reopen on Saturday, January 2, 2027.

Opening times will vary locally in the days before Christmas, with many stores extending their hours to help customers pick up everything they need for the festive period.

Explaining the decision, Rachel Geary, Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: “Christmas is a special time for our customers, but it is also one of the busiest periods of the year for our teams.

“Our colleagues work incredibly hard to ensure customers can pick up everything they need ahead of the big day.

“We never take that effort for granted. Closing our stores on Boxing Day is one way of saying thank you and giving colleagues a proper chance to rest, switch off and spend more time with the people closest to them.”

Customers are encouraged to check the Aldi Store Finder nearer the time for the latest opening hours at their local store.

Aldi Store Assistants earn £13.50 per hour nationally and £14.88 inside the M25, rising to £14.47 and £15.20 respectively with length of service. Aldi also remains the only major supermarket to offer paid breaks, worth around £1,500 a year to the average store colleague.

Meanwhile, research from consumer group Which? has named the UK’s cheapest supermarket.

The budget retailer topped the list for August, according to consumer group Which?, based on a comparison of 92 popular grocery items.

Shoppers would have paid up to £30.09 less at Aldi than at Tesco, where the basket cost £189.45, and £26.19 less than at Sainsbury’s, which totalled £185.55.

Morrisons was £34.75 more expensive at £194.11, while Waitrose shoppers would have paid £223.75 for the same items—£64.39 more than at Aldi.

Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: “We’re proud to have been recognised as the UK’s cheapest supermarket for the tenth consecutive month.

“This achievement reflects our continued commitment to offering dependable value every time our customers shop with us.

“As families prepare for the new school year, we know household budgets can come under added pressure, so we’re focused on making quality groceries more affordable and helping customers make their money go further.”

Aldi has topped the Which? rankings every month in 2026 so far, following its title of Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for 2025.

Billionaire investor Leon Black has taken legal action against the House Oversight Committee after refusing to show up for a scheduled congressional deposition on Thursday.

Instead, he filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block subpoenas issued as part of the panel’s probe into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawmakers originally served Black with two subpoenas during a private voluntary interview in June after he reportedly declined to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. One subpoena demanded that he produce NDAs and related files, while the second ordered him to return for a deposition.

In his lawsuit, Black argues that the subpoenas exceed the committee’s authority by seeking personal information unrelated to Epstein or any legitimate legislative purpose. The filing asks a federal judge to strike down the subpoenas as invalid and prevent the committee from enforcing them.

“The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility,” Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement. “This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black.”

Lawmaker calls for Leon Black to be held in contempt

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, argued that Congress “must hold him in contempt immediately.”

“By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two Congressional subpoenas,” Garcia said. “Black gave Jeffrey Epstein over $180 million over six years. He funded Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of women. Multiple women have also accused Black of sexual assault. His connections to Epstein and his unwillingness to cooperate are unacceptable. We must hold him in contempt immediately.”

The committee’s chair, Kentucky Rep. James Comer, accused Black of “hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people.”

Comer’s statement cotinued, “Our investigation is examining how the federal government for decades failed survivors of Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and how Mr. Epstein sought to curry favor with influential individuals to avoid scrutiny. Mr. Black’s testimony is crucial to our investigation as he was one of Mr. Epstein’s fee paying clients and has several nondisclosure agreements. Our deposition is moving forward this morning for the record and there will be an empty chair for Mr. Black. I will speak with our members about next steps.”

Leon Black’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein

Black co-founded and served as chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management before stepping down in 2021 amid public fallout over his ties to Epstein.

He is one of several high-profile individuals to feature in the probe into Epstein and the network of wealth and influence surrounding him. Others involved in the investigation include former Democratic President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Files released by the Department of Justice regarding the Epstein case mention Black repeatedly. He was also featured in a collection of birthday greetings made public by the committee last year, which included a poem attributed to Black referencing “Blond, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically.”

Prior to his June 26 interview, Black maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019, asserting that his payments to Epstein were for legitimate advice based on his “unrivaled network of relationships” with prominent figures.

People in England now have to wait an additional year to receive their free bus pass

The age that you can get a bus pass for free in England has changed this year as a major update to the State Pension comes into affect.

The Department for Transport previously confirmed that from April 2026, individuals in England will have to wait an additional year to receive their free bus pass.

Since April, the waiting period for a free pass in England has been extended by another 12 months. This change corresponds with the planned increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67, set to be fully implemented across the UK by 2028 for both men and women.

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This modification to the official retirement age has been in the pipeline since 2014, with a further increase from 67 to 68 expected between 2044 and 2046. The Pensions Act 2014 fast-tracked the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 by eight years.

The UK Government also adjusted the phasing of the State Pension age increase, meaning that instead of reaching State Pension age on a specific date, individuals born between March 6, 1961, and April 5, 1977, will be eligible to claim the State Pension once they turn 67 – and the same will apply to their concessionary bus passes.

The Department for Transport has confirmed concessionary bus passes will also be impacted by the State Pension age change.

A spokesperson said: “We fully recognise bus passes are vital to many older people, providing access to essential services and keeping people connected through free local travel. We’re already in the process of making ambitious reforms to improve bus services for all passengers and supporting local areas to improve reliability and affordability.”

It comes despite a substantial campaign last year that pushed for the same concessionary travel benefits as those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – where free bus travel is available from the age of 60 – in England, complimentary travel is only granted from the age of 66, aligning with the state pension age.

State Pension age is scheduled to increase from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028, as set out in the State Pension Act 2014. The DfT added: “Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, for example, by lowering the age of eligibility. These are additional local concessions provided and funded by local authorities from local resources, depending on the needs and priorities of each area.”

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme provides free off-peak bus travel to those with qualifying disabilities and individuals who have reached state pension age (under the Pension Act 2014), operating from 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays and throughout weekends and Bank Holidays.

In response to a substantial petition on the Parliament website last year, calling for free bus travel for those aged over 60 in England, the DfT said that funding had been distributed to local authorities, which could be utilised to provide free travel from age 60.

It said: “The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme costs around £700 million annually. Any changes to the statutory scheme must be carefully considered for their impact on its financial sustainability.”

Vogue Williams‘ husband Spencer Matthews gave a glimpse of their fourth child with in a sweet Instagram post shared on Thursday.

The Irish TV presenter, 40, and the former Made In Chelsea star, 38, announced the birth of their baby boy via her Instagram on Tuesday evening and Spencer returned to the site to post a ‘bump to baby’ post two days later.

The star, who is already parent to sons Theodore, seven, and Otto, four, and daughter Gigi, six, posed in her hospital room in a sports bra and knickers with her bump on show in the first image in the post. 

The next shot saw her walking in the park with the swaddled newborn, whose name she is yet to reveal, while looking svelte in a white T-shirt.  

In announcing her news, Vogue wrote: ‘Our beautiful baby boy has arrived safely… The house is bursting with excitement, love and happiness and we couldn’t be more delighted.’

The family received congratulatory messages from their famous friends, including Holly Willoughby, who branded her ‘super mamma’, Amanda Holden and Zoe Ball.

The Irish TV presenter, 40, and the former Made In Chelsea star, 38, announced the birth of their baby boy via her Instagram on Tuesday evening and Spencer returned to the site to post a ‘bump to baby’ post two days later

The mother-of-four has not yet revealed the name of their newborn after revealing she and Spencer had changed their baby boy’s name at the last minute.

The couple had originally planned to call their fourth child Elvis, inspired by the rock’n’roll legend. Ahead of her due date, Vogue revealed they had made a U-turn and needed to decide on a new name.

Speaking on her My Therapist Ghosted Me podcast this week, Vogue said: Do you know what? Big news from my week.

‘We have changed our baby name – we have no name. You know the name was pretty full on and I loved the name.

‘Spenny has been getting a few phone calls from family members regarding the name.’

The mother-of-four has not yet revealed the name of their newborn after revealing she and Spencer had changed their baby boy’s name at the last minute 

The couple announced they were expecting baby number four on social media in April, with Vogue sharing some pictures on Instagram with the caption, ‘BABY NUMBER 4 INCOMING…’ 

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Her co-host and pal Joanne McNally quipped: ‘I just don’t think Gary is that controversial.’ Vogue continued: ‘I honestly thought though because it’s been on my mind I just, I haven’t ever been 100 per cent comfortable with it.

‘But because as much as I love the name it’s such a big name to take on when you’re little or trying to get a job when you’re older.

‘I have got other very cool options, though that was my favourite name,’ before she confirmed: ‘We were going to call the baby Elvis, I love it.’

The couple announced they were expecting baby number four on social media in April, with Vogue sharing some pictures on Instagram with the caption, ‘BABY NUMBER 4 INCOMING…’

Vogue and Spencer tied the knot in 2018. However divorce rumours swirled last year after they failed to publicly mark their seventh wedding anniversary – months after Spencer stepped down from their joint podcast Spencer & Vogue to focus on his own project, Untapped.

But Vogue previously insisted she and her husband are ‘happy’ and that their marriage is secure, while dispelling past rumours of a potential crisis.

Speaking to The Sun, the presenter said she has reached a point in her life where only ‘their truth’ matters, stressing that they remain very much a happy couple.

She recalled: ‘When he left our podcast, everyone was like, “What’s going on?”‘

Vogue also admitted to worrying about their children hearing the ‘baseless and cruel’ gossip at school.

There’s not much else to go on when it comes to prediction which other games we’ll see at State of Play today.

I’m not a betting man, but if I had to put money on one game being shown, it would be God of War Laufey. The game was announced back at the last State of Play in June with 17 minutes of raw gameplay.

Since then, it’s been confirmed that it’s headed to PS5 consoles on February 16, 2027. With six months until launch, it seems likely that we’ll get a new trailer for the game here.

I also reckon we’ll see a launch trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine, which is set to launch on September 15. I doubt that we’ll learn anything new about the game given we’re so close to release, but it makes sense that a final trailer would be shown here to tease out a few last minute pre-orders.

Other than those two, it’s pretty much anyone’s guess as to which games we’ll see later today. Of course, we’ll likely see the usual smattering of indie titles thrown in here, as well as hopefully a few surprises that we’re not expecting.

By LEWIS BROWNING, SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 14:14 BST, 3 September 2026 | Updated: 14:30 BST, 3 September 2026

A Royal Mail staffing crisis has left residents queuing for hours to get their essential deliveries after waiting for over a month for their post.

Huge lines formed outside Bridgwater’s post office in Somerset as locals attempted to get their mail.

Residents claim they were left unable to get their essential prescriptions, documents, bank statements, and credit cards for up to six weeks.

Royal Mail has said staff sickness caused the delays at the Friarn Street delivery office.

In an attempt to resolve the delays, residents missing post have been given two-hour time slots between 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm during which they can pick up their post.

Despite the time slots, residents have said the queues are ‘horrendous’, with one woman saying she’d gone several times to get her prescription.

Support worker Tina Hucker, 56, spent her day off waiting in line to find out if her prescription medications were being held at the depot.

She said: ‘As things have happened now, I’ve come here several times and the queues have been horrendous.

‘I’m coming back to give it a last go, or I’m going to have to order more meds again, but I don’t know if they’ll turn up as they normally do because of this issue.’

Tina didn’t want to ‘over-order’ medication but she’s unsure if the ones currently at the depot will ever arrive.

Even if she attempts to get a fresh prescription, the doctor may not approve it, or it could still wind up stuck at the depot just like the first batch.

‘I can’t remember the last time I got post – months. I’ve had to park over the other side of town to wait in the queue,’ she said.

‘I’ve never seen this before. I don’t know how long it’s going to be, or if I’ll get in before six o’clock. Luckily it’s my day off today, so I’m able to come and wait here.’

Jerry Lomax, a local resident who is planning on going on holiday next week, said he has been waiting on a credit card for over a fortnight.

‘They keep telling me I need to activate it, otherwise they’re going to null and void it,’ he said. ‘How long am I going to have to wait?’

He’s only able to queue in the evening because of work commitments and with his shift ending at 5pm, he’s unsure if he gets his card before his holiday.

‘If I didn’t have important documents, I’d probably let it go, but it’s stuff I need,’ Jerry added.

Partners Kieron and Shannon expressed concern over elderly and disabled residents, who may be unable to wait in long queues by a busy road.

Kieron said: ‘It’s quite an inconvenience. The queue the other day was all the way down the road – waiting for hours to pick up our post.

‘It’s time-consuming – people have other things to do. We’ve had to do it a couple of times now.

‘I can imagine for people with disabilities, it’s not easy. It’s not exactly safe for us just sat on the road – it’s not ideal.’

Shannon added: ‘I got an email from Royal Mail saying I need to come and collect my parcel – they didn’t even try and deliver it. They’re not even attempting to post it.

‘I had letters delivered three days ago – about ten letters – but not for a couple of weeks before that.’

Another resident, Simon Reynolds, said he last received a letter six weeks ago, and claimed his local postman had told him that several extra rounds had been added to his route.

He said: ‘We’re getting no post, and a lot of this is strange. Some people are saying it’s a couple of hours they’ve been here for.

‘It is an inconvenience – you expect your mail to come to your house, that’s the service.’

A Royal Mail spokesperson said short-term staff sickness had affected deliveries in parts of Bridgwater.

They said: ‘We know how important it is that customers receive their mail when expected and take concerns about deliveries very seriously.

‘Short-term sickness has affected deliveries in parts of Bridgwater. Additional staffing is now in place and our posties are working to clear any outstanding mail as quickly as possible.

‘We expect services in the affected areas to return to normal over the coming week.’

Until normal service resumes, it appears locals will have to continue queuing in hopes that they can get their hands on their post.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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Four people were detained on the west coast with five more captured in the North East.

Immigration officers arrested nine people after fishing boats were targeted in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands. Four were captured in Mallaig and another five in Fraserburgh between July 26 and 30.

The Immigration Enforcement’s Threat Response and Volume Crime Unit visited 34 boats across the ports of Barra, Oban, Fraserburgh, and Mallaig following intelligence received about a suspected rogue fishing fleet operator.

The operation was in response to reports of modern slavery, labour exploitation, illegal working, and wider criminality within the UK commercial fishing industry, reports the BBC.

Those arrested included five Sri Lankan nationals and four Philippine nationals, with the latter having since returned to their home country voluntarily.

The multi-agency sting involved Border Security Command, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Police Scotland, and the exploitation and modern slavery team.

The Home Office said civil penalty referral notices were issued and employers could also face a fine of up to a whopping £60,000 per worker if they are found guilty.

Anna Turley, UK minister for border security and asylum, said: “This government is tackling illegal working and ensuring unscrupulous employers are not exploiting vulnerable individuals and undercutting legitimate business.

“That is why in Scotland illegal working visits and arrests were at record levels in 2025, and have more than doubled across the UK since the election.”

Adam San, assistant director of Immigration Enforcement’s Threat Response and Volume Crime Unit, said: “Immigration Enforcement deal with threats across the UK and this is not limited to illegal activity occurring solely on land.

“These arrests demonstrate our ability to tackle all illegal working, in whatever form it takes.”

In the first six months of this year there was a 31 per cent surge on immigration enforcement visits and a 20 per cent hike on arrests, compared with the same period last year.

From October onwards, firms hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers across all sectors will be legally required to carry out checks to confirm anyone working in their name is allowed to work in the UK.

Hefty penalties including fines of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years will be issued to anyone who fails to comply.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has stated she will double the Immigration Enforcement budget by 2028/29 and boost workforce numbers by 60 per cent.

This could lead to tens of thousands more raids, arrests, and removal of people who are not entitled to be in the UK. Since May’s general election, over 80,000 immigration offenders and foreign criminals have been expelled from the UK.

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Like clockwork, clouds build up in the afternoon, the wind starts to swirl and the skies darken. Then the rain comes.

Sometimes it is just a few drops. But on this August afternoon, the monsoon kicked into high gear, setting its sights on a remote section of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Down below, dozens of hikers were setting up camp along Bright Angel Creek and admiring the towering walls they eventually would have to traverse on the way back up.

It wasn’t long before muddy water came rushing down the creek. The sound was deafening as it crashed against the rocks, carrying with it tree branches, sediment and other debris.

Violent thunderstorms and subsequent flash flooding are nothing new during the summer months in the southwestern United States. Those in the canyon last Saturday knew the risks, but this storm packed an extra punch, washing out key footbridges and doing more damage to infrastructure than previous decades of turbulent water.

Two people died and at least one is still missing. More than 80 people were airlifted out of the canyon, and the National Park Service is assessing the damage.

Forecasts warned of severe storms and flood risks

A storm of generational proportions — that is how some of the hikers described it in interviews with The Associated Press. Some talked about scrambling to higher ground as the rushing water approached. Others hunkered down under a ledge to avoid falling rocks.

“It was for sure some of the worst acute fast-forming weather I have ever seen in my time, whether it’s in the mountains or marine environments or in the desert Southwest,” said Drew Harrell, an emergency medicine physician with University of New Mexico Hospital who was on a training mission at the time as medical director for Grand Canyon National Park.

Harrell is no stranger to working in austere environments and has hiked rim-to-rim more than a dozen times. He and his team had checked the weather before starting their annual trip. They were more worried about afternoon temperatures stretching into the triple digits rather than rain.

But this storm, Harrell said, seemed to come out of the blue just as his six-member group entered “The Box,” the final 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) before Phantom Ranch, an oasis at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

“It went from relatively clear skies to blowing winds in the time frame of about a minute,” he said, estimating the gusts at 40 mph (64 kph).

Hikers had little time to act

Within minutes, torrential rains, gusting winds and even hail enveloped hikers along the creek.

“We were concerned that there would be rocks and just flooding coming down from both sides of the canyon on top of us,” said Parth Desai, another physician who was with the group.

As emergency room doctors do, they weighed their options and calculated the risks as conditions changed around them.

“We saw basically the flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” Desai said. “And then we were concerned about a lightning strike.”

They made another run for it, heading down the trail toward Phantom Ranch. They maneuvered around cottonwood trees brought down by the first microburst when they saw more debris rushing toward them. They scrambled through cactus to reach higher ground.

The man also sent himself a nude photograph of his victim

A man who filmed himself sexually assaulting a woman while she slept has been sent to prison. Kenan Samuel, 28, invited his victim to his home in Alconbury Weald in the evening of December 18, 2020, for drinks, along with another man.

In the early hours of the morning, after his victim went to bed and fell asleep, Samuel got into bed and began touching her. He filmed himself sexually assaulting the woman, who was unconscious and unable to consent.

After the woman reported Samuel to the police, his phone was seized. Samuel had also sent himself a nude photograph of the victim from her phone without her permission.

Samuel tried to cover his tracks by deleting the message from the victim’s phone so she would not see that the photo had been sent. At Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (August 28) Samuels, of Lysons Close, Alconbury Weald, was sent to prison for five years.

He admitted to assaulting a female by penetration with part of body/a thing, voyeurism, and causing a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/data.

DC Sally Muntane-Crane, who investigated, said: “Samuel is a dangerous man who took advantage of the victim when she was in a vulnerable state. He was also cunning, deleting the evidence he had sent himself a nude photo from the victim’s phone without her consent.

“I would like to praise the victim for reporting what happened, and for showing tremendous strength and bravery during the investigation. I hope it gives confidence to other victims to come forward, knowing they will be listened to, and the police and wider criminal justice system will do everything they can to get justice for them.”