Five people are missing after an explosion and building collapse in Athens, the fire service says

Three tourists are reported to be amongst five individuals unaccounted for in Athens following a massive explosion that caused a two-storey building to collapse near the Acropolis. The blast struck the area after a suspected gas leak, with the facade of a 20th century property crumbling as a result.

Emergency services, including police, paramedics and fire crews, rushed to Lysicratous Street – just a short distance from the Acropolis – shortly after 7.30am local time, approximately 5.30am BST, with the surrounding area swiftly cordoned off. The explosion is reported to have ignited a fire, according to eKathimerini.

The Greek fire service confirmed that five people remain unaccounted for, as reported by the Mirror, while horrified bystanders looked on as debris littered the narrow surrounding streets.

Smoke was observed billowing above the scene, with shattered windows and damaged vehicles visible near the stricken building. The fire brigade confirmed that two women had been rescued from the building, located in Plaka, one of the Greek capital’s oldest neighbourhoods.

Both women were subsequently transferred to hospital. The fire service confirmed that 24 firefighters were deployed at the scene, though the precise cause of the explosion has yet to be officially confirmed.

It is understood the blast was triggered by a suspected gas leak, according to ERT, with neighbouring buildings also sustaining damage, as confirmed by the Fire Service.

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By OLIVER TODD, DIGITAL HEAD OF SPORT and OLLIE LEWIS, SPORTS DIGITAL EDITOR

Updated: 16:11 BST, 25 September 2026

By LEWIS BROWNING, SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 15:11 BST, 25 September 2026 | Updated: 16:04 BST, 25 September 2026

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has suggested he will be picking up another Premier League title after Manchester City were sensationally found guilty of financial rule breaks in the division.

A guilty verdict was delivered on all but one of their 115 rule-break charges concerning the Premier League’s financial regulations.

The competition accused the club of widespread financial cheating over an era of sustained success – with an independent panel hearing concluding in 2024.

City are set to appeal the decision but any punishment is now expected to follow, with some fans calling for the club to be stripped of the trophies they won at the time.

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That includes the league title the club won in the 2011-12 season, which was claimed ahead of United when Sergio Aguero famously netted in the last minute of the final day against QPR.

It meant City won the league ahead of local rivals United on goal difference, with Ferdinand in the United team that lost out that day.

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Rio Ferdinand has suggested he is in for another Premier League medal after Manchester City were found guilty on 114 of 115 financial charges

The former defender was referring to the dramatic title won by City when Sergio Arguero scored late against QPR

And the former defender has taken to social media, essentially demanding that City are stripped of the title they won that year.

‘Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet,’ the 47-year-old wrote on social media.

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He would leave United at the end of the 2013-14 season, in which City won the Premier League again – though Liverpool finished second. 

In the bombshell event that City are stripped of their titles won during their period of financial breaches, United would have two championships reinstated – 2011-12 and 2017-18, while Liverpool would receive the trophy for 2013-14. 

Simon Jordan, meanwhile, wrote on X: ‘115 charges … well well … fun and games ahead this is seismic!’ 

The verdict could lead to a variety of punishments including huge points deductions, financial penalties, and even relegation. 

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Points deductions could even be applied onto previous seasons, raising the chance that City will be stripped of their Premier League titles. Beneficiaries, in that case, would be the likes of United and Liverpool – who would be awarded three more Premier League titles each.

A Manchester City spokesperson said: ‘The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the Club’s statement of February 2023.

‘The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.’

CITY’S RECENT TROPHIES… AND WHO FINISHED SECOND!

Premier League:

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11-12: Man United

13-14: Liverpool

17-18: Man United

18-19: Liverpool

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20-21: Man United

21-22: Liverpool

22-23: Arsenal 

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FA Cup:

10-11: Stoke City

18-19: Watford

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22-23: Man United

League Cup:

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13-14: Sunderland

15-16: Liverpool

17-18: Arsenal

18-19: Chelsea

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19-20: Aston Villa

20-21: Tottenham

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Champions League:

22-23: Inter Milan 

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Under-fire Ed Sheeran‘s concerts at Robert Kraft‘s Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, this weekend have been canceled due to bad weather conditions.

The British singer, 35, is facing the biggest backlash of his career after he sensationally dropped US rapper Macklemore from his Loop Tour over pro-Palestine comments he made at the singer’s New Jersey shows earlier this month.

After Macklemore was axed, all of Sheeran’s opening acts – Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, as well as his backing band Beoga – announced they would be leaving the tour in solidarity with the rapper and Palestine. 

Sheeran has since been accused of ‘bowing to the mob’ after he apologized to his fans for his handling of the row.

In a further blow to Sheeran’s reputation, ahead of the now canceled shows, which would have been held on Friday and Saturday, Ticketmaster was offering refunds to fans amid the escalating controversy.

Kraft told TMZ in a statement, ‘Stadium and tour management, along with public safety officials, have been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past week. Due to the severe weather forecast throughout the weekend, the tour has made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium.

‘The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority. Refunds are available now at the point of purchase. Ticketholders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.’

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Sheeran, Ticketmaster and Gillette Stadium for comment and has yet to hear back.

The British singer, 35, is facing the biggest backlash of his career after he sensationally dropped US rapper Macklemore from his Loop Tour over pro-Palestine comments he made at the singer’s New Jersey shows earlier this month – pictured together in 2013

Macklemore said that his dismissal from the tour by Sheeran came after pressure from Kraft, in response to his pro-Palestinian messaging amid the ongoing conflict with Israel in the Mideast.

Sheeran last Saturday tearfully addressed the issue during his show in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field, saying his messaging was not generally geared toward politics.

‘I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,’ Sheeran said.

Macklemore earlier Thursday announced a series of Free Palestine tour dates beginning next month, with the proceeds earmarked to benefit groups providing aid to Palestinian causes.

‘If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years,’ Macklemore said on Instagram. ‘There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.’

Production insiders said Thursday that a storm in the Northeast had been disrupting the construction of Sheeran’s stage at Gillette Stadium

Stadium owner Robert Kraft told TMZ in a statement, ‘Due to the severe weather forecast throughout the weekend, the tour has made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium’ (pictured 2023)

Sheeran last Saturday tearfully addressed the issue during his show in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field, saying his messaging was not generally geared toward politics

Macklemore earlier Thursday announced a series of Free Palestine tour dates beginning next month, with the proceeds earmarked to benefit groups providing aid to Palestinian causes. Pictured last year 

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He added, ‘When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.’

Efforts by those who purchased tickets were already underway to obtain refunds after Sheeran had dropped Macklemore as his opening act for his North and South America tour dates. 

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced in a news release on Thursday that Ticketmaster had said it will honor hundreds of refund requests for the Gillette Stadium shows amid the controversy.

‘After hearing from nearly 200 consumers who were struggling to obtain refunds from Ticketmaster for Ed Sheeran’s shows at Gillette Stadium this weekend,’ Campbell said, ‘my office jumped into action to demand that consumers be provided a clear path to get their money back if they no longer want to attend due to significant changes to the lineup.

‘I encourage anyone who wants a refund to act quickly and submit their request at least 24 hours before showtime.’

A senior gangster has been jailed for life for organising a shooting outside a Turkish restaurant after a rival gang had shot at him a year earlier.

Beytullah Gunduz, 40, a high-ranking member of the Hackney Turks organised crime group, was found guilty of conspiring to murder Onur Guzel, 38, who was shot outside his family’s restaurant in Dalston, east London, on June 20 last year.

CCTV captured the victim screaming as he lay slumped on the pavement after being struck by a single bullet to the torso while on his break from work. 

Just weeks before, Gunduz had been demanding £100,000 from Mr Guzel, whose father owns the Umut 2000 restaurant, after wrongly accusing his family of paying the same amount to rival gang the Tottenham Turks, the Old Bailey heard.

Previously, the court had heard how Mr Guzel was caught in the middle of a bloody feud between the gangs.

Gunduz had been targeted in a shooting ordered by the Tottenham Turks in May 2024 which left a nine-year-old girl with a bullet lodged in her brain. 

He had been sitting at the Evin restaurant, also in Dalston, minutes before the incident in which the girl was hit in the head by one of six bullets fired by a man on a passing motorbike as she sat with her family.

Following a trial last year, hired spotter and getaway driver Javon Riley, 33, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years for causing grievous harm with intent to the girl and attempting to murder three men.

The gunman’s arm captured on CCTV in Umut 2000 shooting last year where Mr Guzel was shot in the torso

Gunduz denied conspiracy to murder between June 16 and 21 last year, but he was found guilty. On Friday he refused to attend court and was jailed in his absence for life with a minimum term of 20 years.

His barrister Miranda Moore KC said ‘he was too frightened to attend in person’, fearing he would be attacked. 

In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said the injuries Mr Guzel suffered had been ‘permanent’ and ‘irreversible’.

He is living with a stoma bag until an operation scheduled for this month. 

The judge read from Mr Guzel’s victim impact statement: ‘The attack did far more than injuring me physically. It has altered the course of my life. It has taken my sense of safety.

‘I’m trying every day to put the pieces back together but the truth is I am no longer the person I was before this happened.’

Prosecutor Corinne Bramwell said: ‘The motivation was clearly financial and Mr Beytullah Gunduz was at the heart of extorting Mr Guzel and indeed the local community.’ 

Mr Guzel previously told jurors: ‘I felt numb and I understood something was wrong with me. There was this really loud pinging in my ear.

‘The first thing I done was I checked my chest and arms to see if I have been shot.

‘I lifted my shirt up and could see I had blood on my lower abdomen.’

People rushed out of the restaurant to help and two police officers provided first aid before Mr Guzel was taken to the Royal London Hospital for treatment.

The court heard that shooter, Dogan Over, who fired the shot from behind the wheel of a Kia Niro, fled to Istanbul on June 25 and has never returned.

Gunduz was not in the car during the shooting but is said to have been in the area, assisting Over.

Just weeks before, Gunduz had been demanding £100,000 from Mr Guzel, whose father owns the restaurant in Dalston, east London (pictured)

Previously, the court had heard how Gunduz was caught in the middle of a bloody altercation between the Hackney Turks and Tottenham Turks. A motorcycle-riding hitman (pictured) shot a nine-year-old girl at a restaurant by mistake – Gunduz had been there moments before

Three men run for cover as the gunman opens fire on the restaurant in May 2024 that left the girl seriously injured

Judge Lucraft KC said: ‘The shooting is another of this long-running round of retaliatory attacks, murders and attempted murders between your gang, the Hackney Turks, and the Tottenham Turks.

‘It is also, sadly, yet another example of someone outside the feuding groups caught up in violence, who sustained life changing injury.

‘The attack on Mr Guzel was one that involved a firearm and one which was motivated by financial gain – to ensure that those your gang perceived as rivals, and those who ran business on what you thought of as your “patch”, paid up.’

While still in intensive care, Mr Guzel requested police visit him so that he could tell them about two other shooting incidents in the weeks before which were blamed on the Tottenham Turks.

Last April, his brother’s house was targeted and then two days later, five shots were fired at the restaurant at 2am when there was no one there, he said.

In November 2024, Mr Guzel’s brother received a text message demanding £100,000 or ‘the heads will be blown off family members’ and an image of a gun, jurors heard.

At the time of the shooting near his brother’s home, his sister-in-law was pregnant, jurors heard.

But the attackers did not know where they lived and got the wrong address, with bullets going through a neighbour’s door.

Afterwards, Mr Guzel’s father, who co-owned the restaurant, received a phone call now demanding £300,000 as the police had been notified, the court heard.

His sister-in-law also received a text message saying: ‘You made it worse by letting the police know and now we are going to ask for more.

‘We are going to do another shooting. The next one will be your head.’

Mr Guzel told jurors that his family never paid any money to gangs.

Gunduz denied being involved in the shooting of Mr Guzel, who he knew as he regularly ate at the restaurant.

He had previous convictions dating back to 2008 including for having an offensive weapon in public, drugs, using threatening words or behaviour, assaulting a constable, and twice damaging a roulette machine after losing money.

Mitigating, Miranda Moore KC said Gunduz accepted his ‘life choices’ have left his parents without his support and he will live with the ‘shame’ of that.

Sarah Ferguson today dismissed claims she is close to agreeing a multimillion-pound deal for a tell-all book about the Royal Family.

The former Duchess of York, 66, is said to be ‘on a mission’ to restore her reputation and hopes that ‘she can be forgiven and welcomed back’ by the public.

But her spokesman has denied there are any plans to publish her memoirs. 

Fergie is reportedly in need of money and has apparently been telling friends she ‘has done nothing wrong’ and was ‘unfairly criticised’ over her links to Jeffrey Epstein and the controversy surrounding her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

As Earl Spencer‘s memoir about his sister Diana, serialised in the Daily Mail, has rocked the Royal Family, The Sun claimed last night that Ferguson was preparing to write her own bombshell book.

The newspaper said a chapter-by-chapter plan had already been completed, based on detailed notes covering several ‘key’ royal figures and subjects, including her ex-husband as well as King Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Jeffrey Epstein.

But in a rare statement, Ferguson denied the report.

‘Sarah Ferguson is not close to signing a multi-million dollar book deal as has been reported,’ her spokesman said. ‘She has no plans to write any tell-all memoir.’     

Fergie is reportedly returning to the UK after spending seven months travelling across Europe 

The former Duchess of York is said to be particularly keen to set the record straight on her links to Epstein after files in the US revealed how close they were, with a mega-money TV interview in America also rumoured.

Emails revealed that Fergie accepted at least £115,000 from Epstein even after he had been convicted of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14, and took Beatrice and Eugenie with her to visit him days after his release from prison in 2009.

Sycophantic messages from Ms Ferguson referred to him as her ‘supreme friend’ and the ‘brother I have always wished for’ – and in return he paid off her debts.

Before her book denial, a source told The Sun: ‘Sarah wants to set the record straight about everything and earn some money to resolve her financial issues.

‘There has been a secret bidding war and a deal is close to being secured.

‘The notes are compelling and the bidders are excited.

‘Fergie is ever the optimist and believes she can be forgiven and welcomed back.’

Another source close to her said that she had been offered ‘a number of deals’ – but no direct talks had taken place with publishing houses in the US.

Fergie has spent seven months living abroad and has been spotted across Europe, including in Switzerland and Austria, as she kept a low profile over the Epstein controversy.

But now it is understood that Fergie is returning to Britain and will rent a £10,000-a-month, six-bedroom house in a gated community in the Home Counties.

A source said: ‘She’s had her eyes on a return for some time, but it takes time to find the right new house. She hasn’t had to worry about accommodation for 20 years as she had Royal Lodge with Andrew.

‘Now’s the right time to get back to her life.’

Fergie’s return to British soil comes hot on the heels of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved back to the UK with their young family after six years in California.

Epstein, left, was a convicted sex offender when he helped bail out Ms Ferguson 

Removal vans picking up her belongings have been spotted at her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s, home in Sandringham.

Andrew and Fergie were both stripped of their royal titles last October by King Charles following intense public scrutiny about the former Duke of York’s friendship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Fergie was evicted from Royal Lodge along with Andrew, where they lived for 18 years, in February this year.

During her time crisscrossing Europe, Fergie was spotted at a £2,000-a-night spa in Austria and at a Swiss Alpine chalet in Verbier owned by her late former lover Paddy McNally. 

Meanwhile, Andrew remains under a police investigation over his links to Epstein.

He was arrested in February accused of misconduct in a public office.

The former Duke denies any wrongdoing.  

A decade in the making, the West Wales resort reaches its final phase, and the best has been saved for last

Stand on the cliff path above the Taf Estuary at Laugharne, and you feel it straight away – a hush, a horizon that goes on forever, and that unmistakable sense you’re somewhere special.

This is Dylan Thomas country, where the poet lived and wrote, and where the castle keeps watch over winding waters and wide skies.

It’s also home to Dylan Coastal Resort by Luxury Lodges Residences – the flagship resort now releasing its third and final phase of architect-designed lodges.

And the best has been saved for last, as these residences are without a doubt the most premium lodges the company has released.

There are 17 new lodges available for purchase in four styles: The Boathouse, The Odyssey, The Lookout, and The Verse.

Prices for currently available residences range from £375,000 to £1,250,000, and owners can also opt for a managed sublet plan, with annual rental income of up to £75,857 for qualifying residences.

These prestigious lodges, built on the beautiful coast, fit around you, providing more space, more freedom, and more time to enjoy the things you love.

Owning a luxury lodge gives you a place to slow down, switch off, and spend more time doing what makes you happy. Large expanses of glass draw the outside in, so your everyday view is the estuary itself. If you’re based in Cardiff, Swansea, or Newport, you’re closer than you think to that estuary view and a new ritual of weekends.

Click here to book a viewing.

The Boathouse

The Boathouse has a private, enclosed garden, a swim spa pool, an outdoor sauna, and the finest views in the resort. This is designed for those who seek the extraordinary.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames the ever-changing panorama of the Taf Estuary, while every interior detail has been crafted to the highest specification.

Step onto the terrace, fire up the Green Egg Barbecue, and let the estuary become the backdrop to your story. Interiors are by The Conran Shop, and the guide price is £1,250,000, and there are three and four-bedroom options.

The Odyssey

The Odyssey boasts an outdoor sauna, hot tub, and sweeping views across the resort.

Inside, high-end finishes and an airy, open-plan layout create a welcoming space. Step out onto the terrace, breathe in the salt air, and let the rhythm of the estuary set the pace of your days.

The guide price is £850,000, and there are two and three-bedroom options.

The Lookout

Just as Dylan Thomas gazed out across the estuary from his clifftop writing shed, The Lookout offers a commanding perspective over the resort.

The contemporary exterior gives way to bright, open interiors where natural light pours through expansive glazing onto a private terrace — complete with a hot tub.

The guide price is £595,000, and there are two and three-bedroom options

The Verse

The Verse enjoys a modern, airy living space that flows seamlessly onto a private terrace with a hot tub. Views of the surrounding landscape provide a tranquil setting, while premium finishes and thoughtful design ensure comfort at every turn.

The guide price is £375,000, and two- and three-bedroom options are available.

Owning your own luxury lodge

Tucked along the Taf Estuary, Dylan Coastal Resort is where slow mornings, spa moments, and sweeping views come naturally.

At its heart is Milk Wood House, home to the bar and restaurant with terraces cantilevered over the estuary.

The spa is a showstopper: an infinity pool that drinks in the view, Technogym fitness, treatment rooms and saunas, all open 365 days a year.

This is not a lodge park with a clubhouse bolted on; it’s a five‑star coastal resort where the amenities would be a destination in their own right.

What does ownership cost?

Prices for residences currently available range from £375,000 to £1,250,000, with ownership options extending to 950 years. Exact prices and terms vary by lodge.

Owners can also opt into a managed sublet plan, with annual rental income of up to £75,857 for qualifying residences. Actual income will depend on the lodge, availability, occupancy and rental terms.

Select lodges may also benefit from arrangements under which no stamp duty or council tax is payable, subject to the applicable terms and eligibility criteria.

Every owner at Dylan is backed by the Luxury Lodges Charter, written promises about how it look after its owners.

The company also covers the buyer’s own solicitor’s fees when they use a solicitor from its independent panel.

Click here to read the charter.

Laugharne first, product second

What frames it all is the place. Laugharne’s waterside walks start at your door. Tenby and Saundersfoot, with their golden beaches and pretty harbours, are a short drive away, and the Pembrokeshire coast opens up a weekend’s worth of adventures.

Phase three occupies its own private, gated enclave within the resort – the most exclusive address here and, by design, the best lodges Luxury Lodges Residences has built anywhere in the UK.

What owners say

From secluded forests and towering clifftops to lush green landscapes and treasured landmarks, the setting is magnificent, and many owners say so.

Claire and Ray Duckworth, Staffordshire, said: “The views are incredible, and Laugharne is a really nice town with walks on the doorstep.”

Meanwhile, Deb and Nick Harknett, Worcestershire, explained: “The view, tranquillity, and being dog friendly were, and remain, the primary reasons.”

“With the lodge, it is properly maintained and cleaned. We do not have to think about it. If there is a bulb gone in the bathroom, we just call the maintenance people,” added Nick Holroyd of York.

For further information and to download a brochure, see the Luxury Lodges Residences website.

All ownership, rental income, service charge and tax information is provided for general guidance only and is subject to the individual residence, applicable terms and conditions and eligibility criteria. Prospective purchasers should undertake their own due diligence and seek independent professional advice.

The Parades Commission has allowed the Orange Order to march on Garvaghy Road this Sunday

These are the conditions the Parades Commission has placed on the Drumcree march that was approved this afternoon.

The Parades Commission has allowed the Portadown Orange Lodge to march on Garvaghy Road this Sunday, September 27. It will be the first time in 28 years that the lodge has been allowed to parade on the road.

The original ban started a violent dispute as thousands gathered at Drumcree. The security response was enormous, involving around 1,000 British troops and 1,000 RUC officers.

There were 2,561 public order incidents between 4th and 14th July, including 615 attacks on security forces, 632 petrol bombs thrown and 467 vehicles damaged. The crisis culminated in the murder of three young Catholic brothers, Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, who died after their home in Ballymoney was firebombed.

The approved parade has had a number of conditions imposed on it, including a restriction to 35 people, only one banner allowed to be flown, and no bands.

The conditions imposed on the parade are:

1. No more than 35 persons, including the five marshals named on the Form 111 submitted on 3rd September 2026, shall take part in the parade.
2. The parade shall depart from its notified assembly point at Drumcree Church no later than 8am and shall disperse from its notified dispersal place, Carleton Street Orange Hall, no later than 9.30am.
3. Only the banner of Portadown District LOL No. 1 may be carried or displayed during the parade as it proceeds along any part of the Garvaghy Road. Noother banners, flags or emblems shall be carried by participants in the parade.
4. No supporters shall accompany the parade during any part of its notified route.
5. No supporters shall congregate along the notified parade route, including but not limited to the vicinity of the notified assembly point at Drumcree Church, the roundabout at the junction of Dungannon Road, Moy Road and Garvaghy Road and St John the Baptist Church. In addition, no supporters shall congregate in the vicinity of homes on the Dungannon Road and Drumcree Road.
6. No bands may participate in the parade during any part of its notified route.
7. All participants in this parade must abide by the appropriate conditions of the Code of Conduct; and comply with police directions and act in accordance with legislation.
8. The Commission further re-affirms the importance of respectful behaviour in the vicinity of interface areas.
9. The organiser and all participants in the parade shall comply with the conditions set out at Appendices A and B to the Commission’s Code of Conduct. For ease of reference, these are reproduced below.
10. The parade organiser shall ensure that the parade begins and disperses promptly and that there are no undue delays or stoppages during the parade. Where practicable the parade shall stay close to the near side of the road at all times to minimise disruption and to facilitate the passing of vehicular and other traffic.
11. The organiser shall arrange for the presence of an adequate number of stewards to ensure that all parade participants act in an orderly manner.
12. The parade organiser shall bring to the attention of stewards the guidance for parade participants contained in Appendices A and B of the Commission’s Code of Conduct.
13. The parade organiser shall ensure that all stewards and participants obey any direction given by the police in relation to this parade.
14. The parade organiser shall ensure that these conditions are drawn to the attention of all participants.

Some of Fox News’ brightest communist-hating stars attended a state dinner held Thursday night in China’s honor.

​Laura Ingraham and Jesse Watters – the latter of whom declared that there is “no negotiating with communists” and ranted about “crazy communists” over the last year- both attended the White House event instead of hosting their respective shows. Fox has been quick to bash far-left candidates, labeling them communists, but several personalities had no problem attending the dinner in honor of the leader of the communist nation.

​Bret Baier, another of the network’s famous personalities, also attended the dinner, which came midway through Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States.

​“Hey, everybody, sorry I’m not on the show tonight,” Ingraham said in a video posted on Facebook. “I had to stop by and see President Xi of China.

​“I’m invited to a state dinner; I have to go, of course, command performance, looking forward to it,” the star, wearing a glamorous black gown, continued. “I’ll give you all the details tomorrow night.”

​Meanwhile, Watters was photographed attending the dinner dressed in a sharp black suit and a bow tie alongside his wife, Emma DiGiovine.

​Xi, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, landed at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday, before being greeted on the tarmac by President Trump – the first time a U.S. president has greeted a political, secular foreign leader at the base since 1962.

​Ingraham and Watters’ participation in the dinner has raised eyebrows given the pair’s comments about communism on their shows, The Ingraham Angle and Jesse Watters Primetime, respectively.

​“Today’s Democratic Party is about overthrowing Trump. Tomorrow’s party is about overthrowing America,” Watters said on his show in June. “Once communists get a foothold in the party, it’s over. The base is going to grab that hammer and sickle and attack anyone and everyone in their path. There’s no negotiating with communism.”

During that same broadcast, Watters also claimed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries planned to “hide these crazy communists until November.”

​Ingraham has also blasted the concept of communism, often invoking it during criticisms of the Democratic Socialists of America.

“​They aim to take everything you have, everything. Everything America built. Your money, our industry, our healthcare system, the Department of War, Border Patrol, the Senate, the Supreme Court. They want it all torched and replaced with their own version of a DSA-style politburo,” she said, referring to the DSA, on her show in August. “Their propaganda machine would make Khrushchev envious.”

​Nikita Khrushchev was one of the leaders of the Soviet Union, taking power after the death of Joseph Stalin.

​Ingraham has previously even criticized Xi directly, taking a swipe at the Chinese president during Trump’s visit to the country in May.

“Look at President Xi. No personal warmth, his goodbye remarks, you know, kind of bureaucratic as everything else a communist government produces is bureaucratic,” she claimed on her show.

​Thursday’s glamorous dinner at the White House drew a slew of tech titans and business people, with Apple’s Tim Cook and SpaceX’s Elon Musk each sitting at a table with Xi; the Chinese president’s wife, First Lady Peng Liyuan; and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.

​A guest list released by the White House revealed that Trump’s children, Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany, were also invited, along with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

The Parades Commission has determined that the proposed Orange Order march at Drumcree this weekend will be permitted to go ahead.

The long running dispute centres on Orange Order parades between Portadown town centre and Drumcree Church, with the return route passing along the Garvaghy Road.

The Parades Commission formally banned the Orange Order from marching along the Garvaghy Road in June 1998.

The Orange Order refused to accept the decision and thousands gathered at Drumcree.

The security response was enormous, involving around 1,000 British troops and 1,000 RUC officers.

The confrontation was accompanied by a wave of loyalist violence across Northern Ireland.

There were 2,561 public order incidents between 4th and 14th July, including 615 attacks on security forces, 632 petrol bombs thrown and 467 vehicles damaged.

The crisis culminated in the murder of three young Catholic brothers, Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, who died after their home in Ballymoney was firebombed.

Their deaths caused widespread revulsion and helped bring an end to the mass mobilisation surrounding Drumcree.

The Orange parade was never again permitted to travel along the Garvaghy Road.

The long-standing arrangement was dramatically disrupted last month The High Court in Belfast quashed the latest Parades Commission determination blocking the Drumcree parade.

However, the ruling did not establish that the Orange Order had a substantive right to march along the Garvaghy Road, nor did it remove the human rights concerns raised by residents.

Instead, the court challenge succeeded because of a procedural problem in that the Parades Commission accepted that not all six commissioners had properly signed off on the final determination before it was published.

The judge criticised the Commission’s procedures, describing its handling of the decision as involving “errors, shortcuts, and sloppy procedures”.

The ruling immediately reignited political tensions with criticism from unionist politicians who argued the judgment exposed problems with the Parades Commission.

Nationalist representatives, meanwhile, expressed concern that the ruling could reopen the type of confrontation associated with the 1990s.

Garvaghy Road residents maintained that parades through the area were finished following the events of 1998.

The Northern Ireland Secretary subsequently appointed senior judge Sir John O’Hara to conduct an independent review of the Parades Commission’s decision-making processes and governance.

Portadown District LOL No. 1 submitted a new notification seeking permission for 60 members to march along the Garvaghy Road on 27th September 2026.

The Parades Commission attempted to appoint TIDES Mediation NI as a third-party mediator.

However, the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition rejected the appointment, citing the organisation’s previous working relationship with the Orange Order as a conflict of interest.

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