President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan at the North Portico, stopping for a quick group photo before heading to an opulent State Dinner alongside top business titans and government elites.

The lavish black-tie State Dinner in the historic East Room stands as one of the most star studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the Asian superpower.

Some of the CEO’s invited that will enjoy the feast include Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Jane Fraser and Tim Cook. 

Beyond the corporate executives, key political attendees include Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as family members like Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and foreign dignitaries including LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. Prominent media figures are also present, including Fox News anchors and hosts Bret Baier, Laura Ingraham, and Jesse Watters.

Behind closed doors in the East Room tonight, Melania’s office says they personally orchestrated the evening’s extravagant arrangements, transforming the space with red linens, Reagan-era vermeil, and overflowing urns of crimson dahlias – a striking aesthetic that the First Lady notes ‘draws on the color red’s longstanding cultural significance throughout Chinese history.’

As the leaders and their guests dine, there will be several performances, including military musicians and inauguration tenor Christopher Macchio setting a grand soundtrack.

Inside the dining room, guests are raising glasses of Schramsberg ‘Blanc De Noir’ for a symbolic toast, reviving the historic 1972 ‘Toast to Peace’ between Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai in China. 

White House chefs fused classic American ingredients with subtle Asian flavors across a lavish multi-course menu.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez arrive for a state dinner

Tim Cook, Chairman of the board of directors of Apple, arrives dressed in a black suit and bowtie, holding up a peace sign

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, left, and his wife Lori Huang walk to the White House Thursday evening

VIPs enjoy a silky yellow squash velouté topped with crispy pancetta, followed by sesame-crusted sea bass served over braised baby bok choy, before rounding out the feast with a fruit-shaped vanilla cremeux paired with ice cream churned directly from White House honey.

The grand occasion comes with a touch of signature White House drama.

Trump has made no secret of his annoyance that his ambitious new White House ballroom remains unfinished, forcing the glittering diplomatic showcase into the East Room instead.

While galas, orchestrated by the Office of the First Lady, traditionally serve as the most glamorous showcase of American power, tonight’s event is unfolding largely behind closed doors.

Often the secret catalyst for blockbuster trade deals and historic treaties, this evening’s private gathering marks the first White House state dinner hosted for China since former President Barack Obama welcomed Xi back in September 2015.

This week, President Trump rolled out the red carpet for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The visit kicked off with full military pomp today – complete with blaring bands, crisp salutes, roaring jet engines, and a personal guided tour by Trump through his gold-encrusted White House hallways.

The lavish black-tie State Dinner in the historic East Room stands as one of the most star studded evenings of the administration, offering a glitzy opportunity to smooth over notoriously fierce geopolitical friction with the Asian superpower

Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup, arrives in a red sequined dress

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrives for the state dinner

A US Air Force flyover roared overhead as Xi remained unflinching and Trump cracked a smile

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The first couple of China touched down just before 6pm local time. They will stay in the nation’s capital through Friday afternoon 

First ladies Liyuan and Trump pose for a photo with children during a visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum Of Asian Art

The dramatic spectacle began the moment the Chinese President and his wife touched down at Joint Base Andrews.

As the leaders stood on the tarmac alongside rows of soldiers positioned in front of F-35 fighter jets and Air Force One, a screaming flyover shattered the air overhead.

The deafening roar caught Trump off guard, causing him to visibly wince while a stoic, stone-faced Xi didn’t even flinch.

Breaking more than a decade of presidential protocol, the Trump’s personally greeted the Chinese delegation on the tarmac – marking the first time a sitting US president has met a foreign leader at an airport in over 11 years.

A grinning Trump also celebrated an immediate PR win when Xi announced Beijing is sending two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to Zoo Atlanta within days, continuing the famous ‘panda diplomacy’ tradition sparked by Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip.

This week’s three-day visit is packed with cultural events alongside tough bilateral negotiations, where trade battles and thorny conflicts from tech dominance to Tehran are set to take center stage.

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the two leaders could face each other up to four times before the year is out, with November’s APEC summit in Shenzhen and December’s G20 at Trump’s Doral golf resort in Miami already on the schedule.

The diplomatic charm offensive continues Friday, when the Trumps, Xi, and Madame Peng tour the National Archives to view America’s original founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Sonni Mason was out celebrating a friend’s birthday when he saw a man allegedly snatch a handbag outside a bar

A reveller dressed as Batman turned into an unexpected hero after pursuing a suspected handbag thief through Norwich city centre and helping to retrieve a woman’s stolen property.

Sonni Mason, 25, was out celebrating a mate’s birthday on Saturday evening when he witnessed a man allegedly grab a handbag outside a bar on Queen Street. Still wearing his Gotham City vigilante costume, he chased the suspect through the streets before getting help from a police officer.

The hunt for the missing bag eventually took Mr Mason to a wall near Norwich Cathedral, where it had been dumped. Sadly, his makeshift grappling hook, created from a recycled toilet roll, wasn’t up to the job, according to the Mirror.

Instead, Norwich’s own Dark Knight needed help from his fellow partygoers, who were dressed as Mr Fantastic, Poison Ivy and Cyclops, to collect the bag and give it back to its rightful owner.

The drama began when a stranger approached Sonni and his friends as they queued outside a bar. After initially seeming pleasant, the man allegedly claimed two women had stolen his cigarettes before snatching a handbag and running off.

Sonni’s swift actions meant the bag was ultimately found with all its contents intact and returned to its owner. “There’s not a lot of good things going on in the world. At the time, being able to get someone’s bag back, [making] sure she could go home safe and see[ing] someone happy again felt good”, Sonni told the Eastern Daily Press.

“Everyone needs a little bit of that in them. A little bit of Batman. You have to be brave, bold and kind.”

A TikTok clip showcasing his brave actions has racked up over 300,000 views. Sonni frequently shares content on the social media platform dressed as various superheroes, including Daredevil and Cyclops, though this particular outing enabled him to use his outfit for something more meaningful.

Despite his courageous deeds, Sonni acknowledged his day-to-day existence is far removed from that of Batman’s billionaire alter ego, Bruce Wayne. He’s employed at a local café while nurturing his love for filmmaking.

“I’m a bog-standard guy, to be honest, I currently work at a café, but I’m a creative at the core. I love films and have four or five years of experience in that industry.

“I didn’t want to jump off rooftops or beat people up. I just want to make sure everyone else is all right. Sincerely, that’s what [Batman] is about. He’s a protector. I just hope more people will be inspired to do the same if they see someone being mugged or feeling uncomfortable on a night out.”

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Norfolk Police have confirmed that officers were approached for help during their regular patrols on Saturday, 19th September. No arrests were made.

A police spokesman said: “Officers on routine night-time economy patrols in Norwich were approached by a member of the public, on Saturday, September 19, who requested help to find a missing bag.”

The spokesman added: “Following enquiries at the scene, the bag was located with all of its contents intact and subsequently returned to its owner.”

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Cambridge-filmed Ludwig series two finale airs this week

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BBC One’s acclaimed detective series Ludwig is drawing to a close after six episodes.

The second series of the beloved drama, starring comedian David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, launched in August and has proved a resounding hit with viewers.

Filmed on location in Cambridge, the show follows David’s character, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, alongside his sister-in-law Lucy, portrayed by Anna. The British mystery drama has been lauded as the “ultimate comfort food” in crime television, making its conclusion all the more bittersweet for devoted fans.

The second series has picked up where the first left off, with Ludwig serving as a Crime Scene Consultant, working alongside DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola) to crack “impossible” cases for the Cambridge Police Authority, reports Wales Online.

The sixth and final episode of series two will broadcast on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday, September 24. The synopsis for the finale reads: “A shocking death that strikes close to home leaves John shaken when all avenues point to Joanne Kemper. The clock is ticking, but the Taylors are no closer to understanding how it all fits together.”

“With everything laid out on the table, John and Lucy must place their trust in those around them as the investigation comes to a head. Has Kemper finally made a wrong move? Will Ludwig ensure that justice is served before another life is lost?” With the drama now concluded, BBC bosses have confirmed what will replace Ludwig.

Starting next Thursday, 1 October, The Celebrity Traitors returns with Claudia Winkleman once again at the helm.

Series two will air from 8pm, featuring a fresh lineup of celebrities competing in the ultimate game of detection, trust, and betrayal, vying for a charity cash prize of up to £100,000. The main programme will be followed by The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked at 9:15pm.

Confirming the scheduling, the BBC announced: “The Celebrity Traitors series two begins on Thursday 1 October 2026 with an extra-long opening episode at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series airs two nights a week on Thursday and Friday evenings at 8pm.”

The multi-award-winning series boasts a stellar cast this time round, including singer James Blunt, actor Bella Ramsey, comedian Joe Lycett, presenter Maya Jama, and Welsh actor Michael Sheen.

Explaining his decision to take part, Joe Lycett said: “Because – I’m going to say it – it’s the best show on TV. The first series was just such phenomenally good television, and I didn’t think that it could be bettered, and then the celeb series came along. The last episode was beautiful.”

Ludwig will air on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday, September 24.

Wales earned plaudits but Craig Bellamy wants more from his side, after admitting they were forced to suffer in their narrow 1-0 defeat in Portugal.

Joao Felix’s deflected strike proved enough to earn victory in Lisbon for the hosts, who also saw Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort ruled out by VAR.

It was a winning start to the Nations League title defence for Portugal and for new manager Jorge Jesus.

Despite being under pressure for long spells in Lisbon, Bellamy’s injury-hit side ended strongly as Brennan Johnson and Lewis Koumas both went close to snatching a draw.

“It was a difficult game for us. We had to suffer a lot,” said Bellamy.

“I think that’s the longest we’ve been in a game without the ball.

“We could have done more with the ball but I’m beyond proud as well.

“We have a lot of players who weren’t here. That’s OK, we can handle it.

“A lot of players who don’t play, week-in, week-out. So for them to use the energy they were able to, we’ve got to have a big heart to be able to do that. They’ve always shown that and they showed that again.”

It lasted more than 36 hours and involved six coastguard and Border Force vessels, one French Navy helicopter and three coaches which travelled in a blue-light convoy with seven police cars and vans.

Throw in a knife-wielding hard-Right YouTube personality in a speedboat, plus an angry mob of balaclava-clad supporters and the whole thing adds up to an extremely expensive Anglo-French farce.

The so-called Bayeux Travesty, which this week saw 60-odd migrants make what is undoubtedly the longest and most chaotic Channel crossing since the rubber dinghy crisis began, speaks volumes for the broken nature of our asylum system.

Here, hour by preposterous hour, is how it all unfolded…

9.30am, Monday September 21

Fifty migrants scamper onto a sandy beach a few miles west of Port-en-Bessin, a seaside town near Bayeux in Normandy.

It’s a clear, sunny day with temperatures already in the high teens, and with the tide going out, conditions appear to be perfect for jumping aboard a 40ft rubber dinghy bound for the UK.

Like most of the craft used for Channel crossings, the vessel was imported from the Far East by people-smugglers and transported to the French coast.

Despite charging desperate migrants around £2,000 each for their passage, the gang behind this particular crossing have spent a mere £750 on their outboard motor, a 25-horsepower device made by Hangkai, a Chinese firm which makes budget equivalents of Yamaha and other Japanese brands.

It will prove to be woefully ill-equipped for the task ahead.

10am

Weighed down by its human cargo, the dinghy sets sail in a northerly direction towards England. Gendarmes watching from the shoreline duly alert the French maritime authorities. Four lifeboats and a coastguard tugboat named the Abeille Liberte (Liberty Bee) are duly scrambled to the scene, along with a French Navy search-and-rescue helicopter.

‘The boat was in a very bad way, very low in the water, with just a single outboard motor to power it,’ a spokesman for the rescue services later recalled. ‘The sea was calm and weather conditions were good, but a decision was taken to escort the boat, without intervening.’

The distance to Britain from the launch site, which is close to Omaha Beach, where thousands of Allied troops landed on D-Day, is at least 85 nautical miles.

6pm

The underpowered boat proves no match for the currents and winds that buffet the French coast, so instead of heading out to sea, the dinghy is dragged roughly 35 miles east along the coast, before being cast ashore on a beach near the town of Cabourg.

Here, as watching Gendarmes twiddle their thumbs, another ten migrants jump on board, dragging it still lower in the water.

Describing the unusual journey, a Maritime Prefecture source later told the Daily Mail: ‘We know there was a stop on a beach near Cabourg [Also on the Calvados/ Normandy coast] and that they set off again towards England. By this time there were about 60 people on board.’

According to the spokesman, the focus of the small French flotilla was on ensuring public safety, rather than on preventing the vessel from reaching the UK.

9pm

Still unable to break free of coastal currents, the dinghy has now spent 11 hours at sea. The sun has set and its passengers are cold, wet and increasingly febrile. Two of them suddenly jump into the sea. When a lifeboat approaches, the crew is informed that the migrants are suffering from hypothermia. They are therefore taken to hospital in Caen.

Pictured: The mega-dinghy with at least 60 migrants on board began its 38-hour journey escorted by the French Navy

The remaining 60-odd passengers continue to sit tight, refusing to give up their attempt to reach the UK. Britain has agreed to pay France some £662million, over the next three years, ostensibly to prevent such charades from taking place. But the local authorities seem unwilling to stop this particular boat.

Explaining why the group is allowed to remain at sea, despite the growing risk to life and public safety, a spokesman says: ‘This operation is also carried out within the known and delicate context of the migrants’ refusal of assistance, as they are determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom.’

2am, Tuesday September 22

A falling tide, which bottoms out at 2.08am, has finally pushed the dinghy out to sea and, with the help of an almost full moon, it begins to make slow progress towards Britain.

Although the French Navy’s helicopters appear to have returned to base, it continues to be shadowed by the Abeille Liberte and two coastguard lifeboats.

The passengers, who are all young men, are by now exhausted. Those lucky enough to have lifejackets have been moved to the sides of the boat, where they spend the night sitting upright with feet dangling in the water. The migrants without orange safety devices are crammed into the bottom of the dinghy.

8.30am

A social media personality and far-Right activist named Daniel Thomas has been following the Abeille Liberte’s overnight progress via the AIS tracking system that all large ships carry.

The privately-educated 37-year-old former builder, who was jailed in 2016 for attempting to kidnap a man at knifepoint over an alleged drug debt, now runs Patriot Platform, a YouTube channel which live-streams footage of anti-migrant demonstrations. And today, he’s going to be creating some viral content.

Speaking to followers from an orange rubber dinghy, he explains that he’s travelling towards a French vessel which set sail the previous morning ‘from the beaches where our grandfathers fought’.

11am

When day broke, the migrants were still able to see the French coast. But some five hours later, they are closing in on the maritime border, roughly 45 nautical miles from Cabourg, which marks the start of British territorial waters.

Pictured: Before the French sailors handed over to the RNLI in the Channel

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The French authorities, which continue to shadow the vessel, call HM Coastguard to alert them of the incoming dinghy.

This triggers a well-worn emergency response procedure which involves the RNLI instructing two of its most experienced lifeboat crews, from Hastings and Eastbourne, to head out into the Channel to meet the migrant dinghy.

According to the RNLI’s tracker, Eastbourne RNLI was called out at 11.09am and Hastings, at 11.11am. They are to be supported by a UK Coastguard aeroplane.

12pm

Thomas, who is 18 miles off the south coast, catches sight of the Abeille Liberte. It takes another hour for his fishing dinghy to pull up alongside it.

The activist ignores a request from the French vessel to move away from them and instead spends the next two hours in an uneasy stand-off, entertaining viewers of his live-stream by shouting occasional insults in the general direction of the migrants and taunting the Gallic coastguards by calling them ‘French frogs’, as well as ‘sausages’.

Pointing towards the ‘absolutely rammed’ dinghy, he’s also seen shouting: ‘We want our money back. This is not what we paid for. We paid for you French frogs to take them back to France.’

3pm

Following the arrival of the RNLI, the migrants are transferred to two British lifeboats, leaving their dinghy empty.

Thomas, who is videoing the spectacle, describes the lifeboatmen as ‘a personal taxi service into our nation’, at one point shouting: ‘Lads, how do you sleep at night?’

4.30pm

Once the migrants have disembarked, Thomas records himself motoring up alongside the dinghy. After declaring ‘this is what needs to happen to every one of these boats’, he takes out a knife and begins slashing its inflatable sides.

A French coastguard has meanwhile boarded the now-punctured vessel and is attempting to secure it to his lifeboat so that it can be towed back to Normandy.

Thomas confronts him, shouting: ‘You are in English territory. This is England. This is not France any more, OK?

‘Get off the boat. You’ve got time to get off the boat!’

The boat was escorted by sturdier vessels throughout its passage to Britain

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Motoring away, he adds: ‘Now try and take that boat back to France! You traitors! Traitors!’

Explaining his decision to puncture it, he adds: ‘We wanted to make sure that boat is not taken back to France and used again. That’s one boat that will not be used again.’

5pm

Thomas catches up with the RNLI boats, which had turned off their location tracking devices in an unsuccessful attempt to stop him from following them, and are now a couple of miles from the scene of the original handover.

He films the migrants being decanted onto the Border Force’s ship HMC Vigilant and invites supporters to head to Fort Blockhouse, a Victorian sea fort in Gosport where sources have informed him that they are to be brought ashore.

‘Anyone in the Portsmouth, Gosport, Southampton area, come to the Fort’, he says. ‘This boat is now coming to Portsmouth. Portsmouth is now a clear destination, like Dover, for the invasion of our country.’

Thomas instructs supporters to avoid bringing alcohol to the scene of the protest. ‘Remain calm. Do this the right way. This is a fight for the future of our nation. It’s not just a day out, having a pop at the Old Bill.’

6pm

On the streets of Gosport, Thomas’ supporters have other ideas. Between 150 and 200 of them have now turned up, many wearing black balaclavas and wrapped in flags.

As crowds of masked protesters confront a line of riot police, to chants of ‘let them drown’ sung by a child over a megaphone, occasional scuffles break out. According to Hampshire police, two men from Salisbury, aged 19 and 36, are arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, while four people from Gosport – two men aged 33 and 67, and two women aged 31 and 32 – are held on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The 67-year-old is also held on suspicion of careless driving.

Many locals are unimpressed. ‘I’ve got two autistic daughters aged eight and five and they’re absolutely terrified, too scared to come out of the house’, a 48-year-old resident who gave his name as James told the Daily Mail.

‘They’re a bunch of narrow-minded idiots thinking they’re here for King and country when really they’re just morons.’

7pm

Ugly scenes have convinced the authorities to abandon plans to disembark the illegal migrants in Gosport. Instead, they have decided to change plan and use the RNLI lifeboats and Border Security Command ship to transport the young men more than 100 miles east towards Dover.

Police officers inform demonstrators: ‘We’ve been told to let you know that there will be no landing here this evening,’ and encourage them to leave.

Several attempt to adjourn for a drink. But several local pubs, including the Fighting Cocks, a few hundred yards from Fort Blockhouse, have decided to close their doors to avert trouble.

9pm

Empty coaches that had been sent to Gosport to pick up the migrants are now no longer needed in the town. So they are given a blue-light escort onto the motorway, with videos showing them being accompanied by at least seven police cars and vans.

George Madgwick, a local Reform UK councillor who posted the footage on X, said: ‘Unbelievable scene. Coaches that were planned for migrants to get on in Gosport being escorted from Hampshire by a larger motorcade than what the Prime Minister or King would get. This has to be seen to be believed.’

10pm

More than 36 hours after setting sail from the beaches of northern France, roughly 60 migrants are brought ashore in Dover and taken to Manston processing centre, completing the longest, and almost certainly most farcical, dinghy crossing in the history of the ongoing crisis.

Thomas is refuelling his Audi at a BP service station when two police cars descend on the scene.

Footage uploaded to social media soon afterwards shows an officer telling him: ‘Step out of the car please, sir, OK? At this moment in time we have information to suggest that you were involved in criminal damage.’

Thomas replies: ‘Yep, yep, can I just… give me my phone. I want my phone to be on, please.’ An unknown woman adds: ‘The cameras are on, let go of the phone.’

The officer continues: ‘At this point in time, you are under arrest – you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence…’ Thomas replies: ‘I understand.’

The officer adds: ‘The information that I’ve been given is that you’ve been involved in criminal damage that has recklessly endangered someone’s life, OK?’

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman later releases a statement saying: ‘A man has been arrested after a boat that had an emergency responder on board was damaged in the English Channel.’

Last night Hampshire Police confirmed that Thomas had been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose the PIN to his phone after he was filmed slashing a boat in the English Channel with a rescue crew member on board.

Additional reporting: Peter Allen and James Fielding

Macklemore has announced a string of Free Palestine gigs, after being kicked off Ed Sheeran‘s tour sparked a huge backlash.

The rapper was dropped as a support act from Ed’s Loop tour over pro-Palestine comments he made at the singer’s New Jersey shows earlier this month.

After Macklemore was dropped from performing at upcoming dates, 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. 

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

In a post on Instagram, Macklemore said that his ‘schedule has freed up a bit’ in the wake of being axed from the Loop tour.

The star then announced he would be performing concerts in Dublin, Paris and London, beginning on October 26, with proceeds ‘benefitting organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement’.

He wrote: ‘If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. 

The rapper was dropped as a support act from Ed’s Loop tour over pro-Palestine comments he made at the singer’s New Jersey shows earlier this month

‘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.

‘It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. 

‘To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.

‘What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. 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.

‘So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit.

‘I’ve spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences. 

‘Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe.

‘Because of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out. But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done.

In a post on Instagram, Macklemore said that his ‘schedule has freed up a bit’ in the wake of being axed from the Loop tour

‘So we’re going on tour. FREE PALESTINE TOUR. Dublin, Paris, London.

‘Artist announcements coming soon, as well as US dates.

‘Sign up for updates and first access to tickets at macklemore.com. Presale starts next Mon at 10am local, on sale next Wed at 10am local.

‘All proceeds will benefit organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.’

Over the weekend, Ed addressed the backlash around Macklemore being axed from the concert, telling 50,000 fans at his Philadelphia concert: ‘The last week of my life has been one of the worst weeks of my life.’

He added though that he was heartened by the fans who had come out to support him, telling them ‘today has been one of the weirdest days of my life. Tonight has been honestly the best show of my life, the best show.

‘I really didn’t know whether this tour would be carrying on. I really didn’t know whether I’d even be getting on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all. In these situations, you really find out who your friends are, and it’s been a weird week.’

The singer has been accused of ‘bowing to the mob’ after he apologised to fans at the start of the gig, by reading a statement from an autocue.  

He backtracked on his previous vow not to bring politics to his show, as he called the situation in Gaza ‘catastrophic and unjustifiable’ and Hamas‘s October 7 attacks ‘horrific’. 

Reposting Sheeran’s speech on X, Piers Morgan commented: ‘I agree with Ed Sheeran’s overview of the Israel/Hamas war (Oct 7 terrible, Israel response disproportionate) but I wish he hadn’t bowed to the mob and felt forced to say it publicly, especially reading it off an autocue like some bullied puppet. He needs better advisors.’ 

Many agreed with Morgan, with one supporter posting: ‘His PR people need to be fired. No reason for him to have to speak to that outside of a very small mob of loudmouths.’

‘This dude simply wants to play and perform and has done so for years. He’s a bigger idiot than he was last week. What a disgrace to bow to the mob.’ 

Another X poster said that Sheeran’s use of a teleprompter ‘is not proof he doesn’t care’.

‘Ed is a singer. Not a politician. Not a news anchor. He does not spend his life rehearsing talking points on the most loaded conflict on the planet,’ the comment continued.

‘Asking him to speak off-the-cuff about Israel and Gaza in front of 50,000 people after a week that blew up his tour is not the same as asking him to sing “Castle on the Hill”. Using a teleprompter here is not proof he doesn’t care. It’s proof he was scared of getting the words wrong on something this radioactive. There is a difference.’

‘He just needs to be strong and say “No I’m not getting bullied and dragged in by any side”. He can walk away from this all and still have his music,’ agreed another.

‘To be fair, he was never going to “win” this regardless. What is shameful is that his “guest” on tour and band threw him under the bus,’ said one more.

On stage, Sheeran said he had been convinced to continue with his tour after he saw an uptick in ticket sales, telling the crowd: ‘Everyone’s telling me to cancel and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me – and I look at the end of the week, and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me.’ 

But while politics threatens to overtake Sheeran’s tour, concertgoers outside the Philadelphia concert said the general feeling was a determination to enjoy the music.

Ed has since been accused of ‘bowing to the mob’ after he apologised to his fans for his handling of the row

A concertgoer speaking to the BBC outside the Philadelphia concert said: ‘There was a sentiment of determination to enjoy an evening of music while at the same time supporting freedom of speech.’

Reacting to Sheeran’s remarks as they later left the venue, another fan said he had ‘covered both sides nicely, and I think everyone leaves happy’, while another called his speech ‘very sincere, and I think that’s what the people wanted to hear was sincerity’. 

In a solemn speech at the start of Saturday’s concert, Ed read off the autocue as he said: ‘I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity and not division, about humanity and not politics. 

‘But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.

‘What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. 

‘My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.’

Ed told the audience that he plans to ‘continue my current tour’ despite each of his openers dropping out in solidarity with Macklemore.

Macklemore made the comments at two performances at MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5, as he introduced his 2024 protest song Hind’s Hall which condemns Israel’s military action in Gaza. 

Macklemore was removed from Ed’s tour after US stadium owner Robert Kraft accused him of hate speech and said he was ‘only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas’.

Kraft banned him from performing at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, which is owned by his holding company.

Ed struggled to hold back tears as he returned to the stage on Saturday, without his backing band and support acts.

The singer said he had ‘found out who his friends are’, adding: ‘I cannot hide how I feel… any more.’

In his first stage appearance since the Loop tour was plunged into turmoil, the father of two said he ‘never wanted to be an activist musician’ but the fierce criticism meant he has had to ‘take and make difficult decisions’.

He apologised and became visibly emotional again at the end of the show for bringing politics to his concert – something he had vowed not to do.

Ed said at the end of the night: ‘The one thing that I would like to apologise for is the first bit of the show where it wasn’t about music and I had to talk.

‘I understand that people have children here and I understand that families didn’t buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show, but that was something I felt like I needed to say.’

By the end of the show, Ed broke down into tears, telling fans: ‘I’m so grateful. The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope. This gives hope.’

The crowd broke out in applause as Ed appeared deeply moved.

‘My shows are about this,’ he said. ‘They are about people coming together that don’t know each other, that have different beliefs. They’re about unity. They’re about love. They’re about family.’

As fans cheered, Ed vowed that the controversy would not stop him from performing.

‘You’re jumping around like maniacs with each other and having fun,’ he said. ‘And I will never stop doing this. I will never stop doing this. I love doing this so much.’

At one point during the concert Ed explained he had scrapped his usual separate ‘B stage’ setup, telling fans he was concerned about ‘what might happen if [he] stood in the middle’ of the crowd. 

‘I didn’t know if they were going to throw things at me. I didn’t know if people would be angry with me,’ he said.

The crowd also gave a standing ovation after Ed brought out a group of musicians, led by the fiddler Alicia Enstrom, to back him on songs including his hit Galway Girl.

He explained how he reached out to the musicians after Irish folk band Beoga, who had played with him on the previous tour dates, dropped out of the tour.

‘There are certain songs that just don’t work as well with the loop pedal and when my friends pulled out of this show, I thought: “How am I going to keep the show the same? How am I going to get musicians to come on stage with me in a week when no one wants to come on stage with me?”‘ Ed said. 

‘I called a friend of mine who is an amazing person and I toured with her all last year and I said: “would you come on stage with me?” And she said “yes”,’ he added. 

‘I asked her if she had musician friends and she said yes. And they’ve had three days to learn these songs. And they agreed to come on stage knowing that the world might hate them too for coming on stage with me.’ 

David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin return for Ludwig series three and a special with a big change in location

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The second series of David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin’s popular detective drama is drawing to a close.

The acclaimed show returned in August with David’s character, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, and his sister-in-law Lucy, portrayed by Anna, continuing from where the first series left off.

Shot in Cambridge, the second run has featured Ludwig working as a Crime Scene Consultant, partnering with DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola) on “impossible” crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority.

In the second series finale, a devastating death close to home left John rattled when all evidence pointed towards Joanne Kemper.

The concluding episode was broadcast on Thursday, September 24, at 9pm on BBC One, prompting many to question whether a third series of the British mystery drama, praised as the “ultimate comfort food” in crime television, would follow. Here’s what we know, according to Wales Online.

Will there be a series 3 of Ludwig?

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Yes, BBC executives confirmed a third series had been commissioned before the second had even been broadcast.

The third instalment, currently in production, will see David Mitchell reprise his role as ‘Ludwig’, with Anna Maxwell Martin returning as Lucy Betts-Taylor.

David Mitchell said at the time of the announcement: “I am delighted that Ludwig will be returning to solve more of Mark Brotherhood’s brilliant mysteries. I can’t wait to get started and have renewed the subscription on my denouement-learning app.”

Kenton Allen, Executive Producer and CEO Big Talk Studios, added: “Ludwig has become one of those rare shows that genuinely cuts through – critically, commercially and internationally. We’re hugely grateful to the BBC, ZDF and ITV Studios for the confidence they’ve shown in greenlighting a third season ahead of the launch of series two.

“What Mark Brotherhood has created is brilliantly original, hugely entertaining and deceptively distinctive in the way it blends smart comedy with a richly satisfying detective engine. At the heart of that success is the remarkable partnership between David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, brought to life by an exceptional creative team. In a crowded global market, for audiences to have embraced Ludwig on this scale feels incredibly special. There’s clearly nothing puzzling about that.”

Although a premiere date and full cast details are yet to be revealed, BBC bosses have confirmed that the third series will comprise six hour-long episodes.

What is the ‘extra’ Ludwig episode?

The BBC has confirmed that a Christmas special of Ludwig is in the works for this year, forming part of the Ludwig series 2 commission.

David and Anna will be joined by a stellar ensemble cast for the festive special, which includes Sir David Suchet, Jason Flemyng, Joe Wilkinson, Cathy Tyson, Alexandra Roach, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.

The 60-minute special will be set in Yorkshire rather than Cambridge, following John, Lucy, and Henry as they check into a secluded Christmas-themed hotel for what was intended to be a well-deserved break — until a sudden power cut transforms the festive retreat into a chilling locked-room murder mystery.

Stranded by a raging blizzard and completely cut off from the outside world, the guests find themselves forced to spend the night with a killer amongst them. With John reluctantly drawn into one of the most baffling cases of his career, the Taylor family must race against time to crack the crime before Christmas.

Ludwig seasons one and two are available on BBC iPlayer now.

By TARA RUSSELL

Published: 15:34 BST, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 23:30 BST, 24 September 2026

Presenter Zoe Hardman has issued a stark warning after discovering that her 11-year-old daughter had a secret TikTok account on which she posted videos of herself in a bikini.

The Heart FM DJ, 43, who also runs parenting podcast Made by Mammas, said she was ‘horrified’ to discover that daughter Luna has social media and admits she hadn’t been as strict as she should have been with parental controls.

She has now warned parents to closely monitor their children’s devices and be aware of what they’re accessing online.

Speaking on her podcast, she said: ‘When we were on holiday a couple of weeks ago I got a message from our nanny Taylor saying, ‘Were you aware that Luna has somehow managed to set herself up with a TikTok account?’

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‘I was horrified. ” I don’t understand what you’re talking about, she doesn’t have TikTok on her iPad and she doesn’t really ever use her iPad.”‘

Ms Hardman confronted her daughter who was ‘so full of shame’ about the account which led to her ‘crying under the covers’ and repeatedly saying ‘I’m so sorry mummy’.

Presenter Zoe Hardman has issued a stark warning after discovering that her 11-year-old daughter had a secret TikTok account on which she posted videos of herself in a bikini

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Instead of asking to see the TikTok account, Ms Hardman instructed her daughter to delete the profile without checking or removing the account from the platform herself.

Ms Hardman later discovered that her daughter had not deleted the account and was continuing to post videos.

‘When I went on to TikTok there were loads of videos of her doing dances in a bikini with a filter on her face, looking much older,’ she said.

She also found messages from people ‘who I had no idea who they were’ on her 11-year-old daughter’s social media.

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In last Friday’s Q&A podcast, Ms Hardman added: ‘I want to share this, not to shame her, but as a warning. 

‘If you’ve taken the app off their iPads, they can still download things, I obviously haven’t got the right parental controls set up. I’m such an idiot.

‘I’ve deleted the account but who knows who has got hold of any of the videos.’

Ms Hardman’s warning comes as changes are being made to the way British children can access and use social media.

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The Heart FM DJ, 43, who also runs parenting podcast Made by Mammas, said she was ‘horrified’ to discover that daughter Luna has social media

From Spring 2027, under-16s in the UK will no longer be able to use Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. 

YouTube will also be banned for under-16s but YouTube Kids will not be included.

The Government ban will also restrict livestreaming and strangers contacting children who are under-18.

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The ban comes following a Government consultation and claims to ‘go further’ than other countries such as Australia where a social media ban for under-16s came into force in November 2024.

Sarah Lucas’ SLAG, all stuffed tights and tragedy, makes for fine company here, and in fact the sculptures present threaten to steal the show: Isabelle Albuquerque Orgy For Ten People In One Body: 7 (2021) where a couple of teddy bears ravish a woman’s body made from black locust hardwood; Jeff Koons’ shiny stainless steel toy locomotive; Vija Celmins Pink Pearl Eraser (1966–67); Soshiro Matsubara’s Der Traum des Schmetterlings (2018–26), a tragic woman-faced bird flat on its back. There’s also Magritte’s very own hat and suitcase, which are intriguing in themselves, like Wes Anderson artifacts (another cinematic filcher). Also among the sweetshop of oddities is Yoko Ono’s Sky TV, featuring a live feed of the sky above the gallery, echoing Magritte’s famous cloud works, represented here with The Curse (1931). Again though, why is a perfectly nice bit of cloud and blue sky, a curse?