If your family is looking for thrills this summer without a jump scare at the bill, there is an amusement park vacation under $100 per person — and it’s not in Florida.

Vacation home rental site HomeToGo has released its list of the most affordable theme parks to visit this summer, with about 40 locations across more than 20 states to choose from.

Analysts looked at three factors to determine which parks were the best bang for your buck — the price of admission, parking and nearby accommodations.

While Florida is known to be a hit with kids looking to meet their favorite Disney characters and ride attractions inspired by their favorite Universal Studios films, families looking for the most affordable option will have to travel further north along the East Coast.

Quassy Amusement Park

Quassy Amusement Park in Connecticut was ranked No. 1 on HomeToGo’s list. You pay just $33 for an adult ticket, $9.40 for a day of parking and $34.03 for accommodations for a grand total of $76.43.

The accommodation price for each park on the list was calculated by using the median nightly cost per person for a vacation rental on HomeToGo.

Located on Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury, Quassy Amusement Park offers dozens of amusement park rides and a waterpark with waterslides and splash zones.

Fun Spot America Themepark

If you love the Florida sunshine, but don’t want to pay the steep admission fee for Orlando’s more popular parks, Fun Spot America Themepark may be the place for you.

It costs $59.95 for a ticket to the Orlando amusement park, and there’s no parking fee, according to HomeToGo’s list. Factoring in the $57.61 for accommodations, the total daily cost to go to Fun Spot America Themepark is $117.56 per person.

The park is also home to Orlando’s only wooden roller coaster, dubbed White Lightning, along with bumper cars and multi-level go-kart tracks.

Castles N’ Coasters

You’ll have to visit the West Coast for the third most affordable theme park on HomeToGo’s list — Castles N’ Coasters in Arizona.

It costs just $31 for a ticket to the Phoenix theme park and parking is free. But nightly accommodations are a tad pricier at $98.63 per person, bringing the total cost to $129.63.

Castles N’ Coasters offers several classic rides, along with other attractions such as a zip line, mini golf and a more than 10,000 square-foot arcade.

If you are looking for parks that may be more familiar to your family, nine Six Flags locations from across the country made it on HomeToGo’s list, including Six Flags Frontier City in Oklahoma, which took the No. 5 spot.

Country music icon Dolly Parton’s Dollywood in Tennessee placed 26th on the list.

Several Disney and Universal Studios parks made the list, including Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, tying at No. 32 and Disney’s Epcot and Hollywood Studios, tying at No. 34.

With taxation having consistently the number one issue facing businesses for the past few Quarterly Economic Surveys, it is now clear that rising prices are impacted the region’s businesses to a far greater extent than seen in the last few years.

The fieldwork was conducted during the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a geopolitical crisis which has massively impacted energy costs and shipping, leading to the inflation spike.

The chamber says there was also a significant decline in export performance among the region’s firms, something it is hard not to partially attribute to the war in the Middle East.

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There were more encouraging signs, with the region’s service sector firms showing an increase in hiring intent for the first time in more than a year, with domestic sales continuing to improve along with willingness to invest in upskilling current staff.

However, manufacturing firms a more challenged situation, with order books and recruitment declining.

The data shows cashflow to be an ongoing issue, with cost pressures continuing to increase, creating a challenging environment for all businesses.

Mark Casci, head of policy and representation at the Chamber, said: “This latest QES shows that Yorkshire’s economy is stabilising but not strengthening.

“Across the region, businesses are showing resilience in the face of continued uncertainty. Encouragingly, domestic trading conditions have improved, particularly within the service sector, where modest growth signals that underlying demand has held firm. This is an important foundation. However, the lack of momentum in order books tells its own story – one where confidence remains tentative and the outlook uncertain.

“The labour market reflects this mixed picture, with job creation is being driven primarily by the service sector.

“Taken together, this quarter’s results point to an economy that is holding its ground rather than accelerating. There are clear signs of resilience, but also clear signs of risk. Sustained growth will require stronger demand, improved export performance and a more stable operating environment for businesses to plan and invest with confidence.

“As ever, these findings underline the importance of creating the conditions in which businesses can thrive – supporting investment, unlocking trade opportunities and addressing the cost pressures that continue to shape the economic landscape.”

David Bharier, Deputy Director Economics and Insight, at the British Chambers of Commerce said: “The continued fall in SME investment sentiment is further evidence of a longer-term pattern that no single shock explains.

“Our data shows a risk-aversion cycle taking hold. Firms have not lost ambition, but years of compounding cost pressures and geopolitical shocks have produced defensive behaviour for the average SME.

“Most firms are now experiencing policy as downside risk rather than opportunity – with the rise in employer NICs a prominent example, still being felt almost two years on. Reducing the cost and complexity of the administrative burden would give many firms the space to grow.

“But more broadly, government policy needs to pass a ‘growth delivery test’. Each proposal should start from the question of exactly how it will cause firms to increase investment, exports, hiring, or expansion. Until that test is being applied, our survey is likely to show the same pattern quarter after quarter.

“The challenge for the new Prime Minister and his team is clear.”

The three-day event, at Brancepeth Castle in Durham, runs from Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26, bringing around 70 stalls of handmade goods, workshops and family activities to the historic venue.

The fair is open from 10am to 5pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 12 noon to 5pm on Sunday.

What can visitors expect?

Visitors can browse and buy work from artists and makers from across the North East, as well as explore parts of the privately owned castle.

Organisers say the fair will showcase some of “the best arts and crafts the region has to offer”, with stalls set up throughout the castle and grounds.

Items on sale will include fine art, photography, jewellery, textiles, pottery, glassware, leather craft, woodwork, sculpture, clothing, household items, upcycling pieces, luxury local foods and ales and garden plants.

The castle’s private chapel and archives room will be open for people to look around, and there will be a medieval re-enactment group and children’s activities in the church.

As well as shopping, visitors can try a range of craft skills, with workshops planned in woodturning, bookbinding, pastel landscapes and more.

Food will also be a major part of the day, with homemade hot and cold dishes, cakes and scones served in the castle cafes.

Parking and access

There is free parking on site, with level access throughout the venue for wheelchair users and those with pushchairs. Disabled parking is available although limited.

The fair operates a system of timed entry slots manage the flow of visitors. People are asked to arrive within their booked slot but can then stay as long as they wish until closing time at 5pm.

Those with standard entry tickets who arrive in the first hour may be asked to pay the difference or wait for entry.

The first hour of each day costs £5.50 for adults and £5 for visitors aged 66 and over.

Standard entry at all other times is £4.50, or £4 for over 66s. Children under 14 can go in free if they are accompanied by an adult.

The fair will be signposted on approach and there is a regular bus service every 20 minutes between Durham and Crook on the X46 route.

Food and drink

There are two cafés open during the fair – Café Express opens onto the courtyard lawns and offers a quick service and shorter menu.

The Castle Café is at the opposite end of the fair, with more seating and a wider choice.

Before entering or after leaving the fair, Café Burgschneider in the Gatehouse is available with a range including a selection of coffees and German cakes.

Crowd advice

Organisers say the quietest time to visit is between 2pm and 5pm.

A spokesperson said: “This is a quieter time, so you can take your time to really engage with each stall and is especially recommended for those with pushchairs or wheelchairs.”

Tickets can be prebooked online via the Brancepeth Castle website or bought on the gate.

By ISABEL BALDWIN, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR and DANIEL MATTHEWS IN SEATTLE

Updated: 23:37 BST, 6 July 2026

France and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has branded Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla ‘despicable and unworthy’ of her position after she directed a torrent of racist abuse at him

France superstar Kylian Mbappe has labelled Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla ‘despicable and unworthy’ of her position following a vile racist outburst on social media. The Real Madrid forward scored the only goal as Les Bleus claimed a 1-0 win over the South American nation in the Round of 16.

The ill-tempered encounter saw Didier Deschamps’ side battle through a bruising contest in which the Paraguayans remarkably escaped without a single yellow card despite a succession of reckless challenges on the World Cup favourites. France will now take on Morocco in the quarter-finals, yet the controversy surrounding Thursday’s match continues to rumble on.

Amarilla serves as a senator for Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, and the political figure has made no effort to hide her anger following her country’s exit from the tournament.

The 61-year-old unleashed a torrent of abuse across social media, directing a series of vicious posts laden with foul language and racial undertones directly at Mbappe.

Several days after France’s progression, with their attention firmly focused on securing a semi-final place at yet another World Cup, Mbappe publicly confronted Amarilla. He wrote in a tweet: “Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position.

“You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition. Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country.

“I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.”

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The French Football Federation condemned Amarilla’s comments, describing them as “utterly abhorrent and unacceptable” and confirmed they would be forwarding them to the public prosecutor’s office with a view to pursuing legal action.

In a statement, they said: “The racist remarks made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla targeting Kylian Mbappé are utterly abhorrent and unacceptable. How can anyone make such comments?

“These remarks are criminal and deserve condemnation. They must be prosecuted, here and elsewhere. The FFF is referring the matter to the public prosecutor’s office with a view to legal proceedings.

“The Federation offers its full support to its captain, its players and, more broadly, to all victims of such hateful remarks. More than ever, the FFF remains committed to fighting racism and all forms of discrimination.

“These comments bring shame on those who make them and those who spread them. The players of the French national team represent France, it is our country that has been insulted.

“It appears that Amarilla’s social media activity against Mbappe isn’t an isolated incident, as she warned not to let her into the stadium, as she threatened to turn into a hardcore fan before expressing disdain towards the footballer.”

The aftermath from the unsavoury confrontation in New York has spilt over into the media, with Deschamps claiming he was subjected to abuse following the victory. Meanwhile, former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert sparked a racism row ahead of the fixture after suggesting that the tournament favourites are a ‘squad from Africa’.

Warning: Distressing description of animal cruelty.

An animal charity has described one of the ‘most distressing cases’ it has ever seen after it was called to a badly burned dog.

NSPCA inspectors are investigating the charred remains of a dog outside an estate in Ballymun, a suburb just outside Dublin.

The NSPCA has appealed to the public to help solve what it described as one of the worst cases of animal cruelty their officers have encountered

Inspectors ‘did everything possible’ to identify the animal, including scanning for a microchip on Thursday.

‘Tragically, the remains were so badly damaged that identification was not possible.

‘Inspectors also discovered what appeared to be a stick or pole lodged in the dog’s body,’ they said.

They added: ‘This is one of the most distressing cases our Inspectors have encountered. No animal should ever suffer or be treated in this way.’

The NSPCA is appealing to anyone who may have seen or heard anything that could assist in its enquiries, ‘no matter how insignificant it may seem’.

‘Your information could make all the difference,’ it said. Adding: ‘All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.’

Asked by Metro about rumours spread by Turning Point UK the dog had been eaten, a Garda spokesperson said the force ‘does not comment on material posted online, which cannot be verified’.

The force are investigating the death.

The NSPCA has been contacted for further comment.

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Trying is back on Apple TV after a two-year hiatus.

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Trying season five is arriving sooner than you might expect, continuing from that shocking cliffhanger.

Rafe Spall and Esther Smith return as couple Jason and Nikki, who have endured a rollercoaster fertility journey since the very beginning in the Apple TV and BBC comedy-drama.

At long last, they managed to adopt siblings Princess and Tyler, with the programme jumping forward to their teenage years where yet another twist emerged in season four’s closing moments.

As anticipation grows for its comeback, here’s everything you need to know before Trying season five.

Trying Season 5 release date

Trying season five debuts on Wednesday, July 8, on Apple TV with fresh episodes dropping every Wednesday.

The latest series will comprise eight episodes, with the finale scheduled to land on Wednesday, August 26.

An official BBC or BBC iPlayer release date is yet to be confirmed, though previous series have generally appeared roughly a year following its Apple TV launch.

What is Trying Season 5 about?

Trying Season 5 will pick up from the dramatic finale of series four when Princess and Tyler’s biological mother Kat turned up unexpectedly.

Her appearance throws a spanner in the works for their settled family life, with Jason and Nikki poised to confront even more fresh challenges as they navigate this enormous disruption.

Trying Season 5 cast

Under Salt Marsh star Rafe Spall and Cuckoo’s Esther Smith reprise their roles as couple Jason Ross and Nikki Newman.

They will be joined by Kat, Princess and Tyler’s biological mother, portrayed by actress Charlotte Riley, best known for her roles in Peaky Blinders, The Take and Wuthering Heights.

Newcomer to Trying for its fifth series is The Thursday Murder Club’s Celia Imrie, who takes on the role of Harriet, an “upper-class hoarder” whom Jason encounters while training for a new job.

The Paper’s Gbemisola Ikumelo steps in as Chrissy, a hard-pressed social worker, while Merlin and The Killing Kind’s Colin Morgan takes on the role of Kerry, Nikki’s easy-going colleague and confidante.

Trying Season 5 premieres on Wednesday, July 8, on Apple TV.

Streaming platform subscribers may qualify for part of a massive $50 million settlement that The Walt Disney Company has been ordered to pay to consumers.

Subscribers of YouTubeTV, DirecTV Stream, and FuboTV filed an antitrust class action lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company that argued it was engaged in “various forms of conduct to raise the prices of Streaming Live Pay Television.”

The plaintiffs argued that Disney tied live TV service programming it controls — like ABC, ESPN, and Hulu — to its basic streaming options as a way to “inflate prices marketwide by raising the prices of its own products,” according to NEXSTAR, citing the lawsuit.

The complaint points to Disney increasing its prices for its Hulu + Live TV package in late 2022 to $74.99 per month, up from $69.99 per month. In the months after Disney raised its prices, DirecTV and YouTubeTV followed suit.

The plaintiffs have asked for “damages as well as injunctive relief to halt and unwind Disney’s anticompetitive practices.”

The Independent has requested comment from Disney.

Disney has not admitted wrongdoing, but has agreed to pay out a partial settlement with YouTube TV and DirecTV, according to Yahoo Finance.

The settlement covers a period of seven years, meaning anyone who subscribed to YouTubeTV or DirectTV Stream between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2026, are eligible for the settlement.

Those who are unsure if they are eligible can call 1-877-704-2517 for more information.

Eligible claimants have until September 8 to submit a claim. Qualifying subscribers were sent notices in the mail or by email. Those messages contain a unique ID that claimants will need to use to file their claims online.

The total amount claimants can expect to receive will vary based on a number of factors, including how many claims are filed, where the claimant lives, and how long the subscriber was paying for the eligible services.

The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for January 14, 2027. Should the judge approve the settlement, payments typically will be made 90 days from that date.

FuboTV, while included in the original lawsuit, has yet to reach a settlement with Disney, which purchased Fubo in 2025. That portion of the lawsuit is still pending.

After four weeks of dazzling action on the pitch, it may be an off-field scandal that comes to define this summer’s World Cup. Fifa’s decision to allow America’s star striker, Folarin Balogun, to play in a last-16 match against Belgium, despite having been sent off in the previous game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, is in clear breach of the association’s own rules. The move has been greeted with outrage pretty much across the board.

Extraordinarily, Fifa, international football’s governing body, has not only so far declined to give any detailed reasoning for its decision to suspend what would be a standard one game ban following Balogun red card. The reversal appears to result from direct pressure from the White House. Media reports suggest that Donald Trump made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, to ensure that the red card was overturned. The White House has said that the call was made to understand why Balogun was sent off and the reason for the suspension.

Whether Balogun deserved to be sent off is debatable. It’s also of secondary importance when compared to the the potential reverberations of this seismic intervention from Fifa.

Naturally, the decision has been met with anger and bewilderment from the wider footballing community outside the US, not least by the Belgians, who must now prepare to face the US men’s national soccer team’s (USMNT) most dangerous player with 24 hours notice. The Belgian FA’s statement promising to explore “all potential options” in the name of “[safeguarding] the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport”, suggests that they have no intention of taking this lying down.

Uefa, the governing body for football in Europe, has released a statement expressing “our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision”.

The statement said that the one-match suspension rule following a red card is “not a discretionary option”. “It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.”

Zooming out from the immediate fallout, this episode feels like a microcosm for the health of global football more broadly. In simple terms, this appears to be a case where an apparently settled disciplinary decision has been reversed due to political lobbying. In that context, the White House’s alleged intervention has prompted familiar and uncomfortable questions about the disciplinary authority of Fifa, bringing ever more attention to the opacity of the organisation’s processes.

Scrutiny must particularly fall on Gianni Infantino. Keen observers will be aware of the Fifa chairman’s form when it comes to sucking up to the Maga regime. Despite maintaining an official stance of political neutrality, the build up to this World Cup has been defined by images of Infantino pandering to Donald Trump’s ego, by parading in Maga hats and awarding him concocted peace prizes.

But this latest act may finally prove a bridge too far. Infantino now appears to be actively undermining the sporting integrity of the very game he leads to keep in with the US president.

A question of trust

Ultimately, this story boils down to a question of trust and sporting integrity, two themes that sit at the heart of my own research into football support as a form of living heritage. Unlike monuments or historic buildings, living heritage survives because communities continually transmit specific values and experiences across generations.

The World Cup is one of the clearest examples of this phenomenon. Its cultural significance does not arise solely from unforgettable matches, moments and performances. Rather, it emerges from the rituals and shared experiences that surround the tournament: supporters travelling across continents, families gathering to watch matches together, stories passed between generations. And, most importantly, the collective belief that the competition not only represents the ultimate prize of international football – but a fundamentally fair one.

That belief in fairness is particularly vital here. The World Cup matters because billions of people accept that victories and defeats are earned within a legitimate competitive framework. They celebrate triumphs because they broadly trust the competition. They accept disappointment because they trust the rules. Those shared assumptions underpin the tournament as a form of living cultural heritage.

When Fifa so flagrantly departs from established procedures and appears to willingly submit to political influence, that foundation is fundamentally damaged.

Once supporters begin to question not simply the outcome of individual refereeing decisions, but the legitimacy of the system itself, it corrodes the implicit trust and uncomplicated beauty of the game itself. Once lost, those things are exceptionally difficult to rebuild.

That is why governance can never be dismissed as a dry administrative concern. Transparent procedures, accountable institutions and genuine independence are the pillars upon which the legitimacy of the World Cup and football at large rests.

Football’s greatest tournament derives its power from the belief that every nation competes according to the same rules. If Fifa is prepared to abandon that principle in the face of political pressure it risks sacrificing something far more valuable than its own credibility. It risks undermining the very trust that has made the World Cup the most important sporting event on Earth.

Folarin Balogun’s availability against Belgium may make headlines for a day or two. The far bigger story is that Fifa has invited the world to wonder whether the rules of the World Cup are still applied equally at all.

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It’s that time of year again: the school year is about to end, and as soon as it’s over it’ll begin again.

You might be thinking you have a long summer ahead of you, but in reality, you’ll blink and the back to school rush will be here.

Every year it’s the same thing: trying to meet the manic rush to buy school uniform before term time begins. And every year, it’s expensive.

Whether your little one grows faster than you can say ‘growing pain’ or they come home from school every day looking like they’ve been rolling around in a barn, you’ll know the struggle of buying enough school uniform to not break the bank and to stop yourself feeling like you work at a laundromat.

To save you from either fate, we’ve rounded up the best of the summer uniform that’s available to buy now, so you can start stockpiling ahead of the new school year.

From 20% off at M&S, to a pack of five school shirts for under £10, this is the most affordable school uniform to get your hands on now. Seriously, get moving.