ROBBIE WILLIAMS is in Barcelona with the message, “Let Me Entertain You” – but he’s not singing.

Earlier this summer, he opened his art exhibition in the city more used to displaying masterpieces by Gaudi, Picasso and Dali.

5

5

Advertisement

5

Here’s how to catch Robbie’s vibrant, weird and wonderful works while enjoying a short break in this cosmopolitan, colourful and creative Catalonian capital.

WHY SHOULD I GO?

TO see the craziest church ever, the stunning 18-tower Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudi.

He put his stamp on Barcelona and his architectural wonders are littered around this friendly city by the Med in northern Spain.

Attractions include museums for all the family, galleries, parks, beaches, all-budget shopping, markets, a zoo, port and aquarium.

There are regular concerts at Estadi Olimpic, where I saw Bruce Springsteen boss the stage for three hours, while football fans can tour FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou where there’s a “Messi Space”, dedicated to the footie great Lionel.

Flamenco shows, operas, theatres and let’s not forget, tapas and sangria are all part of Barcelona’s captivating ch­arm.

STREETS MADE FOR WALKING?

YES, but to save time getting between major attractions, the hop-on, hop-off Bus Turistic is brilliant.

Two routes cost £30 a day for an adult and £40 for two days, while kids are half price.

Or, buy a multi-day metro pass which includes the trams and buses — I had three days for £22.

Stroll down the famous La Rambla with cafes, restaurants and performers and through the narrow, cobbled streets and squares in the Gothic Quarter.

Get panoramic views of the city from Park Guell, where the fabulous gardens are littered with colourful mosaics and sculptures — all down to that man Gaudi again.

For more views, take the cable car up to Parc Montjuic, and wander through the castle dating to 1640.

You can also rent an e-bike — there’s a 125-mile network of cycle lanes.

ANYTHING FOR BUCKET LIST?

AVOID queues and book a fun tour of Sagrada Familia, which after 142 years is still not finished.

But our City Experiences’ guide has news, it will be completed by 2026 to celebrate the centenary of Gaudi’s death.

The huge tower, dedicated to Jesus, will be completed with a 56ft cross that will make it the tallest cathedral in the world.

Marvel at the colourful carvings from religious figures to animals and fruit, columns shaped like trees and spectacular stained-glass windows.

Robbie Williams is in good company at the Moco museum, there’s a few works by Banksy and Andy Warhol.

The singer’s Confessions of A Crowded Mind, featuring 17 originals about mental health, runs until November 20 (from €12.95 per adult and €7.95 per child, see mocomuseum.com).

Add to the list the best dark chocolate ever from one of Torrons Vicens’ many confectionary shops dotted around the city.

5

5

WHERE SHOULD I EAT?

PLACA Reial in the Gothic quarter, close to La Rambla is fringed by restaurants and bars.

And nearby is Aguelo Taberna serving fantastic paella, fish and steak.

Sit overlooking the city at Les Cascades if visiting the National Art Museum or Olympic stadium and eat pizza, fried chicken, chips and free popcorn.

Of course, you’ll find decent tapas joints everywhere.

I FANCY A DRINK…

YOU are in the right place for cheap coffee, beer and wine.

“You’ve got to try my dad’s sangria. It’s the best,” said the welcoming waitress at Gaudi Gelats on Avda Gaudi.

She was right, and at £5 for a jug, you can’t go wrong.

Head for the lively George Payne Irish pub for a pint from £5 or sip a cocktail on a rooftop bar such as La Dolce Vitae at the Majestic Hotel.

WHERE SHOULD I STAY?

CENTRAL hotels are expensive, so opt for the modern and clean Travelodge Barcelona Fira, just a few stops away on the metro.

The 83 rooms have all you need for a city break — comfy beds, good showers, tea and coffee-making facilities, TV and free wi-fi.

The breakfast buffet costs just £9, there’s a 24-hour bar, lunch, dinner and snack service too and the staff are superbly friendly and helpful.

KILLING terrorist kingpin Hassan Nasrallah has decapitated Hezbollah.

Alongside his corpse lie those of his deputy and several other commanders.

2

2

Advertisement

No doubt, too, scores of civilians Nasrallah cynically housed as human shields above his underground HQ were killed in Israel’s precision strike on his bunker.

So, with its leaders dead or disabled, will Hezbollah’s thousands of fighters be headless chickens or a many-headed monster?

Isolating what’s left of Hezbollah’s forces will be key to whether the group can absorb the blow to its leadership and carry on a missile campaign against Israel or organise a resistance to an Israeli ground attack.

Let’s remember Israel’s massive bombardment follows the daily impact of Hezbollah rockets and drones on northern Israel — forcing at least 60,000 civilians from their homes.

Yet the West fears a wider war.

An open conflict with Iran would spark an oil crisis with supplies from the Gulf region blocked.

A global depression would follow.

Iran’s terrorist network could try to hit countries friendly to Israel, like ours.

That might inspire the West to act decisively on the Israeli model.

But I doubt if Britain or America have the troops, leadership and willpower to rise to such a challenge and impose peace.

FOREIGN lagers have the biggest share of the beer market in UK pubs — accounting for 28 per cent of all pints sold.

Italian and Spanish tipples such as Moretti, Peroni, Estrella and San Miguel helped them to top the pile.

2

2

Advertisement

Adding in classic and premium lagers (each on 20%) — including pilsners and those made in the UK — the brewing style made up 68 per cent of beer bought in pubs, bars and restaurants.

Lager’s market share rose 70 per cent year-on-year, with the value of Spanish pints up 22 per cent, Heineken’s Beer Report 2024 said.

Bitter, ale and stout — with classic and premium offerings combined — claimed 23 per cent of the market, while trendy craft beers took eight.

Heineken’s report put the current boom in world lager down to the 2020 launch of Spanish-themed Madri — despite it being brewed in Tadcaster, North Yorks.

It said: “Brands that evoke happy memories and holiday vibes were therefore set to do well.”

The Netherlands officially retired its fleet of F-16 fighter jets after a remarkable 45 years of service.

New Chapter in Ukraine

This momentous occasion was marked by a flyover of eight F-16AM/BM aircraft, which have played a vital role in safeguarding Dutch airspace and supporting NATO operations since their introduction in 1979.

However, the story of these aircraft does not end here. Following necessary modifications, they are set to begin a new chapter in Ukraine, where they will be deployed against Russian aerial threats, according to WP

As the F-16s transition out, the Netherlands has welcomed F-35 jets into its air force, which have recently received certification for carrying nuclear weapons.

PARENTS are rushing to buy discounted £2 Disney books for kids at a major supermarket that make the perfect Christmas gift.

An eagle-eyed shopper had spotted the offer and shared the deal in a post on Facebook.

2

2

Advertisement

The selection of books included many related to Disney’s most iconic films.

Included were stories about The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast.

Shoppers were quick to tag their friends on the post and express their desire to nab the deal.

One user said: “Reuben wants this.”

Another tagged two friends and said: “If you see this please grab it.”

One shopper even exclaimed: “Omg I need it!”

Another commenter noted, however, that a similar deal was also available at a rival supermarket.

They said: “Aldi had this one for 99p recently other similar stories too.”

The books are normally priced for £4 at Tesco but this offer reduced their price by half.

It should be noted that the discount is only available for those who are signed up to the supermarket’s Clubcard scheme.

The programme, which is free to sign up to, provides you access to discounts across Tesco stores.

It also allows you to collect points which you can later redeem for vouchers or discounts at other outlets.

The Israeli military claimed to have killed a senior member of Hezbollah’s “intelligence array” a day after killing the militant group’s leader – stoking fears of an all-out regional war.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Saturday its airstrike on the Dahiyeh area of Beirut eliminated Hassan Khalil Yassi who headed a unit in Hezbollah’s intelligence division that was tasked with locating Israeli military and civilian sites.

It came just one day after the IDF claimed attacks on the same suburb – where tens of thousands of residents live – killed Hezbollah’s leader and one of its founding members, Hassan Nasrallah. More than 80 bombs were dropped on Dahiyeh on Friday, over a period of several minutes, according to defence sources who spoke to the New York Times.

Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s cousin, has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed the former Hezbollah chief, i understands.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Nasrallah as the “master murderer”. In his first public remarks since the killing, he said: “We settled accounts with those responsible for the murder of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of Frenchmen.”

“He and his people were the architects of the plan to destroy Israel. He was not only activated by Iran, many times he also activated Iran,” Mr Netanyahu added, before reiterating his promise to bring peace to northern Israel, which has been subjected to a long-running series of attacks by Hezbollah.

Nasrallah’s death, confirmed by Hezbollah on Saturday, sent shockwaves throughout the region where he has been a dominant political and military figure for more than three decades.

It has potentially far-reaching implications for the Middle East as Israel shifts its attention from its nearly year-old war with Iran-aligned Hamas in Gaza to operations against Hezbollah, amid fears that continued strikes on Lebanon could trigger a wider war that draws in Iran.

Hezbollah, considered a terrorist state by the US and the UK, is also backed by Iran and is seen as one of its most powerful proxies in the Middle East, and a potentially vital buffer with Israel.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, responded to Nasrallah’s death, vowing that “the blood of the martyr shall not go unavenged.”

Tehran also announced on Saturday that a prominent general in its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard died in an air strike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location, with officials saying it is in constant contact with Hezbollah and other regional allies to determine “the next step”, sources have told Reuters.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the news outlet they were not “exactly sure where things go from right now”.

In the midst of the uncertainty, Israel has refused to rule out further escalation.

The country’s defence minister held talks to assess the “operational situation” regarding his country’s military offensive on its northern front, Yoav Gallant’s office said in a statement.

A senior US official reportedly told ABC News that the IDF is preparing for a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, long-range rockets were launched from Lebanon overnight towards the Jerusalem area with sirens sounding in several West Bank settlements, east of the capital. It marked the deepest rocket fire carried out by Hezbollah amid the ongoing fighting, with sirens sounding in towns some 140 kilometres from the Lebanon border.

No injuries have yet to be reported.

The Houthis, another Iran-backed rebel group located in Yemen, said they fired a ballistic missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport upon Netanyahu’s arrival from America.

The group previously said the death of Nasrallah would not break their resistance and that “the Jihadist spirit of the Mujahideen brothers in Lebanon and on all fronts of support will grow stronger and bigger”.

Read Next

Advertisement

Before the weekend, though, there had been hopes of a ceasefire, something Netanyahu later dashed.

The US, along with Western allies, including the UK, drew up a 21-day ceasefire proposal during the UN General Assembly in New York. America’s national security spokesperson, John Kirby, said the plan had been written with “careful consultation, not only with the countries that signed on to it, but Israel itself”.

In a speech to the UN, Netanyahu made no mention of the ceasefire, instead saying: “We will continue degrading Hezbollah”.

US President Joe Biden has called the Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah a “measure of justice for his many victims”.

He added: “The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups. Just yesterday, I directed my Secretary of Defense to further enhance the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war.

“Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means.”

Mr Biden’s words were echoed by Vice President Kamala Harris who stressed her “unwavering commitment to the security of Israel”, before adding: “President Biden and I do not want to see conflict in the Middle East escalate into a broader regional war.

“We have been working on a diplomatic solution along the Israel-Lebanon border so that people can safely return home on both sides of that border. Diplomacy remains the best path forward to protect civilians and achieve lasting stability in the region.”

The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had spoken with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati, saying the pair had “agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the bloodshed”.

Around one million Lebanese have now been displaced by Israeli attacks and at least 50,000 civilians living in Lebanon have crossed into Syria fleeing airstrikes, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees said.

Over the past week, Israeli strikes have killed more than 700 people in Lebanon.

Thirty-three people were killed and 195 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged for “this cycle of violence must stop now,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Saturday. “The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war.”