Politics
Zelenskyy Calls For Russia Deal While Putin Faces Challenges
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Donald Trump that Ukraine may only have the upper hand in negotiations with Russia for a few more months.
The Ukrainian president predicted that Kyiv has just “this period of time before winter” to gain the diplomatic advantage over Moscow.
His warning comes as the American president’s enthusiasm for ending the four-year war has waned and US-brokered peace talks between the warring countries have broken down.
Much of the White House’s focus since February has been on the war it started in Iran, which Trump is now desperately trying to find a way out of.
But Zelenskyy told CBS News that there is still a window of opportunity, because Vladimir Putin has been on the back foot since December last year.
Russia is burning through troops at a shocking rate – the UK estimates Putin has lost nearly half a million soldiers since the war began – and has struggled to make many territorial gains this year.
As Zelenskyy noted:”(I)t began in December 2025, Russia began to lose initiative on the battlefield.
“And from this point of view, I shared this information with our American partners. I said to them in January, I think that we have window for the negotiations, because each month they will lose more and more people … So now we have this period of time before the winter.
“So I think that in winter — we have, before the winter, we need to find a way, diplomatic way, to sit and to speak.”
Zelenskyy also noted that there has “never” been an American negotiation group in Ukraine even though they’ve been several times to Moscow.
He pointed out that any success relies on the amount of international pressure on Russia.
Zelenskyy said: “But it depends [on] the pressure on Putin, the pressure in his society, and I think that is increasing, the pressure by sanctions – not to lift them, to put more. It’s good, it’s diplomatic way.
“I hope that the United States will do it, and European sanctions, but they made more than 20 packages of sanctions already.”
But Trump recently suspended some of America’s Russian oil sanctions due to high gas prices caused by the ongoing conflict in Iran.
In March, Zelenskyy also told Reuters the US ties its offer of security guanratees for a Ukraine peace deal to the idea of Ukraine giving up its entire eastern Donbas region to Russia.
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Recently, budget airline Ryanair axed routes and reduced capacity for a range of Greek airports, including Thessaloniki, Athens, Chania and Heraklion.
But Jet2 seems to have gone the other way. Earlier this year, the travel company said its success at its relatively new London Gatwick base has led it to expand, including a “brand-new and exclusive route to Lesvos (Mytilene)” from 2027.
They also said they were “delighted to be significantly expanding our Jersey programme for Summer 2027, with a great choice of flights now departing from six UK airports as a result”. This will include two new routes.
A spokesperson told HuffPost UK that overall, they’ll be offering 30 new routes starting in 2027.
“With 30 new routes and three brand new destinations, including Thassos, Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, on sale for Summer 2027, we are giving holidaymakers a fantastic choice and flexibility when it comes to locking some sunshine into the diary,” they said.
What are Jet2′s new 2027 summer routes?
Per The Sun, these will be:
1) Birmingham
2) Bournemouth
3) Bristol
4) East Midlands
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East Midlands – Paris Charles de Gaulle
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East Midlands – Hurghada
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East Midlands – Sharm el Sheikh
5) Edinburgh
6) Glasgow
7) Leeds Bradford
8) London Gatwick
9) London Stansted
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London Stansted – Almeria
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London Stansted – Hurghada
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London Stansted – Kavala (Thassos)
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London Stansted – La Palma
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London Stansted – Paris Charles de Gaulle
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London Stansted – Sharm el Sheikh
10) Manchester
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Manchester – Bergerac
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Manchester – Jersey
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Manchester – Hurghada
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Manchester – Kavala (Thassos)
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Manchester – Sharm el Sheikh
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Manchester – Paris Charles de Gaulle.
What about the jet fuel crisis?
This announcement comes as some airlines, such as Lufthansa and KLM, have reduced their flight schedules following rising jet fuel costs.
Others have continued running at full capacity but are considering introducing surcharges, or have already done so.
But Jet2 previously said they have “ruled out” surcharges.
A spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “As a consumer champion, we have restated our confidence in the supply of jet fuel this summer, meaning that customers can look forward to getting away on their well-deserved holidays with Jet2. We were the first airline and tour operator to announce that we will not introduce surcharges, meaning the price at which customers book with Jet2 is the price they will pay”.
They have also launched “37 new routes and three brand-new destinations in La Palma, Palermo and Samos” for 2026.
Simple Flying reported that Jet2′s profits from fiscal year 2024-2025 were 14.7% higher than the previous year’s.
10 min read
Former TV executive Lord Grade has just stepped down as chair of Ofcom. He tells Noah Vickers about his eventful career, enforcing the Online Safety Act and why critics of GB News are secretly ‘embarrassed’
Lord Grade is a titan of British television. Over four decades as an executive at ITV, the BBC and Channel 4, he greenlit and oversaw some of our most cherished programmes, including the launch of EastEnders and Casualty, the importing of Friends and Neighbours onto UK screens, and the broadcasting of Bob Geldof’s Live Aid concert in 1985.
The 83-year-old peer has re-taken the Tory whip after sitting as a non-affiliated member for the last four years while serving as chair of Ofcom. Appointed to the role under Boris Johnson’s government in 2022, his term concluded in April this year.
But despite his extraordinary career in television, he says that what drew him to the job was not in fact its role regulating the world of broadcasting.
“What interested me about the Ofcom job was I started to worry about online safety,” he says, “and there were the beginnings of talk about a bill coming.”
The Online Safety Act, passed by Rishi Sunak’s administration in 2023, is enforced by Ofcom. Companies in breach of the legislation can be fined up to £18m or 10 per cent of their qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.
Ofcom is up against “very powerful companies who have unlimited access to the best legal brains, and will challenge everything we do”, says Grade, who acknowledges concerns that the regulator moves too slowly.
“When you’re regulating, and [despite] the strong powers that Ofcom has, we’re not a star chamber. Its processes have to be fair and defensible in court.”
The legislation, he argues, is just one part of a wider global regulatory effort to which the big tech companies have been forced to respond.
“I’ve got kids and grandkids and they’re on their screens all day long. The tech companies are beginning to wake up to the fact they’ve got to change. The mere fact of the legislation, and Ofcom’s engagement with the big tech companies, has created quite a bit of change – some of it voluntary.”
Grade’s term at Ofcom also began less than a year after the launch of GB News. The regulator is still regularly accused of failing to hold the channel to the same standards of impartiality as other broadcasters. “The same rules apply to GB News as apply to the BBC, Sky, ITN, whoever,” he insists.
“All news programmes are the result of editorial choices made all along the line. What story are we going to cover? How are we going to cover it? Who do we interview? What are we going to ask them? What are we going to use? Where does it go in the running order?
“Everything’s a choice, all the way up. Because GB News make different editorial choices necessarily on each news day from the BBC, ITN or Sky, doesn’t make it wrong.”
GB News “haven’t always played by the rules”, he admits, but it has been penalised accordingly. He adds: “They’ve actually got better and better. It’s not difficult to comply – sometimes it’s only a sentence in a script.”
Does that mean GB News’ critics should really be angry with how the rules are written, rather than the way Ofcom is enforcing them?
“No, I just think,” he says, before pausing for a moment. “I can now speak [freely], as I’m not at Ofcom. I honestly think they’re embarrassed by the fact that there is a news organisation that has a different news agenda to them, that speaks to the agenda of the majority – if you look at the polls, a large swathe of the voting population, who have no voice on the BBC.
“Immigration, Brexit, these are all issues that don’t get the weight on the BBC, or haven’t been able to, that GB News will give, so what’s the problem?”
To unite that “large swathe” of voters, speaking as a Conservative peer, does he think the Tories and Reform UK should do a deal to win the next election?
“No, I think they’ve got to slug it out to the election,” he says. “If there’s a hung parliament at the end of that, then that’s the time, maybe, for Reform and the Conservatives [to work together]. You can do a confidence and supply agreement, you don’t have to have a coalition – see who’s got most seats.”
Grade is proud of his tenure as a TV executive, his face lighting up as he recalls there being “nothing better than backing a hunch, and the show goes on and it’s beautifully executed, the audience find it and love it, and critics love it”.
His time at London Weekend Television (LWT), a regional franchise of ITV, saw the broadcast of The Fosters in 1976, which featured Lenny Henry in his first regular TV role. It was the first British sitcom to have an all-Black cast, adapted from the American sitcom Good Times.
“What we’re at risk of losing is big drama designed specifically for the British audience”
“Encouraging a lot of Black actors in a lot of shows that we did was a big step forward,” says Grade.
“The critics rounded on it and said, ‘We don’t understand this show – this could have been played by a white family,’ and I said, ‘That’s exactly the point.’ That drove me crazy, but that was great fun.”
Finding TV hits could be the “hardest thing in the world”, he recalls.
“My first boss at LWT, who brought me into television, was the late Cyril Bennett. I said, ‘How do you get a hit, Cyril?’ He said ‘90 per cent luck and 10 per cent accident’,” Grade chuckles.
“You’ve got to know what’s not going to work. You have to know exactly what has got no chance at all – after that, it’s up to the audience. The audience decide what’s a hit and what isn’t.”
As controller of BBC One in the 1980s, Grade almost axed Blackadder after its first series – which had been shot, expensively, on location.
Grade also found it unfunny, so he made the programme’s renewal conditional on its producers moving it into a cheaper studio format, with an audience to react to the jokes.
“Very grumpily, they put it in a studio and the rest is history. You watch the first series – it’s a mess. They [the audience] knew what was funny and what wasn’t funny.”
He made a more committed attempt to kill off Doctor Who, forcing the series to go on an 18-month hiatus and to swap its lead actor from Colin Baker to Sylvester McCoy. Does he expect fans will ever forgive him?
“No, no, no. That show was well past its sell-by date in my time.”
Grade complained that the visual effects were terrible compared to Star Wars and Close Encounters of The Third Kind. He credits Russell T Davies, who resurrected it in 2005, for performing “a miracle with a great brand”.
But he adds: “I have to secretly admit, which I don’t normally admit – I’m not a big fan of sci-fi in any event. I know that’s a blind spot of mine, so I’ve always had to be very careful not to let my own taste intervene.”
Case in point, perhaps, came when he flew out to California to decide which American shows to buy for Channel 4. In a Hollywood screening room, he and his colleagues watched the pilot for a new sci-fi series.
“We all looked at each other and said: ‘This is garbage, it’s hard to stay awake.’ You know, jetlag and everything else… so we turned down The X-Files, which was a big miss.”
Later at Channel 4, the station’s head of comedy presented another pilot episode to him. Grade found it “mindless” and “really stupid in places”, but said to carry on if there was enough belief in it. That series was Father Ted.
These days, Grade warns that British TV is in a perilous place. He shares the concerns raised last year by Wolf Hall director, Peter Kosminsky, that it is becoming increasingly unaffordable for public-service broadcasters to produce high-end British dramas.
“I’ve had many discussions with Peter, who I admire enormously,” he says. “Something’s got to happen, because what we’re at risk of losing is big drama designed specifically for the British audience.
“If it has a life after that, internationally, fine. I think ITV were very surprised that Mr Bates vs The Post Office sold in as many territories as it did, because it was a very domestic story.
“But Happy Valley, Wolf Hall, those sorts of shows are very much at risk. The answer is, the BBC has a secure income, [and] it needs to continue to have a secure income so it can play its part.”
Kosminsky called for a levy to be put on US streaming services, with the proceeds collected into a British cultural fund. A similar proposal was put forward by Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, but was turned down by the government.
“That’s been rejected, and it’s a hard sell,” says Grade, who argues it might be possible for the private sector to instead create a one-off fund, which the BBC and others could come to for support in making their more expensive series.
The intellectual property of programmes produced from it would stay in the UK, but the fund’s private backers would be the first to benefit from international sales.
He doesn’t see any feasible alternative to the licence fee as a way of funding the BBC – and he cautions that a subscription model would discourage producers from taking risks on shows which might not sell.
Grade also warns, however, that the corporation is still too big and says cuts should be made so that the licence fee can be re-based at a lower amount.
The rise of working from home, he suggests, means the BBC could free up some funding by selling off some of its physical estate: “When you go to some of the BBC headquarters outside London, you just can’t believe the scale of them.”
He argues, too, that the licence fee should be made progressive by tying it to income in some way.
“It’s wrong that I pay the same as a single mum with three kids in a rented room somewhere – it’s just wrong.”
The peer is optimistic about the corporation’s new director-general, Matt Brittin: “I’m excited and encouraged that they’ve brought in someone from the outside, which I think is what the BBC needs. He seems to be making all the right noises…
“I’m very hopeful that we’ll see some radical change at the BBC, definitely. He’s got to appoint a deputy who’s going to control the journalistic minefield, so they don’t have another editorial crisis – of which there have been too many.”
The last government’s decision not to privatise Channel 4, he argues, was a missed opportunity – despite having fought previous attempts at privatisation when he was the station’s chief executive under Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
“It’s wrong that I pay the same [licence fee] as a single mum with three kids in a rented room”
“There were only five channels in those days. It was a very different world,” he explains. “The question is, can Channel 4 make a virtue out of being small? That’s the challenge. There’s a new team in there, a great new chairman, a very exciting chief executive – let’s see if they can make a fist of it.”
Asked to rate, out of 10, how hopeful he feels about the future of British TV, he gives a score of two. Perhaps two and a half.
“I am very, very worried. Part of it is being kind of misty-eyed about the golden age of which I was privileged to be a part.
“But also the creative industries are one of the most important growth sectors of the economy, and have been for the last decade. The bedrock of that is public service media, and if we lose public service media, eventually that will ripple through into our position as a major provider of international exports, soft power. It’s gobsmacking what we achieve.”
This article contains major spoilers for the Euphoria finale.
After the penultimate episode of Euphoria season three saw Jacob Elordi’s character being killed off in the grisliest way possible, creator Sam Levinson had one more massive shock in store for viewers in the finale.
Speaking of the finale… have you watched it yet? Because we’re about to drop some major spoilers. We know we warned you once already, but we’re talking massive spoilers here, so if you don’t want to know what happens in the episode, get this bookmarked and we can reconvene afterwards.
For everyone else, here goes…
So, in the last ever episode of Euphoria, viewers saw Zendaya’s character Rue overdosing on fentanyl and dying, having struggled with drug addiction over the course of the show’s three-season run.
Appearing in a behind-the-scenes video shared after the episode aired, Sam Levinson – who has been candid about his own substance abuse issues in the past – explained: “I think, in the end, I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction. I also wanted to tell a story about grief and the emotional turmoil that it can create.”
He continued: “I’ve always been against utopian storytelling. What we’ve been known for on the show is not pulling any punches.”
Ending Euphoria on Rue’s death, Sam claimed, “just felt like the honest ending”.
“People relapse. They fuck up. They’re not ready to get clean,” he said. “And they weren’t dying like they are now, with the influx of fentanyl into this country.
“I can say with absolute certainty that if I was going through what I went through when I was younger now, I wouldn’t be here, either. So… there’s no reason to sugarcoat it.”
He added that he “wanted to tell the story for” Angus Cloud, a fan-favourite member of the Euphoria cast who died 2023 at the age of 25, due to an overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl.
Sam noted: “[I wanted to tell the story] for people who weren’t granted a second chance.”
He also praised Zendaya’s “wonderful and layered” performance as Rue.
“We fell in love with this character, this girl, who is flawed and fucked up, but has a good heart, and [is] trying to do right, at least sometimes,” he enthused.
“It’s a blessing to work with talented people, and people that you love.”
There were numerous other deaths in the Euphoria finale, including most notably crime lords Laurie and Alamo, played by Martha Kelly and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, respectively.
On his decision to end Euphoria after three seasons, Sam said over the weekend: “In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.”
All three seasons of Euphoria are now streaming on Sky and Now in the UK.
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The Oscar nominee plays mob family fixer Harry Da Souza in the series, as well as serving as one of its executive producers.
Season one quickly became one of the most-watched shows on Paramount+ when it dropped in 2025, with a second run of episodes having recently wrapped filming, and a third already in the works.
However, it’s now looking uncertain whether Tom will be back for season three, based on speculation and rumours about supposed drama behind the scenes of MobLand, which also stars Pierce Brosnan and Dame Helen Mirren.
For those struggling to keep up, here’s a breakdown of everything that’s been reported in the press about Tom Hardy’s MobLand future so far…
Where did the rumours about Tom Hardy leaving MobLand come from?
Puck News first reported on 22 May that Tom had parted ways with the show, alleging he wouldn’t be returning for season three.
This report claimed that showrunners David Glasser and Jez Butterworth had issued an ultimatum to Paramount+, with the latter said to have told the network they had to choose between him or Tom.
On the same day, Variety published a separate piece, citing an undisclosed source who claimed that Tom “was not asked to return to the series following on-set issues with executive producer Jez Butterworth, 101 Studios and others”.
A report from The Hollywood Reporter five days later expanded on the story, including quotes from one source who described the Dark Knight Rises actor’s behaviour behind the scenes of MobLand season two as “career suicide”.
“He refused to come out of his trailer for hours at a time,” they were quoted as saying. “He kept the cast waiting, [which is] a power play. Keeping Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and others waiting is career suicide, I would wager.”
So, will Tom Hardy be back for MobLand season 3?
Well, that’s where things get more complicated.
A production insider told Variety on Thursday 28 May that while there had been on-set tensions, Tom is “not fired”, and that the door is “not closed” to him for season three, with the team said to be trying to resolve the creative differences before season three gets underway.
Variety’s source also elaborated further on the previously-reported allegations, suggesting that the Venom actor was unhappy with the show’s scripts only being delivered to him weeks before shooting, as he “likes to prepare” with more time than that.
There are also conflicting reports from Variety’s sources regarding showrunner Jez Butterworth’s presence on set, with some saying he wasn’t around to address the script issues, while others say he had weekly Zoom meetings with Tom about the show.
What has the cast of MobLand said about the Tom Hardy rumours?
The stars of MobLand have mostly stayed amid rumours of the behind-the-scenes drama, and reps for both Tom Holland and Paramount+ did not respond to HuffPost UK’s request for comment.
Dame Helen Mirren did post a photo of the Inception star on Instagram on 28 May, with the caption “love you now and always”.
Although this didn’t directly refer to the MobLand rumours, many read her post as alluding to the rumours about on-set tensions.
Comments were turned off on the post, which was uploaded days after footage of Dame Helen being confronted by a pro-Palestine demonstrator over her past support of Israel was widely shared in the press.
It’s probably worth noting that there had already been rumours of behind-the-scenes clashes on the MobLand set
Before these latest reports, there had already been rumours of on-set tension between Tom and other members of the MobLand cast.
In December 2025, the Daily Mail published quotes from an unnamed source who claimed that Tom was often “late to filming”, which was “annoying for Dame Helen”, who was described as “extremely professional and disciplined”.
“She expects better. She holds people to a high standard. She’s 80. She’s been there and seen it all,” the source continued.
“The behind-the-scenes crew watch it all and believe that she no longer looks as happy working on scenes with him. It has all become quite personal between them.”
Dame Helen appeared to shoot down this report two days later, by sharing an Instagram post in which she thanked Tom “for his brilliance onscreen, his dedication off screen, his good heart and especially the HardyHugs I get when onset with him which is not nearly enough in my opinion”.
This isn’t the first time Tom Hardy has been reported to be involved in a spat behind the scenes of one of his projects, either
Village Roadshow/Kobal/Shutterstock
Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller told The Telegraph in 2024 that Tom had a difficult relationship with his co-star Charlize Theron on set, and also claimed that Tom often “had to be coaxed out of his trailer”.
He said: “There’s no excuse for it, and I think there’s a tendency in this business to use great performances as an excuse for other disruption that could be avoided.”
A book about the making of the film, titled Blood, Sweat and Chrome: The Wild And True Story Of Mad Max: Fury Road, alleged that Tom would show up late so frequently that Charlize asked that the Venom star be fined $100k for “every minute that he’s held up the crew”.
Tom has been open about his behaviour while making the film and has responded to the allegations about his conduct.
“What [Charlize] needed was a better, perhaps more experienced partner in me,” he told The New York Times in 2020. “That’s something that can’t be faked. I’d like to think that now that I’m older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion.”
Patrick Stewart has also spoken less than favourably about his experiences of working with Tom in the film Star Trek: Nemesis.
In his 2023 memoir Making It So, the X-Men actor recalled: “Tom wouldn’t engage with any of us on a social level. Never said, ‘good morning,’ never said, ‘good night’, and spent the hours he wasn’t needed on set in his trailer with his girlfriend.”
MobLand season one is available to stream on Paramount+ now. A release date for season two is yet to be announced.
Arsenal were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Champions League final, a result that leaves a mixture of pride and frustration in its wake. The Gunners matched a star-studded PSG for long stretches, pushed the game to the limit, and ultimately lost in the lottery of spot-kicks.
For Arsenal supporters the feeling was familiar. A near miss on the biggest stage but this felt different to past failures. This was not the damning end of an era, but evidence of progress. Key players are in their prime and the club’s trajectory under Mikel Arteta has moved from hopeful to tangible.
Arsenal frustrated PSG
Defensive structure held up. Arsenal’s shape frustrated PSG for long spells. The visitors limited clear chances in the first half and forced PSG to work for openings despite dominating possession. That defensive discipline was the foundation of Arsenal’s plan. To put it simply, the Arsenal defence made this great attacking PSG team look very average.
The plan had its limits. Arteta’s approach was conservative at times, for a game built on containment and counter opportunities rather than sustained territorial pressure. David Raya’s decision to kick long repeatedly became a central tactical choice. Whilst it helped bypass PSG’s press, it also reduced Arsenal’s ability to build controlled attacks through midfield. That trade-off defined the match.
PSG made bold changes, withdrawing key attackers and later some of their engine-room players, while Arsenal appeared to have more freshness in depth. The balance of substitutes suggested Arsenal could have shifted the game more aggressively as time wore on, but the plan remained cautious.
Was this a missed opportunity for Arteta?
As the game stretched, substitutions from both sides altered the dynamic. Arsenal’s bench looked capable of offering more attacking impetus, but the tactical script did not change enough to force a decisive breakthrough.
The match was ultimately decided from 12 yards. David Raya produced the only save of the shoot-out, but Arsenal still fell short. Penalties are cruel, they are also a reminder that small margins can define a season.
So, did Arteta miss out? Yes and no. On one hand, Arsenal were within touching distance of the club’s first European Cup. The final presented a rare chance to convert a season of progress into the ultimate prize. On the other hand, the performance underlined how close Arteta’s project is to completion. The team matched elite opposition, showed tactical discipline, and reached the final through a long, unbeaten run inside 120 minutes across the Champions League campaign.
Lack of flexibility
Arteta must ask whether the plan should have been more flexible. When a side like PSG cedes possession, the temptation is to force the issue. When they dominate the ball, the temptation is to sit in and frustrate. Arsenal oscillated between those poles. The question for the manager is whether a bolder, more expansive tweak in extra time might have produced a different outcome.
Progress is real. Reaching the final and pushing PSG to penalties is evidence that Arsenal are closing the gap on Europe’s elite. The Premier League title and this European run are not anomalies; they are part of a clear upward arc.
Recruitment and tweaks are inevitable. Arteta will have earned more leverage in the transfer market, particularly to add attacking options. The squad showed depth, but the final highlighted moments where greater attacking variety or a different tactical approach could have made the difference. Expect targeted signings and subtle tactical evolution rather than wholesale change.
This can be psychological fuel for players and fans, this defeat can be galvanising. Arsenal have used near-misses before to drive improvement; the challenge now is to convert that frustration into focus and refinement. The hunger in the players was visible in Budapest that hunger will be the club’s most valuable asset.
Final verdict
This was a night of near-misses and fine margins. Arteta’s plan largely worked. The Gunners were organised, resilient, and competitive against a side many expected to dominate. Yet the final also exposed the limits of caution.
When the moment demanded a decisive shift, Arsenal did not quite seize it. The result is a bitter pill but not a fatal one. Progress has been made the prize remains within reach. The task now is easier said than done learn fast, recruit smart, and return hungrier.
A season of progress ended in heartbreak, but the blueprint is clearer than ever. Arsenal are closer to the summit and that makes the next attempt more ominous for their rivals.
Featured image via Carl Recine/Getty Images
By Faz Ali
If you’ve flown to a Schengen country as a non-EU citizen recently, you might have been confronted with long lines and even cancelled flights.
That’s because the new Entry/Exit System (EES) rules have become fully operational, and require all eligible passengers who haven’t done so yet to provide new data like fingerprints.
While the pass stays valid for three years, signing multiple passengers up to the system for the first time all at once has led to chaos in some airports.
But this was step one of enabling another EU security system called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), set to start operations in the final quarter of 2026.
What is ETIAS?
It’s a visa waiver system that’s linked to people’s passports. The BBC reported that it will build on the EES; The Independent explained that it depends on the EES being fully operational.
“Starting from the last quarter of 2026, some 1.4 billion people from 59 visa-exempt countries and territories are required to have a travel authorisation to enter 30 European countries for a short stay,” ETIAS’ site reads.
It’s a permit that some people from “third-country visa-free nations”, which includes the UK after Brexit, will have to obtain before short stays in Schengen countries. It’s been compared to the US ESTA scheme.
ETIAS is meant to increase border security.
How can I tell if I need to make an ETIAS application?
Per the EU, “UK nationals [will be] required to have a valid Etias travel authorisation if they travel to any of the European countries requiring Etias for a short-term stay (90 days in any 180-day period).”
Which countries will require ETIAS passes?
- Austria,
- Belgium,
- Bulgaria,
- Croatia,
- Cyprus,
- Czechia,
- Denmark,
- Estonia,
- Finland,
- France,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Hungary,
- Iceland,
- Italy,
- Latvia,
- Liechtenstein,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Malta,
- Netherlands,
- Norway,
- Poland,
- Portugal,
- Romania,
- Slovakia,
- Slovenia,
- Spain,
- Sweden, and
- Switzerland.
Ireland is excluded from the list. UK passport holders will need an ETIAS to access Gibraltar.
How long before travel will I have to make my ETIAS application?
The application should be processed in “minutes,” ETIAS’ site said, though they warned it could take longer – up to 30 days if they decide to interview you based on your application.
“This is why you should apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation well in advance of your planned journey,” they said.
In fact, the EU said, it’s best to apply “before you buy your ticket or book your accommodation”.
How much does it cost?
It will cost €20 (£17) to complete the forms.
How long will my ETIAS pass last?
It lasts for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
Because ETIAS passes will be linked to people’s passports, the EU has said that “If you get a new passport, you need to get a new ETIAS travel authorisation.”
When will ETIAS come into force for UK fliers?
That’s a bit vague at the moment. Though the ETIAS site says the scheme will “start operations in the last quarter of 2026,” that doesn’t mean it’ll be roundly enforced by that date.
The EU have not set a specific start point in stone yet: “The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch”.
“The launch of ETIAS will be followed by a transitional period of at least six months,” the EU added. That means UK fliers can expect rule changes in April 2027 at the earliest.
Then, there’s a six-month, one-time “grace period” for fliers “coming to Europe for the first time since the end of the transitional period”.
These “will be allowed to enter without an ETIAS provided they fulfil all remaining entry conditions. All other travellers will be refused entry if they do not hold an ETIAS travel authorisation”.
You can only take advantage of this once, however, on your first post-ETIAS flight.
How will people apply to ETIAS?
You’ll apply using the official ETIAS website or the ETIAS app. No non-Internet option is mentioned on ETIAS’s site.
What will happen after I apply?
Applicants will be given a number which you are advised to keep for future reference.
Your data will be checked against various databases, including those from the RU and Interpol.
You’ll be given an email explaining the outcome of your application once it’s been processed.
If you’ve been denied entry, the email will explain why and will give you information on how to appeal.
Do I need to bring my ETIAS pass with me separately?
No – it’s linked to travel documents like your passport.
That’s why you need to make sure its details are consistent with those on your ETIAS application.
When your passport is checked at the border, your ETIAS status will be too.
A successful application doesn’t guarantee entry, either: “When you arrive at the border, border guards will verify that you meet the entry conditions. Those travellers who do not meet the entry conditions will be refused entry.”
Over the last decade, Ariana Grande has become renowned for her confessional approach to songwriting, whether she’s singing about personal tragedy, heartbreak or the public’s misconceptions about her as a person.
And on her new single Hate That I Made You Love Me, it seems the Grammy winner has a couple more things to get off her chest.
The Wicked star kicked off a new era in her music career on Friday morning with the lead single from her upcoming eighth album Petal.
Ostensibly a break-up song reflecting on a past relationship, it’s already been speculated by many fans that on Hate That I Made You Love Me, Ariana is actually singing about complicated feelings about fame, celebrity, her own public persona and the parasocial relationships between a performer and their audience on her new musical offering.
“Tell me, why is it this way? Why you so hate to see women endure?” she sings in the bridge, before continuing: “Is it really my fault you all gave me your hearts of your own accord? I don’t really think so.”
She also laments on the chorus: “I hate that I made you love me. Sorry if I made you my type. I hate that I made you love me. ’Cause I barely tried.”
Elsewhere on the song, she questions: “What’s happening now? You studied my crown and borrowed my body.
“Warm, kissed by the sun, then cold likе the wind, a bee stuck in honey.”
Have a listen to Hate That I Made You Love Me below:
Ariana previously described Hate That I Made You Love Me as “one of my favourite songs i’ll ever give to you, the greatest fans in the entire world”.
“I’m so grateful for all of the art, moments, songs we have shared,” she told her fans. “I can’t wait for this next chapter and all of the surprises I have for you.”
The music video for Hate That I Made You Love Me, starring actor Justin Long, is also due to premiere next week.
Petals will follow on 31 July, and has been described by Ariana as being “full of life” and inspired by “growing” in light of “cold and hard and challenging” life experiences.
Before that, though, Ariana is due to embark on a world tour, the European leg of which will consist of just 10 nights at London’s O2 Arena.
Ian Blackford stunned online critics after he came up with a strange explanation for former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon’s ignorance about her estranged husband’s embezzlement crimes.
Peter Murrell, chief executive of the Scottish National Party between 2001 and 2023, pleaded guilty to taking more than £400,000 from the SNP this week.
He has been charged with embezzling funds from the party between August 2010 and October 2022.
Murrell was arrested as part of Operation Branchform, a Police Scotland probe into the party’s finances, in 2023, and charged in April 2024.
He has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced at the end of June.
He made a series of extravagant purchases while he was SNP chief, including a £124,550 campervan for his own personal use.
His estranged wife Sturgeon was also arrested in 2024 and questioned by detectives, but was never charged with any offences.
Sturgeon, who led Scotland from 2014 until 2023, has insisted she “did not know at all” about her husband’s crimes and that she has been “deceived, misled, lied to and betrayed”.
The ex-SNP leader, who separated from her partner in January 2025, revealed that this has been the “worst week of my life”.
Speaking at Listowel Writers’ Week in Co Kerry, Sturgeon said she was not aware of many of the luxury products Murrell had bought, including three coffee machines worth over £1,000 each.
Explaining how she did not notice such purchases, the former first minister of Scotland said: “We were two people on high salaries, no kids. I was doing a job – and this is another factor – I was doing a job that had me working around the clock, away from home a lot of the time.
“Maybe this doesn’t reflect well on me: I didn’t spend a lot of time in my kitchen – spend any time in my kitchen – but I would never question that some of these things he was buying that I was aware of he couldn’t have afforded, because on the basis of our incomes he could have afforded it.”
Blackford, who worked as the SNP’s Westminster leader from 2017 and 2022, told Times Radio: “I know Nicola very well, she’s a friend of mine.
“Nicola does not have a passion for cooking, it’s not something that she does, so I think that explanation is one that I absolutely can understand.”
“She’s given her explanation, I’m satisfied with the explanation, she’s not someone who would normally spend that much time in the kitchen,” he said.
That explanation went down like a lead balloon on social media, with many criticising the “bizarre” and “insane” response…
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President Donald Trump mocked multiple right-wing Trump critics, including Tucker Carlson and former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, in an AI-generated photo on Saturday amid his ongoing habit of portraying his political foes in unfavourable ways using artificial intelligence.
Trump’s Truth Social post featured a fake image of Carlson, Greene, Repuplican Representative Thomas Massie, far-right political commentator Candace Owens, Representative Lauren Boebert and Senator Rand Paul crowded together in an SUV.
In the AI image, a smiling Massie was at the wheel of the vehicle with Greene to his right in the front passenger seat. Carlson was squeezed in between Owens and Boebert in the middle row, while Paul is seen in the far backseat with a smirk.
The group of MAGA outriders presumably was driving through Washington DC as the US Capitol building appeared in the background.
“Get in loser, we’re going losing,” the photo was captioned.
Trump’s post came after Massie lost the Republican primary earlier this month to challenger Ed Gallrein, who was backed by the president, and following Trump’s withdrawal of his support for Greene, whom he called “wacky” and accused of having “gone Far Left.”
Trump also called Carlson and Owens “low IQ” people, and attacked Boebert for her support for Massie and her push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Rand has also been criticised by Trump for voting against the GOP on key issues.
The president took aim at several of his other political opponents on Saturday, using AI-generated images on Truth Social.
In a separate post, he shared a fake image of himself wearing a New York Knicks jersey and slam dunking on Governor Kathy Hochul.
“PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP vs. Kathy Hochul, New York’s failed Governor who, if people are smart, will vote for Bruce Blakeman — He will, MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN!” Trump captioned the post.
Trump’s post appeared to be in response to Hochul jeering his Knicks fandom last week by challenging him to name the starting lineup of the “1993 championship team” to test his knowledge of the New York team.
Hochul was ridiculed online over her jab after she apparently mixed up the dates, considering the Knicks haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973.
The season finale of Euphoria has now premiered, and with it, its creator has announced that the show will not be returning to our screens.
Speculation has been rampant since even before season three had even started airing that the latest run of episodes would be the show’s last.
Finally, on Sunday evening, it was confirmed that the award-winning drama has reached its end.
After the episode aired, executive producer Sam Levinson said on the New York Times podcast Popcast: “In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.”
In the run-up to season three’s release, series lead Zendaya indicated that she didn’t see a future for Euphoria past the episodes that had already been shot.
“I think so, yeah,” she told Drew Barrymore when asked if she thought Euphoria would end with season three. “I think so. Yeah. Closure is coming!”
Sam Levinson also told Variety at the new season’s premiere that he writes every iteration of Euphoria “like it’s the last”, and has “no plans” to continue it in the future right now.
“I want to finish this as strong as I can,” he noted. “I’m [putting the finishing touches on episodes] seven and eight still.”
He added: “I just want to deliver a fucking slam dunk season.”
It’s fair to say that Euphoria’s third season has been the most divisive in its entire run, with some critics suggesting the show lost its footing in growing its characters up from high-school students to young adults.
The show’s depiction of women has also been called into question, with the penultimate episode and finale also serving up back-to-back deaths of major characters.
All three seasons of Euphoria are available to stream on Sky and Now in the UK.
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