EXCLUSIVE Alarming video reveals new twist in blame game over girl's horror plunge from Disney cruise ship
Sturdy railings stand 42.5 inches (3.5ft) off the floor, protecting a gust of wind or rough seas from throwing anyone to almost certain death.
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Times
22 minutes ago
- Times
Five nights in Toronto for less than £700? Here's how (flights included)
With its lakeside setting, walkable neighbourhoods and restaurant patios, Toronto comes alive in summer, after its icy winter with temperatures well below zero. By August you can expect sunny days with temperatures in the mid-20s that are ideal for wandering its open-air markets, kayaking around its islands or swimming at its lakefront beaches. Plus you can join the celebrations at the Canadian National Exhibition, the country's biggest annual fair, with food stalls, live events, rides and an air show (August 15 to September 1, £14; Go at the end of summer, when most families have returned home to prepare for the new school year, and you can grab a bargain. Five nights' room only at Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel with Expedia costs £672pp, including Air Transat flights departing from Gatwick on August 28 and an under-seat cabin bag. A 23kg luggage allowance can be added for £110 return. A taxi from the airport into the city costs about £35, but traffic can make it slow-going, so you're better off boarding a UP Express train for the 25-minute journey to Union station, from where it's a 15-minute walk to the hotel (£13 return; • 11 of the best hotels in Toronto The hotel is in the city's financial district, opposite City Hall and 20 minutes' walk to CN Tower, which at 1,815ft was the world's tallest freestanding structure from 1976 to 2007. Its elegant rooms are decorated in shades of brown, with dark wooden furniture and large windows that have city views. It also has a 24-hour fitness centre with Peloton bikes, a heated pool and two stylish restaurants, including one serving grab-and-go breakfast items and Starbucks coffee. The lobby is directly connected to the Path, a 19-mile underground pedestrian walkway lined with shops and restaurants. Start with a bird's-eye view of the city from the 114th-storey observation deck at CN Tower (from £24) or brave its Edge Walk, the world's highest external, full-circle, hands-free walk on a building (from £107; Afterwards, check out the 19th-century St Lawrence Market, which has stalls selling artisan food and antiques, and an outdoor farmer's market on Saturdays where you can sample the city's famed peameal bacon sandwich ( Mooch around the pedestrianised Distillery District, with its independent boutiques, hip restaurants and art galleries, explore areas such as Little Portugal and Koreatown, and visit the Royal Ontario Museum, which has 18 million exhibits (from £13; • Read our full guide to Toronto The car-free Toronto Islands, in Lake Ontario, are a 20-minute ferry ride from the Jack Layton terminal (£5 return; and have walking trails, sandy beaches and kayaks to rent (£24 for two hours; Niagara Falls, 80 miles away, are another must-see (free) and are easily reached by train from Union (£11 return; Before you return to the city, stop by the 130-acre Two Sisters vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake to sample its excellent wine and have lunch at its Italian restaurant Kitchen76 (mains from £20; This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue • Return Gatwick-Toronto flights, departing on August 28• Under-seat baggage allowance• Five nights' room only at Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel ( Feeling flush? If you're inspired by Toronto and have more to spend, try one of these… Spread over two towers in downtown Toronto, the Chelsea is the largest hotel in Canada, with 1,590 contemporary rooms in soothing grey, white and blue. Most have a balcony and there are studios with kitchenettes and two-bedroom suites available. On the 27th floor there is an adults-only space with a sundeck, indoor pool and whirlpool, while the second floor has a family fun zone that features a pool with a 130ft water slide, a teen lounge and a kids' club. Guests qualify for various discounts on things such as city bicycle tours, gallery entry and aquarium Five nights' room only from £1,203pp, including flights, departing on August 28 ( • 21 of the best things to do in Toronto Overlooking Lake Ontario and the city's skyline, the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto is a ten-minute walk from the CN Tower and is linked to the Path system. Rooms have an understated luxurious feel in soft grey and silver, with heated marble bathroom floors and oversized windows. There's a 24-hour fitness centre, an indoor pool, a whirlpool and a sumptuous spa with a vitality pool and champagne nail bar. Dining options include a smart art deco-inspired lounge with a terrace, serving afternoon tea and sourdough pizzas, and a fine-dining Italian with the only hotel-based cheese cave in Canada. Details Five nights' room only from £2,004pp, including flights, departing on August 28 (
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Brazilian table tennis star denied entry to US due to having competed in Cuba
Brazilian Hugo Calderano, who won the gold medal in the 2025 table tennis World Cup, said he will miss the WTT US smash event in Las Vegas this month following delays in getting a visa to the United States. Calderano, a 2025 world championships silver medallist who also holds a Portuguese passport, said he had been informed by US authorities that he was no longer eligible for visa waiver for European Union countries, due to a trip to Cuba in 2023 to compete in international competitions and qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 29-year-old said he then tried to get an emergency visa but ran out of time with the event already under way on Thursday. 'I followed the same protocol as all my previous trips to the United States using my Portuguese passport,' Calderano said in a statement on his website late on Thursday. 'When I was informed of the situation, I mobilized my entire team to obtain an emergency visa, but unfortunately, there was not enough time.' 'It is frustrating to be left out of one of the most important competitions of the season for reasons beyond my control, especially coming off such positive results,' he added. The US Smash event is one of the highlights of the year for the WTT, a body created by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), to stage commercial competitions to broaden the appeal of the sport, with higher prize money. The United States will also play host to the 2026 soccer World Cup while Los Angeles will stage the 2028 summer Olympics with athletes from more than 200 countries set to take part. Reuters has contacted the US state department for a comment. The ITTF could not immediately be reached for a comment.
Times
36 minutes ago
- Times
10 beautiful boutique hotels in Europe – that still have availability for summer
Is there anything more delightful than a lovely boutique hotel? Elegant swimming pool set-ups, comfy lobby lounges, friendly bartenders and chic rooms you can pretend are your own little European pied-à-terre. The best have fabulous restaurants and views stacked with natural bounty — but for many, you'll have to go outside the typical Mediterranean locations. A spontaneous trip to the Continent is a great time to try something different, whether a lesser-trodden Italian region or an Alpine country in summer. From 12-room Piedmontese hideaways to family-friendly lodges on Portugal's surfer coast, these ten boutique hotels deliver on small-scale style — and they all have decent availability in July and August. Prices listed below are for summer. This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue The handsome stone farm buildings of this understated complex weave around an alluring swimming pool, shelving out from the shallows like a turquoise Riviera bay. With just nine rooms and three suites, this place feels intimate, and the chunky wood beams, cool farmhouse tiles and freestanding tubs give rooms a romantic lilt. The surroundings are just what you'd expect from a Provençal hideaway: olive groves, lavender trails and scented pines. You'll find the hotel in Orgon, a 40-minute drive from pretty Avignon — a perfect jumping-off base for exploring Provence villages with a hire Room-only doubles from £306 ( Fly to Avignon • Best affordable hotels in France We love a small but mighty hotel, and Nordelaia's 12 rooms cover every shade of Italian style. Take the La Foresta suite, with polished wooden panelling, bright teal and mid-century details, or the Estate room, draped in lush four-poster fabrics in Medici-in-feel golds. Independently owned, adults-only and packed with character, it's in the northern, foodie province of Piedmont in the small town of Cremolino (expect excellent cheeses and robust bottles of barolo) and has a beautiful hillside setting. Lounge by the infinity pool with its staggering views of the countryside, join morning yoga or indulge in a winery visit or cooking class arranged by the hotel team. Details B&B doubles from £379 ( Fly to Genoa Lovingly restored by its owners the Valenzuela family, this 19th-century farmhouse in the town of Monesterio overlooks mountains and pastures in agricultural Extremadura. Whitewashed and russet-tiled, it contains 16 rooms, a pool and mini-spa with sauna and whirlpool. While it may be tempting to spend every day surveying the panorama of the pool terrace (let's ignore the fact that the gym has an equally wow-factor view), these guys are all about getting you out into the landscape: horse riding through the meadows, stargazing at night or visiting the farm to learn about the region's culinary B&B doubles from £170 ( Fly to Seville In surfy Ericeira, a 40-minute drive north from Lisbon, this self-proclaimed 'slow hotel' suggests you press pause on the grind with yoga sessions on the deck, spa treatments, rental bikes to pedal along the coast, and long dinners at its restaurant. It's family friendly, but heavy on grown-up style: a photo-worthy pool deck backdropped by coastline, freestanding bathtubs in suites and freshly grilled sardines on the sunset-view veranda. Rooms have that effortlessly stylish Portuguese vibe: sand-coloured throws, white and pine, with flashes of mermaid-tail tiles in suites; and there's an included shuttle down to Ericeira town. The nearest beach is just a few minutes' drive away, with many more within day-trip B&B doubles from £367 ( Fly to Lisbon • The most beautiful places in Portugal Rooms may be simple at this sultry coastal hotel outside the city of Cagliari, but you're here for the verdant grounds — swaying palms, a briskly cool freeform pool, curtained double day beds and, crucially, less than a five-minute walk to the beach. This swathe of Sardinia's southern coast, in the Baia de Chia area, is a honeypot of natural beauty: miles of protected, grassy sand dunes, flamingos balancing in glittering lagoons and unspoilt, cream-coloured beaches. Follow the boardwalk path from Aquadulci's car park to the cooling shallows of Su Giudeu beach — a five-star dinner awaits you in its garden restaurant when you B&B doubles from £380 ( Fly to Cagliari Another adults-only candidate, this rustic-chic Turkish bolt hole has just 17 palm-thatched safari tents tucked into a dramatic sliver of cliffside outside Fethiye. Emphatically unspoilt, the surroundings are all thick pine forest and dramatic boulders (you'll be plunging into the Med from the rocks rather than a sandy beach, but the swimming is heaven). Peace and quiet is paramount here — you'll hear the odd chillout tune wafting over from the sunset bar, but the spaced-out plateaus with loungers, plunge pool and nocturnal outdoor cinema are all about unwinding. Take the hotel boat along the coast for completely undisturbed swimming, or lunch out at the beach club Room-only doubles from £466 ( Fly to Dalaman If you're seeking cooler pastures than the traditional Med this summer, consider Austria's lakes and mountains. The Pinzgau region outside Salzburg sees highs between 20 and 25C in July and August — comfortable enough for view-tastic hikes around Priesteregg, an 18-chalet boutique resort (nearby are 250 miles of marked Alpine trails). Last year this 'chalet village' opened the Seehütten, a trio of sweet wooden chalets with direct access to its spring-water bathing lake, and gorgeous views of the surrounding peaks. Book a massage, tuck into Austrian caviar or local kasnocken dumplings at the restaurant, or join outdoor yoga sessions surrounded by pines and B&B doubles from £587 ( Fly to Salzburg For those who like to be at the cutting edge of things, try this 22-room farmhouse outside Palma, Mallorca, which opened in May. A ten-minute drive from Palma's airport, it's one of the speediest of this list to get to; but don't be put off by the proximity to Magaluf — this is the sibling to Palma's esteemed Can Bordoy hotel, with a tranquil swimming pool in manicured gardens, cushioned loungers beneath the trees and a terrace straight out of an ancient Balearic village. The farm-to-fork Mallorcan restaurant is one big draw here — while a tennis court, spacious room terraces and freshly squeezed orange juice from the estate's trees all perk up your B&B doubles from £310 ( Fly to Palma • More great hotels in Mallorca An hour's ferry from the far-busier Santorini, Folegandros has a more rugged feel, with traditional Cycladian villages, secluded beaches and mountainous hiking trails. The five-star Anemi is equally fuss-free but straight-from-a-magazine stylish, with a cluster of low-lying sugar-cube buildings with a tennis court, an outdoor gym, the island's first spa and an outdoor saltwater infinity pool with zingy yellow parasols. The 44 rooms are minimalist and largely all-white, but for sparing splashes of the same yellow in a rug or bathroom wall. There's a relaxed Greek restaurant serving just-caught seafood or you can visit the hotel's 30-acre organic vineyard for tastings, yoga classes and sound B&B doubles from £244 ( Fly to Santorini Overlooking the Adriatic Sea and next to Novigrad's glamorous marina, Palazzo Rainis is the former 19th-century home of a Venetian chemist converted into an elegant adults-only retreat. There are just 16 sophisticated rooms and suites, with chocolate-brown parquet flooring, bottle-green armchairs and an art deco flair. All have balconies or terraces and most have sea views. Guests waft between the spa with its Finnish sauna, the outdoor pool surrounded by gardens and the destination restaurant serving upscale Istrian dishes. There's a pine-backed beach on the doorstep and the hotel can arrange sunset cruises along the coastline, truffle hunting trips, sea kayaking and wine B&B doubles from £531 ( Fly to Pula • Best places to visit in Croatia Additional reporting by Siobhan Grogan
