7 hours agoNews TvComments Off on How swapping seats during a flight could end up costing you money – and how to do it without annoying flight crew
THERE’S nothing better than boarding a flight only to find it half empty.
However, think twice before switching to an empty row as it could get you in trouble and even left out of pocket.
AlamyPassengers are being told they need to pay for empty seats – even if the plane is empty[/caption]
Passengers have recently been revealing how they were told they would be charged if they tried to move to a different seat than on their boarding pass.
One passenger wrote on social media: “Most of the plane is empty.
“The attendant told us that they won’t let anyone change seats for less than $86/each even though the plane is nearly empty.”
Another wrote: “Picture it an empty plane, the flight attendant comes into the speaker saying we have to sit where we were assigned for weight issues……..
“Then…. Proceeds to say that for the low low cost of of 50$ we can swap seats.”
While it might seem unfair, the reasons behind it are due to safety.
Travel expert Brett Snyder told according to USA Today: ” Airlines will know where people are sitting, they calculate the weight and balance using their systems, and they will load the cargo and the luggage properly to make sure it stays in balance.
“It is still something that can be a problem and travelers do not want to mess that up for their flight.”
Hailey Way, who previously worked for SkyWest Airlines, said: “If it’s deemed safe to rearrange passenger seating on an aircraft to accommodate weight and balance, then this is done prior to takeoff.”
Not all airlines will charge passengers for trying to switch seats.
It is advised however to ask crew first, as there might be a reason they are empty outside of weight limits.
And of course you can only move to another seat within your class.
So don’t expect to be able to move from an economy seat to one with extra legroom.
7 hours agoNews TvComments Off on Mr Olympia 2025: Dates, time, prize money, and top competitors
THE world’s best male bodybuilders are going to be back in action as the time for Mr Olympia 2025 has come.
The most muscular and bronzed that the world has to offer will take to the stage in Las Vegas in a bid to be crowned the best of the best in bodybuilding.
gettyLunsford aiming to clinch the Mr Olympia title[/caption]
When is Mr Olympia 2025?
The top competitors in the bodybuilding world will descend upon Las Vegas this weekend, on Saturday, October 11 for Mr Olympia.
The event will be taking place in the Las Vegas Convention Centre.
Pre-judging kicks off at 9:30am on Saturday, all before the finals get underway at 7pm.
How much is the Mr Olympia 2025 prize money?
Following an unprecedented increase in the prize pot, there is now a life-changing amount of money on the line for the ripped winner.
Mr Olympia has increased the already massive prize purse from $1.8m, reflecting a direct financial competition with other major shows and it proves how at the top tier in the events there’s a real injection of money.
As a result, the prize purse is now a whopping $2m and will be divided amongst the 11 divisions at the event, with $600,00 going to the Mr Olympia victor.
AlamyThe event prize pot increased to $2m for this year’s event.[/caption]
For the others who podium, they’ll still receive a massive $250,000 for second and $100,000 for third.
For the other divisions, the prize is a lot more modest, with the women’s categories and the remaining men’s taking $50,000 as the top prize.
Who are the top competitors at Mr Olympia 2025?
The 2025 edition of the bodybuilding competition is set to be a thriller with the fierce rivalry between Samson Dauda,Hadi Choopan, and Derek Lunsford expected to reach the next level.
Choopan missed out on the Arnold Classic, which gave Lunsford the opportunity to take the win, setting him up to be a potential threat for the title.
Samson Dauda could threaten Choopan and Lunsford in the final
Dauda is also in the best physical shape of his career, although was beaten at the Classic, leaving him with a bone to pick against Lunsford.
GettyHadi Choopan won Mr Olympia in 2022[/caption]
And so, while Dauda and Choopan can’t be forgotten, Lunsford is coming off the back of a win and has put in the work to improve himself and his body to finally take the Olympia title and put his name in the history books.
Elsewhere, the women’s competition is also set to be an exciting event.
This year’s Ms Olympia fans are watching for Andrea Shaw. She is a force to be reckoned with, after she won her first Ms Olympia title at her debut in 2020, beating other Olympia veterans like Helle Trevino, Mayla Ash, and Maggie Martin.
The Women’s Open division has increased in popularity during this dominance by Shaw. However, she has a bit of competition this year if she wants to upgrade that to a five-year dominance.
7 hours agoNews TvComments Off on Michelin-starred chef announces sudden closure of top UK restaurant ‘with great sadness’ after 12 years
A MICHELIN-STARRED chef has announced an unexpected closure of his restaurant “with great sadness”
The popular establishment will shut its doors for good after 12 years in business.
Google MapsThompson St Albans restaurant is set to close after 12 years[/caption]
Owner Phil Thompson took to Instagram to bid goodbye to his loyal customers.
He has shared that his brainchild Thompson in St Albans will be closing permanently.
In a post, Phil wrote: “It is with great sadness that after 12 years, we will be closing the doors to Thompson St Albans.
“On behalf of myself and the team, I would like to thank everyone who supported and grew with us over the past 12 years.
“Our regulars became part of the Thompson family, which meant the world. To all our staff past and present, thank you for all your hard work.
“It wasn’t always easy, but you truly made Thompson St Albans a chapter in my life that I will always be very proud to remember. Warmest regards, Phil.”
The restaurant will serve its diners for the final time on Saturday, October 18.
Customers will be able to enjoy a special, “closing menu” which features seven courses.
Restaurateur Phil hoped of one day opening his own restaurant when he was still cleaning pots in his uncle Mick’s kitchen.
He is originally from Essex, comes from a family of chefs, and began his career working in London and Hertfordshire.
While working at Brocket Hall’s Auberge du Lac, he earned two Michelin stars.
Phil’s goal became a reality in November 2013 when he established Thompsons, replacing the old Darcy’s restaurant.
Since then, it has become a citywide household name.
Customers will still have a chance of tasting the renowned chef’s cooking.
Phil has been advertising his home dining concept on the restaurant website.
He wrote: “I have already had the pleasure of cooking in the homes of some of our guests as their personal chef for the evening.
“Please book me for your special event, and I look forward to seeing you again very soon!”
7 hours agoNews TvComments Off on FA Cup first round draw ball numbers: Who is in the hat?
FA CUP organisers have confirmed the ball numbers for the first round – which means the draw is not far away!
64 non-professional sides had dreams of keeping their cup run alive before the start of the fourth round qualifying fixtures.
ReutersThe first proper round of this season’s FA Cup competition is fast approaching[/caption]
Each winning team earns a spot in the hat along with some extra funds in the kitty for making it to the first proper round.
However, this also comes with a potential clash against a League One or League Two side who now enter the fray.
So fans are eager to know what ball number to keep an eye on for when the draw gets made.
FA Cup first round draw ball numbers
Here are the all-important ball numbers for the FA Cup first round draw:
1. Accrington Stanley 2. AFC Wimbledon 3. Barnet 4. Barnsley 5. Barrow 6. Blackpool 7. Bolton Wanderers 8. Bradford City 9. Bristol Rovers 10. Bromley 11. Burton Albion 12. Cambridge United 13. Cardiff City 14. Cheltenham Town 15. Chesterfield 16. Colchester United 17. Crawley Town 18. Crewe Alexandra 19. Doncaster Rovers 20. Exeter City 21. Fleetwood Town 22. Gillingham 23. Grimsby Town 24. Harrogate Town 25. Huddersfield Town 26. Leyton Orient 27. Lincoln City 28. Luton Town 29. Mansfield Town 30. Milton Keynes Dons 31. Newport County 32. Northampton Town 33. Notts County 34. Oldham Athletic 35. Peterborough United 36. Plymouth Argyle 37. Port Vale 38. Reading 39. Rotherham United 40. Salford City 41. Shrewsbury Town 42. Stevenage 43. Stockport County 44. Swindon 45. Tranmere Rovers 46. Walsall 47. Wigan Athletic 48. Wycombe Wanderers 49. Darlington or AFC Telford United 50. Macclesfield or Stamford 51. Gainsborough Trinity or Hartlepool United 52. Carlisle United or Boston United 53. Rochdale or York City 54. Runcorn Linnets or Buxton 55. Morecambe or Chester 56. South Shields or Spalding United 57. Tamworth or Hyde United 58. Scunthorpe United or King’s Lynn Town 59. Aveley or Gateshead 60. Spennymoor Town or Billericay Town 61. Southport or FC Halifax Town 62. Altrincham or Harborough Town 63. Worthing or Forest Green Rovers 64. Maldon & Tiptree or Flackwell Heath 65. Woking or Brackley Town 66. Wealdstone or Whitstable Town 67. Slough Town or Enfield Town 68. Eastbourne Borough or Boreham Wood 69. Hampton & Richmond Borough or Eastleigh 70. Southend United or Folkestone Invicta 71. Ebbsfleet United or Solihull Moors 72. Braintree Town or Farnborough 73. Tonbridge Angels or Chatham Town 74. Weston Super Mare or Needham Market 75. Hemel Hempstead Town or Yeovil Town 76. Banbury United or St Albans City 77. Chelmsford City or Chippenham Town 78. AFC Totton or Truro City 79. Dorking Wanderers or Aldershot Town 80. Farnham Town or Sutton United
When is the FA Cup first round draw?
The FA Cup first round draw will take place on Monday, October 13.
It is scheduled to get underway during the coverage of Worthing vs Forest Green Rovers which starts at 6:30pm BST while the actual match starts at 7:30pm.
Fans can tune into the FA Cup first round draw via TNT Sports 1.
However, fans can stream the entire action for free on TNT Sports’ YouTube channel.
Alternatively, SunSport will have coverage of the draw through our live blog.
7 hours agoNews TvComments Off on ‘I wanted to be just like him’ – Tyson Fury pays tribute to ‘the great’ Ricky Hatton ahead of boxing legend’s funeral
TYSON FURY has paid tribute to the late Ricky Hatton and said: “I wanted to be just like him”.
And the Gypsy King remembers cheering on Hatton in 2005 – in what was the two-weight champ’s crowning night against Kostya Tszyu.
During a run, Fury told his Instagram followers: “Today’s the day of Ricky Hatton’s funeral and I’m not going to be alone when I say this that Ricky inspired me as a young boy to go on and do great things in boxing.
“I wanted to be just like him, the ringwalks, the flashy shorts, the fans, the chanting.
“When I was a little kid, he was fighting for his world title in Manchester against Kostya Tszyu and I was there along with other young kids who were also inspired by Ricky.
“So without Ricky Hatton, Manchester wouldn’t have had, the North West wouldn’t have had, the UK wouldn’t have had, so many boxing world champions inspired by the great Richard The Hitman Hatton.
“Rest in peace, Rick. See you soon buddy.”
Fury won the heavyweight world title in a 2015 upset against Wladimir Klitschko.
But by 2017, he was forced to vacate the three belts after falling into depression and substance abuse.
Hatton – who also suffered mentally throughout his career and retirement – helped Fury through the tough times.
Fury trained in Hatton’s Manchester gym for his 2018 comeback and even had the former two-weight champ in his corner.
The Gypsy King later regained the world title with victory over Deontay Wilder in 2020 – holding the belt for four years.
Hatton’s death meanwhile shocked the British public, leaving behind son Campbell, daughters Fearne, Millie and granddaughter Lyla.
His funeral – held at Manchester cathedral – saw stars like Fury, Frank Bruno, Amir Khan, Wayne Rooney and Freddie Flintoff turn out.
Thousands of fans also lined the streets to say goodbye to the sporting legend.
AFPTyson Fury arrives at the funeral[/caption]
GettyWayne Rooney and wife Coleen arrive at the funeral[/caption]
SplashClaire Sweeney, former partner of Hatton, pictured[/caption]
GettyCricket legend Freddie Flintoff[/caption]
SplashAmir Khan in attendance[/caption]
PAHatton’s parents Ray and Carol[/caption]
7 hours agoNews TvComments Off on I lost my daughter in a tragic accident, changes must be made to make sure no more kids die
Getty Images
IN the last five years 15 public swimming pools have shut their doors in Scotland.
And drowning prevention experts fear that more people will have accidents in the water, as they are not equipped with the opportunity to learn life-saving skills.
Kirsty wants all kids to have basic skillsLittle Darcey passed away in South Africa
Recently, the GMB union said the closures are leaving young people at risk. Meanwhile, Scottish Swimming has launched the Save Our Pools campaign and recently spoke in parliament to plead with ministers to reverse the trend.
Joining the organisation was Kirsty Doig, from charity The Darcey Sunshine Foundation, which she founded after losing her three-year-old daughter in a tragic pool accident.
Today she speaks out about why it’s vital that pools not only remain open but that every child in the country has the chance to learn to swim.
THE Darcey Sunshine Foundation was set up in 2021 following the heartbreaking loss of our little girl, Darcey, to drowning in a swimming pool accident whilst living out in South Africa.
We’d moved there for a change in lifestyle, to give our kids a more outdoor, active life. Knowing that pools and open bodies of water were everywhere there, we made swimming lessons a top priority.
But we learned the hardest way possible that drowning can happen to anyone, often when someone isn’t necessarily expected to be in the water, and when attention slips for just a moment.
After losing Darcey, we made it our mission to prevent this from happening to other families, by raising awareness of the simple ways in which drowning can be prevented and teaching children facing financial hardship survival swim skills.
In Scotland we would love, as a charity, to one day work ourselves out of existence.
A key part of what we do is to promote access to basic swim skills and provide a good understanding of how children can keep themselves and others safe around water.
We believe the most effective and equitable way to achieve that is by integrating water safety and swimming lessons into the school curriculum. Every child, regardless of background or income, should be taught these essential skills, just as they learn maths or reading.
We’re an island nation surrounded by huge bodies of water, both from our stunning coastline and inland waterways, to our famous lochs, yet according to Scottish Swimming, as many as 40 per cent of children are leaving primary school unable to swim. It is vital that our young people understand how to keep safe in the environment that surrounds them.
Recently, we spoke in Parliament alongside Scottish Swimming for its Save Our Pools campaign.
The ministers with whom we spoke were shocked at the extent to which pools are closing, and the lack of basic swim skills within our primary school children. We had gone with three main asks from government, which were to:
Protect our pools as Community Assets by introducing a Statutory Consultation Process for every threatened public pool closure, similar to what is already in place for the closure of sports pitches
Roll out school swimming to every local authority in Scotland to give fair and equal opportunities to learn to swim for every child
To set up a Task Force with the Scottish Government, Sport Scotland, Scottish Swimming, and Cosla to assess what is required in terms of support and investment to avoid pool closures
We understand that a lot of our pools in Scotland have ageing infrastructure that is expensive to maintain, but there needs to be statutory consultation with all relevant bodies before pools are closed.
Swimming pools are more than just places to learn to swim. They are community hubs. They support drowning prevention, yes – but also mental health, physical fitness, and social connection across all generations.
And if we close down these incredible community hubs and lose our pools, then the danger is clear, we risk the health, wellbeing, and safety of future generations.
For so long we’ve taken for granted that most communities have a swimming pool. Growing up, swimming was always your rainy day activity.
You’d be in the swimming pool and you’d be learning vital skills without even realising it. Now there’s many communities that don’t have local access to a swimming pool. For those that do, the cost has now become a barrier for many families.
As a drowning prevention charity, it’s a great cause of concern for us. Without accessible, safe spaces to learn these skills, we are losing our ability to protect children (and adults) from entirely preventable tragedies.
We had a great response in parliament when we discussed the #saveourpools petition but it has been worryingly quiet since, with more pools continuing to close.
It may seem like a cost-saving decision now, but closing a pool sets us up for long-term damage: a generation of non-swimmers, rising inequality in access to life-saving skills, and increasing costs for the NHS and mental health services.
Learning to swim and be safe around water is not a luxury, it’s a basic life skill. In the same way we teach every child to read a write, we should be teaching every child how to safely engage with the world around them, and a large part of that world is water.
Without our community pools, this ask is impossible.
SAVE OUR POOLS
THE charity is asking Scots to sign Scottish Swimming’s petition to #saveourpools.
The organisation also asks for swimming training poviders and education partners who deliver lessons to get in touch, as it can help provide funding for them.
