Category: World
Whey to go: Is cheese the new reason to travel?
From Paris’s newly opened cheese museum to ageing caves in the Jura and sheep pastures in Corsica, travellers are discovering that cheese can be a guidebook through landscapes, traditions and histories they might otherwise miss. In France, terroir is more than a word; it’s a way of seeing the world. Long associated with wine, the concept that geography, climate, soil and human skill shape flavour is just as true for another French icon: cheese. And while the French have always known this, a growing number of travellers are discovering the country – and its culture – one wheel at a time. Last spring, Paris opened the Musée Vivant du Fromage, joining dozens of attractions across the country dedicated to cheese, from ageing caves and cheese museums to visitor centres and tasting tours. There are regional Route de Fromage trails to follow, producers to meet and pastures to walk through – each offering a deeper understanding of how place shapes flavour. The appetite for food-focussed travel is only set to grow: Future Market Insights predicts that the market for culinary experiences in France will rise by nearly 16% over the next decade. The new museum, a short stroll from the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral, is small but rich in scope. Exhibits in both English and French explain how cheeses are made, the people and traditions behind them and the science of ageing and flavour. Interactive screens encourage deeper exploration, while the shop counter offers a veritable “Tour de France” of cheeses. It all unfolds to an atmospheric soundtrack of cowbells, as if the meadows themselves were just outside. Museum manager Guillaume Gaubert says the trend started with the French themselves. “We’ve noticed that a section of the population is less interested these days in going to the Bahamas, for example, and more inclined to take nature-based holidays in France, to discover the local terroirs,” he explained. “The French are really attached to their land. The cheese connects them to their terroir – so the Alsatian wants his Munster, the Norman his Camembert, the Basque his Ossau-Iraty. And the Savoyard? His Beaufort.” t’s not only the French. Cheese expert and tour leader Jennifer Greco, who has lived in France for 20 years, says she’s seeing more international visitors curious about cheese. “During Covid, everyone was hunkered down at home eating comfort food but then they started thinking, ‘I’d like to know more about this – what is this cheese I’m eating?’” she said. On her tours with Paris by Mouth, Greco explains how milk from goats grazing on grasses and clover in the Loire will taste different than that from goats eating herbs in the South of France. “People do start to see France in a new light,” she said.
Harry’s tea with Charles could be small but significant step to reconciliation
rince Harry has met his father King Charles at Clarence House in London on Wednesday for their first face to face meeting since February 2024. The clues have been scattered all over the place in recent months. In his BBC interview in May, there was a distinct shift in tone from the prince. After the years of raw, emotional media appearances, the Netflix documentary series, the searing criticism of the royal family in his memoir Spare, this was a different Prince Harry in front of the cameras. “I would love a reconciliation with my family,” he said. “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious.” Prince Harry had made his position clear. He wanted to see his father but was the King feeling the same way? A photograph in the Mail on Sunday in July showed the media communications team representing Prince Harry meeting in London with the King’s communications director. Two rival camps coming together and the image finding its way onto the front page of a national newspaper. Both sides denied leaking the photo but what it did was show there was a dialogue. A channel of communication between both camps had opened. And there has been a unified silence from both sides in recent days that has also been telling. Neither side would be drawn on a date or time of any reunion. We were making educated guesses on when father and son might meet based on gaps in their diaries and who was planning to be where geographically. In a family fallout riddled with mistrust and rancour, the two camps stayed very tight lipped about the possibility of a meeting. Their mutual silence held.
Wake Up Dead Man review: The ‘funniest and most playful’ Knives Out mystery yet
Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc and Josh O’Connor nearly steals the show in the “darkest” but also “most playful” instalment of the Knives Out franchise so far. Can anyone steal a Knives Out film from the great detective Benoit Blanc? As it turns out, yes, almost. The biggest revelation of Wake Up Dead Man, the third in Rian Johnson’s series of deliciously entertaining mysteries, is that Josh O’Connor, so great at drama, is also an excellent comic. He plays Father Jud Duplenticy, a former boxer turned priest, who as punishment for a violent outburst is sent from upstate New York to a tiny parish in the village of Chimney Rock. It’s a setting that looks as if it has been transported from a screen adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, with a small neo-Gothic church and adjacent graveyard. It’s exactly the kind of place where too many murders take place. But instead of meeting some kindly vicar, Jud goes to work for Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, played by Josh Brolin as a wild-haired, fiery cynic. It’s not quite fair to say that O’Connor steals the film from Daniel Craig’s Blanc. Craig is a scene-stealer himself With its Gothic atmosphere and deeper themes, Wake Up Dead Man has a darker tone than the previous Knives Out films. Yet it is also the funniest and most playful so far. Along with the usual murder(s) and large glittery cast, it has religion, and a touch of meta in its literary allusions and film references. Johnson has acknowledged wanting to go back to the roots of mystery stories with this installment, citing Edgar Allan Poe, so it’s good to keep in mind Poe’s themes of men haunted by guilt and of creepy burials. But with more assurance than ever, he walks a perfectly balanced line as he borrows old tropes and adapts them. There is plenty of irreverent dialogue here, and rude graffiti on a mausoleum. It’s not quite fair to say that O’Connor steals the film from Daniel Craig’s Blanc. Craig is a scene-stealer himself. Blanc turns up to solve a murder in Chimney Rock with his southern accent and confident swagger, looking more dapper than ever. But it seems that with each Knives Out film he has fewer scenes, and at times he is like an orchestra conductor weaving us through the various characters and possibilities in the ever-twisting plot. Blanc even enlists Jud’s help in solving the murder. There’s no question that Father Jud is the film’s throughline, and O’Connor swerves gracefully from comic to serious. Johnson begins by playing with point of view. We get Jud’s account, requested by Blanc, of the events leading to what Jud calls the Good Friday murder. Using a device he acknowledges is borrowed from mystery novels, he introduces Blanc and us to the congregants, most of them with a cultish devotion to Wicks.
What went wrong for Garnacho at Old Trafford?
Alejandro Garnacho could well make his first Premier League start for Chelsea this weekend. The Blues signed the Argentina winger for £40m late in the transfer window. The 21-year-old, who has 16 goals in 93 Premier League appearances, signed a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge that runs through to 2032. Enzo Maresca’s side travel to Brentford on Saturday night (20:00 BST). Right, although Senne Lammens could well make his Manchester Untied debut this weekend, it’s time to look at some of the other new signings who could be turning out for their new clubs. Whichever keeper United select for the Manchester Derby, there is a problem. Lammens has no experience of Premier League football, and its physicality is going to take some getting used to for a Belgian keeper. Bayindir’s flapping at corners is already legendary. Lose Lose.
Which deadline day signing will make the biggest impact?
Simons was linked with many European clubs this summer and represents a coup for Frank – but where will he play at Spurs? Frank is known for his tactical flexibility and has employed two different formations in his first three games in charge – a 5-3-2 in the Super Cup final against Paris St-Germain and his more familiar 4-3-3 in the Premier League. Simons is best suited to the latter, where he would most likely play on the left of Frank’s front three so he can cut inside to use his favoured right foot. The attacker was predominantly used on the left in the Bundesliga last season with 75% of his time on that side of the pitch. He can also play centrally or on the right if needed. However, RB Leipzig’s former boss Marco Rose often asked Simons to play either deeper in a traditional 4-4-2 or more narrowly in a 4-2-2-2 – in a ‘box midfield’ formation which encouraged full-backs to get forward – which suggests he’ll need time to adapt to Frank’s methods. Will Simons star on Saturday? Xavi Simons could be another player who makes his Premier League debut this weekend after he signed for Tottenham from RB Leipzig for £51.8m (60m euros) late in the summer window. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who has been chased by several European clubs this summer, said he had “been dreaming of this for a long time” after completing his Spurs medical. Simons scored 22 goals and assisted 24 others in 78 appearances for Leipzig, who he joined on loan from Paris St-Germain in 2023 before signing permanently in January of this year. He has also scored five goals in 28 appearances for the Netherlands, having made his debut at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Spurs are away to West Ham on Saturday (17:30 BST).
Israel’s Qatar strike questioned at home and condemned abroad as Trump ‘not thrilled’
What we’re covering • Israel is facing growing condemnation after it attacked Hamas leadership in the capital of Qatar, a US ally and key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks — putting hostage negotiations at risk. • Hamas said the strike killed five members but failed to kill the targeted negotiating delegation, the target of the strikes. Doubts are now emerging about the success of the attack, according to two Israeli officials. • USPresident Donald Trump has criticized the strike, saying that by the time his administration learned of the attack and told the Qataris, there was little he could do to stop it. • The attack is the first publicly acknowledged strike on a Gulf state by Israel. Qatar’s prime minister was visibly angry and said his country’s tradition of diplomacy “won’t be deterred.”
Poland shoots down Russian drones in its airspace for the first time, accuses Moscow of ‘act of aggression’
Poland’s military said early Wednesday that it had shot down drones that violated its airspace during a Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine, the first time it has taken such a step in what is a major provocation for Europe and NATO. Addressing the country’s parliament, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there were 19 intrusions of its airspace, and that a “large proportion” of the drones entered it from Belarus. He announced that Poland has invoked Article 4 of NATO, meaning the alliance’s main political decision-making body will meet to discuss the situation and its next steps. Tusk called the incident an “unprecedented violation of (its) airspace” and said it lasted all night – from just before midnight local time on Tuesday until 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Poland’s military said early Wednesday that it had shot down drones that violated its airspace during a Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine, the first time it has taken such a step in what is a major provocation for Europe and NATO. Addressing the country’s parliament, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there were 19 intrusions of its airspace, and that a “large proportion” of the drones entered it from Belarus. He announced that Poland has invoked Article 4 of NATO, meaning the alliance’s main political decision-making body will meet to discuss the situation and its next steps. Tusk called the incident an “unprecedented violation of (its) airspace” and said it lasted all night – from just before midnight local time on Tuesday until 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.