For years now, many performers at Edinburgh Fringe have spoken about their struggles to afford the sky-high prices for their accommodation each August.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
Month: August 2025
Two siblings who drowned while on holiday in Spain have been named – with a fundraiser for their family reaching £40,000.The Latest News from the UK and Around the World | Sky News
By: James Brooks and Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon
Alaska lawmakers are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. in Juneau for a special session of the Alaska Legislature. You can watch live online on Gavel Alaska.
Why is the Legislature meeting in a special session?
Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the special session. The official agenda says that it will involve legislation about education policy and a proposed Alaska Department of Agriculture.
Will legislators actually do that?
No.
What are they doing instead?
They’re going to vote on overriding at least some of the vetoes the governor has made since the regular legislative session ended in May.
No. 1 on the list is the governor’s decision to veto about $51 million in funding for public schools. The No. 2 item is the bill that would require the Alaska Department of Revenue to provide lawmakers with additional information about tax settlements between oil companies and the state. Lawmakers believe the state may be settling tax disputes for far less than they’re worth, costing the state millions.
Some legislators are interested in taking up other vetoes as well, including the governor’s decision to cancel a ban on payday loan lending, his decision to veto money for transportation projects, and his vetoes of bills affecting police dogs and teacher housing, among others.
Will those overrides succeed?
It’s too close to call. The Alaska Constitution says votes from 45 of 60 legislators are needed to override a budget veto. In May, 46 legislators voted in favor of overriding the governor’s decision to veto a bill that increases the state’s public school funding formula.
That was the first time since 2002 that legislators voted to override the veto of a sitting governor.
It isn’t clear whether everyone who voted in favor of that first override will vote in favor of the second.
Overriding a policy bill veto, like the one dealing with the tax settlements, takes 40 votes.
Will everyone be there?
Probably not. Some conservative Republicans had said they would stay away from the session in a show of support for the governor’s vetoes. Immediately after calling the special session, Dunleavy asked them to be absent for the first five days because an absence is as good as a “no” vote when it comes to a veto override.
He later changed his position, asking lawmakers to begin meetings about his stated agenda on Sunday, and some Republicans changed course and said they will attend the session, after all. It wasn’t clear whether all have done so, but it isn’t likely to affect the vote total on the potential override.
Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, is in favor of an override and had been expected to be unavailable because of military service overseas. He ended up getting a special leave of absence and is flying back from Europe. Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage, is flying back from Vietnam to attend. Other legislators have canceled family plans and postponed business trips.
How long will this take?
On the low end, a few hours. On the high end, a few days. Officially, the special session can last for up to 30 days, but legislators have said they won’t use all that time.
In some previous special sessions, legislators have left Juneau without formally closing the special session, just in case they need to come back. Those special sessions ended after the 30th day.
How much will this special session cost?
Based on historical costs, the estimated cost for a special session is $30,000 per day, according to the Legislative Affairs Agency, the Legislature’s nonpartisan support agency. But that cost depends on the duration and scope of the special session, said Jessica Geary, the agency’s executive director, by email on Tuesday.
“Many legislators had to change summer travel plans to attend the special session, and many of them purchase their own travel and submit for reimbursement. At this point we don’t have any concrete cost estimates and won’t know until the special session concludes,” she said.
Geary said legislators have up to 60 days to submit reimbursements for expenses like hotel lodging, transportation and airfare, staffing, expenses, and so the agency will have a total cost by October.
Legislators receive an annual salary of $84,000 per year. The 57 members that live outside of Juneau are entitled to receive a “per diem” amount of $332 per day to cover expenses.
If lawmakers don’t take up the governor’s ideas, are they dead?
No. Legislators have created a task force to consider education policy changes, including those from the governor. One idea supported by the governor is open enrollment — allowing a student to move between different schools and school districts, regardless of where they live. That will be considered by the task force, which meets Aug. 25.
Legislators are also considering a bill that would create the Alaska Department of Agriculture. That bill is broader than the governor’s initial plans; for example, it would include sea farms (formally known as aquaculture), which are the fastest-growing agricultural sector in Alaska.
NOTN- Human remains discovered more than two decades ago in the Gastineau Channel have been identified as those of Darryl Bruce Fawcett, reported missing in 1999, authorities said Wednesday.
The Juneau Police Department, in coordination with the Alaska Department of Public Safety and the State Medical Examiner’s Office, confirmed the identification using new DNA analysis techniques made available this month.
Fawcett, who was said to be experiencing homelessness at the time, had not been in contact with family since September 1999. He was reported missing in December of that year after relatives became concerned when mailed checks were returned uncashed. Authorities said Fawcett may have briefly traveled to Yakutat, where local police confirmed he was seen before disappearing.
On March 13, 2004, a diver discovered human remains approximately 83 feet underwater in the Gastineau Channel near Merchant’s Wharf. The remains were recovered and submitted to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, but could not be identified with the forensic tools available at the time.
On July 21, 2025, the Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory implemented a new DNA extraction method capable of generating profiles from bones and teeth. Less than two weeks later, on July 31, officials confirmed the remains as those of Fawcett.
The Alaska State Troopers have notified Fawcett’s next of kin.
President Donald Trump’s first term saw a record-high rate of turnover among his Cabinet members and chief advisers. Trump’s second term has, to date, seen far fewer Cabinet departures.
But some political commentators have observed that the president this time around has primarily appointed loyal advisers who will not challenge him.
As Thomas Friedman pointed out in The New York Times on June 3, 2025, “In Trump I, the president surrounded himself with some people of weight who could act as buffers. In Trump II, he has surrounded himself only with sycophants who act like amplifiers.”
As a scholar of Greco-Roman antiquity, I have spent many years studying the demise of truth-telling in periods of political upheaval. Spanning the period from 27 B.C.E. to 476 C.E., the Roman Empire still offers insights into what happens to political leaders when they interpret possibly helpful advice as dissent.
Particularly telling is the case of Nero, Rome’s emperor from 54 to 68 C.E., who responded to a disastrous fire in 64 with extreme cruelty and self-worship that did nothing to help desperate citizens.
Suppressing honest advice under Nero
Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, established a handpicked circle of advisers – called the consilium principis in Latin, meaning emperor’s council – to give a republican look to his autocratic regime. Augustus became the emperor of Rome in 27 B.C.E. and ruled over the empire, which stretched from Europe and North Africa to the Middle East at its peak, until his death in 14 C.E.
Augustus wanted to hear what others thought about the empire’s needs and his policies. At least some of Augustus’ advisers were bold enough to assert themselves and risk incurring his displeasure. Some, such as Cornelius Gallus, paid for their boldness with their own lives, while others, such as Cilnius Maecenas, managed to push their political agendas in softer ways that allowed them to maintain their influence.
But the Roman emperors who came after Augustus were either less skilled at maintaining a republican facade, or less interested in doing so.
Nero was the last of the emperors from the noble Julio-Claudian dynasty in ancient Rome at its peak of power. Historians who describe Nero’s rise and fall from power describe the first five years of his reign, or the quinquennium neronis in Latin, as a period of relative calm and prosperity for the empire.
Because Nero was just 16 years old when he acceded to power, he was assigned advisers to guide his policies. Their opinions carried significant weight.
But five years into his reign, chafing at their continued oversight, Nero began to purge these advisers from his life, via execution, forced suicide and exile.
Nero instead collected a small cadre of self-interested enablers who derived power for themselves by encouraging their leader’s delusions, such as his desire to project himself as the incarnation of the sun god, Apollo.
The single most unspeakably corrupt and nefarious of these preferred advisers was Ofonius Tigellinus. Tigellinus had caught Nero’s eye early in 62 by urging the senate to convict a Roman magistrate of treason for having composed poems that he deemed insulting to the emperor. Later that year, Tigellinus was appointed the head of the emperor’s personal army.
As praetorian prefect, Tigellinus was charged not only with protecting Nero from physical harm, but also with crafting and guarding the leader’s public image. Tigellinus urged Nero to stage an ongoing series of public spectacles – like theatrical performances and athletic competitions – that featured him as a divine ruler and a god on Earth.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Up in flames
It was likely at Tigellinus’ urging that, in the aftermath of the great fire of 64 that raged for six days in Rome, Nero staged an exorbitant garden party where Christians were soaked in flammable oils and lit as human torches to illuminate a decadent late-night feast.
But, try as he might, Nero couldn’t outrun the fire and its aftermath by indulging in clever cruelties. Huge swathes of the city had been razed by the fire. Thousands of citizens lacked clothing. They were hungry, displaced and homeless.
For answers, the fire’s countless victims looked to Nero, their earthly Apollo, for help. But they did not encounter a sympathetic leader sweeping in to address their needs. Instead, they found a man desperate to place blame on others – in this case, foreigners from the east.
In order to squelch rumors that Nero had lit the fire, Tigellinus’ army unit rounded up Christians, falsely blamed them for starting the fire and executed them.
But this move just showcased Nero’s failure to focus on the dire needs of the poor, the very people who worshipped him. Instead, he sought to rise above the ashes by doubling down on his divine pretensions.
Once the rubble left by the fire was cleared away, Nero built a magnificent new home for himself. This palace, called the domus aurea in Latin, meaning house of gold, covered more than 120 acres in the heart of Rome. It featured spectacular water fountains, elaborate works of art and, standing tall in the entryway, a 120-foot bronze statue of Nero as the sun god, Apollo.
No truth-teller was there to tell Nero that maybe he shouldn’t rub his people’s noses in their suffering.
Nero’s delusional response to the fire did not put an end to his career, but it did much to hasten its end.
Less than four years later, with armies bearing down on the city, Nero committed suicide. Rome tumbled into civil war.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Self-worship in the Trump era
Trump has long expressed a desire to have his face carved on Mount Rushmore, a national memorial in South Dakota that features the likenesses of legendary American presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.
This dream became a bit closer to reality when Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles in July 2025 urged the Department of the Interior to explore adding Trump’s image to Mount Rushmore – even though such an addition might not be possible because of geological issues.
Trump’s critics have long noted the president’s propensity to focus on himself and his own greatness and power, rather than the needs of citizens.
As far away as the Roman Empire might seem, Nero’s rise and fall offers a lesson in what can happen when honest criticism of a political leader is sidelined in favor of idolatry.
Instead of honest solutions to real problems, what Romans got was a colossal statue that portrayed their leader as a god on Earth.
Kirk Freudenburg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Politics + Society – The Conversation
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Justin Timberlake has shared some worrisome news with fans.
The singer announced today that he’s been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
Timberlake shared the development with fans in an emotional Instagram post.
Justin Timberlake opens up about recent health issues
Justin’s message comes at the conclusion of a grueling world tour.
“As many of you know, I’m a pretty private person. But as I’m reflecting on the tour and festival tour — I want to tell you a little bit about what’s going on with me,” he began.
“Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease — which I don’t say so you feel bad for me — but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes,” Timberlake continued, adding:
“If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically. When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure.
“But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”
Justin says he nearly canceled tour but decided to persevere
“I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out. I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going,” the pop icon wrote.
Timberlake explained that by pushing through the pain and continuing the tour, he was able to prove his “mental tenacity” to himself.
He added that as a result of those challenges, he now has “so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget. I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself. But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.”
“Sharing all of this with the hope that we can all find a way to be more connected. I’d like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease too,” Timberlake concluded.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the list of celebrities who have battled Lyme disease is a long one that includes Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, and Justin Bieber.
The severity of Timberlake’s condition is unclear at present.
Many celebrities have described situations similar to Justin’s, in which they struggled to find an accurate diagnosis after experiencing an onslaught of sudden symptoms.
Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose as symptoms can vary wildly from one patient to the next.
Our thoughts go out to Justin and his loved ones as they battle this debilitating illness together.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Justin Timberlake Reveals Lyme Disease Diagnosis was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Reading Time: 3 minutes
James Van Der Beek is battling stage 3 cancer.
He has been open about his health battle, encouraging others to undergo screenings before it’s too late.
But there is more to his cancer journey than medical treatments — because he is not going through this alone.
Van Der Beek is sharing how he and his wife discuss his cancer with their children, who have a wide age range. Keeping secrets, he says, would only make the situation more painful for them.
James Van Der Beek and his wife spoke to all of their children about his cancer
On the Wednesday, July 30 episode of Today, James Van Der Beek explained to hosts and to NBC viewers how he and his wife, Kimberly, had discussed his illness with their six children.
In August 2023, the actor received his diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
He went public with the news in November 2023. The cancer is in stage three.
“I’m far from an expert,” 48-year-old Van Der Beek admitted when it comes to talking to kids about cancer.
“But,” Van Der Beek explained, “our approach was just to be as honest as possible.”
He reasoned: “as honest to the degree of their understanding, right? Because they know.”
His eldest child, Olivia, is 14. Joshua is 13, Annabel is 11, Emilia is 9, and Gwendolyn is 6.
Their youngest, Jeremiah, is only 2. Likely, Jeremiah is the only one of them too young to grasp anything more than “sick.“
Children notice things
At the risk of understating things, James Van Der Beek noted that even his youngest children can “sense that Dad’s having a tough day.”
He continued: “They know if Dad’s in pain. They know, and so by not telling them, I think you’re confusing them even more.”
Perhaps his biggest advice is that parents should allow their children to provide emotional support.
“When you tell them what you’re doing and you tell them the approach, they can see it and they can feel it,” Van Der Beek explained.
“And I think it’s also, your journey is their journey,” he added. “I have kids making me tea. ‘Dad, what do you need?’”
Van Der Beek gushed:
“There’s been a lot of beauty that’s come out of it, but I would love to save everybody [from] this journey, which is why I’m saying get screened.”
Cancer screening saves lives
Since his diagnosis, James Van Der Beek has been an advocate for screening. The biggest key to beating cancer is to catch it early and begin treatments immediately.
He is perhaps best known for playing the titular Dawson in Dawson’s Creek, but his career has taken him all over the place.
From films like Varsity Blues and The Rules of Attraction to portraying himself on Don’t Trust The B, he is a one-man acting institution.
We are all rooting for Van Der Beek. And, clearly, his children are supporting him along the way.
James Van Der Beek on Talking to Kids About Stage 3 Cancer Battle: ‘Your Journey Is … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Lifetime has released the first footage from Chrisleys: Back to Reality, and we feel like we ought to warn you:
Watching even just a few seconds of the reality show may cause you to be sick to your stomach.
The project was announced back in May, with the official network synopsis reading as follows:
The Chrisleys don’t know best anymore, but they’re doing their best to be there for each other. “The family faces the challenge of carrying on the Chrisley name and legacy on their own with only phone calls and brief visits with their incarcerated parents.
Mere days after it was announced the Chrisleys were returning to television… Donald Trump pardoned patriarch Todd and matriarch Julie.
What a coincidence, huh?!?
At the outset of this two-part docuseries, however, daughter Savannah acts as if she has no idea this decision is about to be made by the corrupt Commander-in-Chief.
“With my parents gone, our household is completely divided,” Savannah says in the five-minute-long trailer, released on Thursday, July 31. “I told my parents, I don’t know if it can ever be repaired, honestly.”
Savannah, along with Chase Chrisley, Grayson Chrisley, Todd’s mom, Faye Chrisley, and Julie’s parents, Harvey and Pam Hughes are all set to appear on this program.
“I don’t think people really understood how big Chrisley Knows Best was,” Chase says in the preview. “My dad’s this insane human. I think it definitely made good TV.”
Todd has certainly been saying some insane stuff since being released from prison in the wake of his previous conviction on various types of financial fraud.
As a refresher:
Todd and Julie were convicted of tax evasion and bank and wire fraud in 2022. They were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison… with the former behind bars at FPC Pensacola in Florida, and the latter ordered to complete her sentence at FMC Lexington in Kentucky.
But then voila… the spouses were pardoned by President Donald Trump in May and subsequently released.
Both have continued to maintain their innocence, despite the pair being literally and legally found guilty.
“We will get through this,” Todd says in the trailer. “I don’t know how it’s going to end, but at some point, the truth is going to come out.”
Along similar lines, Chase turns ominous in a confessional when he says into the camera:
“I want people to know the truth, what actually went down with my family. There’s a score to be settled. My dad is not one to play with.”
He’s one to lie and cheat and threaten and still millions and still portray himself as a victim, however.
In this same promo, which you can find on YouTube, viewers also get a glimpse at Todd and Julie seeing each other for the first time in 28 months, plus the moment they sat down for their joint confessionals… and where Todd takes shots at Julie’s brunette hair.
“I have nothing to hide,” Todd says. “I look at this as me exposing the truth, and depending on how long this interview goes, you might see more than what you bargained for.”
The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’s two-night premiere will air via Lifetime on Monday, September 1; and Tuesday, September 2 with two-hour episodes at 8/7c.
Chrisley Docuseries Trailer Released, Likely to Make Viewers Vomit was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Martha Stewart has some vaguely unkind words for Meghan Markle.
It’s clear that there can only be one ultimate lifestyle guru.
Martha is an American icon. And while she has praise for some, she has none to spare for the Duchess. Or for her As Ever brand.
You know how sometimes, people say “shade” when they mean “direct insult?” Well, Martha is a true master of shade.
What did Martha Stewart say about Meghan Markle?
In the final days of July, Martha Stewart spoke to Yahoo Lifestyle about other aspiring lifestyle influencers like Meghan Markle who try to walk in her shoes.
“Meghan I don’t really know very well,” the living legend and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model commented.
“And,” she added vaguely, “I hope she knows what she’s talking about.” Oh, shade!
“Authenticity, to me, is everything,” Martha opined.
“And,” she emphasized, “to be authentic and knowledgeable about your subject matter is extremely important.”
In other words, a lifestyle influencer who isn’t authentic is doing their brand any good.
She praised Gwyneth Paltrow, of all people
Where Gwyneth Paltrow is the not-unfair source of ridicule for many due to her Goop brand, Martha Stewart seems to hold her in higher esteem than she does Meghan Markle.
“Gwyneth has been very successful; she created quite an interesting body of businesses,” Martha commented generously.
She also went so far to claim that the fresh-lemon-in-my-alkaline-water influencer is “admired.”
Though Martha did not specify who allegedly admires the actress, she did explain why.
“She won an Oscar, for heaven’s sake, as an actress!” Martha noted. “She’s pretty powerful.”
When it comes to the idea of successors, she noted that she doesn’t “mind” the idea — and wishes them all “good luck.”
Is ‘As Ever’ a flop?
Despite the “best” wishes of some folks across the pond — particularly those who can sell more papers if the Duchess of Sussex fails at everything that she touches — As Ever seems to be a hit.
The first release of As Ever wine sold out almost instantly, spurring more work in this lucrative area as the brand expands.
Martha Stewart may not have anything nice to say about Meghan Markle, but she doesn’t seem to have any direct criticisms, either.
Martha Stewart Has Nothing Nice to Say About Meghan Markle, But Praises Gwyneth Paltrow was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Blake Lively is in New York today for a deposition as part of her ongoing legal battle against Justin Baldoni.
According to TMZ, the actress was met with an unexpected — and probably unwelcome — surprise as Baldoni himself reportedly made an appearance in her lawyer’s office.
Baldoni’s presence likely created quite a stir, as Lively and her legal team went to great lengths to ensure the best possible environment for today’s deposition.
And a surprise cameo from the man whom Blake is suing for sexual harassment certainly was not part of the plan.
Blake Lively’s deposition becomes scene of unexpected tension
Lively’s team scored a major win earlier this month when the judge in her case agreed to allow the deposition to take place at her lawyer’s office.
Attorneys for Baldoni were furious, claiming that the locale gave Team Lively an unfair advantage.
“Although Lively’s foot-stomping and use of her celebrity status may have enabled her to seize control of the film, which is the crux of this dispute, her counsel’s tantrum has no place in this Court,” they said at the time, according to Page Six.
Lively’s legal team dismissed the objections, insisting that the location request was an effort to ensure their client’s comfort and had nothing to do with gaining a legal advantage.
Blake will testify in open court, her lawyers insist
Lawyers for Blake have long maintained that their client will happily testify in open court and has every intention of doing so.
“The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial,” attorney Mike Gottlieb told People in May.
“We expect that to be the case here [with Lively]. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course she’s going to testify.”
This led to a shocking remark by Baldoni attorney Bryan Freedman, which may have influenced the judge’s decision to allow Blake to be disposed in her lawyer’s office.
“Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying, let’s make it count. Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organizations helping victims of domestic abuse,” Freedman said.
“Lively will make arrangements for opposing counsel to have a dedicated computer and the ability to print and copy documents in the space chosen by Lively,” the judge said in response to concerns from Baldoni’s team.
Perhaps Justin’s appearance at today’s deposition was part of his effort to ensure that the proceedings complied with all regulations.
Or perhaps he intended to unsettle Blake and throw her off her game.
Either way, it’s the latest reminder of just how heated this battle has become.
Justin Baldoni Makes Surprise Appearance at Blake Lively Deposition was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip