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Tag: London

  • Woman appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in a historic first for the Church of England

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    Sarah Mullally was on Friday appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide and the first woman to hold the role in its 1,400-year history.Mullally, 63, was made Bishop of London in 2018 – the Church of England’s third most senior bishop after the archbishops of Canterbury and York. Before her ordination, Mullally worked as a nurse at hospitals in London, going on to serve as Chief Nursing Officer for England.“As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” Mullally said.“At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.”The Archbishop-Designate for years led the Church of England’s process exploring questions of marriage and sexuality and was supportive of the move to allow ministers to offer blessings to same-sex couples in churches. She is renowned as a strong administrator who has worked to modernize the running of her London diocese while playing a leading role in the church’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Mullally’s elevation to archbishop was only possible due to reforms under Justin Welby, the former leader, who allowed women to be consecrated as bishops a decade ago.The role of Archbishop of Canterbury has been vacant for almost a year after Welby resigned in November 2024 over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth, who was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met at Christian camps, in the 1970s and 1980s.A damning independent report found that by 2013 the Church of England “knew, at the highest level,” about Smyth’s abuse, including Welby, who became archbishop that year.Welby’s resignation, according to church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, was “historic and without exact precedent in the 1,427-year history of Archbishops of Canterbury” given no previous archbishop had stepped down to accusations of negligence over sexual abuse.The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most public face of an institution that has struggled to stay relevant in a more secular nation. The archbishop is often called on to speak at significant national moments, presiding over major royal events, including the recent coronation of King Charles.Candidates for the Archbishop of Canterbury are chosen by the Crown Nominations Commission, a body chaired by Jonathan Evans, the former head of MI5, Britain’s domestic security service. The commission, comprising 17 voting members, decide on a preferred candidate, to whom Prime Minister Keir Starmer then gives his assent.It is, however, King Charles, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, who formally appoints the archbishop. The British monarch’s role dates to when King Henry VIII broke away from the authority of the pope and declared himself head of the new church.In July, Evans had said he wanted to avoid a list of candidates “all of whom are white, Oxbridge, male and come from the southeast of England.” He said there was “a desire for somebody who can give genuine spiritual leadership and direction to the church,” and who can “speak authoritatively and graciously with a Christian voice into the affairs of the nation.”Announcing Mullally’s appointment, Evans thanked the members of the public who shared their views on the direction of the church in a public consultation earlier this year. “I shall be praying for Bishop Sarah as she prepares to take up this new ministry in the coming months,” he said.Mullally will now preside over a church fighting to reclaim relevance and trust. She will lead efforts to address declining numbers of church goers, including reaching younger people, and address financial challenges.Mullally will be installed officially in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026, becoming the 106th archbishop since Saint Augustine arrived in Kent from Rome in 597.

    LONDON —

    Sarah Mullally was on Friday appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide and the first woman to hold the role in its 1,400-year history.

    Mullally, 63, was made Bishop of London in 2018 – the Church of England’s third most senior bishop after the archbishops of Canterbury and York. Before her ordination, Mullally worked as a nurse at hospitals in London, going on to serve as Chief Nursing Officer for England.

    “As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” Mullally said.

    “At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.”

    The Archbishop-Designate for years led the Church of England’s process exploring questions of marriage and sexuality and was supportive of the move to allow ministers to offer blessings to same-sex couples in churches. She is renowned as a strong administrator who has worked to modernize the running of her London diocese while playing a leading role in the church’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Mullally’s elevation to archbishop was only possible due to reforms under Justin Welby, the former leader, who allowed women to be consecrated as bishops a decade ago.

    The role of Archbishop of Canterbury has been vacant for almost a year after Welby resigned in November 2024 over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth, who was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met at Christian camps, in the 1970s and 1980s.

    A damning independent report found that by 2013 the Church of England “knew, at the highest level,” about Smyth’s abuse, including Welby, who became archbishop that year.

    Welby’s resignation, according to church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, was “historic and without exact precedent in the 1,427-year history of Archbishops of Canterbury” given no previous archbishop had stepped down to accusations of negligence over sexual abuse.

    The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most public face of an institution that has struggled to stay relevant in a more secular nation. The archbishop is often called on to speak at significant national moments, presiding over major royal events, including the recent coronation of King Charles.

    Candidates for the Archbishop of Canterbury are chosen by the Crown Nominations Commission, a body chaired by Jonathan Evans, the former head of MI5, Britain’s domestic security service. The commission, comprising 17 voting members, decide on a preferred candidate, to whom Prime Minister Keir Starmer then gives his assent.

    It is, however, King Charles, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, who formally appoints the archbishop. The British monarch’s role dates to when King Henry VIII broke away from the authority of the pope and declared himself head of the new church.

    In July, Evans had said he wanted to avoid a list of candidates “all of whom are white, Oxbridge, male and come from the southeast of England.” He said there was “a desire for somebody who can give genuine spiritual leadership and direction to the church,” and who can “speak authoritatively and graciously with a Christian voice into the affairs of the nation.”

    Announcing Mullally’s appointment, Evans thanked the members of the public who shared their views on the direction of the church in a public consultation earlier this year. “I shall be praying for Bishop Sarah as she prepares to take up this new ministry in the coming months,” he said.

    Mullally will now preside over a church fighting to reclaim relevance and trust. She will lead efforts to address declining numbers of church goers, including reaching younger people, and address financial challenges.

    Mullally will be installed officially in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026, becoming the 106th archbishop since Saint Augustine arrived in Kent from Rome in 597.

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  • Iconic music studio used by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to reopen in London

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    An iconic music studio in London, where artists including The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath once recorded is set to reopen its doors to artists.

    Regent Sound studio, which The Who’s Pete Townshend once described as a “massive part of rock history,” had been silent for decades. Now, it’s being revived as both a landmark site filled with rock, jazz, and blues memorabilia, and a newly refurbished guitar store.

    Ozzy Osbourne at the Regent Sound studios during the recording of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, 1970.

    Chris Walter/Getty Images


    Located on Denmark Street, a historic hub of London’s music scene, Regent Sounds opened its first exhibit last week, featuring the guitar of blues legend T-Bone Walker. 

    The reopening also marked the launch of a new book, “Electric Blues! T-Bone Walker and the Guitar That Started It All.” 

    Regent Sounds co-owner Crispin Weir told CBS News at the launch event that it was a pleasure to work in a place with so much history, including so many landmark recordings. 

    “The music is kind of ingrained in the walls,” Weir said. “It sounds a bit corny, but you can feel the vibe in here.”  

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    Regent Sounds guitar store, Sept. 25, 2025. The newly refurbished guitar store has re-opened and the music studio in the same location is expected to reopen next year. 

    CBS News


    Some of the original walls, floor tiles and recording equipment have been preserved from the studio where the Beatles recorded the hit “Fixing a Hole,” from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. It was the first use of a British recording studio other than Abbey Road for a Beatles album at the time. 

    The Rolling Stones also recorded their debut album at Regent Sound in January 1964, where the collective of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts together recorded tracks including “Route 66” and “I Just Want To Make Love To You.”

    While the guitar store has now re-opened, the full restoration of the music studio is expected to be completed within a year, The Guardian reported last month. 

    Emmet Lyons

    Emmet Lyons is a news desk editor at the CBS News London bureau, coordinating and producing stories for all CBS News platforms. Prior to joining CBS News, Emmet worked as a producer at CNN for four years.

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  • Browns Dillon Gabriel Starter for London Game, Watch at 9:30 AM ET

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    Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty

    The Browns officially named rookie Dillon Gabriel the starter for Sunday’s game in London, sending Joe Flacco to the bench. This will mark Gabriel’s first NFL start. For Cleveland viewers, the kickoff comes early. The 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time start is a rare live NFL window for the local market.

    Cleveland fans will tune in to see if Gabriel can spark a turnaround. The Browns struggled offensively with Flacco, and the coaching staff hopes this change injects energy into the unit. Gabriel brings youth, athleticism, and a fresh look compared to recent performances.

    Meanwhile the other rookie QB for Cleveland, Shedeur Sanders, remains QB3.

    Gabriel’s challenge is a steep one: the Minnesota Vikings defense brings complex schemes and lots of pressure. Gabriel must command the offense while adjusting to the unique international conditions.

    But this early start time gives the city a front-row seat to what may be a new era under center.

    How do you feel about the Browns playing overseas? Will you be setting your alarm for Sunday morning?

    Complete List of Every Browns Quarterback Since 1999

    Browns Bench Flacco, Name Dillon Gabriel Starter, Sanders Still QB3

    Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL Schedule

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  • Vikings QB McCarthy in

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    WCCO takes on Dublin for Vikings game



    WCCO takes on Dublin for Vikings game

    02:13

    Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will begin to get “a little bit more active” but won’t be rushed back from a sprained right ankle, head coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday.

    Carson Wentz is set to start his third straight game when Minnesota faces the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

    McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season after undergoing knee surgery, is “working his way back,” O’Connell said after practice near the team’s hotel north of London.

    “He is kind of entering the next phase of his rehab where he can get a little bit more active. Looking forward to getting him back on the field practicing with the team as soon as we can,” O’Connell said.

    “But at the same time we want to be really smart and make sure we let that high ankle fully heal,” he added. “Then he can really start attacking it and working his technique and fundamentals and get re-acclimated, which I think he’ll do pretty quickly.”

    The Vikings have their bye week next week before they host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7.

    Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) missed Sunday’s game — a 24-21 loss in Dublin to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and is not expected to practice this week. On Tuesday, O’Connell said the linebacker is “rehabbing, and he’s feeling like he’s progressing.”

    Michael Jurgens did not practice Wednesday because of a hamstring problem. He had filled in for center Ryan Kelly, who left Sunday’s game with a concussion.

    Vikings captain Brian O’Neill has a sprained MCL — hurt early in Sunday’s game. On Tuesday, O’Connell described the right tackle as “week-to-week” with a eye toward a return in Week 7.

    On Wednesday, the Vikings opened the 21-day practice window for linebacker Tyler Batty (knee) and fullback C.J. Ham (knee) — and both were full participants at practice.

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    CBS Minnesota

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  • Nintendo is opening a pop-up store in London this fall

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    Nintendo an official pop-up store in London this fall, its first-ever in the UK. The store will be open from October 22 to November 16 on the ground floor of the Westfield London shopping mall in Shepherd’s Bush.

    The Japanese gaming giant operates official stores in Tokyo and Kyoto, as well as permanent locations in New York and (20 years later) . The pop-up store in London will feature an extensive collection of Nintendo merchandise across the brand’s most iconic titles including Super Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing and more. Fans can pick up all sorts of apparel and collectible accessories like keyrings, pins and bags.

    Entry to the pop-up during its first week will be by reservation only, with tickets going live on October 7. Guests will be able to reserve a date and time slot to enter between October 22 and 26. From October 27, store entry will operate via a first-come, first-served system, though don’t be surprised to see a line out the door.

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    Andre Revilla

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  • 4 injured after chemical release, explosion at Borden Dairy Co. in Laurel County

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    Four people are hospitalized following a chemical release and explosion at the Borden Dairy Company in London, Kentucky, according to a news release.

    The London Fire Department responded to the report at 221 West Highway 80 around 7 a.m. Sept. 24, Chief Brandon Wagers said. Upon arrival, emergency responders “quickly established control of the scene” and initiated decontamination operations, according to the release.

    According to the release, the chemical involved in the incident was identified as hyperflex, or acid sanitizer, which contains phosphoric acid and nitric acid.

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    “While this product is corrosive and can cause significant health effects with direct contact, we are relieved to report that no life-threatening injuries have been reported at this time,” officials said.

    The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

    This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 4 injured in chemical release, explosion at London, KY Borden Dairy plant

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  • Cyberattack disrupts systems, causes delays at major European airports

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    A cyberattack targeting check-in and boarding systems has disrupted air traffic and caused delays at several of Europe’s major airports, officials said Saturday, though the initial impact appeared to be limited.

    The disruptions to electronic systems initially reported at Brussels, Berlin’s Brandenburg and London’s Heathrow airports meant that only manual check-in and boarding was possible. Many other European airports said their operations were unaffected.

    “There was a cyberattack on Friday night 19 September against the service provider for the check-in and boarding systems affecting several European airports including Brussels Airport,” said Brussels Airport in a statement, initially reporting a “large impact” on flight schedules.

    Airports said the issue centered around a provider of check-in and boarding systems — not airlines or the airports themselves.

    People at Brandenburg Airport airport as a cyber attack has caused delays, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. 

    Carsten Koall / AP


    Collins Aerospace, whose systems help passengers check themselves in, print boarding passes and bag tags and dispatch their luggage from a kiosk, cited a “cyber-related disruption” to its MUSE (Multi-User System Environment) software at “select airports.”

    As the day wore on, the fallout appeared to be contained.

    Brussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli told broadcaster VTM that by mid-morning, nine flights had been canceled, four were redirected to another airport and 15 faced delays of an hour or more. She said it wasn’t immediately clear how long the disruptions might last.

    Axel Schmidt, head of communications at the Brandenburg airport, said that by late morning, “we don’t have any flights canceled due to this specific reason, but that could change.” The Berlin airport said operators had cut off connections to affected systems.

    Europe Airport Cyber Attack

    People at Brandenburg Airport airport as a cyber attack has caused delays, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.

    Carsten Koall / AP


    Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, said the disruption has been “minimal” with no flight cancellations directly linked to the problems afflicting Collins. A spokesperson would not provide details as to how many flights have been delayed as a result of the cyberattack.

    The airports advised travelers to check their flight status and apologized for any inconvenience.

    Collins, an aviation and defense technology company that is a subsidiary of RTX Corp., formerly Raytheon Technologies, said it was “actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.”

    “The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” it said in a statement.

    It wasn’t the only cyber incident targeting airports. One of Russia’s busiest airports said on Friday that its website had been hacked and was offline. Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg said that access to its website was restricted, but that operations at the nation’s second-largest air hub were unaffected and specialists were working to restore service. 

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  • Live updates: Trump’s U.K. visit turns from royalty to politics, as Brits focus on trade, Gaza and Ukraine

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    What to know about Chequers, the U.K. prime minister’s country house

    Chequers is the U.K. prime minister’s country house. Located about 40 miles northwest of London, it is a formidable estate, though no match for the environs of Windsor Castle where Mr. Trump spent Wednesday.

    The home was constructed in the mid-1500s, about 200 years before the United States came into being, and it has served as the official country residence of Britain’s prime ministers since 1921.

    Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (2nd left) and Lady Victoria Starmer greet President Trump at Chequers, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, on day two of the president’s second state visit to the U.K., Sept. 18, 2025.

    Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS


    Highly secured and well out of public view, Chequers has been the venue for a number of important meetings and negotiations. Famous visitors over the years have included many European leaders, U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    In 1941, then-U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was at Chequers when he learned that the Japanese navy had attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II.


    By Haley Ott

     

    Trump arrives at Chequers for meeting with U.K. leader Keir Starmer

    President Trump’s Marine One helicopter touched down on the grounds of the U.K. prime minister’s official country residence Thursday. 

    Mr. Trump was greeted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria, and they walked into the house for a day of closed-door talks and a separate meeting with business leaders.


    By Tucker Reals

     

    What are Trump and the U.K.’s Starmer expected to discuss?

    Mr. Trump and Starmer are expected to discuss a range of issues Thursday, including trade. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said Starmer’s government is hoping to negotiate “a little bit better deal” to ease trade restrictions including U.S. tariffs.

    The leaders are expected to formally announce a U.S.-U.K. “Technology Prosperity Deal,” boosting ties in AI, quantum computing, and nuclear energy, with companies including Google, Microsoft and Nvidia on board to formalize some $42 billion of investments in the U.K. 

    The wars in Gaza and Ukraine are also likely to come up, as Starmer has joined several other countries in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state if Israel fails to meet certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire with Hamas and letting in more humanitarian aid.

    President Trump meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

    President Trump shakes hands with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Trump Turnberry golf club, July 28, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland.

    Chris Furlong/Getty


    On the war in Ukraine, Starmer and other European leaders have pushed Mr. Trump to take a harder line on Vladimir Putin, who’s blown past a series of deadlines issued by the president for Putin to meet directly with Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a ceasefire. 

    Mr. Trump has recently said “it takes two to tango,” suggesting he could still impose new sanctions against Russia, but he said America’s NATO allies first had to halt all purchases of Russian energy.

    By Tucker Reals and Sara Cook 


    By Tucker Reals

     

    What’s in store for Day 2 of President Trump’s second state visit to the U.K.

    President Trump bid farewell to King Charles and Windsor Castle on Thursday and boarded his Marine One helicopter for the short flight to Chequers, the official country residence of the British prime minister, Keir Starmer. 

    He’s to hold a bilateral meeting, behind closed doors, with Starmer, and will also join a reception with business leaders, before the two leaders hold a joint news conference. 

    On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump will leave Chequers and fly back to the U.S.


    By Tucker Reals

     

    What Trump did on Day 1 of his historic second U.K. state visit

    President Trump and first lady Melania were feted by King Charles III on the first full day of their state visit, the British royals putting on the kind of display they have long been known for — giving their U.S. visitor full military honors and a glittering state banquet at Windsor Castle.

    There were protests in London, and even at Windsor the night before the Trumps arrived, deriding the U.S. leader’s policies and highlighting his past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But police estimated a crowd of only about 5,000, and as the protesters were in central London, about 20 miles from Windsor, they were well out of Mr. Trump’s earshot as he enjoyed the royal treatment.

    BRITAIN-US-ROYALS-DIPLOMACY

    (L-R) Queen Camilla, King Charles III, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to attend a state banquet at Windsor Castle, Sept. 17, 2025.

    DOUG MILLS/POOL/AFP/Getty


    The day included a military honor featuring more than 1,000 British troops marching in formation, a military flypast — albeit toned down due to rain, a visit to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb, and then a formal state banquet where Mr. Trump sat at the center of a dining table more than 150 feet long.


    By Tucker Reals

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  • Live updates: Trump begins U.K. state visit, as Epstein scandal casts long shadow over full royal treatment

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    Trump and royals ride state carriages to Windsor Castle

    President Trump and the first lady Melania joined King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales in a carriage procession to Windsor Castle.

    The carriages will take the group through the Windsor estate. The first carriage will carry Mr. Trump and King Charles. The second will carry the first lady and Queen Camilla.

    Britain’s King Charles III and President Trump sit in a royal state carriage during a procession through Windsor Castle grounds, in Windsor, England, Sept. 17, 2025.

    Toby Melville/REUTERS


    In the third carriage, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

    A fourth carriage will transport other officials on Mr. Trump and the first lady’s teams.

    As the procession began, the national anthems of both the U.S. and the U.K. were played by British military bands.

    The route is lined by British military forces.


    By Haley Ott

     

    Trump greeted by Prince William and Kate as he and first lady arrive in Windsor

    President Trump and first lady Melania arrived Wednesday at the British royal family’s sprawling Windsor estate, west of London, where they were greeted upon disembarking from the presidential Marine One helicopter by Prince William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

    BRITAIN-US-ROYALS-DIPLOMACY

    President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are greeted by Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales, upon their arrival at the grounds of Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Sept. 17, 2025, for the start of a second official state visit.

    AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP/Getty



    By Tucker Reals

     

    Marco Rubio arrives in Windsor ahead of the Trumps

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived at Windsor Castle by car on Wednesday, not long before President and first lady Trump were due to touch down on the grounds of the royal estate by helicopter. 

    Rubio shook hands with staff before joining other officials to wait for Mr. Trump’s royal welcome. The British news agency PA said security in the area was at peak levels, with two sniper positions visible on a distant roof.

    London’s Metropolitan Police said 1,600 officers would be deployed in central London on Wednesday, including 500 officers assisting from other forces, according to The Associated Press. At least 50 protest groups were expected to demonstrate against Mr. Trump’s visit.


    By Haley Ott

     

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticizes Trump on the eve of his state visit

    Ahead of President Trump’s state visit to the U.K., London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged Britons to reject “the reactionary populists and nativists who are exploiting economic concerns, the atomisation of modern life and a growing distrust of political and media institutions — something we have seen in countries across Europe and, of course, in the U.S.”

    In an opinion piece for The Guardian newspaper, Khan, who’s long been a vocal critic of Mr. Trump, said the U.S. president “and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years.”

    Khan said that six years after Mr. Trump’s first state visit, the Trump administration’s “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting U.S. citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities… aren’t just inconsistent with Western values – they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook.”

    Khan said that while he understood the U.K. government needed to be “pragmatic” and maintain ties with the U.S., “it’s also important to ensure our special relationship includes being open and honest with each other. At times, this means being a critical friend and speaking truth to power — and being clear that we reject the politics of fear and division. Showing President Trump why he must back Ukraine, not Putin. Making the case for taking the climate emergency seriously. Urging the president to stop the tariff wars that are tearing global trade apart. And putting pressure on him to do much more to end Israel’s horrific onslaught on Gaza, as only he has the power to bring Israel’s brazen and repeated violations of international law to an end.”


    By Haley Ott

     

    What’s in store for President Trump’s second state visit to the U.K.

    President Trump and the first lady will be flown Wednesday by helicopter roughly 20 miles from central London, where they spent the first night of their visit at the U.S. ambassador’s official residence, Winfield House, to Windsor Castle, in time for lunch. After being greeted by the future king, Prince William, and his wife Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, they will join King Charles III and Queen Camilla for lunch.

    Later in the day Mr. Trump will lay a wreath at the crypt of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died in Sept. 2022, before attending a musical performance and honorary military flyover at Windsor.

    The night will be capped by a formal state banquet, hosted by the monarch.


    By Tucker Reals

     

    Protesters greet Trump in the U.K. with massive images of Epstein

    The protest group Led By Donkeys projected an enormous video onto the walls of Windsor Castle Tuesday night, hours before President Trump was due to arrive at the royal residence, depicting what it called “the story of Trump and Epstein.” A video shared by the group on social media included the narration, carried over loudspeakers in Windsor, detailing Mr. Trump’s previous ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender.

    The Thames Valley Police confirmed in a statement that four people were arrested in connection with the demonstration.

    Led By Donkeys Projection Onto Windsor Castle For President Trump State Visit Windsor

    An image of Jeffrey Epstein and President Trump is projected by political campaign group Led By Donkeys onto Windsor Castle, ahead of Mr. Trump’s second state visit to the U.K., Sept. 16, 2025, in Windsor, England.

    Mark Kerrison/In Pictures/Getty


    “We take any unauthorized activity around Windsor Castle extremely seriously,” the force said in a statement. “Our officers responded swiftly to stop the projection and four people have been arrested. We are conducting a thorough investigation with our partners into the circumstances surrounding this incident and will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so.”


    By Tucker Reals

     

    “I love it,” Trump declares as he lands in the U.K.

    President Trump landed at London’s Stansted Airport on Tuesday evening for his second state visit to the U.K. The President made his way to the official central London residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K., called Winfield House, where he was asked by journalists how it felt to be back.

    “I love it. I love Turnberry, I love Aberdeen, I love a lot of things here… they warm my heart, I want to tell you. They’re very special,” Mr. Trump said.

    Mr. Trump has golf courses near Turnberry and Aberdeen in Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

    BRITAIN-US-ROYALS-TRUMP

    President Trump and first lady Melania Trump disembark from Air Force One after landing at Stansted Airport, near London, England, Sept. 16, 2025, for a two-day state visit to the U.K.

    ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty


    When asked if he had a message for King Charles III, Mr. Trump said: “We’re going to see him tomorrow, and he’s been a friend of mine for a long time. And everybody respects him and they love him.”


    By Haley Ott

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  • London protest organized by far-right activist exceeds 100,000 as small clashes break out

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    A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 100,000 people and became unruly Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters.Several officers were punched, kicked and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, Metropolitan Police said. Reinforcements with helmets and riot shields were deployed to support the 1,000-plus officers on duty.At least nine people were arrested, but police indicated that many other offenders had been identified and would be held accountable.Police estimated that Robinson drew about 110,000 people, while the rival “March Against Fascism” protest organized by Stand Up To Racism had about 5,000 marchers.Anti-migrant themeRobinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defense League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain.The march was billed as a demonstration in support of free speech, with much of the rhetoric by influencers and several far-right politicians from across Europe aimed largely at the perils of migration, a problem much of the continent is struggling to control.“We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonized by our former colonies,” far-right French politician Eric Zemmour said.Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and owner of X, who has waded into British politics several times this year, was beamed in by video and condemned the left-leaning U.K. government.“There’s something beautiful about being British, and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion, but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration,” he said.Robinson told the crowd in a hoarse voice that migrants now had more rights in court than the “British public, the people that built this nation.”The marches come at a time when the U.K. has been divided by debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive on shore without authorization.Numerous anti-migrant protests were held this summer outside hotels housing asylum-seekers following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb. Some of those protests became violent and led to arrests.Sea of flagsParticipants in the “Unite the Kingdom” march carried the St. George’s red-and-white flag of England and the union jack, the state flag of the United Kingdom, and chanted, “We want our country back.”U.K. flags have proliferated this summer across the U.K. — at events and on village lampposts — in what some have said is a show of national pride and others said reflects a tilt toward nationalism.Supporters held signs saying “Stop the boats,” “Send them home” and “Enough is enough, save our children.”At the counterprotest, the crowd held signs saying “Refugees welcome” and “Smash the far right,” and shouted, “Stand up, fight back.”Robinson supporters chanted crude refrains about U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leader of the center-left Labour Party, and also shouted messages of support for slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.Several speakers paid tribute to Kirk, who was remembered in a moment of silence, followed by a bagpiper playing “Amazing Grace.”One demonstrator held a sign saying: “Freedom of speech is dead. RIP Charlie Kirk.”Crowd covered blocks of LondonThe crowd at one point stretched from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo train station, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile (around a kilometer).The marches had been mostly peaceful, but toward the late afternoon, “Unite the Kingdom” supporters threw items at the rival rally and tried to break through barriers set up to separate the groups, police said. Officers had to use force to keep a crowd-control fence from being breached.Counterprotesters heckled a man with blood pouring down his face who was being escorted by police from the group of Robinson supporters. It was not immediately clear what happened to him.While the crowd was large, it fell far short of one of the biggest recent marches when a pro-Palestinian rally drew an estimated 300,000 people in November 2023.Robinson had planned a “Unite the Kingdom” rally last October, but could not attend after being jailed for contempt of court for violating a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating libelous allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him. He previously served jail time for assault and mortgage fraud.

    LONDON —

    A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 100,000 people and became unruly Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters.

    Several officers were punched, kicked and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, Metropolitan Police said. Reinforcements with helmets and riot shields were deployed to support the 1,000-plus officers on duty.

    At least nine people were arrested, but police indicated that many other offenders had been identified and would be held accountable.

    Police estimated that Robinson drew about 110,000 people, while the rival “March Against Fascism” protest organized by Stand Up To Racism had about 5,000 marchers.

    Anti-migrant theme

    Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defense League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain.

    The march was billed as a demonstration in support of free speech, with much of the rhetoric by influencers and several far-right politicians from across Europe aimed largely at the perils of migration, a problem much of the continent is struggling to control.

    “We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonized by our former colonies,” far-right French politician Eric Zemmour said.

    Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and owner of X, who has waded into British politics several times this year, was beamed in by video and condemned the left-leaning U.K. government.

    “There’s something beautiful about being British, and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion, but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration,” he said.

    Robinson told the crowd in a hoarse voice that migrants now had more rights in court than the “British public, the people that built this nation.”

    The marches come at a time when the U.K. has been divided by debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive on shore without authorization.

    Numerous anti-migrant protests were held this summer outside hotels housing asylum-seekers following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb. Some of those protests became violent and led to arrests.

    Sea of flags

    Participants in the “Unite the Kingdom” march carried the St. George’s red-and-white flag of England and the union jack, the state flag of the United Kingdom, and chanted, “We want our country back.”

    U.K. flags have proliferated this summer across the U.K. — at events and on village lampposts — in what some have said is a show of national pride and others said reflects a tilt toward nationalism.

    Supporters held signs saying “Stop the boats,” “Send them home” and “Enough is enough, save our children.”

    Demonstrators take part in the Tommy Robinson-led "Unite the Kingdom" march and rally near Westminster, London, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.

    At the counterprotest, the crowd held signs saying “Refugees welcome” and “Smash the far right,” and shouted, “Stand up, fight back.”

    Robinson supporters chanted crude refrains about U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leader of the center-left Labour Party, and also shouted messages of support for slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

    Several speakers paid tribute to Kirk, who was remembered in a moment of silence, followed by a bagpiper playing “Amazing Grace.”

    One demonstrator held a sign saying: “Freedom of speech is dead. RIP Charlie Kirk.”

    Crowd covered blocks of London

    The crowd at one point stretched from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo train station, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile (around a kilometer).

    The marches had been mostly peaceful, but toward the late afternoon, “Unite the Kingdom” supporters threw items at the rival rally and tried to break through barriers set up to separate the groups, police said. Officers had to use force to keep a crowd-control fence from being breached.

    Counterprotesters heckled a man with blood pouring down his face who was being escorted by police from the group of Robinson supporters. It was not immediately clear what happened to him.

    Tommy Robinson speaks during the "Unite the Kingdom" march and rally near Westminster, London, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.

    While the crowd was large, it fell far short of one of the biggest recent marches when a pro-Palestinian rally drew an estimated 300,000 people in November 2023.

    Robinson had planned a “Unite the Kingdom” rally last October, but could not attend after being jailed for contempt of court for violating a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating libelous allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him. He previously served jail time for assault and mortgage fraud.

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  • Thousands fill London streets for

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    More than 100,000 demonstrators packed London streets Saturday for a march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

    The “Unite the Kingdom” rally got underway as much smaller numbers of counterprotesters, organized by the Stand Up To Racism group, gathered under the banner of the “March Against Fascism.”

    More than 1,000 police officers were on duty to patrol the dueling demonstrations, and there was a buffer zone to keep the two from engaging with each other near the halls of government.

    Police estimated the crowd at the Robinson rally at about 110,000 people. The rival protest had about 5,000 marchers.

    At one point, the larger crowd stretched from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo train station, a distance of three-quarters of a mile (around a kilometer).

    A demonstrator stands on the head of one of the lions of Westminster Bridge during a Tommy Robinson-led Unite the Kingdom march and rally in London, Saturday Sept. 13, 2025.

    Joanna Chan / AP


    While the crowd was large, it fell far short of one of the biggest recent marches when a pro-Palestinian rally drew an estimated 300,000 people in November 2023.

    Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and is known for his nationalist and anti-migrant views, billed the march as a demonstration for free speech, and also said it was in defense of British heritage and culture.

    The marches come at a time when the U.K. has been riven by debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive on shore without authorization.

    Numerous anti-migrant protests were held this summer outside hotels housing asylum-seekers following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb. Some of those protests became violent and led to arrests.

    Participants in the “Unite the Kingdom” march carried the St. George’s red-and-white flag of England and the Union Jack, the state flag of the United Kingdom, and chanted, “We want our country back.” U.K. flags have proliferated this summer across the U.K. — at events and on village lampposts — in what some have said is a show of national pride and others said reflects a tilt toward nationalism.

    Some Robinson supporters held signs saying “stop the boats,” “send them home,” and “enough is enough, save our children.”

    At the counterprotest, the crowd held signs saying “refugees welcome” and “smash the far right,” and shouted “stand up, fight back.”

    Robinson supporters chanted crude refrains about U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and also shouted messages of support for slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

    Kirk was shot and killed on Wednesday at Utah Valley University as he addressed a large crowd at an outdoor debate. Officials described it as a “targeted attack,” and it drew condemnation from both sides of the political aisle as authorities launched a massive search for the suspect. 

    Officials announced they have a person in custody for the fatal shooting and identified him as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who resides in southern Utah. Robinson was arrested on charges of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, according to an inmate booking sheet from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

    One demonstrator held a sign saying: “Freedom of speech is dead. RIP Charlie Kirk.”

    Robinson had planned a “Unite the Kingdom” rally last October, but couldn’t attend after being jailed for contempt of court for violating a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating libelous allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him. He previously served jail time for assault and mortgage fraud.

    Robinson founded the nationalist and anti-Islamist English Defence League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain. He urged followers not to wear masks, drink booze or get violent.

    Britain Protest

    People demonstrate during the Tommy Robinson-led Unite the Kingdom march and rally, in London

    Joanna Chan / AP


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  • Prince Harry meets with his dad King Charles during U.K. visit for the first time in 19 months

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    London — Prince Harry made a rare trip back to the United Kingdom this week, and while most of the visit was filled with public events at charities the Duke of Sussex supports, he also met with his father, King Charles III, for the first time since February 2024.

    Harry has said previously that he wants to rebuild his relationship with his family, which has been strained since he and his wife Meghan formally stepped down from their roles as working royals and moved to California.

    This meeting was at Buckingham Palace, the monarch’s official residence in London. CBS News has been told they met privately, for tea, but that all other details of the encounter were private.

    Speaking to reporters at an event later, Prince Harry said only that his father was “doing great” amid his ongoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.

    While Harry hasn’t been a “working royal” for a couple years, he seemed keen to show on this visit to his home nation that he is still prince charming.

    Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives for a visit to the Community Recording Studio in St. Anns, Sept. 9, 2025, in Nottingham, England.

    Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty


    The four-day visit was a clear effort to show he hasn’t lost any love for the causes he holds dear, including supporting sick children and wounded military veterans.

    Absent on this trip were Harry’s wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their children, Archie and Lilibet.

    In an interview with CBS News’ partner network BBC News in May, Harry said he couldn’t envision bringing them all back to the U.K. with him since he has lost a legal bid to have his downgraded state security detail restored.

    Harry said his battle with the U.K. government to get full state-security restored for himself and his family during visits back to Britain caused a rift between himself and his father.

    “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile,” he told the BBC. 

    That reconciliation may have begun on Wednesday. Harry arrived at Buckingham Palace in the afternoon and was seen leaving less than an hour later.

    Prince Harry, Duke Of Sussex Visits King Charles

    Prince Harry is seen in the back of a vehicle as he arrives at Clarence House, the official residence of his father King Charles III, Sept. 10, 2025, in London, England.

    Ben Montgomery/Getty


    The father and son relationship is not the only bond that has been strained by the circumstances of Harry and Meghan’s departure — and the prince’s tell-all book “Spare,” and their interviews, and a documentary, in which they were highly critical of their treatment at the hands of the royal family.

    It has been even longer since Harry met with his brother, Prince William, who is next in line to sit on the British throne. 

    This week, Prince William and Harry appeared at charity events at the same time, only about 10 miles from each other. But those who follow the royal family say they remain far apart.

    “William and Harry haven’t seen each other in person since 2022, since the late queen’s funeral. And I believe they haven’t spoken personally for the same period. So, there’s been no contact,” Roya Nikkhah, the royal editor for the Sunday Times newspaper, told CBS News on Tuesday. “There’s no chance that William and Harry are going to meet up anytime soon… There is no desire on either side to do that. You know, the brothers haven’t seen each other for such a long time and relations are as bad as they’ve ever been — non-existent.”

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  • 23 best rooftop restaurants and outdoor bars in London

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    Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean that London’s best rooftop bars and outdoor spaces shut up shop. On the contrary, catching an autumnal sunset over the city’s skyline while sipping on spicy margs can rival even the sunniest of rosé-drenched summer days.

    So, whether you’re heading to the rooftops for a boozy brunch, a romantic dinner with a view or some too-pretty-to-drink cocktails (but you definitely will), it’s time to rally the troops and get booking. A word of advice: keep this page bookmarked because you just know you’re going to keep coming back and working your way through the list. It would be rude not to.

    Enjoy!

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    Ali Pantony, Chelsea Hughes

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  • 24 best rooftop restaurants and outdoor bars in London

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    Summer is finally around the corner. After what feels like about two years of dreary grey weather, a heatwave is officially coming. Next week, London will see temperatures passing 20 degrees. There’s only one thing for it: head to one of the best rooftop restaurants or outdoor bars London has to offer to soak up the immaculate vibes. Whether you’re heading to the rooftops for a boozy brunch, a romantic dinner with a view or some too-pretty-to-drink cocktails (but you definitely will), it’s time to rally the troops and get booking.

    We’ve dealt with grey skies long enough and we certainly don’t need any more excuses to slap on the sunscreen, throw on that floaty summer dress, and run (not walk) to grab an al fresco table at one of our favourite beer gardens, rooftop bars or outdoor restaurants.

    A word of advice: keep this page bookmarked because you just know you’re going to keep coming back and working your way through the list. It would be rude not to.

    Enjoy!

    In a rush? See the best rooftops at a glance in the below map:

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    Ali Pantony, Chelsea Hughes

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  • United Airlines resolves tech issue that grounded flights, but travel disruptions continue

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    A disruption to a system housing United Airlines’ flight information that delayed more than 1,000 flights and caused hundreds of flights to be canceled has been resolved, but travel disruptions continued into Thursday across the U.S.

    The impacted system, called Unimatic, houses flight information that is fed to other systems including those that calculate weight and balance and track flight times, according to United. It’s not clear what caused the problem, which was resolved late Wednesday. While residual delays were expected, United said its team was working to restore normal operations.

    “Safety is our top priority, and we’ll work with our customers to get them to their destinations,” the Chicago-based airline said in an emailed statement.

    Jenny Billman said she and her husband were supposed to arrive back in Texas from a family vacation at 6:30 p.m. local time Wednesday. They didn’t land in Dallas until around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, 16 hours after their scheduled arrival time.

    She said they learned about the outage after already boarding their plane in Denver. They were on it for four hours before eventually getting off, and she said it became so hot in the plane that a child began to vomit repeatedly.

    By 11 p.m., she said the airline called it and told passengers they had set up cots for them, but Billman said they got little sleep “because the entire time, there are announcements and they don’t turn out the lights.”

    The communication breakdown was frustrating, she said.

    “I think it would have gone a really long way if a desk worker would say, ‘I’m really sorry you guys are going through this.’”

    About 35% of all the airline’s flights on Wednesday were delayed and 7% — 218 flights — were canceled, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

    By Thursday afternoon local Chicago time, 11% of United flights for the day were delayed and 5% were canceled. Around the same time, FlightAware reported 42 cancellations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. All but one were United flights.

    United’s travel alert page noted flights to or from more than a dozen U.S. airports could be affected still on Thursday. That includes airports in Denver, Newark, Washington, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Honolulu and Guam, as well as some in Europe, such as London, Frankfurt and Munich. It was an improvement from earlier in the day, when the alert page said flights through Sunday might be impacted.

    The system outage, as the company described it, lasted several hours Wednesday night, United said. It wasn’t related to recent concerns about airline industry cybersecurity. United also apologized on social media to its customers and said it would pay for expenses such as hotels in some cases.

    An alert on the Federal Aviation Administration website Wednesday said all United flights destined for Chicago were halted at their departing airports. Flights to United hubs at Denver, Newark, Houston and San Francisco airports also were affected.

    The FAA said in a statement Thursday that it was in close contact with United and offering its support to help address their flight backlog.

    ___

    Associated Press journalists Sarah Brumfield and Rio Yamat contributed.

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  • One Tech Tip: Get the most out of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots with better prompts

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    LONDON (AP) — If you’re using ChatGPT but getting mediocre results, don’t blame the chatbot. Instead, try sharpening up your prompts.

    Generative AI chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude have become hugely popular and embedded into daily life for many users. They’re powerful tools that can help us with so many different tasks.

    What you shouldn’t overlook, however, is that a chatbot’s output depends on what you tell it to do, and how. There’s a lot you can do to improve the prompt — also known as the request or query — that you type in.

    Here are some tips for general users on how to get higher quality chatbot replies, based on tips from the AI model makers:

    Be more specific in your prompt

    ChatGPT can’t read your mind. You need to give it clear and explicit instructions on what you need it to do.

    Unlike a standard Google search, you can’t just ask for an answer based on some keywords. And you’ll need to do more than just tell it to, say, “design a logo” because you’ll end up with a generic design. Flesh it out with details on the company that the logo is for, the industry it will be used in and the design style you’re going for.

    “Ensure your prompts are clear, specific, and provide enough context for the model to understand what you are asking,” ChatGPT maker OpenAI advises on its help page. “Avoid ambiguity and be as precise as possible to get accurate and relevant responses.”

    Refine and rewrite your request

    Think of using a chatbot like holding a conversation with a friend. You probably wouldn’t end your chat after the first answer. Ask follow-up questions or refine your original prompt.

    OpenAI’s advice: “Adjust the wording, add more context, or simplify the request as needed to improve the results.”

    You might have to have an extended back-and-forth that elicits better output. Google advises that you’ll need to try a “few different approaches” if you don’t get what you’re looking for the first time.

    “Fine-tune your prompts if the results don’t meet your expectations or if you believe there’s room for improvement,” Google recommends in its prompting guide for Gemini. “Use follow-up prompts and an iterative process of review and refinement to yield better results.”

    Consider the persona and audience

    When making your request, you can also ask an AI large language model to respond in a specific voice or style.

    “Words like formal, informal, friendly, professional, humorous, or serious can help guide the model,” OpenAI writes.

    You also tell the chatbot the type of person the response is aimed at.

    These parameters will help determine the chatbot’s overall approach to its answer, as well as the tone, vocabulary and level of detail.

    For example, you could ask ChatGPT to describe quantum physics in the style of a distinguished professor talking to a class of graduate students. Or you could ask it to explain the same topic in the voice of a teacher talking to a group of schoolchildren.

    However, there’s plenty of debate among AI experts about these methods. On one hand, they can make answers more precise and less generic. But an output that adopts an overly empathetic or authoritative tone raises concerns about the text sounding too manipulative.

    Add more context and examples

    Give the chatbot all the background behind the reason for your request.

    Don’t just ask: “Help me plan a weeklong trip to London.”

    ChatGPT will respond with a generic list of London’s greatest hits: historic sites on one day, museums and famous parks on another, trendy neighborhoods and optional excursions to Windsor Castle. It’s nothing you couldn’t get from a guidebook or travel website, but just a little better organized.

    But if, say, you’re a theatre-loving family, try this: “Help me plan a weeklong trip to London in July, for a family of four. We don’t want too many historic sites, but want to see a lot of West End theatre shows. We don’t drink alcohol so we can skip pubs. Can you recommend mid-range budget hotels where we can stay and cheap places to eat for dinner?”

    This prompt returns a more tailored and detailed answer: a list of four possible hotels within walking distance of the theater district, a seven-day itinerary with cheap or low-cost ideas for things to do during the day, suggested shows each evening, and places for an affordable family dinner.

    Put limits around your request

    You can tell any of the chatbots just how extensive you want the answer to be. Sometimes, less is more.

    Try nudging the model to provide clear and succinct responses by imposing a limit. For example, tell the chatbot to reply with only 300 words, or to come up with five bullet points.

    Want to know all that there is to know about quantum physics? ChatGPT will provide a high-level “grand tour” of the topic that includes terms like wavefunctions and qubits. But ask for a 150-word explanation and you’ll get an easily digestible summary about how it’s the science of the tiniest particles that also underpins a lot of modern technology like lasers and smartphones.

    ___

    Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at [email protected] with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

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  • This L.A. company builds venues for the world’s biggest pop stars, sports teams and sumo wrestlers

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    Sports and music fans, flocking to a once-questionable corner of downtown, were the springboard for an L.A.-born multibillion-dollar empire of venues and events for screaming enthusiasts around the globe.

    AEG, the company behind Crypto.com Arena and the L.A. Live district, has turned its know-how about hosting and promoting big shows into a formula it has rolled out on five continents. It is literally setting the stages for the world’s biggest pop stars, sports teams and even — most recently — sumo wrestlers.

    It is one of the city’s lesser-known global success stories. With more than 20,000 employees and billions of dollars of projects running at any one time, AEG is one of the planet’s biggest venue and event companies. L.A.’s high concentration of sports teams and musical talent forced it to develop a system that uses its spaces for up to five different events in a day.

    “We learned how to be nimble in moving from one to the other to really maximize,” AEG Chief Executive Dan Beckerman told The Los Angeles Times.

    AEG is prospering by executing a fairly simple business plan, said Andrew Zimbalist, professor emeritus of economics at Smith College. Its industry is fairly straightforward — and more use of each seat gives the company more capital to build more venues.

    “You have to pick your niche, have capital, have tenacity,” he said. “And stick with it.”

    Sumo wrestlers bashed bellies this month in AEG’s newest venue on the grounds of a legendary castle. The recently opened IG Arena stands in the outer citadel of Nagoya Castle in Nagoya, Japan, which was built in the early 1600s, when samurai battles raged in the region.

    While the summer sumo tournament required a traditional ring of sand, clay and rice straw bales, the arena will be soon be transformed to host such diverse events as a basketball clinic hosted by the L.A. Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, a professional boxing match and a concert by English musician Sting.

    The new IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan stands in the outer citadel of Nagoya Castle.

    (AEG)

    In Nagoya and increasingly across East and Southeast Asia, AEG is doing what it does better than most — build arenas that can host pro sports and shows by big-name artists, with the venues often built within an ecosystem of bars, restaurants and hotels also built by the company and its partners.

    The company was founded in 1995 when Denver billionaire investor Philip Anschutz bought the Los Angeles Kings and in 1999 opened the downtown arena then known as the Staples Center, which was built by Anschutz and Kings co-owner Ed Roski.

    It was considered a risky project at the time, when the gritty blocks near the Los Angeles Convention Center were deemed undesirable by most real estate developers. AEG added the $3 billion L.A. Live complex in 2007, and other developers also moved into the South Park district, building hotels, restaurants and thousands of residential units.

    The popular venues have now hosted 22 Grammy Awards shows, a Democratic National Convention, two Stanley Cup championships, six NBA championships and All-Star hockey and basketball weekends.

    That high-profile success gave it an edge when competing to build or buy around the world. AEG has expanded to own and operate more than 100 venues serving 100 million guests annually. Among its holdings are the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team and German pro ice hockey team Eisbären Berlin. As the second biggest event promoter in the world, it puts on large festivals including the annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and American Express Presents BST Hyde Park music festival in London.

    It has faced slowdowns and other tough periods as well.

    Its London arena was the site of Michael Jackson’s planned comeback announced in 2009. During a period when he was rehearsing for the physically demanding shows, Jackson died.

    His mother and three children sued AEG Live in 2010. The lawsuit alleged that AEG was negligent in its hiring of the physician who administered the fatal dose of propofol that led to Jackson’s death. A Los Angeles jury unanimously decided that the concert promoter wasn’t liable in the singer’s death.

    “People heard of AEG because of Michael Jackson and the subsequent lawsuit from the family,” said Randy Phillips, former manager of music promotions at AEG. “They would never have even known what it is.”

    The company was laid low during the pandemic, when live events were canceled starting in March 2020. Venues stayed dark until well into 2021, when AEG started putting on sports events with no audiences and later with limited seating. Times changed in 2022 when revenues reached new records as fans stormed back, Beckerman said.

    “We were all very pleasantly surprised,” he said. “I think people learned during the pandemic that there really is no substitute for live events.”

    AEG also lost a longtime arena tenant when the Los Angeles Clippers moved to a new arena in Inglewood after the team’s lease at Crypto.com Arena expired in 2024. Owner Steve Ballmer said he wanted the Clippers to have their own home that they didn’t share with other teams.

    AEG’s touring business lifted off with a 2001 concert with Britney Spears at Staples Center.

    “The Britney Spears tour is what broke the company wide open,” said Phillips, who became head of music promotions for AEG after landing Spears. “That’s when we became players.”

    Big acts followed including Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner and Pink.

    AEG expanded its U.S. concert touring empire by building large multipurpose arenas in Las Vegas and Kansas City. It also is establishing a network of smaller venues such as the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles and the Showbox in Seattle. It recently opened the Pinnacle at Nashville Yards, a concert hall that is part of a mixed-use district including housing and offices that AEG and a local partner are developing in downtown Nashville.

    Its highest-profile property outside of Los Angeles is in London, where the company resurrected a large dome-shaped building built to house an exhibition celebrating the turn of the millennium in 2000. After AEG’s redevelopment of the site, the O2 Arena became one of the world’s busiest venues for entertainment and sports with 10 million visitors a year.

    In Berlin, the company built the Uber Arena, one of the highest-grossing arenas in the world and part of an entertainment district with restaurants and theaters.

    The Nagoya project is part of the company’s pan-Asian strategy to grow its real estate empire and create more venues for artists like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

    The United States and Europe, where AEG has long been active, are largely built-out with modern arenas for sports and entertainment, but many Asian countries are ready to upgrade their old facilities.

    “Japan is at the top of the list” for AEG, said Ted Fikre, head of development at the company.

    The country’s venues are typically decades old and pale in comparison to modern multi-use arenas typically found in the U.S. and Europe.

    The IG Arena in Nagoya, with a capacity of 17,000, is expected to annually host 150 events for 1.4 million attendees at concerts, basketball games and other live entertainment.

    AEG has an even larger development in the works in Osaka. Plans call for an 18,000-seat arena that will anchor an entertainment district with hotels, offices, shops and restaurants along with housing. Valued at more than $1 billion, Fikre compared the Osaka project to its largest mixed-use districts — L.A. Live in Los Angeles and the O2 in London. The project is set to break ground in 2027.

    In partnership with the NBA, the company built Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai in 2010. It is also involved in plans for South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

    “The ambition for us is to establish a strong presence throughout the Asia region, and we’ve got a good head start,” Fikre said.

    Panorama of L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, July 18, 2025.

    A panoramic view of L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, July 18, 2025.

    (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

    AEG opened a 4,500-capacity venue in Bangkok last year with a concert by Ed Sheeran. The company is also working with one of Thailand’s largest mall operators to build an 18,000-seat arena in a sprawling regional mall just east of Bangkok, set to open in 2028.

    AEG’s network of venues throughout Asia makes it easier to book big-name artists.

    “It’s a bit tricky to tour in Asia because of the expense of traveling around the region,” Fikre said. “It’s not like you’re in the U.S., where you just take a bunch of trucks” from city to city.

    Aerial view of Crypto.com Arena and the L.A. Live sports and entertainment district of Los Angeles.

    Aerial view of Crypto.com Arena and the L.A. Live sports and entertainment district of Los Angeles.

    (AEG)

    Swift completed the international leg of her most recent tour last year that included six nights in Singapore and four nights in Tokyo to sold-out audiences booked by AEG Presents as her international promoter. Sheeran played in Bhutan, India and other Asian countries he hadn’t previously visited in venues booked by AEG.

    The international trend now works in both directions for AEG, with K-pop acts such as BTS, Blackpink and other global stars packing AEG venues in the West.

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    Roger Vincent

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

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    During Jimi Hendrix’s first London performance, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and members of The Beatles…

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  • At 50, Hello Kitty is as ‘kawaii’ and lucrative as ever

    At 50, Hello Kitty is as ‘kawaii’ and lucrative as ever

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    TOKYO (AP) — Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character’s fictional birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour. And that’s just in Japan, her literal birthplace but not the one listed in her official biography.

    Confused? Welcome to the party. If there’s one thing about Hello Kitty, it’s that she’s proven adaptable and as much a study in contrasts during her long career. She — and Kitty is a she, according to the company that owns her — may have been conceived as a vessel for the feelings of others, but some women see an empowering symbol in her mouthless face.

    “Shrewd” is how Mika Nishimura, a design professor at Tokyo’s Meisei University, describes the way Hello Kitty conquered the worlds of commerce, fashion and entertainment. As a tabula rasa open to interpretation, the non-threatening creation was the perfect vehicle for making money, she said.

    “American feminists have said she doesn’t say anything and acquiesces to everyone. But in Japan, we also see how she may appear happy if you’re happy, and sad if you’re feeling sad,” Nishimura told The Associated Press. “It’s a product strategy that’s sheer genius. By being so adaptable, Kitty gets all those collaborative deals.”

    A visitor looks at giant Hello Kitty display at the exhibition “As I change, so does she,” marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

    The character’s semicentennial is evidence of that. Sanrio, the Japanese entertainment company that holds the rights to Hello Kitty’s name and image, kicked off the festivities a year ago with an animation account on TikTok, Roblox games and an avatar for the social networking app Zepeto.

    There have been anniversary editions of merchandise ranging from pet collars, cosmetics and McDonald’s Happy Meals to Crocs and a Baccarat crystal figurine. A gold coin pendant with the image of Hello Kitty holding the number 50 is selling for about 120,000 yen ($800), while a Casio watch costs 18,700 yen ($120).

    But first, more on the origin story.

    Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t start as a cartoon. A young Sanrio illustrator named Yuko Shimizu drew her in 1974 as a decoration for stationery, tote bags, cups and other small accessories. The design made its debut on a coin purse the next year and became an instant hit in Japan.

    Image

    A visitor looks at Hello Kitty display at the exhibition “As I change, so does she,” marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

    As Hello Kitty’s commercial success expanded beyond Asia, so did her personal profile. By the late 1970s, Sanrio revealed the character’s name as Kitty White, her height as five apples tall and her birthplace as suburban London, where the company said she lived with her parents and twin sister Mimmy.

    “The main theme of Hello Kitty is friendship. When I first created it, I made a family of which Kitty was a part. But then Hello Kitty started to appear in other settings as the character grew,” Shimizu told the BBC in June. “Sanrio put a lot of effort into building the brand into what it is today.”

    At some point, Sanrio designated Kitty’s birthday as Nov. 1, the same as Shimizu’s. Her background was embellished with hobbies that included playing piano, reading and baking. Her TV appearances required co-stars, including a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty that made its debut 20 years ago.

    But Hello Kitty’s 40th birthday brought an update that astonished fans. Sanrio clarified to a Los Angeles museum curator that Kitty, despite her feline features, was a little girl. A company spokesperson repeated the distinction this year, renewing debate online about the requirements for being considered human.

    “She is supposed to be Kitty White and English. But this is part of the enigma: Who is Hello Kitty? We can’t figure it out. We don’t even know if she is a cat,” art historian Joyce S. Cheng, a University of Oregon associate professor, said. “There is an unresolved indeterminacy about her that is so amazing.”

    Image

    Tourists from Britain pose with Hello Kitty decoration at the Tokyo National Museum where the exhibition “As I change, so does she” is held, marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

    Part of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu and other illustrators to create “kawaii” characters at a time when cute, girlish styles were popular in Japan. But the word is used often in Japanese society, and not only to describe babies and puppies.

    An elderly man, something as innocuous as an umbrella, a subcompact car or a kitchen utensil, or even a horror movie monster can get labeled “kawaii.” By Western standards, the idea may seem embarrassingly frivolous. But it’s taken seriously in Japan, where the concept is linked with the most honorable instincts.

    The complexity of “kawaii” may help explain Hello Kitty’s enduring appeal across generations and cultures, why Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne released a song titled “Hello Kitty” a decade ago, and why Britain’s King Charles wished Hello Kitty a happy 50th birthday when he hosted Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at Buckingham Palace in June.

    Although Hello Kitty may seem to embody the self-sacrificing woman stereotype, it’s revealing that three women have served as the character’s chief designers at Sanrio. Yuko Yamaguchi, who has held the role since 1980, is credited with keeping the character both modern and timeless, giving Kitty black outfits or false eyelashes as trends dictated but never removing the bow from her left ear.

    Image

    Hello Kitty waves as she appears to attend the opening ceremony of the exhibition “As I change, so does she,” marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

    “Hello Kitty, this cultural object, has something to tell us about the history of women in East Asia, and how East Asian women modernized themselves and became professional citizens in a modern society,” the University of Oregon’s Cheng said.

    Sanrio has come up with hundreds of creatures, all adorable and cuddly, but none with the lasting power of Hello Kitty. Forget the understated wabi-sabi aesthetic historically associated with Japan. A chameleon-like cat-girl who reflects unabashed kitsch is the cultural ambassador of a consumer-crazed, happy-go-lucky nation.

    “It’s the anti-wabi sabi, wanting to be as flashy and as bling-bling as possible, like Lady Gaga. In your face, but that’s actually part of the genius, too. It’s powerful,” Cheng said.

    Leslie Bow, a professor of English and Asian American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that while many Asian and Asian American women see Hello Kitty as a symbol of defiance, the protective, caretaking instinct aroused by “kawaii” isn’t without power.

    “We take care of our siblings, our babies, our pets, because we are in control. We control their actions. And so that is also the dark side of cute,” Bow said.

    Sanrio has taken advantage of the character’s adaptability by allowing relatively unrestricted use of her image in return for a licensing fee.

    Image

    A food vendor’s van is decorated with Hello Kitty images outside the National Museum during the exhibition “As I change, so does she,” marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the National Museum in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

    Image

    A visitor wears boots featuring Hello Kitty at the National Museum during the exhibition “As I change, so does she,” marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

    Image

    Visitors react to gigantic Hello Kitty slippers at the exhibition “As I change, so does she,” marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

    Just about anything goes for the wee whiskered one, from a growing global empire of Sanrio-sanctioned Hello Kitty cafes to an “augmented reality” cellphone app that shows Kitty dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, London’s Big Ben and other tourist landmarks.

    On the unsanctioned side, Hello Kitty even has shown up on guns and vibrators.

    During a presentation earlier this year in Seoul, Hello Kitty designer Yamaguchi said one of her unfulfilled goals was finding a way “to develop a Hello Kitty for men to fall in love with as well.” But she’s still working on it.

    “I am certain the day will come when men are no longer embarrassed to carry around Hello Kitty,” entertainment news site Content Asia quoted Yamaguchi as saying.

    ___

    Leff reported from London. Berenice Bautista in Mexico City contributed reporting.

    Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://x.co/yurikageyama

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  • Tim Burton talks about his dread of AI as an exhibition of his work opens in London

    Tim Burton talks about his dread of AI as an exhibition of his work opens in London

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    LONDON (AP) — The imagination of Tim Burton has produced ghosts and ghouls, Martians, monsters and misfits — all on display at an exhibition that is opening in London just in time for Halloween.

    But you know what really scares him? Artificial intelligence.

    Burton said Wednesday that seeing a website that had used AI to blend his drawings with Disney characters “really disturbed me.”

    “It wasn’t an intellectual thought — it was just an internal, visceral feeling,” Burton told reporters during a preview of “The World of Tim Burton” exhibition at London’s Design Museum. “I looked at those things and I thought, ‘Some of these are pretty good.’ … (But) it gave me a weird sort of scary feeling inside.”

    Burton said he thinks AI is unstoppable, because “once you can do it, people will do it.” But he scoffed when asked if he’d use the technology in this work.

    “To take over the world?” he laughed.

    The exhibition reveals Burton to be an analogue artist, who started off as a child in the 1960s experimenting with paints and colored pencils in his suburban Californian home.

    “I wasn’t, early on, a very verbal person,” Burton said. “Drawing was a way of expressing myself.”

    Decades later, after films including “Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice,” his ideas still begin with drawing. The exhibition includes 600 items from movie studio collections and Burton’s personal archive, and traces those ideas as they advance from sketches through collaboration with set, production and costume designers on the way to the big screen.

    London is the exhibition’s final stop on a decade-long tour of 14 cities in 11 countries. It has been reconfigured and expanded with 90 new objects for its run in the British capital, where Burton has lived for a quarter century.

    The show includes early drawings and oddities, including a competition-winning “crush litter” sign a teenage Burton designed for Burbank garbage trucks. There’s also a recreation of Burton’s studio, down to the trays of paints and “Curse of Frankenstein” mug full of pencils.

    Alongside hundreds of drawings, there are props, puppets, set designs and iconic costumes, including Johnny Depp’s “Edward Scissorhands” talons and the black latex Catwoman costume worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in “Batman Returns.”

    “We had very generous access to Tim’s archive in London, stuffed full of thousands of drawings, storyboards from stop-motion films, sketches, character notes, poems,” said exhibition curator Maria McLintock. “And how to synthesize such a wide ranging and meandering career within one exhibition was a fun challenge — but definitely a challenge.”

    Seeing it has not been a wholly fun experience for Burton, who said he’s unable to look too closely at the items on display.

    “It’s like seeing your dirty laundry put on the walls,” he said. “It’s quite amazing. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

    Burton, whose long-awaited horror-comedy sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” opened at the Venice Film Festival in August, is currently filming the second series of Netflix’ Addams Family-themed series “Wednesday.”

    These days he is a major Hollywood director whose American gothic style has spawned an adjective — “Burtoneqsue.” But he still feels like an outsider.

    “Once you feel that way, it never leaves you,” he said.

    “Each film I did was a struggle,” he added, noting that early films like “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” from 1985 and “Beetlejuice” in 1988 received some negative reviews. “It seems like it was a pleasant, fine, easy journey, but each one leaves its emotional scars.”

    McLintock said Burton “is a deeply emotional filmmaker.”

    “I think that’s what drew me to his films as a child,” she said. “He really celebrates the misunderstood outcast, the benevolent monster. So it’s been quite a weird but fun experience spending so much time in his brain and his creative process.

    “His films are often called dark,” she added. “I don’t agree with that. And if they are dark, there’s a very much a kind of hope in the darkness. You always want to hang out in the darkness in his films.”

    ___

    “The World of Tim Burton” opens Friday and runs until April 21, 2025.

    ___

    Associated Press journalist Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this story.

    ___

    This story has corrected that the Catwoman costume is from “Batman Returns,” not “Batman.”

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