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A GROUNDBREAKING new rail project will connect passengers in Turkey to Europe in just three hours.

The Turkish government is testing a fresh high-speed link between Istanbul and the EU border.

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A new rain link will connect passengers in Turkey to Europe in just three hours[/caption]

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The connection will depart from Istanbul[/caption]

Dubbed Halkali-Kapikule, the ambitious route will connect the City’s Halkali region and Kapikule which sits on the country’s border with Bulgaria.

Construction kicked off in 2017, with the journey’s duration set to be around three hours.

The connection, also known as the Silk Railway, is poised to carry nearly 3.4million travellers by 2028.

The line will belong to the Trans‐European Transport Network (TEN‐T) that connects member countries of the European Union, and will also connect to the Turkish capital Ankara.

The construction is being co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

It comes after Turkey launched the Mesopotamia Express last year.

The train departs from the Turkish capital of Ankara, before journeying 1,500km through desert landscapes, snow-capped mountains and even a dormant volcano.

Seats can be converted into beds and other overnight amenities include a fridge, a sink, a wardrobe and onboard heating.

There is a dining carriage onboard the service.

Passengers can also get off the train at three different stops, including Kayseri, Malatya and Elazığ.

At Kayseri and Malatya holidaymakers will be given three hours to explore the nearby historical sites.

Travellers are given four-hours to visit local attractions in Elazığ.

As the historic capital of Cappadocia, there are plenty of exciting tourist attractions in Kayseri, including Kayseri Castle and a small archaeological museum.

Tickets for a one-way journey start from 9,000 Turkish Lira (£222) for a sleeper cabin that sleeps two.

Pegasus Airlines operates direct flights between the London Stansted and Ankara, with prices starting from £60 for a one-way ticket.

Other new train routes

There are plenty of other new rail routes which have launched around Europe, including a brand-new night service linking Brussels and Prague.

The new 15-hour service took to the tracks in March 2024 and passes through holiday hotspots like Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Berlin and Dresden.

Those Brits who want to travel to Prague without boarding a plane, will be able to take a Eurostar service from London St Pancras to Brussels, which takes just under two hours.

Meanwhile, another new train route could soon link two European countries by rail for the first time in 16 years.

Venice and Ljubljana (the Slovenian capital) could soon be linked by a new train service.

While it is not known which train company will operate the cross-border route, the Italian train company Trenitalia tested out the proposed route back in December.

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ZOE Saldana was pulled off camera for swearing as she was hurried to finish her BAFTA acceptance speech.

The moment has since gone viral as she as she shouted ‘f***, f***, f**** when she was prompted to finish her speech.

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Zoe Saldana was pulled off camera for swearing during her live BAFTAs speech[/caption]

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The actress became loose lipped when she left slip a swear word[/caption]

Zoe was left emotional as she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez, playing Rita Mora Castro, a lawyer who helps a Mexican cartel leader gain access to gender-affirming surgery. 

The Hollywood actress was in in floods of tears as she accepted the award at The Royal Festival Hall from Colman Domingo and Adam Pearson. 

The movie star admitted it is “so validating and a true honour” to be awarded the prestigious gong.

But the actress was caught swearing after she was hurried along.

As she listed the people she wanted to thank, Zoe said: “Oh my god I’m getting a countdown. F*** f*** f***!” 

This marks Zoe’s first BAFTA win, as well as her first nomination from the British awards body.

Zoe was in a competitive category with Ariana Grande for Wicked, Felicity Jones nominated for The Brutalist, Isabella Rossellini up for Conclave and Jamie Lee Curtis, who starred in The Last Showgirl.

Zoe looked elegant in a black lace gown and pair of black heels and silver choker necklace.

Her expletive moment comes just weeks after Zoe crashed the Golden Globes stage during the Best Song award in a bizarre move caught by live TV cameras. 

Take a seat!

Many viewers were left confused by Zoe’s outburst – with some even raging that the move was “disrespectful” and “took attention away” from the composers who won.

Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh joined forces to present the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. 

The category was ultimately awarded to French musicians Clément Ducol and Camille for their work on the song El Mal for Jacques Audiard’s movie Emilia Pérez on Netflix, which Zoe sang for the movie.

As Clement and Camille were walking up to accept the award, Zoe brazenly rushed on stage and could be seen running in the background. 

She snatched the trophy from Jeff and Michelle’s hands and waited for Clement and Camille to join the stage – presumably to hand the award to the pair herself.

Clement and Camille smirked as they walked to the stage once they noticed Zoe had run up to join their moment.

At one point in the middle of Camille’s speech, she turned around and acknowledged Zoe in a chaotic live TV moment. 

Fans were left confused by the unscripted moment – with some even recalling how rapper Lil Mama crashed Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ performance at the 2009 MTV VMA’s.

“Did Zoe Saldana just pull a Lil Mama on stage?” an X user wrote.

“Zoe Saldana getting on stage during the presentation of Best Song,” another said next to a photo of Lil Mama, Jay Z, and Alicia.

Others were furious with the move, with one asking, “Why is Zoe Saldana on the stage? I know she won (and I do like her) but she really needs to sit down.

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Zoe was left emotional as she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in role in Emilia Pérez[/caption]

JUDE BELLINGHAM could have avoided his red card against Osasuna if he’d heeded the words of previous Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

England ace Bellingham was sent off yesterday as his side were held to a 1-1 draw against Osasuna.

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Jude Bellingham could have avoided his red card for Real Madrid had he listened to Cristiano Ronaldo[/caption]

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The midfielder was left gobsmacked when he was given his marching orders for what he later claimed was a “miscommunication.”

Referee Jose Munuera wrote in his report that Bellingham said “f**k you” after a decision went the other way.

Bellingham now faces a 12-match ban, which would see him miss the majority of the season’s remaining games.

But he could have avoided the sending off had he listened to advice from Portugal icon Ronaldo.

The 40-year-old spent nine years playing for Real, scoring 450 goals in 438 games while winning two titles and four Champions Leagues.

And back in 2018, the same year he left Real for Italian side Juventus, Ronaldo explained how swearing towards a referee in England was an acceptable practice — but not in Spain.

Ronaldo said: “I played in England for many years. For example. when there is a foul, the English say a lot of ‘f**’ off’ and the refs don’t say anything.

“But if you say it here, they send you out.”

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Speaking after Real’s draw with Osasuna, Bellingham insisted there was a “miscommunication” with the referee and that he meant no offence.

Bellingham said: “It’s clear that it was a mistake and there is a miscommunication. I remember the incident very well but I’ve also seen the video and the video doesn’t match the report.

“I don’t want to go too much in detail about what was said but it’s like a expression like ‘joder’.

“I hope that the footage review can show that is not the same as the report and going forward that the federation can keep it under consideration because it’s huge evidence.

“Obviously we can’t change the result but I think that going forward there will be a change.”

He continued: “There was no insult. You can see clearly in the video. I remember the incident very well. It was an expression to myself not directed towards the referee.

“But obviously there was a misunderstanding of what he believes I said to him. It wasn’t an insult at all.”

I’M A Celeb’s Maura Higgins dumped Pete Wicks after she saw messages with other women on his phone.

Defiant Maura, 34, was devastated to see the 37-year-old Strictly hunk was chatting with “loads” of girls online and called it quits.

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Maura Higgins dumped Pete Wicks after she saw messages with other women on his phone[/caption]

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Glum-looking Pete was pictured with his mum in Essex[/caption]

A source said: “Maura was suspicious of Pete and whether he might have been messing her around.

“There’s been some rows over trust.

“She felt she was proved right when she saw loads of messages with other women on his phone.

“She knew she’d never be able to feel like she could trust him — even if the messages were all innocent, it’s not something she could get past.

“She didn’t want to be constantly worried about what her man was doing.

“But Maura remained coy about the relationship the whole time and isn’t going to start bad-mouthing him after the split — she is now just determined to move on from him.”

Maura and Pete were in a relationship for months after knowing each other for six years.

But on Valentine’s Day Maura was seen leaving a restaurant alone and when asked by a fan where Pete was, she was filmed replying: “I don’t know, probably cheating.”

She later sent herself a bunch of red roses with a card reading: “To Me, Love Me.”

Maura had previously told a podcast she “adored him”, while former Towie star Pete had called her “super intelligent” and “incredibly witty”.

But they were apart in November and December while Maura was on ITV’s I’m A Celeb.

At Christmas, Maura and Pete went on a festive getaway at the Glasson Lakehouse hotel in Co Westmeath in Ireland.

The hotel is close to Maura’s hometown and fans speculated if she had chosen it so she could introduce him to her parents.

Maura became a household name on 2019’s series of Love Island.

She has dated the likes of Curtis Pritchard and former Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice.

But she has said she struggles in love because every man she gets involved with lets her down.

Pete had a string of romances on Towie including with Jess Wright, Megan McKenna and Chloe Sims.

He recently said he fears being alone forever and needs to work on himself.

Representatives for Maura and Pete were asked for comment.

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Maura sent herself roses with a note on the bouquet saying ‘To Me Love Me’[/caption]

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He said 'life has been tough' in poignant speech.

Marco Ebben was one of Europe’s ‘most wanted’ men for smuggling drugs from Brazil to the Netherlands.

That is until the Dutchman took his own life in October – or so authorities believed.

To escape arrest, the 32-year-old faked his own death in the Mexican cartel stronghold of Culiacan.

But it was on Thursday that his body was found in Atizapan de Zaragoza, a municipality about 15 miles from the capital Mexico City.

He is understood to have been attacked by two hitmen as he headed to his armored truck in Plaza Antigua and shot to death.

His body was riddled with at least 15 bullets and abandoned between two cars at a parking lot.

Several fake IDs were discovered among his belongings at the scene of the assassination understood to have been planned by a rival gang.

Experts confirmed Ebben’s identity, an official at the state prosecutor’s office told AFP, asking not to be named because they were not authorised to talk about the case.

European law enforcement agency Europol had listed the drug lord as one of the ‘most wanted fugitives’ on the continent.

Its website says he was sentenced in October 2020 to more than seven years in prison.

Between 2014 and 2015, Ebben and his accomplices allegedly smuggled 400 kilos of cocaine in containers filled with pineapples, according to Europol.

His father, a notorious criminal from Schiedam, was sentenced to 11 years for bribing a customs official in the same trial.

Both men had disappeared from the police radar by then, the El Diario de Mexico reported.

After fleeing to the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Italy and Turkey, Ebben reportedly joined Mexican drug gang Los Mayos, part of the infamous Cártel de Sinaloa.

Authorities have yet to issue an official confirmation of the attack and his death.

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