A European town offering that quintessential maritime feel is the ideal spot to soak up the glorious sunshine this summer. Home to sandy beaches surrounded by the stunning Mediterranean coast and culture in bucket loads, this town has endless ways to fill your sunny days.

Sète is a major port city located in the southeast French region of Occitanie and is a hive of activity all year round. Alongside the town’s glorious beaches providing that ultimate sun-drenched spot, Sète also offers a poetic European vibe with canals lined by colourful buildings, swing bridges and of course, its bustling fishing port. Ideal for outdoor enthusiasts or those who prefer to simply sit back and relax with a glass of muscat soaking up the sights on the banks of the town’s Canal Royal, Sète appeals to all.

Sète offers a one-of-a-kind getaway thanks to its lively port town, golden sands and oyster-filled lagoons with less crowds compared to many other French resort towns. 

The region was founded in 1666 by Louis XIV who chose it as his harbour for his royal galleys with plenty of historical delights and royal connections found here including an old royal canal.

Set between the sea and the Thau Lagoon, the region is surrounded by picturesque canals but its crowning glory is found along its southeast coast.

Here you will find 8 miles of golden sandy beaches that extends along its lido and is dubbed a true paradise thanks to its crystal-clear waters boasting of 320 days of sunshine a year.

Sète’s Lido beaches are famous and they are often a hive of activity, with exhilarating activities on offer including diving, sailing, kitesurfing or kayaking.

The town’s fishing port offers a thriving maritime centre, with sights of nets, floats and trawlers tied up along its waterfront with a fish auction available too. 

Another ideal activity to soak up the vibes in this pretty town is cycling, with Sète providing a cycle path on the Lido and cycle parks found along the promenade.

Lovers of a good stroll in the sunshine are also in luck with a visit to the top of Mont Saint Clair coming highly recommended. 

The town was also once the home of philosopher and poet Paul Valéry who is buried here with culture lovers able to learn more about him in a museum dedicated to Valéry and includes private letters, sketches, notebooks and his silver fountain pen.

The French town is also home to an array of summer festivals and quirky celebrations including nautical joust competitions or the oysters of the Etang de Thau.

“Beautiful town offering many magnificent panoramic views that’s easily accessible via foot,” wrote one review on TripAdvisor.

Another echoed the sentiment and said: “The harbor area in this seaside town is very pretty, we spent a lot of time here walking around admiring all of its beautiful perspectives on offer.”

Police have released a CCTV image after a woman was sexually assaulted on a busy train during rush hour on April 15. The terrifying attack happened on a train running between Leeds and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire during rush hour.

The grainy still shows a man with dark hair and a beard wearing black top with a silver zip and carrying a white JD Sports bag over his left shoulder. British Transport Police, which monitors the rail network for England, Wales and Scotland, said it believes the man “may have information which could help with their investigation”.

In a statement, the British Transport Police (BTP) said: “Do you recognise this man?

“Officers investigating a sexual assault on board a train between Leeds and Huddersfield have today released this image in connection.

“Shortly after 7pm on Tuesday, April 15, a man sexually assaulted a woman on the service. Officers believe the man in the image may have information which could help with their investigation.”

The statement added: “Anyone who recognises him is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 25 of 16 April.

“Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

BTP officers cover over 10,000 miles of railway and 3,000 stations and depots. The force also polices the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, West Midlands Metro, Tramlink, part of the Tyne and Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway and the London Cable Car.

Israel was probably behind the huge blast in Iran which killed eight people and injured 800. The explosion at Bandar Abbas occurred as the Islamic regime began a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman. But its target is thought to have been a store of rocket fuel imported from China and bound for Yemen.

Authorities in Tehran moved quickly to deny any implication of sabotage, officially explaining that the accident was caused by a small fire which reached an “open container of chemicals”. Videos showed a huge billowing mushroom cloud, and the force of the blast destroyed a nearby building and shattered windows. Injured people lay on the roadside as authorities declared a state of emergency at hospitals across Bandar Abbas to cope with the influx of wounded.

However, early analysis suggests the explosion may have destroyed between 10,000 and 50,000 litres of liquid rocket fuel or related volatile propellants – a significant blow to Iran’s proxy supply chains.

Iran has increasingly relied on covert imports of rocket fuel components from China to bypass sanctions, with typical shipments delivering up to 20,000–25,000 litres per ISO tank container disguised as industrial chemicals.

Tel Aviv, for its part, has a history of targeting Iran’s rocket fuel facilities through suspected sabotage attacks. The most notable examples are the Khojir explosion of June 2020 and the Parchin site blast of May 2022.

Most analysts suspect the Khojir attack involved planting a shaped explosive charge inside or adjacent to a critical fuel storage or mixing facility, causing catastrophic secondary explosions. Both attacks were designed to resemble accidents, and both dealt major blows to Iran’s missile propellant capabilities.

Bandar Abbas serves as a key logistics hub for smuggling operations, including the type of liquid propellant used in Iranian ballistic missiles and larger drones sent to the regime’s last fully functioning proxy force – Ansar Allah, better known as the Houthi rebels.

Iranian security officials say “any speculation about the cause of the explosion is worthless”.

However, the regime’s silence may be a calculated attempt not to upset the United States, as Tehran seeks desperately needed sanctions relief through a new nuclear deal.

Donald Trump has already launched air strikes in Yemen in response to Houthi efforts to hold international shipping on the Red Sea to ransom, in protest against Israeli actions in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the US President is currently embroiled in a bitter trade war with China.

Israel, meanwhile, had become increasingly frustrated at the possibility that US-Iran talks could leave Tehran with a functioning nuclear infrastructure. It has, futhermore, been forced to refrain from launching direct air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities by Trump, who has indicated he wants to wait until the talks are concluded.

Regional experts at the Sibylline strategic risk group said there was “a realistic possibility that the explosion is a result of sabotage by a state actor,” though they did not specify Israel by name.

“In case of Iranian authorities blaming Israel, the risk of Iranian covert attacks in the form of kinetic sabotage or cyber attacks against Israeli and Israeli-affiliated targets will increase in the coming weeks,” they said in a report on the incident.

“However, Iran is currently unlikely to openly target the US, to avoid a breakdown of nuclear talks and US strikes against it.”