Month: May 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that France will have to toughen its stance on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza. He urged Israel to allow food, water, and medicine, and reiterated France’s support for a two-state solution.

LAFC has won an MLS Cup and played in two CONCACAF Champions League finals.

None of those games were worth as much as the team’s upcoming match.

Literally.

Next up for LAFC is the $10-Million Game, in which it will play Mexico’s Club América on Saturday at Banc of California to determine the final entrant in the Club World Cup. The 32-team tournament, which will be staged across the United States from mid-June to mid-July, has a record-breaking billion-dollar prize pool.

By simply qualifying for the event and playing in three group-stage matches, LAFC would be entitled to a participation fee of $9.55 million.

That might not be considered a significant prize for the Dodgers or Lakers, but it’s a major bounty for LAFC, which had a payroll of about $20 million last season.

“We know what’s at stake,” LAFC co-president John Thorrington said.

Imagine that, a Major League Soccer team playing a game with real consequences. The stakes are unusually high for a team in a league in which 18 of 30 teams reach the postseason and the threat of relegation is non-existent.

Real money will be on the line.

That’s money that could go toward covering the transfer fee or salary of the team’s next signature player, as one of LAFC’s three designated-player slots could open this summer.

Thorrington preferred to emphasize the symbolic importance of LAFC reaching the Club World Cup, how it would move the team one step closer to its long-stated ambition of becoming a global brand.

“The conversation here is not dominated by the financial benefit here, but rather the competitive opportunity that this game and the tournament present,” Thorrington said.

If LAFC advances to the Club World Cup, its opening game will be against Chelsea of the English Premier League. The other group-stage games would be against ES Tunis of Tunisia and Flamengo of Brazil.

“I think it would be something special,” defender Eddie Segura said in Spanish.

The tournament could also be a wake-up call for MLS, which has two other teams in the competition in Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders. The league has a salary cap, as well as paint-by-numbers roster compliance rules that permit minimal flexibility on how its teams can spend money. Soccer is a sport in which teams are only as good as their weakest links, but the regulations force clubs to construct top-heavy rosters.

As it was, the financial restrictions were already handicapping MLS teams in its competitions against its Mexican counterparts, with LAFC relying on its smarts instead of the economic might of its deep-pocketed owners to reach two Champions League finals. Now, MLS teams will be taking on opponents with virtually unlimited budgets. Just two years ago, Chelsea spent more than a billion dollars buying players in a single transfer window.

The Club World Cup’s cash prizes offer MLS a powerful incentive to loosen its rules. Group-stage wins are worth $2 million each. Teams will be paid $7.5 million for reaching the round of 16. The champion will take home more than $100 million.

The payouts could also force MLS to make changes to its collective bargaining agreement, which was signed when the Club World Cup was still a seven-team tournament. Under the current CBA, LAFC’s players would divide $1 million, with the remainder of the $9.55 million participation fee staying with the club.

Segura said the players are engaged in talks over their compensation.

“The club would benefit a lot, but I hope that we as players, as the ones who are there giving everything, will also have a chance to benefit,” Segura said.

The upcoming game has also offered LAFC a firsthand view of FIFA’s operations.

LAFC’s and Club América’s opportunity came at the expense of León, which was removed from the Club World Cup field because it was owned by the same group that owned another Mexican team in the tournament, Pachuca.

León qualified for the tournament by defeating LAFC in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final. Rather than award León’s place to LAFC, FIFA basically invented a play-in game out of thin air, calling on LAFC to take on Club América, which was the region’s highest-ranked team that wasn’t already in the tournament.

LAFC was at least granted a chance. The Galaxy won the MLS Cup last season, but Inter Miami received the place reserved for the host nation before the MLS playoffs even started. The purported reason was that Inter Miami had the league’s best regular-season record. However, the widespread suspicion was that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi in the tournament.

After all, money is what is driving this tournament and money is what is driving the sport.

May 30 (UPI) — The Sean “Diddy” Combs jury Friday heard from “Mia,” one of the alleged sexual abuse victims in his sex trafficking and racketeering case. She acknowledged later positive social media posts about Combs.

She testified Thursday that Combs repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted her, making her feel trapped in what she alleged was ongoing abuse.

“Mia” said she felt she didn’t have any safe way to report the abuse.

Combs denies all the charges and maintains sexual acts described by prosecutors were consensual.

Under prosecutor questioning “Mia” said she was traumatized by the abuse she alleges Combs inflicted on her and that it resulted in complex, severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Mia” testified that she posted the positive social media posts about Combs in part because it was about demonstrating how great your life was even if it wasn’t true.

She added she felt fear any time Combs was unhappy because it meant she was unsafe.

“Mia” said during cross examination that her dynamics with Combs would shift and “when things were good, we felt really safe” and almost forgot about the abuse.

She said she had to “beg” Combs to allow her to go to her grandmother’s funeral.

On Tuesday, former Combs assistant Capricorn Clark testified she saw Combs beat Cassie Ventura for having a relationship with another rapper. She added Combs told her he wanted to kill Scott Mescudi, also known as “Kid Cudi.”

Combs is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Israel says it plans to build 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank – the largest number approved to be built at one time.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the settlements are intended to block the creation of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues its expanded offensive, destroying homes, roads and facilities, such as waterways and hospitals, essentially making areas of the occupied West Bank uninhabitable.

And settler violence against civilians, including destroying crops and uprooting trees, is at an all-time high, according to the UN.

Europe has hit back against the move to build more illegal settlements by threatening sanctions. But can they have a real impact?

What does this mean for millions of Palestinians? And is a Palestinian state now becoming nearly impossible?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Xavier Abu Eid – Political analyst and a former adviser to the PLO’s negotiation team

Ori Goldberg- an Israeli author, academic, and political commentator

Salman Shaikh – CEO of The Shaikh Group, an organisation working on diplomacy and mediation in the Middle East

IT is the biggest reunion in rock – but Oasis’s comeback may not have ­happened at all if it hadn’t been for some delicate, behind-the-scenes diplomacy by one particular person.

Step forward Anais Gallagher, Noel’s eldest daughter, who has been revealed as the gutsy go-between who has seemingly pulled off what years of fan pleading and big-money offers failed to do.

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And the plucky model has even had a hand in helping shape the band’s set list, by providing crucial insight into what the Mancunian legends’ Gen-Z fans might want to hear on the 41-date reunion tour.

The Sun can reveal that Anais, who is from Noel’s first marriage to Meg Mathews, worked tirelessly to reconcile her dad and uncle following Noel’s split from Sara MacDonald.

So Anais, 25, figured the breakdown of her dad’s marriage could be an opportunity to get her old man back together with his feisty brother and the band that made him a ­megastar.

An insider said: “Anais was one of the biggest sources of comfort and support for Noel following his divorce.

“She was the one that was helping him get back on his feet and return to doing things he loved that had fallen by the wayside.

“Over the years, Noel had offered an olive branch to Liam, but he’d never taken it up.

“Anais could tell her dad really wanted both his brothers, Liam and Paul, by his side after the split so was determined to get them back in touch.

Fighting with Noel

“She gets on great with Liam’s sons Gene and Lennon so she asked them if their dad would be willing to hear her out.

“They said they thought he would be receptive, so she then asked Liam to reach out to his brother to lend support.

“Liam’s always wanted Oasis back together so he got in touch.”

Ironically, the Wonderwall crooners fell out back in May 2000 because Liam allegedly questioned the paternity of Anais while fighting with Noel in Spain — leading Noel to leave the band for a second time.

Anais has maintained a close relationship with outspoken Liam, who is saved in her phone as “uncle”.

Anais, who has modelled for Dolce and Gabbana, is close friends with her cousins Gene, 23, and Lennon, 25, and the group often go on nights out together.

Anais was one of the biggest sources of comfort and support for Noel following his divorce

Insider

Fans had hoped Noel’s divorce would lead to a reconciliation for the band, but they were left hanging for more than a year.

The source said: “It was all very slow-going behind the scenes to get the brothers talking again.

“Anais spending so much time with her dad allowed her to realise how much he missed his brother, despite  the jibes they both made.

“It enabled her to plant the idea of a reconciliation on both sides. Thanks to her close ­relationship with Liam, she was able to call him.

“She worked hard to make sure they didn’t look back in anger, if you like.

 “Once Liam called Noel, the rest was left up to them.”

The brothers announced their reunion in August last year, sparking a frenzy as  fans went into overdrive to get their hands on ­tickets.

It’s expected that the band will make millions from their world tour, which kicks off in July.

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And in further good news for Liam, he is about to become a grandfather for the first time.

His daughter Molly Moorish, 27,  announced two weeks ago she was expecting her first child with Liverpool  footballer boyfriend Nathaniel Phillips.

Molly, whose mother Lisa had a short-lived relationship with Liam in 1998, was estranged from her dad for 19 years but they are reconciled.

In interviews, Anais said: “With my family, what you see is what you get. They are really hard-working people.

“With my dad, I would always go to him for help or advice — it’s very funny that a rock star from the 90s is like the most level-headed person I know.

“He’s definitely the guiding force in my life.”

Liam’s always wanted Oasis back together so he got in touch

Insider

And it’s safe to say that Anais has Noel’s ear.

Last month, The Sun revealed that she had encouraged her dad to distance himself from disgraced comedian Russell Brand.

Limit hangovers

Brand has been charged with rape and sexual assaults relating to four women. He has denied all the allegations.

A source said: “Anais realised that her dad’s close links to Brand wasn’t a good look.

“She’s very PR savvy. There was a discussion and Noel agreed cutting ties was best.

“Anais, Noel, and the rest of the family are horrified at Brand’s alleged behaviour and had no idea what was going on.”

And her influence on Noel doesn’t end there.

She is helping to run her dad’s social media and is on his company’s payroll.

The source said: “Anais does a lot on social media to make money, so it’s a natural fit for her to help her dad out.

“She knows what does and doesn’t work for Generation Z, whereas Noel doesn’t.

“It’s given them more of a chance to bond.

“Noel hired her because she is genuinely good at her job, not because she is his child.”

The dedicated daughter is also helping with the song selection for the tour.

The source added: “Anais has helped with the tour set list by looking at what has done well on TikTok with the younger generation.

“As a result, [the song] Bonehead’s Bank Holiday will be played live by Oasis for the first time.

“They’ll also play Digsy’s Dinner, and Talk Tonight.

“She wants to help Oasis gain younger fans as well as their long-standing fans.”

The Oasis reunion announcement has been marred by older fans hitting out at younger people getting tickets, something Anais has been very vocal about on social media.

On TikTok, she wrote: “One thing I won’t stand for is the ageism and the misogyny around people getting tickets.

“Sorry, if a 19-year-old girl in a pink cowboy hat wants to be there, I will have my friendship bracelets ready.”

Grumpy fans have claimed that the band would hate stuff put up by young people on TikTok.

Sometimes people put this hyper-aggressive masculine ideology into what they think that my dad and my uncle are going to be like

Anais Gallagher

In an interview with Hello! Anais hit back, saying they were wrong.

She told the magazine: “I see this all the time, actually, where someone will post a funny video or a cover song and people would say ‘[Oasis] would hate this’.

“No, no, you hate this.

“Sometimes people put this hyper-aggressive masculine ideology into what they think that my dad and my uncle are going to be like.

“They’re actually a lot more accepting than the fans are.”

Anais plans to be stage-side to support her father throughout the reunion run.

She joked in an interview that her aims for the year were to: “Limit the amount of hangovers I have after all the Oasis concerts, remember to take my supplements and drink a lot of water.”

Whether she can manage to keep her dad and uncle in a similar state remains to be seen.

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The ruling means people from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua can be targeted for deportation as lawsuits continue.

The conservative-dominated United States Supreme Court has handed President Donald Trump another major victory, allowing his administration to revoke a temporary legal status from more than 500,000 immigrants as legal challenges continue in lower courts.

Friday’s decision applies to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan people who were granted humanitarian parole under the administration of former President Joe Biden.

That parole status allowed them to enter the US due to emergencies or urgent humanitarian reasons, including instability, violence and political repression in their home countries.

But the Supreme Court’s ruling means that the beneficiaries of humanitarian parole could be targeted for deportation prior to a final ruling on whether the revocation of their immigration status is legal.

The ruling by the top court, which is dominated six-to-three by conservatives, reverses a lower court’s order temporarily halting the Trump administration from yanking humanitarian parole from Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans.

The Supreme Court’s decision was unsigned and did not provide reasoning. However, two liberal justices on the panel publicly dissented.

The outcome “undervalues the devastating consequences of allowing the government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly half a million noncitizens while their legal claims are pending”, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote.

She noted that some of the affected individuals had indicated in court filings that they would face grave harm if their humanitarian parole were cut short.

Trump has targeted programmes like humanitarian parole as part of his efforts to limit immigration into the US. His administration has accused Biden of “broad abuse” in his invocation of humanitarian parole: Trump has said Biden was lax on immigration and oversaw an “invasion” of the US from abroad.

Since taking office in January, Trump’s administration has also indefinitely suspended applications for asylum and other forms of immigration relief.

The plaintiffs in Friday’s humanitarian parole case warned the Supreme Court they could face life-threatening conditions if they were not allowed to seek other avenues for immigration and were forced to leave the country.

If they were deported “to the same despotic and unstable countries from which they fled”, lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that “many will face serious risks of danger, persecution and even death”.

Earlier in May, the Supreme Court also allowed Trump to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — another temporary immigration pathway — for about 350,000 Venezuelans living in the US. TPS allows non-citizens to remain in the US while circumstances in their home countries remain unsafe or unstable.

As with Friday’s case, the Supreme Court’s ruling on TPS allowed the Trump administration to move forward with removals while a legal challenge to Trump’s policy plays out in lower courts.

Biden had encouraged the use of programmes like TPS and humanitarian parole as alternatives to undocumented immigration into the US.

Humanitarian parole, for instance, allowed recipients to legally live and work in the US for two years. Trump’s efforts to end the programme would cut that timeframe short.

The countries in question — Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti — have all experienced significant economic and political crises in recent years.

In Venezuela, for instance, critics have accused President Nicolas Maduro of detaining and disappearing political dissidents and activists, and an economic collapse caused hyperinflation that put basic necessities beyond the means of many Venezuelans. Millions have fled the country in recent years.

One of the other countries, Haiti, has been ravaged by a spike in gang violence since the assassination of President Jovenal Moise in 2021. Federal elections have not been held since, and gangs have used violence to fill the power vacuum.

As much as 90 percent of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, has fallen under gang control, according to the United Nations, and thousands have been killed.

DONALD Trump’s luxury “sky Palace” gifted to him by Qatar will cost a few billion dollars, says the President of Emirates airline.

The US government now faces a “Herculean task” to transform the huge Boeing 747-8 into a new Air Force One fit for a president, warns Sir Tim Clark.

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President Trump, 78, sparked concerns earlier this month with his willingness to accept the plush flying mansion from the Qatari royal family.

The giant gift, worth an estimated $400m (£300m), has raised several ethical questions about if the US leader should be allowed to accept such expensive goods from other states.

But despite the controversy, Trump gladly took the 13-year-old mega jet back to Washington with him.

He now plans to make it part of his Air Force One fleet alongside two other Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets.

They have been operational since 1990 but are now said to be not up to scratch compared to modern planes such as Qatar‘s 747-8.

In order for it to become a fully fledged member of the president’s aviation arsenal however, it will need to go through some serious work.

It would have to be kitted out with top-tier communications and security tech before ever ferrying around Trump.

And significant retrofitting and clearance from security officials would be required.

Sir Tim, president of Emirates, told Piers Morgan Uncensored that President Trump’s flashy plans may cost a “couple of billion dollars”.

He explained to Piers: “I think you’re talking a couple of billion dollars to start with.

“Just roll back a little bit and look at what it takes for us to convert our 777s – from the old to the new – because we haven’t got the Boeing’s coming in at the pace we want them so we’re having to reconfigure all of them.”

The top aviation boss said trying to fix up all the jets as an airline has been an extremely tough task.

Tim admitted to “pulling his hair out” over the regulators and the tiny tweaks that have to be made to modernise a plane of that size and stature.

And he believes the US government will face an even trickier – and much more expensive – battle to get the gifted plane ready for presidential trips.

He said: “It’s a Herculean task, make no mistake about it.

“Whether President Trump will adapt fully, this present from Qatar, to an Air Force One I doubt it, but he’ll certainly get a lot of it done.”

Aviation specialist Jeff Wise also told The Sun that he expects the Air Force One replacement to take years and need billions of dollars pumped into the project to make the jet viable.

Trump’s Air Force One jets currently in use come with dozens of specialised security features.

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These include armoured glass and plating, on board flares to confuse enemy missiles, mirror-ball defences and even an electric jamming system.

Another unique yet needed element is an electromagnetic shield for nuclear explosions.

This has to be on a presidential plane as the leader of Washington can actually launch a nuke from the aircraft.

But the new Qatari jet lacks most of these security features.

Instead, the lavish aeroplane boasts a luxurious interior, featuring spacious suites and rooms with ornate interior decoration.

It also has glittering gold-coloured furnishings and hallways that echo Trump’s well-know interior design preferences.

The president is believed to have spent an hour inspecting the plan when when it was parked at West Palm Beach International Airport back in February.

The luxury Boeing was once even listed for a whopping $400 million, according to the Business Jet Traveler.

During his first stint in office, Trump had ordered two new Air Force One jumbo jets from Boeing to replace the pair that have been in service since George H. W. Bush’s presidency.

But the Boeing contract has faced delays, and reports suggest the new plans would not be ready until after Trump leaves the Oval Office.

Fears Trump’s new Air Force One replacement is vulnerable to devastating HACKS – or worse

By Chief Foreign Reporter, Katie Davis

A LAVISH jumbo jet Donald Trump plans to receive from Qatar will be vulnerable to hacking, an expert has warned.

The Boeing 747 – dubbed a “palace in the sky” – could even be blasted out the sky, aviation specialist Jeff Wise believes.

He fears Trump may bypass necessary measures to save time and money – which could therefore invite hacking or a devastating assassination attempt.

Wise told The Sun: “This Air Force One would be a major intelligence target for any adversary nation or even our allies, because allies love to spy on each other.

“The United States is being given this albatross that they are going to have to spend billions of dollars on to fix up for the personal use of Trump.

“If your job is to protect the President of the United States or if your job is to protect the secrets of the United States, then this is a massive headache for you.

“This is a plane that does not have secure communications and the anti-missiles defence systems that a normal Air Force One has. It’s just wide open.

“This is an administration that is completely irresponsible in the way they use their personal devices. They’re using these off-brand apps to communicate. It’s just a hacker’s dream.”

Wise continued: “I would say an increasing number of people would like to target Air Force One. 

“America’s list of enemies is growing longer and longer as we become an increasingly horrible nation, from the Houthis to the Iranians to the Russians.”

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Guess who suddenly has a “TACO” allergy? President Yuge Taco Salad himself.

In the annals of four-letter words and acronyms Donald Trump has long hitched his political fortunes on, the word “taco” may be easy to overlook.

There’s MAGA, most famously. DOGE, courtesy of Elon Musk. Huge (pronounced yuge, of course). Wall, as in the one he continues to build on the U.S.-Mexico border. “Love” for himself, “hate” against all who stand in his way.

There’s a four-letter term, however, that best sums up Trump’s shambolic presidency, one no one would’ve ever associated with him when he announced his first successful presidential campaign a decade ago.

Taco.

His first use of the most quintessential of Mexican meals happened on Cinco de Mayo 2016, when Trump posted a portrait of himself grinning in front of a giant taco salad while proclaiming “I Love Hispanics!” Latino leaders immediately ridiculed his Hispandering, with UnidosUS president Janet Murguia telling the New York Times that it was “clueless, offensive and self-promoting” while also complaining, “I don’t know that any self-respecting Latino would even acknowledge that a taco bowl is part of our culture.”

I might’ve been the only Trump critic in the country to defend his decision to promote taco salads. After all, it’s a dish invented by a Mexican American family at the old Casa de Fritos stand in Disneyland. But also because the meal can be a beautiful, crunchy thing in the right hands. Besides, I realized what Trump was doing: getting his name in the news, trolling opponents, and having a hell of a good time doing it while welcoming Latinos into his basket of deplorables as he strove for the presidency. Hey, you couldn’t blame the guy for trying.

Guess what happened?

Despite consistently trashing Latinos, Trump increased his share of that electorate in each of his presidential runs and leaned on them last year to capture swing states like Arizona and Nevada. Latino Republican politicians made historic gains across the country in his wake — especially in California, where the number of Latino GOP legislators jumped from four in 2022 to a record nine.

The Trump taco salad tweet allowed his campaign to present their billionaire boss to Latinos as just any other Jose Schmo ready to chow down on Mexican food. It used the ridicule thrown at him as proof to other supporters that elites hated people like them. Trump must have at least felt confident the taco salad gambit from yesteryear worked because he reposted the image on social media this Cinco de Mayo, adding the line “This was so wonderful, 9 years ago today!”

It’s not exactly live by the taco, die by the taco. (Come on, why would such a tasty force of good want to hurt anyone)? But Trump is suddenly perturbed by the mere mention of TACO.

Doritos Locos Tacos at the Taco Bell Laguna Beach location.

(Don Leach/Daily Pilot)

That’s an acronym mentioned in a Financial Times newsletter earlier this month that means Trump Always Chickens Out. The insult is in reference to the growing belief in Wall Street that people who invest in stocks should keep in mind that the president talks tough on tariffs but never follows through because he folds under pressure like the Clippers. Or a taco, come to think of it.

Trump raged when CNBC reporter Megan Cassella asked him about TACO at a White House press conference this week.

“Don’t ever say what you said,” the commander in chief snarled before boasting about how he wasn’t a chicken and was actually a tough guy. “That’s a nasty question.”

No other reporter followed up with TACO questions, because the rest of the internet did. Images of Trump in everything from taco suits to taco crowns to carnivorous tacos swallowing Trump whole have bloomed ever since. News outlets are spreading Trump’s out-of-proportion response to something he could’ve just laughed off, while “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” just aired a parody song to the tune of “Macho Man” titled — what else? — “Taco Man.”

The TACO coinage is perfect: snappy, easily understandable, truthful and seems Trump-proof. The master of appropriating insults just can’t do anything to make TACO his — Trump Always Cares Outstandingly just doesn’t have the same ring. It’s also a reminder that Trump’s anti-Latino agenda so far in his administration makes a predictable mockery of his taco salad boast and related Hispandering.

In just over four months, Trump and his lackeys have tried to deport as many Latino immigrants — legal and illegal — as possible and has threatened Mexico — one of this country’s vital trading partners — with a 25% tariff. He has signed executive orders declaring English the official language of the United States and seeking to bring back penalties against truck drivers who supposedly don’t speak English well enough at a time when immigrants make up about 18% of the troquero force and Latinos are a big chunk of it.

Meanwhile, the economy — the main reason why so many Latinos went for Trump in 2024 in the first place — hasn’t improved since the Biden administration and always seems one Trump speech away from getting even wobblier.

As for Latinos, there are some signs Trump’s early presidency has done him no great favors with them. An April survey by the Pew Research Center — considered the proverbial gold standard when it comes to objectively gauging how Latinos feel about issues — found 27% of them approve of how he’s doing as president, down from 36% back in February.

President Trump gives a thumbs up to the cheering crowd after a Latinos for Trump Coalition roundtable in Phoenix in 2020.

(Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)

Trump was always an imperfect champion of the taco’s winning potential, and not because the fish tacos at his Trump Grill come with French fries (labeled “Idaho” on the menu) and the taco salad currently costs a ghastly $25. He never really understood that a successful taco must appeal to everyone, never shatter or rip apart under pressure and can never take itself seriously like a burrito or a snooty mole.

The president needs to move on from his taco dalliance and pay attention to another four-letter word, one more and more Americans utter after every pendejo move Trump and his flunkies commit:

Help.

Visma-Lease a Bike rider Yates was visibly frustrated after finishing 24 seconds behind Del Toro in seventh.

“The plan was completely different from what we did today, so I will talk about that with the team,” he told Eurosport.

“I will not say anything more about that.”

However, team director Marc Reef said the day went “exactly as we agreed”, and added Carapaz and Del Toro were “just a bit stronger”.

Although Yates, 32, could still overhaul Carapaz and Del Toro, it looks most likely this year will again add to the heartbreak he has experienced in bids to win the Giro.

He led for 13 days in 2018 but cracked in the final week when Chris Froome launched an astonishing comeback to win the race.

After an underwhelming eighth-placed finish in 2019, Yates had to withdraw from the 2020 edition with Covid-19 and then had to recover from a difficult first two weeks to claim third in 2021.

Yates’ twin brother Adam sat up and dropped out of the top 10 overall in order to save himself to help team-mate Del Toro on Saturday.

Ecuador’s Carapaz, the 2019 Giro champion, tried to drop Del Toro on the final climb, but could not shake the 21-year-old, who is bidding to become the youngest winner of the Giro since 1940.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Del Toro, who won stage 17, showed impressive nous to grab the six bonus seconds for second place, with EF Education-EasyPost’s Carapaz, 32, having to settle for four bonus seconds in third.

Pakistan has become the fourth country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul, after China, UAE and Uzbekistan.

Pakistan has announced it will designate an ambassador to Afghanistan, the first since the Taliban re-entered and captured Kabul in 2021, in a move aimed at improving previously strained relations between the neighbouring countries.

In a statement on Friday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have improved since his visit to Kabul in April. “To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its charge d’affaires in Kabul to the level of ambassador,” he said.

Dar’s announcement comes a week after he met his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, alongside their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a trilateral meeting in Beijing.

Dar expressed hope that the decision would strengthen economic cooperation, boost bilateral trade and enhance joint efforts to combat terrorism.

Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025. To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé…

— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) May 30, 2025

Tensions between the two countries have long been strained over Pakistan’s accusations that Kabul provides a haven to the Pakistan Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP and are allies of the Afghan Taliban.

TTP is a separate group and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power four years ago.

There was no immediate comment from Kabul on the latest development. However, Pakistan had earlier signalled that the two sides were considering an upgrade in diplomatic relations.

Another critical dynamic is the presence of Afghan refugees and migrants in Pakistan. Islamabad has ramped up forced mass deportation, with some tens of thousands having crossed the border, in April, back to an uncertain future in Afghanistan, the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported.

Nearly three million Afghans in Pakistan, many who have been there for decades as wars plagued their nation, face deportation after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced in October a three-phase plan to send them back to their home country.

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban currently have embassies in each other’s capitals, but they are led by charges d’affaires, a lower level than an ambassador.

Pakistan has become the fourth country to designate an ambassador to Kabul, after China, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

No country has formally recognised the Taliban administration, with foreign powers saying they will not do so until it changes course on women’s rights.

Diplomats and experts say, however, that having an ambassador officially present their credentials represents a step towards recognition of the Taliban’s government.

Israeli air strikes hit homes in Gaza City on Friday, forcing families to flee through smoke and rubble. The attack came as Hamas is reviewing a new US-backed ceasefire proposal but has said that its current terms would result in “the continuation of killing and famine” in Gaza.

I still remember the goal that made me feel lucky for living in Los Angeles during the era of Carlos Vela.

It was a cool Wednesday night in August 2019, and I was standing in the 200-level section of what is now known as BMO Stadium, trying to process what I had just seen. In the 41st minute of the match against the visiting San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles Football Club winger Diego Rossi fed Vela the ball a few yards outside the opponent’s box. The Mexico-born player effortlessly avoided a sliding tackle from behind, dribbled past a helpless defender and juked the keeper out of position, who fell to the ground, leaving the goal wide open. Another Quakes defender tried desperately to prevent the inevitable, but Vela easily sidestepped him and casually tapped the ball into the back of the net for his second goal of the night, and his 26th of the season.

It was the textbook definition of a golazo.

LAFC would go on to win 4-0, another victory in the team’s historic run to clinch the Supporters’ Shield, the first ever piece of hardware for the expansion team. Vela would finish the 2019 season with 34 goals (a single-season Major League Soccer record that still stands), 15 assists and MVP honors, delivering what many consider to be the single greatest individual performance in a season in league history.

On Tuesday, Vela, 36, announced his retirement from professional soccer. After nearly two decades of playing in four different countries; after representing Mexico at the international level in 72 matches; and after helping LAFC win two Supporters’ Shields and an MLS Cup, Charlie Candle is hanging up his cleats and calling it quits.

“Helping to build LAFC and winning trophies for the club is a highlight of my career,” Vela said via a statement released by the team. “This club means so much to me and my family, and I am proud of everything we have accomplished together with the great fans of Los Angeles.”

LAFC also announced that Vela would remain with the team as a club ambassador.

Learning of Vela’s retirement made me reflect on the feeling of excitement I felt that evening. I remember pulling up the highlight on YouTube and watching it over and over again. He was a wizard on the pitch, making the impossible look so easy and effortless. With each viewing, my admiration gave way to appreciation. I was thankful that the most gifted footballer in Mexican history was playing in my city, and that I could witness his greatness firsthand.

I didn’t always feel this way.

When LAFC announced in 2017, months before its inaugural season, that Vela would be its first star player, I was disappointed. Like most fans of the Mexican men’s national team, I interpreted his decision to leave Spanish club Real Sociedad for a U.S. team with no legacy or history as strictly a business move. Since launching in 1996, MLS has frequently attracted some of the biggest Mexican soccer legends. Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Rafa Marquez, Jorge Campos, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Hermosillo, Hugo Sanchez all played for MLS clubs during the waning years of their careers.

Vela, who was 28 at the time, was still in his prime. His successful multiyear stint in La Liga proved that he could go toe to toe with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I wanted him to stay where he was, or at least move to a bigger European club. I felt that it was his obligation to sharpen his skills against the world’s best so that he could give Mexico a better chance at winning the World Cup, or, at the very least, move past the Round of 16 stage of the tournament. Never mind that Vela had already opted out of playing at the 2014 World Cup because of a strained relationship with the Mexican federation for non-soccer reasons.

Vela was the chosen one. He was a key member of the Mexico squad that won the 2005 FIFA under-17 World Cup (Vela was the tournament’s top goalscorer), and was at one point signed to English Premier League club Arsenal, which saw the young striker/winger as a potential heir to French superstar Thierry Henry.

For many, Vela choosing to play in the U.S. felt like a betrayal, and it further legitimized the accusation that Vela was perfectly fine squandering his talent. The prevailing narrative was that he treated soccer as nothing more than a job. The enigmatic footballer didn’t help his case by telling the press that he would much rather “watch a basketball game than a soccer one.”

My very strong feelings about what Carlos Vela should do with his career and his life didn’t stop me from going to LAFC’s home opener months later. Did I think he was slumming it? Absolutely. But he was still in his prime! And it just so happened that the small pond Vela chose to be a big fish in was a few miles from my house.

As the season progressed, my curiosity turned into casual interest, which quickly morphed into fandom. I even bought merch, a line I told myself I would never cross. Vela single-handedly made someone who had always looked at MLS with suspicion all of a sudden care about what happened in the league. My biggest soccer loves will forever be Club América and Liga MX, but Vela forced me to make some room in my heart for the black and gold.

None of this would have been possible if Vela had mailed it in. In all the times I watched him play, whether in person or on television, I never got the impression that he was going through the motions. He always fought hard for the ball and constantly tried to be the best player on the pitch. It was as if Vela derived pleasure in being a human highlight reel.

Los Angeles FC’s Carlos Vela hoists the trophy alongside teammates after defeating the Philadelphia Union in a penalty-kick shootout to win the MLS Cup soccer match Nov. 5, 2022, in Los Angeles.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

When LAFC finally won the MLS Cup in 2022, defeating the Philadelphia Union in penalties, it was an overjoyed Vela who lifted the trophy. He didn’t look like someone who was just clocking in and out. Vela embraced living in Los Angeles, and Los Angeles immediately embraced him back. I imagine that living in a universe full of stars afforded him some reprieve from the media scrutiny he has been subjected to for two decades. I’m sure it made it easier to love the game.

MLS and LAFC are deeply indebted to Vela. His move to L.A. helped an expansion club become one of the best teams in the league, as well as the most valuable soccer franchise in North America. According to Sportico, a news outlet specializing in the intersection of sports and business, LAFC has a $1.2-billion valuation, making it the 16th most valuable soccer franchise in the world.

“From the beginning, Carlos has been more than just a player — he has been the heartbeat, the captain, and the face of LAFC,” John Thorrington, the team’s co-president and general manager, said via a statement. “Carlos arrived in Los Angeles with a shared vision of building something truly special, and he delivered on that promise in every way. From unforgettable goals to historic victories, Carlos helped make LAFC what it is today.”

Sounds like the club ought to build Vela a statue. They can certainly afford it.

Do I still wish that he had played more for Mexico, or tried to max out his potential in Europe? Absolutely.

But I also can’t begrudge another Mexican for finding his bliss in our fair city. That would make me a hypocrite.

New music we’re vibing to: ‘Gorgeous,’ by Isabella Lovestory

Beginning this week, the Latinx Files will feature a section that highlights new releases that have caught our ear.

In fusing Y2K-era bubblegum with racy reggaetón coqueteo, Honduran singer-producer Isabella Lovestory has successfully captured the femme fatale spirit of the modern Latina baddie. She garnered ample buzz for her neo-perreo fusion in 2020’s “Mariposa,” and continues the momentum in her new single “Gorgeous,” a confidence-boosting track sung in Spanglish. Evoking the slinky pop-adjacent bounce of R&B legends like Aaliyah and Destiny’s Child, “Gorgeous” will appear on Lovestory’s upcoming album “Vanity,” out June 27.

— Suzy Exposito

Comic: Good immigrant, bad immigrant.

Periodically, the newsletter will feature a comic strip from a contributing artist. This week’s offering comes courtesy of Julio Salgado, a queer Mexicano-born artist who grew up in Long Beach, Calif. Through the use of art, Salgado has become a well-known activist within the DREAM Act movement. Salgado uses his art to empower undocumented and queer people by telling their story and putting a human face to the issue.

(Julio Salgado/For De Los)

Stories we read this week that we think you should read

How “Uvalde Mom” director Anayansi Prado captured the heart of a town in trauma

The director of new documentary “Uvalde Mom” spoke with The Times about capturing a Texas community shaken by a mass shooting.

In Vietnam, an unlikely outpost for Chicano culture

An outpost for Chicano culture in Vietnam attracts community — and occasional concerns among older generations inclined to associate tattoos with gangs.

Esai Morales is the bad guy in “Mission Impossible.” He’s embracing it

The Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican actor discusses his villainous role in “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” and speaks on his legacy.

For rising corrido star Óscar Maydon, humility is key

On the heels of his performance at Chicago’s Sueños Festival, the Mexican singer-songwriter talks about his upcoming album, his first headlining U.S. tour and the true meaning of his big hit, “Tu Boda.”

In this Friday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve pulled together the biggest stories of the day from jail horror after a prison officer was reportedly stabbed to airport chaos leaving many Brits distressed

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we’ll be pulling together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Royal teams and more. This Friday, we’re bringing you the biggest stories from the newsroom – from a prison officer who was left with ‘serious injuries’ after reportedly being stabbed to the Tenerife airport chaos which left Brits trapped in sweltering queues.

Meanwhile, our News team has been following the Liverpool parade crash suspect Paul Doyle’s appearance at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today. We’ve also got the latest on Go Compare star Wynne Evans, who has been axed by the BBC following his Strictly Come Dancing scandals.

Horror as ‘prison officer stabbed’ at jail housing notorious inmates

Our News team has reported that a prison officer has been rushed to hospital after he was reportedly stabbed with a flick knife. Emergency services rushed to HMP Long Lartin at around 10 am this morning, following reports that an inmate knifed an officer. It has been reported that the weapon was dropped into the prison via a drone.

A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed the attack and said an investigation is underway. They said: “Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Long Lartin. We will not tolerate assaults on hardworking staff and will always push for the strongest punishments against perpetrators.”

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police added: “We were called to HMP Long Lartin in South Littleton around 10am this morning (Friday, May 30), following a report someone had been assaulted by an inmate. One man was taken to hospital with serious injuries after sustaining a stab wound. The inmate remains within the prison and the investigation is on-going. “

Read the full story here.

Wynne Evans axed by BBC after Strictly scandal

After months of Strictly Come Dancing scandals, Wynne Evans has been axed by the BBC, our Showbiz team reported this afternoon. The Go Compare star revealed that he has not had his contract renewed and will not be back with the BBC for his radio show – and thus has decided to continue to do his radio show away from the BBC.

It comes after the TV personality hit headlines during his time on the dance show, where he was shown grabbing his professional partner Katya’s waist before she pushed his hand away, but he later insisted it was a joke. He then came under fire for using the term ‘spit roast’ to Janette Manrara during a Strictly photocall but he later insisted it was directed at Jamie Borthwick and nothing to do with Janette.

As a result of the comment, he was axed from the Strictly tour – and then a video emerged of him sending a sex toy to his co-star Jamie, which both were heavily criticised for. In an emotional statement, he said: “My beloved Wynners, From the very depths of my heart — thank you. These past few months, your love has been the light in my darkest days. Every message, every word of encouragement, every moment you stood by me has carried me through more than you could ever know.”

“It breaks my heart to say the BBC has decided not to renew my contract so I won’t be returning to my radio show. I’m gutted. That show wasn’t just work — it was home. It was us. We laughed, we cried, we sang like nobody was listening. And somehow, through the airwaves, we became a family.”

Read the full story here.

Brits caught in ‘inhumane’ airport chaos as passengers fight and vomit in crush

Our Travel team has been following the latest updates on the Tenerife South Airport chaos, after British travellers found themselves trapped in two-hour queues and “inhuman” conditions at the start of the school holidays. Last Monday night, more than 500 people found themselves packed into a waiting area at the Canary Islands travel hub.

They waited for hours to pass through the security as a bottleneck formed by two checkpoints, each staffed by two National Police officers. Top Spanish officials will now hold an urgent meeting after the tourists faced “inhuman” conditions at the start of the school holidays.

Many were held on a sweltering plane for 45 minutes, only to disembark and find broken escalators and lengthy queues for passport checks. Becks Gravil was one of those swept up in the chaos. It took her family two hours to leave the airport after landing at 8.30pm. “Never in my life have I ever seen it this bad,” she explained.

“There was fighting, people being sick, people fainting – all crammed in like sardines. What should have been an hour from landing to Adeje turned into four hours. What a day!”

Read the full story here.

Paul Doyle LIVE: Liverpool parade suspect in court

Our News team has been working around the clock to cover Liverpool parade crash suspect Paul Doyle’s appearance at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court this morning. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the 53-year-old is accused of two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of causing unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He is also accused of two counts of attempted unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of dangerous driving. Doyle shook his head in the dock as the prosecutor told the judge he drove “deliberately at the crowd” and “used his vehicle as a weapon”.

Police previously said 79 people were injured when a car drove into supporters on Water Street at around 6pm on Monday, with seven people still in hospital when Merseyside Police revealed his charges yesterday. Doyle will appear at court again on August 14 for plea and trial preparation hearing.

Read the full story here.

Prince Harry ‘so disappointed’ by Diana sisters’ blunt take on Meghan

There’s never a quiet day for Prince Harry, and it has emerged that the Duke of Sussex “was so disappointed” when he introduced Meghan Markle to Princess Diana’s two sisters, our Royal team reported. Harry had hoped Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes would have similarities to his mother, who died when Harry was just 12.

However, although Harry believed Diana would have been “over the moon” about his relationship with Meghan, he was upset with her sisters’ reaction. They reportedly did not see the same character traits in the two women and Harry, 40, suffered a further blow as Lady McCorquodale and Lady Fellowes “thought Meghan would not fit in with the Royal Family.”

Regardless, Harry married his partner soon after in 2018 and has gone onto have two children with the former actress. The insights have come about in the book Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors, written by royal biographer Tom Bower. He penned: “Harry assumed that Diana’s family and friends would see a similarity between Diana and his fiancée. Both, he said, shared the same problems. He was so disappointed.”

Read the full story here.

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Major League Baseball has been trying for years to increase the number of Black players participating in the sport, creating such programs as the Compton Youth Academy and the DREAM Series. There were 59 Black players on opening day MLB rosters, a slight increase from the previous year but far from the numbers in the 1980s.

St. John Bosco’s baseball team, which plays for a Southern Section Division 1 championship on Friday against Santa Margarita at Cal State Fullerton, offers hope for the future with five Black players in the starting lineup.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” center fielder Miles Clark said.

The sports of football and basketball have been taking away Black athletes, but St. John Bosco’s group of Clark, his twin brother James, Noah Everly, Jaden Jackson and Macade Maxwell have embraced baseball and put themselves in position to pursue college baseball and beyond.

Each player offers speed and athleticism. Maxwell had an RBI single in the semifinals against Seth Hernandez of Corona. James Clark and Everly lead the team in hitting at .394 and .347, respectively. St. John Bosco won its first Trinity League title since 2017 and is 24-5. …

Santa Margarita is much improved after getting players back from injuries, so ignore the fact it has 12 losses. Carter Enoch came back to add hitting to the Eagles’ lineup and Brennan Bauer has been the winning pitcher in all four playoff games. Seventeen seniors are graduating at 10 a.m. at the Honda Center.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

May 30 (UPI) — Nearly 100 million Mexicans are set to take part in an unprecedented election on June 1 that will reshape the country’s judiciary.

Voters will elect 881 judicial officials, including Supreme Court justices, electoral magistrates, district judges and circuit court magistrates, under a sweeping reform originally pushed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and backed by current President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Initially presented in 2014 as a step toward democratizing justice and combating corruption, the reform has drawn mounting criticism from legal experts, academics and civil society organizations. Many warn it could erode judicial independence, increase political interference, and weaken the rule of law.

An analysis by Stanford Law School’s Rule of Law Impact Lab and the Mexican Bar Association warns that electing judges by popular vote compromises their independence and impartiality by aligning judicial decisions with public opinion rather than strictly with the law.

It also highlights the risk that judicial rulings will be influenced by judicial election campaign donors.

Academics, legal experts and civil society organizations have raised concerns about the complexity of the electoral process, highlighting several key issues.

First, the proposed reform has been criticized for a lack of clear criteria to assess candidates’ qualifications.

Candidates are only required to hold a law degree, have at least five years of professional experience, no criminal record, and a good reputation. Candidates are also asked to submit a legal essay and letters of recommendation.

Studies show that the selected candidates have, on average, 20 fewer years of experience than the judges they are replacing under the reform. Many of the candidates also come from outside the judiciary and lack the training and background needed to carry out judicial duties effectively.

Second, voters in Mexico have received limited information despite the complexity of the process, which includes six ballots and more than 7,000 candidates competing for 2,600 local and federal judicial seats.

The Judicial Electoral Observatory, or OEJ, has warned that voters are not receiving adequate information, compromising electoral fairness. One factor is that the National Electoral Institute, or INE, received 52% less funding than it requested, limiting its ability to provide outreach and education.

The OEJ also criticized the ballot design and inconsistent selection standards across the evaluation committees, saying these issues undermine the legitimacy of the process and make it difficult for voters to make informed choices.

Third, the judicial reform has raised serious concerns about the influence of political actors and power groups in the process. The complexity of the changes and the short, eight-month timeline to organize the election may have created openings for political parties to assert control in parts of the country.

Organizations including México Evalúa, the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics, or CIDE, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM, have warned that the system could allow political, economic or criminal interests to infiltrate the judiciary, especially in regions where organized crime is strong.

Many of the candidates have ties to the ruling party, said Luis F. Fernández, executive director of Practica: Laboratorio para la Democracia, in an interview with CNN en Español.

“We’ve identified others linked to the country’s 10 wealthiest businessmen, and more than 15 candidates connected to drug trafficking,” he said.

The popular election of judges is rare internationally and, where it exists, is usually limited to local or mid-level courts.

In most democratic countries, judges are appointed by technical committees, the judiciary or the executive branch with legislative approval. The goal is to preserve judicial independence and prevent politicization.

Mexico’s proposed model — a direct, large-scale, nationwide election of judges at all levels, including the Supreme Court — is unprecedented.

From the beginning, the reforms were controversial. Thousands of court workers went on strike to protest the constitutional amendment. Some protesters even stormed the Senate building.

Critics accused the Morena party of seeking to strengthen its grip on power by electing sympathetic judges. Already, the party holds majorities in both chambers of Congress, as well as the presidency.

Opponents also feared the elections would lead to unqualified candidates taking office.

Under the new regulations, candidates must have a law degree, experience in legal affairs, no criminal record and letters of recommendation.

Candidates also had to pass evaluation committees, comprised of representatives from the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.

And yet, some of the final candidates have nevertheless raised eyebrows. One was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine. Another is implicated in a murder investigation. Still more have been accused of sexual misconduct.

Arias suspects that some candidates slipped through the screening process due to the limited resources available to organise the election.

She noted that the National Election Institute had less than 10 months to arrange the elections, since the reforms were only passed in September.

“The timing is very rushed,” she said.

One of the most controversial hopefuls in Sunday’s election is Silvia Delgado, a lawyer who once defended the cofounder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman.

She is now campaigning to be a judge in Ciudad Juarez, in the border state of Chihuahua.

Despite her high-profile client, Delgado told Al Jazeera that the scrutiny over her candidacy is misplaced: She maintains she was only doing her job as a lawyer.

“Having represented this or that person does not make you part of a criminal group,” she said.

Rather, she argues that it is Mexico’s incumbent judges who deserve to be under the microscope. She claimed many of them won their positions through personal connections.

“They got in through a recommendation or through a family member who got them into the judiciary,” she said.

President Sheinbaum has likewise framed the elections as part of the battle against nepotism and self-dealing in the judicial system.

“This is about fighting corruption,” Sheinbaum said in one of her morning news briefings. “This is the defence of the Mexican people for justice, for honesty, for integrity.”

Rumours have been swirling that the YouTube star may replace dancer Bruno after making a great impression on his first series

Guest judge KSI makes a return to tomorrow night’s Britain’s Got Talent amid rumours ITV are eyeing him up as a permanent fixture. He took a seat on the talent show panel for the first time this series, standing in for Bruno Tonioli when he was working in the US.

Not that Bruno feels threatened. He says he’s a huge fan of the YouTube star. “Well we’re both young, attractive, multi-talented stars, known the world over!” teased Bruno 69. “Joking aside, I think KSI is fantastic. I met him for the first time at the BGT auditions in Blackpool and he was such a delight.

READ MORE: Simon Cowell’s fiancée reveals BGT star Bruno Tonioli ‘like a godfather’ to son Eric

“He’s a real charming man, full of energy. We attended the Brits together too which was a fabulous evening!”

Tomorrow night Bruno will take his seat alongside KSI for the first time, as well as judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.

The former Strictly Come Dancing favourite says show boss Simon, 65, has been keeping him on his toes all series.

“Simon is a very mischievous man,” says Bruno. “He always has been. When he has that glint in his eye, you know he’s about to be very cheeky. I think it’s partly this quality that makes him so watchable.

“It’s particularly exciting when the show is live – no one know what’s going to happen next and Simon loves that unpredictability – we all do!

“I have it easy when it comes to being wound up by Simon as I sit on the other end of the judges’ desk, it’s Amanda (Holden) I feel sorry for as she bears the brunt of his naughtiness the most. But she’s been sat next to him for so many years and she knows exactly how to handle him. She’s a pro!”

Bruno says he’s in awe of his glamourous sidekicks. He also loves to compete with their risque outfits.

“That woman (Amanda) is a vision, as is Alesha,” Bruno enthuses. “Amanda and I share the same love of clothes and we both dare to bare. I’ll be baring it for as long as I’ve got it, darling. Well into my 70’s.

“The public always look forward to seeing what the girls are wearing, and they never disappoint. Sometimes I might look at Amanda’s outfit backstage and if her decolletage is deeper than mine, I’ll undo another button on my shirt!”

Watch the BGT final tonight on ITV from 7pm.

Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Obeid hospital suffers severe damage in paramilitary assault, worsening health crisis in Sudan’s civil war.

At least six people have been killed in a suspected drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a hospital in southern Sudan, the latest civilian facility targeted in the brutal civil war, officials and rights advocates have said.

The Emergency Lawyers, a rights group, blamed the RSF for the attack on Friday on the Obeid International Hospital, al-Dhaman, in Obeid, the capital city of North Kordofan province. At least 15 others were wounded in the attack, it said.

In a statement on social media, the hospital said the attack resulted in severe damage to its main building. Services at the hospital, the main medical facility serving the region, were suspended until further notice, it said.

A Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) source told the AFP news agency that the bombardment also hit a second hospital in the city centre.

The city is a key staging post on the army’s supply route to the west, where the besieged city of el-Fasher is the only state capital in the vast Darfur region still under the army-led government’s control.

El-Fasher has witnessed attritional fighting between SAF and RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings about the risks of violence in a city that serves as a key humanitarian hub for the five Darfur states.

Cholera outbreak

Adding to humanitarian woes on the ground, the Health Ministry in Khartoum state on Thursday reported 942 new cholera infections and 25 deaths the previous day, following 1,177 cases and 45 deaths the day before.

Aid workers say the effort to control the cholera outbreak is deteriorating due to the near-total collapse of health services, with about 90 percent of hospitals in key warzones no longer operational.

Since August 2024, Sudan has reported more than 65,000 suspected cholera cases and at least 1,700 deaths across 12 of its 18 states. Khartoum alone has seen 7,700 cases and 185 deaths, including more than 1,000 infections in children under five, as it contends with more than two years of fighting between the army and the RSF.

“Sudan urgently needs an increase in aid to help combat the cholera outbreak, hundreds of cases per day, which has even exceeded the more than 1000 cases per day,” Jean-Nicolas Armstrong Dangelser, Doctors Without Borders’s, known by its French initials MSF, emergency coordinator in Sudan, told Al Jazeera.

“This is only the tip of the iceberg, because nobody has the full picture at the moment, unfortunately,” Dangelser said.

Fighting in the al-Salha district, south of Ondurman, where there was a pocket of people sick with cholera, “greatly contributed” to the spread of the disease, said Dangelser. The army said on May 19 it had seized control of the al-Salha district, considered the last stronghold of the RSF in Khartoum State.

“Now it’s not just the returnees to Khartoum that are exacerbating the situation because of the devastated water system and the lack of healthcare, but it’s also now spreading to Darfur, where people have been displaced by fighting,” Dangelser added.

Violence and death follow Sudanese fleeing the war beyond their country’s borders. On Friday, 11 Sudanese refugees and a Libyan driver were killed in a car crash in the desert in Libya, according to local authorities.

Since fighting between the RSF and SAF broke out in April 2023, the UN has said 11 million people have been forced out of their homes, including 250,000 who have escaped into neighbouring Libya.

Tens of thousands have been killed in the civil war.

A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028.

The group, known as the L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress, is hoping to persuade voters to repeal the ordinance. But first, the alliance would need to gather about 93,000 signatures within 30 days to qualify the measure for the ballot in an upcoming election.

Phil Singer, a spokesperson for the alliance, said the wage increase “threatens revenue Los Angeles urgently needs” — and its standing as the host of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Small businesses will be forced to shut down, workers will lose their jobs, and the economic fallout will stretch across the city,” Singer said in an email. “We’re fighting for all of it: the city’s future, the jobs that sustain our communities, and the millions of guests the tourism industry proudly serves year after year.”

The new ballot measure campaign comes just two days after Mayor Karen Bass signed the minimum wage legislation into law.

The wage ordinance has been hotly opposed by an array of L.A. business organizations, which argue that it increases wages in the tourism industry too much and too quickly. However, it was welcomed by unions representing hotel and airport employees, which have supported many of the politicians who backed the measure.

The alliance’s campaign committee has received major funding from Delta Airlines, United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., Singer said. The group’s petition, submitted to the city clerk’s office, was signed by five businesspeople, including Greg Plummer, operator of an LAX concession company; Mark Beccaria, a partner with the Hotel Angeleno on L.A.’s Westside; and Alec Mesropian, advocacy manager with the organization known as BizFed.

The alliance is targeting a law that’s slated to push the hourly minimum wage to $22.50 on July 1 for housekeepers, parking attendants and hotel restaurant workers, as well as LAX skycaps, baggage handlers and concession employees. The wage would jump to $25 in 2026 and $27.50 in 2027.

The wage increase was spearheaded by Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and restaurant worker union, and by Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West, which represents private-sector airport workers.

Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, called the business group’s proposal “shameful” and promised his union’s members would go “toe to toe out on the streets” with the alliance’s signature gatherers.

“The hotel industry’s greed is limitless,” Petersen said. “They would rather spend millions getting them to sign this petition than pay their workers enough to live in Los Angeles. It’s shameful, but we’re confident that Angelenos will see through their deceptions and stand with workers.”

Under the city’s laws, hotel and airport workers have minimum wages that are higher than those who are employed by other industries.

The hotel minimum wage, approved by the council in 2014, is currently $20.32 per hour. The minimum wage for private-sector employees at LAX is $25.23 per hour, which includes a $5.95 hourly healthcare payment.

For nearly everyone else in L.A., the hourly minimum wage is $17.28, 78 cents higher than the state’s. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

Backers of the airport and hotel minimum wage hikes say they will help some of the region’s lowest paid workers cover the rising cost of rent and food, while also giving them more disposable income to spend locally, delivering a boost to the region’s economy.

Detractors say it will undermine efforts by L.A.’s tourism industry to recover from the decline in business that was sparked by the outbreak of COVID-19 five years ago. They contend the ordinance will lead to layoffs, while also chilling development of new hotels.

The ordinance also requires airport and hotel businesses to provide an hourly healthcare payment — on top of the minimum wage — that starts at $7.65 in July and is expected to go up each year. (Hotels will be exempted from that requirement until 2026.)

Once the healthcare requirement is included, some businesses will be required to pay their workers an additional 60% over a three-year period, opponents of the wage increase say.

Great Britain’s Luke Whitehouse won floor gold for the third-straight year at the European Gymnastics Championships, Leipzig.

The 22-year-old scored 14.500 to finish ahead of teammate Harry Hepworth, who claimed his first individual European medal with a score of 14.366.

Italy’s Lorenzo Casali finished third.

“It is unbelievable,” Whitehouse told BBC Sport. “I am lost for words. I knew it was possible, but to come out and do it, I couldn’t be prouder.”

It is Whitehouse and Hepworth’s second medal of the competition after winning team gold on Monday.

Hepworth, 21, will compete again in the rings final later on Friday and the vault final on Saturday.