coming

Renee Roebuck, from Rotherham, loves Benidorm in Alicante, Spain so much that she visits three times a year and saves all her money for her regular, blow-out trips

A Benidorm-obsessed nan who has been to the British tourist hotspot over 100 times has explained what keeps her coming back for more.

Renee Roebuck just loves Benidorm. She has visited the Spanish holiday location for the past 31 years and says other destinations simply don’t compare. While many travelers come for the sunny weather, beautiful beaches, and historic Old Town, there’s another very special reason why this 81-year-old loves Benidorm: Tribute bands.

Happily, the Alicante settlement is crawling with them. Renee spends her days decked out in merch watching a different cover band or singer every night. Sometimes even joins artists on stage for a boogie. The nan isn’t the only holiday-goer who loves a good show.

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New research from TUI shows that nearly nine in 10 Brits enjoy watching tribute acts while on holiday. And 68% of survey participants dub it one of their favourite forms of entertainment during a trip abroad – with tribute acts beating out alternatives like karaoke (43%) and nightclubs (37%).

Renee visits the sunny spot alongside her husband Alan and occasionally her children and grandchildren. The full family often spends two weeks in Benidorm over Christmas. “Benidorm is my happy place,” said Renee, a former fruit market worker, from Rotherham.

“Ever since my first trip, I’ve never looked back. I go with my family four to five times a year, and I can’t get enough of the lifestyle there. I don’t go out much in England, so I can save money to go to Benidorm more often. If I had my way, I’d never come home.

“My favourite thing to do is to watch a tribute act – I see a different one every night when I’m on holiday.”

After a cancer diagnosis at the age of 60, Renee was forced to have two-thirds of her stomach removed. Ever since, the nan has been determined to live life to the max.

For her, this involves lounging in the sun and listening to classic tunes performed by local tribute artists – especially Bob Marley and Take That. But Renee and Alan both love the variety of bands that Benidorm has to offer.

Renee’s granddaughter, Lauren Chant, works as a Travel Advisor at TUI’s Sheffield Superstore and books her nan’s holidays, which often become trips for the whole family.

Renee said: “I like to stay in a nice area just outside of the hustle and bustle, and always book with TUI as they book tribute acts to come and perform at the hotel. When I have stayed at apartments, I’ve ended up walking to the hotels or bars to be able to see the entertainment.

“I go to Benidorm so often that the performers even remember me now – they’ll bring me up on stage and chat after the shows. It’s different to going to see a big band or famous singer as, with tributes, you’re able to get to know them properly – and they’re all ever so good at what they do.

“They engage with the audience more and you get a real feel for their personalities.”

When it comes to booking a holiday, almost a quarter of Brits (24%) admit that the entertainment on offer in a holiday destination or hotel is a deciding factor.

Tribute acts in particular appear to be a priority for holidaymakers – with 85% of survey participants attending at least a couple of acts during a week’s vacation. Despite her many visits, Renee hasn’t tired of the holiday spot.

She added: “Benidorm really does have it all. You can find busy or quiet places, a lovely beach, and you’ll never get bored there – there’s plenty to do, especially if you love the tributes. I’m able to really make the most out of life when I’m there, and I’m always up dancing.

“It’s just brilliant. I’ll keep going every year, as many times as I can, for the rest of my life.”

The reversal has been stark. Last year alone, more than 302,200 people attempted to travel northwards from South America, according to the United Nations.

However, as President Donald Trump makes asylum all but impossible to obtain in the US, migration northwards has slowed to a trickle.

The Darien Gap — a sliver of untamed forest and steep terrain — used to be the main artery connecting South America to the north. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people would struggle to cross the land bridge on their way to the US.

But not any more. The United Nations notes that, between January and March of this year, only 2,831 people made the dangerous trek. That marks a 98-percent drop compared with the same period in 2024.

Yagua Parra made that journey himself, in his efforts to reach the US. The International Organization for Migration has called the path north to the US the world’s deadliest land route for migration.

“The road was tough. Many things happened — kidnappings, everything,” Yagua Parra said, tattoos freckling his young features. “People are hungry there. It’s hard. Ugly things happen.”

When he reached the southern US border, though, he found himself one of the thousands unable to cross.

Upon taking office for a second term in January, President Trump cancelled the CBP One app, the online portal used to schedule asylum appointments.

Anyone who crossed the border without documents was also barred from claiming asylum protections.

Meanwhile, the US increased the military presence on the border, further driving down crossings.

The Trump administration touted those measures as contributing to “historic lows” for border apprehensions. But the migrants unable to cross found themselves stuck in Mexico, stranded in a border region beset by trafficking and exploitation.

COOL Britannia is back – and that’s official. 

High society bible Tatler is among those making the declaration on its new edition, which features the offspring of Nineties music legends Liam Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft. 

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Heralding the rebirth of the Britpop-era movement, the magazine pictures Molly Moorish-Gallagher and musician Sonny Ashcroft proudly standing in front of a giant Union Jack. 

Anyone over the age of 40 is likely to spot the obvious homage being paid to a similar front cover published by Vanity Fair in 1997. 

That iconic picture saw Oasis singer Liam sharing a bed with his then girlfriend, actress Patsy Kensit. 

The couple married a few months later when Oasis were arguably the biggest music stars of the decade. 

And it is no coincidence the new magazine cover comes just days before the Oasis reunion tour, which will have Richard Ashcroft as the support act. 

But Tatler did not go for another “power couple”, like Liam and Patsy were, and instead took the nepo baby route. 

But as the new faces of Cool Britannia take centre stage, it’s less champagne supernova, more alcohol-free explosion.

Tatler

However, editors still think the duo are living proof of a second coming.

The mag claims: “Ahead of the Oasis reunion, Liam’s daughter Molly Moorish-Gallagher and The Verve scion Sonny Ashcroft are leading the Britpop revival. 

“They’re the next generation of Britpop: Molly Moorish-Gallagher and Sonny Ashcroft are gracing the cover of Tatler as their fathers, Liam Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft, prepare for an earth-shattering Oasis reunion. 

“But as the new faces of Cool Britannia take centre stage, it’s less champagne supernova, more alcohol-free explosion.” 

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The piece continues: “She is the daughter of Lisa Moorish and Liam Gallagher; he is the eldest son of Richard Ashcroft and Kate Radley. 

“Together, they are the new faces of the (Br)it crowd. 

“But what do the pair make of Cool Britannia 2.0?” 

It turns out that neither of the nepo babies shares their parents’ hellraising ways, and the revival will not be based around downing pints of lager or being “chained to the mirror and the razor blade”, as Oasis once sang. 

Sonny proudly tells the magazine he’s not one for a night out.

He said: “I’m very much a night-in person.

Seeing friends, some good food and drinks and playing games of some kind.

Molly Moorish-Gallagher, Liam’s daugher

“A nice meal with friends and then gathering over some sort of board game or film at home.” 

While Molly says her idea of a wild night is: “Seeing friends, some good food and drinks and playing games of some kind.” 

But if the Cool Britannia nepo kids aren’t keeping the Nineties hedonistic vibe going, it seems Gen Z-ers are keeping the momentum going through fashion. 

Love Island host Maya Jama recently recreated Liz Hurley’s famous Versace safety pin dress that she wore to the Four Weddings And A Funeral premiere in 1994. 

Singers Dua Lipa and Lola Young have been inspired by other huge names of the Nineties in their fashion choices. 

And Liam’s son Lennon was pretty much an identikit copy of his dad when he attended a Burberry pub takeover last week. 

A new study has also revealed that youngsters are now huge fans of some of the decade’s greatest hairstyles, including The Rachel from Friends, the floppy hair of actor Johnny Depp and Victoria Beckham’s Posh bob. 

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The study, commissioned by Funkin Cocktails, also found a fondness for Doc Marten boots and baggy jeans, famously sported by the likes of Mark Wahlberg when he was rapper Marky Mark. 

Ashley Birch-Ruffell, from Funkin Cocktails, said: “Nineties fashion is very on trend, and it’s fun to see what our official favourite styles are. 

“There are clearly many iconic hairstyles and memorable moments from this decade that live on in the public consciousness. 

“It seems clear that Nineties trends aren’t going anywhere anytime soon — and why would we want them to?” 

“It’s clear that the whole culture of the Nineties is still considered unapologetically iconic.” 

Gen Z can’t match our hellraising era 

IT was a sensational whirl of bucket hats, Union Jacks, lads’ mags, boozy bands and more than a whiff of the old marching powder, writes Rod McPhee.

The late Nineties were a hellraising golden age not seen since the Swinging Sixties. 

But despite being due another period of partying, I’m sorry to say we’ll never quite be able to match the magic of the original Cool Britannia. 

Trust me, I was there, I did it. I got the T-shirt – and the dodgy Liam Gallagher shaggy haircut

What’s more, I loved it all. From music to fashion, and movies to models, the run-up to the year 2000 was the perfect blend of sex and, yes, drugs, plus lashings of rock ’n’ roll. 

Of course, it’s great to get a taste of the good old days when Oasis stage their comeback tour next week, plus there’s the prospect of the Spice Girls doing a similar celebratory event next year. 

But nothing can once again live up to a period in modern pop culture history which I believe was genuinely unique. Maybe I’m looking back at the past through rose-tinted glasses. 

But no pop groups, artists, catwalk stars or actors these days come close to the tearaway Primrose Hill crowd that kept us entertained and shocked three decades ago. 

That said, no one would love reliving some of the brilliance of the Nineties more than me. 

So let’s make the most of summer 2025. 

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.

Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, resigned from their positions on the Democratic National Committee. This could be great news.

I don’t really know, because the actual reasons remain murky.

“While I am proud to be a Democrat,” Weingarten told DNC Chair Ken Martin in her resignation letter, “I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities.”

Color me skeptical this is the real reason. I doubt Martin’s stated policy is to shrink the Democratic tent or refrain from engaging with “more and more of our communities” — whatever that means. Much of the reporting on the resignations revolves around old-fashioned Democratic disarray and internal power struggles. Weingarten and Saunders had supported Martin’s opponent in the recent election of a new DNC chair. That may be all there is to it, which would be a shame.

That’s because the Democratic Party is a mess. Don’t get me wrong, so is the Republican Party, but for different reasons. The GOP is also in charge, controlling the White House and both branches of Congress. Moreover, for all the problems the Republican Party has, it has the wind at its back and remains more popular than the Democrats. In 2024, it made impressive strides with many core Democratic demographic constituencies, including Black, Latino and young voters.

The GOP has a story to tell voters. You may not like the story. You may think it’s not actually following through on the vision it’s selling, but Republicans know how to articulate what they’re for. Democrats not so much.

Historically, the Democratic Party is the party of government. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “It is the purpose of government to see that not only the legitimate interests of the few are protected but that the welfare and rights of the many are conserved.”

The Democratic Party has gotten itself into a mess because it has evolved — or devolved — into a party fairly perceived as more concerned with the interests of the few and less concerned with the welfare and rights of the many. That was the underlying message of that ad the Trump campaign played more than any other (30,000 times!). It showed a clip of Kamala Harris explaining her support for government-funded sex-change surgeries for illegal immigrants. It closed with: “She’s for they/them. He’s for you.” The anti-transgender message was obvious (and broadly popular), but the subtext was more important: Harris is for niche issues that excite activists while Trump is for the meat-and-potatoes concerns of the common American.

Few groups represent the Democrats’ broader problem better than groups such as Weingarten’s AFT (teachers unions typically make up about 1 in 10 of the delegates at Democratic conventions). During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Weingarten consistently put the needs of union members over the general welfare, while insisting she was putting children first. She opposed reopening schools long after it was remotely necessary to operate remotely and successfully badgered Joe Biden to violate his pledge to reopen them quickly.

AFT and other public-sector unions, such as AFSCME, are an ATM for the Democratic Party. And the Democratic Party is responsive to donors. For instance, one of the first things President Biden did when he took office was issue an executive order repealing a Trump administration policy that restricted government employees from spending more than 25% of their time doing union business while on the job. He put the number back up to 100%.

There’s a reason FDR disliked the idea of unionizing government employees. The government shouldn’t be captured by special interests that use state power to further their ends over the general welfare. Democrats instinctively understand this when it comes to corporate interests but seem blind to it for members of their own coalition. Biden’s effort to lawlessly cancel student debt wasn’t just terrible policy; it also sent the signal that the party put the interests of the few above the many.

As a conservative, I don’t typically root for the Democratic Party. But I’ve come to realize that our system depends on two healthy, sane parties competing over best policies. When one party goes off the rails, it gives permission for the other party to do likewise. If the departure of Weingarten and Saunders is a sign the party is coming to realize that, that’s good news indeed.

@JonahDispatch

LONDON — The world may be rethinking the American dream.

For centuries, people in other countries saw the United States as place of welcome and opportunity. Now, President Trump’s drive for mass deportations of migrants is riling the streets of Los Angeles, college campuses, even churches — and fueling a global rethinking about the virtues and promise of coming to America.

“The message coming from Washington is that you are not welcome in the United States,” said Edwin van Rest, CEO of Studyportals, which tracks real-time searches by international students considering studying in other countries. Student interest in studying in America has dropped to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, it found. ”The fact is, there are great opportunities elsewhere.”

There has long been a romanticized notion about immigration and America. The reality has always been different, with race and ethnicity playing undeniable roles in the tension over who can be an American. The U.S. still beckons to the “huddled masses” from the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The strong economy has helped draw millions more every year, with the inflow driving the U.S. population over 340 million.

Early clues across industries — like tourism, trade, entertainment and education — suggest the American dream is fading for foreigners who have historically flooded to the U.S.

Polling by Pew Research Center from January through April found that opinions of the U.S. have worsened over the past year in 15 of the 24 countries it surveyed.

Trump and many of his supporters maintain that migrants in the country illegally threaten American safety, jobs and culture. But people in the country legally also have been caught in Trump’s dragnet. And that makes prospective visitors to the U.S., even as tourists, leery.

Trump’s global tariff war and his campaign against international students who have expressed pro-Palestinian sympathies stick especially stubbornly in the minds of people across American borders who for decades clamored to participate in the land of free speech and opportunity.

“The chances of something truly horrific happening are almost certainly tiny,” Duncan Greaves, 62, of Queensland, Australia, advised a Reddit user asking whether to risk a vacation to the land of barbeques, big sky country and July 4 fireworks. “Basically it’s like the Dirty Harry quote: ‘Do you feel lucky?’”

Trump has married two immigrants

For much of its history, America had encouraged immigration as the country sought intellectual and economic fuel to spur its growth.

But from the beginning, the United States has wrestled with the question of who is allowed to be an American. The new country was built on land brutally swiped from Native Americans. It was later populated by millions of enslaved Africans.

The American Civil War ignited in part over the same subject. The federal Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for a decade. During World War II, the U.S. government incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese descent in 10 concentration camps. About two-thirds were U.S. citizens.

Still, the United States has always been a nation of immigrants, steered by the “American Creed” developed by Thomas Jefferson, which posits that the tenets of equality, hard work and freedom are inherently American.

Everyone, after all, comes from somewhere — a fact underscored on-camera in the Oval Office this month when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave the president the framed birth certificate of Trump’s grandfather, also named Friedrich, who emigrated from Germany in 1885. He was one of millions of Germans who fled war and economic strife to move to the United States in the late 19th Century.

There’s a story there, too, that suggests the Trump family knows both the triumphs of immigration and the struggle and shame of being expelled.

After marrying and making a fortune in America, the elder Trump attained U.S. citizenship and tried return to Germany. He was expelled for failing to complete his military service — and wrote about the experience.

“Why should we be deported? This is very, very hard for a family,” Friedrich Trump wrote to Luitpold, prince regent of Bavaria in 1905, according to a translation in Harper’s magazine. “What will our fellow citizens think if honest subjects are faced with such a decree — not to mention the great material losses it would incur.”

Trump himself has married two immigrant women: the late Ivana Zelníčková Trump, of what’s now the Czech Republic, and his current wife, Melania Knauss Trump of Slovenia.

Coming to America

It’s hard to overstate the degree to which immigration has changed the face and culture of America — and divided it.

Immigration in 2024 drove U.S. population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said in December. Almost 2.8 million more people immigrated to the United States last year than in 2023, partly because of a new method of counting that adds people who were admitted for humanitarian reasons. Net international migration accounted for 84% of the nation’s 3.3 million-person increase in the most recent data reported.

Immigration accounted for all of the growth in 16 states that otherwise would have lost population, according to the Brookings Institution.

But where some Americans see immigration largely as an influx of workers and brain power, Trump sees an “invasion,” a longstanding view.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has initiated an far-reaching campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him over his invocation of special powers to deport people, cancel visas and deposit deportees in third countries.

In his second term, unlike his first, he’s not retreating from some unpopular positions on immigration. Instead, the subject has emerged as Trump’s strongest issue in public polling, reflecting both his grip on the Republican base and a broader shift in public sentiment.

A June survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade. The poll was conducted at the beginning of the Los Angeles protests and did not include questions about Trump’s military deployment to the city.

‘Shaken their confidence’

The U.S. is still viewed as an economic powerhouse, though people in more countries consider China to be the world’s top economy, according to the Pew poll, and it’s unclear whether Trump’s policies could cause a meaningful drain of international students and others who feel under siege in the United States.

Netherlands-based Studyportals, which analyzes the searches for international schools by millions of students worldwide, reported that weekly pageviews for degrees in the U.S, collapsed by half between Jan. 5 and the end of April. It predicted that if the trend continues, the demand for programs in the U.S. could plummet further, with U.S. programs losing ground to countries like the United Kingdom and Australia.

“International students and their families seek predictability and security when choosing which country to trust with their future,” said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, which represents international educators. “The U.S. government’s recent actions have naturally shaken their confidence in the United States.”

Kellman writes for the Associated Press.

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“Spaceballs 2” is incoming, director Mel Brooks confirmed Thursday on social media, 38 years after the original “Spaceballs” crashed onto the space-opera scene.

Hey, what’s a few decades between friends, amirite?

Given that three-quarters of the current moviegoing audience was not even born 38 years ago, a person might wonder why they should care about a “Spaceballs” sequel. Well! We. Have. Answers.

‘Spaceballs 2’ will have a director

The sequel will have a director and that director is not Brooks, perhaps because Brooks is 98 years old. Plus the jokester hasn’t directed a movie since 1995’s “Dracula: Dead and Loving It.” But Brooks was, indeed, the auteur behind “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” so he might make it in Hollywood someday. Tell the folks at CAA: “Spaceballs 2” could be the boost his resume needs.

The news so far, according to Variety, is this: Brooks will be back as Yogurt — just plain Yogurt — and Josh Gad will star. Perhaps he’ll star as Outerspace Olaf, a mercenary snowman who likes warm hugs and thinks a space princess is a person worth melting for. Gad, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez are writing the script, and Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Starr Go to Vista Del Mar”) will direct.

Everybody loves Bill Pullman

Please don’t argue. It’s a known fact that Everybody loves Bill Pullman.

The “Spaceballs 2” team loves Bill Pullman so much that, according to Variety, in addition to inviting him to reprise his character from the original comedy, they have also cast his son Lewis Pullman in a role to be named later. Let’s hope the elder Pullman’s Lone Starr has eased into retirement and Pullman the Younger gets to play a younger version of the Luke Skywalker-scented hero.

‘Spaceballs’ was good, but not that good

Exactly! There’s still room to improve!

“‘Spaceballs’ might have been much funnier and more inventive on a much smaller budget,” The Times said in its 1987 review of the movie. “Occasionally the expense pays off, as in the wonderful opening shot of an insanely elaborate starship that sweeps over us against inky infinity, going on and on … and on and on! But sometimes the elaborate jokes just clang and clunk, as when Lone Starr jams the Spaceballs radar with real jam — and no peanut butter.”

That sounds like an argument for half the budget, double the jokes and a variety of Uncrustables at the craft services table.

‘Spaceballs 2’ is slated for release in 2027

The year 2027 is so close, yet sounds so far, far away. It also will mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the original “Star Wars” movie, which was once known simply as “Star Wars,” not “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.”

As the glorious celebrations of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Obi-Wan and the gang ring out in Hollywood in 2027, “Spaceballs 2” should land next to them with a resounding fart. A resounding fart joke, at least. Maybe two.

Jar Jar Binks didn’t exist in 1987

Sure, Rick Moranis will be back for “Spaceballs 2,” per Deadline, reprising the role of Dark Helmet, the villain whose voice resonates and booms when his helmet is down and turns squeaky and annoying when the mask is raised. And Keke Palmer, who was born in 1993, will reportedly have a part as well, though no clues have been given as to who or what she’ll play.

Just don’t have Palmer play Jar Jar Binks’ father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate, please, because Dark Helmet already spent that punch line on Lone Starr back in 1987. Jar Jar was, of course, the duck-billed breakout star, sorta, of 1999’s “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” Don’t click that link, just take our word for it.

That said, you know there just has to be a Jar Jar Binks gag or two in “Spaceballs 2.” Read aloud with me now: Mesa no tink so, you say? Ex-squeeze me, but yousa be wrong. Terrible tings goen happen if Jar Jar remains nothing more than the most annoying and unnecessary CGI character ever to please George Lucas. Give the Gungan some gas to go with that pidgin English and anything could happen.

Times have changed — or have they?

In our post-#MeToo landscape, rife with “you can’t say that” sensibilities, some “Spaceballs”-style gags might fall flat. Then again, as The Times said in its 1987 review of the original film, “This is a multimillion-dollar extravaganza satirizing other multimillion-dollar extravaganzas — which begins to seem a bit like attacking a President by hitting him over the head with another President.”

Given that in the occasionally dystopian 2020s, hitting presidents over the head with other presidents is no big deal, the new film might make perfect sense, even if it doesn’t improve one bit. Then again, will Yiddish gags play to the keffiyeh-clad youngs? Or will the jokes simply bomb?

Only “Spaceballs 2” will tell.

After she was assaulted by her romantic partner in 2000 while living in Los Angeles County, Maria Gutierrez Saragon turned to a family friend who said he could help her secure immigration papers.

Because she had been the victim of a crime, the friend said, he could help her obtain authorization to stay in the U.S.

While it’s true that immigrant crime victims qualify for special benefits in some instances, the promise to get Gutierrez Saragon citizenship within three months at a discount dragged on for more than a decade. A housekeeper with a modest income, she was slowly bled for more than $100,000 through a mix of false assurances and threats.

“I had to give him all my money instead of being able to buy my children what they need,” she said between sobs in an interview. “It was like torture. Every time the phone rang or every time a paper arrived for me, they were asking for more money.”

She was a victim of so-called notario fraud, in which scammers acting as lawyers extract large sums from vulnerable immigrants.

The swindle is not a new one. But despite longstanding campaigns to raise awareness, advocates and law enforcement officials say they are concerned about a resurgence under the second Trump administration. Sweeps by federal agents and the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, they say, have created a climate of fear ripe for exploitation.

The hundreds caught up in the recent raids will be seeking affordable legal help as they fight to keep the lives they have built in the United States. Compounding matters, attorneys who specialize in immigration law say there is a shortage of qualified people working in the field. Unless separately appearing in state or federal court on criminal charges, people in civil immigration proceedings are typically not entitled to a court-appointed lawyer.

The scam that bilked Gutierrez Saragon, a native of Mexico, hinges on confusion over what a notary public does in the U.S., and how it differs from Latin America and elsewhere, where “notarios” have far more legal standing.

A notary public in the U.S. serves as an impartial witness when important documents are signed. But in other parts of the world, the term refers to an attorney with special credentials who has received the equivalent of a law license and who is authorized to represent others before the government, according to Victor D. Lopez, a professor of legal studies at Hofstra University.

The type of fraud can vary. Some victims pay money to notarios who promise to represent them in hearings with immigration officials and never show up. Others see valid asylum claims end with deportation orders because the information submitted was false, bearing no resemblance to the harrowing experiences that forced them out of their home countries.

“It’s the type of crime that preys upon the most needy and desperate people,” Lopez said, adding that few places outside of Colorado have taken meaningful steps to crack down on immigration-related abuses.

Because of underreporting, he and others said, there is little reliable data on how many fraud victims there are each year. Many who have suffered losses are afraid to contact law enforcement because of their immigration status.

Gutierrez Saragon recounted in Spanish how she was duped by her notario, whom she and an attorney she found to help unravel the scheme identified as Fidel Marquez Cortes.

It started small, Gutierrez Saragon recalled: A few hundred dollars to process her fingerprints. Several hundred more for background checks. Trips to New York and Washington, D.C., which he claimed he needed to take to collect her passport. Each time, she gave him money to pay for the flight, hotel, rental car and gas, she said, but he always came back with an excuse for why he needed more time and cash.

Whenever she pushed back, she claimed, Marquez Cortes warned that she’d lose her chance at citizenship. She recalled how he would show her official-looking documents that he claimed were from a law firm in Orange County — all written in English and full of legal jargon she didn’t understand.

Only later did she learn that he had created a fake letterhead for the law firm, and was using the money she gave him to pay for his back taxes, child support and even a speeding ticket, she said.

Eventually, in February 2011, Gutierrez Saragon found a lifeline in the Immigrants Rights Project, a Los Angeles nonprofit that offers pro bono services for people seeking a path to citizenship or permanent residency. She came into their office terrified that it was her last day in the country, attorney Gina Amato Lough recalled.

“She was trembling,” Lough said.

Her new client’s first words, Lough said, suggested she thought she was turning herself in to the authorities rather than seeking free legal counsel: “I know that you’re the immigration service and you have the power to deport me. But the day has come where I just have to know what’s happened to my case.”

Lough encouraged her to file a police report the following day at Olympic Division station. But an officer at the front desk turned her away, saying it wasn’t a crime and that she needed to go to a courthouse to file a civil complaint. Lough accompanied her the following day and was told by another officer that they didn’t take reports for such cases “because it’s so common in L.A. that we couldn’t possibly prosecute it.”

After Lough protested, police agreed to take a report and eventually, the man was charged with grand theft and convicted.

Despite what Lough described as “a lack of reputable immigration attorneys” to help people through the labyrinthine U.S. immigration process, her group fought against a proposal by the state bar association to help bridge the justice gap by creating a paraprofessional classification, which would lower the bar to entry in the field.

Lough worried such a change would create more confusion and lead to more fraud. She called for local authorities to take seriously an issue that is often overlooked.

Most district attorneys are reluctant to prosecute unless there are “multiple cases and hundreds of dollars in losses,” she said. “There is a huge lack of enforcement within L.A. County.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis echoed that sentiment.

Solis said she has fought for stronger regulations for a problem that isn’t confined to the Latino community, pointing to recent cases in the county involving immigrants from Asian and European countries.

“How do you deter the behavior if there is no teeth in the law?” Solis asked.

Some attorneys who practice immigration law say they are coming across scams that play out entirely online, allowing perpetrators to vanish before authorities even have a chance to investigate.

Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said she recently had a client arrive saying they were expecting to collect a green card after sending money to someone they had been communicating with on WhatsApp.

The person on WhatsApp told the client they could pick up the proof of permanent residency status with Toczylowski’s organization, which was a lie.

“Essentially that person was masquerading as a nonprofit organization,” Toczylowski said, adding that her group is preparing a public service announcement to warn about the scam.

Other times, immigration consultants aren’t out to defraud their clients, but still sometimes “make promises that they can’t keep,” she said.

Toczylowski’s center relies on local, state and federal funding, the latter of which has been threatened — a troubling development that comedian John Oliver highlighted on his show “Last Week Tonight.” After the episode aired, Toczylowski said the center received a flood of online donations, but not nearly enough to offset potential cuts to federal funding.

The center is also a plaintiff in an ongoing federal lawsuit out of Northern California against the Department of Human Services over slashed funding, she said.

When the case involving Marquez Cortes, the man who defrauded Gutierrez Saragon, finally went to trial, he was found guilty and a superior court judge ordered him to pay three installments totaling $66,000 in restitution or face a two-year prison sentence.

He eventually fled to Mexico, where a bail bondsman tracked him down and he was arrested by local police, according to Lough.

Lough said she pushed for the man to be extradited back to the U.S. to serve out his sentence, but to this day she’s not sure what his fate was. Gutierrez Saragon hasn’t recovered her losses.

“She’s never seen a dime,” Lough said. “And he’s never spent not a day in jail.”

ESSEX is set to be the proud owner of the world’s largest inflatable obstacle course.

Braintree Village will be the home to an action-packed activity area and assault course – just in time for the summer holidays (and questionable weather).

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Named The Monster, people can take on the huge obstacle course from Saturday 19th July to Sunday 31st August.

Based in the Essex shopping outlet, the area will be transformed into a giant playground with 300 metres of inflatable fun for everyone.

You’ll find more than 40 obstacles including the 18-metre Mega Slide, the chaotic Exterminator and the House of Hell.

The Monster has toured Canada and the USA – plus has had sell-out events at London’s Alexandra Palace and Birmingham’s NEC.

The gigantic arena – which is the biggest of its kind in the area – is welcome to people of all ages.

Guests can take part in daytime sessions for families and youngsters.

Plus adult-only evening experiences with street food and drink available to enhance a festival vibe.

Josef O’Sullivan, Centre Director at Braintree Village, commented: “We’re thrilled to welcome The Monster to Braintree Village this summer.

“It’s such a unique, exciting attraction that will bring something totally new to the area.

“We’ve seen such a positive reaction to the recent limited-run activities that we have brought to the outlet, and we’re certain that this is going to be the most hotly anticipated event yet.

“We look forward to sharing more details about The Monster soon – it’s set to be an unforgettable summer at Braintree Village.”

Ticket prices and sessions will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Children must be aged 6 years or 1-metre tall to take part.

Guests are encouraged to sign up to the outlet’s member rewards club, PLUS+, for priority access to tickets and exclusive announcements.

The exciting summer news follows a range of fresh stores opening at the outlet.

Shoppers have gone wild for Essex’s first ever Crocs store, Joules and Belstaff.

For more sensory overload and stimulation, Haribo’s first flagship UK store can be found round the corner in Kent‘s Bluewater.

Its Bluewater debut is Haribo’s first store in the UK that is outside of a designer shopping outlet.

The brand already has 10 locations across factory destinations in the likes of Ashford and Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth.

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FREEVIEW’S successor will appear on even more screens after landing a deal with one of the world’s biggest TV brands.

Freely, made from the same company as Freeview, is encouraging viewers away from the humble TV aerial to using Wi-Fi instead.

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This means you don’t need to worry about pesky signal issues – nor having to place your telly near the aerial port in the wall.

For the moment, the service is hybrid so it can take Freeview channels the traditional way as well as via broadband.

Just recently, more than a dozen channels you can’t get with an aerial were added.

This includes a channel for game show favourite The Chase, all Channel 4’s best property shows on 4Homes, plus 5 Cops for all ofmi 5‘s real crime hits.

Freely – which is run by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5’s Everyone TV – has been adding a number of device partners since bursting onto the scene over a year ago.

Fire TV was a big newcomer but now Roku is getting on board too.

Freely will be available on the next generation of smart TVs powered by the Roku operating system.

Roku can be found on a number of major TV models, such as Sharp, Polaroid, and METZ.

“Offering Freely on the Roku operating system is a major milestone for us, as we continue to expand reach for the free streaming platform,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV.

Just last month, Freely announced some new features to rival premium services like Sky’s own streamed TV alternative Sky Glass.

A new backward TV guide was introduced, allowing people to scroll back on the screen and instantly see what’s been on recently, with a quick link directly to a catch up stream if one is available.

You can scroll back a full seven days.

A Never Miss feature was also added, which highlight programmes coming up, on now, and those you just missed, alongside the biggest and best shows available on demand.

And My List will let you save up to 50 of your favourite shows from the UK’s biggest free-to-air broadcasters all in one place so you can keep track of them.

RECENT CHANNEL ADDITIONS ON FREELY

• The Chase
• Saturday Night Every Night
• 4Reality
• 4Homes
• 4Life
• 5 GPs Behind Closed Doors
• 5 Bargain
• 5 The Yorkshire Vet
• 5 History
• 5 Crime
• Milkshake!
• 5 Police Interceptors
• 5 Cops
• 5 Trucking Hell
• 5 A&E
• 5 Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly

Image credit: Everyone TV

FREELY ON A STICK?

So far, Freely has only been made available on new smart TVs for sale.

But BBC boss Tim Davie recently hinted that a Fire Stick-like device with Freely on it could come in the future.

“We have been working hard to build digital platforms and content to meet changing audience needs, enriching our offer and welcoming the possibilities of a post broadcast world,” he said during a speech at Salford’s Lowry Theatre.

“We want to double down on Freely as a universal free service to deliver live TV over broadband.

“And we are considering a streaming media device with Freely capabilities built in, with a radically simplified user interface specifically designed to help those yet to benefit from IP services.”

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE WE REPLACE FREEVIEW

Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun

DTT – digital terrestrial television – is the system used for Freeview broadcasts today.

About 18million homes still use it as their main way of watching TV.

Before we even begin to think about switching it off, we have to make sure no one is left behind.

So any internet-based alternative – Freely or otherwise – needs to be just as easy to install and use.

Then there’s the matter of broadband.

The UK needs to have reliable broadband everywhere so everyone has access.

Emphasis on reliable – no one wants buffering mid-way through a live football match.

So not only will broadband need to be pretty much everywhere it will need to be fast enough to handle demand all the time.

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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s daughter Gracie McGraw has clarified her coming out journey.

On Monday (2 June), the eldest child of the country music icons celebrated the start of Pride Month with a post on her Instagram story.

“EVERYONE GET MORE GAY NOW. HAPPY FREAKING PRIDE. I love being queer,” she wrote.

Shortly after uploading the joyous message, an array of media outlets interpreted Gracie’s post as a coming-out announcement, resulting in them reporting it as such.

However, it didn’t take long for the 28-year-old to shut down the claims and reveal that she’s been out and proud. 

“It has come to my attention that some tabloids have taken an Instagram story I posted yesterday and have used it as clickbait, saying I’ve come out. Let me be VERY clear here… I have been an out and proud queer, bisexual woman, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she wrote.

“I have and will always be very vocal about my support of LGBTQIA+ rights and the community, but thank you very much to these tabloids for shedding light that it’s pride month!!!”

Instagram: @graciemcgra

Gracie went on to deliver an inspiring message to other LGBTQIA+ people who may not have the support, love or understanding from their families.

“Just know that there is a beautiful community out there that loves you and cares about and for you!! Check on your people and keep safe out there. Give love to each other. GM,” she concluded.

While Tim and Faith have not commented on Gracie’s posts, they have expressed their love and support for their daughter in the past.

In 2020, Tim gushed about his eldest daughter’s acting career in LA, telling PEOPLE: “She makes me proud every day because she’s such a strong, independent young lady who speaks her mind. She makes me proud every day of the way she lives her life.”

Instagram: @graciemcgra

While Gracie has been openly queer for some time now, there are a handful of public figures who have recently come out.

Check out all the celebrities who’ve come out as LGBTQ+ in 2025 (so far) here. 

In a world trying to erase LGBTQIA+ stories, we keep writing them. Join our mission as shareholders in Gay Times and help us fight for your rights. Find out more at investors.gaytimes.com.

Nedum Onuoha and Nicky Bandini praise the maturity shown by Desire Doue as the 19-year-old becomes the youngest player to score two goals in a Champions League final as Paris Saint-Germain defeat Inter Milan 5-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

MATCH REPORT: UEFA Champions League Final – PSG 5-0 Inter Milan

Available to UK users only.

When survivors from January’s wildfires in Los Angeles County apply to rebuild their homes, their first interaction might be with a robot.

Artificial intelligence will aid city and county building officials in reviewing permit requests, an effort to speed up a process already being criticized as too slow.

“The current pace of issuing permits locally is not meeting the magnitude of the challenge we face,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said when announcing the AI deal in late April.

Some 13,000 homes were lost or severely damaged in the Eaton and Palisades fires, and many families are eager to return as fast as they can. Just eight days after the fire began and while it was still burning, the city received its first home rebuilding application in Pacific Palisades.

Wildfire recovery foundations purchased the AI permitting software, developed by Australian tech firm Archistar, and donated it to the city and county. When property owners submit applications, the software first will examine them for basic compliance with zoning and building codes, suggest corrections and provide a standardized report on the submission for human plan checkers to review.

L.A. County officials hope the software — believed to be the first large-scale use of such permitting technology nationwide after a natural disaster — will slice the time its employees now spend performing menial tasks, such as measuring building heights, counting parking spaces and calculating setbacks, said Mitch Glaser, an assistant deputy director in the county’s planning department.

“We see our planners doing things that are more impactful for our fire survivors,” Glaser said.

Disaster relief and government technology experts said they’re encouraged by the initiative. Municipal permitting is the type of highly technical, repetitive and time-consuming process that AI software could make more efficient, they said, especially as residents are expected to flood local building departments with applications to rebuild.

Still, they warned that for the AI software to be effective, the city and county would have to integrate the technology into its existing systems and quickly correct any errors in implementation. If not, the software could add more bureaucratic hurdles or narrow property owners’ options through overly rigid or incorrect code interpretations.

“This could be fabulously successful and I hope it is,” said Andrew Rumbach, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Urban Institute, where he studies disaster response. “But experimenting with technology in the context of people who’ve lost a lot is risky.”

Immediately after the fires, leaders at all levels of government pledged to waive and streamline rules for property owners to rebuild, promising that regulatory processes wouldn’t hold up residents’ return. Noting the pace of ongoing debris removal, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has called the region’s recovery “on track to be the fastest in modern California history.” A mayoral spokesperson said that the building department is completing initial permitting reviews twice as fast as before the fire.

More than 200 Pacific Palisades property owners have submitted applications to rebuild or repair their homes, according to a Times analysis of city permitting data, with 11% approved. Last week, 24 property owners submitted applications, the highest amount since the disaster, the analysis shows.

L.A. County, which is responsible for permitting in Altadena and other unincorporated areas, has a separate system for tracking permits which the Times has not been able to independently verify. On Monday, the county listed 476 applications for zoning reviews on its data dashboard, with eight building permits approved. By Tuesday, the number of zoning reviews listed had increased to 486 while the number of building permit approvals dropped to seven.

Besides Newsom, architects, builders and homeowners have grumbled about the permitting process, expressing frustrations at what they say are confusing and inconsistent interpretations of regulations. Last week, actress Mandy Moore, whose family had multiple homes damaged or destroyed in the Eaton fire, blasted the county for “nonsensical red tape” that is making it difficult for her to rebuild.

The wildfire recovery nonprofit Steadfast LA, started by developer and former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, took the lead on securing the Archistar software and is covering much of the up to $2-million tab for its implementation. LA Rises, the foundation started by Newsom after the fires, will pay Archistar’s $200 fee per application.

Caruso, who declined an interview request from The Times, has said that turning to AI was a no-brainer.

“Bringing AI into permitting will allow us to rebuild faster and safer, reducing costs and turning a process that can take weeks and months into one that can happen in hours or days,” Caruso said in the news release announcing the deal.

Archistar’s AI permitting software has been in development since 2018. The company has contracts with municipalities in Australia and Canada and is expanding to the United States. In the fall, after a successful pilot program in Austin, Texas, Archistar signed an agreement with the city to perform initial assessments of building projects, similar to its intended use in Los Angeles. Austin has not implemented the software yet, but city officials said they believe it could cut preliminary reviews there to one business day from 15.

Once Archistar’s program is online in L.A. County, Glaser said, officials hope it will reduce the first analysis for rebuilding projects to two or three business days from five.

It could save additional time for projects by minimizing revisions and corrections, said Zach Seidl, a Bass spokesperson.

“The biggest potential for reducing permitting time comes from improving the quality of initial plans that homeowners submit to the city,” Seidl said.

Land use consultants and architects in Los Angeles said they were happy with any technology that could hasten approvals of their projects. But they said that AI wouldn’t ease the hardest parts of the permitting process.

Architect Ken Ungar, who is working with roughly two dozen Palisades property owners who are rebuilding, said his biggest headaches come from needing multiple city departments, such as those that oversee fire safety and utilities, to sign off on a project. Applications can get stuck, he said, and even worse sometimes one department requires changes that conflict with another’s rules.

Artificial intelligence, Ungar said, “sounds great. But unless the city of L.A. changes its whole M.O. on how you get building permits, it’s not super helpful.”

The state’s Archistar deal allows the city of Malibu, where the Palisades fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes, to receive the donated software as well. Malibu officials say they’re still deciding on it, noting that the community has specialized building codes addressing development on coastal, hillside and other environmentally sensitive habitats.

Governments are right to look to technology for help in speeding up disaster permitting, Rumbach said, but they also should ensure that human plan checkers provide oversight to account for nuances in zoning and building codes.

“I hope there are people more seasoned in communicating with disaster survivors who are the face of this,” he said. “A lot of people could be frustrated because they don’t want to deal with AI. They want to deal with a person.”

Although L.A. city and county might be the first to use AI for permitting after a major disaster, experts expect the technology to become mainstream soon.

“I’m confident there is no way back,” said Sara Bertran de Lis, director of research and analytics at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence.

L.A. County expects to implement the Archistar software within six weeks after programming and testing, Glaser said. At a recent disaster recovery panel, Bass said the city will do so “in the next couple of months.”

Rams owner Stan Kroenke will build a movie studio next to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood that will serve as the international broadcast center for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Construction will start by summer on the studio and production facility that will house hundreds of broadcasters from around the world that have acquired rights to cover the Summer Games in Los Angeles, Kroenke’s company said Tuesday.

After the Games, the facility known as Hollywood Park Studios will be used to make movies, television shows and other productions and perhaps host live broadcasts.

The development is part of Hollywood Park, a multibillion-dollar complex built on the site of a former horse racing track also known as Hollywood Park that includes the stadium, apartments, theaters, offices, shops and restaurants.

A luxury hotel is under construction there, and more development including a grocery store and medical offices is being considered.

Kroenke’s organization hopes that attention from the Olympics will boost Hollywood Park Studios’ appeal as a future entertainment production center.

“We want it to be recognized around the world,” said Alan Bornstein, who is overseeing development of the studio for Kroenke.

The studio is part of Hollywood Park’s master development plan focusing on media, entertainment and technology, Bornstein said, anchored by SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater and the NFL Media office building.

“There has been an increasing convergence of media and technology and sports, all under the notion of entertainment that is now distributed in in multiple channels,” Bornstein said, “whether it’s through streaming or whether through broadcast television or movies in theaters,”

The first phase of Hollywood Park Studios will occupy 12 acres and will consist of five soundstages, each 18,000 square feet, two of which may be opened to a single 36,000-square-foot stage.

The complex will have a three-story, 80,000-square-foot office building to support stage, production and postproduction activities. The studios will have a dedicated open base camp where trucks, equipment and actors’ trailers could be placed, along with a parking structure for 1,100 cars. Future development could include as many as 20 stages and 200,000 square feet of related office space.

The additional stages would be built to suit for future tenants as demand emerges, Bornstein said, who declined to estimate how much the studio complex will cost.

Although demand for soundstages outstripped supply a few years ago, production has recently slowed and dampened the current need for them.

A rendering of the Hollywood Park Studios broadcast center and movie production facility.

(Gensler)

Last year, the average annual occupancy rate dropped to 63%, a further indication of Hollywood’s sustained production slowdown, according to a recent report by FilmLA, a nonprofit organization that tracks on-location shoot days in the Greater Los Angeles area.

That was a decline from 2023, which saw an average regional occupancy rate of 69%. That was the year when dual strikes by writers and actors crippled the local production economy for months.

The foray into Hollywood-level production facilities is part of Kroenke’s goal to combine sports, entertainment and media from around the world, Bornstein said.

In addition to the Rams, Kroenke is owner of the Denver Nuggets basketball team, the Colorado Avalanche hockey team, the Colorado Rapids soccer team, the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse team and Arsenal Football Club, the Premier League soccer team based in London.

SoFi Stadium, where the Chargers also play football, will be converted into the largest Olympic swimming venue in history during the Games in 2028. It will host the Olympic opening ceremony with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as well as the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games.

Kroenke is also a major real estate developer and landlord. The 300-acre Hollywood Park project is one of the largest mixed-use developments under construction in the western United States. SoFi Stadium alone cost $5 billion to build.

Last month, he also unveiled plans for a new Rams headquarters on a 100-acre site at Warner Center in Woodland Hills that would include a residential and retail community intended to be the centerpiece of the San Fernando Valley. It could cost more than the total price of Hollywood Park, which has been valued by outside observers at more than $10 billion.

Creating a second epicenter in Woodland Hills allows the Rams to significantly increase the size of their footprint in the Southern California market.

“When you’re looking to do a practice facility, you don’t need to be right in the middle of everything, and typically that real estate is very expensive,” Kroenke told The Times. “We built an identity in the Valley, with Cal Lutheran, and a lot of our players and families are up there. Our experience was really good.”

Architecture firm Gensler spearheaded the design for the Warner Center headquarters and Hollywood Park Studios. Clayco will be the general contractor for the studio, with Pacific Edge acting as project manager. Financing was arranged by Guggenheim Investments.

Times staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was initially moved to the United Arab Emirates and then postponed indefinitely, is also making plans to reschedule its final eight matches.

While players from England and Australia left India when the IPL was suspended, other overseas players and coaches remained. League leaders Gujarat Titans trained over the weekend.

Of the 10 English players taking part in the IPL, eight are centrally contracted to England. It is thought they will be left to take personal decisions on their return to India.

The England and Wales Cricket Board initially agreed to let any players taking part to remain for the entire competition, meaning all-rounder Jacob Bethell is not in the squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.

Now the tournament has been rescheduled, there is yet to be a decision on whether players will be asked to return for the three T20s and one-day internationals against West Indies, which begin on 29 May.

There were seven English players at the PSL, along with a number of coaches. All overseas players and coaches at the PSL have returned home.

Last month, a deadly militant attack killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

As a result, India launched air strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir – triggering days of aerial clashes, artillery duels and, by Saturday morning, accusations from both sides of missile strikes on each other’s airbases.

Later on Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced a “full and immediate” ceasefire.

BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon

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BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon

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Liev Schreiber has plenty of pride for his daughter Kai, who he said came out as transgender with a simple request.

“The most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns,” the “Ray Donovan” star told Variety in an interview published Thursday.

The Emmy-nominated actor, 57, spoke about his support for his daughter ahead of their joint attendance at Friday’s spring gala for the Ali Forney Center, which works to support and provide shelter to homeless LGBTQ+ youth. He shares 16-year-old Kai and 17-year-old son Sasha with “Mulholland Drive” star Naomi Watts.

Schreiber, who said “Kai was always who Kai is,” recalled that his daughter coming out as trans “didn’t feel like that big of a deal to me” because she “had been so feminine for so long.” He praised her as “such a fighter” but did not specify when his daughter came out.

Kai is a model, who recently made her professional debut in Valentino’s Fall Winter ’25 campaign, according to her IMG Models profile. Though Schreiber said Kai’s coming out was relatively understated, he told the trade outlet, “It’s important that she goes, ‘Hey, I am trans,’ and ‘Look at me.’”

Schreiber is the latest in a handful of celebrity dads — including former NBA star Dwyane Wade, and actors Marlon Wayans and Robert De Niro — who have publicly voiced support for their trans children. Last week, “Raging Bull” star De Niro said he “loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter,” after she went public with her transition in an April interview with Them.

“I don’t know what the big deal is,” added De Niro, who shares Airyn with actor Toukie Smith. “I love all my children.”

While some celebrities have detailed their experiences raising trans kids and offered advice to other parents, Schreiber steered clear from doing the same. “I don’t know the answer for your kid,” he told Variety, citing various factors including a parent’s upbringing or a family’s spirituality or religion. He did offer a kernel of wisdom for parents to consider: “Teenagers are a headache. They’re hard.

Naomi Watts, right, with daughter Kai Schreiber at the March 2025 premiere of “The Friend” in New York.

(Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press)

“It doesn’t matter whether they’re trans or not because you’ll come out of this,” he said. “But a trans teen is going to be a teen. They’re such a pain so much of the time, and Kai is as feisty and outspoken as they come.”

Schreiber and Watts were romantically linked from 2005 to 2016. Over the years, the exes have separately brought their children to movie premieres and hyped them up on social media.

“Ladies and gentlemen the one, the only, the indomitable @kaischreiberr,” Liev Schreiber captioned an Instagram post of his daughter during her runway debut in March.

SEVEN new car brands are coming to the UK in 2025 – here is a list of the best ones to keep an eye out for.

Brit motor-heads are scrambling to check this guide by Autocar listing some of the incredible new cars set to launch in the UK market.

Denza

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Owned by Chinese EV giant BYD, this new brand is set to launch in the UK this year.

Denza has been around since 2010 – but now stands almost shoulder to shoulder with BYD as its premium sibling brand.

Originally a joint venture with Mercedes Benz’s parents company – the firm is now owned in full by BYD.

The first of its cars headed for Europe is the Z9GT.

The engine comes either as a 925bhp EV or an 858bhp PHEV version. 

Shortly after, a seven-seat MPV called the D9 will also release in the UK.

Although an official timeline hasn’t been set, Denza will likely join the UK market by the end of this year.

Firefly

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This budget brand is another Chinese firm set to open up in the UK.

Owned by Nio, Firefly is an EV specialist whose first car will aim to rival the Renault 5.

The impressive supermini costs as little as £16,000 in China – and could be one of the cheapest EV’s on the UK market.

Technical specifications such as power and range are yet to be released.

But it’s been speculated that the brand may use Nio’s innovative swappable battery packs.

GAC

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This brand might just be the biggest car maker that Brits have never heard of.

The joint-venture partner of Honda and Toyota owned by China is coming to the UK “very soon”.

COO Thomas Schemera confirmed that the launch would happen in the near future.

The first car to hit the UK will be the Aion UT – a hatchback billed as China’s Mini, but is actually the same size Volkswagen ID 3.

The Aion V crossover, a Model Y rival will also launch shortly after.

Mobilize

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French brand Mobilize are looking to enter the “sub-A-segment” to challenge the likes of the Citroën Ami and Micro Microlino electric quadricycles.

Owned by Renault, the Mobilize Duo has been dubbed the French car giant’s spiritual successor.

The big battery version can reportedly travel up to a whopping 100 miles.

And a van version of the car called the Bento gets rid of the single rear seat in exchange for more boot space.

Onvo

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Also parented by Nio, this Chinese brand was founded in 2024 but is already being compared to the likes of Tesla and Polestar.

The car is gearing up to land in the UK due to our lack of import tariffs on Chinese EVs.

The L60 will be the first car to arrive in the UK.

Onvo called it the most aerodynamically efficient SUV on the entire market.

It will likely come with three BYD-supplied battery packs – the largest of which will offer a 620-mile range.

Yangwang

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The prestigious Yangwang, also owned by BYD, will also be coming to the UK.

Its biggest car – the mammoth Yangwang U8 SUV – should be on its way later this year.

This off-roader can turn on a sixpence thanks to its quad motors, makes 1180bhp and has a kerb weight of nearly 3,500kg.

It can also even float in water for up to half an hour.

The incredible design is a range-extender with four motors, a 49kWh battery and a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine working as a generator.

Lepas

And finally this Chinese brand which owns Jaecoo and Omoda is also getting ready to launch its third brand, Lepas, into the UK.

Owned by Chery, the Tiggo 4 Pro from Lepas will rival the Dacia Duster when it comes to the UK this year.

It is already sold in right-hand drive markets like South Africa and Australia – with it costing about £13,000 down under.

But its low price may not remain that way once it is sold here.

Jaecoo and Omoda’s focus is large, semi-premium SUVs – while Lepas will be positioned more towards the higher value end of the market.

A NEW electric vehicle from China is set to shake up the UK market — and it’s over £5,000 cheaper than the Tesla Model Y.

The electric SUV, the Changan Deepal S07, promises style, technology, and value — and it’s set to arrive on British roads in just a few months.

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The Italian-designed Deepal S07 starts from £39,950, putting it in direct competition with the Skoda Enyaq and Hyundai Ioniq 5, and narrowly undercutting fellow Chinese challenger XPeng G6.

Only the Renault Scenic beats it on price, starting at just under £37,000.

While the Deepal S07 grabs attention on price, its 295-mile claimed range falls short compared to rivals.

Tesla’s Model Y leads the pack with up to 387 miles, and even the base version offers 311 miles.

This makes the S07 less appealing to drivers worried about long trips between charges.

Charging is another area where the S07 struggles to keep up.

With a maximum charge speed of 92kW, it takes 48 minutes to go from 10 per cent to 80 per cent battery.

Many rivals, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, can manage that in under 20 minutes, meaning less time spent waiting around at public chargers.

Where the Deepal S07 does shine is in its impressive list of standard equipment.

Buyers get a panoramic glass roof, powered tailgate, a huge 15.6-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a head-up display with augmented reality navigation, and a premium 14-speaker sound system with speakers built into the headrests.

Inside, the car offers heated and ventilated front seats, creating a luxury feel that’s often missing from similarly priced models.

The interior design is minimalist but modern, dominated by the large central touchscreen and clean, flowing lines.

On the outside, the Deepal S07 was styled in Italy to create a sleek, dynamic look.

The S07 has also achieved a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

It comes packed with advanced driver assistance systems as standard, including adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue monitoring, and a 360-degree surround-view camera.

Changan may not be a household name in the UK, but it’s one of China’s largest car manufacturers, with a history going back over 40 years.

The company has joint ventures with major brands like Ford and Mazda in China and even runs a UK research centre in Birmingham.

Looking ahead, Changan has ambitious plans for the UK market.

Alongside the S07, it will also bring in the smaller Deepal S05 SUV, which will be offered in both electric and hybrid versions.

An electric pick-up truck, the E07, is also on the cards, though details are still under wraps.

For now, the focus is on the S07, which is expected to go on sale this summer.

The first customer deliveries are planned for September.

Changan plans to work with traditional UK dealerships and has set up a European parts hub in the Netherlands to make sure customers get proper support and aftercare.

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