close

Donald Trump’s rhetoric and actions against Iran, Venezuela and Cuba over the last year have few parallels in modern history. They have to be seen as marking a new stage. As such they call for a reevaluation of analysis and strategy on the part of the Left.

Trump’s repeated threat to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages where they belong” is unmatched by the rhetoric of even the most notorious and brutal heads of state over the recent past. Decapitating the entire leadership of a country to compel total submission, as Washington and Tel Aviv have done in Iran, is also a novelty in war strategy. The kidnapping of Venezuela’s president and First Lady as a first step in attempting to establish a colonial relationship by taking complete control of the country’s principal source of revenue, namely petroleum, represents a throwback to practices associated with centuries-old imperial rule

These are examples of “hyper-imperialism,” a concept theorized by Samir Amin to describe the United States “as the sole capitalist superpower.” More recently, the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research has observed that U.S. hyper-imperialism persists despite a marked erosion of its economic and, though to a lesser extent, financial power. Its military supremacy is not only unrivaled, but is complemented by hybrid warfare, most notably “hyper-sanctions” and the use of lawfare.

What needs to be added to the concept of hyper-imperialism, particularly Trump’s version of it, is its sui generis nature. To find a parallel for the kind of hegemony the United States now exercises – highlighted by the continuous indiscriminate use of force and the threat of it – one would have to look back to the Roman empire or even earlier. One of Trump’s innovations is his deployment of the military to reinforce the system of economic sanctions, examples being the interdiction of oil tankers, the quarantine of Cuban oil, and full-scale war against Iran.

Trump II’s foreign policy hardly represents a complete break from the past. The groundwork was laid by past Democratic and Republican administrations. However, his actions force the Left not only to reformulate strategies, but to reconsider past evaluations and analyses of nations of the Global South subjected to extreme forms of imperialist aggression. The resistance to U.S. aggression must be given greater weight when evaluating governments. In addition, the popular desperation and exhaustion that erode revolutionary fervor and distance people from those same governments should be understood in light of the daily trauma people endure as a direct result of imperialist actions.

What Trump’s hyper-imperialism tells us

The starting point is to recognize that since Trump’s return to the White House, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba have been in a de facto state of war, which is an escalation of the multiple forms of hostility and aggression of past years. This is key to how all three nations should be judged. While the Left’s commitment to democracy needs to remain unquestionable and unwavering, in these cases primary responsibility for democracy’s somewhat uncertain prospects lies with the siege imposed by imperialist powers. No one other than James Madison said “Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded.”

The encirclement imposed by hyper-imperialism on Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela illuminates salient features of imperialism going back in time: first, Washington has honed the sanctions regime into a powerful tool, sometimes inflicting damage comparable to armed intervention; second, imperialism is the principal driver of the pressing economic problems facing the three nations; third, the justification for the actions taken against the three nations does not hold up under scrutiny; and fourth the brutality of the sanctions system underscores the need for its complete elimination. The discussion below looks at these points.

Tehran’s response to Operation Epic Fury underscores the crushing impact of sanctions. The nation’s leaders have made clear that the lifting of sanctions – as well as “international guarantees of U.S. non-interference” in the nation’s internal affairs – is a non-negotiable condition for ending the current conflict. That is to say, the Iranian leaders place the destruction caused by the sanctions on a similar footing as the bombs.

In the case of Venezuela, the events leading up to the abduction of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores on January 3, 2026 reveal the far-reaching and highly coordinated machinery underpinning the sanctions regime. The second Trump administration’s tracking of the “ghost fleet” carrying Venezuela’s sanctioned oil—and its interdiction of several of those vessels— underscores how far Washington has gone in perfecting sanctions enforcement since the early years of the Cuban Revolution.

The first Trump administration pioneered in promoting “overcompliance” in which Washington’s well-publicized monitoring was designed to assure that companies and financial institutions world-wide would shun all transactions with Venezuela, even ones not specifically targeted by the sanctions. The aim was to impose a veritable blockade. Mike Pompeyo and Elliot Abrams spearheaded a campaign – drawing on the FBI, the Treasury, U.S. embassies, and the intelligence community – to scrutinize the dealings of companies worldwide with Venezuela, in what amounted to a warning shot to companies throughout the world. Even firms that engaged in oil-for-food swaps, which were not proscribed by the sanction regime, were warned that they ran risks. Companies under investigation were likewise told that penalties could be suspended if they halted all dealings with Venezuela.

A retrospective look at the first Trump administration’s sweeping enforcement measures and their devastating impact reinforces the argument that the sanctions have been so harmful that they need to be dismantled unconditionally and entirely. This position contrasts with that of liberals such as the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), which criticized the sanctions against Venezuela yet called for using “negotiations to flexibilize financial and oil sanctions” as leverage to secure concessions. Indeed, power brokers in Washington also favored sanctions relief as a bargaining tool to push the Maduro government to enact market-oriented reforms to the benefit of U.S. capital.

A full grasp of the scale and severity of Washington’s “war” on Venezuela undercuts the notion upheld by some on the left who argue that the sanctions were no more to blame for the nation’s pressing problems than government mismanagement. An even harsher position on the left affirms that the sanctions “do not explain the root causes of the societal collapse we have lived through.” 

Likewise, the forcible removal of Maduro and Flores demonstrates that Washington was intent on dismantling a government whose example and policies ran counter to U.S. interests. Prior to the January 3 kidnapping, some on the left in Venezuela and elsewhere denied that Washington sought to remove Maduro from power because they were convinced that he had effectively sold out. But they were wrong insofar as Washington clearly wanted Maduro out. Pedro Eusse, a leading member of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV), which broke with the Maduro government in 2020, wrote in July 2025, “Everything indicates that the true intention of the US and its allies’ policy of aggression toward the Venezuelan government has not been its overthrow, but its subordination.”

In the case of Cuba, the extreme measures of the Trump II administration against the nation also shine light on the cruelty and effectiveness of the system of sanctions per se. Trump’s navy-enforced quarantine on oil shipments is a first for the nation since the October 1962 missile crisis. The result has been recurring 16-hour blackouts that have disrupted water delivery, hospital operations, food production, and garbage collection.

The quarantine spotlights Cuba’s near total dependence on oil, in contrast to nearby Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, which generate a significant share of their electricity from coal and natural gas. The dependence stems precisely from the sanctions, which impeded imports and pushed Cuba into relying almost entirely on Venezuelan oil—only for Trump to cut off that supply too.

Indeed, the quarantine underscores Cuba’s reliance on Venezuelan oil and the reciprocal solidarity that saw fuel exchanged for Cuban medical personnel. That’s a plus for Maduro. The program undercuts the claim of some on the left that Maduro’s foreign policy, in the words of the PCV, never moved beyond an “anti-imperialist rhetoric” without substance.

The Washington-crafted narrative on Cuba and the reaction to it by the mainstream media and the Left are curious. In contrast to the demonization directed at Venezuela and Iran, Washington’s condemnation of Cuba has been relatively hollow and has gained little traction in mainstream outlets or left-leaning circles. The anti-Cuba vilification—driven by hardline anti-Communism—remains largely confined to the far right, epicentered in Miami. The official rhetoric is a departure from the wording in 1982 when the State Department designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism due to “its long history of providing advice, safe haven, communications, training, and financial support to guerrilla groups and individual terrorists.” Now the Trump administration’s justification for the same designation is that the Cuban government grants “safe harbor to terrorists” and refuses to extradite them.

As false as the narco-terrorism case against Maduro is, it nonetheless offered a rationale that undoubtedly resonated with at least a slice of public opinion. Compare that to Marco Rubio’s line on Cuba which flatly denies the catastrophic effects of the oil quarantine. Rubio claims “we’ve done nothing punitive against the Cuban regime” and adds, the blackouts “have nothing to do with us.” Instead Rubio faults the Cuban leadership on grounds that “they want to control everything.” A classic case of victim-blaming, but with few buying into it. A YouGov survey in March found that only 28 percent of U.S. adults support the U.S.’s blocking of oil shipments to Cuba, as opposed to 46 percent opposed.

In addition, Rubio’s assertion that the only novelty is that Cuba is “not getting free Venezuelan oil anymore” is blatantly fallacious. Rubio is well aware of Venezuela’s swap with Cuba involving the latter’s International Medical Brigades, which maintain a sizeable presence in Venezuela and elsewhere. This is precisely why Rubio has vigorously attempted to sabotage the program throughout the region, unfortunately with a degree of success.

If the oil quarantine demonstrates anything it’s that the hardships facing the Cuban people are rooted in Washington’s war on Cuba, now going on 65 years. Criticism of Cuban government policies, or of socialism itself, comes in a distant second place.

The Trump II disaster should be an eye opener

Trump’s bullying offensive abroad has fueled mounting opposition to interventionism and has even fostered anti-imperialist sentiment in the United States. Just one week into the 2026 Iranian bombings, 53 percent of the U.S. population opposed the strikes, in sharp contrast to U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq, which enjoyed large majority support at the outset. That the former editor of The New Republic called the U.S. war on Iran imperialistic is telling. In a New York Times op-ed, Peter Beinart wrote “Donald Trump’s foreign policy vision is imperialism.”

One lesson of recent events is particularly relevant for the Left: the demonization of heads of state is a sine qua non for military intervention. In the case of Iran and Venezuela, the discrediting combines some fact with a large dosage of fake news. In the case of Maduro, the demonization which dates back to shortly after he assumed office in 2013, was taken to higher levels as a result of the controversial presidential election of July 28, 2024, which the opposition claimed was fraudulent. Subsequently the corporate media consistently tagged the word “autocrat” and “dictator” onto Maduro’s name. Six months later, Trump was in office and the vilification escalated to a new pitch. Indeed, the branding of Maduro as a narco-terrorist was an indispensable prelude to the bombing of boats in the Caribbean and the subsequent kidnappings – notwithstanding the doubts raised by some media outlets regarding the veracity of the claim.

The takeaway is that the Left needs to distinguish between criticism and demonization and take cognizance of the possible dire consequences of the latter.

The demonization of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his inner circle also set the stage for imperialist actions, but, of course, his government could not be placed in the same category as those of Cuba and Venezuela.

Furthermore, as in Venezuela and Cuba, harsh sanctions have been conducive to shadow economies, clientelistic networks, and fraudulent dealings, patterns well documented in numerous studies on sanctions throughout the world.

Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, a prolific scholar on Iran who is highly critical of the government, told Jacobin “While the Islamic Republic is paranoid, it is also very much under siege from all sides.” He also notes the intrinsic relationship between the sanctions and the nation’s pressing problems: “Sanctions and structural weaknesses of the Iranian economy feed off one another — there’s a symbiotic relationship between them.”

In short, any serious reading of Iran must foreground the role of sanctions—an approach that inevitably tempers the tendency to cast its leadership in purely demonizing terms.

The lessons of July 28, 2024

The issue of the accurateness of the July 28, 2024 election tallies in Venezuela needs to be reframed. Those elections could not have been democratic, regardless of the announced results, because Venezuelan voters had a gun pointed at their heads: reelect Maduro and the sanctions continue; elect an opposition candidate and the sanctions will be lifted.

The overwhelming majority of Venezuelans knew full well what was at stake. Luis Vicente León – the nation’s leading pollster, himself a member of the opposition – reported that 92 percent of the population believed that the sanctions negatively impacted the economy, and most characterized the effect as “very negative.” (The poll puts the lie to the State Department’s repeated claim that the sanctions only harm government officials.)

A similar scenario played out in the Nicaraguan presidential elections of 1990 when opposition candidate Violeta Chamorro upset the Sandinistas in the midst of a devastating, U.S.-promoted civil war. But there was a fundamental difference. Far from demonizing the Sandinistas, Chamorro accepted a power-sharing transition agreement with them. In contrast, for over a decade prior to the July 28 elections the opposition’s main leader, María Corina Machado, had ruled out negotiations with those who had allegedly violated human rights. She never tired of voicing the slogans “no immunity,” ”no to amnesty,” “no agreements with criminals,” often with specific reference to the Chavistas and to Maduro himself. Maduro and his followers had every reason to fear the type of repression that the opposition initiated during the two-day abortive coup it staged in April 2002 against the Chavista government. Even opposition pollster León admitted that the fear was well-founded.

Marta Harnecker, the renowned leftist theoretician, wrote that the Sandinistas erred in holding the 1990 elections amid U.S. promoted violence and sabotage. Harnecker labeled the decision to organize elections “on terrain shaped by the counterrevolution” a “strategic error.”

A reevaluation and reinterpretation of the July 28 elections is instructive. The hard-core Chavistas accept the official results which showed Maduro winning with nearly 52 percent of the vote. The opposition refutes that claim. A third position is defended by supporters of Maduro who nevertheless express skepticism and point out that because of a massive hacking attack from outside the country, it may be impossible to ever know the true count.

The debate about the accuracy of the official results of July 28 sidesteps the overriding issue of whether the elections should have been held in the first place. Indeed, the idea of conditioning elections on the lifting of sanctions was not far-fetched. A year before the elections, Maduro, in a reference to the United States, declared: “If they want free elections, we want elections free of sanctions.” Subsequently, Elvis Amoroso, the Chavista head of the nation’s electoral council, tied the participation of European Union electoral observers to its lifting of sanctions. At the same time, the Biden administration indicated its willingness to bargain with the Venezuelan government along those lines.

Carlos Ron, a former vice-minister and currently an analyst for Tricontinental, told me that the Chavista leadership ruled out delaying the elections in order to demonstrate its democratic credentials in the face of the international smear campaign. Ron said “At that moment, greater importance was placed on the need to defend the democratic character of the Bolivarian political process and its continuity, and abide by the Constitution, in the face of imperialist pressures.”

Maduro’s intentions may have been commendable. But the decision overlooked one compelling reason to suspend the electoral process. Tying the holding of elections to the removal of the sanctions would have placed the entire blame for setbacks to democracy where it belonged: U.S. intervention in Venezuela’s internal affairs.

In defense of democracy

As a rule, the Left has always championed the defense of democracy. In this sense, the Left’s vision compares favorably with U.S.-style “liberal democracy,” shaped by the influence of big money and other inherently undemocratic practices such as gerrymandering, the Electoral College and voter suppression.

Historically, however, the Left has faced formidable obstacles on this front. For instance, it has come to power in countries like Russia, China and Cuba that were lacking in democratic tradition. That, however, was the least of the problem. Its main problem has been, and continues to be, imperialist hostility which limits options.

Precisely for that reason, the Left needs to tread cautiously in the way it frames the issue of democracy in nations that are in the crosshairs of imperialism. In the three countries discussed in this article, the Left can’t deny that democracy has been infringed upon. The Maduro government, for instance, stripped the PCV – the country’s oldest political party, forged in a history of militant struggle including two periods of clandestine resistance armed struggle in the 1950s and 1960s – of its legal status, transferring recognition to a marginal breakaway faction that appropriated its name and symbols.

Nor can it deny that discontent is currently widespread in the three nations, which became most evident in the Iranian “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests and those of the first days of this year. In Cuba and Venezuela, protests reflect widespread disillusionment, even while the mobilizations have been manipulated and financed from abroad.

One troubling sign in Venezuela is that the disturbances have spread out from upper-middle class neighborhoods where they were confined during the 4-month protests (the “guarimba”) of 2014 and, albeit less so, during those of 2017. The two days following the July 28, 2024 elections, for instance, protests were registered in Caracas barrios such as Petare, the city’s largest. Reflecting on the protests, long-standing Caracas resident and international commentator Phil Gunson reported “Petare is a traditionally Chavista zone, but ever since a few years ago, people have been distancing themselves from the government.”

The Left can’t turn its back on this reality. But nor can it join mainstream voices that channel dissatisfaction into blanket vilification of governments under imperial siege. Rather its line has to be basically: “What do you expect!” In the face of hyper-imperialist aggression these countries are at war, figuratively and in some cases literally speaking. Criticism needs to be framed within this context.

Lenin’s concept of democratic centralism – the principle designed to guide the internal workings of his political party – is instructive. In his writing throughout his political career, party democracy remained a constant, but the degree of centralism depended on the political climate in the nation. Along similar lines, the Left’s adherence to democracy can never be minimized. However, valid criticism of undemocratic practices in countries like Venezuela and Cuba in which the Left is in power needs to consider those actions as overreactions to imperialist aggression.

In this era of intensified hyper-imperialism, the Left is compelled to stand behind nations like Cuba and Venezuela, and recognize that the real blame for backsliding including violation of democratic norms lies with imperialism. The barbaric actions of Trump II are making this imperative clearer than ever.

Steve Ellner is a retired professor of the Universidad de Oriente in Venezuela where he lived for over 40 years and is currently Associate Managing Editor of Latin American Perspectives. He is the author and editor of over a dozen books on Latin American politics and history. In 2018 he spoke in over twenty cities in the U.S. and Canada as part of a Venezuelan solidarity tour.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.

This article was originally posted in CounterPunch.

THERE’S bad news for Brits heading to Spain this summer as they might not be able to enjoy a drink in the sun on an outdoor terrace.

Under new rules, terraces in Spain will be forced to close when the weather gets too hot.

Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.

The rules – that were campaigned for by hospitality unions – will apply when the State of Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issue an orange or red alert.

AEMET’s orange alert means there is a major risk such as severe storms, heavy snow or intense heat and then for a red alert, it is an extreme risk and includes extreme rainfall, life-threatening storms and dangerously high temperatures.

In the case of exceptionally hot weather, restaurants, bars and cafes have to close their terraces if there is not enough shade or cooling systems for staff.

Read more on travel inspo

HOLLA

Never pay full price for hols again… 25 apps, sites & clubs for huge discounts

HOL YES

I’m a travel editor & mum-of-3… my favourite family holidays from just £3pp a night

The rules are likely to apply during the hottest hours of the day.

Areas across Spain reach high temperatures, especially during July and August, with some destinations reaching over 40C.

Even though closure of outdoor spaces is a last resort measure, if a bar, restaurant or cafe does not follow the new rules then it could face a fine of more than €50,000 (£43,326) in extreme cases.

For tourists, this could mean when temperatures reach high levels they won’t be able to grab a cold drink and sit on a restaurant’s terrace.

If you do want a drink though, you can still head inside as this is a shaded area.

As a result of the new rules, businesses across Spain are being encouraged to create different schedules for staff, with more breaks so they can stay hydrated.

A NUMBER of smaller European airports could face closure due to both the Iran war crisis and new entry rules being rolled out.

Experts have warned that regional airports are under threat due to mass cancellations and delays as a result of the fuel crisis and new European travel rules.

Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.

The Airports Council of Europe (ACI Europe) said that regional airports face “nothing short of an existential threat” if flights continue to be cancelled.

In a release, ACI Europe stated: “The dramatic increase in jet fuel prices in Europe – peaking at more than $1800/ton (£1332/ton) earlier this month – is resulting in air fare increases and tight capacity management by airlines.

“Regional airports are the most exposed to the fallout of these adjustments, as demand on their routes is typically much more price-sensitive and price-elastic – and thus less profitable for airlines.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

“This means that when considering where to cut capacity, airlines are more likely to do so on routes serving regional airports, as shown by the recent decision by Lufthansa to shut down its regional subsidiary, CityLine.”

Olivier Jankovec, the director general of ACI Europe, added: “The current levels of jet fuel prices and the prospect of a new cost of living crisis mean that many regional airports across our continent are likely to face both a supply and demand shock.”

ACI Europe also revealed that issues could be made worse by the new Entry/Exit System (EES) that is now in place across Europe and “is set to wreak havoc at regional airports serving popular tourist destinations this summer“.

The body added that airports should be allowed to suspend the new system at any point, if airport queues become too long.

It also shared that “regional airports are part of Europe’s critical infrastructure” as they are responsible for 35 per cent of flights.

In order to ease the threat on regional airports, ACI Europe is calling to scrap national aviation taxes as well as keeping a safety net of air for smaller airports.

A LUXURY UK holiday company offering trips to Europe and Asia has closed down.

Salamander Voyages – which is based in Belfast – has gone into administration.

The company used to sell private boat holidays in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Croatia.

According to The Gazette, administrators were appointed on April 22.

On its website, Salamader Voyages states: “After 23 years of wonderful sailing in the Aegean Sea, we are very sad to announce Salamander Voyages has taken the difficult decision to close its doors.

“Please note that on 22 April 2026 Scott Murray and Ian Davison of Keenan Corporate Finance Ltd were appointed as Joint Administrators of the Company.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

“For any creditor queries, please contact the Joint Administrators’ office by telephone (028 9023 3023) or email (info@keenancf.com).”

The luxury holidays didn’t come cheap though, with sailings costing from £3,000 per person.

Upcoming trips included a sailing of the Turkish Gulf between June 15 and 22, heading to “small villages, pristine secluded bays and less-known historical sites”.

And between October 5 and 17 there was another Turkish sailing in the western half of the Gulf.

Claudia Winkleman has even previously been a guest onboard, commenting: “The holiday was absolutely amazing. The boat is beautiful and the crew were outstanding.

“The most relaxing week of our lives. We love you Salamander.”

Ohio State tight end Max Klare speaks during a new conference at the NFL scouting combine in February.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

6 feet 4, 246 pounds | Ohio State | Round 2, Pick 61

Notable: Klare began his career at Purdue and played three seasons for the Boilermakers before transferring to Ohio State.

Last season: Klare caught 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns for the Buckeyes, who finished 12-2.

Why the Rams drafted him: McVay at times used a tight-end heavy offense during the latter part of last season, so the Rams need reinforcements for a position group that includes veteran Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson. Higbee is at the far end of his career and Parkinson is in the final year of his contract, and none of his salary is guaranteed, according to Overthecap.com.

Florida center Jake Slaughter gets set during a game against Kentucky in 2024.

(Gary McCullough / Associated Press)

6-4, 303 pounds | Florida | Round 2, Pick 63

Notable: Slaughter was a finalist for the 2025 Rimington Trophy, awarded to the top center in college football. He was a two-time All-American and three-year starter at Florida.

Last season: Slaughter, 23, ranked 18th among FBS centers in pass block grade (84.1) and third in run block grade (80.2) in 2025, per Pro Football Focus. Over 748 snaps last season, he allowed four total pressures, one sack and one hit on his way to earning All-Southeastern conference honors.

Why the Chargers drafted him: Despite Slaughter playing as a center in college, the Chargers are confident he can compete with Trevor Penning for a starting job at left guard. The Chargers like his versatility at both guard positions and center, offering them a potential starter at either position and much-needed depth. After last season’s struggles to protect quarterback Justin Herbert in the wake of injuries to Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, it makes perfect sense Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz would use a Day 2 pick to extend their flexibility on the offensive line.

Published on 23/04/2026 – 17:09 GMT+2•Updated
17:41

French liberal MEP Christophe Grudler told Euronews the Commission’s proposed European preference, once adopted, covering public procurement in strategic sectors such as clean tech, cars and energy-intensive industries (aluminium and steel) should be limited to a core group of non-EU countries.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The “Made in Europe” provisions of the so-called “Industrial Accelerator Act” have triggered a fierce political battle between supporters, led by Germany and Nordic countries, of a broad definition including “like-minded” partners, and those, led by France, pushing for a narrower approach.

In its proposal unveiled on 4 March, the Commission leaned towards the broader interpretation.

“The Commission’s option is very poor. It reflects a completely outdated view of trade policy,” Grudler said, adding, “When the Americans introduced the Buy American Act, they didn’t worry about whether it would strain ties with Europe. At some point, we need to stop being naive.”

The MEP is set to be one of the lead negotiators on the proposed new rulesin the European Parliament as talks begin shortly.

The European preference aims to counter foreign competition, notably from the US and China. The Commission proposes excluding non-EU countries depending on how open they are to the EU taking part in their procurement markets as well as existing trade agreements.

Geography should prevail, Grudler said

But Grudler argues geography should be the guiding principle, limiting “Made in Europe” to countries closest to the EU — first and foremost the European Economic Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Switzerland could also be “a good candidate”, he said.

“Switzerland has had a public procurement agreement since 1989. It is a bilateral agreement stating that all European companies have access to the Swiss public procurement market, and that all Swiss companies have access to the European public procurement market. It is therefore a rather good candidate.”

The UK could also be considered to some extent, but “conditions will need to be examined” following Brexit, he added. “There is also a point where Europe has to make sure it comes out financially ahead.”

He wants the law to send “a strong signal” to investors backing key EU industries, “particularly energy-intensive sectors and clean technologies.”

“It is another step in Europe’s resilience against unfair competition from other continents.”

However China has voiced strong opposition to the Commission proposal, seen in Beijing as restricting its access to EU procurement and investment.

“This legislation is Europe standing firm for its strategic industries,” Grudler said.

“China has overcapacities in cars or in steel. They are relying on the naivety of Europeans to do business, to generate double-digit growth again, and then to invest in research and development and get ahead on everything, all the while cheating through direct subsidies to destroy our industries.”

ONE of the most famous hotels in the world is closing its doors until next year.

The Burj Al Arab in Dubai, which opened back in 1999 and is known for being a rare ‘seven star’ hotel. is to undergo a major renovation.

Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.

The major project comes after the hotel was damaged by a drone being intercepted near the hotel in late February, which caused a minor fire and damage to the façade of the building.

However, the renovation was already planned before this happened.

As part of the refurb works, the hotel will redesign all of its 198 suites.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

HOL YES

I’m a travel editor & mum-of-3… my favourite family holidays from just £3pp a night

Some of the hotels key interior design features will be kept, including the large aquarium and marble cladding.

The hotel’s spa will also be upgraded, as well as other guest areas.

The project will be led by French interior architect Tristan Auer, who is mainly known for his projects in France but has also worked on redesigning the interiors of the Royal Scotsman Belmond Train.

In a statement on the hotel’s website, it states: “Jumeirah Burj Al Arab is currently undergoing a carefully phased restoration programme designed to refresh and upgrade the hotel’s iconic décor while preserving its distinctive character.

“The programme has been developed through long-term planning, following more than 25 years of continuous operation.

“We would be pleased to assist with an alternative reservation in one of our Jumeirah properties in town.”

The hotel will be closed from this month and is expected to reopen in late 2027.

When staying at the Burj Al Arab, guests can expect a 24/7 butler service, an adult-only infinity pool and 10,000 square metre terrace.

If that wasn’t luxury enough, the hotel also boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant and an underwater aquarium experience.

It’s on its own man-made island and inside, some of its interiors even feature 24 carat gold.

Though, this doesn’t come cheap as it usually costs over £1,000 per night to stay at the hotel.

The Burj Al Arab is not the only hotel getting upgraded in Dubai either.

The Armani Hotel Dubai was closed on April 1 for a major refurb and is expected to reopen later this year.

JW Marriott Marquis is also partially closed to redesign all of its 1,608 rooms and suites.

Then, the Park Hyatt Dubai will close for a short period from May 2026 to finish off its renovation works that include upgrading rooms and refreshing the guest areas.

And finally, the St. Regis Dubai The Palm hotel is also currently temporarily closed for improvements.

However, Dubai remains on the do-not-travel list by the UK Foreign Office due to the ongoing Iran war.

In other travel news, here are what all the UK airlines have said about fuel crisis concerns including Jet2, TUI, BA, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and easyJet.

Plus, Brits are set to face a steep £350 cost in new rules for travelling to Europe with pets.

THEY were once ‘like brothers’, touring the world together and dealing with global superstardom after being propelled into the spotlight aged just 16.

But now in their early 30s, Niall Horan and Harry Styles are “worlds apart” and living “vastly different lives”. Here, an insider tells us why the relationship has soured between the pair, and how the rest of One Direction are keeping their distance.

Fans first noticed cracks between the pair last month when Niall, 32, made barbed remarks about the cost of fame on an American podcast just days after Harry, also 32, said he found his superstardom “deeply isolating”.

Speaking on the Zach Sang show earlier this month, Niall cheerfully revealed how delighted he is to be living a “completely normal life” in London, travelling on the tube, walking his dog and going for beers with his mates in local boozers.

When asked if he minds being stopped by fans, the Irish singer remarked: “You cannot have your f***ing cake and eat it”.

Fans were quick to point out that the comment came shortly after Harry spoke about the cost of superstardom – and wondered if it was a dig in his direction.

Speaking to Runners’ World magazine for their May cover, Harry said that he found fame ‘deeply isolating’ and felt the need to withdraw from public life to protect himself.

As part of this, he moved to Italy, because it allows him to ‘live a quiet life’ and ‘reset’.

But the differing attitudes toward fame are part of reason why the pair are no longer close.

A source tells us: “The boys used to be like brothers, they were the best of friends and used to joke about what life would be like when they were old men and still hanging out together.

“Now they are about a million miles from that. They have gone their separate ways and are all living such different lives. 

“Niall is a real homebody; he loves being at their place in London with Mia and the dog, or with his family in Ireland. He’s not a kid anymore; he feels settled now, while Harry still jets all over the world and never seems to stay in one place for long.

“The pair of them hardly have anything in common now, and while Niall would never come straight out and criticise Harry, some things he says definitely make Niall’s eyes roll.”

While the Irish singer songwriter, who is worth £52 million, is completely at ease with being recognised when he’s out and about, scared Styles recently admitted all the unwanted attention left him wanting to become a recluse.

Speaking to US media, Niall claims he can live carefree in London. He says his life with long-term girlfriend Amelia Woolley – known as Mia – is not built around his work schedule and fame.

He added that he’s never minded being mobbed by One Direction’s devoted army of fans: “I don’t ever want it to be like, poor me. That was just the way it was – there were a lot of people around. 

“I just get out and do it, and people are going to come up to you and say hello. And that’s fine. 

“I used to be nearly afraid of that. I love it now. I basically live a completely normal life, really, apart from the fact that if I walk in somewhere, someone’s going to come up and say hello, that’s fine. 

“I walk the dog every day and go on the tube and go into town and go for beers. There’s nothing special.

“It’s a great thing. It’s something that when you were younger, you yearned for.

“We all want that normalcy in effect. You cannot have your f****ing cake and eat it, though, either. 

“I want to be out there doing my thing and getting up on stage. It’s the best f***ing thing in the world.”

This latest spat between the pop legends comes after we revealed Zayn Malik punched Louis Tomlinson in the face during a vicious row, cutting his head and leaving him concussed.

The former pals’ bruising clash came as they filmed a three-part road trip for a nostalgic Netflix documentary about the band, which has since been scrapped.

It emerged that Zayn had made a scathing remark about Louis’ mum, Johannah Deakin, who died of leukaemia in 2016.

Despite the frenzy of worldwide adulation, Niall says that down-to-earth fashion buyer Mia, 28, from Birmingham, keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground.

He went on: “You can sit at home and go like, it’s hard for me to do these things.

“But at times, it being uncomfortable or something can be a reason why you don’t do them. Or you can choose for that to not be a reason and you can do them anyway.

“When you shut out a lot of the things that are assumed can be negative, you also just unconsciously shut out a ton of positive things.

“We live a completely normal life outside of this.

“It’s like someone’s pressed pause on a stopwatch, and then when it clicked back in, I was just this different person. It’s really cool. It happened gradually, but when I think about it in hindsight, it felt like just night and day.

I basically live a completely normal life, if someone’s going to come up and say hello, that’s fine

Niall Horan

“My life just went from being all encompassing to having this good divide.

“I love it. I like having the balance. It’s pretty cool.

“I’ve gotten very good at. When I’m at home, I’m completely at home. I’m not doing anything. I just want to be at home.

“But I like going to work now and then being at home, I like it that way.

“Hopefully, I can keep doing that because it’s a nice little balance I’ve got going on. And it takes time to get to that.

“Amelia’s got her own life. She’s been doing her thing, and everything can’t be just surrounding me.

“It’s already weird enough that she used to fly to Amsterdam to come in on a five o’clock flight on a Friday. It can’t be like that all the time. 

“Bringing her into that is a really cool thing. And she feels that sense of pride and looks at the fans and sees the way they’re thinking and things like that. 

“It’s such a cool thing for her if I play her a song; she’s never had that before. It’s not like people were coming home in the evening from work and going, ‘Hey, I wrote you a song today.’

“That’s a new thing for her, too. The whole thing is a shock to the system, but our life is just not all about that.”

Niall previously dated Hailee Steinfeld and Ellie Goulding – resulting in Ed Sheeran writing the hit track Don’t about an apparent love triangle between the trio.

But Harry, who rented a mansion outside Rome and ran marathons using pseudonyms, feels very differently.

He explained recently: “A large part of the last couple of years has just been about, honestly, learning to like myself away from having so much of my value baked into whether other people are enjoying me or not.

“Learning that fears and feelings aren’t facts, and you can have a feeling about yourself and taking the time to be able to see what that is and see where that comes from.”

April 19 (UPI) — Citing steep tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday his country’s historically close trade and economic ties to the United States have become a “weakness.”

In a video statement posted to YouTube, the Canadian leader asserted the United States has “fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression.”

This has meant that “many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become our weaknesses — weaknesses that we must correct.”

Carney’s comments as Trump’s trade war with Canada has disrupted decades of cross border cooperation, triggered in part by a broad 10% tariff slapped by Washington onto all goods not excluded under the Canada-US-Mexico free trade agreement known as CUSMA.

Significantly higher U.S. levies have also been imposed on key strategic sectors, including a 50% tariff on Canadian products that are almost entirely made of steel, aluminum or copper, and a 25% tariff on products that are “largely” made of those metals.

Many types of Canadian heavy equipment also face a 15% tariff upon entry into the United States.

Ottawa says the effect of these measures has been profound, “displacing workers, disrupting supply chains, forcing companies to rethink where they source their materials and products, and causing uncertainty that is curbing investment.”

Although Canada still has the best deal of any U.S. trading partner in an era when Trump has used the threat of tariffs and against both allies and adversaries for strategic and political ends, “we cannot rely on our most important trade relationship as we once did. We must build our strength at home,” Carney said.

“Workers in our industries most affected by U.S. tariffs in autos and steel and lumber are under threat,” he added. “Businesses are holding back investments restrained by the pall of uncertainty that’s hanging over all of us.”

Triggered by the U.S. trade actions and Trump’s oft-repeated desire to annex Canada as the “51st state,” Carney’s Liberal Party government in January made a milestone deal with China to lower some of the tariffs imposed by one another on some of their trade goods.

Under that pact, China lowered its tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, while Canada slashed its tariffs on up to 49,000 electric vehicles that are made in China.

The deal was denounced by Trump, who threatened to impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods sent to the United States in response.

“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric and general way of life,” the U.S. president asserted.

But Carney on Sunday again defended his expansion of trade away from the United States, saying, “We will attract new investment so we can build more for ourselves, striking new partnerships abroad so we can sell into new markets.

“It’s about taking back control of our security, our borders and our future.”

DENVER — Different opponent. Same result.

In each of the last four seasons, the Kings have opened the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. They lost each time.

So on Sunday the Kings tried a different route, opening against the Colorado Avalanche.

They lost, 2-1.

The goals came from Artturi Lehkonen late in the second period and Logan O’Connor early in the third. The Kings made a game of it late, pulling goaltender Anton Fosberg with 2:57 to play and getting a power-play goal from Artemi Panarin 35 seconds later. But that was as close as they would get.

Maybe the Kings should have been careful what they wished for. Because while the Avalanche aren’t the Oilers, they’re better — much better — than any of the recent Edmonton teams.

This season they won the Presidents’ Trophy, the prize that goes to the team with the best regular-season record in the league, and they earned it by scoring the most goals and giving up the fewest in the NHL. They also had the best home record in the Western Conference and the best road record in the league.

And they started quickly Sunday, putting four shots on goal in the first four minutes. But Forsberg was spectacular, making 28 saves to keep the Kings in the game.

Colorado thought it had beaten him less than seven minutes into the second period when O’Connor found the back of the net from the right circle but the goal was waved off by a goalie interference call on Jack Drury, who tumbled into the crease as O’Connor was releasing his shot. The Avalanche questioned the call, claiming Kings defender Drew Doughty had pushed Drury from behind, but they lost the challenge.

There was no doubt about Colorado’s next goal, which came 4:31 before the second intermission when Lehkonen, defended tightly by Doughty, was able to reach out his stick and sweep in the rebound of Nathan MacKinnon‘s shot from the right boards.

The Avalanche doubled their advantage 5:50 into the third period when Joel Edmundson lost the puck in the Kings’ zone, allowing O’Connor to collect it and race defenseman Cody Ceci to the front of the net before beating Forsberg cleanly. Drury got an assist on the play.

The game, which had been physical all afternoon, turned chippy after that, giving the Kings a power play they took advantage to halve Colorado’s lead. But the Avalanche then closed out the game to a 1-0 lead in the series.

The best-of-seven playoff resumes Tuesday night in Denver before moving to the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

It took a first home defeat to Leeds since 1981 for the real moans to start.

The calmness previously viewed as an asset became a negative. Inaction was seen as conservative. All week the question has been asked, is Carrick up to the job?

Well, there was nothing aesthetically pleasing about this latest triumph.

But given only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of all the post-Sir Alex Ferguson bosses had experienced the feeling of winning at Stamford Bridge, style was a secondary element.

Chelsea may have hit the woodwork three times. They may have carried the more consistent threat. But Carrick’s team was the one that delivered.

“It was a game for a result,” he said. “And we managed to find it.”

There was more to it though. There was overcoming the adversity of knowing that on top of the three central defenders he knew would be missing (Matthijs de Ligt through injury and Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire due to suspension), Carrick then lost a fourth, Leny Yoro, to a training ground injury.

That came so late in the week his chosen pairing, Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven, could only prepare with walk-throughs.

“I love when you see players thrive in those moments,” said Carrick.

Heaven, 19, had not started a game under Carrick, having first been given his chance by Ruben Amorim and then his immediate replacement Darren Fletcher.

“Ayden has not played a lot of football recently, and to come into that environment is not something that you can take for granted,” said Carrick.

“We say the same things to young players all the time. Sometimes they look at you as if to say, ‘yeah, good one’ but in terms of training every day and looking after yourself and being ready ‘because you never know when that chance comes’, he probably wouldn’t have thought it would come at that moment.

“But he was there, he was prepared, and he took it in his stride magnificently well.”

The Clippers’ season has come to an end but better than anyone expected. No consolation but a great job by head coach Tyronn Lue for guiding the Clippers from a disastrous 6-21 start and finishing with more than 40 wins.

Coach Lue led the team, overcoming major obstacles throughout the season with a player investigation, injuries, internal strife and major roster changes at the trade deadline. As usual for Clipper fans, wait till next year.

Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos

The Clippers are the NBA’s version of Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Yes, they have had 15 straight seasons of playing .500 or better, and owner Steve Ballmer has brought them respectability, but for their entire 56-year existence — which has contained many clowns and jokers — they still have never [attained] their goal of winning (or even reaching) the NBA Finals.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

A EUROPEAN airline is axing all flights with immediate effect.

Lufthansa‘s subsidiary airline CityLine is to cease operations due to both the Iran war and ongoing strike action.

The airline – which operates some flights to and from the UK – will be grounding 27 aircraft from April 18.

Flight routes typically connect London to both Frankfurt and Munich.

It isn’t clear how this will affect passengers just yet, as to whether they will offer alternative routes or refunds.

They said in a statement, according to local media: “As a first, immediately effective step, the 27 operational aircraft of Lufthansa CityLine will be permanently removed from the flight programme starting the day after tomorrow, in order to reduce further losses at the loss-making airline.”

Read more on travel inspo

GO ON

All the little-known websites for cheap or FREE tickets to gigs, theatre & festivals

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

CityLine was due to cease operations by 2028, but has since decided to close this month instead.

Sun Travel has contacted Lufthansa for comment.

Lufthansa’s main airline has also announced that it will be grounding four Airbus jets and two Boeing jets for good, by the end of the summer, which are mainly used for longer flights.

Lufthansa will reduce short and medium-haul flights by five aircraft from this winter as well, while long-haul capacity will be reduced by six.

Till Streichert, chief financial officer of Lufthansa Group, also said: “The goal is to focus our short- and medium-haul platforms more clearly and make them more competitive.”

The announcement follows hundreds of flight cancellations this week following pilot strike action.

Union Vereinigung Cockpit called the strike action over pension disputes and yesterday announced that the strike action would be extended by two days.

Pilots first walked out on Monday leading to hundreds of flights being cancelled, including many from the UK.

Cabin crew also walked out yesterday and today.

Around 34 flights were cancelled to and from the UK yesterday and with an average flight usually carrying around 150 passengers each, more than 5,000 Brits could have been impacted.

When further strike action was announced, VC president Andreas Pinheiro said: “The situation remains unchanged; there is absolutely no movement on the employers’ side.

“For us, this is not about political power struggles or egos, but about sustainable solutions.”

In a statement, the airline told passengers earlier this week: “Lufthansa and Eurowings are working intensively to keep the impact on passengers as low as possible.

“We are trying to have as many flights as possible operated by other airlines within the Lufthansa Group and by partner airlines.

“However, despite these efforts, flight cancellations are unavoidable.

“Travelers who are affected by an irregularity will be informed accordingly, provided their contact details are stored in the booking.

“We ask passengers to check the status of their flight before setting out on their journey.

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the disproportionate and very short-notice strike announcement.”

The airline has told passengers that if their flight is cancelled, they will be able to rebook once free of charge or have their ticket refunded.

In other flight news, here’s the first look at one airline’s new onboard bunk beds which even economy passengers can book.

Plus, a major UK airline is set to hike flights by up to £360 as they warn jet fuel prices have ‘never been this high’.

JUSTIN Bieber’s private Coachella after-party had a guest list so exclusive that promoters and influencers who were initially invited wound up being turned away, The U.S. Sun can reveal.

The pop star was supported by the Kardashian-Jenner clan, along with actor Jacob Elordi, who was seen with them in the crowd – and later cozying up with Kendall at the after-party.

Following Bieber’s headlining set on Saturday night in Indio, California, the star hosted a blowout bash with wife Hailey and A-list friends.

Kendall, 30, and Jacob, 28, were reportedly “all over each other” at the after-party.

A source told The U.S. Sun that the party was ultra-exclusive and hosted by Bieber’s new fashion brand, Skylrk, which also had a pop-up at the festival.

“Many people were turned down who had previously been invited,” they claimed.

“Promoters also had a lot of girls on their guest lists and I heard Hailey was turning them away.”

Influencer Zach Clayton echoed this by sharing a video on his TikTok showing a guy complaining, “They cut all my guest list off.”

He explained he invited 20 girls and they were all denied, joking that Hailey is a “boss,” and she was likely the reason they were not given access to the private event.

An insider also told The U.S. Sun that the party was off-grounds, as it’s well known Bieber purchased a $16.6 million estate in the ultra-exclusive Madison Club in nearby La Quinta.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Biebers’ reps for comment.

Kylie and other Kardashian family members also own property in the guard-gated community.

A source told The U.S. Sun that Kendall and Jacob are not serious but were seen getting close in the early hours.

“Kendall is 100 percent Jacob’s type. I heard they’re having fun and he hung out with her Sunday, too,” they said.

Australian Jacob has been single since splitting from influencer Olivia Jade Giannulli in October 2025.

The pair had an on-and-off relationship from December 2021 through late 2025.

They last stepped out together at a Frankenstein screening in New York on January 14, but are said to be over.

“Him and Olivia are so done,” the insider added.

The U.S. Sun reached out to Kendall and Jacob’s reps for comment.

Kendall was seen at the festival dressed casually in a pair of white denim shorts, a white tank top, an Adidas hat, and shades.

Jacob wore Bieber’s merchandise, including a black Swag cap, and was seen sneaking through the crowd as he enjoyed the set with the Kardashian-Jenners.

Meanwhile, Kendall has been single since her brief romance with rapper and actor Bad Bunny.

Following their December 2023 breakup, they were spotted together again in May 2024.

Kendall was also seen at the Super Bowl in February, awkwardly dancing to his halftime performance, while the rapper had reconnected with his ex-girlfriend, Gabriela Berlingeri.

Kendall’s new romance with a movie star has tongues wagging, as her sister, Kylie Jenner, is dating Oscar-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet, who was also seen at the festival.

Both actors were highlighted as key figures of this year’s awards season, often appearing together at events.

Kim Kardashian was also seen at Coachella, hiding in the crowd with new love Lewis Hamilton as they tried to go incognito.

Kendall, Kylie, and Kourtney were seen earlier in the weekend at the annual 818 Outpost event, which promoted the family’s brands, along with Hailey Bieber’s skincare line, Rhode.

Justin Bieber will return to the stage this weekend after a headline Coachella set that sharply divided fans.

The pop star opted for a stripped-back, intimate performance style — at times sitting behind a laptop, taking requests, and playing a mix of old music videos, childhood clips, and viral moments.

Some critics labeled the set “lazy” and “low effort,” arguing it lacked the polish expected from a major headliner.

Others, however, praised the nostalgic feel, as Bieber revisited his biggest hits alongside newer material.

US president says second round of talks could be held in Pakistan as blockade of Iranian ports continues.

Chaos erupted as British passengers were left stranded at Linate airport in Milan due to huge delays at border control meaning they missed their flight back to Manchester

easyJet passengers were ‘close to passing out’ after being left in the heat as their flight left to Manchester without them due to border control chaos.

About 100 people have been left stranded in Milan on Sunday, April 12 after facing up to three hour queues at Milan’s Linate airport because of new border control checks.

As well as concerns over how to get home, many passengers were left vomiting and passing out due to the heat, according to the BBC.

easyJet said it was working to support passengers but that the situation was “outside of our control”.

Large queues formed at the international airport causing mayhem.

Pictures and videos shared online showed scenes of mayhem as large queues formed at the international airport.

The carnage comes after the UK government updated its guidance to people travelling to the European Schengen area, meaning they may have to register biometric details when they arrive.

The implementation of the EU entry and exit system (EES) is an electronic system that replaces the physical stamping of passports when going through boarding control.

The airline said that it held the plane for almost an hour extra, but eventually had to depart due to crew working hours.

Passengers have been left disappointed after arriving at the airport in plenty of time and now facing huge delays to return home.

Emily Benn, from Grimsby, was travelling with five others on the 11am flight. Her new flight will now go to Gatwick rather than Manchester, meaning a £400 taxi fare on arrival.

She told the M.E.N: “We got to the airport at 8am and our flight was due to leave Milan Linate at 11am. As soon as our gate came on the board, we went straight to it and there was already a huge queue.

“The queue was for three separate flights, and there were hundreds of passengers all trying to get through. The new EES wasn’t working, so we all had to be checked by two people on passport control.

“It got to 11:20am and we were told the flight had left without us. They put us all on a shuttle bus and sent us back to the arrivals area, where we had to go back to the easyJet desk.

“We were told to rebook flights, so have booked to Gatwick and will then pay £400 for a taxi back to Manchester as that’s where our car is parked. We are a party of five adults and one child, who is due to have spinal surgery in a few days.”

Other passengers shared the ‘nightmare’ experience on social media. One posted: “What a nightmare!

“You abandoned me and 122 other passengers in Milan. You flew to Manchester with 34 onboard.

“We queued for three hours and all the time the flight info remained at ‘boarding’ we were then told the delayed flight had left.”

An easyJet spokesperson said: “We are aware that some passengers departing from Milan Linate today experienced longer than usual waiting times at passport control and we advised customers due to fly to allow additional time to make their way through the airport.

“We held flight EJU5420 from Milan to Manchester for nearly an hour to give passengers extra time but it had to then depart due to crew reaching their safety regulated operating hours. Customers who missed the flight have been offered a free flight transfer.

“We continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while EES is implemented, to avoid these unacceptable border delays for our customers. While this is outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits is closing down this summer in preparation for its first significant overhaul in its 50-year history.

The closure comes as its neighbor LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries finally open to the public after a two-decade campus transformation, and L.A. institutions make a concerted effort to bolster the city’s cultural scene in advance of the 2028 Olympic Games.

“We’re excited about bringing the entire campus together, and our part of it is really important to making it feel like you can easily move from LACMA over into the Tar Pits,” said Lori Bettison-Varga, president and director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, which oversees the Tar Pits. “So we worked closely with LACMA on that interface, and we’ll continue to do so.”

The last day to visit the Page Museum is July 6. Prior to closing, the Tar Pits will host a free public KCRW Summer Nights event June 12 and a members-only, disco-themed dance party June 27.

The museum renovation, like the recently announced Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research, is part of the NHM’s broader Reimagine project — a yearslong site revamp led by architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi that will make the 13-acre Tar Pits campus more accessible and emphasize its function as the only active paleontological research hub located in a major urban area. For the Page Museum, that means a new and improved northwest entrance, expanded visible research labs and collections displays, an immersive theater and a rooftop terrace overlooking Hancock Park.

• Share via Close extra sharing options

“We’re going to have this more accessible, state-of-the-art museum that really tells the story of Ice Age Los Angeles and its relevance today in a way that it currently doesn’t,” Bettison-Varga said.

Bettison-Varga added that the revamped Page Museum will demonstrate “why this place is a worldwide treasure, and that it’s telling us about ecological and climate change that happened in the recent past and what we can learn from it.”

“All of this is about placing it in the context of relevance for today, not just a window into the past,” she said.

To date, the Reimagine project has secured more than $131 million, just over half of its $240 million fundraising goal.

Guests can still observe active excavation during the two-year museum closure — albeit from different vantage points — as researchers continue their work on site. Hancock Park will stay partially open, with new walking paths and outdoor features set to be phased in coordination with construction.

“[The renovation] is really going to position that museum with respect to the landscape and the fossils that are right from this site, while still preserving all the wonderful things that the community loves about the site: the frieze and the lake pit, the mammoth family, the visible excavations and, of course, the hills that everyone likes to roll down,” Bettison-Varga said.

Plus, with the Geffen Galleries opening, “it’s actually a good reminder for everyone to come see the vintage, iconic La Brea Tar Pits before the Page Museum closes,” Bettison-Varga quipped.

While the Page Museum is under construction, the grant-funded La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museums will continue visiting schools and other public places throughout L.A. County.

The Page Museum opened in 1977 and currently houses more than 2 million specimens in its collection.

A SMALL UK airport will close in a matter of weeks with its final flights scheduled for May.

Coventry Airport first opened in 1936 and even took holidaymakers abroad for a number of years – but will close permanently in 2026.

It was announced in early December 2025 that Coventry would close its airport on June 11, 2026.

The last flights from are set to depart on May 9, 2026.

The site won’t stay vacant though as it will be replaced by Greenpower Park which first received planning permission in 2022.

It will be a £2.5billion battery gigafactory designed for electric vehicle production.

SIGHT SEA

£9.50 holidaymakers’ favourite Skegness activities… away from the beach

GO SEA IT

£9.50 holiday spot with shipwrecks, seals offshore & horseshoe-shaped waterfalls

Historically, Coventry Airport opened in 1936 – at the time it was called Baginton Aerodome and operated as an RAF base during WWII.

Later, in the 1950s and 60s, the airport began passenger flights across to the Channel Islands.

Then in the 1980s, Hards Travel began operating flights to Spain, France, Italy and Austria as part of package holidays.

Later on in 2004, Thomsonfly operated jet passenger flights to the likes of Palma, Valencia, Rome, Nice, Marseilles, Naples, Pisa, Venice, and Jersey.

During this time Wizz Air flew passengers to Gdańsk and Katowice.

However, after just four years, these stopped.

Following financial issues, the airport closed briefly in 2009, then re-opened in 2010 after being bought by the Rigby Group.

From 2010, the airport focussed on freight flights, training and even a base for the Air Ambulance rather than scheduled passenger services.

But after 90 years, Coventry Airport will close its doors in less than two months.

Last year, a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson confirmed: “Coventry Aerodrome has given formal notice to us of its plan to close the airport permanently with effect from 11 June 2026.”

For more on airports, here’s one in the UK that’s seeing a ‘boom’ in passengers with plans for more TUI flights next year.

And this UK airline has cancelled all London domestic flights for rest of the season due to ongoing fuel crisis.

UCLA coach Cori Close refused to call the Bruins’ national championship win Sunday personally validating. She said it didn’t matter what people had thought about her as a coach.

Her players, though, were as excited for their coach as they were for themselves after defeating South Carolina 79-51 to claim the first NCAA national title in program history.

“I’m super proud of her as well, the way she responded as a leader last year,” UCLA senior guard Gabriela Jaquez said. “We responded well. Obviously we’re here now. I think it started with Coach Cori and the way she wanted to make a change in our program and get us back here, get this result.”

Close, who has been with the Bruins since 2011, got UCLA close last season, when the Bruins reached the Final Four and were blown out by Connecticut in the semifinal.

But they turned the tables on South Carolina on Sunday, and Close said the best feeling was knowing that her process could work.

“This has been a calling, not a job,” Close said. “I’ve been saying it all day, but I don’t even know how else to say it, it’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine. I’m really grateful.”

UCLA coach Cori Close points across the court and talks with guard Kiki Rice during a win over South Carolina in the NCAA national title game Sunday in Phoenix.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

At times during her career, Close was viewed as an excellent recruiter and strong motivational speaker, but her tactical decisions were easy to question every time her team faltered during big moments. During the course of UCLA’s win over South Carolina, Close demonstrated every weakness her team showed during the past four years had been corrected. The result, was a lopsided victory that announced her arrival as one of women’s college basketball’s top coaches.

WNBA star Caitlin Clark on posted on X, “Not many care about the game as much as Coach Close … couldn’t be happier for her!!”

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said Close and her Bruins deserved all the praise.

“Cori is one of those people who really works at making our game better. Not just UCLA, but our entire game,” Staley said. “She’s always speaking out, uplifting our game in so many areas that it’s hard to continue to do that while maintaining the job that you have to do every day. But she finds the time.

UCLA coach Cori Close hugs South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley before their teams faced off for a national title Sunday in Phoenix.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

“Although we didn’t win, I can swallow it because we lost to a really good human being and a good team that represent women’s basketball well.”

Close will have to face a rebuild and likely have to work the transfer portal hard in the coming weeks to replace her six seniors and graduate students. But now, it might be a little bit easier since she’s proven her players bought in and she can win.

“Coach Cori really stayed patient with me,” said senior Lauren Betts, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. “She wanted to see me accomplish everything that I’d ever dreamed of. They just continued to remind me, they want me to see myself the way they all see me. I feel like now at this point I can finally truly do that. I think that’s what I’m most proud of.”

Not only win, either, but in such joyous fashion that it kept many of the players committed to the program and each other. Close’s approach ultimately carried them to a national championship.

UCLA forward Gabriela Jaquez dribbles under pressure from South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards Sunday in Phoenix.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

“It’s about their work and their habits yielding,” Close said while tearing up. “We say this, we want to recruit courageous. There were a lot of times we wondered if it could be true. I said I wanted to find uncommon, courageous women that were willing to make uncommon choices that maybe possibly could yield an uncommon result, and today it did.”

More love for the national champions

The UCLA women’s basketball team’s win sparked celebrations throughout the country.

UCLA two-sport star Megan Grant, who spent part of the fall practicing and playing on the Bruins’ basketball team, helped the softball team sweep Indiana before catching a flight to Phoenix. She greeted the basketball team at its hotel and joined the celebration, getting decked in UCLA national championship gear and receiving a piece of the title net from Close.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, a proud UCLA alum, recorded a video congratulating the team on its title win from one champion to another. “You guys made the entire Bruin nation so proud,” he said.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson, former U.S. Soccer star Abby Wambach, former President Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bass and many others congratulated the Bruins on social media. The state capital was lit in UCLA colors Sunday night in honor of the Bruins’ win. Fans greeted the team when the Bruins’ bus from the airport arrived on campus Sunday night.

UCLA is inviting fans to a national title celebration at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night. The official start time has not yet been announced.

Gymnastics advances to NCAA championships

The UCLA gymnastics team was locked in a tight battle Sunday in Corvallis, Ore., for a spot in the national championship meet.

The Bruins, however, were confident their super-power event — the floor exercise, their final rotation — would keep alive their goal of winning a national title.

Ciena Alipio scored a 9.875; Mika Webster-Longin, Sydney Barros and Ashlee Sullivan all scored a 9.900; and Tiana Sumanasekera added a 9.925.

Then it was time for senior Jordan Chiles to close out the meet for the Bruins.

Chiles delivered the same dynamic floor routine that has earned high scores all season, bursting into tears as soon as she stuck the final landing. She was rewarded with her eighth perfect 10 of the season and clinched the regional victory for the Bruins.

It was UCLA’s 25th NCAA regional title and the program’s first since 2019.

UCLA’s final team score was 197.725. Minnesota was next in line with 197.625 and will join the Bruins as the teams advancing to the national title meet.

Longtime UCLA rival Utah placed third with 197.500 and Alabama was fourth with 197.175.

Louisiana State, Stanford, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Arkansas are the other six teams that advanced to the national championships, which will be held April 16 and 18 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

No. 1 UCLA baseball sweeps No. 12 USC

The No. 1 UCLA baseball team completed a three-game sweep of No. 12 USC at Jackie Robinson Field, rolling to a 10-4 victory.

With the score tied 3-3 in the fifth inning, Will Gasparino hit a two-run homer. Mulivai Levu added a two-run homer in the sixth, and Roch Cholowsky tacked on a three-run blast in the eighth.

UCLA earned a 12-4 win over USC on Friday, then had to rally for a 9-8 win Saturday.

The Bruins (29-2, 15-0 Big Ten) are riding a 23-game win streak. The Trojans (27-6, 10-5) started the season on a 19-game win streak but have been challenged by Big Ten competition.

The UCLA football team kicked off spring workouts this past week. We’ll get our first chance to talk with players this week and promise to have more football coverage in the newsletters to come.

In case you missed it

Plaschke: Bruising Bruins dominate South Carolina, bring another NCAA national title to Westwood

Swanson: Gabriela Jaquez achieves the UCLA championship she always dreamed of

UCLA crushes South Carolina to win NCAA women’s basketball national championship

UCLA players say Cori Close has evolved from motivator to championship leader

UCLA fans gather in Arizona to proudly cheer on Final Four Bruins they admire

Plaschke: UCLA defies expectations with a TKO of Texas and isn’t backing down from title fight

Swanson: Becoming the next South Carolina was always UCLA’s goal. Now it must beat its inspiration

No. 1 UCLA baseball pulls away from No. 12 USC in highly anticipated showdown

UCLA defeats Texas to set up national title showdown with South Carolina

How viral videos sparked a women’s NCAA tournament revolution

UCLA knocks off Texas, reaches national championship game

It’s ‘all or nothing’ for UCLA seniors chasing NCAA women’s basketball title

UCLA coach Bob Chesney grades Bruins on effort not perfection as spring football opens

UCLA gymnasts say remaining calm, confident key to their push for a national title

UCLA confident it can turn last year’s hard lessons into Final Four success

Five concerns UCLA must address before facing Texas in the Final Four

Angela Dugalic surrendered a starting role and unlocked UCLA’s trip to the Final Four

Prep Rally: Former Southern California high school standouts fueling UCLA and USC baseball

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Is it possible to have a luxury staycation with the kids in tow? This hotel offers a range of features to make family holidays more fun, including complimentary childcare for kid-free time

If you’re looking for a family staycation that’s close to the coast, yet also has plenty for the kids to do, and even gives you the chance for some child-free time, then read on.

A hotel in Dorset is offering luxury family-friendly accommodation overlooking spectacular Chesil Beach, with lots of thoughtful touches to make your time away easier. Moonfleet Manor is set in a beautiful Georgian property and is an excellent place to explore the Jurassic Coast.

While we all love spending time with our kids on holiday, one of the main services that’s bound to appeal to worn-out parents is the hotel’s Four Bears Den Kids Club.

This Ofsted-registered onsite club takes care of kids from three months to eight years, and all guests get a complimentary two-hour session per night’s stay, starting at either 9.30am or 2.30pm. This gives you kid-free time to enjoy a romantic stroll, have a spa treatment, or just read a book in peace.

In the evenings, you can also hire a video monitor for free, so while the kids nap in the room, you can enjoy a nightcap. The hotel also offers a babysitting service for an additional fee if you want to explore the local area.

During the school holidays and weekends, the kids club offers a program of activities designed for family fun, from toasting marshmallows to scavenger hunts, so all ages can enjoy quality time together.

Just a short walk from the hotel is an indoor pool available for guests to enjoy throughout their stay, plus there’s a sauna and the option to book spa treatments for the grown-ups, including facials and ocean-inspired rituals.

Kids can enjoy the colourful play barn, where you’ll find an under-5s play area, table tennis, arcade games, and even a hands-on Science Room for young Einsteins to play in.

The problem with some family hotels is that they tend to focus just on practicalities, and they can be quite dull for adults. But Moonfleet Manor has a luxury, design-led style, so rooms are inviting whether you are staying as a couple or with kids.

There are also two-bedroom family rooms available that offer a separate sleeping area for the kids. This means you can tuck them away in bed and enjoy your evening without worrying about keeping them awake.

The hotel overlooks the unspoiled shingle shores of Chesil Beach, an 18-mile stretch of seafront that’s full of incredible fossils and spectacular scenery. Between the beach and the hotel is the Fleet Lagoon, a marine-protected area full of wildlife and seabirds, so you can’t walk directly onto the shingle from Moonfleet. However, you can drive a short distance to Abbotsbury or Portland for a beach walk or fossil hunt.

READ MORE: EasyJet launches UK flights to underrated European city with 300 days of sunshineREAD MORE: 5 price increases Brits face on holidays this year from tourist taxes to flights

Less than 20 minutes away is the seaside town of Weymouth, a family favorite for many generations. Here you’ll find a SEALIFE Center, Sandworld – an impressive collection of sand sculptures and castles, and the sandy Weymouth Beach, which is set in a cove, so kids can paddle and swim on sunny days.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com