Several studios in Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox gaming division, including Montreal-based Compulsion Games and San Francisco-based Double Fine, are in active negotiations to spin off as they try to thwart closure, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.
Cambridge, England-based Ninja Theory, the maker of Hellblade, is also in conversations with Xbox, as are several other studios across the portfolio that are at risk of being shuttered.
The studios may still have the opportunity to buy themselves back from Xbox and go independent, although many employees will probably lose their jobs as a result, said the people, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Employees at several studios have been informed of the situation and given permission to seek new work but were told that the status of the studios is still in flux.
An Xbox spokesperson declined to comment.
The potential closures are part of a broader reorganization being overseen by Asha Sharma, who took over as Xbox’s new chief executive in February.
Last week, Bloomberg News reported that the gaming division is planning significant layoffs. Sharma sent out a memo to staff lamenting the bleak state of the business, which has seen revenue and margins plummet in recent years. “Going forward, this cannot continue,” she wrote.
Compulsion Games, Double Fine and Ninja Theory all made award-winning games that were not commercial hits. But even some of Xbox’s more commercially successful studios are not yet sure how they will fit into Sharma’s new mandate, which will prioritize the biggest franchises as the company looks to return to growth.
Compulsion Games is the developer behind South of Midnight, which was released last year. Double Fine, best known for the Psychonauts series, released the smaller games Keeper and Kiln over the last year.
Xbox is facing the current challenges despite having made major purchases in recent years, including its acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. for $69 billion in a deal that closed in 2023.
Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan stepped down last week ahead of the layoffs, said the people familiar with Microsoft’s plans. Gaming newsletter the Game Business previously reported his departure.
A month away from its closure, onetime gambling oasis Primm, Nev., located along the state border with Southern California, has a new lease on life.
The Primm family, owners of the land that includes three casino resorts and other businesses along the 15 Freeway, announced Tuesday a partnership intended to save the struggling state-line strip and hundreds of jobs.
“What we saw with them is the same energy that we had in rebuilding Primm,” said Cory Clemetson, describing the new deal with Terrible’s in an interview with The Times. Clemetson is president of Primm South Real Estate Co. and a grandson of Primm founder Ernie Primm, who made a name for himself in Southern California in the 1930s and ’40s with his Gardena card rooms.
In the summer of 2025, signage blocks an entrance at Primm Mall, a once-popular site along with the trio of casinos at the California-Nevada state line.
(Bridget Bennett / For The Times)
“Primm has long been one of Nevada’s most recognizable destinations,” said Tim Herbst, president of Terrible’s, in a statement. “This partnership reflects our commitment to preserving that legacy while creating new opportunities for growth, investment, and tourism for decades to come.”
Terrible’s takes over for Affinity Gaming, owned by private equity company Z Capital Partners, in the full-circle world of southern Nevada gaming. In 2010, Herbst Gaming declared bankruptcy and saw Primm taken over by Z Capital Partners.
An email to representatives for Affinity Gaming was not immediately returned.
The process for the return of Terrible’s to Primm kick-started May 5, when Affinity confirmed the closure of Primm Valley Casino Resorts.
Affinity’s subsidiary, Primadonna Co. LLC, sent termination notices to more than 300 employees effective July 4.
The closure was devastating, Clemetson said.
“It felt like a gut punch,” he said. “I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me that they would announce something like that for the Fourth of July. Laying off in excess of 300 Nevadans who are mostly paycheck to paycheck with nowhere to go didn’t sit well with my family.”
Primm Valley was the last of three resorts built between 1977 and 1994 at the site that remained in full operation.
Buffalo Bill’s, the largest of the three resorts, closed 24-7 operations in July 2025, after Whiskey Pete’s, the original casino, shuttered in December 2024.
Affinity Gaming declined multiple requests from The Times to speak about Primm’s struggles.
In a letter presented at a Clark County Board of Commissioners meeting, Erin Barnett, Affinity’s vice president and general counsel, wrote in October 2024 that “traffic at the state line has proved to be heavily weighted towards weekend activity and is insufficient to support three full-time casino properties.”
“As a tenant with a difficult lease and an expensive property and increased competition every day in California … it just became a very difficult thing,” he said, “and we’ve been losing money for years there.”
Clemetson said that Affinity asked for help over the years, such as potential rent reductions, but that the Primm family was unaware of Affinity’s finances.
As for the future, Clemetson said Terrible’s was in the process of reacquiring a gaming license for Primm, which he hoped would happen in the next three weeks.
He also said it was the goal of the Herbst and Primm families to try to keep all workers who received a termination notice employed.
Clemetson said he was excited about Primm’s future under Terrible’s and chalked up its bankruptcy in 2010 to the Great Recession.
“They suffered a similar fate of many big brands like MGM and Caesar’s,” Clemetson said.
“They’re very well thought of in Nevada and they’re a very successful family who’s done well,” he added.
Speaking of Primm’s chances of regaining its former glory, Clemetson reached back into his own past as a young sports agent for players on the L.A. Galaxy soccer team.
“I can’t tell you how many people told me I was dumb to get involved representing soccer players because soccer would never make it here,” he said. “Now, Major League Soccer has a few franchises over a billion dollars.”
As for Tim Herbst and his family, “we believe Primm’s best days are still ahead.”
OPEC on Sunday announced that its member nations will increase oil production by nearly 200,000 barrels per day in July, despite the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed and it being very difficult to ship it anywhere out of the Middle East. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
June 7 (UPI) — The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Sunday agreed to increase production by nearly 200,000 barrels per day despite the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed, making it near-impossible to ship any of it.
Ordinarily, OPEC increasing oil production among the group of nations that comprise it would lower its cost, but experts have called the move largely symbolic because of the ongoing war in Iran, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported.
The Strait of Hormuz, which 20% of the world’s oil supply ordinarily would pass through daily, has been closed since early in the war as part of Iran’s effort to counter the war launched by the United States and Israel in February.
The OPEC members that agreed to the 188,000-barrel increase for July — the fourth month in a row that the group is increasing production — include Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Oman.
The countries agreed to the increase as part of the group’s “commitment to support oil market stability” and said the latest production increase would also allow the participating nations to “accelerate their compensation,” OPEC said in a statement.
“The countries will continue to closely monitor and assess market conditions, and in their continuous efforts to support market stability, they reaffirmed the importance of a cautious approach,” the group said in the statement.
The Trump administration continues to negotiate an end to the war that would lead to the reopening of the Strait, in addition to working to limit Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon, amid a shaky weeks-long cease-fire.
President Donald Trump discusses renovations to the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and makes an announcement on coal in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
In early 2026, it was announced that lido would not be reopening and would be closed indefinitely.
Since its closure, locals have been campaigning to save the lido with over 100 written requests from residents to see what the future of the pool would be.
In a huge U-turn, Stroud District Council has now approved the funding needed to repair the pool.
Work is set to start immediately, so the lido could open as soon as July 29 – failing that, it’s scheduled to reopen on August 14.
Initial funding to upgrade the lido was estimated at £5.1million, but has been brought down to £476,000.
The pool may need to undergo more repairs at a later date.
On its Facebook page, Save Stroud Lido said: “We are absolutely delighted by last night’s decision and can’t wait to see families, swimmers and young people enjoying the Lido again this summer.
It has been closed since September 2025 and needs to undergo repairsCredit: AlamyThe lido could undergo more repairs at a later dateCredit: Unknown
“And now the focus turns to getting the works completed and the gates reopened as quickly as possible. Because this is more than a pool.
“It’s part of Stroud’s identity. A place for fun, friendships, exercise, memories and safe outdoor swimming for generations to come.’
The Stratford-based lido first opened to swimmers in 1937 at a cost of just £20,000.
It’s a 50-metre long cold water pool with six swimming lanes and has a 10-metre high diving board.
Usually the pool is only open for the summer season and is open for around 100 days starting in May.
A waterfront amphitheater roughly twice the size of the Greek Theatre and two-thirds the size of the Hollywood Bowl is set to open this week in Long Beach — and there’s a lot riding on its success.
City leaders hope F&M Bank Amphitheater of Long Beach, located next to the famed Queen Mary, will supplant declining revenues from oil extraction and lead to an uptick in tourism. Concert promoters, meanwhile, see it as filling an important gap in Southern California’s music venue market.
The temporary amphitheater, which has a maximum capacity of 11,000, is meant to be a precursor to a permanent “Long Beach Bowl,” which is being pitched as the largest waterfront venue on the West Coast. The site opens June 6 with a performance by native son Snoop Dogg, and is expected to last for up to 10 years.
The new amphitheater represents a years-long dream of Mayor Rex Richardson, who began championing an outdoor performance venue on the waterfront in 2023. Soon after the closure of Irvine’s FivePoint Amphitheatre in October of that year, he accelerated those plans by proposing this facility. The general feeling was that Irvine’s loss could be Long Beach’s gain.
“This will be a place where memories are made, where music brings people together and where our city shows up on the big stage,” he said during a January groundbreaking. “The amphitheater represents direction to invest in our city’s future, to embrace our creative economy [and] to shape how people experience Long Beach for generations to come.”
Good vibes by the water is the driving energy behind the temporary venue.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
While Los Angeles and Orange County have no shortage of cavernous indoor arenas, the region has recently lacked a proper “summer shed” capable of hosting many national amphitheater tours, said Nick Storch, head of global artist development for booking agency Independent Artist Group. Those tours typically play venues larger than the Greek, Irvine’s Great Park Live or Costa Mesa’s fairgrounds-adjacent Pacific Amphitheatre, but smaller than the Hollywood Bowl.
Such tours, Storch said, are of “massive” importance to the concert industry. “With amphitheaters, it’s not just the music — it’s the experience of being outside and watching a concert, getting a bite to eat with your friends and all those kinds of things,” said Storch, whose agency’s clients Motley Crue and Five Finger Death Punch will perform at the F&M Bank Amphitheater in September.
“FivePoint was a great venue to help artists that are in that in-between stage, and not fully ready for arenas,” he said. “Long Beach having an amphitheater is going to grow the market again.”
Amphitheaters are also crucial to veteran artists with established fan bases. The long-running hard rock band Tesla — who also will perform at the F&M Bank Amphitheater in September — has not played a show in Los Angeles or Orange counties since the closure of FivePoint, which hosted the group twice.
Brian Wheat, the band’s bassist and manager, said he’s excited the new venue will help change that. “Sheds are great in the summertime, and outdoor summer gigs always create a great atmosphere for both bands and fans,” he said.
Much like the F&M Bank Amphitheater, FivePoint Amphitheatre was designed to serve as a temporary venue following the closure of Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, which operated from 1981 to 2016. (From 2000 to 2014, it was known as Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.)
At 11,000 seats, the amphitheater is roughly two-thirds the size of the Hollywood Bowl. Its permanent replacement will be “architecturally iconic,” said Mayor Rex Richardson, while this temporary version is likened to a “summer shed.”
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
From its opening in October 2017 until its closure, FivePoint hosted nearly 500 concerts, including artists such as KISS, Dave Matthews Band, Charlie Puth, Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs.
Venue operator Live Nation — which manages more than 300 facilities across the country — initially hoped to build a permanent amphitheater nearby, but scrapped those plans in 2023 after the Irvine City Council ended negotiations. Soon after, Live Nation announced the venue would shutter.
After learning of Live Nation’s fallout with Irvine, Richardson and members of his economic development team attended the final FivePoint concert, a performance by the Zac Brown Band, to “explore the feasibility if we were to do the same thing.”
Three months later, Richardson announced plans to build a temporary amphitheater in Long Beach to bridge the gap until a permanent facility — which he envisions as an “architecturally iconic and significant” waterfront venue akin to San Diego’s Rady Shell at Jacobs Park — can be permitted, financed and constructed.
The site’s location is central to its appeal, said Dan Hoffend, executive vice president of North American venues for Legends Global, the operator for F&M Bank Amphitheater. “If you sit in the very top row — what you would consider the worst seat in the house — it’s a spectacular view,” he said. “The Queen Mary is sitting there in all its glory. You’re looking across the harbor. What would be perceived as the worst seat is actually the best seat because you see it all.”
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, left, and amphitheater general manager Tra Jones sit in the stands. Even from the nosebleeds, you still have a view of the waterfront at the F&M Bank Amphitheater.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Tra Jones, general manager of the new amphitheater and a Long Beach native, said he’s striving to make it feel less stopgap and utilitarian than FivePoint.
“It doesn’t have a temporary feel at all,” he said. “We looked at all our surroundings and said, ‘What does this look like from a stylistic point of view?’ We leaned into the port/SteelCraft vibe — a very cool industrial look. When you walk in, you’re experiencing a vibe. That’s what we want to resonate with concertgoers coming here.”
The word “vibe” also pops up frequently in conversation with Richardson. Under his watch, Long Beach recently started branding itself as “Vibe City,” which he said is an attempt to encapsulate the charm of L.A. County’s second-largest city, and the state’s seventh-largest.
“Long Beach is special, but it’s hard to explain why if you haven’t been here,” he said. “Because you have to experience it for yourself, the best way to describe it is that it’s a vibe.”
Still, Richardson is aware that vibes can only go so far. During an April meeting with residents of downtown Long Beach, attendees were more interested in discussing homelessness and a recent uptick in traffic fatalities than how a new concert venue might add to the city’s cultural cachet. Some downtown residents have circulated a petition regarding noise-related concerns.
“The job of the mayor is to meet the needs of your residents today — keeping a roof over your head, making sure it’s safe to walk down the street, making sure you have access to amenities and services in your community — but also to think about the future,” he said.
That means finding a way to offset revenues from oil extraction, which currently finance many municipal services, and are projected to drop from more than $50 million annually to around $21 million by 2035. According to Richardson, the new amphitheater — managed by Legends Global, but owned by the city — will help cover that shortfall. The venue is projected to be profitable within five years and generate nearly $29 million in revenue by 2036.
Oil revenues, which pay for city services, are projected to drop by more than half. The amphitheater is being pitched as a budget gap solution.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
“We were fortunate that revenue from oil provided a lot of our services and built our beautiful waterfront, but as California moves away from oil production, we have to plan a more sustainable future by investing in what we know will be here in the long haul,” Richardson said. “In order to do that, we have to invest in arts and culture and tourism.”
Richardson is betting on music at a time when other cities — including Los Angeles — are doubling down on sports, warehousing or data centers. The amphitheater is also meant to remind the world of the city’s impact on pop culture.
From War to Warren G and Sublime to Snoop, Long Beach has a rich musical history. The city hosted the first concerts by the Beach Boys and No Doubt, while Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Elvis Presley, the Eagles and Iron Maiden all graced the stage of the Long Beach Arena.
While that venue currently holds more conventions than concerts, Long Beach has hosted notable outdoor music festivals in recent years, including Warped Tour, Day Trip and Dreamstate. Richardson believes the success of those events helped prove the city’s viability as a concert destination.
“This is the first step toward a legacy of leaving our city in a more economically resilient position,” Richardson said. “At every big turn in our city’s economy, we’ve leaned on arts as a way forward, and this is no different.”
Even the bleacher seats represent Long Beach pride at F&M Amphitheater.
On a 75-mile cliff-hugging stretch of highway in California, traffic is way up, despite soaring gas prices. And locals expect the busiest summer in years.
The road is Highway 1 in Big Sur, which reopened in January after three years of repair and reconstruction following a pair of landslides. Drivers can once again embark on the state’s most famous road trip, covering the 100 miles between Cambria to the south and Carmel to the north without leaving the two-lane coastal highway. And they’re heading out in big numbers.
Caltrans estimates that as of May, Big Sur restaurant and retailer guest counts are up 40% from last year, and that northbound traffic at Ragged Point, the southern gateway to Big Sur, has risen 900% year-over-year.
People pose for photos near Bixby Bridge. Monterey County’s Board of Supervisors voted to explore a 12-month ban on parking around the bridge.
Safety cones prevent parking along Coast Road near the Bixby Bridge.
“Take your time,” said Kirk Gafill, co-owner of the popular Nepenthe restaurant and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, offering advice to travelers. “You’re going to be sharing the road with a number of people.”
As travelers rediscover the road, the cost of driving has been shooting skyward. California’s average gas price ($6.11 per gallon as of May 26) is up 26% from the year before. In early April, rates hit $9.99 at the isolated gas station in the Big Sur community of Gorda.
For spring and summer travelers, these numbers would seem to pose a stark question: Stay home and save money, or head for the coast because the road is finally open and it’s still cheaper than flying?
So far, the latter answer is winning big.
Fog lingers off the coast of Highway 1.
“We are definitely seeing a huge uptick in our reservations,” said Megan Handy, assistant general manager at the upscale Treebones resort. She estimated that bookings are 30% or more ahead of last year, and rates are unchanged since then. But “it’s still not feeling super crowded, which is nice. Everything still feels kind of calm.”
But added traffic has raised some anxiety. On May 19, Monterey County’s Board of Supervisors voted to explore a 12-month ban on parking at Bixby Bridge, one of the region’s top photo spots.
Over the years, the number of cars parking near the bridge — often illegally, sometimes impeding emergency vehicles — has risen. The proposed parking moratorium won’t take effect until the supervisors discuss it further.
Share via
Busy as things are, several business owners pointed out that many international travelers have not yet returned — perhaps because most make their plans more than six months ahead, perhaps because of global politics, perhaps a little of each.
The biggest challenge for businesses during this resurgence? “Restaffing and retaining,” said Handy at Treetops.
At Nepenthe, Gafill said his business has seen a 45% boost in guest volume since the road’s reopening. Gafill said he would have expected a 35% pickup, “simply by virtue of reopening the highway.” The additional 10%, he said, might be “all that pent-up demand,” aided by “a very beautiful and very dry winter,” followed by a mild spring.
A lunch crowd dines at popular restaurant Nepenthe.
Another possible factor: Nobody can be sure how long the road will remain open.
To cope with the influx of people, Gafill said, “everybody is trying to recruit and retain their existing staff.”
At the Ragged Point Inn, where rates dropped as low as $149 nightly last fall, rates are back over $200 and staffers are suggesting that customers book at least six months ahead. The inn has reopened its snack bar for the first time since early 2023, and management is investing in capital upgrades and staging live music on weekends throughout the summer.
Business “is up over 100%,” said Diane Ramey, whose family owns the inn. “I know not all of our neighbors are having the same lift, but everybody is doing better.”
Traffic approaching Bixby Bridge.
A visitor poses in an oversized chair at Big Sur River Inn.
Even at the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a Benedictine monastery above Lucia, the road’s reopening and coming summer season have made a difference. Bookings are up an estimated 30% at the hermitage, which rent rooms and cottages (for two nights or more) to visitors who agree to its requirement of silence.
Big Sur business owners advise visitors to travel on weekdays for less traffic and the best hotel rates, and to get on the road as early as possible.
Since its opening in 1937, the highway has been vulnerable to landslides and shifting ground, operating on a longstanding cycle of landslide, closure, repair, reopening and then another landslide, or sometimes a fire. The U.S. Geological Survey has identified the Big Sur coastline as one of the most landslide-prone areas in the western United States. The 2023-2026 closure was the longest in the highway’s history.
Over time, road crews have used increasingly sophisticated strategies. In the most recent efforts, Caltrans said, it used drones to help survey the slopes and remotely operated bulldozers and excavators to reduce risks to workers.
During the closure, no traffic was allowed on 6.8-mile span from just north of Lucia until about a mile south of the Esalen Institute. Drivers detoured inland by way of U.S. 101.
This airport has been closed since 2014, but new £750m plans could see it reopen as a major cargo hub by 2029
Abandoned airport takes next step to finally reopen(Image: Vince Murray via Getty Images)
The disused Manston Airport in Kent could be back in operation by 2029 if fresh proposals get the green light. The airport, which shut its doors in 2014, is earmarked to reopen as a cargo hub before the decade is out.
RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) bought the airport for £16.5 million back in 2019, with an initial target to reopen by 2025, though this was delayed owing to escalating costs.
As RSP presses ahead with business development talks with airlines and freight operators, the planning process has now reached its third phase.
From Monday, March 16, to Monday, June 22, the public are being consulted on the proposed airspace modifications.
The suggested changes are being put before residents, local communities, and broader stakeholders.
Tony Freudmann, Director at RiverOak Strategic Partners, stated: “This consultation is an important step in our ambitions to reopen Manston Airport.
“[It’s] representing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver new runway capacity to support the UK air cargo market and to transform the economic landscape in east Kent.
“We know Manston holds a special place in the area’s history, we would encourage people to find out more about our proposal and provide any feedback they might have to help shape our plans.”
When the initial proposals for Manston were drafted, the projected cost stood at £400 million; however, this has since soared to £750 million.
It’s believed that once the redevelopment is finished, Manston will be capable of handling more than a million tonnes of freight annually.
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled Friday that President Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations.
“The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,” he wrote.
Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.
Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said Friday the institution is “confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.” She said the decision would be reviewed “carefully.”
“Though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi said. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”
Cooper held hearings in late April for parallel lawsuits challenging the project. One was filed by a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations. The other was brought Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s request but rejected the other challenge.
Justice Department attorneys said renovation plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the board’s authority to make without needing outside approvals.
The plaintiffs worry the president and his board allies will flout preservation rules designed to maintain the building’s historic fabric. In earlier statements in court hearings, attorneys for Beatty and the preservation groups raised doubts about the limited scope of the project, pointing to Trump’s statements that he would “fully expose” the building’s steel skeleton. Beatty has said she was “very fearful that we’ll see what happened with the East Wing and what happened with the Rose Garden” if the center is closed and the renovations allowed unsupervised, referring to major changes the president has made at the White House.
Trump, a Republican, has taken a keen interest in the Kennedy Center’s operations since he returned to White House last year. He installed a handpicked board that named him chairman. His name was added to the facade of a building that is considered a living monument to President John F. Kennedy.
The Kennedy Center has kept up performances ahead of the closure, though at a much slower pace than in previous years. Trump attended the premiere of the musical “Chicago” in March and other shows, including “Moulin Rouge” are slated for June.
Bill Maher, the comedian who has had an up and down relationship with Trump, is expected to be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on June 28, an event that was anticipated to be one of the final big moments at the Kennedy Center before the closure.
Cooper was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Obama.
Kunzelman and Sloan write for the Associated Press.
SUN RAYS warming your cheeks, there’s the gentle smell of a barbecue and kids all around have smiles on their faces, but what could make it more perfect? A lido.
With temperatures soaring to 30C across the UK this bank holiday weekend, a lido seems like the perfect day out and for years on end, it was where I would beeline to in the warm weather.
Sign up for the Travel newsletter
Thank you!
Teignmouth Lido was saved from closure by the local communityCredit: Teignmouth LidoAnd it will reopen on May 23Credit: Facebook/TeignbridgeLeisure
Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration@thesuntravel.
But I wouldn’t just head to any old lido; my preferred spot is Teignmouth Lido in Devon.
Recently saved by the local community from closure, Teignmouth Lido to most will seem like a regular open air pool.
And while I may be biased as the destination is home to many fond childhood memories with my family (including my dad doing handstands in the water and begging to get ice cream from the counter), the lido does have a lot to boast about.
The lido can be found in the Devonshire seaside town of TeignmouthCredit: GettyAnd is right by the beach and historic pier with arcadesCredit: Getty
The pool measures 25-metres-long, between May and September there are usually a whole host of events on and is surrounded by a grassy bank ideal for sunbathing.
If you just fancy a dip, then a two hour block costs £8.40 per adult and £5.40 per child – though you can also get a full-day swim pass costing £15.10 per adult and £9.70 per child.
Just want to watch your kids? You can do that too and pay a smaller spectator fee of £4.40 for two hours, or £7 all day.
Sessions tend to be split between general swims, lane swims and fun sessions but there are also Aqua Fit and ‘Fit for Sea’ sessions.
There are a number of other beaches nearby too, including near The PointCredit: GettyYou can also hop on a ferry from The Point across to the village of ShaldonCredit: Getty
Following the risk of closure earlier this year, the lido has been saved by an outraged local community (including myself) and will be run by Teignbridge District Council this summer before hopefully being sold to the local community.
And really, the lido couldn’t be closer to the seafront – only separated by a wall.
Teignmouth Seafront Beach is huge and features unique red sand you find across Devon.
What makes the beach particularly special is the amount you can do there, such as heading along the South West Coast Path and watching trains whizz by at Teignmouth Railway View.
Also by the beach is a play park, skate park and crazy golfCredit: GettyThe town centre is free of big branded chains and boasts cosy cafes insteadCredit: Alamy
Halfway down the beach you’ll also find Teignmouth Pier.
Standing since 1867, the pier is just one of two pleasure piers left in the South West of the country.
Inside you can find all you would expect of a traditional seaside pier, such as penny arcade machines and even modern video games.
You can also grab a bite to eat and ice cream on the pier.
At the other end of the beach, there is then Jurassic Adventure Golf – ideal for a bit of competitive family fun – and the play park.
There’s also a historic lighthouse near the seafrontCredit: Getty
If all of this wasn’t enough, the promenade along the entirety of the seafront is flat and wide, making it the ideal spot for rollerblading or testing out skateboarding before dropping into the skate park.
The final stop at the far end of the beach is the lighthouse, which is relatively small but built from grey stone and is definitely worth checking out for its unique look.
If you don’t mind walking slightly further, you’ll reach The Point – a narrow split of sand at the mouth of the Teign Estuary where the river meets the sea.
And if you are lucky enough as I have been on a few occasions, you might spot a seal or dolphin.
And many independent shops and a museum in the town centreCredit: Alamy
It is a great spot to explore and see the neighbouring village of Shaldon on the opposite side of the river, though just don’t enter the water here as the currents can be quite strong.
Shaldon is pretty to explore as well, with pastel coloured houses and a handful of cosy cafes and pubs.
If you want to explore Shaldon, you can hop on a short ferry ride across the estuary from The Point.
Back in Teignmouth town centre there is more to see, including Teignmouth Museum and a number of independent shops, cafes and pubs.
The lack of big brand, high street chains really makes it feel like a traditional, vintage seaside town.
The very best thing about Teignmouth? All of this is within a short walk of the town’s train station and whichever direction you travel to the station in, you will get fantastic views of red ancient desert sandstone cliffs, beautiful beaches, nature reserves and sprawling estuary.
ONE museum in Leicestershire which has been called a ‘jewel’ of the city could soon look very different.
The Moira Furnace Museum is set to undergo a £2.4million investment and will add a playground and café to its site.
Sign up for the Travel newsletter
Thank you!
Moira Furnace in Ashby opened in April after previous renovationsCredit: AlamyNew renders reveal plans to build a new visitors site at the musuemCredit: NORTH WEST LEICESTERSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL
Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.
The attraction is a well-preserved 19th-century iron-making blast furnace and historical landmark that is now a museum set in a huge country park.
The Moira Furnace Museum in Ashby reopened in April after undergoing the first phase of its regeneration project which took just over one year.
It needed £490,000 worth of repairs after water damage – but as much as £2.4million could be invested for phase two.
The development could see a new visitor centre built with café and a play area for children.
Also included in the plans are additional storage facilities, improved parking with electric vehicle charging points and canal structural safety works.
Councillor Mike Ball (Con) told the committee that the improvements would make a “big difference to the future life of the furnace” and it was “one of the jewels in [our] crown”.
The Ashby Canal at Moira Furnace, Leicestershire, England, UKCredit: Alamy
There is a phase three plan too which includes a new “basement entrance area” as well as “monument interpretation and illumination“.
The museum sits on a 36-acre country park and inside the attraction is a chance to learn about the 220 year old iron blast furnace.
The attraction is actually considered one of the most significant surviving monuments of the Industrial Revolution.
Inside are immersive spaces taking visitors back to the time it was used, including how the site looked 200 years ago.
There are activities for children too like dressing up or trying one of the seasonal trails around the site.
Museum tickets for adults cost £4 and £2 for children (between 2-18 years).
While the proposed visitors centre is set to have a new café, there is a takeaway spot within the museum shop.
The heritage boat on the canal offers trips on the waterCredit: Alamy
Here, visitors can pick up hot and soft drinks as well as sweet treats like cake and ice cream.
Outside on the country park are woodlands with cycling paths and picnic spots.
Alongside the museum is a canal and visitors can even take a trip on a 100 year-old narrowboat.
The heritage boat called The Joseph Wilkes offers 15-minute trips along the water.
Tickets cost £4 for adults, £3 for children (between 2-18), and family tickets are £12 (for 2 adults and 2 children).
The museum and boat rides are open from April until late October with the country park being open year-round.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Environmental groups say that the timing of the expected closure of an immigration detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades, likely in the next month or two, is no accident because it will come as their lawsuit challenging its existence returns to a federal judge who had previously ordered it shut down.
A federal appellate court decided last month to keep open the detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” for the time being, blocking a lower court decision ordering it to wind down operations. But the case was sent back to the lower court judge who now gets jurisdiction over the lawsuit as the litigation over the facility’s fate continues.
“Knowing that the same district judge who previously enjoined the operation would soon reassume oversight — the defendants are now effectively waving the white flag,” said Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups that had sued, saying the facility’s construction hadn’t undergone a required environmental review.
When asked about the future of the state-run facility and its costs on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he hadn’t gotten any “official word” that federal authorities are going to stop sending detainees to the center.
But vendors who supply and help run the facility have been told that the closure could be as soon as next month, according to reports Tuesday by the New York Times and CBS News Miami. The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which operates the detention center, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Wednesday. The Republican governor’s press secretary, Molly Best, referred questions about the facility to the state emergency management agency.
“We didn’t build any permanent facilities down there because we knew it was going to be temporary,” DeSantis said Wednesday at a news conference in Titusville, Fla.
DeSantis’ administration opened the facility in July to support the immigration crackdown by the administration of President Trump, who visited the detention center last summer. An attorney for two detainees has accused guards of severely beating and pepper-spraying detainees. Other detainees have said worms turn up in the food, toilets don’t flush and mosquitoes and other insects are everywhere.
“This monument to cruelty, waste and environmental and tribal lands abuse should have never been built,” U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, said Tuesday.
Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity sued state and federal officials a short time after the facility opened, claiming the remote airstrip site in the Everglades wasn’t given a proper environmental review required by federal law before it was converted into an immigration detention center. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami agreed and ordered in August that the facility must wind down operations within two months.
The appellate court blocked the order, saying the Florida-run facility wasn’t under federal control and didn’t need to comply with federal law requiring an environmental impact review.
But the appellate court made clear that once Florida got federal reimbursement for the facility, it would have to comply with the federal environmental law, Schwiep said.
DeSantis said Tuesday that the state expected to be reimbursed by the federal government for $608 million, which has already been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The sands of Oceano Dunes — the only state park where visitors are usually allowed to drive on the beach — are unusually quiet right now.
Too quiet, many locals say, because off-road vehicles and beach camping have been temporarily banished from San Luis Obispo County’s Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area since April 14.
Many others, however, are happy about the pause, saying it will be good for the western snowy plover, a threatened sea bird species.
This discord is part of a long-running battle between environmentalists and recreation advocates along this stretch of coastline a few miles south of Pismo Beach. The environmentalists won the most recent round when a federal judge ordered the dunes closed until state parks officials obtain a permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that allows occasional bird casualties.
State parks officials, who have canceled all camping reservations in the area through May 22, said they hope to reopen it by May 23. But that timetable depends on permit approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Camping reservations for May 23 and beyond are still active, according to Jon O’Brien, superintendent of the state parks system’s Oceano district.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Meanwhile, along Pier Street in Oceano, business is slow.
At Sun Buggy Fun Rentals, which has been catering to visiting families for more than 20 years, “we’ve had to lay a majority of our folks off,” said owner Randy Jordan. He said he’s counting on state parks officials “doing everything they can” to reopen the area on May 23.
At the Pier Street Deli y Mas, “It’s been really slow,” manager Chelsea Nava said. “Our employees are losing hours.”
In normal times, Nava said, 80% or more of her customers are from out of town, including “a lot of people from Bakersfield and Fresno, [who] come in for the dunes.”
“We aren’t quite sure” what to expect next, Nava said, noting that her family took over the deli in late 2024. “We were doing really great right before the closing,” she said.
The closure was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Anne Hwang, who ruled April 9 that the state needs to do more to protect the western snowy plover, which is classified as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Under Hwang’s order, the closed area can reopen when the state files a long-awaited habitat conservation plan and gets an “incidental take” permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that allows some snowy plover deaths and injuries. Jon O’Brien, superintendent of the state parks system’s Oceano district, said he was confident that the state would obtain the approval and reopen the area almost immediately after May 22.
Camping reservations for May 23 and beyond “are still active,” O’Brien said. “So if you’ve got a camping reservation for May 24, you’re still got a reservation.”
Jim Suty, president of the Friends of Oceano Dunes, which favors recreational use of the area, said he’s hopeful that parks officials can open the area as promised. But even if they do, Suty said, plenty of damage has been done.
“People really need to appreciate that closing the park at this time did nothing to help the endangered species, and did everything to hurt the people,” Suty said, referring to visitors and local businesses that depend on them. “It’s very important to the vitality of the local community.”
“It’s maddening,” said David Hamilton, who lives in nearby Arroyo Grande and said he has been driving the dunes and watching sunsets with his wife for years. “There’s so much coastline and they can’t leave this small stretch open.”
The recreation area’s status has long been crucial to Oceano, an unincorporated community of about 7,000, located just to its north.
Though there are several neighboring small cities along the nearby coast, Oceano merchants say they don’t get much business from Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande or Pismo Beach, which includes more upscale hotels and restaurants with clifftop ocean views.
Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area remains the only California State Park where vehicles may be driven on the beach.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The judge’s order covers roughly 800 acres of off-highway vehicle area south of Arroyo Grande Creek. Until April 14, O’Brien said, up to 350 campers per night (at $10 per vehicle) were allowed in the area, along with up to 1,720 off-highway and 1,800 street-legal vehicles per day, at $5 per vehicle.
The most recent court case was initiated in 2020 by the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. Zeynep Graves, a senior attorney at the center, said in a statement that state officials “have let off-road vehicles tear through protected habitat at Oceano Dunes, injuring and killing snowy plovers, harassing roosting flocks, and degrading their habitat.”
However, state parks statistics show that the western snowy plover breeding population has grown from at least 32 breeding adults in 2002 to at least 281 in 2024, exceeding state targets since 2013.
In her ruling, Hwang found that California state parks had violated the federal Endangered Species Act by permitting too much activity near the birds without having obtained an “incidental take” permit.
State parks officials responded by saying the closure “will result in thousands of families losing their camping reservations and coastal recreational access, while cutting operational revenue that funds environmental conservation.”
During the closure, Pismo State Beach — which is just north of the off-highway recreation area and Arroyo Grande Creek — will allow a maximum of 1,000 street-legal vehicles per day (and no off-highway vehicles). Pismo State Beach’s two campgrounds (near the beach but not on it) remain open.
Oceano Dunes is the state’s only oceanfront off-highway vehicle recreation area. Drivers have been driving on the beach and dunes there since the early 20th century. The state acquired the land in 1974 and created the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area in 1982.
Through the years, state parks officials have gradually reduced acreage open to off-highway vehicles as recreation advocates and environmentalists have debated how much protection the birds need. Often, the battle has pitted the California Coastal Commission (seeking to curtail vehicle access) against leaders of California State Parks (seeking to continue vehicle access).
Apart from closures, Oceano Dunes recently faced another challenge. Because of CoVID-19 safety measures, the area locked its gates in 2020-21. During that time, rare shorebirds started nesting in areas usually reserved for off-roaders and their beach-riding vehicles. In 2021, the California Coastal Commission sought to permanently end off-road driving in the dunes but was later overruled by court rulings that the agency had overstepped its authority.
Throughout the debate, the area has remained popular. In 2022-23, the most recent fiscal year for which statistics are available, the area drew more than 908,000 visitors, including about 126,000 campers.
AFTER five years of being shut-off, one small island off the coast of Montenegro is set to reopen, as is its luxury resort.
Called Sveti Stefan, the pretty spot has been closed for half a decade due to backlash from locals.
Sign up for the Travel newsletter
Thank you!
The island of Sveti Stefan has been closed since 2021Credit: AlamyThe luxury retreat on the island will reopen its doors in JulyCredit: Aman
Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.
A few miles away from Montenegro‘s town of Budva is the small and beautiful island of Sveti Stefan which is home to a luxury resort, Aman Sveti Stefan.
The hotel is accessible only to its guests who have to walk across a small strip of land which connects it to the mainland.
But the hotel closed back in 2021 due to a dispute between the property operator and locals over access to its public beaches.
When the hotel first opened in 2009, it made its surrounding beaches including Miločer Beach (King’s Beach) and Queen’s Beach accessible to its guests only.
Access for locals was made difficult with the luxury resort charging high fees around €200 (£172.63) for sunbeds and umbrellas.
However, these had historically been free for all to enjoy with space for locals to lay down a towel.
Restriction of the beaches caused a lot of backlash and there were even protests back in 2021.
The dispute between locals and the hotel ended up with the temporary closure of the resort which stretched on for five years.
Sveti Stefan is connected to the mainland via a small strip of landCredit: Alamy
In 2023, Europa Nostra, the European Voice of Civil Society committed to Cultural Heritage, said: “The Montenegro State has almost half privatised this national treasure and disenfranchised its own citizens from their own public domain.
“Public access to Sveti Stefan old town and other parts of the site has been forbidden, even during winter months when the hotel is closed, making it impossible for locals and non-hotel guest tourists to enjoy this cultural landscape.”
Five years on and the hotel operator, Aman,has confirmed the island retreat in Montenegro will be reopen on July 1, 2026.
The luxury resort still looks like a small village, and is made up of hand-restored stone cottages and suites all updated with modern furnishings.
The resort is made up of hand-restored stone cottages and suitesCredit: Aman
Some of the more luxurious suites even have private swimming pools, courtyards and terraces.
Stays include a daily breakfast, in-room refreshments and access to snorkelling equipment and paddle boards.
A stay in the Deluxe Cottage which is based on an original island home starts from €2,973 (£2,566.12) per night.
The resort has a mainland retreatcalled Villa Miločer, that and its Aman Spa will welcome guests back on May 22, 2026.
As for its surrounding beaches, these are open to the public once more with free access – but there are no shower, changing cabins or toilets.
For anyone who wants a glimpse of Sveti Stefan, the nearest airport is Tivat which is a three-hour direct flights from the UK and as little as £38 each way with easyJet.
China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong says maintaining the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz are “urgent” priorities, warning the issue will be high on the agenda if it remains closed during President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing.
