dont

Vernon, who has two daughters with former Strictly host Tess Daly, explained that “your babies will always be your babies” and highlighted a horrifying scenario for parents

Vernon Kay has opened up about a family change he and his wife “don’t want” as he confessed that their dynamic is changing. Vernon, who is married to former Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly, shared his thoughts while reflecting on his evolving relationship with their two daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16.

The couple exchanged vows at St Mary’s Church in Horwich back in 2003 and now reside in Buckinghamshire with Amber, while Phoebe has headed to New York to pursue her studies. Vernon and Tess, like many parents, have spoken about their daughters spreading their wings and becoming “independent”, yet it appears that, deep down, neither parent is truly ready to let go.

Vernon revealed he has had to figure out how to “enter their world” — a world with certain “pitfalls” that he and Tess never encountered — including one particularly alarming modern-day concern. In a recent interview, he noted that “your babies will always be your babies”, while acknowledging that today’s world brings with it an issue of which they are “acutely aware”.

Vernon told The Times: “Now that Phoebe is 21 and Amber is nearly 17, our relationship with them is changing. We talk about encouraging them to leave the nest and be independent, but we don’t really want them to. You have to learn to enter their world and that world has pitfalls that just didn’t exist for us.

“When Phoebe started going out, we became acutely aware of drink spiking. I think that just didn’t happen in the Nineties.” Last month, Phoebe shared her relocation to the Big Apple via TikTok, posting a clip of herself dancing against the New York skyline, including views of the Empire State Building.

She wrote: “NYC has my hearttt! Lucky to call it home for a while.” Her parents travelled to the US earlier this year to visit her, with Tess documenting the trip on Instagram, featuring snaps of a pancake breakfast and visits to art galleries. Tess, who lived in New York during the 1990s, said: “I love NYC. Maximised every minute on a whirlwind half-term trip and fell in love with this magical city all over again.”

Meanwhile, Vernon’s BBC Radio 2 co-star recently issued an apology to Tess on air. Vernon has been suffering from a bad back and has been struggling to keep on top of household jobs. In the segment, he informed colleague Gary Davies about his intentions to visit a chiropractor and how he’d been “getting the garden ready”.

Vernon explained: “Chiropractor this afternoon… I think I’ll be a little bit better, but the thing is we’re pre-summer, aren’t we? So, at the moment, I’m getting the garden ready. Done a bit of lawn mowing and I’ve got a list as long as my arm of jobs to do, but I can’t do them with a bad back! I don’t want to get anyone in either.”

Gary joked that this was a convenient excuse, prompting Vernon to quip: “To keep my feet up… and do absolutely nothing!” Gary said: “Sorry, Tess, sorry!” Offering a further glimpse into his relationship with Tess, Vernon revealed: “She sent me a message this morning on the train, ‘Why is half the lawn done?’.”

When questioned whether he’d taught Tess how to tackle the mowing herself, Vernon stated: “That’s my job – no, that’s my job. That’s my job, I love it. Put my headphones in and away we go!”

Meanwhile, Vernon has shed light on a “horrendous” hidden struggle while presenting The One Show alongside regular host Alex Jones.

Speaking with Ellie Brennan on Radio 2 , Vernon disclosed how his stomach had begun rumbling, explaining: “Did you watch The One Show last night? Did you notice that Alex and I had the giggles? Just out after filming Watchdog. They take it very seriously at The One Show. It’s a consumer rights programme, so it’s very serious, and my tummy, because I hadn’t eaten lunch, decided to pop up and say hello.”

He continued: “I literally – and it’s the first time in, I’d say 25 years, since I was working with June Sarpong – that I’ve done a live television link biting my lip to try to stop myself laughing as I’m introducing something really, really serious. It was horrendous.”

You must pack this essential travel item in your suitcase before your next holiday to take your pool lounging to the next level – and a game-changer at an all-inclusive

Packing one item in your suitcase on your next holiday could help make relaxing by the pool even more enjoyable.

Fleeing the miserable British weather and flying off somewhere sunny is something many of us eagerly anticipate as soon as we secure some annual leave, or when the children break up from school. We Brits adore visiting destinations like Spain, Greece, and Turkey for reasonably priced all-inclusive breaks where we can bask in the sunshine poolside and let our worries fade away.

However, if you’re arranging a trip this summer, one woman on social media has insisted you shouldn’t even contemplate travelling without packing one crucial item that could make those poolside days even more pleasurable – particularly if you’re booking to stay at an all-inclusive resort.

In a clip on TikTok, Josie Mills filmed herself with a tray of cocktails in small plastic cups that she had collected from the bar on her all-inclusive break.

Typically, you’d need to keep standing up to fetch a fresh drink, or risk them becoming warm in the heat if you collect multiple beverages at once – but Josie has a trick that can conserve your energy and keep your drinks chilled.

All you need to do is ensure you’ve packed a Stanley cup or other insulated drinking vessel. These will keep your beverages ice cold for hours and can contain far more liquid than the small cups the hotel provides you.

She captioned her video: “This is your sign to pack your Stanley so your all-inclusive drinks stay ice cold all day and saves you going to the bar every five minutes.”

Those commenting on Josie’s video who had brought their insulated tumblers on getaways agreed the tip was certainly worthwhile, as it can be a “godsend” in sweltering weather, even if you opt to fill it with chilled water rather than cocktails. Numerous people revealed they had even taken their cups straight to the bar and requested them to be filled.

One person said: “Just take your cup to them, they’ll mix the cocktail straight in there for you. Saves faffing with the little cups!”

Another added: “I do this every time. Save the plastic and just give them your cup, they’re happy to do it.” A third said: “We did this and it was a godsend in high 30 heat.”

While Josie’s suggestion was intended for guests staying at all-inclusive resorts who receive their beverages at no additional charge, you can do this at most hotels – though it will cost more. You can also fill your tumbler with water if you anticipate spending extended periods by the pool, as this will help maintain your hydration in the heat.

How to stay safe in the sun on holiday

If you’re intending to lounge poolside in the sunshine during your break, you should ensure you’re following proper sun safety measures. This includes applying sunscreen and making certain you’re adequately covered during the hottest periods of the day.

According to the NHS, you should make sure you: For further guidance on protecting yourself from the sun’s rays, head to the NHS website.

• Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm
• Never burn
• Cover up with suitable clothing and sunglasses
• Take extra care with children
• Keep babies younger than six months out of direct sunlight
• Use at least factor 30 sunscreen – make sure to use enough and reapply frequently

For more detailed information on staying safe in the sun, visit the NHS website.

I went behind the scenes on a Marella cruise and ended up getting a sneak peek at some of the rooms that the passengers usually don’t get to see

Cruises are made to feel effortless – from island-hopping, flowing cocktails to all-inclusive dining. But behind the scenes, an army of staff are working around the clock to keep things powered to the highest of stands.

For my first Caribbean cruise on board the Marella Discovery, I was given access to areas passengers don’t normally see. After getting to grips with the 11-deck vessel – home to nine restaurants, six bars and everything from mini golf, an escape room and a climbing wall to keep you entertained, it was time to see the ship from a new angle.

Here’s everything I learned…

Where the magic happens

Only a handful usually get to see the command centre of any ship; the bridge. Here, the Captain and his crew navigate these huge vessels from ‘parking’ in tight corners at the docks, to steering the course when out in the middle of the ocean. The view from the bridge was unlike anything I’d seen before, and quite impressive. We watched how the crew navigated as our ship docked among huge superyachts owned by millionaire (just to add that extra bit of pressure).

Your air con affects the speed of the ship

Next, I head into the engine room where a team operates the smooth running of five engines, two massive propulsion motors and multiple air-conditioning systems – working 24 hours a day. Modern cruise ships like the Marella Discovery distribute power to meet the demand. That means lighting, kitchens and even your cabin’s air con will play a role. “If we were in Alaska in the middle of the night, with no air con running, we could reach 24 knots,” one crew member explained. “But during the day, when everything’s in use, it drops to around 22.” At full speed, the ship burns around 8,000 litres of fuel an hour. Efficiency is key.

It all comes out in the wash

In the laundry room, staff wash around 1000 towels a day with industrial machines and steam presses. It’s not just the passengers who are catered for. In these rooms tucked out of sight, the crew’s immaculately white uniforms are maintained. Since that’s a lot of similar looking clothing, every item is labelled with a unique number to make sure they go back to the right person.

The show must go on

As a theatre fan, I couldn’t wait to get up on the stage of the Broadway Show Lounge – from a view not many get to see. Behind the curtain, the performers do more than just sing and dance. I learned that they handle their own props, do their own hair and make-up, and of course all of the warm-ups they undergo. In the dressing room, wigs, hairspray and hairpins fill every space, but among the seeming chaos there’s a strong camaraderie. After working with each other for three months at sea at a time, it’s clear the performers are like family.

The motion in the ocean might be in your head

Unlike the seasoned sailor, I admit that being a cruise-newbie means I feel the ship moving especially at night. However, according to the crew, the tilting is far less dramatic than I was expecting. Thanks to stabilisers, the ship can only ever move to a maximum of one degree either side. “We keep your soup in your bowl and your drinks in your glasses,” one jokes.

The most eaten food on board? It’s not what you’d expect

I got a chance to see the ship’s galley – the central multi-floor hub of the ship where thousands of meals are prepared every single day. A team of 101 chefs work around the clock to fuel up 1800 passengers and 700 crew members every single day. The head chef shows me what is known as ”the manual’, a list of detailed recipes for every single food item on the menu – ensuring the exact same meal can be recreated anywhere in the TUI fleet. Around 3,600 meals are served at lunch and dinner, but breakfast is the real peak with passengers get through a staggering 7000 dishes a day. The most popular food on board? Eggs. Around 2,300 are served up at breakfast alone – that’s a lot of omelettes.

The customer service is down to a tea

It’s not just the big systems that are carefully thought out on Marella. As an avid Yorkshire tea drinker, I was thrilled to see the boat was well stocked even in the Caribbean. One crew member told me it’s something that was introduced after passenger feedback and quickly became a staple.

Book the holiday

Marella Cruises offers a seven-night Tropical Isles round trip from La Romana, Dominican Republic on Marella Discovery from £1573 per person. Price based on two adults sharing a Deck 2/3 inside cabin on an all-inclusive basis. Includes flights from London Gatwick, 20kg of luggage per person, transfers, tips, and service charges. Find out more at tui.co.uk/cruise.

Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani had navigated the Mets lineup without much trouble until the fifth inning. But he’d also been holding back a little something.

“I can’t go full throttle the whole time,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton after the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory Wednesday. “But considering where the game was at that point, I felt like I just really had to go full throttle and make sure I’m considering the game situation.”

The Mets had just scored their first run of the game — ending Ohtani’s streak of innings without an earned run at 32 ⅔, the longest of his career — and cut the Dodgers’ lead to one.

So he unleashed a 100.2 mph fastball past Tommy Pham, and then 100.3 mph. Pham foul-tipped both and had some choice words with himself on the way back to the dugout.

“He has a little extra gear when he needs it,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I’m sure he was frustrated about giving up a run, and then came back and really went after Pham.”

That strikeout was one of 10 Ohtani had in a performance that was dominant, regardless of the first mark on his previously spotless ERA.

Holding the Mets to one run through six innings, Ohtani logged double-digit strikeouts in a regular-season start as a Dodger for the first time, matching his effort in Game 4 of the 2025 National League Championship Series against the Brewers.

Shohei Ohtani pitches against the New York Mets.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Roberts said he’d been considering pulling Ohtani after the fifth inning started going sideways.

Ohtani had faced just one over the minimum through the first four innings he pitched. Then in the fifth he issued two walks before giving up a run-scoring ground-rule double to Mets designated hitter MJ Melendez on a line drive into the right-field corner.

Roberts changed his mind after Ohtani steamrolled Pham and got Francisco Lindor to line out to escape the inning without further damage.

“Just added a little more intensity after they scored a run,” Ohtani said. “But overall it felt really nice and easy and loose throughout the whole outing. So I think that’s the reason why I threw a little harder.”

Good thing Roberts sent Ohtani back out, too. He struck out the No. 2 through 4 hitters in the Mets’ batting order, all on different pitches.

The two-way phenom only had one job to worry about Wednesday.

For the first time since 2021, he was not also in the lineup as a hitter while pitching.

“If it weren’t for the hit by pitch [Monday], he would’ve been DHing and pitching tonight,” Roberts said before the game.

Ohtani was hit in the back of his right shoulder by a 94-mph sinker on Monday. Though that didn’t prevent him from serving as the designated hitter the first two games of the series, the Dodgers wanted to lighten the load Wednesday.

“Just feeling what gives him the best chance to stay loose during the outing, feel good,” Roberts said. “There’s still some soreness in there. When he’s hitting, there’s a component that he’s in the cage getting ready to hit, and if we can take that off his plate and just focus on one thing tonight, we felt — training staff, pitching coaches, myself — we just felt it was the best thing for him. So, once I told him, he completely understood.”

Dalton Rushing rounds the bases after an eighth inning grand slam.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

When asked what Ohtani’s initial reaction had been, Roberts widened his eyes in an impressively accurate impression of one of Ohtani’s patented facial expressions.

“I was a little bit surprised,” Ohtani said after the game. “But it made sense hearing what he had to say.”

The next time Ohtani takes the mound, he is expected to also hit. But Roberts didn’t rule out again having Ohtani just pitch if a similar situation arises again.

“It’s something I’m going to keep an eye on if it makes sense, but not just kind of do it proactively,” Roberts said. “It’s something that’s … got to make sense to not have your best hitter not in the lineup.”

To account for Ohtani’s absence in the batting order Wednesday, Kyle Tucker moved up from No. 2 to leadoff, and Dalton Rushing served as the DH.

The Dodgers scored all eight runs via the long ball: a two-run shot from Hyeseong Kim, his first home run of the season, a solo blast from Teoscar Hernández, Rushing’s first career grand slam, and a solo homer from Tucker.

“We had a really good DH hit today,” Ohtani said of Rushing, who also hit a double.

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz was available Wednesday, for the first time since Friday. But the Dodgers’ five-run eighth inning eliminated the save situation. Instead, right-hander Kyle Hurt made his first major-league appearance since 2024. He gave up a run and had three strikeouts.

Jackie Robinson Day

The Dodgers’ celebration of Jackie Robinson Day began with the annual reflection at the Jackie Robinson statue, with both teams in attendance. Speakers included Robinson’s granddaughters Sonya Pankey Robinson and Ayo Robinson, Roberts, and Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

“We make the rather bold assertion that Jackie’s breaking of the color barrier wasn’t just a part of the Civil Rights movement,” Kendrick said in his speech, “it was the beginning of the Civil Rights movement.”

He broke down the timeline: Robinson debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, years before the Supreme Court ruled on Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954) or Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala. (1955). The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was still a student at Morehouse College.

“If you don’t believe that one individual can indeed invoke change, you have to look no further than right here,” Kendrick said, pointing to the statue of Robinson. “Because what he did was incredibly difficult, under some of the most harsh circumstances you could ever imagine.”

Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac (who recently changed his name from Rob McElhenney) have made their ambitions clear ever since their first interview as owners in 2021.

A member of the media asked the actors what their perfect ending would be? Reynolds responded: “We’d be lying if it wasn’t the Premier League.

So far, so good for the north Wales outfit. They’re one promotion away from the top flight and their latest accounts reveal a record turnover of £33.3m in the process. But was it ever really the aim to make it four promotions in a row?

At the start of their first season back in the second tier of English football since 1982, Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson told the Telegraph, external that his aims for the season were Championship survival, a mid-table finish and to be competitive.

He proposed this to Reynolds and Mac, who immediately responded by asking what it would take to reach the top two.

Williamson went on to say that after discussions between the club’s hierarchy, they landed on: “Let’s be competitive and see where we end up.”

“If we can find ourselves in that position towards the back end of the season, I give us a very good shot of being in the play-offs. And then, ultimately, if we’re in the play-offs, I give us a very good shot of getting promoted just because of who we are and what we are and the DNA, the resilience and what it means to this town and for the squad,” explained Williamson.

The CEO also said that should promotion not be achieved this time, then that was OK too.

While budget airlines don’t typically offer complimentary products or refreshments on board, there is a time when passengers could get some extra perks, a flight attendant revealed

It’s not unusual for airlines to charge extra for refreshments on board, but there’s a way you can get extra perks for free.

While we get to lap up the benefits of meals, drinks, and snacks included on long-haul flights, these sadly don’t apply to many short-haul flights, especially on budget airlines. Despite their appealing, affordable flight tickets, we can end up paying extra on board, especially if we’re in need of a snack or drink.

However, that doesn’t mean budget airlines never offer complimentary services. Adam Hodge, 35, who has worked as Wizz Air cabin crew for eight years and is based at Luton Airport, exclusively revealed to the Mirror just how passengers can take advantage of the perks on board without paying extra.

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“If it’s someone’s birthday, if they’re travelling for a special occasion, or on their anniversary, I do like to go above and beyond where I can, “Adam, originally from Newcastle, explained.

“So I might make them a coffee or a tea just to say, ‘Happy wedding anniversary’, I try to make it special for them with what I can do.”

He sweetly added: “If someone purchases one of the lovely Proseccos that we have on board, I’ll tie a little handkerchief on the end, just to make it more special, for those little touches.”

While no one wants to be delayed on their flight, this is another time that airlines might offer a freebie to their passengers. Adam explained: “We do have situations where we have to do what’s called a ‘complimentary service on board’, that’s where we have a delay over a certain amount of hours. It depends on the actual destination and the journey time as to when we initiate a complimentary service.”

Explaining why this can occur, he added: “Sometimes in the summer when there’s really bad air traffic control delays, we can be faced with what’s called the ‘air traffic control slot’ where you have to wait.

“We could have been boarded 10 minutes early, but because we have a slot, we then might have to wait for 45 minutes or more to actually have that permission to get up due to the airspace. Sometimes, when passengers are onboard the aircraft for an X amount of time, we’ll offer a complimentary service, providing them with a snack and water on the house.”

But if it’s not a special occasion while flying, and without any unwanted delays, there’s plenty of chargeable refreshments onboard for passengers to enjoy. Adam even noted that Wizz Air has a new, nifty on-board ordering service available on flights, where passengers can order a drink or snack to their seat through an app, without waiting for the trolley service.

“After take off, we do app ordering first, followed by the trolley service,” he said. “Passengers scan the QR code and connect to our bluetooth where they can browse all of our products and promotions, and order to their seat. When the order arrives at their seat, they pay for it.

“It gives passengers more freedom and flexibility; they can order when they want. That service is available from after take-off to before landing, so they can order throughout the flight.”

For more information about Wizz Air flights or to book your next trip, visit their website.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Things took an amusing turn on BBC Breakfast after beloved host Naga Munchetty made a mistake live on air before clearing up any confusion with viewers.

Naga Munchetty was reassured by her co-host after she slipped up on BBC Breakfast this morning.

The BBC show returned to screens on Saturday (April 11) for another instalment. Naga and Charlie Stayt were back at the helm to discuss some of the biggest stories hitting the headlines, including the news of Artemis II returning to earth.

But things took an awkward turn when Naga – who has been a staple on the long-running programme for several years – made a small blunder while on air. Talking to viewers, Naga told them the time.

“It’s 13 minutes past one,” the popular presenter stated, before realising her mistake. She declared: “Oh no! 13 minutes past seven is the time.”

Turning to co-host Charlie, Naga added: “I don’t even know what I was thinking!” Charlie then chimed in: “Can I hazard a guess that you were still in ‘what time did Artemis come down’?” referring to the astronaut crew of Artemis returning to Earth early in the morning.

Talking about the time the crew landed on Earth, Charlie added: “Which was I think seven minutes past one. You’re stuck in that moment maybe?”

A cringing Naga then addressed the viewers, clarifying: “Can I just say for everyone watching, you haven’t got up too early or you haven’t overslept. It’s 13 minutes past seven!”

In the early hours of Saturday morning (April 11) the astronauts of Artemis 2 returned from the Moon with a splashdown in the Pacific. Rick Henfling, the mission’s entry flight director, says the Artemis 2 crew is “happy and healthy” after landing.

He said: “I saw Victor (Glover) was smiling and in good spirits, everyone is happy and healthy and ready to come back to Houston.”

The crew travelled 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres) from Earth, smashing the distance milestone of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometres) previously held by the Apollo 13 crew for 56 years.

Their epic voyage took them around the far side of the Moon, normally hidden to the human eye, which included a 40-minute communication blackout when they were cut off entirely from their home planet.

BBC Breakfast airs Monday to Sunday at 6am on BBC One.

The industry body, UK Pet Food, estimates that we spend some £380 million a year on bird food. Separate figures suggest that amounts to more than 150,000 tonnes annually – enough to sustain three times the breeding populations of the ten commonest garden species if they relied on it alone all year round.

EXCLUSIVE: Kieran McCartney has revealed what fans don’t see on The Apprentice including what Lord Alan Sugar, Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell are really like

Kieran McCartney has revealed what the BBC bosses don’t show on The Apprentice.

The estate agent from East London is one of the eight remaining candidates in the running to become Lord Alan Sugar’s next business partner.

Last week, he put his neck on the line by cutting a dramatic “win or walk” deal with the business tycoon to save himself from being fired.

He’s the first contestant in the BBC show’s 21-year history to make a pact with Lord Sugar that he would lead the next task to victory – or walk away.

As fans wait to see the outcome of the bold move, Kieran’s shared some behind-the-scenes secrets including what Lord Sugar and his aides Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell are really like.

“Those boardroom showdowns are as real as it gets,” he explained, before adding: “Everything is done in one take and they film everything once and once only. It’s all real and raw.

“What you see is what you get. Karren’s [Brady’s] very strong but a big softy and she grows on you.

“[Lord Alan] Sugar had lots of banter and I love that so I was giving it back to him. I don’t think anyone’s ever given back to the way I did and Tim’s just a lovely guy.”

Baroness Brady joined The Apprentice as one of Lord Sugar’s aides in 2010 replacing Margaret Mountford and Tim won the first series of The Apprentice in 2005 taking over Claude Littner in 2022.

Kieran went on to share exactly how much time he spent with Lord Sugar’s trusted advisors during the process.

He added: “When you split into your two teams, you then go into further two teams so there’s four groups overall.

“Karren and Tim spend the morning with one group and the afternoon with the other and then you see them in the boardroom.

“They kind of just sit there but I’m not sure they actually write anything down like you see on camera.”

To remember his ultimatum, Kieran has had a tattoo on his leg of Lord Sugar, Baroness Brady and Tim’s faces with the words “The Apprentice 2026” and catchphrase “win or walk”.

Addressing his thinking process behind his bold offer, he joked: “Lord Sugar will either love my tattoo or send me a legal letter.”

He continued: “I’d love to sit here and say it was all part of a bigger plan but it was a total impulse.

“I thought I was a goner and was going home, it was a last resort and I just came out with it.

“I had to make that deal with Lord Sugar to survive and I put my neck on the line. It was a one-off, never been done and that’s a bit of me.”

Kieran McCartney was speaking to BestBettingSites.co.uk – the leading comparison site for casino sites and The Apprentice airs Thursdays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm

Imagine waking up early, eager to peep dazzling carpets of brilliant orange flowers at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Instagram posts promised a spectacle.

You drive to the reserve north of Los Angeles, but the rolling hills aren’t alive with color.

Bummer. The bloom is over.

Thanks to AI, and a local scientist, such disappointment may soon be a thing of the past.

This year, Steve Klosterman, a biologist who works on natural climate solutions, launched a “wildflower forecast,” powered by a deep-learning model, satellite imagery and weather data.

In a sense, Klosterman, of Santa Monica, developed the tool to meet his own need.

Last spring, the Midwest transplant was hankering to see some wildflowers. He assumed there was some online resource that offered predictions or leveraged satellite images.

“Surely, there must be something,” he recalled thinking. “But there was nothing.”

There are tools. The state reserve operates a live cam trained on one swath of land. Theodore Payne, a California native plant nursery and education center, runs a wildflower hotline, where people can call in and hear weekly recorded reports on hot spots.

“These are all essential resources,” Klosterman said. “At the same time, they’re limited.”

Klosterman isn’t green when it comes to plants. His PhD, at Harvard, focused on the timing of new leaves on trees in the spring and color change in the fall.

For a class project, a team he was part of built a website that predicted those leaf changes in the Boston area. It was a hit.

California poppies bloom in Lancaster, near the state natural reserve, in mid-March.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

To create the poppy bloom predictor, Klosterman turned to AI initially developed for medical imaging. He has harnessed it to instead analyze satellite images of the Antelope Valley.

The model scans 10-by-10-meter squares of land to determine whether poppies are present by their telltale orange color. (It also identifies tiny yellow flowers called goldfields.)

The model is trained on satellite images — which go back nine years — along with past weather data.

It then uses the current forecast, and recent flower status, to peer into the future.

If the mercury is going to hit 100 degrees and wind is picking up — and in previous years that led to withering flowers — that will guide the prediction.

Right now, the model can forecast five days out and is, as Klosterman puts it, “very much a work in progress.” It would be better, more powerful, if it had 100 years to learn from.

As more data are collected, it might someday be able to forecast a week or two out.

Right now, poppies are popping at the reserve in the western Mojave Desert.

It rained throughout the fall and into winter, and poppies need at least seven inches of rain to make a good showing, said Lori Wear, an interpreter at the reserve.

Snowfall in January seems to push them to another level, but that didn’t happen this season. So it’s a good bloom, but not extraordinary, she said.

Still, poppies — California’s state flower — blanket swaths of the protected land.

“It almost looks like Cheeto dust,” she said, “like somebody had Cheetos on their fingers and just smeared it on the landscape.”

Poppies here have typically peaked around mid-April, but variable weather in recent years has made it hard to predict, she said. Klosterman believes right now is likely the zenith.

Also blooming now: goldfields, purple grape soda lupine and owl’s clover. Wear described the latter, also purple, as looking like a “short owl with little eyes looking at you and a little beak.”

An SUV drives through blooms near the reserve. “It almost looks like … somebody had Cheetos on their fingers and just smeared it on the landscape,” said Lori Wear, an interpreter at the reserve.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

On Sunday, Klosterman experienced the blooms for himself, using his technology as a guide.

It offers predictions in two forms. The first is the amount of the valley — shown in a satellite image — covered in poppies and goldfields, expressed as a percentage. The other is an overlay of orange and yellow splotches on the land.

The map showed a fairly high concentration of poppies near a stretch of Highway 138. He went there and, lo and behold, vibrant flowers awaited him. He sent proof: a smiling selfie in front of a sea of blossoms.

Klosterman’s tool may help answer arguably more complex questions than poppy or no poppy, such as a more precise understanding of the conditions the flowers need to thrive.

Experts know rain is key, but it’s more complicated than that.

Steve Klosterman takes a selfie in a field of California poppies.

(Steve Klosterman)

Heavy rain can supercharge invasive grasses, crowding out the blooms. Natives actually tend to do better after several years of drought, once invasives not adapted to the arid climate die out. That’s what led to an epic superbloom in 2017, Joan Dudney, an assistant professor of forest ecology at UC Santa Barbara, told The Times in 2024.

Klosterman wondered if the recent heatwave would desiccate them. But his model didn’t show that, and neither did his trip. So it’s possible other factors play a significant role in their persistence, such as length of day.

The model could also shed light on what could happen to the flowers as the climate warms. Will they migrate to the north? Will there be fewer blooms?

To game that out, Klosterman said you could invent and plug in a weather forecast with higher temperatures.

For now, Klosterman’s forecast is limited to the Antelope Valley. But if it expands to other areas, and other flower types, it could help people like Karina Silva.

Silva woke up at 5 a.m. last Wednesday to travel from her Las Vegas home to Death Valley National Park, hoping to beat the heat and the crowds to the superbloom.

But several hours later, she and her husband, David, were still trying to find it.

The hillside behind her was sprinkled with desert golds, but the display fell short of the riotous eruption of flowers posted on social media. The superbloom ended in early March, according to park officials.

“I was just thinking it was going to be this explosion of different colors,” Silva said by the side of the road overlooking Badwater Basin.

WITH new travel requirements in action at airports across Europe, EES is set to cause travel chaos this summer.

While you’re likely to be caught up in the chaos and lengthy queues, there are a few ways to make it more manageable.

With many Brits yet to register for EES, it’s predicted that those heading abroad for the summer holidays will be privy to delays.

Some destinations even out of season have reported queues of up to four hours.

These include airports at Brussels, Lisbon, Prague and Lanzarote.

So while you might not beat the queues – here are some tips from Sun Travel to make your next trip easier.

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Sit at the front

First off is quite simple, book a seat at the front of the plane.

If you want to get to border control before the rest of the passengers on your flight, then by being at the front, you’ll be able to get off first.

You might have to join the queue of passengers on other flights – but not your own.

Early flights

When you’re booking, it might ease wait times if you go head out on one of the first flights of the day.

There are generally fewer scheduled flights and they experience less disruption.

So if you get an early flight, there’s less likely to be a backlog.

Whereas if you’re travelling in the early evening, there could still be passengers being processed who are plenty ahead of you.

Anticipate delays

If you are taking a connecting flight, we’d advise to anticipate delays.

Of course this varies from airport to airport, but some travellers might find it will take longer to get through because of the EES requirements.

Similarly, if someone’s collecting you perhaps give them a bit more time – especially if they’re in one of the pick-up zones that costs money.

Go for a bigger airport

If you can go to a bigger airport and take a longer road transfer, it could be worth it.

At a larger airport there’s likely to be more EES machines than at one of the smaller ones.

For example, Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski found there were plenty more of the machines in Spain‘s Alicante Airport than in Austria‘s Salzburg.

So if you can fly into to a main hub and then continue from there, it could make your journey through the airport quicker.

Bring entertainment

If you have children, or are generally just bored of queues (and who can blame you?) – think about entertainment.

It could be worth setting the kids up with an iPad or something that will keep them occupied.

Also, bring a reserve of snacks because standing in line means no access to the airport’s cafes and shops.

Get into the priority lane

For those who are disabled, make sure to let the airline know in advance as you would usually.

After landing, staff should escort you straight through to the front of border control queues.

Many major airports offer priority family lanes at passport control for families with young children (usually under 12 years old).

Use the plane facilities

Quite simply, if you are going to be waiting in line for yours, then you want to be comfortable.

So before landing, go to the toilet on the plane.

If you’re queueing along corridors before heading into border control, then the chances are there won’t be access to toilets.

For more on what to expect with EES, hear more from our travel experts.

And here’s the other new passport rules that could affect one million Brits.

Davina McCall and Joel Dommett hosted BBC Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day special, with the TV presenter forced to caution viewers

BBC Comic Relief’s Davina McCall found herself compelled to issue a warning to viewers just moments into the programme.

The charity fundraiser made its annual return to our telly screens on Friday (March 20) evening, as the Red Nose Day squad tackled the biggest night in comedy and entertainment.

TV favourite Davina took on presenting responsibilities, joined by co-host and close mate Joel Dommett for the entire evening’s entertainment.

They were joined by comedic luminaries such as Katherine Ryan, Nick Mohammed and Catherine Tate (reprising her role as Nan from The Catherine Tate Show).

This year’s live broadcast once again brought more energy and enthusiasm than ever before. The three-hour extravaganza kicked off with a special message from Sir Lenny Henry, who retired from his hosting duties back in 2024, and a musical number from Catherine Tate, reports Wales Online.

However, early into the proceedings, Davina found herself obliged to issue a warning to viewers when the cast of The Play that Goes Wrong provided a step-by-step guide on how to donate to Comic Relief during the show.

The programme switched to a clip of the cast performing a skit involving some perilous stunts. Following the clip, Davina began by saying: “Thank you so much to the cast of the Play that Goes Wrong. Smashing… literally.

“The actors used specially designed fake props and are all professionally trained in the art of tomfoolery.”

She cautioned: “Please do not try anything that you saw at home, especially taking a swig from the bottle marked with a warning and skull and cross bones label.” Joel chimed in: “Don’t do that.”

The charity event, held at Salford’s MediaCity, showcased sketches from Amandaland, the Bank Job featuring the dynamic This Morning pair Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond, and The Traitors: The Movie – The Sequel.

Communities, workplaces, schools and families have contributed to raising more than £1.6 billion over the past 41 years, benefiting over 100 million people, according to Comic Relief.

The charity has been instrumental in supporting communities by offering food, healthcare and shelter to those most in need. Meanwhile, Greg James participated in a colossal Comic Relief challenge, which saw him raise over £4million.

He embarked on his journey from Weymouth on Friday 13 March. The star endured eight gruelling days of pushing himself to the extreme, cycling through England and Wales before crossing the finish line in Edinburgh on Friday 20 March.

Comic Relief: Funny For Money is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Brits heading abroad have been warned the normal £94.50 fee can escalate under some circumstances

Brits planning to travel abroad this Easter have been warned not to make a crucial passport mistake which could leave them seriously out of pocket. Adult passport renewals currently cost £94.50 when applying online – in some circumstances this can soar.

Experts say people should be checking their passports immediately to make sure they are still valid, as the window for standard renewals is already beginning to tighten. With Easter Sunday falling on April 5 this year, travellers who have not yet checked their passports may already be close to the usual processing deadline for standard applications.

According to official government guidance, most UK passport applications are usually processed within three weeks or less, although travellers are advised to apply well before their trip whenever possible. A standard adult passport renewal currently costs £94.50 when applying online, while applications submitted using a paper form cost £107.

However, if you leave this too late, urgent processing services mean prices rise sharply. The government’s Premium one-day passport service, used for urgent adult renewals, now costs £222, more than twice the price of a standard online application.

Andrea Platania, travel expert at Transfeero, says the weeks leading up to Easter are a common moment when travellers suddenly realise their documents may need attention. It is then a race against time to make sure they can still travel.

He says: “Easter trips often creep up on people. Many families book their flights weeks or even months earlier, then only check their passports when they start preparing for the journey.”

According to Andrea, discovering a passport issue close to departure can quickly complicate travel plans. “Renewing a passport is normally straightforward if you give yourself enough time,” he says. “But when travellers realise just a few weeks before departure that their passport has expired or does not meet entry requirements, the situation becomes much more stressful.”

Because standard applications can take around three weeks to process, travellers who are planning to leave the UK around the Easter period may now be close to the point where urgent services become the only realistic option. Urgent passport services require travellers to attend an appointment at a passport office.

The Premium one-day service can provide a renewed passport within hours of the appointment, but the convenience comes at a significantly higher cost. Andrea says this situation is surprisingly common during busy travel periods.

“People often assume passport renewals can be sorted out quickly at the last minute,” he explains. “But if the departure date is already approaching, travellers may find themselves forced to use urgent services that cost far more than the standard application.”

He advises travellers to treat passport checks as one of the very first steps when planning any international trip. He said: ” “When you start looking at flights and accommodation, that is the moment to check your passport. If it needs renewing, doing it early keeps the process simple and affordable.”

He also notes that some countries require passports to remain valid for several months beyond the date of travel, meaning a passport that appears valid may still not meet entry rules, warning: “That is another detail people often overlook. A passport might technically still be valid, but it may not meet the entry requirements of the country you are visiting.”

With Easter travel approaching quickly, Andrea says travellers who have not yet checked their passports should do so as soon as possible. “A quick check today can prevent a lot of stress later,” he says. “If your passport needs renewing, acting early helps you avoid both the pressure and the much higher cost of urgent processing.”

March 13 (UPI) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth downplayed the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz during a press briefing Friday and claimed 15,000 Iranian targets have been struck.

Hegseth said the U.S. and Israeli air forces are flying over Iran and Tehran Friday, the 13th day of the operation. He claimed that Iran’s air defenses, navy and munitions supply have been defeated.

Iran’s missile volume was down by 90% and its one-way attack drones were down by 95% on Thursday, Hegseth said.

“Today as we speak we fly over the top of Iran and Tehran,” Hegseth said. “Fighters and bombers, all day picking targets as they choose.”

The defense secretary opened Friday’s briefing at the Pentagon, joined again by Gen. Dan Caine, saying that the United States is “decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military in a way the world has never seen before.”

“We said it would not be a fair fight and it has not been,” he said.

Caine lauded the use of the first precision-strike missiles used in combat by the United States, praising the troops that fired them. One of those soldiers was 20 years old and has only been in the U.S. Army for six months.

Caine’s comments on the precision of U.S. strikes come as the military is investigating a deadly strike on an elementary school for girls in Iran that took place on Feb. 28. The preliminary investigation has found that the United States is likely responsible for the attack that killed more than 170 people, most of them children.

“They’ve done all of this with the precision and determination that comes from relentless training and trust in each other and their weapons systems,” Caine said.

Hegseth said the United States is “dealing with” Iran’s attacks on vessels on the Strait of Hormuz, which has dramatically disrupted the oil trade.

“It’s something we’re dealing with, we have been dealing with it and don’t need to worry about it,” Hegseth said. “We’re on plan to defeat, destroy and disable all of their meaningful military capabilities on a pace the world has never seen before.”

Caine later said that there is some traffic moving through the strait.

As Iran’s military capabilities weaken, Hegseth said, more importantly, it does not possess the capability to build more weapons.

“Soon and very soon all of Iran’s defense companies will be destroyed,” Hegseth. “For example, as of two days ago, all of Iran’s ballistic missile production capacity, every company that builds every component of those missiles, has been functionally defeated, destroyed.”

As for Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Hegseth said he is “likely disfigured.” Khamenei was wounded during the initial strikes by the United States and Israel on Tehran on Feb. 28, which killed his father, former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

President Donald Trump shared similar speculation about the new supreme leader on Fox News on Friday, saying he believes he is alive but “damaged.”

“I think he probably is,” Trump said. “I think he’s damaged but I think he’s probably alive in some form.”

The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video message on Wednesday afternoon showing an Israeli captive currently held in Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The footage shows Omri Miran lighting a candle on what he described as his “second birthday” in captivity.

“This is my second birthday here. I can’t say I’m celebrating; it’s just another day in captivity,” said Miran. “I made this cake for the occasion, but there is no joy. It’s been a year and a half. I miss my daughters and my wife terribly.”

He addressed the Israeli public directly, including his family and friends. “Conditions here are extremely tough. Thank you to everyone demonstrating to bring us home safely.”

The captive also urged Israelis to stage a mass protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. “Bring my daughters so I can see them on TV. Do everything you can now to get us home. Netanyahu’s supporters don’t care about us, they’d rather see us dead.”

Screengrab from footage shows Israeli captive Omri Miran

He asked captives released in previous prisoner exchange deals to protest and speak to the media. “Let the people know how bad it is for us. We live in constant fear of bombings. A deal must be reached soon before we return home in coffins.

Miran urged demonstrators to appeal to US President Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu: “Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is only killing us. A deal — only a deal — will bring us home. Turn to Trump. He seems to be the only powerful person in the world who could push Netanyahu to agree to a deal.”

He also mentioned the worsening humanitarian situation: “The captors told me the crossings are closed; no food or supplies are coming in. As a result, we’re receiving even less food than before.”

In conclusion, the captive sent a pointed message to the Israeli leadership: “Netanyahu, Dermer, Smotrich, Ben Gvir — you are the reason for 7 October. Because of you, I am here. Because of you, we’re all here. You’re bringing the state to collapse.”

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