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California’s two U.S. Senators pushed top military officials Tuesday for more information about how hundreds of U.S. Marines were deployed to Los Angeles over the objections of local leaders and what the active-duty military will do on the ground.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla asked the Pentagon to explain the legal basis for deploying 700 active-duty Marines amid ongoing protests and unrest over immigration raids across Southern California.

“A decision to deploy active-duty military personnel within the United States should only be undertaken during the most extreme circumstances, and these are not them,” Schiff and Padilla wrote in the letter. “That this deployment was made over the objections of state authorities is all the more unjustifiable.”

California is challenging the legality of the militarization, arguing in a lawsuit filed Monday that the deployment of both the National Guard and the Marines violated the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which spells out the limits of federal power.

Schiff and Padilla asked Hegseth to clarify the mission the Marines will be following during their deployment, as well as what training the troops have received for crowd control, use of force and de-escalation.

The senators also asked whether the Defense Department received any requests from the White House or the Department of Homeland Security about “the scope of the Marines’ mission and duties.”

Hegseth mobilized the Marines Monday from a base in Twentynine Palms. Convoys were seen heading east on the 10 Freeway toward Los Angeles on Monday evening.

Schiff and Padilla said that Congress received a notification from the U.S. Northern Command on Monday about the mobilization that said the Marines had been deployed to “restore order” and support the roughly 4,000 members of the state National Guard who had been called into service Saturday and Monday.

The notification, the senators said, “did not provide critical information to understand the legal authority, mission, or rules of engagement for Marines involved in this domestic deployment.”

The California National Guard was first mobilized Saturday night over Newsom’s objection.

The last time a president sent the National Guard into a state without a request from the governor was six decades ago, when President Lyndon B. Johnson mobilized troops in Alabama to defend civil rights demonstrators and enforce a federal court order in 1965.

Trump and the White House have said the military mobilization is legal under Section 12406 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Forces. The statute gives the president the authority to federalize the National Guard if there is “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States,” but also states that the Guard must be called up through an order from the state’s governor.

Trump has said that without the mobilization of the military, “Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.”

Days of protests have included some violent clashes with police and some vandalism and burglaries.

“It was heading in the wrong direction,” Trump said Monday. “It’s now heading in the right direction. And we hope to have the support of Gavin, because Gavin is the big beneficiary as we straighten out his problems. I mean, his state is a mess.”

On Tuesday morning, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said city officials had not been told what the military would do, given that the National Guard is already in place outside of federal buildings.

“This is just absolutely unnecessary,” Bass said. “People have asked me, ‘What are the Marines going to do when they get here?’ That’s a good question. I have no idea.”

On Tuesday, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta sought a restraining order to block the deployment.

Fiery lava seen flowing from the volcano near the capital as disaster agency issues warning to nearby residents.

Guatemalan authorities have ordered the evacuation of hundreds of people, after Central America’s most active volcano spewed gas and ash thousands of metres into the sky.

According to an emergency bulletin issued late on Thursday by the country’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) emitted hot gases and volcanic matter that was registered up to 7km (4 miles) from the site of the eruption.

Residents from communities near the volcano, which is located some 35km (22 miles) from the capital, Guatemala City, were told to move to shelters.

Juan Laureano, spokesperson for CONRED, said at least 594 people were moved to shelters from five communities in the Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepequez areas, The Associated Press news agency reported. Given the volcanic activity, the number of evacuees was expected to rise.

The government has suspended classes at 39 schools and closed a road linking the south of the country to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, CONRED said.

Images posted on social media showed fiery lava flowing from the volcano and a mix of ash, rocks and water raging down the volcano’s slopes following the eruption.

CONRED said the mix of ash and gas spewing into the sky was affecting several communities situated to the northwest, west, and southwest of the volcano.

Guatemala’s National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology (INSIVUMEH) said the volcanic activity is expected to last for 40 hours.

Ash clouds could reach altitudes of between 3,000 and 7,000 metres (2 to 4 miles) with the potential to affect air navigation, according to reports.

The 3,763-meter (12,350-foot) Volcan de Fuego is one of the most active in Central America, resulting in several mass evacuations in recent years due to eruptions, including the most recent in March.

In 2018, 215 people were killed and more than 200 went missing when rivers of lava poured down the volcano’s slopes, devastating a nearby village, following an eruption.

Bobby Knutt’s jumper went under the hammer for a good cause years after the the actor died in 2017

A colourful jumper worn by late Benidorm star Bobby Knutt has sold for nearly £500 at auction eight years after the actor’s sudden death. The pullover, which featured in the hit ITV sitcom, fetched £487 as part of a special costume auction organised by Benidorm creator Derren Litten.

The sale saw several fan-favourite pieces from the show go under the hammer, with proceeds going towards medical treatment for a close friend of Litten’s. Bobby Knutt starred as cheeky pensioner Eddie Dawson between series eight and ten of the popular comedy, which aired from 2007 to 2018. Benidorm became a cult favourite with British audiences thanks to its outrageous humour and funny depictions of holiday chaos at the fictional Solana resort.

Fans also snapped up other memorabilia from the show, including the Solana hotel-branded staff tabard, which sold for £422. A darts shirt worn by Johnny Vegas as Geoff ‘The Oracle’ Maltby sparked a bidding frenzy, reaching over £1,000 before being withdrawn.

Darren explained: “Sadly it was withdrawn as someone was bidding and retracting bids 30 or 40 times a day which, although I don’t understand eBay, is a method of bumping other bidders off the auction item. I will have to find another method of auctioning it. The vast majority sold to very happy buyers.”

The auction, which ran from May 25 to June 2, was set up to raise funds for Litten’s friend Leonard, who is battling Facial Fibrous Dysplasia. This is a rare and serious condition that can lead to blindness and severe disfigurement if left untreated.

Fans and castmates were shocked when they received the news that Bobby Knutt had died suddenly from heart failure in 2017 at the age of 71 while on holiday in France. At the time, Benidorm creator Derren Litten tweeted: “Very sad Benidorm news guys. The wonderful Bobby Knutt has passed away suddenly aged 71. Sending our Beni love to his family.”

Co-star Tony Maudsley, who played Kenneth in the series, added: “Take a bow Grandad Dawson. Your Benidorm family will miss you. RIP Bobby Knutt x.”

Knutt’s had a long and successful career, as he found fame early in life on The Comedians and went on to bag roles in Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and Last of the Summer Wine. In Emmerdale he played Albert Dingle for a decade, and later appeared in Corrie as garage boss Ron Sykes.

Off-screen he was also known for stage work, a stint doing comedy shows on cruise ships, and his role as the voice of Gaffer in the Tetley Tea adverts.

After his death, it was revealed that Knutt left much of his £350,000 estate to friends and his sister, while his four children received little or no inheritance. He asked to be buried with his third wife Donna Hartley-Wass, a former Olympian and champion bodybuilder who passed away in 2013.

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Walt Disney Co. launched another deep round of layoffs on Monday, notifying several hundred Disney employees in the U.S. and abroad that their jobs were being eliminated amid an increasingly difficult economic environment for traditional television.

People close to the Burbank entertainment giant confirmed the cuts, which are hitting film and television marketing teams, television publicity, casting and development as well as corporate financial operations.

The move comes just three months after the company cut 200 workers, including at ABC News in New York and Disney-owned entertainment networks. At the time, the division said it was cutting its staff by 6% amid shrinking TV ratings and revenue for traditional television.

Disney declined to specify how many workers were losing their jobs. The cutbacks come after Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger acknowledged to Wall Street that Disney had been pumping out too many shows and movies to compete against Netflix. The programming build-up accelerated as the company prepared to launch Disney+ in late 2019, and it bulked up its staff to handle the more robust pipeline.

But the company since has retrenched, recognizing the need to focus on creating high-quality originals that meet Disney’s once lofty standards.

ABC News shed about 40 employees last October. The company’s TV stations also lost staff members.

The ABC television network and Disney-owned entertainment channels have seen dramatic audience defections as consumers switch to streaming services, including Netflix, Paramount+ and Disney+.

Hollywood trade site Deadline first reported the news.

June 1 (UPI) — At least two people have died, and hundreds were reported injured, in the chaotic aftermath of Paris Saint-Germain’s victory against Inter Milan at the Champions League final in Munich on Saturday.

The French Interior Ministry confirmed in an emailed statement to UPI that two people had died and 192 people were injured overnight Saturday. In total, 559 arrests were made, including 491 people in Paris.

The chaos also led to the injury of 22 police officers and seven firefighters, the Interior Ministry said. There were 692 fire incidents recorded, including some 264 burning cars.

PSG had defeated Inter Milan 5-0, marking the team’s first championship win and the first time a French team had won in more than three decades.

“All over France last night, numerous police and firefighters were injured as they intervened to restore public order and provide assistance during the Paris Saint-Germain victory celebrations,” French National Police spokesperson Agathe Foucault said in a statement.

“In Coutances, Manche, a police officer from the canine brigade was hit in the eye by a firework mortar. He is currently hospitalized in a serious condition. Thoughts and best wishes for a speedy recovery to all our colleagues.”

The deaths included a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed in the chest in the southern town of Dax and a 23-year-old man who was hit by a car while riding his scooter in central Paris, The New York Times reported.

Bruno Retailleau, the French interior minister, called rioters “barbarians” in comments to social media.

IF your child’s birthday is coming up and the thought of splashing the cash on a lavish cake sends shivers down your spine, fear not, you’ve come to the right place.

Many parents will know that ordering a personalised birthday cake can often end up costing hundreds of pounds.

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But in a bid to save cash, one savvy mum took matters into her own hands and was able to cut costs by DIY-ing her little darling’s birthday dessert.

Posting on social media, a mother named Amy shared a step-by-step tutorial of how she DIY-ed her daughter Myla’s pink birthday cake – and it cost her less than £20.

So if you’re on a budget and your purse is feeling tighter than ever before, then you’ll need to listen up. 

The UGC content creator explained that to celebrate her daughter turning one, she decorated the Pretty in Pink Lambeth Cake, which she bought from Waitrose.

The pink coloured golden sponge cake, which is filled with raspberry jam and topped and decorated with pale pink and dark pink buttercream, cost Amy just £18.

Then, using some pink icing and ribbons she already had, she was able to personalise the cake – and we think it looks incredibly professional.

Alongside a short clip shared online, the influencer penned: “Making my daughter’s first birthday cake, saving £100s!”

Showing off the box-fresh vintage-style cake, which is decorated with whirls and swirls of piping, Amy beamed: “Come with me to DIY my daughter’s first birthday cake for only £18!” 

Amy confirmed that she used letter cutters to cut out “Myla is one” in pink icing, which she placed on top of the cake.

Following this, she attached pretty pink bows, which she already had from Shein, and was able to stick these to the cake with cocktail sticks. 

We think Amy’s DIY cake looks brilliant and is a great way for those strapped for cash to save money, without having to scrimp on the celebrations. 

The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @mummyandmylaa, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 178,600 views.

Not only this, but it’s also amassed 2,782 likes, 31 comments and 780 saves. 

Social media users were impressed with the jaw-dropping cake and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. 

One person said: “Love that. Wish I hadn’t already ordered a cake almost the exact same.”

Another added: “This is genius!” 

A third commented: “Super cute!”

Not only this, but another parent beamed: “Omg that cake is adorable, I wish I knew about it before!” 

This is genius!

TikTok user

At the same time, one user wondered: “What it nice? I worry that supermarket cakes can be dry inside as they are sat on the aisle for a while.”

To this, the content creator replied and confirmed: “Not dry at all!!! 

“Honestly, it tasted AMAZING, no regrets!!!” 

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Mining company Sibanye-Stillwater says all workers are safe and have been provided with food as they await rescue.

Rescue efforts were under way in South Africa on Friday as more than 200 miners were trapped at a gold mine for a second day.

Mining company Sibanye-Stillwater said on Thursday that the miners were trapped after what it referred to as a “shaft incident” at the Kloof gold mine, one of the company’s deepest.

It said that all the workers were safe and gathered at an assembly point where they had been provided with food as efforts were being made to get them out.

“It was decided that employees should remain at the sub-shaft station until it is safe to proceed to the surface,” the company said.

The total number of workers trapped was not immediately clear. News agencies reported that 260 people were trapped, while a company spokesperson said 289 miners were in the shaft.

The National Union of Mineworkers, representing the workers at the Kloof mine, said they had been trapped for more than 24 hours as Sibanye-Stillwater continued pushing back its estimated time to retrieve the workers.

“We are very concerned because the mine did not even make this incident public until we reported it to the media,” said NUM spokesman Livhuwani Mammburu.

The mine, located 60km (37 miles) west of Johannesburg, is among a few collecting from some of the world’s deepest gold deposits.

More than 19 months into its war on Gaza, Israel shows few signs that it is relenting. The last week has shown the opposite, an intensification of violence across the besieged Palestinian territory, leaving hundreds dead, and hundreds of thousands terrified of what comes next.

This was a week where United States President Donald Trump toured the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. There had been hope that some kind of ceasefire deal would be announced, or that the US would put more pressure on Israel to seriously come to the negotiating table. That was particularly the case after Hamas released a US-Israeli captive on Monday without demanding anything in exchange.

Ultimately, none of that happened, with Trump returning to his idea of US involvement in the future administration of whatever is left of Gaza, while acknowledging that Palestinians there were starving.

Israel also intercepted a number of missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, before attacking Yemen itself on Friday.

Lets take a closer look at a week that has devastated Gaza, and left Palestinians there feeling even more abandoned.

How many Palestinians were killed in Gaza this week?

According to figures compiled by Al Jazeera, at least 370 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since Sunday. The violence has been particularly deadly in the second half of the week, with medical sources reporting the killing of at least 100 Palestinians on Friday, and 143 on Thursday. Many of those killed have been women and children.

These are some of the worst single-day death tolls since the beginning of the war in October 2023.

The killings put the total death toll reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health more than 53,000, although the territory’s Government Media Office’s death toll now sits at more than 61,700, as it includes thousands of Palestinians still under the rubble who are presumed dead.

Israeli attacks have targeted the whole Gaza Strip, with a particular focus on the north. Hospitals have also repeatedly been bombed by Israel.

What is being done to alleviate the hunger crisis in Gaza?

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been caused by Israel’s complete blockade of the entry of all food and medication to the Strip since March 2, a decision it made when the ceasefire was still ongoing, and one that goes against international law.

A report released on Monday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative said that the Gaza Strip was “still confronted with a critical risk of famine”, with half a million people facing starvation and 93 percent of its more than 2 million population at severe risk.

People are already starving to death – Gaza authorities last week said that 57 people had died as a result of starvation.

Trump acknowledged that “a lot of people are starving” in Gaza and said that the US was “going to get that taken care of”, but provided few details. The US has backed a new body called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that it says will start work in Gaza by the end of the month.

But the plan has been rejected by the United Nations and other humanitarian groups, who say that the plan would lead to more displacement for Palestinians in Gaza, as it would only disperse aid in some areas of Gaza, and set a dangerous precedent for the delivery of aid in warzones.

The UN has reiterated that it has the capacity to deliver aid across Gaza, but is being prevented from doing so by Israel. It says it has enough aid ready to deliver to feed all of the Palestinians in Gaza for four months, if Israel allows its trucks in.

What are Palestinians calling for?

Palestinians in Gaza have been recounting the horrors of the past week, desperately calling for the world to act and stop Israel’s bombing.

In northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, one of the worst hit areas, one civilian had a simple message – “either kill us or let us live.”

“All of [the strikes] were targeting civilians. All the houses are being bombed – everything is gone,” Ahmed Mansour told Al Jazeera. “What is a person supposed to do? They’re all making a joke out of us. I’m heading to the coast now. We’ve been displaced more than 50 times – either kill us or let us live.”

Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, also called on Friday for the US to put more pressure on Israel to open the crossings into Gaza and “allow the immediate entry of humanitarian aid – food, medicine and fuel – to the hospitals in the Gaza Strip”.

What does Israel want?

The Israeli government has made it clear that it is unwilling to agree to a deal that would end the war in return for the release of all the Israeli captives still held in Gaza, despite widespread domestic support for such a deal.

Instead, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks of total victory against Hamas, although it is difficult to see what that would entail.

Instead, the war drags on, and Netanyahu said on Monday that preparations were continuing for “an intensification of the fighting”. Last week, he said that Israel was planning for the “total conquest” of Gaza.

Trump left the Middle East this week with no ceasefire deal agreed, only saying, “We’re going to find out pretty soon” when asked whether a deal was in place for the return of Israel’s captives.

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported that Israel’s position was “rigid” and that the US had “lost interest”. A source told the newspaper that US envoy Steve Witkoff was “no longer involved”.

“He’s waiting to hear what we want, and since we don’t want anything, he has nothing left to do,” the source said.

A MOTORIST has shared how he made “hundreds of thousands” by buying and selling car number plates.

Neal Bircher, 60, has collected hundreds of plates worth gargantuan sums and currently has around 350 in the garage at his home in Uxbridge, London, and owns the rights to 220 more.

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The DVLA is auctioning 2,000 car number plates in its latest sale – and an expert has revealed the best buys.

The latest auctions of personalised registrations starts on Wednesday at 10am.

Plates expert Neal has identified which plates to keep your eye on.

He says that dateless plates – those with a number at the start or the end – dateless plates with a single letter and shorter plates with common initials are where the money is.

For example, Neal believes 910 AM – which has a starting price of £2200 – will attract more interest thanks to the popularity of ‘AM’ as a set of initials, wheresas 232 XW – also with a starting price of £2200 – won’t have as many buyers.

In terms of plates less likely to grow, Northern Irish style plates, containing the letters’ ‘I’ and ‘Z’ are at the lower end of the market.

Neal, an IT management consultant and part-time plate dealer, said: “As a general rule, the shorter the better, and also the popularity of initials is a very common factor.

“‘Dateless plates are always popular and can be good investments.

“‘1’ plates have proved very good investments, whatever the letters, and so plates such as 1 XDX will be expensive even though ‘XDX’ is unlikely to be many people’s initials.

“1 YOB starting at £2400 is an interesting one – reminiscent of ‘YOB 1’ which famously adorned Slade guitarist Dave Hill’s Rolls-Royce in the 1970s!

“In recent years dateless plates that contain only a single letter have become more sought after – for example 125 B starting at £2500, or 8118 D starting at £2500 in this auction.

“And those where the letter is ‘O’, and hence the plate can look as if it only contain numbers, have really grown in popularity of late.

“Hence 54 O starting at £2500 might well fetch the top price in this action. ‘540’ is also a model of BMW.”

According to Neal, a common misconception is just because a plate might look like it spells a word, it doesn’t mean it’s valuable.

He said: “People sometimes assume that if a plate looks as if it spells a word then it will prove valuable.

“That may well be the case if the word is relevant to a business or profession, but if it’s just a random word then not necessarily so.

“Registration numbers generally tend to grow in value, but the ones less likely to do so are those at the lower end of the market, especially some of the Northern Irish style plates, containing the letters’ ‘I’ and ‘Z’.

“But there can be exceptions with those as well.”

Having bought and sold for much of his life, Neal has urged people to be cautious before entering the number plate game.

He added: “People who are trying to make money have to be very careful.

“It requires a lot of homework if you’re looking to invest or make money.

“Two very similar-looking plates might have very different values.

“AJB would be worth far more than XUY for example because of how common the first set is for initials.

“Not everyone is, but some are interested in the backstory behind plates.

“There are a lot of people who are in clubs and associations who ask me a lot of questions every day about value and the history of plates.

“People are very interested in when it was issued, to know what vehicles it was in, who owned it etc.”

The DVLA number plate auction

The DVLA is auctioning some highly coveted number plates on May 14

The plates range from £300 to over £2000, as drivers clamour to get a unique number for their motor.

Bids can only be placed at the auction or through the DVLA website.

The plates on sale on May 14 include:

• CIG 300 Lot 324 Starting price £300
• AB16 BUM Lot 18 Starting price £250
• MOU 555E Lot 119 Starting price £250
• PO25 CHE Lot 1390 Starting price £250
• F44 YYE Lot 639 Starting price £200
• A96 COX Lot 31 Starting price £200
• A600 DAY Lot 35 Starting price £200
• CR16 PTO Lot 372 Starting price £250
• SAV 146E Lot 1586 Starting price £250
• EA69 GLE Lot 509 Starting price £250
• OOH 11H Lot 1336 Starting price £300
• FAM 1T Lot 583 Starting price £500
• 145 SAM Lot 1578 Starting price £800
• 77 JET Lot 840 Starting pricd £1200
• 36 ANT Lot 116 Starting price £1200
• DMZ 1 Lot 457 Starting price £2000
• 910 AM Lot 92 Starting price £2200
• 1 YOB Lot 1991 Starting price £2400
• 1 LTR Lot 1075 Starting price £2400
• 54 O Lot 1309 Starting price £2500
• 2025 M Lot 1096 Starting price £2500