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WASHINGTON — Mattresses on the floor, next to bunk beds, in meeting rooms and gymnasiums. No access to a bathroom or drinking water. Hourlong lines to buy food at the commissary or to make a phone call.

These are some of the conditions described by lawyers and the people held at immigrant detention facilities around the country over the last few months. The number of detained immigrants surpassed a record 60,000 this month. A Los Angeles Times analysis of public data shows that more than a third of ICE detainees have spent time in an overcapacity dedicated detention center this year.

In the first half of the year, at least 19 out of 49 dedicated detention facilities exceeded their rated bed capacity and many more holding facilities and local jails exceeded their agreed-upon immigrant detainee capacity. During the height of arrest activity in June, facilities that were used to operating with plenty of available beds suddenly found themselves responsible for the meals, medical attention, safety and sleeping space for four times as many detainees as they had the previous year.

“There are so many things we’ve seen before — poor food quality, abuse by guards, not having clean clothes or underwear, not getting hygiene products,” said Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network, a coalition that aims to abolish immigrant detention. “But the scale at which it’s happening feels greater, because it’s happening everywhere and people are sleeping on floors.”

Shah said there’s no semblance of dignity now. “I’ve been doing this for many years; I don’t think I even had the imagination of it getting this bad,” she added.

Shah said conditions have deteriorated in part because of how quickly this administration scaled up arrests. It took the first Trump administration more than two years to reach its peak of about 55,0000 detainees in 2019.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the allegations about inhumane detention conditions false and a “hoax.” She said the agency has significantly expanded detention space in places such as Indiana and Nebraska and is working to rapidly remove detainees from those facilities to their countries of origin.

McLaughlin emphasized that the department provides comprehensive medical care, but did not respond to questions about other conditions.

Detainees do stretches outdoors as a helicopter flies overhead at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Krome detention center in Miami on July 4, 2025.

(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)

At the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami, the maximum number of detainees in a day in 2024 was 615, four more than the rated bed capacity of 611. In late June of this year, the detainee population reached 1,961, more than three times the capacity. The facility, which is near the Everglades, spent 161 days in the beginning of the year with more people to house than beds.

Miami attorney Katie Blankenship of the legal aid organization Sanctuary of the South represents people detained at Krome. Last month, she saw nine Black men piled into a visitation room, surrounded with glass windows, that holds a small table and four chairs. They had pushed the table against the wall and spread a cardboard box flat across the floor, where they were taking turns sleeping.

The men had no access to a bathroom or drinking water. They stood because there was no room to sit.

Blankenship said three of the men put their documents up to the window so she could better understand their cases. All had overstayed their visas and were detained as part of an immigration enforcement action, not criminal proceedings.

Another time, Blankenship said, she saw an elderly man cramped up in pain, unable to move, on the floor of a bigger room. Other men put chairs together and lifted him so he could rest more comfortably while guards looked on, she said.

Blankenship visits often enough that people held in the visitation and holding rooms recognize her as a lawyer whenever she walks by. They bang on the glass, yell out their identification numbers and plead for help, she said.

“These are images that won’t leave me,” Blankenship said. “It’s dystopian.”

Krome is unique in the dramatic fluctuation of its detainee population. On Feb. 18, the facility saw its biggest single-day increase. A total of 521 individuals were booked in, most transferred from hold rooms across the state, including Orlando and Tampa. Hold rooms are temporary spaces for detainees to await further processing for transfers, medical treatment or other movement into or out of a facility. They are to be used to hold individuals for no more than 12 hours.

On the day after its huge influx, Krome received a waiver exempting the facility from the requirement to log hold room activity. But it never resumed the logs. Homeland Security did not respond to a request for an explanation of the exception.

After reaching their first peak of 1,764 on March 16, the trend reversed.

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) visited Krome on April 24. In the weeks before the visit, hundreds of detainees were transferred out. Most were moved to other facilities in Florida, some to Texas and Louisiana.

“When those lawmakers came around, they got rid of a whole bunch of detainees,” said Blankenship’s client Mopvens Louisdor.

The 30-year-old man from Haiti said conditions started to deteriorate around March as hundreds of extra people were packed into the facility.

Staffers are so overwhelmed that for detainees who can’t leave their cells for meals, he said, “by the time food gets to us, it’s cold.”

Also during this time, from April 29 through May 1, the facility underwent a compliance inspection conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Detention Oversight. Despite the dramatic reduction in the population, the inspection found several issues with crowding and meals. Some rooms exceeded the 25-person capacity for each and some hold times were nearly double the 12-hour limit. Inspectors observed detainees sleeping on the hold room floors without pillows or blankets. Staffers had not recorded offering a meal to the detainees in the hold rooms for more than six hours.

Hold rooms are not designed for long waits

ICE detention standards require just 7 square feet of unencumbered space for each detainee. Seating must provide 18 inches of space per detainee.

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Sanitary and medical attention were also areas of concern noted in the inspection. In most units, there were too many detainees for the number of toilets, showers and sinks. Some medical records showed that staffers failed to complete required mental and medical health screenings for new arrivals, and failed to complete tuberculosis screenings.

Detainees have tested positive for tuberculosis at facilities such as the Anchorage Correctional Complex in Alaska and the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. McLaughlin, the Homeland Security assistant secretary, said that detainees are screened for tuberculosis within 12 hours of arrival and that anyone who refuses a test is isolated as a precaution.

“It is a long-standing practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody,” she said. “This includes medical, dental, and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”

Facility administrators built a tented area outside the main building to process arriving detainees, but it wasn’t enough to alleviate the overcrowding, Louisdor said. Earlier this month, areas with space for around 65 detainees were holding more than 100, with cots spread across the floor between bunk beds.

Over-capacity facilities can feel extremely cramped

Bed capacity ratings are based on facility design. Guidelines require 50 square feet of space for each individual. When buildings designed to those specifications go over their rated capacity, there is not enough room to house additional detainees safely and comfortably.

American Correctional Association and Immigration and Customs Enforcement

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Louisdor said a young man who uses a wheelchair had resorted to relieving himself in a water bottle because staffers weren’t available to escort him to the restroom.

During the daily hour that detainees are allowed outside for recreation, 300 people stood shoulder to shoulder, he said, making it difficult to get enough exercise. When fights occasionally broke out, guards could do little to stop them, he said.

The line to buy food or hygiene products at the commissary was so long that sometimes detainees left empty-handed.

Louisdor said he has bipolar disorder, for which he takes medication. The day he had a court hearing, the staff mistakenly gave him double the dosage, leaving him unable to stand.

Since then, Louisdor said, conditions have slightly improved, though dormitories are still substantially overcrowded.

In California, detainees and lawyers similarly reported that medical care has deteriorated.

Tracy Crowley, a staff attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said clients with serious conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer don’t receive their medication some days.

Cells that house up to eight people are packed with 11. With air conditioning blasting all night, detainees have told her the floor is cold and they have gotten sick. Another common complaint, she said, is that clothes and bedding are so dirty that some clients are getting rashes all over their bodies, making it difficult to sleep.

Luis at Chicano Park in San Diego on Aug. 23, 2025.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

One such client is Luis, a 40-year-old from Colombia who was arrested in May at the immigration court in San Diego after a hearing over his pending asylum petition. Luis asked to be identified by his middle name out of concern over his legal case.

When he first arrived at Otay Mesa Detention Center, Luis said, the facility was already filled to the maximum capacity. By the time he left June 30, it was overcrowded. Rooms that slept six suddenly had 10 people. Mattresses were placed in a mixed-use room and in the gym.

Luis developed a rash, but at the medical clinic he was given allergy medication and sleeping pills. The infection continued until finally he showed it over a video call to his mother, who had worked in public health, and she told him to request an anti-fungal cream.

Luis was held at Otay Mesa Detention Center after his May arrest. It was at capacity when he arrived but by the time he left in June, it was overcrowded, he said.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Other detainees often complained to Luis that their medication doses were incomplete or missing, including two men in his dorm who took anti-psychotic medication.

“They would get stressed out, start to fight — everything irritated them,” he said. “That affected all of us.”

Crowley said the facility doesn’t have the infrastructure or staff to hold as many people as are there now. The legal system also can’t process them in a timely manner, she said, forcing people to wait months for a hearing.

The administration’s push to detain more people is only compounding existing issues, Crowley said.

“They’re self-imposing the limit, and most of the people involved in that decision-making are financially incentivized to house more and more people,” she said. “Where is the limit with this administration?”

Members of the California National Guard load a truck outside the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, Calif., on July 11, 2025.

(Patrick T. Fallon / AFP/Getty Images)

Other facilities in California faced similar challenges. At the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, the number of detainees soared to 1,000 from 300 over a week in June, prompting an outcry over deteriorated conditions.

As of July 29, Adelanto held 1,640 detainees. The Desert View Annex, an adjacent facility also operated by the GEO Group, held 451.

Disability Rights California toured the facility and interviewed staffers and 18 people held there. The advocacy organization released a report last month detailing its findings, including substantial delays in meal distribution, a shortage of drinking water, and laundry washing delays, leading many detainees to remain in soiled clothing for long periods.

In a letter released last month, 85 Adelanto detainees wrote, “They always serve the food cold … sometimes we don’t have water for 2 to 7 hours and they said to us to drink from the sink.”

At the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga., Rodney Taylor, a double amputee, was rendered nearly immobile.

Taylor, who was born in Liberia, uses electronic prosthetic legs that must be charged and can’t get wet. The outlets in his dormitory were inoperable, and because of the overcrowding and short-staffing, guards couldn’t take him to another area to plug them in, said his fiancee, Mildred Pierre.

“When they’re not charged they’re super heavy, like dead weight,” she said. It becomes difficult to balance without falling.

Pierre said the air conditioning in his unit didn’t work for two months, causing water to puddle on the floor. Taylor feared he would slip while walking and fall — which happened once in May — and damage the expensive prosthetics.

Last month, Taylor refused to participate in the daily detainee count, telling guards he wouldn’t leave his cell unless they agreed to leave the cell doors open to let the air circulate.

“They didn’t take him to charge his legs and now they wanted him to walk through water and go in a hot room,” Pierre recalled. “He said no — he stood his ground.”

Several guards surrounded him, yelling, Pierre said. They placed him in solitary confinement for three days as punishment, she said.

MARCUS RASHFORD has been given a sweet new nickname by his Barcelona team-mates – but admits he has no idea what it means.

The 27-year-old star opened about the motivation behind his season-long loan move away from Manchester United in a tell-all front page interview with Spanish newspaper Sport.

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Rashford left his boyhood club last month after being frozen out to Ruben Amorim‘s five-man ‘Bomb squad’ alongside Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.

After finally being registered to play in LaLiga, and making his league debut from the bench in a 3-0 win over Mallorca last Saturday, Rashford now faces the difficult task that all non-Spanish speaking players encounter at Barcelona or Real Madrid – learning the language.

A willingness to pick up Spanish is often essential for getting the fans on side, which could help the club decide to activate their £26million option to buy before next summer’s World Cup in the USA.

And Rashford, who has already scored a pre-season goal, has picked up a bizarre – but comical – new nickname after trying to get to grips with Español.

The England winger told Sport: “When they’re having fun among themselves, they call me ‘sweetie’ [‘chuche’].

“I don’t know what it means, but it’s funny to be spoken to like that.

“But I’m trying to learn Spanish. I think it’s important for me to learn as soon as possible. So it’s stimulating. You’re always learning and that’s good.

“Catalan is difficult. I suppose that while I’m here, I’ll learn a little and hope it will help me understand more about Catalan culture.”

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Rashford later admitted that he escaped Old Trafford to be “happy” after being shunned from the squad in December by Amorim after a clash of personalities.

On why he left United, who he joined at the age of seven, Rashford said: “I need to be happy to play my best football. 

“For me personally, football is my life. It’s been my life since I was very, very young.

“Actually, I don’t know anything else. So the bond I have, not only with my career but with sport in general, is huge and I don’t expect it to go away. 

“But it’s always good to be happy when you play football. It’s the reason I started this.”

Rashford has endured a testing couple of years under former gaffer Erik ten Hag and more recently Amorim, who informed the forward he was no longer part of his plans at the start of the summer transfer window.

A month after arriving from Sporting, Amorim dropped Rashford for United’s 2-1 win at rivals Manchester City on December 15, citing the academy graduate’s inability to adapt to his training methods.

After a fruitful six-month loan stint at Aston Villa, Rashford openly confessed he is now “comfortable” at reigning LaLiga champions Barca as he looks to get back to his very best in front of goal.

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The South Manchester-born star has clearly bonded with his new team-mates, particularly with Lamine Yamal, the youngest Ballon d’Or front-runner, who recently turned 18.

Rashford said: “Lamine is the most talented player I’ve played with at this age. I’ve seen few with the impact he has. 

“Maybe Ronaldo, ‘the phenomenon’. He can already be a Ballon d’Or winner.”

Rashford took a salary cut to join Barca, who have agreed to cover his wages for the next year, but if Hansi Flick‘s club send him back to United in a year’s time, he could be forced to see out the remainder of his contract which expires in 2028.

Feedback is the seasoning that flavors the success of our favorite TV shows. Whether it’s from an executive, a trusted colleague or the actors, advice can shape tone, pacing, plotlines and character arcs — all of which can make or break a series. We asked some of this year’s Emmy contenders how creative collaborations provided the notes to their success.

“The Diplomat”

Allison Janney in “The Diplomat.”

(Netflix)

To create the unrelenting tension in the Netflix political drama, which was inspired by conversations with real diplomats, creator Debora Cahn turned to advice from “Homeland” showrunner Alex Gansa: “He said take whatever story that you’re planning in the last episode of the first season and do it in the first episode. And I was like, ‘Ooh, s—.’” The result hurls lead Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) into high-stakes chaos, none wilder than her clash with the vice president (Allison Janney) and a jaw-dropping Season 2 twist. “I was embarrassed to pitch it to the writers’ room. It was an unspeakably dumb idea and a bad cliche, but I had to get it off my chest. We looked for other things, but we kept coming back to it and realized that it did the thing that you really want a plot to do, which is it changes everything.”

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Nicholas Alexander Chavez, left, Cooper Koch and Javier Bardem in “Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.”

(Miles Crist / Netflix)

“In researching [the Menendez brothers case], [co-creator] Ryan [Murphy] mentioned, ‘I think this story is [Akira Kurosawa’s] “Rashomon.”’ That was the one note I was like, ‘Oh, I totally get this now,’” says co-creator Ian Brennan of the Netflix limited series. “We’re never going to know what the true story is, but that became a really good guiding light because we made sure that when we’re telling an aspect of this story that’s disputed, we’d go back and tell it the other way,” he says. “What we’re doing is based on as much truth as we can find, but I feel like you’re obliged to take some liberty. It’s not only to tell a story that’s entertaining but to get to those deeper truths that are sometimes occluded by the mundanity of some facts. It’s a painting, not a photograph.”

“Only Murders in the Building”

Steve Martin, left, Selena Gomez and Martin Short in “Only Murders in the Building.”

(Eric McCandless / Disney)

Creator John Hoffman says the idea for Hulu’s mystery-comedy came to him during the pandemic, when everyone was afraid to step outside their door. “This show is about lonely New Yorkers who found a connection between true crime and a death in their building,” he says. But his chief concern was injecting soul into the punch lines. “When I was talking about my ideas for how to make it more connective and humorous, I wanted the comedy to come from humanity as opposed to jokes and behavior. I was deeply surprised by everyone’s response, from the studio, the network and [executive producer] Dan Fogelman, that they wanted to lean into that more profound connective tissue that was more unexpected and dramatic at times,” he says. “There are a lot of personal things in that first season that I thought, ‘Well, that’s going to get me fired.’ But they accepted it.”

“Slow Horses”

Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses.”

(Apple TV+)

“[Executive producer] Graham Yost was always very clear that we should focus on adapting Mick Herron’s work and not just use it as a launchpad for some kind of offshoot,” says creator Will Smith of the clever Apple TV+ show, which follows a group of disgraced MI5 agents. “Whenever we got stuck in the room, Graham’s watchword would be, ‘Well, let’s look at what Mick wrote,’ and we would go back to the book and figure it out from there. So the tone of the books infused the scripts.” The outcome is a nail-biter of a tale with humor smuggled in like contraband. ”Our fabulous exec Jamie Laurenson and our brilliant [Season 1] director James Hawes both understood that nothing should ever feel like a joke, nothing should feel gratuitous or crowbarred for a laugh. It should all be thrown away, underplayed, said on the run.”

“What We Do in the Shadows”

The cast of “What We Do in the Shadows.”

“There’s a part of me that feels like it’s cheating, but it really helps,” says showrunner Paul Simms of the mockumentary shooting style behind the hilarious FX series, which portrays the awkward lives and bizarre pitfalls of centuries-old vampires. “If you’re writing a narrative show that’s not documentary format, people’s motivations have to come out in their dialogue. With this, you can have characters very directly and, in a very funny way, state their motivations.” Unlocking its full bite of wit were two keys. “One great thing about this format is that you’re not hamstrung by little continuity details in the edit. You can do jump cuts and jam in as much funny stuff without having to worry,” Simms says. The other, a network note: “From the beginning, FX and John Landgraf were saying the vampire stuff is fun, but it can’t be all vampire jokes. So our approach every season was to go in new directions and create constant tension.”

An expert braved a mini tour of the UK’s ‘worst hotel chain’ properties and reportedly found a tissue in a kettle, scum in a pool, a view of an overflowing skip and mismatched, tired furniture were among the delights waiting to greet him

After a hotel chain was named the worst in Britain for the 11th consecutive year, a curious expert decided to investigate to see if things were really that bad at their numerous properties across the country in prime locations.

Britannia Hotels has consistently been awarded the dubious title of worst hotel chain in surveys conducted by consumer magazine Which? Many of its individual properties also have low to average scores on Tripadvisor where visitors have left scathing reviews.

Guest complaints include issues with cleanliness, tired furniture, poor service and barely edible food. It comes after a Brit abroad slams all-inclusive hotel food asking ‘what on earth is this?’

READ MORE: Abandoned UK Butlin’s site is now seaside town’s ‘hell hole’ hotelREAD MORE: Beachgoers left stunned after rare sea creature spotted off British coast

Travel writer Gavin Haines wanted to see if the reports and findings were accurate and if things were really that bad on site. He stayed at three different hotels belonging to Britannia and it’s safe to say what he experienced certainly backed the research and reviews.

He had contacted Which? editor Rory Boland about the “abysmal” overall customer satisfaction ratings and was advised not to even bother visiting. “With over a decade of dismal reviews, our results suggest that Britannia should be avoided at all costs,” he was told.

Despite this he braved a stay at the Royal Bath in the traditional coastal town of Bournemouth. The grand hotel has a rich history – it was opened in 1838 on Queen Victoria’s Coronation Day and was the first hotel in the town.

It is set in its own landscaped grounds with spectacular views out to sea, which, its dedicated wedding website claims, makes it the perfect spot for your special day.

However Gavin found the venue’s interior special in a very different way. “The mismatched furniture looks like it was sourced in haste from a house clearance shop and makes me feel homesick,” he writes in the Telegraph.

“While the views make me want to call the Samaritans (if we can reasonably describe a rusty air conditioning unit, some broken guttering and fag ends on an enclosed flat roof as views).”

He couldn’t even bring himself to make a brew to improve his experience because the kettle had tissue inside it, “for reasons I’d rather not speculate on”.

One of the Royal Bath’s selling points is its spa with a heated indoor pool, steam room and gym. Unfortunately this also let the side down with a reported “line of scum” clinging to the tiles in the pool.

On Tripadvisor, where the hotel has a 2.6 score out of 5, one recent review backed his slimy discovery. In July this year, one visitor was looking forward to a spa day with high tea that had been booked by a friend but was incredibly “disappointed” by what they encountered.

“The Spa and pool was shabby, dated with missing tiles and broken lockers,” they revealed. “Nobody was at the desk so we had to wait to be allowed in. The crescent shaped pool was full of kids and toddlers, a tiny jacuzzi and sauna which were full and there were not enough loungers to accommodate everyone and hardly creating a peaceful luxurious experience!”

The high tea was more of a low point as well with, “sweaty cheese and curling bread”. When it came to Gavin’s dining experience, he did note that there probably wasn’t anywhere else in the popular town where you could get a three course meal for £15 in such grand surroundings, but you “get what you pay for”.

In his case it was a rock hard bread roll, overcooked and undercooked (quite a feat) carrots in the beef stew and a glow in the dark dessert.

Unfortunately his nights at other properties in the group were on par. The “ironically named” Palace Hotel in Buxton (3 out of 5 on TripAdvisor), like the Royal Bath, is a beautiful old building in a classical style set in five acres of gardens.

Sadly he didn’t get to admire these out of the window of his room that was “so cold I didn’t want to get out of bed”. Instead he was met with the choice view of an overflowing skip and old furniture dumped in a grotty car park.

While other visitors were similarly disappointed with the hotel, with many on Tripadvisor complaining of dirty rooms with poor facilities, there were those who appreciated its faded grandeur: “This hotel has lots of character & charm, yes parts are dated but that adds to its beauty,” shared one.

Another agreed: “For me the grandness of the building and the aspect looking out of the town was wonderful. Room didn’t have a window – as a result I had the best night’s sleep – didn’t know what time it was! I’d visit again – can put up with a bit of outdatedness for the charm and style of the place.”

Meanwhile, Gavin’s not-so-magical mystery tour had more delights in store at the Grand Burstin, Folkestone (2.7 out of 5 on TripAdvisor). The hotel made headlines in 2022 when chunks of its facade blew off, plummeting below onto a coach in the car park. Two people were injured. The year before a family cut short their stay there and likened it to Fawlty Towers – the disastrous hotel in John Cleese’s classic comedy.

So Gavin probably arrived with some understandable fear and trepidation, which would have been entirely justified but here he was treated to rose petals in his room.

However it seemed these weren’t a romantic welcome token from a thoughtful housekeeper and instead, “had presumably featured in a recent low-budget dirty weekend”. The spa facilities here were described as “scuzzy” and evoked “verruca socks”.

With plenty of Tripadvisor reviews of the various properties calling out their tired appearance, there are also those that highlight improvements that have been made, especially at the Royal Bath.

Britannia has invested £1million there recently but it seems, as with a lot of its premises, it’s pot luck what room you are allocated. One horrified guest says they were given a “cheap, nasty and dinky” room without a window in the “stinking” East Wing. While on the flip side, another was reportedly allocated a “spacious” room with a sea view, despite not paying extra for it.

It’s a similar pattern at the Burstin. While the reviewer wasn’t at all impressed with his room, others had a very different experience. One returning guest was perfectly happy with their allocation in August this year. They wrote on Tripadvisor: “Another superb stay here. But this time an even better room with an even better perfect sea view. Room was lovely clean and comfortable Well done Grand Burstin.”

Another who was wary of what to expect after reading poor reviews shared: “I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel. Its not the Ritz or something flash and modern, it is what you pay for – a budget hotel.”

The Mirror has contacted Britannia Hotels for comment.

MAURA Higgins has revealed her stunning living room makeover at her £1.15m mansion in Essex.

The Irish beauty, who bought the property in October, has been taking her time with the interior, waiting for the right furniture to put her stamp on it.

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She seemed right at home in a new video, making bolognese in her modern kitchen before enjoying it in the open plan sitting area.

Settling in to watch And Just Like That on her wall-mounted TV, Maura rested her bowl of food on a beige pouffe that also housed a diffuser and scented candle.

The space includes matching sofas, a fluffy bean bag, throws and a black marble floor.

Maura, who is reportedly worth £3.2m, wrote on her Instagram account dedicated to the property: “I finally have sofas!!!!!! @rowenhomes I can not thank you enough for these beautiful Boucle Sofas….

“My first weekend cooking in my new home & having my first piece of furniture has made it so perfect and cosy.”

She added that all of the furniture had been gifted to her.

Her followers were impressed with the stylish set up, with one commenting: “It’s really looking like a lovely home. Well done Maura they’re nothing like the feeling of owning your own home.”

Another said: “It’s starting to look really cosy.”

A third wrote: “Wow! It looks gorgeous!”

Maura has dubbed her five-bedroom detached home in a gated development, Casa A’Maura after the second villa on the show Love Island.

The TV star found fame on the series in 2019, alongside her best pal Molly-Mae Hague.

The 34-year-old’s new Instagram account has amassed over 70,000 followers and in her first post, Maura shared that she had finally moved into the new space.

The light-filled kitchen opens up seamlessly into the back garden with the help of bi-folding glass patio doors.

The large garden features both a patio and a lawn and is fenced all around with some guaranteed extra privacy guaranteed from the large bushes all around the properties.

It has two reception rooms and five “generously-sized” double bedrooms with one as a master bedroom that features an en-suite and custom-built wardrobes.

When she bought the property, Maura called it her “dream home” and also treated herself to a £60,000 Porsche too.

Her previous home was targeted by masked thieves, and the incident left Maura shaken.

A source said in 2023: “Neighbours caught it all on CCTV and it was chilling to see three masked men ram through the gates and start trying to break into cars.”

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For female state lawmakers in Kentucky, choosing when to go to the bathroom has long required careful calculation.

There are only two bathroom stalls for women on the third floor of the Kentucky Statehouse, where the House and Senate chambers are located. Female legislators — 41 of the 138-member Legislature — needing a reprieve during a lengthy floor session have to weigh the risk of missing an important debate or a critical vote.

None of their male colleagues face the same dilemma because, of course, multiple men’s bathrooms are available. The Legislature even installed speakers in the men’s bathrooms to broadcast the chamber’s events so they don’t miss anything important.

In a pinch, House Speaker David Osborne allows women to use his single-stall bathroom in the chamber, but even that attracts long lines.

“You get the message very quickly: This place was not really built for us,” said Rep. Lisa Willner, a Democrat from Louisville, reflecting on the photos of former lawmakers, predominantly male, that line her office.

The issue of potty parity may seem comic, but its impact runs deeper than uncomfortably full bladders, said Kathryn Anthony, professor emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s School of Architecture.

“It’s absolutely critical because the built environment reflects our culture and reflects our population,” said Anthony, who has testified on the issue before Congress. “And if you have an environment that is designed for half the population but forgets about the other half, you have a group of disenfranchised people and disadvantaged people.”

There is hope for Kentucky’s lady legislators seeking more chamber potties.

A $300-million renovation of the 155-year-old Capitol — scheduled for completion by 2028 at the soonest — aims to create more women’s restrooms and end Kentucky’s bathroom disparity.

The Bluegrass State is among the last to add bathrooms to aging statehouses that were built when female legislators were not a consideration.

In the $392-million renovation of the Georgia Capitol, expanding bathroom access is a priority, said Gerald Pilgrim, chief of staff with the state’s Building Authority. It will introduce facilities for women on the building’s fourth floor, where the public galleries are located, and will add more bathrooms throughout to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“We know there are not enough bathrooms,” he said.

Evolving equality in statehouses

There’s no federal law requiring bathroom access for all genders in public buildings. Some 20 states have statutes prescribing how many washrooms buildings must have, but historical buildings — such as statehouses — are often exempt.

Over the years, as the makeup of state governments has changed, statehouses have added bathrooms for women.

When Tennessee’s Capitol opened in 1859, the architects designed only one restroom — for men only — situated on the ground floor. According to legislative librarian Eddie Weeks, the toilet could only be “flushed” when enough rainwater had been collected.

“The room was famously described as ‘a stench in the nostrils of decency,’” Weeks said in an email.

Today, Tennessee’s Capitol has a women’s bathroom located between the Senate and House chambers. It’s in a cramped hall under a staircase, sparking comparisons to Harry Potter’s cupboard bedroom, and it contains just two stalls. The men also just have one bathroom on the same floor, but it has three urinals and three stalls.

Democratic Rep. Aftyn Behn, who was elected in 2023, said she wasn’t aware of the disparity in facilities until contacted by the Associated Press.

“I’ve apparently accepted that waiting in line for a two-stall closet under the Senate balcony is just part of the job,” she said.

“I had to fight to get elected to a Legislature that ranks dead last for female representation, and now I get to squeeze into a space that feels like it was designed by someone who thought women didn’t exist — or at least didn’t have bladders,” Behn said.

The Maryland State House is the country’s oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, operational since the late 1700s. Archivists say its bathroom facilities were initially intended for white men only because desegregation laws were still in place. Women’s restrooms were added after 1922, but they were insufficient for the rising number of women elected to office.

Delegate Pauline Menes complained about the issue so much that House Speaker Thomas Lowe appointed her chair of the “Ladies Rest Room Committee,” and presented her with a fur-covered toilet seat in front of her colleagues in 1972. She launched the women’s caucus the following year.

It wasn’t until 2019 that House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, the first woman to secure that position, ordered the addition of more women’s restrooms along with a gender-neutral bathroom and a nursing room for mothers in the Lowe House Office Building.

‘No longer do we fret and squirm or cross our legs in panic’

As more women were elected nationwide in the 20th century, some found creative workarounds.

In Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature, female senators didn’t get a dedicated restroom until 1988, when a facility was added in the chamber’s cloakroom. There had previously been a single restroom in the Senate lounge, and Sen. Shirley Marsh, who served for some 16 years, would ask a State Patrol trooper to guard the door while she used it, said Brandon Metzler, the Legislature’s clerk.

In Colorado, female House representatives and staff were so happy to have a restroom added in the chamber’s hallway in 1987 that they hung a plaque to honor then-state Rep. Arie Taylor, the state’s first Black woman legislator, who pushed for the facility.

The plaque, now inside a women’s bathroom in the Capitol, reads: “Once here beneath the golden dome if nature made a call, we’d have to scramble from our seats and dash across the hall … Then Arie took the mike once more to push an urge organic, no longer do we fret and squirm or cross our legs in panic.”

The poem concludes: “In mem’ry of you, Arie (may you never be forgot), from this day forth we’ll call that room the Taylor Chamber Pot.”

New Mexico Democratic state Rep. Liz Thomson recalled missing votes in the House during her first year in office in 2013 because there was no women’s restroom in the chamber’s lounge. An increase in female lawmakers — New Mexico elected the largest female-majority Legislature in U.S. history in 2024 — helped raise awareness of the issue, she said.

“It seems kind of like fluff, but it really isn’t,” she said. “To me, it really talks about respect and inclusion.”

The issue is not exclusive to statehouses. In the U.S. Capitol, the first restroom for congresswomen didn’t open until 1962. While a facility was made available for female U.S. Senators in 1992, it wasn’t until 2011 that the House chamber opened a bathroom to female lawmakers.

Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first woman elected to a congressional seat. That happened in 1916.

Willner insists that knowing the Kentucky Capitol wasn’t designed for women gives her extra impetus to stand up and make herself heard.

“This building was not designed for me,” she said. “Well, guess what? I’m here.”

Kruesi and Rush write for the Associated Press. AP writer Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this report.

A seasoned traveller from Birmingham is sharing her checklist of the five things everyone staying in a hotel should do immediately upon arrival to ensure a safe and comfortable stay

A veteran traveller has revealed a checklist of all the tasks travellers should complete before settling into their hotel room. While you may be tempted to dive into bed after a long travel day or race to unpack, there’s one critical thing you should do before anything else.

An experienced traveller hailing from Birmingham, Dimple Chudasama-Adams, shares tested travel advice with her extensive Instagram following. On her account, @escape_the_ordinary_by_dimple, Dimple shared a list of tasks to ensure a safe and comfortable hotel stay.

“What’s the first thing seasoned travellers do when they enter a hotel room?” Dimple writes in the caption. “Not admire the view. Not unpack. They check for hidden issues before settling in.”

READ MORE: Horrifying bed bug hack reveals creepy crawlies hiding in plain sight

The first item on her five-bullet checklist is to check for bedbugs. To do this she says you should pull back sheets and inspect mattress corners. While a pain, this can help prevent an infestation in your own home.

The second item on her checklist is to wipe down high-touch surfaces, including remotes, light switches and door handles. These surfaces can often be overlooked by cleaning staff despite being used by every guest.

Dimple’s third tip focuses on ensuring your safety and is particularly important if you are travelling solo. She advises her followers to ensure the door lock and safe are functional.

The penultimate item on her checklist is to “check the minibar and take photos”. While this may seem like an odd measure to some, she explains that it can help combat “surprise charges” that could appear on your bill.

Dimple’s fifth and final travel tip is another safety-focused measure. She advised travellers – especially solo travellers – to block their hotel door with a wedge or lock.

This provides an extra layer of protection beyond the simple chain lock on most hotel doors. If you don’t have a door wedge or lock, there are other common items you can use to make your hotel room safer, including a wash cloth .

Dimple’s advice was met with mixed reviews in the comment section, particularly her security tips. While some users shared their own safety hacks and advice, others said that Dimple was “paranoid”.

One commenter wrote: “Paranoid much?” while another added: “Maybe umm, don’t travel? Geez.” Contrastingly, one user shared an important addition to the checklist: “Perhaps check the fire exit routes first.”

Ensuring your safety in a hotel begins even before you enter your hotel room according to one security expert. The team at ADT security alarms warned hotel guests of a common check-in mistake that could ultimately make it easier for thieves to target victims.

They explained: “When checking into your hotel, ask the receptionist to write down your room number instead of telling you out loud. This stops nearby guests from knowing which room you are staying in. It is also a good idea to check your surroundings when entering and leaving your room, to ensure that no one knows which room you are staying in.”

A flight attendant has shared the unexpected hotel appliance you should always check before using it – and you’ll probably never look at it the same way again

Checking into a hotel room often brings the joy of unwinding, but a seasoned flight attendant has shared a word of caution about a common hotel item. Barbara Bacilieri, from Argentina, is no stranger to hotel stays thanks to her flying career, yet she confessed there’s one thing you might not consider when brewing up a cuppa in your room.

Revealing all to her TikTok followers, Barbara insists you should ALWAYS peek inside the kettle to confirm it’s clean before use. She warned: “Always take a look inside the coffee pot. Before boiling water for making tea or coffee, think it through.”

The Argentinian air hostess shocked viewers with claims that guests have used the kettle for bizarre purposes, from rinsing underwear and cooking sausages to cleaning menstrual cups!

So, the next time you settle into your travel abode, make it a point to boil the kettle once and give it a good rinse prior to enjoying your brew. Barbara added: “You weren’t expecting this one, right? Just imagine how many other things guests do and we don’t know.”

But that’s not all Barbara suggests scrutinising – she also points out the importance of inspecting the bed. While it may appear spotless, certainty is elusive. She advises: “Before getting into bed, lift the sheets. Check for bugs or socks that other guests may have left behind.”

The flight attendant expressed her astonishment at the lengths some guests go to pilfer items from hotel rooms, and we’re not just talking about the complimentary mini toiletries.

“Some people believe that everything in the room is up for grabs, or they feel entitled because they’ve paid a hefty sum,” she remarked.

“Items like the batteries from the remote control or even worse, the light bulbs.”

However, she clarified in the video that while tea, coffee and sugar are free to use and take, mugs and pillows certainly aren’t. “You wouldn’t believe how many guests nick the hotel pillows.”

And as for hotel towels?

“Loads of people have them at home.”

Barbara ended on a humorous note, suggesting you should always check the hotel safe – you might just get lucky if “the previous guest forgot their millions.”

With a 6-1 annihilation of the downtrodden Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, the Dodgers extended their advantage in the National League West to eight games.

Eight games, despite slumps by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

Eight games, despite injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell.

Eight games, despite being less than three weeks removed from sharing the division lead with the San Francisco Giants.

Almost everything that could go wrong this season for the Dodgers has gone wrong, and they are ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres by eight games and the third-place Giants by nine. The Dodgers have looked nothing like the 120-win juggernaut they were expected to be, and they have the best record in the major leagues.

“I still believe our best baseball is ahead of us,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Three months remain in the regular season, more than enough time for the Dodgers to become whole, more than enough time for them to transform into baseball’s version of the Mongol army.

Roberts said the Dodgers are “not really playing our best baseball,” and he’s right. They haven’t steamrolled their opponents as much as they have outgutted them.

“We haven’t been at full strength all year,” Roberts said. “A lot of teams can say the same thing. But to our credit, no one has made any excuses about that.”

The Dodgers and Giants were even in the standings on June 13. The Dodgers won 13 of their next 16 games. The Giants lost 12 of their next 16, their blockbuster trade for Rafael Devers shaking up the division but not in the way they wanted.

From mid-May to mid-June, the Dodgers played 26 consecutive games against teams with winning records, but the Giants and Padres failed to take advantage of that. Roberts’ team emerged from that stretch in first place and has continued to increase its division lead since.

What should be disconcerting for the Giants and Padres — as well as the New York Yankees and Mets, and any other aspiring contender — is that the Dodgers have managed to distance themselves from the competition without looking particularly imposing.

Their win over the White Sox on Tuesday night marked the rare game in which they dominated every aspect of the game, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto giving up just one run in seven innings, the offense scoring four runs in the first inning, Shohei Ohtani launching his 30th homer in the fourth, and Jack Dreyer and Anthony Banda each pitching a scoreless inning in relief.

They need more games like this but not just to win the division or secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. They need them to create the momentum required to make another championship run.

“One thing I’ve learned,” Roberts said, “is the most important thing is once you’re [in the playoffs], you’ve got to be playing your best baseball because anything can happen.”

Ohtani has resumed pitching, albeit in a limited capacity. As much talk as there was about how his mound return affected his hitting, Ohtani still homered seven times last month.

The Dodgers aren’t counting on Ohtani to make seven- or eight-inning starts in the postseason, but they think he could contribute four or five innings at a time without compromising his offensive production.

Betts was kept out of the lineup on Tuesday, Roberts categorizing the day off as “more of a mental day.” Betts hasn’t found much of an offensive rhythm this season, but his track record indicates he is bound to break out of his slump.

“He’s an easy guy to bet on,” Roberts said of the eight-time All-Star.

The same could be said of Freeman.

The Dodgers also received uplifting news on the injury front.

Roki Sasaki played catch on Tuesday and was clocked at 91 mph, a sign that his season might not be over.

Snell and reliever Blake Treinen will pitch live batting practice sessions on Wednesday, marking their first time facing hitters since landing on the injured list. A day later, Glasnow is scheduled to make what could be his final start of a minor league rehabilitation assignment, with the Dodgers hopeful he can throw about 75 pitches over five innings. If management continues to have doubts whether Snell or Glasnow will be available in October, it can always make a move before the July 31 trade deadline.

As the team with the best record in baseball, the Dodgers technically have nowhere to go but down. In reality, they can only improve from here. This is their floor. By the time the playoffs come around, they should be a better team than they are now.

Brits heading abroad this summer are being urged to inspect hotel beds before unpacking, as bedbug infestations and scabies cases continue to surge across the UK with August and September being peak months

Holidaymakers heading abroad this summer are being urged to carry out a quick check before unpacking, as cases of bedbugs and scabies are rising across the UK.

Alarmingly, councils have reported a 35 per cent increase in bedbug infestations since 2022, while the NHS saw a 74 per cent rise in diagnosed scabies cases in hospitals last year.

August and September have been recorded as the peak months for bedbugs, a time when many travel lovers will be jetting off overseas. With this in mind, Brits are being told to stay alert or risk bringing home more than a suitcase of laundry.

Check the bed

Martin Seeley, Senior Sleep Expert at MattressNextDay, is warning that pests like bedbugs and scabies can easily travel back with you from a hotel, no matter how fancy it seems.

“Check mattress seams, bed frames, and behind headboards for signs of bedbugs before settling in and unpacking your belongings. Make sure to never place your bags directly on the hotel bed,” he advises.

Putting your suitcase on your bed could be all it takes to bring an infestation home.

What to look for

Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown insects that live in fabric and bedding. “If you suspect bed bugs, act quickly. Check for tell-tale signs like small reddish-brown spots on your sheets, moulted skins, or clusters of tiny bites on your skin, often in a line or zig-zag pattern. You’ll usually find bed bugs in the seams and folds of your mattress if they have decided to take residence,” says Seeley.

Scabies, meanwhile, are caused by mites that burrow into your skin and spread through contact, including bedding. “Scabies infections cause intense itching due to being burrowed under the skin, which becomes particularly noticeable at night and can make it very difficult to sleep.”

He adds: “Common signs that you might be infected when trying to sleep include persistent itching (especially between your fingers, or around your wrists, elbows, waist, and genitals) and small red bumps or track-like burrows on your skin.”

How to stay protected

“When staying in hotels or holiday rentals, a quick inspection can go a long way,” Seeley says. “Check mattress seams, bed frames, and behind headboards… Instead, keep your bags elevated on a chair or stool, and if you’re worried your hotel room isn’t as clean as you’d like, then only take out what you need and leave the rest of your clothes in your bag.”

If you do return home with bedbugs or scabies, fast action is essential. “When attempting to eradicate bedbugs, begin by vacuuming thoroughly and remember to dispose of the collected dirt immediately in an outside bin. Wash and dry all bedding or clothes… and consider steam cleaning your sofa in case they’ve transferred there too.”

Scabies also requires deep cleaning: “Wash all bedding, towels, and clothing in hot water (at least 60°C)… Any items that can’t be washed should be sealed in a plastic bag for at least 72 hours… You should also make sure that anyone in your household who may have been exposed is treated at the same time to prevent re-infestation.”

Tips for sleeping better while treating symptoms

“Reactions to bedbug bites include itchiness, swelling and welts… The best course of action to relieve itching and discomfort… is taking an antihistamine and keeping the room cool.”

“To get better sleep while treating scabies, apply a prescribed topical treatment at bedtime… Itching can sometimes continue for weeks after being successfully treated, so… keeping the room cool and your bedding lightweight can help to ease irritation… trimming your nails can prevent you from scratching too hard in your sleep and causing an infection.”

Prevention is key

The expert says: “Investing in a high-quality mattress protector is also a wise move… You should remove and wash your mattress protector regularly, hoover your bed frame, wipe down your headboard, and dust any areas around your bed frequently.”

Veteran Los Angeles political consultant Rick Taylor said he was pulled aside by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents while returning from a trip abroad, asked if he was from California and then separated from his family and put in a holding room with several Latino travelers for nearly an hour.

“I know how the system works and have pretty good connections and I was still freaking out,” said Taylor, 71. “I could only imagine how I would be feeling if I didn’t understand the language and I didn’t know anyone.”

Taylor said he was at a loss to explain why he was singled out for extra questioning, but he speculated that perhaps it was because of the Obama-Biden T-shirt packed in his suitcase.

Taylor was returning from a weeklong vacation in Turks and Caicos with his wife and daughter, who were in a separate customs line, when a CBP agent asked, “Are you from California?” He said he answered, “Yeah, I live in Los Angeles.”

The man who ran campaigns for L.A.’s last Republican mayor and for current Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla when he was a budding Los Angeles City Council candidate in the 1990s found himself escorted to a waiting room and separated from his family.

There, Taylor said he waited 45 minutes without being released, alleging he was unjustly marked for detention and intimidated by CBP agents.

“I have no idea why I was targeted,” said Taylor, a consultant with the campaign to reelect L.A. City Councilwoman Traci Park. “They don’t talk to you. They don’t give you a reason. You’re just left confused, angry and worried.”

The story was first reported by Westside Current.

Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said the incident brought to mind Sen. Alex Padilla, who was arrested and handcuffed June 12 while trying to ask a question during a Los Angeles press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“My former chief of staff and political consultant, Rick Taylor, was detained at Miami International Airport by federal authorities after returning from an international vacation,” he said in an email. “As Senator Alex Padilla said a couple of weeks ago, ‘if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.’ This Federal government operation is OUT OF CONTROL! Where will it end?!”

A representative from the Customs and Border Protection in Florida said an inquiry made by the Los Angeles Times and received late Friday afternoon will likely be answered next week.

“If Mr. Taylor feels the need to, he is more than welcome to file a complaint online on our website and someone will reach out to him to try and get to the bottom of things,” CBP Public Affairs Specialist Alan Regalado said in an email.

Taylor, a partner at Dakota Communications, a strategic communications and marketing firm, said he was more concerned about traveling and returning to the U.S. with his wife, a U.S. citizen and native of Vietnam.

He said he reached out to a Trump administration member before leaving on vacation, asking if he could contact that individual in case his wife was detained.

The family flew American Airlines and landed in Miami on June 20, where he planned to visit friends before returning to Los Angeles on Tuesday.

In a twist, Taylor’s wife and daughter, both Global Entry cardholders, breezed through security while Taylor, who does not have Global Entry, was detained, he said.

He said after the agent confirmed he was a Los Angeles resident, he placed a small orange tag on his passport and was told to follow a green line. That led him to another agent and his eventual holding room.

Taylor described “95% of the population” inside the room as Latino and largely Spanish-speaking.

“I was one of three white dudes in the room,” he said. “I just kept wondering, ‘What I am doing here?’”

He said the lack of communication was “very intimidating,” though he was allowed to keep his phone and did send text message updates to his family.

“I have traveled a fair amount internationally and have never been pulled aside,” he said.

About 45 minutes into his holding, Taylor said an agent asked him to collect his luggage and hand it over for inspection.

He said he was released shortly after.

“The agents have succeeded in making me reassess travel,” Taylor said. “I would tell others to really think twice about traveling internationally while you have this administration in charge.”

Over the past few years, the forecast has been cloudy when it comes to couches. Cumulus-like sofas have descended from the skies into living rooms across Los Angeles and the country at large.

To some, like Annie Elliott of Annie Elliott Design, sinuous sofas are often an unwelcome, alien presence. “I just don’t like them,” she says, describing many as “massive, space-age blobs” in white boucle that don’t fit most spaces. “I’m manifesting that they’ll be out of style in 15 minutes.”

But many, like Los Angeles designer Jeff Andrews of Jeff Andrews Design, feel differently. Andrews designed two curvy couches for his collection with furniture company A. Rudin and estimates he includes a serpentine sofa in roughly half his design projects.

“There’s always an opportunity for a curved sofa,” he says, “whether the setting is traditional or ultra-modern.” Circular and S-shaped couches might seem newfangled, but they’re classic, he adds.

Initially popular during the Art Deco era, this type of seating was back in fashion in the 1950s (when designer Vladimir Kagan introduced his Serpentine Sofa). Now that Midcentury Modern is wildly popular again, it’s no wonder the curved couch has made a comeback. But if you’re still on the fence about getting one, consider these reasons and picks.

Where to place a curvy couch

Place a serpentine sofa in the middle of a room and you’ll instantly transform it from wan white box to theater-worthy. A curvy couch is outside of the box, literally, and can help achieve a more custom, interesting look, says Andrews.

One reason for these couches’ star power? Their curves contrast with the angularity of most spaces and depart from the conventional rectilinear profile of sofas. Curvy couches can soften all those 90-degree angles and add femininity, says Los Angeles-based Kim Gordon of Kim Gordon Designs. She describes including them as akin to “bringing in some girly hips.”

A curvy couch adds interest to this room designed by Kim Gordon.

(Tyler Hogan )

But their benefits are more than aesthetic. Curvy couches can also be practical, especially in open-plan spaces. Large rooms can feel cold and cavernous. But a large-scale serpentine sofa in the center can break up a space, acting as both seating and separation. Including one or two of these couches is an alternative to creating two or three distinct seating areas with several pieces of furniture, says Gordon. Because of their curves, the couches create a space within a space, adds Atlanta-based Jessica Davis of Atelier Davis, who describes them as hug-like and enveloping. Even if you’re sitting at the opposite end from someone else, you can still have a conversation with them, she says.

While these sofas are often found in large spaces, they can work in small ones too. A single couch can take the place of a sectional or a sofa and a chair or two, Gordon says. In a cozy room, one curvy couch with a coffee table and side tables might be all the furniture you need.

Since they’re not rectangular, you can also be creative and play around with their positioning, adds Andrews. Unlike a traditional couch, a curvy couch doesn’t need to be pushed against a wall — in fact, it shouldn’t be. Tuck it into a corner or float it in the center of a room, he says. “You can angle it different ways for different feelings, depending on where you’re trying to center the attention.”

How to pick the right couch

Curvy couches are often deeper than their traditional counterparts, says Beth Diana Smith of Beth Diana Smith Interior Design. So before you fall for the wrong one, whip out the measuring tape. Measure each contender or confirm its specs with the manufacturer, suggests Davis. Pay attention to overall depth versus seat depth — different manufacturers can specify depth differently. Then use painter’s tape to outline the silhouette on your floor, ensuring the couch will fit.

Also consider how highly you value comfort. Some curvy couches, especially more sculptural models, might not be deep enough for you to curl up in, says Julia DeMarco of Kim Gordon Designs. Test each one and seek out down- or feather-filled cushions, which will “give” when you sit, DeMarco adds.

If you’re not a fan of the couch’s material (many come in “gray, icky” stock fabrics, says Gordon), you can always reupholster.

Finally, don’t pair your curved couch with similarly curvy tables and chairs, says Smith, since “too much of the same thing isn’t visually pleasing.” In fact, it can feel almost … square.

Curvy couches that inspire

Consider these couches across the price spectrum, some of which have changing prices due to sales.

Jacqueline 89.4-inch Upholstered Sofa ($1,399): This couch with a curved back and gold legs feels glam and feminine. In the Kelly Clarkson Collection available from Wayfair, it features a deep seat and comes in five fabrics (including light blue and pink).

Brayden Studio® 125-inch Modern Curved Sectional Sofa ($2,839): DeMarco sometimes incorporates this sectional from Wayfair in homes she stages.

Crate & Barrel Martina 94-inch Sofa ($2,159): Here’s a subtle take, featuring a kidney-shaped, 43-inch-deep bench seat and pillows with feather-down fill. The base is solid walnut, and the off-white upholstery is a linen blend.

Eternity Modern Savelle Modern Curved Sofa ($3,659-$5,779): Designed by Swedish architect Jonas Wagell, this couch comes in six boucle or sheepskin fabric choices, all in neutral hues. With a medium-firm, customizable cushion and a seat depth of 23 inches, it’s “comfy” and “our go-to,” says DeMarco.

Edra Standard Francesco Binfaré (price upon request): “If you want to go ‘bananas,’ this one is orgasmic,” Gordon says. “It’s just heaven.” The deep, customizable couch features backrests and armrests you can mold with just a touch of your hand. It’s sold at Spazio Edra Los Angeles by Diva Furniture in West Hollywood.

After living in her two-bedroom apartment in Los Feliz for more than a decade, Debra Weiss encountered a problem experienced by many renters in Los Angeles: She was evicted.

“I moved into the apartment in 2014, and four years later, my landlord sold it to a wealthy family who bought it at a loss,” said Weiss, 69, who works as a textile artist. “They knew they couldn’t evict us due to rent control.”

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When the landlords put the three-unit complex on the market in 2022, however, they offered Weiss $50,000 to move out — far more than the amount required by law — to make the building easier for them to sell. She declined, concerned it would affect her Social Security benefits, as there is a limit to how much one can earn and still receive full benefits.

Then, last February, the three tenants received eviction notices under the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to evict renters from rent-controlled apartments if the building is being torn down or removed from the rental market. It’s currently for sale for $3.2 million.

As a senior, Weiss was entitled to a full year’s notice because she had lived in her unit for more than a year. Still, she knew she would eventually have to move out of the comfortable 1,200-square-foot duplex, for which she paid $2,670 a month in rent.

Artist Debra Weiss stands in her dining room where she often works as a fiber artist.

When she began looking for another apartment in the area, Weiss quickly learned that she could no longer afford to live in Los Feliz. “The apartments were so much more expensive than what I was used to paying, and they had no parking or a washer and dryer,” she said. (Weiss was paid $24,650 in relocation assistance, which was taxed, due to her age and the length of time she lived in her Los Feliz apartment.)

She also visited some small studios and considered purchasing a TIC, or Tenancy in Common, where buyers purchase a share in a corporation that owns a building. However, to secure a loan, she’d need someone to co-sign. “Even though they are cute, they are tiny and not necessarily in the best neighborhoods,” she said. Another option, a Craftsman apartment near USC, wasn’t in a good walking neighborhood, something that was important to Weiss. It was also dark and hundreds of dollars more a month than her previous apartment. “I’m almost 70 years old and I need light to work,” she added.

Handknitted sculptures, embroidered weavings and a tufted rug adorn the guest room.

When her son-in-law spotted a charming two-bedroom apartment near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for $2,950 a month on Zillow, Weiss decided to check it out.

“My initial reaction was, ‘I want this,’ ” Weiss said of the fourplex.

The rental had high ceilings, oak floors, ample sunlight, an appealing fireplace, a garage and a washer and dryer. A newly redone modern kitchen felt out of character for the 1930s building, but that didn’t bother Weiss. “The kitchen is a blank canvas,” she said of the all-white cabinets and countertops. “The white background makes all of my stuff stand out,” including ceramics by Mt. Washington Pottery and Altadena artist Linda Hsiao.

Weiss knits a sweater for her granddaughter with yarn she purchased in Japan.

Concerned that the landlord wouldn’t want to rent to her because of her age, she was pleasantly surprised when she got the apartment. “The light is amazing,” Weiss said. “I was initially worried about some of the modern touches like the overhead lighting, but it floods the room with bright light that allows me to work at night.”

Nearly a year after moving in, Weiss has filled the apartment with her stitched collages, quilts and the artworks of others, many of which she described as “trades.” “I like color and pattern and objects,” she said as she pointed out some Japanese ceramics on her buffet and a dress that she crocheted with scraps of fabric, yarn and metal.

In the guest room, a wall hanging composed of three separate weavings in a gingham check pattern is embroidered with a series of characters she based on her 5-year-old granddaughter’s drawings. “It’s about people coming together in chaos and supporting each other,” Weiss said. “I like the pattern; it reminds me of eating together on picnic tables.”

“I like objects,” Weiss said of the many treasures and collections of things that are featured throughout her rental.

On the opposite wall of the guest room above her sewing machine, a series of metal sculptures she knitted with copper and silver hangs alongside cloth dolls and purses. In the corner, a cowl made of macrame, textiles and yarn adorns a mannequin. There’s also a colorful latch hook rug that she made with acrylic yarn that looks more like artwork than a functional accessory.

In her bedroom, a coverlet that Weiss assembled from vintage quilts adorns the bed.

The long hallway ends at the laundry room and is lined with her colorful quilts, some of which are mounted on Homasote board, along with weavings and stitched works, which, like her cooking, are improvisational.

“I work without planning and respond to the materials and see what it becomes,” she said. “I start knitting and see where it goes. I get excited about the material, and then I go for it. “

The hallway in Weiss’s apartment is lined with her artworks.

Much of the wood furniture in her apartment was made by her father, who died 13 years ago.

“I’ve had this since my kids were little, and you can see all the markings,” she said of the hutch in the corner of her dining room. “My dad made it 40 years ago for the Van Nuys house I grew up in.”

It is here, at the dining room table that her father made, that she works, hosts workshops and teaches lessons in fiber art, collage and stitching. Later this year, she hopes to host a sale of her work at a holiday open house in her apartment.

Weiss is an expert in mixing texture, pattern and color in her Mid-Wilshire apartment.

The mixing of colorful Persian rugs, textiles, natural materials, chunky wood pieces and intricately knitted metal sculptures creates a warm balance throughout her apartment.

Bursting with color and pattern, the rooms offer a sense of calm that Weiss appreciates as a woman who raised three daughters alone and has had to pivot during major life changes. Over the years, she has run a clothing company, Rebe, which closed in 2019 due to economic uncertainty, declared bankruptcy and sold her Woodland Hills house. Most recently, she was forced to weather the eviction process.

“I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” said Weiss, who works six to eight hours a day at home and sells her artwork and sewing patterns on her Specks and Keepings website and at L.A. Homefarm in Glassell Park. “I’ll always figure out a way to make money by selling the things that I make.”

Even though the process of having to move was stressful, Weiss is happy with her new home and neighborhood. “I take the Metro bus everywhere and hardly ever drive,” she said. “I go to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market on Sundays. Kaiser is nearby and I can walk to LACMA. Everything worked out perfectly.”

Weiss pulls out a drawer of her flat files cabinet filled with her artwork.

Members of a British Airways cabin crew team found themselves in a mortifying situation after being accidentally being checked into a sex hotel, complete with an anatomically detailed tub

Crew members aboard a British Airways flight endured a seriously awkward night, after a booking blunder saw them being checked into a sex dungeon.

While in the stylish Italian city of Milan, it had been decided that the colleagues would spend the night at the Motel Mo.om, a popular modern hotel with good transport links.

Unfortunately, in what has been described as a “comical mistake”, the team reportedly found themselves bedding down for the night at the similarly named Mo. om Hotel. Although at a glance, the names of these hotels appear almost indistinguishable, this is where any comparisons end.

It soon became clear to the crew that this was no ordinary establishment, as they took in the bondage-themed beds and vagina-shaped spa tub. And if these features didn’t drive the point home, the incessant “moaning and groaning” from fellow patrons certainly did.

READ MORE: British Airways ex-flight attendant says ‘I’m not safe to fly’ after sneaking drugs onto plane

A source told The Sun: “Crew were booked into a pay-by-the-hour sex hotel last Thursday. They were confronted with bondage sets, mirrored ceilings, human dog cages and leather harnesses. It was obvious that this wasn’t the place the crew was supposed to stay.”

Although there are humorous elements to the mishap, this sleeping situation was decidedly less than ideal for airline staff, for whom adequate rest is imperative.

As the source explained: “It was a comical mistake by the hotel booking team, but had serious implications. Some of the team who stayed in the sex dungeon didn’t get any sleep, so they couldn’t operate on BA services the following day. They were kept awake by thrill seekers moaning and groaning all day and night.”

As well as struggling through “constant noise” as a “24 hour orgy” raged on, employees allegedly also had to deal with witnessing “suspicious fluids in their rooms which made their skin crawl”.

A British Airways spokesperson told the Mirror: “A small number of crew were moved to unapproved hotel rooms following availability issues with our usual accommodation provider. This happened without our knowledge, and we’re urgently investigating to prevent it from taking place again.”

It’s understood that 12 crew members spent one evening in the unapproved accommodation, due to availability issues with the airline’s usual provider.

There was also thankfully no delay to the flight that the staff members had been scheduled to operate, meaning they were able to get back to normal after their unexpected stay.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]

READ MORE: ‘This £9 handheld fan is a staple in my handbag during the heatwave and on holiday’

When two young men broke into a British family’s hotel room in Benidorm, a mum-of-two had a totally fearless reaction to the terrifying situation – and she has issued an urgent warning to holidaymakers

When a British mum was faced with a terrifying situation on holiday in Benidorm – her reaction was totally fearless.

As her family prepared to say goodbye to their holiday in the sunshine and return home to Eastleigh, Hampshire – they were warned about the potential for power cuts in the hotel.

So Becca Farley, 27, decided to stroll back to her hotel room to make sure that the family’s phones were charged up ahead of their flight home the following day, but things quickly took a terrifying turn.

Becca was staying at the Magical Tropical Splash in Benidorm, and was sharing a family-sized room – that set them back £2500 for the week – with her partner and two children, ages six and 11.

But the mum-of-two was on her own as she made her way back to the room. “As I got in the lift these two teenagers got in the lift with me and just pressed my floor level,” she explained.

“I honestly didn’t think anything of it because there’s five rooms per floor so I just assumed they were going to one of them.”

As she arrived on her floor, things got a little bit weird. The two young men walked straight into her room, the door of which was ajar, with a shoe being used as a wedge.

“I thought oh s**t I have obviously got off on the wrong floor, what a palaver I’m going to have to wait for the lift again. But it was the right floor,” she said. “It happened all quite quickly and they just strolled straight into my room.

“I then followed in after them, which in hindsight, I shouldn’t have because you hear horror stories and I think it could have gone sour.

“But I just didn’t really think and went straight into the room and shouted ‘What are you doing in my room?'”

One of the criminals began raising their voice at Becca, speaking in Spanish, but the incredible mum-of-two stood her ground, screaming “Get the f*** out, get the f*** out, get the f*** out.”

Eventually, given Becca’s screaming, the pair cut their losses and scarpered – giving her the opportunity to slam the door shut and lock it, but the ordeal wasn’t over. The intruders returned and began banging repeatedly on her door – leaving the mum-of-two “petrified” inside.

She said: “I know it sounds silly and people have said ‘you should have done this, you should have locked them in the room, you should have decked them’, but at that moment I think it was just that invasion of privacy.

“This is supposed to be your safe place when you are away, you’re away from home, we don’t travel all that often so we were really shaken.”

The incident massively impacted the holidaymaker, and she admitted “That night I did not sleep because I was flinching at every noise,” and added that, “If it had happened earlier on in the week we would have flown home.”

She reported the incident to the security at the hotel, and she was told that similar incidents had occurred recently – with one family having all their valuables stolen, including their passports.

Becca urged all holidaymakers to stay on high alert whilst they are away, and don’t let the relaxing nature of a break in the sunshine make you “naive”.

“I would advise just to be alert,” she said. “A lot of people have said we were scaremongering people not to go away, not at all.

“We will certainly go on holiday again, it’s not a case of us never going abroad again but I think it’s just having that awareness that if you are a lone woman, please be careful.

“I’m very lucky that I’m OK but I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you a bit more. When you go on holiday you tend to relax and become a little bit naive to these situations.”

She advised that people buy some padlocks and keep their valuables locked away in their suitcases whilst on holiday. “Obviously keep your valuables safe.

“I know some people say don’t use the safes, we personally lock all of ours and padlock them in our suitcases.

“I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you and knowing not to get comfortable in somewhere you’ve never been before.”

The mum-of-two added that she will be thinking twice after the scary incident and being extra careful the next time she goes abroad. “I’m considering getting a webcam that you can put in your room next time we go away. I will carry on locking my stuff away. I would never take the kids away on my own.

“I certainly wouldn’t have cleaners in my room ever again, not to say it definitely was them but they have access to your room.

“I don’t know if I would feel comfortable going up to a room on my own again,” she added.

Magical Tropical Splash Hotel has been contacted for comment.

Sabrina Claudio is not the same person she was a year ago — much less eight years ago, when she first introduced herself with a shimmering neo-soul EP, titled “Confidently Lost.”

Now, having amassed millions of fans with sultry, golden-hour slow jams and trips down melancholy lane, she’s presenting her most earnest songwriting yet in her newest album, “Fall In Love With Her,” released June 9 on San Francisco indie label Empire.

“I think in the past couple years, people in my life that I love have helped me get out of my shell and shown me how important vulnerability is,” she says. “Now I’m like, you know what? I’m gonna tell y’all everything, how about that?”

For her fifth studio LP, Claudio steered her R&B sound into a less-traveled, alternative direction that showcases her deft pen and ethereal vocals in a novel guise. Her longtime producer, Ajay “Stint” Bhattacharyya, cited shoegaze bands like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive as influences that came up during recording sessions. For Claudio, wading into those uncharted waters became part of a larger shift in her career.

Until recently, the Cuban and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter — who in 2023, earned a Grammy for traditional R&B performance as a songwriter on Beyoncé’s slick “Renaissance” cut, “Plastic Off the Sofa” — preferred to toil in privacy, channeling her expression into songwriting more than social media. But this year, she’s inviting the outside world to experience her personality with a new interview series on YouTube titled “Fall In Love With…”

To hear her tell it, she’s eager for the effort to help fans and listeners see the person she is behind the music. “I hope that people can listen to [the album] knowing that, yes, [I’m singing about what] I experienced, but I just pray that they are able to interpret it and relate it to their own life however they possibly can,” she says.

Sabrina Claudio presents her most earnest songwriting yet in her newest album, released June 9.

(Baylee Kiesselbach)

Come July, she’ll embark on a U.S. tour with rappers Russ and Big Sean; soon after, she’ll make her acting debut in a short film directed by filmmaker and best friend Jazmin Garcia-Larracuente, who was inspired by early drafts of songs off “Fall In Love With Her” to write a script. “I’m very proud of myself,” Claudio says. “I think I killed it, and I’m excited for everybody to see it.”

In her latest interview with The Times, she spoke of the intimacy required in songwriting with others, the possibility of an all-Spanish EP and her approach to storytelling.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

After releasing your last album, 2022’s “Based on a Feeling,” you focused on writing for other artists. Is that usually how it goes between albums for you?
Typically [after] I finish an album, I always go through the phase [when] I need to take a break because creatively I’m worn out. I wouldn’t do anything, which actually only emphasized the lack of motivation to continue and make more music. But this time around, I wanted to remain creative, and the best way to do that was to get in rooms with other creatives to help them get into their world, rather than always having to focus on mine.

I thought it was going to be difficult for me, because I’m not a natural collaborator. Before I was very anti-having songwriters in my room. It was a whole ego thing for me … but I loved it so much that I ended up doing it for much longer than I was anticipating. I find so much inspiration being in rooms with artists for other projects.

On this album you worked on some of the tracks with a songwriter, Nasri Atweh. I’m curious if there was hesitation to share your own process with someone else?
There was a time in my life when I [felt] obligated to have writers in my room. My guard was up. It’s not because I don’t think that these songwriters were amazing, because they were. Some of my favorite songs I wrote with another person, like “Problem With You” off [my album] “Truth Is.” But for some reason, my brain would say if I didn’t do it 100%, then it’s not mine. And that’s so not the reality of making art.

With Nasri, he’s my manager’s brother. I met Nasri 10 years ago. I’m glad that it happened when it did. Being the songwriter in the room for other people put things into perspective, because I realized how important collaboration was. Nasri was able to eject things from me that I didn’t even know existed. I’m on a different wavelength now.

Working with a songwriter is like an intimate therapy session.
I’m an extremely private person. I think the past couple years, people in my life have helped me to get out of my shell and have shown me how important vulnerability is. I didn’t even want to expose myself, which is why I tend to write from experiences that I technically didn’t experience, or from conversations with others, or movies. It was a protective layer. But now I’m like, you know what? I’m gonna tell y’all everything, how about that? [laughs] And it’s worked out!

You’ve said that when it comes to songwriting, you usually let yourself be led by the music, then the lyrics. Can you tell me more about “One Word” and how that track came to be? It’s one of the most powerful songs on the album.
I wrote that during a heartbreak. I wanted to talk about an experience I had with a person I felt very deeply for, [who] essentially didn’t fight for me to stay. But it was the biggest act of love that he could have done for me.

I worked with my producer Stint, [who] I work with all the time, and Heavy Mellow. He was heavy on this project, no pun intended. I was venting,; I was really heartbroken. I was finding comfort in these men that I’ve known and trying to get their perspective on things.

Another song is “Worse Than Me,” which sounds completely different from the rest of the tracks. It’s a little more assertive and seductive, with trip-hop-inspired drums. How did that come to be?
Before I discovered the new sound [of] the album, I still was gravitating towards my typical R&B, neo-soul-type vibes. I was just trying to get back in the groove of Sabrina Claudio, quote-unquote, because I was just coming out of writing for everybody else. I was trying to tap back into my own world.

And I think I needed one sassy song. [laughs] That’s kind of what I’m known for: the sass, the crying, or the sexy. And I just felt like if I didn’t have the sexy, I at least needed to have the sassy.

This is the first time you’ve really worked with a more alternative sound — did you find yourself accessing parts of yourself that the traditional R&B sound didn’t?
Oh, absolutely! I love working with Stint and all of my producers because they have such a wide palette when it comes to music. Genres I never grew up listening to — all these sounds are new. It pulls different things out of me that I wouldn’t be able to get if it was my traditional R&B sound. And naturally, I’m always going to do that because that’s just how I am, but it was interesting to hear where my R&B and soul brain goes over these more alternative rock/indie vibes.

“My fans are able to see who I am as a person and how deeply I love, how loyal I am,” Claudio said of her interview series, “Fall in Love With…”

(Baylee Kiesselbach)

For example, “Detoxing” — I wrote that song with Nasri, but we didn’t have the outro. So I took it to Stint, and he pulled up all these references of bands [like Radiohead], and he was teaching me so much. And then he [said], “You know what, at the end I want to do something really big and really rock. I want to break it down. But then I want people to be shocked. I want you to belt, and I want you to say something, and I want you to purge, and I want you to take the concept of the song and really just yell it like you’re just trying to get rid of something.” I listened back, and I’m even shocked at some of the things that I was able to tap into. I don’t belt! [laughs] I didn’t even know I could do that!

You have the song “Mi Luz” on the album, which is the first time you’ve included a Spanish song in an LP. What made you feel this was the right time to finally do that?
First of all, I don’t understand why I’ve never added a Spanish record to any of my albums. I listen to a lot of Spanish music in my daily life, a lot of reggaetón. You’d be surprised, my music is so calm and emotional … and then I’m twerking in my car listening to reggaetón. [laughs] So I felt in the sense of wanting to evolve, I feel now’s the time. And the process is really interesting, because my brain doesn’t actually think in Spanish, especially when it comes to songwriting.

Any Spanish record [of mine] you’ve heard, I’ve done with Alejandra Alberti, who is also Cuban. She’s from Miami, she’s a Virgo, so we connected on all those things. I tell her what I want to say, and she just computes it in her brain and she translates it in a way that has taught me. “Mi Luz” [was] the first time I contributed lyrically in Spanish. And it was always something that I was afraid of doing, because I’m always afraid of sounding dumb. I don’t know why, but I have that fear. But I felt very comfortable, very safe with Ale.

Would you release an EP of Spanish tracks?
I think I would! If I have Ale, I think we could probably knock out an EP very quickly. I’d be down.

You said in your recent Genius video that you really want reciprocal love because there’s only so much self-love you can give yourself. Is there any difference in your work depending on how your personal life is going, or do you manage to block out the noise?
I get very consumed by whatever I’m most passionate about in the moment. When I’m talking to somebody or I’m dating somebody, I do have the tendency to revolve my world around whatever we’re building. So when I’m dealing with that, I do find that I put my career second. Because I crave love very badly — which is toxic for me — I’m willing to nurture.

I’m pretty confident in my career. It’s the one thing I have control over. Everything’s amazing, and I get to make music whenever I want. But I don’t necessarily have control over the relationship that I’m trying to build, so I get very consumed and I put that first. But I’m hoping that if I get into something else that’s much healthier and not destroying our mental health, then I can do both at the same time! I just have to find that person first.

You’ve acknowledged that you’re a private artist, but I really like what I’ve seen so far from your new interview series, “Fall In Love With…” Can you tell me how the idea of doing that came about?
I have to say I was anti-miniseries, but my manager, Alyce, told me in the beginning stages of [making] this album, “The music, as vulnerable as it is — nobody’s going to relate to it or feel the depth of it if they don’t know who you are as a human.” She said, “Nobody knows that you’re funny; nobody knows that you’re outgoing. You’re not this mysterious person that you think you are, and you need to show people that.”

So at first, it annoyed me, because I was like, ugh, not me having to do things online. [laughs] I think doing this type of content was uncomfortable for me. I said, “If you guys want me to do this, I don’t want to be doing 20 episodes. I want four episodes, and I want it to be with people I know and I love and I will be comfortable with.”

And it turned into “Fall In Love With…” and I just thought it was special. I love to give credit to the people who have loved me through every stage of my life. And in the midst of it, my fans are able to see who I am as a person and how deeply I love, how loyal I am. And that opened the door to just so many other things. I just became so much more open-minded.

Becca Farley was on holiday with her partner and two young children in Benidorm, Spain, when she caught two teenagers in her room on the last night of their break

A mum-of-two has sounded the alarm for holidaymakers after a distressing incident at a Spanish hotel where her room was unexpectedly invaded.

Becca Farley, 27, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, was enjoying a getaway in Benidorm with her family when she encountered intruders in their accommodation. The family had shelled out £2,500 for their week-long retreat.

On their final evening, amidst hotel notices about an impending power outage, Becca headed to their room to charge mobile phones ahead of their journey back. She recounted the unsettling moment: “As I got in the lift these two teenagers got in the lift with me and just pressed my floor level. I honestly didn’t think anything of it because there’s five rooms per floor, so I just assumed they were going to one of them.”

Have you had a holiday go wrong? Email [email protected]

READ MORE: easyJet tried to charge woman £70 for bag, so she put on seven pairs of trousers

However, the situation took a turn when the youths exited the lift before her and made a beeline for her room, which was propped open with a shoe. Initially confused, Becca thought she had got off on the wrong floor, but she quickly realised that wasn’t the case.

“It happened all quite quickly and they just strolled straight into my room,” she said. Becca decided to follow them inside and confront them.

“But I just didn’t really think and went straight into the room and shouted ‘What are you doing in my room? Get the f*ck out, get the f*ck out, get the f*ck out’.” Thankfully, the teenagers did.

Yet, the ordeal hadn’t ended—the youth hammered on the door shortly after while Becca remained barricaded inside. “I was absolutely petrified,” she confessed.

“I know it sounds silly and people have said you should have done this, you should have locked them in the room, you should have decked them but at that moment I think it was just that invasion of privacy. This is supposed to be your safe place when you are away, you’re away from home, we don’t travel all that often so we were really shaken.”

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That night was sleepless for Becca; every sound made her jolt with anxiety. “If it had happened earlier on in the week we would have flown home.”

Despite being accused of scaremongering by some, she insists it’s not about deterring travel or singling out a particularly destination as being dangerous.

“A lot of people have said we were scaremongering people not to go away, not at all. We will certainly go on holiday again, it’s not a case of us never going abroad again but I think it’s just having that awareness that if you are a lone woman, please be careful,” she added.

“I’m very lucky that I’m OK but I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you a bit more. When you go on holiday you tend to relax and become a little bit naive to these situations.

“Obviously keep your valuables safe. I know some people say don’t use the safes, we personally lock all of ours and padlock them in our suitcases. I think it’s just a case of having your wits about you and knowing not to get comfortable in somewhere you’ve never been before.”

Despite her intention to continue her travels, Becca admitted she will adopt more stringent security measures.

“I’m considering getting a webcam that you can put in your room next time we go away. I will carry on locking my stuff away. I would never take the kids away on my own. I certainly wouldn’t have cleaners in my room ever again, not to say it definitely was them but they have access to your room. I don’t know if I would feel comfortable going up to a room on my own again.”

A day after federal agents forcibly restrained and handcuffed U.S. Sen Alex Padilla at a Los Angeles news conference, leaders of the country’s two political parties responded in what has become a predictable fashion — with diametrically opposed takes on the incident.

Padilla’s fellow Democrats called for an investigation and perhaps even the resignation of the senator’s nemesis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, for what they described as the unprecedented manhandling of a U.S. senator who was merely attempting to ask a question of a fellow public official.

Noem and fellow Republicans continued to depict Padilla as a grandstander, whose unexpected appearance at Noem’s news conference seemed to her security detail to represent a threat, as she tried to speak to reporters at the Federal Building in Westwood.

Republicans continued Friday to chastise Padilla, using words like “launch,” “lunge” and “bum rush” to describe Padilla’s behavior as he began to try to pose a question to Noem at Thursday’s news conference.

The Trump administration official was just a few minutes into her meeting with reporters when Padilla moved assertively from the side of the room, pushing past a Times photographer as he moved to more directly address Noem. He did not lunge at Noem and was still paces away from her when her security detail grabbed the senator.

Padilla and his staff described how the veteran lawmaker went through security and was escorted by an FBI employee to the room where the press conference was held, saying it was absurd to suggest he presented a threat.

Padilla spoke out after the secretary asserted that her homeland security agents had come to L.A. to “liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that the governor and the mayor have placed on this country.”

The former South Dakota governor would have some reason to recognize Padilla, since he questioned her during her Senate confirmation hearing. A spokesperson at the Homeland Security Department did not respond to a question of whether Noem recognized Padilla when he arrived at her press conference.

As has become the norm in the nation’s political discourse, Republicans and Democrats spoke about the confrontation Friday as if they had observed two entirely separate incidents.

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) said Noem “should step down,” adding: “This is ridiculous. And she continues to lie about this incident. This is wrong.”

Lujan urged his Republican colleagues to support Democrats in asking for “a full investigation.”

“This is bad. This is precedent-setting,” Lujan told MSNBC. “And I certainly hope that the leadership of the Senate, my Republican leaders, my friends, that they just look within. Pray on it. That’s what I told a couple of them last night. Pray on this and do the right thing.”

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus went to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office to protest Padilla’s treatment.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) spoke out on X and on the floor of the Senate. He said the episode fit into “a pattern of behavior by the Trump administration. There is simply no justification for this abuse of authority …. There can be no justification of seeing a senator forced to their knees.”

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) went on X to repeat the call for an investigation and to say that “Republican leadership is complicit in enabling the growing authoritarianism in this country.”

Speaking publicly only one Republican lawmaker sounded a note of distress about the episode.

“I’ve seen that one clip. It’s horrible,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). ”It is shocking at every level. It’s not the America I know.”

But most Republicans remained silent, or accused Padilla of being a provocateur.

“I think the senator’s actions, my view is, it was wildly inappropriate,” said Johnson, the House speaker. “You don’t charge a sitting Cabinet secretary.”

Johnson added that it was Padilla, who should face some sanction. “At a minimum … [it] rises to the level of a censure. … I think there needs to be a message sent by the body as a whole that that is not what we are going to do, that’s not how we’re going to act.”

Rep. Tom McClintock, (R-Elk Grove) zinged Padilla on X, with some “helpful tips.” “1. Don’t disrupt other people’s press conferences. Hold your own instead. 2. Don’t bum-rush a podium with no visible identification. … 3. Don’t resist or assault the Secret Service. It won’t end well.”

Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear Lake) also sought to reinforce the notion that agents protecting Noem sensed a real threat, having no way of knowing that Padilla was who he said he was.

The congressman said on Fox Business that Padilla had obtained “the outcome that they wanted. Now they have a talking point.”

None of the officials in the room, several of whom know Padilla, intervened to prevent the action by the agents, who eventually pushed the senator, face down, onto the ground, before handcuffing him.

Noem did not back off her earlier statement that Padilla had “burst” into the room.

“Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem,” Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant Homeland Security secretary, said in a statement Friday.

McLaughlin also said that Padilla “was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” though video made public by Friday did not show such warnings, in advance of Padilla’s first statement.

The senator’s staff members said he privately had received messages of concern from several Republican colleagues, including Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.)

Padilla told Tommy Vietor of the “Pod Save America” podcast that Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown is an attempt to distract from many other failures — continued instability with the economy, a lack of peace in Ukraine and Gaza and a federal budget plan that is proving unpopular with many Americans.

“He always finds a distraction,” Padilla said, “and, when all else fails, he goes back to demonizing and scapegoating immigrants. … He creates a crisis to get us all talking about something else.”

Padilla said repeatedly that Americans should be concerned about how everyday citizens will be treated, if forces working for the Trump administration are allowed to “tackle” a U.S. senator asking questions in a public building.

On Friday afternoon, he sent a mass email urging his constituents to sign up for the protests planned for Saturday, to counter the military parade Trump is holding in Washington. “PLEASE show up and speak out against what is happening,” Padilla wrote. “We cannot allow the Trump administration to intimidate us into silence.”

Times photographer Luke Johnson captured the moment when authorities tackled and handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla on Thursday when he interrupted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles.

Johnson’s images document many of the key moments of an encounter that has sparked controversy amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Padilla attempts to speak

The senator was standing near a wall on one side of the room, then tried to interrupt Noem to ask a question.

“I’m Senator Alex Padilla,” he said, as one agent grabbed his jacket and shoved him backward on the chest and arm. “I have questions for the secretary, because the fact of the matter is that half a dozen violent criminals that you’re rotating on your — on your …”

“Hands off!” Padilla said, as three agents pushed him into a separate room.

Agent grabs him

Padilla is taken down

Videos from the press conference show agents forcing Padilla to his knees and handcuffing him.

Padilla speaks out

The senator later held a press conference to describe what happened.

“I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed,” Padilla said. “I was not arrested. I was not detained.”

If this is how the Trump administration treats a “senator with a question,” Padilla said, with tears in his eyes, “I can only imagine what they’re doing to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community.”

Measuring in at just 6ft and nine inches in length (2.06m), the world’s shortest street is actually located in a UK seaside town known for its beautiful scenery, rich wildlife, and ubiquitous history

A quaint coastal town dripping with natural beauty and maritime history has one bizarre fame to claim – it is home to the world’s shortest street.

Situated in the far north of Scotland, in Caithness, lies the former Viking settlement of Wick. Once the busiest herring port in Europe, the tiny seaside town now attracts tourists from all over the globe thanks to its intricate castle ruins, rugged cliffs, and rich wildlife.

“Around three miles north from Wick the dramatic 15th to 17th century ruins of Sinclair and Girnigoe castles rise steeply from a needle-thin promontory,” hails Visit Scotland, the area’s official tourist board. “There is a good clifftop walk to the castle via Noss Head Lighthouse from the tiny fishing village of Staxigoe. Visitors will encounter a wide selection of wildlife along the way including various species of seabirds and puffins and a beautiful scenic beach, popular for windsurfing and sand-yachting, awaits them at the end of Sinclair Bay.”

For tourists wanting to visit something a little more unusual, head over to Ebenezer Place, the world’s shortest street. Measuring in at just 6ft and nine inches in length (2.06m) – the street is so tiny it can only fit one address, Mackay’s Hotel’s No. 1 Bistro.

The eatery, idyllically set next to the Wick River, serves up mouth-watering dishes based on local produce – as well as afternoon tea, cocktail masterclasses, and (of course) whisky. In 2006, the street – which is maintained by Highland Council as road authority – scooped a Guinness World Record on October 28, 2006, officially crowning it the shortest street on the planet.

“When Alexander Sinclair returned from America in 1883, after making his fortune, he built Mackays Hotel on the corner of Union Street and River Street,” Mackay’s Hotel’s website states. “The council instructed him to put a name on the short end of the building, as they deemed it a separate street. Ebenezer Place then appeared in the town’s records from 1887.”

Located more than 670 miles from central London, driving to Wick from the Big Smoke will take you almost 13 hours. If you’re not prepared for such a gruelling car journey, you can fly to Inverness, and then drive two and a half hours down to the town. Flights to Inverness take just one and a half hours, and depart from both London Luton and Heathrow Airport. If you’re flexible with dates, you can grab return fares for as little as £44 in July.

*Prices based on Skyscanner listings at the time of writing.

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