LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A month after ICE agents sent the young Ecuadorian mother and her 7-year-old daughter to a sprawling detention center 1,300 miles from their Minnesota home, they were finally free.
But when the bus pulled up to a migrant shelter in the border city of Laredo, dropping off a half-dozen families lugging bags stuffed with belongings, the stress of recent weeks tracked mother and daughter like the long shadows on that mid-February afternoon.
Night after night inside south Texas’ Dilley Immigration Processing Center with hundreds of other families, the grade-schooler wept and pleaded to know why they were being held.
“She would tell me, ‘Mom, what crime did I commit to be a prisoner?’ I didn’t know what to tell her,” said the 29-year-old, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear being identified could negatively affect their immigration case. Her husband was deported to Ecuador soon after they were taken into custody.
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Immigrant families settle in for the night at the Holding Institute in Laredo, Texas, on Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez)
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Immigrant families settle in for the night at the Holding Institute in Laredo, Texas, on Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez)
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Many Americans were alarmed last month when photos circulated showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis detaining a 5-year-old boy wearing a bunny hat and carrying a Spiderman backpack. The concern followed Liam Conejo Ramos and his father when they were sent to Dilley, surrounded by chain-link fences on a dusty plain about 75 miles south of San Antonio.
But Liam was hardly an outlier. ICE has been holding hundreds of children at Dilley — many for months.
“We are all Liam,” Christian Hinojosa, an immigrant from Mexico, said by phone from Dilley, where she and her 13-year-old son were held for more than four months. They were released this month and allowed to return home to San Antonio where she works as a health aide.
She noted that Liam and his father were released from Dilley after 10 days, when members of Congress and a judge intervened.
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“My son says, ‘That’s unfair, Mama. What’s the difference between him and us?’”
Ramping up family detentions
When the Obama administration opened Dilley in 2014, nearly all families detained there had recently crossed the border from Mexico. Detentions at the facility were scaled back by the Biden administration in 2021, before it was closed three years later.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
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Since being reopened by President Donald Trump’s administration last spring, life inside Dilley — a compound of trailers and other prefabricated buildings — has been shaped by three decisive changes.
The number of detained families has risen sharply since last fall. The government is holding many children well beyond the 20-day limit set by longstanding court order. And many detainees have lived in the U.S. for several years, with roots in neighborhoods, workplaces and schools, according to lawyers and other observers.
“Just imagine that you’re a child and you’re taken out of your surroundings,” said Philip Schrag, a Georgetown University law professor and author of “Baby Jails: The Fight to End the Incarceration of Refugee Children in America.”
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Suddenly you’re in “a completely strange environment with the doors locked and guards in uniform roaming around,” said Schrag, who counseled Dilley detainees as a volunteer lawyer during the Obama administration.
ICE booked more than 3,800 children into detention during the first nine months of the new Trump administration, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project. On an average day more than 220 children were held, with most of those detained longer than 24 hours sent to Dilley. More than half of Dilley detainees during that period were children.
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A young immigrant girl who just arrived at the Holding Institute, a shelter in Laredo, Texas on Feb. 12, 2026, pets a cat as her mother and other families receive a welcome and instructions on how to purchase tickets to get back to their homes in the U.S. (AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez)
A young immigrant girl who just arrived at the Holding Institute, a shelter in Laredo, Texas on Feb. 12, 2026, pets a cat as her mother and other families receive a welcome and instructions on how to purchase tickets to get back to their homes in the U.S. (AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez)
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Nearly two-thirds of children detained by ICE were eventually deported and almost 1 in 10 left the country when their parents accepted voluntary departure, according to an AP analysis of the latest comprehensive data. About a quarter were released in the U.S., requiring their parents to check in regularly with ICE as their legal cases proceed.
The number of detainees at Dilley has risen sharply since the period covered by the data, nearly tripling between last fall and late January to more than 1,300, according to Relevant Research, which analyzes immigration enforcement data.
“We’ve started to use 100 days as a benchmark for prioritizing cases because so many children are exceeding 20 days,” said Leecia Welch, the chief legal director at Children’s Rights, who visits Dilley regularly to ensure compliance. In a visit this month, Welch said she counted more than 30 children who had been held for over 100 days.
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The increased detention of children comes as the Trump administration has gutted a Department of Homeland Security office responsible for oversight of conditions inside Dilley and other facilities.
“It’s a particular concern that family detention is being increased,” said Dr. Pamela McPherson, a child and adolescent psychiatrist contracted by DHS from 2014 until last year to inspect and investigate conditions at Dilley and other ICE facilities holding children.
“Just who’s providing that check-and-balance now?”
Rep. Tony Gonzales, who represents the congressional district where Dilley is located, said multiple visits have convinced him criticism of the center is unfair.
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He said he’d been impressed by Dilley’s facilities and the professionalism and dedication of staff. “They’re not doing policy. They’re just fulfilling a duty,” said Gonzales, a Republican.
DHS did not respond to detailed questions about Dilley submitted by the AP. But both DHS and ICE sharply refuted allegations of poor care and conditions there.
“The Dilley facility is a family residential center designed specifically to house family units in a safe, structured and appropriate environment,” ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement this week. Services include medical screenings, infant care packages as well as classrooms and recreational spaces.
But concerns about Dilley are personal for Kheilin Valero Marcano, a Venezuelan immigrant detained with her husband and 1-year-old daughter, Amalia, in December and held for nearly two months.
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Migrants from Venezuela, Stiven Arrieta Prieto and his wife, Kheilin Valero Marcano, with their 18-month-old daughter, Amalia Arrieta Valero, pose for a photo in Southern California on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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Migrants from Venezuela, Stiven Arrieta Prieto and his wife, Kheilin Valero Marcano, with their 18-month-old daughter, Amalia Arrieta Valero, pose for a photo in Southern California on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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When the child got a high fever, Valero Marcano said Dilley staff told her it was just a virus. Two weeks later, Amalia started vomiting, then losing weight. Valero Marcano said she took her to the Dilley doctor’s office at least eight times but was offered Tylenol and ibuprofen.
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The baby was eventually sent to two hospitals, where doctors diagnosed COVID, bronchitis, pneumonia and stomach virus, she said.
ICE disputed Valero Marcano’s account, saying in a statement the baby “immediately received proper medical care” at Dilley before being sent to the hospital. Back in Dilley, “she was in the medical unit and received proper treatment and prescribed medicines,” it said.
The family’s return to Dilley coincided with a measles outbreak there. They were released earlier this month after their lawyers petitioned the court.
“I’m so worried for all the families who are still inside,” Valero Marcano said.
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A teen in distress
After more than two months in a cramped room at Dilley with three other families, the 13-year-old girl’s depression turned increasingly dark.
The eighth grader stopped eating after finding a worm in her food, family members said. Staff sometimes withheld medications she’d long been prescribed to keep her anxiety in check and help her sleep.
When a total lockdown was imposed, a guard blocked the teen from leaving the crowded room to join her mother and sister in the bathroom. She spiraled into crisis, and used a plastic knife from the cafeteria to cut her wrist.
“She said she didn’t want to live anymore because she preferred to die rather than having to keep living in confinement,” her mother, Andrea Armero, told the AP in a video call from Colombia, where the family was deported this month. The AP generally avoids identifying people who attempt or die by suicide.
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The girl’s struggles began before she arrived at Dilley. Soon after starting middle school in Colombia, she learned a family member had sexually abused her younger sister. Armero said she saw no option but to leave and in early 2024 she and her daughters traveled to the U.S. border with Mexico, applying for asylum.
Living with family in Florida, the 13-year-old was doing well in school but sometimes experienced panic attacks about being sent back to Colombia. Under a psychiatrist’s care, she was prescribed anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications and regularly saw a therapist. Then, in December, ICE agents detained Armero and her daughters during a routine check-in.
At Dilley, the 13-year-old calmed herself by drawing, producing haunting pictures of a girl locked inside gates. But when she and other detainees took part in a protest after 5-year-old Liam and his father got to Dilley, guards took away drawing materials and ordered everyone to stay inside.
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This image provided by the family in February 2026 shows a drawing made by a 13-year-old Colombian girl when she was detained at South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, where the Trump administration is holding immigrant families. (AP Photo)
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This image provided by the family in February 2026 shows a drawing made by a 13-year-old Colombian girl when she was detained at South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, where the Trump administration is holding immigrant families. (AP Photo)
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The teen’s mental health collapsed. She tried to harm herself with the plastic knife, Armero said, and repeatedly hit her head. The family was put into isolation without seeing a doctor, then deported to Colombia on Feb. 11 after a judge ordered them removed, she said.
Dilley discharge documents described “active problems,” including a “suicide attempt by cutting of wrist” and “self-harm,” in addition to a “history of post-traumatic stress disorder” and “history of anxiety.” AP also spoke with detainees and attorneys who independently described the girl’s suicide attempt.
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Responding to questions from AP, a DHS official acknowledged there had been “a case of self-harm” inside the facility, but did not specify what had happened, or how staff handled the incident. When AP asked for details, DHS did not respond to follow-up questions.
“No child at Dilley … has been denied medical treatment or experienced a delayed medical assessment,” said Ryan Gustin, a spokesman for CoreCivic, the for-profit prison company that operates the facility under contract with ICE. Gustin declined to answer specific question about the 13-year-old girl, citing privacy rules.
Detention weighs on children
On a phone call from inside Dilley, 13-year-old Gustavo Santino-Josa introduced himself to a reporter by name and the 9-digit identification number ICE assigned him when he was taken into custody with his mother.
“Until today I don’t know what we did wrong to get detained,” Gustavo said. “I’ve seen my mom cry almost daily and I ask God that we can go out and go home soon.”
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He worried they might never be released.
“My mom says that as long as there is hope it is worth fighting for,” Gustavo said before handing the phone to his mother, Christian Hinojosa, the health care aide originally from Mexico.
“All his friends have left already,” his mother said. “Some were deported. Some got released recently. And it hurts. It hurts to see people leaving and you’re staying here.”
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Andrea Armero, right, and her daughter, who were deported from the United States, sit in a park in Colombia, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
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Andrea Armero, right, and her daughter, who were deported from the United States, sit in a park in Colombia, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
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Dilley was built to hold 2,400 people, housed in clusters ICE calls “neighborhoods.” Bunk beds are arranged side-by-side for up to four families, frequently putting parents with young children in close quarters.
Once in full operation, Dilley is expected to generate about $180 million in annual revenue for CoreCivic, according to the company’s recent filing with securities regulators.
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In a video on its website, CoreCivic says Dilley’s “open campus layout allows residents to move freely and unescorted throughout the day.”
It does not mention that parents and their children are locked inside.
In response to questions from the AP, CoreCivic’s Gustin said the staff at Dilley includes a pediatrician, pediatric nurse practitioner, other trained medical professionals, as well as mental health services to “meet the needs of children and families in our care.”
In talks with parents of children held at Dilley, however, the same problems come up repeatedly, said Welch, the children’s rights lawyer.
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Kids cry often and don’t get enough sleep, in part because lights are on around the clock, she said. The water tastes terrible and causes stomachaches and rashes, so some families stick to what they can buy in the commissary.
Their children don’t eat enough and have lost weight, Welch said. There are classrooms, but instruction is limited to an hour daily, mostly filling out worksheets.
A 14-year-old girl, identified in court papers by the initials NVSM, reported there were tensions with up to 12 people sharing their room. At night when she and her mother tried to sleep, others insisted on turning up the TV.
“I feel very sad and stressed to be here,” the teen said in an account filed with the court that oversees a binding settlement governing detention and release of children. “My nerves are so high. I don’t know what is happening. My muscles will twitch because I’m so nervous and on edge.”
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Concerns about oversight
As the government’s detention of parents and their children came under scrutiny in 2014, an ICE official insisted that family detention centers, equipped with basketball courts and medical clinics, were “more like a summer camp.”
The characterization irritated McPherson, the child psychiatrist who, along with another physician, was retained in 2014 by DHS to inspect family detention centers. Their contracts were not renewed by the Trump administration last year after DHS announced sweeping staff reductions.
“Having a clean place to sleep, having food, that’s not the same thing as having family and community,” McPherson said.
The doctors’ investigations of family detention centers exposed consistently inadequate staffing and disregard by administrators for the trauma caused by detention, concerns they reported in 2018 to a Senate caucus set up to hear from whistleblowers.
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At Dilley, the doctors noted a persistent shortage of pediatricians and the inability to hire a child psychiatrist from the time they began their inspections until they alerted senators.
Employees unsure how to deal with 2-year-olds biting and hitting each other placed the children and their parents in medical isolation for days, McPherson and her colleague told senators. Without supervision, a nurse at Dilley gave adult-strength hepatitis A shots to about 250 children in 2015, the American Immigration Lawyers Association reported.
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Kheilin Valero Marcano, hugs her 18-month-old daughter, Amalia Arrieta Valero, in Southern California on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Kheilin Valero Marcano, hugs her 18-month-old daughter, Amalia Arrieta Valero, in Southern California on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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DHS responded to many of the findings by making changes before a special committee recommended in late 2016 that the government discontinue family detention except in rare cases. The first Trump administration increased family detention before the Biden administration began phasing it out in 2021.
That the Trump administration is again holding families at Dilley after so many warnings feels “dystopian,” McPherson said.
“The decision to knowingly traumatize children and subject them to chronic stress, I just have no words for it,” she said.
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Worries even after release
Huddled around picnic tables at the Laredo migrant shelter, parents released from Dilley searched anxiously for flights back to the homes they left behind. They called relatives, friends, teachers, anyone who might help with money to get there.
The young Ecuadorian mom talked of returning to Minneapolis, where her 2-year-old daughter, born in the U.S., was staying with a friend. With her husband deported, parenting will be entirely her responsibility.
That means getting her 7-year-old back in school. Then the woman, who had a work permit and a job in a Minneapolis restaurant before being detained, needs to keep her children fed.
“Let’s go home, Mom, but don’t go back to work because ICE is going to pick you up again,” the little girl said. Her mother tried to reassure her.
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That won’t happen, she said, because now they have a special paper telling ICE to leave them alone.
She hopes that’s a promise she can keep.
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AP Data Reporter Aaron Kessler contributed from Washington.
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Contact AP’s global investigative team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/
A spokesperson for the CST, the charity which monitors antisemitism and provides protection for Jewish communities in the UK, said: “We are aware of another attempted arson, this time targeting a synagogue in north London, following similar recent incidents targeting the Jewish community in Finchley, Golders Green and Hendon.
The pub has ‘amazing views’ from its garden, according to previous customers
Home to two churches in one churchyard and a “cracking little pub” with “amazing views from the garden”, one Cambridgeshire village marries history with a modern feel. Swaffham Prior is a quaint village in East Cambridgeshire, around five miles from Newmarket.
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The village is dominated by its twin churches within one graveyard – Church of St Mary and the Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta – which have served the parish since at least the 12th century.
St Mary’s Church is still a working church, but St Cyria & St Julitta offers its own unique charm. It has a 15th century octagonal bell tower and a ring of six bells.
Swaffham Prior is mentioned in the Domesday Book and features stunning houses dating back several centuries. It is also home to a local primary school and a pub called The Red Lion.
The quintessential English pub offers a selection of ales, fine wines, and home cooked food. Described by customers as a “cracking little pub” with “amazing views from the garden”, it appears to be loved by locals and visitors.
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One guest wrote: “Cracking little pub. Good pints, proper food, friendly faces behind the bar. Feels like the heart of the village. Great if you want a relaxed drink or a decent feed.”
Another commented: “A true hidden gem in the heart of Swaffham Prior.” They continued: “From the moment you walk in, you’re welcomed with genuine warmth by both the staff and locals. It’s got that rare blend of cozy charm and character, with a roaring fire in the winter and a lovely garden for summer evenings.”
Swaffham Prior Primary School is a co-educational Church of England school, located in the central area of the village. The school describes it as a place where “learning and values are not just sown in lessons but in the whole experience of living and growing together”.
Roz Foyer, general secretary of the STUC, also warned mainstream politicians in ‘last chance saloon’ to deliver for working people.
Scotland’s leading trade unionist has warned Nigel Farage’s Reform is a “gateway drug to fascism”, ahead of next month’s Holyrood election.
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Roz Foyer, general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), said mainstream politicians are in the “last chance saloon” to deliver for working people amid the populist right surge.
It comes as Reform UK, led in Scotland by ex-Tory peer Malcolm Offord, looks set to win a significant number of MSPs on May 7 according to polls – and could beat Labour into second place.
Foyer claimed the rise of Reform would not improve voters’ lives but make them worse.
Speaking ahead of the STUC’s annual congress in Dundee, starting tomorrow, she told the Sunday Mail: “We only have to look across the Atlantic to the state the US is in to see what some of those consequences could look like.
“The populist right always play the same game. They play on the dissatisfaction of people when mainstream politics fails to deliver and be bold enough to support ordinary people.
“But they are are multimillionaires bankrolled by billionaires. They’re going to cut taxes for the rich, cut our public services, cut jobs and cut away an awful lot of our rights as a population.
“They make things sound very reasonable, but ultimately parties like Reform are the gateway drug to fascism.”
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The STUC, Scotland’s largest trade union body, is urging other Holyrood parties to adopt a bolder economic approach in response, tackling the cost of living and boosting jobs, industry and battered public services.
Key policies they back are scrapping and replacing council tax, increasing wealth taxes, and public ownership of energy.
Foyer added: “Our mainstream politicians are in the last chance saloon here. Working people are really angry.
“We need governments prepared to take on the bosses and the billionaires and take a more interventionist approach to the long-term security of energy, affordability, and our economic development.
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“We don’t want more communities thrown on the scrapheap.”
Reform Holyrood candidate and councillor Thomas Kerr hit back: “This reads of utter delusion from Scotland’s token lefty.”
“We’ll take no lectures from the woman who owns five properties, but lectures working people for daring to want a tax cut so they have more of their hard earned cash.
“Reform is a gateway drug to common sense, Foyer is a gateway drug to 1970s socialism which has been thoroughly rejected before and will be again.”
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Audiences have described the BAFTA-winning film as “heavenly”.
09:45, 19 Apr 2026Updated 09:45, 19 Apr 2026
A post-war film has been described as “one of the most beautiful movies ever made”. The picture follows a young Irish woman navigating between two contrasting worlds during the 1950s. Both critics and viewers have commended its emotional depth and enduring charm.
With an outstanding 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Brooklyn (2015) makes for ideal weekend viewing. The film is currently available to stream without charge on BBC iPlayer. Nevertheless, audiences have just 18 days remaining to watch it.
Set in the 1950s, young Irishwoman Eilis Lace (portrayed by Saoirse Ronan) departs her modest hometown for a fresh start in Brooklyn, attracted by the prospect of opportunities in America.
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While she initially battles with homesickness, she slowly adjusts. Eilis subsequently falls in love in Brooklyn, and welcomes her newfound independence.
Yet, an unexpected family crisis summons her back to Ireland, where she finds herself drawn once more into the existence she had abandoned.
Torn between her history and her future, Eilis faces a choice between two nations and the distinctly different paths each presents.
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Reviews
“In short, Brooklyn is one of the very best films of the past decade and worth looking back on,” penned Dave Giannini for InSession Film.
Awarding the film five out of five stars, Don Shanahan from Film Obsessive commented: “Brooklyn is a forthright, approachable, and esteemed historical drama where the dignity and honesty soar to heavenly heights to shine on the plights of love and independence.”
Viewers were equally effusive in their praise for the film. One remarked: “Beautiful story. One of the best movies. Moving.”
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Another enthused: “Beautiful classic in every sense of the word. Outstanding performances. Atmospheric joy. Don’t miss it.”
A third wrote: “It’s a masterpiece, and profoundly moving, especially if you’re an immigrant yourself. The closing is one of the most beautiful romantic scenes ever. In my opinion.”
A final reviewer declared: “One of the most beautiful movies ever made. Colours, music, and reticence punctuate throughout. I have watched the scene in the dining room of the church 7,351,212 times.
“The man sings, the actress recognises brilliance amidst shuffles and anonymity, and then the director cuts to her chaperone listening to a radio. So god**** brilliant.”
I AM writing to The Press in the hope that readers might be able to help me reconnect with a dear old friend and classmate, Alan Wong (Wong Ka-kui), who emigrated from Hong Kong to York around 1991.
Alan and I were close friends during our school years at Ngau Tau Kok Catholic Primary School.
We lost touch shortly after he moved to North Yorkshire to start a new chapter over 30 years ago.
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I often wonder how his life has unfolded in the beautiful city of York and would dearly love to catch up on the decades we have missed.
Alan would likely be in his 50s now. Given his distinctive Chinese name (shared with a famous Hong Kong musician), I hope he might be known to the local Chinese community or long-term residents in the area.
If Alan is reading this, or if anyone knows of his whereabouts or his family, I would be deeply grateful if you could contact me via email at swtcheng@gmail.com
Finding a friend after 35 years is no easy task, but I believe in the community spirit of York to help bridge this gap.
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Thank you for your time and assistance.
Tony Cheng Wai-Tung
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‘We already get cheaper electricity from wind and solar’
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REFORM and the Tories are doing a noisy sales job on new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
In view of Trump’s war this would seem sensible – however, the facts point in the opposite direction.
The reality is that we already get cheaper electricity from wind and solar.
In March, we avoided the need for gas imports worth £1bn, thanks to record electricity generation from renewables.
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Wind generation is growing year-on-year by 38 per cent – at the same time that electricity generation from gas falls annually by 25 per cent. And as a bonus, these clean sources avoid the environmental and health costs of burning fossil fuels.
Were the government to announce a fresh round of drilling licences, the impact on bills would be zero in the immediate term and minimal in the medium term.
Even if they sold straight away – which would be unlikely – it would take five to seven years for the wells to be productive.
And even if we could ringfence UK-produced energy for the UK market – which we couldn’t – it wouldn’t change the fundamental structure of that market, in which costs are predominantly set by international fossil fuel prices.
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If the barrel cost of oil is surging worldwide, so is our unit price. It is ever more expensive to extract the ever smaller residual deposits from the North Sea. By the time they came onstream, electricity from renewables would be a third of the cost.
Peter Williams,
Newbiggin,
Malton
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Why I agree with Trump
DONALD Trump rarely speaks sense but his advice to Ed Miliband for the UK to “drill, baby drill” is spot on, particularly so considering the turmoil countries worldwide are currently encountering.
Will Miliband react positively? Not a chance, neither will Reeves nor Starmer, common sense to them no longer exists, it has been replaced by a rash of costly vanity projects achieving absolutely nothing other than making everyone collectively poorer (that is apart from millions who have decided living off state benefits is more lucrative than working 40 hours per week).
A synagogue in north-west London was hit by an attempted arson attack overnight.
The Community Security Trust said Kenton United Synagogue has sustained caused minor smoke damage to an internal room but there were no injuries or significant structural damage.
Royal expert and author Robert Hardman has opened up about his various encounters with the Royal Family over the past three decades and why Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was always different
Liam McInerney Content Editor
09:34, 19 Apr 2026
A royal expert has opened up about his various encounters with senior members of the Royal Family — and said two things made Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor stand out from the rest.
The disgraced former prince is now living in Marsh Farm after being booted out of Royal Lodge having lived there since 2003.
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Further troubling revelations about his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, along with his arrest in February under suspicion of misconduct in public office, have further cast him astray from his family.
But Robert Hardman, who has now written a new biography about the late Queen Elizabeth II, has said Andrew was always different.
He said his encounters with him were a contrast to what it was like being in the company of his nephews, parents and siblings.
Royal commentator and author Robert, 60, who has covered 70 tours from Abu Dhabi to Ukraine, said: “Philip was fascinating and sharp — you really had to keep your wits about you. Ditto Charles. The Princess Royal is fabulous — I’ve followed her around and could barely keep up. William and Harry can effortlessly work a room, charming everyone and putting them at ease.”
And speaking to the Sunday Telegraph about his dealings with Andrew, he continued: “But Andrew just isn’t as intelligent or as articulate as the others. As trade envoy, he was forever saying disobliging things and putting his foot in it.
“He’d be at a telecoms conference and suddenly come out with the line, ‘What is Orange?’”
Robert’s new biography is called Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside story — and it is his sixth book about the royals.
He spoke about the Queen a century after her birth and claimed it was her who first wanted her son to move out of Royal Lodge.
Robert said she “believed him” when he claimed he had cut ties with Epstein before his lies were eventually exposed and King Charles removed the titles he was granted at birth.
As for the Queen not being alive for this, Robert added: “I think one of the blessings in all this is that the Queen wasn’t around to live through the final degradation, and the brutal disgrace of a royal having their ‘princedom’ taken away.”
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The broadcaster and journalist also revealed why the Queen had an “instinctive sympathy” for the “spare” Prince Harry.
He said she “always adored” her grandson and added that her father, who was suddenly led to the throne after the abdication of his brother, was a spare, as was her sister, Margaret, who she often defended.
Robert, who has reported on royals for over 30 years, claimed she was “conscious” that both Harry and Andrew had “clearly less defined roles” simply because they were the second sons.
Full story: Trump believed coming across as ‘unstable and insulting’ in controversial posts could ‘bring the Iranians to the table,’ report says
President Trump reportedly adopted a strategy of intentionally acting unstable and insultingly towards Iran, in the hopes it would push the U.S. adversary to negotiate an end to the war.
The unorthodox tactics were reportedly behind a string of controversial posts the president made this month about the vital Strait of Hormuz, administration officials told The Wall Street Journal.
In one post, on April 5, the president ordered Iran to “open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b*******, or you’ll be living in Hell,” and ended the post with “Praise be to Allah.”
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Dan Haygarth19 April 2026 09:20
Iran doubles down on Hormuz closure
Iran doubled down on its pledge to restrict ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US blockade of its ports remains in place.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf said in a televised interview that Tehran would continue to threaten commercial vessels transiting the critical waterway, after it fired on ships attempting to pass on Saturday.
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“It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” Mr Qalibaf, who is Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the US, said.
Iran’s navy has warned ships against transiting the strait, a key shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.
After a brief uptick in transit attempts on Saturday, vessels in the Persian Gulf held their positions, wary after two India-flagged ships were fired on mid-transit and forced to turn back.
Their retreat returned the strait to its pre-ceasefire status quo, threatening to deepen the global energy crisis and push the parties toward renewed conflict as the war entered its eighth week.
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Dan Haygarth19 April 2026 09:06
Recap: Shipping remains uncertain after vessels report gunfire
Concern remained after at least two vessels reported being attacked on Saturday while trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
India summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi and expressed deep concern that two Indian-flagged ships had come under fire in the strait, the government said.
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US Central Command said American forces were enforcing a maritime blockade of Iran but did not comment on the latest Iranian actions.
Tehran’s reversal raised the risk that oil and gas shipments through the strait could remain disrupted just as Trump weighs whether to extend the ceasefire.
When American and Iranian negotiators met last weekend in Islamabad, the US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said no date had been set for the next round of negotiations, adding that a framework of understanding must be agreed first.
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Donald Trump had said on Friday there could be talks this weekend and that the two sides were “very close to making a deal.”
There were signs that security was being ramped up in the Pakistani capital on Sunday, though preparations were not at last weekend’s levels.
Daniel Haygarth19 April 2026 08:18
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Second Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon in less than 12 hours
Israel’s military says another soldier died in combat in southern Lebanon, the second death announced in under twelve hours.
It brought the total number of soldiers killed in Lebanon to 15, and was the second soldier killed in combat since the ceasefire.
A protester holds up a placard during a demonstration organised by Israeli left-wing activists against the ongoing war with Iran and Lebanon and against the Israeli government, at HaBima Square in Tel Aviv on 18 April 2026 (AFP via Getty Images)
The military said another soldier was badly wounded in the same incident, along with four moderately wounded and four lightly injured.
At least 2,300 people in Lebanon have died in Israeli attack.
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Namita Singh19 April 2026 08:03
Standoff escalates after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over US blockade
Iran reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The escalating standoff over the critical chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence that a new deal was within reach.
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The strait is closed until the US blockade is lifted, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy said on Saturday night.
The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, 18 April 2026 (AP)
Hours earlier, two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said.
It reported the tanker and crew as safe, without identifying the vessel or its destination.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait and further limits would squeeze already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again.
Iran’s earlier announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.
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The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states.
Thirteen US service members have also been killed.
Namita Singh19 April 2026 07:44
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Pope Leo downplays feud with Trump, says ‘not in my interest’ to debate him
Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with US president Donald Trump on Saturday, saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour “has not been accurate in all its aspects”.
Speaking to reporters in English aboard his flight to Angola for the third leg of his ambitious 10-day Africa tour, the first US pope said comments he made two days earlier in Cameroon decrying that the world was being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” were not aimed at Mr Trump.
That speech, said Leo, “was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting”.
Vice president JD Vance, who had criticised the pope’s remarks last week, welcomed his latest comments.
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Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard a flight on his way to Luanda, Angola, 18 April 2026 (Reuters)
“I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this,” Mr Vance posted on social media platform X.
“While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict – and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen – the reality is often much more complicated.”
On Sunday, as Leo prepared to embark on his tour, Mr Trump called him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a post on Truth Social.
Mr Trump also posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him. The post was removed on Monday morning. Mr Trump appeared to be responding to Leo’s growing criticism in recent weeks of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Pope Leo told Reuters on Monday that he would keep speaking out about the war, and Trump reiterated his criticism on Tuesday. On Thursday, Pope Leo blasted leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, though he did not mention Mr Trump directly again.
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“As it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not in my interest at all,” the pontiff said on Saturday.
Leo, originally from Chicago, kept a relatively low profile for a pope in his first 10 months but has debuted a new forceful speaking style in Africa, sharply denouncing war, inequality and global leaders.
Namita Singh19 April 2026 07:29
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No dates set for next round of negotiations between US and Iran
When American and Iranian negotiators met last weekend in Islamabad, the US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said no date had been set for the next round of negotiations, adding that a framework of understanding must be agreed first.
US president Donald Trump had said on Friday there could be talks this weekend and that the two sides were “very close to making a deal”.
The sun rises behind tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, 18 April 2026 (AP)
There were no signs on Saturday of preparations for new talks in the Pakistani capital, where the highest-level US-Iran negotiations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended without agreement last weekend.
Senior national security aides gathered at the White House on Saturday morning. Mr Trump later went to the Trump National Golf Club with top envoy Steve Witkoff, one of his Iran negotiators.
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Pressure for a way out of the war has mounted as Trump’s fellow Republicans defend narrow majorities in Congress in the November midterm elections with US gasoline prices high, inflation rising and his own approval ratings down.
Oil prices fell about 10 per cent and global stocks jumped on Friday on the prospect of marine traffic resuming through the strait. But hundreds of vessels and about 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Gulf awaiting passage through the waterway, shipping sources said.
Namita Singh19 April 2026 06:30
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Two India-flagged vessels under fire in Strait of Hormuz
Concern in the Strait of Hormuz remained after at least two vessels reported being attacked yesterday while trying to transit the waterway.
India summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi and expressed deep concern that two Indian-flagged ships had come under fire in the strait, the government said.
Iran’s military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on 18 April, prompting ships to abandon attempts to transit and president Donald Trump to warn Tehran against trying to ‘blackmail’ the United States (AFP)
US Central Command said American forces were enforcing a maritime blockade of Iran but did not comment on the latest Iranian actions.
Tehran’s reversal raised the risk that oil and gas shipments through the strait could remain disrupted just as Trump weighs whether to extend the ceasefire.
Namita Singh19 April 2026 06:07
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Israeli military says one soldier killed in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military said this morning that one soldier was killed during combat in southern Lebanon, adding that nine soldiers were wounded, including one who was severely injured.
Displaced people return to their homes after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect (Reuters)
Namita Singh19 April 2026 05:42
Tehran defends blockading Strait of Hormuz citing gaps in talks
Iran reversed course on Saturday to reassert control over the strait, again closing the energy choke point and adding fresh uncertainty to the war, which the US and Israel launched on 28 February.
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Iran said it was responding to a continued US blockade of Iranian ports, calling it a violation of the ceasefire, while supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran’s navy was ready to inflict “new bitter defeats” on its enemies.
US president Donald Trump called the move “blackmail” even as he praised “very good conversations” with Tehran.
Tankers and bulk carriers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, Saturday, 18 April 2026 (AP)
On Friday, Iran had announced the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following a separate US-brokered 10-day ceasefire agreement on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon.
Mr Trump defended the US blockade and threatened “to start dropping bombs again” unless the countries reached a long-term deal before the ceasefire expires on Wednesday.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran’s control over the strait included demanding the payment of costs related to security, safety and environmental protection services, state media said.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot may well find himself under increased pressure if Liverpool lose to Everton in this weekend’s Merseyside derby. However, former Reds defender Dominic Matteo believes it would still be harsh to dismiss the title-winning boss given the wider context.
Slot delivered a Premier League title in his first season but has found things much tougher this term. Top spot is all but mathematically impossible with six games to go, while Tuesday’s defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League ended any faint hopes of silverware.
Despite the difficult season, though, Matteo believes the higher-ups need to think very carefully about the manager’s position. While he acknowledges the available candidates will be a factor – and former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso could be on the lookout for a new club after leaving Real Madrid mid-season – he recognised clear improvement in the midweek reverse and remains torn on Slot’s future.
“Arne Slot will be under a lot of pressure now because of what’s probably available,” Matteo told Mirror Football via BetSelect.co.uk. “Liverpool aren’t a sacking team, far from it, but obviously if Liverpool were to get into Europe… that would give him more of a chance [of staying]. But then would a top manager come to a club if they’re not in Europe? I don’t know.”
He continued: “I don’t think [a sacking decision] will have been made yet. Who knows what goes on behind a football club? There’s that many people involved at every club, whether it’s Richard Hughes or whoever’s making that decision.
“But obviously, you have to look at everything and analyse everything and see if there is a better option than Arne. Obviously he won the league last year so I think it would be pretty harsh if it were to get fired before next season starts.”
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Matteo believes whichever team wins their battles will come out on top on Sunday. That was Liverpool when the teams last met in the league but Jurgen Klopp lost his final Merseyside Derby and there’s a real risk another reverse for Slot could spell the end.
“Liverpool have always been favourite in Derby games of recent times [but] I think now it’s much closer,” the former Scotland international added. “I think it’ll be a game that, for the fans, because of the season and the way it’s gone, I think it’ll be very, very important for Liverpool to get this result, especially for the manager and for certain players.
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“If he is to get a result and get a good result, the people behind the scenes might be thinking, Oh, ‘yeah, he is the right man to have another go… Or will they make a decision if the result goes badly and think ‘Is it time for a change at the start of next season?’.
“That’s how important this game probably is in many ways. David Moyes will be sitting there with – obviously there’s pressure in a Derby game, but I think he won’t be feeling the pressure as much as what Arne Slot will.”
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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
The title race is heating up ahead of City’s encounter with Arsenal this Sunday. Victory for Pep Guardiola’s men would see Arsenal’s advantage at the top of the table reduced to just three points, with City set to return to action against Burnley on Wednesday with a game in hand.
The Love Island presenter has established herself as a household name and rumours of a romance with Dias emerged at the start of 2025. A few months later, a poll carried out by dating website Illicit Encounters listed Maya as the sixth sexiest woman in the UK.
There was speculation that the pair had been spotted on a New Year’s Eve date. Maya later watched City from a box during the team’s draw with Brighton last March.
While not formally confirming their relationship, the TV personality revealed that the pair were still spending time together in May. She posted a video showing them being chased by photographers, with City star Dias seen keeping a lookout following a dinner date.
In the video, Maya said: “When we came out the restaurant they were spread out across the road and they didn’t get us so now they’re following. I’m in half a mind to just give them a f****** show and the other half is hide.”
Last summer, they travelled to Ibiza together, with Maya posting sweet couple photographs from their holiday. Dias responded to the snaps, which were shared with the broadcaster’s 3.3million Instagram followers, with a red heart emoji.
Unfortunately, the couple were also targeted by burglars in January. Thieves reportedly stole jewellery, electronics and clothing while both Maya and Dias were away from their home.
More recently, the pair spent time in his home city of Lisbon. Maya described the week-long break as being “good for the soul” on social media, while the City player commented on her pictures: “Beautiful species.”
Beyond his romantic life, the centre-back is chasing his fifth Premier League title with City. He joined the club from Benfica in 2020 and has also lifted the Champions League, FA Cup, Club World Cup and League Cup during his time in England.
He has made 25 league appearances this term but is one of several City centre-backs currently side-lined. Two of Marc Guehi, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake are expected to start against Arsenal in a crucial fixture at the top of the table.
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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
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