Hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members awaiting deportation from the US have been transferred to a high-security mega-prison in El Salvador as part of Donald Trump's vow to crack down on illegal migration.

The move is part of a $6 million (£4.6 million) deal between Trump and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who has taken a hardline stance on gang-related crime and looks to be "positioning himself as a crucial regional ally" to Trump, said The New York Times.

What is this mega-prison?
The Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, known as CECOT, is "the crown jewel" of the Central American country's "aggressive anti-crime strategy", said The Associated Press. El Salvador's government has since released "slickly produced videos" of officers in riot gear receiving the detainees, whose heads were shaved and hands and feet shackled. The country's justice minister has said "those held at CECOT would never return to their communities".

Why has Trump sent prisoners to El Salvador?
The Trump administration, citing no evidence, has alleged that the hundreds of men sent to CECOT are members of a gang called Tren de Aragua, which originated in Venezuela's prisons.

In order to transfer the detainees to El Salvador, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a law passed in 1798 that has been used only three times before. The act confers "extraordinary powers to detain or remove foreigners" during times of war who otherwise would have legal protections, said AP. Trump claimed the Venezuelan gang was "invading the US". A federal judge issued an order to pause the deportations, but it came too late – the men were already en route to CECOT.

Are Bukele and Trump best buds then?
After the US judge ordered the deportations to be delayed, Bukele – who has dubbed himself the world's "coolest dictator" – posted on X: "Oopsie ... Too late". Elon Musk and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio both reshared the post, while Trump thanked Bukele directly.

Bukele's role in the Trump administration's immigration policy "signals a new level of power and global visibility" for the young president, who was "re-elected by a landslide last year", said The New York Times.

"Sleepmaxxing" is causing a lot of tossing and turning. The "umbrella term" coined by social media users refers to the "millions of people" who are on the hunt for the best "hacks" to "improve sleep quality and quantity", said Time.

But while some are all too keen to chase the dream of optimal rest, others would rather hit snooze on the trend altogether.

Magnesium and mouth taping
Whether it's "drinking magnesium-laced 'Sleepy Girl' mocktails" or "sleeping with your mouth taped" to encourage breathing through your nose, "sleepmaxxing" techniques all purport to be the "blueprint" to help you get a better night's sleep, said Sky News.

Other popular tips include "eating a kiwi before bed", taking melatonin supplements, wearing a sleep tracking device, or "avoiding liquids for two hours before bed", said Time.

"How times have changed," said The New York Times. While we used to say "we'd sleep when we were dead", the modern era means "getting in bed early is cool". But while this "newfound love of sleep" might appear sensible, using sleepmaxxing techniques may mean we are "worrying too much".

Just another way to sell
In some ways, an obsession with sleep "makes sense", said Chemmie Squier in Grazia in 2021. After all, if we don't sleep "we will, quite literally, die". But being "fed the line" that society more widely is suffering from sleep loss is just "another way to sell" – whether this be medication or wearable devices.

But sleepmaxxing hacks can be "dangerous" as they may "cover up serious sleep issues" better addressed by a doctor, said CNN. For instance, mouth-breathing can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea, a potentially serious condition that requires medical treatment.

There are mental pitfalls, too. Taken too far, "people can even develop orthosomnia, an unhealthy obsession with achieving perfect sleep". In fact, "geeking out" over nightly sleep, a fixation further fuelled by these sleeping aids, could "actually make your insomnia worse", driving anxiety about "sleep performance", said The Guardian.

So what is the "key to better sleep?" asked Essence. It isn't as "exciting" as social media may lead you to believe. "Keeping it simple" with a set bedtime and waking up time is deemed the most important factor.

If you're looking for something a little more exciting than a standard film or exhibition for your next day out, there are plenty of other options. Immersive experiences will transport you into an array of magical worlds, from the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the golden age of rock 'n' roll. Here are some of our top picks.

Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition
Enter into the world of the Egyptian king with this immersive experience (pictured above) that will combine "ancient Egyptian artefacts with cutting-edge technology" from 28 March, said London's The Standard. Opening at the Excel London Waterfront in Docklands for a 14-week run, its centrepiece will be an "eight-metre high 360-degree 'video-mapping' projection room with 1,200 sq m of screens showing a 30-minute movie that tells the story of the famous boy pharaoh".

Lowry 360
Visitors to The Lowry arts centre in Salford will have the opportunity to "walk inside a giant recreation" of one of L.S. Lowry's most "iconic" works this May, said the Manchester Evening News. The English artist is known for his striking urban landscapes of Greater Manchester, dotted with human figures often referred to as "matchstick men". To mark its 25th anniversary, the arts centre is hosting "one of their most ambitious projects" yet, allowing guests to step inside Lowry's 1953 "Going to the Match" painting. 

Race Across the World: The Experience
If the hit BBC reality series has you hooked on adventure and travel, this immersive version means you can unlock "hidden secrets of the city in an unforgettable race to the finish line" – but a little closer to home, said Secret London. Teams will be set a target destination that's around three miles from their starting point in the city, and given a budget and some clues to help navigate. And if you're really stuck, you can pay to get further hints. The winner will be decided based on both time and remaining budget.

Kemi, I'm proud to have been a reality TV star
Nigel Farage in The Telegraph
Politics is a "rough and tumble business", writes Nigel Farage, but Kemi Badenoch "got it so wrong" when she "took a verbal swing at me" for going on reality TV. People "know who I am" and that's a "positive". Most people have "no opinion" of the Tory leader, and "even fewer know what she stands for", so perhaps she should "appear on a reality TV show herself". I could "give her some tips".

The British state has a bad case of long Covid
The Economist's Bagehot column
The UK's coronavirus story is one of "individual grief and collective amnesia", says Bagehot. Mention the pandemic and you'll be "met by a wince and a change of subject". But the British state is "suffering from a form of long Covid": March 2020 was when our "middling" public-service performance turned "dire". Britons may "want to forget the pandemic" but they will "punish a government that doesn't alleviate" its consequences.

We've all enjoyed the affair revelations about Liz Truss – now imagine if she had written them
Pravina Rudra in The i Paper
I "enjoyed the details" of Tory MP Mark Field's "tell-all" about his affair with Liz Truss, writes Pravina Rudra, but "very few" female politicians would "dare" disclose such "indiscretions". They have to "fight to be taken seriously" and are often "only given full agency in the role of sirens, who lure men to their fate". We shouldn't "undermine" Truss for a long-past affair if "we would never do so for a man in her place".