The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video message on Wednesday afternoon showing an Israeli captive currently held in Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The footage shows Omri Miran lighting a candle on what he described as his “second birthday” in captivity.
“This is my second birthday here. I can’t say I’m celebrating; it’s just another day in captivity,” said Miran. “I made this cake for the occasion, but there is no joy. It’s been a year and a half. I miss my daughters and my wife terribly.”
He addressed the Israeli public directly, including his family and friends. “Conditions here are extremely tough. Thank you to everyone demonstrating to bring us home safely.”
The captive also urged Israelis to stage a mass protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. “Bring my daughters so I can see them on TV. Do everything you can now to get us home. Netanyahu’s supporters don’t care about us, they’d rather see us dead.”
Screengrab from footage shows Israeli captive Omri Miran
He asked captives released in previous prisoner exchange deals to protest and speak to the media. “Let the people know how bad it is for us. We live in constant fear of bombings. A deal must be reached soon before we return home in coffins.
Miran urged demonstrators to appeal to US President Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu: “Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is only killing us. A deal — only a deal — will bring us home. Turn to Trump. He seems to be the only powerful person in the world who could push Netanyahu to agree to a deal.”
He also mentioned the worsening humanitarian situation: “The captors told me the crossings are closed; no food or supplies are coming in. As a result, we’re receiving even less food than before.”
In conclusion, the captive sent a pointed message to the Israeli leadership: “Netanyahu, Dermer, Smotrich, Ben Gvir — you are the reason for 7 October. Because of you, I am here. Because of you, we’re all here. You’re bringing the state to collapse.”
Matt Tebbutt will not return to MasterChef The Professionals after just one series at the helm, it has been reported. He stepped in to replace axed Gregg Wallace
22:51, 10 Mar 2026Updated 22:52, 10 Mar 2026
Matt stepped in to replace axed Gregg Wallace(Image: PA)
Matt Tebbutt is reportedly not returning to MasterChef The Professionals after just one series at the helm. The TV chef was drafted in to replace Gregg Wallace, who was axed from the show over misconduct allegations.
It has been reported that the popular TV host will not be returning to the BBC professionals series when this one wraps – with just Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti hosting the show.
Sources claim that the decision for Matt not to return is nothing to do with the presenter and more so because of the closeness with Monica and Marcus, who have been on the show since 2014 bar a brief hiatus for Monica.
“There might be a few eyebrows raised that Matt isn’t staying on given he has just joined. He didn’t do anything wrong and will definitely come back to the series as a guest in the future,” a source told The Sun.
“But bosses simply realised that they could get away with just having Marcus and Monica at the helm, especially as their chemistry is great and they have a tight relationship. Three was a bit of a crowd. Matt has taken it all in his stride and has plenty of other work to keep him busy. The whole experience was brilliant exposure for him.”
A Banijay spokeswoman said: “No decisions have been made yet about the presenting line up for the future series of MasterChef. We won’t comment on speculation.”
When Matt joined the show last year, he described it as an “absolute honour”. Announcing the exciting news, he said: “It’s an absolute honour to be working alongside these two titans of the food world. Their knowledge and uncompromising attitude is now the stuff of legend and I look forward to them taking me under their wing and seeing the chefs get off to a flying start in the competition!”
Matt previously confessed it was difficult stepping into Gregg’s shoes. He explained: “Stepping into someone’s TV shoes is a difficult position to be in. But I did it before – under totally different circumstances, of course – when James Martin left Saturday Kitchen.
“I just try and make my own mark without making too many waves. I’ll be as safe as houses on MasterChef: The Professionals! It’s fair to say the ‘Good Cop’ would apply here. My two grown-up kids, for instance, call me ‘GI Dad’ but the ‘GI’ refers to ‘give in’ rather than the GI Joe reference that I’d hoped they meant. Seriously, though, I think I’ll be pretty fair but expect high standards – after all some of these contestants are at the top of their game.
“It’s all been very exciting and I was very chuffed to be picked for The Professionals. I was pretty surprised to be honest but I think they wanted to get someone with as much experience as possible so they could drop them in at the deep end! And the fact that my name also begins with a ‘M’ maybe helps. A bit of alliteration never hurts.”
PHOENIX — It hasn’t been the smoothest spring training for right-hander Roki Sasaki as he prepares for his second season with the Dodgers.
Sasaki’s first two starts in Cactus League play featured some problems with command and plenty of hard contact. But with left-hander Blake Snell and right-hander Gavin Stone sidelined with shoulder issues, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left no doubt where Sasaki stood as he got ready to pitch in a B-game against White Sox minor leaguers on Tuesday.
“Having Blake [Snell] late to the season, which we know, [and] Gavin Stone, late to the season, as we know, we’re going to need Roki,” Roberts said. “With the buildup, I just don’t see a world in which he doesn’t break with us as a starter, and so, we’re going to need those innings.”
Sasaki took a promising step forward on a minor-league field at Camelback Ranch.
The hard-throwing right-hander threw 59 pitches, 40 for strikes, across four innings while striking out nine of the 13 batters he faced and allowing two to reach base.
Although Roberts did not see Sasaki’s outing, he heard rave reviews from members of the organization who attended.
“They said it was electric,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch. “They said [he was touching] 98 to 100 [mph]. The fastball was spraying a little early, but then he locked it in. And then the split was on-play, short, lot of swing-and-miss. Couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
Sasaki surrendered a single through the right side of the infield to the first batter he faced, then proceeded to strike out the next seven batters. His only other hiccup came in the third inning, when he hit Jason Matthews with a stray breaking ball on a full count.
“I actually felt pretty bad the last couple days, but today I was able to make an adjustment, so that’s what I really need for right now,” Sasaki said via an interpreter after his outing. “I think I can keep moving forward.”
Sasaki was shelled in his second Cactus League start last week, yielding four runs, three walks, a single and a grand slam to the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark. He was lifted from the game without recording an out, only to get re-inserted in the second inning to complete two scoreless innings.
Sasaki noted mechanical issues as the reason for his struggles after the game. Tuesday, he said he felt much better, focusing on his core and obliques.
“I was actually focusing on core, oblique stuff,” Sasaki said. “I think it’s all about mechanics. If my mechanics are really good, my command is good too.”
Roberts took away plenty of value from the outing, even one against a lineup of minor leaguers.
“There’s still value in getting hitters out and seeing guys swing and miss,” Roberts said. “I think we accomplished what we wanted to today, we built him up. Obviously, built up some confidence. So, just go from there.”
March 10 (UPI) — President Donald Trump posted on social media that the United States has destroyed 10 inactive mine-laying vessels on the Strait of Hormuz while the White House cleared up a claim by another administration official.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the U.S. Navy did not escort an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz after Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed it did on social media.
Leavitt said President Donald Trump may consider using Navy escorts for oil tankers on the strait but that has not happened yet.
“The U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or vessel at this time,” Leavitt told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Wright posted that the U.S. Navy “successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets.”
Leavitt said she was “made aware of this post,” but had not spoken with Wright about it.
The post was later taken down.
The price of crude oil fell below $80 per barrel briefly following Wright’s post. It climbed again after the post was deleted.
Iran has taken measures to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil trade route, since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Feb. 28.
To combat the impact the military conflict with Iran will have on the global oil market, the United States has discussed plans to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. However, retaliatory strikes by Iran have demanded more military resources, Wright previously said.
Footage from the ground in Erbil, Iraq shows several drones over the city’s airspace and the wrecking of a drone falling through the sky onto the city.
Footage from the ground in Erbil, Iraq shows several drones over the city’s airspace and the wrecking of a drone falling through the sky onto the city.
SINGER Anne-Marie has sparked concern after branding herself a “wreck” in a new social media message.
The star tweeted a lengthy message in which she also suggested people “wouldn’t care” about her “emotional” struggles.
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Anne-Marie has sparked worry online after branding herself a “wreck” in a new social media postCredit: SplashThe performer insisted no one would ‘care’ about her emotional strugglesCredit: Instagram/annemarieThe concerning tweet sparked plenty of fan reactionCredit: X
The Ciao Adios singer penned: “Still figuring out how to be a good mum AND write the best album you’ve heard from me. It’s intense.
“I want to post, but I look and feel like a wreck most of the time.”
She added: “I know you don’t care about that though hahah.
“I miss you all so much and hope you are feeling as happy as you can be.”
Anne-Marie signed off her message by posting: “A cuddle is needed.”
The mum-of-two’s post sparked worry among her fans as many rushed to check in on the performer and insist they “do care” after her troubling words.
One said to her: “Anne marie you never ever need to apologise for being distant. You’re balancing being a mum, being human, and creating something beautiful for all of us that’s a lot for anyone.”
Another echoed: “We all care about you so much. You prioritise yourself, your health and your family.”
Another alarmed fan penned: “I’m proud of you. Speaking out is already so brave.”
Before a fourth went on to comment: “You didn’t have to force yourself, we care about it and care about you. Take care yourself and kids love u.”
The mum-of-two has faced personal struggles and career setbacks in recent yearsCredit: GettyShe is a mum-of-two with rapper husband SlowthaiCredit: Instagram @annemarieThe star hinted at intense mum guilt in her new messageCredit: Instagram
King Moshoeshoe I is considered the father of Lesotho. He reigned from 1822 – 1870, founding Basutoland to unite the tribes in the area in order to defend themselves from attacks by the Zulus.
Never suffering a major military defeat, Moshoeshoe was able to resist colonialism efforts of the Boer trekkers from the Orange Free State and although Basutoland became a British colony, Moshoeshoe was able to keep his country separate from British South Africa and Apartheid South Africa.
Ongoing border disputes with the Boers were resolved at the Treaty of Aliwal in 1869, bringing stability to his Moshoeshoe’s Kingdom.
King Moshoeshoe I was given a wool blanket as a gift in 1860 and was so taken with it that he abandoned his traditional leopard-skinkaross(cloak), popularizing the iconic Basotho blanket worn in Lesotho today and during the holiday’s events.
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders said Baltimore has backed out of the trade that was supposed to send star pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round draft picks.
The deal was agreed to last Friday but couldn’t be finalized until the start of the league year on Wednesday. The Raiders announced Tuesday that Baltimore backed out of the deal. The team said it had no further comment.
The trade was called off after Crosby didn’t pass his physical, according to multiple reports.
Crosby underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and would have needed to pass a physical for the deal to be finalized. He missed the final two games of the season because the injury despite wanting to play through it at the time.
Crosby said on a recent appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” that he was “ahead of schedule” in his rehab.
The addition of Crosby was supposed to be the piece to help lift the Ravens over the top, with the draft picks expected to be part of a rebuilding effort for the Raiders.
The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss last season, and has reached double- digit sacks four times in his seven seasons.
Baltimore, which has a first-year coach in Jesse Minter, is in a win-now mode with three-time All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson. Crosby would have been a significant boost for a defense that finished tied for 28th in the league in sacks with only 30 last season.
The Raiders own the No. 1 pick in the draft and are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Las Vegas has been extremely aggressive at the start of free agency, agreeing to deals with several new players and agreeing to trade quarterback Geno Smith to the New York Jets, according to several people familiar with the moves who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deals can’t be finalized until Wednesday.
The biggest move the Raiders made was agreeing to a deal with three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. He gets a three-year, $81 million contract with $60 million guaranteed to leave Baltimore and join Las Vegas.
A new report has expressed alarm at what it describes as backsliding press freedoms across the Americas, with the United States seeing the steepest decline.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) released its latest press freedom index on Tuesday, ranking last year as the lowest point for freedom of expression since the report began in 2020.
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Researchers found that the Americas have experienced a “dramatic deterioration” in unrestricted speech, according to the report.
“This is one of the worst years for journalism in the region, marked by murders, arbitrary arrests, exile, and rampant impunity in countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela,” the report said.
It added that enhanced restrictions on free speech have occurred in countries of various ideological persuasions, whether right-wing or left-wing.
The US, however, was singled out as an area of “alarming decline”. In a ranking of 23 countries across the hemisphere, the US dropped from fourth place to 11th, indicating that journalists operate with increased restrictions.
Changes under President Donald Trump, who returned to office last year, were cited as a primary factor.
“Even though journalistic practice in the United States remains protected by the Constitution and laws, last year’s events saw the erosion of safeguards,” the report explained.
Trump, it said, had contributed to the “stigmatisation of critical journalism”. The report also pointed to developments like cuts to public media funding and the closure of Voice of America, a government-funded broadcaster, as detriments to the free press.
In total, the report tallied 170 attacks against journalists in the US last year, and it cited interactions with federal immigration agents as an area of concern.
The report also noted that Nicaragua and Venezuela continue to rank as “without freedom of expression”.
In Venezuela’s case, for instance, it cited the closure of more than 400 radio stations and the detention of 25 journalists in the wake of the controversial 2024 presidential election.
On a scale of 100, the report ranked press freedom in the country at 7.02. It remains in last place on the report’s list of 23 countries.
El Salvador also dropped in the index’s latest evaluation, now in 21st position on the press freedom list, just ahead of Nicaragua and Venezuela.
In an accompanying statement, Sergio Arauz, the president of the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES), denounced what he called the “escalating repression” under the government of President Nayib Bukele.
Arauz noted that 50 Salvadoran journalists had been pushed into exile in the last year amid a campaign of harassment by the government.
“There are no possibilities of practicing journalism fully without facing consequences when there is an Executive branch with virtually unlimited powers and no effective legal oversight,” said Arauz.
Since 2022, Bukele and his government have placed the country under a state of emergency that suspended key civil liberties and granted wide latitude to state security forces, in the name of addressing crime.
Tuesday’s report pointed to the state of emergency as a factor in undermining free speech, and also cited El Salvador’s new Foreign Agents Law, which gives the government the power to dissolve organisations that receive funding from abroad.
El Salvador is one of eight nations categorised in the index as “high restriction”, along with Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, Mexico, Haiti and Cuba.
The Dominican Republic, Chile, Canada and Brazil were ranked among the highest for protecting press freedoms.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
In a surprising development, Serbia has emerged as an operator of the Chinese-made CM-400 air-launched supersonic standoff missile. The weapon has been integrated into Serbia’s Soviet-era MiG-29 Fulcrums, which have undergone various upgrades. As it stands, the Balkan state, which has had a turbulent recent history, likely fields a missile capability otherwise unmatched in Europe (outside of Russia, at least).
A photo recently emerged showing a Serbian Air Force and Air Defense MiG-29 carrying a pair of CM-400 missiles on its inboard underwing hardpoints.
As we reported yesterday, Serbian Air Force showcased, for the first time, that they are in possession of Chinese made CM-400 supersonic air-ground missiles, with a reported range of up to 400 km.
This makes Serbia the second foreign customer, after Pakistan.
There had also been previous clues that Serbia might be poised to introduce a powerful new weapon of some kind.
According to Belgrade-based defense journalist Petar Vojinović, the chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Gen. Milan Mojsilović, stated last month that “in the air component, we have weapons of a similar maximum range and lethality [to the PULS rocket artillery system].”
Mojsilović was referencing the Israeli-made PULS (Precise and Universal Launching System) since this has been recently introduced by the Serbian Army. You can read more about this ground-launched artillery rocket here.
Serbia’s Acquisition of PULS Systems and Hermes 900 UAVs from Israel
Serbia ordered 1,000 kamikaze drones from Iran in 2023. In 2025, it made significant purchases from Israel’s Elbit Systems: a $335 million rocket and drone deal in January, and a $1.6 billion PULS (Precise and… pic.twitter.com/IiHPqyo5BZ
Furthermore, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić recently alluded to recently introduced military capabilities, stating: “…people couldn’t dream about everything we have, everything we are acquiring, they couldn’t dream.”
As for the CM-400, this weapon was developed and is manufactured by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), apparently primarily for export. So far, it is not known to be in Chinese military service.
Unveiled in 2012, the CM-400 has a length of around 17 feet, a diameter of 16 inches, and weighs roughly 2,000 pounds. This includes one of two types of warheads, either a high-explosive charge weighing 330 pounds or an armor-piercing warhead weighing 440 pounds.
The CM-400 is a supersonic weapon, and CASIC claims it can reach a speed of Mach 4.5 in the terminal phase of flight. It has often been described as a hypersonic missile, but this is likely not the case: Mach 5 is typically considered to be the boundary between high-supersonic and hypersonic speed.
Nevertheless, it is clearly a very fast missile.
The missile’s range remains unclear, with varying accounts of this aspect of its performance.
At the very least, it is reported to have a range of 155 miles, while some sources claim it can hit targets at a range of 186 miles or even 250 miles.
The CM-400AKG anti-radiation missile on display during Airshow China 2024. Photo by Shen Ling/VCG via Getty Images VCG
The CM-400 has also been described as a quasi-ballistic missile, though this is also probably not entirely accurate.
Generally speaking, a quasi-ballistic missile is capable of being used on a depressed trajectory. This makes the missile more capable of significant maneuvering in flight, presenting greater challenges even for opponents with more robust missile defense capabilities.
In the case of the CM-400, the missile reportedly flies on a relatively high ballistic trajectory, powered by its solid rocket motor. It then careens toward its target at a steep angle of descent. While it may also be able to maneuver dynamically during its terminal attack phase, to attack moving ships, it doesn’t fly on a depressed trajectory, as far as we know.
In terms of target sets, the missile has been widely described as an anti-ship missile, specifically even as a ‘carrier-killer’. In fact, the basic weapon can also be configured as an anti-radiation missile, and it is presumed to also have the capability to attack non-emitting ground targets.
Depending on the different targets, the CM-400 can have different seeker heads fitted. All of the versions have an inertial guidance system with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) correction. For the terminal phase, it relies on an infrared/optoelectronic seeker for attacking naval targets, or a passive radar seeker to take out electromagnetic emitters. The circular error probable (CEP) for the anti-radiation version is claimed to be 16-33, reduced to 16 feet or less for the anti-ship version.
Previously, the only confirmed export operator of the CM-400 was Pakistan, which uses it on its JF-17 Thunder multirole fighters. Pakistani officials claimed that the missile saw successful combat use against Indian S-400 air defense systems during the conflict between the countries in May last year. However, this remains unconfirmed.
A JF-17 Thunder of the Pakistan Air Force armed with CM-400 missiles. via Chinese internet
Pakistan shows footage of its JF-17 Thunder jet taking off to hit Indian S-400 air defence system with Chinese-origin CM-400AKG hypersonic missiles in anti-radiation variant.
The missile features a passive radar guidance mode, allowing it to home in on radar emissions, making it… pic.twitter.com/DUQTOQciDk
In Serbian service, the CM-400 is carried by the MiG-29 fighter. These aircraft were first acquired by the then Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Survivors of Operation Allied Force in 1999 were later supplemented by secondhand MiG-29s from Russian and Belarusian stocks. The aircraft have also been moderately upgraded and are now known as MiG-29SM+. Fourteen examples are currently in active Serbian service.
A Serbian MiG-29 accompanies the Airbus of the German chancellor after a visit to Serbia in 2024. Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images picture alliance
The long-term plan for the Serbian MiG-29s is somewhat unclear, since the country ordered 12 Dassault Rafale multirole fighters, in a deal that you can read more about here.
For the time being, however, in the CM-400, Serbia looks to have secured a capability that is very likely unique in the wider region.
With its combination of very high speed, long range, and ‘fire and forget’ guidance, the missile is ideal for deep standoff strikes. It is optimized for striking hardened strategic targets, day and night, and in all weather.
Thanks to CATIC’s Standalone Weapon Fire Control System (SWFCS), also designated as WZHK-1 by China, the CM-400 (and other Chinese missiles) areis designed to allow foreign models of aircraft to operate Chinese missiles and bombs.
Speaking to Janes during the exhibition, a CATIC official said that the system is designed to equip a range of Chinese air-launched weapons and can be installed on existing weapon hardpoints.
“The system gives air forces around the world the ability to easily integrate Chinese-made weapons with their aircraft without requiring them to make software or hardware changes to the host aircraft,” a CATIC official toldJanes about the SWFCS back in 2024.
CATIC’s Standalone Weapon Fire Control System (SWFCS). Petar Vojinović
“The [SWFCS] uses a wireless data system that connects to a tablet in the cockpit that can be worn by the pilot. The tablet acts as a portable wireless controller that the pilot can use to launch the missiles,” the official added. Similar tablet-based soluiions have also been used by Ukraine to rapidly integrate Western weapons on Soviet-era jets, as you can read about here.
Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 Flanker Wild Weasel operations, seen here conducting multiple low level standoff strikes against Russian radars with US-supplied AGM-88 HARMs. pic.twitter.com/7CosjXFNkO
The same SWFCS interface is also being used to carry another Chinese air-to-ground weapon, the LS-6 precision-guided munition. This is a 1,100-pound-class weapon that combines a general-purpose bomb with a strap-on upgrade package to provide range extension and precision strike capabilities.
Meanwhile, weapons in the CM-400 class are a response to the growing threat posed by ground-based air defense systems, which are pushing combat aircraft ever further from the targets they are assigned to destroy.
With its very high maximum speed, the CM-400 is also well suited to attacking time-sensitive targets, which could also include mobile air defense systems or mobile ballistic missiles, provided their coordinates can be established in the required timeframe.
For Serbia, the new missile would appear to offer a relatively easy way to expand its air-launched, precision standoff strike capability. With a high degree of flexibility, fast reaction time, and the ability to penetrate most enemy air defenses, it is a notably hard-hitting weapon for what is otherwise a fairly modest air force.
It is also interesting that Serbia is looking to China to fulfil its missile needs, rather than Russia.
A Serbian pilot gets ready for takeoff aboard a MiG-29 at Batajnica Air Base in 2024. Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP ANDREJ ISAKOVIC
While Belgrade and Moscow have traditionally had good relations, acquiring Russian arms has become far harder since the West imposed sanctions in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Even before this, however, there were signs that Serbia was looking to move away from Russia as its main arms supplier. As such, it has increasingly moved into a more Western-oriented orbit, with acquisitions from Airbus, for example, but it is also buying weapons from China and Israel.
A U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk and a Serbian Mi-17 Hip during CSAR maneuvers conducted over Serbia in 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo
At the same time, the Serbian military is increasingly switching to more NATO-style doctrine, as well as equipment, including exercises alongside the U.S. Air Force, as you can read about here.
Bearing in mind the fact that it can be integrated on non-Chinese platforms, it will be interesting to see if other nations also adopt the CM-400.
Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum has been named chairman of Walt Disney Co.’s experiences division, the company said Tuesday.
Mazloum succeeds soon-to-be Disney Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro as the head of the Mouse House’s vital parks portfolio, which has become the economic engine for the Burbank media and entertainment giant. His purview includes Disney’s theme parks, famed Imagineering division, merchandise, cruise line, as well as the Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii.
Jill Estorino will become the head of Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. She previously served as president and managing director of Disney Parks International and oversaw the company’s theme parks and resorts in Europe and Asia.
Estorino and Mazloum will assume their new roles on March 18, the same day as D’Amaro and incoming Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden.
“Thomas Mazloum is an exceptional leader with a genuine appreciation for our cast members and a proven track record of delivering growth,” D’Amaro said in a statement. “His focus on service excellence, broad international leadership and strong connection to the creativity that brings our stories to life make him the right leader to guide Disney Experiences into its next chapter.”
Mazloum had been about a year into his tenure at Disneyland. Prior to that, he was head of Disney Signature Experiences, which includes the cruise line. He was trained in hospitality in Europe.
In his time at Disneyland, Mazloum oversaw the park’s 70th anniversary celebration and recently pledged to eliminate time limitations for park-hopping, which are designed to manage foot traffic at Disneyland and California Adventure.
Mazloum will now oversee a 10-year, $60-billion investment plan for Disney’s overall experiences business, which includes new themed lands in Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. At Disneyland, that expansion could result in at least $1.9 billion of development.
The size of that investment indicates how important the parks are to Disney’s bottom line. Last year, the experiences business brought in nearly 57% of the company’s operating income. Maintaining that momentum, as well as fending off competitors such as Universal Studios, is key to Disney’s continued growth.
In his new role, Mazloum will have to keep an eye on “international visitation headwinds” at its U.S.-based parks, which the company has said will likely factor into its earnings for the fiscal second quarter. At Disneyland Resort, that dip was mitigated by the park’s high percentage of California-based visitors.
Times staff writer Todd Martens contributed to this report.
