Month: July 2026

Real Madrid confident in securing a deal for Manchester City‘s Rodri, Inter Milan could rekindle move for Liverpool‘s Curtis Jones and Aston Villa have bid for Palmeiras forward Allan rejected.

Real Madrid are confident of signing 30-year-old Spain midfielder Rodri – who has one year left on his contract with Manchester City – for 40-50m euros (£34m-£43m) and a deal could be finalised after a meeting on Thursday. (AS – in Spanish), external

Inter Milan could rekindle their efforts to sign England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, from Liverpool. Meanwhile, the signing of England centre-back John Stones, 32, on a free transfer could scupper 28-year-old Argentina defender Cristian Romero’s hopes of joining the Italian club from Tottenham. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Juventus have agreed a deal with Paris St-Germain to sign France striker Randal Kolo Muani from the French champions. The move is for a loan with an obligation to buy and the fee could reach 50m euros (£43m) with add-ons. (Sky Sports Italia – in Italian), external

Brentford are close to signing Lens and Mali midfielder Mamadou Sangare, 24, as a replacement for Jordan Henderson. (Evening Standard), external

Aston Villa have had a 30m euro (£26m) offer for Brazilian forward Allan, 22, rejected by Palmeiras. (ESPN), external

Hull City are in talks with Aston Villa to sign 28-year-old Jamaica winger Leon Bailey on a permanent transfer. (Sky Sports), external

Fulham are getting closer to signing Spanish duo Cesar Palacios, a 21-year-old attacking midfielder, and 22-year-old Gonzalo Garcia, who is a striker, from Real Madrid, where new Cottagers boss Alvaro Arbeloa had a stint as manager last season. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Nottingham Forest have had a 20m euro offer for 21-year-old Israel international Anan Khalaili, who can play as a right-sided wing-back or winger, rejected by Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Manchester United are open to selling 22-year-old Czech goalkeeper Radek Vitek and English defender Harry Amass, 19, while English midfielders Toby Collyer, 22, and Dan Gore, 21, are also surplus to requirements. (Mail – subscription required), external

Nottingham Forest are in line to sign Portuguese midfielder Gustavo Sa from Famalicao, with the 21-year-old then expected to move to Greek side Olympiacos on loan. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Crystal Palace‘s move for Augsburg’s 24-year-old French defender Chrislain Matsima has stalled and the Eagles are looking at other targets. (Standard), external

Ipswich Town are eyeing a move for Standard Liege’s English defender Henry Lawrence, 24, who previously played for Chelsea. (Football Insider), external

Dr Anthony Fauci, a former top United States public health official, has declined to answer questions at a Republican-led Senate committee hearing into the origins of COVID-19 and the handling of the pandemic.

The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on Wednesday.

Fauci was called to testify by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who accuses him of misleading Congress and questions whether US-funded research in China played a role in the pandemic, allegations Fauci denies.

Although former President Joe Biden granted Fauci a preemptive pardon in 2025, Republicans claim it does not protect him from any alleged crimes committed after it was issued, such as perjuring himself at a Senate hearing.

Fauci’s lawyers advised him not to testify, arguing that anything he said under oath could expose him to new legal risks.

Here is what to know:

Who is Anthony Fauci?

Fauci, 85, is a physician and immunologist who led the US NIAID for 38 years, advising seven presidents, both Republican and Democratic.

He became the public face of the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, after helping lead the country’s response to health crises including HIV/AIDS, Ebola and the 2001 anthrax attacks.

He became a target of conservative criticism over pandemic policies, including mask recommendations, vaccines and school closures.

During his last year in government, Fauci was also chief medical adviser to Biden until he retired in 2022.

During the pandemic, between 2019 and 2022, he kept more than 1,000 pages of diary entries documenting his work advising the White House and responding to the pandemic.

The notes chronicle his interactions with senior officials and the media.

Why is Fauci being questioned?

He was subpoenaed to testify over his handling of the pandemic and its origins before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The hearing, led by Paul, focused on several issues:

• COVID-19’s origins: Paul has long argued that the coronavirus that causes COVID may have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, and questioned whether US-funded research played a role in the outbreak.
• Gain-of-function research: Republicans say Fauci misled Congress about whether the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, involving modifying viruses to understand how they evolve and assess pandemic risks. Fauci says the NIH did not fund research that caused COVID-19.

• Allegations of a cover-up: Paul accused Fauci of making false statements to Congress and concealing the NIH’s involvement in research in Wuhan. Fauci denies that.
• Fauci’s diary: Before the hearing, Paul released more than 1,100 pages of Fauci’s typewritten diary. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said the notes were government record because they were written by a federal employee on a government computer during a public health emergency and they were found on government property.
• Paul said the diary showed differences between Fauci’s private discussions and his public statements. Fauci’s supporters say the entries reflect the uncertainty scientists faced as they learned more about a new virus.

What happened at the hearing?

The tense hearing lasted about three hours.

After a brief opening statement, Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer more than 100 questions.

He accused committee chairman Paul of having an “obsession” with prosecuting him.

The hearing included several tense moments:

• Contempt vote: Paul said the committee would vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer questions, threatening “consequences for refusing to answer”.
• Lawyer removed: Paul directed Capitol Police to remove Fauci’s lawyer, David Schertler, after he tried to speak without being recognised by the committee. “This testimony is from Anthony Fauci. This is not a game with his lawyers,” Paul said. Schertler later described the hearing as an “obsessive vendetta”.
• Democrats defend Fauci: Democratic senators said the hearing was politically motivated. Senator Gary Peters called it “a partisan exercise” designed to support “a predetermined conclusion” rather than offering legitimate oversight.

Closing the hearing, Paul asked rhetorically: “Did [Fauci’s] actions lead to the largest man-made plague in history?”

Why did Fauci invoke the Fifth Amendment?

Fauci said he invoked the Fifth Amendment on the advice of his lawyers because he believed his answers could expose him to new legal risks.

He argued that Paul was trying to build a criminal case against him rather than conduct legitimate congressional oversight.

Although Biden’s pardon protects Fauci from prosecution for actions before January 2025, Republicans say any false statements made under oath during this hearing could still expose him to perjury charges.

The Fifth Amendment protects people from being forced to give evidence that could incriminate them in a criminal case. Invoking it is a constitutional right and does not imply guilt.

What do scientists believe about COVID-19’s origins?

Most scientists believe COVID-19 likely spread naturally from animals to humans, known as zoonotic spillover, pointing to a wildlife market in Wuhan as the most likely place where it first spread.

Fauci has consistently said he believes that scientific evidence points to a natural origin, while remaining open to other possibilities.

Notes from his diary detail a January 2020 call with 11 top virologists and evolutionary biologists – only two were convinced the virus had a natural origin, while the rest debated whether it could have been engineered.

Today, most scientists favour a natural origin, while the US intelligence community is divided.

The FBI said in 2023 that a laboratory-related incident is the most likely origin of the pandemic. The CIA reached the same conclusion in 2025, but with low confidence. Other agencies and the National Intelligence Council continue to favour a natural origin or remain undecided.

Does Biden’s pardon protect Fauci?

Yes, but only what happened before the pardon was issued.

On January 19, 2025, Biden granted Fauci a full and unconditional pardon covering any federal offences he may have committed since 2014, saying the move aimed to protect Fauci from “politically motivated prosecutions”.

The pardon does not cover actions taken after it was issued. Fauci could face legal consequences if he were accused of committing a new crime, such as making false statements under oath during Wednesday’s Senate hearing.

Paul and other Republicans also argue that because Biden’s pardon shields Fauci from criminal liability for his past actions, he can no longer claim that his testimony about those actions would incriminate him and should not be able to invoke his Fifth Amendment.

The legal standing of this argument is not clear, and Paul has acknowledged that it is a novel “legal question that the courts may have to decide”.

Can Fauci be held in contempt or prosecuted?

Potentially, but it remains unclear whether either will happen.

Paul said the Senate committee will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer more than 100 questions.

Being held in contempt means lawmakers believe a witness has refused to cooperate with a lawful investigation. It does not automatically lead to criminal charges, but can trigger further legal action.

If the committee approves the measure, it could refer the case to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution, ask a federal court to pursue a civil action, or, in the rarest case, ask the Senate to use its powers to detain a witness through the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

Paul has not said which option, if any, he plans to pursue.

Southern Lebanon’s Mansouri village is divided by Israel’s Yellow Line, a military boundary separating 6% of Lebanese territory it occupies from the rest of the country. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr spoke to residents who say they’re living with fear.

On the heels of the trailer reveal for the big-screen adaption of “Children of Blood and Bone,” the book’s author is claiming in a new video that an on-set ordeal traumatized her — and fans have been left with more questions than answers.

On Wednesday, Tomi Adeyemi upped the ante when discussing the ongoing behind-the-scenes drama that’s overshadowed the new film. Although the author, in her latest video on the falling-out, hinted at a painful ordeal that unfolded on set, fans are still scratching their heads as to what exactly happened and who was involved.

“I’m gonna post this so ideally I won’t have to talk about this anymore,” she said in a five-minute, 40-second video posted to social media. “And what I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved. It’s a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half, and everyone involved, at least at the highest level, has been made aware of this reality, and they haven’t done anything to make it better. If anything, they’ve only antagonized me, and I accept that, but I also accept if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse.

“I’m not gonna speak on what I endured to make it through the young adult trilogy, and I’m not going to speak about everything that I also suffered through to make the adaptation a reality,” she continued. “I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own film adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing, and there are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret.”

The author continued that, when she returned to America from an overseas filming location, she suffered “such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks” that she knew she would never be able to watch the film.

“But as it is being marketed, and as I am still being antagonized behind the scenes, which is where I hoped all of this would stay, it’s become apparent to me that reality needs to at least be made known so that you guys can understand how this film — which I worked on to make it a little better for us to be alive — is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through, and I don’t wish to speak on it anymore.”

Adeyemi concluded that she never wants to hear about the film adaption again, and then she seemingly threw shade at director Gina Prince-Bythewood, whom she co-wrote the screenplay with, saying, “I don’t have anything to say about the people who made it. I do not care anymore. I’m trying to move on. This video might make it worse, but I don’t know how it can be any worse.”

Representatives for Prince-Bythewood and Paramount Pictures did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

Earlier this month, the Nigerian American author posted a since-deleted video on TikTok that also left her followers puzzled in which she said there was a reason she stopped promoting the forthcoming film. Although she didn’t spell out the reason, she posted a screen shot of a February 2025 text exchange with one of the film’s stars, Amandla Stenberg, in which she told the actor not to use her name in interviews and then blocked her.

Stenberg, who is African American and Danish, had been at the center of a casting controversy due to claims that colorism was at play when she landed the role of Princess Amari. (Read more about the controversy here.)

On Monday, Paramount held a “Children of Blood and Bone” trailer launch event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. In a discussion moderated by “Master of None” actor Lena Waithe, Prince-Bythewood and the A-list cast talked about the making and almost-not-making of the film, and Prince-Bythewood seemed to reveal her stance on the fallout over Stenberg’s casting.

The director said her big-screen adaptation was “beautifully inspired by Nigeria and also inclusive of the whole diaspora. We wanted all of us to be able to see ourselves within this, just our complete and utter humanity, all the beautiful hues.”

In the comments section under Adeyemi’s Wednesday video, frustrated fans asked the author to be more transparent while others suggested maybe a non-disclosure agreement was hindering her ability to offer any specifics on the incident.

“Children of Blood and Bone” is slated to hit theaters Jan. 15.

This popular tourist town started as a small fishing village and is now an iconic British location

Summer is here and the temperature is rising. If you’re like me and live in a city with no easy access to the beach, fleeing the urban sprawl for a seaside town is a very tempting idea. It was this idea that struck my boyfriend and I a few weeks ago when we decided to get out of London for the day and head to the coastal city of Brighton for some fresh air and sunshine.

I had visited before, but never as an adult. On the weekend we decided to take our trip, temperatures in London were forecast to soar above 30°C, and it felt like the perfect excuse to escape the capital and breathe in some fresh sea air.

Brighton may now be one of the UK’s best-known seaside destinations, where millions flock every summer but it didn’t always feel that way.

From fishing village to tourism hotspot

In the 18th century this once small fishing settlement began to become a tourist destination for Britain’s wealthy. At the time, there was a belief that sea air, bathing in the ocean and even drinking seawater could have health benefits – and so Brighton became one of the UK’s first wellness retreats.

It was also a favourite of King George IV who created the Royal Pavilion – one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.

He’s not the only member of the elite who loved Brighton.

The city’s mix of history, creativity and seaside charm continues to draw artists and performers and it is easy to see why.

The city of Brighton has long since been a haven for famous creatives. From DJ Fatboy Slim to Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Brighton has been home to all sorts of famous people.

When the railway arrived in the 19th century, it became more accessible for people from London (like my boyfriend and myself) which helped Brighton become even more popular now.

Today, Brighton is still an incredibly popular place to visit – and the railway is still letting Londoners flock to the sea in droves, as we found out.

Joining the crowds

The moment my boyfriend and I arrived at London Bridge to catch our train,it became abundantly clear we had no chance of getting a seat. It seemed almost everyone in London had decided to spend the day by the seaside.

The carriages were so rammed that the train bypassed several stops and took us directly to Brighton. As we travelled towards the coast alongside droves of heat-weary Londoners, I quickly realised that spending the day on the beach was not at the top of my agenda.

For one thing, I hadn’t brought a swimming costume. For another, I’m from New Zealand, where beaches are often made up of pristine white sand and, even at the height of summer, can be blissfully quiet.

The prospect of squeezing onto Brighton’s pebbles alongside thousands of strangers held absolutely no appeal.

Instead, we hopped off our train and headed for North Laine.

And escaping them

Tucked away in the heart of Brighton, North Laine is a vibrant maze of colourful streets and winding lanes packed with independent shops, boutiques, cafés and restaurants.

While much of the bank holiday crowd had gravitated towards the seafront, North Laine felt noticeably calmer.

We wandered through the lively streets, dipping in and out of shops as we went. There was everything from jewellery and homeware to driftwood art and vintage clothing, with something to suit almost every taste.

For me, it was the perfect way to while away an afternoon — and a far more appealing alternative to fighting for a patch of pebbles.

After a few hours of browsing, we had worked up an appetite and began the hunt for somewhere to eat.

We settled on Mange Tout, an independent French restaurant tucked away in North Laine.

Having travelled from London during a bank holiday heatwave, we had prepared ourselves for a scramble to find a table or the prospect of being added to a lengthy waiting list.

Instead, we had our pick of tables.

We sat outside in the glorious sunshine, watching the world drift by. It felt worlds away from the mayhem we knew was unfolding on the seafront.

For lunch, my boyfriend ordered a breakfast bun while I tucked into moules marinière. We washed it all down with a couple of drinks — we were on holiday, after all.

Seeing the sea – and the surprise cost

After lunch, we decided we couldn’t visit Brighton without at least catching a glimpse of the sea.

We made our way back through North Laine towards the coast, stopping in several shops we had overlooked during our first walk.

Eventually, the ocean came into view.

I had expected the beach to be busy, but the sheer number of people sprawled across it had to be seen to be believed.

As far as the eye could see in both directions, the pebbled shore was packed with sunbathers, paddlers and groups sheltering beneath umbrellas.

Out at sea, jet skis darted back and forth while one particularly intrepid snorkeller ventured further and further from the shore.

In the distance, the outline of a wind farm stretched across the horizon. Curious to get a closer look, we decided to head down the pier.

Entry to the pier cost £1 each — another surprise — and as we made our way along it, we passed through an enormous arcade roughly halfway down. It was one of two arcades on the pier and, much like the beach, it was absolutely heaving.

The space was dark, deafening and so stifling that I felt as though I had tumbled straight off the pier and into the water below. Horrified, I quietly turned to my boyfriend and asked: “Why does this even exist? Who comes to the beach just to be inside?”

He immediately replied: “How often do you think the weather is actually good here?”

He had a point.

The pier was certainly an experience — although not one I would particularly rush to repeat. That said, if I were seven years old, I imagine it would feel utterly magical.

There were fairground rides, candy floss and doughnuts, all accompanied by the sound of waves lapping beneath your feet. Sadly, I’m 31, and the thrill of a fairground ride is well and truly lost on me.

Will I ever return?

Once we reached the end of the pier, we agreed it was time to make our way back to London.

But not before making one final stop in North Laine for a well-earned end-of-day pint.

Brighton’s beach may be its biggest draw, particularly when temperatures climb above 30°C, but for me, the city’s real charm was found away from the packed pebbles.

And while I may not have been tempted to join the crowds on the beach, I’ll happily return to explore more of Brighton’s vibrant streets.

Given that impressive 2025 she had, the pressure was on O’Connor to at least win a medal in Glasgow and it only ramped up after Katerina Johnson-Thompson, who had won gold ahead of her in 2022, pulled out.

The Englishwoman’s withdrawal paved the way for a good shot at that coveted gold, but she still had to go out and deliver.

O’Connor ended on 6,569 points, 291 ahead of her nearest challenger, England’s Jade O’Dowda, but it wasn’t all straightforward.

Resilience is a key trait for any sportsperson, but particularly a heptathlete.

Fortunes can fluctuate across the seven events so it is needed in ample supply to come out on top at the end of two days of competition.

It was particularly pertinent for O’Connor in a rain-soaked second session of the event on Tuesday evening.

After a good start in the morning, that brought a third-place finish in the 100m hurdles and a season’s best 1.82m in the high jump, O’Connor struggled in the shot put and dipped well below her high standards by throwing just 12.85m as the torrential rain hammered down.

She said trying to grip the shot put in that rain was akin to trying to lift a bar of soap and that she was “gutted” as she “made it a lot easier for the rest of them to beat me”.

Her resilience was shown in abundance in the 200m that followed as she defied the elements to easily win her heat in a time of 24.14.

The Newry-born athlete added she had to “work really hard” on Wednesday and that she did, finishing with a flourish.

First came a big leap of 6.37m in the long jump, then another season’s best, this time in the javelin, of 52.85m that far exceeded those around her.

It will be particularly satisfying as that was an event she had worked hard at improving heading into 2026.

All that was left was to hold her nerve in the 800m and she did that and more, cruising to victory in a time of 2:10.46 just as the sun broke through for the celebrations at Scotstoun.

“I came here expecting a lot from myself and I really wanted to score like 6,600 or 6,700 and open up my season because that’s the shape I felt I was in,” she added.

“After day one I had to raincheck myself a bit, it’s not always about getting huge big scores but competing and getting the best out of yourself with the elements and challenges.

“I tried to navigate it as best as I could. The shot put didn’t go to plan, it needs work in those conditions, but I’m happy overall with how I did.

“There’s a lot of positives to take from it. I’ve got a gold medal round my neck so I can’t say much more.”

The Full Moon Day of Waso serves as a vital religious milestone in Myanmar, honoring the ancient occasion when the Buddha delivered his inaugural teachings and established the monkhood. This sacred day initiates Buddhist Lent, a three-month span of intense spiritual devotion that aligns with the peak of the local monsoon season. During this time, devotees engage in pious acts such as gifting new robes and floral offerings at pagodas, while monks generally remain within their monastery grounds. Secular life is also impacted, as many individuals observe strict dietary restrictions and avoid relocating their homes until the period concludes. Ultimately, the source highlights how this holiday blends historical  … 

Jibia, Katsina State, Nigeria – Safiya Musa’s sewing machine has given her something violence had taken away: a way to provide for her children.

But the livelihood she built after losing her husband and two of her children has left her facing a painful choice: whether to return home or risk losing the fragile independence she has created after being forced to flee.

Safiya cannot remember which month it was, only that it was 2023, when armed bandits raided the town of Kankara in Katsina State, where she and her husband had built their life after moving from their hometown of Batsari. Kankara is a small rural community where farms sit close to homes, and her husband worked as a farmer and foodstuffs trader. They lived there with their two youngest children, Umar (4) and Maryam (6), while their three older children, Sani (12), Hajara (10) and Zubaida (8), were staying with relatives in Batsari.

The attackers had come to kidnap the town head, but the attempt failed. As gunfire spread through the community, Safiya locked herself inside her room while Umar and Maryam were outside playing with other children. Her husband had left for the farm when the attack happened. The bandits killed about 20 people as they left the town.

Three days later, after she had learned that her husband had also been killed during the attack, she fled to Batsari, where she was reunited with Sani, Hajara and Zubaida. When another bandit attack reached Batsari, she fled again with her three surviving children – now aged (15), (13) and (11) – to Jibia, where they eventually settled in a camp for displaced people.

She still remembers the night she lost much of her family.

“Minutes later, silence overwhelmed the atmosphere,” she recalled. “Then I started thinking about my husband, who had left for the farm, and my children, who were outside playing with other kids.”

The thought of them pushed her out of hiding.

But she was too late.

“They were all killed,” she told Al Jazeera.

Safiya’s experience reflects a wider crisis affecting communities across northwest Nigeria. For more than a decade, the region has faced attacks, kidnappings and village raids by armed groups commonly called bandits.

The violence has forced thousands of families from their homes, disrupted farming and trade, and left many people struggling to rebuild their lives.

Katsina State, which borders Niger, has been among the areas hardest hit.

After arriving in Jibia, Safiya survived by taking whatever work she could find. She ground grain for local residents and relied on temporary jobs to support her children.

She was then selected for a handbag-making training programme organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its Climate Security Project.

The initiative provides women affected by conflict with vocational training and equipment to help them start small businesses.

Months later, the programme gave her a source of income. The work brought stability, but it also created a new uncertainty: whether she could continue the business if she returned home.

“The essence is to give them an opportunity to become self-reliant,” said Muhammad Hamisu, the project coordinator in Jibia.

A skill that changed her circumstances

After completing the training, Safiya turned handbag-making into a source of income for her family.

With sewing materials and new skills, she began cutting fabric, stitching designs and producing handbags she could sell to support her children.

The work did not erase the pain of what she had lost, but it gave her something she had struggled to regain since fleeing: the ability to provide for herself.

“I used to wake up with nothing to offer my children,” she said. “There were days I sent my boys out with bowls to beg for food because I had nothing to give them. Now I can feed them myself.”

In March 2024, the Climate Security Project trained 20 women in Jibia in handbag production and provided sewing machines and materials to help them begin working.

Jibia’s location near the border with Niger also gives traders access to cross-border markets, including those in the Maradi region, one of Niger’s major commercial areas.

For some women, the business has become an important source of income.

“I make approximately $50 a month,” said 30-year-old Karima Sule, who has lived in Jibia since fleeing violence four years ago. “When demand is high, I earn even more. I help my husband and pay the school fees for my two older children from this business.”

A business shaped by insecurity

But building a business in a conflict-affected area remains difficult.

Safiya said her biggest challenge is finding enough money to buy materials.

“Sometimes I run out of stock and don’t have the funds to buy more,” she said. “When that happens, I lose customers.”

Karima said violence continues to affect sales.

“Whenever violence happens, market activities slow down for days,” she said. “People stop buying, and we lose income.”

Their growing economic activity may also expose them to new risks, according to Abdussamad Ahmad Yusuf, a human security researcher at HumAngle, a Nigerian newsroom that reports on conflict.

“Kidnapping for ransom in that region is becoming more targeted,” he said. “Authorities should conduct regular conflict and security risk assessments to identify high-risk trading routes, markets and emerging threats before expanding commercial activities.”

The Katsina government established the Community Watch Corps in 2023, a local security initiative that uses community members to gather intelligence and support responses to attacks.

Officials said security has improved in some communities, but many families who fled violence remain uncertain about returning home.

An uncertain future

Safiya hopes to return home one day and reunite her children with their relatives.

But the livelihood she has built in Jibia has become a reason to hesitate.

The handbag business has allowed her to buy food, support her children and depend less on unstable work. Leaving it behind could mean losing the independence she has worked hard to build.

She has been told that conditions in her hometown are improving, but she remains unsure whether she could rebuild the same source of income there.

For Safiya, returning home is not only about finding safety again. It is also about whether she can continue providing for her family.

“I want to go back home because my children need their relatives,” she said. “But I am afraid of losing this business. If I cannot continue it there, how will we survive?”

Evidence has emerged indicating that China’s YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile is now also being fielded aboard the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) Type 052D class destroyers. These warships are far more numerous than the Type 055 ‘super destroyers,’ from which the missile was previously seen being fired, as we reported at the time. The new development suggests that the PLAN intends to distribute the weapon across a much broader portion of its surface fleet rather than reserving it exclusively for its largest combatants.

A new video apparently originating from the PLAN shows the launch of a YJ-20 from the cold-launch vertical launch system (VLS) on the foredeck of an unidentified Type 052D destroyer, known in the West as the Luyang III class. After being ejected from the launcher, the missile’s solid rocket motor ignites before it accelerates rapidly away. No target engagement is shown.

Typically, the Type 052D’s VLS would be loaded with variants of the HHQ-9 surface-to-air missile, YJ-18 subsonic anti-ship cruise missile, CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile, and CY-5 anti-submarine missile.

The 7,500-ton Type 052D has 64 VLS cells, 32 forward and 32 aft. It’s unclear whether each of these is able to accommodate the big YJ-20 missile.

This compares to the Type 055’s 112-cell VLS system, which makes it the PLAN’s premier surface strike platform. However, only 10 of these ships are currently in operational service, with additional vessels still under construction. By contrast, approximately 35 Type 052D destroyers have entered PLAN service, with production continuing.

Putting the YJ-20 on the Type 052Ds would significantly expand the number of Chinese warships capable of launching hypersonic anti-ship strikes, further strengthening Beijing’s growing anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) posture across the western Pacific. On the other hand, it remains possible — although less likely — that the launch depicted is some kind of trial or experimental effort that might not lead to large-scale fielding on these hulls.

The new video follows the release of official Chinese military footage showing what the PLAN described as a “finalization test” of the YJ-20 launched from the Type 055 destroyer Wuxi, late last year. That video appeared to confirm the missile’s integration with China’s largest surface combatant, a warship design that you can read more about here.

That test from the Wuxi provided the first official acknowledgement of the ship-launched YJ-20. The missile itself had previously been unveiled publicly during China’s military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II, although speculation surrounding the weapon stretches back several years before that.

A missile first observed during what appeared to be a Type 055 launch in 2022 was widely referred to as the YJ-21. Subsequent official Chinese designations now strongly suggest that weapon was actually the YJ-20, or an earlier developmental version of it.

The YJ-20 is understood to be a hypersonic anti-ship weapon employing either an aero-ballistic flight profile or potentially a boost-glide vehicle: different Chinese sources have described both concepts at various times. In either case, the missile is optimized for extremely high terminal speed combined with unpredictable maneuvering designed to defeat modern naval air defenses.

Unlike a traditional ballistic missile that follows a predictable parabolic arc, an aero-ballistic missile can execute quasi-ballistic maneuvers — including skip-glide or ‘porpoising’ trajectories — as it descends toward its target. These abrupt changes in altitude and direction make interception significantly more challenging.

Chinese state media have also described the missile as employing a conical boost-glide vehicle, which would use a rocket booster to accelerate to high altitude before gliding toward its target while conducting sustained maneuvering throughout the terminal phase.

Although many details remain murky, it is generally considered that the missile achieves speeds well above Mach 6 during cruise and may approach Mach 9 during its terminal attack. Estimated range is generally assessed at more than 620 miles.

Guidance is believed to combine satellite navigation and mid-course updates before transitioning to an active radar and/or infrared seeker during the final approach.

Weapons with these characteristics are particularly well suited to engaging high-value naval targets including aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, cruisers, and other major surface combatants. The missile likely also possesses a secondary land-attack capability against fixed targets.

With their combination of extreme speed and maneuverability, hypersonic weapons can dramatically compress an opponent’s decision-making timeline while reducing opportunities for interception, making them especially valuable against time-sensitive targets. They also require very high-end interceptors, if they can be intercepted at all.

The apparent expansion of the missile to the Type 052D is arguably an even more significant milestone than the Type 055 test itself.

For China, fielding the YJ-20 aboard both the Type 055 and the much more numerous Type 052D dramatically increases the number of PLAN hulls capable of conducting long-range hypersonic anti-ship attacks. Such a move represents another step in expanding the reach of its layered A2/AD strategy. Rather than concentrating hypersonic capability in a small number of flagship destroyers, the PLAN appears to be distributing it across a much larger force capable of operating throughout the First Island Chain and increasingly beyond it.

Clearly, a larger force of PLAN destroyers armed with hypersonic anti-ship missiles would complicate U.S. and allied naval operations across the western Pacific by increasing the number of launch platforms capable of threatening high-value warships from long stand-off ranges.

At the same time, it is unclear if the YJ-20 has formally entered full operational service. However, official test footage, public appearances during military parades, and, above all, launches from two separate destroyer classes all point toward the missile transitioning from a developmental program to a broader capability.

The development underscores two major issues for the U.S. military as it gears up to face the prospect of a potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific. On the one hand, the PLAN is growing at an alarming rate, and Chinese shipyards are churning out increasingly capable warship designs, not to mention submarines and other naval weapons.

The latest annual Pentagon report to Congress on China’s military, released at the end of 2025, stated that “China has the world’s leading hypersonic missile arsenal and continued to advance the development of conventional and nuclear-armed hypersonic missile technologies during the past year.”

With that in mind, the case study of the YJ-20 further underscores the fact that China is investing heavily in the development of hypersonic missiles and is now apparently scaling that capability across a larger proportion of its surface fleet, something that will have a significant effect on the regional naval balance.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

KATIE Price has suffered more financial woe – she’s closed down her horse-riding clobber brand and dissolved the firm, we can reveal.

Her KP Equestrian Ltd firm sold items including riding leggings, body warmers and a range of T-shirts and other tops for women, men and kids.

The outfit company was removed from the register at Companies House this week.

Katie had previously been spotted flogging the £34 hoodies on stalls set up at horse riding events.

But she’s now stopped selling the gear and shut the firm’s website – which until recently had ex-lover Carl Woods modelling clothes.

The brand’s Instagram page hasn’t been updated for two years and a link to the company website is now dead.

face off

Katie Price and Peter Andre to come face to face for first time in 16 YEARS

worth the price

Katie Price still has Peter’s clothes stashed in her overflowing garage

She launched the venture – designed to “dazzle in the saddle” – after it was revealed she owed more than £3 million.

Latest books for KP Equestrian Ltd filed to Companies House show the outfit company had just £1,000 in its bank balance and was worth a total of £15,000.

In 2022, it was worth £26,269.

This comes as Katie’s husband, Lee Andrews faces mounting prison fines and financial demands exceeding £100,000 to £120,000 from his detentions in Dubai’s Al-Awir prison.

Katie made it clear in an interview with us that she would not cover the cost.

She stated to us in a chat with our very own Clemmie Moodie: “There’s nothing I can do. I’m not here to pay anything for anyone.

“I’ve got my own life. Even though he’s part of my life.”

Back to her clothing brand, Katie told would-be buyers on her website: “Horses have always been a big part of my life since I was a little girl. 

“I used to spend hours at the yard when I was a teenager grooming, mucking out, learning to ride, trimming, practising my plaiting, hanging out with friends, grooming again and just being around the horses.

“As my life got busier and more hectic, I always made time for the horses, as it’s the only place where I could fully switch off and just enjoy my hobby.

“Horses are my happy place and where I can take time out and calm my soul.  I love their company, feel, presence and even their smell. 

“There’s nothing quite like the feeling when you turn up to the yard.

“With horses having been such a large part of my life for so long I’ve focused on getting my KP Equestrian range ready for you all, as it means so much to me. 

“So you too can Dazzle in the Saddle and we can all share in our riding experiences.

“Our clothing has been developed with the comfort & style of riders in mind. 

“Kids, menswear & horsewear to follow soon.

“It’s a process I have really loved. Designing the products that I have always wanted with my own sparkle added.”

But the enterprise has failed to dazzle customers.

A Scottish gold made up for the fact Scott missed out on his bid to defend his 200m freestyle title and add a 16th Commonwealth medal, having failed to qualify for the final at the end of a rigorous schedule.

And Evans’ success was not the only one cheered to the roof of Tollcross instead.

Aberdeen’s Toni Shaw stopped an Australian clean sweep of medals in the women’s S9 100m freestlye final to replicate the bronze of Birmingham four years ago.

“I had lots and lots of nerves even before the walkout, all day since my heat,” Shaw told BBC Scotland.

“But we’ve got a good support team and they helped me keep my cool and wish me luck. All you can do is swim as fast as you can and that’s the mentality I went into the race with.”

Meanwhile, Keanna MacInnes added 200m butterfly silver, having also come second in the 100m. The 24-year-old played her part in the relay silver too to take her own tally to three.

As she stood next to her relay team-mates Katie Shanahan, Evans, and Evelyn Davis the Stirling swimmer reflected on a Games during which Scottish swimmers have delivered 12 medals, four of them gold.

“If you said to me at the start of the week I’d win two medals I’d be over the moon – sneaking that extra mixed medley one last night was special for all of us,” MacInnes said.

“We heard it a 100 times, about the crowd being amazing but it absolutely delivered. I’m a proud and patriotic Scot so there’s been a lot of tears this week.

“Not only is it 12 medals but there are a lot of golds and silvers, not necessarily sneaking into bronze. That shows the depth.

“There were so many finals with multiple Scots in them. So not just medals but lots of personal and season’s bests which shows how good the team has been this week.”

Returning from the US, Zelenskyy says Ukrainians’ safety depends on allies’ willingness to provide anti-missile defences.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says some non-residential sites in the city caught fire as Russia struck the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles.

Multiple explosions were heard in the city at 1:18am on Thursday (22:18 GMT Wednesday), according to Kyiv Independent reporters on the ground. Klitschko instructed people to seek shelter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned on Wednesday that a massive Russian attack on Ukraine was likely and the safety of Ukrainians depended on the willingness of allies to provide anti-missile defences.

He was returning from the United States, where he said President Donald Trump had agreed to give Ukraine licences to make Patriot missiles.

Zelenskyy also repeated his request to Ukraine’s allies to supply Kyiv with the missiles its air defence system lacks in an X post.

In early July, Trump had expressed his intention to allow Ukraine to make the surface-to-air missiles at a time when Russia had stepped up its ballistic missile strikes.

Only US Patriot systems are capable of shooting down Russian missiles, but Ukraine is short of PAC-3 interceptor missiles.

This shortage has worsened since the war on Iran launched by the US and Israel in February.

In Washington, DC, Zelenskyy held what he called a “good meeting” with Trump, as he underscored Russian President Vladimir Putin’s loss of initiative on the war front due to heavy losses.

Zelenskyy spent just over an hour with Trump at the White House, in talks that came as Kyiv and Moscow intensified long-range strikes, as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war stalled.

After the meeting, Trump posted photos to social media with a note that said: “Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well!”

Relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have warmed since the start of the US president’s second term, with Trump suggesting earlier this month that Ukrainian strikes inside Russia “could help” end the war.

Decision follows long-running feud between Trump and UN group.

The United States has announced the release of $600m for Gavi, as it cut off the World Health Organization (WHO) from the global vaccine alliance, in a major financial blow to the United Nations group.

In a joint statement, the US Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services said: “The United States also reaffirms that it will not provide US Government funding to the World Health Organization through Gavi.”

The development, said the statement, is in line with US President Donald Trump’s instructions to “Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to negotiate reforms with Gavi as a condition for renewed US support”.

US Republican Senator Susan Collins, who had pushed for the reinstatement of US funding for the global programme which expands access to immunisations around the world, welcomed the decision.

According to the State Department, Gavi agreed to work towards replacing mercury-containing vaccines with mercury-free alternatives, in partnership with its board and partner countries.

The Trump administration’s latest move against the WHO comes after historical animosity.

In 2020, Trump instructed his administration to temporarily halt funding to the WHO over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, claiming the WHO promoted China’s “disinformation” about the virus, likely leading to a wider outbreak.

At the time, the US was the biggest donor to the WHO, contributing more than $400m in 2019, roughly 15 percent of its budget.

In January 2021, then-US President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s decisions, restoring US funding and halting the withdrawal process from the WHO.

However, on the first day of his second term, January 20, 2025, Trump said the US would withdraw from the WHO and suspended US contributions.

Experts have said the orders appear to be about ideological rather than strategic positioning.

The WHO is funded by a combination of core operating funds that each member state pays, and voluntary contributions from various partners.

At about $3.4bn, the WHO’s budget is roughly a third of that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which got $9.3bn in core funding in 2023.

The WHO funds support programmes to prevent and treat polio, tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, measles and other diseases, especially in countries that struggle to provide healthcare domestically.

It also responds to health emergencies in conflict zones, including parts of Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and others.

Karen Thomas, a detective constable investigating the murder of Joanna Yeates, has shared that she never thought Christopher Jefferies had a motive after he was wrongfully arrested, revealing the moment she knew the killer was Vincent Tabak instead.

One of the police officers investigating the murder of Joanna Yeates has said that she “never thought there was a motive” for Christopher Jefferies, who was wrongfully arrested for her death. Jefferies, who was then 65, was arrested on suspicion of murdering Yeates, 25, on December 30, 2010.

Over 15 years later, Karen Thomas, a detective constable involved in the investigation, has recalled what she thought at the time – of Jefferies, the real killer Tabak, and of how her bosses reacted when she brought her suspicions to them.

Speaking in Disney’s new docuseries, Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations, Thomas shared that she didn’t think Jefferies had a reason to kill Yeates, but could see why her colleagues were insistent that he had.

“I never thought there was a motive for Christopher Jefferies to kill Jo,” she said. “Having said that, we’ve sat with many people in custody who we thought maybe were the wrong people and were the right people, so as long as there was a reason to keep him in custody, it was justified.”

Jefferies was arrested just five days after Yeates’ body was discovered in Failand, Somerset, and 13 after she was first reported missing. The primary evidence against him was a speck of blood on one of his trainers, which police later discovered did not match Yeates’ DNA.

While he was in custody, Thomas was sent to Holland to take the witness statement of Vincent Tabak, Yeates’ neighbour, who claimed Jefferies had moved his car around the time that she went missing.

Thomas explained that Tabak’s statement troubled her. He claimed he had driven to an Asda in Bedminster for crisps and beer, even though there was a Tesco “down the road”. He asked questions about DNA and said he had knocked on Yeates’ door, despite having never offered that information before.

The detective said it seemed like Tabak was trying to “stitch up” the man they had in custody. “Inside, my heart was going ten to the dozen. I was sitting there thinking this could be our guy, this could be our killer.”

After flying back to the UK, Thomas took the statement straight to her bosses. She said: “In fairness, there was a lot coming from a lot of different angles and he’s trying to keep everything going, so I said ‘Boss, if you do nothing else, please prioritise his DNA’.”

But she later implied that she did think there was an issue with the investigation: “We took longer than we should have to catch Vincent Tabak. I think there’s always a danger that an officer can become fixated on a suspect and want the evidence to fit that.”

Tabak’s DNA was a match for the samples found on Yeates’ body. Jefferies was released two days after his arrest, and Tabak was taken into custody on 20 January.

He eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter, saying he strangled Yeates whilst trying to silence her when she screamed after he tried to kiss her. He was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

20/20: Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations is available on Disney+ now.

Olympic champion cyclist Emma Finucane insists she has “nothing to prove” at the Commonwealth Games despite her ambitions of winning an elusive gold in Scotland.

Finucane, 23, collected two bronze medals in Birmingham four years ago but has since won 16 medals at the Olympics, World and European Championships.

The Welsh star says she is targeting “the top step” on the podium in Glasgow.

“I haven’t actually stood on the top step at the Commonwealth Games,” Finucane told BBC Sport Wales.

“That’s something I’d love to achieve this time round.

“I feel like I’m a different person four years on and I can’t wait to show what I can do on the track.”

The Carmarthenshire native credits the Birmingham 2022 Games as the “springboard” to where she is today.

“I would not be where I am today without the Commonwealth Games,” she said.

“The first time I was pretty young, pretty naive to the sport of sprint cycling.

“It was a very overwhelming experience, whereas this time round I feel like I’m more of an established rider.”

She added: “I was 19 [in Birmingham] and the year after I won my first world title, which was crazy for me.

“I think it gave me the confidence I needed as an athlete to develop in my career, and get to where I am so quickly.

“We became Olympic champions two years ago, and I actually don’t even know how that happened.”

“I know I’m not going to be a millionaire running a bakery,” says Phil Clayton.

We are speaking in the busy bakery he runs with his wife Tina. It is only 10am, but the operation has been in full swing for nine hours.

Clayton says it is “absolutely not true” that the bakery enjoys more profit due to price rises.

In May, families were paying 2% more for bread rolls than they were a year earlier, according to the CPI.

But in April, farmers were receiving 0.3% less for wheat, the main ingredient, according to API figures.

The 2% increase in prices for customers is smaller than the 3% rise seen across the whole CPI index.

Clayton says he does not regret increasing his prices by 10p to 20p.

“My responsibility is to make sure all of this lot get paid,” he says, referring to his 30-strong team, which includes bakers, delivery drivers and Saturday staff employed in the cafe that adjoins the bakery.

Clayton points out the extra money shoppers pay at the tills goes towards increases in rent, wages, National Insurance, delivery fuel and the rising cost of flour – much of which originates from farms in the region.

DETROIT — Two people who attended a prestigious Michigan fine arts school reported conduct of a sexual nature by Jeffrey Epstein, a major donor, according to an investigation that also uncovered dozens of allegations spanning decades against nearly 50 other people.

Interlochen Center for the Arts operates a summer camp and performing arts school that draws students from around the world. It hired a law firm in 2024 to investigate reports of sexual abuse by faculty and staff. Subsequently, it expanded the work to include information about Epstein, the 66-year-old financier who killed himself in jail in 2019.

Interlochen removed Epstein’s name from a lodge after he was convicted of sex offenses in Florida in 2008. The building, renamed the Green Lake Lodge, recently was demolished after the U.S. Justice Department released millions of pages about Epstein that had been compiled over the years.

Sanghavi Law Office says it collected 70 accounts from alumni alleging “physical conduct of a sexual nature” by 47 faculty and staff members affiliated with Interlochen from the 1950s through the 2010s, most before 2000.

“The information gathered during this investigation is, simply, devastating,” the 97-page report says, noting that alumni reported grooming, flirting, sexual touching and sex.

Interlochen said it provided names of people accused of misconduct to Grand Traverse County authorities in northern Michigan to determine what steps, if any, might be taken. None are employed at the school and more than a third are dead.

“We are deeply sorry for the harm experienced by members of our community and extend our apologies to those impacted by abuse at Interlochen,” president Trey Davey and board chair Barrett Rollins said in a letter to the community posted online.

“While the vast majority of the incidents described in the investigation took place decades ago, and reports of abuse at Interlochen have significantly decreased over the past 25 years, the passage of time does not diminish the experiences of our alumni,” they said. “Sexual abuse committed by an adult in a position of power or trust against a student is wrong, then and now.”

Interlochen today “is fundamentally different from the institution described in this report,” Davey and Rollins wrote, with comprehensive safety policies and a changed culture.

Epstein, who played the bassoon, was an Interlochen camper in 1967. He donated more than $400,000 to the school between 1990 and 2003.

Two women told investigators that Epstein engaged in conduct of a sexual nature with them, one of them at the Interlochen lodge that bore his name. He brushed against her body “over her clothes, in a manner in which he indicated was accidental,” according to the report.

Epstein also paid for her to visit him in New York while she was a student. She said “every time he was ‘handsy’ with her, she would freeze until he would stop,” the report states.

The other woman said she gave Epstein a massage at his home, according to the report, and he may have asked her to remove her top. She said she had no further contact with Epstein or his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Outside of the school investigation, at least two Interlochen alumnae made allegations of grooming and abuse against Epstein and Maxwell, according to federal records and media reports. Their identities were not made public.

One testified against Maxwell in 2021 when she was convicted of sex trafficking. It’s unclear whether those women spoke to the law firm hired for the Interlochen investigation.

White writes for the Associated Press.

Before the super-heavyweight bout Abdul told the BBC he wanted to become the new ‘King of Scotland’ – in reference to Amin declaring himself that name in 1976.

After taking power in a coup in 1971, Amin ran a brutal regime during which an estimated half a million people were killed. He was also known as the Butcher of Uganda.

Abdul, who never met his grandfather, was chasing Uganda’s first Commonwealth boxing medal since Auckland in 1990 – something which would have been guaranteed had he beaten Thomas.

Instead, he was given warnings in the previous two rounds and was trailing on all of the judges’ scorecards.

“All I can say about this is the decision is not right, I am not happy,” he said.

“He elbowed me. He caught me with the elbow.

“It [the head movement] was not intentional. I was trying to come back.

“How can I headbutt someone? I would not.

“He was the person they wanted to win. He was the winner before.

“I knew if I did not get knockout I could not win the fight.”

BBC Sport has contacted Commonwealth Games organisers and World Boxing for a response to Abdul’s comments.

Thomas, who is now guaranteed at least a bronze medal, said it was “not the way” he wanted to win.

“I can’t change what happened today but I can control how I box on Friday,” he said.

Amin, himself a boxer, harboured a fascination with Scotland after serving in the King’s African Rifles in his 20s.

At the height of the regime, he was fond of wearing a kilt and playing the bagpipes – and even declared himself “King of Scotland” in 1976.

Some years later, those predilections even spawned an Oscar-winning film, The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy.

In a previous interview, Abdul said he was “inspired” by Amin, although it was not entirely clear whether he was talking about his boxing feats or not.

Speaking to the BBC, he refused to answer when asked if he was proud to be the dictator’s grandson, but he did address the question of how he feels when he is linked to someone with such a sinister reputation.