Humanitarian group says at least 400 children reached Tawila without their parents after Rapid Support Forces’ advance.
Hundreds of Sudanese children have arrived in the town of Tawila in Sudan’s western Darfur region without their parents since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city of el-Fasher last month, a humanitarian group says.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Thursday that at least 400 unaccompanied children had arrived in Tawila but that the real number was likely much higher.
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“Children are reaching Tawila exhausted and deeply distressed, often after days of walking through the desert,” the group said.
“Many arrive terrified of the armed groups they fled from or might have encountered on the road. Many became separated from their parents during the chaos of flight, while others’ parents are believed to have gone missing, been detained or killed.”
The RSF seized control of el-Fasher – the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state – on October 26 after an 18-month siege that cut residents off from food, medicine and other critical supplies.
The paramilitary group, which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of Sudan since April 2023, has been accused of committing mass killings, kidnappings and widespread acts of sexual violence in its takeover of the city.
The RSF has denied targeting civilians or blocking aid, saying such activities are due to rogue actors.
But United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in mid-November that the “atrocities” that have unfolded in el-Fasher “constitute the gravest of crimes”.
More than 100,000 people have fled el-Fasher since the RSF’s takeover last month, according to the latest figures from the UN, with many seeking refuge in nearby Chad.
Meanwhile, the NRC said on Thursday that it had registered at least 15,000 new arrivals in Tawila, about 60km (37 miles) from el-Fasher, since October 26. More than 200 children are being registered each day on average, it added.
Nidaa, a teacher with the humanitarian group’s education programme in Tawila, said children arrive showing “signs of acute trauma”.
“When we first started our classes, some of the children could not speak at all when they arrived. Others were waking up with nightmares,” she said. “They describe hiding for hours, travelling at night to avoid attacks, and becoming separated from family in the chaos.”
Fears of human trafficking
Humanitarian groups have said the already heavily populated displacement camps in Tawila are becoming overwhelmed with the influx of new arrivals from el-Fasher and its surrounding villages.
The Sudanese American Physicians Association estimated in early November that more than 650,000 internally displaced people from el-Fasher and other parts of Darfur had sought refuge in Tawila amid months of fighting in the region.
Nearly three-quarters of displaced residents – 74 percent – lived in informal sites without adequate infrastructure, the group said in a November 5 report, while less than 10 percent of displaced households had reliable access to water or latrines.
“These conditions mean Tawila has effectively become a stand-alone crisis epicentre, not merely an overflow from el-Fasher,” the report said.
At the same time, a group of UN experts warned on Thursday that the deteriorating situation in the region has opened Sudanese women and girls up to a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
Displaced children are also increasingly vulnerable to being recruited to fight in the escalating conflict, the experts said.
“We are deeply concerned at the alarming reports of human trafficking since the takeover of el-Fasher and surrounding areas by the [RSF],” they said in a statement.
“Women and girls have been abducted in RSF-controlled areas, and women, unaccompanied and separated children are at elevated risk of sexual violence and sexual exploitation.”
Noting that families have been left without shelter, humanitarian aid, and access to basic services, including healthcare and education, the experts called for “urgent action to end the human rights violations driving this suffering”.
Kerrie Portman slept in buses and public toilets after dropping out of Cambridge University
Young people leaving care in England face a sharper increase in homelessness compared to the population more broadly, latest figures show.
It comes after warnings the youngest care leavers face a “devastating care cliff”, which sees them losing support when they turn 18 and leave care, as well as difficulties with joblessness.
Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel De Souza told the BBC she was concerned the government were not providing care leavers with adequate long-term support.
The government said it was committed to “bold steps” to tackle homelessness.
The numbers of households with care leavers aged 18 to 20 threatened with homelessness in the past year increased by 9% on the previous year, and those already homeless and owed a relief duty grew by 6%.
On average in England among the general population, those threatened with homelessness increased by 0.3% and homelessness grew by 1%.
It follows a trend of homelessness among the youngest care leavers which campaigners say is growing more acute.
Last year’s figures show that homelessness among households with the youngest care leavers in England increased by 21%, compared to around a 12% more broadly.
A third of care leavers become homeless within the first two years of leaving care.
Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern said: “Everyone deserves a roof over their head, yet these figures show too many people are at risk.
“We are tackling the worst forms of homelessness and figures show we are reducing the worst forms of temporary accommodation with on-going reductions in B&B use.”
She pointed to the government’s Homelessness Strategy, saying the government was providing £1bn for social housing, and £39bn for affordable housing.
The Conservatives have been approached for a comment.
‘Terrifying’
Kerrie Portman has been homeless several times since she left care when she turned 18.
The 27-year-old was taken into care as a teenager having already experienced homelessness while under the care of her mum, who struggled with addiction.
Kerrie was in and out of supported and temporary accommodation, and children’s homes, where she says she experienced “severe abuse”.
She got a place to study at Cambridge University but, struggling to cope with a lack of support, she dropped out and found herself sleeping rough and going between squats.
“It was incredibly terrifying and incredibly traumatic and damaging,” she says.
“I didn’t have any sort of safety net, so I didn’t have any family to fall back on for support…being a woman I was obviously [also] more at risk.”
Kerrie would take long buses to avoid the streets, staying in McDonalds or sleeping in public bathrooms to try and stay safe – but still couldn’t escape abusive and violent situations.
She says that when it comes to applying for jobs, she is often dismissed for not having enough experience.
“I’ve never had the stability to be able to focus on work experience and that sort of thing, because when I’ve been experiencing chronic homelessness I’ve just been focused on survival.”
She is now completing an Open University course, her third attempt at sustaining study in higher education, and has had support in finding a suitable long term home.
But she fears for other young people who have had similar experiences grappling with life after leaving care, and the difficulties they face.
“All of the negative outcomes are rising. And then the more disadvantaged a person is, the more that leads to more disadvantage.”
Lack of safety net
While local authorities are legally obliged to provide some support for care leavers who leave the system at the age of 18, campaigners say the lack of safety net in terms of family, accommodation and other factors make them more vulnerable.
Clare Bracey, director of Policy, Campaigns and Communication at the charity Become, said the status quo was “unacceptable”.
“No child leaving care should face homelessness. At 18, they face a devastating care cliff where vital support vanishes and they’re expected to become independent overnight.”
Figures show 40% of the youngest care leavers in England aged 19 to 21 are not in education, employment or training – known as NEETs – compared to 15% for all young people in that category.
But there are calls from Labour MPs to keep in place some benefits for care leavers that the government have not committed to retaining as part of upcoming welfare reforms.
Last month, the education select committee called on the government not to cut the health element of Universal Credit for young care leavers as part of upcoming welfare reforms.
The government said no decisions have been made.
Rachel De Souza says she isn’t confident the government have an adequate strategy for long term support
Children’s commissioner Rachel De Souza said the state acted as parent for care leavers, and so on issues such as housing and benefits, they needed priority.
“I think we need to push really hard,” she said.
“I’m not confident…because Westminster is not very good at thinking about the long-term realities of young people’s lives when the fixes are not easy.”
She has called for priority in housing for the 50-60,000 care leavers between the ages of 17 to 21, and for benefits to reflect the fact that a care leaver needs to set up home and pay for bills.
‘Get the basics in place’
The Labour MP for Derbyshire Dales John Whitby has fostered 26 children
Labour MP John Whitby has fostered 26 children over two decades.
He has been pressing ministers to consider giving younger care leavers the same rate of Universal Credit received by those over 25, pointing out they would have the same obligations an older claimant.
But he also said he was worried about the “flat lining” of foster parents available.
“Obviously children who’ve been in care, they don’t do as well as regular children, but the longer they’re in foster care the better they do….something we’ve always tried to think about with the children who live with us is sort of that aspirational element,” he said.
He said he hoped some recent pilot schemes taking place as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, boosting the support network for care leavers for staying in accommodation and education, are rolled out across the country.
“If the basics are in place, then they’re not being evicted, then they can concentrate on the things they need to do, which is either get their education or training or job or whatever it is – much more aspirational things.
A BIG Brother star has been spotted working the door of a high-end restaurant in London, almost two decades after he rose to fame on the then-Channel 4 show.
A star who rose to fame in Big Brother almost two decades ago, has swapped fame for a quieter life as a restaurant doormanCredit: SplashThe former musician and TV star was seen helping Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of upmarket restaurant Aki London this weekCredit: SplashZiggy Lichman appeared on Big Brother back in 2007Credit: Not known
Despite success across TV and music, it appears Ziggy, real name Zac, has shunned fame as he was spotted working at gourmet Japanese restaurant Aki London.
And the new role doesn’t mean Ziggy is far from the spotlight, as he is still brushing shoulders with the A-list at the food hotspot.
On Wednesday evening, Ziggy was seen escorting Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of Aki.
The Osbourne’s are unlikely to be Ziggy’s only famous guests, with the likes of Romeo Beckham and actress Holly Valance spotted there previously.
Back in 2017, it was reported that Ziggy was working on the door of upmarket members club Paper Soho.
He is since thought to have opened two of his own bars across North London, The Shop NW10, a cocktail bar and café, and bar The Wealthy Beggar.
Ziggy is also still in touch with his ex-girlfriend Chanelle, following their joint rise to fame on Big Brother.
Despite being split up for 18 years, the duo remain friends and even appeared on Loose Women together in 2018.
“She’s absolutely smashed it. She’s held her own, had a family, gone through some tough times as you know.
“I still love her to bits, absolutely,” said Ziggy of Chanelle, who continued to pursue a career in the spotlight after the show.
Ziggy was known on Big Brother for his on/off romance with housemate Chanelle Hayes, whom he split from after the series finishedCredit: Channel 4He and Chanelle remain friends and eve reunited in 2018 to appear on Loose WomenCredit: Rex FeaturesHe was also a member of boyband Northern Line, which consisted originally of Lee Baldry, Dan Corsi, Andy Love, Ian Mason and Michael Sharpe – and later Ziggy and Warren MorrisCredit: AlamyZiggy has been working in the restaurant and bar industry for several years and was spotted working the door of a members club in 2017Credit: Splash
Nov. 26 (UPI) — Federal authorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of a Virginia high school principal and his brother on charges of plotting to attack immigration agents.
John and Mark Bennett were arrested Nov. 19 — John Bennett in Virginia Beach, where he worked as an assistant principal at Kempsville High School, and Mark Bennett at Norfolk International Airport, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
According to authorities, an investigation was launched into the brothers on Nov. 17 after an off-duty Norfolk police officer heard the pair allegedly discussing plans to kill police officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“Mark Bennett was also overheard saying he was planning to meet with like-minded individuals in Las Vegas, Nev., to purchase firearms with explosive rounds to carry out the attacks,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Mark Bennett was arrested as he was to board a flight to Charlotte, N.C., from where authorities allege he planned to travel to Las Vegas.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused the brothers of discussing plans to secure a high-caliber rifle capable of piercing bullet-resistant vests.
“It’s chilling that a human being, much less a child educator, would plot to ambush and kill ICE law enforcement officers,” McLaughlin said.
The arrests come amid an increase in U.S. immigration enforcement operations in many Democratic-led cities as the Trump administration carries out a broader immigration crackdown, which has been met with protests, criticism and legal challenges.
According to Department of Homeland Security statistics, there have been 238 reported assaults on ICE agents so far this year, an increase of 19 from the same period last year.
The Trump administration has criticized Democrats for rhetoric it says is fueling the violence.
“Our law enforcement officers have had Molotov cocktails and rocks thrown at them, been shot at, had cars used as weapons against them and been physically assaulted,” McLaughlin said in a statement on Monday.
“Sanctuary politicians need to tone the rhetoric down before a law enforcement officer is killed.”
Two HumAngle investigations were recognised at the 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards in West Africa, winning in the health reporting category and placing as first runner-up in sexual and gender-based violence reporting.
The awards, organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), drew 275 entries from across the region and were announced during the Media and Development Conference in Abuja, North Central Nigeria, on Wednesday, November 26.
The top prize in health reporting went to “Amid Deforestation Scourge, Vanishing Herbal Plants Pose Health Crisis in Southwestern Nigeria”, an investigation by freelance journalist Abdulwaheed Sofiullahi published by HumAngle with support from the Pulitzer Centre. His reporting detailed how worsening deforestation threatens access to traditional medicine for rural Nigerians, deepening risks from malaria, typhoid, and other common illnesses.
Abdulwaheed, who covers environment and health issues for several local and international outlets, urged young reporters to keep pursuing impactful stories as he received his award. He has previously served as a Health Reporting Fellow at the Wits Centre for Journalism in Johannesburg and is a member of the Oxford Climate Society.
Abdulwaheed Sofiullahi won the top prize for health reporting at the 2025 CJID Excellence in Journalism Awards. Photo: Al’amin Umar/HumAngle.
HumAngle also earned recognition in the sexual and gender-based violence category, where Managing Editor Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu’s investigation, “A Tragic Femicide Case in Northeastern Nigeria Smells Like Honour Killing”, emerged as first runner-up.
The story exposed the killing of a young girl by her uncle in Bama, Borno State, revealing the entrenched gender-based violence and systemic failures faced by women and girls in Nigeria’s conflict-affected North East.
Following publication, the investigation generated national attention for its detailed reporting and sensitive narration, prompting authorities to declare the suspect wanted. He has yet to be arrested.
Hauwa, a conflict reporter with bylines in multiple international publications, documents the human toll of terrorism and insurgency through long-form storytelling and documentary work. She has won several journalism fellowships, including the 2025 FASPE Journalism Fellowship and the 2024 Ochberg Fellowship at the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma. She is also a Pulitzer Centre grantee.
Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu is the first runner-up in the sexual and gender-based violence category at the 2025 CJID Excellence in Journalism Awards. Photo: Al’amin Umar/HumAngle.
HumAngle’s multiple recognitions underscore the newsroom’s commitment to covering the human cost of conflict and humanitarian crisis, to bear witness and also hold authorities to account, especially in communities frequently missing from mainstream narratives.
The CJID awards honour impactful journalism across West Africa, with categories spanning investigations, fact-checking, public service reporting, climate journalism, environment, politics, and gender.
The award’s panel of judges disclosed that the entries were graded for accuracy and fairness, originality and innovativeness of the reporter, depth of research, storytelling, and public impact, as well as adherence to standards of reporting. This year’s finalists included journalists from Nigeria and Ghana.
HumAngle journalists received honors at the 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards by CJID, with two investigations being recognized. Abdulwaheed Sofiullahi’s investigation won the health reporting category, highlighting the impacts of deforestation on access to traditional medicine in Southwestern Nigeria. Managing Editor Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu’s piece on femicide in Northeastern Nigeria was the first runner-up in the sexual and gender-based violence category, drawing national attention to gender-based violence and related systemic failures.
The awards, part of the Media and Development Conference held in Abuja, Nigeria, celebrated impactful journalism across West Africa, encompassing categories like fact-checking, public service, and climate journalism. The judging criteria evaluated accuracy, fairness, originality, depth of research, storytelling, and public impact. HumAngle’s achievements emphasize their dedication to reporting the human consequences of conflict and holding authorities accountable, often highlighting overlooked communities.
This article contains spoilers for Season 5, Volume 1 of “Stranger Things.”
If anyone visited Jamie Campbell Bower in the days before he secured the role of Vecna in “Stranger Things,” they might have been disturbed by what they found.
Bower had spent that period “kind of going crazy,” studying the audition materials he had been given — a scene from the series (with fake character names), one from the 1996 film “Primal Fear” and one from the ‘80s horror classic “Hellraiser.” He then crafted a whodunit-style vision board, pinning printed images of iconic movie villains onto his walls. He latched onto Doug Bradley’s Pinhead and incorporated Voldemort, Nosferatu, Dracula and images from “The Shining,” “Insidious” and “The Prince of Darkness.”
Bower had essentially made a shrine to villainy. But what better way is there to make a monster than to draw from the scariest and most spine-chilling in the game?
He thumbed through a neat binder with all of the reference images that were once tacked to his walls as he sat in a hotel room at the Four Seasons earlier this month that was done up in “Stranger Things” decor. Although he had pulled ideas and inspiration from several different characters and movies, he couldn’t shake Bradley’s work from his mind.
He wanted Vecna to feel “so poised, so considered and surgical, almost. And Pinhead is that. He doesn’t run. Pinhead never runs. He knows that he’s an ultimate power all the time,” Bower said. “That feels really strong for me. I really, really like that.”
In addition to playing the monster, Bower plays the man he once was, Henry Creel, in “Stranger Things,” Netflix’s supernatural sensation, which released the first batch of episodes for its fifth and final season Wednesday. Henry, who we first meet as a young boy with powerful psychokinetic abilities, evolves throughout the show from the first child test subject in Hawkins Labs to the powerful Vecna after he’s banished to the Upside Down.
As he devolves in the dark, decaying shadow dimension, he becomes less and less human in both spirit and appearance. His skin is scorched by lightning, his body is overtaken by the vines from the Upside Down, and his left hand is mutilated. He has a deep, booming voice, which is actually Bower speaking without manipulation in post-production. And in Season 4, most of what the audience sees of Vecna — the vines wrapped around his body, his mutilations and burns, the slimy texture of his skin, his startling walk and movement — was pulled off practically with prosthetics, appliances and makeup.
Bringing Vecna to life was no easy feat, with a lot of cross-departmental collaboration happening behind the scenes. In Season 4, where Vecna is first introduced, the team built full-body prosthetics based on concept art for the character that took roughly eight hours to apply on Bower.
But for Season 5, the creatives behind the show were looking to make “Vecna on steroids,” as Barrie Gower, the prosthetics wiz for “Stranger Things,” put it.
Vecna has a sharper appearance and broader stance in Season 5 of “Stranger Things.”
(Netflix)
Michael Maher Jr., a concept illustrator and visual effects supervisor who had cooked up the earliest iterations of Vecna, said the show’s creators, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, wanted Vecna to feel more powerful this season, “but not [in] the cliché, bigger and bulkier way.” They also wanted the extent of his injuries from the Season 4 finale, where his opponents set him on fire, shoot him repeatedly and send him flying out of a second-story window, to be evident.
Maher said he was sculpting to ideate on this new version of the character when he accidentally punched a hole in the figure’s torso. It was a serendipitous moment, however; it clicked for him that Vecna 2.0 could be simultaneously more exposed and sharper. The vines that overtook his body now have a Medusa-like quality near his head and shoulders, essentially serving as armor, Maher said.
His mutilated arm and hand, which was already terrifying with its long digits and sharp claws that he would draw close to his victims’ faces, is now extendable, as if he has become one with the vines of the Upside Down.
Because of Vecna’s souped-up look for the final season, a blend of practical and visual effects were used to accomplish the final look. Gower called it a “really beautiful marriage” of the two. The monster’s head, shoulders and right arm were made up of prosthetics, but for the rest, Bower wore a spandex suit that had a printed pattern of Vecna’s body from Season 4, serving as a reference for the visual effects team. Bower also wore foam inserts under his arms to capture the gait and broad stance of the creature.
Gower said with all of the moving parts and elements of Vecna’s body that they wanted to change for the new season, it would have been a “logistical nightmare” to pull off practically. He and Maher’s teams had lengthy conversations early on in the process to prevent overbuilding the prosthetics, Gower said. Creating the new look took about three months.
The team behind Vecna opted for a blend of prosthetics, appliances and a spandex suit to film Season 5. (Niko Tavernise / Netflix)
The character Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and Vecna come face-to-face in Season 5. (Niko Tavernise / Netflix)
When the Duffer Brothers and Maher were initially talking about the design of Vecna, they drew from Pinhead and Freddy Krueger in the same way Bower did for his performance. The creatives had been pulling from ‘80s classic movies for the “nostalgia quality,” Maher said, but the challenge for him was creating something that still felt fresh and reflected Vecna’s power. He wanted to make it clear Vecna was “a character that is mostly powerful with his mind, that really resonates as a villain,” he said.
By 2019 as the developmental process for the concept art was moving along, the Duffer Brothers approached Gower, whose work on “Game of Thrones” and “Chernobyl” they admired. Gower has a young daughter who was an avid fan of “Stranger Things” at the time, and he said he couldn’t possibly turn down the opportunity. Even before Bower was cast, a roughly five-month process (save a pause in production for the pandemic) kicked off for Gower and his team to develop the Vecna gear. The full-body suit was made up of about 26 overlapping prosthetic pieces that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Gower and his team used foam latex, which is lightweight and opaque, to cover large body pieces for Vecna, mainly his left arm and lower body. Silicone-based materials came into play for his face, soldiers, chest, back and right arm, since the material is clear and can be dyed to match the pigment of the creature’s skin. It’s challenging to paint the two different materials and make them appear as one, cohesive body, Gower said, but the artists he worked with are “incredible craftspeople,” some of whom are classically trained painters.
Gower said with all of the logistics involved in creating Vecna, Bower was patient and collaborative — whether that was through 2 a.m. calls to get the prosthetics applied before he was called to set or through the adjustments Gower’s team had to make as those long shoot days progressed. Gower also praised not only Bower’s stamina, but also his commitment to the performance.
Bower described the “gothy folk, black metal” music he would play as he sat in the makeup chair, which would get faster and more hardcore as they progressed. Gower said at the start of the hours-long application, Bower would crack jokes and be himself. But as they neared the end, they would “start to lose Jamie.”
Jamie Campbell Bower in his Vecna costume on the set of “Stranger Things” with showrunners Matt Duffer, left, and Ross Duffer.
(Niko Tavernise / Netflix)
“Vecna’s voice would start coming out,” Gower said. “By the end of the process, it was Vecna talking to us. It wasn’t Jamie anymore.”
“I really can’t imagine Vecna being as successful, as iconic a villain and character without it being Jamie Campbell Bower,” Gower continued. “He’s incredible.”
Becoming Vecna can be both mentally and physically taxing because of the prosthetics and the dark place it requires the actor to go. But Bower said he found playing Henry, Vecna’s human form, even more challenging this season.
For him, Vecna is devoid of any humanity, but when he is playing Henry, there’s still “elements of humanity,” though his intentions are pure evil. In Vol. 1, we see Henry targeting the children of Hawkins, but instead of presenting himself as Vecna, as he did in Season 4, he’s approaching his victims with a friendly, well-dressed front — they call him Mr. Whatsit.
“There was something that was arguably more terrifying in having the composure enough to be able to let whomever else is there make wrong choices,” Bower said. It’s a fun puzzle for him to figure out how much emotion to show and when to let the mask slip to the audience, he added.
In comparison to the monsters Bower drew from to develop Vecna, he looked to one person as inspiration for Henry in Season 5: Mister Rogers.
He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And Bower promises we’ll see more of the wolf come out as the season progresses, though he’s careful not to reveal too much.
Takaichi’s suggestion earlier this month that Tokyo could intervene militarily if Taiwan is attacked has enraged Beijing.
Japan has denied a report that said United States President Donald Trump had advised Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan’s sovereignty.
In a news briefing on Thursday, Japan’s top government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said “there is no such fact” about an article published in The Wall Street Journal claiming that Trump had made such a remark to the Japanese leader.
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He declined to comment further on the details of the “diplomatic exchange”.
The row between Asia’s two biggest economies began after Takaichi had suggested earlier this month that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
Takaichi’s remark ignited anger in Beijing.
After the incident, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping pressed the issue in a phone call with Trump on Monday, saying Taiwan’s return was an “integral part of the post-war international order”.
The WSJ reported on Thursday that, shortly after that phone call between the US and Chinese leaders, “Trump set up a call with Takaichi and advised her not to provoke Beijing on the question of the island’s sovereignty”. The report quoted unidentified Japanese officials and an American briefed on the call.
Takaichi said in her reporting of the call with Trump that they discussed the US president’s conversation with Xi, as well as bilateral relations.
“President Trump said we are very close friends, and he offered that I should feel free to call him anytime,” she said.
It summoned Tokyo’s ambassador and advised Chinese citizens against travelling to Japan.
As the diplomatic row escalated, the Chinese embassy in Tokyo issued a new warning to its citizens on Wednesday, saying there had been a surge in crime in Japan, and that Chinese citizens had reported “being insulted, beaten and injured for no reason”.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry denied any increase in crime, citing figures from the National Police Agency in response that showed the number of murders from January to October had halved compared with the same period in 2024.
Last week, Japanese media reported that China will again ban all imports of Japanese seafood as the diplomatic dispute between the two countries escalated.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reiterated on Thursday a call for Japan to officially retract Takaichi’s comments.
“The Japanese side’s attempt to downplay, dodge, and cover up Prime Minister Takaichi’s seriously erroneous remarks by not raising them again is self-deception,” Guo told a regular news briefing.
Some officials worry that Trump may be prepared to soften support for Taiwan in pursuit of a trade accord with China, a move they fear will embolden Beijing and cause conflict in an increasingly militarised East Asia.
“For Trump, what matters most is US-China relations,” said Kazuhiro Maejima, a professor of US politics at Sophia University.
“Japan has always been treated as a tool or a card to manage that relationship,” Maejima told Reuters news agency.
Washington’s envoy to Tokyo has said the US supports Japan in the face of China’s “coercion”, but two senior ruling party lawmakers said they had hoped for more full-throated support from their top security ally in Washington, DC.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Poland’s next submarines will be provided by Sweden, in the shape of the advanced A26 class. Under the long-running Orka acquisition program, Warsaw announced today that it will buy three of the boats, which use an air-independent propulsion system, to replace the Polish Navy’s single Soviet-era Kilo class submarine. The new multirole subs will be able to launch and recover uncrewed underwater vessels (UUVs), as well as be used for minelaying, intelligence collection, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and more.
The Saab design was chosen in favor of competing offers from France’s Naval Group, Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Italy’s Fincantieri, South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, and Spain’s Navantia.
“We are honored to have been selected and look forward to the coming negotiations with the Armaments Agency in Poland,” said Micael Johansson, president and CEO of Saab, in a statement announcing the order today.
“The Swedish offer, featuring submarines tailored for the Baltic Sea, is the right choice for the Polish people. It will significantly enhance the operational capability of the Polish Navy and benefit the Polish economy,” Johansson added.
The Swedish offer was made by the country’s government on behalf of Saab. At this point, no contract has been signed, but Saab and the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) will now complete the procurement process together with Polish authorities.
Statements on Poland’s selection of the A26 were also provided by the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, and Pål Jonson, the Swedish Minister of Defense:
Poland has chosen Sweden as partner for its submarine program.
This shows the strength not only of the cooperation between our countries, but also of Sweden as a defense-industry nation. It is confirmation that the Swedish defense industry stands strong. Saab has a… pic.twitter.com/WhSFlQru7n
🇵🇱🇸🇪Today is a historic day for the Swedish-Polish partnership and for increased security in the Baltic Sea. Poland has selected Swedish submarines for the Polish navy. This will strengthen our common defence, security, and defence industrial base. pic.twitter.com/2WjiSu8o5L
Saab says that the deal will include industrial cooperation with Poland as well as technological transfer, as part of a broader strategic partnership between the two countries. For Sweden, the first export customer for this promising design provides a significant boost to the program, at a time when delays and cost overruns mean it’s much-needed. A total of five boats increases the demand for in-service support, and the Polish seal of approval could open the door to more exports.
Although it has been reported that the three submarines will cost $2.52 billion, it remains unclear when they might be delivered.
The A26 uses air-independent propulsion (AIP), a technology that The War Zone has examined in detail in the past. Specifically, as well as diesel engines, this employs a Stirling-type engine as previously used in the influential Swedish Gotland class design. The Stirling auxiliary engine burns liquid oxygen and diesel to drive electrical generators that can be used for either propulsion or charging the batteries. The result is a conventionally powered submarine that’s able to remain submerged for reportedly more than 18 days, without needing to surface or use a snorkel.
A schematic artwork explains how elements of the A26 are being added to the older Gotland class under a mid-life upgrade. Saab
The A26 has the option of being fitted with vertical launch system (VLS) cells, compatible with Tomahawk land attack missiles, which might be of interest to Poland as it seeks to reinforce its long-range strike capabilities.
Another notable feature of the A26 design is its sail, which is raked along its leading edge and which flares out toward the top. As we have discussed in the past, this feature is understood to have been chosen to increase its stealth characteristics. The A26 also features an X-form rudder. As we have discussed in the past, this configuration provides improved maneuverability, efficiency, and safety, and also helps reduce the acoustic signature across significant parts of the submarine’s operating envelope compared to the more traditional cruciform system.
Other details of the A26 design include a length of around 217 feet and a surfaced displacement of 2,122 tons. The submarine has a standard complement of just 26 sailors but can also accommodate up to 35 more, including commandos for special forces missions. The commandos can be delivered via the Multi-Mission Portal, similar to an oversized torpedo tube, which provides access to a flexible payload lock.
A rendering shows an A26 submarine working with naval commandos via the Multi-Mission Portal. Saab
The A26 is also being built for the Royal Swedish Navy, with two Blekinge class boats under construction at Saab’s Kockums shipyard in Karlskrona. Originally planned to be handed over in 2024 and 2025, it recently emerged that delays would push the delivery of the first of these boats to 2031, while increasing costs will see the program reach a price tag of 2.3 billion Euros (around $2.7 billion). The second Swedish submarine is scheduled to be delivered in 2033. Between them, the new boats will replace the Royal Swedish Navy’s two Södermanland class submarines.
One of the Royal Swedish Navy’s two Södermanland class submarines, due to be replaced by the A26. Kockums
Buying three advanced submarines marks a major advance for the Polish Navy, which has, for many years, only had a single Project 877E Kilo class submarine, the ORP Orzel, in its fleet. The age of this boat and the impossibility of obtaining spare parts and support from Russia mean that it’s unclear if the Orzel is currently operational.
As Saab’s Johansson pointed out, the Polish Navy will be getting a submarine that has been purpose-designed for the Baltic Sea. Notably shallow and confined, with dense littorals, including complex undersea obstacles and islands, the Baltic imposes very particular requirements on submarine designs, something that has long been reflected in successive classes built in Sweden (as well as in Germany).
In particular, the Baltic environment calls for diesel-electric submarines that are able to transit covertly in areas with a water depth of less than 82 feet and operate in an environment with a potentially high density of anti-submarine warfare forces and naval mines.
Concept artwork of a Royal Swedish Navy A26 submarine surfacing. Saab Saab Kockums
Warsaw’s investment in the three new submarines is just one part of a much larger defense spending spree — what the Polish Armed Forces themselves describe as “one of the highest levels of defense spending in NATO.”
Within the air defense branch, Poland plans by 2032 to introduce new air and missile defense systems procured under the Narew and Wisła programs, which cover the short-range and medium-range air defense segments, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Polish Land Forces are getting 250 of the latest Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 tanks, worth up to $6 billion, that will serve alongside a similar number of German-made Leopard 2s already in use. The Land Forces also expect to benefit from additional investments in operational fires, including new tube and rocket artillery, which will be employed in combination with 96 new AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. Furthermore, a significant South Korean arms package includes tanks, short-range ballistic missiles, and self-propelled artillery, as well as the aforementioned FA-50s.
Alongside the new submarines, Polish naval capabilities are also being reinforced by new coastal missile units and mine warfare technologies.
All of this military buildup comes in direct response to Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has provided Poland with a salutory reminder of the importance of robust defenses. With its choice of the A26 class, Poland will be getting one of the most capable conventionally powered submarines available and making another statement about how strongly it takes its defense.
Former The Only Way Is Essex sisters Sam and Billie Faiers, who have made their fortune off of reality TV, have announced their joint reality show has been axed after just one series
13:39, 27 Nov 2025Updated 13:48, 27 Nov 2025
Sam Faiers announced the news in an Instagram Q&A session today(Image: PR)
Sam and Billie Faiers have faced a bitter career blow as their joint reality TV show has got the chop after just one series.
The reality TV sisters, who shot to fame on The Only Way Is Essex before taking on their own hugely-successful series The Mummy Diaries, joined forces yet again last year – four years after The Mummy Diaries came to an end.
Sisters Sam, 34, and Billie, 35, came back together in Sister Act, which was filmed last year and premiered in August this year. However, Sam has now revealed the programme will not continue, which she says is due to a heavy workload.
Sam, who has been with partner Paul Knightley since 2014, revealed the news during a Q&A session on her Instagram stories on Wednesday, after a fan asked: “Love watching you and Billie on Sister Act, will we see another series soon?”
Revealing the news, Sam replied: “Billie and I had the best time filming Sister Act last year. It was honestly such a special experience. We don’t have any plans for another series right now as work is pretty full on for both of us.”
Despite Sam’s claims that the decision was taken due to workload, it has been reported that unexpected low rating figures are a factor in Sister Act facing the chop. An insider told The Sun: “Sam hadn’t been on TV in a while and it doesn’t look like viewers missed her.
“Viewing figures weren’t what they hoped, and a lot of the show was based around the sisters selling products, which felt a bit like one long advert.” Sister Act came off the back of Sam and Billie’s ITV reality show, The Mummy Diaries, which documented their lives as parents.
Sam and her partner Paul Knightley – who share children Paul, nine, Rosie, seven, and three year old Edward together – quit the programme in 2021.
After Sam left, Billie and her husband Greg Shepherd – who are parents to Nelly, 11, Arthur, eight, and two year old Margot – continued with the show and renamed it The Family Diaries, which came to an end in 2024.
In one episode of Sister Act, some viewers slammed Sam for offering “dangerous” medical advice to Billie, ahead of Arthur getting his tonsils removed following “six” bouts of tonsillitis. Billie said: “Arthur is getting his tonsils out. He had tonsillitis, I’d say six times last year, and it made him so poorly.
“When the doctor looked at them, straight away he said to me, ‘Nah…’ he went ‘They are really, really unhealthy tonsils. But tonsils serve no purpose in your body.”
Sam feared that if Arthur had his tonsils removed, his body would not be able to tell him or other people that he is ill. Sam said: “Everything in your body serves a purpose.
“When you’re not well, and something inflames in your body, or your tonsils are raised, or your hair is falling out, or you’ve got a rash, it’s because your body is telling you something isn’t right.
“So it’s Arthur’s body’s way of telling him I’ve got an allergy, or you know, I’ve got a virus, and that’s his way. So when they’re out, how else is his body going to tell you that something is wrong?”
One viewer blasted Sam on social media, writing: “Don’t ever mess about waiting for tonsils out mine was left when I was you by 17 rushed into hospital because it made me soo ill had swollen all over from leaking I’ve had fibromyalgia for 15 years nothing can help and now serve arthritis all over from sport pus single parent disabled daughter I wish I could dream everything be OK with positivity or a cream or holistic but life not like that.”
And another penned: “She’s no doctor and shouldn’t be allowed to give advice that’s dangerous.”
Photographer Yasin Akgul says he will continue on his path ‘with even more reporting’ following his acquittal.
Published On 27 Nov 202527 Nov 2025
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A Turkish court has acquitted four journalists accused of taking part in an allegedly unlawful demonstration they were covering in Istanbul earlier this year.
The ruling was issued on Thursday morning after the court found no evidence that the media workers – a photographer with the AFP news agency and three local journalists – had committed any offence, according to AFP and local media reports.
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Those cleared are AFP’s Yasin Akgul, Ali Onur Tosun of Turkish broadcaster NOW Haber and freelancers Bulent Kilic and Zeynep Kuray.
Turkiye’s Hurriyet Daily News reported three other journalists had also been acquitted.
The reporters were arrested in March amid a mass protest movement triggered by the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is a critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish government has rejected accusations of political interference, insisting the judiciary acts independently.
They, along with thousands of protesters, had been accused of violating Turkiye’s Law 2911 on meetings and demonstrations – a measure rights groups say is used to curb peaceful assembly.
Supporters of Law 2911 say that it is necessary for public order to regulate all protests and assemblies. They cite its legal basis for dispersing gatherings that impede public movement or violate security instructions.
‘Journalists must be allowed to work unhindered’
AFP, which had repeatedly called for Akgul’s acquittal, hailed the court decision.
“AFP welcomes the acquittal of Yasin Akgul and his colleagues. This case against photographers doing their job on the streets of Istanbul should never have been brought,” Phil Chetwynd, AFP’s global news director, said.
“Journalists must be allowed to cover demonstrations and protests unhindered,” he added.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also welcomed the decision in a case it has described as “unlawful”.
AFP’s Akgul said the decision was expected even though it came late. “Now that the psychological strain of the trial process and my difficulty in focusing are gone, I will continue on my path with even more reporting,” he told AFP after the verdict. “The right decision has been made. I hope that other journalists who are still inside will also be freed as soon as possible.”
Production at Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, was halted after a rocket struck a storage facility late on Wednesday. The facility, part of a recent expansion under the KM250 project, had increased the field’s production capacity by 50% and included new installations partially financed by the U.S. government and built by a U.S. contractor. The attack comes amid a series of drone strikes and assaults on the region’s oilfields, which have previously disrupted production and raised concerns over energy security in northern Iraq.
Why It Matters
The shutdown of Khor Mor has caused significant power cuts in the Kurdistan region, with electricity generation dropping by an estimated 3,000 megawatts. The gas field supplies fuel for regional power generation, meaning interruptions directly impact homes, businesses, and local infrastructure. The attack also underscores the vulnerability of energy assets in Iraqi Kurdistan, a region of strategic importance with major U.S. and international investments in the energy sector.
Key stakeholders include Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, operators of the Khor Mor field under the Pearl Consortium, local Kurdish authorities responsible for regional security, and U.S. interests, given their financial and operational involvement in the field. Residents and businesses in the northern region are directly affected by the power cuts, while regional security forces and international observers monitor the recurring attacks, which are often attributed to Iran-backed militias targeting U.S. and allied interests.
What’s Next
Authorities are assessing the damage and working to restore production and electricity supply. Firefighting teams successfully extinguished the blaze early on Thursday, but gas output remains suspended, prolonging power shortages. The incident follows previous attacks in July and recent drone strikes, highlighting ongoing security risks to critical infrastructure. Local officials, including Kurdish leaders, have called for improved anti-drone and defense measures to protect energy facilities, while the investigation into the perpetrators continues.
Bamboo scaffolding, a centuries-old technique that was traditionally ubiquitous in Hong Kong, is under scrutiny for its role in the city’s deadliest fire in more than a century.
At least 55 people have died, and hundreds are still missing since scaffolding at a housing estate in Tai Po district caught fire on Wednesday, according to the latest government figures.
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Bamboo is cheap, lightweight, and strong enough to withstand the city’s many typhoons and tropical storms. Hundreds of bamboo poles can often be seen lashed together on the side of a modern office tower.
But could one of Hong Kong’s iconic symbols also have served as the kindling for one of its most horrific tragedies in decades?
How is bamboo scaffolding used?
Buildings or housing estates – like the one in Tai Po district – encased in bamboo during significant renovation projects are not a rare sight in the city-state. Sometimes, the scaffolding can remain up for a year or more.
Bamboo scaffolding is built by speciality workers known as “spiders”. They lash together bamboo poles to build intricate grid-like scaffolding that is then typically covered in additional netting to catch construction materials.
While the use of bamboo has faded in other parts of Asia, it has been hard to replace it completely in Hong Kong, even with options such as metal scaffolding, said experts.
“It’s light, cheap and fast to build with,” Ehsan Noroozinejad, a senior researcher and construction expert at Western Sydney University, Australia, told Al Jazeera. “Crews carry poles by hand, cut them on site, and wrap awkward facades without cranes. That speed and flexibility keep projects moving and costs down.”
Because it is “light and easy to cut”, bamboo scaffolding also fits the narrow living environment of Hong Kong, said Xinyan Huang, deputy director of the Research Centre for Fire Safety Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
But there are other reasons, too, why bamboo is hard to replace.
“It [Hong Kong] has a long history, so it is a tradition, and it is not easy to change tradition,” Huang told Al Jazeera by email. “Any change in the construction industry will meet much resistance from current players.”
There are 4,000 bamboo scaffolding workers in the city, Hong Kong Free Press reported, citing union figures, although the industry is on the decline thanks to increased competition from metal scaffolding and an ageing cohort of workers.
A worker builds bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong [File: Jerome Favre/EPA]
Is bamboo scaffolding dangerous?
Prior to the fire, most concerns around bamboo scaffolding have focused on worker safety.
There were 22 fatal workplace accidents involving bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong between 2018 and 2024, according to government figures. Six accidents occurred while new scaffolding was being built, while the rest took place during repairs.
Besides the fact that bamboo is by its very nature combustible, it is also structurally weaker and less stable than steel, according to Huang. He told Al Jazeera that it should be phased out for larger projects.
“I think the bamboo scaffolding can be used for small-scale applications, such as installing an air conditioning unit and replacing a window of a room. However, the large-scale usage such as covering the entire building facade should be stopped. Perhaps, a maximum area of bamboo scaffolding can be defined in future regulation,” he said.
Workers set up bamboo scaffolding in preparation for removing the neon signs of a pawn shop in Sham Shui Po district in Hong Kong [File: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images]
What role did bamboo scaffolding play in the Tai Po fire?
The fire is the deadliest in Hong Kong in more than a century, since a blaze in 1918 at the Happy Valley Racecourse in British Hong Kong led to the deaths of more than 600 people.
Bamboo scaffolding played a big role in spreading the fire, according to experts like Anwar Orabi, a lecturer in fire safety engineering at the University of Queensland, although it was helped by other materials in the estate.
The fire broke out on the scaffolding of one of the estate’s towers on Wednesday, but the speed with which the fire spread took many observers by surprise. Orabi said the design of the scaffolding made it difficult to keep the blaze limited to just a few floors.
“In my point of view, the scaffolding presented a path for the fire to spread vertically which compromised compartmentation. The fire ‘climbed’ the scaffolding, and ignited the multiple fuel sources in people’s homes,” he told Al Jazeera by email.
“Fire can break windows by imposing a strong heat flux [flow of heat] which heats up the glass and breaks it. It is also possible that many people left their windows open resulting in ingress of the fire. This resulted in a multi-storey fire,” he said. Heat radiation and embers from one building helped spread the fire to the next, he said, ultimately engulfing seven towers.
Hong Kong officials also say substandard construction materials were another contributing factor. The South China Morning Post reported that the netting placed over the scaffolding did not adhere to the fire code, citing local officials.
Senior police superintendent Eileen Chung said highly flammable Styrofoam boards had also been placed in windows in the housing estate’s lifts, public broadcaster RTHK reported, helping the fire spread.
Two directors and one engineering consultant from the company behind the construction have been detained, Chung confirmed.
Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee Ka-chiu, has promised that all housing estates undergoing significant improvements will now be inspected.
“The government has immediately arranged for inspections of all housing estates across the city undergoing major repairs, to examine the safety of scaffolding and building materials,” he wrote on Facebook.
Finland on a possible Russia-Ukraine deal, Trump’s leverage and Europe’s stance as a NATO state on Russia’s border.
Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen speaks to Talk to Al Jazeera about the prospects for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, whether Trump can bring Putin and Zelenskyy to the negotiating table, and why Europe insists on clear red lines. From frozen Russian assets to NATO deterrence and Finland’s unique position as a NATO member sharing a long border with Russia, Valtonen explains what a realistic settlement would require, and why she believes Moscow is still not interested in genuine peace.
The first, or maybe the second thing to be said about “The Artist,” a six-part comedy written and directed by Aram Rappaport, is that it streams from the Network, a free ad-supported streaming service Rappaport created to release his previous series, “The Green Veil.” The first three episodes premiere Thursday; the concluding three are due at Christmastime.
The second, or maybe the first thing to say about it is that it comes pulling a tramload of heavy talent — including Mandy Patinkin, Janet McTeer, Danny Huston, Hank Azaria, Patty Lupone, Zachary Quinto — which begs for it to be taken seriously, though that might not be the best way to take it.
Set in 1906, peopled with ahistorical versions of historical figures, the series is set largely in and around the Rhode Island “country home” of Norman Henry (Patinkin), identified by a title card as “an eccentric robber baron,” and seemingly what we’d call a venture capitalist today. (And one seemingly in need of capital.) Norman begins the series dead, carried out rolled in a carpet and set on fire like a Viking, before we skip back in time, meeting his wife, Marian (McTeer), who narrates from her journal and advises “the reader” that it is only on the final page that “you might be well enough equipped to tell fact from fiction, hero from villain.” I’ve seen only the first three episodes, so I have no idea, apart from where the story misrepresents its real-life characters. But that’s just poetic license and, of course, perfectly acceptable.
The staff, for no evident reason, apart perhaps from the house lacking “a working kitchen,” lives in tents on the front lawn. They’re called inside by bells, attached to cords running out the windows, labeled the Maid, the Ballerina, the Boxer, the Doctor. The ballerina, Lilith (Ana Mulvoy Ten), is a sort of protege to Henry; she believes he’ll arrange for her to dance “Coppelia” back home in Paris, the fool. (Their scenes together are creepy.) Sometimes we see her naked (though tastefully arranged) in a metal tub. Her dance instructor, Marius (David Pittu), is waspish, bitter and insulting. The boxer is a sparring partner for Marian, who works out her aggression in the ring. She’s told us that she loathes her husband, and he her (though he professes his love in a backhanded way).
Danny Huston plays Edgar Degas, the artist in the series’ title.
(The Network)
And then there’s the eponymous artist (Huston), eventually identified as Edgar Degas, real-life French Impressionist, who was not, in fact, literally stumbling around Rhode Island in 1906, and certainly not accepting a commission to paint French poodles. (So much French!) You are free to make the connection between the show’s ballerina and those he famously painted, and her nude in the tub with his masterpiece pastels of bathing women. But apart from bad eyesight, a hint of antisemitism and Huston muttering in French, there’s no substantial resemblance to the genuine article. Here, he seems half out of his mind, or half sober. He is quite concerned with getting paid, and I don’t blame him.
The news of the day is that another person from history, Thomas Edison (Azaria) is coming to the house, looking for an investor for his new invention, a Kinetophone, a peep show with sound, like a turn-of-the-century take on a virtual reality headset. (There was such a thing; it was not a success.) This sets up a long flashback in which we learn that Marian and Edison knew each other in college, and that he betrayed her. Next up are Evelyn Nesbit (Ever Anderson) and her mother (Jill Hennessy), who have booked it out of New York after Evelyn’s unstable husband, Harry K. Thaw (Clark Gregg), shot architect Stanford White in the rooftop restaurant of White’s Madison Square Garden. That happened.
It’s a loud show, with much shouting and some brief violence, which, in its suddenness, verges on slapstick, and some less brief violence which is not funny at all. There is a superfluity of gratuitous profanity; F words and the less usual C word fly about like bats at twilight, clutter up sentences, along with many rude sexual and anatomical imprecations. Most everyone is pent up, ready to pop. At the beginning of the series, setting the table for what’s to come, Marian declares, “This is not a story in the conventional sense”; it’s “a cautionary tale,” but “not a tale of murder. This is a story of rebirth,” presumably hers. There’s a feminist current to the narrative: The men are patronizing and possessive, the women — taken advantage of in more than one sense — find ways to accommodate, manipulate or fight them, while holding on to themselves.
One can see why Rappaport might have had trouble landing this series elsewhere, or preferred to avoid notes from above. Aesthetically and textually, it’s the sort of absurdist comedy that used to turn up in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, something like the works of Robert Downey Sr. or William Klein, or maybe an ambitious film student’s senior thesis, given a big budget and access to talent; in its very lack, or perhaps avoidance, of subtlety it feels very old-fashioned. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it bad, or for that matter good, but it seems to me the perfect realization of the creator’s idea, and there is something in that. And there are those three concluding episodes, which will bring in Lupone and Quinto, their characters yet unknown, and may move the needle one way or the other. In any case, it’s not something you see every day.
The Nuri space rocket takes off from Naro Space Center in Goheung, some 205 miles south of Seoul, on Thursday. Photo by Yonhap
South Korea on Thursday confirmed the successful launch of its homegrown space rocket Nuri, which took off from Naro Space Center, with the main unit of the 13 satellites deployed establishing communication with King Sejong Station in Antarctica.
The 200-ton Nuri blasted off from the center in the country’s southern coastal village of Goheung, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, at 1:13 a.m., slightly behind the original plan of 12:55 a.m. due to a sensor issue.
According to the KASA and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the main satellite, CAS500-3, made communication with South Korea’s research center in Antarctica at 1:55 a.m., allowing experts to check the unit’s condition.
“The fourth launch of Nuri was successful,” Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said during a press briefing at the center, noting all satellites have been put into orbit.
“This was an important turning point in which the focus of the space ecosystem shifted to the private sector from the previous government-oriented approach,” Bae added, noting the government will make efforts to become one of the world’s top five space powerhouses in an unwavering manner.
Yoon Young-bin, administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), echoed the view, while stressing the government’s plan to continue efforts to bolster South Korea’s space exploration capabilities.
President Lee Jae Myung hailed the successful launch of Nuri in a social media post, calling it “a moment that opens a new chapter” in the country’s space exploration history.
Researchers will continue to monitor the main satellite through communication with other ground stations, including those in the central city of Daejeon and Norway, space authorities added.
The CAS500-3, built by Korea Aerospace Industries Co., is a medium-class satellite unit developed using the standard platform technology from the first CAS500 model.
The satellite will conduct observations of Earth’s auroras and upper atmosphere, and be used in various experiments, including the verification of three-dimensional stem cell cultivation using bio 3D-printing technology.
About two minutes after liftoff, Nuri separated the first stage, followed by the second-stage four minutes and 30 seconds into the flight.
After reaching the target altitude of 600 km, Nuri separated the main satellite, along with 12 cube satellites.
The main satellite will be tasked with conducting space science research, including measurement of space magnetic fields and plasma along with observation of auroras.
Nuri’s flight ended at 1:31 a.m., completing its 18-minute mission. It will later reenter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate as it falls.
South Korea first launched the Nuri rocket in October 2021, which failed to enter orbit while carrying a 1.5-ton dummy satellite. In June 2022, the rocket successfully put a Performance Verification Satellite (PVSAT) and a 1.3-ton dummy satellite into orbit.
The third launch was held in May 2023 with South Korea putting a next-generation small satellite and seven cube satellites into orbit.
The latest launch marked the first time for Hanwha Aerospace Co. to oversee the entire assembly process as part of the government’s long-term plan to hand over space technologies to the private sector.
South Korea, meanwhile, plans to carry out the fifth launch in 2026, followed by another in 2027.
Yoon said KASA will seek to secure additional funding beyond the sixth launch.
“We are planning to secure funds for the seventh launch (in 2028) as part of efforts to advance Nuri’s performance, although it has not been confirmed,” Yoon said, noting the administration aims to launch the rocket at least once every year starting with the eighth launch.
KARI noted Hanwha Aerospace will take on a broader role in the fifth and sixth launches in terms of launch and operation.
“Currently, Hanwha Aerospace is playing a secondary role (in the area), but it will take a more proactive role in the fifth and sixth launches and receive technology transfers related to the launch process,” said Park Jong-chan, director of the Korean Launch Vehicle Enhancement Program at KARI.
Park added that while the government does not plan to charge for satellites loaded onto Nuri for public purposes through the sixth launch, KARI will coordinate with KASA on how to assess costs when the launch is led by the private sector starting with the seventh launch.
Following the liftoff, spectators at a launch viewing site at the Naro Space Center erupted in cheers, lifting their phones to capture the historic moment in photos and videos.
Park Sung-wook, 40, who traveled from the central city of Dangjin with his son, said observing the launch in person was “overwhelming,” adding, “We came here at 3 p.m. yesterday to wait, and it was absolutely worth it.”
Kim Do-yun, a 22-year-old university student who visited Goheung with friends, said he had worried the rocket might be difficult to see at night, “but it was even clearer than I had expected, which was surprising.”
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Public prosecutor vows to appeal the verdict saying the government wants the maximum penalty.
Published On 27 Nov 202527 Nov 2025
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Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to 21 years in prison in separate corruption cases related to allocations of land in a government project, dealing another legal blow to the country’s former exiled leader.
In a decision issued on Thursday, a court found Hasina guilty of illegally securing plots of land in a suburb of capital Dhaka for herself and her family despite their ineligibility.
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Last week, Hasina was sentenced to death by hanging, after she was found guilty for crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly crackdown against a student-led uprising last year that eventually ousted her.
Hasina fled Bangladesh by helicopter on August 5, 2024, after weeks of student-led protests against her autocratic rule.
The 78-year-old former leader is currently residing in India and has defied court orders that she return to Bangladesh. New Delhi is said to be studying Dhaka’s extradition request.
Shaina Begum, the mother of a 20-year old student Sajjat Hosen Sojal, who was shot and his body burned by the police hours before the student-led uprising forced Hasina to resign and flee the country, told Al Jazeera after the verdict, “I cannot be calm until she [Hasina] is brought back and hanged in this country,”
Hundreds of families who lost loved ones in the protests wonder if the deposed prime minister will actually face justice.
The three corruption cases were brought against her by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over land grabs of lucrative plots in the Purbachal New Town project .
Hasina’s conduct “demonstrates a persistent corruption mindset rooted in entitlement, unchecked power, and a greedy eye for public property”, ruled judge Abdullah Al Mamun.
“Treating public land as a private asset, she directed her greedy eye toward state resources and manipulated official procedures to benefit herself and her close relatives.”
Each sentence was seven years in prison, and Mamun ruled that Hasina would need to serve them consecutively.
Her son Sajeeb Wazed and daughter Saima Wazed were each sentenced to five years in prison in one of the three cases.
Other details of the verdict were not available immediately.
Public prosecutor Khan Moinul Hasan said he would appeal, telling AFP news agency that he was “not satisfied” with the verdict and wanted the maximum sentence.
Hasina and her former ruling Awami League party have denounced the trials against her.
She did not appoint a defence lawyer, and some global human rights groups have questioned the credibility and fairness of the trial process against Hasina.
Other cases also involving alleged land grabbing are still pending, and a separate verdict is expected December 1.
Bangladesh has been going through a difficult political transition under an interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, and new elections are planned in February 2026.
The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina tried to cling to power.
Stranger Things season five has introduced new character Derek Turnbow and he is already proving to be a fan favourite
*WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1.*
Netflix viewers have finally returned to Hawkins after a gruelling three-year wait, and there’s a host of new characters joining the group.
Stranger Things season five has now released its first four episodes, which follow the original gang as they attempt to find the season four villain, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
While Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is training for the moment she comes face to face with the monster, the nerds and teens take on their own plans to support the mission.
Viewers then meet potty-mouth newcomer Derek Turnbow, who is seen bullying Holly Wheeler by forcing the playground carousel to speed up while she is lying on it.
It later emerges that Vecna is targeting Derek, so the group plans to kidnap him in order to save his life and track down Vecna’s hiding spot.
Their plan falls apart, but Derek is soon enlisted to go undercover as ‘Delightful Derek’ in an attempt to rescue the mission.
Many Stranger Things fans have been raving about the new character, taking to social media to praise the actor behind the emerging favourite.
Who plays Derek Turnbow in Stranger Things?
Jake Connelly is an American actor whose breakout role came in Stranger Things 5.
Before joining the Netflix show, Connelly’s only IMDb credit was in a short film called Between the Silence.
Connelly is only 13 years old and was around four when the show premiered. But he managed to catch up on the sci-fi hit a few years ago.
Speaking to The Wrap at the season five premiere, he revealed: “I started watching it a good couple of years ago, probably around when Season 4 came out.”
“As a family, we sat down every night and watched an episode before bed. It was just so fun seeing everything that my mom grew up with in the ’80s,” Connelly added.
Despite being a newcomer, Connelly was welcomed with open arms. In the same interview, he told The Wrap that the main star, Brown, was especially kind.
He recalled: “I gotta say, one of the first days of the table read, Millie Bobby Brown called me over to her [trailer] and — my mom had no idea where I went — I was just there with Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi just chilling it up, just talking.
“And she said, ‘Oh yeah, we were all your age when we started. If you ever need anything, you can just call us.'”
Stranger Things 5 episodes 1-4 are streaming now on Netflix
Up to 8,000 people across North Sumatra have been evacuated and roads remain blocked by landslide debris.
Floods and landslides brought about by torrential rain in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province have killed at least 34 people, authorities said, with rescue efforts hampered by what an official described as a “total cutoff” of roads and communications.
North Sumatra regional police spokesman Ferry Walintukan told Detik news website that aside from the confirmed deaths, at least 52 people remain missing as of Thursday.
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A rare tropical cyclone blew across Indonesia’s Sumatra island, inundating the nearby Malacca Strait and causing floods and landslides, the country’s meteorological agency said on Wednesday, as large swaths of Southeast Asia grappled with deadly flooding.
Up to 8,000 people across North Sumatra have been evacuated, and roads remain blocked by landslide debris, with aid now being distributed via helicopters, Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the country’s disaster mitigation agency, said on Thursday.
The regions of Sibolga and Central Tapanuli were among the hardest hit, Yuyun Karseno, an official at the agency’s North Sumatra division, told the Reuters news agency, adding that communications and power had been cut off.
“There is no more access, due to a total cutoff,” Yuyun said when asked about the rescue efforts. “Until now, we can’t communicate with folks in Sibolga and Central Tapanuli.”
Among the dead were one family in Central Tapanuli, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said.
A video shared by radio channel Elshinta on its social media account showed a person carrying a baby in a plastic container on a roof in Central Tapanuli.
A man carries his child as he wades through floodwaters following heavy rain in a residential area of Darul Imarah on the outskirts of Banda Aceh on November 27, 2025 [Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP]
Footage and photos shared by the agency show rapid currents of water overflowing across the region, leaving buildings destroyed in their wake, with rescuers using orange rafts to visit the flooded homes of residents.
Flooding and landslides also affected the provinces of West Sumatra and Aceh, authorities said. Indonesia’s official news agency Antara reported that 10 of the 23 cities and districts in Aceh have been submerged.
More flooding is expected in several other Sumatran provinces, including Aceh and Riau, over the next two days, the meteorological agency said, citing extreme weather.
On Thursday morning, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit the island of Simeulue off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The quake, which struck Simeulue Island at 11:56am (04:56 GMT) at a depth of 25km (15.5 miles), prompted rain-soaked residents to rush outside. There were no immediate reports on casualties or a possible tsunami.
Meanwhile, more than 30 people were killed by floods in Thailand and Malaysia in recent days, with water levels high enough to submerge hospitals.
In Sri Lanka, floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 31 people this week, with 14 others missing, authorities said on Thursday.
A devastating fire swept through Dhaka’s sprawling Korail shantytown, destroying or damaging some 1,500 shanties and reducing tin-roofed dwellings to smouldering ruins, officials reported.
The inferno, which erupted on Tuesday evening, required 16 hours to extinguish, according to Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the fire department.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, the fire service’s director, confirmed approximately 1,500 shanties were burned or damaged, leaving thousands without shelter.
Official records indicate about 60,000 families — many displaced by climate disasters — inhabit this 65-hectare (160-acre) shantytown. Korail sits adjacent to Dhaka’s affluent Gulshan and Banani districts, surrounded by modern high-rise developments.
Dense smoke enveloped the area as flames consumed dwellings throughout the night.
By Wednesday, displaced residents desperately sifted through debris, attempting to salvage their belongings.
Firefighters reported difficulty accessing the blaze due to the area’s narrow pathways.
Dhaka, home to 10.2 million people as of 2024, contains hundreds of informal settlements populated by rural migrants fleeing poverty, exploitation, and climate-related calamities. Those living there typically survive on daily wages earned as rickshaw drivers, housemaids, and cleaners.
