News Desk

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III has made a highly unusual visit to Moscow today, landing at Vnukovo Airport after flying from Riga, Latvia, according to publicly available flight-tracking data. The purpose of the flight remains unclear for now. It does come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has identified a potential opportunity for new U.S. ​mediation to help end the Russian war in Ukraine.

Flight-tracking data identified the C-17, operating under the callsign RCH4555, departing Riga at approximately 8:50 a.m. Moscow time and arriving at Vnukovo at around 10:04 a.m. Video posted to social media also shows the C-17 on approach to Vnukovo.

U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III strategic airlifter descending to land at the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow on Tuesday morning.

The cameraman, likely sarcastically, comments: “we are under attack!” https://t.co/7EfvANBScW pic.twitter.com/dVItO5nAjn

— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) August 25, 2026

RCH4555 had flown from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, to Joint Base Lindsey Graham (formerly Joint Base Charleston), South Carolina, on August 22. A day later, the aircraft touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, before departing for Riga. The plane then continued to Moscow two days later.

Probably the first US C-17 in years seen over Russia few moments ago

Its itinerary over the past few days:

August 22: McGuire/Wrightstown → Charleston

August 23: Charleston → Joint Base Andrews

August 23: Andrews → Riga

August 25: Riga → Moscow-Vnukovo pic.twitter.com/Iedvuho8Gb

— Casus Belli (@casusbellii) August 25, 2026

There are unconfirmed reports, citing observers on the ground, that an aircraft that might have been a U.S. Air Force C-40B was also on the ground at Riga earlier today. The C-40B is a militarized version of the commercial Boeing 737-700 and is often used to shuttle high-ranking government and military leaders.

An observer in Riga, Latvia reported a white aircraft, likely a U.S. Air Force C-40B, parked near the C-17A Globemaster III that arrived in Moscow earlier this morning.

Notably, on the same day the C-17 departed Joint Base Andrews, a C-40B operating under callsign RCH790 also… https://t.co/LK7MVC4U9N pic.twitter.com/yTTsSBgYrR

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 25, 2026

The earlier stop at Joint Base Andrews is also notable. Situated just outside Washington, D.C., this is not simply an ordinary transport base. It is the home of the 89th Airlift Wing, which operates the Air Force’s Special Air Mission (SAM) fleet and supports senior U.S. officials and foreign dignitaries. The wing’s mission includes providing airlift for the president, vice president, senior executive staff, high-ranking government officials, and foreign dignitaries.

Joint Base Andrews is also where the Air Force’s Roll-On Conference Capsules (ROCC) are kept. The Air Force deploys ROCCs onboard certain C-17s to give senior leaders a secure, quiet place to conduct business in the middle of a noisy, often-crowded cargo aircraft. They serve as a mobile SCIF, office, and apartment all in one. Their extensive communications include multiple options for unsecured and secure voice, data, and video teleconferencing. These capsules replaced the previous Silver Bullet Command and Control Module, a converted Airstream trailer, which was phased out in recent years for reasons you can read more about here.

The C-17 is otherwise well-equipped for carrying high-ranking officials on overseas trips, including into potentially hostile areas. The planes have a defensive suite that includes multiple types of expendable decoys and the laser-based Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure System (LAIRCM).

The Globemaster III’s primary mission is as a strategic airlifter, and it is typically used for transporting personnel, equipment, and other cargo. With those capabilities, the aircraft are also regularly used to bring advance parties to countries ahead of major state and other diplomatic visits. For presidential visits, this can even include Marine One helicopters and vehicles for the official motorcade.

The presence of an active-duty U.S. military transport aircraft in the Russian capital is highly unusual and immediately attracted attention from open-source intelligence and aviation observers.

Theories on today’s highly unusual movement of a US military aircraft to Moscow Vnukovo airport
1. Prisoner swap
2. Mission by senior intelligence official to warn against escalation by Russia, eg in Baltics
3. New diplomatic opening pic.twitter.com/OhqlHYQeKs

— Mark Urban (@MarkUrban01) August 25, 2026

At this stage, the purpose of the Moscow flight and what the aircraft carried are not publicly confirmed. We have reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Air Mobility Command, and the U.S. Air Forces in Europe for more details about the mission. The Office of the Secretary of Defense directed us to contact the Air Force.

Nevertheless, any kind of U.S. military aircraft traveling from the Washington area via Riga and then into Moscow represents an exceptionally unusual movement based on current relations between Moscow and the West.

Washington and Moscow have maintained official diplomatic channels despite the broader deterioration in relations against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Since U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term in 2025, ties between the two countries have both warmed and cooled again at times. Trump notably met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in person at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. This was the first summit between leaders of the two nations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

More recent U.S.-mediated peace efforts have largely stalled in recent months, including when Ukraine refused Russian demands to cede more territory. However, over the weekend, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky did say he saw a window for new diplomatic efforts, at least to reach a ceasefire until the end of next summer. He has also drafted ‌a page of ideas with U.S. and European officials to be presented to Moscow, according to Reuters.

For its part, Moscow has continued to signal that it is prepared to engage with Washington, while U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been discussed as potential participants in further talks. Witkoff and Kushner were last in Moscow in ​January.

There have also been reports that FBI Director Kash Patel is planning to visit Russia later this year, although such a trip is not thought to be expected until mid-October.

This is very much a developing story, and we will watch with interest to see when the C-17 departs Moscow, its destination, and any other clues as to the purpose of this mission.

Update, 4:10 p.m., Central European Time (CET) –

Russkaya Pravda reports that the Russian government says it has no information about the C-17 flight, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that Russian officials had no meetings scheduled this week with representatives of the U.S. administration.

Other Russian media outlets reported that this is the first time that a U.S. Air Force C-17 had arrived in Moscow since 2017. Kommersant, meanwhile, noted that another U.S. military aircraft — a Gulfstream C-37B — landed at Vnukovo in February 2025 after departing from Andrews Air Force Base.

That earlier flight carried Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik after his release from a U.S. prison. Vinnik returned to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange that also involved American citizen Marc Fogel.

Potentially, the flight today could be related to a prisoner exchange, although a C-17 would be an unsual choice for this.

Unconfirmed reports out of Russia suggest the C-17 may have arrived in connection with American citizen Charles Wayne Zimmerman, who was sentenced to five years in prison in January after Russian authorities found weapons and ammunition aboard his yacht.

Zimmerman sailed from the U.S. to Sochi on June 19, 2025, reportedly to meet a Russian woman he had met online. He pleaded guilty, saying he was unfamiliar with Russian law and believed weapons kept aboard his yacht for self-defense were permitted.

A source cited by Ostorozhno Media said Zimmerman signed a clemency petition at his prison this summer, which was then sent to Moscow.

For now, there is no official confirmation linking the American aircraft’s arrival to Zimmerman.

A convoy of cars with U.S. diplomatic license plates has been spotted in the capital of the Russian Federation.

Update, 4:15 p.m., Central European Time (CET) –

A remarkable capture of the arrival of the C-17A by an individual on the ground confirms beyond a doubt the location. In the foreground is the distinctive Tupolev Tu-104B jetliner, registration CCCP-42507, that is preserved as a gate-guard monument outside Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow.

Update, 4:20 p.m., Central European Time (CET) –

A video being shared on social media shows what is claimed to be a motorcade with American diplomatic license plates spotted on the streets of Moscow today, with a local police escort.

Russian media report that a motorcade with American diplomatic license plates was spotted on the streets of Moscow following reports that a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III had landed at Vnukovo Airport. https://t.co/EiKsKdnu6t pic.twitter.com/Hzrppj9fFy

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 25, 2026

Update, 4:30 p.m., Central European Time (CET) –

Citing multiple unnamed sources, CBS reports that the C-17 brought CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow for undisclosed meetings. This would be his first known trip to Russia as CIA director, though he has maintained contact with Russian intelligence counterparts.

NEW: CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow today aboard a US Air Force C-17 for meetings, according to CBS News citing multiple sources.

The Kremlin said it had “no information” about the visit.

No details on who Ratcliffe met or the agenda. https://t.co/Y14uaWEP2H

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 25, 2026

Update, 4:15 p.m., Central European Time (CET) –

CNN is also now reporting that CIA Director Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow overnight to meet with Russian officials, citing a U.S. official familiar with his travel. The same official declined to share the substance of the meetings or the topics set to be discussed.

If I had to wager, I’d say Ratcliffe is in Moscow to warn about Russian escalation against Europe/NATO. Linked to U.S. intelligence shared with Poles, Balts and Scandinavians, and comes amid a noticeable uptick in suspected GRU sabotage operations and Russian drone activity. See…

— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) August 25, 2026

Update, 4:45 p.m., Central European Time (CET) –

The Financial Times now reports that the Trump administration last week requested that Kyiv not strike Moscow, St. Petersburg, and northern regions of Russia with its long-range missiles and drones on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. This was due to Washington planning to end an aircraft carrying a senior-level official to the Russian capital, according to people familiar with the request.

Scoop @FT: Trump administration officials last week requested that Kyiv not strike Moscow, St Petersburg and nothern regions of Russia with its long range missiles and drones on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday when the US would send a plane carrying a senior-level official to the…

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 25, 2026

Update, 8:45 p.m., Central European Time (CET) –

The Wall Street Journal now reports the possibility that CIA Director Ratcliffe was in Moscow to dissuade Russia from mobilizing and launching an attack on Europe. Given the intense NATO intelligence-gathering activity along the eastern flank over the past week, it seems the situation is indeed quite tense.

The U.S. has collected intelligence showing Russia’s early preparations for a possible military mobilization in Ukraine and plans for testing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s resolve, the WSJ has reported.

Flight-tracking data identifies the C-17, again operating under the callsign RCH4555, now departing Moscow for Riga.

RCH4555, a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster lll which landed in Moscow early today carrying CIA Director John Ratcliffe for a series of high-level meetings with Russian officials, has just departed Moscow bound for Riga, Latvia. pic.twitter.com/9I4AG8dcA9

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 25, 2026

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

A new drama following Nicola Sturgeon and her estranged husband’s fall from grace has been commissioned as television movie for Channel 5 following his embezzlement scandal

Nicola Sturgeon and her estranged husband’s dramatic fall from grace is to be turned into a movie length drama for TV.

Channel 5 announced today they will make a 90 minute factual drama about how Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, embezzled £400,000 from the SNP over a 12 year period.

Called ‘To Nicola, Love Peter’ it will follow the channel’s success with Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards. The drama creators say they will draw on an extensive range of factual sources including evidence gathered by Police Scotland, The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as well as extensive TV and newspaper interviews with Nicola Sturgeon and interviews with other key protagonists.

Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer, 5 said: “This is an epic tale of Shakespearean proportions. An extraordinary tale of power, envy, deception and greed.

“It’s both a high-stakes political melodrama and bizarre domestic drama that has dominated headlines and gossip columns. We will be pulling together the events and characters involved to create a compelling revealing drama, as well as answering that very important question – why would anyone pay £2,600 for a pair of salt & pepper grinders…?!”

In June, former SNP chief executive Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months in jail after he admitted to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

Murrell – the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon – used the funds to buy goods ranging from cars and a motorhome to kitchenware and toiletries.

The Glasgow home he shared with Sturgeon was searched as part of the police operation, as was the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh.

Murrell’s largest single purchase, in 2020, was a £124,550 luxury motorhome, paid for entirely with party funds. When it was seized by police three years later, it had only ever been driven four miles.

Murrell also used party funds to buy further items including a £3,223 coffee machine, a £3,000 robotic lawn mower, £2,600 salt and pepper grinders and a £425 gold pendant that Sturgeon was photographed wearing.

Sturgeon has said she was not aware that Murrell had purchased many of the high-value items listed in court documents. The former first minister has consistently insisted that she had no reason to believe that Murrell had not used his own money for the items he was buying.

Sturgeon had stepped down as first minister in March 2023 and was arrested In June 2023. But she was later told she was not being investigated.

Last year Sturgeon announced that the pair were ending their marriage. She appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe earlier this month and in an on stage interview told the audiences she “feels like a mug” for caring about estranged husband Murrell.

She also claimed he “lied right up until he pled guilty”, and said she won’t be visiting him in prison.

Sturgeon also said: “Over the years, he never really levelled with me. The day he pled guilty, I was still learning about some of the detail of what he had done for the first time. I suddenly realised I had been living with somebody that I never really knew properly.”

Casting for ‘To Nicola, Love Peter’ is currently underway with filming likely to begin later this year. it is expected to air on 5 in 2027.

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards pulled in almost two million viewers when it aired earlier this year on 5.

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Football’s biggest club competition returns for the 2026-2027 season as the UEFA Champions League gets under way next month, with the draw for the main round taking place on Thursday.

Back-to-back champions Paris Saint-Germain are chasing a historic third consecutive title, while European giants Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich will look to dethrone the two-time champions.

The league phase format, now in its third year, will begin in September and run until January. It will be followed by the knockout rounds, with the champions crowned in early June.

Here’s all you need to know about this year’s draw:

When and where is the Champions League draw?

The main round fixtures will be drawn on August 27 at 6pm (17:00 GMT) at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

How does Champions League qualifying work?

Of the 36 competing teams, 29 qualified with their rankings in their respective national leagues. The remaining seven spots were up for grabs in a qualifying competition that began earlier this month and will conclude less than 24 hours before the draw.

Bodo/Glimt, LASK and Sabah became the latest teams to book their place in the elite competition, leaving eight teams to battle it out for the last four places on Wednesday.

Which teams have qualified for the Champions League?

• Arsenal
• Aston Villa
• Atletico Madrid
• Barcelona
• Bayern Munich
• Bodo/Glimt
• Borussia Dortmund
• Club Brugge
• Como
• Feyenoord
• Galatasaray
• Inter Milan
• LASK
• RB Leipzig
• Liverpool
• LOSC Lille
• Manchester City
• Manchester United
• Napoli
• Paris Saint-Germain
• PSV Eindhoven
• RC Lens
• Real Betis
• Real Madrid
• AS Roma
• FC Porto
• Sabah FK
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Slavia Prague
• Sporting CP
• VfB Stuttgart
• Villarreal

What are the pots for this season?

Under the new format, each team will play fixtures against eight teams – two teams each from Pots 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Four of the eight matches will be at home, and the other four away.

Pot 1: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid

Pot 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto Club, Brugge PSV, Eindhoven, Real Betis

Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Bodo/Glimt, (winner of League Path)

Pot 4: Slavia Prague, VFB Stuttgart, LASK, Como, Lens, Sabah, (3 winners of Champions Path)

When are league phase and knockout matches?

The league phase matches are scheduled for:

Matchday 1: September 8-10

Matchday 2: October 13 and 14

Matchday 3: October 20 and 21

Matchday 4: November 3 and 4

Matchday 5: November 24 and 25

Matchday 6: December 8 and 9

Matchday 7: January 19 and 20

Matchday 8: January 27

The knockout phase matches are scheduled for:

Playoffs: February 16, 17 and 23, 24
Round of 16: March 9, 10 and 16, 17
Quarterfinals: April 6, 7 and 13, 14
Semifinals: April 27, 28 and May 4, 5
Final: June 5

When and where is the Champions League final?

The upcoming season’s final will be held at the Estadio Metropolitano, home of Spanish club Atletico Madrid.

How did PSG win last season’s Champions League?

The French side held their nerve in a cagey ⁠⁠final to retain the title by beating ⁠⁠Arsenal 4-3 on penalties as the nail-biting showdown ended 1-1 after extra time.

Arsenal defender Gabriel blasted his spot kick over Matvey Safonov’s crossbar at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, his miss confirming PSG as the first club to retain the trophy since Real Madrid completed their ⁠⁠three-year reign from 2016 to 2018.

Earlier in August, PSG won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year by beating Aston Villa 2-1, thanks to Desire Doue’s second-half goal in the annual curtain-raiser to the European football season.

Doue’s 61st-minute strike after running onto Ousmane Dembele’s pass was initially ruled out for offside, only for the goal to be awarded following a video review, with Matty Cash adjudged to have marginally played him onside.

A contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee has shared an emotional statement after their exit.

A contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee has broken their silence after being forced to leave the competition. The beloved BBC show has returned with its 12th season, with Esme Young and Patrick Grant reprising their roles as judges, whilst comedian Sophie Willan replaced Sara Pascoe as presenter.

The episode airing Tuesday, August 25, saw the remaining amateur sewers “hit all the right notes” for music week, for a place in the quarter-final. In the Pattern Challenge, they paid homage to the original Material Girl, making cone bras inspired by the Jean Paul Gaultier creations Madonna wore in the 1990s.

The Transformation Challenge saw the sewers tested in teams, as they had to use bedroom furnishings to create outfits for two different pop acts. And the theme was DISCO for Made-to-Measure, with the sewers creating outfits inspired by the genre that defined 1970s pop music.

However, sadly, one sewer was forced to leave the competition, with primary school teacher Adele going. She’s now addressed her exit on social media and been supported by a new legion of fans.

The 36-year-old shared: “My incredible Sewing Bee journey has come to an end. What a fantastic experience it has been, with memories I’ll cherish forever. (Watch to the end for my favourite photo EVER!) I have 11 special sewing friends for life! We all supported and looked after each other. Our little Bee family.

“I am so proud that I pushed myself to do it, despite the overwhelming nerves. It’s so terrifying putting yourself out there, but I really wanted to encourage others to give it a go too!

“A huge thank you to my supportive husband Steve, who has encouraged me so much and held the fort at home with the kids, even though I said I’d probably be sent home after the first episode! Also, a big thank you to my mum, who helped look after the kids so I could practice all the made-to-measure last summer.

“Thank you to my beautiful models @amygr.y (Team Ginger!) and the lovely Janvii, who absolutely nailed it and really encouraged me.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d reach episode 7. I only started dressmaking 5 years ago, after being encouraged by the Sewing Bee to start. What a dream come true.”

As part of her post, Adele shared snippets from her Sewing Bee journey, and added: “It’s been the BEST experience of my life. I hope I’ve made everyone at home and my children proud. Believe in yourself and have confidence to chase your dreams. See what magic you can create.”

Adele was showered in support after sharing her post. One follower wrote: “You are amazing, and my son and I have loved watching every moment of you on the Bee and cheering you on. You should be so so proud of yourself.”

The Great British Sewing Bee is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

India has taken a major step towards opening one of its most sensitive areas of defence production to private companies.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the transfer of technologies developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for all conventional missile systems to Indian industry for domestic production, the country’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.

The move marks a significant shift for the sector dominated by government-run firms and research laboratories. Private companies will be able to compete for the technology and production rights, subject to technical qualifications, certifications and other regulatory requirements, the ministry said.

The Narendra Modi-led government says the aim is to move missiles from development into mass production faster, increase domestic manufacturing and reduce India’s dependence on imports.

So, does India’s private defence industry have the capacity to manufacture sophisticated missile systems at the scale and reliability the military needs, is the country moving towards developing its own military-industrial complex, and are there security risks involved?

What did the government announce?

India’s Defence Ministry said Singh had approved the transfer of DRDO-developed technology for all conventional missile systems to Indian defence companies for production inside the country.

“The objective is to enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities, strengthen the defence industrial base, and create opportunities for the participation of Indian MSMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises) and other technology partners in the supply chain,” the ministry said in a statement.

The measure would enable the “successful transition of missile system development to industrial production” and create opportunities for MSMEs and other technology partners, the ministry added.

“DRDO remains committed to working closely with Indian industry to facilitate the transfer and absorption of advanced defence technologies and to further strengthen the country’s indigenous defence capabilities.”

The announcement spans a wide range of missiles, said Aditya Ramanathan, a research fellow with the Bengaluru-based Takshashila Institution.

“It will include surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, anti-radiation missiles, antitank systems, and so on. It will also include more heavy-duty hardware like land-attack cruise missiles,” he told Al Jazeera.

Why is India doing this?

India has traditionally relied heavily on state-owned defence companies to turn weapons developed by DRDO into large-scale production. Bharat Dynamics, one such state-owned company, has long held a monopoly in missile production.

Tuesday’s announcement is a “big change” because it ends that monopoly, said Ramanathan.

“Private companies have been making missile components for years, but what this decision does is allow them to move up the value chain and become prime integrators for these systems,” he said.

While India largely relies on domestically made missiles, it also imports missiles — especially from Russia and Israel, two key weapons suppliers to the country.

But under Modi, India has attempted to both encourage self-reliance in defence — a concept that the government calls Atmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India — and prod foreign defence majors to manufacture in India.

At a time when geopolitical allegiances are changing fast, and India faces uncertainties on both major borders — with rivals Pakistan and China — the country under Modi has more than doubled its defence budget, from $38bn in 2014 to $86bn in the current financial year.

The brief four-day conflict with nuclear-armed rival and neighbour Pakistan last year has injected fresh urgency into India’s defence preparedness plans. This year’s defence budget is 16 percent higher than the previous year’s.

Other geopolitical events have forced the government’s hand too, suggested Ramanathan.

“I don’t think this move would have happened as soon as it did if not for the experience of recent wars. Indian decision-makers have been looking at Ukraine, they’ve been looking at the US war with Iran, and of course they’ve been imbibing the lessons of operations from last year,” he said.

“One reason you’re going to need large stockpiles is that, as we’ve seen recently, you’re going to burn through your inventory pretty quickly. The other reason is that your adversary could also degrade your stockpiles using their own precision-strike systems.”

China, he said, was a major factor in India’s calculations.

“India believes that to deter China, which is its most capable adversary, it will need to demonstrate that it can both inflict and absorb really punishing attrition over weeks of gruelling warfare,” Ramanathan said.

To that end, India is also creating a tri-services conventional missile force. “To be a viable and effective force, it’s going to require serious magazine depth, and this cannot be achieved without the active involvement of the private sector,” he added.

What is India’s defence industry already manufacturing?

In June, India announced that it was preparing to spend more than $2bn on military drones from domestic manufacturers, reflecting the rapid expansion of the country’s private defence industry.

More than 600 companies were involved in India’s drone industry, including major groups such as Adani, Larsen & Toubro, and Tata Advanced Systems, as well as startups.

In July, India also approved the purchase of a range of military equipment for its defence forces worth $5.46bn, including missiles, electronic warfare systems and Kamikaze drones.

India is also pushing to rapidly modernise its navy with an eye on Beijing’s growing influence in key Indian Ocean shipping lanes. In December, New Delhi announced plans to procure at least 75 ships and submarines, with most expected to be constructed domestically.

At the same time, India is trying to diversify the foreign sources of its weapons. Over the past decade, New Delhi has worked to move away from its longstanding reliance on Russia for military hardware, expanding defence ties with countries such as the United States, France and — increasingly — Israel.

Does the private sector have the capacity to build missiles?

Private arms manufacturers in India have been increasing spending on bolstering military production in the past few years.

Major conglomerates have invested heavily in ammunition, drones, aerospace and military electronics. Of late, they have started to invest in facilities that aim to manufacture missiles.

Adani Defence & Aerospace, owned by business tycoon Gautam Adani, a close associate of Indian Prime Minister Modi, announced plans in 2024 to invest more than 30 billion rupees ($315m) in ammunition and missile manufacturing facilities in Uttar Pradesh.

The facilities would include capabilities for handling explosives used in missiles and precision munitions.

But commitments and intent don’t build missiles.

“Ultimately, I think the success or failure of this move will depend on how the Indian government places orders,” Ramanathan said. “Making missiles is an incredibly complex and costly affair, and companies are going to have to invest a lot in infrastructure, technology and people. These sorts of investments will only pay off if the government places large enough orders to justify them and also, hopefully, leave these companies with some profits that they can pour back into research and development.”

What missiles does India have?

India has a range of cruise and ballistic missiles, several of which are also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

In May, on the anniversary of the 2025 war with Pakistan, India successfully test-fired the Agni-V, its most advanced nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach a distance of 5,500km (3,418 miles) — a range that covers all of China, the Middle East and even parts of Europe.

Its other ballistic missiles have ranges from as little as the Prithvi-1 (150km or 93 miles) to the Agni-IV (4,000km or 2,485 miles), again covering everything from border skirmishes with Pakistan to India’s extended neighbourhood.

It also has powerful cruise missiles, like the BrahMos, co-developed with Russia, which has a range of up to 500km (311 miles), and was used in last year’s war with Pakistan.

Is India also exporting missiles and other weapons?

India has dramatically ramped up its military exports in recent years, from just $72m in 2014-15 — when Modi came to power — to $4bn in 2025-2016.

Paras Defence, one of India’s fast-growing defence manufacturers, said this month it expects its exports to more than double in the 2026–27 financial year, up to $14m, driven partly by increased demand linked to conflicts in the Middle East.

Indian arms makers have also been involved in joint ventures with companies abroad. Adani Defence, in partnership with Elbit Systems – Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer – produces the large Hermes 900 armed drone systems.

A 2024 investigation by Al Jazeera exposed how India was exporting rocket parts and ammunition to Israel, even as the Modi government was publicly calling for diplomacy to end the war on Gaza.

In June 2026, Amnesty International said in a report that India’s weapons exports to Israel made it complicit in the genocide in Gaza.

But it isn’t just Israel that has sought and received weapons from Indian manufacturers. Nor is it just bullets and weapons parts that India is exporting today — complete missiles are in demand, too.

In 2022, the Philippines bought three batteries of the BrahMos missiles from India. Since then, Vietnam and Indonesia have signed deals with India for the purchase of these missiles. And India has submitted a proposal to the United Arab Emirates offering to supply the Gulf country these missiles, too.

Is the latest move a step towards building a military-industrial complex?

That appears to be the intention.

While Tuesday’s announcement marks the first time that India’s state-run research and manufacturing facilities will transfer missile technology to the private sector, the government earlier this year shortlisted private firms to manufacture the country’s next-generation fighter jets.

Tata Advanced Systems, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, and Bharat Forge are among companies to be shortlisted, and are emerging as major makers of artillery systems, ammunition and aerospace systems. India has its homegrown jets, but imports the most cutting-edge planes in its arsenal, including the Rafale fighters from France. The Indian Air Force also relies heavily on Soviet-era jets.

Still, while India “wants to build a wider defence industrial base”, said Ramanathan, “it is very far from developing the sort of military-industrial complex that [former US President Dwight] Eisenhower worried about. Power in India still resides overwhelmingly with the government.”

What about India’s military imports?

Despite the surge in domestic manufacturing and exports of specific weapons systems and parts, India on the whole remains a major military importer.

India was the world’s second-largest importer of weapons between 2021 and 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): Russia was its biggest source, accounting for 40 percent of India’s imported weapons.

Are there risks in transferring sensitive technology to the private sector?

As the US and Israel bombed Iran in March this year, a group of Iranian hackers claimed it broke into the servers of major US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin, stealing blueprints of components used in the F-35 fighter jets.

The alleged data breach exposed the risks of private companies — which often have lower security standards and oversight than top-secret government laboratories — holding sensitive information.

But Ramanathan pointed out that in India’s case, “the companies that are most likely to get the missile contracts are all old hands”.

“They’ve been involved in the defence sector in some capacity for decades, and they have experience in dealing with confidentiality and secrecy,” he said.

The Indian government, on its part, also “doesn’t want the technology or its missile secrets to go to its adversaries, and it also wants to abide by its commitments to the Missile Technology Control Regime, which gives India several advantages,” he said, referring to one of the world’s major export-control regimes.

“So India has good reasons, in its own self-interest, to ensure that missile technology doesn’t leak.”

BROOKLYN Beckham has once again divided fans over his cooking methods after sharing his latest creation.

The budding chef often shares his recipes to Instagram, and this time confused some fans over the way he made his mashed potato for a cottage pie.

Filming himself as he created the recipe, Brooklyn was seen boiling the potatoes for the pie with the skins on and then peeling them once they were already soft boiled.

This was instead of peeling the skins off before cooking the potatoes, which is the traditional method.

The move divided fans in the comments, with some unsure over the method.

“Why don’t you peel the spuds first?” asked one.

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“Why would not peel the potatoes before?” agreed another.

A third said: “It looks nice and he obviously loves cooking… weirdest way to do potatoes though…? Like if they’re going to to be mashed up anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️”.

However, some agreed with Brooklyn’s method and said they did the same at home.

“Because it’s easier and less time consuming the way he did it,” hit back one, a follower argued back.

“It’s much easier to peel after cooking the potatoes,” agreed a second.

Brooklyn did also take to the comment section of the post to remind fans he isn’t a professional chef.

The famous son of David and Victoria wrote: “Im obviously not a professional chef haha x just love cooking and eating xx love all the lovely comments ❤️”

Whilst he may not be a professional, Brooklyn often shares cooking videos online and has fronted digital series such as Cookin’ With Brooklyn.

However, the star – who has also attempted careers in the likes of photography and modelling – is often subjected to backlash over his creations.

Aug. 26 (UPI) — A U.S. district court has blocked Texas from banning drag performances as unconstitutional, ruling that the solution to the problem is for those who find such events offensive to just not attend.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 12 into law in June 2023 to ban “sexually oriented performances” via civil penalties on businesses that host them and criminal penalties on performers.

It has been debated in the courts since, with a court ruling it unconstitutional in 2023 and an appeals court in February allowing it to take effect while sending the case back to the district court for review.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge David Hittner, a Reagan appointee who issued the 2023 ruling, declared Senate Bill 12 an unconstitutional restriction on speech and ordered that the state be permanently enjoined from enforcing it.

“Finally, for those who find such activities as described in this case offensive, the solution is relatively simple … just don’t go,” Hittner said.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the U.S. Senate with President Donald Trump‘s endorsement, called the ruling in a statement “flawed,” arguing without proof that it will endanger children while being “an affront to Texas values.”

“I will appeal this decision immediately and continue to fight to protect our kids,” he said online.

Meanwhile, civil rights and LGBTQ advocates celebrated the ruling.

“Today’s decision confirms that the legislature’s attempt to ban drag performances was unconstitutional from start to finish,” Brian Klosterboer, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, which filed the original lawsuit in August 2023, said in a statement.

“This law stifled free expression across our state and made people afraid to engage in or attend drag shows and other performances. But all Texans — no matter our gender or background — are guaranteed the right to free expression.”

Brigitte Bandit, a drag performer and a plaintiff in the case, said the ruling was “a relief.”

“As a lifelong Texan, I’m sick of this state trying to censor art and stoke hatred and violence against drag artists and the LGBTQIA+ community. No one should be punished for performing drag, and I wish lawmakers would take steps to protect kids from real dangers in our state instead of trying to divide and marginalize us.”

Ukraine’s combat-proven Magura family of uncrewed surface vessels (USV) has gained its largest member to date. The new MV11 is designed for open-ocean operations lasting up to a week and can carry payloads weighing up to 4,850 pounds (2,200 kilograms). The drone boat has so far been shown in one configuration, loaded with 18 small vertically launched Sting interceptors, turning it into a small floating counter-drone battery. Given its significant payload capacity and other capabilities, it could be utilized in other roles, too.

The MV11 made its public debut yesterday at Ukraine’s Independence Day parade in the country’s capital, Kyiv. The uncrewed air, ground, and maritime systems were the centerpieces of this event, underscoring the central place they now hold in the Ukrainian armed forces. The maritime portion of the parade, which took place along a section of the Dnipro River, featured additional members of the Magura family, as well as other USVs, including kamikaze types and ones armed with repurposed air-to-air missiles. A drone boat with a launcher for first-person-view (FPV) type aerial kamikaze drones and another with an array of small domed antennas (possibly tied to an electronic warfare system or for use as a communications node) were also present. Various types of aerial kamikaze drones, as well as uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV) armed with anti-tank guided missiles, automatic grenade launchers, and machine guns, were also showcased at the event.

The video below shows the various USVs, as well as other uncrewed platforms showcased at Ukraine’s Independence Day parade in Kyiv yesterday.

“We are proud to present the MV11 on Ukraine’s Independence Day. This is not just the largest naval drone – it is a platform that delivers multi-domain capability: a single carrier that transports and launches other unmanned systems far from shore, enabling operations across all domains,” Oleg Roginsky, CEO of UFORCE, said in a statement. “At UFORCE, we are focused on building the best capabilities for Ukraine and its allies who stand for freedom. We are confident the MV11 will become the foundation for many successful missions and for pushing the enemy back even further.”

UFORCE was founded in Ukraine, but has its main headquarters in London in the United Kingdom. It is often described as an uncrewed-focused defense conglomerate with several different enterprises operating under its umbrella. Many of its components are also located outside of Ukraine. For instance, the main design, research, and development bureau for the Magura family is located in Portugal.

As mentioned, the configuration the MV11 has been shown in so far, both at the parade yesterday and in other marketing material released by UFORCE, features a payload of 18 Sting interceptors. They are loaded individually in box-like launchers, which can also be employed in other domains, including mounted on trucks or positioned on the ground. Weighing roughly nine pounds, the Sting interceptor is an electrically powered quad-rotor system with a small explosive warhead. It makes heavy use of 3D-printed components, and each one has a reported cost of around $2,100.

The Ukrainian developer, Wild Hornets, says Sting can reach altitudes up to nearly 23,000 feet (7,000 meters) and has a maximum range of around 23 miles (37 kilometers), depending “on battery capacity, weather conditions, payload weight, and operator flight style.” Typical flying time is said to be shorter, and the system can be recovered for reuse if it does not intercept a target after launch. Sting has proven itself effective at intercepting Russian variants and derivatives of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 one-way attack drone and other similar designs.

Sting is manually operated by a human controller via a wireless link. How this works exactly with the MV11 as the launch platform is unclear, and TWZ has reached out for more information. Wild Hornets has said in the past that the interceptors can be remotely operated from locations up to 2,000 kilometers away from the launch point via a user interface that can be installed on a laptop.

Wild Hornets 2,000 Km

What capabilities the MV11 has onboard to spot and track targets to begin with is also unknown. However, the USV does have a mast at the rear, and images available so far show it equipped with a camera turret, navigation radar, and two other horn-like antennas. The camera system could be used for target detection and tracking, as well as just to help with situational awareness. The additional antennas might allow for passive detection of aerial targets via their signal emissions, or serve some other purpose. As noted, Ukraine does already have USVs armed with traditional anti-air missiles, which the country has claimed to have used to successfully down Russian fixed-wing jets and helicopters.

The MV11 also has a fixed-forward camera on top of the bow, which is a common feature on drone boats to aid general navigation. There are what appear to be a pair of rectangular satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals in the open main deck area, as well. A reliable SATCOM link would be key to linking the Sting interceptors with their operators.

With their own range and endurance, Sting-armed MV11s could offer Ukraine valuable forward-deployed counter-drone nodes out in the Black Sea and along other waterways. Being able to thin out groups of incoming Russian drones further away from their intended targets could help reduce the pressure on land-based forces, including more traditional surface-to-air missile batteries. It is well established at this point that Ukrainian air defense units are under heavy strain from Russia’s constant barrages of drones and missiles on targets across the country.

With a 4,850-pound (2,200-kilogram) payload capacity, the MV11 could easily be adapted to other roles. This could include launching groups of uncrewed aerial one-way attack drones at targets at sea or on land, or conducting direct attacks using other mounted weapon systems. These are capabilities that Ukraine has already demonstrated in real combat using smaller USVs.

MV11s could use their ample payload capacity in other ways, possibly including carrying sensor, electronic warfare, or communications packages. In a press release today, UFORCE said that the MV11 could be employed for more general surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as to support amphibious operations or transport cargo. In July, video emerged of Ukrainian forces using a smaller USV to land an armed UGV into a Russian-occupied area. While the exact outcome of that mission is still unclear, it did clearly serve as a proof-of-concept that could be a sign of things to come that could be further enabled by larger USVs.

On a more general level, the MV11 underscores the pace at which Ukraine continues to expand and evolve its uncrewed capabilities in the maritime, as well as air and ground domains. Other countries, including the United States, are taking notice and even moving to acquire Ukrainian-developed drone and counter-drone capabilities. Gulf Arab States have notably sought assistance from Ukraine in the wake of Iranian drone attacks this year. In that particular context, an MV11 loaded with Stings could be a very useful and lower-cost system for intercepting Shaheds and other one-way-attack drones heading across the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, especially when tied in with even a basic early warning network.

Now that the MV11 has been shown publicly, we could well see it in action soon as a counter-drone platform and/or in other roles.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Dolly Parton’s death has left the music, film and television worlds reeling, with stars and luminaries across those industries and more paying tribute to the beloved entertainer’s life and legacy.

Parton, the accomplished country music star who became a national treasure and pop culture icon, died Tuesday at age 80, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced. The singer-actor-philanthropist died after a series of health issues that led her to postpone several performing commitments last year, including a residency in Vegas. She revealed in May that her “immune system and digestive system got all out of whack” in recent years.

The entertainer, an authentic and bright personality whose appearance was made even brighter with bedazzled and fringed ensembles, leaves behind a legacy that includes classics “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” (later popularized by powerhouse singer Whitney Houston) that influenced modern country music acts. Her career also included acting, most notably roles in “Steel Magnolias,” “Hannah Montana” and “9 to 5.”

Lily Tomlin, Parton’s co-star on the 1980 comedy “9 to 5,” uploaded a picture of the two to her Instagram profile with the caption: “No words…” along with a broken heart emoji.

Jane Fonda, who also starred in the workplace comedy, posted on Instagram that she was “devastated.”

“I never knew anyone like her. She was simultaneously a naughty, playful southern gal from the hollows of Tennessee and a deep, soulful thinker who could see through people right down to their true selves,” the “Monster-in-Law” star wrote in the caption. “She was the voluptuous embodiment of empathy.”

Country singer and actor Reba McEntire dedicated a heartfelt tribute to Parton on her Instagram account.

“There will never ever be another you. We will remember and cherish every memory and every note you ever played and sang,” she wrote.

The carousel on the post featured various images of the two, who first crossed paths at the Grand Ole Opry’s Opry100 celebration in 1977. Throughout their decades-long friendship, the pair were frequent collaborators; Parton was a guest on McEntire‘s 2001 self-titled sitcom. In 2021, the country stars finally joined forces for their first duet, an acoustic rendition of “Does He Love You” for McEntire’s “Revived Remixed Revisited.”

In an email to The Times, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus recalled the legacy Parton left behind.

“Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TVs, right in our living rooms,” Cyrus wrote.

The two stars developed a close friendship after Cyrus opened for her on tour following his 1992 hit “Achy Breaky Heart.”

“I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologize for all the tabloid stories which claimed I was having an affair with her,” Cyrus added. “In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said, ‘Honey, this trash sells records!’”

Pop starlet Sabrina Carpenter — who reimagined her hit song “Please Please Please” as a country-pop song alongside Parton last year — shared still images of the two in their music video to Instagram.

“I will cherish our laughter and conversations and I will keep your wisdom, your playful outlook on life, and perfect sense of humor in my pocket for the rainy days,” Carpenter wrote in the caption.

Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, who shared the stage with Parton in 2025 for a Stand Up to Cancer benefit concert, wrote on her Instagram story: “There is a hole in the universe. There was and will never be anyone like @dollyparton.”

“Dolly Parton had a way of making everyone feel seen,” wrote Kelly Clarkson in an Instagram post, who just yesterday shared a cover that she had done of Parton’s “9 to 5” for the Season 1 premiere of “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

“I will miss her heart and her voice as I am sure millions will. What an incredible gift and talent she was and still is with an amazing catalogue of art she has left behind for all of us,” the “American Idol” star added to her post.

The late singer later appeared on Season 4 of Clarkson’s talk show, for an impromptu duet of her 1974 song “I Will Always Love You,” a clip that was uploaded to the TV show’s Instagram account hours before Parton’s death was officially announced.

Actors Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Jessica Parker and Drew Barrymore also expressed sorrow for the loss of Parton on their Instagram accounts.

Grammy-winning singer Kacey Musgraves reacted on X (formerly Twitter) to Parton’s death, writing, “the world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden.”

The Muppets celebrated Parton on Threads, writing “there will never be another quite like Dolly Parton” and posted photos of the musician sharing the screen with Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog.

The account for the puppet troupe continued: “She was the ultimate singer, songwriter, actress, performer, and philanthropist. She filled the world with light and we are so grateful for every second we got to spend with her onstage and off.”

Carole King shared on Threads that she was heartbroken by the news. Parton “was an exemplary human being,” she wrote.

The Grand Ole Opry said on Instagram that Parton’s death “will be deeply felt for generations to come” and said the legendary musician “taught us to lead with kindness, generosity, and compassion.”

“One of the most extraordinary musical experiences of my life was recording with her,” said Linda Ronstadt on Instagram. Ronstadt recorded two albums with Parton and Emmylou Harris, 1987’s “Trio” and 1999’s “Trio II.” “The world is a poorer place without her.”

Country music star Maren Morris, the Academy of Country Music, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum also paid tribute to Parton for her contributions to music, entertainment and beyond.

Paul McCartney recalled on Instagram first meeting the star at Grand Ole Opry ahead of her solo career.

“She was so bubbly and full of life it is difficult to take in the news that she passed,” said the Beatles singer, who collaborated with Parton on her rendition of “Let It Be” for her 2023 album, “Rockstar.”

In a post uploaded to Instagram, actor Jamie Lee Curtis upheld Dolly’s bravery, writing that “she was more than they thought she was.”

“The Mandalorian” actor Pedro Pascal posted an image of Parton to his Instagram with a caption that read: “One of one [broken heart]. We must make more.”

“Some people are so extraordinary, their existence feels almost impossible. Dolly was one of those people,” wrote Khloé Kardashian on her Instagram story about the country star, who last year was a guest on her podcast, “Khloé in Wonderland.”

“A once-in-a-lifetime soul. A woman whose light, heart, talent and humanity changed this world forever,” the 42-year-old Kardashian wrote. “To have admired her was a gift.”

United States politicians also chimed in to pay their respects.

President Trump celebrated Parton “one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER” on a post to Truth Social and said “this is a true loss for millions of people.” He also announced that he would lower the American flag across the country for a week beginning Tuesday evening.

“Rest in Peace, Dolly!” he continued, “the World loves you.”

On X, former President Obama also underscored Parton’s altruistic legacy, including her donation to Vanderbilt University for coronavirus research in 2020.

“Born in a one-room cabin, she earned 11 Grammys and an Emmy, built a business empire, helped millions of kids learn to read, and — as if that wasn’t enough — helped accelerate the research that led to the Moderna COVID vaccine,” wrote Obama.

In a post on Threads, Vice President Kamala Harris called Parton a “true American icon,” highlighting her work through Imagination Library, a global book-gifting program that sends free books to children ages 5 and under.

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a key party meeting focused on economic development, state-run media reported Wednesday, but made no mention of renewed diplomatic outreach by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kim led an enlarged meeting of the political bureau of the ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. The meeting reviewed progress in the country’s “major economic sectors” and discussed implementation of policy goals for 2026, KCNA said.

Officials cited unspecified “unfavorable conditions and difficulties arising alongside ever-changing circumstances” and shortcomings in implementing economic plans laid out at February’s Ninth Party Congress.

Kim blamed the problems on the “immature operation and leadership of the economic guidance organs” and called on officials to “successfully conclude this year’s struggle without fail,” according to KCNA.

The party meeting comes as Trump has stepped up overtures to Kim, whom he said he expects to meet this year.

Trump last week abruptly ordered the United States and South Korea to curtail their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise, citing its cost and saying the drills sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang.

Kim did not mention Trump or the military exercise in his remarks reported by KCNA. His sister, Kim Yo Jong, said last week that Pyongyang had “no interest” in the reduction of the drills.

“If the U.S. calculates that it can propagate its recent measure as the one of so-called good faith, they will not get desired answer,” she said.

The apparent lack of urgency from Pyongyang coincides with an improving economic picture after years of contraction and pandemic-era isolation.

North Korea’s economy grew by an estimated 3.5% in 2025, according to South Korea’s Bank of Korea, marking its third consecutive year of growth above 3%. The central bank cited expanded economic cooperation with Russia, increased trade with China and domestic policy projects as key factors, and said the North’s real GDP has surpassed its 2017 level, when United Nations sanctions were tightened.

The economic situation contrasts with Trump’s first term, when North Korea was under mounting international sanctions pressure while Trump pursued direct diplomacy with Kim. The two leaders held summits in Singapore and Hanoi and had a brief meeting at the Demilitarized Zone, but no nuclear deal was reached.

At February’s Ninth Party Congress, Kim hailed the previous five-year economic plan as a success and said the next would focus on stabilizing and consolidating the economy while pursuing “gradual and qualitative development” of industry and agriculture. He also called improving the economy and raising living standards “heavy and urgent historic tasks.”

Analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang has much incentive to return to negotiations on Washington’s terms. North Korea is less economically isolated than during Trump’s first term, and Kim has repeatedly declared the country’s growing nuclear arsenal off-limits to negotiations.

Bruce Klingner, senior fellow at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, said Tuesday the chance of a meeting appeared “slim to none.”

“North Korea right now feels [it is] in the strongest position it’s been for quite some time,” Klingner said at a forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America in Washington, pointing to Pyongyang’s economic ties with Russia and China as well as revenue from cryptocurrency theft.

“It’s getting about a billion dollars a year from cryptocurrency crime, so it doesn’t need the U.S. and sanctions relief as it did several years ago,” Klingner said. “So I think they’re just going to sit back … [saying] ‘we don’t close the door on engagement, but you need to offer more.'”

Trump on Tuesday reposted his directive to cut back the U.S.-South Korea joint drills, again highlighting his “very good relationship” with Kim. He also posted several photos of himself with the North Korean leader from their meetings in Singapore and at the DMZ.

Dolly Parton, the much-loved US singer-songwriter who has died at the age of 80, was known for her pearls of wisdom and humour as well as her music.

She regularly offered her perceptive and witty insights about life, music, fame and equal rights.

Here are some of her most memorable quotes from down the years:

The new series will see how the couple, former Made in Chelsea stars, adapt to family life, returning to work and going on new family adventures

Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo are returning to Disney+ for a second series of their ‘Raising Chelsea’ series with new faces also joining the show.

Season one, which premiered on Disney+ in April, saw Sophie’s raw journey through pregnancy and the chaotic early days of welcoming their baby boy, Ziggy.

The new series will see how the couple, former Made in Chelsea stars, adapt to family life, returning to work and going on new family adventures.

In a joint statement, Jamie and Sophie said: “We were blown away by the response to the show and are so excited to keep sharing our journey. The experience of working with Disney+ for season one made it easy for us to say yes.

“We’ve always documented our lives over the years and continuing to do this on a bigger scale is just amazing. We hope that fans and viewers carry on enjoying our honesty as we continue to navigate raising Ziggy, together with balancing our family and professional lives. We can’t wait to bring you in more.”

Together with the return of the couple’s mums Penny Baines and Sarah Wigley, the second series will also feature Sophie’s sister Georgia Habboo, and Jamie’s best-friend, Oliver Proudlock.

It is produced by the award-winning production company behind critically acclaimed series ‘Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story’ and the EMMY nominated ‘Pamela, A Love Story.’

Sean Doyle, VP, Unscripted, Disney+ EMEA, said: “We loved Jamie and Sophie’s pregnancy story in season one and meeting baby Ziggy, and we can’t wait to follow their family in season two.”

Disney+ also announced this week that another former Made In Chelsea star will get a new documentary on their streaming platform.

Documentary makers followed Spencer Matthews at the end of 2025 as he took on his greatest challenge yet – seven full distance 140-mile triathlons across all seven continents in just 21 days.

The feature-length documentary has the working title ‘Breaking Spencer Matthews’ and Spencer said: “This challenge has become about far more than completing seven Ironman’s across all seven continents. What began as an extreme physical pursuit has evolved into a journey of self-discovery and transformation that has tested me in ways I could never have anticipated. There were moments of exhaustion, doubt, and struggle where I had to dig deeper than ever before, treading a fine line between one of the greatest adventures imaginable and life-threatening danger.

“I hope this film inspires people to question their own limits and to see that what feels impossible, physically, emotionally, or personally can often be the very thing that transforms us.”

ENDS

Sudan’s army has had a good summer. Last month, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured several towns along the strategic Export Road, known locally as Sadirat, which connects the central Nile valley to the country’s west, and pushed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into a defensive crouch across much of the centre of the country.

On the back of these gains, SAF leaders are now speaking more confidently of defeating the RSF entirely, rather than merely containing it.

But look east, to Sudan’s Blue Nile state, and the picture inverts. In mid-August, the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (led by Abdulaziz al-Hilu), retook Kurmuk and seized Geisan within days, in attacks that Sudanese military sources said were launched from across the border in Ethiopia. Drone attacks on multiple army-controlled cities this month also showed that the RSF’s reach extends well beyond Darfur, its main territorial stronghold.

The lesson of the summer, then, is not that the SAF is on the verge of decisive victory. It is that military victory and political resolution are becoming two very different things. Even a full RSF defeat may not end Sudan’s war so much as fracture it into several smaller conflicts.

A look at the coalitions doing the fighting helps explain why. The anti-RSF coalition is coordinated and led by the SAF, but the army also relies on allied armed movements, including Darfuri factions that signed the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement (JPA). These include Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Darfur Governor Minni Minnawi. The JPA required their forces to be integrated into Sudan’s military and security services, but they have been reluctant to give up the military autonomy that underpins their political leverage.

Yasser al-Atta, then assistant commander-in-chief and now army chief of staff, announced in March that the army would activate mechanisms to organise and integrate allied irregular groups into the formal military and security services, but little has happened since.

Al-Atta wasn’t even the first to promise to address the problems of the proliferation of weapons and armed groups. Two years earlier, deputy commander-in-chief Shams al-Din Kabbashi told a graduation ceremony for Minni Minnawi’s Sudan Liberation Movement fighters that the army had “begun enacting a law and structures to control the many popular resistance groups”, warning that the array of semi-autonomous militias, tribal coalitions and volunteers backing the SAF’s war efforts, the “popular resistance” as it is called, would “become the next danger if we continue this way”.

More than two years on from Kabbashi’s speech, the underlying problem remains largely unresolved.

Then there is the RSF’s own coalition, which is actively fragmenting. A string of senior figures, al-Nour al-Qubba, al-Savanna, and more recently, the RSF-appointed governor for the Kordofan region, Hamad Khalifa, have defected, amid reports of Saudi financial inducements as well as tribal grievances.

When al-Nour al-Qubba left, he took dozens of combat vehicles and a large contingent of fighters with him. Given that the RSF is a franchise more than a unified fighting force, these defections should worry the SAF as much as they comfort it: defectors often arrive as intact forces loyal to their commanders, not soldiers used to reporting to a chain of command. In a way, the SAF inherits the RSF’s structural weakness with each defection.

Another example is Abu Aqla Keikel, an SAF-trained officer who initially fought on the army’s side after the war erupted in 2023, before defecting to the RSF later that year and then back to the SAF in October 2024. His Sudan Shield Forces remain, in practice, more under his own command than the army’s, even as he appears alongside SAF leadership and Darfuri commanders at recent battlefield-victory photo ops.

Many commanders inside the anti-RSF camp maintain a fairly wide margin of operational independence and consequently their own political calculations. This will become far more apparent once the war ends and there is no longer a common enemy to paper over the differences.

Sudan’s Islamists, meanwhile, occupy a strange position. Brigades like al-Baraa ibn Malik, affiliated with Sudan’s Islamic Movement, which underpinned Omar al-Bashir’s former ruling National Congress Party (NCP), supplied thousands of fighters and were instrumental in retaking Khartoum from the RSF. The United States has sanctioned al-Baraa ibn Malik, while the European Union has sanctioned its leader, al-Misbah Abu Zaid. Amid this international pressure and SAF battlefield gains, some Islamist fighters and leaders have begun pulling back, in what one Sudan Tribune report described as a “tactical withdrawal”. Al-Misbah recently posted that “we have returned to our civilian lives”.

But retreating from the battlefield is not the same as retreating from politics. Ahmed Haroun, chairman of the former ruling NCP, told Reuters news agency last year that the Islamic Movement could support an extended period of army rule, with an eye towards returning to government through “the ballot box”, as Haroun put it.

Indeed, another potential flashpoint for the SAF is that the war has given fighters in Islamist brigades like al-Baraa ibn Malik years of battlefield experience. There is little reason to think fighters who helped recapture the capital will disarm and disband the moment the war is over, at least not without a political settlement that creates a path for demobilisation.

This is the context in which SAF chief and de facto president General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s recently announced national dialogue should be read, less as a comprehensive resolution to the country’s militia problem than as a political process that could convert the army’s wartime alliances into post-war influence.

Burhan has explicitly ruled out the return of RSF leaders to power, promising there would be no “incomplete peace” that allowed Hemedti or other RSF leaders back into government. Given the RSF’s abysmal human rights record during the war, the exclusion is defensible, but the broader armed-group problem remains unresolved: namely, how the RSF’s remaining forces would actually be dismantled or integrated, particularly in Darfur, and how the SAF’s own allied militias would be brought under a single chain of command once the shooting slows down.

Another structural problem that is older than this war reinforces why claims of total victory remain elusive. The Sudanese army has long struggled to project sustained power across the country’s peripheries. Under Omar al-Bashir, the government relied on Janjaweed militias to help the army fight the rebellion in Darfur. In 2013, many Janjaweed fighters were brought into the newly created RSF.

There is little reason to think a hollowed-out, cash-poor SAF, dependent on volunteer recruits, Islamist militias and Juba Peace Agreement signatory forces, can now succeed where the pre-war state repeatedly struggled: in Darfur, a region roughly the size of France, where the RSF continues to use cross-border supply routes.

Even if the RSF is somehow eventually broken, its weapons and its fighters will not simply disappear. They will pass to whichever political entrepreneur is best positioned to pick them up. Meanwhile, in Khartoum, the questions of the day after will pry open conflicts that the war has, for now, kept closed.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Fernandes rewarded for outstanding season with record assists in the league; Shaw builds on league win and Golden Boot.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was crowned the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year, while Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw scooped the Women’s award for the second time.

The award wins on Tuesday highlighted the individual brilliance of both players, with contrasting fortunes for their respective teams during the season.

Portuguese international Fernandes broke the Premier League assists record during an outstanding 2025–26 season, setting up 21 goals as he surpassed Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s previous mark.

The 31-year-old also scored nine times as United overcame a poor start to finish third in the Premier League under Michael Carrick and earned a return to the Champions League.

Fernandes also won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award in May.

“It is obviously a very proud moment. They are the ones you go on the pitch against, and it’s probably not easy to vote for someone you play against, so it is a very good moment,” said Fernandes.

Shaw was rewarded for scoring 21 goals on the way to a third straight Golden Boot and securing City’s first Women’s Super League title in a decade.

City also saw further success as Nico O’Reilly was named Men’s Young Player of the Year.

The 21-year-old scored twice in the League Cup final as City beat Arsenal and was part of the side that also won the FA Cup last season.

“I’m very proud of the season I had,” said the England international. “I won two trophies with my club and managed to play at the World Cup with my country. I’m over the moon with how it turned out.”

O’Reilly was joined by City teammates Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo in the Team of the Year.

Champions Arsenal had five representatives in David Raya, Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice, with Fernandes and Brentford’s Igor Thiago completing the XI.

“Everywhere I go, the kids call me ‘the book lady.’”

Dolly Parton wore the moniker like a badge of honor, and she earned it too. Through her Imagination Library program, launched by the Dollywood Foundation in 1995, she put more than 330 million books into the hands of children across America, Canada, the U.K., Australia and the Republic of Ireland.

The program is rooted in a childhood of poverty and illiteracy — roots that those who knew Parton said she never denied or abandoned.

Parton, 80, died Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer. And although the country western superstar collected accolades — including 10 Grammy Awards, a National Medal of the Arts and two Academy Award nominations — across her storied career, Parton said her contributions to children’s literacy were most precious to her.

In 2023, the American Library Assn. awarded the singer-songwriter, book lady and philanthropist its highest honor — lifetime membership — to recognize her lasting impact on literacy and inspiring a love of reading in children.

“Dolly Parton represented the very best of America,” ALA President Maria McCauley told The Times on Tuesday, adding that, like people all over the world, she’s been playing Parton’s music since news of her death broke, particularly the song “I Can See the Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”

“That song has so much resonance right now,” she said, noting its lyrics capture a theme of resilience and faith in overcoming dark times.

“We want to make sure that Dolly’s vision, that reading is for everyone, becomes a reality. That’s something that we can all carry forward in memory of Dolly.”

Parton’s Imagination Library gifts a book a month to children signed up for the program from the time they are born until they are 5 years old. Parton described the program best when speaking with librarian Carla Hayden in 2018. “We send the book in the mail with their name on it. It’s not in the care of Mom and Dad — it’s got their little name on it, and they love to think, ‘This is mine.’ They wait at the mailbox. They get their little books, and to them, it’s personal.”

Parton understood the novelty of owning your very own book. Growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains town of Sevierville in east Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 kids. Her father, a tobacco sharecropper, couldn’t read or write, and the family lived in a one-room cabin with no electricity. There were no books in the home, aside from the Bible.

The singer’s upbringing, particularly her father’s illiteracy and his shame around what he considered a shortcoming, was what inspired her to launch the Imagination Library. With the help of her dad, they set out to foster a love of reading in the kids of Sevier County. Reading, she believed, was the gateway to dreaming, and dreaming, the first step in the path toward success.

By 2000, the program had expanded beyond the Smoky Mountains and into a nationwide movement. By 2003, the Imagination Library had mailed 1 million books to budding readers. After the United States, the gifting initiative launched in Canada in 2006, then the U.K. in 2007, Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019.

The program operates on a shared funding model split between the Dollywood Foundation — which manages the central overhead, administration, and global book-selection strategy of the Imagination Library — and local community partners including businesses, school districts, small or large organizations, or individuals who share in the mission.

Selina Brown, a U.K. author whose book “My Rice Is Best” was selected by the Imagination Library this year, said that 14,000 copies had been distributed across the U.K. to children in underprivileged areas. “To know that my book has gone into the hands of young children across the U.K. is absolutely incredible,” she told The Times.

Brown said that public figures often make shallow promises and vanity moves, but “with Dolly Parton, you can actually see her work manifest, and it really makes an impact. In the U.K. alone, there are children who do not have books in their house, and because of Dolly Parton, they now have their own library.”

Canadian author Melanie Florence, who penned “Sarabeth’s Garage” — another of Imagination Library’s picks — also grew up in a small town, with no bookstore, during a time with no online retailers. “If that had existed when I was a kid, being gifted a book that you get to keep, it’s a big thing, especially for a kid like I was, who just lived to read,” Florence told The Times.

“I think that’s such a beautiful legacy,” Florence said, “her music and this spirit of generosity.”

But it’s also a working legacy that Parton built to last, according to Dollywood Foundation’s president, Jeff Conyers.

“Dolly’s legacy was never meant to be something we simply preserve or look back upon,” Conyers said. “She built things that could keep doing good in the world.”

Conyers said the foundation was set to “make certain the love at the heart of her work continues reaching children, families and communities long into the future.”

Although the foundation is heartbroken after Parton’s death, he said, “the mission she gave us is as clear today as it has ever been, and we will carry it forward for generations to come.”

Dolly Parton marks the 100 millionth book donation by her Imagination Library to the Library of Congress collection in 2018.

(Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

Washington, D.C., Councilmember Charles Allen said he was visiting family in east Tennessee more than decade ago when his 2-year-old niece went tottering off toward the mailbox. When her parents brought her back in, she was holding a book with her name on it. Allen said his brother had signed her up for Parton’s Imagination Library at the hospital just after she was born — “right then and there.”

Allen said he was inspired by “the joy on my own niece’s face when she opened up a book with her name on it” to write a D.C. law called “Books From Birth.”

“We basically borrowed that program and then partnered with them,” he said. “And now every child in D.C. from the time they’re born ’til they’re 5 years old gets a free book delivered.”

Allen said that the program is now 10 years old, and 4 million books have been distributed to about 100,000 kids: “It’s made a big impact.”

Allen met with Parton years ago and said she never forgot her roots.

“Watching her own parents struggle with literacy and kind of hiding it, she realized very quickly the power that she had as this just massive cultural and musical star,” he said, adding that she was going to use that power for something that would outlast her. “It’ll outlast me. It’ll outlast everybody.”

Children of D.C. “they know Dolly Parton,” he added. “They know she’s the lady that delivered the books. I have all the confidence in the world that she is smiling somewhere, knowing that so many people think of her as the book lady. That she was going to battle illiteracy, one kid, one family, one household at a time.”

In 2018, Parton donated her 100 millionth book to the Library of Congress.

During the ceremony Hayden, the librarian, asked the country star if she ever thought she’d be known so widely as “the book lady.”

Parton responded with her signature self-deprecating wit and wisdom: “I never thought about being the book lady — the painted lady, yes. The overexaggerated, overdressed lady — yes. But that just goes to show you that you can’t judge a book by looking at the cover, right? Or even a 100 millionth book by looking at the cover.”

In September, 336,004,951 books will have been distributed through Imagination Library. More than 3.6 million families have been registered globally.

A top Iranian official says Iran and Oman have agreed on a new temporary route for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but insisted that the waterway will not reopen until the United States fulfils its commitments under an interim peace deal signed in June.

The remarks by Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, came on Tuesday, after Iran and Oman’s top diplomats held talks in Tehran to finalise the details of a phased framework for managing the strait.

Iran and Oman, both coastal nations on the strait, have been in on-and-off talks for weeks about controlling traffic through the strategic waterway, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the US-Israel war on Tehran began in February.

Most ⁠shipping in the strait has been shut down since then.

Gharibabadi, speaking on state television, said Iran and Oman had agreed the new route’s entry “would be through our territorial waters, and part of the exit route would also be through our territorial waters”.

The transit corridor would be seven miles (11.3km) wide, he said.

“The agreed-upon transit route with Oman is a temporary route,” he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, in Tehran to discuss the temporary navigation corridor as well as a project to clear mines from the strait, according to a joint statement.

Albusaidi said on X he hoped the countries would “soon announce” the corridor, adding that “future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course.”

Technical talks are planned to develop a long-term arrangement, including mechanisms for information sharing and navigational and security services, according to the statement.

Mines in Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz became a flashpoint after Tehran responded to the US-Israel war by closing the waterway. It then announced a new shipping route through its territorial waters, bypassing the internationally recognised Traffic Separation Scheme adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1968. Tehran said that route had been mined.

Then in June, when Iran and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the war, Oman and the IMO announced a new transit corridor in the Strait of Hormuz – backed by the US – that hugged the Omani coast.

Iran said the so-called southern route violated the MoU and launched attacks on ships using the corridor, resulting in the collapse of the interim deal.

Diplomatic efforts towards a broader peace deal have since stalled, and passage through the strait remains dangerous. An oil tanker was disabled by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday near Oman’s Ash Shishah, close to the strait’s entrance, the United Kingdom’s maritime trade watchdog said.

Gharibabadi, in his comments on Tuesday, said Iran would not consider the strait open despite the agreement with Oman.

He also dismissed a claim by US President Donald Trump that all mines had been cleared from the strait’s international waters, saying it was “only aimed at calming the markets”. He warned that US mine-detection vessels would become “very good targets” if they entered the area.

Gharibabadi insisted the US must fulfil its commitments under the MoU – including sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets – if it wants a return to the diplomatic track.

He also urged countries to resist US pressure over sanctions on Iran.

Trump had announced last week the “most crushing economic operation ever” against Iran, and threatened sanctions against any country that does business with it.

“We are urging countries not to succumb to American pressure regarding the sanctions that Washington wants to impose on us,” Gharibabadi said, adding that Washington was “mistaken about its ability to enforce its sanctions against our neighbours”.

He said an earlier US sanctions campaign under Trump had failed to achieve its goals and predicted new measures would meet the same fate.

“The new American sanctions are doomed to failure, and we have our own methods to counter them,” he added.

I still remember the moment when I heard “Cien Años” for the first time. I can vividly recall the haunting aftertaste, the glorious specificity of the experience.

I had moved from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles, and somehow managed to make a living writing about Latin music. I‘d seen Los Tigres del Norte in concert, shared a lengthy conversation with Vicente Fernández outside the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, and spent months poring through the songbook of José Alfredo Jiménez. But listening to the 1953 recording of “Cien Años” by Mexican legend Pedro Infante was a game changer — an existential milestone that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I was in my home office, researching a story about the golden era of Mexican music. “Cien Años” played on, the elusive contours of its melody floating in the afternoon air. Three minutes and 33 seconds later, when it ended, you could hear a pin drop. I sat still for a few minutes, transfixed. Then I played it again. And again. Ten, 15, 20 times in a row.

A composition by Rubén Fuentes and Alberto Cervantes, the song wasn’t just another lilting ranchera from the 1950s — that much was clear. On the contrary, it felt like an otherworldly manifestation from the gods above, as if a UFO had landed in the Mexican capital decades ago, and an advanced race of extraterrestrials left this artifact behind as some sort of exquisite offering — a reminder of everything that could be but wasn’t.

There‘s the matter of that sinuous electric guitar intro, halfway between tropical psychedelia and merry-go-round anthem. Then, the main melody: forlorn, hallucinogenic. Infante’s aristocratic delivery collides head on with the brutal indifference of the girl he will carry on loving for the rest of his embittered existence. His voice, so soft and fragile, could belong to both man and woman; the universal scar of romantic rejection.

Clearly there was a mystery attached to this evergreen standard that people got to see on the big screen in 1954, when Infante performed it in the film “Cuidado Con El Amor.” The song also reminded me of Schubert — maybe a page off “Winterreise,” the romantic song cycle composed in 1827.

Had I accidentally discovered a supernatural portal where time and space didn’t exist, one where random phenomena of blinding beauty could materialize on this plane without any logical explanation?

To figure out why “Cien Años” still resonates, I decided to consult with a few notable singer-songwriters.

First I thought of Spanish rock star and longtime Los Angeles resident Enrique Bunbury, who himself traffics in the diffuse territories of the ominous and esoteric. I sent him a rambling voice memo, trying to convey my bewilderment as best as I could. True to his character, he replied with a terse but eloquent text.

“I apologize for the delay in responding, as I was busy promoting my new album,” he wrote. “I have to agree that Pedro Infante’s version has an incredibly evocative air to it that is not common in rancheras. This may be related to the classical violin training of Rubén Fuentes, who was also an arranger. Alberto Cervantes, on the other hand, was a bolero guy. I imagine he contributed the intense Acapulco scent that emanates from this song. I’m so sorry that my ignorance on this subject will probably not be of great help in your inquiry.”

I marveled at Bunbury’s humility, but agreed with him that the mystery was far from solved.

Maybe a young Mexican singer could shed some illumination, I thought, before sending a somewhat incoherent email to Silvana Estrada. I was right to assume that the 29-year-old prodigy behind 2025’s “Vendrán Suaves Lluvias” — one of the most spiritually devastating albums of the decade, and the second best album of last year — would have something to say.

“This is one of the most gorgeous boleros in the Mexican repertoire,” Estrada replied.

“I always thought the Pedro Infante version was mind-boggling. There is something in the string arrangement that sounds a bit impressionistic to me, but also profoundly Mexican, with the trumpets doubling the violin lines. There’s also a sense of maximalism that sums up the old Mexico as a time of splendor. And when I think of this song, I think of something splendid.”

At least now I knew that I was not alone in my overwhelming passion for this strange little gem. But neither Bunbury nor Estrada had addressed the eerie supernatural vibe that emanates from the recording — the feeling that when “Cien Años” was recorded somewhere in Mexico City, Pedro and company connected with another dimension.

I was scheduled to interview Mexican American singer Lila Downs the following day, and I decided to bring this up at the end of our chat. She was sitting down in her stately Oaxaca home when we connected over Zoom, and smiled widely the moment I brought up my metaphysical query.

“I’ve experienced a similar feeling with other songs that I’ve performed,” she said. “It’s like they transport me to a más allá [a far beyond], a certain undefined something that doesn’t belong in my own era. ‘La Llorona,’ in fact, connects me to something that is not even human — a force that exists in the shape of waves. It’s the essence of the very mystery that music itself evokes in all of us.”

Downs pointed out an important detail: that “Cien Años” could not have emerged from any country other than Mexico.

“Our subconscious is loaded with the spirit of the ancestors,” she added. “There is a deep connection with the cosmos in Mexico. I’ve seen it in anthropology books; this vision of art as a healing agent that facilitates spiritual growth.”

I was finally ready to put the matter aside, when I spoke to Gepe. The Chilean singer-songwriter has crafted many tracks that have a timeless, soulful quality to them. “Desastre,” a lovely tune released in 2024, feels almost as unearthly to me as “Cien Años.”

I asked him to listen to the song.

“That intro is definitely striking,” he told me in the first of many voice memos. “It has a psychedelic tinge that didn’t really exist in the 1950s. It reminds me of someone like Peter Drake and his slide guitar playing, which had more of a Hawaiian sound. I think it’s beautiful that such a short intro can leave you with more questions than answers. That’s part of the magic, isn’t it?”

Gepe made an astute observation: that my life-changing experience with “Cien Años” was not due to a single factor. It was a layered, complex combination of different details.

“You have this incredible, hypersensitive performance by Pedro, coupled with a timeless arrangement which was definitely ahead of its time,” he explained. “The cinematic, almost Hawaiian touch on the guitar, but also a strong affinity to the bolero aesthetic — there’s a subtle softness in the maracas, so that the voice can grow and shine with so much sweetness.”

And then, he told me the one thing that brought it all together.

“It’s funny, because you keep saying that this song sounds like it landed from another world, but there’s a stark contradiction in that statement,” he said. “Pedro’s delivery is so marvelous and sensitive, that it goes beyond male or female — it sums up the human experience in all its subtlety and aching beauty. I think what happened here was that the composers, arrangers, musicians and Pedro got together in a studio and created something so immense and luminous that it ended up transcending its own sense of time.”