News Desk

When South Africa opens the 2025 G20 Summit on November 22nd in Cape Town, the meeting will not simply be another high-level diplomatic gathering. It will be a test of what global leadership looks like in an era defined by debt crises, climate shocks, and geopolitical fragmentation. It will also be a summit shaped as much by who is present as by who is absent.

For the first time since leaders began to regularly attend the G20, the United States is not expected to attend at the presidential level. That absence will hang heavily over a summit built around three themes that South Africa has placed at the core of its G20 hosting: solidarity, equality, and sustainability. This is not symbolic branding. These are principles that directly challenge the structure and priorities of the current international system and America’s decision not to participate will only magnify their political weight.

South Africa’s Vision for a More Equal Order

South Africa has been clear about what it wants this G20 to represent. The country’s diplomats have framed the summit as an opportunity to “rebalance global governance” and restore trust between advanced economies and the Global South. That begins with solidarity, not as a moral appeal but as a practical necessity in a world where the gaps in competition are tightening across virtually every sector.

South African officials have emphasized that the world is too interconnected, through supply chains, energy markets, debt exposures, and climate shocks, for any nation to pursue growth alone. Solidarity, in their framing, means shared responsibility for global risks and shared input into global rules.

Expect to see debt restructuring as a key component of the weekend. Dozens of low and middle-income countries are approaching insolvency. Many see the G20 as the only venue capable of compelling creditors, including China, Western banks, and the IMF to negotiate jointly. South Africa intends to push for more predictable mechanisms, faster timelines, and deeper reductions of overall debt.

The theme of equality is expected to be even more pointed. Pretoria has argued that the international financial system remains structurally biased. Voting power at the IMF does not reflect modern economic reality. Climate finance packages distribute risk upward and accountability downward. Supply chain standards reflect the priorities of wealthy states far more than those of producing states.

South Africa wants this summit to pressure advanced economies to move beyond incrementalism and to recognize developing nations as cooperators, not beneficiaries, of global economic design.

Sustainability as an Economic Imperative

As noted in the central theme of the summit, sustainability is the key talking point of the weekend. South Africa is expected to focus on climate adaptation financing, food security resilience, renewable infrastructure gaps, green industrialization, and the economic displacement climate change is already causing.

Pretoria’s message is blunt: sustainability is not the environmental chapter of the global economy, it is the global economy. The safeguards nations build today will determine whether their populations can withstand the shocks of the coming decade.

The Symbolism of America’s Absence

While the summit’s themes are forward-looking, the headlines thus far are dominated by one glaring issue; The United States is boycotting the event, and not sending a single delegate.

This absence is certainly meant to be received as a bold statement. In a moment when most of the global agenda is being rewritten around solidarity, shared burdens, debt relief, and climate vulnerability, the United States is choosing not to stand at the table.

Many delegations will read this as confirmation of what they already suspected: that the U.S. is prioritizing bilateral leverage and transactional deals over multilateral governance. In other words, America is choosing power over partnership.

That decision will have ripple effects. If Washington is not present to influence the language of solidarity or the scope of sustainability targets, other powers will be. The U.S. forfeits not only visibility, but the ability to shape norms that will define the next phase of global cooperation. The strongman tactic will prove less effective as the world continues to accelerate towards a multipolar world, as opposed to a unipolar order where D.C. stands above the rest.

China and India Eager to Fill the Vacuum

China is expected to enter the summit with a confident posture, despite Xi Jinping not attending. Beijing has spent the past several years positioning itself as the Global South’s premier development partner. A G20 centered around equality and solidarity aligns perfectly with China’s messaging: that it represents a more inclusive, less conditional model of global cooperation. This message will be even more prominent with an absentee America. To capitalize on the overall theme of moving away from Western dominated structures, it would be reasonable to assume that many lending systems denominated in the Yuan will be discussed on the sidelines.

India, meanwhile, will frame itself as the democratic partner of choice for developing economies. Expect New Delhi to emphasize supply chain diversification, digital equality, and climate-resilient infrastructure. India will also push for greater representation of Global South nations in multilateral institutions, a message that will resonate strongly in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Europe Attempts to Lead

European leaders will arrive prepared to engage deeply on sustainability and climate finance, but without Washington their influence will be limited. Europe cannot match America’s financial firepower nor China’s development machinery.

While Europeans tend to embrace the rhetoric of solidarity, they remain cautious about large-scale debt forgiveness, new climate financing mandates, and reforms that would dilute their institutional voting power. That tension prevents Europe from presenting itself as the natural successor to U.S. leadership, but rather an extension of it in the eyes of many developing nations.

A Summit That Signals a Changing Global Order

If South Africa succeeds in shaping the weekend around solidarity, equality, and sustainability, the summit could represent the most significant shift in G20 philosophy since its creation.

Tomorrow’s G20 will not be remembered for dramatic breakthroughs. It will be remembered for something subtler but more consequential; a turning point in global governance where the United States stepped back and the rest of the world showed it could step forward.

ZOOTROPOLIS 2 star Ginnifer Goodwin says her kids would mock her for saying she voiced the main character, rabbit Judy Hopps, and refused to believe it was really her.

The actress, who attended the London premiere of the Disney animated adventure yesterday, previously spoke to Bizarre’s Jack at Walt Disney World in Florida, while she was at the launch of the park’s new Zootopia attraction – the film’s name in the US.

Ginnifer, who is married to Josh Dallas, her co- star in TV fantasy series Once Upon A Time, said: “My kids still don’t feel comfortable with watching me on screen.

“Even though they are obsessed with Disney, they have never seen more than the pilot of Once Upon A Time, which they did love but they said it was weird for them – even though Mummy and Daddy are together in the show.

“A few years after, I showed them Zootropolis.

“Someone said to them, ‘That’s your mum’, and they were like, ‘That is a rabbit and it’s not our mum’.

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“My eldest replied, ‘I know Mum thinks she sounds like that rabbit but she doesn’t’.”

And Ginnifer said of the sequel to the 2016 original, which opens in cinemas on Friday: “I was ecstatic to grow with the character and it may be a bit weird to say about your own product, but I do think it’s outrage-ously good.”

Nov. 23 (UPI) — Authorities in Canada have arrested an associate of a former Olympian snowboarder accused by the United States of being a drug kingpin on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.

The FBI confirmed on X that Rasheed Pascua Hossain, 32, was arrested in Vancouver by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s federal law enforcement agency. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Hossain was detained Friday.

On Wednesday, U.S. federal authorities announced at a press conference that they were intensifying their manhunt for Ryan Wedding, 44, whom FBI Director Kash Patel called a “modern-day iteration” of Pablo Escobar and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, two of the most infamous drug cartel leaders.

Wedding is believed to be in Mexico, receiving protection from the Sinaloa Cartel.

He is accused of flooding U.S. streets with drugs and of being Canada’s main distributor of cocaine.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday alleged that he was involved in orchestrating the execution of a witness working with authorities to secure his extradition to the United States. Wedding was first charged in the United States in October 2024. He is facing an array of charges that include murder and drug trafficking.

More than 35 people have been indicted in Operation Giant Slalom, with the announcement that 10 people, seven in Canada and three from Colombia, have been arrested made public on Wednesday.

An FBI 10 most wanted poster is displayed during a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Federal prosecutors said Hossain was one of four people, including Wedding, who law enforcement was continuing to search for.

Hossain was charged in the indictment announced Wednesday over his alleged involvement in money laundering for what U.S. federal authorities have called the Wedding Criminal Enterprise.

He has been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to export cocaine and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

A $15 million reward is being offered by the United States for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Wedding.

Move comes as a growing number of countries are rolling out measures to limit children’s exposure to digital platforms.

Malaysia plans to ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from next year, joining a growing list of countries choosing to limit access to digital platforms due to concerns about child safety.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Sunday the government was reviewing mechanisms used to impose age restrictions for social media use in Australia and other nations, citing a need to protect youths from online harms such as cyberbullying, financial scams and child sexual abuse.

“We hope by next year that social media platforms will comply with the government’s decision to bar those under the age of 16 from opening user accounts,” he told reporters, according to a video of his remarks posted online by local daily The Star.

The effects of social media on children’s health and safety have become a growing global concern, with companies including TikTok, Snapchat, Google and Meta Platforms – the operator of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – facing lawsuits in the United States for their role in driving a mental health crisis.

In Australia, social media platforms are poised to deactivate accounts registered to users younger than 16 next month, under a sweeping ban for teenagers that is being closely watched by regulators around the world.

France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece are also jointly testing a template for an age verification app.

Malaysia’s neighbour Indonesia said in January it planned to set a minimum age for social media users, but later issued a less stringent regulation requiring tech platforms to filter negative content and impose stronger age verification measures.

Malaysia has put social media companies under greater scrutiny in recent years in response to what it claims to be a rise in harmful content, including online gambling and posts related to race, religion and royalty.

Platforms and messaging services with more than eight million users in Malaysia are now required to obtain a license under a new regulation that came into effect in January.

Michael B. Jordan, 38, has given awards-worthy performances since he was a teenager. He now appears poised for his first Oscar nomination for playing twin bootleggers in frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.”

15

Age when Jordan delivered an indelible performance as the softhearted, conflicted teen drug dealer Wallace on HBO’s “The Wire.”

2

Despite being considered one of the finest television shows of all time, “The Wire” received only two Emmy nominations — both for writing — and won neither.

20+

“Breakthrough” awards and other mentions poured in for Jordan’s nuanced portrayal of Oscar Grant, a real-life Bay Area man killed by transit police, in Coogler’s 2013 debut feature “Fruitvale Station.”

1

Although none of the top awards bodies recognized his “Fruitvale Station” performance, Jordan received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best male lead.

2016

The prestigious National Society of Film Critics named Jordan best actor for his portrayal of boxer Adonis Creed in “Creed,” Coogler’s expansion of the “Rocky” franchise.

0

Despite the NSFC signaling his arrival as a bona fide movie star, Jordan was left off the Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA nominations lists.

2018

Jordan’s performance as complex antagonist Erik Killmonger in Coogler’s “Black Panther” drew widespread awards attention from critics groups, and the film’s cast won the SAG ensemble prize — Jordan’s highest acting honor to date.

4 (ish)

Although the data is shaky, it appears Jordan would be the fourth lead actor nominated for playing multiple characters in a movie if he gets the nod for “Sinners,” after Peter Sellers (“Dr. Strangelove”), Lee Marvin (“Cat Ballou”) and Nicolas Cage (“Adaptation”).

1

Only Marvin won, in 1966, for playing two gunmen — one far more broadly than the other.

Nov. 23 (UPI) — Talks between the United States and Ukraine in Switzerland have been the “most productive and meaningful so far,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday.

Officials from both countries are meeting in Switzerland as the United States works to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine in the latest chapter of war between the two counties, which has dragged on since early 2022.

Ukrainian and Russian officials have presented the draft of a 28-point plan aimed at ending the war. President Donald Trump has said he wants Ukraine to agree to the deal by Thursday, the BBC reported.

The plan suggests that Russia could be given more Ukrainian territory than it currently holds, puts limits on Ukraine’s army and prevents Ukraine from even becoming a member of NATO. These conditions hew very closely to Moscow’s demands for peace.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a social media post Sunday that European leaders stand ready to reach a deal “despite some reservations,” but said “Before we start our work, it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.”

A bipartisan group U.S. Senators told reporters that Rubio told them the deal was not authored by the United States, nor was it the sole position of the Trump administration, but a proposal drafted by Russia and given to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, NBC News reported.

Sen. Angus King, I-Me., said the plan appeared to be a “wish list of the Russians.”

Later, the U.S. State Department countered that claim, called King’s words “patently false,” and said the plan was indeed, the position of the Trump administration.

“The peace proposal was authored by the U.S.,” Rubio wrote on social media Saturday night. “It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

The plan proposes that areas of Ukraine’s Donbas region still under Ukrainian control are ceded to Russia, that Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk are recognized as Russian territory by the United States and that Ukraine will reduce the number of troops in the region to 600,000.

Perhaps most controversially, the proposals also calls for Russia “to be reintegrated into the global economy” and be invited to rejoin the G8, an international forum for leaders of the world’s eight most industrialized nations.

The United States and Ukraine have announced a revised framework for ending the Russia-Ukraine war after an earlier proposal by Washington drew criticism for being too favourable to Moscow.

US and Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that they agreed that any deal to end Russia’s war should “fully uphold” Ukraine’s sovereignty as they unveiled an “updated and refined peace framework” that was scant on details.

“Both sides agreed the consultations were highly productive. The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps,” officials said in a joint statement following talks in Geneva, adding that the sides agreed on the need for a “sustainable and just peace”.

Washington and Kyiv also reiterated their readiness to keep working together to “secure a peace that ensures Ukraine’s security, stability, and reconstruction”, the joint statement said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier on Sunday said the sides had made “tremendous” progress during the talks, though their joint statement offered no specifics for resolving the many thorny points of contention between Moscow and Kyiv.

Rubio said negotiators had made some changes to US President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan, including around the role of NATO, to narrow the differences between the sides.

“I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable. We just need more time than what we have today. I honestly believe we’ll get there,” Rubio told reporters at the US mission in Geneva.

Rubio declined to go into specifics about the amendments to the draft proposal, including whether Kyiv had agreed to compromise on key Russian demands, such as territorial concessions.

“But I can tell you, I guess, that I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here because we made a tremendous amount of progress today,” Rubio said.

Rubio’s cautiously optimistic remarks came after Trump, who has given Ukraine until Thursday to accept his 28-point plan, had earlier accused Kyiv of being insufficiently grateful for his administration’s assistance.

“UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump posted on his social media site, Truth Social.

Shortly after Trump’s comments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he was grateful to the US and “personally to President Trump” for Washington’s assistance in repelling Moscow’s invasion.

Trump’s leaked blueprint for ending the war has caused consternation in Kyiv and European capitals due to its alignment with many of Moscow’s hardline demands, including that Ukraine limit the size of its military and give up Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk.

Zelenskyy said in a sombre national address last week that the plan put Ukraine in the position of having to choose between “losing dignity” or “losing a key partner”.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that any peace plan needed to respect Ukraine’s freedom to “choose its own destiny,” including to join the bloc.

“It starts with the country’s reconstruction, its integration into our Single Market and our defence industrial base, and ultimately, joining our Union,” von der Leyen said in a statement.

Asked whether a deal could be reached by Trump’s Thursday deadline, Rubio said “we want to get this done as soon as possible”.

“Obviously, we would love it to be Thursday,” he said.

Rubio said the peace plan was a “living, breathing document” and would continue to change.

The top US diplomat also said the deal would need to be presented to Moscow for its approval.

“Obviously, the Russians get a vote here,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Trump’s plan could form the basis for a final peace settlement, but warned that Moscow would advance further into Ukrainian territory if Kyiv refused to negotiate.

The wait is almost over as the second series of ITV’s Red Eye is set to begin very soon.

There’s good news for fans of the thrilling drama Red Eye as another season is fast approaching.

Last year, ITV viewers were on the edge of their seats as they watched Richard Armitage take on the role of Dr Matthew Nolan, who was being escorted back to Beijing by DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi) for a crime he didn’t commit.

However, their journey wasn’t smooth sailing as Hana found herself embroiled in an escalating conspiracy, along with a growing number of murders.

As the show came to a dramatic end, fans were eager to see the series return, which ITV announced back in May this year.

Although Richard Armitage won’t be back in action, Red Eye is welcoming another well-known face to the explosive thriller, Line of Duty star Martin Compston.

Martin said of joining the show: “I had a blast making it! I had big shoes to fill, literally with the size of Richard! He did such a wonderful job, leading with Jing in the first series.

“It’s great to come onto a job when you know there’s nice pressure on it because the first season was such a success, so well done, so well received.

“Your job is to help take it to the next level. It was a lovely pressure to have and a lovely returning team; the crew were all brilliant. It was great, we had a lot of fun.

Speaking about the series, Martin teased that it gets ‘more outlandish’ and ‘more wild’ as the episodes progress, although he was tight-lipped on what people can expect to see.

Praising his co-stars, the actor added: “People want to be entertained, it was great fun and getting to work with Jing, she’s so proud of the show and so committed to it.

“She’s really protective of it and she’s surrounded by a wonderful cast, Jem (Jemma Moore) and all these actors.

“She won’t thank me for saying it but Lesley (Sharp) is British acting royalty. So getting to share some screen time with her was really appealing.”

Also joining Martin on the second series of Red Eye will be Isaura Barbe-Brown, Nicholas Rowe, Danusia Samal, Trevor White and Guy Williams.

Speaking about the show’s return, Jing commented: “I’m incredibly excited to return to the world of Red Eye, and thrilled to be sharing this rollercoaster with the brilliant Martin Compston.”

It’s not yet known when the second series will air on ITV.

Here are the key events from day 1,369 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here’s where things stand on Monday, November 24.

Trump’s plan

• United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Geneva that “a tremendous amount of progress” was made during talks in the Swiss city on Sunday and that he was “very optimistic” that an agreement could be reached in “a very reasonable period of time, very soon”.
• Rubio also said that specific areas still being worked on from a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, championed by US President Donald Trump, included the role of NATO and security guarantees for Ukraine.
• Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s delegation, echoed Rubio’s sentiments, telling reporters that they made “very good progress” and were “moving forward to the just and lasting peace Ukrainian people deserve”.
• Trump had earlier posted on Truth Social saying that Ukraine was not grateful for US efforts. “UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump wrote.
• The US president’s post prompted a quick reply from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who wrote on X that his country was “grateful to the United States … and personally to President Trump” for the assistance that has been “saving Ukrainian lives”.
• Zelenskyy later said in his nightly video address that Trump’s team in Geneva was “hearing us [Ukraine]” and that talks were expected to continue into the night with “further reports” to come.
• US media outlet CBS reported that Zelenskyy could visit the US this week for direct talks with Trump, but that it would depend on the outcome in Geneva.
• French President Emanuel Macron said the European Union (EU) should continue to provide financial support for Ukraine and that he remains confident in Zelenskyy’s ability to improve his country’s track record against corruption, adding that Kyiv’s path to EU membership would require rule of law reforms.
• Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused EU leaders of deliberately prolonging the war, which he claimed Ukraine has “no chance” of winning. He also described ongoing EU support for Kyiv in the conflict as “just crazy”.

Fighting

• A “massive” Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv killed four people and wounded 12 others on Sunday, according to local officials. The wounded included two children aged 11 and 12.
• The acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, said that the region experienced a “difficult day”, with repeated Russian drone and shelling attacks that killed a 42-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man, and wounded at least five people.
• A Russian shelling attack killed a 40-year-old man working in a field in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, the State Emergency Service wrote in a post on Telegram.
• The governor of Russia’s Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, said that a Ukrainian drone attack on the Shatura Power Station, a heat and power station ​120km (75 miles) east of the Kremlin, ignited a fire. The attack cut off heating to thousands of people, before it was later restored, Vorobyov said.
• Russia’s Federal Air Navigation Service also said temporary restrictions were in place at Moscow’s Vnukovo international airport after three Ukrainian drones headed for the capital were shot down.
• Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says an explosion on a Polish railway line that is a key route for aid deliveries to Ukraine, including weapons transfers, was an “unprecedented act of sabotage”, pledging to find those responsible.
• Oil prices fell as loading resumed at the key Russian export hub of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea after being suspended for two days following a Ukrainian attack.

Weapons

• Ukraine and France signed an agreement for Kyiv to buy up to 100 Rafale fighter jets over the next 10 years during a meeting between Zelenskyy and Macron in Paris.

AN AUSSIE superfan who lunged at Ariana Grande on the red carpet has been kicked out of Singapore and banned from returning to the country for life.

Johnson Wen, 26, was jailed for nine days for being a public nuisance and has now been officially “barred from re-entering Singapore”, the country’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority confirmed.

Wen sparked chaos at the Asian premiere of Wicked: For Good on 13 November when he shoved past photographers and charged straight at Grande as she arrived at Universal Studios Singapore.

Her co-star Cynthia Erivo immediately rushed in and physically wrestled him away.

The prankster has a history of disrupting concerts and celebrity appearances, including jumping on stage at Katy Perry’s Sydney concert in June.

Fans online accused Wen of re-traumatising Grande, who has spoken about suffering PTSD after the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, which killed 22 concertgoers and injured hundreds more.

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The court heard Wen had tried twice to force his way into the premiere.

After being removed the first time, he made a second attempt to jump the barricades before security pinned him to the ground.

He later posted bizarre videos thanking Grande “for letting him on the carpet” and declaring he was “free”, only to be arrested the next day.

Wen pleaded guilty to the public-nuisance charge.

Judge Christopher Goh said Wen was “attention seeking” and foolish to believe he wouldn’t face consequences.

Grande has not commented, but Erivo later told NBC she stepped in instinctively: “I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe … You never know with those things.”

Nov. 23 (UPI) — Police are searching for Morgan Geyser, one of two people convicted in the 2014 Wisconsin Slender Man stabbing, after Geyser cut off her Department of Corrections monitoring bracelet and walked out of a group home Saturday night, the Madison Police Department said.

Geyser was last seen at around 8 p.m. CST Saturday with an “adult acquaintance” in the area of Kroncke Dr., the same street where hte group home is located, police said.

Officers said her whereabouts are unknown. MPD was notified of her disappearance on Sunday morning, local media reported.

Police released recorded security footage with images of Geyser that was captured earlier this month, and requested the public’s assistance in finding her, requesting that they call 911 with any information.

MPD confirmed to MMTV in Madison that Geyser has been living at a local group home, which the Department of Health Services confirmed.

Geyser had previously lived at and previously lived at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh for several years before being transferred to the Madison facility.

Earlier this year, the state approved Geyser’s transfer to a group home in Sun Prairie, but the facility declined her admission in August.

Documents from the facility said that staff “could not provide the level of supervision that she required,” and “were not equipped to manage her needs.”

In 2014, Geyser, who was 12 at the time, and her accomplice, Anissa Weier stabbed their classmate, Payton Leutner, nearly 19 times in a near fatal attack as part of a plot based on the fictional character known as Slender Man.

With the first example of Boeing’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter for the U.S. Air Force now in production, a company official has highlighted how its prototyping effort allowed the program to move forward at a rapid pace. Winning the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program was “humbling,” said Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. He added that the fact that the F-47 is now in production is a testament to “the maturity of our design and pedigree coming off the prototype.”

Parker was speaking at a pre-show media roundtable ahead of the 2025 Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates that TWZ attended.

Parker described the NGAD award as “transformational” for Boeing and added that it’s “tracking well.”

In March, President Donald Trump personally announced that Boeing had been selected as the winner of the competition for the crewed fighter component of the Air Force’s broader NGAD initiative. The NGAD effort also includes the development of new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones, as well as advanced jet engines, weapons, electronic warfare suites, sensors, networking ecosystems, battle management capabilities, and more.

While the Air Force has said that it aims to have the F-47 make its first flight sometime in 2028, Parker was unwilling to talk more about this.

“I won’t even touch the first flight day the Air Force has put the date out there; I’m just going to stay away from all of that,” Parker said. “It’s all about execution, and that’s what is getting all of my attention. We’re in a good spot.”

The Air Force has said it plans to acquire at least 185 F-47s, which would be in line with the original vision of the aircraft as a successor to the F-22 Raptor, although that figure might change going forward. There has also been discussion of multiple versions to be built in incremental developmental cycles.

Parker underscored the importance of Boeing’s secretive Phantom Works, the company’s leading-edge design house that is modeled roughly on Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works, in moving the F-47 program forward.

“I put Phantom Works together as its own division last year, and so that’s playing out really, really well,” Parker explained.

The fact that the first aircraft is in production “is really kind of remarkable when you think about this award was only provided in March of this year,” Parker said.

Especially interesting was Parker’s reference to the “maturity” of the design, pointing to extensive testing not only in the digital realm but also involving a flying prototype.

We know that multiple secretive flying demonstrators helped pave the way for the F-47.

When Boeing secured the NGAD crewed fighter contract earlier this year, Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin released a statement saying that, “For the past five years, the X-planes for this aircraft have been quietly laying the foundation for the F-47 — flying hundreds of hours, testing cutting-edge concepts, and proving that we can push the envelope of technology with confidence.”

Back in 2023, unconfirmed reports emerged that at least three NGAD demonstrators were in existence. Certainly, there were separate examples from Boeing and Lockheed Martin. At least one demonstrator was flying as early as 2019, and another joined the NGAD program in 2022.

Details of these aircraft remain practically non-existent, but the Boeing prototype (or possibly prototypes) clearly played a key role in getting the F-47 program off to a rapid start.

The few details that we do know include those that have been provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which stated that both Boeing’s and Lockheed Martin’s X-planes flew “several hundred hours each” during the NGAD evaluation. 

Meanwhile, Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall went on the record to also stress that the demonstrators were entirely experimental demonstrator aircraft and not reflective of a production prototype for a “tactical design.”

Speaking in Dubai, Boeing’s Parker also put forward the case for the F-47 program being an exemplar for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s “arsenal of freedom,” his plan to totally overhaul the way the U.S. military buys weapons, with speed being at its core.

“Here you have an example with the F-47 where Boeing is building highly classified facilities in the billions of dollars of our own investment, before we actually won the contract: That is the very different definition of what the Secretary is asking for.”

Boeing previously made major investments to expand its operations in St. Louis, Missouri, to prepare for sixth-generation fighter production. This might include new fighters for the Air Force and Navy.

Parker also touched upon Boeing’s prospects for the Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based fighter competition. A rendering that the company recently released of its F/A-XX proposal has a number of similarities with previous renderings of the F-47, as you can read more about here.

Of the FA-XX, Parker said: “Still no decision has been made yet, but we are ready to go if it comes.”

As for those F-47 renderings, only two official ones have been released, and Air Force officials have said they do not necessarily fully reflect what the aircraft looks like in real life, for operational security purposes.

Otherwise, we know the F-47 is planned to have a combat radius in excess of 1,000 nautical miles and be able to reach speeds above Mach 2. Of course, it will also be very stealthy, with so-called next-generation all-aspect ‘broadband’ low-observability, including a significantly reduced infrared signature as well as a low radar cross-section. The new jet will also serve as a central node in controlling drones at the forward edges of combat.

While the pace of the program seems to be impressive, the pressure is certainly on to move faster as the USAF faces looming tactical airpower combat mass deficit and especially the startling pace of China’s own next generation tactical aircraft programs.

We will have to wait for further details, as well as firm confirmation of what the F-47 actually looks like. However, that wait shouldn’t be too long, with the Air Force anticipating a first flight before the end of 2028, and with Boeing officials confident that the program is moving forward at a pace.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com