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April 24 (Asia Today) — Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average briefly topped 60,000 for the first time Thursday, setting a record milestone as artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares led gains.

The index rose as high as 60,013 during morning trading, MarketWatch reported. But analysts said the rally was concentrated in a small group of high-priced technology shares, leaving the broader market less buoyant.

The Nikkei 225 is calculated as a price-weighted average of 225 stocks, meaning companies with higher share prices have a larger effect on the index. SoftBank Group, Advantest and Tokyo Electron were among the AI and semiconductor-related stocks that helped push the benchmark higher.

Foreign investors have focused on semiconductor-related companies because they are closely tied to the AI supply chain and offer clearer near-term earnings visibility, analysts said.

JPMorgan Chase reflected that optimism by raising its year-end Nikkei target to 70,000 from 61,000, citing the AI boom and a weaker yen, Reuters reported.

Still, the broader market has not risen at the same pace. The Topix index and the Yomiuri 333, an equal-weighted index, have not recovered to their late February highs. That suggests the latest rally is being driven more by large technology stocks than by broad-based market strength.

The Nikkei later gave up gains as investors took profits after the record intraday high. Some strategists said the rapid rise has raised concerns about overheating and could lead to a short-term correction.

Whether the rally can continue may depend on whether buying spreads beyond semiconductors to domestic demand, financial and manufacturing shares. If gains remain concentrated in a few high-priced stocks, the Nikkei could rise further while many investors and consumers feel little improvement in the broader economy.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260424010007785

Sir David Jason has opened up on the prospect of an Only Fools and Horses revival, saying ‘let’s go for it’

Television icon Sir David Jason has spoken candidly about a potential revival of Only Fools and Horses – but acknowledges there’s one significant obstacle to resurrecting the beloved sitcom.

The BBC programme ran for seven series and 16 Christmas specials between 1981 and 2003 and is frequently voted the UK’s greatest ever sitcom. Only Fools transformed Sir David and co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, who portrayed wheeler dealer brothers Derek and Rodney Trotter, into household names.

However, while there have been spin-offs in the subsequent 23 years, alongside a successful stage production, there hasn’t been a return to fresh TV episodes.

Sir David, 86, declared “let’s go for it” – but only if they “get a good script”. The actor believes this might prove somewhat problematic as the programme’s creator, John Sullivan, passed away in 2011. The Only Fools star described the scriptwriter as “a genius”.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “But the problem (with a TV revival) is that the man who created it is no longer with us. He wrote every episode and just happened to be a genius.

“I’m not so sure that we have a writer clever enough to take on his mantle. No one could write characters like he could. Providing we have a good script, let’s go for it!” reports the Express.

The Only Fools creator died in April 2011, six weeks after contracting viral pneumonia. Only Fools and Horses The Musical, penned by Paul Whitehouse and John Sullivan’s son Jim Sullivan, enjoyed a West End run spanning more than four years before concluding in April 2023. The programme centred on the Trotter brothers, market traders from working-class Peckham in south-east London, chronicling their schemes to strike it rich fast.

Sir David also shared his thoughts on cancel culture, as Only Fools and Horses repeats now feature trigger warnings. He revealed no one has criticised the programme to him directly.

The actor continued: “Not one person has ever complained about any show that I have done. No one has said they didn’t believe in it or didn’t enjoy it.”

Meanwhile, Sir David delivered a heartbreaking eight-word response after viewing a lost Only Fools scene.

The actor reunited with Tessa Peake-Jones, who portrayed his on-screen partner Raquel Turner. The duo filmed a new docuseries, Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive. The two-part programme featured the show’s stars watching previously unseen material from more than 10 classic episodes.

Grantchester actress Tessa has revealed that David made an emotional remark about the cast being “so young and so successful” while revisiting footage of himself and his co-stars.

Speaking on Lorraine, she shared: “David Jason was very, very poignant about it. There was one bit where he was like, ‘We were so young and so successful then.’ It’s quite depressing.”

April 24 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said Thursday that the Coupang regulatory dispute is affecting security consultations between South Korea and the United States, while stressing that Seoul is seeking to keep the corporate matter separate from alliance negotiations.

Wi made the remarks during a briefing at a local press center in Hanoi, where he accompanied President Lee Jae-myung on a state visit to Vietnam.

“The Coupang issue is a corporate issue,” Wi said. “But it is true that the Coupang issue is affecting security consultations between South Korea and the United States.”

His comments came after 54 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha, urging Seoul to end what they called discriminatory regulatory actions against U.S. companies, including Coupang.

Wi said South Korea has been discussing the matter with Washington and has argued that linking the Coupang issue to security talks is not desirable.

“Our position is that the Coupang matter should proceed according to legal procedures, while security negotiations should move forward as security negotiations,” Wi said.

He said delays in security consultations are “also true” and added that such delays do not help the broader alliance.

“We believe they should not be delayed and should resume promptly,” Wi said.

Wi said the security negotiations have their own structure and balance, and Seoul believes they can proceed separately from the corporate dispute.

He also said Seoul has reviewed the letter from U.S. lawmakers and has contacted relevant members of Congress to explain the government’s position.

“We are making efforts to provide explanations and understanding,” Wi said. “There were letters before this as well, and we explained those matters too.”

South Korea’s foreign ministry said Thursday that investigations and measures involving Coupang are being conducted under domestic law and due process, without discrimination based on nationality.

Wi said Seoul will continue efforts to explain its position but acknowledged that U.S. lawmakers may express concerns about American companies.

“Whether that issue is connected to security consultations is another matter,” Wi said. “We are trying to respond to the two issues separately.”

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260424010007786

The U.S. Air Force has shared new details about how it will modify a subset of HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopters to perform the so-called Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) mission set. AFDW HH-60Ws will be tasked with ferrying VIPs around the nation’s capital, as well as supporting continuity of government plans. In the latter role, the Jolly Green IIs will be poised to spirit senior U.S. officials and lawmakers to safety at a moment’s notice to ensure the federal government can continue to function even in the event of an attack or a similarly serious contingency. HH-60Ws were just in the news recently in relation to their primary CSAR mission, having taken part in efforts to rescue the crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down in Iran.

The Air Force currently uses a fleet of aging UH-1N Twin Huey helicopters based at Andrews Air Force Base (technically now part of Joint Base Andrews) to perform AFDW missions. The service had initially planned to replace them with new MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, but revealed last year it was considering using HH-60Ws for this role instead. The Air Force’s proposed budget for the 2027 Fiscal Year, which was rolled out earlier this week, confirms that it is officially moving ahead with plans to supplant the UH-1Ns at Andrews with Jolly Green IIs. The service is still procuring and fielding MH-139s, primarily to help provide security around Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos.

“26 HH-60Ws will replace the UH-1Ns at Air Force District Washington (AFDW) to execute continuity of operations / continuity of government missions in the National Capital Region,” according to the Air Force budget documents. The term National Capital Region (NCR) refers to a larger area that surrounds Washington, D.C., proper.

The baseline HH-60W is a member of the extended H-60/S-70 Black Hawk family produced by Sikorsky, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. The Jolly Green II has a number of distinct features in line with its primary CSAR mission, including a nose-mounted radar, an in-flight refueling probe, and a main cabin with a configuration optimized for the recovery of personnel, including individuals who may be injured. It also has provisions for mounted machine guns for self-defense, as well as launchers for decoy flares and chaff. The first HH-60Ws began entering Air Force service in 2022.

Up close with the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter at Nellis AFB for The War Zone.

The AFDW “modifications include possible removal of components including, but not limited to, the following: Rescue Team Seat, Isolated Personnel Litter, Gun System, Chaff/Flare Buckets, and Doors/Floor Armor,” per the Air Force’s latest budget request. “In addition, this effort may include, but not limited to, the following modifications to the baseline HH-60W: ARC 210 Gen 6 radios, Infrared Countermeasure (IRCM) system, and alternate seating arrangement.”

Mention here of an IRCM system is worth highlighting. The integration of a built-in infrared countermeasure system onto the HH-60W, in general, has been a particular point of interest for the Air Force for years now. Various IRCM system designs are available on the open market today, all of which are intended to provide added protection against heat-seeking anti-air missiles. For helicopters, these systems provide a particularly valuable extra layer of defense against threats posed by shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, also known as man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS).

Earlier this month, the Air Force put out a contracting notice seeking information from contractors about their capacity to integrate either the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system or the AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasure (DAIRCM) system onto the HH-60W fleet. CIRCM is a U.S. Army-managed system now being installed on the service’s UH-60 Black Hawks, as well as other helicopter types within that service. The U.S. Navy manages the DAIRCM program, with those systems being integrated on a variety of helicopters across the U.S. military, including MH-60S Seahawks and VH-60Ns, the latter of which serve in the “Marine One” presidential airlift role. Northrop Grumman and Leonardo DRS are the prime contractors for CIRCM and DAIRM, respectively.

Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM)

Leonardo DRS: IRCM Technology

As TWZ has pointed out in the past, it has also been curious that HH-60Ws did not come with an IRCM capability from the start, given the explicit dangers the helicopters have been expected to face when performing CSAR missions. The AN/AAQ-45 system was even previously integrated into the Air Force’s older HH-60G Pave Hawks, which the Jolly Green IIs are replacing.

The risks HH-60Ws face when performing their primary mission were put on full display during the recent rescue efforts in Iran following the F-15E shoot-down. Questions have been raised in the past about the continued utility of traditional helicopters like the Jolly Green II in the CSAR role, broadly speaking, especially in potential future high-end fights, such as one between the United States and China in the Pacific. Air Force officials have said previously that they have been exploring alternatives for retrieving downed aircrew from deep within contested environments, but details about what that might consist of have remained limited.

A separate Air Force contracting notice put out earlier this month also provides additional details about the planned AFDW cabin configuration for the HH-60W.

“The AF [Air Force] will remove several components from the baseline 60W to allow for the installation of passenger seats for AFDW. Seating is required for 11 passengers,” that notice explains. “Seating must meet applicable crash and safety requirements including emergency egress.”

The “reconfiguration of [the] interior layout to accommodate [the] seating” will also be done in a way that allows for “preserving critical CSAR equipment (rescue hoist, defensive weapons, medical stations)” that the helicopters will still need for their new role.

Just in terms of general speed, range, and payload capacity, the HH-60W will offer a major boost in capability over the UH-1Ns that perform AFDW missions today. The Jolly Green IIs also offer advantages in this regard over the smaller and lighter MH-139s.

In addition, the Air Force has not indicated any plans to eliminate the HH-60W’s aerial refueling capability as part of the AFDW modifications. Neither the UH-1N nor the MH-139 is capable of being refueled in flight.

Combat Rescue Helicopter Successfully Executes Major Test Milestone: Aerial Refueling

All of this could be particularly valuable during continuity of government taskings in the very busy and otherwise complex skies over the NCR. The airspace around Washington, D.C., is also the most densely defended and heavily monitored anywhere in the United States. This was all highlighted in the fatal mid-air collision involving an Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet in January 2025. The Black Hawk, assigned to a unit at Davison Army Airfield in Virginia, had been conducting a continuity of government training flight.

As TWZ wrote at the time:

The flights could come at any time, including in the dead of night, and, depending on the circumstances, might face a host of other complex environmental factors and other challenging conditions. Power outages could put additional emphasis on the need to use night vision goggles, which impose limits on situational awareness. Attacks involving nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons would prompt the need to wear other bulky protective gear. In the outright rush to evacuate key personnel, the airspace would be filled with large numbers of aircraft, as highlighted by large COG exercises the 12th Aviation Battalion regularly conducts involving dozens of its helicopters.

As is made clear here, Air Force HH-60Ws would not be the only helicopters zooming around the NCR during a continuity of government scenario, either. Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), best known for operating helicopters in the Marine One role, would also be involved. Helicopters belonging to the U.S. Park Police, as well as various other law enforcement and civilian agencies, would also have a role to play. You can read more about this here.

Military and police helicopters land at the US Capitol this evening.

As mentioned earlier, the AFDW mission set also includes performing more routine VIP airlift sorties on a daily basis.

There is a question of what modifying 26 HH-60Ws for the AFDW role might mean for the operational capacity of the rest of the CSAR-focused fleet. The Air Force’s 2027 Fiscal Year budget request does not show any plans to procure additional Jolly Green IIs to meet this new need in the nation’s capital. Years ago, the service already made the decision to scale back purchases of HH-60Ws, down from an original program of record for 113 of the helicopters. The total planned fleet size now looks to be 91, per the recently released budget documents. Without the acquisition of more Jolly Green IIs, this would mean that roughly 30 percent of the entire fleet is set to be re-roled away from the dedicated CSAR mission.

“It is more cost effective to modify previously procured HH-60Ws contained in back up inventory than to procure additional MH-139A aircraft,” an Air Force spokesperson had told Air & Space Forces Magazine last year when asked about the Air Force’s evolving plans for the AFDW mission set.

As it stands now, per the service’s latest budget request, the Air Force is looking to kick off formal development of the AFDW configuration for the HH-60W in Fiscal Year 2027, which begins on October 1 of this year. The goal is then to start refitting Jolly Green IIs for this role in the 2028 Fiscal Year.

Once modified, the specifically configured HH-60Ws will then begin taking over critical AFDW missions from the aging UH-1Ns at Andrews.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

OLIVIA Attwood and Pete Wicks hold hands as they wait for their table on a cosy date night. 

It’s the latest sign their romance is heating up after they secretly enjoyed a luxury mini break to Cannes earlier this month. 

Olivia, who was wearing a £2k leather jacket from Magda Butrym, and Pete were snapped by a fan at the Broadwick Hotel in London’s Soho on Friday evening. 

The fan said: “Everyone knows they’re dating now even though they’ve not confirmed it, but it was still surprising to see the PDA. 

“It goes beyond the hand on arm and hugging we’ve seen from them in public since the pics of them kissing first emerged.

“They just looked like a normal couple on date night, holding hands. 

daytime dramas

Fears for ITV’s Lorraine & Olivia Attwood as bosses ‘under pressure’

ALL LIVED UP

Olivia Attwood enjoys romantic dog walk with Pete Wicks after secret holiday

“It was really cute actually.”

Earlier in the day, Olivia and Pete looked equally loved up as they smoked a cigarette outside a London office.

The pair only had eyes for each other as they chatted happily together.

Olivia was dressed casually in a white tracksuit, as she enjoyed her new man’s company.

It comes after the new couple have just returned from a secret getaway to the South of France.

The pair, who were also spotted on a romantic dog walk, were seen collecting their luggage from the baggage carousel at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in the South of France on Sunday. 

Former Love Island star Olivia, and podcast co-host Pete flew Business Class on British Airways from London’s Heathrow to Nice. 

An onlooker said: “They were seen at the gate and they were very loved-up and cuddling each other. 

“They were trying to keep a low profile by wearing baseball caps. 

“They were kissing at the gate and couldn’t keep their hands off each other. 

“They were sitting in Business Class together. 

“At the luggage carousel they were cuddling and kissing and headed off together.” 

Olivia and Pete were spotted snogging just weeks after she revealed she had split from her long-term boyfriend Bradley Dack.

The Sun revealed earlier this week that they headed away together as any potential budding romance continues to heat up.

Olivia and Pete usually host their own Kiss FM radio show together on Sundays but were absent from the programme this week as they jetted off on their secret holiday.

The Sun revealed how the pair enjoyed a three-night break at the luxury Lily of the Valley hotel in St Tropez – costing £1,000 a night.

Eagle-eyed fans mused how they had spotted Pete’s trademark glasses on the table in one of Olivia’s social media pics from the trip

It led one fan to remark to The Sun: “It seems they tried to keep it all under wraps but seeing Pete’s glasses in the background of Olivia’s snaps appeared to give the game away.”

The Sun has contacted reps for Olivia and Pete for comment.

Sparks first began to fly between the pair at this year’s Brit Awards, according to insiders.

Having attended the ceremony together, Pete was spotted taking a pizza back up to a hotel room at 3am where he and Olivia were both staying.

Unrest reported in several locations around the country.

Ukraine’s Shahed-killing Antonov An-28 Cash twin-turboprop utility aircraft are now air-launching interceptor drones to provide another means of defeating their targets. This is among the latest developments in Ukraine’s battle against Russian long-range one-way attack drones, one that has seen each side introduce new technologies and countermeasures in what has become one of the fastest-moving aspects of the conflict.

⚡️The legendary civilian Ukrainian An-28, modified into a “Shahed hunter” with over 150 confirmed kills, has now been adapted to launch interceptor drones in flight. pic.twitter.com/aAv3by9gLA

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 23, 2026

The video of the An-28 armed with interceptor drones was apparently first published by Ukrainian pilot and volunteer Tymur Fatkullin, who has previously documented other extemporized aviation initiatives, including using the six-barrel Gatling-type M134 Minigun to blast Russian drones out of the air.

In this new iteration, the An-28 has underwing hardpoints mounting two types of Ukrainian-made interceptor drones, the SkyFall P1-Sun and the Merops AS-3 Surveyor. Earlier this month, we wrote about how the Merops drones have been effectively used by the U.S. military to counter Iranian Shahed attacks in the Middle East.

Alongside the video, Fatkullin provided the following account:

“Aircraft-launched P1-Sun interceptor against hostile Shaheds. This method has already proven effective in real combat conditions. We have also tested several other interceptor drones during training flights. You could call it a cheap air-to-air missile.”

Fatkullin also added that, at this point, the An-28 has additionally brought down 222 Russian drones using gun armament.

A passenger An-28 aircraft armed with miniguns is shooting down Russian drones over Ukraine, French TF1 got an inside. The crew consists of civilian volunteers who have already destroyed nearly 150 drones during air defense missions. #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/x1E921TPT2

— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 5, 2026

As we have previously reported, Ukraine has been successfully using several locally produced drones to counter Russian Shaheds for some time now.

Both the P1-Sun and the AS-3 Surveyor are small, relatively inexpensive drones built specifically to zip through the skies and intercept long-range one-way attack drones.

In the case of the P1-Sun, this uses a modular, 3D-printed airframe, can operate at altitudes up to 16,400 feet (5,000 meters), and reach speeds of up to 280 miles per hour (450 km/h). This is sufficient to intercept jet-powered drones such as the Russian Geran-3, under some circumstances.

Meanwhile, the AS-3 Surveyor is a somewhat more expensive and more capable option, intended for use against higher-end threats. These interceptors can operate autonomously or be remotely piloted and are equipped with onboard sensors for target tracking. The interceptor carries an explosive warhead and destroys targets either through a direct collision or a proximity detonation.

A video shows the AS-3 Surveyor during a live-fire demonstration in Poland in November 2025:

A new system to identify and take down Russian drones is deployed to NATO’s eastern flank

According to the U.S. Army, a single example of the Merops-made drone costs around $15,000, with the potential to reduce this to between $3,000 and $5,000 if production is scaled up. This compares with the estimated cost of between $30,000 and $50,000 for a Shahed. Provided the interceptor drones are effective, the economic case is a very compelling one.

Having interceptor drones launched from aircraft provides a number of advantages. The An-28 is able to bring the interceptor drone closer to the target and to use its own sensors to help locate these. As we have reported in the past, the An-28 crew initially relies on air traffic controllers to guide them to the area where drones are known to be flying. One of the crew is a ‘camera operator,’ monitoring a feed from an infrared camera. Members of the crew are also provided with night-vision goggles (NVGs) for spotting the mainly nocturnal drones.

The turboprop also offers significant loiter time for standing anti-drone patrols, which can be set up as a screen where they are most advantageous. At the same time, having the drone launched from the air reduces the response time. Launching from height gives the interceptor drone additional altitude and range.

There is also the benefit of having a choice of weapons (different types of drones, guns, and potentially also rockets) to respond to various drone threats.

Furthermore, the An-28’s short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability makes it ideal for operating in and out of shorter and more austere airstrips, of the kind that Ukraine makes extensive use of in the conflict with Russia.

This threat is only set to grow. Russia, as we have previously noted, now manufactures Shahed/Geran drones at the rate of 2,000 per month and has announced plans to nearly triple that.

Already, interceptor drones have established themselves as a much more cost-effective option compared to surface-to-air missile interceptors like the Patriot system, and even cheaper, less advanced missiles when it comes to countering Shahed-type drones. Although these drones lack the payload and range of high-end munitions, they can be deployed in large numbers, allowing them to cover broad areas. This, in turn, helps preserve the limited supply of more sophisticated interceptors and reverses the unfavorable cost dynamic between targets and defensive systems. Even so, such solutions are most effective when integrated into a layered defense, particularly for protecting high-value sites and critical infrastructure.

The small size of interceptor drones also makes them suitable for arming lighter aircraft, crewed and uncrewed. Ukraine already makes use of ‘mothership’ drones, while helicopters and even gun-armed Yakovlev Yak-52 prop trainers, also used to hunt drones, could potentially carry them under their wings. Already, light aircraft and helicopters are said to be responsible for downing between 10 and 12 percent of all drones claimed by Ukrainian air defenses of all kinds.

Inside the Cockpit of Ukraine’s Secretive Unit Hunting Russian Drones | WSJ News

It isn’t hard to see how this concept could be rapidly evolved and executed even more effectively and efficiently with better technology. For instance, having MQ-9 Reapers loaded with these drones and equipped with air-to-air radar would allow for a long-range, long-endurance picket aircraft of sorts. In the context of the war in the Middle East, parking these between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, could go a long way to stopping incoming Shahed-136 and other one-way attack drones at a tiny fraction of the cost of surface-to-air missiles.

Arming crewed aircraft with interceptor drones is the latest expression of Ukraine’s fast-developing counter-drone arsenal. If it proves successful, we will likely see its wider adoption. After all, anything that helps change the calculus for Ukraine in the drone war is likely to be enthusiastically adopted.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

An acclaimed ITV thriller is returning to screens this weekend, and fans will be delighted

ITV is set to air repeat episodes of a popular thriller this weekend, more than a year after it finished.

Four-part miniseries Playing Nice centres on two couples who learn that their now three-year-old sons were switched at birth.

Pete (James Norton) and Maddie Riley (Niamh Algar) must decide whether to keep the child they’ve brought up or swap to reclaim their biological son. The narrative quickly spirals from a custody battle into a perilous fight for control and survival, packed with numerous secrets and twists.

“Set against a sweeping Cornish landscape, two couples discover that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up, and face a horrifying dilemma: do they keep the sons they raised and loved, or reclaim their biological child? Living a waking nightmare, Pete and Maddie are jettisoned into the world of the other couple; Miles and Lucy,” reads the official synopsis, reports the Express.

It continues: “At first it seems all four are agreed on a solution, but it soon becomes clear that hidden motives are at play. How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child – or even each other? As Pete and Maddie are stretched to breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together.”

The series, adapted from the bestselling book of the same name by J.P. Delaney, also features Andor’s James McArdle and Downton Abbey’s Jessica Brown Findlay as the other couple, Miles and Lucy Lambert. World on Fire star Posy Sterling also appears.

Filming commenced in Cornwall in November 2023, with key locations including St Ives and Padstow, as well as Mawgan Porth beach and Park Head.

Playing Nice aired on ITV and streaming service ITVX in January 2025, swiftly becoming ITVX’s best-ever drama launch at the time of broadcast, as well as ITV1’s highest-rated new drama of 2025. Now the series is making a welcome return to screens, with the first two episodes airing on ITV3 from 11.50pm on Sunday (April 26) night. The final two instalments are then available to enjoy over on ITVX.

The series proved a resounding hit with both audiences and critics shortly after its release. It currently holds a 63% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with Digital Spy describing the drama as “the kind of show that will plague your mind in an infuriating, all-consuming, perfecting addictive way”.

Viewers have continued to heap praise on the series online, with one person writing on IMDb: “The acting and scenery are all round amazing. James Norton delivers another outstanding performance as a great actor. The storyline is strong and keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

Another enthusiast added: “A must watch, I loved this! Had me hooked from the start and it had me up till the wee small hours. Devoured it in three nights!! A brilliant 4 episode series. We watched the whole set in one viewing. We were on the edge of our seats.”

A third remarked: “Superb acting, gripping story – loved it,” while another fan similarly enthused: “This is compelling, uncomfortable viewing that pulls you in and gets you involved. This got my Spidey senses tingling from the beginning, and slowly ratcheted up the fear factor as the plot and the characters were revealed.”

A fifth viewer shared the same sentiment, adding: “Every episode had me on the egde of my seat and wanting to scream… I was completely captivated. This story really gripped me from start to finish.”

Playing Nice will air on ITV3 on Sunday, April 26, at 11.50pm

April 24 (Asia Today) — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday criticized an award-winning newspaper report on the Daejang-dong development scandal as a “tremendous fabrication” and called for the award to be canceled and the article corrected.

Lee made the remarks in a post on X after sharing an article about the Korean Newspaper Association giving the 2023 Korean Newspaper Award to the report.

“Would it not be proper, even now, to cancel and return the award, apologize and correct the report?” Lee wrote.

Lee said the award committee had cited the article for uncovering “powerful facts” in its coverage of the Daejang-dong issue.

“In reality, it was not fact-finding but a tremendous fabrication,” Lee said.

Lee accused the report of creating a link to him that he said did not exist in the Daejang-dong recordings.

“By reporting that ‘that person’ in the Daejang-dong recordings was Lee Jae-myung, even though that was not in the recordings, they caused the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate to lose the election and changed the history of the Republic of Korea,” Lee said.

Lee said the country had regressed as a result and that the public continued to suffer from the consequences.

“History must never again be changed by presidential election manipulation carried out by powerful institutions and the media,” Lee said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260424010007824

STRUTTING the red carpet at The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere, dazzling Anne Hathaway was like a different woman.

Gone was the so-called “in-authentic” air that critics once claimed she exuded, leading to her being branded “Hollywood’s most hated woman”.

Instead, more than a decade after the trolling began, 43-year-old Anne appeared determined to shake off her difficult reputation once and for all.

Not so long ago, it could be argued she was best known for snapping at interviewers, snubbing fans and even, it is claimed, rubbing some co-stars up the wrong way.

A campaign known as “Hathahate” had kicked off in 2011, when Anne was panned for her Oscars hosting performance with James Franco.

Two years later, as she picked up awards for playing Fantine in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Miserables, her acceptance speeches were widely dubbed overly dramatic and insincere.

The hate spiralled from there. But Anne, who wore a sexy, cutaway Versace gown to The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere, appeared to be launching a charm offensive as she flashed her Hollywood smile at the paparazzi in Leicester Square on Wednesday night.

Her shiny, orchestrated comeback was almost derailed this week when she was accused of “playing Muslim” by casually dropping “Inshallah” — the Arabic phrase for God Willing — into an interview.

The online hatemongers immediately went into overdrive.

In the viral interview with People magazine, Anne — who has been married to jewellery designer Adam Shulman since 2012 and has two sons with him — was asked about her plans for the future.

Without hesitation, she responded: “I want to have a long, healthy life. Inshallah, I hope so.”

While the phrase is widely used, Anne’s decision to say it has sparked debate.

One person questioned: “Is she playing Muslim now?”, while another moaned: “Anne Hathaway and her Inshallah clickbait make me not want to see Devil Wears Prada 2 and I had been looking forward to it.

“It’s not a religious thing. It’s the obvious clickbait as a marketing tactic. It’s insulting.”

As she signed autographs at the premiere in London this week, Anne was gifted a copy of the Qur’an, an Islamic religious text.

She replied: “Thank you so much. That’s very kind,” before moving on.

But insiders tell us that drama over her use of the word “Inshallah” is the last thing she would have wanted.

A source revealed: “Anne, like many people, uses that expression all the time and meant no offence.

“She has spent years stepping on eggshells and she just wants this press run to be smooth sailing without everyone hating her again.”

Anne’s every move has not always been so heavily scrutinised.

She has spent years stepping on eggshells and she just wants this press run to be smooth sailing without everyone hating her again

Source

Her breakthrough role as Mia Thermopolis in the 2001 Disney hit The Princess Diaries is still a fans’ favourite and later, she was revered by her peers following roles in the likes of Brokeback Mountain and The Devil Wears Prada.

But then the tide turned. In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2024, she revealed that she once Googled herself and the top article was titled, “Why does everyone hate Anne Hathaway?”.

She claimed the backlash affected her work, telling the magazine: “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online.”

According to an LA-based source who has worked with Anne in the past, interactions with her can be tricky, and her mood depends on whether people are in or out of her favour.

They said: “The thing with Annie is, if she likes you, you’re golden.

“If she doesn’t, you’ll know about it fast. A lot of people complain about her attitude. She often comes across as frosty because she is so focused on work and she can’t stand time-wasters.

“After all, there are not many Hollywood actresses who take their work so seriously they would shave all their hair off just a couple of months before their wedding, like she did for Les Miserables.

“When Annie is in that mode, the advice is usually to steer well clear.”

Anne was born in Brooklyn, New York, to stage actress mum Kate and lawyer father Gerald.

She says she knew she wanted to be a star aged three after watching Kate play Eva Peron in Evita.

By eight, Anne was obsessed with becoming an actress, further inspired by her mother playing Fantine in a US tour of Les Miserables — a role Anne later portrayed on the big screen.

She has previously told how she got an agent at 11 and landed her first major TV role at 16 in comedy drama Get Real.

Anne had starred in a string of movies before her 2011 Oscars debacle, which followed a plan to team her with co-host James Franco in a bid to pull in younger viewers.

‘Needed a break’

It backfired spectacularly and their lack of chemistry was widely mocked, as was Anne for having eight outfit changes.

Afterwards, Anne admitted she was “slightly manic and hyper-cheerleadery on-screen”.

Meanwhile, Franco, who stepped away from the spotlight after settling a $2.2million class action sexual misconduct lawsuit in 2021, said: “I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway.”

From then on, Anne’s reputation for being difficult grew.

Much of the criticism was ridiculous and unfounded.

Comic book fans even moaned when she was cast as Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises because they did not think she was sexy enough.

But other complaints seemed to hold more weight. In a 2012 interview, which resurfaced and went viral in 2024, journalist Kjersti Flaa called her “dismissive” for providing short, unenthusiastic answers during a Les Mis press day.

When asked, “Do you believe people loved more passionately back then?” and, “Do you remember your first crush?”, the star bluntly replied, “No”.

Anne followed up with an apology to Kjersti for being so curt, attributing her behaviour to personal circumstances.

The actress went on to win a slew of awards for her performance in Les Mis, including an Oscar, a Bafta and a Golden Globe. But her acceptance speeches were criticised for being too rehearsed or self-absorbed.

Following her Golden Globes victory, Anne said: “Thank you for this lovely blunt object that I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt.”

Later, she was accused by many on Twitter of putting on “The Anne Show”. Amid the fierce backlash, she stepped away from the public eye, and said in 2014: “My impression is that people needed a break from me.”

Curt answers

By 2022 the actress was back, in movie Armageddon Time, but was yet again called out online over a video of her refusing to pose for photos with fans as she left a Valentino fashion show.

Other clips included a red carpet chat in which Anne was asked what Vogue editor Anna Wintour — the inspiration for The Devil Wears Prada’s fictional magazine editor Miranda Priestly — had said about the movie.

The actress first appeared frosty as she retorted, “Why would I tell you?”, before laughing raucously.

When the interviewer pressed, “Because I’m a fan and I need to know”, Anne said, “I know, but you weren’t there”, followed by another cackle — leading to claims she was trying to pass her curt answers off as banter.

The original Devil Wears Prada was an overnight success when it was released in 2006, and saw fans obsessed with Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly — the editor of fictional magazine Runway.

The sequel centres on Miranda navigating the decline of traditional print media as she finds herself at odds with former assistant Emily Charlton, played by Emily Blunt, now a powerful executive at a luxury group controlling crucial advertising revenue.

I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway

James Franco

Andy Sachs, played by Anne, is a features editor who reunites with Miranda in an attempt to save Runway.

As the stars hit the red carpet on Wednesday night, Anne exuded a glow that bore no resemblance to her frosty past demeanour.

She smiled for fans and appeared gracious when stopping to chat to press on the red carpet — desperate to prove she was more darling than devil.

But as mixed reviews of the trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 flood in before the full movie even hits cinemas, has Anne done enough to silence the Hathahaters?

Maybe it’s better the devil you know

By Dulcie Pearce, The Sun’s film critic

IT’S been 20 years since they bitched, backstabbed and brought the house down in feisty fashion film The Devil Wears Prada.

During that time, the much-loved comedy has become a cultural reference, with the characters becoming household names.

But after two decades, has The Devil Wears Prada 2 lost its bite?

Well, one thing is for sure, the cast of Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci have clearly found the formula for time travel, as they all look younger than they did in 2006.

Taking to the very red carpet at the European premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday night, the foursome eradicated wrinkles and turned up their smile wattage to ultra.

They also, clearly, had to get on board with the film’s “partners” Diet Coke, with three-time Oscar-winner Streep’s outfit – red, white and black with a metallic sheen – looking like it was inspired by a can of the sugar-free pop.

Those attending were all given their own DC to sip on, too, and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that it’s the beverage of choice for characters throughout the film.

Audiences seeing early showings of the much-anticipated sequel also signed paperwork ensuring the film cannot be reviewed until a day and a half before it hits cinemas on Friday, May 1.

So no one is giving much away, with red carpet responses being, “It was so much fun” from Hathaway, and Streep saying: “This is a fun fashion movie. There’s a lot of music; there’s a lot of laughs.”

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that, as part of the excessive publicity campaign, Streep has joined forces with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who her character, Miranda Priestly, is based on.

The pair cosied up together on the cover of this month’s Vogue magazine, which is a huge contrast to the first film, which Wintour had nothing to do with.

So much so, designers and fashion figures were scared to be linked with the movie in case they offended her.

Streep recalls in the Vogue interview: “Everybody was afraid of Anna on the first one, so we couldn’t find any clothes.”

Fans fear the film has hung up its devil horns and slipped on some heavily branded wings.

Palestinians in central Gaza and the occupied West Bank have begun voting in municipal elections, the first local vote held since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Polling stations opened at 7am (04:00 GMT) on Saturday for 70,000 eligible voters in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah area – the first electoral exercise in the besieged enclave in 20 years.

The vote in a single city in Gaza is largely symbolic, with officials calling it a “pilot”. Deir el-Balah was selected because it is one of the few areas in Gaza not destroyed by Israeli forces.

Nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the occupied West Bank are also voting to determine the makeup of the local councils overseeing water, roads and electricity.

The elections come amid a tightly restricted political landscape and deep public disillusionment, as the Palestinian Authority (PA) seeks to project reform and legitimacy amid growing public frustration over corruption, political stagnation and the absence of national elections since 2006.

Most electoral lists are backed by President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement or independent candidates, with no official participation from Hamas, which controls parts of Gaza.

Linking the occupied West Bank and Gaza

With much of Gaza decimated by more than two years of war, the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission chose to hold its first vote in Deir el-Balah. It had to improvise because it was unable to conduct traditional voter registration.

“The main idea is to link the West Bank and Gaza politically as one system,” its spokesperson, Fareed Taamallah, said.

The commission has not coordinated directly with either Israel or Hamas ahead of the Deir el-Balah vote and has been unable to send materials like ballot papers, ballot boxes or ink into Gaza, he added.

Though Palestinian voter turnout has gradually decreased, it has been relatively high in past local elections by regional standards, according to commission figures, averaging between 50 and 60 percent.

Gaza’s first election in 20 years

Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006 and seized control of Gaza from the Fatah-led PA a year later.

It did not put forth candidates for Saturday, but polling from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research indicates it remains the most popular Palestinian faction in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Ramiz Alakbarov, the United Nations deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, called the elections “an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during an exceptionally challenging period”.

Hamas controls half of Gaza, which Israeli forces partially withdrew from last year, including Deir el-Balah, but the coastal enclave is preparing to transition to a new governance structure under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.

The plan established a Board of Peace composed of international envoys and a committee of unelected Palestinians, intended to operate under it.

Progress towards further phases, including disarming Hamas, reconstruction and a transfer of power, has stalled.

Electoral reform

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 90, signed a decree last year to overhaul the electoral system in line with some demands from Western donors.

The reforms allow voting for individuals rather than party lists (slates), lowering the eligibility age to run and raising quotas for female candidates.

In January, another Abbas decree required candidates to accept the programme of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the group that leads the PA. The programme calls for the recognition of Israel and renouncing armed struggle, in effect, sidelining Hamas and other factions.

The slates in major West Bank cities are dominated by Fatah, the faction that leads the PA, and independents, some with ties to other factions. It marks the first time in six local elections that no other faction has officially put forward its own slates.

In the occupied West Bank, the PA exercises limited autonomy, and local councils oversee services from rubbish collection to building permits.

Votes are being held in villages in Area C, which covers about 60 percent of the West Bank and remains under direct Israeli control. Full administrative control would have been handed to the PA according to the 1995 Oslo Accords.

Votes will also be held in municipalities that Israel’s military has occupied since it launched a ground invasion in the northern West Bank last year.

Campaign posters have been plastered across cities, though many – including Ramallah and Nablus – will not hold elections because too few candidates or slates registered.

The PA’s power has withered amid years without peace negotiations with Israel and the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Russia launched more than 600 drones and 47 missiles as it targeted eight regions in Dnpiro, authorities say.

Overnight Russian attacks in eight regions of Ukraine have killed at least five people and wounded 30 others, Ukrainian officials say.

The central Ukrainian city of Dnipro was hardest hit, with more than 20 people reported wounded, including a nine-year-old and two police officers, according to a Telegram statement from Ukraine’s National Police.

Two people died in the city of Nizhyn in the northern region of Chernihiv, while a one-year-old boy was among the wounded in Kharkiv region, police said.

A rescue operation was underway at a residential building in Dnipro, while emergency services worked in regions across Ukraine, including in Chernihiv, Odesa and Kharkiv.

Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin wrote on Telegram that one person was wounded in attacks on Sloviansk, and another in Kramatorsk. Six homes, five high-rises and buildings, including a post office and a church, also reported damage.

Ukraine’s Air Force tallied 619 Russian drones and 47 missiles launched during the attacks. Air defences shot down or suppressed 610 of them, it said.

“Russia’s tactics remain unchanged – attack drones, cruise missiles, and a significant number of ballistic missiles. Most targets are civilian infrastructure in cities,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X on Saturday, along with a video of emergency workers responding to shelled-out buildings.

The latest attacks came on the heels of the killings of a Ukrainian married couple, both aged 75, during a Russian strike on the port city of Odesa yesterday. Strikes also destroyed residential buildings and hit a foreign ship, Ukrainian authorities said.

The European Union this week approved a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy, banking and trade sectors. Discussions had previously stalled amid opposition from Hungary.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called on Friday for a new package of sanctions, telling reporters in Cyprus that the EU is “really pushing”.

Zelenskyy urged European leaders to expedite the process in light of the latest attacks.

“The pause caused by the blocking of the 20th package gave the aggressor additional time to adapt – it is important to counter this,” he added.

Jimmy Bullard took Adam Thomas to task over their I’m A Celebrity row, which he claims was a lot longer and much more expletive ridden than was aired

Jimmy Bullard ranted at Adam Thomas over their I’m A Celebrity spat during the live final last night.

In extraordinary live television, Jimmy had explained what really happened with the row between him and Adam over the Rancid Run trial. He said he had told everyone he planned to leave – after the trial was changed from collecting stars to staying in the competition.

He had said for his own reasons – thought to be his father’s health – he wanted to go home, but because of his contract, he would have to quit a certain way or he wouldn’t receive his full fee.

During an extraordinary moment last night, Jimmy said: “Listen, Adam and all of you can be upset with me and I absolutely threw him under the bus, I get it and I’ll wear that.

“But what I don’t stand on, is someone being abusive, aggressive and intimidating, I don’t stand on that.” He then asked Ant and Dec – who were hosting the show – to share their opinions.

“You [Ant and Dec] were there and you didn’t show any of that footage. You didn’t show any of the C-bombs, it’s a liberty,” Jimmy told them. Ant then argued back: “The reason we didn’t air the C-bomb is because that is unbroadcastable. I was there and I didn’t think it was intimidating. I was there Jim.”

David Haye then stepped in to back Jimmy over Adam, who was sat in front of him. Adam then stepped in to say: “Let the finalists speak,” as he was cheered on by the audience.

Adam then said: “I take full responsibility for my actions and yes emotions were definitely running high in that moment. I have nothing but love for Jimmy in that moment. I have apologised to Jimmy on numerous occasions and I do take everything that he is saying into account and the only thing I can do is apologise.

“That is not how I want to show myself off and I have never shown myself off like that before or after that. I do apologise Jimmy.”

David then said: “Funny way of showing it,” as Ant and Dec stopped him from speaking.

“I like to say how I see it, I like to keep it real and what I have seen is a lot of editing to make this poor guy [Adam] the victim so the people will support him,” David continued to say, as boos filled the audience, “We all had banter back and forth, a lot of it was cut out from their side. But I think it is time for the truth.”

Sinitta then stormed off stage as she told the audience: “Guys, you weren’t there, I was there and it was aggressive and abusive, we were shaking.” Gemma, who is a support for Adam, also walked off the stage.

“You can’t be aggressive, abusive and intimating, it doesn’t matter if Adam said sorry. I will not take you [Ant] saying it wasn’t aggressive, abusive and intimating, you can’t say that. Show it, let everyone watch it, let’s play it now!” Jimmy said.

Ant and Dec then closed things off, saying: “Right, let’s leave it there. We’ll agree to disagree Jim.”

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Ramallah, occupied West Bank – Hani Odeh has spent four and a half difficult years as mayor of Qusra, southeast of Nablus.

Surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements and outposts, the small Palestinian town of approximately 6,000 in the northern West Bank faces relentless settler attacks that left two residents killed last month.

Many are unable to access their agricultural fields as settlers repeatedly damage the village’s water pipes. But when his Palestinian neighbours go to the polls for municipal elections on Saturday, he will not be on the ballot.

“The resources are limited, the demands are many, there’s the settlers, the army – the problems don’t stop,” he says. “You can’t do anything for them. I’m exhausted. I just want to rest, honestly.”

Only three months ago, the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced that there would be local elections on April 25 for municipalities and village councils, the first such elections in nearly five years. There have been no national elections since 2006, keeping the Fatah-ruled PA in power in the West Bank more than 17 years after its initial mandate expired.

Odeh, who will be stepping down, doesn’t believe there is much point to the vote. “It won’t change the reality,” he says, pointing out that the gate to enter Qusra has been shut by the Israeli military for two years.

Meanwhile, the PA civil servants that Odeh relies on to run Qusra receive salaries of just 2,000 shekels ($670), a fraction of what they are owed, as Israel continues to withhold tax revenues earmarked for the Palestinians.

According to the Palestine Elections Commission, 5,131 candidates are competing across 90 municipal councils and 93 village councils on April 25, with nearly a third of the electorate between the ages of 18 and 30.

Across the West Bank, many agree with Odeh, and express doubts that these elections can move the needle on anything that actually matters.

‘Sense of futility’

In the days leading up to the vote in Ramallah, there have been no campaign posters hanging along the streets. That is because Ramallah – the city where the PA is headquartered – is not holding competitive elections this Saturday. Neither is Nablus, another major city in the West Bank.

Instead, both cities are being decided through a process known as acclamation, in which a single list of candidates is elected without a formal vote. Across the West Bank, 42 municipal councils and 155 village councils will be filled this way – a majority of local administrative authorities.

Historically used in small villages where extended families agreed on candidates, the process is now being applied in major cities that are PA strongholds – such as Ramallah and Nablus – where Fatah mobilisation has discouraged challengers.

“There is definitely a sense of futility in certain places,” says Zayne Abudaka, cofounder of the Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP), which regularly surveys Palestinian sentiments and views, “and I think that makes it easier for places to just not have an election.”

Fatima*, a businesswoman who runs an education centre in el-Bireh, says she hasn’t voted in an election since the last Palestinian national election 20 years ago – and she doesn’t plan to this time, either. “They will choose a new group of decisionmakers, and I believe they will do the same according to the old decisionmakers,” says Fatima. “We don’t see any difference between them. It is not fair.”

Sara Nasser, 26, a pharmacist who commutes to Ramallah for work from the village of Deir Qaddis, west of the city, says she has simply grown accustomed to elections not happening and will not vote. “It’s been since before I was aware that there were significant elections,” she says. “We’ve always lived like this.”

Some hopeful, others less so

Not everyone is so pessimistic. Iyad Hani, 20, works at a children’s store and is enthusiastic to vote for the first time in his life in el-Bireh. “Hopefully, the one coming is better than the one who left,” he says. “There should be construction in the town and fixing the streets – that’s the most important thing.”

Muhammad Bassem, who is a restaurant manager in Ramallah, is also showing up to the polls, optimistic for what change may bring. “It is the new faces that bring about change for the better – always for the better,” he says. “We want our country to be beautiful, clean and to offer plenty of comfortable employment opportunities, tourism and development.”

Others are not so sure. Amani, who is from Tulkarem but works in Ramallah as a receptionist, watches the campaigns play out on her phone, though she does not plan to vote. “Right now, they keep saying, ‘we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that,’” she says. “But I don’t know if any of it will actually yield results.”

The Tulkarem issues she is thinking of, such as inadequate waste management, no parks for children and roads in disrepair, fall squarely into the kinds of changes that local elections might have an impact on, she suggests. “I just hope that something genuinely new and positive comes out of this.”

‘There isn’t a credible setup’

Underlining the question of these specific elections is a broad disillusionment with the PA that colours nearly every conversation about Palestinian political life.

Fatima says she and her whole family are politically aligned with Fatah, the effective governing party of the PA. “We don’t hate Fatah,” she says. “We hate the decisions they are taking right now.” While she says her business has contracted 85 percent in recent years, the PA still charges her 16 percent VAT.

That same disillusionment extends even to the elections in small localities like Qusra, which Mayor Odeh calls “a family affair, not a political affair”.

“People have lost faith in the parties, lost faith in the [Palestinian] Authority, lost faith in the whole world,” he says, expecting low turnout on Saturday. While most candidates in Qusra are politically aligned with Fatah, Odeh says no candidates in Qusra’s election this Saturday are doing so officially. “If they run under political affiliations, no one will support them.”

According to the Palestine Elections Commission, 88 percent of those on the ballots this year are doing so as independent candidates.

While polling suggests roughly 70-80 percent of Palestinians distrust the PA as an institution, Obada Shtaya resists framing this simply as a PA problem, considering the PA’s hobbled finances and its shrinking autonomy in Areas A and B under Israeli occupation. Israel continues to expand settlements and military raids in the West Bank, and the PA has no power to respond, with the prospect of a Palestinian state increasingly distant.

“Pessimism, lack of hope, helplessness – it is beyond the classical distrust in the PA,” he says. “It is looking at the PA and potentially understanding that these people also don’t have much that they can do to help themselves.”

A new amendment to the local elections law, requiring all candidates to affirm their commitment to agreements signed by the PLO – widely understood as a measure to exclude Hamas and other opposition factions – now threatens to taint how people perceive these elections. “If you want to run, you need to pre-agree to things at the national level,” says Shtaya. “But this is about local service delivery. Why am I having to sign things that deal with agreements between the PA and Israel?”

Despite the many naysayers in this election, “Palestinians are thirsty for democracy,” says the pollster, including those in Gaza. What is missing is not the will, he says, but the proper architecture for it: elections announced years in advance, a functioning legislature, and accountability that extends beyond voting day.

“There isn’t a credible setup that shows people their vote makes a difference,” says Shtaya. Without that, sporadic elections take place at what he calls the surface level: real enough that some people show up, but shallow enough that not much changes underneath.

Soon to be relieved of his mayoral duties, Hani Odeh plans to open a toy shop and set up a house for himself. “Let people breathe,” he says. “We’re here. We’re not going anywhere.”

Africa has shown itself in the past week again as a continent of dramatic contrasts, in which moral leadership, political turmoil, and financial aspiration come into collision in a manner that would not only chart its own future but also that of the world. The continent is going through a time that is both precarious and radical, as the potent moral rhetoric of a papal visit gives way to an ever-worsening political persecution and systemic economic disparities.

A Moral Voice in a Fractured Continent

The visit of Pope Leo in some parts of Africa, such as Angola and Cameroon, has been one of the most intriguing this week. His message attracted crowds of more than 10,0000 people, and it was not only religious but also very political, declaring Africa a beautiful but wounded continent and demanding unity, justice, and an end to violence.

It is not only the size of the meetings but also the content of the message that is important. The Pope was outspoken in an attack on corruption, inequality, and exploitative governance systems—the problems that are at the core of most of the struggles in Africa today. His words about people being more important than corporate interests are well-received in a continent where natural resource wealth has not always translated into widespread prosperity.

This visit was, in a sense, a symbol of a greater fact: Africa is not merely economically or politically challenged; it is morally and structurally challenged. The unity cry in Angola, the nation that is yet to overcome the adverse effects of decades of civil war, is a symptom of the bigger continental necessity to mend the wounds of the past and deal with the inequalities of the present.

Political Tensions and Disappearance of Space of Dissent

As the moral pleas of unity reverberated in stadiums, political realities on the ground painted an even more disturbing scenario. The South African arrest of activist Kemi Seba is part of an increasing trend in some parts of Africa, where there is an increased crackdown on dissenting voices.

Seba, the anti-colonial and anti-Western rhetoricist and critic of Western influence, now risks extradition to Benin on charges of inciting rebellion. His detention highlights a broader conflict: the fight between state power and political activism in an area where the democratic institutions are not yet balanced.

This is not a one-time event. Governments all over the continent are striking a fine balance between ensuring stability and political expression. In other instances, this equilibrium is leaning towards control over being open, and this leaves one worrying about the future of democratic governance.

The consequences are not confined nationally. The political situation in Africa is a topic of keen interest to the rest of the world, not just due to its size and population but because it offers one of the final avenues of democratic growth in the 21st century. Political space is reduced here, causing ripples way beyond the continent.

Structural Gaps in Economic Promise

Africa is still a puzzle economically. On paper, the figures are encouraging. Recently, South Africa obtained the promise of billions of investments, which indicates a great interest of other countries in the areas of green energy, infrastructure, and digital development. But the facts speak otherwise. Of these promised investments, only around 42 percent have been translated into real economic activity—much less than world averages. This delivery gap is indicative of an ongoing problem: it is one thing to attract investment and another to implement it.

Simultaneously, the recent climate financing agreement of South Africa with Germany that provides hundreds of millions of euros of loans and green energy assistance reminds us about the increased role of the continent in the global climate plan. Africa is also being increasingly viewed not only as a beneficiary of aid but also as a prime actor in the shift to sustainable energy.

However, structural problems are quite rooted. The effectiveness of economic initiatives is still hampered by policy inconsistency, poor infrastructure, and governance issues. Even the most ambitious plans of investment have a chance of failing without these underlying problems being addressed.

The Overlooked Crisis: Environment and Illicit Economies

The other trend of importance this week has been the further increase in wildlife trafficking in Nigeria, even though the legislation has been taking measures to reduce it. A lack of complete legislation on wildlife protection has allowed the illegal trade to continue, with several seizures of endangered species over the past few months.

The problem is indicative of a larger problem: that of a nexus between environmental degradation and ineffective enforcement. Africa has one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, but it is rapidly being threatened by illegal trade, climate change, and the exploitation of resources.

The inability to adequately deal with such problems not only damages the ecosystems but also weakens the governance and the stability of the economy. In places where there is poor regulation, illegal economies flourish and, as a result, establish parallel economies that undermine state power and promote corruption.

Africa: Moment between Opportunity and Uncertainty

Collectively, what happened this last week shows a continent at a crossroads. On the one hand, there is an increasing international appreciation of the significance of Africa, be it in climate policy, economic investment, or geopolitical strategy. Conversely, internal threats persist to restrict its ability to exploit these opportunities to their full potential.

The message of unity and justice that the Pope is calling for is the spirit of this moment. Africa is not poor in resources, talent, and potential. The greater challenge it confronts is alignment itself, leadership and citizens, economic growth and social equity, and global engagement and local realities.

Conclusion: A Turning Point, Not a Passing Moment

The events of this week do not represent one-off headlines, but they are evidence of larger trends that are defining the future of Africa. The continent is not just responding to the global events—it is steadily becoming one of the main arenas where the global issues are acted out.

The doubt now arises whether Africa will be able to utilize this moment of attention to become a changed continent. Will investment be translated into development? Will politics become more open? Do ethical demands of cohesion result in practical change?

The responses are unclear. Nevertheless, there is one thing that is clear: Africa is never at the periphery of world affairs any longer. It is here in the center, and what occurs here during times of this kind will make the continent and indeed the world.

The best coming-of-age stories derive their power from being endings as much as beginnings. There’s often a clarifying, poignant harshness in the losses they depict. That applies — with sobering grace — to the memory ballad “Amrum,” set on Germany’s titular North Sea island in 1945, when the winds of a world war’s conclusion blow into a 12-year-old boy’s life with unexpected consequences.

The movie bears a curious credit: “A Hark Bohm film by Fatih Akin.” Bohm, who died last year at 86, was a highly respected film writer, actor and academic, a veteran of Germany’s New Wave. Realizing he’d be unable to direct his fictionalized childhood remembrance, he entrusted it to his mentee Akin, the firebrand behind modern German classics such as “Head-On” and “In the Fade.” The project became, according to Akin, like “adopting a child.”

In story terms, that child, a stand-in for Bohm himself, is wide-eyed, sensitive Nanning (well-cast newcomer Jasper Billerbeck), who works in the potato fields of local farmer Tessa (Diane Kruger, in a small but key role). At home, he has a pregnant mother, Hille (Laura Tonke), aunt Ena (Lisa Hagmeister) and two younger siblings, but not the high-ranking Nazi officer patriarch who relocated them from bombed-out Hamburg to an ancestral house on this tiny, beachy outpost. Pejoratively dubbed a mainlander by even the friendliest neighbors and generally viewed with suspicion for his family’s Nazi ties, Nanning is assured by his ideology-soaked mom that their roots, their “bloodline,” make them real Amlumers.

The boy’s first real lesson in the shifting sands comes when, at dinner, he remarks that the war will soon be over, intending it as good news — Dad could come home. Yet his mother reacts as if he’d sided with the enemy by wishing defeat. Later, with the news of Hitler’s demise, she sinks into a depression, refusing food unless it’s white bread, butter and honey, all in scarce supply. So Nanning sets out to secure her the necessary ingredients, as if the fabric of his world depends on it.

What follows is a tightly told fable-like journey built around the war-battered realities of survival when everyone’s tired, hungry and irritated. There are brutal truths in store for Nanning about what his family represents. It’s an evolving boyhood, framed with unshowy elegance by cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub against the island’s flat, grassy, weather-rich horizons. “Amrum” avoids the sentimentality baked into so many childhood-during-wartime stories. Akin, as if inspired by the unfussy youthfulness that marked Italian neorealism and the New Waves in both France and Iran (there are shout-outs to “Bicycle Thieves” and “The 400 Blows”), zeroes in on the steady accumulation of detail rather than the trappings of cuteness or melodrama.

That measured approach, exemplified in star Billerbeck’s arresting simplicity and the many fine supporting turns around him, allows us to clock Nanning’s growing awareness of what matters to others, what’s impossible to ignore and how to interpret an unjust world that’s still full of beauty and kindness if you know where to look. Which, of course, includes inside himself.

Near the end, “Amrum” serves up a wonderfully understated moment: Nanning is invited to celebrate the war’s end with a small group of dancing, drinking islanders. He hangs back, though, as if not quite ready to choose their joyous relief over obediently tending to his broken family. But you can see this dutiful son’s wish to be one of them. For all of us wondering when an ugly time will fade, the moment will resonate like a cautious, dawning hope.

The Los Angeles Lakers, fuelled by 29 points from LeBron James, beat the Houston Rockets 112-108 in an overtime thriller to take a 3-0 stranglehold in their NBA playoff series.

James, the 41-year-old superstar playing in his 19th postseason, came up with a steal and a game-tying three-pointer with 13.6 seconds left in regulation on Friday.

He could not get a potential game-winner to drop at the buzzer, but added a steal and a block in a frantic overtime as the Lakers pushed the Rockets to the brink of elimination in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.

No NBA team has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series.

“Just trying to seize the opportunity,” James, who added 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals, told broadcaster Prime. “My guys trust me to try to make plays and I’m blessed to be able to do it.”

The Lakers will have a chance to close out the series in Houston on Sunday. It is not a position many expected them to be in with league-leading scorer Luka Doncic sidelined by a hamstring strain and key offensive contributor Austin Reaves out with an oblique injury.

The young Rockets, with veteran star Kevin Durant sidelined by a sprained ankle, were led by Alperen Sengun’s 33 points and 16 rebounds.

They rallied from an early 15-point deficit and led by six with fewer than 30 seconds left in regulation.

But their mistakes caught up with them. A Houston turnover was followed by a foul on Marcus Smart as he attempted a three-pointer.

Smart made all three free throws to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 101-98 and set the stage for James’s game-tying basket.

Sengun missed a potential go-ahead basket before James was off-target from beyond the arc and they went to overtime, Smart scoring eight of his 21 points in the extra session as the Lakers pulled away.

Celtics hold off 76ers

Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 25 points apiece to lead the Celtics to a hard-fought 108-100 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference series.

The Sixers had grabbed game two in Boston to knot the series at one game apiece.

In a game that neither team led by more than 10 points, the Celtics took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Tyrese Maxey’s three-pointer briefly put the Sixers up 85-84 with 8:42 remaining, and Philadelphia were within one when Tatum drilled a three-pointer that pushed Boston’s lead to 100-96 with 1:57 left to play.

Payton Pritchard added another three-pointer with the shot-clock winding down before Tatum – who missed most of the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs – drained a dagger trey that sealed it for Boston.

“We just were resilient,” Tatum told broadcaster Prime. “We stuck with it. It’s a game of runs – good team and just, you’ve got to answer.”

Maxey scored 31 points to lead the Sixers. Paul George added 18 and rookie VJ Edgecombe added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Sixers star Joel Embiid, still recovering from an emergency appendectomy earlier this month, was ruled out shortly before the game.

“He’s just not ready,” said Sixers coach Nick Nurse, whose team will try to even the series when they host game four on Sunday.

Spurs beat Trail Blazers without Wembanyama

Stephon Castle had 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame the absence of Victor Wembanyama to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-108 on Friday night for a 2-1 series lead.

Dylan Harper added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who trailed by 15 points in the third quarter. Game 4 of the first-round series will be on Sunday at the Moda Center.

Before the game, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson announced that Wembanyama would not play while he continues to recover from a concussion he sustained in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Jrue Holiday had 29 points for the Trail Blazers, who were making their first home playoff appearance since 2021, but could not ultimately take advantage of Wembanyama’s absence.

Portland led 82-67 in the third quarter but the Spurs clawed back with a 21-5 run to take an 88-87 lead into the final period. Castle’s step-back jumper and a pair of free throws gave the Spurs a 105-95 lead midway through the fourth and the Trail Blazers collapsed.

Wembanyama – the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award – went down in the second quarter of the Spurs’ 106-103 Game 2 loss in San Antonio.

Johnson would not elaborate on Wembanyama’s condition, only to say he was progressing. He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season. His status for Sunday’s game was not known.

Luke Kornet started against the Trail Blazers as Wembanyama watched from the bench, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Portland went on a 15-2 run in the first half to go up 50-43 and led 65-59 at the break after Jerami Grant’s 3-pointer.

In the final moments of the half, Fox was handed an offensive foul when he charged towards the basket and elbowed Deni Avdija in the face. Johnson challenged the call and it was overturned to a defensive foul on Avdija, who had chipped a tooth but kept playing.