More than a dozen TV shows were awarded production incentives for filming in California, including several that are relocating from other states, such as action series “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and a reboot of “Baywatch.”
Together, the 17 series are expected to generate $1.2 billion in economic activity for the state. The shows are estimated to employ a collective 5,165 cast and crew members, as well as more than 35,000 background actors.
In total, the shows were awarded about $313 million in tax credits, with season 3 of the post-apocalyptic series “Fallout” receiving the largest credit ($166 million). “Baywatch,” which relocated from Hawaii, was awarded a credit of $21 million, while “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” returning from New York and Italy, was allocated nearly $80 million. The Netflix show “Forever” got nearly $63 million.
These shows are the second round of TV projects to receive incentive awards under the state’s revamped film and television tax credit program. Approved by state legislators and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year, the new program now has a cap of $750 million, up from $330 million.
Eligibility criteria was also expanded to allow more types of shows to apply.
The changes to the program came after intense lobbying from Hollywood unions, studios and other insiders amid an exodus of filming to other states and countries with more generous production incentives.
“California’s creative economy isn’t just part of who we are — it helps power this state forward,” Newsom said in a statement. “And when we make smart investments like our film tax credit, we’re keeping talent here at home, supporting good-paying union jobs, and strengthening an industry that defines the California brand.”
“Baywatch” executive producer and showrunner Matt Nix noted that the wildfires in January encouraged him to want to film in the Golden State. He said in a statement that the fires nearly destroyed his home, but that the “heroism of the first responders who fought to save our community” inspired him.
“Baywatch was born in Los Angeles,” Nix said. “I’m so glad we can bring it home again.”
Kenneth Bae, the Korean-American missionary who endured 735 days as a political prisoner in North Korea, is leading a renewed international effort to realize a unified Korean Peninsula. File Photo by Kim Hee-Chul/EPA
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (UPI) — Kenneth Bae, the Korean-American missionary who endured 735 days as a political prisoner in North Korea, is now leading a renewed international effort to realize a unified Korean Peninsula.
Bae, 57, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the longest-held American citizen in North Korea since the Korean War — an experience he now views as a mission to become a “voice for the voiceless” North Korean people.
Bae’s ordeal began in 2012 when he was arrested while leading his 18th “Love DPRK Tour” group. He was charged with “conspiracy to overthrow the state” and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He became the first U.S. citizen to be confined to a North Korean kyohwaso, or re-education camp.
“The ultimate charge was that I had tried to overthrow the North Korean regime through prayer and worship,” Bae said in an interview. His unintentional mistake was bringing an external hard drive containing a documentary that showed the suffering of ordinary North Koreans, which became evidence for the regime’s accusations.
Before his arrest, the “Love DPRK Tour” was focused less on proselytizing and more on cultural exchange and prayer for the land. Bae took some 300 people from 17 countries over two years to engage in activities like making kimchi, learning traditional dance and simply “walking the land” while praying for the North Korean people.
He was released in 2014 after a high-level diplomatic intervention led by then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, an event that highlighted his strong, enduring ties to Washington policymakers.
New focus: from defector aid to unification
After his release, Bae initially established the Nehemiah Global Initiative in South Korea, primarily focusing on aiding North Korean defectors with settlement, education and even the financial support needed to rescue family members from third countries. Over eight years, NGI provided English education to about 800 young defectors.
In 2022, he rebranded the organization as the New Korea Foundation International, signaling a critical shift in focus. While support for defectors continues, the core mission is now actively preparing for reunification and the reconstruction of North Korea.
“Reunification is not an option; it is a necessity and a mission for our people,” Bae said, emphasizing the stark difference between his two years of captivity and the seven decades the North Korean populace has lived without freedom.
He insists on a South Korea-led unification that is welcomed by North Korean citizens and supported by the international community. He stresses that the true “target of unification” is the North Korean populace, not the Pyongyang regime.
Mobilizing global support: the “One Korea” campaign
The foundation launched the New Korea Unification Campaign under the slogan, “One State, One Nation, One Future, One Korea.” The campaign is a comprehensive, multi-faceted effort to build global consensus for a free and democratic unified Korea.
The campaign offers three primary ways to participate: sign, give and serve.
• It urges global citizens to join the Signature Campaign (Petition movement) to showcase worldwide support and to join the Nehemiah Prayer Pledge.
This prayer movement, originally launched by Bae’s founding organization, the Nehemiah Global Initiative, already has garnered 6,500 signatures from 75 countries to pray for the people of North Korea and for unification.
• The New Korea Gospel Broadcast is a cornerstone project, a planned U.S.-based AM Christian broadcast intended to reach North Koreans with information about the outside world and the Christian Gospel.
Recognizing the challenges and interruptions faced by official broadcasts like the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, this private-sector effort aims to maintain a vital source of outside information.
The broadcast will share “letters of hope,” directly inspired by the hundreds of letters Bae received while imprisoned. To fund this critical initiative, the foundation is seeking 1,000 people to contribute $20 per month.
• Other core campaign projects include Raising the Reunification Reconstruction Fund to support relief for refugees, the Human Rights Advocacy Movement and the Nehemiah Scholarship for defectors.
Urgency of the three-year window
Bae views the current geopolitical climate as critical, warning against the danger of the peninsula’s division becoming permanent through the “Two States” theory. He believes that if the two-state narrative is allowed to solidify, it would be a moral “betrayal” of the North Korean people.
He strongly urges the younger generation in South Korea to reject the notion that unification is a financial burden, arguing instead that North Korea is a “land of opportunity.”
“With its natural resources and a combined population exceeding 80 million, a unified Korea would become a powerful and prosperous nation,” he asserted.
He sees the next three years as a crucial window to prevent the permanent entrenchment of the division. Bae is actively appealing to U.S. leaders and policymakers for their support of the Unification Campaign, emphasizing his strong personal connections to American officials and his belief that global consensus is paramount.
Bae believes that by focusing on creating interest, knowing the situation and action, the Korean people and the international community can ensure the path to a single, free Korea remains open.
For more information on the New Korea Unification Campaign, visit the New Korea Foundation International website: newkoreafi.org.
A 15-year-old Palestinian boy was shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank and was not given medical attention, leading to his death. He is among dozens of children who have been targeted and killed by Israeli troops in the occupied territories.
A Coronation Street favourite has addressed his shock exit from the ITV soap after it emerged his final scenes had already aired without an announcement from show bosses
Mitya Underwood Senior Celebrity & Royal Writer
15:46, 20 Nov 2025
Actor Jack Carroll has spoken about his low-key exit from the ITV soap
In June, viewers learned the character had left Weatherfield for good during a conversation with Lauren Bolton and Betsy Swain. Despite speculation that Jack wasn’t going to return to set, confirmation of the low-key departure left some viewers shocked, and the actor has now revealed how he feels about the way it went down.
As well as saying he was “grateful” that Bobby wasn’t permanently killed off, the former Britain’s Got Talent star explained that he was actually happy to leave without any drama or scandal.
“That seems to be the trend in the way that they do exits now, it’s a bit more low key because it gives everybody a bit more flexibility if you need to arrange some pieces of the jigsaw in the future,” he told The Sun.
In June, a source told The Mirror that “the time has come” for Bobby to bid farewell, adding, “Actor Jack enjoyed his time on the soap, but it’s time to move on. Viewers won’t see the character exit the street as he’s already left, with Jack filming his final scenes some time ago.”
Bradford-born Jack first found fame as a comedian when he appeared on the seventh series of Britain’s Got Talent at 14, finishing up in second place.
Elaborating on his exit after 18 months, Jack, who has cerebral palsy, said he was excited to return to his comedy routes and put the spotlight back on disability in a positive manner.
He also praised the Coronation Street writers for “distilling down” the essence of his stand-up persona when he filmed his early scenes, adding: “That’s probably a good primer on what to expect as well, if you come and see me on the tour.”
Given his character is alive and well and was spared a gruesome end on the show, Jack also said he wouldn’t rule out a return, and said he was grateful that any future decisions hadn’t been taken off the table completely.
He added that the “circumstances would have to be right” and he couldn’t imagine a reason why he’d say no if the opportunity to step back onto the cobbles arose.
Kanu’s Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wants a swathe of the southeast, the homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, to split from Nigeria.
Published On 20 Nov 202520 Nov 2025
Share
A Nigerian court has convicted separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu on charges related to “terrorism” after a years-long trial.
In his ruling on Thursday, Nigerian Judge James Omotosho said prosecutors proved that Kanu’s broadcasts and orders to his now-banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group incited deadly attacks on security forces and citizens in the southeast.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
The violence was part of his push for an independent Biafra state for the ethnic Igbo-dominated region.
“His intention was quite clear, as he believed in violence. These threats of violence were nothing but terrorist acts,” Omotosho said.
Kanu, who has been in custody since his controversial re-arrest in Kenya in 2021, shouted angrily in objection to the proceedings and was ejected from court ahead of the ruling. He had argued that his unlawful extradition from Kenya undermined any chance of a fair trial.
Kanu pleaded not guilty in 2021 to seven charges that included “terrorism”, treason and perpetuating falsehoods against Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Kanu was first arrested in 2015, but fled the country while on bail. His social media posts during his absence and his Radio Biafra broadcasts outraged the government, which said they encouraged attacks on security forces.
Ultimately, security agents brought Kanu to court in Abuja in June 2021 after detaining him in Kenya, where his lawyer alleged he was mistreated. Kenya has denied involvement.
In October 2021, Kanu’s lawyers argued that his statements on Radio Biafra shouldn’t be admissible in a Nigerian court since they were made in London.
“I can’t see how someone would make a statement in London and it becomes a triable offence in this country,” Kanu’s lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor told reporters at the time.
Kanu, a dual Nigerian-British citizen, started Radio Biafra – an obscure, London-based radio station – in 2009 after he left Nigeria to study economics and politics at the London Metropolitan University.
In one broadcast, Kanu said: “We have one thing in common, all of us that believe in Biafra, one thing we have in common, a pathological hatred for Nigeria. I cannot begin to put into words how much I hate Nigeria.”
IPOB wants a swathe of the southeast, the homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, to split from Nigeria. An attempt to secede in 1967 as the Republic of Biafra triggered a three-year civil war that killed more than one million people.
Almost a million young people are still out of work, education or training, new data suggests.
The number of so-called Neets – those aged 16-24 who are unemployed or economically inactive in the UK – had fallen slightly to 946,000 between July and September, down from 948,000 in the three months before, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This latest figure equates to one in eight young people.
Announcing a scheme to help young people get access to paid work, education, and apprenticeships, the government said Neet numbers had been “Far too high for too long”.
The numbers of young people who are Neet have been consistently above 900,000 since early 2024 and reached an 11 year high of 987,000 earlier this year.
Young people not in employment can be unemployed – which means they are actively seeking work – or defined as economically inactive – meaning they are not seeking work.
The majority of young people (580,000) who are Neet fall into the economically inactive category, compared to 366,000 who are unemployed.
A rise in long-term sickness among young people has been one of the main causes of economic inactivity over the past three years, according to research by the Youth Futures Foundation.
Nathan wants to find a stable job and eventually open his own business
Nathan, 21, is currently Neet and is on a six-week employability course in Leeds, run by The Spear Programme, a charity that supports young people across the country by giving coaching them in communication and interview skills.
Working with the charity has helped build his confidence in job interviews, Nathan told the BBC.
“I’ve gone into a good few interviews now, not knowing what to say,” he added.
“They [The Spear Programme] help you build your confidence going into interviews, so that you are speaking clearly with a meaning of why you’re there.”
Around half of the charity’s referrals come from the job centre, and all the young people on the course have at least three barriers to work, which could include having been in care, having fewer than five GCSEs or mental health challenges.
Nathan was excluded from five schools as a child, but now he wants to move on and build a future.
“You don’t realise between 16 to 21, those ages are when you have to start thinking about what you want to do with your life. The school years matter,” he said.
Nathan’s dream is to open his own gym business, and he wants a stable job to help him achieve that. Businesses should do more to take chances on young people, he said.
Historically, more women than men have been Neet, but in recent years that trend has reversed.
In July to September 2025, an estimated 512,000 of all male 16-24-year-olds were Neet, compared with 434,000 of young women.
In 2023, almost one out of every five (19.5%) young people who were Neet had a mental health condition, according to the Department for Education.
Megan Williams runs a charity which helps young people with skills coaching
Megan Williams runs the Spear Programme and has worked with Neets for 20 years. She says the charity is seeing increasing numbers of young people who are struggling with their mental health and isolation.
“A lot of them are struggling to do day to day tasks like get out of bed, get washed, get dressed,” she said.
“Engaging with work and education feels very far away for a lot of them.”
But employers should take chances on people with less work experience or qualifications because “there are really work-ready motivated young people out there” she said.
In response to today’s figures, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden said a planned “Youth Guarantee” scheme would ensure young people “have access to education, training, an apprenticeship – or ultimately guaranteed paid work if they cannot find a job”.
McFadden said the government wanted to make sure “every young person has the chance to succeed, no matter where they are from or what their background is”.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to lay out more details in the Budget of plans to offer a guaranteed work placement to young people who have been on Universal Credit for 18 months without “earning or learning”. Those who refuse to take part may risk losing benefits.
Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn will lead an independent investigation into what is behind the rise in youth inactivity, the department for Work and Pensions recently announced, with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability.
The largest quarterly Neets total was recorded in July to September 2011, when the number peaked at over a million after the 2008 financial crisis.
Peter Andre has teased a new TV project with wife EmilyCredit: RexIt comes as is it was revealed that Peter won’t be part of the second series of The Princess DiariesCredit: ITVPrincess’ show caused a huge fall out between her dad Peter and mum Katie PriceCredit: Splash
Peter, 52, has now teased that Emily, 36, and him have got a new TV project in the works.
The couple, who have been married since 2015, are well known faces on TV, and now it looks like they are set to get a new show.
Teasing this, Peter wrote in his Planet Peter column for this week’s New magazine: “Although I have some major solo projects launching in 2026, Emily and I are having exciting meetings about working together.
“We’ve got something very special lined up and we’ll let you know more soon.
“There’s no reason why both parents just can’t be there to support her. Now this isn’t about me. I have to clarify this,” Katie said in August.
“I don’t care that I’m not in Princess’ show.
“I don’t need to raise my profile by being on Princess’s show, I do enough stuff.
Emily, Junior and Peter all featured in the first series of Princess’ reality show The Princess DiariesCredit: Alamy
“All what I want to do, is just whatever my daughter does, and it’s the same with Junior, I don’t care if I’m in the background, but I want to watch her do her photo shoots, I wanna watch her do her signings, because that’s what I did.
“And my mom and you and Nan used to come along and support, and I’m proud of her.
“And I just wanna be there with her because I now I feel that I’ve missed out on so much.”
Taking to Instagram, Peter spoke out just hours after Katie said she had made contact with him after their fallout over daughter Princess amid her show.
In the statement shared on his social media page, Peter penned: “For sixteen years I have stayed silent in the face of repeated lies from my ex-wife and her family, out of respect for my children and loved ones.
“But staying silent has been incredibly frustrating. That ends today.”
He continued: “The latest comments about my children’s welfare and living arrangements compel me to set the record straight.
“For well-documented reasons, and for their safety, Junior and Princess came into my care in 2018 and remained with me until they reached adulthood.
The Trump administration announced it is rolling back some protections under the Endangered Species Act, which covers animals such as Kali, pictured, a polar bear that lives at the Saint Louis Zoo. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Nov. 20 (UPI) — The Trump administration announced that it plans to roll back protection for some animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act, changes that officials say will make the law less confusing.
The U.S. Department of the Interior proposed four rules under the act that it says will strengthen U.S. energy independence, improve regulatory predictability and ensure federal actions align with “the best reading of the law.”
“This administration is restoring the Endangered Species Act to its original intent, protecting species through clear, consistent and lawful standards that also respect the livelihoods of Americans who depend on our land and resources,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said Wednesday in a press release.
The four proposed rule changes affect how endangered species are determined, listed and delisted; change the definitions for phrasing that describes the effects of a species being listed; eliminate the “blanket rule” in favor of requiring species-specific rules; and clarify how economic, national security and other impacts are weighed when deciding whether to list a species under the act.
In all four cases, the department is rolling back changes made under the Biden Administration to broaden the species that can be protected under the act. The Biden era changes were a restoration of changes made during the first Trump administration.
Although the changes are meant to simplify complying with the act, critics have challenged the changes are not about protecting animals to prevent them from going extinct.
“This isn’t about protecting endangered species,” Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity, told The Hill.
“This is about the biggest companies in the country wanting to drill for oil and dig coal, even if it causes wildlife like the polar bear and other iconic species to go extinct,” she said.
The proposed rules have been published in the Federal Register and are open for public comment for 30 days starting on Nov. 21.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 Felon is benefiting from lessons learned in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to the head of the country’s state-run defense conglomerate Rostec. Work to continue evolving the jet’s design is visible at this year’s Dubai Airshow, especially through a model depicting an export “Su-57E” variant featuring two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles. A pre-production prototype is also on display and flying at the event, sporting a new wide-area cockpit display.
Speaking through a translator, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov talked about the Su-57, as well as other Russian aviation and defense industry developments, with TWZ and other outlets on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow yesterday. Among his remarks, he also claimed that work to improve the Felon’s capabilities based on feedback from real-world combat operations has led to a surge in overseas interest in the type. On Monday, Vadim Badekha, head of the United Aircraft Corporation, of which Sukhoi is currently a division, separately announced the delivery of the first two Su-57s to an unnamed foreign customer, something we will come back to later on.
A pre-production Su-57 prototype seen during a demo flight at the 2025 Dubai Airshow. Jamie Hunter
“So, I will not confirm any contract number or any of our partners,” Chemezov said, responding to a question about export orders, according to the translator. “I can definitely highlight that we have a very huge demand from many countries for this particular aircraft, and we’re hoping to even expand this demand.”
The video below offers a close-up walkaround of the pre-production Su-57 prototype at this year’s Dubai Airshow.
“The upgrade of the fighter jet is kind of a non-stop process that continues as we continue our special military operation, we get the feedback from our pilots from the war zone, and we are tweaking and adjusting our equipment accordingly,” Chemezov also said in response to a separate query about recent updates to the Su-57 design, again per the translator. “And that’s why you can witness the high demand from our foreign customers, because they understand, and they know that our equipment goes through a continuous upgrade based on the experience we gain in the real combat environment.”
The pre-production Su-57 prototype on the ground in Dubai. Jamie Hunter
The extent to which Su-57s have been used in combat in the ongoing war in Ukraine, which the Russian government refers to as a “special military operation,” is unclear. Reports have said the jets flew their first combat missions in support of operations in Ukraine within weeks of Russia launching its all-out invasion in 2022. Additional reporting, as recently as last year, has claimed that Su-57s have continued taking part in the conflict, on and off, at least on some level, flying air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, but hard details remain scant. There are reports that an Su-57 was responsible for shooting down a friendly S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) flying wing unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) over Ukraine in an incident last year that you can read more about here.
How many Su-57s the Russians have in service currently is also unclear. The Russian Air Force only began to receive serial production examples in 2022 after placing an order for a relatively modest 76 jets. Around 18 aircraft are at least understood to have been delivered between then and the end of 2024. Whether more deliveries have occurred this year is unclear. At least one Su-57 (and possibly two) was at least damaged in a Ukrainian attack on Akhtubinsk airfield last year.
A total of 10 pre-production prototypes, also referred to as T-50s, were also built, but not all of them are flyable, let alone suitable for operational use. The type’s first flight came on January 29, 2010, more than 15 years ago.
Chemezov did not elaborate on how any real combat experiences have directly impacted the design and capabilities of the Su-57 while speaking yesterday in Dubai, where the Su-57 has been heavily showcased. This has included a flight demonstration that offered the best look to date at the jet’s internal weapons bays.
The pre-production Su-57 prototype seen with its weapons bays open during its flight routine at the Dubai Airshow this week. Jamie Hunter
As noted, there is a scale model of an Su-57E with two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles on display at this year’s Dubai Airshow. This nozzle design has been seen in the past and is also linked to work on an improved engine for the Felon, the AL-51F-1 turbofan, as you can read more about here.
A close-up look at the two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles on the Su-57E model on display at this year’s Dubai Airshow. Jamie Hunter
The AL-51F rectangular nozzle, like its predecessors the AL-31FP is equipped with a 2D TVC nozzle that is mounted 32 degrees in the horizontal plane and can be deflected ±15 degrees in the vertical plane, creating a corkscrew effect that enhances the aircraft’s turning capability https://t.co/3iWIVfHJlXpic.twitter.com/OOUFIco1f3
“In its initial form, the AL-51F-1 also retains a similar three-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzle, but what we see in the new imagery is an alternative nozzle, this time of the two-dimensional type, which provides pitch control as well as limited roll control if engaged asymmetrically. It isn’t clear if the angled installation of the nozzle is meant to provide extra control in the latter.
This kind of stealthy ‘flat’ engine nozzle is also used on the F-22 Raptor, for example, and is primarily chosen to reduce radar signature compared with an axisymmetric nozzle design. It also provides infrared signature advantages, as well.
…
For the Su-57, the flat nozzle would bring notable advantages in terms of improving its low observability from the rear aspect. The original design of the Felon better optimized low observability from the frontal aspect, with less attention paid to the side and rear aspects. At the same time, the revised nozzles will reduce thrust output to some degree, but this is clearly considered a worthwhile penalty based on the improved low-observable aspects it brings…”
A view of the rear aspect of the pre-production Su-57 prototype at this year’s Dubai Airshow. Jamie Hunter
As an aside, the Russians are also showing off a relatively new turbofan engine design called the Izdeliye 177S at this year’s Dubai Airshow. This engine was first unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in China last year. It is reportedly a derivative of the AL-41F-1, the original engine for the Su-57, which also incorporates technology from the AL-51F-1. It has been presented a potential powerplant for new-production export Su-57s, as well as an upgrade option for existing jets with AL-31 engines, especially newer generation Flanker variants.
The Izdeliye 177S engine displayed at the 2025 Dubai Airshow. Jamie HunterAnother view of the Izdeliye 177S engine from the rear. Jamie Hunter
As also mentioned, the flying pre-production prototype on display at the Dubai Airshow, also known as T-50-9, has notably received a new wide-area display in its cockpit. This is said to be reflective of the Su-57E configuration the Russians are now pitching to prospective export customers. The single-screen unit replaces two smaller displays that had previously been installed. Large, wide-area displays are an increasingly common feature on modern fighters, offering various benefits, above all else providing more overall customizable ‘real estate’ for users to work with and enhanced situational awareness when combined with upgraded processing power.
In terms of actual Su-57 export sales to date, the Russians have only explicitly talked about a firm order from one customer. Algeria is widely posited as being the country in question following a report earlier this year from one of the country’s state-run television networks. Visual confirmation of the delivery of Su-57s to the Algerian Air Force, or any other foreign customer, has yet to emerge.
“Our foreign customer, our foreign partner, has already received the first two aircraft,” Vadim Badekha, United Aircraft Corporation’s General Director, had said on Monday in an interview with Russia’s state-run Channel One television station. “They have begun combat duty and are demonstrating their best qualities. Our customer is satisfied.”
There are broader questions about Russia’s ability to produce Su-57s, or other combat jets, in the face of years of Western sanctions. In Dubai yesterday, Rostec’s Chemezov acknowledged, but downplayed the impacts of sanctions, touting Russia’s resourcefulness in sourcing alternative items domestically. These claims aside, there is substantial evidence that Russia’s defense industry, overall, continues to acquire electronics and other key components from overseas, including from the West and increasingly from China, despite international sanctions.
The second serial production Su-57 seen being built in 2020. United Aircraft Corporation
Chemezov also said that Russian defense exports have been cut roughly in half since the start of the war in Ukraine. However, he blamed this on higher demand from Russia’s own armed forces rather than a drop in international interest in Russian arms. There are certainly reports that some countries have been working to decouple their defense procurement plans from Russia for geopolitical reasons in recent years. Nations that buy Russian weapon systems may also be at risk of triggering secondary sanctions, especially from the United States.
When it comes to the Su-57 specifically, Russia has reportedly offered a degree of local production as part of past pitches to the United Arab Emirates and India to help offset concerns about domestic capacity and sanctions. Bringing additional partners into the Su-57 program would also help reduce the cost burden on the Russian side. India previously cooperated with Russia on the development of a country-specific version of the jet before dropping out in 2018, reportedly over disappointment in the aircraft’s expected capabilities and how the program was progressing overall.
From Dubai Airshow:
Ahead of Putin visit, Russia Pitches to Delhi the Production of Su-57 Fighter Jet in India.
Senior representative of Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport says our “technology transfer comes without restrictions and possible sanctions.” pic.twitter.com/tnxbHeQPgc
Renewed discussions about Su-57 exports, especially in the Middle East, now also come against the backdrop of a prospective U.S. sale to Saudi Arabia of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The White House confirmed late yesterday that President Donald Trump had approved the deal, though members of Congress could still seek to block it, and other steps would also be required to finalize it. Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, have pursued F-35 purchases in the past, but have been rebuffed, largely over operational security concerns and potential negative impacts to Israel’s so-called “qualitative edge” militarily in the region.
The Su-57 has often been presented as a potential alternative for many countries that cannot get approval to buy F-35s. A significant shift in U.S. policy when it comes to countries eligible to buy Joint Strike Fighters could have impacts on prospects for future Su-57 sales.
Rostec’s Chemezov was asked yesterday about direct competition between the Su-57 and the F-35. He downplayed any such rivalry, saying prospective customers are free to choose whatever design they think best suits their needs, according to the translator.
While many significant questions remain about the future of the Su-57, even just in Russian service, work is clearly continuing at least on a level to improve the design, and with renewed focus on potential export sales.
Since “Stranger Things” last released new episodes in 2022, a lot has happened. The writers’ and actors’ guilds went on a historic strike, delaying production on the final season. The Duffer Brothers, as the show’s creators Matt and Ross are known, developed a stage play set in the “Stranger Things” world that premiered on London’s West End and transferred to Broadway earlier this year. The star, Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 when the show premiered, became a wife and mother.
The time between the fourth and fifth seasons is long enough that many fans — save the ones who have been faithfully rewatching and carefully taking notes in preparation — may not remember what happened last. And key context and developments from earlier seasons may be even fuzzier in our memories, like Eleven trying to recall what happened in the rainbow room.
The only guide you need for holiday entertainment.
Let’s refresh our memories together.
“Stranger Things,” set in fictional Hawkins, Ind., (primarily) in the 1980s, follows a ragtag bunch of kids and a handful of trusted adults as they battle evil and supernatural forces in their small town. High school students Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Max (Sadie Sink), along with older teens Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke), work alongside Eleven (Brown), a girl with special psychokinetic abilities, to protect the town from a parallel dimension called the Upside Down with monsters, electrical storms and a Lovecraftian, other-worldly force. Joining them in the fight is Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Will and Jonathan’s mom, police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and a handful of other instrumental characters.
Here’s a recap of the important storylines to remember, a refresher on where the series left off and everything else you need to know to prepare for the fifth and final season that will be released in three installments, beginning with Vol. 1 on Nov. 26, Vol. 2 on Christmas Day and the finale on New Year’s Eve.
Where we left off
The crew gathers as they see dark clouds move over Hawkins at the end of Season 4, indicating that the Upside Down is infiltrating the real world.
(Netflix)
Season 4 of “Stranger Things” concludes in a dark place, literally.
Vecna, the main antagonist from Season 4, had been seeking out four victims whose deaths would open four gates to the Upside Down. Although his final victim, Max, was only dead for a minute (more on that later), he succeeded. The gates converge at the center of Hawkins, culminating in a large boom at the Hawkins Public Library. Although it’s dismissed by officials as an earthquake, our gang knows better — the Upside Down is merging with the real world.
The final moments of the season show dark clouds billowing through the sky as the familiar, dandruff-like particles from the Upside Down float through the air. Earlier in the season, Vecna possessed Nancy, showing her a terrifying vision of mass death and destruction in Hawkins and the four gates to the Upside Down ripping through the town. These are just a few steps in his mission to destroy humanity.
At the end of the season, we also see the long-anticipated return of Hopper, who was trapped in a Russian prison until Joyce and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), their mutual friend and a private investigator, help break him out and bring him back home. Eleven and Hopper, who have a father-daughter-like bond, reunite in one of the bright spots of an otherwise dark season.
And although he achieved his goal, Vecna is weak. Nancy, Robin and Steve set his body on fire while he was attacking Max, who was in a trance. Fearless Nancy then shoots him repeatedly until he falls out of the second story of his lair. Although it seems at first that they have killed him, his body is gone by the time the crew rushes to the ground floor, and Will senses that he is still alive.
Characters who died in Season 4
Vecna’s attack briefly killed Max, but Eleven was able to revive her. She’s in a coma at the end of Season 4.
(Netflix)
Max Mayfield (sort of)
Vecna preyed on Max for much of Season 4, and in the final episode, playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on repeat from her Walkman is not enough to save her. Vecna kills Max, but Eleven is able to revive her by using her powers to restart her heart. The last shot we see of Max is of her hospitalized in a coma, with broken bones and her concerned friends by her side.
She’s alive, but her temporary death was enough for Vecna to accomplish his goal. Theories about whether Max’s consciousness is trapped in Vecna’s visions, or if she will recover with powers that enable her to spy on Vecna, have been circulating on social media since the release of Season 4, but fans of the character shouldn’t fret. Sink is listed in the credits for Season 5 and she is seen briefly in the Season 5 trailer, with Lucas carrying her body as a Demogorgon, one of the monsters in the show, runs toward them.
Although he died in the Season 3 finale, Billy Hargrove, Max’s stepbrother, is noteworthy since his death took a big emotional toll on Max, filling her with guilt and grief, which primed her to be one of Vecna’s targets.
Eddie Munson
This fan-favorite character played by Joseph Quinn died in the final episode of Season 4, but he went out with a blaze. Eddie and Dustin were in the Upside Down carrying out their part in the plan to attack Vecna, and Eddie shredded out Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” on his guitar in order to distract the Demobats protecting Vecna’s lair. Dustin says the musical ruse is the “most metal ever,” but it’s not enough to keep them safe from the terrifying creatures.
After Dustin makes it through the gate back into the real world, Eddie stays behind to drive the bats away and buy the group more time. He is eventually attacked by the creatures, and dies in Dustin’s arms after protecting his friends.
Eddie initially befriended Mike, Lucas and Dustin because of their shared love of Dungeons & Dragons, forming the Hellfire Club to play the game together. Eddie’s death is likely to reverberate with Dustin in the upcoming season, who is seen in the trailer wearing his Hellfire Club T-shirt.
Dr. Martin Brenner
Dr. Brenner, or Eleven’s “papa” as his test subjects called him, was killed by military gunfire when officers invaded his research facility in search of Eleven. They believed she was behind the strange happenings and murders taking place in Hawkins.
Brenner (Matthew Modine) played a significant role in the controversial MKUltra program, a real-life covert CIA mind-control and chemical interrogation research program. He took a young Henry Creel (who ultimately became 001/Vecna) into his custody after discovering he possessed psychokinetic abilities and tried to replicate those abilities in other children, including Eleven.
In his final moments, Brenner tells Eleven he is proud of her and that all he ever wanted was to help her and protect her, despite the psychological and physical abuse he inflicted on her.
Other important things to remember
Although Hopper and Joyce were able to rescue Will from the Upside Down, he is still closely tied to the dimension and its monsters.
(Netflix )
Will’s connection to the Upside Down
Since he was trapped in the Upside Down during Season 1, Will hasn’t been able to sever his tie to the dimension. In Season 2, he is possessed by the Mind Flayer and feels pain when the vines in the Upside Down are damaged or Demogorgons are hurt. He is tapped into the dimension’s “hive mind” and can sense Vecna’s presence, usually through a strange feeling on the back of his neck.
Eleven’s ‘sister’
Although all of the test subjects who were raised alongside Eleven were killed by Henry/001 in the massacre at Hawkins Labs (Season 4, Episode 7), one of her “siblings” managed to escape the lab before that fateful day. Kali, or 008, made a brief appearance in a Season 2 storyline — Eleven temporarily joined her gang of misfits to help in Kali’s mission of getting revenge on people who worked in the lab.
Kali did not appear in Seasons 3 or 4, but aside from Eleven and Henry/Vecna, she is the only other person known to have powerful psychokinetic abilities.
‘The First Shadow’
The stage play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is a prequel diving into Henry’s origins and how he eventually became 001, and Vecna. Although it is considered a standalone work, the Duffer Brothers collaborated with “Stranger Things” writer Kate Trefry to create the play’s story and they have confirmed it is canon in the “Stranger Things” universe.
Some fans who have compared the details from the play and the series say that the play suggests Vecna might not be in control of the Mind Flayer, as he has suggested. Rather, the Mind Flayer is in control of him, or that it had at least corrupted his human self.
Fans who have traced back through the series to see if this theory holds water point out that Dustin, whose theories about the Upside Down tend to be correct, suggested the same thing in Season 4. Speaking about the Mind Flayer, he says, “If the Demogorgon was just his foot soldier, Vecna’s his five-star general.”
What we know is coming next
In the first look at Season 5, Will and Vecna come face to face.
(Netflix)
Netflix released the first five minutes of the new season in early November, in which we see a flashback to Will’s time trapped in the Upside Down. A Demogorgon drags an unconscious Will to Vecna’s lair, and Vecna ominously says they can begin their work “at long last.” “You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together, William,” he continues.
It looks like we can expect a showdown between our heroes and Vecna, but it’s possible we might also get further explanation about why Will was specifically targeted from the beginning.
Is this the end of ‘Stranger Things’?
In a word, yes. But new stories taking place in the world of “Stranger Things” will be coming. Netflix recently unveiled the first look at an animated spinoff series, “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.” The series is set between the events of Seasons 2 and 3, and it will feature the main characters fans know and love. The Duffer Brothers collaborated with showrunner Eric Robles to create the series, which does not have a premiere date yet.
The Duffer Brothers are also developing a spinoff series with new characters and a “clean slate,” which they teased in a recent interview with Variety.
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (UPI) — A U.N. committee adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights violations, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday, with 61 co-sponsors including South Korea and the United States.
The draft resolution, introduced earlier this month to the Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, “condemns in the strongest terms the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights in and by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including those that may amount to crimes against humanity.”
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.
The resolution calls on Pyongyang to “respect, protect and fulfill all human rights and fundamental freedoms” and to “immediately close the political prison camps and release all political prisoners unconditionally.”
It was approved by consensus during a plenary meeting of the Third Committee on Wednesday.
South Korea was among the initial 41 member states to co-sponsor the resolution, despite speculation that the liberal administration of President Lee Jae Myung might withhold support in an effort to improve relations with Pyongyang.
However, South Korea maintained the position of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative government, with the Foreign Ministry noting that Seoul’s approach to North Korean human rights would remain a matter of principle.
In a statement on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said the resolution “urges the DPRK to establish an operating environment conducive to the return of international and humanitarian staff and encourages all Member States and U.N. entities to provide more support for the work of civil society organizations.”
“The ROK government will continue its close cooperation with the international community for the substantive enhancement of human rights of DPRK people,” the ministry added, using the official acronym for South Korea.
North Korea has long rejected such resolutions as hostile acts, accusing the United Nations and Western powers of using human rights as a pretext to undermine its government.
During Wednesday’s plenary meeting, North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song said Pyongyang “strongly condemns and totally rejects” the resolution, calling it “a document of political plots motivated by the impure intention of defaming the dignity of our republic and undermining its sovereign political system.”
Representatives of China and Russia also dissociated themselves from the consensus, with Beijing rejecting what it called a “politicized approach to human rights issues.”
A September report by the U.N. Human Rights Office found that North Korea’s human rights situation “has not improved over the past decade and, in many instances, has degraded,” citing worsening food shortages, widespread forced labor and tight restrictions on movement and expression.
This week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his regime’s state security forces, which run the political prison system and have been widely accused of employing brutal methods of repression and torture. The security apparatus has long been central to maintaining the Kim family’s grip on power through pervasive surveillance and the suppression of dissent.
The United States, which was not initially among the co-sponsoring nations, later joined the group that also includes Australia, Britain, France, Germany and Japan.
The resolution will be reviewed at the upcoming General Assembly plenary next month for final adoption.
United States President Donald Trump has distanced himself from disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying the former friends had severed ties more than a decade before his 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges.
But one Democrat is using newly released documents from Epstein’s estate to assert that the two remained friends after Trump first became president in 2016.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Representative Sean Casten, a Democrat from Illinois, highlighted one email exchange and said in a November 12 post on X: “Trump spent his first Thanksgiving after getting elected President with Jeffrey Epstein. 2017.”
Trump spent his first Thanksgiving after getting elected President with Jeffrey Epstein. 2017. pic.twitter.com/1CU51k8yl4
He attached an image of emails dated November 23, 2017 – Thanksgiving Day – between Epstein and NEXT Management Cofounder Faith Kates, which read:
Epstein: hope today is fun for you.
Kates: Fun!!! When are you back in NYC?
Epstein: all next week
Kates: Ok dylan will want to see you I always want to see you. Where are you having thanksgiving?
Epstein: eva
Faith Kates: That means glenn check out his red hair!!!
Epstein: berries color for holiday
Kates: He’s such a snooze who else is down there?
Epstein: david fizel. hanson. trump
Kates: Have fun!!!
Casten has not responded to a request for comment. “Those emails prove literally nothing,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an email.
News reports, photos, videos and White House releases show Trump spent that 2017 Thanksgiving in Mar-a-Lago. PolitiFact, however, did not find any proof that he met Epstein that day.
There are different accounts of when Trump and Epstein had their falling out, with periods ranging from 2004 to 2007. The Miami Herald reported that Trump barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in October 2007, a decade before the Thanksgiving Day in question.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Two of the three people Epstein mentioned in his 2017 email as being “down there” are people who had property in South Florida at the time. It is unclear who he was referring to when he mentioned “Hanson”. It is possible Epstein was not foretelling a specific Thanksgiving Day plan but answering another New Yorker’s question about who among the people in their social circle would also be in the Florida area during that period.
Trump arrived in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 21, 2017, and stayed there for several days, according to the president’s public schedules documented in Roll Call’s FactBase.
On Thanksgiving morning, he spoke to members of the military via video conference and visited coastguard members at the Lake Worth Inlet Station in Riviera Beach, Florida. The White House published transcripts of Trump’s remarks to both groups. Trump also issued a Thanksgiving message to the country and went to the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
Photographers for The Associated Press news agency, The Palm Beach Post and Getty Images, among others, captured photos of Trump’s activities.
A CNN report said Trump held an “opulent” dinner at the Mar-a-Lago members-only club. PolitiFact did not find reports listing who was in attendance, but the White House told CNN the first family would be having “a nice Thanksgiving dinner with all the family”.
Trump was also active on social media. In a November 22, 2017, post on X, then known as Twitter, he said he “will be having meetings and working the phones from the Winter White House in Florida [Mar-a-Lago]”. He did not specify whom he would be meeting. On Thanksgiving morning, he said in part: “HAPPY THANKSGIVING, your Country is starting to do really well.”
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, your Country is starting to do really well. Jobs coming back, highest Stock Market EVER, Military getting really strong, we will build the WALL, V.A. taking care of our Vets, great Supreme Court Justice, RECORD CUT IN REGS, lowest unemployment in 17 years….!
Joe Swash has given a rare insight into his marriage with Stacey Solomon as he opened up on his ‘weakness’ and admitted that he takes a step back when it comes to Christmas
Joe Swash has given an insight into his private life with Stacey Solomon(Image: BBC)
Joe Swash has offered a candid glimpse into his marriage with wife Stacey Solomon as he revealed his “weakness”.
The former EastEnders actor, 43, appeared alongside Vernon Kay, Rob Rinder and Jordan Banjo on ITV Loose Men on Wednesday (November 20), where they tackled various subjects.
But it was one particular discussion that got the blokes chatting as they explored which family members contribute more effort during the Christmas period.
Vernon kicked things off by saying: “December is just around the corner and it’s just 5 weeks till Christmas. Statistics show that it’s the woman of the house that put the most effort in when preparing for the festive season.”
Focusing on his colleague Joe, the TV host then enquired: “So Joe, Stacey is Mrs Christmas. Is there any pressure on you when she gets cracking?”, reports OK!.
Joe confessed: “All year there is a pressure on me. If you are ever wondering what month of the year it is, just pop around my house and my door will tell you.
“If it’s summer we will have a summer display on. We just got rid of the Halloween display and Christmas is going up now.”
Speaking candidly about his marriage, the celebrity went on: “I feel like a good relationship is about knowing the strengths and weaknesses and one my weaknesses is getting involved. I like to take a step back because Stacey has got a vision and I’ll do the running around.”
He quipped: “Stacey is the site manager and I’m a tradie so I’ll be going to pick all the stuff up and Stacey makes it look beautiful. You know what they say, there is no I in the team.”
The room erupted into laughter as Jordan chimed in with a joke: “Well there is an on- site manager.”
Later in the programme, Joe couldn’t resist highlighting one of Stacey’s habits that “gets on his nerves so much.” During a panel discussion about pet peeves, Joe was quick to confess his dislike for noisy eaters.
To add insult to injury, Joe confessed that Stacey isn’t exactly quiet when munching on a packet of crisps. He said: “My Stacey, somehow she can project the volume of the crisps she is eating. How can you make that louder than it needs to be? That gets on my nerves so much.”
Joe added another gripe: “There is one more. You know when someone puts something in the dish washer and they don’t take the stuff out of the dishwasher so when I go in there to get a cup I’m then made to take everything out of the dishwasher like it is my job.”
Stacey and Joe tied the knot in 2022 and together they have three children – Rex, five, Rose, three, and one year old Belle. Stacey has two sons and Joe has one son – teenagers Zachary, Leighton and Harry – from previous relationships.
Loose Woman airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX
Donald Trump has signed a law requiring the US Justice Department to release the remaining Epstein files within 30 days. The Attorney General said her department would comply – but hinted some documents could be withheld for legal reasons.
Director of the Climate Action Beacon at Griffith University, Australia.
Published On 20 Nov 202520 Nov 2025
Share
As COP30 negotiations in Belem enter their final stretch, there is hope that countries might finally agree on a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels — a breakthrough that is crucial if we are serious about keeping 1.5C alive. Yet even at this pivotal moment, one major highway is still missing from that roadmap that could undermine the progress made in Brazil: the carbon emissions of the military.
Under the Paris Agreement, governments are not required to report their militaries’ emissions, and most simply don’t. Recent analysis by the Military Emissions Gap project shows that what little data exists is patchy, inconsistent or missing entirely. This “military emissions gap” is the gulf between what governments disclose and the true scale of military pollution. The result is stark: militaries remain largely invisible in the Belem negotiations, creating a dangerous blind spot in global climate action.
The size of that blind spot is staggering. Militaries account for an estimated 5.5 percent of global emissions. This share is set to rise further as defence spending surges while the rest of society decarbonises. If militaries were a country, they would be the fifth-largest emitter on Earth, ahead of Russia with 5 percent. Yet only five countries follow the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) voluntary reporting guidelines for military emissions, and those cover fuel use alone. The reality is far broader: munitions production and disposal, waste management and fugitive emissions from refrigeration, air-conditioning, radar and electrical equipment are left out. And operations in international waters and airspace are not reported at all, leaving massive gaps in both climate accountability and action.
The military emissions gap widens further still when we consider the climate impact of armed conflicts. As if the horror and human suffering from fighting wars were not enough, wars also destroy ecosystems, leave a toxic legacy on lands for decades to follow, and result in significant CO2 emissions, including from the rebuilding following the destruction of buildings and infrastructure. But without any internationally agreed framework to measure conflict emissions, these additional emissions risk going unreported, meaning that we don’t know how much wars are setting back climate action.
But despite this, momentum for accountability is finally building. Nearly 100 organisations have signed the War on Climate initiative’s pledges ahead of COP30, and protesters and civil society groups in Belem are demanding the UNFCCC confront this long-ignored source of pollution. Policymakers are starting to shift, too. The European Union has taken steps towards more transparent reporting and decarbonisation in the defence sector, though this progress is now threatened by rapid rearmament. Combined with NATO’s new target for members to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on militaries, these pledges could produce up to 200 million tonnes of CO2 and trigger as much as $298bn in climate damages annually, putting Europe’s own climate goals at risk.
International law reinforces the urgency and demand for accountability. The International Court of Justice’s recent landmark advisory opinion reminded states that they are obliged under climate treaties to assess, report and mitigate harms, including those caused by armed conflict and military activity. Ignoring these emissions doesn’t just undercount global warming; it masks the scale of the crisis and weakens the world’s ability to tackle its root causes.
The gap between current emission-reduction plans and what is needed to stay below the 1.5C limit remains catastrophic. If COP30 negotiators agree on a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, what happens next will determine whether it delivers real progress or remains symbolic. No sector can be exempt from climate action, and military emissions cannot continue to remain hidden.
Mandatory reporting of all military emissions to the UNFCCC – from combat and training activities to the long-lasting climate damage inflicted on communities – is essential. That data must form the baseline for urgent, science-aligned reductions, embedded in national climate plans, and consistent with the 1.5C limit.
Security cannot come at the cost of the climate. Tackling climate change is now essential to our collective safety and the survival of our planet.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.
KATIE Price broke her silence on her long-running feud with Kelly Brook as she ripped into their mutual ex Danny Cipriani.
Katie played down their bitter spat in the noughties as she turned on Danny and took a swipe at his manhood.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Katie Price has spoken out on her long-running feud with Kelly BrookCredit: AlamyKelly is currently starring on I’m A CelebKelly dated Danny Cipriani for two yearsCredit: PA:Press AssociationHe went on to date KatieCredit: Darren Fletcher – The Sun
Katie, 47, heaped praised on I’m A Celeb star Kelly, 45 – after they traded digs in the past.
She said she’ll be supporting the Heart Radio presenter in the jungle and claimed on the latest episode of her podcast: “I love Kelly Brook.”
She added: “The only difference between us was she came from a dance background and wouldn’t get her t**s out.”
The glamour model – previously known as Jordan – also spoke out on their connection to rugby star Danny, 38.
Katie said: “She was going out with Danny Cipriani, and I was going out with Danny Cipriani, and he was a player with a small willy, absolute k**b.”
Her podcast co-host and sister Sophie waded in with her own memory, saying: “I remember dad meeting him and thinking he was a k**b.”
Later in the pod, the sisters discussed reports that Kelly and Katie didn’t get along.
Sophie added: “Did you call her a heffer?”
Katie replied: “I can’t remember calling her a heffer.
“She’s always had a bigger figure than me. She’s a voluptuous figure – she’s stunning, beautiful.
“I am rooting for Kelly (in the jungle) from one glamour girl to another.”
Katie and Danny’s relationship happened a year after his split from Kelly in 2010.
Their romance was short-lived, ending when Katie claimed she discovered Danny in bed with another woman.
Kelly and Danny proved to be the more enduring as they dated for around two years between 2008 and 2010, though their time together was turbulent.
Both accused the other of cheating and Danny even alleged that when Kelly began dating his rugby teammate Thom Evans, she still secretly met up with him while on holiday.
At the time, Katie used her newspaper column to take a swipe at Kelly, labelling her a “heffer” and remarking on her size with backhanded compliments.
Katie wrote: “Kelly is a brilliant role model for young girls because of her curvy figure.
Danny Cipriani’s high profile relationship history
Monica Irimia (2007) – Danny began dating Cheeky Girl star Monica in 2007. However their relationship was short lived, as it was claimed that he cheated on the singer with glamour model Larissa Summers.
Kelly Brook (2008 to 2010) – Kelly was one of Danny’s longest and most high-profile relationships. The model and actress reportedly broke up with Danny when she caught him giving his phone number to a Las Vegas stripper.
Lindsay Lohan (2010) – Danny started dating former Disney star and Freaky Friday actress Lindsay Lohan in 2010. However, their relationship was very short-lived and they split after just a few dates.
Katie Price (2011) – Danny’s relationship with Katie began in 2011 and ended that same year in a bitter feud.
Lara Bingle (2011) – Danny started dating Australian model Lara Bingle after his split with Katie Price. Lara told Who Magazine that she had “fallen in love with Danny”, just weeks before he dumped her.
Jasmine Waltz (2014 to 2015) – Jasmine and Danny began to grow close in 2010, after he split with Kelly. However, their relationship started properly in 2014. They split just a year later.
Kirsty Gallacher (2015 to 2016) – Sports presenter Kirsty dated Danny for six months between 2015 and 2016. However, their relationship broke down because of their “12 year age gap”.
Victoria Rose (2020 to 2023) – Victoria became the first woman to marry Danny when they tied the knot on April 27, 2022. The pair met in 2020 and got engaged after just a year. In November 2023, Danny confirmed that he had split up from his wife.
AnnaLynne McCord (2024 to 2025) – Actress AnnaLynne McCordreportedly met Danny onRaya, months after he split from Victoria Rose. Danny described AnnaLynne as his “miracle” after making their relationship public. However, the couple eventually went their separate ways in 2025.
“Every mum should make her daughter look at the recent set of pictures that show Kelly modelling her latest New Look range in Miami.
“They don’t appear to be airbrushed and I’m FLABbergasted to see how big Kelly really is.
“Rumour has it she’s been hanging out with our mutual ex Danny Cipriani. Knowing him, I guess she’s probably been doing a bit of comfort eating.
Her comments came amid rumours that Kelly was considering rekindling things with Danny.
The following day, Kelly responded, insisting that such remarks were “unladylike.”
Danny has dated a string of famous womenCredit: Andrew Sims – The TimesKelly pictured in 2013 at the height of her feud with KatieCredit: PA:Press Association
One soldier was injured Thursday morning after an explosion occurred inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, officials said.
The explosion took place at 9:20 a.m. on the western front of the DMZ in Paju, just northwest of Seoul, for unknown reasons, according to officials.
A 24-year-old Army staff sergeant, who was on a mission to detect land mines on the southern side of the inter-Korean border at the time, sustained what is presumed to be an ankle fracture due to the blast.
He was wearing anti-mine protective gear and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Military authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident.
Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.
Bola Tinubu says he suspended the trip in light of the abductions and a separate church attack in which armed men killed two people.
Published On 20 Nov 202520 Nov 2025
Share
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has postponed his trip to South Africa for the Group of 20 summit, promising to intensify efforts to rescue 24 schoolgirls abducted by armed men earlier this week.
The president’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Wednesday that Tinubu suspended his departure in light of the girls’ abduction and a separate church attack in which gunmen killed two people.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Tinubu had been set to leave on Wednesday, days before the two-day summit of the world’s leading rich and developing nations was due to begin on Saturday.
“Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Tuesday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure” to the G20 summit, Onanuga said.
It was not clear immediately if or when Tinubu would leave for the weekend summit in Johannesburg.
Search for abducted girls ongoing
The schoolgirls were abducted by unidentified armed men from a secondary school in the northwestern town of Maga in Kebbi State late on Sunday night.
The attackers exchanged gunfire with police before scaling the perimeter fence and abducting the students.
One of the girls managed to escape, authorities said, but the school’s vice principal was killed. No group immediately claimed responsibility for abducting the girls, and their motivation was unclear.
Authorities say the gunmen are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over strained resources.
In a separate attack on a church in western Nigeria on Tuesday, armed men killed two people during a service that was recorded and broadcast online.
Supporters of United States President Donald Trump have seized on the violence to embolden their claim that Christians are under attack in Nigeria.
Trump has threatened to invade Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” over what right-wing lawmakers in the US allege is a “Christian genocide“.
Nigeria has rejected the US president’s statements, saying more Muslims have been killed in the country’s various security crises.
Want to hear Ariana Grande, actor, playing Ariana Grande, pop star? Make sure you have a ticket for her Eternal Sunshine Tour next summer, because after that she’s not planning to do another one any time soon.
In fact, she’s calling the tour her “one last hurrah.”
“I’m very excited to do this small tour, but I think it might not happen again for a long, long, long, long time,” she said Tuesday on the “Good Hang With Amy Poehler” podcast. “So I’m going to give it my all and it’s going to be beautiful and I think that’s why I’m doing it, because it’s like, one last hurrah.”
One. Last. Hurrah.
Grande is a mere 32 years old. That said, her last tour had 97 shows on two continents in less than a year. We would be tired of it too.
The 2026 tour, which runs from June 6 to Sept. 1, hits only 10 cities with multiple dates in each. Tickets went on sale a couple of months back, but there’s always the resale market.
Also, Ariana Grande the actor is very busy at the moment, with more going on than simply “Wicked: For Good” promotion. That obligation, though, has taken her all over the world for multiple premieres, including one in Singapore last week where she was accosted on the yellow carpet by a self-proclaimed troll looking to glom onto her fame and make it his own. (He is currently in jail.)
She has also been busy filming “Focker In-Law,” the fourth installment in the somewhat unlikely “Meet the Fockers” franchise.
“It’s just so great to sort of experience a new, new journey and learn from those around me,” one that includes Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and Beanie Feldstein, she told Poehler.
The host said it sounded like this movie was “much less physically exhausting” than her work in “Wicked,” but Grande begged to disagree.
“I’m not sure I’m supposed to say this, but I have to say it ’cause you’re going to laugh your ass off. My character’s a triathlete,” she explained.
“I spent yesterday doing burpees and high knees with Robert De Niro, and he’s like, ‘Good job, Olivia. Good job,’” said the “Thank U, Next” singer, whose character is named Olivia Jones. “It’s like the craziest, most — I’m like, what is this movie? What are we doing? But I’m having a blast.”
There’s no corset, like Glinda wore, in “Focker In-Law.” No posture-altering shoes, according to Grande. But Stiller and De Niro are both big runners in their free time, which apparently starts in the neighborhood of 4:40 a.m. As for Ariana?
“There’s a lot of biking in this movie. Like a lot lot lot lot.”
The tourist boats that typically navigate Kenya’s renowned Lake Naivasha have recently taken on a new role: rescuing hundreds from inundated homes.
Though the lake’s water level has been increasing for more than a decade with repeated flooding, residents of the modest Kihoto district are stunned by this year’s unprecedented scale.
“It hasn’t happened like this before,” said resident Rose Alero.
According to local officials, the Rift Valley lake has advanced an unprecedented 1.5km (about 1 mile) inland.
“People are suffering,” said Alero, a 51-year-old grandmother, noting that many neighbours have fallen ill.
In her home, water reaches waist height, while throughout the district, toilets are overflowing.
“People are stuck … they have nowhere to go.”
The devastation is widespread: hundreds of homes are completely underwater, churches are destroyed, and police stations are submerged, surrounded by floating vegetation.
During one sudden water surge, children evacuated a school on improvised rafts.
Joyce Cheche, Nakuru County’s disaster risk management head, estimates 7,000 people have been displaced by the rising waters, which also impact wildlife and threaten tourism and commerce.
The county has provided transport assistance and implemented health measures, Cheche said, though financial compensation has not been offered yet.
Workers in the crucial flower export sector are avoiding work, fearing cholera and landslides.
She also highlighted the danger of encounters with the lake’s numerous hippos.
“We didn’t see it coming,” Cheche admitted.
At the lake’s edge, bare acacia trunks that were once lush now stand submerged in waters advancing about 1 metre (3.3 feet) daily.
This phenomenon affects other Rift Valley lakes and has displaced hundreds of thousands.
Numerous studies primarily attribute this to increased rainfall driven by climate change.
However, Kenyan geologist John Lagat, regional manager at the state-owned Geothermal Development Corporation, points to tectonics as the main cause, noting the lakes’ position along a major geological fault.
When English settlers arrived in the late 19th century, the lake was even larger before shifting tectonic plates reduced it to just 1km (0.6 miles) in diameter by 1921.
Subsequent tectonic movements increasingly sealed underground outflows, trapping water, Lagat explained, though he acknowledged that increased rainfall and land degradation from population growth also play a “substantial” role in flooding.
“We are very worried,” said Alero from her flooded home, dreading the upcoming rainy season.
Andy Burnham has twice failed to rule out a Labour leadership bid, after an MP said he would vacate his seat so the Greater Manchester mayor can return to Westminster.
Burnham has been at the centre of speculation about a move against Sir Keir Starmer since Labour’s autumn conference but could only do so if he was an MP.
On Wednesday, Norwich South MP Clive Lewis said he was willing to step down to potentially make way for Burnham to return to the Commons via a by-election.
Burnham was quizzed on the MP’s offer on both BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, but would only say he is “fully focused” on his current role as mayor.
On BBC Breakfast, presenter Naga Munchetty tried to pin Burnham down on whether he would see out his full term as mayor, running until 2028.
“I don’t know what the world holds but I’m focused on my job here in Greater Manchester,” he responded.
Pushed further, he said “I haven’t launched any leadership challenge” before adding “I’m not going to sit here this morning and rule out what might or might not happen in future – I don’t know what the future will hold.”
Burnham then criticised journalists for speculating, saying he is “constantly answering hypothetical questions” and claimed MPs in Westminster were “constantly speculating and not putting forward solutions”.
The Labour Party rules for any leadership challenge state that candidates must be an MP and also secure the backing of at least 80 MPs to run against the incumbent.
Two Manchester MPs, Andrew Gwynne and Graham Stringer, previously ruled out stepping down from their seats so Burnham could run.
On Wednesday, Lewis told BBC’s Politics Live that stepping aside for Burnham was “a question I’ve asked myself,” adding that the answer would have to be “yes”.
The MP, who has represented Norwich South for 10 years, later told The Sun he had “no plans to stand down” and had been answering a “hypothetical question”.
The Norwich South MP last week said Sir Keir’s position as prime minister was “untenable” and told Channel 4 News that Burnham should be given the chance to “step up”.
On the Today programme, presenter Emma Barnett asked Burnham whether he would take Lewis up on his offer of vacating a seat, but he would only say “I appreciate the support” and repeated how he was focused on his current job.
Before becoming Manchester mayor in 2017, Burnham served as a cabinet and shadow cabinet minister under successive Labour leaders and made two unsuccessful Labour leadership bids.
Lewis first won his seat in 2015, and last year he increased his majority to more than 13,000.
But if he were to step down, any would-be successor would first need to win a selection contest before a by-election was held.
The dark comedy stars the former Doctor Who actor and it has viewers saying they’re ‘locked in’
Matt Smith is fronting a new dark comedy series adapted from a “compulsive read” which has proved a massive success since its debut episode.
The Death of Bunny Munro, shot on location throughout Sussex, is a dark comedy adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel sharing the same title.
The musician and author’s website describes the original book as “a compulsive read possessing all Nick Cave’s trademark horror and humanity, often thinly disguised in a galloping, playful romp”.
In The Death of Bunny Munro, the ex-Doctor Who actor portrays the titular role, a middle-aged salesman obsessed with sex who embarks on a journey across Sussex with his son following his wife’s death.
Whilst packed with black humour, the programme also delves into themes of bereavement and has drawn comparisons to programmes such as Netflix’s Adolescence.
Radio Times awarded it four out of five stars, stating: “Netflix’s Adolescence brought much-needed attention to the hateful attitudes emanating from a growing corner of the internet and taking root in the minds of today’s teenagers and young men.
“But the revelatory element of its story was less the misogyny itself and more so the method of transmission, with the web’s now-infamous ‘manosphere’ serving as a powerful amplifier for harmful ideas that had once appeared to be in decline.
“The Death of Bunny Munro almost serves as a prequel in that respect, exploring how the objectification, disrespect and outright abuse of women was taught to boys long before social media had the world in its death grip.”
The six-part series drops in its entirety, allowing viewers to watch all episodes back-to-back.
Social media users flocked to X, previously known as Twitter, to heap praise on Smith’s performance, with Lil Lulu writing: “#MattSmith you really have outdone yourself with Bunny Munro. Just superb. I love him and I hate him all at the same time. Give this man his flowers and give him ALL THE AWARDS!”
@drunkestgiraffe posted: “No in all honesty this is giving me emotional whiplash. It is gutting me and all I want is to help these poor souls but also WHY is he so HOT?
“I fully concur with Nick Cave he should NOT be this attractive. Put it away, Smith.”
Vid wrote: “Watched a half of episode one of Bunny Munro to see the vibe. Matt is so great as a despicable mf holy **** I can actually ******* kill him and the show’s kinda depressing and funny so far. Also truly heartbreaking son and wife, I’m locked in.”
Nana remarked: “I already love this mini-series.”
Rachel Louise declared: “Despite only having seen those first two episodes, I’m pretty confident in saying I think The Death of Bunny Munro is actually Matt Smith’s best role yet.”
The Death of Bunny Munro broadcasts on Sky Atlantic.
