News Desk

Fred Sirieix was left in tears after a luxury hotel surprised him with a touching gesture featuring his beloved children

A touching gesture left Fred Sirieix in tears.

The First Dates star was given an unexpected Father’s Day surprise during filming for his new travel series. He became emotional when staff at a luxury hotel in Singapore arranged a personal gesture for him while he was filming Fred’s Ultimate Hotels, which is set to air on Monday (August 31st).

Fred was staying at the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore, one of the city’s most famous landmarks, when the hotel team decided to mark Father’s Day in a very special way.

Speaking about the moment, Fred admitted he was completely caught off guard when he returned to his room and discovered a surprise waiting for him.

“I arrived there on Father’s Day on the 21st of June,” he explained. “My concierge picked some pictures off the internet of my kids. They used AI to mock up a card to say happy Father’s Day. ‘We love you’, blah, blah, blah, and he put it in my room.”

The thoughtful gesture proved too much for Fred, who admitted he immediately became emotional. “Wow. Oh my God, I knew my kids are everything for me and I just saw that card there,” he said. “It was just on Father’s Day. I cried.”

Fred has two children with his former partner Alessandra Spendolini – daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, a professional Team GB diver who won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and was named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2020, and son Lucien, who stays away from the spotlight.

The emotional moment came during Fred’s stay at Raffles, which is one of Singapore’s best-known hotels and has become synonymous with the city since opening its doors in the 19th century.

The hotel is famed for its colonial architecture, luxurious suites and its connection to the Singapore Sling cocktail, which was created at its Long Bar.

It has 115 suites spread across nine categories, with no standard hotel rooms, while its Presidential Suite costs around £12,000 per night.

During his time in Singapore, Fred also took part in a number of experiences as part of the new series. His adventures included a sidecar tour, a visit to the city’s Botanic Gardens and a trip to a hawker centre, where he explored Singapore’s famous food culture.

He also learned Tai Chi from a master at Raffles before heading out on a yacht experience around Sentosa. The Botanic Gardens provided another glimpse into Singapore’s unique landscape, with the city being one of the few places in the world where primary rainforest can be found within its city limits.

The trip forms part of Fred’s Ultimate Hotels, in which the television personality explores some of the world’s most remarkable hotels while getting to know the destinations and cultures surrounding them.

But despite the luxury and extraordinary experiences on offer, it was the simple Father’s Day gesture that left the biggest impression on Fred.

Fred’s Ultimate Hotels airs on Monday, August 31 at 8pm on Channel 4.

Sammy and Jonathan were one of a number of couples whose romantic journeys were never shown on the Netflix show

Love Is Blind UK’s third season saw a record number of engagements – but only a handful were shown.

The Netflix reality dating show sees 30 singles sent on a string of blind dates in the show’s pods which are designed to prevent the contestants from ever seeing each other. The only way they can meet a potential partner face to face is if they accept a marriage proposal from them.

An unprecedented number of contestants became engaged during the latest season – 14 to be precise – though just six of those love stories were shown to viewers at home.

The show’s executive producer, Nazleen Karim, previously addressed why they cut some couples on the programme but kept following others. She explained: “When there are more engagements than we can physically follow, we have to make difficult editorial choices. We’re looking for a range of different relationship journeys and stories that together capture the full experience of the experiment.

“Not being selected isn’t a reflection of the strength of a relationship – many couples continue exploring their connection once they leave the pods.”

Now, one couple who were cut from the show revealed what happened to them afterwards, and the remarkable journey they have been on since.

Tech recruiter Jonathan, 32, and wellbeing coach and entrepreneur Sammy, 31, found a connection in the pods and became engaged, but their dates, nor that all-important proposal, were ever shown.

In a tell-all Instagram post, Sammy recounted that she asked a producer to give Jonathan her number after they were told they would not be continuing on the programme, and the pair continued to date in the real world.

Since leaving the show in August last year, they have jetted off on holiday together, met each other’s families, got a dog together named Poddy in homage to the show, and remain engaged to this day. Sammy also revealed the devastating news that the pair had suffered a silent miscarriage in June.

“We lost our baby to a silent miscarriage and honestly, we really struggled,” she shared. “Grieving whilst still living on opposite sides of the country was one of the hardest things we’ve had to face together.”

While she admitted the pair were still navigating the loss, Sammy revealed their love story still endured. She added: “We didn’t get picked to continue on Love Is Blind. At the time, that felt like the end of our story. Turns out, it was the beginning of the best bit.

“No cameras. No experiment. No guarantees. We just kept choosing each other, and now you’re finally in on the secret.”

Love Is Blind UK series three is now streaming on Netflix. A reunion special will air tomorrow night (August 30) at 9pm.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — President Donald Trump Friday signed an executive order to create the U.S. Space Academy to train and educate potential aerospace workers and service members.

“That’s a big deal. So, you think of West Point, and you think of Annapolis, and you think of the Air Force Academy, and you think of the Coast Guard Academy — great — they’re all great, but we’re going to have now a space force,” Trump said at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We’re going to have an academy for what the people in this room love the most.”

The action said the mandate for the academy is to “strengthen the Nation’s space workforce by expanding opportunities to educate and develop the next generation of leaders across the space domain.”

Trump also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crew of the Artemis II.

He also signed a directive to begin the process of creating the new academy by creating a commission chaired by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The commission will report to the president within 120 days on key details to establish the school.

The White House said the academy will be a “NASA-led federal academy dedicated to combining rigorous technical education with leadership development, discipline and a durable commitment to public service. The Space Academy will develop a professional corps of civically grounded leaders prepared to advance American interests within the space domain.”

The location hasn’t yet been named, but Trump said in his remarks that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has been pushing for it to be in Texas.

Trump created the U.S. Space Force in 2019 during his first term in office.

The U.S. military is planning to revamp Moron Air Base in Spain, including creating new parking spaces for as many as nine additional B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. This effort comes even after Spain denied permission to use the base, and its naval station in the country, for direct strike operations on Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Long-range strikes by bombers flying from Europe played a major role in that operation. It also comes as the Pentagon is reviewing its posture in Europe, which could include major basing changes that fit the Trump administration’s vision for NATO and who it prefers to work with the closest, as well as tactical and strategic concerns.

The makeover is part of a nearly half-billion dollar construction program for U.S. facilities primarily in the Rota, Spain, area, which provide a great deal of support for American forces in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It was announced on Thursday in a pre-solicitation notice posted on the government’s contracting portal that a contract is expected to be awarded next month.

Moron, located in southern Spain, is a Spanish Air Force Base, used by the U.S. Air Force to provide expeditionary combat support and the bed-down of transient aircraft. It also plays a major role in the “staging of aircraft and personnel in support of U.S. and NATO plans, exercises and contingency operations; and to provide Base Operating Support to tenant units,” according to the Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction plan.

The first order of business is “a Combat Aircraft Parking Apron in Moron, Spain,” the recent pre-solicitation notice states. The plan calls for the “expansion of the Aircraft Parking Apron to provide nine (9) new aircraft parking spots in an unloaded condition, or three (3) new B-52 aircraft parking spots in a live ordnance [sic] loaded condition.”

The issue of being able to store live ordnance is critical, since extra space is needed for safety purposes in case of an unintended explosion.

“The current apron is not capable of supporting any loaded strategic bombers due to limiting factors associated with unrelated facilities violating inhabited building safety arcs,” the Air Force budget document explains.

Beyond the new parking spaces, the planned expansion at Moron also calls for 10 new fuel pits and associated piping, the relocation of a Civil Engineer Storage Complex – including a new covered storage building and an open storage yard – and the extension of apron shoulders and access roads, among other items.

The Air Force sees these improvements as an imperative.

“This project is required to enhance readiness capabilities at Moron Air Base, Spain,” the Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 military construction budget documents note. “A key enabler for training and combat operations is substantial infrastructure, promoting a quick response and positioning of forces within prescribed response times. The expanded Strategic Bomber Aircraft parking apron will increase Moron Air Base’s ability to meet future mission requirements.”

If these improvements are not made, “[a]dequate airfield infrastructure will not be available to the DoW [Department of War] or its allied partners, and personnel, aircraft, and resources will lack key facilities and infrastructure to support expanded airfield operations for training and contingency environments,” the budget document warns. “This limitation will impede sortie generation and flying schedules, directly limiting airfield presence and impairing airfield capability and readiness. Therefore, responsiveness for bilateral and multilateral exercises and training missions would be compromised, directly limiting theater presence and impairing mission capability, readiness, and contingency support.”

The project has a price tag of between $25,000,000 and $100,000,000 and is “expected to be completed 1,038 calendar days after notice to proceed,” according to the pre-solicitation notice.

In addition, the Multiple Award Construction Contract (MACC) calls for new construction, renovations, alterations, demolition, repair work, and any necessary design to a wide range of U.S. assets in the region. This includes “airfield, industrial, infrastructure, administrative, training, retail, food service, munition storage, community support facilities and both vertical and horizontal construction in the Rota, Spain region or other areas managed by NAVFAC EURAFCENT, [Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command/Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central],” the pre-solicitation notice explains. “This tool may also be used throughout the NAVFAC area of responsibility (AOR), worldwide.”

However, as the Air Force budget documents stress, the Moron project is a priority.

The installation has long played an important role for American airpower. It has served as a host for B-1B Lancer and B-52 Bomber Task Force missions and as a way station for a wide array of other aircraft from fighters to aerial refueling tankers.

“Morón Air Base is a vital link in any operation moving east from the United States due to its strategic location close to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, its massive flight line, long runway, aircraft refueling systems and excellent weather,” according to the 496th Air Base Squadron, the facility’s host unit.

The facility played a key role in the run-up to Epic Fury, providing a midway point for a wide array of U.S. military aircraft.

In March, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Epic Fury, refused to allow the U.S. to use its bases in his country for direct attacks on Iran. In addition, Sánchez denied permission for the U.S. to use Spanish airspace for Epic Fury, creating a logistics headache for American aircraft movements to the Middle East.

Sanchez’s decision affected Naval Station Rota, another major U.S. installation in that country. Rota supports the movement of personnel, equipment, fuel, and supplies through its three operational piers. It also has a 670-acre airfield capable of supporting U.S. Navy and Air Force aviation operations, and some of the largest weapons and fuel storage facilities in Europe.

Rota is also the home of Destroyer Squadron 60 (DESRON 60), one of three U.S. Navy destroyer squadrons permanently based outside the continental United States and the only one of these to call Europe home.

Sanchez’s moves set off U.S. President Donald Trump, who was already angered by Spain’s refusal to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, previously agreed to at last year’s NATO summit. In March, the American leader called Spain “a terrible partner” and threatened to cut off trade.

The situation reached a critical juncture at the NATO Summit in Turkey in July, with Trump again threatening Madrid. 

“We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore… I’d like you to cut it off,” Trump fumed in Ankara to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate; they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits. Watch them, watch them come running back; oh, they’ll come running back.”

However, the rift eased after Sánchez agreed to bump up his country’s defense budget, Trump claimed.

On his way back to the United States after the summit, he told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I did have issues, and ​I still do. But Spain, they came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today.”

Asked what Spain had ​done, he said: “They honored a request for lots of payments, and if they didn’t, we wouldn’t have even ⁠talked to them.”

The two leaders displayed new-found cordiality for the cameras while sharing a box at the World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

Though the Moron construction planning predated any of the political drama, as we noted earlier, the Pentagon is reviewing how many troops it will maintain in Europe and where it will base them. Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby made a rare visit to NATO headquarters on Thursday to meet with officials to discuss the way forward. There, he pointed out that the Pentagon’s review is “designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe, stepping up to ensure our forces are postured for America’s global needs, and making sure that our access, basing, and overflight are clearly delineated and assured.”

There are a number of other military construction projects on the books for European installations, including about $4 billion earmarked for improvements to bases in the U.K. The largest planned expenditure is more than $1.6 billion for RAF Lakenheath, according to the Guardian. That’s where it is believed that the U.S. is poised to bring nuclear bombs back to the United Kingdom after nearly two decades.

Despite the geopolitical tiffs between the two nations, the investment in Moron and the larger construction package for Spain is a clear signal of how much the military and Congress value having access to bases in that country.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

Aug. 29 (UPI) — At least 37 people are dead and many more wounded after a Russian drone hit an ammunition warehouse, which then caused a large fire and several explosions in a residential area near Kyiv.

The attack on Friday, which was in Myla, in the Kyiv district, was part of a barrage of aerial attacks by Russia. But the ammunition depot made the attack much worse.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky said he would punish those who allowed explosive materials storage so close to homes.

“Since yesterday evening and throughout the day today, I have been receiving reports on the situation in the village of Myla, Kyiv region, where detonation began following a Russian strike. A terrible situation and terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people,” Zelensky posted on X.

“I want to separately thank everyone who is there on the ground and at other sites of Russian strikes, doing everything possible to help and save people,” he added.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv region military administration, said that as of Saturday afternoon, 37 people were known to have died, and the toll could still rise. It is one of the deadliest Kyiv has seen since the start of the war more than four years ago, CNN reported.

“This is a terrible and irreparable loss. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who have died,” Tkachenko said.

A home for older adults and disabled people was severely damaged, The New York Times reported officials said. On Sunday, the capital region will observe a day of mourning..

Taras Didych, the long-time head of the local municipality, was killed when he arrived at the scene to help, Ukrainian authorities said.

“He always stood by his people. He did not abandon them even during the Russian occupation — he was there, offering support and assistance, and keeping the community together during one of the most terrifying periods,” CNN reported Mykola Kalashnyk, Ukraine‘s Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport, said in a statement.

Conservative MP Sir James Cleverly has said he is resigning from the shadow cabinet to run for London mayor.

“I am putting myself forward to be the Conservative candidate for mayor of London, because our capital needs more than an administrator,” he wrote in the Times.

Sir James said he has told Tory leader Kemi Badenoch he is stepping down as shadow housing secretary, saying: “I must be free to speak about every aspect of London’s future and concentrate fully on winning this race.”

The capital is not set to vote on a new mayor until May 2028. Labour incumbent Sir Sadiq Khan is yet to confirm whether he will seek an unprecedented fourth term.

The Conservatives are yet to pick their candidate for the London mayoral race.

A source close to Badenoch said Cleverly “is a formidable politician and will out-campaign Khan”.

Sir James, who was foreign secretary under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, wrote that he intended to make London a city to be proud of again.

“We must rebuild its reputation and make it, once again, the best place in the world to live, work, invest and build a business,” he added.

A senior Conservative politician, Sir James has held a number of ministerial positions under three prime ministers – including roles as home secretary and education secretary.

The army reservist represented the Tories on the London Assembly before his election as MP for Braintree in 2015.

After rising through the backbenches, he unsuccessfully ran for Conservative party leader in 2024, losing out to Badenoch.

Reacting to Sir James’s announcement, a source said Badenoch “really didn’t want James to leave shadow cabinet”, but believed “he will be a big asset in London”.

Current London Mayor Sir Sadiq began his first term in 2016. Cleverly wrote that the capital has been “let down by Labour”.

He accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham of treating London as a “cash cow: somewhere to tax, regulate, raid and blame”.

Sir James said: “Londoners need homes they can afford to buy or rent. Entrepreneurs need to be able to start and grow businesses without being strangled by cost and regulation.”

The last time Londoners voted for their mayor in May 2024, Sir Sadiq beat Conservative rival Susan Hall by more than 275,000 votes – representing a swing of 3.2% to Labour.

The mayor won nine of the 14 constituencies including two gains from the Tories, and gained 43.8% of the vote share.

Reform UK revealed its candidate for the May 2028 election in January when it announced Westminster City councillor Laila Cunningham would be running.

Cleverly’s announcement follows speculation in recent weeks that he would step down and launch a bid to become London’s next mayor.

During his time at the London Assembly, Cleverly chaired the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, and also worked for Boris Johnson while he was mayor of London.

HOLLY Hagan has voiced some fears after her sister’s drug death as she warned Reading and Leeds festival-goers to “please be careful.”

The Geordie Shore star’s sibling tragically passed away last October just before her 20th birthday.

Taking to Instagram, Holly shared: “I haven’t stopped thinking about the fact that someone might not make it back from the festivals.

“When I see people’s videos walking into the camp grounds so happy for the weekend’s of their lives.

“I just think I hope to God you all make it home.

“On average 5 people a year die during UK festivals and the vast majority of those deaths are MDMA related.

HOLLY’S PAIN

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SHARON’S PAIN

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“Nobody thinks it’ll happen to them until it does.

“I know my sister’s death won’t be the last of this nature and it’s such a gut wrenching thought that other families will have to go through what we have.

“Please be careful. Look after your friends and don’t show off. It’s not worth the risk.”

Holly previously revealed that her world stopped spinning when she woke up one day to a whole load of missed calls and discovered Darci had collapsed on a night out and been rushed to hospital.

At just 19, she’d taken an accidental drug overdose and suffered two cardiac arrests.

Two days later, Darci died of organ failure with her family all around her.

In an emotional statement, Holly wrote: “It is with immeasurable grief and sadness that our baby girl, my baby sister Darci Rose passed away peacefully holding my hand surrounded by family and her best friends.

“She was never in any pain. The last four days have been something I hope no family ever has to go through.

“We are traumatised in every sense of the word.”

It came after The Sun revealed that Holly’s famous friends were doing everything they could to help after Darcy’s passing.

Earlier this year, Holly revealed that she talks to Darci through a medium, and that she’ll tell son about her sister’s tragic drug death.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Friday that the United States is working to cut off bank branches in the United Arab Emirates from the U.S. financial system, part of his campaign to target financial systems that enable Iran.

The Department of the Treasury said it is proposing a rule that will ban U.S. banks from facilitating transactions involving the UAE-based branches of Banque Misr, one of Egypt’s largest banks.

“Iran’s enablers cannot continue to enjoy access to the U.S. dollar and the global financial system,” Bessent said in a statement. “Banque Misr UAE decided to find out the hard way, and today, we are taking the first step in holding it accountable for its continued, egregious support of the Iranian regime.”

Bessent on Monday announced a new pressure campaign called Operation Economic Outcast to force countries to sever ties with Iran.

The department accused Manque Misr’s operations in the UAE of being “a significant conduit for Iranian shadow banking.” It said the bank allows Iranian entities access to U.S. dollars, circumventing U.S. sanctions.

Treasury said it had found 103 potential front companies that moved $1.8 billion through Banque Misr UAE accounts from January 2024 to June 2026.

Bessent is invoking powers under the Patriot Act that allow the treasury secretary to take action against foreign banks that are a “primary money-laundering concern” to the U.S.

It also said the Treasury will sanction the general manager of the Dubai branch of Bank Melli and a Hong Kong-based company it alleges is laundering money for Iran.

Earlier this month the UAE said it was suspending all trade with Iran.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is rapidly expanding a secretive airbase in the northwest of the country that is loosely akin to America’s top-secret proving ground at Area 51. The facility is used to test experimental platforms and next-generation combat aircraft, sporting one of the longest runways in the world at 16,400 feet. It has transformed from a relatively austere and remote airstrip into an increasingly sprawling People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flight-test center over the past few years, and there is no sign that construction will slow anytime soon. In fact, it’s accelerating, and one of its newest features is of significant interest.

Satellite imagery taken by Planet Labs on August 27, 2026, shows the scale and scope of the buildout in high-resolution detail.

The installation is located near the infamous Lop Nur Nuclear Test Base in the desolate, arid Xinjiang autonomous region of northwestern China. Lop Nur is the PRC’s primary testing facility for nuclear weapons and where China detonated its first nuclear device, codenamed Project 596, in 1964, becoming the world’s fifth nuclear power.

Last year, TWZ spotted both of China’s sixth-generation stealth fighter designs, the J-36 and J-XDS, at the base for the first time − far from the home airfields of their respective manufacturers, Chengdu and Shenyang. Before supporting the development of advanced air combat technologies, the facility was linked to military space development efforts and testing reusable space planes as far back as 2020. At that point, the site was nothing more than a 3.1-mile runway with a small hangar and a few scattered vehicles.

In 2023, the main apron was significantly expanded, and a new large hangar was added. In 2025, new hangars were added on both sides of the main ramp area via extensions. These shelters appeared to be optimized for tactical fixed-wing aircraft. Not long after those facilities were complete, the two 6th-generation fighter aircraft showed up. The pace of further construction ramped in May 2025 and hasn’t let up since. The time-lapse below visualizes the gradual, then all-at-once progression over the past six years.

“New taxiways, aircraft turning pads, hangars and possible fuel-storage infrastructure substantially increase the airfield’s capacity to support aircraft movements and sustained flight-test activity,” Damien Symon, a geo-intelligence researcher and friend of TWZ, told us. Symon assisted TWZ in identifying the new structures.

Several key areas of the site have been reshaped since the beginning of the year, marked on the annotated graphic near the top of this story.

Below the southern end of the runway, construction is moving fast on a new taxiway extension running parallel to the runway, connecting it to the central apron and main hangar. The nearly completed route will allow additional aircraft to move more freely without having to back-taxi on the runway, which is a huge problem for higher operations tempos and more complex sortie launches and recoveries.

“Of particular interest are several large aircraft hangars in the southern section of the airbase, each measuring approximately 80 by 40 meters (262 by 131 feet),” Symon said of the three hangars grouped together that are being constructed on the south ramp. A fourth appears on its own just farther south on the apron, with different dimensions. The hangars, with direct access to the new southern taxiway, are sized to accommodate all of the tactical and strategic aircraft in the PLA’s current fleet. For scale, the PRC’s only strategic bomber in active service, the Xi’an H-6, has a wingspan of approximately 108 feet. But what’s already flying operationally isn’t the focus of these new facilities, it’s a unique class of aircraft, some of which are in testing now and more will be in the future.

The hangars’ wide proportions are similar to those of new ones found at China’s other secretive major test airbase in Xinjiang, located near Malan, which is largely focused on unmanned aircraft. The buildout comes as two massive stealth flying wing drones are in flight testing and we await the H-20 stealth bomber. It remains unclear where the H-20, which still hasn’t made a public appearance, will be tested. However, Lop Nur would be an ideal locale considering how sensitive the program is, and these new hangars could very well be in preparation for its arrival. It’s also worth noting that this installation appears more focused on crewed platforms, not drones, like at Malan. So sending the H-20 here for at least part of its test program would make sense, although this is just speculation at this time.

Broad construction continues behind the central apron area, with several buildings that were in development late last year now completed. A cluster of prefabricated containers arranged in tight rows for storage and accommodation has appeared since our last review. The additional laborers, materials, or equipment could be housed there to support the aggressive pace of development, as a much larger workforce would be required to speed up the construction process. Excavation and construction have started at other locations nearby, but they are in the early stages of development and their future purpose is unknown. Farther east, on the outskirts of the facility, a concrete batching plant with wash-water ponds and segregated aggregate stockpiles was recently built.

Grading is underway for another taxiway that will connect the central apron to the northern part of the main runway. The latest imagery suggests that concrete has just started to be poured. A circular pad with a 400-foot diameter has taken shape at the northern end with direct access to both the runway and the main base, which TWZ assesses to be an engine run and turnaround pad. If a shelter were added, it could also act as a “scoot and hide” area for keeping sensitive test articles from being seen by satellites passing overhead. An apron extension near the circular pad is also under construction, with at least two large hangars being built there, although they will have more traditional proportions compared to the four wide ones on the south ramp.

Additionally, Symon identified possible fuel-storage infrastructure under construction that would “further expand the base’s aviation-support capacity.” If confirmed, “the additional infrastructure could support a higher sortie rate and longer periods of sustained flight activity, consistent with an expansion in the scale or tempo of operations at Lop Nur,” he added.

The facility is clearly in the process of taking on a very important role in China’s advanced aerospace development ecosystem, and its significance will only grow as it expands to accommodate more, and bigger, airframes. With the hangar additions we are seeing, major programs are about to migrate there, even on a detachment basis, for extensive testing. The new southern hangars, in particular, suggest the PLA expects to be testing aircraft with far wider wingspans in the not-too-distant future.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@recurrent.io or on X @ianellisjones

Author’s note: Special thanks to Damien Symon for assisting with the imagery analysis, be sure to follow him on X at @detresfa_

Apple TV, the streaming service known for series such as “Ted Lasso” and “Severance,” is raising its prices, effective immediately.

A monthly subscription will cost $14.99, up $2. The annual plan climbs by $20 to $119.99. This marks the tech giant’s fourth price bump in the last four years.

Other Apple bundle plans are seeing price increases as well. Apple One’s individual plan, which includes access to Apple Music, Apple Arcade, cloud storage and other features, is going up $2 to $21.95 per month.

The Cupertino-based tech giant does not offer an ad-tier, unlike some of its competitors that use ad-supported subscriptions as a lower-cost option for consumers.

Apple TV is the latest streamer to increase prices. The industry has sought to bolster bottom lines against the rising cost of programming.

Earlier this month, Peacock bumped its pricing, ahead of the new NBA and NFL season. The NBCUniversal-owned streaming service’s ad-tier will now cost $12.99 monthly, up from $10.99, while its most expansive plan will be $19.99 per month, up $3.

ESPN is also raising its streaming prices in September. The Disney-owned sports giant’s unlimited plan will rise from $29.99 to $31.99 a month. The annual cost is also rising — from $299.99 to $319.99.

Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube Premium also hiked prices earlier this year.

Apple TV+ launched in 2019 at $4.99 a month and was a low-cost perk for Apple users. The tech company still offers a free three-month trial to customers who purchase a new Apple device.

Over the last several years, Apple TV has sought to distinguish itself from competitors by offering premium, original series. It’s home to over 300 original movies and TV shows, including “Ted Lasso,” which returned for its fourth season earlier this month. Many of its shows have also attracted award show attention. Last year, Seth Rogen’s “The Studio” took home 13 Emmys. This year, the streamer’s shows “Widow’s Bay” and “Pluribus” are up for 19 and 18 awards, respectively.

Apple TV also recently secured the rights to Formula One races in the U.S, and offers Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against a policy by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that greatly expanded detention for migrants living in the country for years.

Under the Trump administration, ICE has changed its policies to treat people with extensive ties to the United States as still “seeking admission.”

That policy shift allows the agency to subject people who have lived in the country for years to mandatory detention without bond.

On Friday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the policy, marking the eighth time ICE has been rejected over this same issue in federal appeals court.

In more than 13,000 cases challenging the policy, judges have ruled against ICE more than 90% of the time, Politico reported.

The federal panel said ICE’s policy is incongruent with the law, which is to be applied differently depending on how recently a specific person entered the country.

“Contrary to the Government’s view, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (‘IIRIRA’) retained two tracks for detention even though it overhauled the procedures for removing noncitizens from the United States,” the court wrote in its decision.

“Before IIRIRA, noncitizens arriving in the United States were subject to ‘exclusion’ and those already in the country were subject to ‘deportation’ — the former were held in mandatory detention while the latter were afforded bond.”

The appeals court also ruled that ICE’s policy violates the Constitution’s Due Process Clause.

“The Supreme Court has recognized the Fifth Amendment’s ‘Due Process Clause applies to all ‘persons’ within the United States, including aliens, whether their presence here is lawful, unlawful, temporary, or permanent.'”

The court added: “Because Petitioners here have lived in the United States for decades, they have ‘established connections’ in the country and are entitled to due process rights beyond those provided to noncitizens at the border.”

Kehlani has rescheduled the two concerts she had to postpone because of illness.

On Thursday, the “Folded” singer announced new dates for her Camden, N.J., and Columbia, Md., shows on Instagram. The Camden show, which was originally scheduled for Aug. 26, will now happen on Sept. 5. The Columbia show will follow on Sept. 6. The latter had previously been scheduled for Aug. 27.

The two stops on Kehlani’s self-titled world tour had to be postponed after the two-time Grammy winner needed to seek treatment at a hospital for pain that prevented her from being able to swallow.

“[A]fter two off days feeling completely normal.. ive been up all night unable to swallow & in so much pain,” Kehlani wrote in a social media post Wednesday. “[I] just left the hospital & am not cleared to sing for the next two shows. i’m so sorry.”

In the since-deleted Instagram post (which is still available on Facebook), the “Nights Like This” singer expressed her frustration that she wasn’t able to perform as planned.

It “breaks my heart to have to ever do this,” Kehlani wrote. “i do everything i’m supposed to do to ensure my health stays up to par & it still isn’t guaranteed.”

The “After Hours” singer kicked off the North American leg of her world tour in support of her self-titled album in Minneapolis earlier this month. She is scheduled for back-to-back Southern California stops at the Viejas Arena in San Diego and the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Sept. 23 and 24, respectively.

At least four Palestinians are trapped inside the home, while settlers have set fire to nearby Palestinian land.

Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, have surrounded a Palestinian home in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

At least four Palestinians are trapped inside the home while settlers have set fire to nearby land, according to Al Jazeera journalists.

Coordination is under way to allow ambulances to reach the area and evacuate one injured person.

Qusra has faced an escalating campaign of settler violence over the past month.

Settlers set fire to a mosque in the village in July, and since August 9 have besieged three Palestinian homes in the Ras al-Ain area, cutting access to water, electricity and other essential supplies.

“We’re not allowed to live freely in and out of our houses; no one is allowed to bring us any food or visit us from family members or friends,” Loui Abu Raideh, a resident trapped in his home, told Al Jazeera.

He said residents have to coordinate with the mayor of Qusra to get food and supplies, and it can take three to four days to get approval.

Israeli forces have declared the area a closed military zone and restricted Palestinians from entering and leaving, placing a gate at the main entrance of Qusra itself. Palestinians travelling into the village are forced to take alternative routes which are often blocked by Israeli forces.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military erected three new roadblocks at locations that encircled the top of the Ras al-Ain hill, disconnecting homes from the area below it.

Raideh said the feeling of being trapped is “a nightmare … 21 days, we can’t even sleep, we have to stay up at night [and] keep watching the security cameras, because those settlers can attack any time”.

Settler attacks – supported by the Israeli military – on Palestinian homes, businesses and farmland across the West Bank have been common for decades as illegal settlements have expanded across the territory.

The attacks have increased in intensity and frequency since Israel launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

Hollywood A-listers are more comfortable than ever with cloning their voice and likeness to create a new stream of income, despite the threat of viewer backlash to artificial intelligence.

Sunny Hostin of the popular daily talk show “The View” has licensed her image and likeness to AI production studio Fountain 0, which will make film adaptations of her novels.

“To be able to bring my novels to life in movie and TV form, and actually have my image inserted in the productions, so that audiences can relate to me through my stories beyond my role as an author, is incredibly exciting to me,” Hostin said in a statement.

“AI can give me a way to both more fully develop, and more fully immerse myself in, IP I have developed,” she said.

The Overton window for acceptable AI use in Hollywood continues to widen as Hollywood actors, television hosts, and influencers embrace cloning with protections and compensation. As high-quality synthetic re-creations become cheap and accessible, cloning has become a more desirable option for studios struggling with runaway production costs.

Audiences will be subject to more AI content on the big screen that’s indistinguishable from real human performances.

Fountain 0 is the producer behind “Dreams of Violets,” a fully AI-generated film inspired by anti-government protests in Tehran. The 75-minute drama was made with a budget of $2,000 without a cast or a crew, and was the first fully AI-generated film accepted at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“We are incredibly gratified that Sunny is willing to be the talent pioneer willing to step out and take advantage of this new form of creative expression,” said Ash Koosha, co-founder and CEO of Fountain 0, in a release.

The production company will be releasing its second fully AI-generated film, “Odysseus: The Fall,” later this year. The film uses the likeness of many people, including the film’s creator Koosha, who stars as Odysseus.

Fountain 0’s executive chariman told CNBC that the film is designed to ride the buzz around Christopher Nolan’s ‘’The Odyssey” and give people the opportunity to compare the height of human filmmaking with AI filmmaking.

Proponents of AI argue that it allows writers and creators to take on blockbuster-scale films without financial constraints. Many creators oppose AI because it could replace humans and was built using the unauthorized scraping of creative works used to train generative AI video and image models.

Online reactions to news of Hostin’s cloning were fierce.

“Basically, no film studio wants to give her the budget to turn her books into a movie with real actors, so she’s resorting to AI studios,” wrote one person on Reddit.

Hollywood has fought hard for protections from AI in the prolonged writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023. SAG-AFTRA, the union representing about 160,000 actors and other performers, has been demanding informed consent, fair compensation, more control and transparency over the use of digital replicas.

The latest agreement, signed in June, introduced limits on studios’ use of digital replicas. The contract requires studios to notify actors before using their voices to create a replica. After a project is complete, actors must sign off and be paid the equivalent of an in-person performance if their replica is used.

Additionally, studios need to pay residuals to digital replicas used in reruns, and replicas cannot be used during a strike.

Hiring fully AI-generated characters such as Tilly Norwood, created without hiring a human performer, is not impossible but comes with a very high threshold for use under the 2026 union contract. Producers must notify the union in advance and prove the AI character brings “significant additional value” to the role.

Still, a fissure remains between those actors who stay morally opposed to cloning, and those who embrace this new reality.

ElevenLabs’ voice marketplace features clones of dozens of personalities — including actress Judy Garland, physicist Richard Feynman and popular characters such as Mr. Potato Head for creators to legally license and get compensated for their use.

This has created a contentious ecosystem in which A-listers are gaining millions from cloning with safeguards and building a new stream of passive income from their intellectual property, while early-career actors complain that their likenesses are being misappropriated and opportunities are being driven away. A massive lobbying effort is underway to institute a uniform standard for protecting an individual’s voice and likeness as property rights.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — Belgium’s foreign minister on Friday summoned U.S Ambassador Bill White over an Instagram story the U.S. diplomat posted targeting the country’s health minister.

White posted an AI-generated image of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke on a cigar box, apparently mocking the minister’s efforts to change how alcohol companies display health warnings on products.

The box read, “Damages every form of joy in life,” while White captioned the image, “Who’s the biggest loser in Belgium?”

“It is unacceptable that an ambassador uses such insulting language against a member of government,” Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said in a statement to Politico.

This is the second time White has been summoned over comments made toward the health minister.

In February, he accused Belgium of antisemitism over an investigation of three mohels for performing ritual circumcisions without a doctor present.

White called the move “ridiculous” and demanded Brussels drop its investigation.

He said Vanenbroucke was “very rude” and asked for his intervention in the case, adding, “You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium.”

On Friday, White’s comments about the health minister also drew criticism from Conner Rousseau, who leads the political party Vooruit.

“Bill can be a funny guy,” said Rousseau, whose party includes Vanenbroucke, in a statement on Instagram. “But he knows nothing about healthcare.

“He only repeats what daddy Trump says. They only care about money, not our health.”

The crash occurred when a truck overtook another vehicle and struck the minibus, police say.

At least 27 people have been killed after a minibus carrying members of a church collided head-on with a haulage truck in central Zimbabwe, police say.

The crash happened at about 18:30 GMT on Friday near Chivhu, about 140km (87 miles) south of the capital, Harare, police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said on Saturday.

The truck was trying to overtake another vehicle when it crashed with the minibus taxi, which was carrying members of a popular African Christian denomination who were travelling for a conference, he said.

State-run broadcaster ZBC News, quoting a provincial government minister, said 23 people died at the scene, while others succumbed to their injuries after being admitted to a local hospital.

Footage shared on social media by ZBC showed the mangled minibus charred to a shell, with the truck on the opposite side of the road.

The crash occurred in a flat, remote stretch of road, with low vegetation lining the roadside and open terrain beyond.

The incident is the latest in a string of deadly crashes on Zimbabwe’s roads, which are riddled with potholes after years of underfunding and neglect.

For everyday transport, many Zimbabweans rely on the privately run minibus taxis, known locally as kombi, but they are often criticised for overloading.

In April, at least 18 people were killed when a minibus burst into flames on a highway in the south, while earlier that month a woman and her five children died when their vehicle collided with a haulage truck on another highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Kelvin and Liz Fletcher share the highs and lows of farming on Fletcher’s Family Farm

Kelvin and Liz Fletcher shared fears for their Cheshire farm following a heartbreaking loss.

The couple shares the highs and lows of farming in their ITV series, Fletcher’s Family Farm. However, in the latest repeat episode, Kelvin and Liz faced a setback. They also bid a bittersweet farewell to their beloved alpacas as they needed to make space on the farm.

Kelvin Fletcher and Liz welcomed vet Angelica to the farm for a health check on their flock following the death of their beloved pet lamb, Aga.

“It kind of looks a bit chaotic, but this is the smoothest it’s ever happened,” Liz shared when referring to them rounding up the sheep.

Kelvin noted, “We’re improving. It just shows we are improving. With the ewes and lambs separated, it’s time for a not-so-pleasant job of the season.”

“Put your hand up if you want a poo bag,” Kelvin shouted to his kids, who seemed more than enthusiastic about picking up sheep poo.

The former soap star went on to share his fears, “To try to prevent losing any lambs, vet Angelica will take the poo samples collected today for testing so we can treat any early signs of infection.”

She explained to Kelvin, “As they grow up, they build some kind of immunity, but lambs are naive to them, and worms are everywhere at pasture, so we need to make sure that they have a good level of exposure when they’re young, which means that they will build up their immune response, but at the same time, the burden is not too high and make them sick. “

Sharing their previous loss, he continued, “We’re taking a belt and braces approach this year, as through the winter worms were a real problem and proved to be fatal for a couple of our lambs, including our beloved Aga. Aga was an orphan lamb, whom we fell in love with, but later lost to a worm infection.”

With all the samples collected, vet Angelica went back to the lab to test the sheep poo.

Luckily for the Fletcher family, the results came back all clear, as he informed viewers, “Angelica has been back in touch with the good news that the worm count isn’t dangerous, but as advised, we still treat them.

“It’s not the easiest job to do, but such an important one, and this time it was such a great team effort. Right, so now it’s that simple chase and getting them back out, back out in the pasture. “

Fletcher’s Family Farm is available to watch on ITVX.