NEWS

Facing Holloway at UFC 329, Irishman McGregor seemed to injure his right knee in the first round when jumping in with a kick.

Conor McGregor’s much-hyped ‌return to the octagon lasted just over a minute on ⁠Saturday after the ⁠Irishman blew out his knee and retired injured in his UFC 329 fight with Max Holloway in Las Vegas.

Former two-weight ⁠world champion McGregor, who had not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, attempted a flying kick to start ⁠the opening round but landed awkwardly and immediately looked in trouble.

He tried to fight on for a few seconds but looked towards the referee to signal he could not continue.

Former featherweight champ Holloway said he would discuss ‌the possibility of staging another fight with McGregor when the Irishman recovers.

“It is what it is, I’m going to sit down with the UFC,” Holloway added. “(There was) so much hype for that right there. We’ve got to run it back one more time. One more time for the boys.”

Saturday’s bout was the second between the ⁠pair, with McGregor winning by unanimous decision in 2013.

Injuries ⁠and issues away from the sport have derailed McGregor’s career.

After breaking his leg against Poirier five years ago, the 37-year-old was slated to meet Michael Chandler in June 2024, but that was cancelled after McGregor suffered a broken toe in training.

Later that year, a jury in ⁠an Irish civil court found him liable ⁠for the rape of Nikita Hand in 2018.

In October 2025, he accepted an 18-month ban for “whereabouts failures” after he missed three attempts by Combat Sports Anti-Doping to collect biological samples ‌from him in 2024. The ban was backdated and expired in March.

In the co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, Britain’s Paddy ‌Pimblett ‌also needed less than a minute to secure victory, choking out Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis in their lightweight bout.

Explosions heard in the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, Bandar-e Deyr and Asaluyeh as US bombs Iran for a third time this week.

Ten U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors arrived at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom Friday morning local time from Ovda Air Base in Israel. As we previously reported, the jets, from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, had been deployed to Ovda since late February to take part in attacks on Iran. The move, one of another retrograde movements of U.S. airpower in the past few weeks, comes as tensions have spiked in the Middle East.

The movement is the latest in a number of similar operations. On July 1, U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers departed from Fairford, where they were forward deployed for Epic Fury, for instance. Other tactical jets have also returned home, with some being replaced and others not. RAF Fairford acts as a major hub for transatlantic U.S. military aircraft movements.

Local spotters say the jets arrived at Fairford in three waves. An aviation photographer who uses the @Saint1Mil handle on X was kind enough to share three photos with us, including the main image above.

Online open-source flight trackers followed the flight of these jets and their aerial refueling tanker support.

During Epic Fury, “Raptors executed precision missions against Iranian air defenses, nuclear-related infrastructure and command nodes linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) noted in its Citadel publication.

“On March 1, F-22s opened the campaign by suppressing S-300 and Bavar-373 batteries, clearing corridors for follow-on coalition strike aircraft entering defended airspace,” the command added.

Between March 1 and 9, “the stealth fighters flew more than 200 combat sorties while remaining undetected by Iranian radar networks throughout the operation,” CENTCOM explained. “F-22 Raptor used its low-observable design and advanced sensors to penetrate defended airspace and deliver precision weapons against strategic Iranian regime facilities during the campaign.”

The targets included “infrastructure connected to the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and Natanz Nuclear Facility,” CENTCOM noted. “Raptors employed GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs and GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions internally, preserving stealth while striking multiple hardened targets with precision guidance.”

The aircraft “also coordinated with B-2 Spirit bombers and EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets in layered strike packages designed to overwhelm Iran’s integrated air defenses,” according to CENTCOM. “The regime’s forces launched dozens of surface-to-air missiles during the nine-day campaign, U.S. officials said none were successfully tracked or locked onto the stealth fighters.”

The Raptors’ arrival at Fairford from Ovda this morning came as the U.S. and Iran ramped up attacks on each other this week. Iran also struck targets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan during a flare-up sparked by the IRGC’s attacks on three tanker ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

As we previously noted, this latest round of fighting was touched off Tuesday when Iran attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump and Iranian officials declared that the shaky ceasefire agreed to on April 8 was over. 

.@POTUS on the status of the ceasefire with Iran: “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum… They’re led by sick people… I’ll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate—they’re good people… but they have to come back to me. As far… pic.twitter.com/6eYfwMxSdn

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2026

By Friday evening local time, there were no new reports of attacks while there are indications of a push to rekindle peace negotiations.

CNN on Friday reported that “Qatari negotiators — in coordination with the U.S. — have traveled to Iran to meet officials there. An American official earlier said the U.S. was deliberately striking and then pausing to avoid escalation and let diplomacy work out.”

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇶🇦Qatari negotiators have travelled to Iran, in coordination with the US, to meet with Iranian officials in an effort to de-escalate the situation and create the conditions for negotiations to resume, according to a diplomat with knowledge of the visit
🇺🇸🇮🇷🇶🇦The diplomat said… https://t.co/w8pTAW5hHf

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) July 10, 2026

That’s a scenario one former CENTCOM commander laid out for us earlier this week.

“I think the immediate way forward will be controlled escalation focused on a military campaign to degrade the regime’s ability to disrupt activities in the Gulf,” Joseph Votel, who led the command from March 2016 to March 2019, told us on Tuesday, when the flare-up first erupted.  

As we have frequently noted, the two sides signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 17. The MoU provided a 60-day extension of the ceasefire to iron out an agreement to end fighting throughout the region, including Lebanon, prevent Iran from seeking nuclear weapons, end U.S. sanctions and resume the flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz among other points.

Control over the Strait has proven to be the biggest flashpoint, as evidenced by the aforementioned flare-up of fighting.

You can see video of some of the attacks by CENTCOM below.

🚨 CENTCOM RELEASES THE HIGHLIGHT REEL
U.S. Central Command says American forces completed another round of strikes against Iran on July 8, hitting approximately 90 Iranian military targets along the coastline.
Targets included air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets,… pic.twitter.com/y2HiEMNWdy

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) July 9, 2026

It is not completely clear if the Raptors that are now heading back to Langley will be replaced. We reached out to Air Combat Command and the 1st Fighter Wing for details.

As we have frequently reported, given that the U.S. began building up forces in the region in January, many of the ships, aircraft and troops will have to ‘retrograde’ out of the CENTCOM area of responsibility in the coming weeks and months. We’ve already seen aircraft like the B-52s we mentioned earlier in this story, A-10 Thunderbolt II close attack jets, F-15Es and other assets return from the region. Some have been replaced and some have not. As a result, the future of the American footprint there remains a question mark despite the resurgence in hostilities. 

Given the ebb and flow of fighting, it is hard to predict the future of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran and whether it will lead to lasting peace.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks,’” Trump claimed Friday morning on Truth Social. “We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!”

Should Trump opt to resume major combat operations, reconstituting a large force once it has been even partially drawn down would take time. It would also add extreme stress on a force structure that has seen constant deployment surges over the last year. At the same time, there is immense global pressure to not restart the all-out fighting as markets are struggling to recover from the massive spike in oil prices. Back home, Trump’s party already faces the midterm elections with low voter support for the war and an increasingly shaky economy.

Regardless, a deadline is fast approaching to get a deal done with little incentive for Iran to give up what the U.S. wants beyond threats of more bombardment.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

At least two people have been killed in a shooting at a street festival in Toronto.

Police in the Canadian city initially received reports of an active shooter on St Clair Avenue at approximately 20:12 local time (01:12 BST), where a salsa festival was being held.

Five victims with gunshot wounds were found by police, who said two people had been pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said they had secured the scene, but urged the public to stay away from the area, where a large police presence would remain. They added that more information would follow.

St Clair Avenue, located in midtown Toronto, is lined with shops and restaurants.

Between the 11 and 12 July, it was set to host the annual Salsa on St Clair Latin festival, a yearly celebration which features a host of live music and dance performances.

This year was the festival’s 22nd iteration.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Ukraine claims that 28 Russian vessels were hit by aerial drones in the Sea of Azov on Saturday. The strikes are the latest in a campaign that Ukrainian authorities assert has resulted in nearly 80 Russian vessels, mostly so-called shadow fleet oil tankers, being attacked in that body of water on a daily basis since July 6. 

As a result of these attacks, “Russia temporarily stopped shipping through the Don-Azov Channel, a navigable waterway linking the Don ​River with the Sea of Azov,” Reuters reported, citing three grain export industry sources.

The move came after 13 Russian vessels, including 10 tankers, were attacked in this body of water on Friday. Market analysts noted to Reuters that about 25% of wheat exports from Russia, the world’s largest exporter ​of the grain, pass through the Sea of Azov.

The Sea of Azov campaign is part of much wider Ukrainian efforts to isolate the Crimean peninsula as well as strike at Russia’s energy infrastructure to damage its economy and reduce its ability to wage war. As we have previously reported, these attacks are inflicting pain on Russian forces in Crimea. Also often striking very deep into Russia, they are also having a devastating effect on fuel supplies across the country. In addition, the attacks are helping to halt Moscow’s gains and pave the way for Ukrainian advances.

“Overnight on 11 July, the Birds of the Unmanned Systems Forces hit 21 tankers, 4 tugs, 2 cargo vessels, and 1 special-purpose vessel in the Sea of Azov,” Ukraine’s 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation System Brigade, known as “Magyar’s Birds,” stated on X. The cutting-edge unit is named for Ukraine’s drone force commander Robert Brovdi, also known as Magyar. 

In addition to striking the ships, Magyar’s Birds claimed to also have hit “53 legitimate military targets were engaged deep inside the enemy’s rear in Crimea and the southern part of the temporarily occupied territories, including fleet assets and energy infrastructure. Operation ‘Crimean Switch Off’ has no end date.”

The shadow tanker fleet was engaged by drone pilots from a wide array of units, the brigade added. 

“The technological humiliation of the empire continues,” Magyar’s Birds proclaimed. “It will fall because of Crimea.”

TWZ cannot independently verify the claims; however, many videos have emerged on social media purporting to show the results of these attacks. Magyar’s Birds has released six compilations of them. 

The brigade began releasing videos of these strikes on July 6. This first one shows two ships being hit in a compilation of videos showing strikes on targets mostly on Crimea. The targets included S-400 air defense systems, radars and an oil depot.

The next day, July 7, Magyar’s Birds released a video that opened with a wide view of almost two dozen tankers lined up in the Sea of Azov. The video then cuts to show several of those vessels being struck and burning. The unit claimed eight tankers, a cargo ship and a ferry were hit.

On July 8, Magyar’s Birds claimed nine more Russian tankers were attacked.

Magyar’s Birds released another video on July 9 claiming 14 Russian ships were hit overnight.

Friday, July 10, Magyar’s Birds claimed strikes on 10 tankers, a cargo vessel, a ferry and a sea tug.

In addition to the videos released by the unit, others emerged on social media showing the aftermath of these attacks.

❗️Consequences of the 🇺🇦Ukrainian drone strike on the 🇷🇺Russian dry cargo ship FAVORI (Volgo-Don type, Project 1565A) in the Sea of Azov pic.twitter.com/MCfwC5fmPa

— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) July 10, 2026

Footage shows Ukrainian Armed Forces drones attacking tankers belonging to the Russian shadow fleet in the Sea of ​​Azov.
In the last four days alone, the Ukrainians have damaged or destroyed 49 Russian vessels. pic.twitter.com/Ejv7aPv9JS

— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) July 10, 2026

Magyar’s Birds doesn’t name the types of drones being used, but the video displays show they are from Fire Point, which makes several kamikaze drones as well as the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile.

Roy Gardiner, a former Canadian military officer who is part of the Defense Tech For Ukraine collective and is an expert on Ukrainian drone warfare, surmised that the attacks are by the FP-2 drone.

FP-1 and FP-2 – Drones that inflict pain on the Russian rear! | Weapons with @StarskyUA

“It’s the only UAV available in large numbers and with the range to carry that much explosive, other than the long-range AN-196 Liutyi, which is a lot more expensive and illogical to use for this mission,” Gardiner, who uses the @GrandpaRoy2 handle on X, told us.

Ukrainian UAVs have struck about 175,000 tons of shipping in the Sea of Azov over the last few days — these are World War II numbers. https://t.co/P4IEJb77M0

— Roy🇨🇦 (@GrandpaRoy2) July 10, 2026

Fire Point co-owner Denis Shtilerman recently told the TSN media outlet that the company has increased the warhead of its FP-2 strike drones to 200 kilograms. A change in the wing design enabled the drone to achieve a flight range of up to 370 kilometers with those warheads, he claimed.

УКРАЇНСЬКІ ДРОНИ СТАЛИ НОСІЯМИ РАКЕТ! Деталі від українських розробників / ТСН.Тиждень

That range gives Ukrainian forces fire control over virtually all of the Sea of Azov, a body of water north of the Black Sea. The videos indicate this is made possible by high-speed satellite data links allowing for man-in-the-loop operations at great distances. This has enabled Ukraine’s sea drones since their arrival but the miniaturization of the technology has now allowed for large-scale use on one-way attack munitions. 

In addition to the aerial drones striking these tankers, Ukraine’s SBU state security bureau used Sea Baby sea drones to attack a Russian tanker in the Black Sea on June 8. As we have frequently reported, Ukraine’s naval campaign has focused overwhelmingly on the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Many successful attacks have been recorded against Black Sea Fleet vessels and facilities, forcing the general evacuation of Russian naval assets from occupied Crimea and to bases in Russia proper.

The Sea of Azov campaign has some Russian milbloggers chiding Moscow for not doing enough to protect these tankers.

“The ‘Military Informant’ Telegram channel complained that the defenseless manner in which the tankers had travelled had become in effect a shooting gallery for Ukrainian drone operators, with no cover from a Black Sea Fleet, which could nowadays barely defend itself,” the BBC recently noted.

The Kremlin is certainly paying attention to Ukraine’s targeting of refineries, oil depots, ports, ships and other energy infrastructure.

Russian nationalist and Z-blogger Vitaly Voronov is disgusted that Ukrainian drones have reached Omsk, well to the east of the Urals in Siberia.

“Well, after Ukrainian drones started reaching Siberia and striking the Omsk oil refinery, I believe in Vladimir Putin even more.
1/ https://t.co/sFA9sLevl9 pic.twitter.com/WvbccZppt9

— Roy🇨🇦 (@GrandpaRoy2) July 8, 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin “is concerned enough to address the fuel shortage publicly on state TV, insisting the Ukrainian attacks are ‘obviously creating problems’ but insisting ‘it’s not critical,’” BBC explained.

There’s good reason for Putin to be concerned.

“Russian gasoline output fell to a level equivalent to only around 65% of the ​seasonal average consumption after Ukrainian drone attacks led to stoppages at large oil refineries,” Reuters reported on Friday, citing “two industry sources ‌and Reuters calculations.”

As a result of the Ukrainian attacks, Russia – long a major oil exporter – is now turning to imports to cover the gap and meet the demands.

“Supplies of gasoline and diesel from Belarus to Russia hit a monthly record in June, while industry sources said last week that Russia had ‌started ⁠seaborne from India,” Reuters added. “Traders said that up to 6,000 tons of gasoline per day are delivered from neighboring Belarus to Russia. Stockpiles are also being tapped.”

Russia is also taking the drastic step of considering bans on exports of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.

All this comes as both Ukraine and Russia are jockeying for territory and influence amid a slow-churning, on-again, off-again effort by President Donald Trump to end the conflict.

Ukraine’s success in targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure and isolating Crimea has likely had an effect on Trump, who has repeatedly changed his stance on which side he favors.

As we recently reported, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a remarkably warm bilateral meeting at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, earlier this week. So much so that the American leader promised his counterpart licenses to manufacture Patriot air defense system interceptors, something Zelensky has sought for years without success.

Ukraine continues to struggle badly to fend off Russian ballistic missile barrages and remains overmatched in terms of troops and equipment on the battlefield, where fighting has ground to a virtual standstill. Despite that, Kyiv is proving that asymmetric efforts like the Sea of Azov campaign are helping to offset Moscow’s advantages.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

Pieces from the turf used at the stadium will go on sale as memorabilia and will be priced from $450 to $1,200.

FIFA is hoping to make money off the World Cup final even after the match is finished and the tournament is wrapped up.

Segments of the pitch for the World Cup final will be up for sale starting at $450 per piece, football’s governing body announced on Saturday.

Players and coaches have criticised the quality of the field at New Jersey’s MetLife, which usually uses an artificial surface for NFL games of the New York Giants and Jets. FIFA renamed the venue to New Jersey New York Stadium for the World Cup.

FIFA, accused of charging high prices for this year’s tournament in the United States, will earn more than $11m from the sale, according to a report in The Athletic.

“Own a genuine piece of football history with an authentic 2026 FIFA World Cup Piece of the pitch, permanently preserved in a premium acrylic with a USB keepsake,” the website says. “Each piece contains an original fragment of the iconic Final playing surface, making it a unique collectable that celebrates one of the world’s greatest sporting events.”

The official store says each segment of turf is 17.5 by 17.5 by 17.5, although it doesn’t specify whether that figure is inches, centimetres or millimetres.

FIFA said “the acrylic USB features an authenticity film, while offering a sleek, contemporary display piece. Presented in a premium hinged shoulder box with striking spot UV detailing, this exclusive item is designed for collectors, fans, and football enthusiasts alike”.

FIFA is making the turf available to send only to addresses in the United States and Europe.

“Orders will not be shipped until after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final,” the governing body said.

In addition to the high-priced tickets and memorabilia for the tournament, it will ‌cost $3,000 for the highest-priced tier of souvenir turf. The three-by-three-inch (7.6-by-7.6-centimetre) piece of grass comes with a gold-etched replica ticket, a miniature replica World Cup ball and a crystal-cut World Cup trophy.

The three other tiers of souvenir turf will sell for $450, $900 and $1,200.

There will ⁠be no more than 2,026 pieces ⁠available in any one tier.

FIFA is selling regular tickets for the final at up to $32,970 for the final and is asking $34,500 and $32,500 for hospitality tickets that include food and drinks.

The report indicated that the turf which will be used for the World Cup final was grown at a turf ⁠farm in North Carolina.

For consistency, new turf fields were installed at all World ⁠Cup venues, including those that typically have ⁠artificial surfaces like the stadiums in Seattle, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Vancouver, Canada; Arlington, Texas; and Inglewood, California.

There is no indication of what will happen to ‌the turf fields that are not being used for the final.

Politician Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home with serious injuries, with police confirming a murder investigation is underway.

Politicians from across the political spectrum have paid tribute to the former Conservative MP turned Reform UK spokesperson, expressing shock and sadness over her death.

Ten newly identified victims were buried as the more than 8,000 slain Bosnian Muslim men and boys were remembered.

Thousands have gathered in Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark 31 years since the Srebrenica genocide, as leaders and activists worldwide use the anniversary to call on people to fight dehumanisation.

On Saturday, mourners, survivors, foreign dignitaries and religious leaders gathered at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center to commemorate those who were killed in 1995. People took part in the annual peace march before 10 newly identified victims were buried.

Bosnian Serb forces overran the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, killing more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys over several days. Srebrenica had been declared a protected “safe area” by the United Nations Security Council two years earlier.

Denis Becirovic, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said honouring those who were killed was crucial to maintaining stability.

“If we fail to preserve the truth about our past, we will have neither a present nor a future,” he said.

The Dutch ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Henk van den Dool, said education was key to preventing a repeat of similar atrocities.

“One of the common goals we share with the Srebrenica Memorial Center, with the mothers, and with the survivors is to translate this enduring warning into meaningful action. One of the most meaningful and effective ways to do that is through education,” he said.

Pursuit of justice

Every year on July 11 , newly identified victims are buried at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center, as investigators continue to search for the remains of people buried in mass graves in surrounding areas.

More than a thousand victims remain missing following the genocide, which is widely recognised as the worst atrocity committed in Europe since the Holocaust during the Second World War.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the massacre “a crime against humanity”, while the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, posted on X that he was “deeply moved” during his trip to Srebrenica last week.

“Today, as we stop to remember the victims and families who mourn them, we must also commit ourselves to fighting violence and dehumanisation wherever we encounter it and stopping hatred from taking hold,” Khan said.

More than 100,000 people were killed during the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995. The conflict followed the dissolution of Yugoslavia, triggering a series of ethnic conflicts and wars of independence among the Balkan states that had previously formed a single country.

In recent days, campaigners have drawn comparisons between the Srebrenica genocide and Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, decried that senior Israeli officials are yet to be held legally accountable for their crimes.

“The United Nations this week remembered the genocide in Bosnia – the 8,000+ Muslim men and boys killed in Srebrenica in July 1995. The leaders of the genocide were convicted. The perpetrators of Israel’s genocide in Gaza remain at large,” Roth said on X.

Noskova’s second-set collapse was excruciating to watch for the 15,000-strong crowd on Centre Court, but the way in which she mentally reset in the decider was admirable.

Serving for the title again an hour after her first attempt, Noskova hit an ace to set up a sixth championship point and converted it with a service winner.

Noskova immediately fell to the court as her relief poured out, with 29-year-old Muchova walking around the net to congratulate her Paris 2024 Olympics doubles partner.

“It’s really tough to find any words, but I’ll start with Linda – my ex-friend,” joked Muchova.

“The way you handled it and the way you played was unbelievable. You deserve it.”

Noskova hid under her towel towards the end of the second set and did the same again in the moments after securing a testing victory.

The ninth seed is the third Czech champion in the past four years at the All England Club, after victories for compatriots Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Fittingly, Noskova’s crowning glory watched by Czech-born Martina Navratilova – a nine-time singles champion – and one of her idols Petra Kvitova, who won in 2011 and 2014.

As well as lifting the iconic Venus Rosewater Dish, Noskova will receive £3.6m in prize money and move up to a new career-high ranking of seventh in the world.

One of the latest of a long line of Czech talents, Noskova had been tipped as a future star who could challenge for Grand Slam titles.

She was a highly-rated junior who became the youngest player inside the top 100 in 2022 and a run to the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2024 underlined her ability.

Making consistent runs at the majors had been rare, but reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last year made her feel “comfy” on the grass when she returned this year.

Noskova set herself up for a deep run in SW19 by winning the Berlin title last month but, in her speech during the Centre Court trophy presentation, acknowledged how difficult the tournament has been both physically and emotionally.

On court, Noskova had to fight back from match point down in her third-round encounter against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.

She is only the third player – after Venus Williams in 2005 and Serena Williams in 2009 – to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title from such a position.

Marc Guehi has won his fitness race and is expected to start England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway alongside a recalled John Stones in central defence.

Manchester City defender Guehi suffered a minor hamstring strain in the win over Mexico and has missed training sessions this week.

But he is set to be cleared to continue in the heart of England’s defence.

He is expected to be playing alongside Stones in defence, who is set to be recalled into the starting XI for the first time since the opening game against Croatia.

Ezri Konsa is set to be moved from centre-back to right-back.

Declan Rice is fit to start despite a sickness bug that has hampered his involvement in the preparations for the game while Noni Madueke is expected to play ahead of Bukayo Saka in another change to the XI.

Stones, 32, has been a substitute in all the subsequent matches since Croatia. However, he played a key role against Mexico, coming on for Saka on 57 minutes following Jarell Quansah’s red card.

Expected England team: Pickford, Konsa, Guehi, Stones, O’Reilly, Anderson, Rice, Madueke, Gordon, Bellingham, Kane.

More to follow

Meanwhile, a delegation from Qatar travelled to Iran on Friday for talks aimed at defusing tensions and easing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz – the vital waterway where some 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social earlier on Friday: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’

“We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!”

It is not clear when those talks will be held. Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as special US envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, are expected to oversee negotiations for the US.

According to Iranian media, Araghchi is in Oman for talks with Omani officials.

A US official said American technical teams would not be present in Oman, but would be in touch with the Omanis and Qataris as developments occurred.

In the early hours of Saturday, Trump also responded to reports that Iran had plans to assassinate him.

The US would “completely decimate and destroy all areas” of the country in retaliation to such an attack, he said.

The Wall Street Journal and other US media reported this week that Israel had shared intelligence with Washington that Iran had recently devised a plan to assassinate the US president.

However, Trump denied that Tehran had made a fresh plan or that Israel was the source of any intelligence. He told the New York Post in an interview that he had been “No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time”.

There were also open calls for Trump’s death at the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran on 28 February.

On Saturday, his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, released a written message that said vengeance for his father’s killing was “inevitable”.

The “matter depends neither on my personal existence nor on that of other officials. Whether we are present or not, it will come to pass,” Khamenei said.

Individuals training to become U.S. Navy tactical jet pilots can still get carrier qualifications in T-45 Goshawk jet trainers, even though it is no longer a graduation requirement. If there is time and space available, they can join future E-2 Hawkeye pilots, as well as foreign student aviators training with the Navy, for whom this is still a requirement, at least for now.

The Navy is separately in the process of evaluating new ways to ensure it can keep providing key carrier aviation training, at least in the virtual realm, as it moves ahead with plans to replace its T-45 fleet. The service’s next jet trainer will not even be required to perform carrier landing touch-and-go training.

TWZ had reached out to the office of the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) for an update on carrier aviation training plans last week. This followed the release of a new batch of pictures showing T-45s conducting carrier qualifications aboard the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower at the end of June. CNATRA also forwarded some of our queries to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which offered additional details about the full ‘systems of systems’ being pursued under the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) program that will take the place of the just under 200 Goshawks in inventory today.

“Those photos consisted of 26 student naval aviators from the following pipelines: 17 E-2 students, seven international military students and two strike students,” a spokesperson for CNATRA told us to begin with. “Carrier qualifications are not required for strike students, but if aircraft and deck time are available, we will select a small number of strike students to participate alongside E-2 and international military students.”

“Carrier qualifications remain an integral part of the E-2 and international military student training pipeline,” they added.

“The determination of when a student conducts carrier qualifications is dependent on several factors, including the student’s position in the training pipeline at the time the opportunity becomes available,” they also explained when asked for more details. “More specifically, CNATRA and the fleet determine that a carrier has the deck time and aviation assets available to support training operations, and the Training Air Wings evaluate their rosters to determine if there are students at the right phase of their training where a carrier qualification evolution is appropriate.”

As noted, as part of the UJTS effort, the Navy is already moving to acquire a new jet trainer to directly replace the T-45, which will not be required to perform carrier landing touch-and-goes or similar training called Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) at facilities ashore. FCLP, as it exists now, is structured in a way that “simulates, as near as practicable, the conditions encountered during carrier landing operations,” per the Navy. This historically served as a lead-up to full carrier qualifications.

F-18 Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP). Touch-and-Go Landing.

With carrier qualifications already eliminated from the strike pipeline syllabus, this prompts further questions about what will happen to the syllabus for E-2 and foreign student aviators after the T-45s are retired for good. For most prospective strike pilots, the current curriculum already means they will not touch down on a real carrier until after they are winged and flying a front-line aircraft.

“The UJTS system must be capable of training student pilots to land on a carrier,” Navy Capt. Duane Whitmer, head of the UJTS program office at NAVAIR, told TWZ in a statement. “As [the] T-45 is planned to be operational through 2040 and UJTS is currently going through source selection, any discussion regarding CNATRA carrier qualification syllabus requirements once UJTS is fielded would be premature.”

“We are essentially explaining the same requirement from different angles. UJTS is a comprehensive ‘system of systems’ encompassing both the physical aircraft and advanced simulators,” he added. “By design, this approach ensures the FCLP training capability exists within the overall program, even though the RFP [request for proposals for the T-45 replacement] does not explicitly mandate FCLP to touchdown in the aircraft itself. We are currently in source selection to evaluate how industry proposes delivering this capability across the combined system, [but] any discussion regarding future CNATRA syllabus changes remains premature.”

For years now, the Navy has made clear that it sees advances in virtualized training, as well as automated carrier landing capabilities like Magic Carpet and its successors, as having fundamentally altered the training landscape. The service has also said that eliminating FCLP and carrier qualification requirements will help move student aviators through training faster amid chronic pilot shortages. There is a cost-benefit argument to be made, as well.

Flight Ready: Live, Virtual, Constructive

Flight Ready: Magic Carpet

Despite all this, concerns and criticism have been and continue to be voiced about the broader ramifications of cutting elements long considered critical to naval aviation training. As TWZ regularly noted, virtualized aviation training environments have become very impressive in recent years, but still cannot be expected to truly replicate live training. It’s also worth pointing out here that the Navy’s E-2 fleets do not currently benefit from automated carrier landing developments, though the Navy is now moving to change that with a Precision Approach Landing Capability (PALC) upgrade.

“Carrier qualifications demand the highest levels of focus, skill, and teamwork,” Navy Capt. Travis Suggs, CNATRA operations officer, was quoted as saying in an official Navy news item about the training conducted on Eisenhower last month. “Watching our future pilots and our international military students successfully catch the wire aboard the Dwight D. Eisenhower is a testament to the quality of our training pipelines, the dedication of our instructors, and the immense capability of the ship’s crew.”

There remains a window for the Navy to potentially adopt something of a different approach as it firms up the rest of its UJTS ‘systems of systems’ plans. The Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) proposed T-45 replacement, called the Freedom jet, is still being designed to be capable of conducting FCLP training. SNC has also now partnered with Northrop Grumman and General Atomics on this effort.

Freedom Family of Training Systems (FoTS)

In addition, the expectation was that removing the FCLP training requirement for the Navy’s next jet trainer would help open the field to more competitors, including ones based on types intended for operation from bases on land. However, this has not come to pass. SNC is one of just two major competitors still in the running after Boeing dropped out last month. Lockheed Martin, which had teamed with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), bowed out in April. A team led by Leonardo and Textron is still competing with a proposal centered on the M-346N aircraft. Both the Freedom jet and the M-346N are also notable twin-engine designs. The T-45, as well as the proposals from Boeing and Lockheed Martin/KAI, are all single-engine designs.

We Fly Aboard The M-346 That Could Become The Navy’s Next Jet Trainer

It is worth noting here that the Navy’s UJTS plans have already been evolving for years amid repeated delays with the program, which first emerged publicly back in 2020. The original goal was to have a T-45 replacement enter operational service in 2028. The Navy is now aiming to just pick a winning design next year, after which it will take some amount of time to complete the aircraft’s development and begin actual deliveries.

In the meantime, the aging T-45s have faced their own struggles in recent years. This includes a spate of reported hypoxia-like physiological episodes among pilots that led to the development of a new oxygen system. Engine issues have also hounded the fleet. In recent years, there have been several Goshawk crashes, some of which have been fatal, due to a variety of factors. The most recent of these came in May, but the individuals on board thankfully survived.

The Navy’s overall vision for training future aviators continues to solidify, with the new jet trainer being just one component. Just how much training ends up moving into virtualized spaces remains to be seen.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

On Tuesday, June 9, a disturbing incident left many locals mourning in the rural areas of Zamfara State, in northwestern Nigeria. An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated along the Anka-Bagega road. When the news reached Sadiq Sulaiman, he anxiously waited for hours to learn the fate of his brother, Yusuf Sulaiman, who had travelled by road in a commercial vehicle that same day. 

Family members began frantically calling one another to search for their relatives. As photos from the scene started to emerge on social media, security agents and health workers rushed to rescue the victims. At first, only one man, Sama’ila Muhammad, was identified and his body brought before the grieving crowd. Sadiq clung to the slightest thread of hope, praying that his brother was not involved. A few hours later, his worst fear came to pass, as he learned that Yusuf died in the incident. 

“My heart is heavy,” Sadiq, who was in Abuja when the incident happened, told HumAngle. “I cried for hours because the loss cannot be imagined. I’ve lost more than a sibling.”

Since Yusuf’s death was confirmed, Sadiq has repeatedly checked his last conversation – a WhatsApp chat – with his brother. The messages were short and “unserious”, a brother checking on his brother. In an earlier message, Yusuf had told Sadiq that terrorists had stolen his phone when they attacked the Bagega community of Zamfara on Saturday, May 3. He said in the message that he had since gotten a new phone and would stay in touch with him.

With his brother’s body found and buried, Sadiq felt a little relieved that he wouldn’t be trapped in the uncertainty of not knowing what happened to his brother. He says he feels double pain: losing his brother to the terrorists and not being able to pay his last respects by participating in burying him. 

That morning, Yusuf boarded one of the two Golf saloon vehicles that were headed to Anka town from Bagega community when it struck the buried IEDs. Ten people died in the resulting explosion, including a three-year-old girl travelling with her uncle. Four people survived but were seriously injured. 

The Anka–Bagega Road has become a recurring site of tragedy; IED explosions on the route have turned it into one of the deadliest routes in the region. On the afternoon of June 15, three police officers attached to the Zamfara State Command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit died in an IED blast on the same road when their armoured vehicle struck an explosive device during a routine clearance operation. The officers were Abdulrazak Musa Hassan, Auwal Ahmad, and Murtala Musa Abdurazak, a superintendent of police who was the officer in charge of the unit. 

Earlier on May 7, seven residents of Bagega were killed in an IED explosion on the Anka-Bagega road. Eight persons were also seriously injured. The incidents have cast the community into mourning and fear. 

Buried bombs

Armed violence has persisted for over a decade across northwestern Nigeria, with thousands of people killed and displaced. As the government struggled to protect civilians and their communities, the terrorists grew stronger, accumulating illicit wealth through their kidnapping-for-ransom operations, collection of so-called “farming and protection taxes”, and illegal gold mining. In the past months, however, terrorists have increased the deployment of IEDs to target civilians and security personnel, specifically in Zamfara and Sokoto states. 

Since the beginning of May, at least six IED explosions have been recorded in the two states, while the seventh attack was averted when police officers found and destroyed the buried devices.

The proliferation of IEDs by terrorists in the region can be traced to 2024 when civilians fell victim to the buried explosives in Zamfara’s Maru Local Government Area (LGA) on two different occasions. The first IED incident occurred on Yar Galadima Road, followed by another on the Dansadau-Magami Road. Before then, IED attacks by terrorists had been relatively rare in the region.

By late 2025, that shift had become more pronounced. In December of that year, an IED blast unsettled civilians in Maru. According to sources familiar with the operations of the armed groups in the area, the attack was masterminded by Abubakar Abdullahi, also known as Dogo Gide, a terror group leader with strong influence in the region. That same month, another terror group loyal to Ado Aleru, an infamous criminal mastermind, also planted an IED on the Funtua-Tsafe Highway in an attempt to target soldiers at several military checkpoints.

The tactic persisted into the following year. In February 2026, 11 terrorists were killed while attempting to plant an IED in the Babbar Doka community of Maru. These incidents threw locals of the areas into panic, but more IED explosions would follow, especially in May and June, the same period when Sadiq’s brother and the three police officers were killed. 

The buried explosive devices have become some of the terrorists’ most dangerous weapons against locals and security agents in the northwestern region. On June 20, a military armoured personnel carrier was also hit by an IED on the Isa-Bargaja road in Sokoto State. The explosion killed three soldiers who were in the armoured vehicle, while several soldiers got injured. 

Barely eight days later, on June 28, thunderous explosions shook Kurawa, an area in Sabon Birni in Sokoto State. A commercial vehicle travelling along the Sabon Birni-Hurawa road accidentally stepped on a buried IED planted by terrorists. Although nobody died, the passengers were badly injured.

“We believe the terrorists planted the IED to stop soldiers from repelling their attack,” Lauwali Rabiu, a resident of Kurawa, told HumAngle. He said the terrorists attacked the community in the night and killed a civilian simply identified as Sabiu. “We suspected that the terrorists planted the IED before they went into the community so that soldiers coming to fight them would step on it.”

Just two days later, on June 30, terrorists planted another IED on the Tidibale–Tagirke road in the Isa area of Sokoto, and two soldiers were killed in the resulting blast. 

These IED incidents represent a shift in the operational capacity of terrorists in the northwestern region; they also pose an expanding threat in a region that has been witnessing violence since at least 2013. 

Historically, the use of IEDs in Nigeria has been associated primarily with extremist groups operating in the North East. Security experts believe there is a disturbing collaboration between extremist groups from northeastern Nigeria who have been moving into North Central and North West regions, and the terrorists operating in Sokoto and Zamfara. 

James Barnett, a Nigerian-based conflict researcher, told HumAngle that the jihadists, especially Ansaru and Jama’atul Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), have sought alliances with local terrorists in the northwestern region. Despite the alliances, the insurgents tried to maintain the upper hand in those relationships, James said.

“To that end, jihadists have typically tried to maintain a monopoly on IED manufacturing and supply so as to maintain a comparative advantage over the more numerous bandits (terrorists). This has involved supplying limited numbers of IEDs or employing IEDs in joint operations as a means of winning [terrorists’] favour while keeping them dependent on the jihadists’ technical know-how and supplies,” James noted, adding that it is now harder for the northeast-bound terrorists to control the manufacturing and supplying of the IEDs in the northwestern region.

“A number of [terrorists] have developed those skills within their gangs, sometimes by luring explosives specialists from jihadist groups. Banditry has become a lucrative enterprise, and some gangs therefore have the capital to invest in these deadly technical skills,” he added.

IEDs on the prowl

The unholy alliances between the extremists and northwestern terrorists have fuelled the proliferation of IEDs, turning public roads into death traps for unsuspecting civilians.

On the day of the June 9 explosion in Bagega, Hassan Ibrahim sat outside his house with friends and neighbours. He had gone to the motor park to buy fuel for his power generator, but he was the only black-market vendor who had run out of stock. He wanted to ask someone travelling to Anka town to buy fuel for him, but was told that vehicles were not available. 

“A few minutes later, the news came in that a bomb (IEDs) planted on the road by terrorists had gone off. Someone said two cars from here (Bagega) had left and were possibly caught in it,” he told HumAngle. 

Hassan and his friends immediately headed to the scene, where they saw the vehicles, including two military trucks almost reduced to dust. Residents from neighbouring communities trooped out to confirm the story. Hassan said he felt he knew some of the victims. He would later realise that his father-in-law, Salisu Minyama, was there, as was his nephew, Sama’ila Muhammad. 

“It dawned on me that yes, this is real. How do you start to explain to their families? I was with Alhaji (Salisu) in the morning, and he told me he would be travelling. I saw his children, and then my nephew, Sama’ila; I spoke with him. How would you feel if you spoke with someone, and minutes later they tell you he is dead?” he wondered. 

The victims of the IED, according to residents, were Alhaji Salisu Minyama, Abba Salisu Minyama, Abdurashid Salisu Minyama, Yusuf Sulaiman, Babangida Mika Sunke, Sama’ila Muhammad, Sabiu Mallamawa, Ashiru Mallamawa, and Nana Mallamawa.

Disturbing pattern

Although the infiltration of terrorists into the North West from the North East is blamed for the proliferation of IEDs, some locals and security experts believe several homegrown terrorists now produce IEDs on their own. Abubakar Dan-iya, a conflict researcher in Zamfara, told HumAngle that IEDs are now being produced by the terrorists mostly under the guidance of Dogo Gide, the terror group leader with known ties to jihadists from the northeastern region.

“The resurgence of Dogo Gide in the criminal circle ignites recent IED incidents recorded in the areas of Bagega, Gwashi, and Dansadau axis. He remains the only merchant and supplier of explosive devices, dynamites, and coil detonators in Zamfara. Dogo Gide has recently been touring areas in Tureta, Shagari, Gummi, Anka, and Bukkuyum both in Zamfara and Sokoto states,” Abubakar said, adding that some of the raw materials needed for making IEDs are found in Zamfara.

Abubakar noted that some public transport parks are now being used by terrorists’ collaborators to source the raw materials and move them to areas where terrorists use them to assemble IEDs. Local markets like Polo Club, Old Market, Garejin Mailena, all in Gusau, are points where coil detonators, wire cables, dynamites, and other IED-related accessories are loaded onto the vehicles for movement to Bindin, Bagega, Dansadau, Magami, Faikai, and other communities across Anka, Maru, Shinkafi and Bukuyum LGAs, as well as the Tsafe axis.

While some of those sourcing the raw materials may not know how they will ultimately be used, Abubakar alleged that some of the drivers transporting them are collaborators. HumAngle could not independently verify these claims. 

Avoidable tragedy

Describing the IED blast that killed his brother as an “avoidable tragedy”, Sadiq says the security situation in Zamfara has gone way too bad. “This is on the government,” he lamented. “We know that it’s the government that should protect citizens, so why are we not being protected? The road from Anka to Bagega has always been in terrible shape; the situation would improve with a good road and enough security.”

Isa, another resident of Zamfara who asked to be identified only by his first name, told HumAngle how he lost his bosom friend to the recent IED attack. He was listening to the radio in his room when his wife broke the news about the explosion. His friend, Abba Salisu, had informed him that he would be going to Anka with his father and brother. They wanted an early trip so they could return to Bagega in time. That morning, Isa’s wife heard a neighbour crying. When she went to find out what had happened, she was told about the explosion.

“I didn’t want to believe it at first, so I put on my shirt and went out,” Isa said. On his way, he called Abba’s number, but it was unreachable; he convinced himself that the network was poor. 

He wanted to know whether his friend was really involved. As he moved from one person to another, his heart rate increased. That was when someone told him they had seen Abba and his father in one of the cars. “In the end, you can do nothing since it’s their time; it’s what God decided; we can only pray for them to be accepted as martyrs,” he said in a broken voice. 

Residents who spoke to HumAngle said the recent explosion has not only killed 10 persons they have known for years; it has also instilled fear in their minds. The community’s economy has broken down as more people avoid the weekly market for fear of attacks.

“It goes beyond this particular incident,” Bilyaminu Abubakar, a resident of Bagega, told HumAngle. “For over two months, the people of Bagega have been completely abandoned. We are facing a severe security crisis, yet those in power behave as though we don’t exist. These explosions have taken the lives of our beloved ones, shattered families, and trapped us in constant fear.”

When contacted by HumAngle, both the Zamfara and Sokoto States Police spokespersons, Yazid Abubakar and Ahmad Rufai, did not respond to messages and calls placed on their lines for reactions over the trend of IED deployment by terrorists. HumAngle also contacted Sulaiman Bala Idris, the spokesperson for the Zamfara State Governor, but he did not respond to our messages. Sambo Bello Danchadi, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Information, also did not respond to queries about measures being taken to address the growing IED threats.

European shares were little changed on Friday but remained on track for their first weekly decline in five weeks as weakness in technology stocks and renewed tensions between the United States and Iran dampened investor sentiment.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index edged 0.1% lower to 640.28 points by 0849 GMT, with losses in technology companies offsetting gains in most other sectors.

The benchmark index is poised to end a four-week winning streak after investors reassessed lofty valuations in artificial intelligence-related stocks while monitoring escalating geopolitical risks in the Middle East.

Technology stocks remain under pressure

The technology sector fell 1.3% on Friday as investors continued taking profits following months of strong gains driven by enthusiasm for artificial intelligence.

The sector also remained focused on the closely watched U.S. stock market debut of South Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix after its $26.5 billion share sale.

Among European chip-related stocks:

• Soitec fell 3.3%.
• BE Semiconductor Industries declined 1.6%.
• ASML dropped 2.3%.

“The large swings we’re seeing in technology stocks suggest investors remain under stress amid elevated valuations,” said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior market analyst at Swissquote Bank.

“Attention is now turning to SK Hynix’s U.S. debut, which could help gauge broader appetite for AI-related stocks and influence sentiment across the sector.”

Iran tensions weigh on market sentiment

Investor caution also reflected renewed uncertainty in the Middle East after Iranian forces targeted U.S. military infrastructure in Gulf states following fresh U.S. strikes on Iran.

The latest escalation further weakened the fragile three-week-old ceasefire and renewed concerns over potential disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy trade routes.

Higher oil prices and possible supply disruptions have raised concerns about inflation, particularly in energy-importing Europe, where markets are closely watching the implications for economic growth and European Central Bank policy.

Telecoms and travel outperform

Despite weakness in technology, most sectors in the STOXX 600 traded higher.

Telecommunications stocks led gains, rising 1.4%, after Vodafone surged nearly 11%.

The rally followed an announcement by UAE telecoms group e& that it would sell its stake in Vodafone to the family investment group of French billionaire Xavier Niel.

Travel and leisure stocks gained 0.8%, supported by strength in airline shares.

British budget carrier EasyJet jumped 14% after agreeing in principle to a £5.7 billion ($7.65 billion) takeover approach from Apollo Global.

Steel stocks rally on broker upgrades

European steelmakers outperformed after J.P. Morgan adopted a more positive view of the sector.

The investment bank upgraded ArcelorMittal to “neutral” from “underweight,” lifting its shares 5%.

Austria’s Voestalpine climbed 6%, while Germany’s Salzgitter surged 10.3% after both companies received double upgrades to “overweight.”

Other movers

Wealth manager St. James’s Place was among the session’s biggest losers, falling 8.5% after reports that Sovereign Wealth, one of its largest partner firms, was in talks to join a Swedish wealth management group.

Future outlook

Markets are expected to remain focused on two key drivers in the coming days: whether the renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities escalate further and whether SK Hynix’s U.S. debut reinforces or weakens investor confidence in the AI-driven technology rally.

With geopolitical risks pushing oil prices higher and technology valuations facing increased scrutiny, analysts expect volatility across European equities to remain elevated in the near term.

With information from Reuters.

Typhoon Bavi brought heavy rain and powerful winds to Japan’s southern islands while skirting Taiwan, where rough seas, fallen trees and localized damage were reported.

Despite the storm, residents in Keelung ventured out to markets as Bavi weakened while tracking toward China’s east coast, where landfall is expected on Sunday.

Thousands of Zimbabweans are returning home after xenophobic violence in South Africa, describing beatings, robbery and threats from anti-migrant groups. Nearly 21,300 have been repatriated by the government in five weeks, with 56,800 more self-repatriating.

China’s successful submarine-launched ballistic missile test into the southern Pacific this week was more than a routine military exercise. It provided Beijing with a rare opportunity to validate one of the most sensitive aspects of its nuclear deterrent its ability to command, communicate with and potentially deploy nuclear-armed submarines while remaining undetected.

The test, carried out on Monday, involved a ballistic missile launched from a strategic nuclear-powered submarine and has drawn close scrutiny from regional governments and defence analysts. While Chinese officials described it as a standard military drill conducted in accordance with international law, experts say it marks another step in China’s effort to build a more credible and survivable nuclear force.

Why submarine missile tests matter

Unlike land-based nuclear missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) are designed to ensure a country can retaliate even if its territory comes under nuclear attack. This “second-strike capability” forms one of the central pillars of nuclear deterrence.

Analysts say the test was not solely about assessing missile performance. It also allowed Chinese military leaders to evaluate the complex command-and-control systems needed to operate nuclear submarines while they remain hidden beneath the ocean.

Maintaining secure communications with submarines without revealing their position is among the most technically demanding aspects of any nuclear arsenal.

Collin Koh, a security expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said Beijing would likely have been evaluating communications, operational procedures and submarine performance alongside the missile itself.

A key part of China’s nuclear modernization

Regional defence experts believe the missile was launched from one of China’s Type-094 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), although Beijing has not officially identified the vessel.

China has steadily expanded its nuclear capabilities over the past decade, developing what military planners describe as a complete “nuclear triad”—the ability to launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and air.

The submarine component is viewed as increasingly important because it offers a survivable retaliatory force if China’s land-based missile sites were destroyed during a conflict.

According to previous U.S. defence assessments, China has already begun near-continuous deterrence patrols using its SSBN fleet, joining the United States, Russia, Britain and France in maintaining an at-sea nuclear capability.

Challenges remain

Despite the progress, experts note that China’s submarine force still faces significant operational hurdles.

To threaten the continental United States with its most advanced JL-3 submarine-launched missile, Chinese submarines would likely need to leave the relative protection of the South China Sea and enter the wider Pacific Ocean, where they could be tracked by U.S. and allied anti-submarine forces.

Military analysts say American and allied navies closely monitor Chinese submarines using surveillance aircraft, underwater sensor networks and naval patrols.

China is also developing a quieter next-generation ballistic missile submarine that could improve its ability to operate undetected.

Regional reaction

The launch prompted criticism from several regional governments.

The United States said China had provided only limited advance notification before the launch and expressed concern over Beijing’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal. Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan also voiced concern following the test.

China rejected the criticism, insisting the exercise complied with international law and was intended solely to safeguard national security and strategic stability.

Beijing has repeatedly argued that its nuclear modernization remains defensive and consistent with its longstanding policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons.

Analysis: A signal beyond the missile

The importance of this test extends beyond the missile itself. It demonstrates Beijing’s growing confidence in the sea-based leg of its nuclear deterrent, an area traditionally dominated by the United States and Russia.

The exercise also reflects China’s broader military modernization strategy under President Xi Jinping, which prioritizes survivable nuclear forces capable of guaranteeing retaliation under any scenario. Even if operational challenges remain—particularly the ability of Chinese submarines to evade increasingly sophisticated Western tracking systems—the test suggests China is moving closer to a fully credible second-strike capability.

Strategically, the launch sends multiple messages. Domestically, it showcases advances in China’s military technology. Regionally, it reinforces Beijing’s determination to protect its security interests. Internationally, it signals that China’s nuclear forces are becoming more sophisticated, mobile and resilient, adding another layer of complexity to strategic competition with the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific.

With information from Reuters.

The U.S. Air Force has officially decided that the B-21 Raider will be flown by a crew consisting of two pilots, just like the B-2 is today. The service had previously considered operating the bomber with just one pilot alongside a weapon systems officer (WSO), or ‘wizzo.’ The plan is now to transition some number of qualifying WSOs and combat systems officers (CSOs) to become pilots for the future B-21 fleet.

The formal announcement about the standard two-pilot crew complement for the B-21 came yesterday. This follows the Air Force’s announcement in June that an operational test pilot had taken the controls of a pre-production Raider for the first time.

“Following careful analysis of the B-21’s advanced capabilities, Air Force leadership determined that a two-pilot configuration optimally supports the aircraft’s mission profile,” according to an official release. “To maximize the lethality and survivability of the Raider, it is imperative to retain the deep tactical and combat experience currently residing within the WSO and CSO communities.”

“The Air Force is establishing a pilot transition program for select weapons system officers and combat systems officers who will be chosen to attend pilot training with a follow-on assignment to the B-21,” the release added. “Eligible officers will be provided with additional information via command channels when available.”

The Raider is still in development, but the Air Force is now aiming to begin fielding the bombers next year at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. The stated plan remains to acquire at least 100 B-21s, but service officials have said they plan to roll out a more precise figure next year, which is widely expected to be larger. This will also have an impact on the total number of pilots required.

“The pilots will be 11B bomber pilots and the Air Force is still working through the number of B-21 pilots we will have,” an Air Force spokesperson told TWZ directly today when asked for more information about the crewing decision.

“11B” here is the basic Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) for bomber pilots. Suffixes are used to reflect specific bomber types that individuals are assigned to fly. This administrative code should not in any way be confused with the U.S. Army’s 11B Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for infantrymen.

As mentioned, the standard crew complement for a B-2 bomber is also two pilots. There is also a small cot that allows for one pilot to sleep while the other flies during portions of a sortie, which can sometimes stretch across multiple days. Having two pilots also offers an additional margin of safety. That being said, for single-pilot B-21 operations, the Air Force could have provided WSOs with additional training to be able to fly the aircraft in an emergency.

“I think the B-21 is going to be largely like the B-2 in how it supports the crews,” Air Force Gen. Stephen Davis, head of Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), told TWZ in an interview with our Howard Altman in January. “There’s enough room for crew members to go on rest status. There’s a place to go to the bathroom, obviously, and to prepare food. All those things will exist in the B-21.”

Exclusive First Look: Step inside the cockpit of a B-2 stealth bomber

This was Davis’ first interview since taking charge of AFGSC, which oversees the Air Force’s bomber fleets, as well as other strategic capabilities. His predecessor, now-retired Gen. Thomas Bussiere, had been the one to recommend operating the B-21 with one pilot and one WSO.

“In terms of the crew complement for the B-21, that’s an ongoing discussion within the Department of the Air Force. No final decision has been made. Frankly, we had the same discussion on the B-2 on how it would be manned. And ultimately, they went with two pilots, in part because of the cost of the platform and the number they were producing,” Davis said in his interview with us when asked about this. “Actually, at the time, it was a requirement to have navigator or WSO experience to be a B-2 pilot. We went away from that over time, but that was one of the initial requirements.”

This latter point is particularly notable now that the Air Force has formally announced that it will transition WSOs and CSOs into B-21 pilots.

“With B-21 pilots, it’s a different plane, as it has a number of different capabilities,” Davis had added. “So we think that the right thing to do is look carefully at that crew complement and decide how to best make that the most capable combat platform we can.”

It remains unclear whether or not the Air Force might still consider single-pilot B-21 operations down the line. There was at least a stated desire for an optionally piloted mode, or the means to rapidly integrate one, as part of the requirements for the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program that led to the Raider. TWZ highlighted this all the way back in 2017 after we obtained a heavily redacted copy of a Department of Defense Inspector General report titled “Audit of the Acquisition of the Long Range Strike Bomber,” via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). That report was dated September 8, 2015, the same year Northrop Grumman was chosen as the winner of the LRS-B competition.

When reports first emerged that the Air Force was considering single-pilot B-21 operations in November 2025, TWZ pointed out that there were strong signs that a high level of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) infused autonomy had already been baked into the design.

While those capabilities might someday open doors to pilot-optional or uncrewed modes for the B-21, they could also be very beneficial for human pilots flying the bombers now. For years now, the U.S. military has been heavily investing publicly in ‘virtual co-pilot’ type technologies to increase safety margins and reduce workload for aircrew on fixed-wing planes and helicopters. This is on top of any work being done in the classified realm.

As we wrote previously:

“Since the early 2010s, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been notably supporting the development of AI ‘co-pilots’ that could be used on helicopters and fixed aircraft to help increase safety margins and reduce workload for human pilots through a program called the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS). ALIAS’ work has been centered on Lockheed Martin’s MATRIX autonomy flight control software package.”

Sikorsky Completes DARPA ALIAS Phase 2 Autonomous Flight

“Other companies, such as Shield AI and Merlin, have been developing similar autonomy packages and steadily growing their capabilities. Merlin has been notably working toward integrating its autonomy software onto an Air Force KC-135 tanker. Shield AI’s Hivemind has already been integrated onto a host of crewed and uncrewed platforms. It is also worth noting that the B-21 has been in development for more than a decade, and its capabilities in this regard would have been way ahead of its time.”

Teaming Autonomous Jets: Hivemind + MQM-178 Firejets

“An AI agent would offer a B-21 crew additional layers of redundancy and added safety margins, as well as just helping to reduce total workload, which could offset risks associated with having just one pilot. If the functions of that virtual co-pilot extend to offering well-formulated tactical advice, such as whether or not to attack, jam, or avoid a threat altogether along the B-21’s carefully calculated ‘blue line’ flight path, it could also offer an important boost in survivability and tactical flexibility.”

Otherwise, the B-21 continues to be a model acquisition program that has been able to stay largely on schedule and budget, despite at least some hurdles, according to both U.S. military officials and members of Congress. In February, the Air Force announced that it was boosting the rate of production of the bombers to help accelerate their fielding.

When the first B-21 touches down at Ellsworth Air Force Base, we can now expect it to be flown by a crew consisting of two pilots.

Howard Altman contributed to this story.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be significantly larger than official figures indicate, with most new infections occurring outside known chains of transmission, raising concerns that health authorities are struggling to keep pace with the spread of the virus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 80% of newly confirmed Ebola patients in the outbreak’s epicentre are not identified through existing contact-tracing networks, suggesting widespread undetected community transmission.

The outbreak, declared in mid-May, has officially infected 1,792 people and killed 625, according to Congolese government figures released on Thursday. However, WHO modelling indicates the true number of infections could be two to four times higher.

WHO Emergencies Director Chikwe Ihekweazu told Reuters that in Bunia, the centre of the outbreak in Ituri province, four out of every five newly confirmed cases are emerging outside the lists of people already being monitored after exposure to infected patients.

Public health experts view contact tracing as one of the most effective tools for controlling Ebola. When large numbers of patients are not linked to known cases, it suggests the virus is circulating undetected in the community, making containment much more difficult.

In contrast, neighbouring North Kivu province has shown encouraging progress, with nearly all new infections occurring among previously identified contacts.

Transmission remains concentrated in eastern Congo

Around 90% of all confirmed cases remain concentrated in Ituri province, particularly in the health zones of Bunia, Rwampara, Mongbwalu and Nyakunde, where transmission remains intense.

The outbreak has nevertheless expanded beyond its original epicentre, reaching North Kivu, South Kivu and more recently Tshopo province.

In Bunia—a city of roughly one million people about half of all individuals tested for Ebola receive positive results, reflecting sustained community transmission.

Milder symptoms may be helping the virus spread

Health officials believe the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak may produce milder symptoms than other Ebola variants.

While this appears to improve survival prospects for patients who eventually reach treatment centres, it may also encourage infected individuals to remain at home longer or seek medical attention later, unknowingly spreading the virus to family members and the wider community.

According to WHO, prolonged delays before isolation increase opportunities for transmission.

Community deaths remain another major concern. An analysis of the first 400 Ebola fatalities found that roughly 70% occurred outside designated treatment centres, highlighting continued challenges in identifying patients early enough to provide care and prevent further spread.

Health authorities expand surveillance

To improve detection, Congolese authorities have begun training approximately 21,000 community health workers to conduct door-to-door visits, identify suspected infections and encourage symptomatic individuals to seek medical treatment.

Officials hope stronger community surveillance will help uncover hidden chains of transmission and improve contact tracing, which remains the cornerstone of Ebola control efforts.

Hidden transmission is the outbreak’s biggest threat

The most alarming aspect of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak is not simply the number of confirmed cases but the large proportion of infections occurring outside established surveillance networks. When 80% of new patients are unknown to contact tracers, it indicates the virus is spreading faster than health authorities can detect it.

Although the Bundibugyo strain may cause comparatively milder illness, that characteristic presents a paradox: fewer severely ill patients can reduce public perception of risk, delaying diagnosis and allowing infected individuals to remain in the community longer. Combined with high rates of deaths occurring outside treatment facilities, these trends point to persistent gaps in surveillance rather than failures of medical treatment.

The rapid expansion of community health worker programmes reflects recognition that traditional outbreak response measures alone may not be sufficient. Unless surveillance improves and hidden transmission chains are identified quickly, the outbreak is likely to remain substantially larger than official figures suggest, complicating efforts to bring it under control.

With information from Reuters.

Welcome to Bunker Talk. This is a weekend open discussion post for the best commenting crew on the net, in which we can chat about all the stuff that went on this week that we didn’t cover. We can also talk about the stuff we did or whatever else grabs your interest. In other words, it’s an off-topic thread.

This week’s caption reads:

Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, provides command and control of air power throughout Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and 17 other nations. The CAOC is comprised of a joint and coalition team that executes day-to-day combined air and space operations and provides rapid reaction, positive control, coordination, and de-confliction of weapon systems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Strang)

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Widdecombe’s political career spanned decades – she served as MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years and worked as a Home Office and employment minister in John Major’s government between 1994 and 1997.

Following news of the police investigation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was “shocking news” and his thoughts were with Widdecombe’s family “at this awful time”.

He said he had spoken to the Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, as well as Andy Burnham, “to urge everybody to come together”.

Badenoch said she was “stunned” and “really struggled to find the words”. She added: “My heart is breaking for her family.”

Likely incoming prime minister Burnham sent his condolences to Widdecombe’s family, and said: “Ann gave a lifetime of public service.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged the public “to avoid speculation and allow the police investigation to progress”.

In a post on X, she said the circumstances of Widdecombe’s death were “extremely distressing”, adding that her “thoughts are with Ann’s family and loved ones”.