The incident occurred during Philadelphia’s 109-108 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday when Embiid, 31, scored while getting fouled and then made a chopping gesture to his groin.
Embiid has been fined for the gesture on multiple previous occasions.
In a post on X,, external which also contained the NBA’s social media post detailing his sanction, Embiid appeared to suggest the gesture was similar to a signal that officials make when calling a foul for blocking.
He said: “Yall better start fining the refs for doing the ‘lewd’, ‘blocking foul’ gesture since I’m not allowed to do it.”
Cameroon-born Embiid did not play in Sunday’s 129-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, sitting out the match as he continues to manage his recovery from a knee injury which required surgery earlier this year.
The military also confiscated 30 Starlink satellites from the sprawling KK Park scam centre on the border with Thailand.
Published On 21 Oct 202521 Oct 2025
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Myanmar’s military says it has arrested more than 2,000 people in a raid on KK Park, an infamous scam centre on the border with Thailand, according to state media.
The sprawling compound was used by international criminal syndicates to carry out illegal gambling, money laundering, and online romance and investment scams, the Myanmar Alin daily reported on Monday.
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Operations were spread across more than 250 low-rise buildings, according to the media report. They included warehouses, shophouses, and dozens of one and two-storey buildings.
During the raid, the military also seized 30 Starlink satellites, Myanmar Alin said.
The satellites are built and run by Starlink, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and can keep compounds connected to the internet, even during power cuts.
Authorities also arrested 2,198 people, among them 445 women, 1,645 men and 98 male security guards, although the newspaper did not list their nationalities.
KK Park is located in Kayin State’s Myawaddy Township, which lies just across the river from the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
Soldiers stand next to Starlink machines as they seize the KK Park online scam centre in Myawaddy, Kayin State, Myanmar [Myanmar Military True News Information Team via AP]
The area has seen recent fighting between Myanmar’s military, the People’s Defence Force – the armed wing of Myanmar’s National Unity Government, formed by elected lawmakers, which operates from exile after it was ousted in the 2021 military coup – and armed Karen ethnic groups, according to Myanmar Alin.
Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since the coup in 2021, with fighting between the military, armed opposition groups and ethnic armies.
Military spokesperson Major-General Zaw Min Tun said on Monday in a statement that the top leaders of the Karen National Union, one of the groups fighting the military, were involved in the scam projects at KK Park, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Myanmar has been under pressure from Thailand and China to curb scam centre activity, which has drawn in criminal groups, particularly Chinese crime syndicates.
The issue became a cause célèbre in China in January when Chinese actor Wang Xing was trafficked to a scam centre and later rescued by Thai police.
Employees of the scam centres are often themselves victims of human trafficking, lured by the promise of employment but then forced to carry out online scams in slave-like conditions, according to rights groups.
Thai police estimate that as many as 100,000 people are working in scam operations on the Thai-Myanmar border alone, according to Reuters.
Scam centres have spread across Southeast Asia over the past five years, but their epicentre has been in Myanmar and Cambodia. They net international criminal groups billions of dollars each year.
The Department of the Treasury in the United States in September sanctioned more than 20 companies and individuals in Cambodia and Myanmar who were allegedly involved in scam operations.
Dunsop Bridge, nestled in the heart of the Forest of Bowland, is the closest village to the exact centre of the UK, which has been pinpointed by Ordnance Survey
Dunsop Bridge is recognised as being the centre of the UK
The exact centre of the nation is pinpointed on a hillside just northwest of the village, near the Whitendale Hanging Stones. Dunsop Bridge, nestled in the heart of the Forest of Bowland and located about nine miles from Clitheroe, is the closest village to this precise midpoint.
Although often cited as the UK’s centre – marked by a commemorative plaque on its village green – the actual central spot lies a few miles northwest on a hillside above the village.
Once part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the tiny, picturesque village became part of Lancashire after boundary changes in 1974.
Not only is the village famous for its central location, but it also houses the 100,000th BT phone box, installed by explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes in 1992, reports Lancs Live.
Situated where the River Dunsop meets the River Hodder, Dunsop Bridge is a popular destination for walkers. Favourite routes include the Saddle Fell Top and Slaidburn Walk, drawing nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Much of the surrounding land is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster. In 2006, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the village, strolling through the area, visiting the Puddleducks Cafe, and watching a cow’s hoof trimming at Radholme Laund Farm.
Their visit concluded with lunch at The Inn at Whitewell to celebrate the Queen’s 80th birthday.
Renowned for its tranquil ambience and breathtaking moorland vistas, Dunsop Bridge acts as the entrance to the renowned Trough of Bowland.
The Forest of Bowland National Landscape celebrates the village’s “lovely winding paths” and its charm as an ideal location for picnics or a peaceful tea stop, featuring resident ducks and verdant banks.
The Forest of Bowland National Landscape website states: “Dunsop Bridge is the entrance to the famous Trough of Bowland. Lovely winding paths from here through the moors to Lancaster are popular with thousands of fell walkers.
“With resident ducks and grassy banks it is the perfect place to stop for a picnic or a cup of tea and a cake at the cafe.”
Whether for rambling or simply absorbing the tranquil environment, Dunsop Bridge continues to be a treasured jewel in Britain’s crown.
A MAN has been arrested after a town centre building collapsed when a car rammed into it while fleeing the cops.
Heywood Star takeaway in Rochdale came crashing down after a serious collision in the early hours yesterday.
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Police said a man in his 30s has been arrestedCredit: MEN Media
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A silver car was spotted under a pile of bricks and rubble at the sceneCredit: MEN Media
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Heavy machinery was brought in to clear the debrisCredit: MEN Media
The terrifying collapse came after a police pursuit which was sparked when cops attended a house in Bury earlier that morning.
A man in his 30s fled the home with officers following in a high speed chase.
Greater ManchesterPolice said a man has since been arrested on suspicion of failing to stop, dangerous driving and threats to kill.
He was raced to hospital to receive urgent medical treatment after the pursuit came to an abrupt end.
The chase was finally ended when a vehicle ploughed into the takeaway, bringing part of the building down in a shower of rubble.
Pictures from the scene on Bridge Street show the front of the building completely caved in as a result of the impact of the car.
The interior of the building is entirely exposed with the front wall brought down by the force of the collision.
The road remained cordoned off yesterday afternoon as workers tried to clear the scene.
A silver car was spotted by witnesses who said it was crushed under a pile of bricks and rubble.
The public has been kept away from the building amid fears that it has been made unstable by the crash.
Horror as building COLLAPSES in broad daylight reducing it to rubble in ‘scene of devastation’
Heavy machinery, including diggers, was brought in to clear the area of the rubble.
A Greater ManchesterPolice spokesperson said: “At around 3.50am this morning, we responded to reports of an ongoing disturbance at an address on Walmersley Road in Bury.
“Upon police arrival a vehicle made off resulting in a pursuit utilising specialist tactics.
“The suspect vehicle travelled towards Heywood where it collided with a building on Bridge Street in Heywood, Rochdale.
“The driver of the vehicle – a man in his 30s – was arrested on suspicion of failing to stop, dangerous driving and threats to kill, before being taken to hospital for an injury to his arm.
“Investigations are ongoing. Officers are now appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward and assist their investigation.”
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Council workers were spotted clearing the debris from the roadCredit: MEN Media
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The entire front wall of the building collapsedCredit: MEN Media
“I will be judged on my physicality, whether in attack or defence, with the size that I am,” he said.
“It’s how well I can get over the gain line or stop it on the other side of the ball, but I’d like to think I can do a bit more than that.
“We are so expansive at Gloucester and you end up getting a lot of opportunities. That’s really exciting because you know there will be chances, you just have to be one of the players that works hard enough to get on the end of it.”
People run for lives from air strikes and explosive-laden ‘robots’, as lifelines collapse in Gaza’s biggest urban centre.
The Israeli army is pushing towards the centre of Gaza City from two directions, “sandwiching” residents and forcing them towards the coast in a bid to drive them out of the enclave’s biggest urban centre.
Israeli army spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told the Reuters news agency on Thursday that infantry, tanks and artillery were advancing on the inner city, backed by the air force, with the aim of applying pressure on the armed group Hamas.
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Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said that the Israeli military was advancing from the northwest and the southeast, “sandwiching people in the middle” and pushing them to the west of the city, where the al-Rashid coastal road leading south is located.
“The attacks on overcrowded neighbourhoods are causing panic and fear, and pushing people literally to run for their lives. We’re seeing waves of people now doing just that,” he said, reporting from Nuseirat in central Gaza.
People in Gaza City told Al Jazeera about nonstop attacks, including “aerial strikes by drones and fighter jets” and detonations from remote-controlled “robots” – unmanned vehicles packed with explosives that the Israeli army has been deploying to blow up neighbourhoods as it advances inwards.
At least 40 people were killed in Gaza City on Thursday, medical sources told Al Jazeera.
Lifelines collapse
Amid the apocalyptic scenes, fleeing families faced the heartbreaking prospect of renewed displacement in a territory devoid of “safe zones”, only this time with the very real possibility that they might never again return home.
Still, many have stayed put. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics claimed that approximately 740,000 people – roughly 35 percent of Gaza’s 2.1 million population – were still in the north of the enclave as of Tuesday.
However, the bureau signalled that numbers could drop, with the continuous Israeli attacks driving more people out and basic services disappearing.
The UN humanitarian office (OCHA) warned on Thursday that Gaza City’s last lifelines were collapsing.
OCHA accused Israel of “systematically blocking” efforts to bring aid to people, citing the closure of the Zikim crossing to Gaza’s famine-stricken north and bans on certain food items.
‘Blatant disregard’
Outside Gaza City, at least 10 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in other parts of the enclave, according to medical sources.
The Israeli military reported that four of its soldiers were killed in the early hours of the morning in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Palestine denounced on social media Israel’s “blatant disregard” for international legal requirements to distinguish between combatants and civilians in its air attacks on Gaza.
The Israeli strikes on internally displaced persons, including as they try to leave Gaza city or seek shelter near hospitals, show the Israeli military’s blatant disregard for the fundamental principle of distinction. Israel has demanded that Palestinian civilians leave Gaza…
As Israel expanded its offensive on Thursday, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the lifting of restrictions on aid into Gaza, and the return of hostages held by Hamas.
The UK’s permanent representative to the UN, Barbara Woodward, said that “Israel’s reckless expansion of its military operation takes us further away from a deal which could bring the hostages home and end the suffering in Gaza.”
IKEA fans won’t have to wait much longer — the Swedish giant’s long-awaited new store will open its doors in just 48 hours.
The brand-new branch, located in Brighton’s Churchill Square Shopping Centre, takes over the former Debenhams site which has been empty since 2021.
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Quick bites and drinks will be available at the Swedish Bite kioskCredit: IKEA
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Bosses say the new shop has been created with the ‘city at its heart’, with displays inspired by local homes and Brighton’s seaside styleCredit: IKEA
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The Churchill Square store will open 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on SundaysCredit: CLEVERSHOT
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Churchill Square Shopping Centre in BrightonCredit: Alamy
Shoppers will be able to step inside from 10am on Thursday, August 14 , to explore thousands of affordable homeware items, and tuck into the famous meatballs.
Spread across two floors and 6,695 square metres, the store will offer 2,600 products for immediate takeaway and access to the full 12,000-strong range via delivery or collection.
It’s the first full IKEA store in the city, meaning Brighton locals will no longer need to trek to Croydon or Southampton for the full shopping experience.
Bosses say the new shop has been created with the “city at its heart”, with displays inspired by local homes and Brighton’s seaside style.
Six roomsets have been co-created with residents, including ceramicists Adam Johnson and Dan Mackey, to show off colourful, space-saving ideas and a nod to the city’s famous beach huts.
Adam said: “We’ve always loved IKEA because it’s like an interiors disco – and what’s life without a little sparkle?”
The first floor houses a 100-seat Swedish Deli serving meatballs, plantballs and sweet treats, all with sweeping sea views.
The Swedish Food Market will sell ingredients and snacks to enjoy at home.
On the ground floor, bargain hunters can snap up pre-loved and discontinued items in the Re-shop & Re-use area.
‘OMG how did we not know?’ boot sale fans scream as shopper reveals ‘one of the best’ that’s open whatever the weather
There’s also a home planning hub where shoppers can get one-to-one help designing kitchens or bedroom storage.
Quick bites and drinks will be available at the Swedish Bite kiosk.
Market Manager Karina Gilpin said: “Our city centre location in Churchill Square means customers can conveniently drop in while out and about, to seek inspiration for their homes, browse our range, access our expert planning advice, or enjoy our delicious meatballs or plantballs.”
To celebrate the launch, the first 100 IKEA Family Members through the doors will get a blue FRAKTA bag with a mystery gift card worth between £1 and £1,000.
Brighton will be IKEA’s third city-centre store in the UK, following Oxford Street and Hammersmith in London.
The opening is part of the retailer’s push for smaller, high street-friendly locations, moving away from giant out-of-town warehouses.
The Churchill Square store will open 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
Where is my closest Ikea?
A quick way of figuring out if you have an Ikea store near you is by using the retailer’s locator tool on its website.
You just have to enter the town or city where you live, or your postcode and it will pull up the nearest site.
Below we reveal the full list of Ikea stores in the UK:
Croydon
Hammersmith
Greenwich
Lakeside
Wembley
Birmingham (Wednesbury)
Nottingham
Bristol
Cardiff
Exeter
Belfast
Manchester
Warrington
Edinburgh
Gateshead
Glasgow
Leeds
Sheffield
Milton Keynes
Reading
Southampton
Ikea’s new Oxford Street store
Total retail space of 5,800 square meters over three floors.
The store will be of similar size as IKEA Hammersmith.
About 6,000 IKEA product lines will be showcased. Half of these, about 3,500 IKEA products, will be available for immediate take-away.
Checkouts will be located the ground floor and –2.
Larger furniture can be purchased / ordered for home delivery, for click and collect, or for collection off site. Within the M25 customers can collect from IKEA Hammersmith, 19 lockers in partnership with Shift, 11 pick up points in partnership with Tesco, as well as at 1,907 DPD pick up points.
There will be focus on sustainable solutions, supporting people to live a more sustainable life at home. It will have a small Re-Shop and Re-Use section selling second-life, second-hand and discontinued IKEA products.
IKEA is creating 150 new jobs at the Oxford Street store, with the retailer receiving a record 3,730 applications in just five days when recruitment opened earlier this year.
IKEA will introduce the first Changing Places Toilet at Oxford Street / Regent Street, the only available facility in a 4,000 feet / 1.2 km radius from Oxford Circus.
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The Swedish Food Market will sell ingredients and snacks to enjoy at homeCredit: IKEA
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The opening is part of the retailer’s push for smaller, high street-friendly locations, moving away from giant out-of-town warehousesCredit: IKEA
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A quick way of figuring out if you have an Ikea store near you is by using the retailer’s locator tool on its websiteCredit: IKEA
A former cleaner claims he was forced to bury the bodies of hundreds of women and girls, on the orders of supervisors at one of southern India’s most revered temples. As Soraya Lennie explains, the case has shocked the country and sparked accusations of a three-decade old cover up.
Catalina Friesen serves with a mobile clinic in Ontario
Morgan Birch was puzzled when her four-month-old daughter, Kimie, suddenly fell ill with a fever and rash.
At first, the Alberta mother assumed it was a common side effect of immunisations – or perhaps a case of chicken pox. Ms Birch then consulted her 78-year-old grandmother, who recognised Kimie’s illness immediately.
“That’s measles,” her grandmother said. Ms Birch was stunned, as she thought the disease had been eradicated.
A lab test later confirmed her grandmother’s hypothesis: Kimie had measles, likely contracted after a routine visit to the hospital in the Edmonton area a few weeks earlier.
Now Canada is the only western country listed among the top 10 with measles outbreaks, according to CDC data, ranking at number eight. Alberta, the province at the epicentre of the current outbreak, has the highest per capita measles spread rate in North America.
The data raises questions on why the virus is spreading more rapidly in Canada than in the US, and whether Canadian health authorities are doing enough to contain it.
In the US, the rise of measles has been partly linked to vaccine-hesitant public figures, like Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr – although he has since endorsed the measles vaccine as safe.
But Canada does not have a prominent RFK Jr-like figure in public health, noted Maxwell Smith, a postdoctoral fellow in public health at Western University in southern Ontario.
“There are other things that need to be interrogated here I think,” Dr Smith said. “Looking at the Canadian context adds another layer of complexity to this.”
Canada’s 2025 figures have surpassed both. The country has not seen this many measles cases since the illness was declared eliminated in 1998. Before this year, the last peak was in 2011, when about 750 cases were reported.
The MMR vaccine is the most effective way to fight off measles, a highly contagious and dangerous virus, which can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death. The jabs are 97% effective and also immunise against mumps and rubella.
Morgan Birch
A photo of Kimie with a visible red rash on her body, a common symptom of measles.
How measles spread in Canada
The hardest-hit provinces have been Ontario and Alberta, followed by Manitoba.
In Ontario, health authorities say the outbreak began in late 2024, when an individual contracted measles at a large Mennonite gathering in New Brunswick and then returned home.
Mennonites are a Christian group with roots in 16th-Century Germany and Holland, who have since settled in other parts of the world, including Canada, Mexico and the US.
Some live modern lifestyles, while conservative groups lead simpler lives, limiting the use of technology and relying on modern medicine only when necessary.
In Ontario, the illness primarily spread among Low German-speaking Mennonite communities in the province’s southwest, where vaccination rates have historically been lower due to some members’ religious or cultural beliefs against immunisation.
Almost all those infected were unvaccinated, according to data from Public Health Ontario.
Catalina Friesen, a healthcare worker at a mobile clinic serving the Mennonite population near Aylmer, Ontario, said she first became aware of the outbreak in February, when a woman and her five-year-old child came in with what appeared to be an ear infection. It later turned out to be a symptom of measles.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen measles within our community,” Ms Friesen told the BBC.
Cases spread rapidly from that point, reaching a peak of more than 200 a week across Ontario by late April.
While new confirmed cases have since dropped sharply in Ontario, Alberta has emerged as the next hotspot. There, the spread happened so quickly that health officials were unable to pinpoint exactly how or where the outbreak began, said Dr Vivien Suttorp, the medical officer of health in southern Alberta, where cases are the highest.
She, too, said she had not seen an outbreak this bad in her 18 years working in public health.
Ms Friesen noted that Canada has a higher concentration of conservative Low German-speaking Mennonites than the US, which may be a factor behind the higher number of cases.
But Mennonites are not a monolith, she said, and many have embraced vaccinations. What’s changed is the rapid spread of anti-vaccine misinformation both in her community and beyond after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There’s hearsay that immunisations are bad for you,” Ms Friesen said, or are “dangerous”.
This is amplified by a general distrust in the healthcare system, which she said has historically ostracised members of her community.
“We are sometimes put down or looked down upon because of our background,” she said, adding that she herself has experienced discrimination in hospitals based on assumptions about her beliefs.
Vaccine hesitancy on the rise
Experts say it’s tough to pinpoint why measles have spread wider in Canada than in the US, but many agree that cases in both countries are likely underreported.
“The numbers that we have in Alberta are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr Suttorp.
But there is one big reason driving the outbreak: low vaccination rates, said Janna Shapiro, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases.
Dr Shapiro said there is “an element of chance” at play, where a virus is introduced to a community by accident and spreads among those who are unprotected.
“The only thing that is going to stop an outbreak is getting those vaccination rates up,” she said. “If the public is not willing to get vaccinated, then it will continue until the virus can’t find anymore receptible hosts.”
In general, studies show that vaccine hesitancy has risen in Canada since the pandemic, and the data reflects that. In southern Alberta, for example, the number of MMR vaccines administered has dropped by nearly half from 2019 to 2024, according to provincial figures.
Covid-19 vaccine mandates were fiercely opposed by some during the pandemic, prompting the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protest in Ottawa where truckers gridlocked the city for two weeks in 2021.
That opposition has since expanded to other vaccines, said Dr Shapiro.
Pandemic-related disruptions also left some children behind on routine immunisations. With measles having been largely eliminated, families likely did not prioritise getting their kids’ vaccinations up to date, Dr Shapiro said.
That is not the case for Ms Birch, who began routine immunisations for her baby Kimie as soon as she was eligible. But Kimie was still too young for the measles vaccine, which is typically given at 12 months in Alberta.
Dr Suttorp said Alberta has since lowered that age cap in response to the recent outbreak, and there has been an uptick in people taking the vaccine.
Health units across the country have also tried to encourage people to get vaccinated through public bulletins and radio advertisements. But the response is notably more muted than that during the Covid-19 pandemic, health officials say.
Kimie has since slowly recovered, Ms Birch said, though she continues to be monitored for potential long-term effects of the virus.
The Alberta mother said she was saddened and horrified when she learned her daughter had measles, but also “frustrated and annoyed” at those choosing not to vaccinate their children.
She called on people to heed public health guidelines and “protect the ones that can’t protect themselves”.
“My four-month-old shouldn’t have gotten measles in 2025,” Ms Birch said.
Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said there is ‘no threat to the community’ after the deadly blast closed local roads.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed that an explosion at one of its training facilities in southern California killed three of its members.
The explosion took place shortly after 7:30am local time (14:30 GMT) on Friday at the Biscailuz Training Facility in East Los Angeles.
“Tragically, there were three Department member fatalities. Sheriff’s homicide detectives are on scene,” the department said on social media.
The department described the explosion as a “critical workplace incident”. The blast closed roads in the surrounding area, though the sheriff’s department reassured locals that there was no threat to the wider community.
Sheriff Robert Luna held a midday news conference not far from the blast site, where he declined to identify the three victims. He did, however, say that one had served 19 years with the force, another 22 years, and a third 33 years.
“This is unfortunately the largest loss of life for us as the LA County Sheriff’s Department since 1857. Between all three sworn members, they had served our community proudly for 74 years,” Luna said.
The sheriff also said the three victims were part of a special enforcement bureau tasked with arson and explosives enforcement.
On social media earlier in the day, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated that members of the local bureau of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were on the ground to probe what happened.
“I just spoke to [US Attorney Bill Essayli] about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles,” Bondi wrote on social media. “Please pray for the families of the sheriff’s deputies killed.”
At his midday news conference, Sheriff Luna said that details about the explosion were forthcoming as the investigation was only in its initial stages.
“At this time, we do not know the cause of the explosion,” Luna said. “There is no threat to this community. This is an isolated incident.”
Luna added that he is prioritising notifying the relatives of the victims before releasing further information to the public.
He has met two of the three families so far, he said. “As you can imagine, those were extremely challenging conversations.”
The sheriff also thanked the bomb squad of the Los Angeles Police Department for helping to secure the blast site.
“They immediately came out to assist after this explosion occurred to render the devices safe,” he said. “And just so all of you know, they were just rendered safe within the last minutes, right before we walked out here, so it was still an active scene. It wasn’t stable and definitely a very active crime scene.”
He explained that investigators can only go on site now that there is no further risk of explosions.
“There’s a lot more that we don’t know than what we do know,” he added.
Luna, however, was quick to defend the professionalism of the special enforcement bureau, calling its members “the best of the best”.
“The individuals who work our arsons explosives detail, they have years of training,” Luna said. “Usually, the average calls that they go to in dealing with some very dangerous situations or items average about 11,000 per year. So these aren’t people who don’t do this very often. They are fantastic experts. And unfortunately, I lost three of them today.”
AFTER nearly three decades of trading, a popular House of Fraser store is set to close.
The department store in Victoria Centre, Nottingham, which first opened in 1997, will roll down the shutters in October this year.
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House of Fraser has been struggling since 2022Credit: Getty
It’s bittersweet news for shoppers, who have been treated to a 20 percent off sale inside the store.
The once-thriving shopping hub was nearly shut in 2022 after Fraser Group chief exec Michael Murray described the brand as a “broken business”.
At the time, he said: “House of Fraser was a broken business when we bought it.
“We’ve completely changed the operating model. It was mostly concession, the stores were way too big, they were under‑invested.
“Our future vision is that House of Fraser will diminish and Frasers will grow.”
Once boasting more than 60 stores across the UK, the department store has steadily shuttered locations since its 2018 acquisition by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.
Between 2022 and 2025 alone, over a dozen sites—including flagship locations like Oxford Street and regional mainstays in Cardiff, Cheltenham, and Nottingham—have closed their doors.
The closures reflect a deeper failure to adapt to a rapidly evolving retail landscape.
Many of its stores were oversized and heavily reliant on concessions—third-party brands renting space—which offered little control over stock or customer experience.
Frasers Group is now repositioning itself around a new retail vision, investing in smaller-format “Frasers” stores and upmarket lifestyle hubs, with sport and luxury offerings as its focus.
The Sun has approached House of Fraser representatives for comment.
House of Fraser is just one brand struggling against recent economic pressures and changes in consumer habits.
A combination of rising inflation, energy costs, and interest rates has squeezed both household spending and business margins, creating a perfect storm for retail operators.
For many consumers, essentials have taken priority over discretionary purchases, leading to a noticeable decline in footfall and in-store spending.
Even major players with established reputations have found themselves forced to close stores, reduce staff, or pivot entirely toward e-commerce.
This comes as Poundland bosses implemented a series of closures this year after the business was hit by spiraling operating costs and weakening footfall.
In Cornwall, one Poundland was evicted from one of its locations – leaving staff locked out of work overnight.
A bizarre notice was also posted in the window of the popular store.
It read: “We as authorised agents acting on behalf of the above-named landlord have today re-entered these premises and any lease or licence is hereby determined.
“Any attempt to enter these premises without the written authority of the above-named landlord will result in criminal/civil proceedings being taken.”
APoundlandspokesperson confirmed that the locks were changed overnight without notice.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip – Eighteen-year-old Hani Hammad never imagined that his daily search for flour would end with him suffocating and being trampled.
On Wednesday morning, he left his tent in the al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where he’s been displaced from Rafah along with his seven siblings, heading to a food distribution point run by the much-criticised, United States-backed GHF.
“We left at dawn and stood among the thousands gathered. About 5am [02:00 GMT], they [US staff and Israeli army] signalled to open the gate, and people rushed forward,” Hani told Al Jazeera.
“The gate was open, but people were packed into a very narrow corridor leading to it – only about seven metres wide,” he said, struggling to catch his breath after arriving at Nasser Hospital gasping and barely conscious.
“I got in with the crowd with difficulty. Suddenly, American guards started spraying pepper spray and firing gas bombs, and people began stampeding through the corridor,” he added.
Hani Hamad was rushed unconscious to Nasser Hospital after the stampede near an aid site run by the controversial GHF [Abdullah Attar/Al Jazeera]
‘I collapsed. They trampled my face.’
“I felt like I was dying. I couldn’t move forward or backwards. I collapsed. My face and side were trampled. No one could pull me out. But God gave me a second chance,” Hani said.
He was rushed unconscious to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on a tuk-tuk and initially placed beside the bodies of others who had died, some from suffocation, others from bullet wounds.
“I was unconscious, couldn’t see or hear. I drifted in and out. They put me beside the dead. I thought I was one of them.”
Early Wednesday, 21 Palestinians were killed, including 15 by suffocation, while trying to collect food aid.
The incident occurred near a gate managed by the GHF in western Khan Younis. Dozens more were reportedly injured, with some still in intensive care.
Hani is the oldest of eight siblings who live next to their uncle’s tent – their parents remain in Jordan, where they travelled for medical treatment just a month before the war began.
“I feel like I carry a huge burden. We’ve endured the pressures of displacement and war without our parents and without any help from them,” he said.
Though he acknowledges that lining up for aid from the GHF is a major daily risk, he adds: “Our intense hunger pushes me to go every day.”
“There’s no other choice. I have no money to buy the overpriced goods available in the markets. My only option is to try my luck with aid distributions,” says the young man.
“Each time is a near-death experience. There’s gunfire, tanks, drones and attacks. What kind of aid distribution is this? We are exhausted, truly exhausted.”
“We’re shot at like animals”
Mohammed Abedin was left with a wounded leg after the stampede [Abdullah Attar/Al Jazeera]
Mohammed Abedin, 24, now lies in a hospital bed with a leg wound after heading to the same aid centre in Khan Younis early Wednesday.
For the first time, he says, he chose to turn back after sensing the danger of the crowd surge.
The young man, a first-year accounting student, arrived about 3am (00:00 GMT) at the distribution site, but he noticed that things looked different. The same site had been closed for two days before reopening.
“Before, we used to enter from several access points, and the entryway was wide. But this time, we were funnelled through one long, narrow corridor, fenced in with metal,” he says.
“When the gates opened, everyone rushed forward, and people began falling underfoot.”
Mohammed described a terrifying scene of people crushed against the metal barriers, screaming and gasping for help, as pepper spray and gas bombs were fired by American guards and quadcopters above.
“I was standing close to my cousin, watching. We decided not to go in because of the overwhelming numbers. I saw kids screaming, choking, men and youth trapped. No one could move forward or back.”
“The fenced corridor, with gas bombs raining down and people being pushed through, became a death trap,” he says.
Mohammed and his cousin tried to leave, but just as he thought he had made a wise choice, a quadcoptor shot him in the leg. His cousin was also injured.
“There’s always random gunfire from quadcaptors, tanks, or soldiers in the area. This time, I was the unlucky one,” he said. “But thank God, I survived.”
Mohammed reflects on the tragic situation faced by Palestinians, caught between starvation and death, forced to risk their lives for food. He supports his displaced family of nine, originally from Rafah and now sheltering in al-Mawasi.
“We dream daily of eating bread. I go for aid almost every day and usually return empty-handed. But the days I brought home just a few kilos of flour felt like ‘an eid’ [a celebration] for my family.”
Flour is the top priority for Mohammed, especially with Gaza being under siege for four months, the borders sealed, and humanitarian and commercial goods blocked by Israel.
“Bread is what drives me to risk death. There’s no alternative,” he said, awaiting surgery at Nasser Hospital to remove a bullet from his leg. “Has the world failed to provide a safe channel for aid delivery?”
“There’s no system, no organised relief, no police or UN intervention. We’re shot at like animals. If we don’t die of hunger, we die in the chaos and stampedes.”
In late May 2025, the GHF launched its aid distribution efforts in Gaza following an Israeli-imposed near-total blockade, which is still in effect and has prevented the entry of humanitarian supplies.
According to United Nations figures, at least 798 Palestinians have been killed since then while trying to reach or receive aid from the organisation’s distribution points.
Widespread criticism has emerged from UN agencies and rights organisations that argue the operation is politicised and endangers civilians. The UN has stated that the GHF’s operations violate humanitarian neutrality and are inherently unsafe, highlighted by the hundreds of deaths at their sites.
“Either we return with flour, or we don’t return at all”
‘More than 20 people died for a bag of flour,’ says Ziad Masad Mansour [Abdullah Attar/Al Jazeera]
Ziad Masad Mansour, 43, displaced with his wife and six children from central Gaza to al-Mawasi in Khan Younis after their home was destroyed in the war, is another frequent visitor to the aid lines.
“I head there at 10 at night and sleep on the sand like thousands of others. We endure the dust and humiliation,” said Mansour, who was wounded in the head on Wednesday.
“Sometimes I manage to get flour, sometimes a few cans. Other times, I return empty-handed. I even help others carry their bags in exchange for some food.”
“Yesterday, there was horrific crowding: gas bombs, bullets, and we were packed tightly in the narrow corridor. I was trying to escape the crush when I got shot in the head and lost consciousness.”
Mansour is now recovering at Nasser Hospital. “More than 20 people died today – for a bag of flour. What more is there to say?”
The Al-Jaleel Society for Care and Community-based Rehabilitation has provided essential services to disabled Palestinians in Jenin refugee camp for decades. But now, after repeated Israeli attacks, the centre has been destroyed, and its staff have discovered that it sits in an Israeli-designated demolition zone.
Al-Jaleel’s staff have received no official notice, but in early June, the Israeli army published an aerial map showing several buildings in the area that were set to be destroyed, including the rehabilitation centre.
Zaid Am-Ali, senior advocacy officer for Palestine operations at Humanity and Inclusion, Al-Jaleel’s partner organisation, told Al Jazeera the reason the organisations were given was that the area was being secured for military and security purposes.
“This is not the first time the centre has been targeted, the Israeli military has destroyed parts of it during previous acts of demolition in the refugee camp and has breached and ransacked the centre and tampered with assistive devices meant for persons with disabilities,” Am-Ali said.
Al Jazeera has reached out to the Israeli military but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Supporting thousands of Palestinians
Al-Jaleel is a “critical lifeline”, Am-Ali said, describing how the demolition of the centre would deprive vulnerable communities in Jenin and the wider northern West Bank of its essential services.
It was established in 1991 as the Local Rehabilitation Committee, which became an independent NGO in 2010 under the name Al-Jaleel.
Since it first opened its doors, Al-Jaleel has provided thousands of Palestinians with a wide range of support and services, especially to those with mobility impairments resulting from injury, illness, or conflict-related trauma.
As well as prosthetics, orthotics and physical and occupational therapies, Al-Jaleel also offers psychological support for those affected by disability and continuing violent assaults perpetrated by the Israeli military, which has been attacking Jenin on a regular basis for years, but has intensified operations since the start of 2025.
“This is the same area that has been subject to an ongoing Israeli military operation for years now, causing a lot of casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure,” Am-Ali said.
Al-Jaleel’s ability to function and provide care was severely compromised in April when an Israeli attack damaged the building.
Although staff have since relocated and started operating from another location due to their displacement from the camp, they have not yet been permitted to re-enter the organisation’s original building to retrieve any equipment that was spared during the April attack.
Staff were told they would be allowed to evacuate their equipment on July 12, but were then not allowed to do so by the Israeli military.
It is unclear when or if staff will be able to collect Al-Jaleel’s belongings before the demolition takes place. With the area now declared a closed military zone, Al-Jaleel’s staff are being denied information about the building’s status.
At the time of writing, the centre has not been demolished, but other buildings in its vicinity have been torn down.
Violence in Jenin
Violence in Jenin has escalated significantly since January 21, when the Israeli military launched “Operation Iron Wall” in the city and the nearby refugee camp.
According to Israeli forces, the operation is an “antiterrorism” offensive, attempting to crush Palestinian resistance efforts in the area.
The Israeli military has for years attempted to root out any form of armed resistance in the occupied West Bank, conducting raids that have escalated in severity since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. At least 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in that period.
“Operation Iron Wall” – targeting Palestinian fighters in the northern West Bank – started in Jenin, but has since spread to Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and al-Fara refugee camps.
On March 22, just 60 days after the beginning of the offensive, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that 40,000 Palestinian refugees had been displaced from refugee camps in the northern West Bank.
In addition, earlier this year, Israeli authorities announced that they planned to wipe out the Jenin refugee camp completely.
Since then, Israeli bulldozers have been tearing down commercial buildings and homes at an alarming rate.
Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, reported on June 30 that more than 600 homes and 15 roads in Jenin camp had been demolished.
On June 17, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by Adalah, a legal centre for Palestinian minority rights in Israel, on June 12 to halt the demolition of Jenin refugee camp.
The Supreme Court authorised the Israeli military to proceed with the destruction of nearly 90 civilian buildings that housed hundreds of Palestinian families.
“The Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to uphold these operations, including its 7 May 2025 rejection of Adalah’s petition against the mass demolitions in Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps, provides a false legal cover for policies of forced displacement and entrenched impunity,” said Adalah.
Bigger picture
The potential demolition of Al-Jaleel fits into a wider pattern of Israeli attacks on Palestinian healthcare institutions.
The targeting of health facilities, medical personnel and patients has been widespread during Israel’s war on Gaza. These actions are considered war crimes under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Israel has justified the attacks as being part of its fight against Hamas and other armed groups, accusing them, without any overwhelming evidence, of using health facilities as cover for their bases and operations.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 94 percent of all hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed.
Between October 7, 2023, and July 2, 2025, WHO recorded 863 attacks on healthcare in the West Bank. These attacks affected 203 institutions and 589 health transports
In a statement to Al Jazeera, WHO reported that, of the 476 government health service delivery units assessed by WHO and partners in the West Bank in June 2025, only 345 are fully functional, 112 are partially functional, nine are non-functional, and 1 has been destroyed.
That, Am-Ali believes, is being overlooked amid the understandable focus on Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians. And it is allowing Israel to get away with its devastation of Palestinian life in the West Bank, and its destruction of vital centres like Al-Jaleel.
“These developments are not isolated incidents and are in clear violation of international law, including the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force under the UN Charter and the Fourth Geneva Convention,” he said.
The statistics are remarkable, especially when you consider his age. And they keep improving.
Since making his debut, he has won two La Liga titles, although he featured just once during Barcelona’s 2022–23 title-winning campaign. Since then, he has missed only four league games across the past two seasons. He has also lifted the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. On the international stage, he has already won the European Championship with Spain.
He wants everything: to lead, to score, to win. But there’s a calmness to his ambition. He doesn’t just dream of being better, he works at it.
Crucially, he knows he’s not there yet. That balance between confidence and humility is what allows him to play with such freedom, as if still in the schoolyard.
It all begins at home. His parents, often discussed publicly but rarely understood, play a crucial role in keeping his feet on the ground. His father is firm, tells it as it is, and is enjoying his son’s success very publicly – perhaps too exposed at the public judgement.
His mother and grandmother offer a different kind of strength – consistent, loving, and deeply rooted in values. They are the quiet force that underpins everything.
That’s how he appears not a teenager overwhelmed, but a boy enjoying the game. It’s not down to ignorance of pressure. It’s a mindset, one that believes the best is still to come, and if it doesn’t arrive, he’ll keep chasing it.
Before the Champions League final he said: “At my age, few have played as many games for a club like Barca, and that’s what I value most. Playing at this level and for a club like Barca isn’t something that anyone can do.”
When asked about the pressure or fear of failure involved with playing at the top level, he said: “I left that fear behind on the pitch in Mataro a while ago.”
He was referring to his old pitch in the district of Rocafonda, where he played as a kid with others three, four and more years older.
His celebration is a tribute to where he comes from – a densely populated, working-class neighbourhood in Mataro, known for its multicultural community, social challenges, and strong sense of local identity. The three last numbers of the postcode is the shape of his fingers when he scores, 304.
Carlos Alcaraz leads the Centre Court crowd in a round of applause for Fabio Fognini on his last appearance at Wimbledon, after the Italian was beaten 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 2-6 6-1 by the reigning champion.
Twenty-six Palestinians have been killed and 150 injured in Israeli tank shelling and gunfire near an aid distribution centre in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to medics and local residents.
Mohammed Ghareeb, a local journalist in Rafah, told the BBC that thousands of Palestinians had gathered near a US-backed humanitarian aid distribution centre when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire on the crowd.
Local journalists and activists shared harrowing footage of bodies and wounded individuals being transported on donkey carts to the Red Cross field hospital in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah, as rescue teams were reportedly unable to reach the scene.
The BBC has contacted the IDF for a response.
Mr Ghareeb said the crowd of Palestinians had gathered near Al-Alam roundabout around 04:30 local time (02:30 BST), close to the aid centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, shortly before Israeli tanks appeared and opened fire.
“The dead and wounded lay on the ground for a long time,” Mr Ghareeb said.
“Rescue crews could not access the area, which is under Israeli control. This forced residents to use donkey carts to transport victims to the field hospital.”
The Red Cross field hospital said 26 people had been killed and 150 injured.
Efforts were under way to transfer the casualties to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis for further treatment, the doctor added.
Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told the AFP news agency that more than 100 people were wounded “due to gunfire from Israeli vehicles towards thousands of citizens”.
The incident underscores the dire humanitarian conditions in Rafah, where recent Israeli military operations have severely limited access to aid and emergency services.
On Saturday, crowds of civilians rushed aid trucks in Gaza, the World Food Programme has said, as hunger and desperation create chaotic scenes.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a new US and Israel-backed organisation that has been distributing food at designated sites across Gaza. Israel set up the plan after accusing Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.
The GHF said it distributed two million meals this week, which the BBC has not been able to independently verify.
Hamas responded to the US ceasefire proposal by saying it is prepared to release 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 dead hostages in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
However, the group also repeated its demands for a permanent truce, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and guarantees for the continuous flow of humanitarian aid. None of these are in the deal on the table.
Hamas said it had submitted its response to the US draft proposed by Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East.
Witkoff said the proposal was “unacceptable and only takes us backward” and insisted the US deal was “the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to “chart a unified and collective path towards a peaceful, prosperous, and just future”, following their meeting in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
In a world roiled by United States President Donald Trump’s threats of crippling tariffs and rising economic uncertainties, alternative centres of global power were on full display, with the GCC and China attending the ASEAN summit for the group’s inaugural trilateral meeting on Tuesday.
In their joint statement released on Wednesday, the GCC – comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – China, and ASEAN members Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar said they were committed to enhancing economic cooperation.
Chief among that cooperation will be the promotion of free trade, the signatories said, adding they looked “forward to the early completion of the GCC-China Free Trade Agreement negotiations” and the upgrading of the ASEAN-China free trade area.
“We reaffirm our collective resolve to work hand in hand to unleash the full potential of our partnership, and ensure that our cooperation translates into tangible benefits for our peoples and societies,” they said.
ASEAN and GCC members join hands for a group photo as they attend the 2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27, 2025 [Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters]
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – whose country is currently chair of ASEAN and hosted the summits – told a news conference that the US remains an important market while also noting that ASEAN, the GCC, and China collectively represent a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $24.87 trillion with a total population of about 2.15 billion.
“This collective scale offers vast opportunities to synergise our markets, deepen innovation, and promote cross-regional investment,” Anwar said.
The prime minister went on to dismiss suggestions that the ASEAN bloc of nations was leaning excessively towards China, stressing that the regional grouping remained committed to maintaining balanced engagement with all major powers, including the US.
James Chin, professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia, told Al Jazeera that the tripartite meeting was particularly important for China, which is being “given a platform where the US is not around”.
ASEAN and the GCC “already view China as a global power”, Chin said.
‘The Gulf is very rich, ASEAN is a tiger, China…’
China’s Premier Li Qiang, who attended the summit, said Beijing was ready to work with the GCC and ASEAN “on the basis of mutual respect and equality”.
China will work with “ASEAN and the GCC to strengthen the alignment of development strategies, increase macro policy coordination, and deepen collaboration on industrial specialisation,” he said.
Former Malaysian ambassador to the US Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz said China was “quickly filling up the vacuum” in global leadership felt in many countries in the aftermath of Trump’s tariff threats.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, right, poses for photos with China’s Premier Li Qiang before the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-China Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday [Mohd Rasfan/Pool via Reuters]
The economic future looks bright, Nazri said, for ASEAN, China and the Gulf countries, where economies are experiencing high growth rates while the US and European Union face stagnation.
“The Gulf is very rich, ASEAN is a tiger, China… I cannot even imagine where the future lies,” Nazri said.
Jaideep Singh, an analyst with the Institute of Strategic & International Studies in Malaysia, said ASEAN’s trade with GCC countries has been experiencing rapid growth.
Total trade between ASEAN and the Gulf countries stood at some $63bn as of 2024, making GCC the fifth-largest external trading partner of the regional bloc, while Malaysia’s trade with the GCC grew by 60 percent from 2019 to 2024.
In terms of foreign direct investment, FDI from GCC countries in ASEAN totalled some $5bn as of 2023, of which $1.5bn went to Malaysia alone, Singh said.
However, the US, China, Singapore and the EU still make up the lion’s share of FDI in Malaysian manufacturing and services.
US still ASEAN’s biggest export market
Even as China’s trade with ASEAN grows, economist say, the US still remains a huge market for regional countries.
In early 2024, the US took over China as ASEAN’s largest export market, with 15 percent of the bloc’s exports destined for its markets, up nearly 4 percent since 2018, said Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education (CME), a think tank based in Malaysia and Indonesia.
“The US is also the largest source of cumulative foreign direct investment in ASEAN, with total stock reaching nearly $480bn in 2023 – almost double the combined US investments in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan,” Ferlito said.
Israel’s war on Gaza was also highlighted at the ASEAN-GCC-China meeting on Tuesday.
Delegates condemned attacks against civilians and called for a durable ceasefire and unhindered delivery of fuel, food, essential services, and medicine throughout the Palestinian territory.
Supporting a two-state solution to the conflict, the joint communique also called for the release of captives and arbitrarily-detained people, and an end to the “illegal presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory as soon as possible”.
The civil war in Myanmar was also a focus of the talks among ASEAN members at their summit on Tuesday, who called for an extension and expansion of a ceasefire among the warring sides, which was declared following the earthquake that struck the country in March. The ceasefire is due to run out by the end of May. However, human rights groups have documented repeated air attacks by the military regime on the country’s civilian population despite the purported temporary cessation of fighting.
Zachary Abuza, professor of Southeast Asia politics and security issues at the Washington-based National War College, said that while Prime Minister Anwar may be “more proactive” – in his role as ASEAN chair – in wanting to resolve the conflict, Myanmar’s military rulers were “not a good faith actor” in peace talks.
“The military has absolutely no interest in anything resembling a power-sharing agreement,” he said.
