The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has confirmed that an image that has been circulating online for years does indeed show an experimental Chinese reusable spaceplane in orbit. A newly released higher-resolution copy of the image underscores that the design is nearly a dead ringer for the X-37B miniature space shuttles now operated by the U.S. Space Force.
DIA included the higher-resolution image of the Chinese spaceplane in a new unclassified report on global security challenges outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, which was released yesterday. A satellite belonging to Maxar Technologies (now Vantor) captured the image, but when exactly remains unclear. It does have a 2024 copyright date.
The image shows a miniature space shuttle-like design with small wings and twin vertical tails. It also has upward-opening doors above a central payload bay. There is also an extension at the tail end with solar panels seen deployed on either side. There are what look to be side-by-side ventral bays, which are likely for the main gear in a tricycle landing gear configuration. Overall, the core design is extremely similar to that of the U.S. X-37B, which also features tricycle landing gear and can also be fitted with an extended payload module at the tail. One major difference is that the wings on the Chinese design have a much longer chord compared to the X-37B.
“A key capability for reusable space activities are spaceplanes like this PRC [People’s Republic of China] Spaceplane captured by Maxar. Spaceplanes can launch into orbit to place objects in space or even test them and return to earth [sic],” reads the caption to the picture in DIA’s report.
As noted, the basic fact of the existence of this image is not new. U.S. Space Force Col. John Patrick, then head of U.S. Space Forces-Korea (SPACEFOR-KOR), included a much lower-resolution version in a presentation at the Open Space Forum in South Korea in 2024. It was also not immediately clear at that time whether or not the picture simply showed an X-37B. TWZ had reached out at the time to the U.S. Space Force and Maxar for more information, and both had declined to comment. Two X-37Bs were built, and they have been sent on eight orbital missions, in total, since 2010. The Orbital Test Vehicle 8 (OTV-8) mission was launched on August 22, 2025.
China is understood to have conducted four separate orbital spaceplane missions using the same experimental vehicle since 2020. Three of those missions had concluded before Col. Patrick gave his presentation. The most recent launch occurred on February 7 of this year, and the vehicle has not yet returned, at least as far as we are aware.
On the third mission, which lasted from December 14, 2023, to September 6, 2024, the Chinese spaceplane was observed releasing multiple smaller objects into orbit. What those payloads may have been remains unknown, but they could have been released from the main payload bay, which is seen open in the on-orbit image. The bay could have opened without any subsequent release of objects on either of the two prior missions, as well.
As an aside, the spaceplane appears to have released at least one more object earlier this year in the course of its latest mission.
A secretive airbase in the northwest end of China, sporting one of the longest runways in the world at 16,400 feet, looks to be where the spaceplane has landed after missions. The facility, which has been expanded massively in recent years, is now loosely akin to America’s top-secret proving ground at Area 51, and has been the site of other advanced aviation test efforts.
DIA’s report also says that “China has two primary spaceplane models: the Shenlong and Tengyun,” but does not specify which one is seen in the image. The name Shenlong has been commonly used to refer to the spaceplane China has been experimenting with to date. Images said to show a prototype or test article of this design slung underneath an H-6 bomber for testing purposes had emerged in 2007.
The state-run China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) unveiled the Tengyun design in 2016 as part of a so-called two-stage-to-orbit system that uses a mothership aircraft flying within the atmosphere as part of the launch method rather than a traditional space launch rocket. As of 2020, CASIC was aiming for a live test of Tengyun in 2025, but it is not immediately clear whether or not that occurred.
There have been other spaceplane developments in China in recent years. This includes designs from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) subsidiary Chengdu. The design from Chengdu is called Haolong and has been in development officially as an option for resupplying the country’s Tiangong space station.
In general, “spaceplanes are … reusable and feature enhanced maneuverability, making them more suitable for certain missions than traditional satellites,” DIA’s report notes.
TWZ has highlighted in the past how reusable space shuttle-like vehicles offer ideal platforms for rapidly deploying small satellites and any other payloads into orbit. In this way, they can be critical assets for space-based experimentation, as well as operational activities. This could include intelligence gathering, and even on-orbit attacks, areas of clear interest to the Chinese government.
As we often mention in the context of the X-37B, spaceplanes also have distinct advantages when it comes to rendezvousing with and maneuvering very close to other objects in space. They can execute course changes and other maneuvers in ways that traditional satellites cannot. All of this only underscores their potential as weapon systems, as well as for gathering intelligence. The fact that a Maxar (now Vantor) satellite took an on-orbit picture – a service the company is known to offer – of a Chinese spaceplane further highlights the kind of cat-and-mouse games that are increasingly emerging in space. The general risks posed by these kinds of activities were recently thrust into the public eye by the unprecedentedly close shadowing of a commercial radar imaging satellite tied to Ukraine by another satellite belonging to Russia.
China has been making massive investments, in general, in new space-based intelligence and other capabilities in recent years. Chinese space developments have now also extended into reusable space launch rocket boosters. Space launch company LandSpace became the first in China to achieve a successful recovery of a reusable space launch rocket booster on land in August. That followed CASC’s successful recovery of a reusable space launch rocket booster at sea using a specially configured ship the month before.
ZhuQue-3 first landing
In general, “access to space traditionally requires expendable spacecraft: single-use launch vehicles, satellites, and one-time use capsules designed to maximize performance. Reliance on expendable vehicles has made access to space expensive and exclusive,” DIA’s report explains. “Reusable technologies, while even more difficult and expensive to develop and build, stand to greatly reduce the cost of spaceflight by recovering, refurbishing, and reusing rocket stages, fairings, and capsules.”
Chinese spaceplanes, one of which we have not definitively gotten a view of in orbit, look set to become an increasingly important part of this growing ecosystem.
Update: 6:32 PM ET –
Vantor has now provided an additional copy of the image of the Chinese spaceplane, elements of which look to be redacted, and some additional details. The company has confirmed it was taken on May 28, 2024, by the WorldView-3 satellite at a range of just under 56 miles (90 kilometers).
“There is a separate satellite docked to the aft section of the vehicle whose structure and solar arrays are visible,” Vantor also told us. “The spacecraft’s payload bay doors are visibly open.”
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
ALEXA Chung has confirmed her engagement to actor Tom Sturridge – who popped the question with a ‘haunted’ Tudor ring.
Model and TV personality Alexa, 42, began dating The Sandman star Tom, 40, in 2022.
The Sun first revealed the pair’s engagement in 2024, with Alexa said to be “over the moon.”
However, she has now opened up about her iconic ring following growing speculation of the couple preparing to wed.
Alexa told More Or Less magazine: “My engagement ring is a Tudor…
“Tom knows how much I adore vintage and antiques, and he got me a beautiful Tudor ring. It’s like a table-cut diamond.”
Alexa added: “When I went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at images of Anne Boleyn and all the other people who perished at the hands of Henry VIII, a lot of them had these rings on.”
Meanwhile, the star also revealed her hairstylist, Alexandri, was startled by the jewellery and said:”‘Oh my god, I think your ring is haunted.”
Alexa explained: “He took it off my finger and started making wishes around it and blowing on it.
“So I hope that my ring isn’t haunted. Or do I? Because that’s iconic.”
A source previously told The Sun of the engagement: “Alexa has confirmed to her friends that she is indeed engaged to Tom and she is over the moon.
“She is in a great place and seems completely head over heels for him. They’re a great match.
“They have been hard at work planning a wedding with all of their close pals there.
“It won’t be a massive over-the-top affair but a smaller, classier and cooler bash.”
Before Tom, Alexa previously dated Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner from 2007 to 2011, as well as fashion photographer from 2003 to 2006.
Tom was formerly in a relationship with Sienna Miller for four years, with the pair welcoming a daughter in 2012.
The U.S. Air Force is exploring options for adding air-to-air combat capabilities to its bombers as part of efforts adjacent to its latest fighter force structure plans. The service has raised the possibility of the B-21 Raider, specifically, taking on an air-to-air role, and potentially doing so in cooperation with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones, in the past. As TWZ has explored for years, the B-21’s inherent attributes – size, extreme range, high operating ceiling, broadband low-observability (stealthiness), and advanced sensors – could actually make it especially well suited to taking part in air-to-air combat missions. The Air Force’s other bombers could also be part of these future plans.
Aviation Week was first to report on the potential for bombers to help bolster the Air Force’s air-to-air combat capacity after obtaining a copy of a new long-term fighter force structure report submitted to Congress last week. Media coverage of this report first began to appear earlier this week following a roundtable on Tuesday with Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the service’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs. The full report, which is unclassified, was not disseminated to reporters at that time.
The Air Force’s central goal now is having 1,509 combat-coded fighters in inventory by 2035, which is hundreds more than it has in service today. This will come from the acquisition of new F-35As, F-15EXs, and F-47s. There are already questions about how realistic this plan might be, and the service has acknowledged several hurdles it will need to overcome. You can read more about this in our initial reporting here.
“Accordingly, the USAF is also evaluating additional recapitalization options, including a new capacity fighter, increased reliance on CCAs [Collaborative Combat Aircraft], and developing air-to-air capabilities on bombers,” the latest fighter force structure report says, per Aviation Week.
“A new capacity fighter” may refer to the possible acquisition of new-production F-16 Vipers, which Lt. Gen. Tabor said at the roundtable could be an option in the future, according to an earlier story from Air & Space Forces Magazine. He also said making any such decision was not an “urgent” priority. This is just one possibility here. The Air Force has floated ideas for other new fighter concepts beyond the F-47 in recent years. Lockheed Martin has talked about the potential for expanding on the F-35 design.
At the roundtable on Tuesday, Tabor also made clear that the introduction of CCAs would influence future fighter force structure plans, but the expected scale and scope of those impacts remain unclear. He does not appear to have addressed the role bombers could play in this equation at that time. The new fighter report itself does not elaborate further on the potential use of bombers, based on Aviation Week’s story. TWZ is seeking more information.
When it comes to the possibility of Air Force bombers, and the B-21 more specifically, taking on an air-to-air role, this is not the first time the possibility has been raised, as mentioned earlier.
“As the NGAD [Next Generation Air Dominance] review goes forward, like, is it possible that what that ends up with could be the B-21 taking a larger role?” reporter Stephen Losey, working at the time for Defense News, asked then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin at the Military Reporters & Editors (MRE) Conference in 2024.
“We have not taken that off the table,” the Air Force’s top officer said in response to Losey’s question, but did not elaborate.
B-21 Takeoff and Landing
At that time, the Air Force’s NGAD program was undergoing a deep review, and the future of the sixth-generation fighter component of the effort had come into question. The decision was ultimately made to continue pursuing plans for what has now become the F-47.
For years now, TWZ has been highlighting how the B-21 could serve in multiple roles beyond just that of a traditional bomber, including in an air-to-air capacity. Air Force officials have themselves described the Raider as having multi-mission capabilities, which could extend into the realm of air-to-air combat.
“If we were to characterize it [NGAD] as a fighter, we would be… thinking too narrowly about what kind of airplane we need in a highly contested environment,” then-Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Pleus told what was then just Air Force Magazine back in 2019. This could be “a B-21 that also has air-to-air capabilities” and can “work with the family of systems to defend itself, utilizing stealth – maybe that’s where the sixth-generation airplane comes from.”
Pleus’ comments had tied in with adjacent discussions at the time and thereafter about how the B-21 might operate together with future CCA drones. Pleus, who was subsequently promoted to lieutenant general and whose lasting posting was as Director of Staff at the Air Force’s top headquarters at the Pentagon, retired in August of this year.
It remains unclear how the Air Force might be considering employing the B-21, or any of its other existing bombers, in air-to-air combat. This could entail loading out bombers for direct air-to-air engagements, or the integration of new capabilities to help them find targets or to otherwise enable new supporting roles, or a mix of all of the above. The process of achieving air superiority is not limited to neutralizing aerial threats, either.
As TWZ has written in the past in the context of an air-to-air role for the Raider in particular:
“The Raider has the potential to serve as a launch platform for air-to-air missiles, especially outsized very long-range types. Its payload capacity would give it the ability to carry a large volume of smaller air-to-air missiles, as well. B-21s could also employ air-to-ground munitions in support of the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses mission (SEAD/DEAD), which is also part of the air superiority equation.”
“Maybe most significantly, the B-21s could also act as airborne nerve centers in support of counter-air missions, especially for controlling drones like the Air Force’s planned fleets of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), and have the ability to do so even in the most heavily contested of airspaces. Uncrewed aircraft, in turn, could feed targeting data back to Raiders with air-to-air loadouts. B-21s might even be able to launch some of those drones themselves.”
Deeply networked ‘kill webs’ that bring together distributed arrays of sensors and other supporting elements across vast distances and multiple domains, coupled with very-long-range air-to-air missiles, open up new operational possibilities more generally. This applies to Air Force bombers beyond the B-21.
When it comes to longer-range air-to-air missiles, the Navy has notably already fielded the AIM-174B air-launched version of the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). The service more recently disclosed another such missile in flight testing now, the AIM-424 Malice.
The Air Force has pursued similar missile developments in the past and put out a call for a new anti-air missile with a maximum range of at least 1,000 nautical miles just in June. The service has been exploring multi-stage types with modular designs that could be configured for longer- and shorter-range engagements, as well. These are all just programs we know about, and do not speak to the developments the Air Force and others could have underway in the classified realm.
There is also the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) LongShot program, which the Air Force, as well as the U.S. Army and Navy, have been involved with over the years. The aim of that effort is to demonstrate the concept of an air-to-air missile-carrying drone to help extend the reach and reduce the vulnerability of tactical fighters and bombers.
On top of all this, tactical fighters are generally ill-suited to, and in some cases outright incapable of, carrying the kinds of outsized payloads being discussed here. This underscores the potential value of incorporating bombers into this equation as a means to engage targets at extreme ranges.
Even in a closer proximity support role of fighter aircraft, B-21s, as well as B-52s, could contribute to air-to-air fight as arsenal ships for longer-range weapons, firing on demand from the rear in coordination with crewed and uncrewed platforms operating at the tip of the tactical edge. B-21s could also use their penetrating capabilities to command drones of their own that provide penetrating fighter-like capabilities.
New air-to-air capabilities on Air Force bombers could include self-protection systems, too. Years ago now, the B-21’s prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, patented an anti-missile defense system for stealthy aircraft designed to fire hard-kill interceptors. The Air Force, as well as the Navy, have openly expressed interest in similar defensive capabilities for aerial refueling tankers and other larger planes. Just being able to provide localized close-in defensive ‘bubbles’ around individual bombers could impact the calculus when it comes to future air-to-air combat requirements.
To reiterate, these are all concepts we have discussed in depth for roughly a decade.
Speaking more broadly about Air Force future fighter force structure demands, as we wrote previously:
“In recent years, sustainment costs, broadly, have only become an increasingly serious concern for the Air Force, as well as the other branches of the U.S. military, especially when it comes to complex manned platforms, such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Fleet size and the readiness of those fleets are also highly pressing issues. So, at least in the near term, it’s not surprising that NGAD may end up focusing more on exploring available lower-cost options with distributed capabilities as alternatives to traditional air combat assets with highly centralized capabilities, such as manned fighter jets packed with ‘exquisite’ technologies.”
Despite the decision in the end to proceed with the more exquisite F-47, these points have only become more pronounced as time has gone on. How many F-47s the Air Force ultimately intends to buy is another question that looks to remain unanswered by the latest fighter force structure report. At the same time, there are clear signs that the Air Force is planning to significantly increase its planned B-21 fleet size. The official acquisition target has long been at least 100 Raiders, but the Air Force and Northrop Grumman have said a new topline figure is expected to come in the Fiscal Year 2028 budget proposal next year. The service is now explicitly aiming to have at least 500 CCA drones in service by 2032, too. All of this will compete for funding and other resources, at least to a degree.
In the meantime, there has been a “persistent decline in AA [aircraft availability] rates across the USAF tactical fighter fleet,” which “is the direct mathematical consequence of operating an inventory with an average age exceeding 31 years,” the Air Force’s latest fighter force structure report says, according to Aviation Week. “As legacy platforms – such as the F-16C/D, F-15E, and A-10C – operate well beyond their original engineering service lives, they experience compounding structural fatigue, widespread corrosion, and subsystem degradation.”
“Achieving the mandated AA rates required for a peer-conflict scenario necessitates aggressive divestment of the oldest airframes to fund the procurement of highly available, modernized platforms like the F-35A and F-15EX,” the report adds, per that outlet. Furthermore, “to counter the [Chinese] industrial capacity and numerical advantage in fielding fighters like the J-20 and J-16, the USAF must embrace a hybrid force of manned and unmanned systems.”
With all this in mind, active consideration of new air-to-air roles for bombers, as well as the possibility of “increased reliance on CCAs” and the potential to acquire new current-generation F-16s, at least seems to reflect a hedge strategy on the part of the Air Force.
If nothing else, the door clearly remains open to bombers being a key part of the Air Force’s ‘fighter’ vision in the future.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
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A 24-year-old man, who was already being held in quarantine, is the latest to test positive, according to the Health Ministry.
Published On 20 Oct 202620 Oct 2026
Kenya has confirmed a new Ebola case, bringing the total number of infections in the country to nine, amid an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raising concerns about a regional spread.
A 24-year-old man, who was already being held in quarantine, is the latest to test positive, Kenya’s Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday.
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“He was isolated at the first sign of illness, tested and started on treatment immediately upon confirmation of his positive test result,” it said, adding he “was already in quarantine when he fell ill”.
The man was a close family member of Kenya’s first Ebola patient, who had travelled from the DRC, through Uganda and before arriving in Kenya and dying at a Nairobi hospital on October 5.
“All nine cases belong to one cluster, and as of today there is no evidence of transmission outside this group,” Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Eight patients are stable and responding well to treatment, while 134 of 135 contacts have been traced and quarantined,” Amoth said.
Amoth said a milestone was in sight for the majority of the contacts in quarantine as they had remained well for the 21-day monitoring period and could return home from October 25.
It appealed to communities to welcome them back, saying they “pose no risk of infection”.
The ministry said no infections had occurred within quarantine facilities and that it was continuously monitoring infection-prevention measures to protect health workers.
Despite the nine infections, Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, with authorities saying the country remains open for business.
In the DRC, there have been more than 9,000 Ebola cases and 4,000 deaths since May.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says it’s the second-largest epidemic on record.
It has been difficult to contain because there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
STEPPING on to the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2023 was a big moment for Texas, who had last played at the festival 24 years earlier.
But whatever expectations frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and her band had for the gig were blown out of the water, because it sent them stratospheric once again and gained them thousands of new fans.
Now they are capitalising on their expanded fanbase by heading out on an 11-date arena tour of the UK and Ireland next October, and releasing a 30th anniversary version of their No1 album White On Blonde, featuring hits including Say What You Want, Black Eyed Boy and Halo.
And as good news comes in threes, today Texas have also released a new single, Another Way To Cry.
In an exclusive chat, Sharleen told me of their success: “I think it tastes sweeter than it ever has.
“The honest truth is that when we did that Glastonbury a couple of years ago, you never know how it’s going to go, but that Glastonbury changed everything. Suddenly there was a whole new audience that wanted to see Texas and we announced that tour off the back of that.
“It just was a moment of, ‘Wow, people really do still want to see us.’ When you look out into that audience, the ages vary all over the shop. It’s quite extraordinary.
“There’s been lots of people going, ‘When are you going on tour?’ so it’s good that there is still that desire to see us, and for us, that just makes the desire to go and play even stronger than it’s ever been.”
If you have not seen Texas yet, I urge you to snap up tickets when they go on general sale at 10am next Friday, October 30.
There, you will be able to hear the Scottish rockers’ new single, which is a rollicking, brassy singalong with Sharleen’s bluesy voice shining strong.
The accompanying video — an ode to the film Paris Texas, which was the inspiration for the band’s name — sees her exploring the Scottish highlands and bumping into fellow Scot, Trainspotting star Robert Carlyle.
On shooting the visuals, she said: “We had every season in the space of an hour, which was extraordinary, but that’s Scotland. We had scorching sun, pouring rain then sleet and hail stones and wind.
“It was fun, alongside our mates the Highland cattle, which was fantastic.”
And she insisted the Highland cows in the video were genuine. She continued: “It’s not AI, they were actually there. There was one point where me and Robert were walking down the road and they were coming right up, and they’re gigantic and they’ve got horns.
“If it just moved its head in the wrong direction and you’re anywhere near that horn you’re getting whacked by it.”
Thankfully they emerged unscathed and Sharleen has since been back in the studio.
Asked if there is an album of new music on the way too, she said: “Yeah, we’re working on a new record.”
As for White On Blonde, which will be out on February 5, Texas are chuffed it is being released on vinyl for the first time after they were recently fleeced trying to buy another of their records on the format.
She explained: “There was only ever vinyl made for the Press. We actually had to buy one of the old albums back because we’d given them away.
“We ended up buying our own record back for £1,200, about a year ago, because we needed it for a video. It was hysterical. I was literally like, ‘What? £1,200!’”
And they have got someone special on board to write the liner notes — Peter Kay.
Speaking about the comedian, who directed and starred in the 2006 video for their song Sleep, she said: “Peter is such a big music and Texas fan, and he’s a big friend of ours. He’s so geeky in his knowledge of music and stuff like that.
“It just felt exactly right because of his connection to the band and the fact he made the video for us and he bought White On Blonde and he’d always talked about it.
“It felt like the absolute right thing to do.”
SHARLEEN turned down the chance to go on The Celebrity Traitors in her native Scotland – insisting she’s a “s*** liar.”
She was approached by the series producers, but doesn’t think she’s competitive enough to be a success on Claudia Winkleman’s hit show.
She explained: “I’m very flattered to have been asked and I said, ‘Thank you, but no.’ I couldn’t do it.
“I absolutely love The Traitors. It’s such a great, unbelievable programme and I’m watching it currently and I just couldn’t do it. I’d be all over the shop.
“I’d gladly play the game. But I’m a s*** liar. That is the truth. I wouldn’t remember who I told a lie to or what I did and I’m not that big of a player.
“I’d probably go, ‘Nah, you’re alright.’ The thing is, the only place I’m really competitive is on a stage.
“In games I’m really not competitive at all. So I’d probably be really rubbish.”
She added: “I want to be a fan, but not a fan in it. I want to be a fan watching it. I’m very happy with that situation.”
JADE has revealed she was “devastated” not to land the role of Princess Jasmine in 2019’s live-action remake of Aladdin, after the role went to Naomi Scott.
The Little Mix star, who auditioned for director Guy Ritchie, said: “I was pretty devastated. I think I got down to the last few. I sent a letter once I knew they’d reached out, saying that Jasmine was my sort of idol growing up.
“She was the only character I could really look up to as someone of Arab heritage, so Princess Jasmine was who I dreamed of being.”
On Channel 4’s The Assembly, she added: “I did three rounds of auditions. I sang A Whole New World in Guy Ritchie’s living room.
“I didn’t get the part and that’s fine. But I was quite sad for some time, definitely. I was gutted, I can’t lie.”
JUDI DENCH says panned 2019 Cats movie was a “waste” of Andrew Llloyd Webber’s “goodwill and talent.”
She starred as Old Deuteronomy in the much-mocked movie and in her new memoir, she writes: “Oh God, I can’t bear it – and he had waited so long for it to be made.
“What a waste of all that goodwill and talent.”
JAY-Z has chosen himself to be the headline act for next year’s Super Bowl half-time show, according to a report in the US.
Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus were said to be in talks to perform at the show in Los Angeles on February 14.
Instead the rapper, who’s firm Roc Nation has had a deal with the NFL since 2019, will be taking centre stage.
He has yet to comment on the story, although he’s set to perform two shows at the SoFi Stadium in LA this Friday – where the big game will be held –so he may well announce it there.
His wife Beyonce previously headlined in 2013 and then joined Coldplay during their set there three years later.
And I imagine he’d want her as a guest if he takes to the pitch, too.
JENNA ORTEGA has been to London, Rome and New York in the past week and she’s had a special someone by her side the whole time – her pet pooch.
The Wednesday actress, who wore this beaded dress for the US premiere of her new film Klara And The Sun in the Big Apple on Monday, said her whippet Twigs helps her stay grounded.
Jenna, who posed for pics in New York with co-star Amy Adams and director Taika Waititi, said: “My dog follows me everywhere.
“It’s hard doing the job that I do, travelling to all of these different hotels and foreign countries, so to have something that is consistent and true, and looks after me, and I look after her, it’s nice.”
That dog must have racked up more air miles this week than I have all year.
RESIDENTS of the London borough of Acton have dubbed James Blunt a traitor.
He filmed his new Circles music video there, but then pretended it was somewhere else.
I revealed snaps of the Celebrity Traitors star riding around on a mini tractor while shooting the video in a park last week.
But locals soon spotted James had renamed Acton’s mainline station “Battersham”, leaving them fuming.
“We thought James was going to put Acton on the map with his video,” a friend, who sent me snaps of James recording his video, told me after seeing the clip.
“It’s not Battersham, this is Acton. And we’re proud of it.”
THE producer behind the Dirty Dancing sequel insists they won’t bring back Patrick Swayze using AI.
Jennifer Grey will reprise the role of Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman and film bosses are working out how to celebrate late actor Patrick, who died in 2009.
Producer Nina Jacobson said: “That’s one of the things that you really have to focus on: how to let people mourn him in a movie. And don’t worry – we won’t be bringing him back with AI.”
She said they are “trying to chase the feeling of that original movie”.
Nina added: “Being able to tell a young love story that could take some of those risks but also inspire those feelings felt like an incredible chance for us.”
PIRATES Of The Caribbean is being brought to life by Secret Cinema – and they’ve got a household name on board to help out.
I can reveal Phil Daniels, who starred in EastEnders, and whose voice featured in Blur’s 1994 hit Parklife, has joined the cast as Captain Barbossa.
Johnny Depp’s character Jack Sparrow will be played by Olivier Award winner George Maguire.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Immersive Adventure, opens in February and has already had its run extended by six weeks due to demand.
It will also be the first production by Secret Cinema – which allows punters to watch films on the big screen while the action also unfolds around them – at its purpose-built flagship venue in London’s Greenwich.
Time to ready my sea legs.
LIAM GALLAGHER is winding up Oasis fans by claiming they’ve already finished a new album – but I’m not so sure.
Responding to someone on X who wrote: “Oasis have SEVEN great albums and those songs will LIVE FOREVER”, rocker Liam said: “8 including the new 1.”
I’ll believe it when I hear it.
Kenyan health authorities say latest patient was likely exposed to the country’s first Ebola case.
Published On 19 Oct 202619 Oct 2026
Kenyan health authorities say an eighth Ebola case has been detected, bringing the total number of known infections in the East African nation to eight.
Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth told Kenya’s Citizen TV that of the 38 people tested on Sunday, one had returned a positive result.
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“He is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He developed fever, headache and muscle pain,” he said.
Amoth said the man, who worked as a patient attendant cleaning utensils and linens, was likely exposed to Kenya’s first Ebola case, discovered earlier this month.
He developed symptoms on Saturday, was quarantined and tested for the virus, a Ministry of Health source said.
The ministry reported four new cases on Saturday, three of whom were health workers who treated the country’s first Ebola patient, a man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Nairobi and died at a Nairobi hospital on October 5.
In a post on X, the ministry said the fourth person was related to the deceased patient.
![Travellers walk at the Kenya immigration services to access port health services at the Busia One Stop Border Post, crossing-point between Kenya and Uganda, after a man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo travelled and died of a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo species at the Nairobi Hospital, in Busia, Kenya October 8, 2026 [James Keyi/Reuters]](https://i0.wp.com/occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-14T155735Z_34711835_RC22ZNATTZD9_RTRMADP_3_HEALTH-EBOLA-KENYA-1792367033.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
Kenya has been on heightened alert, as the Ebola outbreak has spilled across the border from the DRC. The current outbreak is of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.
The DRC has recorded at least 9,400 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths, in the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history, which started in May.
Ituri province in eastern DRC remains the disease’s epicentre, accounting for almost three quarters of confirmed cases, according to the government’s most recent data. It announced on Sunday that the virus has reached an eighth province, North Ubangi.
State-run news agency ACP reported on Sunday that authorities in North Kivu province, where the World Health Organization said substantial transmission continues, are introducing a one-week ban from Monday on people entering the province from Ituri in an effort to slow the spread.
Other measures set to be introduced include restrictions on passenger numbers in cars and on motorbikes and suspension of large public gatherings.
Neighbouring Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported from the DRC, and two deaths, before it was declared Ebola-free in August.
The drama follows an unconventional young detective rising up the ranks(Image: PBS MASTERPIECE)
Fans of detective dramas need to add a “fabulous” series to their watchlists.
Fans of cosy crime and detective dramas like Vera are urged to keep an eye out for a detective series hailed as “superb” by viewers. Based on Georges Simenon’s iconic detective novels, the series follows a rising young detective in the Paris Police Judiciaire, who heads La Crim, the serious crime unit.
Unlike previous adaptations, the series is set in the present day and is produced by Playground, the team behind hit shows like All Creatures Great and Small and Wolf Hall. Maigret is the series in question and it stars Benjamin Wainwright as Chief Inspector Jules Maigret, the titular unconventional young detective rising up the ranks.
The Last Kingdom actress Stefanie Martini also stars as Louise Maigret, Maigret’s wife and confidante, who works as a psychiatric nurse. The Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison stars as Sergeant Joseph Torrence.
UKTV has acquired the rights to two seasons of Maigret for its free streaming service, U and linear channel U&DRAMA. Season one premieres on U and U&DRAMA in December, and season two will follow in 2027.
UKTV teased: “In series one, Chief Inspector Maigret and his team of maverick but loyal detectives, Les Maigrets, solve a series of complex crimes in Paris. Maigret’s unconventional methods and unique sense of justice put him at odds with his superiors and the judicial system he is supposed to represent. Maigret must outwit some of Paris’s most cunning and violent criminals, while dealing with his own troubled past.”
Karin Marelle of UKTV and BBC Studios hailed Maigret “one of the most recognisable detective brands in the world“, while Simon Cox, who led on the acquisition of the series for Banijay Rights, said: “The series combines gripping mysteries and rich character storytelling all centred around one of crime fiction’s most iconic and enduring detectives.”
Fans took to IMDb reviews to share their thoughts on the series, with one hailing it “outstanding”, adding: “I have not been a fan of either the books or previous movies or shows about Maigret. So I came to this with no preconceived notions.
“Overall I found it an outstanding beginning to what I hope will be a long series. Well written, well-acted, and highly entertaining. Just a sort of thing that I was looking forward to take my mind off with many problems that we now see in our world.”
Another called it a “fabulous show”, sharing: “We are enjoying this programme ever so much! My mum and I are huge fans of the original Maigret and this is a great modern remake!
“I am not usually very enthusiastic about remakes, but this is an exceptionally good one. I can’t wait for more episodes, and hopefully many more seasons to come! Overall a great programme with a really fabulous cast.”
Another viewer said it was a “superb” watch, adding: “This iteration reminds me a lot of another detective series using British actors in a non-British setting, Vandervalk. Regardless, I thought the plotting, writing, acting, and direction was superb, especially in the last episodes of this first series.”
The series premiered on PBS Masterpiece in the US in October 2025, and on ABC Television in Australia in November 2025.
Series 1 of Maigret premieres on U and U&DRAMA in December and Series 2 will follow in 2027.
17:38, 13 Oct 2026Updated 20:12, 13 Oct 2026
New cast members for the upcoming series have been confirmed(Image: BBC)
It’s the news fans have been waiting for.
BBC has confirmed when Waterloo Road will return to our screens alongside an exciting update regarding its future. It comes as the series celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this year.
Every single episode is still available to stream on BBC iPlayer from the original series which first aired in 2006, up to the recent instalments starring cast members such as Jon Richardson and Adam Thomas. Fans can also catch up on select series via Channel 5 and Disney+.
Now, the broadcaster has now confirmed that series 18 will release in January 2027. Not only that but they have given the go ahead for a 20th series which begins filming this year in Greater Manchester. Fans have been anticipating news about the show’s return which some describe as “one of the best comfort shows ever” and a “gritty real life drama” that keeps them hooked from the first episode.
For those somehow unaware, the synopsis describes the drama series as following the day-to-day activity at Waterloo Road school. It is a place where lessons learned have a way of extending beyond the classroom.
It was initially set at a rundown comprehensive school in Rochdale before moving to an independent school in Scotland. However, after a few years in its new surroundings, the series ended its original run.
It was revived in 2023, with a return to Greater Manchester as its setting and production location. Fans are promised that the new series will continue to explore real-life issues affecting teens, families and school staff.
The drama will continue to tackle bold storylines, balanced with comedy, friendship and romance, all brought to life with Waterloo Road’s trademark warmth and wit. It’s also been confirmed that original cast member Chelsee Healey will return as Janeece Bryant.
They will be joined by newcomer Lauren Hylton as her on-screen daughter, Cheryl Bryant, a new student at Waterloo Road. Other new student cast members include Leo Ashton (Liam Shaw), Callum Broome (Nathan Clark), Yousef Naseer (Ibrahim Azzi), Lewis Pemberton (Cane Morris), and Keelan Wright (Marshall Clark).
A wave of newly qualified teachers will also walk through Waterloo Road’s doors. Tashinga Bepete will play Edward Connell, Cora Kirk as Leah Merchant, and Mollie Winnard as Gemma Tully.
Announcing the news, Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama said: “We’re so pleased to announce a new series of Waterloo Road, giving audiences the opportunity to follow the drama of the characters they’ve come to know and love.
“We look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds for the pupils and staff of Waterloo Road. We can’t wait for the series to return this January.”
Waterloo Road is streaming on BBC iPlayer, Channel 5 and Disney+.
Mack in Emmerdale is leaving the village very soon, and now we know his exit plot(Image: ITV)
Mack in Emmerdale is leaving the village very soon, and now we know his exit plot.
Actor Lawrence Robb is currently taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, and so he’s taking some time out from filming. He will be offscreen for a few months, and now the latest episode has explained what happens to Mack.
It’s all Robert Sugden’s decision for him to leave the village, and not everyone is happy about it. It’s a pretty random exit, but it appears farm owner Robert is paying for Mack to go on a course in Germany.
In the episode, Robert told his partner Aaron Dingle and Mack’s nephew Matty Barton that he was sending Mack on the course the next day. They were shocked as he said he was sending him to Germany for the course to benefit the farm.
Later in the episode, Mack sat down with his wife Charity Dingle and repeated the news to her. Charity said Robert could “get stuffed”, and told her husband not to go, amid her drama with her prison ordeal.
Mack explained it would be good for him and the farm, and would help him in the future. He was keen to go and Charity reluctantly accepted it.
She then confessed she would be happy to visit him in Germany while he was away, with her son Noah Dingle leaving there. Mack explained it would be for a few months and he would then return.
So that’s it, this is exit confirmation for Mack. This confirms exactly why and how he is leaving, paving the way for actor Lawrence to film BBC’s Strictly.
Recently, the Mirror caught up with Lawrence’s co-stars Jeff Hordley and Katie Hill about Lawrence taking on the series. Speaking about their co-star, Katie shared: “I think he was brilliant.
“I think everyone will love him. He’s such a lovable person. He’s so positive. He’ll give it his best go. I think he’s going to be incredible.” Jeff added: “He’s a joy. I share a dressing room with him, and he’s just such a lovely man.
“We all love him and we all want him to do brilliantly, and I think he will because he’s a really dedicated human being. He’ll give it 110 per cent. He’s done musical theatre so he’ll know how to shake those hips.”
When asked if they were backing Lawrence, Jeff quipped: “If it goes on a personality contest, Lawrence will win hands down. I don’t know about the dancing, but we’ll see.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread to another health zone in the east, while a fatal imported case in Kenya has underscored the risk of cross-border transmission.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in an October 8 update that Alimbongo health zone in North Kivu province had reported cases for the first time. As of October 6, four confirmed cases, including two deaths, had been recorded there.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus. According to the WHO, cases had been reported in 64 health zones across seven provinces in the DRC. Ituri remained the worst-affected province in cumulative cases, while North Kivu was accounting for a growing share of newly confirmed infections.
As of October 6, the WHO had recorded 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths in the DRC. A further 2,269 people had recovered, and the crude case fatality ratio stood at 48.2 percent.
Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease on October 6, according to the WHO. The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC, fell ill there and received treatment at several health facilities before travelling to Kenya through Uganda.
The patient travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, before flying to Nairobi, arriving on October 3. The patient was isolated in hospital and tested positive for the virus. Despite supportive treatment, the patient died on October 5, the WHO said.
Kenyan authorities identified 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers. The WHO also reported efforts to trace passengers and crew members from the flight to Nairobi.
![Kenyan Ministry of Health officials screen arriving passengers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi amid Ebola-related health precautions [AFP]](https://i0.wp.com/occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/afp_6ac66094d7af-1791385748.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
Public health measures have been initiated in Kenya and Uganda, including contact tracing and enhanced surveillance.
On October 8, preliminary laboratory results for a suspected Ebola case in Kenya’s Wajir County came back negative, according to the county governor. The result eased concerns about a possible second case, although monitoring continued.
The imported infection has underscored the importance of surveillance and coordination between neighbouring countries. Identifying exposed people and monitoring them for symptoms are central to detecting infections early and interrupting further transmission.
In the DRC, the response is facing mounting pressure from limited treatment capacity, insecurity and difficulties securing cooperation from some communities.
Daniel Makasi Levergénois, founder of Watoto Radio, said insecurity and misinformation were undermining efforts to contain the outbreak. In Beni and Butembo, both in North Kivu, rumours and misconceptions about Ebola had contributed to reluctance among some residents to cooperate with response teams, he said.
In an October 5 update, medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, said North Kivu accounted for nearly 40 percent of newly confirmed cases nationwide, up from 24 percent at the end of August.
MSF also reported that, as of September 28, 34 percent of confirmed Ebola patients were being treated in non-specialised health facilities. Dedicated treatment centres lacked sufficient beds, while delays in diagnosis meant some patients were being treated outside facilities equipped to manage Ebola.
The organisation warned that many of these facilities lacked the resources and expertise needed to manage the disease, increasing the risk of transmission among patients and healthcare workers.
“For weeks, treatment capacity has stretched to its limit,” said Stephanie Hoffmann, coordinator of MSF’s Ebola treatment centre in Butembo.
“Because there are not enough beds available, we are sometimes forced to refer confirmed Ebola patients elsewhere, despite the significant risk this poses to the wider community. In addition, standards of care in some peripheral facilities do not always meet the requirements for Ebola treatment. This is extremely concerning.”
Alberto Lusenge, a community leader in Beni, said the failure to stop transmission early in Ituri province, followed by new cases and attacks on response workers in Beni and Butembo, had deepened public concern.
Lusenge warned that mistrust could discourage residents from reporting symptoms or cooperating with health workers. He said North Kivu could become a greater focus of the outbreak if authorities failed to secure stronger cooperation from local communities.
![A worker in protective gear handles sanitary basins at an Ebola treatment centre run by Médecins Sans Frontières in Butembo, eastern DRC [Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters]](https://i0.wp.com/occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/reuters_6ab6e4f3-1790371059.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
The WHO said response teams were following up 23,741 of the 29,535 identified contacts as of October 4, equivalent to 80.4 percent – below the response target of at least 85 percent.
Contact tracing allows health authorities to identify people who may have been exposed, monitor them for symptoms and detect infections early. Gaps in follow-up can make it harder to identify and interrupt chains of transmission.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for a community-centred response, including active case finding, systematic contact tracing, daily follow-up of exposed people and sustained engagement with local communities.
The DRC’s 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak, caused by a different virus species, killed nearly 2,300 people. The current outbreak presents distinct challenges: According to the WHO, there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease.
Early detection, supportive care and infection prevention therefore remain central to the response. But as infections spread into additional health zones and treatment facilities struggle to accommodate patients, health authorities face the dual challenge of containing transmission and maintaining public trust.
Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, has stressed the importance of rapidly identifying and monitoring people exposed to the virus.
“To bring this outbreak under control, we need to know where every contact is, track them and quickly identify anyone showing symptoms before they pass the virus on to their family, their community or across borders. We will only bring this outbreak under control once the last chain of transmission has been broken,” Kaseya said in a news release seen by Al Jazeera.
The Pentagon said the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be public and livestreamed. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others at the Texas base in 2009. The White House hasn’t confirmed the Pentagon’s comments.
Published On 9 Oct 20269 Oct 2026
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The first imported case of Ebola has been recorded in Kenya. The health minister said a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, arrived in Nairobi on Saturday and died from the disease.
Published On 6 Oct 20266 Oct 2026
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Country western star Wynonna Judd is confirming that she and her sister, Emmy Award-nominated actor Ashley Judd, do not have a relationship.
She spoke with People ahead of the release of her 10th solo studio album, “The Hard Truth,” which drops Friday, and revealed that the rift between the sisters is still there after years of on and off disharmony.
Wynonna told the outlet that Ashley hadn’t heard the album, as the sisters are not “connected.”
“We’re taking a break, which all families can relate to,” she said. “She’s doing her thing, and I’m doing mine.”
In April 2022, Wynonna and Ashley’s mother, Naomi Judd, died by suicide at 76 after a lifelong battle with depression. Naomi and Wynonna made up the Grammy-winning duo the Judds.
At the time, the sisters released a statement together, writing, “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. … We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”
The following month, the two appeared at the annual Medallion Ceremony, where the Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the sisters spoke on behalf of their mother.
“While this is so much about the Judds as a duo, I want to take a moment to recognize my sister, a GOAT,” Ashley said at the ceremony. “Do you know what that means? I don’t think she knows I’m calling her the greatest of all time. She lives on a farm. She’s being a little literal.”
Ashley told the crowd that growing up as the younger sister of Wynonna, she got to “bask in this voice that was around the house, and I’ve always been so proud of the music and so proud of you. … So I know that we’re talking a lot about Mom tonight, as we should be. Our beautiful mother, and I want you to know that you also are being inducted to the Hall of Fame tonight. And newspapers don’t get much right these days, but when the Los Angeles Times said you were Elvis-like, they got it right. And I love you, and I’m proud of you. And Mom is proud of you, and she always was.”
By October 2022, rumors were flying that the sisters were fighting over their mother’s will, a claim that Wynonna shot down while speaking with People.
“Someone told me while I was at Ashley’s house, ‘Hey, did you know that they’re saying this about you?’ I went, ‘Huh? I’m fighting with Ashley?’” Wynonna said. “Fighting over what? I have such a great life. Ashley has a great life. Why would we be fighting over the will?”
This wasn’t the first time a feud was reported between the two. Back in January 2015, Wynonna gave a teary-eyed account of the disconnect during an appearance on AXS TV’s “The Big Interview With Dan Rather.”
“The only thing I have in common with my sister is a father missing and a mother that’s both of ours. She and I are very different. We don’t communicate, nor do we spend time together, and that’s a long history of being apart,” Wynonna told Rather.
Wynonna said that she and Ashley were dysfunctional, didn’t agree on anything and developed separate lives, but she cared for her younger sister growing up.
“I raised Ashley, so I think there’s a lot of work we still have to do about where do we find the ‘sister’ in all of this,” she said. “She called me sister mommy, and I really had a hard time with that, because I was like, I don’t want to be your mommy. I want to be your sister.”
By Konstantin Toropin and ben Finley
QUANTICO, Va. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. military will cut 20% of its generals and admirals as he delivered what he is calling his “State of the Force” address.
Hegseth was speaking to junior officers and enlisted leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, the second year in a row that he has given such an address. This time, the U.S. military is seven months into a war with Iran with no clear end in sight, has captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and killed more than 200 people in strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in Latin America, among other actions worldwide.
The speech is not a usual fixture among Pentagon leaders. While Hegseth’s predecessors regularly addressed troops and top officers, they traditionally have done so in small or private settings.
The Pentagon chief, however, again focused on how he has drastically retooled the U.S. military by targeting what he calls “woke” culture — through a rollback of diversity programs, a review of ground combat units with female troops and a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among male personnel.
Pentagon officials had previewed that Hegseth would announce more cuts to the number of generals and admirals. He directed all military services to double the 10% reduction he ordered last spring for roughly 800 flag and general officer positions, making it a total 20% decrease to be completed by Jan. 1.
“I call it accountability and long overdue,” he said.
Several senators viewed Hegseth’s move as nothing short of a “purge” of the military’s top ranks that will take years to rebuild.
“He’s got some kind of like deep-seated grievance about leadership in the military,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., the former Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut, who has been critical of Hegseth. “He’s purging a generation of great leaders of the military, and it’s going to take a generation to recover from it.”
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wanted to understand Hegseth’s reasoning behind the decision.
“If it’s simply a matter of eliminating a very heavy top, there may be some validity to it, but I want to see it first,” Rounds said.
Hegseth and President Trump already have fired or pushed to retire more than two dozen military leaders since taking office, including the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, a move that angered both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The purge also has included a number of senior officers who are women or people of color.
Previous leaders who were ousted include Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown; Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti; and Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee.
Although Hegseth never gave specific reasons for those firings, most were tied to the belief that they endorsed or spoke openly in support of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which have been targets of Hegseth and Trump.
As part of last year’s cuts, Hegseth also ordered the active duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers — the highest-level leaders — and the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions, but it is unclear if all those cuts have been made. The new cuts could include any one-star general or above, or an officer of equivalent Navy rank.
When Hegseth first announced the effort to trim the highest levels of the military ranks, he argued it was intended to remove “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.” In a memo released in May 2025, he said the aim was to free the military from “unnecessary bureaucratic layers.”
The number of general officer positions in the military is set by law, but it is possible to let positions remain unfilled by not submitting replacements to Congress.
Hegseth’s efforts have extended well beyond personnel changes among the top ranks. He oversaw Trump’s ban on transgender troops while announcing new directives for “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness.
Toropin and Finley write for the Associated Press. AP writers Lisa Mascaro and Meg Kinnard contributed to this report.
Murder Scene: The Incident Room returns with a brand new series tonight(Image: Channel 5)
Channel 5’s gripping true crime series will return with new chilling episodes – and it’s coming sooner than you think.
First aired in 2023, Murder Scene: The Incident Room is a true crime series that explores real-life murder investigations across the UK, but with a twist. The investigations are told through the eyes of real detectives who worked on the cases.
The series, which has seen two seasons so far, plunges viewers into the centre of police investigations, revealing how officers gather evidence and make critical conditions. Channel 5 has teased: “Inside the nerve centre of murder inquiries, revealed through the detectives themselves.”
Featuring first hand accounts as well as heartbreaking interviews with family members of the victims, the series also shows real archive footage as well as using reconstruction sequences.
Murder Scene: The Incident Room will return to Channel 5 tonight (September 30) with yet another harrowing case. Airing at 8pm on Channel 5, the brand new episode will transport viewers back to a horrific event on Christmas Eve in 2022.
Taking viewers behind the scenes of a murder investigation, tonight’s episode will explore the heartbreaking murder of 26-year-old Elle Edwards, who was killed by a gunman armed with a submachine gun outside of a pub in Wirral, Merseyside.
After firing the weapon into a group of people on Christmas Eve, the gunman fled the scene as CCTV revealed this was not a random act, with detectives working around the clock for justice.
An official synopsis reads: “The Incident Room is the place where Britain’s toughest murder cases are cracked. Behind closed doors, detectives work against the clock, piecing together the clues, chasing down suspects, and searching for the breakthrough that will bring a killer to justice.”
About tonight’s episode, it continues: “Christmas Eve 2022: a packed pub, a burst of gunfire. Within seconds, six people are shot outside the Lighthouse Pub in Wallasey.
“Twenty-six-year-old Elle Edwards dies at the scene. A gunman armed with a military-grade machine gun has opened fire on innocent bystanders – and he’s still out there.
“CCTV reveals this was no random act. As pressure mounts, a crucial breakthrough changes the direction of the case, triggering a nationwide manhunt for a dangerous and desperate fugitive.
“This is the story of a community shattered, a family devastated, and the relentless pursuit of a killer who believed he could disappear into the night.”
New episodes will air every Wednesday on Channel 5, with the next instalment dropping on October 7 at its usual 8pm slot. Episodes can also be streamed on Channel 5 online. Previously praising the show, one person said episodes were “too good to miss” as another admitted it was a “must watch”.
Murder Scene: The Incident Room returns tonight at 8pm on Channel 5
The Premier League has confirmed that Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18.
An independent Commission found that during that time period, the club arranged “sham contracts” with a number of its commercial partners, as well as “relying on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs”.
The statement also said that City were guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate, but an exact figure was not given.
More to follow.
