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The secretary-general of the United Nations has described the latest wave of atrocities reportedly committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s city of el-Fasher as “a nightmare of violence and a horrifying crisis”.

Thousands of people are believed to have been killed, and many more displaced, after the paramilitary group took over the army headquarters and other key installations in el-Fasher last month.

The United States says that Sudan’s warring sides have agreed, in principle, to work towards a three-month humanitarian truce.

But with violence spreading to other areas beyond North Darfur, can Washington’s plan succeed?

Presenter:

Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Amgad Fareid – executive director, Fikra for Studies and Development

Mathilde Vu – advocacy manager for Sudan, Norwegian Refugee Council

Susan Page – former assistant of the US special envoy for Sudan

A nine-month-old baby has been killed in a dog attack in south-east Wales, according to Gwent Police.

Officers and paramedics went to a property on Crossway in Rogiet, Monmouthshire, at about 18:00 GMT on Sunday.

The dog was seized and removed from the address, the force said.

Police were working to establish the breed of the animal and no arrests had been made.

Ch Supt John Davies said: “Officers are on scene and will be making further inquiries as the investigation progresses.”

Residents said they were in disbelief at the death of the child, with the community in shock and trying to come to terms with what had happened.

They said they saw police cars and ambulances on the quiet residential street in south Wales at the time of the incident.

By 22:00 the police cordon had been lifted and all the ambulances and most police cars had gone, replaced by scenes of crime investigation vehicles.

At this time two police officers were still guarding a house on Crossway, a street now silent but for the hum of cars on the M4 and trains on the south Wales to London line.

This major investigative documentary examines the facts surrounding the murder of Palestinian American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, as she was reporting in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, in May 2022.

It sets out to discover who killed her – and after months of painstaking research, succeeds in identifying the Israeli sniper who pulled the trigger.

It gets through the smokescreens of both the Israeli and US governments and reveals how the close political relationship between them frustrated efforts to obtain justice at the time.

Through interviews with an Israeli former national security adviser, a former deputy assistant US secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, Israeli soldiers and Shireen’s colleagues and family, the film challenges official versions of events – and, in doing so, highlights issues of accountability, press freedom and the geopolitical dynamics surrounding the case, particularly in the light of the Israeli killing of Anas al-Sharif and four of his Al Jazeera colleagues in Gaza in August 2025.

The White House claimed, without providing evidence, the vessel was operated by a ‘designated terrorist organisation’.

The White House has said United States forces have bombed another alleged drug smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four men, just days after confirming it killed 14 people in three separate strikes on vessels in the area.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a post on X late on Wednesday that the “Department of War”, the new name for the recently rebranded Department of Defense, had “carried out a lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel”.

Hegseth said “four male narco-terrorists” were killed aboard the vessel, which was “operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization”. He did not provide an exact location for the attack, but said it was conducted in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

“This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said, posting aerial footage of the strike.

None of the victims of Wednesday’s attack have been identified.

Earlier today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) in the Eastern Pacific.

This vessel, like all the others, was known by our… pic.twitter.com/mBOLA5RYQe

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 29, 2025

The strike occurred at a time when US President Donald Trump was on the last leg of a three-nation trip in Asia. On Thursday, Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, their first summit since 2019. Trump also visited Malaysia and Japan before South Korea.

Earlier this week, Hegseth said US forces carried out three lethal strikes against boats accused of trafficking illegal narcotics on Monday. The attacks, which also took place in the eastern Pacific Ocean, reportedly killed 14 people and left one survivor.

Following the strikes, Hegseth said that “the Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we’re defending our own”.

Since September 2, the US military has carried out at least 14 strikes targeting some 15 maritime vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

At least 61 people have now been confirmed killed by the two-month-long campaign, which has also seen the US bolster its military presence in the Caribbean to unusually high levels.

The White House has yet to provide any evidence to the public for any of the strikes to substantiate its allegations of drug trafficking.

The Trump administration has framed the strikes as a national security measure, claiming the alleged drug traffickers are “unlawful combatants” in a “non-international armed conflict”.

Critics have called the unilateral strikes a form of extrajudicial killing and a violation of international law, which largely prohibits countries from using lethal military force against non-combatants outside a conflict zone.

“We continue to emphasise the need for all efforts to counter transnational organised crime to be conducted in accordance with international law,” Miroslav Jenca, the United Nations’ assistant secretary-general for the Americas, told the UN Security Council this month.

Eight Hungarian and two German passengers were onboard, and the Kenyan pilot was also killed, Mombasa Air Safari said.

A light plane crash has killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Kenya’s coastal region of Kwale while flying to Maasai Mara National Reserve.

The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement Tuesday that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were on board, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed.

Sadly, there are no survivors,” Mombasa Air Safari added. There was heavy rain in coastal Kenya in the morning.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the accident happened at Kwale, near the Indian Ocean coast, at about 8:30am (05:30 GMT). A regional police commander, in comments aired by public broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, said all the passengers were tourists.

Citizen TV station said the bodies of those on board had been burned beyond recognition. The plane crashed in a hilly and forested area about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Diani airstrip, authorities said.

The aircraft burst into flames, leaving a charred wreckage at the scene, officials said. Witnesses told The Associated Press news agency. that they heard a loud bang, and upon arriving at the scene, they found human remains.

Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash, Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told The AP.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve, located west of the coastline and is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular coastal town known for its sandy beaches. The reserve attracts a large number of tourists as it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.

According to the most recent safety oversight audit for Kenya posted on the International Civil Aviation Organization site, from 2018, the country fell below the global average in accident investigation.

Oct. 28 (UPI) — Two people were killed and at least one was injured Tuesday in an underground blast at a silver mine in New South Wales, Australian authorities said.

NSW Police, in a news update, said the body of a man had been recovered from the mine near Cobar, 450 miles northwest of Sydney, and an injured woman who was rescued subsequently died. A second injured woman who was brought to the surface was airlifted to a hospital.

The police department said it had launched an investigation.

Superintendent Gerard Lawson said the three victims were working the night shift at the mine, which is owned by Polymetals Resources.

“It is tragic for the families and our employees and the Cobar community and the wider Polymetals family,” said executive chairman Dave Sproule, who added that about 30 people were working when the blast occurred in the early hours, local time.

The incident was the first fatal mine blast in the country in 10 years.

NSW Resources, the watchdog for the state’s mining sector, said operations had been suspended at the facility, which also mines zinc and lead, pending its own full investigation.

The state’s natural resources minister, Courtney Houssos, said the regulator had dispatched inspectors and investigators to the scene, calling it a “heartbreaking day” for Cobar and the mining industry.

“While safety protocols and procedures have greatly improved in mining, these deaths are a sobering reminder of why we need to always remain vigilant to protect workers,” she said.

Cobar Mayor Jarrod Marsden said the tragedy would impact the entire community.

“The most valuable thing to come out of a mine are the miners, and two families don’t get to see their loved ones anymore. Cobar is a small mining community. It’s very tight-knit and I’m sure everyone’s going to be thinking of their families today,” said Marsden.

Reports in Australian media said the accident was caused by explosives that had been set at the rockface detonating before they were supposed to.

Bob Timbs, president of the local branch of the Mining and Energy Union, said it was a “catastrophic failure” in the explosion system.

“In this day and age, that type of accident just should not have happened. We will do everything in our power — once we’ve dealt with and supported the families and mine workers in the community — to find out what happened and make sure that it never happens again.”

At the request of Polymetals, trading in the firm’s shares on the Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney was paused and then halted through the start of Thursday’s trading session, or pending an announcement from the company, ASX said in a notice.

Hundreds of supporters of opposition presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma accuse President Paul Biya’s government of seeking to rig the vote.

At least two people have been killed by gunfire in Cameroon, as protesters rallied a day before the announcement of presidential election results, the opposition campaign has said.

Hundreds of supporters of opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma barricaded roads and burned tyres in Cameroon’s commercial capital Douala on Sunday. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to break up the crowds. A police car was also burned.

The protesters say Tchiroma beat veteran leader Paul Biya, 92, in the October 12 polls and have accused authorities of preparing to rig the election.

Protests have flared in several cities, including the capital Yaounde, Tchiroma’s hometown Garoua, as well as Maroua, Meiganga, Bafang, Bertoua, Kousseri, Yagoua, Kaele, and Bafoussam.

The demonstrations came after partial results reported by local media showed that Biya was on course to win an eighth term in office.

During the counting process, according to the figures, Tchiroma was declared the winner. But during the national count, the electoral commission announced that Biya would be the winner, which Tchiroma disputes.

He claims that he has won the elections and that he has evidence to prove it, which led to a call for national demonstrations to demand the truth about the ballot boxes.

‘We want Tchiroma’

“We want Tchiroma, we want Tchiroma!” the protesters chanted in Douala’s New Bell neighbourhood. They blocked roads with debris and threw rocks and other projectiles at security forces.

Reuters news agency reporters saw police detain at least four protesters on Sunday.

Cameroon’s government has rejected opposition accusations of irregularities and urged people to wait for the election result, due on Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, Tchiroma’s campaign manager said authorities had detained about 30 politicians and activists who had supported his candidacy, heightening tensions.

Among those he said were detained were Anicet Ekane, leader of the MANIDEM party, and Djeukam Tchameni, a prominent figure in the Union for Change movement.

Cameroon’s Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji said on Saturday that arrests had been made in connection with what he described as an “insurrectional movement,” though he did not say who – or how many – had been detained.

Biya is the world’s oldest serving ruler and has been in power in Cameroon since 1982. Another seven-year term could keep him in power until he is nearly 100.

Tchiroma, a former minister and one-time Biya ally, has said that he won and that he will not accept any other result.

Fighting comes as Taliban submits proposal at Pakistan-Afghanistan talks in Turkiye, while Islamabad warns of ‘open war’ if deal fails.

Fresh clashes near the border with Afghanistan have killed at least five Pakistani soldiers and 25 fighters, Pakistan’s army says, even as the two countries hold peace talks in Istanbul.

The Pakistani military said armed men attempted to cross from Afghanistan into Kurram and North Waziristan on Friday and Saturday, accusing the Taliban authorities of failing to act against armed groups operating from Afghan territory.

It said on Sunday that the attempted infiltrations raised questions over Kabul’s commitment to tackling “terrorism emanating from its soil”.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has not commented on the latest clashes, but has repeatedly rejected accusations of harbouring armed fighters and instead accuses Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty with air strikes.

Delegations from both countries arrived in Istanbul, Turkiye on Saturday for talks aimed at preventing a return to full-scale conflict. The meeting comes days after Qatar and Turkiye brokered a ceasefire in Doha to halt the most serious border fighting since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021.

The violence earlier this month killed dozens and wounded hundreds.

‘Open war’

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the ceasefire remains intact and that Kabul appears interested in peace, but warned that failure in Istanbul would leave Islamabad with “open war” as an option.

Pakistan’s military described those involved in the weekend infiltrations as members of what it calls “Fitna al-Khwarij”, a term it uses for ideologically motivated armed groups allegedly backed by foreign sponsors.

United States President Donald Trump also weighed in on Sunday, saying he would “solve the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis very quickly”, telling reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia that he had been briefed on the ongoing talks.

Separately, Taliban-controlled broadcaster RTA said on Sunday that Kabul’s delegation in Turkiye had submitted a proposal after more than 15 hours of discussions, calling for Pakistan to end cross-border strikes and block any “anti-Afghan group” from using its territory.

The Afghan side also signalled openness to a four-party monitoring mechanism to supervise the ceasefire and investigate violations.

Afghanistan’s delegation is led by Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najib. Pakistan has not publicly disclosed its representatives.

Analysts expect the core of the talks to revolve around intelligence-sharing, allowing Islamabad to hand over coordinates of suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters for the Taliban to take direct action, instead of Pakistan launching its own strikes.

A Palestinian child has died of wounds sustained during an Israeli military raid in the Askar camp in Nablus, in the latest violence against civilians in the occupied West Bank, as a fragile ceasefire in Gaza brings little respite to Palestinians in the destroyed enclave.

Israeli forces on Friday also stormed the town of Aqaba, north of Tubas in the West Bank, and made a number of arrests earlier today in Hebron and Tal.

The Israeli army said they arrested 44 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank over the past week. A military statement says operations were carried out in various parts of the territory and all people detained were wanted by Israel. It added that troops also confiscated weapons and conducted interrogations during the operations.

Last week, 10-year-old Mohammad al-Hallaq was shot dead by Israeli forces while playing football in ar-Rihiya, Hebron.

According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and settlers since October 7, 2023, in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

A fifth of the victims are children, including 206 boys and seven girls, the UN said. The number also includes 20 women and at least seven people with disabilities. This does not include Palestinians who died in Israeli detention during the same period, the UN added.

A United States-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal has seen nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees released from Israeli jails, many bearing visible signs of abuse.

Dozens of Palestinian bodies returned have been badly mutilated and show signs of torture and execution.

Meanwhile, in tandem with the military’s sustained crackdown in the occupied territory, Israeli settlers have rampaged near Ramallah, destroying Palestinian property at an alarming rate daily with impunity, protected by the military.

Settlers set fire to several Palestinian vehicles in the hill area in Deir Dibwan, east of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, at dawn this morning, the Wafa news agency reported.

On Sunday, an Israeli settler brutally assaulted a Palestinian woman while she was harvesting olives in the West Bank town of Turmus Aya.

Afaf Abu Alia, 53, suffered a brain haemorrhage due to the attack.

“The attack started with around 10 settlers, but more kept joining,” one Palestinian witness told Al Jazeera. “I think by the end, there were 40, protected by the army. We were outnumbered; we couldn’t defend ourselves.”

According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers have attacked Palestinians nearly 3,000 times in the occupied West Bank over the past two years.

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Friday that since October 7, 2023, “the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has also witnessed a sharp escalation in violence”.

“The increasing annexation of the West Bank is happening steadily in a gross violation of international law,” UNRWA said, referring to the expansion and recognition of illegal Israeli settlements.

US lays down law to Israel on annexation

After a vote in the Israeli parliament on Wednesday advancing a bill that would formalise the annexation of the occupied West Bank, senior US officials have been adamant it won’t happen under their watch.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, “Israel is not going to do anything with the West Bank” amid growing condemnation of an Israeli parliamentary motion that seeks to formally annex the occupied Palestinian territory.

Earlier in the day, in an interview with Time Magazine, Trump said that the US is firmly against Israeli annexation. “It won’t happen. It won’t happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can’t do that now,” Trump told Time.

US Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, while in Israel, also said that Trump’s policy remains that the occupied West Bank won’t be annexed by Israel, calling the parliamentary vote in favour of annexation a “very stupid political stunt” that he “personally” took some insult from.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire and second-phase plans, has also lined up in the Trump’s administration’s firm opposition to Israeli annexation.

FEARNE Cotton has admitted she’s not sleeping well and her brain “feels a bit wobbly” – after it was revealed her paedo ex Ian Watkins was killed in prison. 

Two prisoners serving time at HMP Wakefield were arrested this week for the alleged murder of the shamed Lostprophets singer after he was stabbed to death. 

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Fearne, 44, was rumoured to be dating Ian – who was 48 at the time of his death – in 2005, before he was jailed for 29 years in 2013 for offences including abusing babies.

Now the presenter has opened up about the struggles she’s been facing recently. 

Writing on Instagram, Fearne said: “Four life lessons from this week. 

“I’m not sleeping well. My brain is a bit wobbly at the moment but I’m grasping the lessons life is chucking my way.”

Fearne was flooded with support from followers and friends, including fellow presenter Holly Willoughby. 

Holly, 44, commented: “Love you Cotton Chops.” 

The two stars, who have been friends for 17 years after starting their careers hosting kids’ TV, are said to have reconnected last year after drifting apart. 

They worked together on Celebrity Juice but reportedly grew apart when Fearne quit the show in 2018. 

Meanwhile Ian is understood to have been ambushed and stabbed as inmates were allowed out of their cells.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed Watkins had died after being “seriously assaulted”.

The force said: “Detectives have charged two men with murder after the death of a prisoner at HMP Wakefield on Saturday.

“Ian Watkins, 48, was pronounced dead after being seriously assaulted at HMP Wakefield on Saturday morning(11 October).

“Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, both of HMP Wakefield have both been charged with murder.

“They are due to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court this morning.”

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Oct. 13 (UPI) — Four people were arrested Monday in connection to a mass shooting over the weekend in Mississippi that killed six people and left 10 others wounded.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests following Friday night’s deadly gunfire at a football homecoming celebration in the downtown area of Leland, a small town about 200 miles from the Arkansas-Mississippi border.

According to the FBI, Morgan Lattimore, 25, Teviyon Powell, 29, and William Bryant, 29, were charged with capital murder. A fourth suspect, Latoya Powell, 44, has been charged with attempted murder.

The FBI in Jackson said the investigation will continue with other arrests pending. A motive was not revealed.

“The FBI currently has brought agents in to assist in the canvassing, the interviewing, the evidence review, both video and physical evidence review,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff told reporters over the weekend. “We’ve had resources available, so as we identify video evidence that we will bring to bear the resources to evaluate that video evidence.”

On Sunday, the FBI established a digital media tips website to gather information, cellphone video or photos from the public to help them investigate Friday’s shooting. That website will remain active, despite the arrests, as agents continue to request more tips.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is using DNA analysis to run shell casings through national databases. FBI Jackson is also requesting witnesses submit tips at tips.fbi.gov.

The Washington County Coroner’s Office has identified the victims as Kaslyn Johnson, 18, Calvin Plant, 19, Oreshama Johnson, 41, Shelbyona Powell, 25, Amos Brantley Jr, 18, and JaMichael Jones, 34.

“We also have victim specialists that are available and they’re working with those from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to ensure that the victims and their families are cared for and understand what resources are available to them,” Eikhoff added, “and help them in their pursuit and their journey as they try to recover from this horrific incident.”

Burrell told BBC Sport he also faced prejudice within the England set-up, during a Test career that saw him win 15 caps after his debut in February 2014.

“I’ve had several traumatic experiences within England camp,” he said.

“Some discrimination and some just old-school mentality that’s really unacceptable.”

Racism had become normalised in dressing rooms, in Burrell’s experience.

“It’s something that has been dressed up as banter and that’s been the problem that I’ve personally suffered and seen,” said Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent.

“Over a period of time you just learn to believe that it’s the norm and that is fine and that it’s not malicious, but that’s nonsense.”

Burrell says he was eventually spurred to speak out after a team-mate at Newcastle referred to him as a “slave” and told him to put sun cream on his wrists and ankles “where your shackles were”.

The RFU said Burrell’s revelations had led to “a deeper look at the culture within the elite game and to the implementation of an action plan for the professional game”.

“The RFU has placed significant focus on inclusion and diversity in rugby union and a great deal of work undertaken both before and since Luther Burrell came forward and shared his experiences of racism and classism,” it added.

“We are continuing work with clubs and stakeholders in the professional game to strive for a culture of inclusivity but acknowledge this takes time and is an ongoing process.”

Every Prem and PWR club now has face-to-face education on building inclusive cultures, with its success monitored via individual reports and surveys.

All England players, including age-grade squads, are trained in being “active bystanders” to intervene and protect others from harmful behaviour.

“You should be so proud of what you have done,” Burrell’s mother Joyce told him as part of the BBC iPlayer documentary Luther Burrell – Rugby, Racism and Redemption.

“I know it has had this effect on you and finished your career, but in our eyes, you have done so well. We are so proud of you and to have you as a son.”

Burrell’s father Geoff died shortly after the filming of the documentary, and his sister died earlier this year.

Video shows the aftermath of drone and artillery strikes on a shelter in the besieged city of el-Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur state, which killed at least 60 people. The attack was carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a Sudanese medical advocacy group.

The Qatari Embassy in Cairo says two others were also wounded in the ‘tragic traffic accident’ in Egypt.

Three Qatari officials have been killed in a car crash near the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, according to the Qatari Embassy in Cairo.

In a statement on Sunday, the diplomatic mission said that all three men worked for the Amiri Diwan, the administrative office of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The embassy described the incident as a “tragic traffic accident” and said the three men were killed while performing their duties.

The accident also resulted in injuries to two others, it added.

Both of the injured officials are receiving medical care at a hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh.

“The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Cairo extends its heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased, praying that God envelops them in His vast mercy, accepts them in Paradise, and grants the injured a speedy recovery,” it added.

Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh was the venue for the negotiations for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza earlier this week. It is also scheduled to host a global summit on Monday aimed at finalising the agreement.

Oct. 11 (UPI) — Locals said a drone and artillery attack on a refugee shelter by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in el-Fasher, Sudan, late Friday killed at least 60.

Local activists said the RSF struck the Dar al-Arqam refugee camp with two drone attacks and eight artillery shells, which the RSF has denied, the BBC reported.

“Children, women and the elderly were killed in cold blood, and many were completely burned,” members of an el-Fasher resistance committee said in a prepared statement on Saturday.

The strikes killed at least 14 children and 15 women in the besieged city that is located in North Darfur in western Sudan.

Another 21 people, including five children, also were injured, according to the Sudan Doctors’ Network.

The SDN called the attack a “massacre” and blamed the RSF, despite the paramilitary unit’s denial.

The attack struck the al Arqam Home that shelters displaced families in el-Fasher, Sky News reported.

The city has been under siege from paramilitary forces and caught in the middle of fighting between Sudan’s military forces and paramilitaries operating in the region.

The RSF is among those paramilitaries and is trying to establish a separatist government in the North Dafur region.

El-Fasher is the last stronghold held by Sudan’s army in the Darfur area and has been surrounded by the RSF for 17 months.

The RSF controls most of the Darfur region and much of the Kordofan province in central Sudan.

IT is set to be one of the most momentous occasions in soap history.

For the first time ever, ITV‘s landmark shows will be combining for an epic hour of soap drama that is being teased as changing the course of both programmes forever.

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This January, Coronation Street and Emmerdale will join forces for the aptly titled Corriedale to herald the stars of the new ‘soap power hour’.

It’s a clever, bold and HUGE move by ITV with both programmes having faced mass cast axings, job cuts, dwindling ratings and general backlash from fans over the past few years.

It is hoped by executives that the special show will help to revitalise both shows and kickstart a new era for the programmes – as well as being a clever way to conceal the fact they’ve both lost 30 minutes of screen-time a week.

From next year, both shows will air for just 30 minutes per night – the equivalent of five episodes per week unlike the current six.

But with the epic stunt set to take place, which is currently being filmed on long night shoots and being kept tightly under wraps, there promises to be the deaths of fan-favourite characters from both programmes.

Being such a historic moment in TV means that it should come with an utterly unforgettable death that will go down in the soap history books.

With only one chance to get it right, here is who I think ITV should kill off now.

Eric Pollard

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Yes, you read that right.

Emmerdale bosses need to make an impact and as such, they should volunteer their longest-serving character ever as a sacrifice.

Not only would killing Eric off be the biggest unexpected twist that would have people gasping up and down the country, it would lay the foundations for the village to truly be changed forever.

Having been portrayed by Chris Chittell since 1986, he has become part of the foundation in the Dales.

But as an avid viewer, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that he has fallen into a rather bumbling repeated pattern of storyline in recent years.

Fans often see Eric disappear from screens for a number of weeks before popping back up to have a new brief crisis.

It quickly results in him snapping at anyone in sight and becoming public enemy number one with his grumpy old man act.

But just as quickly as the crisis arises, he soon realises the error of his ways and makes peace with his family and friends in true story-telling fashion.

Frankly, we’ve seen it multiple times and we really don’t need to see it again.

If bosses aren’t planning on placing Eric in a new mass murder plot or turn him into the Dales’ next gangster, I fear his potential plots have naturally come to an end.

Be brave Emmerdale and let go of your longest player if you truly want a memorable moment.

April Windsor

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The other character I think Dales bosses should be offering up to meet their maker in the crossover could not be more opposite to Eric.

If they don’t make their big death the village OAP then yes, a wayward teen schoolgirl is the next best way to go.

Played by Amelia Flanagan, April has been one of Emmerdale’s biggest success stories in terms of transition from very young child performer to a teen actress who is able to hold her own when it comes to lengthy and gritty storylines.

However, her transition from wise-beyond-her-years 10-year-old to a reckless and easily-influenced 15-year-old has never sat right.

Over the past 12 months, goody-two-shoes April has become soap’s most troubled teen ever out of nowhere.

She went missing for months, became homeless, began underage drinking, went through a heartbreaking teen stillbirth whilst living on the streets and has now found herself a drug mule in a shocking county lines storyline.

I can’t help but think this unexpected character development could be for one bigger reason.

Having faced many brushes with death over her chaotic year, the soap stunt could be the perfect time to portray a real story of a teen tragedy.

Seeing a teenager killed off would have the shock factor to last years if done correctly.

April meeting a tragic end also allows for the soap to delve into family heartache and tragedy following her potential passing.

MY EMMERDALE VERDICT: Emmerdale needs to go to the extremes and for me, it’s either the show’s oldest character or on the flip-side, one of their youngest.

Sean Tully

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When it comes to who Corrie could offer up for their soap death, the first person that comes to mind (and, let’s be honest, most fans’) would be Sean Tully.

How Sean has scraped through 22 years on the Street boggles the mind.

As both a TV journalist and viewer of the programme, I am yet to encounter anyone, either personally or professionally, who would make a campaign to save Antony Cotton’s character from getting the axe.

Of course, Sean does have many ties to the faces of Weatherfield and would likely see some moving performances from them in the aftermath of his passing.

But with the character having truly lacked a notable storyline for close to 10 years, his spot on the soap is purely taking away space from another character who could help provide a much-needed boost to the already fledgling soap.

And let’s be real, Corrie needs to be saving all the money it can amid the ongoing cash crisis.

Whilst killing Sean off would realistically go rather unnoticed in the long-run of the soap, marking the end of such a universally disliked character will have soap fans rejoicing in their droves and for that alone, Coronation Street will have achieved a milestone.

Dee-Dee Bailey

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This is a tough one to say.

But with actress Channique Sterling-Brown having confirmed she has quit the soap for pastures new, killing her off in the New Year stunt may be the only thing that allows her to be remembered as a legacy character.

It is safe to say, amid a crowd of unnecessary and irritating new characters since the pandemic, Dee-Dee has been a true breathe of fresh air.

She exudes classic Corrie and Channique is a formidable actress.

But with her choosing to walk away after just four years, I worry that she’s about to fall into a bad trap.

We have seen it time and time again with incredible actresses leaving soap after just a few short years at the promise of breaking out into even bigger roles.

But despite their talent, they fade into the abyss and the characters are too forgettable to encourage bosses to ever bring them back.

Case and point Amy James Kelly, who played Maddie Heath on Corrie between 2013 and 2015.

She rocked Weatherfield to its core but with Amy quickly being predicted for bigger and better things on Corrie, she quit before she became too tied down to the role.

But her star power soon faded and she failed to be the big star everyone had hoped and Maddie became forgotten about much quicker than expected.

I’d hate this to happen to Channique but I fear it may be written in the stars.

But if bosses decide to place Dee-Dee at the forefront of their most anticipated episode since 2010’s Tram Crash (which did wonders for the legacy of Molly Dobbs played by the iconic Vicky Binns) then they will cement her in the history books for YEARS to come.

Whilst I don’t want to see Dee-Dee die, it could be her only hope of remaining a Corrie icon.

MY CORONATION STREET VERDICT: When it comes to the Corrie death, bosses either need to take one for the team and free audiences from an abysmal character or preserve the legacies of who could have been a Street Queen.

Flooding set off by heavy rainfall in Mexico has left at least 28 people dead and more missing, and has caused landslides, damaged homes and highways, according to local authorities.

Downpours in the affected areas in the central and southeastern parts of the country led to overflowing rivers and road collapses that cut off power in some municipalities, the national coordinator for civil defence, Laura Velazquez, said on Friday.

Civil defence authorities reported intense rainfall in 31 of 32 states, with the worst-affected areas being Veracruz in the east, Queretaro and Hidalgo in the centre, and the north-central state of San Luis Potosi.

One of the hardest hit areas was the central state of Hidalgo, where 16 deaths have been reported, according to state Interior Secretary Guillermo Olivares Reyna.

At least 1,000 homes, 59 hospitals and clinics, and 308 schools have suffered damage in the state because of landslides and overflooding rivers.

In neighbouring Puebla state, nine people died and 13 were missing. According to the state governor, some 80,000 people were affected by the heavy rains, while a gas pipeline was ruptured by a landslide.

In the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, two people died, including a police officer, according to its state governor. Some 5,000 homes were damaged and the navy evacuated nearly 900 people to shelters.

Earlier, authorities in the central state of Queretaro confirmed that the child had died after being caught in a landslide.

The heavy rainfall also caused power outages affecting more than 320,000 users and damage to almost 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) of roads in six states, authorities said.

Tras las fuertes lluvias, la Secretaría de Marina (@SEMAR_mx ) desplegó tres mil 300 elementos en Puebla, Veracruz y San Luis Potosí.

También puso a disposición 18 embarcaciones, seis helicópteros, tres plantas potabilizadoras, tres aviones, tres cocinetas y cuatro mil… pic.twitter.com/O7ES5XBoKC

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) October 11, 2025

Translation: Following the heavy rains, the Secretariat of the Navy (@SEMAR_mx ) deployed 300 personnel in Puebla, Veracruz, and San Luis Potosí. It also made available 18 vessels, six helicopters, three water purification plants, three aircraft, three mobile kitchens, and 4,000 food baskets ready to be distributed.

“We are working to support the population, open roads and restore electrical services,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said after a meeting with local officials and cabinet members. She shared photos of emergency responders carrying supplies as they waded knee-deep in flooded streets.

The country has deployed more than 8,700 military personnel to help monitor, evacuate and clean up affected areas.

Mexico has been hit by particularly heavy rains throughout 2025, with a rainfall record set in the capital Mexico City.

Tropical Storm Raymond is currently off the country’s Pacific coast, dumping heavy rains as it moves northward. It is projected to make landfall on Mexican territory until Sunday. Raymond was announced midday on Thursday by the United States National Hurricane Center, making it the third system this week off the western coast of Mexico. It joined Tropical Storm Priscilla and post-tropical cyclone Octave, which threatened heavy rain and flooding in their paths.

Powerful waves crashed into Mexico’s Pacific coast as Hurricane Priscilla brought flooding along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront. pic.twitter.com/P3s5lsiz9r

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 10, 2025

Meteorologists have warned that the Pacific Ocean cooling pattern called La Nina, which can warp weather worldwide and turbocharge hurricanes, has returned.

It may be too late in the hurricane season to impact tropical weather in the Atlantic, but this La Nina may have other impacts, from heavy rains to drought across the globe.

Oct. 10 (UPI) — Multiple people were killed and several others are missing after an explosives plant blast in Bucksnort, Tenn., Thursday.

Officials haven’t yet released any names or numbers of the victims. About 80 people work at Accurate Energetic Systems, but it isn’t yet clear how many were there at the time of the explosion.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the explosion was a “very devastating blast” that “encompassed one whole building,” 10 News reported.

The explosion happened at 7:45 a.m. CDT. The plant is on the county line between Hickman and Humphreys counties, southwest of Nashville near I-40.

Three people with minor injuries have been treated at TriStar medical in Dickson, Tenn., CNN reported. Two of them have been released, and one is still being treated in an emergency room.

Davis said the scene is secured and that people nearby might hear smaller explosions throughout the day. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and others came to help in the investigation.

Before Davis’ remarks, officials with the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency said at least 19 people are missing, one person possibly died, and several others were in the hospital.

Accurate Energetic Systems, founded in 1980, said the company is “dedicated to the development, manufacture, handling, and storage of high-quality energetic products utilized in both defense and commercial markets.”

Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates said, “It’s pretty devastating to see this.”

“It’s going to be an investigation that’s probably going to go on for days,” CNN reported Bates said. “This facility, they do manufacture, not only military, but demolition explosives for road work and things like that.”

State Sen. Kerry Roberts told CNN that the company is a beloved local employer.

“It is a well-loved company in the area,” Roberts said. “So this is going to have a devastating impact on quite a few families … it is heartbreaking.”

Local residents said they felt the blast.

“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” Gentry Stover said. “I live very close to Accurate, and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”

Lobelville’s Cody Warren, who lives 21 miles away from the facility, said the explosion woke him up, and he thought lightning had struck his house, CNN reported.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded the company a contract for nearly $120 million for TNT last month.