Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto reports on explosions that rocked a Syrian army ammunition depot south of Aleppo, injuring at least four people. Exploding missiles and ammunition hampered rescue efforts, while authorities closed nearby roads.
Published On 21 Sep 202621 Sep 2026
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EUROCAMP has hundreds of resorts across Europe – but there is one that has been backed by mums as being the best.
Found in Holland, Duinrell has a lot to shout about including a theme park as well as a huge indoor and outdoor waterpark.
With all this, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the top-rated Eurocamp resorts for families – and it was voted as such on Mumsnet.
Its main draw is the enormous theme park which is completely free for guests with over 40 rides and attractions.
It has high thrill rollercoasters like The Falcon which is 72 feet tall with vertical drops, loop the loops and a top speed of 43mph.
There are other more family-friendly rides like log flumes, bumper cars, slides and climbing towers.
Something else that makes it so popular is the enormous waterpark which has a total of 21 waterslides and huge swimming pools which are both indoor and outdoors.
The complex has a lazy river, a wave pool and an outdoor Tiki pool with tipping buckets and fountains which is open in the summer months.
Inside is where families will find the Playa waterpark which is especially designed for little kids up to 12 years old, with four waterslides for children.
Guests will need to pre-book time slots and pay up to €15 (£12.88) per person for the waterparks.
Activities don’t stop there either, as families can spend hours in its arcade which has over 80 games.
There’s mini golf, air hockey, classic arcade games, including eight immersive racing simulators.
In the comments, one previous visitor wrote: “We love Duinrell…I would do at least a week as loads to do.”
Another added: “This is an absolutely brilliant place!! Everything about it is spot on! Between the accommodation and the theme park, it’s all fantastic.”
A third said the waterpark was the “best we’ve been to!”
The park has eating options too from a creperie to an Italian restaurant and at the bars there’s entertainment like discos, karaoke and talent shows.
As for a place to stay the Eurocamp has a selection of ultimate holiday homes which can sleep up to eight across three bedrooms.
They have fully kitted out kitchens with open living areas and spacious bedrooms.
When the sun shines there’s an outdoor decking and a barbecue too.
For eight people to stay in an Ultimate 3-bedroom cabin next May for seven-night works out to £1,327.48 or £23.70pppn.
The Eurocamp is just outside The Hague, meaning that luckily for Brits it’s very easy to get to as it sits in between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Flights to Rotterdam can be as quick as 50-minutes and heading to Amsterdam can take just one hour.
The cities can also be reached by the Eurostar in three hours and 15 minutes.
For more Eurocamp resorts, here are 10 with pools, waterparks and beaches.
And this Eurocamp in France has a huge kids club and laid back vibes.
IF YOU are looking for your next weekend adventure, then you’re in luck as a huge £12million attraction set to become the largest of its kind in the UK, is opening in just days.
A new 160-acre outdoor attraction is opening in Oldham, Greater Manchester this weekend and it will be the country’s largest urban farm and eco-park.
Called Northern Roots, the new attraction will open on Saturday, September 19 and boast a Welcome Building, Forestry Skills Centre, outdoor amphitheatre, café and shop and play area.
Part of the attraction is also Snipe Clough Farm – a four-acre farm where produce is grown for the café.
Win one of five incredible holidays to Turkey, the Norwegian fjords and Spain by voting in The Sun’s Travel Awards – enter here to win.
The café will feature food by award-winning chef, Mary-Ellen McTague and serve breakfast and lunch.
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Dishes currently on the menu include seasonal soup, mezze, tarts, cheese and onion pie, sandwiches, cakes and sweet treats baked on site.
Surrounding the site, there are meadows and a woodland with different trails to explore.
The attraction will host different events, guided walks and arts and wellbeing activities at the destination.
And if you head there this weekend, there will be a huge opening event with fairground rides and performers.
Works on the attraction started five years ago and it sits on land that once used to be home to cotton mills, a coal mine and even a council tip.
By 2030, the £12million attraction aims to be the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park.
In the future, the attraction will open additional experiences.
The attraction is also next to the Grade II-listed Alexandra Park and is around a 20-minute walk from Oldham town centre.
Anna Da Silva, Chief Executive of Northern Roots, said: “This project has been built on the belief that nature can be a powerful force for positive change, particularly in urban communities that have historically had less access to green space and opportunity.
“What makes Northern Roots different is that we’re not simply creating a visitor destination.
“We’re creating a place that improves lives, supports businesses, restores habitats, develops skills, strengthens communities and delivers measurable social value.
“When we open our buildings in September, we hope people will see not only what Northern Roots can achieve for Oldham, but what it could teach us about the future of urban regeneration across the UK.”
Mission Viejo High’s offensive line did not want to be on the field against St. Paul on Friday night. This was evident by their first two plays.
The Diablos’ opening drive began with a 60-yard rushing touchdown, created by a massive gap on the left side of the offensive line. Senior running back Carson Vandermade wasn’t close to being touched by a defender on his way to the end zone.
A 60-yard passing touchdown immediately ensued on the next possession. Of course, the offensive line made sure sophomore quarterback Brett Burnor had more than enough protection to launch one deep to a wide receiver
Coach Chad Johnson knows the level of skill he has on his hands. He’s never had a more talented and cohesive line in his two-plus decades of coaching high school football.
“It’s abnormal for us to have a line like this, and I’m really enjoying it,” Johnson said after Mission Viejo’s 77-12 victory.
The reason for that rarity is a simple one: every single starting lineman this season is a returning player. Nobody lost to graduation. No transfers. Johnson said he doesn’t recall that ever being the case.
Mission Viejo High offensive linemen (starting second from left) Tyler Johnson, Dylan Felli and Noah Lee in their custom-made jerseys they put on after the Diablos built a huge lead against St. Paul and they were pulled from the game.
(Caleb Otte / For The Times)
In addition, four of the five starting lineman have NCAA Division I offers.
Senior left tackle Dylan Felli has offers from the University of San Diego and Montana. The guy who helped him create the first touchdown of the game, senior left guard Amaziah Siale, is committed to Louisiana State. Center Max Davidson, who is a junior, has an offer from Northern Arizona, and senior right tackle Tyler Johnson is committed to Cornell.
If the experience and college offers aren’t enough to prove their stature, their size should. Davidson and Felli are listed at 6 feet 4. Siale is 6-7 inches tall and weighs 345 pounds, while Johnson is 6-6 and nearly 300 pounds.
They wouldn’t look out of place lining up across from USC or UCLA. Standing near them is staggering. Trying to out muscle them is nearly impossible.
Johnson said that his team finally has a threatening run game because of the gaps the linemen create.
“Usually we have to throw the ball to get [opponents] to back off, and then we can run it,” he said. “This year, we’re gonna run the ball until they commit everybody and then we’ll throw it.”
There are two other linemen who also play key roles: senior right guard Noah Lee and senior Baxter Middagh.
Lee is the smallest guy in the group. At 5-10, he looks out of place standing next to the big boys. Once he is on the field, however, the size difference is forgotten.
At 295 pounds, with a low center of gravity, Lee can’t be moved. It’s why he has earned his starting position over the last two seasons despite competing with potential DI players. He might not have any offers, but he doesn’t drag the rest of the group down. In fact, he’s often the leading voice on the sideline.
As for Middagh, his role is adding a new wrinkle to the offensive scheme this season. Last year he was playing on the line. Against St. Paul, he was deployed at tight end. His blocking expertise and size — 6-6 and 295 pounds — allow him to still help in pass and run protection, but now his impact can be felt with the ball in his hands.
Case in point, Middagh scored a touchdown on a screen pass Friday. He was surprisingly fast, making it even harder to tackle him. Opponents will struggle if Mission Viejo can get Middagh, who is committed to Idaho, into open space.
Johnson said he might rotate who plays on the line based on what a possession needs, but that their best 11 includes Middagh on the field.
“He is super athletic and can catch the ball really well,” Johnson said. “The catches he makes are insane, some one-handed, and he runs a 5.3 [second] 40-yard dash at 300 pounds.”
Off the field, the mountainous young men turn into humble and funny teenagers. After being taken out at halftime, all six players cheered on the backups and joked with each other about everything and nothing.
At one point, Middagh’s family came down to the sideline and he went over to hug everybody and chat. There was no embarrassment by their presence near his teammates and friends, just an appreciation for those who love and support him.
Siale also sheepishly waved to his family in the stands, getting a slight grin on his face when they yelled back down to him. Late in the fourth quarter, the public-address announcer credited Siale with a block on a big run play even though the big man hadn’t touched the field all half. He just laughed and high-fived some teammates who were offering sarcastic congratulations.
Despite their talent, cohesiveness and positive personalities, Johnson said that his offensive line isn’t perfect. In Mission Viejo’s 55-17 win against Chaparral in the season opener, they made some silly penalties for unnecessary roughness after the play ended, which negated big gains. Johnson wants that cleaned up moving forward.
“You don’t play up to a good team and down to a team that is not as good. You stay consistently great,” he said.
His team obliged. Whenever the offensive line gives the quarterback time to pass and the running backs space to run, there isn’t much complaining a coach can do.
“I’m going to try to take it all in and soak every game up, because I know at some time the curtain is going to call and they’re going to graduate,” he said.
Two guys standing on Mission Viejo’s sideline were wearing custom made shirts of the offensive line. It was a picture of them all standing together, with the words “Higher Council” printed below. The message is clear.
Siale succinctly said what everybody else was dancing around.
“We’ve got the number one offensive line in the nation,” he said.
That claim will be put to the test against one of California’s best teams next week, when Mission Viejo travels to Sacramento to play Folsom High. Northern California will meet the Higher Council.
The TWZ Newsletter
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is rapidly expanding a secretive airbase in the northwest of the country that is loosely akin to America’s top-secret proving ground at Area 51. The facility is used to test experimental platforms and next-generation combat aircraft, sporting one of the longest runways in the world at 16,400 feet. It has transformed from a relatively austere and remote airstrip into an increasingly sprawling People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flight-test center over the past few years, and there is no sign that construction will slow anytime soon. In fact, it’s accelerating, and one of its newest features is of significant interest.
Satellite imagery taken by Planet Labs on August 27, 2026, shows the scale and scope of the buildout in high-resolution detail.
The installation is located near the infamous Lop Nur Nuclear Test Base in the desolate, arid Xinjiang autonomous region of northwestern China. Lop Nur is the PRC’s primary testing facility for nuclear weapons and where China detonated its first nuclear device, codenamed Project 596, in 1964, becoming the world’s fifth nuclear power.
Last year, TWZ spotted both of China’s sixth-generation stealth fighter designs, the J-36 and J-XDS, at the base for the first time − far from the home airfields of their respective manufacturers, Chengdu and Shenyang. Before supporting the development of advanced air combat technologies, the facility was linked to military space development efforts and testing reusable space planes as far back as 2020. At that point, the site was nothing more than a 3.1-mile runway with a small hangar and a few scattered vehicles.
In 2023, the main apron was significantly expanded, and a new large hangar was added. In 2025, new hangars were added on both sides of the main ramp area via extensions. These shelters appeared to be optimized for tactical fixed-wing aircraft. Not long after those facilities were complete, the two 6th-generation fighter aircraft showed up. The pace of further construction ramped in May 2025 and hasn’t let up since. The time-lapse below visualizes the gradual, then all-at-once progression over the past six years.
“New taxiways, aircraft turning pads, hangars and possible fuel-storage infrastructure substantially increase the airfield’s capacity to support aircraft movements and sustained flight-test activity,” Damien Symon, a geo-intelligence researcher and friend of TWZ, told us. Symon assisted TWZ in identifying the new structures.
Several key areas of the site have been reshaped since the beginning of the year, marked on the annotated graphic near the top of this story.
Below the southern end of the runway, construction is moving fast on a new taxiway extension running parallel to the runway, connecting it to the central apron and main hangar. The nearly completed route will allow additional aircraft to move more freely without having to back-taxi on the runway, which is a huge problem for higher operations tempos and more complex sortie launches and recoveries.
“Of particular interest are several large aircraft hangars in the southern section of the airbase, each measuring approximately 80 by 40 meters (262 by 131 feet),” Symon said of the three hangars grouped together that are being constructed on the south ramp. A fourth appears on its own just farther south on the apron, with different dimensions. The hangars, with direct access to the new southern taxiway, are sized to accommodate all of the tactical and strategic aircraft in the PLA’s current fleet. For scale, the PRC’s only strategic bomber in active service, the Xi’an H-6, has a wingspan of approximately 108 feet. But what’s already flying operationally isn’t the focus of these new facilities, it’s a unique class of aircraft, some of which are in testing now and more will be in the future.
The hangars’ wide proportions are similar to those of new ones found at China’s other secretive major test airbase in Xinjiang, located near Malan, which is largely focused on unmanned aircraft. The buildout comes as two massive stealth flying wing drones are in flight testing and we await the H-20 stealth bomber. It remains unclear where the H-20, which still hasn’t made a public appearance, will be tested. However, Lop Nur would be an ideal locale considering how sensitive the program is, and these new hangars could very well be in preparation for its arrival. It’s also worth noting that this installation appears more focused on crewed platforms, not drones, like at Malan. So sending the H-20 here for at least part of its test program would make sense, although this is just speculation at this time.
Broad construction continues behind the central apron area, with several buildings that were in development late last year now completed. A cluster of prefabricated containers arranged in tight rows for storage and accommodation has appeared since our last review. The additional laborers, materials, or equipment could be housed there to support the aggressive pace of development, as a much larger workforce would be required to speed up the construction process. Excavation and construction have started at other locations nearby, but they are in the early stages of development and their future purpose is unknown. Farther east, on the outskirts of the facility, a concrete batching plant with wash-water ponds and segregated aggregate stockpiles was recently built.
Grading is underway for another taxiway that will connect the central apron to the northern part of the main runway. The latest imagery suggests that concrete has just started to be poured. A circular pad with a 400-foot diameter has taken shape at the northern end with direct access to both the runway and the main base, which TWZ assesses to be an engine run and turnaround pad. If a shelter were added, it could also act as a “scoot and hide” area for keeping sensitive test articles from being seen by satellites passing overhead. An apron extension near the circular pad is also under construction, with at least two large hangars being built there, although they will have more traditional proportions compared to the four wide ones on the south ramp.
Additionally, Symon identified possible fuel-storage infrastructure under construction that would “further expand the base’s aviation-support capacity.” If confirmed, “the additional infrastructure could support a higher sortie rate and longer periods of sustained flight activity, consistent with an expansion in the scale or tempo of operations at Lop Nur,” he added.
The facility is clearly in the process of taking on a very important role in China’s advanced aerospace development ecosystem, and its significance will only grow as it expands to accommodate more, and bigger, airframes. With the hangar additions we are seeing, major programs are about to migrate there, even on a detachment basis, for extensive testing. The new southern hangars, in particular, suggest the PLA expects to be testing aircraft with far wider wingspans in the not-too-distant future.
Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@recurrent.io or on X @ianellisjones
Author’s note: Special thanks to Damien Symon for assisting with the imagery analysis, be sure to follow him on X at @detresfa_
IT’S your last chance to visit a major tourist attraction in the UK – unless you can wait until 2028.
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens dates back to 1879, now home to four floors of local history, science and art as well as an impressive glass-domed tropical greenhouse.
However on August 29, the free-to-visit attraction will close its doors for two years for a huge renovation project.
The £13.6million project will include new entrances and a ‘shop window’ style exhibit.
This will allow it to show off items like its Nissan car that was the first off the production line at the Sunderland factory in 1986.
New rooms will be created too such as The Growing Space, with a tree-like canopy that will be used as a place for activities, and other exhibition spaces will be added.
The tropical gardens which sit alongside the museum will get new lighting and seating areas as well as new plant species.
Currently inside the greenhouse are over 2,000 plants as well as man-made streams and ponds with colourful Koi fish.
There’s also a treetop walkway to see through the canopy and spot Mowbray Park through the glass.
Amongst the tropical plants is a permanent collection of life-sized dinosaur models and fossils.
During the works, the dinosaurs will be stored away safely, as will Wallace the Lion – a taxidermy lion from 1868.
During the closure, a new Culture House will open on September 12, where some museum activities will take place.
Other events that would have usually been held in the attraction will go-head at other places across the city.
Councillor Ciera Hudspith, cabinet member for culture, tourism and heritage at Sunderland City Council, said: “This once-in-a-generation transformation is about creating a museum that is fit for the future, while protecting its heritage and collections for generations to come.
“While we know people will be sad to see the museum temporarily close, this marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for one of our best-loved attractions.”
Ciera continued: “We’re also really excited to take museum activities out into communities across our city while the redevelopment work is underway.”
If you want to find out more about the museums around England – here’s a full list of 200 that are completely free.
A UK airport with international flights is set to undergo a multi-million redevelopment – its first in nearly a decade.
Belfast City Airport in Northern Ireland has revealed the latest plans for its £200million expansion.
The plans are part of the airport’s Master Plan 2040 and would include expanding passenger facilities as well as creating new airfield infrastructure.
There will be new airport access as well as a new forecourt, additional parking and a hotel.
There are currently no plans to extend the airport though.
The airport is also hoping to increase its operating hours from 15 to 16 hours per day.
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In addition, the airport wants to increase its annual flights from 48,000 to 61,000.
Other plans include a potential new rail connection.
The wider 2040 plan includes serving up to seven million passengers per year, compared to just 2.36million today.
Eventually there will be new aircraft stands, aprons and a taxiway too.
Routes from the airport are mainly to other UK destinations, but there are flights to Amsterdam as well as seasonal routes to destinations including Majorca in Spain.
Matthew Hall, Chief Executive of Belfast City Airport, said: “Delivery of our Master Plan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that will benefit passengers and businesses across the region, whilst delivering key elements of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government.
“Every airport on the island of Ireland will need to play its part in meeting future demand, and this draft Master Plan exemplifies Belfast City Airport’s commitment to doing so, while reinforcing our position as a vital economic enabler for the region.
“We want more passengers to arrive by public transport and leave their cars at home, hence a focus on greener journeys within the Master Plan.
He added that they have partnered with Translink to look into creating a new rail halt linking the airport with Belfast city centre on the Bangor line.
