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Officials urge civilians to stay away from site in Al-Eis near Aleppo after series of explosions.

Powerful explosions at a weapons depot in northern Syria have injured at least four people, according to state media, with officials urging the public to stay away from the site.

The explosions occurred early on Monday at a Syrian army site in the vicinity of the town of al-Eis, south of the city of Aleppo, the state-run SANA news agency reported.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

Faisal Mohammad Ali, the head of civil defence operations in Aleppo, told SANA that rescuers have evacuated four injured people from the site.

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from Aleppo, said a series of blasts has followed the initial explosion.

“The explosions are audible from a few kilometres away from the site. We have now seen a series of ambulances and fire trucks enter towards the position,” he reported.

Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib urged residents not to leave their homes for the time being, adding that “hospitals, ambulance and emergency teams are on full alert”.

Roads leading to the site of the explosions were closed “to ensure the safety of civilians”, Aleppo’s Internal Security Command said.

A resident of Aleppo’s Hamdaniyeh neighbourhood told the AFP news agency that they heard a “huge explosion” and when they went up to the roof could see “large flames in the distance”.

Several such blasts have previously occurred in Syria, which is emerging from more than a decade of civil war following the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

An explosion of unknown origin killed 11 people at a military site in the eastern province of Deir Az Zor on Friday.

Earlier this month, an explosion at a weapons depot belonging to the Ministry of Defence killed 14 people and injured 11 in Syria’s northwest Idlib province.

Five people were killed just over a week earlier in the same area when a vehicle carrying munitions exploded.

Teen sisters Cat and Honor Black were among the youngest entrepreneurs ever on BBC Dragons’ Den at just 16 and 17.

A Dragons’ Den contestant has shared a powerful message after making history on the programme, becoming one of the youngest-ever entrepreneurs to walk away with five investors. Cat Black and her sister Honor Black were just 16 and 17 years old when they entered the Den, putting forward their brand Maiden to Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Peter Jones and guest Dragon Gary Neville.

The sisters pitched their venture business Maiden, a brand committed to empowering girls and women. Their company, which creates cricket clothing, teamwear and equipment exclusively for women and girls, had been established following their own experiences.

“We started Maiden because we were tired of being at the sidelines,” Honor explained. “We felt when playing at every level that we were forced to make kit with boys’ kit or unisex gear that wasn’t designed for us. And so we decided that we would make something that worked for us and others like us.”

Cat recalled a moment that left her wanting to quit cricket, after a “humiliating” experience during her time of the month where the other players laughed and she felt misunderstood. “The kit we had was not designed for such a situation,” she went on. “This pushed me to help create something that made girls feel confident and comfort in the sport they play.”

They had walked in asking for £15,000 for a 10% stake in their business, having launched in 2024 to roaring success from girls like them, parents and schools. “The message was clear, we weren’t alone,” Honor said.

Talking about scaling their business, Cat went on: “Women’s cricket is going, the timing is perfect and we’re at the forefront of change. We want Maiden to be the go-to brand for female cricket.” Honor added: “And as our brand does always say, it’s ok boys, we will take it from here,” reports Wales Online.

Leaving the Dragons more than impressed, Cat and Honor secured five investments, giving away a total of 25% of their business. Their product was hailed as “fantastic” by Touker Suleyman, who admitted: “I’m very impressed.” Steven meanwhile praised: “If you’re this capable at 16/17 years old, I can’t imagine what you’re going to be like at 18/19/20.”

In an exclusive interview, Cat spoke to The Mirror about the experience, and building the company with her sister. She said: “When we ended up getting all five Dragons, we were like, oh my god, no way. We’d never even thought about what would happen if we had got Dragons!”

After filming in the Den, Cat was given the opportunity to meet the other Dragons. “It was hugs all around, I met all of them, definitely a bucket list moment ticked off,” she said.

She added: “I remember hugging them so many times, I was so overwhelmed. Peter Jones really understood the situation more than the others, just because he started a business at 16, so he was like, ‘This is an amazing achievement, and I hope it all goes well for you’.”

Talking about their journey to build Maiden into what it is today, she continued: “You always look up to other business, and aspire to be bigger and aspire to be better. I didn’t know that I’d been the youngest contestant on Dragons’ Den [to receive five offers].”

Cat continued: “I don’t think I realise how far we have come until someone tells me, which is always amazing. I am honestly proud that we’ve managed to do this and inspire other women to do the same.

“It’s such a big thing because it’s not just around cricket. The whole Maiden mission is more like for women who see a problem, you can fix it, you can do something about it.

“That’s what inspires me and hopefully it inspires lots of other women, not just in the sports industry but everywhere. You can change and you can do something.”

Dragons’ Den is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (UPI) — North Korea on Thursday condemned U.S. approval of a possible $125 million sale of Sidewinder missiles and related equipment to South Korea, warning of a “serious, immediate and powerful response.”

In a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson called the proposed sale and other recent U.S. actions “hostile moves adversely affecting the security environment of the DPRK and the regional situation.”

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

The spokesperson cited last week’s U.S. State Department approval of a possible sale of 103 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missiles, 10 tactical guidance units and related equipment to South Korea.

The statement also pointed to U.S. approvals this year involving naval helicopters, attack helicopter upgrades and precision-guided munitions.

In May, the State Department approved a possible $3 billion sale of 24 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters and a $1.2 billion upgrade package for South Korea’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. It approved a possible $106 million sale of Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits and related equipment in June.

The sales are “encouraging the ROK to boost its capability to fight a war,” the spokesperson said, using the official acronym for South Korea.

“Now that the military integration of the U.S. and its allies is being accelerated in the Asia-Pacific region, we cannot overlook the adverse effect of the U.S. sale of its weapons to the ROK on the regional security environment,” the spokesperson said.

The statement also criticized a State Department funding initiative announced last week that would provide up to $2.96 million for projects documenting human rights abuses in North Korea and countering Pyongyang’s propaganda and influence operations.

The spokesperson called the initiative a “human rights smear campaign” aimed at creating instability in North Korea’s political system.

The DPRK “will make a serious, immediate and powerful response to the hostile acts in different spheres,” the spokesperson said.

The statement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to restart direct diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump last week abruptly ordered the United States and South Korea to curtail their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise, citing its cost and saying the drills sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang.

North Korea has so far shown little inclination to engage, however. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, said last week that Pyongyang had “no interest” in the reduction of the drills.

“If the U.S. calculates that it can propagate its recent measure as the one of so-called good faith, they will not get desired answer,” she said.

Kim Jong Un led a key ruling party meeting this week but made no mention of Trump’s overtures, according to a report Wednesday by KCNA.