Why Chinese workers are a prime terror target in Pakistan

As Chinese workers and development projects increasingly come under attack in Pakistan, security experts say separatist militants see the foreign presence as a threat to local resources and their grip on the restive South West.

Two Chinese nationals were killed in a bombing near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Sunday. The attack, which took place around 11pm outside Pakistan’s Jinnah International Airport, targeted a van of Chinese nationals, just a week before the high-level Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Shortly after, separatist militant group, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), from Pakistan’s troubled southwestern Balochistan province claimed responsibility, stating that it used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting “a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors”.

China has supported its smaller Asian allies Pakistan and Afghanistan with financial and infrastructure aid for decades and invested significantly in its defence and technology. But its resources are now prime targets for dozens of terrorist groups in the region, experts said.

“Sunday night’s attack is part of a larger pattern of attacks by Baloch separatist militants and Pakistani Taliban factions targeting Chinese nationals and interests in Pakistan,” said security analyst Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud.

This is one of the biggest terrorist attacks since 2018 targeting Chinese workers in Pakistan, Mr Mehsud told The Independent, including the November 2018 attack on Karachi Chinese Consulate which killed four, July 2021’s Dasu suicide attack which killed nine Chinese nationals, BLA’s attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in June 2020, and their suicide attack in April 2023 which killed three Chinese tutors.

This is the second major attack on Chinese nationals. Earlier in March, a suicide car bombing killed five Chinese workers in Pakistan’s Shangla district. The Chinese engineers, who were employed on the site of a hydropower project in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, were on their way to the Dasu Dam In Afghanistan. The December 2022 attack targeted Kabul’s China Town and wounded five Chinese nationals in a hotel where Beijing’s investors were staying.

“The Baloch militants’ propaganda is heavily focused on Chinese presence in Balochistan and they consider it as a threat to their influence and resources. They believe China’s financial and technical assistance to Pakistan strengthens the government’s grip on the region, undermining their activities and influence,” said Mr Mehsud, who is also the co-founder of The Khorasan Diary, a digital news and research platform specialising in tracking and analysing militancy in the region.

This perception fuels their attacks on Chinese nationals, investments, and projects, he added.

“This is not merely an attack but a larger security and intelligence failure by Pakistan in protecting Chinese nationals, mostly engineers working on major projects,” said Abdullah Khan, a senior defence analyst and managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

“They also show something critical: most of the attacks are moving targets and vehicles in transit carrying workers,” he said, adding that it meant there was obviously a security breach.

The BLA seeks independence for the province of Balochistan, located in Pakistan’s southwest and bordering on Afghanistan and Iran. BLA specifically targets Chinese interests, in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad exploit the province.

Security issues have affected China’s billions of planned investments, including under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which is part of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road.

In August prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said the attacks by separatist militants were aimed at stopping development projects that form part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “The terrorists want to stop CPEC and development projects,” he said in a televised address to cabinet, adding that the militants also wanted to drive a wedge between Islamabad and Beijing.

But the predictable civilian losses will not deter China from sending its nationals to the region, Mr Khan added, stating that Mr Xi visited Pakistan in April 2015 for the massive CPEC project investment when the country was facing its worst surge in terrorism.

“The Chinese are very much aware that this is a conflict zone where they are pursuing these projects because when they had started the CPEC in Pakistan in 2015, that was the time Pakistan was facing the highest degree of terrorism in the country with tremendous terrorist attacks in 2014,” Mr Khan said.

“Their investment projects are development projects in Pakistan which they will continue despite these challenges,” he said.

Pakistan is preparing to host the SCO summit in capital Islamabad, which was roiled by protests and clashes over the weekend between police and supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. High-level Chinese representation and the first visit by an Indian foreign minister in a decade are expected at the summit next week, which authorities have vowed to secure.

Japanese government caught out in ‘embarrassing’ photo editing row

A group photo of Japan’s cabinet ministers was edited, the government admitted after media reports revealed discrepancies.

The photo, posted online by the new prime minister Shigeru Ishiba’s office, underwent minor edits, Japan’s cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed on Monday.

The edits included tucking in the white shirts of Mr Ishiba and defence minister Gen Nakatani, which were visible in the original media photos. “Minor editing was made,” Mr Hayashi told reporters, trying to deflect criticism of the photo manipulation.

Earlier, photos captured by local media revealed what seemed to be an untidy glimpse of white shirts beneath the suits worn by Mr Ishiba and his defence minister, Mr Nakatani, while the version on the government website had them neatly tucked in.

But not before online mockery of the “sloppy” original cabinet photo had taken over social media.

“This is more hideous than a group picture of some kind of a seniors’ club during a trip to a hot spring. It’s utterly embarrassing,” one user wrote on X, according to the BBC.

The Japan Times reported that the official photo also appeared to have repositioned several ministers to enhance their prominence.

Mr Hayashi explained that such minor edits have been common for official photos. “Group photos taken at official events at the Prime Minister’s Office will remain as a memento for the people for many years to come, which is why minor edits have been done in the past, and the practice is not exclusive to this photo,” Mr Hayashi said.

The photograph was taken after Japan’s new cabinet’s first meeting last week. A few days earlier, Mr Ishiba, 67, replaced Fumio Kishida as the leader of the ruling party and was officially appointed prime minister on Tuesday.

Mr Ishiba’s newly appointed cabinet has also faced criticism for gender inequality, with only two women in relatively minor positions in the 19-member team, a drop from five women in the previous cabinet.

Mr Ishiba has also announced plans for a snap election on 27 October.

In March, a photo of Kate Middleton and her three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, sparked controversy.

The picture was released but then pulled by news agencies after errors in the image were spotted. Initially, the palace refused to comment, but later the Princess of Wales apologised as she admitted to editing what was the first official picture of her since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she said in a statement. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

Man killed by fellow hunter who mistook him for a wild boar

A hunter in South Koreaaccidentally shot and killed another man while looking for a stray wild boar, police said.

The man, in his 40s, shot another man on the road in Yeoncheon county in Gyeonggi province at about 11.35pm on 6 October, they said.

Three hunters from Yeoncheon’s animal control team were out in the night on Sunday trying to look for a wild boar who had been sighted earlier in the area.

According to the local police, the unidentified hunter shot the other man in the dark, mistaking him for the animal – accidents termed as “mistaken for game” in hunting parlance.

The bullet, which struck the head of the man also in his 40s, critically injured him.He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

The victim was not carrying any firearm on him at the time and was responsible for installing a thermal imaging camera trap to detect the wild animal’s movement.

The shooter has been booked by police on charges of involuntary manslaughter due to professional negligence. Investigations are ongoing, police said.

Meanwhile, “mistaken for game” accidents are not uncommon across the world.

In March this year, at Bunnell in Florida, a hunter was accidentally shot in the head and torso while turkey hunting after being mistaken for a gobbler by another hunter who did not realise he was there.

The victim, who was wearing camouflage instead of the recommended safety orange, survived the incident.

In 2006, the former vice president of the US, Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded 78-year-old millionaire attorney Harry Whittington during a weekend quail-hunting trip in Texas.

Mr Cheney accidentally hit Mr Whittington when he turned to shoot at a bird, mistaking him for the game.

In 2020, a hunter, Lucas Dudley, was shot and killed by another hunter, Rain Stately, who mistook him for a deer near the Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota.

Calls for special envoy to help release Brits held without fair trial

Six Britons held for years without fair trial in countries with close trading links to the UK have fresh hopes of release as a cross-party group of MPs launches a pressure group to fight for their freedom, The Independent can reveal.

Family members and friends of four of the detainees have accused the Foreign Office – which handles their cases as well as trade deals – of caring more about protecting diplomatic relations than the freedom of their loved ones.

The new cross-party group – which includes Tory MP Alicia Kearns and Labour peer Baroness Helena Kennedy – will call for a special envoy for hostage affairs, a role which is independent to the Foreign Office.

Among the nearly two dozen politicians who have signed up in support are Lord Alf Dubs, Tory MP John Whittingdale and Baroness Margaret Hodge. As shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy promised to create the role should he be appointed into office.

Ms Kearns, chair and also the shadow minister for foreign affairs, says the special envoy role is more urgent than ever as there is “now an industrialisation of taking British citizens as hostages for leverage in state-to-state relations”.

All those Britons highlighted by the politicians have seen trials based on no evidence or no basis in law, according to the United Nations and human rights groups.

Among them is Ryan Cornelius, 70, who was arrested in 2008 in Dubai on charges of fraud. He remains in prison despite the UN calling for his release and describing his arrest as arbitrary.

Another is Jimmy Lai, a British businessman arrested in Hong Kong in August 2020 on false charges of sedition and breaching national security measures.

UN experts say his arrest appears “to be directly related to his criticism of the Chinese government and his support for democracy in Hong Kong”. The Independent has repeatedly called for the free speech champion to be released.

Mark Sabah, the director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK), a group leading the calls for Mr Lai’s release, has accused the Foreign Office of “giving cover to authoritarian states to do whatever they like”.

“These authoritarian states now know full well that in order to get the British government to drop the case, they only need to dangle some sort of trade investment,” he said.

Gurpreet Singh, the brother of Jagtar Singh Johal, who has been held in India since November 2017 on charges of terrorism and sectarian killings, said: “I think there’s a misunderstanding among the British public that if a British national goes missing, the government will do what they can to bring them back.”

The UK government, including Mr Lammy, has condemned Jagtar’s arrest as arbitrary. Since his detention, however, the government has engaged in £225.8bn worth of trade with India, and is negotiating a new deal estimated to be worth £40bn.

“Jagtar is a thorn in this trade deal that the UK wants with India. That’s the bottom line,” said Mr Singh. “Here, the deal with India is worth billions for years to come, and Jagtar is just one person in between that.”

Chris Pagett, brother-in-law of Mr Cornelius, said: “The Foreign Office seems to have adopted a policy that once you deem a country to be a strategic ally, essentially your job goes no further than not to upset it.

“That’s what happened to Ryan. That’s what’s happening to many Brits and is what will happen more and more. That’s why our business people everywhere are going to be at an increasing risk of being targeted by regimes.”

He added: “The Foreign Office has failed Ryan at every junction. I believe they are jointly responsible for the fact that Ryan is where he is.”

While the Foreign Office does not publicly admit how many cases are categorised as arbitrarily detained, Ms Kearns says the group will focus on at least six public cases.

As well as Jagtar Singh Johal, Jimmy Lai and Ryan Cornelius, the APPG will highlight pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah in Egypt, Mehran Raoof in Iran and, most recently, grandfather Sadik Duraku in Serbia, who was arrested in April on disputed charges of war crimes.

Mona Seif, brother of Mr Abdel-Fattah, has been optimistic that the new Labour government, particularly with Mr Lammy’s appointment, could address the issue.

Mr Abdel-Fattah was arrested in Egypt in September 2019 after being accused of joining and funding a terrorist group – a charge Amnesty International has described as arbitrary. He had already served five years in prison for “protesting without authorisation”, from which he was released in March 2019, before being arrested again.

On 2 October, Mr Lammy, previously an outspoken advocate for Mr Abdel-Fattah’s release, met the two sisters for the first time since assuming office to discuss the case. Mona says he told them he needed “more time” to build relations with the Egyptian administration.

A day later, the Egyptian foreign minister told his government that the UK had shown “great interest” during a meeting with Mr Lammy on 25 September in “developing good relations between the two countries to pump new investments into the Egyptian economy”. They also discussed plans to organise a “Egyptian-British investment conference”.

“I worry this is exactly replicating what the Tory government has done for three years,” said Mona, referring to the prioritisation of trade. Britain and Egypt’s trade is worth £4.8bn annually.

Ms Kearns said that despite complaints from affected families, there remains “enormous institutional reluctance” in the Foreign Office to change. Baroness Kennedy, meanwhile, accused the Foreign Office of being “too supine in the face of abuse against our people”.

The pair are calling on Mr Lammy to ultimately pressure the ministry to push reform through, saying that Foreign Office officials “are not the decision-makers”.

“This is a test for Lammy,” Ms Kearns said. “Can he overcome this institutional reluctance? Officials will say no to him. It’s for him to say, ‘Well, I’ve promised this. I want to bring it in. Go on and do it’.”

Tim Roca, the Labour MP for Macclesfield and vice-chair of the group, underlined Mr Lammy’s promises to create a special envoy. “Labour MPs want to see the government move the dial on this,” he said.

Matthew Hedges, a British academic arrested in the UAE in May 2018 on charges of espionage and held for nearly eight months in a Dubai prison, where he claims he was tortured, said he believes the MPs’ groups will be vital to ensuring that the Foreign Office’s continued refusal to change their approach will at least be “acknowledged”.

Asked if he had seen any substantial updates in the Foreign Office’s approach since a review into his case concluded in their apology and a promise to change, Mr Hedges was dismissive. “No”, he said. “Zilch.”

When approached for comment for this story, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The government is committed to strengthening support for British nationals, including through the appointment of a new envoy.”

They did not respond to further inquiry about whether that meant the Foreign Office was committed to creating a special envoy for hostage affairs. David Lammy was also approached for comment.

‘Getting shot saved my life’: Escaping hell of Vladimir Putin’s war

It was a chilly December morning in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk when Azad Yousuf Kumar was woken up by his Russian commander and told he would be learning to use an assault rifle. Azad, 32, who had never used a weapon before in his hometown thousands of miles away in India’s Kashmir, became nervous as his commander shouted instructions at him.

Confused and frightened in a foreign land in the grip of a prolonged war, Azad accidentally shot himself in the foot. That bullet became a defining moment in Azad’s nearly year-long stay on the Russian battlefield – a moment he says saved him from being killed in a war for a country that isn’t his own.

“I was cold, shivering and panicking while training with an AK-47, and ended up shooting myself in the foot as my Russian commander shouted instructions to fire the gun from both hands one by one,” he tells The Independent.

Azad was among the group of six Indian men who returned from Russia in September after spending months stuck on the front lines of the war against Ukraine. These men, who were seeking jobs, say they were lured into fighting for the Russian military. Most of them came from poor families and were looking for employment outside India for a better future.

Now speaking to The Independent from the safety of his home in Kashmir, Azad says he had been looking for work abroad when he was unwittingly recruited into the Russian army by a famous YouTuber, who promised him a high-paying job that required no prior experience.

“Those nine months were the toughest days of my life. I’ve escaped hell, and I’m just happy to be alive and back home with my family,” he says.

Azad witnessed death and devastation, enduring gruelling days in harsh weather as missiles rained down around him.

His lowest point came when his 23-year-old friend, Hemil Mangukiya, was killed on the battlefield, and Azad saw a graphic picture of his body after a catastrophic head injury.

“That day I broke down when I saw his picture. I cannot forget that sight to this day. After his death, I felt I would be next, and that my death was certain,” he says.

However, the bullet injury, the death of his closest friend, and the constant fear of dying were not the only struggles Azad faced – he was also deeply homesick. He endured the pain of being away from his pregnant wife when she needed him the most, he says.

“I found out about my son’s birth when I was in the hospital. She cried about my bullet injury, and I told her that I did it deliberately to avoid going to the front lines, to ease her fears, as she was already going through a tough time,” he says.

“I was happy about the birth of my baby, but the circumstances weighed even more heavily on me. I just wanted to get out of there.”

Azad says he travelled to Russia after being recruited as a “security helper” – work arranged by a YouTuber who he says gained his trust with his vlogs in which he promised safe jobs that did not require any prior experience. A commerce graduate who used to work with his father digging tube wells, Azad says he thought it was his best chance at getting a well-paying job in a foreign country, and left home on 10 December 2023. He arrived in Russia nine days later.

He took a loan of Rs350,000 (£3,137) from his brother, and a flight out of Srinagar in Kashmir to Mumbai in the western state of Maharashtra. There he paid Rs150,000 (£1,344) to someone from the YouTuber’s team, who arranged the tickets to Russia. Azad, along with five others, including Hemil, flew to Chennai in the south of India and then to Moscow.

“That was like a dream come true. But life turned upside down when we were picked up by Nigel, an Indian man who was fluent in Russian and had arrangements with the Russian army,” he says.

Azad says he paid another Rs30,000 (£268) to Nigel, who then handed him and the others over to the Russian army. He was pressed into signing a contract, which was in Russian, as everyone involved kept telling him that it was a safe job and that they need not worry.

“We had to sign the papers. We had no option. Nigel yelled at us and told us to not make his work difficult by asking questions or stepping back. We had already paid Rs350,000 by then and did as they told us,” he says.

Azad was then taken to Luhansk with more new recruits, and they were divided into different batches.

Russia illegally annexed the Luhansk region, known in Russian as Lugansk, several months after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, along with three other regions, though it does not fully control any of them. Much of Luhansk has been occupied since 2014, when Russian-financed separatists took over swathes of territory in eastern Ukraine after large protests prompted Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country and Moscow’s forces seized the Crimean peninsula.

In total, almost 100 Indian men, some as young as 22, have ended up on the front lines in Ukraine. The Independent previously reported how many feel they were tricked into serving with the Russian military after being promised safe, secure jobs in Russia and other countries.

“I was the tallest and had a better build, so I was kept with the Russian military men,” Azad says. It added to his fears that he would taken to the front line and forced to fight as a mercenary.

“After 5-6 days, they threw us into training grounds and gave us a gun, which I had never even seen before.

“I think I was chosen to operate alongside the Russian army due to my build, but during the training I got hurt, and that was the reason I was not sent to the front line to fight but [was instead allowed] to do menial jobs.

“Getting shot in the foot is the reason I made it out alive from there, and I am thankful to God that it happened to me.”

Azad says the gunshot wound was itself a matter of life and death, despite being in his foot, as he was losing blood on the way to the hospital and the facility was far from where they were training.

“In the car, they kept asking me to keep my eyes open and said I might never wake up if I [went to] sleep. They slapped me to keep me awake, and took me to the hospital where I received treatment for 18 days,” he says.

Azad says the hospital he was being treated in came under attack from Ukrainian drones and missiles, and he was evacuated on a stretcher at least twice during his 18-day stay there.

“The sirens used to ring, and all the patients and staff would be then taken to an underground safe place. It was in those moments I realised what kind of danger I was in, and I did not inform my family about this injury or the grave situation,” he says.

His family came to know about the gunshot injury from another Indian in Russia. “I had to lie to them about the injury, and told my brother that I shot myself deliberately to avoid going to the front line so that they worry less about me,” he says.

Azad earlier spoke to The Independent from the Ukrainian front line – at that time speaking anonymously for his own safety – and expressed his fears that he would never be able to hold his newborn son or meet his family again.

His brother Sajjad Ahmad recounted his family’s months-long struggle with the Indian government to get Azad out of Russia. He said he had been sharing with his brother pictures of his newborn son to keep his morale high.

As he landed in Srinagar on 13 September, Sajjad went to receive his brother along with his father and other family members.

“Azad got all emotional and cried as he walked towards our father to hug him. He has escaped death’s door and we are just happy to have him back,” his brother said.

Both Azad and Sajjad said they had lost hope that he would return safely from Russia.

“I feel it is a dream that I am in Kashmir. It is only a miracle that I am alive and back,” Azad said.

Azad has recovered the Rs350,000 he borrowed from his brother, with the salary paid to him by the Russian army. But he claims the other men who went with him have not received their payments. He says they were told that it would take some time to release their money.

“We are waiting for the payment for the four months we worked there. I didn’t think it was wise to stay there for it. All I wanted was to return.”

According to the Indian foreign ministry, of the 91 Indian nationals identified as having been inducted into the Russian army, eight have died so far.

Around 45 Indians have been rescued from Russia and returned to India, according to the latest statement released by the ministry on 12 September. It estimates that there are still 50 Indian nationals stuck on the front lines of the war.

Under pressure from the families to bring back Indians from the war zone, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said he had raised the issue and called for the safe discharge of these men during his summit with Vladimir Putin in July.

Azad says it was after Modi’s visit to Russia that his commander told him “all Indians can go back”.

“Our commanders said they have received a message from their president, and Indians would be released and sent back,” he says, crediting Modi for his safe return.

How to see Oasis play Australia for first time in 19 years

Oasis have announced their first performances in Australia in 19 years, as part of their huge 2025 reunion world tour.

The British rock band revealed in August that brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher would be joining one another onstage next year, for the first time since their infamous 2009 bust-up at Rock en Seine festival in Paris.

Following the announcement of scheduled shows around the UK and Ireland, and North America, Oasis shared that they will play stadiums in Sydney and Melbourne in October and November 2025.

Oasis commented: “People of the land down under… You better run you better take cover… We are coming. You are most welcome.”

Their Sydney and Melbourne shows will mark 19 years since their last performance in Australia.

The tour’s promoter Live Nation has confirmed that it will not be using the dynamic pricing model that its company Ticketmaster deployed for the UK tour, which resulted in uproar among fans who saw the cost of some tickets increase threefold.

Tickets for the Melbourne show at Marvel Stadium on 31 October will go on sale at 10am AEDT on Tuesday 15 October, while tickets for Sydney’s Accor Stadium on 7 November will go on sale at 12pm AEDT that same day.

Fans are able to register for presale access now; the presale registration closes at 8am on Wednesday 9 October.

Fri 4 Jul – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sat 5 Jul – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, UK (SOLD OUT)

Fri 11 Jul – Heaton Park, Manchester, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sat 12 Jul – Heaton Park, Manchester, UK (SOLD OUT)

Wed 16 Jul – Heaton Park, Manchester, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sat 19 Jul – Heaton Park, Manchester, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sun 20 Jul – Heaton Park, Manchester, UK (SOLD OUT)

Fri 25 Jul – Wembley Stadium, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sat 26 Jul – Wembley Stadium, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

Wed 30 Jul – Wembley Stadium, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sat 2 Aug – Wembley Stadium, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sun 3 Aug – Wembley Stadium, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

Fri 8 Aug – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sat 9 Aug – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, UK (SOLD OUT)

Tue 12 Aug – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sat 16 Aug – Croke Park, Dublin, IE (SOLD OUT)

Sun 17 Aug – Croke Park, Dublin, IE (SOLD OUT)

Sun 24 Aug – Rogers Stadium, Toronto, ON (SOLD OUT)

Mon 25 Aug – Rogers Stadium, Toronto, ON (SOLD OUT)

Thu 28 Aug – Soldier Field, Chicago, IL (SOLD OUT)

Sun 31 Aug – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (SOLD OUT)

Mon 1 Sep – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (SOLD OUT)

Sat 6 Sep – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)

Sun 7 Sep – Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)

Fri 12 Sep – Estadio GNP Seguros, Mexico City, MX (SOLD OUT)

Sat 13 Sep – Estadio GNP Seguros, Mexico City, MX (SOLD OUT)

Sat 27 Sep – Wembley Stadium, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

Sun 28 Sep – Wembley Stadium, London, UK (SOLD OUT)

OCTOBER 2025

Fri 31 Oct – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne

NOVEMBER 2025

Fri 7 Nov – Accor Stadium, Sydney

Days after they announced their return, the band shot to the top of the UK album charts with their debut, Definitely Maybe, as they celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Next year, meanwhile, will mark the 30th anniversary of their second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, one of the biggest-selling LPs by a British act of all time.

Their North America tour dates will be supported by US rock band Cage the Elephant. Support acts for the UK, Ireland and Australia dates have yet to be announced.

Two rescued elephants drown after flooding at popular Thai sanctuary

Two rescued elephants died by drowning at a tourist hotspot in Thailand despite efforts to get the stranded animals out after it was flooded by rapid currents.

Faa Sai, a blind female elephant, and Ploy Thong, also a female, were confirmed dead following the “catastrophic flooding”, the Elephant National Park in Chiang Mai said.

Most of the 125 elephants kept at the park were led to safety and a few escaped on their own to seek higher ground and were reported missing.

The evacuation at the park started on Thursday after it received a flood warning. By Friday the Ping river, which runs along the eastern edge of the city, began overrunning its banks and gushing water filled the park.

The currents reportedly swept away several elephants even as park officials continued to rescue smaller animals like cats, dogs, pigs and buffalos. The rescue operation was hampered by the strong currents, which made some roads to the park inaccessible, and the lack of phone signal.

Several regions of Thailand have been hit by flash floods, torrential rains and landslides over recent weeks, with Typhoon Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm this year, increasing the seasonal monsoon rainfall. The floods have destroyed or damaged around 8,625 households, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Saengduean Chailert, director of the sanctuary, was seen crying and mourning over the dead body of one of the elephants in a video shared by the park on Facebook.

She said Faa Sai and Ploy Thong were “found approximately 1 km downstream from the park, having succumbed to drowning”.

“We deeply appreciate the outpouring of kind words and support during this time of mourning and crisis,” she said.

Footage shared by the park showed the blind elephant tailing the herd while trying to navigate the hurdles along its way and eventually getting left behind.

Ploy Thong was rescued in 2018 from a riding camp in Pattaya. Despite her blindness, she lived harmoniously with her herd, who lovingly guided her throughout the park and ensured her safety, the park said.

“Tragically, Ploy Thong lost her herd during the flood, and despite the diligent efforts of her caretaker, she was swept away by the raging river,” it said.

Faa Sai was rescued in November 2007. Having reportedly endured animal cruelty, she arrived at the sanctuary as an extremely aggressive pachyderm.

“During the flood, Faa Sai ventured close to the river despite the concerted efforts of our team to keep her safe, and tragically, she too was taken by the current,” the park said.

After the devastation in northern Thailand, central parts of the country, including the capital Bangkok, braced for floods Sunday as the Irrigation Department announced it was releasing water from a major dam swelled by weeks of heavy rain.

The rain has stopped in Chiang Mai, but many people, especially the elderly, remain cut off by flood waters that in some areas are waist-high.

Volunteer rescue teams, often travelling by boat, have been working to supply them with food and evacuate them.

Popular tourist areas such as the city’s Night Bazaar and Tha Pae Gate are under as much as a metre of water.

Five dead and over 100 hospitalised after Indian air show in 36C heat

At least five people died and around 100 others were hospitalised after more a million people attended the Indian Air Force’s air show in southern Chennai city in scorching heat.

A record 1.3 million people flocked to the venue at the iconic Marina Beach in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday to watch the thrilling display in 36C heat.

However, the situation turned awry as people began to leave the venue at 1pm local time after the air show ended and an overwhelming crowd packed the streets and roads, leading to a blockade. The airshow was held to mark the IAF’s 92nd anniversary and was widely publicised by the IAF, as it was the first such event in the coastal city of Chennai in over two decades.

People began filling the two-kilometre stretch of coastline from 7am in the blazing sun to secure the best spots for the 11.30am show. The event also earned a spot in the Limca Book of Records, India’s longest-running record book, for the record turnout at an airshow in the country.

As the event concluded, the large crowd began to disperse, leading to a stampede-like situation. People were stuck for more than 40 minutes as exit points became congested, and chaos ensued when some individuals broke through barricades in a desperate attempt to leave the venue.

Ambulances were unable to reach those in need, with some stranded in the crowd for over 30 minutes, delaying patient transfers to hospitals.

Footage showed people, car and ambulances stranded on roads as they tried to leave the venue. Metro stations and railway stations were also packed to capacity.

Around 230 people were treated for fainting and dehydration at the venue, with approximately 93 hospitalised, according to the Times of India.

Among the deceased was D John, 56, who collapsed around 3 pm, but the ambulance was reportedly delayed after getting stuck in the crowd. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Karthikeyan, 34, died after experiencing chest pain while riding his bike after leaving the event. A doctor at the RGGGH hospital said that heatstroke could not be ruled out as the cause of the chest pain, but the cause of death would be confirmed after the post-mortem report.

Two of the other three victims were identified as Srinivasan and Dinesh.

Chandramohan, a software engineer who attended the event and uses only one name, said there was no water supply at the function despite the “hot and humid” weather and he saw people fainting due to lack of air circulation and dehydration.

“Worst was the exit after the event. Roads were choked…Buses got stuck too,” he said.

Ma Subramanian, state minister for medical and family welfare, said in a post on X that the government had provided medical teams, security, temporary toilets, and drinking water supply for the event.

“The news of the deaths … is very sad and painful when the public… suffered due to overcrowding and high temperatures,” Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, member of parliament from ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party tweeted, adding unmanageable gatherings should be avoided.

The IAF event is being accused of poor management and lack of preparation in a country where mass gatherings have led to deaths in recent years.

In July 2024, at least 121 people were killed after a crowd crush during a religious event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district.

in 2017, a stampede at a crowded pedestrian bridge connecting two Mumbai railway stations killed 22 people and 32 were injured.

Officials from the air force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.