Category News

Radio Free Asia says halting news operations due to Trump admin cuts

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On Friday, Radio Free Asia (RFA) announced that its news operations would be suspended due to the government-funded news outlet’s dire financial situation, which was brought on by funding cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration and the ongoing US government shutdown.

According to Bay Fang, president and CEO of RFA, the outlet has been “forced to suspend all remaining news content production.”

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RFA is taking additional steps to responsibly shrink its already diminuted footprint, she said on Wednesday in an effort to conserve the scarce resources on hand and prevent the possibility of restarting operations if consistent funding is available.

Fang added that RFA would officially start closing its overseas offices and will begin terminating its furloughed staff. She claimed that since March, numerous staff members have taken unpaid leave of absence due to the US Agency for Global Media’s (USAGM) unlawful termination of RFA’s Congressionally Apportioned Grant.

Aside from USAGM, an independent US government agency established in the mid-1990s to provide information to areas with weak press freedom records, Trump signed an executive order effective on March 14th.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE) and Voice of America (VOA) are also featured on USAGM along with RFA.

RFA was forced to terminate most of its overseas contractors and put three-quarters of its US-based employees on unpaid leave following the executive order in March.

In May, a second round of widespread layoffs, as well as the termination of several RFA language services, including Tibetan, Burmese, and Uighur, were also announced.

In March, Trump signed another executive order authorizing the organization’s nearly 1,400 employees to take paid leave of absence, which he called the “total left-wing disaster” (total left-wing disaster) to go on. Since then, it has only been operating on a limited basis.

Trump has alleged that government agencies like RFA, RFE, and VOA are biased against his administration and that they are a waste of money.

RFA has provided English- and local-language online and broadcast services to residents of region’s most oppressive regimes since its founding in 1996.

Its main initiatives include the publication of events inside the hermit state, North Korea, and the world’s only independent Uyghur-language outlet covering the oppressed ethnic group in western China.

Make no mistake, authoritarian regimes are already ecstatic about the potential demise of RFA, according to an announcement penned by RFA executive editor Rosa Hwang, which was published on the outlet’s website on Wednesday.

RFA’s core values include independent reporting. That voice is in danger, according to Hwang for the first time since RFA’s founding almost 30 years ago.

“We still think strongly about the urgency of that task and the extraordinary journalists’ perseverance. We’ll return once our funding is secured, she continued.

RFE/Radio Liberty, which went through its own round of furloughs earlier this year, announced this week that its news services are currently in use and have received its final round of federal funding.

It stated that “we intend to continue providing our audiences with this service for a while.”

Waterloo Road star reveals dad has taken his own life in heartbreaking post

By in Entertainment News, News

Reece Douglas, who is best known for playing Denzil Kelly in the BBC drama Waterloo Road, has written a heartbreaking tribute to his father after he committed suicide.

Waterloo Road star Reece Douglas has revealed the heartbreaking news his dad has tragically taken his own life.

Reece joined the cast of the BBC school drama in 2009 playing Denzil Kelly. His storyline followed him struggling to fit in at school due to a difficult home environment and family situation.

His character was killed off in series seven in 2012 when he died in a lorry accident while travelling up to Scotland. But his acting career didn’t stop there, infact it was just the beginning.

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Reece later made a comeback from acting to pursue a new career in technology, appearing in programs like Doctors, Casualty, and Holby City. He is the founder and CEO of Social Plug, a start-up in technology. The business “connects content creators with brands and agencies.”

On Thursday, October 30 he shared the devastating news on social media. He took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking tribute to his father.

He wrote, “I love you so much dad, sharing a picture of him and his father smiling together.” I’ve only known my father recently, and more importantly, I never knew he would commit suicide. You’ll be so proud of me.

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His 13,000 followers were quick to share their support in the comments section, with one saying: “So sorry to hear this @reecedouglas1. Thinking of you and your family. You’ll continue to make him proud everyday. Sending so much love”. Another wrote: “Im so sorry for your loss. I know it dosnt help the pain but he is now not in pain amd watching over you. Im 1000000% sure he couldn’t of been prouder of you.”

Emmerdale’s Danny Miller commented: “Oh mate I’m so sorry! Sending loads of love brother” and former Emmerdale and Hollyoaks actor Anthony Quinn wrote: “Sorry to hear the news mate. Sending love and thoughts to you and family.”

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For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,345

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by news organizations

On Friday, October 31, 2025, how things are going:

Fighting

  • According to Russian state news reports, the Ministry of Defense of Russia’s forces seized control of the villages of Krasnohirske and Sadove in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine.
  • Seven people were killed when Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and other targets on Thursday and in the early hours of Friday, imposing nationwide power restrictions.
  • One victim was killed in a Russian drone strike in a village south of Zaporizhzhia, which is one of the country’s southeastern industrial cities.
  • Regional officials reported that two men had also been killed in the Russian-inflicted attacks on Zaporizhzhia itself, and that a seven-year-old girl from the central Vinnytsia region had also perished in the attacks.
  • One person was killed and three were hurt in Russian attacks on Kramatorsk residences, according to Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office.
  • The regional governor of Sumy, a city close to Russia’s northern border, reported on Telegram that 10 Russian drones had attacked the city early on Friday. He claimed that two apartment buildings were struck, and that pictures of several apartments that had been posted online showed them all ablaze.
  • In his weekly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed two people were killed and several others were hurt in a bombing that occurred at a thermal power plant in the eastern Donetsk region of Sloviansk.
  • Zelenskyy added that during the attacks, Russia had launched more than 650 drones and 50 missiles. He claimed that the majority of the drones had been neutralized and that the majority of the missiles had been defused.
  • Yulia Svyrydenko, the prime minister of Ukraine, claimed that Moscow is attempting to sabotage Ukrainian power and the country’s power supplies as winter draws near. Its intention is to “plunge Ukraine into the darkness.” Our goal is to keep the light,” Svyrydenko said.

Europe

  • In a second incident this week, a Russian reconnaissance plane was intercepted by a Polish MiG-29 fighter aircraft over the Baltic Sea, according to Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
  • In response to growing security concerns, Poland announced that it would not reopen border crossings with close Russian ally Belarus until at least mid-November.
  • Six weeks prior, Poland closed its border with Belarus as a result of what Warsaw described as “very aggressive” Russian-led military exercises that took place on Belarusian territory, days after 21 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. In response to smuggling balloons’ disruption of the airspace, Lithuania closed its land border with Belarus this week and declared that it would remain closed until November.
  • A German with Russian ethnic background was found guilty of spying on and planning arson attacks on Russian-occupied military installations and railroads in Germany. Two accomplices received 12- and 6-month suspended sentences from a court in Munich, the capital of Bavaria.

Peace talks

  • Viktor Orban, the head of the Hungarian government, will meet with US President Donald Trump on November 7 in Washington to discuss possible arrangements for a US-Russia meeting and request exemption from US energy sanctions.
  • According to state news agency RIA Novosti, Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov said Trump should engage in negotiations with Russia rather than imposing sanctions.

Nuclear weapons

    After President Trump suggested that the United States would resume nuclear weapons testing to the same level as its rivals, the Kremlin claimed that Russia’s tests of a nuclear-powered missile and torpedoes were not nuclear weapons tests. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Russland would also test a nuclear weapon if any other country tested it.”

  • Senior Russian lawmaker Andrei Kartapolov predicted that the US’s nuclear testing would bring us back to an era of uncertainty and public conflict, according to RIA.

Coleen Nolan’s daughter Ciara gives birth to baby boy and shares sweet name

By in Entertainment News, News

Ciara Fensome, the daughter of Coleen Nolan and her fiance Maxx Innes, announced that she and her baby boy, Maxx Innes, are expecting, in an Instagram post.

Coleen Nolan’s daughter, Ciara Fensome, has shared the wonderful news she has given birth to her baby boy this evening.

This joyous news comes just over a year after Ciara got engaged to her partner Maxx Innes. Max proposed to Ciara in Vietnam, and they announced their engagement in April 2024.

Coleen already has a grandmother for her son, Shane Jr’s daughter Amelia, who was born in 2016, and her younger son, Jake, who was born last year.

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The first-time-mum took to her social media to share the news at around 7pm tonight, writing on Instagram and Facebook: “Sidney Ray Innes, 29/10/2025, 9lb 10. So proud of all 3 of us. I have carried him for 9 months but @maxkerrinnes you have carried us all this whole time.”

Denise Welch, a fellow Loose Woman, responded in the comments with “Ciarra!!! He’s amazing!! not taller than you!!! Charlotte Dawsy, a British reality TV personality, influencer, and mother, also wrote, “Congrats babe, he’s beautiful.

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While her partner Max is yet to publicly comment on the birth of his baby boy Ciara’s brother Shane has share a sweet messgae on his social media, it reads: “And there’s the first one out and into the world. My sister is doing great , she’s going to be the best mum. Sidney Ray Innes born a whopping 9lb 10 .Thanks for making me an uncle once again Ciara Fensome and my band mate and future brother in law Max .”

Coleen’s third grandchild has yet to be made available for public viewing.

Trump administration sets rules to bar groups it opposes from loan relief

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The United States Department of Education has developed new regulations that could apply to nonprofits that are alleged to have engaged in work for a “substantial illegal purpose” under a special student loan forgiveness program.

According to those rules, which were finalized on Thursday, organizations that do work in areas like transgender rights and immigration advocacy appear to be exempt.

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The education secretary has the authority to omit groups from activities like the “chemical castration” of children under the new regulations, which are set to go into effect in July 2026. They also have the authority to use a politically charged term for gender-affirming care, including medication for puberty-delaying.

Additionally, it gives the education secretary the authority to ban organizations that have “terrorist” or “undocumented immigration” activities.

The Trump administration has stated that its decisions “will not be based on the organization’s political views or preferences.”

However, some think the administration’s latest attempt to target left-leaning and liberal organizations.

Trump has already threatened to repress several liberal organizations that the White House has frequently accused of being “domestic terror networks.”

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, established by a law passed by Congress in 2007, is the subject of Thursday’s rules.

The program promises to end federal student loans for government employees and many nonprofit workers after ten years of payments in an effort to attract more graduates to the public service.

Among those who can benefit are those in the public sector, including lawyers, social service workers, firefighters, and teachers.

The Trump administration defended the revised regulations in a statement, calling them a necessary bulwark to safeguard taxpayer funds.

Education Undersecretary Nicholas Kent stated that the program was intended to support Americans who dedicate their careers to public service rather than to fund organizations that violate the law, whether it is by allowing illegal immigrants to live in their homes or performing medical procedures to try to stop children from having biological sex.

However, critics have criticised the administration for stifling opposing viewpoints and restricting civil liberties by making false claims of “terrorism” or criminal behavior.

The new rules, according to executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, have weakened loan forgiveness.

According to Lukens, many of the immigration litigation workers, social workers, and paralegals at his organization handle cases involving deportations.

He claimed that they can accept jobs that pay significantly less than those in the private sector because of public service loan forgiveness.

Lukens told The Associated Press news agency, “All of a sudden, that’s going away.” We’re going to see a lot of people leave the field to work in a for-profit space, according to the younger generation, who should be able to wait this out for the next few years to see if it improves.

Organizations have expressed concern about the education secretary’s broad authority to decide whether a particular group should be barred. The secretary can decide on the basis of “preponderance of the evidence” whether an employer is violating the law in the absence of a legal ruling.

Among the organizations who criticized the change was the National Council of Nonprofits.

Big Brother star looks completely different 20 years on as he joins another reality show

By in Entertainment News, News

One star almost disappears after two decades of Big Brother competition as he signs up for another reality TV show that could net him a sizable sum of money.

One Big Brother star is headed back to the world of reality TV and looks completely different. It’s been 20 years since he was on the show and now he could be in with a chance to millions of pounds via another competition show.

Glyn Wise competed on the seventh series of Big Brother in 2006 and came second. His series is the joint-second longest in Big Brother history, lasting for 93 days. At the time, the Welshman was just 18.

After the show, Glyn made a few television appearances and was a regular presenter on BBC Radio Cymru from 2006 to 2012. But in September 2012, he stepped away from the spotlight.

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Glyn began her studies at a secondary school as a Welsh language teacher, and she later became a tutor at Cardiff University. However, Glyn had switched careers and trained to become an ordained minister in the Church of Wales by the spring of 2022.

Now, he is returning to TV as part of Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge. The show is a reality TV spin-off of the hit Korean drama Squid Game, which saw desperate contestants compete in challenges to win money. The twist was that those who lost would be killed.

Thankfully, the reality TV version isn’t so fatal, and contestants who lose are just sent home. The winners receive an extraordinary prize, though. The winner will be banking $4.56 million.

Glyn was hardly recognisable in his nearly two decades of filmmaking, despite the fact that fans were delighted to see him back on screen. He had no hair at all instead of his bleached, closely cropped, blonde hair. Additionally, he has a neatly groomed beard.

Glyn, who wasn’t proficient in basic cooking techniques while she was a Big Brother, was mocked by some fans. Can’t he yet boil an egg? a question was asked. Another person said, “He’s making his first egg preparation.”

Big Brother’s season with Gwynedda produced a lot of controversy. First, it received criticism for its choice of housemates, especially after a live-tv contestant threatened to kill himself. The production team closely monitored that contestant, who later admitted to downplaying his mental health struggles during the selection process.

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After Glyn spoke in Welsh, his native tongue, the show also sparked controversy. Welsh, one of the British languages, was deemed unacceptable by viewers who complained. Both Glyn and fellow Welsh contestant Imogen were permitted to speak in Welsh after the show ended.

Big Brother had less than 20 participants, but there were 456 in Squid Game: The Challenge. The series will begin in November.