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Founder of prominent underground church released from prison in China

The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States. Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October. “We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling overwhelmed with joy,” Jin’s family said in a statement. “We thank God for this tremendous miracle. We also thank President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership.” China’s ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jin’s release is a rare case of China releasing one of its own citizens, apparently in response to lobbying from the US. In 2024, David Lin, an American pastor of Chinese origins, was released from prison after 20 years after lobbying by the state department. Jin’s case was raised by Donald Trump on his visit to Beijing in May. The US president said that Xi Jinping, China’s president, was “seriously considering” releasing pastors jailed in China, while saying that progress on other detained figures, such as the British citizen Jimmy Lai, was harder. Jin’s wife and children are in the US and have repeatedly appealed to the US government and to Trump directly to secure Jin’s release. Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, testified before congress in November. Trump later described her as a “beautiful daughter” and promised to raise Jin’s case with Xi. Jin, a Chinese citizen, is one of the most recognisable faces of China’s underground church movement. He founded Zion Church in 2007. In 2018, the church’s physical location in Beijing was forced to close, but the group later moved to online sermons that allowed them to extend their reach to thousands of members. Christianity is legal in China but worship is only permitted in government-controlled churches. In 2018, the government said there were 44 million Christians in China but other estimates, which included unregistered believers, put the number at about 130 million. Many Christians shun government-controlled churches and prefer to worship in underground groups such as Zion, also known as “house churches”. In the past year, China launched a major crackdown on house churches. In January, members of Early Rain church, another prominent group, were detained. In June, an Early Rain gathering in Sichuan in south-west China was raided by police with reports of more than 30 people being taken for questioning. Several members of Zion Church remain in detention. Last month, the cases of nine members, including Jin, were transferred to prosecutors on charges of illegal business operations and fraud. Nine others were released on bail pending trial.

Cow corner: cricket match abandoned after runaway bull stops play

A cricket match had to be abandoned after a runaway bull stormed the playing field and charged at players. The North East Premier League fixture at Burnopfield Cricket Club near Newcastle was called off on Saturday evening despite efforts to remove the animal from the ground. Martin Oswell, director of the Tyneside club, said the young bull, which weighed about 800kg, had escaped from a farm and travelled about a mile to the playing field where it arrived at about 3pm. Safety concerns quickly arose as the animal could be seen charging at players and farmers who attempted to recapture it. Police were eventually called to the scene before the bull left “of its own accord”, Oswell said. He told the Press Association: “Two of the farmers tried to stop the bull and it actually hit one of them. “He was OK but I mean the beast probably weighed about 800kg. “It was a juvenile bull, incredibly fit, athletic – quite frankly, it was quite dangerous.” Oswell added: “We couldn’t get rid of it. There was no chance that the game was going to restart before the cutoff time. “At first it was quite novel, it was quite funny – but we never thought it was going to impact on our game being abandoned.” The bull’s owner drove a cow to the cricket club in an effort to entice the animal off the field but to no avail. Oswell added: “The farmer who owns the bull arrived at the ground and tried at first to sort of cajole it and get it into a pen, but it failed. “The bull was very frightened – it was spooked.” Burnopfield CC, who are second in the North East Premier League, had scored 226 runs against opponents Hetton Lyons who were 12 for one when the match was interrupted.

Archaeologists uncover ancient Byzantine city in Egypt’s western desert

Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert. The fourth-century quarters had residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery fragments and tools. Separately, 18 ancient tombs were discovered at Marina el-Alamein, near Alexandria, which includes rock-cut and limestone tombs, pottery and a granite sarcophagus. The tourism and antiquities ministry said the first discovery reveals details of daily life, urban development and economic activities when Egypt was part of the Byzantine empire. The unearthed quarters included north-south thoroughfares intersected by east-west streets, forming open squares and public spaces, said Hisham el-Leithy, secretary general of the supreme council of antiquities. A basilica dating back to the mid-fourth century stands at the settlement’s head, overlooking its main streets, along with remains of two watchtowers to safeguard the outskirts, according to Mahmoud Massoud, who chairs the archaeological mission. The oasis, located in Egypt’s western province of New Valley, is on Unesco’s tentative list, a step away from being added to the agency’s world heritage list. A heavily fortified structure with thick defensive walls, and many houses consisting of reception halls and vaulted roofs, were found in the area, Massoud added. Among them were the house of Tisous, a church deacon, which dates to the second half of the 14th century. Archaeologists believe it served as a house church before the construction of the city’s basilica. Archaeologists also uncovered bread ovens, kitchens, grinding tools and bronze coins bearing portraits of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions and Christian symbols. A group of gold coins unearthed dated to the reign of Roman emperor Constantius II, who ruled between 337 and 361, the ministry statement said. Diaa Zahran, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities department, said they found a collection of about 200 pottery fragments which would have been used as writing material. The fragments, known as ostraca, have inscriptions detailing commercial transactions, correspondence and other details of daily life, according to Zahran. Archaeologists also found ancient tombs in the Marina el-Alamein archaeological site, which is about 62 miles (100km) west of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The findings included 11 rock-cut tombs with an average depth of eight metres, and seven surface limestone-built tombs, the ministry said. It has brought the total tombs found at the site to 48. In the site, archaeologists found pottery vessels, amphorae, lamps, plates, altars and limestone basins. The mission chief, Eman Abdel-Khaliq, said they found a 2.5-metre-long granite sarcophagus, with skeleton remains that were being studied. Close to the sarcophagus, they found the remains of a plaster sphinx statue, she said. Four gold pieces were placed inside the mouths of some of the deceased, known as “the golden tongue”, which had been a practice associated with funerary beliefs of that era, Abdel-Khaliq said. Marina el-Alamein is an archaeological site close to the city of Alamein on Egypt’s northern coast, unearthed in 1986. Archaeologists believe the site was the ancient Greco-Roman port city of Leukaspis on the Mediterranean, which was built in the second century and thrived until the fourth century.

Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal and nearby port

Ukraine launched a big overnight drone attack on St Petersburg and the surrounding area, hitting the city’s oil terminal and port infrastructure in the wider region. The St Petersburg governor, Alexander Beglov, said the city had been subjected to a “large-scale” drone attack that had hit its oil terminal. He said there were no casualties and the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the surrounding Leningrad region, said a drone had struck the area of Vysotsk port, about 170km (105 miles) north-west of St Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. The port handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas. Drozdenko said 72 drones had been shot down over the region, and there was minor damage in several settlements. He gave no information on the impact on Vysotsk port. In a post on Telegram, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the attack as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia. Zelenskyy said: “Ukraine’s defence forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war, and also hit Kronstadt, an important military target more than 850km (530 miles) from Ukraine’s state border.” The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, dismissed the strikes on energy facilities as “not critical”. There was no Russian confirmation of a strike on Kronstadt, a major naval base near St Petersburg that Ukraine also targeted in an attack last month. Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure this year, inflicting heavy damage on refineries and causing petrol shortages across the country’s 11 time zones. Elsewhere, the governor of Russia’s Bryansk region and the Russian-installed governor of Crimea said drone strikes had killed one person in each region, with several more wounded. South of St Petersburg, the governor of Pskov region said more than 30 drones had been shot down overnight. He reported minor damage and injuries, including at a factory in the town of Velikiye Luki. Zelenskyy also denied Russian claims that the eastern city of Kostiantynivka had been captured by Moscow’s military. Russia’s military told president Putin on Friday that its forces had taken control of the city, a target that the Kremlin has long sought in its advance through the Donetsk region. Zelenskyy wrote on X: “Of course, that is not true. It is just another Russian lie, an attempt to generate some kind of a news story. “If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps [the Russian president, Vladimir] Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war.” Ukraine’s general staff also said Kostiantynivka remained under the control of Ukrainian forces. It said in a statement: “Military units and subunits of the 19th army corps of the eastern grouping continue to conduct defensive operations on designated lines within the town and on its approaches.” Kostiantynivka is the southernmost of four key settlements that form a defensive line central to Ukraine’s effort to hold a final part of the heavily industrialised Donetsk region. Russia’s defence ministry also claimed it had taken five villages in eastern Ukraine: Shyikivka, Novyi Myr, Cherneshchyna and Druzhelyubivka in Kharkiv region, and Vasylivka in Donetsk region.

Tens of thousands march in London for annual Pride parade

Tens of thousands of people marched through central London for the annual LGBT+ Pride parade. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, joined the crowd as they proceeded through the capital on Saturday afternoon. The event’s organisers said that more than 35,000 marchers from about 600 groups made their way from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall via Piccadilly, many carrying rainbow flags. The activist Julian Hows, 70, who was at the front of the parade, told journalists: “Pride is important because it needs to have an underlying level of protest, and you can see the freedoms that we have can so easily be taken away. “We also always need to push further because there’s always somewhere where our rights are being taken away.” Madonna would not be attending the Pride event, organisers have said. Pride in London posted on social media: “In response to the rumours, we can confirm that Madonna will not be appearing or performing at Pride in London. “We have two fantastic headliners at Trafalgar Square to conclude a brilliant day of protest and celebration.” Speaking prior to the event, a Pride spokesperson said: “The urgency is clear: NHS gender-affirming care waiting lists now exceed four years in some regions while a comprehensive trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy remains uncodified into law despite a 2018 government pledge. “At the same time, the community infrastructure LGBTQ+ people rely on is shrinking – since 2006, 58% of London’s LGBTQ+ venues have closed. “Together, these gaps in care, protection and safe spaces are unfolding amid continued hostility, with Home Office figures showing that more than 18,000 hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were reported to police in 2025.” Britain’s first official Pride march took place in London in July 1972, inspired by the Stonewall uprising in New York three years earlier. Police raided a popular gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, leading to a week of demonstrations against harassment and discrimination. Rebecca Paisis, the event’s interim chief executive, said she wanted to oversee “the most inclusive Pride in London event yet”. She said: “Our movement has always been built on many voices becoming one united front – from the people who marched in 1972 to those joining us for the first time this year. That’s where our power lies. “As LGBTQ+ people, we’ve never been strangers to adversity, but neither are we strangers to collective action. This year’s campaign is a reminder that while the community often faces challenges in isolation, it is by coming together that we can change history.” However, in recent years, the London event has been criticised by some LGBTQ+ activists who no longer feel represented by it. It has faced accusations of “pinkwashing” by allegedly allowing some corporations to profit from their involvement in the event without any real commitment to LGBTQ+ equality. Some activists have also suggested the event is not diverse enough. Since 2024, a number of LGBTQ+ groups have tried to distance themselves from the London march, due to concerns about sponsors’ connections to the arms trade and the war in Gaza.

‘The situation is terrible’: aid workers on life in Sudanese city pummelled by drone strikes

Fatima has lost count of the number of drone attacks on the besieged city of El Obeid in Sudan, but said the attacks this past weekend were the most violent so far. The drones hit schools and fuel stations, killing more than 20 people, including students, she said. “Over the past few months, seeing 40 or 45 drones is the norm. You can literally count them,” said the aid volunteer, whose name has been changed for fear of retribution. El Obeid, a city of half a million people, is a key battleground in the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Attacks mounted by the RSF have prompted the UN and other agencies to warn of the risk of atrocities. Located between RSF-held areas in the western Darfur region and army-controlled regions in the east, El Obeid has suffered repeated drone strikes on its infrastructure. The army is fighting to stop the paramilitary group setting up another blockade after a siege in February last year. At least 45 people were killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes in the city and surrounding areas from 6 June to 28 June, according to the UN human rights office. There are growing fears of a repeat of the massacre in the city of El Fasher last year, when RSF fighters went on a rampage after capturing the city at the end of an 18-month siege. Amnesty International released a report on Wednesday saying the RSF had committed ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in its campaign to capture El Fasher. An independent fact-finding mission for the UN had already said the RSF’s seizure of the city showed the “hallmarks of genocide” against non-Arab communities. On Friday, Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, addressed delegates in Geneva during an urgent debate of the UN human rights council called by the UK and backed by Germany, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands. He said: “The ‌signs from El Obeid are ‌clear and unmistakable: another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan. “This is not a drill. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of heads of state and government around the world. Their phones should be running hot in the coming days and weeks, with ideas on how to prevent atrocity crimes in El Obeid and in other places in Kordofan.” El Obeid hosts an SAF infantry division and an airbase, in addition to about 100,000 refugees displaced by violence. Experts have highlighted significant concentrations of RSF troops around the city and warn of an imminent ground offensive. A report released on Monday by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab found damage to electricity generation, fuel storage facilities and the main market that was “consistent with intentional bombardment of civilian infrastructure necessary for the sustainment of life”. The report also noted an increase of more than 700 temporary structures at internally displaced persons camps in El Obeid in one month that was “consistent with a recent influx of highly vulnerable civilian populations to the city”. It said the SAF has constructed about 30 miles (50km) of defensive positions – suggesting it expected a siege. Nohad Eltayeb, a senior research assistant at the Acled conflict monitoring group, said it had recorded 27 drone strikes last month around El Obeid, the highest monthly total since the start of the conflict in 2023. In a audio diary for the Avaaz human rights advocacy group, Fatima spoke of living life on the edge because of drone attacks on hospitals, fuel stations and other facilities. An attack last week struck the city’s main power station, causing blackouts in most of the city, she said. Drones have also hit people gathering to share Starlink internet connections when telecommunications networks are down, she added. “I cannot begin to describe how terrible the situation is right now,” Fatima said. “Even the way people talk at funerals is different. Instead of praying for the deceased, they would be talking about how they died.” According to Fatima, merchants have increased prices, saying their goods are targeted by drones on the way to El Obeid from other parts of the country or simply looted. Ahlam, a humanitarian worker whose name has also been changed, said residents had become accustomed to pain, loss and fear from constant drone attacks. “In just the past two weeks, nearly every essential service and piece of critical infrastructure has been hit,” she said. She added that some people had considered leaving the city, but attacks on fuel stations had driven up prices, making transport much more expensive. She fears devastating consequences if the conflict escalates, noting the already huge number of displaced people in the city. Will Davies, Sudan director at Avaaz, said the drone attacks had created an “extremely dire” situation in El Obeid. He said the city lacked the ethnic dynamics that were a factor in the El Fasher killings and there was unlikely to be a major ground offensive because “the evidence isn’t there in terms of a force big enough to do it”. Mohamed Badawi, director at the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, called for a ceasefire and for the international community to push for the creation of safe corridors for people to flee El Obeid. The war began in April 2023 when a power struggle between the SAF headed by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo erupted in violence in the capital, Khartoum. The fighting has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced many more. It has been fuelled by foreign powers with vested interests who are supporting sides in the conflict. On Monday, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and a coalition of civil organisations referred high-level officials based in the UAE, Iran, Turkey and Egypt to the international criminal court “for aiding and abetting atrocity crimes” in Darfur. They accused them of supplying arms, mercenaries, equipment, financing and logistical support.

UK woman, 21, arrested in Thailand after allegedly stabbing boyfriend to death

A 21-year-old British woman has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly fatally stabbing her boyfriend, according to local media reports. The Bangkok Post reported that on Thursday morning local time, officers found the body of a 34-year-old man, who operated a cannabis farm, in a luxury rental home in the Pattaya area, a beachside region two hours from Bangkok known for its large expat population and nightlife. Police officers found the man lying in a bathroom attached to a bedroom with several stab wounds, according to the paper. Police believe the man had been dead for six hours before they arrived. The victim’s girlfriend was found sitting near the body. Police told the Bangkok Post that a 50cm machete-like knife had been washed clean in a sink. The woman claimed her partner had injured himself, but investigators found inconsistencies in her account, the paper said. The Bangkok Post added that the victim’s body appeared to have been moved, while bloodstains and signs of a struggle were found throughout the house. Images from Pattaya Cable TV show police at the property while the young woman with red hair sits on a couch in a large room with purple curtains. In another clip, the woman is questioned by police outside the home. Thailand became the first country in Asia to legalise cannabis in 2022, which led to an explosion in marijuana shops across the country. Although laws were introduced last year banning recreational use, it is still sold widely. A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the families of two British nationals in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities.”