WASHINGTON (AP) — Ezra Jin Mingri was inside a detention center in southern China on the morning of July 3, worrying that he would likely spend at least 15 years behind bars. The 57-year-old Chinese Christian pastor had even previously wondered whether he would live to see freedom again.

In the span of 24 hours, Jin was 15 time zones away, digging into an In-N-Out hamburger in Los Angeles and watching fireworks with his family on the eve of Independence Day, marking America’s 250th anniversary.

“It’s so dramatic. It’s unimaginable,” the pastor told The Associated Press outside the nation’s capital.

He said he was suddenly released after being held since October, then put on a plane to the U.S. after President Donald Trump raised his case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May.

“It’s a miracle,” Jin said this week.

Jin has led one of China’s most influential underground churches, which defy government restrictions by not being registered with authorities. He is an exceptional case of a high-profile Chinese detainee going free following a U.S. request at a time when Beijing’s leadership has only become more unyielding to foreign pressure.

Chinese pastor credits Trump for his release

Jin said Chinese authorities released him without forcing him to make a confession or going through a show trial, dropping the charges instead. He said he did not know if there was any deal or swap for his release and credited Trump’s “unique diplomacy.”

“It has results,” the pastor said.

Trump, when leaving Beijing in May, told reporters that he brought up Jin’s case and that Xi said he would “strongly consider the pastor.” Trump also has vowed to “save our Great Christian population” worldwide.

When asked about Jin’s release, the Chinese foreign ministry said the country manages religious affairs in accordance with the law. “We firmly oppose interfering in China’s internal affairs with so-called religious issues,” the ministry said.

Jin is handed new Nikes and taken on an unknown journey

Jin said he was called suddenly to gather his few belongings, including a Bible, on July 3. He was handed new clothes and a new pair of Nike shoes. He was told he was being moved from the detention center in the southern city of Beihai, where he had been locked up for 266 days.

“Could it be that these people, now pressured, would put me under home arrest?” Jin said he wondered. He had heard from his lawyers that Trump had brought up his case with Xi less than two months earlier.

But he crossed out that possibility when the police van whisked by his old neighborhood and took him to a high-speed train station.

He was escorted into a train car with no other passengers, just police officers, who were recording video. Jin said he still did not imagine he could be freed because China rarely responds to outside pressure and many other Christian pastors and political activists are still locked up.

“I thought they would move me to a secretive place,” he said. A release was “too good to believe.”

In 2018, authorities in Beijing shut down the church’s physical sanctuary after the congregation refused to install surveillance cameras. Jin sent his family to the U.S. but stayed behind to keep developing the church, which met in small groups and gained a strong online following during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2025, Jin and other church leaders were detained in another crackdown.

Pastor gets back his passport and heads to America

At the airport, Jin said he was handed his passport before stepping on a plane. A U.S. diplomat had been waiting for him for hours.

For the nearly 13-hour flight, Jin was too excited to sleep. When he landed in Los Angeles, the pastor said he was welcomed by U.S. officials and given a fee-free one-year visa.

He reunited with his family after a yearslong separation and got to hold his three grandchildren for the first time — the youngest was barely a month old.

His daughter Grace Jin Drexel, who had lobbied for months for her father’s release, said she didn’t recognize him at first because he lost a lot of weight and had visibly aged.

Now free, Jin is working for the release of other Christians

Jin said he would be working to help free the eight other Zion Church members and other Christians detained in China. That includes Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church, who is serving nine years in jail.

To that end, Jin met House Speaker Mike Johnson this week, along with relatives of three detained Christians in China.

“I am free in this country, so warmly welcomed, so I am making a special call not to forget that many more are still detained,” he told AP, choking up. “I hope we will continue to strive for them to be free.”

The Republican speaker said Jin’s release had bipartisan support. “This is something we all agree on,” Johnson said. “It’s about religious freedom around the world.”

Jin said another hope is for China to legalize independent churches.

“Probably the most important wish in my lifetime is that Chinese churches can be recognized by their own government,” Jin said.

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Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to the report.

Since October 7, 2023, the PSC, the Greens and other activist groups have put sustained pressure on the previous Labour administration in Hackney to end the twinning and divest the council’s pension fund from firms linked to Israel’s military activity and occupation. Former Mayor Caroline Woodley twice refused to do either, on the grounds that it would inflame community tensions, and because it was not in the council’s power to divest, she claimed.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike on Friday that helped galvanize a youth movement that’s become one of India’s largest protests in recent years, but demonstrators vowed to continue until the education minister resigns.

Wangchuk’s fast became a rallying point for India’s “Cockroach” protests, which began more than a month ago demanding education reforms after alleged leaks in some of the country’s most competitive entrance exams. Since then, the movement has tapped into broader public anger over unemployment, government accountability and economic opportunity, drawing professionals, families and activists to demonstrations in New Delhi and cities across the country.

The demonstrations have become one of the most sustained waves of public dissent against Modi’s government in recent years, with thousands returning to the streets even after police used tear gas and batons this week to disperse marchers trying to reach Parliament.

In a post on X, Wangchuk said he ended his fast in the presence of two federal ministers after appeals from dozens of members of parliament and following “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country.” He did not elaborate on the talks.

Protest organizers said demonstrations would continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. They have called for demonstrations across the country on Friday in solidarity with students who were beaten by police during a march to Parliament on Monday that drew thousands of people.

“We won’t let Sonam sir’s sacrifice go in vain,” said Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical group that has spearheaded the movement, named in reference to a remark by the country’s supreme court chief justice that compared some unemployed young people to cockroaches.

The nationwide protests come a day after Modi publicly addressed the protests for the first time, announcing fast-track courts to prosecute cases involving examination paper leaks. The announcement did little to calm the movement, as protesters said it failed to address their demands for government accountability, examination reforms and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide after exam paper leaks.

Reese Witherspoon broke down in tears after learning that The Morning Show is officially coming to an end.

Witherspoon, 50, and her co-star Jennifer Aniston, 57, shared touching posts within hours of the announcement by Apple TV+ that the series would end after season five.

The fifth and final season, which wrapped filming on Wednesday night, will premiere in 2027 and reunite Aniston and Witherspoon with co-stars Mark Duplass, Billy Crudup, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Nicole Beharie and Jon Hamm.

The show will also bring fresh talent into the mix including Jeff Daniels, Renee Rapp, Jesse Williams, Sean Hayes and Lizzy Caplan.

Though Aniston and Witherspoon both knew going in that this would be their last season, it’s obviously going to take time to digest.

Aniston, who is settling into her recently renovated Montecito property, took to Instagram to share photos from the Los Angeles set, including a picture of Duplass, who plays Charlie ‘Chip’ Black and longtime confidant to Aniston’s character Alex, giving Aniston and a weeping Witherspoon a consolatory hug.

Witherspoon, 50, and Aniston, 57, shared touching posts within hours of Apple’s announcement that the drama would end after season five

Another image showed her and Witherspoon sitting on their high chairs and having a belly laugh.

A third photo showed an empty control room with screens on, showing Aniston and Witherspoon having what looked like a closing face-off.

‘Laughing and crying. Final season of @themorningshow incoming… MUCH more to come. @appletv,’ the former Friends actress wrote in the caption.

Witherspoon offered fans of the show an Instagram reel of behind-the-scenes moments: sharing a hug with Aniston; both of them pointing to a golden plaque commemorating The Morning Show; enjoying an outdoor chat with Crudup; on a coffee break outside her trailer; and hanging out with other members of the cast and crew.

‘Eight years ago, we decided to tell a story about the people who bring us the news… A story about ambition, truth, power,’ Witherspoon wrote across the fleeting images.

‘Throughout five seasons, these characters challenged each other and challenged us. Because journalism isn’t just about reporting a story, it’s about finding the humanity.

‘But you’re only as good as the people you work with… and wow, how lucky am I to work with the BEST?!

‘Thank you to every cast and crew member who brought this story to life. Now… who’s ready for one more intense & dramatic final season of The Morning Show?!’

The Morning Show wrapped its last episode on Wednesday night; Aniston and Witherspoon were clearly feeling emotional in this moment shared by Witherspoon

Witherspoon and Aniston hugged it out as reality over the show’s conclusion set in

The fifth and final season of The Morning Show is scheduled to air sometime in 2027

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‘It has been a stellar creative experience – one I will always treasure,’ Witherspoon said in a statement released earlier on Thursday

She captioned the clip: ‘8 years. 5 seasons. So many memories. I can’t wait for you to see the final season of @themorningshow !’

In a statement released earlier in the day, Aniston was philosophical, saying: ‘Going in knowing it would be our last, we were so fortunate to craft the conclusion with intentionality, and honor these characters the way they deserve.’

‘From the beginning, Apple has supported our vision for The Morning Show, and we feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to tell stories that reflect what’s happening in the world around us with a twist of dark humor.’

The star, who, like Witherspoon, is also an executive producer on the show, added: ‘It’s been such a privilege to work with this insanely talented cast, and our extraordinary writers, producers and crew. We’ve become such a family, and we’re all so excited to share this final season.’

‘This was always more than a show about a newsroom – it was a show about why the newsroom matters,’ Witherspoon said in a statement. ‘About freedom of the press, and the journalists who protect the fourth estate, often at great cost. Telling that story has been the creative privilege of my career.’

She concluded by thanking Apple, the writers, crew and cast: ‘It has been a stellar creative experience – one I will always treasure.’

The shock end of The Morning Show comes weeks after Aniston bid an emotional farewell to her ‘father figure’ James Burrows following his death.

The acclaimed television director, whose credits included The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Will and Grace, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Two and a Half Men, Mike and Molly and The Big Bang Theory, passed away on June 19 at the age of 85, and Aniston admitted she felt the ‘pressure’ to craft a message that matched the love he had always shown her and her co-stars while making Friends.

Though Aniston and Witherspoon both knew going in that this would be their last season, it’s obviously going to take time to digest

‘Oh boy … Papa Burrows. The hardest thing about writing this is that you spent a lifetime making people feel loved, and now it feels impossible to put all of that love into a few paragraphs.’

‘He called us his “kids” — “Where are the kids?” “Let’s see if the kids can make the joke work.” No pressure.’

‘His own incredible children were generous enough to share him with all of us who were lucky enough to experience his unicorn presence.’

‘He was a father figure to me. He always checked in on me. He worried about me, celebrated me, taught me, guided me and held me through the hardest times and the best of times. He spoiled us rotten.’

She added: ‘Most of all, he taught us — the kids — how important it is to love and respect one another. To take care of each other. To have each other’s backs and support each other, no matter what. And we did just that.(sic)’

The House of the Virgin Mary is a shrine located in Ephesus, Turkey, where the mother of Jesus is believed to have spent her final years. Thousands of miles away, nestled in a field outside Manila, a replica in the Philippines welcomes devotees in Asia’s biggest Catholic nation.

“The idea began as a place of refuge,” said Dennis Paez, the priest who led the project. “This is a place where no questions (are) asked.”

The replica was inaugurated in 2024 in Alfonso, a town in Cavite province about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of the capital. Since opening, it has hosted Catholic pilgrimages, including celebrations for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in mid-July. The 67-square-meter (720-square-foot) structure mirrors the exact dimensions, shape and look of every stone at the original site.

According to Catholic tradition, the house in Ephesus is where Mary spent much of her life after Jesus’ crucifixion and before her assumption into heaven. The apostle John is said to have brought her to the region to escape persecution in Jerusalem.

Paez said the replica took about 10 months to complete. Workers of different faiths took part in the construction, something Paez viewed as the Virgin Mary bringing all of her children together.

“The apostolate of this place is to accept people with unconditional positive regard,” added Paez, who is also a psychologist specializing in supporting youth. “There is no therapy here. The therapist is our Mother.”

Marian devotion shapes Filipino faith

In the country of about 113 million people, nearly 80% identify as Catholic.

Philippine faithful often refer to the Virgin Mary as the Blessed Mother. Processions honoring her are held regularly throughout the country.

“We are a long-suffering people,” Paez said. “Our wealth is really our faith and our faith is such like that because of the Blessed Mother.”

Religious historian Michael Delos Reyes said that Filipino devotion to the Virgin Mary dates back to the time Spanish colonizers introduced Christianity in the 16th century. However, that devotion has also found expression in more recent moments of the country’s history.

Delos Reyes said that some attributed the 1986 People Power Revolution that led to the ouster of then-President Ferdinand Marcos to the Virgin’s intercession. And in 2013, when the Typhoon Haiyan ravaged Tacloban, devotees looked to the Blessed Mother for hope.

Filipinos turn to Mary for comfort

“To Jesus through Mary” is a phrase that reflects the central place Mary holds in Filipino Catholic life.

“Her maternal dimension is what Filipinos find meaningful, as well as her power to intercede on believers’ behalf,” said Deirdre de la Cruz, a professor of history and Southeast Asian studies at the University of Michigan.

Marian iconography and rosaries frequently adorn Filipino cars, public transportation, individual altars and shrines both in urban and rural landscapes, De la Cruz added.

“As someone who is known to provide comfort, Mary is a very familiar figure and someone to whom one can appeal in difficult times,” she said.

Daphne Oseña Paez, who recently visited the replica, said that despite being raised Catholic her devotion was not as strong as it became in adulthood. It began with a trip to Mexico, where she saw the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it deepened years later after enduring a difficult pregnancy that made her seek refuge in her faith.

“We don’t pray to Mary herself, but Mary intercedes for us,” Oseña Paez said. “In my times of trouble, and I’ve had a lot, I really clung on to the love and comfort of her as a mother.”

A pilgrimage closer to home

Donated Marian icons line the walls inside the replica. At the center stands a statue of Mary modeled after the one in Turkey, alongside a relic said to be from her veil.

Most of the displayed images were donated by art collector and Philippine culture advocate Maritess Pineda. She said her devotion to Mary led her to start a collection that has finally found a home.

Other Filipinos felt drawn to contribute in their own way. Rupert Suarez and his wife had visited the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus years earlier. When he learned about plans to build a replica in the Philippines, he joined the the project.

“I usually pray to the Mother,” Suarez said. “It’s so very blessed that we already have this replica built.”

The site has received little public promotion since its inauguration. Yet Father Paez said pilgrims have visited.

“I don’t at all think that it is me bringing them,” Paez said. “It’s The Blessed Mother asking them, inviting them to come.”

___

Hernández reported from Beijing.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Need Me will be released on Friday (July 24) and is due to be the second song from the York group since they announced they would be releasing music independently.

The band’s guitarist, Turnbull Smith, said: “Need Me is a song we’ve been working on for many years. It’s deep and means the world to us.

“I hope you can feel the energy and raw emotion of the tack.”

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The release comes after Skylights’ first song since returning, Fever, charted at number four in the official UK vinyl single charts.

Skylights were kept off the number one vinyl spot by pop giant Ariana Grande whose new single, Hate That You Made Me Love You, peaked at number one during its first week.

Grande was followed in the official vinyl single charts by Dinner Party by Niall Horan at number two and Down Below by Jayler at number three.

Skylights did, however, chart ahead of rock legends the Rolling Stones whose single, In the Stars, dropped to number six in the vinyl charts in the song’s third week of release.

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Terry Wilkinson died on June 16, at The Medical Group, McKenzie House GP practice in Esh Winning.

The 72-year-old had been at the same practice four days prior after being advised to go following a 111 call complaining of chest, arm and jaw pain.

Wilkinson saw his GP the same day and was prescribed aspirin and a glycerine nitrate spray.

He later returned on June 16 for blood tests. Coroner’s Officer Kelly Taylor, told the court: “However Mr Wilkinson became unresponsive while the nurse was taking blood. CPR was carried out until paramedics attended.”

The initial cause of death was stated as “ruptured dissection of the ascending thoracic aorta” – a burst blood vessel – before HM Senior Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield, on July 21.

Dr. Sam Hoggard conducted the post-mortem examination at the RVI in Newcastle and he was identified by Kate Johnson, Nurse on to PC 9911 Wilkinson in the treatment room, The Medical Group, McKenzie House.

The inquest has been adjourned and is set to resume on August 24 at 10am in Redhills , Durham.

His comments, made during his first visit as Speaker to Washington to celebrate 250 years of American independence, come against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine war, transatlantic tensions and concerns over Mr Trump’s commitment to Nato and European security, with a basing review of US forces.

Arsonists have been accused of using stray cats as living fire-starters to ignite devastating wildfires that have ravaged southern Italy.

Investigators probing the blazes in Calabria claim they discovered evidence that cats had been fitted with rags soaked in flammable liquid, which were then set alight before the terrified animals were released into dry vegetation to spread the flames.

Candles and homemade delayed ignition devices were also reportedly found close to burnt-out areas, strengthening suspicions that many of the fires were started deliberately.

The alleged tactic emerged as firefighters battled infernos that have torn through the Pollino National Park, one of Italy’s largest protected areas, where around 1,000 hectares of vegetation have already been destroyed after days of intense firefighting.

Authorities said the combination of scorching temperatures, drought and strong winds allowed the flames to spread rapidly across the rugged landscape. 

Domenico Costarella, head of Calabria’s Civil Protection agency, described the horrifying method used by suspected arsonists.

‘These animals were released into the fields, running around and spreading the fire,’ he said. 

Mr Costarella said more than 160 fires had been recorded across Calabria in recent days, blaming many of them on what he called ‘malicious individuals’ rather than natural causes. 

Flames and thick smoke rise into the sky as wildfires ravaged the forested hills of Castelluzzo, a hamlet of San Vito Lo Capo in Italy’s Trapani province

He warned that tackling the problem would require ‘a shift in mindset… These are inhumane acts. Sadly, men are their own worst enemies.’ 

Animal welfare campaigners reacted with outrage after the allegations emerged.

Italy’s Association for the Defence of Animals and the Environment has announced a €1,000 (£870) reward for information leading to those responsible being identified and convicted, while campaigners have also lodged criminal complaints with prosecutors.

Disturbingly, investigators say this is not the first time animals have allegedly been exploited to spread wildfires in Italy.

Authorities previously linked similar attacks to organised crime groups in Sicily, where cats were allegedly used to ignite fires in the Nebrodi Regional Park in 2016. 

The following year, investigators said the Camorra mafia employed the same tactic to spark blazes in protected woodland below Mount Vesuvius, forcing evacuations and prompting the deployment of the Italian army.

Researchers have previously suggested that some deliberately lit fires are linked to criminal attempts to devalue land before buying it cheaply or to gain control of territory, although each incident is investigated on its own evidence.

In Sicily, around 6,000 firefighters, forest guards and civil protection workers have been battling dozens of blazes despite the use of water-bombing aircraft. 

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that one firefighter lost his life while tackling the flames, while officials warned that exceptionally high temperatures and tinder-dry ground continue to fuel the emergency.

Flames and thick smoke rise into the sky as wildfires ravaged the forested hills of Castelluzzo

A fireman runs away from blazes as he tries to control a wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens

Across Italy, more than 11,500 hectares of land have already been scorched during the latest heatwave sweeping southern Europe.

The wildfire emergency has also spread across neighbouring countries.

In south-west France, more than 20,000 residents and holidaymakers have been evacuated after fast-moving fires ripped through thousands of hectares of pine forest west of Bordeaux. 

Authorities called in aircraft from other European nations as flames advanced towards coastal communities.

Philippe de Gonneville, mayor of Lège-Cap-Ferret, said: ‘The weather is not on our side.’

Spain is also battling multiple major wildfires, with thousands of residents ordered to flee homes west of Madrid while another enormous blaze in Guadalajara province has consumed more than 32,000 hectares.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, around 250,000 hectares have burned across Europe so far this year – almost double the long-term average despite remaining slightly below the same point last year.