The council also has proposed byelaws fighting against graphic anti-abortion imagery in front of City Hall

Belfast City Hall will go green to mark International Safe Abortion Day, next month.

A Belfast City Council committee has carried an Alliance Party proposal, after a vote, to illuminate City Hall on Monday September 28. The proposal comes after a request received from the National Women’s Council of Ireland.

At the August meeting of the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, 11 elected members voted in favour of the illumination, from Sinn Féin, Alliance, the SDLP and the Green Party while three voted against, all from the DUP. The decision will have to be ratified by the full council next week, where it is expected to pass.

READ MORE: DUP happy after EU rebuffs Belfast Council over more european funding

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The National Women’s Council of Ireland stated in their communication with the council: “International Safe Abortion Day is a global day of action to demand access to safe and legal abortion care everywhere. The day highlights the public health importance of ensuring access to safe and legal abortion care for all those who need it.”

They asked elected members to agree to the illumination “to mark progressive abortion law and policy across Europe and to stand with those across Europe who still experience harmful obstacles to abortion care.”

They added: “The colour of the campaign is green to call for safer and more accessible abortion.” The request forms part of a wider, coordinated illumination and visibility effort taking place across European cities this year.

Raby Castle, Park and Gardens’ Harvest Food and Gift Market will take place from Saturday, August 29 to Monday, August 31.

It will bring together local producers, street food vendors, live music and artisan stalls in a celebration of the harvest season.

A range of food and drinks vendors will be dotted around Raby Castle for the Harvest Food and Gift Market over the bank holiday weekend. (Image: TRACY KIDD)

Just outside of Darlington, the event will be run across the estates Riding School and Dutch Barn between 10am and 4pm each day.

The weekend will feature a mix of food, drink and shopping opportunities, where visitors will be able to browse everything from seasonal produce and sweet treats to handcrafted jewellery, homeware and other authentic gifts.

As summer begins to draw to a close and thoughts turn towards autumn, organisers say this year’s event will feature more vendors than ever before.

Raby Castle, Park and Gardens popular Harvest Food and Gift Market. (Image: TRACY KIDD)

Raby’s chef will be serving food from the barbecue throughout the weekend, while a pop-up tipi will also be dishing out stone-baked pizzas.

Visitors can also into The Vinery Café, which serves dishes inspired by and sourced from across the Raby Estate.

The Garage Café will be serving ice creams and iced coffees throughout the weekend, while nearby shops offer plenty of inspiration for those looking to pick up gifts, clothing, toys or skincare products.

Raby Castle, Park and Gardens popular Harvest Food and Gift Market. (Image: TRACY KIDD)

Raby Castle, Park and Gardens popular Harvest Food and Gift Market. (Image: TRACY KIDD)

Live music and family entertainment will be running throughout the weekend, giving visitors plenty to enjoy between browsing stalls and sampling food.

Sophie Brown, sales and events manager at Raby Castle, said: “Our harvest market is a wonderful way to mark the end of summer.

“Celebrate the bounty of harvest and a chance to get outside and make the most of the bank holiday too.

“We’ve updated the name of our market to feature food and gift as the options available this year are greater than ever before, with more street food vendors and stalls to browse, making it a jam-packed event for friends, families and couples to explore.”

The weekend also coincides with the final opportunity for visitors to experience Castle in Bloom, Raby’s floral summer display that has transformed castle rooms and buildings with a series of colourful exhibits inspired by nature.

Visitors can also grab a last minute glimpse at the Castle in Bloom displays before they are taken down. (Image: TRACY KIDD)

Visitors can also grab a last minute glimpse at the Castle in Bloom displays before they are taken down. (Image: TRACY KIDD)

Visitors are should also take a look through Raby’s Deer Park and Walled Gardens, and take their children to try out The Plotters’ Forest adventure playground.

The Hidden Forest is another ideal hotspot to keep the children entertained, with a new section doubling the size of Raby’s play area to include new challenges such as a stilt walk, balance beam, parallel bars, cascading wall and double swing.

Visitors who want to make the most of Raby Castle during their visit to the markets can buy special bank holiday tickets to access to all of the attractions across the wider estate for just £20.

Standard market entrance tickets are £2 if booked in advance, or £5 on the door, with free tickets for children under 15.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of a heavily intoxicated Steven Shevels being pushed over outside the Queen’s Head pub, causing a fatal head injury, last December 24.

Mr Shevels had drunk around a dozen pints of lager before he became embroiled in a ‘petty’ dispute with his alleged killer Martin Greensmith, Teesside Crown Court heard on Monday (August 24)

The 61-year-old was pronounced dead in the rear beer garden after paramedics were unable to revive him.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 37-year-old defendant had earlier deliberately bumped into Mr Shevels and made an indecent hand gesture towards him while he was drinking in the Queen’s Head.

(Image: DURHAM CONSTABULARY)

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said Mr Shevels was known as a drinker but he was not barred from any pubs around the Crook and Willington areas.

The jury heard how Greensmith was drinking in the Queen’s Head with his mother, brothers, uncle and grandmother at around 4.35pm when he pushed Mr Shevels to the ground where he remained prone.

He said: “The paramedics located an unconscious male laying on a raised patio area just outside the rear door of the pub.

“Some of those present were attempting CPR, paramedics took over and despite their efforts, the male remained unresponsive and was pronounced life extinct at the scene.

“The deceased was Steven Shevels and he was 61-years-of-age. He lost his life as a direct result of this defendant pushing him backwards so that he fell striking his head as he did so on the concrete path.”

Mr Perks said the incident was borne out through ‘petty animosity and ill-feeling’ towards Mr Shevels.

The jury heard how Mr Shevels had consumed a significant amount of alcohol throughout the day and was three times over the legal driving limit at the time of his death.

Mr Perks added: “He was known to frequent a number of local pubs. It appears that whilst he was not barred from any of them, he was limited to the amount of alcohol he was allowed to consume before being moved on.”

He said Mr Shevels started drinking shortly after 10am on Christmas Eve in the Horseshoe Inn in Crook where he drank five pints before leaving at 12.30pm.

Police outside the Queen’s Head in Willington on Christmas day (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Mr Shevels then headed to the New Kings, where he drank another four pints of lager before travelling to Willington on the bus.

“He was already unsteady on his feet,” Mr Perks added. “It would have been obvious to anyone present that he was under the influence of alcohol.”

CCTV footage captured a series of interactions between Mr Shevels and the defendant’s mother Angela Greensmith before he barged into the alleged victim while he was at the bar.

Greensmith then made an indecent hand gesture towards Mr Shevels before his mother and uncle intervened and moved him away.

The court heard how shortly after that incident, Mr Shevels walked into the pub’s rear beer garden while the defendant was outside with his brother.

CCTV footage captured the defendant push over Mr Shevels as he walked back into the bar – leaving him on the ground.

Mr Perks said the defendant briefly helped Mr Shevels before leaving the pub and “going to ground”.

He said Greensmith’s mother persuaded her son to hand himself into police and was arrested at her home at lunchtime on Christmas Day.

When interviewed by police, he made no comment to police questions.

Greensmith, of Rockingham Road, Sunnybrow, Willington, denies a charge of manslaughter and maintains that he acted in self-defence.

His lawyer, Paul Rooney, told the jury that his client had reacted to Mr Shevel’s aggressive behaviour and used lawful self-defence after he raised his arms towards his client and he pushed him away using reasonable force.

He said: “What he did was reasonable in light of the situation he honestly believed he faced when confronted by a drunken, aggressive man.”

The trial continues.

Rachel Mackay said her husband is unable to even visit the UK to spend time with her and their daughter, now eight months old

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A wife has been left battling unfair UK visa rules while becoming a new mum on her own, as her partner’s visa applications have been repeatedly refused.

Rachel Mackay, from Manchester, is fighting an uphill struggle to reunite with her husband Kieyaamudien as the family of three remain separated across different countries.

The 29-year-old met her partner while on holiday in Turkey two years ago. The couple were certain about building a life together and decided to tie the knot after an unexpected pregnancy.

Yet their journey has been made difficult since UK visa rules have blocked 34-year-old Kieyaamudien from coming to the UK to be with his wife and daughter, Emersyn, now eight months old. He has been refused three visitor visa applications, plus one fiancé visa application before the pair wed, Manchester Evening News reports.

Nail technician and mother-of-three Rachel currently falls short of the UK spouse visa financial threshold, which requires a minimum annual income of £29,000, while Kieyaamudien’s financial situation was also deemed ‘insufficient’.

This means their daughter is being brought up primarily via FaceTime conversations and occasional visits to see her father, who has been absent for all her significant developmental moments.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Rachel said. “He’s missed so many firsts – her first laugh, first foods, first crawl and instead has had to watch them through videos and FaceTime. No parent should have to experience their child’s early years through a phone screen.

“Every milestone is bittersweet because although I’m incredibly proud, there’s always a part of me wishing her dad was here to experience it too.”

Couple met on holiday

Their love story started much like any other – a holiday romance, with Rachel visiting Turkey with her family in August 2024.

Kieyaamudien, originally from Cape Town, South Africa, was working as a singer in the hotel, and the two struck up conversation after one of his shows, and exchanged numbers.

Rachel said: “We stayed in touch after I came home and our relationship grew from there. Despite the distance, we knew we wanted a future together. We didn’t plan to have a baby so soon, we’d always imagined getting married first.

“But life doesn’t always go to plan, and when we found out I was pregnant, we were both shocked but incredibly happy. From that moment on, our focus was on building our family together.”

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But the pair could never have foreseen the constant battle it would take. Rachel has two children from a previous relationship, and so needs to live in the UK – but their repeated applications to secure Kieyaamudien a visa have been unsuccessful.

She explained: “One of the visitor visa applications was so my husband could be in the UK for the birth of our daughter, but unfortunately, it was refused because the Home Office wasn’t satisfied that he would return to his home country at the end of his visit.

“As a result, he wasn’t able to be there when our daughter was born and instead had to watch her come into the world over FaceTime, which was heartbreaking for us both.

“The other two visitor visa applications were refused for the same reason, with the Home Office stating they weren’t satisfied that he would leave the UK before his visa expired.

“The fiancé visa application was refused solely because I didn’t meet the minimum financial requirement needed to sponsor his application.”

‘It feels incredibly unfair’

The application rejection letters cite Kieyaamudien’s financial circumstances as a key factor in the refusal to allow him entry into the UK, alongside concerns that he does not have “an incentive” to return to his home country.

The couple wed in March 2026, choosing to have their nuptials in South Africa, but it hasn’t changed their situation, and he has never been to the UK, even for a holiday, due to the failed visa applications.

The couple have been left out of pocket trying to raise the necessary fees. Rachel said: “Every application costs thousands of pounds once you factor in visa fees, legal advice, travel and supporting documents.

“We’ve spent so much already – well over £7,000 – and we simply can’t keep paying thousands of pounds with no guarantee of success. To lose that amount of money after the application was refused was absolutely devastating, especially knowing we had done everything we possibly could.

“Even though we’re married and have a British daughter, we still don’t meet the criteria needed for him to be granted a spouse visa. It feels incredibly unfair that a family can be kept apart despite doing everything the proper way.

“Instead, we’ve been forced to live in separate countries while trying to raise our daughter together from hundreds of miles apart. My husband has missed so many important moments in her first year because he simply isn’t allowed to be here.”

Kieyaamudien has since moved to Spain for seasonal work to be closer to Emersyn and Rachel, who save up to visit as often as they can.

So far, they have been able to visit him four times, but visits are on hold as they can’t afford another one while trying to save for another visa application.

Rachel said: “We do everything we can to see each other. That means I travel to Spain with our daughter whenever we can afford to, and we speak every day on FaceTime so he can still be involved in her life.

“The travel is incredibly expensive on top of everything we’ve already spent on visa applications. Flights, accommodation and taking time away all add up – but we don’t have another choice if we want them to have a relationship.

“We wouldn’t change a thing or wish our daughter wasn’t here – we just never imagined we’d be raising her across two countries because of the immigration challenges we’ve faced.

“Our biggest hope is simply to live together as a normal family. We want our daughter to grow up with both of her parents present every day instead of having to say goodbye after every visit.

“Our aim is simply to live together as a family in the UK. We don’t want anything special, we just want our daughter to grow up with both of her parents under the same roof.”

‘I should be able to live with my husband here’

Rachel has been sharing their story on TikTok, where posts have garnered 1.4 million views.

She added: “I’d love our story to help raise awareness of how many other families are going through the same thing, because since sharing our journey on TikTok, I’ve heard from so many people facing similar situations.

“The response has been overwhelming. Thousands of people have shared their own experiences of being separated from their partners or children because of immigration rules.

“We know we’re not the only family living like this, and we hope sharing our story helps people understand the emotional and financial impact these rules have on ordinary families who simply want to be together.”

For now, the family are saving up for another spouse visa application, with the support of a specialist immigration solicitor.

Rachel said: “We’re hoping that our circumstances, including our right to family life and the fact we have a British daughter together, will be properly taken into account.

“I’m working as much as I possibly can, but as a self-employed nail technician who is also solo parenting three children, it’s incredibly difficult to work enough hours to reach the income threshold. I’m doing everything I can, but it’s not something I can achieve overnight.

“I don’t feel that we should have to leave the UK. This is my home country – I was born here, I’ve worked since I was 16 and I’ve paid taxes here for years.

“I believe I should be able to live here with my husband and raise our family together. Relocating also isn’t a realistic option. I have two older children who have a relationship with their father here in the UK, and I would never take them away from him.

“Their lives, school, family and support network are all here. This is our home, and all we want is the opportunity to live together as an ordinary family.”

The Home Office stated they do not routinely comment on individual cases, and that all visa applications are carefully considered on their individual merits, in line with the Immigration Rules and based on the information and evidence provided by the applicant.

By ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER

Published: 09:44 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 17:41 BST, 24 August 2026

A horrified tourist was left aghast after being given a receipt from a restaurant saying ‘burn the eggs and spit on them’ after she asked for her eggs to be well-cooked.   

Speaking to Italian paper Corriere della Serra, Brazilian tourist Maria Clara recounted the distressing moment at the restaurant in Romagna, Italy.

‘I was polite. I simply asked if it was possible to have the eggs a little more cooked,’ she said. 

Ms Clara claims she was very rudely told they did not make raw eggs when she asked for the eggs to be less runny.

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‘In the end, they arrived very soft, but I didn’t ask for them to be recooked. I let it go because I didn’t want to argue,’ she said.

When she noticed the receipt, at first she thought it was a joke, before becoming scared. At that point Ms Clara and her group asked to speak to a manager.

They were initially told there was not one there, before another waitress intervened and brought the manager.

The waiter who had wrote the comment on the receipt was a teenager of about 17 years old, who reportedly ‘went white, very nervous’.

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A horrified tourist was left aghast after being given a receipt from a restaurant saying ‘burn the eggs and spit on them’

The restaurant posted a mocking video on their TikTok account appearing to poke fun at the incident

In the video, the owner of the restaurant plays the role of a very demanding customer who even orders a dish ‘with spit’

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‘He apologised and said it was a joke between him and the chef,’ Ms Clara said.

Ms Clara said that the boy tried to take the receipt back and throw it away.

‘We told him not to do it and that otherwise we would call the police,’ she added.

‘If I had been rude, I could at least understand someone getting angry. But I wasn’t. I simply asked, as politely as possible, for slightly more overcooked eggs.’

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The employee was apparently removed, but the saga did not end there, with the customer later finding out that the restaurant had posted a mocking video on their TikTok account appearing to poke fun at the incident. 

In the video, the owner of the restaurant plays the role of a very demanding customer who even orders a dish ‘with spit’.

A poll was also posted beneath the owner’s video, asking whether the fired employee should be forgiven and rehired. 

While many users said the incident was unforgivable, others urged the owner to give the employee a second chance.

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Among the hundreds of comments, however, some took the story in an even more disturbing direction. 

People claiming to work or have worked in restaurant kitchens said they had actually spat on the plates of customers they found particularly irritating.

‘At first we thought it was something absurd, written as a joke. Then we read people saying, “I did it too.” And we started to think that these things really do happen,’ Ms Clara said.

Ms Clara said she received death threats and racist comments due to the incident going viral. 

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However, she maintains that even the most difficult customer should not fear the contamination of their food by waiters. 

Minnie Merriman, 9, died after she was found seriously injured an an industrial estate in the Angus town earlier this month.

Mourners gathered in Arbroath to pay tribute to tragic schoolgirl Minnie Merriman as she made her “final journey” through Scotland.

The nine-year-old died at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee on August 3 after being found seriously injured at Elliot Industrial Estate in the town. She had been camping with her family, from West Yorkshire, in the area at the time. Three other family members were also taken to hospital.

Her dad Christopher Rice, 35, remains in custody after appearing at Forfar Sheriff Court charged with murder.

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Members of the community in Arbroath were asked to line the streets as a private ambulance carrying the schoolgirl and her family travelled from Dundee to Victoria Park in the Angus town on Monday afternoon.

Locals organised a piper to play during the procession and bikers tailed the motor.

Hundreds gathered to remember the schoolgirl at the beauty spot. Floral tributes, balloons and teddy bears were left outside of the ambulance.

Her devastated mum Laurie, who was surrounded by family members, stopped to read the tributes.

The family will make their way from Scotland to their home in Yorkshire to hold a private funeral service.

A family friend said: They said: “Minnie will be leaving Scotland and beginning her journey home to Yorkshire.

“Bringing her home is an important step as Laurie and the family prepare to give Minnie the send off she truly deserves. Minnie’s funeral will be a celebration of her life, honouring her personality, her joy, and the special moments that made her so unforgettable.

“We are so deeply grateful for the kindness shown so far.”

A GoFundMe to help provide financial support for her funeral has raised more than £7,000.

A statement from the fundraiser reads: “All donations will first go towards giving Minnie the very best possible funeral and farewell. A dignified goodbye that reflects just how deeply she was loved, without adding financial pressure to the family.

“Minnie’s funeral will be a celebration of her life, honouring her personality, her joy, and the special moments that made her so unforgettable.

“Once funeral costs are covered, any remaining funds will go directly to Laurie and the boys to help them through the difficult months ahead as they try to rebuild their lives.”

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Laurie Merriman, Minnie’s mum, paid tribute to her “first true love” in a heart-breaking message the week after her daughter’s death.

She wrote: “You have always and will continue being my strength, we are connected eternally, I have never felt a love so deep and a connection so strong. My first true love, my twin, I am connected to you in life and in death, and my girl that cannot be broken, I will fight to stay strong for your little brothers.

“I will hold my head high, knowing you will always be holding my hand for the rest of my life. I will see you again, that I know for sure. I love you eternally.”

In another tribute, headteacher of Hendal Primary School in Wakefield, Kelly Ashton, described her as a “kind and thoughtful girl”.

Arbroath FC also paid a touching tribute in Minnie’s memory. The club held a minute’s silence for Minnie prior to their Scottish Championship fixture against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Over 1,300 fans in attendance at Gayfield Park, just one mile from where the youngster was discovered, paid their respects.

Her aunt, Chloe Merriman, was touched by the gesture. Writing on Facebook, she said: “We really appreciate this as a family. My sister is overwhelmed with the kindness and love from Arbroath.”

Police Scotland confirmed they were not looking for anyone else in connection with Minnie’s death.

Days after her death, it emerged NHS Tayside was investigating a potential data breach after her health records were allegedly accessed by a member of staff without permission or a clinical need. The health board confirmed an internal investigation had been launched.

Many of us see coffee as a caffeine fix, whether it’s first thing in the morning or during the 3pm slump.

But as a new study shows, not all drinks are created equal, and the level of buzz you’ll be left with can vary wildly depending on where you order.

Consumer watchdog Which? analysed the caffeine content across chains including Caffè Nero, Costa, Pret A Manger, Starbucks, and Greggs.

According to the research, Costa was top of the list, with a medium sized capuccino — which features a mixture of espresso, hot milk, and thick foam on the top — containing 325 milligrams.

For context, that’s the same amount of caffeine as four cans of Red Bull,or almost three-and-a-half times the 89mg found in the same beverage from Starbucks.

Meanwhile, Greggs’ and Caffè Nero’s options featured 235mg and 221mg of caffeine, placing them second and third respectively.

If you order an espresso, you might expect a strong hit of caffeine. Arguably, that’s the whole point, right?

But at Costa, you’re looking at 100mg of the stuff, which again, makes it the most caffeine-heavy shot served by all UK chains. And when it comes to the flat white, a short drink made with three slightly smaller ‘cortissimo’ shots, the 241mg is enough to give you the shakes just thinking about it.

By contrast, Starbucks’ espresso features 45mg, while the 89mg of caffeine in its flat white is almost three times lower than the Costa equivalent.

The last time Which? carried out a study of this type was 2023, and since then, Caffè Nero appears to have seriously embraced the buzz, with its cappuccino now containing double the previous amount, at 160mg.

In terms of why this is the case, it all depends on the type of bean that’s used, as well as the roasting style, method of brewing, and of course, the cup size.

According to the Caffeine Informer website, a standard espresso contains 80mg, while a latte and an Americano both also have 160mg.

So if you’re actively looking to reduce your caffeine intake, then Starbucks is your best bet, as the chain generally serves the least amount in its drinks. However, over the last three years, levels have slightly increased.

It’s also important to keep in mind that while matcha is often touted as a gentler alternative to coffee, it’s not completely caffeine-free.

In the Which? study, Costa’s hot matcha latte came out with the highest amount at 99mg, while Starbucks measured up at 57mg and Pret 28mg.

Metro has contacted both Costa and Starbucks for comment.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk

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Ten years ago, a divorced father and his young daughter boarded a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan. But before they reached their destination, most of South Korea had been overrun by zombies.

This simple premise turned director Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan into one of the most successful Korean films of its generation. Following its premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, it went on to draw more than 11.5 million viewers in South Korea and broke box-office records for Korean films in several Asian markets.

The film is now returning to cinemas in a new 4K restoration for its tenth anniversary. However, this new version arrives in a world where Korean films and television shows occupy a very different cultural position from that of 2016. The genre-bending film Parasite won best picture (and a slew of other awards) at the 2020 Oscars, the hit TV drama Squid Game has become an international phenomenon, and Korean actors are increasingly familiar to audiences far beyond Asia.

Looking back from 2026, Train to Busan was an important stage in that transformation. It showed that Korean commercial film could attract global attention, while also depicting important social concerns and storytelling traditions coming from the film’s Korean context.

A society in crisis

The film follows Seok-woo (Gong Yoo), a successful fund manager, taking his daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) to visit her mother in Busan. Their train has barely pulled out from Seoul Station when a woman on the train infected with a zombie contagion begins to attack other passengers.

The train gathers a cross-section of South Korean society into one confined space. Its passengers include a pregnant woman and her husband, school pupils, elderly sisters, railway employees, a homeless man and a wealthy transport executive. The train is also a key character in the film, with its narrow corridors and automatic doors turning every movement between carriages into a tactical challenge.

As the infection spreads, social position offers little protection. Instead, each person’s character is measured by how they respond to the vulnerability of others. The executive, Yong-suk, tries to persuade other passengers to exclude people who have fought their way to apparent safety and his selfishness quickly spreads to others.

The main character, Seok-woo, initially shares this instinct. He tells his daughter, Su-an, to look after herself and uses his personal contacts to seek protection only for him and his daughter. But Su-an’s actions challenge this choice. Her concern for strangers draws her father towards a different understanding of responsibility. She shows that those who cooperate with each other create possibilities for survival, while those who treat others as expendable jeopardise their own safety.

Institutional Failure

Train to Busan also explores themes beyond individual behaviour. As panic rises among the passengers, government announcements and television reports describe the disaster vaguely as violent unrest, offering little useful information. A supposedly secure military presence at Daejeon Station is shown as being overrun with marauding zombies.

These images were especially poignant in South Korea in 2016, as two years earlier, over 300 people, including 250 pupils from a single secondary school, had died in the Sewol ferry disaster. Investigations into the incident exposed regulatory failures, poor emergency management and misleading official communication.

The national trauma surrounding the disaster persisted. In the years that followed, popular culture repeatedly returned to the fate of people failed by institutions that were supposed to protect them.

The government’s response to the Sewol disaster contributed to a wider loss of public trust in the then president, Park Geun-hye. In late 2016, millions joined candlelight protests against Park, leading to her impeachment over a corruption scandal. Although Train to Busan came before the largest demonstrations, its scepticism towards corporate and political authority reflected the public discontent of the time.

Before Parasite and Squid Game

Before making Train to Busan, Yeon Sang-ho was already known for dark animated films. Films such as The King of Pigs and The Fake examined bullying, poverty and religious exploitation. Train to Busan, his first live-action feature, continued to combine social criticism with Korean melodrama. It marked his move into blockbuster filmmaking and brought his concerns into a much larger commercial production.

Korean cinema already had a strong international reputation by 2016. Directors such as Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook had spent more than a decade attracting film festival audiences and critics through films including Oldboy, Memories of Murder, and The Host.

Train to Busan moved beyond those established audiences to a wider market via the familiar zombie genre. Its action crossed language boundaries and its emotional stakes were widely understandable, but the institutions, social conflicts and family relationships were firmly rooted in the South Korean experience.

This ability to work through recognisable genres would become central to the global success of Korean screen culture. The film Parasite used thriller and black comedy to examine class inequality, and the TV series Squid Game turned children’s games into a story about debt, desperation and brutal competition. Like Train to Busan, both explored pressures experienced within contemporary South Korea in ways that international audiences could understand.

Yeon has argued that this international success developed over many years, as Korean creators gradually built credibility with global audiences, with Train to Busan helping to extend that credibility from film festival cinema to mass entertainment. Ten years on, the film retains its compelling message of human behaviour in the midst of societal challenge, at the same time as Korean screen culture continues to ascend in its commercial influence.

By JOE ROSSITER, REPORTER

Published: 11:43 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 17:06 BST, 24 August 2026

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after around 140 cars were destroyed in a fire near Gatwick Airport.

Police and fire crew were called to the ‘significant and complex’ fire in Caldyne Business Park in Rowfant, near Crawley, West Sussex, at 8.56pm on Saturday.

It is understood the car park is used mainly for travellers going to Gatwick, though the airport does not operate it.

Huge flames and thick smoke were pictured on Saturday night before a 67-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson.

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He was bailed as an investigation continued, Sussex Police said. 

Eight fire engines and two water carriers brought the blaze under control overnight as more than 2,000 homes had their power cut after the fire damaged high-voltage equipment near the car park.

Members of the public have been told to avoid the area as firefighters remained there to ‘dampen down hotspots’.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue said its teams were ‘hoping’ to leave later today. 

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The aftermath shows the burnt out shells of cars 

Fire crews battled a large fire near Gatwick Airport on Saturday evening, after which a man was arrested on suspicion of arson

The 67-year-old man has been bailed as an investigation continues, police said

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Around 100 cars are believed to have been burned during the fire at a car park mainly used for travellers heading to Gatwick, it is understood

There were no casualties from the fire.

A London Gatwick spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘We are aware of a fire at an unaffiliated third-party car parking site, which occurred on Saturday evening, and understand how concerning and distressing this will be for any passengers whose vehicles may have been affected.

‘We are advising any passengers who are concerned that their vehicle might have been affected to call the police on 101.

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‘The parking company is not endorsed or operated by London Gatwick.’

A spokesman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue said: ‘On Saturday (22 August) at 8.56pm we were alerted to fire at Wallage Lane in Rowfant.

‘Crews have been at the scene since the initial 999 call, responding to a significant and complex fire involving a workshop, vehicles (including electric and heavy goods vehicles), and cylinders.

‘Approximately 140 vehicles were damaged, and a number of the vehicles involved in this fire were parked at a site used for holiday parking. Any affected consumers are advised to contact their operator directly.

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‘On Saturday night local residents and nearby businesses experienced a temporary loss of electricity as an overhead power line needed to be isolated.

‘Vulnerable customers were supported by West Sussex County Council’s Resilience and Emergencies Team, and the electricity supply has since been restored.

‘Fire crews have been at the scene this morning (24 August) damping down hotspots, and we are hoping to leave the scene later on today.

‘Fortunately there were no casualties as a result of this fire.

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‘A joint fire investigation is now ongoing with Sussex Police. Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to report it online or call 101, quoting serial 1504 of 22/08.’