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CHINA has targeted a German aircraft over the Red Sea with a laser, Berlin has revealed.

The aircraft was on a mission to protect marine traffic in the dangerous waters – where ships have come under attack from the Houthis in Yemen.

Mediacentrum Defensie (MCD).Info: mcd@mindef.nl.Foto: Keesnan Dogger

The plane was targeted over the Red Sea, where ships often come under attack[/caption]

AFP

A German aircraft was targeted with a Chinese laser beam while flying over the Red Sea – for no apparent reason[/caption]

The German Foreign Ministry said on X Beijing’s military had “endangered personnel” participating in an EU-led mission.

It wrote: “Endangering German personnel [and] disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable.”

A spokesperson for Germany’s Defence Ministry said the plane was targeted “without reason or prior contact […] during a routine operation”.

It was operating as part the EU’s Aspides mission to protect boats passing through the sea.

The plane was forced to abandon its mission following the senseless disruption and return to its base in Djibouti.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

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LETTING out a scream, Ashley Hodo sat bolt upright in bed.

At 10 years old she was used to the same recurring nightmare that plagued her sleep each night.

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Alabama Department of Corrections

Melissa Wright was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to murder her daughter[/caption]

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“It was the same bad dream every time,” Ashley, 24, from Alabama says.

“I was a toddler, watching my dad Robert snooze on the couch then my mum Melissa Wright picked me up and took me to the kitchen.

“She put me on the benchtop and next, I’d feel pain and terror, before waking in hospital with a nurse looming over me.”

But what Ashley didn’t realise at the time was that these weren’t nightmares, these were memories of a horrific attack she’d suffered at the hands of her mum.

At 14 months she’d suffered third-degree burns to over 30 % of her body, mostly back and arms. She was told by her family that they were the result of a house fire.

However, the reality was that Wright had placed her baby in the oven but she wouldn’t learn the truth until 14 years later when her mum faced parole.

“When I heard my dad’s account of what had happened it matched the nightmares I’d been having all those years,” Ashley says.

“Despite being just 14 months old, I’d somehow remembered parts of that day.”

Ashley’s early childhood was spent in hospital and she had constant skin grafts and surgeries until she was five.

“Every six months or so saline bags were implanted under my burn scars to stretch my new growing skin,” she recalls.

“The pain was awful, but the wonderful nurses lifted my spirits. They let me sit at the nurses’ station with them and play games.

“They were family.”

With her mum in prison and her dad battling with PTSD as a result of the attack, Ashley was sent to live with his sister, her aunt Rhonda and she didn’t see her mum or her half-sister Courtney, two years younger than her.

“My dad visited, but sometimes, seeing me in pain, he cried,” she says

“I’d ask after my mum and why I didn’t live with my dad, but my aunt always told me I was too young to understand.

“Sadly, when I was six, my aunt and dad fell out and I didn’t get to see him anymore.”

And amid the agony of losing her father, Ashley was in endless pain because the horrific burns that patchworked her body had left her with severe scarring.

“I had these bright red angry-looking scars, and I was always in hospital,” she says.

As she got older, Ashley became more inquisitive about why her body was different, the fire and her parents.

“Aunt Rhonda refused to discuss it but she would sometimes tell me my mum was ‘crazy’,” Ashley says.

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Ashley had a total of 72 surgeries to save her skin but she says she can feel it tightening as she gets older[/caption]

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“It felt like there was a big secret.”

At 15 her last disfiguring tissue expanders were removed – this was Ashley’s 72nd surgery.

A few months later as Ashley focused on yet another recovery Rhonda took Ashley to a meeting with a lawyer out of the blue, the local prosecutor.

“I guessed it was something to do with the fire and my mum but I was totally unprepared for what he said,” she says.

He explained to Ashley that when she was a baby her mum had put her in the oven which is where her burns came from.

“My jaw dropped, I thought I’d heard wrong,” she recalls.

People called me ‘scar face’ and said my mum didn’t want me, the bullying got so bad; I took an overdose of pills

Ashley Hodo

The prosecutor went on to explain that her mum – Melissa Wright had been in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder in 2003 but there was a parole hearing in two days and it was up to Ashley whether or not her mum got out.

“I was reeling, trying to take it all in,” Ashley says.

“He fanned out photos of a horrifically burned and blistered little girl, it was me.

“I burst into tears, no wonder no one had ever said anything.”

Rhonda showed Ashley the newspaper clippings about her mum’s crime.

The newspaper stories said in June 2002 when she was 14-months Wright removed the racks from the oven and put the grill on.

She turned it to high, over 300 C, then she put Ashley in head first.

Experts and prosecutors argued she was sane, and jealous of the attention Ashley’s dad gave to his daughter.

She admitted attempted murder and in August 2003 was jailed for 25 years when Ashley was just two years old.

“I knew I couldn’t support her parole and thankfully she wasn’t at the hearing,” Ashley says.

“I told the board that I thought Melissa should stay in prison for a few more years and explained that I didn’t trust her around children.

“I said that while I did not hate Melissa, I didn’t love her either.”

Parole was denied, and following the hearing Ashley wrote to her in the hope to learn why she’d hurt her but she never heard back.

Back at school, Ashley faced cruel taunts from her peers who had followed her story in the news.

“They accused me of lying about being in a house fire,” she says.

“People called me ‘scar face’ and said my mum didn’t want me, the bullying got so bad; I took an overdose of pills.

“I’d suffered depression and anxiety for years, but now it was much worse.”

Struggling to cope, Rhonda sent Ashely two to live with her dad.

“It was weird at first we were like strangers,” she says.

“Dad was a plumber and handyman and to keep my mind busy, he took me on jobs.

“We bonded as I learned to tile, lay carpets, and fix up a house.

“One day, he talked about what had happened.

“He told me that mum had been ‘acting strange’ beforehand and saying ‘crazy things about Jesus’ and that he’d thought about leaving with my sister and I.”

Her dad went on to explain that he’d given the girls a bath before falling asleep on the sofa.

He woke to the sound of his daughters screaming and discovered Ashley in the oven.

He explained that he’d scooped her out of the oven where her skin was peeling off and drove her to the hospital as fast as he could.

“Afterwards, dad had been diagnosed with PTSD which is why he’d been unable to look after me,” she says.

As Ashley got older she went on to become a paediatrician having been inspired by the care she’d received as a child.

After meeting her boyfriend she fell pregnant with twins with her then boyfriend but tragically, her babies, Mason and Alana, were stillborn.

“I was devastated, why was my life so hard?” Ashley says.

After splitting from the father of her twins, she went on to meet her now husband Anthony Hodo.

In May 2021 Anthony and Ashley welcomed  a baby boy, Brooklyn* and their daughter, Kaden*, followed in March 2022.

Five months later Ashley’s dad passed away, aged 65.

“It was yet another blow, but with study and two babies to look after I just had to battle through my grief,” Ashley says.

That same year she wrote to her biological mum Wright twice more, and when Ashley was pregnant again she finally received a reply.

“I was hoping for a meaningful explanation, a heartfelt apology but I didn’t get it,” she says.

“She told me she’d tried so hard to be the perfect mother. What she’d done fell a long way short of simply failing to be a perfect mother.

“She asked for photos of me and the kids and a second chance to be a mum to me and a grandmother to my children.

“She joked how my kids would know their “gangsta granny” and how, when she was released, she wanted to move close to me, build our relationship and go shopping together.

“There was no taking responsibility for what she’d done.

“Bizarrely, she thought we’d have this amazing mother-daughter relationship.

“She was deluded and there was no way she was coming anywhere near my children.

“I concluded she must have been crazy when she put me in the oven, I think prison was wrong place for her and she would be better in a secure mental unit.”

On June 21st, 2023, Ashley and Anthony had a little girl, Jaylee.

“A month-and-a-day later I woke up to find her struggling to breathe,” Ashley says.

“And then her breathing stopped.

“Frantically, I did CPR.

“For 30 desperate minutes I fought to keep my baby alive, massaging her tiny chest and blowing little breaths into her.

“But I couldn’t save her, she was too perfect for this world.

“She’d swallowed amniotic fluid at birth which caused intestinal pneumonia.

“I was completely overwhelmed when we laid my baby to rest.

I often wonder why I’ve been given such a load to carry and I still get those nightmare

Ashley Hodo

“I’d been through so much, yet, somehow, I was still here and I had two other children who needed me and I knew I had to carry on for them but it wasn’t easy.”

In December last year the couple welcomed another little girl, Mariah and the following month she received an unexpected call from Wright.

“She told me she wanted to see how me and the children were doing, I told her we were doing fine but didn’t share any details,” she says.

“Talking about her eventual release, she said she wanted to come and live with me and that we could go shopping together.

“It was like she was playing some bizarre fantasy video in her head where she was a good mother.

“I told her that wouldn’t be happening and that’s when she turned nasty and told me she wished I had died, so I hung up.”

Recently, Ashley called Tutwiler Prison, where Wright is currently serving her sentence to find out the latest on her release date.

To Ashley’s horror she learned Wright was being released to a halfway house in Birmingham, Alabama, in April 2026.

Inmates can serve out the last part of their sentence there and be helped with training, educations and finding work.

She will be out in the community before her sentence ends and she’s officially released in 2027.

“I’m not worried about my own safety, but I am concerned about her being around kids again,” she says.

“I often wonder why I’ve been given such a load to carry and I still get those nightmares. 

“Lately my scars have tightened, the skin pulls when I pick the kids up, it’ll tear soon and I’ll need more surgery.

“I’ve faced worse.

“I’m the girl in the oven, but I’m much more than that.

“I’m a wife, a mother, a grieving parent and a science graduate.

“I counsel kids with burns and I’m a survivor.”

*Names have been changed

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Ashley is now a mum herself but she sadly lost three of her children[/caption]

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Her mum is now up for release and Ashley worries about her children’s safety[/caption]

FORMER Dublin captain Seán Doherty has passed away aged 78.

The Wicklow born full-back captained Dublin to an All-Ireland win in 1974.

The Ballyboden Wanderers star won five leinster titles, two National League and two All-Ireland for the Dubs.

Doherty also served as a joint-manager of the senior team in 1989 alongside Gerry McCaul and Tony Hempenstall.

More to follow….

A BENIDORM fan favourite has revealed fresh hope for a long-awaited reboot – but behind-the-scenes drama could see ITV pull the plug before it even gets off the ground.

Benidorm fans were hoping for a reunion when rumours started flying back in April – and now show legend Sherrie Hewson has spilled some juicy new details.

ITV

The Sun revealed the ITV show is set to return after eight years[/caption]

ITV

Sherrie Hewson shared that the scripts for the reboot are done[/caption]

The actress, who played no-nonsense hotel boss Joyce Temple-Savage, revealed that fresh scripts for a brand-new season have already been written and handed to ITV bigwigs – and she reckons they “think they are wonderful”.

During an appearance at An Evening with Sherrie Hewson, she said: “I do know ITV have got new scripts and they love them and think they are wonderful.

“The problem with Benidorm is that it’s probably one of the most expensive shows ever because it’s in Spain, we have a Spanish crew, we have a British crew, so it costs a fortune to make.

“But it’s on twice a day every day and those ratings are still as high as they ever were, so I think it will [return].”

Sherrie went on to claim that ITV bosses “love the scripts” and revealed show creator Derren Litten “laughed out loud when he wrote them”.

“So I don’t think there’s any question,” she teased. “It’s just when.”

The Sun exclusively revealed talks have begun about bringing the iconic sitcom back.

But the return of the ITV comedy hit the rocks following a huge falling out between creator Derren Litten and the show’s biggest star Jake Canuso who plays randy barman Matteo.

The pair had quietly been a real life couple, and had been happily married for years, choosing to keep their relationship out of the spotlight.

Living together in Benidorm, Derren even opened a bar called “Matteo’s” in the holiday hotspot which saw Jake often turn up for special guest appearances. 

But the couple called time on their relationship at the end of 2022 – leading to one of the messiest divorces in TV history. 

They were finally granted a divorce in August 2024. 

Derren took to Twitter and said: “I don’t really talk about my personal life here but the reason I’ve been a bit scarce on the socials is for the last 18 months I’ve been going through a pretty miserable divorce.

“So I’m obviously poor now.  And you thought we couldn’t have more in common then we already do?!”

A source said: “Matteo is Benidorm, he’s the character that everyone wants to see. 

“He’s been part of the Solana since the beginning so for him not to feature in any future reboot, well it just would not be the same without him. 

“Jake created one of the show’s most loved characters in Matteo but with everything that’s happened between him and Derren, it’s not looking good.”

Benidorm has had a huge resurgence after Netflix bought the episodes from ITV. 

Another source said: “Conversations have been had.

“The only way Jake will return is if ITV make him a huge offer, one that he could not possibly turn down. 

“But obviously Derren is making negotiations difficult. He is the writer and creator and believes that he should make all the decisions. 

“The fans would want to see Matteo, which ITV get. It’s all become one big headache.”

A spokesperson for Jake insisted they were unaware of any planned return for Benidorm.

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Jake and Derren went through a tough divorce last year[/caption]

David Revenga

The former couple’s split is said to have put a spanner in the works of a potential Benidorm reboot[/caption]

A BRITISH dad has tragically died alone in Thailand while chasing his dream of becoming a Thai boxer.

Ryan O’Connor, 30, passed away just days before his wife gave birth to their second child back home in the UK.

GoFundme

GoFundme

Facebook

The beloved husband, dad, and well-known member of the Rossendale community died on June 28 after falling seriously ill at a Thai boxing academy.

The dad-of-two had flown out to Thailand on May 29, determined to tick off a lifelong goal before becoming a dad for the second time.

Ryan’s brother Liam said: “He just wanted to do it before he had two children.

“He thought he couldn’t go out there before having two children.

“It was his last chance to go and do something that he’s always wanted to do.”

But the dream turned to tragedy just weeks later when Ryan became suddenly unwell, bedridden with severe diarrhoea and what his family suspects was a serious infection.

He managed a video call to his parents on June 26, describing his symptoms – prompting his dad to contact Ryan’s hotel to ask for urgent medical help.

By the time emergency workers arrived, Ryan had collapsed on the bathroom floor and gone into cardiac arrest.

Medics managed to restart his heart after 15 harrowing minutes and placed him on life support.

But his condition worsened rapidly. He slipped into septic shock, his kidneys began to fail, and he passed away the next morning – just days before what would have been his 31st birthday.

Back home in the UK, Ryan’s wife Joanne, a local maths teacher, welcomed their baby girl Maya Jasmine O’Connor Sunday morning —surrounded by loved ones but shattered by the loss of her husband.

She is now facing a future raising early-three-year-old Riley and newborn Maya alone.

In a heartfelt plea on the GoFundMe page set to support the grieving family, Liam wrote: “(Joanne) now faces the unimaginable pain of preparing to bring new life into the world whilst coping with the uncertainty of their future and the devastating knowledge that their new daughter will never meet her father.

“Riley, the first child who is nearly three, will not see her father again.”

“We are raising this money to help Joanne and her family manage the unknown costs ahead, including support for her two young children, keeping their roof over their head’s, medical expenses, possible repatriation for Ryan and other costs associated with raising two young children alone, one of whom is due to arrive any day now.”

He added: “If you knew Ryan, you would know he was a great dad and husband.

It was his last chance to go and do something that he’s always wanted to do

Liam O'ConnorRyan's brother

“His strength, humour, and warmth have touched so many people.

“Now it’s our turn to rally around him and his family during their darkest hour.”

The GoFundMe campaign has already raised more than £42,000 towards its £50,000 goal, with almost 1,000 donations pouring in.

In an update, Liam wrote: “Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude.

“In less than one week, we hit our £40k goal!

“Ryan was deeply loved, and this outpouring of support is a true reflection of the impact he had on so many lives.”

Thai netizens are expressing their support for a Chinese influencer after she shared her heartbreaking story of being kidnapped as a child and her ongoing search for her biological family. The 20 year old influencer, Auyoya Yich, is widely known among Thai netizens as Aurora or Tao Hoo (meaning tofu). She is currently an exchange …

The story Thai netizens back kidnapped Chinese influencer’s emotional hunt for real family as seen on Thaiger News.

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 11,949 police officers will be deployed as part of security measures for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona). This was according to Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo in a briefing at Camp Crame on Tuesday, hours after Chief Gen. Nicolas

MANILA, Philippines–The Supreme Court (SC) has launched an investigation into information that an individual connected to the missing “sabungeros” case is attempting to exert undue influence over members of the judiciary. SC Spokesperson Atty. Camille Sue Mae Ting confirmed that they have already received initial information from the Department of Justice (DOJ). “It is the

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday revealed that the killings involving the missing sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados) revolve around an income-driven “corporate killing” industry. Remulla made the pronouncement after disclosing that several individuals are “actively getting in touch with” the Department of Justice (DOJ) to cooperate in the case of the missing

A HOLLYWOOD nepo-baby has bagged a big-money modelling job with the same brand her actress mom signed up with 20 years ago.

The 17-year-old Nashville-born beauty, who has followed in her parent’s screen-star footsteps, now features in a new promotion for Omega.

Instagram/Omega

A Hollywood nepo baby has landed the same big money modelling job as her Hollywood star mum[/caption]

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Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, daughter of actress Nicole Kidman, is now part of the Omega brand[/caption]

Instagram/Omega

Sunday Rose flashed a pout in the brand’s new campaign[/caption]

Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban is one of six fresh faces in the commercial for the watch company’s new Aqua Terra collection, which also features Ashley Graham and Ariana DeBose, to name a few.

The daughter of Nicole Kidman, 58, and country musician Keith Urban, 57, can be seen showing off her natural brunette locks as she sits side profile, donning a chic leather jacket.

Like a pro Sunday Rose, who is wearing minimal make-up to let her natural beauty shine though, glances over her shoulder to flash a pout.

She can be seen pulling up the collar of her garment, with her Omega wristwatch clearly seen on her left wrist.

In Omega’s Instagram image caption, the caption read: “Six inspiring women share the little secrets of our new Aqua Terra 30 mm collection.

“Join the inner circle with Ashley Graham, Danielle Marsh, Tems, Marisa Abela, Ariana DeBose, and Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.”

Her famous actress mum has been a brand ambassador for Omega since 2005.

She previously opened up on the partnership and said: “In everything I’ve done with OMEGA, they have shown extraordinary integrity, and that’s important in this day and age.

“Their watches are the same, and I’ve learned so much about the technology and history.

“They’ve adapted and evolved with the times.”

MODEL DAUGHTER

Sunday Rose is busy carving out a career in the modelling and film spheres.

She previously walked in the Miu Miu Paris Fashion Week show in October 2024.

The pretty teenager opened the showcase of the brand’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection. 

Sunday Rose then became one of the new faces of Miu Miu’s 2025 Duets campaign.

In the new gig, she starred alongside the likes of actress Liu Haocun, singer Eliot Sumner and Netflix favourite Joey King.

As well as her catwalk work, Sunday Rose has also starred in The Angry Birds Movie 2, The Undoing and Big Little Lies.

FAMILY AFFAIR

Nicole shares daughters Sunday Rose and 15-year-old Faith, with husband Keith.

Faith and Sunday Rose aren’t the Moulin Rouge star’s only children, as she shares daughter Bella, 32, and son Connor, 30, with her ex Tom Cruise.

Nicole previously spoke out about how she parents her children.

“I won’t let them be on Instagram,” she said in 2020 during an appearance on UK chat show Loose Women.

“I have a 12-year-old right now who is chomping at the bit and wants to get into all of that.

“It’s just that constant push, pull. I’d say a lot of parents would say the same thing.

“I think it’s keeping their confidence and their self-esteem intact.”

Yet five years on, Sunday has her own page on the social media site.

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Nicole shares Sunday Rose with musician Keith Urban[/caption]

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Sunday Rose has followed in Nicole’s acting footsteps[/caption]

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Nicole previously revealed her parenting techniques for when Sunday was younger[/caption]