Jimmy Kimmel show to return to air on Tuesday

Disney said "Jimmy Kimmel Live" will return to its ABC network lineup on Tuesday, six days after it suspended the talk-show host following threats by the Federal Communications Commission chairman over comments the host had made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 

Issued on: 22/09/2025 - 

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FRANCE 24

Jimmy Kimmel arrives at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, US on September 12, 2022. © Aude Guerrucci, Reuters

ABC said on Monday it would reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show after suspending him over comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Read moreABC pulls late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off air after Charlie Kirk comments

In announcing the decision to bring Kimmel back to the airwaves, ABC's parent company said it had suspended production of the show "to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country".

The Disney statement went on to say the company felt some of Kimmel's comments in question "were ill-timed and thus insensitive".

However, after further discussions with the ABC late-night host, "we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday", Disney said.

(FRANCE24 with Reuters)

FRIDAY

Jimmy Kimmel suspended: How late-night hosts are taking a stand for free speech

Copyright AP Photo

By David Mouriquand

EURONEWS
Published on 19/09/2025 

Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, John Stewart, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers have all voiced support for Jimmy Kimmel following the controversial suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Late-night talkshow hosts have stepped up to voice their support for Jimmy Kimmel following the “indefinite” suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. 

Earlier this week, it was announced that Kimmel’s long-running show has been pulled from the Disney-owned ABC network over the host’s recent comments following Charlie Kirk’s death.  

This follows the July announcement that CBS would cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert next May – an announcement which came three days after Colbert criticised the $16 million settlement between US President Donald Trump and Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, over the editing of a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris on the show 60 Minutes. Colbert branded the move a “big fat bribe”. 

The latest assault on free speech has sparked worries around political censorship and who might be next in Trump’s grand plan to reshape the US media landscape and rid himself of anyone critical of him and his administration.  

Here is what Kimmel’s fellow late-night hosts said about the worrying situation.

Protests outside El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where the late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is staged AP Photo

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• Death divides US: What social media reactions to Charlie Kirk assassination tell us

Stephen Colbert: 'We are all Jimmy Kimmel'

Colbert started his monologue on Thursday with the animated song ‘Be Our Guest’ from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, but replaced the lyrics with “Shut your trap. Shut your trap.”

He condemned the cancellation as a "blatant assault on freedom of speech" and later addressed Kimmel directly, saying that he stands with him and his staff: “If ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive.”

“With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch,” Colbert added. “Jimmy, I stand with you and your staff 100%.” 

Colbert also responded to remarks made by Brendan Carr, Trump’s handpicked head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Carr said it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming as “they determine falls short of community values.”

“Well, you know what my community values are, buster? Freedom of speech,” Colbert said to loud applause from his audience. 

David Letterman: 'An authoritarian criminal administration'

Late-night legend David Letterman — Colbert's predecessor on The Late Show — also defended Kimmel, saying: “I feel bad about this, because we all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media.” 

During the interview at The Atlantic Festival 2025 in New York, Letterman added: ‘It’s silly, it’s ridiculous,” and stated that people shouldn’t be fired just because they don’t “suck up” to “an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office”.  

John Stewart: 'Trump-approved'

Stewart satirised the situation by describing himself as a "patriotically obedient host" and his programme as "administration-compliant".  

He referred to Trump as "dear leader" and “our great father” before aptly introducing his guest Maria Ressa, a journalist and author of the book “How To Stand Up To A Dictator”.

Ressa, who is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, was asked for tips on coping with the current moment. She recounted how she and her colleagues at the news site Rappler “just kept going” when she was faced with 11 arrest warrants in one year under Philippine then-President Rodrigo Duterte. 

“We just kept doing our jobs. We just kept putting one foot in front of the other.”

Related

• Donald Trump is reshaping the US media landscape: After Kimmel, who’s next?
• Jimmy Kimmel axed: Trump celebrates as Hollywood and political world denounce censorship

Jimmy Fallon: 'I hope he comes back'

Fallon opened his Tonight Show monologue addressing Kimmel’s suspension: “To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on. And no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a decent, funny and loving guy, and I hope he comes back.” 

He continued: "A lot of people are worried that we won't keep saying what we want to say or that we'll be censored. But I'm going to cover the president's trip to the UK like I normally would..."

Then an announcer spoke over him and replaced most of his critiques about Donald Trump with flattery, like "he looked incredibly handsome" and that his tie was "exactly the right length."

Seth Meyers: 'A pivotal moment in our democracy'

Meyers said: "Donald Trump is on his way back from a trip to the UK, while back here at home, his administration is pursuing a crackdown on free speech… and completely unrelated, I just wanted to say that I have always admired and respected Mr Trump.”  

He continued by joking: “I have always believed he was a visionary, an innovator, a great president, and an even better golfer." 

Later in the segment, Meyers made reference to former President Barack Obama, who called out the cancellation of Kimmel's show as a violation of the country's founding principles, and added: "It is a privilege and an honour to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend in the same way that it's a privilege and an honour to do this show every night."

"We're going to keep doing our show the way we've always done it - with enthusiasm and integrity." This was followed by a fart noise, before Meyers got serious again.

"This is a pivotal moment in our democracy and we must all stand up for the principles of free expression. There's a reason free speech is in the very First Amendment. It stands above all others."

Considering Trump is using the apparatus of the federal government to pressure companies to reshape the public dialogue, let’s hope that, unlike the Disney-owned ABC, other media companies can stand up for their hosts' rights to freely express themselves.

China evacuates 400,000 as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches after slamming Philippines


Super Typhoon Ragasa hit the northern Philippines on Monday with winds of up to 215 kilometres per hour, tearing off roofs and toppling trees as tens of thousands sought shelter. The storm is now moving toward southern China, where authorities in Shenzhen are preparing to evacuate 400,000 people ahead of its arrival.

Issued on: 22/09/2025 - 
By: FRANCE 24

A man stands near debris on a waterfront road amid heavy rain driven by Super Typhoon Ragasa in the Philippines' Cagayan province on Monday, September 22, 2025. © John Dimain, AFP

The Chinese city of Shenzhen began preparing to evacuate 400,000 people as Super Typhoon Ragasa continued on its collision course with southern China.

The typhoon made landfall on the Philippines' Calayan Island, part of the sparsely populated Babuyan chain, at 3pm local time (0700 GMT), according to the Philippine weather service.

As of 5pm (0900 GMT), maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour (134mph) were reported at the storm's centre, with gusts reaching as high as 295kph, the national weather service said.

"I woke up because of the strong wind. It was hitting the windows, and it sounded like a machine that was switched on," said Tirso Tugagao, a resident of Aparri, a coastal town in northern Cagayan province.

On Calayan Island, at the storm's centre, information officer Herbert Singun told AFP that parts of a school's roof had been ripped off and landed on an evacuation centre about 30 metres away, leading to one minor injury.

"Can you see those coconut trees swaying in the distance?" he asked over video chat.

"There were eight of them before. Now only four are still standing. That goes to show how strong this typhoon is."

Just over 10,000 Filipinos were evacuated across the country, with schools and government offices closed Monday in the Manila region and across 29 other provinces.

A much larger operation will take place in China's Shenzhen, where authorities said late Sunday they planned to move hundreds of thousands of people from coastal and low-lying regions.

Multiple other cities in Guangdong province announced classes and work would be cancelled, and public transportation suspended because of the typhoon.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific airlines said it expected to cancel more than 500 flights as Ragasa threatened the financial hub.

A spokeswoman for the airline said passenger flights in and out of Hong Kong International Airport would be halted from 6pm Tuesday, "resuming during daytime hours on Thursday".
'Extremely torrential'

In Taiwan, the state weather service predicted a chance of "extremely torrential rain" in the country's east.

Philippine Coast Guard personnel assist in the evacuation of residents from a village in La Union province. © Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), AFP Handout

"Its storm radius is quite large, about 320 [kilometres]. Although the typhoon's centre is still some distance away, its wide, strong wind field and outer circulation are already affecting parts of Taiwan."

James Wu, a local fire department officer, told AFP that evacuations were ongoing in mountainous areas near Pingtung.

"What worries us more is that the damage could be similar to what happened during Typhoon Koinu two years ago," he said, describing a storm that saw utility poles collapse and sheet-metal roofs sent flying into the air.

Philippine government weather specialist John Grender Almario said Sunday that "severe flooding and landslides" could be expected in the northern areas of the main island of Luzon.

The threat of flooding from Ragasa comes just a day after thousands of Filipinos took to the streets to protest a growing corruption scandal involving flood-control projects that were shabbily constructed or never completed.

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to the effects of human-driven climate change.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Philippines evacuates thousands ahead of approaching super typhoon

/ Philippines Weather Administration

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By bno - Jakarta Office September 22, 2025

Authorities in the Philippines have moved thousands of residents from vulnerable areas as the country prepares for super typhoon Ragasa, which officials warn could have devastating effects, according to the BBC.

The storm, packing gusts of up to 230km/h (143mph), is predicted to strike the sparsely populated northern islands on September 22 before tracking westward towards southern China. The Philippine weather service has issued alerts about life-threatening storm surges, with waves potentially exceeding three metres.

In response, schools and government offices across much of the nation, including the capital Manila, have been closed. Officials have also warned of extensive flooding, landslides, and possible damage to homes and infrastructure. The northern Batanes and Babuyan islands, where Ragasa is expected to make landfall, are home to around 20,000 people, many living in poverty.

Though Taiwan is not in the storm’s direct path, heavy rainfall is anticipated and in some reports from across the island is already falling along its eastern and northern coast. Local authorities have evacuated nearly 300 residents in Hualien County, closed forested areas and trails, and suspended some ferry services.

In China, officials in Guangdong province are urging residents to prepare for severe disruption from strong winds and heavy rain, expected from September 23. Hong Kong authorities also anticipate rapidly worsening weather, with schools under review for potential closures.

Locally known as Nando, Ragasa strikes the Philippines while the country is still grappling with widespread flooding from an unusually severe monsoon season. The repeated impact of storms like Ragasa underscores how mismanagement and the diversion of flood control funds leave communities vulnerable to disasters that could be prevented, raising pressing questions about accountability and the prioritisation of public safety.

Nasa.govgpm.nasa.gov/resources/faq/what-difference-between-typhoon-cyclone-and-hurricane

What is the difference between a typhoon, cyclone, and hurricane?

The terms "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regional names for tropical cyclones. All tropical cyclones are alike in that they draw heat from warm water at the ...

TERRORISMUkrainian drones strike a resort in annexed Crimea near Russian state dachas, Kremlin proxies say
Copyright AP Photo
By Euronews
Published on 22/09/2025 - 

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) claimed that for the first time, Kyiv forces hit two Russian amphibious aircraft in occupied Crimea. Russia-installed occupation authorities say the resort area has been hit.

The Crimean resort area of Foros was hit by Ukrainian drones, causing damage and casualties, the head of the Russia-installed occupation government of Crimea said.

The alleged target of the strike was Foros Sanatorium, a luxury resort located near four Russian state dachas — country homes of Russia's political elite, according to the Kremlin proxies.

Russia-installed head of annexed Crimea said three people were killed and 16 were injured in a reported attack.

According to some Telegram channels, "very important" guests were allegedly staying at the resort at the time of the strike.

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the attack, but did not comment on who could have been a target or could have been at the resort during the alleged attack.

According to Crimea.Realities, a Crimean project of Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service, four Russian state summer residencies or dachas are located between Foros — situated in the occupied peninsula's south — and Yalta. 

An investigation by the Russian media outlet Project found that Russian President Vladimir Putin had taken over two of the dachas.

The resort website states that on Sunday, the Foros Hall restaurant was closed due to a private event.

Ukraine hits two Russian amphibious aircraft

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) claimed that for the first time, Kyiv forces hit two Russian amphibious aircraft in occupied Crimea.

According to HUR, the targeted aircraft are the Soviet-designed Be-12 Chayka (also known as “Mail” as per NATO reporting name). This is an anti-submarine amphibious aircraft equipped with high-value systems used for detecting and engaging submarines.

Before hitting Russian amphibious aircraft, HUR also reported that it had allegedly destroyed three Russian Mi-8 helicopters and a radar station in Crimea.

In Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine's southeast, Russian forces hit civilian and industrial infrastructure, sparking several fires that destroyed apartment buildings, private residences, and vehicles.

Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration Ivan Fedorov said that “the Russians targeted the city with at least five aerial bombs. They attacked civilian and industrial infrastructure."

Rescue crews from the State Emergency Service remain on site. At least three people were killed in the attack.

In total, 15 apartment buildings, 10 houses and several non-residential facilities were damaged in the city.

Russian forces also attacked the northeastern city of Sumy and the Kyiv region.

Overall, at least eight people were killed and 21 were injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian forces downed 132 out of the 141 drones launched by Russia overnight, Ukraine’s air defence reported.

How Ukraine keeps society going despite the war

Adaptive governance amidst the war: Overcoming challenges and strengthening collaborative digital service provision in Ukraine

Linköping University

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Mariana Gustafsson, docent in political science at the Department of Management and Engineering at Linköping University.

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Credit: Jonas Roslund

Despite being at war since February 2022, Ukraine has managed to maintain public services. A new study from Linköping University points to the collaboration between citizens and public authorities as a key factor in this. According to the researchers behind it, there are lessons to be learned for other countries should war or crisis come.

“Everyone, right down to the family and the individual, makes crucial decisions in times of deep crisis. It’s important that all actors are mobilised, pull together and cooperate,” says Mariana Gustafsson, docent in political science at the Department of Management and Engineering at Linköping University.

The study, conducted in the Dnipropetrovsk region in 2023 and 2024, is based on survey responses from 239 public officials and 882 Ukrainian citizens. It has been supplemented with ten in-depth interviews with public officials and active members of civil society. All in all, it gives a picture of how society’s functions were transformed during the war. The results have been published in the journal Government information Quarterly.

The study shows that extensive collaboration has emerged between all levels of society – collaboration that was previously sporadic. Citizens in civil society have been able to identify new needs early on through their local networks and develop relief efforts together with authorities and international organisations. This has made it possible to, for example, quickly create digital services to help war veterans or those who have had to flee their homes.  Citizens and organisations have become active co-creators rather than passive recipients, making the efforts robust and credible. 

The digital platform Diia, a central location for government services in Ukraine for the past few years, has played a key role in this, as a number of functions, originally developed in civil society, could quickly be connected to it. More than half of all Ukrainians now have the app on their phone.

But the researchers emphasise that the collaboration rests on trust within society – a belief that individuals, organisations and public authorities are actually doing what they are supposed to be doing. This belief was not always evident in Ukraine but has slowly grown since the Orange Revolution in the mid-00s. The war has since brought everything to a head, although serious problems with corruption remain. There are lessons to be learned by other countries about the importance of strengthening citizens' confidence in democracy and its institutions. 

Trust is created through authorities being flexible and actively working to include civil society, but also through citizens themselves becoming more active, according to Mariana Gustafsson. This is a challenge in all developed democracies, where engagement and participation in civil society have decreased over time. The conditions for a functioning society, even in times of crisis and war, must be created in advance.

“Don’t forget that trust is a commodity. This is something that public authorities, civil society and all of us have to work on continuously. We have seen many warning signs that civil society must become more dynamic and active,” says Mariana Gustafsson.
The researchers point out that the study does have some limitations. Because of the war, it has been difficult to achieve fully representative survey data. Moreover, the survey was only conducted in one of Ukraine’s regions.

The LiU researchers carried out the study together with colleagues from Dnipro University of Technology in Ukraine. The research was funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Institute. 

---

Journal

Government Information Quarterly

DOI

10.1016/j.giq.2025.102056 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Adaptive governance amidst the war: Overcoming challenges and strengthening collaborative digital service provision in Ukraine

Article Publication Date

22-Sep-2025

WWIII

Czech President Urges NATO To Respond Firmly To Russian Airspace Violations

Czech Republic President Petr Pavel. Photo Credit: Czech Republic government

 September 22, 2025  

By EurActiv

By Tony Wesolowsky

(EurActiv) — Czech President Petr Pavel has said NATO must respond decisively to Russian incursions into allied airspace, including, if necessary, by shooting down Russian military jets. 

His remarks to Czech media on Saturday came a day after three Russian jets were reported to have violated Estonian airspace.

Moscow has denied the incident, but tensions have mounted in recent weeks after Poland and Romania, both NATO members, said Russian drones had entered their territory.

“Russia will realise very quickly that they have made a mistake and crossed acceptable boundaries. Unfortunately, this is teetering on the edge of conflict, but giving in to evil is simply not an option,” said Pavel, a former chair of NATO’s Military Committee, in an interview with Czech public television.

Amid rising tensions, German Eurofighters were dispatched to track a Russian Il-20M in neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea on Sunday morning before passing the escort to NATO partners in Sweden.

A Turkish precedent?

Calls for tougher action have also come from other NATO members. Posting on Saturday on X, Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė suggested NATO member “Turkey set an example” of how to respond to such incidents in 2015 when it shot down a Russian fighter jet that violated its airspace.

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday he would be briefed on the incursion, commenting: “I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens. It could be big trouble, but I’ll let you know later.”

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told AP the incident was “a very serious violation of NATO airspace”, noting that the last comparable breach occurred in 2003, shortly before Estonia joined the alliance.

Tallinn has said it will request consultations under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which allows members to convene when they feel their security is under threat. Poland invoked the same article earlier this month, after around 20 Russian drones crossed into its territory on 10 September. Three days later, Romania also reported a violation during a large-scale Russian air assault on Ukraine.

In response to escalating incidents, NATO recently announced the launch of its “Eastern Sentry” mission to strengthen air and missile defence along the alliance’s eastern flank.

 

Iran delivers high efficiency gas turbines to Russia to replace sanctioned Siemens equipment

Iranian firm MAPNA has just delivered its first advanced MGT-70 gas turbine to Russia to replace Siemens turbines that have been sanctioned. / bne IntelliNews

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By Ben Aris in Berlin September 21, 2025

The extreme sanctions imposed on Russia have hit industrial sectors the hardest, which have been almost entirely dependent on imports of high quality foreign made machinery for almost all of the last three decades since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The problem is that because of the timing of the collapse of the USSR, Russia missed out on two revolutions in precision tool making and is now hopelessly behind. One of the biggest lacunas has been highly efficient gas turbines that were almost all supplied by Siemens as Russia can’t make them for itself.

After decades of its own sanctions, Iran’s technology is surprisingly advanced, and it has already solved many of the problems Russia is now grappling with.

The Iranian firm MAPNA has just delivered its first advanced MGT-70 gas turbine to Russia, part of a deal to export 40 gas turbines to Russia in 2022.

The delivery includes the turbine, generators, electrical equipment and aircraft engine repair services. Iran’s gas turbines will replace Russia’s German Siemens gas turbines. Several weeks ago, Iran mastered the domestic production of an even more advanced MGT-75 class-F gas turbine. Iran has also shared world class drone technology with Russia, from which Russia has established several factories and used the designs to innovate even more advanced Gerand models that have become increasingly effective on the battlefield.

The import of the Iranian turbines comes on top of Russia’s own efforts to improve its own technology, where it has also made good progress.

As bne IntelliNews reported, sanctions have spurred innovation from Russian cheese to turbines. Earlier this year, specialists from the United Engine Corporation (UEC), part of the Rostec State Corporation, completed testing of the second prototype of the new AL-41ST-25 industrial gas turbine engine. The engine was manufactured at UEC-UMPO in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan, which is almost as good as anything Siemens makes, the experts say.

The AL-41ST-25 is a fully domestically produced industrial turbine designed to replace foreign equivalents in Russia's fuel and energy sector. It has a capacity of 25 MW and features enhanced efficiency, reliability and environmental sustainability.

The prototype consistently met its specified performance parameters in all operating modes, according to Rostec, matching the performance of the German-made equivalents. However, clearly the roll out of large scale production of these Russian-made turbines is going too slowly.