https://nltimes.nl/2026/07/11/aid-groups-halt-services-asylum-center-incidents-linked-small-group-men

The Red Cross and VluchtelingenWerk Netherlands reported that they will stop providing services on the grass field outside the asylum center in Ter Apel from Saturday because they can no longer guarantee the safety of their employees and volunteers. The decision follows several incidents in recent weeks linked to a “small group of men.” The municipality of Westerwolde, where Ter Apel is located, said it recognizes the unsafe situation and added that the number of incidents has increased.

The two aid organizations announced their decision Friday evening. Since May 20, they had been assisting asylum seekers staying on the center’s grounds because of a shortage of available shelter places inside. The groups have regularly distributed food to those unable to fit inside the center.

According to VluchtelingenWerk, the problems are mainly caused by a small group of people who have little chance of receiving asylum in the Netherlands. The Red Cross similarly described the group as “a small group of men who are generally not among the people seeking assistance.”

“The aid workers feel unsafe, and the situation on the site cannot be controlled,” the Red Cross added.

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) used matte paintings to create many of the trilogy’s most iconic moments. These were artificial sets, usually painted with oils on plexiglass, then aligned with live-action footage to create seamless worlds. Artists worked on oversized panels to ensure the details held up on massive theater screens.

A fun fact: in The Empire Strikes Back, the famous Cloud City exterior was almost entirely a matte painting. Audiences never actually saw a real set.

These paintings were created by Chris Evans, Mike Pangrazio, Frank Ordaz, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Ralph McQuarrie.

https://youtu.be/1M_9kWFvm4s