Author: Gulf News Week
LIVEFour dead as historic rainfall hits Japan, triggering landslides and power outagesJapan’s weather authority issued its highest-level heavy rain warning in Chiba for the first time.
GettyThe departure of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will create a major opening in President Donald Trump’s administration, and the guessing-game of who will replace her has already begun.So far, the White House has not announced who will succeed Leavitt, and sources within and close to the administration said no decision has yet been made. Leavitt has worked closely with Trump for years, and finding someone to take over could prove difficult. In announcing she would step down at the end of the month, Trump called Leavitt one of his “most trusted aides”.When Leavitt was on leave earlier this…
Getty ImagesCount Binface is standing against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election Count Binface, the self-styled intergalactic space warrior, has again taken centre stage in UK politics, wearing a giant silver rubbish bin on his head.The much-photographed election veteran is the main rival to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in an election race caused by Farage resigning, only to run again – which sparked a mass boycott by the other main UK parties.With counting getting under way in Clacton, on the Essex coast, Binface is set to get his highest share of the vote yet, having lost to no fewer…
Getty ImagesA person has been fined for using a foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, a local official said.The incident happened earlier this month after someone sounded the alarm from onboard a vessel, which was sailing in a fjord in northwestern Svalbard – about 1,000 km (620 miles) from the North Pole.On Thursday, a person – who has not been named – was fined 50,000 kroner (£3,890) over the incident, the governor of the territory confirmed. Under local regulations in the region, “it is forbidden to needlessly disturb, attract or pursue a polar bear”, which…
Watch: Inside Ryanair plane flying with dislodged windowBroken engine fragments smashed a cabin window of a Ryanair plane last month causing a man’s head and right shoulder to be sucked into the hole, US investigators have said.In a preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said this happened after an engine fan blade broke shortly after takeoff on the 10 July flight from Greece to Germany.Serbian national Ljubisa Karović’s head and right shoulder were sucked out of the plane’s window, leaving him “seriously injured and in shock”.His wife Svetlana Grković Maksimović later told BBC Serbia that she and two…
BBC Verify speaks to woman who filmed ICE agent pointing gun at herBBC Verify has examined footage shared by a Virginia woman in which an ICE agent points his gun at her.2 hrs agoUS & Canada
Getty ImagesAttorneys for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, are meeting federal prosecutors on Friday amid US media reports of a potential plea agreement.Mangione faces two federal charges of stalking resulting in death, each carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison. It was not immediately clear which charges are under discussion.”There’s a conference scheduled for 11 am on Friday, and that’s all we can say at this time,” Jamie McDonald, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), said this week.Mangione also faces a separate state trial…
World Food Programme/PAMichael Ryan was among the 157 people killed on board the Ethiopian Airlines planeThe widow of an Irish United Nations employee, who died in 2019 following a Boeing 737 Max crash in Ethiopia, has been awarded $29m (£21.5m) in damages.A jury in Chicago in the United States awarded the sum to Michael ‘Mick’ Ryan’s family after his widow Naoise Connolly Ryan brought a civil suit against the aircraft manufacturer.Her lawyers have said the verdict “represents an important measure of accountability and justice”.A Boeing spokesperson said the company is “deeply sorry to all who lost loved ones” and they…
AFP via Getty ImagesThe second of the two 706-megawatt nuclear reactors at Cernavodă was disconnected just before midday on ThursdayRomania has shut down its only nuclear power station because of extremely low water levels in the Danube river caused by prolonged hot weather affecting much of Europe.The Cernavodă plant, where two reactors produce about 20% of Romania’s electricity, is not expected to be restarted within the next 10 days.Earlier this week, authorities tried to increase the water flow to the plant – which uses the Danube for cooling – by sinking barges loaded with rocks in the river.Neighbouring Hungary has…
Getty ImagesThousands of US military members who have been living aboard an aircraft carrier for more than 250 days are reportedly contending with food shortages, broken plumbing, exhaustion, and other hardships, leading a lawmaker to demand answers from the Pentagon and putting pressure on the Trump administration over the Iran war.Military news outlets reported multiple sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln have considered jumping overboard, as well. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday called reports of poor conditions “completely misrepresented”.The carrier left California in November for the South China Sea and was sent to the Middle East ahead of attacks…