/news/world/rss 九一星空无限 Keep up with the latest developments and breaking news around the globe with 九一星空无限talk ZB. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:24:51 Z en /news/world/washington-dc-plane-crash-no-survivors-after-helicopter-collides-with-aircraft-carrying-64/ /news/world/washington-dc-plane-crash-no-survivors-after-helicopter-collides-with-aircraft-carrying-64/ Footage shows an American Airlines plane colliding with a military helicopter, killing 67 people.  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating, emphasising a careful, fact-based approach.  Donald Trump blamed diversity hires and the helicopter’s pilots, contrasting the NTSB’s cautious stance.  Footage of an air traffic control room screen shows the moment the American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter in Washington DC.  The collision occurred yesterday as the airliner came into land at Reagan National Airport after a routine flight from Kansas, and first responders are still working to recover the bodies of the 67 people who were killed.  🚨#BREAKING: Shared to me anonymously shows the Playback from official Air Traffic Control radar 📌#Washington | #DCWatch as exclusive playback, sent anonymously by @avgeekjake to Rawsalerst, reveals official Air Traffic Control radar footage displaying the Collision Alert.… pic.twitter.com/s2SvT2OTPJ— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 30, 2025 US investigators say it will take time to understand the cause of a deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter, a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s snap pronouncements on the crash.  “We conduct an important safety mission where we take a very careful approach,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jennifer Homendy told journalists. “We look at facts... and that will take some time.”  STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVE BLOG (function(n){function c(t,i){n[e](h,function(n){var r,u;if(n&&(r=n[n.message?"message":"data"]+"",r&&r.substr&&r.substr(0,3)==="nc:")&&(u=r.split(":"),u[1]===i))switch(u[2]){case"h":t.style.height=u[3]+"px";return;case"scrolltotop":t.scrollIntoView();return}},!1)}for(var t,u,f,i,s,e=n.addEventListener?"addEventListener":"attachEvent",h=e==="attachEvent"?"onmessage":"message",o=n.document.querySelectorAll(".live-center-embed"),r=0;r',c(t.firstChild,i)))})(window); STORY CONTINUES NTSB board member Todd Inman likewise said there would be no immediate conclusions on the cause of the disaster.  “We don’t know what we know just yet. We do not know enough facts to be able to rule in or out human factor, mechanical factors, that is part of the NTSB investigative process,” Inman said.  Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Photo / Getty Images  Trump took the opposite approach earlier in the day, blaming the helicopter’s pilots, night-vision goggles and above all diversity hires as he launched an attack on his Democratic predecessors, Barack Obama and Joe Biden for championing diversity practices.  “Because I have common sense, OK?” Trump replied when asked how he had reached the conclusion that programmes to counter racism and sexism had played a role.  28 bodies have been recovered so far – including one from the helicopter. Photo / Getty Images  There were no details on the cause of the crash, with transport officials saying both aircraft were on standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility. “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told the news conference. The Bombardier plane operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, with 60 passengers and four crew on board, was approaching the airport when the collision happened. Photo / Getty Images  Dramatic audio from air traffic controllers showed them repeatedly asking the helicopter if it had the passenger jet “in sight”, and then just before the crash telling it to “pass behind” the plane.  ‘A fireball and it was gone’  “I just saw a fireball and it was gone,” one air traffic controller was heard telling another after communication with the helicopter was cut.  Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, and the fuselage of the passenger jet was broken into three sections.  Married couple Shishkova, 53, and Naumov, 56, were aboard the passenger jet, Russian news agencies report. They won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994. Photo / Chris Cole / ALLSPORT  US Figure Skating said several athletes, coaches and officials were aboard the flight, while officials in Moscow confirmed married Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov – who won the 1994 world pairs title – were also on the jet.  The Bombardier plane operated by an American Airlines subsidiary, with 60 passengers and four crew on board, was approaching the airport at around 9pm (2am GMT) after flying from Wichita, Kansas, when the collision happened.  🔴 Footage from the airport camera shows the devastating air crash. With images of the wreckage.#planecrash #WashingtonDC #Washington #TRUMP pic.twitter.com/3yfJYwsQiT— Taymur Malik (@Taymur959) January 30, 2025 Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Black Hawk chopper had “a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation”.  “They did have night vision goggles,” he added.  Witness Ari Schulman was driving home when he saw “the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land”.  “Three seconds later, and at that point it was banked all the way to the right ... I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow,” Schulman told CNN.  A helicopter assists with search and rescue operations over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport. Photo / Getty Images  Trump criticises traffic control  President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak on the matter at 11am (4pm GMT), but in the meantime posted a critical take on social media.  “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.  “Why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”  pic.twitter.com/UOTJ6hYPev— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 30, 2025 The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan National, with operations set to resume at 11am (4pm GMT).  American Airlineschief executive Robert Isom expressed “deep sorrow” and said the plane pilot had six years' experience.  US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas called the collision “nothing short of a nightmare”.  Crowded airspace  It was unclear how a passenger plane with modern collision-avoidance technology and traffic controllers could collide with a military aircraft over the nation’s capital.  The airspace around Washington is often crowded, with planes coming in low over the city to land at Reagan National and helicopters – military, civilian and carrying senior politicians or officials – buzzing about both day and night.  The same airport was the scene of a deadly crash in 1982 when a Boeing 737 plummeted after takeoff, hitting a bridge and crashing through the ice into the Potomac. Seventy-eight people died.  – Agence France-Presse  Thu, 30 Jan 2025 18:06:23 Z /news/world/washington-dc-plane-crash-aircraft-plunges-into-potomac-river-after-colliding-with-black-hawk-helicopter-major-emergency-response-flights-grounded/ /news/world/washington-dc-plane-crash-aircraft-plunges-into-potomac-river-after-colliding-with-black-hawk-helicopter-major-emergency-response-flights-grounded/ A US passenger plane carrying 64 people crashed into Washington’s chilly Potomac River on Wednesday after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, prompting a major emergency response and the grounding of all flights. The plane had been about to land after flying from Kansas. American Airlines, whose subsidiary operated the flight, said “there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft”. A US Army official said the helicopter was a Black Hawk model carrying three soldiers - their status is currently unknown. Washington police said, “There is no confirmed information on casualties at this time”, although a massive search and rescue operation was in progress. The Washington Post quoted unnamed sources saying police had started to pull multiple bodies from the Potomac. President Donald Trump said in an official statement that he had been “fully briefed” and said of any victims, “may God bless their souls”. But less than four hours after the disaster - and while other officials stressed they were waiting for investigations to unfold - he went on social media to critique the air traffic control. “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing,” Trump wrote on his app Truth Social. “Why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” Emergency response units assess helicopter wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport. Photo / Getty Images A helicopter assists with search and rescue operations over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport. Photo / Getty Images Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Centre shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to conjoin in a fireball. Footage shared on social media shows a helicopter searching the river with a spotlight. Witness Ari Schulman described “a stream of sparks” and what looked like a large firework when the night-time collision erupted overhead as he drove home. “Initially I saw the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land,” he told CNN. “Three seconds later, and at that point it was banked all the way to the right ... I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it,” Schulman added. “It looked like a Roman candle.” Dark, near-freezing river The Federal Aviation Authority ordered the grounding of all planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Washington’s police said on X that “multiple agencies” were responding to the crash site in the Potomac. Kristi Noem, the country’s new Secretary of Homeland Security, posted on X that she was “deploying every available US Coast Guard resource for search and rescue efforts in this horrific incident at DCA”. US Senator Ted Cruz posted on X that the death toll was unknown but “we know there are fatalities”. Police said fireboats had joined the operation on the river, where any work was complicated by the fact it was dark and close to freezing. Dozens of fire trucks headed toward the airport and divers could be seen going off boats into the Potomac. The FAA said a Bombardier regional jet operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines “collided in midair” with a Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter as it approached for landing at Reagan about 9pm (local time). The plane had left from Wichita, Kansas. On its website, American Airlines said in a statement: “We’re aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident. We will provide information as it becomes available.” US Senator Roger Marshall, of Kansas, said the collision was “nothing short of a nightmare”. “I ask the world to join me in praying for Kansas this evening, the first responders, rescue crews, and all those involved in this horrific accident,” he wrote on X. “I have been in contact with local and national authorities asking for answers and will continue to demand more information on how this unfolded.” Crowded airspace Questions were expected to focus on how a passenger plane with modern collision-avoidance technology and nearby traffic controllers could collide with a military aircraft over the nation’s capital. The airspace around Washington is often crowded, with planes coming in low over the city to land at Reagan airport and helicopters - military, civilian and carrying senior politicians - buzzing about both day and night. The same airport was the scene of a deadly crash in January 1982 when Air Florida flight 90, a Boeing 737, took off but quickly plummeted, hitting the 14th Street bridge and crashing through the ice into the Potomac River. Seventy-eight people died. Investigators concluded the pilot had failed to activate sufficient de-icing procedures. The last major fatal US crash was in 2009, when Continental Flight 3407 from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York crashed and killed all 49 people aboard. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 03:10:46 Z /news/world/robert-f-kennedy-jnr-accused-of-spreading-vaccine-mistrust-during-samoa-measles-crisis/ /news/world/robert-f-kennedy-jnr-accused-of-spreading-vaccine-mistrust-during-samoa-measles-crisis/ By RNZ The deadly Samoan measles outbreak in 2019 has been raised during the confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy jnr in the US Senate. Kennedy is US President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He has been accused of promoting mistrust of vaccines while visiting Samoa in 2019, with the measles outbreak on the island killing 83 people, many of them young children. Senator Ron Wyden accused Kennedy of contributing to the deaths by “spreading lies” on the island. Kennedy told the Senate his trip to Samoa was not related to vaccines, but instead to help digitise health records. He said the vaccination rate on the island was already low before he arrived. “I went there for nothing to do with vaccines. I never gave any public statements about vaccines,” he said. “You will not find a single Samoan who says I didn’t get a vaccination due to Robert Kennedy.” However, following the trip, Kennedy wrote that it had been organised by a local vaccine critic. New Zealand vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris told RNZ’s Morning Report there would have been people in Samoa who absolutely did not get vaccinated because of Kennedy’s influence. “There has been an active opposition to vaccines in Samoa for many years, and that disinformation source is RFK and his organisation,” Petousis-Harris said. “Yes, I think you can directly lay some responsibility on that organisation.” In 2019, Petousis-Harris said Kennedy had weakened an “already fragile trust” in Samoa. “A person who has the status of RFK junior just, I guess, further amplifies what those local anti-vaccine advocates had been saying,” she said. “And there’s a big price to pay, isn’t there? I mean, these were children’s lives.” Kennedy said if he was confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services he would not interfere with people’s rights to get vaccinated for measles and polio. – RNZ Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:26:10 Z /news/world/kumbh-mela-tragedy-30-dead-in-pre-dawn-human-stampede-in-india/ /news/world/kumbh-mela-tragedy-30-dead-in-pre-dawn-human-stampede-in-india/ A pre-dawn human stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering has killed at least 30 people in India. Many more were injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders. Deadly crowd incidents are a frequent occurrence at Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, which attracts tens of millions of devotees every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj. As pilgrims rushed to participate in a sacred day of ritual bathing, people sleeping and sitting on the ground near the rivers told AFP they were trampled by huge swells of devotees coming towards them in the darkness. “The entire crowd fell on top of me, trampling me as it moved forward,” pilgrim Renu Devi, 48, told AFP. “When the crowd surged, elderly people and women were crushed, and no one came forward to help.” Rescue teams carrying victims from the accident site weaved through piles of clothes, shoes and other discarded belongings. Police were seen carrying stretchers bearing the bodies of victims draped with thick blankets. “Thirty devotees have unfortunately died,” senior police officer Vaibhav Krishna told reporters during an evening news conference at the festival. “Ninety injured were taken to the hospital.” Krishna’s briefing came nearly 18 hours after the stampede and was the first official death toll given by authorities. Festivities had otherwise been allowed to continue almost as normal during the day, with millions still trekking to the riverbanks to immerse themselves in the water. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the stampede “extremely sad” and offered his “deepest condolences” to relatives of those killed. “I wish for the speedy recovery of all injured,” he added. Dozens of relatives were anxiously waiting for news outside a large tent serving as a purpose-built hospital for the festival near the disaster site. The six-week Kumbh Mela is the single biggest milestone on the Hindu religious calendar. Wednesday marks one of the holiest days in the festival, when saffron-clad holy men lead millions in a sin-cleansing ritual of bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in tandem with a planetary alignment in the Solar System. Officials had attempted to divert crowds away from the disaster site, instructing them to bathe at other locations. “We humbly request all devotees do not come to the main bathing spot,” said one festival staffer, his voice crackling through his megaphone. “Please cooperate with security personnel.” But even as news of the stampede spread, crowds pushed through cordons to move towards the river, shrugging off aggressive orders from police to turn back. Officials from the Uttar Pradesh state government, responsible for staging the festival, said millions had participated in the ritual bathing through the day. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the disaster on poor crowd control that prioritised the comfort of distinguished visitors. “Mismanagement and the administration’s special focus on VIP movement instead of common devotees are responsible for this tragic incident,” he wrote on social media. Railway police Superintendent Ashtabhuja Singh told AFP that special train services taking pilgrims to Prayagraj were still running, after earlier reports that they had been halted because of crowding in the city. “My family got scared, so we’re leaving,” attendee Sanjay Nishad told AFP. The Kumbh Mela is rooted in a mythological Hindu battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality. Organisers have likened the scale of this year’s festival to a temporary country, forecasting up to 400 million pilgrims would visit before the final day on February 26. Police this year installed hundreds of cameras at the festival site and on roads leading to the sprawling encampment, mounted on poles and a fleet of overhead drones. The surveillance network feeds into a sophisticated command and control centre meant to alert staff if sections of the crowd get so concentrated that they pose a safety threat. “If you see advertisements it seems like the Government is providing world-class facilities,” university student Ruchi Bharti told AFP not far from the riverbank. “But this stampede proved that was all a lie.” More than 400 people died after they were trampled or drowned at the Kumbh Mela on a single day of the festival in 1954, one of the largest tolls in a crowd-related disaster globally. Another 36 people were crushed to death in 2013, the last time the festival was staged in Prayagraj. -Agence France-Presse Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:12:46 Z /news/world/sydney-terror-threat-explosives-list-of-jewish-targets-discovered-in-caravan/ /news/world/sydney-terror-threat-explosives-list-of-jewish-targets-discovered-in-caravan/ Explosives and a list of Jewish targets were found in a caravan in Sydney’s northwest. NSW Police and other agencies are investigating the incident as a credible terror threat. Deputy Commissioner David Hudson stated there is no ongoing threat to the community. By Clareese Packer Explosives and a note of Jewish targets were found in a caravan in Sydney’s northwest. A resident in Dural reportedly made the chilling find in an abandoned caravan on Derriwong Rd, according to the Daily Telegraph, with the masthead reporting the incident was being treated as a credible terror threat. NSW Premier Chris Minns and NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson are set to address the media following an investigation in Dural on Wednesday afternoon. Hudson said the incident was being taken “seriously”. “The NSW Police Force is working with the Australian Federal Police, NSW Crime Commission, ASIO [Australian Security Intelligence Organisation], Victoria Police and the Queensland Police Service,” Hudson said. “This is an ongoing investigation and is being taken seriously with all lines of inquiry being pursued. “There is no ongoing threat to the community.” More to come Wed, 29 Jan 2025 08:10:02 Z /news/world/president-donald-trump-signs-order-to-get-transgender-ideology-out-of-us-military/ /news/world/president-donald-trump-signs-order-to-get-transgender-ideology-out-of-us-military/ Donald Trump signed an order removing “transgender ideology” from the military, affecting LGBTQ rights. He reinstated service members dismissed for refusing the Covid vaccine and expanded a crackdown on diversity programs. Trump also called for building a US version of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ridding the military of what he called “transgender ideology,” in a potentially major setback for LGBTQ rights. In a series of orders related to the military that Trump told reporters he had signed on Air Force One, he also called for the building of a US version of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. The Republican signed further orders reinstating service members dismissed for refusing to take the Covid vaccine, and extending a wider Government crackdown on diversity programmes for the armed forces. “To ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military,” Trump told a Republican congressional retreat in Miami. Trump has previously promised to bring back a ban on transgender troops and demonised any recognition of gender diversity. In his order, Trump claimed the armed forces “have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists” and that “many mental and physical health conditions are incompatible with active duty”. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ridding the military of what he called “transgender ideology". Photo / Getty Images The order said “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honourable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life”. “A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honour this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member,” it added. In a separate order, Trump claimed diversity programmes in the military “undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness”. It also prohibited the defence department and armed forces from promoting “un-American” theories suggesting America’s founding documents are racist or sexist or advancing discussion on “gender ideology”. The orders came at the start of Trump’s second week back in the White House and on the day a welcome ceremony was held at the Pentagon for his new Defence Secretary, military veteran and Fox 九一星空无限 personality Pete Hegseth. “Thank you for your leadership Mr President. We will execute!” Hegseth – who was confirmed last week despite concerns over his inexperience, and alleged record of heavy drinking and domestic violence – said on X. Transgender Americans have faced a rollercoaster of changing policies on military service in recent years, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit them to serve openly while Trump has repeatedly sought to keep them out of the ranks. The US military lifted a ban on transgender troops in 2016, during Democrat Barack Obama’s second term as President. Under that policy, trans troops already serving were permitted to do so openly, and transgender recruits were set to start being accepted by July 1, 2017. Transgender troops banned by Trump, accepted by Biden But the first Trump administration postponed that date to 2018 before deciding to reverse the policy entirely, sparking criticism from rights groups. Trump’s Democratic successor Joe Biden moved to reverse the restrictions just days after he took office in 2021, saying all Americans qualified to serve should be able to do so. While the number of transgender troops in the US military is fairly small – with estimates of about 15,000 out of more than two million uniformed service members – their dismissal would reduce US forces at a time when the country is already facing difficulties recruiting new personnel. Biden’s defence secretary Lloyd Austin appeared to criticise Trump’s plans during a farewell address earlier this month, saying: “Any military that turns away qualified patriots who are eager to serve is just making itself smaller and weaker.” Transgender issues have roiled US politics in recent years, as states controlled by Democrats and Republicans have moved in opposite directions on policies ranging from medical treatment to what books on the topic are allowed in public or school libraries. Trump has meanwhile repeatedly promised to build a version of the Iron Dome system that Israel has used to shoot down missiles fired by Hamas from Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But he ignored the fact that the system is designed for short-range threats, making it ill-suited to defending against intercontinental missiles that are the main danger to the United States. “We need to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defence shield,” Trump said in Miami, adding that it would be “made right here in the USA”. -Agence France-Presse Wed, 29 Jan 2025 00:30:41 Z /news/world/israel-defies-un-and-vows-to-cut-ties-with-unrwa-with-us-blessing/ /news/world/israel-defies-un-and-vows-to-cut-ties-with-unrwa-with-us-blessing/ Israel, supported by the US, will cease contact with the UN’s Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.  Israel claims UNRWA sites were used by Hamas, prompting calls for an investigation.  UNRWA provides essential services in Gaza, but Israel insists other organisations can replace its role.  Israel, backed by Washington, will cease contact with the UN’s Palestinian humanitarian relief agency UNRWA and any body acting on its behalf, its UN envoy said Tuesday, drawing condemnation from aid groups.  Signalling a shift in the US position on the agency by the administration of President Donald Trump, a US envoy voiced support for the decision and called for a probe into Israeli claims UNRWA sites were used by Palestinian militant group Hamas.  UNRWA’s offices and staff in Israel play a major role in the provision of healthcare and education to Palestinians, including those living in Gaza, devastated by 15 months of war with Israel.  Fighting destroyed hospitals and sparked outbreaks of infectious disease, while hundreds of thousands of Gazans faced starvation conditions and have depended on food aid.  The organisation says it has brought in 60% of the food to have reached Gaza since the start of the war, which was ignited by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.  But it has long clashed with Israeli officials, who have repeatedly accused it of undermining the country’s security.  “The legislation concerning UNRWA activities in Israel will officially come into force in 48 hours on January 30... UNRWA must cease its operations and evacuate all premises it operates in Jerusalem,” the Israeli envoy, Danny Danon, told the UN Security Council.  “The legislation forbids UNRWA from operating within the sovereign territory of the State of Israel, and forbids any contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA.  “Israel remains committed to its commitments under international law.”  Israeli orders for UNRWA to leave its offices in East Jerusalem prompted a strongly worded response from UN chief Antonio Guterres who demanded Israel “retract it”.  His intervention sets up a possible showdown between authorities and UNRWA staff when the deadline expires Thursday.  ‘Jeopardising’ peace  Israel claims that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the deadly October 7, 2023 assault, and insists that other organisations can pick up the slack to provide essential services, aid and reconstruction – something the UN disputes.  A series of probes, including one led by France’s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some “neutrality related issues” at UNRWA – but stressed Israel had not provided evidence for its chief allegations.  The agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini said UNRWA capacity “far exceeds that of any other entity”.  He called Israel’s actions against UNRWA a “relentless assault... harming the lives and future of Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory”.  But the United States threw its weight behind the move of its closest Middle East ally, accusing Lazzarini of overstating the impact of the decision.  “The United States supports the implementation of this decision,” said Dorothy Shea, a United States representative to the UN.  “UNRWA exaggerating the effects of the laws and suggesting that they will force (out) the entire humanitarian response is irresponsible and dangerous,” she said.  “UNRWA is not and never has been the only option.”  Under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, Washington had supported UNRWA’s continuing its work – but withheld funding at the insistence of Congress.  On Israeli claims that Hamas used UNRWA sites, which in Gaza include schools, clinics and depots, to hold hostages, Shea said “it is vital for a full and independent investigation to assess these very serious allegations”.  The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said only UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority could help his people.  “Yet Israel is demanding that everyone forsake them and work around them, setting us all up for failure,” he said.  Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.  During the attack, militants took into Gaza 251 hostages. Eighty-seven remain in the territory, including dozens Israel says are dead.  Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 47,317 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.  A ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is now in place, intended to bring an end to the more than 15 months of war.  -Agence France-Presse  Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:14:56 Z /news/world/trump-pardoned-us-capitol-rioter-killed-by-police-during-traffic-stop/ /news/world/trump-pardoned-us-capitol-rioter-killed-by-police-during-traffic-stop/ A man charged over the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol and pardoned by President Donald Trump was killed by police during a traffic stop, officials said. Matthew Huttle, 42, was killed by a sheriff’s deputy on Sunday after he “resisted” arrest during a traffic stop in northwest Indiana, state police said in a statement. “An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect,” the statement said without providing further details, except that Huttle was in possession of a firearm. US media outlets identified Huttle as one of about 1500 people charged or convicted for participating in the Capitol assault who were pardoned by Trump. The move by Trump only hours after he took office last week drew fierce criticism from Democrats and some pushback from Republicans for including people convicted of violently attacking police. Huttle was sentenced to six months in prison and was released in July, local news outlet FOX59 said. His uncle also participated in the January 6 assault and was sentenced last year to 30 months in prison, the news station said, after he pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers with a flagpole. Media reports also said another pardon recipient, Daniel Ball, of Florida, was quickly re-arrested last week over a federal gun charge that predated the Capitol attack. - Agence France-Presse Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:41:47 Z /news/world/human-case-of-bird-flu-detected-in-england-risk-remains-low/ /news/world/human-case-of-bird-flu-detected-in-england-risk-remains-low/ A “rare” human case of bird flu has been detected in England, the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) announced on Monday.  “The person acquired the infection on a farm, where they had close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds,” the agency said in a statement.  “The risk to the wider public continues to be very low.”  The individual, who caught the A(H5N1) infection in England’s West Midlands, is “well” and has been admitted to a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) unit, UKHSA said in a statement.  The birds were infected with the DI.2 genotype, which is different to strains circulating among mammals and birds in the United States, it added.  “The risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low despite this confirmed case”, said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA.  There has been no evidence so far that the A(H5N1) influenza strain can spread from human to human.  “While avian influenza is highly contagious in birds, this is a very rare event and is very specific to the circumstances on this premises,” UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said.  “We are seeing a growing number of avian flu cases in birds on both commercial farms and in backyard flocks across the country.  “We took swift action to limit the spread of the disease at the site in question, all infected birds are being humanely culled, and cleansing and disinfection of the premises will be undertaken.”  - AFP  Mon, 27 Jan 2025 23:45:04 Z /news/world/six-seriously-injured-after-technical-issue-on-united-airlines-flight/ /news/world/six-seriously-injured-after-technical-issue-on-united-airlines-flight/ A United Airlines flight bound for Washington Dulles International Airport from Lagos, Nigeria, was forced to make an emergency return mid-flight early Friday after a technical issue with the aircraft that put six people in the hospital, an airline spokesperson said.  The plane experienced an “unexpected aircraft movement” during flight, and aviation authorities in the United States and Nigeria are investigating the cause, the spokesperson said.  Four passengers and two crew members aboard flight 613 were seriously injured, Nigeria’s Federal Airports Authority said in a statement, and 27 passengers and five crew members suffered minor injuries. There were 245 passengers and 11 crew members on board, it said.  The passengers who were hospitalised after landing have since been discharged, the United Airlines spokesperson said.  Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft’s speed drop sharply twice in quick succession about 75 minutes into the journey while flying at an altitude of about 36,000 feet.  It slowed from over 500 knots to 40 knots, resumed its original speed, and then slowed to 70 knots before resuming again.  A third, lesser drop in speed occurred about seven minutes later. Shortly afterward the plane reversed course back to Lagos, over land above Ivory Coast, according to the tracking data.  The flight took off from Murtala Muhammed International Airport about midnight local time, and a pilot communicated distress about 1.20am, the aviation authority said.  The plane landed safely back in Lagos about 3.22am, it said.  The plane forced to carry out the emergency return on Friday was a Boeing 787-8, and the event was the latest in a number of high-profile incidents involving planes from the embattled manufacturer. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday.  -Frances Vinall, Washington Post Mon, 27 Jan 2025 22:24:41 Z /news/world/colombia-hits-back-after-us-president-donald-trump-orders-sanctions-tariffs/ /news/world/colombia-hits-back-after-us-president-donald-trump-orders-sanctions-tariffs/ Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on Colombia for refusing military deportation flights, escalating tensions with President Gustavo Petro. Petro has responded with tariffs on US products and refused entry to US military planes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on Colombian officials and suspended visa issuance in Bogota. US President Donald Trump has ordered sweeping tariffs and sanctions against Colombia in retaliation for its refusal to accept military deportation flights, seeking to punish one of his most defiant critics in Latin America. Colombia’s left-leaning President Gustavo Petro did not back down, announcing his own tariffs against US products, as he vowed that returning migrants be treated with dignity. Trump, back in office for less than a week, promised to impose 25% tariffs on products from Colombia – the source of one-fifth of coffee in the United States – and to raise them to 50% in a week. Donald Trump has ordered sweeping tariffs and sanctions against Colombia in retaliation for its refusal to accept military deportation flights. Photo / Getty Images It was unclear how quickly the tariffs would come as Colombia, historically one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America, enjoys a free-trade agreement with the United States. “These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they forced into the United States!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Not to be outdone, Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, said he had instructed his Minister for External Trade “to raise tariffs on imports from the US to 25%”. In a long broadside on X addressed to Trump he declared: “You will never dominate us.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, days away from a trip to Latin America aimed at pushing Trump’s agenda, said that the US embassy in Bogota was suspending all issuances of visas. He also said he was imposing visa restrictions on Colombian officials and their immediate family members, with Trump vowing to subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at US airports. Trump – who during his campaign said that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the United States – took office with promises to round up and swiftly deport undocumented people. While some countries including Guatemala have accepted military deportation flights, Trump has faced resistance from Petro, elected in 2022 as the first left-wing leader of Latin America’s fourth-largest economy. “The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants,” Petro wrote earlier on X. Petro said he had “turned back US military planes”. Trump said two US planes were not allowed to land. The Colombian Government said it was instead ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport the migrants “with dignity”. Petro said he was also ready to allow civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land, as long as those aboard were not treated “like criminals”. He additionally urged what he said were the more than 15,600 undocumented Americans living in his country to “regularise their situation”, while ruling out raids to arrest and deport them. Petro’s Colombian critics reacted furiously to what they saw as his reckless rumble with Trump. Former right-wing President Ivan Duque accused Petro of “an act of tremendous irresponsibility” for refusing what he called Colombia’s “moral duty” to take back illegal migrants and warned US sanctions would take an “enormous” toll. Trump’s deportation threats have put him on a potential collision course with governments in Latin America, the original home of most of the United States' estimated 11 million undocumented migrants. Brazil, which is also led by a left-wing President, voiced outrage over treatment by the Trump administration of dozens of Brazilian migrants deported back to their country on Friday. The migrants, who were deported under a bilateral agreement predating Trump’s return, were handcuffed on the flight, in what Brazil called “flagrant disregard” for their basic rights. Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician who was among the 88 deported migrants, told AFP: “On the plane they didn’t give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom.” “It was very hot, some people fainted.” The President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, called for an urgent meeting of leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) to take place Thursday in Tegucigalpa to discuss migration following the latest US moves. While previous US administrations also routinely carried out deportations, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft, with at least one landing in Guatemala this week. – Agence France-Presse Mon, 27 Jan 2025 02:17:07 Z /news/world/rudiger-koch-59-sets-world-record-living-for-120-days-underwater-without-depressurisation/ /news/world/rudiger-koch-59-sets-world-record-living-for-120-days-underwater-without-depressurisation/ A German aerospace engineer celebrated setting a world record on Friday for the longest time living underwater without depressurisation - 120 days in a submerged capsule of the coast of Panama. Rudiger Koch, 59, emerged from his 30-square-metre home under the sea in the presence of Guinness World Records adjudicator Susana Reyes. She confirmed that Koch had beaten the record previously held by American Joseph Dituri, who spent 100 daysliving in an underwater lodge in a Florida lagoon. “It was a great adventure and now it’s over there’s almost a sense of regret actually. I enjoyed my time here very much,” Koch told after afer leaving the capsule 11 metres under the sea. “It is beautiful when things calm down and it gets dark and the sea is glowing,” he said of the view through the portholes. “It is impossible to describe, you have to experience that yourself.” To celebrate, Koch toasted with Champagne and smoked a cigar before leaping into the Caribbean Sea, where a boat picked him up and took him to dry land for a celebratory party. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ocean Builders (@ocean_builders) Koch’s capsule had most of the trappings of modern life: a bed, toilet, TV, computer and internet – even an exercise bike. The capsule, about 15 minutes by boat from the coast of northern Panama, was attached to another chamber perched above the waves by a tube containing a narrow spiral staircase, providing a way down for food and visitors, including a doctor. Solar panels on the surface provided electricity. There was a backup generator, but no shower. Koch had told an AFP journalist who visited him halfway through his endeavour that he hoped it would change the way we think about human life – and where we can settle, even permanently. “What we are trying to do here is prove that the seas are actually a viable environment for human expansion,” he said. Four cameras filmed his moves in the capsule – capturing his daily life, monitoring his mental health and providing proof that he never came up to the surface. “We needed witnesses who were monitoring and verifying 24/7 for more than 120 days,” Reyes told AFP. The record “is undoubtedly one of the most extravagant” and required “a lot of work”, she added. Koch, an admirer of Captain Nemo in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, kept a copy of the 19th-century sci-fi classic on his bedside table beneath the waves. Mon, 27 Jan 2025 01:43:15 Z /news/world/palestinians-slam-donald-trump-idea-to-clean-out-gaza/ /news/world/palestinians-slam-donald-trump-idea-to-clean-out-gaza/ Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Hamas vowed to defy US President Donald Trump’s displacement plan for Gazans. A dispute over hostage-prisoner swaps under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire may be nearing resolution. The ceasefire has allowed aid into Gaza, but the UN says the humanitarian situation remains dire. Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and armed group Hamas vow to defy proposals for the forced displacement of Gazans, after US President Donald Trump floated a plan to “clean out” the war-battered territory. Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said a dispute linked to hostage-prisoner swaps under the Israel-Hamas truce deal may be nearing a solution that could allow vast crowds of Palestinians jamming a coastal road to return to northern Gaza. The latest swap saw four Israeli women hostages, all soldiers, and 200 prisoners, nearly all Palestinian, released on Saturday – the second such exchange during the fragile truce entering its second week. After 15 months of war, Trump said Gaza had become a “demolition site”, adding he had spoken to Jordan’s King Abdullah II about moving Palestinians out of the territory. “I’d like Egypt to take people. And I’d like Jordan to take people,” Trump told reporters. Abbas, who is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, “expressed strong rejection and condemnation of any projects” aimed at displacing Palestinians from Gaza, his office said. The Palestinian people “will not abandon their land and holy sites”. After 15 months of war, Donald Trump said Gaza had become a "demolition site". Photo / Getty Images Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told AFP that Palestinians would “foil such projects”, as they have done to similar plans “for displacement and alternative homelands over the decades”. Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas in Gaza, called Trump’s idea “deplorable”. For Palestinians, any attempt to move them from Gaza would evoke dark memories of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba”, or catastrophe – the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948. Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas in Gaza, called Trump’s idea of moving Gaza’s roughly 2.4 million inhabitants 'deplorable'. Photo / Getty Images ‘Firm rejection’ “We say to Trump and the whole world: we will not leave Palestine or Gaza, no matter what happens,” said displaced Gaza resident Rashad al-Naji. “You’re talking about probably a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” Trump told reporters on Saturday aboard Air Force One. Moving Gaza’s roughly 2.4 million inhabitants could be done “temporarily or could be long term”, he said. Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – who opposed the truce deal and has voiced support for re-establishing Israeli settlements in Gaza – called Trump’s suggestion “a great idea”. The Arab League rejected the idea, warning against “attempts to uproot the Palestinian people from their land”. “The forced displacement and eviction of people from their land can only be called ethnic cleansing”, the league said in a statement. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said “our rejection of the displacement of Palestinians is firm and will not change. Jordan is for Jordanians and Palestine is for Palestinians”. Almost all Gazans have been displaced by the war that began after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Photo / Getty Images) Egypt’s foreign ministry said it rejected any infringement of Palestinians' “inalienable rights”. Almost all Gazans have been displaced by the war that began after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. In Gaza, cars and carts loaded with belongings jammed a road near the Netzarim Corridor that Israel has blocked, preventing the expected return of hundreds of thousands of people to northern Gaza. Israel said it would prevent Palestinians' passage until the release of Arbel Yehud, a civilian woman hostage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that by not releasing her and not providing a “detailed list of all hostages' statuses”, Hamas had committed truce violations. Hamas said that blocking returns to the north also amounted to a truce violation, adding it had provided “all the necessary guarantees” for Yehud’s release. US President Donald Trump yesterday floated a plan to “clean out” the war-battered territory. Photo / Getty Images Two Palestinian sources later told AFP that Yehud would be handed over within days. “The crisis has been resolved,” said one Palestinian source familiar with the issue. Israel has yet to comment. ‘Dire’ humanitarian situation During the first phase of the Gaza truce, 33 hostages should be freed in staggered releases over six weeks in exchange for around 1900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Dani Miran, whose hostage son Omri is not slated for release during the first phase, demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem on Sunday. “We want the agreement to continue and for them to bring our children back as quickly as possible – and all at once,” he said. The truce has brought a surge of food, fuel, medicines and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza, but the UN says “the humanitarian situation remains dire”. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, 87 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead. The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 47,306 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable. Israel has also reached a ceasefire with Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. Although it stipulated that Israeli forces must withdraw by Sunday that has not happened. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli troops had killed nearly two dozen people as residents tried to return to their homes near the border. The Israeli army said soldiers “fired warning shots” against “suspects”. – Agence France-Presse Mon, 27 Jan 2025 01:13:58 Z /news/world/us-president-donald-trump-orders-sanctions-tariffs-after-colombia-defies-deportation-push/ /news/world/us-president-donald-trump-orders-sanctions-tariffs-after-colombia-defies-deportation-push/ US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered sweeping tariffs and sanctions against Colombia in retaliation for its refusal to accept deportation flights, doubling down on his immigration crackdown as he sought to silence a chorus of defiance in Latin America. Trump, back into office for less than a week, said he would impose tariffs of 25% on Colombian products that would rise to 50% in a week. His authority to do so was unclear as Colombia, historically one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America, enjoys a free-trade agreement with the US. Trump also said he would immediately revoke visas for Colombian government officials and “supporters” of President Gustavo Petro – and subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at airports. “These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they forced into the United States!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump took office with promises to round up and swiftly deport foreigners unlawfully in the United States, but has faced resistance from Petro, elected in 2022 as the first left-wing leader of Latin America’s fourth-largest economy. “The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants,” Petro wrote on X. In a later post, he said he had “turned back US military planes”. Trump said two US planes were not allowed to land. The Colombian government said it was instead ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport “with dignity” the migrants whose flights were blocked by Bogota. Petro also said he was ready to allow civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land, as long as those on board were not treated “like criminals”. The Colombian leader later said more than 15,600 undocumented Americans were living in his country and urged them to “regularise their situation”, while ruling out raids to arrest and deport them. The trip comes days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Latin America – but not Colombia – on his first trip as top US diplomat as he seeks support for Trump’s policies. He is also not scheduled to visit Mexico, which has been critical of the use of military planes for deportations. ‘Tied hands and feet’ Trump’s threats to deport millions of migrants puts him on a potential collision course with governments in Latin America, the original home of most of the estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States. Brazil, which is also led by a left-wing president, voiced outrage over the treatment by the Trump administration of dozens of Brazilian migrants deported to their country on Friday. The migrants, who were deported under a bilateral agreement predating Trump’s return to the White House, were handcuffed on the flight, in what Brazil called “flagrant disregard” for their basic rights. Deportation flights have begun.President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences. pic.twitter.com/CTlG8MRcY1— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 24, 2025 Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician who was among the 88 deported migrants, said: “On the plane they didn’t give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom.” “It was very hot, some people fainted.” TV footage showed some passengers descending from the civilian plane with their hands handcuffed and their ankles shackled. Several deportation flights since Trump’s return to office have garnered public and media attention, although such actions were also common under previous administrations. In a break with previous practice, however, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft for some repatriation flights, with at least one landing in Guatemala this week. Several Latin American countries have vowed to welcome back citizens, many of whom have been living and working in the US for years, with open arms. The Mexican government said it planned to open nine shelters for its citizens and three more for deported foreigners, under a scheme called “Mexico embraces you”. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the government would also provide humanitarian assistance to deported migrants from other countries before repatriating them. Honduras, a Central American country that is also a large source of migrants to the United States, said it was launching a programme for returnees entitled “Brother, come home”, which would include a “solidarity” payment, food and access to employment opportunities. – Agence France-Presse Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:31:06 Z /news/world/australian-woman-restrained-with-tape-on-fiji-airways-flight-from-san-francisco-to-nadi/ /news/world/australian-woman-restrained-with-tape-on-fiji-airways-flight-from-san-francisco-to-nadi/ A passenger onboard a Fiji Airways flight from the United States to Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu had her mouth taped and body restrained by flight attendants after she became disorderly and began verbally abusing staff. Fiji Airways Flight FJ871 departed from San Francisco on Saturday, January 18 (local time), landing at Nadi International Airport approximately 11 and a half hours later on Monday, January 20 (local time). About halfway into the flight, a passenger - later said by police to be “intoxicated and causing a nuisance” - started raising her voice around the crew and other passengers, causing a significant disturbance onboard. A witness who watched and filmed the incident unfold told news.com.au that the woman was travelling with her husband. Despite being seated separately initially at take-off, he’d asked flight attendants to be moved further away. When crew members refused to inform the woman of her husband’s whereabouts on the plane, she became abusive. In footage shared to Facebook, the woman - who was identified as Australian but could be heard having an American accent - yelled expletives and harassed the flight crew. The woman argued with crew members during the altercation. Photo / Amelee-Vono Aroha Katoaf / Facebook “Goodbye, I’m sticking in my seat. You’re disruptive,” the woman is heard saying in one video. Crew members circled the woman’s seat as they talked to her in the dimmed cabin. “Stop sulking. And keep your voice down,” a flight attendant told the woman. “Stop provoking me! You’re provoking me!” the woman shouted in reply. As the flight attendants attempted to move her, she yelled: “Let me go! Help!” Later in the video, the unruly passenger tells staff that she’s “done nothing wrong”, proceeding to call them “ugly people” and threatening to take them “straight to the American embassy tomorrow”. She continued to scream and resist as crew members moved her to the back of the plane by force. A passenger filming told news.com.au that the woman’s threatening behaviour - which allegedly saw her slap a flight attendant’s hand and hurl cups and profanity at crew members - caused concern for everyone onboard. The woman allegedly made racist remarks towards crew members, and other passengers stepped in to tell the woman to back off. After she refused to stop on her rampage of expletives, Fiji Airways staff were “forced to resort to restraining and taping the mouth” of the woman, the passenger told the outlet. “Parents with children onboard were clearly upset with the excessive vulgar language and swearing, with many seen blocking the ears of their children.” In another video posted to Facebook, the passenger could be seen with her mouth taped shut as she continued arguing with the flight crew. In a statement provided to media following the ordeal, a Fiji Airways spokesperson said that keeping passengers and crew safe is their “highest priority” and that there is zero tolerance for “any threatening behaviour” on its flights. “The individual in question exhibited abusive and unruly behaviour which necessitated restraint by our cabin crew to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all on board,” Fiji Airways said, adding that they were working with authorities as they investigated the incident. The passenger, later revealed to be 69-year-old Stephanie Bank from Adelaide, South Australia, was arrested by police in Nadi on arrival. Fiji passed one million visitors in 2024 - its biggest year for tourism. Photo / Tourism Fiji Bank was released on a FJ$1000 ($784) bail after being charged with one count of unruly passenger behaviour under the Fiji Civil Aviation Act. A stop departure order was also issued, preventing her from leaving the country. Bank was fined FJ$500 ($392) when she appeared in the Nadi Magistrates Court on Thursday. She paid in court, lifting her stop departure order and closing the case. Fiji has actively tried to grow its tourism sector post-Covid, with Fiji Airways increasing flights from destinations like Australia and the US in recent years alongside an embrace of the cruise industry. It was recently revealed that 2024 was Fiji’s biggest year for tourism, welcoming over one million people, including 226,000 Kiwis. Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:26:15 Z /news/world/undersea-cable-between-sweden-and-latvia-damaged-suspect-vessel-identified/ /news/world/undersea-cable-between-sweden-and-latvia-damaged-suspect-vessel-identified/ Latvia dispatched a warship on Sunday after damage to a fibre optic cable to Sweden that may have been “due to external factors”. The navy said it had identified a “suspect vessel”, the Michalis San, which was near the incident’s location along with two other ships. The Michalis San was headed for Russia, according to several websites tracking naval traffic. Nations around the Baltic Sea are scrambling to bolster their defences after the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months. The track of the bulk carrier Michalis San which has been identified as a 'suspect vessel' after a fibre optic cable was damaged in the Baltic Sea. Image / Marine Traffic After several telecom and power cables were severed, experts and politicians accused Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against the West as the two sides square off over Ukraine. Nato last year announced it was launching anew monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea involving patrol ships and aircraft to deter any attempts to target undersea infrastructure in the region. “We have a warship patrolling the Baltic Sea around the clock every day and night, allowing us to quickly dispatch it once we learnt about the damage,” Latvian navy commander Maris Polencs said at a briefing on Sunday. Prime Minister Evika Silina said: “We have notified the Swedish authorities and are working together with them to assess the damage and its reason.” Data ‘disruption’ Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he had been in contact with Silina during the day. “There is information suggesting that at least one data cable between Sweden and Latvia has been damaged in the Baltic Sea. The cable is owned by a Latvian entity,” he posted on X. “Sweden, Latvia and Nato are closely cooperating on the matter. Sweden will contribute with relevant capabilities to the effort to investigate the suspected incident.” There is information suggesting that at least one data cable between Sweden and Latvia has been damaged in the Baltic Sea. The cable is owned by a Latvian entity. I have been in close contact with my Latvian counterpart, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, during the day.Sweden,…— SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) January 26, 2025 The damage occurred in Swedish territorial waters at a depth of at least 50 metres, officials said. The cable belongs to Latvia’s state radio and television centre (LVRTC) which said in a statement that there had been “disruptions in data transmission services”. The company said alternatives had been found and end users would mostly not be affected although “there may be delays in data transmission speeds”. The statement added: “Based on current findings, it is presumed that the cable is significantly damaged due to external factors. LVRTC has initiated criminal procedural actions.” European Union president Ursula von der Leyen expressed her “full solidarity” with the countries affected by the incident. “The resilience and security of our critical infrastructure is a top priority,” von der Leyen wrote on X. – Agence France-Presse Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:18:19 Z /news/world/gaza-israel-swap-four-hostages-freed-200-prisoners-released/ /news/world/gaza-israel-swap-four-hostages-freed-200-prisoners-released/ Applause and cheers filled a Tel Aviv square today NZT as Gaza militants released four Israeli hostages, followed by celebrations in the occupied West Bank when Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners in exchange. While Israel and the militant group Hamas completed their second hostage-prisoner swap under a ceasefire deal aimed at paving the way for a permanent end to their war, a last-minute dispute blocked the expected return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to the Gaza Strip’s devastated north. The four hostages released, all female soldiers, reached a hospital on the outskirts of Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv after more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza. Israel’s prison service confirmed that 200 Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange, with some of them subsequently deported. The Israeli captives, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy, all aged 20, and Liri Albag, 19, waved, smiled, and gave thumbs up as they were paraded on a stage in Gaza City, flanked by masked and armed militants. After their handover to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the military said the women were brought to Israel and “reunited with their parents”. In Tel Aviv, where a crowd gathered to watch their release on a large TV screen at a plaza known as Hostage Square, there were tears of joy, applause, and a loud cheer as Israeli flags waved. In Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, crowds of Palestinians erupted in joy as dozens of freed prisoners arrived on buses from jail. One of them, Azzam al-Shallalta, dropped to his knees and wept at his mother’s feet after the teary-eyed crowd carried him on their shoulders, an AFP journalist reported. “My situation was heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking. We pray to God to free all our brothers we’ve left behind,” said Shallalta, still wearing his grey prison tracksuit. According to a list provided by the Palestinian Prisoners Club advocacy group, among those released was Mohammed al-Tous, 69, who has spent the longest continuous period in Israeli detention. Data from the Israeli authorities suggested he was to be deported. The freed Israeli hostages were taken by military helicopter to the Rabin Medical Centre, whose deputy director Lena Feldman Koren said the four were in a “stable” condition even though “the prolonged captivity in harsh conditions is evident”. Footage released by the military showed the families overcome with joy at being back together. Albag and her parents were seen screaming with happiness and laughing while her father lifted her off the ground in a bear hug. More hostages have been freed as Palestinians continue to return to their homes in Gaza. Photo / Getty Images Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Albag’s parents after her release, telling them that “this is a very happy moment that we have been waiting for a long time”, according to a statement from his office. Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry welcomed with “great relief” the release of Gilboa, who is a dual national. The United States, which had helped secure the truce deal, said it “will continue with its great partner Israel to push for the release of all remaining hostages”. Bassem Naim, of the Hamas political bureau, had told AFP yesterday that Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza by the war should have been able to begin returning home after today’s releases. But Israel announced that it would block such returns until civilian female hostage Arbel Yehud is released. Netanyahu’s office said she “was supposed to be released today” but a Hamas source told AFP Yehud will be “released as part of the third swap set for next Saturday [local time]”. Palestinian police prevented hundreds of displaced people from reaching the Israeli-controlled passage to the north, where Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles were blocking the road. Rafiqa Subh, waiting to return to Beit Lahia, said: “We want to go back, even though our houses are destroyed. We miss our homes so much.” The hostage-prisoner exchange is part of a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that took effect last week. The truce has brought a surge of food, fuel, medical, and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza, but Israel’s United Nations ambassador confirmed that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Gaza’s main aid agency, must end all operations in Israel by Friday. Hundreds of truckloads of aid have entered Gaza daily since the ceasefire began, but the UN says that “the humanitarian situation remains dire”. The ceasefire agreement should be implemented in three phases, but the last two stages have not yet been finalised. During the first, six-week phase, 33 hostages should be freed in staggered releases in exchange for about 1900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Three women hostages returned home on the first day of the truce in exchange for 90 Palestinians. Of the Palestinians to be freed in the first phase, more than 230 are serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis and will be permanently expelled, according to a list made public by Israeli authorities. State-linked Egyptian media said 70 freed Palestinian prisoners “deported” by Israel had arrived in Egypt by bus. They were to travel on into exile in third countries. The deal’s second phase is to see negotiations for a more permanent end to the war, but analysts have warned it risks collapsing because of the deal’s multi-phase nature and deep distrust between Israel and Hamas. During their October 7, 2023 attack that began the war, Hamas militants took 251 hostages, 87 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 47,283 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry which the United Nations considers reliable. - Agence France-Presse Sun, 26 Jan 2025 03:36:09 Z /news/world/cia-says-covid-more-likely-to-have-leaked-from-lab/ /news/world/cia-says-covid-more-likely-to-have-leaked-from-lab/ The Central Intelligence Agency has shifted its official stance on the origin of Covid-19, saying on Saturday it was “more likely” the virus leaked from a Chinese lab rather than being transmitted by animals. The new assessment came after John Ratcliffe was confirmed Thursday as the CIA director under the second White House administration of US President Donald Trump. Ratcliffe, who served as the director of national intelligence from 2020-2021 during Trump’s first term, said in an interview published on Friday a “day-one” priority would be making an assessment of Covid’s origins. The CIA said it was “more likely” the virus leaked from a Chinese lab rather than being transmitted by animals. Photo / 123RF “The agency is going to get off the sidelines,” Ratcliffe – who believes Covid-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology – told right-wing outlet Breitbart. “CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the Covid-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting,” a CIA spokesperson said in a statement Saturday. The agency had not previously made any determination on whether Covid had been unleashed by a laboratory mishap or spilled over from animals. “[The] CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the Covid-19 pandemic remain plausible,” the spokesperson noted. A US official told AFP the shift was based on a new analysis of existing intelligence ordered by previous CIA director William Burns, which was completed before Ratcliffe’s arrival this week. Some US agencies, like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Energy, support the lab-leak theory, albeit with varying levels of confidence, while most elements of the intelligence community lean towards natural origins. Proponents of the lab-leak hypothesis highlight that the earliest known Covid-19 cases emerged in Wuhan, China – a major coronavirus research hub – roughly 1000 miles (1600km) from the nearest bat populations carrying similar Sars-like viruses. – Agence France-Presse Sun, 26 Jan 2025 03:22:04 Z /news/world/mass-firings-donald-trump-ousts-12-inspectors-general-in-shake-up/ /news/world/mass-firings-donald-trump-ousts-12-inspectors-general-in-shake-up/ President Donald Trump sacked at least a dozen internal government watchdogs, US media reported. The dismissals affected agencies including defence, state, interior, and energy. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren called the firings ‘a purge’ and warned of undermining oversight. President Donald Trump sacked at least a dozen internal government watchdogs late on Friday, US media reported, the latest shake-up of the Republican’s second term after less than a week back in office. Independent inspectors general of at least 12 federal agencies were notified of their immediate dismissals via emails from the White House personnel director, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the actions. Inspectors general have an oversight role to detect and deter fraud, waste and abuse by government employees. They are responsible for investigating violations of laws, regulations and ethical standards by employees, and conducting audits of contracts, finances and staff performance. Among the federal agencies affected by the ousters were the departments of Defence, State, Interior and Energy, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and Social Security Administration, the Post said. “It’s a widespread massacre,” said one of the fired inspectors general, according to the Post. “Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system.” Most of those fired were appointed by Trump during his first term, the newspaper added. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called the firings 'a purge ... in the middle of the night'. Photo / 九一星空无限 The New York Times, citing three unnamed people with knowledge of the dismissals, said 17 inspectors general were fired, and one source said the Justice Department’s watchdog was not affected. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called the firings “a purge ... in the middle of the night”. “Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse, and preventing misconduct,” she said in a post on social media platform X. “President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.” On Tuesday, his first full day in power, Trump announced plans to weed out around 1000 opponents from the US Government. The 78-year-old Republican began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling government policies on immigration, citizenship, gender, diversity and climate – some of which are being challenged in the courts. - Agence France-Presse Sat, 25 Jan 2025 20:45:32 Z /news/world/trump-ramps-up-ice-arrests-alarming-cities-and-immigrant-communities/ /news/world/trump-ramps-up-ice-arrests-alarming-cities-and-immigrant-communities/ The Trump administration began a mass deportation campaign, arresting 538 undocumented immigrants with criminal records.  Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, claimed over 3000 arrests, but ICE did not clarify numbers.  The raids caused fear in immigrant communities, with concerns about targeting minor offenders and sanctuary cities.  The Trump administration circulated photos today showing US troops loading shackled detainees on to a military cargo plane, as the White House declared a start to the mass deportation campaign the President promised along the campaign trail.  The White House said immigration agents have arrested 538 undocumented immigrants with criminal records and deported “hundreds” more. Those numbers, if accurate, would be relatively modest for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge operations – a possible indication that the Trump administration’s show of force has so far outpaced the Government’s capacity to deliver on the President’s lofty goals.  But Trump’s border czar Tom Homan cited a higher number than the White House on 九一星空无限Nation yesterday, saying officials had arrested more than 3000 people with criminal records in the first couple of days of the administration. ICE, which detains and deports immigrants, did not respond to requests to clarify the numbers.  Deportation flights have begun.President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences. pic.twitter.com/CTlG8MRcY1— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 24, 2025 Trump and his officials provided few details about those arrests or proof of their criminal records. Trump has long characterised immigrants as criminals, though studies show that native-born Americans commit a higher share of violent felonies.  “It’s going very well. We’re getting the bad, hard criminals out,” Trump said, speaking to reporters during a trip to North Carolina to view the flood recovery from Hurricane Helene last year.  Without evidence, he said: “These are murderers. These are people that have been as bad as you get. As bad as anybody you’ve seen. We’re taking them out first.”  US President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on January 23 local time in Washington DC. Photo / Getty Images  White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicised the 538 arrests yesterday and eary today, highlighting some serious offenders. She wrote that four of those arrested in the sweeps were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Others had committed sex crimes against children, Leavitt said.  “Deportation flights have begun. President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences,” Leavitt wrote on X. “The largest massive deportation operation in history is well under way.”  🚨TODAY: The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors.— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 24, 2025 Immigration officials did not say precisely how many immigrants were deported as part of the nationwide operations that unfolded this week – or how many were criminals – but officials have said their main targets are serious offenders.  The number of arrests the White House publicised was lower than the 675 detained in similar raids after Trump took office in 2017 threatening to deport “millions” of people, though he never came close to that number.  Then, as now, officials said criminals were their top priority. Weeks later, however, congressional aides discovered that half of those arrested had no criminal convictions or had committed traffic offences as their most serious crimes, which ICE said were mostly for drunken driving.  This week, the military flew two C-17 cargo jets, each carrying approximately 80 people, to Guatemala after they crossed the US-Mexico border illegally, according to a Department of Homeland Security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operations.  The flights departed from Texas and Arizona, officials said. ICE Air is continuing to operate deportation flights alongside military planes, officials said.  Tom Cartwright, who tracks ICE deportations for the immigrant advocacy group Witness at the Border, called the military operation “theatre of the absurd” in a post on X. “The only thing new about this is subjecting people to transport on a cargo plane,” Cartwright wrote. He noted that ICE carried out 508 deportation flights to Guatemala during the 2024 fiscal year on planes that averaged 125 passengers.  Installation begins for the first of six tents that will be used to house migrants deported from the United States through the border, in Ciudad Juarez, United States. Photo / Getty Images  The immigration sweeps hit immediately after Trump took office in cities and states across the country, targeting areas where Democrats have defended immigrants and urged Congress to grant them a path to US citizenship. Trump has called for their mass removal, and on Inauguration Day he directed the departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Defence to prioritise immigration enforcement.  Homan, a former acting ICE director and Fox 九一星空无限 analyst, said in an appearance on Fox 九一星空无限 yesterday that agents were arresting people in sanctuary cities, where local officials refuse to allow agents to arrest immigrants in their jails after police have picked them up for alleged crimes.  Many local officials say they cannot keep someone in jail for a civil immigration violation after a judge has ordered the person released on bail in a criminal case. And some have expressed frustration that ICE targets minor offenders, making the broader community afraid to report crimes to police.  Trump officials have called for rescinding federal funding to those cities and have threatened to prosecute any officials who obstruct immigration officers.  “Sanctuary cities make it less efficient and more dangerous, but it’s not going to stop us,” Homan said. “We’re hitting every sanctuary city right now.”  ICE detains undocumented residents, US citizens ‘without producing a warrant’ - mayor  Newark Mayor Ras A. Baraka said yesterday that ICE raided a local business, detaining undocumented residents and US citizens “without producing a warrant”.  “One of the detainees is a US military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned,” the mayor said in a statement. He said federal agents violated the veteran’s rights. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorised,” Baraka added.  ICE declined to provide detailed answers about the allegations, saying the investigation is ongoing.  But spokesman Jeff Carter said in an email that agents “may encounter US citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity”, which is what happened in Newark.  ICE has arrested immigrants, particularly criminals, across every administration, and the Biden administration boasted that it was aggressively pursuing serious offenders. Days before President Joe Biden left office, ICE said it had arrested 33 criminal non-citizens in a week-long operation in December, also in Newark.  As of July 21, ICE said it was tracking nearly 650,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal records who had been released into the United States, though only 425,000 had convictions. The others were pending trial.  Many are serving criminal sentences in state prisons or jails, while others are minor offenders who had been spared removal under the Biden administration. Trump has said any of the estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the United States illegally could be deported.  The outsize psychological effect of ICE operations this week appeared to generate the kind of fervour Trump has been seeking. In Boston, a Fox 九一星空无限 crew broadcast live as ICE officers knocked on doors, and in cities where operations netted a handful of arrests, immigrant advocacy groups and Democratic representatives denounced “raids”.  Raids across the United States sent a chilling effect across immigrant communities in Boston, Maryland and New Jersey, worrying people in schools, shopping centres and food banks.  In the DC area, the volunteer group Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network launched a hotline on Tuesday for area residents to call if they believe they see ICE officers in public. The group has not confirmed any wide-scale raids or enforcement actions this week, but the phones have kept ringing, said Amy Fischer, one of the group’s organisers.  “What is really clear is that people are just terrified,” Fischer said. “It really seems like any time there is an unmarked cop car or something that looks like a cop car, people call … It describes the overall moment or atmosphere that we are living in.”  In Montgomery County, Maryland, county officials said ICE agents arrested an immigrant with a felony in Gaithersburg yesterday. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for information about the arrest, but it sparked fears of broader immigration sweeps at a local shopping centre and high school. Similar rumours have swept across the county since Trump took office.  Some residents have confused local law enforcement for ICE agents, said Earl Stoddard, an assistant chief administrative officer in Montgomery County, a sign of locals’ anxieties that their neighbourhood could be the agency’s next target.  “It’s been every day this week,” Stoddard said yesterday. “People calling in worrying about ICE. This was the first time it was real.”  Fri, 24 Jan 2025 23:46:57 Z /news/world/soak-away-all-your-stresses-in-tuscany-italy-s-premier-wellness-destination/ /news/world/soak-away-all-your-stresses-in-tuscany-italy-s-premier-wellness-destination/ Delve into the heart of Italy’s spa country – Tuscany. With so many different thermal pools you’ll need at least a week to try them all, writes Tiana Templeman. The start of our two-hour journey from Rome along a busy motorway belies the natural beauty that unfolds when we turn off onto the quiet backroads that will take us to the spa region of Saturnia. With its verdant fields, rich Roman history, and charming hill towns, it’s surprising this picturesque spot in southern Tuscany receives so few international travellers. My husband and I only found it thanks to a tip-off from a Roman who grew up in Pitigliano, a nearby village perched on top of a cliff. We make her hometown our first stop, waiting patiently for a conga line of tractors hauling grapes up the steep hill leading into town. Saturnia isn’t just beautiful and filled with spas, it’s also one of Italy’s oldest and most respected wine regions, with crisp Bianco di Pitigliano available from just €5 ($9) a bottle. Soon we’ll get to taste it, but, like most truly memorable travel experiences, this doesn’t happen the way we planned. READ MORE: Where do the Italian elite go on holiday? Aerial view of Saturnia in Tuscany, Italy. Photo / Christian Dübendorfer on Unsplash Local encounters along roads less travelled We’re strolling down Pitigliano’s cobblestone laneways looking for a wine store when we spot an elderly Italian showing a young man how to work the ancient wooden basket press underneath a house. Instead of being told off for being stickybeaks, we’re invited into the cellar by Filippo Martini and his grandfather, who is supervising Filippo’s first vintage for the family. It’s here that we discover the Italians’ famous hospitality and also the first time we encounter the unspoiled charm that comes with visiting a lesser-known destination where there is no overtourism. A backstreet in Pitigliano. Photo / Tiana Templeman When the Italian winemakers discover our shared passion for wine, they invite us to stay for a drink. Glasses appear along with a handful of local bottles for tasting. Filippo translates for his grandfather, and we spend an hour chatting, tasting and learning about the local wine scene. My husband and I have many wonderful culinary experiences in Tuscany, but this one stays with us long after we return home. Filippo Martini in his cellar. Photo / Tiana Templeman What it’s like to stay at a Tuscan spa resort Our first Tuscan spa resort is equally memorable, and not just because everyone wears their bathrobes to breakfast. Terme di Saturnia Natural Spa and Golf Resort is unique as it has an Etruscan-era spring filling the hotel’s vast thermal pool. Natural bubbles dimple the surface as water is forced through the rock, kissing our skin as we relax in the effervescent bubbles and take in the rural views. Lounge at Terme di Saturnia Spa and Golf Resort restaurant and pool. Photo / Supplied Some Italians collect the mineral-rich algae on the water’s surface and use it to massage their arms, legs and chests. We don’t go this far, but our skin looks and feels fantastic after our two-night stay, which we cap off with a date-night dinner at Restaurant 1919. It is named after the year the hotel opened and combines classic European cooking techniques with the region’s best produce. Aside from remembering to wear your bathrobe to breakfast, there’s one other thing to keep in mind if you are visiting Tuscany’s spa country as a family. Children are welcome everywhere in Italy, and luxurious spa hotels are no exception, but some pools are considered too deep (or, in some cases, too hot) for those aged under 14 to use safely. While there will almost certainly be a pool for children, confining a Kiwi kid who is a strong swimmer to a knee-deep ‘babies area’ is unlikely to go down well. Our son prefers our next hotel, Fonteverde Holistic Wellness Retreat, which has some cooler pools that are suitable for all ages, plus a spa pool for toddlers and a man-made waterfall that’s so big we can sit behind it. A Bioaquam pool flows from inside the spa to the pretty hotel grounds dotted with lavender and has massaging jets, underwater seats and beds, and hydro-massage areas. Have a relaxing time at Fonteverde's waterfall. Photo / Supplied How to use the hotel spa facilities Whichever spa hotel or thermal facility you visit, there’s a dazzling array of different types of pools, most of which you probably won’t have seen before. Some locals wear serious expressions and look like they’re following a pattern when they use the facilities, but a spa attendant assures us there is no ‘correct’ way to take to the waters. Simply choose a pool you like the look of, then relax and enjoy. We try them all, even the ones that are so hot we only last a minute. Our favourite hotel spa experience involved floating on our backs in the warm water and watching stars come out overhead. Soak in your chosen pool and don't worry too much about the process at Terme di Saturnia Natural Spa and Golf Resort. Photo / Supplied; Robert Bonardi Where to spa like a local for free After spending a few days soaking in the thermal pools at our hotel, we follow Filippo’s advice and set off to spa for free like a local. It doesn’t take long before we spot cars parked in what looks like the middle of nowhere and Italians carrying towels through the countryside. We’re invited to join a local family for the walk along a rocky path to Le Cascate del Mulino. This tumbling cascade and its pools remind us of the waterholes in Tropical North Queensland, except they’re hot instead of cold. We slip into one of the cooler natural pools near the base of the steaming waterfall, rest our heads against rocks worn smooth over hundreds of years and let the sound of the local’s lilting Italian and the waterfall’s gentle splash wash over us. Here, surrounded by the region’s beauty, there’s none of the seriousness we encountered at the high-end spa hotels. Grandmothers wearing faded bikinis luxuriate in the healing waters while local lads clown around in the shallows, pretending they haven’t noticed the pretty girls checking them out from behind their sunglasses. Most of the locals have brought drinks, water and snacks so they can stay and spa for free for the entire day, and we do the same for the remainder of our time in Tuscany. Natural thermal springs in Saturnia are free to use. Photo / Tiana Templeman A historic stay in Tuscany’s spa country It’s a short drive from Le Cascate del Mulino to Sorano where we will spend our final night in Tuscany’s spa country. With its labyrinth of winding streets and the Orsini Fortress sitting in a prime defensive position above the town, this tiny village provides a look at the history surrounding Tuscany’s spa country. Tours of the fortress are conducted in Italian, but our guide gives us a printed English booklet to follow as we tour the garrison and descend down ancient stone staircases to walk along secret underground passages used by the soldiers to surprise their enemies. Hotel della Fortezza. Photo / Trevor Templeman However, the thing we’re most excited about is checking into Hoteldella Fortezza, a modest hotel that has been built in the oldest part of the fortress. As we turn on the light in our tower room and prepare for a restful evening, we spare a thought for the soldiers in the 14th century who had to stay awake all night to guard the tower and shoot arrows through the windows. Roman soldiers were some of the first to discover the benefits of bathing in the local thermal springs, but you don’t need to be a battle-weary warrior – or stay in a spartan garrison – to enjoy a spa holiday in southern Tuscany. The beauty of Sorano's Tuscany landscape is one for the books. Photo / Trevor Templeman Checklist Saturnia, Italy GETTING THERE Fly from Auckland to Rome with Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines or Emirates with one stopover. The drive from Rome to Saturnia takes about two hours. GETTING AROUND There is limited (or sometimes no public transport) available at some of the spots in this story; a hire car is essential for making the most of your time in this part of Italy. DETAILS visittuscany.com Fri, 24 Jan 2025 06:28:14 Z /news/world/southport-stabbings-uk-teen-axel-rudakubana-who-killed-three-at-taylor-swift-dance-party-gets-life-in-custody/ /news/world/southport-stabbings-uk-teen-axel-rudakubana-who-killed-three-at-taylor-swift-dance-party-gets-life-in-custody/ A UK judge sentenced Axel Rudakubana to life for murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Rudakubana, 18, must serve a minimum of 52 years. He also confessed to attempted murder of eight children, two adults, and possessing a knife. A judge on Thursday jailed for life a British teenager who killed three young girls in a frenzied stabbing spree, as the families wept in court at horrific details of the “extreme violence” he inflicted on them. Sentencing violence-obsessed Axel Rudakubana to 13 life terms for the three murders and 10 attempted murders, Judge Julian Goose said he believed it “highly likely that he will never be released”, ordering he should serve a minimum of 52 years. The judge said Rudakubana’s objective in his 15-minute spree had been the “mass murder of innocent, happy young girls”. Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, were killed in a stabbing attack in Southport, England. Photos / Merseyside Police If he had not been stopped, “he would have killed each and every child – all 26 of them – as well as any adult who got in his way”, he said. Sobs and gasps were heard in court as prosecutor Deanna Heer set out details of the rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July in Southport, northwestern England. Rudakubana, then 17, was heard to say: “I’m glad they’re dead,” after he was arrested, Heer told the court. She described how he burst into the studio in the seaside resort where a group of young girls were sitting on the floor making bracelets, listening to Swift’s blockbuster songs. After his arrest, police found violent content on Rudakubana’s devices, including images of dead bodies, victims of torture, beheadings, cartoons depicting killing, violence and rape or which insulted or mocked various religions. Today, Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52-years for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls and adults at Hart Space on 29th July 2024.We want to pay tribute to Bebe, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and… pic.twitter.com/wciCJlmFOE— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) January 23, 2025 On the day of the killings, Heer said, Rudakubana searched online for information about a Sydney church stabbing earlier in the year. He then travelled to the dance class venue by taxi armed with a 20cm-long kitchen knife. “Within 30 seconds, screams can be heard coming from within, followed by children fleeing from the building,” Heer said. Rudakubana, now 18, on Monday pleaded guilty to killing the three girls who died in the attack – Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. Bebe was stabbed 122 times, the judge revealed. “Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls,” Aguiar’s parents said in a statement to the court. Stancombe’s mother branded her daughter’s killer as “cruel and evil”, saying his actions were those of “a coward”. Rudakubana was twice ordered out of court by the judge after repeatedly shouting about feeling ill. He was not in court to hear the sentence, having refused to return. Living nightmare Heer said on July 29, dance teacher Heidi Liddle was sitting on the floor helping to make bracelets when she saw Rudakubana enter and begin “lunging through the children”. She started pushing them towards the exit, but after one of the girls ran towards the toilet, she followed her and locked the door. “Outside, they could hear children screaming, and then the door rattled. When she heard voices outside the door crying for the defendant to stop, she realised that not all of the children had managed to escape,” Heer said, adding that some were stabbed in the back as they fled. Some relatives in the public gallery were in tears. Others sat with their heads in their hands and wiped their eyes as tough security camera footage showed frightened, screaming children fleeing the scene. In victim impact statements read to the court, a 14-year-old survivor who was stabbed in the arm said the day turned into a “living nightmare”. “The thing I remember most about you [Rudakubana] is your eyes. You didn’t look human, you looked possessed,” she said. Class instructor Leanne Lucas, 36, who was also injured, said since the attack she could no longer be alone at home, go to work or walk down the street. “The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma,” she said. “He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey,” Lucas said. Rudakubana has also pleaded guilty to possessing a blade, producing a biological toxin – ricin – and possessing an al-Qaeda training manual. Riots The teenager’s rampage triggered a wave of revulsion in the UK. But viral misinformation that the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker sparked anti-immigrant riots in more than a dozen English and Northern Irish towns and cities. Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to parents of Rwandan origin and lived in Banks, a village northeast of Southport. His Christian church-going parents, both ethnic Tutsis, came to Britain in the years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Their church has said they are now in hiding for their protection. The attack has not been treated as a terror incident and he was never charged with terrorism offences – prompting criticism from some. Rudakubana was referred three times to the government’s nationwide anti-extremism scheme, Prevent, over concerns about his obsession with violence. A public inquiry has been announced to probe how police, courts and welfare services all failed to spot the risk he posed. - Agence France-Presse Fri, 24 Jan 2025 02:08:36 Z /news/world/mexico-erects-tent-city-on-us-border-in-preparation-for-mass-deportations/ /news/world/mexico-erects-tent-city-on-us-border-in-preparation-for-mass-deportations/ Mexico erected sprawling tents on the United States border as it braced for the effects of Donald Trump’s mass deportation drive. In an empty lot in Ciudad Juarez, which neighbours Texas, cranes lifted metal frames for tent shelters. Mexican city Nogales, which neighbours Arizona, announced it would build shelters on football fields and in a gymnasium. The border cities of Matamoros and Piedras Negras have launched similar efforts. At a border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, on Tuesday night, one man shouted to journalists he was being deported in a group arrested that morning in farm fields near Denver. Another man said he was in a group that had been brought from Oregon. Everyone carried their belongings in a small orange bag. Neither man’s account could be independently confirmed. Beyond the tents, the Mexican government is building nine shelters in border cities to receive deportees. It has said it would also use existing facilities in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Matamoros, to take in migrants whose appointments to request asylum in the US were cancelled on inauguration day. The Pentagon will begin deploying active-duty 1500 active-duty troops to help secure the southern border in the coming days, Trump announced on Wednesday. The forces are expected to be used to support border patrol agents with logistics, transport and construction of barriers. The preparations in Mexico came as it emerged Trump will start deporting illegal immigrants without court hearings after granting immigration officers sweeping new powers. ‘Expedited removal’ The Department of Homeland Security can now more quickly deport undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country longer than two years. The process, known as expedited removal, allows those who have entered the country illegally to be deported without court proceedings. It has long been reserved for the southern border, but the policy, issued by acting Homeland Security Secretary, Benjamine C. Huffman, allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to use it throughout the United States. The move could help Trump achieve the largest deportation programme in US history that he pledged to begin on the first full day of his presidency. A notice of the policy published online reads: “The effect of this change will be to enhance national security and public safety – while reducing government costs – by facilitating prompt immigration determinations.” During his first administration, Trump tried to implement a similar process nationwide, but the move was challenged in federal court. The lengthy legal battle kept the rule from going into effect until late 2020, but it was later rescinded by the Biden administration. It comes as the Justice Department is directing its federal prosecutors to investigate any state or local officials who stand in the way of beefed-up enforcement of immigration laws. In a memo to the entire workforce, acting Deputy Attorney-General Emil Bove also instructs the Justice Department’s civil division to help identify state and local laws and policies that “threaten to impede” the Trump administration’s aims. Prosecutors shall “take all steps necessary to protect the public and secure the American border by removing illegal aliens from the country and prosecuting illegal aliens for crimes committed in US jurisdiction”, the memo reads. It also directs prosecutors to investigate potential criminal charges in cases in which state and local officials obstruct or impede federal functions. “Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests,” it goes on to say. “The US Attorney’s Offices and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution.” Meanwhile, refugees who were slated to travel to the US have had their flights cancelled after Trump’s executive order suspended refugee admission. About 10,000 refugees had travel booked that is now cancelled, CNN reports. In Chicago, immigrants are reportedly staying home from work to avoid potential ICE arrests. Fri, 24 Jan 2025 02:05:08 Z /news/world/donald-trump-declassifies-jfk-rfk-martin-luther-king-jr-assassination-files/ /news/world/donald-trump-declassifies-jfk-rfk-martin-luther-king-jr-assassination-files/ United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order today declassifying files on the 1960s assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King jnr.  “A lot of people have been waiting for this for years, for decades,” Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House. “Everything will be revealed.”  After signing the order, Trump passed the pen he used to an aide, saying “Give that to RFK jnr,” the President’s nominee to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  “A lot of people have been waiting for this for years, for decades,” Trump said. Photo / Getty Images  The National Archives has released tens of thousands of records in recent years related to the November 22, 1963 assassination of President Kennedy but held thousands back, citing national security concerns.  It said at the time of the latest release, in December 2022, that 97% of the Kennedy records — which total about 5 million pages — had now been made public.  The Warren Commission that investigated the shooting of the charismatic 46-year-old President determined it was carried out by a former Marine sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone.  Prior to Trump's executive order, it was said that 97% of the Kennedy records had been made public.  That formal conclusion has done little, however, to quell speculation that a more sinister plot was behind Kennedy’s murder in Dallas, Texas, and the slow release of the Government files has added fuel to various conspiracy theories.  President Joe Biden said at the time of the December 2022 release that a “limited” number of documents would continue to be held back at the request of unspecified “agencies”.  Previous requests to withhold documents have come from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Thousands of Kennedy assassination-related documents from the National Archives were released during Trump’s first term in office, but he also held some back on national security grounds.  Conspiracy theories  Kennedy scholars have said the documents still held by the archives are unlikely to contain any bombshell revelations or put to rest the rampant conspiracy theories about the assassination of the 35th US President.  Oswald was shot to death two days after killing Kennedy by a nightclub owner, Jack Ruby, as he was being transferred from the city jail.  Hundreds of books and movies such as the 1991 Oliver Stone film JFK have fuelled the conspiracy industry, pointing the finger at Cold War rivals the Soviet Union or Cuba, the Mafia and even Kennedy’s Vice-President, Lyndon Johnson.  President Kennedy’s younger brother, Robert, a former attorney-general, was assassinated in June, 1968 while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination.  Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian-born Jordanian, was convicted of his murder and is serving a life sentence in a prison in California.  Martin Luther King jnr was assassinated in April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.  James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder and died in prison in 1998 but King’s children have expressed doubts in the past that Ray was the assassin.  -Agence France-Presse  Thu, 23 Jan 2025 22:45:35 Z /news/world/southport-stabbings-uk-teen-axel-rudakubana-who-killed-three-at-tayor-swift-dance-party-gets-life-in-custody/ /news/world/southport-stabbings-uk-teen-axel-rudakubana-who-killed-three-at-tayor-swift-dance-party-gets-life-in-custody/ A UK judge sentenced Axel Rudakubana to life for murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.  Rudakubana, 18, must serve a minimum of 52 years.  He also confessed to attempted murder of eight children, two adults, and possessing a knife.  A judge on Thursday jailed for life a British teenager who killed three young girls in a frenzied stabbing spree, as the families wept in court at horrific details of the “extreme violence” he inflicted on them.  Sentencing violence-obsessed Axel Rudakubana to 13 life terms for the three murders and 10 attempted murders, judge Julian Goose said he believed it “highly likely that he will never be released,” ordering he should serve a minimum of 52 years.  The judge said Rudakubana’s objective in his 15-minute spree had been the “mass murder of innocent, happy young girls”.  Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were killed in a stabbing attack in Southport, UK. Photos / Merseyside Police  If he had not been stopped, “he would have killed each and every child – all 26 of them – as well as any adult who got in his way”, he said.  Sobs and gasps were heard in court as prosecutor Deanna Heer set out details of the rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last July in Southport, northwestern England.  Rudakubana, then 17, was heard to say: “I’m glad they’re dead,” after he was arrested, Heer told the court.  She described how he burst into the studio in the seaside resort where a group of young girls were sitting on the floor making bracelets, listening to Swift’s blockbuster songs.  After his arrest, police found violent content on Rudakubana’s devices including images of dead bodies, victims of torture, beheadings, cartoons depicting killing, violence and rape or which insulted or mocked different religions.  Today, Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52-years for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls and adults at Hart Space on 29th July 2024.We want to pay tribute to Bebe, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and… pic.twitter.com/wciCJlmFOE— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) January 23, 2025 On the day of the killings, Heer said, Rudakubana searched online for information about a Sydney church stabbing earlier in the year.  He then travelled to the dance class venue by taxi armed with a 20-centimetre-long kitchen knife.  “Within 30 seconds, screams can be heard coming from within, followed by children fleeing from the building,” Heer said.  Rudakubana, now 18, on Monday pleaded guilty to killing the three girls who died in the attack – Bebe King, aged 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. Bebe was stabbed 122 times, the judge revealed.  “Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls,” Aguiar’s parents said in a statement to the court.  Stancombe’s mother branded her daughter’s killer as “cruel and evil”, saying his actions were those of “a coward”.  Rudakubana was twice ordered out of court by the judge after repeatedly shouting about feeling ill. He was not in court to hear the sentence, having refused to return.  Living nightmare  Heer said that on July 29, dance teacher Heidi Liddle was sitting on the floor helping to make bracelets when she saw Rudakubana enter and begin “lunging through the children”.  She started pushing them towards the exit but after one of the girls ran towards the toilet she followed her and locked the door.  “Outside, they could hear children screaming, and then the door rattled. When she heard voices outside the door crying for the defendant to stop she realised that not all of the children had managed to escape,” Heer said, adding that some were stabbed in the back as they fled.  Some relatives in the public gallery were in tears. Others sat with their heads in their hands and wiped their eyes as tough security camera footage showed frightened, screaming children fleeing the scene.  In victim impact statements read to the court, one 14-year-old survivor who was stabbed in the arm said the day turned into a “living nightmare”.  “The thing I remember most about you (Rudakubana) is your eyes. You didn’t look human, you looked possessed,” she said.  Class instructor Leanne Lucas, 36, who was also injured, said since the attack she could no longer be alone at home, go to work or walk down the street.  “The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma,” she said.  “He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey,” she added.  Rudakubana has also pleaded guilty to possessing a blade, producing a biological toxin – ricin – and possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual.  Riots  The teenager’s rampage triggered a wave of revulsion in the UK.  But viral misinformation that the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker sparked anti-immigrant riots in more than a dozen English and Northern Irish towns and cities.  Rudakubana was in fact born in Cardiff to parents of Rwandan origin, and lived in Banks, a village northeast of Southport.  His Christian church-going parents, both ethnic Tutsis, came to Britain in the years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Their church has said they are now in hiding for their protection.  The attack has not been treated as a terror incident and he was never charged with terrorism offences – prompting criticism from some.  Rudakubana was referred three times to the government’s nationwide anti-extremism scheme, Prevent, over concerns about his obsession with violence.  A public inquiry has been announced to probe how police, courts and welfare services all failed to spot the risk he posed.  - Agence France-Presse  Thu, 23 Jan 2025 18:27:28 Z /news/world/time-to-thai-the-knot-hundreds-to-wed-as-thailand-s-same-sex-marriage-law-comes-into-force/ /news/world/time-to-thai-the-knot-hundreds-to-wed-as-thailand-s-same-sex-marriage-law-comes-into-force/ Hundreds of same-sex couples are set to tie the knot in Thailand on Thursday as it becomes by far the largest nation in Asia to allow equal marriage. A mass LGBTQ wedding in the capital, organised by campaign group Bangkok Pride with city authorities, expects hundreds of marriage registrations as the law comes into effect. Transgender woman Ariya “Jin” Milintanapa, who has waited two decades for this moment, told AFP she was “psyched”. “This day is important not just for us, but for our kids as well. Our family will finally become one,” she said. Thailand ranks highly on indexes of LGBTQ legal and living conditions, and public attitudes, and Thursday’s milestone makes it the first Southeast Asian country to allow equal marriage. The kingdom’s same-sex marriage bill was passed in a historic parliamentary vote last June, the third place in Asia to do so after Taiwan and Nepal. Thailand is set to become the first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage, with a bill passing Parliament's lower house and its first Senate reading. Photo / Getty Images The law was ratified by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in September and comes into effect after 120 days. The law on marriage now uses gender-neutral terms in place of “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives”, and also grants adoption and inheritance rights to same-sex couples. More than 30 countries around the world have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001. Couples will be able to register at the main mass wedding at Bangkok’s central Siam Paragon shopping mall and district offices nationwide from 8am on Thursday. It marks the culmination of years of campaigning and thwarted attempts to pass equal marriage laws. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said during a celebratory photoshoot last week: “No matter your gender or who you love, love knows no limits or expectations. Everyone will be protected under the same laws”. Thailand has long had an international reputation for tolerance of the LGBTQ community, and opinion polls reported in local media have shown overwhelming public support for equal marriage. However, much of the Buddhist-majority kingdom retains traditional and conservative values and LGBTQ people say they still face barriers and discrimination daily. Thai activists have been pushing for same-sex marriage rights for more than a decade, with their advocacy stalled by political turbulence in a country regularly upended by coups and mass street protests. Siritata Ninlapruek, an LGBTQ activist, described the journey as a challenging, bittersweet battle. “I am extremely happy, but my fight for the community continues,” she said. She emphasised the need for gender identity recognition beyond biological sex. “Whether male, female or non-binary, people should have the right to identify as they wish.” - Agence France-Presse Thu, 23 Jan 2025 02:49:31 Z /news/world/senior-royals-planning-us-visit-to-strengthen-its-special-relationship-with-the-uk/ /news/world/senior-royals-planning-us-visit-to-strengthen-its-special-relationship-with-the-uk/ Senior royals may be embarking on a royal tour to the other side of the Atlantic in the near future, according to a new media report. Despite being in the early stages of talks, UK government officials are confident they can arrange for members of the British royal family to travel to the United States in 2026 to meet with US President Donald Trump, reported the Times. The purpose of the trip is supposedly to help strengthen the unique relationship between the UK and US, making use of Trump’s admiration for the royals to forge closer bonds between the two countries. “Donald Trump has a clear affinity for the royal family. He had a great relationship with the late Queen, recently met Prince William and has spoken highly of King Charles. A royal tour to the US would help reinforce the ‘special relationship’,” a senior government official told the Times. “No offer has been formally made” yet, according to the source, but the outlet stated a royal tour would likely take place around the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. “Playing up to his pro-monarchist tendencies is one of a number of important ways we can exert our soft power,” another source told the Times. Donald Trump has a "clear affinity" for the royal family, holding in particular esteem King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth Photo / Getty Images “You saw that during his first administration and can expect to see it again.” In the same report, the Times also claimed discussions are under way to potentially extend an offer for a second state visit to Trump. If it went ahead, Trump would become the first leader to be invited for two state visits by the UK, following on from his first in 2019 when he met with the late Queen Elizabeth. At this stage, there are no plans set in stone, and the Herald understands any official announcements relating to the matter will be made in due time. The floated royal tour to the US has been viewed by some as a blow to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved to Montecito, California, in 2020 to raise their two children away from the British public eye. The only royals to have visited the US since the Sussexes’ big move have been Prince William and Princess Kate, who attended the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston in 2022. Prince William and Princess Kate speaking with David Beckham backstage after the Earthshot Prize Awards in 2022. Photo / Getty Images A potential royal tour to the US would put a spotlight on Harry and Meghan, given they reportedly have a negative relationship with Trump. In 2020, Harry and Meghan made a plea to the American public to “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity” with regard to that year’s election, which they called the “most important election of our lifetime”. However, Trump has cosied up to other members of the royal family over the years, in turn downplaying the significance of Harry and Meghan’s message to voters. Most recently, on December 7, Trump and Prince William met at the reopening ceremony of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Trump spoke to the New York Post following the occasion, providing updates on the health of Princess Kate and King Charles, who were both diagnosed with cancer last year. “I asked him about his wife and he said she’s doing well. And I asked him about his father, and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad,” Trump told the Post. Donald Trump with Prince William on the day of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral's reopening ceremonies. Photo / Getty Images King Charles, 76, reached out to the president to congratulate him on his second inauguration as he emphasised the “enduring special relationship between the UK and US”, Buckingham Palace confirmed. While on the campaign trail, footage from Tucker Carlson’s Art of The Surge docuseries showed Trump flicking through images of himself pictured with the royal family. While looking at the photos, Trump called the late Queen “fantastic” and praised King Charles for being a “really good person.” King Charles and Melania Trump are also said to be pen pals. In her 2024 memoir Melania, the First Lady reflected on time spent with the Queen, and she and Trump’s “friendship with the royal family”, revealing she and the King are in “ongoing correspondence” and still “exchange letters ... to this day”. Thu, 23 Jan 2025 01:30:33 Z /news/world/new-explosive-wildfire-erupts-near-los-angeles/ /news/world/new-explosive-wildfire-erupts-near-los-angeles/ A new wildfire has erupted north of Los Angeles, exploding in size and sparking thousands of evacuation orders in a region already staggering from the effects of huge blazes.  Ferocious flames were devouring hillsides near Castaic Lake, spreading rapidly to cover 2000ha in just over two hours.  The fire was being fanned by strong, dry Santa Ana winds that were racing through the area, pushing a vast pall of smoke and embers ahead of the flames.  A new wildfire has erupted north of Los Angeles. Photo / AFP  Evacuations were ordered for 19,000 people all around the lake, which sits around 56km north of Los Angeles, and close to the city of Santa Clarita.  “I’m just praying that our house doesn’t burn down,” one man told broadcaster KTLA as he packed his car.  The fire came with the greater Los Angeles area still suffering after two enormous fires that killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of structures.  #BREAKING: We have a new fire growing and prompting evacuation orders in #Castaic. 九一星空无限chopper4 is showing us how quickly the fire is spreading. Live on @NBCLA 📺🚁 pic.twitter.com/m7QUjCVEq0— Katherine Picazo (@katnbcla) January 22, 2025 Robert Jensen from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department urged everyone in the impacted area of the new blaze to leave immediately.  “We’ve seen the devastation caused by people failing to follow those orders in the Palisades and Eaton fires,” he said.  “I don’t want to see that here in our community as well. If you’ve been issued an evacuation order, please get out.”  Television footage showed police driving around the neighbourhood urging people to get out.  Helicopters and planes were on the scene dropping water and retardant on the blaze, footage showed.  That fleet included two Super Scoopers, enormous amphibious planes that can carry hundreds of litres of water.  Crews from Los Angeles County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest were also attacking the blaze from the ground.  It was not immediately clear what sparked the fire, but it occurred during red flag fire conditions – when meteorologists say strong winds and low humidity create conditions ripe for rapid fire spread.  -Agence France-Presse  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 22:57:02 Z /news/world/climate-change-netherlands-faces-10m-penalty-for-missing-nitrogen-targets/ /news/world/climate-change-netherlands-faces-10m-penalty-for-missing-nitrogen-targets/ The Netherlands must meet its 2030 target to reduce nitrogen emissions or face a €10 million ($18.3m) penalty, a court said in a case brought by Greenpeace.  In a rare sanction for the state, a court in The Hague said the Dutch Government had not made enough effort to halt the progressive decline of several European Union protected nature reserves needed to absorb nitrogen.  Excess quantities of nitrogen can have harmful consequences on water, soil and air quality.  The court said nitrogen deposits measured in these protected areas, part of the European Natura 2000 programme, are much higher than what they can absorb, contravening both Dutch and European law.  The Netherlands must meet its 2030 target to reduce nitrogen emissions or face a $18.3m penalty. Photo / 123rf  It added that it was already too late for the Netherlands to reach its 2025 targets, but ordered the nation to do everything it could to meet those it had set for the end of 2030.  In their ruling, judges stressed that the current far-right-led coalition had got rid of several projects implemented by the previous government, also shrinking a climate transition fund from €24 billion to €5b.  There has been a “clear step back”, the court said, adding that “drastic and unavoidable reductions” were necessary.  Greenpeace, the environmental group, said it was “relieved” after the ruling.  “The Government violates its own laws and must get to work now, nitrogen emission must be reduced,” said the director of Greenpeace Netherlands, Andy Palmen, cited by Dutch news agency ANP.  The country’s main farming union, LTO, said the ruling will have “a huge impact” on farmers and on the economy as a whole.  “We call for the state to appeal this decision,” said LTO president Ger Koopmans in a statement.  Nitrogen is a common ingredient in fertilisers.  Farming, transport, and construction are the sectors which most need to reduce their nitrogen pollution, according to the Government’s website.  The Dutch state can appeal, but in the meantime will have to take measures to get closer to its 2030 targets.  The most vulnerable areas facing excessive concentrations of ammonia and nitrogen oxides must be given the highest priority, the court said.  - AFP  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:53:15 Z /news/world/22-us-states-sue-over-donald-trump-bid-to-end-birthright-citizenship/ /news/world/22-us-states-sue-over-donald-trump-bid-to-end-birthright-citizenship/ Twenty-two states filed lawsuits to block Donald Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship. The order aims to stop citizenship for children born in the US to non-citizen parents. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the order unconstitutional and sought to block its implementation. A coalition of Democratic-leaning states has launched legal actions seeking to block Donald Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship in the United States. The two separate lawsuits involving 22 states, including California and New York, come the day after Trump took office and quickly unveiled a phalanx of executive orders he hopes will reshape American immigration. Chief among them was an order eliminating the automatic granting of citizenship to anyone born on US soil, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. A coalition of Democratic-leaning states have launched legal actions seeking to block Donald Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship in the US. Photo / Getty Images If implemented, the order would prevent the federal Government from issuing passports, citizenship certificates or other documents to children whose mothers are in the country illegally or temporarily, and whose father is not a US citizen or permanent resident. “The President’s executive order attempting to rescind birthright citizenship is blatantly unconstitutional and quite frankly, un-American,” California Attorney-General Rob Bonta said as he announced the suit. “We are asking a court to immediately block this order from taking effect and ensure that the rights of American-born children impacted by this order remain in effect while litigation proceeds. “The President has overstepped his authority by a mile with this order, and we will hold him accountable.” The California-led suit, which was filed in federal court in Massachusetts, was joined later by one filed in Washington state and comes alongside a similar suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other advocacy groups in New Hampshire. The 14th Amendment was adopted in the aftermath of the US Civil War, as part of an effort to ensure the rights of former slaves and their children. It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Trump’s order, if it stands, will come into effect 30 days from when he signed it. The President acknowledged as he put pen to paper that it was likely to face legal challenges. “I think we have good grounds, but you could be right. I mean, we’ll find out,” he said, when asked about the likelihood of a legal effort to halt it. Trump also claimed — wrongly — that the US is the only country in the world that grants birthright citizenship. In reality, dozens of others do, among them the neighbouring countries of Canada and Mexico. -Agence France-Presse Wed, 22 Jan 2025 02:15:30 Z