Japanese authorities have confirmed the season’s first outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.
Workers at a farm in Shiraoi Town found several dead chickens on Tuesday. Preliminary testing detected bird flu virus.
The prefectural government convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning, with Governor Suzuki Naomichi in attendance.
It was reported that genetic tests revealed the birds were infected with the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu virus.
Officials and private-sector workers have begun culling about 459,000 chickens at the farm. These chickens account for 8 percent of all egg-laying chickens in Hokkaido.
Officials have also banned the moving of chickens and eggs inside a neighboring farm that is within a three-kilometer radius while three other farms inside a ten-kilometer radius are banned from transferring chickens and eggs outside the area.
Prefectural government officials plan to complete the cull by October 30 and the disinfection of the henhouses by November 2.
A bird flu expert says an outbreak can happen anywhere, as migratory birds possibly carrying the virus use various routes to reach Japan. The expert says people around the nation should be on alert.
Judge outlines reasons for naming killer Judge Mrs Justice Ellenbogen has told the court her reasons for naming the killer of Harvey Willgoose.
Initially referring to Mohammed ‘Umar’ Khan as Boy A, she first outlined the law around youth anonymity in court and then summarised the applications from the press and the response from the defendant’s representatives.
She then explained her reasons to the court as follows:
Justice should take place in open courts and the press should be able to report proceedings The killing of Harvey was a “serious crime” carried out on school property by one student against another, and the public would want to know the identity of such an offender Naming Khan now won’t affect his future life prospects as he would’ve been named when he was 18 anyway (in November 2027), and he will still have a “further lengthy period of custody” after that time It isn’t clear how Khan’s rehabilitation would be affected “other than in the most general of terms” by naming him There is no evidence that identifying the defendant would affect his mental health, as Khan is in a “secure environment” with access to professionals While Khan’s parents expressed concern for themselves if he was named, it isn’t the purpose of the law to protect the safety of the defendant’s parents or family members In summary, the judge said: “I am satisfied that the balance of the important competing interests in this case tips in favour of… identifying Boy A.
“I am satisfied it is in the interests of justice to do so.
“The fact that he is young isn’t in the interests of restricting reporting.”
Vance says at Netanyahu meeting.US vice-president JD Vance said Wednesday that the Gaza ceasefire brokered by Washington could pave the way for broader alliances for Israel in the Middle East, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Vance said at a press conference in Jerusalem:
I think this Gaza deal is a critical piece of unlocking the Abraham Accords.
The vice-president was referring to the series of normalisation agreements between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020.
But what it could allow is an alliance structure in the Middle East that perseveres, that endures, and that allows the good people in this region, the world, to step up and take ownership of their own backyard.
The monopoly operator of the Channel Tunnel connecting the UK to the continent Eurostar has ordered 30 French-made “Celestia” trains, with an option for 20 more. The expansion comes as rival firms eye use of the line.
The monopoly operator of the Channel Tunnel connecting the UK to the continent Eurostar has ordered 30 French-made “Celestia” trains, with an option for 20 more. The expansion comes as rival firms eye use of the line.
Once connecting London to Paris and Brussels only, Eurostar has already expanded to include routes to cities including Cologne
Eurostar announced on Tuesday that it would purchase up to 50 new two-level trains for use across its entire network of trains from major European cities like Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne to London St Pancras station via the Channel Tunnel.
The company said it had reached a €2 billion (roughly $2.3 billion) agreement with French manufacturer Alstom to buy the planned all-electric “Celestia” trains, starting in 2031.
Eurostar bills the purchase as an expansion plan, saying the 30 or 50 new trains will run along its existing fleet of just 17 single-decker Siemens-built e320s. The new models will have 20% more seats, a lower floor and a higher ceiling than the current ones.
Although double-decker trains are not used on the British rail network, save for one experimental two-tier model in service around half a century ago, the busier rail lines in the southeast of England are among the few that can in theory cater to larger, taller trains.
A common sight on European rails, double-decker trains are not suited to much of the UK network, because of low bridges and rail lines too close together. The high-speed line from the Tunnel entrance in Folkestone to St Pancras in London was built to match European standards and inaugurated in 2003.
The monopoly operator of the Channel Tunnel connecting the UK to the continent Eurostar has ordered 30 French-made “Celestia” trains, with an option for 20 more. The expansion comes as rival firms eye use of the line.
https://p.dw.com/p/52OcQ A red Eurostar high-speed train operated by Eurostar International arrives from Paris in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on August 3, 2025. Once connecting London to Paris and Brussels only, Eurostar has already expanded to include routes to cities including Cologne Eurostar announced on Tuesday that it would purchase up to 50 new two-level trains for use across its entire network of trains from major European cities like Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne to London St Pancras station via the Channel Tunnel.
The company said it had reached a €2 billion (roughly $2.3 billion) agreement with French manufacturer Alstom to buy the planned all-electric “Celestia” trains, starting in 2031.
Eurostar bills the purchase as an expansion plan, saying the 30 or 50 new trains will run along its existing fleet of just 17 single-decker Siemens-built e320s. The new models will have 20% more seats, a lower floor and a higher ceiling than the current ones.
Although double-decker trains are not used on the British rail network, save for one experimental two-tier model in service around half a century ago, the busier rail lines in the southeast of England are among the few that can in theory cater to larger, taller trains.
A common sight on European rails, double-decker trains are not suited to much of the UK network, because of low bridges and rail lines too close together. The high-speed line from the Tunnel entrance in Folkestone to St Pancras in London was built to match European standards and inaugurated in 2003.
Eurostar train on APRIL 29, 2024. London King’s Cross railway station in London, UK.Eurostar train on APRIL 29, 2024. London King’s Cross railway station in London, UK. The line from Folkestone to King’s Cross St Pancras is among comparatively few in the UK capable of accommodating European high-speed locomotivesImage: Alex Grichenko/Zoonar/picture alliance Eurostar seeks expansion and new lines, as rivals eye use of Channel Tunnel Long the monopoly operator on the renowned rail line underneath the English Channel, connecting London to the continent without boats or planes, Eurostar is looking to expand its services to include cities like Geneva and Frankfurt in the coming years.
Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told the PA news agency the company awarded the contract to Alstom as it wanted to receive “bespoke trains as soon as possible”, ensuring it is “leading the race” to meet the growing demand for international train travel.
The “milestone order” was part of Eurostar’s “ambitious growth strategy” to reach 30 million passengers per year, up from 19.5 million in 2024, she said. Cazenave also said the larger trains would provide extra space for bicycles and wheelchair users, as well as more legroom for passengers. Travelers will be able to choose which level they sit on, with no difference in price, the company says.
Alstom chief executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge said the announcement demonstrated Eurostar’s desire to “combine technological performance, energy efficiency and passenger comfort.”
Uganda: Horror bus crash leaves at least 63 people dead on busy highway The crash happened just after midnight on the highway between the capital Kampala and the northern city of Gulu.
Initial investigations suggest it was caused by two buses coming from opposite directions trying to overtake other vehicles, a lorry and a sport utility vehicle (SUV).
“In the process both buses met head-on during the overtaking manoeuvres,” the Uganda Police Force said in a statement on X. “Sixty-three people lost lives, all occupants from involved vehicles.”
Ukraine has hit a Russian chemical plant with Storm Shadow missiles, its military said on Tuesday, referring to the UK-made long-range weapon.
Calling the strike “a successful hit” that penetrated the Russian air defence system, Ukraine’s general staff of the armed forces said they were still assessing the outcome of the “massive” strike.
Hours later Russia launched a heavy drone and missile attack on several Ukrainian regions, leaving six people dead, including two children, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Emergency power outages were in place in Kyiv itself as well as the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, and reports said Russia had targeted thermal power plants.The attack came on the same day that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders vowed to “ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defence industry” until Russian leader Vladimir Putin “is ready to make peace”.
A joint statement – co-signed by the Ukrainian, German, French, Italian, Polish, Danish, Finnish, EU and Norwegian leaders – added that “Ukraine must be in the strongest position – before, during, and after any ceasefire”.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko said on Wednesday that debris from Russia’s overnight strikes had badly damaged a number of buildings in the capital.
The head of the city’s military administration, Timur Tkachenko, said two people died in the capital.
Witnesses heard explosions that sounded like air defence units in operation, the Reuters news agency reported.In remarks at the White House, the US president indicated that a key sticking point remained Moscow’s refusal to cease fighting along the current front line.
Just last month, Trump appeared to take a major shift in his position towards ending the war, saying Kyiv could “win all of Ukraine back in its original form” – referring to Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the southern Crimea peninsular Moscow annexed in 2014.
That came after US President Donald Trump warned that allied nations in the region would invade Gaza to wipe out Hamas if it failed to comply with the truce
“What we’ve seen the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold,” Vance said during a press conference in Kiryat Gat, a city in southern Israel where a US-led mission is monitoring the Gaza ceasefire.
“I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today. It’s going to require constant effort. It’s going to require constant monitoring and supervision,” he added.
Vance is to meet Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in Jerusalem.
There have been tensions over the implementation of the ceasefire, with Hamas saying it needs time and technical assistance to find the remaining dead Israeli hostages under the rubble of the Gaza Strip.
And, on Sunday, there was the worst outbreak of violence since the start of the truce. Two Israeli soldiers were killed, triggering a wave of retaliatory air strikes.
Before Vance’s arrival, Trump gave a stark warning to Hamas.
“Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have… informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and ‘straighten our [sic] Hamas’ if Hamas continues to act badly,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Very, very fragile Opening a joint US-Israeli Civil-Military Coordination Center in southwest Israel, Vance endorsed this, but played down Israeli pressure for a firm deadline.
“I’m not going to do what the President of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult,” he said.
Vance also said that US troops would not be deployed in Gaza but that the United States would take part in “useful coordination.”
Hamas’s future is a key point of contention, with the ceasefire agreement ruling out a role for the group in Gaza.
Israel has accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire, though the group has repeatedly said it is committed to the agreement.
Gardaí have begun a criminal investigation after violence broke out at a large protest outside an accommodation centre for international protection applicants at Citywest in Co Dublin
Around 2,000 people attended the protest, but shortly afterwards hooded and masked men threw missiles and fireworks at gardaí, vandalised the Luas stop and a garda van was set on fire.
The Luas and Dublin bus services to Saggart were suspended for a time.
The Garda Public Order Unit in full riot gear, the Mounted Unit, the Dog Unit, Air Support and water cannon were deployed. The protesters were dispersed after two-and-a-half hours and calm was restored.
One female garda sustained foot injuries.
Six people were arrested for public order offences.
Groups of demonstrators hurled abuse at gardaí. Some, including men on horses and a sulky, tried to breach garda lines but were guided away by unarmed, uniformed gardaí wearing soft caps.
The situation turned violent as groups of young men, some wearing hoods with their faces covered, hurled traffic cones, bricks, bottles and other missiles at gardaí.
Bins were also emptied and their contents used as missiles.
Gardaí say individuals were seen carrying tools and garden forks and damaging property in the area. The garda helicopter was targeted with tasers-RTE
The White House Russian Foreign Ministry Lavrov and Rubio are expected to meet in Budapest on Oct. 30, an anonymous German official told the Financial Times.
They added that Hungary’s pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was expected to outline plans ahead of the summit, which could include a meeting between Trump and EU leaders. The plans have not yet been confirmed.
EU leaders are set to close ranks in support of Ukraine at a Brussels summit on Thursday, followed the next day by a “coalition of the willing” meeting of European leaders in London to discuss the next steps to help Kyiv.
According to FT, EU leaders also plan to agree on loaning 140 billion euros ($162.5 billion) from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine and approve new Russia sanctions during the Brussels summit.
On Tuesday, leaders including Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, threw their support behind Trump’s peace effort while reaffirming their red lines.
“We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the leaders, including EU chiefs Antonio Costa and Ursula von Der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as those of Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Poland, said in a joint statement.
Macron said separately that Ukraine’s Western allies were ready to provide security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire, but that Kyiv alone would decide on any territorial negotiations.
Russia on Tuesday said that there was “no precise timeframe” for a summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Ukraine, dousing hopes for a swift preparatory meeting to finalize the talks.
“No precise timeframe was initially set here,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP, at a briefing on Tuesday.
Asked if the summit could be postponed, Peskov said: “It’s impossible to postpone something that hasn’t been set in stone, … Preparation is needed, serious preparation.”
Donald Trump has said he did not want a “wasted meeting” after a plan to have face-to-face talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine were put on hold.
The US president indicated that a key sticking point remained Moscow’s refusal to cease fighting along the current front line, in remarks at the White House on Tuesday.
Earlier, a White House official had said there were “no plans” for a Trump-Putin meeting “in the immediate future”, after Trump said on Thursday that the two would hold talks in Budapest within two weeks.
Key differences between US and Russian proposals for peace became increasingly clear this week, appearing to have dashed chances of a summit.
Trump and Putin last met in Alaska in August, during a hastily organised summit which yielded no concrete results.
The White House decision to shelve plans for a second Trump-Putin meeting may be seen as an attempt to avoid another similar scenario.
“I guess the Russians wanted too much and it became evident for the Americans that there will be no deal for Trump in Budapest,” a senior European diplomat told Reuters.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week – but the White House said the two had had a “productive” call and that a meeting was no longer “necessary”.
On Monday, Trump embraced a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the current front line.
“Let it be cut the way it is,” he said. “I said: cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people.”
Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the current line of contact.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the idea had been put to the Russians repeatedly but that “the consistency of Russia’s position doesn’t change” – referring to Moscow’s insistence on the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the embattled eastern regions.
Moscow was only interested in “long-term, sustainable peace”, Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.
The “root causes of the conflict” needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of maximalist demands that include the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its European partners.
