Heavy rains kill at least 22 in Nepal, block roads

Heavy rains kill at least 22 in Nepal, block roads

By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) -Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods blocking roads, washing away bridges and killing at least 22 people in the last 36 hours in Nepal, officials said on Sunday. Eighteen people were killed in separate landslides in the Ilam district in the east bordering India, police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said. Three people were killed in southern Nepal in lightning strikes and one person died in floods in Udayapur district, also in east Nepal, he said. Eleven people were washed away by floods and have been missing since Saturday, authorities said. "Rescue efforts for them are going on," Shanti Mahat, a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) spokesperson, told Reuters. Several highways have been blocked by landslides and washed away by floods, stranding hundreds of passengers, authorities said. "Domestic flights are largely disrupted but international flights are operating normally," Rinji Sherpa, a spokesperson for Kathmandu airport said. In southeastern Nepal, the Koshi River, which causes deadly floods in the eastern Indian state of Bihar almost every year, was flowing above the danger level, a district official said. Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, district governor of Sunsari district, said water flows in the Koshi River were more than double normal. Mishra said all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi Barrage had been opened to drain out water compared with about 10 to 12 during a normal situation, adding that authorities are "preparing to ban heavy vehicles from its bridge". In hill-ringed Kathmandu, several rivers have flooded roads and inundated many houses, cutting the temple-studded capital off from the rest of the country by road. Hundreds of people die every year in landslides and flash floods that are common in mostly mountainous Nepal during the monsoon season which normally starts in mid-June and continues through mid-September. Weather officials say rains are likely to lash the Himalayan nation until Monday and authorities say they are taking "maximum care and precautions" to help people affected by the disaster. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

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October 05, 2025

Heavy rains kill at least 22 in Nepal, block roads

Heavy rains kill at least 22 in Nepal, block roads By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) -Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods bl...

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Global outrage has grown after two years of bombardment in Gaza. In Israel, it is a different story

Global outrage has grown after two years of bombardment in Gaza. In Israel, it is a different story

On a hot Friday morning in September, dozens of Israelis turned up at Gaza's border fence – not as soldiers, but as dissenters. Their demand: an end to the siege they say is being carried out in their name. The activists, mostly Jewish Israelis, marched toward the fence, calling on the international community to sanction and isolate their country, to "stop the genocide and end the decades-long Zionist apartheid regime." "We are fully aware that the government is not going to stop, so we are here to call on the world to boycott us, as ridiculous as it sounds," Sapir Sluzker Amran, one of the participants, told CNN. Almost two years into the war in Gaza, Sluzker Amran represents a minority in Israel, and she is aware of it. "It's a shame that we don't have more people with us today, but I think we need to keep challenging our own society. … They're in denial, and I think the best way to get out of this denial is to keep shocking them until everyone faces the horrible truth that we are committing genocide." In September, an independentUN inquiry concludedfor the first time that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding which the Israeli government has rejected. Only a short drive away, the extreme distance between the protesters' view and that of most Israelis is made clear. In the southern border city of Sderot, which was attacked on October 7, and is frequently the target of rocket fire, a group of Israelis gathered at an observation deck overlooking Gaza to revel in its ruin. Dubbed the "Sderot cinema" by Israelis online, watching Israel's bombardment has become a popular pastime; people take turns looking through tower viewers. Some bring popcorn and snacks, and some snap selfies as the thud of airstrikes echo in the distance. "When I look at Gaza from here and see buildings still standing, it makes me upset. … I want Israel to continue until it's all flattened," Rafael Hemo, an onlooker told CNN. Hemo said he doesn't want any Arabs living next to Israel any longer, and laments the world's sympathy for Gaza after what happened on October 7. "After what we've gone through, they need to be gone. No more Gaza." Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, and took more than 250 people hostage. There are 48 remaining in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Many Israelis have struggled or refused to move past this one moment in time, viewing it as Israel's 9/11. And until there is a sense of closure - the return of the hostages and answers to how it happened – they see little reason to contemplate what's happening on the other side. Nowhere is that clearer than at demonstrations. Saturdays in Israel have turned into a weekly ritual. Thousands converge every week on the streets of Tel Aviv to express their anger at the government and call for an end to the war. But whilepolls showa majority of Israelis consistently back a ceasefire, at the Saturday protests, the main aim is the return of the remaining hostages. The killing of more than 66,000 Palestinians by Israel are rarely, if ever, mentioned by the protesters or displayed on banners. A poll conducted in August by the aChord Center at theHebrew Universityof Jerusalem indicates that a majority of the Israeli public (62%) agrees with the claim that "there are no innocent bystanders in Gaza." Israelis who do not share that view blame the country's media for fueling that rhetoric. Dr. Ayala Panievsky, an Israeli author and researcher at City St. George's, University of London, told CNN that since the October 7 attacks, mainstream media participated in a campaign of "dehumanization" of Palestinians; outright promoting the notion that there is no innocent life in Gaza. Focusing on Israel's most influential andpopularchannel, Channel 12, Panievsky said Palestinian voices were "erased". When the channel aired footage from Gaza, it would mostly show Israeli soldiers in combat, and rarely the human suffering of Palestinians, she said. "Everything that haunted the imagination and nightmares of audiences worldwide was really censored out, just cut out of the Israeli mainstream media. … It created a huge gap between what Israelis know about this war and what everyone else does," she said. Co-author of a soon-to-be-published report titled "Eyes Wide Shut: When the War on the Media Met the War in Gaza," Panievsky found through sampling and forensic analysis that only 3% of Channel 12's reports on the war during its first six months showed human suffering in Gaza. "The people they trusted their entire lives to tell them what's happening are telling them, without words, that there is nothing you should be worried about there," she added. Haaretz, Israel's longest running newspaper, is one of the few news websites that has covered Palestinian suffering in Gaza extensively since the beginning of the war. It carries a social cost for its journalists. Nir Hasson, the paper's Jerusalem correspondent, says he receives death threats and hate mail whenever he reports stories from Gaza. The anger directed at him is greatest, however, when he publishes testimonies from Israeli soldiers admitting to atrocities in Gaza, because it's something people "can't ignore". He called it a "total failure" on society for not seeing other people as human beings. "The trauma of October 7 is only half of the answer," Hasson adds. "I think the other half is the dehumanization of the Palestinians in the Israeli discourse for many years. Decades of occupation and apartheid, and that's what you get in the end," he added. Panievsky has a similar view. Since before October 7, she said the Israeli government had been applying political pressure on the media, compelling journalists to omit certain words from their broadcasts, such as "occupation" and replacing them with government talking points. As a result, media coverage of the occupied West Bank and Gaza was greatly reduced before the war. The idea of an Israeli press facing unprecedented pressure found support in Reporters Without Borders 2025 World Press Freedom Index. "Press freedom, media plurality and editorial independence have been increasingly restricted in Israel since the start of the war in Gaza," it said. While footage and photographs of starving Palestinians in Gaza have horrified audiences abroad, inside Israel they have been dismissed by many as manipulated or untrue. One popular term used by Israelis to deny images of suffering emerging from Gaza is "Pallywood," a portmanteau combining Palestinian and Hollywood, the home of acting. Online, Israelis often insist the images are staged; if not, they argue Hamas is to blame. More than 400 Palestinians have died of malnutrition since the war began, and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed panel of experts,declared faminein the territory's Gaza governorate in August. A poll conducted by Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) in July, before the IPC's famine declaration but when aid agencies had already been warning for weeks about starvation in Gaza, asked Israelis: "To what extent are you personally troubled or not troubled by the reports of famine and suffering among the Palestinian population in Gaza?" Of the Jewish respondents, 79% reported that they were not so troubled or not at all troubled. The majority of Arab respondents – 86% – said that they were very troubled or somewhat troubled. For Avraham Burg, an author and former speaker of Israel's parliament who has become a prominent critic, what lies behind this state of denial in many Jewish Israelis goes far beyond media influence. After the inception of the state of Israel, its leaders "never recognized the very existence of the Palestinian people" and acted in ways to make their citizens think the same, he said. "Think of the partition wall; I do not see you, so you do not exist. In the eyes of many Israelis, the very existence of Palestinians is either not daily felt or is a fiction, so denial becomes very easy," he told CNN, referring to the separation barrier built by Israel within the occupied West Bank. Burg says he was always a "peacenik" even during his center-left political years. Although there was discrimination towards Palestinians in the Knesset halls he served in, he said the situation was more balanced back then. "Today, the equilibrium does not exist anymore … since the situation is so extreme nowadays, people like me have to take extreme positions in order to balance it." In many ways, extremity has become the measure of Israeli society nearly two years after October 7. In the days following, Netanyahu promised Israelis "we are going to change the Middle East." Since then, he has pursued drawn-out military offensives even beyond Gaza's borders, often against the advice of his own military. The Middle East has, indeed changed, but not entirely in ways Netanyahu had intended. Once nearing normalization with Saudi Arabia and potentially other Gulf nations, Israel is now more isolated than it has been in years – and not just in the region. For Netanyahu, it is a price he has chosen to pay, and has taken Israel's citizenry with him, whether they approve of his choices or not. To the activists at Gaza's border fence, the call to make their country an international pariah may be extreme, but it is essential in the face of what they see happening. "I stand here as an Israeli unwilling to remain silent in the face of the war crimes and genocide in Gaza," said M., one of the participants. "These crimes are being committed in our name, and it is our duty to resist them." For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

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October 05, 2025

Global outrage has grown after two years of bombardment in Gaza. In Israel, it is a different story

Global outrage has grown after two years of bombardment in Gaza. In Israel, it is a different story On a hot Friday morning in September, do...

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Can states ban conversion therapy for kids? Supreme Court takes up major LGBTQ+ case

Can states ban conversion therapy for kids? Supreme Court takes up major LGBTQ+ case

WASHINGTON −Growing up in a conservative and religious family in Arizona, Matt R. Salmon was desperate not to be gay. He prayed, fasted, read scripture and pleaded with God to change him. "Even at other kids' birthday parties, when they were blowing out their birthday candles, I would try to make my wish before they could, to try and steal it," Salmon, now 37, recounted. When that didn't work, he agreed at age 18 to see a counselor he was told could help. Not only did his attraction to men not go away, but Salmon said he absorbed the therapist's message that something was deeply wrong with him. Although he's worked hard to undo those two years of what he called "psychological abuse," Salmon said he still feels "so hurt and, to this day, broken by the experience." So he was stunned when theSupreme Courtsaid itwould decidewhether Colorado's ban on "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ+ minors violates a counselor's free speech rights. "Licensed professionals don't have free speech," said Salmon, now a psychiatrist and counselor himself in Washington, DC. "You don't just get to say whatever you want." More:Supreme Court takes up challenge to Colorado's ban on `conversion therapy' for LGBTQ+ minors In one of theirbiggest cases of the term, the justices will debate Oct. 7 whether the First Amendment allows states to regulate treatments like talk therapy. Kaley Chiles, the licensed counselor challenging Colorado's ban, said the law is preventing her from communicating messages that some people – including those who believe they were born in the wrong body − are interested in. The law, she said, allows her to support adolescents who wants to transition to another gender but not to help them accept their assigned sex at birth. "Clients would like to hear a message of hope that you can have struggles with your body in a variety of ways and you can actually grow in peace and comfort with the body that you're in," Chiles said. She views her work as an outgrowth of her Christian faith. Chiles has the backing of the Trump administration. The Justice Department has told the Supreme Court that Colorado is "muzzling one side of an ongoing debate in the mental-health community about how to discuss questions of gender and sexuality with children." More:President Trump's winning streak at the Supreme Court is about to get tested Colorado argues that states have long had the ability to protect patients by regulating healthcare, and the evidence is clear that trying to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity doesn't work and can lead to depression, anxiety, loss of faith, and suicidality. "So-called conversion therapy is an inhumane and abusive practice overwhelmingly shown to harm young people," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in astatement. "We have a compelling interest in protecting children from this dangerous pseudoscience." Chiles can use a variety of therapeutic techniques to help minors, including those who don't want to act on same-sex attractions, the state says. But counselors can't seek "the predetermined outcome of changing a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity." The American Psychiatric Association, in 1793, stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental illness. "Having same- or multi-gender attractions, behaviors, and desires, as well as transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse identities and expressions, is a healthy feature found in every society and culture," a coalition of major medical and psychological professional associations told the Supreme Court in abriefsupporting Colorado's law. Still, in 2023, The Trevor Project – an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ people – saidit foundmore than 600 professional counselors who say they can help alter someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. (The group identified hundreds more unlicensed counselors who operate through a religious capacity and are not covered by laws like Colorado's.) "There is a myth out there that conversion therapy is an artifact of history," said Casey Pick, senior director of law and policy at The Trevor Project. What has changed over time is the approach. More:From 'hate state' to pioneer, Colorado has another LGBTQ+ case at Supreme Court Historically, there were a wide range of inventions. Those included "averse techniques," such as using bad smells, electric shocks or other negative feedback to try to train the patient to not have homosexual thoughts. Today, talk therapy is most common, according to theWilliams Instituteat the UCLA School of Law, a think tank that researches sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Salmon said his counselor suggested his attraction to men was his father's fault because his job kept him away from home a lot, causing Salmon to identify more with his mother. "He convinced me that my parents were part of the problem," Salmon said. "He put a wedge between us." A transgender male who testified before the Colorado state legislature said his therapist encouraged him to wear skirts, hose, heels and cosmetics "to develop my femininity." "My parents were blamed for not instilling this in my upbringing," Francis Lyontolda legislative committee in 2019. More:Justice Alito still doesn't like court's gay marriage decision but said it's precedent Starting in 2013, California and New Jersey led the way in trying to prevent conversion therapy. More than 20 states have restricted the practice through laws – including some that werebacked by Republican governors.  A handful of other states have used executive orders or regulatory agencies to attack the issue. In 2015, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made a case for eliminating the use of conversion therapy among youth. "There is limited research on conversion therapy efforts among children and adolescents; however, none of the existing research supports the premise that mental or behavioral health interventions can alter gender identity or sexual orientation," the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said in its report. The Trump administration has since added a disclaimer to thefederal website referencing that report,saying a court order required the page be maintained by the Health Department but, "This page does not reflect reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it." Chiles, likewise, argues that issues related to sex and sexuality are not as settled as Colorado claims. Her attorney, Jim Campbell, said Colorado is pointing to studies that lump together the kind of counseling Chiles wants to do with shock therapy and other aversive treatments that have been used in the past. Chiles "is simply practicing speech-only counseling," said Cambell, chief legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization that has appeared frequently at the court in recent years in cases involving high-profile social issues. "If you go through the seminal (American Psychological Association) report that they have included, it says over and over again that there is no evidence that this kind of counseling causes harm," he said. The American Psychological Association says Chiles is mischaracterizing key aspects of the association's 2009 report on conversion therapy that found it's ineffective and can be harmful. While the report noted a lack of published research about the effects on minors, that's because of the difficulty of doing clinical studies without harming children by subjecting them to the change efforts, the group told the Supreme Court in a brief supporting Colorado's law. "Our finding in 2009, and subsequently in 2021, is that these sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts have no track record of being effective," said Deanne Ottaviano, the APA's general counsel. "But they do have a good record, based on self-reported evidence, of causing harm – depression, and suicidality and loneliness and other adverse psychological concerns." That may not be persuasive to a majority of the justices. When the Supreme Court in JuneallowedTennessee to ban gender affirming care for minors, the conservative majority seemed swayed by what Chief Justice John Roberts called the "open questions" about the benefits and harms of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youth. And some legal experts say the court might again worry that a medical issue is being driven by politics, rather than science. "There could well be a concern among a majority of the justices that what's really going on here is a desire to kind of pick a side," said veteran Supreme Court attorney Roman Martinez, "and to pick a side in a way that's at odds with First Amendment principles." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Supreme Court weighing if states can ban 'conversion therapy' for kids

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October 05, 2025

Can states ban conversion therapy for kids? Supreme Court takes up major LGBTQ+ case

Can states ban conversion therapy for kids? Supreme Court takes up major LGBTQ+ case WASHINGTON −Growing up in a conservative and religious ...

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‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Singers Give Surprise Performance as Bad Bunny’s Idols on ‘Saturday Night Live’

'KPop Demon Hunters' Singers Give Surprise Performance as Bad Bunny's Idols on 'Saturday Night Live'

It's all Huntr/x all the time — even for Bad Bunny. The reggaeton star and actor was the host of the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" where he appeared in a skit alongside the singing voices behind the best-selling soundtrack of the year, "KPop Demon Hunters." More from Variety Bad Bunny Mocks Fox News for Slamming Super Bowl Gig in 'SNL' Monologue: 'You Have Four Months to Learn' Spanish Kristi Noem Says ICE Will Be 'All Over' Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Show: The NFL 'Sucks and We'll Win and God Will Bless Us' Netflix's 'KPop Demon Hunters' Launches in 'Fortnite' (Gaming News Roundup) Bad Bunny plays Thomas, a nerdy character having lunch with friends who quickly discover just how obsessed he is with the blockbuster — which he insists is based on a true story — after they mock his devotion to its fictional girl group, Huntr/x. The voices behind Huntr/x — Ejae, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna — appear in the sketch when Thomas begins to daydream. "If only there were three gorgeous Korean girls who could protect you," he says, imagining the trio performing their mega-hit, "Golden." They soon burst onto the set, belting the anthemic chorus of "Golden" and ultimately saving the day when Thomas and his friends are confronted by the film's villain, Jinu (played by Bowen Yang). After becomingNetflix's most popular movie of all time in late August, the musical fantasy from Sony Pictures Animation had its 15th straight week on the Netflix Top 10 during the Sept. 22-28 viewing window, becoming the longest-running title ever on the English-language films chart. Ejae, Nuna and Rei Ami will give their first complete and televised performance of "Golden" on Oct. 7 on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon." The singers will also sit down with Fallon for an interview. Best of Variety Oscar Predictions: Could 'One Battle After Another' Join the Most Nominated Movie of All-Time Club? Oscar Predictions: Original Screenplay — The Race Is Filled With Stories of Siblings, Spies and a Guy Living Inside Toys R' Us New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

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October 04, 2025

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Singers Give Surprise Performance as Bad Bunny’s Idols on ‘Saturday Night Live’

'KPop Demon Hunters' Singers Give Surprise Performance as Bad Bunny's Idols on 'Saturday Night Live' It's all Huntr/...

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Job Applicant Fears She Won’t Get Gig After ‘Embarrassing Interview Moment’ Keeps ‘Replaying’ in Her Mind

Job Applicant Fears She Won't Get Gig After 'Embarrassing Interview Moment' Keeps 'Replaying' in Her Mind

getty A jobseeker is still reeling from embarrassment after she took a tumble at the end of a recent interview "I keep replaying the squeaky sound I made as I fell," she said in a post on Mumsnet Responses to her post shared their own humilating interview moments New employees often want to "hit the ground running," but for one recentjob applicant, she just hit the ground when she fell during her job interview. The woman explained on the community forumMumsnetthat she experienced the "embarrassing interview moment" at the company's office. "The interview itself went well, but as I was being shown out of the building, my foot went from under me and I landed on my arse on the steps," she recalled, adding that the dress she was wearing went "over my knees showing that I hadn't shaved from the knees up." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. getty "I hobbled back to the car with a damp right buttock," she added. "I keep replaying the squeaky sound I made as I fell and wondering how on earth the chair of the board managed to keep a straight face!" Still reeling from the awkward exit, she asked fellow Mumsnet users, "Can anyone cheer me up with their own embarrassing interview moments?" One user replied, "I fell down the stairs after an interview in front of the interviewer while walking me out. I laughed and said, 'Gosh, if you didn't want me working here that's all you had to say.' He laughed. I got the job." Another person commented, "I once turned up for a job interview 2.5 hours late. I got the job. People find mistakes endearing and humanizing." Most people agreed that the moment may make her stand out, with one reader emphasizing, "They want a good employee, and a fall won't change that if you're the best candidate." Read the original article onPeople

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October 04, 2025

Job Applicant Fears She Won’t Get Gig After ‘Embarrassing Interview Moment’ Keeps ‘Replaying’ in Her Mind

Job Applicant Fears She Won't Get Gig After 'Embarrassing Interview Moment' Keeps 'Replaying' in Her Mind getty A jobsee...

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‘SNL’ Weekend Update: Dobby the House Elf ‘Defends’ J.K. Rowling’s Stance on Trans People, Colin Jost Jokes Tilly Norwood Met With ‘AI Harvey Weinstein’

'SNL' Weekend Update: Dobby the House Elf 'Defends' J.K. Rowling's Stance on Trans People, Colin Jost Jokes Tilly Norwood Met With 'AI Harvey Weinstein'

The first Weekend Update of season 51 of "Saturday Night Live" pulled no punches, touching on several pop culture topics such as Diddy's sentencing, J.K. Rowling's endless tweets against trans people and AI actress Tilly Norwood. "It was reported that major talent agencies in Hollywood are interested in signing a new AI generated actress named Tilly Norwood," co-anchor Colin Jost said. "The AI generated actress got her start after she had a hotel meeting with AI Harvey Weinstein." More from Variety Trump Interrupts 'SNL' Cold Open to Threaten Show Not to 'Do Anything Too Mean' or He'll Have FCC Attack: 'Daddy's Watching' Does Tilly Norwood Need a Publicist? The AI Actress 'Is Not Available to Speak' Yet, but 'Everyone Wants an Interview' Tilly Norwood Slammed by U.K. Actors' Union Equity as an 'AI Tool' That's 'Made Up of Performers' Work': 'We Are Concerned About Where' It Came From Later in the segment, "Harry Potter" character Dobby the House Elf (played by Bowen Yang in wild makeup and wearing a plunging sack) was brought on to speak about J.K. Rowling's Twitter takedown of Emma Watson, as well as the former's frequent social media posts against trans people. "Master Rowling has done so much for Dobby, and inclusion in general," Yang as Dobby said. "Remember when Dumbledore was gayafterthe books came out? And when Hermione was Blackonlyon Broadway? And when Cho Chang was…hmm, was Cho Chang Asian? Dobby can't remember if the character named Cho Chang was Asian or not…" The Weekend Update duo also broke down Diddy's sentencing this week, with co-anchor Michael Che saying, "Sean Combs was sentenced on Friday to four years in prison, and I'll be honest, it's hard for me to enjoy watching someone I love get punished. But that's what Diddy would do!" "During Sean Combs' sentencing, he pleaded for mercy, saying the things he did were disgusting, shameful and sick," Che continued. "In fact, just thinking about it makes him harder than grandma's candy!" Watch Weekend Update below. First Weekend Update of the season!pic.twitter.com/MxCPsrW849 — Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl)October 5, 2025 Best of Variety Oscar Predictions: Could 'One Battle After Another' Join the Most Nominated Movie of All-Time Club? Oscar Predictions: Original Screenplay — The Race Is Filled With Stories of Siblings, Spies and a Guy Living Inside Toys R' Us New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

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October 04, 2025

‘SNL’ Weekend Update: Dobby the House Elf ‘Defends’ J.K. Rowling’s Stance on Trans People, Colin Jost Jokes Tilly Norwood Met With ‘AI Harvey Weinstein’

'SNL' Weekend Update: Dobby the House Elf 'Defends' J.K. Rowling's Stance on Trans People, Colin Jost Jokes Tilly Norwoo...

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Lithuania’s Vilnius airport reopens after suspension over balloons in airspace

Lithuania's Vilnius airport reopens after suspension over balloons in airspace

Lithuania reopened to air traffic at its largest and busiest Vilnius airport early on Sunday after several hours of flight suspensions and diversions over balloons possibly flying in its airspace, the airport's operator said. European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings and air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen andMunich. Air traffic at Vilnius was restored at 4:50 a.m. on Sunday (9:50 p.m. ET, Saturday) after a decision was made late on Saturday to close the airspace "due to a possible series of balloons heading toward Vilnius Airport," the operator said in a statement on its Facebook page. Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT cited the head of the country's National Crisis Management as saying late on Saturday that 13 balloons were heading towards Vilnius airport. According to notices posted to the US Federal Aviation Administration's website, the flight restrictions were due to "hot air balloon flights." The Vilnius airport said the closure affected a series of overnight flights, with most incoming flights redirected to neighboring Latvia and Poland, while departures were canceled. One flight due to arrive from Copenhagen returned to Denmark. NATO-member Lithuania in August declared a 90-km (60-miles) no-fly zone parallel to the border with Belarus in response to drones entering from there, saying this would allow its armed forces to react to violations. Lithuania, a strong supporter of Ukraine, shares a 679-km (422-miles) border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia. The capital Vilnius lies roughly 30 km (18.6 miles) from the border. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

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October 04, 2025

Lithuania’s Vilnius airport reopens after suspension over balloons in airspace

Lithuania's Vilnius airport reopens after suspension over balloons in airspace Lithuania reopened to air traffic at its largest and busi...

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