Final boat of 42-strong pro-Palestinian flotilla intercepted by Israel
Protest vessel intercepted in the early hours of Friday morning 42.5 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza
Fri 3 Oct 2025 12.40 BST
The last boat of the 42 vessels in the Gaza humanitarian flotilla that sought to breach Israel’s 16-year maritime blockade has been intercepted by Israeli forces.
A live stream from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) had late on Thursday evening shown the Polish-flagged sailing boat Marinette still “sailing strong towards Gaza” after the Israeli government claimed to have halted the flotilla carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Greta Thunberg.
The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said procedures were under way to deport the participants in its custody, which organisers have put at about 450 people. Four Italian MPs among the 40 Italian nationals taking part in the flotilla are expected to return on a scheduled flight to Italy.
Germany: Drone sightings disrupt Munich Airport
John Silk with AFP, Reuters, dpa
The disruption comes as Munich hosts its world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival, which runs until Sunday. Last week, Denmark and Norway closed airports due to drones.
Munich Airport said early on Friday that drone sightings on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to halt operations. An airport spokesperson later said operations resumed as of 5 a.m. local time (0300 UTC/GMT).
"Passengers who were affected by the closure yesterday have been booked on new flights and flights cancelled yesterday will be rescheduled for today," a spokesperson told the AFP news agency.
A Lufthansa spokesperson said, "Flight operations have since resumed according to schedule."
Hoist the jolly manga: Gen Z protesters rally to One Piece pirate flag
With a yellow straw hat and a wicked toothy grin, he bobs among crowds of protesting youngsters from Asia to Africa to Latin America and Europe -- a smirking reproach to governments everywhere.
Born in the cult manga series "One Piece", the cartoon skull and crossbones has in recent weeks become the flag of anti-establishment demonstrations worldwide.
An emblem of the hero Luffy -- fighter of cruel powers, liberator of the oppressed -- in the best-selling comic books dating to 1997, the stylised pirate flag is a rallying sign for Gen Z, the generation of 20-somethings who have come of age since.
Diet vote for prime minister moved up ahead of Trump visit
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 3, 2025 at 12:55 JST
Tokyo and Washington are arranging for U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Japan on Oct. 27, prompting Japanese authorities to move up an extraordinary Diet session to choose the next prime minister, sources said.
This would be Trump’s first visit to Japan since taking office for the second time.
Trump issues Sunday ultimatum for Hamas to accept Gaza plan
US president has pushed a 20-point plan to ‘redevelop’ Gaza that critics say fails to support Palestinian sovereignty.
United States President Donald Trump has issued a weekend ultimatum for Hamas to accept his 20-point plan for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel’s war on the territory grinds on.
On Friday, the Republican leader took to his social media platform Truth Social to denounce Hamas as a “ruthless and violent threat” and to pressure it to accept his proposal.
How Israeli actions caused famine in Gaza, visualized
Israel’s nearly two-year war pushed parts of Gaza into “man-made” famine, according to a report published in August by a United Nations-backed initiative, deepening the Palestinians’ struggle for survival under relentless bombing, mass displacement and the spread of disease.
The report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed expert panel that assesses global food insecurity and malnutrition, helped to fuel growing international outcry over Israel’s campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks – and was cited by some of countries that recently made moves towards formally recognizing a Palestinian state. The IPC forecast that by the end of September nearly a third of Gaza’s total population would face famine conditions, although it has not yet provided an update on that forecast.
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