First Thing: Rescue efforts continue as death toll rises in Nepal-Tibet flood

• El Niño-driven drought conditions in Djibouti have left 256,000 people—approximately 25% of the population—acutely food insecure through December. • Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to address the crisis.

• A top UN official addressed the Security Council on Thursday regarding Syria's ongoing transition and rebuilding efforts following more than a decade of war. • Key developments mentioned include the recent dissolution of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the United States' decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

X2 ride at Magic Mountain has been closed for a month after one rider experienced brain compression and another remains in comaAn infamous Six Flags Magic Mountain rollercoaster, long favored by intrepid theme park goers, has been closed for more than a month after two people say they experienced brain injuries after riding it, according to a new CNN investigation.The X2 rollercoaster can send riders plummeting and twisting hundreds of feet, reaching up to 76mph (about 122km/h), as the seats rotate 360 degrees. On the southern California theme park’s website, it’s advertised as a rite of passage for daredevils. Continue reading...

Scale of devastation emerges in Nepal as reporters reach disaster area, but Chinese state media focus more on rescue effortsNepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updatesIn the days since an enormous glacier in the Himalayas snapped away from a mountaintop and cascaded into the valley below, the true scale of the devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet is still unfolding.But the picture is unfolding far more quickly in Nepal than in China, where strict controls on the flow of information from one of its most sensitive regions are hampering the public’s understanding of events. Continue reading...

Helipad relocation led in part to incident where Marine One, carrying the president, had close call with passenger jetSafety officials say the relocation of a helipad amid Donald Trump’s multi-project White House reconstruction led in part to an incident earlier this month in which a military helicopter carrying the president came too close to a passenger jet.A preliminary report published Thursday by the National Transportation ⁠Safety Board (NTSB) blamed “communication issues” for the failure of the crew of Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to give the required three minutes’ notice to air traffic controllers that they were about to take off from the White House. Continue reading...

Anti-vaxxers are spreading conspiracy theories after two recent measles-associated deaths in PennsylvaniaAnti-vaccine activists are trying to track down the families of two people, including at least one newborn, who died after contracting measles in Pennsylvania, as governor Josh Shapiro tangles with Robert F Kennedy Jr over his “inaccurate and misleading claims”.Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), suggested late Wednesday that the deaths in the state may have been “fabricated” after a Republican coroner – an elected political office in Lancaster county – claimed one of the measles-associated deaths was unrelated to the virus, although the given cause would be consistent with measles. Continue reading...

Speech in Birmingham part of effort to strengthen Marine Le Pen party’s international ties before her presidential bidThe French far-right leader Jordan Bardella is to give a speech at Reform UK’s party conference in Birmingham next week, as he attempts to boost international ties before Marine Le Pen’s bid for the French presidency next spring.Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN), is high in the polls and she is predicted to reach the final round of the French presidential race in May. Continue reading...

Desperate relatives trying to reach loved ones last seen in area where entire villages have been swept awayNepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updatesVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing, as fears mount over the risk of a second wave of flooding in the region.The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages, have killed at least 538 people, while more than 1,500 remain missing. Continue reading...

Jake says his parents ‘never stopped helping’ his brother Nick, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering both of them at their Los Angeles homeJake Reiner has given his first interview since the killing of his parents, the film-maker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, saying: “I will never understand why this happened.”Reiner, who directed films including The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me, was found dead alongside Singer Reiner from apparent stab wounds in their home in Los Angeles in December. Continue reading...

CEO Allan Leighton says lower prices and an improved online service are attracting more shoppers Asda has heralded its first quarterly growth in more than two years as the supermarket’s boss said it was attracting more shoppers with lower prices and an improved online service.Allan Leighton, executive chair of the UK’s third-largest grocer, said a 0.2% rise in sales at established stores, excluding fuel, in the three months to the end of June was “a huge milestone” which was “psychologically important for the business”. In the previous quarter sales fell 2.3%. Continue reading...

Christian Drogan crossed the channel in a small boat from France into England for a TalkTV documentaryRupert Murdoch’s online channel TalkTV is facing criticism after it did not disclose that a journalist who travelled to Britain in a small boat for a documentary was a Reform party member and activist.The channel revealed the “world exclusive” this week, stating that the treacherous journey had made the former builder turned journalist Christian Drogan the first British man “to invade his own country”. Continue reading...