Ethiopia church scaffolding collapse kills 36 during religious festival
Pilgrims were visiting the Menjar Shenkora Arerti Mariam Church to mark the annual Virgin Mary festival. By News Agencies Published On 1 Oct 20251 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Makeshift scaffolding set up at a church in Ethiopia has collapsed, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens, state media reported. The incident occurred at about 7:45am [4:45 GMT] on Wednesday in the town of Arerti, in the Amhara region, some 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of the capital, Addis Ababa. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list A group of pilgrims were visiting the Menjar Shenkora Arerti Mariam Church to mark the annual Virgin Mary festival when the scaffolding collapsed. District police chief Ahmed Gebeyehu told state media Fana “the number of dead has reached 36 and could increase more,” according to the AFP news agency. The number of people injured remains unclear, but some reports suggest they could be as many as 200. Local official Atnafu Abate told the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) that some people remained under the rubble but did not provide details on rescue operations. Some of the more seriously hurt were taken to hospitals in the capital, he added. Worshippers stand inside the Menjar Shenkora Arerti Mariam Church under construction that collapsed in Arerti, Amhara region of northern Ethiopia, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 [Samuel Getachew/AP Photo] Teshale Tilahun, the local administrator, described the incident as “a tragic loss for the community”. Images shared on the EBC’s official Facebook page showed tangled wooden poles, with crowds gathering amid the dense debris. Other pictures appeared to show the outside of the church, where scaffolding had been precariously constructed. Health and safety regulations are virtually non-existent in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, and construction accidents are common. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
PSG beat Barcelona for winning start to Champions League defence
Holders Paris Saint-Germain come from behind to win 2-1 at Barcelona in the league phase of the Champions League. Paris St Germain battled back from a goal down to grab a 2-1 win over Barcelona in a gripping Champions League encounter, with the defending champions overcoming a raft of injuries to secure a valuable victory away from home. Barcelona started well on Wednesday, and their pressure paid off in the 19th minute when Marcus Rashford delivered a precise pass across the box to Ferran Torres, who slid in to beat the offside trap and slot past PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list PSG, however, responded tenaciously, despite missing captain Marquinhos and their starting attacking trio of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue. They took control of proceedings and equalised in the 38th minute when Nuno Mendes embarked on a dazzling run down the left, beating three defenders before setting up 19-year-old Senny Mayulu, who finished clinically into the bottom corner. After substitute Lee Kang-in hit the post with a shot from the edge of the box in the 83rd minute, PSG finally scored a deserved winner from a quick counter in the 90th, with Achraf Hakimi crossing for substitute Goncalo Ramos to fire home from close range. “Very disappointing feeling at the end, when you concede in the last minute of the game, to lose at home, you have to be disappointed,” Barcelona captain Freddie de Jong told Movistar+. “They [PSG] were better in the final stages, in the second half in general. We began the game better. So it went back and forward, but it’s true, they were better in the second half.” Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scores his side’s first goal against PSG [Albert Gea/Reuters] Man City and Juventus held but Arsenal and Newcastle win Manchester City had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Monaco after Eric Dier scored a 90th-minute penalty for the hosts. Advertisement Villarreal and Juventus also ended 2-2 after Renato Veiga’s late equaliser. Arsenal beat Olympiakos 2-0, with Gabriel Martinelli netting after 12 minutes and Bukayo Sako sealing the win in injury time. “We want to be creative, we know the quality we have in the team,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard said. “Everyone can see the quality and depth in the squad now, it is a feeling from every single player on the pitch that you want to keep your place.” On Arsenal finishing second in the English Premier League for three consecutive seasons and being knocked out of the Champions League in the semifinals last year, Odegaard added: “We have used everything that happened to us in a good way and have also brought a few new players in – hopefully this is going to be our year.” Nick Woltemade is doing his best to make Newcastle fans forget about Alexander Isak. The club-record $93m signing scored his third goal in four starts for Newcastle to set up the 4-0 rout of Union Saint-Gilloise. The German international was signed to fill the sizable void left by Isak’s contentious move to Liverpool. And he has made an instant impact. His 17th-minute goal at Lotto Park might not have been the prettiest — diverting Sandro Tonali’s goalbound shot past Kjell Scherpen — but it got Newcastle off to the perfect start. It also highlighted his useful knack of being in the right place at the right time. Woltemade has now scored in back-to-back games after his goal against Arsenal on Sunday. He still has some way to go to prove he can replace Isak, who scored 54 goals in 78 Premier League starts for Newcastle, but the early signs are promising after his move from Stuttgart. Anthony Gordon struck twice from the penalty spot — scoring either side of halftime to put Newcastle in control, and substitute Harvey Barnes added a fourth. Qarabag maintained its 100 percent start to the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Copenhagen. Abdellah Zoubir and Emmanuel Addai were on target for the Azerbaijani team. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel kills journalist Yahia Barzaq known for his newborn baby portraits
NewsFeed An Israeli air strike has killed journalist Yahia Barzaq, who was known for his creative portraits of newborn children before the war in Gaza. Published On 1 Oct 20251 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink Save Adblock test (Why?)
Nagpur-Chandrapur Expressway approved: Check length, project cost and other details
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What is Jan Vishwas Bill 2025? BJP leader Tejasvi Surya has been appointed chairperson, it aims to…
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Gitanjli Angmo writes to Prez Murmu, PM Modi; demands release of Sonam Wangchuk: ‘Am I not entitled to meet my husband?’
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Judge orders the immediate release of El Paso DACA recipient
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Texas launches task force to target repeat criminal offenders in Houston area
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EXCLUSIVE: Rep Nancy Mace heads to Clemson in wake of Kirk assassination: ‘We won’t be silenced’
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., vowed to stand fearlessly with young conservatives in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination — a tragedy that sparked national outrage and led to three Clemson professors being fired after allegedly celebrating his death. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her address Wednesday at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) gathering at Clemson University in South Carolina, Mace said she and other conservative leaders will continue speaking in public to honor the late TPUSA founder’s legacy, noting, “we’re not going to be afraid.” The South Carolina gubernatorial candidate’s public appearance comes less than a month after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, leaving behind his wife, Erika, and two young children. SHOCK AND RESOLVE: STUDENTS REFLECT ON CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH, FUTURE OF CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT “I want all of our young people across South Carolina and the country to know that we are with them, that we are all Charlie Kirk and that they will be supported — that we aren’t going to allow anyone, or any political violence, to stop this movement or this moment,” Mace said. “We are doing this for Charlie Kirk. We’re doing this for Turning Point. We’re doing this for the millions of Charlie Kirks that are now out there today, who want to carry the torch forward, and we’re not going to be afraid,” she added. “We’re going to continue to do these things in public. We’re going to respect and honor free speech and our faith, and we’re going to do it as publicly and valiantly as we can.” Following Kirk’s killing, Fox Digital reported young conservatives were harassed at on-campus memorials, as professors across the country faced firings over insensitive public posts condoning the activist’s murder. At Clemson alone, three professors were terminated after allegedly celebrating Kirk’s death. Mace said young members of the Clemson College Republicans and the Clemson TPUSA chapter worked together to ensure the public, elected officials and President Donald Trump were aware of the professors’ comments, and were instrumental in booting them from campus. UNIVERSITIES CRACK DOWN ON EMPLOYEE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CELEBRATING, DEFENDING KIRK’S DEATH “They made a difference where it mattered, because those who are promoting murder, inciting murder, shouldn’t be teaching our kids. Regardless of your politics or what your beliefs are, you shouldn’t be near students or indoctrinating them,” she said. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of students on every campus across the country who are with you. When we speak up in numbers, we can’t be defeated.” She added her message to parents concerned about leftist indoctrination on college campuses is one of hope. “I have never been more proud and had more confidence in a generation than I do today, because these young men and women have stepped up in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder, and they have stepped up to fill in the gap, and it is an inspiration,” Mace said. ‘FEARLESS’ TOUR TAKES CHARLIE KIRK’S FREE SPEECH MISSION TO COLLEGES NATIONWIDE The university also came under fire in April after Mace revealed Clemson had a health portal form that listed 15 gender identity options, excluding male and female. Though the form was eventually taken down, Mace noted school officials “deflected any and all blame.” “I expect better than that, and even when these professors came forward, we saw a slow response from Clemson,” she said. “Luckily, the Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting and did the right thing, so we are going to have to continue to have eyes on and put pressure on Clemson to do the right thing.” Mace said amid the chaos, it is important lawmakers and the courts step in to protect free speech, and continue to honor Kirk’s mission. “The First Amendment is a right established by our founders, and when we need to step in, we should absolutely do that,” she said. “That’s what you saw happen in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. You saw lawmakers step up, come forward, and protect the free speech of students on campuses everywhere.” Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
NATO allies clash after Russian jets breach airspace, testing alliance resolve
EXCLUSIVE: Recent Russian incursions into NATO airspace have sharpened divisions inside the alliance over how to respond, exposing both the strength and the limits of collective defense. Secretary General Mark Rutte clashed with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal last week after Estonia invoked NATO’s Article 4 clause, which triggers consultations when a member feels its security is threatened. According to three European officials granted anonymity to speak freely, Rutte argued that repeated invocations risked diluting the treaty’s force. One source said he even raised his voice at Michal, warning that NATO must be cautious about how often it signals alarm. Rutte argued that if Article 4 were invoked every time Russia violated sovereignty — through drone incursions, fighter jets, cyberattacks and more — it would quickly lose impact, according to the officials. DENMARK CONSIDERS TRIGGERING NATO ARTICLE 4 AFTER DRONES FLY OVER AIRPORTS A NATO spokesperson confirmed Rutte and Michal spoke Friday and said the secretary general “has supported Estonia throughout the process.” Rasmus Ruuda, director of the Government Communication Office of Estonia, told Fox News Digital Rutte “expressed support for Estonia and the Prime Minister thanked NATO for its actions.” “Article 4 is just a signal that we’re taking note of what happened,” said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a Lithuanian member of parliament and former NATO assistant secretary general. “We can be invoking Article 4 every week, and I think that only weakens us, because we’re unable to truly respond to that aggression that Russia is sort of throwing at us.” The tension comes after a series of provocative moves by Moscow. Last month, missile-carrying Russian MiG-29s flew into Estonian territory, following an earlier breach of Polish airspace by 19 drones and repeated incursions over Romania. In Poland, jets scrambled to intercept the drones, shooting some of them down. It marked the first time since World War II that Polish armed forces mobilized to engage an airborne threat over their homeland. The Russian jets in Estonia were eventually escorted out of its territory by Italian F-35s. Estonia’s Article 4 request followed Poland’s own invocation days earlier, prompting another round of consultations in Brussels. Since its creation in 1949, Article 4 has been triggered only nine times. NATO’s warning to Russia after the Estonian request was blunt: any further breaches would be met with “all means” of defense. Estonia’s defense minister said his nation was prepared to shoot down Russian planes violating airspace “if there is a need.” But Jeglinskas said signaling without consequence risks leaving the alliance trapped. “We’re happy to do Article 4 every other day, but so what? What’s next?” he said. “The real question is what happens when the jets actually enter our airspace.” The debate cuts to a deeper question: what constitutes a “need” to shoot down Russian jets? How can Russia be deterred without stumbling into direct war? “The last thing we want is to have NATO get drawn into a war with Russia,” a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. “God knows how that ends.” “Almost all wars … they don’t necessarily start with a big bang,” the official went on. “They start with an escalation, and then somebody feels they need to respond to this, and then you just get in a toxic spiral.” ‘PUTIN IS PUSHING THE LIMITS’: EASTERN ALLIES WARN TRUMP NOT TO PULL US TROOPS The United States has promised to defend “every inch” of NATO while pressing Europe to bear more of its own defense burden. Washington’s mixed signals have only complicated matters. Trump administration officials long favored reducing the U.S. troop presence in Europe. But President Donald Trump recently delivered one of the starkest warnings to Moscow, declaring that NATO states should shoot Russian aircraft down if they incur on their territory. Jeglinskas said the statement resonated across the Baltic States. “What was really helpful was that President Trump was very clear,” he said. “That gives us confidence we’re on the right track, and we really appreciate the support.” Still, allies remain divided on whether to escalate. Some warn that Eastern Europe cannot credibly threaten retaliation without an American security guarantee. Others argue that deterrence depends on showing Russia its incursions carry a cost. “If we really want to send a proper message of deterrence to Russia, we need to be prepared to use kinetic force,” Jeglinskas said. “That means neutralizing those jets — shooting them down or finding other ways to impose consequences — so Russia actually feels the cost of its incursions. That hasn’t happened yet, and it leaves us vulnerable.” The airspace disputes now extend beyond fighter jets. European Union members are meeting in Copenhagen this week to discuss shoring up air defenses after a wave of drone sightings. Denmark briefly shut down its airspace following mysterious drone activity, while Lithuania’s Vilnius airport and Norway’s Oslo airport also reported disruptions. Drones have even been spotted over Germany’s northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. “We are not at war, but we are no longer at peace either. We must do much more for our own security,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Düsseldorf. NATO jets scrambled to intercept drones over Poland, but the response underscored a growing mismatch: deploying multi-million dollar fighters to counter small, unmanned aircraft is neither efficient nor sustainable. RUSSIA SHIFTS FROM TALK TO ACTION, TARGETING NATO HOMELAND AMID FEARS OF GLOBAL WAR “NATO remains the most crucial element of our security equation,” Jeglinskas said. “It’s the backbone through which our security is viewed. There’s really no doubt about NATO’s political will and its capability to defend its territory, but warfare is changing — and the question now is, has NATO adapted to the new way of war that is seeping through the borders of Ukraine?” Jeglinskas warned that neither NATO nor the Baltic States have done enough. “The Polish incursion signified that NATO is not fully ready to counter these threats,” he said. “Scrambling jets is a tremendous economic mismatch. If these kinds of attacks become swarms, it’s not sustainable.” To