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The US aviation regulator has grounded all departing flights citing communications problems at regional air traffic control centres.
The exact nature of the issue remains unclear but the Federal Aviation Administration [[FAA]] has referred to "extraordinary circumstances" and safety concerns.
The US Transportation Secretary says 22 regional air traffic control centres are impacted by the communication issue, and FAA technicians has launched an investigation.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says while there's nothing to suggest anything nefarious, and that there is no immediate safety threat.
Investigators are considering all possibilities.
"We're not ruling out anything at this point. The first thing is the safety of everybody that's flying. We are assured that everybody is safe. Everybody that's going to be in in the air, that's currently on a plane, loved ones. As I said, we're going to get you on the ground, and we're doing it in a safe manner."
This is the first nationwide ground stop in the US since January 2023 when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.
Climate activists, including Greta Thunberg, have protested at the COP31 summit in Türkiye, demanding fossil fuel lobbyists be excluded from negotiations.
Demonstrators accuse major polluters of influencing climate policy while restrictions on protests have increased.
Rachitaa Gupta, from the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, says fossil fuel companies have a financial stake in the negotiations and should not be allowed to influence decisions on cutting emissions.
"We know that there are a lot of big polluters that come to COP, like that is from fossil fuel companies, from big tech, from big ag(riculture), from food sector. And we know for a fact that when they are here they have access to negotiations, they have access directly to the governments, to the parties and are able to influence actual climate policy process."
Meanwhile, Greenpeace activists have staged a separate protest in Antalya, using a giant Trojan horse filled with plastic waste to highlight the fossil fuel industry's role in plastic production .
Queensland's former Aboriginal children's Commissioner, Natalie Lewis, says the state government's decision to block a key UN official from inspecting its youth detention system is "indefensible".
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert Barume, was recently blocked from inspecting the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre during his tour of Australia.
Since Ms Lewis finished her term as the dedicated Aboriginal children's commissioner in May, the position has effectively been abolished, despite ongoing concerns about the conditions in which children are heard.
The Queensland government has said it is satisfied with domestic oversight bodies, but Ms Lewis says these have been consistently ignored.
"In Queensland, its own human rights statement sort of acknowledges that its bail and adult sentencing laws are incompatible with children's rights, and yet it proceeds under repeated overrides of Queensland's human rights Act. The ombudsman inspections have documented significant failings in the conditions and impacts upon children. The most recent report documented really serious concerns about children's treatment in in all centres, and our public guardian has reported more than 2,000 issues raised by their community visitors for children in youth detention, just in the last year."
Health officials at Al- Aqsa Martyrs hospital say Israeli tank shelling in central Gaza has killed three people, including a 12-year-old boy.
The hospital says the tank shelling in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah city also wounded 20 others, most of them children.
Israel’s military has not commented.
It comes as the United Nations is calling on Israel to expedite life-saving supplies into Gaza, where heavy rains and floods have left thousands without shelter.
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq says the devastating impacts of the latest rainstorm were preventable.
"Children and adults were killed, critical services suspended, and thousands of family shelters flooded, swept away, or torn apart — not by the storm alone, but by policy decisions. The Country Team said that as the occupying power, Israel is obliged to ensure the basic needs of the local population, including the supplies essential for their survival. Yet Israeli policies continue to obstruct the entry of critical items as well as access to most of Gaza's land, including areas away from the shoreline that are less prone to flooding."
Pope Leo has urged young people in Peru to follow their dreams and resist pressure to conform.
Addressing a massive prayer vigil in Lima, the pontiff warned against confusing sinful behaviour with enjoying life.
The Vatican estimates 360-thousand people packed the national stadium and surrounding streets for the event.
"Be passionate about everything that is worthwhile, about what is true, good and beautiful. Cultivate your talents, discover the richness of your culture, dare to undertake generous projects... Do not conform to living following what others expect of you."
The Pope has arrived in the northern city of Chiclayo where he served as bishop for eight years, saying it's a “joy” to be home.
To sport now, and in football, the Socceroos have beaten Asian Cup champions Qatar in an emphatic 3-0 win in Doha.
Goals from Riley McGree, Tete Yengi and Nestory Irankunda in a dominant first-half display put the one-sided friendly to bed by half time.
A bewildering raft of changes after the break brought some chaos, as subs Eli Adams, Sam Klein, Kasey Bos and Diesel Herrington all earned their Socceroos debuts.
But, Australia remained in complete control, with the hosts only firing their first tame shot after 72 minutes.
