Pentagon releases images of Russian jet buzzing RC-135 spy plane

Photographs released by the US show a Russian SU-27 jet apparently flying within a few metres of an RC-135 spy plane.

The Pentagon accused Russia of carrying out an unsafe intercept of the reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea earlier this week.

But the photographs released by the US European Command on Friday showed just how close the fighter jet came to the US aircraft.

NATO aircraft are being deployed as part of the organisation's annual Baltic Operations (BALTOPS), a multinational, maritime-focused live training event which first began in 1972, in the region close to Russia's border.

Image:The photographs showed just how close the fighter jet came to the US aircraft

Referring to the 19 June incident, the US military said that "due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft during the intercept, this interaction was determined to be unsafe".

But according to the Russian news agency TASS, it was the RC-135 plane which "made an attempt at approaching the Russian fighter jet making a provocative turn towards it".

CNN reported that there have been more than 30 interactions between US and Russian aircraft near the Baltic Sea since in recent weeks, most of which were "safe and professional" according to a US official.

"The vast majority of interactions we have, intercepts that occur when we fly and that are intercepted by the Russians are safe," said a Pentagon spokesperson.

"This is an exception, not the norm, but we were again operating in international airspace and did nothing to provoke," they added.

Twitter users hit back at Saudi-bloc's list of demands

Earlier on Friday, the Saudi-bloc submitted a 13-point list of demands to Qatar [Kacper Pempel/Reuters]

Social media users have hit back with humour and their own list of grievances after reports emerged that Saudi Arabia and its allies issued a list of demands.

Almost immediately after the Saudi-led bloc's 13-point list of demands was made public on Friday, some Twitter users began posting their reactions under the hashtag "the list is refused".

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar on June 5 over allegations the country funds "terrorism" and is too close to Iran - allegations Qatar has repeatedly denied.

Their steep list of demands, published by news agencies on Friday, includes calls on Qatar to shut down Al Jazeera Media Network, close a Turkish military base, scale down ties with Iran, and pay an unspecified sum in compensation.

Qatar now has 10 days to comply, according to the reports.
"Qatar refuses Saudi and the Emirates' conditions and answers them with this voice message," wrote one Twitter user, embedding a man singing an old Gulf song, asking his wife to "take your bag of clothes and leave my house for good" and telling her she has a "long tongue", implying she talks too much.

London Underground superbugs warning prompts deep-cleaning

Parts of the London Underground network will be deep-cleaned every night this summer after dangerous superbugs were discovered.

As part of air quality improvement measures announced by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the intensified cleaning regime will aim to reduce commuters' exposure to dust and particles.

It comes after researchers at London Metropolitan University found 121 different types of bacteria and mould on public transport in the capital.

Eight of all the bacteria discovered were found to be among the most threatening to human health, with the Victoria Line deemed to be the dirtiest.

Image:1.37 billion passengers travel on the Tube every year

Around 50 Tube stations will be cleaned each night with magnetic wands and industrial vacuum cleaners used to remove dust, oil, grease and metal particles.

Mr Khan said: "I've asked for an updated scientific analysis of pollution on the Tube so we can fully assess the air quality levels and take appropriate measures to ensure that the air is clean."

The movement of trains along rail lines, engineering works and skin particles all contribute to dust on the network.

London Underground managing director Mark Wild said: "As scientific understanding of the effects of particles develops, we are ensuring that we're both using the very latest research and that we're doing everything possible to keep the air underground clean for our customers and staff."

Corbyn overtakes May in PM suitability poll for first time

Jeremy Corbyn has overtaken Theresa May for the first time on the question of who voters think would be the best Prime Minister, a poll suggests.

The survey, by YouGov for The Times, puts the Labour leader on 35%, ahead of the Prime Minister on 34%.

Nearly a third of those asked said they were unsure.

When Mrs May called the election in April, she had a commanding lead over Mr Corbyn on the same question - 54% to 15%.

It is more bad news for the PM, who is under pressure after losing her majority in the snap election she called to increase her Brexit mandate.

In the days leading up to the vote (5-7 June), Mrs May was ahead by 43% to Mr Corbyn's 32%.

This suggests the aftermath of the election - in which she has been criticised over her response to the Grenfell Tower disaster - has had an impact.

The PM was also forced to scrap a number of unpopular manifesto pledges in this week's Queen's Speech, including reintroducing grammar schools, holding a vote on ending the ban on fox hunting and means-testing pensioners' winter fuel payments.

In his response to the Queen's Speech, a bullish Mr Corbyn said Labour is now a "government in waiting", although Mrs May mocked her rival, praising him for having "fought a spirited campaign and come a good second".

:: YouGov surveyed 1,670 British adults from 21-22 June.

Media watchdog slams demand to shut Al Jazeera

Gulf nations issue list demanding the closure of Al Jazeera and some other Arab media news outlets [Naseem Zeitoon/Reuters]

Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organisation promoting press freedom, has condemned the demand by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to shut Al Jazeera network and other media outlets in Qatar.

The Gulf states issued a 13-point list on Friday, demanding the closure of all news outlets that it funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al Jadeed, Mekameleen and Middle East Eye.

"We are really worried about the implication and consequences of such requirements if it will ever be implemented," said Alexandra El Khazen, head of Middle East and North Africa desk at Reporters Without Borders.

READ MORE: Arab states issue list of demands to end Qatar crisis

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Paris, Khazen said: "We are against any kind of censorship and measures that could threaten the diversity in the Arab media landscape and pluralism for instance.

"The Arabic media landscape should make room and accept the broadest range of view points instead of adopting repressive measures against alternative viewpoints that are found to be critical of some governments."

Tim Dawson, president of the UK's National Union of Journalists, expressed his "absolute horror" in reaction to what we called a "monstrous request" and urged the Saudi government to withdraw the demands.

Khazen also expressed concern over the impact of the demands on the employees of the mentioned media outlets.

"Some of them may come under pressure to resign or to choose to do so to be aligned with the policy of their country, so we are currently investigating this," she said.
Al Jazeera's reaction

"We are stunned by the demand to close Al Jazeera," Giles Trendle, the acting managing director of Al Jazeera English, said. “Of course there has been talk about it in the past but it is still a great shock and surprise to actually see it in writing. It's as absurd as it would be for Germany to demand Britain to close the BBC."

Trendle said Al Jazeera is going to continue its “editorial mission of covering the world news in a fair and balanced way".

"We call on all governments to respect media freedom. We hope other media organisations will support our call to defend media freedom," he added.

Trendle said the roots of the demand to close Al Jazeera goes back to 2011 and the Arab Spring.

"At that time, Al Jazeera was covering the dreams and the aspirations of a new generation of people. We provided the platform for the voice of the man and the woman in the Arab streets. We were covering those protests and we were providing a diversity of viewpoints, we were really the voice of the voiceless. I think there are some regimes in the region that don't appreciate that diversity of views. I think that's the reason for what's going on here."

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting "terrorism". Qatar has denied the allegation.

Will the war of words hamper efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis? – Inside Story

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that Al Jazeera Media Network is an "internal affair" and there will be no discussion about the fate of the Doha-based broadcaster amid the Gulf crisis.

To stem the flow of negative reactions Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain took steps to curb their citizens from expressing opinions that opposed their policies.

The UAE announced that any objections to the UAE's strict measures against the government of Qatar or expression of sympathy with Qatar would be a crime punishable by a prison sentence of 3-15 years and a fine of no less than $136,000 (500,000AED), whether on a social media platform or via any written or spoken medium.

The criminalisation of sympathy with Qatar was implemented in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with slight differences in the length of prison sentences and size of fines.

Khazen said the decision to punish citizens is a "huge violation of freedom of speech and information that could have serious implications".

Al Jazeera reporters have often come under fire, with Egypt imprisoning Arabic reporter Mahmoud Hussein, who has been in jail for 185 days "disseminating false news and receiving monetary funds from foreign authorities in order to defame the state's reputation".

Al Jazeera's Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy spent 437 days in jail before being released. Peter Greste spent more than a year in prison in Egypt.

EU citizens' rights on the table at European Council summit

Theresa May is expected to provide her fellow European Union leaders with detail on the status and rights which the UK plans to offer EU citizens living in Britain after Brexit.

Attending her first European Council Summit since her disastrous general election, it is understood the Prime Minister will explain the UK's "principles" on the issue of citizens' rights - a key early topic in the Brexit negotiations.

Her party's lost majority, weakened negotiating hand as well as the apparent division on what Brexit means among her own cabinet is raising questions in Europe about her stability as PM.

She will seek to reassure her fellow leaders of her commitment to a fair Brexit deal for both sides by presenting an overview of the UK's intentions regarding the estimated 3.2 million EU citizens currently living in Britain.

The two-day Brussels summit will predominately focus on counter-terrorism, common defence and security.

Two foiled terrorist attacks this week alone put renewed focus on EU-wide efforts to improve counter-terrorism measures.

In Paris on Monday, a man was apprehended after he tried to ram his car into police on the Champs Elysee and in Brussels on Tuesday, a man attempted to detonate a nail bomb in the city's Central Station. No one was injured in either incident.

At the end of a working dinner, Mrs May is expected to address the other 27 leaders on Brexit and the issue of citizens' rights.

It is the most tangible human consequence of the UK's decision to leave the European Union: the status and prospects for 3.2 million EU citizens who currently live in the UK and the 1.2 million Britons who live elsewhere in the European Union.

Their prospects are unclear given that the UK will become a so-called "third country" once it leaves the union.

The remaining member states have shown increasing levels of irritation at the UK's failure to commit to protecting the rights of their citizens in the UK.

French fitness blogger Rebecca Burger killed by exploding whipped cream dispenser

A well-known lifestyle blogger in France has been killed by an exploding whipped cream dispenser, her family has said.

Rebecca Burger, 33, died after the pressurised canister exploded, violently hitting her chest.

French media reports that the impact brought on a cardiac arrest and although she received medical attention, she could not be saved.

"It is with great sadness we announce the death of Rebecca who died the June 18th, 2017 in an accident in the home," her family, including her husband, said in a statement on her Instagram account.

Another post included a photograph of a dispenser, alongside a warning not to use similar devices.

"Here is an example of a whipped cream canister that exploded and struck Rebecca's chest, resulting in her death," the post read.

"Do not use this kind of utensil in your home! Tens of thousands of defective devices are still in circulation."

Police are investigating Ms Burger's death.

Her 55,000 Facebook friends and 158,000 Instagram followers reacted with disbelief to the news.

One wrote on her Facebook page: "A beautiful woman, full of life. All my condolences to the family."

"I am horrified by what happened," said another.

They described her as their "body princess", "bikini icon" and a "beautiful athlete and coach", who would be greatly missed.

French fitness website Women's Best also paid tribute to the blogger: "Rebecca was not only a great fitness figure but a generous and kind person to work with."

Several similar incidents involving exploding cream dispensers have occurred in France in recent years, but no one has been killed.

France's National Consumer Institute (INC) issued a warning in 2014 about such gadgets, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.