Sonic booms heard as RAF scrambles Typhoons

Loud bangs heard in parts of Yorkshire were sonic booms from Typhoon jets scrambled to identify "an unresponsive civilian aircraft", the RAF has said.

The aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, on Monday and helped guide an Air France plane to a safe landing in Newcastle.

People reported their houses shaking at about 21:50 BST after hearing what sounded like two loud explosions.

These were later confirmed to have been sonic booms.

An RAF spokesman said: "Quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft were launched today from RAF Coningsby to identify an unresponsive civilian aircraft.

"Communications were re-established and the aircraft has been safely landed."

Radio problem

Reports suggested the jets had escorted the plane after it went off course.

Air France confirmed that the unresponsive civilian aircraft was one of its planes.

The airline tweeted from its official UK Twitter account: "Air France confirms that due to a radio communication problem AF 1558 had to be accompanied by two British fighter aircrafts according to the procedure.

"The aircraft landed in Newcastle at 22:20 (LT). Safety of clients & crew is an absolute priority."

North Yorkshire Police had tweeted to reassure people there was no danger, later writing: "Confirmation from RAF that loud bangs heard across the county were sonic booms from RAF Typhoon jets. No cause for concern." 

One woman wrote: "house shook & whole street was out, car & house alarms gone off. Apparently was a sonic boom".

Alton Towers Visitors Stuck On Galactica Ride

Thrillseekers at Alton Towers were left dangling from a rollercoaster after it stopped in heavy rain.

In an incident with echoes of the Smiler accident that left five people seriously injured last year, 28 people got stuck on the Galactica ride after it ground to a halt when heavy rain obscured a sensor.

Alton Towers said it took 19 minutes to get 28 people down from the ride after it stopped shortly before 2pm - although some witnesses said they were stuck for between 30 and 40 minutes.

Thomas Symons wrote on Twitter: "So being stuck mid air in the pouring rain on Galactica for 30 minutes was not pleasant.."

Another Twitter user, laylaw, added: "We were stuck at the top of it for 40 minutes! Still shaking!"

Contrary to some reports, the riders were not stuck upside down, a spokesperson for the Staffordshire theme park said.

Alton Towers said in a statement: "Heavy rain obscured a sensor on Galactica which meant that the ride was automatically stopped.

"This is a standard safety feature on this ride and the ride was working exactly as it is designed to do.

"The health and safety of our guests is our number one priority and our team followed standard procedures to get the guests off as quickly and as safely as possible.

"The ride has re-opened."

According to Alton Towers, Galactica is the first fully virtual reality ride to link graphics on headsets with physical twists and turns.

It reopened in March after refurbishment and former International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield was the first person to ride the revamped version of the attraction. 

The 20m-high ride simulates the feeling of flying as it takes riders on a 189-second journey on a virtual space station and through an asteroid field.

Alton Towers bosses have been working to rebuild the park's reputation after the Smiler accident on June 2, 2015, which left teenage passengers Vicky Balch and Leah Washington needing leg amputations after their carriage collided with a stationary car. 

The park's parent firm Merlin, which blamed the crash on human error, is facing a large fine after it admitted breaching health and safety rules over the incident.

France's English Euro 2016 Anthem Sparks Anger

A French politician has reacted with horror to the choice of a song in English as the official anthem for French supporters at Euro 2016.

The French Football Association chose the song I Was Made For Lovin' You, originally by American rock veterans Kiss.

A cover version for the football competition has been done by French group Skip The Use.

The words have been changed from "I was made for lovin' you, babe" to "I was made for lovin' you, my team" and the clip shows fans with tricolour flags inside a stadium as football players dance to the tune.

Skip The Use's lead singer Mat Bastard told Le Parisien that he hoped the tune would get fans dancing like they did to I Will Survive, the Gloria Gaynor classic which became the national song to celebrate Les Bleus' World Cup victory at home in 1998.

Andre Vallini is not happy that the French language has "lowered its guard"

Andre Vallini, Secretary of State for Francophony, was not convinced, describing the choice of song as "very concerning".

He added: "Euro 2016 will be a great festival of sport which is taking place in France and will therefore project the image of our country abroad. And our language too.

"It is therefore incomprehensible that the anthem of the French national team should be in English."

Mr Vallini is also upset that France's entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest - J'ai Cherche, by Amir - contains a chorus largely in English.

"At a time when we are defending the place of the French language in international institutions and especially European institutions... it is incomprehensible that for these two big popular events, the French language has lowered its guard," he said.

Euro 2016 takes place from 10 June to 10 July while the Eurovision song contest takes place on 14 May.

Saudi Binladin construction firm sheds 77,000 jobs

Saudi Binladin Group, a Saudi-owned construction company, has laid off about 77,000 foreign workers and plans to cut thousands of jobs held by Saudi nationals, according to a local newspaper report.

Binladin has issued 77,000 final exit visas to foreign workers so that they can leave Saudi Arabia, and is expected to lay off 12,000 of 17,000 Saudis in supervisory, administrative, engineering and management jobs, Al Watan newspaper quoted an unnamed source in the company as saying on Monday.

While Saudi construction companies regularly cut or expand their foreign staff in response to changing demand in the industry, they rarely lay off large numbers of Saudis, partly because it is legally difficult and expensive.

The total workforce at Binladin, one of Saudi Arabia's biggest firms and among the Middle East's largest builders, is around 200,000, according to its LinkedIn page.

Asked to comment, Binladin did not give a figure for job cuts but said: "Our manpower size is always proportional to the nature and scale of the undertaken projects, along with the time spans required to complete them.

"Adjusting the size of our manpower is a normal routine especially whenever projects are completed or near completion. Most of the released jobs had initially been recruited for contracted projects with specific time frames and deliverables."

Binladin said it understood job reductions were never easy for people involved and that it would honour its commitments to compensate affected workers under the law.

In addition, the company has been hit by fallout from low oil prices which have led to government spending cuts to curb a budget deficit that totalled nearly $100bn last year.

The cuts have forced Binladin and other construction companies to delay paying some workers' salaries, in some cases for months. In response, some unpaid staff have stopped turning up for work, slowing work on some Binladin projects such as the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh.

The company has declined to describe its financial situation publicly.

Two Gulf banking industry sources, declining to be named because of commercial sensitivities, said it was believed to owe local and international banks a total of about $30bn.

Bankers said the company had been meeting with banks to reassure them that its loans would be repaid, and that it had brought in outside experts, including foreigners, to streamline its project management and budgeting skills.

Islamic State Car Bomb Kills Iraqi Pilgrims

At least 18 Shia Muslim pilgrims have been killed by a car bomb in Baghdad.

The pilgrims were commemorating the anniversary of the death of an eight century imam when the vehicle detonated.

A police officer said 45 people were also wounded when the car, which was parked in the Saydiyah neighbourhood, blew up after midday.

Shortly after the explosion, Islamic State, which sees Shia Muslims as apostates, claimed it was behind the bombing.

The remains of the vehicle which detonated in Saydiyah

Iraqi officials denied the group's claim that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Tens of thousands of Shia Muslims have been making their way to the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Kadhimiyah, where Imam Moussa al-Kadhim is buried.

Security forces have blocked major roads in anticipation of attacks against pilgrims who traditionally travel on foot from different parts of Iraq.

On Saturday, Islamic State claimed responsibility for two car bombs in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah which killed at least 31 people and wounded 52.

According to a report by IHS Janes, Islamist militants are increasing their attacks in Iraq and Syria, in an attempt to distract from a number of territorial defeats.

The defence think tank says there were 891 attacks and 2,150 "non-militant" fatalities recorded in the first three months of this year.

Those figures represent an increase of 16.7% and 43.9% respectively on the last quarter of 2015.

Islamic State still controls significant stretches of territory in Iraq's north and west, including the country's second largest city of Mosul, estimated to still be home to more than one million civilians.

Islamic State Boosts Attacks Under Pressure

Islamic State has increased its attacks in Iraq and Syria to the highest level since 2014, according to a report by IHS Janes.

The defence think tank says there were 891 attacks and 2,150 "non-militant" fatalities recorded in the first three months of this year.

Those figures represent an increase of 16.7% and 43.9% respectively on the last quarter of 2015.

Matthew Henman, Head of IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, said: "Attack and fatality numbers have jumped.

"The group is resorting more and more to mass-casualty violence as it comes under heavy pressure from multiple angles."

There is further sobering news for Syria as the report concludes that Jabhat al-Nusra has successfully established itself within the militant Islamist opposition and is arguably "a more dangerous long-term threat in the country than the Islamic State".

The blunt analysis also finds Islamic State attacks in Libya are "intensifying" after "a several month slump".

Almost as many attacks were recorded in the first three months of 2016 as in the third and fourth quarters on 2015 combined.

Henman said: "After a seeming period of consolidation and preparation, Islamic State forces in the country launched a series of major attacks on critical energy infrastructure in addition to conducting the deadliest single attack since the overthrow of the government of Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011.

The report identifies the northwest town of Sabratha as a key training ground for Islamic State to stage attacks across the border in Tunisia.

Supreme Court Rejects $15 Wage Challenge

The US Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to Seattle's $15 an hour minimum wage from franchise business owners.

The high court's decision not to hear the appeal left in place a lower court ruling in favour of the mandated wage hike.

The law, which went into effect in April 2015, requires businesses in Seattle with more than 500 employees nationwide to raise their minimum wage to $15 by 2018.

Local businesses employing fewer than 500 workers have seven years to implement the hike.

Five franchises and the International Franchise Association sued the city, saying they were being unfairly treated because they are part of multi-state networks.

Lawyers for the franchises argued that in reality they are small businesses and should have more time to phase in the new wage minimum.

Supreme Court justices did not comment on their decision to reject the challenge.

Seattle was the first major US city to enact a $15 wage amid pressure from unions and workers' rights groups.

The move has since been copied to some degree in cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, and at the state level in California and New York.