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Von der Leyen, Costa and Metsola took private jet to Luxembourg event

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Von der Leyen, Costa and Metsola took private jet to Luxembourg event
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Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa and Roberta Metsola flew together on a private plane from Brussels to attend an event in Luxembourg last week, an extraordinary, high-cost decision made due to scheduling constraints between the three presidents, a spokesperson for the Commission said today.

The trio were expected to appear jointly in the city to commemorate Europe Day.

The trip took place on Friday and saw the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament visit the Robert Schuman house, accompanied by Luxembourgish Prime Minister Luc Frieden.

The rationale for flying rather than driving to Luxembourg – roughly 200 km from Brussels – was mainly prompted by the appearance of Friedrich Merz, the new Chancellor of Germany, in the Belgian capital.

Merz chose Europe Day to make his first visit to Brussels since taking office. He met separately with Costa, von der Leyen and Metsola, in that order, and held press conferences with Costa and von der Leyen, taking questions from journalists.

The bilateral meetings stretched over the entire morning, leaving the three presidents with an extremely tight itinerary to move to Luxembourg City and attend the commemorative event, pencilled for early afternoon, at the same time.

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The teams in Brussels then chose to ditch the car option and resort to air charter, the costs of which were shared among the three institutions.

“Due to the scheduling constraints of the three presidents and the prime minister, the only travelling option to allow all of them to attend the commemoration of the Schuman Declaration together and on time was to take a charter flight,” Paula Pinho, the Commission’s chief spokesperson, said on Monday.

“This is the reason why, exceptionally, this was the option taken to get there.”

The offices of Costa and Metsola voiced a similar message.

The event in Luxembourg, hosted at the prime minister’s invitation to mark the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, started in the early afternoon and lasted about two hours. The four leaders visited the house where Robert Schuman, the French politician who delivered the declaration on 9 May 1950, grew up.

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Schuman’s proposal to create a new authority to manage the production of coal and steel from France and West Germany paved the way for the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and kick-started the project of European integration.

Luxembourg was one of the six founding members of the ECSC and served as host of the independent High Authority, the precursor of the European Commission. During Friday’s trip, the four leaders also visited the old seat of the High Authority.

Once the event was over, von der Leyen and Costa returned to Brussels using the rented plane while Metsola and her team flew commercial to Cyprus.

Although air flights are frequent for long-distance travel, using the same option for such a short-distance trip is likely to raise eyebrows, given the EU’s commitment to sustainability and the pressure from member states to control expenses.

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Avalanche in Nepal kills 7 climbers on Mount Yalung Ri

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Avalanche in Nepal kills 7 climbers on Mount Yalung Ri

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An avalanche on Monday swept through a camp in Nepal, killing five foreign climbers and two Nepali guides, officials said.

Five foreigners were injured at the base camp on Mount Yalung Ri, located at 16,070 feet. Their nationalities and identities have not been disclosed.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency was aware of the avalanche and was working to gather information. 

“The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens,” the spokesperson said. “We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

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DAREDEVIL MOUNTAINEER MAKES HISTORY SKIING DOWN MOUNT EVEREST THROUGH DEATH ZONE WITHOUT OXYGEN

Mount Everest is shown in Nepal. On Monday, seven people died at the base camp on Mount Yalung Ri, also in Nepal.  (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Rescue crews were reaching the site on foot. A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the site, but bad weather forced it to turn back. Nepal’s Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa said it will try again Tuesday at dawn.

BLIZZARD TRAPS HUNDREDS ON MOUNT EVEREST AS RESCUE TEAMS RACE TO SAVE LIVES

Mount Yalung Ri is an 18,370-foot peak. It’s considered suitable for beginners with no previous experience climbing high mountains.

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Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest.

Earlier this month, a South Korean climber died after getting caught in a powerful storm while attempting to summit a Himalayan peak just south of Mount Everest.

Villagers with their oxen and horses ascend mountain in snowy conditions.

Villagers ascend the mountain during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest.  (Lingsuiye via AP)

In the autumn months, climbers often scale smaller peaks before the rainy season and winter months.

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Two dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi brings massive flooding in central Philippines

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Two dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi brings massive flooding in central Philippines

Residents seek refuge on rooftops, and cars float through flooded streets on the island of Cebu.

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Rain-soaked residents sought refuge on rooftops, and cars floated through flooded streets as Typhoon Kalmaegi battered central Philippines, killing at least two people, according to the national disaster agency and media reports.

Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the powerful storm across the Visayas region as well as parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao, as Kalmaegi made landfall shortly before midnight.

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By noon local time (04:00 GMT) on Tuesday, Kalmaegi was moving westwards across the islands of Cebu, Negros and Panay with winds of 150km/h (93mph) and gusts of 185km/h, toppling trees and downing power lines.

A video published by DZRH radio’s Facebook page showed homes in Talisay City in Cebu completely submerged, with only rooftops visible.

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Similar scenes in other parts of Cebu City, where vehicles and streets were underwater, circulated on social media. In some of the videos, people were heard pleading to be rescued.

A road in the town of Tabuelan, also in Cebu province, was rendered impassable following a landslide.

On the island of Bohol, one person was reported killed after he was pinned down by a fallen tree, according to radio station DYMA.

An elderly person drowned after being trapped in his residence on the island of Leyte, according to radio station DZMM.

State weather agency PAGASA said the combination of Kalmaegi and a shear line had brought heavy rain and strong winds across the Visayas and nearby areas.

“Due to interaction with the terrain, Tino may slightly weaken while crossing Visayas. However, it is expected to remain at typhoon intensity throughout its passage over the country,” PAGASA said in a morning bulletin.

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More than 160 flights to and from affected areas have been cancelled, while those at sea were advised to head to the nearest safe harbour immediately and to stay in port.

PAGASA warned of a high risk of “life-threatening and damaging storm surges” that could reach more than 3-metre (10-foot) height along coastal and low-lying communities in the central Philippines, including parts of Mindanao.

On Monday, the country’s Office of Civil Defense reported that some 156,000 individuals had been preemptively evacuated.

Kalmaegi comes as the Philippines, which is hit by an average of 20 tropical storms each year, is recovering from a run of disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather events, in recent months.

In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa swept across northern Luzon, killing at least 10 people and forcing government work and classes to shut down as it brought fierce winds and torrential rain.

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State weather service specialist Charmagne Varilla told the AFP news agency that at least “three to five more” storms were expected by December’s end.

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more frequent and more powerful due to human-driven climate change.

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Map: 6.3-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan

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Map: 6.3-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Afghanistan time. The New York Times

A strong, 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in Afghanistan on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey. Follow our coverage here.

The temblor happened at 12:59 a.m. Afghanistan time about 20 miles southeast of Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, data from the agency shows.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Afghanistan time. Shake data is as of Sunday, Nov. 2 at 4:01 p.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Monday, Nov. 3 at 10:15 a.m. Eastern.

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Maps: Daylight (urban areas); MapLibre (map rendering); Natural Earth (roads, labels, terrain); Protomaps (map tiles)

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