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BREAKING: Crew Onboard Titanic Submersible Dead

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All the five people on board a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic have been confirmed dead according to OceanGate.

“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” the company said in a pensive statement on Thursday.

The company said the “men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans” while sending condolences to “every member of their families during this tragic time”.

“We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss.

“This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea.

“We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time,” OceanGate solemnly said.

The confirmation came a few hours after a “debris field” was discovered by an underwater robot searching near the wreck of the Titanic for the missing submersible.

The development came after rescuers insisted that the multinational mission to locate the craft was still focused on finding the crew alive despite fears that the vessel’s oxygen may have run out.

“Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,” the US Coast Guard said in a tweet.

The coast guard said the debris field was found “within the search area by an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) near the Titanic.”

The small tourist sub had been lost since Sunday, somewhere in a vast swathe of the North Atlantic between the ocean’s surface and more than two miles (nearly four kilometers) below.

‘Catastrophic Loss’
At a press briefing in Boston later Thursday, the US Coast Guard said the debris discovered on the ocean floor suggests the missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic suffered a “catastrophic loss” of pressure,

“Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families,” Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters in Boston.

“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families.”

The missing submersible was carrying British billionaire Hamish Harding and dual Pakistani-British citizens Shahzada Dawood, a tycoon, and his son Suleman. OceanGate Expeditions charges $250,000 for a seat on the sub.

Also on board is OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, and a French submarine operator Paul-Henri Nargeolet, nicknamed “Mr Titanic” for his frequent dives at the site.

Ships and planes have scoured 10,000 square miles (around 20,000 square kilometers) of surface water — roughly the size of the US state of Massachusetts — for the vessel.

The Titanic’s watery grave is situated 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and more than two miles below the surface of the North Atlantic.

The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York with 2,224 passengers and crew on board. More than 1,500 people died.

It was found in 1985 and remains a lure for nautical experts and underwater tourists.

The pressure at that depth as measured in atmospheres is 400 times what it is at sea level.

In 2018, OceanGate Expeditions’ former director of marine operations David Lochridge alleged in a lawsuit that he had been fired after raising concerns about the company’s “experimental and untested design” of Titan.

International

US Vice President Vance announces birth of baby boy

The birth marks the latest addition to the Vance family. Vance and Usha got married in 2014 and previously had three children before welcoming their new son.

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United States Vice President JD Vance has announced the birth of his son, saying both the newborn and his wife, Usha Vance, are healthy.

The birth marks the latest addition to the Vance family. Vance and Usha got married in 2014 and previously had three children before welcoming their new son.

Vance made the announcement in a statement shared on Sunday, expressing gratitude to the medical personnel who assisted during the delivery.

Vance also paid tribute to the medical teams at Walter Reed Medical Centre and the White House Medical Unit for their care and support.

“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning.

“Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,“ he said.

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International

Andy Burnham set to become Labour leader before taking over as UK PM

Burnham, who has since become known as the “king of the North,” returned to Westminster in June after securing a huge majority in the Makerfield by-election, comfortably beating out challengers from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party and Rupert Lowe’s hard-right Restore Britain.

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• Andy Burnham / Euro News

Andy Burnham is set to be announced as the Labour Party’s new leader on Friday.

Euro News reports that the Makerfield MP is scheduled to be unveiled at a special press conference before taking over as the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade on Monday.

Burnham is expected to deliver a speech during the conference where he will reportedly pledge to be “unashamedly Labour” and vow that his government will have the “courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected.”

Burnham was left with a clear path to Downing Street after his last potential leadership rival ruled out challenging last week.

He received 379 nominations from Labour MPs for the party leadership out of a possible 403.

His uncontested run has sparked concern from some analysts and government insiders, however, and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of “running scared” of scrutiny.

It comes after Keir Starmer announced he was stepping down as PM last month, as pressure continued to build in the wake of Labour’s disastrous local election results in May.

Who is Andy Burnham?

Born on Merseyside in the northwest of England and raised in the village of Culcheth in Cheshire, Burnham has said he was first inspired to enter politics after watching “Boys From The Blackstuff,” an acclaimed 1982 TV show about five unemployed men in Liverpool navigating life in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain.

He went on to study English at the University of Cambridge before starting out in journalism, working for a number of trade publications.

He soon made the jump into politics, taking a job as a researcher for the late Tessa Jowell, a former MP for Dulwich, while in his early 20s.

He eventually became MP for Leigh in 2001, a position he held until 2017, and served in a number of senior ministerial positions, including as secretary of state for health and chief secretary to the Treasury. He unsuccessfully ran for the Labour leadership in 2010 and 2015, losing to Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn, respectively.

In 2017, he took over as mayor of Greater Manchester, overseeing a period of huge growth and development and gaining a reputation for his loyal defence of the region during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

Burnham, who has since become known as the “king of the North,” returned to Westminster in June after securing a huge majority in the Makerfield by-election, comfortably beating out challengers from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party and Rupert Lowe’s hard-right Restore Britain.

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International

FAO Adopts New Science Guidelines on ‘May Contain’ Precautionary Allergen Labelling

For millions of consumers, precautionary allergen statements can play an essential role in deciding whether a food is safe to eat.

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The Food And Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has agreed to adopt new international guidelines on the use of precautionary allergen labelling (PAL), marking an important step towards making “may contain” statements more meaningful, science-based and consistent for consumers with food allergies around the world.

The new science-based recommendations promote more consistent use of precautionary allergen labelling, helping consumers make more informed food choices.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Food And Agriculture Organisation (FAO) noting that for millions of consumers, precautionary allergen statements can play an essential role in deciding whether a food is safe to eat.

This is as food allergies affect an estimated 4.3 percent of the global population, with reactions ranging from mild symptoms to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

The guidelines were adopted as part of the 49th session of the codex alimentarius commission, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 6th to 10th July 2026.

FAO noted that the use of labels such as “may contain” varies widely across products and countries and remains unregulated in many parts of the world.

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