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No survivors found after plane that flew over DC, led to fighter jet scramble crashes in Virginia

Authorities secure the entrance to Mine Bank Trail, an access point to the rescue operation along the Blue Ridge Parkway where a Cessna Citation crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia in the United States. PHOTO: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) – A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the United States’ (US) capital on Sunday caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.

Hours later, police said rescuers reached the site of the plane crash in a rural part of the Shenandoah Valley and that no survivors were found.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethton, Tennessee on Sunday and was headed for Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Inexplicably, the plane turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew a straight path down over DC before it crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3.30pm.

It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed or how many people were on board. The plane flew directly over the nation’s capital, though it was technically flying above some of the most heavily restricted airspace in the nation.

A US official confirmed to the Associated Press the military jet scrambled to respond to the small plane, which wasn’t responding to radio transmissions and later crashed. The official was not authorised to publicly discuss details of the military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Authorities secure the entrance to Mine Bank Trail, an access point to the rescue operation along the Blue Ridge Parkway where a Cessna Citation crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia in the United States. PHOTO: AP

Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiraling descent, dropping at one point at a rate of over 30,000 feet per minute before crashing in the St Mary’s Wilderness.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command later said in a statement that the F-16 was authorised to travel at supersonic speeds, which caused a sonic boom that was heard in Washington and parts of Virginia and Maryland.

Virginia State Police said officers were notified of the potential crash shortly before 4pm and rescuers reached the crash site by foot around four hours later. No survivors were found, police said.

US President Joe Biden was playing golf at Joint Base Andrews around the time the fighter jet took off.

Spokesperson for the US Secret Service Anthony Guglielmi said the incident had no impact on the president’s movements. Biden was playing golf at the Maryland military base with his brother in the afternoon.

A White House official said the president had been briefed on the crash and that the sound of the scrambling aircraft was faint at Joint Base Andrews.

How to keep your kid’s toys from taking over your home

Christina Sturdivant Sani

THE WASHINGTON POST – When Farai Harreld got pregnant with her first child, she looked around and realised she needed to rethink her consumption habits. “I was flabbergasted that we had accumulated so much stuff – and at the time we were only 25,” said Harreld, a writer and birth worker who co-founded Black Minimalists. She and her husband had recently bought their first house, which was smaller than their previous place. “It really just made me look at my footprint in my home and in the world and (consider) what kind of life I wanted to live with my child.” At her baby shower, she requested only what she considered essential, such as gender-neutral clothing, diapers, and feeding accessories like bottles and breast pumps. Today, Harreld, her husband and two children – a six-year-old girl and seven-month-old boy – maintain their relatively uncluttered existence in Topeka, Kan. They do it in part, she said, by taking a selective approach to which toys and kid stuff is allowed into their space.

“Most of the time, children who have a hard time cleaning their rooms are overwhelmed by the things they have,” said Harreld. “One of the tenets of minimalism for me was that I don’t want to be overwhelmed by the things in my home. And so it’s the same for my daughter.”

Even if you don’t consider yourself a minimalist – or want to keep your kids from enjoying the latest games and toys – there are fairly simple ways to be more intentional about the items that cycle through your home and how you organise them. Here’s what Harreld and other experts recommended.

Child and adolescent psychotherapist Katie Hurley in El Segundo, California encouraged imaginative and unstructured play that allows “opportunities for kids to engage in critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, empathy skills and creativity while having fun”. For example, she suggested saving items like cereal boxes. “You don’t need a ‘play kitchen’ in your home for kids to enjoy kitchen play,” said Hurley. “They can build their own kitchens and stock the shelves with empty packages.”

Harreld has similarly found that “open-ended” toys allow her daughter to use her imagination. Her daughter’s play silk, for instance, has morphed into a cape, headscarf, doll blanket and kite over the years. She used her kinder board for balance as a toddler, then later as a rocking chair for her doll and a place to sit and read for herself. These kinds of items last longer not only because they’re multipurpose, said Harreld, but because they’re not as flimsy as plastic toys.

If you’ve already accumulated a mountain of toys, decide on a few to keep out and store the rest, advised owner of D’Vine Order and founder of Black Girls Who Organise Dalys Macon. “Then make a decision every two weeks or monthly to switch them out.” Rotating toys can be fun for some kids because it “offers fresh perspectives and new ideas”, added Hurley.

But you don’t want to limit them too much, said educator and board-certified behaviour analyst Adam Tinsley. His daughter favours certain toys on a whim, he said, and having some variety allows her to “self-stimulate as opposed to always relying on mummy and daddy to facilitate activities. It gives her an opportunity to exercise her independence in a way that she might not lean on if she only had five to seven toys”.

Putting the K in hip-hop

Korean-American entertainer Jay Park poses during an interview in Seoul, South Korea. PHOTO: AFP

SEOUL (AFP) – K-pop idol. Used tyre salesman. Hip-hop mogul. The course of true success has never run smoothly, but Korean-American entertainer Jay Park has had an unusually bumpy ride to stardom.

The 36-year-old is now one of South Korea’s most recognisable entertainers: he’s founded two of the country’s largest hip-hop labels, released a string of hits, and was the first Asian-American to sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

But this success was hard fought, he told AFP in an exclusive interview, with his first shot at fame – debuting as the leader of a K-pop band – imploding in a scandal that led him to flee Seoul for his native Seattle.

“I faced a lot of backlash,” Park told AFP, adding he was once “kind of blacklisted from the industry”.

The problem started with a few throwaway comments posted online by Park – then in his late teens – criticising the intense idol training regime, the K-pop industry and South Korea itself.

A Korean media frenzy ensued, with the fallout forcing Park to quit 2PM, a seven-member boy band under major label JYP Entertainment.

Korean-American entertainer Jay Park poses during an interview in Seoul, South Korea. PHOTO: AFP

He moved back to Seattle and worked at a used tyre shop, but he kept his musical dreams alive, eventually posting a cover of Nothin’ on You – a BOB and Bruno Mars song – on his YouTube channel.

“I just wanted to show my fans that I’m doing well, and also I wanted to show people what type of music I’m into, what type of artist I am. So I just put up a cover and it just kind of blew up,” he said.

Racking up more than two million views in a day, the song catapulted him back into the music industry and marked “a new start” for Park.

It also allowed him to recalibrate his musical style and shift from pop to rap – a move that would eventually help transform South Korea’s nascent hip-hop scene.

It was not a calculated decision or grand plan, he said, but an attempt to move past restrictive labels.

“If I say I’m a rapper, then I can only rap. But I like to rap, I like to dance, I like to sing,” he said, adding that he would be “always grateful to the hip-hop culture” for helping him relaunch his career.

Park’s story is unusual: it is rare for a K-pop failure to go on to have a successful musical career after leaving one of the big agencies around which the industry is structured.

“It didn’t happen overnight. Obviously it took a lot of work,” Park told AFP of his musical comeback.

Hundreds of thousands of aspiring K-pop stars go through the gruelling idol training system, notorious for high stress and long hours, analysts say.

Only 60 per cent of trainees make it to “debut”, industry figures show, and almost all of those that do are signed to big agencies like BTS’s HYBE, or its major rival SM Entertainment.

Without that backing, “the chances for survival are really low”, said music critic Kim Do-heon.

“There are so many groups that disband,” he said.

After Park quit 2PM, he was left to navigate the industry on his own, and has spoken of his struggles with, for example, finding musicians willing to be featured on his first solo album.

But even when the industry odds are stacked against you, Park said, it is still possible to succeed with the right mindset.

“There is a limit to what agencies can do for you, and it seems that grit and determination are what can fill in,” he said.

Now Park is trying to change the industry – or his small segment of it – for the better.

He has already founded two of South Korea’s most prominent hip-hop labels.

And now his career has come full circle with his establishment of a third label aimed at producing a boy band.

But he’s doing it his way: rather than the exacting training and obsessive levels of control pioneered by the major agencies, Park says he believes real relationships and “freestyling together” are the key to success.

His new trainees will have Park as a mentor – something he said he longed for when he started in the industry at 18.

“I’m not bitter over anything. I don’t hate anybody. I don’t dislike anybody. I don’t have time for that. I don’t have time for thinking about stuff in the past,” he said.

“I can’t change the past, so what I can change is the future, so that’s what I work on.”

Texas woman killed in parked car, three children hurt in gunfire outside apartment complex

SUNNYVALE, TEXAS (AP) – A woman was fatally shot and four members of her family, including three children, were wounded in their car after they parked at a Texas apartment complex.

Police said they were searching for at least two suspects in the shooting shortly before 6pm in the town of Sunnyvale, about 24 kilometres east of Dallas. “Everybody was shot in the car,” Sunnyvale Police Chief Bill Vegas said, noting that numerous shots were fired.

“It’s a horrific scene,” Vegas said at a news conference near the scene, where a white car with bullet holes was in the parking lot. A man and a woman were in a black car that followed the family into the parking lot. As the family were sitting in their vehicle, at least one of the suspects got out and opened fire, Vegas said.

The woman died at the scene. A man and the children, ages eight to 10, were taken to hospitals. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Vegas said.

Modric, Lloris among ‘more than 10’ Saudi targets

RIYADH (AFP) – Luka Modric and Hugo Lloris feature on a list of “more than 10” top-level Saudi Arabian football transfer targets headed by Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema, a source close to the negotiations has told AFP.

Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, N’Golo Kante, Angel Di Maria and Roberto Firmino are also among the seasoned World Cup and Champions League winners being lined up for the Saudi Pro League, the source said.

The latest information comes as Saudi officials are in Paris and Madrid to try to wrap up deals with Messi and Benzema respectively, according to sources and reports, that would allow them to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the oil-rich kingdom.

Saudi authorities are “in contact with more than 10 players, many of them won the World cup or the Champions League, to join the Saudi league next season”, the source close to the negotiations said.

In addition to Messi, “the list includes Benzema, Ramos, Di Maria, Modric, Hugo Loris, Kante, Firmino, Alba and Busquets”.

“Beside receiving quite lucrative offers they will play in a very competitive league,” the source said, adding that the Saudis aimed to “seal most of the deals” before the new season starts on August 11.

Saudi Arabia slashes output further to boost oil price

VIENNA (AFP) – Riyadh on Sunday announced a fresh oil output cut following a meeting of major producers aiming to prop up prices despite fears of a recession.

The meeting of the 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headed by Saudi Arabia and its 10 partners, led by Russia, saw some tough negotiations.

Saudi Arabia’s fresh cut of one million barrels per day (bpd) is for July but “extendable”, its Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told reporters after the hours-long OPEC+ meeting at the group’s headquarters in Vienna.

Analysts had largely expected OPEC+ producers to maintain their current policy, but signs emerged this weekend that the 23 countries were mulling deeper cuts.

In April, several OPEC+ members agreed to cut production voluntarily by more than one million bpd – a surprise move that briefly buttressed prices but failed to bring about lasting recovery.

EVERYONE IS HAPPY

Oil producers are grappling with falling prices and high market volatility amid the war in Ukraine, which has upended economies worldwide.

Oil prices have plummeted about 10 per cent since the April cuts were announced, with Brent crude falling close to USD70 a barrel, a level it has not traded below since December 2021.

Traders worry that demand will slump, with concerns about the health of the global economy.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the current output cuts were being extended until the end of 2024 after examining the matter “for a long time”.

According to an OPEC+ table of the required production levels for next year, the United Arab Emirates will be able to pump more than currently, while several countries including Angola, the Republic of Congo and Nigeria have had their quotas cut.

Bloomberg reported African countries had been reluctant to give up some of their quotas despite failing to meet them.

“We have an agreement with which everyone is happy,” the Republic of Congo’s hydrocarbons minister Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua insisted after the meeting.

Sunday’s meeting was also being watched closely as Russia was keen to maintain its production, while Saudi Arabia wants to push prices up to balance its budget, according to analysts.

“They have showed again they work together… At the end of the day, it’s about what they agree,” UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.

Oil market rallies on Saudi output cut

LONDON (AFP) – Oil rallied yesterday after key producer Saudi Arabia slashed output by a million barrels in a bid to prop up prices, while fellow OPEC+ members agreed to continue current cuts to 2024.

International benchmark Brent oil and US counterpart WTI crude won more than two percent in earlier morning deals.

Asian and European stocks mainly climbed with energy majors boosted by higher crude futures, which boosts profit and revenues.

Sentiment also remains buoyant after the United States (US) clinched a breakthrough deal late last week to lift its debt ceiling and avert a disastrous default. Equities won extra support as Friday’s US jobs report lifted hopes the US Federal Reserve will refrain from hiking interest rates next week.

“The outcome of the much-anticipated OPEC+ meeting has created a splash in the oil market, if not a wave,” said KCM Trade analyst Tim Waterer.

The 23-nation OPEC+ alliance, which includes Russia, agreed on Sunday to continue current output cuts until the end of next year.

But influential player Saudi Arabia also announced its own new cutback taking July production to nine million barrels per day.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told reporters that he “will do whatever is necessary to bring stability to this market”.

OPEC+ nations are grappling with falling prices on concerns oil demand will weaken as major economies struggle to cool elevated inflation.

Oil has plummeted about 10 per cent since April, when several OPEC+ members agreed to cut production voluntarily by more than one million bpd in an attempt to stem losses.

“Saudi will continue doing the heavy lifting of production cuts, hoping that its efforts will reverse the falling price trend,” noted Swissquote Bank analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya.

Wall Street surged on Friday after data showed the US economy added 339,000 jobs in May, far more than expected, indicating the labour market remained strong. The report also revealed wage gains moderated slightly.

Analysts said the “Goldilocks” reading – neither too good nor too bad – suggested the world’s biggest economy was not facing an immediate risk of a recession and could still give the Fed room to hold policy steady.

The Fed has lifted rates 10 times since early last year to try and tame rampant inflation fuelled largely by energy costs.

In Asia, Hong Kong stocks extended Friday’s surge, while Tokyo piled on more than two percent to hit a three-decade peak.

Europe stocks ran out of steam as the morning progressed, although London was lifted by oil giants BP and Shell.

Djokovic, Alcaraz into French Open quarters as showdown looms

PARIS (AFP) – Novak Djokovic swept into the French Open quarter-finals for the 14th straight year on Sunday as world number one Carlos Alcaraz breezed past Lorenzo Musetti to stay on a collision course with the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Third seed Djokovic ended the surprise run of Peruvian outsider Juan Pablo Varillas, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, and has yet to drop a set through four matches.

The Serb, chasing a third Roland Garros crown, is into a record 17th French Open quarter-final after making the last eight at a major for the 55th time.

“I’m proud of it, but my attention is already in the next match,” said Djokovic, who faces Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov for a place in the semi-finals, where Alcaraz could await.

“I know what my goal is here. I’m trying to stay mentally the course and of course not look too far.

“Obviously the performance of today gives me a great deal of confidence about how I felt, about how I played.”

Varillas, 27, was the first player from Peru to reach the second week of a Grand Slam since Jaime Yzaga made the US Open quarter-finals 29 years ago.

Djokovic raced 4-0 ahead in the opening set only for Varillas to break in the next game and then have a chance to get back on serve in the seventh game.

But once Djokovic held for a 5-2 lead it was plain sailing for him as he closed out victory in just under two hours.

Khachanov made his third successive Grand Slam quarter-final after he recovered from a bad start to overcome Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1.

Djokovic holds an 8-1 record against Khachanov, winning their only previous meeting at the French Open in 2020.

Alcaraz looked every part the tournament favourite as he dismantled the talented Musetti in straight sets to return to the French Open last eight.

Musetti had not lost a set in three rounds but Alcaraz brushed the Italian 17th seed aside in barely two hours, triumphing 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to avenge last year’s defeat on clay in the Hamburg final.

“I think I played such a great level, really high quality of shots. I played a really complete match from the first ball until the last and I’m pretty happy to get through this tough round,” said Alcaraz.

The 20-year-old faces a tough next assignment in 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas, who eased past Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner 7-5, 6-3, 6-0.

Napoli celebrate title triumph, Ibrahimovic retires

Napoli’s players celebrate after winning the Serie A title. PHOTO: AP

NAPLES (AFP) – Napoli fans watched their heroes finally lift the Serie A trophy on Sunday as coach Luciano Spalletti walked away from Naples, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from football.

A 2-0 win over relegated Sampdoria was little more than a hors-d’oeuvre before the real reason fans jammed into the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – to see their team lift the trophy for the first time in 33 long years.

Victor Osimhen opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the second half, the 26th league strike of a stunning season which made him Serie A’s all-time top African scorer.

Giovanni Simeone then made sure the hosts would finish the season on 90 points in the 85th minute with a stunning long-range strike before celebrating by holding up a Napoli shirt worn by icon and compatriot Maradona.

“I don’t know, the president has to decide that,” Osimhen told DAZN when asked whether he might leave in a big-money summer move.

Napoli’s players celebrate after winning the Serie A title. PHOTO: AP

“I love the people of Napoli, they have shown me so much love. For me, I don’t mind, the president decides and I will just go with the flow.”

Spalletti will be on gardening leave for a year while still under contract with Napoli, and he will return to his Tuscan vineyard the oldest ever coach to win the Scudetto at 64.

Napoli’s title triumph was the crowning glory of Spalletti’s long and eventful coaching career which has brought plenty of plaudits but few trophies.

“I need to be true to myself, leaving was a decision I made, that I came to. Even when I’m at home it’ll be like I was in the stands watching and cheering for them.” said Spalletti.

Fans will be hoping that whoever takes Spalletti’s place will be able to utilise the hugely talented squad assembled by outgoing sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, as some like Osimhen are targets for richer clubs north of the Alps.

“I would tell them to trust these boys because they have a human and playing quality that means you can allow them to keep the ball rolling,” said Spalletti.

Fabio Quagliarella openly blubbed as he was honoured by his fellow Napoli supporters in his final match in Italy’s top flight.

The 40-year-old, who has scored 182 Serie A goals, was given a plaque by supporters who also unfurled a banner in the stands which said “you will never be forgotten by your people”, and was given a rousing applause when he was substituted late on.

Napoli fans considered the Samp captain an enemy when he left for hated rivals Juventus after just one season in 2010, unaware until years later that a bizarre stalking plot had forced his departure.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic surprised fans by revealing that he was quitting football after AC Milan’s 3-1 win over Verona which sent their opponents into a relegation play-off with Spezia who lost 2-1 at Roma.

Ibrahimovic was hugged by Rafael Leao who after signing a new deal until 2028 on Friday scored twice late on to secure the win for fourth-placed Milan.

However Paulo Dybala’s stoppage-time penalty ensured Europa League football for Roma and sent Spezia into a one-off match next Sunday set to decide their and Verona’s fate.

Roma’s win means Juventus have to settle for the Europa Conference League despite Federico Chiesa giving them a 1-0 win at Udinese, assuming they are not banned from Europe by UEFA for financial irregularities.

‘Legendary’ Benzema strikes on Madrid farewell, Valladolid relegated

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema is tossed in the air by teammates. PHOTO: AFP

BARCELONA (AFP) – Real Madrid’s departing great Karim Benzema struck from the penalty spot to earn his side a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in La Liga as he said goodbye to fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Elsewhere Real Valladolid were relegated after a 0-0 draw with Getafe, while five other sides near the bottom were able to breathe a sigh of relief after a gripping conclusion to the season.

Champions Barcelona were beaten 2-1 at Celta Vigo, with Gabri Veiga’s brace ensuring the Galician side will remain in the top flight next season.

Benzema, whom Madrid confirmed would leave this summer earlier in the day, departing after 14 years at the club, rolled his penalty down the middle to level the game, before being substituted to great applause.

The draw ensured Real Madrid would finish above city rivals Atletico Madrid in second place, after Diego Simeone’s side tied 2-2 at Villarreal on the final day.

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema is tossed in the air by teammates. PHOTO: AFP

“I spoke with him this morning and he told me he was going. He’s taken the decision and I told him I respect it completely,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti said Benzema’s choice came by surprise, after the Italian himself said on Saturday he expected the forward to stay.

“I have coached one of the best in the world, not a forward, a complete footballer,” continued the coach.

“A very friendly, humble, serious person. We can’t be happy he is going, but we have to respect his decision. What he has done at this club is legendary and unforgettable.”

Athletic were the stronger team and only a stunning Thibaut Courtois penalty save to deny Mikel Vesga kept his team level at the break.

Oihan Sancet struck early in the second half to give the visitors the lead but Benzema netted from the spot after a soft penalty was given for a foul on Eder Militao.

It was the 35-year-old’s 354th goal of a sparkling career in the Spanish capital after his 2009 move from Lyon.

Benzema, who has won five Champions League titles and La Liga on four occasions, seems to be set to play in Saudi Arabia, where former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo has moved.

Vinicius Junior made his first appearance for Real Madrid since he was racially abused by Valencia fans, causing worldwide anger and support for him.

Madrid’s season was a disappointing one – they won the Copa del Rey but were beaten heavily by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals and finish 10 points behind their most bitter rivals, champions Barcelona.

Xavi Hernandez’s side were beaten at Balaidos, with Veiga slotting home in the first half and then adding a second from an attempted cross which flew in.

Ansu Fati pulled a goal back for the champions but they could not find a leveller.

Valladolid could not find a way through against Getafe and were relegated.

“There’s little explanation, the team tried, we tried to make it hard for Getafe but we didn’t do it,” said Valladolid goalkeeper Jordi Masip.

“It’s a huge shame for all the team, all the fans, all the city, I can’t say much more. We needed to score, there was no other way.”

Their final hope would have been a late Espanyol winner against Almeria, but the Andalusians held on for a 3-3 draw to survive by a point in 17th place.

Valencia were another team who started the day in danger but they earned a 1-1 draw at Real Betis, who said their own goodbye to captain Joaquin Sanchez.

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