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3 Men Rescued from Pacific Island after Writing SOS in Sand

A handout photo from the Australian Defense Force shows a helicopter landing near the letters ‘SOS’ on a beach on Pikelot Island, where the three men were rescued. (AFP)
A handout photo from the Australian Defense Force shows a helicopter landing near the letters ‘SOS’ on a beach on Pikelot Island, where the three men were rescued. (AFP)
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3 Men Rescued from Pacific Island after Writing SOS in Sand

A handout photo from the Australian Defense Force shows a helicopter landing near the letters ‘SOS’ on a beach on Pikelot Island, where the three men were rescued. (AFP)
A handout photo from the Australian Defense Force shows a helicopter landing near the letters ‘SOS’ on a beach on Pikelot Island, where the three men were rescued. (AFP)

Three men have been rescued from a tiny Pacific island after writing a giant SOS sign in the sand that was spotted from above, authorities say.

The men had been missing in the Micronesia archipelago for nearly three days when their distress signal was spotted Sunday on uninhabited Pikelot Island by searchers on Australian and US aircraft, the Australian defense department said Monday.

The men had apparently set out from Pulawat atoll in a 7-meter (23-foot) boat on July 30 and had intended to travel about 43 kilometers (27 miles) to Pulap atoll when they sailed off course and ran out of fuel, the department said.

Searchers in Guam asked for Australian help. The military ship, Canberra, which was returning to Australia from exercises in Hawaii, diverted to the area and joined forces with US searchers from Guam.

The men were found about 190 kilometers (118 miles) from where they had set out.

“I am proud of the response and professionalism of all on board as we fulfill our obligation to contribute to the safety of life at sea wherever we are in the world," said the Canberra’s commanding officer, Capt. Terry Morrison, in a statement.

The men were found in good condition, and an Australian military helicopter was able to land on the beach and give them food and water. A Micronesian patrol vessel was due to pick them up.

SOS is an internationally recognized distress signal that originates from Morse code.

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Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air

Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air
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Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air

Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air

Saudi Post, in collaboration with Riyadh Air, has launched a commemorative stamp set priced at SAR3 to celebrate the airline’s inaugural flights on October 26, 2025, coinciding with the start of its operational phase.

This issuance marks the beginning of operational activities for Riyadh Air as a new national carrier, aiming to serve over 100 destinations worldwide, SPA reported.

Saudi Post's stamps commemorate major national and international events, preserving important moments in Saudi history and appealing to collectors and historians alike.

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Viking Dress, Bagpipes as Scotland Starts Hogmanay Party

Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)
Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)
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Viking Dress, Bagpipes as Scotland Starts Hogmanay Party

Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)
Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)

Thousands of people, some dressed as Vikings carrying flaming torches, marched through Scotland's capital of Edinburgh as a procession kicked off the country's world-famous New Year celebrations.

Around 15,000 participants, led by bagpipers, walked through the city's historic center late Monday as Hogmanay festivities returned after being cancelled last year due to bad weather.

Several thousand more watched as the procession wound its way along cobbled streets, marking the official start of four days of celebrations to welcome the arrival of 2026.

"It is something that we use to light up the dark Edinburgh nights," said Al Thomson, director of the Hogmanay festival.

"Its rituals go back to (a) kind of pagan festivals. It's just an amazing spectacle," he told AFP.

An estimated 100,000 people from dozens of countries are expected in Edinburgh for the New Year events, the centerpiece of which is a street party and fireworks display on December 31.

Last year, organizers cancelled the showpiece on public safety grounds due to heavy rain and strong winds.

"I've been planning it since two years and I'm glad I could make it this time," said Chaytan Mishra, who travelled from Bristol, in southwest England.

Hogmanay is the Scots term for New Year's Eve and is considered one of the most important holidays in the country, traditionally taking precedence over Christmas.

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France Pushes Back Plastic Cup Ban by Four Years

(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
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France Pushes Back Plastic Cup Ban by Four Years

(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

The French government on Tuesday postponed a ban on plastic throwaway cups by four years to 2030 because of difficulties finding alternatives.

The ban was meant to start on January 1. But the ministry for ecological transition said the "technical feasibility of eliminating plastic from cups" following a review this year justified pushing back the deadline.

It said in an official decree that a new review would be carried out in 2028 of "progress made in replacing single-use plastic cups". It added that the ban would now start January 1, 2030, when companies would have 12 months to get rid of their stock.

France has gradually rolled out bans on single-use plastic products over the past decade as environmental campaigners have stepped up warnings about the impact on rivers and oceans.

A 2020 law set a deadline of 2040 to eliminate all single-use plastics. A ban on plastic bags for loads of less than 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of 30 fruit and vegetables was introduced in 2022 and has dramatically changed supermarket habits.

But the government's DGCCRF consumer protection agency said in a report released last year that almost a fifth of about 100 companies it checked in 2023 were breaching regulations on the production or use of single-use plastic items.

Its investigators said some marketed plastic-free products that in reality contained plastic, and some changed the name of the item in a bid to get around the ban.