Texas Explosion Likely Caused by Gas Leak Injures 21 

A view of damage and debris following an explosion at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, US January 8, 2024 in this picture obtained from social media. (Brad Bauer/via Reuters)
A view of damage and debris following an explosion at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, US January 8, 2024 in this picture obtained from social media. (Brad Bauer/via Reuters)
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Texas Explosion Likely Caused by Gas Leak Injures 21 

A view of damage and debris following an explosion at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, US January 8, 2024 in this picture obtained from social media. (Brad Bauer/via Reuters)
A view of damage and debris following an explosion at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, US January 8, 2024 in this picture obtained from social media. (Brad Bauer/via Reuters)

At least 21 people were injured Monday in an apparent gas leak explosion at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, the city's fire department said.

Nobody was killed in the explosion and authorities were investigating the cause.

Video images from the scene showed rubble in the street between two buildings with first responders on the scene.

Craig Trojacek, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Fire Department, said first responders rescued several people trapped in the basement of the hotel.

Of the 21 people injured, one person was in critical condition, while four others had serious but not life-threatening injuries, Trojacek said. The others sustained minor injuries.

Trojacek said that 26 hotel rooms were occupied by guests. He added that construction was going on in the building at the time, but it was not yet clear if that played any role in the explosion.



Indonesia President to Join First Meeting of Trump ‘Board of Peace’

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
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Indonesia President to Join First Meeting of Trump ‘Board of Peace’

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" in Washington this month, Jakarta's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

"The government has accepted an invitation to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, and President Prabowo Subianto plans to attend," ministry spokesman Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela told AFP.


Brawl Erupts in Türkiye’s Parliament Over Justice Minister Appointment

Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
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Brawl Erupts in Türkiye’s Parliament Over Justice Minister Appointment

Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)

A brawl erupted in Türkiye’s parliament on Wednesday after lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition clashed over the appointment of a controversial figure to the Justice Ministry in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Opposition legislators tried to block Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek, who President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed to the top judicial portfolio, from taking the oath of office in parliament. As tempers flared, legislators were seen pushing each other, with some hurling punches.

As Istanbul chief prosecutor, Gurlek had presided over high‑profile trials against several members of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party or CHP — proceedings that the opposition has long denounced as politically motivated.

The former prosecutor was later seen taking the oath surrounded by ruling party legislators.

Erdogan also named Mustafa Ciftci, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, as interior minister.

Hundreds of officials from CHP‑run municipalities have been arrested in corruption probes. Among them was Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s chief rival, who was arrested last year.

The government insists the judiciary acts independently.

No official reason was given for Wednesday's shake‑up, though the Official Gazette said the outgoing ministers had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.

The new appointments come as Türkiye is debating possible constitutional reforms and pursuing a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, aimed at ending a decades‑long conflict. Parliament is expected to pass reforms to support the process.


US Suspends Flights at El Paso Airport for 'Special Security Reasons'

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
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US Suspends Flights at El Paso Airport for 'Special Security Reasons'

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

The top US aviation agency said Tuesday it is stopping all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days over unspecified "security reasons."

The flight restrictions are in effect from 11:30 pm on Tuesday (0630 GMT Wednesday) until February 20 for the airspace over El Paso and an area in neighboring New Mexico's south, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas" covered by the restrictions, the FAA said in a notice, citing "special security reasons" without elaborating.

El Paso International Airport in a social media post said all flights, "including commercial, cargo and general aviation," would be impacted by the move.

The airport, which is served by major US airlines like Delta, American and United, encouraged travelers to "contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information."

In a separate statement to the New York Times, it said that the restrictions had been issued "on short notice" and that it was waiting for guidance from the FAA.