Munich Airport Begins Slow Reopening After Late-Night Drone Sightings

Night view shows an Air Lingus plane grounded at Munich International Airport in Munich, southern Germany, on early October 4, 2025. (AFP)
Night view shows an Air Lingus plane grounded at Munich International Airport in Munich, southern Germany, on early October 4, 2025. (AFP)
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Munich Airport Begins Slow Reopening After Late-Night Drone Sightings

Night view shows an Air Lingus plane grounded at Munich International Airport in Munich, southern Germany, on early October 4, 2025. (AFP)
Night view shows an Air Lingus plane grounded at Munich International Airport in Munich, southern Germany, on early October 4, 2025. (AFP)

Munich airport said on Saturday it was gradually resuming flights from 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), with delays expected through the day, hours after both runways were closed for the second time in less than 24 hours due to a drone sighting.

The airport advised travellers to check with their airlines as it prepared for the restart, two hours later than originally scheduled, after the Friday evening closure. Dozens of flights had been diverted or cancelled, stranding some 6,500 passengers, authorities said.

European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings that some authorities have blamed on Russia. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.

Authorities have yet to attribute Thursday's or Friday's drone sightings to a specific actor.

"German air traffic control restricted flight operations at Munich Airport as a precautionary measure due to unconfirmed drone sightings and suspended them until further notice," a statement on the airport website read.

In a later update, the airport said 23 flights were diverted, 12 flights to Munich and 48 departures cancelled or postponed.

"As on the previous night, the airport and airlines took care of the passengers," it added. "Camp beds, blankets, drinks and snacks were handed out."

The previous evening, the captain on a London-bound aircraft whose departure was cancelled told passengers that runways had been closed "because of drone sightings near the take-off and landing runways" and that police helicopters were aloft.

The airport website showed due arrivals had been diverted starting at 8:35 p.m. (1835 GMT). Munich airport was closed for several hours late on Thursday and in the small hours after unconfirmed drone sightings that disrupted dozens of flights.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt promised earlier on Friday to bring forward legislation making it easier for the police to ask the military to shoot drones down.



Trump Says He Has Not Heard from Iran That They Are Suspending Talks

 President Donald Trump attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP)
President Donald Trump attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP)
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Trump Says He Has Not Heard from Iran That They Are Suspending Talks

 President Donald Trump attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP)
President Donald Trump attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had not heard from Iranians that they were suspending talks with the Washington, but added that silence would be fine and he was willing to wait.

"I think we've ‌been talking ‌too much if you ‌want ⁠to know the truth. ⁠I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time," Trump said in an interview with NBC News.

"It ⁠doesn't mean we're going ‌to go ‌and start dropping bombs all over there," ‌Trump was quoted as saying. "We'll ‌just go silent. We'll keep the blockade."

"I think I can wait as long as they want. They're ‌losing a fortune."

The Iranian state news agency Tasnim reported earlier ⁠that Iran ⁠was halting indirect negotiations with the US after Israel ordered its troops to push deeper into Lebanon, complicating diplomatic efforts to end three months of war.

Trump said the Iranians were better negotiators than fighters, but that he had not been informed that they were suspending talks.


Türkiye’s Erdogan Distances Govt from Main Opposition Crisis, Warns Against Unrest

30 October 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Türkiye, speaks at the press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after talks at the presidential palace. (dpa)
30 October 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Türkiye, speaks at the press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after talks at the presidential palace. (dpa)
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Türkiye’s Erdogan Distances Govt from Main Opposition Crisis, Warns Against Unrest

30 October 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Türkiye, speaks at the press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after talks at the presidential palace. (dpa)
30 October 2025, Türkiye, Ankara: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Türkiye, speaks at the press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after talks at the presidential palace. (dpa)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the government would not be drawn into disputes within Türkiye's main opposition CHP and would not allow unrest on the streets, in ‌his first ‌public comments ‌since ⁠a court ruling last ⁠month annulled the party's 2023 congress and removed its leadership.

The court ruling effectively reinstated former CHP ⁠chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a divisive ‌figure ‌within the party who ‌lost a presidential election ‌to Erdogan in 2023.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said ‌the government had no part in a ⁠political ⁠and legal struggle that had "spilled from party congress halls into court corridors" and would not allow "the streets to be thrown into turmoil" or the public to be pitted against security forces.


Mandelson Documents Cast Light on Government Work, Appointment of US Ambassador

Former UK ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, is pictured as he walks his dog near his residence in central London on April 20, 2026. (AFP)
Former UK ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, is pictured as he walks his dog near his residence in central London on April 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Mandelson Documents Cast Light on Government Work, Appointment of US Ambassador

Former UK ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, is pictured as he walks his dog near his residence in central London on April 20, 2026. (AFP)
Former UK ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, is pictured as he walks his dog near his residence in central London on April 20, 2026. (AFP)

Britain's government released reams of documents on Monday relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, offering a glimpse into the often acerbic world of Westminster and his messy clearance for the job.

The Mandelson saga, which forced the departure of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's closest aide, has become a focus for criticism of Britain's prime minister, who is fighting for his political survival against a probable leadership challenge.

In a 1,504-page document, the government released messages — ranging from vetting emails to personal WhatsApps — in a data dump it hopes will take some of the focus off Starmer and show that ‌Mandelson was ‌less than frank over his ties to the late convicted sex ‌offender ⁠Jeffrey Epstein.

MANDELSON: 'YOU WILL ⁠NEVER REGRET' THE APPOINTMENT

In one document, the government said it had written to Mandelson on March 31 to request any information held on his personal phone as part of an investigation into his appointment and work - something he had declined to hand over.

Private messages from Mandelson - who was twice sacked from cabinet under Labour's longest-serving prime minister, Tony Blair - show him regularly chatting to Labour insiders, pressing his case and sometimes exchanging criticisms of ⁠the government.

In a handwritten note to then-foreign minister David Lammy on ‌November 18, 2024, Mandelson writes: "I just wanted you ‌to know that if you were minded to appoint me (as ambassador), I would make sure you ‌never regret it."

He also said he went "tonto" over the government's failure to immediately approve ‌a personalized red ministerial box as a gift to US President Donald Trump, using a slang term for going crazy.

He also took a swipe at Starmer, telling senior minister Pat McFadden he believed "Keir is not leading from the front".

In the same exchange, McFadden told Mandelson the government was "asking ‌the wrong questions", saying that every meeting was about "who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others".

The government ⁠hopes the release ⁠of the documents and his messages will put an end to questions surrounding Starmer's judgment in appointing a man whose friendship with Epstein was known. But they are unlikely to silence calls for the prime minister to stand down after Labour lost in local elections last month.

Mandelson is under police investigation for allegedly leaking government documents to the late Epstein. He does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

An initial tranche of documents was released in March, which showed Starmer was warned of the risks of the appointment, not just over Mandelson's ties to Epstein but also because of the Labour veteran's support for closer ties with China.

Starmer now faces a possible leadership challenge later this year, if his main rival, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, wins a seat in parliament in an election on June 18.