Several flights across Europe received alleged bomb threats that ultimately turned out to be hoaxes but prompted searches, diversions and, in one case, an escort by the Italian Air Force until landing. The impacted airlines included Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines and Ryanair on Tuesday. No one was injured and none of the planes Tuesday made an emergency landing, officials said. Tuesday’s hoaxes come after a flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing last month following a bomb threat.
Greenland has opened a new international airport, seeking to lure visitors from around the world as the Arctic island looks toward eventual independence from Denmark. Thursday’s inaugural international flight between Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ilulissat, Greenland, was part of the island government’s efforts to grow its tourism industry to boost and diversify an economy still reliant on fishing. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen billed the new airport “one of the biggest investments” in the island’s history. Nielsen was one of 169 passengers on Thursday’s 4.5-hour flight on an Airbus. The strategic island has been the focus of U.S. President Donald Trump since his first term.
Passengers disembark an Air Greenland A330neo, after completing the first-ever direct flight from Copenhagen to Ilulissat, in Ilulissat, Greenland Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/James Brooks)
The United States and Japan have agreed to establish a Japanese facility for the joint production of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, the Japanese defense chief said. The announcement Wednesday is the latest action by the allies, who have repeatedly expressed alarm over China’s growing aggression in Asia. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi made the announcement in a news conference late Wednesday in the central province of Cebu, where he met U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs and their major Asian and Western counterparts. The talks aim to avert a major regional conflict and strengthen defense cooperation.
Police say a United Airlines flight heading to Newark, New Jersey, returned to Las Vegas shortly after takeoff due to a report that a passenger had made a terroristic threat. Las Vegas police arrested a 25-year-old man on charges of making a threat or providing false information regarding an act of terrorism. Police did not immediately provide more details on what the man is accused of doing or saying. The man is scheduled for an initial court appearance Tuesday. An attorney listed for him did not immediately return a request for comment. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it will investigate the incident.
NASA is moving fast on its plans to build a moon base and return astronauts to the lunar surface in as little as two years. Administrator Jared Isaacman said Friday that the space agency is on track to launch Artemis III next summer. The two-week mission by a crew of four will serve as a docking exercise for Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ lunar landers. It will be confined to orbit around Earth — no moon trip this time. Isaacman says the all-important Artemis IV mission remains scheduled for 2028. NASA’s update comes six months after the successful Artemis II flight around the moon by four astronauts.
In this photo provided by NASA, the final left and right forward solid rocket booster motor segments for Artemis III are integrated onto the mobile launcher for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Frank Michaux/NASA via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, from left, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, and NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Randy Bresnik, and Andre Douglas visit the Prototype Development Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Kim Shiflett/NASA via AP)
There were only a few flights by Saudi carriers from the Saudi capital's airport on Wednesday, even as Saudi authorities declared it's open for business. Major airlines including Lufthansa and Air France have cancelled flights through mid-November. Meanwhile a British navy maritime security organization says the crew of a tanker is safe after an unknown projectile ignited a fire aboard the vessel off Oman. A Saudi official said Wednesday Houthi drones have been destroyed over Saudi Arabia's holy city of of Madina. And a Houthi military spokesman said Wednesday a ballistic missile struck a military camp adjacent to Yemen’s Aden airport.
A Japanese spacecraft is rocketing toward Mars on an unprecedented quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples. Japan launched it before dawn Tuesday from the country's main spaceport. Five of the world's space agencies have joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger of Mars' two moons. While NASA and China have successfully landed spacecraft on Mars, no one has ever ventured onto Phobos or its sidekick Deimos and no one has managed to fetch samples. If successful, Martian lunar soil and small rocks will arrive at Earth in 2031.