Four crew members are in stable condition after two fighter jets collided mid-air during a US air show, officials say.

All the aircrew safely ejected from US Navy EA18-G jets that were performing an aerial demonstration when they crashed, a US Navy spokesperson told the BBC’s US partner CBS News. It is unclear if they were injured.

The dramatic incident happened on Sunday, during the second and final day of the Gunfighter Skies air show, 2 miles (3.2km) northwest of Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base.

A fire erupted and the base was briefly locked down as the rest of the air show was cancelled. An investigation is underway.

“The aircrew involved in the incident are in stable condition,” Mountain Air Force Base Gunfighters said in statement posted on social media on Sunday.

“Thank you to all our guests for your patience and compassion, which has allowed us to quickly and safely respond to the incident,” the statement said.

Cmdr Amelia Umayam told CBS the crew members were being checked by medical personnel

Umayam said the EA-18G Growlers were assigned to an electronic attack squadron from Washington state. The US Navy says each of those jets cost about $67m (£50.3m).

Kim Sykes of Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped organise the air show, told a local CBS affiliate that no-one at the military base was hurt.

The Gunfighter Skies air show was last held in 2018, when a glider pilot died in an accident.

The BBC has contacted the air force base and event organiser for comment.

[BBC]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern.

The agency said the outbreak in DR Congo’s eastern Ituri province, which has seen around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency.

But it warned it could potentially be “a much larger outbreak” than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant risk of local and regional spread.

The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the health agency said, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines.

Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat, and are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash and bleeding.

The WHO said there are now eight laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus, with other suspected cases and deaths across three health zones including Bunia the capital of Ituri province, and the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.

One case of the virus has been confirmed in the capital Kinshasa, believed to be in a patient returning from Ituri.

The WHO said that the virus has spread beyond DR Congo, with two confirmed cases reported in neighbouring Uganda. Ugandan officials said a 59-year-old man who died on Thursday had tested positive.

In a statement, the Ugandan government said the patient who died was a Congolese citizen whose body had already been returned to DR Congo.

A laboratory has also confirmed an Ebola case in the eastern city of Goma, currently controlled by the M23 rebels, the AFP news agency reported on Sunday.

At least six Americans have been exposed to Ebola in DR Congo, and one has displayed symptoms but none have been confirmed to have been infected, the BBC’s US partner CBS reports, citing sources.

The US government was reportedly trying to transport them out of the country, possibly to a military base in Germany, STAT News reports.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it planned to send more staff to DR Congo and Uganda, while the US Embassy in DR Congo issued a health alert reminding citizens not to travel to Ituri province.

The BBC has contacted the CDC for comment.

The WHO said the ongoing security situation and humanitarian crisis in DR Congo, combined with high population mobility, the urban location of the hotspot, and the large number of informal healthcare facilities in the region increased the risk of spread.

[BBC]

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran the “clock is ticking” as talks to bring the war to an end have stalled.

“They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

The message came as the president was due to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

Iranian media meanwhile reported the US had failed to make any concrete concessions in its response to Tehran’s latest proposals to end the conflict.

A lack of compromise from Washington would lead to an “impasse in the negotiations”, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Trump’s message echoed his threat that a “whole civilisation” would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April.

The president warned earlier this week that truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.

Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, insisted they were “responsible” and “generous”.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, they included an immediate end to the war on all fronts – a reference to the continued Israeli attacks against Iran-supported Hezbollah in Lebanon – a halt to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and guarantees of no further attacks on Iran.

They also reportedly included a demand for compensation for war damage and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said on Sunday that Washington had set five conditions in response to Tehran’s proposal.

They reportedly included a demand that Iran keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US.

Trump suggested on Friday that he would accept a 20-year suspension by Iran of its nuclear programme – a major sticking point between the two countries – in what appeared to be confirmation of a shift in position away from a demand for a total end to it.

Israeli and US forces began massive air strikes on Iran on 28 February. The ceasefire meant to facilitate talks has largely been observed despite occasional exchanges of fire.

Iran has also continued to control the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closing the vital waterway through which around 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travels.

The move, which Iran has said is in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks, has sent oil prices soaring globally.

The US, for its part, has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports to exert pressure on Tehran to agree to its terms.

Pakistan has been playing the role of mediator between the US and Iran, but both sides still appear to be far apart.

[BBC]