World
Mystery as Dubai PM’s plane lands in Majorca amid Iran missile barrage | World | News

A large plane owned by the UAE’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, surprised residents on the Spanish island of Majorca this week when it landed its airport. The Boeing 747-400F, acquired in 2010 and carrying no visible markings, landed at Palma Airport on Thursday (March 12), where it remained on the tarmac for about three hours.
It is believed that the aircraft had stopped to take on fuel, before heading on to Miami, Florida. However, it remains largely a mystery why the flight is being made. While no official explanation has been given, the jumbo jet is often used to transport Sheikh Mohammed’s racehorses. It is possible, therefore, that horses were being moved because of concerns about their safety as the UAE city continues to face Iranian missiles and drones amid heightened Middle Eastern tensions.
The horse racing interests of Sheikh Mohammed, who has been the UAE’s prime minister and vice-president since 2006 and also serves as the Emir (ruler) of Dubai, are well known. He is a titan of global horseracing, known as the founder of the Godolphin racing stable and Darley stallion operation.
Beyond horses, earlier this year, Dubai Holding Group, controlled by Sheikh Mohammed, acquired the luxury Jumeirah Port Sóller Hotel & Spa in Mallorca, reinforcing his European investments.
Sheikh Mohammed’s fleet of Boeing 747-400 freighters is operated primarily under the Dubai Royal Air Wing, the specialised aviation unit dedicated to the UAE’s leadership and government missions.
Featuring the iconic nose-loading door and a massive side cargo door, the 747-400F can swallow up to 124 tons of cargo, including oversized items like high-end vehicles, helicopters or industrial equipment. This massive payload capacity is paired with an intercontinental range of over 4,411 miles (7,100km), allowing the ruler of Dubai to travel across the globe in a single flight.
The fleet also serves a profound philanthropic role through the International Humanitarian City (IHC). Sheikh Mohammed has famously ordered these aircraft into service for emergency airlifts, such as the 2014 and 2024 humanitarian corridors, to deliver aid to disaster zones and conflict regions. During the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, he deployed his freighters to fly in hundreds of tons of shelter kits and medical supplies.
At 24, Sheikh Mohammed led an 80-hour standoff to save 140 lives during the 1973 hijacking of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747 in Dubai. As Minister of Defence, he used a mix of calm diplomacy and psychological pressure to keep the hijackers at bay while ensuring passengers received food and air conditioning. Every hostage was eventually released safely.
World
Trump claims Iran ‘respected my request’ just hours after making demand to regime | World | News

Donald Trump has claimed Iran has listened to his request and called off the alleged execution of eight protesters. On Tuesday, the US President republished on his social media platform an X post alleging Iran was going to execute eight women. In his Truth Social post, he addressed Iranian leaders directly, saying he would “greatly appreciate the release of these women” and suggested the gesture would show goodwill in the midst of a tense ceasefire.
One day later, on April 22, he announced the alleged executions had been called off. He claimed: “Very good news! I have just been informed that the eight women protestors who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed. Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison.
“I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Mr Trump didn’t immediately share who informed him about the women’s alleged executions.
On Tuesday evening, the Iranian judiciary denied that eight women were facing an execution.
The judiciary’s official Mizan Online website read on April 21: “Trump was misled once again by fake news. The women who were claimed to be on the verge of execution, some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment.”
The image Trump recirculated on Tuesday was originally created by the Lawfare Project, a pro-Israel organisation based in the US.
Of the eight women pictured in the original post, one had been confirmed by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) as having been sentenced to death alongside her husband.
The defendants were accused of chanting slogans, throwing incendiary projectiles from rooftops and engaging in “propaganda against the regime”.
Thousands of people were killed by the regime, then led by Ali Khamenei, between December and January, when streets were flooded by Iranians protesting the state of the country’s economy.
World
Benidorm horror as two dead after scaffolding collapses 13 floors high | World | News

Two people have died after a piece of scaffolding plummeted 13 floors from a building in Benidorm. The victims, aged 26 and 45, were thought to be working on the structure when it gave way in the Spanish seaside resort on Wednesday morning. A third person reportedly had a miracle escape after being left hanging from the 11th floor in the horror accident on Ibiza Street.
Emergency services rushed to the 18-storey Principality Europe building after being alerted at around 10:48am, according to local reports. The workers had purportedly been carrying out remodelling work on its façade for months, with the project scheduled for completion in just a few weeks’ time.
Initial reports suggested one person had died, and another was seriously injured after the scaffolding collapsed, with the second fatality confirmed later in the day.
The third worker, who is believed to have been left hanging near windows on the 11th floor, was rescued after tourists who had arrived the previous night helped them to safety.
A business owner based near the building said she heard “a great crash” and then “heartbreaking screams”, before finding a pile of “dust and destroyed scaffolding”.
She told Spanish newspaper Informacion that the work had been underway for around a year and a half, describing the incident as “horrible”.
Another passerby recounted “a spectacular roar of iron and tiles and screams” before he saw the worker who was left hanging get “hooked to a railing” before someone opened a nearby window.
Spanish police said a major investigation is underway.
Benidorm has decreed an official day of mourning for the two deaths, with a rally planned outside City Hall on Thursday including a three-minute period of silence.
World
Garden party to welcome King Charles to USA set to break key tradition | World | News

King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to make a state visit to the USA at the end of April, where they will meet President Donald Trump. The upcoming visit will feature a unique garden party in Washington which will break a centuries-old tradition.
The much-anticipated trip will take place between Monday, April 27 and Thursday, April 30. It will be the first time a British monarch has visited the US since Queen Elizabeth II was hosted by George Bush in 2007. Charles and Camilla will attend a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence in Washington DC but guests are being discouraged from wearing hats.
According to an invitation to the event obtained by the Washington Examiner’s Rob Crilly, the event will have a “Hats Not Encouraged” dress code. It also includes a customary dress code of lounge suits and day dresses.
The dress code for a royal garden party dates back centuries, with elaborate hats a tradition. Women often wear headpieces consisting of feathers, flowers and beads to compliment their day dresses while men are seen wearing top hats with their suits.
The state visit schedule also includes a formal banquet at the White House on April 28. According to Buckingham Palace, the visit will “celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States”.
The late Queen Elizabeth made four official visits to the US, in 1957, 1976, 1991, and 2007. Meanwhile, Charles visited 19 times while he was Prince of Wales.
The upcoming trip has taken months to plan, with decisions about dates and locations made by Buckingham Palace, the Foreign Office, the Trump administration and the UK Embassy in Washington. It has also drawn attention due to the current tense relationship between the UK and the US.
Donald Trump has been highly critical of Sir Keir Starmer for his response to the ongoing war in Iran. He feels the UK has not done enough to support his efforts in the Middle East.
Buckingham Palace said: “On advice of His Majesty’s Government, and at the invitation of The President of the United States, The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to the United States of America. Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence.
“The King will then continue to Bermuda to undertake His Majesty’s first Royal Visit as Monarch to a British Overseas Territory.”
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