- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Oil extends gains, jobs report lifts Wall Street
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Top EU court finds against FIFA in key transfer market ruling
- Oil extends gains, Hong Kong stocks resume rally
- 'A man provides': Ukrainian miners send families away as Russia advances
- EU states greenlight extra tariffs on EVs from China
- Hong Kong stocks resume rally, oil dips after Middle East-fuelled surge
- Crude stable after Israel-Iran surge, Hong Kong stocks resume gains
- Hera spacecraft to probe asteroid deflected by defence test
- US dockworkers to head back to work after tentative deal
- After Helene's destruction, North Carolina starts to rebuild
- Dockers end three-day strike at Montreal port
- What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?
- Israel-Hamas war causes 86-percent dive in Gaza GDP: IMF
- Milan's Morata moves house after Inter-fan town mayor 'violates' privacy
- 'Devastating' storm hits Augusta National but Masters will go on
- Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules
- Oil prices jump, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Biden says 'discussing' possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
- Oil prices rise, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Oil rallies, stocks mostly retreat on Middle East tensions
- Phasing out teen smoking could save 1.2 mn lives: study
- 'Welcome relief': Asia producers hail EU deforestation law delay
- Japan PM slated to announce plans for 'happiness index'
- Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September at 49.4%
- Easing inflation lifts profit at UK supermarket Tesco
- Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future
- China wine industry looks to breed climate resilience
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong drops after surge
- Dutch airline KLM unveils 'firm' cost-cutting measures
- Carpe diem: the Costa Rican women turning fish into fashion
- Senegal looks to aquaculture as fish stocks dwindle
- Will AI one day win a Nobel Prize?
- Climate change, economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs
- Argentina's Milei vetoes university budget after huge protests
- TotalEnergies plans to grow oil and gas production until 2030
- 2024 Nobels offer glimmer of hope as global crises mount
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong reverses after surge
- Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victory
- High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
- US voters seek help with crushing childcare costs
- Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land
- Supercharged storms: how climate change amplifies cyclones
British-Belgian teen becomes youngest round-the-world solo flier
Mack Rutherford, a British-Belgian 17-year-old, landed in Bulgaria on Wednesday to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
Five months and a day after taking off from Bulgaria in March, Rutherford returned to the small airport near the town of Radomir, an hour from the capital Sofia, to claim his record.
"I am trying to show with this trip that young people can make a difference, just follow your dreams," the teenager said after landing.
"I am not sure there are any other records I want to break at all, I just want to go back to school to catch up," he added.
Dressed in an airman's suit, with his dark curly hair tamed by a blue cap, the slight teenager voiced regret that the adventure was over, describing a "definite sense of freedom when you are flying".
Rutherford comes from a line of pilots. His family boasts four generations of flyers, and Mack got his first taste of being at the controls when he was just seven.
His record-breaking flight covered 54,000 kilometres (34,000 miles) in 221 hours of flying time across 30 countries.
He had to face temperatures of up to 48 degrees, not least during the many hours spent waiting for overflight authorisations.
His solo ordeal also included a forced landing on the uninhabited island of Attu, west of Alaska, due to strong winds.
- Ukraine war changed plans -
His sister and parents, who were at the Radomir airport to greet the young aviator, also said his food supply had become soaked with fuel at one stage, forcing him to make do with some chocolate cakes.
Even before Rutherford took off in March, his preparations were upended by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, forcing a change in the flight path.
Instead of flying over Russia, Rutherford diverted south through Pakistan, India, South Korea and Japan before flying for 10 hours over the Pacific Ocean to reach the United States: "The most difficult stage," he said.
"This kind of journey requires a lot of control at all levels, you have to be able to control your emotions, your stress," his mother, Beatrice de Smet told AFP.
"He did it like a boss," said Sam Rutherford, the adventurer's father and a retired military pilot.
Mack Rutherford's feat was recognised by the Guinness World Records group, with a certificate confirming that he had beaten the record set last year by 18-year-old Travis Ludlow of Britain.
He also achieved the feat in an ultralight aircraft, taking the record from his sister Zara as the youngest pilot to do so.
A good loser, Zara said she was "very happy" for her brother.
She remains the youngest woman to complete a solo round-the-world flight, which she did at the start of the year at the age of 19.
X.Wong--CPN