Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

The Asian Games accommodation crisis has left organisers scrambling to resolve complaints from athletes and officials as the Aichi-Nagoya Games prepare to get under way in Japan. Rather than building a dedicated athletes’ village for about 17,000 competitors and officials, organisers have opted for a mixture of a cruise ship, temporary wooden cabins and hotel rooms in an effort to reduce costs. The arrangements have drawn criticism in the days before the continental competition, with South Korean officials describing the beds in container-style huts as the “worst-ever”. Where will Asian Games athletes stay? The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena arrived…

Charities receiving IRA gifts are facing delays of months or even years as banks and brokerages demand extensive paperwork, personal information and, in some cases, new accounts before releasing money left to them by donors. Non-profit leaders and lawyers say the administrative hurdles are diverting scarce staff time from charitable work and can leave organisations weighing whether to abandon gifts intended to support their missions. Retirement accounts can usually be left to a charity through a beneficiary designation without changing a will. The donation is removed from the donor’s taxable estate and the charity receives the funds without the income…

Heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across the Chicago area on Thursday morning, disrupting flights at O’Hare and Midway airports before conditions were expected to become drier later in the day. The National Weather Service warned that some storms could produce torrential downpours and localised flooding across northern Illinois and north-western Indiana. Showers and thunderstorms were forecast to ease from late morning into the afternoon, with temperatures reaching about 23C. Ground stops were issued at O’Hare and Midway because of the thunderstorms, with restrictions initially scheduled to remain in place until 7.15am and 6.45am respectively. The Federal Aviation Administration later reported…

Ireland is set to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for a second consecutive year, citing the “appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza”. The decision means Ireland will not take part in Eurovision 2027, with the continuing loss of life in Gaza given as the reason for the withdrawal.

A British father facing up to four years in prison over the death of his toddler son in Cyprus has had his case adjourned for a further week. The 37-year-old appeared at Paphos District Court with his parents, a day after what would have been his son’s third birthday. No plea was entered. Prosecutors told the court: “We recognise the suffering the man and his family are enduring. The state must adhere to the law.” The father’s lawyer, Alexandros Alexandrou, requested more time to prepare. He said his client would need to understand “the consequences of a sentence and what…

The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of 3.75% to 4%, marking its first increase since July 2023 and the first policy move under chairman Kevin Warsh. The unanimous decision puts Mr Warsh at odds with Donald Trump, who has publicly called for interest rates to be cut. The Fed’s latest projections suggest the increase may not be a one-off, with officials forecasting a median federal funds rate of 4.1% by the end of 2026, up from 3.8% in June. Markets had largely anticipated the Federal Reserve rate…

Nico Gonzalez could miss Newcastle United’s meeting with Hull City on Saturday because he may not have passed the required return-to-play deadline after suffering a head injury. The midfielder was substituted early in Newcastle’s defeat away to Leeds United after appearing to suffer concussion. The match against Hull is scheduled for 3pm, but there is a possibility Gonzalez will not be cleared in time. Newcastle assess Nico Gonzalez ahead of Hull clash Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle said the club had a responsibility to remove Gonzalez from the game despite the player appearing to be fit to continue. “Yeah, with Nico,…

Two men have been hospitalised after a shooting outside The Daiquiri Factory in north-west Atlanta, with one victim in critical condition, police said. Gunfire broke out early on Thursday, 17 September, after a fight near the restaurant on Howell Mill Road NW. A 31-year-old man was shot in the head, while a 25-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the arm. The younger man was described as stable. The older victim remained in a critical condition in hospital. Atlanta police homicide detectives were called to the scene because of the seriousness of the injuries. Investigators believe a single gunman may…

The Bank of England has kept its main interest rate on hold at 3.75 per cent, despite UK inflation rising to a five-month high and growing pressure from higher fuel prices linked to the war in Iran. The decision comes as central banks assess whether renewed energy costs will feed into broader inflation. The US Federal Reserve raised borrowing costs on Wednesday, while financial markets expect the Bank of England to increase rates at one of its next two meetings, in November or December. UK inflation is currently running at an annual rate of 3.1 per cent, above the Bank’s…

UN human rights experts have said there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 178 civilians, including women and children. The findings by the international fact-finding mission on Iran relate to an airstrike on a school in Minab and a separate attack on a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd, both on 28 February. In a statement, the mission said it had found reasonable grounds to believe the US was responsible for “launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or…