At least four people died and more than 100 were injured in lightning strikes during a thunderstorm in Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says. The worst bolt fell on a group of hikers at the summit of Giewont, a popular peak in the Tatra range in the south of the country.

A fifth person was killed in neighbouring Slovakia. At least one of the victims was said to be a child. The storm is said to have descended suddenly after a sunny morning. “Nobody expected such a sudden storm to break out and from our human point of view it was something which was impossible to predict,” Mr Morawiecki said an emergency meeting in the region. There were reports of casualties in different parts of the mountain range. At least four rescue helicopters were sent to the area.

The worst incident occurred on Thursday at the top of the 1,894m (6,214ft) Giewont mountain, where a metal cross is sited. A lightning bolt is thought to have struck the 15m structure at a time when a large number of hikers were at the summit, and the current then travelled along a metal railing.

“We heard that after (the) lightning struck, people fell. The current then continued along the chains securing the ascent, striking everyone along the way. It looked bad,” Polish mountain rescue service chief Jan Krzysztof told the country’s PAP news agency.(BBC)…[+]

WASHINGTON– U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday he was considering scaling back an effort that could have cut billions of dollars in foreign aid and would decide on the proposal – which faces strong opposition in Congress – within days.

Trump administration officials have said they are reviewing State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development spending with an eye to using a budget process known as “rescission” to slash up to $4.3 billion in spending that had already been approved by the Senate and House of Representatives.

“We’re looking at it and we’re looking at it in different ways, and we’re talking to Republicans and Democrats about it,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He said “certain things” could be cut, but others might not be. “But we are looking at it and we have some things that are on the table very much. We’ll let you know over the next probably sooner than a week,” Trump said.

Many members of Congress, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, have called on the administration to cancel, or pare back, its plans. The administration also tried to use rescissions to cut foreign aid last year, but lawmakers thwarted that plan.(Reuters)…[+]

Roman Catholic Priest, Father Urban Hudlin’s car was stolen last Saturday while he was visiting a home in Diego Martin. Hudlin, who is stationed at the Holy Cross Priory in Arima, was reportedly at the home to bless it. While praying, his vehicle was stolen. He is said to be traumatised by the experience. Father Hudlin’s possessions, including an iPad and other important documents were still inside the vehicle. The car is a blue Wingroad license plate PCL 4508. Family members say that the vehicle was recovered with the license plate already swapped.It is uncertain if Hudlin’s possessions were also recovered.(Trinidad Express)…[+]