technical

ALL planes leaving Gatwick Airport have been grounded causing chaos for passengers.

A Boeing 787 aircraft was reportedly stuck on the runway and the technical issue is currently being investigated, it is understood.

Staff worked to resume flights as quickly as possible after the runway closed at 1.40pm today.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “Due to a technical issue with a departing aircraft, our runway is currently closed.

“Our teams are working to move the aircraft and resume operations as quickly as possible. As always, safety and security is our number one priority.”

Airport officials have informed customers to still travel to the airport on time for their flights.

‘UNSAFE’

Flights axed as Ukraine warns of ‘drone-infested skies’ leaving thousands stranded

JETTING OFF

A quarter of workers are travelling more for business now than before Covid

The Sun understands the plane was a flight to New York which was due to take off just after 1pm.

It appeared to be on the runway surrounded by several fire engines but has now been cleared.

One passenger returning from the Isle of Man said on X: “I’m stuck on a plane returning from the IOM to Gatwick after jawbone surgery yesterday.. exhausted.

“The plane has diverted to Luton…I’d rather get out and catch a train back to London!”

The grounded plane caused chaos with many EasyJet flights being reportedly sent to other airports.

Another added: “Gatwick Airport any idea what is happening? I am stuck on your runway with no information.”

It comes after a water outage at the airport last month where passengers were left without running water.

The airport was left unable to flush toilets, wash their hands and refill bottles for several hours.

The outage was caused by a burst water main, which has affected the supply to the airport.

One source told The Sun at the time: “There were no announcements, they just started turning away everyone at the restaurants.

“Water fountains weren’t operational either. People are treating the toilets like portaloos at a festival, its going to be a biohazard soon.”

The water in the area is covered by SES Water, which covers parts of Surrey, Kent and London.

The airport chaos came just weeks after a similar water outage left the airport with no running water, toilets or bars.

Passengers called it “disgraceful” with images showing vending machines with no water left and dirty toilets.

Caracas, August 11, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government led by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is advancing diplomatic normalization with Israel after 17 years of severed relations.

In statements published on Tuesday, the Venezuelan and Israeli foreign ministries announced that, following “high-level talks,” the two countries would continue “bilateral technical cooperation” amid “recovery efforts” related to the June 24 double earthquake in the Caribbean nation.

“The two countries have also agreed to establish a coordination mechanism to provide consular services to their citizens residing in the other country,” the communiqués read.

Caracas additionally underlined that the ties between Israel and the Venezuelan Jewish community “constitute an important and historic friendship bridge between both countries.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar hailed the renewal of consular relations as “good news.” He added that the decision was agreed to in “conversations” with Venezuelan counterpart Félix Plasencia, creating “an official coordination channel” for the first time since 2009.

The announcement also followed a meeting Sunday between Plasencia and Orthodox Rabbi Isaac Cohen in which the latter formally requested that Venezuela reestablish diplomatic ties with Israel.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Cohen delivered a letter addressed to Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, arguing that normalizing relations with Tel Aviv is necessary to “tend to the needs of the Jewish community” in Venezuela.

Venezuela’s top diplomat thanked Cohen, on behalf of the Rodríguez administration and the Venezuelan people, for Israeli “assistance” following the June 24 double earthquake.

Cohen, a rabbi from the Venezuelan Jewish Association (AIV), was reportedly one of the intermediaries for the arrival of an Israeli diplomatic and military mission one week after the earthquake. The delegation included IDF officers and weapons contractors, while several Tel Aviv-aligned organizations likewise deployed on-the-ground teams.

Rodríguez held multiple meetings with the Israeli team, praising its members as “highly trained and professional” and thanking them for their work. IDF spokesman Roni Kaplan stated that the Israeli team had created a “dashboard” for Venezuelan authorities to evaluate damaged buildings, while Brigadier General Elad Edri was pictured presenting a “Project for Future Reconstruction” slideshow.

The Israeli mission has sparked growing protests, with Venezuelan popular movements reaffirming support for Palestine, condemning the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon, and burning Israeli flags.

Following the latest decision to deepen the engagement with Tel Aviv, the Venezuelan Movement in Solidarity with Palestine Al Awda issued a statement rejecting “normalization with the genocidal state of Israel.”

“We reject the use of ‘cooperation’ rhetoric to cover for barbarism and apartheid. Diplomacy cannot be used to whitewash crimes against humanity,” the text read.

Similarly, the International Platform in Solidarity with the Palestinian Cause argued that it was “unacceptable and unjustifiable” to strengthen relations “with a government formally accused of genocide.”

“We warn that reestablishing ties with [Israel] amounts to validating its crimes, in Palestine and all over the world, and becoming complicit before history,” its communiqué stated.

Former President Hugo Chávez severed ties with Israel in 2009, fiercely denouncing the US ally for genocide and demonstrating unwavering support for the Palestinian cause. His stance was maintained by Maduro, who endorsed South Africa’s activation of the Genocide Convention against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024.

Following the January 3 US military strikes and kidnapping of Maduro, Rodríguez fast-tracked a diplomatic rapprochement with Washington alongside a broader radical shift in Caracas’ geopolitical alignment. 

Apart from re-engagement with Israel, the Venezuelan government is also reestablishing ties with far-right US allies in Latin America, including Chile, Peru, and the Dominican Republic, while distancing itself from historic partners in Havana and Tehran. During the recent US-Israel war against Iran, Caracas offered no backing for Tehran, instead voicing “solidarity” with US Gulf allies such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

[Updated on August 11]

Edited by Lucas Koerner in Philadelphia, USA.

A FAMOUS UK pier that is loved by families has had to close one of its popular attractions.

Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea is known for being the world’s longest pier, stretching over 1.3 miles long.

And on the pier is a unique railway attraction that runs up and down the pier.

However, over the weekend the train had to be suspended due to technical difficulties.

Everything else on the pier, including the museum and gift shop, is still open, but to get to them tourists will have to walk along the pier.

The pier’s website states: “The Pier train is currently out of service and is expected to remain unavailable until at least later this week.

Read more on travel inspo

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

TRAVEL TIP

The £2.99 SIM hack that can save Brits HUNDREDS abroad

​”The pier remains open as normal, and visitors are still very welcome to enjoy a walk along the world’s longest pleasure pier and visit the Pier Head.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The railway is less than a metre wide, and runs for 1.25miles of the pier.

Services take place every half hour, from 10:30am each day.

The first transport on the pier was a horse tramway, which opened in 1872.

The horse tramway was then replaced by a single electric railway in 1890, marking the first pier railway in the country.

The following year, the pier railway was running the full length of the pier.

Later in the 1930s, the railway was expanded with four trains, each made up of seven carriages.

Today, the current carriages have been running since 2021.