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At least three people killed as Storm Amy batters Europe with strong winds and rain

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People struggle against the wind and rain in Malmö, Sweden, after a storm reached southern Sweden, Saturday Oct. 4, 2025. (Johan Nilsson/TT via AP) Johan Nilsson/TT

Three people were killed across Europe this weekend as Storm Amy raged across the continent with strong winds and rain, impacting critical infrastructure and disrupting power for tens of thousands.

Authorities in Ireland reported a man died in Letterkenny, northwest Ireland, on Friday in what police called a weather-related incident, while in France, at least two men were reportedly killed by the storm, local officials said on Saturday.

On Saturday, road, rail and sea travel faced major disruption as a storm walloped the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia with heavy rain and high winds.

London’s famed Royal Parks shut their gates as Britain’s Met Office weather agency gave updates on the weather after it recorded a gust of 154 kph on Friday on the island of Tiree off Scotland’s west coast.

More than 200,000 properties in Ireland and Northern Ireland were left without power, while in Scotland, many ferry services were suspended and roads and railway lines were blocked by fallen trees.

Fraser Wilson of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said engineers were working to restore power to about 62,000 customers.

France

On Saturday afternoon, Storm Amy’s powerful gusts, which claimed two lives in France, prompted parts of Northern France to issue an orange alert.

“Storm Amy is moving across the British Isles, causing strong gusts of wind in the departments near the English Channel coast and in the northern inland departments of the country,” French weather service Meteo France said.

France’s northern coast recorded its strongest winds since the beginning of the week, with gusts reaching 131 kilometres and up to 110 kph inland.

According to French authorities, two males, ages 18 and 48, went swimming in the water at Étretat on Saturday morning, which is close to Le Havre, despite bad weather.

The older man did not return to land, while later in the afternoon, a large tree branch fell onto a vehicle that had been driving on a road in the northern Aisne region, killing a 25-year-old man.

Up to 5,000 Normandy homes were without power on Saturday morning due to the storm. According to power supplier Enedis, the number decreased to 2,000 by noon, but since then, more outages have been reported.

Belgium

In Belgium, Storm Amy was also clearly felt, causing some damage with strong winds of speeds reaching over 100 kilometres per hour. As a result, authorities declared a Code Orange weather warning for the entire country.

As a precaution, the breakwaters in Ostend will be closed for the entire weekend, officials said, while also announcing that telephone number 1722 for non-urgent requests for assistance from the fire brigade had been activated.

Amy also wreaked havoc on Sweden, Denmark, and Norway from late Friday into Saturday. Tens of thousands of homes lost power as strong gusts brought down trees and power lines throughout Scandinavia, as heavy rainfall and high tides pummeled the coastal areas.

Norway

Roofs were blown off houses, trees fell, and over a hundred roads were closed in Norway, where extreme amounts of rainfall are now expected.

So far, Western Norway has had the worst storm, causing around 100 road closures in the region as of Saturday morning.

Emergency officials said they expected the Vestfold coast to experience the strongest winds before it calms down. It will continue to blow strongly in Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, and Nordland throughout the day. In parts of Vestfold and Telemark, it is expected that “Amy” will bring up to 100 millimetres of rain in twelve hours.

As of Saturday morning, around 120,000 households were left without electricity, mostly in Trøndelag, Agder, and Vestland, according to a count by NRK, the Norwegian broadcaster.

Sweden

Strong winds and heavy rain were recorded on Saturday across southern and central Sweden. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) issued orange alerts for the West Coast, the southern coast of Skåne, and the Skagerrak area.

Out at sea off northern Halland, hurricane-force gusts have already been recorded. In addition, several yellow warnings are in place for large parts of the country.

Storms with the potential to cause serious disruption or damage are given names jointly by the UK, Irish, and Dutch weather agencies.

The current storm, called Amy, is the remnant of Hurricane Humberto, which formed over the Atlantic Ocean last week.

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Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos

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Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.

According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

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Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

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A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

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Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)

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Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.

Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.

This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.

Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.

Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.

“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”

Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.

Watch Doris Ogala speak

 

Nigerian Man Seeks Wife Who Knows How To Cook Well With Firewood, Says His Mother Eats Only “Firewood Food”

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