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A man died after he was struck by lightning when hiking a trail in the Northern California mountains as he tried to take cover during a storm on Friday.   Nicholas Torchia, 37, of Fresno, California, is the third American to die after being struck by lightning in a week. Torchia was electrocuted near the roadless and remote Muir Trail Ranch, a spot for hikers on the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada, the Fresno Bee reported. He had tried to shelter from a thunderstorm by leaning against a tree before it was struck by a lightning bolt.  He fell to the ground and said that he wasn't feeling well to fellow hikers before falling unconscious.  His death comes a week after Walker Bethune and Brent Jerome died after separate strikes in Florida.  It is believed that Torchia was hiking the John Muir Trail when he got caught in the thunderstorm The Fresno County Sheriff's Office was alerted of a lightning accident around 2pm and Torchia's body was recovered around 6pm by a Califor

An earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan causing early morning alarm for Olympians. The magnitude-6 tremor struck at a depth of six miles in the sea to the east of Tokyo by the Ibaraki Prefecture at about 5.30am local time. Athletes and journalists in the city for the games reported numerous aftershocks but there was no risk of a tsunami or any damage. One reporter said the shaking continued for at least 30 seconds and was 'still going' after it struck. Another said it was 'not a monster' and 'unlikely to be destructive' so he said he was 'going back to sleep'. Australian journalist Mark Beretta was live on air for Sunrise when the earthquake struck. He was standing on a 10-storey temporary broadcast tower outside the Olympic stadium. He said: 'Welcome back to the Olympic city where we are currently in an earthquake, an earth tremor. 'The roof above us is moving and you might notice our lights and camera are moving as well.' After it s

Long Covid is rare in children, according to results of a study that researchers hope will reassure parents and teachers. Fewer than two per cent of children who became ill with the virus suffered persistent symptoms that lasted at least eight weeks. The majority recovered within a week. But the research only looked at youngsters who were struck down with tell-tale signs of the virus when they were first infected. King's College London experts admitted many children who catch Covid 'don't show any symptoms at all'. And studies have shown rates of the poorly-understood condition are lower among those who escape falling ill with Covid initially.  It comes after it was revealed Lewis Hamilton fears he may be suffering the effects of Long Covid, after the F1 driver came close to collapsing at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Mercedes racer complained of extreme fatigue and dizziness and required help onto the podium, after finishing third in one of the most dramatic

Governor Andrew Cuomo has formally been accused of sexually harassing eleven women by New York's Attorney General in a stunning string of allegations. AG Letitia James claimed the embattled Empire State lawmaker was behind a concerted campaign of unwanted comments and touching spanning from 2013 to 2020, in a series of statements delivered Tuesday. Cuomo was first accused of sexual misconduct last year, but Tuesday's press conference named several new victims, and also detailed Cuomo's nine previous accusers, whose testimony investigators said they found compelling.  The governor has furiously denied impropriety and refused to resign, with President Biden adding his voice to calls for Cuomo to go on Tuesday afternoon.  Here we take a detailed look at the women whose claims have triggered the biggest crisis of Cuomo's three-term career:  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has formally been accused of sexually harassing eleven women by New York's Attorney general in a st

New York City restaurant managers were left confused and residents are lashing out after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that customers will need to show proof of vaccination for indoor dining, performances and gyms starting August 16. Customers and workers will have to show proof that they've had at least one dose of a vaccine under plans to pressure New Yorkers to get a shot. The policy will go into effect on August 16, but inspections and enforcement won't begin until September 13, the week that the city's public schools reopen for the fall. It'll fall largely on businesses to enforce the policy, and de Blasio claims it won't be too different from a host guiding someone to a table or a box office clerk selling a ticket.  The announcement came just 24 hours after de Blasio broke from Governor Andrew Cuomo and said he would not bring back an indoor mask mandate in the city. De Blasio said Tuesday: 'If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve

A lawyer for R. Kelly appeared to admit in Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday that the R&B singer had 'sexual contact' with Aaliyah when she was just 15 years old. The 54-year-old singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, appeared in court with his attorney Thomas Farinella for a pre-trial hearing in a racketeering case that slated to start next Monday. Among other allegations, the 'I Believe I Can Fly' singer has been accused of bribing an official in Illinois in 1994 to issue an illegal wedding certificate to Aaliyah that said she was 18 years old when she was just 15 years old. Farinella appeared to make the shocking admission while being questioned by Judge Ann Donnelly - who asked if he was going to deny there was sexual contact between Jane Doe 1, the alias used for Aaliyah in the case, the New York Daily News reported. 'Are you going to deny that there was sexual contact with Jane Doe 1? They were married,' Donnelly said. 'No,' Farinella responded a

A red list of holiday firms that cannot be relied upon to offer flexible bookings and timely refunds amid the pandemic travel chaos has been identified by Which? The list of 22 includes travel giants such as Lastminute.com, Love Holidays, On The Beach and Teletext. Which? based its assessment on whether firms allow flexible booking and offer refunds to those who can't travel for reasons such as being pinged by the NHS app or a change in Government rules.  It compared the policies of more than 80 of the UK's package holiday providers and rated each as Red, Amber, Green or Green+. Companies that may put customers at risk of being left out of pocket if they are unable to travel were rated as red – as were those that failed to provide clear information.  While Red companies' policies were not necessarily in breach of consumer law, some – such as Love Holidays and Teletext – have faced investigations from the Competition and Markets Authority in the past year. A red list of hol