Connect with us

Published

on

Matthew Perry’s initial post-mortem results are inconclusive and the cause of death has been deferred, according to reports in US media.

Further investigations have been requested including a toxicology report before a determination will be made.

According to NBC News, a report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said that although an official conclusion is not likely to be released for several weeks, Perry’s body is ready to be released to his family.

The 54-year-old’s family have said they are “heartbroken” following the “tragic loss” of their son.

Read more:
Matthew Perry obituary: The one who made everyone laugh
Tributes pour in for Friends star after his death aged 54

Chandler Bing’s funniest lines

Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a radio call just after 4pm on Saturday for a death investigation of a male in his 50s.

The actor was best known for playing Chandler Bing on the American sitcom Friends.

More on Matthew Perry

In a statement to People, Perry’s family said: “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother.

“Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend.

“You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Remembering Matthew Perry

Perry’s body was found in a hot tub at his home, according to unnamed sources cited by the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ.

The actor, who was nominated for an Emmy for his role in Friends, starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox – who played Perry’s on-screen wife, Monica Geller.

The actors reunited on screen for the first time in 2021 after the show ended its celebrated 10-year run in 2004, having become a pop culture phenomenon.

Around a year ago, Perry embarked on a press tour for the release of his memoir Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.

He spoke about his battle with addiction – including a near-death experience in 2019 after his colon burst as a result of opioid use.

Perry recalled one instance when Aniston confronted him about being inebriated while filming.

“I know you’re drinking,” he remembered her telling him.

“We can smell it,” she said in what Perry called a “kind of weird but loving way” – adding: “The plural ‘we’ hit me like a sledgehammer.”

Continue Reading

US

Trade war: Trump reveals first nations to pay delayed ‘liberation day’ tariffs

Published

on

By

Trade war: Trump reveals first nations to pay delayed 'liberation day' tariffs

Donald Trump has revealed hefty trade tariffs against at least seven countries, to be applied from 1 August.

The initial announcement, via his Truth Social platform, concerned Japan and South Korea.

Both would face 25% rates on all goods, he said.

Malaysia and Kazakhstan were later added to the list, while South Africa was told it faced a 30% rate.

Laos and Myanmar were hit with 40% duties.

It marks the restart of the threatened “liberation day” escalation that was paused in April, for 90 days, to allow for negotiations to take place with all US trading partners.

The US president is sending each nation a letter to inform them of the tariff rates they face and warn against retaliatory tariffs.

More on Donald Trump

Those duties will come on top of sector-specific tariffs – such as 50% rates covering steel – which are already in force.

Money latest: Retailers release images of ‘prolific shoplifters’

Mr Trump says in the letters that rates can be adjusted “upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country”.

Country-specific tariffs had been due to take effect from Wednesday this week but Mr Trump had earlier revealed that nations would start to get letters instead, setting out the US position.

Duties would take effect from 1 August, without any subsequent deal being agreed, it was announced.

The letters sent to Japan and South Korea cited persistent trade imbalances for the rates and included the sentence: “We invite you to participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World, by far.”

He ended both letters by saying, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The European Union – the biggest single US trading partner – is among those set to get a letter in the coming days.

Mr Trump has also threatened an additional 10% tariff on any country aligning itself with the “anti-American policies” of BRICS nations – those are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and whose members also include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

The UK, bar a massive shock U-turn, should be exempt.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What does the UK-US trade deal involve?

The country was the first to be granted a trade deal, of sorts, in May and the Trump administration has claimed many others had been offering concessions since the clock ticked down to 9 July.

The UK is not expected to face any changes to its current 10% rate due to the trade truce, which came into effect last week.

While UK-made cars aerospace products face no duties under a new quota arrangement, it still remains to be seen whether 25% tariffs on UK-produced steel and aluminium will be cancelled.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Can the UK avoid steel tariffs?

They could, conceivably, even be raised to 50%, as is currently the case for America’s other trading partners, because no agreement on eliminating the rate was reached when the government struck its deal in May.

It all amounts to more uncertainty for the UK steel sector.

A No 10 spokesman said on Monday: “Our work with the US continues to get this deal implemented as soon as possible.

“That will remove the 25% tariff on UK steel and aluminium, making us the only country in the world to have tariffs removed on these products.

“The US agreed to remove tariffs on these products as part of our agreement on 8 May. It reiterated that again at the G7 last month. The discussions continue, and will continue to do so.”

China and Vietnam have also secured some US concessions.

The dollar strengthened but US stock markets lost ground in the wake of the letters to Japan and South Korea being made public, with the broad-based S&P 500 down by 1%.

Stock markets in both Japan and South Korea were closed for the day but US-traded shares of SK Telecom and LG Display were down 7.5% and 5.8% respectively.

Continue Reading

US

Texas floods: The victims and people missing that have been named so far

Published

on

By

Texas floods: The victims and people missing that have been named so far

Details of those who have died and those who are missing after US flash floods are slowly emerging – with several young girls among those unaccounted for.

At least 82 people have died from the flooding in Texas, with an unknown number of people – including 10 girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic in Kerr County – still missing.

As much as 10ins (25cm) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County on Friday, causing the banks of the Guadalupe River to burst at around 4am local time.

Tributes to those who died, and appeals for those who are still missing, are now being shared.

A map showing the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, which burst from heavy rain and caused flash flooding
Image:
Officials said 27 girls from Camp Mystic were reported missing after the flash floods in Texas

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Texas searches for missing children

Who are the victims?

Renee Smajstrla, eight

Renee Smajstrla, 8, died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Renee Smajstrla. Pic: Family handout

Renee’s uncle Shawn Salta confirmed the eight-year-old had died, and said she was one of 700 children staying at Camp Mystic.

“Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,” he said.

“We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday.

“She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic.”

Sarah Marsh, eight

Sarah Marsh, 8, died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Sarah Marsh. Pic: Family handout

Mountain Brook mayor Stewart Welch confirmed the death of eight-year-old Sarah, from Alabama, who was a pupil at Cherokee Bend Elementary.

“This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community,” he said. “Sarah’s passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her.

“As we grieve alongside the Marsh family, we also remember the many others affected by this tragedy.”

Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, both nine

Lila Bonner (L), 9, and Eloise Peck, 9, both died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Lila Bonner (left) and Eloise Peck. Pic: Family handout

Eloise’s mother Missy Peck told local broadcaster FOX4 that her daughter and Lila were best friends and cabinmates at Camp Mystic.

Writing about her daughter on Instagram, Ms Peck said: “She lost her life in the tragic flooding… our family is grieving and processing this unimaginable loss together.”

Lila’s family told NBC Dallas Fort Worth, a local affiliate network of Sky’s US partner network, that they were in “unimaginable grief”, and said: “We ache with all who loved her.”

Janie Hunt, nine

Janie Hunt, 9, from Dallas, died from the flooding at Camp Mystic, Texas SQUARE
Image:
Janie Hunt

Janie’s family confirmed her death to a reporter from NBC Dallas Fort Worth, who said “her mother tells me she’s devastated”.

Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland, owner of Camp Mystic

Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland, owner of Camp Mystic. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland, owner of Camp Mystic. Pic: Family handout

Kerr County judge Rob Kelly told the Washington Post that Mr Eastland, who owned the camp died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston hospital.

Local outlet The Kerrville Daily Times reported he was killed while trying to save the girls from the flash floods.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,” guest columnist Paige Sumner said in the Daily Times’ tribute to Mr Eastland.

Blair and Brooke Harber, 13 and 11

Blair, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Blair and Brooke Harber. Pic: Family handout

RJ Harber told CNN his daughters died during flooding in Kerr County, saying Blair “was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart”.

He added that Brooke “was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment”.

He also said both his parents were still missing.

Jane Ragsdale, owner of Heart O’ the Hills camp

Jane Ragsdale. Pic: Heart O’ the Hills SQUARE
Image:
Jane Ragsdale. Pic: Heart O’ the Hills

On Heart O’ the Hills’s website, the camp confirmed it was “right in the path of the flood” along the Guadalupe River.

While there were no campers in residence, Jane Ragsdale died. The camp said: “We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane’s death.

“She embodied the spirit of Heart O’ the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer.”

Julian Ryan, 27

Julian Ryan, 27 -  Died trying to save family. Pic: GoFundMe SQUARE
Image:
Julian Ryan. Pic: GoFundMe

Relatives of Mr Ryan told local news broadcaster KHOU 11 that he died saving his family from floodwaters in Texas Hill County.

They described how he tried to smash a window to help them escape the rising water, but it cut his arm and he bled out before help could arrive.

Tanya Burwick, 62

 Tanya Burwick. Pic: Rhea Brunswick via AP
Image:
Tanya Burwick. Pic: Rhea Brunswick via AP

Ms Burwick was heading to work at a Walmart in the San Angelo area early Friday when the flood waters hit.

When she didn’t show up for work, her employer filed a missing persons report and sent another colleague to look for the 62-year-old.

Police found Ms Burwick’s unoccupied SUV fully submerged later that day, before locating her body on Saturday morning, “several blocks” away from her car.

Her daughter, Lindsey Burwick, said her mother was a beloved parent, grandparent and colleague to many, adding: “She lit up the room and had a laugh that made other people laugh.”

Read more:
Deadly Texas floods: Why were people caught by surprise?
Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ passes final hurdle in US Congress
Seven missing after explosion at fireworks warehouse

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Who is still missing?

Penny, Emlyn, and 11-year-old Madelyn ‘Emmy’ Jeffrey

Penny and Emlyn Jeffrey. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Penny and Emlyn Jeffrey. Pic: Family handout

Madelyn ‘Emmy’ Jeffrey, 11. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Madelyn ‘Emmy’ Jeffrey. Pic: Family handout

Christin Jeffrey Jones posted on Facebook that her parents Penny and Emlyn Jeffrey are missing, as well as her niece Madelyn ‘Emmy’ Jeffrey.

She said her family were in Hunt, Texas, and “were spending the night at their cabin on the river at Casa Bonita which is now completely gone”.

“We ask for continued prayers and miracles,” she said. “Please share the word.”

Charlene and Mike Harber, 74 and 76

Charlene, 74, and Mike Harber, 76. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Charlene and Mike Harber. Pic: Family handout

RJ Harber also told CNN that his parents, Charlene and Mike Harber, are still missing.

He believes the couple have died.

Continue Reading

US

Generations of Texas elite in mourning over Camp Mystic tragedy

Published

on

By

Generations of Texas elite in mourning over Camp Mystic tragedy

The area around the Guadalupe River is home to dozens of summer camps, but it is Camp Mystic that was long favoured by the Texas elite.

For almost a century, the daughters of senators, presidents, and oil barons would stream through the gates each summer.

“The camp has always served as a near-flawless training ground for archetypal Texas women,” wrote Texas Monthly writer Mimi Swartz in a 2011 profile.

First Lady Laura Bush was a camp counsellor there during college, while President Lyndon B Johnson sent daughters and granddaughters through the green gates.

Texas flash flooding latest: 21 children among dead

Nicole Nugent Covert, granddaughter of Lady Bird and Lyndon B Johnson, described dropping her daughter off at Mystic.

“You get a feeling when you drive up to the Hill Country and you’d see the Mystic sign, and you’d feel the weight of the world had been lifted off you,” she told the Austin American-Statesman in 2010.

More on Texas

“There were no worries. I still feel that way. When I drop my daughter off, I’m jealous.”

Once inside the Christian camp, hundreds of girls would learn to ride horses, catch fish, and hunt. They wore white on Sundays, when fried chicken was also served.

The halcyon summer days would culminate in a war-canoe race between two competing “tribes”.

Items lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Items lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic. Pic: Reuters

A deposit for the camp cost $400 – while the current full fee is unknown in 2011 it cost $4,300 (£3,150) for a 30-day session.

Camp director dies ‘saving girls’

Founded in 1926, the camp was bought by Agnes Doran Stacy, a Dallas socialite, and her husband, Pop, in 1939, and has stayed in the family for the next three generations.

Mystic’s family bond came under pressure in 2011 when the Eastland siblings – grandchildren of Agnes – got into a messy legal battle over the 725-acre camp. The family eventually reached a confidential settlement in 2012.

A Camp Mystic sign is seen near the entrance. Pic: AP
Image:
A Camp Mystic sign is seen near the entrance. Pic: AP

Current director Dick Eastland, who ran the camp alongside his wife Tweety, has been confirmed dead by his grandson. George Eastland said his grandfather died trying to save the girls in his care when the flash floods suddenly hit.

At first, 27 of the camp’s girls were missing, their cabins swept away in waters that rose suddenly at 4am. That figure is now 11 – 10 campers and one counsellor.

Read more from Sky News:
Millions of Iranians unite in mourning
Israel attacks Houthi targets

Renee Smajstrla, Eloise Peck, Janie Hunt and Lila Bonner are among those confirmed to have died.

Renee Smajstrla, 8, died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout
Image:
Renee Smajstrla, 8, died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, Texas. Pic: Family handout

“She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic,” Renee’s uncle, Shawn Salta, wrote in tribute to her.

The ‘Mystic mafia’ mourns

In her 2011 article, Swartz described a “Mystic mafia” of women that stretched across the world, their bonds forged by summers at camp.

And those legions of women are mourning today.

“Camp Mystic has been my safe haven for years – a place of peace, joy, and true belonging,” one wrote on social media.

“It’s where light lives and God’s love overflows. A true slice of Heaven on earth. This weekend, tragedy has struck this sacred space, and my heart is shattered.”

“Mystic gave me more than I really know how to put into words. my heart breaks for the campers, staff, and their families in this impossible time,” another wrote.

Continue Reading

Trending