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A hiker who lost more than 13kg after disappearing in California’s woods had to have rocks removed from his back. 

Pictures have emerged of the moment a shirtless Lukas McClish, 34, was reunited with his family after being lost for 10 days in Big Basin Redwood State Park.

Mr McClish was last seen on 11 June but was only reported missing on 16 June, when he failed to show up for a Father’s Day dinner, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

He was found on Friday after people reported hearing someone scream and drones were deployed to track him down.

The hiker reuniting with his loved ones. Pic: SLV Steve
Image:
The hiker reuniting with his loved ones. Pic: SLV Steve

Mr McClish, an experienced hiker, told the New York Times (NYT) he drank water from creeks and ate wild berries in order to survive – a “diet” which saw him lose 13.6kg (30lbs).

“I was kind of doing the water-diet thing,” said Mr McClish. “If you drink a gallon and a half of water every day, you don’t need food until you run out of carbs.”

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Mr McClish got lost on 11 June. Pic: SLV Steve
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Mr McClish got lost on 11 June. Pic: SLV Steve

Mr McClish described how he had very little on him when he embarked on what he thought would only be a three-hour hike before work.

“I left with just a pair of pants, and my pair of hiking shoes, and a hat. I had a flashlight, and a pair of folding scissors, like a Leatherman tool. And that was about it,” he told ABC7.

But he ended up getting lost as landmarks along the track had been eroded by fires.

Emergency services deployed drones to the area after screaming was heard. Pic: SLV Steve
Image:
Emergency services deployed drones to the area after screaming was heard. Pic: SLV Steve

The sheriff’s office said it had received multiple reports of witnesses hearing someone yelling for help.

State Parks rangers were the first to discover him and fire crews helped bring him to safety on Friday.

During the first few days of his ordeal, Mr McClish tried to see his experience as an opportunity to spend time with himself and test his survival skills.

“So, I kind of just hiked,” he said. “Each day, I go up a canyon, down a canyon to the next waterfall, sit down by the waterfall, drink water out of my boot.”

But by day five, he started to look at ways of getting back home.

“I knew if I kept following the sun I’d get to the ocean eventually, but I didn’t know how far from the ocean I was,” he said.

By day eight, Mr McClish was repeatedly shouting in the hope of getting someone’s attention as he suffered from hypothermia and had fallen while walking over a rock face.

Once rescued, Mr McClish was taken to hospital for a night, where he had rocks removed from his back, the NYT quoted him as saying.

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“I did enough hiking for probably the whole rest of the year,” he said.

“Me too,” his dad said.

“We’ve all hiked a lot,” his mother added.

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Thailand launches airstrikes against Cambodia as border clashes reignite

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Thailand launches airstrikes against Cambodia as border clashes reignite

Thailand has launched airstrikes and said it has struck military targets along the border with Cambodia, as both sides accused the other of attacking first.

One Thai soldier was killed and eight others wounded, according to Thai army spokesperson Major General Winthai Suvaree, who also said Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory.

Thailand used aircraft “to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks,” he added.

In Cambodia, Met Measpheakdey, deputy governor of Oddar Meanchey province, wrote in a Facebook post that three civilians had been seriously injured.

Cambodian officials said the Thai military attacked their troops first in Preah Vihear province.

“Cambodia urges that Thailand immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region,” said Cambodian defence ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata.

Tensions have simmered since the neighbouring countries signed a US-brokered ceasefire agreement in October, put forward by US President Donald Trump.

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Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet shake hands next to US President Donald Trump in October. Pic: Reuters
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Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet shake hands next to US President Donald Trump in October. Pic: Reuters

Their territorial disputes led to five days of combat in July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that military operations would be carried out as necessary to defend the country and protect public safety.

“Thailand has never wished for violence. I’d like to reiterate that Thailand has never initiated a fight or an invasion, but will never tolerate a violation of its sovereignty,” he said.

In Thailand, more than 385,000 civilians across several border districts are being evacuated, with over 35,000 already housed in temporary shelters, military officials said.

People rest at a shelter in Buriram province, Thailand, after fresh military clashes. Pic: Reuters
Image:
People rest at a shelter in Buriram province, Thailand, after fresh military clashes. Pic: Reuters

A concrete shelter in Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province. Pic: AP
Image:
A concrete shelter in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province. Pic: AP

Meanwhile, the Cambodian Education Ministry said several schools along the border had been shut.

Footage posted online showed what appeared to be students hurriedly leaving classes to meet their parents.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged Thailand and Cambodia to “exercise maximum restraint”.

In a post on social media, he added: “Our region cannot afford to see long-standing disputes slip into cycles of confrontation.”

Si Sa Ket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces in Thailand, and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces were among the areas said to be caught up in the latest clashes.

On Sunday, both nations accused each other of opening fire along the border in what the Thai army said was an incident that lasted around 20 minutes and resulted in the injury of two of its soldiers.

But Cambodia said that the Thai side fired first and that Cambodian troops did not retaliate.

For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at points along their 508-mile (817km) land border.

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President Trump may walk away from Ukraine peace process, his eldest son says

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President Trump may walk away from Ukraine peace process, his eldest son says

Donald Trump’s eldest son has said his father may walk away from the Ukraine peace process, claiming the issue is not a priority for Americans, and signalling Europe needs a better plan.

In a wide-ranging discussion with Sky’s lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim at Doha Forum 2025, Donald Trump Jr addressed issues including the US administration’s recent diplomatic efforts around the world.

He was speaking in his capacity as a business leader, setting out his agenda for “America first” investments in defence technology and artificial intelligence (AI), drawing a direct line between global stability and economic prosperity.

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Donald Trump meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington earlier this year. Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington earlier this year. Pic: Reuters

When asked directly if he believed the US president would walk away from Ukraine, he answered: “I think he may, what’s good about my father and what’s unique about my father is you don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s unpredictable.”

President Trump has led renewed efforts for a ceasefire deal with Russia in recent months.

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Drawing a parallel with his father’s current “war” on drug cartels, Donald Trump Jr described gangs bringing illegal drugs into America as a “far greater clear and present danger to the US than anything [going on] in the Ukraine or Russia”.

While he said he did not believe Ukraine would be “abandoned”, he said: “The American public doesn’t have the appetite [for endless wars and further funding of Ukraine’s military efforts].”

Describing Ukraine as “a far more corrupt country than Russia”, he characterised Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as “one of the great marketeers of all time”, who he said had become “a borderline deity, especially to the left”.

He went on to describe President Trump’s approach as “common sense”.

China rivalry was the focus, but Musk got a mention


Yalda Hakim

Yalda Hakim

Lead world news presenter

@SkyYaldaHakim

In a country and at a conference which is friendly, even admiring of the Trump administration, Don Jr was in his element.

He’s here in his capacity as a business leader, promoting his venture, 1789 Capital which claims to be focused on “America First” investments.

But he wasn’t shy about discussing his father’s foreign policy achievements, boasting that Donald Trump had resolved seven or eight wars – conflicts that most ordinary Americans were unaware of.

His pitch is bullish and direct – the current US administration is projecting strength globally, stopping wars and creating investment opportunities which serves the American economy. It’s the MAGA mentality for the global audience.

It’s clear that the rivalry with China is their biggest focus, especially finding ways to combat their dominance over critical minerals.

“America can no longer just sit there and hope that China is going to be a good actor… I think the rest of the world understands that they want America to be at the forefront of all of that.”

When I asked him about recent efforts by President Trump to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, he responded forcefully. “We want peace, we want to stop the death.”

But he went on to say that Europe needed to shoulder the burden and currently they have no plan.

As he sat on the stage in Qatar, the country which has been at the centre of the ceasefire efforts for Gaza, he expressed hope that peace would prevail, but balanced expectations America would fund its re-construction. This would have to be a global effort.

“If there’s one thing my father is, it’s a builder… I think he can be the greatest construction manager in the history of the world, but no one in America wants to bear the entire responsibility of that.”

And, away from international diplomatic efforts, he was happy to announce a breakthrough closer to home.

The “bromance” with Elon Musk and President Trump is back on – calling the entrepreneur a “generational talent, a generational level of genius”.

‘Bromance’ back on

He also confirmed that Tesla billionaire Elon Musk was “100% back in the fold”, after previously appearing to fall out with the president.

Earlier this year, Donald Trump Jr’s investment company, 1789 Capital, heavily invested in some of Musk’s companies, including SpaceX.

Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in May. Pic: AP
Image:
Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in May. Pic: AP

Directly comparing President Trump with Musk, he said: “Imagine dealing with one Donald Trump – now I have to deal with two.

“They’re very similar that way, so it created some headaches… but the reality is they’re both very much aligned, they’re on message with what we want to do with our country. What we want to do with freedom of speech.”

He went on: “Elon did incredible things for Twitter, really allowed the democratisation of truth and freedom and free speech to occur. That’s something that is a true threat in America right now.”

He also praised Musk as “changing the face of free speech, science and technology”, adding, “we have to protect our geniuses”.

When asked whether Mr Trump would stand for a third term, he joked that he could be “just trolling” those on the left.

He went on, “He’s the most unpredictable person, probably in the history of politics. Which is why he’s able to get something done. We’ll see.”

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Woman, 60, and young boy die in house fire

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Woman, 60, and young boy die in house fire

A murder investigation is underway after a woman and young boy died in a house fire in Edenderry, Co Offaly.

Another woman is being treated in hospital for her injuries following the blaze on Saturday at roughly 7.45pm.

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Irish police said the house on Castleview Park had been declared a crime scene.

A Garda spokesperson said on Sunday morning that they could confirm two people had died as a result of the fire.

“A female, aged 60 years, and a young boy were fatally injured,” they said.

“A second female, aged in her 50s, is receiving treatment for serious injuries at a hospital in the Midlands.

Gardai in Tullamore are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

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