In a tense standoff outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, one terrorist was killed and two others suffered serious injuries during an intense 10-minute exchange of gunfire with police, officials reported.

The unsettling incident unfolded close to a permanent security checkpoint near the consulate building in the Turkish capital, as described by authorities and eyewitnesses.

Video footage captured one of the assailants, dressed in a dark top and carrying a backpack, as he fired shots using both an automatic rifle and a handgun while moving among police and security vehicles.

According to Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci, the three individuals involved were connected to a group that “exploits religion,” and he confirmed their status as “terrorists.”

During the prolonged gunfight, two police officers sustained injuries, authorities stated.

No Israeli diplomats have been stationed at the consulate since the Hamas-Israel ware broke out in 2023.

With Post wires

Sri Lanka has unveiled an unprecedented relief package valued at £242 million designed to aid farmers, fishermen, and low-income families grappling with escalating energy expenses exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Announced on Tuesday, this initiative represents the largest financial assistance program ever launched by the state.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake highlighted that the relief effort aims to support the most vulnerable segments of the island’s population, which numbers around 22 million. He explained that direct cash transfers would be made to the bank accounts of thousands of fishermen, as well as rice and tea farmers, to alleviate their financial burdens.

In addition, those living below the poverty line—approximately a quarter of the nation’s citizens—can expect to receive an extra £19 this month, a gesture timed to coincide with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations. Furthermore, these households will benefit from subsidized electricity bills, providing a much-needed reprieve from rising costs.

President Dissanayake stated, “The total relief package is valued at 100 billion rupees over three months,” and assured that this ambitious endeavor will be supported through the current budget. This strategic allocation underscores the government’s commitment to cushioning its citizens against the challenging economic climate.

‘The total relief package is valued at 100 billion rupees over three months,’ Dissanayake said, adding ‘We are funding this through the existing budget.’

He said the government was keen to avoid a repeat of the 2022 meltdown, when the country saw record inflation of 70 percent after the government printed money to fund subsidies.

Sri Lanka is still on an IMF bailout programme that began in early 2023 when it secured a £2.2billion loan spread over four years.

Dissanayake said he was hopeful of drawing down the next tranche of about £529million from the IMF by the end of next month, following the conclusion of a staff-level agreement with the Washington-based lender this week.

Under the latest scheme, fishermen using smaller boats will get up to about £227 a month fuel subsidy, while operators of bigger boats will get about £365 a month for three months.

For farmers, the government will absorb about 30 percent of the cost of urea fertiliser, he said, adding that the state will also bear part of electricity generation costs, up to 15 billion rupees.

He said the government was keen to ensure continuity of supplies and was in talks with Russia to resume imports of gas, coal, fuel and fertiliser previously hit by US sanctions.

‘We have a window until April 11 to secure supplies from Russia after President Trump temporarily lifted sanctions,’ Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka has increased fuel prices by a third while raising electricity tariffs by up to 40% since the start of the US-Israeli attacks against Iran on February 28.

A four-day working week introduced last month will be discontinued this week, as officials said the Wednesday day off had not led to expected energy savings.

The South Asian nation imports all its coal, gas and petroleum requirements and is heavily dependent on oil from the Middle East.

LOS ANGELES — Dreams are coming true once again! April marks World Wish Month, coinciding with Disney’s Week of Wishes. For over 45 years, Disney has teamed up with Make-A-Wish to fulfill the dreams of more than 170,000 children battling critical illnesses. To celebrate this spirit of giving, “American Idol” judge Luke Bryan reconnected with a former Make-A-Wish recipient.

Ashley Persson received a delightful surprise when she reunited with the country music superstar, whom she first met over a decade ago during his tour in Santa Clara. Reflecting on Bryan’s generosity, Persson shared with ABC7, “Luke Bryan’s actions reflect his values and his commitment to helping others. It’s remarkable how he uses his influence to make a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Bryan expressed his appreciation for the Make-A-Wish program, saying, “These kids are facing tough days, and if we can change their story even for a day, whether on the road or backstage, it’s something I truly treasure.”

When Persson first met Bryan through her Make-A-Wish experience, she had just completed cancer treatment and was preparing to start college. Now, she celebrates 11 years of being cancer-free. Meanwhile, Bryan has made it his mission to grant over 50 wishes to children through the program.

To witness Bryan’s heartwarming reunion with Persson, check out the video above!

“American Idol” airs live Mondays at 10/9c on ABC and streams live on Disney+. The fan-favorite competition series will also be available the next day to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC, Disney+, Hulu and this ABC station.

Last week, the bustling streets of Chicago were overtaken by a sea of young faces, engaging in what Mayor Brandon Johnson has termed “teen trends,” a phenomenon he cautions could escalate into dangerous situations.

Footage obtained by Fox News through ChitownCrimeChasers vividly illustrates the scene from March 30, with throngs of teenagers filling the streets and sidewalks, congregating around parked cars and navigating intersections en masse.

Additional video snippets from that evening depict a lively atmosphere with various individuals dancing and mingling amidst the urban backdrop. However, some recordings also capture moments where participants climbed atop vehicles and engaged in brief skirmishes amidst the crowd.

In the Hyde Park neighborhood, locals reported that this youthful takeover persisted for hours, stretching late into the night, leaving a significant impact on the community.

The events of March 30 have left Chicago residents and officials reflecting on the implications of such gatherings, as they seek to balance youthful exuberance with public safety concerns.

One resident, Jason Hale, said his car was among roughly 30 affected by crowds in Chicago that night.

“Yeah, it’s bad. The hood is messed up, terrible. A thousand worth of damage, dents everywhere, footprints everywhere,” Hale told FOX 32 Chicago.

Video shows groups of teens standing and moving on top of parked vehicles as crowds formed around them.

Chicago police confirmed to the local outlet that three curfew violations were issued in connection with the gathering. A 16-year-old girl was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and disorderly conduct.

City officials and police have described these gatherings, which are often organized through social media, as part of a broader, growing trend across Chicago.

Recent events have drawn large crowds to neighborhoods including downtown and Hyde Park, with activity ranging from social gatherings to more chaotic crowd movement.

Mayor Brandon Johnson answers questions during a news conference at Chicago City Hall on Feb. 25, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)

Johnson released a public service announcement telling parents to not let their kids attend the increasingly popular “teen trends across the city.”

“We’re currently tracking five. That’s right. Five teen trends across the city this weekend,” the mayor said in an April 3 message. “I’m calling on all parents. Check in with your children. See where they plan to be this weekend. Please, do not allow your child to attend any of these trends this weekend.”

“They’re unsafe, and they can turn deadly. Our police officers will be out enforcing the city’s 10 p.m. curfew,” he said.

Groups of young people took over the streets in Hyde Park, Chicago. (X/Chitown_Crime_Chasers)

Some residents say the repeated gatherings are raising concerns about safety and quality of life.

Hale said the incident has prompted him to reconsider staying in the city.

“Your kids should not be out here… I had parents who guided me,” he said. “And these parents, they just let them run rampant.”

<!–>

Joseph Duggar found solace in a letter from his brother-in-law while facing molestation charges. The message arrived during his detention following an arrest last month.

Austin Forsyth, who is married to Joseph’s sister Joy-Anna, advised the 31-year-old to turn to his faith during this challenging period. Forsyth, 32, emphasized the importance of spiritual strength in his note.

“I want you to know that I love you!” Forsyth expressed in the letter dated March 25. It was sent to the Washington County Detention Facility in Arkansas and later shared by People.

Forsyth reassured Joseph, stating, “Jesus loves you, and continues to draw you closer to Him. God works despite the sin of man for his good.”

While Forsyth acknowledged the gravity of the accusations, stemming from an alleged 2020 incident involving a nine-year-old girl, he chose not to delve into those matters in their correspondence.

Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for the family for further comment on the story. 

Joseph Duggar’s brother-in-law Austin Forsyth, 32, encouraged him to keep the faith in a jailhouse letter he received after he was arrested last month on molestation allegations 

Joseph has pleaded not guilty to a pair of counts of lewd and lascivious behavior and is slated to appear in court May 18; in the letter, which came before Joseph’s release on a $600,000 bond, Forsyth advised Joseph to ‘only be talking to your attorney.’

In the letter, Forsyth said he was ‘praising God’ that he and his wife Joy-Anna ‘started getting closer to’ Joseph and his wife Kendra ‘within the last year and a half.’

Kendra, 27, was arrested March 20 in connection with endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment, later being released on bond.

Forsyth said God ‘knew that Kendra was going to need help,’ saying he and his wife ‘will, and are helping her!’

Joseph replied with gratitude to Forsyth and his sister for their support of Kendra while he sat behind bars.

‘It means the world to have family like you!’ he said. ‘I’m soo [grateful] for all the people that [have] jumped right in and been there to support [her] … love [y’all] so much!’

Joy-Anna, 28, said in a statement on March 25, ‘My heart is with the victim, and I am grieved by the pain and harm caused. I have been a wreck this week and am taking time to process.

‘I have a few pre-filmed commitments that I have to post, but I will be taking some much-needed time with my family. Thank you for your prayers.’

Joe’s wife Kendra, 27, was arrested March 20 in connection with endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment, both in the second degree

Josh Duggar is currently serving a prison sentence in connection with his 2021 conviction for receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Joseph was arrested in connection with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12-years-old, authorities with Florida’s Bay County Sheriff’s Office said last month.

The incident involving Joe occurred in 2020 in Panama City Beach, Florida during a vacation, according to authorities.

‘As the vacation continued, he also asked [the victim] to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket,’ officials said. ‘During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals.

‘Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs. The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology.’

Joseph was also charged with lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older, officials said.

Joseph and Kendra wed in 2017 and are parents to four young children – ages seven, six, five and three.

Joseph’s arrest is not the first time one of the members of the reality TV family have been caught up in a legal situation involving underage sex. 

Oldest son Josh’s past molestation of five young girls led to the swift cancellation of the family’s TLC series in 2015. 

The letter was sent to Joseph while he was in custody following his arrest on molestation allegations 

The show, which began airing in 2008, was centered on Michelle and Jim Bob, the devout Arkansas couple who named all 19 of their children with the first letter J.

Jim Bob and wife Michelle posted a statement on Facebook at the time explaining how they dealt with the initial incident.

‘Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives,’ they said in a May 21, 2015 Facebook post. ‘When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked.

‘We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before.’

Jim Bob and Michelle continued, ‘We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family. We have challenges and struggles everyday. ‘

Josh, 38, is currently serving a prison sentence in connection with his 2021 conviction for receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 

For those who have been impacted by sexual abuse, text ‘STRENGTH’ to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. 

Donald Trump has pledged to identify the ‘sick’ individual responsible for leaking information about the US search for a second missing airman, following the downing of a fighter jet over Iran.

During a briefing on Monday, the President declared that the unnamed media outlet responsible for the disclosure would be compelled to reveal its source or face imprisonment.

“We’re going to approach the media company that published this and warn them: ‘National security is at stake. Surrender the source or prepare for jail time,'” Trump asserted.

The incident involved two airmen who went missing when their F-15E fighter jet was shot down behind enemy lines on Good Friday. The pilot was swiftly rescued, but the jet’s weapons system operator (WSO) remained unaccounted for until Sunday morning.

The news of the second airman’s status was initially reported by an Israeli outlet on Friday, which was soon corroborated by reports from US media.

Trump said that the press reports alerted the Iranians that there was still a live classified operation to find a second airman, putting US lives at risk.  

‘They didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information,’ Trump said. ‘All of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life.’

Trump added: ‘We have to find that leaker, because that’s a sick person.’

President Donald Trump warned that his administration is hunting for a leaker who told the press about the successful rescue of a US pilot in Iran on Friday. The report tipped of Iran that there was another service member still at-large, Trump said, adding it endangered the individuals life 

An F-15 airman was rescued in a daring mission on Saturday evening after the fighter jet was shot down by Iranian forces. The pilot was safely ejected and rescued by two military helicopters that same day, but the airman remained missing

Following the crash, Iranian military forces put a $60,000 bounty on the airman’s head, prompting Iranian militants to hunt for him in the mountains. (Pictured: Bakhtiari tribes in Khuzestan headed into the mountains, rifles in hand, searching for the missing American F-15 jet pilot)

A White House official later confirmed to the Daily Mail that an investigation is underway.

The news of the rescued F-15E pilot appears to have first been reported on X by an Israeli journalist, who works for Tel-Aviv-based outlet Channel 12. 

‘Western source: One of the American crew members was successfully rescued,’ the reporter Amit Segal posted Friday around 11.20am ET.

‘I’m not sure I was the first,’ he told the New York Post. ‘And anyway — I will protect my sources.’

Tommy Vietor, a former spokesman for Barack Obama, noted that the reporter was based in Israel, which could complicate Trump’s efforts.

‘Does that mean Trump is going to prosecute Israeli journalists or media execs, including ones close to Netanyahu?’ Vietor posted on X. ‘What if the source was Netanyahu himself or his team?’ 

The initial report was quickly followed by confirmations from Axios, CBS News and Reuters. 

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment about which outlet and reporter will be targeted for jail time.

The WSO spent nearly 48 hours in Iran, the majority of them on the ground evading Iranian hunting parties who were offered bounties for the airman’s capture. 

The unnamed service member, who alongside the pilot flew under the call sign ‘Dude 44,’ landed far away from his crew member and was injured early on after ejecting from the F-15E. 

Neither the US military nor intelligence agencies were able to get ahold of the WSO for a long period of time, whereas the F-15E pilot was rescued by special operations commandos within a few hours. 

Eventually the WSO radioed in ‘God is good,’ and US forces began tracking and planning for his extraction.

Trump on Monday described an all-hands-on-deck operation that employed 155 aircraft – including 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft, three helicopters ‘and more.’

Trump lauded ‘a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality and force’ as US forces swooped on mountainous terrain in southern Iran to rescue the weapons systems officer whose F-15E fighter jet went down on Good Friday. 

‘He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, contacted his platoon, treated his own wounds and contacted American forces,’ Trump said of the officer, who was rescued on Easter Sunday.

‘God was watching us,’ the President said of the successful, odds-defying operation.