Tourists killed by tornadoes and hailstorms in Greece

Powerful storms raged over Greece’s northern Halkidiki region Wednesday, leaving at least five people dead and 20 injured as trees and electricity pylons toppled. Power was knocked out and roads were blocked.

Police and the Fire Service said the deaths occurred late Wednesday in three separate incidents. High winds overturned a recreational vehicle in one incident and caused the collapse of a lean-to roof at an outdoor restaurant in another. Details of the third incident were not immediately available.

The region, a three-finger peninsula near the northern city of Thessaloniki, has multiple seaside resorts and is popular with tourists in the summer.

Diplomats shaken for now after Britain's Ambassador to the U.S. quits

The British Embassy in Washington, Wednesday, July 10, 2019. British ambassador to the U.S., Kim Darroch, resigned Wednesday, just days after diplomatic cables criticizing President Donald Trump caused embarrassment to two countries that often celebrated having a "special relationship".   | Photo Credit: AP

The abrupt resignation of Britain’s ambassador to the United States over leaked cables critical of the Trump administration may have jolted official Washington, but it’s unlikely to have a lasting impact on the U.S.-British relationship or diplomatic practice.

Current and former American and European diplomats say the leak of Ambassador Kim Darroch’s sensitive reports is unfortunate and alarming, particularly given the apparent political motive behind it. Yet, they believe any complications will be temporary even as they create short-term turbulence in relations or difficulties for American diplomats overseas.

Some suggest President Donald Trump’s caustic reaction to the cables proves Darroch’s point and that it would have been irresponsible for the ambassador not to have provided his honest opinion of the government of a close ally to his bosses in London.

Japan’s asteroid probe Hayabusa2 set for final touchdown

This handout photograph taken and released by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on July 11, 2019 shows researchers and employees celebrating after receiving confirmation of Hayabusa2's touchdown on the asteroid Ryugu, at the mission control room in Sagamihara city, Kanagawa prefecture.   | Photo Credit: AFP

Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe began descending on Wednesday for its final touchdown on a distant asteroid, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.

“At 9:58, we made a ‘Go’ decision for the Hayabusa2 probe’s second touchdown,” the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a statement.

By early afternoon, JAXA said the probe had descended around five kilometres and was on track to touchdown Thursday on the Ryugu asteroid, some 300 million kilometres (185 million miles) from Earth.

If successful, it will be the second time it has landed on the desolate asteroid as part of a complex mission that has also involved sending rovers and robots.

The mission hopes to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago.

(with inputs from agencies)