US President Donald Trump’s plane was forced to return to an air base late Tuesday due to a “minor electrical issue” shortly after departing for Switzerland, the White House said.

Air Force One returned to Joint Base Andrews out of an abundance of caution, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. It landed shortly after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT).

Journalists travelling with Trump reported that lights in the cabin went out briefly after takeoff.

Trump and his entourage changed planes at Joint Base Andrews and took off again shortly after 0500 GMT, about two-and-a-half hours after his initial departure.

With its classic blue and white livery, Air Force One is arguably the world’s most iconic plane and an instantly recognisable symbol of the US presidency.

Trump has long been unhappy with the current Air Force One jets — two highly customised Boeing 747-200B series aircraft that entered service in 1990 under President George HW Bush.

Last year, Trump said his administration was “looking at alternatives” to Boeing following delays in the delivery of two new 747-8 aircraft.

In May, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth accepted a Boeing 747 that the Gulf emirate of Qatar offered to Trump for use as Air Force One.

The jet — worth hundreds of millions of dollars — has raised huge constitutional and ethical questions, as well as security concerns about using an aircraft donated by a foreign power for use as the ultra-sensitive presidential plane.

• Govts around world react cautiously to Donald Trump’s plan.
• Some experts raise concerns about “imperial” nature of board.
• Diplomats say plan could harm work of United Nations.
  

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday “you got to let the UN continue” when asked about his plans for a so-called “Board of Peace” that has alarmed international experts.

Governments around the world have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation to join that initiative that the US president says aims to resolve conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations.

“Might,” Trump said when asked by a reporter if he wanted the “Board of Peace to replace the UN.”

“The UN just hasn’t been very helpful. I am a big fan of the UN potential but it has never lived up to its potential,” Trump said in a briefing.

“I believe you got to let the UN continue because the potential is so great,” he added.

The White House on Friday named some individuals who will sit on the board, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorised the so-called “Board of Peace” and countries working with it to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump plan on which Israel and Palestinian group Hamas had signed off.

Under Trump’s Gaza plan, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump thereafter said the board would be expanded to tackle conflicts around the world.

Observers say such a board could undermine the United Nations. Many rights experts and advocates have also said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembled a colonial structure, while Blair’s involvement has been criticised due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.

The ceasefire in Gaza reached under Trump’s plan has also been fragile. Over 460 Palestinians, including more than 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the truce began in October.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called general elections for November 7 on Wednesday, highlighting his government’s record on the economy and crime.

Luxon said the election date, which falls a month after the All Blacks play at home against Australia, was influenced in part by the sports-mad country’s fixtures.

The latest Taxpayers Union/Curia survey released last month gave the opposition Labour Party a narrow lead of 31.6 percent to 30.0 percent over Luxon’s conservative National Party.

But the poll suggested that Luxon’s coalition government would still remain in power, based on those figures, with the support of its partner parties.

Luxon vowed that his government would “deliver on our plan to fix the basics”.

“When we took office the country was going in the wrong direction, and it’s taken a lot of hard work in the last two years to start turning things around,” the prime minister told reporters.

“The economy is picking up, with increasing business and consumer confidence, building and manufacturing taking off, and exports doing incredibly well.”

The prime minister said inflation had fallen from seven percent under the previous government to less than three percent.

Luxon pointed to a free trade agreement struck with India, saying legislation to enshrine it was expected to pass this year.

The New Zealand leader praised his government’s efforts to tackle crime.

“In law and order, police are more visible on the beat, there are 38,000 fewer victims of crime, youth offending is down by 16 percent and ram raids are down by 85 percent,” he said.