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Philippine Air Force Crash Kills 4 Pilots at Fernando Air Base

By
Omonigho Daibo
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Two Philippine Air Force SF-260 trainer planes crashed at an air base south of Manila during a training flight on Friday, killing all four pilots aboard, officials said Saturday.

The aircraft went down at Fernando Air Base in Lipa city, in the coastal province of Batangas. No one on the ground was hurt, the officials said.

What We Know So Far

The air force described the crash as accidental and gave no details. Two Philippine officials with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press the two planes collided in flight at low altitude. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.

“Both aircraft went down within the base perimeter, with no other casualties reported,” air force spokesman Col. Alvin Capinguian said in a statement. A witness told the AP that one of the two seat planes came down near the barracks of military personnel on the base.

The air force has opened an investigation into the cause. It temporarily grounded the rest of its SF-260 fleet, which it acquired from Italy, as a precaution. It did not say how many of the planes remain.

What Authorities Are Saying

None of the sources named the pilots.

Differing Accounts

The sources differ on whether the aircraft collided. The AP, citing two officials, said the planes collided at low altitude. The Straits Times, citing Reuters, said local media reported a mid air collision. The air force statement quoted by Reuters and AFP, as carried by the South China Morning Post, said only that both planes went down within the base perimeter, and the AP said the air force gave no details of the cause.

Why This Matters

The SF-260 has been involved in earlier fatal accidents. In May, two pilots were killed when an SF-260 trainer crashed in a mountainous area of the northern Philippines. In 2023, another SF-260 TP Marchetti crashed during a training flight, also killing two pilots. Reuters said there have been a number of deadly crashes involving Philippine military aircraft in recent years.

The air force used SF-260s during months of air strikes on the southern city of Marawi in 2017, after militants loyal to the Islamic State group seized the area.

The AP described the accident as a setback to an underfunded military that has long struggled to modernize its air force, navy and army because of financial constraints. The armed forces have also dealt with decades of communist and Muslim insurgencies and increasingly hostile territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

What Happens Next

The investigation will look into the cause of the crash. The air force has not said when the grounded SF-260s will fly again.

Sources: the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, as carried by the South China Morning Post and The Straits Times

Nairobi Building Collapse: Many Feared Trapped in Eastleigh

By
Zipporah Njoki
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A tall building under construction collapsed Friday in Eastleigh, a busy commercial area of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, leaving a huge mound of concrete with more than a dozen floors stacked tightly on top of each other and many people feared trapped.

It is not known how many people were inside. Police said one injured woman was pulled out and taken to a hospital.

What We Know So Far

The building came down at about 1 p.m. on a busy street in Eastleigh, which is often crowded with thousands of traders and residents. The Star, a Kenyan news site, placed it on 9th Street, off 1st Avenue, in Kamukunji Sub-County. A passerby told the outlet the structure fell in about two minutes.

Nairobi police chief Issa Mohamud said the building had more than 10 upper floors under construction. One person was rescued and another who had been calling for help went silent, he said. Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja also confirmed a rescue.

Residents said some trapped loved ones phoned for help right after the collapse, but their phones later could not be reached. A tent was set up for people to report the missing.

Joseph Kaula, a plasterer on the fifth floor, said he heard screams and saw workers running out shouting that the building was falling. “I was the last person to walk out,” he said. He suspects some colleagues were trapped in the basement.

Alexander Mugure, another worker, told The Star that workers saw a crack in one corner of the building and some moved out. About 70 workers were on site, he said, and most ran out. He worried that some were in the basement.

Rescuers hoped to reach any spaces left in the basement and ground level, which had been rented out for an electronics shop, a butchery and a grocery while work continued above.

Heavy equipment was scarce at first. Hours later, rescuers in hard hats used poles stripped from trees to probe the rubble. One excavator began moving concrete bound with steel, and at least two more back shovels arrived by evening. Governor Johnson Sakaja said officers were clearing debris to let air reach anyone trapped inside.

Police fired tear gas at people who began looting neighboring shops and to disperse crowds so emergency teams could get through. Mohamud warned of a possible secondary collapse because the building was leaning on its neighbor.

What Authorities Are Saying

“Investigations will be carried out,” Mohamud said. “We’ll make sure people face the law for any negligence.”

Sakaja said the building had been approved for construction but lacked a certificate of occupation, so opening shops on the ground floor was illegal. County governments need stronger enforcement powers, he said, arguing that lenient penalties are a “slap on the wrist” for developers. He vowed legal action against the owner.

The National Construction Authority said the building was registered July 30, 2025, as a proposed development on 9th Street in Eastleigh, and that its records name the developer, contractor, architect and structural engineer. The authority said the site was cordoned off and a multiagency team was coordinating rescue and conducting preliminary investigations. It urged the public to keep away from the area.

Differing Accounts

The accounts differ on the building’s size. The AP described more than a dozen stacked floors and more than 10 upper floors under construction, while The Star called it an 18 story building. The AP said the building had been “approved for construction” according to Sakaja, while the NCA said it was registered in July 2025.

The AP quoted Kaula as a plasterer on the fifth floor. The Star quoted a plasterer named Joseph describing how he and colleagues on an upper floor went downstairs after hearing shouting outside. The sources do not say whether they are the same person.

The number of people trapped, the full casualty toll and the cause were not established.

Why This Matters

Building collapses are a recurring problem in Nairobi. County officials responsible for issuing building permits have been accused of failing to inspect adequately to ensure developers follow safety guidelines and construction standards, the AP said. The collapse has renewed questions about construction safety and enforcement in densely populated neighborhoods, The Star said.

What Happens Next

Rescuers are continuing to dig through the rubble. Police and the NCA have begun investigations, and Sakaja said legal action would follow against those responsible. The NCA said it would release more details on the rescue, the site and the steps being taken.

Sources: the Associated Press and The Star (star.co.ke)

Jordan Church Shooting Kills 7, Wounds 40 at Funeral in Karak

By
Omonigho Daibo
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Gunmen opened fire on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding 40, authorities said, in a rare attack on the country’s Christian minority that officials called terrorism.

The attackers have not been captured, and no one has claimed responsibility. The shooting took place in the town of Hmoud, in Karak province, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of the capital, Amman.

King Abdullah II said the attack would be met with the “harshest penalties.”

What We Know So Far

Mourners had gathered at the church to bury a member of the community when the shooting began. One mourner, Dorgham Halasa, said intense gunfire erupted about 15 minutes after the funeral started and people began running. Witnesses told Jordanian state media that dozens of people were inside, with more than 150 inside and outside the church.

Surveillance video aired by Jordan’s state owned Al-Mamlaka television, which Reuters said it verified, showed three people firing at the church from a sidewalk, hiding behind trees and a low wall, then running toward its entrance. Footage from the scene showed broken glass and blood on the floor.

Witnesses said the shooting went on for several minutes. A woman told CNN that gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” and targeted the courtyard, where most people were standing, and that she hid behind the altar with other mourners. “It was a massacre,” she said.

Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the wounded are in critical condition. Public Security Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Abdallah al-Maaytah said most of the injured were still being treated and the hunt for the attackers continues. The casualty toll was revised several times during the day, CNN said.

What Authorities Are Saying

Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said the attack was carried out by “extremists,” but that it was too early to say whether they had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

King Abdullah visited Karak hours after the attack. “The blood of Jordanians is precious,” he wrote on X, promising to strike those responsible “with an iron fist.” Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said the attack grew out of “terrorist ideology” and extremism rooted in takfir, the practice of declaring others infidels, and vowed that society would not go down that path. He declared three days of national mourning, with flags at half staff on government and public buildings.

A government statement said the attack was carried out by “unknown assailants” and that investigations were underway “at full speed.” It did not say whether any gunmen were captured or killed.

Condemnation came from the U.S. embassy in Jordan, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb in Cairo, the Iraqi government, and officials in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it “especially heinous,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz called it a “depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.”

The U.S. embassy told American citizens to expect a heavier police presence across Jordan, including at malls and foreign embassies in Amman.

Differing Accounts

The sources differ on how many attackers there were and how they arrived. The security video shows three gunmen. Eyewitness Tamer Halasa told Al-Mamlaka that two people got out of a vehicle and began shooting. Dorgham Halasa told the AP that other people reported seeing four. The AP could not independently verify the number.

They also describe the weapons differently. A witness told Al-Mamlaka one attacker carried an AK-47 assault rifle. In footage on state television, the AP described two men who appeared to hold pistols and a third who appeared to hold a semiautomatic rifle.

The church and town names vary as well. CNN named St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud, while Reuters called it Hamoud Church in Karak governorate.

Why This Matters

Sectarian attacks are rare in Jordan, where Christians make up about 2% of the population. The town has been home to a predominantly Christian community for centuries. The country, a close U.S. partner in the fight against Islamist militant groups, has said it has repeatedly foiled attempted attacks in recent years, Reuters said.

In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people including seven officers. Security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.

Jordan was also among the U.S. allies in the region hit by Iranian attacks this year after the United States and Israel struck Iran in February.

What Happens Next

Police are searching for the gunmen, and Hassan said the attackers will be punished. Investigators have not said who was behind the attack or whether it was linked to any group. Jordan’s three days of mourning are under way.

Sources: CNN, the Associated Press and Reuters, citing Jordan’s Public Security Directorate, the Interior and Health ministries, the Petra news agency, Al-Mamlaka television and eyewitnesses.

IRGC Says It Hit 4 Vessels, 3 Others Struck Mines Near Hormuz

By
Omonigho Daibo
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 Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy said its forces hit four vessels overnight Thursday as they transferred oil in the northern Persian Gulf, and that three other vessels struck naval mines west of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television reported all seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged.

If verified, it would be the largest number of vessels damaged in the waterway in a single day since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, the Associated Press said.

The reports did not give details on possible casualties or the flags of the vessels.

What We Know So Far

According to the statement, as carried by Mehr News Agency, the Guard’s navy tracked and pursued four vessels that it said had crossed an illegal route after earlier warnings to shipping companies. It said it found them moving oil cargo from ship to ship in the northern Persian Gulf and hit all four at the same time. They are burning, the statement said.

The other three vessels hit mines west of the Strait of Hormuz overnight, were damaged, caught fire and were stopped, it said.

The statement said the United States’ insistence on pushing vessels onto what the navy calls a mined, illegal route has caused more maritime incidents each day. It praised the Iranian people’s steadfastness and said its forces continue to manage and control the strait with broad national backing.

What Authorities Are Saying

The Guard’s navy warned that it may target U.S. bases in the region if the United States tries to let oil tankers pass through other parts of the strait. It called this a serious warning. The Guard routinely targeted U.S. bases in Gulf countries during the war.

Differing Accounts

The AP’s account places all seven tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and says they were “targeted” or hit mines, without naming an attacker. The Guard’s statement, as relayed by Mehr, puts the four it hit in the northern Persian Gulf and the three mine strikes west of the strait. None of the claims has been independently verified.

Why This Matters

If the count is verified, it would be the highest one day total of damaged vessels in the waterway since the war began. The Guard also tied its warning about U.S. bases to any U.S. effort to move tankers through other parts of the strait.

What Happens Next

No casualty figures or vessel flags have been released, and the reports did not include a U.S. response to the Guard’s warning.

Also in the Region

Yemen’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that Houthi rallies and mobilization programs will be treated as legitimate military targets, and warned residents of Houthi held areas not to take part. The ministry said the Houthis use such gatherings to mobilize children for combat. The AP described the announcement as a major escalation against the Iranian backed rebels and against civilians in areas they control. Deliberate attacks on civilians could amount to a war crime, the AP noted.

Sources: the Associated Press and Mehr News Agency, citing Iranian state television

Sudan Drone Strike on Amiet Market Kills at Least 153

By
Emmanuel Paul
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A drone strike on Amiet Market in Abyei, a border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan, killed at least 153 people on Monday and set off a fire at a nearby fuel depot that was still burning Tuesday, a local official said.

Yohanna Akol Ngor, the Abyei administration’s caretaker information minister, blamed Sudan’s military for the attack on the market, north of Abyei town. He said the toll was still climbing as the fire burned.

A senior Sudanese military officer said the army carried out the strike, but gave a different account of who was hit.

What We Know So Far

Ngor said the strike hit around 11 a.m. Monday. The fuel depot supplied local businesses. “It is a horrible and shocking situation,” he said.

A witness who asked not to be named for safety reasons told The Guardian he heard five large explosions before the depot caught fire. People had shrapnel wounds to the stomach and legs, he said, and at one site he counted 28 burned bodies.

Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF, said more than 20 wounded people were taken to Ameth Bek Hospital, where its teams worked with South Sudan’s Health Ministry staff. “Patients with burns were also admitted,” said Dr. Christian Lindauer, the hospital’s medical activities manager for MSF. The charity called on all parties to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The U.N. secretary-general condemned drone attacks near Amiet Market and Todach and said dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed and many were injured. The statement did not say who carried out the attacks. Many people remain missing, the U.N. said, and the toll is expected to rise as the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei, known as UNISFA, verifies casualties. The force sent medical personnel, firefighting teams and quick reaction forces.

What Authorities Are Saying

The senior Sudanese military officer, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said the army struck fuel tankers coming from South Sudan that he said were bound for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. He said those killed were RSF members and people involved in fuel smuggling, and that the strike took place outside the demilitarized zone along the border with South Sudan. “We do not target civilians,” he said. Sudan’s military did not respond to a request for comment from The Guardian.

South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry also blamed Sudan’s military and said the attack hit several locations inside the market, causing civilian casualties and extensive property damage. It summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest and urged Sudan to “refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property.” It said issues over Abyei should be settled through diplomatic channels.

Differing Accounts

The toll and the targets are in dispute. Sudans Post quoted Ngor as saying 73 people were killed and 19 wounded, a figure he said could rise. The AP and The Guardian quoted him giving 153. The AP could not independently verify the officer’s account of the targets or the identities of the dead. Sudans Post quoted Ngor as saying most victims were traders from Sudan and South Sudan.

The accounts also differ on timing, with the AP saying the strike hit around 11 a.m. and Sudans Post saying around 11:30 a.m. Sudans Post said bodies were burned beyond recognition and heavy smoke forced a pause in search operations. It could not independently verify who carried out the attack, and The Guardian said Ngor gave no evidence for blaming the army.

Why This Matters

The strike pushed the toll from recent attacks in Sudan above 250, The Guardian said. On Sunday, a drone strike killed 80 people, mostly commuters catching rides, near a market in West Kordofan state. On Friday, an attack on a market in Nyala, a stronghold of the Rapid Support Forces, killed 23 people and injured 44, according to volunteers there.

Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023, devastating large parts of the country and threatening stability along its borders. Abyei borders Kordofan, which has become a major center of the fighting.

Abyei’s status was left unresolved by a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war and remained unsettled when South Sudan became independent in 2011. A proposed referendum stalled over who could vote. The majority Ngok Dinka population favors joining South Sudan, while Misseriya nomads who use its pastures favor Sudan. Amiet Market is a trading hub that serves both communities and people displaced by the war in Sudan.

What Happens Next

The fire at the fuel depot was still burning Tuesday, and UNISFA is verifying casualties. The U.N. expects the toll to rise. Sudan’s army has not responded publicly beyond the anonymous officer’s comments.

Sources: the Associated Press, The Guardian and The Sudans Post

Russia Frees American Stephen Hubbard After 4 Years in Prison

By
Omonigho Daibo
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Russia on Wednesday released Stephen Hubbard, an American jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in a deal reached during a visit by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The White House said President Donald Trump asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call last week. Unlike previous releases, it said, this one did not require the United States to give up anyone in return.

What We Know So Far

Putin announced the release at the start of talks with Witkoff, Reuters said. Hubbard, a former teacher from Michigan, was at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg afterward, Putin said.

“Welcome home, Stephen, it’s great to have you back,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, saying Hubbard was on his way home. Witkoff thanked Putin. “Because of you, he’s going home to his family,” he told the Russian leader.

Hubbard, 74, grew up in Big Rapids, Michigan, and served in the U.S. Air Force and National Guard, according to military records cited by The New York Times. His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, said he earned a master’s degree in English, taught English in Japan for 25 years, then lived in Cyprus before moving to Izyum in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

A Moscow court convicted him of being a mercenary in October 2024 after a closed trial and sentenced him to six years and 10 months in prison. In January 2025, Washington designated him as wrongfully detained, which allowed the U.S. government to pursue negotiations for his release. The State Department said Russia refused to grant U.S. officials consular access.

The New York Times reported in February 2025 that he had been moved through at least five Russian detention centers before his trial. His lawyer said the legal team learned only in April 2025 that he was held in the Mordovia region, east of Moscow.

What Authorities Are Saying

Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, a group that works to free Americans held abroad, praised the release. The group represents five other Americans held in Russia. “We know that there are five other families” who will find it hard to understand why their relatives were not included, he said in a statement.

Hubbard is the only American held in Russia who has been designated as wrongfully detained, though advocates say the label should apply to others. Some of those still jailed are seriously ill.

Differing Accounts

Accounts of why Hubbard was in custody differ. Russian prosecutors said he signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia’s full scale invasion in February 2022 and fought with Kyiv’s forces until he was captured two months later. They also said he joined a Ukrainian territorial defense unit, received training, weapons and ammunition, and was promised $1,000 a month. Russian state media said he had pleaded guilty and alleged he manned a Ukrainian military checkpoint. Reuters said it could not independently establish how he was captured.

Hubbard’s lawyer, Martin De Luca, told Reuters in June 2025 that Hubbard said the charges were false, that he was not part of any combat or military unit and that Russian soldiers grabbed him from his house. Fox questioned the reported confession, saying her brother held pro Russian views and was unlikely to have taken up arms in his seventies. Hostage Aid Worldwide, a hostage advocacy group, has called the charges bogus.

In an August open letter that Hostage Aid Worldwide said Fox wrote to Trump, she said her brother had been subjected to “constant beatings, torture and starvation” in custody.

Why This Matters

Hubbard is the second American Russia has freed in roughly two months. In August it released Marine veteran Robert Gilman, who was gravely ill and imprisoned on disputed charges of assaulting a police officer.

The release came as relations among Washington, Kyiv and Moscow are in flux. Witkoff has tried without success to steer Russia and Ukraine toward a settlement of a war that will reach the five year mark in February 2027. He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway on Tuesday and was expected to share ideas from that meeting, along with proposals from European and American colleagues, in Wednesday’s talks in St. Petersburg.

The AP noted that the Washington and Kyiv relationship is facing fresh tensions. Trump has waived sanctions on Russia that were imposed by a bill Congress passed by a wide margin to support Ukraine. The bill is named for the late South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. Trump also announced a deal to import Russian diesel in an effort to curb high gas prices ahead of next month’s midterm elections.

What Happens Next

Trump said Hubbard is on his way home. Five other Americans represented by Global Reach remain held in Russia, and Witkoff was expected to hold further talks with Russian leaders in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Sources: the Associated Press and Reuters, citing The New York Times

Mali Menaka Attack: Islamic State Linked Militants Kill at Least 48

By
Zipporah Njoki
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The linked militants killed at least 48 people in eastern Mali’s Menaka region over the weekend, a Tuareg lawmaker told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Reuters, citing two security sources and two local officials, put provisional tolls between 48 and more than 70.

The attacks took place in at least five localities, and the overall toll was still being determined Tuesday, the sources said. Casualties included children and elderly people.

The Islamic State Sahel Province, known as ISSP, has not claimed responsibility.

What We Know So Far

The assault began Sunday night and ran into Monday morning, said Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, a Tuareg leader and a member of Mali’s National Transitional Council.

Fighters set houses on fire and stole livestock, sending hundreds of civilians fleeing to Menaka town, Reuters’ sources said. Some of the dead were killed in the fires, and others were shot.

On Monday, the Malian army announced it had located a major base with “several terrorist elements” and military equipment 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Menaka. “The site was targeted and successfully struck,” an army statement said.

What Authorities Are Saying

A Malian military spokesperson and Russia’s embassy in Bamako did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Mali has previously denied killing civilians in counterinsurgency operations.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from Mali’s government.

Differing Accounts

The sources give different reasons for the attack. Reuters’ four sources said the killings appeared to be retaliation for abuses allegedly carried out last week by a pro-government militia known as MSA and by Africa Corps, the Russian paramilitary group that backs Bamako. A municipal official in Menaka told Reuters the militiamen, who accompanied the army, “killed about a dozen people” suspected of being informants, set fire to houses, and stole property.

Acharatoumane told the AP that the group attacked civilians it accused of revealing ISSP positions to the Malian army, which had been carrying out a drone strike on the group.

The toll also varies. The AP’s source said 48 dead, while Reuters’ sources gave provisional figures from 48 to more than 70. The timing is described as Sunday by Reuters and as Sunday night into Monday morning by the AP.

Why This Matters

The violence comes amid heavier fighting between the regional Islamic State group and al Qaeda affiliates, adding to insecurity across West Africa’s Sahel. Mali has been fighting insurgents since 2012, when Tuareg separatists and al Qaeda linked militants swept across the north and triggered a French military intervention.

In April, the al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front staged nationwide attacks that killed the defense minister and hit Bamako’s main airport. JNIM has since been locked in fierce fighting with ISSP. Last week, ISSP said it killed 400 JNIM fighters after thwarting an ambush in neighboring Burkina Faso, a claim that would make it the deadliest single battle between the two groups if confirmed.

The two groups first clashed in 2019 and have fought hundreds of times since, leaving more than 2,000 dead, according to the monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data.

The Sahel has become the deadliest place in the world for extremism. The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have struggled to turn the tide of attacks despite seizing power and turning to Russia for help.

What Happens Next

The final death toll in Menaka has not been confirmed. Neither the army nor Russia has responded to the allegations about last week’s abuses.

Sources: Reuters and the Associated Press

Smuggler Sentenced to 30 Years for 53 Migrants Deaths in Texas

By
Emmanuel Paul
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A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Guatemalan national Rigoberto Román Miranda-Orozco to 30 years in prison for his part in a 2022 human smuggling attempt in which 53 migrants died inside a sweltering tractor trailer in Texas.

Miranda-Orozco, 39, admitted arranging travel and accommodations for two people who died and another who was seriously injured. U.S. and Guatemalan prosecutors called the sentence another step toward justice in one of the deadliest smuggling attempts along the border between the United States and Mexico.

What We Know So Far

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia imposed the sentence. Miranda-Orozco was arrested in Guatemala in 2024 and extradited to the United States the next year. He pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to bring a migrant into the country resulting in death, to aiding and abetting bringing a migrant into the country resulting in death, and to aiding and abetting bringing a migrant into the country resulting in serious bodily injury.

The trailer left Laredo in June 2022 on a three hour ride to San Antonio. Its air conditioning malfunctioned and did not blow cool air to the people packed inside, authorities said. Prosecutors have said migrants paid up to $15,000 each to be taken across the border.

When the abandoned trailer was opened on a remote San Antonio back road, 48 migrants were dead. Sixteen others were taken to hospitals, and five of them later died, bringing the toll to 53. Twenty-one of the dead were from Guatemala.

Nearly 20 people in the United States and Guatemala have been convicted since the discovery.

What Authorities Are Saying

U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons told reporters after the sentencing that investigators found clothing the passengers had shed to cool off, along with claw marks on the trailer’s walls.

“They were literally trying to claw their way out,” Simmons said. “It was clear that they suffered tremendously in their last few hours on this earth.”

Simmons said prosecutors in Guatemala were integral in winning convictions against Miranda-Orozco and others. Guatemalan Attorney General Gabriel García Luna attended the news conference in Texas.

Differing Accounts

The accounts in the source material do not conflict. The toll of 53 combines the 48 people found dead at the scene and five who died in hospitals.

Why This Matters

Prosecutors have described Felipe Orduna-Torres as the leader of the smuggling operations inside the United States. He was sentenced to life in prison last year. His top assistant, Armando Gonzales-Ortega, received 83 years.

The case is the deadliest of the smuggling tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people try to cross the border from Mexico. Ten migrants died in 2017 after being trapped in a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio.

The discovery horrified communities in Central America and Mexico that are accustomed to seeing young people leave to escape poverty or violence.

What Happens Next

Sentencing dates have been set for other defendants, including the truck’s driver.

Sources: NBC News, citing the Associated Press

Is Jennifer Lopez Dating Brett Goldstein? New Romance Rumors Explained

By
Omonigho Daibo
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0

Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein are “casually dating,” Page Six reported, citing a source, after the two actors met on the set of the Netflix romantic comedy “Office Romance.”

Neither star has confirmed it. The Independent said it contacted representatives for Lopez, 57, and Goldstein, 46, for comment. In June, both told the “Today” show they were only friends.

What We Know So Far

The two were seen arriving at and leaving a talent manager’s birthday party in Los Angeles in the same car last Friday night. Page Six’s source described the situation between them as “casual.”

“The one thing they have in common is they both enjoy going out to parties and restaurants,” the source said.

In “Office Romance,” released earlier this year, Lopez plays a chief executive who falls for her attorney, and the two must keep the relationship secret because of workplace rules. Goldstein is best known as football coach Roy Kent on Apple’s “Ted Lasso.”

Dating rumors first took off during the film’s press tour, when the pair made several close red carpet appearances. Lopez said on “Watch What Happens Live” last October that Goldstein was “the best kisser.”

What the Stars Have Said

On “Today” in June, host Savannah Guthrie asked whether they were dating in real life. “Not dating,” Lopez said. “Correct,” Goldstein added.

Lopez said at the time that she is often paired with whoever she is seen with or works with. “I think if you stand near her, that’s what happens,” Goldstein said.

Differing Accounts

The outlets differ on a few background details. The Independent said Goldstein’s relationship with British comedian Beth Rylance is believed to have ended in 2021, while The Sun US said the two split in 2022. On Lopez’s marriage to Ben Affleck, the Independent said she filed for divorce in 2024 after two years of marriage, while The Sun US said they split in 2025.

The Sun US also said the pair were rumored to have hooked up while making the film last year. The Independent did not report this. The dating claim in both outlets comes from an unnamed source quoted by Page Six.

Why This Matters

Lopez has spent decades in the public eye, and her relationships draw wide coverage. She and Affleck dated in the early 2000s, ended their engagement in 2004, reconciled in 2021 and married in 2022.

Lopez and Goldstein said publicly in June that they were not dating.

What Happens Next

Neither Lopez nor Goldstein has responded to the Page Six report, and representatives have not answered the Independent’s request for comment.

Sources: The Independent and The Sun US, citing Page Six and the “Today” show.

Musk Pledges SpaceX Share to Every Child in America Next Year

By
Emmanuel Paul
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Elon Musk said Monday that he will give a share of SpaceX to every American child next year, calling it part of his effort to bring about “universal high income” through artificial intelligence.

“Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America,” Musk wrote on X. “This will be the first of many.”

The post offered few details on how the plan would work.

What We Know So Far

Musk took SpaceX public this year. The company now includes his artificial intelligence, satellite internet and social media businesses. Its shares traded around $150 on Monday after closing at $146.03 on Friday. SpaceX is due to report quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

About 73 million people in the United States are under 18. At Friday’s closing price, one share for each would be worth about $10.66 billion.

Musk appeared to say the shares would be handed out through the investment accounts the Trump administration launched earlier this year, according to The Washington Post. He did not say which children would qualify, when next year the shares would go out, or how the transfers would be carried out.

What Authorities Are Saying

The pledge came a day after Anthropic announced it would commit 5% of its shares to a new “public benefit” fund. The Anthropic Public Benefit Fund is a new entity within the company, and its worth could rise as the shares gain value.

Musk replied to Anthropic’s post on Sunday. “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public,” he wrote.

Musk has criticized traditional philanthropy as ineffective, arguing that giving at scale is hard for anyone who cares more about real good than appearances. He has said AI will bring “amazing abundance” and has called for the government to issue checks so people share in it.

Differing Accounts

The sources value the pledge on different bases. The AP used Friday’s $146.03 close to arrive at about $10.66 billion. The Washington Post cited the price of around $150 on Monday and did not put a figure on the total. The AP said Musk gave no further details, while the Post said he appeared to point to the Trump administration’s investment accounts.

Why This Matters

The announcements from Musk and Anthropic come as Americans grow more wary of AI. A new poll from The Associated Press NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 64% of Americans think AI is developing “too fast.” Another 27% said the pace is “about right,” and 8% said “too slow.”

Last month, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Musk and other industry leaders said AI development needs to slow down, after an Anthropic researcher resigned with a warning about threats the technology poses to humanity. Domestic and global competition, profit motives and pushback from President Donald Trump all stand in the way of a coordinated effort to set the pace, the AP said.

Musk is also the biggest known donor in this year’s midterm elections. He has given more than $276 million since July to help Republicans keep their majorities in Congress.

What Happens Next

Musk has not said when next year the shares would go out or who would receive them. SpaceX reports earnings Tuesday.

Sources: the Associated Press and The Washington Post

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