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Houthi Missile Strike on Shabwa Camp Kills 20 Yemen Troops

By
Emmanuel Paul
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Iranian backed Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles at a military camp for government forces in southern Yemen on Monday, killing at least 20 soldiers and wounding at least two dozen, Yemeni military officials said.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in a recent surge of fighting. Most of the casualties were new recruits, one official said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

What We Know So Far

The rebels hit the al-Alam camp in Shabwa province, in the Jardan district north of the provincial capital, Ataq. The site was previously used by a militia backed by the United Arab Emirates. It sits on a route to the government held province of Marib and on supply lines crucial to government forces.

Col. Majed al-Nazili, spokesman for Yemen’s military, confirmed that the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at a training center for police and security forces. He would not comment on casualties.

One of the officials said the targeted troops belonged to a new force called Rapid Intervention, tasked with defending the area. Reuters, citing four government and medical sources, said the missiles struck during a training exercise.

What Authorities Are Saying

The Houthi run SABA news agency claimed the attack killed and wounded dozens but gave no other details.

The government has not issued a casualty figure. Saudi Arabia has not commented on weekend airstrikes in rebel held areas.

Differing Accounts

The sources differ on the death toll. The AP, citing military officials, said at least 20 soldiers were killed. Reuters, citing four government and medical sources, said at least 18. SABA claimed dozens dead and wounded.

The wider war is framed differently as well. The AP described the fighting as part of the wider Iran and U.S. conflict, while Reuters called Yemen another front line in the wider U.S. and Israeli war on Iran.

Why This Matters

The strike came as fighting in Yemen intensifies on several fronts. A Houthi spokesman said Saudi jets carried out 110 airstrikes and missile attacks over the past 24 hours, according to Al Jazeera. On Sunday, an airstrike blamed on Saudi led forces killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in the rebel held northern province of Saada, the Houthi run Health Ministry said. The Houthis said it was one of several strikes that killed or wounded more than 30 people over the weekend.

The Houthis have resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. They have increasingly targeted Saudi airports, oil sites and military facilities, disrupting thousands of flights and killing 19 people. The headquarters of Saudi oil giant Aramco was also hit.

The rebels recently seized more territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudi led coalition began a major offensive this month to retake the area, and government forces say they have recovered ground near the strait. The Houthis, meanwhile, are besieging Taiz, the last major urban stronghold of anti Houthi forces in the southern highlands. Government forces said they struck Houthi gatherings, vehicles and weapons in al-Aqroudh, al-Shaqab and al-Sarari, south of Taiz.

The escalation shattered a 2022 truce that had largely halted fighting in Yemen’s civil war. War broke out in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and a Saudi led military intervention followed the next year. Aid agencies warn that conditions in Yemen, already one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, are rapidly deteriorating.

What Happens Next

Officials have not given a final toll for the Shabwa camp or said how they will respond. The coalition’s offensive near the Red Sea coast and the siege of Taiz are continuing.

Sources: the Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera

Ecuador Priest Dies After Crucifix Falls on Him During Live Mass

By
Zipporah Njoki
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 A Catholic priest died after a large crucifix fell on him during a Mass that was being livestreamed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Saturday, the Archdiocese of Guayaquil said.

The Rev. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was the parish priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in the city’s Central Vicariate. The archdiocese announced his death in a social media post and a news release.

The cause of the crucifix’s fall has not been explained.

What We Know So Far

Video of the Mass shows Sánchez Molinari standing behind the altar, facing the congregation, as the crucifix hanging on the wall behind him fell forward and struck the back of his head. He did not see it coming. He did not get up, and parishioners can be heard crying out as some rushed to help him.

The livestream was later taken down, but the footage spread widely on social media.

Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists. He was assigned to downtown Guayaquil and had earlier worked in Vinces, in Los Ríos Province, according to the local outlet Guayaquil News. He livestreamed Masses on his own social media profiles and a YouTube channel.

A Mass in his memory was scheduled for Sunday evening.

What Authorities Are Saying

The archdiocese wrote that its “beloved” priest “has departed for the Father’s House to rejoice in His presence and glory,” and added a prayer for eternal rest.

No official has said whether structural damage or faulty fittings played a part in the fall. Newsweek said it emailed the archdiocese for comment outside normal working hours.

Differing Accounts

The sources differ on timing and on the church’s name. NBC News said Sánchez Molinari died Saturday, the day of the Mass. Newsweek said the archdiocese confirmed the death on Sunday. The church is called Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Newsweek’s account and the Church of Perpetual Relief in NBC News, which appears to render the Spanish name Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro in a different way.

Why This Matters

The Redemptorists were founded in 1732 by the Italian St. Alphonsus Liguori, who left a legal career to preach in poor, rural communities near Naples. The order generally serves poor and isolated communities, and today has about 4,500 members in 82 countries.

Few details about Sánchez Molinari’s life have been made public.

What Happens Next

The archdiocese has not announced an investigation or said whether the church has been inspected. It has not released funeral arrangements beyond the Sunday evening Mass.

Sources: Newsweek and NBC News

St. Petersburg Drone Strike: Ukraine Hits Major Oil Terminal and Data Center, Leaving 1 Dead

By
Omonigho Daibo
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A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and wounded others in St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region on Sunday, setting fire to an oil export terminal, an oil depot and a logistics hub, local officials said.

Gov. Alexander Beglov said fires broke out at the Petersburg Oil Terminal, the city’s Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses. Russian retailer Ozon said its logistics hub in the city was burning, and the internet company VK said drones hit its data center in the Leningrad region.

The strike was part of an overnight barrage that Russia’s Defense Ministry said involved 1,015 Ukrainian drones, among the largest aerial attacks of the war.

What We Know So Far

VK said its services kept running normally for users after the attack. Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point said Ukraine’s military had struck a VK data center near St. Petersburg.

The Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed the 1,015 drones over 15 Russian regions, the annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea.

Ukraine also came under fire. A woman was killed and at least two other people were wounded, including a 6 year old girl, when Russia launched two attacks on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials said. Mykhailo Semikin, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, said two apartment buildings, 18 cars and an educational institution were damaged.

What Authorities Are Saying

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that Russia is answering Ukrainian attacks with systematic, large scale strikes. Asked how Moscow might respond to the attack on St. Petersburg, he said Kyiv was “resisting” but could not change “the course of events.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Russia has hit Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sectors 76 times in the week since President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire. Overnight alone, he said, energy facilities in four regions were attacked and tens of thousands of families remain without power. He accused Moscow of trying to cause a blackout.

“It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance,” Zelenskyy wrote. He said the war continues because of Russia’s invasion and not because Ukraine is defending itself.

Trump told reporters Saturday at a fundraising dinner at his Florida estate that they do not yet know his decision on further sanctions on Russia. On Friday night he signed an executive order waiving planned restrictions, citing the national interest. “It’s a very good decision,” he said.

Differing Accounts

The sources differ on the number of injured. Reuters, citing local authorities, said 15 people were hurt. The AP and The Moscow Times, both citing Beglov, said five were wounded. Reports agree that one person died.

Territorial claims also conflict. Russia’s General Staff chief, Valery Gerasimov, told Putin on Friday that Russian forces captured 92 Ukrainian settlements, including the eastern town of Dobropillia, and more than 1,800 square kilometers (695 square miles) since the beginning of September. Ukrainian General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovaliov rejected this, saying Ukrainian forces have “liberated more territory” since the start of fall than Russia captured.

Why This Matters

The strike reached beyond oil infrastructure to a logistics center and a data center in Russia’s second largest city, and came as Trump has criticized Kyiv for hitting Russian oil sites. The AP noted the attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington.

Trump announced the energy ceasefire on Oct. 11, in the 4½ year war, without giving details. Zelenskyy said Ukraine initially heeded it, but Kyiv confirmed Thursday that it had resumed attacks on Russian oil after a three day pause. Zelenskyy said Russia took signals of sanctions relief as proof that its bet on war is paying off.

What Happens Next

Russia has not said how it will respond beyond Peskov’s comments. Trump has not announced his decision on further sanctions. Officials have not given a final casualty count or damage assessment for the St. Petersburg sites.

Sources: Reuters, the Associated Press and The Moscow Times

Canada Military Base Fire Kills Several, Injures Dozens in Alberta

By
Zipporah Njoki
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A major fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta killed and injured a number of people on Saturday, Defense Minister David McGuinty said, as wind driven flames spread beyond the base into the surrounding countryside.

McGuinty confirmed the casualties but gave no figures. Local media put the number of dead at seven, with dozens more injured.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are involved in the investigation, and McGuinty called the situation “very, very active and delicate.”

What We Know So Far

The RCMP said officers were called shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday after reports of a fire in a training area at the base. Wainwright is one of the country’s busiest military training grounds. The nearby town has about 7,000 residents.

Fire crews worked late into the night. A windstorm had swept large parts of the province during the day, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour (62 mph), toppling trees and sending signs and garbage cans across streets. The wind pushed the flames past the base boundary and into rural land.

By 11 p.m., the Municipal District of Wainwright said on social media that the fire was being held and that property and critical infrastructure were protected. No evacuation order was issued for residents.

Patients were taken to hospitals across Edmonton, about 180 kilometres (120 miles) northwest, because health care facilities near the base were “completely overwhelmed,” a doctor told CBC News.

Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, said the volume of patients would swamp the city. “It’s a disaster,” he said, calling it a one in every 15 to 25 year event.

Armed Forces members were at the scene alongside the RCMP, McGuinty said. Officials are still working to determine what happened.

What Authorities Are Saying

“I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory,” McGuinty told reporters in Ottawa. “We will have more to say in the coming hours and days,” he added.

Prime Minister Mark Carney described a “serious incident creating a major fire” and said his thoughts were with “all the brave women and men affected.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the fire “significant and tragic” and said it was affecting many military personnel. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his province was sending help to Alberta but did not say what resources were being deployed.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Carney and McGuinty to offer support. He urged people near the base to follow emergency instructions and keep roads clear for first responders. “Pray for Wainwright, everyone,” he wrote.

Differing Accounts

The sources differ on the scale of the toll and on what started the fire. The Independent, citing local media, put the dead at seven with dozens injured. The AP said it was not immediately clear how many people were killed or hurt, and McGuinty did not give a number.

The Independent’s headline referred to an explosion. The RCMP and the AP described a fire in a training area, and officials have not said what caused it.

Why This Matters

CFB Wainwright is a central training site where soldiers prepare for combat operations. It is home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which runs realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military instruction. Casualties among military personnel there drew responses within hours from the prime minister, the defense minister, two premiers and the opposition leader.

The fire also disrupted advance voting ahead of Monday’s referendum on whether Alberta should begin a process that could lead to independence from Canada. Elections Alberta said two polling locations, in Lloydminster and Vermilion, closed early Saturday and that the ballots were transported securely.

What Happens Next

McGuinty said he expects to share more information in the coming hours and days, and called the matter “soon to be an active and delicate investigation.” The cause of the fire and the final number of dead and injured have not been announced. Alberta’s referendum vote is set for Monday.

Sources: the Associated Press and The Independent, citing the defense minister, the RCMP, CBC News

Hindu Stampede in Eastern India Kills at Least 19, Injures 25

By
Omonigho Daibo
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A stampede at a Durga Puja festival site in Kolkata, eastern India, killed at least 19 people and injured about two dozen more on Saturday night, officials said Sunday, after sudden rain sent a large crowd rushing near a pavilion.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, where the victims were taken, and said 19 people had died and 25 were being treated. A seven year old girl is among the dead.

Police have detained some of the pavilion’s organizers, private security personnel and on duty staff, and opened a probe into crowd control and safety lapses.

What We Know So Far

The crush happened Saturday night, Oct. 17, at the exit gate of a pavilion in Kolkata’s Girish Park area, local television said. Durga Puja is an annual, multiday Hindu festival honoring the goddess Durga, and its temporary pavilions, known as pandals, house idols and draw huge crowds. Around 3,500 pandals have been set up across Kolkata this year.

When rain began, the crowd outside the pandal started “pushing, pulling and rushing forward,” a senior police official told Agence France Presse. An announcement caused “commotion,” the official said, and people fell on the ground, setting off the stampede. Some worshippers fell on the road, police told the AP.

Medics carried injured people on stretchers into a local hospital, including a police officer. Relatives of the victims wept and held one another.

Six of the dead have been identified, Adhikari said. The Press Trust of India said nine bodies have been released to their families. It also said police took the closed circuit footage from the festival, and that authorities plan action against anyone seen failing in their crowd control duties.

Videos shot before the stampede appear to show large crowds waiting to enter the pavilion in an area with narrow lanes, the Indian Express said. Authorities asked several of the city’s busiest pavilions to close temporarily.

What Authorities Are Saying

Adhikari announced an investigation by a Special Investigation Team led by a judge of the state High Court.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the stampede was saddening and offered condolences, adding that the West Bengal government is providing all possible help. On X, he announced 200,000 rupees (about US$2,100) in compensation for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for each injured person.

Differing Accounts

The sources differ on the toll and on what the crowd was doing. The AP and CNA reported at least 19 dead, while the BBC reported at least 17. The Press Trust of India said Adhikari first announced 17 deaths and later raised the figure to 19 in a new statement.

On how it started, the AP said a crowd near the pavilion ran for cover when the rain began. Local television quoted by CNA said heavy rain led to overcrowding at the exit gate as devotees tried to leave. The police official quoted by AFP described a crowd waiting outside the pandal, and the Indian Express showed large crowds waiting to enter in narrow lanes. The chief minister’s name is spelled Suvendu in the AP and Suvendhu in CNA and the BBC.

Why This Matters

Crowd crushes are relatively common in India during religious festivals, where crowds of thousands, sometimes millions, gather in confined spaces with little crowd control. In January 2025, at least 30 people died as tens of thousands rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh. In 2013, at least 115 people were crushed or drowned at a temple festival in Madhya Pradesh after pilgrims panicked about a bridge collapsing.

Last year also saw the deaths of 11 fans in Bengaluru during celebrations for a local cricket team’s Indian Premier League title and of 36 people at an actor turned politician’s rally in Tamil Nadu. In 2024, 121 people died at a Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh.

Durga Puja runs for several days, so authorities must decide how to keep the festival going in the same crowded lanes.

What Happens Next

The Special Investigation Team will examine crowd management and safety at the pavilion, and police will review CCTV footage before taking action against those found responsible. The toll could change as the 25 people still being treated recover. Whether the closed venues reopen, and under what limits, has not been announced.

Sources: the Associated Press, CNA and the BBC

Kansas Soccer Field Truck Crash Kills 2, Hospitalizes 11

By
Emmanuel Paul
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 A woman drove a truck through a soccer field during a youth game at a Wichita, Kansas, sports complex on Saturday afternoon, killing a 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man and sending 11 other people to the hospital, police said.

The 34 year old driver is in custody. Police have not said whether they believe the crash was intentional.

“We are still working to determine how this happened and why this happened,” Wichita Police Capt. Aaron Moses said. Police said there is no further threat to the public.

What We Know So Far

People began calling 911 shortly before 3:30 p.m., saying a vehicle had driven through a game at the Stryker Soccer Complex, Moses said. Kansas Highway Patrol officers, Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputies and police from nearby Bel Aire arrived to find the boy and the man dead and bystanders tending to the injured.

Both of the dead were from McPherson and were not related. The driver, who is from Garden City, was still in the truck with two children. One of her children had a game at the complex, though on a different field from where the crash happened, Moses said.

The injured include five children between 5 and 9 years old and five men and women between 28 and 68. Their injuries range from bruises to severe wounds, but police believe none are life threatening. A 61 year old woman was also hospitalized with medical issues unrelated to trauma.

The Stryker Sports Complex is a city facility with 11 turf fields used for “all sports.” The city has canceled all events there for now, and the Kansas State High School Activities Association suspended its flag football state championship and its other matches through the weekend.

What Authorities Are Saying

The driver has been cooperative so far, Moses told an evening news conference. Police Chief Joe Sullivan said that before first responders arrived, people at the scene “sprang into action” to give lifesaving help. “It was truly amazing,” he said. “But I think it’s indicative of the Wichita community.”

Mayor Lily Wu asked people to avoid the area during the investigation and called the news heartbreaking. “My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, especially the children and families involved,” she wrote on Facebook.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she is monitoring the situation and offered state resources to Wu. She sent condolences to the victims’ families and said she was very grateful to first responders.

Police asked anyone with video of the crash to upload it for investigators.

Differing Accounts

The two outlets count the victims slightly differently. The AP said 11 other victims were sent to the hospital, with ages from 5 to 68. NBC News said 10 people were injured, and listed a separate 61 year old woman hospitalized for non traumatic medical issues, which brings the total to 11 hospitalized. The accounts do not conflict, but they treat that last patient differently.

Why This Matters

The crash happened at a city facility built for families, during a weekend of youth sports. Police have not said whether it was intentional, and that answer will shape how the case is handled.

The fallout reached beyond Wichita: the state flag football championship was suspended, and every event at the complex is canceled for now.

What Happens Next

Investigators are working to learn how and why the truck went onto the field, and police are collecting video from the public. The injured are being treated, and the driver remains in custody. Authorities have not said what charges she may face.

Sources: the Associated Press and NBC News

Diddy Moved to Pennsylvania Federal Prison After Luxury Lifestyle Reports

By
Zipporah Njoki
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Sean “Diddy” Combs is being moved to a federal prison in Pennsylvania, following reports that the hip-hop mogul was living well at his New Jersey lockup and had been hurt in a fight there, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday.

The Bureau of Prisons is transferring Combs, 56, from FCI Fort Dix to FCI Allenwood Low, a low security facility south of Williamsport and about 155 miles (250 kilometers) west of New York City. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The bureau confirmed the move but gave no reason. It said it does not discuss conditions of confinement or reasons for transfer for anyone in its custody, citing privacy, safety and security.

What We Know So Far

Combs is serving a four year, two month sentence for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters, a prostitution related conviction handed down last year. The trial featured harrowing testimony about violence and the sex parties he called “freak offs.”

Last month, NBC News reported that Combs was still enjoying parts of his millionaire lifestyle at Fort Dix. It said he smuggled in Hennessy, had fellow inmates cook, clean, make his bed and give him massages, and used a contraband cellphone to browse social media.

After that report, Combs was put in the prison’s special housing unit, a heavily secured area away from the general population for inmates with disciplinary or security issues. He was also docked 41 days of good conduct credit, which pushes his release date back to March 2, 2028, the person familiar with the matter said.

On Wednesday, TMZ reported that Combs was injured in a fight with another inmate and had to be taken out of Fort Dix for treatment.

What Authorities Are Saying

Combs’ spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, said placement decisions belong to the bureau and that he could not speak to the circumstances of the transfer. “Sean remains focused on moving forward,” he said, adding that the family hopes his time at the new facility will be productive and without unnecessary disruption.

The bureau took the unusual step of denying the TMZ story. “The story you are referring to is false and did not happen,” it told the AP.

Differing Accounts

The fight is the main point of dispute. TMZ said Combs was injured in a fight with another inmate and treated outside the prison. The Bureau of Prisons flatly rejected that, calling the story false. The source of the transfer news did not say why Combs was being moved, and the bureau has not given a reason.

Why This Matters

The transfer comes after a month of unflattering headlines about how Combs was serving his time, and it moves one of music’s best known figures to a different facility. The bureau’s rare, direct denial of TMZ’s report also stands out, since the agency usually declines to comment on inmates.

The case is not over. In April, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Combs’ bid to overturn his conviction and sentence, which his lawyers say was too harsh. The court has not ruled.

What Happens Next

Combs will serve the rest of his sentence at Allenwood Low. His release date is now March 2, 2028, and the appeals court has yet to rule on his challenge to the conviction and sentence.

Sources: the Associated Press and CBS News, citing the Federal Bureau of Prisons, NBC News, TMZ

Ukraine Hits Russian Refinery, Ends Energy Truce

By
Emmanuel Paul
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Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, and voiced anger at Trump’s dealings with Moscow.

The strike set fire to a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Moscow, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and Gov. Pavel Malkov. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed Ukraine carried it out.

By walking away from Trump’s demand that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian refineries, and by criticizing the U.S. leader openly, Zelenskyy risks deepening the widest rift between Kyiv and Washington since Russia’s full scale invasion in February 2022.

What We Know So Far

The Ryazan refinery is owned by the state oil company Rosneft and handles nearly 5% of Russia’s refining, helping supply the capital, Reuters said. Malkov wrote on Telegram that a major drone attack caused a fire. Russia’s Astra news outlet posted what it said was a photograph of the blaze. Putin played down the damage, saying Ukrainian strikes on refineries have caused “nothing particularly significant.”

After Trump’s surprise announcement on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop hitting energy sites, Kyiv paused its attacks on refineries, which Trump blames for pushing up diesel prices worldwide. In the days that followed, Russia launched missile and drone strikes that included power stations and cut electricity to hundreds of thousands of people.

Between midnight and Thursday morning, Russia fired more than 850 drones at Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, hitting 15 regions. Ukraine’s air force said its defenses stopped 536 of them, though impacts were recorded at 31 locations. A Russian drone attack lasting more than 10 hours on the central Kirovohrad region killed three civilians and wounded six, Ukraine’s Emergency Services said.

Zelenskyy also said a Ukrainian missile destroyed six warplanes at an airfield in southwestern Russia that were used to launch glide bombs. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 166 Ukrainian drones overnight and that its forces hit two vessels carrying military cargo.

In the Black Sea, rescuers searched for seven missing sailors after drones hit two chemical tankers near Romania’s coast and set them ablaze.

Ukraine says it has had a hard few days beyond the energy strikes. Officials say they stopped getting the usual warnings from Western allies about incoming Russian ballistic missiles, which rely on U.S. satellite detectors. Trump has said the United States has not stopped sharing intelligence.

Military grade Starlink terminals also stopped working in Ukraine when mounted on fast moving objects, which hampered drones that use them for guidance. A source in Ukraine’s defense ministry said the terminals now work in motion but only at speeds up to 100 miles per hour (160 kph), which officials say is too slow for mid range attack missions and for interceptor drones that defend against Russian drones.

A Ukrainian official said neither SpaceX nor the Pentagon has explained the slowdown. The Pentagon has not answered questions from the AP. Elon Musk wrote on X that the military version of Starlink, called Starshield, belongs to the U.S. government, and that any limits on speed or use are decided by the U.S. military and “ultimately POTUS.”

British Defence Minister Wes Streeting said he and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the restoration of Starlink service in Ukraine. “We need President Trump engaged on Ukraine,” he told Fox News.

What Authorities Are Saying

“The block is out. We’re done,” Zelenskyy told the Financial Times in an interview published Thursday. He said the Starlink changes were “not a technical problem, it was the will,” and criticized what he sees as Trump’s admiration for powerful, long ruling leaders.

In a separate interview with Piers Morgan late Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by Trump’s diesel deal with Putin, the energy ceasefire announcement and the Starlink limits. Asked whether he felt betrayed, he said, “Really, yes, between us.” He said it is painful when Trump “chooses one side, not our side.”

Trump answered in an interview with Newsmax. “Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with,” he said, adding that he finds Zelenskyy harder to deal with than Putin. He suggested Ukraine should hold an election to replace Zelenskyy. Trump was not asked about Starlink or intelligence sharing.

The Kremlin said Ukraine’s targeting of Russian energy runs counter to U.S. peace efforts. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the strikes a “direct and crude challenge to President Trump.” Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine never stopped hitting refineries.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, asked if the bloc still trusts Trump, said Europe has “a different approach,” which she described as pressing the aggressor and not the victim. Zelenskyy traveled to Brussels for a two day EU summit, with meetings planned with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of Poland, Denmark and Belgium. A day earlier, he won pledges of more help in London from British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Differing Accounts

Kyiv and Moscow give opposite versions of the truce. Zelenskyy says Ukraine went along with it while Russia kept bombing energy sites. Peskov says Ukraine never stopped hitting refineries, and the Kremlin earlier this week said the scope of the ceasefire was never settled. The AP noted that each side’s claims could not be independently verified.

Outlets also differ on how long the war has run, with the AP saying more than 4½ years and Reuters describing nearly five years of Russian bombardment.

Why This Matters

Trump’s public comments on the ceasefire have mostly targeted Ukraine’s refinery strikes, which he said over the weekend “damn well better stop,” even though he described the truce as binding on both sides. Ukraine says the long range drone campaign is its only answer to nearly five years of Russian bombardment, and the strikes have caused fuel shortages inside Russia.

Trump faces pressure over fuel prices with midterm elections less than three weeks away. Diesel has hit record highs since the United States went to war with Iran in February, though Trump says Ukrainian attacks are driving global prices. Ukrainians fear the dispute could cost them on the battlefield, which still depends on U.S. technology.

Russia is also building up. A Reuters analysis of satellite images shows it nearly finished a major base in southern Russia for launching jet powered drones in just six weeks.

What Happens Next

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine’s long range operations will continue, and he told the Financial Times that attacks on Russian refineries will resume. Talks with EU leaders in Brussels will focus on air defense. Whether Washington restores full Starlink speed and the intelligence flow, and how Trump responds to the broken truce, will shape the next phase of the war.

Sources: Reuters and the Associated Press, citing the Financial Times, Piers Morgan’s YouTube show, Newsmax

Bend Oregon School Shooting Kills 3 Children and a Teacher

By
Omonigho Daibo
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0

 A 16 year old boy shot his way through locked doors at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon, killing three children and a teacher before a member of the community who had followed him inside shot him dead, police said.

The children who died were 5, 8 and 11 years old. A 7 year old student and a 54 year old teacher were taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police have not released the names of the victims or the shooter. Families of the dead have been notified, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.

What We Know So Far

The first 911 call came at 12:59 p.m. from a person in a vehicle outside the school who said someone with a long gun was shooting at them. In the minutes that followed, dispatchers fielded dozens of calls saying the shooter had gone inside.

Officers were told to respond at 1 p.m., and the school was ordered into lockdown a minute later. The first officers arrived at 1:02 p.m. and learned the gunman had already been shot by a community member who saw him enter the building, followed him in and confronted him. Police went in, confirmed the shooter was dead and began evacuating the school. Officials have not said how far into the building he got or how many shots were fired.

Students were bused to a nearby church that served as a reunification center. Parents hugged their children and held their hands on the walk to the car, some carrying stuffed animals and other comforts brought from home.

Leah Schwartz, a Bend resident who was walking near the school, told NBC News she heard at least six shots. They were spaced out, which made her and others wonder at first whether someone was doing construction.

Police identified the shooter as a Bend resident. They do not know whether he attended the school or knew anyone there.

The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade. All 32 schools in the Bend-La Pine district, along with sports and activities, are closed Friday.

What Authorities Are Saying

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek told a news conference her heart was “absolutely broken.” She thanked the person who stopped the gunman and noted the emotional burden that person now carries. “As we learn more about the children and the adults,” she said, “we are going to do a lot of crying.”

Krantz said every Bend officer completed a full day of active shooter training in August. “This is going to be a long investigation,” he said. A large police presence will remain at the school for several days, with help from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler called it an “awful day for our community.”

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a 2011 mass shooting, said she was “heartbroken.” “This cannot continue to be a reality in our country,” she said.

The Weapon

A law enforcement official briefed on the case told the Associated Press the gunman used a pump action shotgun bought by his mother. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. Police have not publicly confirmed the type of weapon or how the teenager got it. A source told NBC News the ATF received the results of an urgent trace on the weapon Thursday evening.

Oregon law requires a person to be 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun, and 21 for a handgun, and bars selling firearms to minors. People under 18 may legally possess firearms with parental consent and for lawful purposes such as hunting or target practice.

Differing Accounts

The sources describe the setting and school differently. The AP placed Bend about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Portland, while Reuters said 175 miles (280 kilometers). Enrollment is given three ways: 459 students last year, per the Oregon Department of Education, in the AP; about 450 students and 40 staff in Reuters; and more than 400 students and over 40 staff in NBC News.

Accounts of the person who stopped the gunman also vary a little. The AP said a person at the scene who followed him inside, Reuters called him an armed member of the community, and NBC News said a good Samaritan. Police have not identified the person.

Why This Matters

The shooting was the 28th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database kept by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. School shootings have become a recurring feature of American life, from Columbine in 1999 to Sandy Hook in 2012, Parkland in 2018 and Uvalde in 2022, and each one revives the debate over gun laws in a country where gun rights are protected by the Second Amendment. Gun rights advocates have argued for arming teachers as a defense, and gun control groups have called for action at every level of government.

Bend is a city of about 100,000 people in the high desert of central Oregon, next to the Deschutes National Forest. It has grown quickly in recent decades and is a hub for tourism and outdoor recreation near Mount Bachelor.

What Happens Next

Investigators are working on the motive and on how the teenager got the weapon, two questions officials say remain open. The Oregon Department of Emergency Management is coordinating state agencies, and Kotek said the state stands ready to support the community. The condition of the two people hurt has not been updated.

Sources: the Associated Press, Reuters and NBC News

Pakistan School Roof Collapse Kills 28 and Injures More Than 50

By
Simeon Bateren
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0

A private school roof came down on students in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Thursday, killing at least 28 people and injuring more than 50, officials said. Most of the dead were children, and the toll could still climb.

The Associated Press counted 28 children and a female teacher among the dead, six of them girls. Every child killed or hurt was 13 or younger, a hospital spokesman said. Other outlets gave different totals, covered below.

Police have arrested the school’s owner and call the building structurally weak.

What We Know So Far

The roof gave way during lessons at a three story building in a crowded part of central Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Reuters named the school as the privately run Al Khair Education Center. The Express Tribune put it in the densely populated Dir Colony.

Several children were trapped under the rubble at first. Hours later, rescue officials said everyone buried had been pulled out and crews were clearing debris. District emergency officer Iftikhar Khan said at least 45 children had been taken out. A rescue official described a higher floor roof falling onto the students and crushing two stories below it.

Lady Reading Hospital, where most of the dead and injured were taken, declared an emergency, and some patients are in critical condition. At Naseerullah Babar Hospital, two people died and 33 children went home after initial treatment. Army personnel joined the rescue, though narrow streets slowed ambulances.

Neighbors got there first. Samiullah Khan helped pull out three girls. His own son survived only because he had stepped out of class for a drink of water. Parents crowded outside the school and the hospital, waiting for news.

Mahwish Zaman, a teacher, told the AP from her hospital bed that she was in her classroom when the roof fell and that it felt as though the sky was coming down. She woke up in the hospital.

What Authorities Are Saying

The school’s owner is in custody and a case will be registered, said Peshawar’s police chief, Saeed. “It was a weak building structure,” he said, adding that the roof carried too much weight for what stood beneath it. The slab was built with choka, thin flat clay tiles or tapered bricks, and the building looked overloaded. Officials will work out which building rules were broken and who is responsible.

A provincial committee will investigate. Gov. Faisal Karim Kundi asked for a report on the cause and ordered the best possible care for the injured.

President Asif Ali Zardari said the whole nation shares the families’ grief. He called for a full investigation and for school buildings to meet safety standards. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent condolences and told rescuers to speed up, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari voiced his grief as well.

Differing Accounts

The sources do not agree on several numbers.

The AP put the dead at 28 children and one female teacher. Reuters counted at least 27 students and a teacher. The Express Tribune listed 28 children and two female teachers, although its hospital spokesman said 28 bodies, two of them teachers, reached Lady Reading Hospital. The AP and The Express Tribune both counted more than 50 injured.

Enrollment is also in dispute. Zaman told the AP the school had about 1,200 students from nursery through fifth grade. The police chief gave 110, and said only 47 of the 110 students in three classrooms at the time had been rescued. A police official in The Express Tribune said 30 children were in upper floor classrooms. The police chief is Saeed Ahmed in the AP and Mian Saeed in the other two. Officials have not reconciled the figures.

Why This Matters

Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction rules are loosely enforced, many structures use cheap materials and safety regulations are often ignored to save money. In July, a roof collapsed at a tutoring center under construction in Lahore and killed four schoolchildren.

Thursday’s disaster puts school buildings under the spotlight. If police are right that the roof was overloaded on a weak structure, the harder questions are who approved the building and whether anyone ever inspected it.

What Happens Next

The provincial committee will look into why the roof failed, and police will register a case against the owner. The toll may change as hospitals update their counts and as crews clear the building, which the police chief warned is still dangerous.

Sources: the Associated Press, Reuters and The Express Tribune

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