Gaza (BN24) – A funeral was held Monday in Gaza for five Al Jazeera journalists killed in what the network has described as a targeted Israeli airstrike, an attack the United Nations has condemned as a “grave breach of international law.”
Correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, and their assistant Mohammed Noufal died when a strike hit a tent near Al Shifa Hospital on Sunday night. A sixth journalist, freelance reporter Mohammad al Khaldi, was also killed, according to medics at the hospital.
The Israeli military said Al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent correspondents, was a senior Hamas operative who posed as a journalist, alleging he was paid by both Hamas and Al Jazeera. The military said it had only released a small, declassified portion of its intelligence to support the claim — allegations strongly rejected by Al Jazeera, Al-Sharif himself before his death, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Al Jazeera called the deaths “a targeted assassination” and said the journalists were among the last voices documenting the devastation inside Gaza. In a statement, the network accused Israeli forces of a “blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom” and of trying to silence coverage of the ongoing military campaign.
The UN secretary-general condemned the killings and called for an independent and impartial investigation, warning they underscored the extreme dangers facing journalists covering the war. The UN’s human rights office also labelled the strike a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
According to the UN, at least 242 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, Israeli authorities say. Of the 50 hostages believed to still be in Gaza, 20 are thought to be alive.
Gaza health officials report that more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive. Calls for international media access to the territory have grown, with journalists and diplomats urging Israel to allow reporting from the ground. Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour challenged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to let Security Council members into Gaza “and take journalists with you so that you can verify exactly what is happening.”
PERTH, Australia (BN24) — A 25-year-old British backpacker faces up to 20 years in prison in Australia after pleading guilty to killing a father of two in a drunk e-scooter crash that has fueled public demands for stricter e-scooter laws.
Alicia Kemp, from Redditch in Worcestershire, admitted to dangerous driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol during a court appearance via video link at Perth Magistrates’ Court. Kemp struck 51-year-old Thanh Phan from behind while riding an e-scooter on a footpath in Perth in June. She had been drinking for six hours prior to the crash and was found to be more than three times over the legal alcohol limit.
Phan sustained fatal head injuries after the collision, which occurred as he stood at a pedestrian crossing. He died days later in hospital from a brain bleed. The crash, captured on CCTV, showed other pedestrians stepping aside to avoid Kemp, who was riding at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour.
Kemp had hired the scooter shortly before 8:30 p.m. after a day of drinking and was carrying a 26-year-old passenger, who also suffered serious injuries, including a fractured skull and broken nose. A charge related to the injuries of the passenger was dropped.
At the time, Kemp was visiting Australia on a four-month tourist visa and working at a local pub. Her bail application was refused over concerns she might flee the country before sentencing. Her lawyer described her as “nervous and worried,” saying she recognized the gravity of her actions but wanted to move on with her life.
Phan’s death has had broader consequences, prompting Perth and several local councils to permanently suspend rental e-scooter services amid mounting pressure for reform. Under Western Australian law, e-scooter riders must be over 16, wear helmets, ride sober, and not carry passengers.
The victim’s family, mourning the loss of a devoted husband and father, has joined growing calls for stronger enforcement and regulation surrounding e-scooter use in public areas.
Kemp is scheduled to be sentenced at Perth District Court on October 31.
OBI, Nigeria — Police in Nasarawa State are investigating the suspected food poisoning deaths of a woman and her two children, discovered a day after her estranged husband visited her home to plead for reconciliation.
The incident occurred in Obi Local Government Area and was reported on Sunday morning by Yusuf Mohammed Ogah of Mararaba Obi, who found the bodies at about 10:57 a.m. on August 10, 2025.
Detectives arrived to find Mrs. Martha Yusuf, 50; her daughter, Miss Hannatu Yusuf; and her son, Meshach Yusuf, lying motionless inside their residence. Police recovered remnants of food allegedly consumed by the victims as evidence.
According to security sources, the three were confirmed dead at the General Hospital, Obi. Their bodies were transferred to the hospital mortuary for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Investigators said the victims had been separated from Martha Yusuf’s former husband, Yusuf Iliya, for about three years. He allegedly visited the house on Saturday to seek reconciliation.
Police confirmed Iliya’s arrest, stating that he denied poisoning the food but admitted visiting the victims the day before their deaths. The case remains under active investigation.
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (BN24) — Colombian presidential candidate and conservative senator Miguel Uribe Turbay died Monday, two months after being shot in the head while delivering a campaign speech in the capital. He was 39.
Uribe, a rising political figure and one of President Gustavo Petro’s strongest critics in Congress, had been hospitalized in intensive care since the June 7 attack, which occurred as he addressed supporters in a park in a working-class Bogotá neighborhood. Authorities said he was struck three times, twice in the head, and had shown only brief signs of improvement.
His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed his death in a social media post. “Rest in peace, love of my life. I will take care of our children,” she wrote. “I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you.”
Police arrested a 15-year-old suspect at the scene and later detained several others. Officials last month identified Elder José Arteaga Hernández, known as “Chipi” or “Costeño,” as the alleged mastermind behind the shooting.
Uribe had recently announced plans to run for president in the 2026 election. The brazen daylight attack — captured on multiple videos — shocked Colombians, recalling the political violence of the early 1990s when drug lord Pablo Escobar targeted presidential candidates.
That era also claimed the life of Uribe’s mother, journalist Diana Turbay, who was killed during a police rescue attempt after being kidnapped by traffickers under Escobar’s orders to stop extraditions to the United States.
A lawyer with a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University, Uribe entered politics at 26 as a Bogotá city councilman. In 2022, he became the top vote-getter for the conservative Democratic Center party led by former President Álvaro Uribe, to whom he was not related.
“Evil destroys everything,” the former president said on social media. “They have killed hope. May Miguel’s struggle be a light that illuminates Colombia’s path.”
CLAIRTON, Pa. (BN24) — A devastating explosion ripped through a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh on Monday, killing one worker and leaving another missing while sending at least 10 people to area hospitals, officials said.
The blast at the sprawling Clairton coking facility occurred around 10:51 a.m., sending towering plumes of black smoke into the midday sky and heavily damaging the industrial complex along the Monongahela River. Emergency workers continued searching through charred rubble Monday afternoon for the missing employee as investigators worked to determine what caused the explosion.
The initial blast was followed by several smaller explosions that could be felt throughout the surrounding community, prompting Allegheny County officials to urge residents to stay away from the area to allow emergency responders to work safely.
“It felt like thunder,” said Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene. “Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, and shook the building, and then when we saw the dark smoke coming up from the steel mill and put two and two together, and it’s like something bad happened.”
One worker was pulled from the wreckage hours after the explosion struck the facility, which is considered the largest coking operation in North America and employs approximately 1,400 people. The plant converts coal to coke, a crucial component in steel production, through a process that involves baking coal in specialized ovens at extreme temperatures.
At a news conference, Scott Buckiso, U.S. Steel’s chief manufacturing officer, declined to provide specific details about the extent of damage or casualties. He praised company employees for their response, saying they “did a great job” of rescuing workers, shutting down gas lines and stabilizing the site.
Buckiso said the company, now a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp., is cooperating fully with authorities investigating the incident. Search teams were still looking for one missing person, he said, adding that they believed they knew the general location but were not certain.
“Obviously, this is a tragedy that we want to understand,” Buckiso said.
Medical facilities across the region treated victims from the explosion. Allegheny Health Network said it treated seven patients from the plant, discharging five within hours. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said it was treating three patients at UPMC Mercy, the region’s only level one trauma and burn center.
The explosion’s impact extended beyond the plant’s boundaries. Amy Sowers, a 49-year-old Clairton resident sitting on her porch less than a mile from the facility, felt her house shake from the blast.
“I could see smoke from my driveway,” she said. “We heard ambulances and fire trucks from every direction.”
Sowers decided to leave the area after detecting a faint smell in the air. A lifelong Clairton resident, she has witnessed several incidents at the plant over the years and said many residents cannot afford to move despite health concerns.
“Lives were lost again,” Sowers said. “How many more lives are going to have to be lost until something happens?”
The Clairton plant has experienced multiple serious incidents in recent years. A maintenance worker died in an explosion at the facility in September 2009, and another blast in July 2010 injured 14 employees and six contractors. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration records, the most recent workplace fatality occurred in 2014 when a worker was burned and died after falling into a trench.
Following the 2010 explosion, OSHA fined U.S. Steel and a subcontractor $175,000 for safety violations. The company appealed its citations and $143,500 in fines, which were later reduced under a settlement agreement.
Despite Monday’s explosion, the Clairton coking plant continued operating, though officials said two batteries where the explosion occurred were shut down.
The facility’s coking process creates coke gas, a lethal mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that poses significant safety risks. The plant bakes coal for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could weaken steel during production.
Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.
“The mill is such a big part of Clairton,” he said. “It’s just a sad day for Clairton.”
As a precautionary measure, the Allegheny County Health Department advised residents within one mile of the plant to remain indoors and close all windows and doors. The department said its air quality monitors had not detected levels of soot or sulfur dioxide above federal standards.
The explosion adds to the plant’s troubled environmental record. In recent years, the facility has faced persistent pollution concerns and legal challenges from environmental groups and health officials.
In 2019, the plant agreed to settle an air pollution lawsuit for $8.5 million. Last year, the company committed to spending $19.5 million on equipment upgrades and $5 million on local clean air initiatives as part of resolving a federal lawsuit filed by the Clean Air Council, PennEnvironment and the Allegheny County Health Department.
That legal action stemmed from a Christmas Eve fire in 2018 that caused $40 million in damage and damaged pollution control equipment, leading to repeated releases of sulfur dioxide. In the fire’s aftermath, county officials warned residents to limit outdoor activities, with many reporting that the air felt acidic, smelled like rotten eggs and was difficult to breathe for weeks.
Dr. Deborah Gentile, medical director of Community Partners in Asthma Care, studied asthma levels following the 2018 fire and documented a doubling of patients seeking medical treatment. Research by her colleagues found that patients living near the plant experienced increased asthma symptoms, including coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
News of Monday’s explosion prompted Gentile to question the facility’s maintenance standards.
“I’m very concerned that they aren’t keeping their equipment up to date and in shape,” she said.
The plant experienced another incident as recently as February, when a problem with a battery led to a “buildup of combustible material” that ignited, causing an audible explosion. Two workers received first aid treatment at a local hospital but suffered no serious injuries.
Environmental advocates are calling for a comprehensive review of the facility’s operations. David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, which has previously sued U.S. Steel over pollution violations, said there needed to be “a full, independent investigation into the causes of this latest catastrophe and a re-evaluation as to whether the Clairton plant is fit to keep operating.”
The explosion comes months after U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel in June finalized what they called a “historic partnership.” The deal gives the U.S. government input on certain matters and concludes a nearly $15 billion buyout that was delayed for more than a year due to national security concerns and presidential politics in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state.
The Mon Valley region, located south of Pittsburgh, has been synonymous with steel production for more than a century. The Clairton plant is one of four major U.S. Steel facilities operating in Pennsylvania and plays a crucial role in the company’s steel-making operations across North America.
As the investigation continues, the cause of Monday’s explosion remains unknown. Emergency officials said the search and rescue effort for the missing worker would continue, while county authorities maintained their advisory for nearby residents to avoid the area.
WASHINGTON (BN24) — President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is placing Washington, D.C.’s police department under federal control and activating 800 National Guard members, declaring a public safety emergency despite city officials pointing to steep drops in crime.
Flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, Trump said his administration would oversee the Metropolitan Police Department, remove homeless encampments, and target what he described as “slums” in the nation’s capital.
“We’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said at the White House, adding that federal officers would begin patrolling the city immediately. He invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to authorize the move, which is limited to 30 days unless extended by Congress.
The action represents a significant escalation in Trump’s tough-on-crime agenda, made possible by the unique federal status of the District of Columbia. It also comes despite official statistics showing that violent crime in the city is down 26% compared with this time last year, following historic lows in 2024.
Local leaders quickly denounced the intervention. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called the move “unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful,” while Mayor Muriel Bowser accused Trump of exploiting the city’s governance structure to advance a political agenda. “None of those conditions exist in our city right now,” Bowser said, emphasizing that crime is trending downward.
Trump’s plan includes deploying about 500 federal law enforcement officers alongside National Guard troops. More than 100 FBI agents, 40 ATF agents, and personnel from the DEA, ICE, and U.S. Marshals Service will be assigned to the city, according to a person familiar with the operation.
The president also pledged to remove Washington’s homeless population, writing on social media that people would be relocated “FAR from the Capital.” Advocates condemned the plan as punitive and ineffective. Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center called it “fascist” and “a waste of resources.”
Despite his focus on law and order, Trump has faced criticism for pardoning or commuting the sentences of more than 1,500 people involved in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, including those convicted of assaulting police officers.
Trump said his legal team is also reviewing whether to seek a repeal of the District’s Home Rule Act, which grants local governance to the city. Bowser, meanwhile, argued the episode underscores the need for Washington, D.C., to become a state, which would shield it from such unilateral federal actions.
Cristiano Ronaldo has officially proposed to his longtime partner, Georgina Rodríguez, sealing their eight-year romance with an eye-catching engagement ring.
Rodríguez announced the news on Instagram on Monday, posting a close-up photo of her left hand adorned with a massive diamond. “Yes, I do,” she wrote in Spanish, adding, “In this and in all lives.”
The couple first met in 2016 at a Gucci store in Madrid, where Rodríguez worked at the time. They began dating shortly afterward and made their relationship public in 2017. Since then, they have built a family together, welcoming their first child, daughter Alana, in 2017. In April 2022, Rodríguez gave birth to twins, Bella and Ángel, though Ángel died at birth. She is also a devoted stepmother to Ronaldo’s three older children — Cristiano Jr., born in 2010, and twins Eva and Mateo, born via surrogate in 2017.
Ronaldo, 40, is in his fourth season with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, following an illustrious career with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has lifted five UEFA Champions League titles and helped Portugal win the 2016 European Championship. He remains the all-time leading scorer in international football with 138 goals, and has netted more than 930 career goals across club and country.
Austin, Texas (BN24) – A man with a documented mental health history opened fire in the parking lot of a Target store in Austin, Texas, on Monday afternoon, killing three people before stealing two vehicles in a chaotic escape attempt that ended with his arrest, authorities said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters the shooting erupted around 2:15 p.m. outside the store in the Texas capital. Officers arrived to find three victims suffering from gunshot wounds in the parking lot. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, while the third was transported to a hospital, where they later died, according to Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz. A fourth individual sustained unrelated injuries and was treated on-site.
Davis said the 32-year-old suspect, whose name has not yet been released, stole a vehicle from the scene — believed to have belonged to one of the victims — and fled north. He later crashed that car, then stole another from a nearby dealership before being tracked to South Austin, where officers subdued him with a stun gun and took him into custody.
The shooting occurred amid busy back-to-school shopping, and nearby businesses, including a Jiffy Lube that shares the parking lot with Target, went into lockdown. Employee Paul Smith said he had just returned from the Target when he saw shoppers sprinting from their cars in panic.
“This is a very sad day for Austin,” Davis said, adding that no motive has been confirmed. “My condolences go out to the families.”
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called the attack “a sickening, cowardly act of gun violence” in a statement on X, expressing gratitude for the quick response by police and first responders.
Target has not yet issued a public comment. The shooting comes just over two weeks after an attack at a Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan, where 11 people were stabbed, highlighting a troubling string of violence at major retail stores nationwide.
Tel Aviv (BN24) – A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, previously named by Israel as a Hamas operative, was killed along with four of his colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, in what press freedom groups are calling one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in the Gaza war.
Anas Al Sharif, 28, died when Israeli forces struck a tent near Al Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, according to Gaza officials and Al Jazeera. The network said the attack killed four of its journalists — Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal — as well as an assistant. Gaza hospital officials reported that two other civilians were also killed in the same strike. On Monday, medics confirmed that freelance journalist Mohammad Al-Khaldi also died from the attack.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Al Sharif led a Hamas cell and played a central role in launching rocket attacks against Israeli targets, citing intelligence and documents allegedly recovered in Gaza. Al Jazeera strongly rejected that claim, as did Al Sharif himself in previous statements, insisting he had no ties to Hamas.
Al Sharif had gained international recognition as part of a Reuters photography team that won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Known for his frontline reporting, he was described by Al Jazeera as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” and “among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world.”
Press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), condemned the killings, accusing Israel of repeatedly labeling journalists as militants without producing credible evidence. “Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Director Sara Qudah.
The war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict on record for journalists, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute. The Gaza media office says at least 238 journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023, while CPJ’s tally lists 186.
Al Sharif’s life had been flagged as at risk by U.N. Special Rapporteur Irene Khan and other rights advocates, who warned that Israel’s allegations against him were unsubstantiated. Last October, Israel publicly named him among six Gaza journalists it alleged were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, claims Al Jazeera dismissed as “fabricated.”
Before his death, Al Sharif posted on X (formerly Twitter) to his more than 500,000 followers, reporting that Gaza City had been under intense bombardment for over two hours. He had also recorded a message to be shared if he was killed: “I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent.”
Hamas condemned the killings, calling them a prelude to a larger Israeli military operation in Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged a new offensive aimed at dismantling Hamas strongholds, as Gaza faces a worsening hunger crisis after 22 months of war.
London (BN24) – London police said more than 500 people were arrested over the weekend during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with the majority detained for showing support for Palestine Action, a group recently outlawed as a terrorist organization in the United Kingdom.
The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed on Sunday that 532 people were taken into custody on Saturday, as protesters intentionally defied the ban to test the government’s enforcement of anti-terror laws. Of those arrested, 522 face allegations of supporting a proscribed organization, while the remaining 10 were held on charges including assaulting and obstructing police officers.
The protests came as a separate march calling for the immediate release of Israeli hostages in Gaza moved through central London on Sunday afternoon.
Supporters of Palestine Action argue the government is unlawfully restricting free speech by criminalizing expressions of support for the group, which is known for direct action campaigns targeting sites linked to Israel’s military industry. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper dismissed that claim, stressing that the group was banned due to violent attacks, significant injuries, and extensive property damage.
“The right to protest is fiercely protected, but this is very different from displaying support for this specific proscribed organization,” Cooper said in a statement. “Many may not yet know the reality of this group, but the assessments are clear — this is not a nonviolent organization.”
A protester is led away by police officers at a “Lift The Ban” demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, calling for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Parliament Square, central London, on August 9, 2025. Organisers expect at least 500 people to turn up to a new demonstration in support of Palestine Action today, and police have warned all demonstrators could face arrest. Palestine Action was proscribed under the 2000 Terrorism Act. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
Images published in Sunday newspapers showed elderly protesters being detained, including 89-year-old retired psychotherapist La Pethick, who told the Times of London she had her family’s full backing. “We are having our right to peaceful protest taken away,” she said. Police data showed nearly half of those arrested were over the age of 60.
Prosecutors will take weeks to decide whether charges will be filed, as counterterrorism officers compile case files for review, with some cases requiring approval from the attorney general.
Parliament voted to outlaw Palestine Action following incidents including activists breaking into a Royal Air Force base and damaging two tanker planes in protest of British support for the war in Gaza. The group had also targeted Israeli defense contractors in the UK. Its supporters are now challenging the ban in court, claiming it violates human rights laws.
