Three years after Moscow launched its full-scale military incursion into Ukraine, Russia has commenced voting for its national parliamentary elections, a contest that is being held under tight oversight from the Kremlin. This three-day voting process, which began on Friday, marks the first national legislative election held by Russia since it expanded its military operation into neighboring Ukraine in early 2022. International observers and critics have long raised questions about the fairness and transparency of Russian elections under current leadership, with this cycle drawing additional scrutiny due to the shifting geopolitical landscape following the ongoing conflict. The outcome of the election is widely expected to reinforce the current political order, consolidating the Kremlin’s control over the country’s legislative body amid continued international isolation and sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict. As voting proceeds across the country’s 11 time zones, opposition voices have been largely sidelined, with most independent and anti-war candidates barred from appearing on ballots. This constrained electoral landscape has reinforced assessments from global analysts that the election will deliver a legislature firmly aligned with the Kremlin’s policy agenda, including its ongoing military commitment in Ukraine.
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Warren Buffett steps down after six decades at Berkshire – ‘Father Time always wins’
After nearly six decades at the helm of one of the world’s most powerful corporate giants, legendary investor Warren Buffett has formally stepped down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, capping off a years-long leadership succession plan that brings his son Howard Buffett into the top board role.
Now 96 years old, the investor widely known as the “Oracle of Omaha” will transition into the honorary position of chairman emeritus, where he will retain a seat on the company’s board of directors to continue contributing his decades of wisdom, judgment and unique market perspective to the firm, according to an official letter released to shareholders this week.
The leadership handover comes nine months after Buffett already passed the title of chief executive officer to Greg Abel, who now oversees all daily corporate strategy and capital allocation decisions. Howard Buffett, who has served as a Berkshire Hathaway board director since 1993, will take on the non-executive chairman role, with his core responsibility defined as stewarding the multinational conglomerate’s foundational culture and core values. A former farmer, county sheriff and active philanthropist, the younger Buffett brings more than 30 years of boardroom experience to the new position.
Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway from a struggling 19th-century New England textile mill, which he took control of in 1965, into a $1.1 trillion global conglomerate with a diverse portfolio that spans major household brands. Today, the company owns full operations across industry leaders including auto insurance giant GEICO, fast-food chain Dairy Queen, and freight railway network BNSF, while holding major equity stakes in blue-chip companies including Apple and Coca-Cola — a brand closely associated with Buffett, who has long been open about his habit of drinking five cans of the soda daily.
A pioneer of value investing, Buffett revolutionized modern investment strategy by popularizing an approach focused on identifying undervalued companies with strong, sustainable fundamentals, purchasing stakes at fair market prices, and holding those investments for decades to generate long-term growth. Beyond his unmatched investment track record, his plain-spoken annual shareholder letters and the hugely popular, festival-style annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings turned him into a globally respected mentor for generations of investors and business leaders across the financial industry.
The transition has been planned for years, and industry analysts frame the move as an orderly passing of the torch rather than a sudden disruption to the firm. Buffett wrote in his letter that the timing felt right to complete the succession process, noting that he recently marked his 96th birthday alongside the first birthday of one of his great-grandchildren — who, he joked, “is moving a bit faster” than he these days.
Berkshire Hathaway has moved to reassure investors that all day-to-day business operations will remain unchanged and stable following the leadership shift. In closing his letter, Buffett reflected on his decades leading the firm, writing that serving as chairman has been the “privilege of a lifetime,” while acknowledging the inevitability of transition, noting that “Father Time always wins.” -
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary apologises over ‘high-fare rapists’ remarks
Michael O’Leary, the outspoken chief executive of Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair, has reversed his earlier position and issued a full, unreserved apology for a highly controversial comment in which he labeled competing European airlines “high-fare rapists”. The remark, made earlier this September during a press briefing ahead of Ryanair’s annual shareholder meeting, sparked widespread public backlash and condemnation from support organizations for sexual violence survivors.
Initially, O’Leary rejected calls for an apology from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), the Irish non-profit that first spoke out against his language. In the days following the comment, DRCC CEO Rachel Morrogh penned an open letter to the Ryanair chief, which was obtained by the BBC, noting that multiple rape survivors had contacted the center to report feeling distressed and upset by O’Leary’s casual use of a term tied to violent sexual trauma. Morrogh accused O’Leary of deploying the inflammatory language purely to generate headlines, offered him specialized training on the far-reaching impact of sexual violence, and stressed that he would not reuse the term flippantly if he understood the experience of surviving rape.
In his initial response, O’Leary stood firm: he argued that his words did not trivialize the “heinous crime of rape”, and therefore refused both to issue an apology and to take up DRCC’s offer of training. This defiant stance only amplified public criticism, placing increasing pressure on the Ryanair leader over the course of the following 10 days.
In a pre-recorded video published Friday, O’Leary announced his change of heart, saying that conversations with family, friends, and colleagues both within and outside Ryanair had led him to recognize the harm his words caused. “I have come to realise however that the word that I used so carelessly has caused considerable upset and offence to a wide number of people, especially to victims and survivors,” he said. “I want to apologise, sincerely and unreservedly, to those people, especially to the survivors.” O’Leary described his word choice as careless, committed to avoiding similar missteps in the future, and said he intended to learn from the mistake.
This incident is far from an isolated case for O’Leary, who has built a reputation for blunt, provocative rhetoric throughout his decades leading Ryanair. In 2004, he drew similar backlash when he referred to the owners of London’s Stansted Airport as “a bunch of overcharging rapists” during a public dispute over airport user fees. He has also previously insulted his own staff by calling some “lazy bastards”, and brushed off refund-seeking passengers by saying the airline did “not want to hear your sob stories”. Just months prior in 2026, O’Leary only reluctantly agreed to end Ryanair’s policy of charging parents extra to sit next to their minor children following the launch of a regulatory watchdog investigation, while continuing to maintain the policy had been fully compliant with existing law.
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Senegal job an ‘absolute dream’ for new boss Vieira
In a landmark moment for Senegalese football, legendary former French international midfielder Patrick Vieira has been officially unveiled as the new head coach of the Senegal men’s national team, marking his first role in international management and a emotional homecoming to the country of his birth. The 50-year-old, who lifted the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 UEFA European Championship during a glittering playing career with France, described the appointment as a profound honor and a decision rooted in personal connection.
“Being head coach of the Senegal national team is an absolute dream,” Vieira shared at his introductory press conference in Dakar on Friday. “I was born here, my parents were born here, and this really is a homecoming. From my very first discussions with the Senegal Football Federation president, I accepted this challenge immediately, because we have an exceptional generation of players here. I understand the expectations of all 20 million Senegalese people, and with my experience and determination, I will see this project through.”
Vieira steps into the role following the dismissal of predecessor Pape Thiaw, inheriting a Senegal squad that has already established itself as one of African football’s leading forces. The Teranga Lions claimed a dramatic 1-0 extra-time victory over Morocco to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title in January, though the final destination of the trophy remains unresolved pending a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The dispute stems from a temporary walk-off by Senegal players and staff in protest of a controversial late penalty decision in the final, which led tournament organizers to award the title to Morocco in March.
Against this backdrop, Vieira emphasized that Senegal’s standing in global football has shifted dramatically in recent years, raising expectations for consistent results. “Senegal is among the major nations in world football now,” he said. “Its objectives are not what they were 10 or 15 years ago. On the back of strong recent results, Senegal has moved forward and reached new levels, so the demand for results has also increased. We need to lay solid foundations to meet these new standards.”
The new head coach outlined his vision for the team, planning to build a cohesive unit with a clear tactical structure that plays with high intensity and aggression, while stressing he will not discard the existing strengths the squad has built. “What matters to me isn’t starting again from scratch,” he explained. “It’s about respecting what the federation has put in place over the last few years, and building the next stage, opening a new chapter. My job isn’t to tear everything down; it’s to keep this team’s core strengths: its identity, its unity, its ability to grind through tough moments together. To make this project succeed, I need the entire nation united behind us, and I will work heart and soul to restore the team’s pride.”
Vieira is set to begin his tenure immediately, with 2027 Afcon qualifiers already underway. His first match in charge was originally scheduled to be a home fixture against Mozambique in Dakar on September 25, but the venue was reversed due to ongoing preparations for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in the Senegalese capital. “Of course I would have preferred to play my first match here in Dakar, but we all agreed this was the best decision,” Vieira noted. “These are the difficulties we will accept and work through.”
The squad heading to Mozambique, followed by a September 29 away fixture against Ethiopia, will be missing several key first-team players. Long-time starting goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has recently announced his international retirement, and star talisman Sadio Mané will sit out the fixtures with a minor physical injury. Vieira moved quickly to quash retirement speculation surrounding Mané, confirming the 34-year-old former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward will surely be included in future selections once he regains full fitness. Other notable absentees include out-of-contract right-back Krepin Diatta, and forward Ismaila Sarr, who is sidelined by a groin injury amid ongoing transfer uncertainty.
Vieira’s playing career is defined by trophies at the highest club and international level, but his managerial career has yet to replicate that consistent success. After previous stints with MLS side New York City FC, Ligue 1’s Nice, Premier League club Crystal Palace, Ligue 1’s Strasbourg, and Serie A’s Genoa, Vieira has been out of work since being sacked by Genoa in November 2025, when the club sat bottom of the Serie A table after a poor run of results to open the season. Despite these setbacks, Vieira said he has grown from every experience and feels ready to meet the expectations of Senegalese fans.
“When you look at my coaching career and the experience I’ve gained, I’ve always stayed positive,” he said. “You learn from every challenge, and there are always positive takeaways. I’m a better coach today than I was during my time at Genoa, because that experience helped me grow and understand things more clearly. With the experience I have now, I have no doubt about my ability to deliver for the fans.”
Vieira received a warm welcome from supporters when he arrived in Dakar on Thursday evening, with social media footage showing the new head coach holding a Senegalese flag aloft while greeting hundreds of fans gathered at the capital’s airport. “I couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome,” he said. “I saw the supporters’ enthusiasm, and I thank them for it. Taking charge of this national team isn’t just a new stage in my career — it’s coming home.”
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Watch: Aztec codex on display in Mexico for first time in 186 years
After nearly two centuries kept outside of Mexico, one of the most culturally significant surviving documents detailing Aztec history has finally come home. The centuries-old Aztec codex, a rare hand-drawn manuscript that chronicles the rise of the Aztec civilization and its eventual collapse following the invasion of Spanish conquistadors, is now on public exhibition across Mexico for the first time in 186 years.
Across the country, people from all walks of life have gathered to celebrate this long-awaited homecoming, with many describing the codex’s return as a major milestone for reclaiming indigenous Mexican cultural heritage. For generations, the codex remained in the hands of European collections, out of reach for Mexican scholars and the general public who have long sought to study and connect with their pre-colonial history directly.
The landmark exhibition marks a historic moment, allowing Mexicans to engage firsthand with a primary source that captures the complexity, traditions, and tragic final chapter of Aztec society following European contact. Cultural officials and indigenous leaders alike have emphasized that the display is more than a cultural event — it is a step toward correcting historical erasure and centering indigenous narratives in modern Mexican cultural identity. Visitors are already lining up at exhibition venues to get a rare look at the ancient manuscript, with many sharing that seeing the codex in person offers a profound, personal connection to their country’s earliest history.
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Houthi leader denies Yemeni group targeted Mecca with drone
Amid escalating regional tensions that have sent global energy markets reeling, the top leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement has issued a firm public denial of allegations that the group launched a drone attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca. In a televised address broadcast to followers and international observers alike, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi dismissed the accusation of targeting the Islamic holy site as a “major lie”, emphasizing that the Houthi movement holds a core commitment to protecting all of Islam’s sacred locations. Instead of claiming or acknowledging any strike on Mecca, al-Houthi shifted blame to what he called the “Zionist enemy” — a reference to the State of Israel — framing Israel as the true source of danger to the region’s holy sites. Al-Houthi warned that Israel seeks to target all major Islamic sacred sites, including Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, and called for a unified Islamic alliance to confront this purported threat, stating that the movement stands ready to join this collective defensive effort. The denial comes on the heels of major territorial advances and military actions by the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, that have upended security along one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. Over just one weekend, the group seized large swathes of Yemen’s coastline adjacent to the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, a key Red Sea chokepoint through which a large share of global maritime energy trade passes. Immediately following this territorial gain, the Houthis carried out an attack on the East-West Pipeline, a critical Saudi energy infrastructure that transports roughly 4% of the world’s total daily oil supply. According to reporting from Reuters, Saudi Arabian energy officials estimate that repairing the damage from the drone strike on the pipeline will take between five and six weeks, leaving a key piece of the kingdom’s energy network offline for more than a month. The recent Houthi advances have already caused significant volatility in global energy markets. Oil prices rose sharply last week in response to the group’s rapid offensive, which secured full control of the Yemeni side of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, a pinch point for Saudi oil exports heading to global markets. For their part, Houthi officials have framed their ongoing military campaign as a direct response to what they say are unprovoked Saudi attacks on Yemeni territory, including a recent drone strike that targeted Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa. In his address, al-Houthi pushed back against claims that the Houthis are the aggressor in the long-running regional conflict, stating that Saudi Arabia has been the party that initiated hostilities at every turn of the conflict. “We are in a defensive position. We are not the ones who initiate aggression,” al-Houthi said. This original reporting was produced by Middle East Eye, a media outlet that provides independent, in-depth coverage of the Middle East, North Africa, and surrounding global regions. Information on republishing MEE content and details about the organization are available through the outlet’s official channels.
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Why an American football game played the Canadian national anthem
Nestled just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Toronto across Lake Ontario, the Buffalo Bills’ brand-new $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium has long drawn a passionate fanbase that crosses the US-Canada border. When the franchise hosted its 2025 season home opener against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, that cross-border connection took center stage in a heartfelt moment that cut through soaring political and trade tensions between the two North American neighbors.
Despite the fact that no Canadian franchise competes in the National Football League, the sport counts nearly 15 million Canadian fans—roughly one-third of the country’s total population. For the Bills, this northern fanbase is not just a casual niche: industry data shows 10 to 15 percent of the team’s season ticket holders live in Canada, and the combined population of nearby Greater Toronto and Hamilton exceeds 8 million, far outstripping the 1.5 million residents of western New York. This massive adjacent market has made Canadian support a core pillar of the Bills’ business model.
In a surprising but intentional nod to this loyal northern following, the Bills opened the game with a performance of *O Canada*, delivered by iconic 1990s Canadian rock group the Barenaked Ladies. The stadium field was adorned with both the American stars and stripes and Canada’s maple leaf flag, and thousands of fans in the sold-out crowd joined in to sing the anthem with full enthusiasm. Pre-game tailgates, a beloved American game-day tradition, were already packed with Canadian fans decked out in the Bills’ trademark red, white and blue, many of whom had crossed the border hours early to explore the new facility and soak in the opening day atmosphere.
The warm reception of the Canadian anthem comes at a time of unprecedented friction between Washington and Ottawa. Since Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency, bilateral relations have frayed rapidly: Trump has repeated controversial calls to annex Canada, renamed Lake Ontario (which sits between the two nations) to Lake America via executive order, and launched an escalating tit-for-tat tariff war that has hit industries on both sides of the border hard. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has publicly stated Canada is “at war” with the US over trade, while Trump has lashed out at Canada, calling the country “nasty” and “entitled”. In response to the trade hostilities, many Canadian consumers have boycotted travel and spending in the US, and cross-border economic activity has dropped sharply.
For many Canadian fans in attendance, the anthem performance felt like a meaningful gesture of solidarity amid the political rancor. Ben Kerr, a fan from Bradford, Ontario who traveled to the game, noted that he intentionally bought all his food and beer in Canada before crossing the border to avoid supporting the US economy during the tariff dispute. Even so, he said he has always felt welcome in Buffalo, and called the Bills’ decision “a nice acknowledgement” of Canadian fans’ role in the team’s success. This is not the first time Buffalo’s sports community has rallied behind its northern neighbors: during an April Buffalo Sabres NHL playoff game, a microphone failure cut off the live performance of *O Canada*, and the entire crowd filled in to sing the anthem in full—a moment that moved Canadian fans across the region.
Many American fans at the game echoed that cross-border warmth. Drew Grier, a local resident who lives just eight minutes from Highmark Stadium, framed the anthem performance as a core part of Buffalo’s identity as a border community. “If anyone is polarizing it, it’s coming from those outside here, because those of us here, we love Canada,” he said. Even fans of opposing teams supported the gesture. Carol Breed, a 74-year-old die-hard Detroit Lions fan from Battle Creek, Michigan, who was unable to attend the opener, celebrated the decision by organizing her own cross-border tribute: she drove across the new Gordie Howe International Bridge (which itself has become a point of recent bilateral tension) and sang the US anthem until reaching the halfway point, then switched to *O Canada*. “I just hate what Trump has done to the partnership,” she said, noting that for many Michiganders, Canada is viewed as nothing less than family.
Not all feedback was positive, however. A small number of fans pushed back on social media and in post-game comments, arguing that playing the Canadian anthem was unnecessary when no Canadian team was competing on the field. “The only acceptable reason to sing that anthem would be if they were playing a Canadian team, but they don’t play any Canadian teams,” one fan posted online. Attendee David Waring echoed that sentiment, saying he did not think the gesture was needed.
But for team leadership and NFL Canada, the decision was a straightforward reflection of economic and social reality. Gavin Kemp, who has led the NFL Canada office for eight years, explained that the Bills were simply “leaning into one of their biggest parts of their market”. Kemp added that sports has a unique ability to rise above political divisions: “All this politics is kind of secondary to the fact that your team is doing fantastic right now.” For countless cross-border fans on both sides Thursday night, that message rang clear.
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Uber ordered to pay $40m to family of woman killed after driver left her on highway
A California arbitration process has ended with ride-hailing giant Uber being mandated to pay $40 million in damages to the family of 23-year-old Emily Normandin-Parker, a UCLA graduate who was killed by a passing vehicle after her Uber driver forced her out of the car on a busy highway in August 2023.
Court documents detail that Normandin-Parker had booked an Uber ride home alongside a friend, when the friend became ill and vomited inside the vehicle. Both young women were intoxicated at the time of the incident, according to official filings. Normandin-Parker’s parents say their daughter made the safe, responsible decision to book a ride rather than drive herself, a choice that ultimately cost her life.
The driver, identified as Vu Tran, pulled onto the shoulder of the highway to eject both passengers instead of driving to a nearby exit to drop them off in a secure, well-lit location. After leaving the two women stranded on the side of the highway, Tran did not contact emergency services for assistance. Instead, he left the scene to call Uber solely to request a cleaning fee from Normandin-Parker’s family, showing far greater concern for damage to his new vehicle than the safety of his passengers, according to retired judge and arbitrator Richard Stone, who oversaw the five-day arbitration process.
Shortly after being forced out of the car, Normandin-Parker was struck by another passing vehicle and killed instantly. Her family, represented by the national law firm Panish, Shea, Ravipudi, pursued legal action against Uber, which had long argued that its drivers are classified as independent contractors, and therefore the company bears no legal liability for driver actions.
Arbitrator Stone rejected Uber’s liability argument and issued the binding $40 million damage award in favor of the victim’s parents. The law firm for the family also revealed that Uber had initially offered a $10 million out-of-court settlement that included a non-disclosure agreement barring the family from speaking publicly about the incident, which the family outright refused.
In a post-ruling statement to the Wall Street Journal, Uber said it disagreed with the arbitrator’s decision to hold the company legally responsible for the fatal incident. The company added that it has implemented a series of safety updates in recent years, including new technological tools, updated policies, and safety guidance that explicitly instructs drivers to avoid dropping passengers off in dangerous locations like highway shoulders. The BBC has confirmed that it reached out to Uber for additional comment on the ruling, and the company has not yet issued further public statement.
In a statement released after the ruling, Normandin-Parker’s parents said: “Emily did everything Uber tells riders to do – she made the responsible choice not to drive and we trusted Uber to get her home safely. That trust cost our daughter her life.” Arbitrator Stone echoed the family’s sentiment in his ruling, noting that Tran’s choice to strand the young women on a highway shoulder was an egregious lapse of responsibility that could have been avoided entirely with a short detour to a safe drop-off location.
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Watch: Sixth batch of UFO files includes orbs from 1952
A long-awaited new batch of declassified unidentified flying object (UFO) records has been made public, and among the most compelling additions to the historical archive is never-before-seen footage of glowing airborne orbs documented all the way back in 1952.
The visual record was captured by a serving officer with the United States Navy, who witnessed the cluster of unusual bright objects moving through the sky in an uncontrolled, unidentifiable pattern. Following the encounter, the Navy officer followed official protocol and filed a detailed report of the sighting, along with the footage he had captured, with the U.S. Air Force’s formal UFO investigation program, the body tasked at the time with examining unexplained aerial phenomena reported across the country.
This release marks the sixth round of previously classified UFO files opened to public scrutiny, part of a broader ongoing push toward greater government transparency around unexplained aerial encounters that stretches back decades. Researchers, ufologists, and members of the public have long pushed for access to these sealed government records, arguing that open access allows for independent analysis of historical encounters that have never been fully explained.
The 1952 orb footage joins hundreds of other documents, sighting reports, and visual materials that have been declassified in recent years, offering new opportunities for researchers to examine patterns in historical UFO sightings and re-analyze previously unpublicized evidence from early Cold War-era U.S. military investigations into unexplained aerial activity.
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Teen who piloted Channel boat with 165 migrants jailed
A 19-year-old South Sudanese national who steered a severely overcrowded dinghy carrying 165 migrants across the English Channel to the United Kingdom has been handed a 27-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to endangering the lives of everyone on board. The July 23 crossing marked the largest single small boat migrant crossing recorded at that time, a record that was later broken by an August incident that saw 230 people packed into a single vessel. This conviction marks the 16th secured under the new UK offense of endangerment at sea, which was introduced in January specifically to target small boat helmsmen working with people smuggling networks.
The sentencing hearing at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday delivered a firm ruling from Judge Sarah Counsell, who concluded the crime was so inherently serious that only an immediate custodial sentence could be justified. She also issued a formal warning to the defendant, Chan Mathok Atak, that as a non-UK national he will face automatic deportation at the end of his prison term in most cases.
Prosecutors laid out the full scale of the risks created during the crossing, detailing that the inflatable rigid-hulled dinghy measured just 3.9 meters wide and 14.3 meters long — approximately the same length as a standard city bus — yet carried 165 people, including 31 children as young as 14 years old. Of the vessel’s two outboard engines, only one was functional when it departed from northern France for the UK. By the time UK Border Force crews intercepted the craft mid-Channel, it was already slowly deflating after almost 24 hours adrift at sea.
A joint investigation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) uncovered multiple catastrophic safety failures that put every passenger at immediate risk of death. The boat was classified as severely overcrowded, with only extremely limited supplies of food, drinking water and necessary medication on board. Lifejackets provided to passengers were found to be completely inadequate for an open sea crossing, and the close proximity of power batteries to exposed fuel cans created a significant fire hazard. Prosecutors confirmed there was no evidence to suggest Atak had any formal maritime training or prior experience navigating open water, meaning he was unqualified to steer any vessel, let alone an overloaded craft in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Court documents show that as border forces approached the vessel to intercept it, Atak attempted to cover his role as the helmsman: he moved away from the working engine to another section of the boat and removed the black “Italia” branded jacket he had been wearing while steering. However, 90 minutes of aerial surveillance footage captured by law enforcement clearly showed Atak operating the only functional engine for the majority of the crossing, and one passenger was recorded continuously pumping air into the deflating hull to keep it afloat. Initially, Atak told investigators he had paid smuggling gangs €200 to secure a spot on the crossing himself, and denied he had acted as the boat’s pilot.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer John Turner emphasized the extreme recklessness of Atak’s actions, noting that disaster was only avoided because law enforcement intercepted the vessel before it sank or suffered a catastrophic failure. “His actions could have easily resulted in many deaths had this boat not been intercepted,” Turner said. “Not only did he place the lives of 165 migrants in severe peril, this flimsy vessel was entirely unsuitable for crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.”
UK Border Security and Asylum Minister Anna Turley labeled Atak an “evil criminal”, pointing to the conviction as proof of the government’s crackdown on people smuggling operations across the Channel. “He joins 16 other pilots sentenced in just three months for endangering lives with flimsy, overcrowded dinghies,” Turley said. “This is a stark reminder of the ruthless acts used by smuggling gangs to exploit desperate people for profit, but today shows there is nowhere for them to hide.”
In Atak’s defense, barrister Audrey Mogan argued that her client bore no responsibility for the dangerous conditions of the crossing. Mogan stated there was no evidence linking Atak to decisions around how many passengers were loaded onto the boat, the poor condition of the dinghy, or the lack of adequate safety equipment including working lifejackets and flares. She also told the court that Atak had fled extreme violence in his home country of South Sudan, where he witnessed atrocities including mass shootings, throat slashings and militia-initiated arson on civilian neighbourhoods.