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  • Thumping win cements Canada’s place as a ‘soccer nation’

    Thumping win cements Canada’s place as a ‘soccer nation’

    On a red-and-white swept Thursday at Vancouver’s sold-out BC Place Stadium, the Canadian men’s national soccer team etched its name into the country’s sports history books, delivering a sensational 6-0 blowout victory over Qatar in their opening match of the tournament. What fans had only dared to hope for a narrow, solid win turned into a rout that has redefined Canada’s standing on the global soccer stage, even as the nationwide celebration was softened by a devastating injury to star midfielder Ismaël Koné that cut his tournament short.

    In the hours before kickoff, the energy building across Vancouver was palpable. Thousands of diehard Canadian supporters marched the so-called “last mile” to the stadium, their path thick with red smoke flares, turning the streets of the west coast city into a sea of the nation’s signature colors. Across the country, from downtown Vancouver’s Granville Street to tiny neighborhood bars in Toronto, thousands more gathered at public watch parties, crammed together to cheer on Les Rouges, as the squad is nicknamed. For long-time Canadian soccer fan Dave Di Cola, who joined dozens of fellow supporters at a Toronto watch party, the mood heading into kickoff was cautious: he described his outlook as “reserved optimism”, knowing how unpredictable international soccer can be.

    That uncertainty evaporated almost as soon as the first whistle blew. Canada dominated from the opening minutes, netting three goals before halftime to put the game out of reach. Qatar’s challenge was further complicated when two of their players were sent off, opening the door for Canada to extend their lead to a final 6-0 score. Star striker Jonathan David bagged a hat-trick, cementing his place as the hero of the historic night – a moment memorialized in one viral social media photo that perfectly captured Canada’s shifting soccer identity: a fan wore an ice hockey jersey for Canadian hockey legend Connor McDavid, with the “Mc” covered by a hand-drawn “J” to honor David, blending the country’s long-held hockey obsession with its new passion for soccer.

    But the elation of the win was immediately dimmed when Koné suffered a severe leg break that forced him out of the tournament. The Ottawa-native has been a core piece of Canada’s midfield, and coach Jesse Marsch called him “a big part of the heart of our team.” After Koné went down, his teammates rushed to his side to support him as medics treated him on the pitch. Just minutes after coming on as substitute for Koné, Nathan Saliba scored Canada’s fourth goal – and held up Koné’s jersey to the crowd in a moving tribute. After undergoing successful surgery overnight, Koné posted a message on Instagram Friday morning saying, “What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever.”

    In a heartfelt post-match pep talk in the locker room, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney praised the entire squad for the extraordinary character they displayed in the face of adversity. “They showed a level of character that some people never achieve,” Carney told the team, speaking in front of a packed, cheering locker room. “You showed it when the entire country and a good part of the world is watching.”

    For long-time observers and fans of Canadian soccer, the lopsided win is far more than just three tournament points. For decades, Canadian soccer was sidelined, seen as a secondary sport behind hockey, basketball, and baseball. Di Cola, who has followed the team for years, noted that “Canada soccer has always been kind of a joke. It’s always always secondary.” But the outpouring of support across the country – from the sold-out stadium to packed watch parties from coast to coast – changed that narrative: Di Cola admitted the scene “nearly brought a tear to my eye.”

    Canada now joins a pantheon of iconic recent Canadian sports moments that includes Sidney Crosby’s 2010 Vancouver Olympic golden goal, the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA Championship, and the Canadian women’s soccer team’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medal. While Di Cola acknowledges that the team still has “a long way to go” to cement its status as a global soccer power, Thursday’s rout has already cemented the moment as one that transformed Canadian soccer. Fans across the country now look ahead with renewed momentum as Canada prepares to face Switzerland in their next group stage match.

  • Would you choose to take a 22-hour non-stop flight?

    Would you choose to take a 22-hour non-stop flight?

    For years, aviation firms have pushed the boundaries of long-haul travel, chasing non-stop connections between the world’s most distant major cities. The latest milestone turning heads in the travel industry is a newly announced route linking Sydney and London that will clock in at a staggering 22 hours of continuous flight time — a new record for the world’s longest commercial passenger flight. To gauge how everyday travelers feel about this unprecedented journey, the British Broadcasting Corporation hit the streets of Sydney to ask local residents a simple but pressing question: Would you book a ticket for this ultra-long-haul trip?

    Responses from Sydney locals ran the gamut, reflecting the divide between convenience and comfort that defines the debate around 20-plus-hour non-stop flights. Some frequent business travelers told the BBC they would jump at the chance to skip the hassle of connecting layovers, which can add half a day or more to total travel time between Australia and the United Kingdom. For these commuters, cutting out a stopover in Singapore, Dubai or Hong Kong means arriving at their destination faster and less disoriented, even with the extended time aloft.

    Other locals, however, pushed back on the idea of spending nearly an entire day confined to an airplane seat. Casual leisure travelers, in particular, expressed concern about cramped seating, limited mobility, and the physical toll of sitting for 22 consecutive hours. Many noted that the premium price tag typically attached to ultra-long-haul non-stop routes makes the option even less appealing for the average vacationer, who is often willing to endure a layover to cut down on travel costs. Some residents also pointed out that while the new route is a feat of aviation engineering, it may only serve a small niche of travelers rather than transforming mass travel between Australia and Europe.

    The launch of this new Sydney-London route marks a major turning point in the development of ultra-long-haul commercial aviation. In recent years, advances in aircraft design and fuel efficiency have allowed airlines to launch non-stop routes that were once considered economically or technically unfeasible. Industry analysts expect demand for these routes to grow in the coming decade, driven by business travelers and high-income leisure passengers willing to pay a premium for saved travel time. As airlines continue to stretch the limits of non-stop flight, the question of whether travelers are willing to embrace these record-breaking journeys will remain a key topic of discussion across global aviation and travel communities.

  • Cape Verde’s star goalkeeper Vozinha gets a family boost before Uruguay clash

    Cape Verde’s star goalkeeper Vozinha gets a family boost before Uruguay clash

    TAMPA, Florida — For 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, the 2024 FIFA World Cup has already delivered far more than he ever could have dreamed. Fresh off a man-of-the-match performance in his nation’s historic goalless draw against Spain that turned the veteran shot-stopper into a global social media sensation, he will step onto the pitch Sunday against Uruguay with his entire immediate family in the stands, a happy resolution to early visa complications that once threatened to keep his mother away.

    Born Josimar José Évora Dias, Vozinha earned global acclaim for his tenacious defensive display against European powerhouse Spain, a result that made Cape Verde the only debuting nation at this year’s tournament to avoid an opening-match defeat. The unexpected point has sparked wild celebrations among Cape Verdean fans at home and across the diaspora in the United States, with Vozinha’s standout play turning him into the face of the underdog nation’s historic World Cup run.

    Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday’s training session at Cape Verde’s Tampa training base, Vozinha called the presence of his family one of the most meaningful parts of his first World Cup experience. His father Jose Pedro Dias and brother Delmiro Évora Nascimento, a professional footballer himself, have already joined him in Florida, and his mother — who initially faced bureaucratic hurdles securing a U.S. travel visa — is confirmed to arrive before kickoff against Uruguay.

    “They always support me in everything I do, so having my mother here is something special,” Vozinha said. “My father is here too, and my brother as well, so I’m very happy.”

    Vozinha’s name carries its own World Cup legacy: his father told reporters he named his son after Josimar, the star Brazilian right-back who netted two goals and became a breakout star at the 1986 Mexico World Cup. “I watched the matches and fell in love with the Brazilian national team,” Dias explained. “There were a few players who stood out; one of them was Josimar, a right-back, who scored two goals and really made his mark at that World Cup.”

    Like thousands of Cape Verdean supporters who have traveled to the U.S. for the tournament, Dias said he is overcome with pride to see his son and his nation compete on soccer’s biggest stage. This marks Cape Verde’s first ever qualification for the World Cup, a milestone that once seemed unthinkable for the small archipelago nation of just 500,000 people off the west coast of Africa.

    “As a father, I feel immense pride. All Cape Verdeans right now feel proud to be Cape Verdean and of Cape Verde’s current performance; it’s something we could never have imagined would be possible,” he said.

    Vozinha’s brother echoed that sentiment, calling the moment a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the entire team. “I’ve no words to describe this moment,” he said. “We just have to live it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment for a professional footballer – to be at the World Cup, to play against Spain, to put in the performance he did.”

    Outside the Tampa training ground on Thursday, caravans of supporters packed into RVs, all dressed in the royal blue of Cape Verde’s flag and decked out in team merchandise, gathered to cheer on the team. For many of the fans in attendance, like Benjamin Ferrera, a Cape Verde-born resident of Massachusetts — home to the largest Cape Verdean diaspora community in the U.S., often nicknamed the nation’s “11th island” — the draw against Spain already feels like a win.

    Ferrera, who works on the security team at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium, one of this tournament’s host venues, said growing up he constantly heard that Cape Verde would never reach a World Cup. Today, that narrative has been completely upended.

    “I don’t have words for it, because nobody expected it. We are just 500,000 people on small islands. To be on this type of stage with the world watching us is just magnificent,” he said. “When I grew up, I always heard that Cape Verde doesn’t have football, that we would never make a World Cup. Today I’m proud to say we’re here and we are going to make history.”

    Andreia Levy, an organizer for the Cape Verde supporters’ group 12 Sharks, said the historic opening result felt preordained. “Of course, I trusted the guys,” she said. “We knew that it was possible to do something here.”

  • Lamine Yamal says he’s not fully fit and is unlikely to start in Spain’s second World Cup game

    Lamine Yamal says he’s not fully fit and is unlikely to start in Spain’s second World Cup game

    As the FIFA World Cup group stage progresses, 18-year-old soccer prodigy Lamine Yamal will almost certainly not earn a starting spot for Spain in Sunday’s highly anticipated Group H matchup against Saudi Arabia, as the teen star continues working through rehabilitation for a lingering left hamstring injury that has limited his fitness heading into the tournament.

    Yamal, one of the most high-profile young talents in global soccer and a key contributor to both Spain’s 2024 European Championship triumph and Barcelona’s La Liga title last season, entered the 2026 World Cup already managing the hamstring issue. He only featured as a late substitute in Spain’s opening group fixture against Cape Verde this week, a contest that ended in a underwhelming 0-0 draw for the European side against the first-time World Cup qualifier.

    In an interview with Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, Yamal opened up about his recovery timeline, emphasizing that rushing his return would carry unnecessary risk for both the player and the national team. “I’m fine, I feel good, but it’s still too soon,” Yamal said. “It’s unnecessary to take risks. I’m going through an adaptation process, it’s not the time to play a full match yet. But I can play as many minutes as the coach wants.”

    The 18-year-old entered the game against Cape Verde in the 71st minute, replacing a starter to add attacking spark to a stagnant Spanish offense, but he could not break through the Cape Verdean defense to secure three points for La Roja. Following Sunday’s matchup in Atlanta against Saudi Arabia, Spain will move to Guadalajara for a pivotal Group H clash with Uruguay, a match that is widely expected to decide which team tops the group, and a full-fit Yamal is viewed as critical to Spain’s success in that decisive fixture.

    Yamal also noted that fellow Spanish winger Nico Williams, who also arrived at the tournament managing an injury, is further along in his recovery than he is. “Physically he’s even better than me,” Yamal said. “We’re not in a rush. We have a great team with top-level players and we have to go step by step.”

    Despite his young age, Yamal has already established himself as one of the biggest drawcards of this World Cup, with his global popularity particularly visible on the ground in the United States, where the tournament is being hosted. A massive promotional billboard featuring Yamal’s image dominates the skyline outside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of Spain’s opening match of the tournament. When asked about his outsized popularity at just 18, the teen star said he has acclimated to the attention and remains focused on performing for fans. “I’m taking it naturally, it’s something I’m used to,” Yamal said. “I know what I represent both outside of Spain and in Spain. I try to always give my best, that’s what the fans want. If you have your image on that building, it’s because you can do things on the field that people like, things that excite them when they see you play.”

  • Mourners bury a 6-month-old Ebola victim in the Congo outbreak’s 3rd orphanage death

    Mourners bury a 6-month-old Ebola victim in the Congo outbreak’s 3rd orphanage death

    BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo – On a somber Friday morning in eastern Congo, hundreds of mourners gathered to lay to rest a six-month-old girl, the latest fatality from the country’s escalating Ebola outbreak and the third child from a local orphanage to lose their life to the virus in recent weeks. As the small pine coffin was carried to its final resting place, attendees held small wooden crosses and stood several meters apart to reduce infection risk, while only trained health workers clad in full personal protective equipment (PPE) – including face masks, thick gloves, and fluid-resistant gowns – were permitted to lower the casket. A Catholic priest led the brief funeral service, offering prayers for the infant and comfort to grieving community members.

    “It is a profound sadness to lose one of our own, a child of this congregation,” said Father Innocent Ndogo, opening the service. “As we have always believed, the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.”

    The ongoing outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, is centered in Congo’s Ituri region, which has recorded more than 90% of all confirmed cases to date. Efforts to contain the spread have been severely hampered by repeated community clashes with response teams, rooted in longstanding distrust of public health measures and anger over altered burial practices that are required to stop transmission. The outbreak response has also faced criticism for its occasional militarization, which has further alienated local populations.

    Unlike the more common Zaire strain of Ebola – which has driven 16 of Congo’s previous outbreaks and has an approved, effective vaccine – the Bundibugyo strain has no licensed treatment or preventative vaccine. For many frontline workers, even basic PPE remains in short supply, leaving them exposed to the virus as they carry out critical contact tracing and safe burial work. Early in the outbreak, diagnostic testing for Bundibugyo was not widely available, meaning cases were misidentified as the more common Zaire strain, allowing the virus to spread undetected for weeks – a gap that public health officials now cite as a key reason for the outbreak’s current scale.

    During an official visit to Bunia on the same day as the funeral, Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba released the latest official case count, confirming 933 confirmed infections and 245 deaths across affected regions. To expand access to care, Kamba announced that all healthcare facilities in Ituri would offer free Ebola-related treatment moving forward, and that hazard pay bonuses for frontline healthcare workers would be doubled to retain critical staff during the crisis.

    Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) updated their contact tracing data a day prior, reporting that more than 35,000 people who may have been exposed to the virus are currently being monitored, one of the largest contact tracing operations the continent has seen in recent years. While the current outbreak has caused hundreds of deaths, it remains far less severe than the 2014 West African Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people across multiple countries.

    Alex Lock, communications officer at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which is supporting the outbreak response, warned against global indifference to the crisis, noting the human cost of each new case. “She was a baby. She had her whole life ahead of her. Unfortunately, she was taken by the disease, a disease that, as you know, is transmitted from one person to another,” Lock said, emphasizing the urgent need for additional global support.

    Though the outbreak is concentrated in Ituri, cases have now been recorded in neighboring North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and the virus has crossed the international border into Uganda. Ugandan health authorities have confirmed 19 cases and two deaths linked to the Congo outbreak, prompting regional public health alerts. Donors and global health organizations have begun deploying additional resources, but many response teams warn that more support is urgently needed to stop the outbreak from spreading further across East Africa.

  • Two trains collide north of London, killing at least 1 person and injuring dozens

    Two trains collide north of London, killing at least 1 person and injuring dozens

    A catastrophic collision between two passenger trains north of London on Friday has claimed at least one life and left 89 other people hurt with varying degrees of severity, prompting emergency responders from multiple agencies to launch a large-scale rescue operation.

    The crash unfolded shortly after 5:15 p.m. in open countryside just outside the town of Bedford, a roughly one-hour drive north of the British capital. According to initial rail tracking data, both trains were bound for London’s busy St. Pancras International station, a major transport hub connecting domestic and international routes across the UK.

    Peter Knapp, a passenger traveling in the rear of the two trains, recalled the sudden, shocking impact that caught everyone on board completely off guard. “There was no warning at all,” he described in an on-scene interview. “I was thrown forward straight into the chair in front of me, and almost immediately we saw smoke fill the carriage. People were crying, screaming, panicked and confused about what had just happened.”
    After pulling himself to his feet, Knapp said he witnessed horrific casualties among his fellow passengers. “So many people couldn’t move, many had obvious broken bones and broken legs. A lot couldn’t even speak,” he said. Narrowly escaping harm himself, Knapp was able to squeeze through a damaged gap in the train carriage doors to reach safety outside.

    Footage and imagery shared on social media platforms in the hours after the crash show dozens of evacuated passengers gathered along a road running parallel to the accident site, surrounded by a fleet of emergency response vehicles. While some passengers who avoided injury waited to be transported to safe reception centers, others with visible wounds were already receiving on-site first aid from paramedics.

    In an official confirmation shortly after the crash, local police confirmed one fatality and multiple injuries, activating a major incident protocol to coordinate the multi-agency response. “Officers are continuing to work alongside colleagues from Bedfordshire Police, local fire and rescue teams and ambulance services to respond to the scene,” the force said in a public statement.

    The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed it dispatched a large contingent of emergency resources, including a helicopter air ambulance and specialized hazardous incident response teams, to treat casualties and transport them to regional trauma centers. As of Friday evening, service officials confirmed 11 people sustained life-threatening critical injuries, an additional 22 people suffered serious but non-life-threatening harm, and another 56 people have minor injuries from the collision.

    The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT), which represents the majority of railway staff across the UK, said it was closely monitoring the developing situation and extending its support to affected workers and passengers. The union expressed deep concern over early reports that both train crew and passengers suffered serious injuries in the crash.

    Train operator East Midlands Railway, which ran both of the collided services, confirmed the involved trains were the 4:40 p.m. service from Corby to St. Pancras, and the 3:50 p.m. service from Nottingham to the same central London terminus. In the immediate aftermath of the collision, the operator canceled all services traveling to and from St. Pancras for the remainder of Friday, and as of Friday evening had not been able to confirm whether normal service would resume on Saturday.

    Investigations into the root cause of the collision are still in their early stages, with authorities yet to release details on what led to the two trains traveling in the same direction to collide.

  • How can Andy Burnham become prime minister and what comes next for Britain?

    How can Andy Burnham become prime minister and what comes next for Britain?

    In a political earthquake that has upended Britain’s domestic political landscape, former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has secured a landslide victory in the Makerfield constituency by-election, catapulting him directly into position as the clear frontrunner to become the United Kingdom’s next prime minister.

    Burnham’s stunning win in the early hours of Friday defied every recent political trend in the northern, working-class dominated seat. Just one month prior, Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK had delivered a crushing blow to Labour in Makerfield during local elections, opening a 20-point lead over the incumbent party. Against all polling expectations, however, Burnham captured 55% of the by-election vote to Reform’s 35%, handing the insurgent right-wing party its second high-profile by-election defeat of 2025, following a second-place finish behind the Greens in the Gorton and Denton contest in February.

    This double defeat seriously undermines Reform’s core narrative that a Farage-led government is an inevitable outcome of the next general election. Political analysts now agree that Burnham’s victory has shifted the entire trajectory of British party politics.

    Within the Parliamentary Labour Party, Burnham already commands widespread popularity, with dozens of MPs now viewing him as Labour’s best chance to secure a stable majority in the next election. Polling on his impact is split: some analysts predict his leadership would boost Labour’s national support by multiple percentage points, while others argue the shift would be more modest, and leave Labour still neck-and-neck with Reform.

    The path to Downing Street for Burnham is already laid out in Labour Party rulebook. To trigger a leadership challenge against incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he only needs the public backing of 81 Labour MPs, plus support from 5% of local Labour party branches or three party-affiliated groups, including at least two major trade unions. A challenge would then proceed to a membership-wide vote. If Starmer chooses to resign voluntarily, Burnham could even secure an uncontested “coronation” to the leadership.

    Notably, Burnham’s inner circle has actively discouraged junior ministers from resigning en masse to force Starmer out, a dramatic escalation that would risk splitting the party. Instead, the frontrunner prefers to give Starmer space to announce a voluntary timetable for stepping down. A senior anonymous campaign source quoted by The Guardian noted: “If they’re trying to force Keir’s hand with a kamikaze approach it will ultimately be counterproductive.”

    If Starmer steps aside, Burnham could be sworn in as prime minister within a matter of weeks. But multiple Westminster sources confirm the incumbent prime minister remains determined to hold onto his position, and is prepared to fight any leadership challenge head-on. Still, few political insiders in Westminster believe Starmer can survive the current momentum behind Burnham, with many already describing him as a “dead man walking.”

    A shortened, accelerated leadership contest lasting only a few weeks is also a likely outcome, which could see Burnham face off against Starmer and former Health Secretary Wes Streeting. While Streeting’s allies claim he has already secured the required 81 MP nominations to get on the ballot, polling consistently shows he is far less popular with rank-and-file Labour members than even Starmer, let alone Burnham.

    Politically, Burnham is positioned on the soft left of the Labour Party, and is often described as a pragmatic politician who has adjusted his policy stances over his decades in public life. During his tenure as Greater Manchester mayor, he and his allies developed a distinct economic philosophy dubbed “Manchesterism,” which he now proposes to roll out nationally. The framework calls for a far more interventionist approach to the UK economy than Starmer’s cautious platform: it is not full socialism, but represents a clear break from four decades of privatization and centralized political control. In Burnham’s own words, Manchesterism is a “modern and functional response to the high-inequality, low-growth trap that came from the 1980s drive to privatise economic power and overcentralise political power in the Treasury.” He has already publicly committed to bringing water and energy utilities back into public ownership if he takes office.

    Still, open questions remain about what version of Burnham would govern as prime minister. During the by-election campaign, he signaled he would retain key planks of Starmer’s policy agenda, most notably the current government’s aggressive push to cut net immigration levels. This pivot is widely interpreted as an attempt to win over working-class voters who have drifted to Reform in recent years, but it has already become a key point of attack for the Green Party, which has seen a major surge in national support under Starmer’s leadership.

    While the Greens captured just 0.7% of the vote in Makerfield, political analysts note the party has never prioritized the constituency, focusing its resources instead on the upcoming Manchester mayoral race, where they believe they have a credible shot at victory. In last month’s local elections, the Greens actually inflicted more damage on Labour’s vote share across the country than Reform did, a fact Burnham and his team are acutely aware of. Some of Burnham’s left-leaning economic policies could help win back disaffected Green-leaning voters, but foreign policy and immigration remain major flashpoints.

    Green Party co-deputy leader Mothin Ali publicly criticized Burnham on Friday over his immigration stance and his refusal during the campaign to label Israeli military actions in Gaza as genocide. Burnham largely avoided discussing foreign policy during the by-election, with internal Labour sources confirming he and his team believed the issue would not help him win over Makerfield voters. But if he wants to win over the Labour membership, which overwhelmingly supports stronger action to address the crisis in Gaza, he will be forced to take a clearer stance on the issue. A shift toward a stronger condemnation of Israeli military actions would also help him undercut the Greens and win back left-wing voters who have abandoned Labour in recent years.

    Political events are expected to move rapidly over the coming week, and many outcomes remain uncertain at this stage. It remains unclear whether Burnham will move quickly to claim the premiership, whether a prolonged public leadership contest will unfold, or whether Starmer will ultimately concede that his time as leader has come to an end. What is certain, however, is that the United Kingdom’s political landscape will be fundamentally reshaped by the outcome of the Makerfield by-election, regardless of what comes next.

  • A boat with migrants capsized north off Libya, leaving 51 dead or missing, group says

    A boat with migrants capsized north off Libya, leaving 51 dead or missing, group says

    CAIRO – A devastating new tragedy has struck the perilous central Mediterranean migration route, after a smuggling boat carrying dozens of migrants hoping to reach Europe capsized off Libya’s eastern coast last week, leaving 51 people confirmed dead or missing, a regional migration monitoring group confirmed Friday.

    The Abreen Organization, which documents migrant movements across eastern Libya, reported that 10 migrants managed to survive the June 12 shipwreck. So far, recovery teams have pulled 11 bodies from the waters or shoreline, while 40 additional passengers remain unaccounted for, the group confirmed.

    This latest incident underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis that has plagued the Mediterranean Sea for decades. Libya’s extensive northern coastline has long been the primary departure point for migrants from across Africa and the Middle East fleeing conflict, poverty, and political instability, who seek safety and better economic opportunities in Europe. Human smuggling networks operate with near-impunity across Libya, packing hundreds of desperate migrants into overcrowded, unseaworthy boats ill-suited for the open ocean crossing. Thousands have lost their lives attempting this dangerous journey year after year.

    Local authorities confirmed that recovery efforts have been ongoing for days. The Libyan coast guard and the Red Crescent branch based in the eastern Libyan port city of Tobruk confirmed that bodies began washing ashore in the area over the 24-hour period ending Friday, releasing footage that showed rescue teams carrying remains wrapped in white body bags onto the beach.

    Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) highlights the scale of the crisis. Between January 1 and May 16 of this year alone, more than 800 migrants were recorded as dead or missing along the central Mediterranean migration route. In all of 2023, the IOM documented more than 1,300 deaths and disappearances on the route.

    Libya descended into widespread political chaos and civil conflict following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed long-time authoritarian ruler Moammar Gadhafi, creating a power vacuum that smuggling networks have exploited to expand their operations. In the years since, the country has become the world’s busiest transit hub for migrants heading to Europe, with criminal networks moving people across Libya’s unpatrolled, 4,300-kilometer border it shares with six neighboring countries.

    Migrants who survive the crossing attempt but are intercepted by Libyan authorities face further danger: those returned to Libya are typically held in overcrowded, government-run detention centers where systemic abuse is rampant. A UN-commissioned investigation has documented widespread human rights violations in these facilities, including forced labor, sexual violence, beatings, and torture, with many of these abuses classified as crimes against humanity under international law.

    This incident is the latest in a long string of maritime disasters that have drawn repeated international condemnation, yet policy solutions to address the root causes of the crisis remain stalled. For more coverage of global migration trends, visit AP News’ dedicated migration hub.

  • Pétanque player, 68, dies after being ‘hit in head with metal boule’

    Pétanque player, 68, dies after being ‘hit in head with metal boule’

    A shocking incident of fatal violence rooted in a long-simmering local rivalry has rocked the quiet Atlantic coastal resort town of Mimizan, in southwestern France, leaving one 68-year-old pétanque enthusiast dead and an 81-year-old suspect in custody. The tragedy unfolded on June 17 at the town’s indoor pétanque court, known locally as a boulodrome, amid an unusual heatwave that pushed many locals to seek relief from scorching temperatures.

  • Vance tells Israel Trump is ‘your only ally’ left as Iran talks postponed

    Vance tells Israel Trump is ‘your only ally’ left as Iran talks postponed

    Tensions between the U.S. government and Israeli leadership have escalated sharply this week, after Vice President JD Vance delivered a blunt public warning to Israeli officials: President Donald Trump is the only major world leader still sympathetic to their cause, and they risk damaging their most critical security partnership by attacking the newly signed U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU).

    Speaking at a White House press briefing Thursday, Vance pushed back against fierce Israeli criticism of the draft agreement, which includes a reported $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and paves the way for 60 days of formal negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program and relief from international economic sanctions. The MoU, which aims to end months of open conflict between the two nations, has sparked widespread outrage across Israel’s political spectrum, with many leaders arguing the deal effectively grants Tehran a major strategic victory.

    Vance laid out a clear two-part message for Israeli cabinet members considering continued public opposition. “Number 1: Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” he told reporters. “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”

    Israeli officials have also voiced particular anger over provisions in the MoU that require an immediate end to Israel’s ongoing war in Lebanon, with multiple senior figures saying they will refuse to comply with the terms. Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, has been one of the deal’s most vocal opponents, insisting Israeli forces will maintain their presence in occupied southern Lebanese territory indefinitely. In an interview with *The New York Times*, Vance pushed back against hardline positions from Ben Gvir and fellow far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, questioning their alternative approach to long-term security. “What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of 9 million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” Vance said.

    The political confrontation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu navigates a challenging path ahead of scheduled October national elections, as he works to shore up sagging approval ratings for his ruling coalition. During a press conference Monday, Netanyahu claimed Israel had secured decisive victories in all recent conflicts across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. He also doubled down on his government’s 2025 and 2022 pre-emptive strikes against Iranian nuclear targets, arguing that inaction would have allowed Tehran to develop a functional nuclear weapon.

    Vance reminded Israeli leaders of the depth of U.S. security support that has sustained their country for decades, noting that roughly two-thirds of the defensive military equipment Israel relies on for national protection are manufactured in the United States and funded by American taxpayer dollars. “The problem for Israel is not Donald Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in,” he added.

    Uncertainty already hangs over the next phase of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. The first formal negotiating session, scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, has been postponed indefinitely, with the White House announcing late Thursday that Vice President Vance would not attend the upcoming round of direct talks, citing unresolvable “logistical complications” that made the trip unfeasible.

    Fresh violence on Friday has further complicated prospects for a peaceful resolution, as Israel launched new air strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon. Lebanese official counts confirm 18 civilians and combatants were killed in the strikes, while Hezbollah carried out one of its deadliest attacks of the entire conflict, killing four Israeli soldiers including a senior battalion commander. The sudden escalation has reinforced fears that the ceasefire called for in the U.S.-Iran MoU could collapse before formal negotiations even get underway.