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AdvertisementAmericas and the CaribbeanWorldAmericasUS to send survivors of strike on suspected drug vessel back to Ecuador and ColombiaThe pair were picked up by the US military after American forces attacked a submersible vessel in the Caribbean
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAssociated PressPublished: 6:18am, 19 Oct 2025The two survivors of an American military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean will be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday.
AdvertisementThe military rescued the pair after striking a submersible vessel on Thursday, in what was at least the sixth such attack since early September.
“It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route,” Trump said in a social media post.
“U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal na..

AdvertisementIsrael-Gaza warWorldMiddle EastRafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay closed, Israeli PM saysThe crossing is a key gateway into Gaza, and Hamas says the closure prevents entry of equipment needed to find more hostage bodies
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPReutersPublished: 5:53am, 19 Oct 2025The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding its reopening will depend on Hamas handing over bodies of deceased hostages.
AdvertisementNetanyahu’s statement came shortly after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt announced that the Rafah crossing, the main gateway for Gazans to leave and enter the enclave, would reopen on Monday for entry into Gaza.
Hamas, in a statement late on Saturday, said Netanyahu’s decision “constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a repudiation of the commitments he made to the mediators and guarantor parties”.
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The defence attorneys argued in a new court filing that public comments and social media posts have denied him the right to a fair trial.The 27-year-old faces federal charges, including two counts of stalking, one count of murder through the use of a firearm, and one firearms offence in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last December.Mangione fighting 'full force' of US government alone
In a letter submitted to a New York federal court on Friday, Mangione’s legal team said the government’s public statements are influencing public opinion and undermining the fairness of his case, reports NBC news. “Mr. Mangione is one young man, alleged to have acted alone, fighting for his life in three separate cases, against the full force and might of the entirety of the United States Government that is actively and persistently using him as a pawn to further its political agenda. This is the very definition of prejudicial where the cons..

Colonel Michael Randrianirina, former CAPSAT commander, assumed Madagascar’s presidency after leading troops into Antananarivo, following Gen Z protests ousting Andry Rajoelina/ Image composite: AP Colonel Michael Randrianirina, once a relatively obscure military officer, is now Madagascar’s most powerful figure. Days after leading his elite CAPSAT unit into the streets of Antananarivo to join youth-led protests demanding President Andry Rajoelina’s resignation, Randrianirina was sworn in as the country’s leader. His ascent, coming after a brief imprisonment for an alleged mutiny, has transformed a soldier from the southernmost reaches of Madagascar into the head of state.Early life and military career Randrianirina was born in 1974 in Sevohipoty, a small village in the Androy region of southern Madagascar. Little is publicly known about his family, but his career path reflects a steady rise through the military ranks. He served as governor of Androy from 2016 to 2018 under former Pres..