分类： world

Plane that went missing en route to Tobago found

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — Authorities from St. Vincent and the Grenadines announced Monday that the Dominican-registered aircraft that vanished over the Southern Caribbean during a flight to Tobago over the weekend has been successfully located, with all people on board confirmed alive. Deputy Prime Minister and National Security Minister St. Clair Leacock shared the update during a public radio interview, confirming that coordinated search efforts by international, regional, and local security agencies led to the discovery of the twin-engine plane. However, he declined to disclose the exact site where the aircraft was found.

According to an official statement released by the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Sustainable Development, the aircraft, a Beechcraft B58T or 58P Pressurized Baron registered as HI-1145, departed Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent at 11:52 a.m. local time this past Friday. Two people were on board when the plane took off, and it was scheduled to complete its 65-minute flight and land at ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago shortly after departure.

Leacock told radio listeners that he had maintained constant communication with local police leadership and key regional security bodies throughout the search operation. These partners included the Barbados-headquartered Regional Security System (RSS) and the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (Impacs), a security arm of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) based in Trinidad. He confirmed that authorities have already compiled identifying information on the people connected to the missing flight, but stated that “I cannot share all of the information that we have on it.”

The senior official explained that disclosing sensitive operational details at this stage could put ongoing investigative work by participating agencies at risk. He added that intelligence and security teams are continuing to closely monitor the situation to determine next steps. Notably, Leacock emphasized that authorities are prioritizing the people on the aircraft rather than the plane itself, noting “aircraft don’t fly [by] itself — [it is] the people who fly in that aircraft” that are the central focus of the ongoing operation, as officials work to determine an appropriate course of action moving forward.

Before all contact with the plane was lost, it was being tracked via the popular public flight monitoring platform Flightradar24. Data from the site showed the aircraft was operating under visual flight rules, cruising at an altitude of 4,025 feet with a ground speed of 142 knots. Tracking signals cut off abruptly mid-flight over the Southern Caribbean Sea, with the last known signal placing the aircraft in the vicinity of Grenadian or Venezuelan territorial waters.

15 6 月, 2026
Missing plane heading for Tobago has been located

A missing small twin-engine aircraft that vanished mid-flight between St Vincent and Tobago has been successfully located, with no loss of life reported, according to top security officials from St Vincent and the Grenadines. Deputy Prime Minister and National Security Minister Major St Clair Leacock confirmed the breakthrough in an interview on a local radio program Monday, but has kept key details including the plane’s exact location and the events that led to its disappearance under wraps. Leacock emphasized that sensitive operational details cannot be released to the public at this stage, as disclosing information could jeopardize the active security probe still underway. Unlike conventional search efforts that prioritize recovering the aircraft first, authorities are centering their work on the two people who were on board when the plane went missing. “Aircraft do not pilot themselves, so our priority is the individuals aboard this flight, not the machine itself,” Leacock explained. Since the aircraft was reported missing on Friday, Leacock said he has maintained continuous communication with local police leadership, the Regional Security System (RSS), and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) to coordinate the response. Leacock’s announcement came just hours after Trinidad and Tobago’s Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Eli Zakour publicly stated that search operations remained the government’s top priority, and that no contact had been established with the missing craft at that time. Zakour shared flight details that identified the plane as a Beechcraft Baron 58, registered under the name HI-1145 to the Dominican Republic. It departed Argyle International Airport in St Vincent at 11:52 a.m. Friday, carrying two people on a scheduled 65-minute flight bound for ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago. Records confirm the aircraft was fueled for roughly five hours of flight time, far exceeding the duration of the planned journey. The last recorded radio contact with the plane happened at approximately 12:11 p.m. through Argyle Approach Control, just moments before all communication cut off unexpectedly. Immediately after contact was lost, Piarco Area Control Centre activated full emergency search-and-rescue protocols, launching a coordinated operation with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and multiple regional search-and-rescue organizations. Both private and military aircraft were dispatched to scour the plane’s last recorded position, but initial search teams returned without finding any wreckage or visual signs of the downed craft. Flight tracking data from popular aviation monitoring platform Flightradar24 shows the twin-engine plane was operating under visual flight rules, cruising at an altitude of roughly 4,025 feet at a speed of 142 knots, before tracking stopped abruptly over the southern Caribbean Sea. In the days before its disappearance, the plane is reported to have operated without any mechanical issues, completing multiple routine flights between the island of Canouan and mainland St Vincent. To date, neither Leacock nor any participating regional authority have released additional details: the location of the recovered plane, the current condition of the two people on board, and whether any formal criminal investigation has been opened remain undisclosed. The full circumstances that led to the plane’s disappearance remain the subject of an active, ongoing investigation.

15 6 月, 2026
Hoe Pakistan een akkoord tussen de VS en Iran bereikte na meer dan 100 dagen oorlog

Three months of devastating conflict between the United States and Iran that claimed thousands of lives and upended global energy markets has finally come to a close, thanks to behind-the-scenes, relentless mediation led by Pakistan that few observers believed could succeed. In a rare public disclosure to Pakistan’s National Assembly on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed the critical, unacknowledged role the country’s powerful military leadership played in keeping negotiations from collapsing at multiple junctures.

15 6 月, 2026
U.S. and Iran to Sign Agreement Ending Over 100 Days of War

Four months of open military conflict between the United States and Iran will come to a formal close this week, after negotiators finalized a landmark ceasefire agreement set for signing in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday. But the fragile truce faces a major existential threat before the ink is even dry: Israel’s steadfast refusal to pull its occupying forces out of Lebanese territory, a core condition of the deal.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced the terms of the agreement in an official statement released on Sunday, confirming that all military operations across every active front—including the conflict zone in Lebanon—would cease immediately and permanently as of Sunday night. The statement also confirmed that the full U.S.-led naval blockade on Iranian territorial waters would be lifted without delay, opening global shipping lanes to commercial traffic once again.

Pakistan, which played a key behind-the-scenes role as the neutral mediator for the months-long negotiations, confirmed the upcoming signing ceremony in a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister added that following the initial ceasefire signing, negotiators will enter a 60-day extended negotiating window to hammer out a full, comprehensive long-term agreement that addresses outstanding geopolitical disputes between the two nations.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been a prominent voice pushing for an end to the conflict, celebrated the breakthrough on his social media platform Saturday. “I hereby fully authorise the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorise the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” he wrote.

The deal almost collapsed entirely just hours before it was finalized, however, when Israeli Defense Forces carried out a strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut. Trump told U.S. news outlet Axios in an interview that he was “furious” over the uncoordinated attack, which delayed the finalization of the ceasefire by multiple hours, and hit out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing he had demonstrated poor judgment in greenlighting the strike.

Tensions remain high after the ceasefire announcement, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirming Monday that Israeli forces will maintain an open-ended military presence in Lebanese territory, as well as positions in Syria and Gaza. That stance puts the entire agreement at risk, according to veteran Israeli political commentator Gideon Levy, who spoke to Al Jazeera Monday. “It’s very, very fragile,” Levy said of the truce. “Israel is still in Lebanon, has no intention to withdraw from Lebanon, and as long as the troops are there, there will be no total ceasefire.” The comment echoes broader warnings from global analysts that unresolved Israeli occupation of Lebanese land could reignite cross-border violence and unravel the U.S.-Iran breakthrough.

15 6 月, 2026
Missing Dominican aircraft found in Caribbean; two crew members alive

A multi-day cross-regional search operation for a small aircraft that vanished over the Caribbean Sea has concluded in a hopeful outcome: authorities from St. Vincent and the Grenadines confirmed Monday that the missing Dominican Republic-registered plane has been located, and the two crew members on board have been pulled from the area alive and unharmed.

The twin-engine aircraft in question is a Beech 58P Pressurized Baron, marked with the registration number HI-1145. It dropped off air traffic control radars on Friday, shortly after departing Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The plane was en route to A.N.R. Robinson International Airport in Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, a short flight scheduled to take just over one hour to complete. Its sudden disappearance immediately triggered a large-scale multinational search mobilization, bringing together aviation, security and emergency response agencies from across the Caribbean region.

Clair Leacock, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, made the official announcement of the plane’s recovery in a radio address. Leacock credited the breakthrough to close coordinated collaboration between local, regional and international law enforcement and emergency teams. While he confirmed the critical positive update that both people on board had survived with no fatalities reported, he declined to release the exact location where the aircraft was located or share specific details about how the rescue operation unfolded.

“I cannot share all the information we have on this matter,” Leacock stated during the interview. He clarified that the decision to withhold additional details comes out of concern that premature disclosure could compromise active intelligence gathering and ongoing investigative work into what caused the plane to go missing.

Flight tracking logs give a clearer picture of the plane’s final moments before contact was lost. At approximately 11:52 a.m. on Friday, the aircraft stopped communicating with air traffic controllers. Before its signal cut out, the plane was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), cruising at an altitude of around 4,025 feet with a ground speed of roughly 142 knots. Its last recorded position placed it over the southern Caribbean Sea, close to the territorial waters of either Grenada or Venezuela, a location that had stoked anxiety among aviation officials and the crew’s family members waiting for updates in the days after the disappearance.

In the immediate aftermath of the plane going off radar, local officials maintained constant, real-time communication with leading regional security bodies to coordinate the search. The Regional Security System (RSS) and the Caribbean Community’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) both took part in the operation, alongside local emergency teams. Leacock added that investigators have already gathered additional information about the two people on board the flight, but all details will remain under wraps until the inquiry progresses further.

This successful recovery brings a rare positive close to a high-stakes regional search that pulled resources from multiple Caribbean nations after the small plane vanished over open water. Authorities have indicated that they will publish a full update on the incident and the investigation’s findings once the inquiry is complete.

15 6 月, 2026
UN Chief António Guterres praises Dominican Republic’s key role in Haiti stabilization efforts

On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres touched down in the Dominican Republic for an official visit centered on the spiraling humanitarian and security crisis in neighboring Haiti, with a core schedule that includes high-level talks with Dominican President Luis Abinader.

Shortly after arriving at Las Américas International Airport, Guterres opened his remarks by praising the Dominican government and public for their unwavering backing of global initiatives to bring stability back to Haiti, emphasizing that the country has emerged as a linchpin for multilateral action targeting the ongoing emergency.

“On behalf of the entire United Nations, I extend my deepest gratitude to the Dominican Republic for its extraordinary generosity,” Guterres stated. “The country’s support has enabled us to rapidly stand up a support mission for the newly activated Gang Suppression Force in Haiti. This milestone would not have been achieved at such speed without the Dominican Republic’s firm commitment, openhandedness, and seamless cooperation.”

The UN leader specifically highlighted the Dominican Republic’s critical role in securing the passage of a United Nations Security Council resolution that greenlit the creation of the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF). The joint mission is tasked with aiding Haitian national authorities in cracking down on surging gang-related violence and reestablishing foundational security across the country.

Guterres’ visit unfolds against a backdrop of deepening crisis in Haiti, where heavily armed criminal gangs currently hold sway over large swathes of national territory and have brought most essential public services to a halt. For months, the Dominican Republic has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the spillover risks of Haitian instability, urging the international community to ramp up its engagement and warning that unaddressed chaos poses severe threats to broader regional security.

Over the past several years, the Dominican government has led an active diplomatic push at the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), and other major global multilateral bodies, pushing the international community to take on greater responsibility for resolving the protracted crisis.

Beyond diplomatic advocacy, the Dominican Republic has delivered tangible, on-the-ground support to global stabilization efforts. This includes providing medical care for personnel deployed to Haiti, offering critical logistical and transit support, and setting up a dedicated support office for the GSF on its own territory.

During his time in the country, Guterres is scheduled to hold in-depth talks with President Abinader covering regional security frameworks, enhanced international cooperation, and ongoing work to shore up stability and support long-term development in Haiti. Following these meetings, the UN chief will proceed to Haiti to continue his official agenda.

The high-profile visit underscores the sharp increase in international attention focused on Haiti’s worsening crisis, while also cementing the Dominican Republic’s standing as a central regional partner in global efforts to deliver security, humanitarian aid, and lasting stability to the troubled Caribbean nation.

15 6 月, 2026
Judge upholds involuntary manslaughter charges in Jet Set Nightclub collapse case

One of the deadliest structural failures in recent Dominican Republic history has moved a major step closer to criminal justice, after a Santo Domingo court ruled that the owners of the collapsed Jet Set nightclub will stand trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter.

The defendants, siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, have been linked to the catastrophic April 8, 2025 roof collapse that claimed 236 lives and left more than 180 people injured. The tragedy unfolded in the early hours of the morning, when the venue was packed for a weekly Monday night event headlined by iconic merengue performer Rubby Pérez, who was counted among the fatalities. Official timelines place the sudden structural failure at roughly 12:44 a.m., when hundreds of attendees were inside the establishment.

First Court of Instruction of the National District Judge Raymundo Mejía issued the ruling to move the case to a full trial, upholding the involuntary manslaughter legal classification that formalizes the criminal proceedings against the pair. In addition to ordering the trial, the court approved the seizure of assets worth 500 million Dominican pesos owned by the Espaillat siblings, and maintained existing pre-trial coercive measures. These restrictions include a 50 million peso financial guarantee, mandatory regular check-ins with law enforcement authorities, and an active travel ban that bars the defendants from leaving the country.

Legal observers had widely expected the trial referral, as the Espaillats’ legal team had previously indicated they did not oppose moving the case to trial so long as all proceedings followed formal legal protocols. During the pre-trial hearing, the court heard arguments from three key groups: defense counsel for the siblings, prosecutors from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and legal representatives for victims and their surviving families, all of whom formally requested a full trial on the merits of the case. After reviewing all submitted evidence and arguments, Judge Mejía took time to deliberate before releasing his final ruling.

Given the massive scope of the tragedy, more than 200 fatalities alone, the number of involved parties far outstripped the limited seating capacity of the courtroom. To address overcrowding concerns while upholding commitments to transparency, judicial officials arranged for a free public live online broadcast of the entire hearing, allowing victims’ families, journalists and the general public to follow the proceedings remotely.

The upcoming full trial will mark a critical milestone for survivors and bereaved relatives, as it will examine in depth the underlying structural and operational factors that led to the collapse, and ultimately rule on whether the Espaillat siblings bear criminal responsibility for the deaths and injuries caused by the disaster.

15 6 月, 2026
Bahamian student suspected in Florida stabbing found dead

A 21-year-old Bahamian student studying in Florida has been named by law enforcement as the primary suspect in a double stabbing incident close to the University of South Florida, before his body was discovered at a nearby apartment complex hours after the attack.

According to official statements from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect, Hansel Pearson, who hails from Grand Bahama, is accused of stabbing his roommate and a second individual in a pre-dawn assault at the Halo 46 Apartments in Tampa last Wednesday. The violent incident unfolded on June 10.

Local law enforcement deputies were dispatched to the apartment complex located on North 46th Street at approximately 4:30 a.m., responding to an emergency 911 call placed by one of the victims, who reported that both he and another person had sustained stab wounds. Both injured victims were quickly transported to a local medical facility for treatment, and as of the initial investigation, their conditions were marked as stable.

Investigative teams have confirmed that Pearson and one of the victims are roommates and both enrolled as students at the University of South Florida. The second victim, however, has no known connection to the higher education institution.

Roughly half a day after the stabbing attack, Pearson’s body was found at the Union on Fletcher Apartments, a residential location just one mile away from the scene of the stabbing. The discovery prompted law enforcement to open a separate death investigation into the circumstances of Pearson’s passing. To date, authorities have not released any details regarding how Pearson died, nor have they made public any confirmed motive that may have sparked the stabbing attack.

News of Pearson’s death has been met with grief from his family. A relative shared a public mourning post on Facebook, identifying Pearson as her grandson and writing that his passing has left her with deep and overwhelming emotional pain. She shared that she believes Pearson has been reunited in heaven with his father, who passed away before him, noting that this loss has left her feeling as if she has lost two sons instead of one.

When contacted by local Bahamian news outlet The Tribune this week, an aunt of Pearson based in Grand Bahama said the family has no interest in speaking to the media about the incident. The Tribune also reached out to Tyeson McKenzie, Bahamas Consul General based in Miami, who confirmed that Bahamian consular officials are still in the process of reviewing the case and gathering details about the incident.

15 6 月, 2026
Missing plane found, no loss of lives

In an official update released Monday, the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has confirmed that a Dominican Republic-registered aircraft that disappeared mid-flight last weekend while traveling to Tobago has been located, with all people on board alive. The announcement came from Deputy Prime Minister and National Security Minister St Clair Leacock during a local radio address, who noted that a coordinated search effort involving international, regional and local agencies successfully tracked down the twin-engine plane. However, he declined to disclose the exact location of the recovered aircraft.

A prior public notice from the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Sustainable Development outlined the basic details of the flight: the plane, identified as a B58T or 58P Pressurized Beechcraft Baron with registration number HI-1145, departed Argyle International Airport in St Vincent at 11:52 a.m. local time this past Friday, carrying only two people on board. The aircraft was scheduled to complete its 65-minute journey and land at Tobago’s A.N.R. Robinson International Airport shortly after departure.

Leacock told radio listeners that he had maintained constant communication with local police leadership and regional security bodies throughout the search operation, including the Barbados-headquartered Regional Security System (RSS) and the Trinidad-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS). He added that local authorities have already compiled information on all individuals linked to the missing aircraft, but refused to publicly share full details of the ongoing investigation.

The security minister explained that disclosing sensitive operational details at this stage would put the ongoing work of search and investigative agencies at risk, adding that intelligence and security teams are continuing to closely monitor all developments related to the incident. He emphasized that authorities are prioritizing the investigation of the people operating and traveling on the aircraft over the plane itself, noting that the aircraft cannot operate without human control, and that investigators are working to determine the appropriate next steps in the probe.

Before contact with the plane was lost, its flight path was tracked by popular public flight monitoring platform Flightradar24. Data from the site showed the aircraft was operating under visual flight rules (VFR), maintaining an altitude of 4,025 feet and a cruising speed of 142 knots. All tracking signals cut off abruptly while the plane was over the Southern Caribbean Sea, with the last recorded position placing it in the vicinity of Grenadian or Venezuelan territorial waters.

15 6 月, 2026
Fighting eases in Lebanon as US and Iran reach tentative agreement

Just one day after the United States and Iran announced a tentative breakthrough agreement that the international community hopes will calm broader tensions across the Middle East, United Nations officials have confirmed a sharp reduction in hostilities along Lebanon’s southern border. This de-escalation comes after months of rising regional instability that brought the Israel-Lebanon border to the brink of a larger, all-out regional conflict.

In a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, shared on-the-ground observations from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the peacekeeping mission tasked with monitoring the border. Between midnight and 4 p.m. local time Monday, just hours after the U.S.-Iran deal was made public, UNIFIL recorded only 133 projectile trajectories and 2 air strikes carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Critically, no fire was documented from Hizbullah or other non-state actors active along the border during that same window. Even with the drop in active fighting, the mission still counted 25 violations of Lebanese airspace by the IDF, totaling roughly 40 hours of overflight time.

This marked a dramatic shift from the intense violence that unfolded over the preceding weekend, before the agreement was announced. During that 48-hour period of peak escalation, UNIFIL documented 135 IDF airspace violations and a total of 1,374 projectile trajectories – 1,328 of which were attributed to the IDF, with the remaining 46 coming from non-state actors believed to be Hizbullah.

As soon as security conditions began to improve, UN peacekeeping teams moved rapidly to restore critical infrastructure for local communities impacted by weeks of fighting. At the request of Lebanese local authorities, a UNIFIL team spent most of Monday reopening the key highway connecting the southern Lebanese communities of Rmeich and Naqoura. The roadway, which suffered severe damage from cross-fire during the escalation, had been closed to traffic, cutting off access to basic goods and emergency aid for thousands of local residents.

Equipped with earthmoving machinery, explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) units and engineering specialists, peacekeepers filled craters left by shelling, cleared roadblocks, repaired damaged pavement and removed unexploded ordnance from the route. The reopened highway is expected to serve roughly 6,000 residents who remained in the area throughout the fighting, and will also streamline the delivery of humanitarian aid and essential supplies to all nearby affected communities.

While welcoming the de-escalation, the United Nations reiterated its longstanding commitment to upholding Security Council Resolution 1701, the 2006 measure that ended the last major war between Israel and Hizbullah and established the current border peace framework. Dujarric reminded reporters that the Secretary-General had issued a formal statement the previous day strongly condemning recent Israeli strikes on Beirut, and reaffirmed the UN’s call for all parties to fully respect the terms of Resolution 1701.

Even with the reduction in active hostilities, UN humanitarian officials have stressed that the security situation remains fragile, and conditions are still not safe for the large population of displaced civilians who fled southern Lebanon earlier amid the escalation. While a small number of families have begun traveling back to parts of the region, particularly around Nabatieh, to assess damage to their homes, no large-scale population returns have been recorded. UN officials have issued clear guidance that civilians should not attempt permanent returns until security is fully stabilized.

Local Lebanese authorities confirm that emergency shelters across the country are still operating near full capacity, as displaced families wait for clearer signals that violence will not resume. The Lebanese Armed Forces and local government leaders have joined the UN in urging residents to avoid returning to high-risk border areas for the time being. The United Nations has reiterated its core demands moving forward: full protection for civilian populations, safe and voluntary return for displaced residents, and unimpeded, continuous access for humanitarian workers to deliver aid to all affected communities.

15 6 月, 2026