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• U.S. Customs and Border Protection uncovered child sexual exploitation material on five cruise ships in San Diego between April 23-25, leading to the detention of 28 crew members including staff from Disney Magic. • Authorities revoked visas and deported the detained crew members, with passengers witnessing handcuffings during the enforcement operation. • The discovery represents a significant coordinated effort to combat child exploitation in the cruise ship industry.

The group of 13 women and children left Syria for Australia on Wednesday, with authorities saying some adults may be chargedA group of 11 women and children have landed in Melbourne after being detained for more than seven years in Syrian detention camps since the fall of Islamic State.Some the women may face and possible criminal charges – including terrorism and slavery related offences – with the Australian federal police (AFP) expected to provide an update later on Thursday. Continue reading...

La Nación has been critical of Costa Rica president and Donald Trump ally, Rodrigo ChavezThe US state department has canceled tourist visas for more than half the board members of Costa Rica’s leading national newspaper, La Nación, which has been a critical voice against the country’s president and Donald Trump ally, Rodrigo Chaves.During Chaves’s 2022 presidential campaign, La Nación published several articles documenting allegations of sexual harassment against him that had forced him out of his job at the World Bank. The paper also reported on allegations of illegal campaign financing, which Chaves denied. Continue reading...

Several sick crew members are to be medically evacuated from vessel, as Canary Islands government objects to docking plans. Plus: the Mexico City nightclub that charges Americans 90% moreGood morning.Several crew members on the MV Hondius are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands, as the cruise ship continues to be marooned off the coast of Cape Verde following a suspected hantavirus outbreak that is believed to have killed at least three passengers.What is hantavirus? It is a rare disease that is usually spread from infected rodents typically through urine, droppings and saliva.What is the plan for the ship? It planned to sail to Spain’s Canary Islands, where the Spanish health ministry would work alongside the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and World Health Organization to examine and treat the crew and passengers before repatriating them to their respective countries.On Wednesday, the Canary Islands government said it opposed the plan and was requesting a meeting with the Spanish prime minister over it.What did Project Freedom achieve? The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said the US had successfully secured a path through the waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were lining up to pass through. So far, however, only two merchant ships are known to have passed through, with hundreds more – carrying up to 23,000 crew members – bottled up in the Persian Gulf.What is the US end game? Rubio said that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to Trump’s demands on its nuclear program and to open the strait.This is a developing story. Follow the live blog here. Continue reading...

Heidi Alexander says part of answer to strait of Hormuz crisis is importing more fuel from US and west AfricaA refinery in Nigeria accused of dismissing workers for joining a union has emerged as key to the UK government’s hopes of saving the summer holiday amid a jet fuel shortage.Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said at the weekend that part of the answer to the strait of Hormuz crisis was to import more fuel from the US and west Africa. Continue reading...

Search and rescue operation launched after service members reported missing near south-western city of Tan TanTwo US service members are missing in south-western Morocco after taking part in annual multinational military exercises in the North African country, the United States Africa Command (Africom) said Sunday.The US, Morocco and other countries participating in the African Lion exercise have launched a search and rescue operation, Africom said. Continue reading...

• The Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a draft version of the National Defense Authorization Act that includes language to block automatic military pay reductions triggered by certain budget gimmicks tied to the sequester framework. • The provision comes after Pentagon officials warned that artificial pay cuts could drive recruitment and retention problems and after several advocacy groups lobbied lawmakers to permanently repeal the sequester caps. • Senator Adam Smith and other committee members argued that service members should not be collateral damage in political budget fights.