International

Armed man surrenders after Rio de Janeiro bus hostage situation

The armed man who took 17 passengers hostage on Tuesday in a bus parked in the main terminal of Rio de Janeiro, after shooting two other people, surrendered to the Police after about three hours of kidnapping, official sources reported.

“I can report that the situation is resolved, the man who took the hostages surrendered and is detained, and all the hostages were released,” said Colonel Marco Andrade, spokesman for the Militarized Police of Rio, in statements to the press.

Although authorities initially indicated that the passengers were taken hostage after a failed robbery attempt on the bus, Andrade clarified that this information has not been confirmed so far.

According to police sources cited by the Globonews station, the perpetrator of the kidnapping is a criminal from Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro, who was attempting to flee to another city on another bus.

Despite attempts by specialized agents of the Special Operations Battalion of the Militarized Police to negotiate the release of the hostages, the kidnapper responded with gunfire to the initial attempts to approach the uniformed personnel.

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Later, he allowed the agents to enter the vehicle and surrendered himself, before releasing all the hostages, including children and the elderly.

The hostages were held for about three hours inside the bus in the main parking lot of the intermunicipal terminal of Rio, whose access roads were completely blocked by the Police.

According to a statement from the Militarized Police, before taking the hostages on the bus, the kidnapper shot two people on one of the platforms of the terminal, one of whom was seriously injured.

One of the wounded men, who was apparently going to travel on the hijacked bus, received three bullet wounds to the chest and abdomen, and his condition is critical, according to spokespeople from the Souza Aguiar Hospital, also located in the central and port region of Rio de Janeiro, where he was taken.

The kidnapping began around 2:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. GMT), when, after an initial shooting on the platform, the kidnapper armed himself and entered a bus of the company Viação Sampaio, which was bound for the city of Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais, and was still parked in the lot, but with its passengers on board.

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International

Mexico City Mayor Invites U2 to Perform at Iconic Zócalo Plaza

Irish rock band U2, which spent Tuesday and Wednesday filming a new music video for its song Street of Dreams in the Historic Center of Mexico City, received an invitation to perform at the capital’s iconic Zócalo square from Mayor Clara Brugada.

Brugada shared the invitation through social media posts accompanied by photos and a video showing her meeting with the band members.

“This is an invitation for you to perform in our wonderful public square, the Zócalo. You are welcome here, and we would love to have you,” Brugada said in the video while handing a document to Bono, the band’s lead singer.

Bono responded by saying that the group would like “to begin its new tour in Mexico City.”

Referencing one of the band’s most famous songs, In the Name of Love, Brugada said she was greeting Bono along with The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr..

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“Welcoming U2 to our capital means celebrating music, connection and the emotion that can be felt in every corner of this city,” Brugada wrote in one of her messages. “We are a city open to the world, vibrant and full of stories shared from the stage to the streets.”

She also described the Zócalo as “the country’s most important public square” and a cultural landmark for Latin America.

Over the years, the Zócalo has hosted massive concerts by internationally renowned artists and bands including Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, Manu Chao, Café Tacvba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Tigres del Norte, La Maldita Vecindad, Silvio Rodríguez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Rosalía and Shakira, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans.

International

Marco Rubio Urges China to Help Restrain Iran Amid Gulf Tensions

Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington hopes to persuade China to take a more active role in stopping Iran from escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf, arguing that the crisis directly threatens Asian commercial interests.

“It is in China’s interest to resolve this situation. We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to stop what it is doing now and trying to do in the Persian Gulf,” Rubio said during an interview with journalist Sean Hannity on Fox News while traveling aboard Air Force One.

The top U.S. diplomat said the conflict and concerns over the possible disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have already affected China’s interests.

Rubio noted that “a Chinese cargo ship was struck over the weekend,” referring to the exchange of attacks reported last Friday between Iran and the United States.

The remarks come amid growing international concern over rising tensions in the region and the potential impact on global trade routes and energy supplies.

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International

Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubiocould potentially form a Republican presidential ticket for the 2028 elections.

Speaking during a dinner with law enforcement officials as part of National Police Week, Trump publicly praised both officials and said they could make “an ideal team” for the next presidential race.

“Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked attendees before adding that the pair “sound like a good combination.”

The president highlighted his vice president’s performance in office, stating that their current partnership has been highly effective. “JD is perfect, that has been a perfect formula,” Trump told reporters later.

He further suggested that a Vance-Rubio pairing could represent a strong presidential and vice-presidential ticket, although he stopped short of offering any formal endorsement.

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“I think it sounds like a presidential candidate and a vice-presidential candidate,” he said, while clarifying that his remarks should not be interpreted as an official backing of any future campaign.

So far, neither Vance nor Rubio has publicly confirmed any intention to run in the 2028 presidential election.

Rubio previously sought the Republican nomination in 2016 but withdrew after losing the primary race to Trump. Later, in a December 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, he said he would be among the first to support Vance if he decided to run for the White House.

Vance, meanwhile, has recently dismissed speculation of any political rivalry with Rubio amid growing discussion about potential future GOP leadership.