International
They find a body and continue to look for 6 missing people after the shipwreck of a sailboat in Sicily
The body of one of the seven missing from the sailboat that sank this Monday in front of the town of Porticello, in Palermo, on the Italian island of Sicily, was located by the divers of the Fire Force inside the hull at a depth of 49 meters, while six other people who could be trapped in the cabins are being sought.
The first shipwrecked, initially recovered by a ship present in the vicinity, were brought ashore by 4 ships of the Coast Guard.
According to some media, the body that has been recovered would be the crew member who worked as a cook and has Canadian nationality, although born on the island of Antigua.
The six people who are still missing are British and American tourists.
The sinking occurred at 05.00 local time (03.00 GMT) and according to some witnesses the British-flagged sailboat, called ‘Bayesian’, was anchored in front of the port of Porticello when the strong tornado that hit the area broke the main mast and this would have caused the imbalance of the boat that overturned and sank.
The sailboat was from a group of tourists who had chosen Sicily to spend their vacations and the survivors who have already disembarked are mostly English citizens, but there is also a New Zealander, an Irishman and another from Sri Lanka
Among the 15 survivors, a mother and her one-year-old daughter were transferred to the Palermo Children’s Hospital for checks, while the father was admitted to another hospital in the Sicilian capital and five other passengers were treated in an outpatient clinic.
The mother of the girl, of whom they have communicated only that her name is Charlotte, explained to the doctors who treated them that at a time when she slept the boat overturned and they found themselves in the water and that for a few seconds she lost the girl at sea, but then immediately picked her up again.
He pointed out that people were heard screaming and that they were saved because a lifeboat launched by another ship that was nearby arrived almost immediately.
“The baby is fine and the mother only has abrasions and a wound that needed to be sutured,” said Domenico Cipolla, director of pediatric admission and emergency and surgery at the “Di Cristina” hospital in Palermo.
“Yesterday afternoon we saw this boat in the port. He arrived before dusk from the west, from Palermo, and docked about 300 meters from the entrance of the marina,” Giovanni Lo Coco, one of the fishermen of Porticello, a coastal town in the province of Palermo, told the Italian media.
It continues while the search for the divers in the sunken hull of the ship that is 49 meters deep, as well as patrol boats and helicopters of the Coast Guard look for the missing in the area and more reinforcements of divers are arriving from Naples and Rome.
Central America
Panama mine workers demand reopening amid economic slump and mining ban
Former workers of Central America’s largest open-pit copper mine, shut down in 2023 by Panama’s Supreme Court, called on Wednesday for the reactivation of operations, even though the country is under a mining moratorium.
The mine, operated by Canadian firm First Quantum Minerals, ceased production after Panama’s highest court declared the concession contract “unconstitutional,” following mass anti-mining protests that nearly brought the country to a standstill.
“There’s an unemployment crisis affecting the nation, and reopening the mine could bring back thousands of jobs, restoring the hope and dreams lost since the shutdown,” said Ilka Camargo, a former mine employee, to AFP.
Located on Panama’s Caribbean coast, the mine produced around 300,000 tons of copper concentrate annually, accounting for 75% of the country’s exports and 5% of its GDP. It directly and indirectly employed approximately 37,000 people.
Several unions backed the call for reopening on Wednesday, arguing that it would generate employment and boost economic growth amid growing dissatisfaction with conservative President José Raúl Mulino.
“If reopening the mine helps generate new jobs, the government should make the decision to do it,” said Aniano Pinzón, Secretary-General of Panama’s General Workers’ Union.
“We have the right to work, and we believe in responsible mining that serves the Panamanian people and respects the environment,” stated Michael Camacho, leader of the former workers’ union.
Panama’s economy grew by just 2.9% in 2024, a sharp decline from 7.4% the previous year, when the mine was still operational. Meanwhile, unemployment stands at 9.5% and may rise further following the dismissal of 6,500 workers from U.S. banana company Chiquita Brands, which shut down operations amid protests in Bocas del Toro province.
International
Mexico discovers drug smuggling tunnel connecting Tijuana to San Diego
Mexican security forces discovered a clandestine tunnel on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in the border city of Tijuana (northwest), which connects to San Diego, California, authorities reported.
Such underground passages are commonly used by criminal groups for smuggling people and drugs across the roughly 3,100-kilometer border between Mexico and the United States.
The tunnel, measuring approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet) in length, was found by soldiers and police inside a residential home, where “various doses of methamphetamine” were also seized, according to a statement from Mexico’s federal Security Ministry.
The operation was conducted “in coordination” with U.S. authorities, said Laureano Carrillo, Secretary of Public Security for the state of Baja California.
Earlier this year, in January, security forces from both countries uncovered another tunnel linking Ciudad Juárez (northern Mexico) to El Paso, Texas.
The Mexican government has stepped up arrests and drug seizures following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, accusing it of allowing the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants into the United States.
International
Hurricane Erick rapidly strengthens to category 3 near Southern Mexico
Erick has rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph). It is currently located about 90 km (56 miles) south-southwest of Puerto Ángel, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
The hurricane is expected to continue strengthening overnight as it moves closer to Mexico’s southern coastline. Erick is forecast to make landfall Thursday morning, just east of Acapulco, as a major hurricane. If it does so as a Category 3 or stronger, it would be the most powerful hurricane on record to strike Mexico in the month of June.
The storm underwent rapid intensification on Wednesday morning, fueled by extremely favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions, including very warm sea surface temperatures. A tropical system is considered to be rapidly intensifying when its maximum sustained winds increase by at least 55 km/h (35 mph) within 24 hours.
Hurricane-force winds are expected to affect coastal areas Wednesday night. Regions near and east of the storm’s landfall point are likely to experience dangerous storm surge, coastal flooding, and heavy rainfall, with totals up to 400 mm (15.7 inches). These conditions pose a high risk of flash flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous terrain. Because Erick’s approach is nearly parallel to the coastline, even minor shifts in its track could significantly alter the timing and location of landfall impacts.
Panama mine workers demand reopening amid economic slump and mining ban
Guatemalan journalist Zamora wins legal battle, still held over new charges
Mexico discovers drug smuggling tunnel connecting Tijuana to San Diego
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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