Faulty engineering led to implosion of Titan submersible headed to Titanic wreckage, NTSB finds.

The NTSB made the statement in its final report on the hull failure and implosion of the Titan submersible in June 2023. Everyone on board the submersible died instantly in the North Atlantic when Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion as it descended to the wreck.

The NTSB report states that the faulty engineering of the Titan “resulted in the construction of a carbon fiber composite pressure vessel that contained multiple anomalies and failed to meet necessary strength and durability requirements.” It also stated that OceanGate, the owner of the Titan, failed to adequately test the Titan and was unaware of its true durability.

The report also said the wreckage of the Titan likely would have been found sooner had OceanGate followed standard guidance for emergency response, and that would have saved “time and resources even though a rescue was not possible in this case.”

The NTSB report dovetails with a Coast Guard report released in August that described the Titan implosion as preventable. The Coast Guard determined that safety procedures at OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state, were “critically flawed” and found “glaring disparities” between safety protocols and actual practices.

OceanGate suspended operations in July 2023 and wound down. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on Wednesday.

In August, after the Coast Guard report was released, a company spokesperson offered condolences to the families of those who died.

The Titan’s implosion killed OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and led to lawsuits and calls for tighter regulation of private deep sea expeditions. The implosion also killed French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, known as “Mr. Titanic”; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.

Surging CO2 levels a sign Canada must resist climate backsliding: scientist, The World Meteorological Organization’s annual greenhouse gas bulletin says the CO2 growth rate, which has tripled since the 1960s, reflects a combination of continued fossil fuel emissions and reductions in how much is absorbed in forests, oceans and other natural “carbon sinks.”

Damon Matthews, a climate scientist at Concordia University, says it should be a wake-up call for governments in Canada and abroad to rapidly bring down emissions to stabilize the climate.

Matthews, a member of an independent federal climate advisory group, says Canada must resist the bullying by U.S. President Donald Trump who has assailed climate change as a “con job,” cancelled major renewable projects, pulled the U.S. out of the United Nations climate accord and urged global leaders to back off clean energy.

Wednesday’s report says the likely reason for the record CO2 growth was large contributions from wildfire emissions and reduced uptake from the land and the ocean in 2024, the hottest year on record boosted by a strong El Nino, a natural climate pattern.

About half of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere is absorbed by the Earth’s land ecosystems and oceans.

Yet, the report notes there are concerning signs that uptake is shrinking. As temperatures rise, oceans absorb less CO2. Land carbon sinks are also reduced by drier vegetation or more intense wildfires.

Matthews says the world has yet to hit a so-called “new normal.”

“We are nowhere near the new normal at the current trend. Things are going to continue getting worse and worse until we actually solve the problem fundamentally,’ said Matthews, an expert on carbon budgeting.

“We need to, you know, cut our emissions globally in half and then keep decreasing them towards zero in order to keep levels stable.”

The findings in Wednesday’s bulletin are consistent with a June report published by Matthews and more than 60 other scientists who found the world was on pace to produce enough greenhouse gas emissions in the next three years to blow past the international global warming target of 1.5 degrees, Matthews said.

United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell has said the Earth is now on track for 3 C.

The WMO’s bulletin comes ahead of the UN climate summit known as COP30, to be held next month in Brazil, where there will be calls for leaders to ramp up climate action.

“Sustaining and expanding greenhouse gas monitoring are critical to support such efforts,” Oksana Tarasova, co-ordinator of the WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, said in a statement.

Growth rates of CO2 have accelerated from an annual average increase of 2.4 parts per million per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020, to 3.5 ppm from 2023 to 2024, WMO said.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s global data for this year through June reveals that carbon dioxide rates are still rising at one of the highest rates on record, yet not quite as high as from 2023 to 2024.

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press

With files from The Associated Press.

#Russian troops liberated the community of Balagan in the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlement of Balagan in the Donetsk People’s Republic through active offensive operations," the ministry said in a statement.

Battlegroup Center units also kept advancing in the eastern quarters of Dimitrov in the Donetsk People’s Republic, it said.
Kiev loses 1,560 troops along engagement line in past day - latest figures

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,560 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost roughly 195 troops and an armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, over 230 troops and four armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and more than 205 troops and four armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South.

During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army also lost roughly 550 troops and two armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, about 330 troops, a tank and two armored personnel carriers in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and around 50 troops and an armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the latest figures show.
Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 195 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 195 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, an air assault brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Andreyevka, Alekseyevka, Varachino and Novaya Sech in the Sumy Region," the ministry said.

In the Kharkov direction, Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on formations of a motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Volchansk, Grafskoye and Kolodeznoye in the Kharkov Region, the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 195 personnel, an armored combat vehicle, six motor vehicles and three field artillery guns in those frontline areas over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed an electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts over 230 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 230 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Kupyansk and Kurilovka in the Kharkov Region, Novosyolovka and Drobyshevo in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 230 personnel, four armored combat vehicles, 26 motor vehicles and a self-propelled artillery gun in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery radar station, nine electronic warfare stations and five ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 205 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 205 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units improved their forward positions and inflicted losses on formations of five mechanized brigades, an air assault brigade of the Ukrainian army, a territorial defense brigade and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Zvanovka, Dronovka, Ivanopolye, Yablonovka, Berestok and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 205 personnel, four armored combat vehicles, 13 motor vehicles and four artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot and five materiel depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.
Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts 550 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 550 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup Center units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of four mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, a jaeger brigade, an air assault brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Belitskoye, Artyomovka, Vasilevka, Novopavlovka, Toretskoye and Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 550 personnel, two armored combat vehicles, six pickup trucks and a field artillery gun in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 330 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 330 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and two armored personnel carriers in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Uspenovka and Barvinovka in the Zaporozhye Region, Vodyanoye, Pokrovskoye and Novonikolayevka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 330 personnel, a tank, two armored personnel carriers, 14 motor vehicles, an artillery gun and an electronic warfare station in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminates 50 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated roughly 50 Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Novoandreyevka and Kamenskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, Antonovka and Sadovoye in the Kherson Region," the ministry said.

"As many as 50 Ukrainian army personnel, an armored combat vehicle, eight motor vehicles, three electronic warfare stations and an ammunition depot were destroyed," the ministry said.
Russian troops strike Ukrainian fuel, missile/artillery depots over past 24 hours

Russian troops struck fuel and missile/artillery armament depots of the Ukrainian army over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck transport, fuel and energy infrastructure sites used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations, fuel and lubricants and missile/artillery armament depots, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukraine’s armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 138 locations," the ministry said.
Russian air defenses intercept 195 Ukrainian UAVs, six HIMARS rockets over past day

Russian air defense forces shot down 195 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and six US-made HIMARS rockets over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down 10 guided aerial bombs, six rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and 195 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 667 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 90,139 unmanned aerial vehicles, 631 surface-to-air missile systems, 25,498 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,600 multiple rocket launchers, 30,446 field artillery guns and mortars and 43,922 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

#Israel receives remains of four Gaza hostages — premier’s office. According to the statement, the military is now taking the remains to the territory of Israel, where they will be transferred to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification.

The Israeli military in the Gaza Strip received four coffins with remains of refuges from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

According to the statement, the military is now taking the remains to the territory of Israel, where they will be transferred to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification.

"An official statement will be made after the identification process is over," the premier’s office said.

On October 13, Hamas and other Palestinian groups released all the 20 living hostages and handed over the bodies of four deceased hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal. The hostages were handed over to the Israeli military through the Red Cross and are already in Israel’s territory. In turn, Israel will release 1,968 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life or long sentences.

The Israeli side expressed resentment that Hamas has returned only four out of 28 bodies of deceased hostages. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Hamas of failing to implement its commitments under the deal and warned that any delay or deviation from fulfilling obligations will be deemed a gross violation of the #Gaza ceasefire agreement and will entail an appropriate response.

Meta removes #ICE-tracking Facebook page in Chicago at the request of the Justice Department.


Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that “following outreach” from the DOJ, Facebook removed a “large group page” that was being used to target ICE officials.

Meta said in a statement that the group “was removed for violating our policies against coordinated harm.”

Meta is the latest tech company to restrict tools used to track ICE agents on its platform. Earlier this month, Apple and Google blocked downloads of phone apps that flag sightings of U.S. immigration agents, just hours after the Trump administration demanded that one particularly popular iPhone app be taken down.

Bondi has said that such tracking puts Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at risk. But users and developers of the apps say it’s their First Amendment right to capture what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods — and maintain that most users turn to these platforms in an effort to protect their own safety as President Donald Trump steps up aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.

While a Facebook group for ICE sightings in #Chicago does appear to have been taken down, as of Tuesday evening, dozens of other groups, some with thousands of members, remained visible on Facebook.

#Pakistan reports a new clash with Afghan forces along northwest border.

Pakistani forces responded, damaging Afghan tanks and military posts, according to Pakistan TV and two security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Tahir Ahrar, a deputy police spokesperson in Afghanistan’s Khost province, confirmed the clashes but provided no further details.

This is the second time this week that the two sides have traded fire along their long border.

According to Pakistan’s state-run media, Afghan forces and Pakistani Taliban jointly opened fire at a Pakistani post “without provocation,” prompting what the media described as a “strong response” from Pakistani troops in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Security officials said Pakistan’s military also destroyed a sprawling training facility of the Pakistani Taliban.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan’s military, which has been on high alert since Saturday, when both sides traded fire across multiple border regions, resulting in dozens of casualties on each side.

Although the clashes halted on Sunday after appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed.

Over the weekend, Kabul said that it targeted several Pakistani military posts and killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in retaliation for what it called repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace. Pakistan’s military reported lower figures, saying it lost 23 soldiers and killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” in retaliatory fire along the frontier.

Tensions have remained high since last week, when the Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Kabul and in an eastern market. Pakistan has not acknowledged those allegations.

But Pakistan has previously launched strikes inside Afghanistan, saying it targets hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is separate from but allied to the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring the group, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

Riaz Khan, The Associated Press

Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar Afghan in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, contributed to this story.

#Russian aerial attack hits a Ukrainian hospital, days before Zelenskyy meets Trump.

The Russian attack on Kharkiv in Ukraine’s northeast hit the city’s main hospital, forcing the evacuation of 50 patients, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. The attack’s main targets were energy facilities, Zelenskyy said, without providing details of what was hit.

“Every day, every night, Russia strikes power plants, power lines, and our (natural) gas facilities,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Russian long-range strikes on its neighbor’s power grid are part of a campaign since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022 to disable Ukraine’s power supply, denying civilians heat and running water during the bitter winter.

The Ukrainian leader urged foreign countries to help blunt Russia’s long-range attacks by providing more air defense systems for the country, which is almost the size of Texas and hard to defend from the air in its entirety.

“We are counting on the actions of the U.S. and Europe, the G7, all partners who have these systems and can provide them to protect our people,” Zelenskyy said. “The world must force Moscow to sit down at the table for real negotiations.”

Zelenskyy is due to meet with Trump in Washington on Friday.

The talks are expected to center on the potential U.S. provision to Ukraine of sophisticated long-range weapons that can hit back at Russia.

Trump has warned Moscow that he may send Tomahawk cruise missiles for Ukraine to use. Such a move, previously ruled out by Washington for fear of escalating the war, would deepen tensions between the United States and Russia.

But it could provide leverage to help push Moscow into negotiations after Trump expressed frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to budge on key aspects of a possible peace deal.

Tomahawks would sharpen Ukraine’s ability to fight back against Russia, though its long-range attacks are already taking a toll on Russian oil production, Ukrainian officials and foreign military analysts say.

Its strikes using newly developed long-range missiles and drones are causing significant gas shortages in Russia, according to Zelenskyy.

___

Illia Novikov, The Associated Press

IS-linked fighters kill 19 in DR #Congo attack. Rebel fighters linked to the Islamic State group killed at least 19 people in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities told AFP on Monday.

The eastern DRC, a region bordering Rwanda with abundant natural resources, has suffered extreme violence for more than three decades, often at the hands of armed insurgent groups.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an organization founded by former Ugandan rebels who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, raided the village of Mukondo, in Lubero territory, and “slaughtered 19 people” on Sunday, the local military administrator Alain Kiwewa told AFP.

“Houses and shops were set on fire” and there was “a massive displacement of the local population”, he said.

Sixteen civilians and one Congolese soldier have been identified among the victims so far, and several people have been kidnapped by the attackers, Kambale Maboko, head of the local civil society organization, told AFP.

Authorities had been warned of the risk of attack in the area, he said.

“There were warnings, but they were not taken into account, and this is the result, which is very heavy,” he lamented.

Ugandan soldiers have been deployed alongside the Congolese army since 2021 to fight the ADF but the joint operation has failed to end to the violence.

The ADF primarily attacks defenceless civilians before retreating into the vast forests that cover the region before reinforcements arrive.

They have killed more than 180 civilians in eastern DRC since July in several attacks, according to an AFP tally.

#Trump is in Israel to tout a ceasefire he believes could foster lasting Middle East peace.

The whirlwind trip, which included a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

More than two dozen countries are expected to be represented at the summit, which Trump is hosting along with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.

Despite unanswered questions about next steps in Gaza, which has been devastated during the conflict, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony.

“You’ve won,” he told Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, and he urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.”

“After tremendous pain and death and hardship,” he said, “now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down.”

Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country’s brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”

Living hostages and Palestinian prisoners are released as part of ceasefire in #Gaza.

All 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free Monday as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that decimated the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Hamas said Monday it will release the bodies of four of 28 deceased Israeli captives, though it was not immediately clear when the rest would be sent back to Israel. Israel said it has released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Speaking to parliament, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he was “committed to this peace,” raising hopes that the ruinous war, which triggered other conflicts in the Middle East, might come to an end. But fundamental questions remain over when and how, whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza.

Cheering crowds greeted buses of released prisoners in the West Bank and Gaza, while families and friends of the hostages gathered in a square in Tel Aviv, Israel, cried out with joy and relief as news arrived that the captives were free.

U.S. President Donald Trump flew to the region and addressed the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. He was later to head to Egypt for a summit to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.

Speaking ahead of Trump’s address in the Knesset, Netanyahu pledged that he was “committed to this peace” and he noted that on the Jewish calendar “today ... marks the end of two years of war.”

Despite ceasefire, a long road ahead for Gaza

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group. The ceasefire deal calls for a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage.

In Israel’s retaliatory offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.

The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
Hostages and prisoners released

Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the hostage transfers at public screenings across the country. In Tel Aviv, families and friends of the hostages broke into wild cheers as television channels announced that the first group was in the hands of the Red Cross.

The freed hostages, all men, were later reunited with their families, and footage released by Israeli authorities showed tearful reunions.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank rejoiced as buses carrying dozens of released prisoners from Ofer Prison arrived in Beitunia, near Ramallah. Later, giant crowds were gathered to greet buses carrying other prisoners arriving at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis.

The prisoners include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.

More than 150 prisoners were sent to Egypt by Israel and arrived at Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt early Monday afternoon, according to an Egyptian official, who had direct knowledge of the deal’s implementation. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families, said it was “shocked and dismayed” that so few of the deceased hostages were imminently coming back.

An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.