Two seaplanes carrying a total of 16 people have collided midair and crashed into waters off Ketchikan City, Alaska. While ten people miraculously survived the incident, at least five were killed and another one is still missing.

Five people have been confirmed dead after a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and de Havilland DHC-3 Otter collided and crashed near a popular tourist lodge on Monday.

The passengers in both planes came off the Royal Princess, the cruise ship operator said in a statement, noting that the crash happened approximately eight nautical miles from Ketchikan shortly after 1:00 pm local time.

“The flight was returning from a Misty Fjords tour and carried ten guests from Royal Princess and a pilot. A second float plane was also involved in an incident and was carrying four guests from Royal Princess on an independent tour,” the company said, expressing their condolences to victims’ families.

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Following the incident, the Coast Guard dispatched helicopters and boats for search-and-rescue operations, while Forest Service and Alaska State Troopers also sent personnel to the scene. The cause of the tragedy is now under investigation.

Ten people were accounted for, the Coast Guard said in a statement, amid an ongoing search and rescue effort. One of the survivors was reported in critical condition, three are in serious condition and six people are in fair condition, authorities said earlier.

The Voyage of the Glaciers cruise was a seven-day trip that departed Vancouver on May 11 and is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on May 18.

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Bollywood star-turned-politician Kamal Haasan is facing harsh criticism and even calls for his arrest over his recent claim that independent India’s “first terrorist” was a Hindu nationalist who killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Haasan, who heads the small Makkal Needhi Maiam (People’s Centre for Justice) party based in the state of Tamil Nadu, made the comments at a Sunday campaign event, where he seized the opportunity to attack the ruling BJP party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing it of whipping up division based on caste and religion.

“I am not saying this just because this is a Muslim-dominated area,” Haasan told the crowd while speaking in Tamil. “They attack me for saying that Hindu extremism exists in India. I say that independent India’s first terrorist was a Hindu. His name is Nathuram Godse,” he said, in reference to the Hindu nationalist who shot and killed Gandhi in 1948.

“Good Indians desire equality and want the three colours in the tricolour to remain intact. I am a good Indian, I will proudly proclaim that,” Haasan added.

Critics were quick to slam Haasan for his comments linking Hindus to terrorism, with a flurry of calls on Twitter for the Bollywood star’s arrest for promoting hate speech. Some BJP supporters accused him of begging for votes by appeasing India’s minorities.

However, there were those who defended Hassan’s stance.

“So, according to BJP, Godse was a peace activist. Great,” said one commentator. Another said there was nothing wrong with calling the murderer of “the Father of the Nation” a terrorist, adding, “If you don’t want to hear words like ‘Hindu Terrorism’ pls stop saying Muslim terrorists either.”

Haasan’s remarks on political violence by Hindus isn’t the first time he’s landed in hot water. In 2017, the ruling party branded the actor “myopic and brazen” when he suggested some Hindu groups had embraced extremism.

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Pro-Maduro activists occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington have refused to vacate the premises in defiance of a notice threatening them with arrest and police entering the building but stopping short of evicting everyone.

“We are expecting the police to come in and violate the Vienna convention with their fictional government, nongovernment claiming that we should leave,” the Embassy Civilian Protection Collective said in a video message shortly before the police arrived at the doors of the diplomatic premises to the cheers of the pro-Guaido camp outside.

At least four embassy ‘protectors’ have remained inside the building and could be seen through the windows – even after police entered and left, apparently stopping short of forcefully evicting everyone – for now.

Despite their resolve to defend the diplomatic mission from “illegal seizure” by Guaido-appointed US representative Carlos Vecchio, many of the activists have left the embassy – apparently tired of the siege and worried about the threat of arrest – after a notice, which was not signed by any US government agency, urged them to “depart immediately” from the building in which they have lived for the last 34 days.

“The United States does not recognize the authority of the former Maduro regime or any of its former representatives to allow any individuals to lawfully enter, remain on this property, or take any action with respect to this property,” a notice taped to the door of the building earlier in the day read.

Amid the standoff for control of the building, Venezuela’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America reminded Washington that an intrusion would be a breach of international law. “The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has not authorized the entry of police officers into the former Embassy building in Washington, DC. This intrusion is yet another violation of international law by US authorities and aggression against Venezuela,” Carlos Ron said on Twitter.

The crisis surrounding the Venezuelan embassy in Washington began after US authorities forced diplomats loyal to President Maduro to leave the premises more than one month ago. Just before departing for Caracas, the diplomats appointed by Maduro allowed the peace activists to occupy the building.

A failed US-backed coup attempt in Venezuela inflamed the situation at the embassy, with the pro-Guaido camp blocking any attempts by activists to sneak supplies inside. Several people were arrested as they attempted to throw food and hygiene products through the open windows, while authorities cut the power and water supply to the diplomatic compound.

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A large group of vegan activists have occupied a pig farm in the Netherlands, protesting the suffering of animals. Local farmers have responded in force, grilling meat outside the farm and flipping the activists’ cars.

The activist group calling itself ‘Meat the Victims’ arrived at the farm in Boxtel, near the Belgian border, on Monday morning. Video footage shows the group breaking into a barn housing sows and their piglets, and describing the conditions within.

Save for one injured-looking animal seen at the end of the video, none of the pigs appear mistreated. However, as vegan activists, ‘Meat the Victims’ argue that the breeding and confinement of animals is in itself an act of cruelty.

While some activists camped out in the pigsties, others stood in the farmyard chanting “What do we want? Animal liberation!” and “if you have nothing to hide, let the media go inside!”

Police soon showed up and surrounded the farm, negotiating with the activists camped inside. A spokeswoman for a pork producers’ association condemned the occupation, and said that “for this group of people, pork farmers can never do good enough.”

The mayor of Boxtel has also declared the demonstration “unacceptable.”

The real trouble started when local farmers descended on the scene to stage their own counterprotest. The disgruntled farmers set up barbeques and began flame-grilling sausages and pork shoulder, presumably traumatizing both pig and vegan alike.

The farmers soon became angrier, with some flipping cars that the activists had parked nearby. Several of the vehicles had Belgian and German registration plates, suggesting that the eco-activists had came from abroad for the protest.

As night fell, police continued to negotiate with the activists inside, and said they were looking for “a constructive solution that minimises risks to human and animal welfare.” Shortly after 10.30pm local time, the vegans announced they were “going to leave.”

The occupation was not a flash in the (frying) pan. ‘Meat the Victims’ protesters have broken into farms in Australia, Canada, Spain and the UK. While the scenes documented by the activists in Boxtel were tame, undercover footage shot by other groups has often captured horrific scenes at Dutch pig farms.

An undercover investigation by Dutch-Belgian NGO Animal Rights last November found workers kicking wounded pigs at two farms in the towns of Lunteren and Nuenen. Extremely disturbing footage showed dead and injured pigs, many with festering abscesses on their bodies, kept next to healthy animals in filthy pens.

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The US risks setting the stage for war if peace activists are evicted from the Venezuelan embassy in Washington and representatives of US-backed Juan Guaido move in, investigative journalist Max Blumenthal told RT.

“It could be considered an act of war for them [US authorities] to allow the parallel government, which is unrecognized, which controls no institutions of government and is essentially a fake government” to take over the diplomatic premises, Blumenthal told RT after US authorities tried to raid and evict the so-called ‘Embassy Civilian Protection Collective’ on Monday, before allowing activists to stay.

Allowing a Guaido-appointed “playtime ambassador” to enter the building could be detrimental to any prospect of a peaceful resolution, Blumenthal believes. He says Carlos Vecchio has the intention of turning the building into a “lobbying shop for war” after recently asking the United States Southern Command (Southcom) to provide “military assistance” to the self-proclaimed Venezuelan ‘interim president’, who despite full US backing has so far failed to oust Maduro from power.

US authorities seemed hesitant to further escalate the conflict at the embassy, which has been occupied by peace activists on behalf of the government in Caracas for over a month. Blumenthal suggested US authorities could potentially let a third country take over the premises without surrendering the building to Guaido’s representatives – noting however that such a move would be a major setback for the pro-coup forces.

“There could be an embassy protection agreement between Venezuela’s government and a friendly country which would allow that country to move in as a custodian for the embassy and allow Switzerland to take over the US embassy in Caracas,” Blumenthal said.

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Despite taking fire on social media for comments accusing Disney’s ‘Frozen’ of being homosexual propaganda, Brazil’s Human Rights Minister Damares Alves just won’t let it go in the fight over gender identity.

Alves offered her controversial crossover fan theory about the Disney film princesses Elsa and Sleeping Beauty in a video which was recorded last year, but went viral on social media Saturday.

“You know why she only ends up alone in an ice castle, because she is a lesbian!” Alves explained, warning that the animated heroine would return to awaken Sleeping Beauty with a “lesbian kiss.”

She went on to lament how while she had once “dreamed about [her] prince,” today’s Disney films are teaching young girls to wait for princess charming.

Her concern may not be pure speculation: there have been rumors and discussion among the film’s production team about Queen Elsa “coming out” in the yet-unreleased 2019 sequel.

Nonetheless, mocking responses to the minister’s video across social media were extensive. Some ironically commented that Alves had given a “spoiler” of the real ending of Frozen 2, while others said that Disney producers should take note of her “suggestion.”

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There were also commenters who saw her statement in a much more serious light, arguing her words were stimulating hatred, some calling her “unbalanced” and “deranged.”

Responding to the flak on Instagram, Alves expressed surprise her comments were seen as controversial, arguing that her goal is to protect children from exposure to sexualized messaging.

“My criticism is known to all, I am criticizing the attempted interference of gender ideologists in our children’s identities,” adding that children need play with toys and study rather than thinking about gender and sexuality.

Critics have linked her comments to the attitudes of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro toward the LGBT community. In March, during Brazil’s annual Carnival, Bolsonaro tweeted a video a man urinating on another man commenting that “This is what many street Carnival groups have become,” which was widely interpreted to be a homophobic dig.

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has visited India as both powers seek to cope with the impact of sweeping US sanctions aimed at cutting Iranian oil exports to zero.

Zarif arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to meet with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. “India is one of our most important partners, economic, political and regional,” the Iranian foreign minister said ahead of the talks.

The visit comes weeks after the US suspended temporary six-month waivers that had allowed several countries, including India, to continue buying Iranian oil without facing America’s penalties. Unsurprisingly, the issue of sanctions is expected to be top of the meeting’s agenda.

India was Iran’s second most important customer after China, but it put a halt to imports after the waivers expired in early May. New Delhi said at the time that it was prepared to deal with the damage inflicted by the US sanctions.

Should India decide to resume trade with Iran despite the US sanctions, it would be expected to switch from the dollar to the rupee for payments, according to Alexey Kupriyanov, a research fellow at Russia’s IMEMO institute.

The next step would be to start making payments through local commercial banks in India. “It’s a scheme that is already working, and is likely to develop further,” Kupriyanov said. However, the analyst believes India expects to be granted new waivers, obviating the need for such workarounds.

Ultimately, India’s actions will be decided after the current elections, which are set to conclude in May, Kupriyanov said. The outcome of the polls will decide whether New Delhi opts to antagonize Washington by taking measures to trade with Iran.

“If [current Prime Minister Narendra] Modi takes the lead, he is more inclined to take drastic steps… if he has to form a coalition government, or if the [opposition party] Indian National Congress does well in the polls, the Indian foreign policy will be much more cautious.”

Ties between Iran and India have been flourishing over the years. Back in 2016, Prime Minister Modi visited Tehran with a stated goal of establishing a strategic relationship with the Islamic Republic and expanding India’s reach into the region.

That aside, Zarif’s visit comes amidst spiraling tensions in the Gulf between Tehran and Washington. Fears of a US-Iran clash were fueled by the White House’s recent decision to deploy sizeable military assets to the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and other expeditionary ships, as well as a B-52 bomber squadron.

US saber-rattling in the Gulf may not be limited to sending warships and bombers. The Pentagon is considering deployment of 120,000 troops to the Middle East, which itself could reflect the influence of Iran hawk John Bolton, according to New York Times.

Meanwhile, Iranian military commanders said they don’t believe that an open confrontation with the US will break out as it lacks adequate forces in the region.

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Video footage captured by an RT Arabic correspondent details the damage done to a Norwegian tanker ship at a port in UAE waters. Saudi and Emirati officials allege three other ships nearby were targeted with ‘sabotage.’

The footage reveals a sizable hole in the stern of the Andrea Victory, a Norwegian tanker ship docked at the port of Fujairah in the UAE. The damage was inflicted on Sunday by an “unknown object,” Thome Ship Management, a Norwegian shipping company that manages the vessel, said in a statement to the media.

No crew members were harmed in the incident and that the Andrea Victory was not at risk of sinking, the company said.

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Three other commercial vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers and an Emirati barge, were also damaged Sunday in what Saudi and UAE officials say were “sabotage attacks.” One of the Saudi ships was in the process of delivering Saudi crude oil to American customers, according to Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih.

Though the UAE maintained that the four ships were damaged by sabotage, local authorities at Fujairah denied media reports of explosions at the harbor.

The incident comes on the heels of a number of American military deployments to the region, meant to quell an unspecified threat from Iran, according to the White House. Perhaps anticipating that Iran would be blamed, the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday called for an investigation, requesting to know “the exact dimensions” of what happened.

When asked whether Iran was involved in the sabotage, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook declined to comment but said the US would assist the UAE in its investigation. The Saudis and Emiratis also refrained from explicitly blaming Iran.

US President Donald Trump did not speculate whether Tehran was behind the Fujairah incident but said the US would retaliate if Iran attacked any tankers in the Mediterranean.

“It’s going to be a bad problem for Iran if something happens, I can tell you that,” the president told reporters Monday “They’re not going to be happy.”

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Ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that it is their collective duty to “find ways for further development.”

“During my meetings in Russia, a number of important topics will be discussed. For some of them we can agree, for others we can disagree, but when it comes to national interests, our duty is to find ways for further development,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter.

He is due to meet with the Russian leaders in Sochi on Tuesday to discuss a wide range of issues. The US secretary of state canceled a planned meeting in Moscow to discuss escalating tensions between the US and Iran with European leaders in Brussels.

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Donald Trump has reportedly been presented with a plan to send as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East to counter the so-called Iranian threat, the New York Times reported.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan disclosed the updated military plan at a meeting of Trump’s top security aides on Thursday, the publication said, quoting anonymous sources inside the administration.

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Several options to tackle Tehran in the region were outlined to the president during the briefing, while “the uppermost option called for deploying 120,000 troops, which would take weeks or months to complete,” the Times said.

While the revisions “ordered” by “hard-liners” do not promulgate a land invasion of Iran, “the development reflects the influence of Mr. Bolton, one of the administration’s most virulent Iran hawks,” The Times reported. Bolton has been a long-time advocate of using military force against Tehran, even penning an op-ed in 2015 titled “Top Stop Iran’s Bomb, Bomb Iran.”

The proposal to send additional reinforcements comes amid accusations from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Tehran has been engaging in “an escalating series of threatening actions and statements in recent weeks.” To counter the unspecified threat, the Pentagon has already deployed the USS ‘Abraham Lincoln’ carrier strike group and bomber task force, including B-52s, to the region.

The deployment came exactly a year after Washington unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), and renewed sanctions against the Islamic Republic’s financial, oil and banking sectors. The US has also labeled Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps a “terrorist organization,” triggering a tit-for-tat response from Tehran.

Meanwhile, Iran said it will cancel part of its obligations under the nuclear agreement, and urged the European signatories to tackle Washington’s pressure.

The US sabre rattling is “attempting to magnify the shadow of war,” Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi explained on Sunday night, noting that American military buildup in the region is “theatrical and useless.”

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