Dec 5, 2019

At least 58 dead after boat carrying migrants capsizes off Mauritania

At least 58 people died and dozens more were forced to swim to shore after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Mauritania, per the AP.

Why it matters: The drownings are one of this year's deadliest disasters among people attempting to make the perilous journey to Europe. The boat was carrying at least 150 people — including women and children — from Gambia and was en route to Spain’s Canary Islands.

Go deeper: 39 people found dead in truck container in southern England

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Rebecca Falconer

Search teams find debris near where Chilean Air Force plane vanished

Relatives of the Chilean Air Force crash victims at Chabunco army base in Punta Arenas, Chile, on Wednesday. Photo: Joel Estay/AFP via Getty Images

Search teams have found debris believed to be from a Chilean military cargo plane that vanished while carrying 38 people en route to Antarctica, Chile's Air Force said in a statement Wednesday.

The big picture: Officials believe the plane crashed while flying to the country's base in the icy continent. The wreckage was found floating in the "treacherous" waters of Drake's Passage, between Antarctica and Chile, 19 miles from where the C-130 Hercules plane last made contact on Tuesday, AP reports.

G0 deeper: Chilean Air Force plane carrying 38 crashes on way to Antarctica

Keep ReadingDec 12, 2019

Rashaan Ayesh

Thousands of Brazilians seeking asylum in the U.S.

Migrants mostly from Honduras, Guatemala and Brazil prepare cots to sleep on. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Nearly 17,000 Brazilian migrants have passed through El Paso, Texas in the past year, with many claiming fear of persecution or extreme economic hardship, AP reports.

Why it matters: Nationwide, 18,00 Brazilians were apprehended in the fiscal year ending in October — up 600% from 2016, per AP. The increase in Brazilian migrants coming to the U.S. highlights the Trump administration's efforts to block legal immigration for people who claim they are being persecuted, AP writes.

Go deeperDec 14, 2019

Orion Rummler

Global gun violence targets worshippers of all faiths

The Al -Noor Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand on Sept. 13. Photo: Tessa Burrows/Getty Images

Hundreds of clergy and worshippers of various faiths were killed at temples, synagogues, churches and mosques around the world this year, AP reports.

The big picture: The Christchurch mosque attacker killed 51 people and the event led to international calls to action against online extremism and terrorism fueled by white supremacist ideology. But other attacks gained sparse international attention, like a deadly Dec. 1 shooting at a Protestant church in the West African country Burkina Faso.

Go deeperDec 14, 2019