Plane crashes into sea with 17 people aboard in Honduras
(ROATÁN, HONDURAS) — An aircraft crashed into the sea with 17 people on board in Roatán, Honduras, on Monday, according to local officials.
Honduras Civil Aviation confirmed that the accident occurred at 6:18 p.m. at Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport. There were 15 passengers and two crew members on board, HCA said.
The Jetstream 32 was departing from Roatán with the intended destination of La Ceiba, which is located on the north coast of Honduras. Preliminary reports indicate that the plane crashed seconds after takeoff.
Honduran police said that they’re present at the scene and attempting to rescue those involved in the crash.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro released a statement saying that she activated an Emergency Operations Committee.
“They have immediately arrived at the scene of the plane crash that occurred 1 km from Roatán International Airport and are tirelessly assisting in the unfortunate incident,” she said in the statement.
“The public hospitals in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba are now ready to treat injured passengers,” Castro added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LONDON) — Denmark is open to discussions with the U.S. on how to “fix” the status quo in Greenland, the country’s foreign minister said, after Vice President JD Vance accused Copenhagen of failing to adequately protect the Arctic island during a controversial visit on Friday.
In a post to X addressed to Denmark’s “dear American friends” late Friday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said his nation agrees that the “status quo” in the Arctic “is not an option.”
“So let’s talk about how we can fix it — together,” Rasmussen wrote.
In a video statement, Rasmussen acknowledged the “many accusations and many allegations” about Greenland. “Of course, we are open to criticism, but let me be completely honest — we do not appreciate the tone in which it’s being delivered.”
“This is not how you speak to your close allies,” Rasmussen continued, “and I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.”
Danish and Greenlandic leaders have pushed back on Trump’s desire to gain control of Greenland. They have simultaneously criticized his perceived overreach while seeking to ease tensions by proposing deeper military and economic cooperation on the Arctic landmass.
“We respect that the United States needs a greater military presence in Greenland, as Vice President Vance mentioned this evening. We — Denmark and Greenland — are very much open to discussing this with you,” Rasmussen said in his statement.
The existing bilateral defense agreement — signed in 1951 — “offers ample opportunity for the United States to have a much stronger military presence in Greenland,” Rasmussen said. “If that is what you wish, then let us discuss it.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly — both in his first term and since returning to office for his second — expressed his ambition to take control of the island. Rasmussen’s appeal for dialogue came shortly after Vance completed his visit to Greenland, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Speaking to American service members at the U.S. Pituffik Space Base on the northwestern coast of Greenland, Vance said, “Well, the president said we have to have Greenland. And I think that we do have to be more serious about the security of Greenland.”
“We can’t just ignore this place,” he continued. “We can’t just ignore the president’s desires.”
Vance said Trump’s administration “respects the self-determination of the people of Greenland,” but suggested the island would be safer under the U.S. security umbrella.
Greenland is already covered by the Article 5 collective defense clause that underpins NATO, of which both Denmark and the U.S. are members.
“Yes, the people of Greenland are going to have self-determination,” Vance said. “We hope that they choose to partner with the United States because we’re the only nation on Earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security — because their security is very much our security.”
Vance accused Denmark of failing to provide adequate security against “very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and from other nations.”
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change,” he said.
Rasmussen said that both Denmark and the U.S. had done too little in the Arctic since the end of the Cold War. “We all acted on the assumption that the Arctic was and should be a low tension area, but that time is over,” he said. “Status quo is not am option.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed his ambition to acquire Greenland, despite fierce criticism from leaders in Greenland, Denmark and Europe. There appears little support among Greenlanders for his proposal. A January poll by Verian, commissioned by the Danish paper Berlingske, showed that only 6% of Greenlanders are in favor of becoming part of the U.S., with 9% undecided.
The island sits in a strategic position facing the northern coast of Russia across the Arctic Ocean and close to two shipping routes — the Northeast and Northwest passages. Greenland is also thought to be home to a large amount of valuable mineral deposits. Both the shipping routes and minerals are expected to become more accessible as the warming climate causes sea ice to recede further.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of: Do you think we can do without it? We can’t,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday. “If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that.”
“We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody else to take care of that situation,” he added. “And we’re not talking about peace for the United States.”
“Greenland’s very important for the peace of the world — not us, the peace of the entire world,” the president said. “And I think Denmark understands it. I think the European Union understands it. And if they don’t, we’re going to have to explain it to them.”
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Molly Nagle and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — With Pope Francis’s funeral drawing more than 200,000 expected attendees on Saturday, interest in the papal succession process has intensified. It’s driving viewers to the film “Conclave” — based on the Robert Harris novel of the same name.
The Oscar-winning 2024 movie, which explores the secretive process of selecting a new pope, has seen a surge in viewership following the pontiff’s death. Speaking to ABC News on Friday, Harris compared himself to “one of those people who writes a Christmas hit and then it just keeps coming round and round again.”
Harris described the papal conclave as “the most extraordinary event, centuries old, steeped in mystique and secrecy… a psychological contest that produces the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.”
Drawing from historical precedent, Harris noted the unpredictable nature of papal selection.
“Anyone who thinks they can predict the outcome of a conclave is a fool,” he said, explaining that frontrunners often face challenges.
He cited the 2005 conclave that saw Cardinal Ratzinger become Pope Benedict as an example, where there was “an attempt to block him.” During that conclave, the liberal candidate who was expected to challenge Ratzinger “failed in the early ballots. This led that candidate’s supporters to back Cardinal Bergoglio, who lost on that occasion but was elected as Pope Francis in 2013.
“The moment I came across that story, I realized here are three characters now: the conservative, the liberal whose time has passed, and the outsider who people are ready to rally behind,” Harris explained.
The voting process requires a two-thirds majority, with two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon.
“It’s in those times [between votes] that almost inevitably, they talk about what is happening,” Harris said, offering rare insight into the deliberation process.
He noted that these breaks for lunch and evening provide crucial opportunities for “wheeling and dealing.”
Harris, who conducted extensive research, including conversations with cardinals who participated in previous conclaves. “Conclave” follows the dean of the College of Cardinals, played by Ralph Fiennes in the movie.
“A decent man but who is having doubts, and he has to struggle with his own spiritual doubts as he has to organize this huge election,” Harris said.
The author believes the current speculation about the next pope’s identity will likely miss the mark, noting that Pope Francis was “completely off the radar at the last conclave, and nobody tipped him as the likely winner, even though he’d been the runner up the previous conclave.”
Harris observed that the media often lags behind actual developments behind the closed doors of the conclave, saying reporters outside are “always predicting the man who’s just been knocked out.”
“I hope they get a better sense of how a conclave operates,” Harris said of viewers discovering his work. He emphasized that his portrayal aimed to be “more sympathetic than a lot of media portrayals of the Catholic Church.”
(LONDON) — Local emergency services in Ufa, in Russia’s Bashkortostan republic, reported a fire at one of the country’s largest oil refineries, with one Ukrainian official describing the incident as a drone attack.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Bashkortostan reported a fire on the territory of the Ufa oil refinery in the early hours of Monday morning, without specifying the cause. There were no reports of casualties, and the ministry said around seven hours later that the blaze had been extinguished.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the downing of seven Ukrainian drones overnight — three over the Lipetsk region, two over the Rostov region and two over the Belgorod region — but made no reference to any attack in Ufa.
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that “unknown UAVs attacked the Ufa refinery.” ABC News could not immediately verify the claim.
Kovalenko described the facility as “one of the largest” in Russia, with a capacity of around 20 million tons of oil annually. “The refinery is of strategic importance for the Russian army, as it is part of the group of enterprises that provide fuel to the armed forces,” Kovalenko wrote.
“Its products include aviation fuel, diesel fuel for military equipment and lubricants necessary for the operation of armored vehicles, aviation and road transport,” he added.
Russia, meanwhile, continued its nightly tempo of cross-border drone strikes. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 83 attack drones into the country, 46 of which were shot down and 31 lost in flight.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement to social media, “Ukraine is fighting for the normal and safe life it deserves, for a just and reliable peace. We want this war to end. But Russia does not, and continues its aerial terror.”
“Those who seek negotiations do not deliberately strike civilians with ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy added, referring to Moscow’s regular use of missile strikes across the country.
“To force Russia to stop its attacks, we need greater collective strength from the world,” Zelenskyy said. “Strengthening our air defense, supporting our army, and ensuring effective security guarantees that will make the return of Russian aggression impossible — this is what we must focus on.”
