International

Ecuador seeks to protect unique Galapagos birds from flu

| By AFP |

Ecuador has put in place a plan to try and protect its unique wild bird species on the Galapagos islands from the H5N1 virus also rampaging through Europe and North America.

The bird flu virus reached South America via migratory wild birds in recent weeks, impacting mainly Peru, where thousands of pelicans and other seabirds have died, and Ecuador, which has ordered the culling of 180,000 farm birds.

The director of the Galapagos National Park, Danny Rueda, said in a statement that “permanent monitoring has been arranged in areas with the most seabirds,” including all tourism hotspots.

The Galapagos is a bird-watchers paradise for the scores of unique and colorful birds found on the archipelago, such as the blue-footed booby with its quirky mating rituals, and endemic penguin, cormorant and albatross species.

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English naturalist Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution after studying finches and mockingbirds on the Galapagos islands in 1835.

On Wednesday, Ecuador declared a 90-day animal health emergency after detecting the highly contagious bird flu on some farms, which includes a ban on transporting any bird products from affected areas.

In Peru, authorities have culled at least 37,000 chickens to try and control an outbreak which has killed more than 14,000 seabirds, mostly pelicans.

The current bird flu outbreak began in Canada and spread to the United States, which has seen a record 50 million avian deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Europe is also experiencing its worst-ever outbreak of the virus, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

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There is no treatment for bird flu, which spreads naturally between wild birds and can also infect domestic poultry. Avian influenza viruses do not typically infect humans, although there have been rare cases.

International

Trump Pushes for Regime Change in Cuba as Havana Confirms Talks With Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for political change in Cuba, located just 150 kilometers from the United States. Washington considers the island an “exceptional threat,” citing its close ties with Russia, Chinaand Iran, longtime allies of Havana.

Trump has urged Cuba to “reach a deal” with Washington or face consequences, as the island struggles with a severe energy crisis that has nearly paralyzed its economy after the United States cut oil shipments from Venezuela, its main fuel supplier. The U.S. has also warned other countries against selling fuel to Havana.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed that Cuban officials have recently held talks with representatives of the U.S. government. The statement came during a meeting with senior members of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba and the executive committee of the Council of Ministers, according to footage broadcast on Cuban television.

“These conversations have been aimed at seeking solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences that exist between our two nations,” Díaz-Canel said.

Reports of intermediaries and possible negotiations

According to television images, among those attending the meeting was Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. Although he holds no official government position, U.S. media have identified him as a possible interlocutor with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in what have been described as secret discussions between Washington and Havana.

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For some Cubans, any potential agreement with Washington is viewed pragmatically. “As long as it benefits us, we can reach an agreement — but on our terms,” said Sergio Guerra, a 55-year-old agricultural vendor, speaking to AFP.

Díaz-Canel’s remarks confirm earlier statements by Trump, who indicated in January that his administration had already begun contacts with senior Cuban officials.

Mexico calls for diplomacy

Meanwhile, Mexico welcomed the possibility of dialogue after recently sending more than 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba to help mitigate the crisis.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would always promote peace and diplomatic dialogue, particularly in response to what she described as the long-standing injustice of the U.S. embargo on the Cuban people.

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International

U.S. Confirms Death of Six Crew Members in KC-135 Crash in Western Iraq

The United States confirmed on Friday that all six service members aboard a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq on Thursday have died, revising an earlier report that initially confirmed four fatalities.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM), based in Florida, said the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, but stressed that the loss of the aircraft was not caused by enemy or friendly fire.

With the deaths of the six crew members — whose identities have not yet been released — the total number of U.S. military personnel killed since the start of the conflict with Iran on February 28 has risen to 14.

According to U.S. officials, seven soldiers were killed in direct Iranian attacks, one died due to a medical emergency in Kuwait, and the remaining casualties occurred in the aircraft crash in Iraq.

Conflicting claims about the crash

A pro-Iranian militia known as Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft, saying its fighters targeted the tanker using air defense systems, causing it to crash.

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The group later stated that it also attacked a second U.S. aircraft in western Iraq, which allegedly made an emergency landing at “one of the enemy’s airports,” while its crew escaped safely.

However, CENTCOM has rejected those claims and said it has no information confirming an attack on a second aircraft.

Iranian officials have also suggested that the tanker was struck by a missile fired by Iraqi armed groups, but the United States has not supported that assertion.

Second incident since conflict began

According to U.S. military reports, this is the second accident involving U.S. forces since the war began.

On Thursday, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford — the largest in the U.S. fleet — experienced a fire on board, leaving two Marines injured. CENTCOM said the incident was not related to enemy action.

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International

FBI Warns of Possible Iranian Drone Attack on U.S. West Coast

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned police departments in California about a possible Iranian plan to carry out a drone attack against the west coast of the United States, according to a report published Wednesday by ABC News.

The warning was issued through a memorandum sent to agencies participating in a Joint Terrorism Task Force, outlining the possibility of a surprise attack involving unmanned aerial vehicles launched from a vessel off the U.S. coastline.

According to the document, intelligence suggested that in early February 2026 Iran may have considered an attack against unspecified targets in California if the United States carried out airstrikes on Iranian territory.

However, the memo also noted that authorities lack additional details about the timing, method, specific targets, or individuals responsible for the alleged plan.

Reports cited by U.S. media indicate that the alert coincided with the start of a military offensive by the administration of Donald Trump against the Iran, a development that has heightened tensions across the Middle East.

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Law enforcement sources with counterterrorism experience told the Los Angeles Times that the warning is part of a routine precautionary advisory based on information from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The sources emphasized that there is no credible indication of an imminent attack and no evidence that Iran currently has the capability to successfully carry out such an operation.

California is home to the largest Iranian community in the United States. According to the Migration Policy Institute, more than half of Iranian immigrants in the country lived in the state in 2019, including around 140,000 people in Los Angeles County alone.

The city also hosts a neighborhood widely known as “Tehrangeles,” where a large Iranian community began settling in the 1960s and continued to grow following the Iranian Revolution.