Deadly Tornadoes Obliterate Houses, Kill Dozens In Several US States

Scores of people have been killed and buildings destroyed following a series of tornadoes that ravaged eight states in the United States over the weekend. The victims ranged in age from as young as five months to 86 years old and come from at least eight different countries. The destructions is so catastrophic, officials still do not know how bad it really is. According to National Weather Service, while Kentucky may have suffered the most extensive damage, at least 50 tornadoes were reported in seven other states over the weekend. More than 64 people have been killed, and 105 are still missing. Over 1000 houses have been obliterated in Kentucky alone, Governor Andy Beshear said.

Colombia's Most Wanted Drug Kingpin, Otoniel, Captured

The Colombian security forces have on Saturday arrested the leader of the country's largest criminal gang and the most-wanted drug trafficker, Dairo Antonio Usuga, popularly known as "Otoniel'. According to Aljazeera, Otoniel, 50, was captured at his jungle hideout in the Uraba region of the country. The Colombian government had offered an $800,000 reward for information about the kingpin's whereabouts, while the United States government placed a $5 million bounty on his head.

COVID-19: US To Ease Restrictions On Fully Vaccinated Foreign Visitors

The United States intends to ease travel restrictions on all fully vaccinated foreign visitors beginning from November. According to the White House on Monday, the country could relax a patchwork of bans that had begun to cause anger in Europe and replacing them with more uniform requirements for inbound international air passengers. White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients announced the "new international air travel system". "This is based on individuals rather than a country-based approach, so it's a stronger system," he said.

At Least 54 Migrants Killed In Horror Mexico Crash

Up to 54 persons have lost their lives and scores injured after the truck they were being transported in crashed in southern Mexico, authorities say. More than 150 people, said to be migrants from Central America, were crammed into the truck’s trailer when it rolled, overturned on a dangerous curve outside the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez in the state of Chiapas. The migrants inside the cargo trailer were flipped, tossed and crushed into a pile that mingled the living and the dead. The crash, which is one of the worst road accidents in the country in recent years occurred on Thursday. According to authorities, the nationalities of the victims which include men, women and children, have not yet been confirmed, though locals said most of them on board were from Honduras and Guatemala. The truck was reportedly speeding when it flipped on a sharp bend and hit a pedestrian bridge on a main road leading to the Chiapas state capital, Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Breaking: Colin Powell, First Black US Secretary Of State Dies From COVID-19 Complications

General Colin L. Powell, former National Security Adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first Black Secretary of State of the United States has died on Monday following COVID-19 complications.
Powell died at age 84 at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C, despite being fully vaccinated. Powell's death was announced by his family on Facebook, saying "General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19.

COVID-19: Vaccination Mandatory For US Green Card Applicants

The United States Government has announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination as part of its requirements for all applicants seeking lawful permanent residence in the US. This follows the recently released guidelines by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in August. According to the new CDC guidelines, permanent residence applicants will be required to provide an official vaccination record from October 1, 2021, noting that the guideline does not apply to non-immigrant visa applicants.