An ICE officer charged with a shooting incident in Minnesota earlier this year found himself out of detention in Texas as of Thursday. The release follows a period of being held while legal proceedings unfolded.

On Wednesday, a judge opted not to compel Texas Governor Greg Abbott to extradite the officer back to Minnesota, a move sought by Minnesota officials eager to prosecute the ICE agent as part of the Hennepin County case. This decision granted Castro continued freedom in Texas.

Christian Castro, the officer at the heart of the controversy, was freed at 6:59 a.m., according to Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino, who shared the information via email with media outlets on Thursday.

In a May announcement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty disclosed that Castro faces charges of four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, intensifying the legal stakes for the ICE agent.

“Mr. Castro fired his service weapon at the front door of a home knowing there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no harm to him or anyone else,” Moriarty asserted, saying the bullet hit Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg and eventually lodged “in the wall of a child’s bedroom.”

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Castro was arrested in Texas, and Minnesota has been pressing for Texas to extradite him from the Lone Star State.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr.’s Wednesday order denying a temporary restraining order declared, “In May, the State of Minnesota charged Castro with various crimes based on that incident. By the time these charges arose, however, Castro was no longer in Minnesota, leading a county judge to issue a nationwide warrant for his arrest. When authorities in the State of Texas arrested Castro in late May, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz initiated the process under the Extradition Act of 1793 and the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act to secure Castro’s extradition to Minnesota.”

“Under the UCEA, Castro can be detained on the strength of the Minnesota warrant only until August 27, 2026. As the day approached, and fearing that Castro will flee into Mexico should he be released, Minnesota made repeated inquiries of Texas regarding the status of the extradition request. On August 18, having not received a definitive answer, Minnesota filed this action, alleging that Governor Abbott ‘has refused’ to sign a rendition warrant, violating the Extradition Clause of the United States Constitution, the Extradition Act, and the UCEA,” the order stated.

“Minnesota moves for a temporary restraining order to avoid Castro’s release before Governor Abbott signs a rendition warrant. On August 25, the Court held a hearing on the request. Based on the record and the applicable law, the Court concludes that Minnesota fails to satisfy the requirements for the issuance of a temporary restraining order,” the judge’s order noted.

In an exciting underwater discovery, divers exploring the depths off a Greek island have stumbled upon a shipwreck dating back approximately 2,400 years. The ancient vessel was laden with hundreds of amphorae, shedding light on maritime history.

The intriguing find was revealed this summer, with Greece’s Ministry of Culture proudly making the announcement.

According to the Ministry’s translated press release, the wreck off the coast of Andros in Greece’s Cyclades archipelago was brought to light by a tip from a private individual.

The submerged relic was discovered at a depth ranging from 128 to 144 feet, where the ship’s cargo, consisting of hundreds of “pointed-bottom commercial amphorae,” lay preserved.

Preliminary counts by officials suggest that the number of these ancient storage jars is impressively between 600 and 650.

Underwater photos show the ancient artifacts encrusted with marine growth and scattered across the seafloor.

Amphorae, or ceramic storage jars, were widely used in the ancient world to transport goods ranging from wine and olive oil to grain and other foodstuffs.

Officials have not disclosed what the amphorae, which date to the late fifth and early fourth centuries B.C., may have contained. 

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Archaeologists identified three distinct types: Mende, Peparethos and Solokha 2.

Archaeologists also discovered part of a lead anchor stock and several stones that may have been used as ballast to help stabilize the vessel.

Officials said the discovery “adds to our knowledge of trade and navigation during the Late Classical period.”

“During the inspection, one amphora of each type was recovered for sampling and study,” the statement added.

“Further study of the discovery is expected to provide additional information about both the ship’s cargo and its origin.”

The Mediterranean Sea, a crossroads of maritime trade for thousands of years, is home to countless shipwrecks and archaeological sites.

Earlier this summer, officials announced the discovery of gold jewelry aboard a roughly 1,300-year-old shipwreck off the Croatian island of Mljet.

Last summer, officials announced the discovery of hundreds of well-preserved ceramics at a roughly 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Turkey.

Tropical Storm Karina has garnered significant attention as it is now anticipated to escalate into a major hurricane. Recent forecasting models indicate that this powerful system could be on a potentially destructive trajectory towards California.

According to the latest updates from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Karina currently exhibits sustained winds surpassing 50 mph. Expectations are set for this storm to progress into hurricane status by as early as Friday evening.

Forecasters predict that by Sunday morning, Karina will intensify into a formidable Category 3 hurricane, characterized by winds exceeding 111 mph, which could pose significant dangers.

Utilizing new spaghetti models that map out potential paths of tropical systems, analysts suggest several scenarios that might lead Karina to make landfall along the California Coast, potentially affecting millions.

Early data from the American forecasting model, known as GFS, has outlined scenarios for an unprecedented landfall in major cities such as San Diego or Los Angeles, raising concerns for residents in these areas.

The so-called European model, also known as the EPS Ensemble, was more skeptical of a US landfall on Thursday, predicting that Karina would stay away from the California Coast and move out to sea.

However, both prediction models were updated on Friday, with both now showing potential paths to Southern California and points further north.

A hurricane has never made landfall in California in recorded history, according to the National Weather Service, and the last time a tropical storm directly impacted the state was in 1997.

A tropical storm has not taken such a path, from the Pacific Ocean straight into the California Coast, in nearly a century, when the Long Beach Tropical Storm landed in 1939.

It is important to note that forecast models can shift dramatically once storms form and get closer to making landfall. The farther into the future a forecast model tries to predict, the weaker the certainty of it being correct gets.

Spaghetti models, which show a large sampling of weather predictions, also reveal a great amount of uncertainty about a hurricane when they show paths going in several different directions – which is the current case with Karina.

The more tightly clustered the spaghetti models are, the more confident meteorologists are in the route of a storm. 

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Tropical Storm Karina is currently less than 1,400 miles south from San Diego and is moving northwest at 13 mph far offshore from the coast of Mexico.

Three years ago, Hurricane Hilary impacted Southern California, but weather officials later determined that the storm was no longer a named cyclone when it made landfall.

The last time the state was struck by an actual tropical storm was in 1997 when a weakening Hurricane Nora crossed from Mexico into the US still at tropical storm strength.

In 2026, AccuWeather’s lead long range forecaster Paul Pastelok has warned that the stage is set for a historic storm to reach California, thanks to the emergence of the weather phenomenon El Niño.

El Niño is a natural weather phenomenon that simply means that the Pacific Ocean has become noticeably warmer than its historical average.

However, this warming flips global weather patterns, causing storms to become more potent and capable of lasting longer in the Pacific, while weakening in the Atlantic.

AccuWeather meteorologists have predicted that this year’s El Niño will likely be the strongest in recorded history, with sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific rising by 4.8°F (2.66°C).

This would count as a ‘Super’ El Niño, meaning Pacific temperatures have risen by more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2.0 degrees Celsius).

Pastelok told the Daily Mail in June: ‘There could be some insane flooding that could take place, not only just in the summer, but it could even be out of season as well into the wintertime.’

‘You gotta watch the combination of the monsoon and marine heatwave. A marine heatwave that’s near the Baja, with El Niño combined, you’ve got three things working to possibly produce some unusual type of wet weather in Southern California, Phoenix, Tucson, in that area there.’

This is a breaking story. More details to follow.

A dramatic video has emerged showcasing the aftermath of flash flooding along the border between Nepal and China, where mudslides engulfed several buildings as residents hurried to safety in Gyirong, Tibet, a town close to China’s border with Nepal.

The destructive mudslides followed closely on the heels of a 4.4-magnitude earthquake. Just seven minutes after this seismic event, videos captured the frantic escape of people from the disaster’s path, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

Nepal’s foreign minister, Shishir Khanal, addressed the nation’s parliament and highlighted the significant role earthquakes could play in such natural disasters, according to a Reuters report.

Authorities suspect that the earthquake triggered an ice-rock avalanche, which subsequently surged into the Lhende Khola River in Nepal, contributing to the destructive floods, as noted by Reuters.

At least 95 people have been confirmed dead after rescue authorities in Nepal recovered at least that many bodies.

Nepal’s tourism authority said at least 484 tourists have also been reported missing, at least three of whom are U.S. citizens.

Reports claim as many as several dozen more Americans are missing. No official count of Americans was immediately released by the U.S. government.

The U.S. State Department said it was monitoring the situation closely and communicating with authorities in Nepal.

“The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” a State Department spokesperson told News Media in a statement.

“The State Department is aware of Americans impacted by the floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation. The embassy is working closely with local tour agencies and local authorities to assist Americans in the affected areas. We extend our deepest condolences for the victims and to the families of all those affected.

“We strongly encourage U.S. citizens in the affected areas to monitor local news, follow the emergency instructions provided by local authorities, and enroll in STEP.state.gov to receive important emergency information,” the spokesperson added.

The State Department’s office of Consular Affairs also relayed travel advisories for specific areas within Nepal.

“The flood destroyed buildings and damaged roads, bridges, electricity infrastructure, and communications. Nepali authorities ordered people living along riverbanks and in low-lying areas to move to safer locations,” the department posted on X.

“Avoid travel on the Prithvi Highway, the Galchhi–Nuwakot–Rasuwa–Syafrubesi road, and the Mugling–Narayangadh road until authorities lift restrictions. If you are in Rasuwagadhi, Timure, Syafrubesi, Langtang, or another affected area, contact the U.S. Embassy when safe to do so and provide your name, location, and status,” the advisory said.

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Sixty-five people are being treated at hospitals in and around Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu, according to local officials.

Authorities also warned a second flood is possible since there is still a blockage on the Lhende Khola River.

China deployed 574 rescuers to Tibet’s Gyirong land crossing, though one rescuer told CCTV it would take hours to reach the deluged site, Reuters reported.

India’s government and the European Union (EU) have publicly offered support to Nepal and China.

“Spoke to Prime Minister Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives due to the floods in Nepal. The people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time. India is ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Our teams are coordinating closely on rescue and relief efforts,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a post on X.

Shah responded on X, calling Modi’s gesture “a reflection of the enduring bonds of friendship between our two countries, which we profoundly value.”

“Devastating floods have struck communities in Nepal and China. My thoughts are with all those affected, especially the families who have lost loved ones or are still waiting for news… Copernicus has been activated to help map the affected areas in Nepal and support the response on the ground. We stand ready to mobilise further European assistance,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also wrote on X, offering up the use of Copernicus, the EU’s Earth monitoring satellite program.

News Media also contacted Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information.