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My phone pings late at night. It’s a message from Gustavo Aleman, our producer in Venezuela.    

“Look who made it to America!” the message says, alongside a picture of a family standing in front of a ‘Welcome to the United States of America” sign.

It is the Zambrano family from Venezuela.

Our team first met them in the Darien Gap in November 2022, while we were filming a story about the notorious jungle trek from Colombia to Panama.

Michael and family

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Crossing the Darien Gap in search of a new life

We filmed as they criss-crossed rivers, waded through deep pools of water and hiked up steep hills made entirely of thick mud and rock.

Michael Zambrano was carrying his then two-year-old son Lucien in a baby carrier on his chest, while his four-year-old son Jordan clung to his hand.

His wife Mariangela was seven months pregnant.

They had left Venezuela, travelled to Chile – tried to make a life there but couldn’t – so made their way through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and then to Colombia, where they joined the trail – hoping to ultimately reach the US.

It took them five days to get through the jungle and into Panama.

The Darien Gap
Darien Gap

Once they reached Panama they took a breather for a few days, before continuing north through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and then Mexico.

In Mexico City in January, Mariangela gave birth to a girl they named Ana, but because they did not have proper papers, they had to wait to get a birth certificate for their third child.

Once they received it, they applied for asylum in the US, and after nearly three months of waiting they got approval from US Customs and Border Protection to enter the US legally through Texas.

Ana was born in Mexico City in January 2023
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Ana was born in Mexico City in January 2023

The family trekked through the infamous Darien Gap
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The family had just $300 for the journey and often relied on the kindness of strangers

In the end it was a six month journey for the Zambrano family, mostly on foot, carrying everything they had in one rucksack – and with just $300 (£235) to their name.

They are now settling in to life in New York City.

“I feel everything was worth it, it was worth crossing 11 countries and four deserts with no money, just with the help of strangers, and with God’s help,” Michael told producer Gustavo Aleman in New York.

Pic: Gustavo Aleman
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Pic: Gustavo Aleman

Pic: Gustavo Aleman
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Pic: Gustavo Aleman

The family has been given a room at a shelter for migrants, as well as food and supplies for their children.

Eldest son Jordan has been enrolled in public school where, Michael proudly notes, he is learning English.

“The first day we took him to school we were so proud, after all we have been through,” he said while walking home from school with Jordan on his shoulders.

“This happiness will stay with me all my life.”

Michael is busking until his work visa comes through. Pic: Gustavo Aleman
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Michael is busking until his work permit arrives. Pic: Gustavo Aleman

Michael is waiting for his work permit to arrive, but in the meantime he earns a little money busking on the streets in the evenings – he is a singer.

He said: “I perform on the streets on the corner of a restaurant, I sing mostly Colombian music, and people are very supportive.”

He also creates content for his TikTok account, where he has more than 36,000 followers.

The Darien Gap is seen as a gateway to America for migrants from all over the world and more than 500,000 passed through in 2023, according to latest figures available.

When we said goodbye to Michael and his family – up to their knees in water and mud – just over a year ago, we wished them luck.

Pic: Gustavo Aleman
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It’s the start of a new chapter for the family. Pic: Gustavo Aleman

However, we pointed out that rules at the US border had changed and their asylum claim couldn’t be processed at the crossing point.

Michael smiled and shook our hands.

“We will get through. The American people are nice, and they will hear our story and they will let us in. God will help them and help us,” he said, wading off into the distance with his family in tow.

They made it.

An incredible journey, but one that often doesn’t end so well for thousands of others.

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Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson left me ‘half alive’, sole survivor says

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Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson left me 'half alive', sole survivor says

The sole surviving guest of a lunch where three others died after being served food laced with toxic mushrooms has told an Australian court that the actions of murderer Erin Patterson have left him feeling “half alive”.

Ian Wilkinson, who received a liver transplant and spent months in hospital after the poisoning in July 2023, described how he had been left traumatised as he delivered his victim impact statement at Patterson’s pre-sentencing hearing in Melbourne.

Patterson, 50, was found guilty last month of luring her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, to lunch at her home in Leongatha and poisoning them with individual portions of Beef Wellington that contained toxic death cap mushrooms.

A jury also found her guilty of the attempted murder of Mr Wilkinson, Heather’s husband.

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Australian mother found guilty of killing three relatives by serving toxic lunch

Speaking at the start of the two-day hearing, Mr Wilkinson, a Baptist pastor, said the death of his wife had left him bereft.

“It’s a truly horrible thought to live with that somebody could decide to take her life. I only feel half alive without her,” he said, breaking down in tears.

“It’s one of the distressing shortcomings of our society that so much attention is showered on those who do evil and so little on those who do good.”

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Ian and Heather Wilkinson. Pic: The Salvation Army Australia - Museum
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Ian and Heather Wilkinson. Pic: The Salvation Army Australia – Museum

‘I bear her no ill will’

He described Gail and Don Patterson, the parents of Erin Patterson’s estranged husband Simon Patterson, as the closest people to him after his wife and family.

“My life is greatly impoverished without them,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“I’m distressed that Erin has acted with callous and calculated disregard for my life and the lives of those I love. What foolishness possesses a person to think that murder could be the solution to their problems, especially the murder of people who have only good intentions towards her?”

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

He called on Patterson, who said the poisonings were accidental and continues to maintain her innocence, to confess to her crimes.

“I encourage Erin to receive my offer of forgiveness for those harms done to me with full confession and repentance. I bear her no ill will,” he said.

“I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim and she has become the victim of my kindness.”

Read more from Sky News:
National Guard will begin carrying firearms in Washington DC
Flesh-eating screwworm parasite detected in person in US for first time

The court received a total of 28 victim impact statements, of which seven were read publicly.

Don and Gail Patterson. Picture: Facebook
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Don and Gail Patterson. Picture: Facebook


‘An irreparably broken home’

Patterson’s estranged husband Simon Patterson – who was invited to the lunch but declined – spoke of the devastating impact on the couple’s two children.

“The grim reality is they live in an irreparably broken home with only a solo parent, when almost everyone else knows their mother murdered their grandparents,” he said in a statement that was read out on his behalf.

Patterson attended the court in person on Monday rather than watch via a video link from prison which she did during a hearing earlier this month.

The hearing is scheduled to continue on Tuesday.

Patterson faces a potential life sentence for each of the murders and 25 years for attempted murder.

She has 28 days from the day of her sentencing to appeal, but has not yet indicated whether she will do so.

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Israel pounds outskirts of Gaza City overnight as military offensive plans continue

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Israel pounds outskirts of Gaza City overnight as military offensive plans continue

Israel pounded the outskirts of Gaza City overnight, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.

Families streamed out of the city as the explosions hit.

“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40.

“No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”

Mahmoud Abedrabo mourns over the body of his son Hamada in Gaza City on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
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Mahmoud Abedrabo mourns over the body of his son Hamada in Gaza City on 24 August. Pic: Reuters

Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.

“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation.

“We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money,” she said.

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Mourners pray next to the body of Palestinian boy Hamada Abedrabo on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
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Mourners pray next to the body of Palestinian boy Hamada Abedrabo on 24 August. Pic: Reuters

Witnesses said that overnight they heard nonstop explosions in Zeitoun and Shejaia.

Tanks shelled houses and roads in Sabra, and buildings were blown up in Jabalia.

On Sunday, the IDF said its forces had returned to combat in Jabalia to strengthen its control of the area and dismantle militant tunnels.

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
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Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters

It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”

This month, Israel approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City. The offensive isn’t expected to start for another few weeks.

Read more from Sky News:
Pro-Palestine Australians protest after week of tension with Israel
‘I’m deprived of my UK citizenship but I’m not a convicted terrorist’
Ghislaine Maxwell was given ‘platform to rewrite history’, say Giuffre’s family

In the meantime, mediators in Egypt and Qatar are trying to resume ceasefire talks between the two sides.

On Friday, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas releases all its remaining hostages and ends the war on Israel’s terms.

Mourners transport the body of  Ahmed Balata on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
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Mourners transport the body of Ahmed Balata on 24 August. Pic: Reuters

Around half of Gaza’s two million residents currently live in the city and on Friday a global hunger monitor said that Gaza City and its surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread.

Israel said the monitor ignores steps Israel has taken since late July to increase aid supplies into and across Gaza.

Eight more people died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry on Saturday.

281 people, including 114 children, have now died of malnutrition and starvation since the war started, according to the ministry.

The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel, mainly civilians, and took 251 hostages.

Since then, Israel has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and internally displaced nearly its entire population.

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Two married couples found dead in British car after crash in Germany

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Two married couples found dead in British car after crash in Germany

Two married couples have died after a British car veered off the road and crashed in Germany, according to police.

The fatal accident happened shortly after midnight on Saturday in the trees near a highway in the Kassel district, north of Hesse in central Germany.

The 32-year-old male driver, a 31-year-old female passenger, a 32-year-old female passenger, and a 30-year-old female passenger all died at the scene, despite the efforts of German emergency services.

Sky News understands UK officials have not been contacted for assistance.

At roughly 12.30am on Saturday, the car appears to have veered off the road and crashed into nearby trees around 30m from the road, according to the Kassel police department.

Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
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Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen

One of the victim’s phones automatically alerted the emergency services to the incident, who sent an ambulance to the scene.

Soon, fire engines, ambulances, command vehicles and emergency support vehicles were all dispatched.

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When emergency workers arrived, the car was lying on its side, wedged between several trees.

It wasn’t until they removed the roof that they found all four passengers.

Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
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Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen

The accident happened on Highway L3229
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The accident happened on Highway L3229

The emergency workers who dealt with the victims were immediately supported by the specialist mental health workers at the fire station in Reinhardshagen.

“This high number of deaths is an extraordinary operation for our Reinhardshagen Volunteer Fire Department,” said a fire department spokesperson.

“For some of the emergency personnel, it is the first time they have been confronted with death in this way.

“Therefore, a great deal is being done to help us process these images. We will also discuss this among ourselves and within families, because not everyone can easily shake off what they have seen.”

An investigation into the accident is ongoing and is being conducted by the Hofgeismar police station.

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