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A Mexican navy ship has crashed into New York’s Brooklyn Bridge, leaving two crew members dead and at least 17 other people injured.

The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel with 277 people on board, was damaged in the collision.

Video posted online showed the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, travelling in reverse and hitting the underside of the bridge.

It sheared the top of its masts and drifted towards the Brooklyn side of the East River as onlookers scrambled away from shore.

Naval cadets dressed in white uniforms could be seen dangling from the ship’s crossbeams after the crash.

New York City mayor Eric Adams said two people had died and 17 others were injured, including two who were in a critical condition.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Witnesses said they saw two people removed from the ship on stretchers.

No one is thought to have fallen into the water.

The 147ft (45m) masts were too tall to clear the arched bridge and toppled when the vessel, named after the last Aztec emperor, sailed in reverse underneath.

The Cuauhtemoc, a Mexican navy training ship, struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday evening

It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course. New York police chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not towards the bridge.

He said an initial report suggested the vessel lost power due to a mechanical problem.

Pedestrians walking along Brooklyn Bridge Park look on as masted Mexican Navy training ship Cuauhtemoc sits stranded near the Manhattan Bridge. Pic: AP
Railings at Brooklyn Bridge Park damaged. Pic: AP
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Pics: AP

Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said the National Transportation Safety Board would be taking over the investigation.

Mr Adams said a “unified effort” was under way to “make sure that we look after all of those who were on the ship”.

The bridge, which is a main conduit between Manhattan and Brooklyn, has since reopened with no major damage.

A New York Police Department harbour unit prepares to board the Cuauhtemoc. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft (90m) long and 40ft (12m) wide, according to the Mexican navy. It was built in Spain and sailed for the first time in 1982.

Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.

It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.

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Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

The Mexican consulate said on social media last week that the Cuauhtemoc – also dubbed the “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas” – arrived in New York on 13 May.

The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 countries, including Kingston in Jamaica, Havana in Cuba, Cozumel back in Mexico, and New York.

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It also had planned to sail to Reykjavik in Iceland, Bordeaux, Saint Malo and Dunkirk in France, Aberdeen in Scotland and other locations for a total of 254 days, 170 of them at sea.

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At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

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At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

13 people have been killed in the US state of Texas after heavy rain caused flash flooding, according to local media reports.

Officials have also said more than 20 are missing from a girls’ camp in Texas.

As much as 10 inches (25 centimetres) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.

Judge Rob Kelly, the chief elected official in the county, confirmed fatalities from the flooding and dozens of water rescues so far.

A flood watch issued on Thursday afternoon estimated isolated amounts up to seven inches (17 centimetres) of rising water.

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Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump he will not back down from goals in Ukraine, Kremlin says

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Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump he will not back down from goals in Ukraine, Kremlin says

Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.

The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.

The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.

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Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine

Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.

At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.

The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.

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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. Pic: Reuters
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters

He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.

Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.

Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.

The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.

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The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.

Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.

Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.

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Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ tax cuts bill passes final hurdle in US Congress

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Donald Trump's 'big beautiful' tax cuts bill passes final hurdle in US Congress

Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ has been passed by the US congress, sending it to the president to sign into law.

The controversial tax breaks and spending cuts package cleared its final hurdle as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the bill with a 218-214 vote.

The bill delivers tax breaks Mr Trump promised in his 2024 election campaign, cuts health and food safety programmes, and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), it will lower tax revenues by $4.5trn over 10 years and add $3.4trn to the US’s $36.2trn debt.

But despite concerns over the 869-page bill’s price tag – and its hit to healthcare programmes – Republicans largely lined up in support, with just two rebelling on the vote.

Speaker Mike Johnson congratulated following the signing of Trump's bill. Pic: Reuters
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House Speaker Mike Johnson is congratulated following the vote. Pic: Reuters

Every Democrat in Congress voted against the bill, blasting it as a giveaway to the wealthy that will leave millions of Americans uninsured.

House Speaker Mike Johnson made the Republicans’ closing argument for the bill, telling Congress: “For everyday Americans, this means real, positive change that they can feel.”

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Earlier, the House’s Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a record-breaking eight-hour and 44-minute speech against it.

“The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires,” he said.

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The bill’s spending cuts largely target Medicaid, the health programme that covers 71 million Americans on low incomes.

It will tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments.

The changes could leave nearly 12 million people without health insurance, according to the CBO.

On the other side of the ledger, it will stave off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of the year, when tax cuts from President Trump’s first term were due to expire.

It also sets up new tax breaks for overtime pay, seniors and tipped income.

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The bill narrowly passed the US Senate on Tuesday after vice president JD Vance cast the deciding vote to break a 50-50 tie.

Mr Trump will sign it into law on Friday at 5pm local time (10pm in the UK), the White House said.

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