International

Plane crash kills Colombian lawmaker, 14 others

Published

15 hours ago

January 30, 2026

FILES-COLOMBIA-AIR-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT (FILES) A Satena Airlines aircraft covering the route Bogota-Caracas is pictured upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, La Guaira State, Venezuela, on November 9, 2022. A commercial plane with 15 people on board disappeared in Colombia near the border with Venezuela, the state-owned airline Satena reported on January 28, 2025. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP) Agency Report

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A twin-propeller aircraft carrying 15 people, including a Colombian lawmaker, Diogenes Quintero, crashed in a mountainous region near the Venezuelan border on January 28.

According to AFP, the aircraft departed from the border city of Cúcuta and lost contact with air traffic control shortly before it was scheduled to land in the nearby town of Ocaña at about 5:00 p.m. GMT.

“There are no survivors,” an official of the aviation authority told AFP.

The plane was carrying 13 passengers and two crew members.

The Cúcuta region is known for its rugged terrain, unpredictable weather conditions and areas controlled by Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army.

In a separate report, NDTV disclosed that the government deployed the Colombian Air Force to locate the aircraft and recover the bodies.

Local parliamentarian Wilmer Carrillo expressed concern over the incident, saying, “We have received with concern the information about the air accident in which my colleague, Diogenes Quintero, Carlos Salcedo and their teams were travelling.”

Quintero is a member of Colombia’s Chamber of Deputies, while Salcedo is a candidate in the upcoming elections.

The crash adds to a history of fatal aviation accidents involving prominent figures in Colombia.

In January 2025, a private plane crashed in central-eastern Colombia, killing all six people on board, including singer Yeison Jiménez.

International

Indonesia plane with 10 people on board goes missing

Published

2 weeks ago

January 17, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

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Indonesian authorities are searching for a plane carrying three government workers and seven crew members after contact with the aircraft was lost on Saturday, officials said.

The Indonesia Air Transport turboprop plane left from Yogyakarta and was headed to the city of Makassar on Sulawesi island, according to rescuers.

Three employees of the ministry of marine affairs and fisheries were on board, on a mission to conduct aerial monitoring of resources in the area, Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono told a press conference.

Contact with the plane was lost shortly after 1:00 pm (0600 GMT).

Muhammad Arif Anwar, the head of the local search and rescue agency, told AFP teams were deployed to a mountainous area of Maros Regency, which borders Makassar, near the last known location of the plane.

The search on land and by air involved the air force, police and volunteers, he added.

Andi Sultan, operations chief at the Makassar search and rescue agency, said a helicopter and drones were being used to find the plane.

The aircraft manufacturer, France-based firm ATR, said it had been informed of “an accident” involving one of its planes.

“ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation led by the Indonesian authorities and the operator,” the company said in a statement.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago in Southeast Asia, relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands.

The country has a poor aviation safety record, with several fatal crashes in recent years.

In September last year, a helicopter carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed shortly after taking off from South Kalimantan province, killing everybody on board.

Less than two weeks later, four people were killed when another helicopter crashed in the remote Papua district of Ilaga.

AFP

International

US lawmaker, Doug LaMalfa, dies suddenly at 65

Published

3 weeks ago

January 6, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

US lawmaker, Doug LaMalfa

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Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican known for his expertise on water and forestry issues, has died at 65, according to statements from GOP officials.

LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer and former state legislator, was serving his seventh term representing a rural district in the northeast corner of the state. He sat on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.

“Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said in a statement posted to social media. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

Republicans who were close with LaMalfa were not aware of any health issues he had, and many were in shock Tuesday morning about his sudden passing, according to six GOP lawmakers who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.

LaMalfa suffered an aneurysm and then a heart attack after being taken into surgery, according to one of the lawmakers and two others familiar with the matter.

LaMalfa’s seat was among those targeted by California Democrats in their bid to redraw district lines to counter President Donald Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push in Texas and other states. He was widely expected to have a difficult path to reelection this year.

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of the House GOP campaign arm, remembered LaMalfa as a “real gearhead and motorsports fan” as well as a “principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California.”

“Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service,” Hudson said.

Under California law, Gov. Gavin Newsom has 14 days to set a date for a special election. He could set the date as soon as mid-May, though he could also schedule it to coincide with the state’s June 2 primary. The winner would serve out LaMalfa’s term under current district lines.

International

Maduro, wife to face trial for narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking — US Attorney General

Published

4 weeks ago

January 4, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will face trial in the United States on charges including narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on Saturday.

“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi said on X, announcing the indictment lodged in the Southern District of New York.

The charges include “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy,” conspiracy to import cocaine, and offenses related to machineguns.

The indictment against Maduro was lodged in 2020, while the indictment against his wife had not been previously known.

The announcement follows the capture of the Maduros by US military forces, with the operation carried out in coordination with US law enforcement.

President Donald Trump, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence, described the operation as: “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.”

“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” Trump added, calling it “a brilliant operation” in a phone interview with The New York Times.

Trump’s administration in August had doubled a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture, accusing him of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns” drug trafficking organization.

The operation coincided with US military strikes on Caracas, with reports that the elite Delta Force carried out the capture as bombs fell on the city.

Senator Marco Rubio said the US military action is complete.

He said, “No further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody.”

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau hailed the capture as a “new dawn” for Venezuela, writing on X:”The tyrant is gone. He will now — finally — face justice for his crimes.”

The operation comes just two days after Venezuela offered renewed cooperation on combating drug trafficking and illegal migration.