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Today is November 5

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Today's reading time is 5 minutes. - Miko Santos

A UPS cargo plane carrying three people crashed and exploded during takeoff from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday evening, resulting in at least three deaths and 11 injuries. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, manufactured in 1991, was departing for Honolulu when witnesses observed flames on the left wing at approximately 5:15 p.m. Video footage captured the aircraft briefly lifting off before crashing and erupting in a massive fireball, with debris damaging nearby buildings.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed the casualties and warned that fatalities may increase as emergency responders continue working in dangerous conditions due to flammable materials and potential explosives at the crash site. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for areas north of the airport extending to the Ohio River, affecting residential neighborhoods near downtown Louisville. The crash occurred at UPS’s largest package handling facility, which employs thousands and processes over 400,000 packages hourly through 300 daily flights.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern American politics, has died at age 84 due to complications from pneumonia and cardiac disease. Serving under President George W. Bush from 2001-2009, Cheney was the chief architect of America’s post-9/11 “war on terror” and played a pivotal role in the Iraq War decision that defined a generation of U.S. foreign policy. His family, including wife Lynne and daughters Liz and Mary, were present at his passing.

Cheney’s political career spanned five decades, from serving as White House Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford to becoming Defense Secretary during the Gulf War, before ascending to what many consider the most powerful vice presidency in American history. In his final years, the hardline conservative became an unlikely Trump critic, with his daughter Liz Cheney sacrificing her congressional career to oppose the former president. In a stunning political reversal, Cheney cast his final presidential vote for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024, symbolizing how dramatically the Republican Party had shifted from his traditional conservatism.

Typhoon Kalamaegi has claimed at least 52 lives across the central Philippines, with hundreds of thousands displaced after catastrophic flooding inundated entire towns on the island of Cebu. The storm dumped 183 millimeters of rain in 24 hours before landfall—significantly exceeding the area’s monthly average of 131 millimeters—creating what provincial officials are calling an “unprecedented” disaster. Videos verified by AFP showed cars, trucks, and shipping containers being swept through muddy floodwaters as residents sought refuge on rooftops awaiting rescue.

The disaster was compounded by a military helicopter crash that killed six people, including two pilots and four crew members, while en route to support relief operations in Butuan. Nearly 400,000 people were evacuated ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, including hundreds still living in tent cities from a September earthquake. With 120 kph winds and 165 kph gusts, Kalamaegi represents the Philippines’ 20th major storm this year, meeting the country’s annual average with more storms expected before December’s end.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled his first federal budget, a sweeping fiscal plan that increases Canada’s deficit to C$78 billion ($55.3 billion)—the second largest in the nation’s history—as the government seeks to transform the economy in response to devastating US tariff shocks. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne presented the “investment budget” that proposes C$280 billion in spending over five years to strengthen productivity, competitiveness, and resilience, with ambitious plans to attract C$1 trillion in private investment and double Canadian exports to non-US markets within a decade.

The budget addresses the economic uncertainty created by President Donald Trump’s 35% levy on Canadian goods and sector-specific tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles that have already triggered job losses. Key measures include C$82 billion for defense spending over five years to meet NATO’s 2% GDP commitment, nearly C$1 billion for AI integration, and 40,000 federal job cuts by 2029. However, Carney’s Liberal government faces significant political challenges passing the budget through parliament, where it holds only a razor-thin minority and requires support from opposition parties to avoid triggering a federal election.

Voters across New York City headed to polling stations Tuesday to select their next mayor, with progressive Democrat Zohran Mamdani widely favored to defeat independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. If elected, the 34-year-old state assembly member would become New York’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest leader in decades, marking a significant shift for America’s largest city. Mamdani’s campaign has centered on affordability issues, promising rent freezes for one million apartments, higher taxes on wealthy residents, free bus fares, and universal childcare.

The race has drawn intense national attention as a bellwether for Democratic Party direction, with President Donald Trump actively opposing Mamdani and urging voters to support former Governor Cuomo instead, despite Cuomo running as an independent. Mamdani’s progressive platform and criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza have divided Democrats and prompted Trump to characterize him as a radical. The New York contest is among several key races Tuesday, including gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, that will gauge Trump’s Republican Party popularity and Democratic recovery prospects following major 2024 losses.

Jonathan Bailey Named People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2025: Wicked Star Takes Title from John Krasinski

British actor Jonathan Bailey has been named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025, taking the prestigious title from 2024’s recipient John Krasinski. The announcement was made Monday night on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” with the 37-year-old “Wicked” star calling the honor “completely absurd” while expressing gratitude for the recognition. Bailey becomes one of the few openly gay actors to receive the distinction, adding cultural significance to an accolade that has been awarded annually since Mel Gibson’s selection in 1985.

In a remote corner of the Atlantic, countless ships and aircraft have vanished without explanation - leaving behind only silence, speculation, and a trail of unanswered questions. This is the Bermuda Triangle - a place with no official borders, yet feared across the world.

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