JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1233

Spanish police seized 6.5 tons of cocaine and arrested nine people after a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration tip led them to raid a Tanzanian‑flagged cargo ship off the Canary Islands. The 177‑foot vessel, en route from Panama to Vigo, hid the drugs in its hold and behind unusual onboard structures, officials said. Video posted by police shows officers intercepting the ship by speedboat. Spain, a key gateway for cocaine into Europe, recently dismantled “narco boats” in June and made a record 13‑ton seizure in bananas at Algeciras last October.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire and police rejected social-media rumors of a serial killer after a spate of bayou deaths, including University of Houston student Jade McKissic, whose autopsy showed no signs of trauma or foul play. Officials say the fatalities span ages, genders, and races, and none have been ruled homicides; many causes remain undetermined or pending. At least 25 bayou deaths have been confirmed this year, more than double 2023, fueling anxiety. Council members urged vigilance and pressed for clearer updates, safety measures, and possibly a task force.

Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue revives the true tale of a Milwaukee auto mechanic and his hairdresser wife who turn a Neil Diamond tribute act into a crowd-pleasing lifeline, buoyed by rousing full-length performances and tender, bittersweet drama. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson headline as Lightning and Thunder, their chemistry anchoring a story that swings from garage rehearsals to local fame, a Pearl Jam opener, and personal tragedy. With polished, unfussy direction, a wide sweep of Diamond’s catalog, and standout turns from the ensemble, it arrives as a Focus Features Christmas release with old-school appeal.

Week 8’s “Bye‑mageddon” still delivered drama: the 0-7 Jets stunned the Bengals 39-38 behind Breece Hall’s three fourth‑quarter touchdowns, including a late go‑ahead pass, giving Aaron Glenn his first win and an emotional finish for Justin Fields. In Carolina, Josh Allen set a new NFL mark for games with both passing and rushing TDs as the Bills cruised 40-9, while James Cook ran for a career‑high 216 yards. And in Pittsburgh, Aaron Rodgers fell to his former Packers, 35-25, as tight end Tucker Kraft erupted for 143 yards and two scores.

Anime surged again at the box office as Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc took No. 1 with $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada, per Comscore, ahead of Black Phone 2 ($13 million) and the Springsteen biopic Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere ($9.1 million). Rom-com Regretting You earned $12.85 million, while Tron: Ares finished fifth with $4.9 million. Crunchyroll’s release drew an A from audiences, following last month’s record-setting Demon Slayer debut. Deliver Me From Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen, earned a B+. Black Phone 2 has nearly $50 million domestically.

Uncontacted Indigenous tribes are “at the edge of survival,” a new Survival International report warns, citing surging intrusions by miners, missionaries, criminal gangs and influencers that spread disease and destroy forests. At least 196 groups remain—124 in Brazil—with about half at risk of vanishing within a decade. The charity says 96% face threats from extractive industries and 38 face annihilation from roads and railways. On Indonesia’s Halmahera, nickel mining menaces the Hongana Manyawa. Survival urges a global no-contact policy and supply chains free of materials from their lands, calling on governments and industry to halt “continuing colonization.”

BBC Verify rounds up: MPs brand the UK’s asylum accommodation as failing, with about 32,000 people in hotels in June and 103,000 in support overall; use of hotels fell earlier in 2025 but June totals were 8% up on a year before, and Labour plans to end them by 2029. Verified videos show RSF fighters celebrating at el-Fasher’s 6th Division HQ amid disputed control claims. England and Wales recorded 262 erroneous prisoner releases to March 2025, including Hadush Kebatu, later recaptured. Footage also shows a Belgorod dam breached after a Ukrainian drone strike, with indicated downstream flooding.

Far from public view, a new Survival International report warns that at least 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups in 10 countries—most in the Amazon—are under intensifying pressure from logging, mining, agribusiness and organized crime. Nearly 65% face logging threats, 40% mining, and 20% agribusiness; half could be wiped out within a decade without action. Experts urge legally recognized no‑contact zones, stronger enforcement, and supply‑chain scrutiny. Recent developments in Peru, Brazil and Ecuador underscore uneven protections, while projects from Brazilian railways to Indonesia’s nickel mining deepen risks to isolated peoples and the forests they sustain.

Huntington Bancshares will acquire Cadence Bank in an all-stock deal worth $7.4 billion, creating a top-ten bank with $276 billion in assets and $220 billion in deposits. Cadence holders will receive 2.475 Huntington shares per share, valuing the offer at $39.77. The bank raised its medium-term ROTCE target to 18%–19% on expense synergies and enhanced earnings potential, and will expand to 21 states, including Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin. Cadence shares rose about 2% premarket as Huntington fell 4%. First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the deal is expected to close in Q1 2026.

Relentless rain hammered Central Florida into Monday, unleashing flash floods that stranded drivers, swamped roads and flooded homes. The National Weather Service called it a “particularly dangerous situation,” reporting up to 18 inches in Lake County and 13 in Brevard. Flash flood emergencies covered Eustis and Mount Dora, with warnings to seek higher ground. Meteorologist Megan Tollefsen said totals were “definitely not normal,” and some areas, including Eustis and Titusville, saw one‑in‑200‑year rainfall. In Titusville, reports cited inundated homes and stranded cars, and Mount Dora issued a boil‑water notice after a water line break that appeared related to flooding.