JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1271

BBC Verify found no evidence for Donald Trump’s claim that every "drug boat" targeted off Venezuela or in the eastern Pacific would save 25,000 American lives. The White House offered no data, saying any boat "has the potential" to kill that many. With 73,690 overdose deaths reported between April 2023 and April 2024, Trump’s math would mean three boats avert a year’s toll—an assertion an epidemiologist called implausible, noting most fentanyl enters overland from Mexico. Separately, verified videos show a deadly explosion at a munitions plant in Russia’s Kopeisk; Izvestia reports 12 dead, cause unconfirmed.

Netflix’s Nobody Wants This returns with new showrunners Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan, but its second season loses much of the first season’s charm. While attempts to soften earlier portrayals of Jewish women sideline Bina and make Esther and Morgan less problematic, Noah and Joanne repeat old insecurities and their chemistry cools. Expanded subplots and a contrived crisis leave Noah smarmier and condescending and Joanne over-explained. The season leans on Talmud-tinged speeches yet wavers on perspective, even with a full Purim episode, delivering laughs but a familiar finale that’s hard to care about.

The Treasury Department says Americans have lost more than $16.6 billion to an online scam industry rooted in Southeast Asia, where compounds relying on forced labor flourished during the pandemic. Fraud rings use “pig butchering,” romance ploys, and phone ruses, deploying native speakers trafficked from China and beyond. Many operate from special economic zones in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar along Thailand’s border, drawing on Thai power and transit. Despite sanctions and rescue flights, and actions including Thai utility cuts and Chinese death sentences, experts warn dismantling the criminal syndicates will require far more work.

At least 10 people were killed and 19 injured in an explosion at a munitions facility in Russia’s Urals, regional governor Alexei Teksler said. The blast occurred in the Kopeisk district of the Chelyabinsk region, which borders Kazakhstan. Verified footage shows a fireball near the Plastmass plant, which produces and recycles explosives for the Russian military. Teksler said the cause remains unclear but denied a drone attack. The fire, reported late Wednesday, has been extinguished; search teams continued working Thursday with 12 staff unaccounted for. Friday was declared a day of mourning as investigators opened a criminal inquiry.

The Trump administration sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, its first Russia penalties since January, aiming to cut oil revenues funding the war in Ukraine, and Trump canceled a planned Putin summit. Separately, the US military struck two boats on the Pacific side of South America, killing five, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth, heightening tensions with Colombia and Venezuela. California leaders condemned plans to deploy more than 100 federal agents to the San Francisco Bay Area for immigration enforcement. The University of Virginia agreed to Justice Department terms on admissions and hiring as the agency ends its investigation.

Irish police arrested 23 people after a second night of unrest outside a Dublin hotel housing asylum seekers, where demonstrators hurled missiles and fireworks at officers. Two gardaí were hospitalised—one struck in the head by a bottle, another with arm and shoulder injuries—as crowds, largely young men and teenagers, clashed with police. The disturbances followed six arrests the previous night amid protests against immigration policy. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan praised a “brave” response and vowed more arrests. The gatherings began at Citywest Hotel in Saggart after a 26-year-old man was arrested over an alleged assault on a 10-year-old girl.

San Francisco hired Tennessee coach Tony Vitello as Giants manager, a bold move for the 47-year-old’s first job in professional baseball. President of baseball operations Buster Posey praised Vitello’s leadership and player development, betting his energy can reset a club that has missed the playoffs four straight years. Vitello guided the Volunteers to sustained SEC success, including the program’s first NCAA title and three College World Series trips, with 52 players drafted — among them Giants outfielder Drew Gilbert. The Giants dismissed Bob Melvin after two seasons as Posey searches for stability and a new voice in the dugout.

Dallas — Victor Wembanyama erupted for a franchise-record 40 points in a season opener, adding 15 rebounds and three blocks, as the Spurs thumped the Mavericks 125-92 and spoiled No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg’s debut. Returning from shoulder surgery for a blood clot condition, the 7-foot-4 star powered a 13-0 first‑half run with rim-rocking plays that sent Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II to the bench. Stephon Castle scored 22 and rookie Dylan Harper added 15 for San Antonio. Flagg finished with 10 points and 10 boards; Davis had 22 and 13 for Dallas.

The Justice Department said the University of Virginia will follow Trump administration guidance against racial discrimination in admissions and hiring, aiming to close months of scrutiny. Under the agreement, UVA will submit data and its president will certify compliance every quarter through 2028; in return, investigations are suspended, with no monetary penalty or external monitor. Former president James Ryan resigned in June amid pressure over DEI policies. Interim leader Paul Mahoney called the deal the best available path forward as separate reviews also examined antisemitism complaints.

At a mobile food bank in Clinton, Missouri, 74-year-old Lorna Hall spent the night in her car as rising costs and shrinking aid deepen rural hunger. Leo and Donita Barnett called the assistance a lifeline among roughly 175 households served that day. Pastor Marty Resz says demand has doubled. Harvesters, which feeds nearly 375,000 people daily in Kansas and Missouri, reports one in seven across 27 counties are food insecure, with inflation, over $1 billion in federal cuts, and a canceled USDA food insecurity report compounding needs, as a government shutdown withholds SNAP payments.