captures

NASA astronaut Don Pettit recorded video of a stunning red aurora from aboard the International Space Station. The colour is rare because of the high altitude needed for it occur, about 240 kilometres above Earth.

Jose Adolfo Macias, alias ‘Fito’, is due to be extradited to the US on drug trafficking and weapons smuggling charges.

The fugitive leader of Ecuador’s Los Choneros gang has been recaptured after nearly 18 months on the run, according to President Daniel Noboa.

Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as “Fito”, escaped from Guayaquil prison in January 2024, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder.

Following his capture, Macias will now be extradited to the US, where he was indicted by a federal court for charges related to drug trafficking and firearms smuggling, Noboa said on the X social media platform on Wednesday.

Noboa had previously offered $1m for assistance in Macias’s capture and dispatched thousands of police officers and members of the armed forces to find him.

“My recognition to our police and military who participated in this operation. More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce,” Noboa said on X.

Para los que se opusieron y dudaron de la necesidad de las leyes de Solidaridad e Inteligencia: gracias a esas leyes, Fito fue capturado hoy y está en manos del Bloque de Seguridad.

Mi reconocimiento a nuestros policías y militares que participaron en esta operación. Caerán más,…

— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) June 25, 2025

Macias reportedly escaped ahead of his transfer to a maximum-security prison, but authorities have yet to explain how he succeeded.

The successful escape “triggered widespread riots, bombings, kidnappings, the assassination of a prominent prosecutor, and an armed attack on a TV network during a live broadcast”, according to the United States government, leading Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency across Ecuador.

The Ecuadorian president also designated 22 gangs, including Los Choneros, as “terrorist groups”.

The US Department of the Treasury separately sanctioned both Macias and Los Choneros in February 2024 for drug trafficking and instigating violence across Ecuador.

Ecuador was once one of Latin America’s most peaceful countries, but its proximity to Peru and Colombia – the world’s top producers of cocaine – has made it a prime target for criminal groups exporting drugs abroad.

Competition between rival local gangs, backed by foreign criminal syndicates from Mexico to as far as Albania, has led to an explosion in violence across the country.

Times photographer Luke Johnson captured the moment when authorities tackled and handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla on Thursday when he interrupted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles.

Johnson’s images document many of the key moments of an encounter that has sparked controversy amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Padilla attempts to speak

The senator was standing near a wall on one side of the room, then tried to interrupt Noem to ask a question.

“I’m Senator Alex Padilla,” he said, as one agent grabbed his jacket and shoved him backward on the chest and arm. “I have questions for the secretary, because the fact of the matter is that half a dozen violent criminals that you’re rotating on your — on your …”

“Hands off!” Padilla said, as three agents pushed him into a separate room.

Agent grabs him

Padilla is taken down

Videos from the press conference show agents forcing Padilla to his knees and handcuffing him.

Padilla speaks out

The senator later held a press conference to describe what happened.

“I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed,” Padilla said. “I was not arrested. I was not detained.”

If this is how the Trump administration treats a “senator with a question,” Padilla said, with tears in his eyes, “I can only imagine what they’re doing to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community.”

Six people are being treated for injuries after a man “started setting people on fire” at a mall in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday, police say. A peaceful event in support of the Israeli hostages was taking place when the attack occurred. Authorities say the suspect was seen throwing Molotov cocktails, and using other devices to hurt people. The victims, aged between 66 and 88, are being treated for a range of minor and serious injuries – with at least one in critical condition. The FBI says they are investigating the incident as a “suspected act of terrorism”.

JOJO SIWA and Chris Hughes have driven fans wild with an intimate backstage moment as her mum captures sweet moment on camera.

The pop star, 22, who just performed two shows in London, gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her pre-show routine—with Chris, 32, right by her side.

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In a post to TikTok JoJo gave fans an inside look into her pre-show routine, the former Big Brother star was seen in the video warming up and spending time with her dancers. 

JoJo captioned the post: “Pre show is always my favorite hour. Just pure chaos and love and energy warming up. What a beautiful perfect 2 shows in London this week wow.”

The clip showed JoJo getting ready before being joined backstage by her new beau Chris.

The singer is shown stretching whilst the camera pans to Chris who cheekily chimes “Stretch it off then” as he walks into the room.

The pair were later filmed by mum Jessalyn hugging each other, holding hands and putting bracelets on each other. 

Former Love Islander Chris also learnt her hit song Karma and is videoed singing the lyrics alongside her. 

Fans rushed to the comments, gushing over the pair’s sweet on-camera moment.

One user penned: “Chris is the biggest green flag ive ever seen, u two are the cutest (red heart emoji)”

Another chimed: “The way his hand stays on her leg after she gets off his lap.”

“Sweet christopher being JoJo’s number1 fan” added a third. 

“Chris singing your lyrics Love ittttt!” wrote a fourth.

JoJo recently sent fans wild at her London gigs this week after she told them onstage she had “never felt so ­special and so loved”.

She also went on to change the lyrics of Bette Davis Eyes to “Chris Hughes’ eyes” as he looked on, giddy and red-faced at a music venue in Shoreditch.

Chris could not attend the second of her two-night run there — but JoJo didn’t miss her moment to shout out to him, singing to his orange beanie which she had placed in the crowd.

It comes after Chris made the 12-hour flight from the UK to Mexico to support JoJo as she performed to fans in Mexico City.

He later posted cosy snaps of them together online.

The two were then spotted kissing while straddling a lilo at an adults-only hotel during a loved-up getaway there.

When JoJo later returned to London the pair had a emotional reunion at Heathrow airport as JoJo flew in from Los Angeles — Chris greeting her with a large bouquet of red roses.

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Competing in the same stadium he trains at every day, Antrell Harris sought to defend his home turf Thursday at the City Section Track and Field Championships.

And did he ever.

The Birmingham senior won the boys 100 meters and went on to win the 200 meters about 90 minutes later. Harris won the 100 in 10.92 seconds and took the lead on the backstretch to win the 200 in 21.66, holding off Granada Hills’ Justin Hart by nine hundredths of a second.

“I especially wanted to win the 200 because it’s my best race and I had to prove it,” said Harris, who ran his personal best in that event (21.32) at the Simi Valley Invitational. “My goal for state is to make the second day.”

The boys 400 meters, one of the most anticipated races of the meet, proved to be one of the closest. Hart took the lead around the final turn and held off a late kick by Venice’s Nathan Santa Cruz to prevail by three hundredths of a second in 47.45.

“I had to keep pumping my arms and hold my form the last 50 meters,” Hart said. “I knew it would be a tough race. My goals for state would be 46.6 in the 400 and 21.10 or lower for the 200.”

Carson sprinter Christina Gray defended both of her titles in the 100 and 200 meters.

Carson’s Christina Gray, center, takes the lead in the 200-meter dash at the City Section Track and Field Championships at Birmingham High School on Thursday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I was happy how I ran in both races,” the junior said after she finished in 12.07 in the 100 and 24.62 in the 200 while also running anchor on the Colts’ first-place 4×100 relay team. “Negative wind stopped me from getting PRs, especially in the 200 because it’s longer. I like the state meet and I’ve PR’d up there the last two years so hopefully I can do it again.”

GALA senior DeAuna Louis also repeated as champion in both the 100 hurdles (14.87) and 300 hurdles (46.12) after posting the fastest times in preliminaries.

“I’m definitely faster this year … my PR is 14.46 and I was going for the City record in the 100 but came up short,” said Louis, who is headed to Hampton University in Virginia for academics but plans to walk-on in track. “I was seventh in the 300 and 10th in the 100 at state last spring. My goal is to make the finals in both.”

Granada Hills’ Savannah Williams won the girls 400 in 57.22 and North Hollywood’s Ananya Balaraman won the 1,600 meters in 5 minutes 3.75 seconds and later took the lead in the last 40 meters to win the 800 in 2:16.90.

Santee’s Angeles Feliciano won the girls 3,200 in 11:25.75 and Charles Simon won the boys 3,200 in 9:38.77. Carson took the 4×400 girls race in 4:02.77 and Palisades (3:23.98) barely edged Granada Hills (3:24.15) in the boys’ race.

Venice’s Lawrence Kensinger wins the shot put with a throw of 55 feet on Thursday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Lawrence Kensinger won shot put with a throw of 55 feet on his second attempt. He has high hopes for the state meet in Clovis.

“I quit football to concentrate on shot,” he said. “I love this sport. It’s you versus you. If you make a mistake it’s on you, when you win that’s on you too.”

Kensinger was on the football team in ninth and 10th grade, playing defensive end as a freshman and defensive tackle as a sophomore.

“My goal at state is to make the second day,” added Kensinger, whose best throw was 55-9 at City prelims last year. “Sixty feet for my junior year would be a dream. That’s when you know you’re with the top dogs.”

Marshall’s Oleana Taalman Koch clears the bar at five feet, two inches to win the girls high jump on Thursday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Birmingham’s Mandell Anthony won the boys long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 9¾ inches and Marshall’s Oleana Taalman Koch cleared 5-2 to win the girls high jump.

Granada Hills swept the team titles, the girls ending Carson’s record streak of nine straight.

Longtime race starter Saul Pacheco was honored for working his 43rd City finals meet. A 1956 graduate of Banning, where he was a half-miler, and a 1961 UCLA graduate, he served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1962-65 and was the track and field and offensive line coach at Carson for 25 years.

Birmingham’s Mandell Anthony wins the high jump on Thursday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)