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A money expert has claimed a few simple air prompts saved him more than £700 on flights after using ChatGPT as his personal travel agent

ChatGPT is getting smarter and smarter, and while AI still might be a terrifying part of technology for many, it might be able to save you some money on your next trip. Getting a good deal on your holiday can be a hard and often time-consuming task.

Hours can be spent refreshing Sky Scanner, Google Flights or Kayak, trying to find the cheapest flights, trying different airport connections and times, all trying to save you a few pounds.

But after your hundredth tab has been opened and you lose track of where you actually heading to the first place, many just give up and head to the travel agents.

But all that faff could be saved, as ChatGPT might be able to act as your very own travelling personal assistant, with one finance expert claiming it saved him as much as £700 on his flights.

Casper Opala, known as Casper Capital online, has more than eight million followers online and shares cost-saving tips, especially when it comes to saving you on travel, and his latest tip, using the popular AI, he claims, got him a flight for around £70 that originally cost more than £700.

His tip follows just seven different steps that you can copy and paste, which will save you time from having to dig around the internet across several different sites.

Although some of these methods have been around for years, and certain travel websites even wrote about them before ChatGPT was even dreamt up, the AI bot can collect all the data for you in a matter of seconds – saving you hours in the process.

Casper’s seven prompts:

1. Find the cheapest way to fly from [City A] to [City B] next month, include hidden routes + alternate airports.’
2. ‘Which budget airlines operate this route that aren’t listed on Google Flights or Skyscanner?’
3. Suggest layover cities that cut the price, even if it requires two separate bookings.’
4. Any mistake fares, flash sales, or unusually cheap flights departing [my airport] this month?’
5. ‘Compare this flight across all platforms, where is it cheapest right now?’
6. ‘Monitor this route for 4 days, alert me if the price dips below $95.’
7. ‘Can booking two one-ways beat the round-trip price? Check both.’

While the tool can be a great place to start for guidance, and the prices are often correct, the tool is still in it’s early days and can be prone to some pricing errors. Writing for TravelBook, Laura Pomer warns: “On the downside, however, is the AI’s susceptibility to errors.

“They are programmed to always provide reliable answers. Users would do well to thoroughly check results. ChatGPT does not access live flight booking data. Information on supposed current prices can be inaccurate.”

However, Laura does suggest a few methods for still using the AI tool, but stresses that there is no guarantee. The writer advises people to be as specific as possible with prompts, such as adding time frames, widening the search to desired areas rather than specific airports, or naming more inventive options such as budget airlines, split-ticketing options, etc.

Claire Martin, from Devon, decided to travel across Europe by ferry – and she managed to save money doing it too.

One traveller said goodbye to airport queues and decided to travel around Europe by ferry instead. Even better, she secured some brilliant bargains in the process.

Claire Martin, from Devon, is a YouTuber and travel content creator who typically spends much of the year globe-trotting as she adores the chance to “explore new cultures and spend time in nature”.

Speaking to OMIO – an online travel comparison site – Claire revealed her European ferry route, her adventures and expert advice for staying within budget.

When questioned about why she opted to journey by ferry, Claire explained to OMIO: “Ferry is often the most direct route, and I love the feeling of sailing over the seas; it feels like a proper adventure.

“The sunsets and coastal views are always stunning too. I also love how you’re never constrained to a seat – there’s a whole ship to explore.”

The adventurer visited numerous European destinations by ferry:

Claire has journeyed to and from more than eight countries and has also revealed which destination was her top pick and the reasons behind it.

She explained: “I loved travelling from France to Algeria by ferry. The experience of sailing across the Mediterranean was awesome and I loved seeing the different cultures on either side of the sea.

“It was a really nice ferry and I had my own cabin, so I thought of it as a mini Mediterranean cruise!”

Claire confessed that when she journeyed between Tallinn and Helsinki in an “ultra-modern” ferry, she failed to “soak the experience in” owing to it lasting just two hours.

However, the traveller managed to save a substantial amount of money by opting for ferries over flights, allowing her to travel extensively without emptying her wallet.

She calculated that she saved an estimated £200 across her travels, reported The Express.

Claire pointed out that for certain routes, such as southern Spain to Morocco or Tallinn to Helsinki, there’s “no need to fly”.

The journey from Aberdeen to Shetland was also significantly cheaper by ferry, costing around £40 per person with a cabin, compared to a hefty £200 flight fare.

She revealed that she is planning a unique “ferry-only trip”, where she will spend four nights on different ferries, hopping between Spain, France and Italy.

TWO more ferocious forest fires have erupted in Portugal – and this time cops suspect the work of arsonists.

Entire villages were forced to evacuate and hundreds of firefighters rushed to the scene of the latest blazes in a disastrous summer across the Iberian Peninsula.

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The two fires sparked nearby within an hour in Pedrógão Grande, central Portugal.

Locals here are already scarred by the memory of a terrible wildfire which killed 66 people just eight years ago.

The first erupted in the village of Pedrógão Grande, terrifyingly close to people’s homes, at around 2:30pm.

A second then burst through trees near the village of Graça at roughly 3:20pm, rousing the suspicion of police who are investigating possible foul play.

Flaming material was reported shooting out of this blaze, endangering the crews tackling it.

Five entire villages in the area were forced to evacuate as smoke cascaded into the sky.

Hundreds of firefighters battled the two blazes with from planes and from the ground.

A firefighter elsewhere in Portugal became the fourth person to be killed by the fires this summer.

Four have also lost their lives in Spain – where the blazes are finally being brought under control.

Daniel Esteves, 45, worked for the forest protection company Afocelca.

He was seriously injured on Tuesday night alongside four colleagues, and tragically died on Saturday.

Daniel suffered burns to 75 percent of his body and was the worst injured of the group – the rest of whom are still in hospital in Coimbra.

Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, sent his condolences to Daniel’s family who “tragically lost his life after directly combating the forest fires in Sabugal municipality”.

The amount of land burnt across the Iberian peninsula has hit a total area about the size of the US state of Delaware, based on EU statistics.

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Spain had lost a record 403,000 hectares, while Portugal lost 278,000 hectares this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

Spanish authorities said the tide seemed to have turned in the fight against the fires, which are mainly raging in the country’s west and northwest.

But the head of Spain’s civil protection and emergencies service, Virginia Barcones, warned there were still 18 “treacherous” blazes alight.

The record-breaking year has been fuelled by dry conditions, heatwaves and strong winds.

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London, United Kingdom – Hundreds of business leaders in the United Kingdom – including a former adviser to the king and a sustainability consultant descended from Holocaust survivors – are calling on the government to take action against Israel as the crisis in Gaza worsens.

As of Thursday morning, 762 people had signed a statement calling on Britain to cease all arms trade with Israel, sanction those accused of violating international law – ostensibly including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he is wanted for arrest by International Criminal Court, invest in screening to stop the UK financing “complicit” companies, and enforce the United Nations’ principles on business and human rights across the UK’s economic systems.

“We see this not only as a moral imperative, but as a matter of professional responsibility – consistent with our duty to act in the best interests of long-term societal and economic resilience,” the letter reads. “The UK must ensure that no business – whether through products, services, or supply chains – is contributing to these atrocities, directly or indirectly.”

Among the signatories are the former royal adviser Jonathon Porritt CBE; sustainability consultant Adam Garfunkel; Frieda Gormley, the founder of the luxury interior design brand House of Hackney; the prominent philanthropist who once led Unilever, Paul Polman; and Geetie Singh-Watson MBE, an organic food entrepreneur – as well as other professionals who have been honoured with the Member of the British Empire (MBE) award.

They have pledged to support the UK government with an “ongoing process of reflection and action – reviewing our operations, supply chains, financial flows, and influence to help foster peace, uphold human rights, and strengthen respect for international law”.

“Business cannot succeed in societies that are falling apart,” said Polman. “It is time for business leaders to show courage, speak out, and use our influence to uphold international law.”

The number of professionals signing the letter is growing as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip face their darkest days. Israel is beginning a feared invasion into Gaza City while thousands endure hunger and famine due to the blockade of the Strip.

“We need as businesses to justify our existence and to recognise that all people everywhere deserve to be treated fairly,” Garfunkel told Al Jazeera. “My family was caught up in the Holocaust. My father was lucky enough to escape with his brother and his parents to the UK. My great grandparents were taken to the woods and shot and buried in a mass grave, and what I’ve taken from that is a strong belief that everyone matters, that everyone has human rights, that persecution on the basis of ethnic identity is always wrong, wherever it happens.”

Israel’s latest war on Gaza, termed a genocide by leading rights groups, has killed more than 60,000 people in the 22 months since October 7, 2023, when Hamas led an incursion into southern Israel, during which about 1,200 were killed and 250 taken captive – “grave crimes under international law”, according to the letter.

“However, the Israeli government’s ongoing military campaign amounts to an unrelenting and indefensible assault on civilians, breaching both moral boundaries and the core principles of the Geneva Conventions,” it added.

Porritt, who counselled King Charles on environmental issues for 30 years when the monarch held the Prince of Wales title and has chaired a sustainable development commission set up by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, said the letter reflects the role of businesses in society at a critical time.

“It’s just become so much clearer over the course of the last few months that this situation now is completely intolerable. And it constitutes very specifically a genocide against the people of Palestine, of Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera.

Businesses are obliged to be supportive in “achieving and maintaining” human rights in the countries in which they’re trading, he said. “That provides a very strong steer as to why individual business leaders need to get involved at this stage.”

Porritt has recently made headlines in the British media for his support of Palestine Action, a protest group that was proscribed by the UK government weeks ago as a terrorist organisation.

He was among the more than 500 citizens arrested during an August 9 rally in London, where he raised a banner reading, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

His bail hearing is set for late October.

New US tariffs covering 407 products will take effect immediately.

The United States Commerce Department is set to hike steel and aluminium tariffs on more than 400 products including wind turbines, mobile cranes, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, along with railcars, furniture and hundreds of other products.

The government agency announced the new development on Tuesday.

The department said 407 product categories are being added to the list of “derivative” steel and aluminium products covered by sectoral tariffs, with a 50 percent tariff on any steel and aluminium content of these products.

The department is also adding imported parts for automotive exhaust systems and electrical steel needed for electric vehicles to the new tariffs.

A group of foreign automakers had urged the department not to add the parts, saying the US does not have the domestic capacity to handle current demand.

The new tariffs take effect immediately and also cover compressors and pumps.

“Today’s action expands the reach of the steel and aluminum tariffs and shuts down avenues for circumvention – supporting the continued revitalisation of the American steel and aluminum industries,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler.

Steelmakers including Cleveland-Cliffs had petitioned the administration to expand the tariffs to include additional steel and aluminium auto parts.

Since returning to the presidency, Trump has imposed a 10 percent tariff on almost all US trading partners, alongside varying steeper levels on dozens of economies such as the European Union and Japan.

Certain sectors have been spared from these countrywide tariff levels, but instead were targeted under different authorities by even higher duties.

Some businesses have already had to raise prices because of increased tariffs. On Tuesday, on the heels of its earnings report, Home Depot said it would need to raise prices on imported goods that it sells.

“There will be modest price movement in some categories,” Home Depot Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said on a Tuesday conference call.

Other brands that have recently announced price increases include the world’s largest consumer goods company, Procter and Gamble, which last month said it would need to raise prices on a quarter of the goods it produces.

Army says military doctors are treating survivors and engineers are repairing damaged infrastructure.

Pakistan has restored 70 percent of electricity service and reopened damaged roads in the north and northwest after flash floods killed more than 300 people, officials say.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that engineers were working to fully restore the electricity system that was knocked out by flooding last week.

Monsoon rains triggered floods that have killed more than 700 people nationwide since June 26, the National Disaster Management Authority reported, while Tarar said more than 25,000 people have been evacuated.

The information minister said most roads have been cleared, facilitating the supply of food and other essentials to flood-affected areas.

Army spokesman Ahmed Sharif said military doctors are treating survivors and engineers are repairing damaged infrastructure. Soldiers using helicopters have also delivered food and supplies to remote villages cut off by floods and landslides.

Monsoon rains continued to lash the country on Tuesday, including the southern port city of Karachi, flooding streets and disrupting everyday activities, officials said. Despite the government’s claims of preparedness, people could be seen wading through chest-high water along many roads.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered authorities to accelerate recovery efforts in Buner, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and a cloudburst on Friday killed at least 280 people, Tarar said. It was among the worst flooding since the rains began,

Twenty bodies were found on Tuesday there, the local district commissioner said.

Rescue teams are still searching for about 150 missing people, rescue official Mohammad Suhail said.

Angry villagers said there was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, as is often the case, and government relief has been slow. The government said the deluge struck before residents could be informed.

Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review relief efforts in flood-hit areas.

Every year, many cities in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor planning. The monsoon season runs from July through September.

Authorities have warned of a possible repeat of Pakistan’s catastrophic 2022 floods, which killed more than 1,700 people and were blamed on climate change.

More than 300 people have died in Pakistan after days of relentless monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides. Rescue efforts are still underway as thousands remain stranded, as homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods have been devastated.

Aug. 16 (UPI) — Demonstrations are taking place Saturday in 34 states to protest congressional redistricting efforts in Texas that have caused state House Democrats to flee the state to prevent the measure.

Well over 150 rallies are being organized by the movement “Fight the Trump Takeover,” as part of a national day of action.

Protesters are demonstrating against the move by Texas state Republicans and Governor Gregg Abott’s push to redraw the district lines mid-decade at the urging of President Donald Trump.

The re-drawn maps could add five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives if the Republican proposal passes.

State House Democrats left Texas last week, heading to Blue states like Illinois to prevent a vote from taking place on the issue.

Abbott this week called a second special session of the state’s House of Representatives, after Democrats suddenly left Texas to stymie the vote.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., said if Abbott pushes ahead with Trump’s request, his state will respond by redrawing its districts to establish more Democratic seats in Congress.

Typically, congressional redistricting is done at the end of a decade in conjunction with a new census.

“Texas House Democrats are blocking a redistricting vote in the Texas House right now to Stop the Trump Takeover. But Trump has made it clear that he’s not stopping at Texas. He’s targeting Missouri, Ohio, Florida and every state he can twist to help him steal Congress. States like Florida and New York are already fighting back,” the protest organizers’ website states.

Newsom has been a vocal supporter of the Texas state Democratic caucus.

“Califorina coming on board gives us more options,” said Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu told reporters in an interview Friday.

“If California passes a trigger bill, then there will be real incentive for Texas to not pass its [redistricting] bill.”

In June, millions of people attended hundreds of “No Kings” protests across the United States, demonstrating against Trump’s large-scale military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army and his 79th birthday.

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of West Virginia National Guard members will deploy across the nation’s capital as part of the Trump administration’s assumption of control over policing in the District of Columbia in what it says is part of a nationwide crackdown on crime on homelessness.

The move comes as federal agents and National Guard troops have begun to appear across the heavily Democratic city after Trump’s executive order on Monday federalizing local police forces and activating about 800 D.C. National Guard troops.

By adding outside troops to join the existing National Guard deployment and federal law enforcement officers temporarily assigned to Washington, President Trump is exercising even tighter control over the city. It’s a power play that the president has justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even though district officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump’s first term in office.

A protest against Trump’s intervention drew scores to Washington’s Dupont Circle on Saturday afternoon before a march to the White House, about a mile and a half away. Demonstrators assembled behind a banner that said, “No fascist takeover of D.C.,” and some in the crowd held signs that said, “No military occupation.” Trump was at his Virginia golf club after Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, announced Saturday that he was sending a contingent of 300 to 400 National Guard members.

“West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital,” Morrisey said.

Morgan Taylor, one of the organizers of Saturday’s protest, said demonstrators who turned out on a hot summer day were hoping to spark enough backlash to Trump’s actions that the administration would be forced to pull back.

“It’s hot, but I’m glad to be here. It’s good to see all these people out here,” she said. “I can’t believe that this is happening in this country at this time.”

Protesters said they are concerned about what they view as Trump’s overreach, arguing that he had used crime as a pretext to impose his will on Washington.

John Finnigan, 55, was taking an afternoon bike ride when he ran into the protest in downtown Washington. A real estate construction manager who has lived in the capital for 27 years, he said that Trump’s moves were “ridiculous” because “crime is at a 30-year low here.”

“Hopefully some of the mayors and some of the residents will get out in front of it and try and make it harder for it to happen in other cities,” Finnigan said.

Jamie Dickstein, a 24-year-old teacher, said she was “very uncomfortable and worried” for the safety of her students given the “unmarked officers of all types” now roaming Washington and detaining people.

Dickstein said she turned out to protest with friends and relatives to “prevent a continuous domino effect going forward with other cities.”

The West Virginia National Guard activation suggests the administration sees the need for additional manpower, after Trump played down the need for Washington to hire more police officers.

Maj. Gen. James Seward, West Virginia’s adjutant general — a chief aide to the governor and commanding general of the National Guard — said in a statement that members of the Guard “stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region” and that the Guard’s “unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking.”

Federal agents have appeared in some of the city’s most highly trafficked neighborhoods, garnering a mix of praise, resistance and alarm from local residents and leaders across the country.

City leaders, who are obligated to cooperate with the president’s order under the federal laws that direct the district’s local governance, have sought to work with the administration, though they have bristled at the scope of the president’s takeover.

On Friday, the administration reversed course on an order that aimed to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as an “emergency police commissioner” after the district’s top lawyer sued to contest. After a court hearing, Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued a memo that directed D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law.

District officials say they are evaluating how to best comply.

In his order Monday, Trump declared an emergency, citing the “city government’s failure to maintain public order.” He said that impeded the “federal government’s ability to operate efficiently to address the nation’s broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence.”

In a letter to city residents, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, wrote that “our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now.”

She added that if Washingtonians stick together, “we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy — even when we don’t have full access to it.”

Brown and Pesoli write for the Associated Press. AP writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.

Hundreds of flights have been grounded after Air Canada’s unionised flight attendants went on strike after talks over an increase in wages with the country’s largest carrier stalled.

“We are now officially on strike,” the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants, said in a social media post just before 01:00 ET [05:00 GMT].

The airline said on Saturday it had suspended all flights for Air Canada and its budget arm Air Canada Rouge due to the strike, which is the first since 1985.

“About 130,000 customers will be impacted each day that the strike continues,” Air Canada said in a statement.

“Air Canada is strongly advising affected customers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed ticket on an airline other than Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge,” the airline added.

Flights for regional operators Air Canada Jazz and PAL Airlines would continue to operate.

Air Canada had announced its latest wage offer to flight attendants in a statement on Thursday, specifying that under the terms, a senior flight attendant would, on average, make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) per year by 2027.

CUPE has, however, described the airline’s offers as “below inflation (and) below market value”.

The union has also rejected requests from the federal government and Air Canada to resolve outstanding issues through independent arbitration.

In addition to wage increases, the union has said it also wants to address uncompensated ground work, including during the boarding process.

Rafael Gomez, who heads the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations, told the AFP news agency that it is “common practice, even around the world” to compensate flight attendants based on time spent in the air.

He said the union had built an effective communication campaign around the issue, creating a public perception of unfairness.

An average passenger, not familiar with common industry practice, could think, “‘I’m waiting to board the plane and there’s a flight attendant helping me, but they’re technically not being paid for that work,’” he said, speaking before the strike began.

“That’s a very good issue to highlight,” Gomez further said, adding that gains made by Air Canada employees could affect other carriers.

On Saturday, flight attendants will picket major Canadian airports, where passengers have already been trying to secure new bookings earlier in the week, as the carrier gradually wound down operations.

Passenger Freddy Ramos, 24, told the Reuters news agency on Friday at Canada’s largest airport in Toronto that his earlier flight was cancelled due to the labour dispute and that he had been rebooked by Air Canada to a different destination.

“Probably 10 minutes prior to boarding, our gate got changed, and then it was cancelled and then it was delayed and then it was cancelled again,” he said.

Canadian businesses reeling from a trade dispute with the United States have urged the federal government to impose binding arbitration on both sides, which would end the strike.

In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned that an Air Canada work stoppage could add further pain.

“At a time when Canada is dealing with unprecedented pressures on our critical economic supply chains, the disruption of national air passenger travel and cargo transport services would cause immediate and extensive harm to all Canadians,” it said.

Air Canada has asked Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government to order both sides into binding arbitration, although CUPE, which represents the attendants, said it opposed the move.

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge normally carry about 130,000 customers a day. Air Canada is also the busiest foreign carrier servicing the US by number of scheduled flights.

HOLIDAY experts have revealed the exact time and date Brits should book their tickets ahead of the August bank holiday to save hundreds of pounds.

It’s not too late to book last-minute flight tickets for holiday trips over the August bank holiday weekend.

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Brits can still find ways to get out of the country that won’t blow the budget for the weekend of August 25.

This includes trips to classic European escapes and hotspots like Disneyland Paris.

Ticket experts have analysed pricing data and industry travel trends.

CEO of AttractionTickets, Oliver Brendon, explained: “It’s easy to assume the early bird always gets the deal.

“In reality, travel companies adjust fares repeatedly based on demand, and we see opportunities appear even in the final days before departure.

“There’s still time to save on last-minute August bank holiday travel if you know when to book.”

Brendon reveals the trick to finding value no matter how late the purchase is made.

Through review of historic pricing, as well as industry reports, Sundays have been found to regularly deliver the lowest average booking prices.

This is because airlines adjust seat availability and prices over the weekend.

Therefore, holidaymakers who plan to book on Sundays can more often find a better deal and pay significantly less than those who book on other days.

Furthermore, Fridays have been found to be time to avoid as it is the time when prices tend to spike due to increasing demand.

A clear morning advantage has also been found through analyses.

Around 6am is when the fresh fares tend to show up, so it is good to get in early before search traffic ramps up into the day.

So those looking to book a getaway from the bank holiday this month should set their alarms for Sunday morning.

Oliver adds 6am on Sunday, August 17 “both sit within the sweet spot before the long weekend and will give you a chance at potentially unlocking better pricing.”

This timing tip comes from expert insights and data-driven research from travel and ticketing platforms.

It also focused on last-minute booking trends by travellers in the UK.

The advise follows suggestions from CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, who said flights could also be booked cheaper in the first two months of the year.

Winter months are believed to be the best time of the year to find cheap air fares, as well as just before the peak of school holidays.

Another study looked in to the best time to book flights for certain destinations.

For Faro in Portugal, the cheapest flights for the summer holidays were found to be just five weeks before travelling.

And for long-haul flights like to New York, the best time was found to be June to book for an August vacation.

Boko Haram launched a four-hour assault on Kirawa, a border community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, on Saturday night, Aug. 7, displacing hundreds and leaving a trail of destruction.

Buba Aji, a schoolteacher at Kirawa Central Primary School, had just settled in for a quiet evening with his family. After dinner, they all retired to bed. The beginning of the night was marked by the usual rainy-season chorus of croaking frogs and deep silence. But at about 9 p.m., Buba began to hear distant gunfire. Thirty minutes later, the sounds grew louder and closer.

“Before we knew it, the entire town was filled with the sounds of heavy blasts and gunfire. We could clearly distinguish the exchange of shots between Boko Haram and the soldiers at the barracks. That’s when we knew it was an attack,” he recalled.

Like many residents, Buba fled with his family toward the border between Kirawa and Kerawa in Cameroon, joining hundreds of others fleeing their homes. “It was chaotic, we could see Cameroonian soldiers and members of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) driving in to take positions,” Buba told HumAngle. 

While some families crossed into Cameroon, others remained at the border gate, seeking safety alongside some of the military personnel. Locals who spoke to HumAngle said that the Boko Haram fighters set fire to the house of the community head, looted properties, and burned civilian trucks and homes during the raid. At the MNJTF post, where the fierce battle took place, some military facilities and vehicles were set ablaze or damaged.

Amid the chaos, they abducted a teenage girl, Aisha Mohammed Aja. She recently completed her Junior Secondary School examinations and was awaiting her results. 

Local sources reported that four soldiers were killed in the attack and that no residents died, but HumAngle has been unable to verify this with local authorities. 

Kirawa has endured repeated Boko Haram attacks since it was first overrun in August 2014, forcing residents to flee to Cameroon and other parts of Borno. After residents were repatriated in 2022, the community has suffered multiple attacks this year alone, including deadly raids in February and July. Each attack follows a similar pattern, targeting both military and civilians.

Last year, HumAngle reported extensively on the unsettling realities facing displaced families resettled in Kirawa, who, even a year after their return, continue to face insecurity, poverty, government neglect, and continued displacement. 

Police in London carried out the most arrests in a single day for a decade, detaining close to 500 peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters for ‘terrorism’. Demonstrators condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza and expressed support for the banned activist group Palestine Action. Many say the crackdown violates free speech and targets peaceful dissent.

HUNDREDS of travellers have descended on a tiny village for a huge pony and trap “drive” which is the biggest of its kind in the UK.

The massive two-day event in the New Forest has come at a cost for locals with all but one pub shutting down in Lyndhurst, Hampshire.

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The sole bar manager has boasted about owning the “bravest pub in the village” as he opened his doors this weekend to the travellers.

Nearly every pub for miles around the village have closed signs plastered outside other than The Stag Hotel.

Manager Jake Ellis said: “I don’t know if we are brave, or mad!

“To be honest I feel it’s no different to a large group of stags, or hens, turning up.

“You can have all sorts of trouble with them, and we have a simple rule here, if you’re lairy you leave.”

Owner of the popular high street pub, Maria Harris, said one main factor behind her staying open was because a “task force” being set up around this year’s event.

Comprised of the local council, the police and Forestry England, dozens of people kept a close eye on the drive to keep everyone safe.

It comes after the 2024 pony and trap drive in the New Forest was described as “complete carnage”.

Maria said: “If it wasn’t for the task force, we would be shutting like most pubs.

“There have been meetings with all the businesses where they outlined the plans, they had to keep control of it, what was being done to ensure the welfare of the ponies and what support we will have if any trouble starts.

“The drive is a heritage event which should keep going. But respect is a two-way thing.

“I am giving my trust to the travellers by saying they are welcome here, but I am also asking them to behave – hopefully they will.”

Many travellers heading down for the annual get together were left upset by the lack of pubs open – especially the one they normally congregate at.

The Happy Cheese – just up the road from the The Stag Hotel – won’t be open for business across the two days.

Their owners have plastered big signs saying “No tethering of horses” to fences surrounding the establishment as an extra message.

In response, the travellers carried out a drive by the pub in their pony and carts.

Some even left piles of horse manure behind as a calling card.

Organiser of the drive Tracy Cooper – which the event is named after – slammed the pubs which have shut as “being guilty of disgusting racism“.

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She said: “It is total discrimination. We have so much hate directed at us. It’s ignorance of our ways.

“To be honest I am so sick of the abuse I get over this I think this will be the last one. I just can’t take it anymore.”

Last year’s gathering was marred by the death of a horse that was driven over a cattle grid.

Witnesses said the animal had “died in agony” and there were calls for the drive to be banned.

Tracy responded: “That pony and trap wasn’t even part of our drive. It was nothing to do with us.

“We care for our animals; anyone can see for that themselves.”

She was also happy over the introduction of the task force and welcomed them to patrol the event.

She said: “We have been working closely with it. We are glad the police are around, it shows people we are doing nothing illegal.”

Part of the police initiative includes the involvement of a “Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Liaison Officer”.

PCSO Steve Hull, who is part of a travelling fair community, is visiting all major traveller and Gypsy events in the UK, including the world famous Appleby Horse Fair.

He wants to “help break down barriers between us and them”.

Pointing at his uniform he said: “The biggest problem is this, they see it and think ‘Oh police’ and the mistrust comes in.

“But then the see the sign on my back which states what I am, and they start opening up.

“My aim is to build links between us and them and educate the police about what their communities are about.”

Steve, who is a member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight police force, gives talks to police bosses about Gypsy, Roma and traveller communities.

He said: “They are an ethnic minority like any other. The more trust we can gain with them the easier it is to police events like this.

“We can work together to ensure they run safely and without incident. I am not saying they are all law abiding but a lot of what is said about them on social media is false.”

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Apart from Steve other new measures this year include tall temporary yellow CCTV towers which have been placed on Lyndhurst high street and at “hotspots” where the travellers gather.

These include beside a river near the Balmer Lawn hotel in Brockenhurst where they go to wash their horses after a drive.

Last year angry locals scattered glass and metal screws on the riverbanks to stop the travellers doing it.

The area then had to be closed for over a week while a clear up operation to prevent harm to wild animals was undertaken.

Some residents of the New Forest, while not agreeing with that action, can understand why some locals have been driven to it.

Local Evelyn Warren explained: “It’s a shame because the drive is actually wonderful to see with all the ponies and the carts.

“But then they go to a pub, get drunk and do all sorts. I don’t think the drive should be banned but it needs to be controlled more.

“There are so many travellers it can get scary at times.”

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University of California leaders face a difficult choice after the U.S. Department of Justice said this week that UCLA had violated the civil rights of Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests and federal agencies on Wednesday suspended more than $300 million in research grants to the school.

Do they agree to a costly settlement, potentially incurring the anger of taxpayers, politicians and campus communities in a deep-blue state that’s largely opposed to President Trump and his battle to remake higher education?

Or do they go to court, entering a protracted legal fight and possibly inviting further debilitating federal actions against the nation’s premier public university system, which has until now carefully avoided head-on conflicts with the White House?

Leaders of the University of California, including its systemwide president, James B. Milliken; UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk and UC’s 24-member Board of Regents — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is an ex-officio member — have just days to decide.

What led to the conflict

In findings issued Tuesday, U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and the Justice Department said UCLA would pay a “heavy price” for acting with “deliberate indifference” to the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students who complained of antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, 2023. That’s when Hamas attacked Israel, which led to Israel’s war in Gaza and the pro-Palestinian student encampment on Royce Quad.

The Justice Department gave UC — which oversees federal legal matters for UCLA and nine other campuses — a week to respond to the allegations of antisemitism. It wrote that “unless there is reasonable certainty that we can reach an agreement” to “ensure that the hostile environment is eliminated and reasonable steps are taken to prevent its recurrence,” the department would sue by Sept. 2.

A day after the Justice Department disclosed its findings, the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and other federal agencies said they were suspending hundreds of grants to UCLA researchers. A letter from the NSF cited the university’s alleged “discrimination” in admissions and failure to “promote a research environment free of antisemitism.” A Department of Energy letter cutting off grants on clean energy and nuclear power plants made similar accusations, adding that “UCLA discriminates against and endangers women by allowing men in women’s sports and private women-only spaces.”

Initial data shared with The Times on Thursday night showed the cuts to be at least $200 million. On Friday, additional information shared by UC and federal officials pointed to the number being greater than $300 million — more than a quarter of UCLA’s $1.1 billion in annual federal funding and contracts. UCLA has not released a total number.

In a campuswide message Thursday, Frenk, the UCLA chancellor, called the government’s moves “deeply disappointing.”

“This far-reaching penalty of defunding life-saving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination,” Frenk said.

In a statement to The Times Friday, an official from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH, said it would “not fund institutions that promote antisemitism. We will use every tool we have to ensure institutions follow the law.”

An NSF spokesperson also confirmed the UCLA cuts, saying Friday that the university is no longer in “alignment with current NSF priorities.” A Department of Energy spokesperson also verified the cuts but did not elaborate outside of pointing to the department’s letter to UCLA.

What comes next

The Times spoke to more than a dozen current and former senior UC leaders in addition to higher education experts about the rapid deliberations taking place this week, which for the first time have drawn a major public university system into the orbit of a White House that has largely focused its ire on Ivy League schools.

Trump has accused universities of being too liberal, illegally recruiting for diversity in ways that hurt white and Asian American students and faculty, and being overly tolerant of pro-Palestinian students who he labels as antisemites aligned with Hamas.

Universities, including UCLA, have largely denied the accusations, although school officials have admitted that they under-delivered in responding to Jewish student concerns. In the last two years, encampments took over small portions of campuses, and, as a result, were blamed for denying campus access to pro-Israel Jews.

In a major payout announced Tuesday — before the Justice Department’s findings — UCLA said it would dole out $6.45 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by three Jewish students and a medical school professor who alleged the university violated their civil rights and enabled antisemitism during the pro-Palestinian encampment in 2024. About $2.3 million will be donated to eight groups that work with Jewish communities, including the Anti-Defamation League, Chabad and Hillel. Another $320,000 will be directed to a UCLA initiative to combat antisemitism, and the rest of the funds will go toward legal fees.

Through spokespersons, Frenk and Milliken declined interviews on what next steps UCLA might take. Friday was Milliken’s first day on the job after the long-planned departure of former UC President Michael V. Drake, who will return to teaching and research.

But in public remarks this week, Newsom said he was “reviewing” the Justice Department’s findings and that UC would be “responsive.”

The governor, who spoke during an event at the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento County on Thursday, said he had a meeting with Drake scheduled that day to discuss the Trump administration’s charges.

Newsom did not respond specifically to a question from The Times about whether UC would settle with Trump.

“We’re reviewing the details of the DOJ’s latest and then that deadline on Tuesday,” the governor said. “So we’ll be responsive.”

In a statement Friday, Newsom said, “Freezing critical research funding for UCLA — dollars that were going to study invasive diseases, cure cancer, and build new defense technologies — makes our country less safe. It is a cruel manipulation to use Jewish students’ real concerns about antisemitism on campus as an excuse to cut millions of dollars in grants that were being used to make all Americans safer and healthier.”

What insiders say

Senior UCLA and UC leaders, who spoke on background because they were not authorized to discuss legal decisions, said the university has been bracing for this moment for months. The university and individual campuses are under multiple federal investigations into alleged use of race in admissions, employment discrimination against Jews, and civil rights complaints from Jewish students. At the same time, leaders said, they were hoping the multimillion-dollar settlement with Jewish students would buy them time.

“It backfired,” said one senior administrator at UCLA, reflecting the sense of whiplash felt among many who were interviewed. “Within hours of announcing our settlement, the DOJ was on our back.”

Other senior UC officials said the system was considering suing Trump. It has already sued various federal agencies or filed briefs in support of lawsuits over widespread grant cuts affecting all major U.S. universities. UC itself, however, has not directly challenged the president’s platform of aggressively punishing elite schools for alleged discrimination.

It’s unclear if a suit or settlement could wipe out all remaining investigations.

Mark Yudof, a former UC president who led the system from 2008 to 2013, said he felt the Trump administration was targeting a public university as a way to “make a statement” about the president’s higher education aims going beyond Ivy League institutions.

“But this is not Columbia,” Yudof said, referring to the $221-million settlement the New York campus recently reached with the White House to resolve investigations over alleged antisemitism amid its response to pro-Palestinian protests.

On Wednesday, Brown University also came to a $50-million agreement with the White House. The Brown payment will go toward Rhode Island workforce development programs. Harvard is also negotiating a deal with the government over similar accusations regarding antisemitism.

“The University of California is much more complex,” said Yudof, who lives in Florida and also led the University of Texas and University of Minnesota. “For one, an issue that may affect UCLA is not going to affect UC Merced or UC Riverside. But do you come to an agreement on all campuses? If there is a settlement payment, does it affect all campuses, depending on the cost?”

George Blumenthal, a former chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, said he “just can’t see UC making the kind of deal that Columbia did or that Harvard contemplates. Committing public funds to Washington to the tune of tens or hundreds of million dollars strikes me as politically untenable in California.”

Pro-Palestinian UCLA groups said they don’t agree with the premise of negotiations. They point out that many protesters in last year’s encampment were Jewish and argue that the protest — the focus of federal complaints — was not antisemitic.

“We reject this cynical weaponization of antisemitism, and the misinformation campaign spinning calls for Palestinian freedom as antisemitic. We must name this for what it is: a thinly-veiled attempt to punish supporters of Palestinian freedom, and to advance the long-standing conservative goal of dismantling higher education,” said a statement from Graeme Blair, a UCLA associate professor of political science, on behalf of UCLA Faculty for Justice in Palestine.

The bigger picture

Higher education experts say UC’s decision would set a national precedent. The university’s finances include more than $50 billion in operating revenues, $180 billion in investments — including endowment, retirement, and working capital portfolios — and smaller campus-level endowments. The funds support facilities across the state, including multiple academic health centers, investment properties and campuses, as well as tens of thousands of former employees enrolled in retirement plans.

Dozens of public campuses across the U.S. are under investigation or pressure from the White House to atone for alleged wrongdoing to Jewish students or to change admissions, scholarship programs and protest rules and more. But UC has long been a standard-bearer, including in academic and protest freedoms.

“If you are Trump, your target of Harvard or Brown is much easier — a snooty elite — than a public, even a UCLA or Berkeley,” said Rick Hess, an education expert with the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

Kenneth Marcus, who served as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Education Department during Trump’s first term, said there would be benefits for UCLA and the UC system to enter into a “systemwide agreement that would enable everybody to put this behind themselves.”

The Justice Department’s Tuesday letter said it was investigating all campuses but only issuing findings of violations so far at UCLA.

Marcus, chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said a systemwide agreement would “provide the federal government with assurances that the regents are making changes across the board.”

Staff writer Taryn Luna in Sacramento contributed to this report.

Among the first batch of freed prisoners were prominent rivals of former President Joko Widodo jailed during his term.

Indonesia has begun releasing hundreds of inmates from prison, including people convicted of political offences, after parliament approved the first stage of President Prabowo Subianto’s wide-ranging clemency plan, reportedly aimed at building national solidarity.

A first group of 1,178 inmates were to be released on Friday after House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas announced late on Thursday that Subianto had signed a Presidential Decree granting amnesties.

Barely two months after he took office in October, Subianto – the former son-in-law of Indonesian dictator Soeharto – surprised the nation by saying he planned to grant clemency to some 44,000 inmates nationwide, most of them imprisoned for political reasons, as a way to help unify the country.

Law Minister Agtas said political prisoners and inmates with mental and chronic health illnesses, older people, juveniles and those convicted of blasphemy or insulting the country’s leader will be prioritised in the pardons.

Among those released on Friday were prominent rivals of former President Joko Widodo who were jailed during his term, including Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the country’s only formal opposition party.

A former ally of ex-President Widodo who later became a harsh critic, Kristiyanto was sentenced last week to three and a half years in prison for bribery in a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme.

Released on Friday evening from his cell at the anti-Corruption Commission’s detention centre in South Jakarta, where he had been held since February, Kristiyanto told a cheering crowd, “We must learn from this incident.”

Agtas said parliament also approved an end to criminal proceedings against former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, also a onetime Widodo ally who broke with him during the 2024 presidential election to support political rival Anies Baswedan.

Lembong was sentenced to more than four years in prison in July for reportedly abusing his authority as minister by improperly granting sugar import permits.

“Both [Kristiyanto and Lembong] have demonstrated service to the nation, and our priority now is to strengthen the unity of the nation,” Agtas said.

Six independence activists from Indonesia’s restive West Papua region, serving prison sentences for treason, were also released.

Agtas said authorities plan to submit a second list of 1,668 inmates for release to parliament in the near future.

Police say four people were killed and 500 others arrested at protests in the capital, Luanda.

At least four people were killed and hundreds were arrested during a protest against a fuel price hike in Angola’s capital, police said.

The protests erupted on Monday in response to the government’s decision earlier this month to raise the price of diesel by 30 percent, which led to large hikes in fares by minibus taxis, an important method of transport for many Angolans.

Gunfire could be heard in central Luanda’s Cazenga area, where people were seen taking food and other items from shops.

Social media images showed clashes in the Rocha Pinto suburb near the airport, as well as in the Prenda area.

Police said in a statement on Tuesday that hundreds of arrests were made in connection with rioting, vandalism and looting of shops. Cars and buses were damaged and roads were blocked.

Transport in Luanda remained suspended and shops closed on Tuesday.

The government’s decision to raise heavily subsidised fuel prices from 300 to 400 kwanzas ($0.33 to $0.44) per litre has caused anger in Angola, one of Africa’s top oil producers, where many people live in poverty.

Minibus taxi associations, which in turn hiked their fares by up to 50 percent, launched a three-day strike to protest the move beginning on Monday.

“We are tired … they must announce something for things to change … for us to live in better conditions,” a protester told Angola’s TV Nzinga.

“Why do you make us suffer like this? How will we feed our children? The prices have to go down,” a woman said, addressing President Joao Lourenco.

Deputy Commissioner Mateus Rodrigues told reporters in a briefing about Monday’s violence that the police “currently report four deaths”. He did not specify how they occurred.

Police arrested 400 people overnight for suspected involvement in the unrest after arresting 100 on Monday, Rodrigues said. About 45 shops were vandalised, while 25 private vehicles and 20 public buses were damaged, he added. Banks were also targeted.

Protests have been taking place since the announcement of the diesel price hike on July 1.

Human Rights Watch said police had used excessive force in a July 12 protest, including firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

Angola has been gradually cutting fuel subsidies since 2023, when protests over a petrol price hike also turned deadly.

Hundreds of residents gathered at a beach in Yokosuka city’s Kurihama area, south of Tokyo, over the weekend to pray for marine safety in a summer festival that fuses sacred ritual and seaside spectacle.

As a portable shrine called mikoshi, decorated with Shinto ornaments, was lifted onto bearers’ shoulders, the audience cheered.

The mikoshi had started from Sumiyoshi Shrine and was paraded through neighbourhood alleyways. Shrine priests paused to bless offerings and pray for good fortune for people gathered outside their homes.

When the procession reached the beach, the priests danced and chanted. The festival reached its climax when the bearers entered the water up to their necks, their sweaty faces splashed with seawater.

The procession made a final stop at the nearby ferry terminal, where the mikoshi was carried onto a vessel for prayers for its safe travels.

“Everyone has been looking forward to this day all year,” said Shuji Shimizu, head of the Kurihama Neighbourhood Association. “It’s a celebration of our own strength and unity. Please stay safe out there … and enjoy every moment.”

As evening fell, the mikoshi was carried back to storage at the shrine, until next summer.

Bursa governor’s office says 1,765 people have been evacuated as more than 1,900 firefighters battle the flames.

Wildfires that have engulfed Turkiye for weeks have surrounded the country’s fourth-largest city, causing more than 1,700 people to flee their homes and leaving one firefighter dead.

Fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa in northwest Turkiye spread rapidly overnight on Sunday, causing a red glow over the city.

Dozens of severe wildfires have hit the country since late June, with the government declaring two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, disaster areas on Friday.

Bursa governor’s office said in a statement on Sunday that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,900 firefighters battled the flames. Authorities said 500 rescue workers were also on the ground.

The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned.

A firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, the city’s mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, said in a statement, adding that the flames had scorched 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) around the city.

Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, described the scene as “an apocalypse”.

Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said fire crews across the country battled 84 separate blazes on Saturday. The country’s northwest was under the greatest threat, including Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday, he said.

Unusually high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires.

The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkiye recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday. The highest temperatures for July were seen in 132 other locations, it said.

The previous national record was set on August 15, 2023 in Saricakaya, Eskisehir, at 49.5C (121.1F), the Anadolu news agency reported.

At least 14 people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkiye.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late on Saturday that prosecutors had investigated fires in 33 provinces since June 26, and that legal action had been taken against 97 suspects.

July 21 (UPI) — Several hundred current and former NASA employees, including at least four retired astronauts, backed a letter that opposes the Trump administration’s significant cuts to the federal space agency.

The letter, which included 131 signatures and 156 unnamed ones out of “fear of retaliation,” is titled “The Voyager Declaration.” It is named after the two NASA spacecraft exploring space when they launched in 1977 from Florida.

The retired astronauts who signed the letter include Cady Coleman, Steve Swanson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and John Herrington.

Scientists outside NASA, including 20 Nobel Prize winners, also have given their support for the agency that was found in 1958 before the first unmanned satellite launched.

The letter was addressed to Sean Duffy, who was named interim NASA administrator on Juy 10 and continues to serve as Transportation Secretary.

He replaced acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro, a long-time agency employee.

“In light of your recent appointment as Interim NASA Administrator, we bring to your attention recent policies that have or threaten to waste public resources, compromise human safety, weaken national security, and undermine the core NASA mission,” the letter reads.

They urged Duffy to oppose a 24% budget reduction and 31% workforce cuts as proposed by the Trump administration.

Out of the 17,000-plus NASA employees, 2,600 have lost their jobs, according to Politicio. And at least $117 million in NASA grants already have been canceled.

Congress sets U.S. spending.

Workers at other federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency, have penned similar letters opposing cutbacks.

“The consequences for the agency and the country alike are dire,” the letter says.

The signers of the letter cited wasteful efforts affecting the workforce.

“Major programmatic shifts at NASA must be implemented strategically so that risks are managed carefully,” the letter reads. “Instead, the last six months have seen rapid and wasteful changes which have undermined our mission and caused catastrophic impacts on NASA’s workforce.

“We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety, scientific advancement, and efficient use of public resources. These cuts are arbitrary and have been enacted in defiance of congressional appropriations law.”

The letter lays out several things on which the letter writers say, “we dissent”:

• Changes to NASA’s Technical Authority
• Closing of missions appropriated by Congress
• “Indiscriminate” cuts to NASA science and aeronautics research
• “Non-strategic staffing reductions”
• Canceling of NASA participation in international missions
• Termination of contracts and grants “unrelated to performance”
• Elimination of programs for supporting NASA’s workforce

The Technical Authority was established in wake of the 2003 Columbia shuttler disaster that killed seven astronauts. It allows workers in all levels of the agency to voice concern outside a usual chain of command.

The letter was dedicated to the Columbia astronauts, as well as Gus Grissom, Ed White And Roger Chaffee, who died aboard Apollo 1 at the launch pad in 1967, and seven killed in the 1987 Challenger explosion.

“Their legacies underpin every conversation about our shared commitment to safety and dissenting opinions at NASA,” the letter reads.

Monica Gorman, an operations research analyst at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., told The New York Times: “We’re afraid of retaliation.”

She added: “I’m already at risk of losing my job, and I’d rather speak out and try to save something at NASA, rather than just hide under my desk until I get laid off. But I am scared.”

Ella Kaplan, who also works at Goddard, as a contractor for website administratipon, signed the letter.

Kaplan told Nature.com she doesn’t expect Duffy to read the entire letter but the declaration is “about getting our dissent out to the public and saying, ‘Hey — this is what’s happened at NASA, and this is not OK.'”

NASA spokesman Bethany Steven told Nature.com that NASA is not interested in sustaining “lower-priority missions.”

“We must revisit what’s working and what’s not so that we can inspire the American people again and win the space race,” she said.

Makenzie Lystrup, Goddard’s direct since 2023, resigned, effective Aug. 1, after the letter was released, according to an internal email obtained by CNN.

NASA, with the retirement of the shuttle in 2011, mainly relies on SpaceX, a private company, to send astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA is leading the Artemis program to send humans to the moon again in a few years. The agency is working with SpaceX, Blue Origin and Intuitive Machines as well as foreign public agencies.