Ferry Sinking in Philippines Claims at Least 15 Lives

At least 15 people died after a ferry sank in the southern Philippines overnight on Monday, January 26, 2026. Coast guard officials reported that the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 sank near Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province just after midnight local time.

The inter-island vessel was en route to southern Jolo island in Sulu province from the port city of Zamboanga when it reportedly encountered technical problems, according to coast guard officials. The MV Trisha Kerstin 3 was carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members. Authorities managed to rescue at least 316 people, but 28 remained missing.

In other news, Toronto is beginning to recover from the largest snowfall in the city's history. Some parts of Canada's largest city were buried under nearly 60cm (about 23in) of snow. More than 500 flights were cancelled on Sunday after Toronto's main airport was snowed in, according to The Guardian. More than 88.2cm of snow have fallen at Pearson international airport this month, marking the snowiest January and snowiest month since records began in 1937. Officials say the cleanup process is likely to take several days.

Meanwhile, agents from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will support US security operations for the Winter Olympic Games in Italy next month. According to the AFP news agency, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the US Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations. Associated Press sources inside the US embassy in Rome said the officers would support diplomatic security details at the Milan Cortina Games and not run operations.

In Ukraine, citizens are enduring a brutal winter as Russia continues to target energy infrastructure. Sky News reported that Moscow's relentless attacks are forcing people to wear multiple layers of clothes or turn on gas ovens just to generate enough warmth to stay alive, as temperatures drop as low as -20C.