News

After 286 days in space, two American astronauts who've been stuck on the International Space Station since last spring are finally back down on Earth.

Butch Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams splashed down softly off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida today at about 5:58 PM ET, following a 19-hour journey in a SpaceX spacecraft, alongside astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.

It was a smooth arrival back to Planet Earth, with Dragon Freedom’s Crew-9 parachutes deploying 6,000 feet in the air, and the control room erupting in cheers as they splashed down into the water.

The parents of the University of Pittsburgh student who disappeared in the Dominican Republic are reportedly asking the authorities to declare their daughter dead.

Sudiksha Konanki's parents made the formal request Monday in a letter sent to DR officials with the understanding they would have to follow certain legal procedures, such as filling out proper documentation, according to ABC News.

The media outlet noted Konanki's parents conceded in their letter there was no foul play involved in their daughter's presumed death.

New video purportedly shows University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki and Joshua Riibe, the person of interest in her disappearance case, hanging out separately at a bar just hours before she vanished.

Noticias SIN — a TV news station in the DR — obtained surveillance footage from the bar at Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on March 6.

The video apparently captures Konanki in all-white clothes, with her back to the camera, walking toward a grassy area and leaning over, seemingly to vomit. She then strolls over to a friend and, at one point, excitedly jumps up and down.

The clothing belonging to the missing University of Pittsburgh college student was reportedly located at the beach where she went missing over a week ago.

Local news reports in the Dominican Republic claim a white netted sarong was found draped over a beach chair and a pair of beige flip-flops were discovered next to the leg of a beach chair and are believed to belong to 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki.

According to reports, the beachwear has a resemblance to the outfit Sudiksha was wearing the day she disappeared.

The person of interest in the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki claims he saved her from drowning, as police continue to search for clues a week after she vanished during her spring break trip to the Dominican Republic.

Joshua Riibe told law enforcement he and Konanki were both nearly swept away in the ocean as they were wading in the water early on the morning of March 6 ... and that he struggled to get them to safety, according to a transcript obtained by Dominican Republic news outlet Noticias SIN.

Once back on land, the 22-year-old student claims he vomited seawater as Sudiksha walked away to get her personal belongings that had been pushed down the beach by waves.

Another day, another plane catastrophe ... an American Airlines flight exploded into flames after takeoff, but it made a quick landing, saving everyone on board.

According to officials, here's how it all went down ... on Thursday afternoon, the commercial airliner -- filled with passengers -- took off from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was bound for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, but was diverted to Denver International Airport due to engine vibrations.

As it was parking at the gate, the jet suddenly turned into a fireball because of its engine troubles, forcing the passengers to evacuate as they were engulfed in smoke.

The desperate search for missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic is ongoing -- and now, authorities in Virginia have zeroed-in on a person of interest.

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Thomas Julia confirmed to TMZ that 24-year-old Joshua Riibe is a "person of interest" in Konanki’s disappearance -- surveillance video shows him as the last person seen with her before she disappeared.

We're told Riibe -- a former high school wrestler -- has been "interviewed at length," but Julia emphasized that, for now, this remains a missing-person case, not a criminal one.

Fascinating twist in the story of the dead body caught by fishermen in the waters off Massachusetts ... turns out the corpse was meant to be buried at sea and no foul play is suspected, according to authorities.

The Suffolk County Chief Medical Examiner in Boston just announced the body is a woman in her 60s with cancerous tumors all over it. The M.E. says the unidentified body was embalmed and apparently intentionally deposited into its watery grave.

Prosecutors say the case is now closed, adding the dead woman will likely stay nameless forever.

New footage shows authorities removing a decomposed body from a fishing vessel in Boston ... after a group of Massachusetts fishermen caught the body in their net.

TMZ obtained photos and videos showing the body being lifted from the boat and onto a pier in Boston's Seaport District ... with officials from the Medical Examiner loading the corpse onto a gurney and into an SUV.

A heavy police presence was there when the body, wrapped in a tarp, was removed from the boat ... with Massachusetts State Police and Massport cops, in addition to the fire department and EMTs.

A small plane has crashed in the middle of a city street in Pennsylvania ... and, several videos taken at the scene show the fiery wreckage.

The videos -- taken in Manheim Township in Lancaster County -- captured the aftermath of the crash ... with a the small plane completely ablaze in the street.

According to local reports, multiple ambulances are on the scene in the area ... and numerous injuries have been reported at the scene.

A University of Pittsburgh student went missing during her Spring Break trip to the Dominican Republic ... and, authorities say she was last seen strolling on the beach.

Sudiksha Konanki -- a 20-year-old student -- went missing while on a trip with her friends to Punta Cana, a small town on the eastern edge of the island nation.

Konanki was last seen at 4:50 AM local time on Thursday at the Riu Republica Resort according to the missing persons poster shared online.

Prince Frederik, who was the youngest son of the Prince and Princess of Nassau, has died following a battle with an illness.

His father, Prince Robert of Luxembourg announced his son died at the beginning of March from the rare genetic condition POLG Mitochondrial disease which “robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure,” according to the POLG Foundation. He was diagnosed with the condition when he was 14 years old.

His father said in the statement … “Last Friday, February 28th, on “Rare Disease Day”, our beloved son called us in to his room to speak to him for one last time. Frederik found the strength and the courage to say goodbye to each of us in turn … After gifting each of us with our farewells – some kind, some wise, some instructive – in true Frederik fashion, he left us collectively with a final long-standing family joke.”

Lauren Sanchez says the ladies going to space with her will be able to inspire the world with their experiences ... 'cause they are all storytellers who can share the profound impact back on Earth.

The former entertainment reporter shared a little behind-the-scenes clip of her first meeting with pop star Katy Perry, journalist and host Gayle King, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil-rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn ... the first all-female heading to the edge of space in a Blue Origin rocket this spring.

Sanchez says this group was chosen because they're all storytellers ... who can share their experience with people and inspire the next generation of trailblazers.

Nancy Grace is scoffing at Casey Anthony's new career pursuit -- slamming her new legal advocacy gig as a shameless cash grab and insisting the focus should remain on Casey's murdered daughter, Caylee.

TMZ spoke with Nancy, and she didn’t sugarcoat it -- telling us Casey’s just looking for a payday, reaching into everyone else’s pockets. But what stunned her the most is the fact so many people have already signed up for Casey’s Substack to take advice from her.

Watch the video -- Nancy goes in on Casey, reminding everyone her so-called "legal expertise" comes from being tried for murder. She also makes it crystal clear -- pretending to be a lawyer and dishing out legal advice for money is illegal. Casey announced her new Substack in a TikTok video this week.

South Korean fighter jets mistakenly bombed their own civilians during a disastrous training drill with U.S. forces near the North Korean border on Thursday ... leaving more than a dozen injured.

Check out the shocking video ... it appears to be a bright and sunny day in the South Korean village of Nogok when all of a sudden a bomb slams into the ground -- seemingly in the path of a moving vehicle -- sending a fiery plume of dust and debris into the air. A person can be seen frantically fleeing the scene once the smoke settles.

Footage taken from residences after the explosion shows shattered glass and kitchen products in a mess on the floor. It appears an entire door was blown into the living room at one dwelling.

The woman run over by an Amazon truck -- caught on shocking video -- faces months of physical therapy to recover ... but she holds no ill will toward the driver who fled the scene.

David Ellin, lawyer for Chelsey Douglas, tells TMZ … his client is finally out of the hospital but has a long road ahead after being run over and dragged by an Amazon van in Baltimore on the night of February 18.

Shocking video showing the incident went viral after the alleged driver, Jerome Allan Young Jr., drove off moments after seeing he had clearly hit someone. The driver stopped the van, got out and hovered over Chelsey as she cried out in pain, then got back into the van and drove away.