German authorities on Saturday canceled a popular pride festival after numerous people were injured and one killed when a white van rammed the festivities in Berlin.

«We are currently deployed with numerous police forces as well as rescue units from the Berlin Fire Department in the Großer Tiergarten,» Berlin Police said in a translated X post, after telling festivalgoers to leave the area.

Police said the injured were being treated by rescue personnel.

The incident occurred during the European city’s annual Christopher Street Day festival, an LGBTQ+ pride event.

GUNFIRE SHATTERS TORONTO LATIN STREET FESTIVAL, LEAVING AT LEAST 2 DEAD AND MULTIPLE WOUNDED

«We are conducting an intensive manhunt for suspects,» police added, later clarifying that it could be one or more suspects. 

Authorities haven’t released a possible motive. 

Emergency personnel gather in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities.  (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

In an update, the police said several of those injured have life-threatening injuries. 

Crowds are seen at the Christopher Street Day festival in Berlin, which was canceled after police say several people were injured when a van rammed the festivities Saturday. (Fabian Sommer/DPA via AP)

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Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the event, which included a parade and ended Saturday evening with a show at Tiergarten park near Brandenberg Gate.

Texas Republican Brandon Gill has emerged as one of the House GOP’s most effective digital communicators, turning pointed committee questioning into viral moments that reach millions at a time when commanding attention online has become nearly as valuable as controlling the House floor.

The 32-year-old freshman lawmaker’s talents have quickly elevated his profile within the Republican conference, earning praise from colleagues who view him as a rising conservative voice and potential future leader while helping him build an audience far beyond Capitol Hill.

«You can go in there ,and I can yell and scream at a witness. I can give a massive soliloquy about whatever political views happen to be at the front of my mind that day, but whenever you have a witness on the other side of the witness stand who is sworn in, they can’t lie to you, or they’re not supposed to, it’s a huge opportunity to be able to just ask probing questions about what they believe, what they’re doing with our tax dollars, about ideologies that they are pushing or that the left has been pushing,» Gill said of his strategy.

«I think that so much of what the left believes in … is utterly intellectually indefensible. So, what I try to do is to ask probing questions that really get to the heart of whatever issue — we can take DEI as an example — try to ask probing questions that strike at the heart of what the left is actually advocating for.»

WATCH: BRANDON GILL CORNERS LAW SCHOOL GATEKEEPER WITH DEI QUESTION SHE WON’T ANSWER

And Gill’s supporters have lauded him for doing just that.

As chairman of the House Oversight Committee’s new Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, he’s already grilled the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the president of the American Bar Association.

During one notable moment, Gill clashed with the museum director over an exhibit arguing that Mickey Mouse’s creation was rooted in racism.

«The left has weaponized DEI, I think, to politicize American institutions like the Smithsonian or like law schools. And that’s a problem. We’re a country that believes you should receive your just desserts,» Gill said. «You should receive what you deserve regardless of the color of your skin. And that is something that everybody ought to be able to get behind.»

Critics argue Gill’s rapid-fire questioning prioritizes viral moments over nuanced policy discussions. Shaun Harper, a University of Southern California professor who clashed with Gill during a House hearing on DEI, later wrote that the congressman repeatedly interrupted his attempts to provide context, insisting on yes-or-no answers. Supporters, meanwhile, say Gill’s pointed questioning exposes the ideological underpinnings of progressive policies.

The Republican millennial grew up on a cattle ranch in West Texas and lives in the town of Flower Mound with his wife and two young children while representing the northern part of the state.

DEMOCRATS LURE ‘POLITICALLY HOMELESS’ GEN Z TOWARD SOCIALISM — A COUNTERATTACK IS TAKING SHAPE

He’s also one of the most recognizable faces in a wave of young people who are changing the face of the GOP, which had long been known as the party of old age.

Gill argued it comes down to the left’s growing number of cultural landmines.

«So, you have the left forcing, you know, children in high school to believe that men can get pregnant, or telling, you know, college students, who just want to, like, live a normal life and have a good time that they’re racist or they have implicit transphobia,» Gill said. 

«And then you look at the other side of the aisle and Republicans, by and large, are much more laid back. They’re much more nice. They’re not going around calling everybody they see racist or sexist. They’re just normal people.

«We’re not the party who’s going to deride you and to slander you. We’re the party that I think has much more open arms towards young people.»

And among many of his House GOP colleagues, that does indeed seem to be how Gill comes across. Fellow Republicans have called Gill low-key and easy to talk to in person, a far cry from his intense persona in the hearing room.

Several have also said they see Gill having a bright future on Capitol Hill.

REP GILL CHALLENGES ‘GENUINELY INSANE AND OBJECTIVELY OFFENSIVE’ DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS AFTER VIRAL HEARING

One House Republican, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Fox News Digital, «He is a pretty humble guy. I always enjoy talking with him on the [House floor].

«He clearly does his homework and a great job preparing questions and exposing the left in committee,» that Republican said. «I can see him as the next U.S. senator from Texas.»

Another GOP lawmaker also complimented Gill’s readiness and said he would style him as a «future Jim Jordan,» referencing the House Judiciary Committee chair who’s been a leader of the conservative movement for years.

Jordan, R-Ohio, also happens to be one of the House Republicans Gill said he looks up to the most.

«I would say there’s a few members that I particularly look up to. One of them is Jim Jordan, who’s the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. I think he does a brilliant job of exposing the left, and he’s somebody who just never misses. He always makes his point very clearly and succinctly. Somebody else I look up a lot is Byron Donalds, who is going to be the next governor of Florida, a brilliant guy,» Gill said.

Jordan told Fox News Digital that Gill was «an excellent addition to both the Judiciary and Oversight Committees and to our conference.»

«He’s got a remarkable ability to relay our message to the American people,» Jordan said.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, of which Gill is a part, praised the young congressman as a «rising star.»

«He’s putting the left in the hot seat, exposing Democrat delusions with simple, devastating questions,» Harris told Fox News Digital. «He’s showing America the corruption the Freedom Caucus is determined to root out.»

And Gill is rising quickly in the right-wing group, getting a featured speaking slot at the caucus’s 10-year anniversary last year.

But Gill has made headway with rank-and-file Republicans as well, winning the position of «class president» among his fellow first-term GOP lawmakers.

Asked where he thought that would take him in the future — whether a committee gavel or even a role in House GOP leadership — Gill would not say.

«Right now, I just want to do a good job where I’m at and make sure that Republicans can maintain control of the House. We have a huge opportunity to defy history and make sure that we continue doing the great work, the investigations, the hearings and the legislation that we’ve been doing for the past year and a half, for another two years,» Gill said, adding that he particularly enjoyed serving on the House Judiciary Committee.

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While the Texas Republican’s critics, mainly on the left, paint him as far-right and divisive, Gill views the criticism as validation. 

«I would say, first and foremost, I do believe that if the left isn’t criticizing me, then I’m not doing a good job, and I’m not being effective. The left only attacks people that they believe are making a difference,» Gill said. 

«Secondly, I would ask Democrats who are critical of me or of the hearings that we do to simply imagine that they’re in the witness stand and actually defend, intellectually defend, the views that they have. If you believe that DEI is a righteous endeavor, please explain to the American people in a simple and straightforward way why racial quotas are good, how that promotes meritocracy, how that makes America better off.»

A 70 metros bajo la superficie de Ningaloo, en Australia Occidental, un tiburón ballena cruza el azul profundo en busca de alimento. Lo que nadie había visto hasta ahora ocurre frente a una diminuta cámara instalada en su aleta dorsal: el pez más grande del mundo nada tras una nube de kril, cambiando súbitamente su estrategia de caza en un entorno donde la comida escasea. La escena, registrada por un equipo científico internacional, redefine lo que se creía saber sobre la alimentación de esta especie y abre nuevas preguntas sobre su adaptación y supervivencia.

El tiburón ballena mide comúnmente entre 12 y 18 metros de largo, aunque los adultos más grandes pueden superar los 18 metros y el ejemplar más grande registrado alcanzó los 18,8 metros. Desde hace décadas, la mayor parte de lo que se conoce sobre el comportamiento de estos enormes peces proviene de observaciones superficiales realizadas desde botes o mediante snorkel. Pero estos métodos solo permiten estudiar una fracción mínima de su vida, gran parte de sus comportamientos bajo la superficie sigue siendo un misterio.

En la nueva investigación, publicada en la revista Marine Biology, los científicos recurrieron a etiquetas electrónicas equipadas con cámaras y sensores de movimiento de alta resolución. Estos dispositivos se fijaron en la aleta dorsal de ejemplares juveniles cerca de Ningaloo, un reconocido sitio de agregación de la especie ubicado sobre la costa oeste de Australia Occidental, a unos 1.200 kilómetros al norte de Perth, junto al Océano Índico. Las cámaras permanecieron en los animales durante 24 horas y luego se desprendieron automáticamente, facilitando la recuperación de los datos sin afectar a los tiburones.

El impacto del experimento fue inmediato: por primera vez, el equipo pudo observar de cerca cómo los tiburones ballena alternan entre distintos modos de caza a lo largo de toda la columna de agua, desde la superficie hasta profundidades de 70 metros.

Uno de los hallazgos más reveladores contradice la creencia tradicional de que los tiburones ballena solo se alimentan en la superficie. “Descubrimos que los tiburones ballena usan una mezcla de varios comportamientos de alimentación a lo largo de toda la columna de agua y junto al fondo marino”, explicaron los investigadores en The Conversation.

El análisis de los videos, junto a la revisión de más de 100 estudios científicos previos, permitió construir el mayor catálogo de conductas de la especie hasta el momento, con 36 comportamientos distintos identificados. Entre ellos, destaca el “deslizamiento lento” cerca del fondo, en el que el animal avanza con la boca abierta, y la “caza activa” en la superficie, cuando persigue enjambres densos de kril, su presa favorita. Es decir, el tiburón ballena adapta su forma de comer según la densidad de alimento disponible en su entorno.

La explicación de este fenómeno es directa: muchas veces, los tiburones ballena optan por conductas de bajo esfuerzo para alimentarse en aguas donde la densidad de presas es baja, y solo despliegan estrategias más activas cuando encuentran bancos abundantes de kril. “Es como picotear de la despensa mientras decidís qué vas a cocinar para la cena”, resume la autora principal del estudio, Christine Barry.

El trabajo revela que los tiburones ballena presentan una flexibilidad de forrajeo excepcional, mayor que la detectada en otros grandes filtradores como el tiburón peregrino o las ballenas. Esta variedad podría explicar cómo la especie logra sobrevivir en aguas tropicales, donde el alimento suele estar disperso y en cantidades limitadas. Es decir, la amplitud de estrategias alimenticias se convierte en una ventaja crucial en hábitats impredecibles.

“Si los investigadores logran colocar más cámaras en tiburones ballena en otros puntos del mundo, seguramente surgirán nuevos hallazgos y el conocimiento sobre esta especie seguirá creciendo”, concluyen los autores.

La investigación no solo documentó la caza activa de kril en la superficie, un comportamiento nunca antes filmado desde la perspectiva del animal, sino que también identificó seis modos principales de alimentación de bajo esfuerzo. Este hallazgo sugiere que la especie pasa la mayor parte del tiempo “snackeando” en aguas pobres en alimento, a la espera de encontrar una concentración significativa de presas.

Las cámaras, al registrar tanto el entorno como el movimiento del tiburón, permitieron correlacionar imágenes con datos precisos sobre la profundidad y la velocidad del animal. Así, los científicos lograron construir un etograma —un inventario de conductas— con un nivel de detalle sin precedentes. Es decir, una lista organizada que describe cada comportamiento observado y su contexto.

Otro estudio, publicado el año pasado en Frontiers in Marine Science reveló que casi el 77% de los tiburones ballena presentaban heridas causadas por actividades humanas. Durante trece años, un equipo de científicos reunió información en Bird’s Head Seascape, un área marina ubicada en el extremo noroeste de la isla de Nueva Guinea, dentro de la provincia de Papúa Occidental, Indonesia. Esta región alberga una de las mayores poblaciones de tiburón ballena del planeta, que se congregan en aguas donde abundan plataformas llamadas «bagans».

Se trata de estructuras de madera y flotadores instaladas por los pescadores locales, que colocan grandes redes bajo estas plataformas. Por las noches, luces potentes atraen bancos de peces como anchoas y sardinas.

Cuando los peces se agrupan bajo el bagan, los pescadores levantan la red y los capturan. Los tiburones ballena, atraídos por la actividad y los restos de carnada, se acercan a estas plataformas y quedan expuestos a golpes y cortes con redes, sogas o las propias estructuras. Hoy esos animales lucen cicatrices como evidencia de la convivencia forzada con la pesca y el turismo.

“Las cicatrices y lesiones más comunes aparecen por el contacto con bagans y barcos turísticos, y muy pocas veces por depredadores naturales”, explicó Edy Setyawan, del Instituto Elasmobranch de Indonesia y autor principal del estudio. El 80% de las heridas analizadas surgieron por interacción con estructuras o embarcaciones humanas, y no por otros animales.

Según los e, las zonas donde hay turismo y bagans concentran a los tiburones jóvenes, y allí se ven la mayoría de las lesiones.

En la población observada predomina una mayoría de machos jóvenes, mientras que las hembras adultas son muy escasas. Esto sugiere que las hembras suelen permanecer más lejos de la costa, posiblemente en mar abierto, donde hay menos redes y menos actividad humana.