More than 170,000 borrowers are set to have roughly $11 billion in federal student loan debt erased after a federal appeals court rejected the Education Department’s latest attempt to delay a yearslong class-action settlement, clearing the way for one of the largest debt relief actions in U.S. history to move forward.

The decision, handed down July 17, upholds the settlement schedule in Sweet v. DeVos, a borrower-defense class action originally filed in 2019. The case is now expected to result in at least $23 billion in total federal student loan relief for approximately 500,000 borrowers, according to the Project on Predatory Student Lending, the organization that brought the case on behalf of plaintiffs.

A yearslong fight over broken promises

The lawsuit centers on students who say they were misled or defrauded by predatory for-profit schools and subsequently applied for relief under the federal Borrower Defense rule, which allows borrowers to have their loans forgiven if their school engaged in fraud or other misconduct. Nine original plaintiffs, including Theresa Sweet, a California woman who attended the Brooks Institute of Photography, sued the Education Department — then led by Betsy DeVos — alleging the agency had failed to cancel debts that met the criteria for relief.

In their original 2019 court filing, the borrowers argued that the schools “actually delivered worthless products that left students with thousands of dollars in debt, damaged credit, and depleted access to further student aid.” The plaintiffs also alleged that beginning in January 2017, the Education Department began ignoring what they described as a growing backlog of borrower defense claims, reducing its capacity to process them while redirecting resources toward undoing work from the prior administration.

The consequences for borrowers awaiting decisions were often severe. According to the case, many were unable to secure jobs they believed they qualified for and could not obtain loans to buy homes or cars while their claims remained unresolved. One student told the court her loan balance had grown from about $250,000 to more than $400,000 while she waited for a borrower defense application accepted in June 2022 to be resolved.

A settlement repeatedly delayed

The Biden administration reached a settlement in the case in 2022, but according to the Project on Predatory Student Lending, the Trump administration has continued to delay providing relief to borrowers in the years since. The Education Department’s most recent attempt sought to postpone the settlement’s relief schedule by 18 months — a request the federal appeals court rejected in its July 17 ruling.

That ruling means roughly $11 billion in loans are now set to be forgiven for more than 170,000 borrowers who did not receive timely decisions on their borrower defense applications, Eileen Connor, president and executive director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending, told USA Today.

‘The largest settlement ever reached against the federal government’

Connor described the scale of the settlement in stark terms. “In terms of monetary relief provided, Sweet is the largest class-action settlement in American history and the largest settlement ever reached against the federal government,” she told USA Today. “It is also among the largest settlements of any kind in the U.S.”

Connor also framed the court’s decision as a broader statement about government accountability. “It forced the federal government to act on roughly half a million long-neglected claims and entitled the overwhelming majority of those borrowers to full settlement relief — including cancellation of debt they should never have owed, corrected credit reports, and, where applicable, refunds of payments they had already made,” she said. “It also made clear that the federal government cannot simply disregard borrowers’ rights and its own legal obligations without consequence.”

Relief already delivered — and what’s still owed

The original 2022 settlement has already resulted in $6 billion in federal student loan debt relief for roughly 300,000 borrowers. But the case’s reach expanded significantly during years of continued litigation, as a backlog of more than 210,000 additional borrower defense applications built up while the legal battle played out, according to the Project on Predatory Student Lending. That backlog is now largely responsible for pushing the total number of affected borrowers toward 500,000.

A community shaped by years of waiting

For plaintiffs like Sweet, the settlement represents the resolution of a fight that stretched across two presidential administrations. “This case was always about borrowers coming together to stand up for what was right,” Sweet said in a July 23 news release. “Through the ups and downs of the last seven years, we became a community united by the belief that what happened to us was wrong, and it became clear just how many people had been harmed by the same broken system.”

What borrowers need to know

New applicants seeking borrower defense relief are not eligible for this particular settlement, which applies specifically to the roughly 170,000 borrowers who filed applications in 2022 and did not receive timely decisions. The Education Department’s final deadline to clear these borrowers’ loan debts is June 15, 2027, and affected borrowers are not required to make payments while they wait for forgiveness to take effect.

Connor told CNBC that the average federal student loan balance forgiven under the settlement exceeded $48,000, though she cautioned that individual amounts vary widely, with many borrowers receiving substantially more or less than that average.

Despite the court’s ruling, some members of the original plaintiff class have reported waiting as long as a year and a half for relief to materialize, prompting the Project on Predatory Student Lending to send the Education and Justice departments a formal notice alleging a material breach of the settlement. Borrowers seeking more information about the settlement and the relief process can visit the Project on Predatory Student Lending’s website.

FUNCHAL, Portugal — Hundreds of fans and well-wishers flocked to a cathedral on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Saturday hoping to catch a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo marrying his longtime partner, Georgina Rodríguez, only to discover the wedding taking place inside had nothing to do with the soccer star at all.

Rumors had circulated widely that Ronaldo was preparing to marry Rodríguez in his hometown of Funchal over the weekend, despite the Portugal captain’s family publicly denying any such plans. The speculation was enough to draw droves of fans into the center of the city, all hoping to witness the celebrity couple tie the knot.

A different couple entirely

Despite widespread media reports suggesting Ronaldo had scheduled a lavish, star-studded ceremony for Saturday afternoon, the gathered crowd was left disappointed. The wedding actually taking place at the Sé Cathedral belonged not to Ronaldo and Rodríguez, but to a couple named Nicole and Fábio.

As onlookers lined the streets with phones and cameras raised, the reality set in when the bride arrived — slightly late, as is traditional — and was clearly not Rodríguez. Instead, it was Nicole, arriving to marry her husband-to-be, Fábio, who had been waiting at the altar inside.

The cathedral confirmed the mix-up in a post on its official Facebook page, writing, “Congratulations to the couple Nicole and Fábio. After a lot of confusion on the street with so many journalists and tourists, we finally managed to close the church and celebrate.”

A separate post from the cathedral, accompanied by images of the crowd gathered outside as Nicole arrived, added, “We’ve never seen anything like this here in Sé. It was very difficult for the bride to enter the Sé church to get married.”

Guests take the chaos in stride

Despite having to navigate a level of public attention they had not anticipated for their wedding day, some of the couple’s guests found humor in the situation. “We feel like celebrities,” one guest told the local news outlet Diário de Notícias da Madeira. “I find it impressive that these people think Ronaldo would get married today without security.”

Ronaldo himself also appeared to find the episode amusing. The soccer star commented on an Instagram post from Jornal da Madeira covering the incident with a series of cry-laughing emojis, offering his own acknowledgment of the mistaken-identity spectacle without directly addressing his own wedding plans.

No official word on Ronaldo’s actual wedding date

Despite the attention surrounding Saturday’s false alarm, Ronaldo has remained quiet about when he and Rodríguez actually plan to marry. The couple got engaged in August of last year, with Ronaldo presenting Rodríguez with a ring featuring a stone estimated at up to 30 carats and valued as high as $5 million.

The engagement, one of the most closely watched in global sports and celebrity circles, has fueled ongoing speculation about the timing and scale of an eventual wedding, given Ronaldo’s status as one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and Rodríguez’s own prominent public profile as a model, businesswoman and reality television personality.

A day that ultimately belonged to Nicole and Fábio

While the global attention initially centered on two people who were not even present at the cathedral, the day ultimately belonged to the actual couple exchanging vows. Despite drawing a significantly larger congregation than they had anticipated — and the accompanying disruption from journalists and tourists gathered outside — Nicole and Fábio were able to proceed with their ceremony once the cathedral was able to manage the crowd and close its doors to the public.

Part of a broader pattern of attention on Ronaldo

The mix-up adds to a long-running pattern of intense public and media interest in Ronaldo’s personal life, which has often generated outsized attention even around events not directly connected to him. As one of the most followed athletes on the planet, Ronaldo’s off-field milestones — from his relationship with Rodríguez to major family events — routinely draw international coverage and public curiosity, sometimes resulting in speculation that outpaces confirmed fact, as Saturday’s episode illustrated.

The incident comes during an active stretch for Ronaldo both on and off the pitch, following the conclusion of his run at this year’s World Cup and amid continued interest in his career trajectory with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia’s Pro League. Despite the swirl of attention around his personal life, Ronaldo has given no public indication of when he and Rodríguez intend to formalize their engagement with an actual wedding ceremony.

For now, the residents of Funchal — and Nicole and Fábio in particular — are left with a wedding day story unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon, even if the story isn’t really about Ronaldo at all.

Elon Musk’s net worth climbed back above $800 billion Friday, driven by an 11.7% surge in SpaceX shares that came as part of a broader rally across tech stocks, according to Forbes’ real-time wealth tracker.

SpaceX’s stock rose to $129 a share shortly after 1 p.m. EDT, marking its highest point in three weeks. The jump pushed Musk’s estimated net worth to $802 billion in the afternoon, according to Forbes — a rebound that came less than two weeks after his fortune had fallen below $700 billion amid an earlier decline in SpaceX’s share price.

A volatile stretch for SpaceX stock

Friday’s rally followed a rough week for SpaceX shares. The rocket maker reported its earnings earlier in the week, and the results initially sent the stock lower after the company disclosed a sixfold increase in quarterly spending, according to Forbes’ earlier reporting.

Despite that spending spike, SpaceX’s underlying financial results beat expectations. The company reported $7.8 billion in quarterly revenue, topping Wall Street estimates of $6.9 billion, while its net losses narrowed sharply, dropping from $1 billion in the prior period to $541 million.

Where the spending is going

SpaceX’s capital expenditures reached $18.3 billion in its latest quarter, with $15.8 billion of that total — the vast majority — directed toward artificial intelligence investment, according to Forbes. Musk has said SpaceX expects its revenue could exceed $1 trillion as early as 2029, a timeline he has moved up by two years from his earlier projection. The company’s primary revenue driver remains its Starlink satellite internet service, whose turnover nearly doubled during the second quarter.

A broader rally, not just SpaceX

SpaceX wasn’t alone in Friday’s gains. Several other technology stocks also surged during the session, including Palantir, Cloudflare and Microchip Technology. Palantir shares traded up more than 9% around 12:30 p.m. EDT, while Microchip’s stock climbed as much as 14% during the day. The rally came in the wake of a weaker-than-expected jobs report that showed the U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, according to Forbes’ coverage of the broader market movement.

Musk’s wealth tightly tied to SpaceX’s fortunes

Musk owns roughly 38% of SpaceX, according to Forbes, a stake that closely links the trajectory of his personal net worth to swings in the company’s stock price. That connection has produced dramatic volatility in his wealth in recent months. Musk became the world’s first trillionaire in June, shortly after SpaceX went public, with his estimated fortune peaking as high as $1.45 trillion at its highest point, according to Forbes’ tracking.

Since then, Musk’s wealth has swung sharply in both directions as SpaceX shares have moved. His fortune dipped below $900 billion in mid-July as shares slid toward the company’s initial public offering price. It fell further, below $800 billion, following an aborted Starship launch later that month, and dropped below $700 billion by late July as the decline in SpaceX shares continued — a stretch during which Musk reportedly referred to himself as a “former” trillionaire, according to Forbes’ earlier reporting. Musk’s fortune then dropped further still earlier this week, losing roughly $80 billion in a single session, before Friday’s rebound pushed him back above the $800 billion mark.

Analysts remain broadly bullish despite the swings

Even amid the stock’s volatility, Wall Street analysts have largely maintained a positive long-term outlook on SpaceX. According to Forbes’ earlier coverage, Raymond James set an $800 price target on the stock last month, implying a market valuation well above $10 trillion, with analyst Brian Gesuale arguing the firm’s position reflected SpaceX “building the foundational platform for the next generation of industrial capacity.” Other brokers have set more conservative targets, with FactSet data showing an average analyst price target of $236 a share as of last month, including a $401 target from Arete Research, $300 from Morgan Stanley and $205 from Goldman Sachs.

Where Musk stands among the world’s wealthiest

Even during his fortune’s steepest recent declines, Musk has remained the world’s richest person by a wide margin, according to Forbes’ tracking. As of late July, he ranked well ahead of Google co-founders Larry Page, whose net worth stood at roughly $290.1 billion, and Sergey Brin, at approximately $267.6 billion.

Musk’s SpaceX holdings include roughly 4.8 billion shares along with another 350 million stock options, according to Forbes, in addition to his separate stake of roughly 700 million shares in Tesla, the electric automaker he also leads as chief executive.

A pattern likely to continue

Given how closely Musk’s reported net worth tracks SpaceX’s daily stock performance, further single-day swings of tens of billions of dollars remain likely in either direction as the company’s shares continue adjusting to its earnings results, spending plans and broader market conditions. Forbes’ wealth estimates are updated in real time based on stock prices and publicly disclosed holdings, meaning Friday’s $802 billion figure reflects a snapshot that could shift again as trading continues.

A sourcing note: every figure and detail above is drawn directly from Forbes’ original reporting and its related coverage of SpaceX’s recent stock swings — nothing was estimated or invented to fill gaps. Given how fast this figure moves day to day, it’s worth checking Forbes’ live tracker for the most current number before publishing.

Young workers are increasingly bringing a dating-era habit into the workplace: ghosting. 

As employers navigate a slower hiring market, some hiring managers say candidates are accepting job offers, failing to complete paperwork or simply never showing up for their first day, raising new concerns about professionalism.

The Wall Street Journal Free Expression Associate Editor Mary Julia Koch joined “Varney & Co.” to discuss why the trend appears to be gaining traction among Gen Z and what broader economic and cultural forces may be shaping young adults’ behavior.

Economic pressures and changing workplace norms are reshaping how many Gen Z workers approach their careers. (AndreyPopov / Getty Images)

Koch said the same generation delaying traditional milestones is also entering a difficult job market after years of economic disruption. She pointed to housing affordability challenges and inflation as factors that have left many young adults feeling discouraged.

“There have been huge economic pressures, and especially among a generation that was of prime home-buying age during the pandemic, they didn’t hit that benchmark,” Koch said. “And I think it’s left many young people feeling that the system is rigged against them, that they’ve been locked out of the American dream.”

GEN Z BREAKS ULTIMATE TABOO BY POSTING SALARIES ONLINE

When it comes to ghosting employers, Koch suggested the behavior reflects how many Gen Z workers communicate.

The trend appears to be more common than many employers may realize. According to a Resume.org survey, 54% of hiring managers have been ghosted by Gen Z candidates after extending a formal job offer.

“Ghosting is a thing you do over text,” Koch said. “It’s such a classically Gen Z behavior now entering the job search, which in today’s low-hire, low-fire job market, you probably don’t wanna be in the wrong set of a hiring manager. You would at least give them an email response.”

GEN Z IS FUELING THE EXPLOSIVE RETURN OF THIS 200-YEAR-OLD STRATEGY CRAZE

Koch also argued that growing up online has made face-to-face interactions more intimidating for some young people, adding that interviews can be especially stressful for a generation accustomed to communicating through screens.

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BMW’s more affordable electric SUV is reportedly headed to American showrooms next spring, according to a new report from BMWBLOG, which says the entry-level iX3 40 and iX3 40 xDrive are set to arrive in the U.S. in March 2027 — roughly four months after production is expected to begin.

The report adds specificity to a rollout plan BMW has been gradually confirming since the current-generation iX3 debuted last fall, filling out a lineup that started at the top of the price range and is now working its way down to more budget-conscious buyers.

A lineup built from the top down

BMW’s Neue Klasse-based iX3, the automaker’s next-generation electric SUV platform, launched in the U.S. earlier this year in its most powerful configuration, the dual-motor iX3 50 xDrive. That version starts at $61,500 before a $1,350 destination and handling charge, according to TopElectricSUV, and is offered in Sport, M Sport and M Sport Professional trims priced up to $65,500. The 50 xDrive produces 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque, reaching 60 mph in 4.7 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph, and BMW has said the model can travel as far as 434 miles on a single charge under EPA testing with certain wheel configurations, according to Jalopnik.

The 40 and 40 xDrive variants due next March represent a step down in both price and performance, aimed at broadening the iX3’s appeal to buyers who don’t need the top trim’s full output.

What the entry-level variants offer

The base iX3 40, which BMW has already introduced in European markets, ditches the dual-motor setup entirely in favor of a single rear-mounted motor, making it a rear-wheel-drive vehicle rather than all-wheel drive. According to BMWBLOG’s earlier reporting on the model’s European debut, the rear motor produces 315 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, enough for a 0-to-62-mph sprint in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 124 mph.

The battery pack is also smaller in the base version — 82.6 kilowatt-hours, compared with the 108.7-kWh pack in the 50 xDrive — resulting in a WLTP-rated range of 635 kilometers, or about 395 miles, roughly 106 miles less than the range-topping model offers on the same test cycle. A separate report from TopElectricSUV indicates BMW plans to introduce the all-wheel-drive 40 xDrive variant at a U.S. price under $55,000, positioning it as a mid-tier option between the base 40 and the flagship 50 xDrive.

Pricing remains unofficial

BMW has not released official U.S. pricing for either 40 variant, and the automaker has yet to formally confirm the 40 xDrive as a U.S.-market product at all, according to BMWBLOG’s most recent report. Based on how the German-market iX3 40 is priced relative to the 50 xDrive there — roughly 10% less — BMWBLOG estimated that applying the same discount to the U.S. 50 xDrive’s $61,500 starting price would put a base American iX3 40 somewhere in the mid-$50,000 range, above the sub-$55,000 figure that had circulated for the xDrive variant specifically back in April.

BMWBLOG cautioned that BMW has room to land pricing anywhere within that broader range, noting that the 50 xDrive itself ultimately launched above its earliest rumored price point when it debuted in the U.S. earlier this year.

Manufacturing and broader rollout plans

Production of the U.S.-spec entry-level models is expected to begin around four months before the reported March 2027 arrival date, meaning manufacturing would likely start in the fall of 2026. BMW has previously indicated that iX3 production for the North American market will eventually be handled at its San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico, the same facility gearing up to build the automaker’s upcoming i3 electric sedan for the U.S. market, according to earlier reporting from autoevolution.

The iX3 line is expected to keep expanding beyond the 40 and 50 xDrive variants. BMW has signaled plans for a high-performance iX3 M60 model arriving before the end of 2026, followed by a full M-badged performance variant expected toward the end of 2027, according to BMWBLOG.

Why the cheaper trims matter

Industry analysts have noted that BMW’s decision to bring more affordable iX3 variants to the U.S. reflects the competitive pressure facing automakers in America’s luxury electric SUV segment, one of the fastest-growing and most closely watched categories in the EV market. TopElectricSUV noted that BMW largely sat out that segment with the first-generation iX3 due to its limited range and lack of all-wheel-drive options, making the more fully built-out Neue Klasse lineup — spanning from the entry-level rear-wheel-drive 40 up through performance-oriented M variants — a more direct attempt to compete across the full range of buyer budgets.

BMW has not issued an official statement confirming the March 2027 arrival date, and all pricing, range and timing details for the 40 and 40 xDrive variants remain based on industry reporting rather than confirmed company announcements as of this writing.

SEOUL — A woman was arrested in western Seoul on Thursday night after allegedly attempting to smash a glass door at YG Entertainment’s headquarters with a golf club, an incident that unfolded as the agency faced mounting fan backlash over how it planned to mark Blackpink’s 10th anniversary.

Police in the capital’s Mapo District arrested the woman at the scene and were questioning her Friday about the circumstances surrounding the incident and her possible motive, according to police cited by the Korea JoongAng Daily. A video that circulated widely on social media appeared to show the woman lunging toward the building’s entrance before repeatedly swinging the club at the glass door.

According to a separate account reported by IBTimes Singapore, the force of the strikes caused the doors to open, after which the woman entered the building before staff intervened and police were called. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.

An unverified account of the moments before

An eyewitness account that circulated widely online, though not independently confirmed by authorities, described the moments leading up to the attack. According to a post shared on social media and reported by IBTimes Singapore, the individual approached bystanders outside the building and asked someone to briefly watch a dog before walking toward the entrance and striking the door.

Police have not officially confirmed the woman’s motive or released additional details about potential charges as of Friday. Multiple outlets, including AsianJunkie, reported that online speculation had linked the incident to fan anger over Blackpink’s anniversary plans, though that connection has not been confirmed by investigators.

Backlash builds over anniversary event plans

The arrest came amid growing fan frustration over how YG Entertainment planned to mark 10 years since Blackpink’s Aug. 8, 2016, debut. YG announced Thursday — the same day as the alleged attack — that it would hold an anniversary meet-and-greet event on Saturday, but the announcement drew immediate criticism from fans over its short notice and limited scope.

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, some fans criticized the two-day notice and the event’s capacity of just 40 attendees. Applications were also restricted to fans holding paid memberships, which some subscribers said had offered little direct interaction with the members over the past year. Compounding the frustration, YG’s initial notice did not guarantee that all four Blackpink members would attend, stating instead that only those available would take part.

Fan site allkpop reported additional grievances, noting that international fans expressed disappointment online, with some commenting that even a brief livestream with all four members would have sufficed given the milestone nature of a 10th anniversary. Fans also pointed to a broader pattern, noting the group has held relatively few dedicated fan events or livestreams since renewing its group contract in 2023, despite continuing to release music and tour.

YG confirms full group attendance

Following the backlash — and hours after the golf club incident — YG Entertainment moved to address fan concerns directly. According to the Express Tribune, Rosé became the first member to publicly confirm her attendance at the anniversary event, with her agency, The Black Label, saying in a statement, “We have ensured well in advance that all necessary arrangements were coordinated and secured so that she can share this meaningful moment with her fans.”

YG Entertainment later confirmed that all four members — Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa — would attend Saturday’s event. A representative for the label said, “After checking with the label, we have confirmed that all four members will be attending.”

Jisoo addresses fan disappointment directly

As the event approached, member Jisoo also spoke to the controversy. According to allkpop, Jisoo apologized to fans ahead of the anniversary gathering, and the group went on to hold what allkpop described as an emotional 10th-anniversary livestream in which she addressed the disappointment fans had expressed over the limited scale of the celebration.

A milestone year clouded by tension

Blackpink’s 10th anniversary arrives during what has otherwise been an active period for the group, which reunited to tour and release new music following the 2023 contract renewal that kept all four members with YG. The group has also rolled out a “Blackpink Heritage Collection,” a 10th-anniversary merchandise collaboration with the National Museum of Korea, though that rollout became an additional point of comparison for fans frustrated by the scale of the meet-and-greet.

The Seoul Mapo Police Station’s investigation into the golf club incident remains ongoing, with authorities continuing to question the woman about her motive. YG Entertainment has confirmed the incident occurred but has otherwise declined to provide further details, according to Asian Junkie’s reporting.

Neither YG Entertainment nor police have released the woman’s identity or confirmed what charges, if any, she may face as the investigation continues.

Thailand experienced its deadliest school shooting in years after a 14-year-old student went on a rampage that began at his own home and ended at a school near Bangkok. According to CNN, the death toll has now risen to nine victims, including a 12-year-old girl who succumbed to her injuries days after the attack. The tragedy unfolded in stages: the teenage suspect first killed his own grandparents at their residence before making his way to the school, where he opened fire on students and staff members.

The scale of devastation was significant, with more than 20 people injured in addition to those killed. Reports from multiple outlets, including Reuters and the Associated Press, confirmed that five teachers were among the fatalities, marking this as one of the most severe acts of school violence in the country’s recent history. The attack has sent shockwaves through Thai society, a nation not typically associated with mass shooting incidents on this scale.

How the Tragedy Unfolded

According to detailed reporting from the New York Times, the young suspect’s rampage began in the quiet confines of his own home, where he fatally shot his grandparents before making his way to the educational institution. This sequence of events has led investigators and mental health experts to examine what triggered such a devastating chain of violence from someone so young.

Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking details to emerge from the tragedy came from a Reuters report detailing the final communications between a student and her mother. The account, titled “Mom, don’t call me,” revealed the harrowing experience of students hiding from the shooter, with one student urgently texting her mother to avoid calling her phone, fearing the sound would reveal her hiding location to the attacker. This chilling detail has become emblematic of the terror experienced by students during the incident, with survivors describing feeling as though “we weren’t going to survive.”

Community and National Response

The aftermath of the shooting has prompted an outpouring of grief across Thailand, with the nation entering a period of mourning. News outlets across the United States and internationally have carried reports under the headline “Thailand mourns after deadly shooting,” reflecting the widespread attention this tragedy has garnered on the global stage. Educational institutions, families, and communities have been left grappling with the aftermath of an event that has shaken public confidence in school safety.

The Chinese Embassy in Thailand issued advisories reminding its nationals participating in cultural and educational activities in the country to remain vigilant, while also urging citizens to respect local customs and regulations. This response underscores the international dimension of the tragedy, given Thailand’s significant population of expatriates and international students.

Renewed Focus on Gun Control Legislation

In the wake of this tragedy, Thai officials have made fresh pledges to reform the nation’s gun laws, according to reporting from Time Magazine. This incident has reignited long-standing debates about firearm accessibility in Thailand, a country that has seen a concerning pattern of high-profile shooting incidents since 2020. The Independent has documented this troubling trend, noting that Thailand has increasingly become associated with mass shooting events in recent years, a reputation that stands in contrast to the country’s international image as a peaceful tourist destination.

Questions about how a 14-year-old obtained access to firearms capable of such devastation have become central to public discourse. Thailand’s gun laws, while relatively strict on paper, have come under scrutiny as authorities examine how the teenage suspect acquired the weapon used in the attack. The BBC and other outlets have published detailed explainers on the country’s current firearm regulations, highlighting potential gaps that may have contributed to this tragedy.

International Community Response

The international dimension of this tragedy has been significant, with reports confirming that eight Filipino teachers were among those affected, though they were fortunately reported safe by the Philippine embassy following the incident. This detail underscores the international character of many Thai educational institutions, which often employ foreign teaching staff.

Public sentiment in Thailand has reflected growing concerns about safety, with a recent poll finding that 87% of Thai citizens believe crime and violence are worsening in the country. This statistic, reported before the full scope of the shooting’s impact was known, suggests that the tragedy may further amplify public anxiety about personal and community safety across the nation.

Moving Forward

As Thailand continues to process this devastating event, attention has turned to both immediate accountability and long-term systemic change. First responders who arrived at the scene have described the chaotic aftermath, while mental health professionals have begun discussions about the psychological support needed for survivors, witnesses, and the broader school community affected by the trauma.

The tragedy has also prompted broader reflection on youth violence prevention, mental health resources for adolescents, and the mechanisms through which firearms enter civilian hands in Thailand. As investigations continue and the nation mourns, policymakers face mounting pressure to translate their pledges for gun law reform into concrete legislative action that could prevent similar tragedies in the future. The coming weeks will likely reveal whether this incident serves as a genuine catalyst for change in Thailand’s approach to gun control and school safety measures.

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MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Jorge Messi, the father and longtime agent of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, has died at 68, closing the chapter on a man whose decisions off the field helped shape one of the greatest careers in soccer history.

Jorge Messi died Saturday at a hospital in Rosario, the central Argentina city where his family is from, according to a statement from Newell’s Old Boys, the club where Lionel Messi came up as a boy. Newell’s said Jorge had undergone treatment in recent months for an unspecified illness. Here are five things to know about the man behind soccer’s biggest name.

1. He was Lionel Messi’s father — and, for decades, his agent.

Beyond his role as a parent, Jorge Messi served as his son’s primary business representative and negotiator for years, guiding contract talks, sponsorship deals and the family’s move from Rosario to Barcelona when Lionel was a teenager seeking treatment for a growth hormone deficiency. That move, which uprooted the family from Argentina, is widely credited as one of the pivotal decisions that allowed Lionel to develop at Barcelona’s famed youth academy, La Masia.

2. He was convicted of tax fraud alongside his son.

In 2016, a Spanish court found Jorge Messi and Lionel Messi guilty of defrauding the Spanish state of roughly 4.1 million euros in taxes on image-rights income between 2007 and 2009. Prosecutors said the pair used a network of shell companies based in Belize, Uruguay, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to shield the earnings. Lionel Messi was fined nearly €2 million and his father €1.5 million, on top of a €5 million “corrective payment” the family had already made to tax authorities. Both were sentenced to 21 months in prison, but because the terms fell under Spain’s two-year threshold for suspended sentences in first-time, non-violent cases, neither served time. On appeal, the Supreme Court reduced Jorge Messi’s sentence from 21 months to 15 months in recognition of his cooperation in returning the defrauded money, while Lionel’s conviction was upheld in full. At the time, both prosecutors in the case agreed that Jorge Messi, not his son, was the person primarily responsible for the fraud, though the tax authority’s own lawyer argued the footballer knew enough to share the blame.

3. He was at the center of a false death report that upended Argentine television months before he actually died.

In June 2026, ahead of Lionel Messi’s World Cup campaign, Argentine television host Florencia Peña incorrectly reported on air that Jorge Messi had died. Peña resigned from her position afterward, saying she had relied on bad information relayed to her through an earpiece and acknowledging she bore partial responsibility for the error. At the time, the Messi family released a statement saying Jorge was “under medical supervision, recovering, and progressing favorably within his current condition,” and asked for privacy, expressing what the family called “deep displeasure at the lack of sensitivity, respect, and scruples with which some people have treated a strictly private and family matter.” The episode fueled months of public speculation about the elder Messi’s true condition that continued through the World Cup itself.

4. His death drew tributes from soccer institutions across South America.

Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario club with deep ties to the Messi family, described Jorge in its statement as “the pillar and the person who, with vision, rigor and affection, supported the career of the best player of all time, alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.” CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing body, also issued condolences, saying it offered its sympathies “with respect and affection for Lionel.” The tributes underscored how closely Jorge Messi’s identity became entwined with his son’s on-field legacy over more than two decades in professional soccer.

5. His death comes just months after Lionel Messi capped his international career with a World Cup run.

Lionel Messi led Argentina to a runner-up finish in this year’s World Cup, playing through the tournament as questions about his father’s health lingered in the background. In the team’s opening match against Algeria, Messi was visibly emotional after scoring the first of his three goals, a moment many observers connected to the private toll his father’s illness was taking on the family. Jorge Messi had long been a fixture in the stands at his son’s matches, a constant presence that fans and broadcasters often noted during broadcasts of Lionel’s biggest games, from Barcelona to the Argentina national team to Inter Miami.

Funeral arrangements had not been publicly announced as of Saturday evening. Lionel Messi, who has not yet issued a personal statement, is expected to return to Rosario in the coming days, according to local reporting. He is survived by his wife, Celia Cuccittini, and his sons, including Lionel, Rodrigo and Matías Messi.