[ad_1] President Biden’s striking admission this week that American weapons are killing civilians in Gaza appeared to mark a turning point in U.S. policy toward Israel — coming days after the Israeli military made its first move on Rafah and before a highly anticipated government report on Israel’s adherence to the laws of war. [ad_2] Source link
[ad_1] Five babies in England have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough, health officials have said amid a rapid rise in cases. More than 2,700 whooping cough cases have been reported across England so far this year – more than three times the amount recorded in the whole of last year. New UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show there were 2,793 cases reported to the end of March. This is compared with the 858 cases for the whole of 2023. The UKHSA said there have been five infant deaths between January and the end of March. “Whooping cough can affect people of all ages but for very young babies it can be extremely serious,” said UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam. “Our thoughts and condolences are with those families who have so tragically lost their baby.” There were 1,319 cases reported in March alone, according to the provisional data. The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, affects the lungs and breathing tubes. Whooping cough can be called the “100-day cough” because of how …
[ad_1] A man who has been identified by American officials as an Army sergeant was detained in Russia last week after a local woman reported him on allegations of theft, the Russian authorities said on Tuesday. He will remain in jail until at least July, they said. The detention of the soldier, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, came to light on Monday, when the U.S. State and Defense Departments said that he was being held. He was detained in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok while he was in the process of returning home to Texas, after being stationed in South Korea. Instead of returning directly to the United States, Sergeant Black traveled through China to Vladivostok “for personal reasons,” according to Cynthia O. Smith, a U.S. Army spokeswoman. She said that he “did not request official clearance” and that the Defense Department “did not authorize his travel to China and Russia.” An official with the Russian Ministry of Interior informed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow last week that he had been arrested “for …
[ad_1] Three people are in custody after officials found the bodies of three men they believe may be an American and a pair of Australian brothers who went missing in Mexico last month, authorities said Sunday. One man in custody has been charged with forced disappearance of people, while another man and a woman are in detention and suspected of possible involvement in the case, according to Baja California prosecutors. [ad_2] Source link
[ad_1] Sulaimaniyah, Iraq — Floods caused by torrential rainstorms have killed four hikers in the Sulaimaniyah region of northern Iraq, local officials told AFP. “Four members of a hiking team drowned because of heavy rains and flooding in Awaspi village” in the Qaradah district, local official Rouf Kamal said. Civil defense spokesperson Aram Ali confirmed the toll and said eight other hikers survived the incident south of Sulaimaniyah on Friday, the autonomous Kurdistan region’s second city. He said a weather warning was issued Thursday, with hikers particularly urged to avoid mountainous areas. Heavier than usual rainfall has caused flooding in several parts of Iraq, especially the north, and some roads in Kurdistan region capital Arbil were blocked. Iraq has suffered four consecutive years of drought, with irregular rainfall badly affecting water resources, forcing many farmers to abandon their land. But Ammer al-Jabiri, spokesperson for the weather service in Iraq, where the rainy season is generally from December to March, said precipitation in 2024 was “better than last year.” [ad_2] Source link
[ad_1] MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials said three bodies have been found in the same remote stretch of Baja California where two Australian brothers and their American friend went missing last week while on a surf trip. The bodies were recovered south of the city of Ensenada, according to a statement from the state prosecutor’s office. The statement did not confirm the identity of the dead, but it said authorities discovered the bodies while searching for the missing men. Three people who were being questioned in the case have been arrested and charged with kidnapping, the statement said. The disappearance of Callum Robinson, 33, his brother Jake, 30, and friend Carter Rhoad, 30, triggered a massive search involving local authorities, the FBI and the Mexican marines. It’s highly likely that the bodies are those of the three foreigners, the news outlet Milenio reported Saturday afternoon, citing Baja California state’s chief prosecutor, María Elena Andrade Ramírez. She told Milenio that there is evidence that the killings were part of a robbery of truck parts, the outlet reported. …
[ad_1] The Houston area was under threat of worsening flood conditions on Saturday, a day after heavy storms slammed the region – and authorities warned those in low-lying areas to evacuate before an expected surge of water the likes of which haven’t been seen since Hurricane Harvey. A flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted additional rainfall on Saturday night, bringing another 1-3in (2.5-7.6cm) of water to the soaked region and the likelihood of major flooding. Friday’s storms forced numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes. Officials redoubled urgent instructions for residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, warning that the worst was still to come. Crews have now rescued more than 400 people from their homes, rooftops and roads and others are preparing to evacuate their property. “This threat is ongoing and it’s going to get worse. It is not your typical river flood,” said Harris county judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in the nation’s third-largest county. She described the predicted surge of water as …
[ad_1] The Austerlitz basin is designed to prevent sewage from overflowing into the Seine River and make it safe for triathlon and marathon swimming at the Paris 2024 Olympics. [ad_2] Source link
[ad_1] DAVE DAVIES, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I’m Dave Davies. A lot of people love TikTok, the video sharing app, and some people love to hate it, particularly in the United States Congress. TikTok’s parent company is based in China, and there are fears that it could harvest data about its U.S. users and provide it to the Chinese government or that TikTok’s videos and algorithm could be programmed by the Chinese Communist Party to influence Americans’ political and cultural views. Last month, in an extraordinary move, Congress passed and President Biden signed a bill requiring a forced sale of TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer. If the company isn’t sold over a specified time period, the law permits the U.S. government to ban the app in the United States. TikTok vows to fight the move, along with free speech advocates who say it would violate the First Amendment. For some insight into what may happen and what it means, we turn to Drew Harwell, a technology reporter for the Washington Post who’s been following …
[ad_1] China is pursuing plans to develop floating nuclear reactors that could power military facilities it has built in contested areas of the South China Sea, according to the top U.S. military commander in the Pacific and State Department officials, a prospect they warn would undermine regional security and stability. After more than a decade of research and development and Chinese regulators’ safety concerns, China appears to be moving forward with its plans — at a time when the international community has not yet crafted standards governing floating reactors’ safe use, U.S. officials said. [ad_2] Source link
