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☆ Live Updates: Police Enter U.C.L.A. Encampment After Warnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A deal struck by Northwestern University officials and pro-Palestinian demonstrators brought an end to a protest encampment on campus but drew harsh criticism from Jewish leaders and students on Wednesday. The agreement, announced this week, included a promise by the university to be more transparent about its financial holdings. In turn, demonstrators removed the tent camp they built last week at Deering Meadow, a stretch of lawn on campus. The university did not commit to divesting from companies linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, a chief demand animating campus protests across the nation. But protest organizers at Northwestern said they saw transparency as a first step toward that goal.

Persons: ”, Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, “, Hillel, Michael Schill, Schill, ” Paz Baum, Baum, Mr Organizations: Northwestern University, Northwestern, Educators for Justice, American Jewish Committee, Cook County Circuit Court, Jewish Voice, Peace, Brown University, Columbia University, University of California Locations: Deering, Gaza, Palestine, Northwestern, Cook County, New York, Los Angeles

☆ F-16s headed to Ukraine this summer will face their most dangerous battlefield ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukraine is slated to receive its much-anticipated fleet of F-16 fighter jets this summer. AdvertisementThe long-awaited delivery of F-16s to Ukraine is on the horizon, and these advanced American-made fighter jets can't come soon enough for its forces. The fighter jets are expected to arrive at some point this summer, reportedly as early as June. Romanian air force F-16 fighter planes fly above the Baza 86 military air base, outside Fetesti, Romania, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. US Air Force F-16's stand ready with bombs loaded to take off during the first daylight attack to liberate Kuwait in 1991.

Persons: —, Falcon, SAMs, Alexandru, Egypt —, John Baum, Russia —, Baum, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV Russia's, Tannehill, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Rutte, Peter Dejong Organizations: Service, Russia's, Rygge Air Force Base, OLE BERG, Getty, NATO, Kyiv, Israeli Air Force, AP, US Air Force, Operation, Allied Force, Yugoslavia, Air Force, Defense Technical Information, Reuters, Storm, Russia, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, US Navy, SA, Russian, AIM, INA Locations: Ukraine, Balkans, Kyiv, Romania, Norway, AFP, — Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Lebanon's, Israel, Yom, Romanian, Fetesti, Storm, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan, Islamic, Kuwait, Russian, Zhukovsky, Moscow, Bekaa, East, Syria, Russia, Ukrainian, Eindhoven, Rzeszow, Jasionka, Poland, Crimean

☆ Some students are still struggling to access college aid amid ongoing FAFSA 'disaster'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As enrollment deadlines approach, fewer students have figured out how they will afford college next year. Ongoing problems with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid have delayed financial aid award letters and even prevented many high school seniors and their families from applying for aid at all. As of the latest update, roughly 7.3 million 2024-25 FAFSA applications have been submitted and sent to schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education, less than half of the more than 17 million students who use the FAFSA in ordinary years. Many institutions are now issuing aid with the information they have on hand, according to the Department of Education. "Students should know that they are not going through this alone, we will remain in regular communication with schools and students and encourage students to stay in touch with us and with their colleges," an Education Department spokesperson said.

Persons: Mark Kantrowitz, it's, Sandy Baum Organizations: Federal, Aid, U.S . Department of Education, Finance, Harvard, Urban Institute's Center, Education, Department of Education

☆ Fewer students are graduating from college, but certificate programs are way up
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

PhotoAlto/Dinoco GrecoGetting a college degree seems increasingly less appealing. College degree earners fall nearly 3%Community college pathway is 'at risk'Historically, a two-year degree was considered an economical alternative to a bachelor's, or even a more affordable pathway to a four-year college. In fact, just 16% of all community college students ultimately attain a bachelor's degree, according to recent reports by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Community college as a stepping stone is "at risk," Shapiro said, and "that's very bad news." Submitting a FAFSA is also one of the best predictors of whether a high school senior will go on to college, according to the National College Attainment Network.

Persons: Shapiro, Joe Biden, it's, Sandy Baum, Baum Organizations: Community College Research Center, Columbia University, Aspen Institute College Excellence, Student Clearinghouse Research, Community, Federal, National College, Network, Seniors, U.S . Department of Education, Education, Urban Institute

Post's price target increase is in line with his move on the GAAP price-to-earnings multiple to 22 from 21. — Alex Harring 6:39 a.m.: Melius moves to sidelines on Boeing Boeing has too many areas of concern, Melius Research warned. Analyst Robert Spingarn downgraded the plane maker to hold from buy and slashed his price target by $71 to $209. Analyst Filippo Falorni upgraded the cosmetics stock to buy from neutral and hiked his price target by $15 to $175. Analyst Brennan Hawken downgraded the investment asset manager to neutral from buy and cut his price target by $5 to $135.

Persons: Grinder, Justin Post, Meta, — Alex Harring, Eli Lilly, Andrew Baum, Baum, Novo, Robert Spingarn, Spingarn, LSEG, Alex Harring, Filippo Falorni, Falorni, Estee Lauder, Lauder, Tom Ford, Le, Blackstone, Brennan Hawken, Hawken, JMP, Nicholas Jones, Jones, Grindr, Christopher Dendrinos, Dendrinos, — Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, RBC, GE, of America, Citi, Indianapolis, Boeing Boeing, Melius, Boeing, Dow Jones, Coca, Cola, Beverage, Travel, UBS, GE Vernova, New York Stock Exchange Locations: Monday's, Asia Pacific, Asia

☆ An Alaska Airlines passenger shared new photos of the 737 Max blowout — including one of his bare feet after his shoes and socks were sucked out of the plane
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Cuong Tran's shoes and socks were sucked out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. Tran is one of seven plaintiffs in the latest class-action lawsuit related to the Boeing 737 blowout. AdvertisementA passenger on the Alaska Airlines blowout flight has shared new pictures of the aftermath as part of a lawsuit filed last Tuesday. Cuong Tran was sitting in the row just behind the door plug — a part of the fuselage that covers a deactivated emergency exit — when it detached from the Boeing 737 Max in midair on January 5. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Cuong Tran, Timothy Loranger, Ari Friedman, Wisner Baum Organizations: Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Service, Max, Business

☆ High-tech red light therapy is trending on TikTok and 'all skin types can benefit,' dermatologist says: Here's what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

If you regularly scroll on TikTok, you've probably noticed a number of users wearing oddly shaped masks that illuminate red light. At-home "red light therapy masks" can cost anywhere from just under $100 to $3,500 depending on its features. "Red light therapy has been around for many years actually, like LEDs in general. Red LED light therapy is a "low-level laser therapy," she adds. "Some hair regrowth has also been seen with LEDs that are red, or red light therapy," she notes.

Persons: you've, Bertha Baum, Baum Organizations: skincare, NASA, FDA Locations: Miami, Europe, Latin America, U.S

Record hot seawater killed more than three-quarters of human-cultivated coral that scientists had placed in the Florida Keys in recent years in an effort to prop up a threatened species that’s highly vulnerable to climate change, researchers discovered. They saw widespread death in both repopulated and wild coral on five Florida Keys reefs. Only 22% of the 1,500 repopulated staghorn coral that they surveyed was still alive, NOAA said. “What happened in 2023 was absolutely devastating,” said retired NOAA coral monitoring chief Mark Eakin, who now is corresponding secretary for the International Coral Reef Society. “Coral restoration is almost certainly doomed to fail under climate change,” Baum said in an email.

Persons: critters, Katey, ” Lesneski, Lesneski, “, It's, that's, ”, Mark Eakin, ” Eakin, Eakin, Julia Baum, ” Baum, it's, Seth Borenstein Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, El Nino, NOAA, Looe Key, NOAA's, Coral Reef Society, University of Victoria, Associated Press Locations: Florida, elkhorn, El, Looe, AP.org

UBS hiked its price target on Nvidia , citing an attractive valuation and strong demand for its chips. The firm upgraded shares to overweight from neutral and upped its target price by $17 to $68, which implies 24.3% potential upside. He upgraded shares to buy from neutral and increased his price target from £17 to £21. — Pia Singh 5:47 a.m.: UBS hikes Nvidia price target UBS is getting even more bullish on Nvidia ahead of the chipmaker's fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report. Despite the price target increase, Nvidia shares were down 1% in the premarket.

Persons: Riley Securities downgrades, Jeff Lick, Children's, Lick, — Pia Singh, Piper Sandler, Trimble, Clarke Jeffries, Mark Palmer, Palmer, Andrew Baum, Baum, GSK's, Timothy Arcuri, Arcuri, NVDA, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, UBS, Nvidia, Citi, GSK, Riley Securities, Children's, Investment, Block Locations: Lick, Monday's, C2H

☆ In Bid to Curb Immigration, France to Scrap Birthright Citizenship in Mayotte
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Located close to the impoverished Comoro islands off the East African coast, the former French colony has become the centre of fierce social unrest, with many residents blaming undocumented immigration for the deteriorating conditions. Much poorer than mainland France, Mayotte has been shaken by gang violence and social unrest for decades. Since January, island residents have been staging strikes and erecting roadblocks to protest against what they say are unacceptable living conditions, paralyzing large parts of local infrastructure. It comes less than three weeks after France's highest court scrapped large parts of a new immigration law designed to toughen access to welfare benefits for foreigners and curb the number of new arrivals into the country. Immigration is a hot-button issue in France, one of Europe's strongholds for far right anti-immigration parties.

Persons: Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, Tassilo Hummel, Sophie Louet, Bernadette Baum Organizations: PARIS Locations: Mayotte, Madagascar, France, Republic

☆ Madagascan President's Ex-Aide Offered Influence for Bribes, London Jury Told
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Sam TobinLONDON (Reuters) - Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina's ex-chief of staff offered to use her influence to obtain bribes from precious stone miner Gemfields in exchange for help with lucrative mining rights, prosecutors told a London court on Tuesday. Romy Andrianarisoa, 47, is accused of seeking substantial payments from Gemfields between 2021 and 2023 to help the company expand its business into Madagascar. Prosecutor Alex Leach told jurors at Southwark Crown Court that Andrianarisoa was, at the time of the alleged offending, a "trusted adviser" to Rajoelina. At the meeting, Andrianarisoa "made it clear she had direct influence on the president", Leach added. He said Gemfields later approached Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) after it became clear Andrianarisoa and her associate Philippe Tabuteau were seeking a bribe.

Persons: Sam Tobin LONDON, Andry Rajoelina's, Romy Andrianarisoa, Andrianarisoa, Alex Leach, Leach, Sean Gilbertson, Gemfields, Britain's, Philippe Tabuteau, Tabuteau, Sam Tobin, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Southwark Crown, Crime Agency, NCA, Gemfields Locations: London, Gemfields, Madagascar, Southwark, Tabuteau

☆ Floods, Landslides Kill at Least 20 People in Southern Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA (Reuters) - At least 20 people have died after days of torrential rains in parts of the southern Philippines, provincial disaster agencies said on Monday. Thirteen people died in Davao de Oro province while two were missing, and seven people were killed in neighbouring Davao del Norte, disaster agency officials said. A northeast monsoon and trough of a low pressure area brought rains in southern Mindanao region from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2, resulting in deadly floods and landslides, data from the national disaster agency show. In mid-January, 18 people died due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in southern Philippines. Landslides and floods are frequent in the Southeast Asian nation, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands that is hit by about 20 tropical storms annually.

Persons: Neil Jerome Morales, Bernadette Baum Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Mindanao, Jan

☆ Food poisoning: How to make the recovery process go more smoothly
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Jocelyn Solis-Moreira | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Anyone who has dealt with food poisoning knows it’s an experience no one wants to repeat. There’s no exact way to predict how long food poisoning will last, but there are ways to make the recovery process go smoother. This can come from eating food left out too long at room temperature, along with undercooked and raw food. Children, on the other hand, should use an oral rehydration solution such as Pedialyte to ease food poisoning symptoms. Older adults and those with a weakened immune system should see a doctor immediately for food poisoning treatment.

Persons: Mitzi Baum, Baum, perfringens, that’s, Nima Majlesi, Majlesi, Pratima, Dibba, ”, You’ll, ” Dibba, Jocelyn Solis, Moreira Organizations: CNN, US Department of Agriculture, US Centers for Disease Control, Staten Island University Hospital, National Institutes of Health Locations: United States, Manhattan, New York

☆ ‘El Otro Oz’ Review: There’s No Place Like (Your Ancestral) Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Laurel Graeber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Every dramatization of “The Wizard of Oz” seems to offer a pilgrimage to the Emerald City. But “El Otro Oz,” the inspired and imaginative interpretation now playing at Atlantic Stage 2, introduces additional journeys that are ultimately more poignant and profound. When I first saw this Latin-flavored retelling of L. Frank Baum’s tale two years ago, I was most impressed by its comic inventiveness. More an admirer of Beyoncé than of merengue, the American-born Dora deeply resents her Mexican immigrant mother’s plans for a quinceañera, the traditional celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday. After she reluctantly dons a voluminous pastel dress for the occasion, Dora wails, “I look like cotton candy!” (Stephanie Echevarria designed the vivid costumes.)

Persons: Oz ”, El Otro, Frank Baum’s, “ El, ”, Oz, Melissa Crespo’s, Mando Alvarado, Tommy Newman, Newman, Jaime Lozano, Dora, Nya, Beyoncé, Dora wails, Stephanie Echevarria Organizations: Atlantic, Atlantic for, Atlantic Theater Company Locations: Emerald City, Chihuahua, Toquito, Oeste, Chicago, American

☆ How 'quiet luxury' is subtly taking over investor portfolios
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

So what is "quiet luxury"? Quiet Luxury's outperformance over Loud Luxury in 2023. "Hence, in 2023, quiet luxury companies notably outperformed their loud peers by 23% points. According to DBS, a company fall under its categorization of "quiet luxury" if it's understated and focused on high quality, while maintaining exclusivity and scarcity. Loud luxury not in vogue

Persons: Karin Teigl, Kelly, Baum, Jeremy Moeller, Miu Miu, Brunello, Hou Wey Fook, Hermes, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Markus Hansen, Hansen, Goldman Sachs, — Organizations: Getty, DBS Bank, Financière Richemont, Swatch Group, DBS, Richemont, Swatch, CNBC, U.S Locations: VIENNA, AUSTRIA, Asia, South Korea, Japan, India

☆ UK Government to Ban Disposable Vapes to Prevent Use by Children
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce plans on Monday to ban the sale of disposable vapes to prevent their use by children, and reiterate the government's intention to introduce a law preventing younger generations from buying tobacco. Under the new powers, there would be restrictions on vape flavours, a requirement for plain packaging, and changes to how vapes, or e-cigarettes, are displayed to make them less attractive to children. The World Health Organization (WHO) said in December all vape flavours should be banned. "That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes – which have driven the rise in youth vaping – and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops." The government says that along with the health benefits, the ban on disposable vapes would help the environment, with five million thrown away each week.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, vaping, Michael Holden, Bernadette Baum Organizations: British, World Health Organization, WHO, Vaping Industry Association

☆ Masked Gunmen Kill One Person in Istanbul Church -Turkish Interior Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Two masked gunmen shot one person dead during Sunday service at a church in Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, adding that authorities were working to capture the assailants. Yerlikaya, who condemned the attack, said it took place around 0840 GMT at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in the Sariyer district. "C.T., who was among those participating in the service, was the target of a gun attack by two masked individuals and sadly lost his life," the minister said on social media platform X, referring to the initials of the victim. Turkish officials tend to not use the full names of victims or perpetrators of attacks. Footage from the church showed several police cars and an ambulance outside the building.

Persons: Ali Yerlikaya, Yerlikaya, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church Locations: ANKARA, Istanbul, Italian, Sariyer

☆ Unruly passengers were a problem before the pandemic. Now they’re even worse
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Levels of unrulinessIATA classifies unruly behavior incidents into four levels. The latest available IATA data, from 2022, indicates most disruptive passenger incidents involved non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication. Passengers refusing to wear masks was a contributing factor to the rise in unruly incidents during that period. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty ImagesOf the 5,981 unruly passenger incidents reported to the FAA in 2021, 4,290 were face mask-related. “If you are a potentially unruly passenger, do you really not become unruly because you saw some zero tolerance unruly behavior video?” he questions.

Persons: Philip Baum, Baum, “, ” Baum, stank, ‘ Philip, can’t, ’ ”, –, Susannah Carr, ”, There’s, Liz Simmons, Simmons, Ronaldo Schemidt, It’s, Kris Major, Mizuki Urano, ” John Franklin, Franklin, EASA’s, there’s, Aleksandra Kapela, Kapela, ” Kapela, Sta Rosa, restaffing, “ We’re, ” There’s, Philip Baum’s, Polly Hilmarsdóttir, Daniela Modnesi, Modnesi, it’s, Jim Vondruska, they’re, we’ve, EASA’s Franklin, EASA, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Transport Security International Magazine, Management, International Air Transport Association, European Aviation Safety Agency, Federal Aviation Authority, FAA, American, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, International Civil Aviation Organization, Japan Airlines, Staffing, Aviation, European Transport Workers ’ Federation, FBI, TSA, Airlines, Dutch, KLM, Nippon Airways, ANA, American Airlines Locations: Oceania, AFP, Icelandair, Tokyo, Montreal, Europe, Texas

☆ Air Traffic Climbs at Israel's Tel Aviv Airport in 2023 but War Weighs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Steven ScheerJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Air travel to and from Israel plunged in the last three months of 2023 amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, but the number of passengers travelling through Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv still rose 10% in 2023. The number of international travellers reached 21.1 million in 2023, up from 19.2 million in 2022, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said in a report on Sunday. But since then, traffic has plunged, culminating in a 78% drop in November and 71% dive in December, the IAA said. Ryanair was third with a 5.4% share, although its number of passengers dipped 12% in 2023. In 2023, 3 million tourists visited Israel, up from 2.7 million in 2022.

Persons: Steven Scheer JERUSALEM, Ben Gurion, Oz, Israel . Bar Oz, Steven Scheer, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Ben Gurion, Israel Airports Authority, Palestinian, Hamas, IAA, Al Israel Airlines, Ryanair, Israel ., Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Tel Aviv . Air France Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza, El Al, United States, York's JFK, France, Britain, Austrian, Aegean

☆ Tensions With Iran Add to Pakistan's Economic Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Pakistan conducted strikes inside Iran, targeting separatist Baloch militants two days after Tehran said it had attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. It is undergoing a tough $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme that pulled it from the brink of default last summer. Pakistan's international bonds fell after its foreign ministry said it conducted strikes inside Iran on Thursday, two days after Tehran attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. Earlier in the day, Pakistan's benchmark share index fell 1.6% after Pakistan said it conducted strikes inside Iran, before recovering some ground. Pakistan's economic ties with Iran, while not huge, are important for Islamabad as it struggles to supply its western- most regions in Balochistan with critical commodities, including fuel and electricity.

Persons: Aneel Salman, Salman, Pakistan's, Hasnain Malik, Ariba Shahid, Karin Strohecker, Amanda Cooper, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Baloch, Monetary Fund, Liquified Petroleum Gas, Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Pipeline Locations: KARACHI, LONDON, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Tradeweb, Islamabad, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Russia, India, Karachi, London

☆ Amid Drought, Water Curbs in Portugal's Algarve, Spain's Catalonia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Sergio Goncalves and Joan FausLISBON/BARCELONA (Reuters) - Portugal's caretaker government has ordered cuts to the amount of water used in farmland irrigation and in urban environments including hotels in the tourism-dependent southern region of Algarve, where a severe drought has nearly emptied reservoirs. Across the Iberian peninsula, Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia is suffering its worst drought on record and authorities in the greater Barcelona area said on Thursday they would reduce water pressure in some towns' supply systems. If nothing was done in relation to moderation on the consumption side, we would reach the end of 2024 without water for public supply," he said. In the southern region of Andalusia, officials on Thursday said there would be water restrictions in big cities such as Seville, Cordoba or Malaga by the summer in the absence of substantial rain before then. (Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; additional reporting by Joan Faus in Barcelona and Emma Pinedo in Madrid; editing by Andrei Khalip and Bernadette Baum)

Persons: Sergio Goncalves, Joan Faus, Duarte Cordeiro, Emma Pinedo, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Locations: Joan Faus LISBON, BARCELONA, Algarve, Catalonia, Barcelona, Portugal, Andalusia, Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Madrid

☆ Jordan Says Its Gaza Hospital Damaged by Israeli Shelling
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN (Reuters) - The Jordanian army's military field hospital in Khan Younis in Gaza was badly damaged on Wednesday by Israeli shelling in the vicinity of the building, and the army said it held Israel "fully responsible for a "flagrant breach of international law." A hospital staff member was injured and would be flown back to Jordan for treatment while a patient was hit with shrapnel, the army said in a statement. The government will take all the measures necessary as a result of the aggression," the statement said, without elaborating. The Israeli military could not immediately be reached for comment. The kingdom, which has been among Arab neighbours pushing Israel to allow more aid, is the only country that airdrops aid to Gaza, channelling it through these two medical facilities.

Persons: Jordan, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Andrew Cawthorne, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Hamas, Food Programme Locations: AMMAN, Jordanian, Khan Younis, Gaza, Israel, Jordan, channelling

☆ Polish Court Orders That Hunger-Striking Politician Be Force-Fed, Says President
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The two members of the former Law and Justice (PiS) government - of which President Andrzej Duda is an ally - announced they were going on a hunger strike after their imprisonment. It couldn't immediately be determined which court Duda was referring to, and the order could not immediately be confirmed by Reuters. PiS has sought to portray Kaminski and Wasik as political prisoners, a description that has been rejected by the government and human rights activists. "Today I received information from the wife of Mariusz Kaminski that... a court order has been made that he should be force-fed," Duda told reporters at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. In that case, lawyers questioned whether Duda had the power to pardon Kaminski before an appeals court issued a final ruling.

Persons: Mariusz Kaminski, Maciej Wasik, Andrzej Duda, Duda, PiS, Kaminski, Wasik, Bodnar, Adam Bodnar, Donald Tusk, Alan Charlish, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Law, Justice, Reuters, European Union, Economic Locations: WARSAW, Warsaw, Swiss, Davos

☆ Icelandic Volcano Calms Down but Risk Remains
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Live video footage on Tuesday morning no longer showed signs of molten rock erupting from the ground, even as experts warned that new fissures could emerge at short notice. Grindavik resident Hrannar Jon Emilsson watched his almost-finished house burn down on live TV after the volcano erupted on Sunday. "You sit and watch the news showing everything go up in smoke," Emilsson told Icelandic independent broadcaster Channel 2. It was the second eruption on the peninsula of Reykjanes in four weeks, and the fifth since 2021. The Icelandic Civil Defence, the IMO and other experts are due to meet later on Tuesday to discuss the situation.

Persons: Hrannar Jon Emilsson, Emilsson, Gerhard Mey, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Tom Little, Terje Solsvik, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Channel, Icelandic Meteorological, Icelandic Civil Defence Locations: REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Grindavik, Reykjanes, Reykjavik, Copenhagen

☆ Mathematics, reading skills in unprecedented decline in teenagers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said it had seen some of the steepest drops in performance since 2000 when it began its usually triennial tests of 15-year-olds reading, maths and science skills. On average across the OECD, one out of four 15-year-olds tested as a low performer in maths, reading and science, which means they could not use basic algorithms or interpret simple texts, the study found. Poorer results tended to be associated with higher rates of mobile phone use for leisure and where schools reported teacher shortages. The OECD said the decline was not inevitable, pointing to Singapore, where students scored the highest in maths, reading and science, with results that suggested they were on average three to five years ahead of their OECD peers. After Singapore, Macau, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea also outperformed in maths and science, where Estonia and Canada also scored well.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, COVID, Andreas Schleicher, Leigh Thomas, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Economic Cooperation, Development, OECD, Thomson Locations: Savenay, France, PARIS, Paris, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Macau, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Estonia, Canada, Ireland

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