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☆ An 80-year-old had a stroke during a Norwegian cruise excursion. After the ship left her behind on an African island, her family tracked her journey home using an Apple AirTag.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Monica Humphries | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The cruise continued sailing, and the tour company said they left her with other stranded cruisers. AdvertisementIt wasn't a surprise to Julie Lenkoff's family that she was going on another cruise. During the tour, she passed out and fell, Diogo Beirão, the chief operating officer of the tour company, confirmed to BI. Kurt said he and the rest of Lenkoff's family had no idea this was happening since Norwegian hadn't contacted them. Kurt GiesToday, Lenkoff is in critical conditionSince arriving at the hospital in California, Kurt told BI that Lenkoff has undergone numerous tests and scans.

Persons: Julie Lenkoff, Lenkoff, —, Julie Lenkoff's, Kurt Gies, Lenkoff's, Lana Gies, Kurt, Navetur, Diogo Beirão, Beirão, hadn't, São, Jay Campbell, should've, WRAL, Jill Campbell, Lana, Julie, gurney, Kurt Gies Kurt, would've Organizations: Service, Stanford Medical Center, BI, Campbells, North, Apple, Lenkoff Locations: Norwegian, Africa, São, Gambia, African, American, Lisbon, Portugal, United States, Toronto, San Francisco, California

☆ Close US partners in the Middle East demand air defenses after Iranian drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Congress has already asked DoD to develop a plan to equip the Peshmerga with air defenses. Iraqi Kurdistan expects the US to appreciate such stances and provide air defenses, given the high stakes for the autonomous region. Ceng Sagnic, chief of analysis of the geopolitical consultancy firm TAM-C Solutions, said “several considerations” are involved in supplying the Peshmerga air defenses. Turkey may not object to an American air defense provision to Iraqi Kurdistan under certain conditions. Advertisement“Using recent clashes as a reason to request additional US air defenses is likely to be viewed negatively in Ankara,” Ali Bakir, a Turkey expert and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East program, told BI.

Persons: —, America’s, Masrour Barzani, ” Mohammed Salih, ” Salih, Ceng Sagnic, ” Sagnic, Mazlum Kobane, ” Ali Bakir Organizations: DoD, Service, Kurdistan’s, NBC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, TAM, C, ISIS, ”, Kurdistan Democratic Party, Patriotic Union of, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Reuters, US Locations: Kurdish, Syria, Turkey, Iraq’s Iran, United States, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Iran, Iraqi, Erbil, Jan, Washington, Iraq, American, Baghdad, Ankara, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Kurdistan

☆ In Israel and Gaza, Biden Needs to Do More to Build Peace - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

It may not be possible to end the Gaza war this year, establish a post-Hamas peace in Gaza and restart a process to give Palestinians the state they deserve. Biden may be the single most popular person in Israel today, and the United States has leverage as Israel’s most important ally and diplomatic protector. Biden’s forceful backing of Israel after the Hamas terror attack won him enormous gratitude from a people not much used to such unequivocal support. To his credit, Biden has tried to nudge Israel in this direction, as has Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Biden administration has already encouraged Israel to ratchet its assault on Gaza several notches toward the surgical end, by using smaller bombs and allowing humanitarian pauses.

Persons: Biden, Antony Blinken, They’ve, —, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, ”, General David Petraeus, Israel, Marwan Barghouti, Palestine’s Mandela Organizations: Israel, United Nations, Gaza Health Ministry, State Department, The United Nations, Israeli Army, Biden, United Nations Security Council, Jewish, West Bank Locations: Israel, Palestine, Gaza, United States, Iran, America, Iraq, Jerusalem

☆ Armed man killed in gunfire exchange near U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Two people were killed when an armed man exchanged fire with Saudi Arabian security authorities near the U.S. consulate building in Jeddah, leading to the deaths of the gunman and a security guard, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. No Americans were harmed in the incident, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. "A person in a car stopped near the American Consulate building in Jeddah Governorate and got out of it carrying a firearm in his hand, so security authorities took the initiative to deal with him as required, and the exchange of fire resulted in his death," a spokesperson for the Makkah Region police said. A Nepalese worker in the consulate's private security guards was injured and subsequently died, state news agency SPA reported.

Organizations: Saudi, U.S . State Department, State Department, American Consulate, Makkah Region Locations: U.S, Jeddah, American, Jeddah Governorate, Makkah

CNN —At least two people died in a shooting incident near the United States consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to local police and a spokesperson for the consulate. One of those killed was a consulate security guard. That person was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces, it said. “There were two fatalities, including a member of the Consulate’s local guard force as well as the assailant, who was killed by Saudi security forces,” they said. “We offer our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased local guards member,” the spokesperson said.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: CNN, United, Saudi Locations: United States, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah Governorate, Saudi, Mecca

☆ Armed man killed in gunfire exchange near US consulate in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, June 28 (Reuters) - Two people were killed when an armed man exchanged fire with Saudi Arabian security authorities near the U.S. consulate building in Jeddah, leading to the deaths of the gunman and a security guard, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. No Americans were harmed in the incident, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. "The U.S. Embassy and Consulate remain in contact with Saudi authorities as they investigate the incident," the State Department spokesperson said. In 2016, a suicide bomber was killed and two people were wounded in a blast near the compound. And in 2004, five people stormed the U.S. consulate with bombs and guns, killing four Saudi security personnel outside and five local staff within.

Persons: Al Saud, Yomna Ehab, Simon Lewis, Jasper Ward, Sharon Bernstein, Grant McCool, Don Durfee, Leslie Adler, Lincoln Organizations: Saudi, U.S . State Department, State Department, American Consulate, Makkah Region, Investigations, U.S . Embassy, Consulate, U.S, Thomson Locations: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Jeddah, American, Jeddah Governorate, Makkah, al Qaeda

☆ Indians face up to 3-year wait times for U.S. tourist visas
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Other consulates are only taking appointments for emergency tourist visas, which experts suspect have a shorter backlog of their own. NBC News reached out to the State Department and has not received a response. “The Department of State is successfully lowering visa interview wait times worldwide,” the statement said. The State Department cites staffing issues which it is trying to remedy, but Gelatt says it won't be a quick process. “The State Department says that they’re doubling their hiring and they’re training up staff,” Gelatt said.

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