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☆ Assange Can Appeal U.S. Extradition, English Court Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Megan Specia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A London court ruled on Monday that Julian Assange, the embattled WikiLeaks founder, could appeal his extradition to the United States, a move that opens a new chapter in his prolonged fight against the order in Britain’s courts. Two High Court judges said they would allow an appeal to be heard on a limited number of issues. In March, the judges said that the court would grant a request to appeal unless the American government gave “a satisfactory assurance” that Mr. Assange would be afforded protections under the U.S. Constitution, would not be “prejudiced by reason of his nationality,” and that “the death penalty is not imposed.”The U.S. Embassy in Britain provided assurances on those issues in a letter sent in April, but Mr. Assange’s legal team had argued in court that they did not all go far enough to meet the court’s request. Mr. Assange, 52, has been held in Belmarsh, one of Britain’s highest-security prisons, in southeastern London since 2019 as his fight against the extradition order has proceeded through the courts.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange Organizations: WikiLeaks, U.S, Constitution, Embassy Locations: United States, American, U.S, Britain, Belmarsh, London

☆ The Mona Lisa was set in this surprising Italian town, geologist claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa — one of the most famous paintings in the world — is shrouded in mystery; from questions around the figures identity, to her puzzling, enigmatic expression. Now, at least one of the artwork’s secrets has been revealed, according to a geologist based in Italy. Ann Pizzorusso, who is both a geologist and an art historian specializing in Leonardo and the Renaissance era, believes she has deduced the location of the Mona Lisa using her geological expertise. “Because when the glacier moved it scoured out certain pieces of land.”Pizzorusso believes Lake Como, the glacial lake dating back around 10,000 years, is in the background of the Mona Lisa. “We don’t know who (Mona Lisa) is, some believe she was a rich Tuscan merchant’s wife,” she said, referring to a popular historical theory that proposes the figure was based on Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini.

Persons: CNN — Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa —, Ann Pizzorusso, Leonardo, Mona Lisa, Pizzorusso, “, ”, VCG Wilson, Mona, there’s, ” Pizzorusso, titoslack, “ Botticelli, Michelangelo, Lisa Gherardini, Said, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Italy —, Como Locations: Italy, Lecco, Lake Como, Windsor , London, Bobbio, Arezzo, Tuscany

☆ North Darfur state, Sudan: At least 56 people dead as ‘deadly fighting escalates’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Louis Mian | Ingrid Formanek | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —At least 56 people died in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, between last Friday and Wednesday, as “deadly fighting escalates,” Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement. At the city’s South Hospital, 454 casualties have arrived since last Friday, of whom 56 “have succumbed to their injuries,” according to the humanitarian organization. MSF added that “the wounded and death toll are likely far higher, since the fighting continues to be so intense that many people cannot reach the hospital.”“North Darfur had been a relatively safe haven compared to other parts of Darfur,” MSF added. “Now, there are snipers in the streets, heavy shelling is taking place, and nowhere in the city is safe at all.”Violence in North Darfur has intensified, as the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been encircling El Fasher. “The RSF military operation to encircle and besiege El Fasher, North Darfur, has endangered the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians,” a US Department of State spokesperson said.

Persons: “, Sudan Clementine, ”, RSF Organizations: CNN, Hospital, MSF, ” MSF, Rapid Support Forces, Yale School of Public, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Yale, UN, United, US Department of State, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs Locations: El Fasher, Sudan’s North Darfur, ”, Darfur, El, Sudan, United States, North Darfur

☆ A low-income millennial mom was evicted from her apartment but isn't 'homeless enough to get help'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Allie Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's a studio-size garage apartment that she shares with her partner, her 11-year-old daughter, and their dog. The Airbnb is the third place in southeastern North Carolina where Hedden and her family have lived since mid-January. Advertisement"I'm not homeless enough to get certain help because I have a roof over my head," she said. "But I'm too homeless to get a job because I don't know where I'm going to live in three weeks. Without help, Hedden said she's "trying not to drown."

Persons: —, Melissa Hedden, Hedden, I'm, hasn't, ALICE, ALICEs, Hedden's, She's, she's Organizations: Service, Business, BI, Survey, United Way's, Florida Medicaid Locations: Wilmington , North Carolina, It's, North Carolina, Bradenton , Florida, Florida

☆ Biden to unveil $3.3 billion Microsoft AI investment in battleground Wisconsin
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden will visit the political battleground state of Wisconsin on Wednesday to announce plans by Microsoft Corp to build a $3.3 billion high-tech data center that will create thousands of jobs, the White House said. Microsoft's plans will result in 2,300 union construction jobs and some 2,000 permanent jobs over time, the White House said. It said nearly 4,000 jobs had been added in Racine since Biden took office, while about 1,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during the Trump administration. Biden is seeking to shore up support among Black voters ahead of the November presidential election, with national polls showing him essentially tied with Republican Trump. The Biden campaign on Wednesday announced the launch of a $14 million ad campaign, which will include a seven-figure investment targeting Black, Latino and Asian voters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Foxconn, Donald Trump, Microsoft's, Biden, Trump, — Organizations: Microsoft Corp, Microsoft, Gateway Technical College, Democrat, Black, Republican Trump, Wednesday Locations: Wisconsin, Racine County, Taiwan, Racine, Racine's Black

☆ Opinion: Russia can lose this war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Opinion Timothy Snyder | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And far too many of us, during Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, have believed that. Of its three most consequential foreign wars, the Red Army lost two. And the Russian army of today is not the Red Army. It was disproportionately Ukrainians who fought their war to Berlin in the uniform of the Red Army. Russia can lose this war, and should, for the sake of Russians themselves.

Persons: Timothy Snyder, Richard C, Levin, “, ”, Read, Leonid Brezhnev, Putin, Alexander Nemenov, Brezhnev, Vladimir Putin, Robert Nickelsberg Organizations: Global Affairs, Yale University, CNN, Russia, Getty, Red, Red Army, Soviet, Lease, Russian Empire, Russo, Fascism Locations: Nazi Germany, Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Poland, Afghanistan, USSR, Soviet Ukraine, Berlin, United States, Russian, Crimean, Japanese, Europe, Pacific, Kabul, Soviet Union, Crimea, Japan, Soviet, Ukrainian

☆ Zelensky assassination plot: Two Ukrainian security officials detained over plan to kill president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Olga Voitovych | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two Ukrainian security officials have been detained for planning to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the country’s State Security Service (SBU). Two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels have been detained and are accused of leaking classified information to Russia, the SBU said Tuesday, after it “exposed a network of agents” belonging to Russia’s state security service (FSB). A woman from the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv was arrested in August 2023 in connection to a plot to assassinate Zelensky. She was accused of gathering intelligence about Zelensky’s planned visit to Mykolaiv in order to plan a Russian airstrike to kill him. The plot was uncovered by Ukrainian authorities and the man was later detained and charged in Poland.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Zelensky, SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, Kyrylo, Zelensky’s, Prosecutors, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis Organizations: CNN, country’s State Security Service, State, Ukrainian, Defence Intelligence Locations: Russia, “, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mykolaiv, Russian, Polish, Republic of Poland, Jasionka, Poland, Odesa

☆ Evacuations ordered, homes damaged in Texas as rivers surge to Hurricane Harvey levels. And more rain is on the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Mary Gilbert | Joe Sutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A total of 1,000 homes are in a mandatory evacuation zone in the county, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy told CNN. “Due to continuous rainfall across East Texas and rising levels in creeks and rivers, flood levels may increase. Please remain aware of changing flood levels along the Trinity River and ALL low-lying levels. Greg Abbott expanded the storm-related declarations in response to the flooding, according to a news release. The repeated bouts of heavy rainfall soaked soils, making many areas extremely prone to both flash and river flooding.

Persons: Hurricane Harvey, ” Emmitt Eldridge, Eldridge, ”, •, ” Sherri Pegoda, Walker, Pegoda, ” Pegoda, “, Sydney Murphy, Harvey, ” Harris, Lina Hidalgo, Greg Abbott, Hawley –, Bret Hendrickson, Brad Wilson, Hawley, CNN’s Allison Chinchar, Sara Tonks, Ray Sanchez, Andy Rose, Joe Sutton, Paradise Afshar Organizations: CNN, Panhandle, The Coast Guard, Texas Emergency Hospital, Coast Guard, Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas, Gov, San, Harvey, Storm Prediction, Hawley Police, Hawley Independent School, LSM, National Weather Service Locations: Texas, Houston, Gulf, East Texas, Hurricane, South Texas, San Jacinto County, Dallas, • Walker County, Walker County, • Polk County, Polk County, • Harris, San Jacinto, Hidalgo, Harris County, Crosby, Liberty County, Cleveland , Texas, Montgomery County, Livingston , Texas, Trinity, –, Abilene, Hodges, Hawley, Hawley , Texas, Hodges , Texas, Louisiana, Groveton , Texas, Paradise

A nearly 60-foot segment of an expressway in a rural area of southeastern China collapsed before dawn on Wednesday after days of heavy rain, killing 24 people and injuring 30 others. Photos released after the incident appeared to show that a landslide had begun under two lanes of an expressway that ran along the side of a hill. A wide, brown scar of mud ran down the side of the hill between bright green foliage, leaving a large gap in the expressway. Vehicles lay jumbled at the base of the hill below the hole, blackened and still smoking from a fire that had burned vigorously during the night, drawing a large number of fire trucks to the area. The state news media said that many of the survivors were seriously injured, with drivers and passengers alike suffering severe bone fractures and injuries to internal organs.

Organizations: Vehicles Locations: China

☆ Ukraine: Russia is capturing its biggest swath of territory since July 2022, as Kyiv desperately awaits US weaponry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Russian forces have used the “artillery drought” hampering Ukraine’s defenses since December to push forward on the eastern front near Avdiivka, making the largest advance since the early months of the war. Only on Sunday did the top Ukrainian military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, admit the fall of a series of villages that his subordinates had insisted for days were still contested. The resulting fallback showed Russian forces had, in just over two months, made the most substantial and swift progress since July 2022’s advances near Severodonetsk, according to a CNN analysis. DeepStateMap, which updates the frontline situation daily, showed significant losses near Avdiivka. Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles attack drones company at the 92nd separate assault brigade in that area, said the next two months marked a “window of opportunity” for Russian forces.

Persons: Chasiv, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ruslan Mykula, ” Mykula, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksandr Ratushniak Oleksandr Ratushniak, Chasiv Yar, Col Nazar Voloshyn, ” Voloshyn, Druzhkivka, Novozhenina, Yurii Fedorenko, “ Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Kurakhove, Ukraine’s, Airborne, REUTERS, Reuters, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Mariupol, Russia, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Russian, Avdiivka’s, Severodonetsk, Ocheretyne, Kurakhve, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Moscow

☆ Can the workout supplement creatine really help you build muscle? What the experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"Typically within four to eight weeks [of] taking creatine, you'll probably gain anywhere from two to four pounds of lean body mass," Antonio says. "You have to combine training with creatine," Antonio says. It's not just your muscles that could benefit from taking creatine, either. A 2018 study published in Elsevier suggests that taking creatine supplements might improve short-term memory and reasoning skills in healthy individuals. "There's some evidence in endurance athletes that [creatine] will also help endurance," Antonio says.

Persons: Jose Antonio, Antonio, It's Organizations: Florida's Nova Southeastern University, CNBC, Elsevier, Harvard Health Publishing

☆ Goldman Environmental Prize: This saltwater lagoon is legally a person. Here’s why that could help it survive
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Mar Menor, Europe’s biggest saltwater lagoon, sits on the coast of southeastern Spain. Three years later, following an intense campaign, Mar Menor became the first ecosystem in Europe to be designated legal personhood rights. Today, Vicente was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize – an annual award given to six grassroots environmental leaders, each working in a different continent. Teresa Vicente, 61, has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her successful campaign to grant Mar Menor legal personhood rights. “Right now, Mar Menor is in intensive care,” she says.

Persons: CNN —, Teresa Vicente, Mar Menor, Vicente, Jose Guerrero, “, ”, Jose Miguel Fernandez, Menor Organizations: CNN, University of Murcia, Goldman, Mar, Goldman Environmental, University of Reading’s Centre of Justice, AFP Locations: Spain, Europe, AFP, Murcia, Colombia, New, Whanganui, Spain’s

☆ Nigeria: More than 100 prisoners on the run after heavy rainfall destroys part of prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —More than 100 prisoners have escaped from a medium security prison in Nigeria after heavy rainfall destroyed part of the facility, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) said in a press release on Thursday. In 2022, more than 300 inmates broke free after Boko Haram militants raided a prison in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. Authorities said at the time that some operatives of the jihadist group who had been held in the prison escaped during the raid. A year earlier, over 200 prisoners fled a prison in the neighboring Kogi State after gunmen invaded the correctional facility, killing a policeman. Five months before the invasion, more than 2000 inmates escaped during a similar attack by armed men at another prison in the southeastern Imo State.

Persons: “ Organizations: CNN, Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, Authorities Locations: Nigeria, Suleja, Niger, Nigeria’s, Abuja, Kogi State, Imo State

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian strikes hit Ukrainian critical infrastructure; UK finance minister visits Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine came under attack from Russian aerial strikes overnight, which hit critical infrastructure in the central region of Cherkasy, local officials said. In the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, which is occupied by Russian forces, Moscow-installed officials there reported that Ukrainian drone strikes killed two civilians. U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt is in Kyiv meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and will meet with other officials throughout the day. The visit comes a day after U.S. President Joe Biden signed a massive Ukraine aid bill into law, which will provide the embattled country with tens of billions of dollars in more military and financial funding for its fight against Russia's invasion.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden Organizations: Finance Locations: Ukraine, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Timur Ivanov: Russian deputy defense minister detained on suspicion of bribery
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jessie Gretener | Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov appeared in a Moscow court Wednesday after he was detained for allegedly taking a bribe, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. Ivanov is suspected of accepting a bribe of 1 million rubles (at least $10,800), Russian state media TASS reported, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Video released by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti showed Ivanov standing in a glass box in the Moscow courtroom. The deputy defense minister has been seen as a senior architect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, becoming the subject of European Union and US sanctions. Ivanov, pictured at a Moscow court on April 24, could face up to 15 years for allegations of bribery.

Persons: Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Alexey Navalny’s, Maria Pevchikh Organizations: CNN, Russian, TASS, RIA Novosti, European Union, Anadolu, Getty, Corruption Foundation, Ministry of Defense, ”, ACF, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Basmanny

☆ Ukraine uses long-range ATACMS against Russia for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Courtney Kube | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The first strike was about 100 miles inside Crimea's border on the morning of April 17, targeting a Russian military airfield, according to the officials. The Biden administration has not previously acknowledged sending ATACMS to Ukraine, but a National Security Council spokesperson confirmed that the U.S. has provided them. The NSC spokesperson said the administration did not reveal at the time that it was sending Ukraine the long-range missiles for operational security reasons. President Joe Biden directed his national security team to send the ATACMS to Ukraine secretly, the spokesperson said. The powerful missiles have a range up to 300 kilometers (about 187 miles) and allow Ukraine to strike the Russian military throughout Crimea and in occupied parts of eastern Ukraine that had been difficult to reach.

Persons: Biden, ATACMS, Joe Biden, Kostiantyn Liberov Organizations: South Korean Defense Ministry, U.S, MGM, Tactical Missile, South, Getty, Russian, Army Tactical Missile, National Security, NSC, Armed Forces Locations: U.S, South Korea, East Coast , South Korea, Ukraine, Crimea's, Russian, Ukrainian, Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Crimea

☆ The extraordinary ancient secret places hidden under Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Lisa Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Less obviously visible but equally impressive are the historical treasures, some more than 12,000 years old, that can be found underground. Unlike the Basilica, this underground chamber was completely forgotten about until less than 15 years ago. Other than locals herding their livestock through the ruins of a garrison city dating to the 6th century, few people went there. Now, the site has given up numerous treasures including rock-cut tombs, an olive processing workshop and a series of underground cisterns. Yeraltı, literally meaning underground, was originally a dungeon in the basement of a fort built by the Byzantines in the 8th century CE.

Persons: James Bond, Theodosius II, Theodosius, Derinkuyu, tufa, émigrés, Han, Rümeli Han, Sarıcazade Ragıp Pasha, Sultan Abdülhamid II’s, Sancaklar, Göbeklitepe, Yeraltı, –, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Grand Vizier Bahir Mustafa Paşa, dervish Organizations: CNN, Love, UNESCO, Şanlıurfa Archaeology Locations: Turkey, Europe, Asia, Russia, Faith, Istanbul, Constantinople, Fatih, Belgrade Forest, Valens, Dara, Mardin, Nevşehir, Cappadocia, Derinkuyu, Taksim, stairwells, Sancaklar, Büyükçekmece, Mecca, Göbeklitepe, everyone’s, Şanlıurfa, Karaköy, Yeraltı, Ottoman, Grand

☆ JD Sports to buy U.S. rival Hibbett in $1.08 billion sportswear retail deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by May James/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)JD Sports Fashion has proposed to buy American athletic fashion retailer Hibbett Inc for about $1.08 billion, the companies said on Tuesday, as Britain's biggest sportswear retailer looks to expand across the southeastern U.S. The deal comes as shares in athletic clothing retailers come under pressure globally after weak outlooks from sports apparel makers such as Nike and Puma. It will pay $87.50 per Hibbett share in cash, representing a premium of about 20% to the U.S. firm's last closing price. JD Sports shares, which have fallen more than 20% so far this year, were up 6% by 0900 GMT. The deal is expected to add to the British firm's earnings in the first full year of ownership, with cost savings expected to be at least $25 million, JD said.

Persons: May James, Foot Locker, Dominic Platt, JD Organizations: UNITED, Getty, Hibbett Inc, Nike, Puma, Adidas, JD Sports, Paris Olympics Locations: UNITED KINGDOM, England, premarket U.S, U.S, North America, Bury, Greater Manchester

CNN —Iranian authorities have warned that crocodiles are being forced from their natural habitats as floods devastate parts of the country’s southeast. Three road construction workers have died in the flooding, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday, which came after a record-breaking storm hit the Middle East. Videos broadcast by state news media IRNA and Tasnim showed widespread floods with people using boats to rescue others. The weather conditions were associated with a larger storm system traversing the Arabian Peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman. In Oman, at least 18 were killed in flash floods triggered by heavy rain, the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management said.

Persons: IRNA, Christopher Pike Organizations: CNN, Mehr, of Environment, Iranian, United Arab, UAE, Emergency Management Locations: Bandar Abbas, Kerman, Sistan, Baluchistan, Rivers, Bahu Kalat, Dubai, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iran, Gulf of Oman

CNN —Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs, remained in disarray Thursday after unprecedented heavy rain led to airliners having to negotiate flooded runways. Delays and cancelations caused by the flooding have led to ongoing congestion at Dubai International Airport. The tarmac of Dubai International Airport was left submerged. Some residents were seen rowing canoes outside their homes, and one viral video on social media showed residents wake boarding on a flooded street in a residential area. Amr Alfiky/ReutersOther videos from social media showed water rushing through a major shopping mall and inundating the ground floor of homes.

Persons: Rula Rouhana, Mohit Mehta, ”, “, ” Mehta, Amr Alfiky, Mister Funk, Christopher Pike, Madiha Khawaja, Khawaja, Sheikh Zayed, cleanups, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al, Nahyan Organizations: CNN — Dubai International Airport, Emirates, Flydubai, “, ”, Dubai International Airport, Rula, Reuters, United Arab, Dubai International, CNN, UAE, “ Emirates, Bloomberg, Getty Images Municipal, Abu Dhabi . Schools Locations: United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Gurgaon, India, Amsterdam, UAE, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Iran, London, Sheikh, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi

CNN —A Polish man has been charged over claims he assisted an alleged Russian plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to authorities in Poland and Ukraine. Prosecutors said the man agreed to provide information to Russian spies about security at Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, in southeastern Poland, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities said they uncovered the plot and handed key evidence to Polish officials, who then detained the accused on Polish territory. “Our security authorities have prevented possible explosive detonations that were intended to affect and undermine our military aid to Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Berlin dismissed the accusations as an “outright provocation,” Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prosecutors, Zelensky, Nancy Faeser Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Security Service, Federal Public Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Jasionka, Zelensky, Ukrainian, Europe, Russia, Mykolaiv, Russian, Bavarian, Bayreuth, Karlsruhe, Germany, Berlin

☆ Dubai flooding: Chaos as UAE records heaviest rainfall in 75 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Brandon Miller | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Cars are stuck on a flooded road after a rainstorm hit Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. Large jets looked more like boats moving through the flooded airport as water sprayed in their wake and waves rippled through the deep water. Video shared on social media showed furniture flying off balconies. Images published in local media showed traffic gridlocked on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, a 16-lane thoroughfare. Other videos from social media showed water rushing through a major shopping mall and inundating the ground floor of homes.

Persons: UAE CNN —, Rula Rouhana, Ras, Dubai International Airport –, Dubai’s Sheikh, Stringer Organizations: UAE CNN, United, United Arab Emirates, United Nations, Emergency Management, Wednesday, Dubai International Airport, Emirates, Flydubai, Dubai International, AFP, Getty, Dubai Marina, Dubai Metro, Anadolu, National, of Meteorology Locations: Dubai, UAE, United Arab, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Iran, Ras Al, Khaimah, Pakistan, Iran’s, Chabahar, Sistan, Baluchestan, Emirates, Dubai’s, Business, Persian

☆ Dubai weather: A year’s worth of rain plunges city underwater
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Mary Gilbert | Brandon Miller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A year’s worth of rain unleashed immense flash flooding in Dubai Tuesday as roads turned into rivers and rushing water inundated homes and businesses. Shocking video showed the tarmac of Dubai International Airport – recently crowned the second-busiest airport in the world – underwater as massive aircraft attempt to navigate floodwaters. A vehicle drives through deep floodwaters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday. Jon Gambrell/APDubai – like the rest of the United Arab Emirates – has a hot and dry climate. Cars drive through a flooded street in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday.

Persons: Dubai International Airport –, Jon Gambrell, United Arab Emirates –, Abdel Hadi Ramahi Organizations: CNN, Dubai International Airport, “, United Arab Emirates, United Nations, AP Dubai –, United Locations: Dubai, United Arab, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Iran

☆ Middle class wiped out: Half of Myanmar’s people forced into poverty by civil war, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Once considered among the most promising economies in Southeast Asia with a growing middle class, Myanmar is now suffering from soaring levels of poverty as a devastating civil war drives tens of millions further into destitution, according to a new United Nations report. Poverty has not only doubled but people are also more deeply poor, the report found. Wignaraja said Myanmar’s middle class is “literally disappearing.”“A 50% collapse of the middle class over two and a half years is quite astounding for this country, but for any country,” she said. The value of Myanmar’s local currency, the kyat, has plummeted, along with rising costs for food and other basic necessities. “We call on all stakeholders — inside and outside Myanmar — to take action and preserve vulnerable households from slipping into irreversible poverty and despair.”

Persons: Aung, Suu Kyi, ”, Kanni Wignaraja, Wignaraja, Achim Steiner Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN Development Program, UNDP, Asian Development Bank, Bank, Asia Locations: Southeast Asia, Myanmar, destitution, Suu, Yangon, Mandalay

☆ A bloodthirsty ISIS branch is 'on the upswing' after the US left Afghanistan in a lurch, a former top commander says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementIn the years since the US and its NATO allies left Afghanistan, a particularly violent branch of the Islamic State terror group has grown stronger. During the first few years of its existence, ISIS-K attacks were mainly confined to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The first year under the Taliban's rule saw a sharp uptick in terror attacks inside Afghanistan. But that trend has changed in recent months; attacks inside the country declined while attacks beyond its borders have increased. Thus, the conditions inside Afghanistan have awarded the terror group space to develop a greater capacity to stage external attacks.

Persons: —, Joseph Votel, Hamid, Taylor Crul, Michael Kugelman, Kugelman, MARCUS YAM, Votel, that's, Doug Ellis, Qassem, STRINGER, Michael Kurilla, John Kirby, Biden, Kirby Organizations: Service, NATO, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S . Air Force, US Air Force, REUTERS ISIS, Islamic, ISIS, Department of Defense, Hamid, AP, South Asia Institute, Wilson, Kabul International Airport, ANGELES, US Central Command, Security Forces, Staff, Getty, White, National Security, Department, Defense Locations: Afghanistan, Moscow, Kabul, Handout, Khorasan Provence, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Washington, Darzab district, Jowzjan province, Mar, Iran, Central Asia, Iranian, Kerman, Europe, Russia, Islamic State, Crocus, American, Achin, Nangarhar Province

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