Comment on New Zealand divers search for volcano victims; death toll rises to 15

(WASHINGTON) A soon-to-be released Biden administration report to Congress does not conclude that Israel has violated the terms for its use of U. S. weapons. That’s according to three people who have been briefed on the national security memorandum to be submitted by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lawmakers. All three requested anonymity to discuss the matter before the report’s release. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The report is expected to be sharply critical of Israel, even though it didn’t conclude that Israel violated terms of U.

(WASHINGTON) — The rate of guns stolen from cars in the U. S. has tripled over the last decade, making them the largest source of stolen guns in the country, an analysis of FBI data by the gun safety group Everytown found. The rate of stolen guns from cars climbed nearly every year and spiked during the coronavirus pandemic along with a major surge in weapons purchases in the U.

(ST. PETERSBURG, Russia) — A bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a river on Friday in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, killing seven people, officials said. The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top criminal investigations body, reported the death toll. It did not state how many others were injured, but the emergencies ministry earlier said that six people removed from the bus were in critical or serious condition. Russian news reports said there were 15 people on the city bus when it broke through a barrier and plunged into the Moika River in central St.

(CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.) — An unusually strong solar storm headed toward Earth could produce northern lights in the U. S. this weekend and potentially disrupt power and communications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare geomagnetic storm watch — the first in nearly 20 years. That was expected to become a warning Friday night, when the effects of the solar outburst were due to reach Earth. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] NOAA already has alerted operators of power plants and spacecraft in orbit to take precautions. “As far as the worst situation expected here at Earth, that’s tough to say and I wouldn’t want to speculate on that,” said NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl.

(UNITED NATIONS) — The U. N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on Friday to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to favorably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions. The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent. U.

A working paper from an independent body that gives economic advice to the Indian government has published controversial findings that critics say could sow communal discord between Hindus and Muslims during the ongoing parliamentary elections. The paper, titled “Share of religious minorities: A cross-country analysis,” was published on May 7 by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).