World

A study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified a super resilient desert moss species, Syntrichia Caninervis, that could help sustain possible colonies on Mars. Even after losing more than 98% of its cellular water content, the moss was able to recover physiological activities within seconds after it was hydrated. The plant can also tolerate ultra-low temperatures. The resilient moss has the potential to kickstart an ecosystem, paving the way for more complex life and even long-term human settlement, the paper said. Scientists have identified a super resilient desert moss species in China’s western region of Xinjiang that could help sustain possible colonies on Mars, a study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed. When subjected to conditions that simulate the environment on Ma...

The pier built by the U.S. military to bring aid to Gaza has been removed due to weather to protect it, and the U.S. is considering not re-installing it unless the aid begins flowing out into the population again, U.S. officials said Friday. While the military has helped deliver desperately needed food through the pier, the vast majority of it is still sitting in the adjacent storage yard and that area is almost full. Aid agencies have had difficulty moving the food to areas further into Gaza where it is most needed because the humanitarian convoys have come under attack. EXCLUSIVE: ISRAEL TO BOOST FRESH WATER SUPPLY IN GAZA WITH PLANT UPGRADE AS UN WARNS IT MAY SUSPEND AID The U.N., which has the widest reach in delivering aid to starving Palestinians, hasn’t been distributing food and o...

Horrifying video shows the aftermath of a deadly tourist plane crash on a highway in France on Sunday. The crash took place on the A4 highway near Collegien, a small commune in the Seine-et-Marne region of the country. Collegien is roughly 18 miles east of Paris. Three people, a woman and two men, were killed in the crash. According to Storyful, the plane had two other occupants, but their statuses are unknown. Social media footage shows bumper-to-bumper traffic next to the mangled plane, which appeared to be lying upside down. SMALL PLANE CARRYING TWO PEOPLE CRASHES IN NASHVILLE SUBURB: POLICE French officials are investigating a plane crash that took place near a highway on Sunday. (Lin via Storyful) In the video, smoke was billowing from the scene as emergency officials tende...

A defiant former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was sentenced in New York Wednesday to 45 years in prison for teaming up with some bribe-paying drug traffickers for over a decade to ensure over 400 tons of cocaine made it to the United States. Judge P. Kevin Castel sentenced Hernández to 45 years in a U.S. prison and fined him $8 million, saying that the penalty should serve as a warning to “well educated, well dressed” individuals who gain power and think their status insulates them from justice when they do wrong. A jury convicted him in March in Manhattan federal court after a two-week trial, which was closely followed in his home country. FORMER PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS CONVICTED IN US OF AIDING DRUG TRAFFICKERS “I am innocent,” Hernández said through an interpreter at his sen...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visited troops in the eastern Donetsk region. Russian forces have escalated efforts to dislodge exhausted Ukrainian troops from eastern and northeastern areas. Ahead of Zelenskyy’s visit, Russian forces bombed Donetsk city of Selydove, causing extensive damage to multiple buildings. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Wednesday visited troops in the eastern Donetsk region who have weathered fierce Russian ground and air assaults in recent months. The Kremlin’s army has escalated its efforts to dislodge exhausted and outgunned Ukrainian forces holding eastern and northeastern areas. It aims to capture more land during spring and summer as muddy fields have ...

In February 2023, the government of the Philippines decided to change tactics and publicize their encounters with the Chinese military in an effort to build international support and awareness, as well as to force Beijing to face reputational consequences. Publicizing China’s actions, combined with Manila’s deepened military alliance with the U.S., has constrained Beijing’s ability to escalate matters at sea but raised the risks of Chinese economic retaliation and U.S. involvement. A main point of conflict between China and the Philippines is sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, where clashes involving aggressive maneuvering and water cannons have taken place. Huddled in the presidential situation room in February last year, senior Philippin...

The top U.S. general is visiting Africa to discuss preserving U.S. presence in West Africa after Niger’s decision to expel U.S. military in favor of Russia. Air Force General C.Q. Brown discussed exploring opportunities with existing partners in West Africa to relocate capabilities previously stationed in Niger. The U.S. has initiated talks with countries like Benin, Ivory Coast and Ghana to potentially reposition military assets. The top U.S. general is making a rare trip to Africa to discuss ways to preserve some of the U.S. presence in West Africa after Niger decided to kick out the U.S. military in favor of partnering with Russia in a major setback for Washington. Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters before landing in Botswana on Monday...

The Lebanese army thwarted an attack by a gunman on the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday morning in Beirut.  The attack took place as tensions simmered in the tiny Mediterranean country, where months of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops has displaced thousands along the border. Local media reported that there was a gunfight involving at least one attacker and lasting almost half an hour at the U.S. diplomatic mission. In a post on X, the Lebanese army said members wounded a Syrian national, who was arrested and taken to the hospital for treatment. Prior reporting had indicated that a gunman was killed, and that four gunmen in total were involved. A Lebanese security official and two judicial officials familiar with the case later told The Associated Press that it...

Climate change activists spray-painted two jets orange after breaking into a London airport where they claimed Taylor Swift’s luxury plane was parked. The two vandals, part of the Just Stop Oil environmental group, were arrested in a private area of London Stansted Airport on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure. The group posted a video of someone cutting through a security fence followed by a clip of a woman using a fire extinguisher to spray orange paint on at least two private jets. CLIMATE ACTIVISTS SPRAY STONEHENGE WITH ORANGE POWDER, DEMANDING END TO FOSSIL FUELS IN UK Climate change protesters spray-paint two jets in the U.K. (Just Stop Oil) In a statement, Just Stop Oil named the vandals as Jennifer Kowalski, 28...

Two days after British TV doctor and columnist Dr. Michael Mosley went missing while on a vacation in Greece, surveillance footage of him apparently taking a walk with an umbrella on the day of his disappearance has surfaced. Mosley, 67, was last seen on Wednesday. His wife, Dr. Clare Bailey, alerted authorities in the evening after he went for an afternoon hike along St. Nicholas Beach near the village of Pedi on the island of Symi, and never returned, police officials said. Symi coast guard, divers and patrol boats had joined the search Friday. The CCTV footage appeared to show Mosley had made it to Pedi’s main street less than a half-hour after leaving for his walk, BBC News reported.  SEARCH CONTINUES FOR TV DOCTOR MICHAEL MOSLEY MISSING IN GREECE An image taken from a surveillanc...