Fresh firsthand accounts from serving Israeli military reservists have laid bare systemic widespread looting and deliberate destruction of civilian property by Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon, according to a new investigation published Wednesday by Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz. One reservist, who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity, laid out the consistent pattern of operations his unit followed: after opening fire on residential homes to clear any suspected Hezbollah fighters and confirm the area was secure, the unofficial, and in many cases primary, mission of stealing civilian property would begin. The reservist described that stolen goods ranging from fine rugs and upholstered armchairs to motorbikes and household heaters were pulled from private homes, while local shops were completely stripped of high-value merchandise. Even basic supplies used at Israeli military outposts in the region, including hand soap, were stolen from Lebanese properties, he added. Stolen spoils were stockpiled at forward outposts to be carried back to Israel when soldiers completed their tours of duty, and troops frequently argued over who would claim the most valuable items. This new account comes amid a growing tide of public reports of large-scale looting that have emerged since Israel-Hezbollah fighting escalated in March, following the joint Israeli-U.S. military strike on Iran. The issue of rampant theft by Israeli troops is not new: just one month prior, Haaretz first reported that soldiers had stolen sofas, televisions, and motorbikes from southern Lebanese households, with senior army commanders largely ignoring the practice. Earlier this month, Israeli outlet Ynet also reported that top military leaders have been unable to curb the scale of the looting across southern Lebanon. In comments made to senior commanders at a military conference last month, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir publicly condemned the practice, stating, “the phenomenon of looting, if it exists, is disgraceful and could stain the entire military.” He added, “If such incidents occurred, we will investigate them. I am not willing for us to become an army of looters.” Following Zamir’s remarks, Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 reported that the chief of staff had asked frontline commanders operating in Lebanon to sign a public letter pledging to crack down on looting. However, at least one senior commander refused to sign, telling the outlet that discipline problems within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) originate at the highest ranks of command. The reservist who spoke to Haaretz echoed this assessment, saying most senior commanders openly tolerated the looting. “The attitude was that there was no problem with looting as long as you didn’t get hurt. The higher command didn’t really try to stop us either,” he said. After initial reports of looting broke last month, the reservist said his own commanding officer ordered troops to halt theft – before entering local shops himself and smashing any remaining valuables so soldiers would have nothing left to steal. To date, no IDF soldiers have faced formal disciplinary action or punishment for participating in looting, the reservist confirmed. He added that some troops have even tried to justify the theft on religious grounds, while others argue that since most civilian properties were already slated for destruction, there was no reason to leave valuables intact. The reservist compared the IDF’s current approach to that of a historical Viking army, saying leadership allows widespread looting as a way to keep troops satisfied and willing to continue fighting. Israeli historian Adam Raz, who has extensively researched the looting of Palestinian property during the 1948 Nakba, noted last month that looting has been a consistent feature of every Israeli military campaign in the region. “What’s new is the total indifference,” Raz said. “The senior command turns a blind eye, the criminality continues, and the crime achieves its goals.” The findings from Haaretz’s latest investigation align with findings from international human rights groups. Last month, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said on-the-ground reports from southern Lebanon confirm a clear, organized pattern of theft during Israeli military operations. The group documented that Israeli forces regularly raid civilian homes, rummage through personal belongings, and steal cash and private property, adding that the practice has become an official, unstated policy of the Israeli state and military. Euro-Med has also documented identical patterns of looting by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. In a separate incident from January, Israeli forces were reported to have stolen roughly 250 goats from Syrian territory and transferred the animals to Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank. Even after the United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced last month, cross-border clashes and military operations have continued uninterrupted. Data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that roughly 100,000 Lebanese civilians have fled their homes in recent weeks out of fear of incoming Israeli strikes. Official figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirm that Israeli forces have killed at least 3,020 people since the latest military offensive began in March, including 824 civilian and combatant deaths that have occurred since the April 17 ceasefire was announced. For its part, Hezbollah has killed at least 21 Israeli soldiers since March, eight of whom have died since the ceasefire, the majority of them invading troops stationed inside Lebanese territory. The new Haaretz testimonies also reveal that targeting Hezbollah fighters was not always the primary mission for Israeli troops on the ground. A second reservist told the outlet that the IDF’s core objective in southern Lebanon is not countering militant activity, but the deliberate destruction of civilian homes. “There was no reason other than revenge,” the reservist stated. He described a pre-invasion speech delivered by a battalion commander as “a pagan ritual”, adding that he had heard identical inflammatory rhetoric during previous Israeli military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. “When we entered the village, there were no militants. The houses were empty,” he said. “There was no fighting there at all – only operations to flatten homes.” The reservist noted that this destructive mission has been the IDF’s core focus in the region for the past two years, joking that the Israel Defense Forces should be renamed the “Israel Defence Forces for house demolitions”. He confirmed that even in areas with no sign of militant activity, soldiers still entered empty civilian homes to search for valuables to steal. According to his account, residential homes, public schools, and local clinics are destroyed without any formal military justification. Much of the demolition work is carried out by private contractors, including extreme Israeli settlers, as well as Bedouin and Druze laborers. For religiously observant soldiers in his unit, the reservist added, destroying Lebanese civilian homes is viewed as a sacred, ultimate mission. He also recounted that whenever troops raised the prospect of returning to Israeli territory, the battalion commander would respond: “This is Israel too.”
作者： admin
-
Walmart warns US shoppers are cutting spending as higher gas prices bite
The ripple effects of the ongoing Iran conflict are now creating tangible financial strain for American households, and one of the nation’s largest retail giants is sounding the alarm over shifting consumer spending habits. Walmart, the biggest private employer in the United States and a bellwether for national consumer trends, has confirmed that skyrocketing gasoline prices are prompting shoppers to pull back on discretionary purchases across other categories of its business.
The Middle Eastern conflict has triggered a sharp jump in global wholesale oil prices, which has directly translated to higher pump costs for drivers across the U.S. Fresh data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) underscores just how dramatic the increase has been: since the war began, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has surged from $3 per gallon to $4.56.
In comments made to CNBC, Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey explained that earlier this year, the financial pressure of rising living costs was partially buffered by larger-than-usual tax refunds stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the tax cut legislation signed under former President Donald Trump. But that temporary relief is now fading, and Rainey warned that consumers will begin to feel the full weight of elevated fuel costs in the current April-to-July financial quarter.
“ Higher tax returns muted some of the pressure related to higher fuel prices, and as we’re in a period of time right now where those tax refunds are largely not coming in, I think consumers are going to feel more of that pressure from higher fuel prices,” Rainey told CNBC. The CFO added that Walmart is monitoring pump prices closely, and current projections indicate that elevated costs will persist through the coming months.
Beyond non-essential spending, Rainey also flagged a more serious risk to grocery prices during a call with investors. If the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues, key agricultural inputs including fertilizer, nitrogen and phosphates could face supply chain disruptions and shortages, which would force Walmart to raise prices on food staples for consumers.
Despite the grim forward guidance, Walmart’s first quarter financial results (covering February through April) tell a different story. The retailer reported a net profit of $5.3 billion for the quarter, representing an 18.8% year-over-year increase, while total quarterly sales climbed 7.3% to hit $177.8 billion. That strong growth trajectory is not expected to hold, however: Walmart projects that sales growth will slow to a range of 4% to 5% between May and July, as broad inflation and rising fuel costs cut into household purchasing power.
Investors reacted quickly to the downbeat forecast, pulling Walmart’s share price down by 7% in Thursday morning trading. As a key indicator of broader consumer health, the retailer’s warning has also raised new concerns across the U.S. retail sector about the impact of geopolitical conflict on domestic economic stability.
-
Charges dismissed against official at school where 6-year-old shot teacher
A high-profile legal case tied to one of the most shocking juvenile shooting incidents in recent U.S. history has come to a dramatic conclusion, as a Virginia circuit court judge has thrown out all criminal charges against a former school administrator. The case stems from a January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, where a 6-year-old first-grade student opened fire on his teacher, Abigail Zwerner, during regular class hours.
The defendant in the case, Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of the school, had faced eight felony counts including child abuse and disregard for human life. Prosecutors had argued that Parker failed to act on multiple explicit warnings that the young student had brought a gun onto campus, a lapse they claimed directly enabled the shooting.
Parker’s defense team pushed back aggressively against the allegations, arguing that the commonwealth of Virginia had failed to meet its burden of proof to secure a conviction. On Thursday, Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson sided with the defense, ruling that the prosecution had not established a viable case against Parker and dismissing every count on the indictment.
Court footage captured an emotional reaction from Parker, who rested her head on the defense table and broke down in tears as the ruling was read aloud. In her remarks from the bench, Judge Robinson acknowledged the gravity of the incident that sparked the case, saying, “What happened that day was awful.”
The shooting itself left Zwerner with severe, life-altering injuries: the single bullet fired by the student passed through her hand before lodging in her chest, requiring emergency surgery and extensive long-term medical care. The child, who was too young to be charged with criminal offenses under Virginia law, has since been removed from the public school system and placed into ongoing intervention services.
Separately, the child’s mother, 26-year-old Deja Taylor, has already served a jail sentence connected to the attack. She pleaded guilty to a federal firearm charge and a state drug charge, after authorities confirmed the gun used by her son was owned by Taylor and stored unsecured in her home.
-
Top UN court says right to strike protected in key labour treaty
In a landmark decision that will reshape global discourse around workers’ rights, the United Nations’ highest judicial body has delivered a groundbreaking ruling Thursday confirming that the right to strike falls under the protection of a foundational 1948 treaty from the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Labor rights advocates say the judgment carries far-reaching implications for labor relations across every region of the world.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was tasked with issuing an advisory opinion to resolve a decades-long dispute: whether ILO Convention 87, a landmark agreement that guarantees workers’ organizations the right to manage their activities and administration with full autonomy, implicitly enshrines the right to strike as a core protected labor right.
In a formal statement from the bench, ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa confirmed that the full court had reached a clear consensus: “the right to strike of workers and their organisations is protected” under the text of the 1948 convention. Despite the landmark finding, judges emphasized that the non-binding opinion does not establish additional procedural or substantive rules governing strike action. Iwasawa noted that the ruling “does not entail any determination on the precise content, scope or conditions for the exercise of that right,” leaving room for national regulatory frameworks to retain their existing structures.
What began as a technical legal question of interpreting a 77-year-old international agreement erupted into a fierce public battle between global labor union coalitions and international employer associations, with oral arguments held before the ICJ in October 2024.
On the union side, legal representatives for the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) argued that the autonomy guarantees written into Convention 87 inherently extend to cover the right to industrial action. Harold Koh, ITUC’s lead counsel, told the court that the outcome extended far beyond abstract legal debate, noting “It will affect the real rights of tens of millions of working people around the world.”
Koh warned that a ruling against recognizing the right to strike would have triggered a global rollback of labor protections, saying companies and national employer groups would systematically challenge existing strike protections in countries with weak civil society, pliant judiciaries, and restricted press freedom, one jurisdiction at a time.
Employer representatives pushed back forcefully against the union arguments, arguing that the 1948 convention never intended to cover the right to strike, either explicitly or implicitly. Roberto Suarez Santos, legal counsel for the International Organisation of Employers, pointed out that strike rules vary dramatically across national contexts, from differing exclusions for emergency services to varying notification requirements, and that these national variations cannot be erased by reading an abstract right to strike into the text of Convention 87.
Rita Yip, another attorney representing employer groups, dismissed the union’s warnings of a global rollback of labor rights as “inflammatory and alarmist.” Yip argued that strike protections are already enshrined in national legislation around the world, and do not need to be codified as a top-down international norm imposed by global bodies. She urged the court to reject the union’s interpretation, warning that a ruling in favor of unions would threaten the credibility of the entire international labor system.
Despite their deep disagreement on the core question, both sides acknowledged that the ruling will have an outsize impact on the future of global work. As Koh put it, “At first blush, this case may not seem momentous, but your decision here will affect every worker in the world.”
-
UN gravely concerned by an Afghan Taliban law that has provisions on child marriage
On Thursday, the United Nations raised sharp, grave alarm over a newly enacted family law from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government, warning that the legislation’s provisions on underage marriage further cement systemic discrimination against the country’s women and girls. The Taliban administration has rejected the international body’s criticism, framing the new regulatory decree as fully aligned with Islamic law and noting that it already enforces a nationwide ban on forced child marriage.
Last week, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice formally published Decree No. 18, officially titled “on judicial separation of spouses”, which lays out new formal regulations for marital separation between married couples. In an official statement, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) flagged that one of the decree’s most contentious provisions explicitly allows a girl’s silence once she reaches puberty to be interpreted as legal consent to marriage. The mission added that the document’s framing of marital separation for girls who are married after reaching puberty implicitly codifies permission for child marriage, directly undermining the core principle of free, full and informed consent to marriage and failing to protect the best interests of minor children.
The new law does outline narrow circumstances under which a child marriage arranged by a father or paternal grandfather can be ruled invalid: if the marriage was arranged without a dowry, with an insufficient dowry, or involved corrupt misappropriation of funds. It also grants a minor girl married off by her father or grandfather the right to petition a court to void her marriage contract after reaching puberty, if her husband has failed to treat her with kindness or is known for harmful conduct. However, the legislation introduces steep procedural inequalities for women seeking divorce: if a woman requests a divorce that her husband denies, and she has no witnesses to support her claim, her husband’s testimony will be treated as legally valid. The only exception to this rule is if the woman submits her divorce request directly before a judge.
Long before this new decree was introduced, women and girls across Afghanistan already endured sweeping, systemic discrimination enforced by Taliban law. Taliban regulations impose strict mandatory dress codes, restrict acceptable public behavior, bar girls and women from secondary education, university attendance, most formal employment, and nearly all public leisure activities ranging from gyms and beauty salons to public city parks.
Georgette Gagnon, UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMA, emphasized that Decree No. 18 is part of a broader deeply worrying trend of incremental erosion of women and girls’ rights across Afghanistan. While the decree does formally create pathways for women to pursue marital separation, it creates a drastically unequal playing field: men retain an automatic unilateral right to divorce, while women are forced to navigate a complex, restrictive judicial process to end a marriage. UNAMA’s statement noted that this unequal framework reinforces structural gender discrimination and severely limits women’s autonomy over matters that are fundamental to their dignity, personal safety, and overall well-being.
When the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-backed NATO forces, the administration initially announced a small set of nominal limited rights for women, including a decree that acknowledged women’s right to inheritance and the right to refuse unwanted marriage. UNAMA pointed out that successive regulatory decrees from the Taliban have steadily undermined these limited protections over time. The cumulative effect of the dozens of restrictions imposed by the Taliban has left millions of Afghan women and girls stripped of their right to education, weakened women’s economic participation, and deepened widespread poverty across the country, impacts UNAMA says will carry long-term consequences for Afghanistan’s overall national development.
Speaking in an interview with Afghanistan’s state-owned RTA broadcaster, Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed international criticism, arguing that objections to the decree from what he called “those who contradict the religion of Islam” are not a new development and do not deserve attention. Mujahid reaffirmed that Afghan Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has already issued a separate standing decree banning forced child marriage, adding that Afghan courts and the Ministry of Vice and Virtue have investigated thousands of suspected forced marriage cases over the past year alone, which he claims demonstrates the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to protecting women’s rights.
-
Sinner, Djokovic kept apart in French Open draw
The 2025 French Open draw was unveiled Thursday, delivering one of the most highly anticipated outcomes for men’s singles: in-form world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have been placed in opposite halves of the bracket, meaning the two title favorites will not face off before the tournament’s final match on Sunday, May 25. As the sport’s second Grand Slam of the year prepares to kick off this Sunday, the draw also set up tantalizing potential matchups in the women’s draw, including a potential semifinal clash between defending champion Coco Gauff and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, while a simmering pay dispute between players and Grand Slam organizers has cast a shadow over pre-tournament festivities.
For Sinner, who enters Roland Garros as the odds-on favorite to claim his first French Open crown following the withdrawal of injured Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, his title run will get underway against French wildcard entry Clement Tabur, the world-ranked 165th player who earned his spot through domestic qualifying. The Italian has been on a historic hot streak as of late: earlier this month, he claimed his sixth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title at the Italian Open, becoming just the second men’s player in tennis history — after Djokovic himself — to win all nine active Masters 1000 events over his career. If Sinner advances as seeded, he is projected to face fifth-seeded American big hitter Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals, with a potential semifinal showdown against Russian star Daniil Medvedev, who pushed Sinner to three tight sets in the Italian Open semifinals earlier this month before ultimately falling.
On the opposite side of the men’s bracket, third-seeded Djokovic will begin his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title against French home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The 38-year-old Serb, who turns 39 the day after the tournament kicks off, is tied with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history, and has not won a major since the 2023 US Open. Projected to meet Djokovic in the semis is second-seeded Alexander Zverev, who will open his campaign against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. Zverev has fallen to Djokovic in French Open quarterfinals twice before — in 2019 and 2024 — and is still chasing his first career Grand Slam title after multiple deep runs in majors.
The draw also featured emotional storylines for veteran players set to retire after the tournament. The standout opening-round men’s match pits in-form French No. 1 Arthur Fils against 41-year-old former champion Stan Wawrinka, who will play Roland Garros for the final time before hanging up his racket. Fan-favorite Frenchman Gael Monfils, a 2008 Roland Garros semifinalist, will also play his farewell tournament, opening against compatriot Hugo Gaston.
In the women’s draw, defending champion and fourth-seeded Gauff will open her title defense against American compatriot Taylor Townsend, looking to repeat her 2024 final upset victory over Sabalenka. For Sabalenka, who has never claimed the French Open singles title, the draw handed her one of the toughest paths to the final in the field. A potential third-round matchup against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is on the cards, even though Osaka has never advanced past the second week of Roland Garros in her career. Fifth seed Jessica Pegula or rising Canadian prospect Victoria Mboko could await Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, with a projected semifinal against Gauff if both advance.
Other key women’s projected matchups see third-seeded four-time champion Iga Swiatek of Poland potentially facing Italian Open winner Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, while second-seeded Elena Rybakina — the 2025 Australian Open champion — is projected to meet Swiatek in the semis. Swiatek opens against 17-year-old Australian wildcard Emerson Jones, while Rybakina starts her campaign against Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec. A rare all-Southeast Asian second-round matchup is also on the cards, between Indonesia’s Janice Tjen and the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala, with the winner set to potentially face Osaka in the third round.
Beyond the on-court draw projections, the pre-tournament period has been marred by unrest, as a group of players has threatened to boycott select media obligations over an ongoing pay dispute with Grand Slam organizers. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo pushed back on the threats Thursday, saying organizers would not change their stance on the issue. “We are not going to budge,” Mauresmo told reporters at the draw ceremony in Paris, adding that she was “a little saddened” by the player unrest. She noted that Grand Slam prize money has doubled over the last 10 years and has seen significant increases in recent years, pushing back on player claims that compensation for media work and player support is inadequate.
-
US threatens to revoke Palestinian UN ambassador’s visa, report says
In a stark escalation of diplomatic pressure on the Palestinian Authority, the United States has issued an ultimatum: revoke Riyad Mansour’s candidacy for vice-president of the UN General Assembly, or face the revocation of visas for the entire Palestinian delegation to the United Nations, National Public Radio reported Thursday.
The threat is laid out in a confidential US State Department cable obtained by NPR, dated May 19, which instructed American diplomatic personnel based in Jerusalem to formally press Palestinian leadership to pull Mansour’s name from the race ahead of the June 2 election. Twenty-one candidates are vying for the vice-presidential posts in this vote.
The cable frames Mansour as a problematic candidate, pointing to his long record of public accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It argues that his elevation to the vice-presidential role would inflame regional tensions and directly undermine the Gaza peace plans advanced by former US President Donald Trump.
“A bully pulpit for Mansour would not improve the lives of Palestinians and would significantly damage U.S. relations with the PA [Palestinian Authority]. Congress will take it extremely seriously,” the cable reads. It also reminds Palestinian officials of a 2025 decision by the State Department to waive existing visa sanctions and entry restrictions for Palestinian officials assigned to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s UN Observer Mission in New York, adding that “it would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options.”
This is not the first time US lobbying has derailed Mansour’s bid for a top UN leadership role. The cable confirms that Mansour was forced to withdraw his candidacy for UN General Assembly president back in February after intensive US pressure. The Trump administration has a long history of using visa restrictions to push back against Palestinian diplomatic efforts at the UN: last year, Washington refused to grant entry visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and more than 80 other senior Palestinian officials who planned to attend the annual UN General Assembly gathering in New York.
That 2024 visa ban came on the heels of announcements from multiple Western nations that they planned to recognize Palestinian statehood during the high-level assembly meeting. US officials justified the move at the time by citing the Palestinian Authority’s support for ongoing war crimes and genocide investigations against Israel and its senior leaders at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. The Abbas’ office pushed back against the ban, arguing it violated the UN Headquarters Agreement, which legally requires the US, as the host nation of the UN’s New York headquarters, to grant unimpeded entry visas for official UN business.
The new ultimatum has drawn immediate criticism from foreign policy experts and former US diplomatic officials. Hady Amr, who served as a senior State Department official covering Palestinian affairs during both the Obama and Biden administrations, called the threat of visa revocation counterproductive to long-term diplomatic efforts.
“It’s counterproductive because you need diplomats to work out problems between countries and by expelling diplomats, you’re undermining not only their ability to solve problems, but the abilities of the United States as well,” Amr said.
-
US-bound plane diverts to Canada after person from Ebola-hit region boards ‘in error’
A transatlantic commercial flight traveling from Paris to Detroit was forced to make an unscheduled diversion to Montreal, Canada, after airline staff incorrectly allowed a passenger who had recently traveled from the Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to board the aircraft, according to official statements. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency that oversees U.S. border entry rules, confirmed to the BBC that the passenger should never have been allowed onto the Air France jet under current public health entry restrictions designed to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The ongoing Ebola outbreak across central Africa has already claimed nearly 140 lives, with health officials documenting more than 600 suspected infections across affected regions. As of the report’s release, authorities have not released key details about the passenger, including whether they were displaying visible Ebola symptoms, or the exact date of their most recent stay in the DRC. Air France later verified the diversion to U.S. media outlets, confirming that the plane was rerouted to Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport at the explicit request of U.S. public health and border authorities, after the Congolese passenger was formally denied entry to the United States. “Air France boarded a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo in error on a flight to the United States,” CBP said in an official statement. The agency added that it acted quickly to block the flight from landing at its intended destination, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, prompting the 500-mile (800-kilometer) diversion north to Canadian soil. To reduce the risk of Ebola importation, the U.S. currently enforces strict entry rules: non-U.S. passport holders who have visited the DRC, South Sudan, or Uganda in the 21 days prior to travel are barred from entering the country. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who have traveled to these three countries are only allowed to enter through Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where they undergo mandatory enhanced public health screening. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already designated this current Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest global alert level for infectious disease events. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted that the overall risk of Ebola spreading widely within the U.S. remains relatively low, but the agency has still moved to implement layered precautionary measures to stop the virus from crossing U.S. borders. To date, one American has tested positive for Ebola in this outbreak: a physician who was working with a medical missionary organization in the DRC. He is currently receiving treatment in a specialized isolation ward at a hospital in Germany. On Wednesday, WHO officials added another layer of context to the outbreak, confirming that the specific variant driving the current outbreak—the Bundibugyo strain—does not currently have a licensed vaccine available for widespread use. According to the agency’s timeline, it could take as long as nine months before a targeted vaccine for this strain is developed and cleared for deployment. The incident has drawn attention to the challenges of enforcing cross-border public health measures during a global infectious disease emergency, highlighting how even a single administrative error can trigger major disruptions to international air travel.
-
Vanessa Trump, former wife of Donald Trump Jr, diagnosed with breast cancer
Vanessa Trump, the former spouse of Donald Trump Jr. – eldest son of United States President Donald Trump – has publicly revealed that she has received a breast cancer diagnosis, sharing the news via her personal social media account.
In an Instagram post published Wednesday, Vanessa acknowledged that a cancer diagnosis is never an outcome anyone anticipates, confirming that she is currently collaborating closely with her medical care team to develop a tailored treatment strategy. She added that she already completed an initial medical procedure earlier this week, and respectfully asked the public and media to grant her privacy as she redirects her energy to prioritizing her health and working toward a full recovery.
A former model by profession, Vanessa first met Donald Trump Jr. in the early 2000s through a deliberate introduction by the current U.S. president. In a 2006 interview with The New York Times, she recalled the chance meeting at a fashion show: Donald Trump Sr. approached her with his son and said, “Hi, I’m Donald Trump. I wanted to introduce you to my son Donald Trump Jr.” The pair went on to marry at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s private Florida estate, in 2005. During their marriage, they welcomed five children, whose ages currently span from 11 to 19 years old. The couple separated in 2018. Most recently, Vanessa made headlines last year when she and professional golf legend Tiger Woods confirmed they were in a romantic relationship.
Despite the unexpected health challenge, Vanessa maintained a resolute, hopeful tone in her announcement. “I am staying focused and hopeful while surrounded by the love and support of my family, my kids, and those closest to me,” she wrote. “Thank you for your kindness and support it truly means more than I can express.”
Within hours of her post going live, hundreds of messages of encouragement and well-wishes flooded the comment section, including a public note of support from Ivanka Trump, the U.S. president’s eldest daughter and Vanessa’s former sister-in-law. “Praying for your continued strength and a swift recovery. Love you mama,” Ivanka wrote.
Among the couple’s five children, their eldest 19-year-old daughter Kai Trump has carved out a notable public profile of her own, boasting a large following on social media and making frequent public appearances alongside her grandfather at the White House.
-
Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter over 2009 plane crash
Fifteen years after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in French history, a French appellate court has handed down a landmark guilty verdict against two major industry players: Air France and aerospace giant Airbus. On Thursday, the Paris Appeals Court reversed a 2023 lower court ruling that had cleared both companies of wrongdoing, finding them liable for corporate manslaughter in the June 1, 2009 crash of flight AF447.
The ill-fated flight, traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean roughly 700 miles off the coast of South America, after its speed sensors failed during a storm, triggering an aerodynamic stall that sent the Airbus A330 plummeting 38,000 feet into the water. All 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board lost their lives, with victims hailing primarily from France, Brazil, and Germany.
The crash sparked one of the most complex and extensive search operations in aviation history. For nearly two years, the plane’s wreckage lay undisturbed on the deep ocean floor, spread across a 10,000-square-mile search area. It was only in 2011, after months of targeted deep-sea exploration, that investigators recovered the flight’s black box, which revealed the critical sequence of sensor failures and crew errors that led to the disaster.
Recovery efforts for victims’ remains were equally grueling. In the first three weeks of operations, just 51 bodies were pulled from the water, leaving many families waiting years to lay their loved ones to rest. Nelson Marinho, a father of one victim, told BBC News Brasil in 2019 that he did not get to bury his 40-year-old engineer son, Nelson Marinho Filho – the last passenger to board the flight that day – until more than two years after the crash.
When the first trial concluded in April 2023, the lower court had ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove the two companies bore legal responsibility for the disaster. Prosecutors and families of victims appealed that ruling, leading to the new verdict this week.
The court sentenced each company to pay the maximum possible fine under French law: €225,000 (approximately $261,700) apiece. But the fine has drawn sharp criticism from many victim families, who have dismissed the penalty as little more than a symbolic token. Even so, the guilty verdict marks a significant reputational blow to both companies, which have spent 15 years denying all liability in the crash.
During closing arguments in November, deputy prosecutors called the companies’ conduct “unacceptable,” accusing them of advancing baseless, unsubstantiated arguments to evade responsibility. Legal analysts in France now widely expect both firms to appeal the new ruling to France’s highest court. The BBC has reached out to both Air France and Airbus for public comment following the verdict, but has not yet received a response.