Category: World

The National Weather Service has announced a tornado emergency for people living in Fremont, Carter County, and Van Buren, Missouri. They are warning everyone that this tornado could be very dangerous. “This is a life-threatening situation. Find shelter now!” the agency told residents nearby. Everyone in the area should take this warning seriously and find a safe place quickly. Stay tuned for updates as this story develops.

The Senate quickly passed a new law late Friday that lets Washington, D.C. keep its budget for this year. This change is important because if nothing changed, the city would have to cut about $1 billion from essential services like police, firefighters, and schools.

The bill was approved with no one opposing it and is now going to the House of Representatives, which is on break but will look at it when they get back in late March.

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said this law is all about allowing D.C. to use the money it earns from taxes. She emphasized, “No federal money is involved in this.”

After the vote, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said this is a big first step. She stressed that they need to avoid random cuts to services for the people in the nation’s capital. She noted that D.C. manages its finances well and has strong budgets.

The spotlight on D.C. surprised many city leaders and residents who hurried to protest on Capitol Hill earlier this week. Residents have been contacting senators, asking for help to change the budget situation.

Although D.C. gained local self-government in the 1970s, Congress still has control over its budget and laws. Right now, Republicans in Congress want more power over D.C.

The problem started when the House Republicans didn’t include the usual addition to allow D.C. to use its budget, which relied mostly on its own tax money. They proposed only letting the budget stay at last year’s levels, leading to huge cuts in services like police and education.

Senators couldn’t change the overall funding plan to avoid a government shutdown but took action by passing this new bill for D.C.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said this is “very good news” and urged the House to act fast. Mayor Bowser has tried to build good ties with the Trump administration, especially as D.C. generally votes for Democrats. Earlier, Trump had mentioned that he thinks Washington, D.C. would do better under complete federal control.

To address some concerns, Bowser recently took down the Black Lives Matter Plaza, which was put up in 2020 near the White House.

Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon summed it up well: “The people of D.C. deserve a fair shake.”

A strong tornado tore through Missouri, causing major destruction in Villa Ridge, Gray Summit, and Wildwood, near St. Louis. The storm knocked down trees, damaged homes, and left many people without electricity. Emergency workers quickly came to help the residents, checking for any injuries and offering assistance. People who saw the tornado described it as a loud, swirling funnel that moved through neighborhoods in just minutes. This is a developing story, so stay tuned for the latest updates

Heavy rain caused rivers to overflow and flooded streets around Florence, Italy, on Friday. Authorities issued a red weather alert for Florence and told people to stay indoors. Eugenio Giani, the leader of the central Tuscany region, warned residents to be very careful as intense rain was expected all day.

Due to the bad weather, popular places like the Uffizi Galleries, a famous museum, and the Duomo church closed early. Firefighters shared pictures of cars almost submerged in Sesto Fiorentino, a town north of Florence. There were over 500 firefighters helping in Tuscany, with many emergency efforts planned or already underway.

A local weather expert stated that about 60 millimeters of rain fell in Sesto Fiorentino between 6:00 AM and noon. To put that in perspective, Florence usually gets about 70 millimeters of rain in the entire month of March. This means that a month’s worth of rain fell in just six hours!

Schools, parks, and cemeteries in Florence and nearby Prato were closed after warnings were issued on Thursday. Giani mentioned that they opened floodgates to reduce pressure on the Arno River, which runs through Florence and Pisa. The river was expected to reach its highest level in the early evening.

Alessio Mantellassi, the mayor of a nearby town called Empoli, said this situation is worse than a past flood in 2019 and is one of the toughest times they have faced. In Pisa, soldiers helped by placing sandbags to protect against the flooding.

Nearby, in Emilia Romagna, authorities also issued a red warning because heavy rains had already swollen rivers there. The president of Emilia Romagna stated there was very strong weather on Friday morning and warned everyone to stay alert, as the area has faced floods in the past. Scientists have cautioned that climate change makes extreme weather events like floods more likely.

A 22-year-old Indian-American student named Sudiksha Konkani went missing while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. Joshua Ribe, the last person seen with her, is now a person of interest in her case. The two were at the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana, where many guests went to the beach after a power outage on March 6.

Before she disappeared, Sudiksha and Joshua were seen swimming together. Joshua told police that they got caught in big waves, and he tried to bring her back to the shore but lost her in the darkness. He said, “A big wave came and swept us both out to sea.” He also mentioned that they shouted for help, but no one was around to hear them.

After swimming back to the beach, Joshua said he felt sick and didn’t see where Sudiksha went. The search for her is now being joined by U.S. agencies, including the FBI. Dominican President Luis Abinader expressed concern about the situation and reassured the public that all government agencies are involved in the search.

In January, the British economy shrank unexpectedly, creating challenges for Treasury Chief Rachel Reeves. Instead of growing, the economy, which is one of the largest in the world, fell by 0.1%. This is surprising because many experts thought it would grow a little after a solid increase of 0.4% in December.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the drop in the economy was mainly due to bad weather impacting industries like manufacturing and construction. However, the services sector, which makes up about 80% of the economy, performed well.

Despite being only a monthly report, which can change later, this decline highlights the difficulties faced by the Labour government that took charge last July after being out of power for 14 years. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that boosting the UK’s economic growth is his top priority over the next five years. Since the financial crisis in 2008-2009, the economy has struggled to grow.

Starmer wants to improve living standards and find money for public services. But with growth proving to be a challenge, the Labour Party’s popularity has dropped since they won the elections in July. Critics argue that Rachel Reeves has played a role in slowing down the economy by being too negative and increasing taxes, especially for businesses.

After the disappointing numbers for January, Reeves promised to improve the economy’s poor performance, saying the government would work harder to encourage growth. Recently, she proposed various plans to help, such as supporting a third runway at Heathrow Airport, creating a tech hub between Oxford and Cambridge, and rethinking the UK’s economic relationships after Brexit. She also mentioned the positive effects of increasing defense spending.

The decline in January is a tough situation for Reeves, especially with a budget statement to Parliament coming up on March 26. Since growth isn’t generating the expected tax money and borrowing costs are high, she may need to announce cuts in spending to stick to her budget rules. Mel Stride, a spokesperson for the main opposition Conservative Party, criticized the government for being a “growth killer,” blaming tax increases and proposed changes to employment rights.

NEW YORK — Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student, felt like he was kidnapped when U.S. agents took him from New York to Louisiana last weekend. His lawyers are trying to get him released. Khalil, a Palestinian activist, described being treated poorly during the journey; he didn’t even have a pillow or blanket to sleep on when he arrived at a detention center. This happened after he spoke out against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

His lawyers filed a lawsuit, saying Khalil felt like he was being kidnapped throughout the process. A judge allowed them to speak with him, and his lawyers shared details about what happened since he was arrested. They claim he asked for a lawyer but did not get help when he was taken by agents from the Department of Homeland Security.

President Donald Trump praised Khalil’s arrest, saying it was the first of many similar actions against students he believes support terrorism. Khalil’s lawyers are also suing Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, claiming they were wrong to detain him. Government lawyers want to move the case to a different court, arguing it must happen where Khalil has been held.

Khalil was arrested after dinner with his wife and taken to a detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he waited in a cold room without a blanket. He was then transported by van, handcuffed, and shackled, with messages sent to agents that he shouldn’t use his phone. He was flown to Louisiana on an American Airlines flight. Now, he worries about his pregnant wife and missing the birth of their first child.

Khalil was supposed to start a new job and receive health benefits to help with the baby’s costs. He wants to continue speaking out for Palestinian rights and was even going to speak at a documentary premiere in Copenhagen, Denmark. During the hearing, Khalil’s lawyers said they couldn’t talk to him until 10 days after his arrest, but the judge allowed them a conversation.

This whole situation has drawn a lot of attention because it raises questions about free speech and the treatment of students who speak out on political issues.

The U.S. and Israel are talking to leaders in three East African countries: Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland. They want to find places to move Palestinians from Gaza because of a plan suggested by former President Donald Trump. This plan has faced a lot of criticism and many people think it is wrong. Most people from Gaza don’t want to leave their homes.

Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland are poor and sometimes dangerous places. Officials in Sudan have said no to the idea, while officials in Somalia and Somaliland say they haven’t been contacted about it.

Trump’s plan suggests moving over 2 million people from Gaza to different countries and turning the area into a real estate project. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports this idea, but Palestinians see it as a forced relocation. Many Arab countries oppose the plan and are suggesting other ways to rebuild Gaza without moving people away.

Some officials from the U.S. and Israel confirmed they reached out to these countries last month, seeking ways to make this plan happen. They can offer money, weapons, and support to entice these countries.

Here is a closer look at the three places being considered:

– Sudan: Sudan agreed to be friendly with Israel in 2020 but has been in civil war since. Sudan’s leaders said they will not accept Palestinian refugees.

– Somaliland: This area broke away from Somalia over 30 years ago and wants international recognition as a separate place. Officials here say they have not been contacted about taking in Palestinians.

– Somalia: This country often supports the Palestinian cause and has me0mbers in opposition to the plan. It seems unlikely that Somalia would agree to host Palestinian refugees.

In summary, the idea of moving Palestinians out of Gaza has been met with strong resistance from several regions, and it’s uncertain if these talks will go anywhere.

Police in Japan have arrested a man in connection with the deadly stabbing of a young YouTuber while she was livestreaming on a street in Tokyo. The victim, Airi Sato, was just 22 years old.

The suspect, 42-year-old Kenji Takano, was caught by police right after the attack, which happened on Tuesday. Although he is now with prosecutors, he has not yet been formally charged.

Witnesses described that Sato was screaming for help during the livestream before the video suddenly went dark. She was taken to the hospital but sadly passed away from her injuries.

Reports say that Takano and Sato had a financial argument. He had lent her money, and police mentioned that she didn’t pay it back, which led to the conflict. Takano had traveled about 100 kilometers (or 60 miles) from his hometown to find Sato after seeing her location on her livestream.

He claimed he didn’t mean to kill her. While violent crime is uncommon in Japan, there have been several shocking knife attacks and incidents involving homemade guns recently.

On Thursday, Columbia University took action against some students involved in a protest last spring. These students had occupied Hamilton Hall as part of a pro-Palestinian protest. The university decided to expel some students, while others got suspensions or had their diplomas revoked. Columbia did not share the exact number of students affected but said the actions were based on how serious the students’ behaviors were.

In an official statement, Columbia University said, “The Judicial Board made decisions based on how severe the actions were during the protests and earlier behavior.” They also mentioned that these decisions came after investigations and hearings.

Columbia University has been under a lot of pressure about how they handle protests. Recently, the Trump administration took away over $400 million in federal funding because of worries about antisemitism on campus.

The protests started as part of a broader movement against Israel’s military actions in Gaza. While most protests were peaceful, things changed on April 30, 2024, when a group of students locked themselves inside Hamilton Hall using furniture to block the doors. The police entered the campus on May 1 and arrested many protesters tied to both the tent camp and the building occupation.

Even though the District Attorney dropped charges for some of the arrested students, Columbia still moved forward with their disciplinary actions. The NYPD confirmed in a letter that some people involved in the building occupation were not students at Columbia. They stated, “Those who occupied Hamilton Hall damaged university property and were trespassing.”

A university official said that holding students accountable for breaking rules is a crucial step in focusing back on the main goals of teaching and research.