World

Iraqis suffer in desert camps after flight from Fallujah

Published on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 12:26pm
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AMIRIYAH AL-FALLUJAH, Iraq — Tens of thousands of Iraqis who survived a harrowing flight from Fallujah now find themselves in sprawling desert camps with little food, water or shelter. The growing humanitarian crisis less than an hour's drive from Baghdad has reinforced the region's deep-seated distrust of the government, and could undermine recent gains against the Islamic State group.

Palestinians clash with Israeli police at holy site

Published on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 12:20pm
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JERUSALEM  — Masked Palestinians threw stones and shot fireworks at Israeli police at a contentious Jerusalem holy site for a second day in a row on Monday, as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the resumption of peace efforts.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the Palestinians, who were holed up in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, attacked officers with fireworks and rocks they had stockpiled inside. The mosque is part of a compound sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

Michelle Obama, daughters in Africa to push girls' education

Published on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 12:15pm
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KAKATA, Liberia  — First lady Michelle Obama visited a leadership camp for girls in Liberia to launch her latest Africa visit Monday, urging the teens in one of the world's poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school.

With her own teenage daughters joining her, Obama told the girls she was "just so thrilled to be here with you."

"I'm here to shine a big bright light on you," she said.

Markets reel as world absorbs shock of UK vote for Brexit

Published on Fri, 06/24/2016 - 4:53pm
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LONDON — Britain has jumped. Now it is wildly searching for the parachute.

Powerful tornado strikes east China; 78 reportedly dead

Published on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 10:12am
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BEIJING — A powerful tornado and hailstorm struck the outskirts of an eastern Chinese city on Thursday, killing at least 78 people and destroying buildings, smashing trees and flipping vehicles on their roofs.

The tornado hit a densely populated area of farms and factories near the city of Yancheng in Jiangsu province, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of Beijing.

Nearly 500 of people were injured, 200 of them critically, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Roads were blocked with trees, downed power lines and other debris.

Daring flight removes 2 sick workers from South Pole station

Published on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 10:09am
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SANTIAGO, Chile —   Two people who fell ill while working at the U.S. research station at the South Pole have been evacuated by a small plane that made the daring rescue flight in Antarctica's harsh winter.

The National Science Foundation said the two workers arrived safely late Wednesday in Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in Chile, after a long trip from the Amundsen-Scott station at the South Pole. They stopped for a few hours at a British station on the edge of Antarctica to be put on another plane.

Solar-powered plane lands in Spain

Published on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 10:05am
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SEVILLE, Spain  — An experimental solar-powered airplane landed in Spain Thursday, completing an unprecedented three-day flight across the Atlantic in the latest leg of its globe-circling voyage.

The Solar Impulse 2 landed in Seville in southern Spain at 0540 GMT on Thursday, ending a 71-hour, 8-minute flight which began from New York City on Monday. It was the first time a solar-powered plane has made such a journey using zero fuel and zero emissions, organizers said.

Syrian refugees say water scarce after Jordan seals border

Published on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 9:57am
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AMMAN, Jordan — Syrian refugees stranded along the Jordanian border said Wednesday that clean water is getting scarce in their desert tent camp after the area was sealed by Jordan in response to a deadly cross-border attack.

Cellphone footage taken in the Ruqban camp showed refugees chanting, "We want water." Three Ruqban residents said by phone that people have begun drinking polluted water.

British politicians make final appeals in EU vote campaign

Published on Wed, 06/22/2016 - 4:06pm
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LONDON — With Britain's membership in the European Union on the line, campaigners from the prime minister on down blanketed the country Wednesday trying to convert the undecided on the final day before the crucial vote.

Outlining his vision of a future with Britain retaining its position in the 28-nation bloc, Prime Minister David Cameron bristled at the notion that the country would be headed in the wrong direction if the "remain" side prevailed in Thursday's vote.

Temporary blindness tied to smartphone use in dark

Published on Wed, 06/22/2016 - 4:02pm

LONDON — Warning: Looking at your smartphone while lying in bed at night could wreak havoc on your vision.

Two women went temporarily blind from constantly checking their phones in the dark, say doctors who are now alerting others to the unusual phenomenon.

The solution: Make sure to use both eyes when looking at your smartphone screen in the dark.

In Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, doctors detailed the cases of the two women, ages 22 and 40, who experienced "transient smartphone blindness" for months.