World

Icelands volcano eruption cuts off hot water supply to thousands after shooting lava 260 feet in the air

Thousands of residents of southwest Iceland had their hot water supply cut off amid “severe frost” overnight – because of lava. The region’s third volcanic eruption since December sent lava flows that officials say damaged pipes that supply hot water to the area. “We don’t have any hot water because the lava field is over the pipes,” Keflavík resident Bryndis …

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Iraq army official condemns U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on Iran-backed militia commander: Blatant assassination

Iraqi officials on Thursday condemned an overnight U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that killed a senior commander of the Iran-backed militia suspected of carrying out the attack on a U.S. base in Jordan that killed three American troops. A spokesperson for the Iraqi Armed Forces called the strike a “blatant assassination” and said it was an example of the destabilizing …

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Words on mysterious scroll buried by Mount Vesuvius eruption deciphered for first time after 2,000 years

Three researchers this week won a $700,000 prize for using artificial intelligence to read a 2,000-year-old scroll that was scorched in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. One expert said the breakthrough could “rewrite the history” of the ancient world. The Herculaneum papyri consist of about 800 rolled-up Greek scrolls that were carbonized during the 79 CE volcanic eruption that buried …

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Iceland volcano at it again with a third eruption in as many months

Grindavik, Iceland— A volcano in southwest Iceland erupted for the third time since December on Thursday, sending jets of lava into the sky and triggering the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon spa, one of the island nation’s biggest tourist attractions. The eruption began at about 1 a.m. Eastern time along a nearly two-mile fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic …

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Ukraines Zelenskyy replaces top general in major shake-up at pivotal moment in war with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced his top army general on Thursday in what amounts to a major shake-up of the country’s war strategy as the war with Russia grinds into its third year and Ukraine grapples with shortages of ammunition and personnel. In a social media post, Zelenskyy said he thanked Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi – a military leader popular with …

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Family, U.S. seek information from Israel on detained Palestinian-American Samaher Esmail for alleged incitement

A Palestinian-American woman was pulled out of bed in her family’s home in the West Bank and arrested earlier this week. Now her family in the U.S. and the Biden administration are seeking information about her case. Israel’s military says Samaher Esmail, 46, of Gretna, Louisiana, was arrested for “incitement on social media.” Her son, who is in Louisiana, told …

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Jellyfish with bright red cross found in remote deep-sea volcanic structure

Scientists say they have found a new species of Medusae — a type of free-swimming, umbrella-shaped jellyfish. The sea creature — which was first spotted in 2002 in a deep-sea volcanic structure in ocean waters south of Tokyo, Japan — has a bright red “X” on its stomach. The findings were published this past November in the scientific journalZootaxa. The …

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U.K. bans American XL bully dogs after spate of deadly attacks

London —A ban on American XL bully dogs came into effect Thursday in England and Wales after a spate of violent attacks. Owners now must apply for an exemption, which requires proof of neutering and liability insurance, if they want to keep their pets. All XL bullies must be muzzled and kept on a leash in public. Before 2021, there …

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What are the Iran-backed groups operating in the Middle East, as U.S. forces come under attack?

President Biden vowed to respond after three U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday when a drone struck a small American base known as Tower 22 in Jordan, very near the border with Syria. An Iran-backed group called Islamic Resistance in Iraq appeared to claim the attack. What is this group, why did it attack a U.S. base, and how is it …

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France farmers protests see 79 arrested as tractors snarl Paris traffic

Paris— French farmers angry over increased taxes and European agriculture policies they say threaten their livelihoods were on the roads well before dawn Wednesday, blocking highways and access roads to Paris. The protests, now about two weeks old, brought traffic to a standstill in many places as tractors blocked lanes or entire sections of highways for miles, and 18 people …

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