Latest news with #LorenElliott
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US lawmakers want probe of Palestinian American killed by Israeli settlers
The U.S. Capitol building is pictured at sunset on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo WASHINGTON - More than half of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate called on President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday to conduct an independent investigation into the death of Saif Musallet, an American citizen beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland led 28 other Democrats in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi seeking an investigation, adding to pressure from Washington for accountability in Musallet's death. The senators also noted what they called the repeated lack of accountability in the deaths of other Americans killed in the West Bank since January 2022, and asked for updates on the status of investigations into those killings. Musallet, 20, whose full first name is Sayafollah, was severely beaten this month when he was visiting family in Sinjil. His family, who are from Florida, said medics failed to reach him for hours and he died before reaching the hospital. Settler attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank have risen since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023, though violence has long simmered in the territory. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on July 15 he had asked Israel to "aggressively investigate" Musallet's death, describing it as a "criminal and terrorist act." The comments by Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlement construction, marked a rare and pointed public intervention by the U.S. following the death of a Palestinian American in the Israeli-occupied territory. REUTERS Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Asia Singapore urges all parties in Thailand-Cambodia border dispute to exercise restraint Asia Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line Life Hulk Hogan, who helped turn pro wrestling into a billion-dollar spectacle, dies at 71 Singapore Avoid water activities around Tuas Second Link, Raffles Marina after chemical tank accident: NEA Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B
New York Times
12-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
A Week of Searching for Texas Flood Victims
Desiree Rios for The New York Times Hundreds of rescuers from across the country gathered in Central Texas over the last week to search for flash flooding victims. At least 121 people were killed, and more than 170 remain missing. Loren Elliott for The New York Times Teams scoured fields along a floodplain in Center Point, Texas, using a technique called a hasty line search, where they scan the ground just feet apart. When items were found, they were documented and sent to officials for families to identify. Desiree Rios for The New York Times Heavy machinery was brought in to clear densely packed piles of debris. Desiree Rios for The New York Times Hazardous areas were marked with tape. Many sites also had large orange X marks spray-painted on homes, sheds, R.V.s and debris piles, marking places where rescuers had searched for survivors. Desiree Rios for The New York Times In Ingram, Texas, divers scanned the bottom of the Guadalupe River and a nearby dam. They moved slowly because the dark water and low visibility obscured many sharp objects and submerged vehicles. Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times By Friday, some of the first search teams were leaving the area, replaced by new workers. Experts in search and recovery said they expected the process to last more than a year. Desiree Rios for The New York Times
Economic Times
12-07-2025
- Economic Times
Qantas flight to Johannesburg delayed 21 hours at Sydney airport after aerobridge damages aircraft
Synopsis A Qantas flight to Johannesburg faced a delay at Sydney Airport. The flight was QF63. An aerobridge hit the Airbus A380. One of the engines got damaged. The incident happened during ground operations. Around 360 passengers were on board. No one was injured. Passengers received accommodation and transportation. Sydney Airport and Qantas are investigating the incident. Reuters FILE PHOTO: A Qantas plane is seen at a domestic terminal at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, November 16, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo A Qantas flight bound for Johannesburg was grounded on Saturday morning, July 12 after an aerobridge at Sydney Airport struck the aircraft, damaging one of its engines and delaying the departure by nearly a QF63, scheduled to leave Sydney on Saturday, July 12, at 9:30 am, was forced to abort take-off preparations after the Airbus A380 made contact with the aerobridge during ground operations at the international terminal. Also Read: Men posing as women to get nudes; what's the creepy new catfish trend on OnlyFans?Images obtained by media agencies revealed a visible puncture in one of the plane's four Rolls-Royce engines, reportedly caused by the aerobridge's support beam. The aircraft, which was carrying approximately 360 passengers, about three-quarters of its full capacity, was evacuated via the lower deck. No injuries to passengers or crew were engineers are currently assessing and repairing the damage. The airline has rescheduled the 15-hour-long flight to depart at 6:30 am on Sunday, a 21-hour delay. The airline told ABC that affected passengers are being provided with accommodation and transportation as a statement, Sydney Airport confirmed the incident and said it was working closely with Qantas to assist passengers and investigate the cause."Earlier today there was an incident involving a Qantas aircraft making contact with an aerobridge during ground operations. We are working closely with Qantas as they investigate the cause of the incident and thank passengers for their patience and understanding," the airport is the second aerobridge-related incident at Sydney Airport in recent months. In May, a Qantas ground staff member was hospitalised after falling five metres from an aerobridge at the domestic terminal. That incident prompted a joint investigation by Qantas, Sydney Airport, and SafeWork said the damaged A380 will return to service following repairs and clearance by engineering teams.
The Star
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Virgin Australia launches $442.8 million IPO, term sheet shows
A Virgin Australia Airlines plane is seen at Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia, March 21, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo BAIN Capital-owned Virgin Australia is looking to return to the stock market with a A$685 million ($442.78 million) initial public offering, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters on Wednesday. Bain will sell about 30% of the airline at a fixed price of A$2.90 per share, the term sheet said. Bain declined to comment on the plan. The private equity group will sell 236.2 million shares in the IPO to value the company at A$2.32 billion on a fully diluted basis, the term sheet showed. Bain's shareholding will drop from about 70% to 39.4% following the sale, while Qatar Airways will retain a 23% stake, according to the term sheet. Investors had lodged indicative bids before book building began that would cover the size of the deal, a bookrunner's message sent on Wednesday showed. Virgin will have an enterprise value of A$3.6 billion, taking into account its net debt of A$1.31 billion. The airline's IPO is one of the most closely watched deals in Australia in years because of its strong reliance on the country's consumer sector. Virgin has pared back its international business to concentrate mainly on domestic travel, but is due to resume some long-haul flights through its Qatar partnership. Virgin has a domestic market share of 34.4%, lagging its major rival Qantas which had 37.5% as of March, according to an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) report. The deal will be the largest IPO in Australia this year after DigiCo Infrastructure REIT raised A$2 billion in December. DigiCo's shares have traded down about 30% since its debut. Institutional bookbuilding will close on Thursday and Virgin's shares are due to start trading on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on June 24, the term sheet showed. The IPO is being carried out through a front-end book building process, which means investor bids are taken ahead of the prospectus being reviewed and approved by Australian regulators. Virgin's IPO has been in the making for more than two years but was put on hold after investment banks were appointed due to volatile global financial markets during 2023. Bain bought Virgin for A$3.5 billion including liabilities five years ago after it was placed in voluntary administration, the closest Australian equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Virgin collapsed in 2020 following tough COVID-19 restrictions that damaged the global airline industry. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX200 index has gained 3.77% so far in 2025. - Reuters
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Racing to Save California's Elephant Seals From Bird Flu
Visuals by Loren Elliott Text by Emily Anthes In late 2023, bird flu arrived on the rocky shores of the Valdés Peninsula in Argentina, ripping through the local colony of southern elephant seals. More than 17,000 seal pups died. It could take decades for the population to recover, experts announced in April. 'It really hit a whole generation on that colony pretty hard,' said Sarah Codde, a marine ecologist at the U.S. National Park Service. Sea lions, some dead, on beaches of Río Negro province, Argentina, in August 2023. Juan Macri/Associated Press Now, a team of ecologists, epidemiologists and veterinarians is scrambling to keep the same thing from happening to northern elephant seals. The seals, which live along the Pacific Coast of North America, were hunted almost to extinction in the 19th century. Since then, they have staged a remarkable comeback. But the animals face several serious threats, including coastal erosion, extreme weather and warming temperatures. And their low genetic diversity makes them especially vulnerable to an outbreak. 'The concern is that any disease could wipe them out,' Dr. Codde said. Today, the Point Reyes National Seashore in California is home to roughly 4,000 of the marine behemoths. During the breeding season, the beaches become bona fide petri dishes, bringing large numbers of susceptible seals into close contact with one other as well as shorebirds that could be harboring the bird flu virus, known as H5N1. Dr. Codde and her colleagues form one line of defense, venturing onto the beaches multiple times a week to conduct population counts and assessments. It's a task that requires patience, sharp eyesight and the willingness to occasionally approach multi-ton males for a closer look at the numbers on their plastic flipper tags. This breeding season, Dr. Codde also worked with a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, to collect nasal swabs from young seals, which will provide insight into whether any form of influenza is circulating in the colony. While Dr. Codde monitors the population at large, the Marine Mammal Center is keeping a close eye on individual seals that are sick. The center's main hospital, in Sausalito, rescues and rehabilitates sick and injured seals, sea lions and sea otters; last year, it treated more than 1,000 animals. 'Our clinic is a little thimble,' said Dr. Dominic Travis, a wildlife veterinary epidemiologist and the chief programs officer at the Marine Mammal Center. 'We get a sample size out of the ocean. But those things show up to us for a reason, right? They're an unhealthy sample.' During the breeding season, the center sees a lot of underweight, malnourished elephant seal pups, many of which are still too young to fend for themselves or even swim. Sometimes, they also see elephant seals with parasites or traumatic injuries, such as dog bites or blunt force trauma from boat propellers. For the last few years, the Marine Mammal Center has been testing any patients with bird-flu-like symptoms, which include respiratory and neurological problems, for the virus. It has now expanded that testing to every patient; all animals are swabbed when they are admitted. The swabs are then sent to the University of California, Davis, for rapid bird flu testing. So far, none of the hospital's patients have tested positive for the bird flu virus that has been causing mass die-offs in wild animals. But experts know that the situation could change in an instant. 'It's always a risk,' said Dr. Cara Field, the center's director of conservation medicine. 'We don't know what might come our way.' The Marine Mammal Center is also part of a larger local network of programs and organizations working to expand flu surveillance in marine mammals — especially at a time when government funding is uncertain. Given how widespread the virus is in wild birds, and how ubiquitous the birds are on the beaches, there's not much that experts can do to keep the virus entirely at bay. 'So the best that we can do now is be prepared,' Dr. Field said. Elephant seal monitoring activities at Point Reyes National Seashore are authorized under National Marine Fisheries Service Permit Number 27424.
