US set to remove 5 groups from foreign terrorism blacklist
The United States is poised to remove five extremist groups, all believed to be defunct, from its list of foreign terrorist organizations. Several of these groups once posed significant threats, killing hundreds if not thousands of people across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Although the groups are inactive, the decision is politically sensitive for the Biden administration and the countries in which the organizations operated It could draw criticism from victims and their families still dealing with the losses of loved ones. The organizations are the Basque separatist group ETA , the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, the radical Jewish group Kahane Kach and two Islamic groups that have been active in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt.
1 dead, 4 critically injured in California church shooting
One person was killed and four others were critically injured after a gunman opened fire inside a Southern California church Sunday, authorities said. The gunman was detained outside the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, said Carrie Braun, a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. A motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, she said. Four of the victims were in critical condition, she said, and another victim was being treated for minor injuries. The person who was killed was found inside the church by authorities, she said. Braun did not share additional details about the victims.
Fetterman recovering after stroke before his Senate primary
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the front-runner for his state’s Democratic Senate nomination, said Sunday that he had had a stroke Friday and was recovering. “I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long,” he said in a statement from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital. “The amazing doctors here were able to quickly and completely remove the clot, reversing the stroke, they got my heart under control as well.” The incident has kept him off the campaign trail for the final weekend before Tuesday’s primary election.
NATO leaders say they will speed Finland and Sweden membership bids
The head of NATO said Sunday in Berlin that the security bloc would grant fast-track membership to Sweden and Finland, raising the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who justified his invasion of Ukraine by what he cast as the need to keep the military alliance away from Russia’s borders. “President Putin wants Ukraine defeated, NATO down, North America and Europe divided,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Berlin after meeting the foreign ministers of the alliance’s members. “But Ukraine stands, NATO is stronger than ever, Europe and North America are solidly united.” Both countries said their applications were imminent.
How Australia saved thousands of lives while COVID killed 1 million Americans
If the United States had the same COVID-19 death rate as Australia, about 900,000 lives would have been saved. Australia’s COVID death rate sits at one-tenth of America’s, putting the nation of 25 million people (with around 7,500 deaths) near the top of global rankings in the protection of life. So what went right in Australia and wrong in the United States? Interviews, survey data and scientific studies from around the world point to a lifesaving trait that Australians displayed from the top of government to the hospital floor and that Americans have shown they lack: trust, in science and institutions, but especially in one another.
Somalia elects new president, but terrorists hold true power
In a fortified tent guarded by peacekeeping forces, hundreds of lawmakers elected a new president in Somalia on Sunday, capping a violent election season that threatened to push the Horn of Africa nation toward a breakdown. The selection of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a former president, in Mogadishu ended a bitter election period marred by corruption, a president’s attempt to cling to power and heavy fighting in the streets. Mohamud defeated three dozen candidates after three rounds of voting. Mohamud, 66, will face a host of challenges in his four-year term, particularly the strength of al-Shabab, a terrorist group that has a firm grip on much of the country.