UNITED STATES
Man chokes cougar to death
A mountain lion lunged at a runner on a Colorado trail and bit his face before the man fought back and choked the animal to death, wildlife officials said on Tuesday. The unidentified man was running alone at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space near Fort Collins on Monday when he heard a noise and turned back. That was when the cougar attacked, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife said. The man was hospitalized with serious injuries and was expected to make a full recovery. Authorities are not identifying the man and say he needs time to decompress and decide if he will speak out. The man told investigators he choked the cougar, and an examination of the animal confirmed that, parks spokeswoman Rebecca Ferrell said.
UNITED STATES
Senate bill backs Israel
The Senate on Tuesday passed a measure designed to shield Israel from boycotts, but its adoption remains uncertain in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where liberal lawmakers warn the approach tramples free-speech rights. The Middle East security bill aims to combat the global BDS — boycott, divestment and sanctions — movement that denounces Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and pressures companies that do business with the Jewish state. Republican Senator Marco Rubio, the measure’s sponsor, said he is pushing back against what he described as a “campaign of discriminatory economic warfare against Israel.” It would allow a state or local government “to divest from entities that engage in” BDS activities targeting Israel or persons or companies doing business in Israel. The text also authorizes arms transfers to Israel, expands military cooperation with Jordan and slaps new sanctions on Syria.
COSTA RICA
Arias accused of assault
A doctor has filed a criminal complaint of sexual assault against former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Tuesday, an allegation that Arias categorically denied. The accuser said that Arias assaulted her at his home in San Jose in 2014, NYT and local media reports said. Arias was president from 1986 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2010. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars in Central America. “I categorically reject the accusations against me. I have never disrespected the wishes of any woman,” Arias said in a statement through his lawyer. The woman is an anti-nuclear activist who often met with Arias, who supported her cause, the NYT said. The woman, who is not seeking monetary damages, alleged that Arias touched her breasts and put his hand under her clothes, according to NYT and local media reports.
UNITED STATES
Warren ID raises questions
Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren identified herself as an “American Indian” in handwriting on her 1986 registration card for the State Bar of Texas, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The disclosure marks the latest twist in a controversy surrounding Warren and her claims to Native American ancestry as she raises money and hires staff ahead of an expected formal launch to her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The yellow registration card, which is dated April 1986, was filled out in blue ink and signed by Warren, the Post reported. The paper said her office did not dispute the card’s authenticity.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number