Important Takeaways:
- Escalation of Tensions: Tensions between the United States and Iran have reached unprecedented levels, with concerns about potential military conflict escalating.
- Former UK Ambassador’s Warning: Sir Richard Dalton, former British ambassador to Iran, described the current situation as “the most dangerous it has ever been,” highlighting the heightened risk of war between the US, Israel, and Iran.
- US and Israel’s Potential Military Action: Reports indicate that the US and Israel are considering strikes to dismantle Iran’s nuclear facilities, aiming to prevent further development of nuclear weapons.
- Iran’s Stance on Negotiations: Dalton emphasized that Iran is unlikely to surrender to US demands and would be open to serious negotiations rather than capitulation.
- Potential Iranian Retaliation: In the event of an attack, Iran could retaliate with missiles and drones targeting American facilities in the region, potentially causing significant disruption to oil trade and leading to a prolonged conflict.
- Russia’s Caution: Russia has warned that military action against Iran could lead to an “irreversible global catastrophe,” deeming such threats unacceptable.
- These points underscore the gravity of the current geopolitical climate and the potential ramifications of escalating conflicts between the involved nations.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Hamas has removed more than 3,400 previously reported deaths from its official casualty figures, including 1,080 alleged child fatalities, according to new research that asserts the numbers were knowingly falsified.
- On Tuesday, The Telegraph reported that a March update from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health drastically revised down its earlier tallies of war dead. According to Honest Reporting’s Salo Aizenberg, the updated fatality list dropped thousands of names that had been publicly listed in PDFs released in August and October of 2024.
- “These ‘deaths’ never happened,” he stated. “The numbers were falsified – again.”
- A December report by the Henry Jackson Society concluded that Hamas had likely inflated civilian deaths to shape international perception and paint Israel as intentionally targeting non-combatants. The recent deletions, researcher Andrew Fox told The Telegraph, appear to be an effort by Hamas to salvage credibility amid intensifying challenges to its data.
- “We knew there were rafts of errors in their reporting,” Fox said. “The lists are so unreliable that the world’s media shouldn’t be quoting them as reliable.”
- Fox, a former British paratrooper, noted that Gaza’s death reports are often built on crowd-sourced entries submitted via a public Google form, containing names and ID numbers without proper verification. Fox and Aizenberg’s team cross-referenced publicly released Hamas PDFs by converting them to Excel format to track discrepancies and identify names quietly dropped.
- Hamas’s own data undermines its narrative, Fox said. Although the group has claimed that women and children comprise around 70 percent of the dead, Fox noted that 72 percent of deaths among those aged 13 to 55 are male — the typical demographic for Hamas fighters.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- A deadly barrage of severe weather, tornadoes and torrential rain has come to an end, but the danger is far from over in communities across the Midwest and South as angry rivers continue to rise, forcing families from their homes.
- At least 25 people in seven states have been killed due to the severe weather, including deaths from tornadoes and extreme weather in Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, and fatalities from flooding in Kentucky.
- One of those monster tornadoes was captured live on FOX Weather on Wednesday, April 2, by FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic.
- That tornado that touched down in northwestern Arkansas prompted forecasters to issue a rare Tornado Emergency as the supercell thunderstorm passed through communities such as Lake City and Blytheville.
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference on Monday. “Remember, this event is not over until the waters have receded. Until the areas that are flooded are fully dry. Until we don’t have saturated ground that could create mudslides over roads and bridges.”
- Beshear said on Monday that more than 500 roads across the state were closed due to historic flooding, mudslides and landslides.
- Tennessee flooding leads to mandatory evacuations
- The order also had a dire warning – those who don’t comply with the evacuation order may not be able to receive help from first responders. In addition, residents may be held personally liable for any damage or injuries sustained.
- Meteorologist-in-Charge at the National Weather Service office in Memphis, Tennessee, Darone Jones, joined FOX Weather on Tuesday morning and said there’s still a lot of recovery ahead for waterlogged communities.
- “It’s very hard to contextualize this,” Jones continued. “You know, you mentioned the 223 warnings. Just in comparison to last year, 2024, we issued 262 warnings for the entire year. So, we did all of that in like a four-day span.”
- Jones went on to say that the event is still unfolding.
- “The worst is yet to come for a lot of areas,” he said. So, you know, it’s not over. So, it’s hard to talk about the uniqueness from a historical perspective at this time.”
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- A powerful eruption of Mount Kanlaon in the central Philippines on Monday sent ash and hot gases soaring nearly 2 miles into the sky, prompting evacuations, school closures and a curfew in surrounding areas.
- While no injuries were immediately reported, volcanic ash blanketed nearby villages and significantly reduced visibility, complicating transport and raising health concerns.
- Authorities raised the alert level, warning of the potential for further hazardous volcanic activity. Officials ordered evacuations for those living within a 6-kilometer radius (nearly 4-mile) of the volcano’s crater as emergency shelters began filling.
- A time-lapse video posted to X by the country’s seismological agency showed the huge plume of ash bursting from the volcano.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Child predators are on high alert as organizations around the globe have begun rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) tools to bring sex traffickers to justice and rescue young victims, according to “Sound of Freedom” executive producer Paul Hutchinson.
- Hutchinson, who has led 70 undercover rescue missions across 15 countries, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he has worked with “black hat” hackers to help identify child predators and bring them to justice.
- Through this relationship, the hackers were able to develop a piece of AI software to identify potential instances of child pornography on the dark web and other less-trodden corridors of the internet—where criminals believe they are truly anonymous.
- “This one piece of software in one month in the United States identified 800,000 unique individuals who downloaded one or more child rape videos. That’s a huge number. And that’s just what this thing caught,” Hutchinson told Fox News Digital.
- The “Sound of Freedom” producer noted that this number represents a “big problem” in society, wherein people fall into an “addictive cycle” after consuming large quantities of pornography.
- Pretty soon, these individuals are musing about something they wouldn’t have even thought was attractive five years ago, leading them to act out these horrific fantasies, according to Hutchinson.
- In 2024, a U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report revealed an increase in both victim identification and convictions versus 2022, with 133,948 victims identified and 7,115 convictions in 2023.
- A total of 1,912 persons were referred to U.S. attorneys for human trafficking offenses in fiscal year 2022, a 26% increase from the 1,519 persons referred in 2012, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
- One black hat hacker who worked with his team was tasked with finding a man who U.S. federal agencies had chased over the course of a decade. The individual in question reportedly had abused well over one hundred children.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- A POWERFUL magnitude 6.9 earthquake has rattled Papua New Guinea, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas.
- The shallow quake struck just 120 miles east of Kimbe, a coastal town in the New Britain region, around 9.04 pm local time, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
- The epicenter was offshore, at a depth of just six miles, amplifying tsunami fears.
- The USGS warned that waves between one to three meters could slam into parts of Papua New Guinea’s coastline, while a separate advisory for the Solomon Islands cautioned about possible waves up to 0.3 meters.
- There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, but authorities remain on high alert.
- The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) pegged the quake at magnitude 7.1, deeper at 49 km, highlighting slight discrepancies in early readings.
- It comes just days after a horror 7.7 magnitude earthquake ripped through Myanmar, with tremors being felt all the way in Bangkok, Thailand.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Rise of the ‘Nones’: As of January 2024, 28% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, surpassing both Catholics (23%) and evangelical Protestants (24%).
- Growth Over Time: The percentage of ‘Nones’ has increased from 16% in 2007 to 28% in 2024, indicating a significant shift in religious affiliation over the past decade.
- Diverse Beliefs: The ‘Nones’ encompass atheists, agnostics, and individuals who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.”
- Belief in Higher Power: While many ‘Nones’ do not affiliate with organized religion, most believe in God or a higher power, though they seldom attend religious services.
- Perception of Religion: A majority of ‘Nones’ acknowledge that religion can have both positive and negative effects on society.
- Political Implications: The growing number of ‘Nones’ could influence American politics, as they tend to be more liberal and Democratic, contrasting with the traditionally conservative evangelical constituency.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Iran has warned its neighbors in the Gulf with American military bases not to be involved in any potential strike — days after raising its alert level as the US increased its military presence in the region.
- Iran issued notices to Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain to warn them against allowing the US use of air space or territory lest it be considered an act of hostility, an Iranian official said.
- Tehran has rejected President Trump’s offer of talks to curb its nuclear program, although secret, informal discussions are thought to have taken place over the past few weeks in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
- Analysts believe that Iran, having lost its frontline offensive with the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the defeat of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, will want to cling to its nuclear program as its last military strategy.
- “Iran had wanted to extend a nuclear umbrella over its terrorist proxies as they attack Israel and moderate Sunni states. Iran will therefore want to cling to its nuclear program as the anchor for its planned recovery and to draw out talks with the Trump administration to gain time and legitimacy for its alarming nuclear progress,” said Yaakov Lappin, an Israeli security analyst.
- On Friday, Iran raised its alert level and said it was ready to deliver immediate responses in the event of an attack.
- While Trump has said that he prefers to reach a deal with Iran, he holds the Islamic republic responsible for attacks by its ally, the Houthis in Yemen, on Israel and on international waterways.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Defense spokesperson Roderich Kiesewetter for the conservative CDU party said it was ‘absolutely necessary’ for schoolchildren to train for emergencies, calling them ‘especially vulnerable and particularly affected in an emergency’.
- He is calling for mandatory basic training in disaster response, modelled on systems in Finland, which has been preparing citizens for the possibility of a war with Vladimir Putin’s Russia for years.
- Berlin says it even stands ready to provide all schools and teachers with national crisis materials via the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) – and this is although technically education matters are something decided independently by each federal state.
- The ministry also approved a new EU Commission initiative on wartime readiness, and recommended that all German citizens even prepare emergency supplies to last at least 72 hours as per recommendations from the European Union.
- The push for preparedness follows rising concern that Germany is woefully unprepared for a major conflict – and not just in terms of poorly-equipped army.
- Red Cross officials have warned that massive swathes of the population would be left utterly defenseless in a real emergency, while internal assessments suggest the civil protection system is totally underfunded, disorganized and even outdated.
- The EU is now pushing for every household in the 27-nation bloc to have a three-day survival kit ready as Brussels hopes to ensure every citizen is equipped for 72 hours of self-sufficiency amid the growing war threat.
- EU citizens are told to stock up on a dozen key items, including matches, ID documents in a waterproof punch, bottled water, energy bars and a flashlight, as part of their ‘resilience’ kit.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- As a record rain event comes to an end for the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, flooding impacts will continue this week amid mandatory evacuations as floodwaters flow into streams and rivers, likely causing more flooding in previously spared areas.
- The FOX Forecast Center said the storm system that brought six Flash Flood Emergencies and a deadly tornado outbreak across multiple states since last week will finally exit off the East Coast by Tuesday.
- Over a foot of rain fell in Kentucky, western Tennessee and Arkansas throughout this event. Now, all this water needs to go somewhere.
- The Kentucky River in Frankfort reached 48.27 feet at 5 a.m. ET Monday morning. This is only 0.2 feet (2.4 inches) below the all-time record crest of 48.47 feet, set on Dec 10, 1978.
- Meanwhile, more than 50 river locations are currently experiencing or expected to reach major flood stage over the next few days, and another 90 river locations are forecast to reach moderate flood stage.
- According to the National Weather Service, the Ohio River in Cincinnati and Louisville, Kentucky, is expected to crest at its highest level in seven years.
- According to the FOX Forecast Center, rainfall water on the Mississippi River is forecast to reach Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in more than two and a half weeks, and water levels could rise to the highest level in four years.
- “That’s the biggest threat here with communities that live along the river expected to see that water rise,” Minar said. “We can expect to see some concerns for businesses and buildings, just driving along the way as well. You don’t ever want to drive through floodwaters, but this is gonna be a really difficult task.”
Read the original article by clicking here.
