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ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu

JERUSALEM. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with their actions during the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas.

Karim Khan stated that he believes Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders — Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh — are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

The prosecutor must request the warrants from a pre-trial panel of three judges, who typically take two months to review the evidence and determine if the proceedings can move forward.

Israel is not a member of the ICC, and even if the arrest warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Gallant do not face any immediate risk of prosecution. However, Khan’s announcement deepens Israel’s isolation as it continues its war, and the threat of arrest could make it difficult for Israeli leaders to travel abroad.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz described the chief prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants against Israel’s leaders as “a historic disgrace that will be remembered forever.” He said he would form a special committee to fight back against any such action and work with world leaders to ensure that any warrants are not enforced against Israel’s leaders.

Benny Gantz, a former military chief and member of Israel’s War Cabinet with Netanyahu and Gallant, harshly criticized Khan’s announcement, saying Israel fights with “one of the strictest” moral codes and has a robust judiciary capable of investigating itself. “The State of Israel is waging one of the just wars fought in modern history following a reprehensible massacre perpetrated by terrorist Hamas on the 7th of October,” he said. “The prosecutor’s position to apply for arrest warrants is in itself a crime of historic proportion to be remembered for generations.”

The Hamas militant group denounced the ICC prosecutor’s request to seek the arrests of its leaders. In a statement, Hamas accused the prosecutor of trying to “equate the victim with the executioner.” It asserted its right to resist Israeli occupation, including “armed resistance.” It also criticized the court for seeking the arrests of only two Israeli leaders and argued that warrants should be sought for other Israeli leaders.

Both Sinwar and Deif are believed to be hiding in Gaza as Israel tries to track them down. However, Haniyeh, the supreme leader of the Islamic militant group, is based in Qatar and frequently travels across the region.

Israel launched its war in response to an October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage. The Israeli offensive has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, at least half of them women and children, according to the latest estimates by Gaza health officials. The Israeli offensive has also triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, displacing roughly 80% of the population and leaving hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation, according to U.N. officials.

Speaking of the Israeli actions, Khan said in a statement that “the effects of the use of starvation as a method of warfare, together with other attacks and collective punishment against the civilian population of Gaza are acute, visible and widely known. … They include malnutrition, dehydration, profound suffering and an increasing number of deaths among the Palestinian population, including babies, other children, and women.”

The United Nations and other aid agencies have repeatedly accused Israel of hindering aid deliveries throughout the war. Israel denies this, saying there are no restrictions on aid entering Gaza and accusing the United Nations of failing to distribute aid. The U.N. says aid workers have repeatedly come under Israeli fire, and also says ongoing fighting and a security vacuum have impeded deliveries.

Regarding the Hamas actions on October 7, Khan, who visited the region in December, said that he saw for himself “the devastating scenes of these attacks and the profound impact of the unconscionable crimes charged in the applications filed today. Speaking with survivors, I heard how the love within a family, the deepest bonds between a parent and a child, were contorted to inflict unfathomable pain through calculated cruelty and extreme callousness. These acts demand accountability.”

After a brief period of international support for its war, Israel has faced increasing criticism as the war has dragged on and the death toll has climbed.

Israel is also facing a South African case in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide. Israel denies those charges.

Khan’s request for warrants in the Israel-Gaza conflict comes 14 months after the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for abductions of children from Ukraine.

706 people named Kyle got together in Texas, but it wasn’t enough for a world record

KYLE, Texas. How many people named Kyle can fit in one place? For the city of Kyle, Texas, not enough to break a world record.

On Saturday, 706 Kyles of all ages assembled in a park in this suburb of Austin, but it wasn’t sufficient to surpass the current world record. The record is held by a town in Bosnia, where 2,325 people named Ivan gathered in 2017, according to Guinness World Records.

This is not the first time the Kyles have attempted to outnumber the Ivans. Last year, the official count at what has become known as the “Gathering of the Kyles” was 1,490, still not enough to beat the record in the fast-growing Texas city, located about 37 miles south of Austin, the state’s capital.

Kyle is not among the most popular names in the U.S., according to the Social Security Administration, which tracks the names given to girls and boys each year. The most recent data shows that Kyle ranked 416th among male names in 2023, while Ivan ranked 153rd.

Despite falling short of the record, the event demonstrated the strong community spirit and determination of the residents of Kyle. The city continues to embrace this unique tradition, bringing together Kyles from near and far for a fun and memorable gathering.

Will AI replace radiologists in X-ray interpretation, or simply elevate their capabilities to new heights?

WASHINGTON. As artificial intelligence (AI) technology rapidly evolves, the question on many professionals’ minds is: Will AI replace human expertise, or will it enhance it? For radiologists, this question has been looming for a decade, as advanced algorithms promise to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in interpreting medical scans.

AI’s potential in healthcare, particularly in radiology, is a subject of both optimism and caution. The technology can now analyze scans, suggest diagnoses, and even draft reports, offering unprecedented support to radiologists. “Some of the AI techniques are so good, frankly, I think we should be doing them now,” said Dr. Ronald Summers, a radiologist and AI researcher at the National Institutes of Health. Summers’ lab has developed AI programs to detect various conditions, yet these innovations have not seen widespread adoption due to what he describes as the “culture of medicine.”

Since the 1990s, radiologists have utilized computers to enhance imaging. However, modern AI can go further, interpreting images and providing diagnostic insights. Despite the FDA approving over 700 AI algorithms for medical use, with more than 75% in radiology, only about 2% of radiology practices have adopted these technologies.

Skepticism among radiologists stems from concerns about the real-world testing of AI, transparency regarding its operations, and the demographics of training datasets. “If we don’t know on what cases the AI was tested, or whether those cases are similar to the kinds of patients we see in our practice, there’s just a question in everyone’s mind as to whether these are going to work for us,” noted Dr. Curtis Langlotz, a radiologist at Stanford University.

Currently, all FDA-approved AI programs require human oversight. In Europe, however, regulators approved the first fully automated software for reviewing and reporting on chest X-rays in 2022. The urgency for such technology in Europe is high, with some hospitals facing significant backlogs due to a shortage of radiologists.

In the U.S., fully automated AI screening remains on the horizon, primarily due to radiologists’ hesitance to relinquish control to algorithms. “We try to tell them they’re overtreating people and they’re wasting a ton of time and resources,” said Chad McClennan, CEO of Koios Medical, which provides AI tools for ultrasound imaging.

AI’s promise extends to enhancing accuracy and reducing costs. Research indicates that radiologists often disagree on diagnoses, with one study finding a 30% disagreement rate among physicians reviewing the same breast scans. About 20% of breast cancers are missed during routine mammograms, underscoring the potential impact of AI in improving detection rates.

In the short term, experts anticipate AI will function like an autopilot system in aviation, performing crucial tasks but always under human supervision. “I will tell patients, ‘I looked at it, and the computer looked at it, and we both agree,’” said Dr. Laurie Margolies of Mount Sinai hospital network, illustrating how AI can provide additional reassurance to patients.

Preliminary results from a Swedish study involving 80,000 women showed that a single radiologist working with AI detected 20% more cancers than two radiologists working without AI. This approach also reduced the workload by 44%, addressing the workforce shortage in breast radiology.

Despite these promising developments, the role of radiologists remains critical. “If an automated algorithm misses a cancer, that’s going to be very negative for trust in the caregiver,” warned Dr. Kristina Lang of Lund University, emphasizing the importance of human oversight.

Radiologists continue to double-check AI outputs to avoid liability issues, potentially diminishing the benefits of reduced workload and burnout. “Only an extremely accurate, reliable algorithm would allow radiologists to truly step away from the process,” said Dr. Saurabh Jha of the University of Pennsylvania.

As AI technology advances, the balance between human expertise and machine assistance will define the future of radiology, potentially transforming it from a field at risk of automation to one enhanced by the precise and tireless capabilities of AI.

The Iranian president’s helicopter crashes in a foggy, mountainous region

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates. A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray.

The likely crash comes as Iran, under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel last month and has enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. The country has also faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy over an ailing economy and women’s rights, making this moment highly sensitive for Tehran as the Israel-Hamas war inflames the wider Middle East.

Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV reported a “hard landing” near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan, approximately 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Later reports placed the incident farther east near the village of Uzi, but details remained contradictory.

Traveling with Raisi were Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, and other officials and bodyguards, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. One local government official described the event as a “crash,” while others referred to it as either a “hard landing” or an “incident.”

Neither IRNA nor state TV offered information on Raisi’s condition in the hours following the crash. However, hard-liners urged the public to pray for him. State TV aired images of hundreds of faithful, some with hands outstretched in supplication, praying at Imam Reza Shrine in the city of Mashhad, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites, as well as in Qom and other locations across the country. State television’s main channel aired the prayers nonstop.

In Tehran, a group of men kneeling on the side of the street clasped strands of prayer beads and watched a video of Raisi praying, some of them visibly weeping. “If anything happens to him, we’ll be heartbroken,” said one of the men, Mehdi Seyedi. “May the prayers work and may he return to the arms of the nation safe and sound.”

In comments aired on state TV, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated: “The esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog.” He added that various rescue teams were en route to the region, but poor weather conditions, including fog and heavy rain, were hampering efforts.

A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the crash site but could not land due to heavy mist, emergency services spokesman Babak Yektaparast told IRNA. Late in the evening, Turkey’s defense ministry announced it had sent an unmanned aerial vehicle and was preparing to send a helicopter with night vision capabilities to join the search-and-rescue efforts.

Long after sunset, Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi acknowledged the challenging conditions of the search. “It is the right of the people and the media to be aware of the latest news about the president’s helicopter accident, but considering the coordinates of the incident site and the weather conditions, there is ‘no’ new news whatsoever until now,” he wrote on the social platform X. “In these moments, patience, prayer, and trust in relief groups are the way forward.”

Khamenei himself also urged the public to pray. “We hope that God the Almighty returns the dear president and his colleagues in full health to the arms of the nation,” Khamenei said, drawing an “amen” from the worshippers he was addressing.

Raisi, 63, a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary, is viewed as a protégé of Khamenei. Some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after Khamenei’s death or resignation. Raisi had been on the border with Azerbaijan earlier Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River, despite chilly relations between the nations.

Iran flies a variety of helicopters, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them. Its military air fleet also largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. IRNA published images it described as Raisi taking off in what resembled a Bell helicopter with a blue-and-white paint scheme.

Raisi won Iran’s 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. He is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.

Rescue team vehicles are seen near the site of the helicopter crash carrying President Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, and other officials. The chopper apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray. (Azin Haghighi/Moj News Agency via AP)

Larawan ng Bamban mayor kasama si PBBM: “Prove Nothing”

MAYNILA. Iginiit ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. nitong Sabado na ang kanyang mga larawan kasama ang kontrobersyal na Bamban Mayor na si Alice Guo ay “prove nothing,” at sinabing hindi siya tumatanggi sa mga nais magpakuha ng larawan kasama siya.

Inihayag ito ni Marcos Jr. nang hingan siya ng komento hinggil sa post ni Guo kung saan makikitang magkasama sila sa isang event. Nauna nang sinabi ng Pangulo na hindi niya kilala ang alkalde na nasasangkot sa illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations.

“That proves nothing. You know how many pictures I take during a campaign? Siguro isang libo sa isang araw,” pahayag ng Pangulo sa sidelines ng isang event sa Makati.

“Lahat naman ng humihingi ng selfie hindi ko naman hinihindian so it doesn’t really mean anything,” dagdag ni Marcos.

Inihayag din ng Pangulo na wala pang “definitive conclusions” hinggil sa imbestigasyon ng Ehekutibo sa Bamban mayor. Sinabi ni Guo na hindi niya alam kung bakit nairehistro lamang ang kanyang birth certificate noong siya ay 17-anyos na.

Nauna nang hinikayat ng Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ang Office of the Ombudsman na suspendihin ang Bamban mayor na nasa sentro ng kontrobersiya matapos hindi masagot ang mga tanong ukol sa kanyang pagkakakilanlan sa isang Senate inquiry.

Two dead, five missing in suspected boat collision on Danube in Hungary

BUDAPEST. A suspected collision involving a small motor boat and a cruise ship on the Danube River, north of Budapest, has left two people dead and five others missing, Hungarian police reported.

The grim discovery began unfolding late on Saturday when the body of an adult man was found near the site of the incident. Subsequently, the body of a woman was recovered further downstream. As of Sunday, disaster response units were still searching for the five missing individuals, according to police statements.

Soma Csecsi, a spokesperson for the Budapest police, disclosed that eight adults were aboard the small motor boat at the time of the suspected collision. The incident came to light after police encountered a man with a bleeding head wound near the main road by the river near Veroce, located 55 km (34 miles) north of Budapest.

“Police talked to the man and from his initial communication they drew the conclusion that he was probably the victim of some kind of boat accident,” explained Csecsi.

The recovery efforts intensified as authorities retrieved the body of a man south of Veroce, while a woman’s body was found further downstream near a bridge on the northern outskirts of Budapest. Additionally, the damaged motor boat was recovered in the vicinity.

Csecsi noted, “At the time of the accident, a cruise ship was located in the area, which was stopped at the town of Komarom where police have determined that the ship is damaged on one side.”

Images circulated by Hungarian state media depicted a moored 109-meter-long cruise ship identified as Swiss-based Heidelberg. However, details regarding the number and nationality of individuals on board remained unclear.

Hungarian authorities have initiated a criminal investigation against an unknown perpetrator to ascertain the cause of the accident. Csecsi emphasized that the investigation aims to determine if anyone bears criminal liability for the incident.

Afghanistan ravaged by deadly floods killing at least 84 in northern regions

ISLAMABAD. Devastating floods triggered by heavy rains have inflicted further tragedy upon Afghanistan’s northern regions, claiming the lives of at least 84 people, as reported by a Taliban spokesman on Sunday.

The onslaught of heavy rains unleashed flash floods across four districts in Faryab province on Saturday night, resulting in 66 fatalities, five injuries, and eight individuals missing, according to Esmatullah Moradi, spokesperson for the provincial governor. This calamity follows the loss of 18 lives in floods on Friday.

Moradi revealed that approximately 1,500 houses suffered complete or partial destruction, while hundreds of hectares of farmland were inundated, leading to the demise of over 300 animals.

The impact of these catastrophic floods extends beyond Faryab province. In the western province of Ghor, Abdul Wahid Hamas, spokesperson for the provincial governor, reported 50 casualties from Friday’s floods, with Ghor being identified as the most severely affected area by the U.N. food agency.

The World Food Program (WFP) highlighted the dire consequences of the floods, emphasizing the loss of lives, homes, and livelihoods among survivors. The floods in April had already claimed 70 lives and destroyed thousands of homes, mosques, and schools in provinces such as Farah, Herat, Zabul, and Kandahar.

The humanitarian situation remains critical, with WFP noting that large portions of Baghlan province are inaccessible by trucks, exacerbating the challenges of delivering aid to affected communities.

An Afghan couple sit near their damaged home in western Afghanistan on May 18.Omid Haqjoo / AP

‘Glue lady’ na nambibiktima ng seniors sa ATM, arestado sa Batangas

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LIPA CITY, Batangas. Naaresto ng mga tauhan ng Police Regional Office-4A (PRO4A) ang isang babae na tinaguriang “glue lady” dahil sa pagnanakaw ng pera mula sa mga senior citizen na nagwi-withdraw sa mga ATM machines.

Ayon kay PRO4A Regional Director Police Brig. General Paul Kenneth Lucas, nahuli ang glue lady sa isang operasyon sa Lipa, Batangas. Tumanggi si Lucas na banggitin ang pangalan ng suspek dahil sa patuloy na follow-up operation laban sa posibleng mga kasabwat nito sa kanyang modus operandi.

Nabatid na magkukunwari ang suspek na tumutulong at umaalalay sa senior citizen na nahihirapang mag-withdraw dahil sa pagkalito sa ATM machine. Hindi alam ng biktima na gagamitan ng suspek ng glue ang ATM card, at sa sandaling umalis ang biktima, ang suspek na ang magwi-withdraw ng pera.

Kapag humingi ng tulong ang biktima, doon na aalisin ng suspek ang glue sa ATM card para magmukhang sira ang makina.

Lumilitaw na nakapambiktima na ang suspek ng mga senior citizen sa Rizal, Batangas, at iba pang lugar sa labas ng CALABARZON. Iniimbitahan naman ng CALABARZON Police ang iba pang posibleng nabiktima na magsampa ng reklamo laban sa suspek.

Patuloy ang imbestigasyon at operasyon ng mga awtoridad upang masugpo ang ganitong klase ng krimen at mabigyan ng hustisya ang mga nabiktima.

Benny Gantz threatens to resign from Israel’s war cabinet over Gaza war strategy

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip. Benny Gantz, a prominent centrist and member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, has issued a stark ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gantz declared on Saturday that he will resign from the government if a new war plan for Gaza is not adopted within three weeks, potentially reshaping Israel’s political landscape.

This announcement comes amid a protracted conflict that has seen Israel struggle to achieve its objectives of dismantling Hamas and securing the release of hostages taken during the militant group’s October 7 attack. Gantz’s resignation would force Netanyahu to rely more heavily on his far-right allies, further polarizing the nation’s leadership.

Gantz’s Six-Point Plan

Gantz outlined a comprehensive six-point plan, emphasizing:

  • The return of hostages.
  • The end of Hamas’ rule.
  • The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
  • The establishment of an international administration for Gaza’s civilian affairs, with cooperation from the U.S., Europe, Arab nations, and Palestinians.
  • Efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia.
  • Expanding military service to all Israelis.

“If you choose the path of fanatics and lead the entire nation to the abyss — we will be forced to quit the government,” Gantz warned, setting a deadline of June 8.

Netanyahu’s Response

Prime Minister Netanyahu responded by accusing Gantz of issuing an ultimatum to the Israeli government rather than to Hamas, dismissing Gantz’s conditions as “euphemisms” for Israel’s defeat.

Internal Tensions

Gantz’s threat comes shortly after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, also a member of the War Cabinet, stated he would resign if Israel decided to reoccupy Gaza, advocating instead for a Palestinian administration. Gantz criticized what he described as the infiltration of “personal and political considerations” into national security matters, in an apparent critique of Netanyahu.

Polls suggest Gantz as a leading contender for the next prime minister, a role that could expose Netanyahu to longstanding corruption charges. His potential departure from the War Cabinet could significantly weaken Netanyahu’s position.

U.S. Involvement and Domestic Pressure

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia and Israel to discuss the conflict. Netanyahu has asserted that Israel would “stand alone” if necessary.

Domestically, frustration is mounting. Israelis are calling for a deal to end the fighting, exacerbated by the recent discovery of the bodies of additional hostages killed by Hamas. Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday, with some police using water cannons against protesters.

Humanitarian Crisis

Efforts to deliver aid to Gaza faced setbacks, with Israeli tanks firing warning shots to clear the way for trucks carrying food supplies. The conflict, which began with Hamas’ October 7 attack, has led to significant casualties on both sides: 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken hostage, while over 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died, according to local health officials.

Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel will maintain security control over Gaza and collaborate with local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, though he acknowledged that planning for postwar governance is contingent on Hamas’ defeat.

The evolutionary twist that could have helped dinosaurs rule Earth

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Dinosaur means “terrible lizard.” The idea that the prehistoric creatures were scaly, sluggish reptiles with sprawling postures that dragged their tails through tropical swamps is deeply imprinted in the collective imagination.

However, science now has a more nuanced understanding of the diversity of dinosaur physiology. Many dinosaurs sported brightly colored feathers like birds. Dinos lived in many different ecosystems, including the Arctic, where they would have encountered snow (if not the ice caps of today) and winters devoid of light.

New research this week is adding fresh detail to one of paleontology’s biggest questions: Did dinosaur blood run hot or cold?

It’s hard to find evidence that unquestionably shows what dinosaur metabolisms were like. Clues from fossilized eggshells and bones have now suggested that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded and others were not.

Gleaning the answer matters because it sheds light on dinosaur behavior. Warm-blooded animals, such as mammals and birds, are more active than their cold-blooded counterparts.

A new study, based on fossils from 1,000 dinosaur species and paleoclimate information, found that the three main dinosaur groups adapted differently, with two of the groups evolving the ability to regulate body temperature in the early Jurassic Period about 180 million years ago.

The research suggested that meat-eating theropods, which included T. rex, and plant-eating ornithischians, such as Triceratops and Stegosaurus, spread to live in colder climates during the early Jurassic Period, indicating that they may have evolved the ability to generate body heat internally.