World
Lawmakers hold moment of silence for slain Omer Neutra as thousands mourn in hometown synagogue
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night held a moment of silence for American-Israeli Omer Neutra who was determined this week to have been killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, after it was believed that he had been alive for more than a year.
Neutra, 21 years old, was a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and was among the first to respond to the Hamas attack that ultimately killed some 1,200 people and initially saw the abduction of more than 250 men, women and children.
His parents, Orna and Ronen, who spoke with Fox News Digital just days prior to the tragic development, believed their son was still alive after the IDF had long assessed that he, along with Nimrod Cohen, another soldier from his tank, were taken hostage into Gaza and remained alive.
7 US HOSTAGES STILL HELD BY HAMAS TERRORISTS AS FAMILIES PLEAD FOR THEIR RELEASE: ‘THIS IS URGENT’
“For 420 days Omer’s parents and his brother Daniel have done everything they can with the love and support of hundreds of thousands of others to free their son from captivity,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who represents the Neutra family’s district, said from the House floor. “Every day they soldiered on through alternating deep sorrow and brief bursts of hopefulness. They went from crushing anxiety to steely determination.
“Just a few days ago we learned that this courageous young man, this bright light, this courageous idealist, made the ultimate sacrifice,” Suozzi continued. “Omer had not been alive for the last 422 days, he was murdered on Oct. 7.”
Footage from the attack on Omer’s tank showed the commander, as well as three others, Shaked Dahan, Oz Daniel and Nimrod Cohen being pulled from the military vehicle by Hamas terrorists and being taken captive.
Daniel and Dahan had previously been assessed to have been killed following the attack, and according to the IDF, intelligence now suggests Omer, a descendant of Holocaust survivors, was also killed on Oct. 7. 2023.
AMERICAN FATHER OF HAMAS HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN PUSHES US, ISRAEL ON ‘PLAN B’ AS NEGOTIATIONS FALTER
The Israeli military has not said how they came by this new information and the fate of Cohen remains unknown.
In a memorial service held for Omer on Tuesday in the Long Island synagogue where he reportedly celebrated his bar mitzvah years earlier, Omer’s father Ronen, said the news had left them “breathless and empty.”
“For over a year now, we’ve been breathing life into your being, my beautiful boy,” Orna said through tears, according to reports. “With the hope and love of so many, we kept going and going and going, keeping you alive, speaking your name from every outlet, pushing any hint of despair, not stopping to breathe or to take in the deep pain of your absence.”
“Now things are clear,” she said to the reported 1,500 attendees at the service. “But not as we’d hoped.”
Onra and Ronen have described their son as loving, a good friend and an athlete, but they also highlighted his ability to lead and how his actions on Oct. 7, 2023 saved lives.
Omer’s body is believed to still be held by Hamas along with the six other American hostages, only three of whom are still assessed by the IDF to be alive at this time, including Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Keith Siegel.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s body was recovered after he, along with five others, were discovered to have been murdered by Hamas in the tunnels in Gaza in August.
There are still 100 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza following the recovery of Itai Svirski’s body on Wednesday, an Israeli hostage taken during the attack on Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023.
The IDF confirmed he “was murdered in captivity by his captors, and his body was held hostage in the Gaza Strip.”
World
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Episode 13: Craziest Moments and Burning Questions, From Beth’s Strip Poker Gamble to Kayce’s Risky Tax Scheme
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the Season 5, Episode 13 episode of “Yellowstone,” “Give the World Away” which premiered Sunday, Dec. 8 on Paramount Network.
It sure looks like “Yellowstone” is gearing up for one last rodeo, but the show keeps on giving to its audience: Jamie (Wes Bentley) is sniveling to another woman! Show creator Taylor Sheridan is ripped, shirtless and yammering about corndogs! Beth (Kelly Reilly) is angrily playing strip poker! Read on for our pithy rundown of the night’s events:
- I’ve never understood if the Duttons are rich as hell or debtors with wild loans. The economics of ranch life don’t make any sense to me!
- Jamie sitting around depressed in his underwear and yelling at the TV … shouldn’t you be running around scheming or shredding more documents?
- Of course Beth has her brother saved in her phone as something profane.
- Going back to the finance issue, Beth is flying private. How do they have the money to afford that?
- I want Walker (Ryan Bingham) to comfort me after any future losses I have. His chat with Teeter (Jennifer Landon) is so soothing!
- OK so with the fire sale of everything at the Yellowstone and Rip (Cole Hauser) telling Ryan (Ian Bohen) that everyone should find new work, I guess this really is the penultimate episode. Sadly, this show is ending with bit of a whimper.
- Sheridan shows us a little more of his character Travis’ private life and he’s … a drinkin’, gamblin’, moderately irresponsible horndog? He seemed to be all business every other time we’ve seen him…
- Oh, Travis’ girlfriend is played by Bella Hadid. How did she get mixed up in this show?
- Beth has a lot of nerve asking Travis to help them without commission. I get that they’re on hard times, but you need to pay people for their work…
- C’mon, Beth — at least stay for corndogs!
- Welcome back, Christina (Katherine Cunningham). Long time no see.
- Wow, Christina’s plan for Jamie to go on the offensive is actually pretty smart.
- I’d definitely watch a prequel series following Young Rip and Young Travis.
- These announcers are stars. Have them cover other events immediately, like the Olympics or Jake Paul’s fights.
- Turnpike Troubadours? Great band! This sale is netting some real talent…
- So the season finale (and final episode?) will be John Dutton’s funeral, right?
- Beth’s solution to grief doesn’t sound too effective, but it’s very Beth!
- Episode highlight: Beth’s brutal takedown of Aaron at the bar.
- Poor Teeter. She did her best!
- It’s hard to believe that Kayce (Luke Grimes) came up with this loophole idea. Isn’t it tax fraud of some kind?
Until next week, “Yellowstone” fans!
World
South Korea imposes a travel ban on President Yoon over martial law declaration
The South Korean Justice Ministry imposed an overseas travel ban against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday amid an investigation into allegations of rebellion and other charges over his short-lived martial law declaration.
Yoon had declared martial law last Tuesday, leading to special forces troops being deployed into the streets of Seoul and resulting in political protests.
On Saturday, Yoon escaped an opposition-led effort to impeach him, but the opposition parties pledged to issue a new impeachment motion against him this week.
Bae Sang-up, a Justice Ministry official, said at a parliamentary hearing that it banned Yoon from leaving the country after requests by police, prosecutors and an anti-corruption agency as they expand their investigations into the circumstances surrounding Yoon’s declaration.
SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT YOON SURVIVES IMPEACHMENT ATTEMPT AFTER HIS PARTY BOYCOTTS VOTE
A senior National Police Agency officer told local reporters on Monday that police could also detain Yoon if conditions are met.
A sitting South Korean president has immunity from prosecution while in office, but that does not include protecting him from allegations of rebellion or treason.
Former President Park Geun-hye was thrown out of office in 2017 after being impeached by parliament over a corruption scandal. Prosecutors failed to search her office and ended up receiving documents outside the compound because presidential officials refused them entry.
After refusing to meet with prosecutors during her time in office, Park was questioned and arrested after the Constitutional Court approved her impeachment and ruled to dismiss her as president in March 2017.
SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR DECLARING MARTIAL LAW AHEAD OF IMPEACHMENT VOTE
The main opposition Democratic Party called Yoon’s martial law declaration “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or a coup.” The party has filed complaints with police against at least nine people, including Yoon and his former defense minister, over the rebellion allegations.
South Korean prosecutors detained former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun on Sunday for allegedly recommending that Yoon declare martial law, making him the first person detained in the martial law case.
The Defense Ministry last week separately suspended three top military commanders over their alleged involvement in imposing martial law.
Yoon, a conservative, apologized on Saturday for the martial law declaration, saying he will not seek to avoid legal or political responsibility for the motion. He said he would allow his party to lead the country through its political turmoil, including matters related to his term in office.
In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.”
Yoon’s martial law decree only lasted six hours because the National Assembly, including some members of Yoon’s governing People Power Party, voted to reverse it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift it.
Governing party leader Han Dong-hun said Sunday his party will push for Yoon’s early and orderly exit from office in a way that minimizes social confusion and that Yoon will not be involved in state affairs, including foreign policy.
During a Monday briefing, the Defense Ministry said Yoon maintains control of the military, which the constitution explicitly reserves for the president.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Did toxic algae kill hundreds of elephants in Botswana?
An investigation into the sudden deaths of at least 350 elephants in Botswana in 2020 has revealed the cause was almost certainly a “toxic brew” of open water tainted by a species of cyanobacteria that released cyanotoxins, essentially contaminating the elephants’ watering holes.
According to researchers, approximately 20 watering holes in Botswana’s Okavango Delta had been contaminated across roughly 6,000sq km (2,316 square miles).
So what happened, and how?
What is cyanobacteria and how does it harm elephants?
Although not all cyanobacteria, commonly referred to as blue-green algae, is toxic, some cyanobacteria can produce a type of deadly algal blooms (HABs) in standing water. This is the type which was discovered in the investigation carried out by researchers at King’s College London.
The study showed that the African elephants (Loxodonta africana) died in May and June 2020 after drinking from water holes contaminated with these toxic algal blooms.
“Scientists believe that the production of cyanotoxins is related to certain environmental triggers, for example, sudden rise in water temperature, nutrient loading, salinity,” Davide Lomeo, Earth observation scientist at King’s College London, a collaborator with Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Natural History Museum in London, and lead researcher in the recent study, told Al Jazeera.
How did the elephant deaths come to light?
In early to mid-2020, a series of routine aerial surveys conducted by helicopter by the conservation organisation, Elephants Without Borders, revealed multiple elephant carcasses scattered across the landscape of the Ngamiland district of northern Botswana.
The aerial survey showed 161 elephant carcasses and 222 sets of bones, while also counting 2,682 live elephants throughout the eastern region of the Okavango Panhandle. In addition, the distance between the dead elephants indicated the deaths had been sudden, rather than gradual.
“The strong clustering of carcasses also suggests that the event was sudden, with limited dispersal of elephants prior to death,” the authors of the study said.
How did researchers identify toxic algae as the cause of death?
Before researchers confirmed it was toxic algae which killed the elephants, they had to rule out several other probable causes.
“Although this area is a known poaching hotspot in Botswana, this was ruled out since elephant carcasses were found with tusks intact,” the authors of the study said.
Other initial theories included virulent and bacterial causes, such as encephalomyocarditis virus or anthrax, but the evidence taken from the field – such as the age of the dead elephants and the absence of any clinical signs of disease, meant the researchers ruled these out as the cause.
The distribution of carcasses and bones suggested a unique “spatial pattern”, which indicated that localised factors may have played a role in the mass die-off. This led to further exploration of specific environmental and ecological conditions in the affected areas.
There were several other factors that served as evidence that the elephant watering holes were to blame. Using satellite photos, researchers measured the distance the elephants walked after they drank from the watering holes – an average of 16.5km (10.2 miles). Many of the elephants died shortly thereafter, roughly 3.6 days (88 hours), after they drank from the nearby contaminated water holes.
The report states that 88 hours aligned with previously reported toxicological timelines for other large mammals which have died from blue algal poisoning.
In addition, Lomeo’s previous body of doctoral work investigating the history of mass-mortality events and water quality in waterbodies in Africa served as evidence to further look into the theory of water hole contamination.
“This event was what led to this idea, since it was a well-covered news at the time, but no one really knew why they died. I then applied my skills in geospatial and computational data science to investigate the event under a well-known set of methods typically applied in epidemiological investigations (eg COVID-19),” explained Lomeo.
What is still unknown about the elephant deaths?
It is impossible to measure the level of toxicity for each waterhole from aerial photos. In addition, it is unclear whether elephants drank from one watering hole or several, according to researchers.
“It is highly likely that they drank from multiple pans before their death. It cannot be established if the fatal intoxication occurred in a single drinking event, but it seems more plausible that if cyanotoxins were present and were the cause of the die-off, this was through toxins bioaccumulation in elephants’ organs,” stated the study.
Although it is clear that the toxic waterholes were the likely source of the elephants’ mass mortality, there remains some uncertainty about the findings due to the timing of the mass die-off.
“The event occurred during the COVID-19 movement restrictions, and timely intervention was not possible. Therefore, tissue samples [which would have confirmed the presence/ absence of cyanotoxins] were not collected. Post-mortem investigations also need to be done within a certain timeframe, beyond which samples would be too degraded. Additionally, cyanotoxins cannot be detected from satellites, so the links can only be but indirect,” Lomeo explained.
As the aerial data was collected considerable time after the deaths in March and May 2020 – researchers could not definitively rule out the involvement of other animals in the elephant deaths.
Furthermore, smaller creatures may have been missed in the aerial survey, potentially limiting scientists’ understanding of the full scope of the incident.
“The area is well-known for very high predation rates, meaning that animal carcasses disappear quickly because of scavengers like hyenas and vultures. Hence, the involvement of other animals cannot be ruled out,” Lomeo said.
The specific conditions that would produce the level of toxicity in a watering hole that would be lethal to surrounding animal species are also still unknown.
“There is still uncertainty. We know that certain cyanobacteria species are more likely to produce cyanotoxins, and we know which toxins each species typically produces,” said Lomeo.
According to the research, cyanotoxins exhibit significant variations in their potency and effects. Certain types are extremely toxic, capable of causing death even in very small concentrations. Others, while less immediately dangerous, may still pose health risks at higher levels without necessarily being lethal. The field of cyanotoxin research remains active, with many aspects yet to be fully understood and explored.
Despite this, the overall findings of the study have been widely accepted. “The cause of the die-off has been officially attributed by the Government of Botswana to environmental intoxication by cyanobacterial toxins, also known as cyanotoxins,” the study’s authors said.
Could this happen again?
Although mass deaths of elephants are rare, researchers cannot be certain it will not happen again and that it will only affect elephants or land animals.
“[In] all arid systems where animals are dependent on stagnant water in lakes/ponds are susceptible to this [mass die-offs], the aquatic life in lakes also can be harmed in this same manner. We have even seen this in rivers and oceans where high nitrification from agricultural run-off combined with warming temperatures leads to disastrous bacterial blooms,” George Wittemyer, a behavioural ecologist at Colorado State University, one of the institutes involved in a study in Kenya that revealed that elephants use individual names, told Al Jazeera.
While it was relatively easy for researchers to identify the elephant carcasses from the air due to their size, the sudden deaths of smaller animals might not be so easy to identify.
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