BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Some 20 people died and 74 were hospitalized after using adulterated cocaine in Buenos Aires, Argentina, authorities have said. The victims, who come from the Hurlingham, Tres de Febrero and San Martn districts of the capital region, were removed for treatment in ten local hospitals. They were believed to have suffered convulsions […]

PARIS, France: After the environmental group Sea Shepherd released video and photos of a massive swarm of dead fish released by a large trawler in the French Atlantic Ocean, the European Union and France have begun an investigation. The images showed a blanket of dead blue whiting fish floating on the surface of the Bay […]

Much has been made of the “diplomatic boycott” by the United States and its allies of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. But what much of the major Western media coverage misses is the historical and geopolitical significance of these games to China-as one of only three Asian host nations for the Olympics (along with Japan and […]

RENO, Nevada: Reno, Nevada recorded no rain during the entire month of January, breaking a record that goes back some 130 years. Reno, on the Nevada-California border, has experienced weather extremes in recent months, including its wettest October on record last year when, according to the National Weather Service, the yearly amount of rain fell […]

JACKSON, Mississippi: Joining 36 other U.S. states, Mississippi legalized marijuana for medical use on February 2, after Governor Tate Reeves signed legislation permitting cannabis for treatment of severe, debilitating health conditions, including cancer, AIDS and Alzheimer’s disease. Announcing enactment of the bill, Reeves, a first-term Republican, said the final version passed last week by the […]

OSLO, Norway: Norway’s Oslo District Court made a unanimous, landmark ruling that breeding bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels violates section 25 of the Norwegian Animal Welfare Act and will no longer be allowed. The ruling was the outcome of a case brought in November 2021 by Animal Protection Norway expressing concern for the dog […]

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo: Police in Kinshasa said some 26 people died after they were electrocuted by a falling power cable at a market in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The high-voltage cable snapped and fell onto houses and shoppers in the Matadi-Kibala district on the outskirts of the country’s capital. Unverified footage posted […]

TEL AVIV, Israel: Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has announced that the country’s laser defense system will become operational in 2022. Bennett told a security conference that the new generation of technology, known as a “laser wall,” will be available within a year in southern Israel, and will eventually be deployed on air, land and […]

SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea has announced that it has signed a $1.6 billion arms deal with Egypt. This marks South Korea’s largest-ever arms export contract. The office of President Moon Jae-in in Seoul said the agreement included providing K9 self-propelled howitzers, manufactured by Korea’s Hanwha Defense, to Egypt. Moon’s office did not disclose other […]

BAMAKO, Mali: Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s “outrageous” comments about the transitional government have angered Mali’s military leaders, who ordered the French ambassador’s expulsion. Last week, Le Drian had said the Mali junta was “illegitimate” and “out of control.” France said it was recalling ambassador Joel Meyer, who was given 72 hours to leave Mali. […]