A fire of undetermined origin in the Mafraq area of Kuwait City killed at least 49 people, mostly migrant workers. Most of the fatalities were due to suffocation, Gen. Eid Rashed, from the police criminal forensic department, told state television. He warned the death toll could rise, adding that eleven people were being treated in hospitals. Authorities had identified three …
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Virginia-based CACI must face a new trial over its alleged involvement with the notorious Abu Ghraib detention center in Iraq. Judge Leonie Brinkema granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial and denied CACI’s motion for judgment as a matter of law. The decision follows a civil trial earlier this year where an …
Sources say the Biden administration is moving toward lifting a de facto ban on American military contractors deploying to Ukraine to help the country’s military maintain and repair weapons systems shipped from America. “We have not made any decisions, and any discussion of this is premature,” said one administration official. “The president is absolutely firm that he will not be …
For military veterans, burn pit coverage is this generation’s Agent Orange coverage. For years, the VA denied that this defoliant caused health problems. Finally, the VA conceded what seemed logical all the time, which was that the toxic substance that killed plant cells in Southeast Asia also killed human cells in the people who handled this chemical. Yet even today, …
The Food and Drug Administration seemed poised to approve MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a/k/a molly or ecstasy) PTSD treatments by mid-2024, but a recent report may derail the approval process. Proponents hope the efforts could yield the first major new therapies for mental illness since the introduction of modern antidepressants in the 1980s. But not all researchers are convinced that their benefits …
Accelerated military activity by China and North Korea has prompted the United States to completely reverse course regarding a planned military withdrawal. U.S. Space Force Indo-Pacific Commander Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir said Tuesday that his agency is working closely with the Japanese government to set up a component in the country, which he said would be similar to the one …
Citing logistical issues, an advance team of Kenyan peacekeepers packed up and left Haiti, leaving the troubled island nation in the hands of armed gangs. A senior Kenyan official who declined to be named as they are not the official spokesperson said the bases are still under construction and crucial resources including vehicles are needed before deployment of the first …
Officials said Israeli forces mistakenly attacked a World Central Kitchen relief convoy. The airstrike killed seven WCF employees, including three people in the security detail. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israel mistakenly killed seven people working for the aid charity. Israel’s military voiced “sincere sorrow” over the incident, which ratcheted up international pressure for steps to ease the …
Marines and their family members who drank contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, have until August 10, 2024, to file legal claims. People who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 may be eligible to file a lawsuit. The victim (or decedent) must have lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least thirty days and …
One of the largest studies to date concluded that burn pits could cause serious health problems, mostly respiratory problems, for millions of veterans. The study looked at the records of 459,381 military veterans receiving health care from the Veterans Administration to determine the health effects of exposure to burn pits. Longer deployment to military bases with open burn pits was …
To stem the rising tide of jihadist violence, three West African nations, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso will be conducting joint action against these groups. The military regimes in the three countries have become increasingly close allies in recent months. Last September, they formed a mutual defense pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), withdrawing from an international …
The government’s close (some would say overbearing) regulation of private affairs continues. A homosexual relationship in Iraq is now punishable by up to fifteen years in prison. Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, the acting parliamentary speaker, said the new legislation was aimed at “protecting the moral fabric” of society. “There is no place for homosexuality in Iraq, the land of prophets, pure imams, …
