Wednesday, August 14, 2024
It is Wednesday, August 14. Here are today’s top stories.
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WHO declares mpox a global health emergency
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that mpox, as known as monkeypox, is a global emergency after outbreaks in more than 12 African countries that have infected children and adults with Congo being the hardest-hit area. There is a new form of the virus spreading. Over 500 people have died. There is a vaccine but a few doses are available in Africa. AP News explained that the WHO previously said mpox was a global emergency in 2022 after it spread to more than 70 countries and affected mostly gay and bisexual men. Mpox spreads through close contact with infected people, including through sex. A scientist in Congo said this mpox spread is occurring in refugee camps where there is hospital overcrowding. The name mpox/monkeypox has nothing to do with monkeys. It was just named because scientists first found the virus in lab monkeys in Denmark. In recent times the name was changed to mpox to avoid stigma against African countries.
https://apnews.com/article/who-mpox-africa-health-emergency-cc9bdf31b49d06bec5efd44fb55d5e42
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Arkansas cop fired after beating man in patrol car
A disturbing video shows a Jonesboro, Arkansas police officer repeatedly punching and elbowing a handcuffed man who was lying in the back of a patrol car and slamming a door on his head. USAToday explained that the handcuffed man told the officers that he swallowed a bag of fentanyl the day before and he thinks he will die unless he is taken to a hospital. The officer, Joseph Harris, was fired and the FBI opened a case about the incident, which means there could be criminal charges. He previously received a 20-hour suspension without pay for excessive force and was named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in June.
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Gazan twins killed in an Israeli strike
CNN reported that in Gaza, infant twins, a boy and a girl, who were only three days old, were killed by an Israeli airstrike that hit their home. Their names were Aysal and Aser. Their mother, Jumana (28) also died. Their father, Mohammad, was not at home because he went to an office to get birth certificates for the twins. He got a phone call that his family were killed along with about 20 others by several Israeli strikes in the area. Mohammad and Jumana got married last summer before the Israel-Hamas war began. The Israeli military said in a statement that they do not know about the details of this incident and it targets only military objectives. Almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, which is when Hamas attacked southern Israel and killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. The war has persisted .
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/13/middleeast/israel-strike-gaza-twins-intl-latam/index.html
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Kamala Harris leads polls in 5 battleground states
The Cook Political Report shows that Kamala Harris is ahead or tied with Donald Trump in six out of seven battleground states (states that don’t lean strongly Republican or Democratic). The report says that Trump lost the edge he had in the same political survey when Joe Biden was his opponent. Kamala is leading over Trump in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Arizona, and is tied in Georgia. Trump still has the lead in Nevada.
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.