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Record high tide in Maine washes away 3 historic fishing shacks | Nation and World

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Published on January 15, 2024

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U.N. agency chiefs say Gaza needs more aid to arrive faster

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The heads of three major U.N. agencies are warning that Gaza urgently needs more aid or its desperate population will suffer widespread famine and disease. That call came Monday as authorities in the enclave reported that the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war had surpassed 24,000. The U.N. agency chiefs didn’t directly point a finger at Israel. But they said aid delivery is hobbled by the opening of too few border crossings, a slow vetting process for trucks and goods going into Gaza and continuing fighting. Israel plays a deciding factor in all of those things. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza was sparked by the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack. The conflict has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe that has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population.

Record high tide in Maine washes away 3 historic fishing shacks

MEREDITH, N.H. — A record high tide in Maine washed away three historic fishing shacks that had stood since the 1800s and formed the backdrop of countless photographs. Resident Michelle Erskine told The Associated Press that she was visiting fisherman’s point at Willard Beach in South Portland on Saturday when she captured video footage of the last two wooden shacks sliding into the ocean. Erskine said her son had his senior photos taken at the shacks and many wedding parties had visited them. The shacks predate the city’s incorporation after they were first built along the shore and then moved to their current location in the 1880s.

Ukraine says it shot down 2 Russian command and control aircraft

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military chief says that the Ukrainian air force has shot down a Russian early warning and control plane that can spot targets up to 650 kilometers (400 miles) away and a key command center aircraft that relays information to troops on the ground. Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi didn’t say on Monday how or where the aircraft were brought down. But Ukraine has received sophisticated air defense systems from its Western allies. The hits would be a significant blow for the Kremlin’s forces and a landmark feat for Ukraine in the almost two-year war. The planes are key tools in helping orchestrate Russian battlefield movements in Ukraine. There was no immediate official comment from Moscow.

A quiet Dutch village holds clues as European politics veer to the right

SINT WILLEBRORD, The Netherlands — Voters across the Netherlands have veered far to the right politically. The shift has been triggered by economic and cultural anxieties that have whipped up fears about immigrants. It’s an extreme example of a trend being felt across the continent that could tilt the outcome of this year’s European Union parliamentary election. In the quiet Dutch village of Sint Willebrord, nearly three out of four voters chose a virulently anti-migrant, anti-Muslim party in an election last year that shattered the Netherlands’ image as a welcoming, moderate country. Analysts say far-right parties are primed to gain influence over EU policies affecting everything from civil rights to gender issues to immigration.

Austin released from hospital after complications from prostate cancer surgery

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s doctors say his prognosis is “excellent” following his release from a hospital where he was treated for complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from President Joe Biden. Austin was released Monday and is expected to work from home as he recovers. The 70-year-old Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat cancer detected earlier in the month. Austin developed an infection and was hospitalized Jan. 1. Biden found out Jan. 4. Austin’s lack of transparency has triggered reviews on procedures for when a Cabinet member must transfer decision-making authorities to a deputy, as Austin did.

Hamas fights with a patchwork of weapons built by Iran, China and North Korea

Iranian sniper rifles. AK-47s from China and Russia. North Korean-built rocket-propelled grenades. Anti-tank rockets secretly cobbled together in Gaza An Associated Press analysis of more than 150 videos and photos taken in the three months of combat since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel shows the militant group has amassed a patchwork arsenal from around the world – much of it smuggled past a 17-year blockade aimed at stopping just such a buildup. Hamas declined to discuss who has been providing its weapons or how they were snuck into Gaza but acknowledged it has scoured the globe for the means to fight Israel.

Volcano erupts in Iceland, sending lava flowing toward a nearby settlement

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — A volcano has erupted in southwestern Iceland for the second time in less than a month, sending semi-molten rock spewing toward a nearby settlement. Iceland’s Meteorological Office says the eruption began just before 8 a.m. Sunday after a swarm of earthquakes near the town of Grindavik. Iceland’s RUV television reported the community was evacuated overnight. Defensive walls had been placed around the volcano in hopes of directing the magma away from the community. But the office said the walls of the barriers built north of Grindavik have been breached and lava is on the move toward the community.

No joke: Feds are banning humorous electronic messages on highways

PHOENIX — Humorous and quirky messages on electronic signs will soon be disappearing from highways and freeways across the country. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to make changes outlined in its new 1,100-page manual released last month. The rules spell out how signs and other traffic control devices are regulated. Administration officials say electronic signs with obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be misunderstood or distracting. The agency is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

MLK Jr. holiday celebrations are planned across the nation, but winter storm could limit some

ATLANTA, Ga. — Communities across the nation plan to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday with events ranging from prayer services to parades, but a winter storm is limiting some activities. President Joe Biden plans to spend the holiday volunteering at Philabundance, a hunger relief organization in Philadelphia. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to be in South Carolina to give the keynote address for the state NAACP’s “King Day at the Dome.” In Atlanta, the King Center’s annual commemorative service is being held at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King served as pastor. Meanwhile, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is closed because of icy roads. It will still hold a virtual celebration in honor of what would have been King’s 95th birthday.

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