Flu vaccine no longer mandated for US troops, Hegseth says

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military will no longer require all American troops to get the flu vaccine, citing "medical autonomy" and religious freedom. "The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational," Hegseth said in a video posted on social media. He said American service members are free to get the flu vaccine but will not be forced to "because your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable." Hegseth's directive does allow for the military services to request to keep the vaccine requirement in place, according to a memo enacting the policy posted online. It says the services have 15 days to make those requests. Vaccination programs in the U.S. military date back to the American Revolution. But they became a contentious political issue during the coronavirus pandemic, when more than 8,400 troops were forced out of the...

NASA nuclear engineer found dead in burned Tesla after vanishing from his Alabama home last year

Joshua LeBlanc's Tesla and body were found burned beyond recognition about two hours from his Huntsville home A NASA nuclear scientist died after a fiery crash in a rural Alabama town last year, which at the time caused suspicion among family members. Joshua LeBlanc, 29, died in a fiery crash in his Tesla on July 22, 2025. The crash happened in Huntsville, Alabama where his Tesla was found burned beyond recognition at about 2:45 in the afternoon, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told Fox News Digital. The vehicle collided with a guardrail, then several trees, before the vehicle burst into flames. At 4:32 a.m. on the same day, LeBlanc's family reported him missing, according to KLFY. He uncharacteristically failed to show up to his job as an aerospace technologies electrical engineer at NASA, where he worked on nuclear propulsion projects.

Well, well, well . . . Ukraine declares Druzhba Pipeline repaired just after new Hungarian PM elected

Ukraine announced Tuesday it completed repairs to the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline and stands ready to resume pumping Russian oil to Europe, a step Ukrainian officials expect will unlock a long-delayed EU aid package. The timing is quite interesting and surely not coincidental given that Hungary's newly elected PM Péter Magyar and his victorious Tisza party are now in Budapest rapidly preparing for the transfer of power in Hungary. Magyar just accomplished a dramatic landslide defeat of Viktor Orbán last Sunday. The pipeline, which carries crude to Hungary and Slovakia, has sat at the center of a monthslong ratcheting standoff, which served to further distance Hungary under Orban from the EU.

Germany says it wants to become independent of Russian energy; Kremlin obliges

Russia to stop Kazakh oil flows to Germany via Druzhba pipeline After several weeks of the main oil artery into Europe being halted - perhaps as Ukraine awaited the outcome of the Hungary election and the greenlighting of Europe's €90 billion loan to Kiev - Zelenskyy stated the Druzhba oil pipeline will be ready to ship Russian oil again. There is just one problem: Russia said it would halt halt Kazakh crude-oil shipments to Germany through the major Druzhba pipeline next month after reporting "technical issues." The move would deal a major blow to the PCK Schwedt refinery which supplies most of the fuel to Berlin, as well as jet fuel and heating oil for the city and the surrounding area. The cutoff will increase concerns over fuel availability just as war in the Middle East squeezes global energy supplies. It also ​adds to Germany's fuel supply concerns as the Iran war disrupts flows from the ⁠Gulf. While Kazakhstan has received no official communication from Moscow, it got an...

New study reveals plants can detect the sound of rain

The gentle patter of rain cascading against a window often brings a sense of calm and tranquility. Yet, for a seed nestled just beneath a falling raindrop, this soothing soundtrack takes on a very different significance. According to groundbreaking research conducted by engineers at MIT, the sound of rain may actually awaken dormant seeds, stimulating them to germinate more rapidly. This revelation challenges our previous notions about how seeds interact with their environment, uncovering an acoustic dimension to plant biology previously overlooked. In a series of meticulously controlled laboratory experiments, the MIT team observed rice seeds submerged in shallow water — an environment that closely mimics their natural aquatic or waterlogged field conditions. They found that when exposed to the sounds generated by falling water droplets, these seeds transitioned from dormancy to active germination faster than their silent, unexposed counterparts. This acceleration in germination...

Flesh-eating bacteria found in Long Island waters

Infections can leave victims with 20% chance of dying in 48 hours Vicious flesh-eating bacteria may be lurking in bodies of water across Long Island, as researchers warned that victims face a 20% chance of dying within 48 hours. Stony Brook University professor Dr. Christopher Gobler, an ecologist in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, announced this week that his team has found evidence of vibrio vulnificus "hotspots" festering in several ponds. "Bacteria known as vibrio vulnificus, also known by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] as a flesh-eating bacteria, is present and a risk in our waters," Gobler told reporters Tuesday.

Dingo attacks on three children in Western Australia's Karijini National Park prompt warning

A four-year-old girl and her mother have been attacked by a dingo in Karijini National Park, prompting a warning from parks authorities following several similar incidents in recent days. The WA Parks and Wildlife Service is urging anyone visiting Dales Campground in Karijini to be on the alert. In a statement, the service said there had been three dingo attacks in recent days. The attack on the four-year-old girl happened on Wednesday, with her mother also injured trying to protect her. Both were taken to Tom Price Hospital for treatment. About 8am am on Saturday, a six-year-old girl was approached by an aggressive dingo that nipped at her clothing in the same location, however she was not injured.

Virginia Circuit Court rules state's new congressional map unconstitutional

A Virginia Circuit Court has ruled the state's newly passed congressional map unconstitutional and issued an injunction preventing the map from being certified and taking effect, according to Ken Cuccinelli the former Attorney General of Virginia. The court also denied a motion to stay a pending appeal.

6 inches of Spring snow on Jahorina Mountain, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ten to fifteen centimeters of snow fell on Jahorina Mountain on Wedensday, and the "Romanijaputevi" crews preventively sprinkles the roads with abrasive material. Technical Director of "Romanijaputev" Dragan Buloščić told Srna that the crews of this company did not clean the roads towards Jahorina today, because only a few centimeters of snow fell. "The winter season is over, and we have not received an invitation from the Olympic Center to clean, but we will still preventively sprinkle the roads tonight," said Buloščić on Wednesday. At the "Jahorina" Olympic Center, they said that the snow is still falling, but that it basically does not change anything, because the winter season is over. "We had snow when we closed the season. The question is, due to the low attendance, how much is it worth keeping the season open in April. There was talk of organizing skiing on May 1, but that has not yet been agreed with the management," Isidora Trivković from the Olympic Center told Srna. In...

Spring snow at Mammoth Mountain, California with 16 inches dumped in 24 hours - nearly 4 feet of April snow

After a slow and uncertain start to spring, the Sierra Nevada is delivering a late-season turnaround — and Mammoth Mountain, California, is reaping the benefits. The California resort reported 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) of fresh snow in the past 24 hours alone, adding to an impressive April total that now stands at 46 inches (117 cm) — just shy of four feet. The late-season storms have revitalized conditions across the mountain, transforming what had been shaping up as a typical spring fade-out into something far more winter-like. With the new snowfall, Mammoth currently has more than 100 trails open to skiers and snowboarders, a significant amount of terrain for this time of year. The resort has also confirmed it will remain open through at least Memorial Day weekend, extending the season well into late May and reinforcing its reputation as one of North America's most reliable late-season destinations.

BEST OF THE WEB: Israel's ethnic cleansing of Area C and the slow erasure of West Bank Palestine through sexual violence and humiliation

Palestinians are not leaving their villages in the West Bank because of "tensions" or "clashes." They are being driven out through a calculated campaign that weaponises sexual terror, military impunity, and land bureaucracy to make life unlivable. This article lays bare an illegal project of forcible transfer, enabled by the Israeli state and met with open international complicity through inaction. A Palestinian family does not abandon its home in darkness because life has become merely difficult. A mother does not send her daughter away because conditions are unpleasant. A shepherd does not give up the land that fed his family for generations because he has suddenly changed his mind about where he belongs. These are decisions made after something far more sinister has taken hold, when the home is no longer safe, when the road to school is charged with dread, when a woman fears the walk to a latrine, when a family sleeps listening for footsteps outside the shelter, and when armed...

All wars are bankers' wars - So was Kiev's 2014 anti-terror operation

Today, 15 April 2026, marks the 12-year anniversary from the start of Ukraine's anti-terrorism operation (ATO), which set off a cascade of events leading to a civil war in Ukraine and which made the ultimate clash between Russia and the U.S./NATO all but inevitable. The ATO was a critical part of Western powers' attempt to take full control of Ukraine, but at the same time, but its nature and intensity was deliberately obscured in the Western media. The Maidan coup and the breakup of Ukraine Violent overthrow of the democratically elected President Alexander Yanukovich took place in February 2014 and it provoked strong resistance in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine where the majority of people understood what took place in Kiev. These were the most populous regions of Ukraine which overwhelmingly supported President Yanukovych. In the 2010 elections in the Donbass he received over 90% of the vote and the people there did not accept his violent overthrow.

Meteor fireball lights up sky over Midvalley Highway, Utah on April 23

A fireball could be seen by drivers on Midvalley Highway early Thursday at around 4:50 a.m. as a meteor lit up the sky during the Lyrid meteor shower. KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said the big flash seen in the video was the moment the meteor exploded due to the intense heat and pressure of Earth's atmosphere.

Meteor fireball over France and 3 other countries on April 20

We received 31 reports about a fireball seen over Aargau, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Île-de-France, Baden-Württemberg, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Canton of Bern, Centre-Val de Loire, Freiburg, Grand Est, Lombardia, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire, Piemonte, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rheinland-Pfalz, Solothurn and Thur on Monday, April 20th 2026 around 23:37 UT. For this event, we received 2 videos and 2 photos.

Israel, Greece, and Cyprus: Forming an Anti-Turkish alliance in the Mediterranean

Benjamin Netanyahu, having lost nearly all his allies and facing genocide accusations, is desperately trying to salvage his regional hegemony. His latest gamble is a military bloc with Greece and Cyprus, aimed directly at Ankara and personally at "Sultan" Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But behind the chivalrous slogans of "stability" lies nothing more than a crude fight over Eastern Mediterranean gas fields and a desire to strangle Turkey economically. The Evil Empire vs. the "New Ottomans": Personal Hatred as a Driver of Policy Relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv have fully shifted from a "cold war" to open confrontation. The key reason isn't just geopolitics — it's intense personal animosity. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly called Israel's actions genocide, compared Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler, and accused him of an "unprovoked" attack on Iran, into which the Israeli premier even dragged Donald Trump.

April 22: Iran tightens Strait of Hormuz control, intercepts hostile vessels, reinforces deterrence

Iran consolidated its control over the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy intercepted two hostile vessels linked to the Israeli regime and transferred them into Iranian territorial waters. Iranian officials maintained that instability in the waterway stems directly from US violations and its continued naval blockade, even as maritime data showed dozens of tankers successfully bypassing American restrictions. President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that while Iran remains open to dialogue, Washington's repeated breaches of commitments and coercive tactics continue to obstruct meaningful negotiations. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stressed that Tehran will not reopen the Strait under pressure, as military commanders warned against miscalculation and signalled readiness to respond decisively to any escalation. Backed by strong domestic support and sustained operational resilience, Iran projected a position of control both at sea and in...

The Middle Corridor emerges as a strategic lifeline for global trade

- Global trade is shifting away from vulnerable maritime chokepoints toward overland routes like the Middle Corridor amid rising geopolitical instability - A $3.3 billion World Bank-backed investment push aims to address infrastructure gaps and unlock the corridor's long-term potential - While promising, the route still faces major capacity and coordination constraints before it can rival established northern trade flows While diplomatic efforts struggle to stabilize access to the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions between the United States and Iran, Eurasian trade is increasingly being redirected toward overland alternatives, with the Trans-Caspian Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, emerging as a key diversification route in Eurasian logistics.

Britain's asylum racket is news to no one

The small-boats crisis has been enabled by bent lawyers, credulous judges and duplicitous NGOs. The BBC has done the country a genuine service - no laughing at the back. On the front page of the BBC News website today is an investigation into immigration lawyers, who were found to be coaching fraudulent asylum claims, fabricating backstories, inventing persecution, selling identities wholesale to anyone who can pay. This is important journalism, and the team responsible deserves credit for it. Real, old-fashioned, get-your-hands-dirty investigative reporting, of the kind that used to be the BBC's reason for existing. Congratulations, sincerely, to everyone involved. Now, can we have a moment of honesty about what this 'revelation' actually reveals? Nothing. Nothing whatsoever that anyone paying attention did not already know. This has been going on for decades. Decades during which successive home secretaries of both parties stood at despatch boxes and talked about the integrity of...

California exposes Amazon's alleged 'retail price fixing' in unredacted court filing

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday released a largely unredacted court filing packed with internal emails that allege Amazon strong-armed brands like Levi Strauss and Hanes into pressuring Walmart, Target and other rivals to raise prices - all to protect Amazon's $2.66 trillion empire. The 19-page memorandum, filed in support of a preliminary injunction in San Francisco Superior Court, paints a picture of coordinated price elevation that Bonta calls "naked" and "per se illegal" under California's Cartwright Act. The evidence builds on documents the Guardian first reported on last week, but goes significantly further by naming major brands and quoting verbatim email chains that had remained heavily redacted until Monday. "You don't see price fixing so explicitly and egregiously in writing like this," Bonta told reporters, framing the documents as proof that Amazon used its market dominance to eliminate real competition across the internet. The case, The People of the...

Anthropic's 'Too Dangerous To Release' AI Model Was Accessed By Discord Group On Day One

Anthropic's 'Mythos' model is extraordinarily dangerous. The company itself warned that it could autonomously identify and exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in every major operating system, every major web browser, and every critical software library on Earth. And because of this offensive cybersecurity power, Anthropic refused to release Mythos publicly - and instead tightly restricted access through 'Project Glasswing' to roughly 50 carefully vetted organizations - 12 named launch partners plus more than 40 additional critical software and government entities, including the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Yet within hours of the limited rollout announcement on April 7, 2026, a small group of unauthorized users in a private Discord server had already broken in. The breach, reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday, reveals how fragile the safeguards around frontier AI models can be. According to the report, the group gained access using a surprisingly low-tech combination: legitimate...