1 Russia Playing Down Reports Of Pneumonic Plague Outbreak
Nearly 200 people in Russia's Siberia region are under medical observation after a 28-year-old laboratory worker died from what may have been pneumonic plague. The woman, a lab technician at the Irkutsk anti-plague institute in Shelekhov, died last week of severe pneumonia. Russian media reported she may have accidentally broken a test tube containing live plague bacteria while collecting samples, though authorities have not confirmed this. Officials placed at least 197 people who may have had contact with her under medical isolation, including more than 100 in hospital wards, and quarantined the hospital where she was treated. Pneumonic plague affects the lungs and, unlike the bubonic form, can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing. President Trump said yesterday he is concerned about the developments.
2 Protests Overflow Cornell Campus Plaza Over Response To Alleged Rape
Cornell students and faculty protested yesterday over the school’s handling of an alleged gang rape at a fraternity in 2024. Marchers called for President Michael Kotlikoff to resign and demanded stronger rules on consent and student discipline. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, is suing Cornell, seven former students and the fraternity. Two of the men deny wrongdoing, and no criminal charges have been filed; Cornell says it suspended or expelled students and closed the fraternity chapter. Gov. Kathy Hochul has put Attorney General Letitia James in charge of the investigation.
3 FlyDubai Attacker Reportedly Wanted To Crash Into Tel Aviv Airport
The suspected attacker aboard a FlyDubai flight to Israel intended to crash the plane into Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, according to two senior U.S. officials and an Israeli source familiar with the investigation. The suspect, identified as Hamam Al-Hammani, had previously been flagged as a security risk. He was suspended as a trainee copilot at Oman Air in 2024 for possessing extremist materials, raising questions about how he was later hired at FlyDubai.