A 13-year-old Australian boy is being hailed as a hero for his sheer endurance and bravery after swimming about 2½ miles in rough waters then running about a mile to rescue his family who had been swept out to sea.
Austin Appelbee, his mother, Joanne, and two siblings Beau, 12, and Grace, 8, were on vacation kayaking and paddleboarding off the coast of Quindalup, in Geographe Bay, in southwestern Australia, when the weather deteriorated, according to local authorities and Australian media reports.
Fearing for her family, Joanne made the difficult choice to send Austin to get help, she told Australia’s national broadcaster, ABC News, calling it “one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make.”
“I knew he was the strongest and he could do it,” she said of her teenage son. “I have three babies. All three of them made it. That was all that mattered,” she added about the family ordeal where she spent more than eight hours clinging to a paddleboard in the ocean.
Western Australia Police Force said in a statement that it received an emergency call about 6 p.m. Friday that a woman and her two children had been swept out to sea in rough conditions.
Austin paddled to get help before his kayak took on water and failed him, police said. He then swam nearly 2½ miles in fading light and rough conditions before reaching land to ring the alarm.
“The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised highly enough – his determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings,” said Inspector James Bradley, South West District office said in a statement Monday. “This incident is a reminder that ocean conditions can change rapidly. Thankfully, all three people were wearing life jackets, which contributed to their survival.”
Austin, in an interview with ABC News, recalled that his mother had directed him to “go get help” while she stayed with his siblings.
“I knew it would be a long way … but the kayak kept taking in water, I was fighting rough seas,” he said. “I was very puffed out but I couldn’t feel how tired I was,” he added. “The waves were massive.”
Austin said he decided to ditch the kayak and remove his life jacket, which were making it difficult for him to swim, and alternated between swimming breaststroke, freestyle and survival backstroke – an energy-preserving stroke for long distances. “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,” he told himself, putting happier thoughts about his family and school friends into his mind to pull through, he said.
“I just said ‘all right, not today, not today, not today.’ I have to keep on going.”
Finally, he made it to shore.
“I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed,” he said. But his feat of endurance was not over. He then sprinted over another mile to find a phone, where he called emergency services and told them his family was stranded at sea, he said.
“A multiagency search and rescue response was initiated,” police said, involving multiple marine sea rescue services and a rescue helicopter.
The family did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Washington Post.
“This is what a true West Aussie hero looks like,” said Roger Cook, the premier of Western Australia, in a post on social media Tuesday, calling Austin’s feat of endurance an “extraordinary act of courage,” to save his family.
“Austin’s bravery is beyond his years, showing remarkable courage, resilience and determination in the face of real danger. Well done, Austin – we’re so proud of what you’ve done.”
Mike Tipton, a survival expert and professor of Human and Applied Physiology at Britain’s University of Portsmouth, said Austin’s survival was a “remarkable achievement.”
“He must be an accomplished swimmer, but even then, the water was cold enough to incapacitate him without unrelenting effort. He was clearly driven on by the desire to save his family – this is a common and critical factor in such survival scenarios,” he told The Post by email.
The Naturaliste Marine Rescue group, a volunteer group which was among the first responders, said the weekend’s rescue had the “best possible outcome, one we won’t forget in a hurry.”
“The bravery, strength, and courage shown by this family were extraordinary,” it said in a Facebook post. Naturaliste Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland told ABC that the teenager’s efforts were “superhuman” and that his description of the kayak and paddleboards meant that his family was found “within an hour.”
“Fantastic effort from all involved in trying conditions. A great outcome,” Marine Rescue Busselton, a volunteer organization also involved with the incident, said in a social media post. “Please be mindful of the strong offshore winds that can occur this time of year.”
(c) 2026, The Washington Post
{Matzav.com}
A faster way to get through airport security may be coming to an airport near you.
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, a new program that uses facial recognition, is expanding to 65 airports this spring. The expansion will prioritize 2026 World Cup host cities, where travel is expected to surge, said Transportation Security Administration spokesperson R. Carter Langston.
“Passengers seem to absolutely appreciate it – the speed, the efficiency,” Langston said. “All they show is their face, and the officer just waves them right into the checkpoint. No hassling with passports or IDs or phones.”
The TSA launched the first iteration of the program in 2021 in partnership with Delta Air Lines at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It’s now available for five airlines across 28 airports.
Critics worry that the program raises privacy concerns. It is voluntary, and travelers can opt out at any time and use a standard ID verification instead.
– – –
What is PreCheck Touchless ID?
The TSA said in an email that the initiative is a joint effort from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, airports and airlines that allows travelers “to move through dedicated lanes with ease, enjoying a smoother and more convenient airport experience.”
The program uses the CBP Traveler Verification Service to create “a secure biometric template of a passenger’s live facial image taken at the checkpoint and matches it against a gallery of templates of pre-staged photos that the passenger previously provided to the government (e.g., U.S. Passport or Visa),” the agency website said.
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Who is eligible for PreCheck Touchless ID?
To use the program, fliers must be a current TSA PreCheck member with a valid “known traveler number” and an active airline profile (such as being enrolled in a loyalty program). They must also have a valid passport uploaded to their airline profile.
The airlines currently participating in the program include:
Alaska
American
Delta
Southwest
United
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID offers current TSA PreCheck members an expedited airport security screening by way of “facial comparison technology.”
It’s only available at select airports, through participating airlines – which vary. For example, travelers at John F. Kennedy International Airport, but only if they are flying with Alaska, American, Delta or United. It is available at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, but only for passengers flying with Alaska, American, Delta or United. For a list of availability, visit the TSA website.
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How can travelers opt in?
To use the program, travelers must first opt in through their airline’s website or app before checking in to their flight.
The process varies by airline, but you can generally find the prompt under a “travel documents” section (where you add your known traveler number or passport details) of your airline loyalty program app or website.
American Airlines customers, for example, will find the opt-in choice toward the bottom of the “Information and password” page of their AAdvantage profile, while Alaska Airlines customers should go to their account settings, then click into the “travel documents” section.
Once travelers have opted in, then checked in for their flight, a TSA PreCheck Touchless ID symbol should appear on their boarding pass. If the symbol is not on your boarding pass, you won’t be able to use the lane, even if you show an employee that you are enrolled in the program.
At the airport, travelers should follow signs to a separate TSA PreCheck Touchless ID lane. Instead of handing an ID over to an officer to verify your identity, you’ll instead pause to scan your face, then keep moving.
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Is it really faster?
It can be, for two reasons.
First: There is no slowdown to hand over and scan your ID; travelers must only pause during their walk through the line dividers before proceeding to the X-ray machines.
Second: Because the program is new, requires signing up in advance and is not available for every airline, it’s getting a fraction of the traffic that regular security, Clear or PreCheck lanes are.
We’ve had mixed results. When it works, it’s incredible; you really are through in seconds.
But we’ve also been delayed when the facial comparison machine was undergoing maintenance and was out of use, sending us back into the longer PreCheck lane.
Which airports offer PreCheck Touchless ID?
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID is already available at 28 airports (however, participating airlines will vary; check the TSA website for more information):
Boston Logan International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas Love Field
Denver International Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Dulles International Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Harry Reid International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John Wayne Airport
Kansas City International Airport
LaGuardia Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Palm Beach International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Portland International Airport
Reagan National Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
William P. Hobby Airport
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What are the privacy concerns?
The TSA is using more facial recognition at the airport, including in regular security lanes and CBP checks.
The CBP says its Enhanced Passenger Processing involves taking a traveler’s photo using “auto capture technology” to simplify the inspection and adjudication process.
Travelers can also use biometric screenings to speed through Global Entry, using a CBP app.
The TSA says on its website that it may share your information with “CBP, DHS S&T, or others as necessary.” The agency confirmed that that includes sharing information about travelers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to check for deportation orders.
There has been a bipartisan effort to put more guardrails on its use at airports.
In 2019, the Department of Homeland Security said that photos of travelers were taken in a data breach, accessed through the network of one of its subcontractors. (The TSA says its databases are encrypted.)
A Senate bill would allow officers to continue scanning travelers’ faces if they opt in; it would ban the technology’s use for anything other than verifying identities. It would also require the agency to immediately delete the scans once the check is complete.
If you change your mind about TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, you can opt out at any time and ask for standard ID verification instead. You can opt out of any facial recognition at the airport by saying, “I’d prefer a standard ID check.”
The agency also says it deletes photos and personal data within 24 hours of scheduled flight departures. The TSA website’s FAQ section addresses some privacy concerns and says that all data collected during facial comparison checks is protected.
(c) 2026, The Washington Post
A U.S. Navy fighter aircraft destroyed an Iranian drone that moved toward the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday, an encounter that underscored rising friction as the Trump administration warns it could use force to push Tehran back into negotiations.
According to U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins, the drone “aggressively approached” the carrier with “unclear intent” and “continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters.”
The downing came just hours after Iranian units harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed commercial ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military said, linking the aerial incident to a broader pattern of maritime pressure.
Hawkins said the aircraft involved was an Iranian Shahed-139, which was destroyed by an F-35C launched from the Lincoln while the carrier was operating roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers) off Iran’s southern coastline. U.S. officials reported no injuries to American personnel and no damage to U.S. equipment.
Later the same day, forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps again confronted the same merchant vessel, the military said.
In a statement, Hawkins said two fast boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone closed in on the tanker “at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker.”
The destroyer USS McFaul moved in and escorted the Stena Imperative “with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force,” the statement said, adding that the ship was able to continue its voyage without incident.
The episodes unfolded against a backdrop of strained relations between Washington and Tehran, tensions that flared anew after Iran’s leadership spent weeks suppressing protests that erupted in late December over worsening economic conditions and later broadened into a challenge to the Islamic Republic.
President Donald Trump said in early January that he would “rescue” Iranians from what he described as a brutal government crackdown, a stance that evolved into a renewed pressure campaign aimed at compelling Iran to reach a nuclear agreement. Trump has also maintained that Iranian nuclear facilities were “obliterated” during U.S. strikes carried out in June.
“We have talks going on with Iran. We’ll see how it all works out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, declining to spell out where he would draw the line for military action.
“I’d like to see a deal negotiated,” Trump said. “Right now, we’re talking to them, we’re talking to Iran, and if we could work something out, that’d be great. And if we can’t, probably bad things would happen.”
The U.S. interception occurred only hours after Iran’s president said Tuesday that he had directed the foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with Washington, one of the clearest signals in months that Tehran is open to renewed talks after negotiations collapsed last summer.
Behind the scenes, Turkey has been attempting to facilitate discussions expected later this week, as U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff travels through the region. A Turkish official later said the venue for any talks remained undecided, but that Ankara stood ready to assist the diplomatic effort.
{Matzav.com}
The House on Tuesday approved a sweeping funding package to bring a brief government shutdown to an end, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump for his signature after the lapse began over the weekend.
The bill cleared the chamber by a 217–214 vote.
Trump has said he will sign it “immediately.”
Once enacted, the measure will provide funding for most federal agencies through the end of September. The sole exception is the Department of Homeland Security, which would receive funding for only two additional weeks as Democrats press for changes following the fatal shooting of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis.
By carving out DHS, the legislation sets off a compressed 10-day sprint for lawmakers to negotiate a separate agreement, with Democrats seeking reforms aimed at curbing the authority of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Under the bill, DHS funding is scheduled to run out on Feb. 13.
Earlier Tuesday, House Republicans narrowly advanced the legislation on a procedural vote, 217–215, without Democratic support.
Final passage was delayed by a day after Democrats privately signaled they would not supply the large number of votes required to fast-track the bill on Monday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not reveal how he would vote, saying only that his caucus held “a variety of perspectives” on the package.
Following a party meeting Tuesday, Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., also declined to say how she would vote when questioned ahead of the roll call.
The procedural vote underscored the razor-thin margin Republicans hold in the House. The vote was kept open longer than usual after Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., unexpectedly joined Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in opposing it. Massie has consistently resisted spending bills and was widely viewed as unlikely to change his position. Rose, who complained that the Senate had failed to act on the SAVE Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote, ultimately switched his vote to support the rule.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democratic negotiator on funding issues in the House, said she planned to back the bill and was confident it would pass. She said she and other Democrats spoke in favor of the legislation during their internal meeting.
“I believe this is an opportunity to isolate DHS and go at it, hammer and tongs, tooth and nail — whatever phrase you want to use, rather than having to figure out what the heck is going to happen to five other bills and all those departments,” DeLauro said. “There’s unbelievable bipartisan, bicameral support on those bills. So why squander that? And then take the next 10 days, next Friday, and just bring DHS up.”
The agreement to temporarily set aside DHS funding while approving the rest of the spending bills was reached by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the White House after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti prompted a nationwide backlash.
After the Senate passed the package Friday by a 71–29 vote, Trump urged House Republicans to approve the bill without changes, tamping down internal calls to alter the agreement.
Even with the shutdown ended, lawmakers from both parties acknowledge that reaching a bipartisan deal on DHS funding will be difficult.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, said meeting the next deadline would be a challenge.
“There are vast differences,” he said. “I would expect — and I’m hearing that there could be just another, we kick the can down the road a little bit longer until those differences can be worked out … at least, probably, March 1.”
{Matzav.com}
The price of a single pack of cigarettes in the Gaza Strip has surged dramatically in recent months, crossing the 100-shekel mark and at times reaching into the thousands, according to sources familiar with the situation, amid acute shortages caused by the ongoing war.
Sources said that a carton containing ten packs is now selling for more than 1,000 shekels, underscoring the enormous profits tied to cigarette smuggling into Gaza Strip. The soaring prices have turned cigarettes into one of the most lucrative black-market commodities in the territory.
Against this backdrop, it was cleared for publication on Tuesday that Betzalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, is suspected of involvement in smuggling cigarettes into Gaza.
A source familiar with the investigation said the combination of severe shortages and high demand has transformed cigarettes into an exceptionally expensive product, with prices in some cases reaching thousands of shekels. It was reported last week that prosecutors are expected to file an indictment against Zini, and on Tuesday morning police requested an extension of his detention.
The investigation is being handled by the Southern District’s major crimes unit. As part of the probe, a sweeping gag order has been imposed on the case — which involves large-scale smuggling operations and numerous suspects — until February 10.
Indictments against 13 suspects connected to the affair are expected to be filed with the Beersheva District Court on Wednesday afternoon, after their submission was delayed to allow investigators to complete additional inquiries.
{Matzav.com}[COMMUNICATED]
The will of the Chofetz Chaim zt”l, in which he sets forth the defining milestones of his life and his lifelong activities on behalf of the public, and instructions regarding the future of the Radin yeshiva and its leadership after he passes away. It is written in its entirety in his own handwriting with his full signature: “Here in Radin, the words of Yisrael Meir HaKohen, son of Rabbi Aryeh Zev HaKohen, author of the sefer Chofetz Chaim and Mishnah Brurah.”
In his will, the Chofetz Chaim, with his characteristic humility, composes an emotional summary of his life — an autobiography — and gives thanks to Hashem for the merit of his activities on behalf of the public. He begins by setting forth the idea that profoundly impacted his generation and continues to do so to this day — awakening people to the severity of the prohibition of speaking lashon hara.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday sharply criticized Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid following his proposal to designate Qatar as an enemy state, dismissing the move as part of Israel’s internal political disputes and accusing Israel of direct aggression against Doha.
Speaking at the ministry’s weekly press briefing, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari addressed the bill introduced by Yair Lapid, without mentioning him by name. According to reports carried by Israeli media, al-Ansari said Qatar has become accustomed to being dragged into Israel’s domestic political battles.
“With regard to what was submitted by the leader of the opposition in Israel, we have honestly grown used to Qatar’s name being used within Israel’s internal conflict,” al-Ansari said. “It does not interest us at all.”
Al-Ansari went further, accusing Israel of acting as the aggressor, claiming that Israel had carried out a direct strike on Qatari territory. “Israel is the one that bombed the State of Qatar. It is the one that struck a residential compound in the city of Doha,” he said. “It is the aggressive party in this context.”
He added that any Israelis seeking to label Qatar an enemy should instead “return to the attack carried out by the Israeli prime minister, which constituted a blatant and direct assault on the State of Qatar.”
Separately, al-Ansari addressed the limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing, calling for it to be opened not only for people but also for humanitarian supplies. He expressed opposition to the use of the crossing as a political pressure tactic.
At present, the crossing is open only for the restricted movement of individuals, with no entry permitted for goods or aid shipments.
{Matzav.com}
