Yeshiva World News

The topic of a new course at Mansfield Senior High School is one that teenagers across the country are having trouble with: How to Get to Sleep. One ninth grader in the class says his method is to scroll through TikTok until he nods off. Another teen says she often falls asleep while on a late-night group chat with friends. Not everyone takes part in class discussions on a recent Friday; some students are slumped over their desks napping. Sleep training is no longer just for newborns. Some schools are taking it upon themselves to teach teenagers how to get a good night’s sleep. “It might sound odd to say that kids in high school have to learn the skills to sleep,” says Mansfield health teacher Tony Davis, who has incorporated a newly released sleep curriculum into a state-required high school health class. “But you’d be shocked how many just don’t know how to sleep.” Adolescents burning the midnight oil is nothing new; teens are biologically programmed to stay up later as their circadian rhythms shift with puberty. But studies show teenagers are more sleep deprived than ever, and experts believe it could be playing a role in the youth mental health crisis and other problems plaguing schools, including behavioral and attendance issues. “Walk into any high school in America and you will see kids asleep. Whether it’s on a desk, outside on the ground or on a bench, or on a couch the school has allotted for naps — because they are exhausted,” says Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education. Pope has surveyed high school students for more than a decade and leads parent sessions for schools around California on the importance of teen sleep. “Sleep is directly connected with mental health. There is not going to be anyone who argues with that.” How much sleep do teens need? Adolescents need between eight and 10 hours of sleep each night for their developing brains and bodies. But nearly 80% of teens get less than that, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has tracked a steady decline in teen sleep since 2007. Today, most teens average 6 hours of sleep. Research increasingly shows how tightly sleep is linked to mood, mental health and self-harm. Depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts and behavior go up as sleep goes down. Multiple studies also show links between insufficient sleep and sports injuries and athletic performance, teen driving accidents, and risky behavior and substance use, due in part to impaired judgment when the brain is sleepy. For years, sleep experts have sounded an alarm about an adolescent sleep crisis, joined by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC and others. As a result, some school districts have shifted to later start times. Two states — California and Florida — have passed laws that require high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. But simply telling a teenager to get to bed earlier doesn’t always work, as any parent can attest: They need to be convinced. That’s why Mansfield City Schools, a district of 3,000 students in north-central Ohio, is staging what it calls “a sleep intervention.” ‘Sleep to Be a Better You’ The district’s high school is piloting the new curriculum, “Sleep to Be a Better You,” hoping to improve academic success […]

Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a ban on Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, a group that was designated as a terrorist organization more than two decades ago. The move was a diplomatic victory for the Taliban, who were put on Russia’s list of terrorist organizations in 2003, making any contact with them punishable under Russian law. At the same time, Taliban delegations have attended various forums hosted by Russia as Moscow has sought to position itself as a regional power broker. The court’s ruling on a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office followed last year’s adoption of a law stipulating that the official designation as a terrorist organization could be suspended by a court. The former Soviet Union fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with Moscow withdrawing its troops in 1989. Russian officials have recently been emphasizing the need to engage with the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan. In recent years, the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have removed the Taliban from their lists of terrorist groups. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of withdrawing from the country after two decades of war. The Taliban initially promised a more moderate rule than during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, but started to enforce restrictions on women and girls soon after the 2021 takeover. Women are barred from most jobs and public places, including parks, baths and gyms, while girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade. Such measures have isolated the Taliban on the world stage, although their government has established diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates. The U.N. this year renewed its call for the Taliban to lift the bans. The group’s decrees limiting the participation of girls and women have affected foreign aid to the country. The Taliban also have brought back their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah, including public executions. Some Taliban want greater engagement with the international community and want to scrap harsher policies to attract more outside support. In recent months, there has been increased engagement between the Taliban and the U.S. under President Donald Trump, mostly because of prisoner exchanges and releases. Ibraheem Bahiss, a senior analyst with Crisis Group’s Asia Program, said the Taliban’s listing as a terrorist group was a legal impairment for trade and political ties with Kabul and its lifting reflected Moscow‘s desire to improved relations. “However, beyond making it easier for individuals and businesses to engage with Afghanistan. I am not sure what other major benefit this will have,” he said. South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said the Russian move was not ground-breaking because many countries had never formally designated the Taliban as a terrorist organization. At the same time, he called the decision a “win-win” for bilateral relations. For Russia, he said it would serve as a confidence-building measure helping pave the way for more engagement and enabling Moscow to better protect its interests in Afghanistan, particularly concerns about anti-Russia terror groups like Islamic State-Khorasan. “Meanwhile, for the Taliban, the court decision is a legitimacy-boosting outcome they can leverage to point to international acceptance of their rule,” Kugelman observed. (AP)

“Telling your wife your needs and wants” is a complete waste of time for married men who want happiness and I’ll tell you why. So many marriage experts claim they have the secret to a happy marriage and that it all comes down to communication, boundaries and bringing in more money. They tell you to help out more at home, talk about the past, go together to a marriage professional but never stop to take inventory of whether ANY of these methods are actually WORKING in creating happiness and joy! I am not saying those strategies don’t work at all, but they are the long… slow… painful way of having a happy home. And for the few that make it with these strategies, they’ve done it while he doesn’t get what he needs, and she doesn’t get what she needs.  Meanwhile, we’re helping our clients connect with their wives on the highest level, living lives full of happiness and excitement and it gets more and more joyful by the day where both husband and wife feel happiness and excitement… … all without needing their wife to meet them halfway! To check out how they do this, click below to watch my free presentation where I share all the details … you’re going to thank me for it! 5 Steps Married Men Use to Get Rid of Friction and Create Happiness and Excitement… Without Needing Their Wife to Meet Them Halfway!

A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea by an international team of researchers steering a remotely operated submersible. The sighting was announced Tuesday by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The squid filmed was a juvenile about 1 foot (30 centimeters) in length at a depth of 1,968 feet (600 meters) in the South Atlantic Ocean. Full-grown adult colossal squids, which scientists have uncovered from the bellies of whales and seabirds, can reach lengths up to 23 feet (7 meters) — almost the size of a small fire truck. The squid was spied last month near the South Sandwich Islands during an expedition to search for new sea life. Researchers waited to verify the species identification with other independent scientists before releasing the footage. “I really love that we have seen a young colossal squid first. This animal is so beautiful,” said Kat Bolstad, a squid researcher at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, who helped confirm it. Researchers are testing different cameras in hopes of catching an adult colossal squid, Bolstad said. The young squid is almost entirely transparent, with thin arms. As adults, the squids lose this glassy appearance and become an opaque dark red or purple. When full grown, they are considered to be the world’s largest known invertebrates. (AP)

PRES. TRUMP: “I’ve been briefed on the Florida State University, Tallahassee active shooting…It’s a shame. It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place. We’ll have more to say about it later.”

UPDATE: Five people are dead and four others are injured during at “active shooter’ event at FSU, according to WFTV. According to law enforcement, there were two shooters involved – one is in custody and the other is dead.

DAY THREE! Chol Hamoed musical Hallel and Simchas Yom Tov at the TYH Shul in Orlando, Florida.

North Korea on Thursday threatened unspecified retaliation after the U.S. flew long-range bombers over South Korea during training with South Korean warplanes, which North Korea views as practice for an attack against it. The U.S. flew the B-1B bombers Tuesday to train with other U.S. and South Korean fighter jets. South Korea’s Defense Ministry had said the drill was meant to show the two countries’ combined deterrence capability against North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. The U.S. and South Korea routinely hold joint military exercises that they describe as defensive in nature. But North Korea regards them as an invasion rehearsal and is particularly sensitive to the U.S. mobilization of strategic assets such as long-range bombers, aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines. “The recent military move of the U.S. and the ROK is an open threat to the security of our state and a grave provocation that raises the military tension in the region to an extreme dangerous level,” an unidentified spokesperson for North Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement carried in state media. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea’s formal name. The statement warned that North Korea “will deter by dint of powerful force the U.S. aggressive attempt to permanently fix the malignant instability element in the security environment of the region.” North Korea often test-launches missiles in response to the U.S. flyovers of B-1B bombers, which is capable of carrying a huge payload of conventional weapons. In a development that could further anger North Korea, South Korea’s air force announced later Thursday that it was beginning its large-scale biannual aerial exercise with U.S. forces from Thursday. The air force said the two-week “Freedom Flag” exercise would involve 90 aircraft and other aerial assets from South Korea and the U.S. Animosities on the Korean Peninsula are running high as North Korea continues weapons tests designed to modernize his nuclear arsenal and supports Russia’s war against Ukraine by supplying weapons and troops. Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Kim and expressed his willingness to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to revive diplomacy. On March 31, Trump called Kim “a very smart guy” and North Korea “a big nuclear nation.” Trump said he and Kim “have a great relationship” and that “there is communication,” though there are no known public negotiations and North Korea hasn’t publicly responded to Trump’s outreach. (AP)

A quiet Thursday afternoon on the campus of Florida State University turned into a scene of chaos, terror, and tragedy as a gunman opened fire near the university’s bustling Student Union, killing at least five people — possibly including the suspected shooters — and injuring at least four others, according to preliminary reports from law enforcement and hospital officials. The campus was thrust into lockdown just after noon as police responded to reports of an active shooter. “An active shooter has been reported in the area of Student Union. Police are on scene or on the way. Continue to seek shelter and await further instructions,” read a chilling alert posted by the university on X, urging students to lock doors, stay away from windows, and prepare for the worst. Authorities say the shooter, whose identity has not yet been officially released, was taken into custody after a response involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Tallahassee Police, and campus security. A handgun was found on the suspect at the time of arrest, and officials later discovered a shotgun left inside the Student Union and another firearm stashed in the suspect’s vehicle, suggesting chilling premeditation and the potential for an even greater tragedy. Despite initial reports that the suspect had been apprehended alive, conflicting updates indicated that the gunman may be among the five fatalities. The details remain under investigation. Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare confirmed that it was “actively receiving and caring for patients” from the scene. “At this time, details are still unfolding, and we do not yet have specific information to share,” a spokesperson said. Witnesses described scenes of confusion and panic as students fled classrooms and dining areas, barricaded themselves in offices, or dove behind furniture. Many huddled together in silence for updates, while others called family and friends, fearing the worst. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the incident in a statement: “Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding.” Attorney General James Uthemeir confirmed his office’s involvement and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it was “actively engaged in the incident.” President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, called the shooting a “horrible thing.” “It’s a shame. Horrible that things like this take place,” he said, noting that he had been fully briefed and that the White House is monitoring the situation closely. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement shortly after: “The President has been briefed on the shooting at Florida State University and the White House is actively monitoring the situation.” In the aftermath of the tragedy, FSU has canceled all classes, events, and campus operations through Friday. Weekend athletic events in Tallahassee have also been suspended. Only essential personnel were advised to report to work after consulting with supervisors. Authorities are expected to release more information in the coming hours as they piece together the timeline and identity of the attacker. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A cable car carrying tourists south of Naples crashed Thursday after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one, officials said. Italy’s alpine rescue was responding to the accident at Monte Faito in the town of Castellammare di Stabia. The cable car accident happened just a week after the destination reopened for the season. The cable car is popular for its views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. (AP)

A former New York police sergeant was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison in a U.S. case about China’s pursuit of critics abroad, a sentence that came after two members of Congress urged the judge to spare him from time behind bars. Michael McMahon was convicted in 2023 of contributing to a transcontinental pressure campaign aimed at getting a former Chinese city official to leave the U.S. and return to his homeland. The tactics ranged from Facebook messages to a threatening real-world note on the man’s New Jersey door. During an hourslong sentencing, McMahon said he was “unwittingly used” by Chinese operatives when he took what he thought was a routine private investigation job in 2016. “I never thought for one minute I was working for China, stalking anyone. Yet now I’ve lost everything,” McMahon said. “This is such a nightmare.” He was among 10 people charged in the federal case, which spurred the first trial stemming from U.S. claims about China’s decade-old “Operation Fox Hunt” initiative. Beijing says it’s about bringing corrupt officials and other criminal fugitives to justice; Washington deems it an exercise in threatening and harassing dissidents across borders. U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said McMahon aided “a campaign of transnational repression ″ that harmed the targeted man, his family and the United States. “This type of crime really does threaten our country’s national security,” Chen said. She said the retired New York Police Department officer ignored clear trouble signs when he agreed in 2016 to help find a man named Xu Jin. Xu, a former official in the city of Wuhan, left China in 2010. Authorities there have accused Xu and his wife of bribery, which they deny. Xu’s wife testified that he was unjustly targeted for rankling the Chinese power structure. China doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the U.S., so China couldn’t legally force Xu’s return. But he was repeatedly and insidiously pressed to return. At one point, his octogenarian father was abruptly flown in from China to press him to go back, according to trial evidence. Later, a threatening note was taped to his door telling him to go to prison in China to ensure his family’s well-being. Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney John Durham said in a statement Thursday that the ex-officer “went rogue and dishonorably engaged in a scheme at the direction of the People’s Republic of China.” China denies threatening people to make them return. Through his lawyer, McMahon acknowledged searching law enforcement and government databases and conducting surveillance to gather information on Xu. But the former officer maintained he was told the investigation was for a Chinese construction company hoping to recover embezzled money. McMahon and his attorney, Lawrence Lustberg, acknowledged Thursday that the investigator missed “red flags.” But his clients deceived him, he didn’t anticipate the things they did to badger Xu, and he wouldn’t have taken the $11,000 job if he had known about China’s alleged involvement, Lustberg insisted, calling McMahon a patriot. The claim of transnational repression “horrifies him as much as anybody,” Lustberg said. McMahon, 57, shook his head as the details of his conviction — on charges including acting as an illegal foreign agent and stalking — were recounted. At other points, he wiped his eyes, particularly when his attorney mentioned the death last week […]

Horrible scenes from the active shooter in Florida State University show multiple Ambulances and law-enforcement present.

Intense video of police officers responding to the shooting at Florida State University.

BREAKING: At least four victims have been hospitalized in an active shooter incident in the area of Student Union at Florida State University

The Treasury Department imposed sanctions Wednesday on a Chinese refinery accused of purchasing more than $1 billion worth of Iranian oil, saying the proceeds help finance both Tehran’s government and Iran’s support for militant groups. The sanctioned refinery in China’s Shandong province received dozens of shipments of crude oil from Iran worth more than $1 billion, the Trump administration said. Some of the petroleum came from a front company for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, U.S. authorities said. Officials also announced that several companies and vessels involved in the shipments were added to the sanctions list. The new penalties were imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and follow earlier efforts by the administration to disrupt the flow of Iranian oil, which authorities say is carried by Iran’s “shadow fleet.” The United States has already penalized dozens of individuals and vessels involved in the shipments. “Any refinery, company, or broker that chooses to purchase Iranian oil or facilitate Iran’s oil trade places itself at serious risk,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a news release. “The United States is committed to disrupting all actors providing support to Iran’s oil supply chain, which the regime uses to support its terrorist proxies and partners.” Iran is accused of backing militant groups including Yemen’s Houthis, who have launched attacks on international shipping, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. During his confirmation hearing earlier this year, Bessent criticized the Biden administration’s sanctions policies and called for the U.S. to have a more “muscular” sanctions system, including on Iran and Russian entities and oil. Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement Wednesday that Trump “is committed to drive Iran’s illicit oil exports, including to China, to zero.” “As Long as Iran attempts to generate oil revenues to fund its destabilizing activities, the United States will hold both Iran and all its partners in sanctions evasion accountable,” Bruce said. The new sanctions were announced the same day that Iran confirmed that the next round of talks with the U.S. on Tehran’s nuclear program will be held in Rome. Responding to the sanctions announcement, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, said the use of the sanctions “undermines international trade order and rules, disrupts normal economic and trade exchanges, and infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals.” A spokesperson for Iran’s U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday. (AP)

ROUTE 6 – NEAR KIRYAS JOEL: A head-on collision occurred Thursday afternoon on Route 6 in Woodbury. Kiryas Joel Hatzolah and other emergency personnel responded to the scene. One driver was reportedly unconscious, prompting a medevac to transport the patient to a local hospital. *The occupants of the Honda Odyssey sustained non-life-threatening injuries.*