Rescue workers saved a 63-year-old woman from the rubble of a building in Myanmar’s capital on Tuesday, but hope was fading of finding many more survivors of the violent earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war. The fire department in Naypyitaw said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried when the building collapsed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit midday Friday. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours. Death toll numbers forecast to increase The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum for relief donations in Naypyitaw that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, Myanmar’s state MRTV television reported. He said Friday’s earthquake was the second most powerful in the country’s recorded history after a magnitude 8 quake east of Mandalay in May 1912. The casualty figures are widely expected to rise. The earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess. Most of the reports so far have come from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, which was near the epicenter of the earthquake, and Naypyitaw, the capital. “The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour,” said Julia Rees, UNICEF’s deputy representative for Myanmar. Myanmar’s fire department said 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay and 259 bodies have been found so far. In one incident, 50 Buddhist monks who were taking a religious exam in a monastery were killed when the building collapsed, and 150 more are thought to be buried in the rubble. Structural damage is extensive The World Health Organization said more than 10,000 buildings overall are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged by the quake. The earthquake also rocked neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers. Two bodies were pulled from the rubble Monday and another was recovered Tuesday, but dozens were still missing. Overall, there were 21 people killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, primarily at the construction site. In Myanmar, search and rescue efforts across the affected area paused briefly at midday Tuesday as people stood for a minute in silent tribute to the dead. Relief efforts moving at a sluggish pace Foreign aid workers have been arriving slowly to help in the rescue efforts, but progress lagged due to a lack of heavy machinery in many places. In one site in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, workers formed a human chain, passing chunks of brick and concrete out hand-by-hand from the ruins of a collapsed building. The state Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Tuesday that a team of Chinese rescuers saved four people the day before from the ruins of an apartment complex. They included a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman who had been trapped for more than 60 hours. It also reported that two teenagers were able to crawl out of the rubble of the same building using their cellphone flashlights to help guide them. Rescue workers were then able to use details from what they told them to locate their grandmother and sibling. International rescue teams from several countries are […]
Hamas has quietly removed around 3,400 previously reported “deaths” from its casualty lists—including an astonishing 1,080 children who apparently weren’t as dead as initially advertised. It seems the Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, has accomplished what science could not—bringing thousands back from the dead. Analyst Salo Aizenberg from Honest Reporting and NGO Monitor pointed out this curious phenomenon after noticing a striking discrepancy between Hamas’s August and September 2024 casualty figures and their magically revised March 2025 list. “These ‘deaths’ never happened. The numbers were falsified—again,” Aizenberg said. “What happened? How did 1000s of supposedly confirmed, fully identified deaths just vanish? Were some actually missing persons? Sloppy records? Intentional deception? Hamas’ Ministry of Health was never reliable.” Indeed, this isn’t the first instance of Hamas performing statistical miracles. Previously, they included 471 fictitious fatalities at the al-Ahli Hospital—deaths that proved to be as real as a unicorn sighting in downtown Gaza City. Even their claim that 70% of casualties were women and children quietly vanished like smoke after scrutiny arose. “From day one, Hamas has gamed the fatality data—from including 471 fake ‘deaths’ at al-Ahli Hospital in the official count, to claiming 70% of fatalities were women & children (then quietly backing off). Managed fakery, dressed up as precision—just like in past wars,” Aizenberg added. Of course, dropping these names doesn’t suddenly make Hamas’s figures reliable. They’ve been adding and subtracting casualties like an accountant in a circus tent since the war started. Despite Hamas’s numeric gymnastics, numerous international media outlets and human rights organizations initially took their word at face value. Israeli sources, on the other hand, insist that the real number of enemy combatants killed is closer to 20,000, marking an unprecedentedly low civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is urging a judge to expedite a decision on dismissing a criminal case against him as a key campaign deadline approaches. Hizzoner filed a motion on Monday asking Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley to speed up the ruling on tossing out the five-count indictment, which includes charges of bribery and fraud. Adams’ legal team argues that with the mayoral primary just months away on June 24, 2025, a swift resolution is needed so the mayor can focus on his reelection bid without the cloud of the criminal case hanging over him. Prosecutors allege Adams accepted illegal campaign contributions and luxury perks from foreign nationals, claims the mayor vehemently denies. Adams, a moderate Democrat and former NYPD captain, is facing a tough reelection fight in the heavily Democratic city. The criminal case threatens to derail his bid for a second term leading the Big Apple. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The final U.S. soldier who went missing in Lithuania has been found dead, bringing to an end a massive weeklong search for the four service members whose armored vehicle was pulled from a swampy training area, the U.S. military said Tuesday. The bodies of the three other soldiers were recovered Monday after U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and authorities dug the M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive Gen. Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė. Their identities have not been released as family notifications continue. The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing a week ago, the Army said. “This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commander, said in a statement Tuesday. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.” Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabradė, 6 miles (10 kilometers) west of the border with Belarus. The 63-ton (126,000-pound) armored vehicle was discovered March 26 submerged in 15 feet (4.5 meters) of water, but it took days to pull it out of the bog. Lithuanian armed forces provided military helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and search and rescue personnel. They brought in additional excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts and several hundred tons of gravel and earth to help the recovery. Navy divers maneuvered through thick layers of mud, clay and sediment with zero visibility to reach the vehicle Sunday evening and attach steel cables so it could be pulled out. When just three of the four bodies were found, the divers began a search of the bog area for the fourth. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, expressed gratitude to the U.S. allies who sent troops and equipment to help in the search and recovery. “I can’t say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies — and our own Sailors, Airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers — have enabled us to find and bring home our Soldiers,” Donahue said in the statement. “This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.” (AP)
Hakadosh Baruch Hu says “Borrow on My account and I will repay you” – לוה עלי ואני אשלם Whatever we spend for our own Pesach needs is guaranteed to be reimbursed, with interest. There’s one key that unlocks the storehouse of blessing: Whatever we spend must be to honor Hashem. Countless stories and parables have been told to demonstrate this truth. The good news is, we can guarantee one hundred percent that we will be paid back many times over—if we only fulfill: “Bring happiness onto Mine, and I’ll bring happiness to yours” – אם אתה משמח את שלי אני משמח את שלך TZORCHEI HACHAG is working around the clock to make sure families can have their basic needs for Pesach. We can only do this vital work with YOUR HELP, PLEASE! Give joy to others this Pesach-and May Hashem fill your home with blessing and true happiness. CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday exercised his power of the gavel — and tried to bring it down with an unusually aggressive effort to squash a proposal for new parents in Congress to able to vote by proxy, rather than in person, as they care for newborns. His plan failed, 206-222. In an unprecedented move, the House Republican leadership had engineered a way to quietly kill the bipartisan plan from two new moms—Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado. Their plan has widespread support from a majority of House colleagues. Some 218 lawmakers backed the new moms, signing on to a so-called “discharge petition” to force their proposal onto the House floor for consideration. But Johnson, like GOP leaders before him, rails against proxy voting, as President Donald Trump pushes people back to work in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic work from home trend. A procedural vote Tuesday will test whether the speaker — or the new moms — have the tally on their side. It was turned back in dramatic fashion, with nine Republicans joining all Democrats to sink the GOP leaders’ effort. “If we don’t do the right thing now, it’ll never be done,” said Luna, who gave birth to her son in 2023. Pettersen with a diaper over her shoulder and four-month-old son, Sam, in her arms, stood on the House floor pleaded with colleagues to turn back the GOP leadership’s effort to stop their resolution. “It is unfathomable that in 2025 we have not modernized Congress,” she said. “We’re asking you to continue to stand with us.” But Johnson had drawn the line against proxy voting as unconstitutional. “Look, I’m a father, I’m pro-family. The Republican Party is pro-family,” the Republican speaker said late last month. But he said, “I believe it violates more than two centuries of tradition and institution. And I think that it opens a Pandora’s box, where ultimately, maybe no one is here.” It’s the first time in modern House history that leadership was taking the extraordinary step to try to halt a discharge petition when it’s this far along in the process. Next steps are uncertain. Luna used the discharge petition process as she and others grew frustrated that House committees and party leadership were not bringing the proxy-voting proposal forward. Instead, she and others gathered the majority signatures needed, 218, to discharge it from limbo, and force it to the floor for action. At a Rules committee hearing early Tuesday, the GOP-led panel tucked in a provision into the routine rules process that would have prohibited not just this discharge petition but any others that try to push a proxy voting forward. Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the panel, said a discharge petition has never been halted before at this stage in the process — a remarkable move from Republicans who often campaign as the party aligned with family values. “Given the chance to actually support families, they turn their backs,” he said. “A majority of the chamber is upending what the majority in this chamber wants.” Republicans countered that Luna, who led the discharge effort, did not go through the regular process, of waiting for their resolution to be brought to the floor through the regular […]
YWN regrets to inform you of the sudden Petira of HaRav Yitzchok Spitzer Z”L, a distinguished Dayan in Skver and a prominent Mohel, who was Niftar suddenly on Tuesday afternoon at the age of 68. Harav Yitzchok Spitzer Z”L was widely revered for his deep knowledge of Halacha and unwavering dedication to Limud HaTorah. Known throughout the Skverer Kehilla and beyond, his halachic rulings were marked by clarity, depth, and sensitivity, even in the most complex situations. His decades as a Dayan and Mohel touched the lives of countless families. Tragedy struck Tuesday morning while the Niftar Z”L was inspecting a mikvah in a private home on Lincoln Avenue in New Square. He was found unconscious at the scene. New Square Hatzolah responded immediately and worked tirelessly to revive him, but despite their efforts, he was sadly Niftar. His sudden petira has left his family, the Skvere Kehilla, and all who knew him in deep shock and mourning. He is the father of Zevy Spitzer, the well-known coordinator of Ershte Hilf. The Levaya will take place Tuesday at 3:30 PM at the Skvere Bais Medrash in New Square. Baruch Dayan HaEmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
In a dramatic development in Israel’s Qatargate scandal, Judge Menachem Mizrachi of the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court has detailed troubling suspicions involving high-level aides to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. According to Judge Mizrachi’s findings, there is “reasonable suspicion” that Yonatan Urich, a close aide to Netanyahu, and Eli Feldstein, formerly the prime minister’s spokesman, were involved in questionable financial dealings and unlawful ties with Qatar. The allegations include potential financial crimes and money laundering. Central to the investigation is an American lobbying firm, The Third Circle, headed by lobbyist Jay Footlik. The court documents state that Urich established direct connections with the firm to promote Qatar positively regarding its role in negotiating a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. At the same time, Qatar allegedly sought to tarnish Egypt’s image as an impartial mediator in the negotiations. Judge Mizrahi outlined that a covert economic arrangement was allegedly set up, facilitated by Gulf-based Israeli businessman Gil Birger, involving monetary payments from The Third Circle to Feldstein, mediated by Urich. The funds, investigators suspect, were intended to incentivize media coverage sympathetic to Qatar, downplaying Egypt’s constructive role. The judge’s summary explicitly accuses Urich, Feldstein, and Birger of manipulating the media narrative to benefit Qatar, thus “dictating the media agenda” and undermining Egypt’s reputation. The revelations come as Mizrachi lifted a gag order that had repeatedly been breached, declaring that continued secrecy had become detrimental to the “proper conduct of the investigation.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Elected officials are ramping up pressure on Albany to pass the “Stop Super Speeders” bill, which would install “speed limiter” technology on vehicles of drivers with repeated speeding violations. The legislation has lingered in the state capital for years without enough support to become law, even as traffic deaths continue to outpace gun deaths in New York City for the second straight year, according to recent data. The renewed push follows a horrific incident in Brooklyn over the weekend, where a driver with a suspended license fatally struck a mother and her two daughters as they crossed the street. The woman’s son, a fourth victim, remains in critical condition. This tragedy could finally propel the bill forward, bringing it to the forefront of what Brooklyn Assemblymember Emily Gallagher described as a logjam of countless stalled proposals. “A lot of what happens when it comes to getting a bill to the top of the list is really through a movement and folks fighting for the bill,” said Gallagher, a co-sponsor of the legislation. She joined state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, another bill sponsor, and city Comptroller Brad Lander at a press conference Monday on the steps of Borough Hall in Downtown Brooklyn. They stood with members of Families for Safe Streets, demanding swift action. The bill would mandate intelligent speed assistance technology for drivers who rack up 11 or more license points in 24 months or receive six speed or red-light camera tickets in a year. “It’s no longer simply enough to shake our heads in despair when these preventable tragedies occur — it’s time for us to act,” Gounardes said. “The senselessness of this most recent crash is compounded by the fact that this car had dozens of speed and red-light violations, and the driver had a suspended license.” The proposal echoes the unimplemented Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Act, which aimed to require safety courses for repeat offenders or risk vehicle confiscation. It also resembles current state law mandating ignition interlock devices for those convicted of drunk driving. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office has not yet indicated whether she backs the “Stop Super Speeders” bill, leaving its fate uncertain. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
In the West Bank village of Duma, about 50 Israeli settlers entered, set fire to property, and clashed with Palestinians, injuring several, according to the IDF. Troops and police intervened to disperse the violent confrontation, but no arrests were made, though five suspects briefly escaped custody. The IDF condemned the incident and vowed to maintain security.
The NYPD is currently investigating an assault that took place at the intersection of 13th Avenue and 47th Street. The suspect fled the scene in a white minivan, while EMS is on-scene treating the victim for their injuries.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday that she has directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, following through on the president’s campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment. It is the first time the Justice Department has sought to bring the death penalty since President Donald Trump returned to office in January with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under the previous administration. “Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement. She described Thompson’s killing as “an act of political violence.” Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, faces separate federal and state murder charges after authorities say he gunned down Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 as the executive arrived for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference. The killing and ensuing five-day manhunt leading to Mangione’s arrest rattled the business community, with some health insurers hastily switching to remote work or online shareholder meetings. It also galvanized health insurance critics — some of whom have rallied around Mangione as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Tuesday that in seeking the death penalty “the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric.” Mangione “is caught in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man’s life,” Friedman Agnifilo said in a statement, vowing to fight all charges against him. Bondi announced her decision the same day the Trump administration began mass layoffs at federal health agencies. Mangione’s federal charges include murder through use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. The state charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a state indictment and has not yet been required to enter a plea on the federal charges. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state case expected to go to trial first. It wasn’t immediately clear if Bondi’s announcement will change the order. Mangione was arrested Dec. 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City and whisked to Manhattan by plane and helicopter. Police said Mangione had a 9mm handgun that matched the one used in the shooting and other items including a notebook in which they say he expressed hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives. Among the entries, prosecutors said, was one from August 2024 that said “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box” and one from October that describes an intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO. UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. health insurer, has said Mangione was never a client. Friedman-Agnifilo has said she would seek to suppress some of the evidence. Former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department filed the federal case against Mangione but left it […]
State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce: “The United States is determined to make sure Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon. Trump has expressed willingness to pursue a deal with Iran. If the Iranian regime does not want to a deal, the President has other options — and those alternatives will be very bad for Iran.”
