gedaliyah

Almost one in four Americans may be suffering from long COVID, a rate more than three times higher than the most common number cited by federal officials, a team led by Boston area researchers suggests in a new scientific paper.

A new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests racial disparities and the difficulty in diagnosing the condition may be leading to a massive undercount.

Since it was proposed by the Texas Education Agency earlier this year, the elementary school reading and language arts curriculum has faced strong opposition from parents, advocates and faith leaders for its heavy use of biblical teachings, which critics say could lead to the bullying and isolation of non-Christian students, undermine church-state separation and grant the state far-reaching control over how children learn about religion.

A second grade lesson called “Fighting for a Cause” notes that “slavery was wrong, but it was practiced in most nations throughout history.” It does not detail the race-based nature of slavery in America that made it distinct from other parts of the world.

Another second grade lesson covering the U.S. Civil War focuses heavily on Robert E. Lee’s “excellent abilities” as general of the Confederate Army, which fought to maintain slavery, and his desire to find “a peaceful way to end the disagreement” with the North. It does not teach that Lee enslaved people or highlight his racist views that Black people were neither intelligent nor qualified to hold political power.

Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday after the budget airline's merger efforts collapsed and its losses spiraled out of control.

Driving the news: Spirit plunged into bankruptcy after a $3.8 billion deal to sell itself to JetBlue was blocked by a federal judge and after previous efforts to combine with rival Frontier Airlines fell apart. Spirit has been bleeding cash for years. The company lost money in 17 of its last 18 quarters, including about $336 million in the first half of 2024.

In a series of rare in-depth interviews, Venezuela’s opposition leader called life in hiding “a difficult test” and asserted that Mr. Trump could gain an early “foreign policy victory” by pushing Nicolás Maduro from office.

A South African court ordered police to end a standoff with illegal miners and allow emergency workers to gain access to a shaft where hundreds are believed to be holed up.

The High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, said in an interim ruling that all miners underground in the mine in Stilfontein should be allowed to leave and no one should block their exit, according to state broadcaster SABC.

On Friday, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said in a statement it was investigating the police for restricting the miners’ essential supplies.

At least one decomposed body has been recovered from the mine, police said.

A recent statistic from the Sudanese Ministry of Health on Nov. 15 revealed that the number of cholera cases has risen to 24,604, including 699 deaths, while the disease has spread to 11 of Sudan's 18 states.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Authorities in India’s capital shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city on Monday after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season.

Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick, toxic smog enveloping the city of some 33 million as the air quality became increasingly hazardous. It rose further into the severe category, according to SAFAR, the country’s main environmental agency, which measures tiny particulate matter in the air that can enter deep into the lungs.

Air pollution in northern India rises every year, particularly in winter, as farmers burn crop residue in agricultural areas. The burning coincides with colder temperatures, which trap the smoke in the air. The smoke is then blown into cities, where auto emissions add to the pollution.

A large convoy of trucks carrying aid was “violently looted” in the Gaza Strip over the weekend and its drivers forced at gunpoint to unload supplies, the main United Nations agency that helps Palestinians said on Monday, calling it one of the worst such incidents of the war.

The agency said that the incident highlighted the “challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza” despite months of attempts by aid agencies to help it arrive safely, and despite the urgency of the need. Earlier this month, a U.N.-backed panel said that all of Gaza faced a risk of famine between now and April, with the north at particular risk.

In much of Gaza, there are no police officers to prevent chaos as organized crime groups fill the vacuum. Their affiliations — whether to Gazan clans or armed groups like Hamas — are unclear.

Intruders broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle last month and stole two vehicles, the police confirmed on Monday, a significant security breach at the sprawling royal estate west of London that is the primary residence of Prince William, his wife Catherine, and their three children.

William, the heir to the throne, and his family are believed to have been at home at the time of the burglary, according to The Sun, a London tabloid, which first reported the incident on Sunday. King Charles III and Queen Camilla also stay often at Windsor Castle, but were not there at the time.

“Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pickup and a red quad bike,” the police spokesman said. “No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”

Nearly three months after Venezuela’s authoritarian government arrested roughly 2,000 people in a crackdown following a disputed presidential election, officials have announced plans to release more than 200 prisoners.

By Sunday, at least 131 people had been freed, according to Foro Penal, a local watchdog group. Some analysts viewed the mass release, in part, as a gesture by the government to gain something from the incoming Trump administration.

The government has charged most of them with terrorism, an accusation that has become a common way to target political foes. Many of the imprisoned have denied the charges, with their families telling The New York Times that their relatives had not committed any crimes.