Author: Rachel Maddow

Residents reported seeing a black panther in Dupnitsa, triggering police action and widespread online memes. A villager filmed an animal he believed to be the dangerous feline. Mayor Desislav Nachov visited the filming site with police officers to inspect it. Authorities questioned the witness whose video, shared with Euronews, shows a large black creature moving through tall grass. Nachov said officials have not yet decided whether to create an emergency search headquarters. The witness compared the animal to a large dog. Dupnitsa lies about 66 kilometres south of Sofia and near the Serbian border, over 430 kilometres from Shumen plateau,…

OpenAI rolled out parental controls for ChatGPT after Adam Raine’s parents filed a lawsuit. Raine, 16, died by suicide in April. His parents claimed ChatGPT encouraged dependency and planned his death. They alleged the AI even wrote a suicide note for him. OpenAI said new controls will launch within a month to let adults manage children’s access. Parents can link their accounts to manage chat features, memory, and conversation history. ChatGPT will alert parents if it detects signs of acute distress in teens. The company said experts will guide the alert system but did not clarify triggers. Critics question the…

Researchers confirmed Yersinia pestis caused the Justinian Plague, the world’s first recorded pandemic 1,500 years ago. They traced the deadly bacterium to its epicentre for the first time. Scientists found Y. pestis in a mass grave beneath Jerash ruins in Jordan. The discovery provides the first direct biological evidence of the Justinian Plague. Justinian Plague’s Devastation The Justinian Plague began in 541 CE and swept across the eastern Mediterranean and Byzantine Empire. Historians estimate it killed 15 to 100 million people over two centuries of recurring outbreaks. Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium behind the Black Death, caused the pandemic. The…

Russia launched 142 attack and decoy drones overnight in a massive assault on Ukraine. Explosions rocked Kherson, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro, Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Telegram. Sixteen drones struck ten separate sites, while Ukrainian defenses shot down 126 drones. At least two civilians died and 14 suffered injuries in Kherson, local media reported. The strike damaged nine houses, medical and educational facilities, an administrative building, a gas station, and several cars. In Odesa, reports confirmed one civilian injured. Chornomorsk suffered the heaviest destruction. Governor Oleg Kiper said attacks crippled Odesa’s energy network, leaving 29,000 residents without electricity. “Restoration work…

The Israeli army launched a new offensive in Gaza City on Friday.Explosions and smoke rose across the border as strikes shook the city.Officials described Gaza City as a Hamas stronghold with active tunnel networks.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israel must eliminate Hamas’s power to avoid another October 7 attack. Civilian Suffering Deepens The Gaza Health Ministry reported 63,025 total deaths since the war began.Hospitals confirmed 59 new fatalities in the past 24 hours.Medical staff also recorded five malnutrition-related deaths, raising that toll to 322.Residents said airstrikes continued despite international appeals for restraint.One displaced man compared his family’s treatment to animals…

A 14-year-old boy admitted to starting several fires in Portugal using matches in forest areas.He rode his scooter to Seidões, Ardegão, and Arnozela before setting the blazes.Police said the boy acted out of frustration from poor school performance and difficulty making friends. Authorities Deepen Investigation Investigators noted repeated fires in the same parishes during summer, alarming residents and destroying hectares of woodland.Police did not dismiss the possibility of the boy acting with others.The Braga Judicial Police transferred the case to prosecutors, who will present it to the Family and Children’s Court.By 20 August, police had already detained 52 suspects for…

Experts link soaring temperatures and shrinking rainfall to worsening forest fires worldwide.Europe faces its most destructive wildfire season on record in 2025.Blazes have already consumed over one million hectares in the EU, larger than Corsica’s landmass. Europe’s Devastating Fire Season The EU has reported more than 1,800 wildfires this year, releasing over 38 million tonnes of CO₂.Italy and Romania recorded more than 450 fires each, topping the list in outbreaks.Cyprus reported only three fires, yet those few caused catastrophic damage.Spain lost more than 400,000 hectares, while Portugal saw over 260,000 hectares burned.These losses equal 3% of Portugal’s land and 0.8%…

A gunman opened fire Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during church mass.Police confirmed he used a rifle, shotgun, and pistol while shooting through church windows.Authorities reported at least two children dead and 17 others injured in the attack.The victims killed were aged eight and ten, according to police chief Brian O’Hara.The shooter eventually turned the gun on himself and died at the scene.Officials have not yet identified a motive for the tragedy. Officials Condemn the Attack and Support Families Police chief Brian O’Hara denounced the “cruelty and cowardice” of the attack during a press conference.Governor Tim Walz…

The European Commission authorized a twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV, following drugmaker Gilead’s announcement.Regulators at the European Medicines Agency recommended the medicine one month earlier.Officials hailed the approval as a major step in the fight against HIV across the European Union. Yeytuo Marks Medical Milestone The drug, named lenacapavir and branded as Yeytuo, prevents HIV from replicating in the body.It offers protection for both adults and adolescents at risk of infection.Clinical trials showed the jab achieved 100 per cent effectiveness against HIV transmission.Experts called the twice-yearly option one of 2024’s most important medical advances.The injection replaces daily pills, providing the…

Police in Jakarta blocked access roads and tollways to Parliament, creating massive traffic jams across the city.Thousands of students marched on Monday to protest lawmakers’ monthly housing benefits of 50 million rupiah (€2,637).Riot police fired tear gas as protesters attempted to reach the heavily guarded Parliament compound.Protesters hurled rocks and bottles in retaliation and set fires beneath a nearby flyover.Authorities deployed more than 1,200 security personnel to protect Parliament. Anger Over Lawmakers’ Allowances Reports revealed 580 lawmakers have received the housing benefit since September 2024.Protesters denounced the allowance as unfair, given widespread economic struggles across Indonesia.The benefit equals nearly 20…