How many human cells does a pig need before it’s considered too human?

Putting pig organs in people is OK in the US, but growing human organs in pigs is not – why is that?

It’s normal for parents, or anyone, to have questions about vaccinations -- but what happens if your pediatrician urges a shot that’s under attack by the Trump administration?  The revolt by pediatricians, obstetricians, family physicians, infectious disease experts and internists came to a head when an advisory panel handpicked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged an end to routine newborn vaccination against hepatitis B, a virus that can cause liver failure or liver cancer.

What are parents to do as doctors clash with Trump administration over vaccines?

Photos of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS show it traveling through our inner solar system. The growing collection of images has fostered intrigue around the mysterious object.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS' journey through our solar system, in photos

Voyager 1, NASA’s deep-space probe, could soon become the first spacecraft to reach a historic milestone. In November 2026, the probe will be one light-day from Earth.

NASA's Voyager 1 set to achieve historic distance from Earth

The European Space Agency said that the black hole inside the spiral galaxy NGC 3783 has the mass of 30 million suns.

Astronomers detect black hole blasting winds at incredible speeds

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed into effect a law that reinforces protective measures for women who are victims of gender-based violence, a move welcomed by feminist activists although they also demand more funds for prevention.  The introduction of the law comes at a time of anger in Brazil over record cases of violence against women and a series of high-profile incidents that shocked the country and sparked widespread demonstrations on Sunday.  The law, published in Brazil

Brazil approves law strengthening protective measures for female victims of gender-based violence

Plotters misjudged the national mood and Benin's neighbours learnt from past errors, says analyst Paul Melly.

A coup too far: Why Benin's rebel soldiers failed where others in the region succeeded

France’s lower house of parliament narrowly approved on Tuesday a key health care budget bill, offering the minority government some relief from political turmoil at the cost of suspending President Emmanuel Macron's flagship pension reform.  With no majority at the National Assembly, centrist Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu offered to put the reform on hold as a concession to the Socialists, who voted for the bill.  The move aims to prevent his fragile minority government from being toppled.

French lawmakers narrowly approve health care budget, suspending Macron's flagship pension reform

The complaint further criticized Israel Police, noting that officers were present at the scene, but did not intervene when the display was presented. Likud filed an official police complaint on Tuesday, alleging “incitement to murder the prime minister” after a display resembling a severed head of Benjamin Netanyahu was placed outside the Tel Aviv District Court during his testimony on Tuesday.

Display of Netanyahu's severed head 'incites public to murder PM', Likud says in official complaint

The United Nations chief called on Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday not to prosecute detained U.N. personnel and to work “in good faith” to immediately release all detained staff from the U.N. and foreign agencies and missions.  Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the referrals of the U.N. personnel to the Houthis' special criminal court and called the detentions of U.N. staff a violation of international law, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

UN chief calls on Yemen's Houthi rebels to free all UN detainees

If the budget is not approved by the end of March, the close of the fiscal year, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, and new elections will be called. The Shas Party will not vote in favor of Israel’s 2026 state budget unless the Finance Ministry “restores eligibility for haredi families to receive the food-voucher program," Shas Party chairman Arye Deri announced on Monday.

Shas threatens to oppose 2026 state budget over haredi food-voucher exclusion

It had become a familiar scene in West Africa.  A group of soldiers appeared on state television in Benin on Sunday to claim they had seized power.  Just two weeks earlier, soldiers seized power in another West African country, Guinea-Bissau, after a closely contested presidential election.

Why some African countries are prone to military takeovers

Captain Daniel Perez was murdered during the October 7 massacre. His remains were returned to Israel on October 13, 2025.

IDF finds weapon of slain hostage Capt. Daniel Perez in booby-trapped Gaza compound

FADC Chairman Boaz Bismuth said he pushed to approve the extension after Defense Minister Israel Katz said it was necessary for the country's national security. The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday extended the emergency draft order for 280,000 IDF reservists until January 1.

Knesset FADC extends emergency draft for 280,000 IDF reservists until January 1

Speaking in Rome at a conference for PM Giorgia Meloni's party, former hostage Rom Braslavski described the “horror” he witnessed on October 7 and the torture he endured in Gaza captivity. Former hostage Rom Braslavski recounted the "horrors" of seeing murdered Israelis during the October 7 massacre at a speech to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party's conference on Sunday.

'Women on the floor, riddled with bullets': Ex-hostage Rom Braslavski recounts 'horrors' of Oct. 7

Underwater archaeologists announced they had discovered the ancient wreck of an ancient Egyptian pleasure boat off the coast of Alexandria.

Discovery of ancient pleasure boat reveals Egypt's maritime history

Israel's Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir has declared that the troops' pullback line in Gaza is the new border between Israel and the Palestinian territory. During a visit to forces in northern Gaza on Sunday, he said the so-called "yellow line" was the new border, a forward defensive line for Israeli border communities and also an attack line.

Israeli Chief of Staff declares new border with Gaza Strip

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is set to begin his inaugural visit to China on Monday, six weeks after he was forced to delay the trip when he was unable to secure enough meetings with key leaders in Beijing amid tensions over Taiwan. During talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Wadephul is expected to address Chinese restrictions on rare-earth exports, which have made life difficult for European businesses who rely on the resources for manufactu

German foreign minister heads to China to talk rare-earth exports

The soldier and bereaved families spoke on the necessity of equal conscription amid the IDF's manpower shortage. Bereaved families and a wounded soldier spoke on the urgency of equal conscription to Israel’s military during a session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday, as lawmakers debated advancing the bill to enforce haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription to the IDF.

'We need everyone,' wounded reservist urges Knesset panel to advance haredi draft law

Notably, Germany opposed various sanctions proposals in the EU. It is one of the few countries Israel can count on to at least abstain from one-sided UN General Assembly resolutions.

Merz visit highlights new strategic, and strained, Germany-Israel bond

Patrice Talon says the situation is "totally under control" not long after explosions were heard in Cotonou.

Benin coup thwarted by loyalist troops, president tells nation

The 2026 budget passed its first test, yet the battles over defense, taxes, and reforms expose a government more focused on managing crises than shaping policy. Israel’s state budget for 2026 passed its first hurdle on Friday, receiving approval from the government in the annual high-stakes process, which could potentially trigger early elections.

What did the gov’t approve for Israel’s 2026 state budget?

Two were arrested for terror-related activity in the West Bank, while nine were arrested for criminal activity in Umm al-Fahm. The IDF and Israel Police arrested eleven people over the weekend in crime and terror-related activities since Thursday, according to statements by the IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police.

IDF, police arrest eleven for criminal, terror-related activity over weekend

Merz will also meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday morning, before visiting Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial later in the day. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told President Isaac Herzog that Germany wants to be more involved in the situation in the Gaza Strip, including the return of the remains of the final hostage, St.

Herzog, German Chancellor Merz discuss final Gaza hostage, Arrow 3 exchange in Jerusalem

Gunmen stormed a hostel near Pretoria and opened fire, killing 11 people including a three-year-old.

At least 11 killed in South Africa mass shooting

Esther says she faced sexual violence on her journey to Europe after fleeing abuse in Nigeria.

Single women risk rape and exploitation in search for better life in Europe

Drone strikes on a town in South Kordofan on Thursday are said to have killed at least 50 people.

Deadly attack on kindergarten reported in Sudan

Looking at the weather map on his computer and seeing three simultaneous tropical storms forming across Asia in late November, climatologist Fredolin Tangang’s first thoughts drifted to the 2004 disaster movie “The Day After Tomorrow.”

How a cocktail of rogue storms and climate chaos unleashed deadly flooding across Asia

The royal symbol on the newly discovered figurines solves a long-standing mystery by identifying who was buried in the sarcophagus.

Treasure trove found in Egyptian tomb solves ancient mystery

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has removed his former chief of staff Andriy Yermak from the National Security Council amid a sprawling corruption investigation that has rocked Kiev. Yermak is also no longer a member of the Stavka, the high command of Ukraine's armed forces, according to two presidential decrees published on Friday.

Zelensky confidant dismissed from further posts amid bribery scandal

The deputy for the slain Yasser Abu Shabab, Duhaini was documented walking among the militia’s operatives and boosting their morale after his predecessor's death. Ghassan Al-Duhaini, deputy official to the slain Popular Forces militia head Yasser Abu Shabab, has been appointed to lead the anti-Hamas armed group in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Ghassan Al-Duhaini to replace Abu Shabab as Popular Forces leader in Gaza

The issue of forcing citizens to serve in the military is back as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on.

Which European countries have mandatory or voluntary military service

The UN condemned continued incidents of summary executions, arbitrary killings, abductions, sexual violence, arbitrary detentions, looting and the destruction of homes. The Syrian regime needs to take more steps to ensure an end to the violence targeting minority groups in Syria, including violent offences against the Druze community, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights insisted on Friday ahead of the anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime.

‘More should be done’: UN pushes Syrian regime on justice for Druze, Alawites and minority groups

In the statement, Katz indicated that combat soldiers and other conscripts who are already serving and scheduled to complete their service during 2026 may have to delay their discharge from the IDF. The standard amount of service time for an IDF soldier is to be extended from 30-32 months to 36 months, according to a plan being prepared by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich , the pair announced in a Friday morning statement following the approval of the state budg

Defense Minister Katz moves to extend IDF service to 36 months

The Abu Shabab militia is a result of a short-sighted Israeli policy that doesn’t seem to want to see a legitimate and stable Gaza governance emerge. Gaza militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab was killed on Thursday, according to numerous reports.

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