Washing Machines Cause 'microplastic' Ocean Pollution

CAIRO — A boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Yemen, leaving at least 49 dead and 140 missing, the U. N.’s International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. The boat was carrying some 260 Somalis and Ethiopians from the northern coast of Somalia on the 320-kilometer (200-mile) journey across the Gulf of Aden when it sank Monday off Yemen’s southern coast, the IOM said in a statement. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It said search efforts were continuing and so far 71 had been rescued.

The U. N. human rights office has expressed concern about possible war crimes committed by both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups during a Saturday raid into Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp that rescued four Israeli hostages and killed hundreds of Palestinians. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “It was catastrophic, the way that this was carried out in that civilians—again—were caught smack bang in the middle of this,” Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the U.

A fire has killed around 1,000 caged animals at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of South East Asia’s largest open air markets. The early morning blaze broke out at around 4:10 a.m. local time and engulfed more than 100 pet shops in the famous market, according to Bangkok officials. Caged animals including dogs, birds, cats, and snakes were reportedly burned to death in their cages. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] No human casualties have been reported as a result of the fire.

KYIV, Ukraine — The U. S. has removed restrictions on the transfer of American weapons and training to a high-profile Ukrainian military unit with a checkered past, the State Department said on Tuesday. The move will help the Azov Brigade, among Ukraine’s most effective and popular fighting units, move beyond its reputation as a far-right movement, a perception its commanders have been trying to dispel as Russian propaganda. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The State Department applied the Leahy vetting process to the Azov Brigade, which has been absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard as the 12th Special Forces Brigade.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Singapore Airlines said Tuesday it has offered compensation to passengers of a flight that hit extreme turbulence last month, in a rare case that killed one passenger and injured dozens. The Being 777 jet, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew from London to Singapore, ran into sudden turbulence over the Irrawaddy basin on May 20, hurling people and items around the cabin.

SEOUL — South Korean soldiers fired warning shots after North Korean troops briefly violated the tense border earlier this week, South Korea’s military said Tuesday, as the rivals are embroiled in Cold War-style campaigns like balloon launches and propaganda broadcasts. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Bloodshed and violent confrontations have occasionally occurred at the Koreas’ heavily fortified border, called the Demilitarized Zone.