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Colombia earthquake survivors are reliving a nightmare from 1999: “You feel a sense of powerlessness”

Jahir Rodríguez knew what was happening when he saw thick, dark clouds forming near his home in western Colombia on Monday morning. Parts of his dear Pereira were crumbling.  The urban planner and former professor also knows what happens next after a powerful earthquake devastates whole communities. He sprang into action after a deadly 1999 quake…

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Justice Dept. leaves in place ruling that deregulates silencers, shotguns and certain rifles

Some Americans can now possess short-barreled rifles, shotguns and silencers without registering them with the federal government, after the Trump administration declined to pause a Texas judge’s ruling issued earlier this month that deregulated those weapons. The Aug. 5 ruling by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas gave the…

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Colombia earthquake death toll rises as frantic search for survivors continues

Tons of aid from regional partners began to roll into Colombia on Wednesday, as the search for survivors in the rubble of a powerful earthquake grew more desperate after the temblor razed buildings, buckled roads and crushed cars. The devastation has tested Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, and his government as it scrambles to respond to the disaster…

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Social Security adds 14 health conditions to fast-track disability list. See what they are.

The Social Security Administration said on Tuesday that it is adding 14 conditions to its fast-track disability list, which can help people with these conditions speed up the process of receiving benefits.  The program, known as the Compassionate Allowances list, was created in 2008 to accelerate disability claims for people with rare, life-threatening or other…

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Farm linked to cyclosporiasis outbreak hadn’t been inspected in 7 years as FDA lags on foreign inspection targets

The Food and Drug Administration conducted just under 1,000 foreign food safety inspections in 2025, and the farm in Mexico believed to be at the center of the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak in the U.S. was not one of them.  A federal law enacted to prevent diseased and dirty food from reaching Americans’ plates requires the…

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President Zardari approves additional judges’ appointments to high courts, ending weeks-long deadlock – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday gave his assent to the appointment of 19 additional judges for five high courts, along with confirmation of another five as permanent judges, ending a weeks-long deadlock between the Presidency and the government over the judicial appointments. “The president has approved the appointment of additional judges in the…

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