The full membership of the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons voted to reject a Russian-led attempt to curb the new powers given to the agency to place blame on the use of banned toxic munitions in Syria on Tuesday, according to Reuters. The members voted 99 to 27 in favor of passing the increased budget for 2019 while rejecting proposals by Russia and Iran that aimed to block it from increasing its powers. The vote came after tensions escalated this year between Russia, whose forces are supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the West over Assad’s repeated use of chemical weapons in the Syrian war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said giving the…

(CNN)The Camp Fire ravaged Northern California quickly and ferociously. Now flooding, mudslides and rivers of charred debris could do just the same. More heavy rain expected this week could lead to several other disasters. “Rainfall that would normally be absorbed will run off extremely quickly after a wildfire, as burned soil can be as water-repellent as pavement,” the National Weather Service said. Wildfire survivors and evacuees could face instant flooding, mudslides or debris flow soon after the rain starts. Who’s at risk of flash flooding? Read More Anyone near the Camp Fire’s burn…

Fights between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-UAE coalition in Yemen erupted again on Tuesday near the pivotal port city of Hodeidah, even though the United Nations has been repeatedly calling for a ceasefire to prevent widespread famine from breaking out in the poorest country in the Middle East, according to Al Jazeera. Saudi-UAE coalition planes carried out at least 10 air raids on Houthi-controlled positions late on Monday, with the rebels firing artillery in response. Yemen’s internationally recognized government agreed to attend UN-backed talks next month on Monday which would aim to put an end to the violence. The Houthis also announced on Monday it was prepared for a broader ceasefire,…

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber targeted a gathering of Muslim religious scholars in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, killing at least 40 people, Afghan officials said. Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said another 60 people were wounded in the attack, which took place as Muslims around the world marked the birthday of the…

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber targeted a gathering of Muslim religious scholars in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, killing at least 40 people, Afghan officials said. Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said another 60 people were wounded in the attack, which took place as Muslims around the world marked the birthday of the…

The world’s biggest pharmaceutical firms have failed to develop two-thirds of the 139 urgently needed treatments in developing countries, according to an independent report, which highlights the need for medicines including an infants’ vaccine for cholera….

A dead whale washed up on a beach in eastern Indonesia had more than 1,000 pieces of plastic waste in its stomach, including drinking cups and flip-flops, officials have said. Rescuers at the Wakatobi National Park found the rotting carcass of the 9.5m sperm whale on Monday night near the park in Southeast Sulawesi province. They had received a report from environmentalists that villagers had surrounded the whale and were beginning to butcher the rotting carcass, park chief Heri Santoso said. Researchers from wildlife conservation group WWF and the park’s conservation academy found about 5.9kg of plastic waste in the animal’s stomach. Among the debris was 115 plastic…

A dead whale washed up on a beach in eastern Indonesia had more than 1,000 pieces of plastic waste in its stomach, including drinking cups and flip-flops, officials have said. Rescuers at the Wakatobi National Park found the rotting carcass of the 9.5m sperm whale on Monday night near the park in Southeast Sulawesi province. They had received a report from environmentalists that villagers had surrounded the whale and were beginning to butcher the rotting carcass, park chief Heri Santoso said. Researchers from wildlife conservation group WWF and the park’s conservation academy found about 5.9kg of plastic waste in the animal’s stomach. Among the debris was 115 plastic…

Thanksgiving week got off to a violent start Monday with four fatal shootings across the US in a matter of hours. Attacks in a Chicago hospital, on a Denver street, at a suburban St. Louis business and in a Philadelphia basement left 10 people dead — including one of the gunmen — and at least four people wounded. A gunman killed 3 at a Chicago hospital A police officer, a doctor and a pharmaceutical assistant were killed after a Monday afternoon shooting at Chicago’s Mercy…

Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for a critical meeting with…