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The US government said Saturday it is suspending visitor visas for Gazans after a far-right influencer with the ear of President Donald Trump complained that wounded Palestinians had been allowed to seek medical treatment in the United States.The announcement came one day after a series of furious social media posts by Laura Loomer, who is known for promoting racist conspiracy theories and claiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an inside job.”All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the State Department, which is led by Marco Rubio, wrote on X.In a series of posts on X Friday, Loomer called on the State Department to stop giving visas to Palestinians from Gaza who she said were “pro-HAMAS… affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar,” without providing evidence.Loomer’s target was the US-based charity HEAL Palestine, which said last week it had helped 11 critically wounded Gazan children — as well as their caregivers and siblings — arrive safely in the US for medical treatment.It was “the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US,” the charity said on its website.- ‘Dangerous and inhumane’ -“Truly unacceptable,” Loomer wrote in another X post. “Someone needs to be fired at @StateDept when @marcorubio figures out who approved the visas.””Qatar transported these GAZANS into the US via @qatarairways,” she said. Qatar is “literally flooding our country with jihadis,” she added.Loomer said she had spoken to the staff of Republican Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, adding that they were “also looking into how these GAZANS got visas to come into the US.”Republican Congressman Randy Fine explicitly commended Loomer after the visa change was announced, in a sign of her sway over some US policy. “Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura,” Fine wrote on X.The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, a US-based charity, called on the Trump administration to “reverse this dangerous and inhumane decision.”Over the last 30 years the charity has evacuated thousands of Palestinian children to the US for medical care, it said a statement.”Medical evacuations are a lifeline for the children of Gaza who would otherwise face unimaginable suffering or death due to the collapse of medical infrastructure in Gaza.”Though Loomer holds no official position, she wields significant power, and is reported to have successfully pushed for the dismissal of several senior US security officials she deemed disloyal to Trump.In July, Loomer took aim at a job offer made to a highly qualified Biden-era official for a prestigious position at the West Point military academy. The Pentagon rescinded the offer one day later.Trump also fired the head of the highly sensitive National Security Agency, Timothy Haugh, and his deputy Wendy Noble in April at the apparent urging of Loomer, after she met with the president at the White House.”No other content creator or journalist has gotten as many Biden holdovers fired from the Trump admin!” Loomer posted on X Saturday.

Hurricane Erin on Saturday strengthened to a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm as it barrelled towards the Caribbean, with weather officials warning of possible flash floods and landslides.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report the storm’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 160 miles (255 kilometers) per hour by 11:20 am (1520 GMT).Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season this year, was located about 105 miles (170 kilometers) northeast of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands.”Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane,” the NHC said.Tropical storm watches remained in effect for St Martin, St Barthelemy and Sint Maarten.The hurricane’s center is expected to move over the weekend just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.The storm could drench the islands with as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said.”Continued rapid strengthening is expected today, followed by fluctuations in intensity through the weekend,” the agency said in an earlier report.It also warned of “locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides.”Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend. Those swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the US East Coast early next week, creating “life-threatening surf and rip currents,” the NHC said.The hurricane is forecast to turn northward by late Sunday. While meteorologists have expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the US coastline, they said the storm could still cause dangerous waves and erosion in places such as North Carolina.The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, US meteorologists predict.Several powerful storms wreaked havoc in the region last year, including Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people in the southeastern United States.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — which operates the NHC — has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs as part of US President Donald Trump’s plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting.Climate change — namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels — has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.

The Canadian government intervened Saturday to end a strike by Air Canada cabin crew members that saw hundreds of flights cancelled and triggered summer travel chaos for the carrier’s 130,000 daily passengers. Canada’s largest airline, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, had stopped all operations after some 10,000 flight attendants began industrial action fueled by a wage dispute just after midnight on Saturday.Hours later, Canada’s labor policy minister, Patty Hajdu, moved to invoke a legal provision that would halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration. “This is not a decision that I have taken lightly. The potential for immediate negative impact on Canadians and our economy is simply too great,” Hajdu told journalists.However, she said it could still take five to 10 days for Air Canada to resume regular services after the disruption.The airline had earlier urged customers not to go to the airport if they have a ticket for Air Canada or its lower-cost subsidiary Air Canada Rouge.It said flights by Air Canada Express, which are operated by a third party, would not be impacted by the walkout.The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which is representing the workers, said its members would remain on strike until the government formally issues an order that they return to work.”Please remember there is only a referral, we are still in a legal position to strike and will continue to do so, we must show the company we are in control of this,” the union’s Air Canada branch wrote on Facebook. In a separate statement, CUPE slammed the Canadian government’s intervention as “rewarding Air Canada’s refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted.””This sets a terrible precedent,” it added. “This will only ensure that the unresolved issues will continue to worsen by kicking them down the road.”- Unpaid ground work -In addition to wage increases, the union says it wants to address uncompensated ground work, including during the boarding process. Rafael Gomez, who heads the University of Toronto’s Center for Industrial Relations, told AFP it is “common practice, even around the world” to compensate flight attendants based on time spent in the air. He said the union had built an effective communication campaign around the issue, creating a public perception of unfairness.An average passenger, not familiar with common industry practice, could think, “‘I’m waiting to board the plane and there’s a flight attendant helping me, but they’re technically not being paid for that work,'” he said, speaking before the strike began. “That’s a very good issue to highlight,” Gomez said, adding that gains made by Air Canada employees could impact other carriers.Air Canada detailed its latest offer in a Thursday statement, specifying that under the terms, a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027.CUPE has described Air Canada’s offers as “below inflation (and) below market value.”The union has also rejected requests from the federal government and Air Canada to resolve outstanding issues through independent arbitration. Canada’s economy, though showing resilience, has begun feeling the effects of US President Donald Trump’s trade war, with his tariffs hitting crucial sectors like auto, aluminum and steel. In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned an Air Canada work stoppage could add further pain. “At a time when Canada is dealing with unprecedented pressures on our critical economic supply chains, the disruption of national air passenger travel and cargo transport services would cause immediate and extensive harm to all Canadians,” it said. 

For European leaders, the absence of a Ukraine deal at the summit between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump has at least one upside: They have not yet been completely sidelined in a key strategic moment for the Continent’s future.”It’s good news that there was no deal, for both Ukraine and the Europeans,” said Alberto Alemanno, a European law professor at the HEC university in Paris. He noted a serious risk that “a new European security map” would be drawn up while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Europe’s leaders watched from the sidelines.Europe found itself shut out of the summit in Alaska, and tried to weigh in ahead of the meeting with a flurry of calls and urgent meetings between leaders ahead of time.On Saturday, the French presidency said the leaders of Britain, France and Germany would host a video call Sunday for their so-called “coalition of the willing” to discuss steps towards peace in Ukraine.The meeting would come a day before Zelensky travels to Washington for talks with Trump — five months after the Ukrainian leader was ambushed with a televised scolding during his previous Oval Office visit.European leaders also proposed a three-way summit between Zelensky, Putin and Trump.But it remains unlikely that Russia, hit by 18 rounds of European sanctions since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, is ready for any thaw in its glacial relations with the bloc.- ‘Keep Europeans out’ -Putin made his stance clear on Friday, warning Ukraine and European countries to “not create any obstacles” and not “make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues”.”Clearly, what Vladimir Putin’s intention is, is to keep Europeans out and Americans in,” said James Nixey, a specialist in Russian foreign policy.After a debriefing with Trump and with Zelensky on Saturday, European leaders held their own video call on their next steps.Moscow “cannot have a veto” on Ukraine joining the European Union or NATO, they said in a statement signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.Macron later called for increased pressure on Russia until “a solid and durable peace” had been achieved.But since the beginning of the war, European leaders “have never engaged with Putin”, said Alemanno.”And all of a sudden they have to do so, without knowing exactly what are the terms of engagement,” he said. “So they’re a bit stuck.”The risk is all the greater since Trump has clearly indicated in recent weeks that he is ready to walk away from the war, despite his campaign promise to end it within “24 hours”.Despite pledges to ramp up military spending and maintain its support for Kyiv, European leaders are sorely lacking in resources to help defend against a Russia intent on subjugating Ukraine.”Each morning when I wake up, my first thought is that we have to re-arm ourselves even faster,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the Jyllands-Posten newspaper on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday shifted his campaign to halt the Ukraine war to securing a full peace agreement after a summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin failed to secure a ceasefire.Three hours of talks between the White House and Kremlin leaders at an Alaska air base produced no breakthrough but Trump and European leaders said they wanted a new summit that includes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.Zelensky will now go to Washington on Monday while European leaders said they were ready to intensify sanctions against Russia after Trump briefed them on the summit.Trump remained upbeat, calling the summit “a great and very successful day in Alaska!” in a Truth Social post. The US president added that European leaders had backed his plan for a new summit.”It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up,” he added.- Zelensky in Washington -He confirmed Monday’s meeting with Zelensky and said he hoped a Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit would follow. “Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved,” Trump commented.Before the summit, Trump had warned of “severe consequences” if Russia did not accept a ceasefire. When asked about this by Fox News after the talks, Trump said that “because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now”.Putin has repeatedly said only a full peace deal could halt the war he ordered in February 2022, which has left tens of thousands dead and widespread destruction in Ukraine.Putin again spoke of addressing the “root causes” of the conflict at the summit and some analysts said Trump may have conceded ground.”Faced with what appears to be Putin’s stonewalling, lectures on history, or other dodges, Trump backed away again,” said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland and now a fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank.Flying back to Washington, Trump spoke first with Zelensky, the White House said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders later joined the call, officials said.The Europeans, who had been wary of the Alaska meeting, held their own talks on Saturday and afterwards expressed support for a new summit.Their statement did not mention a ceasefire, just the need for more action to force Russia into “a just and lasting peace”. “As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy until there is a just and lasting peace,” they said.The war went on despite the summit. Ukraine announced Saturday that Russia launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile during the night. Russia said it had taken two more villages in Ukraine. Trump and Putin emerged from their talks to offer warm words at a 12-minute press briefing but took no questions.”We’re not there yet, but we’ve made progress. There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said.He called the meeting “extremely productive” with “many points” agreed, but did not offer specifics.- ‘Next time in Moscow’ -Putin also spoke in general terms. “We hope that the understanding we have reached will… pave the way for peace in Ukraine.”Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to “not create any obstacles” and not “make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues”.As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: “Next time in Moscow”.- Putin warns Western allies -Trump, whose tone with Zelensky has changed since he berated the Ukrainian leader at the White House in February, told Fox that “Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done”.Zelensky, who has rejected Russian demands that Ukraine give up territory, was not invited to Friday’s talks. But he said Saturday that he supported the American efforts.”It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation,” he said.Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin’s hand in any negotiations.Although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages, Russia’s army on Saturday claimed the capture of Kolodyazi in Ukraine’s Donetsk region and Vorone in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region. 

Hurricane Erin strengthened rapidly to a Category 3 storm early Saturday as it churned towards the Caribbean, with a warning issued that flash floods and landslides were possible.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 120 miles (193 kilometers) per hour by 0900 GMT, making it a major hurricane.Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season this year, was located about 170 miles (275 kilometers) northeast of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands.”Continued rapid strengthening is expected, and Erin is forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane later today,” the NHC said in its latest bulletin on Saturday.Tropical storm watches remained in effect for St. Martin, St. Barthelmy and Sint Maarten, with tropical storm conditions possible within 12 hours.The NHC discontinued a tropical storm watch for Anguilla as the storm moved away from the island.The hurricane’s center is expected to move over the weekend just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.The storm could drench the islands with as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said.It also warned of “locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides”. Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend. Those swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the US East Coast early next week, creating “life-threatening surf and rip currents,” the NHC said.The hurricane is forecast to turn northward by late Sunday. While meteorologists have expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the US coastline, they said the storm could still cause dangerous waves and erosion in places such as North Carolina.The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, US meteorologists predict.Several powerful storms wreaked havoc in the region last year, including Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people in the southeastern United States.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — which operates the NHC — has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs as part of President Donald Trump’s plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting.Climate change — namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels — has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.

US President Donald Trump failed to secure a Ukraine war ceasefire at a high-stakes summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin but insisted on Saturday that he would now target a full peace agreement to end the conflict.Three hours of talks between the White House and Kremlin leaders at an Alaska air base produced no breakthrough but Trump and European leaders said they wanted a new summit that includes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.Zelensky said he will now go to Washington on Monday while European leaders said they were ready to instensify sanctions against Russia after Trump briefed them on the summit and they held their own protracted talks.Trump remained upbeat about meeting Putin in a post on his Truth Social platform. “A great and very successful day in Alaska!,” he proclaimed, adding that European leaders backed his plan for a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelensky.”It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up,” he added confirming his meeting with Zelensky on Monday.”If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved.”  After the summit, Trump spoke first with Zelensky, the White House said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later joined the call, officials said.The European leaders, who had been wary of being left out of the Alaska meeting, held their own talks on Saturday and said they supported the proposed three-way summit.”We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelensky towards a trilateral summit with European support,” they said in a joint statement that added that pressure must be maintained on Russia.”As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy until there is a just and lasting peace,” they said.Russia could not have a “veto” on Ukraine joining the European Union or NATO, they added.The war, that has killed tens of thousands and devastated much of Ukraine, went on despite the summit. Ukraine announced that Russia had launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile during the night. Russia said it had taken two more villages in Ukraine. Zelensky said Trump had laid out the “main points” of the summit and that he would go to the White House on Monday “to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war”. Trump and Putin emerged from their talks at a Cold War era air base to offer warm words at a press briefing but took no questions from reporters.”We’re not there yet, but we’ve made progress. There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said.He called the meeting “extremely productive” with “many points” agreed, but did not offer specifics.”There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant,” Trump said without elaborating.- ‘Next time in Moscow’ -Putin also spoke in general terms of cooperation at the joint press appearance that lasted just 12 minutes.”We hope that the understanding we have reached will… pave the way for peace in Ukraine,” Putin said.As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: “Next time in Moscow”.The former KGB agent tried to flatter Trump, who has voiced admiration for the Russian leader in the past.Before the summit, Trump had warned of “severe consequences” if Russia did not accept a ceasefire. But when asked about those consequences during a Fox News interview after the talks, Trump said that “because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now”.- Putin warns Western allies -Trump, whose tone with Zelensky has changed since he berated the Ukrainian president at the White House in February, told Fox that “Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done”.Trump could not get Russian agreement to get Zelensky into Friday’s talks. But Zelensky, who has rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up territory, said Saturday that he supported the American efforts.”It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation,” he said.Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to “not create any obstacles” and not “make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues”.- Battlefield gains -Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin’s hand in any ceasefire negotiations.Although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages, Russia’s army on Saturday claimed the capture of Kolodyazi in Ukraine’s Donetsk region and Vorone in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region. 

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin made no breakthrough on Ukraine at their high-stakes summit on Friday, pointing to areas of agreement and rekindling a friendship but offering no news on a ceasefire.After an abrupt ending to three hours of talks with aides, Trump and Putin offered warm words but took no questions from reporters — highly unusual for the media-savvy US president.”We’re not there yet, but we’ve made progress. There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said.He called the meeting “extremely productive” with “many points” agreed, although he did not offer specifics.”There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant,” Trump said without elaborating.Putin also spoke in general terms of cooperation in a joint press appearance that lasted just 12 minutes.”We hope that the understanding we have reached will… pave the way for peace in Ukraine,” Putin said.As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: “Next time in Moscow.”The former KGB agent quickly tried to flatter Trump, who has voiced admiration for the Russian leader in the past.Putin told Trump he agreed with him that the Ukraine war, which Putin ordered, would not have happened if Trump were president instead of Joe Biden.Trump for his part again complained of a “hoax” that Russia intervened to help him the 2016 election — a finding backed by US intelligence.Before the summit, Trump had warned of “severe consequences” if Russia did not accept a ceasefire. But when asked about those consequences during a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity after the talks, Trump said that “because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now.”- Putin warns Western allies -The friendly reception contrasted with Trump’s berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met him at the White House in February.Trump earlier said he sought a three-way meeting with Zelensky but did not announce one at the summit.Trump said he would now consult Zelensky as well as NATO leaders, who have voiced unease about the US leader’s outreach to Putin.”Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump said in the Fox News interview after the summit.Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to “not create any obstacles” and not “make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues.”Trump invited Putin just a week ago and ensured there was some carefully choreographed drama for their first in-person meeting since 2019.The two leaders arrived in their respective presidential jets and descended on the tarmac of an air base, with Trump clapping as Putin appeared.US military might was on display with a B-2 stealth bomber flying overhead, as a reporter shouted audibly to Putin, “Will you stop killing civilians?”Putin, undaunted, grinned widely as Trump took the unusual step of escorting him into “The Beast,” the secure US presidential limousine, before a meeting in a room before a screen that said — in English only — “Pursuing Peace.”Putin smiled and joked with Russian reporters on the visit, a landmark for a leader who is facing an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court related to the Ukraine war, which has killed tens of thousands of people.- Battlefield gains -Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin’s hand in any ceasefire negotiations, although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages.Trump had insisted he would be firm with Putin, after coming under heated criticism for appearing cowed during a 2018 summit in Helsinki.While he was traveling to Alaska, the White House announced that Trump had scrapped a plan to see Putin alone and he instead held the talks alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his roving envoy Steve Witkoff. Zelensky was not included and has refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia.”It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelensky said in a social media post.

A narrow majority of Americans now believe even moderate consumption of alcohol negatively affects health, as US drinking levels continue to decline, according to a recent survey.Pollster Gallup found the number of Americans who said they drink alcohol to be at an all-time low since the poll was first conducted in 1939 — a few years after the United States ended its prohibition of alcohol.The survey found 54 percent of Americans reported they drank alcohol either occasionally or regularly in 2025, down from at least 60 percent recorded between 1997 and 2023.Those who did say they drank alcohol reported it was in smaller amounts, with the average number of drinks consumed in the last week being 2.8, “the lowest figure Gallup has recorded since 1996,” the pollster said on its website.Attitudes toward alcohol, which Gallup has been tracking since 2001, saw the most significant difference in the poll published this week.The number of people who consider moderate consumption of alcohol — up to one or two drinks per day — to be bad for personal health rose to 53 percent in 2025. For comparison, the figure was 27 percent in the early 2000s.”Americans’ drinking habits are shifting amid the medical world’s reappraisal of alcohol’s health effects,” the pollster noted.In January, then-US surgeon general Vivek Murthy called for alcohol to be sold with a cancer warning label on its packaging.”Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer, responsible for about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States,” he said in a statement.”Yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” he added, underscoring the urgent need for public education.

Hurricane Erin gained strength Friday as it churned in the Atlantic Ocean and bore down on the Caribbean, where it could bring heavy rain to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that as of 0000 GMT, the storm’s maximum sustained winds increased to 85 miles (137 kilometers) per hour, and was located about 310 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands.Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season this year, is expected to produce heavy rain from late Friday into Sunday for those areas, the center said, warning of possible isolated and local “considerable flash and urban flooding,” along with landslides or mudslides.A tropical storm watch was in effect for Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Barthelmy and other islands.”Steady to rapid strengthening is expected over the next few days, and Erin is forecast to become a major hurricane during the weekend,” the NHC said, with Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas on the southern edge of its projected path.The storm could drench the islands with as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of rain in isolated areas, it added.Swells fueled by Erin are expected to affect parts of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and “are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” according to the NHC.The hurricane is forecast to turn northward by late Sunday. While meteorologists have expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the US coastline, they said the storm may still cause dangerous waves and erosion in places like North Carolina.The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, US meteorologists predict.Last year, several powerful storms wreaked havoc in the region, including Hurricane Helene, which left more than 200 people dead in the southeastern United States.As part of President Donald Trump’s plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — which operates the NHC — has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting.Climate change — namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels — has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.