March 28-April 3, 2025

Former TV pitchman has close relationship with boss RFK Jr but regularly encourages Americans to get vaccinated

Former heart surgeon and TV pitchman Dr Mehmet Oz was confirmed on Thursday to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Oz became the agency’s administrator in a party-line 53-45 vote.

The bodies of 14 children and five women were recovered from the school in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, say officials

• Miller Gardner was on holiday with family in Costa Rica
• Fumes may have leaked from adjacent engine room

Carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of death of the teenage son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, authorities in Costa Rica said on Wednesday night.

Randall Zúñiga, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency, said 14-year-old Miller Gardner was tested for carboxyhemoglobin, a compound generated when carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in the blood. When carboxyhemoglobin saturation exceeds 50%, it is considered lethal. In Gardner’s case, the test showed a saturation of 64%.

Archaeologists say ‘catastrophic military event’ took place at site where 129 bodies have been found so far

As construction crews churned up dirt to renovate a football pitch in Vienna last October, they happened upon an unprecedented find: a heap of intertwined skeletal remains in a mass grave dating to the first-century Roman empire, most likely the bodies of warriors killed in a battle involving Germanic tribes.

This week, after archaeological analysis, experts at the Vienna Museum gave a first public presentation of the grave – linked to “a catastrophic event in a military context” and evidence of the first known fighting in that region.

Keukenhof, near Amsterdam, increasingly catering to growing demand for social media content

Nestled among tulip fields not far from Amsterdam, the world-famous Keukenhof garden has opened for the spring, welcoming camera-wielding visitors to its increasingly selfie-friendly grounds.

On a sunny day, the paths, park benches and cafes are crowded with tourists taking photos and selfies with one of the Netherlands’ most iconic products – the tulip.

• World No 12 switched allegiance from Russia last week
• She overcomes nerves to beat Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1 in Charleston

“And please welcome from Australia, Daria Kasatkina!” With those words from the MC introducing her on court at the Charleston Open on Wednesday, Australia’s latest tennis import admitted she was left feeling a bag of nerves about the advent of her new adventure.

She need not have worried. For just over an hour later, following her consummate first triumph as an Australian player, Kasatkina was soaking up the cheers of the US crowd amid the strains of “I come from a land Down Under”, while beaming a smile of relief mixed with joy.

Forecasters say potent storm system moving east could become supercharged and bring ‘life-threatening’ flooding

Potentially deadly flash flooding, high-magnitude tornadoes and baseball-sized hail could hit parts of the midwest and south on Wednesday as severe thunderstorms blowing eastward become supercharged, forecasters warned.

There were tornado warnings Wednesday morning near the Missouri cities of Joplin and Columbia – merely the opening acts of what forecasters expect will be a more intense period of violent weather later on Wednesday, as daytime heating combines with an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming into the nation’s midsection from the Gulf.

• Former Red Bull driver was replaced two years early
• New Zealander says he didn’t see own demotion coming

The former Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez says he is in talks with Formula One teams about a return to the grid after having his contract ended two years early. The 35-year-old Mexican, who won six races during his 14 years in F1, was replaced at Red Bull this season by Liam Lawson, who also struggled and was quickly demoted after two races. “Especially last year, I didn’t get to show what I’m able to do as a driver,” Pérez told the F1 website. “Now, all of a sudden, people realise how difficult the car is to drive.”

Pérez said he had been “approached by a few teams since Abu Dhabi”, a reference to his final race last December as teammate to the eventual champion, Max Verstappen. “There are a few very interesting projects out there. It’s good to be in this position knowing that people are keen on you as a drive,” he said. “People have short memories in F1. People realise that my position was not the easiest one in F1 and I’ve done extremely well overall.”

The temporary restraining order is another setback in less than a week for Trump’s immigration crackdown

A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore legal aid to tens of thousands of migrant children who are in the United States without a parent or guardian.

The Republican administration on 21 March terminated a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, which provides legal services for unaccompanied migrant children under 18 through a network of legal aid groups that subcontract with the center. Eleven subcontractor groups sued, saying that 26,000 children were at risk of losing their attorneys; Acacia is not a plaintiff.

Ruling does not guarantee Columbia University protester will be moved out of a detention facility in Louisiana

A federal judge has ruled that the legal battle over Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation should continue to play out in New Jersey, rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to transfer the Columbia University protester’s case to Louisiana.

In a written decision on Tuesday, the US district judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark said the jurisdiction over the case should remain in New Jersey since Khalil was being held there at the time his lawyers filed their habeas corpus petition. The judge described the government’s argument otherwise as “unpersuasive”.

• Motion on ban will be tabled until May
• Eagles have used play with great success

The future of the tush push won’t be decided in the immediate future. NFL team owners had been set to vote on Green Bay’s proposal to ban the play that has helped the Philadelphia Eagles win one Super Bowl and reach another, but the motion was tabled until May. ESPN reported that 16 teams currently support a ban on the rush push. The NFL requires the approval of 24 teams to pass a change in rules.

Also on Tuesday, team owners approved modifying the kickoff rule, expanding replay assist and revising overtime rules.