Nile dispute comes to an end
Leaders from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a deal on March 23 in Khartoum, Sudan that ended a long dispute over sharing the Nile River and construction of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam.
Saudi Arabia shifts military
Saudi Arabia is moving heavy military equipment, including artillery, to areas near its border with Yemen, U.S. officials said, raising the risk that the Middle East’s top oil power will be drawn into the worsening Yemeni conflict. The buildup follows a southward advance by Iranian-backed Houthi Shiite militants as they move closer to the new southern base of U.S.-supported President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Third American among victims of France plane crash
Search and recovery efforts resumed in the French Alps last week after a budget German airliner crashed into the mountains. Of those on board, 16 were students at a small-town German high school. The U.S. State Department said three Americans have been identified as victims of the plane crash in France that killed 150 people.
Ford cars slow when they see speed-limit signs
Ford’s new car S-Max, to be sold in Europe, will be able to read road signs and adjust its speed accordingly. The speed-limiting tech can be activated via the steering wheel and briefly overridden by pressing firmly on the accelerator. The car company hopes the technology will help drivers avoid fines and reduce the number of speed-related accidents.
Bodies found in Detroit freezer
The bodies of two siblings, a boy, 11, and a girl, 14, were found frozen in a plastic bag last week in a deep freezer in a Detroit home, officials said. Their mother was taken into custody as a suspect. Officials said the bodies appeared to be frozen for “some time.” A bailiff found the bodies while serving an eviction notice at the townhouse.
Indiana governor to declare disaster for county hit by HIV outbreak
Indiana Governor Mike Pence said he will declare a public health disaster on April 1 in a small southern Indiana county that has seen a drastic increase in HIV cases tied to intravenous prescription drug abuse since December. Scott County has had 72 confirmed HIV cases and seven preliminary ones. Officials fear potentially up to 100 cases could be identified.
South Miami passes another resolution to split Florida into two
This past October, the city commission of South Miami made national headlines by passing a resolution calling for Florida to be split into two separate states. The idea, which went viral, wasn’t taken seriously, but the commission decided to try again at its latest meeting and passed another state-splitting resolution 3-2. The resolution claims that North Florida is holding South Florida back from properly dealing with climate change and sea-level rise on a state level. The new state would be mostly contiguous with the South Florida Water Management District. Brevard, Orange, Polk, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties would be the northernmost counties, and 24 counties total would be included. Together, they represent 39 percent of Florida’s total landmass and 67 percent of the total population.
