Jul 5, 2018 - Politics & Policy

U.S. extends protected status for Yemeni citizens

Saad Almontaser, 1, waves an American flag over his father Ali, from Yemen, at a protest in New York City. Photo: Byron Smith/Getty Images

Temporary Protected Status for Yemeni citizens living in the U.S. has been extended for another 18 months, according to a press release from the Department of Homeland Security.

The details: The extension was granted given the "ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that support Yemen's current designation for TPS continue to exist," DHS writes. There are around 1,250 Yemeni beneficiaries in the U.S., DHS reports, and they will be able to re-register and remain in the country "with work authorization through March 3, 2020."

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer, Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath

Updated 41 mins ago - Science

Deadly Hurricane Zeta pummels Alabama after Louisiana landfall

A satellite image of Hurricane Zeta. Photo: National Hurricane Center/NOAA

Hurricane Zeta has killed at least one person after a downed power line electrocuted a 55-year-old in Louisiana as the storm moved into Alabama overnight.

What's happening: After "battering southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi," it began lashing Alabama late Wednesday, per the National Hurricane Center.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Rebecca Falconer

59 mins ago - World

Taiwan reaches a record 200 days with no local coronavirus cases

Catholics go through containment protocols including body-temperature measurement and hands-sanitisation before entering the Saint Christopher Parish Church, Taipei City, Taiwan, in July. Photo: Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Taiwan on Thursday marked no locally transmitted coronavirus cases for 200 days, as the island of 23 million people's total number of infections reported stands at 550 and the COVID-19 death toll at seven.

Why it matters: Nowhere else in the world has reached such a milestone. While COVID-19 cases surge across the U.S. and Europe, Taiwan's last locally transmitted case was on April 12. Experts credit tightly regulated travel, early border closure, "rigorous contact tracing, technology-enforced quarantine and universal mask wearing," along with the island state's previous experience with the SARS virus, per Bloomberg.

Go deeper: As Taiwan's profile rises, so does risk of conflict with China