Today’s News Briefs include a surfer’s leg washes up on shore; VP and top Dems boycott Netanyahu; UK preparing for war.
VP Harris and top Dems to boycott Netanyahu speech today
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the US this week, neither President Biden nor VP Kamala Harris greeted him. Now, Harris will not preside in her Constitutional duties at the 1 pm eastern Wednesday speech and Democrat members of Congress say they’ll boycott it. Senators Patty Murray and Bernie Sanders are joining dozens of Democrats in skipping the historic speech. Netanyahu was invited by the top Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reports CNN.
Surfer’s leg washes up on shore after attack
“The severed leg of a surfer who was attacked by a shark has washed up on an Australian beach, with doctors now racing to see if it can be reattached.” the BBC reports. Competitive surfer Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing in New South Wales Tuesday, when a nearly 10 foot great white attacked him. He was able to catch a wave into shore, where an off-duty police officer used a makeshift tourniquet to stem his bleeding. A short time later his leg washed up on the beach where locals packed it in ice before being taken to hospital, where a medical team is now assessing surgery options. “He’s just a really brave and courageous young man,” stated first respoder Kirran Mowbray.
UK must prepare for war in three years
Britain must be ready to fight a war in three years says Gen Sir Roland Walker, the new head of the British Army says, citing an “increasingly volatile” world. He outlined that key to the goal is doubling the Army’s fighting power by 2027 and tripling it by the end of the decade, according to the BBC. The talk comes as Iran is on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons, Russia threatens Europe and China moves closer to invading Taiwan. In his first speech in the role this week, Walker said the UK faced danger from an “axis of upheaval”. He said focusing on Artificial Intelligence and enable the Army to destroy an enemy three times its own size.