Here are some of the headlines and stories you need to know from around the web this morning, Thursday, May 10:
Angela Merkel said Europe is on its own now, abandoned by the US (Bloomberg)
In a speech honoring her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Europe must “take its destiny into its own hands.” She added, “It’s no longer the case that the United States will simply just protect us.” Despite Merkel's doom and gloom speech and her distaste for U.S. foreign policy, as long as the U.S. is still part of NATO, Germany will still be protected by the U.S. military.
Scientists think they can reprogram a patient's immune cells to fight cancer(KPIX-TV)
The new method, called CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) T, has already been tried on one patient in California with promising results. The experimental treatment takes T-cells from a cancer patient, and then reprograms them to target the cancer cells. Nearly 300 patients are currently participating in CAR T trials, but a lot more work still needs to be done before it can become a common procedure.
Trump reveals the time and place he will meet with Kim Jong Un (CBS News)
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter (his usual method of communication) that he would be meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12. "We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" the tweet promised.
Iran tries to bomb Israel; Israel destroys Iranian positions in Syria (New York Times)
Early Thursday, Iran fired about 20 rockets at Israeli positions in Golan Heights, according to the Israeli military. Any of these rockets that did not fall short on their own were destroyed by Israel's formidable missile defense system. In response, Israel launched a missile strike of its own against dozens of Iranian positions in Syria. The White House has released a statement condemning Iran's missile strike and supporting "Israel's right to act in self-defense."
Malaysians just made a 92-year-old the oldest elected leader of any nation in the world... (CNN)
92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad was elected as Malaysia's new prime minister, making him the world's oldest elected leader. An authoritarian leader, Mahathir ruled the country from 1981 to 2003 but recently switched to the country's opposition party so he could run against the incumbent prime minster, Najib Razak.
...or did they? (New York Times)
Despite Mahathir's solid victory at the polls, Razak, who once viewed Mahathir as a mentor, refused to concede defeat. The Malaysian king has postponed Mahathir's swearing-in ceremony, allegedly at the urging of Razak who is trying to buy time. Mahathir has demanded that the king swear him in by 5 p.m. local time, to uphold “the rule of law.”
Plastic surgeons grew a new ear for a soldier on her own arm (The Washington Post)
After Private Shamika Burrage lost her ear in a car accident in 2016, William Beaumont Army Medical Center plastic surgeons grew a new one for her – on her own own arm. The ear was grown out of cartilage harvested from Burrage's ribs. Growing the ear under the skin on her arm allowed it to develop a circulatory system, and doctors say that she should even be able to have feeling in the new ear.
The UK apologizes for its part in handing two political dissidents over to Libya's former dictator (The Guardian)
British Prime Minister Theresa May has apologized “unreservedly” for the role MI6 played in handing over Libyan political dissident Abdel Hakim Belhaj and his wife, Fatima Boudchar, to the government of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The couple was tortured while they were imprisoned in Libya. At the time, Gaddafi was seen as a crucial player in the War on Terror. Boudchar was also awarded $500,000 by the British government. The CIA was also involved in this incident, but was not referenced in May's apology.
Australian scientist completes much-hyped assisted suicide (ABC News)
An 104-year-old Australian biologist has died this morning. David Goodall had traveled to Switzerland for that country's doctor-assisted suicide. He was not sick, but said that he greatly regretted living as long as he had. Assisted suicide is currently illegal in Australia. The case got plenty of media attention because of the ongoing debate about whether or not assisted suicide should be legal.
Anti-government protests rock Nicaragua (BBC)
Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans have flocked to the streets to protest President Daniel Ortega's government. Ortega, who is now in his third term, scrapped Nicaragua's presidential term limits, and is seen by many as being authoritarian. However, the real catalyst behind these protests happened when Ortega cut pensions and social security. He has since reinstated these programs, but the protests continue.
Venezuelan strongman is seeking another term, blaming 'oligarchs' for his country's problems (Reuters)
On Wednesday, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro promised to defeat the “oligarchs” in their “economic war” against his country. Maduro is trying to use these mystery oligarchs to drum up support for his increasingly dictatorial government. Inflation in the South American nation has hit 13,000 percent, as conditions continue to worsen for Venezuelan citizens.
