At least 1,037 people have been killed and more 1,200 injured in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the North African country of Morocco late Friday. King Mohammed VI of Morocco has mobilized the army's search and rescue teams to find and rescue any survivors, using helicopters and drones. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was in the Moroccan High Atlas mountain range, about 46 miles southeast of Marrakech. The U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco's capital, extended its condolences to the victims and their families, and said it was not aware of any U.S. nationals affected.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has replaced the name India with a Sanskrit word in dinner invitations sent to guests attending this week's Group of 20 summit, in a move that reflects his Hindu nationalist party's efforts to eliminate what it sees as colonial-era names. read more
A Florida Panhandle lawmaker has filed the "Right to Rock Act," for the 2024 session of the Legislature. Rep. Joel Rudman, R-Navarre, wants to prohibit the cancellation of performances because of an artist's social media comments or their political affiliation. HB 15 would forbid entertainment venues that have accepted taxpayer funding to cancel contracts for a live presentation by a singer, musicians, dancers, comedians, and actors for their social media behavior and/or politics. Rudman is a Mississippi born physician who became politically active during the COVID-19 pandemic. He took to Facebook Live presentations to argue against masks and other government mandates and testified before legislative committees on behalf of a proposal to protect practitioners' speech. read more
drudge.com