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At Least Two Dead As Severe Weather Sweeps US South And Midwest

Flooding hit parts of the US South and Midwest during the Easter holiday weekend. At least two people, including a child, have died in the US state of Oklahoma after their vehicle was stranded in floodwaters, police said, as severe weather and flooding hit parts of the United States’ South and Midwest during the Easter holiday weekend. Flood warnings, which suggest that a flood is occurring or is imminent, were in place across Oklahoma. The National Weather Service said on Sunday that severe thunderstorms were expected from east Texas into far southeast Iowa and Illinois, while the potential for strong tornadoes and damaging winds would exist from central Arkansas into central Missouri. “This was a historical weather event that impacted roads and caused dozens of high-water incidents,” police in Moore, Oklahoma, about 18km (11 miles) south of Oklahoma City, said in a statement on Sunday. “One of [the vehicles] left the roadway and was swept under the bridge. At the time of the incident, all but two occupants were rescued. It is with great sadness that we report that two individuals, an adult female and a 12-year-old male, were later located deceased,” the police said. Authorities in Moore urged people to stay at home and said late on Saturday that they responded to more than a dozen calls from residents whose vehicles were trapped in high water. A tornado watch was issued for parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma, the National Weather Service added. Earlier this month, a deadly spring storm spawned tornadoes and drenching thunderstorms in a swath of the US  stretching from Texas to Ohio, with over a dozen people killed in states in the US South and Midwest. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Real Madrid Keep LaLiga Defence Alive With Late Goal Against Athletic Club

Defending champions Real Madrid net an injury-time win in 1-0 victory against Athletic Club to keep pace with Barcelona. Federico Valverde’s superb 93rd-minute strike kept Real Madrid on Barcelona’s tail in Spanish football’s title race, earning the champions a 1-0 win over Athletic Club. Madrid stayed four points behind Barca after Valverde smashed into the top corner on Sunday with a sliced, swerving effort. After Champions League elimination by Arsenal, it looked like Madrid were set for another devastating result until the Uruguay international’s stoppage-time intervention. Athletic, who are based in Bilbao and reached the Europa League semifinals on Thursday by beating Rangers, rotated heavily. Despite that, the Basque side proved a hard nut for Madrid to crack, especially with their top goalscorer Kylian Mbappe both suspended and recovering from an ankle problem. The forward was whistled by some fans for his failure to help the team overcome Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals in midweek when he was shown watching the game on the stadium screens. Vinicius, who was previously criticised by coach Carlo Ancelotti for a lack of defensive work ethic, was running hard on the left, which fans at the Santiago Bernabeu appreciated. The Brazilian has struggled for form at times this season, but was Madrid’s brightest player against Athletic, giving Unai Nunez a difficult night. Madrid played with intensity after their European elimination, trying to keep La Liga in their sights after Barcelona made a late comeback to beat Celta Vigo on Saturday. Rodrygo Goes came close early in the second half before Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon saved from Eduardo Camavinga. The hosts began to push Athletic deeper and started to create better chances. Vinicius bent a delicious cross with the outside of his boot into the six-yard box for Jude Bellingham to meet, but Simon made an excellent save to tip over his header. Federico Valverde fired narrowly wide of the near post, and Vinicius did find the net, but Endrick was offside in the build-up. Bellingham appealed for a penalty after going down softly in the area, and then fired over from close range in the final stages. It was the kind of chance the England international managed to turn into late match-winning goals last season as he inspired Madrid to La Liga and Champions League glory. Instead, it was Valverde who took up that role with a sublime blast that left Simon with no chance. The victory offers Madrid hope of salvaging their season and a morale boost ahead of next weekend’s Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Lebanese President Says Disarming Hezbollah Delicate As Israel Kills Two

Joseph Aoun makes the comment as the Lebanese army says it foils a rocket attack on Israel. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says he will not be rushed to disarm Hezbollah under unfavourable circumstances as the Israeli military continues to launch deadly air strikes on the country in violation of a November ceasefire. In comments to reporters after a meeting with a Maronite patriarch to mark Easter on Sunday, the former army chief said he considers disarming the Iran-aligned group a “sensitive, delicate issue” that must be handled with consideration to preserve national peace. “Any controversial domestic issue in Lebanon can only be approached through conciliatory, nonconfrontational dialogue and communication. If not, we will lead Lebanon to ruin,” Aoun said. The Trump administration has been applying sustained pressure on Beirut to push for the disarming of Hezbollah, leading to Aoun announcing last week that he hopes to complete the process by the end of 2025 – the first time a senior official has set any deadline. Aoun’s comments on Sunday came shortly after the Lebanese government praised the army for foiling an imminent attack on Israel, a first since the November ceasefire with Hezbollah, which Israel has violated on numerous occasions. The Lebanese army released images of confiscated rockets and launch pads and said it arrested multiple individuals previously involved in rocket attacks on Israel as well. The raid that led to the confiscated munitions was reported to have taken place in the Sidon area of southern Lebanon. The office of Prime Minister Nawaf Sharif urged security forces to “thwart suspicious plots that seek to embroil Lebanon in further wars” and said this work proves that the Lebanese state is moving towards full sovereignty over its territory with its own forces. “The Lebanese state alone is the authority that makes decisions regarding war and peace and is the body authorised to possess weapons,” he said. Hezbollah has not immediately reacted to Sunday’s statements, but its leader Naim Qassem said on Friday that the group “will not let anyone disarm” it, especially as the Israeli military continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah was formed in the aftermath of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and grew over the decades to possess substantial political and military power. This included forcing Israel out from its occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000 and fighting Israel to a stalemate in a 2006 war. But the organisation has lost many leaders in Israeli assassinations as well as much military equipment since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023 and must withdraw its military forces from southern Lebanon as part of the ceasefire. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said on Sunday that two people were killed in two Israeli air raids in southern Lebanon. Israeli warplanes fired at least two missiles at a house in Hula, a village in Nabatieh governorate, killing one person, the ministry said. An Israeli drone attack also targeted a vehicle in Kaoutariyet as-Siyad, killing another person, it said. The footage below, which has been verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency, shows plumes of smoke rising after Israeli air strikes targeted the heights of the Iqlim al-Tuffah region of southern Lebanon. مراسل الجديد: سلسلة غارات عنيفة من الطيران الحربي إستهدفت أطراف مليتا ومرتفعات إقليم التفاح@farhat_muhamad1 pic.twitter.com/8TMHLdc06q — Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) April 20, 2025   The Israeli military said one of its strikes on southern Lebanon killed a deputy head of a Hezbollah unit responsible for smuggling weapons and funds to the group, including across the country’s border with Syria. The army added that the targeted man was “extensively involved” in Hezbollah efforts to revitalise after the group took heavy blows during the war. After killing two other people on Saturday, the Israeli army also claimed they were Hezbollah members. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Houthis Say US Bombs Yemen Again, Targeting Capital Sanaa

United States President Donald Trump’s administration announced a major military offensive against the Houthis a few weeks ago. The United States has carried out more air strikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, after targeting Kamaran Island and Marib governorate earlier, Houthi media outlets report. No details on casualties have been provided yet. In Sanaa, two US airstrikes targeted the area of Attan, which has been controlled by the rebel movement since 2014. US airstrikes also reportedly targeted a sanitation project in the Asir area, as well as the Furwah neighbourhood and a popular market in the Shoub district, according to Houthi media. The strikes on Sunday come a day after the US launched 13 strikes on Hodeidah’s port and airport, and three days after its deadliest attack to date targeted the Ras Isa port, also in Hodeidah, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 150. Houthi-held areas in Yemen have been subjected to near-daily air strikes by Washington. Civilians have been targeted, families wiped out, military sites destroyed and soldiers killed. More than 200 people have been killed since US President Donald Trump’s administration announced a major military offensive against the Houthis in March. It said the air strikes are aimed at forcing the group to stop threatening ships sailing on the Red Sea on a route crucial to international trade. Since November 2023, the Houthis have reportedly launched more than 100 attacks on vessels they say are linked to Israel in response to Israel’s war on Gaza and in solidarity with Palestinians. Houthi attacks have paralysed shipping through the Suez Canal, a vital waterway through which approximately 12 percent of global shipping traffic normally passes, forcing many companies to resort to costly alternative routes around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The Houthis halted attacks on shipping lanes during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza earlier this year. But they vowed to resume strikes after Israel renewed its assault on the besieged enclave last month. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah or “supporters of God”, emerged in the 1990s but rose to prominence in 2014 when they seized Sanaa and forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee the country. Follow Al Jazeera English:...