Diplomats' ears damaged, report says
MIAMI -- American diplomats affected by mysterious health incidents in Cuba showed damage in their inner ears shortly after they complained of weird noises and sensations, according to their earliest medical exams, which were detailed in a medical journal published Wednesday.
However, the findings, made public nearly two years after what the U.S. calls "health attacks" began, shed no new light on a possible culprit.
"What caused it, who did it, why it was done -- we don't know any of those things," said Dr. Michael Hoffer of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who led the exams.
The U.S. says since late 2016, 26 people associated with the embassy in Havana suffered problems that include dizziness, ear pain and ringing, and cognitive problems such as difficulty thinking -- a health mystery that has damaged U.S.-Cuba relations. Cuba has adamantly denied any involvement.
The Miami researchers examined 25 of those people who reported hearing a piercing noise or experiencing a sensation of pressure before their symptoms began. The patients failed a variety of tests that detect inner-ear problems associated with balance, what's called the vestibular system.
Testing of 10 other people who were in the same building found they were fine, Hoffer reported in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.
Marines killed in crash off Japan ID'd
The U.S. military has identified the five Marines who were declared dead after their refueling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan's southern coast.
Search and recovery operations ended after finding only one survivor, who was aboard the fighter jet.
The five crew members identified Wednesday were on a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft that collided with an F/A-18 Hornet during regular training. The warplanes crashed into the sea south of Japan's Shikoku island.
The Marine Corps identified the crew members as Lt. Col. Kevin R. Herrmann, 38, of New Bern, N.C.; Maj. James M. Brophy, 36, of Staatsburg, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. Maximo A. Flores, 27, of Surprise, Ariz.; Cpl. Daniel E. Baker, 21, of Tremont, Ill.; and Cpl. William C. Ross, 21, of Hendersonville, Tenn.
They were based at Iwakuni air station near Hiroshima as part of the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152.
The two crew members in the fighter jet were recovered after the accident, but one died. The dead pilot was earlier identified as Capt. Jahmar Resilard, 28, of Miramar, Fla. The Marines said the survivor, who hasn't been identified, was in stable condition when rescued.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, the Marines said. The crash is the latest in a series of recent accidents involving U.S. military forces deployed in and near Japan.
California wildfire claims at $9B, rising
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Insurance claims from last month's California wildfires already are at $9 billion and are expected to increase, the state's insurance commissioner announced Wednesday.
About $7 billion in claims are from the Camp Fire that destroyed the Northern California city of Paradise and killed at least 86 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in at least a century. The rest are from the Woolsey and Hill fires in Southern California.
Collectively, the fires destroyed or damaged more than 20,000 structures, with the vast majority in and around Paradise. On Tuesday, state and federal authorities estimated that it will cost at least $3 billion just to clear debris.
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said the claims figures are expected to rise as property owners return and contact their insurance companies.
So far, there are more than 28,000 claims for residential personal property damage, nearly 2,000 from commercial property and 9,400 in auto and other claims.
Mexico raw-sewage spill taints beaches
IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. -- Millions of gallons of raw sewage has spilled into Mexico's Tijuana River and is flowing north into California, fouling beaches in San Diego County, where swimmers and surfers were urged to stay out of the ocean.
More than 6 million gallons a day of raw sewage has spilled into the river since Monday, authorities said. If the spill continues unabated, it could be the largest since early 2017, when coastal waters were tainted for weeks, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The wastewater is supposed to be treated before it's emptied into the river,
In September, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined the U.S. cities of Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego in suing the Trump administration over sewage spills and other toxic flows coming from Mexico.
The lawsuit seeks to force the U.S. government to upgrade the capacity of pumps in the river and catch basins in nearby canyons.
The systems are intended to divert flows to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant before the waste reaches beaches. Officials in Mexico attributed the leak to a ruptured collector pipe.
A Section on 12/13/2018