SYDNEY: Thousands of people across eastern Australia have been told to leave their homes as storms bear down on cities and towns still recovering from record deadly flooding just weeks ago.
Multiple evacuation orders were issued for the town of Lismore, which was devastated last month when record-high 14.3-meter (47 feet) floodwaters engulfed homes, swept away cars and stranded locals on the roofs of their homes.
Hundreds of people had to be dramatically rescued — many by neighbors who braved the floodwaters in private boats and even kayaks — because emergency services were overwhelmed by calls for help.
Seeking to avoid a repeat of this disaster, state emergency services said “additional people, vehicles, boats and helicopters” had been deployed ahead of forecast storms and “life-threatening” flash flooding on Tuesday.
Lismore locals spent much of Monday preparing for intense rainfall — sandbagging properties and moving to higher ground, with flood levels expected to reach close to the town’s levee height by Tuesday afternoon.
A flood relief center in the town set up by Australia’s national Indigenous newspaper The Koori Mail had to be evacuated.
February’s flooding claimed at least 21 lives across the states of Queensland and New South Wales and displaced thousands of people, many of whom are living in temporary accommodation in areas where heavy rains are expected this week.
“Since catchments are now saturated, there will be an increased risk of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding and even landslides during this event,” the national weather bureau said in a warning Monday.
In the state of Queensland, a man was found dead in his car in floodwaters on Monday, along with several dogs, despite police rescue attempts. A woman who was in the vehicle survived and was taken to hospital to recover.
Australia’s flood-ravaged east braces for more storms
https://arab.news/zvufu
Australia’s flood-ravaged east braces for more storms
- A flood relief center in the town set up by Australia’s national Indigenous newspaper The Koori Mail had to be evacuated
Palestinian woman hospitalized following seizure in US ICE detention
- Kordia, a 33-year-old Muslim Palestinian woman living in the US and whose mother is an American citizen, was detained by US immigration authorities early last year
WASHINGTON: A Palestinian woman, who lost dozens of family members in the Gaza war, has been hospitalized following a seizure in US immigration detention, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday.
On February 6, 2026, at about 8:45 p.m., “medical staff at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, notified ICE that detainee Leqaa Kordia was admitted to Texas Health Huguley Hospital in Burleson, Texas, for further evaluation following a seizure,” a DHS spokesperson said.
Kordia, a 33-year-old Muslim Palestinian woman living in the US and whose mother is an American citizen, was detained by US immigration authorities early last year.
She was detained during a meeting with immigration officials at the Newark Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office, where she was accompanied by her attorney. At the time of her detention last year, Kordia was in the process of securing legal residency.
In a weekend statement cited by media, her family and legal team said they have not received communication from US authorities about her health. The family could not immediately be reached for comment. DHS says ICE will ensure she receives proper medical care.
Rights groups have long reported on detainee complaints about conditions in ICE detention facilities, calling the conditions inhumane. The federal government has denied treating detainees inhumanely.
Amnesty International says 175 members of Kordia’s family have been killed during Israel’s assault on Gaza since late 2023 following an attack by militant group Hamas.
The Homeland Security Department says Kordia, who was raised in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was arrested for immigration violations related to overstaying her expired student visa. The DHS also says she was arrested by local authorities in 2024 during pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University that the department cast as being supportive of Hamas.
Kordia and other protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly equates criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Kordia has said she was targeted for pro-Palestinian activism and cast the conditions in her detention facility as “filthy, overcrowded and inhumane.”
President Donald Trump’s administration cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests by threatening to freeze federal funds for universities where protests occurred and by attempting to deport foreign protesters. It has faced legal obstacles while rights advocates say the crackdown hurts free speech and lacks due process.
