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Baltimore bridge collapse: Search resumes for 6 workers presumed dead

An essential bridge traversing Baltimore's harbor succumbed to a catastrophic collapse early on Tuesday when a massive shipping container vessel experienced a power outage and collided with a support column. Emergency services managed to rescue two individuals from the water, whereas six others are feared deceased. These eight individuals were members of a construction team assigned to the bridge at the incident's time.

Constructed in 1977, the Interstate 695's Francis Scott Key Bridge, extending nearly two miles in length, accommodated around 35,000 vehicles daily, serving as the sole bridge crossing the harbor. Following the collapse, the Port of Baltimore, ranking as the 14th largest in the United States with a specialization in roll-on vehicle transport, was shut down. To mitigate the impact, cargo destined for Baltimore is being rerouted to alternate ports in Virginia and New York. The operation to clear the bridge rubble from the navigation channel is anticipated to extend over several months, with the construction of a new bridge expected to span several years.

The container ship implicated in the incident, the Dali, destined for Sri Lanka, is under the charter of Maersk and managed by a Singaporean entity. In response to the ship's distress signal, authorities swiftly minimized traffic on the bridge, potentially averting further harm.

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Trump’s social media company gains on its first day of trading on the Nasdaq

The shares of Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates former President Donald Trump's platform Truth Social, saw a significant surge, peaking at 59% after the market opened yesterday, marking its inaugural day on the Nasdaq Composite Index. Trading under the symbol DJT, an homage to Trump's initials, the company's shares escalated to $77 each at one point, eventually closing the day with a 16% increase at approximately $58 per share. This surge placed the company's market value close to $8 billion.

This market entry follows Trump Media's recent merger with the special purpose acquisition company Digital World Acquisition, which facilitated its transition to a publicly traded entity. Despite the market enthusiasm, some analysts point out a disparity between the company's market valuation and financial health, noting it amassed $3.4 million in revenue against a $49 million net loss in the first nine months of 2023. Consequently, Trump's ownership, nearly 60% of the company, is now estimated to be worth more than $4 billion. It's worth noting that the DJT ticker has a historical precedent, having been used by Trump's hotel and casino business when it went public in 1995, only to be delisted in 2004 following a bankruptcy filing.

Additionally, in a separate development, the judge presiding over Trump's hush money case in New York imposed a gag order, restricting Trump from making public statements about the trial's witnesses and involved parties.

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Seeing a Path to Nerve Regeneration

Researchers at UConn have unveiled promising findings on a regeneration factor that could potentially reverse damage to the optic nerve, a breakthrough detailed in the May 2024 edition of Experimental Neurology.

In the United States, optic nerve damage, a significant cause of blindness and visual impairment, impacts over 3 million individuals, data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveals. Glaucoma, a group of conditions that impairs eye fluid circulation and exerts pressure on the optic nerve, is frequently at fault. Once harmed, the optic nerve, the vital link transmitting visual information from the retina to the brain, cannot naturally repair itself, culminating in irreversible vision loss.

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