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Happening Today: New Zealand Funerals, Boeing, Chemical Plant Fire, Postpartum Depression, Roundup, Woodstock 50, Kristoff St. John

What to Know

  • A father and son who fled the civil war in Syria for 'the safest country in the world' were buried before mourners in New Zealand
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug specifically developed for severe depression after childbirth
  • Jay-Z, Dead & Company and the Killers will headline one of the 50th anniversary shows commemorating the groundbreaking Woodstock festival

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New Zealand Holds First Funerals for Mosque Shooting Victims

A father and son who fled the civil war in Syria for "the safest country in the world" were buried before hundreds of mourners, the first funerals for victims of shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that horrified a nation known for being welcoming and diverse. The funerals of Khalid Mustafa, 44, and Hamza Mustafa, 15, came five days after a white supremacist methodically gunned down 50 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch — a massacre that he broadcast live on Facebook. Hamza's high school principal described the student as compassionate and hardworking, and said he was an excellent horse rider who aspired to be a veterinarian. Those present included Hamza's younger brother, 13-year-old Zaed, who was wounded in an arm and a leg during the attack. The boy tried to stand during the ceremony but had to sit back in his wheelchair, one mourner said. The Mustafas had moved to New Zealand last year, after spending six years as refugees in Jordan.

Nominee to Lead FAA Will Face Challenge on Boeing Oversight

President Trump has tapped a former Delta Air Lines executive to lead the Federal Aviation Administration as the regulator deals with questions about its approval of a Boeing airliner involved in two deadly crashes within five months. The White House said Trump will nominate Stephen Dickson to head the FAA. The agency has been led by an acting administrator since January 2018. Separately, the Transportation Department confirmed that its watchdog agency will examine how the FAA certified the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, the now-grounded plane involved in two fatal accidents within five months. The FAA had stood by the safety of the plane up until last week, despite other countries grounding it.

Fire Extinguished at Southeast Texas Chemical Plant

The large fire that burned for several days at a Southeast Texas petrochemicals storage facility and sent a plume of pitch-black smoke thousands of feet into the atmosphere has been extinguished, plant officials say. The fire was extinguished by about 3 a.m., officials with Intercontinental Terminals Co. in the Houston-area suburb of Deer Park, announced in an early morning news release. The statement said crews will continue to spray foam and water on the tanks to facilitate cooling and prevent any further fires from being sparked. Steam and smoke may still be visible in the area and there's still a possibility of additional fires being reignited, officials said. Authorities had said an overnight drop in water pressure caused the flames to intensify and spread to additional tanks.

FDA Approves Drug for Treating Postpartum Depression

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug specifically developed for severe depression after childbirth. The agency approved Sage Therapeutics' Zulresso, an IV drug given over 2 ½ days. Sage said Zulresso will cost $34,000 without insurance, plus costs for staying in a hospital or infusion center. Whether the treatment gets covered by insurance is determined by each insurance company, which also sets the out-of-pocket costs, depending on the plan. In a company-funded study of new mothers with moderate or severe postpartum depression, half the women given Zulresso had depression end within 2 ½ days, about double the rate of those in a comparison group given dummy treatments. Postpartum depression affects about 400,000 American women a year. It often ends on its own within a couple weeks, but it can continue for months or even years. It can be treated with antidepressants, which can take six to eight weeks to work and don't help everyone, or with counseling.

Monsanto Was a Factor in Sonoma County Man's Cancer, Jury Rules

A jury in federal court in San Francisco has ruled that Roundup weed killer was a factor in causing a California man's cancer in a weeks-long trial that started last month. Edwin Hardeman of Sonoma County, 70, is the second plaintiff to go to trial of thousands around the country who claim agribusiness giant Monsanto's weed killer causes cancer. Hardeman won the first liability phase, proving that the Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The second phase of the trial will involve discussing punitive damages, his lawyers said. Monsanto says studies have established that the active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, is safe. A San Francisco jury in August awarded another man $289 million after determining Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A judge later slashed the award to $78 million, and Monsanto has appealed.

Jay-Z, Dead & Co, the Killers to Perform at Woodstock 50 in New York

Jay-Z, Dead & Company and the Killers will headline one of the 50th anniversary shows commemorating the groundbreaking Woodstock festival this summer. Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang announced Miley Cyrus, Santana, Imagine Dragons, Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters, the Black Keys and Chance the Rapper will also perform at the Woodstock 50 Music and Arts Fair, which will take place Aug. 16-18 in Watkins Glen, New York, about 115 miles northwest of the original site. The event is separate from an anniversary concert planned at the site of the original festival in 1969. Tickets for the three-day festival pushing the message of peace, love and music go on sale April 22, which is Earth Day. Lang said though Woodstock took place 50 years ago, today's world and 1969 are somewhat parallel.

Actor Kristoff St. John's Death Ruled Accidental

Actor Kristoff St. John, who starred in the long-running soap opera "The Young and the Restless," died from heart disease, the coroner's office announced. St. John was found dead at his home in the 23000 block of Morea Way in the Woodland Hills area about 2 p.m. Feb. 3, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The results of an autopsy indicated the cause of death was "hypertrophic heart disease," the coroner's office reported. "Other significant conditions: myocardial bridging of left anterior descending coronary artery and effects of ethanol," the coroner's office reported. "The manner of death has been certified as an accident." "Ethanol" refers to alcohol in this context, coroner's spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani said. Law enforcement sources told TMZ.com that a friend of the 52-year-old actor went to check on him and found the body.

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