New studies from the National Institutes of Health could find no evidence of brain damage in scans or blood markers of the diplomats and spies who suffered from Havana syndrome symptoms, reinforcing U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusions about the strange health incidents.

Spy agencies have concluded that the debilitating symptoms associated with Havana syndrome, including dizziness and migraines, are not the work of a hostile foreign power. They have not identified a weapon or device that caused the injuries, and intelligence analysts now believe the symptoms are most likely explained by environmental factors, existing medical conditions, or stress.

The lead scientist of one of the two new studies said that while the study was not intended to find a cause, the findings were consistent with those findings.

The authors said the studies conflict with findings by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, who found differences in brain scans of people with symptoms of Havana syndrome and a control group.

Dr. David Relman, a leading scientist who has had access to secret files on the cases and representatives of people suffering from Havana syndrome, said the new studies were flawed. Many brain injuries are difficult to detect with scans or blood markers, he said. He added that the findings do not dispute that an external force, such as a directed energy device, could have harmed current and former government officials.

The studies were published Monday in The Journal of the American Medical Association, alongside an editorial by Dr. Relman that was critical of the findings.

The incidents began to occur in greater concentrations in late 2016 and into 2017 in Havana and later in China, Austria and elsewhere. The Biden administration took office in 2021 promising to improve health care for diplomats and spies suffering from the symptoms, and vowing to get to the bottom of what caused it.

Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and 2019 suggested that people affected by the syndrome may have had brain injuries that differed from typical concussions or other traumatic brain injuries.

The NIH studies looked at a different group of people, with less than a third of cases overlapping. Dr. Leighton Chan, acting chief scientific officer at the NIH Clinical Center and lead author of one of the studies, said that of the 86 participants, 24 cases were from Cuba, six from China, 17 from Vienna, nine from around the world. United States and 30 from other locations.

When studying the brain scans, the researchers found no significant differences compared to the control group.

At a press conference discussing the results before they were made public, the NIH scientists said their scans, taken in a research setting, were more accurate than those produced mainly in clinical settings during previous studies. They also said the control group was more closely matched to the study participants, improving the accuracy of the study.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania said the two studies were “apples to oranges” comparisons because they looked at different groups of patients, and the NIH study was not intended to replicate theirs.

The NIH scientists said they had not diagnosed the patients with traumatic brain injury or concussion. The diagnoses they offered instead, all so-called “functional neurological disorders”, are often caused by stress.

The studies do not rule out a possible external cause for the symptoms of Havana syndrome. But if no one was involved, Dr. Chan said, stress “could explain more of our findings.”

“It is important to note that individuals with functional neurological disorders, regardless of the cause, have symptoms that are real, distressing and very difficult to treat,” said Dr. Chan.

The NIH diagnosis angered several people with symptoms of Havana syndrome, who said it was insulting and misleading because it amounted to calling their symptoms psychosomatic or the result of mass hysteria.

Dr. Relman, who was among the leaders of an expert panel set up by the intelligence community and another by the National Academy of Sciences, said the work of those groups had shown that the symptoms of some of the affected government workers could not be caused. only due to stress or psychosocial factors.

The NIH studies looked at a large group of people who reported a variety of symptoms, rather than focusing on cases abroad where additional evidence shows something strange was going on, said Dr. Relman. In those cases, a concealable device, which can deliver directed energy in a targeted manner, could be responsible.

“To lump all these cases together in the way they did is just asking for trouble,” said Dr. Relman.

Mark Zaid, an attorney for several people with symptoms of Havana syndrome, said many current and former officials treated at the NIH were angry because they were not told about the study before it came out. Mr Zaid said some patients were told they had to take part in the study to receive government treatment for their symptoms. Mr Zaid said this had raised ethical questions about patients’ consent.

Dr. Chan disputed that, saying the people who took part did so voluntarily and could have left the study at any time.

But Mr. Zaid said he feared the CIA and other intelligence agencies would inappropriately use the research to bolster their findings that they could not identify an external cause for cases of Havana syndrome.

“The concern is that the intelligence community is going to weaponize this study to show that the absence of evidence is evidence,” Mr. Zaid said. “And it isn’t.”

In the 1960s, secret test flights of advanced government spy planes generated UFO sightings. More recently, government and commercial drones, new types of satellites, and wandering weather balloons have led to a renaissance of unusual sightings.

But according to a new report, none of these sightings involved alien spacecraft.

A new Congressionally mandated Pentagon report found no evidence that the government covered up knowledge of alien technology and said there was no evidence that any UFO sighting represented an alien visit to Earth.

The document is the most sweeping rebuttal the Pentagon has issued in recent years to refute claims that it has information about alien visits or technology. But amid widespread distrust of the government, the report is unlikely to calm a growing obsession with aliens.

While many reports of what the government is now calling Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena remain unsolved, the new document clearly states that there is nothing to see. The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office concluded that if better quality data were available, “most of these cases could also be identified and resolved as common objects or phenomena.”

Because of that missing data, Pentagon officials in the past have often been reluctant to speak clearly about various incidents, saying they lack information to draw a conclusion. But in the absence of conclusions, conspiracy theories have flourished, even as scientists and independent researchers claimed that optical illusions, weather phenomena, scientific balloons or drones were reasonable causes of almost all unexplained incidents.

The report also disputes accounts from whistleblowers and former government officials who have said the United States is hiding evidence of aliens or extraterrestrial material from the public.

The Pentagon has tried to undermine such claims over time. Officials have told Congress that the government has no extraterrestrial material — let alone a spaceship — in its possession. The Pentagon and NASA have used basic trigonometry to show why published military videos don’t show anything extraordinary or alien.

Progress in debunking UFO misinformation has slowed due to several changes in the task force investigating the matter. Congress has charged the Pentagon’s current group, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, with a historical review of the evidence.

The agency did not find “any empirical evidence” that reported sightings represent “off-world technology” or any secret program not reported to Congress, the report concludes.

Yet it is unlikely that the public will be convinced. Many people reject the government’s claims that there is nothing interesting going on in Pentagon videos that appear to show strange objects, citing accounts from Navy pilots that they have observed objects whose movements cannot be easily explained.

The new report notes that there was interest in UFOs in the past, especially in the 1950s, but that attention to unexplained sightings is greater today than ever before.

The Pentagon concludes cautiously and with precise language, writing that declining public trust in the government and the speed at which disinformation now spreads have made it more difficult to refute claims of alien visits.

Quote a 2021 Gallup poll, the Pentagon said exposure to the topic through “traditional and social media has increased the number of Americans who believe UFO sightings are of extraterrestrial origin.”

“Apart from hoaxes and forgeries, misinformation and misinformation are now more common and easier to spread than ever before, especially with today’s sophisticated photo, video and computer-generated imagery,” the report said. “Internet search algorithms and content recommendation algorithms serve to amplify individuals’ biases and prejudices as much as they serve to educate and inform.”

The report notes that in the 1950s, many UFO reports arose from public sightings or secret government programs. The report lists government programs, including the Manhattan Project and the secret development of the Air Force’s stealth drone, the RQ-170, that may have contributed to an increase in reports of unidentified objects or phenomena.

As part of the investigation, the Pentagon interviewed people who claimed to Congress that they had direct knowledge of a government cover-up and others who allegedly had supporting information.

A review of their accounts makes it clear that most reports on alien technology are second-hand at best. And none of the firsthand reports were corroborated by other witnesses.

Nevertheless, the Pentagon has investigated the claims and so far found nothing to support them. In contrast, it collected on-the-record rebuttals from other witnesses. The report states that the agency will continue to investigate further claims and report in a second part.

The Pentagon has also been looking into secret and sensitive government programs that whistleblowers have suggested were involved in investigating captured alien spacecraft.

The Pentagon concluded that while “many of these programs represent authentic, current and former sensitive national security programs,” none of them were involved in capturing or reverse-engineering alien technology.

More than three years after a whirlwind of conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the originators of many of the false allegations are now being forced to admit — some under oath — that is no evidence to support their bizarre claims.

Lawyers from the conservative group True the Vote spoke on Wednesday admitted to a state court in Georgia that they had no evidence to support their claim of illegal “ballot trafficking” in the state during the 2020 election and the 2021 Senate runoff.

And earlier this month, former Project Veritas leader James O'Keefe said: issued a statement after one of his sources recanted his story about fraud in Erie, Pa. “I am aware of no evidence or other allegation that election fraud occurred at the Erie Post Office during the 2020 presidential election,” Mr. O’Keefe said.

The recordings are known. Nor could the conspirators of many other false theories about the 2020 election when forced to provide evidence that would hold up in court.

In the days immediately following the 2020 election, Rudolph W. Giuliani, then a lawyer for Mr. Trump, claimed that the election was “an absolute fraud.” Days later, under questioning by a Pennsylvania judge, he admitted: “This is not a fraud case.” Last year, Mr. Giuliani admitted that public comments he made saying two election workers in Georgia had committed voter fraud were false.

The untruths have had consequences. Former President Donald J. Trump and 19 of his allies were indicted on multiple charges over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Fox News agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle defamation claims over the network's promotion of misinformation about Dominion election machines during the 2020 election. Mr. Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million in damages to the two election workers.

Mr. Giuliani was among several election deniers who privately admitted that evidence was lacking.

“We have a lot of theories,” he told the leader of the Arizona Legislature after the 2020 election, according to Jan. 6 committee testimony. “We just don't have the evidence.”

True the Vote's admission that it did not have any evidence of ballot trafficking further undermined the claims that formed the basis for the debunked voter fraud film “2,000 Mules.” The film, despite its false claims, reached a wide audience.

And while the false conspiracy theories continue to be dismissed, Trump continues to perpetuate the election lies in his campaign speeches and public appearances.

The mess of conspiracy theories about a stolen and rigged election has become dogma for a large faction of the conservative base, irreparably damaging their confidence in the nation's electoral system and creating an election denial movement that has overwhelmed large parts of the Republican Party apparatus .

In August, nearly 70 percent of Republican voters did not believe President Biden's 2020 victory was legitimate. from a CNN poll. An opinion poll was published in June Monmouth University found that 30 percent of Americans believe Biden won in 2020 only because of voter fraud.

The two polls were conducted after numerous conspiracy theories about the 2020 election were proven false by the courts, making it unlikely that further rejection of the 2020 falsehoods will have a major effect on the 2024 election.

That may be partly because voters in today's hyper-polarized climate are attracted to excuses for losses, such as cheating, said Matthew Germer, board director of the R Street Institute, a conservative organization. Another factor: these lies make money for the liars.

“Conspiracy theories are great for fundraising, but terrible for democracy,” Mr. Germer said. “And that again preys on our tendency to want to be on the winning side.”

He added: “I am optimistic that the more of these conspiracies crumble, it will undermine the credibility of those who peddle them.”

“People can only really take so much,” he said. “But I think the question remains where those limits are and how long this can last.”

A South Korean court on Wednesday found three former police officers guilty of destroying evidence showing police were aware of security risks during Halloween festivities in Seoul before a deadly mob that shocked the nation in 2022.

The officers were the first officials convicted of crimes related to the event, which killed nearly 160 people, making it one of the worst peacetime disasters in the country's history. They were found guilty of destroying evidence, including deleting an internal report that warned of the potential for accidents during Halloween celebrations.

A court in Seoul has sentenced Park Seong-min, a senior official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, to 18 months in prison. Kim Jin-ho, a former Yongsan Police Station official, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence. Kwak Young-seok, a former officer at Yongsan Police Station, was given a four-month suspended sentence. Attorneys for the former officers could not immediately be reached for comment.

The court found that Mr Park had ordered Mr Kim and his subordinates to delete the documents out of fear that the data, if leaked by investigators or the media, would lead to police being held criminally liable for the disaster .

On the night of October 29, 2022, police stations in Seoul received dozens of calls from panicked witnesses who feared impending crowds on the streets of Itaewon, a neighborhood known for its bars and clubs, where people were celebrating Halloween.

According to an initial investigation, it took hours for officers to reach the location after the initial calls. By then, hundreds of people were crowded into a narrow, sloping alley, crushing others. After the disaster, many South Koreans gathered around grieving relatives to demand that officials be held accountable.

The convictions stem from an investigation last year led by the National Police Agency, in which officials were responsible for what happened that night. Officials recommended that 23 people would be charged in connection with the incident. After being fired from their positions and arrested in 2022, the three officers were among those investigators say caused the tragedy.

Last month, Kim Kwang-ho, the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, was charged with negligence. He is the highest-ranking official to face criminal charges in connection with the mass crowds. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $15,000.

Since the massive crowds, President Yoon Suk Yeol's government has faced constant criticism and demands from the public to take responsibility for the disaster. Many have seen the government's response as inadequate, saying it had not apologized for what happened.

Mr Yoon sparked further public anger last month when he vetoed a bill passed by lawmakers in the National Assembly that would have appointed a special prosecutor to launch an independent investigation into the disaster, and instead would provide financial compensation to the surviving relatives. of the victims.

An Atlanta judge said Monday he would hold a hearing later this week looking into a romantic relationship between the two prosecutors leading an election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump and several of his allies.

The revelations about the relationship and accusations from lawyers that it created a conflict of interest have created unrest around the case. The defense is seeking to disqualify the two prosecutors: Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, and Nathan J. Wade, whom she hired to lead the case.

“Clearly, disqualification can occur if evidence is presented that establishes a conflict of fact or the appearance of one,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said during a hearing Monday afternoon.

He added that “because I believe it is possible that the facts alleged by the defendant could be disqualifying, I believe there should be an evidentiary hearing to determine the facts regarding those core allegations.”

This is a development story. Check back for updates.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg will convene a grand jury Tuesday to hear evidence against a group of men caught on video attacking police officers in Times Square last month, he said in a statement.

Mr. Bragg was criticized when his office did not seek bail for most of the seven men initially arrested, prompting a judge to release them last week. He has since raised concerns about whether all perpetrators had been correctly identified.

A law enforcement official said all of the men were migrants who had been in the country less than a year, and that four have fled the city since their arraignment, using bus tickets they bought with the help of a church group. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

“They should be out on bond in Rikers right now,” John Chell, chief of police patrol, said Wednesday of the men charged in the attack. 'Do you want to know why our officers are being attacked? There are no consequences.”

Mr Bragg on Friday defended the decision not to seek bail for most of the men in what he called a “despicable” attack, adding: “We make decisions based on the evidence we have in front of us at the time.”

In a joint statement with Police Commissioner Edward Caban, Mr Bragg said on Saturday: “It is clear from video and other evidence that some of the most culpable individuals have not yet been identified or arrested.”

“We will work tirelessly with the Manhattan District Attorney's office to identify and arrest every person who participated in this event,” Mr. Caban added.

Mr. Bragg said Friday that proper identification is required to “secure a conviction, get accountability and send the right people to prison,” emphasizing the phrase “right people.” His office has already decided not to prosecute one of the men initially arrested, citing a lack of evidence.

The case and the outrage over Mr Bragg's handling of it touch on several current issues. This includes criticism of New York's bail reform laws, which prohibit judges from imposing bail for most non-violent crimes, and the waning patience of many New Yorkers in footing the bill for the care of the nearly 70,000 migrants housed in city shelters.

Most of the men arrested in the attack were charged with felonies, which remain eligible for bail even under changes to New York State's bail law, but were nevertheless released without bail.

The firestorm recalled previous episodes involving Mr. Bragg's office in which the district attorney failed to proactively address politically charged cases and policy decisions. Mr. Bragg has faced pushback from both Democrats and Republicans in such cases, often responding well after the criticism began.

Governor Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Wednesday that she was “looking for judges and prosecutors to do the right thing” in the case. On Thursday, she said of all the migrants found responsible for the attacks: “Take them all and send them back.”

The attack happened on Jan. 27 at 8:30 p.m., when an officer and a lieutenant tried to disperse a disorderly group outside the migrant shelter at the Candler Building on 42nd Street near Seventh Avenue, police said.

A 45 second surveillance video released by police shows the officers talking to several men and then all parties walking away. The video then cuts to the lieutenant and the officer trying to arrest a man wearing a yellow jacket or sweater.

Soon the officers are on the ground with the man in yellow, trying to arrest him. As they struggled, several other men punched, kicked and pushed the officers, who were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

That night, four men were arrested and charged with assault on a police officer and gang assault. A fifth was arrested Monday and charged with attempted assault on an officer. Two others were arrested Wednesday and charged with assault and robbery, including Yohenry Brito, 24, who was identified as the man in yellow who resisted arrest.

The only man for whom prosecutors sought bail was Mr. Brito, who was ordered held at Rikers Island on $15,000 bail. Prosecutors said in court papers that Mr. Brito had pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in September and had two outstanding warrants issued for his arrest.

The men the law enforcement official said fled the city were Yorman Reveron, 24; Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19; Wilson Juarez, 21; Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19. The official said they were all living in migrant shelters.

The influx of migrants – more than 170,000 of whom have entered the city since the beginning of 2022 – appears to have had little impact on crime and public safety. Last year, the city saw a significant drop in most violent crimes, including homicides. But the number of crimes has risen by 6 percent compared to 2022, and the number of attacks on police officers has risen by almost 20 percent to 2,235.