WASHINGTON—Two dozen states and municipalities sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday over rules protecting medical workers who have religious or moral objections to abortion, assisted suicide, or sterilization. The suits, instigated by New York and California, claim HHS regulations issued earlier this month stop the provision of basic healthcare.

An armed attack that killed at least four Catholics during a religious procession in northern Burkina Faso last week raised concerns that the growing extremist violence could stoke a larger crisis.

Gunmen attacked a group carrying a statue of Mary on May 13 in the Diocese of Ouahigouya in the Nord region. “They let the minors go, executed four adults, and destroyed the statue,” Burkina Faso’s AIB news agency reported.

Felton and Geraldine Eubanks did not have flood insurance. Their home of 53 years in rural Trenton, N.C., is in a low-risk area for flooding, according to state records. Prior to Hurricane Florence, they hadn’t needed flood insurance. 

“We had never been flooded. Never,” Geraldine said. When the last two big hurricanes hit the state (Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Matthew in 2016), nearby neighbors and family members whose homes weren’t as elevated found refuge in the Eubankses’ home.

New data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reveals a staggering number of complications from drug-induced abortions, which are likely even more common than reported. Abortion advocates, meanwhile, continue to call the drugs safe and push for lower restrictions on them, including making them available over the counter.

Cell biologists are marveling at what looks like a well-choreographed dance among the microscopic structures housed within living cells. Thirty years ago, scientists believed this cellular tango was incidental. But now, more advanced imaging techniques reveal this rhythmic motion serves a vital purpose that “shouts design,” Ann Gauger, a biologist and researcher at the Biologic Institute, told me.

Japanese Emperor Akihito announced his abdication at a palace ceremony on Tuesday. “Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to do so,” Akihito said in his final address. “I sincerely thank the people who accepted and supported me in my role as the symbol of the state.”

It was a wet Tuesday morning last year when I arrived in Nigeria’s southern Rivers state, towing a suitcase packed with white T-shirts and shorts, white rubber tennis shoes, and a fanny pack.

Those articles were the basic uniform requirements at the military-style camp where I planned to stay for the next three weeks. The place brought back memories of boarding school: The fenced compound included single-story buildings, a vast field, and freshly cut grass. The hostel where I was to sleep contained 34 metal bunk beds, each with provisions for a mosquito net.