US PRESIDENT Joseph R. Biden’s administration has notified Congress of a proposed $8-billion arms sale to Israel, two US officials said, with Washington maintaining support for its ally whose war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands.

The deal would need approval from House of Representatives and Senate committees and includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells. The package also includes small-diameter bombs and warheads, according to the sources.

One source familiar with the package said Mr. Biden had been clear that Israel had a right to defend its citizens “consistent with international law and international humanitarian law,” and that the US would continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense.

Some of the munitions deliveries could be furnished through current US stock, while the majority would take up to several years to deliver, the source said.

The package includes AIM-120C-8 air-to-air missiles to defend against drones and other airborne threats, 155mm artillery shells, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles and $6.75 billion in other bombs and guidance systems, one of the US officials said.

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Protesters have for months demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but US policy has largely remained unchanged. In August, the United States approved the sale of $20 billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.

The Biden administration says it is helping its ally defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Facing international criticism, Washington has stood by Israel during its assault on Gaza that has displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide accusations that Israel denies.

The Gaza Health Ministry puts the death toll at over 45,000 people, with many additional feared buried under rubble.

Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to end the 15-month-old Israeli war in Gaza that was triggered by an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on Israel that killed 1,200 and in which about 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Washington, Israel’s biggest ally and weapons supplier, has also previously vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions on a ceasefire in Gaza.

Democrat Mr. Biden is due to leave office on Jan. 20, when Republican President-elect Donald J. Trump will succeed him. Both are strong backers of Israel. — Reuters

THE US Surgeon General’s warning of an increased risk of cancer from drinking alcohol may end up resonating most with younger Americans — who in recent years were already turning to mocktails and juices instead of alcoholic drinks.

It is unclear whether Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s suggestion to update warning labels on the risks of alcohol will be acted upon by Congress, but, over the last decade, the youngest adults have been drinking less.

Brooklyn resident Amy Hudson, 35, said she cut back on drinking alcohol from multiple times a week to less than three times a month after she started having chronic migraines in 2021.

“I found mocktails to be a good way to get antioxidants while incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into my diet,” Ms. Hudson said. Ingredients like pineapple, cherry juice and ginger have helped manage her migraines, she said.

In 2023, 49.6% of Americans between ages 18 and 25 had used alcohol in the last month, according to US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national survey figures, down from 59.6% in 2013.

Sean Goldsmith, chief executive officer of non-alcoholic beverage e-commerce platform The Zero Proof, said the surgeon general’s announcement comes as “more and more people are realizing that drinking alcohol is not good for you.”

He is in one of his busiest seasons of the year — “Dry January,” a month when some people choose to abstain from alcohol following the holiday season.

About 90% of The Zero Proof’s shoppers are alcohol drinkers looking for healthier beverages, Mr. Goldsmith said. More than 60% of his customers are women and most are Millennials aged between 28 and 43.

Public health bodies like the World Health Organization have increasingly turned their attention towards alcohol after making progress on stronger tobacco controls.

The American Medical Association in a Friday statement noted that it has warned for years of the increased cancer risk from any alcohol consumption. “Despite decades of compelling evidence of this connection, too many in the public remain unaware of alcohol’s risk,” it said.

Sara Martin, a 42-year-old salesperson in Los Angeles, isn’t participating in Dry January, but said mocktails are great options at work parties. “I’m in an industry that drinks more heavily than I can keep up with,” she said.

She’s glad younger people in her industry “are pushing back on the compulsory alcohol culture,” but doesn’t think that labeling cancer risks alone will reduce drinking.

“It took massive public awareness campaigns to link cigarettes and lung cancer firmly in people’s minds,” Ms. Martin said. “But the labels would be the first step.” — Reuters

SYDNEY — Australia’s southeast sweated in a heatwave that intensified on Sunday, elevating bushfire risk and prompting authorities to issue fire bans for more parts of Victoria state.

Australia is in the grips of a high-risk bushfire season, with firefighters last week battling a large blaze that ripped through Victoria’s Grampians National Park, razing homes and farmland.

The nation’s weather forecaster warned that temperatures could reach 45°C (113°F) in some parts of Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria on Sunday. The mercury in state capital Melbourne was forecast to hit 38°C (100°F).

In the state’s northwest, in the town of Mildura, where the temperature was predicted to reach 42°C (107°F), it was already 32.9°C (91°F) at 10:30 a.m., surpassing the January mean maximum temperature, according to forecaster data.

The heat sparked total fire bans for three Victorian districts where authorities labelled the fire danger as “extreme,” the second highest danger rating.

Bureau of Meteorology official Miriam Bradbury said temperatures would likely peak in Victoria on Sunday.

“What that means for the fire dangers is we are seeing a spike across more districts,” Ms. Bradbury told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television.

The states of Western Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania were also under heatwave warnings on Sunday, the forecaster said on its website.

Ms. Bradbury on Saturday said a wind change bringing a cool change to the country’s southeast was expected on Sunday night.

Australia’s last few fire seasons have been quiet compared with the catastrophic 2019-2020 “Black Summer” of wildfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey, killing 33 people and billions of animals.- — Reuters