Attacks by Sudan’s RSF leave many dead as force prepares political charter
Attacks by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have killed more than 200 people over the past three days, activists said Tuesday, as the paramilitary group delayed signing a political charter that could pave the way for a breakaway government. After nearly two years of war between the RSF and Sudan’s army, the RSF controls most of the west of Sudan and parts of the capital, Khartoum, but has been losing ground in central Sudan to the army.
U.S. condemns 'dangerous' Chinese maneuvers after close encounter with Philippine plane
The United States condemned Wednesday what it called “dangerous maneuvers” by China after a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane in a disputed area of the South China Sea. The incident took place Tuesday morning local time as a plane belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was flying what Philippine officials said was a routine low-altitude patrol over the Scarborough Shoal, an atoll that is mostly underwater but is rich in fish stocks.
Sweden’s top court rejects Greta Thunberg’s lawsuit on climate action
Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other activists cannot proceed with a lawsuit that had sought to force the state to take stronger action against climate change. Activists filed a class action lawsuit in 2022 with a district court, arguing that the state violates rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights by not doing enough to limit climate change, or mitigate its effects.
False killer whales stranded in Australia are expected to be euthanized after unsuccessful rescue mission
More than 150 false killer whales have washed up on the coast of the Australian island state of Tasmania, with none of them expected to survive, officials said Wednesday. The 157 whales were found Tuesday afternoon on a remote beach near Arthur River on Tasmania’s northwest coast. By Wednesday afternoon, only 90 appeared to still be alive, The Associated Press reported, citing the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.
What China fears most about Trump’s turn toward Russia
US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine appears poised to hand key concessions to Russia, leaving Kyiv and its European supporters on the sidelines as they face the prospect of a peace deal made over their heads. But they aren’t the only major players grappling with the fallout of Trump’s pivot to Russia that has upended years of US foreign policy in a burst of rapid-fire diplomacy. In Beijing, too, the breakneck turn of events is seen to be raising questions about how the US peace drive will impact Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s carefully wrought partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin – and China’s precarious relations with the Trump administration.
A conservationist is building bridges in the Amazon so monkeys can cross the road
The first time Brazilian biologist Fernanda Abra saw a Groves’ titi monkey, one of the most 25 endangered primates in the world, it was positioned right next to a road. “It was totally exposed to road mortality,” recalls Abra. Although figures vary wildly, by some estimates, 475 million vertebrate animals are killed by vehicles every year in the South American country, which is home to the world’s fourth biggest road network, and the Amazon rainforest.
Israeli hostage families forum receives ‘heart-shattering’ news of Bibas deaths
Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Wednesday that it had received the “heart-shattering news” that Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, are among the four dead hostages expected to be released from Gaza on Thursday. The body of Oded Lifshitz is also expected to be released on the same day, in what will be the first handover of dead hostages since the ceasefire deal with Hamas went into effect in January. “This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world,” the forum said in a statement. “It is with great sadness that we received the news of the return of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, along with Oded Lifshitz, who were kidnapped alive and will return deceased for eternal rest in Israel.”
As Trump’s attacks on Zelensky turn personal, there’s only one winner: Russia
The suspicion this was personal always lingered. But there was hope the greater good of both the US and Ukraine would win out. The past 24 hours has seen US President Donald Trump’s slow-burn, apparent dislike for his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, belch out into the open. And with it comes a real and new uncertainty about the future of Ukraine, and more widely the security of Europe. Last week, Trump hinted he felt Zelensky’s poll numbers were low and he would have to face elections, but Tuesday night he dug deeper, falsely stating the wartime leader was at 4 per cent favorability and Ukraine had started the war.
Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro charged in connection with alleged coup plot
Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged in connection with an alleged coup plot to overturn the results of the 2022 election and keep his opponent from taking power, according to documents filed by prosecutors Tuesday evening. Bolsonaro was among 34 people facing charges including those of armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, and damage qualified by violence. Prosecutors allege that the plot began in 2021, with an effort to undermine public trust in electronic voting machines.
US calls out ‘dangerous’ Chinese helicopter maneuvers as tensions rise over South China Sea
A Chinese military helicopter flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a Philippine patrol plane over the South China Sea on Tuesday, in what observers said was the second incident of potentially catastrophic behavior by the People’s Liberation Army against foreign aircraft in a week. Tuesday’s incident was witnessed by an Associated Press reporter aboard the single-engine Cessna Caravan plane operated by the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources as it patrolled near Scarborough Shoal, an uninhabited rock about 140 miles (222 kilometers) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon.