IMPORTANT
| | | Russian Warship, Go (Sink) Yourself! | Ukraine Claims Credit for Sinking Notorious Russian Warship Russia says the Moskva, the flagship of its strategically crucial Black Sea fleet, was seriously damaged by a fire that caused its ammunition to explode. But Maksym Marchenko, the governor of the region around the port of Odesa, said the Moskva — already notorious for an encounter with Ukrainian border guards at Snake Island at the beginning of the war — was struck by two Ukrainian-made Neptune cruise missiles. The Russian sailors were reportedly evacuated before the ship sank. Meanwhile, the U.S. pledged an extra $800 million in military hardware to Ukraine yesterday, including artillery, armored personnel carriers and helicopters. (Sources: The Guardian, CNN, Sky News) |
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| | | | | Gridlocked | US-Mexico Border Chaos Continues Over Texas Inspections Slowdowns began last week after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered increased inspections for commercial trucks crossing the border from Mexico — his latest move in a fight with the White House over immigration. At some crossings, Mexican truckers have protested in response, blocking the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge since Monday as lengthy delays and backups of 12 hours or longer spread to other entry points. But trade groups and businesses are warning that U.S. consumers will begin seeing empty shelves and higher prices, and even the Texas Trucking Association, which has endorsed Abbott, said the situation “cannot be sustained.” (Sources: AP, Al Jazeera) |
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| | | Deadly Deluge | South Africa Slammed by Record Rainfall and Devastating Floods The death toll has surpassed 300 and continues to climb in eastern South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, where record rainfall — in some areas more than double the previous record — continues unabated. Devastating floods and mudslides have knocked out power and communications, and rescue efforts have been hampered by blocked roads and washed-out bridges. President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area, describing the disaster as a force of nature, but many residents blame weak infrastructure and badly built houses in low-lying areas for the scale of devastation. Local officials say many people are still missing and thousands more have been displaced. (Sources: BBC, DW) |
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| | | Behind Bars | NYC Subway Attack Suspect Arrested on Terror Charges “My fellow New Yorkers, we got him.” So said Mayor Eric Adams after Frank R. James was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon following a 29-hour manhunt. James, who had posted a series of angry videos online, is accused of releasing two smoke grenades in a crowded subway car during Tuesday morning rush hour, then opening fire and injuring at least 23 people. Police believe he acted alone, but have not revealed his motive. James has been charged with carrying out a terror attack on mass transit — federal charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison — and is due in court today. (Sources: WaPo, NYT) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Deadly force. Michigan police have released a video showing a white police officer kneeling on a Black motorist’s back after a struggle, then shooting him in the back of the head. (Source: NPR) Sticky situation. A Russian artist is facing up to a decade in prison for replacing supermarket price stickers with messages protesting the war in Ukraine. (Source: The Guardian) Watch the skies! A solar storm is due to hit Earth today and the blast of plasma and magnetic energy could result in vivid aurora visible as far south as New York. (Source: U.S. Sun) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | | | Tipping the Scales | African Clinics Rehabilitate Endangered Pangolins The critically endangered creatures, believed to be the world’s most trafficked mammals, are poached for their tough keratin scales, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. With pangolin populations in Asia plummeting, wildlife traffickers have turned to African animals to feed black market demand. But African wildlife groups, like Liberia’s Libassa Animal Sanctuary and South Africa’s Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, are doing their part to rehab pangolins that have been rescued from poachers. The nocturnal insect-eaters are treated at secret sites for weeks or months until they can be returned to the wild — in safe locations like private wildlife reserves. (Source: AFP) |
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| | | Be Prepared | Taiwan’s Military Releases Wartime Survival Guide for Residents The island nation’s military published a handbook this week to inform civilians about how to respond to a potential invasion, including what emergency supplies to stockpile, how to evacuate during an air raid and where to find bomb shelters. The 28-page Chinese-language guide offers handy QR codes linking to apps and websites with information about emergency services, power outages and military announcements. While it never names the potential invading force, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ratcheted up worries that China may be increasingly likely to follow through on its threats to annex Taiwan. (Sources: Gizmodo, AFP) |
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| | | Great Balls of Fire | Hubble Confirms Largest Comet Ever Spotted Is Hurtling Our Way New observations from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest the Bernardinelli-Bernstein comet could measure 85 miles in diameter, twice the width of Rhode Island. Astronomers estimate the gargantuan ball of ice and dust has a mass of 500 trillion tons — 100,000 times greater than the comets that typically visit our solar system — and a “blacker than coal” nucleus 50 times larger than average. Though the 4 billion-year-old comet is hurtling toward us at 22,000 miles per hour, don’t panic: It won’t reach our neighborhood until 2031 and won’t get any closer than 1 billion miles from the sun. (Sources: Live Science, NASA) |
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| | | Head in the Clouds | Can Carbon Capture and Storage Really Save the Planet? The latest U.N. climate report declared carbon capture and storage (CCS) an essential part of mitigating climate change — to the tune of at least 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year. But the technology to extract CO2 at that scale is still unproven, and critics say any project that prolongs a polluting industry is perpetuating ecological harms. Nonetheless, Congress approved $3.5 billion for CCS last year, and this week tech companies, including Google and Facebook, pledged $900 million to a new company called Frontier that’s invested in 14 CCS startups to incubate what could become a $1 trillion industry. (Sources: The Atlantic, AP) |
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| | | Near Perfection | Dodgers Pull Clayton Kershaw During Perfect Game Bid The superstar pitcher was seven innings and 13 strikeouts into a perfect game Wednesday — aiming for just the 24th flawless game in MLB history — when Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts yanked him. In his first outing of the season, Kershaw retired 21 batters with only 80 pitches. But while fans were outraged, the lefty agreed it was the right call. An arm injury sidelined Kershaw for the postseason last year and the shortened spring training didn’t give him time to get back to his usual form. “Blame it on the lockout,” he said. “Blame it on my not picking up a ball for three months.” (Sources: WaPo, Yahoo Sports) |
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