Africa
Pro-democracy protesters jailed in Chad – More than 260 pro-democracy protesters have been handed jail terms in Chad after being arrested in October. Defense lawyers boycotted the court proceedings, saying the trial itself wasn’t legal. Around 50 people died in October during nationwide pro-democracy protests, according to Chad officials. Rights groups said at least 100 people were killed by Chad security.
World’s largest telescope under construction – Construction on the world’s largest radio telescope began on Monday and is expected to be completed in 2028. The Square Kilometre Array will split across South Africa and Australia and will address questions in astrophysics. The telescope will work to trace the full history of hydrogen and will be built in areas already used for radio astronomy.
Asia
Last known Tasmanian tiger remains found – The remains of the last known Tasmanian tiger were found in the cupboard of an Australian museum. The remains were lost for 85 years after the animal died in captivity at a zoo in 1936. The tiger’s body was given to a local museum that lost track of the remains. The remains were preserved but not properly catalogued.
Indonesia volcano causes mass evacuations – Mount Semeru volcano erupted on Sunday in Indonesia, causing nearly 2,000 people to evacuate. Volcan ash mixed with rain fell on nearby villages and a bridge being rebuilt was badly damaged, but no injuries were reported. After the eruption, Japan issued a tsunami warning for southern islands, but meteorologists said they did not notice any tidal changes. Mount Semeru last erupted in 2021 and killed at least 50 people.
Europe
Eighth wave of Russian missiles target Ukraine – For the eight time in eight weeks, Russia fired missiles across Ukraine. The attack left some residents without water while previous attacks hit the country’s energy grid, leaving millions without power. Western leaders condemned the attacks was left without power after the recent attacks. the Kyiv area was left without power after the recent attacks.
Dead seals found along Russian coast – Around 2,500 seals were found dead on the Caspian Sea coast in southern Russia. There is no sign that the animals died because of violence, and it is believed they died two weeks before their bodies were discovered. Experts collected samples from the seals and plan to test the samples to determine what caused their deaths. Caspian seals are endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.
Latin America
El Salvador targets gangs in crackdown – El Salvador deployed around 10,000 troops around the city of Soyapango as part of a crackdown on gangs. Roads leading to the city were blocked, and troops are searching houses of potential gang members. So far, 12 people have been arrested. The city is known as a hub for gang activity and is one of the country’s largest cities. Homicide rates have been high in El Salvador. In March, there were 62 murders in a single day in the country.
Peace talks progressing between Colombia/rebels – Colombia President Gustavo Petro said peace talks between the country’s government and the leftwing National Liberation Army rebel group reached a first point of agreement. The two sides have been in conflict for nearly 60 years. Both sides agreed that indigenous people displaced by the conflict should be able to return to their lands in the Western Antioquia province. No ceasefire has been reached in the peace talks yet.
North America
Ticketmaster sued over Taylor Swift ticket sales – A lawsuit filed by 26 Taylor Swift fans against Ticketmaster accuses the company of fraud, price-fixing and anti-trust violations. Last month, the sale of Swift tour tickets on Ticketmaster was plagued with issues. Ticketmaster admitted that bot attacks and unprecedented demand caused its website to crash repeatedly. The lawsuit is seeking $2,500 for each violation which could amount to millions of dollars.
Alex Jones files for bankruptcy
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones filed for personal bankruptcy after being ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion for falsely claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. The filing temporarily halts proceedings in the case. It could also delay further payments while the case goes through bankruptcy courts. Jones will appear in a third defamation trial over the Sandy Hook shooting later this year.
