Interesting Global News

The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 moved south as it closed in on a key military airport in DR Congo on Friday, a day after pledging to take the capital Kinshasa and as international criticism mounted.

The group's capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups.

Rwanda says its primary interest is to eradicate fighters linked to the 1994 genocide but is accused of seeking to profit from the region's reserves of minerals used in global electronics.

The crisis has rattled the continent and international observers, with a southern African regional bloc holding an emergency summit in Zimbabwe's capital Harare on Friday.

M23 fighters are now moving south.

Local sources told AFP on Thursday that fighting was concentrated some 30 kilometres from the city of Kavumu.

The city has a strategic military airfield and is where the Congolese army has laid down its defensive line just 40 km north of South Kivu's provincial capital Bukavu.

The United Nations warned it was concerned by "credible reports that the M23 is moving rapidly towards the city of Bukavu".

The second biggest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Goma, Bukavu has a population believed to be around two million.

The Congolese army has yet to comment on the latest M23 advances but President Felix Tshisekedi said earlier this week that a "vigorous" military response was under way.

Information about the fast-moving offensive has remained unclear, but so far M23 fighters have met limited resistance from the ill-equipped and poorly paid Congolese forces.

In Goma, residents have emerged to count the dead and search for food, as hospitals struggled to cope with the wounded.

"We do not want to live under the thumb of these people," one person, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The United Nations, United States, European Union, China, Britain, France and mediator Angola have all called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces.

Britain said Thursday it was considering reviewing aid to Rwanda.

Rwanda has hit back at the criticism, with government spokesperson Yolande Makolo saying the UK did not deliver "a direct warning" about aid.

"The international community has its fair share of the blame in the current situation," she posted on X.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame also strongly rejected accusations that Kigali is supporting the armed group, saying: "M23 are not Rwandans – they are Congolese."

On Friday, the 16-nation Southern African Development Community will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the "worrying situation".

Kagame and Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union-appointed mediator between Kigali and Kinshasa on the conflict, will not attend.

The meeting follows soaring tensions between Kagame and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in DRC's east.

"We are ready to defend ourselves if we are attacked by a coalition including South African forces," Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told South African public broadcaster SABC late Thursday.

"We are in Goma and we will not leave," Corneille Nangaa, head of a coalition of groups including the M23, said on Thursday.

"We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa," he added.

The offensive has heightened an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region, causing food and water shortages and forcing half a million people from their homes this month, the UN said.

Africa's health agency warned that the "unnecessary war" in eastern DRC – a hotspot for infectious diseases including mpox – raised the risk of pandemic.

The DRC has accused Rwanda of waging an offensive to profit from the region's mineral wealth.

Rwanda has denied the accusations.

Deforestation in Indonesia rose in 2024 for a third year running, a local environmental NGO said Friday, based on satellite image analysis and fieldwork.

A government official disputed the figures, saying they mischaracterised deforestation in the country.

Indonesia has one of the world's highest rates of deforestation, with key drivers including timber plantations, palm oil cultivation and, increasingly, the mining of critical minerals.

Its rainforests are some of the world's most biodiverse, providing crucial habitats for threatened and endangered species, and are key carbon sinks.

The report by NGO Auriga Nusantara said 261,575 hectares (646,366 acres) of primary and secondary forests across Indonesia were lost in 2024, over 4,000 more than the previous year.

The vast majority of the losses took place in areas opened for development by the government, the group added.

"It is worrying, as it shows the increase of legal deforestation," said Auriga Nusantara's chair Timer Manurung.

He called for "urgent" protection of forest in Kalimantan, where the highest losses were recorded as the country's new capital is built, and in Sulawesi.

Ade Tri Ajikusumah, a senior official at Indonesia's environment and forestry ministry, said the deforestation figure failed to account for replanting.

He acknowledged that government figures for "gross" deforestation in 2024 are "not significantly different" from Auriga Nusantara's, but that the NGO did not account for reforestation of over 40,000 hectares.

"We are now working to maximise land use," he said, adding that development around Indonesia's new capital involves "land that has already been released from forest status".

"These areas were previously managed by companies under existing permits. So it's not deforestation -- it was already designated for development."

The report comes as Indonesian environmentalists raise alarm over government plans to convert millions of hectares of forests for food and energy use.

President Prabowo Subianto, who assumed office in October, has pledged to boost food and energy self-sufficiency, including by expanding bio-based fuels to lower fuel imports.

Environmental groups warn the plans would spell disaster for the country's forests.

"We ask President Prabowo to issue a presidential regulation to protect all remaining natural forest," Timer told AFP.

The report is based on satellite imagery, which was analysed to confirm deforestation, and followed up with field visits to areas representing tens of thousands of hectares of forest loss, Auriga Nusantara said.

While deforestation occurred in all of Indonesia's provinces except the region around Jakarta, the biggest losses were in Kalimantan.

One driver has been the designation of an area for the new capital, the report said.

Two regional governments in the area have proposed opening up hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest to potential development, the group warned.

Most deforestation however was driven by commodities, including timber, mining and palm oil.

Auriga Nusantara said its count excluded loss in timber plantations and plantation forest, but does cover both primary forests and regenerated "secondary" forest.

The report also sounds the alarm on deforestation for biomass production, which has seen forest levelled to plant quick-growing species that will provide wood biomass.

Indonesia is keen to boost domestic use of biomass energy and export, particularly to Japan and South Korea.

And it highlighted deforestation on islands in Raja Ampat, an area known for its teeming coral reefs, as nickel mining advances.

"This area of such national and international acclaim has been unable to withstand the onslaught," the report said.

Nearly 200 hectares across four islands in the region have been deforested, the group said, with new nickel mining licences already issued for several more islands.

Auriga Nusantara said forest loss was also happening in conservation areas, despite legal protections.

The use of third parties, rather than the Israeli military, at the central checkpoint in Gaza was reportedly a compromise in the agreement. A representative for UG Solutions told The Washington Post that their mandate is to allow people to go through the checkpoint, and only stop them when they “carry anything deemed unsafe” — but it’s unclear what that means, and Israel has long banned simple necessities from entering Gaza, including items like food, claiming that they can be used by armed Palestinian forces.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24946818

India doubled its tiger population in a little over a decade by protecting the big cats from poaching and habitat loss, ensuring they have enough prey, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and increasing communities' living standards near tiger areas, a study published Thursday found.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131081823/https://www.npr.org/2025/01/31/nx-s1-5281938/india-tiger-population-conservation

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

The German parliament has strengthened maternity protection for women who have suffered miscarriages. The new regulation would entitle women who miscarry after the 13th week of pregnancy to maternity leave.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131050350/https://www.dw.com/en/germany-offers-maternity-leave-for-women-after-miscarriage/a-71464825

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National Audit Office says government attempts to tackle misogynistic violence are hampered by poor coordination

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131044942/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/31/violence-against-women-girls-epidemic-uk

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Skating Club of Boston says two skaters, their parents and coaches were on plane that collided with army helicopter

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131044726/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/30/dc-plane-crash-victims

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In a significant boost to recognizing transgender people’s rights, the Thai government announced this week that it will invest 145 million baht (US$4.3 million) in providing hormone therapy to transgender people.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131043929/https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/01/30/thailand-invests-trans-health

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Panama President José Raúl Mulino says there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal. He also says that he hopes U.S.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131020737/https://apnews.com/article/panama-canal-us-rubio-mulino-a3b1ccdf2fe1b0e957b44f1cf7a9fcfe

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The Budget Committee of the German Parliament has called on Finance Minister Jörg Kukies to approve an additional €3 billion in military assistance for Ukraine. The decision has been supported by opposition conservatives and the Free Democratic Party, while the ruling Social Democrats and the Greens abstained.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131033401/https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/01/30/7495912/

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The system outage forced a plane carrying Prime Minister Robert Fico to turn around and head back to Slovakia.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131044302/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/01/31/belgian-airspace-reopens-after-closure-forced-pm-ficos-flight-to-return-to-slovakia

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Sweden saw 27 bombings in 27 days to begin 2025.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131030810/https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/no-control-sweden-grapples-with-bomb-violence-wave/

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The victim was a 32-year-old nurse who died from multi-organ failure, the health ministry says.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131021049/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6p8j17ynlo

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President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 25 criticized Ukraine's decision to give up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s without receiving strong security guarantees in return.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131020631/https://kyivindependent.com/stupid-illogical-zelensky-blasts-ukraine-relinquishing-nuclear-arms-without-strong-security-guarantees/

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Sweden will provide Ukraine with a military aid package worth over $1.2 billion, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson announced on Jan. 30.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131022127/https://kyivindependent.com/sweden-unveils-its-largest-military-aid-package-for-ukraine-worth-1-2-billion/

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has offered to remove a U.S. missile system from the Philippines if China halts what he called its “aggressive and coercive behavior” in the disputed South China Sea.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131021333/https://apnews.com/article/china-philippines-us-missile-system-d2d7aeeaeef0ea9d93f105ae6614ab02

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President Donald Trump says his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming on Saturday. Trump also said he'll "probably” decide on Thursday night whether to include oil from those countries as part of his import taxes.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131013434/https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-oil-afb915762af6994573353135bcd30a1b

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Human rights group says Canada’s system sets up foreign workers for multiple forms of ‘labour exploitation’

Archived version: https://archive.is/20250130154021/https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/amnesty-international-temporary-foriegn-worker-program-1.7444881

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A researcher from Russia’s presidential historical society has proposed renaming the Gulf of Finland to the “Gulf of St.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131021851/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/30/taking-cue-from-trump-russian-historian-suggests-renaming-gulf-of-finland-a87805

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Steered by a "right-wing Zionist" organization, the campaign is using facial-recognition technology to intimidate and out activists demonstrating against Israel

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250130231312/https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-palestine-dox-new-york-facial-recognition-ai

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Over 80 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since the ceasefire took hold, 49 of them in Rafah alone

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250130233451/https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/death-and-destruction-returning-to-rafah

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Pakistani police say a man suspected of killing his U.S.-born 15-year-old daughter in a so-called honor killing after she refused to stop sharing videos on TikTok has appeared in court.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20250131014923/https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-father-arrested-killed-daughter-tik-tok-ed7cc124e52d328624979c4a42d21523

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A passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into Washington's Potomac River Wednesday after colliding midair with a military helicopter, with US media reporting multiple bodies pulled from the dark, near-freezing water.

The plane was approaching Reagan National Airport at around 9:00 pm (0200 GMT) after flying from Wichita, Kansas, when the collision happened.

American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines, which operated the Bombardier regional jet, said "there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft."

US media, citing local sources, reported multiple bodies had been recovered, with CBS News saying at least 18, and NBC more than a dozen.

The Washington Post, citing a statement from US Figure Skating, said several athletes, coaches and officials were aboard the flight.

A US Army official said the helicopter involved was a Black Hawk carrying three soldiers, with their status currently unknown. They had been on a "training flight," a separate military spokesperson said in a statement.

A massive search and rescue operation was in progress, with divers visible in the glare of powerful lights as they plunged into the snow-lined Potomac to scour the wreckage of both aircraft.

"We're going to be out there as long as it takes, and we're obviously trying to get to people as soon as possible, but we are going to recover our fellow citizens," Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.

Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said at a press briefing that emergency crews, totaling about 300 people, were working in "extremely rough" conditions and gave little indication they expected to find anyone alive.

"We will re-evaluate where we are with the rescue operation in the morning, when we get a better sense of it," Donnelly said.

"But we are still out there working, and we're going to continue that throughout the night."

Witness Ari Schulman was driving home when he saw what he described as "a stream of sparks" overhead.

"Initially I saw the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land," he told CNN.

"Three seconds later, and at that point it was banked all the way to the right... I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it," Schulman added.

"It looked like a Roman candle."

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan National and the airport was not due to reopen until 11:00 am (1600 GMT) Thursday.

American Airlines' chief executive issued a video statement in which he expressed "deep sorrow", while US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas called the collision "nothing short of a nightmare."

Questions were expected to focus on how a passenger plane with modern collision-avoidance technology and nearby traffic controllers could collide with a military aircraft over the nation's capital.

The airspace around Washington is often crowded, with planes coming in low over the city to land at Reagan Airport and helicopters -- military, civilian and carrying senior politicians or officials -- buzzing about both day and night.

The same airport was the scene of a deadly crash in January 1982 when Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, took off but quickly plummeted, hitting the 14th Street bridge and crashing through the ice into the Potomac River. Seventy-eight people died.

Investigators concluded the pilot had failed to activate sufficient de-icing procedures.

The last major fatal US air accident was in 2009, when Continental Flight 3407 from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York crashed and killed all 49 people aboard.