Easter Sunday, 20 April 2025

US airstrikes killed 12 people in Yemen's capital, the Houthi rebels say (LINK) — ground.news: 142 media reports (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

Israeli military admits 'professional failures' in killings of Palestinian medics in Gaza: a deputy commander will be fired. (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

— Israel at first claimed that the medics' vehicles did not have emergency signals on when troops opened fire but later backtracked on this statement. Cellphone video footage recovered from one of the medics contradicted Israel's initial account.

Zelensky says Russian attacks ongoing despite 'Easter truce': Ukrainian president accused Moscow of "trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire". (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

Congo suspends former president Kabila's political party (LINK)— ground.news: 37 media reports (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

Trump draft order calls for drastic restructure of State Department (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

Trump's memecoin surges 8% despite fresh $320 million unlock (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

After brief face-to-face with U.S. Vice-President Vance, Pope's Easter address denounces 'contempt' for migrants (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

Pope Francis skipped the Vatican's official meeting with Vice President JD Vance, instead having his No. 2 give the vice president a lecture on compassion, according to a Vatican statement (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Pope Francis makes brief Easter Sunday appearance, calls for Gaza ceasefire — (LINK)

South Sudan's military recaptures key town from White Army militia (LINK) — ground.news: 10 media reports (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

Pete Hegseth shared Yemen attack details in second Signal chat: US defense secretary texted strike information to his family in group chat he created, sources tell the New York Times (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

This Bahamas fishing village offers a peaceful getaway with serene beaches: Spanish Wells, plus Pearl Island and Norman's Cay (LINK) — 20 April 2025.

Saturday, 19 April 2025

Pakistan expels tens of thousands of Afghans: accelerates its drive to expel Afghans who are undocumented or had temporary permission to stay. (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Iran files UN court case against Ukraine, Canada, Sweden and UK over 2020 downing of PS752 flight, seeking to overturn a ruling by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that held Tehran responsible for the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet. (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

— In its complaint, Iran argues that the ICAO Council exceeded its authority when it accepted a joint complaint from the four countries, whose citizens were among the 176 people killed when Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down near Tehran in 2020.

US grants visas for Syrian officials to attend meetings at World Bank, IMF, UN (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

— Officials and sources told Al Arabiya English they anticipate significant financial pledges to be announced for Syria during next week's World Bank meetings in the forms of loans and grants, specifically in the energy sector to ease the electricity crisis in the war-torn country.

WHO official urges new US envoy Huckabee to push Israel to allow aid into Gaza (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

— Yesterday, the head of 12 major aid organizations warned that the humanitarian aid system in Gaza is "facing total collapse" because of Israel's blockade on aid supplies since the ceasefire and hostage deal collapsed.

White House changes COVID.gov web page to page supporting lab leak theory (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

— The web page also calls into question the efficacy of social distancing, masking and lockdown.

White House: The true origins of Covid — (LINK)

Iran says progress in nuclear talks with US, confirms third round next week (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Anti-Trump rallies held across the U.S. to protest administration's policies (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

— The events ranged from rallies in midtown Manhattan and in front of the White House to a demonstration at a Massachusetts commemoration marking the start of the American Revolutionary War 250 years ago.

Dozens of top economists, including two Nobel laureates, among 900 people circulating a letter that says Trump's tariffs have 'no basis in economic reality' (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Three Hegseth aides ousted in leak investigation decry 'baseless attacks' (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

First corporate-sponsored White House Easter Monday Egg Roll draws Amazon, Google, Meta, New York Stock Exchange (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Friday, 18 April 2025

Trump will abandon Ukraine peace efforts 'in days' if no progress made soon, Rubio says (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Russian air attacks in northeastern Ukraine kill 2, injure dozens (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

China denies Zelenskyy's charge that it provides Russia with weapons (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Trump opens massive Pacific marine protected area to commercial fishing (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

— It was established in 2009 by then-president George W. Bush and expanded under his successor, Barack Obama, in 2014 to cover about 1.27 million square kilometers, mostly around uninhabited U.S.-controlled islands and atolls. Industrial fishing was until now banned there.

U.S. LNG expansion plans unravel as trade war escalates with China (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Death toll from a boat capsizing in Congo on 15 April rises to 148, with 100 survivors, many suffering from burns, and 100 still missing, officials say. (LINK)— ground.news: 170 media reports (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Pope Francis skipped the Vatican's official meeting with Vice President JD Vance, instead having his No. 2 give the vice president a lecture on compassion, according to a Vatican statement. (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

U.S. Supreme Court blocks new deportations of Venezuelans in Texas under Alien Enemies Act (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

— Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion. The justices instructed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center "until further order of this court". The Trump administration claims the act gave them the authority to swiftly remove immigrants they accuse of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, regardless of their immigration status.

White House officials say they sent Harvard April 11 demands in error, New York Times reports (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, who accused the pharmacy of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the last decade for opioids and other controlled substances (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Judge declines to further enforce order restoring AP access to White House (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

— U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, an appointee of President Trump, said he's inclined to agree with the government that its new policy — which eliminates a permanent slot for all wire services but makes them eligible for selection as part of the pool's daily print journalist rotation — does not, on its face, discriminate against the AP.

Big winners as the US dollar weakens: Swiss franc has gained more than 9% and is around its strongest level in more than a decade (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Death toll from a boat capsizing in Congo on 15 April rises to 148, with 100 survivors, many suffering from burns, and 100 still missing, officials say. (LINK)— ground.news: 170 media reports (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

China hosts world's first half-marathon race between humans and robots: some 21 humanoid robots, sourced from Chinese manufacturers, raced alongside thousands of runners around the 21km course in Beijing (LINK)— ground.news: 151 media reports (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Top Tesla executive announces abrupt departure amid wave of leadership exits (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

Foreign home buyers craving a piece of the Swiss Alps finally have a way in: the government has waived residency requirements in a handful of locations, including one that's growing fast: Andermatt (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Ecuador: a bigger-than-expected election victory for incumbent Daniel Noboa keeps country in the pro-Trump camp (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Iran's FM arrives in Rome for nuclear talks, US strikes Houthis (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Half of US states have reported measles cases this year, with the national total surpassing 800 cases so far this year, according to a CNN tally (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

— Most of the cases are concentrated in a multistate outbreak involving Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and possibly Kansas that reached 709 cases Friday, according to state health department updates.

Career diplomat becomes the unexpected face of Trump's 'America First' agenda at the UN (LINK — 18 April 2025).

Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, accused El Salvador's government of aiming to paint the picture of a leisurely respite for the wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia by staging their meeting with drinks appearing to be alcohol, and angling to set the meeting by a hotel pool. (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

— "Nobody drank any margaritas or sugar water or whatever it is," the Democratic senator said, calling the whole situation "a lesson" in "the lengths that President Bukele will do to deceive people about what's going on".

Snopes: Kilmar Abrego Garcia's wife confirms she filed protective order, says they worked out problems with counseling (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

U.S. Supreme Court blocks new deportations of Venezuelans in Texas under Alien Enemies Act (LINK) — 19 April 2025.

— Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion. The justices instructed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center "until further order of this court". The Trump administration claims the act gave them the authority to swiftly remove immigrants they accuse of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, regardless of their immigration status.

U.S. federal judge says detained Tufts student must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont to determine whether she was illegally detained for co-writing an op-ed piece in the student newspaper (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Trump administration to shut down dozens of US embassies, 60% in Africa, says CNN (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

Tesla delays new 'affordable EV/stripped down Model Y' in the US, report says (LINK) — 18 April 2025.

— Elon Musk "has been consistently wrong about Tesla solving self-driving, which he first said would happen in 2019".

Thursday, 17 April 2025

Russia's top court lifts 2003 terror group designation on Afghanistan's Taliban (LINK)— ground.news: 132 media reports — 17 April 2025 (LINK)

US airstrikes targeting a Yemeni oil port killed 20 people, Houthis say (LINK)— ground.news: 84 media reports (LINK) — 17 April 2025,

Hamas says it is ready to release all remaining hostages in return for an end to Gaza war, rejects Israel's latest ceasefire proposal — (LINK)— ground.news: 52 media reports (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

WFP halts food shipments to Houthi-held parts of Yemen after rebels seize warehouse (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

Trump blasts Fed Chair Powell, saying his 'termination cannot come fast enough' (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

US tariffs will weaken global economy and trigger inflation but not a global recession, IMF says (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

Nearly 300 apply as French university offers US academics 'scientific asylum' (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

Ukraine and US sign memorandum in significant step toward minerals deal (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

Trump administration announces fees on Chinese-built vessels at US ports (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

PassBlue: UN and US budget-cuts memo — assessing the impact(LINK) — 17 April 2025.

— Junior UN staff are losing their jobs just as important health programs are being excised across many developing countries and as sweeping funding slashes diminish almost all humanitarian services rendered by the UN and its partners. (European donors, another major source of largess to UN programmes, are also decreasing their voluntary contributions.)

— Separately, the UN is facing a cash crisis, partly related to the US owing $1.495 billion to the UN regular budget and $1.1776 billion to peacekeeping operations, according to a UN source.

— "Field officers, who do most of the grunt work for the UN servicing the world's most vulnerable people, have been told to leave — some within 48 hours. Others have had their contracts discontinued. The changes raise questions as to whether senior UN officials are being affected at all."

— "Concerns were aired in a letter by some former and current staff to the management of the Geneva-based UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that recent job cuts have disproportionately affected lower-level employees, while senior positions remain largely untouched. In the letter, obtained by PassBlue, some staffers blamed the agency's boss, Filippo Grandi, for expanding the organization by creating additional senior roles that shield them now that the knives are out." An agency spokesperson confirmed that management has received the letter. He told PassBlue that 400 jobs "directly linked to US funding have already been, or are in the process of being, separated".

— "The proportion of senior managers at P5, D1, and D2 levels at UNHCR has remained fairly stable over the past ten years, respectively 2.30%, 0.70% and 0.23% in 2025," the spokesperson said in an email to PassBlue on how the shortfall in cash flow has affected leadership. "Their salaries represent 12 percent of the overall workforce salaries."

— The UN agencies exempt from the White House proposal are technical in nature, with the most prominent, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), presumably left intact because of its work monitoring Iran's nuclear energy activities. The other agencies, as reported by Reuters, are the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in Geneva; the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which has been responsible for monitoring the dismantling of Syria's stockpile, among other work; and the International Maritime Organization.

Tufts student detained for writing op-ed denied bail by US immigration judge: Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk was seized in Massachusetts by plainclothes agents and spirited to Louisiana detention center (LINK) — 16 April 2025.

— An immigration judge denied bond on Wednesday, ruling Öztürk was both a "flight risk" and a "danger to the community" despite the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) only arguing the flight risk aspect, according to the petition filed by her legal team later that night.

Tufts student ICE grabbed off street says hijab was removed, asthma wasn't treated at Louisiana facility — (LINK)

U.S. citizen detained under ICE hold in Florida despite showing birth certificate has been released after 48-hour hold (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

— Judge found no probable cause for the charge of crossing into Florida illegally but said she didn't have jurisdiction to release Lopez-Gomez because of the ICE hold, court records show.

Florida State University shooting: 2 confirmed dead and 6 others wounded; shooter in custody: identified by police as a 20-year-old student whose mother is a Leon County sheriff's deputy who has worked with the department for over 18 years. — 17 April 2025 (LINK)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says latest tariffs have generated $500 million, well below President Trump's estimate of $2bn. — (LINK)— ground.news: 26 media reports — 17 April 2025 (LINK)

Fact check: President Trump falsely claims grocery prices are down: average grocery prices were about 2.41% higher in March 2025 than they were in March 2024. — 17 April 2025 (LINK)

US Senator Chris Van Hollen says he met wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia imprisoned in El Salvador — (LINK)— ground.news: 232 media reports — 17 April 2025 (LINK)

Tesla fudged odometer to screw me out of warranty, Model Y owner claims. (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

Heavy spring snow storm wreaks havoc in the Alps — (LINK)— ground.news: 54 media reports — 17 April 2025 (LINK)

Scientists detect signature of life on planet 124 light-years away, study suggests. But experts are skeptical. (LINK) — 17 April 2025.

Wednesday, 16 April 2025

UK judges say Equality Act definition excludes transgender women, after gender-critical campaigners' challenge — 16 April 2025 (LINK)

Trump Admin deports teen with no criminal record to El Salvador prison: his father said ICE agents knew his son was not a target but arrested him anyway on 24 February. — 16 April 2025 (LINK)

Trump anticipates major unlock event: 40 million tokens set to impact market on April 18. — 16 April 2025 (LINK)

DOGE attempted to assign team to US nonprofit group Vera Institute of Justice. — 16 April 2025 (LINK)

Top UN envoy in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom urges Security Council to try to prevent renewed civil war in region — (LINK)— ground.news: 14 media reports (LINK) — 16 April 2025.

— Haysom warned that the escalating rivalry between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and one of the country's vice presidents has degenerated into direct military confrontation between their parties. Recent fighting in the country's north, the arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar and a campaign of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech are "fueling political and ethnic tensions — particularly on social media", he said.

World Health Organization agrees legally binding treaty to ensure more cooperation between nations in the event of another pandemic. (LINK) — 16 April 2025.

Paris air pollution is down 50% after its radical bike-friendly transformation: cars have been banned from more than 100 streets. Tens of thousands of parking spots have been eliminated. Hundreds of miles of bike lanes have been added. (LINK) — 16 April 2025.

Global trade outlook has 'deteriorated sharply' amid Trump tariff uncertainty, WTO warns. (LINK) — 16 April 2025.

U.S. tourism collapsing under global trade tensions as international travel to country drops sharply. The $2.36 trillion business is now estimated to lose a staggering $64 billion in 2025 alone. (LINK) — 16 April 2025.

Chinese e-commerce sites Temu and Shein say they're raising prices due to tariffs — (LINK)— ground.news: 260 media reports — 16 April 2025 (LINK)

Tuesday, 15 April 2025

UNICEF: Approximately 3,500 children have died in the central Mediterranean migrating by to Italy over the past decade. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

Extended heatwave in India, Pakistan to test survivability limits, with temperatures reaching Death Valley levels — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

Iran 'must stop and eliminate' nuclear enrichment, says US envoy Witkoff, seemingly raising the bar of US demands ahead of another round of talks with Iranian officials. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

— Witkoff's remarks appear to contradict his suggestion a day earlier that the US would be satisfied with Iran enriching uranium at a low level to produce energy.

Judge rebukes Trump officials for not securing return of wrongly deported man: Administration will have to share under oath how it’s trying to get Kilmar Ábrego García back to US, says district judge. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

The Trump White House is axing the wire service spot from the coverage pool, the latest salvo in its battle with the AP. (LINK) — 15 April 2025.

Trump to use tariff revenue to buy more Bitcoin. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

Trump administration takes aim at Harvard's international students and tax-exempt status: threatens to block the university from enrolling international students, who make up 27% of the campus. (LINK) — 15 April 2025.

Homeland security told US-born immigration lawyer to leave country: 11 April email to Massachusetts lawyer warned her to 'depart the US immediately' even though removing US citizens is illegal. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

Four journalists accused of working for Kremlin foe Navalny are convicted of extremism. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

California attorney general declines to join Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI: Musk's lawyers reply. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

— OpenAI wants to remove its nonprofit board as its controlling power in exchange for a valuable equity stake. Musk's suit argues this would threaten the nonprofit's mission and he had asked the state to join the lawsuit.

— In a letter dated Monday, the attorney general said Musk had not adequately shown that doing so would benefit the public and that Musk appeared to want to use OpenAI's charitable assets for his own purposes. In a response letter to the attorney general on Tuesday, Musk's lawyer said the attorney general misunderstood Musk's bid for OpenAI, writing that Musk does not want to buy OpenAI if the nonprofit structure remains unchanged, and also pointed out that entities including a group of philanthropic leaders as well as former OpenAI employees have joined Musk in urging a stop to OpenAI's transition.

Trump administration denies FEMA funds to Democratic-led states — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

MSNBC: a (nearly) complete list of Trump’s actions in his 12th week in office: The president backed off his massive tariffs somewhat and was ordered to return a deportee. — 15 April 2025 (LINK)

Monday, 14 April 2025

UNCTAD: Reciprocal tariffs should exclude vulnerable developing countries. — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

— 57 small economies — 11 of them least developed countries — contribute minimally to US trade deficits, UN Trade and Development notes. 28 each account for less than 0.1% of the deficits yet could still be subject to reciprocal tariffs. Tariffs range from 11% for Cameroon to 50% for Lesotho.

Supreme Court ruling leads to second wave of NOAA firings. Work on overfishing and weather forecasting — vital to climate protection — have been gutted, according to House Democrats and environmental advocates. — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

— This move brings the total toll of fired federal employees up to about 16,000.

Tesla (TSLA) has to replace computer in 4 million cars or compensate their owners — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

State Department says Trump admin. has no grounds to deport Tufts Uni. student — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

— ICE agents detained her in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 25 after she allegedly engaged in antisemitic activities and supported known terror organizations. The 30-year-old doctoral student from Turkey wrote an op-ed in 2024 for the Tufts student newspaper that criticized the university's response to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

British Defence Intelligence: Russia has likely sustained approximately 138,000 casualties (killed and wounded in the Russia-Ukraine conflict so far in 2025. — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

— In March 2025, the average daily Russian casualties was approximately 1,300, according to Ukrainian General Staff reporting. This rose from 1,250 in February 2025, but remains below the very high daily rates of nearly 1,600 in late 2024. Despite a relatively static frontline, reported Russian casualties remain significantly higher in 2025 so far than compared to spring 2024, when recorded daily Russian casualty rates were consistently below 1,000.

Dow ends up 310 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq finish higher as investors weigh tariff exemptions on electronics — 14 April 2025 (LINK) limited

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew a record ?36K crowd in Los Angeles with a new message aimed squarely at Donald Trump and Elon Musk. — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

Man arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor's residence while family were sleeping. — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

Chinese crime boss Zhang Dayong assassinated in Rome amid turf war for control over the textile industry especially in the Tuscan city of Prato, a major hub for fast fashion production. — (LINK)— ground.news: 44 media reports — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

— Zhang was scheduled to testify in a trial concerning illegal operations across Europe, and police believe the motive is linked to a turf war among Chinese gangs involved in the textile industry.

AI-drafted article: How many birds are killed by wind turbines, really? — 14 April 2025 (LINK)

— According to the MIT Climate Portal, which draws upon research from Energy Information Administration (EIA) and other sources, the bird mortality rate per unit of electricity is much lower for wind power than for traditional energy production methods.