Lead Story
UN warns of "mass atrocities" as drone strikes, cholera, and mass sexual violence engulf besieged Sudanese city of el-Obeid
Hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in el-Obeid, capital of Sudan's North Kordofan state, are enduring near-constant drone strikes, with residents describing skies filled with as many as 40 drones at a time hitting homes, markets, schools and even funerals. The United Nations warned this week of a serious risk of mass atrocities in the city, where a cholera outbreak is tearing through communities, worsened by heavy rains and strikes that have crippled medical facilities and cut off treatment. Women and girls are reporting high rates of sexual violence, and children face disease, psychological trauma, and the threat of recruitment by armed groups. The crisis is part of Sudan's broader civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has driven one of the world's largest displacement and hunger emergencies with little sign of international intervention capable of breaking the siege.
Read more →Lead Story
UN warns of "mass atrocities" as drone strikes, cholera, and mass sexual violence engulf besieged Sudanese city of el-Obeid
Hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in el-Obeid, capital of Sudan's North Kordofan state, are enduring near-constant drone strikes, with residents describing skies filled with as many as 40 drones at a time hitting homes, markets, schools and even funerals. The United Nations warned this week of a serious risk of mass atrocities in the city, where a cholera outbreak is tearing through communities, worsened by heavy rains and strikes that have crippled medical facilities and cut off treatment. Women and girls are reporting high rates of sexual violence, and children face disease, psychological trauma, and the threat of recruitment by armed groups. The crisis is part of Sudan's broader civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has driven one of the world's largest displacement and hunger emergencies with little sign of international intervention capable of breaking the siege.
US economy unexpectedly shed 23,000 jobs in July, its first monthly loss in years, deepening concern about a cooling labor market
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that US employers cut a net 23,000 jobs in July, a sharp reversal from the roughly 83,000 gain economists had forecast and down from a revised 57,000-job gain in June. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% from 4.2%, but only because more than 260,000 people left the workforce rather than found jobs. Restaurants, retailers and local governments accounted for large chunks of the losses, and the BLS revised the prior two months' job counts down by a combined 103,000. The report intensifies pressure on the Federal Reserve, which has been weighing when to resume interest-rate cuts, and adds to a string of recent data suggesting the labor market is weakening more than previously understood.
Read more →US economy unexpectedly shed 23,000 jobs in July, its first monthly loss in years, deepening concern about a cooling labor market
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that US employers cut a net 23,000 jobs in July, a sharp reversal from the roughly 83,000 gain economists had forecast and down from a revised 57,000-job gain in June. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% from 4.2%, but only because more than 260,000 people left the workforce rather than found jobs. Restaurants, retailers and local governments accounted for large chunks of the losses, and the BLS revised the prior two months' job counts down by a combined 103,000. The report intensifies pressure on the Federal Reserve, which has been weighing when to resume interest-rate cuts, and adds to a string of recent data suggesting the labor market is weakening more than previously understood.
Zelensky makes his first-ever visit to Serbia, courting a traditional Russian ally as Ukraine widens its diplomatic push
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Belgrade on Saturday for his first official visit to Serbia since Russia's 2022 invasion, meeting President Aleksandar Vučić to discuss Serbia's stalled EU accession path, economic ties, and energy security. The visit is symbolically significant given Serbia's historically close relationship with Moscow and its refusal to join Western sanctions against Russia; Vučić has stressed the trip does not signal any shift in that official position. The outreach comes as Ukraine works to broaden support beyond its core Western backers and as Russia's war effort shows mounting strain, with Ukraine's sustained refinery-strike campaign having knocked out more than 30% of Russia's refining capacity and fueled what analysts call Moscow's worst fuel crisis since the Soviet collapse.
Read more →Zelensky makes his first-ever visit to Serbia, courting a traditional Russian ally as Ukraine widens its diplomatic push
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Belgrade on Saturday for his first official visit to Serbia since Russia's 2022 invasion, meeting President Aleksandar Vučić to discuss Serbia's stalled EU accession path, economic ties, and energy security. The visit is symbolically significant given Serbia's historically close relationship with Moscow and its refusal to join Western sanctions against Russia; Vučić has stressed the trip does not signal any shift in that official position. The outreach comes as Ukraine works to broaden support beyond its core Western backers and as Russia's war effort shows mounting strain, with Ukraine's sustained refinery-strike campaign having knocked out more than 30% of Russia's refining capacity and fueled what analysts call Moscow's worst fuel crisis since the Soviet collapse.
Europe swelters under historic heat emergency as every major Italian city hits red alert for the first time and Austria sets a heat record
Italy's Health Ministry placed all 27 cities in its national heat surveillance network on red alert this week, the first time in the country's recorded meteorological history that every monitored city has simultaneously reached the maximum warning level. Daytime temperatures have topped 40°C (104°F) in inland areas, and "tropical nights" are keeping temperatures from dropping below 25°C (77°F), compounding health risks for millions. Austria set a new national heat record amid the same North African anticyclone driving the broader European emergency, and Italy has already seen more than 48,000 hectares burned by wildfires in 2026, putting the country ahead of pace for a potentially devastating fire season. Health authorities across the region are urging vulnerable residents to avoid outdoor activity during peak hours as the heatwave shows little sign of breaking.
Read more →Europe swelters under historic heat emergency as every major Italian city hits red alert for the first time and Austria sets a heat record
Italy's Health Ministry placed all 27 cities in its national heat surveillance network on red alert this week, the first time in the country's recorded meteorological history that every monitored city has simultaneously reached the maximum warning level. Daytime temperatures have topped 40°C (104°F) in inland areas, and "tropical nights" are keeping temperatures from dropping below 25°C (77°F), compounding health risks for millions. Austria set a new national heat record amid the same North African anticyclone driving the broader European emergency, and Italy has already seen more than 48,000 hectares burned by wildfires in 2026, putting the country ahead of pace for a potentially devastating fire season. Health authorities across the region are urging vulnerable residents to avoid outdoor activity during peak hours as the heatwave shows little sign of breaking.
Idaho police release video of deadly In-N-Out drive-thru shooting that killed three, detailing how bystanders and an off-duty trooper confronted the gunman
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks on Friday released a detailed timeline and blurred surveillance video of the August 1 attack at an In-N-Out Burger, in which 24-year-old Chad Williams opened fire at the drive-thru payment window, fatally shooting employee Ashley Garibay before killing 59-year-old customer Christopher Claunch in his vehicle. The footage shows an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper, a former law-enforcement officer, and an armed bystander exchanging fire with the gunman as other customers and employees fled the scene. Williams fled on foot to a nearby trail, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after killing three people and wounding seven others. Investigators believe he acted alone and have not yet determined a motive.
Read more →Idaho police release video of deadly In-N-Out drive-thru shooting that killed three, detailing how bystanders and an off-duty trooper confronted the gunman
Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks on Friday released a detailed timeline and blurred surveillance video of the August 1 attack at an In-N-Out Burger, in which 24-year-old Chad Williams opened fire at the drive-thru payment window, fatally shooting employee Ashley Garibay before killing 59-year-old customer Christopher Claunch in his vehicle. The footage shows an off-duty Idaho State Police trooper, a former law-enforcement officer, and an armed bystander exchanging fire with the gunman as other customers and employees fled the scene. Williams fled on foot to a nearby trail, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after killing three people and wounding seven others. Investigators believe he acted alone and have not yet determined a motive.