Russian missile, drone strikes on Ukraine kill three
(LONDON) — Russian missiles and drones again crisscrossed Ukrainian skies on Monday night in a strike that killed at least three people.
Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram that Russia fired three Iskander ballistic missiles from occupied Crimea, one Kh-59/69 air-launched missile from Russia’s western Kursk region and 35 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones from two areas in Kursk and Crimea.
Ukrainian air defenses downed 27 drones, the air force said, with six more “lost.”
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said that two people — a 38-year-old woman and her 8-year-old son — were killed in a strike on a hotel complex in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Two other members of the family — the father and a 13-year-old girl — were buried under rubble but later recovered. Both are in a “serious condition” and have been hospitalized, the ministry said.
Further north, in the city of Dnipro, one person was killed and at least six injured by a Russian missile attack, the Interior Ministry wrote on Telegram.
Air raid sirens also sounded in the central city of Poltava early on Tuesday.
Vladimir Rogov — the chairman of the We Are Together with Russia movement, which cooperates with Moscow’s occupation of southern Ukraine — said on his Telegram channel that Russia’s strikes had targeted a military communications school in Poltava.
Ukraine’s air defense units were active overnight in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Poltava and the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, the air force said.
Russia’s intensifying long-range attacks on Ukrainian military, infrastructure and civilian targets have prompted Kyiv to push its Western partners — chief among them the U.S. — for permission to use Western weapons against airfields and launch sites within Russian borders.
Ukraine has scored notable successes within Russia with its own domestically produced drones and missiles, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said Kyiv needs more advanced capabilities.
“The terrorist state must feel what war is,” the president said on Sunday. “To force Russia into peace, to move them from deceitful rhetoric about negotiations to taking steps to end the war, to clear our land of occupation and occupiers, we need effective tools.”
Following a deadly Russian guided bomb strike on the city of Kharkiv last week, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that such attacks can only be stopped “by striking Russian military airfields, their bases, and the logistics of Russian terror.”
“We talk about this every day with our partners,” he said. “We persuade. We present arguments.”
Curtailing Russia’s ability to strike from the air, Zelenskyy added, would be “a strong step to force Russia to seek an end to the war and a just peace.”
(LONDON) — The U.S. said it is “gravely concerned” following a “large-scale escalation” of fighting in El Fasher, capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, amid a civil war that has been raging in the North African country for more than a year.
Initial reports of escalating fighting began to surface on Sept, 12 following what eyewitnesses recount as a multidirectional attack on the city by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
The shelling has been consistent, with explosions being heard in the city “several times this week,” Salah, a resident of the city, told ABC News on Tuesday. He asked to be identified by only his first name.
“There are casualties and many civilians have been killed and injured,” Salah said. “People are dying of famine and diseases. It’s a literally catastrophic situation. As I am speaking, the RSF shelling is going on.”
An analysis from the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab confirmed the escalation of fighting, finding “unprecedented,” “high-tempo and intense combat activity” ongoing in the North Darfur capital. The report detected “high tempo aerial bombardment” by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and “structural damage” from RSF bombardment and other combat activity.
“The current levels of high-tempo combat activity are likely to effectively reduce what is left of El-Fasher to rubble,” reads the report.
The U.N. said it has yet to establish the number of civilian casualties in the city.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was “gravely concerned about reports of a serious escalation in RSF’s months-long siege on El Fasher.”
That concern was echoed by America’s Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello who said he is “extremely concerned” by the RSF’s repeated attacks on the North Darfur capital.
Two displacement camps — Abu Shouk and Al Salaam — have been shelled in the RSF’s renewed attacks according to US’ Special Envoy to Sudan.
El Fasher is the largest city in Sudan’s Darfur region and the Sudanese Army’s (SAF) last stronghold in the region. The city has been at the center of a fierce battle as warring parties vie for its control, the Rapid Support Forces besieging the city since May of 2024.
The unprecedented escalation brings renewed threat to “hundreds of thousands” of civilians, according to the U.N. That estimate included internally displaced persons who found refuge in the city, many of whom had been displaced from elsewhere through the course of Sudan’s now 17-month civil war.
“The humanitarian situation is so sad,” Yasin told ABC news over the phone from Tawila, a small town in North Darfur where many fleeing the conflict have sought refuge.
He asked to only be identified by his first name for his safety.
“Prices are spiking for food, medicine end fuel is so rare and expensive,” Yasin said.
“Life in El Fasher was scary because every day there are bombs, shelling and crossfire as well as intense clashes,” he said. “Yesterday evening RSF shelled areas like Mawashy Market, Thoura and Mudarag. These areas are filled with civilians, and the number of human losses till no are unknown because people are hiding.”
The U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami has expressed “profound sadness and frustration” over the situation, saying the attacks on the city “violate every humanitarian principle.”
“This is heartbreaking and must stop,” Nkweta-Salami said. “There is no excuse for direct attacks on civilians, their assets and essential facilities such as hospitals.”
In a statement sent to ABC News, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, says nutritional screenings carried out in conjunction with Sudanese health authorities in Zamzam camp, just 15 km south of El Fasher, indicate malnutrition rates that are “likely some of the worst in the world.”
“Not only do the results confirm the disaster that we and other stakeholders have been observing and alerting on for months, they also indicate that every day, things are getting worse and we’re running out of time,” said Michel Olivier Lacharité, head of emergency operations for MSF. “We are talking about thousands of children who will die over the next few weeks without access to adequate treatment and urgent solutions to allow humanitarian aid and essential goods to reach Zamzam.”
The war in Sudan has precipitated one of the world’s worst hunger crises with over 750,000 people experiencing “catastrophic levels of food insecurity.” according to the U.N.
The conflict has killed over 20,000 people according to a senior U.N. official, but local groups warned the true toll is likely much higher. At least 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes since fighting began in April 2023, according to the International Office of Migration (IOM).
“The level of destruction, death, displacement and disease in Sudan is tragic,” said World Health Organisation Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus on Tuesday.
The WHO chief was in Chad on Tuesday to join the delivery of a medical supplies convoy across the Chadian border of Adré into Sudan.
Recent flooding has hampered the delivery of aid through the Adré border.
“Chad’s valleys are filled with carcasses of trucks. But we are making progress,” said Toby Harward, the U.N.’s deputy humanitarian coordinator for Sudan.
“I urge RSF to halt its attack, including bombardments destroying infrastructure and threatening civilian life, and fulfil its commitments to the international community to protect civilians,” said Thomas-Greenfield.
(NEW YORK) — Scientists have identified several new marine species in a pristine underwater ecosystem recently discovered in international waters — and they expect to find more.
Modern technology that allows for deep-water exploration more accurately than ever before made way for the findings of the Nazca Ridge, a new seamount in international waters about 900 miles off the coast of Chile in the Southeastern Pacific, Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, told ABC News.
The underwater mountain is nearly 2 miles tall and supports a thriving deep-sea ecosystem, including a pristine coral garden the size of three tennis courts as well as a sponge garden, Virmani said.
Researchers aboard the Falkor, a state-of-the-art research vessel, used a remotely operated vehicle named SuBastian to collect images and samples during deep sea exploration with much greater accuracy and success than the satellite imagery used in the past to map the sea floor, Virmani said.
Some of the new species discovered include anemones, urchins, corals, some shrimp and a squat lobster, Virmani said.
Fossilized whale bones may also lead to the discovery of a new species of ancient whale, she added.
The expedition also produced the first-ever recording of the rare and enigmatic Promachoteuthis squid.
The pristine ecosystem is so far from any coastline that it appears almost untouched by pollution, Virmani said. The region is a high-priority area for international marine protection and has been earmarked to potentially be one of the first high-seas marine protected areas due to the enormous biodiversity and the unusual geology — as well as the unique physical and chemical characteristics for that part of the world, she said.
The Falkor sails around the world, gathering data to create a detailed map of the sea floor.
Previous expeditions to the Salas y Gómez and Nazca Ridges in January and February documented over 150 previously unknown species and numerous range extensions for animals not previously known to live on the ridge, the researchers said.
Previous satellite data detected the presence of the Nazca Ridge, but it was off by about 700 meters, or about .43 miles, and there was no indication of how tall it was, Virmani said. Another 25 previously unknown seamounts have also been found in the region — some of which have shown volcanic activity.
“It’s an area where multiple plates — tectonic plates — meet, so mountain chains are formed,” Virmani said.
Currently, about 26% of the ocean floor has been mapped to a high resolution, Virmani said.
“We’re working towards full map of the sea floor,” she said. “…That would be the first time in human history we know what our planet’s shape actually is.”
The findings are incredibly important for the understanding of ocean life in the bathypelagic zone, which lies between 1,000 and 4,000 meters deep and is the largest animal habitat on Earth, the researchers said.
Virmani expects scientists will continue to discover new marine species as in-depth study of the ocean continues.
“Every time we go out to the ocean, we find something new,” she said. “So it’s almost like we expect to find something every time we go out. I think we’d be disappointed if we didn’t.”
(LONDON) — North Korea is set to partially reopen its doors to tourism later this year after being closed off since January 2020 at the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Chinese-based tourism operator.
Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, announced on Wednesday that tours to North Korea “will officially resume in December 2024,” according to a statement from the company. “Having waited for over 4 years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again.”
The borders of the country have been closed for almost half a decade and were shut down in January 2020 when it became the first country to close its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Koryo.
However, the tourism company says that there have been signs that the country has slowly pivoting to open back up again since mid-2023 but, even though North Korea might be opening back up, it isn’t opening up fully and there is a major caveat for those who want to visit the country.
“The opening will start in Samjiyon City,” Koryo Tours said, meaning that access to Pyongyang or any other parts of the country will be restricted — though the reopening of other locations may be extended down the line. “Whilst this may seem unusual, it is the main area for tourism in North Korea during the winter time. For those hoping to visit on one of the sooner tours, we would like to [emphasize] that things may be a little more chaotic than usual.”
“Samjiyon is the most famous region in North Korea in the winter for tourism and is the home to the country’s famous volcanic mountain Mt. Paektu,” Koryo Tours continued. “In North Korea, it is seen as the birthplace of the revolution and the reputed birthplace of Kim Jong Il. For the South, it is the birthplace of the Korean people. For the whole Korean Peninsula, it is the most significant and sacred place.”
Previously difficult to access with few tourist facilities, North Korea has been working for years on the development of Samjiyon, according to Koryo Tours.
“Whilst we have been operating in the country for over 30 years, we have never before come across such a long closure of the borders,” the tourism company said. “Samjiyon was announced as it has recently been redeveloped as a tourist destination, we visited in 2018 when filming ‘Michael Palin in North Korea’ and it was already under construction at that time.”
Official itinerary dates will be announced in the coming weeks and once the company will make them available on their website once they have finalized the itineraries.
“Unfortunately, what this means for broader tourism – we do not yet know,” said Koryo Tours. “But of course, you will be in the safe hands of the North Korea tour experts here at Koryo Tours. Your safety is our priority.”