“The head of Myanmar’s military government granted amnesty to around 4,900 prisoners to mark the country’s traditional new year, state-run media reported Thursday, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many were political detainees locked up for opposing army rule. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the ruling military council, pardoned 4,893 prisoners, MRTV reported. Thirteen foreigners will also be released and deported from Myanmar, it said in a separate statement.” (04/17/25)
“The Trump administration plans to eliminate habitat protections for endangered and threatened species in a move environmentalists say would lead to the extinction of critically endangered species because of logging, mining, development and other activities. At issue is a long-standing definition of ‘harm’ in the Endangered Species Act, which has included altering or destroying the places those species live. Habitat destruction is the biggest cause of extinction, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service said in a proposed rule issued Wednesday that habitat modification should not be considered harm because it is not the same as intentionally targeting a species, called ‘take’. Environmentalists argue that the definition of ‘take,’ though, has always included actions that harm species, and the definition of ‘harm’ has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.” (04/16/25)
“Autopsy reports have revealed that some of the Gaza medics allegedly killed by Israeli troops last month were shot in the head and chest, FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem. The incident is now under investigation by the Israel Defence forces, and a senior general is expected to speak to the media soon, although the debriefing from the Israeli army has been postponed several times. Israel has admitted its troops opened fire on two ambulances in Rafah last month and dug a mass grave. A UN team found the bodies six days later. Israel initially said the unmarked cars were suspicious, but video later showed them clearly marked as emergency vehicles.” (04/17/25)
“Italy’s Giorgia Meloni will meet Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday after a first round of EU-US talks failed to shed light on the US president’s demands for de-escalating his tariff war. The Italian prime minister, a conservative nationalist, has forged a personal rapport with Trump, who has called her ‘a wonderful woman’ and a ‘strong’ leader. She has warned Brussels not to retaliate to Trump’s trade war and instead called for negotiations with Washington to resolve differences. The EU and US held a first round of talks this week about Trump’s tariffs — now set at 25 per cent on steel, aluminium and cars, and at 10 per cent on all other exports during a 90-day pause. If talks fail, Washington has said it will reinstate a 20 per cent ‘reciprocal tariff’ rate on EU exports.” (04/17/25)
“Another Biden meltdown. Former President Joe Biden was smuggled into Harvard University for a surprise appearance Wednesday — during which he clumsily dropped his ice cream bar on the floor and mistakenly referred to Ukraine as Iraq. The 82-year-old’s discussion with roughly 50 students at the Ivy League school’s Institute of Politics was marked by embarrassing blunders similar to those that plagued his disastrous and short-lived 2024 re-election campaign, the Harvard Crimson reported. During his remarks, Biden accidentally referred to Ukraine as Iraq while discussing Russia’s three-year-old invasion of its European neighbor, prompting his longtime senior adviser Mike Donilon — now a resident fellow at the institute — to correct him. The 46th president then bit into a melting ice cream bar that plopped onto the floor after the talk, the student newspaper reported.” (04/17/25)
“Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight into Thursday killed at least 23 people, including a family of 10, local health officials said. The United Nations meanwhile raised alarm over the mounting impact of Israel’s six-week-old blockade preventing all food and other supplies from entering the territory. Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last month and renewed its bombardment, killing hundreds of people and seizing large parts of the territory to pressure the militants to accept changes to the agreement. A strike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed five children, four women and a man from the same family, all of whom suffered severe burns, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Strikes in northern Gaza killed 13 people, including nine children, according to the Indonesian Hospital.” (04/17/25)
“U.S. Treasury yields rose on Thursday as investors weighed the state of the U.S. economy after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell raised concerns about the inflationary and economic growth risks of the White House’s tariffs. At 3:55 a.m. ET, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose around 4 basis point to 4.319%. The 2-year Treasury yield was up over 2 basis points to 3.815%.” (04/17/25)
“A Wisconsin Elections Commission discussion of uncounted ballots in Madison devolved into a shouting match Thursday, with the Democratic chair threatening to kick a Republican commissioner out of the meeting. The commission is investigating former Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl after she failed to count 200 absentee ballots in the November election and didn’t tell the commission about the oversight until after election results were certified. Witzel-Behl resigned this week. … Republican Commissioner Bob Spindell said that he was fine with the Madison investigation, but the commission needs to pay more attention to what he said were even more serious problems with election administration in Milwaukee. As he attempted to detail his concerns, Jacobs began screaming at him that how elections are run in Milwaukee wasn’t on the agenda. She ordered him to stop talking or she would kick him out.” (04/17/25)
“Ukraine has reported dozens of civilian deaths from Russian attacks over the past week, including three killed in a late-night assault on Wednesday in the southeastern city of Dnipro. A child was among the victims of the drone attack, which came hours before high-stakes meetings in Paris due to take place later on Thursday, during which United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff are to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and other European officials to discuss the conflict. Ukraine’s defence and foreign ministers, as well as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, are also in the French capital for talks with US and European Union delegations, though Kyiv’s delegation has not specified who it plans to meet.” (04/17/25)
“A St. Petersburg homeowner shot and fatally wounded a man suspected of breaking into their home early Wednesday morning, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department. A second suspect involved in the incident fled the scene and remains at large.” (04/16/25)
