“The mysterious force called Dark Energy, which drives the expansion of the Universe, might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space, scientists have found. Some of them believe that they may be on the verge of one of the biggest discoveries in astronomy for a generation – one that could force a fundamental rethink. This early-stage finding is at odds with the current theory which was developed in part by Albert Einstein. More data is needed to confirm these results, but even some of the most cautious and respected researchers involved in the study, such as Prof Ofer Lahav, from University College London, are being swept up by the mounting evidence. ‘It is a dramatic moment,’ he told BBC News. ‘We may be witnessing a paradigm shift in our understanding of the Universe.'” (03/20/25)
“The leader of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo said on Thursday that a call by Kinshasa and Kigali for an immediate ceasefire ‘doesn’t concern us’ as his forces pushed deeper into Congolese territory by capturing the strategic town of Walikale. Walikale is the farthest west the rebels have reached after fighting on Wednesday with Democratic Republic of Congo’s army and allied militias. The town of about 15,000 people, is in an area rich in minerals including tin. Its capture leaves the rebels in control of a road linking four eastern Congo provinces and within 400 km (250 miles) of Kisangani, Congo’s fourth-biggest city. Three Walikale residents and two M23 sources said the rebels were in full control of the town. Congo’s army did not respond to requests for comment.” (03/20/25)
“A Tennessee man who faces the death penalty if convicted of killing three people in a daylong series of shootings in 2022 has changed course and decided not to serve as his own lawyer in the case. Ezekiel Kelly briefly appeared in court Thursday with his court-appointed lawyer, weeks after he told a judge that he wanted to represent himself in the Memphis shootings that also wounded three people. The September 2022 shootings, which were livestreamed on social media, led to a citywide shelter-in-place order and a frantic manhunt. Kelly, 22, had made the unusual request to represent himself about six months before his trial, which is scheduled for July 14. His court-appointed lawyers had been helping Kelly with his case in an advisory capacity until Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. issued an order re-appointing the lawyers to represent him.” (03/20/25)
“Arizona has [killed] a 53-year-old man convicted of kidnapping and murdering his girlfriend’s former partner in 2002, marking the first death by the state since 2022. Death row inmate Aaron Gunches was [killed] by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence on Wednesday morning. … Gunches pleaded guilty in 2007 to first-degree murder and kidnapping and was sentenced to death for fatally shooting Ted Prince four times — three times in the chest and once to the back of the head — in an isolated area of the Arizona desert near Mesa, a city located east of Phoenix, in November 2002.” (03/20/25)
“Four Canadians were executed in China on drug-related charges earlier this year, Canadian authorities have confirmed. All of them were dual citizens and their identities have been withheld, Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly said. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada reportedly urged Ottawa to ‘stop making irresponsible remarks,’ as pundits feared a further downturn in relations between the countries after years of strain. China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that it had acted ‘in accordance with the law,’ while the embassy said there was ‘solid and sufficient’ evidence for their crimes. Beijing had ‘fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned,’ the embassy said, urging Canada to respect ‘China’s judicial sovereignty.’ China does not recognise dual citizenship and takes a tough stance on drug crimes. However, it’s rare for the death penalty to be carried out on foreigners.” (03/20/25)
“The Houthis have launched a hypersonic missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, days after the Israeli army broke a ceasefire in Gaza, the Yemeni group said. ‘The Yemeni armed forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion airport in the occupied Jaffa region with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile,’ Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Thursday. … The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile before it entered the country’s territory early on Thursday. Sirens sounded in several areas in Israel after the projectile was fired, the military said in a post on Telegram. The Israeli police said sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel’s ambulance service said no serious injuries were reported.” (03/20/25)
“An experimental treatment appears to delay Alzheimer’s symptoms in some people genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s, according to new findings from ongoing research now caught up in Trump administration funding delays. The early results — a scientific first — were published Wednesday even as study participants worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline. ‘It’s still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having,’ said Jake Heinrichs of New York City. Now 50, Heinrichs has been treated in that study for more than a decade and remains symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimer’s-causing gene that killed his father and brother around the same age. If blocked funding stops Heinrichs’ doses, ‘how much time do we have?’ asked his wife, Rachel Chavkin. ‘This trial is life.'” (03/20/25)
“Elon Musk’s X has raised about $1bn in a new equity funding round that values the social media company at $44bn, bringing its valuation back in line with the price the billionaire paid in 2022. Musk, X’s majority shareholder, was among those who purchased the shares, according to several people familiar with the matter. Darsana Capital, an investor that has bought debt tied to Musk’s X buyout, and 1789 Capital, a venture firm whose partners include Donald Trump Jr and has invested in other Musk companies, also participated.” (03/19/25)
“Israel has resumed ‘focused ground operations’ in the ‘center of the Gaza Strip’ over the past 24 hours, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Israeli forces have also taken control and ‘re-expanded their control to the center of the Netzarim’ corridor — the line that separates northern Gaza from the south — an IDF spokesperson said. … Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the residents of Gaza that ‘the evacuation of the population from the battle zones’ in Gaza will ‘begin again soon,’ in a video message in Hebrew on Wednesday. Katz encouraged Gaza residents to go to ‘other places in the world for those who wish.'” (03/19/25)
“Indonesia has ratified controversial changes to its military law allowing armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts, a move that analysts fear could usher in a resurgence of the military in government affairs. Activists in the world’s third-largest democracy have criticised the revisions, warning they signal a return to Indonesia’s ‘New Order’ era, when the country was led by former authoritarian ruler Suharto, who stepped down in 1998. The country is now led by President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-special forces general and former Suharto son-in-law, who was inaugurated in October. Indonesia’s law minister, Supratman Andi Agtas, has denied the law was a return to the military dominance that characterised the Suharto dictatorship, saying instead it was necessary due to domestic and geopolitical challenges.” (03/20/25)
