InformedInsights

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Month: August 2024

How will Ukraine’s foray into Russia affect the war?

A swift Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region was the largest such cross-border raid by Kyiv’s forces in the nearly 2½-year war, exposing Russia’s vulnerabilities and dealing a painful blow to the Kremlin. The surprise foray has prompted thousands of…

Mars and Jupiter get chummy in the night sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida —  Mars and Jupiter are cozying up in the night sky for their closest rendezvous this decade. They’ll be so close Wednesday, at least from our perspective, that just a sliver of moon could fit between them….

‘Another day of horror’: UN rights office condemns Israeli strikes at Gazan school

At around 4:30am during dawn prayer on Saturday, a mosque inside Al Tabaeen School was struck by the IDF “at least three times”, the UN rights office, OHCHR, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a statement, adding that the…

Convict in Kremlin critic murder released from jail to fight in Ukraine

A man convicted in the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has been discharged from jail after signing a contract to join the military operation in Ukraine, state-run news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported on Saturday. Nemtsov, a…

Russia evacuates tens of thousands amid Ukraine incursion

Russia said Saturday it had evacuated tens of thousands of people from its border region and launched a “counterterror operation” as it struggled to contain a major Ukrainian incursion. At the same time, Moscow warned that the fighting in Russia’s…

Sex eligibility rules for female athletes are complex, legally difficult

PARIS —  Women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics has highlighted the complexity of drafting and enforcing sex eligibility rules for women’s sports and how athletes like Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan are left vulnerable in the…

How Maui’s 151-year-old banyan tree is coming back to life after fire

LAHAINA, Hawaii —  When a deadly wildfire tore through Lahaina on Maui last August, the wall of flames scorched the 151-year-old banyan tree along the historic town’s Front Street. But the sprawling tree survived the blaze, and thanks to the…

China’s drivers fret as robotaxis pick up pace — and passengers

WUHAN, China —  Liu Yi is among China’s 7 million ride-hailing drivers. A 36-year-old Wuhan resident, he started driving part-time this year when construction work slowed in the face of a nationwide glut of unsold apartments. Now he predicts another…

US declines to approve first MDMA-based PTSD treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declined to approve a therapy based on the mind-altering drug MDMA for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, stating it could not be approved based on the data submitted, developer Lykos Therapeutics said Friday….

Central Asia leaders call for joint policy on water issues

Almaty, Kazakhstan —  Central Asian leaders met in Kazakhstan on Friday seeking to agree on a shared policy on water management in a region where the scarce resource causes frequent disputes. Interruptions to water supplies are a regular occurrence in…