Author: Andrew Rogers

Ukraine has condemned what it describes as deliberate Russian attacks on power substations critical for the country’s nuclear plants, calling them acts of “nuclear terrorism.” The Ukrainian foreign ministry said these strikes, targeting civilian energy infrastructure, violate international humanitarian law. The ministry cited recent reports from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which confirmed incidents near South Ukraine and Khmelnitskyi nuclear plants. Both lost access to an external power line, while Rivne reduced output at two of its four reactors. The IAEA did not assign blame for the disruptions. Civilians on the frontlines are facing growing hardships as attacks…

Israel has returned 30 bodies of Palestinians who were held in Israeli detention, some showing signs of torture, while airstrikes continued in Gaza despite a fragile ceasefire. The remains were transferred via the International Committee of the Red Cross and arrived in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Friday. Israeli attacks have killed at least three Palestinians on the same day. One man was killed and his brother wounded by gunfire in the Shujayea neighborhood of Gaza City. Another was killed in shelling in the Jabalia refugee camp, while a third died from wounds sustained in earlier attacks. Civil defense…

A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump cannot require Americans to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote using the federal form. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, DC, sided with Democratic and civil rights groups that challenged Trump’s March executive order aiming to change federal election procedures. The judge said the proposed proof-of-citizenship requirement violates the Constitution and exceeds presidential authority. “Because our Constitution assigns responsibility for election regulation to the States and to Congress, the President lacks the authority to direct such changes,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her opinion. She added that the Constitution does…

More than 100 federal judges have ruled against the Trump administration’s mandatory detention policy for immigrants. The rulings, issued more than 200 times nationwide, say the policy violates U.S. law and the rights of individuals facing deportation. Judges appointed by presidents from both major parties, including Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump himself, have sided against the administration. The wave of legal opposition began after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) introduced a new rule in July. The policy ordered the detention of all immigrants facing deportation — even those who have lived in the United States…

The White House has introduced a new policy that limits how journalists can move inside the West Wing. The rule, announced late Thursday, blocks credentialed reporters from entering certain areas without prior approval. Officials say the decision aims to protect sensitive information, but critics view it as another step toward restricting press freedom. According to a memorandum circulated to media outlets, the new rule applies immediately. Reporters will no longer have free access to Room 140, known as “Upper Press.” This area is home to the offices of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and other senior communications officials located near the…

Two federal judges have stopped the Trump administration from cutting off food aid for millions of Americans. The rulings came as the government shutdown reached its fourth week, raising fears that low-income families could lose access to essential nutrition support. A federal court in Rhode Island issued a temporary order on Friday, blocking the government from suspending payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps. The decision followed a lawsuit filed by several U.S. cities, nonprofit groups, and a trade union. Around the same time, another judge in Massachusetts ordered the administration to continue funding…

K-pop group NewJeans has lost its legal battle to leave its record label, Ador. A South Korean court ruled on Tuesday that the group’s contract, which runs until 2029, remains valid. The group’s five members—Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle, and Minji—had announced last year that they were leaving the agency, citing mistreatment and manipulation. Local media reports say the band plans to appeal the ruling. The court decision comes after a year-long standoff between NewJeans and its agency. The group’s announcement in November last year followed a public dispute involving their mentor, Min Hee-ji, Ador, and its parent company, Hybe, South…

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that Russia successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-propelled torpedo-drone. The weapon is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and a radioactive engine, which experts say could trigger a tsunami to make coastal cities uninhabitable. The Poseidon is launched from a submarine like a traditional torpedo but can loiter underwater before delivering its nuclear payload. Putin called the test a “huge success,” claiming its power surpasses Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental missile. Earlier this week, he also highlighted the Burevestnik missile, described by critics as a “flying Chernobyl” due to its radioactive propulsion. Meanwhile, fighting in eastern…

Israel carried out another airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least two people, following an overnight bombardment that killed at least 104 Palestinians, including children. The attacks have raised questions about the durability of the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The Israeli military said it targeted military infrastructure in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, where weapons were being stored for an imminent attack. Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City reported receiving two bodies from Wednesday’s strike. Overnight on Tuesday, the strikes killed at least 46 children and 20 women, with 200 others injured, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. These were…

California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa urged voters Wednesday to reject Proposition 50, a measure that would redraw U.S. House districts in the state, saying it represents a partisan power grab. “It’s really a blatant power grab,” LaMalfa said at a press conference in Chico, a city at the southern end of his district in Northern California. Proposition 50 would create new congressional maps outside the usual once-a-decade process handled by an independent commission. Democrats say the measure is needed to counter efforts in Texas to gain additional Republican seats, while Republicans argue it would dilute conservative voting power. Governor Gavin…