9.4.2024

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Deadly Blast in Ukraine

Russian airstrikes on a Ukrainian military institute and nearby hospital yesterday killed at least 50 people and wounded 270 others. The strike on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava is considered the war's deadliest single attack this year.

Meanwhile, five of Ukraine's ministers resigned as part of another government shake-up, leaving more than a third of the country's cabinet vacant after other resignations and dismissals earlier in the year. Fighting in the 2.5-year war has intensified since last month. Ukraine has continued its cross-border offensive into Russia, having seized at least 500 miles of territory, while Russia has advanced into eastern Ukraine. See updates here.

Separately, Mongolia welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin for a state visit, ignoring an arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court last year. Mongolia is among 124 nations that are members of the court and is required by international law to comply with the warrant. Mongolia, which relies on Russia for fuel, could face consequences for failing to do so.

Congo Jailbreak Attempt

At least 129 people are dead and 59 others injured after an attempted escape from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital yesterday. Roughly two dozen people were shot by guards as they sought to break out, while the remainder of the dead were reportedly killed in a subsequent crowd surge and fire. 

The Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa, Congo's capital on the Congo River in Central Africa, was built in 1957 when the country was still under Belgian rule (read history). The capital's sole prison facility is designed to hold 1,500 prisoners but houses nearly 12,000 inmates—70% of whom haven't yet faced trial. Rights advocates have long condemned the facility as unsafe. Prisoners reportedly attempted to break out of their cells amid a power outage that had cut off fans and water access in 90 degree heat. Officials estimated roughly 500 inmates died last year from suffocation and disease in the facility.

The incident comes as the country of 100 million people also responds to an mpox outbreak and a resurgence in its three-decade civil conflict. Learn more here.

'Dieselgate' Trial Begins

Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn's criminal trial for his role in the so-called "dieselgate" scandal began yesterday, nine years after the German automotive giant was accused of rigging emissions tests. Winterkorn, 77, faces charges of fraud, market manipulation, and perjury. If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in prison. He has denied all charges.

In September 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency accused Volkswagen of installing illegal software, dubbed “defeat devices," in diesel cars to manipulate emissions tests to pass environmental standards. The device could switch off a car's emissions control system while driving on the road and reactivate it during emissions testing on a dynamometer. When shut off, the defeat devices allowed nitrogen oxide emissions up to 40 times higher than the legal limit.

Roughly 11 million vehicles worldwide were equipped with the software and the scandal cost Volkswagen over $38B in fines and compensation.

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