Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: US friendly fire downs F/A-18, Russia guns down prisoners, US court rules on Pegasus spyware case, China goes after Canadian activists

​An F/A-18 Hornet approaches the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as USS McFaul trails behind, October 30, 2001. Theodore Roosevelt and its carrier airwing are conducting missions in support of operation Enduring Freedom.

An F/A-18 Hornet approaches the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as USS McFaul trails behind, October 30, 2001. Theodore Roosevelt and its carrier airwing are conducting missions in support of operation Enduring Freedom.

(CREDIT REUTERS/U.S. Navy-Johnny Bivera)
Make us preferred on Google

2: Two US Navy pilots were forced to eject from their F/A-18 fighter over the Red Sea on Sunday during a “friendly fire” incident when a US warship targeted their plane with a missile. Both pilots survived the ejection but one sustained minor injuries, and it is not immediately clear why the ship, which was on station to shoot down Houthi missiles launched from Yemen, fired upon the aircraft.


127: Russian forces have summarily executed at least 127 Ukrainian troops this year according to prosecutors investigating these war crimes. The figures is an immense spike — officials counted just 20 summary executions of prisoners of war in 2022 and 2023 combined — suggesting an alarming shift in Russian doctrine.

1,400: A US court on Friday ruled that Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group was liable for hacking the devices of 1,400 WhatsApp users using the secretive software known as Pegasus, in violation of US cybersecurity laws. Pegasus has been implicated in hacks on dissidents by authoritarian governments around the world, and has been on a US blacklist since 2021.

20: Beijing announced Sunday it was taking punitive action against twenty people and two Canadian institutions advocating on behalf of the human rights of Tibetan and Uyghur minorities in China. The measures include asset freezes, bans on entry to China, and seizure of any real estate in the PRC. They come just weeks after Canada also announced sanctions on Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses.

More For You

The world’s oldest president returns to his post
He’s back! The 93-year-old finally returned from his “brief private stay in Europe,” during which rumors abounded about his health and ability to govern. Biya, the world’s oldest president, has led the Central African country since 1982 and has previously disappeared from public view for extended periods. Many worry about what would happen if Biya [...]
High maintenance
Will Fitzpatrick
The milestone brings warnings of a looming fiscal crisis, with national debt more than doubling in the last decade: when Donald Trump first entered office in 2017, debt stood at $19.95 trillion. During his first term, debt rose by $7.9 trillion, more than half of which came during his last nine months facing Covid. His second term has already [...]
Nigeria’s presidential race kicks off
Will Fitzpatrick
Campaigning for Nigeria’s January 2027 presidential election officially kicks off today, and President Bola Tinubu faces strong headwinds in his bid for a second term. His All Progressives Congress has governed Africa’s most populous country for more than a decade, but rising insecurity and frustration that Tinubu’s pro-business reforms have not [...]
The DRC’s deadliest Ebola outbreak ever
Natalie Johnson
On Monday, public health officials said the virus had killed 2,325 people, exceeding the death toll of every previous Ebola outbreak in the country. For weeks, the outbreak has also spread faster than any earlier outbreak. And the full toll may be even higher: WHO officials recently said the outbreak had begun months before authorities declared it [...]