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World News Update: Gaza Strikes, DRC Mine Collapse, Niger Airport Attack, US Federal Reserve Choice, and Ukraine Peace Talks
A wave of international events unfolded this week, ranging from deadly air strikes in Gaza to a devastating mine collapse in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an attack in Niger, a potential change in leadership at the US Federal Reserve, and ongoing peace talks regarding the Donetsk region in Ukraine.
In Gaza, Israeli air strikes killed at least 32 Palestinians on Saturday, according to local authorities. The Hamas-operated civil defense agency reported that women and children were among the dead. One attack involved helicopter gunships striking a tent sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, according to reports. Palestinians described these strikes as the heaviest since the second phase of the ceasefire brokered by US President Trump last October came into effect earlier this month, according to BBC World. The Israeli military confirmed the strikes.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a coltan mine collapse in Rubaya, North Kivu, resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people this week, officials said. The Rubaya mine produces approximately 15% of the world's coltan, a mineral processed into tantalum used in mobile phones, according to The Guardian.
In Niger, Islamic State in the Sahel claimed responsibility for an attack on the international airport and an adjacent air force base in Niamey. The attack, which began shortly after midnight on Thursday, involved motorcycle-riding militants using heavy weaponry and drones, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist activity. Planes belonging to an Ivorian carrier and a Togolese airline were damaged, according to The Guardian.
Turning to the United States, President Donald Trump has reportedly picked Kevin Warsh to lead the US Federal Reserve when current chairman Jerome Powell's four-year term ends in May, according to BBC Business. Warsh, a former Fed governor, has been an outspoken critic of the Fed and is expected to support lower interest rates in the near term. The appointment comes amid concerns about the Fed's independence, following Trump's increasing criticism of Powell in recent months. Powell has reportedly angered Trump by not cutting interest rates quickly enough, and federal prosecutors recently opened a criminal investigation over testimony he gave to the Senate about renovations, according to BBC Business.
Finally, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reconvened in Abu Dhabi on Sunday for peace talks organized by the Trump administration, according to the NY Times. A core issue remains the fate of the Donetsk region. Russian officials have indicated they will continue fighting until Ukraine cedes control of the 2,082 square miles of the Donetsk region still held by Kyiv. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Donetsk region was the one remaining item requiring attention in the peace negotiations. However, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov disputed that, saying other issues must still be addressed, including security guarantees, according to the NY Times.
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