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Archive May 1, 2025

Sudan ‘horror knows no bounds’, says UN, as deaths in Darfur rise

By in News, World News

More than 540 people have been killed in Sudan’s North Darfur in just three weeks as paramilitaries intensify their attritional battle for the regional capital of el-Fasher, according to the United Nations.

“The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” said Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, in a statement on the devastating impact of the two-year civil war published on Thursday, signalling that the death toll of 542 over the past three weeks was likely “much higher”.

Darfur in particular has been a key battleground in the brutal war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has left tens of thousands dead, uprooted more than 12 million and created what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The RSF, which lost Khartoum last month, has in recent weeks mounted multiple attacks on el-Fasher and the nearby refugee camps of Zamzam and Abu Shouk, triggering an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people 60km (37 miles) across the desert to the town of Tawila.

Sudan’s presidential palace in central Khartoum was shelled Thursday by the RSF, a military source told the AFP news agency, the second such attack on the capital in a week.

Turk pointed to a new attack three days ago by the RSF on el-Fasher and Abu Shouk that killed at least 40 civilians.

He said he feared further violence after the RSF issued a warning of further “bloodshed” ahead of “imminent battles”, adding that civilians “trapped amid dire conditions” in and around el-Fasher needed to be protected.

Turk’s statement came as the RSF was on the cusp of seizing control of the strategic city of al-Nuhud in West Kordofan, a gateway to the Darfur region, held by Sudan’s army since the start of the conflict.

Reporting from Khartoum, Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan said that both sides viewed the city as crucial for gaining the upper hand in the conflict.

“It’s clear that the RSF does not want the army to try to launch attacks on its positions in Darfur, especially since the army has been saying that it wants to retake cities in Darfur … and they want to break the RSF’s siege of el-Fasher,” she said.

‘Extremely disturbing’

Turk also highlighted “reports of extrajudicial executions in Khartoum state”, which he described as “extremely disturbing”.

He described videos circulating on social media that showed at least 30 men in civilian clothing being rounded up and shot by armed men in RSF uniforms in the al-Salha area in the country’s second-largest city, Omdurman.

In a subsequent video “an RSF field commander acknowledged the killings”, he said.

The videos followed “shocking reports” of the “extrajudicial execution of dozens of people accused of collaborating with the RSF in southern Khartoum in recent weeks”, which had allegedly been committed by the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, a pro-SAF armed rebel group, according to Turk.

The conflict between SAF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF’s Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Daglo has divided Sudan in two, with the army holding sway in the north and east, while the RSF controls most of Darfur and parts of the south.

Can Mexico bring back the endangered axolotl?

By in News, World News

One of the world’s most endangered amphibians – the primordial and fish-like axolotl – has successfully adapted to a new environment after being released into artificial wetlands in Mexico, scientists say.

In a study that provides hope for the survival of the Ambystoma mexicanuma, a creature that has been pushed to the brink of extinction by pollution and human activity, scientists recently released 18 captive-bred axolotls into two artificial wetlands close to Mexico City.

Researchers fitted the smiley-face amphibians with trackers and found they were feeding at both sites. Lead researcher Alejandra Ramos from the Autonomous University of Baja California told the BBC it was an “amazing result”.

The findings were published in the journal PLoS One and suggest the axolotl can be successfully restored to its native habitat.

What is the axolotl?

Legend has it that the axolotl was not always an amphibian. Long before it became Mexico’s most beloved salamander, it was believed to be the embodiment of the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl.

While there are no official estimates on its current population, the species – which is endemic to central Mexico – was classed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species in 2019.

They breathe through their gills and skin, which allows them to adapt to their aquatic environment. They can also regenerate parts of their heart, spinal cord and brain.

The salamander’s skin is typically dark although an albino variety can be bred. They can stay stock still for hours in their natural habitat, buried in mud to conserve energy and wait for prey.

In their main stronghold, Lake Xochimilco, located in the southern part of Mexico City, axolotl numbers have plummeted by 99.5 percent in less than two decades. In 1998, researchers estimated there were 6,000 axolotls per square kilometre in Lake Xochimilco. By 2014, this number had dropped to just 36.

An albino axolotl [Shutterstock]

How at risk is the axolotl?

Mexico is a biodiversity hotspot for amphibians and reptiles owing to its unique and varied habitats from tropical rainforests and deserts to cloud forests and temperate woodlands.

The waters of Xochimilco, once used for traditional farming and flushed with spring water from the mountains, used to teem with large, smiley-faced axolotls.

But pollution from Mexico City’s expanding urban sprawl has damaged the water quality of the city’s canals, which flow into the lakes. Furthermore, rainbow trout, which have escaped from nearby farms, have displaced axolotls in lakes around the capital and eaten their food.

Researchers have also found that increasing numbers of axolotls have died from chytrid fungus, a skin-eating disease causing a catastrophic reduction in amphibian numbers in other parts of the world from Europe to Australia. The fungus has also been found in Mexico although it is not yet a major problem.

Climate change is another factor threatening the axolotl as even small shifts in temperature and rainfall can disrupt ecosystems and erode biodiversity.

In 2013, scientists voiced fears that they might disappear altogether by 2025.

The axolotl isn’t the only species in Mexico facing an uncertain future. The pine forest stream frog, the clarion night snake and the Mexican alligator lizard are some of the other species that are also critically endangered.

How was the conservation effort for axolotls carried out?

To lay the foundations for the rewilding project, researchers meticulously monitored the ecology of the axolotls to establish their ideal living conditions.

Then they worked with local farmers and a team of volunteers to create wetland “refuges”, or artificial wetlands, near Xochimilco by installing natural filtering systems to clean the water.

The scientists then released the amphibians into two types of wetland environments: restored natural wetlands and the artificial wetlands designed specifically for conservation purposes.

These environments differ in their ecological structure, water chemistry and temperatures, variables that are critical determinants of amphibian physiology and behaviour.

The axolotls were tagged with radio tracking devices to keep tabs on the amphibians. One of the key findings from the study was the axolotls’ ability to navigate and inhabit both artificial and restored wetland ecosystems effectively.

While biologists and officials have led efforts to save the species and its habitat from extinction, a parallel, unexpected preservation phenomenon has emerged in recent years as the creature has benefitted from an unexpected resurgence of interest.

The axolotl attracted international attention after the Minecraft computer game added the creature in 2021. That same year, the Bank of Mexico also decided to print an image of the animal on the 50-peso bill.

Axolotls can now be spotted all over Mexico on murals, clothing and as children’s toys. Some bakeries have caused a sensation with their axolotl-shaped cakes and biscuits.

“If we lose this species, we lose part of our Mexican identity,” co-lead researcher Luis Zambrano from the National University of Mexico told the BBC.

50 peso bill
The axolotl and Lake Xochimilco are represented on Mexico’s 50 Pesos 2021 Banknotes [Shutterstock]

Could other amphibians be saved too?

Climate change, habitat loss and outbreaks of disease have taken their toll on amphibians around the world. Half of all amphibian species are in decline while a third are threatened with extinction.

The team overseeing the axolotl study said public funding is key to preventing the loss of other species as well.

Over his six-year term, however, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was in office from 2018 to 2024, reduced funding to the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources by 35 percent.

While scientists involved in the project hope to restore the axolotl’s population, they also highlighted the need for government, business and individual engagement.

Into the Lions’ den – spiritual San Mames awaits Man Utd

By in News, Sports News
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Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport senior journalist
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The sound of the alboka cascading through Basque villages once acted as a call to neighbours that a festival was about to begin. These days, with Athletic Club hitting the right notes in Europe and La Liga, the thrum of the traditional horn usually precedes a carnival atmosphere at San Mames.

As it peters out the txalaparta begins, the clunk of sticks on a wooden plank echo around the 53,000-capacity arena before the iconic club anthem kicks in: “For all of us you are ours. Because you were born from the people…”

“It sums up the core idea and philosophy of Athletic, this idea that players have a closer tie to the club they are representing,” explains Basque journalist Benat Gutierrez.

“The link is tighter because you generally know someone who knows someone whose kid or neighbour has climbed the different levels of Athletic before playing for the first team.”

Manchester United head to Bilbao on Thursday for a semi-final first leg knowing if they are to win the Europa League two of their potential three remaining games in the competition will come at San Mames, which will also host the final on Wednesday, 21 May.

It is a truly unique and iconic stadium. One that bears an almost spiritual aura and has thus been nicknamed The Cathedral – fans still worship Saint Mammes at the site of an old shrine next door, the third-century orphan who pacified the lions sent to kill him. It’s why Athletic are known as “Los Leones”, The Lions.

San Mames is a symbol of Basque identity, just as Athletic have become a Basque institution through their philosophy of only fielding players who are born or raised in the region. “Unique in the world,” they call it.

Families visit together, club memberships are passed down through generations like heirlooms. The players representing Athletic on the field were once those decked in red and white in the stands.

“Every time I step on the pitch I feel like I’m living the dream of that little boy who used to go to the stadium with his parents and who dreamed of one day being able to play football at San Mames,” explains young midfielder Mikel Jauregizar. “You know what the club means to everyone who’s there. I feel a very strong connection with our fans.”

It is a stadium where tradition prevails. From Basque rituals such as the alboka and txalaparta, to the ‘Txoria Txori’, when players embrace after the game and sing in unison with the fans, to other chants in the language about “losing your beard”.

Athletic Club fansGetty Images

“Fans are close to the pitch and really in sync with the players,” explains Gaizka Atxa, founder of a supporters’ group named after Fred Pentland, a legendary former English coach of the club.

“The environment is usually overwhelming for rivals that come to San Mames. It’s intimidating, especially in La Liga. In Spain, I don’t think there’s a similar type of environment.”

The San Mames experience, though, begins long before kick-off. On the bar-lined ‘Poza’, supporters dripping in red and white go through their pre-match routines, meeting for drinks and pintxos, buying their sandwiches for half-time, something of an Athletic tradition.

“When Athletic is performing really well, the pre-match atmosphere is second to none,” says Atxa. “People are always socialising, friends getting together and trying to have a good time and enjoy themselves, that experience of hanging out before the match, that’s really what a lot of fans really like.

“Once you get into the Athletic culture, people really enjoy the socialising before the match and that really gets you into a good spirit.”

Built on the site of the old stadium, the new San Mames, opened in 2013, is both ideally located within walking distance of the city and a stone’s throw from the River Nervion.

It’s a site packed with history and one where legends are celebrated.

A statue of former goalkeeper and captain Jose Angel Iribar stands in front of the ground – it was Iribar and Real Sociedad captain Inaxio Kortabarria who carried a banned Basque flag on to the pitch before a derby in December 1976, following the death of Spanish general Francisco Franco.

Meanwhile, the bust of Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, better known as Pichichi, Athletic’s prolific forward in the early 20th century who La Liga’s top goalscorer award is named after, sits at the entrance of the players’ tunnel.

“With Pichichi, we are talking about a legend, one of the most iconic players for Athletic and someone who transcends Athletic to be an important piece of Spanish football culture,” says Gutierrez.

“Iribar goes even beyond that. He is a legend, but he is currently the embodiment of the values of Athletic. He is the most important representative of the club.

Iribar joins celebrationsGetty Images

Manchester United of course have their own history at San Mames. Matt Busby’s side lost 5-3 in the European Cup quarter-final first leg during rare snowfall in Bilbao in January 1957, but won the reverse leg 3-0 – at rivals City’s Maine Road – to progress.

The clubs met again in the 2012 Europa League last 16, a year before the new ground opened, when Marcelo Bielsa’s side beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s outfit over two legs on their way to the final, where they were beaten by Atletico Madrid.

It was the second time the Basque side have finished runners-up in the competition, having lost over two legs on away goals to Juventus in 1977.

This season, having ended the club’s 40-year trophy drought with the Copa del Rey last summer, there is the added incentive of trying to win a first European trophy at their own, iconic home.

“Even though we’re a humble team, we are very competitive and we always want to win,” says Atxa. “We need to show the world of football that Athletic can stand out with its philosophy against the best.

“Every time we play in San Mames, the first thing I think is ‘let’s make it another 100 years like this’. Every game is another in which we can compete at a high level with a unique philosophy.

Athletic ClubGetty Images

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David Attenborough’s diet change as he rules out certain food to ‘live past 100’

By in Entertainment News, News

Beloved broadcaster Sir David Attenborough made a candid confession about ‘ nearing the end of his life’, but still hopes of reaching his 100th birthday, partly due to his diet

Sir David Attenborough has a particular diet he follows (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Sir David Attenborough is set to mark his 99th birthday in a few days, but has acknowledged that he is “nearing the end of his life”. While he has expressed his desire to reach his 100th birthday, the legendary broadcaster has credited some of his enduring health and vigour to his brilliant diet.

While he hasn’t fully adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, Attenborough, who turns 99 on May 9, drastically scaled back his red meat consumption, a move he believes could be contributing to his impressive longevity. Back in 2017, Attenborough shared insights into his eating habits and revealed: “I have certainly changed my diet. Not in a great sort of dramatic way. But I don’t think I’ve eaten red meat for months”.

He also admitted: “I do eat cheese, I have to say, and I eat fish. But by and large, I’ve become much more vegetarian over the past few years than I thought I would ever be”.

Studies have consistently shown that plant-based diets can help extend life by staving off chronic diseases. They also reduce one’s carbon footprint – a matter very dear to the environmentalist, reports the Express.

READ MORE: Sir David Attenborough says ‘the end is near’ as he delivers devastating confession

Buying meat at a supermarket
Red meat, like beef, is something Attenborough has cut from his diet in recent years(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Red meat includes beef, lamb, mutton, pork, veal, venison and goat. Eating too much processed meat and red meat probably increases your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer, according to the NHS.

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Some meats are high in saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels if you eat too much of it. Having high cholesterol raises your risk of coronary heart disease.

Despite maintaining a healthy diet and staying mentally sharp, Attenborough confessed to Anderson Cooper in a 2021 interview that he fears cognitive decline as he gets older, with the prospect of becoming “helpless” due to a condition like Alzheimer’s being among his greatest concerns.

He also confided to the Telegraph about his concerns regarding ageing, saying he is “coming to terms” with the possibility of memory loss as he grows older. This week, the wildlife guru made a candid admission and touched on his mortality in his latest captivating documentary, Ocean with David Attenborough, as he nears his 99th birthday.

Sir David Attenborough
ttenborough made a candid confession about his mortality in his new documentary ‘ Ocean ‘

“When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity. Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true. After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea”, he revealed.

He also voiced his deep worries about the deteriorating state of the ocean, confessing: “Today, it is in such poor health I would find it hard not to lose hope were it not for the most remarkable discovery of all”.

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However, Attenborough clung to optimism, asserting that marine environments can bounce back strongly. He insisted: “If we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I’m sure nothing is more important”.

READ MORE: Rochelle Humes stays fit with this exact foldable treadmill that ‘gets your steps in at home’

‘All that matters is showing I deserve to be here’

By in News, Sports News

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Paul Battison
Journalist for BBC Sport

Mason Jones claims that the only thing that matters before his UFC return is that it shows that he deserves to be here.

Three years after quitting the promotion, the British man, 30, will face American lightweight Jeremy Stephens on Saturday in Iowa.

Welshman Jones left the UFC for “financial and performance reasons,” and has since established a four-fight winning streak with UK-based Cage Warriors.

Jones won only one of his four UFC fights before making his UFC debut in 2021, having already won ten of his professional matches.

In 2022, he left after being defeated by Ludovit Klein in Slovakia.

“None of my last fights in the UFC ended up going well,” I said on my last trip here. I didn’t perform any of them, Jones said.

“I had problems, issues, and every possible justification.”

“Now everything is running smoothly. No injuries are reported, my camp is running smoothly, and I feel fantastic.

After almost four years away from the title, Stephens is also making his UFC return.

Stephens, who will be performing in Iowa in front of his native Iowa audience, entered 34 fights, winning 15 of them, before resuming his five-fight losing streak.

He won all three of his fights in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), losing to Natan Schulte in the PFL in 2022.

According to Jones, Stephens views the 38-year-old as a “mountain” while he describes him as a “molehill.”

“Jeremy is a mountain, but he’s not insurmountable.” I’m going to go out there and find a way to fix him, Jones said.

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Rebuilding Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina’s fall

By in News, World News

101 East investigates the downfall of Bangladesh’s ruthless regime and goes inside the fight to reclaim democracy.

Enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial killings: The human rights abuses allegedly committed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime have left scores of Bangladeshis scarred and traumatised.

After a student-led movement overthrew the government in 2024, the full extent of the suffering is finally coming to light as an interim government, led by 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, tries to rebuild a shattered nation.