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Overnight News Digest May 7, 2023 [1]

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Date: 2023-05-07

The Guardian

Sudan’s warring sides arrive in Saudi Arabia for talks as fighting rages on

Sudan’s rival factions have arrived in Saudi Arabia for direct talks, after three weeks of clashes in the capital, Khartoum, and the south-western region of Darfur that have killed at least hundreds and wounded many more. Representatives of the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were in Jeddah on Saturday for “pre-negotiation talks” aimed at establishing a durable ceasefire that would allow aid to reach millions of desperate civilians trapped by the fighting. A joint statement by the US and Saudi governments, which have brought the two sides together after a number of fruitless attempts, said: “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States urge both parties to take in consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the talks toward a ceasefire and end to the conflict.”

The Guardian

Vietnam records highest ever temperature of 44.1C

Vietnam has reported a record-high temperature of 44.1C (111.38F), as weather experts and authorities told the population to remain indoors during the hottest parts of the day. Scientists have said global warming is aggravating adverse weather. Neighbouring countries registered record temperatures during a heatwave in Asia in April. Vietnam’s record was measured indoors at Hoi Xuan station in northern Thanh Hoa province on Saturday, the National Centre for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting said, breaking the 2019 record of 43.4C. Nguyen Thi Lan, a farmer, said temperatures in the central city of Danang had forced workers to start their days earlier than ever. “We have had to finish before 10am to avoid the heat,” she said. Vietnam’s weather varies from north to south, but the country as a whole is now entering its hottest summer months. “This is a worrying record in the context of climate change and global warming,” Nguyen Ngoc Huy, a climate change expert, said from the capital, Hanoi.

We are scheduled for a trip to Viet Nam in December. As of now rain is predicted for December, which should be cooler.

The Guardian

Texas mall shooting: gunman expressed interest in neo-Nazi views – report

US federal officials are looking into whether the gunman who killed eight people at a Dallas-area mall expressed an interest in white supremacist ideology, as they work to try to discern a motive for the attack, a law enforcement official has told the Associated Press. The official cautioned that the investigation was in its early stages. NBC News and CNN have publicly identified the alleged shooter as Mauricio Garcia. Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts they believe he used and posts that expressed interest in white supremacist and neo-Nazi views, said the official, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Garcia also had a patch on his chest when he was killed by police that read “RWDS”, an acronym for the phrase “Right Wing Death Squad”, which is popular among rightwing extremists and white supremacy groups, the official said.

Reuters

AI pioneer says its threat to world may be 'more urgent' than climate change

LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - Artificial intelligence could pose a "more urgent" threat to humanity than climate change, AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton told Reuters in an interview on Friday. Hinton's work is considered essential to the development of contemporary AI systems. In 1986, he co-authored the seminal paper "Learning representations by back-propagating errors", a milestone in the development of the neural networks undergirding AI technology. In 2018, he was awarded the Turing Award in recognition of his research breakthroughs. But he is now among a growing number of tech leaders publicly espousing concern about the possible threat posed by AI if machines were to achieve greater intelligence than humans and take control of the planet. "I wouldn't like to devalue climate change. I wouldn't like to say, 'You shouldn't worry about climate change.' That's a huge risk too," Hinton said. "But I think this might end up being more urgent."

Reyters

Russia launches mass strikes on Ukraine ahead of May 9 Victory Day holiday

May 8 (Reuters) - Russia launched a large-scale wave of strikes on Kyiv and across Ukraine sowing destruction and injuries, officials said early on Monday, as Moscow prepares for its cherished Victory Day holiday that marks the anniversary of its defeat of Nazi Germany. At least five people were injured due to Russian strikes on Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said, while Russian missiles set ablaze a foodstuff warehouse in the Black Sea city of Odesa and blasts were reported in several other Ukrainian regions. The fresh attacks come as Moscow prepares for its Victory Day parade on Tuesday, a key anniversary for President Vladimir Putin who has evoked the spirit of the Soviet army that defeated Nazi German forces to declare that Russia would defeat a Ukraine supposedly in the grip of a new incarnation of Nazism. Russia intensified shelling of Bakhmut hoping to take it by Tuesday.

Al Jazeera

Canada’s Alberta announces state of emergency over wildfires

Alberta has announced a state of emergency as wildfires flare across the Canadian province, forcing 25,000 people to flee their homes in what a top official said was an “unprecedented” crisis. Thousands more have been told to be prepared to leave on a moment’s notice, as the number of fires – fanned by strong winds – jumped to 110. One-third of the blazes were listed as out of control. “We’ve declared a provincial state of emergency to protect the safety, health and welfare of Albertans,” the province’s Premier Danielle Smith told a news conference on Saturday after a meeting of her government’s emergency management committee. Earlier, she said the province – one of the world’s largest oil-producing regions – “has been experiencing a hot, dry spring, and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires”.

Al Jazeera

DR Congo floods death toll surpasses 200

The death toll following flooding and landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo this week has risen to at least 287, according to the government of South Kivu province in the east of the central African country. A further 205 people were seriously injured in the flooding caused when rivers burst their banks following heavy rains on Thursday, while 167 people are listed as missing. President Felix Tshisekedi has declared a day of national mourning on Monday and a team of ministers is set to travel to the region to coordinate humanitarian aid and disaster management, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said. The current rainy season, typical for the South Kivu region, is expected to last until the end of May.

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