This is The Ten News. First up, Eid Mubarak to all our listeners who celebrated the end of Ramadan over the weekend. The Islamic month of fasting came to a close with feasts and celebrations on Eid al-Fitr, which fell on Friday, April 21st. Around the US, some schools are starting to honor Eid with a day off. Houston area schools were closed on Friday to mark the occasion. And another big holiday took place over the weekend: Earth Day! Saturday, April 22nd was the worldwide celebration of the Earth - and the theme this year was ‘Invest in Our Planet.’ With Arbor Day coming up this Friday, April 28th, it’s the perfect time to plant trees, shop at farmer’s markets, conserve water, and support pollinators!

Ten'er 01:30

Hi, my name is Ronin, and I'm loving it. And I live in Los Angeles, California. I was wondering why Russia won't stop attacking Ukraine. It's really mean. And I wonder if like anybody can talk to Russia's president and tell them to stop because it's like really horrible.

Ryan Willard 01:55

Great question Ronin, and we agree that it’s just mean. While no one knows the exact reason that Russian President Vladamir Putin decided to invade Ukraine, it is likely that it was due to Ukraine becoming more allied with the Western countries and Putin saw that as a threat to Russia. For more, check out the special report that we did on the invasion last year. The link is in our show notes! Now here’s what we know about the current situation. A couple of weeks ago there were leaks from US intelligence, which show that there’s infighting in Russia around the war in Ukraine - that could be good news for Ukraine. Also, Russian forces accidentally bombed their own city last week. Intelligence gathered by Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland uncovered Russian spy ships mapping the North Sea in order to sabotage wind farms and underwater cables, which could affect power and communications in Northern Europe. Russia denies the allegations. That’s all the news we have right now on Ukraine, we’ll keep you updated - thanks again Ronin! Ten’ers, keep asking us about the things you want to know.

Pamela Kirkland 03:21

Another conflict is unfolding a few thousand miles South of Ukraine, in the Northeast African nation Sudan. Sudan is the third largest country in Africa, just south of Egypt, and borders 7 other countries. A military coup in 2021 put the Sudanese Army in charge of the government, but that was supposed to be temporary - the people protested for a democratic government. Now, the general leading the army and another general leading a separate military force disagree about the direction the country is going. A few weeks ago violence erupted between the two military units in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. Civilians have been caught in the crossfire, and are fleeing Sudan to neighboring Chad. Aid organizations say the conflict is creating a humanitarian crisis, and the Sudanese people need food, water, and safe shelter.

Ryan Willard 03:50

We’ve got news from Space X - their latest, and biggest, rocket launch didn’t go as planned. Scheduled for a few weeks ago, the first launch was aborted at the last minute. When the launch finally went ahead last week, the new ‘Starship’ exploded a few minutes into launch - but no one was on it! <sfx phew> Starship is the largest rocket ever developed, and NASA plans to use them one day. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says they’ve learned a lot for their next launch in a few months. In other news from the sky - Southwest grounded thousands of flights due to a glitch in their computer systems. This is the second time this has happened in just a few months and caused massive delays for travelers.

Pamela Kirkland 04:40

Why are Democrats asking one of their own to retire? Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein from California is the longest-serving woman Senator. She has championed liberal values but lately has struggled with her health. She already announced that she’ll retire in 2024, but Democrats are asking her to vacate her seat early. That’s because she has a seat on the important Senate Judiciary Committee, where Democrats have a slim majority. Senator Feinstein has not been able to serve while she’s being treated for her health, so Democrats are pushing her to retire so they can replace her on the committee and maintain their majority. The NYPD’s much-debated Robot Dog was called into action last week, to test the structure of a collapsed parking garage in Manhattan’s financial district. The purchase of the expensive robot had been criticized by New Yorkers, with fears the NYPD would use it for illegal searches. In this case, it did help 5 injured people escape from the car park rubble.

Ryan Willard 05:50

A toddler made headlines when he found a way to bypass White House security! Secret Service agents apprehended the ‘curious young visitor’ after he squeezed between the bars of the fence around the White House. That’s just the sort of thing one of my little siblings would do.

Pamela Kirkland 06:10

I'm sure that's what your older brothers and sisters say about you, Ryan.

Ryan Willard 06:15

Probably. We have some very exciting news from the world of entertainment: everyone’s favorite platypus-owning thrill seekers are making a comeback! Phineas & Ferb return to screens thanks to Disney+ - and fans of the original show will be glad to hear that the show’s co-creator Jeff ‘Swampy’ Marsh is on the team bringing them back.

Pamela Kirkland 06:38

That was Ten Things You Need to Know.

Ryan Willard 06:41

Check out tomorrow's episode, our Earth Day special.

Pamela Kirkland 06:44

I'm Pamela Kirkland.

Ryan Willard 06:45

And I'm Ryan Willard. Thanks for listening to The Ten News.

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Ten Things You Need to Know on 4/25/2023 🗞️

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