- The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday, ruling 6 to 3 along ideological lines to block a Louisiana congressional map that had created a second Black majority district. Justice Alito, writing for the conservative majority, said the map relied too heavily on race and amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The decision effectively raises the bar for racial minorities to challenge electoral maps under Section 2 of the landmark civil rights law. https://apnews.com/live/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-updates-04-29-2026
- In a separate ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously sided with First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, a chain of faith-based anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” in New Jersey, allowing it to challenge a state attorney general’s subpoena in federal court. The state had been investigating whether the centers engaged in deceptive practices, including marketing that may have led patients to believe they could get abortions there. First Choice argued the subpoena, which sought donor lists and doctor information, violated its First Amendment rights. https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-opponents-appeal-new-jersey-57709656fc444ed125165227d985705f
- A South African magistrate ordered Bellarmine Mugabe, the 29 year old youngest son of the late Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, to be immediately deported from the country. He had pleaded guilty to brandishing an object that resembled a firearm and to being in South Africa illegally, and was ordered to pay about $36,000 in fines or serve two years in prison. His cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in connection with a shooting at Mugabe’s Johannesburg home and was sentenced to three years behind bars. https://apnews.com/article/mugabe-son-bellarmine-zimbabwe-south-africa-shooting-9bb704280330c25b04f2af5622e49f3d
- Hundreds of South Africans marched through the streets of Johannesburg on Wednesday to protest illegal immigration, part of a growing wave of demonstrations that also hit Pretoria the day before. Many shops in the city center shut down over fears of looting or opportunistic crime. https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-illegal-immigration-march-protests-cbc323b775625516597792db82d87ae0
- Indonesia is pushing social media companies to publicly report how many underage accounts they have shut down as part of new regulations that went into effect in late March banning children under 16 from accessing high risk platforms. https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-social-media-children-under-16-39630c776f947652cde619ad4ae56627
- Sri Lanka’s cricket board stepped down on Tuesday after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake asked the executive committee to make way for a new administration. Board president Shammi Silva, who was in his fourth two year term with 11 months remaining, convened a special meeting to announce his resignation. The government said it will temporarily oversee administrative functions until reforms are implemented, and an interim management team headed by a former investment banker has been appointed. https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/4/29/sri-lanka-cricket-board-quits-at-governments-request-officials
- Global tropical rainforest loss dropped 36% in 2025, falling to 4.3 million hectares (about the size of Denmark), according to new data from the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/29/tropical-forest-loss-slows-in-2025-after-record-year-report
- Russia announced that its annual Victory Day parade on May 9 will take place without tanks, missiles, or any other military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades. The Defense Ministry cited the “current operational situation” as the reason, a clear reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c794wp4yy93o
- France urged its citizens to leave Mali “as soon as possible” on Wednesday, warning that the security situation is “extremely volatile” following last weekend’s coordinated attacks by jihadist militants and Tuareg separatists. The French foreign ministry told nationals to book whatever commercial flights are still available, stay indoors until they can depart, and keep relatives informed. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3pdgvpn27o
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the Associated Press that his agency believes roughly 200 kilograms (about 440 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons grade, is stored in tunnels at Iran’s nuclear complex near Isfahan. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-nuclear-grossi-ap-interview-9.7181108
- South Korea’s Hanwha is sweetening its bid for Canada’s massive submarine contract by committing to manufacture K9 armored battle vehicles on Canadian soil if it wins the deal. The company signed a partnership with members of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association to set up production to meet international demand for its light tanks. https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/article/south-korea-sweetens-submarine-bid-will-manufacture-armoured-vehicles-in-canada-if-chosen/
Evening World News Summary
Related articles