The edition of
Wednesday 30 April 2025
13 stories, section by section, the most important first.
International
Puntland releases fifteen prisoners of war in exchange for Somaliland releasing eleven combatants captured during the conflict in the contested Sool region. This is the second prisoner exchange of prisoners captured during the conflict in Las Anod.
Amid strengthening ties between Taiwan and Somaliland, the Somali government bans Taiwanese passport holders from Somalia, citing UN Resolution 2758 and the One China policy. Taiwan lodges a protest with Somalia and claims China instigated the ban.
South Korean intelligence claims North Korean troops have suffered around 4,700 casualties, including about 600 fatalities among 15,000 soldiers. Their combat capability has also significantly improved, with increasing proficiency in new weapons such as drones.
The Colombian government says fifteen police officers and twelve soldiers have been killed over the past two weeks in targeted attacks by the Gulf Clan cartel and other armed groups.
The Royal Air Force launches airstrikes on buildings they claimed were used by the Houthis to manufacture drones south of Sanaa, Yemen.
Business
Nigeria fully repays its US$3.4 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund that it borrowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to pay some residual honorary charges for special withdrawing rights of US$30 million annually.
The United States and Ukraine sign the Ukraine–United States Mineral Resources Agreement to share profits from the future sales of Ukraine's mineral and energy reserves.
The Law
An American citizen detained in Belarus after being accused of being part of a US-backed coup to oust Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is released from the country. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirms the release.
Kenyan parliament member Charles Ong'ondo is shot to death in Nairobi by unknown gunmen on a motorcycle in an apparent assassination.
Science
The world's oldest person, Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, dies at the age of 116 years and 326 days. The new oldest living person is British supercentenarian Ethel Caterham, who is the last person born in the 1900s decade, the last living subject of King Edward VII, and the oldest British person ever.
Environment
Wildfires rage out of control in at least 100 different locations throughout Israel and the West Bank, prompting the Israeli government to declare a state of emergency and forcing evacuations near Jerusalem. At least 40 people are reportedly injured due to the fires.
Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for 30 April 2025, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.