Residents say Rwanda-backed rebels are advancing on a third city in eastern Congo

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Frightened residents say Rwanda-backed rebels appear to be heading toward a third major city in eastern Congo. International pressure rose Tuesday over the M23’s expansion in the mineral-rich region that’s critical for global technology. The witness accounts mean the rebels are now moving both north and south of Goma, the city of over 2 million people it seized last month as about 3,000 people were killed. The rebels this week seized another provincial capital to Goma’s south, Bukavu, near Burundi. Analysts have said the rebels are eyeing political power. There was no immediate comment from Rwanda.

Russia and the US agree to work toward improving ties and ending the Ukraine war

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Russia and the U.S. have agreed to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. That came after talks between the top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. They reflected an extraordinary about-face in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump. In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation. He stressed that the talks marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done down the road.

Hamas says it will free 6 living hostages and hand over 4 bodies

CAIRO (AP) — A senior Hamas leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday. The surprise acceleration in releases is apparently in return for Israel allowing long-requested mobile homes and construction equipment into the Gaza Strip. The six are the last living hostages set to be freed under the ceasefire’s first phase. The sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in which Hamas says it will only release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

Attacks by Sudanese RSF paramilitaries leave hundreds dead in White Nile State

CAIRO (AP) — Sudanese officials and rights groups say attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Force have killed hundreds of civilians, including infants, in White Nile state. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry put the death toll at 433, while Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence against civilians, estimated more than 200 people had died over the past three days. The ministry said the paramilitary group targeted civilians within the past few days in villages in the al-Gitaina area after they faced defeat by the Sudanese army. The U.N. says the war in Sudan has killed more than 24,000 people and driven millions from their homes. It also said on Tuesday it has documented more than 4,200 civilian killings in 2024.