Ukraine says it shot down record 33,000 Russian drones last month

Ukraine’s defence minister says the country’s forces shot down a record 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, marking the highest monthly figure sinceMoscow’s full-scale invasionbegan over four years ago.

It comes as Ukraine’s domestically developed long-range attack dronesstruck a Russian oil refineryand terminal on the Black Sea for the third time in less than two weeks, prompting local evacuations as a precautionary measure.

Kyivhas developed advanced, battle-tested drone technology, which has proven crucial in resisting Russia’s larger military and has attracted international military interest. Ukrainian officials report that interceptor drones, as part of a comprehensive air defence system, are now being sought by Middle Eastern and Gulf countries for protection amid the war inIran.

Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Telegram that Ukraine is increasing its supply of interceptor drones to counter Russian aerial attacks. The military has also established a new command within the air force to bolster the nation’s capabilities.

Ukraine’s offensive capabilities have also seen significant improvement. The Defence Ministry stated on Tuesday that the range of its deep-strike operations has more than doubled since the February 2022 invasion.

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Initially, Ukrainian forces could hit targets approximately 630 kilometres away; they are now capable of striking targets up to 1,750 kilometres behind enemy lines, according to a ministry statement. This enhanced range has enabled Ukraine to target Russian oil installations, which are vital forMoscow’s war revenue, and manufacturing plants supplying its armed forces.

The latest strike on the Tuapse oil refinery at the Black Sea port was a coordinated operation involving multiple branches of Ukraine’s defence and security services, the Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed on Tuesday. Earlier strikes this month reportedly destroyed 24 oil storage tanks and damaged four others. Independent verification of these claims was not possible.

Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed that residents near the Tuapse refinery were being evacuated Tuesday, though he provided no further details on numbers or duration.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported Tuesday that its air defences intercepted 186 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. In the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that a drone attack killed three people and wounded three others.

Conversely, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian drone attacks killed three civilians and injured five others. Two people died in the city of Chuhuiv in the northeastern Kharkiv region, according to regional military administration head Oleh Syniehubov.

A 40-year-old man was killed and five others sustained injuries in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Another Russian attack on Konotop, in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, resulted in power and water supply outages for the city.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 01, 2026

Ukraine says it shot down record 33,000 Russian drones last month

Ukraine’s defence minister says the country’s forces shot down a record 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, marking the hi...

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Endangered kiwi return to New Zealand capital in emotional homecoming after century-long absence

New Zealandis witnessing an extraordinary citizen-led effort to bring its sacred national bird, thekiwi, back to the capital’s hills after an absence of over a century.

Residents are spearheading an ambitious campaign to reintroduce the endangered, flightless birds to their ancestral lands.

Kiwi are “a part of who we are and our sense of belonging here”, Paul Ward, founder of the Capital Kiwi Project, a charitable trust, said.

“But they’ve been gone from these hills for well over a century and we decided as Wellingtonians that wasn’t right."

In a poignant scene late on Tuesday night, Ward and his team traversed rugged farmland, shrouded in mist above the dark sea separating New Zealand’s North and South Islands. By the dim glow of red torchlight, they silently carried seven crates, each containing a kiwi.

This release marked a significant milestone, including the 250th bird relocated toWellingtonsince the project’s inception.

The kiwi, a shy and distinctive bird with underdeveloped wings and a whiskery face, is so emblematic that it lends its name to New Zealanders themselves. Its image is ubiquitous, even adorning the tailfins of the country’s air force planes – an ironic tribute for a bird that cannot fly and possesses no tail.

Historically, an estimated 12 million kiwis roamed the landscape before human settlement. Today, however, only around 70,000 remain nationwide, with the population declining by 2 per cent annually.

In the hills where Wellington’s kiwi now live and breed, the only late-night sound on Tuesday was the whoosh of wind turbines. Mr Ward and his friends set their crates down in pairs, slid them open and gently tilted the boxes.

Some in the small group of hushed onlookers were tearful. One man chanted a karakia, a Māori prayer.

From each crate, a long, curved beak eventually protruded as kiwi took their first tentative steps into the shadowed landscape, then sped to a run and disappeared into the darkness.

Kiwi make their first-ever visit to Parliament

One place kiwi had never set foot until this week was inside New Zealand’s Parliament. Hours before Wellington’s seven newest residents were transported to their hillside home, they were carried into Parliament’s grand banquet hall by handlers for a celebration of the 250th kiwi's arrival in the city.

Politicians and schoolchildren alike expressed whispered delight at seeing the timid, nocturnal birds up close, many for the first time, as conservation workers cradled the large birds like human babies, with their gnarled feet outstretched.

“This animal has given us as a people so much in terms of our sense of identity,” Mr Ward said.

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“We want to challenge our civic leaders, our politicians and say ‘this is a relationship we need to honour’.”

Endangered birds move from sanctuaries to urban life

New Zealand is home to some of the world’s strangest and rarest bird species. Some have only survived because of against-all-odds conservation programs, at times with uncertain funding.

Initiatives decades ago saw all surviving birds of some species moved onto offshore, predator-free islands or into sanctuaries where they could be carefully monitored and protected, but where few New Zealanders would ever see one.

Mr Ward and his group had a different dream: that New Zealand’s iconic national bird could flourish alongside people in a bustling capital city, where human encroachment and introduced predators had wiped out the kiwi before.

“Where people are is also the places where we can bring them back because we’ve got the means to do that guardianship,” Mr Ward said.

Thousands of traps protect kiwi in the capital

Although unmanaged kiwi populations are shrinking, their numbers have thrived in carefully managed wild bird sanctuaries — so much, in fact, that some of these protected areas have run out of room for them.

That has prompted their relocation to places like Wellington, where groups such as Mr Ward’s rally residents to embrace their new neighbors. Kiwi have been spotted by late night mountain bikers and on backyard security camera footage in the capital, he said.

“They’re living and calling and being encountered on the hills surrounding our city,” Mr Ward said.

That has taken work. Over the past decade, efforts between landowners, the local Māori tribe and the Capital Kiwi Project have produced a sprawling, 24,000-hectare tract of land where kiwi can roam.

It’s dotted with more than 5,000 traps for stoats, the main predator of kiwi chicks. So far, the Wellington population has a 90 per cent chick survival rate.

NZ eyes predator free goal

The kiwi initiative is part of New Zealand’s quest to rid the island nation of introduced predators, including feral cats, possums, rats and stoats, by the year 2050. Since a previous government established the target in 2016 its chances of success have been debated, but community groups have taken up the work in earnest.

Parts of Wellington are now entirely free of mammalian predators apart from household pets, and native birds flourish. Volunteers monitor suburbs with military precision for the appearance of a single rat.

“When I think of endangered species globally, for the most part you can’t do much other than campaign or donate money,” said Michelle Impey, chief executive of Save the Kiwi.

“But we have this incredible movement throughout the country where everyday people are taking it on under their own steam to do what they can to protect a threatened species.”

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 01, 2026

Endangered kiwi return to New Zealand capital in emotional homecoming after century-long absence

New Zealandis witnessing an extraordinary citizen-led effort to bring its sacred national bird, thekiwi, back to the capital’s hills af...

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Jeff Bezos Replies to Rainforest Activist After Misunderstanding over Who Can Say 'Amazon'

Amazon rainforest conservationist Paul Rosolie asked Jeff Bezos for help after he discovered that Google Ads wouldn't let him use the word "Amazon" due to "copyright" issues

NEED TO KNOW

• Bezos replied via his personal Instagram, saying he would fix the problem

• Rosolie praised the Amazon company founder for his reply and help

Amazon rainforest conservationistPaul Rosolieis learning the power of the internet.

Rosolie, founder of the nonprofitJunglekeepers.org, posted an Instagram plea toJeff Bezosto help him out, after he claimed that he wasn't allowed to use the term "Amazon" on Google Ads without getting flagged for "copyright violation."

Roslie wrote, "PLEASE TAG THEM AND HELP ME PROTECT THIS PART OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST — Dear@jeffbezosandlaurensanchezbezosright now 'Amazon.com' has the rights to the word AMAZON to the extent that my team and I (the people of the Amazon rainforest… can’t use the term! Junglekeepers.org is close to making history and saving the wildest place on earth. But we are being hemmed on the internet because Google ads words hits us with copyright violation if we try to advertise what we are doing."

He continued, "It’s the name of the largest rainforest on the planet. We ought to be able to use the name to save it… And here’s the thing: I know you guys care. And to everyone else — keep the comments professional please. I just need you all to tag them enough the see it. Keep it clean kids. We just want to save a forest and a few hundred million animals. It’s not so much to ask ❤️@bezosearthfund"

To Rosolie's delight, Bezos listened — and responded.

"This makes no sense. Having the team reach out to help," Bezos, 62, replied via hispersonal IG account.

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Amazon's official Instagram accountalso replied, writing, "Hi Paul. We'd like to help clear this up for you. Of course, we’re comfortable with your use of the word Amazon. Please DM us and someone from our team will reach out to clear up any misunderstanding. Btw, big thank you for all that you’re doing to help save the rainforest!"

Rosolie quickly replied, "@jeffbezos that's awesome! Man, we are so close to saving the crown jewel of the Amazon Rainforest, on so many levels this is incredible. Thanks for taking the time to respond and even more so for helping us to clear the way to save tens of millions of wild heartbeats and crucial ecosystem! You the man! THANK YOU!! (My people are talking to your people!!!) *** To everyone who tagged and helped, LOOK what we can do together!!!*** Thank you Junglekeepers, more soon."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

According to the Junglekeepers.org website, the nonprofit raises money to sustainably protect 77,000 acres of rainforest land. "For more than 2 years we've been protecting the land, pushed back on illegal logging, documented the number of unique species endemic to the region," the website states.

In January 2026, Rosolie, who has 2 million followers on Instagram, released his first book,Jungle Keeper: What It Takes to Change the World, about his experience with conservation.

Read the original article onPeople

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 01, 2026

Jeff Bezos Replies to Rainforest Activist After Misunderstanding over Who Can Say 'Amazon'

Amazon rainforest conservationist Paul Rosolie asked Jeff Bezos for help after he discovered that Google Ads wouldn't let him use t...

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Riots erupt in Australia over Indigenous girl’s death as local assault suspect

Violencebroke out in a remote town in northern Australia after police arrested themain suspect in the murder of a five-year-oldIndigenous girl.

Jefferson Lewis, 47, was arrested late on Thursday night local time inAlice Springs.

The young girl, referred to by her family as Kumanjayi Little Baby in line with Indigenous customs, was reported missing from her central Australian home late on Saturday.

Authorities located the body, believed to be hers, shortly before midday on Thursday, about 5km south of the original crime scene.

Local reports said a crowd attacked Mr Lewis when he appeared in a localcommunityand beat him unconscious before police intervened.

Police said they had long suspected that Lewis received assistance from people in thecommunitybefore he appeared at a town camp.

“For him to be able to appear inAlice Springslast night just confirms to us that he was getting support from somebody,” police commissioner Martin Dole of the Northern Territory said.

“My message to those people is, look out because we're coming for you as well.”

When officers took him to a local hospital, hundreds of “angry” residents gathered, shouting for him to be killed and demanding “payback”, according to the ABC.

The situation escalated into rioting as people threw rocks and bottles, set vehicles on fire, and damaged property. Police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas to control the crowd.

Several officers were injured in the violence.

The unrest continued into the next day, leaving streets littered with debris and signs of looting nearby. Authorities later transferred Mr Lewis to Darwin for his safety and to prevent furtherviolence.

“As a result of presenting himself, members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice upon Jefferson, and we received numerous phone calls saying he was in the process of being assaulted,” Mr Dole said on Friday.

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Theviolencefollowed days of search for the girl, who had gone missing from a remote Aboriginal town camp nearAlice Springs.

Hours after the girl’s death was confirmed, Mr Lewis was reportedly seen wandering near the Charles Creek town camp in centralAlice Springs.

“Members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice upon Jefferson and we received numerous phone calls saying he was in the process of being assaulted,” Mr Dole said.

“Our police officers were attacked at that time, as were the St John Ambulance crew that attended to assist. They were turned on by about 200 people, but they were able to get out of there and get Mr Lewis to hospital.”

Videos from outside the Alice Springs Hospital showed protesters demanding “payback”, meaning a form of traditional punishment under Aboriginal law in Central Australia.

Reports said anger within thecommunityremained high. “The feeling is that the police are protecting this guy. They are shooting us with rubber bullets,” Harley Myers, an Arrernte man from Alice Springs, said.

“It’s like the system is not sticking up for us and letting us get our own traditional payback.”

“We’re united because it hurts all of us,” he added, “because she was only five years old and it could happen to any of our kids. I don’t want that to happen to any of our kids at all.”

Indigenous leaders, however, urged calm. “Bringing the word ‘payback’ into this scenario just fuelsviolence,” Michael Liddle, an Alyawarre man and Alice Springs local, told the BBC.

“There’s a system set up here, where there is a person in custody, and the Western rules will deal with that person.”

The girl’s grandfather also called for calm on Friday. “What has happened this week is not our way,” Robin Granites, a senior Yapa elder, said in a statement.

“Our children are precious, of course, we are feeling angry and hurt at what has happened. This man has been caught, thanks tocommunityaction, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn Kumanjayi Little Baby and support our family.”

On Thursday, the girl’s mother, who was not named, said: “It is going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you. Me and your brother will meet you one day.”

Mr Dole said charges against Mr Lewis were likely to be filed in the coming days.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 01, 2026

Riots erupt in Australia over Indigenous girl’s death as local assault suspect

Violencebroke out in a remote town in northern Australia after police arrested themain suspect in the murder of a five-year-oldIndigeno...

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White House withdraws hospitality executive as nominee to lead the National Park Service

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Donald Trump is withdrawing his nomination of ahospitality company executiveto lead the National Park Service, the White House announced Monday.

The withdrawal of nominee Scott Socha comes asthe park servicehas been shaken by widespread firings as part of the Trump administration's pledge to sharply reduce its size.

No reason was immediately given forSocha's withdrawal.

The park service is currently overseen by an acting director, agency comptroller Jessica Bowron. It did not have a Senate-confirmed director during Trump's first term, when it was led by a series of acting directors.

Socha is president for parks and resorts at Buffalo, New York-based Delaware North, which has service contracts with numerous parks and describes itself as one of the world's largest privately owned entertainment and hospitality companies. A White House spokesperson had said when he was nominated in February that Socah was “totally qualified” to execute Trump’s plans for the park system.

But some conservation groups had questioned if Socha's private sector work provided the experience he would need to oversee hundreds of national parks and monuments that range from the Statue of Liberty and other cultural sites, to remote sites in the Utah desert.

The Associated Press sent email messages to the White House and Interior Department seeking comment on Socha's withdrawal.

Thousands of employees have been fired or otherwise left the park service since Trump took office.

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Emily Douce with the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group, said Monday that the next director for the service needs to “undo the damage.”

“It’s very unfortunate that our parks have gone more than a year without a permanent director at a time when they need strong, steady leadership the most,” Douce said.

The Republican administration's proposed budget for next year would reduce staffing to 9,200 employees. That's down almost 30% compared to 2025 levels.

The park service's operating budget would be cut by more than $1 billion, to $2.2 billion, for the 2027 fiscal year that starts in October.

Similar cuts proposed for 2026 were blocked by lawmakers in Congress after park supporters and former employees warned the administration's proposal would have effectively gutted the agency.

The administration also has faced blowback for theremoval or planned removalof national park exhibits about slavery, climate change and the destruction of Native American culture. In February, a federal judge said an exhibit about nine people enslaved by George Washington must be restored at his former home in Philadelphia after the Trump administration had takenit down.

Administration officials have said they are removing “disparaging” messages under an order last year from Trump. Critics accuse it of trying towhitewash the nation’s history.

Under Trump's interior secretary, Doug Burgum, the park service has started charging millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year$100 each to visitsites including Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. The service also has put Trump's image onto its annual passes for U.S. citizens, drawing a lawsuit from environmentalists who said the move was illegal.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 30, 2026

White House withdraws hospitality executive as nominee to lead the National Park Service

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Donald Trump is withdrawing his nomination of ahospitality company executiveto lead the National Park ...

Read More