On Aug. 30, 1916, on his fourth attempt, explorer Ernest Shackelton successfully returned to Elephant Island in Antarctica to rescue 22 of his stranded crew members, who had survived on the barren island for four and a half months after the sinking of their ship, the Endurance.
The Gaza Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 63,000 as Palestinians face the start of Israel's expanded offensive in Gaza City. The count does not distinguish between fighters and civilians killed in the 22-month war between Israel and Hamas. The ministry says five people have died from malnutrition-related causes over the past day, raising the toll to 322, including 121 children, since the war began. A military official says Israel intends to continue helping aid reach Gaza City during the offensive, but a U.N. humanitarian group fears "a horrific impact" on people already deprived of basic needs.
U.S. President Donald Trump claims that the war in eastern Congo is among the ones he has stopped, after brokering a peace deal between Congo and Rwanda in June. But residents, conflict researchers and others tell The Associated Press that's not true. Trump on Monday repeated claims that he ended the decadeslong conflict, describing Congo as the "darkest, deepest" part of Africa. But a final peace deal between Congo and the rebels, facilitated by Qatar, appears to have stalled. And people on the ground say fighting has occurred even in the past 24 hours.
Days before the leaders of Russia and the U.S. hold a summit meeting in Alaska, Moscow's forces breached Ukrainian lines in a series of infiltrations this week in the country's industrial heartland of Donetsk. The advances amount to only a limited success for Russia, since Moscow still needs to consolidate its gains before achieving a true breakthrough. Still, some observers say it's a potentially dangerous moment. Analyst Mykola Bieleskov says Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely try to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Kyiv by arguing the 3 1/2-year-old war is going badly for Kyiv.
Ukrainian soldiers on the front line doubt that peace talks can end the war with Russia. Explosions from Russian weapons keep them almost always underground, and nothing on the Eastern Front suggests an end is near. Soldiers' skepticism over diplomatic peace efforts is rooted in months of what they see as broken U.S. promises to end the war quickly. Suggestions to exchange territories confuse and frustrate them. Some soldiers believe a brief pause in hostilities is more likely than peace. As the war drags on, soldiers train intensively, knowing there's no way back.
An Army sergeant has been accused of shooting five soldiers at Fort Stewart. Officials say Wednesday that other troops tackled 28-year-old Sgt. Quornelius Radford after he started firing. The shooting prompted a brief lockdown at one the country's largest Army bases. Officials say Radford used a personal handgun, not a military firearm. Officials say Radford opened fire where he worked. An Army spokesman says officials wouldn't speculate about a motive. The injured soldiers are stable and expected to recover, and Radford is in law enforcement custody. Brig. Gen. John Lubas said fellow soldiers tackled Radford and subdued him.
Witnesses and health officials say dozens of Palestinians have been killed or wounded as desperate crowds headed toward food distribution points or airdrops in Gaza. Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid. That's contributing to the territory's slide toward famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, but blame Hamas. The U.N. says several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while seeking food aid.
Local health officials in Gaza say that at least 78 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the territory. The number includes a pregnant woman and her baby, who was delivered after her death but also died. The strikes occurred on Monday, even as Israel moved to ease restrictions on aid entry. Israel announced a pause in operations for 10 hours a day to allow aid delivery, but aid agencies say this is insufficient. The United Nations reports that aid trucks are being unloaded by crowds before reaching their destinations. Israel continues military operations alongside these humanitarian measures.
