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Russia claims that a plane carrying Ukrainian POWs crashed, killing everyone on board, and accuses Kyiv of shooting it down.

Yesterday, a Russian military transport aircraft crashed in Belgorod, Russia, close to the Ukraine border, as seen in a video captured by a cellphone. Russian military authorities alleged that the plane was shot down by Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 74 individuals, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were being transported for a planned prisoner exchange. Ukrainian officials have not confirmed these reports, and the identities and exact number of casualties have not been independently verified.

Ukrainian authorities did acknowledge that a prisoner swap had been scheduled for the same day. Such exchanges have been a recurring aspect of the almost two-year conflict, with the most recent one earlier this month involving the exchange of approximately 250 personnel from each side. Ukraine also admitted to targeting planes suspected of carrying missiles.

These claims arose during a period of reduced activity in the war's second winter, as both sides accumulated ammunition and conducted long-range missile strikes. The front lines of the conflict have remained largely unchanged for over a year, with total military casualties exceeding 500,000.

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World's first IVF rhino pregnancy 'could save species'

Yesterday, a groundbreaking announcement revealed that scientists have successfully performed the world's first in vitro fertilization on a southern white rhino. This achievement is a significant step towards conserving the critically endangered northern white rhino, which has suffered drastic population declines in central and east Africa due to poaching.

Currently, there are only two northern white rhinos left in the world: a mother, Najin, and her daughter, Fatu, residing in Kenya. Both are unable to bear offspring due to age and health issues. Since 2019, researchers have collected eggs from Najin and Fatu and fertilized them with sperm from deceased male northern white rhinos. This effort has resulted in the creation of 30 northern white rhino embryos, which are being preserved in liquid nitrogen in Italy and Germany. The goal is to eventually implant these embryos into a southern white rhino surrogate.

Before attempting this with a northern white rhino embryo, scientists first tested the process on a southern white rhino named Curra. Curra was implanted with an embryo of her species, but unfortunately, she passed away 70 days into her pregnancy due to an infection linked to soil bacteria. Despite this setback, researchers discovered that the fetus had a 95% chance of surviving the full 16-month gestation period if Curra had not succumbed to the infection.

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Jon Stewart Returns to ‘Daily Show’ as Monday Host, Executive Producer

Comedy Central is taking a nostalgic approach to ensure the continued success of its flagship program, "The Daily Show."

Abandoning their extensive search for a new host, the Paramount Global network has announced the return of Jon Stewart, who led the show during its most acclaimed period, to take the helm on Monday nights throughout the 2024 election cycle. Stewart is slated to begin his on-air appearances on February 12 and is expected to have a guiding role in the show potentially until 2025. The remaining days of the week, from Tuesday to Thursday, will see various "Daily Show" correspondents stepping in as hosts. Jen Flanz, the show's current executive producer, will maintain her role in overseeing the show's production.

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