Detain & Dissolve 

The Takeover

There's a serious crisis mounting in Sudan, after the country's military seized power and detained the prime minister — plus other political leaders — in a major coup yesterday. The military chief imposed a state of emergency and called to dissolve the joint civilian-military government. The move could mark the end of a positive and much-needed democratic transition, which started after Omar Hassan al-Bashir (the Sudanese dictator for nearly 30 years) was overthrown in 2019. 

The Background

The African country has been embroiled in political chaos for decades, and unfortunately, coups and wars are not an unfamiliar ordeal in Sudan. Since Bashir was ousted, the country has been led by a civilian-military transitional council, which hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. The civilian sect of the government had set Nov. 17 as the deadline for a full civilian takeover, but given what happened yesterday, things are most definitely not going according to plan.

The Backlash

Several global governments issued statements demanding the immediate release of detained civilian leaders. Meanwhile, Sudanese protestors flooded the streets of Khartoum, closing roads and bridges. Two people were killed during the demonstrations, and more than 80 were injured.

“He knew people reached out to him and they begged him to do the right thing. And he ignored them."

– NDP MP and critic for Indigenous youth Charlie Angus, calling out former PM Jean Chretien for recently saying that he was not aware of abuse happening in residential schools while he was minister of Indian affairs. He also wouldn't apologize for the (complicit) role he played, saying he's focused on the future, not the past.

ICYMI: Women Breaking Barriers

Also on Our Radar: 

• Severe weather is pummeling our friends to the east and west, as B.C. deals with a "weather bomb" that's left thousands without power, and 70 million Americans along the east coast brace for strong winds and flash floods.

• Research suggests that a low-dose shot of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is safe for six- to 11-year-olds — though the company hasn't even gotten approval to offer its vaccine to teens yet.

• The UN released a new report demonstrating that global promises to cut emissions are nowhere near enough to avoid catastrophic climate change. (In other words, we're SOL.)

• New legal documents from the Rust film set shooting investigation indicate that Alec Baldwin was told the prop gun was unloaded, and was pointing the gun at the camera when the shots went off.

WTF: Unknown Caller

A hiker who became lost overnight on Mount Elbert (the highest summit in the Rocky Mountains) somehow managed to evade rescuers for more than 24 hours before finding his way back to his lodgings himself. However, what's more baffling is that, in addition to obviously being unable to recognize his surroundings, the hiker also rejected repeated calls from the rescue team because he didn't recognize the phone number. Talk about turning a molehill into a mountain.