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Russian air traffic control has lost contact with an An-24 passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people in the Amur region, according to Reuters. The aircraft, operated by Angara Airlines, vanished from radar while approaching the town of Tynda near the Chinese border.

Vasily Orlov, the Russian governor of the Amur region, said 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members were believed to be on board, though emergency officials later gave a slightly lower estimate. A search operation is currently underway, Reuters reported.

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the removal of three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), siding with the Trump administration.

The justices overturned a lower court ruling that had reinstated the Biden-appointed officials, agreeing with the administration’s argument that the president can dismiss commissioners without cause, according to Al Jazeera.

The decision highlights growing legal tensions over presidential control of federal agencies. The Court’s three liberal justices dissented, while critics warned the move could weaken the CPSC’s independence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged new legislation following protests and international criticism over a law placing Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies under the control of the prosecutor general, a presidential appointee.

Critics warn the move threatens institutional independence and risks undermining Ukraine’s EU hopes. Zelensky defended the law as a response to alleged Russian influence but said a new bill would safeguard anti-corruption agencies’ autonomy and uphold the rule of law, according to Al Jazeera.

The pledge comes after rare public protests in Kyiv and other cities despite wartime restrictions.

Columbia University said on Wednesday it will pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in a settlement with President Donald Trump's administration to resolve federal probes and have most of its suspended federal funding restored, Reuters reported.

Trump has targeted several universities since returning to office in January over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled college campuses last year. He welcomed the agreement between his administration and Columbia in a post on social media late on Wednesday.

In March, the Trump administration said it was penalizing Columbia over how it handled last year's protests by canceling $400 million in federal funding. It contended that Columbia's response to alleged antisemitism and harassment of Jewish and Israeli members of the university community was insufficient.

"Under today's agreement, a vast majority of the federal grants which were terminated or paused in March 2025 - will be reinstated and Columbia's access to billions of dollars in current and future grants will be restored," the university said in a statement, according to Reuters.