Around the world

Military overthrows president al-Bashir

Sudan’s military overthrew President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday after months of bloody protests against his repressive 30-year rule. But pro-democracy demonstrators vowed to keep up their campaign in the streets after the military said it would govern the country for the next two years.

Al-Bashir’s fall came a week after Algeria’s long-ruling, military-backed president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was driven from power. Together, the developments echoed the Arab Spring uprisings eight years ago that brought down autocrats across the Mideast.

The announcement of the arrest and removal of the 75-year-old al-Bashir was made by a veteran insider in his government, Defense Minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf, who is under U.S. sanctions for links to atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur conflict.

Ibn Ouf said a military council that will be formed by the army, intelligence and security apparatus will rule for two years, after which “free and fair elections” will take place. Sudan’s state-run media later said Ibn Ouf was being sworn in as head of the new council.

ISRAEL

Moon-bound spacecraft crashes upon landing

YEHUD — An Israeli spacecraft lost contact with Earth and crashed as it attempted to land on the moon late Thursday, failing in an ambitious attempt to make history as the first privately funded lunar mission.

The Beresheet spacecraft lost communication with ground control as it was making its final descent. Moments later, the mission was declared a failure.

“We definitely crashed on the surface of the moon,” said Opher Doron, general manager of the space division of Israel Aerospace Industries.

CANADA

Trudeau defends bill to limit asylum claims

OTTAWA, Ontario — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending legislation that would prevent people from “asylum shopping” in Canada, barring them from making such a claim if they previously applied for asylum in other safe countries, including the United States.

The proposal was included in a budget bill introduced this week in Parliament. The government is earmarking 1.18 billion Canadian dollars ($880 million) in spending over the next five years to reinforce border security and speed up processing of asylum claims.

Trudeau said Canada has been seeing larger numbers of refugee claims because of global instability. Sustaining Canadians’ confidence in the country’s asylum system means ensuring those who enter Canada do so according to the law, he said.

“That’s why we’re putting more resources in, and we’re also ensuring the system is fair for everyone,” Trudeau told reporters Wednesday.

GREAT BRITAIN

Harry, Meghan to keep baby arrival private

LONDON — Prince Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, say they have decided to keep plans around their first baby’s arrival private.

Kensington Palace officials said in a statement Thursday that Harry and Meghan “look forward” to sharing the news of their baby’s birth once they have had a chance to celebrate privately as a new family.

The decision means Harry and Meghan are not likely to pose for the photographers and TV crews on the hospital steps with their newborn, a break from the royal tradition followed by Prince William and his wife Kate

.