Top news:  Sudan continued its bombardment of South Sudan yesterday, with jets launching missiles into the state capital of Bentiu. Officials say eight bombs in total were dropped last night. There have also been reports that Sudanese troops have crossed the border into their recently independent Southern neighbor. *

South Sudan announced last week that it was withdrawing from the disputed Heglig border region in order to avoid all-out war, but the scope of the current attacks seem to go beyond Heglig, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has vowed not to negotiate until all South Sudanese troops are out of Sudan since southern leaders “do not understand anything but the language of the gun and ammunition." Last week, he referred to the South Sudanese leadership as "insects" and vowed to drive them from power. 

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir is currently in Beijing to lobby for Chinese diplomatic and economic report. He said that Sudanese actions amount to a declaration of war, though neither side has yet issued a formal declaration. 

Since independence last year, the two countries have argued over territorial disputes, oil pipeline rights, and accusations of supporting rebel groups within each others' countries. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged both sides "to stop the slide toward further confrontation and... to return to dialogue as a matter of urgency."

Washington: President Obama outlined his administration's genocide prevention policies in a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Museum as well as announcing new sanctions on Syria and Iran.