QUICK HITS

European court says Russia responsible for killing:

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday backed the conclusion of a British inquiry that Russia was responsible for the killing of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who died in London in 2006 after drinking tea laced with a radioactive material. A former agent for the KGB spy agency and its post-soviet successor agency FSB, Litvinenko defected from Russia in 2000 and fled to London.

Sudan coup thwarted:

Authorities in Sudan reported thwarting a dawn coup attempt on Tuesday, in what they are calling an attempt by forces loyal to the former president to disrupt the transition to democracy. Since hundreds of thousands of people protesting in the streets led to the ouster of President Omar Hassan al-bashir in 2019, Sudan has been led by a rickety transitional government composed of civilians and military officers who overthrew the previous regime.

Storms forecast to weaken:

It appears Tropical Storm Peter and Tropical Storm Rose are no match for the storm-shredding, upper-level winds that have moved in over the Atlantic Ocean. Wind shear and cooler water temperatures hindered the development of both storms Monday, a trend that will continue Tuesday, experts said. They are forecast to weaken over the next couple of days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Dakota Access Pipeline:

The company that operates the Dakota Access oil pipeline is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse an appellate ruling ordering additional environmental review, saying it puts the line at risk of being shut down.

Teen charged: A 15-year-old Virginia boy has been charged in a shooting that wounded two fellow students at their high school, police announced Tuesday. Newport News police said in a news release that the teen was charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and other weapons-related offenses. The teen was charged Monday as a juvenile, police spokeswoman Kelly King said by email.