World

Fighting reaches outskirts of Kostiantynivka, a Ukrainian stronghold

KYIV, May 2 (Reuters) - Russian troops are inching toward the city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, trying to establish a foothold close to a heavily defended area, Ukraine's top

Reuters

2 min read

Danco seeks Supreme Court stay of ruling that pauses mail-order access to abortion drugs

By Ismail Shakil May 2 (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical company Danco Laboratories filed an application with the U.S.

Reuters

2 min read

At least six dead in heavy rains in northeast Brazil, thousands displaced

Studies show extreme rain has become more frequent in country, as Pernambuco and Paraiba states again battered.

Al Jazeera

1 min read

Khartoum drone strike kills five Sudan NGO reports

The attack, the second in a week, follows months of relative calm in the city after government forces regained control.

Al Jazeera

2 min read

Taiwan leader makes delayed visit to Eswatini after China objections

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Saturday announced his arrival in Eswatini -- Taipei's only diplomatic ally in Africa -- after an earlier trip was cancelled when several countries revoked overflight permits.Lai was due in Eswatini in April for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne, but cancelled the visit after the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permissions, "unexpectedly and without notice", according to his office. str-fal-sam/jj/pdw

AFP

2 min read

British woman wins right to sterilization after exposing double standards in UK health service

A British woman who was denied permanent birth control through the UK ’s national health service on the grounds she might regret the decision has won her case with the country’s health ombudsman after a 10-year legal battle

CNN

2 min read

Senior Iranian officer says he expects renewed war with US

A senior Iranian military officer said on Saturday that renewed fighting with the US was "likely", hours after President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with an Iranian negotiating proposal.On Saturday morning, Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in the Iranian military's central command, said "a renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely", in quotes published by Iran's Fars news agency.

AFP

4 min read

Yemen reports hijacked oil tanker headed for Somalia

The incident marks at least the fourth vessel hijacking near Somalia in recent weeks.

Al Jazeera

2 min read

Austrian police arrest man over poisoned baby food case

VIENNA, May 2 () - Austrian police said on Saturday they have arrested a 39-year-old suspect in connection ‌with a case in which rat poison was ‌placed in jars of baby food in what their German manufacturer called ​an attempt to extort it. Five "manipulated" jars of the same kind of baby food made by German brand HiPP were safely recovered last month in Austria, the Czech Republic and ‌Slovakia before they ⁠could be consumed, German police said at the time.

Reuters

1 min read

At least six dead, thousands displaced as heavy rains hit northeastern Brazil

SAO PAULO, May 2 (Reuters) - Heavy rains that hit northeastern Brazil over the last 48 hours have killed at least six people and displaced thousands in the states of Pernambuco and Paraiba, the

Reuters

1 min read

Lebanese army chief and US general meet on Lebanon security

May 2 (Reuters) - Lebanese armed forces commander General Rudolf Haykal and U.S.

Reuters

Israel quizzes two Gaza flotilla activists, angering Spain

Two activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, arrested off the coast of Greece, have been brought to Israel for questioning, a move Spain has condemned as "illegal".They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday, with Israel saying it had removed some 175 activists -- two of whom were taken to Israel for questioning.

AFP

4 min read

War in the Middle East: latest developments

The latest developments in the Middle East war: - China rejects US sanctions - China will not comply with US sanctions against five firms targeted for purchasing Iranian oil, Beijing's commerce ministry said on Saturday.China, a key customer for Iranian oil, said the US sanctions "improperly prohibit or restrict" the firms' normal business. 

AFP

2 min read

Nobel laureate Mohammadi's life in Iran's hands, Nobel committee chief says

By Gwladys Fouche OSLO, May 2 (Reuters) - The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Saturday the life of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was in the hands of the Iranian

Reuters

2 min read

Mexico’s Sinaloa state governor resigns amid US drug trafficking charges

Ruben Rocha Moya again denies allegations he shielded cartel, says taking ‘temporary leave’ to defend self.

Al Jazeera

3 min read

Thousands flock to illegal French rave despite explosives risk

Over 20,000 revelers gathered for an illegal rave on a military site in central France despite the risks of unexploded ordnance nearby.

CNN

2 min read

Mexican governor accused by U.S. of drug trafficking temporarily steps down

The U.S. accuses Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha Moya of working with cartels to distribute "massive quantities" of narcotics to the United States.

CBS News

2 min read

Israel’s ‘two-tier’ policing and the crime epidemic in Palestinian towns

Murder rates in Israel’s Palestinian areas soar, fueling allegations of state complicity and neglect.

Al Jazeera

6 min read

Factbox-Taiwan's 12 remaining diplomatic allies

May 2 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini on Saturday on a surprise trip, after his government blamed Chinese pressure for the cancellation of a visit that was meant to have

Reuters

1 min read

Mali probes soldiers suspected of involvement in military base attacks

Five army personnel, including three active-duty soldiers, identified as suspects in last week’s coordinated attacks.

Al Jazeera

2 min read

Israeli air strikes on Lebanon kill 41 people in 24-hours

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 increases to 2,659, 8,183 injured.

Al Jazeera

3 min read

Taiwan's president lands in Eswatini in a trip delayed by lack of overflight clearance

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said he arrived in the African nation of Eswatini on Saturday, days after his government was forced to push back the trip when several countries withdrew permission for him to fly over their territories reportedly over Chinese pressure. In a post on X, Lai said he arrived in Eswatini — Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa — to “affirm our longstanding friendship.” Lai was originally scheduled to visit the southern African country from April 22, but Taiwanese officials said that flight permits were revoked by Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar over “strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion.”

AP

2 min read

Taiwan president arrives in Eswatini after blaming China for cancellation of prior trip

By Ben Blanchard TAIPEI, May 2 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Lai Ching-te reached Eswatini on Saturday, two weeks after he was forced to postpone a trip to a diplomatic ally because Indian Ocean states

Reuters

2 min read

NATO seeks details as US says it will pull about 5,000 troops from Germany

NATO said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington's decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war.NATO said it was "working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany."

AFP

76 4 min read

Starmer urges action at some Gaza protests after antisemitic attacks

Keir Starmer said he would always defend the right to protest, but that there may be instances where some marches​ should be banned.

CBS News

3 min read

Yemen says oil tanker hijacked off Shabwa coast, heads towards Somali waters

May 2 (Reuters) - Yemen’s coast guard said on Saturday that the M/T EUREKA oil tanker had been hijacked off the coast of Shabwa province by unidentified armed men who boarded the vessel, seized

Reuters

The long shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic creeps into the race for Ohio governor

Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat running unopposed in her party's primary for Ohio governor, faces some steep challenges in the coming general election. Acton, a physician, was Ohio's public health director when the coronavirus hit the United States in early 2020, causing a wave of deaths, anxiety and social disruption. As the government took aggressive action to combat it, Acton became a household name throughout Ohio.

AP

6 min read

UAE says air traffic back to normal after precautionary measures lifted

DUBAI, May 2 (Reuters) - The UAE's aviation authority said air traffic in the country has returned to normal, the state news agency reported on Saturday, after precautionary measures implemented on

Reuters

Starmer urges tougher action against Gaza protests in UK following antisemitic attacks

Britain's prime minister warned Saturday that tougher action was needed against people chanting certain phrases at pro-Palestinian protests, as concerns grew over the safety of British Jews after the stabbings of two Jewish men in London. Keir Starmer said he would always defend the right to protest, but said there may be instances where some marches protesting the war in Gaza should be banned. “When you see, when you hear some of those chants — ‘globalize the intifada’ would be one I would pick out — then clearly there should be tougher action in relation to that,” Starmer told the BBC.

AP

73 2 min read

'Killing off the country': Iran executes dozens, arrests 4,000-plus in war crackdown

Iran is being accused of intensifying its crackdown on dissent with executions, mass arrests and one of the internet longest shutdowns to stifle protests against the regime.

Fox News

68 5 min read

The Supreme Court is being asked to restore access to an abortion pill by mail. Here's what to know

A maker of the widely used abortion pill mifepristone asked the Supreme Court on Saturday to block an appellate court ruling that cut off mail-order access to the drug just a day earlier, in what was the biggest jolt to abortion policy in the U.S. since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Danco Laboratories, which is also a defendant in the lawsuit in question, asked to block the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision while appeals are pending, saying the appellate ruling “injects immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions.” The appeals court's unanimous ruling Friday marked a substantial victory for abortion opponents seeking to stem the flow of abortion pills prescribed online, which they view as subverting state bans.

AP

5 min read

Washington Hilton attack spotlights hotel industry's nagging and costly security problem

By Doyinsola Oladipo NEW YORK, May 2 (Reuters) - The suspect charged with storming a security checkpoint and firing a shotgun near the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday mocked

Reuters

51 5 min read

U.S. troops based in Europe

May 2 (Reuters) - The United States is withdrawing 5,000 troops from NATO ally Germany, the Pentagon announced on Friday, following a public spat over the war in Iran between U.S.

Reuters

3 min read

Sleep takes center stage at Seoul's Han River Nap Competition, in photos

AP

Israeli airstrikes kill 7 in southern Lebanon as a Catholic convent is bulldozed

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least seven people and wounded others on Saturday while the Israeli military demolished parts of a Catholic convent in a border village, officials said. Israel’s military on Saturday issued a new warning for residents of nine southern villages to evacuate. Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group have kept up their attacks despite a ceasefire in place since April 17.

AP

4 min read

Iran’s killer drones increase slaughter in Sudan amid world’s forgotten war

Iran is accused of supplying Mohajer-6 attack drones to Sudan's armed forces as the civil war's death toll reportedly reaches as many as 400,000 people.

Fox News

5 min read

Mali investigates soldiers over role in coordinated insurgent attacks

BAMAKO, May 2 (Reuters) - Malian authorities are investigating soldiers suspected of involvement in last week's coordinated attacks on army bases across the country by militants linked to al Qaeda and

Reuters

2 min read

Japan, Vietnam seek deeper energy, minerals ties amid geopolitical risks

By Phuong Nguyen and Thinh Nguyen HANOI, May 2 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged on Saturday to deepen ties with Vietnam, highlighting energy and critical minerals in talks

Reuters

2 min read

In Vietnam, Japan PM vows more effort to keep Asia 'free and open'

Japan's prime minister vowed Saturday to do more to ensure a "free and open Indo-Pacific", using a speech in communist Vietnam to tout a regional strategy that has long rankled neighbouring China."Therefore, increasing cooperation with Vietnam is extremely important for the realisation and progress of (a) free and open Indo-Pacific".

AFP

3 min read

Kenya flood death toll hits 10 as dam overflow risk raises alarm

NAIROBI, May 2 (Reuters) - At least 10 people have died across Kenya after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides in several regions, police said, as authorities warned rising river levels

Reuters

1 min read

US, Philippines deploy anti-ship missile system in Batanes near Taiwan for war games

By Adrian Portugal BATANES, Philippines, May 2 (Reuters) - Philippine and U.S. forces on Saturday showcased the NMESIS anti-ship missile system in Batanes province, near Taiwan, during annual war

Reuters

4 min read

Governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state indicted in US drugs investigation says he will step down

The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa said on Friday he will temporarily step down from his post, days after he was indicted in the US on drugs trafficking charges,

CNN

3 min read

Humpback whale stranded in Germany released into North Sea: media

A humpback whale that had been struggling to survive after beaching near the German coast was Saturday released into the North Sea off Denmark after being transported in a barge, a member of a rescue mission said.The whale left the barge it had been towed on from Wismar Bay on the Baltic coast at around 8:45 am (0645 GMT), said Karin Walter-Mommert from the rescue initiative.

AFP

1 min read

UK’s Starmer eyes banning some pro-Palestine protests

PM Keir Starmer says the phrase ‘globalise the Intifada’ should be ‘completely off limits’.

Al Jazeera

2 min read

Japan PM meets top Vietnam leaders in Hanoi

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met top Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi on Saturday, inking multiple agreements ahead of a speech where she is expected to lay out her vision for a "free and open" Asia-Pacific region.The two countries agreed to work more closely on "economic security including energy, important mineral resources, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space", Takaichi said after meeting Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

AFP

2 min read

Nepal celebrates return of stolen 13th-century Buddha statue from New York

The Himalayan nation restores centuries-old statue, stolen in the 1980s, to its original temple in capital Kathmandu.

Al Jazeera

2 min read