Category: World News

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is set to travel to South Korea next week to participate in trade discussions with American officials, according to an announcement from China’s Ministry of Commerce on Sunday.

The scheduled meetings on May 12-13 will build upon agreements made during previous conversations and gatherings between leadership from both countries, including a meeting that took place in Busan last October, the ministry stated on its official website. The talks are expected to address economic and trade matters of shared interest.

According to Reuters sources, President Donald Trump is anticipated to travel to China later this week, with the White House extending invitations to a select group of corporate executives to join the presidential delegation to Beijing.

Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez has traveled to the Netherlands to represent her nation at the International Court of Justice in a territorial dispute hearing, the presidential office announced.

Rodriguez will head Venezuela’s delegation at Monday’s proceedings before the United Nations’ highest judicial body regarding a longstanding disagreement with neighboring Guyana over the Esequibo region, an area abundant in oil resources that has been contested for more than a century.

The legal challenge was initiated by Guyana in 2018 when they brought the matter before the international court.

While a final decision remains several months away, any ruling issued by the court carries binding authority with no option for appeal. However, the judicial body lacks enforcement mechanisms and must depend on the U.N. Security Council for implementation.

This marks Rodriguez’s inaugural European visit since assuming leadership following the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a January operation.

The European Union had previously imposed travel restrictions on Rodriguez, along with other Venezuelan officials, citing allegations that they had worked to undermine democratic institutions in Venezuela.

Tehran delivered its official response to a United States peace initiative through Pakistani mediators on Sunday, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

The Iranian counter-proposal prioritizes ending current military conflicts in the region as the main objective of ongoing diplomatic talks, an informed source told IRNA.

Multiple sources from both nations have informed Reuters that current diplomatic efforts seek to establish a temporary agreement that would stop the fighting and restore normal shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway. Such an interim deal would provide time for negotiators to work toward a comprehensive agreement addressing more complex issues, including Iran’s controversial nuclear development program.

The conflict, which has now lasted more than two months, continues to threaten one of the world’s most important shipping lanes for oil and commercial goods.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian law enforcement officials conducted a major raid Saturday against an illegal online gambling network in Jakarta, detaining 321 foreign nationals in what authorities describe as one of the nation’s most significant operations targeting digital betting crimes.

The foreign workers, predominantly from Vietnam, were taken into custody at a commercial facility located near Jakarta’s Chinatown district. Investigators say the location served as headquarters for more than 70 gambling websites that marketed services to customers outside Indonesia, according to promotional materials and electronic evidence gathered during the operation.

The detained individuals consist of 228 Vietnamese citizens, 57 Chinese nationals, and others from Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, according to Wira Satya Triputra, who heads general crimes investigations for Indonesia’s National Police. Authorities continue working to identify the organizers and financial supporters of the network.

“We arrested the suspects in the act while they were carrying out activities related to online gambling,” Triputra stated during Saturday’s press briefing. He explained the enterprise functioned with clear organizational structure, assigning workers to specific duties including customer support, sales calls and money management. Law enforcement estimates the operation had been active for approximately two months.

Officials noted that gambling organizations frequently relocate their activities to avoid law enforcement detection, commonly hiring foreign employees to manage websites and customer support services.

According to Triputra, many suspects had entered Indonesia with temporary tourist visas but remained beyond their authorized stay while employed at the gambling facility. He added that “immigration violations were uncovered in addition to suspected gambling and money-laundering offenses.”

During the raid, police confiscated currency from various countries, computing equipment, cellular devices, travel documents and other materials believed connected to the gambling platform management. Officials estimate the organization controlled at least 75 betting websites.

By Saturday, 275 detainees had been officially designated as suspects, while remaining individuals continued under interrogation, Triputra reported. Those facing charges could receive up to nine years imprisonment under Indonesia’s criminal and immigration statutes, plus fines reaching 2 billion rupiah ($116,000).

Comparable international criminal enterprises have emerged recently in Surabaya, Bali and Batam, demonstrating the necessity for enhanced cooperation between law enforcement and government departments to address online gambling and associated fraud schemes, stated Untung Widyatmoko, secretary of Indonesia’s Interpol division.

Widyatmoko indicated authorities have observed evidence that online gambling operators formerly operating in Myanmar and Cambodia are moving their activities to different nations, including Indonesia, following crackdowns in those locations.

“After enforcement measures in Cambodia, we started to see a shift toward Indonesia, and that was something we anticipated,” Widyatmoko explained.

Approximately 210 foreign citizens – including 47 women – from Vietnam, China and Myanmar, suspected of involvement in online investment fraud schemes, were detained Wednesday during an immigration enforcement action at an apartment complex on Indonesia’s Batam island, adjacent to Singapore.

Officials in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, announced Friday they had arrested 44 foreign nationals from Japan and China for impersonating law enforcement officers in an international telephone and online fraud operation, following the March arrest of 13 Japanese men in West Java’s Bogor city connected to the same case.

During the previous month, approximately 16 suspects from an international scamming network from China, Malaysia and Taiwan were arrested in West Java’s Sukabumi region, while 26 alleged online fraudsters, including individuals from Philippines and Kenya, were expelled from Bali.

Online gambling remains prohibited in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, which has intensified enforcement efforts due to concerns about organized crime and international cyber operations. Police indicated the investigation may result in additional arrests connected to international networks.

Military forces from the United Kingdom executed an unprecedented humanitarian mission over the weekend, parachuting medical personnel and emergency supplies onto one of the world’s most isolated islands to treat a suspected hantavirus patient.

Six paratroopers and two military medical specialists from the 16 Air Assault Brigade made the historic jump onto Tristan da Cunha, delivering crucial oxygen tanks and other medical equipment. The team flew more than 6,700 kilometers from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to Ascension Island, then traveled an additional 3,000 kilometers south to reach their destination.

The emergency airdrop took place Saturday and marks the first instance of UK military forces deploying medical staff through parachute operations for humanitarian purposes, according to Ministry of Defence officials.

The mission was launched to assist a British citizen who health officials believe contracted hantavirus while aboard a cruise vessel that experienced an outbreak. The ship made port at Tristan da Cunha from April 13 through April 15, and the passenger began showing symptoms consistent with the virus on April 28. World Health Organization representatives report the individual remains in stable condition under isolation protocols.

“With oxygen supplies on the island at a critical level, an airdrop with medical personnel was the only method of getting vital care to the patient in time,” Ministry of Defence officials stated.

The remote British territory houses approximately 200 residents and sits roughly halfway between the African and South American continents. Located more than 2,400 kilometers from its closest inhabited neighbor, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha typically requires a six-day sea voyage to reach. The island operates with just two medical professionals under normal circumstances and lacks any airport facilities.

Military aircraft had previously delivered PCR testing materials to Ascension Island on May 7 for another British passenger from the same cruise who was later evacuated to South Africa for treatment.

“The arrival of paratroopers, medical personnel and medical supplies from the sky has hopefully reassured the people of Tristan da Cunha,” stated Brigadier Ed Cartwright, who leads the 16 Air Assault Brigade.

Military forces in the United Arab Emirates successfully intercepted two unmanned aircraft originating from Iran on Sunday, according to an announcement from the country’s Defense Ministry. This incident represents the most recent escalation in a series of renewed hostilities targeting the wealthy Gulf nation.

The Emirates has faced multiple attacks from Iran in recent days, breaking a month-long period of relative peace that followed the announcement of a ceasefire in the Iran conflict by the United States.

While Iran has rejected claims that it conducted operations against the UAE recently, Tehran issued a warning of a “crushing response” should any hostile actions be launched from Emirati territory against Iran.

The ongoing security concerns forced the UAE to transition schools to remote instruction last week. However, officials announced Sunday that classroom learning will return starting Monday.

Iranian petroleum officials have firmly rejected claims that an oil spill occurred near the country’s largest crude export facility, following reports this week of satellite images showing what appeared to be contamination in Gulf waters.

The head of Iran’s Oil Terminals Company announced Sunday that thorough examinations revealed no evidence of petroleum leakage from any infrastructure at Kharg Island, including storage facilities, transport pipelines, loading equipment, or vessels operating in the vicinity.

The executive noted that the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre (MEMAC), which monitors regional maritime pollution incidents, had similarly found no indication of any spill in the area surrounding the critical export hub.

Iranian authorities conducted comprehensive on-site evaluations and scientific analysis following the initial reports, with officials stating they discovered no trace of contamination whatsoever in their investigation.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Search and rescue teams in Indonesia successfully recovered the remains of two Singaporean hikers on Sunday, following a deadly volcanic eruption that occurred Friday on the remote island of Halmahera.

The two men, ages 30 and 27, were discovered just a short distance from where recovery teams had found the body of an Indonesian woman hiker the previous day, according to Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency. The three fatalities had been positioned approximately 165 feet from the main crater’s edge when Mount Dukono erupted.

Dense volcanic debris had completely buried the men’s remains, creating significant challenges for rescue operations and hampering recovery efforts, Muhari explained.

“The bodies were buried under deep, densely packed volcanic material that is difficult to dig through,” Muhari said, “Rescue teams must proceed cautiously to ensure safety.”

The three deceased hikers were part of a 20-person group that had attempted to climb the 4,445-foot mountain in North Maluku province, despite existing safety prohibitions. The group became trapped when the volcano erupted in the early morning hours Friday, launching a massive ash plume approximately 6 miles skyward.

Emergency teams successfully rescued 17 individuals within hours of the initial eruption, including seven people from Singapore. Ten of those rescued sustained minor burn injuries, while two were able to assist in the search efforts by providing crucial information about the missing hikers’ locations.

Nearly 100 rescue personnel participated in the search operation, confronting challenging terrain while the volcano remained active, Muhari reported.

Iwan Ramdani, who leads the regional search and rescue department, explained that Sunday’s recovery mission required constant monitoring by volcanic experts as Mount Dukono continued ejecting ash, heated materials, and glowing debris.

“The search operation was repeatedly disrupted by Mount Dukono’s continued volcanic activity,” Ramdani said, “Teams must be extremely careful during the evacuation process.”

All three victims’ remains were initially brought to an emergency staging area before being transferred to Tobelo Regional Hospital for identification procedures and additional processing, Ramdani confirmed.

Officials from the National Disaster Management Agency announced the formal conclusion of all search and rescue activities.

The agency issued a strong appeal for residents, visitors, and tourism companies to follow established safety protocols and stay away from designated danger zones.

Government officials have implemented a complete prohibition on all activities within a 2.5-mile radius surrounding the crater, following guidance from Indonesia’s volcanic monitoring agency.

Mount Dukono represents one of over 120 active volcanic peaks throughout Indonesia, a nation particularly susceptible to geological instability due to its position along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a curved chain of volcanoes and seismic fault lines surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

MOSCOW, May 10 – Moscow has condemned Armenia for allowing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver what Russia calls anti-Russian statements during his recent visit, signaling deepening tensions between the traditionally allied nations.

During his trip to Yerevan last week, Zelenskyy suggested that Russia was concerned about potential drone strikes over Red Square in Moscow during the May 9 Victory Day celebration marking the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.

The military parade proceeded on Saturday as scheduled but in a reduced format, omitting the typical display of military equipment due to concerns about possible Ukrainian drone strikes.

Russian officials had already called in Armenia’s ambassador on Thursday to object to what they characterized as terrorist threats against Russia delivered by Zelenskyy while in Yerevan.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed displeasure with the situation, stating: “This is not normal, it is not in keeping with the spirit of our relations with Yerevan.”

“The main thing for us is that Armenia does not adopt an anti-Russian stance,” Peskov added, noting that Russia expects clarification from Yerevan regarding the matter.

On Thursday, Russian officials also voiced concerns about Armenia being pulled into what they termed the European Union’s anti-Russian sphere of influence following Armenia’s hosting of a European Political Community gathering on May 4.

Over 40 European leaders, including Zelenskyy, participated in that meeting, which was followed by an EU-Armenia summit.

Relations between Russia and Armenia, which houses several Russian military installations, have become increasingly strained since Azerbaijan forcibly reclaimed its separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023, despite Russian peacekeepers being stationed there.

Kuwaiti military forces successfully neutralized multiple hostile unmanned aircraft that entered the nation’s airspace during early morning hours on Sunday, marking another episode in a pattern of cross-border drone incidents connected to regional Middle East tensions.

This latest incident follows a previous attack on April 25, when Kuwaiti defense forces reported that two unmanned aircraft launched from Iraqi territory struck a pair of northern border installations, resulting in property damage.

The country’s air defense systems also successfully countered a wave of Iranian unmanned aircraft on April 8 that were directed at critical infrastructure facilities.

Despite a reduction in active hostilities following an April ceasefire agreement, unmanned aircraft continue to be deployed from Iraqi territory toward Gulf nations, with both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait experiencing such attacks.

BERLIN, May 10 – German leadership on Sunday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to have former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder serve as a mediator for potential European Union peace negotiations regarding Ukraine.

The suggestion came after European Council President Antonio Costa recently indicated he saw “potential” for EU discussions with Russia about negotiating peace and addressing Europe’s future security framework. Putin responded by naming Schroeder as his preferred intermediary for such discussions.

However, a German official told Reuters the proposal lacked credibility since Russia hasn’t modified any of its existing demands. The official, speaking anonymously, noted that Moscow’s willingness to extend a three-day ceasefire would serve as an initial measure of their genuine interest in negotiations.

The same official characterized Putin’s suggestion as part of a pattern of false proposals designed to create divisions within the Western alliance.

Schroeder’s relationship with Russia has drawn significant controversy in Germany. Following his departure from the chancellorship in 2005, he immediately accepted a position leading a German-Russian gas pipeline consortium, leading to widespread criticism over his ties to Putin.

A German government representative stated Friday that Berlin has observed no indication that Moscow is genuinely interested in meaningful negotiations. The spokesperson emphasized that any potential EU discussions would require careful coordination with member nations and Ukraine.

Moscow and Kyiv exchanged accusations Sunday over violations of a weekend ceasefire that President Trump helped negotiate, with both sides reporting continued military action despite the temporary truce.

Russian defense officials claimed Ukraine broke the ceasefire more than 1,000 times, according to state media reports from a Sunday briefing. The ministry alleged Ukrainian forces targeted civilian areas in Russian territory and struck military positions along the front lines.

Russia’s military “responded in kind” to the ceasefire violations,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian regional leaders reported casualties from ongoing Russian attacks. Ivan Fedorov, who heads the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, confirmed one death and three injuries from artillery and drone strikes over a 24-hour period.

In the Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin reported seven wounded civilians during the same timeframe. Additionally, Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed leader of Russian-controlled Kherson territory, said two people were hurt by Ukrainian bombardment.

A Russian drone strike also damaged a nine-story apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, injuring five residents, according to regional administrator Oleh Syniehubov.

The temporary halt in fighting was announced Friday by President Trump, who said both nations agreed to his request for a Saturday-through-Monday ceasefire to coincide with Victory Day, Russia’s commemoration of defeating Nazi Germany.

Trump said there would also be an exchange of prisoners, declaring that the break in fighting could be the “beginning of the end” of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously suggested Russian authorities “fear drones may buzz over Red Square” during the May 9 parade in Moscow. Following Trump’s announcement, Zelenskyy sarcastically declared Red Square temporarily off-limits for Ukrainian strikes to allow the Russian parade to proceed. The Kremlin dismissed his remarks as a “silly joke.”

Ukraine’s air force reported Sunday that it successfully intercepted or destroyed all 27 attack and decoy drones launched by Russia during overnight operations.

South Korean officials confirmed Sunday that an unknown object struck a cargo ship operated by shipping company HMM while the vessel remained stranded in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, following an inspection conducted Friday.

The rear section of the bulk carrier HMM Namu was damaged in the incident. The same ship had suffered an explosion and fire seven days earlier while anchored near United Arab Emirates waters in the strait. No crew members were injured in either incident.

President Donald Trump previously attributed the initial blast to an Iranian attack on the vessel.

Following the fire on Monday, investigators towed the damaged ship to a Dubai port facility. South Korean authorities had been conducting their own investigation into the original incident.

Ministry officials stated they could not determine the nature of the object that struck the vessel. Authorities plan to gather debris from the area for further examination and analysis.

In response to the incidents, Trump called on South Korea to participate in “Project Freedom,” a currently halted American-led initiative aimed at protecting maritime traffic through the vital shipping corridor.

Iran’s diplomatic mission in South Korea has rejected any involvement in the attack. Embassy officials did not provide immediate responses to inquiries about the unidentified object incident when contacted after business hours.

An HMM company representative refused to provide comments regarding the ministry’s announcement about the investigation findings.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is standing firm against mounting pressure to resign, declaring his administration a decade-long initiative following devastating local election results this week.

The Labour Party leader’s political future hangs in the balance after suffering the most significant local election defeats by any ruling party in over thirty years. The poor showing has sparked increasing demands from party members for Starmer’s ouster.

One former government minister has threatened to gather support from fellow lawmakers to initiate a leadership challenge unless Starmer’s cabinet removes him by Monday.

When questioned by the Observer newspaper about his political future and whether he would lead Labour into the next national election while serving a complete second term, Starmer firmly declared: “Yes, I will.”

“I’m not going to walk away from the job I was elected to do in July 2024. I’m not going to plunge the country into chaos,” he stated.

Should Starmer be forced out in the coming weeks, Britain would face its seventh prime minister within a single decade.

Despite Thursday’s electoral setback, Starmer’s cabinet members have remained supportive of his leadership.

Education Minister Bridget Phillipson expressed confidence in the prime minister’s ability to reverse the party’s fortunes, announcing on Sky News Sunday that Starmer would outline a “fresh direction” for the nation during Monday’s address.

“We got a real kicking from the voters, there’s no escaping that,” Phillipson acknowledged regarding Labour’s electoral performance. “We have to reflect seriously on that.”

Catherine West, who previously held a junior foreign ministry position before Starmer dismissed her last year, indicated she would evaluate Monday’s speech before deciding whether to pursue the 81 parliamentary supporters required to launch a leadership challenge.

When asked Sunday about her chances of securing sufficient backing, West responded to the BBC: “We will find out.”

Britain’s next general election must occur no later than 2029. If Starmer completes a second five-year term, he would rank as the third-longest serving consecutive British leader over the past two centuries, following Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

Iran’s highest-ranking military official has received fresh strategic directives from the country’s Supreme Leader, according to reports from the Fars news agency on Sunday.

Ali Abdollahi, who leads the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters overseeing Iran’s unified military command, met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to receive what Fars described as “new guiding measures to pursue military operations and firmly confront adversaries.” The timing of their meeting was not disclosed by the news outlet.

During the session, Abdollahi provided Khamenei with an assessment of Iran’s military preparedness across all branches of the armed forces.

“The armed forces are ready to confront any action by the American-Zionist (Israeli) enemies. In case of any error by the enemy, Iran’s response will be swift, severe, and decisive,” Abdollahi stated, according to the Fars report.

MOSCOW, May 10 — Moscow’s Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces on Sunday of breaking ceasefire agreements through drone operations and artillery bombardments targeting Russian military positions, according to reports from the Interfax news agency.

The ministry stated that Russian forces intercepted and destroyed 57 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft during the previous 24-hour period, while asserting that Moscow has been adhering to ceasefire conditions.

According to the ministry, Russian forces had “responded in kind” to Ukraine’s military actions, conducting counterattacks using multiple launch rocket systems and mortar fire.

Previously, Ukrainian officials had blamed Russia for carrying out drone operations and approximately 150 combat encounters during the same timeframe, despite an existing U.S.-mediated ceasefire agreement.

Independent verification of these military claims from the battlefield was not immediately available through Reuters.

Israeli authorities expelled two humanitarian activists on Sunday following their detention for more than a week after leading an aid convoy that attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade around Gaza.

The expelled activists were identified as Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish-Swedish national of Palestinian heritage, and Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian citizen. Both individuals served on the leadership board of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an organization working to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade while delivering humanitarian supplies to Palestinian territories.

In a Sunday statement posted to X, Israel’s Foreign Ministry labeled the pair as “professional provocateurs,” declaring that “Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.”

When initially apprehended, Israeli officials stated the duo was being held for interrogation, with Abukeshek “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and Ávila “suspected of illegal activity,” though no supporting evidence was presented. No official charges have been made public.

The governments of Spain and Brazil jointly denounced what they termed “the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel” when the detention occurred. The incident prompted solidarity demonstrations across multiple nations.

Israeli naval forces intercepted a total of 22 vessels carrying 175 activists. According to the activists, Israeli military personnel boarded their ships, destroyed engines, and arrested several participants. The confrontation took place several hundred miles from both Gaza and Israel during the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday.

Israeli representatives justified their preemptive action against the flotilla, citing the substantial number of vessels involved as requiring intervention before they could enter Israeli territorial waters.

This flotilla mission represents the group’s second attempt to reach Gaza in under a year, following Israeli authorities’ successful prevention of an earlier effort. The previous operation included approximately 50 ships and 500 activists, featuring notable participants such as Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Mandla Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s grandson), and various elected officials.

Israel had previously arrested, detained, and deported those participants, including Ávila, who alleged mistreatment during custody. Israeli authorities rejected these allegations.

Meanwhile in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle, resulting in at least two fatalities including a Hamas police official, according to Nasser hospital records.

The attack occurred late Sunday morning in the Al-Amal district of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to civil defense officials operating under the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry.

Among those killed was Col. Wessam Abdel-Hadi, who directed the police investigation unit in Khan Younis, hospital officials confirmed.

Israeli military officials stated they were examining the incident.

These deaths add to the Palestinian casualties in the coastal territory since a fragile ceasefire agreement in October aimed to end more than two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Although major combat operations have decreased, the unstable truce has witnessed nearly daily Israeli military action.

Israeli forces have conducted numerous airstrikes and routinely opened fire on Palestinians approaching military-controlled areas, resulting in at least 850 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The ministry, operating under Hamas governance, keeps comprehensive casualty documentation that UN agencies and independent analysts generally consider credible. However, it does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Armed groups have conducted attacks against Israeli troops, with Israel claiming its strikes respond to these incidents and other ceasefire violations. Four Israeli soldiers have died since the ceasefire began.

Three Palestinians lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, medical officials reported, with two victims being members of the Hamas-controlled police force. The deadly incidents raise fresh questions about the durability of the U.S.-mediated truce agreement.

According to medical personnel, one fatality occurred when an airstrike hit the Maghazi refugee camp within the Gaza Strip. In a separate attack, the commander of Khan Younis criminal police, Wessam Abdel-Hadi, was killed alongside his assistant, as confirmed by Gaza’s Hamas-controlled interior ministry.

Previous Reuters reporting has documented Israel’s increased targeting of Gaza’s Hamas-operated police units, which the militant organization has deployed to reestablish administrative control in territories under their authority.

Israeli military officials have not yet provided statements regarding either attack.

Despite the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, hostilities in Gaza have continued, with Israel launching strikes on an almost daily basis.

Local medical sources report that no fewer than 850 Palestinians have died since the truce began, while Israeli officials state that militants have killed four Israeli soldiers during the same timeframe.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused one another of breaking the ceasefire terms.

Gaza health officials report that more than 72,500 Palestinians have died since the conflict began in October 2023, with the majority being civilians.

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Fed up with fuel shortages and rising gas prices, Simón Huanca decided to take action.

The 53-year-old Indigenous craftsman purchased a Chinese electric vehicle to get around El Alto, Bolivia’s highest-elevation city, using it to transport his family and alpaca wool for his textile business.

Huanca even put in his own charging station at home for convenience, since only three public charging points exist for the entire metropolitan region of El Alto and nearby La Paz — an area with over 1.6 million residents.

“Since last year, I’ve been trying to get an electric car to save on costs,” Huanca said while driving his electric SUV through a working-class district.

Huanca represents a small but increasing group of Bolivians switching from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones as the South American nation faces fuel shortages and a presidential order that eliminated longtime fuel subsidies, essentially doubling gasoline costs.

Bolivia’s energy problems intensified in 2023 during former President Luis Arce’s administration, which maintained government subsidies where the nation bought fuel at world prices but sold it domestically at half the cost.

However, Bolivia — which brings in 80% of its diesel and 55% of its gasoline from other countries — slowly exhausted its foreign currency reserves to buy fuel, with the subsidy costing the government over $2 billion annually.

Extended lines of cars at gas stations became routine.

In December — just one month after assuming office — President Rodrigo Paz eliminated the subsidy, causing energy costs to nearly double and severely impacting Bolivians.

Several weeks afterward, transportation workers complained that inferior gasoline was harming their vehicles. The administration blamed sabotage, with Paz stating that fuel distributed by state oil company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos contained gum and manganese residue left in storage tanks from the previous Arce government.

The contaminated fuel controversy sparked widespread strikes and demonstrations among transport workers and led to two senior officials at the state oil company stepping down.

The final breaking point for many Bolivians was the Iran conflict. Confronted with potential additional fuel price increases, some exchanged their gasoline vehicles for electric alternatives.

“The investment exceeds $36,000, but I no longer waste valuable working hours searching for fuel or managing vehicle repairs,” said Ever Vera, a 54-year-old attorney.

Electric vehicle registrations in Bolivia increased from 500 to 3,352 over the past five years, based on Single Registry for Tax Administration data tracking tax-registered vehicles. The biggest jump occurred in the last two years during the fuel crisis. These still represent only a small portion of approximately 2.6 million vehicles in the nation of nearly 12 million people.

Most of these vehicles came from China, with the United States as the second-largest source.

“The growth is exponential,” said Freddy Koch, an electric mobility specialist with nonprofit organization Swisscontact. While noting these vehicles are currently purchased by wealthier buyers, he anticipates broader market appeal and projects the electric vehicle total could triple within two to three years.

Paz also removed import duties on all automobile types, increasing the number of importers competing to bring these vehicles into Bolivia at reduced prices.

The growing electric vehicle market has opened new business prospects for 38-year-old electrician Marcelo Laura. A month ago, he discovered a profitable specialty installing home and business charging stations.

“There aren’t many public charging stations,” he said. “A year ago, I thought it was practically impossible to think that people would actually be bringing in electric cars.”

Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces launched drone attacks and engaged in close to 150 combat encounters during the last day, even though a US-mediated ceasefire was supposed to be active, officials reported Sunday.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that both Russia and Ukraine had committed to a three-day truce running from May 9 through May 11, part of broader diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict that has now stretched beyond four years.

Regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported Sunday morning that one person died and three others sustained injuries from Russian attacks in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia area.

In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv area, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed that eight individuals, including two minors, were injured during drone assaults targeting the main city and surrounding communities.

Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin announced Sunday that seven people, including one child, suffered wounds from Russian drone and artillery bombardments in the southern Kherson area since early Saturday.

Regional administrator Oleksandr Hanzha reported that a minor was also injured and critical infrastructure sustained damage during Russian attacks in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk area.

Ukraine’s air force reported separately that Russia deployed 27 long-distance drones against Ukrainian targets during overnight hours — fewer than typical numbers — though Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted all incoming threats.

Ukraine’s General Staff documented 147 separate confrontations occurring across the front lines in their morning briefing.

While these incidents occurred, Ukrainian leadership has refrained from making public statements regarding any breaches of the US-facilitated truce, which was also designed to facilitate an exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from both nations.

Both Russia and Ukraine had previously declared independent ceasefires earlier in the week — beginning Friday and Wednesday respectively — but rapidly blamed each other for violations.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Officials confirmed Sunday that fourteen police officers lost their lives in a coordinated assault on a security station in Pakistan’s northwest region. A militant organization identifying itself as a breakaway Taliban faction has taken credit for the deadly incident.

The attack occurred late Saturday evening in Bannu district, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border, according to senior police official Sajjad Khan. Armed attackers detonated a vehicle packed with explosives at the security facility, sparking a prolonged gun battle. Some officers perished during the firefight, while others were killed when the station building subsequently collapsed.

Emergency teams worked through the night using heavy equipment to recover victims trapped beneath the debris, Khan reported. Three additional officers sustained injuries in the assault.

Law enforcement agencies have initiated a manhunt to capture those responsible for the attack.

The militant organization Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan issued a statement to media outlets claiming responsibility. Though this group asserts it consists of former members of the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, government officials believe it operates as a cover organization for the TTP.

The country has experienced an uptick in extremist violence recently, with much of the activity attributed to the TTP. This organization maintains ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban movement, which regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistani leadership frequently alleges that Afghanistan’s current government harbors TTP militants, accusations that Kabul consistently rejects.

Relations between the neighboring countries remain strained, with both nations engaging in border conflicts that have resulted in hundreds of casualties since late February.

Chinese mediators facilitated discussions between Afghan and Pakistani representatives in early April. Despite these diplomatic efforts, intermittent border skirmishes persist, though with reduced frequency compared to previous months.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A cargo vessel experienced a fire on Sunday following an attack by an unidentified projectile while traveling in waters near Qatar, according to British maritime officials.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that the incident resulted in a minor blaze aboard the bulk carrier, which crew members successfully extinguished.

The vessel was struck approximately 23 nautical miles (43 kilometers) to the northeast of Doha, Qatar’s capital city, according to the UKMTO.

No injuries were reported from the incident, officials confirmed.

This marks another in a series of attacks targeting ships in Persian Gulf waters following an unstable ceasefire that ended hostilities between the United States and Iran.

A commercial cargo ship sailing in international waters near Qatar was struck by an unidentified projectile on Sunday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

The vessel was traveling approximately 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha when the incident occurred. The projectile impact caused a minor fire aboard the ship, but crew members were able to extinguish the flames quickly.

The ship’s captain confirmed that no crew members were injured in the incident and that there was no damage to the marine environment, UKMTO officials reported.

Maritime authorities have launched an investigation to determine what type of projectile struck the vessel and where it originated from.

In response to the incident, officials have issued safety advisories for ships operating in the region. Vessel operators have been told to exercise extra caution while passing through the area and to immediately report any suspicious activities to UKMTO.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — After losing his life savings when his clothing venture failed 18 months ago, Tariqul Islam began driving a motorcycle taxi to support his family. Recently, he has spent countless hours waiting in fuel lines as energy shortages connected to the Iranian conflict have reached Bangladesh.

The 53-year-old father of four worries the economic pressure will intensify if the conflict continues, explaining that extensive waits for fuel have dramatically reduced his earnings and made it increasingly challenging to provide for his family in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, including supporting a daughter and son in higher education.

“My family was managing fairly well through ride-sharing,” he said. “But after the fuel shortage began, I would buy fuel one day and run the bike for two days. As a result, I had to sit idle for one day, which reduced my income.”

Islam’s financial struggles mirror a wider economic crisis in Bangladesh, which depends heavily on fuel imports. Energy shortages have disrupted everyday activities, reduced manufacturing production, and raised alarm about economic expansion as international conflicts drive up prices and limit availability.

The situation has improved modestly recently, with shorter lines at gas stations following government efforts to boost supplies, though worries remain throughout various industries.

Throughout Asia, nations are experiencing comparable difficulties as conflict-related energy price increases affect economies that depend on imported petroleum and natural gas.

The region faces vulnerability because it depends on fuel imports, with much of the supply traveling through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical passage for approximately one-fifth of worldwide oil and natural gas commerce.

Increased fuel expenses are causing inflation and pressuring family budgets, while sectors ranging from manufacturing to transportation confront higher operational costs and supply chain interruptions.

The Asian Development Bank reduced growth projections for developing Asia and the Pacific in late April, cautioning that conflict-related energy disruptions would decelerate economies and increase inflation. The bank now anticipates 4.7% growth in 2026, with inflation climbing to 5.2% as petroleum prices rise and financial conditions become more restrictive.

Many hope for a swift resolution to the conflict and a return to stability.

“If this situation continues, we will have to move back to our village and find some other way to earn a living,” Islam, the struggling father said. “It is not possible to survive in Dhaka by doing ride-sharing under these conditions.”

Escalating energy prices are anticipated to burden Bangladesh’s budget, with officials likely spending an extra $1.07 billion on LNG subsidies during the April-June period alone if worldwide prices stay elevated.

Bangladesh has requested supplies from neighboring India, which has responded favorably as it has diversified fuel sources, including purchases from Russia.

Officials have already implemented cost-cutting measures to address the crisis as international lenders predict slower growth in the nation of over 170 million residents. Natural gas and diesel shortages have caused more frequent electricity outages in manufacturing areas.

The administration has also closed fertilizer plants to redirect gas to power facilities, limited evening operating hours for shopping centers, and established fuel rationing programs.

The World Bank stated in April that it anticipates Bangladesh’s growth to decrease to 3.9% in the fiscal year concluding in June 2026, cautioning that an extended Middle Eastern conflict could increase inflation, expand the current account deficit, and strain government finances through higher energy subsidies.

Jean Pesme, the World Bank’s division director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, noted the economy already confronted “pre-existing vulnerabilities and challenges, in particular on the economic and employment front.”

The increasing expenses are “obviously making the fiscal situation more difficult.”

He also cautioned that officials should be careful about raising fuel prices, noting that higher costs could damage farmers and agricultural production.

The energy shortage is also increasing expenses and endangering Bangladesh’s clothing exports, which form the foundation of its economy, according to business executives.

Anwar-Ul Alam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries, indicated exports to Europe and the United States could experience a major decline. Shipments have decreased between 5% and 13% in recent months, he reported. He expressed concern that buyers could lose trust in Bangladesh’s delivery capabilities and that competing countries such as India, Vietnam, and Cambodia could capture market share if the crisis continues.

Chowdhury reported that factory production has declined by 30% to 40% for multiple reasons and that conditions have deteriorated since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran, while business expenses have increased by approximately 35% to 40%.

Bangladesh, the globe’s second-largest clothing exporter following China, generates roughly $39 billion yearly from the industry, which employs around 4 million workers, primarily women from rural regions.

Alvi Islam, director of Arrival Fashion Limited, explained that manufacturers face higher expenses for petroleum-derived materials such as sewing threads, poly bags — plastic packaging materials — and shipping boxes, while spending more on diesel generators to manage frequent power outages.

His company, which exports products valued at approximately $40 million annually, now operates generators for at least four hours daily during production.

“For that reason, the cost of doing business for exporting garments has increased quite significantly in past one month,” he said.

Garment worker Mosammet Runa, 35, expressed concern about her family’s prospects if the conflict persists.

“Millions of people like us depend on this industry. It is how we survive,” said Runa, who, together with her husband, makes about $400 monthly to support their six-member family.

She indicated that an extended conflict could eliminate employment opportunities and urged for an end to the violence.

“We are innocent people. The world should not make us victims,” she said.

Germany is making a renewed push to acquire Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States, according to a Financial Times report published Sunday that cited sources familiar with Berlin’s defense strategy.

German officials are hoping to convince the Trump administration to approve the sale of Tomahawk missiles along with their accompanying Typhon ground-based launching systems, the newspaper reported.

Neither the White House, U.S. Department of Defense, nor Germany’s Ministry of Defence provided immediate responses when contacted by Reuters for comment on the report.

According to the Financial Times, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is planning to travel to Washington in an attempt to restart Berlin’s request for the long-range weapon systems. The original proposal was submitted in July of last year but has not yet received a response from U.S. officials.

Sources speaking anonymously to the Financial Times indicated that Pistorius’s planned visit depends on whether he can arrange a meeting with Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Defense Secretary.

Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles are sophisticated, long-range cruise missiles designed for deep-strike operations and are traditionally fired from naval vessels to hit distant targets.

The Pentagon announced in February that it had entered into a seven-year contract with Raytheon to boost Tomahawk missile production, as military stockpiles have been reduced due to the ongoing conflict with Iran.

A deadly car bomb attack targeted a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of twelve law enforcement officers, according to a senior police official.

The explosive attack occurred at a police facility in Bannu, where militants detonated a vehicle bomb before engaging officers in armed combat. Following the initial blast, a gun battle ensued between the attackers and police personnel.

Emergency responders managed to rescue three officers who survived the assault, and they have been transported to a local medical facility for treatment, the police official confirmed.

Two international activists were sent back to their home countries by Israeli authorities on Sunday following questioning about their involvement in a flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.

The men identified as Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Thiago Ávila from Brazil were released after officials completed their investigation into the May 10 incident.

According to the foreign ministry, Abu Keshek faced suspicions of connections to a terrorist organization, while Ávila was suspected of engaging in illegal activities. Both men rejected these accusations against them.

The deportations concluded the investigation into their roles in the Gaza-bound maritime convoy.

A right-wing populist political party in Australia that seeks to mirror former President Donald Trump’s deportation policies has secured its first seat in the nation’s lower house of parliament, promising to prioritize ending large-scale immigration.

Farmer David Farley claimed victory for the One Nation party in Saturday’s special election in the rural Farrer district, located approximately 340 miles south of Sydney. While this win doesn’t impact the parliamentary majority held by center-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, since the seat was previously occupied by a Liberal party member representing the main conservative bloc, it marks a notable milestone for One Nation.

The victory represents major progress for One Nation, which currently holds four Senate positions. Recent polling shows the party ranking second behind Albanese’s Labor Party, surpassing the traditional conservative coalition. Party leader Senator Pauline Hanson enjoys higher public approval than both Albanese and the Liberal party leader.

Following the electoral success, Hanson took to social media platform X on Saturday evening, declaring: “The people of Australia will not be forgotten. One Nation will fight for you on the floor of Parliament. We will fight to lower cost of living, end net-zero and stop mass migration.”

Immigration has emerged as an increasingly contentious topic across Australia, where approximately half of the nation’s 27 million residents were either born in other countries or have at least one foreign-born parent. Anti-immigration demonstrations drew thousands of participants in Australia’s major metropolitan areas during the previous year.

Liberal shadow treasurer Tim Wilson acknowledged that One Nation’s electoral success “showed there’s a lot of work we’ve got to do.” During Sunday television interviews, Wilson stated: “We need to outline very clearly a bold and confident vision for the country about where we want to take it.”

Albanese’s Labor Party, which has never controlled the Farrer seat and chose not to field a candidate in this special election, has characterized One Nation as harmful to Australia’s social cohesion.

JAKARTA – Rescue operations for two missing hikers from Singapore remain severely challenged by ongoing volcanic activity and harsh weather conditions at Mount Dukono in Indonesia, according to local officials who expressed little hope for finding the pair alive.

Local rescue agency chief Iwan Ramdani reported that approximately 150 rescue workers equipped with two thermal drones have been conducting search operations since Sunday morning, concentrating their efforts within 100-150 meters of the volcanic crater’s edge.

“However, Mount Dukono continues to erupt and rain is also falling in the area. We carry out rescue efforts during intervals when there are no eruptions,” Iwan told Reuters.

The volcano, situated in North Maluku province along the Pacific Ocean, initially erupted Friday and launched ash columns reaching 10 kilometers into the sky. Smaller-scale eruptions have persisted since the initial blast.

According to Iwan, volcanic ash still covers the crater area, while search teams are combing approximately 1.25 kilometers around where the missing hikers were last seen.

Search teams have discovered backpacks believed to belong to the two Singapore nationals. Police chief Erlichson Pasaribu previously stated that survivors reported the pair had died.

Indonesian authorities confirmed Saturday that one missing Indonesian hiker was found dead.

The volcanic incident left 17 people alive, including seven from Singapore and 10 Indonesians.

Singapore’s Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that the surviving Singapore citizens would return home Sunday.

Indonesia’s volcano monitoring agency documented at least three eruptions by Sunday morning, with the largest sending ash 1.3 kilometers skyward.

The agency continues enforcing its third-highest danger warning for Mount Dukono and prohibits all human activity within 4 kilometers of the crater.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s transitional president conducted a major government reorganization on Saturday, dismissing his brother from a senior administrative role amid growing criticism over family favoritism while working to rebuild the war-torn nation following years of devastating conflict.

Maher al-Sharaa, brother of President Ahmad al-Sharaa, had been serving in the role of secretary-general to the presidency based in Damascus. The family appointment had sparked criticism and comparisons to the governing style of Syria’s ousted President Bashar Assad and his predecessor father, Hafez Assad.

President Ahmad al-Sharaa spearheaded the rebel campaign that successfully removed Bashar Assad from power in December 2024, ending nearly 14 years of civil warfare. Throughout Assad’s tenure, he similarly installed relatives, including his spouse and brother, into positions of power and influence.

Maher Assad, the former president’s brother, held command of the Syrian military’s 4th Armored Division — a force that opposition groups accused of murder, torture, extortion and narcotics smuggling. Assad’s spouse, Asma Assad, led the powerful Syrian Trust for Development organization.

Through an official order issued Saturday, al-Sharaa named Abdul Rahman Badreddine al-Aama — who had been serving as Homs province’s governor — to take over his brother’s responsibilities, according to state media outlet SANA.

Officials have not announced what role, if any, Maher al-Sharaa will assume moving forward. The physician had previously held the position of Syria’s temporary health minister.

The interim administration also named new provincial leaders for Homs, Latakia, Deir el-Zour and Quneitra regions, along with selecting a new information minister, Khaled Zaarour, a university professor who recently served as media faculty dean at Damascus University. Zaarour is taking over from Hamza Mustafa, a former broadcasting industry leader who had directed the private Syria TV channel before joining the government as information minister.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard naval forces issued stark warnings on Saturday, threatening massive retaliation against U.S. military installations in the region and enemy vessels if Iranian commercial ships or oil tankers face any strikes, despite an ongoing fragile truce that appears to be maintaining stability.

UK Sends Naval Vessel to Middle Eastern Waters

The British defense ministry announced plans to dispatch a warship to Middle Eastern waters as part of preparations for a possible mission safeguarding commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz after current hostilities conclude.

Officials stated that the HMS Dragon would establish a strategic position in the area, prepared to participate in a security initiative spearheaded by the United Kingdom and France. This week, France declared it was repositioning its aircraft carrier battle group to the Red Sea as part of these preparations.

The UK and France have organized discussions with dozens of nations regarding an alliance aimed at restoring safe passage through the waterway. However, officials emphasize that operations will not commence until a lasting truce is established and shipping companies feel confident about vessel safety in the strait.

Round-the-Clock Diplomatic Efforts Continue

President Donald Trump has restated warnings about resuming comprehensive bombing campaigns unless Iran agrees to reopen the strait and scale back its nuclear activities. On Friday, Iranian foreign ministry representative Esmail Baghaei stated through state media IRNA that the nation was disregarding imposed “deadlines.”

Diplomatic negotiations persist. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed his nation has maintained continuous communication with both the United States and Iran “day and night” while working to extend the current truce and achieve a comprehensive peace settlement.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced that both Russia and Saudi Arabia are advocating for diplomatic initiatives to establish a “sustainable, long-term agreement” that would conclude the conflict.

In a separate development, Putin informed Moscow reporters that removing enriched uranium from Iran as part of settlement negotiations would provide transparency regarding “how much of it there is, and where it is located,” adding that “all of this would be placed under the control of the IAEA,” referring to the United Nations nuclear monitoring agency.

Senior diplomats from Egypt and Qatar emphasized that diplomatic solutions represent the only viable path forward, according to an official summary of a telephone conversation between both nations’ foreign ministers.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has remained absent from public view and has not made any public statements since hostilities began, generating questions about his current situation.

On Friday, a senior Iranian official confirmed that Khamenei was in “complete health” and would eventually make public appearances. Mazaher Hosseini, connected to the office of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died when the war started, spoke at a government-supporting event. Hosseini explained that Mojtaba, the late Khamenei’s son, sustained knee and back injuries during the conflict’s initial attacks but has mostly recovered.

Bahraini officials revealed Saturday that security forces have detained 41 individuals suspected of operating within an intelligence network connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with allegations including espionage activities and assistance to Iranian operations.

According to the Interior Ministry, security services discovered this organization while conducting investigations overseen by prosecutors examining cases involving “espionage on behalf of foreign entities and sympathy for Iranian aggression.”

These detentions occur as Bahrain has strengthened domestic security protocols amid escalating regional conflicts involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. The island nation serves as home to a significant US military installation and was among Gulf states impacted by Iranian strikes that followed American and Israeli military actions against Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry released a statement Saturday expressing Riyadh’s complete backing of Bahrain’s actions to counter efforts designed to undermine the kingdom’s stability.

The ministry additionally lauded Bahraini security personnel, highlighting what it characterized as their success in thwarting attempts to compromise national security.

Following the start of regional hostilities, Bahraini officials have implemented measures targeting individuals suspected of publicly backing Tehran. In the previous month, Bahrain stripped citizenship from 69 people charged with demonstrating support for Iran.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry reiterated Saturday that this case originated from previous investigations connected to foreign-sponsored intelligence operations and assistance to Iranian activities.

Three Israeli soldiers sustained injuries Saturday when explosive drones launched by Hezbollah detonated close to the Lebanese border in the Shlomi region, amid ongoing military exchanges between the two sides.

According to Israeli military reports, one reserve soldier from the Israel Defense Forces suffered serious injuries, while an officer and another reserve soldier received moderate wounds. Medical teams transported the injured personnel to a hospital, and their families have been informed of the incident.

Israeli forces successfully intercepted multiple aerial attacks targeting troops operating in southern Lebanon, with no additional casualties recorded from those incidents.

Reports from Lebanese media outlets indicate that Israeli airstrikes resulted in 12 fatalities in southern Lebanon on Saturday. Prior to the strikes, Israeli military officials ordered civilians in multiple southern Lebanese villages to leave their homes.

Army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued a statement to local residents, saying: “In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you.”

Israeli military officials reported conducting operations against more than 85 Hezbollah infrastructure sites throughout various regions of Lebanon during the previous 24-hour period. The targeted facilities included ammunition storage sites, rocket launchers, and buildings used by the militant organization.

Additional Israeli operations targeted a subterranean weapons production facility located in the Bekaa Valley, along with militant fighters positioned in southern Lebanon.

In separate military actions, Israeli forces attacked storage facilities containing military equipment and destroyed a Hezbollah drone launch site in southern Lebanon that had been used for attacks against Israeli forces. The military also eliminated two rocket launchers that were loaded and ready for deployment.

Warning systems for drone infiltrations activated across the Western Galilee region on Saturday before the Home Front Command declared the threat had passed and authorized residents to exit protective shelters.

Israeli Air Force units intercepted several suspicious aerial objects launched from Lebanese territory toward Israel, according to military statements. Near the border town of Metula, security forces identified an explosive drone deployed by Hezbollah. Military officials confirmed no injuries or property damage occurred, and investigators are examining the location.

Washington remains in a holding pattern as Iranian officials deliberate over a comprehensive peace proposal designed to halt the conflict that started in February.

Iranian leadership is examining a detailed 14-point plan from the United States that would establish a two-month cessation of hostilities, restore access through the Strait of Hormuz, and halt Iran’s uranium enrichment activities for a minimum of 12 years in return for lifting economic sanctions.

The wait extended into Saturday despite earlier expectations for a quicker response. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had indicated Friday that Washington anticipated hearing from Tehran within hours, while Donald Trump suggested the Iranian decision would come “tonight.” As of Saturday, no official word had emerged regarding Iran’s position on the offer.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that Islamabad continues intensive diplomatic efforts with both nations “day and night” to maintain the current ceasefire and advance broader peace negotiations.

Ali Safari, who advises the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, spoke with Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen network about Tehran’s perspective on the strategic waterway dispute. “Iran’s priority is to stop the war, open the Strait of Hormuz and stop American maritime piracy,” Safari stated.

Safari elaborated on Iran’s comprehensive approach to ending hostilities: “When we say ending the war, we mean all fronts, especially Lebanon. We decided to use the Strait of Hormuz card for the Lebanese front. We are in contact with official parties in Lebanon.”

The Iranian advisor also leveled accusations against the United Arab Emirates regarding military involvement. “The United Arab Emirates is among the countries that participated in the war against Iran. We have evidence,” he claimed.

United States Central Command reported Saturday that American forces had “diverted 58 commercial vessels and disabled four, since April 13, to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports,” characterizing these actions as components of the Strait of Hormuz blockade operations.

The past several days have witnessed the most intense confrontations in the critical shipping corridor since a ceasefire began one month ago. The United Arab Emirates also experienced additional attacks on Friday.

Iran’s ISNA news agency published details of diplomatic exchanges that revealed Tehran’s concerns about American military activities in the Persian Gulf. “The recent escalation of tensions by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their numerous actions in violating the ceasefire have added to suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American side in the path of diplomacy,” according to the Iranian diplomatic account.

According to a Wall Street Journal report published Saturday, Israel established a hidden military facility in Iraq’s desert region to bolster its aerial operations against Iran, with sources including U.S. officials providing details to the publication.

The covert installation served as a base for Israeli special operations forces and functioned as a supply center for Israel’s air force operations, according to the newspaper. The facility was constructed with American awareness prior to the commencement of joint U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran, the report states. Search-and-rescue personnel were also stationed at the location to provide assistance to any Israeli aviators who might be shot down, the Journal reported.

Reuters was unable to confirm the Wall Street Journal’s account independently. Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not provide an immediate response when Reuters sought comment on the matter.

The hidden facility nearly came to light in early March when Iraqi state television reported that a local herder had observed suspicious military operations, including aircraft activity in the region.

When Iraqi military personnel were sent to examine the area, Israeli forces conducted aerial bombardments to maintain distance and avoid detection of their position, according to the newspaper’s sources.

The Journal referenced a formal complaint Iraq submitted to the United Nations in late March, alleging that foreign military forces and aerial attacks were responsible for the incident, with Iraq pointing to U.S. involvement. However, the WSJ reported that a source knowledgeable about the situation stated the United States did not participate in the strikes.

A devastating militia assault in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed the lives of no fewer than 69 individuals, according to reports from Agence France-Presse on Saturday.

The deadly violence was confirmed by both local authorities and security officials in the region, AFP reported.

The attack represents the latest incident of violence to plague the central African nation, which has struggled with ongoing conflict and instability.

A devastating coordinated assault on a police station in northwestern Pakistan resulted in the deaths of at least three law enforcement officers on Saturday, with officials warning the death toll could climb significantly higher.

The attack occurred at a police facility located on the outskirts of Bannu, where a vehicle packed with explosives was detonated at the station. Police official Sajjad Khan expressed grave concerns that most of the 15 officers who were working at the post during the incident may have perished, noting that the facility was completely destroyed in the blast.

Khan stated that combat operations were still underway and that the full scope of casualties and destruction would not be determined until the fighting concluded.

An unnamed police official described the multi-phase nature of the assault, explaining: “The terrorists first attacked the police post with an explosives-laden car, and then militants entered its premises and opened fire on the police personnel.”

The official continued: “Other law enforcement personnel were sent to help the police, but the terrorists ambushed them and caused some casualties.”

According to police sources, the attackers also deployed drones during the operation, adding another layer of sophistication to the assault.

Emergency response teams and ambulances from rescue organizations and civilian medical facilities were immediately sent to the location. Officials announced that all government hospitals in Bannu had been placed on emergency status to handle the influx of casualties.

The militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen has taken credit for orchestrating the deadly attack.

Such violent incidents threaten to escalate tensions and resume hostilities along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Earlier this year in February, the most severe clashes in years broke out between the former allies, resulting in Pakistani air strikes within Afghan territory that Pakistan claimed were targeting militant bases.

While the intensity of conflict has diminished since then, sporadic border clashes continue to occur, and no formal ceasefire agreement has been established between the two nations.

Pakistan’s government continues to accuse Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership of providing safe haven to militant groups who use Afghan territory as a base for planning attacks against Pakistani targets.

Taliban officials have rejected these accusations, maintaining that Pakistan’s security challenges with militant groups represent domestic issues rather than cross-border problems.

The British Foreign Office confirmed Saturday that officials called in China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom on Friday in response to a recent court ruling that found two individuals guilty of conducting espionage operations for Hong Kong and China.

The diplomatic summons came after a London court delivered guilty verdicts in a national security case involving the two men, who were convicted of carrying out spying activities that ultimately benefited Chinese interests through Hong Kong connections.

The Foreign Office announced the ambassador’s summons the day after the diplomatic meeting took place, highlighting the serious nature of the espionage convictions and their impact on UK-China relations.

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has temporarily blocked legislation that would have significantly shortened the prison term of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving 27 years for attempting to orchestrate a coup following his 2022 electoral defeat.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the suspension order on Saturday, preventing the implementation of the sentence reduction measure while the nation’s highest court examines its constitutionality, according to court documents.

The controversial legislation, which received congressional approval last month after lawmakers overrode President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto, would have slashed Bolsonaro’s sentence to approximately two years. Under this reduced term, the former right-wing leader could have been released as early as 2028.

Two political parties in Brazil, along with the press association ABI, filed separate legal challenges this week arguing the law violates the constitution. The measure would also have reduced penalties for individuals convicted in connection with the January 2023 uprising, when Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed and damaged the presidential palace, Supreme Court building, and congressional offices.

Justice Moraes determined the law cannot take effect until the Supreme Court completes its review of two separate cases seeking to invalidate the measure on constitutional grounds.

Bolsonaro’s legal team has not yet formally petitioned the court to apply the sentence reduction to their client. However, on Friday, his attorneys submitted a motion requesting criminal review to have the Supreme Court overturn his conviction entirely.

The former president is currently serving his sentence under humanitarian house arrest conditions, which were initially granted for 90 days based on medical considerations.

DAKAR, Senegal — Rebel forces operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo have criticized the United States for inadequate mediation efforts in the ongoing conflict plaguing the nation’s resource-rich eastern territories, as the Trump administration works to secure access to the area’s strategic mineral deposits for American interests.

Congolese rebel commander Corneille Nangaa penned a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alleging that Washington has not adequately confronted the Congolese government regarding its purported breaches of peace agreements.

The correspondence, obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday, bore the signature of the Congo River Alliance, an organization that encompasses the M23 rebel faction supported by Rwanda.

Last year, Congo and Rwanda entered into a peace agreement facilitated by the United States, designed to halt the prolonged violence in eastern Congo. The arrangement outlined economic cooperation terms among the three nations and promised to facilitate agreements concerning rare earth mineral extraction.

President Donald Trump lauded the heads of state — Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame — when the deal was reached. Trump has frequently highlighted his role in brokering the agreement. Despite the accord, combat operations persist in the area, with rebel and government military units each claiming the other side has broken the peace terms.

Nangaa’s letter to Rubio also condemned American sanctions targeting “actors critical of the authorities in power” in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital city. This appears to reference recent U.S. penalties imposed on former Congolese leader Joseph Kabila for his suspected involvement in financing and assisting rebel groups. Washington previously sanctioned Rwanda’s armed forces and four high-ranking officials for their support of M23.

“Your administration has neither imposed any sanctions nor issued even a simple warning to the leaders in Kinshasa, whose intransigent and arrogant attitude calls into question the impartiality and neutrality of the American Facilitator/Mediator,” the letter stated.

“The absence of clearly identifiable corrective measures fuels questions regarding the facilitation’s ability to preserve, over time, the requirements of impartiality and neutrality that are essential to its credibility,” it continued.

Congo, the United States, and United Nations specialists maintain that Rwanda provides backing to M23, which has expanded from several hundred fighters in 2021 to approximately 6,500 combatants, according to UN data.

Eastern Congo has endured decades of violence as government troops battle over 100 armed organizations, with M23 being the most formidable, frequently competing for control of the region’s mineral wealth. M23 forces launched a significant offensive in the area in early 2023, capturing Goma and other strategic locations while rapidly extending their territorial control.

Although American diplomatic intervention has helped reduce regional tensions, it has not halted the intensifying ground combat, according to Kristof Titeca, a University of Antwerp professor who specializes in Central African governance and conflict issues.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Three law enforcement officers died Saturday night when militants launched a coordinated assault on a police facility in Pakistan’s northwestern region, authorities confirmed.

The deadly incident occurred in Bannu district within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which shares a border with Afghanistan, according to police official Zahid Khan. Attackers used a vehicle packed with explosives while armed fighters engaged officers in combat.

Khan reported that numerous blasts echoed through the area following the initial explosion, which destroyed both the police facility and several residential buildings in the vicinity due to the powerful detonation.

The police official declined to provide additional information, noting that gunfire continued between security forces and the attackers. He added that some officers sustained injuries and may be buried beneath debris from the collapsed structures.

Authorities have not identified which organization orchestrated the assault.

Intelligence experts anticipate the Pakistani Taliban, formally called Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, along with associated extremist organizations, will likely emerge as suspects given their history of conducting comparable operations. The nation has experienced an escalation in extremist attacks over recent years.

The TTP operates independently from but maintains ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban movement, which assumed control of the neighboring country in 2021.

MOSCOW, May 9 – Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Saturday that he believes the ongoing war in Ukraine is approaching its conclusion.

The conflict, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has created the most severe tensions between Russia and Western nations since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, a period when many feared global nuclear conflict was imminent.

“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin stated when speaking with reporters about the Ukrainian war.

Recent reports from the Financial Times on Thursday indicated that leaders across the European Union are making preparations for possible negotiations.

When questioned about his openness to discussions with European officials, Putin indicated his preference would be to work with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Russian government officials stated last week that European nations must initiate contact first, since they were responsible for cutting off diplomatic communication with Moscow when the Ukrainian conflict began in 2022.

Seven people lost their lives, including one child, when Israeli forces targeted the Lebanese town of Saksakiyeh on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Fifteen others sustained injuries in the attack.

Israeli military officials confirmed they conducted the operation against Hezbollah fighters in the area, claiming the militants were preparing assaults on Israeli troops.

“The IDF is aware of reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians in the structure in which the terrorists were struck. The details of the incident are under review,” military officials stated.

The deadly confrontation marks continued violence between Israeli forces and the armed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where Israel maintains what it calls a security zone. This ongoing conflict persists even after a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States was announced on April 16.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces reported killing a high-ranking Hezbollah commander from the elite Radwan unit on Wednesday. The strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs was the first of its kind since the ceasefire declaration.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continue as the United States facilitates discussions between Lebanese and Israeli representatives. These meetings represent the most significant diplomatic contact between the two nations’ government officials in many years.

State Department officials confirmed that Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington will participate in a third round of negotiations scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week.

A liquefied natural gas tanker from Qatar was making its way toward the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, heading to Pakistan after leaving Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal, maritime tracking information from LSEG reveals.

If the vessel completes its journey successfully, it would represent the first time a Qatari LNG ship has made it through the strategic waterway since Iran began its military campaign. QatarEnergy has not yet responded to requests for comment.

The tanker Al Kharaitiyat operates under a Marshall Islands flag and is operated by Nakilat Shipping Qatar Ltd, with storage space for 211,986 cubic meters of cargo, maritime records indicate.

In early April, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stopped two LNG vessels from Qatar – the Al Daayen and Rasheeda – as they approached the Strait of Hormuz on April 6, ordering them to remain stationary without providing any reasoning, according to a source who spoke to Reuters.

As the globe’s second-biggest LNG supplier, Qatar primarily ships its energy exports to Asian markets. Iranian military actions have damaged 17% of Qatar’s LNG shipping capabilities, with reconstruction work anticipated to keep 12.8 million tons annually of the fuel offline for three to five years.

BEIRUT — Saturday’s deadly Israeli military operations resulted in 17 fatalities across Lebanon, with drone attacks targeting vehicles south of Beirut claiming four lives and separate airstrikes in the country’s southern region killing at least 13 others, according to state media and Health Ministry reports.

The vehicle-targeting drone operations south of Lebanon’s capital represent a significant escalation in hostilities, occurring despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that took effect on April 17. Despite the truce, both sides have maintained daily military operations.

Earlier this week on Wednesday evening, Israeli warplanes conducted an airstrike on a southern Beirut suburb, with Israel claiming the operation eliminated a high-ranking Hezbollah military commander. That attack marked the first strike near the capital since the ceasefire agreement was established.

Saturday’s drone operations included two strikes along the major highway connecting Beirut to the southern coastal city of Sidon, injuring several individuals, while a third attack occurred on a roadway leading to Lebanon’s Chouf region, resulting in three deaths, the state-operated National News Agency reported.

An Associated Press correspondent at one scene observed a fatality on the highway in Saadiyat.

Health Ministry officials confirmed that an Israeli airstrike on Saksakiyeh village in southern Lebanon resulted in at least seven deaths, including one child, with 15 people wounded. Ministry representatives noted this represented preliminary casualty figures.

Additional strikes hit various southern Lebanese communities, including an attack on Bourj Rahhal village that killed three people and another in Maifadoun that claimed one life, according to agency reports.

In a particularly tragic incident, Health Ministry officials said three Israeli drone strikes killed a Syrian man traveling by motorcycle with his 12-year-old daughter in Nabatiyeh city.

According to ministry accounts, following the initial attack, the man and his daughter managed to escape the immediate area before being targeted again by the drone, instantly killing the father. The wounded girl then moved approximately 100 meters away before being struck a third time by the drone. The child later succumbed to her injuries at a medical facility, NNA reported.

“The Ministry of Public Health denounces this barbaric targeting and the deliberate violence against civilians and children in Lebanon,” ministry officials stated, describing the attack as part of an ongoing pattern “of grave violations of International Humanitarian Law.”

Israeli military representatives reported that Hezbollah launched explosive drones into Israeli territory near the Lebanese border, with three soldiers wounded in one attack, including one seriously injured. Military officials added that Hezbollah also deployed drones within Lebanese territory, with one striking an Israeli vehicle without causing casualties.

Hezbollah acknowledged responsibility for multiple attacks within Lebanon and confirmed firing a drone at an Israeli military installation in the northern community of Misgav Am.

The current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah commenced on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel, occurring two days after the United States and Israel initiated military action against Hezbollah’s primary supporter, Iran. Israel has subsequently conducted hundreds of aerial bombardments and launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon, seizing control of numerous border towns and villages.

Subsequently, Lebanon and Israel engaged in their first direct negotiations in over thirty years. The two nations have remained technically at war since Israel’s establishment in 1948.

A new round of diplomatic discussions is planned for Washington beginning Thursday and continuing for two days.

A 10-day ceasefire announced in Washington became effective on April 17, with the agreement later extended for an additional three weeks.

In Syria’s capital Damascus, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam conducted discussions Saturday with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing security cooperation amid regional conflicts.

Addressing reporters before returning to Lebanon, Salam stated that Lebanon would not again be utilized to harm “our Arab brothers, on top of them Syria.” The Prime Minister was making an indirect reference to Hezbollah’s participation in Syria’s civil conflict that began in 2011, supporting the five-decade Assad family regime that concluded in December 2024.

LOS LLANITOS, Mexico — In a dusty field along Mexico’s Pacific shoreline, five young cousins ranging from 8 to 13 years old remove their clothing and footwear. Adults nearby assist them in putting on traditional pre-Hispanic gear called “fajado” — loincloths and leather belts wrapped around their waists.

The Osuna youngsters take hold of a solid rubber ball weighing 3.2 kilograms — approximately 7 pounds, making it seven times heavier than a standard soccer ball — and start their game. Players can only strike the ball with their hips, requiring them to jump high in the air or drop low when the ball bounces near the earth.

With Mexico set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the country is reflecting on a sport that dates back 3,400 years — ulama, one of humanity’s oldest team competitions. This ceremonial practice was almost completely destroyed during Spanish colonization and only endured in isolated areas of northwestern Mexico until experiencing a renaissance in the late 1900s. Now, officials and contemporary players are using soccer’s global popularity to bring attention to this ancient game once more.

Though players recognize that tourist interest helped revive the sport, many express concern that promoting an “exotic” image damages a tradition that defines their cultural identity.

“We must rid the game of the notion that it is a living fossil,” said Emilie Carreón, a researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM, and director of a project aimed at studying and practicing the sport.

The Osuna family exemplifies this mission. Following the death of ulama player Aurelio Osuna, his wife María Herrera, 53, has carried on his work by instructing their grandchildren in the ballgame within their small Sinaloa village, located 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) northwest of Mexico City.

“This seed will bear fruit someday,” she said.

The Popol Vuh, the holy Mayan text, describes how the universe began through a ballgame where light battled darkness to create balance between life and death and set everything in motion.

Before the Maya civilization, the Olmecs — Mesoamerica’s earliest known society — participated in this sport. This reenactment of opposing forces was widespread among various pre-Hispanic cultures. Archaeological evidence includes ancient rubber balls discovered throughout Mexico and nearly 2,000 ball courts spanning from Nicaragua to Arizona.

Historical records show the game in codices, stone engravings, and sculptures, revealing multiple variations and purposes — from fertility and war rituals to political demonstrations and even human sacrifices.

Although some participants faced execution — potentially the defeated players — Guatemalan archaeologist and anthropologist Carlos Navarrete clarified this happened only during certain time periods and in specific areas. The physically challenging game primarily served as a major social gathering, attracting crowds for entertainment and gambling.

Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés admired the display presented by Aztec ruler Moctezuma, but the Spanish eventually prohibited ulama and commanded the demolition of its courts, likely considering the practice as opposition to Christian beliefs. According to the Catholic Church, “the ball was the living devil,” Carreón explained.

The sport — involving striking the ball with hips, forearms, or mallets — only persisted along Mexico’s northern Pacific coastline, where Jesuit-led colonization was gentler and ulama became incorporated into Catholic celebrations, according to Manuel Aguilar Moreno, an art history professor at California State University.

During the opening ceremony of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, audiences witnessed muscular men twisting their bodies in surprising ways to maintain the rubber ball’s movement for extended periods. This demonstration inspired research about the ballgame and preservation efforts in subsequent decades.

Luis Aurelio Osuna, 30, Herrera’s oldest son, started playing hip ulama after classes, following his father’s example from decades earlier in Los Llanitos, a ranch near the port city of Mazatlán. Today his three children also participate.

Osuna and his mother instruct the children on ball-striking techniques and explain the complex regulations, including a point system where scores can be gained and lost.

Their motivation combines love for the game with practical concerns in a state where criminal organizations are widespread.

“We need to find a way to keep them entertained with good things,” said Osuna.

Hip ulama squads can include up to six participants, and the Osuna family occasionally competes in tournaments or demonstrations.

Years ago, competitions were major occasions connected to religious celebrations, sometimes lasting an entire week. However, those times have passed as enthusiasm declined and rubber balls became difficult to obtain.

During the 1980s, filmmaker Roberto Rochín recorded the work of possibly the final rubber ball craftsman in Sinaloa’s mountains. The artisan created them using methods similar to the Olmecs, who learned that combining heated rubber sap with plant materials produced strong, flexible, and long-lasting material. This civilization manufactured some of the world’s earliest balls.

Throughout the 1990s, employees from a Mexican Caribbean resort traveled nationwide seeking Sinaloan families who could demonstrate the ballgame as entertainment in the Riviera Maya, where the sport had disappeared.

“It’s pure spectacle: they paint their faces and put on feathered costumes,” Herrera said. Still, she recognizes its importance. “That’s where the revival began.”

The ballgame started expanding and gaining recognition beyond Mexico’s borders. Osuna, playing with his father’s team, eventually performed hip ulama in an Italian Roman amphitheater. The attention was so significant they were recruited for a deodorant advertisement, he recalled.

As the World Cup nears, government agencies and companies are organizing exhibitions in Mexico City and Guadalajara, and including ulama players in advertising campaigns celebrating Mexican culture — a development that has created conflicted reactions.

“We’re not circus monkeys,” says Ángel Ortega, a 21-year-old ulama player from Mexico City who recently participated in a TV commercial alongside football players.

Ilse Sil, a player and member of the UNAM project led by Carreón, thinks institutional backing will help preserve ulama, but officials must promote the game in communities and schools to attract more young participants, as it remains a niche sport with roughly 1,000 players primarily in Mexico and Guatemala.

In Los Llanitos, Herrera’s grandchildren enjoy playing. Location doesn’t matter to them — whether in the dirt field, on a proper court, or even in their home hallway — but they always use their treasured inheritance: a handcrafted rubber ball from Sinaloa’s mountains that’s decades old. They claim it absorbs impacts more effectively.

Eight-year-old Kiki shows the greatest passion. He declares his commitment to continue training until he achieves his goal of captaining his own team.

LONDON – British officials announced Saturday that the Royal Navy has moved its HMS Dragon destroyer to the Middle East region as part of advance preparations for a possible international mission to safeguard merchant vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.

The air defense warship had been stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean since March, where it was assigned to help protect Cyprus following the outbreak of conflict involving Iran.

Britain’s decision to reposition the vessel comes as France has also moved its carrier battle group to the southern Red Sea region, with both European nations collaborating on defensive measures designed to rebuild trust in the vital shipping corridor.

A representative from Britain’s Ministry of Defence explained the strategic move, stating: “The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of prudent planning that will ensure that the UK is ready, as part of a multinational coalition jointly led by the UK and France, to secure the Strait, when conditions allow.”

The coordinated European response comes as tensions between the United States and Iran appear to be moving toward a possible resolution after 10 weeks of conflict, with British and French officials developing proposals to establish secure passage through the waterway once regional stability returns.

Any protective operation would require cooperation with Iranian authorities, and approximately twelve nations have expressed interest in participating in such an initiative.

However, Britain’s capacity to contribute to any naval protection effort faces constraints due to the Royal Navy’s reduced size compared to previous decades, with some vessels being decommissioned before replacement ships become operational.

A Palestinian family in the West Bank reports they were forced to dig up their elderly father’s remains after Israeli settlers confronted them at a village cemetery, demanding the body be removed from what they claimed was settlement land.

Mohammed Asasa says his 80-year-old father Hussein died of natural causes on Friday and was laid to rest that same evening in the cemetery of Asasa village, located near Jenin. The burial proceeded with all required permits from Israeli military authorities, who were present during the ceremony.

However, the family received an urgent call from villagers shortly after the funeral, informing them that settlers had arrived at the gravesite and were demanding the grave be excavated.

“They said the land was for settlement and that burial was not allowed. We told them that this is the village’s cemetery, not part of the settlement,” Mohammed Asasa explained.

When the settlers threatened to use heavy machinery to dig up the grave, the family made the difficult decision to remove their father’s body themselves, according to Asasa.

“We found that they already dug the grave and reached the body,” he stated. “We continued digging and got the body and buried him in another cemetery.”

Social media footage appears to document the disturbing scene, showing settlers observing as individuals excavate a hillside grave. The video then captures people carrying what appears to be human remains while Israeli soldiers follow behind. Reuters confirmed the footage was recorded in Asasa.

Israeli military officials acknowledged that the funeral had been properly coordinated with their forces and stated they never instructed the family to relocate the burial. Troops were dispatched to the location after receiving reports of a confrontation involving settlers who were “digging in the area.”

“The soldiers confiscated digging tools from the Israeli civilians and remained at the location in order to prevent further friction,” military representatives said, adding their condemnation of actions that violate the “dignity of the living and the deceased.”

The United Nations Human Rights Office strongly criticized the incident.

“This is appalling and emblematic of the dehumanisation of Palestinians that we see unfolding across the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories). It spares no one, dead or alive,” declared Ajith Sunghay, who leads the OHCHR Palestinian office.

Attempts to contact settlers from the adjacent Sa-Nur settlement were unsuccessful.

Sa-Nur was among 19 settlements dismantled during Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan, which also involved removing settlers and military forces from Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration authorized Sa-Nur’s reconstruction one year ago, and building activity has progressed quickly, according to Peace Now, an organization that monitors Israeli settlement activity.

The West Bank represents territory that Palestinians hope will become part of a future independent state. Israel justifies its presence there based on historical and biblical connections to the region, along with security considerations.

Netanyahu’s current government, which firmly rejects Palestinian statehood, has been expanding settlement construction while increasing settler violence against Palestinians has prompted international concern.

The United Nations and most nations consider Israeli settlements on West Bank territory seized during the 1967 conflict to be illegal under international law, though Israel challenges this interpretation.

Peter Magyar officially took the oath of office as Hungary’s new prime minister on Saturday, riding into power on campaign pledges to transform the country after years of economic struggles and deteriorating relationships with Western partners during Viktor Orban’s lengthy tenure.

The center-right politician toppled the nationalist Orban in a decisive April 12 electoral victory, ending Orban’s 16-year grip on power. Magyar’s Tisza party secured a constitutional majority in the vote, positioning him to reverse institutional changes that opponents argue undermined Hungarian democracy.

Markets and citizens have responded positively to Magyar’s election win. Hungary’s currency, the forint, reached four-year peaks against the euro, government bond yields dropped, and polling conducted after the election shows increased support for the Tisza party.

However, the 45-year-old leader faces immediate challenges, as he must quickly secure billions of euros in frozen European Union funds essential for reviving Hungary’s struggling economy and addressing the country’s financial difficulties.

“Hungarian people have given us a mandate to put an end to decades of drifting,” Magyar stated. “They have given us a mandate to open a new chapter in Hungary’s history. Not only to change the government, but to change the system as well. To start again.”

The new prime minister takes control of an economy that barely escaped recession in the first quarter and now confronts new challenges from rising energy prices connected to Middle Eastern conflicts, which could significantly impact Europe’s import-dependent economies.

Government financial data released Friday revealed Hungary’s budget shortfall had already consumed 71% of the annual target by April, largely due to Orban’s pre-election spending spree. Magyar has warned the deficit might climb to 7% of the country’s economic output this year.

Magyar has committed to restoring Hungary’s alignment with Western nations. The NATO member country had been perceived as moving closer to Moscow under Orban, who resisted European Union initiatives to assist Ukraine in defending against Russia’s military invasion.

The new leader has also announced plans to halt public media news programming after assuming power, claiming state-controlled media and pro-Orban outlets helped the former prime minister retain control while limiting coverage of opposition voices.

Magyar, who has vowed to launch an extensive anti-corruption campaign, is working to negotiate an agreement with EU officials to release the suspended funding by May 25.

JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities freed two international activists from detention Saturday following their arrest during a humanitarian mission to Gaza last month, according to their legal representatives.

Spanish citizen Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian national Thiago Avila had been held since April 29 when Israeli forces stopped their vessel bound for the Gaza Strip.

The two men were participants in the second Global Sumud Flotilla, which departed Spain on April 12 with the goal of delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza while challenging Israel’s naval blockade of the territory.

Israeli foreign ministry officials accused Abu Keshek of having ties to a terrorist organization and alleged Avila engaged in illegal activities. Both men have rejected these accusations.

The Spanish and Brazilian governments condemned the detentions as illegal, though Israel’s Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court had ordered the men held until May 10.

Adalah, a human rights organization providing legal support for the activists, also challenged the legality of their imprisonment. The group announced that Abu Keshek and Avila were notified Saturday of their release from detention and transfer to immigration custody pending deportation.

“Adalah is closely monitoring developments to make sure that the release from detention goes ahead, followed by their deportation from Israel in the coming days,” the organization stated. Israeli officials could not be reached immediately for response.

During their detention, Israeli authorities investigated the activists for potential charges including providing assistance to enemies and maintaining contact with terrorist organizations.

The Palestinian territory of Gaza remains under the control of Hamas, which Israel and many Western nations classify as a terrorist group.

Hamas launched its October 7, 2023 assault against Israel, triggering the current conflict in Gaza that has displaced most of the territory’s residents and created widespread dependence on humanitarian assistance that aid organizations report is arriving inadequately.

BUDAPEST – Peter Magyar officially took the oath of office as Hungary’s new prime minister on Saturday, marking a significant political transition for the European nation.

The centre-right politician’s rise to power comes after he campaigned on a reform agenda, promising to address the country’s prolonged period of economic difficulties and repair damaged relationships with important international allies that deteriorated during Viktor Orban’s time in leadership.

Magyar’s inauguration represents a notable shift in Hungarian politics as the nation seeks to move forward from recent challenges under the previous administration.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An unstable truce between the United States and Iran appeared to remain intact Saturday following American military action against Iranian oil vessels, while Bahrain announced the arrest of dozens allegedly tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Friday’s military actions raised questions about the delicate month-long ceasefire that Washington maintains remains valid. The United States continues to wait for Tehran’s response to its most recent peace proposal aimed at ending hostilities, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and scaling back Iran’s controversial nuclear activities.

American military officials reported Friday that their forces had incapacitated two Iranian oil tankers attempting to break through a U.S. naval blockade at Iranian ports. Earlier that day, the military announced it had prevented attacks on three Navy vessels and conducted strikes against Iranian military installations in the strategic waterway.

In Bahrain, the small Gulf nation’s Interior Ministry announced Saturday the detention of 41 individuals suspected of belonging to a cell connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Officials said investigations continue to identify additional members of the organization, though they declined to provide additional specifics.

The island kingdom operates under Sunni Muslim leadership while maintaining a predominantly Shiite population similar to Iran. Human rights organizations have accused Bahrain of exploiting the Iran-U.S. conflict, which involves the country hosting America’s Fifth Fleet, to justify suppressing domestic opposition.

Tehran has largely sealed off the vital shipping lane for global energy supplies since the United States and Israel initiated military action on February 28, triggering worldwide fuel price increases and destabilizing international markets. Washington has implemented its own naval blockade of Iranian shipping facilities.

American military officials released footage showing Friday’s strikes on the two Iranian tankers, with fighter jets targeting their smokestacks. Earlier this week, a U.S. military aircraft disabled a tanker’s steering system after officials said it attempted to violate the blockade.

An overnight American attack resulted in at least one sailor’s death and injured 10 others when a cargo ship caught fire, according to a news outlet linked to Iran’s judicial system. Officials have not confirmed whether this vessel was among the two tankers the U.S. acknowledged striking.

President Donald Trump has maintained that the ceasefire continues despite recent military actions. He has repeated warnings about resuming comprehensive bombing campaigns if Iran rejects an agreement to reopen the strait and curtail its nuclear development.

Iranian foreign ministry representative Esmail Baghaei stated Friday that his country was ignoring “deadlines” and continues examining the American proposal for ongoing talks, state-run IRNA reported.

A senior Iranian official also confirmed Friday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains in “complete health” and will make public appearances in the future.

Mazaher Hosseini, connected to the former Supreme Leader’s office, made these statements at a government-supporting event. Hosseini explained that Mojtaba had experienced knee and back problems that have mostly resolved, leaving him in good physical condition.

Khamenei has not appeared publicly since hostilities began, and the ongoing lack of verified photographs, recordings, or video footage has sparked questions about his wellbeing. Statements like Hosseini’s are viewed by some as efforts to address speculation that he may have died.

International diplomatic activity has increased as tensions continue rising.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced Saturday that both Russia and Saudi Arabia are advocating for continued diplomatic work toward a “sustainable, long-term agreement” to conclude the conflict.

Top diplomats from Egypt and Qatar have also emphasized that diplomatic solutions represent the only viable path forward, according to details from a Saturday telephone conversation between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed his nation has maintained continuous contact with both the United States and Iran “day and night” working to extend the ceasefire and achieve a lasting peace agreement.

A temporary halt in hostilities between Russia and Ukraine began Saturday, offering war-weary civilians their first peaceful nights in months as part of a three-day truce negotiated by American officials.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that both nations had committed to the ceasefire running from May 9 through May 11, which also includes an exchange of prisoners. Trump expressed optimism for a “big extension” of the agreement.

The pause in fighting coincided with Russia’s World War Two victory commemoration in Moscow, which proceeded without incident despite earlier Russian threats of potential Ukrainian attacks that could have prompted massive retaliation against Kyiv.

Ukrainian air defense forces reported detecting some unmanned aircraft along the extensive 1,000-kilometer front line stretching across southeastern Ukraine during morning hours, though no missile alerts were issued overnight or into Saturday.

“On the one hand, this is very good because, honestly, the sleepless nights have gotten a bit tiresome,” said Kateryna Kizev, who evacuated from the frontline city of Kherson in the south and currently resides in Cherkasy in central Ukraine.

“At least for a few days we will be able to sleep in peace and without the attacks,” the 22-year-old told Reuters at Kyiv’s Independence Square during a weekend visit to the capital.

KREMLIN SAYS A UKRAINIAN SETTLEMENT IS COMPLICATED

Ever since Russia launched its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has bombarded power facilities and critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine using missiles and drones, while Kyiv has targeted Russia’s energy production and export sites.

Diplomatic efforts have reached an impasse, with Ukraine refusing Russia’s conditions that it relinquish territory it has successfully protected after forcing Russian troops away from the capital during the early stages of the conflict.

“It is understandable that the American side is in a hurry,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin.

“But the issue of a Ukrainian settlement is far too complex, and reaching a peace agreement is a very long way with complex details,” Peskov said.

The temporary truce encompasses a halt to all “kinetic activity” and an arrangement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from both sides. Officials had not announced Saturday when the prisoner swap would occur.

“There were no strikes on the Red Square. Obviously, there was no massive retaliatory missile strike on Kyiv from us,” Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.

Both Russia and Ukraine had previously declared individual ceasefires starting on different days this week, but each side rapidly accused the other of violations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy indicated the current truce resulted from ongoing U.S. diplomatic initiatives and emphasized that humanitarian concerns remain central to Kyiv’s priorities.

UKRAINE MARKS VICTORY DAY DIFFERENTLY

Ukraine, which remained part of the Soviet Union until 1991 and suffered millions of casualties during World War Two, shifted its remembrance ceremonies for the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany from May 9 to May 8 after Russia’s invasion began.

However, some Ukrainian citizens who lost family members during World War Two continue to place flowers at Soviet military monuments on May 9.

“This ceasefire – for a day, or two or three – these are temporary measures. We need peace. It is the fifth year already. It is enough,” Oleksandr Boiko told Reuters in Kharkiv.

“I have lost everything… We need peace.”

Another Kharkiv resident, Ramaz Tsytsyashvili, expressed hope that the ceasefire might create opportunities for additional discussions to conclude the war.

“And perhaps there will be a miracle and this temporary silence, this ceasefire, will hold up a bit and continue, and then step by step it will move to negotiations, and affairs will be solved in offices, not on the battlefield.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized Saturday that European nations remain committed to preserving NATO’s effectiveness, even as disagreements with the Trump administration over the Iran conflict have created new strains within the alliance.

Speaking during a press conference in Stockholm alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Merz addressed mounting concerns about NATO’s future amid escalating disputes between Washington and European partners.

Relations have deteriorated significantly after Germany and several other European nations declined to back the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran that started in late February. These tensions add to existing friction over defense spending requirements and immigration policies that Trump has previously criticized.

“We are really willing to keep this alliance alive for the future,” Merz stated during the joint appearance. He noted that both Sweden and Finland have bolstered NATO’s European component.

“We know that there are some differences. We know that we are seeing challenges, all of us, but our final goal is to bring this conflict to an end and to guarantee that Iran is not able to produce nuclear weapons,” the German leader explained.

“And this goal is a common goal between America and Europe,” he added.

The relationship between Germany and the U.S. has become particularly strained after Merz criticized Iran for “humiliating” America last month. In response, Trump ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 American troops and canceled plans to deploy long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Merz downplayed the significance of troop reductions, arguing that “unity of purpose” matters more than numbers. He maintained that having a robust European NATO presence serves American interests.

“We are remaining interested and highly interested in having the American army and the American military support on our side,” he said. “So this is something we are having in common and we are trying to achieve that currently.”

European nations, including Germany, are investing heavily in military modernization after years of reduced defense spending, responding to what Merz described earlier Saturday as an immediate Russian threat to Europe.

His comments came as Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in Moscow’s annual parade commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two. Merz expressed disappointment that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico had reportedly planned to attend the ceremony, saying he intended to discuss “this day in Moscow” with the Slovak leader.

However, while Fico did travel to Moscow, he ultimately chose not to participate in the parade itself.

MADRID – Five European nations have committed to dispatching aircraft to retrieve their citizens from a cruise vessel bound for Spain following a hantavirus outbreak aboard the ship, according to Spain’s interior minister who spoke in Madrid on Saturday.

Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced that Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands have all confirmed their evacuation plans. Additionally, the European Union will provide two more aircraft for other European passengers, he stated.

The United States and United Kingdom have also arranged flights and backup plans for non-EU passengers whose home countries cannot provide air transportation, Grande-Marlaska explained.

Travelers will be permitted to bring only necessary personal items, while their remaining baggage and the body of a passenger who died aboard the vessel will stay with the ship as it travels to the Netherlands for disinfection procedures, Garcia noted.

Spanish nationals will be the first to leave the ship, with health officials determining the sequence for evacuating other passenger groups. Grande-Marlaska emphasized that no passengers will be permitted to leave the vessel until their designated evacuation aircraft is prepared for immediate departure.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia conducted its annual Victory Day commemoration on Saturday with a reduced military display in Moscow’s Red Square, surrounded by enhanced security protocols.

The Associated Press photo desk compiled a collection of images documenting the ceremony.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to rebuild his faltering administration Saturday as pressure mounted for his resignation following catastrophic local election defeats that saw his Labour Party lose ground across the United Kingdom.

Saturday’s final tallies revealed Labour’s loss of 1,000 council seats throughout England and the end of their 27-year reign in Wales. Meanwhile, the anti-immigration Reform UK party secured nearly 1,300 seats across England, finished runner-up in Wales, and expanded their presence in Scotland.

The outcomes delivered a harsh judgment from voters in contests many viewed as an unofficial vote of confidence in Starmer, whose approval ratings have collapsed since bringing his center-left party to power fewer than two years ago.

Despite the electoral devastation, Starmer declared he would not abandon his post “and plunge the country into chaos,” and no immediate leadership challenge materialized against him.

Cabinet members rallied around Starmer, while prominent Labour figures viewed as potential successors remained silent. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham have avoided making any leadership moves.

However, an increasing number of Labour members of parliament called for the prime minister to establish a timeline for stepping down this year. Under British parliamentary rules, parties can replace their leader during a term without triggering new elections.

“There has to be a timetable,” legislator Clive Betts told the BBC. Fellow lawmaker Tony Vaughan advocated for an “orderly transition of leadership.”

In a bid to signal change Saturday, Starmer recalled two veteran Labour figures from previous administrations. He named former Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a special envoy for global finance and appointed ex-deputy leader Harriet Harman as an adviser on women and girls’ issues.

Starmer plans to deliver a major address Monday aimed at rebuilding momentum before the government outlines its legislative agenda Wednesday during King Charles III’s speech at Parliament’s State Opening ceremony.

The elections marked a major victory for Reform UK, the newest far-right movement under veteran nationalist leader Nigel Farage.

Campaigning on anti-establishment and anti-immigration platforms, the party captured hundreds of local council positions in working-class northern English communities like Sunderland that had been Labour strongholds for generations. Reform also seized territory from Conservatives in areas such as Essex county, located east of London.

Farage declared the outcomes represented a “historic change in British politics.” He expressed confidence that “voters who have come to us are not doing it as a short-term protest.”

Reform UK currently controls only eight of Parliament’s 650 seats, leaving questions about whether the party could replicate this success in nationwide elections.

The voting produced regional governments in Scotland and Wales controlled by independence-minded parties committed to dissolving the United Kingdom, though neither is actively pursuing that agenda.

The Scottish National Party, which has ruled from Edinburgh since 2007, secured another term but failed to achieve a majority, making an independence referendum unlikely. Labour and Reform finished tied for a distant second place.

Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) captured the most seats in Cardiff’s legislature, the Senedd. The party, which supports Welsh independence but lacks immediate plans for pursuing it, fell short of a majority but will likely form the new government. Reform finished second while Labour placed a distant third in one of their traditional strongholds, with outgoing First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat.

Economic struggles form the core of Labour’s difficulties, mirroring challenges facing incumbent governments worldwide.

After ending 14 years of Conservative leadership marked by austerity measures and the COVID-19 pandemic, Labour has failed to address cost-of-living concerns and revitalize a stagnant economy amid challenging conditions created by the Ukraine conflict and, recently, Iran. Starmer has also frustrated supporters through welfare spending cuts, some of which were reversed following internal Labour opposition.

Some Labour members argue the government’s accomplishments, including tenant protections and minimum wage increases, are being overlooked. Many blame Starmer, describing him as an uninspiring leader distracted by controversies including his controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson, a scandal-linked associate of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

However, Stephen Houghton, the departing leader of Barnsley council in northern England where Labour lost to Reform, suggested the issues “go deeper than the prime minister.”

“This has been coming for 30 years around the country, in post-industrial communities, coastal communities, that have been left behind,” he explained. “You can change prime ministers all day long. If you don’t change policy, it’s not going to charge.”

The results demonstrate the fragmentation of UK politics following decades of Labour and Conservative Party dominance, with both traditional parties suffering significant losses Thursday.

Voters had numerous options, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and nationalist movements in Scotland and Wales.

The major beneficiaries were populist newcomers Reform UK and the Green Party, which has broadened its focus from environmental issues to social justice and Palestinian advocacy under self-described “eco populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens captured hundreds of council seats from Labour in urban areas and university communities while gaining control of multiple local governments.

Tony Travers, a government professor at the London School of Economics, suggested the results indicate the next national election, scheduled by 2029, may not produce a majority for any single party.

“So then you’re in the world of, after the election, two or three big minority parties trying to work out how they would govern,” he explained — a scenario traditionally viewed as “very un-British.”

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Search teams recovered the remains of one woman Saturday following a deadly volcanic eruption at Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s remote Halmahera island, while operations continue to locate two missing Singaporean climbers, according to local officials.

Twenty hikers had attempted to climb the 4,445-foot volcano Friday despite existing safety prohibitions when Dukono suddenly erupted in the early morning hours, sending a massive ash plume approximately 6 miles skyward.

The recovered victim, identified only as Enjel and described as an experienced local climber, was discovered Saturday afternoon roughly 165 feet from the main crater’s edge, according to Iwan Ramdani, director of the local Search and Rescue Office. Two Singaporean climbers remain missing as rescue operations continue despite ongoing volcanic activity.

“The rescue efforts went through a situation that required careful calculation and a well-planned evacuation strategy,” Ramdani explained. “We took into account the potential escalation of volcanic activity as well as the safety of all personnel.”

Seventeen climbers were successfully rescued following the initial eruption, including seven Singapore nationals and two Indonesian climbers who later assisted rescue teams by providing crucial information about climbing paths used by the missing victims. Ten of those evacuated sustained minor burns.

More than 100 rescue personnel supported by drone technology resumed search efforts Saturday morning, concentrating on a 7,500-square-foot zone where evidence was discovered during initial operations, despite dangerous conditions and continued eruptions.

Ramdani emphasized that rescuer safety remains the top priority given Dukono’s elevated volcanic activity.

“The main challenge in this search effort is that we are racing against ongoing eruptions,” Ramdani stated in a video message. “When the authorities declare conditions safe, we move closer to the crater area, but when an eruption occurs, we must immediately secure all search personnel from potential danger.”

Indonesia’s volcanic monitoring agency documented several eruptions from early Saturday through late morning, with ash columns reaching heights of nearly 10,000 feet above the crater. Monitoring stations also recorded lava bursts throughout the overnight hours.

Mount Dukono has maintained the country’s second-highest alert classification since 2008. Officials established a 2.5-mile restricted zone around the active crater in December 2024.

Regional authorities officially prohibited all hiking access to Mount Dukono in April and strengthened the prohibition following Friday’s incident. The National Disaster Management Agency cautioned that violating restricted areas could lead to legal consequences.

The agency called on climbers and tour companies to follow safety guidelines, pointing out that similar restrictions are in effect for dozens of other active volcanoes nationwide that are currently at heightened alert status.

Indonesia, home to over 270 million residents, is located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and contains more than 120 active volcanic peaks.

SYDNEY – A far-right political movement in Australia achieved a historic milestone over the weekend when Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party captured its first-ever seat in the nation’s House of Representatives during a special election, according to initial vote tallies.

This victory aligns with a global trend of increasing support for far-right populist movements. Earlier this week, Britain’s governing Labour party experienced significant losses in local council races across the country.

Former agribusiness executive David Farley secured the rural Farrer district for the anti-immigration political organization, earning a commanding 59.1% of votes and defeating the sitting centre-right Liberal Party candidate. The district is located approximately 340 miles south of Sydney and 200 miles north of Melbourne, according to Australian Broadcasting Corp. projections.

“It’s very clear, the next member for Farrer is David Farley,” stated Australian Broadcasting Corp election analyst Casey Briggs during a television broadcast. “It’s not a close result.”

This victory represents a major breakthrough for One Nation, marking their first lower-house parliamentary win since Hanson established the party three decades ago.

However, the outcome will not impact the governing Labor Party’s parliamentary control, as they maintain 94 seats out of 150 in the lower chamber.

The position became available after Liberals leader Sussan Ley stepped down in February.

Labor chose not to field a candidate for this seat, which has remained under conservative opposition control since its creation more than 50 years ago.

Indonesian law enforcement officials detained 321 foreign nationals during a Saturday operation targeting an illegal online gambling enterprise in Jakarta, according to police statements.

The arrests took place at an office complex in Central Jakarta as part of ongoing efforts to combat prohibited online gambling activities in Indonesia, which maintains strict prohibitions on gambling as the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

Wira Satya Triputra, who leads the Indonesian police force’s criminal investigation division, revealed the nationality breakdown during a news briefing. The detained individuals included 228 Vietnamese citizens, 57 Chinese nationals, 13 from Myanmar, 11 from Laos, five Thai citizens, and three Cambodian nationals.

According to Wira’s statements, the gambling operation had been active for approximately two months before the raid occurred.

Among the 321 individuals taken into custody, 275 face potential charges under Indonesia’s criminal statutes regarding gambling violations, which could result in prison sentences of up to nine years if convicted.

Wira indicated that the majority of the foreign suspects understood they had traveled to Indonesia specifically to operate online gambling services, and their operations primarily served customers outside Indonesia.

Untung Widyatmoko, representing Interpol Indonesia, addressed reporters about emerging patterns in regional criminal activity. He noted that online gambling operations appear to be relocating from Cambodian urban centers to Indonesian territory.

This enforcement action represents the second major arrest of foreign nationals within a 48-hour period. Indonesian immigration officials had previously apprehended 210 foreign individuals on Friday in connection with alleged online investment fraud schemes on Batam island, located approximately 20 kilometers from Singapore.

MOSCOW, May 9 – Russian officials stated Saturday that Washington is pushing too quickly for a peace agreement to resolve the Ukraine conflict, but achieving any meaningful resolution remains extremely distant due to the complexity of issues involved and suspended diplomatic talks.

The ongoing conflict, now in its fifth year, represents Europe’s most devastating war since World War II. Moscow’s military has yet to capture the entirety of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Ukrainian defenders have retreated to heavily fortified urban positions.

President Donald Trump has pledged to bring the Ukraine war to an end, describing his inability to achieve this goal as among his greatest frustrations. However, on Friday he revealed a temporary halt in fighting from May 9 through May 11 that both nations have accepted.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov spoke with state media correspondent Pavel Zarubin, stating: “It is understandable that the American side is in a hurry.”

Peskov continued: “But the issue of a Ukrainian settlement is far too complex, and reaching a peace agreement is a very long way with complex details.”

Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine has now exceeded four years – a duration longer than the Soviet Union’s involvement in World War II, which Russians commemorate as the Great Patriotic War from 1941 to 1945.

According to Trump’s announcement on Truth Social, the temporary truce between Ukraine and Russia includes halting all “kinetic activity” and exchanging 1,000 prisoners from both countries.

When speaking to media Friday, Trump expressed hope for extending the pause, saying: “I’d like to see a big extension. It could be.”

Moscow confirmed the arrangement covers three days, while diplomatic discussions remain stalled.

Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov explained: “Negotiations will probably resume, but it is still unclear when. There was an agreement that the Victory Day ceasefire would last for three days: May 9, 10, and 11.”

A Chinese business leader’s recent journey to Brazil’s Amazon rainforest could signal a major shift in global commodity trading that might help preserve one of the world’s most critical ecosystems.

Xing Yanling, who heads the Tianjin Meat Industry Association representing importers handling roughly 40% of China’s Brazilian beef purchases, shared her Amazon experience with friends on WeChat in April, describing the overwhelming beauty of being surrounded by “tens of thousands of shades of green.”

Her organization has now pledged to purchase 50,000 metric tons of certified deforestation-free Brazilian beef before year’s end. This commitment represents 4.5% of Brazil’s expected beef exports to China this year and could indicate China’s willingness to invest in environmentally responsible supply chains.

This development contradicts the widespread belief among Brazilian cattle ranchers that Chinese buyers prioritize low prices above all other considerations. China stands as the world’s top importer of both beef and soybeans.

The commitment emerges as China’s government demonstrates increasing concern about trade’s environmental consequences while safeguarding domestic industries. In 2019, Chinese officials modified forest legislation to prohibit illegal timber trading. Two years ago, China and Brazil jointly agreed to combat illegal deforestation linked to trade. Additionally, China’s state-controlled trading company COFCO began working to remove deforestation from its supply operations last year.

According to Andre Vasconcelos, who leads global engagement for Trase, a platform monitoring supply chain environmental impacts, beef represents an ideal target for meaningful environmental action since it’s less essential to Chinese diets than commodities like soybeans.

“At the same time, there is awareness, supported by available information, that beef, especially Brazilian beef, is the commodity most associated with deforestation among all agricultural commodities imported by China,” he explained.

The Amazon, Earth’s largest and most biodiverse rainforest, loses hundreds of thousands of acres annually, with MapBiomas, a Brazilian land-use monitoring organization, reporting that 90% of cleared land immediately becomes cattle pasture.

Some Chinese consumers recognize this connection and are becoming more selective as their wealth increases, Xing noted.

“It’s not just ‘cheap is good,’” she stated. “This means deforestation‑free, green, safe and traceable beef will have a stronger market in the future.”

While most Chinese consumers facing rising food costs cannot afford to prioritize environmental factors over price, the traceability offered by this initiative also addresses food safety worries.

The beef will carry a Beef on Track label created by Brazilian nonprofit Imaflora, featuring four compliance levels based on supply chain tracing depth and ranchers’ ability to demonstrate legal land clearing.

Tianjin importers are prepared to pay 10% premiums for beef from processing facilities that can verify their supplier farms have no connections to legal or illegal deforestation or slave labor.

Should this trend expand, the effects could be substantial. Government statistics and beef export association ABIEC show China purchases more than 10% of Brazil’s beef production. ABIEC members include major companies JBS and MBRF.

However, Brazil’s weak traceability infrastructure could limit any positive impact. The current system relies on cattle transportation documents that prosecutors say bad actors can easily falsify to conceal supply chain violations, a practice known as “cattle laundering.” System improvements could require years to implement.

When Xing and her team visited the Carioca farm in Castanhal, located in the northern Amazon, rancher Altair Burlamaqui expected only productive discussions. After touring his cattle operations and the extensive rainforest reserve on his property, the delegation became so enthusiastic they asked if he dreamed of selling his beef in China as a product that supports Amazon protection. The possibility was both exciting and daunting.

“What I gathered from the conversation with them is that they want a product with more added value for a section of their population who is willing to pay for it,” he said. “But that section of their population may be bigger than the entire Brazilian population.”

The broader industry has responded less enthusiastically to Tianjin’s sustainability initiative. Two sources who recently spoke with ABIEC leadership told Reuters the beef export organization disapproves of Xing’s efforts.

One source explained their worry that sustainable beef requirements might create additional barriers in an already restricted market.

China implemented beef import quotas this year to protect domestic producers, and Brazil expects to reach its 1.1 million ton limit by next month’s end, when Tianjin plans to import its first sustainable-certified beef container.

ABIEC released a statement saying it “supports initiatives focused on certification but considers that any new labels should align with already established systems, avoiding overlaps and requirements that lack public infrastructure for implementation, which could create potential barriers to production.” The organization declined to respond to Reuters’ questions.

The quota system may delay Tianjin’s timeline since beef imports exceeding the limit face 55% Chinese tariffs. Beijing established these quotas during a year when global beef production is declining as ranchers in the United States and Brazil rebuild herds, driving up prices worldwide, including in China.

Chinese consumers already purchase traceable products regularly. During their Brazil visit, Xing’s team demonstrated how they attach QR codes to eggs, allowing consumers to trace them to originating farms.

Traceability helps regulators track disease outbreak sources and enables companies to eliminate suppliers involved in environmental violations. Consumers willingly pay double for those eggs, Xing reported.

The Beef on Track certification will be available for processing companies, retailers, and importers to implement by year-end. Its basic standard matches criteria used by Brazil’s federal prosecutors to monitor whether farms directly supplying the beef industry follow environmental and labor regulations.

That program has approved suppliers producing 2.7 million tons of beef annually – only one-fifth of Brazil’s total production but nearly double China’s imports last year. This year’s Tianjin beef imports will come from this approved output.

No Brazilian meat processing companies have yet announced adoption plans for the certification.

Imaflora contends their designed certification will generate opportunities rather than obstacles for producers, similar to what occurred with timber and coffee industries.

“The industry is still trying to understand how this certification can recognize and value Brazilian products, in a scenario of geopolitical tension,” said Marina Guyot, an Imaflora policy manager.

She added that the certification aims to acknowledge companies’ existing sustainability and traceability efforts.

“It’s a certification that creates the possibility of valuing this effort,” she concluded.

Bahrain’s interior ministry announced Saturday the detention of 41 individuals suspected of having connections to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, according to the country’s state news agency.

Security officials discovered a network with alleged ties to Iran’s IRGC, the ministry stated. Prosecutors conducting the investigation also examined cases involving individuals who expressed support for Iranian military strikes.

The arrests come after Iran launched strikes against targets in Bahrain and other Gulf Arab nations hosting U.S. military installations, following the start of military action by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28.

LONDON – Authorities in Britain have filed criminal charges against two young men accused of creating antisemitic content for social media platforms in a Jewish neighborhood of north London.

According to a Saturday announcement from the Crown Prosecution Service, Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, face religiously aggravated harassment charges. Investigators allege the pair deliberately traveled to the Jewish community to record hateful videos for social media.

Both defendants are scheduled to make their court appearance at Thames Magistrates’ Court to face the charges stemming from their alleged actions.

BUDAPEST, Hungary — A new chapter began in Hungarian politics Saturday as Péter Magyar took the oath of office as prime minister, bringing Viktor Orbán’s lengthy 16-year tenure to a close.

Magyar made his way to the Parliament building Saturday morning alongside members of his center-right Tisza party, which delivered a historic upset victory over Orbán’s nationalist Fidesz party in last month’s elections. The electoral triumph marked the largest vote and seat count any party has achieved since Hungary transitioned from Communist rule.

The political shift positions Tisza to dismantle numerous policies that earned Orbán criticism as an authoritarian leader, tackle widespread corruption allegations, and reshape Hungary’s role in European Union politics, where the outgoing leader frequently blocked important bloc decisions.

Magyar’s party delegation included 140 representatives as they entered the impressive neo-Gothic parliament complex, securing control of 141 seats in the 199-member legislative body. Meanwhile, Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance saw their representation plummet from 135 seats to just 52, with the far-right Mi Hazánk party claiming the remaining six positions.

Notably absent from Saturday’s inaugural ceremony was Orbán himself, marking his first absence since Hungary established its initial post-Communist Parliament in 1990. Following his electoral defeat, Orbán announced plans to concentrate on reconstructing his nationalist political movement.

The incoming leader, a 45-year-old attorney who established Tisza in 2024 following years working within Orbán’s inner circle, has pledged to eliminate government corruption that he claims has deprived Hungarian citizens of economic advancement opportunities.

Magyar invited citizens to join a daylong “regime-change” festival outside Parliament to commemorate his swearing-in ceremony and mark the conclusion of the Orbán period. Following his 3 p.m. oath-taking, the new prime minister planned to speak to supporters gathered outside.

The new administration has committed to mending Hungary’s strained relationship with the European Union, which deteriorated significantly under Orbán’s leadership, and to reestablish the country’s position among Western democratic nations. Hungary’s democratic credentials faced scrutiny as Orbán developed increasingly close ties with Russia.

A primary objective for Magyar involves securing approximately 17 billion euros ($20 billion) in EU funding that was suspended during Orbán’s administration due to rule-of-law violations and corruption issues. These funds are essential for revitalizing Hungary’s economy, which has remained stagnant over the past four years.

Demonstrating their pro-EU stance, Tisza representatives announced they will restore the European Union flag to Parliament’s exterior, which Orbán’s administration removed in 2014.

Budapest’s liberal mayor, Gergely Karácsony, extended a public invitation to a riverside celebration along the Danube Saturday evening to mark Orbán’s departure and welcome the new government.

In his social media announcement, Karácsony described the gathering as an opportunity to honor Hungarians who courageously opposed Orbán’s system over the years. “Teachers fired, civilians and journalists humiliated, small churches torn apart,” he wrote on Facebook.

“We can finally leave this era behind us — but first, let us remember the everyday heroes and express our gratitude with a farewell to the system,” Karácsony posted.

Chinese manufacturing exports experienced a dramatic acceleration in April as production facilities worked overtime to fulfill surging demand from artificial intelligence sectors and businesses stockpiling materials due to concerns that Middle East conflicts could drive global supply costs higher.

The robust export performance has expanded China’s trade surplus with the United States to $87.7 billion for the year, creating a key talking point for President Donald Trump’s upcoming Beijing visit next week for a leadership summit aimed at continuing last year’s trade ceasefire.

Although Chinese manufacturers have managed to navigate challenges from the Middle East crisis so far, economic experts caution that prolonged warfare and rising energy costs could eventually reduce international demand, leaving weak domestic spending unable to compensate for the shortfall.

Currently, economists are monitoring the speed of the artificial intelligence manufacturing surge and whether related equipment shipments can sustain China’s export momentum.

“The conflict in the Middle East pushed up demand for global manufacturing inventory replenishment, and under the upward cycle of semiconductors, imports and exports maintained a boom,” said Xing Zhaopeng, senior China strategist at ANZ.

“There is still room for expansion in this round of manufacturing cycle driven by AI, and it is expected that the annual export growth rate will be about 10%.”

Saturday’s customs data revealed exports jumped 14.1% compared to the previous year in dollar terms, significantly exceeding March’s 2.5% increase and surpassing economist predictions of 7.9% growth.

Separate manufacturing activity reports from last month indicated new export orders reached their peak level in two years during April.

Import activity also remained robust, increasing 25.3% compared to March’s 27.8% rise. Economic forecasters had anticipated 15.2% growth.

These figures pushed China’s monthly trade surplus to $84.8 billion in April, up from March’s $51.13 billion.

China’s broader economic performance showed strength in the opening quarter, with GDP expansion reaching 5% annually, matching the government’s yearly target ceiling and reducing pressure for immediate economic stimulus measures.

However, even China, frequently criticized by international partners for subsidy-supported low-cost production, faces challenges from reduced buyer spending power as fuel and shipping expenses climb.

Manufacturing data released last month indicated input costs stayed high, especially for processed goods and petroleum, coal, and chemical products.

Jobless rates also increased slightly while retail sales, measuring consumer spending, continued lagging behind industrial production.

Trump plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his May 14-15 Beijing trip, as both nations work to stabilize relations strained by disputes over trade, Taiwan, and the Iran conflict.

Trump will likely seek trade concessions from Beijing before November’s U.S. midterm elections, though business leaders and analysts don’t anticipate major agreements.

When confronted with U.S. tariffs that temporarily reached triple-digit levels, Chinese exporters pursued alternative markets including South America by reducing prices. China concluded 2025 with a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran showed little progress over the weekend as military confrontations intensified in the Persian Gulf, challenging a fragile ceasefire that began one month ago.

The latest escalation represents the most significant fighting near the Strait of Hormuz since the temporary truce took effect, with the United Arab Emirates facing fresh attacks on Friday.

The Biden administration continues to wait for Tehran’s answer to an American proposal designed to formally conclude hostilities before addressing more complex matters, particularly Iran’s nuclear activities. During remarks in Rome on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated the United States anticipated receiving Iran’s decision that day, though Iranian foreign ministry officials stated they were still deliberating their response.

Military engagements persisted Friday between Iranian naval forces and American ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news outlet. The Tasnim news service subsequently quoted an Iranian military official confirming the situation had stabilized while cautioning that additional confrontations remained possible.

American military officials reported striking two vessels with Iranian connections as they attempted to reach an Iranian harbor, with a U.S. fighter aircraft targeting their smokestacks and compelling them to retreat.

Since hostilities commenced with U.S.-Israeli air operations across Iran on February 28, Tehran has effectively prevented non-Iranian maritime traffic from using the strait. Previously, twenty percent of global oil shipments traveled through this critical waterway.

Last month, the United States established a blockade targeting Iranian ships. However, a CIA evaluation suggested Iran could endure economic pressure from American port blockades for approximately four additional months, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the assessment. This intelligence raises concerns about President Donald Trump’s negotiating position in a conflict that has drawn criticism from both voters and American allies.

A senior intelligence official dismissed as inaccurate the reports regarding the CIA analysis, which the Washington Post initially disclosed.

Combat operations spread beyond the waterway itself. UAE authorities reported their air defense systems intercepted two ballistic missiles and three unmanned aircraft from Iran on Friday, resulting in moderate injuries to three individuals.

Iran has consistently attacked the UAE and other Gulf nations that provide facilities for U.S. military operations. Following what the UAE described as a significant escalation, Iran intensified its assault campaign this week after Trump unveiled “Project Freedom” to provide naval escorts for ships in the strait, an initiative he suspended after two days.

On Thursday, Trump maintained the ceasefire declared April 7 remained intact despite recent flare-ups, while Iran accused the United States of violating the agreement.

“Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated on Friday. Iran’s Mehr news service reported that one crew member died, ten suffered injuries, and six remained missing following a U.S. Navy assault on an Iranian merchant vessel late Thursday.

The United States has struggled to gain international backing for the conflict. Following discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Rubio criticized Italy and other partners for failing to support Washington’s campaign to reopen the strait, cautioning about establishing a dangerous precedent by permitting Tehran to control an international shipping route.

While continuing diplomatic initiatives, the United States also increased economic sanctions to pressure Iran.

Prior to Trump’s upcoming visit to China for meetings with President Xi Jinping, the U.S. Treasury Department announced Friday new sanctions targeting ten individuals and entities, including several based in China and Hong Kong, for supporting Iran’s military acquisition of weapons and raw materials for manufacturing Tehran’s Shahed drones.

Treasury officials stated in their announcement they were prepared to take action against any foreign corporation supporting illegal Iranian trade and could implement secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions, including those connected to China’s independent oil refineries.

VÖLKLINGEN, Germany — A historic German ironworks facility recognized by UNESCO has become the canvas for an extraordinary international art exhibition featuring creators from around the globe.

The Urban Art Biennale 2026 has launched at the Völklingen Ironworks, where 50 artists representing 17 nations are displaying their work throughout the massive industrial complex. This marks the continuation of an event that has occurred every two years for the past decade and a half.

“This location is at the core of street art and graffiti art,” explained Ralf Beil, who serves as general director of the facility that now operates as a public museum. “It all began in industrial places like this.”

According to Beil, the creators “love this place and they do works for the Völklinger Hütte, in the Völklinger Hütte, with the Völklinger Hütte.”

Among the featured works is an installation by France-based artist Tomas Lacque, who assembled a small vehicle, tire stack, playthings and rubble all coated in paint. Positioned within a hall that once housed active furnaces, the piece seems to suggest fossil-fuel transportation being buried in ash reminiscent of Pompeii.

Spanish creator Ampparito painted the phrase “no hay nada de valor” (meaning “There is nothing of value here”) in enormous white lettering across the roof of one building. The artwork is most visible from an observation deck positioned 45 meters (148 feet) high.

Dutch artist Boris Tellegen, who goes by Delta, created an enormous green-and-black wooden structure that illuminates the ironworks’ interior. Meanwhile, French collective Vortex-X, known for repurposing salvaged materials, suspended white industrial fabric strips across a building hall in their piece called “Memory in transit.”

The industrial site encompasses 6 hectares (nearly 15 acres) and forms a complex network of smokestacks and furnaces where visitors still see threatening warning signs from the industrial period, including alerts about “danger of crushing.” The facility towers over Völklingen, a town situated close to Germany’s French border.

UNESCO added the site to its world heritage registry in 1994, acknowledging it as “the only intact example, in the whole of western Europe and North America, of an integrated ironworks that was built and equipped in the 19th and 20th centuries.”

Production ceased in 1986, leaving the furnaces dormant, and the location has remained unchanged since that time. However, its visual character dates much earlier, as no new equipment was installed after the mid-1930s.

“It’s so dusty and it’s so old, but it’s beautiful, you know, there’s beauty in decay,” commented British artist Remi Rough. “I think what I’ve done makes you kind of just perceive it in a bit of a different way.”

Rough created small paintings designed to be “very clean and clinical,” providing contrast to the surrounding environment.

Danish creator Anders Reventlov expressed feeling “humble to be able to do something here.”

“As somebody told me … it was hell to work here,” Reventlov noted. “Now it’s not hell. It’s like a nice place, people walking around, there are bees, there are beautiful flowers, but yeah, we still remember the history and that’s super important.”

Beil emphasized that organizers “want pieces which are really original for this space and this also is then prohibiting (them) from being commercial.”

“This is an installation for the space,” he stated. “This is pure art.”

The exhibition begins Saturday and continues through November 15.

VENICE, Italy — Political turmoil has disrupted the world’s most prestigious contemporary art exhibition as the Venice Biennale opened Saturday without its coveted Golden Lion awards following the jury’s mass resignation over Israel and Russia’s involvement in the show.

The judging panel stepped down specifically to protest nations currently facing International Criminal Court investigations for human rights violations, though critics argue the United States should have faced similar scrutiny. British artist Anish Kapoor referenced “the politics of hate and war and all that that’s been going on now for too long.”

Instead of traditional jury selections, attendees at the Giardini and Arsenale locations will cast Eurovision-style votes to choose the top national pavilion among 100 entries and the best work from the main curated exhibition, “In Minor Keys.” Results will be revealed on the final day, November 22.

The centerpiece exhibition features a massive red-feathered sculpture adorned with beaded embroidery that welcomes guests. Drawing from New Orleans Black Masking traditions that trace back to enslaved African practices, this costume-inspired artwork establishes the show’s emphasis on marginalized voices.

Koyo Kouoh, who made history as the first African woman selected to oversee the main Biennale display, had gathered 110 artists and collectives before her passing last year. Five co-curators have continued her vision of highlighting overlooked perspectives.

“She was someone who thought about making spaces for everyone to shine and we see it in her exhibition, we see it with ourselves,” explained co-curator Marie Helene Pereira.

At the British Pavilion, Turner Prize recipient Lubaina Himid presents “Predicting History: Testing Translation,” examining the immigrant experience through vibrant paintings depicting couples navigating newcomer challenges.

One artwork shows two architects debating construction plans. “One of them is trying to decide, would we build a building here, that proves that we have contributed to the culture, and the other architect is saying ‘No, no, no, no, no. Let’s build something that we can escape in tomorrow,’” explained Himid, who was born in Zanzibar and has lived in Great Britain for over seven decades.

The Vatican offers a peaceful retreat from global conflicts through the Mystic Gardens of the Discalced Carmelite order, located near Venice’s central railway station.

Visitors stroll through vineyard paths, passing pomegranate trees and herb gardens while listening through headphones to compositions by 12th-century abbess, mystic and composer St. Hildegard of Bingen, reimagined by contemporary artists including Brian Eno and Patti Smith.

“Music also helps us delve into ourselves and understand, to use a phrase by Hildegard, the symphony that God has placed in our lives,” stated Rev. Ermanno Barucco, prior of the Carmelite order.

The Austrian Pavilion draws crowds with Florentina Holzinger’s provocative performance piece featuring a nude woman suspended as a human bell clapper. Inside, another naked performer circles on a Jet Ski within a tank, symbolizing Venice’s transformation into an overtouristed entertainment destination.

The installation “Seaworld Venice” includes a nude woman breathing through scuba gear in a large tank filled with treated wastewater from nearby restrooms that has undergone multiple filtration processes.

Romanian-born artist Belu-Simion Fainaru’s exhibit features water dripping from hanging tubes into a pool, pausing every 42 seconds to represent divine creative force in Jewish mystical tradition. Padlocks surrounding the pavilion, similar to those placed by couples on European bridges, bear Hebrew inscriptions of “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and the hopeful message “This too shall pass.”

“I am against boycott, I’m for dialogue, and that’s a political statement,” declared Fainaru, who condemned the jury’s exclusion of Israel as discriminatory.

Estonian artist Merike Estna will spend the entire Biennale creating a large-scale wall painting inside a community center gymnasium that previously served as a church. The building’s complex history reflects her technique of layering paint to create richly textured surfaces over time, representing women’s undervalued daily labor.

Curator Natalia Sielewicz compared the work to “the everyday feminism of sustaining life, of sustaining our planet.”

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — While Gaza remains gripped by a devastating humanitarian crisis and an unstable ceasefire, a small group of Palestinian surfers continues to seek solace and happiness in the Mediterranean waters along the territory’s coastline.

According to Tahseen Abu Assi, a Gaza City surfer, just three or four men continue to surf because of limited surfboards and lack of repair materials for damaged equipment.

Throughout the two-year conflict, Abu Assi transported his surfboard during each forced relocation because replacement would be impossible. “If something happened to it I won’t be able to get another one,” he explained, pointing out that surfboards haven’t been allowed into the Palestinian territory since 2007. Israel’s restrictions include surfboards among various sports equipment and other banned items.

This Tuesday, Abu Assi joined two other surfers in the waters near Gaza City’s port, including Khalil Abu Jiab, who celebrated while riding the large waves with his arms extended upward.

Following the conflict’s start, Israeli forces imposed severe limitations on maritime activities in Gaza, with UN reports documenting attacks on fishermen both on land and at sea, including those using small paddle craft.

In the previous year, Israel designated Gaza’s coastal waters as off-limits, prohibiting fishing, swimming, and ocean access, creating hazardous conditions for surfing.

Maritime activities remain forbidden and perilous in northern and southern Gaza waters. Even central Gaza’s waters, near Gaza City, pose risks due to Israeli naval patrols.

“There is fear of course, but we can’t leave this sport,” Abu Assi explained. “During the war, in the middle of the war, in the middle of the bombing and the planes above us, we used to go down and practice this sport.”

Since Gaza’s waves seldom reach suitable surfing heights, enthusiasts abandon all other activities when conditions improve, he noted.

Heavy combat throughout the region decreased following an unstable ceasefire that began October 10, though fatal Israeli attacks have persisted, with Hamas and Israel each blaming the other for truce violations.

The Israel-Hamas conflict started October 7, 2023, when militants launched an assault on southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, primarily civilians, and capturing 251 hostages. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that Israel’s military campaign has resulted in 72,628 Palestinian deaths and 172,520 injuries.

Gaza residents continue facing severe challenges obtaining food, clean water, healthcare, and housing following widespread destruction, collapsed medical infrastructure, and mass displacement of the population.

However, for the territory’s remaining surfers, the waves provide temporary relief from their circumstances.

“As soon as the sea gets high, you leave your work and leave your whole life,” Abu Assi said. “Work can be caught up on, as they say. We go practice this sport.”

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin will address a heavily fortified Victory Day ceremony in Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday, commemorating the end of World War II amid unprecedented security measures and ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

For the first time in almost twenty years, the annual military display will exclude tanks, missiles, and other heavy weaponry, featuring only the traditional aircraft flyover. Putin, who has held power for over 25 years, typically uses Russia’s most significant national holiday to display military strength and build support for the ongoing Ukrainian conflict, now in its fifth year.

Russian officials attributed the modified parade format to the “current operational situation” and cited potential threats from Ukrainian forces. Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov confirmed that authorities have implemented “additional security measures” for the event.

Both nations attempted ceasefires this week that ultimately failed. Russia announced a temporary halt to hostilities for Friday and Saturday, while Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared a truce beginning May 6, though both sides accused each other of continued attacks.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that both Russia and Ukraine agreed to his ceasefire proposal running Saturday through Monday, including a prisoner exchange, calling it potentially the “beginning of the end” of the conflict.

Zelenskyy, who earlier suggested Russian officials “fear drones may buzz over Red Square” on May 9, responded to Trump’s announcement by issuing a decree sarcastically allowing Russia to proceed with Victory Day celebrations while temporarily designating Red Square off-limits for Ukrainian attacks.

Peskov dismissed Zelenskyy’s decree as a “silly joke,” telling reporters, “We don’t need anyone’s permission to be proud of our Victory Day.”

While Russia’s larger military forces continue making gradual progress along the 1,000-kilometer front line, Ukraine has responded with increasingly effective long-range strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure, manufacturing facilities, and military installations. Ukrainian forces have developed drone technology capable of reaching targets more than 1,000 kilometers inside Russian territory, far exceeding their pre-2022 capabilities.

Russian officials threatened a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv” if Ukraine attempts to interfere with Saturday’s celebrations. The Defense Ministry urged civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to “leave the city promptly,” though European Union representatives stated their diplomats would remain in the Ukrainian capital despite the warnings.

Putin has consistently utilized Victory Day ceremonies to promote national unity and emphasize Russia’s global influence. The Soviet Union suffered 27 million casualties during 1941-45 in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War, a massive loss that profoundly affected the national consciousness and remains one of the few unifying elements in the country’s complex Communist-era history.

Red Square Victory Day parades have featured extensive displays of military hardware — including armored vehicles and nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles — annually since 2008. Regional parades throughout the country have also been reduced or cancelled entirely due to security considerations.

As military units prepared for Saturday’s march, Moscow authorities restricted mobile internet and text messaging services throughout the capital, citing public safety requirements. The government has systematically increased internet restrictions and online monitoring, leading to growing public frustration and rare expressions of dissent.

International guests scheduled to attend the Moscow festivities include Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, representing a European Union member nation, planned to meet with Putin and visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial near the Kremlin but intended to skip the Red Square parade.

The family of imprisoned Hong Kong democracy advocate Jimmy Lai is pinning their hopes on President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, believing diplomatic negotiations could be their last chance to secure his freedom.

Lai, who previously believed Trump might prevent China from implementing its controversial national security legislation, instead found himself sentenced to two decades behind bars under that very law.

The 78-year-old former newspaper publisher established a pro-democracy publication that authorities shuttered amid the government’s response to Hong Kong’s widespread 2019 demonstrations against Chinese rule.

Political analysts view Lai’s imprisonment as emblematic of eroding civil liberties that Beijing had guaranteed when Britain transferred Hong Kong’s sovereignty in 1997. His son Sebastien Lai expressed urgent concerns about his elderly father’s deteriorating situation in an Associated Press interview.

While Trump’s discussions with Xi are expected to cover trade relations, Middle East conflicts, and Taiwan tensions, the president has indicated plans to address Lai’s case. Speaking to radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump noted “there’s a little bitterness, I would say, with him and Jimmy Lai.”

The 31-year-old son believes his father’s situation could be resolved more easily than other complicated international disputes the two leaders will tackle.

“My father will die in prison if he’s not freed,” he stated, warning that such an outcome would devastate his family while creating a martyred figure. “It’s a lose-lose scenario for every single person.”

Trump has publicly expressed compassion for the elder Lai’s predicament. “I feel so badly,” the president told journalists in December following Lai’s conviction for conspiring with foreign entities and publishing seditious content. Trump had previously raised the activist’s case during his October meeting with Xi.

Mark Clifford, who leads the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation advocating for Lai’s release, said sources briefed on the October discussions indicated Xi and his team “noted” Trump’s comments without strong opposition. This response suggests willingness to engage in dialogue, Clifford explained.

According to Clifford’s sources, Trump directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to mention Lai’s release during June trade negotiations with China. Bessent reportedly raised Trump’s interest in freeing the activist during recent talks with Chinese officials, who acknowledged the request without significant pushback.

“It is positive that senior Chinese officials have stopped pushing back on the issue,” Clifford observed. The Treasury Department declined to comment on these claims.

However, Beijing maintains its hardline stance publicly. In March, Chinese foreign ministry representative Guo Jiakun labeled Lai as the orchestrator behind the 2019 civil unrest that disrupted Hong Kong.

When questioned Thursday about potentially releasing Lai, the foreign ministry avoided direct answers, stating that Hong Kong matters are domestic concerns where external interference isn’t permitted.

Hong Kong’s government previously dismissed connections between Lai’s case and press freedoms. Officials told the AP that Lai received conviction through transparent and equitable legal proceedings, emphasizing their commitment to law enforcement.

The White House hasn’t responded to inquiries about how aggressively Trump will advocate for Lai’s freedom.

More than 100 bipartisan congressional members sent a Thursday letter urging Trump to pursue Lai’s release during the Xi summit.

Despite escalating U.S.-China tensions, diplomatic efforts have achieved some prisoner releases. American pastor David Lin gained freedom in 2024 after nearly two decades in Chinese detention, while both nations exchanged several prisoners through diplomatic arrangements that year.

Activists note Beijing’s growing reluctance to release human rights challengers. Chinese Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo died in a northeastern Chinese hospital in 2017 despite international appeals for his medical release abroad.

Human rights attorney Jared Genser, Liu’s former representative, said a White House official confirmed Trump had contacted Xi requesting Liu’s medical release.

Under Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao, China prioritized economic cooperation and international image concerns, explained Genser, who secured another activist’s freedom in 2007. Xi’s administration emphasizes national sovereignty and rejecting foreign intervention.

“China knows that by taking a very tough and unrelenting position that most countries in the world are not going to be willing to do more than privately raise a case,” Genser said. “That self-censorship to me is the biggest factor… in our inability to secure the release of political prisoners under Xi Jinping, as compared to Hu Jintao.”

John Kamm, who founded the prisoner advocacy organization Dui Hua Foundation, said China previously offered concessions when seeking specific goals, like Olympic hosting rights.

However, he attributed reduced success in freeing detained activists partly to American inattention. “I don’t know of anyone in this administration who cares about political prisoners in China,” Kamm stated, suggesting Secretary of State Marco Rubio might be an exception, though focused elsewhere.

Kamm noted Trump’s emphasis on trade, investment, and Middle East conflicts, but suggested China might release Lai in exchange for American concessions on Beijing’s priorities.

Thomas Kellogg from Georgetown Center for Asian Law believes both governments have motivations for reaching an agreement.

Freeing Lai would allow China to demonstrate readiness to progress beyond the nearly six-year period since implementing Hong Kong’s security legislation, while Trump’s team could claim a diplomatic victory after “a difficult couple of months,” Kellogg explained.

Such an achievement would generate praise even from administration critics, he added. “If the Trump administration is pushing very hard for Jimmy Lai’s release, then we could get a positive outcome.”

Wilson Chan, co-founder of the Pagoda Institute think tank, doubts diplomatic resolution prospects, believing Beijing wants to send a message through Lai’s case.

Chan suggested that continued international attention might make Beijing view Lai as an influential figure still representing security threats, while silence would eliminate pressure for action.

Lai, who holds British citizenship, chose not to appeal his conviction and sentence. The government, which considers him Chinese, seeks to seize his assets citing national security justifications.

Sebastien Lai described this action as another instance of his father “still being attacked.”

The elder Lai experiences health problems including irregular heartbeat and diabetes, according to his Hong Kong legal representatives in January. Prosecutors cited medical reports indicating his overall health remains stable. Officials claim his solitary confinement resulted from his own request.

The London-based son has maintained correspondence with his father throughout more than five years of detention. He believes his father would prefer quiet retirement if granted early release.

“The Chinese government would be complicit in killing him,” he warned.

Chinese officials announced Saturday that the nation’s overseas sales jumped 14.1% in April compared to the same month last year, surpassing expectations despite ongoing conflicts in Iran and continuing effects from elevated U.S. trade tariffs.

The trade figures were published just days before a scheduled summit next week in Beijing between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The April performance significantly exceeded economic forecasts and marked a substantial improvement over March’s modest 2.5% annual increase.

Meanwhile, Chinese purchases from other countries grew 25.3%, which represented a slight slowdown from March’s 27.8% rise but remained strong overall.

The upcoming Trump-Xi meeting occurs as the two nations face numerous challenges in their relationship, with diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian conflict taking precedence over traditional trade disputes.

“We’re expecting that overall external demand will remain a solid driver of growth this year,” said Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at Dutch bank ING, likely led by China’s exports of semiconductors and autos.

Earlier this year, Chinese officials established an economic growth goal of 4.5% to 5% annually, marking a decrease from the previous year’s 5% target and representing the most modest objective since 1991. International sales are anticipated to continue supporting the broader economy, particularly as shipments to European, Southeast Asian, Latin American and African markets have increased in recent months.

Beyond discussions about ending the Iranian conflict, the Trump-Xi talks will likely address trade policies and export restrictions, including rare earth materials and American technology limitations affecting China. These conversations follow a year-long trade agreement between the nations that was established when the leaders previously met in South Korea.

While major policy changes regarding export controls seem unlikely, the forthcoming meeting may produce gradual improvements to address trade tensions, according to HSBC economists in a recent analysis.

“On balance, China looks to have more leverage,” wrote Leah Fahy, senior China economist of Capital Economics, in a note. “But higher tariffs haven’t stopped China’s exports from continuing to surge over the past year, and Beijing has showed that it is prepared to wait out U.S. pressure.”

For Chinese manufacturers, rising oil and fuel costs due to the Iranian conflict are increasing production and transportation expenses across the country’s industrial facilities, according to Wei Li, head of multi-asset investments at BNP Paribas Securities (China). Additionally, global inflation pressures could reduce consumer spending power in China’s international markets.

Despite these challenges, China’s economy has demonstrated greater stability than many other nations, benefiting from substantial oil reserves and a more varied energy portfolio.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Ethiopia is spearheading a dramatic shift toward electric vehicles across Africa as mounting fuel costs and supply disruptions drive nations to embrace cleaner, more affordable transportation options.

Data from China’s Commerce Ministry reveals Africa purchased 44,358 electric vehicles from China in 2025, representing a significant jump from 19,386 units the previous year. These shipments, worth more than $200 million, demonstrate surging demand particularly in Ethiopia following its 2024 prohibition on new gasoline and diesel vehicle imports.

Ethiopia now operates more than 115,000 electric vehicles on its roadways, representing approximately 8% of its total vehicle fleet. During 2025, the country acquired one-third of all African EV imports from China, outpacing major markets including South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria.

With the ongoing Iran conflict creating fuel supply disruptions throughout transportation networks and everyday life, Ethiopia’s push to reduce expensive oil and gas imports while bolstering energy independence has intensified. Yet this transition raises concerns about charging network development and vehicle costs.

Ethiopia allocates roughly $4.2 billion annually for fuel imports, putting pressure on its foreign currency reserves.

Trade and Regional Integration Minister Kassahun Gofe stated the nation also spends up to $128 million monthly on fuel subsidies, while deliveries have fallen short by over 180,000 metric tons due to Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping channel handling approximately one-fifth of Gulf region oil exports before the conflict began.

Officials have intensified their push for accelerated EV adoption, positioning it as essential protection against external supply disruptions.

“From a general perspective, it is sustainable,” commented Hiten Parmar, executive director of The Electric Mission, based in South Africa. “By replacing imported fuel with domestically generated electricity, Ethiopia is strengthening its energy security position.”

Ethiopia benefits from having over 90% of its electricity sourced from renewable energy, primarily hydroelectric and solar power. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Africa’s most significant hydroelectric development, is projected to double the country’s power production, although the project has sparked a decade-long water rights disagreement with downstream nations Egypt and Sudan.

“That scale of generation creates a foundation for electrified transport,” Parmar noted. “It allows EVs to be powered by locally produced clean energy, rather than costly imports.”

“By gradually adopting EVs, that intensive fuel import expenditure can be reduced and redirected into other critical development needs,” Parmar explained.

According to the International Energy Agency, electric vehicles worldwide eliminated more than 1 million barrels of daily oil consumption in 2024.

Egypt, South Africa and Morocco are also pursuing electric vehicle transitions through policy incentives, manufacturing investments and clean energy development.

“That transition is beginning to ease pressure on fuel demand,” explained Bob Wesonga, policy and investments lead at the Africa E-Mobility Alliance.

“That’s over 100,000 vehicle owners who are no longer directly exposed to pump price shocks,” he noted. “In the medium to long term, this creates a buffer against global oil volatility.”

Those who have made the switch report substantial cost reductions.

“A private EV owner now spends roughly $4 a month on charging compared to about $27 previously spent on fuel,” Wesonga said. “For public transport operators, the difference is even more striking.”

The electric vehicle transition confronts significant infrastructure obstacles, Parmar acknowledges.

“The technology is already mature, the challenge is building it out fast enough,” he stated.

Ethiopia is installing ultra-fast charging stations in its capital Addis Ababa, but expanding them countrywide requires substantial time and financial commitment.

“The biggest hurdle is the last-mile power distribution,” Wesonga explained. “While Ethiopia has a surplus of generation, getting that power reliably to where it’s needed, especially outside Addis Ababa, remains a challenge.”

Power outages and delays in connecting high-capacity charging facilities have hindered infrastructure development despite growing electric vehicle demand.

“Charging infrastructure is still heavily concentrated in the capital and along a few corridors,” Wesonga observed. “That limits e-mobility to specific areas and creates a bottleneck as adoption grows.”

Ethiopia joins several African nations working to establish domestic EV manufacturing. Government records indicate 17 electric vehicle assembly facilities are planned in Ethiopia, with goals to expand that figure to 60 by 2030 as part of a broader localization and cost-reduction strategy.

Vehicle affordability continues as a significant obstacle. While operational expenses are reduced, electric vehicle prices remain elevated compared to typical household incomes.

“The purchase price is still out of reach for many,” Wesonga said. “At the same time, restrictions on fossil fuel vehicles have pushed up the cost of used cars, creating additional barriers.”

This situation could produce unexpected social consequences without careful management.

“A national fleet transition is always gradual,” Parmar said. “Existing combustion vehicles will remain in use for some time, and the transition needs to account for livelihoods tied to that system.”

Despite challenges, both specialists believe the long-term direction is evident. Reduced operating and maintenance expenses for electric vehicles could lower transportation costs over time, decreasing goods prices and improving economic opportunity access.

Ethiopia is also studying approaches from nations like China and Norway, where government support, infrastructure investment and consumer incentives have accelerated adoption.

“This is not just about transport,” Wesonga concluded. “It’s about reshaping how the country uses energy, and who benefits from that shift.”

Rescue operations have restarted in Indonesia as authorities continue searching for three hikers who disappeared when Mount Dukono volcano erupted on Halmahera island, according to local officials.

The volcanic explosion occurred Friday morning at 7:41 a.m. local time in North Maluku province, launching ash clouds reaching heights of 6.2 miles above the mountain, Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported.

Search teams had to suspend operations Friday night due to ongoing volcanic activity but returned to the field Saturday morning.

More than 100 rescue workers, along with military and police units plus two thermal drones, have been mobilized to locate the missing individuals, according to Iwan Ramdani, who leads the local rescue organization.

The missing hikers include two people from Singapore and one Indonesian citizen, Ramdani confirmed.

“We are focusing the search around the crater, covering an area around 700 metres,” Iwan stated.

Emergency teams successfully evacuated 17 people on Friday, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians.

Local police chief Erlichson Pasaribu reported that survivors indicated three individuals, two of them Singaporean, perished in the eruption, though rescue officials have not yet verified these fatalities as of Saturday.

Continued volcanic eruptions are creating obstacles for Saturday’s search mission, Iwan noted.

Lana Saria, who heads the volcanology agency, confirmed in an official statement that at least four additional eruptions were documented Saturday morning.

Mount Dukono remains at the third-highest alert level, Saria explained.

Officials are warning residents and visitors to avoid all activities within a 2.5-mile radius of the volcanic crater, she advised.

No airline flight cancellations have been reported due to the eruption.

Indonesia is located within the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for intense seismic activity where multiple tectonic plates meet.

Four Israeli military personnel sustained injuries on Friday during multiple drone strikes carried out by Hezbollah, according to Israeli Defense Forces reports. One soldier received serious injuries while three others suffered moderate wounds in the separate incidents.

The most recent attack occurred when an unmanned aircraft penetrated Israeli airspace after crossing the border from Lebanon, injuring three soldiers. Military officials transported the wounded for medical care and contacted their families. An IDF spokesperson characterized the incident as “another violation of the ceasefire understandings by the terrorist organization.”

In an earlier Friday assault, Hezbollah detonated multiple explosive drones near Israeli troops conducting operations in southern Lebanon. One soldier received moderate injuries in that strike and was taken to a medical facility for treatment, with his family receiving notification.

Authorities also dealt with a separate security concern when law enforcement discovered an unmanned aircraft on a school rooftop in Nahariya. Police officers and explosive ordnance disposal specialists responded to the location, cleared the educational facility of occupants, and worked to safely disable and remove the device. Officials reported no casualties from this incident.

Israeli military leadership announced Thursday the cancellation of multiple public gatherings in northern Israel after intelligence assessments suggested Hezbollah might launch rocket attacks in retaliation for the death of Ahmed Ghaleb Balout, a Radwan Force commander killed in Beirut one day earlier.

Following a military confrontation between American and Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, President Trump minimized the significance of the clash while expressing confidence that a diplomatic agreement with Tehran could materialize soon.

Speaking to the press during a visit to construction work at Washington, DC’s Reflecting Pool, Trump described the incident in casual terms. “Yeah, it is. They trifled with us today. We blew them away,” the president stated, calling the engagement both a “trifle” and a “love tap.”

Despite the military escalation, Trump maintained optimism about diplomatic prospects with Iran.

“A deal with Iran might not happen, but it could happen any day. I believe they want the deal more than I do,” he told reporters.

The confrontation involved three American naval vessels – the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason – which came under assault from Iranian unmanned aircraft, missiles, and speedboats during their passage through the strategic waterway, according to military officials.

US Central Command subsequently acknowledged conducting what they termed “self-defense strikes” targeting Iranian military installations, including facilities used to launch drones and missiles. American officials reported that Iranian vessels participating in the attack were eliminated.

Tehran’s official media outlets claimed Iranian military units engaged what they called “enemy units,” stating the action was a response to an American attack on an Iranian petroleum vessel.

Witnesses reported hearing explosions in the vicinity of Iran’s Qeshm Island and the port city of Bandar Abbas after the military exchange.

The United Arab Emirates activated its defensive systems to counter incoming Iranian projectiles and drones during the incident.

“UAE air defenses are currently engaging missile and drone attacks originating from Iran,” the UAE defense ministry announced on X, noting that sounds from intercepting weapons were audible “across various parts of the country.”

A Fox News correspondent reported that the American strikes on an Iranian coastal city and an island within the Strait of Hormuz came after the UAE and Saudi Arabia expressed frustration over previous Iranian attacks on the UAE that American officials had treated as minor incidents.

The military action occurred while diplomatic discussions about a potential ceasefire continue. The United Nations has documented that approximately 1,500 vessels remain stranded in the Gulf due to Iran’s ongoing closure of the strait, while petroleum markets experienced significant price increases following the renewed conflict.

The Islamic State has officially taken credit for a deadly car bombing that killed a high-ranking Shiite religious leader in Syria’s capital, marking a significant security breach in Damascus.

Sheikh Farhan Hassan al-Mansour, who served as the preacher and imam at the Sayyidah Zaynab shrine, died instantly when an explosive device detonated beneath his vehicle on May 1, 2026. The blast occurred near the Safir Al-Zahra Hotel in Damascus’s southern suburbs.

According to a Syrian security official who examined the bombing site, the explosive was placed under al-Mansour’s car and triggered from a distance. The attack also wounded multiple assistants traveling with the cleric and injured bystanders in the vicinity.

ISIS announced its role in the killing through official communication channels and its weekly publication, Al-Naba. The terrorist organization labeled al-Mansour as one of the “imams of the Rafida” – a slur extremists use against Shiites – and characterized the murder as an act of “revenge” in their ongoing campaign against religious leaders tied to Syria’s previous government and its supporters.

The target and location hold deep strategic meaning. The Sayyidah Zaynab shrine stands as one of Shiism’s holiest sites and previously symbolized Iranian and Hezbollah power in Syria before their influence waned after the Assad government’s collapse in December 2024.

The successful elimination of the shrine’s top religious figure at the center of his own territory demonstrates that ISIS dormant cells retain the capability to surveil, plan and execute operations within Damascus’s core areas.

Syrian officials responded by implementing increased security protocols throughout Damascus and surrounding regions. Multiple Syrian organizations, including the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, paid tribute to al-Mansour, calling him a “martyr of the pulpit” recognized for his moderate stance and unity advocacy.

Damascus media outlets subsequently reported that authorities broke up a three-person cell operating in the Sayyidah Zaynab vicinity, believed to have provided logistics and support for the operation.

The strike occurs during a crucial transition period for Syria, as ISIS appears to be taking advantage of security gaps created by military repositioning and security forces focused on wider political issues.

Security experts note the organization has moved away from its previous territorial control approach – which effectively ended in 2019 – toward a strategy of “qualitative attrition” using targeted killings and surprise attacks designed to erode public trust and highlight government failures to safeguard important figures.

Al-Mansour’s murder creates fresh challenges for Syrian security forces. Though ISIS remnants primarily hide in Syrian desert areas, the group has again proven its operational capabilities can penetrate crucial urban areas, sparking concerns about current anti-terrorism approaches and the possibility that sleeper cells could alter the security environment.

A new study reveals Vietnam has significantly increased its artificial island construction activities in the contested Spratly Islands, creating 534 acres of new land over the past twelve months, according to research published by a Washington-based policy institute.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies released findings Friday showing Vietnam’s continued development in the disputed South China Sea region. The recent construction brings Vietnam’s total artificial land creation in the Spratly archipelago to approximately 2,771 acres.

According to the research, Vietnam completed major landfill work at Barque Canada Reef during spring 2025, establishing what has become the country’s most extensive installation in the island chain. Following that project’s completion, Vietnamese forces initiated smaller development projects at multiple additional locations throughout the latter half of 2025.

The study documents significant infrastructure improvements, noting Vietnam has constructed three additional harbor facilities at Grierson Reef, Petley Reef, and South Reef. These additions increase Vietnam’s total harbor count in the archipelago to 15 facilities, with 11 of those built since 2021. Researchers also identified early construction phases of what appears to be another harbor project at Landsdowne Reef.

Environmental consequences have accompanied the expansion activities. The think tank calculated Vietnam’s reef destruction, encompassing areas buried under landfill and zones dredged for navigation channels and port facilities, now totals roughly 4,120 acres.

While Vietnam’s construction pace initially appeared to match China’s development rate in early 2025, recent Chinese activities at Antelope Reef have restored China’s lead in the region. Current estimates show China maintains approximately 5,460 acres of artificial land and has caused 6,224 acres of reef damage.

Vietnam’s embassy in Washington has not provided responses to requests for commentary on the construction activities. China previously expressed opposition to Vietnam’s development at Barque Canada Reef, asserting territorial claims over the area. Beijing maintains sovereignty claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, despite competing territorial assertions from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reinforced his nation’s alliance with Russia in a congratulatory message sent to President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, marking the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War Two.

In his communication, Kim emphasized North Korea’s stance to “give top priority” to its relationship with Russia and pledged continued adherence to “the implementation of the obligations of the inter-state treaty,” state media KCNA reported.

The two nations established a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty” in 2024 when Putin traveled to Pyongyang, with the agreement containing provisions for mutual defense cooperation.

North Korea has deployed approximately 14,000 soldiers to assist Russian military operations in the Kursk region amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Intelligence sources from South Korea, Ukraine, and Western nations report significant losses among these forces, with casualties exceeding 6,000 North Korean troops.

Russia conducted its most limited Victory Day military parade in recent years on Saturday, scaled down due to security concerns over potential Ukrainian attacks. Moscow’s campaign has faced challenges more than four years into what has become Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War Two.

Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed Friday their acceptance of a three-day ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled to last from May 9 through May 11.

HAVANA — Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood behind the Trump administration’s latest sanctions against Cuba on Friday, with the most significant penalties targeting GAESA (Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A.), a massive business empire controlled by Cuba’s military forces.

The penalties announced Thursday also hit Moa Nickel, a Cuban-Canadian partnership involving Sherritt International of Canada. The Canadian company responded immediately by announcing its complete withdrawal from Cuba, bringing to a close more than three decades of operations on the island.

According to Lee Schlenker, who researches at the Quincy Institute’s Global South program, the May 1 executive order and May 7 designations dramatically broaden Washington’s ability to impose penalties on foreign individuals and companies.

“Not only are they subject to having their assets frozen but their U.S. accounts as well as their travel to the U.S., that of their shareholders, investors or employees,” Schlenker explained. “This is bound to have an extremely significant impact of the presence of foreign companies” in Cuba.

Cuba specialist Pavel Vidal from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana described the new restrictions as “very concerning” for an economy that’s already “practically paralyzed.” Since January, Washington has prevented fuel deliveries to Cuba, worsening the nation’s prolonged economic troubles. Vidal predicted the sanctions would discourage GAESA’s existing business partners, noting that “very few will risk defying them.”

Vidal characterized the fresh measures as creating “total isolation,” powered by the fear they create among global financial institutions, insurance companies and multinational corporations.

Having examined GAESA’s internal records, Vidal emphasized that the organization’s extensive involvement across virtually all Cuban economic sectors makes any business relationship with the island potentially problematic under Washington’s new regulations.

Based on Vidal’s analysis of available data, GAESA controls approximately 40% of Cuba’s total economic output. By early 2024, the conglomerate possessed $14.5 billion in available cash, generating yearly income three times larger than Cuba’s entire government budget.

Created during the 1990s under military leadership, GAESA represented the Cuban Armed Forces’ calculated answer to the economic devastation following the Soviet collapse and intensified U.S. economic pressure during that period.

Though government-owned, GAESA operates without financial scrutiny from the Office of the Comptroller General. Former director Gladys Bejerano acknowledged this absence of oversight in a 2024 discussion before stepping down shortly afterward.

Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja ran GAESA for many years until his passing in July 2022. Married to former President Raúl Castro’s daughter, he represented a cornerstone of the ruling family — a position now carried forward by his son, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. Though officially working as his grandfather’s personal security chief, the younger Castro has recently become a key go-between in delicate negotiations with Washington.

This week’s sanctions also placed Ania Guillermina Lastres on the U.S. penalty list. Taking over from López-Calleja, she now leads GAESA as executive president, directing the organization’s extensive global financial operations.

From available information, GAESA controls numerous retail businesses selling products ranging from groceries and clothing to household goods, plus an extensive service network including vehicle rentals and tourism agencies. The conglomerate also runs Cuba’s banking sector, currency exchange operations, and manages the nation’s primary hotel properties.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Rubio emphasized the sanctions targeted the regime rather than ordinary Cubans, describing GAESA as an organization that “is taking anything that makes money in Cuba and illegally putting it into the pockets of a few regime insiders.”

Cuban officials argue the sanctions represent “collective punishment” intended to devastate the island’s economy, claiming the Trump administration’s approach prioritizes political gains over Cuban citizens’ well-being.

These latest penalties against Havana arrive amid an ongoing U.S. energy embargo that has triggered widespread electrical and water service disruptions plus acute fuel and water shortages.

WASHINGTON – Federal officials announced Friday they have imposed financial penalties on 10 people and businesses accused of helping Iran’s armed forces acquire weapons and materials needed to manufacture Shahed drones.

The Treasury Department’s action targets several entities located in China and Hong Kong that allegedly assisted Tehran’s military procurement efforts. The sanctions were revealed just days ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned trip to China for discussions with President Xi Jinping, while diplomatic initiatives to resolve the Iranian conflict remain at an impasse.

Treasury officials stated their commitment to continued economic measures against Iran’s defense manufacturing infrastructure to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its production capabilities and extending its influence beyond Iranian borders.

The department also warned it stands ready to take action against any international companies supporting illegal Iranian trade operations, including aviation firms, and may apply secondary sanctions to foreign banks that facilitate Iran’s activities, particularly those linked to China’s smaller independent oil refineries.

“Under President Trump’s decisive leadership, we will continue to act to Keep America Safe and target foreign individuals and companies providing Iran’s military with weapons for use against U.S. forces,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated.

MOSCOW – Russia conducted its most diminished Victory Day celebration in years on Saturday, citing security concerns from potential Ukrainian attacks as Moscow’s military campaign continues to face challenges more than four years into Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two.

The annual May 9th ceremony in Red Square represents Russia’s most honored national observance – an occasion to commemorate the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany and honor the 27 million Soviet citizens, many of whom were Ukrainian, who died in the war.

Traditionally used as a showcase for Russia’s military might, including nuclear-capable long-range missiles, this year’s ceremony excluded tanks and other military hardware from rolling across Red Square’s historic cobblestones.

Military personnel still marched and celebrated near Vladimir Lenin’s Mausoleum, fighter aircraft soared over the Kremlin’s towers, and President Vladimir Putin delivered remarks before placing flowers at the Unknown Soldier’s memorial.

“In general, everything is as usual, except for the demonstration of military equipment,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

Russia, which launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has threatened that any Ukrainian attempt to interfere with the ceremony would trigger extensive missile attacks on Kyiv. Moscow advised foreign diplomatic missions to evacuate personnel from the Ukrainian capital should such strikes occur.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy indicated his nation’s May 9th activities would depend on Friday’s developments, while accusing Moscow of breaking its own ceasefire agreement.

Multiple layers of air defense systems and electronic countermeasures protect Moscow, designed to intercept and destroy incoming drones and missiles targeting the capital and its surrounding region of 22 million residents.

THE UKRAINE CONFLICT OVERSHADOWS RUSSIAN CELEBRATION

Following Nazi Germany’s 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, the Red Army ultimately drove German forces back to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler took his own life and the Soviet Victory Banner was hoisted over the Reichstag in May 1945.

Nazi Germany’s complete surrender took effect at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945, recognized as “Victory in Europe Day” by Britain, the United States and France. Since it was already May 9th in Moscow, that date became the Soviet Union’s “Victory Day” in what Russians term the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.

However, this year’s parade occurs during heightened anxiety in Moscow regarding the Ukrainian conflict’s eventual resolution.

The war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, devastated large portions of Ukraine and strained Russia’s $3 trillion economy, while European relations have deteriorated to their worst point since the Cold War’s peak.

“The crisis is still deepening gradually, but any sharp movement can send the economy (and not only the economy) into a tailspin,” imprisoned pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who has criticized the Kremlin’s war management, wrote on Telegram.

Girkin, a former Federal Security Service official, used maritime imagery to suggest that Russia’s leadership was more concerned about losing their positions than preventing national disaster.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected CNN and other Western media claims that Putin’s security had been enhanced due to coup or assassination concerns. Russian officials have called reports of coup plotting absurd.

However, just 21 years earlier, Putin hosted President George W. Bush at the Moscow parade alongside France’s Jacques Chirac and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

This year’s attendees included Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim and Laos’ Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.

The United States has modified its United Nations resolution calling on Iran to cease attacks and mining operations in the Strait of Hormuz, though diplomatic sources indicate China and Russia remain poised to block the measure, according to Friday reports.

The timing presents diplomatic challenges as President Donald Trump prepares for his China visit next week, where the Iran conflict is anticipated to dominate discussions.

The revised draft, distributed to Security Council members Thursday afternoon, eliminated language referencing Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which would have enabled the council to authorize actions from economic sanctions to military intervention.

Despite this change, strong language condemning Iran persists, along with provisions stating that if Iran fails to comply, the council would “meet again to consider effective measures … including sanctions measures, in order to ensure the freedom of navigation in the area.”

No timeline has been established for when the Security Council might hold a vote on this resolution.

Although the current text stops short of explicitly authorizing military force, it doesn’t prohibit such action and “reaffirms the right of member States … to defend their vessels from attacks and threats, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms.”

Last month, Russia and China blocked a similar U.S.-supported resolution within the 15-member Security Council that appeared to create pathways for legitimizing American military response against Iran.

According to diplomatic sources, the initial version of this resolution, co-authored by the United States and Bahrain and circulated earlier this week, faced significant opposition from Chinese and Russian representatives.

One U.N. diplomat indicated that removing the Chapter VII language, which was also done with last month’s failed resolution, has not addressed the fundamental concerns raised by China and Russia.

China’s U.N. representatives declined to comment on the updated draft, while Russian officials did not provide immediate responses.

Thursday’s statement from Russia’s mission emphasized that Security Council members should avoid “pushing through one-sided and confrontational draft resolutions” that might “trigger a new wave of escalation in the Middle East.”

“It is precisely for this reason that on April 7, Russia, along with China, blocked the adoption of a draft resolution on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement explained.

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the proposed resolution as a measure of the United Nations’ effectiveness and appealed to China and Russia to refrain from vetoing the proposal.

American military forces struck and incapacitated two Iranian oil vessels Friday following combat exchanges in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, according to reports from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The confrontation puts additional strain on a fragile ceasefire agreement established one month ago, which Washington maintains remains active. American officials are currently waiting for Tehran’s response to the most recent diplomatic proposal aimed at ending hostilities, reopening the waterway, and scaling back Iran’s controversial nuclear activities.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism about receiving what he termed “a serious offer” from Iranian leadership Friday.

Pentagon officials confirmed their forces had neutralized two Iranian vessels attempting to break through America’s naval blockade of Iranian harbors. Earlier military reports indicated successful defense against strikes targeting three U.S. Navy vessels, followed by retaliatory attacks on Iranian military installations within the strait.

Since America and Israel initiated military action on February 28, Iran has largely shut down this crucial global energy corridor, triggering worldwide fuel cost increases and destabilizing international markets. Washington has responded by implementing its own embargo of Iranian shipping facilities.

UAE Defense Ministry officials reported three casualties after their air defense systems engaged two incoming ballistic missiles and three unmanned aircraft launched from Iran. Officials could not confirm whether all projectiles were successfully intercepted.

American military footage released Friday showed strikes against the smokestacks of both Iranian tankers by U.S. fighter aircraft. Earlier this week, American jets damaged the steering mechanism of another vessel allegedly attempting to violate the blockade.

Thursday evening, Pentagon sources reported successfully repelling Iranian assaults on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and conducting counter-strikes against Iranian military targets. No American vessels sustained damage in the engagement.

“They threaten Americans, they are going to be blown up,” Rubio declared to media representatives Friday.

Tehran’s Foreign Ministry denounced what officials characterized as “hostile” American military actions, claiming they breached ceasefire terms. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media: “Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure.”

An overnight American attack resulted in one sailor’s death and injured ten others aboard a cargo ship that subsequently caught fire, according to reports from an Iranian judicial news service. It remains unclear whether this vessel was among the two tankers the U.S. confirmed targeting.

President Donald Trump continues to assert the ceasefire remains intact while reaffirming warnings to resume comprehensive bombing campaigns should Iran reject agreements to reopen the strait and curtail nuclear development.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed his nation has maintained continuous communication with both Washington and Tehran “day and night” working toward ceasefire extension and peace negotiations.

Satellite imagery analyzed by The Associated Press reveals what appears to be an oil contamination zone in the Persian Gulf extending from the western coastline of Kharg Island, Iran’s primary crude oil export facility.

Friday’s satellite data shows the contamination covering approximately 71 square kilometers (27 square miles) with evidence suggesting continued leakage from the terminal, according to Ami Daniel, chief executive of maritime intelligence company Windward AI.

Daniel calculated that roughly 80,000 barrels worth of oil has leaked from Kharg Island since satellites first detected the contamination Tuesday. The cause remains undetermined, whether from equipment failure, aerial bombardment, or other factors.

“This is the risk of fighting in an oil-rich area,” Daniel explained, noting that cleanup operations are unlikely in Gulf waters that have become an active combat zone.

The contamination appears to be moving southwest and could potentially reach coastlines of the UAE, Qatar, or Saudi Arabia within two weeks, Daniel warned.

Nina Noelle, an international crisis operations specialist with Greenpeace Germany, said Friday that initial evaluations and recent imagery suggest the spill is beginning to break apart and likely won’t impact land areas. She noted that depending on wind patterns, wave action, and current conditions, portions of the contamination could still potentially affect sensitive marine ecosystems.

“More likely, it will dissipate offshore under prevailing conditions,” Noelle stated.

Pentagon representatives declined to discuss whether American forces are monitoring the spill or whether recent strikes occurred on the Iranian island. Based on earlier imagery from this week, the contamination began before the latest round of U.S. military action.

Rubio declared Friday that Iranian establishment of a government entity to inspect and tax vessels seeking strait passage is “unacceptable.”

Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a maritime data organization, reported Thursday that Iran has established this agency, designated as the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Iran’s move to establish formal oversight of the channel has generated fresh concerns about international maritime commerce, with hundreds of commercial ships trapped in the Persian Gulf and unable to reach open waters.

“Is the world going to accept that Iran now controls an international waterway?” Rubio questioned. “What is the world prepared to do about it?”

Iran has essentially sealed the strait, a critical passage for transporting oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and other petroleum derivatives, while America maintains its blockade of Iranian harbors.

A Chinese-operated oil tanker came under attack near the strait. China has maintained oil imports from Iran despite the effective waterway closure.

China’s Foreign Ministry voiced concerns, confirming the tanker held Marshall Islands registration with Chinese crew members aboard. No casualties were reported from this incident.

An oil vessel that transited the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April reached South Korean waters Friday carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil. South Korea, which imported over 60% of its crude through the strait last year, has implemented price controls on gasoline and other petroleum products.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that both Russian and Ukrainian leadership have accepted his proposal for a temporary halt in fighting, along with a major prisoner exchange that could mark a turning point in the ongoing conflict.

The ceasefire will span three days from Saturday through Monday, coinciding with Russia’s Victory Day celebration that honors their World War II triumph over Nazi Germany, Trump revealed on social media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed his country’s participation in the agreement, though Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin officials had not yet issued public statements about the deal.

“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted. “The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II.”

The Republican commander-in-chief explained that all combat operations will cease during this period, while both nations will release 1,000 prisoners each as part of the arrangement.

This development comes after a previous Russian-declared ceasefire for Friday and Saturday fell apart quickly, with each side accusing the other of violations, similar to how Ukraine’s earlier unilateral ceasefire attempt also failed.

Trump revealed he contacted both leaders personally to request the ceasefire. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War,” he stated.

The president indicated that discussions about permanently ending the conflict that started in February 2022 are ongoing, saying “we are getting closer and closer every day.” Trump’s stance on the war has shifted between optimistic predictions of resolution and suggestions that the warring parties should continue fighting until a decisive outcome.

For Ukraine, the prisoner exchange component proved crucial in their decision to participate, as Zelenskyy noted that securing the return of captured soldiers has remained a top priority throughout the war.

“Red Square matters less to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who can be brought home,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, referencing the location where Russia traditionally holds its Victory Day military parade.

Following his initial statement, Zelenskyy issued an official presidential order “authorizing” Russia’s parade to proceed, while declaring Moscow’s Red Square off-limits for Ukrainian attacks during the celebration. This move appeared calculated to demonstrate Ukraine’s military reach into Russian territory while publicly linking their restraint to the ceasefire terms.

Zelenskyy credited American diplomatic efforts for facilitating the agreement and expressed gratitude to Trump and his administration for their involvement in the negotiations. He emphasized Ukraine’s expectation that Washington will ensure Russian compliance with the deal.

“We are counting on the United States to ensure that Russia fulfills its commitments,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader also directed his staff to immediately begin preparations for the prisoner exchange process.

Trump’s optimistic announcement contrasted sharply with earlier comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who expressed pessimism about diplomatic progress in ending the four-year conflict.

“While we’re prepared to play whatever role we can to bring it to a peaceful diplomatic resolution, unfortunately right now, those efforts have stagnated,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Rome and the Vatican. “But we always stand ready if those circumstances change.”

GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — Festus Mogae, who led Botswana for a decade and transformed the nation’s approach to combating HIV and AIDS, passed away Friday at age 86, according to government officials. Authorities did not release details about what caused his death.

Current President Duma Boko announced that Mogae’s decade-long presidency from 1998 to 2008 brought the African nation international recognition for responsible financial stewardship and democratic values. The country will observe three days of official mourning to honor the late leader.

The southern African nation, known for its sparse population and dry climate, leads the world in diamond production by value and ranks second globally by volume, trailing only Russia. Diamond exports represent approximately 80% of Botswana’s total exports and contribute one-fourth of the nation’s economic output, based on International Monetary Fund data.

During his presidency, Mogae elevated the battle against HIV/AIDS to a top government priority and established no-cost antiretroviral treatment programs at government healthcare centers starting in 2002, later expanding access to non-citizens in 2019.

These initiatives resulted in a substantial reduction in HIV/AIDS rates throughout Botswana, which previously ranked among nations with the world’s most severe infection levels.

Boko praised Mogae for representing Botswana honorably on the global stage while consistently advocating for rational thinking, national unity, and advancement.

“Today Botswana mourns a distinguished statesman, a patriot whose life was devoted to the service of his country,” Boko declared during his national address.

Mogae received the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, among Africa’s highest honors for governmental excellence, acknowledging his democratic governance and smooth transition of power.

The diamond-rich nation has discovered all of the world’s largest uncut diamonds during the past ten years, including a 2,492-carat gem found in the previous year that became the second-largest diamond ever extracted from a mine and the biggest discovery in over 100 years.

Before assuming the presidency, Mogae worked as an economist and held the position of central bank governor for the Bank of Botswana.

MIAMI — A federal jury in Miami has delivered guilty verdicts against four men who participated in the deadly conspiracy that led to the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

Federal prosecutors successfully argued that South Florida became the operational headquarters where conspirators organized and funded their scheme to remove Moïse from power and install their preferred replacement.

The defendants — Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages — were convicted on multiple charges including conspiracy to assassinate or abduct Haiti’s democratically elected president and supplying resources for the deadly operation. Additional convictions for breaking the U.S. Neutrality Act mean each man could receive a life sentence behind bars.

The Haitian leader died on July 7, 2021, during a brutal assault on his residence outside Port-au-Prince carried out by approximately two dozen international hired soldiers, primarily from Colombia. His spouse, Martine, sustained injuries in the attack and was transported to the United States for medical care.

After nearly eight weeks of testimony in the Miami courthouse, the jury reached their decision. Moïse’s murder plunged the Caribbean island into chaos, with criminal organizations gaining unprecedented control and unleashing increased violence.

Court records show that Ortiz and Intriago operated Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, companies known collectively as CTU, while Veintemilla ran Worldwide Capital Lending Group. All three businesses operated from South Florida locations.

Investigators identified Christian Sanon, who holds both Haitian and American citizenship, as the person conspirators originally wanted to install as Moïse’s successor. Meanwhile, Solages worked as CTU’s Haiti representative, maintaining contact with Sanon and other participants in the plot. Sanon awaits his own trial proceedings.

Five additional individuals have already admitted their guilt in the assassination conspiracy and received life prison terms.

BUENOS AIRES – Argentine officials successfully stopped an aircraft carrying 400 kilograms of cocaine through a joint operation with United States drug enforcement authorities, the country’s security minister announced during a Friday briefing.

Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva revealed the international drug interdiction operation during her press conference, highlighting the collaborative effort between Argentine forces and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in the major narcotics seizure.

TEHRAN, Iran — In an unexpected cultural moment amid ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States, Tehran’s Museum of Contemporary Art has unveiled a striking exhibition featuring American artwork that critiques war and violence.

The display showcases six pieces by renowned 1960s American Pop artists Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana, and James Rosenquist, specifically selected for their anti-war messages. The exhibition opened this week while anti-American imagery continues to dominate Tehran’s streets through billboards and posters.

These masterpieces belong to an extensive collection of American and European modern art purchased by former Empress Farah Pahlavi during the 1970s. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Western-allied shah, most of these valuable works have remained locked away from public view.

Young Iranian visitors have found deep connections with the displayed pieces after enduring weeks of U.S.-Israeli military strikes. Many spent time examining Rosenquist’s “F-111,” a Vietnam War-era collage that challenges America’s military-industrial complex through imagery combining aircraft components, nuclear explosions, and a child’s portrait.

Another featured work, Lichtenstein’s “Brattata,” presents his signature comic book-inspired style depicting a fighter pilot destroying an enemy aircraft.

“American artists have always had a really interesting way of ridiculing war, and that’s always fascinated me in their work,” said Ghazaleh Jahanbin, a Tehran artist visiting the show. “Maybe part of it, I don’t know, comes from their geographical distance from war itself.”

Museum director Reza Dabirinezhad explained to Iran’s ISNA news agency that the exhibition, called “Art and War,” was designed to address current regional developments. The government-operated facility, overseen by the Culture Ministry, chose works “that were either shaped by the experience of war or created as reactions to wars,” he stated.

The collection’s origins trace back to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s government, which established the museum and acquired artistic treasures during the oil-rich 1970s when Iran served as America’s primary Middle Eastern ally. Former Empress Farah Pahlavi personally selected works from masters including Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Rothko, Francis Bacon, and David Hockney.

However, the museum had operated for only two years before the shah’s overthrow led to Shiite clerical rule. Officials then stored the collection in museum vaults for decades to prevent conflicts with Islamic principles or perceptions of Western favoritism.

Beginning in 2012, museum staff occasionally organized temporary exhibitions featuring select pieces from the multi-billion-dollar collection. Despite Iran’s economic struggles under Western sanctions, officials have protected the artwork from sale. The country did exchange one Willem de Kooning painting in 1994 for a treasured Persian manuscript from an American foundation.

Current warfare had forced museums and cultural institutions throughout Iran to close until a fragile ceasefire in early April permitted reopening. Dabirinezhad noted that only limited pieces were exhibited in case renewed conflict required rapid return to secure storage.

Iranian culture enthusiasts welcomed the reopening as relief from wartime stress and an opportunity to reconnect with artistic expression.

“It was a such a great thing to happen. A couple of weeks ago I was talking with my friends and everybody was talking about how much they missed visiting museums,” said Jahanbin.

Concerns persist about potential conflict resumption as Iran and the United States maintain their military standoff, with Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. blockades Iranian ports during ongoing diplomatic negotiations.

“This state of being undecided leaves you dazed and confused, everything is up in the air,” said Mohammad Sadegh Abbasi, one of the visitors perusing the exhibit. “I hope everything ends well soon and we get a secure and calm life.”

“Some of the works remind me of the scenes I saw (during the war),” he added.

The current six-piece display continues through May 10, with museum leadership planning weekly rotations of additional war-themed works from their extensive collection.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — As dawn broke over Bethlehem, Mohamad Al-Assi’s footsteps echoed along the concrete barrier separating Israel from the occupied West Bank. The 27-year-old Palestinian runner was participating in Friday’s Palestine Marathon, the first time the event had been held in three years.

The marathon represented a personal milestone for Al-Assi, who was freed from Israeli custody just six months earlier. Footage from his release shows a dramatically different man — thin and weak-looking, his athletic build diminished after spending more than two and a half years behind bars.

Since beginning his comeback training in December, Al-Assi has steadily increased his running distance each month. His fitness tracking app shows he covered 62 miles in that initial month, building up to 135 miles by April.

Training hasn’t been easy in his home at Dheisheh, a Palestinian refugee camp filled with cinderblock houses and narrow streets. His mother wakes him each morning for his runs through the challenging terrain.

“The main difficulties we face are the cars on the roads and the presence of Israeli security forces along the route where I train,” Al-Assi explained.

Military operations in the camp forced him to halt his preparation multiple times.

“I would return home feeling hopeless because I couldn’t do what I had intended to do,” Al-Assi said.

The unique geography of the West Bank means marathon runners cannot complete a full 26.2-mile course without encountering checkpoints or military barriers. Friday’s route addressed this by having participants complete the same circuit twice.

The course wound through narrow streets of two Palestinian refugee camps before descending to agricultural areas near Bethlehem, where farmland is divided by concrete walls, razor wire, and surveillance equipment. Runners concluded at Bethlehem’s historic Manger Square.

Race organizers emphasize how the event illustrates the movement restrictions Palestinians face in the occupied territory, where security checkpoints can interrupt daily travel and where Israeli settlements increasingly limit access to open spaces for recreation.

“Marathon runners anywhere may ‘hit a wall’ under the physical and emotional strain of completing the 42-kilometer race course,” organizers noted on their website.

However, in the West Bank, they noted, “runners literally hit the Wall.”

Despite economic hardships in the West Bank and ongoing tensions following Gaza’s fragile ceasefire, Bethlehem embraced a festive atmosphere. Spectators gathered near the Church of the Nativity to support runners at both the early morning start and finish. Traditional music filled the streets as bagpipers and drummers provided encouragement along the route.

Meanwhile, in Gaza’s Nuseirat area, a separate event took place along a beachside stretch roughly equivalent to marathon distance. Fifteen disabled participants, including amputees, completed a 2K race, while thousands more ran a 5K distance. The inclusion of women marked a significant change from 2013, when the UN refugee agency canceled a similar event because Hamas had prohibited female participation.

Haya Alnaji, a 22-year-old who participated in Gaza’s 5K race, viewed the turnout as evidence of Palestinian resilience after more than two years of conflict devastation.

“All of Gaza loves sports,” she stated.

Al-Assi’s imprisonment began in April 2023 under administrative detention, a system allowing Israel to hold individuals for extended periods without formal charges. Israeli human rights organizations and the Palestinian Prisoners Society report that 3,000 to 4,000 Palestinians currently remain under this system.

By October 2023, Al-Assi received a sentence for allegedly transferring funds to suspicious organizations, charges he disputes. Israel maintains strict oversight of financial transfers, particularly those involving Gaza, due to concerns about money reaching militant groups. Palestinians argue that legitimate donations and charitable contributions often get caught in these investigations. Israeli military, intelligence, and prison officials declined to comment on Al-Assi’s specific case.

During his incarceration, Al-Assi said widespread hunger affected nearly all detainees due to insufficient food provisions. The weight loss destroyed the endurance he had developed through a decade of athletic training.

“I have more muscle mass than fat, so when I lost weight, the loss came from my muscles rather than fat,” he explained. “This had a major impact on my physical fitness.”

Beyond physical recovery, he also needed to rebuild his mental strength for marathon competition.

“I was emotionally shattered after spending such a long period in prison,” he said.

After crossing Friday’s finish line in second place overall, Al-Assi dropped to his knees in gratitude as supporters and media surrounded him. He dedicated his performance to Palestinians still held in Israeli facilities.

“After 32 months in prison, Mohamad Al-Assi is first in his class!” he declared through tears, raising his arms skyward.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — An explosive device that was inserted through a mail slot detonated at the political headquarters of Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Thursday evening, though no one was hurt in the incident, officials confirmed Friday.

Authorities in The Hague have taken a 37-year-old individual into custody in connection with the explosion at the D66 party’s offices, though police have not disclosed additional information about the suspect or potential reasons behind the attack.

According to Jetten, approximately 30 members of the party’s youth organization were conducting a meeting when the blast occurred, leaving them shaken but physically uninjured.

During his regular Friday press briefing, Jetten, who assumed the prime minister role in February, addressed reporters about the incident. “It’s pretty futile if you think you can intimidate politicians with these kinds of actions,” he stated.

Political leaders from across the spectrum have denounced the bombing alongside Jetten.

Dilan Yeşilgöz, who heads the center-right VVD party, described the incident as a “cowardly act” in a social media statement. Meanwhile, opposition figure Jesse Klave from the leftist PRO party characterized the explosion as “a direct attack on our democracy and the rule of law.”

This marks the second assault on the downtown Hague facility within twelve months. Last September, a right-wing protest turned violent, resulting in damage to the same office building just prior to the national elections.

When the earlier attack occurred in the fall, Jetten, who holds the distinction of being the Netherlands’ youngest prime minister in history, responded with similar resolve, referring to the perpetrators as “scum” on social media.

American military forces targeted two Iranian oil vessels on Friday that officials say were attempting to breach an active US blockade, according to an announcement from U.S. Central Command posted on social media.

The tankers, which were flying Iranian flags and reportedly empty at the time of the strike, were hit as part of ongoing enforcement operations. Military officials also revealed that a third Iranian vessel had been taken out of commission earlier in the week on Wednesday.

“All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran,” Central Command said.

The military action represents the latest escalation in tensions involving Iranian shipping operations and U.S. maritime enforcement efforts in the region.

A Palestinian-American businessman is fighting back against federal terrorism allegations, asking a Miami judge to dismiss claims that his Gaza development projects inadvertently supported Hamas operations.

Bashar Masri, known for constructing upscale hotels in Gaza and developing the Palestinians’ inaugural planned city in the West Bank, faces a civil lawsuit filed by families affected by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on Israel. The legal action claims his waterfront properties concealed underground passages that the militant organization utilized during their attack.

Prior to Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza, Hamas had constructed an extensive underground tunnel system spanning most of the territory. Companies faced difficult decisions about investing in an area controlled by an organization classified as terrorist by the United States, where major development required the group’s implicit consent.

The federal case, representing approximately 200 American claimants, contends that Masri was aware of Hamas tunnels beneath his two coastal hotels, alleging the organization accessed these passages through guest accommodations. The suit further claims the group drew electrical power for underground installations from solar equipment at an industrial complex he managed.

The claimants are pursuing financial compensation from Masri and four associated businesses through the Anti-Terrorism Act, which permits American terrorism victims to pursue damages in federal courts.

In their dismissal request submitted to Miami federal court, Masri’s legal team argued he bears no responsibility for the October 2023 Israeli attacks, characterizing them as “barbaric acts of terrorism.”

The defense team stated the defendants “unequivocally condemn Hamas’ violence and the suffering it inflicted upon innocent civilians,” while asserting the claimants failed to demonstrate Masri understood his activities could facilitate Hamas attacks.

The legal action represents mere “speculation” that Masri and his businesses “engaged in international terrorism merely by participating in economic development projects” in Gaza, his attorneys argued.

Masri refused additional commentary. Legal representatives for the claimants did not respond immediately to requests for statements.

Among the claimants is Israeli technology executive Eyal Waldman, a peace advocate and Masri’s former business associate whose youngest daughter died during the October 7 militant assault at the Nova music festival.

Masri has maintained prominence as a developer and received federal aid funding. His primary venture is Rawabi, a $1.4 billion West Bank development representing the first master-planned community created by and for Palestinians.

His Gaza enterprises featured two Mediterranean luxury destinations – the Ayan Hotel and Blue Beach Resort – plus the Gaza Industrial Estate near the Israeli border. All sustained significant damage during the conflict, as Israeli strikes devastated large portions of Gaza.

Waldman’s company previously hired over 100 Palestinian engineers in Rawabi and Gaza through a technology firm supported by Masri, an arrangement both leaders promoted as demonstrating how business collaboration could advance peace.

Waldman has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Costa Rica will inaugurate its new president Laura Fernandez on Friday, as the 39-year-old conservative leader prepares to launch an aggressive campaign against organized crime in the traditionally peaceful Central American country.

Fernandez has outlined ambitious plans to overhaul the court system and security legislation. During her announcement of Gerald Campos as security minister last week, she declared her intention to wage “a war without quarter, a heavy-handed war against organized crime.”

The nation has historically stood out as a peaceful haven in a turbulent region, having eliminated its armed forces in 1948 while neighboring countries struggled with brutal dictatorships, military coups and internal conflicts.

But during the administration of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, homicide statistics reached unprecedented levels over the past four years. U.S. officials have linked this surge to Costa Rica’s emergence as a major corridor for cocaine trafficking from South America to markets in the United States and Europe.

Fernandez previously held the position of presidency minister under Chaves, who will maintain significant political influence as head of the Sovereign People party and will serve as both presidency and justice minister in the new administration.

Constitutional term limits prevented Chaves from seeking re-election. During his tenure, he frequently clashed with judicial authorities, leading opponents to draw comparisons to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and his authoritarian approach.

The country is currently constructing a high-security detention facility based on El Salvador’s controversial CECOT anti-terrorism complex, where hundreds of Venezuelan nationals were detained without trial following their deportation from the United States in early 2023.

Human rights organizations have documented allegations of torture, inadequate nutrition, limited medical treatment and restricted legal representation for prisoners, many of whom received sentences through expedited mass proceedings.

Fernandez secured victory in February’s election with 49% of voter support and her party captured 31 out of 57 legislative seats, giving the ruling coalition complete control of the unicameral congress. Her term will extend through 2030.

The swearing-in ceremony is planned for noon local time (1800 GMT) at the National Stadium in the capital, a facility completed in 2007 with Chinese funding, though Chaves shifted toward closer ties with Washington during his presidency.

Distinguished guests will include Spain’s King Felipe VI, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, along with the leaders of Panama, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Notable absences include El Salvador’s Bukele and Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega.

While murder statistics soared under Chaves, his administration oversaw robust economic growth following the pandemic, controlled inflation rates and decreased poverty levels, though employment opportunities remained constrained.

Fernandez assumes leadership of the nation’s 5 million residents during a period of global instability, including the ongoing Middle East conflict involving the U.S. and Israel against Iran that has driven up petroleum costs worldwide and created potential budget pressures.

ATHENS – Greek officials launched an investigation Friday after fishermen discovered an armed Ukrainian naval drone hidden inside a cave on the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea.

The unmanned watercraft, identified as a MAGURA V3-type vessel manufactured in Ukraine, was found Thursday evening by local fishermen. Authorities remain puzzled about how the drone ended up in Greek territorial waters.

According to anonymous officials briefed on the discovery, initial examination revealed the sea drone was equipped with three detonators. One source indicated the vessel contained explosive materials, though Greek military officials have not yet verified this claim.

Explosive ordnance disposal teams have begun the careful process of disassembling the device, starting with battery removal, while underwater specialists have been deployed to the discovery site. Military personnel will spearhead the ongoing investigation to determine the drone’s technical specifications and intended mission, a defense official confirmed to Reuters.

Coast guard sources suggest investigators are exploring whether the unmanned vessel was designed to attack ships transporting Russian petroleum products throughout the Mediterranean region.

Maritime security experts theorize the drone may have been part of a larger fleet of similar devices or possibly veered off its planned route due to communication system malfunction.

KINSHASA, Congo — Militants with ties to ISIS launched deadly raids on Congolese villages near the Uganda border, leaving at least 40 people dead and destroying homes, according to local civil rights leaders who reported the violence Friday.

The overnight assault was conducted by the Allied Democratic Forces from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon, said Charité Banza, who heads the Ituri civil society organization, and Kinos Katua, a group member residing in the affected region.

The Allied Democratic Forces originated in Uganda and declared loyalty to ISIS in 2019, maintaining a presence in the cross-border area for years.

Banza informed The Associated Press that the violence claimed 25 lives in border communities within North Kivu’s Beni territory, while another 15 people died in Ituri province.

The casualty count could climb higher as multiple residents remain unaccounted for following the raids, Katua warned.

Amnesty International released a report this week labeling the Allied Democratic Forces responsible for “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

The ADF represents just one of many armed factions active in Congo that regularly target innocent civilians. This past July, the organization massacred 66 people in eastern Congo in what United Nations officials described as a “bloodbath.”

Congo continues to endure violence from approximately 100 additional rebel organizations, particularly the Rwanda-supported M23 movement, which has captured major urban centers throughout the eastern territories.

JAKARTA, May 8 – Rescue operations for three hikers trapped by an ongoing volcanic eruption at Mount Dukono in Indonesia have been suspended until Saturday due to continued volcanic activity on Halmahera island, according to local emergency officials.

Iwan Ramdani, who leads the regional rescue agency, explained the decision to reporters Friday: “The search has been temporarily closed today and will resume tomorrow, not because we don’t want to search at night, but because Mount Dukono will continue to erupt.”

Emergency crews successfully evacuated 17 individuals from the area, including seven people from Singapore and 10 Indonesian nationals. The three hikers who remain unaccounted for consist of two Singaporeans and one Indonesian citizen.

The volcanic blast occurred Friday morning at 7:41 a.m. local time in North Maluku province, launching volcanic debris and ash approximately 6 miles high into the atmosphere, according to Indonesia’s volcanic monitoring agency.

Video footage captured by witnesses and confirmed by Reuters documented hikers rushing down the mountainside as massive clouds of smoke and ash billowed behind them. In the recording, a tour guide can be heard speaking in English: “Oh I hope they’re alive. Dukono always dangerous. When it’s really quiet, it means a big eruption is coming.”

Lana Saria, director of the volcanology agency, announced that the mountain’s alert level remains at the third-highest warning status. Agency video showed enormous clouds of superheated ash pouring from the volcanic crater and covering the mountain’s slopes.

While Mount Dukono’s volcanic activity diminished last year, it intensified again in late March with almost 200 smaller eruptions occurring since then.

Local police commander Erlichson Pasaribu reported that survivors indicated three people, including two from Singapore, perished in the eruption, though rescue authorities have not yet verified these fatalities. Pasaribu noted that climbing Mount Dukono has been prohibited since a previous eruption earlier in 2024.

Officials have issued warnings for people to avoid all activities within 2.5 miles of the volcanic crater. The volcanology agency also cautioned about potential volcanic mudflows during rainfall.

No airline schedule disruptions have been reported from the eruption so far. Indonesia is positioned along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for intense seismic activity where multiple tectonic plates meet.

BEIRUT — Five people lost their lives Friday when Israeli forces conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon, as the militant group Hezbollah launched rocket attacks into northern Israel that resulted in no injuries.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that four individuals were killed and eight others injured when Israeli forces targeted the southern village of Toura, located near the coastal city of Tyre. Additionally, Lebanon’s National News Agency documented a separate strike near the southeastern village of Kfar Chouba that claimed the life of a paramedic working with the Lebanese Civil Defense.

These military actions occurred several hours after Israel’s Arabic-speaking military spokesperson had issued evacuation orders to residents in six villages throughout Tyre province, which included Toura.

During the early afternoon hours, Hezbollah launched multiple rockets toward communities in northern Israel. Israeli defense forces successfully intercepted one projectile while the remaining rockets landed in unpopulated areas, causing no harm to civilians.

This recent military confrontation between the two sides occurred despite an ongoing ceasefire that began on April 17, and came just two days following Israel’s first airstrike targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs since the truce took effect.

Israeli military officials announced Thursday that they had eliminated Ahmed Balout, whom they described as a commander within Hezbollah’s specialized Radwan Force, along with two additional fighters. Hezbollah has not yet responded to these claims.

Israeli forces claim to have eliminated more than 85 Hezbollah fighters and attacked 180 locations associated with the organization during the past week, though they have not provided supporting evidence for these assertions.

During Friday meetings with a European Union delegation, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged European nations to apply pressure on Israel to honor the ceasefire agreement and stop “detonating and bulldozing” residential properties in villages currently under Israeli control.

In statements released through his office, Aoun emphasized that Lebanon remains dedicated to the ceasefire in order to begin discussions that will resolve the current situation.

Following her meeting with Aoun, European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib told members of the press that both Israel and Hezbollah are holding Lebanon “hostage.”

“Hezbollah should stop its attacks and disarm, and Israel should put limits to its airstrikes that target and have targeted humanitarian centers,” Lahbib said.

Aoun subsequently held discussions with Simon Karam, who leads Lebanon’s delegation for negotiations with Israel in Washington. These talks are scheduled to take place in the U.S. capital during Thursday and Friday of next week.

The current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah commenced on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel, occurring two days after the United States and Israel initiated military action against Iran, Hezbollah’s primary supporter. Since then, Israel has conducted hundreds of aerial bombardments and begun a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, seizing control of numerous border towns and villages.

Subsequently, Lebanon and Israel engaged in their first face-to-face negotiations in over thirty years. The two nations have remained in an official state of war since Israel’s establishment in 1948.

A ten-day cessation of hostilities announced in Washington became effective on April 17, and was later extended for an additional three weeks.