Israel arrests two Palestinian axe murder suspects

Israel

Israeli security forces detained two Palestinians suspected of axing to death three Israelis, the latest in a string of murderous attacks after a more than two-day manhunt, The suspects, Assad Yussef al-Rifai, 19, and Subhi Imad Abu Shukair, 20, were observed near a quarry close outside the central town of Elad, where the axe attack … Read more

Care home fire kills four in Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Fire at a retirement home in eastern Bulgaria killed four residents, making it the country’s latest care facility disaster Police confirmed on Sunday. According to regional police spokeswoman Petya Kupova, an 88-year-old woman and three males aged 73-78 died in the nighttime blaze in the city of Varna. An 83-year-old woman was clinging on to … Read more

Ambushes leave 12 dead in Burkina Faso: local, security sources

Burkina

At least 12 people were killed in an ambush by suspected jihadists in northern Burkina Faso, including 10 army auxiliary and two civilians, according to security and local reports. “Yesterday (Saturday) morning, a food convoy escorted by volunteers for the defense of the fatherland (VDP) was the target of an ambush on the Dori-Gorgadji road,” … Read more

Trump rally draws fervent backers of expected abortion ruling

Trump

Reports that the Supreme Court may soon remove the constitutionally protected right to abortion galvanised Donald Trump supporters during a rally in Pennsylvania. “Life is precious,” one man put it succinctly. The political repercussions of a high court judgement, a draught of which was leaked Monday in an extremely uncommon occurrence, are expected to resonate … Read more

Lebanese abroad cast votes in parliamentary election

election

Expatriates in Lebanon voted in parliamentary elections on Friday, kicking off a crucial election that comes amid an unparalleled financial crisis that has prompted a major migration. While opposition figures have placed their hopes in the diaspora, experts predict that the elections will maintain the status quo despite years of economic turmoil. Expatriates in nine … Read more

Civilians leave steelworks as Ukraine braces for renewed offensive

Ukraine

Ukraine announced Saturday that all vulnerable residents had been evacuated from Mariupol, setting up a showdown between Kyiv’s last surviving soldiers and the besieging Russian forces before of the Soviet World War II triumph celebrations. The Azovstal steelworks, the last Ukrainian stronghold in the damaged port city, has acquired symbolic significance during the war. Kyiv … Read more

At least 75 killed in recent Haiti gang battles: UN

UN

Clashes between two rival gangs on the outskirts of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince have claimed the lives of at least 75 people In less than two weeks, including women and children, according to the UN. The United Nations expressed its “grave worry” about the city’s “rapid deterioration of the security situation.” “According to multiple sources, at … Read more

Dozens killed as wave of gang violence roils Haitian capital

Haitian

As gunshots roared through his destitute neighbourhood in the Haitian capital, Jackson held out for more than a week, praying for help to resolve the violent turf war between rival gangs. “For eight days, the bursts of bullets flew non-stop but we thought that the police were going to intervene,” he said. However, the cops … Read more

Standoff at strategic Ukraine river eyed by Russian troops

Ukraine

Barbed wire, sand bags, and other barriers have replaced youngsters playing in the sand on the municipal beach in Nikopol, Ukraine. The Russians control the other bank of the Dnipro, the river that separates Ukraine into east and west. A slightly rusted sign in the sand requests that people pay attention — a gentle reminder … Read more

Nigerian airlines suspend flights over soaring fuel prices

Nigerian

Nigerian airlines will cancel all flights starting Monday due to increased jet fuel prices, according to an umbrella group of operators. Fuel prices have risen dramatically around the world since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, prompting the West to levy sanctions on Moscow. The Airline Operators of Nigeria said the price of jet fuel had … Read more

US judge tosses Trump suit over Twitter ban

US

A federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit filed by former US President Donald Trump seeking to reactivate his suspended Twitter account. The suit’s claim that Twitter “censored” Trump in violation of his free speech rights was weak, according to the judge, because the First Amendment prohibits government organisations, not private firms, from interfering with … Read more

UN experts favour keeping South Sudan arms embargo

UN

A panel of UN experts has recommended that the arms embargo on South Sudan be maintained due to ongoing ceasefire violations According to a report released on Saturday. The embargo was set to expire at the end of the month, and the UN Security Council will meet on May 26 to assess the situation. Because … Read more

Rare May fires break out in Siberia, kill at least 10

Siberia

Fires in southwestern Siberia have killed at least ten people and destroyed hundreds of structures Local authorities announced on Saturday. Hundreds of firefighters are battling the blazes, which are unusual in the region in May and have been fueled by a lack of rain and strong winds, according to officials. In the Krasnoyarsk region, at … Read more

North Korea fires submarine-launched missile after US nuclear warning

North Korea

North Korea launched its second submarine-launched ballistic missile in three days on Saturday, Seoul reported, after the US warned Pyongyang could be planning a nuclear test. Pyongyang has drastically increased its sanctions-busting missile launches this year, conducting 15 tests since January, including the first full-range launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017. The latest … Read more

UN decries ‘shocking’ Christian-Muslim clashes in Ethiopia

UN

The UN human rights director expressed concern on Saturday over recent violent conflicts in Ethiopia between Muslims and Orthodox Christians, calling on authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible. Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she was “very disturbed” by the violence that erupted in northern Ethiopia late last month, killing … Read more

Jihadist attack kills 11 Egypt troops: army

Egypt

The army claimed 11 Egyptian soldiers were killed on Saturday while attempting to foil a “terrorist” attack on the Suez Canal zone bordering the Sinai Peninsula, a hub of jihadist activity. It was the army’s worst loss in years in its long-running operation against militants loyal to the Islamic State group in and around Sinai. … Read more

Explosive device found in Russian media agency in Berlin

Berlin

An explosive device was discovered in a Berlin building housing the office of a Russian news agency on Saturday According to German media. The device was located in the basement of a building “containing the office of a Russian press agency,” Ria Novosti, in the city’s Steglitz neighbourhood, according to German police. Police had been … Read more

No ‘practical evidence’ Russia plans to use tactical nukes: CIA

Russia

CIA Director Bill Burns said that  there are no indications that Russia is ready to use tactical nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. “We don’t see, as an intelligence community, practical evidence at this point of Russian planning for the deployment or even potential use of tactical nuclear weapons,” Burns said. “Given the kind of … Read more

China ‘carefully’ studying Ukraine war as it eyes Taiwan: CIA chief

Tensions between China Australia

CIA Director Bill Burns said that China is closely monitoring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is likely altering its long-term plans for obtaining control of Taiwan based on the lessons learned.. “Clearly the Chinese leadership is trying to look carefully at what lessons they should draw from Ukraine about their own ambitions and Taiwan,” Burns … Read more

Michelle O’Neill: the new face of Irish nationalism

Irish

Michelle O’Neill represents a new generation of progressive Irish republicans, and she will be remembered as the leader who first gave nationalists control in Northern Ireland. The 45-year-old Sinn Fein lawmaker, who pledged on Saturday to create “inclusive leadership that celebrates diversity,” comes from a family steeped in sectarianism. Her father was imprisoned for IRA … Read more

DUP leader concedes Sinn Fein set to win Northern Ireland polls

Ireland

Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, admitted on Saturday that his nationalist opponents, Sinn Fein, were on track for a historic election triumph. “Certainly it looks at the moment as if Sinn Fein will emerge as the largest party,” He told Sky News that the DUP would refuse to join a future administration … Read more

Jill Biden hails ‘amazingly strong’ Ukraine refugees in Romania

Jill Biden

On a visit to neighboring Romania on Saturday, US First Lady Jill Biden praised the “very strong” migrants fleeing war-torn Ukraine. “You are amazingly strong,” Biden said after listening women and children recount their experiences fleeing Russia’s assault of their country. “We stand with you, I hope you know that,” she said in a visit … Read more

Soy boon for Argentina as Ukraine war boosts prices

Ukraine

Russia’s war on Ukraine has caused grain prices to spike, which is a concern for consumers worldwide but could be a windfall for producers like Argentina, which is hoping for an infusion of soybean “agridollars” to help its faltering economy. The third-largest economy in South America is the world’s largest exporter of soybean meal and … Read more

Mystery mega yacht impounded by Italian authorities

Italian

The Italian authorities confiscated a giant yacht at the centre of a controversy regarding its ownership on Friday, sparking rumours that it might possibly belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Scheherazade”, worth an estimated $700 million, has been the subject of a probe into its ownership by Italy’s financial police. According to the Italian ministry … Read more

Sinn Fein leader vows ‘new era’ for Northern Ireland

Ireland

Sinn Fein leader Michelle O’Neill said on Saturday that Northern Ireland was entering a “new era” as her nationalist party prepared for a historic election triumph, encouraging a “healthy debate” about abolishing UK sovereignty. “Today marks the beginning of a new age. It’s a watershed moment in our politics and for our people “As full … Read more

Sri Lanka lawyers urge backtrack on state of emergency

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s major attorneys’ group urged the president on Saturday to lift the state of emergency imposed after a countrywide strike brought the already bankrupt country to a halt. Months of blackouts and acute food, fuel, and medicine shortages have caused widespread hardship across the South Asian island nation, which is experiencing its worst economic … Read more

Brazil, Guyana agree to widen energy cooperation

Brazil

Brazil and Guyana agreed to expand energy cooperation on Friday during President Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to Georgetown, where the South American neighbours also signed infrastructure and legal agreements. Guyana, a former British and Dutch colony, has emerged as one of the major low-cost oil producing countries, with plans to sell off offshore oil blocks at … Read more

Lula to launch official campaign for Brazil presidency

Brazil

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist ex-president, will open his campaign for Brazil’s October presidential election on Saturday, hoping to unseat far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and staging a stunning comeback four years after being imprisoned for corruption. More than a decade after leaving office as Brazil’s most popular president, the charismatic but tarnished 76-year-old … Read more