Browsing: Main Headlines

PM Ariel Henry has resigned as a new country has been sworn in to lead Haiti which has been recently gripped by deadly violence. The outbreak of violence forced officials to move the ceremony from the National Palace to the outgoing prime minister’s office.

An LA college has cancelled its main graduation ceremony, citing safety measures amid spreading protests across US colleges over the war in Gaza. The University of Southern California (USC) was due to have its main ceremony on 10 May.

Australian actor Orpheus Pledger, former Home and Away star, has been arrested after a three-day police manhunt across the country. Pledger, 30, is facing four charges for allegedly assaulting a woman, authorities say.

ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has said that it has no plans to sell the popular video app despite pressure from the US government. Earlier this week, TikTok said it would challenge in court the “unconstitutional” law.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced a temporary suspension of his public duties to decide whether to continue in office. This decision comes in the wake of a court’s start of a preliminary inquiry into his wife, Begoña Gómez. Sánchez expressed the urgency of determining whether to persist in leading the government or relinquish his position, stating it as a matter of honour.

Arizona has voted to repeal a 160-year-old law banning abortion, marking a major win for the Democratic-led effort to take the law off the books. Republicans had thwarted two earlier attempts to vote on ending the law, which bans abortions from conception without exceptions for rape or incest.

India’s general election, the largest-ever election, has begun and will take around 44 days until the polls close. To get people voting in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, companies in the city are offering a range of incentives – from free food to taxi rides.

Ukraine has begun using long-range ballistic missiles secretly provided by the US against invading Russian forces, American officials have confirmed. The weapons were part of a $300m aid package approved by Joe Biden in Match and arrived this month.

A UN Security Council resolution – which called on all countries to prevent an arms race in outer space, has been vetoed by Russia. The draft resolution was put forward by the US and Japan and was aimed at reaffirming a principle already set out in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

In a secretive meeting held about a year ago, a small group of lawmakers gathered to strategize on how to effectively ban the popular social media app, TikTok. The lawmakers, determined to keep their discussions away from the prying eyes of TikTok lobbyists, worked tirelessly to craft a bill that would effectively prohibit the app from operating in the United States.

The EU has called on international donors to resume funding to Gaza’s largest UN agency. Several nations had stopped funding the UNRWA agency after allegations that some employees took part in the October 7 attack on Israel. A review has found that Israel failed to provide evidence for its claim that thousands of UNRWA staff were members of terror groups.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires to protest against cuts to public universities. The protesters called for education funding to be protected. The country’s new President, Javier Milei, was elected to office last year promising to bring Argentina’s finances under control with sweeping cuts to the public sector.

Spanish Justice officials have accidentally released a billionaire Dutch drug lord from prison in a major bureaucratic mix-up. Karim Bouyakhrichan, allegedly a leader of the Mocro Maffia, was arrested in Marbella in January after a five-year money-laundering investigation.

A $95bn foreign aid package has been approved by the US Senate that will see military support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Joe Biden is set to sign the legislation into law on Wednesday.

In a dramatic turn of events, prosecutors in former President Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial are seeking to hold him in contempt for his relentless attacks on witnesses and individuals involved in the case. The trial, which centres on a hush-money payment made to a porn star, has been filled with tension and controversy from the start.

US President Joe Biden has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he will “move quickly” to send Ukraine fresh military aid after US lawmakers passed a $61bn aid package. 

German officials have announced that three people have been arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
The main suspect – Thomas R., is accused of spying for the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).

US colleges are struggling with the spread of protests against the war in Gaza with the movement now spreading from Columbia and Yale to other universities. Police moved to break up a protest at New York University and made a number of arrests.

Ten people have died following a mid-air helicopter crash during a military rehearsal for a Royal Malaysian Navy parade. One of the helicopters clipped the rotor of the other before both crashed into the ground, footage published on local media show.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised US billionaire Elon Musk calling him an “arrogant billionaire” in an escalating feud over X’s reluctance to remove footage of a church stabbing. 

Former President Donald Trump made a fiery statement on Monday as he arrived in court in Manhattan for the opening statements in his criminal trial. Trump accused President Biden of orchestrating the trial to hurt his chances in the upcoming election, calling it a “witch hunt” and “political persecution.”

A major search is underway to locate seven missing people in the Pacific Ocean after an apparent crash of two helicopters on Saturday night. At least one person was killed. Rescuers have so far recovered one body as well as two black boxes and debris but are yet to locate the others.

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to reject any sanctions on the country’s military after reports surfaced the US is planning to cut aid to one unit. “I will fight it with all my strength,” the prime minister said on Sunday.

Nearly 60,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Guangdong, China as days of heavy rain caused massive flooding in the country’s most populous province. No casualties have been reported so far, but at least 11 people are missing.

Seven spectators have died and 21 injured after a race car ploughed into crowds at a motor event in Sri Lanka. Four race officials were amongst those killed, as well as spectators – including an eight-year-old girl. The crash occurred at the Fox Hill Supercross race on Sunday in Diyatalawa, an army base town.