Putin to push growing Moscow-Beijing trade in China's northeast (www.reuters.com)
Putin Visiting Xi Underscores Limits of Pressure to Divide Russia and China (time.com)
Biden driving China, Russia into 'shocking' partnership, expert warns: 'Blunder of the highest order' (www.foxnews.com)
Top 10 Countries Most in Debt to the IMF (www.visualcapitalist.com)
New Caledonia riots: France declares state of emergency, bans TikTok (www.france24.com)
France deployed troops to New Caledonia’s ports and international airport, banned TikTok and imposed a state of emergency Thursday after three nights of clashes that have left four dead and hundreds wounded.
‘I’ve been here for 40 years’: Newsagent’s fight for UK passport (www.thetimes.co.uk)
South Africa Warns ICJ Israel’s Genocide Has “Reached a New and Horrific Stage” (truthout.org)
South Africa’s legal team is seeking provisional measures from the ICJ for Israel to immediately withdraw from Rafah and take every action possible to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza, on top of orders for Israel to comply with provisional orders the court issued in January and March....
'Massive' French police deployment arrives to secure New Caledonia (www.reuters.com)
SYDNEY/PARIS, May 17 (Reuters) - French police reinforcements have started arriving in New Caledonia as part of a massive operation to regain control of the capital Noumea, the top French official in the Pacific island territory said on Friday....
Israel Sending More Troops to Rafah Amid Warnings of Famine in Gaza (www.nytimes.com)
Israel said on Thursday that it would send more troops to Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, which has become the focal point in the war between Israel and Hamas....
[US] Rep. Robert Garcia calls out Peru for classifying trans, intersex & nonbinary people as mentally ill (www.advocate.com)
Marjorie Taylor Greene pushes wild conspiracy theory about Slovakia PM’s shooting: ‘No wonder they shot him’ (www.independent.co.uk)
Kim's sister denies North Korea has supplied weapons to Russia (apnews.com)
Putin and Xi pledge a new era and condemn the United States | Reuters (www.reuters.com)
Putin and Xi cast U.S. as Cold War hegemon...
South Africa calls on ICJ to order Israel to end Rafah offensive (www.theguardian.com)
South Africa has asked the international court of justice (ICJ) to urgently order Israel to end its assault on Rafah, halt its military campaign across Gaza, and allow international investigators and journalists into the territory....
New Defense Minister Belousov to put Russia's economy on war footing (kyivindependent.com)
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s appointment of a new defense minister, Andrey Belousov, is seen as an attempt to streamline Russia’s economy and mobilize it for the war effort....
As Russia Advances, NATO Considers Sending Trainers Into Ukraine (www.nytimes.com)
NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces, a move that would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war....
Gaza: Israelis Attacking Known Aid Worker Locations (www.hrw.org)
(Jerusalem, May 14, 2024) – Israeli forces have carried out at least eight strikes on aid workers’ convoys and premises in Gaza since October 2023, even though aid groups had provided their coordinates to the Israeli authorities to ensure their protection, Human Rights Watch said today. Israeli authorities did not issue...
Canada sanctions 'extremist' Israeli settlers (www.cbc.ca)
About 4,000 Palestinians were displaced from their land and homes in 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It’s the highest number recorded in the past 20 years....
Algerian man found alive after 26 years in neighbour’s cellar (www.bbc.com)
A man has been found alive in his neighbour’s cellar after going missing about 26 years ago....
Sri Lanka to send delegation to Russia to help repatriate men duped into Ukraine fighting (www.reuters.com)
Anti-Putin Russian paramilitaries join Ukraine's fight in Kharkiv region (www.reuters.com)
KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine, May 16 (Reuters) - Peeking out from under a hat and with his face covered, the Russian fighting for Kyiv described unrelenting battles in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv where Moscow’s forces opened a new front last week....
Israeli cabinet rifts over Gaza break out into the open (www.reuters.com)
JERUSALEM, May 16 (Reuters) - Israeli government splits over the war in Gaza broke open this week, after the Defence Minister publicly demanded a clear strategy from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as troops returned to battle Hamas fighters in areas thought to have been cleared months ago....
The Unpunished: How Extremists Took Over Israel (www.nytimes.com)
This story is told in three parts. The first documents the unequal system of justice that grew around Jewish settlements in Gaza and the West Bank. The second shows how extremists targeted not only Palestinians but also Israeli officials trying to make peace. The third explores how this movement gained control of the state...
Tunisia denies torturing detained lawyer who collapsed in court (www.reuters.com)
Tunisia’s interior ministry on Thursday dismissed accusations by lawyers and a rights group that police officers had tortured a detained attorney who collapsed in court....