Iniaes

In tech and sovereignty

The European Commission is weighing rules that would limit member governments’ use of U.S. cloud providers for sensitive public data, including financial, judicial, and health records. The proposal is part of the bloc’s coming Tech Sovereignty Package, due May 27, and is still being discussed.

In the Middle East

The United States is still waiting for Iran’s response to a proposal meant to end the 10-week war. The plan would let Iran keep access through the Strait of Hormuz while Washington lifts its blockade on Iranian ports within a month. The world’s largest oil company says even if the strait reopened immediately, it could still take months for the market to settle back down.

Meanwhile, Israel’s naval blockade has kept Gaza cut off from the sea for 18 years, making the coastline part of the strip’s wider isolation rather than an exit from it.

In Europe and the war in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin says the war in Ukraine may be “coming to an end,” and says he would be open to new security arrangements for Europe. That came just hours after he vowed to defeat Ukraine at Moscow’s pared-back Victory Day parade, while drone attacks continued.

In Australia

Three women described by police as alleged ISIS brides were arrested at Melbourne Airport after arriving in Australia. Federal police say they face terrorism and slavery charges linked to Islamic State and the alleged enslavement of a Yazidi woman.

In travel and public health

Spain has begun evacuating passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius in Tenerife after a virus outbreak on board left three people dead and several others infected. Spanish passengers are the first to leave as authorities manage the outbreak.

In the U.S.

Former senior U.S. security official Miles Taylor says Donald Trump could use a secret White House “Doomsday Book” to censor the media, detain civilians, and impose martial law if he returns to power. The warning was published in the UK, and it lands in the category of things a democracy should never have to say out loud.

In South Carolina, Gullah Geechee families are still fighting to keep land handed down through generations, as unclear titles, predatory developers, rising sea levels, and rising taxes put ownership at risk. In Hilton Head, one family nearly lost marshland it bought decades ago, a reminder that for some communities, the paperwork is as dangerous as the weather.

In tech and business

Meta is taking heat from its own staff after saying it will track how employees use their laptops, including typing, clicks, mouse movement, and screen activity, to help train its AI systems. It is also pressing workers to use AI tools and linking that to performance reviews, while cutting about 10 percent of its workforce to fund the spending spree. Employees have called the monitoring invasive, which is a bold move from a company asking people to admire its commitment to the future.

In U.K. politics

Keir Starmer says he will not resign after Labour MP Catherine West threatened to trigger a leadership challenge unless a cabinet minister comes forward by Monday. She would need support from 81 Labour MPs to force a contest, and there is no sign she has that number. Separately, Downing Street is facing pressure over a Sunday anti-antisemitism rally in central London, where Starmer is considering attending and Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders have also been invited.

In health and travel

A cruise ship carrying hantavirus cases has docked off Tenerife, where Spanish health authorities are assessing passengers before disembarkation begins. Around 100 people are expected to leave in stages, and the 22 Britons aboard are due to be flown back to the UK for testing and clinical checks. Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents and, in rare cases, can pass between people, which is not the sort of onboard experience anyone books for.

In conflict and security

At least 39 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Saturday, despite a ceasefire that has been in place for three weeks. Hezbollah responded with drone attacks on northern Israel. Separately, Vladimir Putin said the war in Ukraine may be nearing its end, even as both sides accused each other of violating the first day of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

In health research

New figures in England show multiple sclerosis cases have risen sharply over the past two decades, while researchers say deep health inequalities are still shaping outcomes. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, poorer patients are more likely to die early.

In business

Investors are widening the AI trade beyond Nvidia. AMD, Intel, Micron and Corning all rose this week as money rotated toward the broader hardware buildout behind data centers. Micron has been lifted by a global memory shortage, AMD by strong data center growth, and Intel by a sharp rebound that is still benefiting from last year’s U.S. government investment. Nvidia remains the giant in the room, just no longer the only one getting invited to the party.

In U.S. news

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says preparations for the 2026 World Cup are at risk after the 76-day shutdown disrupted his department. Speaking in Kansas City, one of the host cities, he said DHS can still deliver security for the tournament, but warned staffing losses and delayed training have left agencies behind schedule. A Republican lawmaker with him called for full funding and said politics should not come before security.

A new Politico poll finds 72 percent of Americans think too much money influences U.S. politics, while just 5 percent disagree. Support for that view is even stronger among voters who backed Kamala Harris.

A top Trump Interior Department appointee said she helped shape grazing policy that could benefit ranching businesses like her family’s. Ethics experts say that could raise questions under federal law.

California authorities said a search tied to the Kristin Smart case did not turn up her remains. Smart disappeared in 1996, and the search produced no new evidence.

At Denver International Airport, a Frontier Airlines plane struck and killed a trespasser who had crossed onto a runway Friday night. The flight was bound for Los Angeles, 224 passengers were on board, and 12 people were hurt during the evacuation, with five taken to hospitals.

In Britain

Anti-monarchy protesters held a “No Kings” demonstration outside Buckingham Palace in London.

The Ministry of Justice spent £1,915 to cremate Ian Huntley, the man convicted of murdering Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The bill included a jute coffin, staff attendance and supervision, and his ashes are due to be returned to his mother next month.

In sports

Baseball Hall of Famer Bobby Cox has died at 84. Cox was a longtime Atlanta Braves manager and one of the defining figures of the franchise’s modern era.

The Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 to sweep the series and reach the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season. Philadelphia kept pushing, but Carolina had the final answer.

In public health

The hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius has now reached eight cases and three deaths, and public health experts are openly asking whether the U.S. response was too slow. The criticism is focused on limited federal messaging as the outbreak unfolded, and on whether the CDC alerted doctors and the public quickly enough.

Investigators say Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, 70, is the likely first patient in the cluster. Exposure is being traced to a municipal landfill near Ushuaia in southern Argentina, while conspiracy theories have predictably rushed in to fill the space where facts already were.

In U.S. news

Eleven people were taken to hospital after a possible boat explosion at Haulover Sandbar in North Miami Beach, Florida. Fire rescue crews, the Coast Guard, and other agencies responded, but officials have not confirmed what caused the blast, and the victims’ conditions were not immediately known.

In Maryland, the state’s Office of People’s Counsel says PJM Interconnection’s proposed $22 billion transmission upgrade for data centers could leave Maryland customers paying nearly $2 billion for grid work that mostly benefits other states. The complaint says bills could rise by about $1.6 billion over the next decade, which is a tidy reminder that “regional planning” often means somebody else gets the region and you get the invoice.

Betty Broderick, convicted in the 1989 killings of her ex-husband and his wife, has died at 78 in California after being moved to a medical center earlier this month.

In Russia and Ukraine

Vladimir Putin used Moscow’s smaller Victory Day parade to project confidence in the war in Ukraine, speaking under tight security on Red Square as Russia marked the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The message was the usual mix of military pageantry and strategic certainty.

In U.S. news

Tucker Carlson says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened him and at least two family members after Carlson’s recent trip to Israel, and he also called Israel the “most violent country on Earth.”

In Miami, 15 people were taken to hospital after a reported boat explosion near the Haulover Sandbar. Fire rescue said more than 25 units responded, the call was upgraded to a Level 2 mass casualty incident, and the scene remained active while investigators tried to sort out what happened.

In Virginia, Democrats asked the state Supreme Court to pause its order blocking the 2026 gerrymandering referendum after the court ruled the measure was not placed on the ballot properly. The filing also drew attention for misspelling Virginia and senator on the first page, which is not ideal for a document asking judges to reconsider their judgment.

In world news

The UN condemned a confrontation in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers forced a Palestinian family to exhume and rebury their father. The agency called the incident appalling and a stark example of the dehumanization Palestinians face.

Indonesian authorities located missing Singaporeans near the crater rim of Mount Dukono after the volcano erupted. Officials had been searching after the eruption cut short contact with the group.

In baseball

Bobby Cox, the longtime Atlanta Braves manager and Hall of Famer who guided the team through its dominant 1990s run and to a 1995 World Series title, has died at 84. The Braves said he died Saturday in Marietta, Georgia.

In U.S. news

A child was fatally struck by a school bus in Greenwich Township, South Jersey, after getting off the bus near Bennett Avenue and Ashton Drive on Friday afternoon. Neighbors gave CPR at the scene, and the district has opened counseling and other support, with mental health professionals on site and a therapy dog at Clonmell United Methodist Church over the weekend. Both district schools will also have mental health support starting Monday while police and the bus company continue their reviews.

In Denver, a Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian who was on the runway as the aircraft was taking off from Denver International Airport. Authorities have not released more details yet.

In health and travel

Experts say the CDC has been unusually quiet as a hantavirus outbreak involving Americans on a cruise ship develops overseas. The WHO handled the risk assessment first, while the CDC later sent teams to Spain’s Canary Islands and Nebraska and issued a health alert to U.S. doctors. The agency says the risk to the public is extremely low, but critics see the episode as another sign of a weakened public-health response.

Passengers from the virus-hit MV Hondius are also being flown back to the UK and will isolate in hospital after the ship docks in the Canary Islands.

In Europe

Péter Magyar has been sworn in as Hungary’s new prime minister after a landslide election win, ending 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule. He says officials seen as remnants of the old order should leave their posts by the end of May, including President Tamás Sulyok.

In Spain, Europe Day was marked with a look back at 40 years since the country joined the European Economic Community, a milestone that reshaped its modern political and economic path.

In business and aviation

Apple has reached a preliminary deal for Intel to manufacture some of Apple’s chip designs, according to the Wall Street Journal. The move would give Apple more supply capacity, while Washington keeps pressing Intel to expand its foundry business, though the specific products and terms have not been disclosed.

Separately, an EasyJet passenger from Merseyside has received a suspended prison sentence after admitting he was drunk and disruptive on a flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to Liverpool. The court ordered unpaid work, rehabilitation, and costs.

In Russia

Vladimir Putin used a scaled-back Victory Day parade in Red Square to insist Russia would always prevail, while the Kremlin kept security tight over fears of a Ukrainian drone strike. For the first time since 2008, no tanks or other heavy weapons rolled through the square, only marching troops and a flypast. The war is still front and center, even without the hardware.

In U.S. politics

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson is facing the toughest primary of his 16-year career after resisting pressure from Democrats to redraw congressional maps. Separately, court rulings and new redistricting moves in Republican-led states have given the GOP fresh momentum in the House map fight, leaving Democrats with a steeper climb to win control.

In public health and travel

Countries across Europe are arranging repatriation flights for passengers stranded by a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship off Tenerife. Officials say there have been eight cases, including three deaths, with several governments sending planes for their nationals and the EU adding flights for other European passengers.

In the UK and France

Another 200 migrants crossed the English Channel, pushing the total since 2018 past 200,000. Home Office figures put this year’s count at just under 7,600, while London says it has signed a new deal with France to step up enforcement and target smugglers.

Police in London have also charged two men over antisemitic TikTok videos filmed in the city. Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, are due in court on Saturday.

In Lebanon

A school in Sidon is sheltering displaced families from southern Lebanon, but classes are still going on. Children are studying in the middle of the displacement, a bleak enough form of normality to count as resilience without anyone needing to dress it up.

In the Middle East

Violence flared in the West Bank, where dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, torched homes and cars, and left damage across several locations. In Yemen, soldiers are still waiting on pay as the currency collapse drives monthly wages down to levels that barely cover basic needs.

Iran also accused the United States of launching a “reckless military adventure,” with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Washington keeps choosing force even when diplomacy is available.

In Russia’s military buildup

Russia commissioned its eighth Project 22800 Karakurt-class missile corvette into the Baltic Fleet at Baltiysk, one day after Ukraine struck another vessel of the same class at a naval base on the Caspian Sea. Separately, Moscow used its Victory Day parade broadcast to unveil a new heavy jet-powered strike drone, the Geran-5, which it says is a bigger, longer-range step beyond the Shahed-derived drones already used against Ukrainian cities.

In Britain and Scotland

John Swinney is set to return as first minister after the SNP won a fifth straight Scottish election. The result gives the party another historic win, though governing at Holyrood still looks complicated.

Scottish Labour was weakened by apathy and frustration, with Labour and Reform tied for second behind the SNP. Veteran Labour figures said the result was shaped in part by events in Downing Street, which is rarely a sentence that signals calm.

In health and science

Doctors are warning that more parents are refusing the routine vitamin K shot for newborns, a move that can leave babies vulnerable to dangerous bleeding. The debate has spilled onto social media, where misinformation is doing its usual work.

Researchers also reported early progress on a reversible male birth control method that could temporarily stop sperm production and later restore fertility. Separately, scientists said fiber optic cables can pick up nearby speech through tiny vibrations, and AI transcription software turned that signal into real-time text in a field test.

In business and public policy

Germany has agreed to introduce a sugar levy on soft drinks as part of wider health reforms. Critics call it overreach, supporters point out that plenty of other countries already tax sugary drinks.

In transportation

A Frontier Airlines jet bound from Denver to Los Angeles struck a person on the runway at Denver International Airport on Friday, according to an aviation source cited by ABC News. Authorities have not yet released further details.

In Ukraine

Ukraine says its military plans to produce 25,000 unmanned ground vehicles for front-line use against Russia. The machines are already being used for rescue, resupply, evacuation, mine-laying, and combat, and commanders say they have become essential in areas too dangerous for enough people and trucks to move in. Ukraine says the vehicles carried out a record 10,281 resupply and evacuation missions in April, up sharply from November. Analysts say robot-versus-robot warfare is no longer science fiction.

In U.S. news

In Chester County, Carlos Della Valle is back home after 258 days in ICE custody. He says he was moved through 12 detention facilities, including one in Louisiana, with little information about his case. He was first detained at an airport in St. Thomas in December while on a family vacation, and he now has to keep reporting to ICE while he tries to get back to work.

In South Jersey, a child has died after being hit by a school bus. Police were seen inspecting the bus at the scene. In Northeast Philadelphia, police say a woman was critically wounded in a shooting near Levick Street and Roosevelt Boulevard, and a man nearby had a graze wound. No weapon was recovered, and no arrests have been made.

In science and public health

NASA’s Nisar radar satellite is tracking Mexico City’s sinking in real time, with some parts of the capital dropping by more than 2 centimeters a month. The subsidence is tied to long-term groundwater extraction from ground built over an ancient lake bed, and it is worsening the city’s water problems by cracking aging pipes. Officials estimate the city loses about 40 percent of its water.

Interest in hantavirus vaccines has picked up again after a deadly outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius. Moderna says it has been developing an experimental mRNA hantavirus vaccine with a Korean university since 2023. In New Jersey, two residents are being monitored after a possible exposure tied to an infected person on the ship.

In U.S. foreign policy and defense

The U.S. military says it carried out another lethal strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, killing two suspected traffickers. Southern Command said the vessel was run by a designated terrorist organization and was traveling along known drug routes.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Rome reaffirming support for NATO after Donald Trump again floated the idea of pulling U.S. troops from Europe. Rubio said the alliance still matters for maintaining U.S. forces and bases there, while also complaining about restrictions some allies place on U.S. use of their bases.

In U.S. politics and policy

Virginia Democrats are asking the state Supreme Court to pause a redistricting ruling, while Alabama is separately asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let it use a new voting map for the midterms. In both states, the fight is the same: lines on a map, just with different courtrooms and better public relations.

On the federal side, reports say President Trump wants to fire FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, after growing frustration with the agency. Administration officials are also denying that immigration enforcement has been softened, even as tactics have shifted, including pausing some detention plans and telling agents not to enter homes without judicial warrants.

In the Middle East

President Trump is now focusing first on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before moving on to broader nuclear talks with Iran. The ceasefire has been shaky, U.S. warships were sent to protect merchant vessels, and the administration briefly shelved “Project Freedom” before backing away from it.

At the same time, U.S. Central Command says it hit two oil tankers headed for Iran, and Iran has targeted oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates. Japan is also expanding emergency imports of Russian Sakhalin-2 crude to reduce exposure to any disruption around Hormuz, which is what global energy planning looks like when everyone is trying to outguess the next crisis.

In business

Akamai says it has signed a seven-year, $1.8 billion deal with a leading AI company, reportedly Anthropic, in what it calls the biggest contract in its history. The same day, Cloudflare announced it will cut about 1,100 jobs, roughly 20% of its workforce, as it reorganizes around AI.

In Britain

Reform U.K. had a big night in England’s local elections, winning more than 1,000 seats and emerging as the largest winner. Labour lost more than 900 seats and control of nearly 30 councils, while the Conservatives also took heavy losses, a result that says plenty about the state of British politics without formally changing the government.

In Philadelphia

One man is dead and two others are critically injured after an early morning triple shooting in North Philadelphia. Police are investigating the attack.