Key Storylines
- AFRICA: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had to leave a May Day rally after workers stormed the stage where he was speaking.
- AMERICAS: The former head of Cuba’s parliament and one of the country’s most prominent diplomats Ricardo Alarcón died in Havana at 84 years old.
- ASIA: Japan is expected to announce a new defense agreement among several deals with Thailand during a visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
- EUROPE: Humanitarian organizations worked to evacuate more civilians from the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, but hundreds of people remained trapped in the Azovstal steel works.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran summoned Sweden’s ambassador following a request by prosecutors in Stockholm for life imprisonment for a former Iranian official.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Google urged Europe’s second-highest court to dismiss a 1.49-billion-euro ($1.6 billion) fine imposed by EU antitrust regulators three years ago for hindering rivals in online search advertising.
Top Story
- Global: Israel Summons Russian Ambassador Over Lavrov’s Nazism Remarks.
- Israel denounced Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for suggesting that the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins, saying his comments were anti-Semitic and dangerous.
- Israel summoned the Russian ambassador Anatoly Viktorov over comments made by the Russian foreign minister and signal a steep decline in relations between the two countries.
- Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid condemned the comments as “an unforgivable and outrageous statement as well as a terrible historical error”.
- Last month, Lapid accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine, and Israel agreed to supply helmets and vests to Ukrainian rescue services, signaling a shift in its position on providing such equipment.
- Dani Dayan, director of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel, also criticized Lavrov’s comments as “unfounded, delusional and dangerous remarks which deserve to be condemned”.
- Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Israel has sought to keep a delicate balance between the two sides, but remarks by Lavrov to an Italian channel sparked anger in Israel.
- Reuters, AP, AFP, BBC, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz,
Africa
- Region: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged debt relief for African countries and more investment to help their economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and weather the impacts of the Ukraine war. (Reuters)
- Chad: The military government announced it is postponing the start of national talks with opposition forces and rebels, as preparatory negotiations between the two sides drag out in Qatar. (AFP)
- Morocco: King Mohammed VI pardoned 29 people jailed for “terrorism or extremism” offences in a gesture marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. (AFP)
- Nigeria: A three-story residential building collapsed in Lagos killing at least five people with many feared trapped. (AP)
- South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa had to leave a May Day rally after workers stormed the stage where he was speaking. (BBC)
Americas
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro and his main rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, staged competing rallies that were expected to become previews of their campaigns for presidential elections in October. (Reuters)
- Chile: Police said three people were wounded by gunfire and two arrested in clashes at May Day demonstrations in the country. (AFP)
- Cuba: The former head of parliament and one of the country’s most prominent diplomats Ricardo Alarcón died in Havana at 84 years old. (AP)
- Mexico: The foreign ministry said the pressure the US state of Texas exerted on neighboring states last month to tighten border security was tantamount to “extortion”. (Reuters)
- United States: First Lady Jill Biden will visit Romania and Slovakia this week to meet with displaced Ukrainian parents and children, aid workers, service members, and embassy personnel. (AFP)
Asia
- China: Two people have been rescued from the rubble of a building in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, more than 50 hours after it collapsed. (AP)
- Indonesia: Millions of Muslims returned to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in full swing after two years of subdued festivities due to pandemic restrictions and travel curbs. (AP)
- Japan: The country is expected to announce a new defense agreement among several deals with Thailand during a visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (Reuters)
- New Zealand: The country welcomed tourists from more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. (AP)
- Philippines: Eight people, including six children, died when a fire ripped through a poor community in the capital of Manila and destroyed 80 houses. (AFP)
Europe
- Region: The European Commission may spare Hungary and Slovakia from an embargo on buying Russian oil, wary of how dependent the two countries are on Russian crude. (Reuters)
- Armenia: Police in Yerevan detained 125 anti-government demonstrators that were blocking streets to protest against the country’s prime minister. (AP)
- Denmark: Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod announced the reopening of the country’s embassy in Kyiv during a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital. (AFP)
- Spain: Officials said the cellphones of the prime minister and the defense minister were infected last year with Pegasus spyware that is only available to government agencies, in an operation that was not authorized by the government. (AP)
- Ukraine: Humanitarian organizations worked to evacuate more civilians from the port city of Mariupol, but hundreds of people remained trapped in the Azovstal steel works. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Iran: The country summoned Sweden’s ambassador following a request by prosecutors in Stockholm for life imprisonment for a former official. (AFP)
- Israel: The country canceled independence day fireworks over concerns by some military veterans who say the cracking and banging dredges up the horrors of battle, especially for those with post-traumatic stress disorder. (AP)
- Palestinian Territories: A proposal by the UN agency for refugees to delegate some services to other United Nations agencies has sparked outrage among citizens, who have warned of a plot to “dismantle” the body. (AFP)
- Saudi Arabia: Riyadh feels “let down” by the United States in tackling security threats to the kingdom and wider region by Yemen’s Houthi movement. (Reuters)
- United Arab Emirates: Deliveroo suspended plans that would cut rider earnings in the Gulf Arab state after a rare strike by foreign delivery workers over working conditions. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Google urged Europe’s second-highest court to dismiss a 1.49-billion-euro ($1.6 billion) fine imposed by EU antitrust regulators three years ago for hindering rivals in online search advertising. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to Report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 02MAY22)
- Confirmed cases: 513,890,808
- Deaths: 6,236,772
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 02MAY22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (03MAY22)
- Event: Stimson Center discussion on Taiwan and China’s engagement with Eastern Europe.
- Global: Labor Day.
- Global: Eid Al Fitr.
- Global: World Press Freedom Day.
- Asia: ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, via videoconference.
- Belarus: Commemoration Day.
- Denmark: Visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Europe: Eurogroup Meeting of eurozone finance ministers.
- Israel: Memorial Day.
- Japan: Constitution Memorial Day.
- Poland: Constitution Day.
- United States: Primary elections in Ohio and Indiana.
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