Force

• Leger, gesteund door Russische huurlingen, start luchtaanvallen na offensief van coalitie van islamitische extremisten en Toeareg-separatisten • Malias strijdkrachten, gesteund door Russische huurlingen, hebben luchtaanvallen uitgevoerd op een rebellenalliantie van islamitische extremisten en Toeareg-separatisten, terwijl de regerende junta worstelt om haar macht te behouden in het instabiele West-Afrikaanse land. • Eerder deze week richtten gevechtsvliegtuigen zich op de belangrijke noordelijke stad Kidal, die verloren ging toen de rebellen eind april een verrassingsaanval lanceerden in grote delen van Mali. Lees verder...

• Negen Japanse politieke partijen, waaronder de regerende Liberal Democratic Party en oppositiegroepen, zijn donderdag overeengekomen om te eisen dat exploitanten van sociale media desinformatie, misinformatie en laster tijdens verkiezingen verminderen. • Het plan zou platforms dwingen om beloningsbetalingen aan gebruikers te staken, sneller te reageren op verzoeken tot verwijdering en AI-gegenereerde inhoud te labelen, waarbij wetgevers streven om wetgeving tijdens de huidige sessie van de Diet aan te nemen. • Deze stap is van belang omdat Japan online inmenging wil beperken vóór de lokale gedelegeerde verkiezingen van volgende lente, terwijl de transparantie over hoe platforms verkiezingsgerelateerde inhoud modereren, wordt vergroot.

• Onder voorstellen van de luchtvaarttoezichthouder zouden concurrerende bedrijven kunnen bieden op het ontwerp en de bouw van delen van de luchthavenuitbreiding • Heathrow kan gedwongen worden andere bedrijven toe te staan om de derde landingsbaan en een nieuwe terminal te ontwerpen en te bouwen, nadat de Britse luchtvaarttoezichthouder stelde dat concurrerende biedingen de bouwkosten kunnen verlagen. • Een langverwachte evaluatie door de Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stelt wijzigingen voor in het reguleringsmodel dat bepaalt hoe Heathrow wordt beheerd en hoe de kosten worden gedekt. Lees verder...

• Het Amerikaanse Hooggerechtshof heeft met een stemming van 6-3 geoordeeld dat de Preventive Services Task Force bevoegd blijft om aan te bevelen welke gezondheidsdiensten kosteloos gedekt moeten worden onder de Affordable Care Act. • De uitspraak bevestigt dat het onafhankelijke medische orgaan de macht behoudt om standaarden vast te stellen voor de dekking van preventieve zorg voor miljoenen Amerikanen met ACA-verzekeringsplannen. • De beslissing heeft invloed op het lopende debat over het gezondheidsbeleid, nu vijfenzeventig nationale medische organisaties gelijktijdig de Senaat hebben opgeroepen om bepalingen voor de betaling van Medicare-artsen op te nemen in het budgetreconciliatiepakket.

• De update over belangenbehartiging van de American Medical Association van 15 mei 2026 stelt dat artsen en zorgorganisaties het Congres oproepen om de No Surprises Act te versterken. • De update vermeldt ook dat de AMA op zoek is naar verhalen van artsen om de lopende belangenbehartiging te ondersteunen, wat aangeeft dat de organisatie een dossier opbouwt van facturatie- en patiëntbeschermingsproblemen. • Dit is van belang omdat onverwachte medische rekeningen een grote bron van consumentenklachten blijven en een hardnekkig beleidskwestie vormen tussen artsen, verzekeraars en wetgevers.

• Oekraïense strijdkrachten hebben een Indiase man gevangen genomen die als strijder voor de Russische troepen vocht tijdens de lopende conflictoperaties. • De gevangenname onderstreept de internationale dimensie van het conflict tussen Rusland en Oekraïne, waarbij buitenlandse staatsburgers worden geworven om te vechten voor Russische militaire belangen. • Het incident roept vragen op over wervingspraktijken en de betrokkenheid van internationale vrijwilligers in het langdurige conflict.

• De startup voor agentic security operations, Exaforce, kondigde een Series B-financieringsronde van $125 miljoen aan bij een gerapporteerde waardering van $725 miljoen, wat een van de grootste rondes is in de opkomende markt voor AI-security operations centers. • De ronde werd gesteund door HarbourVest Partners, Peak XV Partners, Mayfield Fund, Khosla Ventures, Seligman Ventures en AICONIC; Exaforce heeft nu in totaal $200 miljoen opgehaald na een Series A van $75 miljoen iets meer dan een jaar geleden. • De financiering zal het door AI aangedreven security operations-platform van Exaforce schalen en de real-time threat reasoning-capaciteiten uitbreiden, wat de groeiende vraag van bedrijven naar autonome beveiligingsoplossingen weerspiegelt.

• De filmmaker, die in Hollywood lange tijd aan de kant stond vanwege #MeToo-beschuldigingen, zal locaties scouten voor Rush Hour 4, aldus een woordvoerder. • Brett Ratner, de regisseur achter de Rush Hour-films en een documentaire over Melania Trump, begeleidt Donald Trump naar China voor zijn topoverleg met Xi Jinping. • Trump zal donderdag en vrijdag gesprekken voeren met de Chinese leider over dringende economische en geopolitieke kwesties, waaronder Iran en Taiwan.

• Calbee stapt over van felgekleurde verpakkingen naar zwart-wit omdat de oorlog de levering van bepaalde grondstoffen voor inkt heeft verstoord. • De grootste snackfabrikant van Japan is gedwongen om voor sommige vlaggenschipproducten zwart-wit verpakkingen te gebruiken vanwege tekorten aan inktsamenstellingen veroorzaakt door de blokkade van de Straat van Hormuz. • Calbee maakte dinsdag bekend dat 14 van haar producten tegen eind mei zullen overstappen op monochrome branding. Lees verder...

Geweld in de staat Guerrero heeft tot wel 1.000 huishoudens uit hun huizen verdreven, aldus een mensenrechtenorganisatie Honderden inheemse families zijn gedwongen hun huizen in de bergen van Centraal-Mexico te ontvluchten vanwege hevige aanvallen van een lokale criminele groep, waaronder bombardementen met drones, maakte een inheemse rechtenorganisatie maandag bekend. Een bende bekend als Los Ardillos voert al jaren aanvallen uit in de staat Guerrero, maar vorige week namen deze in intensiteit toe. Dorpen werden zaterdag acht uur lang gebombardeerd, aldus het National Indigenous Congress, waardoor tussen de 800 en 1.000 families naar andere steden zijn gevlucht. Lees verder...

Albanese government announces east coast gas reservation policy, which will require producers to set aside 20% of export volumesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGas companies will be forced to set aside 20% of exports for domestic use under a reservation scheme designed to shore up supplies and bring down prices for households and businesses on the east coast.The federal government announced the design of the reservation scheme on Thursday as part of a wider overhaul of the mechanisms regulating the gas sector. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s authority to recommend no-cost preventive services under the Affordable Care Act. • The decision overturned a district judge’s injunction that had blocked the administration from enforcing grant flow restorations related to the task force. • The ruling preserves mandates for insurers to cover recommended screenings and vaccines without patient cost-sharing, impacting millions of Americans.

Demonstrators, angered by Russia’s inclusion at arts festival, shouted ‘Curated by Putin, dead bodies included’The Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale was forced to temporarily shutter its doors on the second day of the preview after the activist group Pussy Riot staged a chaotic protest against the country’s inclusion in the art festival.Wearing pink balaclavas, the protesters ran towards the Russian pavilion where they gathered outside and lit pink, blue and yellow flares while playing punk music and shouting slogans, including “Blood is Russia’s Art”. Continue reading...

Glyphosate is currently sprayed on cereal and pulse crops to dessicate them and make them easier to harvestA new trade deal with the EU could lead to restrictions on the use of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate on UK food crops.The full-spectrum herbicide, which kills almost every plant it touches, is often sprayed on wheat, oats and other cereal and pulse crops immediately before harvest to desiccate them and make them easier to handle. Continue reading...

Ryan Kelly, 41, had ‘explosive device’, say police, who are treating death of woman, Jo Shaw, 35, as homicideA man forced his way into a house in Bristol with an “explosive device” a few minutes before a blast that killed his ex-partner and himself.Police said they were treating the death of the woman, whom they believe to be 35-year-old Jo Shaw, as homicide and named the man who died as her former partner, Ryan Kelly, 41. Continue reading...

The person’s condition and the circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately knownAn individual was shot by law enforcement on Monday near the Washington monument, the Secret Service said.The person’s condition and the circumstances surrounding the shooting around 15th Street and Independence Avenue were not immediately known. Continue reading...

Alice Chapman and Zak Khan say they were beaten, kicked and spat on after detention near Crete last weekTwo British activists have said they were admitted to hospital after being beaten by Israeli forces who intercepted their Gaza aid flotilla last week.Alice Chapman and Zak Khan were among 180 members of the Global Sumud flotilla detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in international waters near Crete late on Wednesday. Continue reading...

• Cade Cunningham scored 32 points to lead the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to a stunning comeback victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night in Orlando, Florida. • The Pistons erased a 24-point deficit to win and force a decisive Game 7 in their first-round NBA playoff series. • This dramatic rally highlights Detroit's resilience and keeps their postseason hopes alive against a tough Magic squad.

Agreements with artificial intelligence firms spark concerns over public spending, cyber security and domestic surveillanceSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with seven leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies: SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services.“These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters’ ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare,” the Pentagon said in statement. Continue reading...

Royal Navy chief says unified naval force will deter future Russian threats from the ‘open sea border’ to the northBritain has agreed to create a unified naval force with nine European countries to deter future Russian threats from the “open sea border” to the north, the head of the Royal Navy has announced.Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins insisted that despite the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, where the strait of Hormuz remains closed after the US-Israel war in Iran that “Russia remains the gravest threat to our security”. Continue reading...

• Blocks, an AI startup, secured $20 million in Series A funding led by Entrée Capital to develop autonomous digital workforces. • The funding will support deployment of AI agents capable of handling complex tasks independently. • This investment highlights growing VC interest in agentic AI technologies amid enterprise automation demands.

Audias Flores, known as ‘El Jardinero’, of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, captured in western state of NayaritMexican special forces have arrested one of the top commanders of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel in the western state of Nayarit.Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, is a regional commander in control of swathes of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, who ran the cartel and was killed in a security operation in February. Continue reading...

Coordinated attack by JNIM and the Tuareg minority inflicted significant casualties on government forces and Russian auxiliariesWhen al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic militants launched a series of attacks on military bases and raids into major towns in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso last summer, observers suggested they had been inspired by their counterparts in Syria, who had overthrown the regime of Bashar al-Assad and taken power six months or so earlier.Despite the tactical successes that earned them the fearful title of the “Ghost Army”, seizing swathes of territory and denying cities and the military of fuel and other essentials, the chances of Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) definitively defeating Mali’s military regime and the thousand or so Russian mercenaries hired to defend it looked poor. Continue reading...

Rightwing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid announce new party before Knesset vote expected later this yearTwo of Benjamin Netanyahu’s most formidable political rivals say they are joining forces in an attempt to oust the Israeli prime minister’s coalition government in the election expected later this year.The former prime ministers – rightwing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid – issued statements announcing the merger of their parties, Bennett 2026 and Yesh Atid (There is a Future). Continue reading...

Report examines how the effects of slavery and Jim Crow at the county level continue to harm Black Georgia residentsA Georgia taskforce has released a landmark report that details the lasting impact of slavery and its afterlives in Fulton county.The report, spanning more than 600 pages, is based on original research by the Fulton county reparations taskforce and a review of primary source documents. It is the first-of-its-kind in the nation, according to county leaders and researchers. Rather than examining the impact of slavery and racism at the federal or state level, the harm report investigated the role of the county government. Continue reading...

Fires that spread during drought in Georgia and Florida have blanketed cities hundreds of miles away in smokeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWildfires tearing through the south have forced hundreds of Georgia residents to flee in minutes, leaving them distraught about the homes and animals they left behind.The fires that spread this week during an extreme drought in Georgia and Florida have blanketed cities hundreds of miles away in smoke, leading to more air quality warnings Thursday across the southeast. Continue reading...

More than 70% have cut down in past year on teaching assistants, who play key role in helping children with SendTwo-fifths of school leaders in England have been forced to cut back on support for children with special educational needs due to a financial crisis “more than a decade in the making”, according to a poll.Seven out of 10 (71%) leaders say they have cut down on teaching assistants (TAs) in the past year, while 49% have reduced support staff. The crisis could escalate as 81% warn of further cuts in the year ahead. Continue reading...

One pilot ordered to repay some of the $600,000 of damage caused by collision in 2021South Korea’s air force has apologised for a 2021 mid-air collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident.“We sincerely apologise to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesperson said in a press briefing. The spokesperson said one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. Continue reading...