World

South Sudan's President Kiir promotes sanctioned ally as ruling party deputy

NAIROBI (Reuters) -South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has reshuffled the senior leadership in the ruling party, according to an official decree, as the country faces fresh fighting between rival armed factions and widespread speculation about Kiir's succession plans.

World

Two people die as migrants try to cross English Channel

PARIS (Reuters) -Two people have died after a boat carrying migrants trying to cross the English Channel got into difficulties near Calais, said the French regional authority on Wednesday.

World

UK detects West Nile virus for first time in mosquitoes

LONDON (Reuters) -The West Nile virus has been found in mosquitoes collected in Britain for the first time, the UK Health Security Agency said on Wednesday.

World

Beloved strongman: Support for Pakistan army chief surges after India conflict

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir is the most powerful man in the country, but his popular support has surged after the worst conflict in decades with arch-rival India, shattering criticism of interference in politics and harshly cracking down on opponents.

World

Romanian hard-right presidential candidate challenges election defeat

(Reuters) -Romania's defeated hard-right presidential contender George Simion said late on Tuesday that he would challenge the ballot's result, alleging interference by France and Moldova, after a centrist victory was met with relief by many European leaders.

World

Iran parliament approves strategic pact with Russia

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran's parliament approved a 20-year strategic partnership on Wednesday between Moscow and Tehran, state media reported. The agreement represents a deepening of bilateral ties including closer defence cooperation.

World

Putin visits Kursk region for first time since ejecting Ukrainian forces

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the western Kursk region for the first time since Russian forces ejected Ukrainian troops from the area last month.

World

Russian missile attack kills Ukrainian servicemen in training

KYIV (Reuters) -A Russian missile attack on a Ukrainian military shooting range killed six servicemen and wounded at least 10 more during training on Tuesday, Ukraine's national guard said on Wednesday, adding that the commander of the unit had been suspended.

World

Trump misjudged influence on Putin, German defence minister says

(This story has been corrected to fix the day to Wednesday in paragraph 1)

Internet

Sweden criminalises purchases of custom-made porn videos

Sweden's parliament on May 20 adopted an amended law criminalising the purchase of sexual acts online, such as custom-made pornography through sites such as OnlyFans.

World

Suicide bomber kills five on school bus in Pakistan's Balochistan

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) -At least three children were among five people killed when a suicide bomber struck an army school bus in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, the military said on Wednesday, in an attack that Pakistan blamed on Indian proxies.

Gadgets

Southwest Airlines will require chargers be kept out while in use because of battery fire concerns

Passengers on Southwest Airlines flights will soon be required to keep their portable chargers in plain sight while using them because of concerns about the growing number of lithium battery fires in a new policy that other airlines may adopt.

World

Amazon fires drive unprecedented global forest loss in 2024, report says

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Massive fires fueled by climate change led global forest loss to smash records in 2024, according to a report issued on Wednesday. 

World

Flash floods cut off inland Australian towns, residents flee to rooftops

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Heavy rain in Australia's southeast triggered flash flooding and cut off entire towns on Wednesday, stranding some residents on the roofs of their homes, as authorities issued snap evacuation orders with rivers staying above danger levels.

World

US Justice Department investigating former New York governor Cuomo, sources say

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Democrat Andrew Cuomo, a leading candidate for mayor of New York City, over Republican allegations that he lied to Congress about what he did as New York governor during the coronavirus pandemic, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

World

Comic actor George Wendt, 'Cheers' barfly named Norm, dead at 76

(Reuters) - Comic actor George Wendt, best known for his Emmy-nominated supporting role as the beer-bellied barfly Norm on the long-running hit NBC television sitcom "Cheers," died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 76.

World

U.S. stocks close lower amid doubts from tariffs, inflation optimism

NEW YORK, May 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks closed lower on Tuesday, as investor confidence wavered amid fresh warnings that optimism surrounding easing trade tensions and slowing inflation may be premature.

World

Google's Gemini has 400 mln monthly active users

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Google's Gemini AI app now has more than 400 million monthly active users, the company's CEO Sundar Pichai said Tuesday during a press briefing ahead of Google I/O 2025.

World

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference to kick off June 9

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Apple on Tuesday announced the lineup for its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC25), including the Keynote and Platforms State of the Union sessions.

World

US official's email on gang assessment sparks concern inside intel agencies

NEW YORK (Reuters) -A top adviser to Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, acknowledged in a March 24 email that the Venezuelan government may not have specifically directed the activities of a gang that the Trump administration has used to justify fast-tracking deportation of immigrants, but argued that a link between Venezuela and the gang was "common sense."