US-China trade truce, American hostage release and Taliban chess ban

The US and China agree to slash tariffs in a 90-day trade truce, Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander is released by Hamas, Volodomyr Zelenskyy responds to Putin's call for direct talks, Donald Trump orders significant cuts to drug prices, the Socialist Party leads in the Albanian election, the PKK announces its dissolution after a 40-year conflict, Qatar reportedly plans to gift a $400M luxury jet to Donald Trump, 3.2M Sudanese children under 5 are projected to face acute malnutrition in 2025, a study finds weight-loss drugs can reduce the risk of cancer, AI firms are urged to assess risks to prevent loss of control, and the Taliban bans chess. Sources: www.verity.news

France and Poland sign a treaty with a mutual defense clause, Leo XIV conducts his first mass as Pope, The U.S. drops an Israel normalization clause to the Saudi nuclear deal, The FBI reportedly launches a criminal probe into NY Attorney General Letitia James, Donald Trump suggests that tariffs on China could be lowered to 80%, President Trump also appoints Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as D.C.'s top prosecutor, JD Vance says the India-Pakistan conflict is ”'none of our business,” Sam Altman urges Congress to avoid AI overregulation, Ontario, Canada launches a mini nuclear reactor project, and Citigroup faces a $1 billion lawsuit over a Mexican oil firm’s fraud. Sources: www.verity.news

The U.S. and U.K. announce a trade deal, Syria confirms indirect talks with Israel, Australia’s Green Party leader loses his Melbourne seat, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is elected the first-ever American pope, X blocks 8,000 accounts in India under a government order, King Charles III joins veterans in commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE day, Trump nominates Dr. Casey Means as surgeon general, a study links climate-driven wildfires to 15K US deaths, Bill Gates promises to give away his fortune by 2045, and Disney announces plans to build a theme park in Abu Dhabi. Sources: www.verity.news

Drone strikes rock Port Sudan, France and Germany launch a defense and security council, Joe Biden accuses Donald Trump of “modern-day appeasement” of Vladamir Putin, The U.S. and China ready for high-stakes talks in Geneva, Voice of America is partnering with OAN for news feed services, Donald Trump ends gain of function research, The Texas measles outbreak slows as national cases approach 1,000, A new report suggests that U.K. police are poorly equipped to address online content, A court orders NSO to pay a $168M penalty for hacking WhatsApp, and a new study suggests that the world's richest 10% are responsible for 65% of global warming. Sources: www.verity.news

India begins military action into Pakistan, Canada’s Mark Carney meets with Trump at the White House, Trump halts bombing in Yemen as Oman announces a U.S.-Houthi ceasefire, U.K. and India reach a $34B free trade agreement, Merz wins a second vote to become Germany's chancellor, the Supreme Court allows Trump’s transgender military ban to proceed, the U.S. orders a 20% cut in top military ranks, New Zealand proposes banning under-16s from social media, OpenAI abandons plans to become a for-profit company, Zhao Xintong becomes China’s first world snooker champion, the world's first nonverbal Neuralink patient makes a YouTube video. Sources: www.verity.news

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secures a second term in Australia’s federal election, The Israeli cabinet approves expanding the Gaza war if no deal is reached during Trump’s visit, Trump orders a 100% tariff on foreign-made films, George Simion leads the first round of Romania’s presidential rerun, Germany’s mainstream parties sign a coalition deal, Rwanda confirms it is in early talks with the US about taking in migrants, The Syrian government is accused of monitoring the sectarian killings of minorities, Trump discusses trade, peace talks and immigration in an NBC interview, Elon Musk's Starbase becomes an official city in Texas, Japan’s child population hits a record low for the 44th straight year, and a new study offers potential clues to gold’s cosmic origins. Sources: www.verity.news

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution labels the AfD as extremist, The Lebanese army dismantles 90% of Hezbollah border infrastructure, Croatia's parliament passes a new law targeting war-era cemeteries, President Trump unveils a $163B “skinny budget,” Donald Trump vows to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status, The Trump administration explores deporting migrants to Libya and Rwanda, 1,120 are arrested in a federal-state immigration operation in Florida, Tsunami alerts are issued after a 7.4M earthquake strikes offshore Chile, An Australian shipbuilder launches the world's largest electric ship, and Oxfam reports that CEO pay has increased by 50% since 2019. Sources: www.verity.news

The U.S. and Ukraine sign a minerals deal, Trump nominates National Security Advisor Mike Waltz for UN ambassador, tens of thousands of protesters participate in global May Day protests, the U.S. Senate blocks a resolution to overturn Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, the Eurozone’s economy grows 0.4%, South Africa's Ramaphosa orders an inquiry Into apartheid-era prosecutions, a Trump-appointed judge blocks the White House from using the Alien Enemies Act for deportations, England rolls out a 'super-jab' for 15 different cancers, Apple is referred for a potential criminal contempt probe, and Scientists reintroduce captive-bred Mexican axolotls into artificial wetlands. Sources: www.verity.news

Israel strikes Damascus amid clashes between government forces and Druze fighters, the U.K. joins the U.S. in Yemen airstrikes against Houthi targets, tensions continue to simmer between India and Pakistan, Labor leads the polls as the Australian election enters its final days, Alberta, Canada eases the path to a referendum after the Liberal Party’s victory, Donald Trump celebrates his first 100 days as U.S. president, a judge frees Columbia Pro-Palestine protester Mohsen Mahdawi on bail, Pete Hegseth moves to close the Pentagon’s Women, Peace and Security program, a teen is arrested in Sweden after a deadly triple shooting, and Reddit threatens legal action over a secret AI bot experiment. Sources: www.verity.news

Canada’s Liberal Party wins a fourth term, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre loses his parliamentary seat, A Michigan Democrat files seven articles of impeachment against Trump, Israel reverses its decision to fire its internal security chief, Putin's call for a three-day ceasefire is met with frustration from the White House, Hong Kong frees four lawmakers arrested for organizing an unofficial primary election in 2020, A report warns that media freedom is ‘crumbling' in Europe, Amazon denies reports that it plans to display the cost of Trump’s tariffs on products, The U.S. House passes a bill to criminalize revenge porn, and IBM commits $150B to develop Washington’s computing leadership. Sources: www.verity.news