Headlines: 1-3 May 2026

Sunday, 3 May 2026

Trump says the U.S will 'guide' stranded ships from the Strait of Hormuz as two ships reported attacks — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

Tehran warns Trump's Hormuz mission will violate ceasefire — (LINK)

Iranian super tanker slips past US blockade with $220 million oil cargo — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

With an injunction China blocks US sanctions against five 'teapot' refineries accused of importing Iranian oil — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

UK airlines given green light to cancel or consolidate flights to conserve jet fuel — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

Ukraine drone attacks hit Russian-controlled nuclear power plant, Baltic port of Primorsk — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

— President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hails 'successful destruction' of the port, as Russia warns of oil price rises.

Israel issues new forced displacement orders for 11 towns in southern Lebanon — (LINK) — ground.news: 26 media reports — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

Israeli court extends detention of two activists arrested aboard Gaza-bound flotilla: lawyers say pair subjected to 'severe physical abuse' — (LINK) — ground.news: 59 media reports — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

— The state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences authorities said the pair was accused of committing, including "assisting the enemy during wartime" and "membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation".

AP: Trump administration defies dozens of court orders in second term: at least 31 lawsuits, with more than 250 additional violations flagged in individual immigration petitions — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

— Examples of noncompliance include deporting alleged gang members to a dangerous El Salvador prison despite court orders, withholding billions in foreign aid, and limiting mental health grant funding to schools despite an injunction

Australian scientists build a quantum battery that charges almost instantly: system absorbs light in a single, giant 'super absorption' event — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

Crypto card spending jumps 500 percent to $606 million — 3 May 2026 (LINK)

Saturday, 2 May 2026

Paramilitary forces drone strike kills 5 near Sudan capital, rights group says — (LINK) — ground.news: 38 media reports — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

14th RightsCon Summit in Zambia cancelled after Chinese pressure to exclude Taiwanese activists — (LINK) — ground.news: 38 media reports — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

China bans drone sales in Beijing citing security concerns — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

US to cut troop levels in Germany by 5,000 amid Trump spat with Merz — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

— The decision comes a day after Trump criticised Merz, who suggested the US had been "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators.

Ukraine: At least 2 killed, 8 injured after Russian drones strike buses in 'brutal safari' in Kherson — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

A giant pit in Switzerland will soon house the world's most powerful redox flow battery — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

— The project is set to cost over a billion dollars. "We will be able to inject or absorb up to 1.2 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity in a few milliseconds," FlexBase co-founder Marcel Aumer told Swiss public broadcaster RTS earlier this month.

Bitcoin above $78,000 as Senate clears Clarity Act yield hurdle, S&P 500 sets new record — 2 May 2026 (LINK)

Friday, 1 May 2026

Trump signs bill to end 76-day record shutdown over immigration enforcement — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

Trump to raise tariffs on cars, trucks from EU to 25%: accused the bloc of not complying with the terms of a trade agreement with the US, without citing specifics — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

Trump's latest purge — of the entire National Science Foundation Board — could bring major risks, experts say — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

Russia has suffered the first net territory loss in Ukraine since 2024 — (LINK) — ground.news: 9 media reports — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

Cuba condemns new US sanctions as 'illegal' and 'abusive' — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

Trump "not satisfied" with new peace deal offered by Iran as standoff's costs multiply — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

Tens of thousands could lose Medicaid coverage as Nebraska becomes first state to implement GOP work requirement — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

US: Louisiana appeals court restricts abortion access across the US by blocking the mailing of mifepristone: requiring that the abortion pill be distributed only in person and at clinics, overruling regulations set by the federal Food and Drug Administration — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

US: judge decides DOJ can use a military lawyer to prosecute civilians in landmark ruling — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

— The case centered on Paul Johnson, a Minnesota resident charged with assaulting a Customs and Border Protection agent. Defence lawyers for contended that using JAG attorneys to prosecute civilians in cases without a military connection violated the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law generally prohibiting military involvement in civilian law enforcement, as well as Department of Defense regulations. However, judge sided with the government, finding that Congress had created exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act through two other laws.

WHO Member States agree to extend negotiations on pathogen access and benefit sharing annex, a key part of the WHO Pandemic Agreement — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

UN Human Rights Chief: Cambodia should quash sentences against Kem Sokha and other arbitrary detainees — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

— "Volker Türk is deeply concerned by the upholding of the conviction of Cambodian former opposition leader Kem Sokha and the convictions of 33 other opposition activists, human rights defenders and social media users. The Phnom Penh appeals court yesterday upheld the conviction and 27-year sentence against Kem Sokha, the former leader of the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, for treason, espionage and conspiracy — in connection with a speech he gave over a decade ago in Australia, in 2013, and four years before his arrest on these charges. In a separate case, on Wednesday the Phnom Penh first instance court imposed on 33 others sentences ranging from 18 months suspended to two years in prison. They faced charges of 'incitement to cause social chaos' over public comments they made in 2024 about the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area project, an issue of major public interest."

Le News: Too many livestock keep Switzerland from feeding itself — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

US: President of Bard College since 1975, Leon Botstein to retire after investigation finds he 'minimized' ties to Epstein — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

— "Nothing that President Botstein did in connection with his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was illegal, but President Botstein made decisions in the course of that relationship that reflect on his leadership of Bard," lawyers with the firm WilmerHale wrote in an April 30 brief to the Bard Board of Trustees. When pursuing Epstein as a potential donor to Bard in 2012, Botstein "was presented with information regarding Epstein's crimes" and "did not try to further understand what Epstein had done or learn what it meant that Epstein was found in 2011 to be a New York State Level 3 Sex Offender," the lawyers wrote.

UK: Essa Suleiman, 45, born in Somalia, who arrived in the UK legally as a child in the 1990s, charged with attempted murder in connection with Golders Green stabbing attack on 2 Jewish men. On Thursday, the UK's terrorism threat level was raised to "severe" by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, indicating an attack is considered highly likely — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

US: Film Academy Board bans AI content at 99th Oscars, forcing human-only wins — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

— Some industry analysts speculate the stance may also be a reaction to the completion of a performance by Val Kilmer, who died in 2025, using AI technology.

Switzerland: Ikea slammed for pricing practices by consumer rights groups and forced to change how it displays prices — 1 May 2026 (LINK)

— The store was criticized for prominently showing the 'family price' - which is only available to those who have a membership, while the regular price was more discrete. Many customers complained after the check-out price was far more than they were expecting, sometimes by several hundred francs. Ikea says it's working with authorities to find a solution which complies with the law.