Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for May 1st, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. Azerbaijan, Kuwait sign joint declaration following 3rd meeting of Joint Commission for Cooperation
Azerbaijan and Kuwait held their 3rd Joint Commission for Cooperation in Kuwait City on 30 April 2025, co-chaired by Foreign Ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya. Officials from both governments approved:
Two-year roadmap (2025-27) and meeting protocol to guide cooperation.
Trade & investment: plans to boost bilateral trade, support joint industrial/tech projects, and improve logistics.
Energy: deeper oil-and-gas ties plus joint clean-energy initiatives.
Sectoral accords: new agricultural pact and programmes for sports, culture, and tourism.
Both sides committed to expanding collaboration in infrastructure, high tech, transport, food security, education, health, media and sports, reaffirmed mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and praised coordination in multilateral forums. Kuwait lauded Azerbaijan’s COP29 hosting; Azerbaijan commended Kuwait’s current GCC chairmanship, with both pledging to implement the GCC–Azerbaijan work plan (2024-28). The next Joint Commission meeting will be in Baku in 2027.
2. Trump says he has "potential deals" with India, South Korea, Japan
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is pursuing possible trade agreements with India, South Korea and Japan, hoping to translate his tariff strategy into formal deals. During a NewsNation town-hall event, Trump was asked when announcements might come and replied, “We have potential deals” with all three nations.
3. Pentagon chief warns Iran of consequences for supporting Houthis
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Wednesday that Iran will “pay the consequence” for arming Yemen’s Houthis, even as Washington and Tehran prepare for a fourth round of indirect nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday—mediated by Oman after three earlier sessions aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program and easing U.S. sanctions.
Hegseth’s message on X, later echoed in a repost from President Donald Trump, followed more than 1,000 U.S. strikes on Houthi targets since March. Tehran insists the group, which targets Red Sea shipping in support of Palestinians, acts independently.
To reinforce the region, the Pentagon has positioned six B-2 bombers on Diego Garcia, two U.S. aircraft carriers in Middle Eastern waters, and redeployed air-defense assets from Asia. Despite the renewed diplomacy, major gaps remain; Trump recently told Time he still hopes for a deal but will not rule out military action.
4. Russian drones hit Odesa, Kharkiv
“There is considerable damage,” said Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper on Telegram. “Fires have broken out in a number of places.” Photos posted online showed shattered building facades and smoke rising across the city.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, a drone hit a petrol station in the city centre, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. A fire broke out, but no further details were immediately released.
There were no reports of casualties as of early Thursday morning.
The strikes come amid renewed Russian attacks on Ukraine’s cities as the war approaches its fourth year.
5. North Korea, Russia begin bridge project
Work began Wednesday on the road bridge spanning the Tumen River, a long-discussed project finalised during President Vladimir Putin’s 2024 visit to Pyongyang. The bridge is expected to facilitate trade, tourism, and the movement of goods and people.
KCNA said the project marks a “substantial guarantee” for strengthening infrastructure and deepening economic cooperation.
The announcement comes amid growing signs of a strategic partnership. South Korean lawmakers, citing intelligence reports, say Pyongyang is receiving Russian assistance across 14 industrial sectors—including aviation, energy, and metals—in return for supplying arms to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The bridge adds a new layer to what analysts see as a widening alignment between two heavily sanctioned states.
Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, underscoring Moscow and Pyongyang’s ongoing militar...
Protests against Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) intensified on Thursday, with demonstrators demolishing party offices in Novi Sad a...
Talks at the United Nations in Geneva to establish a global legally binding treaty on plastic pollution went into overtime on Thursday, with discussio...
The Panama Canal Authority will begin consultations with companies in the first quarter of next year to launch a competitive tender for the constructi...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan defends the U.S.-brokered peace accord, calling it “not a zero-sum game” and a step toward regional cooper...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan defends the U.S.-brokered peace accord, calling it “not a zero-sum game” and a step toward regional cooperation benefiting all, including Russia and Iran.
In a Fox News interview, President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s transit deal with Armenia is “not against anyone” and marks the “final step toward peace,” while also addressing the 2024 downing of AZAL Flight 8243, demanding accountability and full compensation.
At least 34 people have been confirmed dead and more than 200 remain missing after sudden, heavy rainfall triggered flooding in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said on Thursday — the second such disaster to hit the Himalayan region in just over a week.
Ukraine’s allies say U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to support security guarantees for Kyiv in a Germany-hosted virtual meeting on Wednesday, a potentially significant, though still vague, commitment one day before a high-stakes U.S.-Russia summit on ending the war.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
In recent months, the U.S. and Russia have engaged in crucial diplomatic talks, despite rising tensions over Ukraine, nuclear arms, and cybersecurity. What’s behind these meetings, and why do they matter?
Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, underscoring Moscow and Pyongyang’s ongoing military and diplomatic cooperation amid the Ukraine conflict.
Protests against Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) intensified on Thursday, with demonstrators demolishing party offices in Novi Sad and clashing with police and party supporters in Belgrade.
The Panama Canal Authority will begin consultations with companies in the first quarter of next year to launch a competitive tender for the construction and operation of two new ports within its zone, a source involved in the preparations said Thursday.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) urged the UK government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state after Israel’s far-right finance minister announced plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, undermining the prospect of a two-state solution.
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