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.
Fifty-two Members of the European Parliament from 15 countries on Thursday called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to bar Israel from the 2026...
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, visited the recently liberated village of Sarijali in Aghdam today. During her visit, she insp...
A strong earthquake struck Russia's far eastern Kamchatka region, the regional governor said on Friday, prompting a series of tsunami warnings in the ...
At least five people were killed and one injured in an explosion on Thursday in Chaman, a town in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province near ...
A meeting of the government leaders of Turkic Council (TCT) member states has begun in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers reported. Prior to the...
A strong earthquake struck Russia's far eastern Kamchatka region, the regional governor said on Friday, prompting a series of tsunami warnings in the region, but there were for the moment no reports of damage.
At least five people were killed and one injured in an explosion on Thursday in Chaman, a town in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province near the Afghan border, local media report.
Fifty-two Members of the European Parliament from 15 countries on Thursday called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to bar Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, visited the recently liberated village of Sarijali in Aghdam today. During her visit, she inspected mined areas and observed demining operations carried out by the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA).
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Japanese conservative politician Sanae Takaichi on Thursday announced her candidacy for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a move that could make her the country’s first female prime minister, Kyodo News reported.
The world’s two largest economies, the United States and China, remain mired in a trade war, with experts suggesting that a call scheduled for Friday between the two leaders is likely to address issues including the social media app TikTok, tariffs, and technology.
Germany will decide whether to support sanctions against Israel ahead of the European Union (EU) meeting in Copenhagen in October, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday during a visit to Madrid.
World leaders are set to gather next week in New York for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Key issues on the agenda include a speech by US President Donald Trump, the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, increasing Western recognition of a Palestinian state, and nuclear tensions with I
Fifty-two Members of the European Parliament from 15 countries on Thursday called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to bar Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment