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.
Kazakhstan and Iran have agreed to accelerate cooperation on transport corridors, giving Kazakhstan access to key Iranian ports in a move aimed at str...
A U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war has been signed electronically by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud ...
Thailand is reviving plans for one of its most ambitious infrastructure projects in decades, a proposed $30 billion “Land Bridge” that would conne...
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has delivered a stark message to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies, warning that some member stat...
North Korea has withdrawn its ambassador to the United Kingdom just one month after he arrived in London, in a move linked to British sanctions on a c...
Kazakhstan and Iran have agreed to accelerate cooperation on transport corridors, giving Kazakhstan access to key Iranian ports in a move aimed at strengthening trade routes and reducing reliance on transit routes through neighbouring countries.
Thailand is reviving plans for one of its most ambitious infrastructure projects in decades, a proposed $30 billion “Land Bridge” that would connect the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea and offer an alternative trade route to the busy Strait of Malacca.
An exiled Russian artist has been shot dead in Poland days after he carried out a one-man protest against Vladimir Putin, featuring a caricature of the Russian President as a baby held by the Soviet-era dictator Joseph Stalin.
North Korea has withdrawn its ambassador to the United Kingdom just one month after he arrived in London, in a move linked to British sanctions on a children's camp, according to reports.
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. President criticised Israel for its tactics against Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to tackle militants.
U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has been signed by the U.S. and Iran, though details have yet to be made public and both countries said a permanent truce is yet to be negotiated.
A cyber extortion group has claimed it stole more than a terabyte of data from Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk after the company allegedly refused to pay a $25 million ransom.
Pakistan's heavy reliance on imported energy was laid bare by the U.S.-Iran conflict, which disrupted regional supplies, drove up costs and exposed vulnerabilities in the country's energy security. However, a proposed peace agreement now offers hope for economic relief.
American technology company Snap has launched its first augmented-reality (AR) glasses for consumers, marking a major push into wearable computing as tech firms race to redefine personal devices in the AI era.
Thailand is reviving plans for one of its most ambitious infrastructure projects in decades, a proposed $30 billion “Land Bridge” that would connect the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea and offer an alternative trade route to the busy Strait of Malacca.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has delivered a stark message to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies, warning that some member states are falling short on defence commitments and signalling a tougher U.S. approach as the alliance prepares for its upcoming summit in Ankara.
North Korea has withdrawn its ambassador to the United Kingdom just one month after he arrived in London, in a move linked to British sanctions on a children's camp, according to reports.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has told U.S. President Donald Trump to "stay out" of Brazil's upcoming election, pushing back against comments made by the American leader about the country's political situation.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged new attacks overnight on Thursday. Missiles struck Kyiv while Ukrainian drones hit a major oil refinery in Moscow, just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders on efforts to end the war.
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