May 17 Hezbollah and allies lose parliamentary majority in Lebanese election By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Final results in Lebanon's weekend parliamentary elections show that the militant Hezbollah group and its allies have lost the majority of parliament seats they had held since 2018. Continue reading
May 17 Russia and Ukraine both claim victories as Mariupol fighters leave steel plant By Oleksandr Stashevskyi, Ciaran McQuillan, Associated Press Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters left the vast steel plant in Mariupol where they mounted a dogged last stand and turned themselves over to Russian hands. Continue reading
May 16 Ukraine says more than 260 fighters evacuated from Mariupol mill By Oleksandr Stashevskyi, Ciaran McQuillan, Associated Press The evacuations came as Moscow suffered another diplomatic setback, with Sweden joining Finland in deciding to seek NATO membership. Meanwhile, Russian forces pounded targets in the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine known as the Donbas. Continue reading
May 16 White House announces move to loosen remittance, flight rules on Cuba By Zeke Miller, Aamer Madhani, Associated Press The Biden administration says it will expand flights to Cuba and lift Donald Trump-era restrictions on remittances that immigrants can send to people on the island. Continue reading
May 16 Watch 9:28 Finland, Sweden ambassadors discuss the push to join NATO and future of security in Europe Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted a major shift in public opinion in Finland and Sweden, with support for joining NATO recently surging in both countries. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin said the expansion of NATO infrastructure would trigger a response. Continue watching
May 16 Authorities say hate against Taiwanese people led to California church attack By Amy Taxin, Deepa Bharath, Associated Press Authorities say a gunman in a deadly attack at a California church was a Chinese immigrant motivated by hate for Taiwanese people. Continue reading
May 16 Biden to deploy U.S. troops to Somalia, reversing Trump’s ordered withdrawal By Ben Fox, Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Biden has signed an order to redeploy hundreds of U.S. troops to Somalia to counter the Islamic extremist rebel group al-Shabab. It's an effort that American military leaders said had been hampered by Trump's late-term decision to withdraw forces. Continue reading
May 16 McDonald’s to sell its 850 restaurants in Russia By David Koenig, Associated Press The fast food giant pointed to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war, saying holding on to its business in Russia "is no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonald's values."… Continue reading
May 16 WATCH: GOP splinters over $40 billion supplemental funding for Ukraine By Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Signs of Republican resistance are mounting over a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine. It's a reemergence of the Trump-led isolationist wing of the GOP coming at a crucial moment as Ukraine desperately battles the Russian invasion. Continue reading
May 16 Sweden ends 200 years of military neutrality, joins Finland in seeking NATO membership By Karl Ritter, Associated Press Sweden will follow neighboring Finland and apply for NATO membership because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading