World News

By Matt Tracy

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) – Four crew members involved in a mid-air collision of military jets at an air show ejected safely on Sunday outside Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, the U.S. Navy said.

Two E/A-18G Growler jets collided in mid-air 2 miles from the base during the two-day Gunfighter Skies Air Show, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. 

The two jets with four air crew collided “while performing an aerial demonstration” at around 12:10 p.m. MDT as part of the air show, Umayam added, noting that all four crew members ejected safely.

“The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available,” Umayam said.

The air base was locked down after the crash, according to Mountain Home’s Facebook page.

The air show’s official site lists the U.S. Navy’s E/A-18G “Vikings” Growler Demo Team as one of the scheduled performers. The jets involved in the collision were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 from Whidbey Island, Washington, Umayam said. 

Sunday marked the first Gunfighter Skies Air Show in eight years. A hang glider pilot died in a crash during the last show in 2018.

The Mountain Home Fire Department, Mountain Home Police Department and Elmore County emergency management coordinator did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

(Reporting by Matt Tracy in Washington, D.C., and Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Chris Reese, Sergio Non and Mark Porter)

source

CAIRO, May 17 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it intercepted three drones after they entered its territory from Iraqi airspace.

The kingdom’s defense ministry said it would take the necessary operational measures to respond to any attempt to violate its sovereignty and security.

While hostilities during the Iran conflict have largely been scaled down since a ceasefire came into effect in April, drones have been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Chris Reese)

source

THE HAGUE, May 17 (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) denied a report in Israeli media on Sunday that it had issued new arrest warrants for five Israeli political and military officials for alleged crimes against Palestinians.

ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet said in a note to journalists that the report, in Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, was not accurate, and the court “denies the issuance of new arrest warrants in the situation in the state of Palestine”.

(Reporting by Stephanie van den BergEditing by Peter Graff)

source

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire on its perimeter. There were no reports of injuries or radiological release, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the Iran ceasefire remains tenuous.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, and the UAE did not blame anyone. It has however accused Iran of launching multiple drone and missile attacks in recent days as tensions have risen over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway that Iran still has in a chokehold.

The United States is blockading Iranian ports and diplomatic efforts aimed at a more durable peace have repeatedly faltered. The UAE has meanwhile hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, which joined the U.S. in the Feb. 28 attack that sparked the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested hostilities could resume, and Iranian state television has repeatedly aired segments with anchors holding Kalashnikov-style rifles in an effort to prepare the public for war. Fighting has also heated up between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire there, further straining the wider truce.

The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020. It is the first and only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of all the energy needs in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said the fire didn’t affect plant safety. “All units are operating as normal,” the organization wrote on X.

The UAE statement didn’t blame any party for the attack. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and that one reactor was being powered by emergency diesel generators.

IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed “grave concern” about the incident and said military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable, the agency said in a statement.

Sunday’s strike marked the first time the four-reactor Barakah plant has been targeted in the war. It is near the border with Saudi Arabia, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) west of the UAE’s capital city, Abu Dhabi.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, whom the UAE have battled as part of a Saudi-led coalition, claimed to have targeted the plant while it was under construction in 2017, something denied at the time by Abu Dhabi.

The UAE signed a strict deal with the U.S. over the power plant, known as a “123 agreement,” in which it agreed to give up domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent fuel to halt any proliferation fears. Its uranium comes from abroad.

That’s very different from the nuclear program in Iran, which is at the heart of its long-running conflict with the United States and Israel.

Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched its own uranium close to weapons-grade levels and is widely suspected of having had a military component to its program until at least 2003. It has also often restricted the work of U.N. inspectors.

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed country in the region, but has neither confirmed nor denied having atomic weapons. Iran struck near Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility during the war.

Nuclear plants have increasingly been targeted in wars in recent years, including during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. During the Iran war, Tehran repeatedly claimed its Bushehr nuclear power plant came under attack, though there was no direct damage to its Russian-run reactor or any radiological release.

There have been several instances of attacks around the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf countries in recent weeks. Talks between Iran and the U.S. are at a standstill as the ceasefire threatens to collapse and tip the Middle East back into open warfare, prolonging the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict.

Two people familiar with the situation, including an Israeli military officer, said Israel is coordinating with the U.S. about a possible resumption of attacks. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing confidential military preparations.

Speaking to his Cabinet on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “our eyes are also open” when it comes to Iran. He said he planned a chat with Trump later in the day to discuss the president’s trip to China and “perhaps” other things. “We are prepared for any scenario,” he said.

On Iranian state TV, presenters on at least two channels appeared armed during live programs.

In one program, Hossein Hosseini received basic firearms training from a masked member of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. After being shown how to prepare the weapon, Hosseini mimed firing a shot at the flag of the UAE.

On another channel, female presenter Mobina Nasiri said a weapon had been sent to her from a gathering in Tehran’s Vanak Square so she could appear armed on camera. She said: “From this platform, I declare that I am ready to sacrifice my life for this country.”

___

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed.

source

May 17 (Reuters) – Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and possibly Key West, Florida, 90 miles north of Havana, Axios reported on Sunday, citing classified intelligence.

The intelligence — which could become a pretext for U.S. military action — shows the degree to which the Trump administration sees Cuba as a threat because of developments in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana, a senior U.S. official told the publication.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

(Reporting by Ruchika Khanna in Bengaluru)

source

By Camillus Eboh

ABUJA, May 17 (Reuters) – At least 17 police officers were killed in Nigeria’s northeast Yobe state after suspected Islamist militants attacked a specialised military school that also trains police officers, the national police spokesman said late on Saturday. 

Nigeria has been battling an Islamist insurgency in its northeast for over 18 years.

In a different area of the northeast, the Lake Chad Basin, the second in command of ISIS globally, was killed in an operation conducted by U.S. and Nigerian forces early on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump and his Nigerian counterpart Bola Ahmed Tinubu said. 

The 17 police officers were killed on Friday during an attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School at Buni Yadi in Yobe state, police spokesman Anthony Okon Placid said in a statement.

“The officers, who were undergoing specialised operational training at the institution, lost their lives when the militants launched a coordinated attack on the facility from multiple directions,” Placid said.

He said several soldiers were also killed, though he did not give a figure for military casualties. 

The Nigerian military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The violence in Nigeria’s northeast began with Boko Haram’s uprising in 2009. The militant group later splintered, giving rise to the offshoot the Islamic State West Africa Province, which has intensified attacks on military bases and security personnel.

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whose killing in a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation was confirmed by Trump and Tinubu, was a senior commander of ISWAP.

The Nigerian government has established specialised military institutions, such as the training school that was attacked, to try to tackle the terrorist threat.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; editing by Barbara Lewis)

source

MALE, Maldives (AP) — Three Finnish divers arrived in the Maldives Sunday to draw up a fresh plan in the search for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave. The initial search was suspended after a local military diver died during a perilous mission to try to reach them.

The group of five Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters (98 feet).

Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the search was suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday.

Shareef said Sunday that three Finnish divers, experts in deep and cave diving, have arrived in the archipelago nation and joined the Maldives coastguard in a meeting aimed at mapping a new search strategy.

Mahudhee was buried with military honors in a funeral attended by President Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday night. The diver was part of the group that had briefed Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.

Rough weather has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.

Search operations on Saturday involved eight local divers who worked in shifts to locate the bodies, the Italian Foreign Ministry said. Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home. He offered his condolences for the death of the Maldivian diver during the rescue efforts.

The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.

Benedetti’s body was recovered on Thursday from near the mouth of the cave. Authorities believe the remaining four had entered the cave.

Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement Friday. However, the scuba diving activity during which the deadly accident occurred was not part of the planned research and was “undertaken privately,” it said.

The statement also said the two other victims — student Sommacal and recent graduate Gualtieri — were not involved in the scientific mission.

Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone’s husband and Giorgia’s father, expressed doubts over the accident, saying that “something must have happened down there” given his wife and daughter’s extensive experience.

Speaking to Italian TV, he described Montefalcone as a careful and highly disciplined diver who would never put her daughter or other colleagues at risk.

The Italian tour operator that managed the diving trip denied authorizing or knowing about the deep dive that violated local limits, its lawyer told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Saturday.

Orietta Stella, representing Albatros Top Boat, said the operator “did not know” the group planned to descend beyond 30 meters. That threshold requires special permission from Maldivian maritime authorities and the tour operator “would have never allowed it,” she said.

The dive far exceeded what was planned for a scientific cruise focused on coral sampling at standard depths, Stella added. The victims were experienced divers, but the equipment used appeared to be standard recreational gear rather than technical equipment suited for deep cave diving, she said.

Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialized training, equipment and strict safety protocols. Risks increase sharply in environments where divers cannot head straight up and at depth, particularly when conditions are poor. Experts say it’s easy to become disoriented or lost inside caves, particularly as sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.

Diving at 50 meters also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most major established scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 meters (131 feet) considered technical diving and requiring specialized training and equipment.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said the cave is divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers on Friday, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression.

Italian officials said that around 20 other Italians on the same expedition aboard the vessel “Duke of York” were safe. Italy’s embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those onboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to help provide psychological aid.

The Maldives Tourism Ministry said it suspended the operating license of the “Duke of York” pending an investigation.

source

LE CAIRE, 17 mai (Reuters) – Des frappes israéliennes ont tué au moins quatre personnes dans la bande de Gaza dimanche, a-t-on appris de responsables de santé.

Des médecins ont rapporté qu’une frappe israélienne avait tué un Palestinien près d’un poste de police de Khan Younes, dans le sud de l’enclave palestinienne.

L’armée israélienne dit avoir tué un combattant qui représentait une menace imminente pour ses soldats opérant dans le sud de la bande de Gaza.

Une attaque distincte a tué au moins trois personnes dans une cuisine communautaire près de l’hôpital Al Aqsa à Deïr al Balah dans le centre de l’enclave, selon des médecins gazaouis.

L’armée israélienne n’a pas commenté ce dernier incident.

Les pourparlers indirects entre Israël et le Hamas depuis le cessez-le-feu sont au point mort et le plan de Donald Trump pour reconstruire l’enclave palestinienne peine à voir le jour.

Israël a intensifié ses attaques dans la bande de Gaza depuis la suspension début avril de sa campagne de bombardements contre l’Iran menée avec les Etats-Unis.

Samedi, Israël a éliminé Izz al Din al Haddad, le chef de la branche armée du Hamas à Gaza.

(Reportage de Nidal al-Mughrabi; version française Zhifan Liu)

source

MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela’s government said Saturday it deported a close ally of Nicolás Maduro to face judicial proceedings in the U.S. less than three years after the business owner was pardoned by President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner swap.

The decision marks a stark reversal for Alex Saab, who Maduro fought tooth and nail to bring home after his previous international arrest in 2020. Now, the Colombian-born business owner, long described by U.S. officials as Maduro’s “bag man,” may be asked to testify against his former protector, who is awaiting trial on drug charges in Manhattan after being captured in a shock raid by the U.S. military in January.

The Venezuelan immigration authority in a short statement Saturday did not explicitly say where it had sent Saab but said the decision was made based on several ongoing criminal investigations in the U.S. The statement’s reference to Saab only as a “Colombian citizen” may have been a nod to Venezuelan law, which prohibits the extradition of its nationals. Following his last arrest, Maduro and acting President Delcy Rodríguez claimed that Saab was a Venezuelan diplomat who had been illegally detained during a refueling stop while en route to Iran for an important humanitarian mission.

The Associated Press reported in February that federal prosecutors have been digging for months into Saab’s role in an alleged bribery conspiracy involving Venezuelan government contracts to import food.

The investigation stems from a 2021 case the Justice Department brought against Saab’s longtime partner, Alvaro Pulido, a former law enforcement official said. That prosecution, out of Miami, centers around the so-called CLAP program set up by Maduro to provide staples — rice, corn flour, cooking oil — to poor Venezuelans struggling to feed themselves at a time of rampant hyperinflation and a crumbling currency.

Saab, 54, amassed a fortune through Venezuelan government contracts. But he fell out of favor with the country’s new leadership that took power following Maduro’s ouster. Since taking over from Maduro on Jan. 3, Rodríguez demoted Saab, firing him from her Cabinet and stripping him of his role as the main conduit for foreign companies looking to invest in Venezuela. For months conflicting news accounts have circulated that he was imprisoned or under house arrest.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington

Venezuelan law prohibits the extradition of its own nationals,

source

NEW YORK (AP) — The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest final brought acts from 25 countries to the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna on Saturday night in a spirited battle for the continent’s pop crown. There was no shortage of talent, but not all songs are created equal.

If you’re a dedicated follower of Eurovision or simply curious to learn more about the contest’s best bangers, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s a list of the 10 best songs from the final, presented in no particular order.

If you’ve ever wondered what a Lady Gaga nu-metal pop song would sound like, look no further than Romania’s Eurovision entry, “Choke Me,” by Alexandra Căpitănescu. And it’s not just in her spoken-word interludes or that her delivery of “All I need is your love” is eerily reminiscent of Gaga’s “I Want Your Love.” But the track’s heaviness transforms it — and its performance is undeniable.

It began with piano and built from there: To unexpectedly groovy production, with the classist vocalist Sal Da Vinci singing his heart out to a new love. “Per Sempre Sì,” Italy’s entry, is a fun vintage romp for those who miss the Eurovision of yore. It works. And onstage Saturday, Da Vinci brought an effortless Italian charm.

If Cyprus’ Antigoni looks familiar to you, it’s likely because she was previously a bombshell on “Love Island UK.” She might’ve come and went on the super popular dating show, but her joyous “Jalla” is here to stay in 2026. It’s a summery pop song that weaves in traditional Cypriot instrumentation, including çifteli and lute, making it the perfect soundtrack to the beach vacation in your brain.

Finland’s entry electrified, as they were expected to do: They’ve been an early favorite in the competition. Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen’s “Liekinheitin,” or “Flamethrower,” is an animated mashup of pop singer Parkkonen’s anguished vocals and violinist Lampenius’ fiery fiddling. He’s an “Idol” finalist; she’s a globally recognized classical musicians. It’s a winning combination.

What is there to say about Moldova’s Eurovision entry? Rapper Satoshi performs the cheekily patriotic “Viva, Moldova!” with his full heart, in several languages, in a chorus so addictive it almost recalls the anthemic work of anthemic Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap. Atop relentless flute, breakbeats, electronic production that doesn’t quit, it’s impossible not to root for them. Or, at the very least, to leave without “Welcome to Moldova!” stuck in your head.

In another universe, she’s Zara Larsson. Bulgaria’s Dara is a veteran pop performer at this stage — whose credits include “The Voice,” “The X Factor” and “Dancing with the Stars” — but global super fame has so far passed her by. Here’s hoping that changes soon, because her up-tempo pop banger “Bangaranga,” with its Nicki Minaj-inflections, is easily one of the most animated tracks of the bunch this year. And on stage, it was a mood elevator.

No Eurovision Song Contest is complete without a pop metal entry — it’s not etched into law, but it might as well be. Serbia delivered just that at the final Saturday night with the easy-listening, spooky “Kraj Mene” by Lavina. Heavy guitars are made airy with gospel harmonies. Screaming is limited and so is the breakdown. But they brought a welcomed intensity, and that’s worth celebrating.

One of the most internationally recognizable performers of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is Australia’s Delta Goodrem. She was a judge on Australia’s hit TV talent show “The Voice,” a former star of Australian soap “Neighbours,” and an artist mentored by Olivia Newton-John who once wrote a track called “Eyes on Me” for Celine Dion. (Dion, some might recall, won Eurovision representing Switzerland in 1988.) Goodrem’s full-throated singing style reaches new heights on her power ballad “Eclipse.” With stacked harmonies, virtuosic piano riffing and strong synth-y coda with a note that doesn’t quit, it’s a classic “Eurovision”-type tune. A wise choice from the woman from Down Under — and one that certainly resonated on Saturday night.

It opens with a cinematic chant, a churchlike choir amplifying the theatrics. Dramatic, to say the least! Then, Alis, the vocalist behind “Nân,” takes over. It plays out like the soundtrack to an emotive transitional scene in a blockbuster — and on stage at the final, it continued to hold weight: He wore what appeared to be sequined chain mail in front of a screen as a woman, depicting a mother, circled him.

What is there to say about Belgium’s Essyla? Her song “Dancing on the Ice” is a cool ride: with its chilly vocal performance and Billie Eilish-informed production, the track is a decent pop tune in and outside of Eurovision. (Think of her as in the tradition of Ava Max.) It almost makes it seem unfair that she was a runner-up on “The Voice Belgique” instead of its winner. At any rate, it seemed like she wanted to use her performance at the final as a call for justice, or at least, recognition.

source