#Kenya : One shot during fuel price protests in Kakamega

Cuba warns U.S. military action would cause ‘bloodbath’ after drone report. HAVANA, May 18 - Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Monday that any U.S. military action against Cuba would lead to a “bloodbath” with incalculable consequences for regional peace and stability.

“Cuba does not represent a threat,” Diaz-Canel said in a post on X.

The comments follow an Axios report published on Sunday, citing classified intelligence, that said Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and had discussed plans to use them to attack the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and Key West, Florida. Cuba said the U.S. was fabricating a case to justify potential military intervention.

On the streets of Havana, some residents said they would resist any attack despite the island’s deep economic hardship.

“I know Cuba is a strong country. Cubans are very brave and they are not going to find us unprepared,” said Sandra Roseaux, 57. “If they come, they will have to fight, because Cuba will respond. My country, hungry or however it may be, will respond. It is better that they do not come because there will be a fight.”

Cuba, a communist foe of Washington for generations, has come under increasing strain since the United States cut off its energy supplies after arresting the president of its then-ally Venezuela in January. In recent weeks fuel has run out and electricity is often available for only an hour or two a day.

Tensions between the two countries have risen sharply in recent days. Reuters reported last week, citing a U.S. Department of Justice source, that prosecutors planned to indict former Cuban leader Raul Castro over #Cuba’s 1996 shooting down of two planes operated by a humanitarian group.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a social media post that Cuba, “like every nation in the world,” has the right to legitimate self-defence against external aggression under the U.N. Charter and international law.

Ulises Medina, 58, a Havana resident, urged negotiations. “It would not be right for the United States to invade Cuba, nor for Cuba to invade the United States,” he said. “They must reach an agreement and talk and negotiate. Cuba, in any case, will defend itself because the country will not be surrendered.”

An indictment of #Castro, 94 - the brother of late former leader Fidel Castro and a hero of the 1959 Cuban Revolution - would mark a major escalation in pressure on Cuba by the Trump administration.

“The Cuban people do not let anyone interfere with their land,” said Jorge Villalobos, 87. “Cubans know how to defend themselves, even with sticks and stones.”

Reporting by Kylie Madry,

Editing by Peter Graff and Rosalba O’Brien, #Reuters

#Ebola outbreak raises concerns over spread, expert says. The World Health Organization’s (#WHO) declaration of the latest Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern is intended to strengthen international co-ordination and mobilize resources as the virus spreads across borders, an infectious disease expert says.

“They have declared it as an extraordinary event that requires, international collaboration and co-ordination.”

Butt said the WHO’s decision is aimed at helping affected regions access more support and supplies.

“And the reason they have done it is to mobilize more resources and supplies to the affected region,” he said.
Why this Ebola strain is concerning

Butt said one of the main concerns surrounding the current strain is the lack of vaccines and targeted treatments.

“This strain is of particular concern, because there are no vaccines for it, and there are no therapeutics for it,” he said.

“So, it’s mostly supportive treatment.”

He said timing and early detection are critical in improving outcomes for patients.

“The more early you’re able to detect the diseases, (the earlier) you can provide supportive treatment to these people,” he said.

According to Butt, the strain is one of four Ebola strains known to affect humans and has not been seen widely in recent years.

“The last time they saw it was in 2007 and 2012,” he said.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is escalating its response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of #Congo and #Uganda, after the World Health Organization labeled the outbreak a public health emergency

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to announce plans soon to compile an extra budget in response to rising commodity prices driven by the ongoing Middle East conflict

#Nigeria : Atiku Abubakar faults Bola Ahmed Tinubu over delayed response to xenophobic threats against Nigerians in South Africa.

#WHO keeps evaluation of hantavirus as ‘low risk’. The World Health Organization said Sunday it was maintaining its assessment of the hantavirus outbreak as “low risk” as the cruise ship where the outbreak originated approached the Netherlands.

“The public health risk has been reassessed with the most current information available, and the global risk remains low,” said a WHO statement.

“While additional cases may still occur among passengers and crew members exposed before containment measures were implemented, the risk of onward transmission is expected to be reduced following disembarkation and the implementation of control measures,” it added.

The MV Hondius is expected to dock in the Dutch port of Rotterdam between 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and midday on Monday, according to officials, before disembarking the 27 remaining people on board: 25 crew and two medical staff.

The ship, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, made headlines after three passengers died from hantavirus -- a rare virus for which no vaccines nor specific treatments exist.

#Drone strike sparks fire at UAE nuclear power plant in latest blow to Iran ceasefire.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — 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 drone and missile attacks in recent days as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway still gripped by Iran, which is under a U.S. naval blockade.

The UAE has 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 was expected to speak with Israel’s prime minister on Sunday. Iranian state television has aired segments with news anchors holding rifles in an effort to prepare the public for war. Diplomatic efforts aimed at a more durable peace have faltered.

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.
Barakah plant can provide a quarter of the UAE’s energy

The UAE Defense Ministry said three drones had come over its western border with Saudi Arabia, with the other two intercepted. It was investigating who launched them. Iran and Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq have launched repeated drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states in the war.

The US$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 only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of the energy needs in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms that is home to Dubai.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said on X the fire didn’t affect plant safety and “all units are operating as normal.” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, later said he spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart.

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and one reactor was being powered by emergency diesel generators.

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

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

Yemen’s Irani-backed Houthi rebels, whom the UAE has battled as part of a Saudi-led coalition, claimed to have targeted the plant while it was under construction in 2017, which Abu Dhabi denied.
The UAE’s nuclear program is different from Iran’s and Israel’s

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

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

Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched its 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 often restricted the work of U.N. inspectors, including since the 12-day war with Israel last year.

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 that began 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.
Ceasefire appears increasingly shaky

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. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing confidential military preparations.

Speaking to his Cabinet on Sunday, Israeli 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,” Netanyahu said.

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

One of them, Hossein Hosseini, received basic firearms training from a masked member of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Hosseini mimed firing a shot at the flag of the UAE.

On another channel, Mobina Nasiri said a weapon had been sent to her from a gathering in Tehran’s Vanak Square. “From this platform, I declare that I am ready to sacrifice my life for this country,” she said.

___

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

Jon Gambrell And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press

‘Dance all night’: Harry Styles kicks off World Tour in #Amsterdam. Rhinestones bejewelling her eyes and star-shaped clips in her hair, 23-year-old Mathea Ndawula was all set on Saturday for the first show of pop superstar Harry Styles’ new world tour.

“My goal is to dance all night,” the psychology student told AFP, who had travelled from Mons in Belgium to Amsterdam early to secure a good spot.

The typical Dutch weather of lashing rain and wind failed to deter fans of the British star, who turned out in droves from all corners of Europe, huddling in ponchos covered with pink hearts.

The 32-year-old singer will perform for 10 nights at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, usually home to Dutch football giants Ajax, who have been displaced during the tour.

The residency-style “Together, Together” tour will take root in seven cities for a total of 67 concerts from May 16 to December 13.

A record 12 concerts are scheduled for London’s Wembley Arena in June and New York’s Madison Square Garden will host 30 shows at the end of August.

Styles burst onto the pop scene at the age of 16 from the talent show X-factor, later fronting boy band One Direction.

His new album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally” came out on March 6, four years after his last work “Harry’s House”, which won the Best Album award at the Grammy’s.

With a more electronic and experimental sound, although still unashamedly full of dance tracks, the new album is seen as taking a new trajectory.
‘I’m so excited’

“Every album is like a new chapter in his life, something different that he wants to do,” said Jessica Denovan from Manchester in Britain, who has been a Harry Styles fan since One Direction days.

“We have no idea what the intro is going to be. It’s all going to be different. I don’t even know what to expect... I’m so excited,” said the 21-year-old who works in a kindergarten.

In a rare interview given to New Zealand presenter Zane Lowe, Styles said a residency-style tour would offer fans improved staging for the show.

“I think it makes the show better. I think you can build something that doesn’t have to travel every night,” he said.

Tens of thousands turn out for U.K. far-right rally, counter demo. Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday at a London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and a counter-demonstration fused with a pro-Palestinian protest, as police mounted a huge operation to keep rival attendees apart.

The capital’s Metropolitan Police deployed 4,000 officers -- alongside horses, dogs, drones and helicopters -- to manage Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” march and the rally marking Nakba Day as well as the FA Cup Final.

Nakba Day commemorates the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel. Mustering in west London and ending with speeches near Piccadilly, it combined with an anti-fascism march organized by the Stand Up to Racism group.

The “Unite the Kingdom” march, which started from Holborn in the capital’s heart, culminated with Robinson and other speakers addressing crowds in Parliament Square.

“Immigration’s the main concern,” Christine Turner, 66, from northeast England, told AFP from that event.

“We’re an island. We’ve got a clear border that they’re not protecting. Something needs to be done. It’s gone on too long.”

Attendees -- some sporting “Make England Great Again (MEGA)” red caps, others carrying wooden crosses and chanting “Christ is king” -- had travelled from far and wide.

“The main aspect that I’m behind is to protect women and children,” British-Polish teenager Amelia Stearn, told AFP after flying in from Poland.

“Illegal immigration is really taking a toll on the country,” she said of the UK.

Heather Booker was among those to turn out at the combined pro-Palestine and Stand Up to Racism event.

“It’s very worrying that there’s a real rise in racism and fascism in Britain and across Europe” she told AFP.
43 arrests

The Met were yet to issue attendance estimates but aerial footage broadcast by UK media showed tens of thousands at the Unite the Kingdom rally, which featured a sea of British Union Jack, English St George’s and other flags.

An AFP reporter at the counter-protest estimated only several thousand there.

In a Saturday evening update, police said officers had made 43 arrests at the twin protests, and an additional 22 at the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley.

“Four officers were assaulted today. Fortunately none seriously. A further six officers were subjected to hate crime offences,” the Met said on X.

Robinson -- real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon -- is a former football hooligan turned anti-Islam activist whose profile has soared in recent years, in particular online.

Last September, he drew up to 150,000 people into central London for a similarly themed rally proclaiming “national unity, free speech and Christian values” -- an unprecedented turnout for an event organized by a far-right figure.

He has tapped into growing public anger over tens of thousands of migrants crossing the English Channel each year in small boats, wider immigration policies, alleged free speech curbs and other issues.

X owner Elon Musk addressed the September gathering via video-link. The rally shocked mainstream Britain for its scale and raw messaging, as well as clashes between some participants and police which injured dozens of officers.

‘Hatred and division’

The Met had imposed various conditions on Saturday’s two rallies in an effort to avoid confrontations. For the first time organizers were made legally responsible for ensuring invited speakers did not break hate speech laws.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer had warned Friday that “anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone... can expect to face the full force of the law”.

He accused the organizers of Robinson’s rally of “peddling hatred and division”.

Robinson -- who had urged his attendees not to wear masks or drink excessive alcohol, and to be “peaceful and courteous” -- told those gathered he was spearheading a “cultural revolution”.

Leading expletive-filled chants decrying Starmer, he urged them to get involved in politics ahead of “the battle of Britain” in 2029, when the next general election is due.

Ahead of the rally the government also blocked 11 “foreign far-right agitators” from entering Britain.

They include US-based “extremist” Valentina Gomez, who the government said is “known for using inflammatory and dehumanizing rhetoric about Muslim communities”.

Saturday’s rival demonstrations follow a spate of violent attacks targeting London’s Jewish community. Some have blamed instances of hate speech at pro-Palestinian marches for helping to fuel antisemitism.

The UK’s terrorism threat level was raised two weeks ago to the second-highest level of “severe”, with security officials citing the “broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat”.