Hunger and malnutrition are rising across Gaza as Israel's blockade leaves mothers with few options

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Malnutrition and hunger are prevelant in the Gaza strip as Israel’s blockade enters its third month. Shortage of food and supplies has driven the territory toward starvation. Supplies to treat and pervent malnutrition are depeleted and quickly running out as documented cases of malnutrition rise. Some 3,600 children were admitted and treated for acute malnutrition in the past month_ a figure that is likely rising. Parents are running out of options of what to feed their children and where to take fhem to get help. Images of emaciated children are becoming more frequent and hungry children at community kitchens are fighting for food, alongside adults.

Protesters want Morocco to sever ties with Israel, so they're targeting strategic ports

TANGIER, Morocco (AP) — Morocco's ports have emerged as a flashpoint in protests against the country's decision to normalize ties with Israel. A year and a half of protests have emboldened activists and exposed a gulf between the government and those they govern. Demonstrators from across the political spectrum have taken to the streets to target the country's 4-year-old decision to normalize ties with Israel. Activists accuse the government of disregarding public sentiment and are expanding their targets, which now include the country's strategic ports. Protests swelled this month ahead of the docking of vessels suspected of carrying military cargo as part of a program that includes Israel.

Romanians vote in a presidential redo after voided election sparked deep political crisis

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanians are casting ballots in a critical presidential election redo after last year’s annulled vote plunged the European Union and NATO member country into its worst political crisis in decades. Eleven candidates are vying for the presidency and a May 18 runoff is expected. A median of local polls suggests George Simion, a MAGA-style hard-right nationalist, will emerge as the frontrunner, likely pitting him against Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, or the governing coalition’s candidate Crin Antonescu.

Mexico's president says she rejected Trump's plan to send US troops across the border

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's president has said that U.S. President Donald Trump proposed sending American troops into Mexico to help her administration fight drug trafficking but that she rejected it. The remarks by Claudia Sheinbaum came in response to a Wall Street Journal article published the day before, describing a tense phone call last month in which Trump reportedly pressured her administration to accept a bigger role for the U.S. military in combating drug cartels in Mexico. Sheinbaum recounted the call to her supporters at an event in eastern Mexico, saying: “You know what I said to him? ‘No, President Trump ... Sovereignty is not for sale.”

Russia and Ukraine clash over ceasefire proposals as fighting rages

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine and Russia are at odds over competing ceasefire proposals. Moscow has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of threatening the safety of dignitaries attending Victory Day celebrations after he dismissed Russia’s unilateral 72-hour ceasefire. Zelenskyy instead renewed calls for a more substantial 30-day pause in hostilities, as was initially proposed by the U.S. He said the proposed ceasefire could start anytime as a meaningful step toward ending the three-year war. He said that Ukraine cannot provide security assurances to foreign officials planning to visit Russia around May 9 Victory Day, warning that Moscow could stage provocations and later attempt to blame Ukraine.

Pakistan test fires ballistic missile as tensions with India spike after Kashmir gun massacre

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has test fired a ballistic missile as tensions with India spike over last month's deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region. The surface-to-surface missile has a range of about 280 miles, the Pakistani military said. Saturday's launch of the Abdali Weapon System was aimed at ensuring the “operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters,” according to a statement from the military. There was no immediate comment about the launch from India, which blames Pakistan for the April 22 gun massacre that killed 26 people in the resort town of Pahalgam. Pakistan denies the charge.

Warren Buffett shocks shareholders by announcing his intention to retire at the end of the year

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett shocked an arena full of his shareholders by announcing that he wants to retire at the end of the year. Buffett said he will recommend to Berkshire Hathaway’s board that Greg Abel should become CEO at the end of the year. Previously the 94-year-old investor has always said he had no plans to retire. But Abel has been his designated successor for years, and Abel has already been managing all of Berkshire's non-insurance businesses. He will now take on the responsibility for running Berkshire's insurance businesses and investing its cash.  Able said he was “humbled and honored to be part of Berkshire as we go forward.”

Trump draws criticism with AI image of himself as the pope ahead of the papal conclave

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as pope. The social media post comes as the mourning of Pope Francis continues and the papal conclave is set to begin in a few days. The image is raising eyebrows on social media, at the Vatican, from a group representing Catholic bishops in New York and from Italians. Catholics are in the period of official mourning after Francis' death. Catholic cardinals are due to open the solemn conclave to elect his successor on Wednesday. The death of a pope and election of another is a matter of utmost solemnity for Catholics

Justice Department will switch its focus on voting and prioritize Trump's elections order, memo says

A new mission statement for the Justice Department unit that upholds voting rights shows it's being redirected toward prioritizing President Donald Trump's executive order on elections. Trump has continued to insist that widespread fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election. Repeated audits, investigations and court cases show otherwise. The mission statement is silent on the voting section's normal mission of protecting the right to vote and people from being disenfranchised by gerrymandering. Instead it says the section will combat fraud and ensure that only U.S. citizens vote, even though voting by noncitizens is already illegal and has been shown to be extremely rare.

Musk gets his Texas wish. SpaceX launch site is approved as the new city of Starbase

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company is now an official Texas city with a galactic name: Starbase. A vote Saturday to formally organize Starbase as a city was approved by a small group of Texas voters who live there and are mostly Musk’s employees. The tally according to vote results published online was 212 in favor to 6 against. Starbase is the facility and launch site for the SpaceX rocket program that is under contract with the Department of Defense and NASA for what Musk hopes will complete a return to the moon and someday an astronaut mission to Mars.