Your one-stop destination for all the top international stories of the day.
China-Friendly Manele Is The New Prime Minister Of Solomon Islands
Lawmakers in the Solomon Islands voted to pick Jeremiah Manele as the nation’s next Prime Minister. He has pledged to continue the foreign policy that took the nation closer to China. In elections held last month, incumbent Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare could not hold on to half the seats but the elections did not throw up a majority for any one party. The focus then moved to lobbying for the vote of independents. In the secret ballot that took place on May 2nd, Manele won 31 votes to opposition leader Matthew Wale’s 18 votes.
Blinken: US Cannot Support Rafah Offensive Without Humanitarian Plan
On his latest visit to Israel, the seventh since the October 7 attacks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israel’s Prime Minister for more than 2.5 hours. While Netanyahu is firm on continuing with his Rafah offensive, the US has said Washington will not support it unless it sees a plan that will protect civilians there and so far there is nothing on those lines. Coinciding with Blinken’s visit, Israel also reopened the northern border crossing at Erez, which was shut after the October attack. This crossing will see trucks with humanitarian aid heading into Gaza which is facing a famine. Blinken has also pushed for Hamas to take the deal that on the table.
Polish Synagogue Attack: Teenage Suspect Detained
This synagogue in Poland has survived World War 2 and the Holocaust. It was the target of an attack in Warsaw where a suspect hurled three molotov cocktails at it. CCTV footage shows the inflammable material was thrown in quick succession. Police have taken a 16-year-old in custody for the attack. It is not clear right now if more people were involved in this. The motive behind the attack is as yet unknown.
UK Starts Detaining Illegal Migrants Who Will Be Sent To Rwanda
The video footage released by the UK Interior ministry shows police rounding up illegal migrants. These detainees will then be sent off to Rwanda. It’s part of the newest legislation passed by the UK Parliament in April that cleared the way for sending illegal immigrants seeking asylum to Rwanda pending their papers being processed. British PM Rishi Sunak is keen that the first flights take off for Rwanda in July. More than 7500 migrants came in on small boats to the UK from France this year so far. The government says the new law will deter people from making the dangerous journey across the English Channel.
Retrial In Harvey Weinstein Case After Appeals Court Overturns Earlier Verdict
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will be retried in New York. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has taken the call after Weinstein’s 2020 sex crime conviction was reversed by the highest court in New York last week. Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said, “There was nothing consensual about this conduct. We believe in this case and will be retrying this case.” This was the first case against the former Hollywood producer and started the #MeToo movement in which women accused men of sexual harassment in a range of fields from entertainment, media to politics. The court said the trial judge had made a critical mistake by letting prosecutors introduce testimony from women who claimed that Weinstein assaulted them, but were not part of the charges he faced. The women who testified at the New York trial are among more than 80 women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct.
