On Friday, May 2, 2018, this is how things are going.
Fighting
In a recent drone attack in partially occupied Kherson that left at least seven people dead and more than 20 wounded, Russia accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians.
The region’s Moscow-appointed governor claimed that the drone strike hit a market in the town of Oleshky in Kherson at around 9:30 am local time because of the May 1 public holiday.
Although neither side’s claims have been independently verified, the Ukrainian military claimed the attack targeted Russian troops and that only military personnel were killed.
A Russian drone attack in Zaporizhzhia, southeast of Ukraine, on Thursday night caused a building to burn, injuring 14 people, with no injuries.
The SBU Security Service in Ukraine announced that it had detained a suspect and thwarted the attempted murder of prominent activist and video blogger Sergiy Sternenko. Since 2014, Stickenko has been actively engaged in anti-Russian activism.
Diplomacy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, described the landmark mineral agreement signed with the US as a “truly equal agreement that opens up the door for quite a lot of investment in Ukraine.”
According to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, the European Union is putting new sanctions on Russia in place. The 27-member bloc would impose sanctions on this as its 17th round.
According to a Wall Street Journal exclusive report, Lindsey Graham, a senator from the United States, has become one of the loudest supporters of Ukraine in Washington. Close ally of Trump, Graham, is urging countries that purchase Russian energy and uranium to impose new sanctions and slap-ad tariffs.
In an interview with Fox News, US Vice President JD Vance claimed that the conflict in Ukraine is “not going anywhere” and that it is “not going to end any time soon.” Now that each side knows what the other’s terms for peace are, Vance said, it’s up to the Russians and Ukrainians.
Julie Davis, a career diplomat with Russian-speaking speaking accents, has been chosen by the Trump administration as their preferred Ukrainian diplomat. Davis will become Kyiv’s charge d’affaires, having worked in the former Soviet Union and the former Soviet Union. To become an ambassador, she will need to have her Senate approval.
Even if it irritates his EU neighbors, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says he will fulfill his promise to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the following week.
Russia is hosting celebrations to commemorate World War II’s 80th anniversary.
China has stated that it is looking into US proposals to start discussions of US President Donald Trump’s extensive tariffs.
According to a statement released on Friday by China’s Ministry of Commerce, the US has “recently actively communicated messages to China, expressing a desire to engage in discussions.”
China is currently going over this.
Beijing’s comments follow a report earlier this week from Chinese state media that the Trump administration had “proactively reached out” via various channels.
The two largest economies of the world have a de facto reciprocal trade embargo as a result of Trump’s trade war with China.
Businesses and investors have been anticipating signs that Beijing and Washington will ease their stringent tariffs on each other’s goods amid concerns that a drawn-out standoff will seriously harm the world economy.
The International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for 2025’s global growth by 2.8%, down from 3.3% in January, and JPMorgan Chase has predicted a 60% chance of a US recession this year.
According to Christopher Beddor, deputy China research director at the financial services company Gavekal Dragonomics, China appears to be sincere about opening talks if the US is serious.
They already have tariffs in place, but they also have export controls, according to Beddor, who cited the US company’s ability to launch additional investigations.
“The list goes on,” he continued. Most importantly, they are prepared to spur economic growth by reducing the impact. However, because there was a de-escalation, policymakers are also acutely aware that using those tools would be much better.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that his administration is engaging in negotiations with Beijing, a claim that Chinese officials have rejected as “groundless,” while imposing a 145 percent tariff on Chinese exports.
Trump stated on Wednesday that there was a “very good chance” that a trade agreement with China would be “fair.”
China’s Commerce Ministry stated in a statement on Friday that it had maintained a consistent position on the trade dispute.
The ministry declared that “if a fight occurs, we will fight until the end,” and that “the door is open” when it comes to negotiations.
The US unilaterally initiated the tariff war and trade war, and if China wants to talk, it should show sincerity by preparing to correct its errors and rescind the unilateral imposition of additional tariffs, it said.
“Wake up call!”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that Beijing was eager to talk to Trump about how his tariffs were seriously affecting the Chinese economy in an interview with Fox News on Thursday night.
According to Rubio, “The Chinese are reaching out, they want to meet, they want to talk.” There are people involved in that, they say.
Rubio added that the country should no longer be as dependent on China as it was in the tensions, and that they were a “wake-up call” for the US.
He predicted that if we go this route again in two years, we will be in great trouble and will be incredibly dependent on China. So, I do believe there is a more general debate over whether or not we should purchase anything from them.
Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, known for her 1995 hit single “I Kissed a Girl”, has died at the age of 66 after a fire broke out at her home, a representative has confirmed
She made her music debut in 1990 with her debut album, “Things Here Are Different” and is known for her hit song “I Kissed a Girl”(Image: Variety via Getty Images)
The music world is mourning the loss of Jill Sobule, known for her 1995 hit single “I Kissed a Girl”, who has tragically died at the age of 66.
The singer-songwriter tragically died in a house fire in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday, May 1, as confirmed by a representative to Variety. Jill was scheduled to perform in Denver on Friday at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater with a show titled “Jill Sobule presents: Songs From F–k 7th Grade and More.”
In light of her passing, the theater will host an informal gathering led by her friend Ron Bostwick from 105.5 FM. Her manager, John Porter, released a heartfelt statement to the publication, saying: “Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture.”
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Jill died in a house fire in Minneapolis, Minnesota(Image: Getty Images)
He went on to express his personal loss: “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others”, reports the Mirror US.
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Jill’s booking agent, Craig Grossman, noted: “I was fortunate enough to get to know Jill beyond a professional relationship. No one made me laugh more. Her spirit and energy shall be greatly missed within the music community and beyond.”
Ken Hertz, Jill’s longtime attorney, also shared his sentiments: “Jill wasn’t just a client. She was family to us. She showed up for every birth, every birthday, and every holiday. She performed at our daughter’s wedding, and I was her ‘tech’ when she performed by Zoom from our living room (while living with us) during the pandemic.”
The songstress was born in Denver in 1959 and made her mark on the music scene in 1990 with her debut album, “Things Here Are Different.” Five years on, Jill dropped her eponymous album Jill Sobule, which featured her groundbreaking track “I Kissed a Girl.”
This was one of the first openly LGBTQ+ songs to make it into the Billboard Top 20. The album also boasted her popular single “Supermodel.”
Jill was a staunch human rights advocate, using her music as a platform to address challenging issues such as capital punishment, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, and her beloved nephews, Ian Matthew and Robert and Robert’s wife Irina. She is also survived by numerous beloved cousins and countless friends.
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There will be a formal memorial celebrating her life and legacy later this Summer.
Alexandria, Virginia – “Free him now. Free him now.”
Those words rang outside a federal courthouse near Washington, DC, on Thursday, as lawyers argued over the case of Badar Khan Suri, who has been detained by the United States government over his support for Palestinian rights.
Dozens of activists had gathered to show solidarity with Khan Suri, a postdoctoral scholar at Georgetown University. He was arrested in March as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to punish and deport non-citizens accused of fuelling “anti-Semitism” and “illegal protests” on college campuses.
Speaking to the crowd in Alexandria, Virginia, Mapheze Saleh – Khan Suri’s Palestinian American wife – highlighted the impact of his detention on their three children. She said they just wanted their father back.
“Why is this happening to him? Why is the Trump administration persecuting him?” Saleh said. “Because he fell in love and married to a Palestinian, because he dared to express his belief in non-violence and because he spoke out bravely against the genocide of my people in Gaza.”
Before his detention, Khan Suri was in the US on an academic visa, conducting research on peace-building in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the US government has accused Khan Suri, an Indian national, of violating the terms of his visa by “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media”. It has not offered proof of either assertion.
Outside the courthouse on Thursday, Amanda Eisenhour, an activist from Alexandria, said Khan Suri’s case represents the intersection of issues including free speech, constitutional rights and the “tyranny” of the US immigration system.
“It’s also about Palestine,” Eisenhour told Al Jazeera. “I want to make sure that’s always part of the conversation. Dr Khan Suri is a political prisoner because of his association, because of his marriage to somebody who’s Palestinian. We’re now a country that holds political prisoners, and we have to be ready to fight against that.”
As the legal hearing unfolded, activists outside chanted for Khan Suri’s freedom and Palestinian rights under a statue of a blindfolded woman holding scales, symbolising justice without bias.
One protester held up a sign, “Mob bosses disappear people.” Another placard proclaimed, “Due process now.”
A case in Virginia, a client in Texas
In the courtroom, lawyers for both sides questioned the geographical divide between where the hearing was taking place – and where Khan Suri is held presently.
After his arrest in Virginia, immigration officials quickly moved Khan Suri from a local detention centre to one in Louisiana and then in Texas.
Critics say the government has transferred individuals slated for deportation to faraway states to keep them away from their families and legal teams. They also point out that states like Louisiana and Texas are more likely to have conservative-leaning courts.
On Thursday, Khan Suri’s lawyers argued for the scholar to be moved back to his home state of Virginia, where his case is currently unfolding.
“We hope the court sees through these unlawful government tactics, keeps Dr Suri’s case here in Virginia, orders that he be released or, at minimum, orders that he be returned to Virginia, where he’ll be close to his legal counsel and to his family,” said Samah Sisay, staff lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is involved in the case.
But the Trump administration made an opposing request, pushing for the court case to be transferred to Texas.
Ultimately, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles demanded answers about why Khan Suri was moved so swiftly out of Virginia. She gave the government’s lawyers 24 hours to respond.
The Georgetown scholar’s lawyers have reason to be optimistic about the outcome. Federal district courts have asserted jurisdiction in similar cases, and on Wednesday, a judge in Vermont ordered the release of Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who is also facing deportation.
‘That’s not the America we want to be’
Since Trump began his second term in January, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that he revoked the visas of hundreds of foreign students who engaged in protests or criticism of Israel.
But the push to deport Khan Suri has been one of the most prominent cases.
To justify removing Khan Suri and other student activists, Rubio has cited the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, a Cold War-era law. One rarely used provision allows the secretary of state to deport non-citizens who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign consequences” for the US.
The Trump administration has not charged Khan Suri with a crime. But officials have accused him of “connections to a known or suspected terrorist”: his father-in-law.
“Suri was married to the daughter of a senior advisor for to [sic] Hamas terrorist group,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a social media post.
But Khan Suri’s supporters point out that his father-in-law, Ahmed Yousef, has not been associated with Hamas for years and has even criticised the group on multiple occasions.
Yousef had served more than a decade ago as an adviser to former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader who was killed by Israel in Iran last year.
Regardless, legal experts say familial ties are not a criminal offence or grounds for deportation.
Hassan Ahmad, a Virginia-based lawyer representing Khan Suri, said the allegation about the Georgetown scholar’s father-in-law sets the case apart from the push to deport other pro-Palestine students.
“We’re talking not just about the First Amendment, freedom of speech. We’re talking about the constitutional freedom of association as well,” Ahmad said.
“And that’s something that distinguishes Dr Suri’s case, in that here they’re going after him based on not anything that he said or retweeted or forwarded or liked or spoke to anyone [about], but based only on his association. That’s not the America we want to be.”
Eden Heilman, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia, which is helping to represent Khan Suri, also said deporting someone based on their personal connections is a “very scary premise”.
“If that’s what the government has done, which they are alleging they are doing with Dr Suri, we are in an unprecedented time in terms of our constitutional threats,” Heilman told reporters on Thursday.
Moreover, social media accounts that appear to belong to Khan Suri do not show any direct support for Hamas or hostility towards the Jewish people. Instead, the scholar has used his social media presence to decry Israeli atrocities in Gaza and highlight apparent war crimes against Palestinians.
“Israel is bombing hospitals in Gaza to turn the land inhabitable, in order to build the case for making Palestinians in Gaza think of migrating to the Sinai desert,” Khan Suri wrote in October 2023.
In recent months, Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza, a plan that rights advocates say amounts to ethnic cleansing.
A ‘Kafkaesque’ situation
Democratic Congressman Don Beyer, who represents a district in northern Virginia where Khan Suri lived, attended Thursday’s hearing to show support.
“I’ll be doing everything I can to help Dr Khan [Suri] and his family, and I encourage each one of us to do all that we can to tell these stories, to help educate the American people about what’s happening in this threat to our Constitution, to our rights,” Beyer said in a video message on Thursday.
“It is Kafkaesque that somebody can be kidnapped without reason, without acknowledgement, without logic, without charges and taken off to be locked in a prison in Texas, not knowing what happens next.”
Anita Martineau, a Northern Virginia resident, told Al Jazeera people should not be “kidnapped” for their speech. She attended a protest outside the hearing, holding a poster that read, “Bring Khan Suri back now.”
“It’s absolutely unconstitutional, and it needs to stop,” Martineau said. “American people and anyone in this country, whether they’re citizens or residents, they all need to stand up. We need to speak with one voice.”
Anita Martineau attends a demonstration in support of Badar Khan Suri outside the federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 1 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]
Melissa Petisa, an activist with the group Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights, also called for Khan Suri to be “released immediately”. She added that Trump is targeting students as a tactic to distract from the escalating carnage in Gaza.
This summer, Ozzy Osbourne will play his own short set before performing on stage for The Back To The Beginning with Black Sabbath band members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.
Pictured in 2022, Ozzy Osbourne has been determined to continue to perform despite his health issues (Image: AP)
Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne said he “may be sitting down” for his final performance amid ongoing issues with his health.
The 76-year-old singer will deliver his own short set this summer before he joins Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for their first performance together in 20 years. It forms The Back To The Beginning show on July 5 at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, where it all began for the rockers in 1968.
Although Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in January 2020, the musician has continued to perform infrequently, including at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which were held in his home city.
The veteran performer acknowledges that this summer’s performance may be his last and that he may have to sit down to perform it. He continued, “I’m used to jumping around and running for two hours on stage.” This time, I don’t believe I’ll be doing much jumping or running. I might be sat down.
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Black Sabbath take a bow after a performance in Chicago in 1986(Image: Getty Images)
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Nevertheless, tickets for the all-day event – a fundraising concert – reportedly sold out within 16 minutes in February as fans scrambled for a chance to see Ozzy and his pals reunite. Ticket prices soared to £795, which left fans fuming.
Speaking to The Guardian this week, Ozzy continued: “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up… We’re only playing a couple of songs each. I don’t want people thinking ‘we’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample, you’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”
Three years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, the actor underwent extensive spinal surgery in 2023. The father-of-five admitted this week that he is currently having walking issues but is determined that this won’t stop him from impressing his summer fans.
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I exercise, ride my bike, and have a neighbor who works for me. I’ve been laid up for such a long time, so it’s tough. Your strength is the first thing I need to go after lying on my back and doing nothing. The singer described it as “starting all over again.”
“I’ve got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs.”
After Heather Knight’s nine-year tenure in charge, New England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, according to head coach Charlotte Edwards, will “have the reins” to take the lead of the team in her own way.
Sciver-Brunt, an all-rounder who took maternity leave, was appointed England’s full-time coach on Tuesday and will make her comeback to training the following week.
Sciver-Brunt previously served as Knight’s vice-captain, but Edwards added that as the team transitions from a difficult year that culminated with a 16-0 Ashes thrashing in January, she is happy to be starting with a “blank canvas.”
At a launch event held at Lord’s for the ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held in England in 2026, former England captain Edwards said, “She is very laid back and unassuming for one of the best players in the world.”
We’ll be working very closely together, but she’ll have the power to take the lead by example on matchdays and take the lead.
Because she’s on her team and has to push things forward, “I’ll be asking her for her opinion on pretty much everything.”
The first game between Edwards and Sciver-Brunt will be a white-ball match between England and West Indies, which will start on May 21 and is followed by a match between India, which will host the 50-over World Cup at the end of September.
Sciver-Brunt has previously led England in 11 T20s and one one-day internationals, with nine of those victories coming in as wins, but the team struggled when she replaced Knight in two notable high-pressure situations, including the Commonwealth Games bronze medal match and West Indies’ disastrous T20 World Cup group stage defeat last year.
Given her importance as England’s best batter and one of their most experienced bowlers, Sciver-Brunt’s workload had sussed some concerns, but Edwards said she was confident she could relieve some of the strain and let her concentrate on the on-field issues.
Given the longevity of Knight’s tenure, there has been another criticism of England’s set-up, and Edwards vowed to fix it.
We are going to establish a leadership group, which may vary depending on the format and series, but it’s something we are really interested in.
“We need to make sure we are making sure we are planning for the future and giving players experience and voice.”
Knight’s representative, Edwards, also confirmed that she would not be a member of that leadership group, stating that she wanted the former skipper to concentrate on playing the game once more and refraining from just batting.
In a world without precedent, England’s Ashes capitulation brought off-field behavior and attitude into question, along with the subpar outcomes.
Although Edwards acknowledged that the social media strategy and “looking at our professional behaviors” would change, she added that she had already observed changes in her short time in the position.
There will be no right or wrong in it, even though it should be different and it should be. She said, “That’s how Nat and I are going to do it.”
The team has a certain way of doing things, but they have been great so far and open to everything we’ve discussed.
