‘Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical’ Lead Shoba Narayan Talks South Asian Representation on Broadway (EXCLUSIVE)

Associated Press
The UN nuclear watchdog chief travels to Iran as its monitoring remains hampered
The head of the United Nations' atomic watchdog will travel Monday to Iran, where his agency faces increasing difficulty in monitoring the Islamic Republic's rapidly advancing nuclear program as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war. Rafael Mariano Grossi already has warned Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make “several” nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. Grossi is likely to attend an Iranian nuclear conference there while on his two-day trip to Iran.
AFP
Struggling French tech group Atos weighs financial lifelines
Struggling French tech group Atos, an Olympics partner and key French defence contractor, said Monday it would make a decision on financial restructuring offers by May 31.Atos said in a statement on Monday that its board had received four financial restructuring offers on Sunday.
AFP
Asian markets build on rally as US jobs data boost rate cut hopes
Most Asian markets rose Monday after data showing fewer US jobs were created last month rekindled optimism interest rates will be cut this year, while mainland Chinese equities bounced on hopes for fresh government economic support.The news ramped up bets on the Fed cutting rates in September while investors also lifted their outlook on how many there would be, although the two priced in are still well short of the six envisaged at the start of the year.
AFP
Macron seeks to sway China's Xi on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron was on Monday to host Xi Jinping for a state visit, seeking to persuade the Chinese leader to shift positions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and also imbalances in global trade.The French president had gladdened Chinese state media and troubled some EU allies after his 2023 visit by declaring that Europe should not be drawn into a "bloc versus bloc" standoff between China and the United States, particularly over democratic, self-ruled Taiwan.
Reuters
China May Day holiday spending shows mixed picture on post-COVID recovery
BEIJING (Reuters) -Domestic travellers spent 166.9 billion yuan ($23.13 billion) during one of China's longest breaks, the May Day holiday, a rise of 13.5% from pre-pandemic levels, government data showed on Monday, but expenditure per head lagged 2019 rates. Boosting consumer confidence has presented a key challenge for Chinese authorities this year amid a declining property market, high youth unemployment and deflation pressures. The total spent over the May 1 to 5 holiday was 12.7% higher than last year, shortly after China lifted COVID-19 curbs, and the tourism ministry recorded 295 million domestic trips during the holiday.
Associated Press
The Latest | Israeli military orders evacuation of parts of Rafah ahead of possible ground invasion
Israel's military has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent. The announcement on Monday complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.
Associated Press
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine. The drills are in response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It was the first time that Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, though its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises.
Reuters
China's health body probes hospital after surrogacy claims
China's National Health Commission said it was investigating a hospital in the southwest megacity of Chongqing for its alleged involvement in surrogacy, which is illegal in China, after wide circulation of the issue on social media. The incident comes after a series of official investigations last year related to the issuance of fake birth certificates at a time when China is trying to boost its birth rate. Chongqing Angel Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital has been cooperating with illegal surrogacy agencies, a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo said on Sunday.
Reuters
Russia to practice tactical nuclear weapon scenario in drills to deter West
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Monday it would hold a military exercise that will include practice for the use of tactical nuclear weapons after what the defence ministry said were provocative threats from Western officials. The ministry said the exercise was ordered by President Vladimir Putin and would test the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to perform combat missions. The military drills will include practice for the preparation and deployment for use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, the defence ministry said.
AFP
UCLA to resume in-person classes after Gaza protest crackdown
In-person classes will resume Monday at the University of California, Los Angeles, college officials said, after they were moved online following clashes on campus between pro-Palestinian protesters and police.UCLA said Friday it had moved classes online after a large police contingent forcibly cleared a sprawling encampment.
Reuters
Taiwan must invest in building its own 'strengths', vice president-elect says
Taiwan is grateful for continued U.S. security assistance but must invest in building its own "strengths" first and show the world its support for the island is worth it, Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim said on Monday. Hsiao, who takes office with President-elect Lai Ching-te on May 20, is Taiwan's former de facto ambassador to Washington, and is expected to play a key role in further strengthening ties with the United States given her fluent English and deep ties in the U.S. capital. The United States is Chinese-claimed Taiwan's most important supporter and arms supplier, despite the lack of diplomatic ties.
Reuters
Israel begins evacuating part of Rafah, Hamas decries 'dangerous escalation'
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) -Israel told Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah on Monday in what appeared to be preparation for a long-threatened assault on Hamas holdouts in the southern Gaza Strip city where more than a million war-displaced people have been sheltering. A senior official of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that governs Gaza, told Reuters the evacuation order was a "dangerous escalation that will have consequences". "The U.S. administration, alongside the occupation, bears responsibility for this terrorism," the official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters, referring to Israel's alliance with Washington.
AFP
EU election could force sharp turn in electric car policy
A change at the top of European institutions could herald a change in the 2035 target to phase out sales of internal combustion engine cars even though the automotive industry is already well down the road towards transitioning to electric vehicles.The two German parties in the group, the CDU and CSU, want to scrap the 2035 deadline to continue to benefit from "state-of-the-art German internal combustion engine technology".
USA TODAY
Key rocket launch set for Monday: What to know about the Boeing Starliner carrying 2 astronauts
On Monday, Boeing will send two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time aboard its Starliner space capsule.
AFP
Europe's auto suppliers reach the end of the road
Emrullah Karaca has made brakes for the past 20 years, but he is now learning to assemble heat pumps instead, as the Continental factory where he works in northern Germany is slated to close."Brakes or heat pumps, it's all the same to me," said Karaca, whose two parents both worked for Continental at the factory.
CNN
Israeli military tells Gazans in parts of eastern Rafah to ‘evacuate immediately’
Israel’s military has issued a call for residents of eastern Rafah to “evacuate immediately”, a day after the country’s defense minister told troops inside Gaza to expect “intense action in Rafah in the near future.”
Associated Press
On D-Day, 19-year-old medic Charles Shay was ready to give his life, and save as many as he could
BRETTEVILLE-L'ORGUEILLEUSE, France (AP) — On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic who was ready to give his life — and save as many as he could. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th anniversary commemorations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. A Penobscot tribe citizen from Indian Island in the U.S. state of Maine, Shay has been living in France since 2018, not far from the shores of Normandy where many world leaders are expected to come next month.
Reuters
Italy calls for Ukraine truce, peace talks with Putin - newspaper
Italy's Defence Minister said on Monday economic sanctions against Russia had failed and called on the West to try harder to negotiate a diplomatic solution with President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Guido Crosetto told daily Il Messaggero that the West had wrongly believed its sanctions could stop Russia's aggression, but it had overestimated its economic influence in the world.
AFP
No place to pray for Muslim workers in Italian city
It's Friday prayers in the northeastern Italian city of Monfalcone, and hundreds of men are on their knees in a concrete parking lot, their heads bowed to the ground. "It's not like we came here to see the beautiful city of Monfalcone," jokes Haq.
Reuters
Hard right wants more EU power to reflect likely election gains
From his office in a distant annexe, French right-wing lawmaker Jean-Paul Garraud has his sights set on a spot much closer to the decision-making heart of the European Parliament. The chair of France's Rassemblement National (RN) lawmakers expects nationalist and eurosceptic parties to surge in the June 6-9 EU assembly election, giving them a first taste of influence in Brussels and Strasbourg, if other right and centre-right parties work with them. Polls predict radical right parties will gain across the EU, including France, Germany and Italy where many seats are at stake, as voters frustrated by a cost of living and energy crisis, illegal migration, and rattled by a changing geo-political landscape seek alternatives beyond mainstream parties.

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