"Florida is the state where 'woke' goes to die," says Gov. DeSantis (R-FL), who says "woke" five times in 19 seconds.

Reuters
Heatwaves and outages test support for juntas in Chad and Mali
N'DJAMENA/BAMAKO (Reuters) - In Chad's scorching capital N'Djamena, housewife Sylvie Belrangar turned the handle of a tap but nothing trickled out as water shortages and extreme temperatures sweep parts of West and North-Central Africa's Sahel region. Belrangar's plight is echoed elsewhere in the semi-arid Sahel, whose worst heatwave in recent memory exposed in April the struggle of junta-led countries, such as Chad and Mali, to guarantee basic services when the need for water and electricity is most acute. Recent outages have stoked frustration with the Malian and Chadian military authorities in some quarters, increasing social tensions when both countries stand at a political crossroads.
Reuters
Factbox-Who are the main candidates in Chad's election?
Chad will on Monday become the first of West and Central Africa's junta-ruled countries to hold a vote since a wave of coups swept over the region. Opposition groups have raised objections and called for boycotts, saying the first-round presidential poll will be rigged. The interim government has said the ballot will return the country to constitutional rule.
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian shares advance ahead of US jobs report
Asian shares were mostly higher Friday ahead of a report on the U.S. jobs market, while several major markets including Tokyo and Shanghai were closed for holidays. Oil prices and U.S. futures were higher. The Japanese yen strengthened slightly against the U.S. dollar amid signs of heavy central bank intervention to tamp down the dollar’s advance.
Reuters
Ethiopia's Amhara militia says resettlement plan 'beats war drum'
Leaders of a militia in Ethiopia's Amhara region accused the administration in neighbouring Tigray of "beating a war drum" over plans to return hundreds of thousands of Tigrayans to territories Amhara fighters captured during a civil war. The future of the disputed territories in northern Ethiopia has remained a flashpoint between Tigray and Amhara since the end of a 2020-2022 civil war, in which Amhara militiamen fought alongside the federal government against Tigrayan rebels.
Reuters
Hungary to tweak price formula imposed on fuel traders, PM Orban says
Hungary's government has decided to tweak a formula imposed on fuel traders to curb prices, excluding some central European countries from the basis of comparison, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio on Friday. Orban's government said last week it was giving fuel traders two weeks to adjust their prices to the central European average, as part of a wider government price-setting intervention following last year's inflation surge. However, in an apparent step back from the pressure applied on fuel traders, Orban said the government was now focused on bringing prices in line with those in neighbouring countries, excluding Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
Associated Press
Pro-Palestinian protesters set up encampments at universities in Australia
Pro-Palestinian protesters were camped on university campuses across Australia on Friday, with some scuffling with pro-Israel protesters in Sydney, mirroring similar events in the United States. Students have set up encampments at universities in major Australian cities over the last two weeks to protest Israel's offensive in Gaza.
AFP
States doing less to support press freedom: watchdog
Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders warned of declining government support for press freedom as it unveiled its annual world rankings on Friday, highlighting Argentina among the countries where the situation has deteriorated.But the watchdog, known by its French acronym RSF, warned that politicians across a wide range of countries were targeting the media.
Associated Press
Sanctions and a hobbled economy pull the rug out from under Iran's traditional carpet weavers
The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. With fewer tourists coming and difficulties rising in making international transactions, Iranian rugs are going unsold as some weavers work for as little as $4 a day.
Associated Press
UK's governing Conservatives suffer big losses in local elections as Labour appears headed for power
Britain's governing Conservative Party is suffering heavy losses as local election results pour in Friday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a U.K. general election in which the main opposition Labour Party appears increasingly likely to return to power after 14 years. Labour won control of councils in England it hasn't held for decades and was successful in a special by-election for Parliament. Its only negative has been in some areas with large Muslim populations, such as Oldham in northwest England, where the party's candidates appear to have suffered as a result of leader Keir Starmer 's strongly pro-Israel stance in the conflict in Gaza.
CNN
‘None go forward without the others.’ US mega-deal would tie together the futures of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Gaza
Saudi Arabia and the United States are finalizing the details of a landmark deal to strengthen bilateral trade and defense – but an agreement will not be reached if the kingdom and Israel do not establish diplomatic relations, US officials said.
Reuters
Iran says crew of Israel-linked ship freed
Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the container ship MSC Aries, with a crew of 25, in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus. Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route. “The seized ship, which turned off its radar in Iran's territorial waters and jeopardized the security of navigation, is under judicial detention,” Amirabdollahian said, according to a foreign ministry post on X late Thursday night.
CNN
Russian forces are operating at same base as US troops in Niger
Russian and US troops have been operating out of the same military base in Niger for at least several weeks, a US defense official and another source familiar with the matter told CNN, putting the two militaries in close proximity to each other at a time of heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine and as the country’s ruling junta has made clear it wants US forces to leave.
AFP
'Fuel for water': Heatwave piles misery on Myanmar displaced
Zay Yar Tun fills his truck with water for delivery to refugees in the parched hills of war-ravaged eastern Myanmar, where a heatwave is adding to the misery of life in displacement camps.Now, a heatwave that has sent the mercury in Myanmar to 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) in some places has added to uncertainties of life in the camps.
AFP
Greenland women seek justice over forced contraception
Henriette Berthelsen was separated from her family at 11 and forced to wear a contraceptive coil, a trauma she buried until she and 142 other Greenlandic women sued the Danish state.Now 66, Berthelsen is one of the 143 Greenland Inuits who have sued the Danish state for violating their rights during its forced contraception campaign from the 1960s to 1980.
Associated Press
Defense chiefs from US, Australia, Japan and Philippines vow to deepen cooperation
Defense chiefs from the U.S., Australia, Japan and the Philippines vowed to deepen their cooperation as they gathered Thursday in Hawaii for their second-ever joint meeting amid concerns about China's operations in the South China Sea. The meeting came after the four countries last month held their first joint naval exercises in the South China Sea, a major shipping route where Beijing has long-simmering territorial disputes with a number of Southeast Asian nations and has caused alarm with its recent assertiveness in the waters. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters at a news conference after their discussion that the drills strengthened the ability of the nations to work together, build bonds among their forces and underscore their shared commitment to international law in the waterway.
Associated Press
Lewiston bowling alley reopens 6 months after Maine's deadliest mass shooting
It's a dilemma no business owner should have to face: whether to reopen after a mass shooting. The answer didn't come easily to Justin and Samantha Juray. The Lewiston venue has undergone a complete makeover, giving it a vibrant, airy feel.
Associated Press
Arizona governor's signing of abortion law repeal follows political fight by women lawmakers
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' signing of the repeal of a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions was a stirring occasion for the women working to ensure that the 19th century law remains in the past. Current and former state lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates crowded into the 9th floor rotunda outside Hobbs' office Thursday afternoon, hugging and taking selfies to capture the moment. “It’s a historic moment, and it’s a place and time where thrilling moments all come together," Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton said during the signing ceremony.
Associated Press
Why did bill to stem ‘foreign influence’ trigger protests in Georgia over country's media freedom?
Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. Here is a look at the bill and the protests it has ignited: WHAT IS THE NEW BILL? The bill would require media and nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of funding from abroad.
Associated Press
Damaged in war, a vibrant church in Ukraine rises as a symbol of the country's faith and culture
This Orthodox Easter season, an extraordinary new church is bringing spiritual comfort to war-weary residents of the Ukrainian village of Lypivka. Almost 100 residents sheltered in a basement chapel at the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary while Russian troops occupied the village in March 2022 as they closed in on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, 40 miles (60 kilometers) to the east. “The fighting was right here,” the Rev. Hennadii Kharkivskyi said.
TODAY
For 23 years, I was Caroline. Here’s why I reclaimed my Chinese birth name.
This story was first published on May 13, 2021.

Latest Stories