Reuters World News Summary

A CIA assessment indicated that Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure from a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports for about another four months, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter, suggesting that U.S. leverage over Tehran remains ​limited as the two sides seek to end a conflict that has been unpopular with U.S. voters. Analysis-A divided kingdom: pro-independence parties surge across Britain Three of the United Kingdom's four nations are set for the first time to be governed by pro-independence parties after elections on Friday which nationalists said marked the death knell of the centuries-old union.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

European states to send planes to evacuate citizens from hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens aboard the Tenerife-bound cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, Spain's interior minister said in ​Madrid on Saturday. The European Union is sending two further planes for remaining European citizens, Fernando Grande-Marlaska added. The U.S. and UK have confirmed planes and contingency plans were being arranged for non-EU citizens ​whose countries were unable to send air transport, he said.

Costa Rica's Laura Fernandez takes office, vowing 'war' on crime

Costa Rica's Laura Fernandez took the ‌oath of ​office as president on Friday, with the right-wing politician vowing to wage a war on crime in the small Central American nation, long recognized as a bastion of peace and prosperity. Fernandez, 39, promised sweeping reforms to the judiciary and existing security laws to bolster security.

Colombia suspends arrest and extradition warrants for 29 Clan del Golfo leaders

Colombia's government on Friday suspended arrest and extradition warrants against 29 leaders of the Clan del Golfo crime gang, the country's largest illegal armed group, as part of peace talks the government has been holding with the gang, a government official told Reuters. Among those benefiting from the suspension of arrest and extradition warrants is group leader ‌Jobanis de Jesus Avila, better known by his alias Chiquito Malo, sought for extradition by the United States on drug trafficking charges. Colombia was offering a reward of over $1 million for his capture.

Trump hopes for extension to agreed three-day Ukraine-Russia ceasefire

Russia and Ukraine confirmed on Friday that they had agreed to a U.S.-brokered three-day ceasefire that will run from May 9 to May 11, and U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped it would be extended. Trump's announcement of the temporary ceasefire on Truth Social earlier in the day also said each country, locked in more than four years of conflict, would exchange 1,000 prisoners of war.

US military says its strike on vessel in Eastern Pacific kills 2, leaves 1 survivor

The U.S. military said on Friday it struck a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor. It marked the latest such attack that rights groups label as "extrajudicial ‌killings" and which Washington describes as targeting "narco-terrorists." Here are some details:

Vietnam adds hundreds of acres in South China Sea island-building

Vietnam has expanded its island building in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly archipelago in the past year, adding 534 acres (216.1 hectares) of land, and has also begun to construct specialized infrastructure there, a U.S. think tank reported. The report on Friday by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at Washington's Center ‌for Strategic and International Studies added the following details:

North Korean leader Kim calls ties with Russia top priority in Victory Day message to Putin

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday reaffirmed his country's commitment to its mutual defence treaty with Russia, in a message to President Vladimir Putin congratulating Russia on the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two. Kim reiterated North Korea's position to "give top priority" to its partnership with Russia and its commitment to "the implementation of the obligations of the inter-state treaty," according to KCNA.

Denmark's right-wing defence minister to lead government formation talks

The king of Denmark has asked Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen to explore the formation of a potential centre-right government following the breakdown of negotiations among centre-left parties, the royal palace said on Friday. Denmark's March election for parliament resulted in a fragmented assembly of 12 parties, with Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen leading negotiations since then, hoping to secure a third term in office.

Bahrain says it has arrested 41 people 'linked to Iran's IRGC'

Bahrain’s interior ministry said on Saturday it had arrested 41 people it ⁠said were linked to ​Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the state news agency reported. The ministry said security authorities uncovered a group linked to Iran's IRGC, adding ⁠that investigations by the public prosecutor had also involved cases related to sympathy with Iranian attacks.

UK police charge two men in connection with filming antisemitic TikTok videos

British police have charged two men with religiously aggravated harassment offences after they were alleged to have travelled to a Jewish area of north London to film antisemitic social media videos. The two men, Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, are due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court, a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service said on Saturday.

Tehran could withstand blockade for ⁠four months, CIA report shows, as fighting flares

Efforts to end the war between the U.S. and Iran appeared to stall as the two sides traded fire in the Gulf on Friday, while a U.S. intelligence analysis concluded Tehran could withstand a naval blockade for months. A CIA assessment indicated that Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure from a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports for about another four months, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter, suggesting that U.S. leverage over Tehran remains ​limited as the two sides seek to end a conflict that has been unpopular with U.S. voters.

Analysis-A divided kingdom: pro-independence parties surge across Britain

Three of the United Kingdom's four nations are set for the first time to be governed by pro-independence parties after elections on Friday which nationalists said marked the death knell of the centuries-old union. A breakup of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is ⁠by no means imminent, and polling showed voters were motivated by factors other than independence, but the outcome is likely to make Britain harder to govern.

US, Iran no closer to ending war as Gulf clashes flare

The U.S. and Iran appeared no closer on Saturday to finding an end to their war after the two sides traded fire in the Gulf amid a tenuous ceasefire, while a U.S. intelligence analysis concluded Tehran could withstand a naval blockade for months. Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the Strait of ⁠Hormuz since ​a ceasefire began a month ago, and the United Arab Emirates came under renewed attack on Friday.

US concerned by Taiwan defence delay 'concession' to China

Further delays to Taiwan military spending are a "concession" to China, the U.S. State Department said, as Taipei's defence ministry detailed the impact of projects excluded from a package passed by the opposition-controlled parliament. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te had sought $40 billion in supplementary defence spending to better deter China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory and has stepped up its military pressure.

Russia holds scaled-back WW2 victory parade as worries over war in Ukraine deepen

Russia held its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years on Saturday due to the threat of attack from Ukraine, where victory for Moscow's forces has proven elusive more than four years into the deadliest European conflict since World War Two. The May 9 parade on Red Square ⁠marks Russia's most revered national holiday - a time to celebrate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany and to pay homage to the 27 million Soviet citizens, including many from Ukraine, who perished.

Two suspected hantavirus cases found in Spain, remote Tristan da Cunha

Health experts raced to contain a potential spread of hantavirus as two suspected cases emerged on Friday far from the luxury cruise liner where the outbreak started. The ⁠latest reports involved a man who fell ill after leaving the ship and a woman who became sick after sitting ⁠near an infected cruise passenger on a plane.

Trump announces three-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced on social media that there would be a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine from May 9 until May 11 to mark the end of World War Two for the Russians. Trump had said after a phone call with Putin on April 29 that a temporary ceasefire was in the works. Putin announced a similar truce last year that lasted three days but was not agreed with Kyiv.

Starmer vows to fight on after Labour punished in polls across Britain

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on ‌Friday to stay in office to "deliver change" after his Labour Party suffered heavy ‌losses in English local elections and parliamentary votes in Scotland and Wales, deepening doubts over his ability to govern. Just under two years after winning a landslide national election, Starmer saw voters punish his Labour government, with support evaporating ​even in its traditional strongholds in London, former industrial regions in central and northern England, and in Wales.