Nikki Haley Faces Backlash Over 'Finish Them' Message on Israeli Artillery

Nikki Haley, a former U.S. presidential candidate, wrote 'Finish Them!' on an Israeli artillery shell during a visit to Israel, sparking criticism. The image, shared by Israeli politician Danny Danon, shows Haley crouched next to shells. Haley's message, 'Finish Them - America Israel, Always,' was widely condemned.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Nikki Haley writes 'Finish Them' on Israeli artillery shell, drawing criticism

Republican former presidential contender Nikki Haley wrote "Finish Them!" on an Israeli artillery shell during a recent visit to Israel, amid an ongoing assault on Gaza that has left tens of thousands dead in the past eight months. An image of Haley crouched in front of pallets of shells, writing with a marker on one, was shared on social media by Danny Danon, an Israeli politician and former ambassador to the United Nations. A second image he shared showed Haley's signed message: "Finish them - America Israel, Always."

Israel seizes Gaza's entire border with Egypt, presses with raids into Rafah

Israeli forces have taken control of a buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the country's military said on Wednesday, giving Israel effective authority over the Palestinian territory's entire land border. Israel also continued deadly raids on Rafah in southern Gaza despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end attacks on the city, where half of Gaza's 2.3 million people had previously taken refuge.

Long queues as South Africans vote in most competitive election since end of apartheid

South Africans voted on Wednesday in the most competitive election since the end of apartheid, amid high turnout and with opinion polls suggesting the African National Congress may lose its parliamentary majority after 30 years in government. Well after dark, voters were still forming miles-long queues to cast their ballots. Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo told a news conference that turnout "will be well beyond the 66% we had in 2019".

Exclusive-US to boycott UN tribute to Iran leader killed in helicopter crash

The United States will boycott a United Nations tribute on Thursday to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed earlier this month in a helicopter crash, a U.S. official said. The 193-member U.N. General Assembly traditionally meets to pay tribute to any world leader who was a sitting head of state at the time of their death. The tribute will feature speeches about Raisi.

Indigenous-led protests stall traffic ahead of New Zealand budget

Protesters delayed traffic in New Zealand's largest city Auckland on Thursday, a transport agency said, following calls by activist groups and opposition party Te Pati Maori to take to the streets to protest the release of the government's budget. Traffic was also delayed in Tauranga, on the east coast of the country's North Island, local media reported, as protesters drive slowly on the motorways as a form of protest.

UN Security Council to meet Friday on failed North Korea satellite launch

The United Nations Security Council will meet publicly on Friday over North Korea's failed attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite, which the United States described as "reckless and destabilizing behavior." North Korea said the launch ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight. North Korea then fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile, the Japanese government said on Thursday.

Trump trial jurors finish first day of deliberations without a verdict

Jurors in Donald Trump's hush money trial finished their first day of closed-door deliberations on Wednesday without reaching a verdict that would decide the fate of the only U.S. president to be charged with a crime. The 12 jurors and six alternates were due to return to the New York courthouse at 9:30 ET (1330 GMT) on Thursday to weigh evidence and witness testimony they have seen and heard over the five weeks of trial.

Iran's Khamenei seeks trusted hardliner to replace Raisi in June vote

Iran fires the starting gun this week on an election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, whose death in a helicopter crash could complicate efforts by the authorities to manage a task of even greater consequence - the succession to the supreme leader. Once seen as a possible successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's ageing ultimate decision-maker, Raisi's sudden death has triggered a race among hardliners to influence the selection of Iran's next leader.

Israeli minister says Netanyahu 'failing,' calls for elections

An Israeli cabinet minister accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition of "failing miserably" amid the Gaza war on Wednesday, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu's Likud party as political divisions deepen. Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot, an observer in the war cabinet, said Netanyahu had failed on security and the economy and called for elections by year's end.

North Korea fires multiple suspected short-range missiles, South Korea says

North Korea fired what appeared to be about 10 short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Thursday. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said North Korea had launched a ballistic missile that apparently landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)