Trump considers Germany drawdown. The United States is weighing a reduction in the number of troops it keeps stationed in Germany, Trump wrote on social media yesterday. Germany has served as a major basing site for U.S. operations in the Iran war, but Trump has broadly criticized NATO allies for declining to take a more offensive role in the conflict. More than thirty thousand U.S. troops are deployed in the country.
Trump-Putin call. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for the possibility of a brief ceasefire in Ukraine during a call yesterday, Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov said. Trump confirmed his support for the idea to reporters. Ushakov said the temporary halt in fighting could occur around the time of a May 9 Russian holiday remembering the end of World War II. Russia normally stages large military parades, but is paring back this year because Ukraine has demonstrated increased cross-border strike capability.
Stabbing in London. United Kingdom (UK) police called the stabbing of two Jewish people in northern London yesterday a terrorist incident, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was an antisemitic attack and part of a larger wave of violence against Jewish residents. A man who has been identified as a British national was arrested after the event. Both men who were stabbed were in stable condition.
U.S. indictment of Mexican officials. The United States indicted the governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, Rubén Rocha Moya, as well as nine additional current and former Mexican officials on charges related to drug trafficking, according to a court document unsealed yesterday. Rocha is the highest-ranking member of Mexico’s ruling party to face such a U.S. indictment. He called the charges “entirely false” and an attack on Mexico’s sovereignty.
Slowing deforestation. The world lost around 36 percent less of its tropical rainforest last year than in 2024, according to a new report based on data from the University of Maryland. Countries such as Brazil and Colombia were among those that reduced deforestation. 2024 saw a record high in forest loss; a researcher wrote that this year’s results show “what decisive government action can achieve.”
BP in Venezuela. The energy firm has signed an agreement with the acting Venezuelan government to explore joint gas production, BP said in a statement. The firm’s plans include a program for offshore gas drilling and opening a permanent office in Caracas, Venezuelan state television reported. The deal is part of a recent push to revive Venezuela’s hydrocarbon sector after the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. It has also included new agreements with Italy’s Eni and Spain’s Repsol.
U.S.-China-UAE anti-crime op. A coordinated effort by security officials in the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took down at least nine scam centers engaged in cryptocurrency fraud, the U.S. Justice Department announced yesterday. There were at least 276 arrests. It is a rare case of anti-crime cooperation between Washington and Beijing.
South Sudan cabinet shakeup. President Salva Kiir dismissed his foreign and security ministers without giving explanation, according to a decree issued yesterday. Hostilities flared in recent months between government forces and opposition rebels, though a 2018 peace deal officially ended South Sudan’s civil war. UN agencies said Tuesday that mass displacement as well as other pressures such as flooding and economic decline are pushing 56 percent of the country’s population into acute food insecurity.
