Brazil: UN regional group has endorsed Amazon city to host 2025 climate conference

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s government announced Friday that a U.N. Latin America regional group has endorsed a Brazilian city in the Amazon region to host the 2025 U.N. climate change conference, though the world body has not yet publicly confirmed the venue.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva initially said Brazil will hold the conference, known as COP 30, in the city of Belem, state of Para, in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest, reflecting his intention to bring attention to the Amazon.

Travelers to UK face long waits amid systems problem affecting electronic gates

LONDON (AP) — The British government is working to fix a technical problem that caused electronic border gates at airports around the country to stop working late Friday, leading to hourslong waits for travelers entering the U.K. at the start of a busy holiday weekend.

Travelers posted photos of long lines at airports around the country as all incoming passengers were forced to use manned passport desks, instead of the automatic gates equipped with electronic passport scanners.

Iran slams Zelensky’s ‘worthless’ allegations

Tehran, IRNA – Tehran has slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “worthless” allegations against the Islamic Republic, saying they were intended to divert public attention.

Zelensky on Wednesday once again accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia to be used in the war against Ukraine, claiming, “the people of Iran are being driven deeper and deeper into the dark side of history.”

In a statement on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the remarks were a “political show” featuring “baseless allegations” against Tehran.

George Floyd's murder still haunts Black Americans, fuels distrust of police: Anadolu report

ANKARA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Three years after George Floyd was killed by four police officers in the U.S. state of Minnesota, the case still haunts Black Americans and fuels their skepticism and distrust of police, Türkiye's semi-official Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.

The murder of Floyd on May 25, 2020 "showed the world how (American) police treat Black people differently than white people," Anadolu quoted Alicia Jennings, a 39-year-old living in Houston, as saying.

Russia tells United States: Don't lecture Moscow on nuclear deployments

MOSCOW, May 27 (Reuters) - Russia on Saturday dismissed criticism from U.S. President Joe Biden over Moscow's plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying Washington had for decades deployed just such nuclear weapons in Europe.

Russia said on Thursday it was pushing ahead with the first deployment of such weapons outside its borders since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the weapons were already on the move.

Humanitarian organizations lost access to 60,000 people in Ukraine: UN

26 May 2023; AA: The humanitarian organizations have lost access to 60,000 people in Ukraine due to the worsening security situation on the front lines, the UN said on Friday.

"Assistance to areas under Russian military control remained extremely limited,"Jens Laerke, the spokesperson of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told a UN briefing in Geneva.

Ukraine says Russia plans to simulate accident at nuclear power plant

May 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine's defence ministry on Friday said Russia was planning to simulate a major accident at a nuclear power station controlled by pro-Moscow forces to try to thwart a long-planned Ukrainian counteroffensive to retake territory occupied by Russia.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, which lies in an area of Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, is Europe's biggest nuclear power station and the area has been repeatedly hit by shelling that both sides blame each other for.

USA: 3 years since George Floyd's murder, police killings of Black Americans rage on

25 May 2023; AA: George Floyd’s 2020 killing at the hands of a white police officer sparked protests across the US in the hopes of racial justice and an end to police brutality.

The viral image of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, pinned to the ground by an officer rekindled the Black Lives Matter movement in the US and abroad.

But three years after his death, the situation for the Black community in the US is no different, data suggests.

Türkiye to hold runoff vote on Sunday to elect president

27 May 2023; AA: Türkiye is heading to a runoff vote on Sunday to elect the president after no candidate was able to reach the 50% threshold in the first round held on May 14.

The voting will begin on Sunday at 8 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and end at 5 p.m. local time (1400GMT).

More than 60 million people are registered to vote, including 4.9 million first-time voters.

A total of 191,885 ballot boxes have been set up for voters in the country.

Iran says Ukraine president drone criticism a bid to secure more Western arms

May 27 (Reuters) - Tehran on Saturday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of anti-Iranian propaganda in his call for Iran to halt the supply of drones to Russia, saying his comments were designed to attract more arms and financial aid from the West.

Zelenskiy in a video address on Wednesday called on Iranians to stop their slide into "the dark side of history" by supplying Moscow with drones.

South Korea: Man who opened Asiana plane door in mid-air tells police he was 'uncomfortable,' Yonhap reports

SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) - A passenger on an Asiana Airlines (020560.KS) flight told police he opened a door on the plane minutes before it landed in Daegu, South Korea, on Friday because he was "uncomfortable", Yonhap News Agency reported.

The man, in his thirties, was detained on landing. He told police that he opened the door because he "wanted to get off the plane quickly," Yonhap said on Saturday, citing the Daegu Dongbu Police Station.

He also told police he was stressed after losing his job recently.

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