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(The Center Square) – Iran is testing the ceasefire as it fires at U.S. naval and commercial vessels within hours of the implementation of “Project Freedom.”

U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters Iranian cruise missiles targeted U.S. Navy ships and commercial shipping vessels, but were “defended,” according to Cooper.

President Donald Trump said via Truth Social Monday afternoon that the U.S. “shot down seven smaller boats,” also referred to as fast-attack boats, which Iran has been relying heavily on to wreak havoc in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump warned Iran during an interview with Fox News that if the regime attacks any U.S. Navy ship, “They’ll be blown off the face of the Earth.”

The warnings come as the United Arab Emirates claims they have been under attack by the Islamic Republic on Monday, with the regime launching ballistic and cruise missiles at the Gulf nation, which houses U.S. military forces.

Since Iran essentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz shortly after the strikes began, the president has been urging nations that rely on oil from the strait to take action to secure the vital waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Trump reignited that call Monday, urging South Korea to “join the mission,” after the president said Iran targeted a South Korean ship. Though the president also said, despite the South Korean ship being targeted, “at this moment, no damage going through the strait.”

It is unclear if the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, which was initiated April 7, is still in effect following the latest uprising from Iran.

Trump said that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine would host a press conference Tuesday morning, possibly providing an update on the fragile ceasefire and “Project Freedom.”

Russia on Monday declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a "massive missile strike" on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it.

Ukraine responded by declaring a truce of its own between May 5-6, saying it was "not serious" to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday.

The quarrelling between the two sides comes with a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, as Washington shifts its focus to conflict in the Middle East.

Russian strikes killed nine people across Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, while a Ukrainian drone crashed into a high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight.

"In accordance with a decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared from May 8–9, 2026... We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit," the Russian defence ministry said in a post on state-backed messaging service MAX.

"If the Kyiv regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Armed Forces will launch a retaliatory, massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv," it added.

"We warn the civilian population of Kyiv and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city promptly."

Russia marks World War II Victory Day each year with a massive military parade through Red Square.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that having a ceasefire so Moscow could mark the celebration was "not serious", and that Russia was afraid Ukrainian drones would "buzz over Red Square".

"As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media," Zelensky said in a post on X.

"In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5–6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect," he added.

The Ukrainian leader later landed in the Gulf nation of Bahrain for talks on "security cooperation", a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP.

- Deadly attacks -

Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least nine people on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials.

A Russian ballistic missile attack on the town of Merefa -- outside Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv -- killed seven civilians and wounded dozens earlier Monday, regional authorities said.

AFP journalists in Merefa saw several bodies strewn in the street, covered by blankets and white sheets -- with shops, houses and cars damaged.

A separate Russian strike on the village of Vilnyansk in the southern Zaporizhzhia region killed two others, the region's governor Ivan Fedorov said.

"Unfortunately, a married couple was killed: a 51-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman," Fedorov said. 

Their 31-year-old son was wounded in the strike, along with three other people, he added.

In Russia, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the border region of Belgorod, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

A Ukrainian drone also hit a residential high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight, the Russian capital's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

- Russia advances slow -

Russia lost more territory than it gained in Ukraine in April for the first time since a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed.

Moscow ceded control of about 120 square kilometres (46 square miles) between March and April, the ISW data showed.

Despite the fighting at the front reaching a near stalemate, intense and deadly drone-dominated attacks have continued unabated in recent months.

Russia's advances have slowed since late 2025, as communication issues in the Russian army combined with Ukrainian counterattacks helped Kyiv make localised breakthroughs in the southeast.

The Ukrainian army's net gains -- their first in more than two years -- were marginal however, representing only 0.02 percent of Ukrainian territory, the data showed.

Moscow currently occupies just over 19 percent of Ukraine, the majority of which it seized during the first weeks of its invasion in 2022.

Approximately seven percent, including Crimea and areas in the Donbas region, were already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the invasion.

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(The Center Square) – With Congress juggling government funding, the farm bill, government surveillance reauthorization and more, a Republican election security bill has taken a backseat, much to the chagrin of President Donald Trump.

As U.S. lawmakers take a week-long recess, Trump and a vocal minority of Republican senators are ramping up calls to terminate the Senate filibuster so that the SAVE America Act has a chance of passing the chamber.

Those lawmakers – a group that includes Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Mike Lee, R-Utah; Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; and Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; – argue that if Republicans don’t eliminate or weaken the 60-vote threshold, Democrats will once they regain the majority.

Once that happens, they argue, the election reforms within the SAVE America Act that almost all Democrats oppose will never pass.

“When the Democrats have the chance, they will end the filibuster. They want to turn America into a one-party nation – pack the Supreme Court, turn D.C. and Puerto Rico into states,” Johnson told Fox News on Monday. “So we need to stop them, and the only way we can stop them is to end the filibuster now, pass election integrity reforms, so that only American citizens can vote.”

He added, “I’m just being practical. They’re going to do it. We ought to do it before that for the benefit of the American people.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has resisted his colleagues' calls to nuke the filibuster, saying there is not enough support in the Republican caucus.

As an olive branch, Thune kicked off a marathon debate in March, which allowed senators to hold the floor to speak either for or against the House-passed SAVE America Act for as long as they are able.

But the 60-vote threshold for passage still applies, and in the midst of April’s whirlwind of legislative activity, the marathon debate effectively died with Republicans having failed to bring any Democratic senators to their side.

Democrats view the SAVE America Act as a voter suppression bill. The legislation would require Americans to present proof of citizenship when registering to vote, necessitate in-person voter registration for federal elections, and require states to remove all noncitizens from their voter rolls.

Republicans argue that the bill implements “commonsense” election reforms. Many also believe it is crucial for congressional Republicans to maintain their majority in the midterm elections.

“Two years ago, I was for keeping [the filibuster],” Marshall said in a recent Fox News interview. “But I just want to remind everybody… [Democrats are] going to end it next chance they get. And I think if that’s the case, then there are some things worth ending the filibuster over. I think voting rights, voting integrity would be one of those types of things that I’d be willing to end it for.”

The United States shot down multiple Iranian missiles and drones fired at US Navy and commercial vessels and destroyed six of Tehran's small boats, a top US admiral said on Monday.

The hostilities occurred as American forces seek to facilitate the transit of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in an effort dubbed "Project Freedom" that President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.

US Apache and Seahawk helicopters hit "six Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping," Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), told journalists.

US forces also "effectively engaged" all "missiles and drones that were fired at both us and the commercial ships," Cooper said.

Some cruise missiles were launched at US Navy ships but most of them as well as multiple drones targeted commercial vessels, he said.

"We defended both ourselves and, consistent with our commitment, we defended all the commercial ships," Cooper said.

In a post on his Truth Social Platform, Trump put the number of Iranian boats struck at seven and said "there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait" aside from a South Korean ship that was hit, about which he provided no further details.

Iranian state television meanwhile quoted a senior military official from the country as saying: "The US claim that it sank a number of Iranian war boats is false."

- Defensive 'umbrella' -

US and Israeli forces launched the war against Iran on February 28, after which the Islamic republic closed the Strait of Hormuz -- a vital route for oil and gas exports -- while American forces later launched a blockade of Iranian ports.

Iranian state television said earlier Monday that the country's navy had fired cruise missiles, rockets and combat drones near US destroyers moving through the strait in what it described as a "warning shot."

CENTCOM said that two US guided-missile destroyers had passed through the strait into the Gulf as part of "Project Freedom," while two US-flagged merchant vessels transited the opposite way and "are safely headed on their journey."

Cooper said the US military is not directly escorting ships through the strait, but rather has "multiple layers that include ships, helicopters, aircraft, airborne early warning, electronic warfare," amounting to "a much broader defensive package than you would have... if you were just escorting."

The effort comes after US forces used unspecified "exquisite technology" to clear a pathway through the strait "over the last couple of weeks" and then "put this umbrella over the top of it," he said.

It will "ultimately be a two-way path," but "the most important thing... in the near term, is getting ships out," Cooper added.

As of April 29, more than 900 commercial vessels were located in the Gulf, according to maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine.

wd/des

Amazon announced Monday it is opening up its massive shipping and delivery network to any business that wants to use it -- not just the merchants who sell on Amazon's website.

The new service, called Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS), lets companies pay Amazon to handle the behind-the-scenes work of getting products from factories to customers' doors. That includes shipping goods across oceans, storing them in warehouses and delivering packages to homes seven days a week.

Big names like Procter & Gamble, 3M, Lands' End and American Eagle are already signed up.

Amazon compared the move to the launch of Amazon Web Services, its cloud computing business. 

AWS started as an internal tool Amazon built for itself, then became a massive business by selling that same technology to other companies. Amazon is betting it can do the same thing with shipping and logistics.

Since 2006, independent sellers on Amazon's marketplace have used a program called Fulfillment by Amazon to let the company handle packing and shipping their orders. Amazon said those sellers have shipped more than 80 billion items through the program.

But until now, most of Amazon's logistics muscle was only available to businesses that sold products on Amazon's own site. 

The move puts Amazon in more direct competition with shipping giants like FedEx, UPS and DHL.

On Wall Street, investors punished UPS, which was down 10 percent, and FedEx, which fell nine percent

Amazon was up around one percent.

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Antisemitic graffiti including swastikas has been spray-painted onto Jewish homes, synagogues and a memorial commemorating Kristallnacht, New York police and city officials confirmed Monday, with the incidents being investigated as possible hate crimes.

The graffiti is the latest instance of antisemitic vandalism against the city's Jewish community, with previous targets including playgrounds, places of worship and the subway.

A wall outside the Rego Park Jewish Center in the borough of Queens was tagged with a swastika and the words "heil Hitler," images on social media showed.

A police spokeswoman confirmed to AFP "multiple locations had swastikas drawn with spray paint" and that no arrests had been made but the investigation was ongoing.

Leftist New York mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on social media he was "horrified and angered by the swastikas painted on homes and a synagogue in Forest Hills, including on a plaque honoring survivors of Kristallnacht." 

Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," was an anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany in 1938 that saw followers of Adolf Hitler target Jewish homes and businesses.

"This is not just vandalism -- it is a deliberate act of antisemitic hatred meant to instill fear," Mamdani added, saying that the city police's Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating.

Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, wrote on social media that "multiple synagogues and private homes in Queens were vandalized overnight with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti."

"The graffiti will be removed once the investigation is complete. With antisemitism on the rise here and across the globe, we will always stand up for our Jewish community and fight back against hate."

Mamdani, who has called Israel an "apartheid regime," has been accused by some Jews of fueling a sharp rise in antisemitism through his politics, a charge he denies. 

Antisemitic incidents jumped 182 percent between January 2025 and January 2026, according to recent figures from police in New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. 

Some 82 percent of Jewish voters -- including two-thirds who voted for Mamdani -- signaled concern over the "rise of antisemitism in New York City," according to a new poll by the Jewish Majority group. 

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Colombia's largest active guerrilla group said Monday it was open to resuming peace talks with whoever succeeds left-wing President Gustavo Petro in upcoming elections.

Petro, who will leave office in August following elections starting May 31, has failed to achieve his aim of "total peace," which entails negotiating the disarmament of all armed groups in a country that has endured over six decades of bloodshed.

His government's talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) came to a halt in January 2025 after the group launched an offensive against rival guerrillas in the northeast, killing over 100 people.

In an X post on Friday, Petro voiced his willingness to resume negotiations: "If the ELN decides to work with us to dismantle illicit economies, new paths to peace will open up again." 

But ELN said in a statement Monday it would not deal with Petro again because he had used "treachery to gain military advantages" and forged agreements with his US counterpart Donald Trump to attack Colombian drug-trafficking groups.

ELN did say it was willing to talk with the next government about its "proposal to build a National Agreement" as a path to peace.

Left-leaning Senator Ivan Cepeda, a key architect of Petro's peace strategy, is currently the poll favorite to become the next president.

Cepeda has vowed to continue negotiating with various drug-trafficking factions that rejected a landmark 2016 peace deal between the state and the now-defunct rebel army FARC.

Cepeda is trailed by right-wing candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, both of whom oppose dialogue with armed groups and have promised a security crackdown instead.

The ELN, the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, funds its activities through drug trafficking and other illegal activities.

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Three passengers who were cruising the Atlantic Ocean on the MV Hondius have died, with one other person on the trip now in hospital with hantavirus, and two crew ill.

Here is look at what we know so far about the ship, its journey, the passengers, the fatalities, the casualties and the likely next steps:

- Who is on board? -

Including a deceased German passenger, there are 149 people on board, among them 23 different nationalities.

There are 88 passengers, from 15 countries, including 19 from Britain, 17 from the United States 13 from Spain and eight from the Netherlands.

There are 61 crew members, from 12 countries, including 38 from the Philippines, five from Ukraine, five from the Netherlands and four from Britain.

- Three fatalities -

A Dutch male passenger died on the ship on April 11. The cause of death could not be determined on board. The body was taken off the ship on April 24 in the British overseas territory of Saint Helena.

The wife of the deceased man, also Dutch, accompanied the "repatriation" of the body, said Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship's operator.

It said that on April 27, it learned that she had become unwell during the return journey and had later died.

South African health ministry spokesperson Foster Mohale said the woman fell ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital. Mohale said she was 69 and her husband was 70.

"It has not been confirmed that these two deaths are connected to the current medical situation on board," Oceanwide Expeditions said.

On May 2, a German passenger died on the ship. The cause of death has not been established. The body remains on the vessel.

- One passenger, two crew ill -

On April 27, a British passenger became seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa. Mohale said the passenger was 69.

"This person is currently being treated in the intensive care unit in Johannesburg and is in a critical but stable condition," said Oceanwide Expeditions.

A hantavirus variant has been identified in the patient -- the only confirmed case at this stage.

Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, have acute respiratory symptoms: one mild and one severe.

They require urgent medical attention but remain on board.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that currently there are no other symptomatic people on board.

- Hantavirus -

Hantaviruses circulate in rodents and can be deadly when transmitted to humans. In the Americas, the disease can cause severe respiratory illness.

Limited human‑to‑human transmission has been documented for only one hantavirus, which is found in South America.

There are no vaccines or specific medications for hantaviruses.

- The ship -

The Dutch-flagged MV (motor vessel) Hondius was built in 2019 for polar expedition cruising.

Its schedule shows it switches between southern and northern hemisphere summers.

The ship is operated by Dutch cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions.

It was built for 170 passengers in 80 cabins, and can take 57 crew, 13 guides and one doctor.

The ship is 107.6 metres (353 feet) long and 17.6 metres wide, with a top speed of 15 knots.

- The journey -

The cruise north through the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina to Cape Verde followed an initial March 10-31 return trip from Ushuaia in Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula.

The ship left Ushuaia on April 1, according to tracking site MarineTraffic.

After visiting islands including South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha, the vessel called at Saint Helena, where the first fatality was taken off the ship on April 24.

It left Britain's Ascension Island on April 27.

The ship is now anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.

- What is happening on board? -

Strict precautionary measures are in place, including isolation, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring.

The WHO says passengers are being asked to stay in their cabins while disinfection and other measures are being taken.

- Where might the ship go next? -

The Cape Verde authorities have said the passengers will not be allowed to disembark in the island country.

The option of sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands is under consideration for disembarkation and further medical screening.

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Three people have died after a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on board a cruise ship sailing between Argentina and Cape Verde. 

So far, one case of the potentially deadly virus has been confirmed, according to the World Health Organization, which stressed that the risk to the public remains low.

However, the suspected outbreak has raised questions over whether the virus, which is normally spread by contact with rodents, is being transmitted between humans.

Virginie Sauvage, the head of France's National Reference Centre for Hantaviruses, told AFP in an interview that identifying the specific strain will provide crucial insight into what happened on the ship.

- How common are hantaviruses? -

These viruses are found all over the world, with infections occurring year-round. For example, China, Russia and South Korea report several thousand cases a year.

In the Americas, Finland and France, there are several hundred cases annually.

Only certain strains of hantaviruses found exclusively in rodents -- rats, mice, and voles -- are transmitted to humans.

- How dangerous are they? -

Hantaviruses are split into two groups: viruses from the old world (Europe, Asia, Africa) and those from the new world (North, Central and South America).

For old world viruses, the mortality rate can be as high as 14 percent. However, in developed nations such as France, fatal cases are extremely rare and mainly affect people with pre-existing health conditions.

Some cases are asymptomatic or limited to body aches, an upset stomach and a mild cough. But rare cases can include kidney problems that can develop into acute but reversible renal failure.

In contrast, the lethality of new world viruses can exceed 40 percent. These cases can rapidly spread to lungs, leading to breathing issues or sometimes heart problems.

- What is the treatment? -

The faster people receive treatment, the better their prognosis.

Because there is no specific treatment for hantavirus, instead doctors aim to manage the symptoms. 

If the virus severely affects the lungs, oxygen therapy in an intensive care unit may be necessary.

People who work in particular industries, such as forestry or farming, are particularly at risk.

Like any infection, the most at risk are the elderly, those with weaker immune systems, and people with pre-existing health problems.

- Is it contagious? -

It is still unknown whether this was an outbreak of the Andes virus. This is the only strain for which there are confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission, but this required close and prolonged contact -- for example, within a family. 

Humans are mainly infected by inhaling aerosols contaminated by the saliva, droppings or urine of animals or through direct contact with faeces, or via bites or scratches.

For the cruise ship, there are two possible scenarios: human-to-human transmission or isolated infections before people boarded, for example if they took a trip together.

- What could sequencing reveal? -

Sequencing the virus from an infected passenger on the ship will identify what strain of hantavirus is involved.

Because the ship left from Ushuaia in southern Argentina, the Andes virus is suspected because it circulates there.

However, if it is a different new world strain, for example one called Sin Nombre, which only circulates in North America, contamination in South America can be ruled out. 

If a new world hantavirus is being transmitted between humans on this ship, that would be unprecedented, to my knowledge.

ref/dl/phz

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- US says destroyed Iran boats -

US forces destroyed six Iranian boats and shot down missiles and drones fired at US Navy and commercial vessels by Tehran's military, a top US admiral said.

US Apache and Seahawk helicopters hit "six Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping," Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, told journalists.

US forces also "effectively engaged" all of the "missiles and drones that were fired at both us and the commercial ships," Cooper said.

Tehran denied its boats were destroyed, saying:  "The US claim that it sank a number of Iranian war boats is false."  

- Trump: 'no damage' in Hormuz -

President Donald Trump downplayed tensions after US warships entered the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran had "taken some shots" but caused no harm apart from damage to a South Korean vessel.

"Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

- UAE hit -

The United Arab Emirates said it was targeted by Iranian strikes, including one on its vital Fujairah energy hub that wounded three Indians. 

"These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression," the UAE's foreign ministry said, adding that the country reserves the "right to respond".

Iran had "no plans" to attack the UAE, a senior Iranian military official said after the attacks.

- Two injured in Oman -

Two people were injured in Oman, on its coast along the Strait of Hormuz, when a residential building was targeted, state media reported.

Two expatriate workers were moderately hurt and four vehicles were damaged in the strike on Bukha,  the Oman News Agency said. 

- Oil prices jump -

Oil prices soared on the revived conflict, with the Brent crude contract for July delivery jumping more than five percent soon after the shooting started. 

- Israel on high alert -

An Israeli military official said the army remained on high alert and was monitoring the situation after the US admiral announced the destroyed Iranian boats and shot-down missiles.

- US destroyers in Hormuz -

US destroyers entered the Gulf as part of a mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said.

After the announcement, Iranian state television reported that the Islamic republic's navy fired cruise missiles, rockets and combat drones near the US ships, after multiple warning shots. 

- 'No ships crossed Hormuz' -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards denied any commercial ships transited the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military said two US-flagged merchant vessels had passed through the vital waterway under escort.

"The claims of American officials are baseless and completely false," the Guards said in a statement on Telegram.

- Lebanon says security deal needed -

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said a security deal and an end to Israeli attacks were needed before any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sought by Washington.

Aoun's office said in a statement that the president "reiterated his view that the timing is not appropriate now for a meeting" with Netanyahu.

- Hezbollah reports clashes -

Hezbollah said its forces clashed with Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon near the border where the troops are still operating, despite a ceasefire since April 17.

Hezbollah said in a statement that after Israeli troops attempted to advance near the town of Deir Seryan -- inside an Israeli-declared "yellow line" where Lebanese residents have been told not to return -- its fighters "opened fire on the enemy force and engaged in heavy clashes with them".

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