Ecuador’s Noboa reelected. President Daniel Noboa won yesterday’s presidential runoff election with 56 percent of votes to his opponent Luisa González’s 44 percent, according to official figures with over 97 percent of votes counted. González did not recognize the results and called for a recount. Noboa has overseen a hardline anti-crime crackdown in response to surging levels of insecurity in recent years.
U.S., Iran follow-up talks. Envoys from both countries plan to meet this week following Saturday talks in Oman, which both sides described as “constructive.” Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff spoke directly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi following indirect talks. Araghchi said afterward that he believed the sides were “very close to a basis for negotiations.”
Green shipping agreement. Governments agreed to annual targets for reducing the fossil fuel emissions of their shipping vessels on Friday at the International Maritime Organization. The targets run from 2028 to 2035. Ship owners who miss the targets will pay into a fund devoted to greening the shipping sector and helping workers whose jobs are affected by the changes.
Russian strike on Ukraine’s Sumy. A Russian attack on the city center in Sumy killed at least thirty-four people yesterday and wounded over a hundred, Ukrainian officials said. It was the deadliest attack of the war this year and came as Russia has stalled on U.S. efforts to facilitate a cease-fire. Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to discuss the war; yesterday, a Kremlin spokesperson said U.S.-Russia bilateral talks were going well but that “it is impossible to expect any instant results.”
India-Tanzania naval drills. India’s largest-ever military drills with African countries kicked off yesterday. India and Tanzania are co-hosting the exercises, which include eight other countries such as Kenya and South Africa. India has sought to up its security cooperation with African nations and officials said they hope to hold the exercises every two years.
U.S.-Saudi Arabia nuclear tech talks. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright expects to see “meaningful developments” this year in a potential U.S.-Saudi deal that could enable Saudi Arabia to develop a commercial nuclear power industry, he said on a visit to Riyadh. Talks toward such a deal have stalled in the past amid concerns over allowing Saudi Arabia capability to develop nuclear weapons.
Deportation shield stripped. Designations that protect thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians in the United States from deportation will end in May and June, respectively, the Department of Homeland Security said. The special status is designed to prevent the return of migrants to places facing conflict or natural disaster. Some Afghans who acted as allies to the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan but have still not been approved for immigrant visas to the United States will be affected by the measure, the nonprofit No One Left Behind said.
Paramilitary attacks in Sudan. Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary fighters killed around one hundred civilians in attacks on a famine-struck Darfur refugee camp, a regional health official told the Washington Post. Sudan’s foreign ministry said the RSF assault in recent days left hundreds dead or wounded. Zamzam camp hosts more than half a million people who have fled the current and previous wars. The RSF did not respond to requests for comment.
