Trump arrives in China for talks; Israel kills 12 in Lebanon

Ultra-low-cost carrier Wizz Air says it will resume flights to and from Tel Aviv on 28 May, describing the move as a key step in reconnecting Israel with destinations across Europe.

Wizz Air and most foreign airlines suspended services following US and Israeli air strikes on Iran. However, with a fragile ceasefire now in place, some carriers have begun restoring flights to Israel.

The Budapest-based airline said the decision follows recent developments and ongoing coordination with aviation, security and local authorities, while maintaining what it described as a strong commitment to safe operations.

Chief commercial officer Ian Malin said passenger and crew safety remains the airline’s top priority and that Wizz Air had taken a “cautious and measured approach” before resuming services.

At least 12 people have been killed in a wave of Israeli strikes targeting vehicles across Lebanon, including attacks that killed children and hit areas far beyond the country’s southern frontline.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli drone strikes hit multiple vehicles on Wednesday, with some attacks taking place along the coastal highway roughly 20 kilometres south of Beirut.

Those strikes alone killed eight people, including a woman and her two children, according to Lebanese authorities.

Another attack near the southern city of Sidon killed one person, while three more people were killed in separate strikes on cars in the Tyre district in southern Lebanon.

The attacks come amid continued Israeli operations inside Lebanon despite months of escalating regional tensions and ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a wider war.

A series of nine small earthquakes struck the Pardis area east of Tehran overnight, Mehr news agency reported on Wednesday, renewing fears among experts and residents that the Iranian capital could face a major seismic disaster.

The repeated activity has revived concerns that accumulated tectonic pressure beneath and around the capital, which lies close to several active fault lines, could at some point in the future trigger a much larger earthquake.

While tremors in the area are frequent, it is far less common for several to take place in a row.

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The United Nations rights chief on Wednesday called on Israel to repeal a newly established special military tribunal to try Palestinian militants accused of taking part in Hamas's October 7 attacks.

Israel's parliament passed a law establishing the tribunal, with the authority to hand down the death penalty, late on Monday.

The special court is set to try attackers captured during or after the Hamas-led onslaught. It will also try those suspected of holding or abusing hostages in Gaza.

According to Israeli media, around 400 suspects are expected to stand trial before the court.

"There must be full accountability for these horrific attacks, but this cannot be achieved through trials that fall short of international standards," Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement.

"This law must be overturned," he said.

"This law will inevitably institutionalise one-sided justice and discrimination against Palestinians, which cannot be in anyone's interest and runs counter to international human rights law," he said.

The number of people killed by Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday has risen to 12 people, the country's health ministry said.

Iranian authorities on Wednesday released on bail the prize-winning rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh following her latest arrest last month, her daughter said.

Sotoudeh was arrested at her home on April 1 as part of what activists say is a crackdown on civil society during Iran's war with Israel and the United States.

"Mum was temporarily released on bail a few hours ago," her daughter Mehraveh Khandan wrote on Instagram.

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The chairman of the United Arab Emirates banks federation said on Wednesday there were no concerns about increased capital outflows and a dollar shortage amid the Iran war, as the UAE seeks a currency swap arrangement with the United States.

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair said at a press conference that there was no basis for fears of capital leaving the country.

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The Board of Peace's chief envoy has said that disarmament in Gaza is "not negotiable" but leaves door open for demilitarised Hamas.

Britain will legislate to strengthen its ability to deal with proxies for malign state actors, taking powers to make it possible to ban them in light of increased activity in Britain and a rise in antisemitic attacks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the government has to "deal with malign state actors" in the wake of a series of attacks on Britain's Jewish community.

In a speech outlining the government's agenda, King Charles said it would "introduce legislation to tackle the growing threat from foreign state entities and their proxies," and would also take urgent action to tackle antisemitism.

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Turkish authorities have detained 324 people suspected of links to the Islamic State group in a nationwide sweep, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

A statement said the suspects were detained across 47 provinces and included people suspected of financing IS and people previously known to be active in the group.

“For the peace, unity and solidarity of our nation, we continue our operations tirelessly, day and night, 365 days a year,” the ministry said. It did not provide details or say if any suspects detained were foreign nationals.

The World Food Programme said on Wednesday it had halved emergency food assistance in Syria due to funding shortages, warning that millions remained vulnerable despite signs of stabilisation in parts of the country.

The U.N. agency's biggest donor, the United States, has slashed its foreign aid under President Donald Trump, and other countries have also made or announced cuts in development and humanitarian assistance.

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Israel intensified strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, with the health ministry reporting nine people killed in attacks targeting cars between Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Three strikes on cars along or near the coastal highway around 20 to 30 kilometres (12-19 miles) from Beirut "resulted in eight martyrs, including two children", Lebanon's health ministry said.

Two strikes hit cars on the highway itself, a busy motorway linking Beirut to the south of the country, while a third struck nearby, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said.

An AFP photographer saw a burnt-out car in the middle of the road and rescuers carrying a body at one of the sites, near Jiyeh.

A fourth strike hit a car in Sidon, southern Lebanon's largest city, around 40 kilometres south of Beirut, with the health ministry reporting one dead there.

Trump arrives in Beijing for talks with China's Xi on the Iran war, trade and US arms sales to Taiwan.

A unit of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said on Wednesday that one of its tankers struck by Iranian drones last week has leaked a small amount of fuel off the coast of Oman, underscoring the ecological risks stemming from the Iran war.

Tehran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has made navigating the vital shipping corridor a precarious task. Hundreds of vessels remain trapped in the Gulf.

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Iranian authorities on Wednesday hanged a man in his early 30s convicted of spying for Israel, the sixth person to be executed on such charges since the start of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

The Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website described Ehsan Afreshteh, 32, as "a spy trained by Mossad in Nepal who sold sensitive information to Israel".

But the Norway-based Hengaw and Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGOs said in separate statements that Afreshteh had denied he shared top secret documents with Israeli intelligence and said he had been subjected to televised "forced confessions" obtained through torture.

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The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is set to cast a shadow over a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping that kicks off in New Delhi on Thursday.

The grouping, which originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded over the years with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran had urged India to use the BRICS platform to build a consensus condemning U.S. and Israeli actions.

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Palestinian health officials said a teenager was killed by Israeli fire in a West Bank village on Wednesday, the latest in a series of violent incidents shaking the Israeli-occupied territory.

The health ministry in Ramallah identified the victim as 16-year-old Yusef Ali Kaabnah, saying he was "killed by occupation bullets" near the town of Jiljilya, north of Ramallah.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said he had been shot in the chest during a raid by Israeli settlers who were accompanied by Israeli troops.

Four others were injured in the incident, it added.

A Tunisian appeals court on Tuesday upheld the three-and-a-half-year prison sentences of two prominent journalists jailed for alleged financial crimes, according to their lawyer.

The journalists, Mourad Zeghidi and Borhen Bsaies, were sentenced in January for money laundering and tax evasion - accusations they denied.

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Israeli strikes targeting cars on a highway south of Beirut on Wednesday killed eight people, including two children, Lebanon's health ministry said, in the latest attacks despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

In a statement, the ministry said "the three raids carried out by the Israeli enemy on the Saida-South coastal highway - specifically in Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat - resulted in 8 martyrs, including two children".

Israel hammered south Lebanon with strikes on Tuesday ahead of talks between the two countries in Washington, as Beirut reported 380 people killed in Israeli attacks since an April 17 ceasefire took effect.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem vowed to turn the battlefield into "hell" for Israeli forces, and insisted his Iran-backed group's weapons would not be up for discussion at the talks on Thursday and Friday, after the US had called for its disarmament.

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The UAE on Wednesday branded 21 Lebanese people and organisations as "terrorists", ordering the freezing of their assets as it accused them of ties to Hezbollah, the official Emirati news agency reported.

The United Arab Emirates, home to a large Lebanese community, was the main target of Iranian missile and drone attacks during the regional war sparked by US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.

Hezbollah is a Lebanese militant movement backed by Iran, which entered the Middle East war by launching attacks on Israel to avenge its killing of the Iranian supreme leader.

The WAM agency published the names of 16 Lebanese nationals and five organisations based in the Mediterranean country that have been put on a list of supporters of groups designated as terror organisations.

"The United Arab Emirates has designated 21 individuals and entities on its Local Terrorist List over their links to Lebanon's Hezbollah," the agency said.

"All regulatory authorities are required to identify any individuals or entities connected through financial or commercial relationships with those listed, and to take the necessary measures in line with the applicable laws in the UAE, including freezing assets within less than 24 hours."

In March, Abu Dhabi announced the arrest of five members of what it said was a "terrorist network" linked to Hezbollah and its backer Iran aiming to threaten the UAE's financial stability.

The Lebanese militant group denied having any presence inside the UAE "under any cover or commercial designation or otherwise".

Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicised strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the Middle East war, two Western officials briefed on the matter and two Iranian officials said.

The Saudi attacks, not previously reported, mark the first time that the kingdom is known to have directly carried out military action on Iranian soil and show it is becoming much bolder in defending itself against its main regional rival.

The attacks, launched by the Saudi Air Force, were assessed to have been carried out in late March, the two Western officials said. One said only that they were "tit-for-tat strikes in retaliation for when Saudi (Arabia) was hit."

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The Israeli military said it launched a new wave of strikes across southern Lebanon Wednesday, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, despite a truce with the Lebanese government to halt fighting with the armed group.

"The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon," the military said, hours after issuing fresh evacuation warnings for a number of villages in the area.

Official preparations for direct trade between Turkey and Armenia have been completed on May 11, the Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

In a statement, spokesperson Oncu Keceli said that work on reopening border crossings between Turkey and Armenia is still going on.

Iran on Wednesday hanged a man found guilty of selling information to Israeli intelligence, the judiciary said, the latest in a wave of executions during the war with the country.

Since the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States in February, Iran has ramped up executions, particularly in cases involving alleged espionage or security-related charges.

"Ehsan Afreshteh, a spy trained by Mossad in Nepal who sold sensitive information to Israel, has been executed," said the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website.

"Arrested and tried for espionage and collaboration with the Zionist regime, he was hanged this morning after... the verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court," it added.

Iran is the world's second-most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups.

On Monday, the country hanged an aerospace engineering student who had also been convicted of spying for Israel and the United States.

Two separate Israeli strikes targeted two cars in Lebanon's Jiyeh area south of Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported.

There was no immediate information on any casualties and no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

European shares rose on Wednesday, recovering from a sharp drop in the previous session, as oil prices retreated after peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran remained deadlocked.

The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.7% at 611.06 points, as of 0703 GMT. The index closed more than 1% lower on Tuesday.

Regional bourses also moved higher, with Spain's IBEX 35 and Germany's DAX adding 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively.

Ahead of a high-stakes summit in Beijing, U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran, even as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz.

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled with both sides unable to reach an agreement.

"Concerns over supply disruptions and uncertainty surrounding the Middle East are keeping oil prices well-supported, even as traders struggle to establish a clear direction," said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova.

With first-quarter earnings winding up, corporate profits in aggregate are expected to rise at their fastest pace in three years. European earnings are expected to have grown 10.2% for the quarter, according to LSEG-compiled data.

Among early movers, shares of Merck jumped 8% after the German firm lifted its forecast range for full-year adjusted operating proit.

Allianz rose 1.6% after the insurance company posted a 52% rise in first-quarter net profit.

Torrential rains have triggered severe flooding in a district near Turkey’s Black Sea coast, inundating homes and businesses and sweeping away cars. At least 12 people were hospitalized with minor injuries, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The heavy rainfall late on Tuesday caused rivers in the Havza district of Samsun province to overflow, sending waters rushing down streets, carrying vehicles and debris.

Anadolu said the basement and ground floors of several properties were submerged. Video footage showed a driver standing on top of a truck waiting to be rescued from the flood.

Anadolu said none of the injured were in serious condition. Some reached the hospital on their own while others were assisted by medical teams.

Firefighters, police, and disaster teams were deployed to rescue stranded residents and to clear debris.