The World Daily Brief: Spain, Ireland, and Norway will officially recognize Palestinian statehood

International News

Gaza

• Spain, Ireland, and Norway announced that they will officially recognize Palestinian statehood next Tuesday. They’ll join around 140 other countries that already recognize a Palestinian state. The U.S. and the rest of the G7 still do not. READ MORE
• The U.S. and UN reported that none of the humanitarian aid delivered to the new, U.S.-built floating pier off Gaza’s coast has reached the population it was intended for: desperate Gazans intercepted some of the first trucks carrying it, and the UN paused further shipments to reevaluate its logistics. READ MORE

Russia

• The Pentagon revealed that Russia put a “space weapon” into low-Earth orbit on May 16 and suggested it may be armed to attack other satellites – like a U.S. government installation that’s moving on the same orbital path – to disrupt communications. READ MORE

Ukraine

• President Zelensky gave a wide-ranging interview to the NYT on Monday. Amidst his oft-repeated pleas for more Western weapons, he added a new request: for NATO planes to start shooting down Russian missiles in Ukraine. READ MORE
• Zelensky made the case that NATO missile intercepts would be purely defensive and less confrontational than NATO shooting down a Russian plane or pilot, but the idea is still highly controversial: Western officials worry that Russia would view direct NATO action as an escalation and retaliate against it. READ MORE

Haiti

• Kenya’s 2,500-strong peacekeeping force is preparing to deploy to Haiti in the coming days. They face a challenging task: Haiti’s gangs have strengthened in the past months as the Kenyan force was training for its mission, and the gangs now control much of the capital. They’ve vowed to fight the incoming police force. READ MORE

DRC

• Anglo-French oil producer Perenco announced that its Congolese subsidiary, Muanda International Oil Company, discovered oil off the coast of DRC in the Moke-East well. It’s the first new offshore find in DRC in almost 30 years. READ MORE

Afghanistan

• Turkish Airlines relaunched regular flights to Kabul’s international airport, which the Taliban quickly renamed Kabul International Airport after it took over in 2021 (it was previously Hamid Karzai International Airport). READ MORE
• Turkish Airlines is the first major carrier to resume flights to Afghanistan, and plans to run four round-trip flights per week. READ MORE

Other News

• Colombia announced a new archaeological program to explore the wreck of the San José, a Spanish galleon that sank during a battle in 1708 with its precious cargo of gold and gems. READ MORE
• President Petro hopes the quest can recover some of the wreck’s rumored treasure – thought to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars – for Colombia, but Spain, Bolivia, and American privateers have also staked claims to it. READ MORE

The World Daily Brief is composed daily by former CIA and Intelligence officers.

Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.