Trump in-law Charles Kushner confirmed
as US ambassador to France
WASHINGTON, May 20: The US Senate on Monday approved the nomination of Charles Kushner, the father of President Donald Trump's son-in-law, as the next US ambassador to France. The vote was 51 to 45. Kushner, a real estate executive and former attorney who spent time in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2004 to tax evasion, among other crimes, was pardoned by Trump in 2020 near the end of his first term. Kushner's son Jared Kushner, who married Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka in 2009, also served as the president's advisor during his first term, notably on conflict in the Middle East. -- AFP
Army, paramilitaries clash near Khartoum
KHARTOUM, May 20: Clashes erupted on Tuesday between the Sudanese regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city, the army said, calling the fighting part of a "large-scale" offensive. Explosions rang out in the area, where the RSF had retreated after losing control of the Sudanese capital in March, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported. The army said its operation was aimed at driving the paramilitaries, with which it has been at war since April 2023, from their last positions in Khartoum state. -- AFP
Record heat scorches N, central China
BEIJING, May 20: Swathes of northern and central China are sweltering this week under record May heat, state media reported Tuesday, as the country braces for another summer of extreme temperatures. China has endured spates of extreme weather events, from soaring temperatures to drought, downpours and floods, for several summers running. The country is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, but also a renewable energy powerhouse seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060. State broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday that multiple cities logged all-time May highs this week as the mercury rose well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). -- AFP
Gunmen kill seven in central Mexico
CELAYA, May 20: Gunmen have shot dead seven people, including some minors, in Mexico's most deadly state, where violence between warring drug cartels has triggered condemnation by the Catholic Church. The attack in the central state of Guanajuato occurred at around 2:00 am Monday in a plaza in the city of San Felipe where local police found seven bodies, all male, and a damaged van after reports of gunfire, the local government said in a statement. -- AFP
