KREMLIN DRONE: ZELENSKY DENIES UKRAINE ATTACKED PUTIN OR MOSCOW

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied his country carried out an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin, which Russia says was an attempt on President Vladimir Putin's life.

"We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities," he said, speaking on a visit to Finland.

The Russian president's office said defences downed two drones overnight.

It threatened to retaliate when and where it considered necessary.

Unverified footage circulating online shows smoke rising over the Kremlin - a large government complex in central Moscow - early on Wednesday. A second video shows a small explosion above the site's Senate building, while two men appear to clamber up the dome.

The Russian presidency said Ukraine had attempted a strike on Mr Putin's residence in the Kremlin and described it as "a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president".

Officials said two drones targeting the complex had been disabled using electronic radar assets, adding that President Putin had not been in the complex at the time of the alleged attack.

But Ukraine has said the Russian accusations are merely a pretext for massive attacks on its territory and the US says it is treating the Russian claims with a lot of caution.

PAK GOVT, PTI AGREE TO HOLD SAME-DAY ELECTIONS

Islamabad: Pakistan’s coalition Government and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party made “big progress” after they agreed to hold general elections in the entire country on the same day but still differed on the date of the polls.

The decision was taken in overnight parleys to end a deadlock over the timing of provincial and federal elections, an issue that has rocked the country’s politics for months.

The talks were being held in the backdrop of the controversy with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking early polls — particularly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where assemblies were dissolved in January — and the government maintaining that provincial and federal elections across the country be held on the same day in October.

The third and key round of talks between the coalition government and PTI began on Tuesday night to discuss proposals for holding elections on the same day in the country.

“There was no longer any confusion about whether there should be separate elections in one or two provinces […] and the two sides have agreed that holding elections in the country on the same day was for the betterment,” Ishaq Dar was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

He added that another positive outcome of the talks was that elections would be held under caretaker setups.

However, he added, a consensus was yet to be reached on the date of the elections.

“We have narrowed down on the date… but we have yet to reach an agreement,” he said, adding that both sides would consult their leadership on the matter.

He termed the consensus on holding one-day elections in the country as “big progress”.

BELGRADE SHOOTING: TEEN MADE 'KILL LIST' FOR SERBIA SCHOOL ATTACK

Belgrade, Serbia: A teenager who killed eight fellow students and a security guard in a Serbian school planned the attack for weeks and had a "kill list", according to police.

The 13-year-old was arrested following Wednesday morning's attack at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in central Belgrade.

Another six pupils and a teacher were also injured in the shooting.

The motive for the attack is still being investigated, police said.

Officers in helmets and bulletproof vests cordoned off the area around the school, located in the central Vracar neighbourhood, shortly after 08:40 (06:40 GMT).

The suspect is alleged to have used his father's guns, both of which had legal permits. He is also said to have gone to a shooting range more than once with his father before the killings.

The boy's mother and father have since been arrested.

In a televised address to the country, President Aleksandar Vucic described the attack as "the most difficult day in the modern history of our country".

He said the suspect would be sent to a psychiatric clinic. Under current Serbian law, he cannot be held criminally responsible as he is under 14.

ZELENSKY: WASN’T WARNED OF SECRET DOCS LEAK BY US

Ukrainian President Zelensky told Washington Post that the White House did not inform him about a leak of secret US documents that grabbed attention around the world last month. “It is unprofitable for us,” he added. “It is not beneficial to the reputation of the White House, and I believe it is not beneficial to the reputation of the US. ” The materialsposted online offered a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine. Zelensky suggested that the leak impacted the timing of Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive.

In response to the comments, a US spokesperson said: “We are in constant communication with our Ukrainian counterparts, but we aren’t going to get into the details of those private talks”.

FED RAISES US INTEREST RATES TO HIGHEST IN 16 YEARS

The US central bank has raised interest rates to the highest level in 16 years as it battles to stabilise prices.

The Federal Reserve increased its key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points - its 10th hike in 14 months.

The Fed signalled that Wednesday's rise may be its last one for now.

The moves have pushed its benchmark rate to between 5% and 5.25% - up from near zero in March 2022.

Higher rates have sharply raised borrowing costs across the world's largest economy, spurring a slowdown in sectors such as housing and playing a role in the recent failures of three US banks.

"We're no longer saying that we anticipate" additional interest rate increases, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference after the announcement, calling it a "significant change".

However, he refused to rule out further action, saying: "We'll be driven by incoming data."

U.S. PICK AJAY BANGA CONFIRMED AS NEXT PRESIDENT OF WORLD BANK

WASHINGTON: The World Bank confirmed Ajay Banga was selected as its next president on Wednesday, taking charge at a pivotal time for the development lender as it looks to better address climate change. The Bank’s board voted to approve his leadership for a five-year term. He will take over the role from David Malpass on June 2.

EL NINO LIKELY TO RETURN THIS YEAR, FUELLING GLOBAL TEMP, SAYS WMO

Geneva : The El Nino weather pattern is likely to develop later this year and could contribute to rising global temperatures, the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday. The WMO said that after three years of the La Nina weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean, which often lowers global temperatures slightly, there was a 60% chance that will change to El Nino, its warmer counterpart, in May-July this year. That probability will increase to 70-80% between July and September, according to the WMO. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Wilfran Moufouma Okia, head of the WMO regional climate prediction services division, said there was no current estimate of how much El Nino would push temperatures up. “El Nino will fuel the temperature globally,” he said. “We feel the effect of El Nino temperatures globally with a slight delay. ” The WMO said it could not predict the strength or duration of El Ni no. The world’s hottest year on record so far was 2016, coinciding with a strong El Nino.

MYANMAR JUNTA PARDONS MORE THAN 2,000 POLITICAL PRISONERS

YANGON: Myanmar's junta pardoned more than 2,000 political prisoners to mark a Buddhist holiday on Wednesday, triggering tearful reunions outside jails but also demands that the many others behind bars be released. Protesters and journalists were among the 2,153 people freed, a fraction of those targeted in the crackdown on dissent.

TRUMP GROPED ME ON FLIGHT: WOMAN TESTIFIES IN RAPE TRIAL

New York : A woman testified on Tuesday that Donald Trump molested her with what seemed like “40 zillion hands” on an airline flight in the late 1970s — years before writer E Jean Carroll says the former president sexually assaulted her at a Manhattan department store. Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyer said the former president has decided against testifying, answering the biggest outstanding question about the closely watched case. Trump has given sworn deposition testimony, and excerpts could be played for the jury.

Jessica Leeds, 81, of North Carolina, told jurors at a civil trial arising from Carroll’s lawsuit that Trump grabbed her chest and ran his hand up her skirt as they sat side by side in first class on a New YorkCity-bound jet. After a few seconds, she said, she wriggled free of Trump, told him “I don’t need this” and stormed to the back of the plane.

“There was no conversation. It was like out of the blue. It was like a tussle,” Leeds testified. “He was trying to kiss me, trying to pull me towards him. He was grabbing my breasts. It was like he had 40 zillion hands. ” Another woman is expected to testify at the trial that she too was victimised by Trump.

Leeds first went public with her account of the alleged assault in the final weeks of Trump’s 2016 campaign, telling jurors she decided to do so as she was “furious” about his claim at a debate that he had never touched women against their will.

RAISI PRAISES SYRIA’S VICTORY IN CIVIL WAR DESPITE SANCTIONS

Visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hailed Syria’s Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday for overcoming sanctions and achieving “victory” in the country’s 12-year-long civil war, in which Tehran has been a major ally.

The Syria conflict has killed more than 5,00,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country’s infrastructure and industry. While the front lines have mostly quietened in recent years, large parts of the country’s north remain outside government control.

“Syria’s government and people have gone through great difficulties, and today we can say that you have overcome all these problems and achieved victory despite the threats and sanctions imposed on you,” Mr. Raisi told Mr. Assad, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency and Iran’s IRNA news agency.

Tehran has provided economic, political and military support to Syria, helping Damascus claw back most of the territory it lost at the start of the conflict.

Both countries remain under heavy Western sanctions.

Mr. Assad told Mr. Raisi that Syria-Iran ties “were stable and steady during difficult times despite heavy political and security storms that struck the Middle East”, according to the statement.

Iran “did not hesitate to provide political and economic support (to Syria), and even offered blood,” Mr. Assad added.

BRAZIL POLICE RAID FORMER PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO’S HOME, SEIZE PHONE

BRASILIA: The police in Brazil searched ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s home and seized his cellphone in an investigation into allegations of falsifying COVID-19 vaccination records. Mr. Bolsonaro denied faking a COVID-19 vaccination certificate for himself, accusing the authorities of trying to "fabricate" a case against him.