Compiled by Ajibola Adedoye
At least eight people have been killed and 13 wounded after a gunman in a moving car opened fire on passers-by in a town south of the Serbian capital.
According to report, the incident took place late on Thursday near the town of Mladenovac, 50km (30 miles) south of Belgrade.
The 21-year-old attacker used an automatic weapon to shoot randomly at people. He was on the run for hours before police arrested him early this morning.
Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the shooting “a terrorist act”. Ambulances, as well as special police and helicopter units, have been sent to the area.
The Mladenovac attack comes as Serbia reels from a shooting rampage at a central Belgrade school in which a 13-year-old boy used his father’s guns to kill eight of his schoolmates and a security guard. One of the dead children was a French citizen, the France’s foreign ministry said.
US Vice President Gathers Top Tech CEOs To Discuss Dangers Of AI
The Vice President of the United States and President Joe Biden’s top advisers have held a meeting with several AI industry CEOs to discuss “concerns about the risks associated with AI.”
On Thursday, May 4, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was joined by nine top Biden administration advisers in science, national security, policy and economics, meeting with the CEOs of OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and AI startup Anthropic.
Notably, tech giant Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was absent from the meeting.
Before the meeting, the White House released a flurry of AI-related announcements regarding the funding of AI research facilities, government AI policy and AI systems evaluation.
The meeting focused on the transparency of AI systems, the importance of evaluating and validating the safety of AI and ensuring AI is secured from malicious actors, according to the announcement.
Reportedly, the government and the tech CEOs agreed “more work is needed to develop and ensure appropriate safeguards and protections” for AI.
The CEOs committed to engaging with the White House to ensure Americans can “benefit from AI innovation.” No specific details were shared on what safeguards were needed or what the engagement with the government exactly entails.
Zuckerberg was absent from the meeting despite Meta working on AI for years. A White House official told CNN, “It was focused on companies currently leading in the space.”
US National Security Adviser to travel to Saudi Arabia
US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan said he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with Saudi leaders.
Mr Sullivan is expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, citing a person familiar with the travel plans.
“This weekend I will be in Saudi Arabia for meetings with its leadership,” Mr Sullivan said at an event organised by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a US-based think tank.
He reiterated the US position towards Iran’s atomic programme, saying the US will “take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon”.
Saudi Arabia and Iran began normalising relations earlier this year in a surprise China-brokered deal that saw them inch towards opening embassies in Tehran and Riyadh.
Mr Sullivan also said the conflict in Yemen would be “a significant topic” during discussions at the weekend, praising the parties for working on a “road map to ultimately bring the war to an end”.
Yemen has been witness to several milestones in its eight-year war, with Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen landing in Sanaa and negotiating with the Houthis during an almost week-long trip.
Another key event was an 877-person prisoner exchange among the warring sides with a similar swap set to take place on May 15.
Mr Sullivan, who is Biden’s top aide on national security matters, has been closely involved in Middle East issues and reiterated Washington’s firm commitment to the region, using a strategy he said was both “realistic and pragmatic”.
He said the strategy was based on “five basic elements: partnerships, deterrence, diplomacy and de-escalation, integration and values”.
Australia PM Says No Point In US’s Continued Pursuit Of Assange
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed frustration at the United States’s continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange who has been in a high-security United Kingdom prison for the past four years as he fights the case.
Albanese, who is in the UK for King Charles III’s coronation, said he was frustrated there had not yet been a diplomatic resolution to the issue and concerned about the mental health of the now 51-year-old.
“There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration,” Albanese told newsmen in an interview this morning.
Albanese said Assange’s case had to be examined in terms of whether the time he had “effectively served” was more than a “reasonable” sentence if the allegations against him were proved.
“I just say that enough is enough,” Albanese said.
“I know it’s frustrating, I share the frustration. I can’t do more than make very clear what my position is and the US administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian government’s position is,” he added.
Ukraine Delegate Punches Russian At Black Sea Meeting In Turkey
A Ukrainian delegate has punched a Russian delegate in the face during a meeting of Black Sea nations after his Ukrainian flag was snatched away to stop him from photobombing a video interview.
Oleksandr Marikovski posted a video of himself thumping the Russian and retrieving the blue and yellow flag on his Facebook page on Thursday.
The incident in Turkey took place in a hallway of the parliament building in Ankara, where the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) assembly was being held.
Earlier in the day, some Ukrainian delegates scuffled with security officers who tried to pull them away as they staged a protest, shouting and holding their flags next to Russia’s lead delegate as she tried to address the assembly.
Pictures of the disturbance were posted by the Turkish parliament on its website, and Mustafa Sentop, the parliament’s head, issued a stiff rebuke.
“I condemn this behaviour that disrupts the peaceful environment that Turkey is trying to establish,” he said.
While representatives from the 13 countries in the BSEC met, Russian drones continued to attack the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. There are currently no peace talks to end the war, which has devastated Ukrainian towns and cities, killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.
US First Lady Heads to the UK for King Charles II Coronation
First Lady Jill Biden will attend King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, representing the United States in the historic event despite President Joe Biden’s absence.
“Headed to the U.K. for the Coronation of King Charles III-the first in 70 years!”
“It’s an honor to represent the United States for this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between our countries.” the first lady wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday.
Over 2,000 guests including many heads of state, will gather at Westminster Abbey for the coronation, scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6 and starts at 11 a.m. in London, which is 6 a.m. Eastern Time.
The White House commented on President Biden’s absence noting that no U.S. president has attended any of the seven coronations of a British monarch since the country declared independence in 1776.