Belarus on Tuesday launched drills involving missiles and warplanes capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, which close ally Russia has deployed there amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.

The Belarusian maneuvers began a day after Russia announced plans to hold similar drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons in what it cast as a response to statements by Western officials signaling possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine. It was the first time such an exercise had been publicly announced by Moscow.

Belarus’ Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said a unit of Iskander short-range missiles and a squadron of Su-25 fighter jets will take part in the drills.

The maneuvers began as Russian President Vladimir Putin was inaugurated to a fifth term on Tuesday, vowing to ensure Russia’s security.

Last year, Russia moved some of its tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus, which also borders Ukraine and NATO members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has relied on close ties with Russia and provided his country as a staging ground for the war in Ukraine.

Moscow has emphasized that the tactical nuclear weapons deployed to Belarus remain under Russian military control.

The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which has a 1,084-kilometer (673-mile) border with Ukraine, would allow Russian aircraft and missiles to reach potential targets there more easily and quickly if Moscow decides to use them. It also extends Russia’s capability to target several NATO allies in Eastern and Central Europe.

Unlike nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles that can destroy entire cities, tactical nuclear weapons intended for use against troops on the battlefield are less powerful. Such weapons include aerial bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions.

TORONTO (AP) — Police are investigating a shooting outside rapper Drake’s mansion in Toronto that left a security guard seriously wounded.

Authorities did not confirm whether Drake was at home at the time of the shooting, but said his team is cooperating. The shooting happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday in the affluent Bridle Path neighborhood of Toronto.

Toronto Police Inspector Paul Krawczyk said video of the shooting had been recovered and the guard who was wounded remains hospitalized.

In recent weeks, Drake has been engaged in a rap feud with Kendrick Lamar, with each artist dropping diss tracks attacking the other.

Krawczyk was asked whether the feud was a factor in the shooting and he said while investigators are aware of it, it was too early to discuss motive.

Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, is one of the best-selling artists of the modern era, began his career as a child actor on the popular teen program “Degrassi: The Next Generation” before setting his sights on music, dropping some of the most influential albums of any genre in the 2010s: “Take Care,” ’Nothing Was the Same,” and “Views” among them. He’s released 13 No. 1 hits across his career, including “God’s Plan,” “Work” featuring Rihanna, and “One Dance” with WizKid and Kyla.

The “Hotline Bling” performer was named Spotify’s most streamed artist of the decade, has won five Grammy awards, and is often credited for ushering in the new era of hip-hop where rappers sing, weaving R&B sensibilities into the genre.

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Competition in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicks off Tuesday in Sweden, with the war in Gaza casting a shadow over the sequin-spangled pop extravaganza.

Performers representing countries across Europe and beyond will take the stage in the first of two semifinals in the Swedish city of Malmo. It and a second semifinal on Thursday will winnow a field of 37 nations to 26 who will compete in Saturday’s final against a backdrop of both parties and protests.

Among the 15 acts performing Tuesday are Croatian singer-songwriter Baby Lasagna, whose infectious electro number “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is the current favorite to win, and Ukrainian duo alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, flying the flag for their war-battered nation with the anthemic “Teresa & Maria.”

Other bookmakers’ favorites include nonbinary Swiss singer Nemo, goth-style Irish singer Bambie Thug, Italian TikTok star Angelina Mango and the Netherlands’ Joost Klein with the playful pop-rap song “Europapa.”

Security is tight in the Swedish city, which expects an influx of some 100,000 Eurovision fans, along with tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters. Israel is a Eurovision participant, and demonstrations are planned on Thursday and Saturday against the Israel-Hamas war, which has left almost 35,000 Palestinians dead.

Israel’s government warned its citizens of a “tangible concern” Israelis could be targeted for attack in Malmo during the contest.

Organizers told Israel to change the lyrics of its entry, originally titled “October Rain” in apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and triggered the war. The song was renamed “Hurricane” and Israeli singer Eden Golan was allowed to remain in the contest.

Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director-general of Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union, told Sky News that banning Israel “would have been a political decision, and as such (one) which we cannot take.”

Police from across Sweden have been drafted in for Eurovision week, along with reinforcements from neighboring Denmark and Norway.

Sweden’s official terrorism threat level remains “high,” the second-highest rung on a five-point scale, after a string of public desecrations of the Quran last year sparked angry demonstrations across Muslim countries and threats from militant groups. The desecrations were not related to the music event.

Eurovision’s motto is “United by Music,” but national rifts and political divisions often cloud the contest despite organizers’ efforts to keep politics out.

Flags and signs are banned, apart from participants’ national flags and the rainbow pride flag. That means Palestinian flags will be barred inside the Malmo Arena contest venue.

Performers are feeling political pressure, with some saying they have been inundated with messages on social media urging them to boycott the event.

“I am being accused, if I don’t boycott Eurovision, of being an accomplice to genocide in Gaza,” Germany’s contestant, Isaak, said in an interview published by broadcaster ZDF. He said he did not agree.

“We are meeting up to make music, and when we start shutting people out categorically, there will be fewer and fewer of us,” he said. “At some point there won’t be an event anymore.”

One person who knows how Eurovision unity can collide with bitter reality is singer Manizha Sangin, who represented Russia at the contest in 2021. The country was expelled the following year over its invasion of Ukraine.

Manizha, who performs under her first name, spoke out against the war. As a result, her performances were canceled in Russia and her music banned from public spaces. The singer remains in Russia but has found it all but impossible to work.

“People are afraid to work with me here because they’re afraid to have consequences after, problems after that,” she said.

Despite the difficulties, Manizha has recorded a single, “Candlelight,” which she is releasing on Wednesday as “a message of hope.”

“Music cannot stop war,” she said. But “what music can do is inspire people.”

Manizha thinks Russia will one day return to the Eurovision fold – but not soon.

“Maybe next generation,” she said. “But for now, relationships are too complicated. And then that makes me sad, you know, because that’s why people are not hearing each other. Because we are separated from each other. And the thing, is music should unite.”

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An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of singer Bambie Thug.

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Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writers Stephen Graham in Berlin, Hilary Fox in London and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed.

Exclusive to TML: Israeli, Egyptian Officials Reveal Details of Pending Hostage Release, Cease-fire 

Sources reveal a multistage plan involving prisoner exchange and Gaza’s future stability 

By Majdi Halabi/The Media Line 

Despite ongoing Israeli military operations in eastern Rafah and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office emphasizing that the proposed cease-fire supposedly accepted by Hamas falls short of Israel’s demands, negotiations are nearing a breakthrough. Anonymous Israeli and Egyptian sources involved in the talks have shared details with The Media Line, indicating that the cease-fire agreement is nearly ready and awaits the arrival of the Israeli delegation in Doha or Cairo to finalize the specifics. 

According to the Israeli source, in the initial phase of the agreement, 33 Israeli hostages would be exchanged for 700 Palestinian prisoners, along with humanitarian gestures in Gaza. This phase will last 60 days, during which parties will negotiate the continuation of the cease-fire and the future governance of Gaza. According to the Israeli official, Hamas was persuaded to agree to avoid terms like “end of the war,” which were deemed unhelpful at this stage. 

The senior Israeli official praised Qatar for its efforts in negotiating the agreement. He noted that Qatar played a significant role in persuading Hamas to accept Egyptian and Israeli conditions, despite initial resistance from Hamas leaders. The official further emphasized that Hamas would not be part of Gaza’s future arrangements and that Israel would continue to pursue the group’s leaders wherever they may be. 

An Egyptian source corroborated Qatar’s significant role, stating that Qatar pressured Hamas into agreeing to release all Israeli women, children, and sick individuals in the first phase. The second phase would involve the release of female and male soldiers in exchange for thousands more prisoners, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza’s border, allowing residents of northern Gaza to return home without Israeli interference or presence on the roads. 

This arrangement seeks to establish a lasting settlement in Gaza, including the exchange of bodies and the end of hostilities. The Egyptian source indicated that after the conflict, Arab forces and the Palestinian Authority would maintain order and assist in Gaza’s reconstruction. However, Israel reserves the right to return to Gaza if future threats arise to its citizens or neighboring communities. 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. soldier who has been detained in Russia travelled to the Russian city of Vladivostok through China without clearance from the military, the U.S. Army said on Tuesday.

The soldier, who the Army identified as Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, was arrested on charges of theft by a court in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, the regional office of the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Black, who enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in 2008, had been assigned to Camp Humphreys in South Korea most recently and was set to return to Fort Cavazos in Texas, the U.S. Army statement said.

“Instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew from Incheon, Republic of Korea through China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons,” the Army added.

The Army said there was no evidence that Black planned to stay in Russia after his personal leave ended.

The Army said the Russian Interior ministry informed the U.S. embassy in Moscow on May 3 that Black had been arrested in Vladivostok the day earlier for “theft of personal property.”

Black, who has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, is currently in a pre-trail detention facility, the Army added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the case had no political element and there were no allegations of espionage.

Criminal cases against Americans in Russia have assumed diplomatic significance in recent years, including a drugs case against basketball star Brittney Griner. who was freed last year in a prisoner swap. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained on espionage charges, which he and his employer deny.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart. Additional reporting by Susan Heavey Editing by Franklin Paul and David Gregorio)

BERLIN (Reuters) -The leaders of the three parties in Germany’s coalition government agreed on Tuesday that a planned pension reform package will be approved by the cabinet in May, government sources told Reuters.

The pension system has come under increasing pressure with a widening gap between salaries and pensions due to demographic changes, as millions in the “baby boomer” generation, born in the 1950s to the mid-1960s, retire.

The government plans to introduce an additional pension scheme investing in capital markets to ensure pensions remain linked to rising wages. The aim is to guarantee a pension level of at least 48% of an average wage until the end of the 2030s.

Employers have spoken out against the reform as being too expensive, requiring them to increase contributions to employees’ pension pots.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner, of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), had abruptly blocked the package from reaching cabinet, arguing that the spending demands of the Social Democrats’ labour ministry were excessive, a source said on Tuesday, confirming earlier media reports.

But a spokesperson for his ministry later said on a cabinet decision was planned for May. Two government sources said it would be approved.

Due to the high spending requests of the ministries for the 2025 budget, current plans must be internally discussed within the government, the spokesperson said.

The issue had threatened more wrangling in Germany’s three-way coalition.

Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the Social Democratic Party, and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, from the Greens, met on Tuesday to negotiate on the budget, government sources earlier told Reuters.

Habeck had urged ministers to pull together.

“Everyone has to stop playing poker now and talk to each other very quickly,” he told the ntv tv channel, warning colleagues against playing to their own base and the media.

(Reporting by Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Maria Martinez, Andreas Rinke; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alison Williams)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s Catalonia region will ease restrictions on water use for a wide area including Barcelona after recent rainfall palliated a prolonged drought, regional authorities said Tuesday.

Catalonia declared a drought emergency in February when its reservoirs fell under 16% capacity after nearly three years of below-average rainfall. But steady rain in recent weeks has boosted reserves to nearly 25%. Spain’s reservoirs overall are at 66% full.

The loosened restrictions mean that some 6 million people will now see individual use limits increased from 200 to 230 liters per day (53 to 61 gallons). Catalonia’s water agency says the average resident uses 116 liters (30 gallons) per day at home.

Famers will only have to reduce their average uses by 40%, instead of 80%, while industrial users will only have to save 15% compared to 25%.

David Mascort, who heads Catalonia’s environmental authority, said that plans were still intact to install a floating desalination plant off Barcelona’s coast in October. He said that Catalonia’s reserves for the areas fed by the Ter and Llobregat rivers were now near the same level as the previous year.

“We are in the same situation as last year, but this time, we are better prepared. If in May 2023 some 65% of our water came from our reservoirs, now it is only 50%” thanks to an expansion in Catalonia’s water reuse and desalination infrastructure, Mascort said.

However, Catalonia’s government spokeswoman, Patrícia Plaja, warned that “the drought is not over.”

TORRES, Brazil (AP) — A mayor in southern Brazil asked residents to ration water Tuesday in a state capital where some 80% of the population is without running water, a week after massive flooding that has left at least 90 people dead and more than 130 missing.

Efforts were continuing to rescue people stranded by the f loods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, as more rains were forecast for the region into next week. The capital, Porto Alegre, has been virtually cut off, with the airport and bus station closed and main roads blocked due to the floodwaters.

Five of the city’s six water treatment facilities aren’t working, and Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastião Melo ordered that water be used exclusively for “essential consumption.” Local shops have also been short on water supplies.

“We are living an unprecedented natural disaster and everyone needs to help,” Melo told journalists. “The shortage is real and it will take some time until it goes back to normal.”

“I am getting water trucks to soccer fields and people will have to go there to get their water in bottles. I cannot get them to go home to home,” the mayor added.

The most urgent need is drinking water, but food and personal hygiene products are also in short supply. Other Brazilian states are mobilizing trucks with donations bound for Rio Grande do Sul.

Residents in Rio Grande do Sul who are able to flee are doing so, over fears of shortage and the spread of disease. However, it’s difficult for many to leave Porto Alegre with main access roads blocked by floodwaters. The city’s airport and main bus terminal are filled with water and closed for the foreseeable future.

The downpour has stopped for now, but a looming cold front will bring more severe rain starting Tuesday night, mainly in the southern part of the state, according to the National Meteorological Institute. Rainfall is could exceed 150 millimeters (5.9 inches) by early Wednesday.

Late Monday, Rio Grande do Sul’s Gov. Eduardo Leite issued an alert for several cities close to the massive Patos Lagoon. The floodwaters in Porto Alegre and other cities pass through the lagoon to the sea.

“The water level will rise and it will affect you,” he said in a video broadcast on his social media channels. “Please, believe the alerts and help us save lives. Let’s reduce the damage so we can be together to rebuild.”

Damage from the rains has already forced more than 150,000 people from their homes. An additional 50,000 have taken refuge in schools, gymnasiums and other temporary shelters.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Rio Grande do Sul for a second time on Sunday, accompanied by Defense Minister José Múcio, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad and Environment Minister Marina Silva, among others.

During Mass at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis said he was praying for the state’s population.

Public health experts say there is growing risk of disease as much of the region remains underwater, warning that cases of dengue fever and leptospirosis in particular could rise sharply within days

Security is another concern. Rio Grande do Sul’s public security secretariat said in a statement that police will beef up operations to prevent looting and theft. Several volunteers working on rescue operations have been robbed as they tried to help in the Porto Alegre metropolitan region.

Also on Monday, three top-tier Rio Grande do Sul state soccer clubs whose stadiums are flooded urged Brazil’s soccer federation to suspend their national league matches for the next 20 days because of the flooding. Brazil’s soccer confederation said it would consider the request.

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AP journalist Gabriela Sá Pessoa contributed from Sao Paulo.