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Israel’s Health Ministry Recommends Some Wear Masks Indoors amid Rise in COVID Cases

A nurse pushes a bed at the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, in Jerusalem January 31, 2022. Picture taken January 31, 2022. (Reuters)
A nurse pushes a bed at the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, in Jerusalem January 31, 2022. Picture taken January 31, 2022. (Reuters)
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Israel’s Health Ministry Recommends Some Wear Masks Indoors amid Rise in COVID Cases

A nurse pushes a bed at the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, in Jerusalem January 31, 2022. Picture taken January 31, 2022. (Reuters)
A nurse pushes a bed at the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, in Jerusalem January 31, 2022. Picture taken January 31, 2022. (Reuters)

Israel's health ministry on Tuesday advised people with compromised immune systems to wear masks in crowded indoor spaces as it marks an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations ahead of the Jewish holidays.

In a statement, the ministry said there was a "moderate rise" in hospitalizations due to a number of COVID variants found both in Israel and around the world.

"Ahead of the holidays and as a result of increased morbidity, the health ministry recommends people in at-risk groups or those who want to limit the risk of infection wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces."

Large family gatherings are common during the Jewish holiday season, which begins on Sept. 15 and extends over about a month.

The ministry said it was soon preparing to issue vaccines that target new subvariants.

COVID infections and hospitalizations have been on the rise in the US, Europe and Asia but are well below previous peaks.

Israel is among six countries where a highly mutated COVID variant called BA.2.86 has been detected, but which scientists have said is unlikely to lead to a devastating wave of severe disease and death.

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World

Magnitude 4.9 Quake Hits Nevada

People walk near Caesars Palace along the Las Vegas Strip, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People walk near Caesars Palace along the Las Vegas Strip, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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Magnitude 4.9 Quake Hits Nevada

People walk near Caesars Palace along the Las Vegas Strip, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People walk near Caesars Palace along the Las Vegas Strip, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck Nevada on Friday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The tremor hit at a depth of about 12 kilometers (7 miles), around 19 kilometers southeast of Silver Springs.

It struck at about 01:17 am (0817 GMT), the USGS said.

The earthquake probably caused light to moderate shaking, according to the USGS.

It was unlikely that the tremor caused any fatalities or significant economic damage.

Silver Springs has a population of around 5,000.

World

Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas, Arrest Dozens at May Day Rallies

Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas, Arrest Dozens at May Day Rallies

Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)

Turkish police on Friday fired tear gas and arrested dozens of people holding May Day demonstrations in Istanbul, AFP journalists said.

Two groups were specially singled out in the city's European side after signaling their intention to march to Taksim square -- the scene of several anti-government protests in the past -- which was sealed off overnight by police.

Turkish media, including the opposition website Bir Gun, counted at least 57 arrests.

May 1, which celebrates workers and the working classes, sees a major police deployment in Türkiye every year, with a large area in the heart of Istanbul around Taksim Square sealed off.

Last year, protests moved to the Kadikoy area of the city and more than 400 people were arrested.

On Friday, a large deployment of police, many in riot gear, and metal barricades were seen choking access to central neighborhoods of Istanbul.

In the Mecidiyekoy district, police were seen by AFP using tear gas on the crowd, which included members of a Marxist party, the HKP, who tried to push through while chanting "USA murderer, (Türkiye’s ruling party) AKP accomplice".

Police encircling the Besiktas neighborhood stepped in -- sometimes violently -- whenever a chant was taken up by the demonstrators. AFP saw several protesters thrown to the ground.

Unions and civil society associations had called for the May 1 demonstrations under the slogan "Bread. Peace. Freedom".

Earlier this week, Turkish authorities issued arrest and search warrants against 62 people, of whom they deemed 46 -- including journalists, trade unionists and opposition figures -- were "likely to carry out attacks".

World

China Urges US to Preserve ‘Stability’ in Ties, Warns Taiwan Is ‘Risk Point’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)
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China Urges US to Preserve ‘Stability’ in Ties, Warns Taiwan Is ‘Risk Point’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)

China's foreign minister on Thursday urged the United States to maintain "stability" between the two powers and warned that Taiwan posed the biggest risk, weeks before President Donald Trump visits Beijing.

In a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing and Washington should "safeguard the hard-won stability" in China-US relations, China's foreign ministry said.

The talks also discussed the Middle East, where China has been a key partner of Tehran but has largely kept its distance after Trump joined Israel in attacking Iran, sending global oil prices spiraling.

A State Department official confirmed the phone call and said it was to arrange Trump's trip but did not give further details.

Trump is scheduled to visit China on May 14-15 to see President Xi Jinping -- the Republican billionaire's first trip to the rival power since returning to the White House in January 2025.

During Trump's first year back in office, Washington and Beijing clashed over trade and tariffs until a truce was declared in October, when Trump and Xi met in South Korea.

"Both sides should safeguard the hard-won stability, prepare well for key high-level interactions, expand areas of cooperation" and manage their differences, Wang told Rubio, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.

While ties have "generally remained stable" under Trump and Xi, Wang "emphasized that the Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests and is the biggest risk point in China-US relations", it said.

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification and is sharply critical of US military assistance to the self-ruled island and its support of Taipei on the international stage.

"The United States must honor its commitments and make the right choices, opening new perspectives for bilateral cooperation and do its part to promote world peace," Wang said.

The statement from the Chinese ministry said Wang and Rubio had "exchanged views" on the situation in the Middle East, without offering further details.