From Sudan's US ambassador to the Venezuela 'invasion': non-coronavirus news you may have missed

A second French soldier died in Mali clashes and Israeli airstrikes have killed 15 in eastern Syria

Handout picture released by the Venezuelan Presidency showing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during a meeting at Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on May 4, 2020. AFP

Venezuela arrests two Americans for failed 'invasion'

Two Americans were detained in Venezuela on Monday on suspicion of plotting to topple President Nicolas Maduro's government, which has accused US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido of bankrolling the scheme.

The arrests came a day after the government said it foiled an "invasion" from the sea, killing eight assailants and capturing two others.

Mr Maduro appeared on state television to show the passports of Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, and told the Venezuelan military high command that the pair were members of the US security forces.

Sudan appoints US ambassador for first time in quarter-century

Sudan has appointed its first ambassador to the United States for almost a quarter of a century, its foreign ministry said on Monday, in a move to normalise relations after decades of hostilities.

The Sudanese foreign ministry said it had chosen Noureldin Sati, a veteran diplomat, as ambassador in Washington and that US authorities had approved his nomination.

A State Department representative declined to comment on plans to appoint its own ambassador to Sudan but called the decision made in December to exchange ambassadors "a historic step".

Mali: Second French soldier killed in three days in clashes with Islamist extremists

The second French soldier killed by Islamist extremists in Mali in three days has been identified as a 21-year-old member of the French Foreign Legion.

The Elysee Palace has said Legionnaire Kevin Clement was killed in a combat operation against armed groups in Mali's Menaka region.

The area lies in the so-called three borders region. The zone, which lies across the porous frontiers of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, has become a dangerous hotspot for attacks on French-led forces.

Israeli airstrikes kill 15 Iranian forces in eastern Syria

At least 15 people from Iranian forces and affiliate militias have been killed by Israeli bombing in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the attack targeted Iranian forces in rural areas of the province.

It is the latest attack by Israeli forces on Iran-linked targets in syria in recent days.