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Will the truce between India and Pakistan resolve differences over Kashmir?

Will the truce between India and Pakistan resolve differences over Kashmir?

A ceasefire is agreed after four days of their most fierce military conflict in this century. Tensions soared on Tuesday when India attacked areas inside Pakistan that it claimed sheltered armed groups. That was after 26 tourists were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. India has accused Pakistan of backing the fighters, a claim Islamabad denied. Why has the Kashmir region been a source of hostility between the two countries since independence from British rule in 1947? How far can colonial legacy be blamed for the conflict? And what lies ahead? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Victoria Schofield – British biographer, historian and author of books on Kashmir. Radha Kumar – Author, academic and an Indian government-appointed negotiator appointed to resolve the Kashmir crisis Ayesha Jalal – Professor at Tufts University and expert on South Asian history. Adblock test (Why?)

Israel capitalises as Gaza fatigue sets in

Israel capitalises as Gaza fatigue sets in

One might think that images of starving children, as political leaders withhold aid and openly call for ethnic cleansing, would be topping news agendas everywhere. In the case of Gaza, the failure of many in the international media to meet the moment has made them part of the story. Lead contributors:Chris Doyle – Director, Council for Arab-British UnderstandingDaniel Levy – President, US/Middle East ProjectMuhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, ECFRSarah Leah Whitson – Director, DAWN On our radar: As India and Pakistan go toe-to-toe in their most intense fighting for decades, a flood of disinformation is fuelling the sense of panic on both sides. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Seeking justice on Ghana’s courtroom shows If you are dealing with something personal and painful – a broken marriage or a family dispute – you might turn to a friend. For something as serious as sexual assault, it might go to trial. But in Ghana, more and more people are turning somewhere else: live radio. The so-called “justice-style” shows promise swift, public resolutions. But they are also controversial, with critics accusing them of turning private pain into primetime theatre. Advertisement Featuring:George Sarpong – Executive secretary, National Media CommissionMenenaba – Ghanaian writerOheneni Adazoa – Host, Sompa Nkomo ShowZakaria Tanko Musah – Lecturer in media law and ethics, Journalism Institute Adblock test (Why?)

Putin proposes direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 15

Putin proposes direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on May 15

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions” to achieve “lasting peace” and “eliminate the root causes” of the three-year conflict. The offer, delivered early on Sunday, came hours after the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The leaders, who were meeting in Kyiv, said their call is backed by United States President Donald Trump and threatened “massive” new sanctions on Moscow if it did not agree with their plan. Putin, however, rejected that proposal, slamming  European “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric”, before outlining the counter-proposal for renewed Russia-Ukraine negotiations. “We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” the Russian president told reporters. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.” Putin said that he would speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later on Sunday about facilitating the talks. Advertisement There was no immediate response from Ukraine to the proposal. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said he was ready for peace talks, but only after a ceasefire is in place. ‘No preconditions’ Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has left hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead and triggered the gravest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. In the first weeks of the conflict, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held direct talks in Istanbul, but failed to agree to halt the fighting. Putin said Russia was proposing restarting the talks in an attempt to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” and “to achieve the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace” rather than simply a pause for rearmament. “We do not exclude that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new ceasefire,” he added. Putin, whose forces have advanced over the past year, has faced increased public and private pressure from Trump as well as warnings from European powers to end the war. But he has offered few concessions and has stood firm in his conditions for ending the war. In June 2024, Putin said Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia. Russian officials have also proposed that the US recognise Russia’s control over about one-fifth of Ukraine and demanded that Ukraine remain neutral, though Moscow has said it is not opposed to Kyiv’s ambitions to join the European Union. Advertisement Putin specifically mentioned the 2022 draft deal from the talks in Istanbul. According to the Reuters news agency, that draft deal stipulated that Ukraine should agree to permanent neutrality in return for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. “It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv,” Putin said. “Russia is ready to negotiate without any preconditions.” Russia, Putin added, had proposed several ceasefires, including a moratorium on striking energy facilities, an Easter ceasefire, and most recently, the 72-hour truce during the celebrations marking 80 years since victory in World War II, but accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating the ceasefires. He said that during the May ceasefire, Ukraine had attacked Russia with 524 aerial drones, 45 sea drones, a number of Western missiles and that Russia had repelled five attacks on Russian regions. Ukraine, too, has accused Russia of repeatedly violating its own ceasefire. Trump factor Anatol Lieven, the director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Al Jazeera that both sides were trying to blame each other for failing to agree to a ceasefire deal amid pressure from Trump to end the war. “Trump has threatened to walk away from the peace process if there isn’t some kind of settlement or agreement on a ceasefire soon. And the question is, who he blames for the failure? If he blames the Russians more, then full US aid will continue to Ukraine, and the sanctions he has threatened will be intensified,” said Lieven. Advertisement “If, however, he blames Ukraine more, then, as he’s done once before, he will suspend US aid and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, and that, of course, will drastically weaken Ukraine’s military position and strengthen that of Russia. So both sides are manoeuvring to try to throw blame for any failure onto the other.” Earlier on Saturday, the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the UK travelled together to Ukraine for the first time, in a visit that Zelenskyy said sent “a very important signal”. The five leaders held a meeting in Kyiv and issued a statement calling for a ceasefire “lasting at least 30 days” from Monday, to make room for a diplomatic push to end the war. “An unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy,” the statement read. French President Emmanuel Macron said the US would take the lead in monitoring the proposed ceasefire, with support from European countries, and threatened “massive sanctions … prepared and coordinated between Europeans and Americans” should Russia violate the truce. Meanwhile, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, said on Saturday that a “comprehensive” 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, “will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II”. Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the “bloodbath” of the Ukraine war, which his administration casts as a proxy war between the US and Russia. Advertisement Former US President Joe Biden, Western European leaders and Ukraine portray the invasion as an imperial-style land grab and have repeatedly pledged to defeat Russian forces. Putin meanwhile casts the war as a watershed moment in Moscow’s relations with the

FBI Deputy Director Bongino: Illegal alien criminals and child predators are next in ongoing crackdown

FBI Deputy Director Bongino: Illegal alien criminals and child predators are next in ongoing crackdown

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino shared a detailed update Saturday about the bureau’s operations, making clear the agency is focused on removing dangerous criminals and protecting children. In a post on X, Bongino outlined several priorities and took aim at what he called misleading media coverage of the FBI’s work. “The workforce has been working overtime on task force operations to remove dangerous illegal aliens from the country. The work continues,” Bongino wrote. “If you came here illegally to prey on our citizens, your days here are numbered.” He said these operations are only getting started and will ramp up in the coming weeks. RUBIO JUST GOT AN ADDITIONAL JOB IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION — AND HE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE WEARING MULTIPLE HATS “These removal and incarceration operations will dramatically change the crime landscape in the country when combined with the administration’s laser-focus on sealing the border shut,” he added. Bongino also pointed to a new initiative focused on protecting children from predators. “Crimes against children are a priority for the workforce. Operation ‘Restoring Justice,’ where we locked up child predators and 764 subjects, in every part of the country, is just the beginning,” he said. “We are going to take your freedom if you take away a child’s innocence.” He promised more enforcement efforts to come and warned those targeting children to “think twice.” 205 ARRESTED IN FBI CHILD SEX OPERATION, PATEL AND BONDI ANNOUNCE Bongino addressed the FBI’s efforts to respond to Congress and the public about several high-profile cases. These include the attack on Rep. Steve Scalise, the Nashville school shooting, the Crossfire Hurricane investigation and the origins of COVID-19. He also mentioned the ongoing work with the Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein case. “There are voluminous amounts of downloaded child sexual abuse material that we are dealing with,” he wrote. “There are also victims’ statements that are entitled to specific protections. We need to do this correctly, but I do understand the public’s desire to get the information out there.” He also responded to what he described as false stories being spread by some in the media and came to the defense of FBI Director Patel.  “He spends anywhere between 10 to 12 hours in the office attending meetings with everyone from foreign heads of law enforcement to our counter-terror teams,” Bongino wrote. “Any assertion otherwise is a verifiable lie designed to stop our reforms and fracture your trust. I will die on this hill. You are being clearly lied to by people with an agenda, and it’s not your agenda.” He closed by thanking the public for its attention and encouraged Americans to keep watching the FBI’s progress. “God bless America, and all those who defend Her,” he wrote. Dan Bongino began his law enforcement career with the New York Police Department in 1995. He joined the United States Secret Service in 1999 and later served on the elite Presidential Protective Division for presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After leaving government service, Bongino ran for office as a Republican in Maryland and Florida. Bongino also hosted a Saturday night show on Fox News Channel from 2021 to 2023. He is the author of several books, including “Life Inside the Bubble,” a memoir about his time in the Secret Service. The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.