Trump offers to join Russia-Ukraine direct peace talks in Istanbul
Zelenskyy welcomes the US leader’s initiative, insists Putin should also be in the Turkish city ‘in person’. United States President Donald Trump has offered to join the talks that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin suggested should be held directly with Ukraine, after criticism of the Western “ultimatums” to end the conflict between the two Slavic nations. Trump said on Monday he was “thinking about actually flying over” to the Turkish city of Istanbul to attend the negotiations expected to take place on Thursday. The initiative was welcomed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but there was no immediate reaction from Moscow. “All of us in Ukraine would appreciate it if President Trump could be there with us at this meeting in Turkey. This is the right idea. We can change a lot,” Zelenskyy said. Trump publicly asked Zelenskyy to attend, after Putin on Sunday proposed the direct talks following a rejection of a 30-day ceasefire Ukraine and its Western allies insisted should come first. The Ukrainian leader said he would, but that Putin should also attend in person. On Tuesday, his adviser Mykhailo Podolyak reiterated that Zelenskyy would only meet Putin and no other members of the Russian delegation. Advertisement The Kremlin has made no comment on whether or not Putin will travel to Turkiye himself. “We are committed to a serious search for ways of a long-term peaceful settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. If Zelenskyy and Putin were to meet on Thursday, it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019. I have just heard President Trump’s statement. Very important words. I supported @POTUS idea of a full and unconditional ceasefire — long enough to provide the foundation for diplomacy. And we want it, we are ready to uphold silence on our end. I supported President Trump… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 12, 2025 Meanwhile, Ukraine said its air defence units destroyed all 10 drones that Russia launched overnight on Tuesday. This is the lowest number of drones that Russia has launched in an overnight attack in several weeks. The Ukrainian military’s general staff said as of 10pm (19:00 GMT) on Monday, there had been 133 clashes with Russian forces along the front line since midnight, when the ceasefire proposed by European powers was to have come into effect. Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, was quoted by Zelenskyy as saying the heaviest fighting still gripped the Donetsk region, the focus of the eastern front, and Russia’s western Kursk region, nine months after Kyiv’s forces staged a cross-border incursion. Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking its Belgorod region, with the governor Vyacheslav Gladkov saying on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces used 65 drones and more than 100 rounds of ammunition to attack his region in the past day. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander reunites with family after release
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Video from the Israeli military showed the moment of US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander reuniting with his family.
Trump signs executive order to bring down prescription drug prices
President makes push to bring down drug prices that have long been a source of financial strain for US patients. United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that he says will bring down the price of prescription drugs in the US by as much as 90 percent. In an announcement on Monday, Trump said drug companies who have been “profiteering” will have to bring prices down but laid the blame for high prices primarily on foreign countries. “We’re going to equalise,” Trump said during a news conference. “We’re all going to pay the same. We’re going to pay what Europe pays.” People in the US have long been an outlier when it comes to the prices they pay for numerous types of life-saving medication, often paying several times more than their peers in other rich countries for nearly identical drugs. That phenomenon is often attributed to the substantial economic and political influence that the pharmaceutical industry wields in the US. The high cost of medical drugs has been a source of popular discontent in the US for years, and Trump accused the pharmaceutical industry of “getting away with murder” in 2017. Advertisement But in his remarks on Monday, the US leader also seemed to say that US pharmaceutical companies were not ultimately to blame for the difference in prices. Trump instead framed those high prices in the familiar terms of a trade imbalance with partners such as the European Union and said the US has been “subsidising” lower drug prices in other nations. That perspective seems to align with the framing of the pharmaceutical industry itself. The industry’s most powerful lobbying arm stated the cause of high prices for US consumers is “foreign countries not paying their fair share”. Senator Bernie Sanders, a left-wing politician who has railed against the high prices paid by US patients for years, said Trump’s order wrongly blames foreign countries rather than US companies for those prices. “I agree with President Trump: it is an outrage that the American people pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” Sanders said in a statement. “But let’s be clear: the problem is not that the price of prescription drugs is too low in Europe and Canada. The problem is that the extraordinarily greedy pharmaceutical industry made over $100bn in profits last year by ripping off the American people.” A fact sheet shared by the White House said the administration will “communicate price targets to pharmaceutical manufacturers to establish that America, the largest purchaser and funder of prescription drugs in the world, gets the best deal”. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr speaks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on drug prices at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 12, 2025 [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo] The stock prices of US drugmakers ticked upwards after the announcement. Experts have cast doubt on Trump’s optimistic assertion that drug prices would drop quickly and substantially. Advertisement “It really does seem the plan is to ask manufacturers to voluntarily lower their prices to some point which is not known,” Rachel Sachs, a health law expert at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, told The Associated Press news agency. “If they do not lower their prices to the desired point, HHS [the Department of Health and Human Services] shall take other actions with a very long timeline, some of which could potentially, years in the future, lower drug prices.” Adblock test (Why?)
Trump administration welcomes 59 white South Africans as refugees to the US
Move comes as US administration largely closes refugee admissions from countries experiencing widespread violence and poverty. A group of 59 white Afrikaners from South Africa has arrived in the United States as part of a refugee programme set up by the administration of US President Donald Trump to offer sanctuary from what Trump has depicted as racial discrimination against white people. In a press conference on Monday, Trump mirrored the claims of a myth popular on the far right that white people in South Africa have been subjected to systematic violence since the end of white minority rule in that country. “It’s a genocide that’s taking place,” Trump told reporters at the White House, a claim that has drawn criticism from government officials, news media, and even some Afrikaners themselves. The move comes as the Trump administration blocks nearly all refugee admissions from non-white countries and leans into rhetoric about an “invasion” of immigrants from poor countries. While people fleeing widespread violence and persecution in countries such as Haiti and Afghanistan have found a closed door, Al Jazeera correspondent Patty Culhane says that the Trump administration “has made a priority of getting these people [white South Africans] into the United States and paying for them to get here”. Advertisement ‘Wrong end of the stick’ The South African government has called Trump’s claims that Afrikaners face persecution “completely false”, noting that they have remained among the richest and “most economically privileged” groups, even after the end of the apartheid system that upheld white minority control of the political, economic, and military resources of the country and denied basic rights to the Black South African majority. South African whites still own about three-quarters of all private land in the country, and have about 20 times the wealth of the Black majority, according to the international academic journal the Review of Political Economy. “We think that the American government has got the wrong end of the stick here, but we’ll continue talking to them,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, himself a veteran of the struggle to end apartheid, said on Monday. Tensions between the Trump administration and the government of South Africa have been high, with the US expelling South Africa’s ambassador over previous criticism of Trump and at odds with the African nation’s prominent position in a case before the International Court of Justice accusing US ally Israel of genocide in Gaza. The Trump administration offered in February to resettle Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers in South Africa, stating that they face discrimination and violence against Afrikaner farmers. “I want you all to know that you are really welcome here and that we respect what you have had to deal with these last few years,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told the group of Afrikaners who arrived in the US on Monday. “We respect the long tradition of your people and what you have accomplished over the years.” Advertisement Bill Frelick, refugee policy director with Human Rights Watch, said the fast-track process of bringing Afrikaners into the US was unprecedented. “These are people who were not living in refugee camps; who hadn’t fled their country. They were the group that was most associated with the oppression of the Black majority through apartheid,” said Frelick. “It’s not like these are among the most vulnerable refugees of the world.” Adblock test (Why?)
PKK disbands, potentially ending decades of conflict in Turkiye
[unable to retrieve full-text content] The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has announced that it plans to disband and disarm.
Ivory Coast opposition leader resigns but vows to still fight for victory
Tidjane Thiam’s campaign has been halted as presidential candidates are not allowed to hold dual citizenship. Ivory Coast’s main opposition leader has said he is resigning as party leader but would still lead the fight to win the election, after having been barred from standing in an October presidential vote. “In the interest of the party, I’ve decided to place my mandate as president of the party in your hands, the activists,” Thiam said in a speech published on social media on Monday. “This decision does not change the commitment I made in December 2023 to personally lead our party to victory in October 2025.” President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who has been in power since 2011, has yet to say whether he plans to run again but has said he is eager to “continue serving my country”. Tidjane Thiam’s campaign for the presidency of the West African country has been mired in tussles over his nationality, as presidential candidates are not allowed to hold dual citizenship. Thiam was born in the Ivory Coast and renounced his French passport in March to enable his run for the top job. However, a court in Abidjan struck him off the electoral list last month, saying the 62-year-old politician had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987. Advertisement Thiam also faces a legal case against his election as head of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast–African Democratic Rally (PDCI) after a party member also contested his Ivorian nationality at the time he was chosen. PDCI deputy president Ernest N’Koumo Mobio assumed the party’s interim leadership following Thiam’s announcement. He appealed for “cohesion, serenity and discipline” and called a party meeting early Monday due to “the urgency linked to the political situation”. Three other opposition figures have also been excluded from the presidential race, including former President Laurent Gbagbo due to court convictions. Thiam alleged irregularities on Monday. “While we had the right to hope for inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections, it is clear that the unjustified removal of the PDCI candidate is part of the logic of eliminating the leaders of the main opposition parties to ensure tailor-made elections and a certain victory,” he said. The authorities regularly reject claims of any political intervention in the electoral process, saying decisions are taken by an independent judiciary. Adblock test (Why?)
Pope Leo calls for release of jailed journalists, notes their courage
The new pontiff talks of witnesses ‘who report on war even at the cost of their lives’. Pope Leo XIV has called for the release of journalists imprisoned for doing their work while affirming free speech. Leo, who was elected pontiff on Thursday after the death of Pope Francis, gave his first news conference at the Vatican on Monday. Addressing some of the thousands of journalists who travelled to Rome to cover his election as the first American pontiff, he said journalists jailed “for seeking and reporting the truth” must be released. “The church recognises in these witnesses – I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives – the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed because only informed individuals can make free choices,” he said. “The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.” The new pope also reiterated his message of peace that he had communicated to large crowds on Sunday as well. Advertisement “Peace begins with each one of us – in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others,” he told assembled journalists at the Vatican’s vast Paul VI Audience Hall. “In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance. We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images. We must reject the paradigm of war.” Leo, who was active on social media before becoming pope, cautioned against “communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred”. “Let us disarm words, and we will help to disarm the world,” he said, urging reporters to favour a path of communication for peace. During his first Sunday blessing as pontiff, Leo advocated for genuine peace in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere. He said he carries in his heart the “suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine” and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and release of all people held by the Palestinian group Hamas in the enclave. Adblock test (Why?)
Virat Kohli announces retirement from Test cricket
In the end of an era for Indian Test cricket, Virat Kohli follows fellow batting star Rohit Sharma into retirement. India batsman Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, bringing down the curtain on a sparkling career in the longest format just days after captain Rohit Sharma did the same. Kohli, who made his debut in 2011 and scored 30 centuries and 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 over 123 tests, is expected to remain available for one-day internationals. The 36-year-old quit Twenty20 International immediately after India won their second 20-over World Cup trophy in the West Indies last year. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on,” Kohli posted on Instagram on Monday. “It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life. “There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.” The retirement of superstars Virat Kohli, left, and Rohit Sharma in the space of one week represents the end of an era in Indian Test cricket [File: Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images] While Kohli’s final test wrapped up a 3-1 test series defeat by Australia in January, which saw India relinquish the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, he will be remembered most for his spell as captain between 2014 and 2022. Advertisement Kohli won 40 of his 68 tests in charge of India to become the country’s most successful skipper in the format, and sits fourth in the list of captains with the most test victories. Only Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41) won more tests as captains. India suffered only 17 defeats with Kohli at the helm as he guided the side to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021, when they lost to New Zealand. He was also part of the team that lost the second World Test Championship final to Australia in 2023. “I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude – for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” he added. “I’ll always look back at my test career with a smile.” India’s next test assignment is a five-match series in England from June 20. Virat Kohli scored 9,230 runs from 123 Test matches for India [Morgan Hancock/Cricket Australia via Getty Images] Adblock test (Why?)
PKK to disband, potentially ending decades of conflict in Turkiye
Move by Kurdish armed group follows February call by jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to lay down arms. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has announced that it plans to disband and disarm, potentially bringing decades of conflict with Turkiye to an end. The move was reported on Monday by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the armed group. Part of a new peace initiative with Ankara designed to end four decades of violence, the announcement follows a call in February by jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan for the PKK to lay down its arms. Following a party congress in northern Iraq that ended on Friday, the group said it had reached “historic” decisions that would be shared with the public soon. Firat reported that a statement by Ocalan outlining his “perspectives and proposals” was read during the congress. In a statement carried by Firat on Monday, the PKK announced that its armed struggle had successfully challenged policies that sought to suppress Kurdish rights. The PKK has “completed its historical mission”, it read, and “the 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle”. Advertisement “As a result, activities carried out under the name ‘PKK’ were formally terminated,” the statement said. According to Turkiye’s state news agency Anadolu, a spokesperson for Turkiye’s governing AK Party said: “If the new PKK decision is fully implemented, shutting down all PKK branches, illegal structures, it will be a turning point.” Shifting regional sands The announcement signals the potential end of a conflict that has plagued the region, spilling over into northern Iraq and Syria. In February, Ocalan – who has been in jail since 1999 – called on the group to lay down its arms and dissolve itself in a bid to end the hostilities, which have claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s. The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkiye and most Western states, announced a ceasefire days later, but set conditions to disband, including the establishment of a legal mechanism for peace talks. The group said the Kurdish people would embrace peace and a democratic process, and “will understand the decision to dissolve the PKK and end the armed struggle method better than anyone else”. “We believe that Kurdish political parties, democratic organisations and opinion leaders will fulfil their responsibilities in developing Kurdish democracy and ensuring the formation of a Kurdish democratic nation.” The announcement by the PKK comes against a backdrop of major changes in the region, including a new administration in Syria, the weakening of the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Advertisement In recent years, the PKK had been limited to isolated attacks inside Türkiye as the military pushed its fighters across the mountainous border into Iraq. The latest peace initiative was launched in October by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s coalition partner, Devlet Bahceli. The far-right politician suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if the PKK renounces violence and disbands. In late February, Erdogan described the group’s potential dissolution as a “historic opportunity to advance towards the objective of destroying the wall of terror”. The future of PKK fighters remains uncertain, including whether they may be relocated to third countries. Any concessions the PKK might obtain in exchange for its decision to disband have not been disclosed. Adblock test (Why?)
PKK to formally disband and lay down its weapons
NewsFeed The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has announced that it plans to disband and disarm in a move promising an end to decades of conflict with Turkiye. The move was announced on Monday by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group. Published On 12 May 202512 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)