Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he “will do everything” to ensure a meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin happens in Turkey, with talks on a ceasefire scheduled for Thursday. “It is with him that I must agree on a ceasefire,” Zelensky says.
San Isidro (Argentina) (AFP) – Diego Maradona’s daughter, Gianinna, arrives at the San Isidro courthouse to testify as a witness in the trial of seven health professionals accused of criminal negligence over his death. The Argentine football legend died on November 25, 2020 at age 60, while recovering at home from brain surgery for a blood clot. IMAGES
Chillán (Chile) (AFP) – A cold, dry part of Chile might not sound like the best place to grow rice, a famously thirsty grain that thrives in tropical conditions. But a new strain of the world’s favorite cereal developed by scientists in the drought-plagued South American country has generated hope that rice can be grown in seemingly inhospitable conditions.
Geneva (AFP) – The United Nations voices alarm at the large numbers of non-nationals being deported from the United States, in particular the hundreds sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador. “Families do not know where their loved ones are, lawyers do not know where they are, in fact no one knows where they are for certain and we don’t know the legal basis”, says UN rights office spokeswoman Liz Throssell in Geneva.
Beijing (AFP) – China’s foreign minister says “a certain major power is obsessed with the idea that might makes right”, an apparent swipe at the United States a day after Beijing and Washington announced sharp cuts to tit-for-tat tariffs. The country in question is “using tariffs as a weapon to bully other countries”, Wang Yi says at a forum for Chinese and Latin American nations in Beijing.
Dali (China) (AFP) – Long breaks from work were once unheard of in China, but some young people are pushing back, giving themselves the mental space to recover from burnout, feed the soul and consider other ways to contribute to society.
Langtang (Nepal) (AFP) – Dozens trekked to Nepal’s Yala glacier for a ceremony to mark its rapid disappearance due to climate change and put a spotlight on global glacial retreat. The Yala glacier, located between 5,170 and 5,750 metres above sea level, is in the Langtang Valley in northern Nepal.
Srinagar (India) (AFP) – Schools in Srinagar, in Indian-administered Kashmir, reopen as the ceasefire agreed between India and Pakistan holds. The truce ended four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks which killed dozens in India and Pakistan and was their worst conflict since 1999.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Hundreds of members and volunteers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society take part in a march in the West Bank’s Ramallah, demanding the protection of medical workers. “Enough with the silence. Enough with the killing of children, women and families”, says the organisation’s head Younis al-Khatib.
Santo Domingo (AFP) – Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez welcomes his Kenyan counterpart, Musalia Mudavadi, to the Foreign Ministry in Santo Domingo. The two are expected to hold a private meeting to discuss issues related to the Haitian crisis, specifically the international military force that Kenya is leading in an effort to help resolve it. IMAGES
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV calls for the release of journalists jailed “for seeking and reporting the truth”. The former Robert Francis Prevost, the first US pope, speaks at an introductory audience with the media at the start of his first full week in the role after being elected by cardinals.
Geneva (AFP) – The United States and China have agreed to temporarily slash their tit-for-tat tariffs, with the US rate down to 30 percent and Chinese duties cut to to 10 percent, the US trade chief says. Following a weekend of trade talks in Geneva, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer tell reporters the sides had agreed to temporarily roll back “reciprocal tariffs” by 115 percentage points for a 90 day period.
