Category: World

Putin says there is 'no point' meeting Zelensky over ending Ukraine war3 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDan SalesReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin has said he does not see any point in meeting Volodymyr Zelensky after the Ukrainian leader requested face-to-face talks over ending the war between the two nations.
Zelensky sent an open letter on Thursday calling for direct negotiations with Putin, writing that it was “wrong to simply wait” for the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to become the focus of US attention once more.
The Ukrainian president also requested a ceasefire, while striking a defiant, at-times mocking tone.
Putin called the note “rude” and refused the request for a meeting, reiterating his position that peace talks should precede any ceasefire.
“I don't see any point for now,” he said when asked whether he would take up Zelensky's offer while speaking at Russia's annual economic forum ..

Ukraine strikes cargo ships and admits Romania drone blast6 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKathryn ArmstrongWatch: Moment TV reporter runs for cover after naval drone explodes in RomaniaUkraine says it has struck five ships carrying illegal cargo in the Sea of Azov and in coastal waters of Russian-occupied territories.
The Ukrainian drone forces commander said the vessels were involved in “stealing” Ukrainian grain, as well as transferring military cargo and fuel.
The strikes come a day after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky offered face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin on ending the war, an offer the Russian leader rejected while visiting St Petersburg for an economic forum.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has confirmed one of its naval drones exploded off Romania's coast on Friday. No injuries were reported in the blast.
Zelensky wrote alongside his latest offer of peace talks that Russians had become tired of Ukrainian drone and missile attacks, petrol shortages an..

Hezbollah rejects renewed ceasefire agreed by Israel and Lebanon48 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJohn Sudworth & Samantha Granville,BeirutandHenry MooreReutersSmoke billows from the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike on ThursdayThe Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has emphatically rejected the terms of a US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
In a strongly-worded statement, the Iran-backed group's leader Naim Qassem said negotiations had been “futile” and “humiliating” for Lebanon, and rejected categorically by “broad segments of the Lebanese people”.
It comes after Israel and Lebanon announced a renewal of their fragile ceasefire with the creation of “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon in which Hezbollah operatives would be banned.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday by the US State Department, the three countries said the deal was “contingent on a complete cessation” of fire by Hezbollah.
Watch: Lebanon-Israel ceasefire..

Trump hits back at 'unpatriotic' vote after House rebukes him over Iran7 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJames FitzGerald and Kayla EpsteinWatch: Moment House votes to limit Trump's Iran war powersUS President Donald Trump has hit back at lawmakers who voted to send him a rebuke over the war in Iran, calling them “unpatriotic”.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed a measure seeking to halt Trump from taking further military action amid growing opposition to the war.
In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote: “Yesterday, in a meaningless vote, the House voted, 4 bad Republicans and all of the Dumocrats, to limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Who would do such an unpatriotic thing.”
It is unclear how much legal force the House's measure will have. The White House has dismissed its merits.
It has also described the move as an unconstitutional attempt to rest..

Israeli strikes kill nine in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires rockets over border24 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDavid GrittenReutersSmoke billows from the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike on WednesdayIsraeli strikes killed at least nine people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, authorities said, as the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah said it fired rockets into northern Israel.
Lebanon's health ministry said the dead included two paramedics whose ambulance was hit in a strike in the southern Chehour area. A car was also struck just south of the capital Beirut.
Meanwhile, Israel's military said it intercepted a drone and two projectiles that crossed the border. Hezbollah said it targeted a gathering of Israeli troops.
The incidents tested a partial ceasefire agreed on Monday, which Lebanon said would see Israel refrain from bombing Beirut, in exchange for Hezbollah not attacking Israel.
Israeli and Lebanese diplomats held a second day o..

One killed and dozens injured in Iranian drone strikes on Kuwait airport1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJaroslav LukivandToby MannFire and chaos inside Kuwait airportOne person has been killed and more than 60 injured in Iranian drone strikes on Kuwait's international airport, local officials have said.
Kuwait's defence ministry spokesman called Wednesday's attack “criminal Iranian aggression”, while the foreign ministry said diplomatic missions had been damaged.
Later on Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) denied responsibility for the airport strike, claiming the damage was caused by an error from a US missile interceptor.
US Central Command (Centcom) said this was false and claimed Iran struck the airport in a “deliberate, calculated and unjustified attack”.
The IRGC had earlier said it targeted US bases in the Gulf in retaliation for US strikes on an Iranian oil tanker and Qeshm Island.
The US said it had launched “self-defence” ..