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Putin Faces Calls For Peace At BRICS Summit

Published

11 months ago

October 24, 2024

World leaders called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine at the BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin told them he welcomed offers to mediate in the Ukraine conflict.

The Russian leader is casting the gathering as a sign that Western attempts to isolate Moscow have failed, but faced direct calls to end the Ukraine conflict from some of his closest and most important partners.

The meeting of around 20 world leaders in the central city of Kazan is the largest diplomatic forum held in Russia since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022.

Starting in 2009 with four members — Brazil, Russia, India and China — BRICS has expanded to include other emerging nations such as South Africa, Egypt and Iran.

In a joint statement, the group said it was “deeply concerned about ongoing conflicts and instability in the Middle East and North African region.”

It also criticised Israeli attacks on UN staff in southern Lebanon and urged that Lebanon’s “territorial integrity” be “preserved.”

At a plenary session earlier on Wednesday, leaders had lined up to call for peace in both the Middle East and Ukraine.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian urged BRICS members to “use all their collective and individual capacities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping Xi repeated his call for a ceasefire, saying: “We need to… stop the killing and work tirelessly for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue.”

And Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also called for escalation in both the Middle East and Ukraine to be avoided.

“As we face two wars that have the potential to become global, it is essential to restore our ability to work together toward common goals,” he said in an address to the summit via video conference.

– Mediation offers –

The European Union on Wednesday urged BRICS members to use to forum to pressure Putin to “immediately” halt his offensive on Ukraine.

In private bilateral talks, Putin welcomed offers by several BRICS leaders to mediate in Ukraine, even as he told them his forces were advancing on the battlefield, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told reporters Putin had also used the meetings to tout “the very positive dynamics on the front for the Russian armed forces”.

Russian troops have been slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine for much of 2024, though neither side has been able to make a decisive breakthrough.

Xi, a key Putin ally, told the summit there must be “no escalation of fighting” in Ukraine.

“We must adhere to the three principles of ‘no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties’, so as to ease the situation as soon as possible,” Xi said.

Without referring to any specific conflict, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also issued a call for peace.

“We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war,” he said.

Brazil’s Lula said it was “crucial” to open peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

– Multipolar order –

Xi and Modi have previously touted their own peace initiatives for Ukraine, though there has appeared to be little progress.

Putin has demanded Ukraine effectively capitulate by ceding more territory in its east and south as a precondition to ceasefire talks.

Kyiv has ruled out giving up land in exchange for peace and currently occupies part of Russian territory following a brazen cross-border summer offensive.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also casting himself as a possible peacemaker, will hold talks with Putin later on Wednesday, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet the Kremlin leader a day later.

Moscow sees the BRICS platform as an alternative to Western-led international organisations like the G7.

In opening remarks to the summit, Putin said the process of “forming a multipolar world order is underway, a dynamic and irreversible process.”

Xi and Modi also used the summit to hold their first formal meeting in five years, days after the neighbouring countries reached a deal on their contested border. .

Xi said it was their “fundamental interests” that the two sides “strengthen communication and cooperation”.

The BRICS group also called for the Global South to be given a bigger role on the world stage and more deeply integrated into international “decision-making” platforms.

AFP

Headline

US Commits $32.5m To Support Food Security In Nigeria

Published

7 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

The United States Government has committed $32.5m to the United Nations World Food Programme to support food and nutrition assistance for hundreds of thousands of people affected by conflict in Nigeria.

According to a statement released by the US Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, the funding will enable WFP Nigeria to reach approximately 764,205 vulnerable individuals in the Northeast and Northwest regions of the country.

These areas have been severely impacted by ongoing insecurity and displacement, with millions struggling to access necessities.

The assistance package includes general food distributions as well as targeted nutritional support.

Among the beneficiaries are 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, and 43,235 children who will receive specialised nutrition support through electronic food vouchers, according to the statement.

“World Food Program Nigeria, with US Government’s contribution of $32.5m, will provide food assistance and nutrition support to internally displaced persons across conflict-affected areas.

“With the US Government’s donation, the World Food Programme Nigeria will provide food and nutrition assistance to 764,205 beneficiaries across Northeast and Northwest Nigeria.

“This includes complementary nutrition top-ups for 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls and 43,235 children through electronic food vouchers,” the statement read.

On December 18, 2024, PUNCH Online reported that the United States Agency for International Development has denounced recent media reports misrepresenting US agricultural initiatives in Nigeria, stating that its programmes operate transparently and align with the country’s laws.

In a statement issued by the US Mission in Nigeria, USAID highlighted the significant achievements of its agricultural collaboration with Nigeria, which it claimed has supported over five million Nigerian farmers since 2019.

The agency maintained it has boosted food production and strengthened rural economies across the country through its efforts.

Headline

UK To Ban Sale Of Energy Drinks To Children

Published

9 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

The United Kingdom government has unveiled plans to prohibit the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks, including popular brands such as Red Bull, to anyone under the age of 16 in England.

Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, announcing the move on Wednesday, said the step was aimed at safeguarding young people’s wellbeing.

“By stopping children from buying these drinks, we’re laying the groundwork for healthier and happier generations,” he explained.

Government figures suggest that up to one in three teenagers aged 13 to 16 regularly consume energy drinks, many of which contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee.

While most major supermarkets already enforce a voluntary restriction, the new policy would make it a nationwide rule.

“How can we expect pupils to thrive in the classroom if they’re running on the equivalent of a double espresso every day?” Streeting asked, stressing that the government was responding to concerns raised by parents and teachers. “We’re determined to address the root causes of poor health and educational struggles head-on.”

Headline

Indian Man Gets Death Sentence For Burning Wife Alive Over Skin Colour

Published

9 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

A court in India recently sentenced a man to death for setting his wife, Lakshmi, ablaze alive due to her dark skin colour. This harsh punishment reflects the gravity of the crime and its impact on society.

As reported by BBC on Wednesday, the attack on Lakshmi took place on the night of 24 June 2017, the murder dates eight years back, and the judgment, delivered at the weekend, has made headlines in a country where public obsession with colourism is well documented.

The attack on Lakshmi took place on the night of 24 June 2017, according to the court order seen by the BBC.

Before her death, Lakshmi revealed that her husband, Kishandas, frequently mocked her for being dark-skinned, calling her “kali” and body-shaming her since their marriage in 2016.

On the night of her attack, Kishandas brought a plastic bottle containing a brown liquid, purportedly a skin-lightening medicine.

According to Lakshmi’s statements, he applied the liquid on her body, and when she complained about a strong acid-like smell, he set her on fire with an incense stick.

Adding to the cruelty, Kishandas poured the remaining liquid on her while she was burning and then fled. Her family rushed her to the hospital, but she later died from her injuries.

The judge, Rahul Choudhary, condemned the act as not only a murder but “a crime against humanity,” stressing that Kishandas “broke her trust” and showed “excessive cruelty in throwing the remaining liquid on her” while she burned.

He described the case as fitting the “rarest of the rare” category, saying, “It will not be an exaggeration to say that this heart-rending brutal crime was not just against Lakshmi, but it’s a crime against humanity.”

He added, “It’s a crime that shocks the conscience of humanity, which cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilised society.”

The public prosecutor called the verdict “historic,” hoping it would serve as “a lesson for others in society.”

He said, “A young woman in her early 20s was brutally murdered. She was someone’s sister, someone’s daughter; there were people who loved her. If we don’t save our daughters, then who would?”

This tragic story highlights the deep-rooted issue of colourism, where darker-skinned women face widespread discrimination and abuse.

Despite ongoing campaigns to challenge these prejudices, the preference for fair skin remains strongly embedded in many areas of life, continuing to cause immense harm. Until societal attitudes change, such heartbreaking incidents are likely to persist.