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UK Hosts European Ministers For Ukraine Ceasefire Talks

Published

6 months ago

May 12, 2025

The United Kingdom on Monday hosted European ministers for “critical” talks on “repelling Russian aggression” after Ukraine’s allies demanded that Moscow accept a ceasefire.

Ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the EU joined Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London for a meeting of the so-called “Weimar+” group.

The coalition was set up in February in response to shifting US policy towards the war between Ukraine and Russia and European security in general, under President Donald Trump.

The meeting follows Saturday’s visit by the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the UK to Kyiv, where they called for Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to allow for peace talks — a proposal they said was backed by Washington.

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, renewed the calls for a ceasefire on Monday.

“If there is no ceasefire, there cannot be talks under fire,” she said in London, accusing Russia of “playing games.”

“It takes two to want peace. It takes only one to want war. And we see that Russia clearly wants war,” she added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15 but did not respond to the European call for a 30-day ceasefire.

Lammy said it was time for “Putin to get serious about peace in Europe, to get serious about a ceasefire, and to get serious about talks.”

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia had fired more than 100 drones overnight, despite the calls for a ceasefire to start on Monday.

“From 11:00 pm on May 11, the enemy attacked with 108 Shaheds and other types of drones,” the air force said, adding that “as of 08:30 am, 55 drones were confirmed downed”.

– ‘Existential’ challenge –

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to meet Putin personally in Turkey but did not say whether he would still attend if Russia refused the European ceasefire proposal.

Trump said direct talks were needed to determine whether peace was possible.

“President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders and the U.S. will know where everything stands and can proceed accordingly.”

The London meeting, where Lammy is expected to announce further sanctions targeting those backing Russia’s invasion, will be the sixth gathering of the Weimar+ group and the first hosted by the UK.

The talks would cover “repelling Russian aggression and bolstering European security,” said the UK Foreign Office.

They will focus on “both our joint efforts to strengthen European security and securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” it added.

Lammy was joined by his German, Spanish, and Polish counterparts, while France was represented by its minister for Europe Benjamin Haddad.

European leaders are “facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of our continent,” Lammy said ahead of the talks.

“The challenge we face today is not only about the future of Ukraine -– it is existential for Europe as a whole.”

– Ceasefire plan –

European leaders have reacted with scepticism to Putin’s proposal for direct talks in Istanbul, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning that he was merely trying “to buy time.”

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition,” he told reporters as he returned to Poland from the meeting in Ukraine.

He reiterated his position later Sunday, insisting on the “necessity for a ceasefire” before talks between Putin and Zelensky.

In a phone call with Lammy on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington’s “top priority remains bringing an end to the fighting and an immediate ceasefire”, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

AFP

Headline

Return Of Chinese Astronauts Delayed After Space Debris Hits Spacecraft

Published

1 hour ago

November 5, 2025

Editor

The return of three Chinese astronauts to Earth has been postponed indefinitely after their spacecraft was reportedly hit by a small piece of debris, according to Chinese state media.

The astronauts, who are part of the Shenzhou-20 mission, travelled to the Tiangong space station in April and were scheduled to return on Wednesday following a six-month stay. Their replacements, the Shenzhou-21 crew, had already arrived over the weekend.

“The Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft is suspected to have been struck by a small piece of orbital debris, and assessment of the impact and associated risks is currently under way,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement.

“To ensure the health and safety of the astronauts and the successful completion of the mission, it has been decided that the originally planned return of Shenzhou-20 on November 5 will be postponed.”

Officials did not specify when the debris incident occurred. Earlier in the week, state media reported that both crews had shared a meal of baked chicken prepared using the station’s first oven, delivered by the Shenzhou-21 team. On Tuesday, videos showed the two teams holding a handover ceremony.

Yu Jun, a science communicator known online as Steed’s Scarf, said that if the spacecraft is deemed unsafe to return, authorities could activate a backup plan.

“Shenzhou-22 and the Long March 2F (launcher) were already on standby. This is our rolling backup mechanism. They are in ‘emergency duty’ mode and ready to bring our astronauts home safely if needed,” Yu told his more than five million followers on Weibo.

China has continued to expand its human spaceflight program, completing 37 flights and six crewed missions so far, with plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou-20 commander, Chen Dong, holds China’s record for the longest cumulative space time more than 380 days and the highest number of spacewalks, with six.

Chinese astronauts have not joined the International Space Station, a partnership between the US, Russia, Europe, Canada, and Japan, due to a US law preventing NASA from cooperating with China’s space program. Instead, China has said it welcomes international cooperation on its Tiangong space station.

(The Guardian Uk)

Headline

Man Grabs Mexico’s President While Meeting Citizens On The Street

Published

2 hours ago

November 5, 2025

Editor

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, while meeting citizens in Mexico City was grabbed by a man, prompting concern over presidential security and ongoing harassment faced by women in the country.

A video from Tuesday shows a man, appearing intoxicated, attempting to kiss the president on the neck and holding her from behind.

She quickly removed his hands and turned to face him before an official stepped in and blocked the man.

As he was led away, Sheinbaum was seen smiling slightly and saying, “Don’t worry.” State police later confirmed the man’s arrest.

Commentators said the episode shows that no woman, not even Mexico’s President, is immune to harassment.

“Even if you’re the president, any guy believes he has the right to touch you,” said Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, a journalist with feminist outlet Volcánicas. “When they ask what the patriarchy is, this is it.”

The incident also raised questions about Sheinbaum’s security. Her team was not clearly visible in the footage, and it took several seconds for anyone to react.

It comes days after Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, a popular mayor, was killed during Day of the Dead celebrations in Uruapan, Michoacán.

He was shot seven times at close range before the gunman was killed. Before his death, Manzo Rodríguez had publicly appealed to Mexico’s President for help against local criminal groups.

He is the latest in a series of officials killed in Mexico. During the 2024 election campaign, 37 candidates were murdered, and since Sheinbaum’s government began on 1 October, 10 municipal presidents have also been killed.

While local leaders are often targeted, high-level officials have also faced threats.

In 1994, presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta was assassinated at a rally in Tijuana. In 2020, the Jalisco cartel attempted to kill Omar García Harfuch, Sheinbaum’s current security minister, in a daylight attack in Mexico City.

Sheinbaum herself faced a scare last year during her campaign in Chiapas, when masked men stopped her vehicle to demand action against violence before letting her go.

Like her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s President has preferred to keep close contact with the public and maintain lighter security. But the latest incident may prompt her to reconsider.

“Hopefully [the presidency will press charges], and the president will send a clear message: no man has the right to kiss or touch a woman without her consent,” wrote Alejandra Escobar, editorial director of Ectétera, on X. “May this also serve as an example for [her assistants]: it is not acceptable for her to be so exposed.”

(The Guardian UK)

Headline

Sweden To Charge 18-year-old Over IS Terror Plot

Published

1 day ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

The Swedish Prosecution Authority said Tuesday it intended to charge an 18-year-old man for planning a terrorist act in Stockholm on behalf of the Islamic State group.

According to prosecutors, the planning took place between August 2024 and February 2025.

“We believe the purpose of the preparations was to induce serious fear in the population, in the name of the Islamic State. The criminal act could have seriously harmed Sweden,” Deputy Chief Prosecutor Henrik Olin said in a statement.

Prosecutors did not provide details of the plan but said the man was also suspected of “preparation for serious crimes under the act on flammable and explosive goods and training for terrorism”.

Prosecutors said they planned to file the charges on Thursday and that a press conference would be held the same day.

The young man will also be charged alongside a 17-year-old boy with attempted murder in Germany in August 2024.

Both of them are also suspected of “participation in a terrorist organisation,” according to the statement.

The man was arrested in Stockholm on February 11 and has been in custody since then.

AFP