Author: Daily Sabah With Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine is “fully committed” to having a constructive dialogue with U.S. representatives in Saudi Arabia next week over ways to end the war with Russia. Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence-sharing with Kyiv. He has accused Zelenskiy of not being serious about reaching a peace agreement with Russia, which invaded Ukraine three years ago and has seized about 20% of its territory. “Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on…
A man was killed and an Israeli female tourist and Indian woman were gang-raped by three men in an attack late on Thursday near a popular UNESCO World Heritage site in southern India, local police said on Saturday. The Indian man and two women were stargazing with two other male tourists in the town of Hampi when the three men attacked them following an altercation over money, police superintendent Ram Arasiddi told Reuters over the phone. The assailants pushed the men into a river canal before raping the women, he said. Two of the men, including an American, survived, and…
Pope Francis is showing a “good response” to his treatment in hospital for double pneumonia and his overall condition is gradually improving, the Vatican said on Saturday. Francis, 88, has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital for more than three weeks with a severe respiratory infection that has required continuously evolving treatment. “The clinical condition of the Holy Father in recent days has remained stable and, consequently, indicates a good response to the treatment,” said the latest detailed medical update. The pope, it said, has continued to have no fever and his blood test have remained stable. Although the doctors said…
The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Friday he was alarmed by intense clashes and killings in coastal areas between Syrian Caretaker Authority forces and elements loyal to the former regime, “with very troubling reports of civilian casualties”.
A news agency linked to Iran’s top security body said on Friday there was nothing new in U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements on the Islamic republic and his offer of talks. “Trump’s pattern in foreign policy: slogans, threats, temporary action, and retreat!,” Nour News said on X. “On Iran: first he said he didn’t want confrontation, then he signed a maximum pressure (policy), then he imposed new sanctions, and now he talks about sending a letter to the leadership with an invitation to #negotiations! (This is a) repetitive show by #America,” it added.
A Paris court found the former head of France’s domestic security services, Bernard Squarcini, guilty on Friday of using public resources to benefit LVMH, in a trial that shed light on efforts by the world’s biggest luxury group to protect its reputation. Squarcini, 69, who headed France’s domestic security services from 2008 to 2012, was later hired by LVMH as a security consultant. The court gave him a two-year prison sentence that he can serve at home with an electronic bracelet and an additional two years suspended, and fined 200,000 euros ($217,300). His lawyers said he would appeal against the…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday that the central bank’s decision to cut its key interest rate by 250 basis points to 42.5% on Thursday was a step in the right direction. Speaking at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner with tradesmen in Istanbul, Erdoğan also said vendors and tradesmen must not allow those imposing “exorbitant price hikes” on citizens.
Iran’s foreign ministry warned on Friday that violence in Syria could cause regional instability, state media reported, amid reports of fighting in western Syria. It was the first comment by Iran, which had long backed Syria’s ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, during the fighting between the government in Damascus and fighters believed to be from Assad’s Alawite sect in western Syria. “Recalling the interim government’s responsibility in ensuring the security of all Syrian citizens, Iran strongly opposes insecurity, violence, killing and harming innocent Syrians from every group and tribe, and sees it as a catalyst for regional instability,” foreign ministry spokesperson…
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday said he was finding it more difficult to deal with Ukraine and that it may be easier to deal with Russia as his administration seeks to reach a peace agreement.
The United States is stopping all federal funding to South Africa, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday. “To go a step further, any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Trump said this process will begin immediately. U.S. foreign assistance commitments to South Africa came in at $323.4 million in 2024, according to government data.