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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-long conflict.In an open letter carried by Ukrinform, Zelenskyy said the proposal to end the war “must be done honestly, with dignity, and with guarantees that the war will not be reignited”. Zelensky said the proposed meeting could take place in a third country that traditionally served as a venue for international negotiations, suggesting Switzerland, Turkiye, or countries of the Arab world. He added that his country was ready to implement a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiation process, noting that international partners, including the United States, could help monitor compliance with a truce.Yet, Zelenskyy stressed Kyiv would pursue fighting for its existence if Russia rejected the proposal. “If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence.” In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia welcomed the idea of a meeting and stated that Zelenskyy could travel to Moscow at any time. However, Peskov noted that President Putin had not yet reviewed the open letter and would be briefed on it soon.The exchange comes as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict remain stalled. Putin has previously reiterated Moscow’s position that any long-term settlement must address what it describes as the “root causes” of the war, including Russia’s security concerns. Source link
The US military said on Saturday that Iran launched seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, six of which were intercepted, while the seventh failed to reach its target.”Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.”Initial assessments indicate six of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its intended target. There are currently no reports of harm to US personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging US 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” it added. Source link
The US military said it had shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that had been launched toward the Strait of Hormuz.”Moments ago, CENTCOM forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz. The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic. US forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further attacks,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. Source link
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-long conflict.In an open letter carried by Ukrinform, Zelenskyy said the proposal to end the war “must be done honestly, with dignity, and with guarantees that the war will not be reignited”. Zelensky said the proposed meeting could take place in a third country that traditionally served as a venue for international negotiations, suggesting Switzerland, Turkiye, or countries of the Arab world. He added that his country was ready to implement a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiation process, noting that international partners, including the United States, could help monitor compliance with a truce. Yet, Zelenskyy stressed Kyiv would pursue fighting for its existence if Russia rejected the proposal. “If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence.” In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia welcomed the idea of a meeting and stated that Zelenskyy could travel to Moscow at any time. However, Peskov noted that President Putin had not yet reviewed the open letter and would be briefed on it soon.The exchange comes as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict remain stalled. Putin has previously reiterated Moscow’s position that any long-term settlement must address what it describes as the “root causes” of the war, including Russia’s security concerns. Source link
A Nepali climbing guide who went missing on Mount Everest for six days and was believed dead has been found alive after crawling alone almost to Base Camp, officials told AFP yesterday.His wife had even begun to offer last rite prayers for his soul, she told AFP at the hospital in the capital Kathmandu, where he is recovering from “some frostbite” but is conscious.Mountaineer Dawa Sherpa — who is in his 50s, and is better known as “Hillary”, like famed climber Edmund Hillary — vanished on the upper reaches of the world’s highest mountain in bitter conditions, early on May 30.He was found yesterday morning close to Base Camp by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a Nepali team that helps set routes on Everest and clean up waste left behind.”He was found by a team of SPCC this morning close to the base camp — he was crawling down,” Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions, which was overseeing search and rescue efforts, told AFP.A helicopter flew him to Kathmandu, where an AFP team saw him carried out on a stretcher.”He is awake and undergoing treatment,” Nishant Dhakal, a doctor in the intensive care unit of Kathmandu’s HAMS Hospital, said.”We are managing his frostbites, cold injuries, hydration and trauma. He is being further evaluated and will be in our ICU.”Dawa Sherpa’s wife, Damu Sherpa, said her family was overjoyed.”We were very happy to hear the news, we had given up hope,” she said. “We also began puja (last rite prayers) yesterday.”His daughter Mendo Lhamu Sherpa said they almost did not believe it when they received a telephone call to say that he was found.”At first we were not sure if it was him — but they sent us photos to confirm, and then I was happy,” she said.— ‘Tiger of the mountains’ —Climber Chris Thrall, a former British Royal Marine, said he successfully summited the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak with Dawa Sherpa around 5:00pm on May 29.He posted a video message on Instagram on Wednesday mourning what he thought was the death of Dawa Sherpa.He called him an “absolute gentle giant of a man and a true ‘tiger of the mountains'”, in a post that assumed the worst.Thrall described how on May 30 he had begun to descend from Camp Four — at around 7,950m, just below the low-oxygen “death zone”.He said that as he descended, Dawa Sherpa stopped.”He sat down for a rest with his backpack, these guys carry huge loads,” he said.”And I turned and I said, ‘Hillary, are you okay, brother?’ He said, ‘Yes, yes, fine Chris, please go, go!’ This is nothing new, you know, I’d go ahead, he’d go ahead.”As Thrall went down, he found a Polish climber who was struggling after running out of supplementary oxygen and had suffered frostbite.”It had been a long summit push. What should have been five days to the summit and back took us 11 days, that’s how challenging the conditions were,” said Thrall.”So, do I go back for Sherpa, who’s probably going to rock up and be fine, as he has done hundreds of times before?” he added.”Or do I help my fellow climber, who’s got no oxygen, frostbite in his fingers, and obviously you’re never far off hypothermia up there?”Thrall described tough conditions, sharing his oxygen cylinder with the Pole as they descended, taking 11 hours to get to Camp Three. It would usually take two hours.”I realised we had a really serious situation,” he said.Search teams set out to find Dawa Sherpa but he was not seen again until yesterday morning, having made his way down on his own.The climb was one of the last of the season, meaning that there were few other mountaineers on the peak.At least five people have died this season — two Indians and three Nepali climbers involved in Everest preparations.More than 1,000 climbers reached the summit of Everest this season, according to initial tallies by Nepali officials, making it the busiest season on record. Related Story Source link
A satellite image shows a possible raft at the opening to Scarborough Shoal, in the South China Sea. (Reuters) Satellite images obtained by Reuters confirmed the presence of a structure at the entrance of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea last week, though later imagery suggests it is no longer there.The Philippines said on Wednesday it was investigating reports about the presence of a new structure on the Scarborough Shoal, which China has at times attempted to block since it seized de facto control of the atoll in 2012.Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro received raw information about the presence of the structure, he told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue — a regional defence forum — in Singapore on Saturday.Photographs taken on May 27, 29, and 30 show what an analyst at Vantor, a commercial provider of satellite imagery, said was possibly a floating raft or buoy at the opening of the atoll, in addition to a barrier stretching across it in the May 27 and 29 images.On Tuesday, US-based maritime monitoring group, SeaLight, posted on X satellite imagery taken on May 28 of Scarborough Shoal showing what it described as a “small, reflective object clearly distinguishable on the reef flat near the lagoon entrance.””Evidence suggests it is a persistent feature rather than a transient optical artifact,” SeaLight said, citing its review of additional satellite images.But it could no longer be seen in a June 1 image taken by Vantor, the first reported evidence that the suspected structure is no longer present there.China’s defence ministry and its embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Scarborough, which China calls “Huangyan Dao” is one of Asia’s most disputed maritime sites, and some diplomats and analysts fear long-running frictions and confrontations over the atoll could degenerate into armed conflict.In recent years, Chinese coast guard vessels have clashed frequently with Philippine fishermen around the shoal, which is located close to major shipping lanes and is coveted for its fish stocks and a turquoise lagoon that provides a haven for vessels during storms.China’s military and coast guard carried out patrols in the area on Sunday, just after Philippine and US forces held a five-day maritime exercise in the same waters — the third such drill this year — to strengthen interoperability and maritime security.A landmark 2016 ruling on various South China Sea issues by the Permanent Court of Arbitration backed Manila, but establishing sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal was outside its scope.The court said Beijing’s blockade there violated international law as it was a traditional fishing ground for several countries, including China, the Philippines and Vietnam.Last year, China announced the creation of a national nature reserve at the shoal, a move quickly denounced by the Philippines, which described it as a “clear pretext for occupation.” Related Story Source link
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin meets with representatives of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum at the Constantine Palace in…
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that antimicrobial resistance poses a significant long-term threat to food security and livestock production.In its report, “The Future of Antimicrobial Use in Livestock – The Economic Cost of Action or Inaction”, the FAO stated that the continuation of current antimicrobial use patterns in the livestock sector could exacerbate health and economic challenges.The organization emphasized that while antimicrobials play a crucial role in protecting animal health and treating diseases, their overuse and misuse contribute to the rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance, reducing the effectiveness of available treatments and increasing long-term health risks.The FAO warned that if decisive action is not taken to curb this phenomenon, antimicrobial use in the global livestock sector is projected to increase by approximately 30 percent by 2040. Source link
The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution calling for an end to the war with Iran, a move representing a political setback for President Donald Trump, who ordered military operations against Iran on February 28.Introduced by Democrats, the resolution requires congressional approval before further military action against Iran, amid growing concerns within the legislative body about the consequences of war.The resolution passed by a vote of 215-208 after four Republican representatives joined the Democrats in voting for it. Source link
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level 4 national emergency response to address geological disasters in Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces, amid forecasts of heavy rain and storms in the coming days.The weather forecast indicates that parts of north-central Jiangxi, central Hunan, and south-central Guizhou are likely to experience heavy rain and storms until Friday.Areas in northeastern Jiangxi, central Hunan, and western Guizhou also face a relatively high risk of geological disasters.The ministry urged local authorities in the affected areas to intensify monitoring of rainfall levels, flooding, and geological disaster risks, and to take necessary measures to mitigate their impact. Source link