Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Moscow has insisted it must be part of any international discussions on Ukraine’s security, as the Kremlin continues to stall on Donald Trump’s effort to arrange a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Jordan on Wednesday, dismissed European diplomacy as “aggressive escalation” and “a clumsy effort to sway Trump”. He argued that talks on security guarantees without Russia were “a road to nowhere”, and repeated Moscow’s proposal for China to act as a guarantor, alongside Russia. Moscow as Beijing ally The idea, first raised in Turkey in 2022, is unlikely to be…

European leaders joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington after Donald Trump’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin failed to deliver a ceasefire. While Trump struck an upbeat tone, his European counterparts were more cautious. By Monday evening, the talks had produced no concrete commitments on security guarantees or progress towards a peace agreement. Here are some key points worthy of being acknowledged and noticed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest trip to Washington highlighted both the limits and contradictions of current diplomacy on Ukraine. Donald Trump signalled an ambition to bring Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy to the same table, hinting at bilateral and then…

A Peruvian woman has been arrested in Bali after allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine and ecstasy into the Indonesian resort island by concealing the drugs in a sex toy and her underwear. The 42-year-old, identified by police only as NS, arrived at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport from Qatar on 12 August when her behaviour aroused the suspicions of customs officers. Following consultation with police, officers conducted a further search and discovered 1.4 kilograms (3.1lbs) of cocaine hidden inside a sex toy concealed in her genitals, as well as in her underwear. Police also accused her of carrying dozens of…

Men in the Malaysian state of Terengganu face up to two years in prison if they fail to attend Friday prayers without a valid reason, under new rules introduced this week. The legislation, announced on Monday by the ruling Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), allows first-time offenders to be jailed for up to two years, fined 3,000 ringgit (£527), or both. Previously, men who missed three consecutive Friday prayers risked a maximum of six months in prison or a fine of up to 1,000 ringgit (£176). Mosques in the state will now display reminders of the new penalties, while enforcement will…

Donald Trump has ruled out deploying American troops to Ukraine as part of any future peace agreement with Vladimir Putin, tempering earlier pledges of security guarantees for Kyiv that European leaders had described as a breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Trump gives assurance In a telephone interview with Fox News, the US president was asked whether he could assure listeners that American soldiers would not be sent to Ukraine. “You have my assurance, and I’m president,” he replied. Trump indicated, however, that Washington could consider providing air support to backstop a settlement. “There’ll be some form of security.…

Israel has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday regarding a new Gaza ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.

Air Canada flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement with the airline to end a strike that disrupted travel for an estimated half a million passengers worldwide. Around 10,000 attendants walked off the job shortly after midnight on Saturday, demanding higher wages and compensation for unpaid ground duties, including time spent boarding passengers. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the attendants, defied two tribunal orders to return to work, forcing Air Canada to abandon plans to partially restore services. Talks resumed on Monday evening, and by nightfall the union confirmed a potential deal had been reached. “The…

A speechwriter for the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under scrutiny after being linked to a series of online posts promoting hate speech and extremist views. Eric Lendrum, who joined the DHS in March under Secretary Kristi Noem, previously served at the Department of the Interior during Donald Trump’s first administration. In the intervening years, he was active online, hosting a podcast, posting on X and Telegram, and contributing to the conservative website American Greatness. What speechwriter wrote In one 2021 blog post, Lendrum defended participants in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, claiming…

The administration of President Donald Trump has revoked more than 6,000 student visas, citing overstays and breaches of US law, with a small minority withdrawn over alleged links to terrorism, a State Department official confirmed yesterday. The decision, first reported by Fox Digital, forms part of the administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which has seen tighter vetting of social media accounts and expanded screening measures. Directives issued this year instructed American diplomats abroad to exercise particular caution towards applicants viewed in Washington as hostile to the United States or with a record of political activism, according to Reuters. Of the…

DThe US Department of Justice has agreed to provide Congress with documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation, a senior lawmaker confirmed on Monday, in a move that appears to ease, for now, a potential constitutional clash. The material will begin to be handed over on Friday to the House oversight committee, which earlier this month issued a wide-ranging subpoena to the department concerning a case that has long drawn intense public scrutiny, unsettled senior figures in Donald Trump’s administration, and fuelled numerous conspiracy theories. Republican speaks on many records in DoJ James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee,…