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BBC News, I'm John Shea.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has offered direct talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul next Thursday, the 15th of May. In a late-night news conference, he said that Moscow wanted serious negotiations to remove what he called the "root causes" of the conflict. "War is continuing with Russia at the hands of Ukrainian nationalists. I repeat, Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions. Now there are military actions, a war. And we propose to resume the negotiations that were interrupted, not by us. What's wrong with that? Those who really want peace cannot but support this." Mr. Putin made the announcement after the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and Britain visiting Kyiv on Saturday called for a 30-day truce from Monday. President Trump backed the cease-fire call. The interim government in Bangladesh has temporarily banned the country's oldest political party, the Awami League, of the exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The government adviser, Asif Nazrul, said the party's activities would be banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act, including online, until its trial concludes. The Awami League is in court over its alleged role in the deaths of almost 1,000 people in an anti-government uprising last year. India and Pakistan have accused each other of violating the cease-fire that was introduced late on Saturday. A foreign ministry official in Delhi said Indian troops had responded appropriately. Pakistan said its troops had acted with restraint. This report from Alfie Tobutt. Within hours there were reminders of just how uneasy this truce is. Explosions were heard in Indian-administered Kashmir. It wasn't immediately clear what had caused them. However in a late-night news conference, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri accused Pakistan of violating the cease-fire. In a statement, Pakistan's foreign ministry said it remained committed to the cease-fire and accused India of breaching the agreement in some areas. During a national address, the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said the truce had been agreed for the benefit of everybody. Pope Leo has made an unannounced visit to the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where his predecessor is buried. Walking slowly to shouts of "Long live the pope", Leo laid a white flower on Francis' tomb and knelt in prayer for a few moments. These people described seeing the new pontiff there. "I was already inside the church and it was a surprise. We found ourselves next to the pope. My heart is still racing because, well, when will I have the chance again to find myself face-to-face with the pope?" "We came to visit Pope Francis and we had this surprise of Pope Leo. It was wonderful. We greeted him and he came so close. It was a beautiful thing." This is the latest world news from the BBC. Donald Trump has spoken positively about the opening day of trade talks between the U.S. and China in Geneva on Saturday. Writing on social media, he said a total reset was being negotiated in a friendly and constructive manner. The Trump administration has imposed swingeing tariffs on Chinese imports into the U.S., prompting Chinese retaliation. The trade war has caused a quarterly contraction in the U.S. economy. The talks are due to resume on Sunday. Hamas has posted another video showing hostages it's holding in Gaza. It features 35-year-old Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana, who's 25. They were abducted at gunpoint from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. One of the men called for an end to the war in Gaza. The Cameroonian art curator, Koyo Kouoh, has died suddenly at the age of 58. She had led the biggest contemporary art museum in Africa, Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. Our Africa regional editor Will Ross assesses her legacy. Koyo Kouoh's star was on the rise. The Cameroonian-born curator was extremely proud to have been chosen to put on next year's Venice Biennale. In an interview published just last week, Kouoh said she'd almost trained to be a midwife and saw her job in the art world as midwifery of a different kind. She allowed artworks to be born. Kouoh was a Pan-Africanist, with the vision of dispelling negative perceptions of African countries through their art. In a statement, the Venice Biennale said Koyo Kouoh's sudden and untimely passing left an "immense void in the world of contemporary art." The world's number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner, returned to action on Saturday at the Italian Open after a three-month doping ban. He said he was grateful to the anti-doping authorities. After concluding that his two infractions were not deliberate, they penalized him with the short ban, allowing him to compete in the major tournaments. But some complained that junior players often receive longer suspensions for similar infractions. BBC News. |