🇺🇦Ukraine seeks new round of talks with Russia
Ukraine has proposed a new round of peace talks with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, in a move aimed at restarting negotiations that halted last month.
Senior security official Rustem Umerov has offered to meet the Russian side next week, Zelensky said in his evening address, adding that everything had to be done to get a ceasefire.
Zelenksy also repeated his readiness to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin face-to-face. "A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace," he said.
The proposal came hours after Ukraine was hit with another widespread air bombardment by Russia, which killed three people.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇸🇾Syrian presidency to send new force to halt clashes in south
The Syrian presidency says it will deploy a new force to halt the deadly sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south of the country.
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's office urged "all parties to exercise restraint", amid reports of renewed fighting near the city of Suweida on Friday.
Almost 600 people are reported to have been killed since the violence erupted on Sunday. Government troops deployed to the area were accused by residents of killing Druze civilians and carrying out extrajudicial executions.
Israel later struck targets in Syria to force the troops to withdraw from Suweida province. On Friday, the US ambassador to Turkey said that Israel and Syria had agreed a ceasefire.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇸US passes first major national crypto legislation
Lawmakers in the US have passed the country's first major national cryptocurrency legislation.
It is a major milestone for the once fringe industry, which has been lobbying Congress over regulation for years and poured millions into last year's election, backing candidates that included Donald Trump.
The bill sets up a regulatory regime for so-called stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency backed by assets seen as reliable, such as the dollar.
Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law on Friday, after the House passed the bill on Thursday, joining the Senate, which had approved the measure last month.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇸🇮🇩Trump claims tariff deal with Indonesia
US President Donald Trump said he has settled on another tariff deal - this time with Indonesia.
Trump said he had agreed to lower tariffs he had threatened on goods entering the US from Indonesia to 19%, in exchange for what he called "full access" for American firms.
Terms of the deal were not immediately confirmed by Indonesia but the country's President Prabowo Subianto said it marked a "new era of mutual benefit" with Washington.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇨🇲World's oldest president to seek eighth term
The world's oldest head of state, Cameroon's President Paul Biya, 92, has said he will run once more for re-election in October aiming to extend his 43 years in power.
"Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face," he said in a post on X.
He added that his decision to go for an eighth term came after "numerous and insistent" calls by people from all regions in Cameroon and the diaspora.
Biya's administration has faced criticism over corruption, embezzlement, bad governance and failure to tackle security challenges. There have also been concerns about his health and ability to govern.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇫🇷Europe's freedom faces greatest threat since WW2, Macron says
French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined plans for a big increase in defence spending, warning Europe's liberty is facing a "greater threat" than at any time since the end of World War Two.
In a speech to the armed forces in Paris, he said "we are living in a pivotal moment" due to complex geopolitics.
Macron called for France's defence spending to rise by €3.5bn (£3bn) next year and then by a further €3bn in 2027.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇿🇦South African police minister suspended over organised crime allegations
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on an immediate "leave of absence" after allegations of links to organised crimes were made against him.
In Sunday's live televised speech to the nation, Ramaphosa also announced a judicial commission would probe the claims, which he said undermined the constitution and threatened national security.
He added that law professor Firoz Cachalia had been appointed as interim police minister.
Mchunu denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement that he "stood ready to respond to the accusations" against him.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇸President Donald Trump has announced that the European Union and Mexico will face a 30% tariff on imports to the US from 1 August.
He warned he would impose even higher import taxes if either of the US trading partners decided to retaliate.
The 27-member EU said earlier this week it hoped to agree a deal with Washington before 1 August.
Trump has this week also said the US will impose new tariffs on goods from Japan, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, also starting from 1 August. Similar letters were sent this week to a number of smaller US trade partners.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇹🇳Tunisian opposition leader jailed for 14 years
Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, adding to a string of other jail terms he has received in separate cases.
Ghannouchi, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for "conspiring against state security".
Ghannouchi's defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair trial.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇸US will hike tariffs on copper to 50%, Trump says
Copper entering the US from other countries is set to face a new tax of 50%, President Donald Trump has said.
The decision carries through on tariff threats the president made earlier this year, when he ordered an investigation into how imports of the metal were affecting national security.
Similar probes are looming over other sectors, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber, as part of a wider embrace of tariffs that Trump claims will protect and boost American industry.
Copper prices in the US jumped to a record high after the announcement of the new import tax, which Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said are expected to come into effect around the end of this month.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇷🇺Russian minister sacked by Putin found dead
Russia's Investigative Committee says former Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead, apparently with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was dismissed earlier on Monday by President Vladimir Putin.
No reason for Starovoit's dismissal was given and deputy transport minister Andrei Nikitin was announced as his replacement shortly after.
The Investigative Committee said it was working to establish the circumstances of the incident.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
⚠️First round of Gaza ceasefire talks ends without breakthrough
The latest round of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have ended without a breakthrough, a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC.
According to the official, the session lasted for nearly three and a half hours and took place in two separate buildings in Doha.
Messages and clarifications were exchanged between the two sides through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, but no progress was achieved.
The official added that talks are expected to resume on Monday, as mediators plan to hold separate meetings with each delegation in an effort to overcome the obstacles and narrow the gaps between the two sides.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇮🇱Israel to send negotiators to Gaza talks despite 'unacceptable' Hamas demands, PM says
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for proximity talks with Hamas on the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had accepted the invitation despite what he described as the "unacceptable" changes that Hamas wanted to make to a plan presented by mediators from Qatar, the US and Egypt.
On Friday night, Hamas said it had delivered a "positive response" to the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and that it was ready for negotiations.
However, a Palestinian official said the group had sought amendments including a guarantee that hostilities would not resume if talks on a permanent truce failed.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇬🇧🇸🇾David Lammy first UK minister to visit Syria since 2011 uprising
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has become the first UK minister to visit Syria since the uprising that led to the country's civil war began 14 years ago.
Lammy met Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa eight months after the collapse of the Assad regime and as the new Islamic-led government continues to establish control within the country.
Alongside the visit, the UK government announced an additional £94.5m support package to cover humanitarian aid and support longer-term recovery within Syria and countries helping Syrian refugees.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇸🇪🇹🇷Notorious Swedish gang leader arrested in Turkey
One of Sweden's most wanted gang leaders, Ismail Abdo, has been arrested in Turkey, the Swedish prosecutor's office said on Friday.
The dual Swedish-Turkish national has an extensive list of drug-related charges against him according to the global police agency, Interpol.
The 35-year-old, nicknamed The Strawberry, is a well-known leader of the Rumba crime gang in Sweden. He is accused of orchestrating illegal operations from abroad and has been the subject of an Interpol red notice since last year.
Swedish police did not identify him, but confirmed the arrest of a man "suspected of having engaged in serious drug trafficking and inciting serious violent crimes" for many years in Sweden.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇨🇩Hope for peace as DR Congo and M23 rebels sign deal in Qatar
The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels have signed a ceasefire deal in Qatar to end fighting between the warring sides.
Dubbed the Declaration of Principles, Saturday's agreement seen by the BBC, says both sides must refrain from attacks, "hate propaganda" and "any attempt to seize by force new positions on the ground".
The declaration is intended as a roadmap towards a permanent settlement.
The two sides agreed to implement the deal's terms by July 29. A final peace deal is due by 18 August and must align with last month's US-brokered deal between DR Congo and Rwanda, which denies accusations it backs M23.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇰🇵North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening
North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists.
The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened on 1 July, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ambitions to boost tourism.
In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea's tourism website says that foreigners are "temporarily" not allowed to visit.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇸Mike Waltz grilled over Signal leak at UN ambassador hearing
Donald Trump's former national security adviser Mike Waltz has faced scrutiny from US senators over his role in a sensitive Signal group chat in which officials discussed war plans.
Waltz appeared before a hearing on Tuesday seeking Senate confirmation as Trump's nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, following his removal from his former post in May.
Under questioning from Democrats, Waltz maintained he did not share classified information in the chat, which accidentally included a journalist.
The March incident, which became known as "Signalgate", threw the White House into turmoil and sparked a debate about the administration's cybersecurity.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇫🇷French PM looks to scrap two public holidays in bold bid to cut national debt
France's Prime Minister François Bayrou has proposed cutting two public holidays as part of a 2026 budget proposal to slash overall spending while also increasing defence expenses.
Bayrou suggested axing Easter Monday and 8 May, a day that commemorates the Allied victory at the end of World War Two in Europe.
He said the various bank holidays had turned the month of May into a gruyère - a Swiss cheese full of holes - although he added he was open to other suggestions.
Bayrou runs the risk of having his budget voted down in parliament in the autumn, which could eventually cause his government to collapse.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇸🇾At least 30 killed in sectarian clashes in Syria
At least 30 people have been killed in clashes in southern Syria as authorities sent forces to de-escalate the situation.
Scores of people were also injured in the violence between Bedouin Sunni tribes and fighters from the Druze religious minority in the city of Sweida.
Syria's interior ministry said at least 30 people were killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, put the death toll at 37.
Fighting between different minority groups has escalated since the collapse of the Assad regime in December.
A new Islamic-led government is working to establish control within the country, which remains in a fragile situation.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇳🇬Former Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari dies aged 82
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, who has died age 82 in a London clinic, was a former military ruler and self-styled converted democrat who returned to power through elections but struggled to convince Nigerians he could deliver on the change he promised.
Never a natural politician, he was seen as aloof and austere. But he retained a reputation for personal honesty - a rare feat for a politician in Nigeria.
After three failed attempts, Buhari achieved a historic victory in 2015, becoming the country's first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent. In 2019, he was re-elected for another four-year term.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇰🇵🇺🇦North Korea reaffirms support for Russia's war in Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his "unconditional support" on the war in Ukraine, according to Pyongyang state media reports.
In talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in North Korea, Kim said that Pyongyang stood by "all the measures taken by the Russian leadership" to tackle the "root cause of the Ukrainian crisis".
Western officials believe Pyongyang has sent an estimated 11,000 troops to Russia over the last year to fight against Ukraine.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇵🇸Gaza ceasefire talks on verge of collapse, Palestinian officials say
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar on a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are on the brink of collapse, according to Palestinian officials familiar with the details of the discussions.
One senior official told the BBC that Israel had "bought time" during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week and deliberately stalled the process by sending a delegation to Doha with no real authority to make decisions on key points of contention.
They include the withdrawal of Israeli troops and humanitarian aid distribution.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇱🇸Lesotho declares state of disaster amid US tariff uncertainty
Lesotho has declared a national state of disaster over the country's "high rates of youth unemployment and job losses" as uncertainty over US tariffs hits the landlocked nation.
Lesotho was hit by higher tariffs than any other country - 50% - when they were announced by President Donald Trump in April, although they have since been paused.
Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara said the state of disaster would be in force until 30 June 2027.
Unemployment in Lesotho stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official figures.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇸🇸🇾US to remove Syria's HTS from list of foreign terror groups
The US is set to take the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) off its list of foreign terrorist organisations on Tuesday, according to a state department memo.
The group led a rebel offensive in December that toppled the Assad regime, which had ruled Syria for 54 years. Its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is now the country's interim president.
HTS, also known as al-Nusra Front, was previously al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until al-Sharaa severed ties in 2016.
In recent months, Western countries have sought to reset relations with Syria - which has faced heavy sanctions aimed at the old regime.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇿🇦South Africa's police minister accused of links to criminal gangs
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has been accused of having ties to criminal gangs and of meddling in police investigations into politically motivated murders.
These explosive allegations were made by KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at a press briefing on Sunday.
He said Mr Mchunu was receiving financial support from an allegedly corrupt businessman to fund his "political endeavours".
Mr Mchunu has since denied what he says are "wild allegations" while President Cyril Ramaphosa said they were of "grave national security concern" and "receiving the highest priority attention".
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇬Uganda's 80-year-old president in bid to extend 40-year rule
Uganda's long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, 80, has been declared the governing party's candidate in next year's presidential election, opening the way for him to seek to extend his nearly 40 years in power.
In his acceptance speech, Museveni said that he had responded to the call and, if elected, would press ahead with his mission to turn Uganda into a "high middle income country".
Museveni's critics say he has ruled with an iron hand since he seized power as a rebel leader in 1986.
He has won every election held since then, and the constitution has been amended twice to remove age and term limits to allow him remain in office.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇮🇷Iran supreme leader in first public appearance since Israel war
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made his first public appearance since the start of Iran's conflict with Israel, according to state media.
State television footage showed him greeting worshippers at a mosque on Saturday during a ceremony a day before the Shia festival of Ashura.
Khamenei's last non-public appearance was in a recorded address after the ceasefire that ended the 12-day war, which began on 13 June and during which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed.
Israel launched a surprise attack on nuclear and military sites in Iran, after which Iran retaliated with aerial attacks targeting Israel.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇺🇸Elon Musk says he is launching new political party
Elon Musk says he is launching a new political party, weeks after dramatically falling out with US President Donald Trump.
The billionaire announced on his social media platform X that he had set up the America Party, billing it as a challenge to the Republican and Democratic two-party system.
However, it is unclear if the party has been formally registered with US election authorities. Musk, who was born outside of the US and is thus ineligible to run for the US presidency, does not say who will lead it.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
🇰🇪Kenyan leader to build huge church at presidential office
Kenyan President William Ruto says he is building a church at the presidential residence in Nairobi that he will pay for himself - and says he has nothing to apologise for.
"I am not going to ask anyone for an apology for building a church. The devil might be angry and can do what he wants," Ruto said on Friday.
That statement alone has angered Kenyans already frustrated with his style of leadership and what they regard as the entanglement of the state and the church.
✅@virals ⭐️Boosts
