PARIS:&nbsp;Revelers around the world toasted the start of 2026 on Thursday, bidding farewell to a volatile year when temperatures soared, US President Donald Trump upended global trade, and the brutal conflict in Ukraine raged on. While a fragile truce took hold in devastated Gaza, violence in Sudan continued unabated.&nbsp; A new American pope was installed at the Vatican, the world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, and Labubu dolls sparked a worldwide frenzy. In Sydney, partygoers paused for a minute of silence to remember the victims of the mass shooting on Bondi Beach before fireworks lit up the skies at the stroke of midnight. Heavily armed police patrolled the shoreline, packed with hundreds of thousands of people, barely two weeks after 15 people were gunned down at a Jewish festival in Australia&#39;s deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years. Bathed in white lightThe famed Sydney Harbour Bridge was bathed in white light to symbolize peace. Pacific nations, including Kiribati and New Zealand, were the first to see in 2026, with Seoul and Tokyo following Sydney in celebrations that spread around the globe with each passing hour. In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display was cancelled&nbsp;in homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks. &lsquo;10 percent&rsquo; awayUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was &ldquo;10 percent&rdquo; away from a deal to end the fighting, which soon reached the four-year mark. Russia&rsquo;s Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, used his traditional New Year address to urge his compatriots to believe that Moscow would deliver a victory in Europe&#39;s deadliest conflict since World War II. In the Ukrainian city of Vyshhorod, beauty salon manager Daria Lushchyk said the war had made her work &ldquo;hell&rdquo; but that her clients were still showing up. &ldquo;Nothing can stop our Ukrainian girls from coming in and getting themselves glam,&rdquo; Lushchyk said. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Tariff blitz and fragile truce&nbsp;</h2>This year has brought a mix of stress and excitement for many, war for others still -- and a daring jewel heist at the Louvre. Pop megastar Taylor Swift got engaged to her American football player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return. Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global trade and world stock markets into meltdown. As he prepared to host a New Year&#39;s party at his lavish Florida home, the Republican president launched a broadside at Oscar-winning actor George Clooney. After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, pressure from Trump helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October -- though both sides have accused each other of flagrant violations. &ldquo;We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief,&rdquo; said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali. &ldquo;We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror.&rdquo; Optimism in Syria&nbsp;In contrast, there was optimism despite abiding internal challenges in Syria, where residents of the capital Damascus celebrated a whole year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. &ldquo;There is no fear, the people are happy, all of Syria is one and united, and God willing &hellip; it will be a good year for the people and the wise leadership,&rdquo; marketing manager Sahar al-Said, 33, told AFP as bells rang in Damascus. Fireworks in DubaiIn Dubai, thousands of revelers queued for up to nine hours for a spectacular fireworks and laser display at the Burj Khalifa, the world&rsquo;s tallest building. Revelers popped champagne near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Bulgaria adopted the euro, and huge crowds danced at Edinburgh&#39;s Hogmanay street party. More than 2.5 million people were expected to pack Rio de Janeiro&#39;s Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world&rsquo;s biggest New Year&#39;s Eve party. Crowds packed the city&#39;s expansive coastline for concerts and fireworks, mostly dressed in white, a tradition related to Iemanja, the goddess of the sea in Afro-Brazilian faiths. In the US capital, the Washington Monument was lit up to kick off America&#39;s 250th birthday celebration year. And in New York, thousands gathered in freezing temperatures amid tight security for the traditional ball drop in Times Square. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Sports, space and AI &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space, and questions over artificial intelligence. Athletes will gather in Italy in February for the Winter Olympics. And for a few weeks in June and July, 48 nations will compete in the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. NASA is planning a crewed mission to orbit the Moon during a 10-day flight, more than 50 years after the last Apollo lunar mission. And after years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny, and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.

Europe

Americas

Australasia

Middle East

The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space, and questions over AI; in February, athletes will take part in the Winter Olympics, and in June and July, 48 nations will compete in the football World Cup.

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks after year of Trump and turmoil

KYIV: The US has offered Ukraine &quot;solid&quot; security guarantees for 15 years with a possibility of an extension but Kyiv is seeking a longer period, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday after meeting Donald Trump. Zelensky held talks with Trump in Florida, where the US leader said a deal to end almost four years of war with Russia was closer than ever. The wartime president said the issue of territory and the future of Ukraine&#39;s Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant were the remaining unresolved parts of a plan to end the war. But Zelensky added that he considered the presence of international troops in Ukraine a necessary part of the guarantees, which Russia has rejected in the past. Still, the Kremlin agreed with Trump&#39;s assessment that talks were in their final stages while repeating its maximalist demand for Kyiv to withdraw from eastern Ukraine. Kyiv was hoping for a meeting with European and American officials in Ukraine in the &quot;coming days&quot; to work on documents to end the conflict, Zelensky said. Any deal to end Europe&#39;s worst conflict since WWII &quot;must be signed by Ukraine, Russia, the US and Europe&quot;, he said. Security guarantees were a priority for Kyiv. &quot;Without security guarantees, this war cannot be considered truly over. We cannot acknowledge that it has ended, because with such a neighbour there remains a risk of renewed aggression,&quot; Zelensky said. He had told Trump the 15-year offer was too short a period for Kyiv. &quot;I told him that we really want to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years,&quot; he added. &quot;The president said he would think about it.&quot; Strikes us with missilesZelensky spoke as Russia continued its relentless attacks into the holiday season and pressed on with its maximalist demands in Ukraine. Zelensky repeated that Kyiv was ready for &quot;any&quot; format of meetings -- including with Putin if necessary -- but said he still did not think the Kremlin chief wanted peace. He accused Putin of misleading Trump. &quot;On the one hand, he tells the president of the United States that he wants to end the war and that this is his desire,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;And on the other hand...he strikes us with missiles (and) gives instructions to his generals about where to advance.&quot; Putin has for weeks told Russians Moscow was intent on achieving its aims in Ukraine by force if diplomacy fails. Moscow wants to keep all the territory it occupies in Ukraine as well as be handed lands in eastern Ukraine still controlled by Kyiv. The Kremlin on Monday again called for Ukraine to withdraw from unoccupied parts of Donbas, warning that &quot;Ukraine is losing territory and will continue to do so.&quot; It said it expected Putin and Trump to speak by phone in the &quot;very near future.&quot; Territory issue unresolved&nbsp;Trump on Sunday acknowledged the issue of territories were unresolved between the warring countries, showing little sign of a breakthrough. &quot;It&#39;s unresolved, but it&#39;s getting a lot closer. That&#39;s a very tough issue, but one that I think will get resolved,&quot; Trump said. Zelensky also said it was a remaining issue and offered little detail, only saying: &quot;We will act in accordance with the interests of Ukraine.&quot; The current plan, revised after weeks of intense US-Ukrainian negotiations, would stop the war at the current frontlines in the eastern Donbas region and set up a demilitarized area, while Russia has long demanded territorial concessions. But the Kremlin has shown no sign of compromise, with Putin repeatedly saying his troops will seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian. Outnumbered and exhausted Ukrainian troops have struggled to hold back a Russian advance, which picked up pace since autumn. Moscow on Monday said it took another village, Dibrova, in the Donetsk region.

US has offered Ukraine "solid" security guarantees for 15 years with a possibility of an extension, but Kyiv is seeking a longer period, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after meeting Donald Trump

US offered Kyiv 15 years of security guarantees, Zelensky says

Web Desk

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that Kyiv&#39;s allies would meet in Paris next month to discuss security guarantees as part of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. &quot;We will bring together the countries of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris in early January to finalize each one&#39;s concrete contributions,&quot; Macron said on X after speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. Macron said discussions were advancing on security guarantees that he described as essential for achieving a just and lasting peace.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 368px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2005430041782759531&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F3111%2F&sessionId=6aea73df3a5fbbfbca8118eceaa43cf257cf59db&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2005430041782759531"></iframe></div></div>He added that countries forming the &ldquo;Coalition of the Willing&rdquo; would meet in Paris in early January to finalize their specific commitments. The statement comes hours after&nbsp;Trump said a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-ukraine-deal-closer-but-no-talks-breakthrough" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">deal was closer than ever</a> to end the Ukraine war, but reported no apparent breakthrough on the flashpoint issue of territory after new talks with the warring countries&#39; leaders. Trump, who had promised a peace deal on day one of his nearly year-old presidency, said it would become clear within weeks whether it was possible to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people since February 2022. In a pre-New Year&#39;s diplomatic sprint, Trump brought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Florida, where the two met with top aides over lunch, a day after Russia unleashed major new attacks on residential areas of the capital Kyiv. Much like when Zelensky last met Trump in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke shortly beforehand by telephone with the US leader, who immediately insisted that Moscow was &quot;serious&quot; about peace despite the assault. &quot;I really believe we&#39;re, Mr. President, probably closer than &mdash; far closer than &mdash; ever before with both parties,&quot; Trump said with Zelensky at his side in the tea room of his Mar-a-Lago estate. &quot;Everybody wants it ended,&quot; Trump said.

Says discussions are advancing on security guarantees that he describes as essential for achieving a just and lasting peace.

Macron says Kyiv allies to meet in Paris early January

MOSCOW: A senior Russian general was killed in southern Moscow on Monday after an explosive device placed under his car went off, investigators said in a statement.&nbsp;Russia&#39;s Investigative Committee, which examines major crimes, said it had opened a probe into the &quot;murder&quot; of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the training department within the General Staff.&nbsp;The possibility that the attack was &quot;linked&quot; to &quot;Ukrainian special forces&quot; was among the lines of inquiry, it said.&nbsp;Since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv has been blamed for several attacks targeting Russian military officials and pro-Kremlin personalities in Russia and in Russian-controlled Ukrainian regions.&nbsp;General Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy of the General Staff, was killed in a car blast near Moscow in April.&nbsp;In December 2024, Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological defence forces, was killed when a booby-trapped electric scooter exploded in Moscow, an attack claimed by Ukraine&#39;s SBU security service.&nbsp;A Russian military blogger, Maxim Fomin, was killed when a statuette exploded in a Saint Petersburg cafe in April 2023.&nbsp;And in August 2022, a car bomb killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin.

Authorities are investigating whether the attack may be linked to Ukrainian special forces.

Russian general killed in a Moscow explosion: Investigators

DOHA: European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Saturday that the United States was still Europe&#39;s main ally as she sought to downplay a new US National Security Strategy critical of European institutions. &quot;Of course, there&#39;s a lot of criticism, but I think some of it is also true,&quot; Kallas told the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference in Qatar&rsquo;s capital, in response to a question about the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/new-trump-strategy-says-us-to-readjust-global-presence-pakistan-tv-digital" style="color:#0073e6;">US strategy</a>. The &ldquo;US is still our biggest ally... I think we haven&rsquo;t always seen eye to eye on different topics, but I think the overall principle is still there. We are the biggest allies, and we should stick together.&rdquo; &lsquo;Civilizational erasure&rsquo;Washington&#39;s new National Security Strategy, published early Friday, took aim at Europe, calling it over-regulated, lacking in &ldquo;self-confidence&rdquo; and facing &ldquo;civilizational erasure&rdquo; due to immigration.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/c0f9405b-600c-4d8d-89bb-2747ed92c15c-Untitled(4).jpg" alt="Untitled(4).jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">DOHA: EU Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (3rdL) speaks during a panel session on the opening day of the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference, in Doha on December 6, 2025. -- Photo by AFP</figcaption></figure>The document puts into writing the offensive launched months ago by US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s administration against Europe, which the US has accused of taking advantage of American generosity, a radical departure from previous US policy. &lsquo;More self-confident&rsquo;&ldquo;Europe has been underestimating its own power. Towards Russia, for example... we should be more self-confident,&rdquo; Kallas said. Ukrainian and US officials will hold a third straight day of talks in Miami on Saturday, in discussions aimed at ending over three years of war with Russia. Washington&rsquo;s plan involves Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv&#39;s aspirations to join NATO. &lsquo;Not only in Ukraine or Gaza&rsquo;&ldquo;Putting limitations and stress on Ukraine actually does not bring us long-lasting peace,&rdquo; Kallas told the Doha Forum. &ldquo;If aggression is rewarded, we will see it happen again, and not only in Ukraine or Gaza, but all around the world,&rdquo; she added.

Says ‘US is still our biggest ally... I think we haven’t always seen eye to eye on different topics, but I think the overall principle is still there. We are the biggest allies.’

US still EU’s ‘biggest ally’, says Kaja Kallas

BEIJING:&nbsp;French President Emmanuel Macron told Xi Jinping that France and China must overcome their &ldquo;differences&rdquo;, as the two leaders met in Beijing on Thursday. &ldquo;Sometimes there are differences, but it is our responsibility to overcome them for the greater good,&rdquo; Macron told Xi during the meeting. The Chinese leader echoed Macron, calling for &ldquo;more stable&rdquo; ties with France during their talks at the Great Hall of the People. &lsquo;More stable&rsquo;Xi said China was willing to work with France &ldquo;to exclude any interference&rdquo; and &ldquo;make the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and France more stable&rdquo;. Macron and his wife Brigitte were given a grand welcome by Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan to the Great Hall of the People, where the ceremony was moved indoors due to cold weather. Macron blew kisses to children who held flowers, while a band played the national anthems of both countries. Top of Macron&#39;s agenda during his three-day visit to China is the issue of Ukraine and the role Beijing could play in securing a ceasefire. Rebalancing trade ties&nbsp;&quot;We must continue to work towards peace and stability in the world, and in Ukraine and other regions affected by war,&quot; Macron told Xi, adding: &quot;Our capacity to work together is decisive.&quot; The French president also called for rebalancing trade ties, and urged Xi to work with G7 countries for rules-based economic governance.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1996188658487922937&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=92a695e3547cf2463211d3633b6c821060f9ae9c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1996188658487922937">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Pressure on Ukraine&nbsp;</h2>Macron, visiting China for the fourth time since taking office in 2017, is also expected to meet with Premier Li Qiang before travelling to Chengdu, where two giant pandas loaned to France were recently returned. Macron has sought to pressure Xi to help secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, as the war with Russia drags into a fourth winter. Macron&#39;s three-day visit to Beijing follows a trip to Paris by Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged Europe to stand by Kyiv as US President Donald Trump pushes a plan to end the war. &quot;We share the view that the war must be brought to a fair end,&quot; Zelensky wrote on social media after Monday&#39;s talks with Macron, which also included phone calls with other European leaders.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1995507343648235773&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=92a695e3547cf2463211d3633b6c821060f9ae9c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 344px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1995507343648235773"></iframe></div></div><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Over $350B trade deficit &nbsp;</h2>Macron is also due to discuss trade with his Chinese hosts, with the European Union facing a massive trade deficit of $357 billion with the Asian powerhouse. &quot;It is necessary for China to consume more and export less... and for Europeans to save less and produce more,&quot; an adviser to Macron said. Macron has previously called for the European Union to reduce its dependence on China and for a &ldquo;European preference&rdquo; in the tech sector. Last month, he told a European summit of tech leaders and ministers from across the continent that the bloc does not want to be a &ldquo;vassal&rdquo; to US and Chinese tech companies. The French president will stay in China until Friday, with a final stop in Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan. &lsquo;Quite exceptional&rsquo;Last week, two giant pandas loaned to France by China were flown to their ancestral home to retire at an animal sanctuary in the city. The Chinese embassy promised new bears would soon be dispatched to make up for the popular pair leaving. The Chengdu visit is &ldquo;quite exceptional in Chinese protocol&rdquo;, the French presidency said, adding it was &ldquo;appreciated as such&rdquo; by Macron. During his last trip to China, the French president was given a rock star welcome at a university in the southern city of Guangzhou, with students chanting his name and scrambling for selfies and high-fives.

China

French President Macron met Xi Jinping in Beijing, urging France and China to overcome differences, strengthen strategic partnership, rebalance trade, and work toward peace in Ukraine, while Xi emphasized stable ties and cooperation against interference.

China and France must overcome ‘differences’, Macron tells Xi

LONDON: Britain said Friday it was &quot;disappointing&quot; talks with Brussels to access a 150-billion-euro ($174 billion) EU scheme to bolster Europe&#39;s defenses had failed amid disagreement over the entry fee.&nbsp;European nations have scrambled to bolster their militaries since Russia&#39;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Brussels launching its loan initiative earlier this year.&nbsp;The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) scheme will provide EU countries with 150 billion euros of loans at lower rates to help them rearm.&nbsp;London and Brussels had been wrangling over the level of contribution the UK would make to join the scheme, which would have allowed Britain to secure more lucrative access for its arms manufacturers.&nbsp;EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said in a statement it was &quot;disappointing that we have not been able to conclude discussions on UK participation in the first round of SAFE&quot;.&nbsp;But he noted the UK defense industry &quot;will still be able to participate in projects through SAFE on third-country terms&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;Our position was always clear: we will only sign agreements that are in the national interest and provide value for money,&quot; Thomas-Symonds added.&nbsp;EU countries are obliged to spend the loaned money on weapons that are at least 65 percent produced in the bloc.&nbsp;If Britain had joined, that figure would have been reduced for London meaning British firms could try to cash in more.&nbsp;Both sides said the negotiations had been conducted in &quot;good faith&quot;, with the European Commission also stressing that Britain can still participate in up to 35 percent of SAFE procurements.&nbsp;It added that talks with Canada about its participation continue &quot;and we hope to find an agreement before Sunday&quot;.&nbsp;EU officials previously said the bloc had asked London to contribute up to 6.5 billion euros to join the SAFE scheme.&nbsp;But Britain which left the EU in 2020 following its Brexit split baulked at that price tag and had pushed for a better deal, according to diplomatic sources.&nbsp;Poland, Romania, France and Hungary were among the biggest claimants for money under SAFE, when Brussels unveiled its funding allocations in September.&nbsp;Poland snapped up loan&rsquo;s worth almost 44 billion euros, followed by Romania on 16.7 billion, and France and Hungary on 16.2 billion each, according to preliminary figures.

United Kingdom

Britain and the EU failed to agree on UK access to the €150-billion SAFE defense loan scheme due to disputes over the entry fee. The UK called talks “disappointing” but can still join projects on third-country terms.

UK fails to reach deal to access EU defense scheme

KYIV: A Russian strike on a children&#39;s hospital in southern Ukraine wounded at least nine people, including four children, authorities said Wednesday, while President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a &quot;deliberate&quot; attack that shows Moscow does not want peace.&nbsp;The strike in Kherson blasted out windows and left bloodstains on the floor of treatment rooms, with debris strewn across stretchers and medical equipment, footage published by Ukrainian officials showed.&nbsp;Russia has hit several hospitals and medical facilities during its invasion, drawing accusations of war crimes, though Moscow says it only targets military sites.&nbsp;&quot;They could not have been unaware of where they were striking. This was a deliberate Russian attack specifically against children, against medical personnel, against basic guarantees of life in the community,&quot; Zelensky said.&nbsp;Ukraine&#39;s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said nine people were wounded. The youngest was aged eight, Zelensky said.&nbsp;Around 100 people were inside the hospital at the time of the attack, Zelensky added.&nbsp;Russia was &quot;not only dragging out its terrorist war but also trying to do everything possible to ensure that no opportunity to end the war succeeds,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Moscow has not commented on the strike.

A Russian strike hit a children’s hospital in Kherson, Ukraine, wounding nine people, including four kids. President Zelensky called it a deliberate attack, showing Russia doesn’t want peace. 


Ukraine slams Russian attack on children's hospital

PARIS: The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced on Tuesday that Russian and Belarusian athletes in its disciplines will not be able to qualify for next year&#39;s Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.&nbsp;Competitors in skiing and snowboarding from the two countries have been banned from FIS events since Moscow&#39;s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but they had hoped to participate under a neutral banner in the Games, which run from February 6-22, 2026.&nbsp;&quot;The FIS Council convened this Tuesday and voted not to facilitate the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in FIS qualification events for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games,&quot; FIS said.&nbsp;During the 2022 Games in Beijing, Russia won almost a third of all cross-country skiing medals, although they picked up none in alpine skiing.&nbsp;&quot;I think it&#39;s the right decision,&quot; Norway&#39;s individual sprint Olympic champion Johannes Klaebo told television channel NRK.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;ve thought for a while that Russians should not be allowed to compete as long as the war in Ukraine continues,&quot; the 28-year-old added.&nbsp;FIS followed in the footsteps of the moves from the governing bodies of biathlon and luge, although ice skating authorities have decided to allow athletes from the two nations to attempt to qualify.&nbsp;When it comes to the Paralympics, held on March 6-15, the FIS has decided not to follow the International Paralympic Committee&#39;s move to lift the partial suspension of Russia and Belarus.&nbsp;The FIS runs three out of the 10 disciplines at the Winter Paralympics.

Athletics

The International Ski Federation barred Russian and Belarusian athletes from qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, continuing bans from FIS events since 2022, citing the ongoing Ukraine conflict.


Ski body blocks Russian, Belarusian athletes from 2026 Winter Olympics

A court in southern Russia convicted 15 captured Ukrainian soldiers on terrorism charges Friday after a trial that Kyiv denounced as a sham and a violation of international law. The military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 15 men from the Aidar battalion, which Russia has designated a terrorist group, to prison terms ranging from 15 to 21 years. The verdict marks the second mass trial of Ukrainian prisoners of war since March, when 23 members of the elite Azov brigade were convicted on similar charges in a trial that also was condemned by Ukraine as a violation of international law. &lsquo;Shameful&rsquo;&nbsp;When the trial of Aidar members began in 2023, Ukraine&rsquo;s human rights envoy, Dmytro Lubinets, denounced it as &ldquo;shameful&rdquo; and charged that &ldquo;Russia is making criminals out of those who defended their native land.&rdquo; Memorial, a prominent Russian human rights group, has designated the defendants as political prisoners. It has argued that the trial violated international conventions protecting POWs, noting the defendants were facing trial just because they served with the Aidar battalion, not over any specific war crimes. &lsquo;Violation&rsquo; of Geneva Convention&nbsp;&ldquo;This grossly violates the provisions of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the prosecution of prisoners of war solely for their participation in an armed conflict,&rdquo; Memorial said. Russia has labeled both the Azov and Aidar groups as terrorist organizations and accused their members of war crimes. The volunteer units were created soon after Russia&rsquo;s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, and they took active part in fighting against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.Aidar, Azov and other volunteer units eventually were integrated into the Ukrainian military. Mostly closed doorsWhen the trial of Aidar members began in 2023, it initially involved 18 members. Two nurses who served with the battalion also went on trial, but they were returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner swap. Proceedings against a driver serving with the battalion will be held separately. The trial was held in a military court in the city of Rostov-on-Don, home to Russia&rsquo;s Southern Military District. It is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the border with Ukraine. Most of the trial was held behind closed doors, but journalists were allowed to cover the opening sessions and Friday&#39;s verdict.

When the trial of Aidar members began, Ukraine’s human rights envoy charged, “Russia is making criminals out of those who defended their native land”; the trial was held in a military court in Rostov-on-Don.

Articles tagged with "Ukraine,"