International
Trump says he will meet with Putin “very soon” to end the war in Ukraine
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Sunday that he could meet “very soon” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine.
In statements to the press in West Palm Beach (Florida), Trump assured that his government is working “very hard” to achieve “peace” between Russia and Ukraine, and stressed that both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the negotiations.
His words come at a time when delegations from Russia and the United States are preparing to hold talks about the end of the conflict in Saudi Arabia, where an eventual summit between Trump and Putin could also be held.
Trump told the press that, although there is no set date for his summit with Putin, it could be “very soon.”
Asked about the possibility of the meeting with Putin taking place this month, Trump replied: “It will be soon. We’ll see what happens” and suggested that the summit will depend on the outcome of the talks in Saudi Arabia between the US and Russian diplomatic teams.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation led by Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is already in Saudi Arabia, although it is not clear whether it will participate in the negotiations.
Trump revealed that this Sunday he spoke with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is part of the US delegation in negotiations with Russia, and assured that the peace process “is progressing” and that his team is “working very hard on it.”
Asked if Zelenski will participate in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, Trump replied: “Yes, he will be involved.”
In addition, he maintained that both Putin and the Ukrainian president want to end the war.
The president said he has a “good idea” of what Putin is looking for because, as he revealed, the US special envoy for the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, one of his closest advisers, met with the Russian leader in Moscow recently for “three hours” as part of negotiations for a prisoner exchange.
“I think he wants to stop fighting. Russia has a large and powerful war machine. We must remember that they defeated Hitler and Napoleon, they have been fighting for a long time, they have done it before, but I think now he would like to stop the war,” Trump said.
On February 12, Trump spoke by phone with Putin in what was the first public contact between the US and Russian leaders since February 2022, when the Russian leader contacted then-President Joe Biden before the invasion of Ukraine.
After that call, Trump announced that he had reached an agreement with Putin to “immediately” start negotiations with the aim of ending the war and said he could meet with the Russian leader in Saudi Arabia.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that he was prepared to move British troops to Ukraine with the aim of contributing to security guarantees in the Eastern European country.
“The United Kingdom is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine. This includes greater support for the Ukrainian army (…) but it also means being willing to contribute to the guarantees by sending our own troops to the field if necessary,” the Labor leader said in an exclusive article in ‘The Telegraph’.
This is the first time that the British prime minister explicitly says that he is considering sending British peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, in statements that occur before attending the informal meeting with European leaders that will take place this Monday in Paris.
International
Florida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened
Unprocessed milk from a farm in Florida has sickened at least 21 people, prompting state authorities to issue a public health alert, U.S. media reported Monday.
The 21 cases include six children under the age of 10, all diagnosed with infections caused by E. coli and Campylobacterbacteria linked to raw milk from the farm in the southeastern U.S. state. Local authorities have also warned about the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.
Seven people have been hospitalized, two of whom have suffered complications, according to multiple reports.
The Florida Department of Health has urged the public to avoid raw milk consumption and blamed the outbreak on the farm involved—without naming it directly—citing poor sanitary practices.
Florida law prohibits the sale of unprocessed milk for human consumption, although it can be sold if labeled for pets. Pasteurization, which involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria, is required under U.S. federal regulations for any dairy products sold across states.
Despite these regulations, sales of raw milk have been increasing in recent years, fueled by online promotion from wellness influencers and advocates of unprocessed foods.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that raw milk can contain potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, or Salmonella, which can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion to severe complications like kidney failure.
International
Massive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine
Hundreds of firefighters battled on Wednesday to contain a massive wildfire in southern France that has left one person dead and nine others injured.
The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in the Aude department, is the largest recorded in France during the current summer season. Authorities have deployed 1,800 firefighters in an effort to bring it under control.
An elderly woman died in her home in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, while two others were injured—one in serious condition due to burns—according to the local prefecture. Seven firefighters suffered smoke inhalation injuries, and one person remains missing. The wildfire has already scorched an estimated 12,000 hectares of land.
“The fire is spreading very quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. This is one of the driest areas of the department, and strong winds are fueling the flames,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. Rémi Recio, subprefect for the city of Narbonne, added, “The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control.”
The A9 motorway, which runs along the Mediterranean coast between France and Spain, has been closed in both directions between Narbonne and Perpignan, along with numerous secondary roads.
In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the smell of smoke lingers over the charred hectares. A helicopter was seen drawing water from the river below the village and dropping it several kilometers away, AFP reporters observed.
A campsite and at least one village were partially evacuated, with 25 houses and around 35 vehicles damaged, according to a preliminary assessment.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he will visit the affected area on Wednesday.
International
Japan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament
Japan observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a solemn reminder to the world of the horror it unleashed, amid heightened tensions between nuclear powers the United States and Russia.
At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT), the moment when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, the city paused to remember.
The bombing claimed an estimated 140,000 lives, not only from the devastating blast and fireball but also from the deadly radiation that followed. Three days later, another bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 74,000 more. Japan’s surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II.
On a sweltering morning, hundreds of students, survivors, and officials dressed in black laid flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, warned of “an accelerating trend toward military buildup worldwide,” citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that Japan has a mission “to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, yet the skeletal remains of one building still stand at its center as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by representatives from around 120 countries and regions, including delegates from Taiwan and Palestine for the first time.
Among the attendees was 96-year-old Yoshie Yokoyama, who arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by her grandson. She told reporters that her parents and grandparents were victims of the bombing.
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