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Ukraine to present US with Russia partial ceasefire deal

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Ukraine will present the United States on Tuesday with a plan for a partial ceasefire with Russia, hoping to restore support from its key benefactor, which under President Donald Trump has demanded concessions to end the three-year war.

The talks in Saudi Arabia come as Russia has ramped up attacks against Ukraine and Kyiv has hit back, including with an overnight attack on Moscow involving dozens of drones, the city’s mayor said Tuesday.

The meeting will be the most senior since a disastrous White House visit last month when Trump berated Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for purported ingratitude.

Since Trump’s dressing down of Zelensky, Washington has suspended military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence sharing and access to satellite imagery in a bid to force it to the negotiating table.

Zelensky, who wrote a repentant letter to Trump, flew to the port city of Jeddah to meet Saudi rulers, but was leaving the talks to three top aides.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will be joined by Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz, said the aid suspension was “something I hope we can resolve” in the talks on Tuesday.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a good meeting and good news to report,” Rubio said.

Rubio said that the United States had not cut off intelligence for defensive operations.

Zelensky left the White House without signing an agreement demanded by Trump that would give the United States access to much of Ukraine’s mineral wealth as compensation for past weapons supplies.

Zelensky has said he is still willing to sign, although Rubio said it would not be the focus of Tuesday’s talks.

Russia has since escalated its strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and retaken villages in its Kursk region that Ukraine had captured in a bid for bargaining leverage.

On the eve of the Saudi talks, Ukraine carried out what Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin described as a “massive” attack on the Russian capital, with 69 drones intercepted as of early Tuesday morning.

The attack killed at least one person and injured another three, according to Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region.

– Forced into concession –

In the White House meeting, Zelensky refused to bite his tongue in the face of criticism from Vice President JD Vance, with the Ukrainian leader questioning why his country should trust promises from Russia which launched a full-scale invasion in 2022 despite previous diplomacy.

But faced with Washington’s pressure, Ukraine will lay out its support for a limited ceasefire.

“We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea,” a Ukrainian official told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Because these are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor, and it’s possible to start with them.

”Rubio signalled that the Trump administration would likely be pleased by such a proposal.

“I’m not saying that alone is enough, but it’s the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end the conflict,” he told reporters.

“You’re not going to get a ceasefire and an end to this war unless both sides make concessions.”

“The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine and obviously it will be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to force the Russians all the way back to where they were back in 2014,” Rubio said, referring to the time of a partial offensive and Russian seizure of the Crimea peninsula.

In a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of the US-Ukraine talks, Zelensky discussed Ukraine’s conditions for any permanent peace deal, including the release of prisoners and the return of children Kyiv accuses Moscow of abducting, the Ukrainian leader’s office said in a statement Monday.

The two leaders “discussed the possible mediation of Saudi Arabia in the release of military and civilian prisoners and the return of deported children”, the statement said.

“The leaders exchanged views on the formats of security guarantees and what they should be for Ukraine so that war does not return again.”

– Reporting back to Russia –

Rubio said he did not expect to sit in a room in Jeddah with the Ukrainians “drawing lines on a map” towards a final deal.

But Rubio said he would bring the ideas back to Russia. Rubio and Waltz met last month, also in Saudi Arabia, with counterparts from Russia, ending a freeze in high-level contacts imposed by former president Joe Biden after Russia defied Western warnings and launched its invasion.

Trump last week also threatened further sanctions against Russia to force it to the table as it carried out strikes on Ukraine.

But Trump’s abrupt shift in US policy has stunned many allies. Rubio said the United States was objecting to “antagonistic” language on Russia at a gathering of Group of Seven foreign ministers later this week in Canada.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the scene from the White House “unspeakable” and described a “new age of infamy” that will require Europeans to shoulder more responsibility.

French senator Claude Malhuret, in a speech that went viral in the United States even in translation, said that Trump had failed to see through Kremlin propaganda and that Russia was failing in Ukraine, picking up only small pockets of land after three years attacking a smaller country.

“The American lifeline to Putin is the biggest strategic mistake ever made during a war,” he said.

AFP

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International

JUST IN: Joe Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer

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Former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, a statement from his office said on Sunday.

Biden, who left office in January, was diagnosed on Friday after he saw a doctor last week for urinary symptoms.

The cancer is a more aggressive form of the disease, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 out of 10. This means his illness is classified as “high-grade” and the cancer cells could spread quickly, according to Cancer Research UK.

Biden and his family are said to be reviewing treatment options. His office added that the cancer was hormone-sensitive, meaning it could likely be managed.

In Sunday’s statement, Biden’s office said: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.

“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.

“After news broke of his diagnosis, the former president received support from both sides of the aisle.

President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he and First Lady Melania Trump were “saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis”.

“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family,” he said, referring to former First Lady Jill Biden. “We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

Former Vice-President Kamala Harris, who served under Biden, wrote on X that she and her husband Doug Emhoff are keeping the Biden family in their prayers.

“Joe is a fighter – and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” Harris said.

In a post on X, Barack Obama – who served as president from 2009 to 2017 with Joe Biden as his deputy – said that he and his wife Michelle were “thinking of the entire Biden family”.

“Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery,” Obama said.

In 2016, Obama tasked Biden with leading a “cancer moonshot” government-wide research programme.

In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I am very sorry to hear President Biden has prostate cancer.

All the very best to Joe, his wife Jill and their family, and wishing the president swift and successful treatment.”

The news comes nearly a year after the former president was forced to drop out of the 2024 US presidential election over concerns about his health and age.

He is the oldest person to have held the office in US history.

Biden, then the Democratic nominee vying for re-election, faced mounting criticism of his poor performance in a June televised debate against Republican nominee and current president Donald Trump.

He was replaced as the Democratic candidate by his vice-president, Kamala Harris.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting men, behind skin cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 13 out of every 100 men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.

Age is the most common risk factor, the CDC says.

Dr William Dahut, the Chief Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society and a trained prostate cancer physician, told the BBC that the cancer is more aggressive in nature, based on the publicly-available information on Biden’s diagnosis.

“In general, if cancer has spread to the bones, we don’t think it is considered a curable cancer,” Dr Dahut said.

He noted, however, that most patients tend to respond well to initial treatment, “and people can live many years with the diagnosis”.

Dr Dahut said that someone with the former president’s diagnosis will likely be offered hormonal therapies to mitigate symptoms and to slow the growth of cancerous cells.

Biden had largely retreated from the public eye since leaving the White House and he has made few public appearances.

The former president delivered a keynote speech in April at a Chicago conference held by the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled, a US-based advocacy group for people with disabilities.

In May, he sat down for an interview with the BBC – his first since leaving the White House – where he admitted that the decision to step down from the 2024 race was “difficult”.

Biden has faced questions about the status of his health in recent months.

In an appearance on The View programme that also took place in May, Biden denied claims that he had been experiencing cognitive decline in his final year at the White House. “There is nothing to sustain that,” he said.

For many years, the president had advocated for cancer research.

In 2022, he and Mrs Biden relaunched the “cancer moonshot” initiative with the goal of mobilising research efforts to prevent more than four million cancer deaths by the year 2047.

Biden himself lost his eldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.

BBC

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International

Global Oil Market Report – May 2025 by IEA

Based on the latest plans, OPEC+ will add 310 kb/d of extra supply this year and 150 kb/d in 2026.Refinery throughput forecasts for 2025 and 2026 are broadly unchanged from last month’s Report at 83.2 mb/d and 83.6 mb/d, respectively.

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Global oil demand growth is projected to slow from 990 kb/d in 1Q25 to 650 kb/d for the remainder of the year as economic headwinds and record EV sales curb use.

International energy agency, made the disclosure in its Oil Market Report – May 2025

The report reads: ” Demand growth averages 740 kb/d in 2025 and 760 kb/d in 2026, despite accelerating OECD declines of -120 kb/d and -240 kb/d, respectively.

World oil supply looks on track to rise by 1.6 mb/d to 104.6 mb/d on average in 2025, and by an additional 970 kb/d in 2026.

Non-OPEC+ producers are set to add 1.3 mb/d this year and 820 kb/d next year, even as US LTO supply has been reduced.

Based on the latest plans, OPEC+ will add 310 kb/d of extra supply this year and 150 kb/d in 2026.Refinery throughput forecasts for 2025 and 2026 are broadly unchanged from last month’s Report at 83.2 mb/d and 83.6 mb/d, respectively.

Annual gains of around 400 kb/d in both years are driven exclusively by non-OECD regions. Refining margins reached 12-month highs across most regions and configurations in late April, as a discernible shift in crude pricing boosted profitability.Global oil stocks rose by 25.1 mb in March, led by a 57.8 mb increase in crude, but at 7 671 mb remained well below the five-year average (-221 mb).

Total OECD inventories increased by 3.1 mb, while non-OECD stocks rose by 21.3 mb and oil on water was up slightly by 0.7 mb. Preliminary data show global oil inventories built further in April.

Benchmark crude oil prices fell by around $10/bbl over April and into May amid escalating US tariffs and larger-than-expected OPEC+ output hikes.

Bearish sentiment eased somewhat after the US reached a trade deal with the UK on 8 May, and a 90-day accord with China on 12 May. Russian crude prices averaged $55.64/bbl in April with all major export grades below the $60/bbl price cap.

At the time of writing, North Sea Dated was trading at around $66/bbl.

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Former Mauritanian president jailed for 15 years following appeal

Abdel Aziz, who has denied corruption allegations, was found guilty of economic crimes and abuse of power.

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Mauritania’s former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, was on Wednesday sentenced to 15 years in prison on corruption charges following an appeal to a Nouakchott court by both the state and Aziz’s defence against a sentence imposed in 2023.

Reuters reported that Abdel Aziz led the West African country for a decade after coming to power in a 2008 coup, followed by an election a year later.

He was an ally of Western powers fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region.

Abdel Aziz, who has denied corruption allegations, was found guilty of economic crimes and abuse of power.

He was initially handed a five-year prison sentence in December 2023 before the state appealed against the leniency of that punishment and Aziz’s team appealed the ruling, saying only a high court of justice was qualified to try a former president.

“It is a decision that reflects the pressure the executive branch exerts on the judiciary,” defence lawyer Mohameden Ichidou told Reuters, adding that the defence would appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court.

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