Trump, Putin to meet over Ukraine war on August 15 – DW – 08/09/2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
Moscow Strikes Kill Six In Ukraine; Refineries Hit In Russia
A new round of Moscow's shelling and drone attacks killed six people and wounded dozens in Ukraine Sunday, authorities said, while Kyiv hit two oil refineries deep inside Russia. There was no reduction in hostilities on the frontline, even as the United States and Russia agreed to hold a summit in a bid to resolve the conflict, which so far does not include Ukraine. "Russia has not taken a single real step towards peace, not a single step on the ground or in the air that could save lives," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a regular evening address on Sunday. Six people died across the eastern regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, their respective authorities said. The focus of the Russian offensive is on eastern Ukraine, where it has stepped up gains in recent months against its less well-equipped opponents. A Russian glide bomb hit a busy bus station in the city of Zaporizhzhia in a separate afternoon strike, wounding 19 people at once, the local officials said, adding that a search and rescue operation was still ongoing. Visuals from the site shared by the authorities showed rescuers with sniffer dogs pulling injured people in blood stains and dust from the rubble in the shattered central bus station building. Three beachgoers were killed earlier in the Black Sea coastal city of Odesa, after they triggered a mine while swimming in a prohibited area. The Ukrainian army claimed its drones had hit a large oil refinery in Russia's western Saratov region. Its governor Roman Busargin only gave a vague comment about it, saying that "one of the industrial enterprises was damaged" and adding that one person died as a result of the drone attack. Another refinery was damaged in Russia's remote northern town of Ukhta in the Komi Republic, some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) from the frontline, a source in Ukraine's GUR main intelligence directorate told AFP. The Komi governor confirmed in his Telegram channel there was a drone attack on the region, but didn't mention the Ukhta refinery and said there were no casualties in the assault. Another woman died in Russia's Belgorod region, often under Ukrainian fire due to its proximity to the frontline, the local governor said. Kyiv is trying to hamper Moscow's ability to fund the more than three-year war of attrition by attacking its oil and gas facilities, the key source of revenue for the state budget. Ukraine's military claimed to have taken back the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region from the Russian army, which has made significant recent gains. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the US state of Alaska this Friday to try to resolve the grinding conflict, despite warnings from Ukraine and Europe that Kyiv must be part of negotiations.
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Mali Arrests Dozens Of Soldiers Over Alleged Bid To Topple Junta
Mali has arrested dozens of soldiers suspected of plotting to overthrow the junta, which itself took power in the west African country in a coup, sources told AFP on Sunday. Since seizing the reins in Mali through back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, the west African country's junta has ramped up repression of its critics in the face of widespread jihadist unrest. "Since three days ago, there have been arrests linked to an attempt to destabilise the institutions. There have been at least around 20 arrests," a Malian security source told AFP. A separate source within the army confirmed an "attempt at destabilisation", adding: "We have gone ahead with the necessary arrests". Among those arrested was General Abass Dembele, a former governor of the central Mopti region and a respected military officer. "Soldiers came early this morning (Sunday) to arrest General Abass Dembele in Kati," on the outskirts of the capital Bamako, a figure close to the officer said. "They have not told him why he was arrested." A member of the National Transition Council, the junta-backed parliament, spoke of "around 50 arrests". "All are soldiers. Their objective was to overthrow the junta," the lawmaker said. Since 2012 Mali has been wracked with crises on various fronts, with militants linked to the Al-Qaeda or Islamic State groups carrying out violent attacks across the Sahel nation. Criminal and sectarian violence are likewise rife, while the economy is in dire straits. After the coups, the junta turned its back on France, arguing that the country should be free of its former colonial ruler, as have its fellow military-run allies in Niger and Burkina Faso. It has forged ties with new allies, notably Russia, whose mercenaries from the paramilitary Wagner group and its successor Africa Corps have helped the military fight jihadists and other internal adversaries. Yet, like Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali has continued to struggle to contain the jihadist threat, while the regular army and its Russian allies are frequently accused of committing atrocities against civilians. For Malian sociologist Oumar Maiga, this latest purge was "proof that the officers are struggling to control the situation. There are grumblings within the army's ranks". "Some soldiers are not happy with the treatment given to the Russian mercenaries at the expense of Malian soldiers," Maiga added.
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
After Busy First 100 Days, Germany's Merz Faces Discord At Home
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has driven sweeping changes in security, economic and migration policy during his first 100 days in office, but faces widening cracks in his uneasy coalition. On election night in February, a jubilant Merz promised to bring a bit of "rambo zambo" to the post -- using a colloquialism that can evoke a wild and joyous ride, or chaos and mayhem. Having achieved his life's ambition at age 69 to run Europe's top economy, Merz lost no time to push change, mostly in response to transatlantic turbulence sparked by US President Donald Trump. "Germany is back," Merz said, vowing to revive the economy, the military and Berlin's international standing after what he labelled three lacklustre years under his centre-left predecessor Olaf Scholz. Even before taking office, Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and their governing partners from Scholz's Social Democratic party (SPD) loosened debt rules and unlocked hundreds of billions of euros for Germany's armed forces and its crumbling infrastructure. Merz vowed to build "Europe's largest conventional army" in the face of a hostile Russia and keep up strong support for Ukraine in lockstep with Paris and London. A promise to ramp up NATO spending endeared Merz to Trump, who greeted him warmly at a White House meeting in June, only weeks after a jarring Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. When Israel bombed Iranian targets, Merz, with a penchant for strong and often controversial one-liners, praised it for doing the "dirty work" -- but last Friday he took the bold step of freezing arms exports to Israel over its Gaza campaign. On the home front, Merz has pressed a crackdown on irregular migration, a sharp departure from the centrist course of his long-time party rival Angela Merkel. He has said he must address voter concerns about immigration to stem the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won a record 20 percent in February's election. Merz's heavy focus on global events has earned him the moniker of "foreign chancellor" -- but trouble looms at home, where his SPD allies have often felt overshadowed or sidelined. To many of them, Merz's right-wing positions have been hard to swallow in the marriage of convenience they entered following the SPD's dismal election outcome of 16 percent. German voters have not yet fallen in love with Merz either. His personal approval rating slipped 10 points to just 32 percent in the latest poll by public broadcaster ARD. In an early sign of trouble, Merz's inauguration on May 6 turned into a white-knuckle ride when rebel MPs opposed him in the first round of the secret ballot. He was confirmed in the second round, but the debacle pointed to simmering resentment in the left-right coalition. Many have chafed at his hard line on immigration, his vow to slash social welfare and his limited enthusiasm for climate protection. Merz also sparked controversy when he dismissed plans to hoist an LGBTQ rainbow flag on the parliament building by saying the Reichstag was "not a circus tent". The biggest coalition crisis came last month, sparked by what should have been routine parliamentary business -- the nomination of three new judges to Germany's highest court. Right-wing online media had strongly campaigned against one of them, SPD nominee Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, calling her a left-wing activist on abortion and other issues. The CDU/CSU withdrew support for her and postponed the vote, sparking SPD fury. The issue looked set to fester until Brosius-Gersdorf withdrew her candidature on Thursday. Other trouble came when the CDU's Bavarian sister party demanded sharp cuts to social benefits for Ukrainian refugees, a position the SPD opposes. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil of the SPD warned the conservatives to refrain from further provocations, telling Welt TV that "we already have far too many arguments in this government". Both coalition partners know that open squabbling will turn off voters after discord brought down Scholz's three-party coalition, and play into the hands of the AfD, their common foe. For now Merz and most other politicians are on summer holidays, leaving unresolved issues lingering. Merz will need to pay attention, said Wolfgang Schroeder of Kassel University. "The chancellor's attitude is: I think big-picture and long term, I'm not interested in the small print," he said. But Schroeder added that all the coalition's big troubles so far -- from the judge row to Ukrainians refugees -- "have been about the small print". German Chancellor Friedrich Merz achieved his life's ambition at age 69 to run Europe's top economy AFP German border police checking cars in eastern Germany in July 2025 -- Merz has promised to crack down on irregular immigration AFP Merz's approval rating stands at just 32 percent in the latest poll by public broadcaster ARD AFP Merz, right, with his Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who has warned of 'too many arguments in this government' AFP
