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Straits Times
a day ago
- Business
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 22, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for greater momentum in negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Zelensky says new peace talks in Turkey on July 23 Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia - the first in seven weeks - are planned for July 23 in Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quoted a senior Kyiv official as saying on July 21. Mr Zelensky appealed earlier in the day for greater momentum in negotiations. Russia's state Tass news agency quoted a source in Turkey as saying the talks would take place on July 23. The RIA news agency, also quoting a source, said they would take place over two days, July 24 and 25. The Kremlin said it was waiting for confirmation of the date of the talks but said the two sides were 'diametrically opposed' in their positions on how to end the war. READ MORE HERE UK, France and 23 other nations condemn Israel PHOTO: AFP A group of 25 Western countries including Britain, France, and Canada said on July 21 Israel must immediately end its war in Gaza and criticised what they called the 'inhumane killing' of Palestinians, including hundreds near food distribution sites. The countries in a joint statement condemned what they called the 'drip feeding of aid' to Palestinians in Gaza and said it was 'horrifying' that more than 800 civilians had been killed while seeking aid. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Asia At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes at college campus Singapore ST Explains: What does it mean for etomidate to be listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act? Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region Singapore NTU to have compulsory cadaver dissection classes for medical students from 2026 World US authorities probing passenger jet's close call with B-52 bomber over North Dakota Singapore Jail for man who conspired with another to bribe MOH agency employee with $18k Paris trip Singapore New research institute will grow S'pore's talent in nuclear energy, safety The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites, which the United States and Israel backed to take over aid distribution in Gaza from a network led by the United Nations. READ MORE HERE Italy cancels concert with pro-Putin conductor PHOTO: AFP Italian authorities have cancelled a classical concert scheduled for July 27 following criticism over the attendance of a top Russian conductor shunned in the West since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Mr Valery Gergiev, who is widely regarded as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been expected to lead an Italian orchestra and soloists from St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, which he heads, on July 27. The Reggia di Caserta, a grand 18th-century palace near Naples which had been due to host the concert, said in a short statement on July 21 that the event had been called off. It gave no reason. READ MORE HERE Arsenal's Martinelli welcomes new signings ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG In a summer where transfer speculation has circled largely over Arsenal's front three and what it may look like come the start of the season in August, winger Gabriel Martinelli has instead extended a warm welcome to the club's new signings and vows to do his best for the team. The Gunners are in town for this week's Singapore Festival of Football where they will play friendlies against AC Milan on July 23 and Newcastle United on July 27 at the National Stadium. Arsenal have been busy in the ongoing summer transfer window. Noni Madueke, their fourth and most recent acquisition from city rivals Chelsea, will offer star player Bukayo Saka some much-needed competition on the right wing. READ MORE HERE Star of The Cosby Show dies by drowning at 54 PHOTO: REUTERS American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Bill Cosby's son Theo Huxtable on the 1980s groundbreaking television hit The Cosby Show, died at age 54 on July 21 by drowning, a law enforcement source confirmed to Reuters. Warner was vacationing in Costa Rica with his family, media reported. The Central American nation's judicial investigation department (OIJ) confirmed that a US citizen with the last name Warner had drowned after being pulled out to sea by a rip current.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Ukraine's Zelensky says new peace talks in Turkey on July 23
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for greater momentum in negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine. KYIV - The next set of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia - the first meeting in seven weeks - is planned for July 23 in Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quoted the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council as saying on July 21. Mr Zelensky's statement followed his fresh appeal earlier in the day for greater momentum in negotiations. The Kremlin said it was waiting for an understanding on the date of the talks, but acknowledged that the two sides were 'diametrically opposed' in their positions on how to end the war. 'Today, I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation for a prisoner exchange and another meeting with the Russian side in Turkey,' Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. 'Umerov reported that the meeting is planned for Wednesday. More details will follow tomorrow.' Mr Umerov, previously defence minister and appointed Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council last week, headed the first two rounds of talks with Russia. An unidentified source had earlier told Russian state news agency Tass that negotiators may meet in Turkey on July 24 and 25. Mr Zelensky earlier told a gathering of his diplomats in Kyiv: 'We need greater momentum in negotiations to end the war.' He added: 'The agenda from our side is clear: the return of prisoners of war, the return of children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders' meeting.' Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is under increasing pressure from US President Donald Trump to show progress towards ending the conflict, turned down a previous challenge from Mr Zelensky to meet him in person. Mr Putin has repeatedly said he does not see Mr Zelensky as a legitimate leader because Ukraine - which is under martial law because of Russia's invasion - did not hold new elections when his five-year mandate expired in 2024. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'There is our draft memorandum, there is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far.' Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But the two sides have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Italy cancels concert with pro-Putin conductor Valery Gergiev
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A demonstrator at a July 19 protest in Milan, Italy, against the now cancelled performance by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, who is said to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. ROME - Italian authorities have cancelled a classical concert scheduled for July 27 following criticism over the attendance of a top Russian conductor shunned in the West since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Mr Valery Gergiev, who is widely regarded as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been expected to lead an Italian orchestra and soloists from St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, which he heads, on July 27. The Reggia di Caserta, a grand 18th-century palace near Naples which had been due to host the concert, said in a short statement on July 21 that the event had been called off. It gave no reason. The performance had drawn criticism last week from Italian politicians and international activists, including the wife of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who called Mr Gergiev an 'accomplice' of Mr Putin. The cancellation is 'good news. Not joyful, but good. No artist who supports the current dictatorship in Russia should be welcomed in Europe,' Ms Yulia Navalnaya wrote on X. Mr Gergiev, 72, received 'no information' about the cancellation, Russian state-run news agency Tass quoted him as saying. The conductor did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The Russian ambassador to Italy, Mr Alexei Paramonov, lamented on Facebook that Italy had caved in to the pro-Ukraine 'lobby', adding: 'Those who think that the cancellation of Gergiev's concert will harm Russia are deeply mistaken.' 'Common sense' The concert was part of a festival organised by the Campania region, which includes Naples. Regional leader Vincenzo De Luca had defended it, saying artists should not be held responsible for the actions of their national governments. Mr De Luca, a critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, had also pointed to a festival concert led by Israeli conductor Daniel Oren, to highlight efforts to keep 'channels of communication open even with those who do not think like us'. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, who last week said the concert risked turning into 'a sounding board for Russian propaganda', welcomed the organisers' 'free and undisputable' decision to call it off. 'While respecting the exceptional artistic quality of the event, the cancellation... obeys a logic of common sense and moral commitment aimed at protecting the values of the free world,' Mr Giuli said. In 2022, several Western cultural institutions, including Milan's La Scala, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and New York's Carnegie Hall severed ties with Mr Gergiev over his refusal to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. REUTERS
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Faint signs of life appear in effort to halt Ukraine war
Zelensky proposed talks on a cease-fire, prisoner exchanges, and the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia during the war. He reiterated an offer for a direct meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, first floated in May. Putin had then remained silent for days before rejecting the offer. 'The Russian side must stop hiding from decisions,' Zelensky said in a video address Saturday evening. Ukraine, he said, has offered a meeting in the coming week in Istanbul, where two previous rounds of talks took place in May and June. Advertisement Zelensky said his national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, had conveyed the proposal to the Russian negotiating team. Russia did not immediately respond directly to Ukraine's offer. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitri S. Peskov, told Russian state television Sunday that Putin wanted a peace agreement but that 'the main thing for us is to achieve our goals' in the war. Advertisement 'President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible,' Peskov said. 'This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy.' Tass, a Russian state news agency, confirmed that the Kremlin had received the offer. Russia is seeking additional territory, a declaration that Ukraine will not join NATO and will remain a neutral state, limits on the future size of Ukraine's army, and recognition of Russian as an official language in Ukraine, among other demands. The Trump administration has pushed for an unconditional cease-fire before substantive talks on a final settlement. Ukraine agreed to that condition in March. In Kyiv, members of Parliament and analysts have held out little hope for a quick resolution in the talks mediated by President Trump, who had said during his election campaign last year that he would end the war, the most lethal in Europe since World War II, within 24 hours of his election. Even as talks began in May, Russia intensified missile and drone bombardments of Ukrainian cities and opened an offensive along the eastern front line. But by agreeing to talks and another request from the Trump administration to share profits from future natural resources deals, Ukraine succeeded in winning support for the weapons agreement and the threat of sanctions on the Kremlin's trading partners. Under the agreement Trump first announced July 7, allies of Ukraine will donate air defense and other weapons to Ukraine and purchase replacements from the United States. A week later, Trump said he would move to hasten those weapons deliveries, and threatened to impose sanctions on Russia's trading partners to pressure the Kremlin. Advertisement 'We in Ukraine did everything we could,' Halyna Yanchenko, an independent lawmaker who caucuses with Zelensky's political party, said in an interview. 'Our goal was to show the US that you cannot believe Putin.' Some success came in the announcements earlier this month from Trump, though the president has flip-flopped on Ukraine policy before and the sanctions deadline that expires in September will do little to curb Russia's offensive underway in the east. Ukraine is expecting a first delivery of additional Patriot air defense missiles from Germany, which will then replenish its own arsenal from new purchases from the United States. Seven other NATO countries are expected to follow suit. Ensuring a longer-term supply of air defenses could hasten talks: It would remove an incentive for Russia to delay talks until Ukraine's air defenses run out, when the Russians could threaten ballistic missile attacks on undefended cities and military sites.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Faint signs of life appear in effort to halt Ukraine war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed over the weekend to revive negotiations with Russia to end the war. NEW YORK - When Russian and Ukrainian peace negotiators met in June, they could agree on little more than exchanging bodies. Those negotiations, brokered by the Trump administration, appeared to show its goal of ending the war was deeply stalled. But that doesn't mean that the diplomatic entreaties don't continue – with both Russia and Ukraine trying in their own ways to appeal to the White House. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine proposed over the weekend to revive the talks. It was his first offer for renewed negotiations since the Trump administration agreed to facilitate the transfer of air defence weapons to Ukraine and threatened to impose sanctions on Russia's trading partners within 50 days – both steps intended to hasten negotiations. Mr Zelensky proposed talks on a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia during the war. He reiterated an offer for a direct meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, first floated in May. Mr Putin had then remained silent for days before rejecting the offer. 'The Russian side must stop hiding from decisions,' Mr Zelensky said in a video address on the evening of July 19. Ukraine, he said, has offered a meeting in the coming week in Istanbul, where two previous rounds of talks took place in May and June. Mr Zelensky said his national security adviser, Mr Rustem Umerov, had conveyed the proposal to the Russian negotiating team. Russia did not immediately respond directly to Ukraine's offer. The Kremlin spokesperson, Mr Dmitri Peskov, told Russian state television on July 20 that Mr Putin wanted a peace agreement but that 'the main thing for us is to achieve our goals' in the war. 'President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible,' Mr Peskov said. 'This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy.' Tass, a Russian state news agency, confirmed that the Kremlin had received the offer. Russia is seeking additional territory, a declaration that Ukraine will not join Nato and will remain a neutral state, limits on the future size of Ukraine's army and recognition of Russian as an official language in Ukraine, among other demands. The Trump administration has pushed for an unconditional ceasefire before substantive talks on a final settlement. Ukraine agreed to that condition in March. NYTIMES
