Kyiv’s Western allies upped the pressure on Russia yesterday to respond to a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire plan, after Ukraine backed the proposal aimed at ending the three-year war.

Russia has made sweeping gains in its Kursk region in the past 24 hours, taking back control of five villages previously held by Ukrainian troops, the Russian military said

The meeting will be attended by China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

The EU executive said, however, that it remained open to negotiations and considered higher tariffs in no one's interest.

The call was the first such contact since US President Donald Trump assumed office vowing to end the three-year Ukraine conflict.

The European Commission said Wednesday it would impose "a series of countermeasures" from April 1 in response to the "unjustified trade restrictions" from the United States.

The centre-right opposition has won a surprise victory

The 79-year-old faces a charge of "the crime against humanity of murder", according to the ICC, for a crackdown that rights groups estimate killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

The potential launch of Starlink, which provides high-speed internet access to remote locations by low Earth orbit satellites

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations

The move is the latest to roil the US federal government in the six weeks since the president returned to the White House

The unions said the directive "suggests a rapid destruction of agency records on a large scale"

Terrorists attacked the Jaffer Express and took more than 400 hostages

Syria's new authorities under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa have sought to disband armed groups

While the move affects only 23 people, a spokeswoman indicated more cuts are coming.

The positive response from Ukraine prompted President Donald Trump's administration to lift a freeze on military aid

Duterte was arrested after landing at Manila's international airport following a brief trip to Hong Kong.

Ukraine said talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia began “very constructively” yesterday, with a partial ceasefire with Russia on the table hours after Kyiv conducted its largest drone attack on Moscow in three years of war.

India says it has not committed to slashing import duties on US products, days after President Donald Trump announced that New Delhi had agreed to “cut their tariffs way down”.

The EU is expected to open the way for member states to set up migrant return centres outside the bloc -- a highly contentious idea -- following pressure from governments to facilitate deportations.