President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged on Thursday that Ukraine was ready to work quickly to produce a strong agreement on investments and security with the United States, saying a meeting with US envoy Keith Kellogg “restores hope” for success.
“General Kellogg, a meeting which restores hope. We need strong agreements that will really work. I gave instructions to work fast and in a very, very even-handed fashion,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
“The details of the agreement are important. The better the details are drafted, the better the result.”
The meeting with Kellogg took place a day after Zelensky and US President Donald Trump exchanged barbs as US-Russian talks got underway on ending the three-year-old war pitting Kyiv against Moscow. Ukraine was not invited to the talks.
After the meeting with Kellogg, Zelensky said on social media platform X that Ukraine had to “ensure that peace is strong and lasting — so that Russia can never return with war.”
“Ukraine is ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement with the President of the United States. We have proposed the fastest and most constructive way to achieve results. Our team is ready to work 24/7.”
The talks with Kellogg also followed Ukraine’s rejection of an initial US proposal to develop rare earths in Ukraine.
In his comments on X, Zelensky also said his discussion with Kellogg focused on the battlefield situation, the security guarantees that Ukraine is seeking and the return of prisoners of war.
“It’s important for us — and for the entire free world — that American strength is felt,” he wrote.
Zelensky says talks with US envoy ‘restore hope’ for strong agreement
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Zelensky says talks with US envoy ‘restore hope’ for strong agreement
- “Ukraine is ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement" with the US, Zelensky said in a post on X after meeting with Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia
Three dead in Japan after medical helicopter crash
- A total of six passengers were on board the helicopter heading to a hospital in Fukuoka city from Tsushima Island
- A few hours after losing communication, the six passengers were found by a patrol ship along with the helicopter
A total of six passengers were on board the helicopter heading to a hospital in Fukuoka city from Tsushima Island in the Nagasaki region on Sunday afternoon.
Ryuji Tominaga, the hospital’s head, told reporters that the accident was “utterly heartbreaking.”
A few hours after losing communication, the six passengers were found by a patrol ship along with the helicopter.
The 86-year-old patient, her 68-year-old family member and a 34-year-old doctor were unresponsive and later confirmed dead, the Japan’s coast guard said.
The other three people, found holding on to the helicopter, were conscious, it added.
An official from the helicopter operator said Monday that the pilot and mechanic on board were both experienced and that the weather did not appear to be a problem for the flight.
The national Maritime Safety Committee will carry out investigations, he added.
According to the Asahi Shimbun daily, a helicopter operated by the same company crashed into farmland in the Fukuoka region, killing two people on board, in July last year.
Boeing faces new civil trial over 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash
- The Chicago trial is the first civil case related to the Max 737 plane crash of March 10, 2019 to reach court
- Relatives of 155 of the victims had sued Boeing for wrongful death, negligence and other charges
NEW YORK: Boeing is poised to face a jury trial from Monday over the fatal 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX plane, the first civil case related to the disaster to reach court.
The Chicago trial, expected to last two weeks, was to feature two plaintiffs who lost family members in the calamity.
But one of the complaints was resolved in an out-of-court settlement late Sunday, a judicial source told AFP, in line with most earlier litigants.
Barring another last-minute settlement, the trial will begin Monday with the selection of an eight-person jury.
“We have had some ongoing discussion that may continue throughout the day and the ensuing days,” Robert Clifford, who represents relatives of several crash victims, told the US District court on Wednesday at a pre-trial hearing.
A deal could also be struck even while the trial is underway.
The Boeing plane crashed on March 10, 2019, just six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on its way to Kenya, killing all 157 people on board.
Relatives of 155 of the victims had sued Boeing between April 2019 and March 2021 for wrongful death, negligence and other charges.
As of late last month, there were 18 complaints still open against Boeing, a source familiar with the case told AFP.
Sunday’s deal meant that a further three cases had been settled since then, multiple judicial sources told AFP.
This week’s Chicago litigation will now examine only the case of Canadian Darcy Belanger.
Belanger, 46, who lived in Colorado, was a founding member of environmental NGO, the Parvati Foundation, and also worked in construction. He had been visiting Nairobi for a UN conference.
US Judge Jorge Alonso has split the Boeing lawsuits into groups of five or six plaintiffs, annulling a potential trial if all the suits settle.
In November, the aviation giant reached a last-minute agreement with the family of a woman killed in the crash.
The Ethiopian Airlines disaster followed another fatal crash involving a MAX plane — that of a Lion Air jet that crashed in Indonesia in October 2018, killing all 189 people on board.
Boeing also faced dozens of complaints from Lion Air family victims. Just one case remained open, as of the end of March.
Boeing’s settlements with civil plaintiffs have been confidential.
The US manufacturer has “accepted responsibility for the MAX crashes publicly and in civil litigation because the design of the MCAS... contributed to these events,” a Boeing lawyer said during an October hearing.
The MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) flight stabilizing software was implicated in both the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes.
The disasters led to congressional hearings, with irate lawmakers demanding answers, and to leadership shake-ups at the aviation company. The entire 737 MAX fleet was grounded for more than 20 months.
Boeing later revised the MCAS program under scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which ultimately cleared the jets to resume service in November 2020.
The Chicago trial comes as Boeing also faces a potential criminal trial in June in Texas over the MAX.
That trial follows on from a January 2021 deferred prosecution agreement between Boeing and the US Justice Department over the two MAX crashes.
In May 2024, the Justice Department notified the court that Boeing had violated terms of the accord. That came after a January 2024 incident in which an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX was forced to make an emergency landing when a panel blew out mid-flight.
US District Judge Reed O’Connor last month ordered a jury trial from June 23 after earlier throwing out a proposed settlement between Boeing and the Justice Department.
Sahel alliance recalls ambassadors from Algeria after the downing of a Malian drone
- The Alliance of Sahel States, which includes Mali, said the drone downing was an “irresponsible act” that violated international law
- Algeria once served as a key mediator during more than a decade of conflict between Mali’s government and Tuareg rebels
DAKAR, Senegal: A military alliance between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger withdrew their respective ambassadors from Algeria in response to the downing of a Malian drone this week, the group said late Sunday.
The Alliance of Sahel States, which goes by its French acronym AES, blamed Algeria on social media for the drone’s downing and condemned it as an “irresponsible act” that violated international law.
The act was “contrary to historical relations and fraternal relations between the peoples of the AES Confederation and the Algerian people,” the group said.
The Malian Foreign Ministry in a statement on social media Sunday denied claims by the Algerian government that the drone had violated Algeria’s airspace by over 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) and instead claimed that “this action proves, if proof were needed, that the Algerian regime sponsors international terrorism.”
Mali in the statement also summoned the Algerian ambassador, withdrew from a 15-year-old regional military group that includes fellow AES member Niger, and filed a complaint with “international bodies” about the incident.
The development comes as tensions are on the rise between Algeria and its southern neighbors, including Mali.
Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the latest war of words was unlikely to escalate beyond that. He doubted the Malian government’s ability to conduct a thorough investigation because the crash “took place in an area it doesn’t control, and what remains of the drone has been recovered by groups opposed to the government.”
Algeria once served as a key mediator during more than a decade of conflict between Mali’s government and Tuareg rebels. But the two countries have grown apart since a military junta staged coups in 2020 and 2021, putting military personnel in charge of Mali’s key institutions.
Algeria has denounced the direction that Mali’s new government has taken and its expanded efforts to quash rebellion in historically volatile parts of northern Mali. Afraid of the conflict spilling over the border, Algerian officials have denounced Mali’s use of Russian mercenaries and armed drones near Tin Zaouatine, a border town in the north were the drone was found.
Algeria has one of Africa’s largest militaries and has long considered itself a regional power but military leaders in neighboring Mali and Niger have distanced themselves as they’ve championed autonomy and sought new alliances, including with Russia.
Le Pen supporters rally in Paris, turning a protest into a populist show of force
- The National Rally, Le Pen’s party, organized the event in response to what it calls a politically motivated verdict
PARIS: Convicted of embezzling public funds and banned from running for office, far-right politician Marine Le Pen stood unshaken before a sea of French flags in Paris on Sunday. “For 30 years I have fought against injustice,” she told the crowd. “And I will continue to fight.”
Thousands of supporters gathered at Place Vauban, near the golden dome of Les Invalides and the tomb of Napoleon, for what was billed as a protest — but observers said it had all the markings of a campaign rally.
The National Rally, Le Pen’s party, organized the event in response to what it calls a politically motivated verdict. But with chants of “Marine Présidente!” and “They won’t steal 2027 from us,” the message was clear: this was more than a protest. It was a show of populist defiance aimed squarely at France’s institutions.
Bardella sharpens the attack
At the heart of that charge stood Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s 29-year-old protégé and president of the National Rally. His speech was fiery, accusing France’s judges of trying to silence the opposition.
“March 29 was a dark day for France,” he said, referencing the date of Le Pen’s conviction. “The people must be free to choose their leaders — without interference from political judges.”
Though he claimed the party would respect democracy, Bardella denounced magistrates’ unions and warned of “a system determined to crush dissent.” Supporters carried signs reading “Justice taking orders” and “Stop the judicial dictatorship.” Others wore “Je suis Marine” (“I am Marine“) shirts or compared Le Pen to US President Donald Trump, who was convicted of civil fraud: “Trump can run — why not Marine?”
“The system’s not broken — it’s rigged,” said Alice Triquet, a 26-year-old bartender. “If they can do this to her, what stops them from coming after anyone who doesn’t think like them?”
One woman raised a handmade scale of justice, its arms bent and broken — a symbol of what Le Pen’s supporters see as a justice system turned against the people.
A nation divided over justice and power
Le Pen was found guilty of using European Parliament funds to pay party staff in France — a scheme the court described as “a democratic bypass.” She was sentenced to four years in prison, including two under house arrest and two suspended, and banned from public office for five years, effective immediately. Her appeal is expected next year.
The reaction has been sharply divided. While National Rally supporters denounce the ruling as politically motivated, many outside the party see it as legitimate accountability. “I challenge the notion that there is a tsunami of support for Le Pen on this issue,” said John Goodman, Ph.D., director of Syracuse University’s flagship program in France.
He also criticized the unusually rapid pace of Le Pen’s appeal. “Her appeal has been fast-tracked so it can be heard in the summer of 2026, well before the 2027 presidential election, and significantly faster than a typical criminal case,” Goodman said.
Warnings of a ‘Trumpist turn’
On the other side of the Seine, hundreds gathered for a counter-rally led by left-wing parties, warning that France’s far right is embracing US-style authoritarianism.
“This is bigger than Marine Le Pen,” said Green Party leader Marine Tondelier. “It’s about defending the rule of law from people who think justice is optional.”
Placards read “No Trumpism in France” and “Anti-fascist response.” Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal addressed supporters at a meeting of the center-right Renaissance party in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, calling the moment “a test of the Republic.” Former PM Edouard Philippe stood by his side.
Though police were out in force, only minor clashes were reported.
The real message: trust the people, not the courts
Beyond the legal battle, Sunday’s gathering of the National Rally revealed a deeper strategy. Party leaders have spent the week accusing judges of plotting a “judicial coup.” They’ve called the sentence a political “execution.” The goal is not just to overturn the ruling — it’s to convince voters the legal system itself can’t be trusted.
It’s a page from the Trump playbook: paint the courts as biased, the system as broken, and frame any legal setback as an attack on democracy. The ballot box becomes the only authority that matters.
“The judges wear robes, but they’re just politicians in disguise,” said Claude Morel, 68, a pensioner from the southern city of Marseille. “Let the people decide.”
What comes next
Le Pen may be barred from running — for now — but her political machine is far from finished. Bardella, long seen as her polished understudy, is stepping into the spotlight with growing confidence and sharpened rhetoric.
“We will be here tomorrow,” he told the crowd. “And we will be stronger.”
Sunday’s rally was more than a show of strength. It was a test: can the far right convince enough French voters that justice is no longer neutral, and that only they can return power to the people?
How that question is answered may shape not only the 2027 presidential race — but the future of French democracy.
Aid cuts could leave more women dying in pregnancy and birth, UN says
- “One of the headline messages is that the funding cuts risk not only that progress, but we could have a shift backward,” said Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage at the WHO
LONDON: Cuts to aid budgets are threatening to undermine years of progress in reducing the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth, and could lead to a rise in deaths, the United Nations has warned.
Globally, there was a 40 percent decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023, a report by UN agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO) showed on Monday, largely due to better access to essential health services.
That could now go into reverse, the WHO said in a statement accompanying the report which did not mention specific cuts but came in the wake of a foreign aid freeze by the US government and the ending of funding through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for many programs.
Other donor countries including Britain have also announced plans to cut aid budgets.
“One of the headline messages is that the funding cuts risk not only that progress, but we could have a shift backward,” said Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage at the WHO.
The cuts have had “pandemic-like effects” on health systems globally and could have a “more structural, deep-seated effect,” Aylward added.
The WHO said the cuts were already rolling back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health in many countries, reducing staff numbers, closing facilities and disrupting supply chains for supplies including treatments for hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia.
Cuts to other areas, such as malaria and HIV treatment, would also impact maternal survival, the UN said.
Even before the aid cuts led by the United States, things were backsliding in some countries, and progress has slowed globally since 2016, the report said.
In 2023, despite recent progress, a woman still died roughly every two minutes — around 260,000 in total that year — from complications that were mainly preventable and treatable, it added.
The situation was particularly bad in countries affected by conflict or natural disaster, although the US itself is one of only four countries to have seen its maternal mortality rate increase significantly since 2000, alongside Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
The COVID-19 pandemic also had an impact, the report said: 40,000 more women died due to pregnancy or childbirth in 2021, bringing the total number of deaths that year to 322,000.
“While this report shows glimmers of hope, the data also highlights how dangerous pregnancy still is in much of the world today – despite the fact that solutions exist,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The report itself was part-funded by USAID.
