Denis Pushilin added that the Kiev regime has proved effective at eliminating political opponents

Andrey Belousov also emphasized that the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis continues, while most European countries refuse to abandon an extremely hostile anti-Russian course and continue to use provocative rhetoric

The US sanctions target people operating in broad sections of Cuban economy, including energy, defence and mining

Cuba’s government has said new sanctions imposed on the island by Donald Trump amounted to “collective punishment”, as an enormous 1 May procession outside the American embassy in Havana vowed to “defend the homeland”.

In an executive order on Friday, the US president said he would impose sanctions on people involved in broad sections of the Cuban economy, as he seeks to put more pressure on Havana after ousting Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this year.

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© Photograph: Claudia Daut/Reuters

© Photograph: Claudia Daut/Reuters

© Photograph: Claudia Daut/Reuters

President seemed to suggest that legislative deadline to approve war no longer applies as Democrats push back

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Donald Trump said in a letter sent to congressional leaders on Friday that hostilities with Iran have “terminated”, suggesting that the 60-day deadline to seek approval from the legislative branch no longer applied.

Friday marks 60 days since the US president notified members of Congress that the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February. Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president can deploy troops to respond to an “imminent threat” but must receive congressional approval within 60 days to continue military operations.

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© Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

© Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

© Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov noted that Russian-Chinese strategic cooperation, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs, has served an example of responsible partnership throughout decades

Cross-party group says closure of humanitarian unit will undermine monitoring of legal violations and arms exports

MPs have expressed alarm at the closure of the Foreign Office’s international humanitarian law unit, warning it “will impair the UK’s ability to anticipate, assess and respond to serious violations of international law across multiple contexts”.

News of the closure, revealed by the Guardian, was raised with Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions this week by the independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley, Iqbal Mohamed. Starmer said the work would be undertaken by another team as part of a restructuring.

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© Photograph: Alex Segre/Alamy

© Photograph: Alex Segre/Alamy

© Photograph: Alex Segre/Alamy

Scott Jennings was questioned by Adam Mockler about political concessions gained by the US in its war on Iran

Scott Jennings, CNN’s most prominent pro-Trump commentator, was triggered into swearing at a fellow panelist on live television on Thursday night after being repeatedly pressed to name a single political concession the US had extracted from its war with Iran – and failing to answer.

The outburst came during NewsNight With Abby Phillip, where Jennings clashed with Adam Mockler, a 23-year-old commentator with the progressive MeidasTouch. When Mockler asked him to name a concrete gain from the conflict, Jennings responded with the party-line response that the conflict had a singular, clear purpose – preventing a theocratic regime from acquiring nuclear weapons – but Mockler shot back that the non-answer was itself an answer.

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© Photograph: Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images

Tehran reportedly passed proposal to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night, though its contents are not yet clear

Iran has passed a new proposal to Pakistani mediators in the latest effort to end the war with the US, but Donald Trump said he was not “satisfied” by it.

“Right now, we have talks going on, they’re not getting there,” he told reporters, adding that his options remained “either blast them away or make a deal”.

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© Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

China’s foreign minister on Thursday urged the United States to maintain “stability” between the two powers and warned that Taiwan posed the biggest risk, weeks before President Donald Trump visits Beijing.

In a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing and Washington should “safeguard the hard-won stability” in China-US relations, China’s foreign ministry said.

The talks also discussed the Middle East, where China has been a key partner of Tehran but has largely kept its distance after Trump joined Israel in attacking Iran, sending global oil prices spiralling.

A State Department official confirmed the phone call and said it was to arrange Trump’s trip but did not give further details.

Trump is scheduled to visit China on May 14-15 to see President Xi Jinping — the Republican billionaire’s first trip to the rival power since returning to the White House in January 2025.

During Trump’s first year back in office, Washington and Beijing clashed over trade and tariffs until a truce was declared in October, when Trump and Xi met in South Korea.

“Both sides should safeguard the hard-won stability, prepare well for key high-level interactions, expand areas of cooperation” and manage their differences, Wang told Rubio, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.

While ties have “generally remained stable” under Trump and Xi, Wang “emphasised that the Taiwan issue concerns China’s core interests and is the biggest risk point in China-US relations”, it said.

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification and is sharply critical of US military assistance to the self-ruled island and its support of Taipei on the international stage.

“The United States must honor its commitments and make the right choices, opening new perspectives for bilateral cooperation and do its part to promote world peace,” Wang said.

The statement from the Chinese ministry said Wang and Rubio had “exchanged views” on the situation in the Middle East, without offering further details.

Kirill Dmitriev stressed that "legacy media’s silence speaks volumes about bias and a lack of genuine truth-seeking"

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A man has allegedly stolen nearly $3,000 worth of diesel in jerry cans and drums from a South Sydney service station.

Police said they were told a driver of a white ute allegedly filled large drums and jerry cans with 915 litres of diesel, valued at over $2,870 (or about $3.14 a litre), without paying at about 7.15pm on 11 April.

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© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Mikhail Ulyanov exchanged opinions with Rafael Grossi about the review conference and the situation around Ukraine and Iran