Belgium disrupted by nationwide strike over austerity cuts
A 24-hour nationwide strike crippled Belgium’s airports, transit networks and public services on Monday, as unions walked out to protest government austerity cuts to welfare and pensions.
Washington, D.C., February 24, 2025 – French President Emmanuel Macron arrived at the White House on Monday to engage in high-level discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump over the prospects for ending the Ukraine conflict
The meeting comes amid stark differences over the path forward and is expected to cover issues such as the timing of any ceasefire agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ensuring continued European involvement, and potential military guarantees for Ukraine.
Macron is the first European leader to visit Trump since the U.S. president regained power a month ago. The leaders are set to participate in a G7 call, conduct bilateral talks, and later hold a joint press conference at 2 p.m. EST. In a parallel effort, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to visit Trump later this week, reflecting growing alarm in Europe over Trump’s hardening stance on Ukraine and his recent overtures to Moscow regarding the three-year conflict.
Amid these discussions, Trump and his team have been negotiating a revenue-sharing arrangement with Ukraine aimed at recouping some of the funds previously sent by the Biden administration in the form of wartime aid. Over the weekend, Trump expressed optimism that an agreement would be reached soon.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy recently rejected U.S. demands for $500 billion in mineral wealth from Ukraine as repayment for wartime assistance, noting that the United States had supplied far less and had offered no specific security guarantees in return.
Drawing on his longstanding relationship with Trump from their earlier presidential terms, Macron warned that any agreement that compromised Ukraine’s position would signal weakness. “I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President Putin. It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of, and it’s not in your interests,” he said during an hour-long question-and-answer session on social media ahead of his visit.
As world leaders continue to navigate complex geopolitical challenges, Monday’s talks are seen as a critical moment in shaping the future trajectory of the Ukraine conflict and broader international security.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, following the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet behind closed doors at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:00 local time today to explore security guarantees, territorial integrity and a possible ceasefire.
EU approves 17th Russia sanctions, blacklisting almost 200 shadow‑fleet ships, 30 evasion firms and 75 defence figures, banning missile chemicals and arming Brussels to strike Kremlin hybrid and operations.
Perched at 5,100 meters (16,732 feet) in the Peruvian Andes, La Rinconada is the highest permanent human settlement on Earth.
Prime minister Keir Starmer says stronger ties with the EU will benefit British jobs, energy bills and border control. His comments come ahead of a summit in London where EU leaders will meet UK officials.
African countries are stepping up efforts to hold global tech companies like Meta accountable for how they handle user data. This could be a turning point for digital control on the continent.
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