Zambian police disperse more than 25,000 illegal gold miners in northwest
Zambian authorities have cleared over 25,000 illegal miners from a gold-rich area in Mufumbwe District, northwest Zambia....
Senior Trump administration officials are privately acknowledging that a Ukraine peace deal is unlikely in the coming months, despite early hopes of brokering a ceasefire by spring.
According to two U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters, the White House and State Department are now drawing up fresh plans to pressure both Kyiv and Moscow, as the war shows no signs of ending. The conflict, now in its third year, has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and risks drawing NATO closer to direct confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia.
President Trump, who entered office promising swift peace, is said to be increasingly irritated. The White House believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is stalling negotiations, especially over a proposed U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement. But recent frustrations have turned toward Moscow.
Over the weekend, officials reviewed ways to force Russia back to the table, including possible secondary sanctions and tariff hikes on oil buyers. In an interview, Trump threatened tariffs of up to 50% on Russian oil exports, responding to Putin’s remarks questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Baltic ministers last week that peace in Ukraine remains distant. National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt confirmed that the administration is now considering further sanctions, saying: “President Trump was clear he will consider imposing secondary sanctions on all oil coming out of Russia if they are not serious about bringing this conflict to a peaceful resolution.”
Yet Moscow remains defiant. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said current U.S. peace proposals fail to address what Russia considers the core causes of the war.
Putin's demands remain high: a rollback of NATO operations in Europe and a ban on peacekeepers in Ukraine. Western officials say these “maximalist” requests are non-starters.
Despite early hopes that sanctions might pressure the Kremlin, U.S. officials are now less convinced. Trump's team, including Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Ukraine envoy Gen. Keith Kellogg, are debating how much ground the West can give without compromising core strategic interests.
Meanwhile, tensions with Kyiv continue. Trump accused Zelensky of trying to exit a rare earth minerals deal seen as key to U.S. involvement. “He’s trying to back out... and if he does that he’s got some problems, big, big problems,” Trump said.
The White House is reportedly reviewing the terms of that deal to make it more acceptable to Kyiv. However, ceasefire efforts around energy infrastructure and the Black Sea have stalled, with both sides continuing attacks despite initial agreements.
While public statements from Trump remain optimistic, confidence inside the administration is faltering. Talks have not broken down completely—but hopes for a quick deal are fading fast.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s Tokara Islands on Wednesday, with no tsunami warning issued but residents advised to remain vigilant.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Italy plans to grant approximately 500,000 work visas to non-EU nationals between 2026 and 2028, as announced in a cabinet statement. The initiative aims to address labor shortages by expanding legal immigration pathways
Following a deadly glacier collapse in Blatten, near the Swiss Alpine village of Kandersteg, the town is on high alert as melting permafrost and shifting rock threaten another potential disaster after it was buried a month ago.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged Elon Musk to steer clear of politics and prioritise his companies, after the Tesla CEO announced the formation of a new political party in defiance of President Donald Trump.
TikTok is building a new version of its app for U.S. users ahead of a planned sale to American investors, The Information reported, as President Donald Trump prepares fresh talks with China over the platform’s future.
BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro have condemned attacks on Iran, Gaza and Kashmir, while presenting the expanded bloc as a rising force for multilateralism in a world dominated by U.S.-led policies.
Suriname’s parliament has elected Dr Jennifer Geerlings-Simons as the country’s first female president, as the South American nation faces ongoing economic challenges and prepares for future oil revenues.
Zambian authorities have cleared over 25,000 illegal miners from a gold-rich area in Mufumbwe District, northwest Zambia.
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