Articles from ‘Independent News Roundup’ in ‘World News’

Russia successfully tests the Sarmat Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. · The weapon surpasses all Western analogues and can bypass all air defence systems. · A residential building is hit by a Ukrainian drone in Central Russia after the Victory Day ceasefire proposed by Moscow ends. · Chancellor Friedrich Merz gets jeered as he warns Germans to brace for further social cuts. That's as his approval rating reaches rock-bottom amid Berlin's…

A right-wing Austrian politician has demanded that the country’s Finance Ministry explain how nearly $22 billion in cash and gold was shipped to Ukraine from Austria since 2022 without triggering concerns about money laundering or regulatory oversight. In a statement published on Sunday, Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) Secretary General Christian Hafenecker called out what he described as Vienna’s “two-class justice system” for overlooking massive…

Public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have said they would not air the 70th anniversary Eurovision Song Contest, which begins on Tuesday in Austria and will culminate in Saturday’s grand finale, citing opposition to Israel’s participation. The three countries, along with the Netherlands and Iceland, withdrew on Monday from this year’s event in Vienna, leaving the contest facing the biggest boycott in its 70-year history. · Vienna…

Russia’s Defence Ministry accuses Kiev of violating the Victory Day ceasefire thousands of times since it took effect on Friday. · Moscow says its army is observing the ceasefire, and is only responding-in-kind to the assaults. Donald Trump rejects Iran’s response to his peace deal proposal - calling it ‘totally unacceptable’ - coming after he threatened lethal action against anyone getting between the US and the Islamic Republic’s enriched…

US President Donald Trump has called Iran’s response to Washington’s latest proposal for ending the war “totally unacceptable,” after Tehran insisted it would not surrender the strategic leverage it has gained around the Strait of Hormuz. The contents of Iran’s response have not been made public, but according to US media reports, Tehran’s counterproposal focused on ending the war and securing guarantees that hostilities would not resume, while…

The Ukrainian military needs to pull back from Donbass for the peace process to move forward, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has said. Talks between Moscow and Kiev will remain stalled until then, he told journalist Pavel Zarubin, adding that the Ukrainian government knows this. Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of talks, including with US mediation, since early 2025, when President Donald Trump returned to the White House.…

Vladimir Putin hints that the Ukraine conflict could soon conclude, stressing that Moscow won’t take Kiev’s ceasefire violations lightly, as he speaks to journalists following Victory Day commemorations. · As the first group of passengers finally disembark from a disease-hit ship in the Atlantic - a renowned American biochemist slams the media hype seen regarding the ‘hanta-virus’. · A man and his 12-year-old daughter are reported killed in a…

The Ukrainian military has violated the Victory Day ceasefire on 8,970 occasions since it took effect at midnight on Friday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. · Moscow stated earlier that it had ordered all Russian forces along the Ukraine front line to halt combat operations and remain at their positions during the ceasefire period. Moscow says Russian forces are observing the truce · In a statement released Saturday, the Russian…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that a meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky could take place “anywhere,” including in a third country, but only after a final long-term peace agreement is fully prepared and ready for signing. “The Ukrainian side and Mr. Zelensky, they are ready to have a personal meeting... We have never refused,” Putin said during a press conference after Victory Day celebrations on May 9. · “We can meet in the…

Victory Day celebrations across Russia and around the world concluded on May 9, while President Vladimir Putin wrapped up a series of meetings with foreign leaders who came to Moscow and spoke to journalists about the Ukraine conflict, Russia-China ties, and other international issues. “I think the matter is heading towards the completion of the Ukrainian conflict,” the Russian leader said while answering questions from the press. He also did…