Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners as peace talks end without breakthrough
Ukraine and Russia have conducted a rare exchange of prisoners of war and civilians after two days of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi, BBC reported.
A total of 157 Ukrainians - seven of them civilians - and 157 Russian soldiers were returned home in the first such swap in four months.
Russian, Ukrainian and US teams took part in the talks in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, with the main sticking points believed to be territorial concessions Ukraine is under pressure to make and security guarantees for it to prevent further Russian attacks if a deal is agreed to end the four-year war, according to BBC.
Starmer apologises to Epstein victims for believing Mandelson's 'lies'
Sir Keir Starmer has apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for believing Lord Mandelson's "lies" and appointing him as the UK's ambassador to the US, BBC reported.
The prime minister began a planned speech on funding to improve local communities by addressing the growing anger over how he had dealt with the issue.
While he acknowledged it had been publicly known for some time that Lord Mandelson knew Epstein, he said: "None of us knew the depths and the darkness of that relationship."
US and Iran talks to begin as fears of direct conflict continue
Senior US and Iranian officials are expected to meet in Oman later for direct talks amid a crisis that has raised fears of a military confrontation between the two countries, BBC reported.
The discussions come after a US military build-up in the Middle East in response to Iran's violent repression of nationwide anti-government protests last month, that human rights groups say killed many thousands of people.
Uncertainty over the location and scope had threatened to derail the talks, which are part of a diplomatic effort by regional mediators to de-escalate tensions, according to BBC.
US launches plan to tackle China's critical minerals dominance
The US has launched an effort to form a trade zone for critical minerals that are key to making everything from smartphones to weapons as it tries to break China's dominance of the industry, BBC reported.
On Wednesday, the State Department hosted the first Critical Minerals Ministerial event - which was attended by countries and organisations including the UK, European Union, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Delegates discussed the availability of and access to minerals crucial to the manufacture of things like computer chips and electric vehicle batteries, according to BBC.
