The struggle to obtain rare earth elements is fast becoming a national security issue.
The race for rare earths is heating up as the world pushes for clean energy and tech advancements. But behind the push for wind turbines and electric vehicles lies a complex web of geopolitics, environmental challenges, and human costs.
European leaders have given Russia’s president an ultimatum on agreeing to a 30-day Ukraine ceasefire or else face ‘massive’ new sanctions. Vladimir Putin instead proposed direct peace talks in Istanbul, which Zelenskyy has called ‘positive’.
Published On 11 May 202511 May 2025
Many Christians of the Holy Land rejoiced at the election of Pope Leo XIV as the successor to Saint Peter. Many of us hope that the new pope will follow the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis, particularly with regard to issues of justice and peace.
The Holy See has historically played an important role in supporting the Christian presence in the Holy Land, whether through church activities, engagement with influential parties in and around the region, or through material and moral support. This has been reflected in the establishment of institutions such as the Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem, Bethlehem University, the Benedictus Center in Nazareth, and most recently, the donation by Pope Francis of the Popemobile to serve as a mobile clinic for children in Gaza.
Some of the most impactful moments in our recent history have been papal visits to our land — starting with Pope Paul VI in 1964, followed by Pope John Paul II in 2000, Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, and concluding with Pope Francis in 2014.
We, Christians in the Holy Land, hope that Pope Leo XIV will not only come to visit us but also help address some of the challenges we face today in the birthplace of Christianity. As a community of 230,000 people, we are working to strengthen the Christian presence as an active component of the local society, in collaboration with its other components. However, we do need help.
One of the main issues affecting Christian lives in Israel and Palestine is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a persistent source of regional instability that fuels violence in various forms, which kills many, including Christians.
Rising religious and political extremism makes many of us feel like strangers in our own homeland. Economic deterioration and the declining number of people coming for pilgrimage in the Holy Land due to the conflict are leading to a loss of livelihood and worsening socioeconomic conditions. Widespread despair is driving many to emigrate or plan to leave in the near future, dwindling the numbers of our community.
Many local Christians want the Holy See to engage with key global and regional players to achieve a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his last sermon, Pope Francis spoke about the urgent need for peace in Gaza. In his first sermon, Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire and delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip. We welcome these statements and hope he will continue to do his utmost to promote peace in the Holy Land.
In Palestine, the situation remains unclear due to the Israeli occupation of all territories meant to form a Palestinian state, the ongoing war in Gaza, and the limited authority of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank — not to mention Israel’s full annexation of East Jerusalem. This reality calls for thoughtful action by the Church, both at the level of the Holy See and locally, to provide people with hope in these dark times.
In Israel, there is a pressing need for cooperation between the Holy See and the local church — bishops, priests, and believers — to resolve many issues that affect the Christian and non-Christian communities. It is crucial to work with all segments of the local society to pressure the state to treat all its citizens equally and preserve their dignity.
Christians hope that the Holy See can collaborate with us in our efforts to achieve equality. We, as a community, face Israeli laws that discriminate against us based on ethnicity and religion; we need support in our efforts to have such laws repealed.
It is also essential to work towards resolving painful issues that have negatively impacted the Christian presence, such as the case of the villages of Iqrit and Biram, whose Catholic Christian residents were expelled before their homes were destroyed by the Israeli authorities in 1951. Since then, the residents and their descendants have been demanding to return to their ancestral lands, but are being denied this right.
There is also a need for stronger intervention by the Holy See to support Christian institutions operating under Israeli control, which face growing challenges, such as attempts by some municipalities to impose heavy taxes in violation of past agreements, the clear discriminatory underfunding of Christian schools by Israeli authorities, and threats against church property.
Many Christians of the Holy Land also hope that Pope Leo XIV will work to enhance unity among them, including efforts to reach a unified date for major religious holidays, especially Christmas and Easter. They also call for increased joint efforts among churches to organise pilgrimages to the Holy Land that include not only visits to religious sites but also interactions with the faithful who live there. This is important because it would help us raise global awareness about the challenges we face and feel an integral part of the universal Church.
As a whole, Christians in the Holy Land, like their fellow Christians around the world, desire to see a father in Pope Leo XIV — a father who visits them and welcomes their visits, consults with them and listens to their concerns, protects them from harm, stands with them when they are attacked or oppressed, and follows in the footsteps of the Church’s founder, who never hesitated to defend the oppressed regardless of how powerful the oppressor might be.
Pope Leo XIV should know that he has many children in the Holy Land who love him and understand how busy he and the Holy See are with so many issues around the world.
In the Holy Land, Christians have prayed — and continue to pray — for his success in his mission, fully aware of how complex it is. But above all, the children need their father — and that is what they expect the most: that he will always stand by their side, despite how busy he might be.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
In his first Sunday address, Pope Leo XIV has appealed to world powers for ‘no more war.'
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A roundup of some of last week’s events.
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Carrara’s connection to anarchism began nearly 150 years ago, when anarchist ideals found fertile ground among the downtrodden workers in the marble quarries. Led by Alberto Meschi, Carrara’s quarrymen became the first in Italy to win a six-and-a-half-hour workday in the early 20th century. Anarchist circles and collectives emerged in nearly every town and neighbourhood across the Carrara region. In Gragnana, a village in the Apuan Alps, Italy’s oldest anarchist circle, “Errico Malatesta”, founded in 1885, still operates to this day.
“I’m one of those who love this town and want it to thrive,” says Rosmunda, who believes the town has been hard-hit by years of austerity policies, introduced by the government following the global financial crisis of 2008, and underinvestment.
Only a small part of marble-extraction profits now flow back to the municipality, and Carrara and surrounding villages have been left with inadequate social housing, stripped-down health and childcare services and failing public transport.
“It’s hard – there’s no social welfare, public services are falling apart,” Rosmunda says. “The wealth [from marble] stays in very few hands.”
Sculptor Chantal Stropeni adds: “Carrara is a paradox. There’s immense wealth – marble – and yet deep poverty, even among artists. To resist, we’ve formed a collective sculpture studio called Ponte di Ferro. There are 14 of us. We want to approach art differently – collectively. Carrara is a workshop: It’s easy to create here, but incredibly hard to see. The town is falling apart, and maybe that works in its favour: No one pays attention, no one asks questions.”
In the meantime, the mountains are disappearing – at a rate of 4 million to 5 million tonnes per year. The town is growing poorer. Automation has replaced many quarry jobs such as block cutting, drilling, splitting, chiselling and materials removal. Local jobs have dropped from 800 to about 600 in recent years.
But resistance in this region has a long legacy. “We’ve been fighting to reduce the impact of the extractive system – organising events, protests, talks and legal actions – for more than 30 years,” says Paola Antonioli, president of Legambiente Carrara, an Italian environmental nonprofit organisation. “Sure, the road is long. But something is shifting. Collective consciousness is beginning to awaken.”
This took on new strength in 2019 with the formation of Fridays for Future Carrara, which followed the example set by environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg and holds protests on Fridays in the town.
A weary electorate votes in parliamentary elections after campaign dominated by EU hopes and political corruption.
Albanians are casting ballots in the general election, with Prime Minister Edi Rama seeking an unprecedented fourth term after a campaign dominated by promises of European Union membership and corruption allegations.
Polling stations opened at 7am local time (05:00 GMT) on Sunday and would close at 7pm (17:00 GMT), with results expected on Monday.
Nearly 3.7 million Albanians, including hundreds of thousands living abroad, are eligible to vote. For the first time, members of the diaspora can cast their ballots by mail.
Rama, leader of the governing Socialist Party since 2013, has positioned himself as the architect of Albania’s EU future. He has pledged that the country will join the bloc by 2030, repeating the promise at his final rally: “We will get our fourth mandate, and we will not lose a single day for Albania 2030 in the EU.”
Rama’s main rival, 80-year-old Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister, leads the conservative Democratic Party.
Despite being banned from entering the United States and the United Kingdom over alleged corruption, which he denies, Berisha has retained a loyal following and adopted slogans including “Make Albania Great Again”.
Rama has faced allegations of state capture, with opposition voices warning that the political playing field is far from even.
Critics say Rama’s dominance over public institutions has undermined democratic checks.
Rama’s administration has not escaped scrutiny, with his close ally – Tirana’s mayor Erion Veliaj – arrested this year over alleged corruption and money laundering. Both men deny the allegations.
The political contest is, in many ways, a rematch of old rivals. Rama and Berisha have dominated public life since the fall of communism in 1990. Many younger voters have grown disillusioned with both.
“I will vote for new politicians because those like Rama and Berisha have been here for three decades and they only replace themselves,” said 21-year-old Arber Qazimi, speaking to the Reuters news agency.
Others, like Erisa, an economics student, plan to abstain entirely. “I am only thinking how to go out of the country to study and then stay there and never come back,” she said, echoing the sentiment of many among the estimated one million Albanians who have emigrated in the past decade.
With the Socialists potentially needing allies to retain their narrow majority, smaller parties could prove decisive in shaping the next government.
The campaign trail shifted largely to social media platforms, though a yearlong TikTok ban – imposed over online bullying and incitement – has led to accusations of censorship.
The Democratic Party brought in American political strategist Chris LaCivita, known for his role in US President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, in a bid to sharpen their message.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions” to achieve “lasting peace” and “eliminate the root causes” of the three-year conflict.
The offer, delivered early on Sunday, came hours after the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to start on Monday.
The leaders, who were meeting in Kyiv, said their call is backed by United States President Donald Trump and threatened “massive” new sanctions on Moscow if it did not agree with their plan.
Putin did not explicitly address that call in his comments, but slammed European “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric” before outlining the counter-proposal for renewed Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” the Russian president told reporters. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”
Putin said that he would speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later on Sunday about facilitating the talks.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine to the proposal.
But Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said he was ready for peace talks, but only after a ceasefire is in place.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has left hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead and triggered the gravest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held direct talks in Istanbul in the first weeks of the conflict, but failed to agree to halt the fighting.
Putin said Russia was proposing restarting the talks in an attempt to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” and “to achieve the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace” rather than simply a pause for rearmament.
“We do not exclude that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new ceasefire,” he added.
Putin, whose forces have advanced over the past year, has faced increased public and private pressure from Trump as well as warnings from European powers to end the war.
But he has offered few concessions and has stood firm in his conditions for ending the war.
In June 2024, Putin said Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia.
Russian officials have also proposed that the US recognise Russia’s control over about one-fifth of Ukraine and demanded that Ukraine remain neutral, though Moscow has said it is not opposed to Kyiv’s ambitions to join the European Union.
Putin specifically mentioned the 2022 draft deal from the talks in Istanbul.
Under that draft, Ukraine should agree to permanent neutrality in return for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.
“It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv,” Putin said. “Russia is ready to negotiate without any preconditions.”
He thanked China, Brazil, African and Middle Eastern countries and the US for their efforts to mediate.
Russia, Putin added, had proposed several ceasefires, including a moratorium on striking energy facilities, an Easter ceasefire, and most recently, the 72-hour truce during the celebrations marking 80 years since victory in World War II, but accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating the ceasefires.
He said that during the May ceasefire, Ukraine had attacked Russia with 524 aerial drones, 45 sea drones, a number of Western missiles and that Russia had repelled five attacks on Russian regions.
Ukraine, too, has accused Russia of repeatedly violating its own ceasefire.
Earlier on Saturday, for the first time, the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the UK travelled together to Ukraine in a visit that Zelenskyy said sent “a very important signal”.
The five leaders, following their meeting in Kyiv, issued a statement calling for a ceasefire “lasting at least 30 days” from Monday, to make room for a diplomatic push to end the war.
“An unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy,” the statement read.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the US would take the lead in monitoring the proposed ceasefire, with support from European countries, and threatened “massive sanctions … prepared and coordinated between Europeans and Americans” should Russia violate the truce.
Meanwhile, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, said Saturday that a “comprehensive” 30-day ceasefire, covering attacks from the air, land, sea and on infrastructure, “will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II”.
Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the “bloodbath” of the Ukraine war, which his administration casts as a proxy war between the US and Russia.
Former US President Joe Biden, Western European leaders and Ukraine cast the invasion as an imperial-style land grab and repeatedly pledged to defeat Russian forces.
Putin casts the war as a watershed moment in Moscow’s relations with the West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Soviet Union fell in 1991 by enlarging NATO and encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence, including Ukraine.
Carlo Ancelotti says Xabi Alonso has “all the doors open” for a move to a big club, with speculation building that the former Real Madrid midfielder is set to replace the Italian coach at the helm of the Spanish powerhouse.
Ancelotti gave his routine pre-game news conference on Saturday, a day after Alonso announced he was leaving Bayer Leverkusen.
He praised the work of Alonso, who has been widely linked to an eventual move back to Madrid after leading the German club to the Bundesliga title last season.
“I read that Xabi is leaving Bayer Leverkusen, where he did a fantastic job,” Ancelotti said before Sunday’s trip to Barcelona. “He has all the doors open because he has shown that he is one of the best coaches in the world.”
Ancelotti again refused to speak about his future, especially before a decisive Clasico in LaLiga. Madrid trail Barcelona by four points and need to win to keep alive their chances of winning a trophy this campaign.
But he did speak movingly about what Madrid means — and will mean — for the most successful manager in European football.
For Ancelotti, his relationship with the club he has spent six seasons at in two stints is an everlasting “honeymoon”.
“The honeymoon with this club never ends, it continues forever,” he said. “I think that Real Madrid, like Milan before, are the teams that stay with me, given the time I have spent here. At the beginning, there is passion, and when that fades, other feelings emerge, a sense of tender care. My honeymoon with Real Madrid will last for as long as I live.”
The 65-year-old coach is under contract through the next campaign but is widely expected to leave after an underwhelming season in which the team played worse despite adding Kylian Mbappe to its squad.
Brazil have been courting Ancelotti for over a year, and it appears talks are still ongoing with the veteran manager.
With only four games remaining of the LaLiga season, only a win will realistically keep Real’s hopes of retaining the title, and for Ancelotti, they will need to get everything right to have a chance on Sunday.
“In this type of game, you have to do things well. Barcelona are used to keeping the opponent in their own area, but no team is perfect,” he said.
“It’s a game where there’s a lot at stake, and to win, you have to manage everything well, defend well, attack well. We have to play a complete game.”
With so much at stake against their great rivals, Ancelotti will have little trouble getting his players fired up.
“It’s not difficult to motivate the players because it’s the type of match for which the players already come out motivated and with a lot of confidence,” he said.
“Playing with Barcelona is special. It will be the last ‘El Clasico’ of the season because Barca are not in the Club World Cup.”
Who’s scoring in #ELCLÁSICO? 🤍 pic.twitter.com/Tgx1X8cVuA
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) May 8, 2025
Barcelona’s players have discussed last week’s Champions League elimination and are ready to put their disappointment behind them against rivals Real Madrid, manager Hansi Flick said in his news conference on Saturday.
Barca suffered a 4-3 Champions League semifinal defeat by Inter Milan on Tuesday.
A home win on Sunday would move Flick’s side one victory away from their 28th Spanish league title.
“We’re doing well. After the defeat in Milan, everyone knows it’s not easy … but we’re doing things right. We’ve talked about what we want to do in these two weeks,” Flick told reporters.
“There are four more games to go. El Clasico is important, we have to show how well we can play. We have to show confidence. The players are doing very well … We’ve been talking about what they are thinking, what they are feeling.
“We had to talk about it as a group. Everyone knows that in a Clasico, you have to give 100 percent. You have to be active, intense, dominant. Real Madrid is a very good team, and we need the fans.”
Translated as “The Classic” in English, El Clasico is the name given to any football match between rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The special matchup between these football sides was born out of a more-than-a-century-old political-historical dimension between an increasingly distinct Catalan national identity, with FC Barcelona representing Catalonia, pitched against the centralised power structures of Spain’s capital city, Madrid, and by extension, its most famous football club, Real Madrid.
The first match between the two Spanish mega clubs was played on May 13, 1902.
In total, 260 matches have been played. Real Madrid lead in head-to-head results with 105 wins to Barcelona’s 103, with 52 draws.
Barcelona: W-W-W-W-D (most recent fixture first)
May 3, 2025 – Real Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona
April 22, 2025 – Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca
April 19, 2025 – Barcelona 4-3 Celta Vigo
April 12, 2025 – Leganes 0-1 Barcelona
April 5, 2025 – Barcelona 1-1 Real Betis
Real Madrid: W-W-W-W-L (most recent fixture first)
May 04, 2025 – Real Madrid 3-2 Celta Vigo
April 23, 2025 – Getafe 0-1 Real Madrid
April 20, 2025 – Real Madrid 1-0 Athletic Club
April 13, 2025 – Alaves 0-1 Real Madrid
April 5, 2025 – Real Madrid 1-2 Valencia
New pontiff sets out vision, pledging to continue ‘precious legacy of predecessor Pope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV has held his first meeting with the world’s cardinals since his election as the head of the Catholic Church, identifying artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the most crucial issues facing humanity.
Leo, the first American pope, laid out a vision of his papacy at the Vatican on Saturday, telling the cardinals who elected him that AI poses challenges to defending “human dignity, justice and labour” – a view shared with his predecessor, the late Pope Francis.
Explaining his choice of name, the pontiff said he identified with the late Leo XIII, who had defended workers’ rights during his 1878-1903 papacy at the dawn of the industrial age, adding that “social teaching” was now needed in response to the modern-day revolution brought by AI.
The late Pope Francis, who died last month, warned that AI risked turning human relations into mere algorithms and called for an international treaty to regulate it.
Francis warned the Group of Seven industrialised nations last year that AI must remain human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools would not fall to machines.
In his speech, delivered in Italian, Pope Leo made repeated references to Francis and the mourning over his death, saying the late pontiff left a “precious legacy” and signalling that he would continue with his vision.
Francis was pope for 12 years and often garnered criticism from conservative cardinals, who said he was watering down the Church’s doctrine on issues such as the inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics and women’s leadership.
Leo, the former US Cardinal Robert Prevost, was a relative unknown on the global stage, before he was elected pontiff, who spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru before serving as a senior Vatican official.
Saturday’s meeting took place in the same small Vatican auditorium where the cardinals had been gathering in the days before the conclave to discuss who should be the next pope.
Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka was cited by the Reuters news agency as saying the situation of Catholics in communist China had been raised as an issue.
The Vatican and China in 2018 signed a controversial deal on the appointment of bishops in the country, which gives Beijing some input into their selection.
Conservatives have attacked the still-secret deal as a sellout, but Duka told Reuters it was necessary to keep dialogue open in places where the Church is oppressed.
Who: Liverpool vs Arsenal
What: English Premier League
Where: Anfield, Liverpool, United Kingdom
When: Sunday at 4:30pm local time (15:30 GMT)
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Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions in front of their fans two weeks ago when Arne Slot’s side thrashed Tottenham Hotspur 5-1.
Now they face an Arsenal side wounded by not only their third consecutive second-place finish in the English top-flight but also their elimination from the Champions League on Tuesday.
Manager Mikel Arteta has come out fighting with regards to what the Gunners need to do to take the next step in their hunt for silverware – and that starts with their visit to face the Reds.
Arteta has urged Arsenal to use the frustration of having to give champions Liverpool a guard of honour on Sunday as fuel to win the Premier League title next season after admitting they have gone “backwards” this term.
“Something has to drive you, motivate you, and pain for this is a good one to use when you really want to do something. It’s the right thing to do, usually as a motivation for next season,” Arteta said of Arsenal’s guard of honour for the champions.
“They’ve been the best team, they’ve been the most consistent, and what Slot and the coaching staff have done has been fascinating, it’s been really good.
“They fully deserve it, and that’s the sport. If somebody is better, you have to accept it and try to reach that level.”
The Gunners were beaten 2-1 by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday to end their bid to win the tournament for the first time.
It was a painful loss for Arsenal, who created a host of chances in the early stages of the second leg but could not find a way past inspired PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
After finishing as runners-up to Manchester City for the previous two seasons, the north Londoners remain without a title since 2004.
Liverpool are in cruise control in the Premier League with a 15-point gap to Arsenal in second.
The Gunners themselves are only six points from slipping out of the Champions League qualification positions.
Mathematically, the Gunners could finish as low as seventh, which would also mean they finish outside the Europa League qualification spots.
“Both teams look forward to playing this game. Difficult to predict,” Reds boss Slot said when asked what kind of game he expects.
“There is a little bit at stake for Arsenal, as I presume they would rather finish second than third or fourth. Difficult to predict if it will be edgy, but it is a game to look forward to.”
A month to remember ❤️
Alexis Mac Allister is April’s @EASPORTSFC Player of the Month 💪 #PLAwards pic.twitter.com/32PsArRp6D
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 9, 2025
The sides shared a 2-2 draw at Emirates Stadium in October.
Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino twice gave the Gunners the lead, with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah coming up with the equalisers.
Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker in the January transfer window was a big blow in a season marred by long injury absences for Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka at various stages.
“In January, it was clear or not? I made a very clear statement, and the statement continues the same. I want the best team, the best players. If we have three goal scorers over 25, bring them in, we’re going to be a much better team, yes,” Arteta said.
“We are there, we are providing the numbers that win you titles. We have to be a little bit luckier, but still do better to make sure that nobody has a season better than you.”
Arsenal have not won at Anfield since 2012 – a match that Arteta played in for the Gunners.
The north Londoners are, however, on a five-match unbeaten run against the Reds, winning two of those.
Right-back Conor Bradley will start the match, as revealed by Slot in his pre-match news conference. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has announced he will leave the club this summer, is set to be named among the subs as a result.
Joe Gomez is the only other major absentee for the Reds.
Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kai Havertz all remain sidelined for the Gunners.
However, midfielder Jorginho has returned to the match day squad following an injury.
The trip marks the first time the leaders of four European nations have made a joint visit to Ukraine.
The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Poland have arrived in Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and have put pressure on Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire as a step to end the three-year conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived together by train from neighbouring Poland on Saturday. Later, they were joined by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“There is a lot of work to do, a lot of topics to discuss. We must end this war with a just peace. We must force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire,” said Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, posting photographs welcoming the leaders off the train.
It is the first time the leaders of the four European nations have made a joint visit to Ukraine.
More than three years into Russia’s invasion, the hugely symbolic show of European unity comes a day after President Vladimir Putin struck a defiant tone at a Moscow parade marking 80 years since victory in World War II.
United States President Donald Trump has proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as a step to end the conflict. But Putin has resisted so far.
Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi said the quartet’s visit was “symbolic”, practical meetings were also expected to take place.
“Those practical meetings are expected to discuss the 30-day ceasefire, but crucially how to keep the US on side moving forward with any sort of talks,” he said.
After meeting Zelenskyy in the morning, the leaders are to host a virtual meeting to update other European leaders on moves to create a European force that could provide Ukraine with security after the war.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace,” the leaders said in a statement ahead of the visit.
“We are ready to support peace talks as soon as possible, to discuss technical implementation of the ceasefire, and prepare for a full peace deal,” they added.
The statement said “the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come”.
The leaders promised to continue to increase their support for Ukraine, saying “until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the ABC news channel on Saturday that arms deliveries from Ukraine’s allies must stop before Russia would agree to a ceasefire.
A truce would otherwise be an “advantage for Ukraine” at a time when “Russian troops are advancing … in quite a confident way” on the front, Peskov said, adding that Ukraine was “not ready for immediate negotiations”.
Russia has occupied about a fifth of Ukrainian territory and has yet to respond to the pressure for an enduring ceasefire.
Trump has also said Ukraine will have to consider giving up territory, such as the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, but has expressed growing impatience with Russia’s refusal to halt the fighting.
These are the key events on day 1,171 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Here is where things stand on Saturday, May 10:
Pope Leo XIV, the first US pontiff, called his surprise election a “cross” and a blessing as he celebrated his first Mass as pope in the Sistine Chapel. The Chicago-born missionary vowed to be a “faithful administrator” and said the Church must shine through “the dark nights of this world.”
Published On 9 May 20259 May 2025
Who: Barcelona vs Real Madrid
What: Spanish Copa del Rey
Where: Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain
When: Sunday at 4:15pm local time (14:15 GMT)
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LaLiga leaders Barcelona will look to extend their lead over second-placed Real Madrid to seven points when the teams meet in the Spanish top flight on Sunday.
With only four games to play of the domestic season in Spain, victory for Barca would put one hand on the title that Real won last season.
It would also cap a season of dominance for the Catalan club over their fierce rivals.
Al Jazeera looks through all the talking points and news before the final El Clasico of the season.
Real Madrid’s season appeared disastrous a few weeks ago, but if Carlo Ancelotti’s side can finally beat rivals Barcelona in Sunday’s Clasico, their title defence will be resuscitated.
A victory for Real would narrow the gap to one point with three games to play.
Madrid were left licking their wounds after a Champions League quarterfinal thrashing by Arsenal, and coach Ancelotti is poised to depart at the end of the season, but it could yet be with a major trophy in his hands.
Barcelona’s European dream ended at the hands of Inter Milan on Tuesday, no doubt brightening spirits in the Spanish capital.
With Barcelona’s quadruple dream crushed by Inter, should Madrid defend their title, they could even classify their season as a success.
The Catalans have already secured the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, both of which they won by beating Real Madrid in the final.
Barcelona were 4-0 winners at Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the LaLiga season in October.
Robert Lewandowski put the visitors two up early in the second half at Santiago Bernabeu. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha completed the scoring.
Combined with the two cup victories, Barcelona have netted 12 goals across the three games so far.
Barca have conceded only four, with Hansi Flick’s side outplaying Madrid on each occasion.
This FRONT 3… 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TFsqju069J
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) May 9, 2025
“We will have a great opportunity, we have to prepare well – it’s an almost decisive match,” said Ancelotti.
Reflecting on the Copa del Rey final, which went to extra time, Ancelotti added, “The last match was competitive, we were very close to winning and I don’t think we have to invent a lot of new things [tactically],” said Ancelotti.
“We have to try and play a serious game, and we will do so with all the confidence in the world.
“Despite all our problems, the fact we are here and we can fight in this match is something beautiful.”
Last weekend against Celta Vigo Ancelotti also afforded Turkish 20-year-old Arda Guler a rare start, and he impressed in midfield, providing impetus which the retired Toni Kroos gave last season, as Madrid won a LaLiga and Champions League double.
Guler also impressed as a substitute in the Copa final and Ancelotti may start him at the Olympic stadium this weekend.
“At Madrid, you have to suck it up on the bench before you become an indisputable start in this team – Arda has the profile of a player who could be a starter at Madrid,” said Ancelotti.
“He sucked it up on the bench, he didn’t get annoyed and he has evolved … he’s not the same Guler from last September.”
A home defeat on Sunday would not be the death knell for their title bid but would ramp up the pressure on Flick’s young, relatively inexperienced charges.
“[We] have to go on, we have five days to prepare and we want to win it,” said the German coach after the loss in Milan in one of the all-time classic Champions League semifinals.
“[This defeat] must wake up the hunger to win the title, this is important for me.”
Barcelona make the short trip to cross-city rivals Espanyol on Thursday before entertaining Villareal next Sunday in their final home fixture of the campaign.
The season finale sees Barca head to Bilbao on May 25, to face Athletic Club, who were knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United on Thursday.
Real entertain Mallorca on Wednesday before travelling to Seville next Sunday.
Their final game of the season is home to Real Sociedad.
Barcelona defender Jules Kounde is absent with a hamstring injury on Thursday.
Striker Robert Lewandowski returned to the bench against Inter following a leg injury.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will be challenged for a starting place by first-choice keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is back after a long injury layoff.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Szczesny; Eric, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin; Pedri, de Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao have been ruled out for the remainder of the season and have been joined on the sidelines by, Eduardo Camavinga, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba.
Brazilian forward Rodrygo, however, is set to return from illness.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Asencio, Garcia; Valverde, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Russia marked the 80th anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany with a grand parade in Moscow’s Red Square, attended by over 20 foreign leaders. The Victory Day spectacle, celebrated on May 9, is Russia’s most important secular holiday.
Published On 9 May 20259 May 2025
The 69-year-old is the first cardinal from US to lead the world’s largest Christian Church.
A new pope has been elected – the first from the United States to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
But the institution is divided between progressives and traditionalists, in a world polarised by conflict and widening political division.
So, what role might Pope Leo XIV play within his church and on the world political stage?
Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Stan Chu Ilo – Research professor of world Catholicism at DePaul University and president of Pan-African Catholic Network.
Joanne Pierce – Professor emerita at the Department of Religious Studies at College of the Holy Cross
Neil Thorns – Director of advocacy and communications at the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)
The tribunal will hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ministers to account for the invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv’s European allies have endorsed the creation of a special tribunal to hold top Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, to account for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
European Union foreign ministers, who met in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday, signed off on the tribunal, named the “Lviv statement”, to mark the conclusion of the technical work to draft the legal body.
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, told reporters there was no space for “impunity”.
“Russia’s aggression cannot go unpunished and therefore establishing this tribunal is extremely important,” Kallas said.
“This tribunal will ensure that those most responsible for the aggression against Ukraine are held accountable,” she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said the tribunal was part of the continent’s moral duty to hold Russia accountable for the war.
“A strong tribunal for the crime of aggression can – and must – make any potential aggressor think twice,” he said in a video address to the meeting.
Meanwhile, Russia declined to respond to news of the tribunal. “We are not reacting to this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, according to the TASS state news agency.
An EU official told the Reuters news agency that the tribunal would have to respect Putin and his officials’ immunity while in office, but a prosecutor could investigate and propose an indictment ready for when the immunity is dropped.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel welcomed the move and told Reuters that the tribunal was a good step because it “fills a void that currently exists”.
“Which is how can you prosecute the leadership for the crime of aggression against another country,” he said.
While the tribunal could start operating this year, it is not the only legal instrument being used against Russia for its war on Ukraine.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and other Russian officials for the forced deportation of children and attacks on Ukrainian energy sites.
Elsewhere on Friday, France announced that it would begin tapping into income from frozen Russian assets to help maintain about 60 French-made Caesar howitzers delivered to Ukraine.
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that using the funds will ensure the “continued maintenance of the Caesar cannons it has supplied to Ukraine to help resist Russian attacks”.
“We want peace, and today the only obstacle to peace is in Moscow, parading around under the name of Vladimir Putin,” said Barrot, adding that pressure must be put on the Russian leader to agree to a ceasefire.
In Lviv, the EU’s Kalas also pledged to disburse one billion euros ($1.1bn) from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to Ukrainian arms companies.
“We have just made available 1 billion euros for the Ukrainian defence industry so that Ukraine could better defend itself,” Kallas said. “This funding will directly support Ukrainian defence companies and secure additional military aid over the coming months, which are critical.”
The West has frozen around $300bn of Russian central bank assets – most of which are located in Europe – over Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
Friday’s developments came as Putin told a military parade in front of key allies, including China’s Xi Jinping, that Russia would be victorious in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine have accused one another of violating a three-day ceasefire as Moscow marked Victory Day by welcoming allies to a grand military parade.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin marked the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany on Friday alongside China’s Xi Jinping, in an event clearly intended to bolster support for his three-year offensive against Ukraine, which he had unilaterally paused for 72 hours to mark the occasion.
“Russia has been and will remain an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism,” said Putin, seeking to draw parallels between World War II – or the Great Patriotic War as it is named in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union – and the Ukraine war.
Russia maintains that its February 2022 invasion of its neighbour is a battle against a “Nazi” regime in Kyiv. Ukraine has dismissed that claim as “incomprehensible”.
More than 20 foreign dignitaries, including Xi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, watched the 11,000-strong parade on Red Square.
The show of force was billed by Moscow as proof that the country has not been isolated by the war.
Throughout his quarter-century in power, Putin has tapped into the nation’s trauma over Soviet losses during the Great Patriotic War, which Russia dates as running from 1941-45.
With the two-year period of 1939-41, during which the Soviets maintained a non-aggression pact, with the Nazis sidelined, Victory Day has been elevated to become the country’s most important public holiday and a prime lever used to whip up patriotism.
Putin appeared to seek to transfer that mood to his war in Ukraine.
“The whole country, society and people support the participants of the special military operation,” he said in his address to the parade, which reportedly included 1,500 soldiers who had fought in Ukraine.
Kyiv argued the parade has “nothing to do with the victory over Nazism” and that those marching on Red Square in a “parade of cynicism” were “quite likely” implicit in crimes against Ukrainians.
Amid the pomp and circumstance, security in Moscow has been tight, with authorities jamming mobile internet connections, citing the threat of Ukrainian attacks.
However, Putin’s unilaterally declared May 8-10 ceasefire teetered on the brink of collapse even as the parade opened on Friday morning, with both Kyiv and Moscow accusing one another of attacks.
Ukraine had dismissed Putin’s three-day pause as political theatrics, designed to avert the impatience of the United States – which has been trying to broker a ceasefire – and refused to commit to it, and had spent Tuesday and Wednesday using drones to target Moscow, shutting down its airports for significant periods.
Authorities in Russia’s western Belgorod border region said a Ukrainian drone attack hit the city council building on Friday, adding that no one was injured.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said Ukrainian troops had made attempts to breach the border in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, and claimed Ukraine had violated the ceasefire 5,026 times.
Ukraine claimed that just hours after the truce entered into effect, Russia had already broken it, with Moscow’s forces launching guided bombs against the northern Sumy region.
Kyiv reported further attacks on Friday in the southern city of Kherson and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, with two people wounded.
In a symbolic show of support for Kyiv to coincide with Friday’s parade, Ukraine’s Western allies backed a special tribunal to prosecute Putin and other senior Russian officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Foreign ministers from almost 20 European nations met in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv to sign the “Lviv statement”, a document paving the way for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, which could start operating next year.
“We stand for a just and lasting peace, for a secure Europe, and for accountability and justice,” said United Kingdom Foreign Minister David Lammy in a statement.
The same day, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said a group of 10 northern European nations and the UK had agreed to support a US proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
That tallies with Ukraine’s response to Putin’s Victory Day ceasefire, which was to question why it would only run for three days and to call for a full 30-day truce.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) coalition – which comprises Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK – met in Oslo on Friday.
Store said the group had contact the night before with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the proposal and that a “concerted approach” was now being taken.
Trump, who has presented himself as the main mediator in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, had initially appeared to tilt towards Moscow after entering office in January, offering support to Russia’s demands.
However, as Moscow has dragged its feet on agreeing to a ceasefire, the US president has demonstrated growing impatience with Putin, telling him last month to “stop shooting” and sign a peace deal.
On Thursday, Trump reiterated his call for a “30-day unconditional ceasefire,” saying on his Truth Social network that if the truce was not respected, “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions.”
A minerals deal between Kyiv and Washington, ratified by Ukraine’s parliament unanimously on Wednesday, appears to have helped improve relations.
Trump has approved military shipments to the country once more, while the rhetoric from US officials towards Moscow has shown signs of growing frustration.
Still, in the background, Washington has continued to work on a diplomatic reset with Moscow.
On Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Interfax as saying Russia and the US planned another round of talks aimed at getting their respective diplomatic missions fully operational.
Russia has marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square in Moscow.
Attended by President Vladimir Putin, alongside foreign leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the “Victory Day” spectacle, celebrated on May 9, is Russia’s most important secular holiday.
The parade and other ceremonies underline Moscow’s efforts to project its global power and cement the alliances it has forged while seeking a counterbalance to the West amid the conflict in Ukraine that has dragged into a fourth year.
The fight against the Nazis in World War II – known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War – is a rare event in the nation’s divisive history under communist rule that is revered by all political groups. Putin has used that sentiment to encourage national pride and underline Russia’s position as a global power.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people as it fought Germany’s forces in 1941-45, an enormous sacrifice that left a deep scar in the national psyche.
Speaking at the parade, Putin hailed Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, saying that “we are proud of their courage and determination, their spiritual force that always has brought us victory”.
The event featured at least 11,500 soldiers and more than 180 military vehicles, including tanks, armoured infantry vehicles and artillery used on the battlefield in Ukraine. As a reminder of Russia’s nuclear might, launchers for the Yars nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles rolled across Red Square.
Fighter jets from the air force’s aerobatic team flew by in close formation, followed by jets that trailed smoke in the colours of the national flag.
After the show, Putin shook hands with Russian military officers. He also talked to a group of medal-bedecked senior North Korean officers who watched the parade, hugging one of them.
Last month, Putin thanked North Korea for fighting alongside Russian troops against Ukrainian forces and hailed their sacrifices as Pyongyang confirmed their deployment for the first time.
Putin had declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting on May 8 to coincide with the Victory Day celebration, but warned that Russian troops would retaliate to any attacks.
The events were overshadowed by Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and severe disruptions at the capital’s airports.
Russian flag carrier Aeroflot on Wednesday morning cancelled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow, and delayed at least 140 others as the military repelled repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on the capital.
Russian authorities tightened security ahead of the parade and mobile phone internet outages were reported amid electronic countermeasures aimed at foiling further drone attacks.