Marco Rubio, America’s secretary of state, said that “the next few days” will show whether Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, is serious about peace in Ukraine. Mr Rubio confirmed that he would meet Sergey Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, in Saudi Arabia this week. Worried by America’s recent flurry of diplomacy with Russia, European leaders are meeting in Paris on Monday.
Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the Trump administration’s suggestion that America is owed the rights to half of Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals for its support in the war. The extraordinary demand was made by Scott Bessent, America’s treasury secretary, who visited Kyiv on Wednesday. The Ukrainian president said any deal would need to include security guarantees.
Marco Rubio met Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday. Afterwards Israel’s prime minister praised Mr Trump’s “bold vision” for Gaza, which involves America taking over the territory, and said that the two leaders are working in “full co-operation and co-ordination”. Mr Rubio called for Hamas to be “eradicated”, saying the militant group “cannot continue as a military or governing force”.
M23 soldiers marched into the centre of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu and the second-largest city in eastern Congo. It is unclear whether the rebel group, which is backed by neighbouring Rwanda, controls the whole city. In January it took Goma, the largest city in North Kivu, an adjacent province. The United Nations’ refugee agency claims that the insurgency has displaced 350,000 people.
At least 18 people died in a crush at New Delhi train station as thousands tried to board delayed services. The station was unusually crowded because of travellers going to and from the Maha Kumbh Mela, a religious festival thought to be the largest gathering of people in the world. Last month 30 people were crushed to death at the event, which attracts some 400m worshippers.
Australia said it would ban foreigners from buying many houses for two years. The policy, announced by the country’s Labor government, comes in response to a housing crunch. It applies to existing dwellings, rather than those that are yet to be built. Australia’s housing minister admitted the scheme would free up fewer than 2,000 homes a year.
The former prime minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, was arrested over allegations of money-laundering. Authorities say they found 114m Mauritius rupees ($2.4m) in various properties connected to Mr Jugnauth. He denies wrongdoing. Mauritius’s new government has questioned the Jugnauth administration’s keeping of the Indian Ocean archipelago’s books, launching an audit in November.
40%, the share of Germans who say Friedrich Merz—leader of the Christian Democrats and the probable next chancellor—is suitable for the job. Read the full story.
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