World
Trump tells Putin to 'STOP!' in rare rebuke after air strikes on Kyiv

US President Donald Trump has issued a rare rebuke to Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Russia targeted Kyiv with an hours-long barrage of missiles and drones, killing at least 12 people and injuring 90 others.
It was the deadliest attack on the city since July last year.
Trump’s frustration is growing as a US-led effort to reach a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia made little progress.
On Wednesday, Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula as part of a possible peace deal.
Russia illegally annexed the area from Ukraine in 2014.
Zelenskyy has repeated many times during the war that began when Russia invaded in February 2022 that recognising occupied territory as Russia’s is a red line for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine had agreed to a US ceasefire proposal 44 days ago as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Moscow’s attacks had continued.
Trump’s criticism of Putin is notable because Trump has repeatedly said Russia, the aggressor in the conflict, is more willing than Ukraine to get a deal done.
“I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “So far it’s been harder, but that’s OK. It’s all right.”
In his dealings with Zelenskyy and Putin, Trump has focused on which leader has leverage. Putin has “the cards” and Zelenskyy does not, Trump has said repeatedly.
At the same time, the new Republican administration has taken steps toward a more cooperative line with Putin, for whom Trump has long shown admiration.
Trump is set to meet later on Thursday with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to discuss the war in Ukraine, US tariffs and other issues.
Norway, a member of NATO and strong supporter of Ukraine, shares a roughly 198-kilometre border with Russia.
Gahr Støre said in a social media post that he would underscore during the talks that “close contact between Norway and the USA is crucial.”
“We must contribute to a lasting and just peace in Ukraine,” he said.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Putin should “stop lying” when he claims to want peace while continuing to bomb Ukraine.
“There is only one answer we are waiting for: Does President Putin agree to an unconditional ceasefire?” said Macron during a visit to Madagascar.
Macron added that “the Americans’ anger should focus on just one person: President Putin.”
During talks in Paris last week, US officials presented a proposal that included allowing Russia to keep control of occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a deal, according to a European official familiar with the matter.
That was discussed again on Wednesday during talks with US, European and Ukrainian officials.
“The principle of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is not something that can be negotiated,” French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said.
Asked whether France agreed with Trump’s comments that Ukraine’s position was to blame for prolonging the war, Lemoine said Ukrainians showed they are open to negotiations while Russia continues its strikes.
“We rather have the impression that it is the Russians who are slowing down the discussions,” he said.

World
Leak: Commission to launch PFAS clean-ups in water resilience strategy

The European Commission is preparing to support a major clean-up initiative targeting Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and human body, according to a leaked proposal seen by Euronews.
The operation, which is expected to start in 2026, is a central feature of the forthcoming EU Water Resilience Strategy.
Controversially shelved by the previous Commission and now slated for presentation by 4 June, the new strategy aims to address increasingly severe flooding, droughts, and escalating water pollution across Europe.
According to a leaked draft of the proposal seen by Euronews, the Commission warns that “urgent action is needed to tackle pollutants of emerging concern which pose a risk to our vital sources of drinking water.”
“The EU must embark on decisive efforts to clean up these and other ubiquitous, persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic substances, particularly where such chemicals remain indispensable for societal or industrial use,” the draft continues.
The leaked document stresses that remediation should follow the “polluter pays” principle, with public funding reserved for so-called orphan sites, namely locations where no responsible party can be identified.
The estimated cost of cleaning up PFAS contamination across Europe ranges from €5 billion to €100 billion annually, according to the Commission. The water sector alone could face up to €18 billion in additional yearly expenses for drinking water treatment. Costs for wastewater and sewage sludge management are projected to be even higher.
Among the planned initiatives is a public-private partnership launching in 2026, focused on the detection and clean-up of PFAS and other persistent chemicals. The initiative will align with recently revised EU legislation on industrial emissions, drinking water, and wastewater, and is intended to foster innovation and market development within the European water sector.
“Innovation and digitalisation are indispensable to remove emerging pollutants like PFAS and other toxic micro-substances,” the Commission notes in the draft adding that bio-based technologies could offer long-term solutions. The document also highlights the importance of achieving energy neutrality in the wastewater sector and improving integrated urban water management.
The PFAS actions in the strategy are intended to complement ongoing efforts under the revision of the EU’s REACH framework, as outlined in President von der Leyen’s 2024–2029 political guidelines, which are also slated for revision soon.
By the end of 2025, the Commission aims to adopt a comprehensive restriction on all PFAS in firefighting foams, identified as one of the primary sources of PFAS emissions.
PFAS and other highly persistent pollutants continue to accumulate in EU waters, with estimated health-related costs ranging from €52 billion to €84 billion annually.
Aligned with the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Commission also proposes a monitoring and outlook system to tackle water and marine pollution at its source.
World
Early human ancestors used their hands to both climb trees and make tools, new study shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — Our hands can reveal a lot about how a person has lived – and that’s true for early human ancestors, too.
Different activities such as climbing, grasping or hammering place stress on different parts of our fingers. In response to repeated stress, our bones tend to thicken in those areas.
To study how ancient humans used their hands, scientists used 3D scanning to measure and analyze the bone thickness of fingers.
They focused on the fossil hands of two early human ancestor species recovered from excavations in southern Africa, called Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi. The individuals lived around 2 million years ago and around 300,000 years ago, respectively.
Both ancient human species showed signs of simultaneously using their hands to move around – such as by climbing trees – as well as to grasp and manipulate objects, a requirement to being able to make tools.
“They were likely walking on two feet and using their hands to manipulate objects or tools, but also spent time climbing and hanging,” perhaps on trees or cliffs, said study co-author and paleoanthropologist Samar Syeda of the American Museum of Natural History.
The research was published Wednesday in Science Advances.
The findings show there wasn’t a simple “evolution in hand function where you start off with more ‘ape-like’ and end up more ‘human-like,’” said Smithsonian paleoanthropologist Rick Potts, who was not involved in the study.
Complete fossil hands are relatively rare, but the specimens used in the study gave an opportunity to understand the relative forces on each finger, said Chatham University paleontologist Erin Marie Williams-Hatala, who was not involved in the study.
“Hands are one of the primary ways we engage with world around us,” she said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
World
UN revisits 'killer robot' regulations as concerns about AI-controlled weapons grow

Several nations met at the United Nations (U.N.) on Monday to revisit a topic that the international body has been discussing for over a decade: the lack of regulations on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), often referred to as “killer robots.”
This latest round of talks comes as wars rage in Ukraine and Gaza.
While the meeting was held behind closed doors, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres released a statement doubling down on his 2026 deadline for a legally binding solution to threats posed by LAWS.
“Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be banned by international law,” Guterres said in a statement. “We cannot delegate life-or-death decisions to machines,” he later added.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during a Security Council meeting during the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)
FORMER TRUMP OFFICIAL SLAMS UN REFORM EFFORTS AS ‘EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS LATE’
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric delivered a statement to nations participating in Monday’s meeting. Spoljaric expressed the ICRC’s support for efforts to regulate LAWS but warned that technology is evolving faster than regulations, making threats posed by the systems “more worrying.”
“Machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement threaten to transform warfare in ways with grave humanitarian consequences. They also raise fundamental ethical and human rights concerns. All humanity will be affected,” Spoljaric said.

The picture shows the unmanned aerial vehicle of China captured at the Zhuhai Air Show on Nov. 7, 2018. (Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
NUCLEAR WATCHDOG URGES ‘TRUST BUT VERIFY’ THAT IRAN ENGAGES IN GOOD-FAITH NEGOTIATIONS
Artificial intelligence is not necessarily a prerequisite for something to be considered an autonomous weapon, according to the U.N., as not all autonomous systems fully rely on AI. Some can use pre-programmed functions for certain tasks. However, AI “could further enable” autonomous weapons systems, the U.N. said.
Vice President of the Conservative Partnership Institute Rachel Bovard, however, says that while regulation of autonomous weapons is necessary, the U.S. needs to be cautious when it comes to the development of international law.
“AI is the wild west and every country is trying to determine the rules of the road. Some regulation will be imperative to preserving our humanity. When it comes to international law, however, the U.S. should proceed with caution,” Bovard told Fox News Digital. “As we have learned with everything from trade to health, subjecting our national sovereignty to international dictates can have lasting unintended consequences. If existing international law is sufficient at the moment, that is what should govern.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Countries in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons have been meeting since 2014 to discuss a possible full ban on LAWS that operate without human control and to regulate those with more human involvement, according to Reuters.
In 2023, more than 160 nations backed a U.N. resolution calling on countries across the globe to address the risks posed by LAWS. However, there is currently no international law specifically regulating LAWS.
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